Swag Giveaway, Red Alert Smog, Scariest Bridge Gets Scarier & More

Highlights and headlines from around the web:

Points, Miles & MartinisÂ points to a great deal on theÂ iPad Mini 2 32GB with Wi-Fi. Target currently has it for $269 (46% off) with a possible extra 5% off when purchased with a Target RedCard.
Beijing has declared it’s first ever air pollution “red alert” today, shutting down schools and factories until Thursday. The air quality is deemed hazardous by US standards and walking down the street is described as “strolling through a coal mine,” yet interestingly enough the levels are lower than the extreme polution that hit the city last November.I was fortunate to visit Beijing in 2009 shortly after the Olympics. And 2 of the 3 days I was there there was actually fairly good visibility. Since then I noticed with each layover at the Beijing airport the acrid burning smell is increasingly prevalent throughout the airport and you can barely see planes on the runways 🙁
Magic of Miles is doing a giveaway each day in December. Today it’s a swag bag. To enter, just read her post on whether hotel wake up calls are obsolete and comment. For early morning flights I usually go with both the alarm on my phone and a wake up call just in case!
Earlier this year I came across a list of some of the scariest bridges in the US and the driving services that help people cross them in their own vehicles. The 4.3 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge with its narrow lanes and low gaurd rails is certainly terrifying andÂ this weekend it wasÂ even scarier with low level fog shrouding it.Â The Washington PostÂ features some beautiful photos of the fog captured by pilot Joe Fox.
photo credit: Joe Fox
Home holiday laser light displaysÂ areÂ reaching a wider audience than home owners might think. Pilots are reporting seeing lasers lights 15,000 feet up.