Tokyo - Flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport suffered delays on Saturday, September 28, 2014, as planes changed routes to avoid a volcano at Mt. Ontake. Most flights at Haneda airport were back to normal by Sunday, September 29, 2014, an airport spokeswoman said.
Sakurajima, another active volcano, in the Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyusho, Japan, at the southern end of the western island of Kyushu, is 50km (31 miles) from Kyushu Electric Power's Sendai nuclear power plant. Sendai was approved to restart by Japan's nuclear regulatory agency earlier in September 2014. Ash from Saturday's volcano was found on cars as far away as 80km (50 miles).
Japan is home to 110 active volcanoes. Kyushu Electric has said it will install new monitoring equipment around nearby calderas (caps on top of previously erupted volcanoes). Kyushu Electric also says it plans to remove highly radioactive fuel to a safer site if the threat of an eruption is detected. See also, www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
United States Postal Service to Start Sunday Deliveries
Washington - Electronic mail (e-mail) has taken so much regular mail from the United States Postal Service, that the online company Amazon.com and the United States Postal Service will start Sunday deliveries of online items bought thru Amazon.com; this is according to kfiam640. See also, www.usps.com.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
This Roller Coaster is a Raging Bull
Chicago - With the ancient art of bull-taming as a theme, a practice that has been around for thousands of years, and is still used today, Raging Bull is named after a fictious ferocious bull-beast that terrorized citizens of the old Southwest Territory. The states that are now South of the Ohio River were commonly known as the Southwest Territory, in the late 1790s. Legend has it that the citizens of this area fled the main town and built a courtyard and mission elsewhere. Raging Bull allows riders to experience the tough rodeo ride of the legendary Southwest Territories.
When it opened in 1999 Raging Bull was the first hyper-twister roller coaster in the United States. A hyper-coaster is a roller coaster that has extreme height, hyper-coasters usually start at approximately 200 feet tall. The land now being used by Raging Bull was formerly used by Rolling Thunder, a bobsled which had been relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) in 1990, and was removed from Six Flags Great America (Illinois) in 1996, to make room for the Southwest Territory, which Raging Bull is a flagship attraction of. The bobsled Rolling Thunder is now Alpine Bobsled at Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom, in Queensbury, New York. The Southwest Territory at Six Flags Great America (Illinois) is, Raging Bull (opened 1999), Giant Drop (opened 1997), and Viper (opened 1995). Viper is a Coney Island Cyclone-styled wooden roller coaster. With a maximum height of 208 feet, Raging Bull is the tallest coaster at Six Flags Great America (Illinois), an the maximum drop is 202 feet, with a maximum drop angle of 65 degrees. Raging Bull includes a lot of space-age weightlessness, that results from, Raging Bulls, air-time hills ( a series of small hills that result in feelings of weightlessness by Raging Bull riders). Raging Bull has speeds of up to 73 mph and has a helix (corkscrew turn) that feels like a bull trying to shake riders off of it. Raging Bull is 5,057 feet (1541.4 meters) long. See also, www.greatamericaparks.com.
