‘Roma’ Named Best Picture by New York Film Critics Circle

The film’s helmer, Alfonso Cuaron, also won best director and best cinematography honors.

The New York Film Critics Circle has named Roma as its best picture of 2018.

Last year, the NYFCC selected Lady Bird as the best picture of 2017.

A full list of this year’s winners follows.

The World’s 7 Most Fattening & Festive Holiday Foods

Courtesy Caroline Morse Teel, SmarterTravel

Planning to spend the holidays away from home this year? That doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some fattening holiday foods. From Turducken to Christmas cake, these dishes will fill you up with more than holiday cheer.

How to Meditate

Courtesy David Gelles

Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote happiness. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. Here, we offer basic tips to get you started on a path toward greater equanimity, acceptance and joy. Take a deep breath, and get ready to relax.

Typical French Restaurant Vocabulary: How to Order in Paris

Words and Phrases You’ll Need to Eat Out

Courtesy Courtney Traub

Are you a bit nervous about eating out in Paris or elsewhere in France, worried you may not be able to get by without fluent French? Use this guide to learn basic expressions and understand most signs and menu headings at restaurants in Paris.

A Taste of Iceland

Courtesy Tony Tedeschi, Never Stop Traveling

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

Time Capsule Cinema

The Lion in Winter – A Look Back

By Walt Mundkowsky

Every chronicle play is a reduction of history. In a great chronicle play, this reduction means compression of events, intensity, selection — an artistic vision of history; Marlowe’s Edward II concentrates 24 years (1307-1330) into five credible acts. The Lion in Winter is another sort of reduction: It diminishes a struggle for the English crown into situation comedy.

Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Questions:

1. Which Beatles’ first name is James?
2. John changed is middle name from “Winston” to _____
3. What was the first name of George Harrison’s father?
4. Name the film where Ringo first met what was to be his 2^nd wife?

Answers:

1. Which Beatles’ first name is James? James Paul McCartney
2. John changed is middle name from “Winston” to “Ono.”
3. What was the first name of George Harrison’s father? “Harry”
4. Name the film where Ringo first met what was to be his 2^nd wife? Barbara Bach in ‘Caveman.’

Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World

America: Colonial U.S.

In Colonial America, Christmas was essentially a day of Spiritual observance. Carols were sung and church bells rang out to celebrate the commemoration of Christ’s birth. Early Americans decorated evergreen trees with things from nature and homemade items. Christmas was a warm, family experience for Colonial America. It blended the experience of a new land with the customs from a European Heritage.

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Three Ways We Experience Karma in Our Own Lifetime

By Dr. Kathleen Allen

Karma is a spiritual feedback loop. Our choices in this lifetime either reinforce the quality of our next life or dampens it down. Learn more in my latest blog.

The prevailing wisdom is that we need to die before we experience karma. When we are reincarnated, the way we led our life this time will be the basis of our next life. However, I believe that we are beginning to experience karma in our own lifetime. We must become conscious of the feedback around us.

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Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after distributing organic biscuits to a series of illegal puppy mills in South Dakota.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

MORE Dog Quotations

Q) Beatle names

Which Beatles’ first name is James?

John changed is middle name from “Winston” to _____

What was the first name of George Harrison’s father?

Name the film where Ringo first met what was to be his 2^nd wife?

Scroll down for the answers

A Conversation with Noam Chomsky: Revival of Hate Is Encouraged by Trump’s Rhetoric

Courtesy Democracy Now!

It’s been barely a month since a gunman stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 Jewish worshipers. The massacre has been described as the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. After the shooting, we spoke with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned professor, linguist and dissident, about Pittsburgh, Israel’s policies toward Gaza and other recent white supremacist and right-wing attacks in the U.S.

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Burping Is Good Manners & 25 Other Global Etiquette Surprises

Courtesy The Daily Meal Staff

In Italy, Never Order A Cappuccino After A Meal

When you’re dining the Italian way, be sure to order an espresso or a coffee after a meal. Do not order a cappuccino, as Italians believe milk beverages slow down digestion.

