Liverpool: John Lennon remembered with series of cultural events

Shoes on? Shoes off? Can I keep my sweatshirt on? What about a sweater? Do I have to remove my baggie of approved liquids? Are empty water bottles okay? I consider myself an airport security line expert, yet I'm still often baffled by the near constant changes in TSA regulations. So let's check in with the TSA and see what they have in store for us the next time we going through security: NO NEED TO REMOVE THAT COMPUTER Apple's ultra-sleek 11-inch MacBook Air is allowed to stay in your backpack or carry-on when going through airport security. This sets the machine apart from other laptops, which—as you're probably aware—must be removed for inspection. It turns out this light-as-air gadget is being classified alongside iPads, e-readers, and netbooks as checkpoint-friendly. And it all comes down to a simple matter of size. (I know I should be singing the praises of this development, because we're all taught to cherish every valuable millisecond saved during the security check process. But I, for one, don't mind the one or two seconds it takes to unzip my bag and remove a laptop.) EXACT NAMES REQUIRED EARLY Under the TSA's new Secure Flight Program, all passengers are required to provide name, date of birth, and gender 72 hours before a flight. Names will then be screened against a terror watch list. It won't feel like much of a change—you'll just provide this information during the ticket-buying process. One thing to watch out for: your name must exactly match the name on your passport or government-issued ID. Make sure to watch out for nicknames and those pesky middle initials. UPDATED PAT-DOWN PROCEDURES Passengers might get a little touchy about this next one. The TSA has updated its pat-down procedures for passengers who set off the metal detector and then refuse to go through the new, full-body scanners. Agents used to use only the backs of their hands, but now fronts of hands are allowed. And they can go farther than ever before. Without getting too graphic, as long as agents are patting you down over your clothes, no part of the body is off limits. Needless to say, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union are up in arms. Somehow it makes the full body scan sound almost pleasant by comparison!

Sometimes traveling just stinks. Literally. We've all encountered a peculiar odor during a trip, whether it's been on an airplane, in a rental car, or even in a hotel room (I know I've been forced into booking a smoking room in an otherwise full hotel). An up-and-coming company called Scentsy is angling to fix that very problem. Known for its wickless candles and warmers, Scentsy has come up with a collection of fragrance products designed with traveling in mind. They're fun, portable, and—best of all—TSA-friendly. Here are the most travel-worthy of the lot: Fragrance Foam: One of the newest additions is the 2.7-ounce Fragrance Foam. An alcohol-free, scented hand sanitizer, the Fragrance Foam is packed with emollients so it kills germs without drying out your skin like many other hand sanitizers tend to do. It's available in five scents—none of which actually smell antiseptic-y ($6). The Scent Pak: Scent Pak pouches are filled with scented beads; you can just stick one in your luggage and let it go to work on its own. A pouch in the Pima Cotton fragrance, for example, can be placed in the suitcase carrying your dirty laundry; the light clean mix of lilies, freesia, and jasmine will leave a fresh-fabric smell—not an overwhelming essence, like you spilled a bottle of perfume inside. Scentsy Buddy: What's really cool and great for families is that the Scent Paks can also be packaged in a cute and kid-friendly Scentsy Buddy, a plush stuffed animal with a zippered compartment that holds the fragrance pouch. The six animal options include characters like Roarbert the Lion and Ollie the Elephant; kids can visit a special website to register and nickname their new pals and design and download an adoption certificate (Buddy with a Scent Pak $25, individual Scent Pak $7). Travel Tin: Another super-useful option is the Travel Tin, a flat, pocket-size metal container filled with a gel fragrance; just slide the tin open to release the scent—the more you open it, the more fragrance it emits. The tins fit perfectly in a purse, giving you a conveniently discreet way to clear the air of an unwanted odor ($5 each or six for $25). Scent Circle: The Scent Circle is essentially the sort of air freshener you'd hang in your car ($3). Room Spray: This is exactly what it sounds like. At 2.7 ounces ($8), it also complies with TSA regulations. The company offers a variety of fun, travel-inspired scents like Ocean (aquatic notes deepened with water lilies and ocean breezes) and Beach (papaya and honeydew with a hint of coconut). And the choices aren't all girly: A collection of "manly" fragrances includes Hemingway (rich apples accented with sandalwood, cedar, and hints of spice) and what the company calls its "bad boy" scent, Peligro, with ebony wood, blue cypress, musk, and white pepper. Scentsy is a direct-selling company, meaning you can only buy its products through independent consultants (Tupperware-party-style). That doesn't mean you have to actually know a consultant or go to a party, though; just click on "Find a Consultant" on the Scentsy website and enter your address, and it will find consultants close to you and connect you to their websites. You can also search for a consultant by name.

