Australia – Cyclones Nathan and Olwyn
Tropical Cyclone Nathan has significantly slowed and is projected to remain nearly stationary in the Coral Sea off the coast of Cape Melville through late March 12-early March 13 before shifting direction and moving eastward. Nathan continues to strengthen and will probably become a Category 3 storm early March 13. Cyclone warnings have been issued for Lockhart River to Port Douglas.
Tropical Cyclone Olwyn continues to moves southwestward toward northern Western Australia. Meteorologists predict that Olwyn will reach Category 3 strength before making landfall around 0400 March 13 near Exmouth. The storm track will shift slightly south and then southeast as it moves down the western coast of Western Australia, bringing rains as far south as Perth March 14 before dissipating.
Japan – Railway Strike
Railway workers will stage a 24-hour nationwide strike 2100 March 14-2100 March 15. The industrial action will affect passenger rail services on the networks of Trenitalia, Trenord, and high-speed rail company NTV. Expect altered schedules, delays, and cancellations on Italian passenger lines. Unless averted, the strike is likely to cause significant rail disruptions across the country, but it will not result in a complete suspension of service, as Italian law requires transport unions to maintain a minimum level of service during strikes.
I recently got into a Hertz car that appeared to have a camera in the corner of the Neverlost system. Are they watching me?
The newest variation of Hertz’s GPS, the Neverlost (NL6) does indeed have a camera – but it is not operational. The camera is in the top right corner of the device behind a dark window. The smaller clear window to the left is the flash. The knob on top of the unit allows the driver to rotate the camera to three different positions or turn it off. This is part of Hertz’s long-term plan to turn the car into the rental location. The vision is to allow a renter to get a car anytime from anywhere without needing an open rental location and a live rental agent (think Zipcar). Instead the traveler can make a reservation on a mobile device, get a code to unlock the car, and then interact with the tablet in the car to select options (GPS, insurance, etc.). The camera would allow a traveler to hold his or her license up for a picture that is transmitted to a rental agent. If the car is in an accident the tablet will know it and alert a Hertz representative who can pop onto the tablet to ask if help is needed (think OnStar). That’s all down the road – for right now and for the foreseeable future know that whether you turn them off or not, the cameras are not operational.
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Superstitions
- In Russia, whistling in a house is considered bad luck
- Spotting a single magpie in England may bring you bad luck – unless you salute it
- At midnight on New Year’s Eve in Spain it is considered good luck to eat 12 grapes
- You won’t find an open barber shop or salon in India on a Tuesday as it is considered bad luck to cut hair on that day
- In Sweden avoid stepping on a man-hole cover with the letter “A” on it – though the bad luck can be reversed if you just happen to receive 3 pats on the back
- The word for “four” sounds like the word for “death” in both Japanese and Chinese so in many buildings the floor numbers jump from 3 to 5
- In Brazil allowing your purse or wallet to hit the floor is thought to mean you will lose money
- It is common to see 19th century farm houses with slanted windows in Vermont as it was believed that witches could not fly through these
Throughout Travel-On, our employees are M.A.D ( Making A Difference) for our clients. Many of you have noticed and shared your thoughts. Recently, the following note was received from a client.
Stephanie Killebrew from a Corporate Team
“I’m always incredibly impressed with the courteous and fast service provided by Stephanie. It doesn’t matter when I call, she treats me like I’m her #1 priority and is always willing to make accommodations and changes to suit my travel needs. Keep up the great work!”
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