My stubbornness, attention deficit disorder and inability to fall in line has gotten me into another tough situation, to say the least. 30-minutes into my arrival at Thailand and I’m already getting screamed at by some crazy Thai guy and his friend as I sit in the back of their heavily tinted car.

Let’s rewind 30 minutes earlier…..

Upon arrival at the beautiful Bangkok Airport, the first sign of the English language reads “Welcome to Thailand – The Land of Smiles!” I walk up to this sign and underneath it, find a very grumpy looking old man who obviously did not get the memo about the new marketing slogan. I hand this man my passport and attempted to smile at him while he (whom I will now refer to as Grumpy Bear) stamps my papers, gives me the death stare and shoves me off to the next line.

After getting in line to meet Grumpy Bear, who then sends me off to the immigration line, after which I again wait in line for my baggage - I finally arrive at another line, for a taxi. This is the part where my absolute inability to tolerate lines goes haywire and I rush out a different door to asses the situation and see what other options I have. I skip the entire line of about 30 people and head outside. You say karma; I say efficiency.

Outside, there are only two things:
        1. The front of the long taxi line
        2. Some guy outside the airport gate screaming towards me asking if I wanted a taxi.

My heart was saying no, but my body, my body was saying yes….

I cross the street and ask the guy if he can take me to Khao San Road, the ultimate backpackers paradise in Bangkok where tourists, locals, hotels, bars and clubs can all be found on one amazing road. The taxi screaming guy demonstrates his superior understanding of the English language while simultaneously telling me to jump over the fence. I realize that this may cause a commotion and tell him that I’d rather walk around it since the end of the fence didn’t seem too far.

At the fence’s end, I find a heavily tinted dark blue car with a driver in it while the taxi screaming guy (whom we will now refer to as Shitface), pops up behind me and tells me to hop in. Again demonstrating his fluent control of the English language.

So I take a time out from reality and jump into my own world called “Vince’s Logical Land.” Don’t worry if you never heard about it, it’s not a big tourist place and there really isn’t much to do there anyway.

While in “Vince’s Logical Land,” I assess the situation; I take note of the heavily tinted car with two guys in it and no signs of being a taxi, nor any signs of being friendly.

My Spider-Sense concludes that this is probably how many horror movies start.

As much as I’d like to star in my own film, “The Bangkok Chainsaw Massacre,” I actually decide that I should get back to the airport and wait in line for a real taxi. And that’s when my old friend, A.D.D., shows up.

Vince: “Oh dude cool music, I love that song with the boots and the fur and all that, reminds me of San Diego,”
Shitface: “Yes, very good music, you go in car now, I take you to your hotel.”
Vince: “Sounds good.”

In the heavily tinted car with Shitface and Robin (like in Batman and Robin, but with no Batman), they start the normal chitchat about life, current events and my intelligence level.

Shitface: “You come Bangkok before?”
Vince: “No, this is my absolute first time here, I know nothing about this place or where you’re taking me.” (I didn’t say it exactly like that, but looking back, I pretty much said it as so.)
Shitface: “Very nice.”

Ten minutes into the ride, my good friend Shitface asks me again what hotel I’m staying at.

Vince: “Oh I already told you, the Sawasdee Banglumpoo Inn”
Shitface: “I no understand”
Vince: “You told me you knew where it was a second ago…”
Shitface: “No understand, you have reserve?”

I then show Shitface my hotel reservation with the name of my hotel. He starts talking to Robin in Thai.

Shitface: “Oh, sorry my friend, I think you say different hotel. You hotel very far, cannot take you for only 400 Baht (FYI - 1 US Dollar = 33 Thai Baht).
Vince: “Ok……..”
Shitface: “If you go with airport taxi, cost you very expensive, maybe 3,000 Baht
Vince: “What!? Hell no!”
Shitface: “Yes my friend, but it ok, I give you discount, only 2,000 Baht.”
Vince: “Dude, I was told at the airport by the information desk that it would cost about 400 Baht to get there”
Shitface: “No understand. I take you for 2,000 Baht ok?”
Vince: “Fuck no, take me back to the airport!”

