One for the Road: Take me to Your Leader

by Kelly Amabile on

You can’t miss this book. Literally — I’ve seen it everywhere recently. Any Barnes and Noble I’ve passed this week has dozens of copies of this bright yellow oddball guide standing upright, luring readers in. “Buy me! And Take Me To Your Leader“, it screams. If you crave bizarre stories and weird facts, than you might get hooked into buying this irreverent look at Planet Earth.

So what useless world facts will you find in this quirky guide? You’ll learn which drink is the traditional “hooch” in countries like Sri Lanka (Kasippu) and Macedonia (Rakia), and how to say “Cheers” and “I love you” in Arabic, Swahili and Esperanto (and a bunch of other languages). There are also handy drawings of every airplane ever designed, a list of the Seven Wonders of the World (as chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers) and that all important two-page spread of famous world sausages. (I was surprised to learn that I’ve already sampled six in my lifetime.)

The list of random yet (arguably) useful facts continues…keep your eye out for the yellow cover and see if you get sucked into the void.

The Gambler is a Hit Worldwide

by Martha Edwards on

When I saw this article on Kenny Rogers’ song The Gambler inspiring the England Rugby team to make it to the world cup, I was transported back to a far-off land — Southeast Asia to be exact — where I sat in the back of a bumpy truck, trying to teach a bunch of Brits and Northern Irish the words. Come to think of it, I’ve done this more than once — The Gambler is one of those songs that’s iconic the world over, even though few actually know all the words. It’s just one of those songs that the entire English-speaking world seems to love, and when it comes to be known that I’ve memorized it, I’m an instant hit.

And I can see why it’s such a popular song — it’s full of sage wisdom that can be applied to life, whether gambling’s your thing or not. In fact, it’s a song about travelling and the advice garnered from a stranger on the train. So next trip you go on, take some advice from The Gambler:

  • Never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table: Showing off how much wealth you have when you’re in a poor country can land you in trouble.
  • The secret to surviving is knowin’ what you throw away and what to keep: Apply this to your backpack. Carrying too much stuff might not kill you but it will make for some real unpleasantness.
  • Know when to walk away and know when to run. Use this piece of wisdom when you’re out on the town — sometimes it’s just time to call it a night, you know? Especially when there’s a potential ladyboy involved.

Sour Death Balls: A Funny, Uplifting Gaze at Humanity

by Jamie Rhein on

Jessica Yu won the Best Documentary Short Oscar for “Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brian” in 1997. I met her shortly after when she was at Ohio State talking about her work as a film maker and showing some of her films. “Breathing Lessons” was wonderful and she was totally charming. One of the short, short films she showed was “Sour Death Balls,” one I have thought about from time to time. To my delight, when I was looking for Gadling mentions a few days ago, “Sour Death Balls” showed up on Hob Gadling’s Web site Hob’s zeitgeist. I watched it and loved it all over again. I rediscovered what I thought was so wonderful the first time. Here are all these people from diverse ethnic backgrounds reacting so unguarded to a common experience. So simple. Give people the sourest sour ball you can find and see what happens. Here’s an article about Jessica written not long after she won the Oscar.

Residents-Only Service on the Grand Canal in Venice

by Catherine Bodry on

Venice has just 60,000 residents, but hosts 20 million visitors in a year. That’s a lot of tourists for a small population, and the city is beginning to feel a little crowded for its citizens. Vaporettos (water taxis) on Venice’s Grand Canal are just getting too cramped for the city’s residents, and an abundance of private boats are creating waves that weaken building foundations. So Venetians, those same locals who fine tourists who don’t follow the rules and who jack up prices for rude tourists, have solved the crowding problem by starting a locals-only service.

The water taxi, Line 3, will run from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco on the palace-lined waterway. The cost for residents is 1 euro (or $1.42), compared to the 6 euros tourists pay for their water taxi — even polite tourists.

[via Reuters]

Watch the World Series Aboard a Frontier Airlines Flight?

by Catherine Bodry on

If you can’t stand missing the World Series, but you absolutely must travel during one of the games, don’t fret just yet. If Frontier Airlines is flying to your destination, you may just be in luck — and you might want to book your ticket now. The Denver-based airline is negotiating with DirectTV for permission to show the series on its flights if the Rockies are playing. The airline, which shows the Super Bowl every year in-flight, is making sure it has rights to air live TV.

JetBlue will also be showing the World Series (no matter who’s playing — go Sox!).

[via USA Today]