Your Very Next Step newsletter for April 2010
” If you are walking to seek, ye shall find.”
– Sommeil Liberosensa
The next adventure begins with your very next step.
“Your Very Next Step” newsletter, published by Ned Lundquist, is a cooperative community, and everyone is invited, no…encouraged, no…urged to participate.
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In this issue:
*** Travel News
*** Trail volunteer opportunities
*** YVNS Sport Ned Has Never Heard Of: Haxey Hood
*** Travel, Outdoor and Adventure Jobs and Volunteer Opportunities
1.) Recreation Specialist, City of Colton, Colton, CA
2.) Recreation Specialist (Outdoor Rec Programmer), Air Force Morale, Welfare & Recreation Center, Barksdale AFB, LA
3.) Land Conservation Manager, Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, San Antonio, Texas
4.) Recreation Aid (Lifeguard), Virgin Islands National Park, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, St. John, VI
5.) Backcountry Instructor, Paintrock Leadership Challenge, Mann Gulch, MT and Thermopolis WY
…and much more…and it’s all FREE!!!
*** Do you have a travel adventure to share?
Send me your stories and I’ll post in the “Your Very Next Step” and on the YVNS website (http://www.yourverynextstep.com/).
*** YVNS Trivia:
In 1957, Mohawk Airlines flight attendant Ruth Carol Taylor became the first African-American flight attendant in the U.S. Why was dismissed six months later? Answer below.
*** I’m thinking about buying a new Volvo and picking it up in Sweden. Volvo pays for the air fare. Have any of you done this? Sounds like it would make for a pretty neat vacation:
http://www.flyvolvo.com/
*** Ned is offering free 468×60 pixel .jpg banner ads at the YVNS website for conservation organizations (Ned will decline this offer to organizations that conduct or promote illegal activities). Contact Ned at lundquist989@cs.com for details. Well, actually, those are the details. 468×60 pixel .jpg. or gif. With your url. And it’s free.
*** Here’s the YVNS Travel News for April:
*** Republic Airways Announces Branding Decision
Since Republic Airways acquired Midwest and Frontier last year, we have been working to combine the best features of our two brands. More recently, we asked travelers to help us determine how to move forward to deliver the best flying experience for our customers. Based on that feedback, we’ve concluded that the new single brand for our growing airline will be Frontier.
With that decision comes a promise that together we will deliver a truly different and better flying experience by providing the best care in the air. The new Frontier will be bigger, stronger and priced right. Travelers will enjoy an expanded combined route network, enhanced schedules and better connectivity. With the addition of 15 new markets this spring and summer, we now serve 74 cities across the Americas – offering more opportunities to conveniently fly to the places you want to go. We expect to integrate our reservations systems by November and will implement a phased approach to rebranding our operations to reflect our new identity over the next 12-18 months.
We've also established a new Web site, frontiermidwest.com, to share progress of our brand integration. We encourage you to visit frequently for additional information on the integration of the two loyalty programs.
*** Republic to merge Frontier/Midwest under Frontier Airlines brand
Republic Airways Holdings yesterday unveiled its decision to unite Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines and Denver-based Frontier Airlines under the Frontier brand, a process it said should be completed by October 2011.
http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=20009
*** Spirit to levy fee for carryon bags; Ryanair pressing forward on pay toilets
http://ct.email.atwonline.com/rd/cts?d=33-87441-798-241-31257-5298921-0-0-0-1-2-166
*** Best Caribbean Islands for Families
http://www.frommers.com/micro/2010/the-perfect-caribbean-island/best-caribbean-islands-for-families.html
*** Have a Happy Meal in a Pagoda: McDonalds Invades Scenic China
The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in The World
http://www.jaunted.com/tag/Most%20Shocking%20McDonalds
*** Quasar Nautica Expeditions’ M/S Alta strikes a reef and grounds at Puerto Ayora, on the southern coast of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, Ecuador.
http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/incident-involving-quasar-nautica-expeditions-ms-alta
*** Continental Airlines to charge extra for exit rows seats
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/continental_airlines_to_start.html
*** Oh, I get it. It was just a joke!
Alleged Shoe Bomber was Really Just Sarcastic Man Smoking on the Plane
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/8/0315/38924/travel/
Alleged+Shoe+Bomber+was+Really+Just+Sarcastic+Man+Smoking+on+the+Plane
No Charges for Qatar Diplomat After Mid-Air Bomb Scare
Authorities Say Mohammed al Modadi Told Air Marshals, 'I'm Lighting My Shoes on Fire'
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/qatar-diplomat-charged-bomb-scare/story?id=10317771
Diplomat from Qatar involved in a security scare on a United Airlines flight last night being sent home
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601090&sid=aNW1nqbj1pHM
Ned Notes: A quick check of major English-language newspaper websites in Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar have no mention of this incident.