It’s funny how all of a sudden, Shitface’s English becomes selective, meaning he understood some things that benefited him, but did not understand some English if it didn’t do any good for him. Quite a skill he had if you asked me.

We argued for a while, which included Shitface and Robin screaming at me. I hold my ground and tell them that I’m not paying a dime over 400 Baht as discussed. I even ask them to just drop me off right there in the middle of the freeway.

Shitface: “Ok, I take you back airport now.”
Vince: “Sounds good, sorry for any inconvenience.”
Shitface: “How much you pay me to take you airport.”
Vince: “Are you serious?”
Shitface: “You pay me 400 Baht, I take you airport”
Vince: “Fuck no you shitface! You should pay me for wasting my time, I could be out drinking with my friends by now! I’m not paying you to take me back to where I was!”
Shitface: “No understand, ok you pay 400 Baht?”

More arguing continues and Shitface finally says that he would give me the ultimate deal, 600 Baht for him to take me to my hotel. My stubbornness has a reputation of getting me almost killed many times before - why ruin a good streak?

Vince: “NO dude, I’m broke, I don’t have money, I’m not paying you anything more than we discussed!”
Shitface: “Ning nang nong nung blah blah blah!” (He started screaming at me in Thai.)
Vince: “You’re gonna kill me aren’t you?”
Shitface: “Nong nong nang ning” (More screaming in Thai)
Shitface: “Ok, I take you for 400 Baht
Vince: “Thank you, I’m really sorry if there was any sort of misunderstanding…”
Shitface: “You pay now.”
Vince: “What! No! I’ll pay when we get there.”
Shitface: “You pay half now.”
Vince: “NO! I’ll pay you when we get there.”
Shitface: “We no gas, what you do, push car?”
Vince: “So you drove out of your home, with absolutely no gas and no money on you? Well I don’t care, just let me out here.”
Shitface: “Oh my friend, we get you other taxi.”

At this point, I’m reaching in my bag for whatever weapon I can find, just in case.

To my surprise, Shitface and Robin actually stop on a well-lit street, and flag down a cab for me. They then talk to the cab driver, and the cab driver ends up handing Shitface some cash.

I switch cars and the only English my new cab driver speaks is “400 Baht”

We arrive at my hotel and the meter on this “real” cab reads at 200 Baht. I figured that Shitface already took me about 100 Baht worth in distance and the cab just took me the rest of the way. So it probably would have cost me 300 Baht to get there with a real cab had I waited in line at the airport. I’m also guessing that the money the cab driver gave to Shitface was from Shitface telling the cab driver that I would give $400 but they already took me half way there anyway.
 
So, there I was, safe and sound at my hotel. Adrenalin rushing through my veins from the events that just took place.

I drop off my stuff in the room and head towards the nearest bar for a much-deserved drink. Only problem is that there seems to be a line to get in most of the bars close to me….

No wait, there doesn’t seem to be a line for that place down that dark alley….. let’s go check it out…

Examination of the wreckage began the morning after the crash

Accident investigators have begun examining the wreckage of a plane that crashed at Madrid's Barajas airport, leaving 153 passengers dead.

They will also start to analyze the flight data and voice recorders, which have both been recovered.

Three days of official mourning have been declared in Madrid, as relatives arrive at a makeshift mortuary in the capital to identify bodies.

Nineteen people survived the crash and several are critically hurt.

Of the 19 survivors of Spanair flight JK 5022, four are listed as being in a "very serious" condition, with another six only slightly better, Spain's El Pais newspaper reported on Thursday. Eight remain under observation with one only slightly injured, the newspaper said.

