World's Worst Airport Terminals

Most airports are awful. At best they’re joyless econoboxes, at worst purgatorial warehouses of stalled lives.

Some airports deserve special condemnation, though. In some cases, they deserve to be literally condemned. Assembling this top 10 list of misfits I scanned professional surveys and delay statistics and asked my frequent-traveler friends to come up with the 10 airports where you'd least like to spend an extra hour.

I'm sticking to major airports here. There are small airports around the world that consist of a shanty that swelters in the summer and freezes in the winter, with a hole in the wall for baggage claim and a single sad concession stand. (I'm actually describing my experience at Udaipur Airport in India in 1999). But that's not fair. These 10 airports should deliver better service, and they don't. I'm listing them from least worst to the absolute worst.

Chicago Midway Airport Chicago Midway Airport (fboyd)

Chicago's Midway airport ranked as the nation's worst for on-time departures in the most recent federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, earning it a spot on this list. It isn't a bad place to hang out, with a new food court and a frequent subway connection to downtown Chicago, but any airport is the worst airport if you're stuck there and you aren't getting on a plane.

Consider this the least worst of our set of bad airports. Midway's curse may come more from Chicago's notoriously difficult weather than from any problem the airport itself can fix.

"Paris" Beauvais Airport, France "Paris" Beauvais Airport, France (scalleja)

A solid 50 miles north of Paris, this depressing low-cost box of an airport in Picardy got saddled with a bait-and-switch name by Ryanair, the ultimate bait-and-switch airline. It rated as one of the world's worst airports by Frommers.com friends SleepingInAirports.net because of its lack of seating, lack of services, and general half-tent, half-warehouse atmosphere. 

It lacks a rail link to Paris and closes overnight, so hope that your flight doesn't get too delayed, or you may be camping out on the lawn.

For years, Ryanair liked to play this trick of stamping the names of famous cities on distant small-town airports with poor transit links that weren't designed for much tourist traffic: thus Beauvais and "Barcelona Reus," which is more than an hour and a half from Barcelona. 

Newark Airport Terminal B Newark Airport Terminal B (livatlantis)

All three major New York City airports are on this list, in large part because they're run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a hideously mismanaged money sink that does a poor job of responding to air travelers' needs.

Newark got two stars -- the worst rating -- in JD Power's 2010 airport study. It's also the nation's worst airport for on-time arrivals in the most recent federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics data. 

Fortunately you'll be stuck waiting at your point of origin, because Newark is an awfully dull airport to wait for a flight in. The airport idiotically puts security before individual piers in Terminals A and B, which means that rather than have a whole terminal's food and shopping to entertain you, you're stuck out on a single pier. It's pretty quiet out there.

LaGuardia Airport US Airways Terminal,LaGuardia Airport US Airways Terminal, New York City (andrea_r)
New York City

I don't hate LaGuardia, but it was recently rated the worst major airport in America by both JD Power and Associates and Zagat Survey, so who am I to argue? 

LaGuardia has no rail link to anywhere -- even between its own terminals -- and regularly suffers from congestion, overcrowding, and delays. While its terminals are shaping up, they're still each smaller and with fewer services than you'd expect from an airport at one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

I'm giving the US Airways Terminal the worst-terminal award here because at least the central terminal has an atrium and the Delta terminal just got some new food options. The US Airways terminal is dull and sad.

Amman Queen Alia Airport, JordanAmman Queen Alia Airport , Jordan (pshegubj)

One of the two airports rated "two stars" by global consulting firm Skytrax, Amman gets lousy ratings for services that might be useful if you're hanging around -- bathroom cleanliness, places to rest, children’s play facilities, and service counters. 

Reviews on the Skytrax website make it clear that you may just want to "hold it" in this airport: they're almost universally appalled at the state of the bathrooms. Those reviewers have probably never been to JFK Terminal 3, but still, that isn't good.

Chicken Nuggets: How Bad Are They?

When the kids are wailing, the boss wasn’t happy with your presentation, and the kitchen is anything but pristine, what mom hasn’t thrown up her hands and given in to demands for chicken nuggets? Like, three times a week?

Maybe Mom should tell the kids: Be careful what you wish for.

Read about celebrities who dealt with eating disorders.

This week 17-year-old British factory worker Stacey Irvine was rushed to the hospital when she collapsed, struggling to breathe. During the exam, doctors were stunned to learn that Ms. Irvine had never in her life eaten fruit or vegetables; instead she had eaten almost nothing but fast-food chicken nuggets since she was two years old.

