Getting drunk: Twenty cities that don’t know how to handle their liquor

by Tom Johansmeyer on

California loves to get wasted! San Diego and San Jose are the top two cities that drink stupidly, according to a survey by Insurance.com. They lead the country in alcohol-related driving violations, a dubious distinction to say the least. So, if you step into the crosswalk in these two spots, take an extra second to look both ways.

The reasons for hitting this list vary and include proximity to colleges and nightlife, and the presence of stringent enforcement may play a key role, the survey finds. If you think a lack of enforcement puts a city at the top of the list, remember that slapping the cuffs on a lot of people increases the instances of drunk driving, which actually pushes it up. Insurance.com explains:

San Diego most likely tops the list because its police departments are aggressive in making DUI arrests, and officers there arrest lots of drunk drivers, says Mark McCullough, a San Diego police department spokesperson specializing in DUI issues.

To pull the list of 20 drunk driving metropolitan areas together, according to Insurance Networking News, Insurance.com analyzed “percentage of its car insurance online quote requests for which users reported alcohol-related driving violations.”

So, who made the top 20? Take a look below:

  1. San Diego, CA
  2. San Jose, CA
  3. Charlotte, NC
  4. Phoenix, AZ
  5. Columbus, OH
  6. Indianapolis, IN
  7. Los Angeles, CA
  8. San Francisco, CA
  9. Austin, TX
  10. Jacksonville, FL
  11. San Antonio, TX
  12. Dallas, TX
  13. Houston, TX
  14. Fort Worth, TX
  15. Memphis, TN
  16. Philadelphia, PA
  17. New York, NY
  18. Baltimore, MD
  19. Chicago, IL
  20. Detroit, MI

Boston got lucky on this one. It was excluded because of a lack of data – not because the drivers there are absolutely nuts.

Disclosure: I learned how to drive in Boston.

[Via Insurance Networking News, photo by davidsonscott15 via Flickr]

Summertime, and the maggots are easy

by Alex Robertson Textor on

It’s summertime, which means that for people in many parts of North America, certain types of vermin are particularly well-represented in kitchen cupboards, bathroom corners, basement nooks and, heck, just about everywhere. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, water bugs, and other little flying and scurrying insects make their presence especially well known across North America during the summer.

But maggots? Maggots, thankfully, we see less frequently than garden-variety mosquitoes and water bugs.

Passengers on US Airways flight 1537 on Monday from Atlanta to Charlotte were not so lucky as the rest of us. Flies and maggots materialized in the cabin before take-off. Some passengers were even rather terrifyingly rained on by maggots after more decaying flesh. Entomophobes everywhere will certainly find the cell phone video of the experience, taken by a passenger, to be seriously stomach-turning.

Apparently some rotting meat was responsible for the presence of maggots and flies on 1537. Thankfully, the airplane did not take off as scheduled. Passengers were removed from the plane, and a cleaning crew then boarded to scrub the overhead luggage areas clean. The plane then flew on to Charlotte, where it was fumigated. As disgusting as the event originally was, it appears to have been dealt with properly by US Airways.

Beyond the mere curiosity of the event, there is some irony in the fact that it comes during one of the best weeks for press for the airline in recent memory. US Airways has gotten great coverage this week for its ultra-cheap Twitter-publicized fares.

(Image: Flickr/asrusch)

Five essential Memorial Day destinations

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Memorial Day marks the cultural beginning of summer, the start of the warm months. The picnics and the parties and the celebration of the impending summer have sort of become the point of Memorial Day for many, a kind of superimposition of recreation over the intention of the holiday.

We love beer and hot dogs as much as the next guy, but for those interested in the history and meaning (or, in destination 5 below, the traditional pageantry) of Memorial Day, here are five destinations for Monday that might prompt greater reflection on the holiday itself.

1. Charleston, South Carolina. Hampton Park in Charleston was once the site of the Washington Race Course, which served as prison camp for Union soldiers in the last year of the Civil War. Here, in 1865, former slaves provided a proper burial and commemoration of fallen Union soldiers, followed by sermons, prayer, and picnics, under the name of Decoration Day. Yale history professor David W. Blight has championed this event as the first ever Memorial Day celebration.

2. Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. About five miles from State College, Boalsburg is one of a number of other locations claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Tiny Boalsburg is also home to the Pennsylvania Military Museum.

3. Waterloo, New York. Waterloo, in the Finger Lakes region, hosts the National Memorial Day Museum. Waterloo was recognized by the federal government as the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1966, one hundred years after the city first celebrated the event.

4. Arlington, Virginia. Arlington National Cemetery is the arguably the best-known cemetery in the US. Administered by the Department of the Army, the cemetery hosts a National Memorial Day Observance open to the general public on a first-come first-seated basis. Admission is free.

5. Speedway, Indiana or Concord, North Carolina. While stock car racing can’t be tied to the history of Memorial Day, these two iconic races (the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway) have coincided with the holiday for decades, and have in turn become Memorial Day tradition. The Indianapolis 500 was first held on Memorial Day in 1911, and the Coca Cola 600 dates back to 1960.

American Airlines is being watched by the FAA

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Three strikes have led to increased federal attention for American Airlines. The last month hasn’t been kind to the airline. In two instances, planes bumped wingtips with during landings in Charlotte, North Carolina and Austin, Texas and another overshot the runway in Jamaica. The FAA released a statement on Friday indicating that it would review these situations in case they’re symptoms of a larger problem. American Airlines, of course, is cooperating with the FAA in this matter.

And, this comes on top of the airline’s customer service debacle, in which a flight attendant threw a nutter over a passenger’s request for orange juice (still no word on whether disciplinary action or litigation has occurred).

This doesn’t change my perspective on American as the one to beat in 2010. A little extra FAA scrutiny doesn’t change much, and if the airline comes out the other end with no problems – and, better, resolutions – this extra look will soon be forgotten.

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Get out and go: Events around the world (November 25-30)

by Brenda Yun on

If you’re living in America, you know what’s happening this Thursday. For those of you who aren’t in New York to catch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, there are other awesome activities going on this weekend. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Charlotte – The Carolinas Thanksgiving Day Parade will be held this Thursday, November 26. This 62th annual parade is one of the largest get togethers of Carolinians that takes place during the year.
  • Brunei – Brunei’s annual Festival of Sacrifice will be held this Friday, November 27. This is also known as Hari Raya Korban or Hari Raya Aidiladha. Goats and cows are sacrificed to commemorate the actions of the Islamic Prophet Ibrahim. The meat is then distributed among relatives, friends and the less fortunate.
  • England – The Draught for Drought Winter Beer Festival will be held at the New Inn in Witney from November 26-29. The festival will have an extensive selection of ales, traditional cuisine, and live entertainment. The event is a benefit for the African Children’s Fund’s “Draught for Drought” program. The proceeds help East African communities to find sustainable ways of capturing and storing water.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.