The worst is the identification of the bodies. It is the end of all hope Jesus Lopez Santana Spanish Red Cross

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is expected to visit the injured in Madrid's hospitals, while King Juan Carlos will visit Barajas airport.

The king is also likely to visit anxious families waiting for the grim confirmation that their loved-ones are among the dead.

Experts at a temporary mortuary near the airport say work to identify the dead is likely to be slow and painstaking, as many of the bodies were badly burned in Wednesday's inferno.

"The worst is the identification of the bodies," Red Cross spokesman Jesus Lopes Santana told the El Mundo newspaper.

"It is the end of all hope and when we see the worst scenes, because the majority of the relatives break down when they hear the news."

The Spanair flight, bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, took off on Wednesday lunchtime with 172 people on board, among them 10 crew.

Initial reports suggested that a fire had broken out in one of the MD82 plane's engines during or shortly after take-off, and the plane ended up in a field.

Spanish Transport Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the plane had earlier begun taxiing to the runway, before turning back because of a technical problem, which had caused an hour's delay in the take-off.

Spanish media said the pilot had reported a fault with a temperature gauge, but it was thought to have been fixed.

Speaking on Thursday, Ms Alvarez said a thorough investigation would be carried out, with a full examination of the flight recorders and available pictures, but that it was very early to draw conclusions about the crash.

A special independent commission has been established to probe the cause of the crash, Spanish media reported.

Anger

Spanair has released the official passenger manifest, confirming reports that 20 children and two babies were on board the plane.

Among those who survived were three children, aged six, eight and 11, reports said. At least one of the 19 survivors has yet to be identified.

Overnight a long convoy of black hearses rolled out of the airport grounds to carry bodies to the makeshift mortuary, where the victims' relatives had gathered, some of whom had traveled from the Canary Islands.

The convention center on the outskirts of the capital was also used as a mortuary after the Madrid train bombings four years ago.

Many of the relatives have expressed anger and disgust at Spanair, blaming it for the accident.

He says the injured include a young brother and sister, who immediately asked rescue workers about their parents.

Spanish ministers said foul play had been ruled out and the crash was considered to be an accident.

The 15-year-old plane had passed a safety inspection in January, said Sergio Allard, a spokesman for Spanair, which is owned by Scandinavian firm SAS.

Spanish media said some German, Swedish, Chilean and Colombian nationals had been among the passengers.

'All destruction'

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero cut short his holiday in the south of the country to visit the scene of the crash.

A convoy of hearses removed bodies from the scene of the crash

Speaking at the airport, he said that "the government is overwhelmed, very affected, as are all Spanish citizens, by this tragedy".

Television images on Wednesday showed plumes of smoke rising over the field in which the remains of the plane were resting.

Emergency services chief Ervigio Corral said that rescue workers had been faced with "a desolate scene".

"You couldn't distinguish that there was an aircraft there apart from the remains of the tail," he said. "There was nothing of fuselage."

Another rescue worker, Pablo Albella, told AP news agency: "The fuselage is destroyed. The plane burned. I have seen a kilometer of charred land and few whole pieces of the fuselage. It is all destruction."

Messages of sympathy have been sent to Spain by leaders around the world.

The presidents of Russia, France and Italy, Germany's chancellor and Britain's queen joined with Latin American leaders in sending their condolences.

It was the deadliest air accident in Spain since a Colombian airline's Boeing 747 crashed in Madrid in 1983 killing 181 people.

People concerned for relatives or friends who might have been on board the plane can call Spanair's helpline on +34 800 400 200 (calls possible from inside Spain only).

MD82 AIRCRAFT Passengers 150-170 Cruise speed 504mph (811km/h) Length 45.1m (148ft) Height 9m (29.5ft) Wing-span 32.8m (107.6ft) Maximum range 2,052 nautical miles (3,798km)

I am however looking forward to Oklahoma, some green and hopefully some rain.  I have forgotten what rain and grass are like.  This will be a nice refresher.  Anyway . . .  I'll be leaving here in another hour, I have an hour layover in the beautiful city of Denver, then onto OKC.

