Jun 12th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
They said Alcatraz was escape-proof, but 50 years ago yesterday, three prisoners made an ingenious break out, paddled out into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay and disappeared.
On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin were ready to bust out of prison. Over the past year they had patiently chipped away at the air vents in their respective cells with spoons. At ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
prison posts
Alcatraz Marks 50th Anniversary Of Famous Escape
Jun 12th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
They said Alcatraz was escape-proof, but 50 years ago yesterday, three prisoners made an ingenious break out, paddled out into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay and disappeared.
On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin were ready to bust out of prison. Over the past year they had patiently chipped away at the air vents in their respective cells with spoons. At ...Explore The Unknown In Your Hometown On Obscura Day
Apr 16th, 2012 at 2:00PM: "Travel" is an activity many of us associate with leaving home in search of the new and unfamiliar. But the truth is, there are some strange and wonderful sites in the places we live, often right under our nose. It's the idea behind a great event called Obscura Day, kicking off its third year this April 28 in cities across the US and the world.
Sponsored by Atlas Obscura, a website devoted to ...Cruise ship prison? Not so fast say Scientology captors
Nov 30th, 2011 at 6:00PM: A cruise ship prison story has been floating around about an Australian woman who says she was held for years against her will aboard the cruise ship Freewinds, a floating Scientology cathedral of sorts. To many, the idea of living aboard a cruise ship might seem like a dream come true. To Valeska Paris, held on the ship starting in 1996 then spending the next twelve years there against her will, ...World's craziest race - the Barkley Marathons
May 11th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
Would you be tempted to enter a race that covers 100 miles, has no set trail, and only nine people have completed? How about if you add a cumulative elevation of over 59,000 feet - that's twice that of Mount Everest, natural obstacles of all varieties including thorns and rats, and no aid or resting stations along the way? Hundreds have entered and attempted the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee ...Warsaw, Poland: an up-and-coming European museum destination
Mar 16th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
As an EU member with a good exchange rate and low prices, Poland is becoming a popular tourist destination in Eastern Europe. Most of the love goes to Krakow, with its original architecture and "new Prague" charm, but capital city Warsaw has plenty to offer as a European museum destination. While much of the old town was leveled in World War II, the restorations have been painstakingly done and ...Scottish prisons come through with travel perks
Aug 11th, 2010 at 8:30AM: The notion of free travel is always an issue out here in the blogosphere. So if you're looking to hit the road without spending a dime, skip my chosen profession and head out to Scotland. Work hard in the Scottish Prison Service, and you'll find yourself relaxing in places like Thailand and the Cayman Islands ... which is so much better than listening to the clanking of cell doors ever day!
...Galley Gossip: Flight attendant is sent to prison for sexy texting
Mar 18th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Recently someone said to me, "I travel on international flights all the time to visit family and I've noticed that the women who work for the airlines are getting older. Is this okay?"
Is this okay? Is this okay! I couldn't decide whether to laugh or throw whatever was in my hand at the time. Instead I took a deep breath and replied, "Of course it's okay! Women age. So do passengers."
I mean ...Coupling couples cuffed for "close proximity" in Malaysia
Jan 6th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Unmarried couples were awoken to a surprise on New Year's Day. Fifty-two coupling couples were detained by Malaysia's Islamic morality police, according to USA Today, because they were suspected of having ... get this ... sex despite not being married! These 104 people could spend up to two years in prison, not to mention fines. The Selangor State Islamic Department chose this particular day of ...Uganda: the latest not so gay-friendly destination
Dec 21st, 2009 at 6:00PM: While every city council and national tourist board seems to know the equation gay + traveler = big bucks, the central African nation of Uganda wants none of it. A controversial bill may soon pass that would not only outlaw homosexuality, but would also impose the death penalty against certain "offenders" and make it criminal to not report known homosexuals.
Whence in Africa, most gay travelers ...No room at the inn: hotels used to house illegal immigrants
Oct 7th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Immigrants awaiting deportation may find themselves in a hotel – provided they are not violent and don't have any sort of criminal history. The check-in program is intended to cut the cost of holding immigrants before they are deported. Last year, the United States spent $2 billion on sheltering immigrants that would eventually be sent out of the country.
So, will it work?
The cost to ...A peek inside the North Korean courts
May 15th, 2009 at 3:00PM:
There's something chilling about journalists being detained and tried in a foreign country ... a prospect made all the more uncomfortable when you throw the "Dear Leader" into the mix. But, do we really know what's about to happen? Well, aside from the fact that they're going to be tried "according to the indictment of the competent organ"?
Frankly, there's little information about what Laura ...Gadling previews Locked Up Abroad, Season 3
Mar 26th, 2009 at 10:30AM: Just last year, Gadling brought you a first look at a new show on the National Geographic Channel called Locked Up Abroad. The show profiles the harrowing true stories of foreigners who have been arrested or kidnapped while abroad, telling the stories with first person interviews with the victims. A new season of Locked Up Abroad kicks off on April 1st at 10pm, and Gadling recently had a chance to ...Free flight ploy ends in jail
Jan 25th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Some people will do anything for a free flight. Instead of waiting for the airline to screw up, Arthur David Proskin used a bump by the beverage cart as his ticket to glory ... and hopefully anywhere in the continental United States. He used what was probably an accident to shout obscenities at the flight attendant who so egregiously wronged him (hint for the tone-deaf, this is sarcasm) and other ...Obama's closure of Guantanamo already in sight
Jan 22nd, 2009 at 10:30AM: The Castro brothers in Cuba extended a warm welcome to Obama into the political limelight. This message was relayed through Argentina's President, Cristina Kirchner, who recently returned to Buenos Aires after a brief visit to Havana. Within 24 hours, Obama has already halted proceedings involving two Guantanamo detainees and intended to close Guantanamo by the end of the year -- and likely much ...Find an alternative to a hotel room
Jan 5th, 2009 at 3:00PM: You can find a warm bed ... and four normal walls ... in just about any hotel room. So, if you're looking to defy convention every step of the way, opt for a yurt, treehouse or prison, instead. Unusual Hotels of the World (the name explains everything) says that you can crash in an igloo anywhere from Finland to Quebec, but be sure to bring a coat. Or, you can climb into bed after climbing into a ...How to end up in a La Paz prison (tour)
Jan 22nd, 2008 at 7:55PM: On my recent trip to Peru, an Australian who I was hiking the Inca trail with introduced me to the infamous San Pedro prison in downtown La Paz, Bolivia. For the uninitiated, this is a one-of-a-kind place--and the inspiration for the Panamanian prison on Fox Network's Prison Break--where the prisoners are the ones running the show. That's because there are no guards inside the compound. Seems like ...The Bad House?
Jan 18th, 2007 at 8:22AM: Feeling trapped in your day-to-day life? How about a visit to the house of pain? The big house? The Malmaison Oxford is a former prison which has been converted into a luxury hotel.
This building served as a prison for 125 years before being shuttered in 1996 and converted into a boutique hotel by the London-based chain, Malmaison (which takes its name--literally, "bad house"--from Napoleon's ...
