Just outside of London, the Farnborough Airshow kicked off its biennial air show yesterday, starting a week of fun filled aviation spectacles and sales. Along with the Paris, Dubai and Berlin air shows, industry leaders use the Farnborough Airshow to feature some of their latest technology, designs and concepts as well as ink deals for large aircraft orders.

You can always tell when an air show is in full swing when checking out the travel wire -- every several hours Boeing or Airbus or Embrarer will anounce another deal with another rich country or magnate for a few dozen aircraft; today, FlyDubai bought 50 737s and Emrarer sold 22 jets to Consorcio Aeromexico SAB.

It's also a good time for airframe manufacturers to update the world on what's going on with their newest creations, namely "Why is the 787 so behind schedule?" and "Can you really fit a schoolbus inside of an A380?", so keep an eye out for announcements along those lines and your shares of stock to follow the news.

I, personally, was thinking about going this year, but unfortunately ran out of time off at work with which I can enjoy such pleasures as long weekends in London.

No worries. I'm saving myself for the Paris Air Show, THE place to be for airplane debauchery, delight and excitement (only held on odd years). See you in Paris on the 15th of July next year!

Just opened in Pentonville Road, Islington (Greater London) is Surya (Hindi for "Sun" and Sanskrit for "Sun God"), the world's first green nightclub.

It will generate its own electricity when people move on its floors, will operate on solar and wind energy, has air-flush waterless urinals and low-flush toilets, and free entry for cyclists and walkers. Otherwise club entry is £10 and customers must sign a pledge towards helping combat climate change.

Brainchild of Mr.Charalambous, head of Club4Climate, the club's dance floor is made of crystal and ceramic, which when trodden on generates electricity under the concept of "piezoelectricity". This current is fed into nearby batteries, which in turn fuel the club. It is estimated that if a large group of clubbers danced vigorously, they could generate 60% of the club's energy needs.

With aim of inspiring the youth to get involved in tackling the issue of global warming, Charalambous said in the Times of India: "Unless we stop preaching to people and use an inclusive philosophy we're never going to create the revolution to combat climate change." I couldn't agree more.

I'm all for equal opportunities, but St. Mary's Airport (Isle of Scilly) offering a job application form for an air traffic controller in braille is, for lack of a better word, retarded.

It's a huge waste of time and money creating forms in braille for jobs the blind just cannot have, and questions the intelligence of those people making the rules and enforcing the "small print" on employment procedures.

According to this article, the airport defended itself by saying that they were "simply abiding by equal opportunity guidelines but the requirements for the job would be 20/20 vision, from this it can be concluded that a person who was blind or partially sighted would not have a chance of obtaining the job."

Errr...so the point of a braille form exactly? To avoid being penalized by the law? In fact, because they offered a "false" opportunity to a blind person who clearly cannot get the job, they should be penalized for being misinforming and misleading, no?

World travel is a wonderful thing--or can have dire consequences when cultures clash. Having sex in a public place isn't exactly celebrated in western culture, but it's not uncommon--particularly under the cover of night when the stretch of a beach seems private.

In some cultures having "safe sex" is more than using a condom.

In Dubai, if you get caught having sex in public, you will get arrested and face years in jail--six in fact. Such is the possible fate of Michelle Palmer, a British woman who has worked in Dubai for three years. She and her male companion were caught having sex. If all goes well, she might only be in jail for three months--the minimum sentence.

The story is not complicated. Palmer, a manager of ITP Publishing was at a champagne brunch where the bubbly stuff flowed. Eventually, smashed and feeling frisky, she and a man headed to the beach for some adult fun and letting off steam.

Unfortunately, the police came along. Having sex in public in Dubai is not the only big no-no. So is having sex if you are unmarried. So is being drunk. Three strikes, you're out. Or in--as in jail.

This article in MailOnline gives the scoop. As I'm reading between the lines, I see a traveler's tale that is not so uncommon of others I've heard. When living in a culture that is different from ones own, it's difficult to stay vigilant--to not slide into comfort and think that you're safe when you are being yourself.

These women SHOULD have gotten jail time, no?

I always wondered if those valet parking guys ever crash people's cars. They must, right? Kind of like this poor guy...

According to the Daily Mail, A British delivery driver for a car rental company wrecked a rare Mercedes-Benz worth more than $650,000 on Friday. He was driving the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to a London drop-off when an 18-wheel truck ripped off the front end of the car. He says he was "creeping along in this very narrow lane and the power steering was very hard at such low speed and he couldn't turn."