Once I hit the city - it's a couple of errands - hook up with Zach and start strategizing this shoot.

And yes Josh - we need to hook up.  What are you doing tomorow during the day?  Maybe we can all grab lunch and/or watch Tropic Thunder.  Okay - I am out.  I miss you my family.

Here you have the pics of him looking all hot,tired,geeky and adorable .First two are HQ ......the rest not so much but smiling Hugh is just perfect.

As always,a small disclaimer : pics belong to who took them and credits go to the wonderful people at lj who found them first .

I’m really amazed on how the other countries progress in terms of their engineering technologies. Sometimes, I would imagine myself standing before a scene of a huge bare landscape – me wearing a yellow hard hat, and holding a piece of welded metal and witnessing other people driving bulldozers all over the place. It had always been my childhood dream, riding those engines, manipulating buttons, building bridges, riveting metals… constructing and deconstructing things literally (the later part is quite literary, *smirks) etc…

But it was just a childish dream, of course.

China, is perhaps one of the countries in the world today that is fast developing in terms of engineering, technology and industry. And fueled by the fact that they are hosting the Olympics this year, the country is now trying to keep up the deadline to do amazing megastructures. One of this deadlines that they manage to beat was the Beijing International Airport – and it’s the biggest airport there is in the world! It’s really remarkable for its structure – I think its outline was like that of the dragon, and when you go inside the airport, the ceiling is a cultural manifestation of the Chinese red color! I’ve seen it all in the TV, and I was really drawn to it. Foster and Partners, an internationally acclaimed architectural firm, won the project, and they are almost finished with it. It was incredible because the architects and the engineers were able to overcome the natural hindrances while constructing this man-made marvel – they have to take into account possible earthquake attacks (considering that Beijing is center for those natural occurrences) and weather problems (storms, blizzards, whatever). I definitely love the way they made their concept of expansion joints – it supports the building as it shrinks or expands during temperature variations. It is a very crucial task, I see.

The airport-idea alone is not what constitutes the remarkable structure as a whole. First, it has a state-of-the-art baggage system, which the Siemens Company designed. It is notable for its convenient conveyor belts (I’m not that sure if this was the right term, however) that help deliver baggage to designated places. Unbelievable! It extends as far compared to any baggage systems in the world.

It has also grand glass train stations around the airport, to cope with loads of people that are expected to visit this Olympics. Very incredible.

That episode made me realize the power of steel, and the power of creativity of one’s mind. It may seem too grand (and not to mention, really expensive), but it’s a showcase of man’s creativity beyond limits.

Very nice. 

]]> http://krmb.wordpress.com/?p=1484 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:34:30 +0000 krmb http://krmb.wordpress.com/?p=1484 18 August 2008
Monday, and time to go home.
We went to the Milwaukee airport, where we were early enough that Marita Beth & I grabbed a small, quick breakfast. Then I was off to security which, in this lovely airport, is a complete breeze. From there, the day went to hell. The day's trials and tribulations would take too long to regurgitate here. So, instead, I present my twitter feed from the day. But first, here is my photo. This is the lounge where I waited.

And now, twitter time, complete with original mispellings.
====================================================
headed home. it's been a good vacation. Too short. 08:16 AM August 18, 2008

I'm at MILWAUKEE airport, USA (USA). 09:17 AM August 18, 2008

took a mechanical. still at MKE. 11:38 AM August 18, 2008 from TwitToday

still waiting. union rules prevent anyone else from doing the teo-minute knob-tightening job thataneeds doing. sigh. stupid unions. 12:16 PM August 18, 2008

they just announced re-accommodation efforts. lets see how, when and by what method i get home now. 12:32 PM August 18, 2008

well crap. now my 10:55 flight is leaving at 4:00. sigh. stuck in an airport that serves only Miller Lite with no internet connection... 01:14 PM August 18, 2008

two more hours to go. 02:14 PM August 18, 2008

4:00 come and gone. still here. still waiting. still wondering...will i get home?
04:04 PM August 18, 2008

flight cancelled...6 hours after scheduled departure. what now? 04:57 PM August 18, 2008

finally on a bird...going home, sadly.@ 05:44 PM August 18, 2008

I'm at DFW airport, USA (USA) 08:10 PM August 18, 2008

shuttle to rmote south. shuttle to HDQ. car to home. all in my immediate future. 08:31 PM August 18, 2008
=====================================================