*** Wait, I have to pee again:
Simply put, GoGirl is the way to stand up to crowded, disgusting, distant or non-existent bathrooms. It’s a female urination device (sometimes called a FUD) that allows you to pee while standing up. It’s neat. It’s discreet. It’s hygienic.
*** Make Sure You Match!
The name on your ticket and the name on your government-issued ID should match exactly, per TSA Travel Requirements.
http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/travelers.shtm
*** What Not To Do In Tokyo: The Top Five Tourist Mistakes
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/30/232342/392/travel/What+Not+To+Do+In+Tokyo%3A+The+Top+Five+Tourist+Mistakes
*** How to Survive (Almost) Anything: 14 Survival Skills
From National Geographic Adventure
http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2008/08/everyday-survival/laurence-gonzales-text
*** 5 Pet-Friendly Destinations in North America
http://www.frommers.com/trip_ideas/outdoor_and_adventure/article.cfm?ideaID=OUTDOOR&articleid=6706&t=5%20Pet%2DFriendly%20Destinations%20in%20North%20America
*** Full-body scanners haven’t found any explosives yet, but they are finding all kinds of other good stuff.
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/5/82714/12866/travel/The+TSA%27s+Full-Body+Scanners+Finding+More+Drugs+Than+Explosives
*** Machu Picchu Opens Following Two-month Closure
Machu Picchu, Peru’s legendary archaeological site officially reopened April 1st following a two-month closure due to flooding.
*** Dubai's 124th Floor Burj Khalifa Observation Deck Reopens; Tickets Still $109
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/4/5/14949/47389/travel/Dubai%27s+124th+Floor+Burj+Khalifa+Observation+Deck+Reopens%3B+Tickets+Still+%24109
*** Fliers’ Favorite Airport Freebie? Wi-Fi
Link to article in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-04-06-businesstravel06_ST_N.htm
*** Cycling Provides a Break for Some With Parkinson’s
By GINA KOLATA
Published: March 31, 2010
*** Conservation Alliance Contributes $400,000 in Grants to 15 Organizations
Conservation Alliance Contributes $400,000 in Grants to 15 Organizations
*** TSA Cracking Down on Bogus Baggage Claims
High-tech surveillance is saving cash, hassles.
Link to article in the Boston Herald:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100404tsa_cracking_down_on_bogus_baggage_claims_high-tech_surveillance_is_saving_cash_hassles/
*** Terry Tripler has compiled an awesome list of airlines and what they’ll do for you if a flight is cancelled.
http://www.rulestoknow.com/aview040610.htm
How Unbundling Fees Make Airlines a Bundle of Cash
By Christopher Elliott
Tribune Media Services
http://www.frommers.com/articles/6719.html
*** Trail volunteer opportunities
*** The Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew (BBVTC)
The Trail Crew meets the second Saturday of each month at 9:00am in front of Big Basin State Park Headquarters, rain or shine. A typical workday lasts until mid afternoon. Participation is flexible, with most trail crew members working an average of six Saturdays a year.
The Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew (BBVTC) began with the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Association (SCMT), founded in 1969 under the guidance of Scout Leader Bob Kirsch, Sempervirens member Tony Look and the California State Parks. (The building of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail that year inaugurated Trail Days in the Santa Cruz Mountains).
