Travel Calendar

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Dec. 7, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Morris Animal Inn, a five-star luxury resort and spa for pets (http://www.morrisanimalinn.com), will be featured on the Travel Channel’s “Petcations” episode on December 11 at 1 p.m. Travel Channel will profile Morris Animal Inn’s Weight Loss and Fitness Camp for canines on “Ultimate Travel,” as the program takes a look at the most exotic pet getaways in the United States.

Pet obesity is on the rise in the United States. More than half of all dogs and cats in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. An estimated 41 million dogs tip the scales as overweight or obese, a condition that can negatively impact canine health.

The show spotlights Morris Animal Inn’s Weight Loss and Fitness Camp and follows the daily regimen of hounds who need to shed pounds or get fit for better health.

The next session of Morris Animal Inn’s Weight Loss and Fitness Camp will be offered from January 9 – January 13, 2012. The New Year’s Resolutions “Fit and Spaw” program will help jump start a healthier year for canine companions. “Fit and Spaw” is designed to keep dogs active, stimulated and stress-free with treadmill trots, aerobic swim sessions in the indoor pool, nature hikes, “Doga” and “Pawlates,” pampering massages, nutritious homemade treats, and more.

HIGHLIGHTS OF RESOLUTIONS CAMP WILL INCLUDE:

• Treadmill Trots
• Downward Dog “Doga”
• Swim Sessions
• Pawsitive “Paw-lates”
• Doggie Play Sessions
• Nature Trail Hikes

Photos:http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2011-MorrisTreadmill.jpghttp://www.ereleases.com/pic/2011-MorrisSwimming.jpg

Morris Animal Inn is a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art facility offering lodging, spa services, grooming, day care and camp. Amenities include a heated indoor pool, whirlpool, pet suites with soothing music and videos, skylights, indoor and outdoor play areas, pampering and activities packages, daily maid and room service, Happy Hour with homemade pet treats, tuck-in service and more.

Located on a quiet country lane with over 12 fenced-in acres, the award-winning Morris Animal Inn is climate-controlled with purified air, smoke and sprinkler systems, back-up generators, 24-hour surveillance cameras and the capability for daily floor-to-ceiling sanitizing for the healthiest environment.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos available upon request.

Contact:Kelly G. Vanasse732-469-4518Kgvanasse@kellycommunication.com

Debora Montgomery973-539-0377 ext. 46dmontgomery@morrisanimalinn.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Morris Animal Inn

KATMANDU, Nepal — The United States says it has canceled a warning issued against travel to Nepal earlier this year because of the improved political situation in the Himalayan nation.

The U.S. Department of State says it believes the conditions in Nepal have changed considerably over the past year, incidents of political violence and the threat to U.S. citizens have significantly decreased and the political situation is stabilizing.

Nepal is trying to recover from the years of communist insurgency that ended in 2006 only to be followed by political instability. Recent agreements between the political parties have given hope that things would return to normal in Nepal.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Nepal every year to see or trek the Himalayan peaks.

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA—Two new studies shed light on the amazing rise of bedbugs in the United States. The research, presented here yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, suggests that the annoying critters were imported from overseas, not just once but on many occasions. It also shows that bedbugs are highly incestuous. As a result, a single mated female can set off an infestation in an apartment, or even an entire building.

Bedbugs have become a big problem in U.S. hotels and homes over the past decade, in part because they are resistant to a widely used class of insecticides called pyrethroids. But where the bedbugs come from is still unclear. Some researchers suspect the insects originate within the United States—most likely spreading from poultry farms, where they have been known to reside for decades. Indeed, the only genetic study of U.S. bedbug populations so far suggested the pests are homegrown.

But entomologist Coby Schal of North Carolina State University in Raleigh thinks a local origin is unlikely, in part because pyrethroids are still effective against bedbugs on chicken farms. If those bugs had expanded into human habitats, he would expect at least some of them to still be susceptible to the insecticide.

At the meeting, Schal presented an as-yet-unpublished study that suggests a different scenario. His team sampled 22 bedbug populations from nine states along the U.S. East Coast and examined nine so-called microsatellites, highly variable pieces of DNA that are particularly helpful in understanding genetic differences between populations.

