Here’s an entry in the “good ideas for city living” department.

Sevilla, Spain, is a tangle of narrow little alleys, one-way streets, and main thoroughfares where the drivers must take their training at the bullring. (Sound familiar?) Driving a car in Sevilla is, at best, an inconvenience, and usually much worse than that. But the city is undaunted in its efforts to make it easier to get around. The city government’s “Infrastructure for Sustainability” office sponsors a solution so obvious that even Boston could do it. The SEVICI initiative touts bicycle riding as good for the environment—and makes it irresistible by proving access to nice, solid bikes for only 5 euros a week (or 10 euros per year, if you live there). The snazzy silver and red vehicles are parked at 250 high-tech stands all over the city. Each stand has a kiosk where you can subscribe with a credit card and pick up and deposit bikes. For more details on the program (Spanish only—sorry) take a look at the website: www.sevici.es.

Posted by Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

Welcome to another episode of: You Can't Make This Stuff Up. First up is the case of the airline passenger from Austin, Texas, charged with disorderly conduct after refusing to get off the wireless during a Southwest flight from Austin to The Big D.
According to the Dallas Morning News, flight attendants repeated asked the passenger -- one Joe David Jones, president and CEO of an Austin environmental start-up called Skyonic -- to please shut the phone down, as the FCC prohibits in-flight wireless calls.
Turns out Mr. Jones, apparently a black belt of witty repartee, nearly a Shakespeare of the clever comeback, reportedly responded: "Kiss my [expletive]." When asked for clarification, Mr. Jones, fearing his terse and pithy mots juste had not been properly recorded for future generations, repeated, "Kiss my [expletive]." Then delivering a linguistic coup de grace, he finished with: "Not happening.''
Mr. Jones remained on the phone for 20 minutes and when Dallas police later met him at the gate to question him displayed disorderly conduct and was charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, according to police reports.
For his part, Mr. Jones, through a representative, explained that he was on the phone because he had been trying to reach officials in a cardiac unit after getting a message his father's heart had stopped.
Beth Harbin, a Southwest spokeswoman, was sympathetic but said, "It was a safety regulation that we're required to enforce, and we're simply not in a position to make exceptions."

Channel surfing the other night left us in awe of the old black and white footage of U2 filming Rattle and Hum, when none other than B.B. King takes the stage with Bono and the Edge. His presence has stood the test of time, and his age has affected him none as he still plays more live shows than musicians a mere third of his age. The Capital Center for the Arts in Concord, NH bring the King back whenever they can, and this time he plays on Saturday, May 17, and tickets are still available. Again, not a bad seat in the house at this venue. Make your weekend a bluesy one, order tickets, and witness a legend before your very eyes.

OK, so you totally didn’t get Pi Day back in March. Will the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter feed the soul like your grandmother’s lemon meringue? No! It’s time to raid the recipe box for Canterbury Shaker Village’s Everybody Loves Pie pie contest May 31 in Canterbury, N.H. Any homemade pie is welcome, from traditional apple to one of your own invention. Prizes (which include cooking classes and gift certificates from The Shaker Table) will be awarded to the top winners. The entry fee is $10, and procrastinators are in luck: Pies will be accepted through noon on May 31. The pie contest is one of the highlights of Canterbury Shaker Village’s Simply Food Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be cooking classes, craft demonstrations, hayrides, tours, and food samples galore. (General admission: adults $15; 60 and over $13; $7 kids 17 and under, free for children under 6.) According to its website, Canterbury Shaker Village is ‘‘dedicated to preserving the 200-year legacy of the Canterbury Shakers and to providing a place for learning, reflection, and renewal of the human spirit.’’ If that renewal includes eating pie, count me in.

I once taught with a man who would lose patience with his relentlessly questioning daughter of 5 years. After myriad attempts to appease the daughter's questions, he would eventually finish off her questioning with, "It's magic baby." Her eyes would roll up and around, and her look of puzzlement would either dissipate or aggravate with daddy's answer. While this has nothing to do with the event post, I cannot hear the word "magic'' without thinking of this, now a parent myself to at least one who never stops with the 'why's?' That being said, the Providence Performing Art Center hosts a night of magic with the legendary David Copperfield and his Grand Illusion show tomorrow night.

Different from all other magical performances, Copperfield attempts to take one's dreams, or nightmares, and make them become reality?! Grand Illusion promises to break new ground making magic art, as it takes a turn toward the intimate and personal. Copperfield has back-to-back shows at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. and tickets are $32, $42, and $52.

