KFC at 30,000 feet
Turkeys were hard to find in Japan in 1974, when Kentucky Fried Chicken launched an ad campaign to make the Colonel's recipe the centrepiece for Christmas feasts. It was so successful that families still order their festive buckets far in advance. Now, Japan Air Lines is teaming up with KFC Japan to offer a two-piece chicken meal (complete with flatbread, coleslaw and lettuce) to passengers on flights from Narita to destinations in the United States and Europe. It will be served at the second meal service until Feb. 28.
Don't set off the 'Shhh-o-meter!'
No noise is good noise at Premier Inn, a U.K.-based budget hotel chain that promises refunds to guests who complain of being kept awake. To that end, the company is installing "shhh-o-meters" in the corridors of its 620 hotels. Guests who party too loudly will be alerted by a warning flash. Premier is also combatting unwanted disturbances by double-glazing windows and rigging doors with springs to prevent slamming. An earlier initiative of handing out lollipops to quiet down rowdy guests didn't work.
That's how the Colosseum crumbles
A cast-iron barrier is to be built around Rome's Colosseum to protect tourists from falling debris. Fragments of the historic landmark have come crashing down in recent years, especially after heavy rains. As well, a multimillion, three-year cleaning and renovation project will start next month at the venue, once the site of life-or-death battles between gladiators. Parts of the building will remain open to tourists while the work is under way, although some sections of the walls will be covered by scaffolding at any given time.