Hot Air Balloon's Emergency Water Landing Caught on Tape

Our friends at Urlesque pointed us to this unusual video of a hot air balloon making an emergency landing in Australia today. The pilot of the balloon was attempting to land on a beach, but wind gusts pushed the craft several kilometers out over the waters of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne. In order to bring the 10 passengers to safety, the balloon was lowered to the water where water police had arrived.

Luckily, the rescue effort went smoothly and nobody was injured -- but the incident made for some very dramatic footage. Those aboard the balloon were able to put on lifejackets and easily reach the shore.

"We knew we could jump ship," one cheerful passenger commented after getting back on dry land. "We just wanted to save our snaps from the holiday, and we didn't want to go swimming. That's all."

Photo of the day - Lunch in Serbia

One of the best parts of traveling is indulging in a few vices. The "hey, I'm on vacation!" attitude enables you to order dessert, have a glass of wine with lunch, and not worry about the calories you're taking in, especially as you figure you'll burn them off walking around museums or hiking the countryside. This photo by Flickr user eolone in Serbia shows some of the best travel food groups: the sausage group, the fried group, even the "hey, I'm in Europe!" tobacco group. Just switch out the water for a beer and you'd have the perfect guilt-free (for now) vacation meal.

Daily Pampering: Ritz-Carlton New Orleans teams up with Harry Connick, Jr. for Mardi Gras

Hold on to your women, men. The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans is offering a Mardi Gras package that will make women swoon.

The soulful jazz singer and New Orleans' favorite son teamed up with the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans to offer the "Lundi Gras Ride of a Lifetime" package. Purchasers of this daily pampering prize will ride with Connick Jr. in his Krewe of Orpheus during the parade held the day before Mardi Gras: Monday, Feb. 23.

Here's how it goes down:

You'll get decked out in your best Mardi Gras digs, complete with beads and accessories, and a videographer will document the 12-hour excursion. When you're not on the ride of your life with the New Orleans native, you'll have access to a private limo (which eases any and all concerns about getting lost in the crowd at Mardi Gras).

The package includes a two-night stay in the Ritz-Carlton Suite, one of the most luxurious suites in town overlooking the French Quarter and Canal Street (please adjust your expectations: It's unlikely Harry Connick, Jr. will be staying in the same suite).

The price? A cool $59,500 for two people. We'd bet that for that dough, he might even sing you a little song...

Beatles infest cruise ship, give back

But this is a good thing.

Beatles Tribute Cruise 2011 is on sale now and for fans of the fab four it doesn't get any better than this. "8 days a week" is exactly how long fans will sail on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas along with pretty much anybody who's anybody in the world of Beatlemania.

Sailing from Miami with tribute-band The British Are Coming! and other special guests, fans will visit St Maarten, St Thomas, San Juan and Royal Caribbean's private destination of Labadee in Haiti where Royal Caribbean is still helping, a year after a devastating earthquake rocked the island nation with donations of supplies each week.

Along for the ride is two-time Grammy award winning guitarist Laurence Juber, Beatles artist Shannon, TV and radio personality Tony Perkins, Beatles historian Tony Bramwell and Joe Johnson, the host & creator of the nationally syndicated radio show "BeatleBrunch".

An annual event, this year's cruise will be a fundraiser for Thrive/Survive Los Angeles to support young adult cancer survivors. On-board, a raffle will be held with close to 100 Beatles-related items to be given away during the sailing including a special Ultimate Weekend Tickets To Ride package for Abbey Road on the River along with autographed DVD's from assorted post-Beatles artists.

For donation or ticket information contact Woody Lofton or register online.

Woman claims Greyhound denied her travel because of burqa

Jacqueline Pasha attempted to travel by Greyhound to Arkansas in December, but she didn't succeed. And Greyhound acknowledges this. The story becomes fuzzy, however, in the details.

Pasha was wearing her burqa when she tried to board the bus. According to Pasha, a staff member at the terminal said she looked scary. Pasha then proceeded to request that she be checked in a room separate from the main area, but the employee (the one who allegedly used the word 'scary' to describe her appearance) wouldn't do it, citing security concerns.

Although Greyhound denies any form of discrimination in this case, Pasha is steadfastly seeking justice. She's lodged a complaint with the Department of Human Rights by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"I am shocked that this happened in Chicago," Pasha said. "I am not the only Muslim woman wearing a burqa out here."

I realize that this kind of discrimation is much more widespread than I'd like to believe, but Chicago? Greyhound? Come on! Lets hope this one was a giant miscommunication rather than yet another reason to believe we're not as openminded, as a whole, as we advertise.

United Airlines launches Three Perfect Days contest -- win a free vacation!

Good with a video camera and a Final Cut Pro? United Airlines might have the perfect opportunity for you to win your dream vacation.

Yesterday they launched a new promotion on Facebook soliciting video entries for their "Three Perfect Days" contest. All that you have to do to enter is make a short video explaining what you would do with three perfect days of vacation and post it to their site. The submission that gets the most "likes" wins two free round trip tickets, a digital camera and a $2,500 Visa debit card (you could use it to pay off the taxes!) at its complete disposal. You've got until March 1st to come up with the most "likeable" video on the web.

Having sumbitted a few entries and reviewed a few more ourselves at Gadling Labs, permit us to give you a tip before inking the celluloid: people who vote in these contests dig two things:

   1. The best cinematogrphy ever known to man
   2. Hotties

Aim to have one of the two concepts in your entry and you're guaranteed a shot. Have both and you'll take home the gold.

Frankie Muniz Re-Lists His Hollywood Hills Home

When actor Frankie Muniz was still a teen television star he bought and sold quite a bit of property around Los Angeles. That all slowed down with the end of his television show "Malcolm in the Middle." In 2005 he bought this home for $3.499 million and in 2007 he put it on the market for $3.875 million.

The LA Times reports that the home is back on the market. Muniz has been renting it out in recent years and new listing pictures show that it's missing the artwork and young-star-glam look it had back in 2007. Muniz meanwhile has turned his attention for acting to race car driving and playing drums with the band You Hang Up.

The traditional-style 1941 home and has five bedrooms total including a master bedroom that has skylights, walk-in closets and a bath with an infinity tub. The home is on a small plot of land but has a pool, spa, outdoor dining area and a charming outdoor fireplace. The home is now listed at $3.195 million.
Gallery: Frankie Muniz in the Hills