grcreativebox

[ad_1]

(CNN) — When a little boy accidentally left his stuffed bear named Teddy on a flight from Dallas to New Orleans over the Thanksgiving holiday, he was crushed. Grayson and his teddy bear did everything together. His mom, Christina Mulligan, did what any mom would do. She tried to get Teddy back.”I was in contact with all of the baggage claim, TSA, I think I called the lost and found repeatedly,” she told CNN. “Every time I called, they were like, ‘Is this about the bear?'”She posted on the Southwest Airlines Facebook page asking for help. Maybe a flight attendant had seen him or another passenger on the plane had picked him up. What she didn’t know at the time was that the New Orleans airport was overwhelmed with calls from employees and strangers. Everyone just trying to find Teddy. “I freaked out,” Grayson Mulligan told CNN affiliate KTVT. “I play with him a lot,” he said. “I carry him around a lot.”A month went by and still — nothing. That’s until the end of December when Christina received a call from a corporate employee at Southwest Airlines, who told her that her post caught a lot of attention on private Southwest pages and even made its way to some executives. Christina told CNN that apparently a flight attendant found Teddy on the plane and handed him off to somebody at the airport but after that he was nowhere to be found. Teddy never made it to the Lost and Found. But Southwest had something else in store: a new bear with a story all his own. “They said, ‘We’d love to give Grayson a new bear,’ and I was on board with it,” she said.”I felt happy because I know they cared a lot about me,” Grayson told KTVT. “And I have some flight attendant bears too.”Southwest AirlinesHe named his new bear Jack. “Because he looked like a Jack to me,” he said.And Jack had quite an adventure before getting to Grayson.Christina shared the photos that Southwest sent to Grayson on her Facebook page. They showed Jack working on the tarmac at Dallas Love Field, inspecting cockpits, preparing the cabin for passengers, booking the flight, and yes, even standing in line. “We love connecting people to what’s important in their lives, and our employees put their servant’s heart on display to help make Grayson’s day. We are proud to have played a small role in bringing Grayson and Jack together,” Southwest Airlines said in statement to CNN.”This is his favorite airline,” she said. “Grayson’s even been to the facility with a pilot friend and has been in one of the flight simulators when he was four or five.” When Grayson read Jack’s story, he cried. “He said, ‘I’m getting a new bear,’ it was just so sweet,” Christina said. “He’s always wanted to be a Southwest pilot,” she added. “They don’t even know that part.”