And by 9:50 pm, I had my dogs and I was walking into a quiet, very hot house...alone.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 20 August 2008 )

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Then you have to go to the airport to be treated like a potential criminal again. You can't just show your ticket and walk on the plane. You have to set aside time to go through security checkpoints, where you are told to take off your belt, wallet, watch, shoes, keys, cellphones, laptop, just to gather them and redress yourself again.

Then you wait for your flight, in a crowded airport where food is way overpriced but you are stuck and can't do anything about it. You flight may be delayed, changed, or canceled. Then once you get on the plane, you sit in an uncomfortable seat for hours.

And after all that, there is a possibility of accident, like the terrible one that happened yesterday in Madrid. There are on average over 10 fatal plane accidents each year.

You have to deal with all that, just to move from country A to country B.

We were buffered a little bit from the wind, so it made things much warmer. There is an old lighthouse down at the end that we tried to find, but had to turn around before we would have ended up walking back in the dark. However, we did get to see the perfect sunrise.

Airport var filmen som satte fart på 1970-talets katastroffilmsvåg, vilket såhär i efterhand nästan är lite lustigt eftersom man nätt och jämnt kan beskriva själva Airport som en katastroffilm. Visst sker katastrofala saker i den, men det dröjer nästan 100 av filmens 137 minuter innan vi kommer dithän. Dessförinnan handlar det betydligt mer om huvudpersonernas trassliga kärleksförhållanden och hur stressigt det är att sköta en flygplats.

Nu menar jag inget negativt med det. Tvärtom är Airport en riktigt underhållande film, om än mer melodrama än renodlad katastrofrulle. Burt Lancaster spelar huvudrollen som flygplatsens operativa chef, som hellre stannar på jobbet hos sin snygga assistent (Jean Seberg) än åker hem till sin bittra fru. Burt får mycket att stå i när ett snöoväder slår till och ett plan halkar snett och blockerar ena landningsbanan. Han ringer in George Kennedy som får uppdraget att skotta loss planet. Samtidigt lyfter en annan flight, med Dean Martin vid spakarna, mot Rom. Ombord finns även den snygga flygvärdinnan (Jacqueline Bisset) som Dino har en affär med. Samt en geriatrisk fripassagerare. Plus ett par nunnor. Och - vilket är mer väsentligt än nunnorna - en desperat bombman...

Det kanske inte blir så mycket action förrän sista halvtimmen men på vägen dit håller man tillräckligt många bollar i luften för att det ska bli intressant. Både thrillerelementen och relationerna funkar. Värt att notera är också att bombmannen inte skildras som en typisk filmskurk utan görs mänsklig tack vare en ömkansvärd backstory. Dessutom är allting rätt jazzigt presenterat och snyggt filmat - och vem kan motstå en film där nåt slags bossanovaliknande groove drar igång på soundtracket så fort det vankas romantik och känslor?

Airports efterföljare renodlade konceptet: stora ensembler som löser sina privata problem mitt under pågående kris - men blåste upp själva katastrofmomentet avsevärt jämfört med originalet. Här dör nästan ingen. Airport är den lite återhållsammare och kanske aningen vuxnare storebrorsan till de katastrofrullar som följde. Och fortfarande väl värd att se.

