has a lifetime of experience as journalist -- as a magazine and newspaper writer and photographer, radio and television news producer and reporter, and guidebook author and editor, all focusing on travel, automotive, lifestyle, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
Mad Men Star Jon Hamm is New Voice of Mercedes-Benz
The new voice of Mercedes-Benz is Jon Hamm, the Golden Globe winning star of the hit series Mad Men. Hamm made his debut — or at least his voice — on the Academy Award Oscars show, in a commercial featuring the new Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid luxury sedan.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz 2010 S400 Hybrid luxury sedan is the world’s first production vehicle powered by sophisticated new lithium-ion battery technology that is more compact and more energy efficient than conventional batteries. Mercedes has a second hybrid model, the hybrid version of the ML SUV, plus three clean diesel BlueTEC models. And a fleet of vehicles powered by fuel cells is in the works.
Here’s the TV commercial, in case you missed it on Oscar night:
American Airlines has figured out a new way to squeeze more money out of its passengers. The second-largest airline in the USA is now charging non-premium passengers $50 to stand by for a different flight. But they are not alone — Delta and Continental already are doing it.
According to Travel Babel, United does not charge for stand-by, but does charge up to $75 extra to book a specific seat — like maybe the one next to your three-year-old. British Airways charges $35 to book a seat on-line at the same time you book your ticket, according to a friend of mine who just complained to me about exactly that. She decided to wait until she gets to the airport, where she be ticketed into a seat for free.
American Airlines told the Associated Press the new stand-by fee is ”to streamline the departure process at the gate.” But the real effect is to add just one more hidden charge to the cost of an economy airine ticket, and make it that much more difficult to comparison shop for the best airfares.
The policy started Monday, Feb. 22, and applies to flights to and from North America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The standby fee does not apply to premium passengers who fly the same day they buy a ticket — already a pretty expensive way to fly. And American Airlines won’t charge the $50 to the military and their families. They wouldn’t dare — that would be an image nightmare.
With just a few exceptions, like JetBlue and Southwest, we are charged extra for checking bags. We have to buy our own food, even our own pillows and blankets.
And American Airlines just charged me $70 to redeem my frequent flyer miles for two tickets for family members.
What’s next? Charging us to use the bathroom? Ryanair, the discount airline in Europe was talking about doing that, but backed down after public outrage.
What do you think about all these airline ticket fees?
Chrysler is recalling 335,000 minivans for possible problems with the airbag system. The recall affects 2005 and 2006 Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan vehicles.
The reason – the front crash sensors can crack in cold weather conditons and allow water to get into the sensor. That could turn on the airbag warning light and prevent the airbag from operating properly in an emergency.
The Los Angeles Times reports Chrysler is calling it a safety improvement campaign instead of a recall. Possibly because the word ‘recall’ is a dirty word right now because of the millions of cars Toyota has recalled for acceleration and brake problems. But, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, is calling it what it is — a recall — and is monitoring repairs.
Chrysler says the minivans affected by the recall are the ones sold or registered mostly in the northern half of the United States. Chrysler dealers will fix the problem for free by installing a new airbag sensor design.
For some unaccountable reason, the recall won’t start until June – which means at least 90 days affected owners will be driving with airbags that may — or may not — work. Please drive carefully.
To many of us downhill diehards, spring offers the best skiing and riding conditions, with warmer days, later sunsets, and great bargains on airfare and hotels. Here are two travel deals to get you on the snow before it melts for the season:
Once the 2010 Winter Olympics are over, there will be a lot of empty hotel rooms in Vancouver and in Whistler, and a lot of hotel room discounts. The luxurious Four Seasons Whistler is offering the third night free, from March 16, through December 18, just before the next Xmas holiday season starts. Rates start at CAD $265 per night, but with the third night free, that really reduces the price to around CAD $180 per night.
The Telluride Tourism Board is giving skiers and snowboarders who fly into the Telluride Regional Airport — code TEX — $100 towards their flights. Contact Telluride Central Reservations at 1-800-854-3062 to save the Benjamins. The ski resort has a 75-inch base and has received nearly three feet of fluffy fresh powder since Valentine’s Day, one of the deepest snowpacks in all of Colorado. Check out Telluride Ski Resort’s latest snow report.
Every year there are some 37,000 deaths on America’s roads. The on-going recall of Toyota and Lexus models for problems with sticking accelerators, steering and brake issues have made us all think more about automotive safety.
Here are five more easy, free things you can do every day to drive smarter:
Buckle up. Wearing a safety belt is the easiest way to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road. In 2008, some 14,000 died because they were not buckled up.
Don’t mix drinking and driving. Alcohol was involved in nearly 12,000 fatalities in 2008. That’s a staggering 32 percent of all highway deaths. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives. Choose a designated driver, or take the keys away from friends who have had too much to drink, and you will help prevent thousands of deaths.
Avoid distractions.Distracted driving is at least as dumb and dangerous as drunk driving. A University of Utah study found that distraction from using a cellphone can slow a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood-alcohol level at the .08 percent legal limit, whether the cell phone use is hand-held or hands-free. Nearly 6,000 deaths were attributed to distracted driving in 2008. So, don’t talk on a cell phone or send or read text messages.
Mind your speed. Excessive speed was involved more than 11,000 vehicle-accident-related deaths in 2008. That’s 31 percent of all such deaths. Speed limits are posted for a reason. Slow down when weather conditions such as fog, wind, rain, snow, or ice can make driving hazardous, and leave more space between your car and the one in front of you.