MORE Global Etiquette Surprises

15 Surprising Things TSA Allows Past Airport Checkpoints

By Benet Wilson

Some items — like guns (real or replica), large scissors and flammable liquids — are never allowed. But the agency continues to make changes when it comes to what can get past the checkpoint.

Below are 15 surprise items you can actually take past the checkpoint. But in case you still have questions, you can take a photo of the item and send it to either AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or via Twitter. Staff are online with answers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET during the week and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays

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Music on Christmas Morning

By Anne Bronte

Music I love -­ but never strain
Could kindle raptures so divine,
So grief assuage, so conquer pain,
And rouse this pensive heart of mine -­
As that we hear on Christmas morn,
Upon the wintry breezes borne.
Though Darkness still her empire keep,
And hours must pass, ere morning break;
From troubled dreams, or slumbers deep,
That music kindly bids us wake:
It calls us, with an angel’s voice,
To wake, and worship, and rejoice;

To greet with joy the glorious morn,
Which angels welcomed long ago,
When our redeeming Lord was born,
To bring the light of Heaven below;
The Powers of Darkness to dispel,
And rescue Earth from Death and Hell.

While listening to that sacred strain,
My raptured spirit soars on high;
I seem to hear those songs again
Resounding through the open sky,
That kindled such divine delight,
In those who watched their flocks by night.

With them, I celebrate His birth -­
Glory to God, in highest Heaven,
Good-will to men, and peace on Earth,
To us a Saviour-king is given;
Our God is come to claim His own,
And Satan’s power is overthrown!

A sinless God, for sinful men,
Descends to suffer and to bleed;
Hell must renounce its empire then;
The price is paid, the world is freed,
And Satan’s self must now confess,
That Christ has earned a Right to bless:

Now holy Peace may smile from heaven,
And heavenly Truth from earth shall spring:
The captive’s galling bonds are riven,
For our Redeemer is our king;
And He that gave his blood for men
Will lead us home to God again

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

The post Global Holiday Traditions, ‘Roma,’ Beatle Trivia appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Captain Belinda Bennett Awarded Merchant Navy Medal

The U.K. Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service has been presented to Captain Belinda Bennett of Windstar Cruises, as “the first black female captain in the commercial cruise industry.”

Bennett was given the award for services to the promotion of the maritime sector under the auspices of the U.K. Department for Transport and Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Merchant Navy Medal honor, earned by those “who have gone above and beyond in their service to the maritime industry,” earlier this month at Trinity House in London.

Q) Name the first Ringo Starr composition to appear on a Beatle LP?

Scroll down for the answers

Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in South Dakota.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

Check Out the Latest Inflight Meal Reviews!

Courtesy Nik Loukas,  Inflight Feed 

InFlight Feed an airline food information website for passengers that also features a blog of the inflight meal experiences of Nik Loukas on his various trips around the globe. Inflight Feed has been giving passengers information on over 150 airlines worldwide since 2012,  telling them how to order special meals, find out what food might be for sale inflight, how to upgrade your inflight meal and general inflight meal information.

15 Surprising Things TSA Allows Past Airport Checkpoints

By Benet Wilson

Some items — like guns (real or replica), large scissors and flammable liquids — are never allowed. But the agency continues to make changes when it comes to what can get past the checkpoint.

Below are 15 surprise items you can actually take past the checkpoint. But in case you still have questions, you can take a photo of the item and send it to either AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or via Twitter. Staff are online with answers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET during the week and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays

10 Most Misleading Travel Terms

Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, SmarterTravel

If you spend enough time comparing hotels, flights, and tours, you’ll eventually realize that many words have very little meaning in the travel industry. You might think that there would be some sort of common agreement on travel terms across hotels that would define what makes a suite a suite or a deluxe room better than a standard room, but no such agreements exist. Travelers are often surprised to find that what they booked is not quite what they expected.

Here are some travel hype words you should take lightly, and that might even signal you should do a little more research.

10 of the World’s Craziest Landings

Courtesy Ashley Rossi

These 10 airports have some of the craziest landings in the world. Fretful flyers, you’ve been warned.

