Plasti-Kase: Minimalist Travel Gear

by Willy Volk on

Though it looks just like a plastic bag to you and me, the makers of Plasti-Kase claim their new travel gear — made from 100% post-consumer recyclables — is much more than that.

Capable of being stored in trees, in your pocket, or under your hat (!!!), the plastic bags are small enough to be “carry-on approved,” but large enough to boast 5 gallons of storage capacity. Plus, they can pick up dog poop!

The 1-ounce bags, which run $119, will be available starting in May from fine retail outlets nowhere.

JetBlue #493 Lands at JFK On Time

by Justin Glow on

NEW YORK — Yesterday hundreds of passengers arrived at John F. Kennedy airport in New York on JetBlue flight 493 at or perhaps even slightly before the exact time the plane was scheduled to land.

Lizzie Crumb and her two children were returning from a trip to San Diego to visit in-laws, and had planned on being stuck on a tarmac somewhere for several hours. “I even brought plenty of snacks along,” said Crumb in a telephone interview. “But we arrived on time, without any sort of delays whatsoever.”

The exact number of JetBlue planes that arrived at their gate on time around the country yesterday is unknown, but FAA officials speculate that flight 493 is most likely the only one.

“It must be a cold day in hell,” said Chester Dharbain, air traffic controller based in New York. “Because this is the first JetBlue to arrive on time in the last four months. It’ll probably be the last for a while.”

Linfen, China Boosts Tourism with Mask Give-A-Way

by Jamie Rhein on

In an effort to court tourist dollars, officials in Linfen City in the Shanxi Province of China have announced that all visitors will receive a complimentary “I Can Breathe” face mask by stopping in the visitor’s center at the main train station.

“We recognize our problem,” said Mr. Li Yin, head of the Ministry of Tourism. “We are not ignoring the truth of our pollution fiasco and are facing it head on,” he was quoted as saying during a recent press conference junket. During the conference, he peered through the haze of the warm spring day and demonstrated how to put on the mask by slipping the elastic band fastener over each ear.

His assistant minister, Mr. Wan Yang, added that, although Linfen is proud of its heritage as being part of the history of the birth of Chinese civilization, being known as one of the most polluted cities in the world has put a damper on the tourist dollar intake. Recently, officials have been talking to former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore about how to stem the tide of factory emissions. Until the city can come up with a way to fill American manufacturing needs and a way clean-up up the air quality, they are handing out a mask to anyone who would like one. “It takes time to find balance,” remarked Mr. Yin.

“Definitely. Besides these are fun to decorate,” added Mr. Yang pulling out a box of markers and quickly drawing a pig on two masks before handing them to two female reporters who were fitfully coughing in the front row.

The masks are from a Chicago based company. The company’s involvement makes the Chinese officials feel hopeful. Knowing that Chicago once burned down because of a cow makes folks in Linfen not feel so bad because of their own environmental issues.

“We hope people will give us a chance. There is so much to see and do in Shanxi Province, I hope poor air quality doesn’t keep them away,” Mr. Yang said, still wearing his mask to prove that it did not get in the way of effectively communicating. “They are also 100% recylable.”

Pete Eubanks to Participate in Reeeeeeeally Slow Travel

by Willy Volk on

Recently, we told you about Mark Schatzker, who’s planning to circumnavigate the world without any means of locomotion faster than 100 miles per hour. Why? He wants to rediscover “slow travel.” Cool, huh? Not according to Pete Eubanks.

In an effort to get to the core of slow travel, Pete plans to walk from his front door to the corner of his street — an astounding 189 feet away — in 4 days. According to Pete, “Tomorrow, I’ll be in front of Mary’s house. The following day, I’m going to get up early, because the leg in front of Carlos’ house is gonna be tough: lots of cracks in the sidewalk there. After that, Jim’s house, and then I’ll finish up the trip on the far side of Sue’s place. See it? Right there?”

When asked why he’s doing this trip, Pete — whose neighbors reportedly call him “Pokey Pete” — raises his fist in anger and shouts, “Pokey? I’ll show them pokey!”

Insignificant Province Uses MySpace to Boost Tourism

by Dave Luna on

Have you heard of the tiny Eastern European province of Yrsczstan? No? Well, you’re not alone. In fact, most of its own citizens only know it by its former name — “The People’s Oblast of Vlad” (roughly translated) — because of constant political upheaval. Well, Yrsczstan’s Ministry of Promotions and Goats hopes to eradicate the land’s obscurity by opening its borders to the Internet.

Last week, the Ministry created a page on MySpace to make friends with the site’s 100 million+ users. Their desire is to connect with curious travelers and lure them to the province in a non-sexual-predator way. Yrsczstan describes itself on the site very succinctly: “We made mostly of factories and large women. We also have strong export of radioactive plastics.”

As of the time of this post, Yrsczstan only has one friend: Tom.