New Alabama Memorial Honors America's Lynching Victims
Posted on 04/24/2018, 8:00 PM
A memorial to the nation's victims of racist terror lynchings opens in Montgomery, Alabama this week. Located on a 6-acre site overlooking the state capital, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice uses sculpture, text, and hundreds of weathered steel columns to honor the multitude of African Americans murdered throughout the United States by angry mobs and other extra-judicial enforcers of whi...
Dachshund Museum Opens in Germany
Posted on 04/24/2018, 3:30 PM
A museum containing more than 4,500 pieces of dachshund memorabilia—toys, artwork, ceramic figurines, photos, and more—has opened in the city of Passau in Germany's Bavarian region. Owners Josef Küblbeck and Oliver Storz, who began amassing their horde of wiener dog kitsch 25 years ago, told the BBC that their brand-new Dackelmuseum has the largest collection of dachshund-themed objects on earth—an...
What Fresh Hell Is This? Standing Airplane Seats
Posted on 04/19/2018, 8:00 PM
Just when you thought the aviation industry couldn't possibly find a way to cram more people onto an airplane—short of stashing passengers in the cargo hold or overhead compartment (like there's any room up there anyway)—some evil genius has devised the abomination pictured above. What you're looking at is the Skyrider 2.0, which was introduced by Italian company Aviointeriors at the Aircraft Inter...
Renowned Ocean Liner Reborn as Floating Hotel in Dubai
Posted on 04/18/2018, 8:00 PM
The retired Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner, which the Cunard Line operated from 1969 to 2008, has been transformed into a floating hotel in Dubai.Docked at the city's Port Rashid for a decade (the 2008 recession slowed down the remodeling project), the 13-deck ship has more than 200 contemporary rooms and suites, ranging from tiny cabins to opulent aeries with private verandas.The design, according ...
Coming in May: UFO Fests in Oregon and New York State
Posted on 04/16/2018, 8:00 PM
The search for signs of intelligent life in the universe hasn't turned up much so far. Even here on earth intelligent life can seem awfully hard to come by. But judging from the many UFO festivals held across the country each year, there are evidently still plenty of those who believe the truth is out there. Among this spring's crop of events dedicated to alien abductions, government cover-ups, and...
D.C.’s African American Museum Tests a Change to Its Admissions Policy
Posted on 04/04/2018, 12:00 AM
The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. is trying out a new admissions practice this month.Each Wednesday in April, visitors can simply walk up to to the building on Constitution Avenue, get in line, and gain entry to the museum on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 10am, when it opens. That might sound like standard museum-going procedure, but not...
Priceline Ends "Name Your Own Price" Car Rentals
Posted on 04/02/2018, 8:00 PM
Yet another core offering of Priceline has been carved away.The website, which made itself famous beginning in 1997 as a place where travelers could place low bids for various products without knowing in advance the brand of the seller, has ended its "Name Your Own Price" feature for rental cars. The website now only offers set prices for its brand-blind rental car inventory. Because of the site's ...
Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas Getting a Virgin Hotels Makeover
Posted on 04/02/2018, 11:00 AM
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is entering Virgin territory. The hotel—located just off the Strip on Paradise Road—has been acquired by the growing Virgin Hotels chain, which is giving the property a top-to-bottom overhaul. Virgin founder Richard Branson revealed the changeover at a press conference announcing that his company and other investors had made the purchase. The renovation...
TSA to Make You Remove Snacks from Your Carry-On—Except When It Won't
Posted on 03/29/2018, 11:00 AM
The next time you go through airport security, you could be asked to remove all food from your carry-on luggage, along with all the other stuff that gets removed—your shoes, your laptop, and, should you be selected for an invasive pat-down, your dignity. Then again, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) might let you keep that Snickers bar or bag of Cheetos in your bag as it slides along...
National Comedy Museum Opening This Summer in New York State
Posted on 03/27/2018, 8:15 PM
Baseball players have Cooperstown. Rock stars have their own hall of fame in Cleveland. Even androids, when they're not dreaming of electric sheep, can visualize themselves getting inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh.But what about the age-old, joy-bringing art of comedy? Why isn't there a national museum celebrating history's most important producers of yuks? Come August, you won't ...