Maintain your tires. Properly inflated tires will help you avoid a flat tire or dangerous blowout, which can result in losing control of your car, SUV or truck. Driving on balding tires is dangerous, as well. Maintain tread depth of at least 1/8-inch, inspect your tires and check the tire inflation pressure at least once a month, and have them examined annually by a mechanic as part of your vehicle’s safety inspection.
We all look for airfare bargains, hotel discounts, and the best car rental deals when we travel. So why would you waste money on travel gear or gadgets that just look pretty?
Why would you buy 18 decorated zip-close plastic bags for $9.95 when many airport security gates give them away for free, and when you can buy a box of 25 at the supermarket for around $3?
GlamBags advertises itself as “the very first collection of recyclable designer travel bags”. Would you pay five times the supermarket price for a pretty design on your travel-size baggie? I wouldn’t.
TSA rules for carry-on liquids are quite clear: nothing larger than three ounces, and it all has to fit in one see-through plastic bag. Some affordable alternatives that are not glamourous, but are functional and affordable are on the next page:
1964 Olympic medalists Jimmie Heuga and Billy Kidd in 2009
Olympic medalist Jimmie Heuga, a star of the 1964 Olympic Winter Games and one of the U.S. Ski Team’s greatest ski racers, has passed away. His death on Monday, February 8, 2010 was 46 years to the day after he won a bronze medal behind Billy Kidd’s silver in the 1964 Olympic slalom. His passing saddens all of us who love skiing and the Olympic spirit, especially his U.S. Ski Team family, just days before the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Jimmie Heuga was 66 years old and suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, diagnosed when he was just 26 and at the height of his racing career.
Heuga gained worldwide acclaim for his 1964 Olympic medal. But his real contribution was after he was diagnosed with MS, and dedicated his life to research and innovative treatment of the disease. MS is a degenerative disease in which connections between nerves literally break, affecting movement, and — eventually — breathing.
In case you are wondering why a blog about green travel and green cars includes a posting on a skier’s death it is because a very close family member of mine also suffered for years from MS. His death was twenty-one years ago today, on February 9, 1989. And because I love skiing. And because I have a profound respect for the work Jimmie Heuga did founding his center in Edwards, Colorado, near Vail, to spread his positive can do philosophy and help MS sufferers.
He will be missed. More about Jimmie Heuga on the next page.
Nearly 900 Americas Best Value Inn and Canadas Best Value Inn hotels in North America will be putting soap, shampoo, body lotion and other guest amenities in biodegradable packaging. It’s a first for a hotel chain of this size, which is approximately 50,000 rooms total.
Each year, more than 3.5 billion bottles and caps go into landfills in the U.S. alone. Many of them are those little bathroom amenity bottles found in hotel and motel bathroom. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down in a landfill, and 95 percent of plastics are not recycled and wind up in landfills.
The goal is to do something about those few million, or few hundred million pretty little shampoo, conditioner and bath gel bottles. Vantage Hospitality — which operates the two hotel chains — has partnered with Concept Amenities, whose products include an organic enzyme called Eco Pure that allows the bottles to bio-degrade in a landfill in less than nine years, instead of taking centuries.
Americas Best Value Inn locations are phasing in the biodegradable packaging as their current amenity supplies are depleted.
So here’s a great big eco-green kiss for these green hotel rooms.
Who says Germans don’t have a sense of humor? Audi ads on the XLIV Super Bowl are a funny serious look at saving fuel and saving our natural resources. Green police go after the bag guys — the ones who use styrofoam cups and paper plates, and the ones who do not drive fuel efficient Audi cars, such as the 2010 Audi A3 TDI clean diesel, which has won both the 2010 Green Car of the Year award, and also the overall Car of the Year award. Here’s what some top car magazines and auto blogs say about the 2010 Audi A3:
The best things in life are free, the saying goes. And free is also a great way to get around in some of your favorite travel destinations, via free iPhone apps.
The first Monaco-specific mobile guide immerses savvy travelers in the local culture, cuisine and contacts to the famous principality on the Mediterranean. This Monaco iPhone app features up-to-date facts and figures for its legendary attractions, restaurants, bars, nightlife and casinos, hotels, shopping, spas, architecture and more, with phone numbers, addresses and websites. Also lots of photos and Google maps…. Coupled with stunning images, this uniquely Monaco guide lets you find local phone, address, email or web site details, and even launch Google maps to locate where you are!
Get the latest snow conditions on your iPhone from Ski Utah with a free app. You’ll get the latest news on everything from a dusting to what we downhill diehards refer to as a ‘monster dump’ of a foot or more of that fluffy stuff called Champagne Powder in a 24-hour period. The Ski Utah iPhone app includes daily and 48-hour snow totals, historical data, resort specific weather forecasts, and terrain park information. Download the app and you also are eligible to win a case of Monster beverage each time Utah receives a “Monster Dump”.
As a writer and editor of numerous of travel guidebooks, such free iPhone apps certainly impact the sale of travel guidebooks. But, I will admit that it is is easier to carry an iPhone than a guidebook, and somebody is writing these apps, even though it’s not me.
American Airlines has figured out a new way to squeeze more money out of its passengers. The second-largest airline in the USA is now charging non-premium passengers $50 to stand by for a different flight. But they are not alone — 
To many of us downhill diehards, spring offers the best skiing and riding conditions, with warmer days, later sunsets, and great bargains on airfare and hotels. Here are two travel deals to get you on the snow before it melts for the season:
Nearly 900 
The first Monaco-specific mobile guide immerses savvy travelers in the local culture, cuisine and contacts to the famous principality on the Mediterranean. This 
Get the latest snow conditions on your iPhone from 