How not to ride an escalator

by Annie Scott on


How not to ride an escalator.

1. Do not step backward.
2. Do note sit down.
3. Do not, at any point, attempt a triple salchow.

According to MallCop6, who posted this video on YouTube, “The dude didn’t get hurt at all.” Otherwise, this would really be too mean to post. Also, the camera is pulled back far enough that we can’t see who this actually is. If we could identify this man, we would, again, feel it was too mean to post.

However, since he looks like he’s fine and we can’t see who he is, and he totally pulled a 360°, artistically commendable, epic escalator fail? We’re sharing.

This is one example of many ways not to ride an escalator. More rules after the jump.

4. Do not attempt multiple backwards somersaults.

5.Do not ski (keep watching, he rides up the escalator first before the awesomeness kicks in).

Lasty, and perhaps most importantly:
6. Do not wear Crocs. (Ever.)

Making fun of Ryanair – paid oxygen masks?

by Scott Carmichael on

When Ryanair insulted bloggers and announced they’d start charging people for using the bathroom, all in the same week, all bets were off. Normally I’m a huge fan of low cost carriers, because they help keep the legacy carriers awake, but now it’s just getting silly.

An enterprising artist over at the b3ta boards has redesigned the Ryanair safety briefing card to show how things will probably be on board the airline by next year. Check out their board for the full version of the design.

The sad thing is that jokes like this only seem to inspire Ryanair to come up with new ways to make money, just like what happened when I joked about paid bathrooms 3 days ago.

Booster seat laws: How old is your child? How big? It matters.

by Jamie Rhein on

“Ah, geez!” said my son, throwing himself back on his bed when I mistakenly told him about the new booster seat laws two nights ago at lights out. He just turned 7. In his mind, this is an invitation for older kids to tease him.

Starting in February, it’s back into a booster seat for him. In Ohio, the governor just signed a bill that requires children to be in a booster seat until age 8–or until they reach 4-feet 9-inches tall, the magic height when a seat belt will fit them properly. I heard about this change on the radio on my way home. According to what I heard, what was written about the law back in December currently holds.

The law, as it was signed, says that a police officer can’t pull over a motorist for the booster seat violation unless there is another reason to stop the vehicle. Failure to yield, faulty lights, driving while drunk, etc., etc., etc. Even though the law will be in effect in February, there is a grace period where drivers only will get a warning. After that, tickets will be given. The fines will vary from $25 to $75. Different counties will decide how much the fine will be.

Awhile back, I wrote a post about other states’ booster seat laws because we were traveling in states where the older age limit already applied. Here is a more current link to a map of the U.S. with state booster seat laws. Because it was last updated in June of 2008, it doesn’t reflect Ohio’s change, I recommend checking a state you will be visiting in order to find out the current regulations.

My son might have reached the height limit already. He’ll be pleased. Although I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, I can see how it’s going to be hard to get older kids back into a booster seat now that they see themselves as bigger.

With more and more states adopting the same age and height regulations, it seems that it would behoove car companies to design cars that can accommodate the changes. Why not design seat belts made for children who are out of toddler-hood? They could be adjusted as a child grows.

As my son and his friends grew out of car seats, it meant they could comfortably fit in the back seat of our car. Three booster seats won’t fit.

For a handy information about car seat and booster seat safety guidelines, check out this page from the Academy of Pediatrics website.

The booster seat in the picture is made by Graco and the kind we bought. It works great on long car trips. This summer we drove from Columbus to Missoula, Montana and back without a complaint–at least not about the car seat.

What is a “dangerous” travel destination?

by Brenda Yun on

I’ve been thinking long and hard about what it means to travel to a “dangerous” destination lately because I’m in the process of planning a 2-month trip to Cuba. While Cuba is not considered “dangerous” to citizens of other countries, it does send a little shiver up an American’s spine when thinking about the potential consequences of traveling there without a visa, which I might end up doing. I guess sneaking into Cuba through Mexico or Canada may classify more as “risky” rather than “dangerous,” but I am always willing to take risks so long as I know I will not inevitably put myself in danger. A possible $10,000 fine is quite a price to pay for a visit to a country closed to Americans, however, so I know it’s important to tread lightly.

So I proceeded to do some research on how to estimate a “dangerous” place in the world, and I found the results quite startling. According to Fabiola Hernandez over at Associated Content, the 5 most dangerous countries in the world are Colombia, South Africa, Jamaica, Venezuela, and Russia. Hernandez goes so far to say that, “You wouldn’t want to be caught dead living there, literally.” But do I trust her opinion? Not at all.
This list was generated from a kind-of-handy statistical website called NationMaster.com that spits out national information ranging from Agriculture to Terrorism. Hernandez seemed quick to compile her list by searching for “Crime — Murder per capita.” The “most recent” results of my search are the same as the results Hernandez found nearly two years ago, which leads me to believe NationMaster.com is not at all up-to-date and, therefore, its information is misleading.

I could not disagree more with Hernandez’s list. First, it is completely void of volatile countries in the Middle East. Secondly, I traveled in Colombia, the country at the top of her list, for three months during the spring of 2008 and never felt safer there. Medellín, Colombia’s second largest city that Pablo Escobar made famous, is largely misunderstood. While it may have been the “Murder Capital of the World” five short years ago, this city is quite safe, quite lovely, and quite a tourist hotspot.

I have never been to the other four nations on the list. While I’ve heard that these countries do indeed have their dangerous regions and cities, I know for a fact that there are also some really wonderful, worthwhile places within their borders that it would be a pity if fear prevented a traveler from going there.

I find Hernandez’s estimation of “danger” quite askew, and I feel lists like this are harmful and largely misinterpreted. Sure, the percentage of murders in a country is one thing that could make a place dangerous, but what about terrorism, civil war, theft, and rape? More importantly, fear is the thing that prevents so many travelers from leaving the “safety” of their home. I believe, with proper precautions, even the most dangerous place is just as safe as sitting on your couch. Additionally, you are seeing the world and experiencing life for real, in its rawest, most natural form.

Carbon Monoxide hazard: Take the detector on vacation

by Jamie Rhein on

This is the time of year when carbon monoxide poisoning stories begin to circulate. I heard one story yesterday on the Today Show that caught my traveler’s ear. A family who was recently vacationing in Aspen died from carbon monoxide poisoning while slumbering. (See article.)

The family was staying in an upscale vacation rental where such tragedies are least expected. At the end of the segment, the suggestion was made that perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a carbon monoxide detector with you when you go on vacation. They are light, not particularly expensive and could save lives. Just remember to change the batteries or this safety feature is useless.

In this post at Traveling Mamas, Mountain Mama offers more details about the Aspen tradgedy and suggests that people make sure working carbon monoxide detectors are installed in vacation rentals and hotels before making a booking.

It has never occurred to me to check on such details. I can think of a few dodgy establishments where I’ve taken the bedspread off the bed and cleaned the water glasses before using them to stay healthy. This is just one more safety feature to add to the list.

Here’s a link to the Today show segment about carbon monoxide safety.