In a city bruised by the fierce partisan battles of the last few weeks, happiness abounded Friday as the Smithsonian National Zoo in Northwest Washington, D.C., opened its doors for the first time since Sept. 30. The zoo, of course, was the site of what was by far the saddest photo of the 16-day government shutdown.

But there was no sadness today — in fact, the mood was anything but:

Here’s Tucker Purington, 3, of Ithaca, N.Y., and his six-year-old sister Kylah. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

National Zoo Director Dennis Kelly gets some help as he reopens the gate. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

High five! (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Megan Mahoney of Scottsdale, Ariz., smiles as she watches Tian Tian the panda. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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• Barack Obama

  President Barack Obama pauses while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, about the government shutdown. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a protracted dispute over Obama’s signature health care law reached a boiling point, forcing some 800,000 federal workers

  Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/18/national-zoo-reopens_n_4123745.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

If you were waiting for the government shutdown to end before heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see North Carolina’s annual fall color show, don’t worry.

The leaves were waiting, too, and they’re reaching peak colors now at higher elevations.

Tourist officials in the high country say confusion about what was open or closed during the shutdown kept some tourists from heading to the mountains. But they say the leaf-changing process is behind schedule this year.

“The colors are really good right now,” says Amanda Lugenbell, assistant director of the Blowing Rock Visitors Center.

“The colors are flabbergasting,” adds Sheri Moretz, community relations manager for the Mast General Store chain, which is based near Boone. “And that’s coming from someone who lives here.”

The government shutdown that closed most federal facilities also hit campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors centers along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Privately owned stores and state parks remained open, but officials say potential tourists were confused.

However, the leaves are also taking their time changing colors. Experts disagree on the reason, with Appalachian State University’s Howie Neufeld attributing the late change to recent warm weather. Others cited the lack

Article source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/18/3292789/leaves-are-beginning-to-show-their.html If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Flames and smoke, the whoop of sirens, the flicker of ambulance lights and uniformed men shouting in darkness. These are my childhood memories of the chaotic aftermath of a hotel bombing in Kenya’s capital on New Year’s Eve, 1980.

The attack on the Norfolk Hotel, popular among foreign tourists, preceded the Sept. 21 assault on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi by a generation. Then as now, a city landmark was hit, Kenyan and foreign civilians died, leaders pledged to stop it happening again and talk turned to recovery. Much about the hotel bombing remains a mystery as investigators now seek to unravel the plot behind the mall attack, a horror replayed on closed circuit TV footage.

The motive and method were different for the two attacks, but Kenya is confronting the same questions about security, freedom of movement and the nexus between local and international militancy that it did decades ago.

I was 13 years old at the time and watching “Superman II” with my family in a cinema in Nairobi, where my father was based as an Associated Press journalist. A boom interrupted the soundtrack. My father made a telephone call and within minutes we were driving to the hotel. No time

Article source: http://www.citizen-times.com/usatoday/article/3042927 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

   Box Score: Gardner-Webb 3, UNC Asheville 2

 VOLLEYBALL: UNC Asheville Highlights and Comments (10-18-13)

   www.GWUPhotos.com

Boiling Springs, N.C. – Gardner-Webb erased a 2-0 match deficit to storm back and defeat the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville 3-2 in Big South action on Friday night in Paul Porter Arena in its annual “Dig Pink” match.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs defeated Asheville 19-25, 14-25, 25-20, 28-26 and 15-12 to post its fourth 3-2 fifth-set win of the season, all of which have come in Big South Conference play.

Gardner-Webb improved to 13-11 overall and 4-2 in the Big South, as its 13 wins is the most for a Runnin’ Bulldog team in a single season since the 2007 team registered 14 total wins on the year.

The loss drops the Asheville Bulldogs to 13-9 and 3-3 in the Big South, as the two teams split its regular season series.

GWU saw a number of milestones reached in the 3-2 win, as senior Erin Anderson, who led the way with 16 kills,

Article source: http://www.gwusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=10300&ATCLID=209287312 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

If you were waiting for the government shutdown to end before heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see North Carolina’s annual fall color show, don’t worry.

The leaves were waiting, too, and they’re reaching peak colors now at higher elevations.

Tourist officials in the high country say confusion about what was open or closed during the shutdown kept some tourists from heading to the mountains. But they say the leaf-changing process is behind schedule this year.

“The colors are really good right now,” says Amanda Lugenbell, assistant director of the Blowing Rock Visitors Center.

“The colors are flabbergasting,” adds Sheri Moretz, community relations manager for the Mast General Store chain, which is based near Boone. “And that’s coming from someone who lives here.”

The government shutdown that closed most federal facilities also hit campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors centers along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Privately owned stores and state parks remained open, but officials say potential tourists were confused.

However, the leaves are also taking their time changing colors. Experts disagree on the reason, with Appalachian State University’s Howie Neufeld attributing the late change to recent warm weather. Others cited the lack

Article source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/18/3292789/leaves-are-beginning-to-show-their.html If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

User Score

Article source: http://www.mountainx.com/article/53596/Blue-Ridge-Parkway-reopens-all-visitor-services If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Updated: Thursday, October 17 2013, 07:40 PM EDT
Furloughed workers across the country are back on the job. Thousands have been on unpaid vacations for over 2 weeks due the federal government shutdown.

Employees with the Blue Ridge Parkway say it was hard not working since the beginning of the month. And they say it felt strange not being on the job during the busiest time of year, with the leaves changing color.

Although the Parkway itself remained open, rangers say for 2 weeks it was hard watching visitors getting turned away from the Visitors Center.

Deputy Assistant Superintendent Monika Mayr, was furloughed. She says it was not a financial hardship for her but she says not having a paycheck for 2 weeks was difficult for many workers. She’s glad the deal in Washington will get checks moving again. Back pay for all the furloughed employees was included in the bill that was signed, says Mayr.

Workers at the federal building in Asheville say they’re glad to get back to work too, calling the time off unsettling.

Back pay is expected to be included in federal workers’ next paycheck. For most, that’s October 25th.

By Rex Hodge
Follow Rex on Twitter @RexHodgeWLOSFederal Employees

Article source: http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_federal-employees-back-work-13645.shtml If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com