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Faithful readers have asked me about how I get my news here in London. As a former newspaper person, it's exciting to be in a city with lots of newspapers. Some of them are incredibly cheesy - but really fun to read! You have such a choice here - a very competitive newspaper environment. And coverage is so different! If you believe that the American media is biased ... holy cow, you should get your news in London!
Newspaper and TV reporters don't hesitate to put their opinions out there. No one even pretends to be unbiased. I'm watching Sky News now ... they're talking about Prince William deciding to join RAF search and rescue operations. They're calling it "another royal PR stunt."
Now they've been talking about the Lehman Bros. bankruptcy for about 10 minutes ... and the interesting thing is that most of what they're talking about is how the London papers have covered it. But I am impressed at how they're explaining how this will affect regular folks and they're actually doing it quite well. More than 5,000 people will lose jobs in London because of this. Some are comparing this crisis to 1929.
Speaking of companies going under, one of the UK's largest tour operators went out of business - overnight - on Friday. The company, XL Leisure, closed down early Friday, stranding travelers all over the world. An estimated 85,000 people paid for a vacation and didn't get it. If they did get to travel, they're stuck where they are - and they're having to pay big prices to get home.
By the way, British people call vacations "holiday," and where we would refer to these stranded folks as travelers, over here, they're called "holidaymakers." As bad as this situation is, doesn't "holidaymakers" sound just so darned festive?
Keith and I have made six trips to Europe, and our travel has always been done by a travel agency. Could we have done it cheaper by doing it all ourselves on the Internet? Possibly. We're both fairly web-savvy and I think we could plan a trip on our own. But there is something very comforting about knowing that a professional has planned your trip and if something happens and you're not in front of a computer, you can make a call and have it taken care of. I truly think you get what you pay for, and for me, a travel agent is worth every penny. It's peace of mind - and how do you put a price on that?
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2 comments:
So are you guys keeping up with Charlotte news?
If not, here's a recap.
-The local media whipped everyone into a frenzy so every idiot went out and filled up their gas tanks. Misty and I went to four gas stations Saturday because her gas light was on and couldn't get gas. Every place I passed today was out of gas. It is now between $4-5 a gallon.
-It is hot.
-Panthers are 2-0
-Bank of America is taking over the world.
Smaller New York papers are similar to the sensational headlines on sandwich boards in London. The past few weeks have been terrible. The headlines get worse and worse. Today's was basically "The End is Nigh. Go Home. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."
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