The researchers discovered that bedbugs from different places were genetically very distinct, which suggests very diverse origins. And there was no clear geographic pattern to the diversity: Two populations living close together could be as different from each other as from one hundreds of kilometers away. If bedbugs were homegrown or had been introduced into the United States just once or twice, there should have been a strong geographical pattern, with nearby populations more similar than distant ones and with less diversity overall than what was observed, Schal says. Instead, he says, the data suggest the bugs were introduced from many different sources overseas.

Those origins might also explain why virtually every population is now resistant to pyrethroids. U.S. homeowners have long used pyrethroids to kill cockroaches in and around the kitchen but not in the bedroom, so it has been hard to explain why bedbugs are resistant. But over the past decade, many tropical countries have drastically scaled up mosquito control by spraying indoors and providing bed nets impregnated with pyrethroids. That has put tremendous pressure on the bedbugs to become resistant, Schal says. Global travel and trade could have taken the already-resistant bugs to the United States.

Schal would like to test bedbugs in other parts of the world to confirm this hypothesis, and he called on entomologists attending the meeting here to help him by collecting bugs abroad.

But while there was huge diversity among populations, “it was astoundingly different when we looked within populations,” Schal says: Bugs within one infestation were remarkably similar genetically, and their degree of “relatedness” was unusually high—even higher than for some social insects. In fact, a single female—assuming she has mated—brought in on a mattress or a couch can likely set off an infestation because her offspring mate among themselves, Schal says. Many other species, including cockroaches, can flourish despite high levels of inbreeding, he adds.

The lack of genetic diversity within populations was confirmed in a second study presented by Schal that homed in on two big apartment buildings that were heavily hit with infestations, one in Raleigh and the other in Jersey City, New Jersey. In both, researchers found that insects within a population were strikingly similar genetically and were very closely related to each other. The analysis showed that the Raleigh infestation, which started 1 year ago, came from a single source. In the one in Jersey City, which has plagued residents for 6 years, there had been two separate introductions.

There’s a glimmer of light in that, Schal says. The Jersey building is in an urban, low-income area, where one might expect many introductions of bedbugs; yet invasions apparently do not happen all that often. Once they’re settled, however, the bugs seem to hop easily from one apartment to the next.

The studies offer a “very compelling” hypothesis of how the bedbug problem arose and how the bugs are spreading, says Rajeev Vaidyanathan, who studies bedbug control at SRI International, a nonprofit research organization in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He points out that if resistant bedbugs came to the United States on several occasions, the same may be true of other pest species, such as fleas and lice. “In 2011, we’re talking about bedbugs,” Vaidyanathan says. “Ten years from now, we’ll be talking about something else.”

7 December 2011
Last updated at 12:24 ET

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Transport Scotland says the storm-force winds predicted for Thursday afternoon could severely disrupt the road and rail network

Transport Scotland has said there is a risk of major travel disruption in light of a Met Office red warning of wind in parts of the country.

The weather alert covers Central, Tayside, Fife, Strathclyde, south west Scotland, Lothian and the Borders.

There could be gusts of over 80mph in exposed places in the areas affected.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said it was predicted to peak around the evening rush hour and advised commuters who could leave work early to do so.

The Met Office has issued its highest level of warning over severe winds expected to affect much of central and southern Scotland from 10:00 on Thursday until 06:00 on Friday.

It said police had advised that conditions for travel would be “extremely poor” and there was the likelihood of “significant delays”.

A red warning advises people to take action to prepare for the severe weather and they are only issued “a few times a year”.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

A lot of work is already under way to ensure Scotland is prepared for any likely transport disruption caused by severe winds”

End Quote
Keith Brown
Transport Minister

Mr Brown said that the latest information was that the worst period was expected between 15:00 and 18:00.

“They have issued a red alert, which suggests speeds could even exceed 90mph,” he said.

“As well as possible bridge closures, we need to prepare for blown over vehicles and trees.”

Transport Scotland has urged the public to pay attention to any travel warnings issued by the police.

It will continue to operate its multi-agency response team for the rest of the week.

As well as traffic problems on the road and rail network it warned there could be disruption to power supplies and damage to property.

Mr Brown said: “Tomorrow looks set to be a major challenge for our transport system, commuters and the public.

“I can assure them that a lot of work is already under way to ensure Scotland is prepared for any likely transport disruption caused by severe winds.”

The Met Office said there were “some uncertainties” about the exact location of the most damaging winds and advised the public to monitor its forecasts.