The Big Basin Volunteer Trail Crew makes it possible for others to safely enjoy the beauty of Big Basin State Park. The BBVTC always needs volunteers dedicated to preserving this environment for present and future generations. Join the BBVTC for a unique perspective of Big Basin, a lively and productive experience with others who share a love of these redwood forests, and the satisfaction of participating in a vital part of the park's ability to educate and inspire the public!
http://www.bigbasintrailcrew.org/
*** Forest Park Conservancy Volunteer Trail Crew, Portland, Oregon
The Forest Park Conservancy coordinates the vast majority of trail maintenance in the park, and offers volunteer work parties each Thursday, and on the third Saturday of each month.
http://forestparkconservancy.org/trails/volunteer-trail-crew-1
*** The March YVNS sport Ned has never heard of: Haxey Hood
Haxey Hood is a strange game played out on 6 January each year on a field between the towns of Haxey and Westwoodside in North Lincolnshire, England. Each team tries to get the hood (usually a piece of rolled canvas or leather) to their own pub. What happens is a huge ruck and scrimmage with however many people have bothered to turn up to play for either side. The game doesn't really have any rules – although women and children don't usually play – or a time limit.
It involves four public houses in the parish, the Carpenters Arms, the Kings, The Loco and the Duke William, and singing three traditional songs in each establishment, Farmers Boy, John Barleycorn and Drink Old England Dry (Canons). The basic rules of the game are these; no one is allowed to run with the hood and no one is allowed to throw the hood, and the game consists of one large rugby type scrum or 'sway' in which the Hood is pushed or pulled or 'swayed' in the desired direction. The object being to manoeuvre the Hood into one of the four public houses in the parish, with the game officially ending when the Hood is touched by the pub landlord standing on the front step of his establishment. The landlord then takes possession of the Hood and proudly displays it for the following year.
http://www.isleofaxholme.net/haxey-hood.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haxey_Hood
*** YVNS Trivia:
In 1957, Mohawk Airlines flight attendant Ruth Carol Taylor became the first African-American flight attendant in the U.S. Why was dismissed six months later?
Ruth Carol Taylor was hired by Mohawk Airlines, becoming the first African-American flight attendant in the
United States. Only six months after breaking one historic barrier, Taylor's career ended due to another discriminatory
barrier: the airline's marriage ban, a common practice among airlines of the day of dismissing flight attendants who became either married or pregnant.
*** Travel/Adventure/Outdoors employment opportunities:
1.) Recreation Specialist, City of Colton, Colton, CA
http://los-angeles-jobs.jobfox.com/hospitality-tourism/spa-recreational-services/recreation-specialist/a9ad5add-b875-4aba-bf70-ad7984db3316
2.) Recreation Specialist (Outdoor Rec Programmer), Air Force Morale, Welfare & Recreation Center, Barksdale AFB, LA
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=87066994
3.) Land Conservation Manager, Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, San Antonio, Texas
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/jobs/job_item.jhtml?id=289800029
4.) Recreation Aid (Lifeguard), Virgin Islands National Park, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, St. John, VI
http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=85625662
5.) Backcountry Instructor, Paintrock Leadership Challenge, Mann Gulch, MT and Thermopolis WY
Backcountry Guides lead 13-day travel experiences with small groups of teens. Trips include 7-days backpacking in remote sections of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. The position is physically demanding. Success requires insightful facilitation and dynamic leadership to promote positive relationships, sharpening of leadership skills, and connecting trip-related challenges to skills needed for success in college, work, and life.
Position begins May 20th and ends August 28th or Sept. 4th.
Responsibilities
Travel with groups along a 7-day, 35-mile backpacking route
Facilitate activity sessions (rock climbing, rappelling, fishing, etc.)
Lead visits to Mann Gulch, MT and Thermopolis WY
Manage risks; comply with safety protocols; involve youth in building a safety-conscious culture
Facilitate structured curriculum
Assist with logistical support (transportation, packing food, issuing gear)
Minimum Requirements
21 years old; some college experience
Experience in working with youth
Experience leading trips similar in scope
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Ability to carry a 55-pound backpack over rugged terrain up to 12 hours a day for 7 days
Commitment to Leave No Trace ethics
Clean driving record
Drug-free
How to Apply:
To apply for employment with the C5 Bridges Program,
please send a completed application to:
Zack Terakedis
C5 Bridges Director
zackt@c5yf.org
404-558-3339
Application is available at Employment Application.
Please fill it out completely and attach it to your email.
If you have additional questions, please contact Zack Terakedis any time.
http://c5yf.org/c/c5/content.asp?C=158&ID=1937
“Walking isn't a lost art – one must, by some means, get to the garage.”
– Evan Esar
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Your Very Next Step
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