When I’m on the road, I typically get my news from the local newspaper hanging on my hotel room doorknob in the morning. Whether it is USA Today, The South China Morning Post or The Gulf Times, I enjoy reading different points of view on the same stories from around the world. I also like to watch hotel cable, mostly because I don’t have cable at home, but also because it allows me to watch different news sources from around the world. I prefer CNN in Europe to the CNN that is broadcast in the U.S. I also enjoy the BBC and Al Jazeera International.

It seems that more and more people are getting their news from TV and the Internet, rather than from print sources. I still believe the newspaper is the best source for world news, followed by the Internet. The TV remains most popular, but, in my opinion, offers the least amount of meat when it comes to real issues. I have always been disappointed by the local news at home, but then again, I have always had more of an international curiosity so maybe my disappointment is natural.

On the road, do you find yourself more tuned into different news sources? Or do you ensure you get your local daily news source?

–  Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

This past Saturday, I sat down in my seat on SWISS on my way to Geneva. I turned my phone off and stopped communication with the world for seven hours. I landed and turned on my BlackBerry again. The news I read just seven hours before had quickly become yesterday’s news. New headlines and new emails started my day.

When a headline catches my attention, I stop and take note for a moment. Frankly, unless the headline affects me directly, it is very easy not to pay further attention beyond that moment and to simply move on. I’m willing to bet most people operate in this manner. However, when tragedy hits in your own backyard, you cannot simply turn the page of the newspaper or flick an off switch and move on. The tragedy, its problems and its aftermath lives for days, months and even years.

Some tragedy in the news is harder to get away from than others. Over the last few weeks, Haiti has been on the news around the world. I have seen the coverage in Dubai, New York and now France. I also know there are new headlines in the papers every day pushing the news and people of Haiti further and further away from the minds of people around the world, including mine.

However, just before my flight to Switzerland on Saturday, my Haitian friend contacted me. I asked how he was doing, how his family was doing. I knew before he even responded that I probably did not want to know the answer. My trepidation was confirmed when he responded, “Not good. Some are okay, some are dead, and some are still missing.”

For my friend, this tragedy, which has had its day in the headlines, will stay with him for life. Perhaps the next person you sit next to on a flight, train or subway will personally know the impacts of a tragedy, but you, hopefully, will not. We have all been asked recently to dig a little deeper into our pockets for charitable donations. Please continue to donate and help the people of Haiti or those who were once in the headlines but are now yesterday’s news.

There are wonderful charities all around, for all types of causes. In addition to charities dedicated to Haitian earthquake relief efforts, there are established charities that need your help as well, including the Mentor Foundation, GT’s charity in 2010. Please continue to research how you can help.

– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Another year has come and gone. Goodbye ‘09, hello ‘10! We are well on our way into this new millennium, and I think we welcomed it with gusto. Instead of just the normal year-end countdowns pervading TV, the radio and books and newspapers, we can also enjoy countdowns of the best of the best from the last 10 years. I particularly enjoy the trend countdowns — looking back and sometimes laughing at styles that were in vogue just five years ago or games, movies and music that were all the rage.

And, of course, with the new year come the resolutions. Whether or not you choose to set a definite resolution, I think most people look to the new year with the hope of making a fresh start in some area of everyday life. In December, it’s always easiest to say,”I’ll wait ’til January.” January is here now, so it’s time to get on it!

I must admit, I love the anticipation of New Year’s Eve. There is a positive buzz the entire day, and those last 10 seconds before midnight are so full of hope and meaning. I feel like it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement. My friends often tease me because I MUST see the ball drop. If I miss it, I just feel like the whole year is off to the wrong start.

And I love the song “Auld Lang Syne.” So the ball drops, the song comes on, you are celebrating with friends and family, people around the world are excited and happy — what could be better?

Before we know it, it will be 1-1-11!

A very happy New Year to you and yours!

– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

Tomorrow, Sept. 26, is European Languages Day. The day, celebrated in 45 European countries, was designed with three objectives in mind — alerting the public to the importance of language learning and diversifying the range of languages learned in order to increase plurilingualism and intercultural understanding; promoting the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe, which must be preserved and fostered; and encouraging lifelong language learning in and out of school, whether for study purposes, for professional needs, for purposes of mobility or for pleasure and exchanges.

The day was brought to my attention by a media alert from the Skyscanner website. The website offers instant online comparisons on flight prices for more than 600 airlines. In honor of European Languages Day, and to help Americans lose their bad reputations for not being as multilingual as other countries, Skyscanner is encouraging Americans to learn simple phrases in other languages to use when traveling. Interested travelers can visit the website for some language lessons.

