China covers suicide bridge in “butter,” safety margarinally improved

by Stephen Greenwood on

Does anyone know when April Fool’s Day is celebrated in China? Because if this article isn’t a result of some media hoax, then I’ve got a lot of unanswered questions…

According to China Daily & the UK’s Metro Newspaper, Government officials in Guangzhou have ordered a 1,000ft long steel bridge to be covered in greasy fat, to prevent people from climbing on the structure. The bridge has a history of attracting jumpers that often attempt to gain media coverage or draw attention to personal problems.

Government spokesman Shiu Liang said that they’ve tried employing guards at both ends of the bridge, and went as far as installing special fences with notices asking people not to commit suicide. And every new attempt, successful or not, means several hours of backed up traffic and a wave of complaints from local residents.

The butter however, has seen positive results. Bridge guard Wong Man stated, “Since we put up the butter there have been no problems with these attention seekers.”

No word yet on if Nintendo intends to sue for breach of intellectual property.

So, travelers, bridge climbers, and citizens of China – please be careful out there. And if anyone knows if this is actually true, please drop us a line.
%Gallery-8934%


%Gallery-38511%

Spring Airlines considers standing-room tickets

by Stephen Greenwood on

Remember a few years ago when Airbus was considering standing-room only economy class tickets? Well it looks like the aircraft manufacturer might have its first taker.

China’s Spring Airlines says it has been considering the concept since the beginning of the year to accommodate a surge in passenger volume. While a representative for the airline claims that the new method is “just like bar stools,” it could allow for 40% more passengers and cut costs by 20%, while lowering airfare for consumers.

Spring Airlines could submit the idea for approval within the year.

I guess this will bring up entirely new issues of when it’s appropriate to be out of your “seat.”

%Poll-31455%

%Gallery-64352%

[Thanks, Howard!]

Mysterious deaths at Thai resort – Manager blames binge drinking

by Annie Scott on


Seattle couple Jill St. Onge and Ryan Kells took a three month romantic vacation in Southeast Asia. Jill St. Onge, 27, agreed to be Ryan Kells’ wife on the trip, and the couple was engaged when they arrived at the Laleena guesthouse on Phi Phi island (above).

Jill kept an online journal where she described her trip as idyllic: “So amazing… just drinking eating and living so cheaply and having a blast. Food, drink, good books, sun and warm waters… What else do ya need?”

That was on April 26. On May 2nd, Kells found St. Onge vomiting in their room, and tried to rush her to the hospital in a shopping cart. Within 12 hours, the healthy 27 year old was dead — and no one knows why.

To make matters worse, another woman, a 22 year old from Norway, also died at the Thai resort the same weekend. According to AC360, “The manager of the Laleena guesthouse has said in published reports that he believes the women’s deaths came from drinking heavily.”

Kells believes something in the room killed his fiancee. He felt ill there, and spent less time in the room than St. Onge did.

Naturally there is an investigation into the deaths, but it is expected to take some time. If there’s anything to be learned here, it’s that when you’re a stranger in a strange land, keep tabs on your health. If you feel sick in the room, get out of the room — and, of course, don’t drink too much, but we think it’s unlikely that two healthy young women coincidentally drank themselves to death at the same random resort on the same weekend.

Visit Jill St. Onge’s blog, which has been updated by Kells since his return to the states with his fiancee’s ashes, to read more.

[via AC360]

Earth Hour on March 28

by Brenda Yun on

Get ready to celebrate Earth Hour 2009 next week on March 28. Wherever you are in the world, you are encouraged to participate in this effort to raise awareness of climate change by turning off your lights for an hour at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Earth Hour has been encouraged by the United Nations (as seen here in the video), and is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, an organization that continues to seek solutions to solve our planet’s critical environmental challenges. Looking over Abha’s report on the same event last year, Earth Hour has grown substantially in just a year. According to the Earth Hour website,”1,760 cities, towns and municipalities in 80 countries have already committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009, as part of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming.”

I just heard the song “We are the World” on the radio, so I’m feeling pretty inspired, aren’t you?

Breaking: Yet another plane crash. This time near Amsterdam

by Jamie Rhein on

I have to say, as much as flying does not bother me, it’s a bit unnerving to click on The New York Times to see if any thing new has happened in the past few hours to find out that the new thing that has happened is another plane crash. This time the crash was just outside Amsterdam, but in a soft field instead of on a house near Buffalo, New York, on snow near Nome, Alaska or on the Hudson River.

The Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800, en route from Istanbul, was almost to the airport when it suddenly lost speed and dropped. According to one person on board, the crash only took a few seconds. According to the article, most people did not suffer major injuries even though the plane broke into two pieces because there wasn’t much fuel left. If there had been more fuel, the outcome would have been worse. Still, the outcome wasn’t good.

Nine people died, including both the pilots. There were 25 with serious injuries, 24 with minor injuries and the rest walked away. In all there were 134 people on board. Considering that I was just in Amsterdam a couple months ago and flew into Schiphol Airport from the U.S., I’m thinking about how those fields looked when we were coming in for our landing. Yep, it’s a bit unnerving.

[This photo by PhillipC is of tulip fields when he was in route to Amsterdam from Gatwick.]