http://www.worldvacation.org/ New Article Alert From From worldvacation Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT en-us http://www.worldvacation.org/images/blogs/vacation-new-alert-7880.jpg http://www.worldvacation.org/ 100 74 http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/3-2008/ski-tourism-stressing-capercaillie.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/3-2008/ski-tourism-stressing-capercaillie.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Ski tourism is raising stress levels among capercaillie, which could harm the birds fitness and ability to breed successfully, ecologists have found. Writing in the British Ecological Societys Journal of Applied Ecology, researchers warn that forests should be kept free from tourism infrastructure if they are inhabited by capercaillie - a species whose numbers are declining markedly across central Europe........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/11-2007/yellowstone-rising.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/11-2007/yellowstone-rising.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT The Yellowstone "supervolcano" rose at a record rate since mid-2004, likely because a Los Angeles-sized, pancake-shaped blob of molten rock was boiled up 6 miles beneath the slumbering giant, researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) report in the November 9 issue of the journal Science........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/11-2007/3d-models-of-world-landmarks.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/11-2007/3d-models-of-world-landmarks.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT More than 10 million members of the photo-sharing Web site Flickr snap pictures of their surroundings and then post those photos on the Internet. One group at the University of Washington is doing the reverse--downloading thousands of photos from Flickr and using them to recreate the original scenes........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/10-2007/see-brooklyns-biggest-baby.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/10-2007/see-brooklyns-biggest-baby.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT The New York Aquarium is proud to announce the birth of a little giant. On June 12, 2007, Kulusiq, AKA "Kulu," a 13-year-old female Pacific walrus, delivered her first calf. This rare event marks the first birth of a walrus at the Aquarium-and in the history of New York City. Once Aquarium staff confirmed that Kulu was pregnant last winter, preparations began for the birth. The keepers acclimated the expecting mother to an off-exhibit site that would serve as the birthing area. Cameras were installed to capture the first-ever photos and videos of this rare event. They would also allow the mother and calf to be monitored around the clock........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/10-2007/project-to-help-design-bostons-future.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/10-2007/project-to-help-design-bostons-future.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in association with State Street Corporation, Distrigas/Suez, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Boston Foundation, announced Oct. 8 a major project designed to help position Boston at the forefront of world-class cities of the future. "FutureBOSTON: Creating Competitive Edge in the Global Economy" will address the challenges and opportunities facing Boston in the coming century, and offer participants the chance to propose solutions to issues affecting the life of the city........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/9-2007/catch-and-release-in-less-than-4-minutes.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/9-2007/catch-and-release-in-less-than-4-minutes.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Recreational fishing that involves catch-and-release may seem like just good fun, and that released fish go on to live happily ever after, but a recent study at the University of Illinois shows that improper handling techniques by anglers can increase the likelihood of released fish being caught by predators........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/9-2007/beyond-beach-travel.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/9-2007/beyond-beach-travel.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT As summer rounds the corner into Labor Day, travelers rush to squeeze the last drops of sunshine out of the season. This year, skip the usual barbecue-and-beach getaway for an outdoor excursion that truly does justice to those glorious, warm days of late summer and early fall. Need a little inspiration? IgoUgo members recommend their favorite ways (and favorite places) to get outside and stretch those sunlight hours-without a beach in sight........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/5-2007/ski-area-and-mountain-watershed.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/5-2007/ski-area-and-mountain-watershed.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Historically, people lived in lowlands. Except for logging and some agricultural uses, mountains were mostly left to the birds. But in recent decades, mountain regions in many parts of the world-including Vermont-have faced growing development pressures from recreation and tourism uses such as vacation homes and ski areas........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/4-2007/tigers-hang-tough.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/4-2007/tigers-hang-tough.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT If nature is resilient, then the tigers of India's Nagarahole National Park are proof. When given the chance, they breed like rabbits-or to be more precise, at a rate of three to four cubs per litter every two to three years. Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a nine-year study of tigers in Nagarahole, one of India's best-run national parks. The research team used remote cameras to identify individual tigers and then accurately estimate population trends in the park. They concluded that while 23 percent of the park's tigers either move away or die each year from poaching and natural causes, the cats' high reproductive rates and the abundance of prey have held the population size steady........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/3-2007/laos-makes-tourists-happy.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/3-2007/laos-makes-tourists-happy.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT One of my favorite destinations in South East Asia is Lao. Visitors to Lao PDR can now get a visa on arrival for 30 days, up from 15 days previously, the Laotian Foreign Ministry has announced. They can also get an extension of stay of this visa........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/1-2007/new-sucker-footed-bat-in-madagascar.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/1-2007/new-sucker-footed-bat-in-madagascar.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Researchers have discovered a new species of bat that has large flat adhesive organs, or suckers, attached to its thumbs and hind feet. This is a remarkable find because the new bat belongs to a Family of bats endemic to Madagascar--and one that was previously considered to include only one rare species. The new species, Myzopoda schliemanni, occurs only in the dry western forests of Madagascar, while the previously known species, Myzopoda aurita, occurs only in the humid eastern forests of Madagascar, as per new research recently published online in the journal Mammalian Biology. The new species is obviously different from the known species based on pelage coloration, external measurements and cranial characteristics, as per the researchers........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/have-you-ever-seen-a-racisson-hotel.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/have-you-ever-seen-a-racisson-hotel.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Have you ever seen a Racisson Hotel? This weekend I was in Puerto Rico and saw one. This is the new years eve and in the dark, the Racisson hotel stands out with unique sign. Hmmm!....... ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/giraffe-winning-by-a-neck.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/giraffe-winning-by-a-neck.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Whenever I go to a zoo, I stand in front of the giraffes and watch with awe and respect at these wonderful creatures. I always consider them to be an extreme example of natural selection. I read this article and thought it would be worth mentioning in our blog. The giraffe's elongated neck has long been used in textbooks as an illustration of evolution by natural selection, but this common example has received very little experimental attention. In the recent issue of the American Naturalist, scientists at the Mammal Research Institute in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria tested whether foraging competition with shorter herbivores could explain why giraffes feed mostly on leaves high in trees, despite being able to feed at lower levels as well........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/santa-fe-in-new-mexico.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/santa-fe-in-new-mexico.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Santa Fe was once the capital of Spain's, and then Mexico's, territories north of the Rio Grande, but its visible history extends far back into time beyond the arrival of the Spanish; it is thought to have been the site of Puebloan villages that had already been long abandoned by the time the Spanish arrived in 1607. It became the state capital when the territory of New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912........ ]]> http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/go-to-finland.html http://www.worldvacation.org/blogs/permalinks/12-2006/go-to-finland.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:26:59 GMT Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It finally won its complete independence in 1917, eventhough the country promptly plunged into a bitter civil war between the conservative Whites and the Communist Reds, eventually won by the Whites........ ]]>