Her mother, Evonne Irvine, told reporters she had gone to great lengths to try to feed her daughter more nutritious food, at one point even trying to starve the girl, but it hadn’t worked. Stacey responded that, once she started eating nuggets, she “loved them so much they were all I would eat.”

Learn to grow your own fruits and vegetables.

What’s so bad about nuggets?

They would be bad enough if they were merely chunks of chicken that had been breaded and deep-fried in oil. One documentary describes McDonald's nuggets as chickens “stripped down to the bone, and then 'ground up’ into a chicken mash, then combined with a variety of stabilizers and preservatives, pressed into familiar shapes, breaded and deep fried, freeze dried, and then shipped to a McDonald’s near you.”

Aside from chicken and oil, those “stabilizers and preservatives” are said to include dimethylpolysiloxane, a form of silicone also used in cosmetics. Another additive is tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a form of butane. According to one report, chicken is only about 50 percent of a McNugget; the remainder is a mixture of corn-derived ingredients, sugars and synthetic substances.

If a four-piece serving of Chicken McNuggets carried a nutrition label, at first glance it wouldn’t seem too scary: 190 calories, 12 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fat. But consider that more than half of those calories (56 percent) are from fat—and protein accounts for a mere four percent. Add a whopping 360 mg sodium, and its image as “the more nutritious fast-food snack” fades.

Read about 15 surprisingly healthy fast food picks.

What’s the worst that can happen?

Aside from collapsing and gasping for air, as Stacey Irvine did? Doctors also discovered that the veins in Ms. Irvine’s tongue were swollen and she was diagnosed with anemia. Further, such a high salt intake can increase a person’s blood pressure (which ultimately can put them at risk for a stroke or heart attack).

McNuggets are low in nutrients everyone needs, such as calcium, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats, so a steady diet of nuggets means missing out on the health benefits of those ingredients.

Find out which vitamins you really need.

So what’s a parent to do?

If your kids are hooked on nuggets, experts offer these suggestions for steering them towards healthier eating:

Serve a variety of healthy foods at home to prevent “picky eater” habits from forming. Taking them grocery shopping, teaching them to find and choose foods, and involving them in meal planning tells them you want to prepare meals they will enjoy.
Set realistic goals. If the child bristles at eating a side portion of veggies, make a game to get him to take one bite of the new-tasting food.
Make your own chicken snacks at home, using healthy dipping sauces like marinara sauce, yogurt or mustard. If you must bread the nuggets, dip them in an egg, roll them in cornflake crumbs and bake, don’t fry.
If you’re eating out, cut out half of the trans and saturated fat by ordering a grilled chicken sandwich instead of nuggets. Order for your child from the adult menu, or share your sandwich with her, so the nuggets issue doesn’t come up.
Be consistent and firm, but encourage and praise the child every time she tries a new, healthier food. And be a good role model—don’t expect children to eat healthy when one or both parents snack on salty chips or fatty, processed foods.
Keep healthy foods in the meal, even when you give in and allow your child to order nuggets. Serve it with a side salad, fruit, or a slice of whole-grain bread.

My Weekend Crush

Life affords us far too few moments of grace. Amid the mess and muddle of our everyday existence, we can forget what matters most far too easily. Amid the complication and conflict of our differences, we can forget what makes us all the same. Like many of you I have followed the story of Gabrielle Giffords from that terrible moment a little over a year ago when those first horrifying reports first came in of a shooting at congressional event in Arizona. And, like many of you, my emotions went from anguish and anger to amazement and admiration as the nation struggled to come to terms with what had happened. She has been, quite simply, awesome. To survive getting shot in the head is, in itself, nothing short of a miracle. But how she has conducted herself through this ordeal has been almost otherworldly. The courage she has displayed, the strength she has mustered, the compassion she has offered and the unbreakable spirit she has shown is more than a miracle. It’s pure grace. I had hoped, with all my heart, that this inspirational woman would defy the odds and stay in congress. But I completely understand and admire her reasons for resigning this week. And I think, in fact I know, that we have not seen the last of this extraordinary woman or her radiant smile. Thank you for your service, Gabby. A grateful nation wishes you a full and fast recovery. Happy weekend, all.

p.s. On a purely superficial note, because this is a Weekend Crush after all, hot damn does Gabby look smokin’ with a motorcycle or what?