Andra bloggar om film, filmrecension, katastroffilm, airport

I have some last minute errands to run before double checking that I have my phone, medicine, business cards and credit cards with me. I am looking forward to catching up with a bunch of old friends and many new ones too! I might be MIA for the rest of today due to the travel planned but expect more to come tomorrow, when the real fun begins.

Apple heeft ondertussen al veel snellere draadloze apparatuur op de markt. Tijd voor een nieuw speeltje?
Even het eind van de maand, ttz de nieuw pré afwachten.

The official with the SAMUR municipal rescue service gave the toll after touring the site of Wednesday's crash.

The official told AP the rest of the people on the plane have been given up for dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules that barred him from giving his name.

The Spanair jet was bound for the Canary Islands.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MADRID, Spain (AP) — A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands swerved off the runway and caught fire during takeoff from the Madrid airport on Wednesday, killing at least 45 people, the Interior Ministry said.

Nineteen of the 173 people on board were seriously injured, according to statements from the airline and the ministry.

It is the height of the summer tourist season in Spain and Spanair flight JK5022 was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, a popular resort off West Africa, the company said.

Thick, white smoke rose above Barajas airport as helicopters and fire trucks dumped water on the plane, which ended up in a wooded area at the end of the runway at Terminal 4.

An official with the Madrid emergency rescue service SAMUR said crews were removing injured people and bodies from the MD-80, calling it a "catastrophe." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name.

The plane was an MD-82 carrying 173 people, Spanair said.

The newspaper El Pais said the plane was delayed an hour by technical problems. It managed to get slightly off the ground but crashed near the end of the runway, the paper said.

read more | digg story

Many dead in Madrid plane crash

At least 45 people have been killed after a passenger plane swerved off the runway at Madrid's Barajas airport, Spanish officials say.

Many others were hurt when the Spanair plane bound for Gran Canaria left the runway with 166 passengers and six crew members on board.

There were reports of a fire in the left engine during take-off. TV footage showed smoke billowing from the craft.

Helicopters and fire trucks were called out to dump water on to the plane.

Dozens of ambulances went to the scene, and TV footage later showed several people being carried away on stretchers.

BBC journalist Stephanie McGovern, who is at the airport, said several planes had been seen taking off since the crash, which happened at about 1430 local time (1230 GMT).

But she added that the airport was now closed and only emergency crews and staff were being allowed into the building.

"Helicopters are continually heading to the scene, dropping lots of water... The smoke has really died down now, things seem to be more under control," she said.

"I've seen around 50 ambulances. They're still coming and going, so there may still be more casualties."

Spanish journalist Manuel Moleno, who was near the area when the accident happened, told the BBC the plane had "crashed into pieces".

"We heard a big crash. So we stopped and we saw a lot of smoke," he said.

There are conflicting accounts about the number of deaths, with some reports suggesting most of the passengers on the plane may be dead.

Mr Moleno said he had seen as many as 20 people walking away from the wreckage.

The plane, which was destined for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, came down during or shortly after take-off from Terminal Four at Barajas.

TV footage showed that the plane had come to rest in fields near the airport.

Spanair issued a statement saying that flight number JK 5022 had been involved in an accident at 1445 local time. The airline's parent company, Scandinavian firm SAS, later said the accident happened at 1423.

According to Spain's airport authority, Aena, the plane had been due to take off at 1300 local time.

No details of the nationalities of the passengers on board has yet been released.

But the plane was a codeshare flight with German airline Lufthansa, which said it was investigating whether German passengers were on the flight.

The aircraft was a MD82, a plane commonly used on short trips around Europe, aviation expert Chris Yates told the BBC.

He said Spanair, a subsidiary of Scandinavian carrier SAS, had a very good safety record. Reports say it was the first crash at Barajas airport, some 13km (8 miles) from central Madrid, since 1983.

People concerned for relatives or friends who may have been on board the plane should call Spanair's helpline on: +34 800 400 200.

From the Associated Press:

There were only 26 survivors in the mid-afternoon crash, a Spanish emergency official said.