We've been tracking the spread of smoking bans around the world, often to places that were once notorious for having a culture that loves to light up: Paris, Fort Worth, Dublin, London, the nation of Turkey, and many more. Now New York City is going a step further. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has voiced his support to expand the city's 2003 ban on smoking in restaurants and bars to now include parks, beaches, marinas, boardwalks, and pedestrian plazas as well. That would most likely mean that fines would be enforced in areas like the Coney Island boardwalk, the Times Square pedestrian plaza, and throughout Central Park. Last week's news release listed many reasons for the proposed ban, including that "a person sitting within three feet of a smoker outside can be exposed to levels of secondhand smoke similar to those experienced indoors," and also that "research shows that 65 percent of New Yorkers favor banning smoking at outdoor recreational places such as parks, ball fields and playgrounds." But a smokers' rights group, called NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, strongly disagrees with these claims of support. The AP quoted founder Audrey Silk as arguing that smoke dissipates quickly outdoors where "there's room for everybody and nobody will be affected." Similarly, in California, a state typically known for its progressive laws, a measure failed earlier this year which would have banned smoking in state beaches and parks (it was vetoed by the state's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is a cigar aficionado himself). The New York City ban still faces a series of public hearings and approval from City Council before becoming law. So what's your take: Do you consider the proposed smoking ban an infringement on New Yorkers' rights, or a welcome change for some of the Big Apple's most iconic landmarks?

In the past, Orbitz has earned our kudos in the past for its customer-friendly attitude. The company's Price Assurance program sends an automatic refund if another Orbitz customer books the same hotel room for the same night for less. And with the Enhanced Low Price Guarantee (which we blogged about last fall) travelers who find their hotel room for a lower price on another site can get a refund for the difference and a $50 discount on a future Orbitz booking. Plus, Orbitz also shows up-front prices with taxes and fees included—a particularly nice feature for us budget travelers. Orbitz was founded as an airline-booking site 10 years ago and has lost a little ground to other huge OTAs who have focused on hotel bookings, like Expedia and Priceline. Orbitz CEO Barney Harford was quoted in the Chicago Tribune recently, saying his focus for the past year has been: "hotel, hotel, hotel." So, it's no wonder Orbitz is working to improve its hotel search. Now, let's get to the good stuff! What's new: Orbitz now displays its hotel search results in a pleasing, easy-to-navigate template. Each hotel has "tabs" that you can click on to get photos, a list of amenities, and a map. You can "save" hotels to go back to later, and of course you can sort all results by lowest price, star rating, or location. Here's what's exciting, at least for a quick decision-maker like me: You can compare hotels side-by-side on the same web page, without having to navigate away. For instance, I decided to check out hotels in Paris. In the "photos" tab, I found a photo of a guestroom in each hotel. By scrolling down, I could quickly look at what my room would look like in each hotel, without having to click elsewhere (or line up different web browsers, which I have admittedly done before). This gets even cooler when you use Google Street View. Within the same framework of the search-results page, you can click on the "map" tab and then click on "street view." Spin it around and see what the hotel environs are. I was completely in love with a hotel on the outskirts of Paris (an all-suites property that started at just $133!) until I realized, via street view, that this place was right by the airport. Like, depressingly close—I could see the airport in street view. Naturally, Orbitz's new look and feel isn't perfect; I wish there was an "under $200" search option, which would be great for budget travelers. Also, comparing hotels side-by-side is certainly nice, but there's no way to move the hotels around within the search results, so there's still a lot of scrolling. And I couldn't figure out how to get into my saved hotels and compare those side-by-side—the saved hotels appear as just a list. But, overall, it's great to see a huge OTA like Orbitz freshen up its look. The question is, what do you think? What else would you like to see from Orbitz in the future?