The driver said he was only two minutes from his destination when the accident took place and estimates repairs could cost about $100,000. The Mercedes is the most notable car the rental company offers and was being repaired by engineers at the McLaren workshop in Weybridge, England.

The driver says he feels awful. I bet.

[via UPI]

I wonder whether they should just tear down Heathrow and build a new airport from scratch. Heathrow consistently gets the worst ratings among airports. And with competition such as the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, that's saying a lot.

According to the latest statistics published by the Association of European Airlines, nearly half of flights left or arrived at Heathrow at least 15 minutes late during the first three months of the year, Telegraph reports. Not only was Heathrow rated as the worst of the 27 airports in the survey, but this was the 16th quarter in succession that it was rated among the poorest five performers.

Heathrow suffered particularly badly with air traffic control delays, which were responsible for 15.3 percent of flights arriving late. Loading and handling at Heathrow was also bad, being cited as the key factor in 11.1 percent of planes' delayed departure.

Even with the new Terminal 5, Heathrow just can't win.

Looks like even celebrities aren't allowed to bend immigration rules. Martha Stewart, who was due in the UK later this week for business meetings and other codgery, was just denied a visa by the United Kingdom because of her criminal record.

As you probably recall, the American business woman recently spent five months locked up for shady stock and business dealings. UK immigration law specifically prohibits visitors with records of these sorts, and took no exception to Ms. Stewart's application.

Naturally, the suits and politicians are a little bit disgusted on the UK side, mostly because Stewart provides so much business among our countries and because of the nature of her crimes. But border security isn't budging, saying:

"We continue to oppose the entry to the UK of individuals where we believe their presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good or where they have been found guilty of serious criminal offences abroad."

I suppose until Ms. Stewart is given a golden pass by the higher ups, she'll have to invest in a webcam.

I know what you are thinking, but no. The British woman in question is not Amy Winehouse. Although, I always wondered what the eccentric English singer keeps stuffed in that hairdo. An average-size cat was my guess.

It honestly never even dawned on me that one could smuggle stuff in their hair. That's probably because I can barely hide a bobby pin in mine.

People get so creative. Check this one out.

A British woman was arrested in at Vaernes airport in Norway on suspicion of drug smuggling. According to Mail Online, an airport customs officer noticed the 32-year-old had 'a lot of hair'. Closer examination revealed a one kilogram (2.2lb) bag of cocaine glued to her head under a hairpiece.

Apparently, it was glued so firmly to the woman's real hair that police had to take her to hospital to have it removed.

What did she say about that? No, No, No.

I was in London this weekend and experienced a definite "travel blonde moment," or using Urban Dictionary's lingo "a flash of momentary stupidity" while traveling.

I am sure everyone has embarrassing--or plain stupid--things they have done while traveling. But not everyone has hair color to blame it on. It's a good crutch, really.

Back to my story. My friend--also a blonde and much blonder than me, in fact--was walking me to the London Bridge train station from where I was to catch the train to Gatwick airport.

Going from London Bridge is a much better way to get to Gatwick than taking the train from Victoria station. It is, also, some 6GBP cheaper and takes just as long! That is, of course, true only if you board the correct train.

Anyway, we are walking, yapping away, she walks me to the platform, I board the train, the doors close. I am waving good-bye to her when I see her face shrivel in sheer terror. I knew. What she wanted to tell me is that I got on the wrong train. I could read it in the lines on her forehead as the train started pulling away.

So, I am standing behind the closed doors of a basically empty train (that should have been a hint, right?) while literally hundreds of people, including pilots and flight attendants, are still waiting on the platform with their luggage (yes, there were definitely hints) and I wonder where I'm actually headed.

I sincerely hope I didn't just board the express train to Glasgow.

In this day and age when travel is common, in order to stick out hotels have to do more than provide just a place to stay. Hotels around the world make names for themselves by being different; some offer lodging in old prison cells turned luxurious and others are made of ice.

Travelodge has gone down the same route. Earlier in the year, the budget hotel chain introduced its recyclable and temporary hotel concept, and now it is planning on offering its guests a new way to drift off to sleep, with the help of scents. Guests can choose from five different smells -- the sea, freshly cut grass, baby powder, home-baked apple pie and chocolate -- which are then added to the sheets. Not only can you sleep in the sweet smelling sheets, you can even take them home with you.

Smelly sheets aren't everywhere just yet; they are being tested at hotels in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham and at Heathrow Terminal 5. As for the smells, I can understand chocolate, but baby powder??? Do you really want to feel like you're sleeping in a children's nursery?