If you think a baby named Cupid wearing a diaper and shooting arrows at people is odd, wait until you read about these weird romantic traditions from around the world.
Source: Really Weird Romantic Traditions from Around the World
Category: Commentary on Society
Top In-Flight Celebrity Meltdowns – Jetsetter
I really hate flying. No, you don’t understand; I really HATE flying.
The packing hassles, extra fees, tight spaces, long waits, and inconveniences for restrooms, eating, and sleeping have made car travel very appealing to me. My husband and I are driving from Central Texas to Assateague Island, VA for an upcoming trip. 23 hours and 1500 miles promises to be far more pleasant than flying.
So when I read this article about celebrities acting up during flights, I thought, “They are doing what the rest of us wish we could do.” Right?
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Celebs—they’re just like us, right? They go grocery shopping, fill their cars with gas, pick up their kids from school. But the similarities end when it comes to airline travel. Read on for the seven most legendary in-flight meltdowns, from Alec Baldwin v. American Airlines to Liam Gallagher v. the scone. By Siobhan Reid
How to Avoid Low-Fare Airline Gotchas – Blog – Airfarewatchdog
In my experience, super-low fares are low for some not-immediately-obvious reason. If you’re going to fly cheap, you’re probably going to pay the price in fees, inconvenience, delays, discomfort, or all of the above.
I’m finding more and more that it’s worth paying for the services I want, expect, and think I deserve when flying. I’m not a cow, so I don’t want to be treated like cattle at a sale barn. As of now, that’s the reality of travel economics.
You can either beat your head against a brick wall by trying to fly on the cheap or you can relent, pay your money, and travel more comfortably with less stress. I choose the latter!
How to Avoid Low-Fare Airline Gotchas – Blog – Airfarewatchdog.
What Your Flight Attendant Thinks of You – Jetsetter
It pays to put yourself in someone else’s shoes occasionally, at least metaphorically. Most of us have never worked as a flight attendant, but most of us have been passengers. Take a minute to think about those men and women who tirelessly go through the same grind, day after day, year after year, to make flights safe and merciful if not enjoyable.
“She put on a lot of weight”
» Where to Find The Answers to Your Grammar Questions
Sometimes, there just isn’t an answer; we find that hard to accept.
Is Airport Security a Joke?
I recently became one of the nearly 500,000 people who have registered for TSA Pre-Check, a Federal program which “allows low-risk travelers to experience expedited, more efficient security screening at participating U.S. airport checkpoints.”
Of course, my hope is to reduce the time it takes to complete the screening process, but even more importantly, I hope to reduce the effort and hassle. Twice I have lost my driver’s license going through security. With all the chaos and pressure to hurry, I suspect I dropped it or stuck it in a super-secret cranny I’ve forgotten about. (Try getting through security without a driver’s license on your return trip)! In case you’re not aware of the program, you pay for the privilege of the Federal government nosing into your personal life, so you don’t have to take off your shoes, belt or jacket, pull out your 3-1-1 bag, or drag out your laptop during screening.
What prompted this blog. . .
Seven Surprising Things You Don’t Have to Sneak Through Security – SmarterTravel.com.
After I read this article, even I was able to envision not-so-fantastic scenarios of terrorist activity enabled by allowing these items, while some of the restricted items seem a bit silly–what does TSA think I will do with my half-used ChapStick or my cuticle clippers (I’ve had both confiscated), or those six jars of chunky homemade salsa I saw them confiscate from a lady who was carrying them to her hosts as a gift?
Articles frequently taut the ineffectiveness security, for example, this USAToday article from January this year, or more recently, this Security Degree Hub article citing more than 25,000 recorded breeches since the inception of Homeland Security, TSA’s parent organization.
I can just hear the cackles of delight from the terrorists sitting around their campfires in the remote mountains of some far-away land as they view YouTube videos on the Internet of clownish American travelers stripping down to their bare arms and stocking feet, piling up like cattle to the slaughter in security lines.
Do our security measures make us any safer? Many sources say “no.” A recent story from San Antonio reveals breeches even in airport “safe zones.”
Yet, surprisingly, for all our bitching about screenings–grandma and grandpa who never fly desperately trying to juggle their belongings and clothing during screening, moms and dads grappling with strollers, diaper bags, and formula, well-to-do ladies with their bags laden with precious gifts–Americans do not want to give up our security measures. Why? I suspect it’s because we want to feel safe, and having our current TSA requirements are better than doing nothing.
But Think About This. . .
The FAA estimates that 746 million people flew on American flights in 2013. If there were indeed 25,000 recorded breeches of airport security in 10 years, that’s 2,500 per year, 208 breeches per month, and just under seven per day. Sound like a lot? Consider that those breeches amounts to less than two in every 10,000 screenings, the effectiveness seems a bit more, well, effective.
TSA and security screenings are destined to be one of those institutions we love to hate–like the Post Office. And like it or not, it looks like they’re both here to stay.
How do you feel about airport security. Take this poll and see what others are saying.
My Dog Don't Bite 