Theodore Scott captured this image of an alabaster craftsman in Volterra, Italy. I love how the entire workspace calls alabaster to mind. Beyond the shelf and work space, both heaving with alabaster, there are the luminous windows and the craftsman's silver-white helmet of hair. I began to wonder: Do other craftspeople begin to look like their materials at some point in their careers?

Supporting evidence can be submitted to Flickr's Gadling Group pool. Convincing examples might be chosen for a future Photo of the Day.

And a reminder to anyone submitting images to the Gadling Group pool on Flickr. Please make sure that your photographs are download-enabled. We have to be able to download your photo to feature it.

As the nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War over the next four years, there'll be a lot of mentions of "firsts". Here at Gadling we've already covered first land battle of the Civil War and the first significant battle of the Civil War. One lesser-known but significant anniversary is happening today.

By June of 1861 there had been very little fighting. Both sides were preparing for their first campaigns and securing important bases. One important Union foothold was Fort Monroe on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula. From there it would be possible to launch a second front against the rebellious state.

The Confederates wanted to take it. At the moment they didn't have the strength to assault the well-defended fort, so a force of 1,200 men kept a close watch on it from a few miles away at Big Bethel Church and Little Bethel Church.

Union commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler decided to push the Confederates back from these positions and sent 2,500 men on the night of June 9 to get in position for a predawn attack on Little Bethel. The area had already been scouted by George Scott, a runaway slave hired by the army as a guide. Butler wrote in his orders, "George Scott to have a shooting iron." This is the first known instance of a black man being legally allowed to take up arms against the South.

A night march was not a good idea for inexperienced soldiers. One group fired on another thinking they were rebels. Two men were killed and 19 wounded. The friendly fire also alerted the Confederates at Little Bethel, who withdrew to Big Bethel where the rest of the rebel army prepared a warm reception for the Yankees. They were dug in at a strong position overlooking the bridge over Big Bethel Creek.

Despite the loss of surprise, the Union troops forged ahead and came upon the bridge early in the morning. They crossed the creek at two points but fell back under heavy fire from the entrenchments. Deciding another attempt would be fruitless, they returned to Fort Monroe. The Union side lost 18 killed, 53 wounded, and 5 missing. The Confederates lost one killed and 7 wounded.

Gallery: African Americans in the Union Army

SNAP from andrea gise on Vimeo.

Agise & dancers is a Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based dance company headed up by a talented lady, Andrea Gise. Gise is a dancer/choreographer who has been releasing videos of her work lately. Agise & Dancers recently released an amazing video, titled SNAP. The video work for SNAP was done by Philip Knowlton.

Why am I telling you about this video? Because it features Brooklyn in a beautiful way. Shot in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, these guys did well with their location-scouting because the Brooklyn backdrop for this video is so very Brooklyn. And I mean that in the best way possible.

Check out the video for some excellent dance and beautiful Brooklyn moments captured on film.

The common image of the Western Front in World War One is of muddy trenches and artillery barrages. That was certainly the experience of most soldiers. But while huge armies slugged it out in the mud and ruin of France and Belgium, another war was going on underground. Sappers from both sides dug tunnels under enemy trenches, packed them with explosives, and blew them up.

The explosions were huge, like this one the British detonated under the German position on Hawthorn Ridge on 1 July 1916. The explosion used 40,000 pounds of high explosives and marked the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.

Sapping was extremely dangerous. Tunnels collapsed or got blown up by enemy mines. Sometimes mines intersected one another and there were hellish fights in the near darkness. Two good fictional portrayals of this war-beneath-a-war are the novel Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and the Australian film Beneath Hill 60.

Now part of that underground battlefield is being studied by a team of British archaeologists. After detailed research in archives of several nations they've pinpointed a network of British and German tunnels under the French town of La Boisselle and have tracked down who fought there and when. They even know where some of these poor fellows got buried alive.

Right now the team is using ground-penetrating radar to map the tunnels and will being excavating in October. Some tunnels can still be entered while others are too unstable or have collapsed. Eventually the site will be opened up as a museum commemorating those who fought underneath the Western Front.



[Photo courtesy UK government]

Could my Kindle have the potential for murder? Mayhem? Needless to say, I may think twice before firing it up during takeoff on my trip to London at the end of the month!

I'll be the first to admit that I thwart airline rules about turning on electronic devices during takeoff and landing. I don't like reading print, and a year and a half after getting it, I still have a comfortable yet steamy love affair with my Kindle. I just can't resist flipping the switch at the riskiest of times during my flights.

According to a report that ABC News got its hands on, though, I might be putting many, many lives at risk. ABC picked up a confidential industry study that indicates the safety issues could be real. Very real.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) studied survey responses from 125 airlines from 2003 to 2009 and found ... "75 incidents of possible electronic interference that airline pilots and other crew members believed were linked to mobile phones and other electronic devices." Twenty-six of them, a tad more than a third, "affected the flight controls, including the autopilot, autothrust and landing gear." Another 17 hit navigation systems, with 15 affecting communication systems.

