What you need to know before you get on the road--or board the plane--to Grandmother's House
Travel Show Podcasts
Travel Information.
The Travel Show - November 15, 2009 - Hour 1
The Frommers speak to Kirsten Schmidt, Head of Berlin Tourist Board in the U.S., about Berlin, Germany's revival as tourist destination over the last 20 years.
Travel Minute Podcasts
The founder of Frommer's Travel Guides give you quick travel tips.
For more than two decades, Oprah Winfrey has been the inspirational, change-your-life champion who reigned over daytime television much like Johnny Carson once ruled late night.Now she's ready to say goodbye, leaving a huge void for broadcast TV even as she raises the possibility of more Oprah than ever when she starts her own cable network.
Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air.Winfrey planned to announce the final date for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during a live broadcast, according to her production company, Harpo Productions Inc.Once a local Chicago morning program, the production evolved into television's top-rated talk show for more...
NEW YORK -- New York juries are often loath to impose the death penalty, even for terrorists. In fact, a jury spared the lives of two Osama bin Laden followers a month after Sept. 11, while the World Trade Center's ruins were still smoldering. Now comes a case unlike any other: the trial of professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of murdering nearly 3,000 people in the nation's deadliest terrorist attack. "If there was any case where...
From opposite ends of the globe, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder firmly rejected criticism Wednesday of the planned New York trial of the professed Sept. 11 mastermind and predicted Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be exposed as a murderous coward, convicted and executed."Failure is not an option," Holder declared.The president, in a series of TV interviews during his trip to Asia, said those offended by the legal rights accorded Mohammed by virtue of his facing a...
President Barack Obama says he's worried that spending too much money to help revive the economy could undermine a fragile U.S. recovery and throw the economy into a double-dip recession.That's when the economy begins to recover briefly from a recession only to be dragged back under. Obama told Fox News in an interview Wednesday that his administration is weighing tax breaks that could encourage businesses to begin hiring again.
Outgoing Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano is proposing a 4.9 percent increase in county property taxes - despite cuts that include a week's unpaid furlough for government workers. Spano says a sharp drop in sales taxes and rising expenses beyond the county's control force the tax increase. He said at a Monday news conference that in making some cuts, he took into account his Election Day...
Lou Dobbs says he doesn't feel like he was pushed out of CNN, the news organization where he worked for all but two years of its existence until last Wednesday."Not at all," he said in a weekend interview. "I don't know if people will believe it, but we had a very amicable parting on the best of terms. I spent 29 years there building that company, and I wish everyone there nothing but the best, and they have reciprocated with me.
New York police shut down a mall appearance by teen pop singer Justin Bieber (BEE'-ber) after thousands of young girls showed up and got a little too wild.Nassau County police say girls and adults in the crowd of nearly 3,000 started pushing and shoving as they waited for the 15-year-old sensation to arrive Friday at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.
Wide-eyed children around the world will be hearing from Santa's "elves" at the North Pole after all.During Christmas seasons for decades, these dedicated elves responded to thousands of letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole."All that was ending with a U.S. Postal Service decision to discontinue the program based in the small Alaskan town amid privacy concerns.
New York police shut down a mall appearance by teen pop singer Justin Bieber (BEE'-ber) after thousands of young girls showed up and got a little too wild.Nassau County police say girls and adults in the crowd of nearly 3,000 started pushing and shoving as they waited for the 15-year-old sensation to arrive Friday at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.
Governor-Elect Chris Christie delivers a tough love speech to New Jersey lawmakers in his first major address since winning this month's election. Christie spoke to over 400 New Jersey elected officials at the annual League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City.
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Two state Republican advisers say Rudy Giuliani has not decided whether to run for governor of New York but is becoming more interested in running for the U.S. Senate. The advisers spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak for the state Republican Party or Giuliani. Republicans have been watching polls showing that Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, would beat Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a...
Dozens of new light bulbs at the Orangeburg Library are the cause of a dispute between the library and the town of Orangetown. Library officials say the town's energy-efficiency contractor recently showed up at the library to change 42 light bulbs to energy-efficient ones, although no one from the town consulted with library officials for the operation. A short time later, the library received an 18-thousand dollar bill for the bulbs, with a letter from the town saying it had to pay.
Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner and one-time candidate for Homeland Security chief, was freed from jail Tuesday for the holidays to await sentencing on federal crimes.Kerik, who pleaded guilty last week to eight felonies, was released on $1.5 million bond by federal Judge Stephen Robinson after the former top cop spent three weeks in jail.
Sarah Palin said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that it's heartbreaking to see the road that Levi Johnston, the father of her grandson, has taken and that the soon-to-be Playgirl model hasn't seen his baby in awhile. In an episode that aired Monday, the two women also talked about the controversy surrounding Palin's possible appearance on the show last year and touched on whether the former Alaska governor planned to run for president in...
A gas explosion tore through a state-run coal mine in northern China on Saturday, killing 42 people and leaving 66 others trapped underground as rescuers worked hastily to save them.China's mines are the world's deadliest, and the blast shows the difficulties the government faces in trying to boost safety in an industry where large state-owned coal mines are considered safer than smaller, private ones.
Jurors deliberating racketeering charges against John "Junior" Gotti say they're unable to agree on a verdict. The judge presiding over the trial in Manhattan federal court sent the jurors home Thursday and told them they would return Monday to keep deliberating. They have been doing so for more than a week.