Indonesia Workers Block Again Cikampek Toll-jakarta

Labor protests that blocked Cibitung toll roads, Jakarta, decided to track traffic to Bandung via toll Cipularang. Police forced the vehicle from the direction of Jakarta and asked them to rotate the direction of looking for another path.

"At Km 20, police cars with sirens across the street. The officer then told that there is a demo of workers in Cibitung and asked to turn the car to Jakarta," said Tama S Langkun toll users when contacted by AFP on Friday (01/27/2012).

Tama proceed, appeals officer makes a moving car from Jakarta rotating direction and crossed into the path that brought back to the toll gate of West Jakarta. Tama crossed around 10:30 pm.

"Now through the normal channels, which is important to find a way to Bandung," he added.

Ahmadinejad: Iran is ready for new nuclear talks with West

CAPTION

By Arra Kenare, AFP/Getty Images

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for new nuclear talks with the West, the Associated Press reports.

The Iranian president's comments come as the United States and Europe have begun tightening sanctions against Iran in an attempt to convince it to halt uranium enrichment, which they worry could lead to weapons-grade material.

Iran insists its nuclear program is only for energy and research.

The 27-member European Union imposed an oil embargo against Iran on Monday, which followed moves by the U.S. aimed at limiting Iran's ability to sell oil, which accounts for 80% of its foreign revenue.

Ahmadinejad accused the West of trying to scuttle negotiations as a way to further squeeze Iran.

"It is you who come up with excuses each time and issue resolutions on the verge of talks so that negotiations collapse," Ahmadinejad says in his speech. "Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks? It is evident that those who resort to coercion are opposed to talks and always bring pretexts and blame us instead."

"It is you who come up with excuses each time and issue resolutions on the verge of talks so that negotiations collapse," Ahmadinejad said in his speech in Kerman, in southeastern Iran, today. "Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks? It is evident that those who resort to coercion are opposed to talks and always bring pretexts and blame us instead."

Ahmadinejad's remarks follow other indications that Tehran is ready for a new round of talks with the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany. The last round of talks was held in Turkey last January, but the negotiations ended with no resolution.

The point: Brewer vs. Obama

CAPTION

By Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP

This may turn out to be one of the symbolic images of the Obama years.

The governor of a major state pointing her finger at the president of the United States.

Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said President Obama objected to her description of an earlier meeting in the Oval Office over immigration policy. The White House said Brewer distorted the details of that meeting in her book.

In some ways, the point reflects the political divisions of our time.

It also underscores the disputes that underscore those divisions: Illegal immigration.

Expect to hear the echoes throughout this election season.

USA TODAY's Aamer Madhani describes this latest episode:

President Obama and Gov. Jan Brewer had a tense exchange Wednesday, sparring over the Arizona governor's portrayal of Obama as "patronizing" in her memoirs.

CAPTION

By Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP

Obama was greeted by Brewer soon after Air Force One landed in Phoenix this afternoon. The president was handed a handwritten letter by Brewer, and they spoke intensely for a few minutes, according to a White House pool report. At one point, she was pointing her finger at him and at another, they were talking at the same time, seemingly over each other, according to pooler Carrie Buddof Brown ofPolitico.

"He was a little disturbed about my book, 'Scorpions for Breakfast,' " Brewer told reporters traveling with Obama. "I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president. The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt. "

In her 2011 book, Brewer is critical of the president and accused the president of being "patronizing" and said "he lectured me" during a June 2010 Oval Office meeting. In media interviews after the event, she described their conversation as cordial.

The White House offered a statement with their version of what transpired on the Phoenix tarmac:

"The governor handed the President a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The President said he'd be glad to meet with her again, but did note that after their last meeting, a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The President looks forward to continuing taking steps to help Arizona's economy grow."

Obama is in Phoenix to visit Intel's Ocotillo campus.

Somalia hostage's husband cites 'three months of hell'

wo hostages rescued in Somalia by U.S. special forces met with their families at a military base in Italy on Thursday as the husband of the American woman described her time spent in captivity as "three months of hell."

Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Danish colleague Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, were rescued early Wednesday by Navy SEAL Team 6 — the same group involved in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden last spring — in a daring mission at a remote encampment deep in northern Somalia. The two aid workers were kidnapped by pirates in October.

News reports Thursday said Buchanan and Thisted were at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily.