When it opened in 1999 Raging Bull was the first hyper-twister roller coaster in the United States. A hyper-coaster is a roller coaster that has extreme height, hyper-coasters usually start at approximately 200 feet tall. The land now being used by Raging Bull was formerly used by Rolling Thunder, a bobsled which had been relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) in 1990, and was removed from Six Flags Great America (Illinois) in 1996, to make room for the Southwest Territory, which Raging Bull is a flagship attraction of. The bobsled Rolling Thunder is now Alpine Bobsled at Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom, in Queensbury, New York. The Southwest Territory at Six Flags Great America (Illinois) is, Raging Bull (opened 1999), Giant Drop (opened 1997), and Viper (opened 1995). Viper is a Coney Island Cyclone-styled wooden roller coaster. With a maximum height of 208 feet, Raging Bull is the tallest coaster at Six Flags Great America (Illinois), an the maximum drop is 202 feet, with a maximum drop angle of 65 degrees. Raging Bull includes a lot of space-age weightlessness, that results from, Raging Bulls, air-time hills ( a series of small hills that result in feelings of weightlessness by Raging Bull riders). Raging Bull has speeds of up to 73 mph and has a helix (corkscrew turn) that feels like a bull trying to shake riders off of it. Raging Bull is 5,057 feet (1541.4 meters) long. See also, www.greatamericaparks.com.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
California Great America's Flight Deck
Santa Clara - Paramount Picture's Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, was the top grossing movie of 1986. As the popularity of the movie continued to grow, even years after release, the Paramount Theme Parks began to capitalize on that appeal, by theming several new roller coasters with a Top Gun premise. The theme's of the several Top Gun type coasters vary, for example Batman The Ride at Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois), is built by the same company that built California Great America's Flight Deck (Santa Clara, California). All of the Top Gun type rides maintain the connection to the fighter jets. Either through a military jet-like stark steel-gray coloration, by having patriotic accents, through the use of movie clips, or by playing recorded music in certain areas of the ride, and in the use of other props as necessary in the ride area and the area surrounding the ride area. In 2006, The Paramount Company sold its theme parks to Cedar Fair, a company that owns several theme parks around the country. Paramount's justification for the sale was that operating theme parks was removing Paramount from its primary mission objective of movie production, and movie distribution. Roller Coaster fanatics interested in experiencing the rush of a Top Gun type ride can do so at parks stretching across the United States and Canada.
Because of the familiarity and popularity of the Top Gun name, some of the Top Gun coaster still have their original names and/or their original theming. Top Gun opened in 1993. It is a Swiss-made inverted steel coaster. It uses floor-less coaches suspended below the track. It reaches speeds of up to 50 miles-per-hour. Top Gun lasts approximately two minutes and 26 seconds. Top Gun has three inversions and features an initial 91 foot drop. California Great America's Flight Deck is sometimes still called Top Gun because it is a Top Gun styled roller coaster similar to Batman The Ride.
Flight Deck mimics the awesome aerobatics of fighter jet manuevers. Thrill seekers have four different options, or elements, designers use when designing roller coasters. They are the drop (Flight Deck has a maximum height of 102 feet and an initial drop of 91 feet). The turn or curve, a change in the direction of the roller coaster train. If the turn or curve is very close to the track going in the opposite direction, it is sometimes called a horseshoe for its shape. 360 degree rolls (sometimes known as barrel rolls), or tilts, rotating around the track while going in a straight line. Loops, vertical turns or vertical curves that go 360 degrees. At the top of the loop the riders are completely inverted.
Because of the familiarity and popularity of the Top Gun name, some of the Top Gun coaster still have their original names and/or their original theming. Top Gun opened in 1993. It is a Swiss-made inverted steel coaster. It uses floor-less coaches suspended below the track. It reaches speeds of up to 50 miles-per-hour. Top Gun lasts approximately two minutes and 26 seconds. Top Gun has three inversions and features an initial 91 foot drop. California Great America's Flight Deck is sometimes still called Top Gun because it is a Top Gun styled roller coaster similar to Batman The Ride.
Flight Deck mimics the awesome aerobatics of fighter jet manuevers. Thrill seekers have four different options, or elements, designers use when designing roller coasters. They are the drop (Flight Deck has a maximum height of 102 feet and an initial drop of 91 feet). The turn or curve, a change in the direction of the roller coaster train. If the turn or curve is very close to the track going in the opposite direction, it is sometimes called a horseshoe for its shape. 360 degree rolls (sometimes known as barrel rolls), or tilts, rotating around the track while going in a straight line. Loops, vertical turns or vertical curves that go 360 degrees. At the top of the loop the riders are completely inverted.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Luxury Planes of Fame
Tampines - When you first learned that a person could own their own ISLAND you were impressed. The private PLANES of the rich and famous are just as impressive and important. One wonders how they would get to their exclusive beach oasis's without there private jets, for speed and timeliness. The 747, the kind of plane that fits the swinging go-go days of martini-drinking travelers lingering around a bar, was introduced for commercial service in 1970. With a spiral staircase, to get to the "flying penthouse," the 747 reminds us of images of a luxurious cruise ship. Singapore Airlines was the first company to use the 747.