I returned from Germany on Wednesday (more about my trip in upcoming blogs), and I definitely did learn some key phrases and essential words during my trip. I can definitely appreciate the ease of travel to foreign countries for Americans. I was able to get by in Germany without knowing any German. How many Germans could visit the States and get by speaking only German? However, I do think it is important to learn some words in the native tongue of the country you plan to visit, particularly essential words like please, thank you and hello/goodbye.

Here are some of the key phrases from Skyscanner:

IN NORWEGIAN:

Hello/Goodbye: Hallo/Ha det

Please/Thank You: Vaer sa snill/Takk

Cheers! (when toasting): Skal!

IN GERMAN:

Hello/Goodbye: Hallo/Auf Wiedersehen

Please/Thank You: Bitte/Danke

Cheers!: Prost!

IN SPANISH:

Hello/Goodbye: Hola/Adios

Please/Thank You: Por Favor/Gracias

Cheers!: Salud

IN POLISH:

Hello/Goodbye: Dzien dobry/Do widzenia

Please/Thank You: Prosze/Dziekuje

Cheers!: Na zdrowie!

IN FRENCH:

Hello/Goodbye: Bonjour/Au Revoir

Please/Thank You: S’il vous plait/merci

Cheers!: Salut!

For more, visit the Skyscanner website. And, in celebration of European Languages Day, take a few moments to learn a few key phrases before your next trip!

–Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

One of the challenges I’ve encountered when moving from one place to another is finding a new circle of friends with whom to enjoy winetastings, movies, evenings out and excursions outdoors. As we get older, Harry and I find the challenge has increased, too. In the past, one automatic introduction into a group of people of similar age and interests has been parents of kids of our daughters’ acquaintance. You meet at ball games, rehearsals, PTA meetings and back-to-school nights; and the casual and frequent meetings can readily grow into closer bonds as you get to know more about each other. With our girls all grown up and out of the house, that avenue no longer exists. And, as newcomers, we enter in to a social web where virtually everyone we meet already has well-established, long-lasting friendships, and their lives may not readily accomodate a whole new tangle of “dates” and getting-to-know-you events.

To that end, we take advantage of volunteering opportunities in our area, neighborhood gatherings and church events to make connections. On Friday night we attended a fundraising auction and winetasting event at our new parish, both to support a good cause and to feel less like strangers. Things didn’t seem too promising at first as I observed the easy laughter and banter between folks who obviously had known each other a long time. There were pleasant smiles directed my way, but I felt that uncomfortable twinge of not quite belonging.

Once the silent auction items had been bid upon, the crowd settled at assigned tables, and the seven at our table introduced ourselves to each other. In between the auctioneers’ jests and the live bidding, we exchanged tidbits of information (how long have you been a member here, what do you do for a living, how many kids do you have, etc.). Pat Barry, sitting next to my husband, glanced several times at Harry’s name tag and finally asked if he might be related to a John Vanikiotis. (One of the blessings of having such a unique last name is that it is just that — unique — and therefore easy for others to identify/remember and make connections. It can also be a curse if one wishes to be a bit more anonymous!) It turned out that Pat was a fraternity brother of Harry’s brother at Oregon State University back in the ’70s. Pat is a few years younger than John and so didn’t know him very well, but we found he was familiar with several people we still see on a regular basis. We continued to share information and stories with Pat and his wife, Ann, throughout the evening (largely ignoring the auction going on) and really enjoyed their company.

We did pause to bid on a few items, one of which was a package which included two tickets to the Oregon State-Stanford game in October. Harry, a Beaver alum, hasn’t been to a game since he left school (we lived out of state most of that time), and we decided it would be fun to go. It didn’t hurt that the OSU package was being offered at the same time as a University of Oregon game package, and the auctioneer was playing up the rivalry to boost the bids. Harry’s competitive spirit ensured that we came away with the tickets in the end, but it wasn’t until the bidding was over that we learned that the Barrys had contributed their season tickets for that game to the auction. They were excited that we had purchased the package and filled us in on where our parking pass would put us and where our seats were located.

We ended the evening with an exchange of phone numbers and comments on what a small world it is. I know we all have those moments when a brief chat with a seatmate on a flight or a quick introduction at a meeting leads to the discovery of something or someone which connects us to each other. There is a glow of warmth as we find a touchpoint which makes us feel a little less anonymous or alone in the wide world we navigate. It is part of what I find writers expressing in their Mail Call letters to Global Traveler when they describe what they have learned in their travels: We are all connected, and in spite of differences in backgrounds and culture, we share that basic humanity which leads us to reach out to each other and find we are not so very different, after all.

–Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader