Have you ever wondered exactly how many different flavors of Kit-Kat bars exist in Japan? Or perhaps you're puzzled by the existence of a chocolate bar named "Crunky," as we are. Well, there's a blog for you!

While doing a little research on our "Sakuranbo" treat last week, we ran across Japanese Snack Reviews, a blog dedicated to the consumption and critique of the colorful and colorfully-named items on shelves in Japan. From the pretty to the pretty awful, the writer—orchid64—buys, photographs, eats and rates each snack. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-06-28T16:56:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/25/42935/8392

A bit of neighborly rivalry is normal, but a couple of bloggers from Australia have taken their not-too-pretty description of next-door New Zealand a bit far, according to the tourism CEO of Auckland.

The Aussie bloggers who've just moved over to Auckland have been posting their opinions of New Zealand at their Fush'n'Chups blog and there's been quite an outrage over some of their ideas--for example, that Auckland is a "horrible soulless city" inhabited by "hobbits".

The bloggers are defending themselves by saying it's just a tongue-in-cheek blog and the Kiwis should get a better sense of humor. They even mention beautiful parts of New Zealand from time to time. The moral for the rest of us is to remember never to mistake a New Zealander for an Aussie, or there could be trouble.

Related Stories:
· Kiwis Upset By "Pathetically Rude" Aussie Bloggers [The Age]
· Fush'n'Chups [Official Site]
· New Zealand Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: mgrenner57] ]]> amandak 2009-03-25T10:33:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/23/13820/8267

This is the path for American Airlines Flight 268 yesterday. Normally wouldn't be a big deal--except that flight is supposed to go to JFK. It made an unscheduled stop at ORD after an "electrical system issue." Because pilots couldn't rely on their gauges for the landing, the 757 ended up off the runway with a blown tire.

Blogger Pam Mandel was on the flight, and wrote up a pretty riveting account of what it's like to be on a plane greeted by a phalanx of emergency personnel at the airport:

The flight attendents were like angels, perfectly calm and in good humor. The passengers sat and joked, I snapped pictures of the fire crew out the window and as they boarded the plane. Finally the left engined whirled to a halt and a cheer went up in the cabin....

I managed not to fall down the stairs--I was a little jittery--and I stepped on the grass. A woman in full secrurity gear looked at me and smiled. "Welcome to Chicago O'Hare!" she said, and I laughed.

Not as crazy as a mid-air collision--but that's a good thing!

Related Stories:
· AA 268 [FlightAware]
· "Unscheduled Landing" [NEV]
· Plane Diverted to ORD Blows Tire [CT]]]> pbb 2008-09-23T13:09:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/15/15434/1197

Tomorrow, the latest TSA shitshow starts, with passengers trying--undoubtedly with varying degrees of success--to run their laptops through x-ray machines while still inside carry-on bags. So how did the agency remind travelers about the new policy today?

James Brown once sang that Papa's Got a Brand New Bag. Well, it may be a different kind of bag than what the Godfather was singing about, but now everybody can feel better than James Brown and keep their laptop in their "checkpoint friendly" bag as long it meets certain criteria.

There you have it: Just buy a magical bag and you'll feel better than a guy who died from congestive heart failure brought on by pneumonia!

Related Stories:
· Keep Your Laptop In [TSA Blog]
· Adventures in TSA Logic: Explaining the New Laptop Bag Rules [Jaunted]
· TSA coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-08-15T15:15:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/15/125411/660

Back in April, we filled you in on Daryl and Davy Vogel, 10-year-old twin brothers planning to ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. (They were nice enough to invite their parents along.) And though they've "only" made it to British Columbia so far, they've already managed to set a world record: They're the youngest duo to ever bike the whole 1,422-mile historic Alaska Highway.

Daryl took some time to write a blog post about the accomplishment:

WooHoo! We made it to "Mile 0." While we were riding there, Davy rode right in front of a car. Luckily he made it back to the shoulder in time. We got to stay at the Best Western. They have a waterslide!

After the kids finally got out of the pool, the family kept heading south. Only 27,700 miles left to go!

Related Stories:
· A Wayward Journey [Official Site]
· Adventure Travel: Daryl and Davy Bike the Pan-American [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-08-15T13:00:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/14/11115/4639

This is why the TSA has a blog. Yesterday, USA Today revealed that the agency was collecting data on people who came to security checkpoints without ID. In the evening, the TSA posted a public reply to the piece:

An August 13 USA Today article overstated the Transportation Security Administration's interest in passengers who come to airport checkpoints without identification but cooperate in establishing their identity. The story gives the public the impression they might be put on a "list" if they forget their ID. That is false.

Passengers whose identity is confirmed will not be added to any watch list or face additional scrutiny during future checkpoint visits.

Well, not any longer anyway! While this misleading comment from the TSA jives with the newspaper's story, it fails to point out that up until yesterday, Kip Hawley and company *were* collecting data on passengers.

Fortunately the commenters on the TSA blog aren't dumb enough to buy this double talk. It took 57 minutes before "seth" wrote:

Kip says that the names were being collected and that the practice stopped yesterday. You're now saying that the names were never being collected. Which one is it?

Related Stories:
· You Won't Be Put on a "List" [TSA Blog]
· Fliers Without ID Placed on TSA List [USA Today]
· Are You on the TSA's Latest Watchlist? [Jaunted]
· TSA coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-08-14T11:15:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/12/7742/81100

San Francisco has pioneered many green initiatives from hybrid taxis to a ban on plastic bags, and the city has a stellar reputation for trying out things that will benefit the world at large.

So hoping to capitalize on SF's green obsession, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau has just coined a new word for you: "Ecothusiasm." The office has even devoted a section of its website to visitors who want to plan a green adventure in and around the city.

From eco-conscious meetings at the Moscone Center to environmentally friendly trips that involve the use of public transportation, the website offers solutions to travelers worried about their carbon footprint. There's even a blog, Eco411, where you can stay up-to-date on all the city's environmentally sound planning and development.

Related Stories:
· Green SF [Official Site]
· Green Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: rick]]]> kjb 2008-08-12T12:30:09-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/