STAR CITY, Russia – The man who plans on being "the first clown in space" says he's got some surprises planned for the crew of international space station.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte says he plans to tickle the station's astronauts while they're sleeping and he's also bringing red clown noses to try to lighten things up.

The Canadian creator of the famed circus troupe is paying $35 million to jet up to the station later this month on a Russian craft. He'll join cosmonaut Maxim Surayev and astronaut Jeffrey Williams on the journey.

The three spoke to reporters Thursday ahead of their flight to the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, from where Soyuz blasts off on Sept. 30.

5 insider tips for knowing your resort is in foreclosure

From the outside, the Puerto Rican inn that Pablo Solomon checked into looked like it belonged on the cover of a slick vacation brochure. The landscaping seemed immaculate, the lawn was freshly trimmed, and the pool an inviting shade of blue.

He paid no attention to the “for sale” sign out front. But he should have.

“It was a disaster,” remembers Solomon, an artist who lives in Lampasas, Tex. “The staff knew their days were numbered and just did not care. Nothing worked and everything was dirty. There were bugs. We found out later that the exterior looked nice only because an outside company did the maintenance.”

A record number of hotels are thought to be in foreclosure, meaning that Solomon is in good company. (No one appears to keep reliable records on a nationwide basis.) One industry-watcher estimated that as many as 10,000 properties are at risk — that’s roughly 1 in every 5 hotels.

Most resorts don’t advertise their impending shutdown. “Hotels in foreclosure are very secretive about it,” says Aliya Jiwa, a Dubai-based hotel investment analyst. “There are absolutely immaculate hotels that are in foreclosure, and no one would know.”

Which brings us to the first — and perhaps the most obvious — tip-off that a hotel is in trouble. “If you see a for sale sign on your hotel,” says Solomon, “run.”

Beyond that, how do you make the most of a visit to an almost-bankrupt hotel? Here’s how to spot a property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one:

1. Is the place falling apart? Most hotels on the brink have lost their ability to repay their loans, so they can’t cover their operating costs. As a result, rooms and public areas become neglected. “Hotels need to refurbish or renovate every three years or so to maintain a good aesthetic appearance and keep their flag,” says Jiwa, the hotel analyst. (A flag is a hotel’s brand.) “When you see public areas like the lobby in need of some updating or rooms that are dilapidated — stained carpet, chipped tables, cracked bathroom tiles — then this is a sign that a hotel is financial trouble.” It doesn’t always mean the hotel is in foreclosure. Sometimes, it just means it’s a badly-run hotel. Either way, it’s not a good sign, and you should check out as soon as you’re able.

SEOUL, South Korea — Six South Koreans camping and fishing along a river flowing from North Korea were swept away Sunday when it suddenly doubled in height, apparently because a new dam in the North released a large amount of water without warning, officials said.

South Korean officials said they will ask for an explanation from Pyongyang, adding they had already conveyed concerns about the dam's effect on the South in recent years but received no response.

About 1,300 rescuers had failed to find those missing about 10 hours after the search began, fire official Park Ju-il said. He said the campers included a 12-year-old boy.

The Imjin River's water level jumped from 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) to 15.1 feet (4.6 meters) Sunday morning, Gyeonggi provincial official Choi Kwon-rak said. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said the North is believed to have released about 40 million tons of water starting at 2 a.m. (1700 GMT) on Sunday.

Choi said there was no other apparent cause since it had not rained in the area for several days.

South Korean officials have raised concerns the Hwanggang Dam could cause water shortages or flooding in the South, with some saying the North could use it as a weapon. Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with Pyongyang, said in a statement that it conveyed such concerns to North Korea during talks in 2006 and 2007, but the North hasn't responded.

The ministry plans to send a message to the North on Monday to request an explanation of what happened and to express regret at Seoul not be alerted to the suspected discharge of water, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity citing department policy.