Words About Things

Although the area around modern day Las Vegas is basically desert it’s name actually means ‘the meadows’ in Spanish. Natural wells in the area meant that it was surprisingly green. The valley belonged to Mexico before it was seized by the USA during the Mexican-American war. In 1855 the area was taken over by Mormons who were eventually driven out by the native American Paiute tribe. It wasn’t until the early 20th century when water from the underground wells was piped into the town that Las Vegas began to grow into the city it is today.

The history of Las Vegas is very interesting but it seems quite distant from what the city has become, ‘The city of sin’ as it is often called has reinvented itself. These days it is famous for its giant casinos and over the top entertainment in stark contrast to its Mormon past. Modern day Vegas has a reputation as a city where ‘anything goes’ which includes gambling, strip clubs, mass intoxication and quickie marriages. Traveling around the city you are likely to see lots of bachelor and bachelorette parties and thousands of bad Elvis impersonators.

The area around Las Vegas has lots to offer for tourists who have had their fill of gambling and drinking. The invitingly named Death Valley is about 135 miles away in the Mojave Desert. Hop in a hire car in Las Vegas and you could be sweating away in Death Valley within a few hours.

Death Valley National Park comprises more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness and sites of historical interest. Death Valley is unique because it contains the lowest, hottest, driest location in North America. Nearly 550 square miles of its area lie below sea level.

The hotels in Las Vegas are as understated and tasteful as you might expect – not all all. The Venetian hotel contains a pool deck and a actual working canal, the Luxor hotel is housed within a life sized pyramid. Most of the big hotels in the city have entertainment facilities, health spas and casinos. Some even have wedding chapels so you can get married in between gambling away your savings and going out for dinner.

Whatever you decide to do it up to you but remember: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

The stereotypical airline pilot is a dashing man in a smart uniform but female pilots are a lot more common than you might imagine. Just as many flight attendants are male, there are plenty of female pilots you just don’t tend to see them hidden away in the cockpit. This shouldn’t be a surprise of course, the history of aviation features lots of women like Amelia Earhart and the fantastically named Neta Snook.

Amelia Earhart and Neta Snook

Etihad Airways have 10 female pilots amongst their current members of staff and four female cadet pilots. They have recently promoted their first female captain who took the wheel for her first flight to the UK. Sophie Blanchard first joined Etihad in 2007 as a First Officer and worked her way up through the ranks. Etihad’s CEO Richard Hill said “We congratulate Sophie on becoming Etihad’s first female Captain. It’s a great achievement and well deserved as she has shown tremendous dedication to achieve the rank of Captain.”

Captain Blanchard started training to be a pilot when she left school, gaining her first commercial license at 18 years old. She flew cargo planes in Belgium before racking up 6,500 hours of commercial flight time. Ms Blanchard is thankful for Etihad for giving her the opportunity to become a captain saying: “It is a great privilege to become Etihad’s first female Captain and be the first woman to take full command of a commercial flight. The company has been very supportive in my aim to become a Captain and I look forward to my first flight to London.“

Another week, another amazing video from Vimeo.com. This week’s video is a collaboration between cameraman Thomas Noesner and sound designer Toussaint of STEREOSCREEN productions. It features footage of New York backed up with a remix of a drummer from the NY subway. I’ve never been to New York but it seems like such a vibrant place full of interesting sights and interesting people. I feel a bit like I’ve been because I’ve seen the city featured in so many films and TV programs but I guess nothing compares to actually being there.