High-profile discounter Virgin America said today that it would move to start service to Chicago's O'Hare, which would be its eighth destination since launching in August.
Virgin, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson -- he of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records fame -- says it will file for government permission to fly four daily flights both to San Francisco and LA, starting in November, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Virgin has drawn significant consumer interest because of its lower fares and on-board amenities like leather seats, help-yourself minibars, seatback satellite TV, pay-per-view movies, and libraries of mp3 files so travelers can make and enjoy their own playlists. But the carrier, which appears to have deep pockets, has also drawn media attention because of its aggressive expansion at a time when other competitors are struggling and making cuts.
OK, that's all very interesting, but what does this mean to you? Virgin, which now serves seven cities -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Seattle -- has said that it was planning to add two cities east of the Mississippi this year. And in a February interview, Virgin CEO David Cush hinted that the lucky two could be Chicago and Boston, saying the carrier favored cities with large business centers.
But today Abby Lunardini, Virgin America director of corporate communications, said that the two cities the airline planned to go into were Chicago and Newark, N.J., but that plans for Newark got shelved because of government rules aimed at curbing air traffic in the New York area.
Lunardini said that Virgin probably would not open up any other Eastern cities this year after being waved off Newark. But she said that right now, "Boston is at the top of the list.''
Stay tuned.

Nantucket takes on an international flavor for the 12th annual Nantucket Wine Festival from Wednesday through Sunday. More than 100 wineries will uncork offerings to be sipped and sampled against a backdrop of oceanic splendor.
The spotlight falls on Spanish wines in many events, including one of the three hourlong lunch symposiums. The talks at restaurants Cinco, Straight Wharf, and the Nantucket Golf Club culminate in a four-course meal utilizing the wines of guest vintners. Guest chefs, including Jody Adams of Boston’s Rialto and Antoine Camin of La Goulue in New York, will add zest and celebrity by cooking at island restaurants.
The festival includes glimpses into some of the island’s lovely homes to sample wines with the wealthy, a gala at the harborside White Elephant tent showcasing wines and top chefs, and the Celebrity Chef and Winemaker Auction Dinner, a Nantucket Historical Association benefit, that begins with a taste of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne and pairs the talents of chef David Daniels of Topper’s at The Wauwinet with the wines of Maison Alex Gambal. The popular Grand Tasting (Saturday and Sunday) pairs Nantucket seafood, artisan breads, and more at the Nantucket Yacht Club in two-hour sessions.
Experts lead the plentiful wine and food seminars that tackle topics from bargain hunting for fine wines to cheeses from France to Vermont.
Event prices range from $50-$800. Grand Tastings noon-2 and 3-5 Saturday and Sunday are $110 per session or $200 for both.
Posted by Marty Basch, Globe Correspondent

Delta recently sent my husband Wessel and me information via email (they called him also, but not me!) about a change in our flight schedules from Durham, NC, to Oslo, Norway next month.

“We have bolded the affected flights,” it read. Only one flight was in bold, from Atlanta to Newark, and it was only a 10-minute change. We’d booked this trip months in advance, and these kind of changes are quite typical. No biggie. I noted it and went back to work.

Unfortunately, Delta and yours truly were dozing on the job, but wide-eyed Wessel caught another, much bigger change that was not highlighted but should have been.

On the final leg of our journey home in late June, instead of our original flight leaving at 4:50 p.m. from Cincinnati to Durham it was now scheduled to depart at 3 p.m. And guess what time we were arriving into Cincinnati from Paris? At 3 p.m. Argh….

I called Delta for the low-down. Turned out the 4:50 p.m. flight had been scrubbed.
The representative, who then put us on a later flight, was not the least bit apologetic.

It's Econ 101. Yesterday, I wrote about how Delta and American -- and later United -- raised fuel surcharges by $20 on many domestic routes. This means that many travelers will be paying as much as $130 in round-trip surcharges on top of base ticket charges.
At what point do people start cutting back on flying?
There's an interesting piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that says we'll probably see as much as $60 more in surcharges -- bringing the total to nearly $200 -- before we hit that point.
A spokesman for Delta says so far his airline hasn't been hurt by the surcharges -- in fact their bookings are running a bit ahead of last year's.
And Rick Seaney, CEO of the website FareCompare.com, said he doesn't think prices have hit a "tipping point" yet either, but it's getting thisclose. Seaney, who keeps tabs on fare increases, said he estimates "there could be two or three more $20 increases before they really begin to lose customers."
That's when the airlines will either have to stop raising -- or start cutting -- charges.
Here is Seaney's timeline of airfare and surcharge hikes this year:

Mount Olympus and Hades, Maui and Gary, mom’s and your brother-in-law’s – you have been there, done that, realized that scale can be everything. Here are two writers who take their own tacks to marry the wide angle with the myriad motives that fuel travel.

Navigating between heaven and earth, Tom Stone takes us to Greece on a roundabout itinerary that reminds the poorly educated among us why that country matters in the history of everything, including theology. Stone lived in Greece for 22 years, has written about the country and its culture and language, and lives now in another outpost of the gods, Los Angeles. “Zeus: A Journey Through Greece in the Footsteps of a God” (Bloomsbury, 336 pp., hardcover, $24.95) situates the reader with a brief chronology of Zeus’s long life and purposeful death at the hands of the newfangled Christianity, and then sets off alongside Stone and his wife en route, first, to Crete and Santorini. Those tourist destinations are where Minoan civilization began around 2500 B.C. Zeus, however, had been around for thousands of years already, worshiped in the Neolithic Age around 7000 B.C. in the Russian steppes and south of the Caucasus as a sky god, a belief system that was reflected by goddess-worshiping farmers from Mesopotamia who came to inhabit Greece and its islands and, importantly, Crete, about 6500 B.C. (Even then, everyone wanted to go to Greece!)

If for any reason to want to get to the Berkshire International Film Festival, it ought to be to sneak a glimpse, and hopefully more so, of the guest of honor...Mr. Six-Degrees-of-Separation-Himself, Mr. Kevin Bacon.

The annual festival runs from May 15-18 and examines independent features, documentary, short and family films, and offers lively panel discussions and other special events focusing on film, filmmakers, and everyone involved on both sides of the camera. Mr. Bacon, or Kev as I like to call him, will be honored on Friday at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Believe it or not, this man has been in film for over 30 years and in over 60 films, including his first big break in "Animal House." Rumor has it that Kira will be elsewhere, which leaves him all to his devoted fans. For more information call 413-528-8030 or visit here.

Unbelievable. Two of the three biggest US carriers again raised fuel surcharges on many domestic routes by $20 round-trip.
The AP is reporting that the latest hikes by Delta and American bring the tote board figure for these fees to as much as $130 round-trip on many flights. That means passengers who scored cheapo flights could be paying more in fees and taxes than for the airfare.
Delta kicked off the festivities, the second time its raised fees in just over a week. Last time, rivals quickly piled on and there's no reason to believe they won't this time too.
It puts me in mind of what Gillette sometimes used to do when they introduced a new razor: They give it to you for free because they know you've got to buy the pricey new blades. Soon flights will be free, but the taxes, surcharges, and other fees will be ginormous.

Hemmed in by surging fuel costs, Delta is cutting back on perks offered to passengers even before they step onto the plane. The airline is closing nine of its 42 members-only airport lounges, including one at Logan. The Crown Room Club located between Gates 6 and 7 in Terminal A will shut down May 15, although Delta's club between Gates 17 and 18 will remain open. Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott declined to reveal how much its main lounge was being used by members paying between $300 and $600 a year or how much money the airline expects to save by shuttering it. However, she said the airline wants to make better use of its reciprocal lounge agreements with other airlines, including Alaska, Continental, and Northwest. Logan spokesman Matt Brelis said Continental will sublease Delta's shuttered club. By the end of the month, Delta will have also closed airport clubs in Cincinnati, Denver, Honolulu, Kansas City, Mo., London, Phoenix, and Seattle.
Posted by Nicole C. Wong, Globe Staff

Headed for Europe? I know. Given the slumping dollar and the soaring costs of airline tickets it's heard to believe that anyone is but in its first international summer travel forecast AAA is actually expecting travel by Americans to rise 2.6 percent.
OK, so if you happen to be headed over you should know that the Auto Rental Wars that are percolating here are starting to brew there.
Hertz, which has a number of offices in Western Europe, just announced that it would start renting for periods shorter than a day. The new Hertz 369 program will let you rent for three or six hours for day trips, or nine hours for overnights.
It's no mistake that Hertz is doing this a little over a month after our own Cambridge-based, car-sharing pioneer Zipcar announced it was setting its sights on Europe (it already has an office in London).
My old friend Scott Kirsner wrote a story in March about how UHaul and the big rental agencies like Hertz and Enterprise , mature industries all, having been casting jealous glances Zipcar's way and are looking to compete for the sharing/short-term rental biz aux Etats Unis.
And now it appears a new front is being opened across the pond. This is a good thing.

I know I just covered Earth Day, but that's Vermont for ya, always were green, and ever more so now. Burlington had a two week Earth Day fest already, but here comes the city's Going Green Expo this weekend, May 10 & 11. From the same coordinators who brought you Going Green in Boston, Going Green in Vermont is the state's first eco-living exposition. Go to discover the latest in sustainable clothing at the Eco-Fashion show, or learn about better environmental construction in the Green Building and Design Zone. There are dozens of workshops throughout the weekend, and plenty of things to keep the kids smiling like Story time, a musical puppet show and free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

Going Green is held at UVM's Gutterson Athletic Center. For more information call 603-786-9278 or visit here.

I've never been. Been a lot of places, dove into a lot of dumpsters for free goods, and left yard sales with the whole lot,...but I have never been to Brimfield. Partly I think because I am intimidated...for goodness sakes, Martha goes to Brimfield. And how could you or I ever bid against Martha for that Limoge, or the rusted, iron planter that we both want to sit within our cutting gardens? So here it is and I am telling you to go, and just maybe I will not only have the guts, but the time to go this year [doubtful on both accounts]. Brimfield Outdoor Antiques Show is, after all, the largest outdoor antiques show in the world, with over 6000 dealers and 130,000 visitors, including Martha. The week of May 13-18, is marked by acres of tents, and makeshift shops showcasing the found merchandise of dealers from Springfield, Mass., to Jakarta offering up the mundane and the rare, to you, me and Martha too. This is my idea of a perfect use of time.

Admission fees vary by field. You can call 413-283-6149 for more information.

Yes, it may be astronomically pricey to travel these days, as every car, boat, bus, train and plane trip are affected by these darned gas prices. So why not combat that "I'm not in Timbuktu" depression with writers who can transport you to some great beyond? My top picks for armchair travel include:

The Transportation Security Administration started physically screening 100 percent of workers and vehicles entering the airfield at Logan under a 90-day pilot program funded by Congress.
Previously, employees could access the airfield by showing their airport identification badge, which is issued after passing a criminal background check. Now they also need to get out of their vehicles and spread their arms as a TSA agent uses a metal-detector wand to check for guns or other banned items.
"If we're going to scrutinize our customers, it's only sensible that we screen our employees," said Edward Freni, Logan's director of aviation.
The main reason this "sensible" idea has yet to be fully implemented is "a matter of costs," said George Naccara, the TSA's federal security director overseeing Logan. The pilot program puts 43 extra TSA screeners at five airfield checkpoints. Naccara estimated physically screening 100 percent of employees entering the airfield and the airport terminals would require 1,300 more TSA agents, but didn’t know how much that would cost. Currently 900 TSA agents work at Logan.
The pilot program is supposed to determine how much 100 percent screening costs and how it impacts airport operations.
Posted by Nicole C. Wong, Globe Staff

If you're a golfer and planning on traveling in southwestern Ireland on May 14, here's an opportunity. County Limerick's five-star castle hotel, Adare Manor, is hosting the Irish Open May 15-18, and Irish golfer Padraig Harrington is returning to defend his title on the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed parkland course. Purchase a ticket to the event online prior to May 10, and you're automatically entered into a draw to play alongside Harrington in the Irish Open Pro-Am on Wednesday, May 14. Fine print: Men must have a certified GUI handicap of 24 or below; women 36 or below. Tickets for the event begin at 25 Euros; ages 15 and younger are free when accompanied by an adult.

If playing this course is too rich for your blood, consider the adjacent, but independent (despite its name) and far less expensive Adare Manor Golf Club, which wraps around ruins of a 13th-century castle, 15th-century Franciscan priory and church cemetery and provides views of another priory-turned-school and Adare Manor itself. Not too shabby.

I tell you what...life would be so easy, not for me, but for my husband, if he would only squeeze in the time to be a devoted reader of my blog posts. Surprised that he doesn't? Oh don't be, if you knew him you'd understand...and it doesn't bother me for a second UNTIL I want to actually do what I blog about. Case in point...

Mother's Day is Sunday and while it is not a big celebration in this house, I do expect some attention, and if it's just the morning coffee being made, life is good and Mother's Day is a win-win. BUT, occasionally I do feel the need for more pampering, and if I were my husband, and thank goodness I am not, I would take me to the Cranwell Resort for their Mother's Day Brunch & Bloom special. Cranwell offers a special overnight stay that includes their famous brunch, and also provides tickets to the Berkshire Museum to view "A Celebration of Art and Flowers" exhibit. The icing, which so far needn't be any, is a spa treatment at Cranwell.

If you're not familiar with Cranwell, just know that a heated indoor pool, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and fitness center are yours during the stay. And also know that some Godiva chocolate welcomes every guest. Call toll free: 1-800-272-6935 for more information...[psst...the package is ONLY $150 per person, double occupancy] Just book the visit today!