Travel
Americans Are On the Move Again: Tired of Shoveling Snow and Ready for the Warmth
Historically, about 17 percent of families move in a given year, but the recession knocked that number down as low as 11 percent, said Kimball Brace, president of Virginia-based Election Data Services. After two straight years of improvement, the number of moving families has partially recovered to about 15 percent. "The recession kept people at home. They couldn't sell their home, they couldn't find a job," Brace said. "We're starting to see bigger numbers. We're not all the way back." more »
Rembrandt? The Case of Saul and David, a Patchwork of Canvases
Last year Ernst van de Wetering published the work as entirely by Rembrandt, executed in circa 1646 and circa 1652. The condition of Saul and David was not ideal. Although structurally sound, it certainly looked the worse for wear. The prominent vertical join and added piece were disfiguring. The paint surface was heavily flattened throughout, and the old varnish was yellowed and cracked. more »
Between Two Worlds: Cruising the Turquoise Coast
Adrienne Cannon writes: It is raining in Istanbul on the first day of the tour. Our tour guide sets a quick pace during our visit to the Hagia Sophia mosque, and though I trot along as fast as I can, I fall behind the group. As we exit, I peer through the crowds trying to find the guide who has disappeared in a sea of umbrellas. For a few tense minutes I am alone and lost. Finally our unhappy tour guide finds me and cautions us all not to ever get lost as we will slow up the entire group. What a great beginning to my tour! more »
On Tanzanian Safari: The Guides' Big Five Wildlife Lessons
Sonya Zalubowski writes: We saw all of the 'Big Five' on our safari. I never knew exactly what they were and what the term meant, 'the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot in Africa'. They include the Cape buffalo, the elephant, the leopard, the lion and the now rare black rhino, hunted for its horn, prized in Asia as a medicine. The Maasai tribe and the wild animals and yes, we, the tourists, manage to continue in all of our ways, though there is controversy over how long this can go on as human population grows and further encroaches on the wild animals of Africa. more »