Much of northern and central Britain is also covered by an amber warning for high winds.

They should tend to ease from the west on Thursday night with severe gales becoming confined to north east Scotland by the early hours of Friday.

A lower-scale yellow warning of snows covering more northerly parts of Scotland is also in place for Thursday.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — If you want to travel anywhere over Christmas or New Year’s, better book now.

Not only does it cost more to fly to most destinations this holiday travel season, but the deals and the flights are extremely limited.

The cost of the average domestic flights between Dec. 16 and Jan. 1 is already 5% higher than last year, while international airfares are up 6%, according to Travelocity. Over New Year’s Eve weekend, domestic airfares are up 6% and international airfares have jumped 12% from 2010.

But that doesn’t mean you still can’t score a deal before the end of the year. Finding one at this point just requires a little flexibility and some swift action.

With increased demand for flights over the holidays, there is less chance of a last-minute sale, so travelers should secure tickets now before prices rise even higher, said Jasmine Kim, Travel-Ticker.com’s General Manager.

A few airlines such as United (UAL, Fortune 500), American (AMR, Fortune 500) and US Airways (LCC, Fortune 500) may launch last-minute deals, but the routes will be limited, added Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of Fly.com. In addition, those advertised sale fares usually require up to a two-week advance purchase, which could leave many holiday travelers stranded.

“Most airlines have fares on sale for travel in January and February, with the December holidays already blacked out,” he said.

Chang advises travelers to consider shorter flights to find the best deals this holiday season. On those legs, there are fewer blackout days and fares are significantly lower, he said.

For example, flights between Boston and New York can still be snagged for $40 each way on American Airlines, Delta (DAL, Fortune 500) and JetBlue (JBLU). Departing from Chicago to New York is as little as $51 each way Spirit (SPR) and flights from Phoenix start at $49 each way US Airways.

Another key to saving, Chang said, is to be flexible with your travel dates and to be willing to travel on the actual holiday to get the best prices. This year, Friday, Dec. 23 is one of the most popular times to fly, so look for flights on Wednesday, Dec. 21, or even Christmas Day instead.

In fact, travelers departing on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day will spend $17 to $144 less than the average airfare, according to Travelocity.

For even cheaper tickets, consider using nearby airports outside of the city center, such as San Jose or Oakland instead of San Francisco, or Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami, Chang added.

And be sure to sidestep those pesky baggage fees that can ruin any good deal. That means that travelers bearing gifts should take advantage of all those free shipping offers and send presents directly to their destination instead.

For the lowest fares, Orbitz senior editor Jeanenne Tornatore recommends opting for one connection or more. “If budget is your main concern you should definitely look at the one-stop flights,” she said.

But if you are concerned that bad weather will spoil your trip, don’t chance it, noted Kim. Remember the blizzard that socked the Northeast just after last Christmas? So do most people who were traveling that week.  

MIAMI, FL, Dec 07, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Avoya Travel(TM) / American Express(R), one of the leading travel
companies in North America and beyond, today announced the launch of
its Avoya Travel Instant Commission(TM) program. Up until now, travel
agencies have had to wait on vendors for weeks or months after making
a booking before collecting any commission. But now, Avoya Travel’s
network of Independent Agencies can receive commission immediately
after the booking is made.

“Avoya Travel is a family-oriented company, and with the holiday
season upon us, we recognize that generosity is a trait cherished by
everyone and more sooner is better,” said Brad Anderson, Co-President
of Avoya Travel. “With the Instant Commission program, our network of
Independent Agencies is able to accelerate their cash flow to further
grow their businesses and be more generous to others this holiday
season.”

Avoya Travel (
www.JoinAvoya.com ) has always understood the importance
of timely commission payments and was the first host agency to pay
commissions to its Independent Agencies weekly via direct deposit,
versus other hosts who typically pay bi-weekly or monthly. The
Instant Commission program is another innovative step in Avoya
Travel’s continued commitment to its unique Shared Success model and
its elite network of Independent Agencies.

“Avoya Travel continues to lead the way in creating more
opportunities for my business to thrive,” said Pepe Delgado, owner of
DELRU, LLC, an Independent Affiliate of Avoya Travel. “Avoya Travel
is constantly asking its Independent Agencies for feedback and
looking for ways to help agency owners like me be even more
successful, and they have hit a home run with the Instant Commission
program.”

