• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

December 10, 2004

Family: Mizener Thrown Overboard
Although Annette Mizener’s family accepts that she likely went overboard from a cruise ship Saturday off the coast of Mexico, they don’t believe there’s a chance she killed herself. They do think she was thrown into the ocean. "We do believe there’s foul play," said the Rev. Rick Kielley of Abundant Life Apostolic Church in Oconomowoc. "Let’s ask a common-sense question: If you were going to commit suicide, would you go on a cruise with your daughter and parents to do it?" Mizener, 37, of Waukesha, went missing while aboard the Carnival Pride ship traveling from Long Beach, Calif., to Mexico. A search of the 2,400-passenger vessel and 130 square miles of waters failed to locate a body. (GM Today) Posted 5:35 a.m.
• Husband 'Still Waiting For Answers' (ABC News)
• Did She Jump - Or Was She Pushed? (PT)

This is unfolding into one of the strangest cases of the year. If Mizener was pushed, who did it? And why? And ... could it happen again?

Cellphones Prepare For Takeoff
The day may finally be coming when you will be allowed to make calls on your own cellphone from an airliner. Trouble is, so will the passengers sitting on either side of you, and in front and in back of you, as well. Federal regulators plan next week to begin considering rules that would end the official ban on cellphone use on commercial flights. Technical challenges and safety questions remain. But if the ban is lifted, one of the last cocoons of relative social silence would disappear, forcing strangers to work out the rough etiquette of involuntary eavesdropping in a confined space. (The New York Times) Posted 5:45 a.m.

TSA Screeners Vent on Web Site
Passengers ruffled by up-close-and-personal security checks have been squawking. But what about the view from the other side of the screening wand? The tsa-screeners.com Web site — privately run and not affiliated with the Transportation Security Administration — offers news (such as the Nazi salute allegedly flipped to screeners by the husband of Monaco's Princess Caroline after he refused to be patted down), postings from screeners sharing tips and gripes and a message board where travelers can ask questions and get a response from a screener. (USA Today) Posted 5:50 a.m.

----------

Keys to Luxury
The come-as-you-are Florida Keys are synonymous with fishing, diving and dusk-to-dawn parties. But luxury vacations? Conventional wisdom says skip this wacky island chain and try Coconut Grove or Palm Beach instead. Hold on. Although the Keys’ reputation as a place that’s a little rough around the edges is well-deserved, several new attractions have emerged that offer true extravagance. (Not2far.com) Posted 5:55 a.m.

---------

Terrorists May Use Lasers as Weapons
Terrorists may seek to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches, federal officials are warning in a bulletin distributed nationwide. The memo sent by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States. (AP) Posted 6:05 a.m.

Travel Agent Gets Four Years in Prison
Ronni Spoll, the former Palmer Township travel agent who took nearly $900,000 from clients but didn't book their trips, will spend up to four years in prison. Spoll, 56, sobbed Thursday as she told Northampton County Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden that she was sorry to have mismanaged her business. Spoll said she didn't use any of the money for personal gain. (Morning Call) Posted 6:10 a.m.

Screeners Have a Secret (and They're Not Telling)
Want to see the federal government's regulation authorizing airport security personnel to pat you down before boarding a plane? You can't. It's a secret rule. Would you like to read the government regulation that says all passengers must present identification before being allowed on aircraft, or what sort of identification meets the government requirement? Sorry, you're out of luck. That's a secret law, too. (Times Union) Posted 6:15 a.m.

>> Yesterday's Notes | Tomorrow's Notes <<

E-mail Elliott | Other bloggers | About this blog

Latest Travel Notes | Complete Archives