Tag: October 2002

Some information on one of the best accommodation bargains in
Spain if not Europe via Membership of The European Alpine
Federation.

British residents can join through the Austrian Alpine
Club-UK Section PO Box 43, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8
6PA, Tel 01707-386740. Or e-mail: e-mail:
manager@aacuk.uk.com

website: www.aacuk.demon.co.uk/

Membership costs £30 per year and entitles members to
stay at the many Spanish mountain huts for between 3.45
– 4.10 Euros per night, less than £2.50.
Non-members pay between three and four times these prices.

Facilities are roughly comparable to very simple grade Youth
Hostels with shared dormitories and sometimes a hot shower.
You can self cater or buy a 4 course meal from the Guardian.

Your membership card also entitles you to massive discounts
in the mountain huts of France, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Slovenia plus medical and
mountain rescue insurance anywhere in the world.

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then
why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of
the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized
Bites

The Malaysian prime minister condemned the new security
checks on Muslim and Arab visitors introduced at US airports
in October 2002.

Mahathir Mohamad labelled the new immigration rules as
“anti-Muslim” and said America's stance was
unfortunate. Passengers arriving in the US from Muslim and
Middle East countries are now photographed and fingerprinted
by the immigration authorities at all ports of entry.

In particular, nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and
Sudan will be heavily scrutinized. Visitors from other
countries, including Malaysia, who are thought to be a
possible security risk, will also undergo the tougher
immigration checks.

The authorities will compare pictures and fingerprints with
criminal and terrorist data held by the US government. There
could be a personal element here: Mr Mahathir made his attack
on the system after his deputy, Ahmad Abdullah Badawi,
claimed he was forced to remove his belt and shoes during a
security check at Los Angeles International Airport as he
arrived for a United Nations meeting.

Flight Log Never let it be said that ground crews and
engineers lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged
maintenance complaints by QANTAS pilots and the corrective
action recorded by mechanics.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never
had an accident. P – stands for the problem the pilots
entered in the log, and S – stands for the corrective action
taken by the mechanics.

We've all seen those wispy white trails that aircraft
leave in the skies. Until now, scientists have been unable to
calculate the impact on weather of these vapour trails. That
is until post 9/11.

The grounding of flights for three days after the 11
September attacks gave scientists in the US a unique
opportunity to see what the weather would be like with no air
traffic at all.

They compared temperatures at 4,000 weather stations across
the country with figures for the previous three decades at
the same time of year. Their findings show that the gap
between daytime and night time temperatures was more than one
degree Celsius larger than normal when flights were at a
standstill.

This is thought to be because the jet trails reflect sunlight
and trap heat. That makes the day cooler and the night warmer
where air traffic is heavy. However, the effect is almost
certainly outweighed by the global warming influence of
greenhouse gases, created by the burning of fuel including
emissions from jet engines.

They have got to be the most annoying junk mail that the
Beetle receives….ever! You must have received one at
least: you know, it's a long e-mail bemoaning the death
of a supposed husband, father, uncle etc. who has millions of
$ trapped in a bank account. In exchange for a small
investment – and you have been chosen for this very
exciting opportunity (not!) to receive a commission for
helping to release these funds by transferring a few thousand
dollars of your own to a named bank account and in return,
you receive 30%, or some variation on the theme. But have you
ever wondered who these people are, that send out these
blatant scams? And why? And do people really respond?

Frank from the US sent the Beetle a piece called The Nigerian
Nightmare – Who's sending you all those scam e-mails by
BrendanI.Koerner.lnk. In this, the author explains that the
e-mailers behind these e-mails are almost always Lagos-based
con artists looking for people greedy enough and stupid
enough to spend thousands in pursuit of nonexistent fortunes.
“They aim to lure you to Nigeria or to a nearby nation
where you'll be cajoled into ponying up endless fees to
secure the “riches”-$30,000 for a “chemical
solvent” to disguise the money or $50,000 for
“customs duties”. When you eventually wise up,
faux police barge into your hotel and demand massive bribes
in exchange for your freedom. Tapped out? Expect to be held
for ransom or murdered”.

This is a scam known as a 419, named after the penal code
making it illegal. According to the anti-spam software vendor
Brightmail, 419 scams are the Web's second-most common
form of junk mail, (ranking behind only those “herbal
Viagra” ads). Believe it or not, an estimated 1 percent
of recipients actually respond. Of that number, enough people
fork over enough cash to sustain an industry that ranks in
Nigeria's top five, right up there with palm oil and tin.
The U.S. Secret Service has estimated-conservatively, by its
own admission-that the scammers net $100 million per year.

So, just don't……..