Flying can be a nerve-racking experience for fretful travelers; however, landings at these 10 airports are sure to frighten even the most frequent flyers. From an airport at the edge of a cliff to sandy beach landings, here are the world’s craziest runways — consider yourself warned.

Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Q) Name the first Ringo Starr composition to appear on a Beatle LP?

A) Don’t Pass Me By on the 1968 LP The Beatles (know by many fans as the The White Album).

Ringo is credited with two compositions recorded by the Beatles: Don’t Pass Me By, a black comedy quasi Cajun/country folk song (with a bit of swing) on The Beatles/White Album (1968), and the nautically themed Octopus’s Garden, from Abbey Rd (1969). Ringo co-wrote What Goes On, another country track, with John and Paul, which was on side 2 of Rubber Soul (1965), and also received a co-writing credit with the other three Beatles for the psychedelic instrumental, Flying.

Flying was the only instrumental the Beatles officially released during their career. It was recorded for the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack in 1968. (Pop Trivia fact: MMT was released as a double EP in the UK in 1968, but as an album by Capitol in the U.S. Parlophone later realized that it had mileage as an album and copied the U.S. strategy.)

Contrary to common belief, Ringo didn’t write Yellow Submarine, although he sang the lead vocal. Ringo would usually average one vocal per album. Other songs sung by Ringo on Beatles recordings were Boys (an EP inclusion of a cover version of a Shirelles song written by Dixon/Farrell), Act Naturally, a cover of a song by Russell/Morrison included on Help! in 1965, I Wanna Be Your Man (a 1963 song written for the Stones), Matchbox (rockabilly cover song), Honey Don’t (country rock cover), With A Little Help From My Friends (Lennon/McCartney song 2 on Sgt Pepper (1967), Good Night (Lennon/McCartney, counter intuitively mainly Lennon) from 1968 – The Beatles/White Album.

Another song, If You’ve Got Trouble, was written for Ringo to sing on Help!, but although recorded, it wasn’t released. It was replaced by Act Naturally. Later, If You’ve Got Trouble appeared on Anthology 2.

In total, Ringo sang lead vocal on 11 Beatle songs. You may be interested to know that there were 4 Beatle songs where McCartney played drums:

Back In The USSR
Dear Prudence
Martha My Dear (Ringo had temporarily left the Beatles as he was fed up with all the studio squabbling)
The Ballad of John & Yoko (Both George and Ringo were on holiday)

Courtesy of Gerry Parker

Venice Bans Cruise Ships from City Center

Courtesy Daniel McCarthy, Travel Market Report

An Italian governmental committee has voted to ban large cruise ships from the water in front of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square.

The vote, which was made after years of protests and petitions from locals, bans all ships weighing more than 55,000 tons from the city’s Giudecca Canal.

This means that all ships from Carnival Cruise Line, all from Royal Caribbean aside from Empress of the Seas, and all from Norwegian Cruise Line will be banned from the canal.

MORE

Hometown Heroes: Iconic Foods from Around the World

Courtesy Polly Byles, Lonely Planet

Every city around the world has a local food culture that embodies the unique essence of the place. While some have become iconic on the global stage – think Philadelphia’s Philly cheesesteak or Tokyo’s renowned ramen – others remain under the radar, tucked away in a backstreet trattoria or hidden in the pages of grandma’s secret recipe book.

MORE

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

MORE

Burping Is Good Manners & 25 Other Global Etiquette Surprises

Courtesy The Daily Meal Staff

In Italy, Never Order A Cappuccino After A Meal

When you’re dining the Italian way, be sure to order an espresso or a coffee after a meal. Do not order a cappuccino, as Italians believe milk beverages slow down digestion.

MORE Global Etiquette Surprises

In First Lady’s Hometown in Slovenia, the Business Is Melania

Courtesy The New York Times

Melania cake. Melania cream. Melania wine. Melania tea. Melania slippers. Melania salami. Melania chocolate-coated apple slices. There are few products that the enterprising burghers of Sevnica, a small, rural Slovenian town where Melania Trump spent her formative years, have not sought to brand in honor of the first lady of the United States.