Somerville, NJ -- Former NBA star Jayson Williams is expected to take a plea deal in his reckless manslaughter case tomorrow and will serve time in prison. The "Star-Ledger" reports the former New Jersey Net will agree to accept the deal in court Friday and will spend up to three years in prison for the 2002 death of limousine driver Costas "Gus" Christofi. Williams was about to be retried on the reckless manslaughter charge...
A new poll shows New Yorkers are worried about the state's growing deficit. They believe Gov. David Paterson when he says the state will run out of money in December. And they overwhelmingly blame the Legislature for inaction so far on the $3.2 billion gap. The Marist College poll finds 70 percent of registered voters say lawmakers are responsible for failing to address the problem, while 21 percent blame Paterson.
Gov. David Paterson, who has tried for weeks to get the Legislature to address a $3.2 billion deficit, now says he doesn't expect any action on Tuesday, his latest target date. The Democrat also tells The Associated Press that he will continue to compel the Legislature to meet in Albany until it approves spending cuts and new revenue sources he's proposed, or votes them down so voters can see where each lawmaker stands.
More than a hundred items belonging to Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff and his wife were auctioned off this weekend. They fetched a lot more than the government had estimated. Even the mundane stuff sold like it was plated in gold. A pair of ordinary Igloo coolers sold for 250 dollars. A Mont Blanc wallet with Madoff's monogram sold for 22-hundred dollars.
Dentists in the New York City area are buying back Halloween candy for $1 per pound from neighborhood kids. The candy they are donating to “Operation Gratitude”.Operation Gratitude is a non-profit organization that ships candy and other items to troops in the war zones of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kwauit, etc. It was founded shortly after the terrorists of attacks of September 11, 2001 when Carolyn Blashek was denied admissions due to her age into the Marines.She decided to volunteer with...
Dentists in the New York City area are buying back Halloween candy for $1 per pound from neighborhood kids. The candy they are donating to “Operation Gratitude”.Operation Gratitude is a non-profit organization that ships candy and other items to troops in the war zones of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kwauit, etc. It was founded shortly after the terrorists of attacks of September 11, 2001 when Carolyn Blashek was denied admissions due to her age into the Marines.She decided to volunteer with...
Jim Boeheim has always made a point of telling the media not to get too caught up in runs because basketball, especially on the college level, is a game of runs.He could only smile as he was asked about Syracuse's 22-1 run to open the second half of an 87-71 victory over No. 6 North Carolina on Friday night in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic."That's about as good as it gets," he said, "and it was against North Carolina and it was here.
More women are getting groped and flashed while riding the subway. Police report incidents of sex offenses on the subway system is on the rise. NYPD Transit Bureau Chief James Hall reports more than 600 complaints were filed with police, up four-percent from last year.
A wild turkey that has been playing chicken along the New Jersey Turnpike won't have to dodge Thanksgiving traffic. State Fish and Wildlife officials netted the bird Wednesday after failed attempts over the weekend. The turkey has been trotting around toll booths at the 14B Interchange in Jersey City since August.
NEW YORK -- Sarah Palin said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that a 2012 presidential bid is "not on my radar," but wouldn't rule out playing some role in the next presidential election. "My ambition, if you will, my desire is to help our country in whatever role that may be, and I cannot predict what that will be, what doors will be open in the year 2012," she told Barbara Walters. When asked whether she'd play a major role, the former Republican...
Space shuttle Atlantis rocketed into orbit Monday with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station. The supply run should keep the space station humming for years to come, and the shuttle astronauts in space through Thanksgiving. Atlantis shot into a partly cloudy afternoon sky, to the delight of about 100 Twittering space enthusiasts who won front-row seats....
Fingers will be flying when space shuttle Atlantis blasts off Monday: About 100 of NASA's geekiest fans will be on hand, pecking away at iPhones, BlackBerrys, laptops and other Twittering gadgets.They plan to let loose with electronic messages - provided they aren't so swept away by the afternoon liftoff that they fall uncharacteristically silent for a moment or two.
NASA has cleared space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Monday on a trip to stock up the International Space Station with several years' worth of spare parts.Mission managers gave the go-ahead Saturday as forecasters put the odds of good launch weather at 90 percent, about as good as it gets.Atlantis will deliver nearly 30,000 pounds of pumps, storage tanks, gyroscopes and other spare parts, along with six astronauts who will unload everything.
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia transit system's largest union went on strike early Tuesday, stalling the city's bus, subway and trolley operations a day after the World Series shifted to New York and forcing thousands of commuters to find other ways to get to work. The sudden strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 took many riders by surprise and all but crippled a transit system that averages more than 928,000 trips each weekday. The union represents more than 5,000 drivers,...
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Travel Show Features
Temple Bar area of Dublin, Ireland is shown on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
What you need to know before you get on the road--or board the plane--to Grandmother's House
Travel Show Podcasts
Travel Information.
The Travel Show - November 15, 2009 - Hour 1
The Frommers speak to Kirsten Schmidt, Head of Berlin Tourist Board in the U.S., about Berlin, Germany's revival as tourist destination over the last 20 years.
Travel Minute Podcasts
The founder of Frommer's Travel Guides give you quick travel tips.
In a previous blog, “A Runners Wife” I spoke about my husband training for the NYC marathon. All I have to say is that the months of training all came together of an amazing race. Race day is a grueling day for runners, and the family. But a miracle happened...
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the senate judiciary committee and basically shrugged when asked if any other enemy combatant captured overseas had ever been brought to civilian criminal court to face justice. Talk about an incompetent boob, not to mention a disgrace.
Here is a list of wines all from Spain, and menus from restaurants in Brooklyn where a crew of us did a food / wine crawl through Carrol Gardens and Williamsburg recently