Erik Landemalm, Buchanan's husband, told ABC that he kept his wife's captivity a secret from many of his friends in order to protect her.

"This morning, after going through three months of hell with Somali pirates, my amazing wife was saved by the American military and she is now in saftey!" Erik Landemalm wrote on his Facebook in Swedish. "Words cannot describe the joy and relief we feel! Thank you to all that have helped and apologies to all our friends I haven't shared this with. This a day of Happiness!"

Christina Scolforo, a close friend of Buchanan, told ABC that her abduction was intentionally kept from the media.

"We didn't want them to get media hype that would cause them to think that she was worth more, and they would want more of a ransom, and then it would prolong the time that she was captive, so a lot of it was hush," Scolforo said.

Buchanan's immediate family is now meeting with her at the U.S. military base in Sicily, members of the woman's extended family told ABC News. Reuters also reported the two were at the base.

"She says she feels safe for the first time in 93 days. The men that risked their lives … I just can't say enough so I really, really appreciate it," said Dave Buchanan, Jessica's uncle.

In Somalia, Buchanan served as a regional education adviser at the Danish Demining Group, a division of the Danish Refugee Council.

"She loves kids and she loves to help people and that's the reason she was over there. Just to help," Dave Buchanan said.

Urgency to rescue the two workers increased after officials were told Buchanan's health was deteriorating. But reports of her heath have been conflicting.

When word reached Valley Forge Christian College that Buchanan had been rescued it was the happy ending to three months of constant prayers for the 2007 graduate.

"It was very exciting," college President Don Meyer said Wednesday. "We just feel this overwhelming deep sense of gratitude to God for his faithfulness in her life, gratitude to those who had the courage to put themselves in harm's way."

Meyer had first learned of her kidnapping in Somalia from Buchanan's brother-in-law, Andrew Mathe, a current student at Valley Forge.

"When we heard this news back in October, it kind of froze us in place, knowing the seriousness of it," Meyer said. "So many times these stories don't have happy endings."

He said he shared the news of Buchanan's kidnapping with students on campus but asked them not to tell others or refer to it on social media sites because authorities had instructed Buchanan's family to keep quiet.

As weeks turned to months, Meyer said he and students at the school prayed constantly for Buchanan's safe return. He also took special care to call and send Buchanan's family personal notes in the mail with scripture readings.

"There was very little information coming out of her circumstances," Meyer said. "There was hardly anything during that time that came to the family."

He learned of the rescue in an e-mail from Mathe at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and spoke to him twice. Mathe contradicted reports that Buchanan's health was declining, Meyer said.

"He shared that her health was good," he said.

President Obama gave the orders for Buchanan and Thisted to be rescued.

John Buchanan, Jessica's father, told CNN he was "flabbergasted" when Obama phoned him Tuesday.

"He said, 'John, this is Barack Obama. I'm calling because I have great news for you. Your daughter has been rescued by our military.'

"I'm extremely proud and glad to be an American," Buchanan said.

Meyer last saw Jessica Buchanan, an early childhood education major, two years ago when she returned to Pennsylvania to visit family after her mother died. He learned she was working for the refugee council in Somalia. Before that, she taught in Nairobi, Kenya.

"She absolutely loved her experience there," Meyer said. "Her passion for Africa flourished while she was there. She could hardly talk about Africa without tears in her eyes."

"Her sense of divine mission was very clear to her," he said. "She had a very clear resolve. This was something birthed in her that God was doing."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported Thursday that a pirate in Somalia said that captors holding an American have moved their hostage at least three times following the raid by the SEAL team that rescued Buchanan and Thisted. The SEALs killed nine alleged kidnappers in that operation early Wednesday.

The high-profile rescue raised questions about whether other Western hostages held in Somalia have a greater chance at release or could be in greater danger.

"If they try again we will all die all together," warned Hassan Abdi, the pirate connected to the gang holding the American. "It's difficult to hold U.S. hostages, because it's a game of chance: die or get huge money. But we shall stick with our plans and will never release him until we get a ransom."

Abdi suggested captives may be moved to hijacked ships where rescue attempts are more difficult.

"Holding hostages in one place is unlikely now because we are the next target," Abdi said in a phone conversation with the Associated Press.

"It wasn't just a hit and run operation, but long planned with the help of insiders among us," Abdi said, noting the soldiers had struck at the time when the pirates were least on their guard.

Contributing: Carolyn Pesce in McLean, Va.; Associated Press