A police officer said the bodies were so hot that police could barely touch them and told El Pais newspaper the shattered wreckage bore no resemblance to a plane.

Dozens of ambulances rushed to the site as columns of smoke billowed from the wreckage. The prime minister broke off his vacation in southern Spain and rushed back to Madrid, heading straight for the airport.

A Spanish emergency rescue official said only 26 people survived the crash and the rest of those aboard were given up for dead. The official with the SAMUR municipal rescue service gave the toll after touring the site of the crash. He spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of department rules that barred him from giving his name.

Spanair Flight JK5022 — bound for the popular Canary Islands off the West African coast during the height of Europe's summer vacation season — sped off the end of the runway, crashed and broke into pieces, reports said.

Spanair spokesman Sergio Allard told a news conference the plane was carrying 175 people and the cause of the crash was not immediately known.

El Pais said the plane's takeoff had been an hour late due to technical problems. It eventually managed to get slightly off the ground but crashed near the end of the runway, El Pais said, quoting an employee of the national airport authority AENA.

Everything is shut-- shops, schools, colleges, offices and even the IT sector companies. There are no taxis or buses on the roads. The streets of Kolkata are completely deserted.

The strike has been called by eight major trade unions including the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Centre for Industrial Trade Union (CITU).

Its also backed by 40 employees associations across sectors like public sector banks and airport ground handling staff.

All Delhi flights to Kolkata have been cancelled. Delhi flights to Kochi and Thiruvanthapuram in Kerala have also been affected.

Two flights from Delhi to Port Blair and Mumbai have also been cancelled.

Airports Authority of India's 22,000 employees are on strike between 7 am and 7 pm affecting ground handling at airports.

The Kolkata airport was the worst affected due to the strike. It wore a completely deserted look. Not a single flight landed at the airport since the morning.

Indian Airlines has been able to operate only two flights out of Kolkata since the morning whereas Kingfisher three and Jet Airways just one flight.

The streets of Kolkata are empty. The entire state of West Bengal has come to a standstill. No long distance train have left Howrah and Sealdah since Wednesday morning. Some passenger trains left Howrah and Sealdah but were blocked soon after.

And the flights to Kolkata which were supposed to depart from Delhi before 9.00 am and now stand cancelled are JetLite flight number S2 319, Kingfisher flight number IT 601, Indian Airlines flight number IC 401, Air India flight number AI 9401.

The effect of the strike is being felt more in the Left-ruled states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Flights on passenger heavy routes like Kolkata, Trivandrum and Cochin have been affected.

Airport employees are protesting against privatisation of airports and rationalisation of employees' pay-scales. 250 Indian Air Force personnel have been deployed at 21 airfields across the country to ensure smooth air travel.

Not a single long distance train left from Howrah or Sealdah since morning. Some passenger trains did leave in the morning but were blocked soon after they left the station.

Many long distance trains coming to Howrah from different parts of the country are still stranded as trade union activists have blocked the railway tracks.

Banking transactions across the country will also be hit with employees' associations at all Public sector banks joining the strike, except for State Bank of India which was on strike on Monday.

The bank employees are protesting against the new economic policies of the government, especially with regards to mergers which have lead to job cuts.

Strike cripples life in West Bengal, Tripura

The 24-hour industrial strike on Wednesday paralysed the Left-ruled states of West Bengal and Tripura and affected life elsewhere in the eastern region, barring most of the North Eastern states.

Additional policemen and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in Kolkata to maintain law and order, though the situation was totally peaceful, Inspector General (Law and Order), Raj Kanojia said.

The protesters did not spare the IT sector in Salt Lake here from the purview of the strike. Local CPI-M MP Amitava Nandi said, "Nowhere in the country is the sector kept out of the purview of the strike."

Train and air services were disrupted in the state, while public transport was off the roads.