Avoya Travel has received many notable accolades, including being
named ‘Travel Agency of the Year’, by American Express, Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line,
Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Brendan Vacations. Avoya
Travel has also been featured for its groundbreaking technology,
innovative Live Leads(TM) program, and leadership in travel by top
industry publications, including Agent @ Home, Travel Agent, Travel
Weekly, TravelAge West, Vacation Agent, and more.

Travel agency owners and professionals interested in growing their
business should contact Avoya Travel / American Express at
800-521-2597 or visit
www.JoinAvoya.com . Travelers interested in
booking their next vacation should call 800-753-1463 or visit

www.AvoyaTravel.com .

About Avoya Travel / American Express:
Avoya Travel(TM) / American
Express(R) (
www.JoinAvoya.com ) is one of the largest and most awarded
travel companies in North America and beyond. As an American Express
Travel Representative for more than 20 years, Avoya Travel is deeply
committed to Integrity and Professionalism(TM), quality service, and
success in every aspect of planning vacations and cruises. With
hundreds of Independent Agencies in its network, Avoya Travel
provides exclusive discounts, amenities, and first-class customer
service to travelers worldwide.

        Lauren Tait
        PR Manager
        Avoya Travel / American Express
        (305) 600-4529 x22201
        Email Contact

SOURCE: Avoya Travel / American Express

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=01A4B04B5419DAEA

Copyright 2011 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

Most players on the Nashville Predators knew some sort of larger-than-normal NHL news occurred Monday night. But they said they didn’t pay much attention to the radical divisional realignment that was announced out of the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings in Pebble Beach, Calif.

As word began to filter and news spread, the Predators had an almost unified reaction to the decision to split the league from six divisions into four conferences.

“It helps everyone a little on travel,” forward David Legwand said. “In playoffs, it’s going to help on travel.”

Under the new format, the Predators will no longer be in the Central Division. Instead, they will play Detroit, St. Louis, Columbus, Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg and Dallas five or six times per year on a rotating basis. This eight-team grouping is called a “conference” by the NHL. If the Predators make the postseason, they will play one of these teams in the first two rounds. Nashville will play every other team in the league in a home-and-home format. The Predators will also visit every Eastern location team once each season.

Under the current alignment, the Predators, and the rest of their Central Division counterparts have some of the most grueling travel schedules in the NHL. Nashville makes two trips to the West Coast and two trips to Western Canada every year. Nashville’s most recent five-game road trip went through four time zones. The Predators played on Thursday in Vancouver, traveled to Nashville on Friday and played Buffalo on Saturday. Under realignment, Nashville won’t take such long voyages throughout North America.

“Instead of going out west twice, we only have to go west one time. You play all the teams in your conference five or six times,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “It’s easier on travel, for sure.”

Last season during the playoffs, the Predators’ travel was even more hectic. The Predators found out they were playing the Anaheim Ducks in the first round on April 10, the last day of the regular season. Game 1 was April 13 at the Honda Center.

On April 26, the Predators found out they would play the Vancouver Canucks in Round 2. Vancouver defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on the West Coast that evening. On April 28, the Preds and Canucks faced off for Game 1 of their series.

“Some of our travel is quite extensive, and it really affects your performance,” Nashville Coach Barry Trotz said. “The teams out west know that.”

Though the travel may decrease, the Predators may lose some of their budding rivalries with teams not in their newly formed conference. The Predators have built up some venom with the San Jose Sharks, Canucks and Ducks through their playoff series. Now, they will only play all three twice during the year. The chances of facing them in the playoffs will decrease. The issues between these teams and the Predators could fade away with realignment.

“We’re still going to have that rivalry that we built from the playoffs,” defenseman Shea Weber said. “We know those games are big, and maybe not playing them four times will change that, but as of right now I think those are probably still some big games for us.”

Alec Baldwin was bounced from an American Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. But he and American apparently made up because the “30 Rock” actor tweeted that he hopped a later flight.

All of this according to Twitter. Here’s the timeline:

Michael J. Wolf (@mjw) of Activate tweeted around 1:45 p.m. PST: “On an AA flight at LAX. Alec Baldwin removed from the plane. We had to go back to the gate. Terrible that everyone had to wait.”

