Spoken Like A True Ostrich

There was some major news from some major cruise suppliers in the last 24 hours. Cunard, Princess, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas are among a half-dozen lines taking a stand against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Their stance apparently is: Pirates? What pirates? All four major lines announced they will continue to sell (and sail) voyages through the Gulf of Aden, despite recent pirate attacks on cruise ships in the area. Certain upscale lines, such as Hapag-Lloyd have scrapped the idea until the situation improves. "We continue to believe there are adequate security measures in place to protect our vessels," says Cunard spokesperson Jackie Chase. Two Cunard ships, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, are scheduled to transit the Gulf of Aden in April as they circle the globe on world cruises. Princess spokesperson Julie Benson says, "At this point we are closely monitoring things, but have not made any changes to our program." Princess has two ships, Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess, scheduled to pass through the Gulf of Aden in April on world cruises as well. The issue is most pressing for Costa, which has a ship loaded with hundreds of vacationers scheduled to transit the area in just a few days. The Costa Classica, on her way from the Med to Dubai, is in the Red Sea today steaming Southward, and should arrive in the Gulf of Aden later this week. A spokesperson for Costa issued a statement saying the line plans to go ahead with the voyage while "carefully monitoring the situation." The statement further says the the line's ships are adequately equipped and its crews expertly trained. One major line that disagrees with the Ostrich head-in-the-sand treatment is Holland America. Their 'round-the-world voyages in 2009 and 2010 will now travel around the Southern tip of Africa, instead of the traditional route through the Suez Canal, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. My 2 cents? GOOD FOR YOU, Holland America! Despite the rumors, there may still be signs of intelligent life in the cruise industry.

Increasingly-bold pirates have attacked 2 cruise ships in the Gulf of Aden in the past 2 weeks, as I blogged previously. No one was injured in either incident, but how many times can people get lucky? Unfortunately, ships' Captains likely have no say in the matter. It's corporate pressure to maintain a set itinerary, to avoid passenger complaints. Frankly, that's not what contestants on Family Feud would call "Good answer!" As soon as dollar signs flash in the forefront of potential passenger safety, this Cap'n gets wrankled and majorly angry. When I used to work cruise ships myself, I often told people we were able to succeed DESPITE the home office, not because of them. Let's all hope and pray the affected ships have success in this dangerous area, despite their corporate decision-making. Another industry voice, C.L.I.A. (the Cruise Lines International Association), will not discuss the issue of piracy in the region. Their silence speaks volumes, if you ask me.

When you think of airports, you normally think stress and headaches. A new article from Health Magazine says all airports are not created equal! In fact, they ranked the Top 10 healthiest airports, based on services and amenities that promote healthy living and a lack of stress. Phoenix Sky Harbor is America's healthiest airport, according to the magazine. The criteria included food, relaxation zones, walking paths, music, lighting, environmental programs and safety technology. Industry data and a panel of experts were used in compiling the list. Phoenix was cited for its "healthful" restaurants, video-paging system, two pet parks and clean bathrooms. Here are the other 9 and the amenities cited by ranking:

• Baltimore/Washington (soft music and lighting, a spa and a hiking path near the airport).

• Chicago O'Hare (healthy restaurant food, children's play areas and the fitness facility in its on-site Hilton Hotel).

• Detroit Metropolitan ("storm-ready" police officers and employees who are trained as bad-weather spotters, healthy restaurant food).

• Denver (solar energy panels, recycling of de-icing fluids, an art collection, free Wi-Fi and healthy restaurant food).

• Ronald Reagan Washington National (an art collection, a walking and biking trail).

• Dallas/Fort Worth (children's play areas, hybrid/CNG vehicles, healthy restaurant food).

• Boston Logan (environmental initiatives, CNG shuttle buses).

• Portland, Ore. (a paved bicycle and walking path, covered bicycle parking, local musicians playing in the terminals).

• Philadelphia (a health clinic, free Wi-Fi on weekends).

Hey - where's my hometown, Charlotte NC? We have rocking chairs! That's right, you can walk through the main concourse and have a seat in a nice wooden rocker to waste - I mean spend time while you're waiting on Godot. Or your flight. Oh well, I'm sure if we didn't make the Top 10 we were #11. Or at least in the Top 250, give or take. Did I mention we have rocking chairs? Oh yeah, and a NASCAR Cafe!

A Spokane woman and her mother have been convicted in federal court, on charges of sneaking a rhesus monkey into the United States from Thailand. Gypsy Lawson, 29, hid the sedated young rhesus macaque under her blouse, pretending to be pregnant when she passed through U.S. Customs in LA after a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Her mother, Fran Ogren of Northport, Washington also went on the trip, and was named a co-conspirator. The two women were found guilty Monday by a 12-member jury on separate charges of conspiracy and smuggling goods into the United States. The monkey is now at a primate rescue facility in Oregon. Can't you just hear it? "That's a real nice prehensile tail on your baby there, Ma'am..."

How far would you go, if you thought you were in the right? A retired New York City man says he has spent $7,500 fighting a $115 parking ticket because he's got "nothing else to do." Former electrical hardware firm vice president Simon Belsky says he was erroneously ticketed two years ago. The 63-year-old says the ticket cites his van for blocking a Brooklyn fire hydrant, even though the only hydrant on the street was halfway down the block. The November 2006 fine has ballooned from $115 to about $200 with penalties. Belsky was in court last week and is due back Feb. 2. He says if he wins, he'll file a civil suit against the city to recover the $7,500 he's spent on legal work. He says if any compensation is awarded he'll donate it to educational programs. I don't know about you, but I like this guy!