Pisa expert says Big Ben leaning
Big Ben, the clock tower in London, is going the way of the tower in Pisa — it’s leaning. So far it has been a civil engineering conundrum, but it could add to the tower’s tourism in the future. In about 4,000 years it will be leaning as much as that tower in Pisa.
Civil engineers believe the tower is sinking more quickly on the north side than the south side of the Palace of Westminster.
Monitoring instruments have suggested the tilt has increased by about a centimetre a year since 2003, about 40 per cent faster than the long-term average.
The tower is now leaning towards the northwest at an angle of 0.26 degrees, meaning the top of the tower is 43.5cm from vertical.
It would take another 4000 years or so for it to match the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which leans by about four degrees.
What Brands Can Learn From Pan Am–The Airline And The Show
Forbes takes a special look at the new TV series Pan Am and the airline upon which it was based. It seems that today’s business leaders have a lot to learn from the days of yore. Somewhere along the way, in the search for profits, most airlines have forgotten that keeping customers happy is key to success.
For those too young to remember, flying used to be fun and, at times, downright glamorous. In the movie “Catch Me If You Can,” Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, a fast-talking teen who cons his way into a number of professional situations – doctor, lawyer, and a pilot for Pan Am. The kid is after excitement and, at the time, the airline industry was exciting. And, Pan Am, with its stellar fleet of “Clipper” ships, its international routes, it’s stewardesses in black high heels and tailored uniforms, and it’s dashing pilots, was the most exciting of all. It was, in fact, the very symbol of the romance of flight. The people who worked for the airline loved what they did. They had a passion for flying, and their passion was infectious. Service was a high priority. Passengers were well cared for. And, yes, these passengers actually got dressed up to fly.
Discarded bottles turn beach into tourist magnet
Sometimes time heals pollution woes. Decades ago, this beach was a dumping ground for glass bottles. Eventually the beach was closed. But over time the ocean smoothed the broken glass into glassy pebbles. Now, the colorful beach is an attraction and picking up the colorful glass beads is against the law.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
