The Transparency International annual Corruption Perceptions Index has been released. This year, the least corrupt countries in the world are Denmark, New Zealand, and Singapore. They all finished with a score of 9.3, which tie them for being the least corrupt nations.

The unfortunate country that finished last out of the list of 178 was Somalia, which had a score of 1.1.

The 2010 Corruptions Perceptions Index is based on 13 different surveys. Not all countries appear on all 13 surveys though. The scale used was from 1 to 10; 10 being the least corrupt, and 1 being the most.

Other notables in the index were; the United States which came in at #22 with a score of 7.1, The United Kingdom which came in at #28 with a score of 6.3, and Iran which was #146 with a score of 2.2.

The Index is put together every year by Transparency International.

O'Hare Airport

Chicago O’Hare International Airport had to issue a “ground stop” according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. That means that over 125 flights had been canceled earlier today.

As of this afternoon flights have been resumed, but long delays are expected. Incoming flights may see delays of over 3 hours, while outgoing flights could be delayed by over an hour. The high winds and rain are expected to continue throughout Wednesday and into Thursday according to the National Weather Service and NOAA radar.

NJ Transit

NY Metropolitan Transit is advising passengers who are looking to travel on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to expect delays as well, especially during the peak PM commute.

The latest delays for New Jersey Transit are 20-30 minutes for the North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct service in both directions. They are telling people to expect significant delays and crowding on NEC/NJCL trains from and to New York during this evening’s commute. Many trains have been canceled, and updates continue to come in.

You can get a complete list of NJ Transit travel updates at: http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TravelAlertsTo

Lexington BBQ Festival

The Barbecue Festival takes place every year for 1 day out of the year. Each year close to 150,000 visitors attend the large event.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 9:00 AM and bbq tents will be open starting at 10:00 AM. The festival is set in the historic Uptown Lexington on Main Street and the adjoining side streets between 5th Avenue and 4th Street.

There will be 6 stages with continuous entertainment for the entire family. Performances include those by Shaggie Maggie, Ken McIver Davis, Allison Crowell & The Drones, Nicole Rapisardi, Eva Katherine, Matt Walsh, and plenty more.

The festival is free to attend, and food is relatively cheap. It is only $2.00 for hot dogs, $3.00 for french fries and $4.00 for a barbecue sandwich.

The Lexington Barbecue Festival is listed in “1000 Places to See in the USA & Canada Before Your Die”. It certainly is one festival you must attend if you love barbecue food.

Wings Over Houston

There will be plenty to do and see at this year’s event. There will be modern aviation displays spread throughout the show, including displays of a “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft and other modern military and civilian airplanes. There will be dozens of planes from the Vietnam era along with aircraft from World War II and the Korean War as well.

NASA will also be on hand with displays of their own. The NASA Space Exploration Vehicle will be at the show for all to see. They will also have their Vertical Test Bed rocket on hand, along with a lot of other space related machinery.

For those of you that would like to see what it is like to fly in a Thunderbird, or with the Blue Angels, there will be motion simulator rides that let you see what it feels like to be flying one of the high performance airplanes.

Wings Over Houston will feature performances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Coast Guard Helicopters, and so much more. If you are into aircraft of any kind, you are sure to find what you are looking for at this year’s airshow.

Southwest Airlines

In related news, Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that in the 3rd quarter of 2010, they had increased profits. Net income came in at $205 million, which is 27 cents per share. Last year in the same quarter, the company announced a loss of $16 million which was a loss of 2 cents per share. The operating revenue in the 3rd quarter was $3.19 billion which is a 20 percent increase over last year.

The company is still looking into acquiring AirTran.

Taste of Atlanta

Taste of Atlanta 2010 will feature food from over 70 of Atlanta’s restaurants. There will also be celebrity chefs from all over the country putting on live cooking demonstrations. The festival will also include wine and beer tasting tents, as well as educational seminars about certain wines.

Tickets to Taste of Atlanta are $25 in advance, if you purchase them prior to October 22 at midnight, or $35.00 at the door. Children 13 years of age and younger will get in free of charge if they are accompanied by a paying adult. The event will begin at 11:00 AM on October 23 and 24, and close at 6:00 PM.

Some of the restaurants that will have booths at the event include: EVOS, FIGO Pasta, Cafe Campesino, Gilbert’s Cafe, Genki, Desta, Der Biergarten, Crepe Revolution, Capozzi’s Decatur, California Dreaming, Big Chow Grill, New York Prime, NOON Midtown, Pacci, The Melting Pot, and lots more. There is sure to be something to eat no matter what your taste.

Arizona State Fair

Each year, the Arizona State Fair includes approximately 300 Commercial Sales Booths, and 75 different rides. It is considered one of the top 5 state fairs in the United States.

This year’s fair will run from Friday, October 15 until Sunday, November 7, with the exception of Mondays and Tuesdays. There is sure to be something for everyone.

Tickets to the fair are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-13, and $5 for adults over the age of 55. Children that are under 5-years-old get in for free. The fair will be open on Wednesdays & Thursdays from 12:00 PM until 10:00 PM, On Fridays from 12:00 PM until 11:30 PM, Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 11:30 PM, and Sundays from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM.

Parking for the fair is $10 in the main lot located on 19th Avenue and Monte Vista or Encanto Blvd. If you wish to save on parking, you can save $5 by parking in the 20th Avenue and Encanto parking lot.

There will be plenty of entertainment, including performances by Jason Derulo, Blake Shelton, Bret Michaels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Colbie Caillat, and many more.

This year’s Arizona State Fair is expected to drawl well over 1 million people. The record attendance for the fair was set in 2006, when 1,303,690 people attended the event.

Gotthard Base Tunnel

The Gotthard Base Tunnel was being drilled by a huge machine named “Sissi”. Its job now is just about complete, as workers have reached the other side of the Swiss Alps. Even though drilling is now over with, the tunnel will not be operational until the end of 2017, if all goes as planned.

The goal that was set forth was to create a tunnel that would allow trains to go straight through the large mountains in Switzerland, rather than having to maneuver around or over them. The goal appears to be complete. Travel times will be cut by approximately 3 1/2 hours going from Zürich to Milan. Now that the tunnel is has been drilled, what remains is building the actual railway. When complete, trains will be able to reach speeds close to 170 MPH.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is now the longest rail tunnel, after surpassing the Seikan Tunnel located in Japan, which is 33.46 miles long.

“Yesterday we sought to move mountains. Today we have bored right through it and created the world’s longest tunnel,” said Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger.

The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $10.32 Billion, and will includes two side-by-side tunnels, with eventual railroad tracks in each. Swiss citizens will all be taxed $1300 each, for the project. Most of them were not opposed to the idea, since the tunnel will save a lot of time and money once it is complete.

Wings Over Atlanta

The air show is one of the biggest and best in the United States, as it will feature close to 50 different formations, and the best stunt pilots in the world. It is sure to be non stop excitement for the 100,000+ spectators that are expected to attend each day.

The Dobbins Airshow will feature the Navy’s Blue Angels, the United States Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachute team, Red Eagle Air Sports, Otto the Helicopter, Viper East, as well as the Canadian Snowbirds and more.

Admission to the Wings Over Atlanta Air Show 2010 is free to the general public. Gates will open at 8:30 AM and close at approximately 5:30 PM both days. The first act will start at 10:00 AM.