Atypical Events

More Family Lanes to Appear at Airport Security Checkpoints

Posted by jessie under News, Travel

The TSA is expanding family lanes at nearly every airport just in time for the Thanksgiving and the busy holiday travel season.

By November 20th, family lanes will have opened at 533 airport checkpoints by November 20th. The lanes are intended to help people who are traveling with children and will have people on-hand to assist parents.

The family lanes will allow families to move through specially-designated lanes at their own pace. The lanes will be permanent additions at security checkpoints at every large and midsize airport.

The family lanes will also feature special scanners for screening large bottles of liquids deemed “medically necessary.” Anyone who is carrying a bottle of liquid more than three ounces will be directed to the scanners in these lanes, even if they are not traveling with a family.
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Restaurants Resort to Promotions to Lure Customers

Posted by jessie under News, Restaurants

With the economy in a slump, the restaurant business has gotten so bad that many restaurants are resorting to giving out coupons and gift certificates in an effort to lure customers back in.

In today’s tough economy, things are tight and many people are doing whatever they can to cut back on costs and save money. For many, this means cooking at home and packing lunch for work rather than going out to eat. With the drop in business, restaurants around the country are doing everything they can do get customers back through their doors.

Many restaurants are extending their hours and cutting back on portions. Some are buying cheaper ingredients and opting for smaller plates. Others are offering special discounts and promotions in the mail and online, from coupons to free gift certificates.

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Ads to Appear in Security Checkpoint Bins Nationwide

Posted by jessie under News, Travel

Next time you take off your shoes and jacket and place them in a bin at an airport security checkpoint, you might see an advertisement staring up at you. The Transportation Security Administration has given the go-ahead to allow airports across the nation to sell advertising space in the bottoms of security checkpoint bins

If you’ve been traveling during the past year you may have already seen ads in the bottom of security checkpoint plastic bins.

Fourteen airports were participants in the Divestiture Bin Pilot Program, which allowed vendors to advertise in bins at security checkpoints. Now the program is expanding to be nationwide.

According to the TSA, the program is geared towards upgrading the equipment used at airport checkpoints. As payment for the advertising space, advertisers purchase the plastic bins, steel tables and carts for screeners that are used at checkpoints.
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Burton’s New Snowboards Cause for Concern?

Posted by jessie under News

Two new lines of 2009 Burton snowboards have come under fire recently for displaying images that are degrading to women and inappropriate for children to see.

Burton’s line of “Love” boards features vintage photos of Playboy models. Some parents and ski resorts are up in arms over the boards, which they claim are inappropriate for children and for family-friendly environments.

Burton’s line of “Primo” snowboards depicts artistic cartoons of “self-mutilation” that have also been condemned as being inappropriate.

The Love and Primo snowboard lines are limited edition, with only 1,000 Love boards produced and less than 1,000 Primo boards produced. The boards are expected to be seen very rarely on the slopes and will probably become a collector’s item.

Despite the low number of boards in circulation, six ski resorts have already banned their employees from using the boards. The boards have been banned for employee use at Smugglers Notch in Burlington, VT, under a new policy prohibiting offensive equipment.

Vail Resorts, which owns Colorado ski resorts Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Keystone, in addition to Heavenly Mountain in California, has put a ban on Burton’s Love boards for employees while they are working. Vail has always had a policy prohibiting their employees from wearing inappropriate or offensive attire, but they have now updated their policy to specifically include Burton’s Primo and Love snowboards.

Sugarbush, another Vermont resort, is also considering taking action in banning its stores from selling the Love board and employees from riding it.

On October 23rd, local activists protested at Burton’s headquarters in Burlington, Vermont. Approximately 150 people showed up to protest the graphics on the Love and Primo snowboards.

Burton CEO Laurent Potdevin responded with a statement on behalf of the company, saying that Burton stands behind its graphics and the right to freedom of artistic expression, noting that snowboarding has long been a sport that pushes boundaries, and that winter sports have a history of tongue-in-cheek advertising.