If you like speed and comfort the Airbus A380 is the leading European made passenger airplane in the world. The Airbus A380 maintains glamour in flying, like the 747. In 2008 the Airbus A380 was introduced. Singapore Airlines was the first company to use the Airbus A380.
Airbus and Boeing offer a wide variety of customization options to give customers exactly what they want. Prices vary, with a new 747 series-eight costing approximately $280 million and an Airbus A380 costing approximately $300 million. Air Force One is, of course, on the list. Among the many features that Air Force One has is a lift elevator that descends from the 747 to the ground, to speed baggage loading. More than one Sultan, King, or Prince owns a pre-owned or new Boeing-747 for $100 million and up. One prince has already sold his $500 million dollar customized Airbus A380 to another un-named billionaire, before the world's most expensive passenger plane even took flight. The billionaire who purchased the original prince's plane was desperate to skip the waiting list for the world's largest private jet. For one-half-of a billion dollars one gets such amenities as a marble-finish Turkish bath, a boardroom, and a concert hall. Among other customized items are: a loading ramp that lowers from the rear of the Airbus A380, a dedicated prayer area (in which computer-generated mats move to point toward Mecca), lift-shuttles that go between the three stories of the plane, a self-loading baggage system (like air force one's) that can lower to the ground to serve as a private entrance, a "floating" grand staircase, a giant built-in floor viewing system that shows the ground being flown over, a concert hall that can generate life-like holograms, and a steam-room lined with 2mm thick marble (big enough for four to sit).
The ultra-rich do not always get their way. In 2008 the interior designer of one prince's $500 million dollar Airbus A380 wanted to include a whirlpool tub . The interior designer assured Airbus the whirlpool tub would come with a rapid drainage system that can empty standing water in seconds to a tank in the cargo hold. Airbus refused to 'include a swimming pool on board.' An Airbus executive, says "You can forget about the swimming pool"..."can't happen and won't happen. See also, www.time.com/money.
If you like speed and comfort the Airbus A380 is the leading European made passenger airplane in the world. The Airbus A380 maintains glamour in flying, like the 747. In 2008 the Airbus A380 was introduced. Singapore Airlines was the first company to use the Airbus A380.
Airbus and Boeing offer a wide variety of customization options to give customers exactly what they want. Prices vary, with a new 747 series-eight costing approximately $280 million and an Airbus A380 costing approximately $300 million. Air Force One is, of course, on the list. Among the many features that Air Force One has is a lift elevator that descends from the 747 to the ground, to speed baggage loading. More than one Sultan, King, or Prince owns a pre-owned or new Boeing-747 for $100 million and up. One prince has already sold his $500 million dollar customized Airbus A380 to another un-named billionaire, before the world's most expensive passenger plane even took flight. The billionaire who purchased the original prince's plane was desperate to skip the waiting list for the world's largest private jet. For one-half-of a billion dollars one gets such amenities as a marble-finish Turkish bath, a boardroom, and a concert hall. Among other customized items are: a loading ramp that lowers from the rear of the Airbus A380, a dedicated prayer area (in which computer-generated mats move to point toward Mecca), lift-shuttles that go between the three stories of the plane, a self-loading baggage system (like air force one's) that can lower to the ground to serve as a private entrance, a "floating" grand staircase, a giant built-in floor viewing system that shows the ground being flown over, a concert hall that can generate life-like holograms, and a steam-room lined with 2mm thick marble (big enough for four to sit).
The ultra-rich do not always get their way. In 2008 the interior designer of one prince's $500 million dollar Airbus A380 wanted to include a whirlpool tub . The interior designer assured Airbus the whirlpool tub would come with a rapid drainage system that can empty standing water in seconds to a tank in the cargo hold. Airbus refused to 'include a swimming pool on board.' An Airbus executive, says "You can forget about the swimming pool"..."can't happen and won't happen. See also, www.time.com/money.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
EXTRA...Small Asteroid Closely Approaching Earth
Wellington - NASA just discovered the asteroid Sunday, August 31, 2014. This asteroid 2014RC will get close to earth this weekend. If you want to take a look at this asteroid, 2014RC, you will need a telescope and a ticket to New Zealand (if you're not already reading this in New Zealand).
