Tokyo
TSA Pre-Check Now Speeds International Travelers Through Airport Security – Forbes.com
The average amount of time, in minutes, it takes me to get through security using TSA Pre-Check. (Photo credit: Andrew Bender)
About the best news – OK, about the only good news – for air travelers in the last few years has been TSA Pre-Check, which allows passengers to speed through security at dozens of U.S. airports without removing shoes, laptop bags and light outerwear. Domestic travelers love it, but international travelers were stuck in the slow lane. Thankfully, that’s changed.
Read the rest of the story on my Forbes Seat 1A column.
The Mystery Island From ‘Skyfall’ And How You Can Go There – Forbes
What to do with a post-apocalyptic scene of devastation and decrepitude? Put it in Skyfall, the newest James Bond movie, and invite tourists to visit.
The scene in question is in Nagasaki, Japan, although it’s completely unrelated the atomic bombing that effectively ended World War II. That neighborhood (and the rest of the city) is now doing just fine, thank you.
This devastation is an abandoned coal mine on the wind-blown, storm-swept island of Hashima, 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of town. Nicknamed Gunkanjima (“Battleship Island”) for its silhouette, overnight it went from a thriving community to a ghost island.
Read the full story and see the slide show on my Forbes Seat 1A blog.