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

Idiotic TV shows and all the latest apps bumming you out on the 21st century? Ready for some “me time” on the world’s remotest islands?Forget golden sands and swaying palms — the reality of solitude is different as these distant landfalls demonstrate.1. Tristan da CunhaCourtesy Tristan da Cunha Tourism Office1,750 miles from South AfricaThe British island group of Tristan da Cunha stands profoundly alone in the South Atlantic. The nearest landfall is South Africa, 1,750 miles east, and to the west, South America is more than 2,000 miles.It’s the world’s most remote inhabited island chain — so precariously occupied that when a volcanic vent erupted in 1961, the whole population was evacuated to England.Reaching Tristan da Cunha: This is no easygoing excursion. To quote the official website, “There are no package tours for independent travelers, no hotels, no airport, no holiday reps, no night clubs, no restaurants, no jet skis nor safe sea swimming.”All visitors need to clear their arrivals in advance through the Island Council, and they also need to obtain a police certificate. (A 40-day wait is typical.)There are around 10 sailings a year from Cape Town, South Africa, and Namibia, each taking five to six days to reach the islands; it costs $800-$1,500 for a round trip. A list of available ships can be found on the website..2. Bear IslandLongyearbyen is the seat of Norwegian local administration in Svalbard.Chris Jackson/Getty Images400 miles off Europe’s north coastBjornoya, better known as Bear Island, is the southernmost island in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, 400 miles north of mainland Europe — but only on paper, given that it’s almost 150 miles south of the Norwegian island chain with which it’s lumped.It’s been a nature reserve since 2002 and has a lively history of failed occupation — hard to believe for a place of barren cliffs, near-zero precipitation and risk of leaks of radioactive material from the nearby wreck of a nuclear submarine.Reaching Bear Island: Getting to the heart of Svalbard is a relatively simple matter — there are daily flights from Oslo and Tromso to Svalbard’s capital, Longyearbyen, on the west coast of Spitsbergen.Now it gets tricky. Research vessels infrequently call on Bear Island (the Norwegian Polar Institute makes an occasional appearance), while individually chartered boats and the occasional adventure cruise (such as this one from Polar Quest) haul in the remaining visitors.3. Bouvet1,000 miles from AntarcticaTristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world — now, welcome to its uninhabited, far bleaker counterpart.Its cliffs are sheer. It’s almost entirely covered by a glacier. In winter, its seas are pack ice.And its nearest neighbor is Antarctica, 1,000 miles to the south. In short, idyllic.Reaching Bouvet: The entire island is a nature reserve — so unless you can make a compelling case for visiting, you’ll be blocked by Norwegian authorities.Get permission, and it’s now a simple matter of finding a research vessel, quickly mastering a valuable skill such as arctic geological surveying or marine biology and then getting someone to land you via helicopter. (There are no ports or harbors.)If all else fails, try becoming an amateur radio enthusiast: In 1990, a multinational expedition of operators spent 16 days on the island.4. Bishop RockRichard Knights/Wikimedia Commons30 miles from EnglandRegarded by Guinness as the world’s smallest island with a building on it, Bishop Rock stands at the end of Britain’s Isles of Scilly, where coastal waters give way to the fury of the Atlantic.In 1847, engineers started building an iron lighthouse there — and it washed away in a storm. Its extraordinary successor, first lit in 1858, stands to this day.Reaching Bishop Rock: Visiting the most southwesterly point in Britain is surprisingly easy — the St. Mary’s Boatsmen’s Association runs day trips.5. BorerayCourtesy www.rcahms.gov.uk60 miles off mainland ScotlandLove the Scottish islands, but want something with a little more bite? Head west of the Outer Hebrides, and you’ll find the archipelago of St. Kilda, 40 miles into the Atlantic.It’s one of Scotland’s five World Heritage sites, with a main island that was abandoned in the 1930s when crops failed. Imagine the surprise of archaeologists when they found that one of the least hospitable islands, Boreray, was occupied in prehistoric times.Reaching Boreray: Since Boreray comes under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland, you need its permission to visit.Then? Lots of time and lots of luck — with a rugged shoreline and savage sea swell, this isn’t an island built for landings.According to one guide, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have landed at Boreray since the National Trust took ownership in 1957.6. North Sentinel Island400 miles from MyanmarNorth Sentinel is one of the 572 islands making up the Andaman chain in the Indian Ocean’s Bay of Bengal.It’s surrounded by dangerous reefs, but North Sentinel is intimidating because of its inhabitants. The Sentinelese want nothing to do with the modern world and have repeatedly rebuffed attempts to make peaceful contact.Reaching North Sentinel Island: You’re kidding, right? If the above description didn’t put you off, this article about a pair of fishermen who strayed onto the island certainly should.7. RockallAnilocra/Wikimedia Commons270 miles from IrelandIf you think Boreray sounds forbidding, try sailing 187 miles west of it. Rockall is the tip of an extinct volcano reaching 20 meters (about 65 feet) above sea level, in seas with waves recorded as high as 29 meters (95 feet).In 1955, the British Empire, in its final territorial acquisition, seized Rockall — allegedly due to fears the Soviets would build a missile battery on it.Reaching Rockall: In the words of the recently minted Rockall Club, “visiting Rockall is difficult, completely weather dependent and not cheap.”Your best bet is contacting Kilda Cruises and arranging a tailor-made excursion. Or you could sail there, lash yourself to the rock and claim it as your very own micronation — but you wouldn’t be the first.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — A shepherd guides her herd during a magnificent sunset in the ancient city of Bagan in central Burma.Camels and revels gather in the Dahna desert at Saudi Arabia’s annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival.A solitary surfer paddles across the waters of Cape Verde’s Praia de Cruz beach.It’s a big and amazing world out there, full of spectacular destinations. And with the ongoing revolution in camera technology, there’s never been a better time to soak it all in than right now.At its best, travel photography inspires, intrigues and informs. It sets us on armchair adventures. It can spur us to actually plan a dream trip we’ve long sought to take. Or pictures can reveal a possible new journey that captures our imagination.These photos not only show the natural and human-made beauty of our world, but they can also give us a glimpse of other people and cultures and the beauty within the human race.Thousands of amazing images cross our computer screens each year, and in this space we share our favorites from 2020.So when you’re keen to see another beautiful part of the world — Mexico’s Palenque, India’s Dal Lake, Cape Verde’s Boa Vista — return here for inspiration.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