This house-sized object's orbit will swing it by Earth on this Sunday (in three days). 2014RC's path will take it about 10 times closer to the Earth, than Earth's own moon. When it crosses between the Earth and the moon it will be near our satellites. 2014RC will get close to our communication and weather satellites. NASA notes, "while this celestial object does not appear to pose any threat to Earth or satellites, its close approach creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn about asteroids." On September 7, 2014, the time of closest approach for 2014RC, based on current calculations, is about 2:18 p.m. EDT (11:18 UTC). The asteroid will approximately be over New Zealand. Measuring its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 60 feet (20 meters) in size. See also, www.nasa.gov.
This house-sized object's orbit will swing it by Earth on this Sunday (in three days). 2014RC's path will take it about 10 times closer to the Earth, than Earth's own moon. When it crosses between the Earth and the moon it will be near our satellites. 2014RC will get close to our communication and weather satellites. NASA notes, "while this celestial object does not appear to pose any threat to Earth or satellites, its close approach creates a unique opportunity for researchers to observe and learn about asteroids." On September 7, 2014, the time of closest approach for 2014RC, based on current calculations, is about 2:18 p.m. EDT (11:18 UTC). The asteroid will approximately be over New Zealand. Measuring its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about 60 feet (20 meters) in size. See also, www.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Frill-less Flying Brings Flying to the Masses
New York - In the 1950's flying was a privilege enjoyed by only the wealthiest. The costs associated with flying were too high for most ordinary people. In 1952 a London-to-Scotland return flight would set the average Englishman back a week's wages. A trip to New York might require saving up for five months. No-frills flying helped bring flying to the common public market.
Borrowing parts of the no-frills formula, such as striping out non-essential services and introducing yield-management systems to price tickets, airlines have slashed ticket prices on flights that offer this type of flying. Southwest Airlines, the world's first successful no-frills carrier, pioneered ways of reducing operating costs. These ways now used all over the world. To reduce costs Southwest filled its planes with more seats and made sure each flight was packed with passengers. No-frills airlines also cut costs by using only one type of aeroplane, the Boeing 737. British-based EasyJet, Ryan Air, and other airlines, such as Southwest Airlines, that offer no-frills flying, virtually eliminated the business-class flying section. They then introduced fees for non-essential services, like carrying luggage in the cargo hold of the plane, this further reduced the workload on the plane, when passengers began increasing their use of the overhead bin. Airlines invented a unique sales strategy. Airlines developed and built their own airline ticket reservation system which eliminated the need for so many travel agents. This so-called direct booking system made fares further obtainable to the traveling public and cut out the fees charged by travel agents. To help target prices better airlines began using yield-management systems (YMSs). YMSs increase ticket prices when demand is high and reduce them during quieter traveling periods. This increased the airlines' ticketing reservations system's efficiency. When airlines have more ticket revenue coming in during high volume periods, they can keep up with their increased operating costs during those high traffic times. See also, www.forbes.com.
Borrowing parts of the no-frills formula, such as striping out non-essential services and introducing yield-management systems to price tickets, airlines have slashed ticket prices on flights that offer this type of flying. Southwest Airlines, the world's first successful no-frills carrier, pioneered ways of reducing operating costs. These ways now used all over the world. To reduce costs Southwest filled its planes with more seats and made sure each flight was packed with passengers. No-frills airlines also cut costs by using only one type of aeroplane, the Boeing 737. British-based EasyJet, Ryan Air, and other airlines, such as Southwest Airlines, that offer no-frills flying, virtually eliminated the business-class flying section. They then introduced fees for non-essential services, like carrying luggage in the cargo hold of the plane, this further reduced the workload on the plane, when passengers began increasing their use of the overhead bin. Airlines invented a unique sales strategy. Airlines developed and built their own airline ticket reservation system which eliminated the need for so many travel agents. This so-called direct booking system made fares further obtainable to the traveling public and cut out the fees charged by travel agents. To help target prices better airlines began using yield-management systems (YMSs). YMSs increase ticket prices when demand is high and reduce them during quieter traveling periods. This increased the airlines' ticketing reservations system's efficiency. When airlines have more ticket revenue coming in during high volume periods, they can keep up with their increased operating costs during those high traffic times. See also, www.forbes.com.
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