American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith says via email that the airline doesn’t comment on such cases, citing its privacy policy for “customers, famous or not famous.” A law enforcement source confirmed to L.A. Now that Baldwin was escorted off the flight.

Baldwin (@alecbaldwin) sent this tweet around 2 p.m.: “Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt,” @AlecBaldwin wrote around 2 p.m. (Words With Friends is a mobile word game by Zynga.)

Sixteen minutes later he tweeted: “#theresalwaysunited.” And then: “But, oddly, 30 Rock plays inflight on American.”

At 2:35 p.m., the airline (@AmericanAir) responded: “@AlecBaldwin Mr. Baldwin, we are looking into this. Please DM us contact information.”

After that, Baldwin responded: “Now on the 3 o’clock American flight. The flight attendants already look … smarter.”

And then: “#theresalwaysunited Last flight w American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950′s find jobs as flight attendants.”

The Flyers will be in a still-to-be-named seven-team conference with Pittsburgh, the Islanders, the Rangers, Washington, New Jersey and Carolina. They will face each conference team six times, and play a home-and-home series with the league’s other 23 teams.

“We liked what we had,” Snider said of the current setup, “but it hurt a lot of other clubs.”

He said teams like the Flyers “sacrificed” – they will have to travel more – and went with the new format for the overall good of the league. Now teams in the West and Midwest will do less traveling and play a lot more games in their own time zones.

“It’s not perfect, but it helps a lot of clubs,” said Snider, who will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Chicago. “And I think the fact you’ll now play everybody in the league made a major difference” to voters.

Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov learned about the realignment from reporters after Tuesday’s practice in Voorhees. He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the plan.

“You know what, man? That’s much more travel,” he said. “Damn, man.”

Center Danny Briere said the realignment had “some good parts and some bad parts, and there are some parts that are not as fun.”

Briere, a French Canadian, was disappointed the Flyers will make only one trip to Montreal and to the city where he used to play, Buffalo, starting next season.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Everybody knew they had to change something, so that’s probably the best they could do to make as many people as they could happy.”

“It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be good,” forward Max Talbot said. “I’m glad we were able to keep most of the same rivalries. It’s going to be a little bit more traveling for the Eastern Conference teams, a little bit less for the Western.”

The best part, Talbot said, is that fans get to see every team at least once. Fans out West are assured of seeing Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Claude Giroux, and Steven Stamkos, et al.

Adding Washington to the Flyers’ mix “makes it tough, but makes it interesting,” Talbot said.

The top four teams in each of the four conferences will make the playoffs. The first two rounds will be within the conference, meaning the Flyers might have to play Pittsburgh and Washington in the first two rounds. The Rangers could also be in the mix.

“Any time you play a team in the playoffs, it seems to breed bad blood,” defenseman Braydon Coburn said. “It just seems like in that kind of format, you’ll end up maybe playing some people in consecutive years in the playoffs.”

In other words, the bad blood will intensify.

Some teams may be fortunate to be playing in a weak division, Briere said. “But sometimes playing against the best teams is a good thing. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

Breakaways. The Flyers will play in Buffalo Wednesday; they defeated the Sabres there on Nov. 2, 3-2, as they scored three goals – netted by Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, and Scott Hartnell – in the first 6 minutes, 23 seconds and chased goalie Ryan Miller. … Van Riemsdyk, who has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, has been given clearance to play, general manager Paul Holmgren said. That means winger Harry Zolnierczyk will probably be a healthy scratch. … Buffalo defenseman T.J. Brennan, the pride of Moorestown, was sent to AHL Rochester last week. He scored a goal in his NHL debut on Nov. 24 during a 4-3 shootout loss to Boston.

For over a hundred years, travelers have looked for ways to make it easier, safer and more convenient to carry money while traveling. The first “travellers cheques” were issued by Thomas Cook in 1874. The original cheques were essentialy circular notes designed to be used abroad. Notes designed specifically for travel were introduced by American Express in 1891. These traveler cheques allowed holders to purchase goods or exchange money while traveling abroad and provided added security in the event the cheque was lost or stolen. The cheques enjoyed huge popularity — by 1994, the estimated world-wide sales (on a face value basis) of travellers cheques was estimated to be US$55 billion. The advent of ATM machines, prepaid cards, as well as world wide credit card and debit card acceptance has changed the market. more…