3 Days Around the World

Flying Cruise Ship

by Adrienne Markovic

The tech world is abuzz over the new generation of green flying machine. It is not an airplane. It is not a helicopter. It is not exactly a UFO. It is a modern throwback to the 20th Century zeppelin, a child of the technology boom just prior to World War II. In other words, it is a gussied up blimp. Designer Jean Marie Massaud designed the dirigible in his French based design studio. Thus far Massaud's "manned cloud" exists only in theory, however could be developed over the next few years by French technology transfer company ONERA. (ONERA stands for Office National d'Etudes et de Recherche Aerospatiale). Although this remarkable craft may give us flashbacks to the Hindenburg, what it offers is quite different than its predecessor. It could provide the world with its first glimpse of functional green air travel!

Presently the primary way of circumnavigating the globe is by airplane. The airplane provides speed and relative comfort in this fast paced world. An increasingly unacceptable attribute of them is the monumental pollution they cause both on land and air. The regulations on planes are not as strict as California's restrictions on car emissions!

For example, aircraft that fly overhead emit toxic compounds in such massive amounts that these emissions are spread generally over an area 12 miles long, 12 miles wide on take off, & 12-6 miles long on landing, (per runway or flight track).

Disturbing Data:

· One aircraft take off can burn thousands of pounds of fuel.
· Air pollution from a 747 takeoff is similar to setting an average gas station on fire and flying it overhead.
· When a 747 takes off it is equivalent to 2.4 million lawnmowers being started at the same time.

The possibility of a eco-friendly aircraft, in light of this information, seems all the more important with the state of the environment and ozone as it is today. The world's population will have to sacrifice some aspects of air travel in order to make green air travel possible; patience will have to take precedence over speed.
On a lighter note, this airship is not going to batter us with the fact its eco-friendly, instead its designers focus on the ship's place as a pleasure craft, much like a cruise on a boat is. It will be exclusive and luxurious. Massaud's esoteric press release states that this is an, "alternative project around leisure and traveling in all its form, economic, and experimental, still with the idea of lightness, human experience, and life scenarios as the guiding principles". (Dezeen.com)
The flying cruise ship is a lofty idea, with even more outrageous specs. It makes the Goodyear Blimp look like a rusted out Pinto.

Here are a few details:

- The claim is that this dirigible can go around the world in three days, go to uncharted territory, and not leave a trace.
- The ship can carry a maximum of 15 crewmembers & 40 passengers.
- The ship has 2 decks:
- Deck 1 has a restaurant, lounge, fitness center, and a library.
- Deck 2 has 20 guest rooms, spa, bar, and terraces.
- The ship will also include a sun deck placed on the top.
- The ship can go a maximum speed of 170 km/h (106 mph) and has a cruising speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).

When this ship is launched in the unforeseeable future there will inevitably be a bidding war by the jet setters trying to make the society papers and live in the good adventurous spirit of Sir Richard Branson. But the most newsworthy part of this ship will remain in Plato's world of ideals. It is perfect and is the way to travel without further compromising our Earth's natural resources and bill of health.

http://www.dezeen.com/

http://www.areco.org

Slow Burn

Much Ado About the Economy

by Adrienne Markovic

On January 28, 2008 President George Bush graced us with his grand oratory, The State of The Union Address. This was his last. Although he gave us a bleak economic forecast Bush's speechwriters buttered up the rhetoric to sound more like a call to arms than the bitter truth. We are on a slippery slope and the only thing holding us out of the abyss is a strand of fiscal floss. The Cliff's Notes version of the address includes a focus on our dire economic straights. Are we going into recession? Well, if it feels hot, looks bright, and smells of smoke, chances are it is a fire.

Bush has decided to use the carrot approach to jumpstart the floundering economy versus giving us the cold hard tax stick. As a matter of fact our President swore not to raise taxes and furthermore if a bill is passed to his desk that even hints at a tax increase he will veto it. His tactic in restarting the economy is his much-hyped tax refund increases. This refund increase will allow people to go shop. It is a very kind gesture to China. Do you really think all the refundees will loyally go out with their bankrolls and blow their wad on strictly American made products? However, we do want to stay on China's good side.

To his home crowd, of republicans, the speech seemed to go over as well as Oprah's Favorite Things episodes. Bush got many standing ovations and even a strange whoopee sound which seemed to downright delight Dick Cheney. The camera kept panning the room to focus on Hillary and Obama. They both looked as if they had V.I.P. seating to the Armageddon.

With the national economy out of order, there is a slightly better prognosis for local economies. There are many variants in each regional economy that will determine if markets will sink or swim in this quasi-recession. At an Economic Trends Seminar in San Diego January 2008 the local versus national economy was brought into focus. A panel of experts from different industries included San Diego's own Mayor Jerry Sanders. A wrap-up of this event included some comforting trends, in San Diego, apart from the rest of the country's decay.

The current factors determining the economy are the government's fiscal, monetary, trade, and regulatory policies. Small businesses will fare far better than large corporations during this down period. One reason is because small businesses are inherently more nimble. Secondly, smaller companies are not as often tied up in borrowing money and accruing monumental debt. More specifically in San Diego all transactions are trending toward all that is urban. San Diego is not spreading out like Los Angeles, but instead going vertical. Real Estate expert Gary London, of The London Group Real Estate, appropriately calls this the "Manhattanization of San Diego".

The economy is a sensitive thing that must be handled with the utmost care and be swiftly sent into a full on recovery mode that reevaluates the very foundation of our government's policies. For now we will sit and wait until someone figures out a better way to treat a bullet wound than a band-aid.