News and notes from around the interweb:
- Fontainbleau Las Vegas paid Justin Timberlake $6 million for its opening show, and Timberlake spent the night across at the Wynn ouch. (HT: TravelZork)
Can’t recall seeing this carpeting at Fontainebleau, which begs the question—where did he stay? (h/t @JoeWarner81) pic.twitter.com/V1RvW6LqGg
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) December 15, 2023
- A woman staying at the Novotel Perth Langley was charged nearly an extra thousand dollars after her blow dryer triggered a fire alarm. This wasn’t a voltage conversion issue, she was a local. So it seems likely a hotel issue and it was the fire department’s fourth trip out this year.
The fire department charges the hotel. The hotel charges the guest. But the first three trips are free! The charge only happened because the hotel already had three fire department call outs, which is another reason passing on the cost is skeezy.
- Singapore Airlines January award discounts include 30% off of New York JFK – Frankfurt and Singapore and Newark – Singapore in business class.
New York JFK – Frankfurt, Los Angeles – Tokyo, and San Francisco – Singapore are discounted in premium economy as well.
- How much will British Airways lose on its points redemption-only Dubai flights?
- British Airways to improve 600 problem areas in £7bn overhaul focuses on redoing website and app as well as tech for cabin crew, and lounge refresh. (HT: Anthony H)
- Pro-Hamas protestors block traffic at LAX they say they’re just calling for a ceasefire (which keeps Hamas in power) but they’re protesting “the long-running occupation” and by the way seeking Palestinian dominion ‘from the river to the sea’ means cleansing Jews from Israel.
Adjusted for population, the death toll in Israel from the October 7th attack was equivalent to more than ten 9/11s. While difficult to watch, the Israeli response is more muted than the U.S. response 22 years ago. (HT: @crucker)
#BREAKING: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Shut Down LAX Airport Entrance Causing Significant Traffic Congestion⁰⁰#Losangeles | #California
Currently Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters and activists are currently marching and occupying the entrance at Los Angeles… pic.twitter.com/lAxzmdfh3a
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 16, 2023
Your take on the Israel Palestinian conflict is sadly biased and very poorly framed. No need to discuss that on this blog given your clear misunderstanding.
The quickest and easiest way for BA to upgrade its website would be to buy the software from United and rebrand it.
Pro terrorist supporters blocking the public should be jailed.
Why is this story on a travel blog?
What does this story have to do with a travel blog: Adjusted for population, the death toll in Israel from the October 7th attack was equivalent to more than ten 9/11s. While difficult to watch, the Israeli response is more muted than the U.S. response 22 years ago.
Its your blog, yes, but you’re destroying it
I wonder if BA’s IT investments will be shared across EI and IB. Lord know they could use them, too.
@Henry why is blocking access to LAX on my blog..? And what’s the context of the protest?
You complain rather than offer any substantive disagreement with the assessment, which is telling.
@Bob Grieves – “biased” = conflicts with how you mood affiliate, “clear misunderstanding” = cannot articulate anything inaccurate in what I’ve written.
If any of those idiotic protestors block my acces to LAX, I will gladly run the bastards over. Your numbers of dead Israelis in relation to our dead of 9/11 should clearly wake people up as to what kind of animals Hamas and their affiliates are. If anyone thinks it is not appropriate for your blog or any others to discuss this, they can just go back to burying their head in the sand and keep their opinions to themselves.
This blog would be so much better without the unnecessary and often hard-to-stomach political commentary.
100% in support of Gary’s position on the conflict. And I also quite liked his replies to comments by (uninformed) readers who personify all emotion, no facts, pro-Hamas sentiments.
” the Israeli response is more muted than the U.S. response 22 years ago:”
The US response was a massive disaster. Odds are, the Isreali response will be viewed the same (maybe more “muted” due to the tiny size Gaza).
@Gary – I agree with some of the previous comments that maybe easing away from politics might be a better way. I’ll go captain obvious here but if you’re wondering why all you have to do is read what people who either agree with or disagree with are saying in your comments.
@Gary I don’t know what Bob was referring to, but you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about: “ the Israeli response is more muted than the U.S. response 22 years ago.”
The US invasion of Afghanistan (the takeover across the first 2-3 months) cost maybe 2k lives according to the Cost of War/Brown University. And just a few US military lives.
Israel has likely killed tens of thousands of civilians in the same timeframe.
Why create a forced and false equivalency to justify the actions of Israel? You’re trying to leverage people’s perceptions of 15 years of US war in AFG rather than the initial invasion. Do better.
@James Gibson – if you want to cite post-9/11 carnage using data from the Cost Of War project, then do so honestly. For instance:
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/civilians/afghan
“As of March 2023, more than 70,000 Afghan and Pakistani civilians are estimated to have died as a direct result of the war.”
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/civilians/iraqi
“There have been between 280,771-315,190 Iraqi civilians killed by direct violence since the U.S. invasion.”
Thing 1 stands with @Gary
For 50 years, the Likud party also used the slogan: “Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty”. Which really isn’t the right thing to say either!
Israel’s problem is not only Hamas, but also Netanyahu, who has totally failed in protecting Israel. Netanyahu was more concerned with changing the court system than paying attention to military warnings.