American Airlines announced today that, as of next month, theyll be tacking on a $15 charge for your first checked bag. And The Wall Street Journal suspects this is just the tip of the additional-fee iceberg as airlines collapse under record-high oil prices. Skirting around chasing off customers by higher ticket prices, carriers are increasingly adding unexpected, post-purchase fees. American will also be cutting 11 to 12 percent of flights this replica Omega watch year, meaning layoffs, smaller fleets, and inconvenient schedules. Analysts expect similar fees, cut flights, and possible bankruptcy from other big-name carriers that have recently been living off years-old savings. Southwest could be the only airline exempt from the fall-out, as they had the good sense to buy fuel when prices were low. But, you’re in luck—we’re on your side. Check out our guide to navigating the unfriendly skies.Claire Napier Galofaro
Take 15,000 plastic soda bottles and the fuselage of a Cessna 310, strap it all together with old netting, add a sail and voila, DIY sailboat. No, the folks behind this trash raft, called, appropriately, the Junk, are not broke wannabe yachties. Theyre employees of California-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, out to raise awareness about the oceans trash problem. Example A is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vile stew of used toothbrushes, replica brand watches tangles of plastic bags and empty milk jugs floating about 1,000 miles off the West Coast and covering an area twice the size of Texas. The Junks builders will attempt to sail it to Hawaii this summer, with a water bottle full of messages about ocean pollution from people across the country on board, to be delivered to legislators at the journeys end. Wave them bon voyage at Long Beach pier on June 1st.--Emily Matchar
Some science news for the anxious and phobic, and for those who like to run their adrenaline levels into the red for kicks.Researchers found a connection between opioids, chemicals with amorphine-like effect on the body, and the damping effect of repeatedfear-inducing stimuli. Well known is the concept of conditioned fear, in which a harmless stimulus precedes pain, such as a tone before a shock. When repeated, the harmless stimulus alone becomes enough to trigger a fearful response. For example, if you were bitten by a dog while replica Tag Heuer watch other dogs nearby barked, you might get nervous every time you walked by a kennel.
