Coronavirus

Seems to be getting bigger every day.

Travelers are warned about "all but necessary travel to China."

I do have a friend traveling to SE Asia soon and has a VISA for China. I wonder if he will need to change his plans.

And yesterday our State Department reported "Do not travel to China."

So there.

Story Maps and parks

Story Maps is a great way to link a narrative with a map.  Check out this one for parks and protected areas in America.

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM GROWTH CONTINUES TO OUTPACE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

A new report from the World Tourism Organization provides a summary of global tourism.  Read the report here.  Interestingly the Americas have the least growth. Could it be our gun murders?

Closer than ever: It is 100 seconds to midnight

The Doomsday Clock

Closer than ever: It is 100 seconds to midnight

From the site:

Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode.

Makes you feel warm and fuzzy, huh?

Traffic Violation

I am usually pretty careful when I am driving out of the country.  So when I visited the UK last year, I had already practiced driving on the left side of the road in TCI that summer and thought I would be set.  Thank goodness my Waze App worked and it helped me navigate the narrow roads in Britain and Wales.

So it was a surprise when I got this notification from the car rental place about my violation in Cardiff.  Don't know if it was a parking ticket or speeding, but in a country where traffic cameras are as common telephone poles, I guess it is no surprise.

REAL ID

That is REAL ID, and not that quasi official stuff you got in your wallet or hand bag.

In less than a year, you are going to need a REAL ID to fly domestically.

Beginning October 1, 2020, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States.

To see the panic clock, visit TSA.

And yes, even if you have TSA Pre✓®, you’ll still need a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID starting Oct. 1 ,2020.

Papers, show me your papers!  Otherwise a Passport!

West Springfield, MA Open Space and Recreation Plan

Gonna' be looking this over this spring.  Need to learn a bit more about my neighbor town and the Open Space and Recreation Plan is usually a good place to start.