The picture was also the same in Tripura, the other left-ruled state in the region with government offices, banks, public sector undertakings like ONGC and GAIL India Ltd recording no attendance.

In Bihar, five left parties called a simultaneous bandh, which severely hit banking services across the state, though offices of the state government and undertakings were largely unaffected.

Air and rail services were normal in the state.

In BJD-BJP ruled Orissa, markets and business establishments were closed, with public transport off the roads in Bhubaneswar. Cuttack and the steel city of Rourkela were, however, unaffected.

In Assam, normal life was affected in parts as hundreds of CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and AISF picketers were picked up by the police for attempting to block trains and traffic on national highways.

Shops, markets and banks in Guwahati kept their shutters down. Though government offices were open, attendance was thin.

All flights between Guwahati and Kolkata were cancelled. However flights between the city and Delhi, Mumbai and Northeastern states remaining unaffected.

Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram were unaffected by the shutdown, though shops, markets and business establishments were closed in Manipur and attendance in government offices was below normal.

Today's strike was called by Left trade unions against surging inflation, price rise and the 'anti-people' economic policies of the Centre.

News from Bangkok is that he’s now faking some sort of chest pain and refusing to board the plane back to the UK. The Thai authorities have got this pervert’s number and declared him ‘persona non grata’. This means he’s stuck in the airport and unable to head into Patpong for some rumpy-pumpy with the lady-boys.

The options for this child molester are rather limited. He can-

1. Hole up in BKK indefinitely, Tom Hanks style (The Terminal).
2. Try and get another ticket to some country who will have him. The only country I can think off that is bonkers enough is North Korea but he would require a visa.
3. Call it quits and head back to the UK where he’ll be targeted by furious anti-paediatrician gangs.

It’s not rock and roll is it Gary?

--LATE EDIT--

News is coming in that GG is on his way to Hong Kong (HKG). I bet the former British colony is just ecstatic to have an old prevert in their midst. If he's allowed out of the airport, he might be able to catch some of the Olympic show jumping. But then again, it's only horsey types and big German dentists. Probably not his cup of cha. And he'd better steer clear of the PLA- the Chinese aren't big on Human Rights for paedos.

BAA may have to sell three of its seven UK airports because of concerns about its market dominance, the Competition Commission has said.

The watchdog is recommending that the airport operator should have to sell two of its three airports in the South East - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

It also believes BAA should not be allowed to continue to own airports in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

BBC NEWS | Business | BAA 'should sell three airports'.

Local travelers still stinging from Skybus Airlines' demise are expected to get a welcome piece of news today, as discount carrier AirTran Airways announces it will begin flights from Port Columbus in November.

The Orlando, Fla.-based airline will offer nonstop flights to Atlanta and Orlando and Fort Myers, Fla., beginning Nov. 6. Atlanta service will be twice daily, while service to the Florida destinations will be once daily. AirTran's Atlanta hub offers connections to more than 40 other cities, including Miami, Houston and Los Angeles.

The announcement comes after a string of setbacks for Port Columbus and other airports. In addition to losing service from JetBlue Airways and Skybus this year, Port Columbus has faced deep flight cuts from other airlines, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, as they've struggled with skyrocketing fuel prices.

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I learned something today though. How to say "goodbye." People have said goodbye to me so many times and I never ever ventured to see how they felt until now. It was so difficult to say goodbye to her and emotion kept creeping up. Even as I type this I miss her just so much. I came home and actually looked in her room; which was completely empty and I told myself that this is still her home, and she will be back one day. Was hard to keep the tears in, I managed though.

I gave her a goodbye/good luck card and a gift. A necklace with different coloured/shaped stars which I hope she liked. And... Late last night, thanks to a friend that I whined to about this, I was finally able to tell my sister that I'd miss her and blah blah blah.

Really. I think I'll be all right <.<

A good lesson learned for me though. And to any readers, never take anything for granted, and if you do; please say thanks. I learned that the hard way.