It's murder, I say! Murder!

Well, I don't say it ... Gray's Papaya does. The Manhattan hot dog institution is about to raise its prices once again. This will be the third price increase since I moved to the Upper West Side in 2004.

There's a rather dramatic sign hanging in the window at Gray's Papaya screaming, "MURDER!" It continues:

WE ARE GETTING KILLED BY THE GALLOPING INFLATION IN FOOD COSTS
UNLIKE POLITICIANS WE CANNOT RAISE OUR DEBT CEILING AND ARE FORCED TO RAISE OUR VERY REASONABLE PRICES
PLEASE DON'T HATE US

Okay, it's hard to hate the folks who sell two hot dogs and a drink for a modest $4.50, though I was much happier when it was a dollar cheaper, back in 2008. Seven years ago, one hot dog cost only 85 cents. Then it skyrocketed, on a relative basis, to $1.25 in 2005, inching up to $1.50 three years ago.

Gallery: Gray's Papaya in New York is raising its prices

The London Olympics are set to be at the center of a major legal row just before they open in the summer of 2012.

The problem is London's pollution. It scores as one of the lowest for air quality among EU capitals and it's going to miss the emissions targets set for it.

It's not the only city. Actually many cities across the UK are failing to meet the 2015 deadline for cleaning up their air. Some cities won't make their targets for years. London looks like it won't make its target until 2025. The deadline was originally 2010 but the EU extended it for five years after numerous complaints.

The European Commission may rule that London is breaking the rules and could take action on June 2012, a month before the Olympics open. What that action will be is unclear, but it will certainly be embarrassing for Olympic organizers.

Beijing drew criticism for its high levels of pollution when it hosted the Olympics in 2008.

Having lived in London, I found the pollution quite noticeable during my day-to-day round. I can only imagine what effect it would have on an athlete trying to win the gold and break a record.

National Geographic Traveler and Fotopedia have teamed up to deliver yet another fantastic travel app for the iPhone and iPad. Entitled "Dreams of Burma," the new app manages to captures the spirit and culture of the Southeast Asian country in a host of images, maps, and other features that make it the next best thing to actually being there yourself.

As you would expect when Nat Geo and Fotopedia get together, photography will play a central role in what ever they produce. That is definitely the case with this app, which comes packed with more than a thousand stunning images from Burma. Those images offer everything from intriguing glimpses inside ornate local temples to breathtaking views of some of the stunning landscapes found throughout the country, however it was the photos of the people, going about their daily lives, that left the biggest impression on me.

Your favorite images can be used to create slideshows or set as your desktop background on your device. Built-in connections to email, Facebook, and Twitter also allow you to easily share the best photos with friends and family as well. The app also features a "Trip Builder," which lets you create your own Burma getaways, both real and virtual. There is also a forward written by Traveler Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows, as well as interactive maps and a comprehensive search feature as well.

This new app is available now and is completely free. It does require an Internet connection to pull in much of the content however, so be aware of that before you use it on the go. Other than that, I can't think of a single reason why anyone who considers themselves a traveler, and owns one of Apple's i-devices, wouldn't have this app installed. Get it now by clicking here.

Six Flags America, located in Bowie, Maryland, has announced that they will be closing Skull Mountain. The unique water flume ride with roller coaster-like elements has been in operation since 1997 when it was originally opened as Typhoon Sea Coaster. The first-of-its-kind ride has underwent changes since it opened, but I remember one unique feature being its turning mechanism that spun the boats. At one point in the ride, the boats were turned around and then the riders traveled backwards.

To give the unique ride a proper send off, Six Flags America is having a two-day pirate festival on July 9th and 10th. Also, starting next week, one of Skull Mountain's boats will be placed in the midway allowing guests the ability to take photos. The park is also holding a last rider auction and a boat from Skull Mountain will be donated to the National Roller Coaster Museum. Make sure you get another ride in before July 10th. Hopefully, the park has a new attraction in the works to take the place of this fun ride. Read the full press release here. [Photo Credit - Flickr user Milst1]

One would think that the safety of travelers on the ground in any given country would be easy to define. "Yes", its safe to travel there or "No", its not. Government travel alerts and warnings surely have our best interest in mind and provide helpful information. But when it comes to our personal safety when traveling, there's a lot more to it than just staying away from the bad part of town in countries we visit. It's often a matter of perception and who we choose to believe.

Mexico's government and tourism people have been fighting news of drug-related crime for years and have devoted a whole lot of effort to telling their side of the story. They say criminal activity, death and all sorts of bad things are in isolated areas, far from where travelers might normally visit.