Since his days on the campaign trail, the anti-establishment, populist leader has vowed to sell his country’s luxurious presidential plane, arguing that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars that could be better spent on helping the country’s poorer communities.But since López Obrador’s inauguration in 2018, Mexico’s presidential aircraft has sat unused, collecting dust. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Boeing 787-8 plane has proved particularly tough to sell. (The $130 million aircraft is pricey.)Attempts to sell it to the United States or Canada or exchange it for medical equipment have so far been unsuccessful.And the costs of storing and maintaining the jet are racking up.A $130 million plane could cost about $27Mexico’s President unveiled the design for the raffle tickets in his latest plan to sell the $130 million presidential jet.CEPROPIESo López Obrador has proposed another way to offload the plane.He wants to raffle off the plane to his constituents, selling tickets for about $27 each. The goal is to sell six million tickets. López Obrador unveiled a design for the raffle tickets on Tuesday.The raffle ticket features a photo of the plane with the words “Gran Sorteo Especial,” or Great Special Raffle, while also commemorating the 158th anniversary of Battle of Puebla. At the bottom of the ticket, the text reads, “It’s a cooperation for medical equipment and hospitals where poor people are treated.” A telenovela starring the planeThe raffle is among a few plans regarding how to offload the plane, which also include making a TV soap about the plane’s case. He added that it was important to remember the jet wasn’t bought during his administration, but during a “pharaonic” government.López Obrador said he would make a final decision on what to do with the plane on February 15th. The airplane, named José María Morelos y Pavón, was purchased by the Mexican government in 2012 for $218.7 million under then-President Felipe Calderón. The hefty price tag caused some controversy in Mexico, and it wasn’t put into use until 2016 , after former president Enrique Peña Nieto commissioned a study that determined the government would lose a lot of money on a sale of the aircraft.Photos of the plane show wide leather seats, a double bed and a spacious bathroom with a shower.Elected on a anti-corruption platformLópez Obrador was elected in a landslide victory in 2018 on a platform of fighting corruption.During his swearing-in, López Obrador reaffirmed his intentions to not live in the presidential palace, which he said had become a symbol of luxury and opulence in a country where nearly 42 percent of the people live in poverty, according to government figures. He opted to live in his own house and turned the palace into a museum open to the public. He also said he would receive only 40% of his presidential salary.CNN’s Andrea Diaz and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

She appeared to pick the Kansas City Chiefs, but in a rather inartful way: She yawned and soggy lettuce flew out in front of the team’s logo. “She has picked the underdog three years in a row,” Cincinnati Zoo’s Communications Director Michelle Curley told CNN. “Since she started life as an underdog, perhaps she just naturally roots for them.”Underdog, indeed: Fiona was born six weeks premature and weighed only 29 pounds when she debuted at the zoo in 2017. But her remarkable recovery quickly endeared her to millions of fans, and she’s become a hippo celebrity. The San Francisco 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. And if Fiona’s prediction is anything like the game, it will be a toss up.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Philadelphia is honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which recognized women’s right to vote, by making an honorary change to its famous nickname.”The City of Brotherly Love,” will be known ceremonially as “The City of Sisterly Love” for all of 2020. A city resolution states that “the equal participation of women in politics and government is essential to building strong communities and a vibrant democracy that takes into consideration all facets of life, the workforce, family, and community.”City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced the resolution Thursday, noting that while this anniversary recognizes women’s right to vote, the resolution points out that millions were not allowed to actually participate in elections for decades to come. “The language does not shy away from acknowledging that the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in print, but not in practice,” Richardson said in the meeting. “A vast number of women of color were still fully disenfranchised until the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A fact that continues to elude the narrative about the 19th Amendment.”City Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore RichardsonPhiladelphia City CouncilThe resolution is a joint effort between tourism group Visit Philadelphia and the City Council to get visitors and residents to explore Philadelphia and contributions of the city’s women, Richardson said. Mayor Jim Kenney commended the ceremonial change of the city’s nickname. “Philadelphia is proud to join the nation in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment,” Kenney said in a statement. “Women are the backbone of our families, our communities, and our society. This ceremonial changing of our nickname, and accompanying tourism campaign from Visit Philadelphia, are among the many ways Philadelphia will mark this milestone.”Richardson added that this resolution was not intended to erase men but to uplift women, “because we don’t have to put someone down to lift someone up.”The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920.

[ad_2]

Source link