MORE

Countries Difficult for Americans to Visit

In spite of broad generalizations that Americans have no interest in leaving their own borders, US citizens are traveling abroad in record numbers. According to the US National Tourism Office, nearly 67 million Americans chose to take an international trip in 2016. The world may be our oyster, but some countries impose harsh visa requirements that may hinder American tourism.

MORE

October

By Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

Time Capsule Cinema

Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac”

By Walt Mundkowsky

By this viewer’s idiosyncratic standards, Cul-de-Sac (1966) is Roman Polanski’s sole brush with greatness, and the only feature to keep faith with the surrealist metaphors and perceptions of his celebrated short films. It’s his most bizarrely funny, as well as his most serious work.

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The post Captain Belinda Bennett, Beatle Beat Trivia appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The U.K. Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service has been presented to Captain Belinda Bennett of Windstar Cruises, as “the first black female captain in the commercial cruise industry.”

Bennett was given the award for services to the promotion of the maritime sector under the auspices of the U.K. Department for Transport and Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Merchant Navy Medal honor, earned by those “who have gone above and beyond in their service to the maritime industry,” earlier this month at Trinity House in London.

First established in 2016, the awards marks the crucial contribution that members of the Merchant Navy make to maritime safety, seafarer welfare, training and the wider blue economy. Bennett is the second person at Windstar to receive the medal.

“It is an absolute honor to receive this medal. I hope that young people around the world will follow in my footsteps with hard work and dedication. I have to thank my family, friends and work colleagues for their support over the years, and every day we continue to learn. My career at sea has allowed me to see much of the world and its cultures of which I am thankful. This medal may be awarded to me but it belongs to all who have supported me over the last 24 years at sea,” said Bennett.

Bennett has been with Windstar Cruises for more than 13 years. In January 2016, she was named Master of MSY Wind Star, a four-masted sailing ship accommodating 148 guests, 101 crew, with four decks and a gross tonnage of 5,307 GRT.

Hailing originally from one of the most remote islands in the world, St. Helena – a part of the British Overseas Territory, Bennett became immersed with life at sea, having started as a deck cadet at age 17 on her home island ship the RMS St. Helena – a cargo ship that transports vital supplies to the remote island from the African coast. Just four years later, she had climbed the ranks to Third Officer and ultimately stayed on board for an additional five years, until departing in 2003 as second officer. Following a brief stretch as chief officer for private charter yacht SS Delphine, and Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries, Bennett joined Windstar Cruises as Second Officer at the Port of Monaco in September 2005. Bennett has worked on a variety of Windstar ships over her 13-year career progressing to chief officer and now captain with the small ship line.

“We are beyond proud of Captain Bennett not only for what she represents to the cruise industry but also her determination and perseverance in the very competitive and vital maritime industry. Belinda is a great role model for our junior officers and cadets. We are happy for her success and the inspiration that is to be gained by her story,” said Windstar Vice President of Operations Christopher Prelog.

Venice Bans Cruise Ships from City Center

Courtesy Daniel McCarthy, Travel Market Report

An Italian governmental committee has voted to ban large cruise ships from the water in front of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square.

The vote, which was made after years of protests and petitions from locals, bans all ships weighing more than 55,000 tons from the city’s Giudecca Canal.

This means that all ships from Carnival Cruise Line, all from Royal Caribbean aside from Empress of the Seas, and all from Norwegian Cruise Line will be banned from the canal.

Those ships will now be forced to dock at the industrial port of Marghera, located just northwest of Venice.

The changes will reportedly take about four years to implement.

The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, said that the decision found the right balance between combating a city increasingly overcrowded with tourists and keeping the positive impact of cruising alive in the city’s economy.

“We want it to be clear to UNESCO and to the world that we have a solution,” he said.

Over 30 million people go to Venice each year to experience its historic canals and famous city sites, but UNESCO has warned that if steps are not taken to limit damage to the city, Venice could be placed on the organization’s list of endangered heritage sites.

The post Captain Belinda Bennett, Venice Bans Cruise Ships appeared first on Traveling Archive.