Enormous Earthquake Jolts Western China
UN Leader Tells Myanmar “There Is No More Time To Lose”
Tourist on Train Dies of Blood Clot Not Disease
Programs to Decrease Passengers Stress Levels Ineffective
New Interactive Ads at Airports May Cause Dazed Crowds
DEATH TOLL IN CHINA EARTHQUAKE CLIMBS TO MORE THAN 12,000 – CNN
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake shook southwestern China on Monday has killed more than 12,000 people, and that death toll continues to climb as rescue workers frantically pull victims from the rubble. It’s estimated that another 26,206 people were injured and as many as 3.5 million homes have been destroyed in the Sichuan province. More than 18,645 people were buried under rubble in the city of Mianyang alone, and 3,629 people were reported dead in the city which is next to the epicenter of the quake. Schools, shops and homes were decimated by the earthquake, which is being considered one of the worst to hit China since the monster quake in 1976. Following the quake, there was a series of nearly 30 seismic jolts, each magnitude 4.0 and above, which slowed the progress of rescue teams. Though the U.S. Geological Survey says that the quake had a magnitude of 7.9, the larger debate will eventually focus on what the earthquake means for China’s leaders as they prepare for the Olympics this summer.
Link: CNN
U.N. LEADER TELLS MYANMAR THERE IS “NO MORE TIME TO LOSE” – International Herald Tribune
As the death toll in Myanmar reaches nearly an overwhelming 32,000, authorities at last admitted one American military aircraft, carrying the first large-scale delivery of aid. Disgusted and with “deep concern and immense frustration,” Security General Ban Ki-moon accused the junta of demonstrating an “unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis. This is not about politics, it is about saving people’s lives. There is absolutely no more time to lose.” Up until this point, the junta had prevented aid to more than a million victims. According to the Myanmar toll, as many as 31,938 people are dead, and another 29,770 still missing; however, the United Nations estimated on Monday that between 62,000 and 100,000 are dead, and fewer than one-third of the people desperately needing assistance are being helped. People whose homes, farms and food stocks were destroyed have been flocking to “refugee camps” located north of the delta, but these have turned out to be hodge-podge gathering places—not organized camps offering water, shelter and medical aid.
Link: International Herald-Tribune
TOURIST ON TRAIN DIES OF BLOOD CLOT, NOT DISEASE OUTBREAK - CTV
A woman who died aboard a Via Rail train from Jasper, Alberta to Sudbury, Ontario last week, causing the train to be quarantined and a full-scale health scare. Brenda Buckley, 43 years old, died of a pulmonary embolism, according to Dr. William Lucas of the Ontario Coroner’s Office. This condition occurs by a blockage of one or more blood clots that make their way to the lungs from another location in the body. Reports have not been confirmed, but Dr. Lucas did say deep-vein thrombosis was a probable cause. Buckley died on the train when it was traveling from. On the same train, a passenger fell ill and was air-lifted to a Timmins hospital, and five others demonstrated flu-like symptoms and respiratory problems, causing health officials to worry about the possible occurrence of an infectious disease outbreak. The death, however, was unrelated to the other illnesses. Catherine Kaloutsky, a spokeswoman for Via Rail, said no one has ever developed deep-vein thrombosis on a Via Rail train.
Link: CTV
PROGRAMS TO DECREASE PASSENGER STRESS LEVELS INEFFECTUAL – The New York Times
Much to no one’s surprise, airport security lines that separate frequent fliers, first-class and business-class from coach travelers do not lessen passenger stress levels. Designed to promote a bit of serenity, Checkpoint Evolution offers somber music and “whole-body imagers” that reveal schematic 3-D images of your pocket’s contents—a wallet, lipstick, gum wrapper—or even scars, moles and genitalia, but the endless lines before the checkpoints are the cause for passenger frustration. The Registered Traveler program allows anyone to become a member by paying $100 to line up in a private, “faster” lane, but many airlines oppose them, saying the money has been “wasted.” Whenever the TSA is called to comment on queue formation, it responds by saying, “That real estate in front of the checkpoint is owned by the airlines.”
Link: The New York Times
NEW INTERACTIVE ADS AT AIRPORTS MAY CAUSE DAZED CROWDS - Jaunted
As if crowds at airports aren’t atrocious enough, now interactive ads will mesmerize the masses, drawing their attention to floors. STEPscape ads, often seen in malls, encourage folks to step over them, which causes digital images to ricochet against the ad’s frame. Airports already signed up for the ads include Atlanta, Denver, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Francisco.
Link: Jaunted.com
Want to see other recent Travel News Roundups? Click here.
Or, check out more travel news you can use in our main Travel News section.
Looking for even more in-depth news coverage of the week’s top stories? Visit our Travel News Analysis Category.
