Video: Happy Halloween From The Department Of Homeland Security

So it’s Saturday night, and I’m sitting here surfing the interweb looking for a scary, travel-themed video to post. You know, because it’s almost Halloween (and my social life is a bit lacking, apparently). Here’s what popped up on Google, courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security. It certainly scared the crap out of me.


Video of the Day: Yao Ming PSA about shark fin soup

We recently covered the controversy over shark fin soup, so no need to rehash that. However, we were interested in this video staring Yao Ming, arguably the most famous – and popular – Chinese national in the world. In the ad, diners decline to eat shark fin soup after witnessing just how inhumane it is.

Yao, of course, is the dominant center on the NBA’s Houston Rockets. That’s when he’s not nursing the injuries that caused him to miss 77 of 82 games last season. In fact, he’s missed 168 games over the last five seasons. Perhaps he could have used some of the shark fin’s alleged medicinal and virility-enhancing properties. What? Too soon?

VIDEO: Mad Men high-speed rail travel PSA


“Would you rather fly into Queens or take the train into Manhattan?” is just one of the great would-be ad taglines in this PSA starring Mad Men actors Vincent Kartheiser and Rich Sommer to promote high-speed rail in America (we’re hoping for a sequel with a Simpsons‘ Monorail-esque jingle). They also argue for the simplicity and convenience of

train travel and how you can save time, money, and aggravation. All of these points were true about the importance of a high-speed rail network in 1965 and they are even more true in 2011, so let’s make it happen!

Learn more on how to support high-speed rail at

www.madfasttrains.com and vote for the video on FunnyorDie.com.

Photo of the Day (10.26.10)

I loved visiting airports at a very early age. There was (and will always be) something fascinating about the constant commotion, the bright colors, and overwhelmingly complex machines barreling down the tarmac. The hundreds of people walking through the airport doors; in transition, heading to exciting new destinations or returning home with stories to share.

This photograph of the ever-friendly PSA livery takes me right back to that early love for airports & travel. Appropriately titled ‘A Wink and a Smile’, Flickr user Samer Farha captured this USAirways plane taking off from National Airport on its way to La Guardia. Samer was able to snap the shot from a safe distance by using a 500mm lens and an additional doubler on a Canon 7D.

Do you love airports as much as we do? Do you have a favorite airplane livery? Share your favorite travel moments with us by submitting your photos to our Flickr Pool and it could be our next Photo of the Day.