Tag Archives: travel
Rubber chickens, diapers suggested for China’s holiday travel
HAINING, China |
HAINING, China (Reuters) – A luggage trolley that converts into a seat and a pole with pads that props up sleepy passengers are just a couple of the gadgets intrepid Chinese have devised to help make their annual New Year train trips home a little more comfortable.
About 200 million people in China are expected to take trains home for the New Year’s holiday at the weekend in what has been described as the world’s largest annual migration.
Some opt for standing-only tickets on packed trains to save money on trips that can last three days.
This year, Chinese microblogs have been abuzz with gadgets and inventions that could help make grueling journeys a little easier.
One of the most talked-about is the “Hard Seat Treasure”, a metal pole with pads attached that is meant to prop up a sleepy traveler and ensure he or she does not fall out of their seat when they nod off. But not everyone is a fan.
“It’s a burden to carry,” said Li Kang, a migrant worker from the southwest province of Guizhou who tried it out. “When I lean on it, my body feels suspended.”
Former physics teacher and avid amateur inventor Zhou agreed. He invented the “Grass Roots Travel Treasure” – a trolley with what looks like a metal mop handle sticking out of it that converts into a seat.
It also features holders for bottles that Zhou insists can be filled with sodium percarbonate powder and water to make oxygen – a breath of fresh air for anyone suffering in a stuffy, smoky train carriage.
The 67-year-old Zhou has such faith in his gadget he’s going to put it to the test himself on a 31-hour train trip.
“I could have bought a ticket for a sleeper but I really wanted to try this out so I can see what doesn’t work and improve it,” Zhou said at his home in a small city near Shanghai before setting off.
There are lots of other ideas out there.
One user of the Sina Weibo microblog site suggested taking along a squawking rubber chicken to make other passengers get out of the way in crowded aisles.
Another recommended adult diapers.
But the most popular accessory remains a simple plastic bucket, that can be turned over and used as a seat, or for other purposes.
(Reporting By Jane Lanhee Lee, writing by Elaine Lies; editing by)
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Children’s PeaPod Travel Beds Recalled
Nov. 16, 2012 — KidCo is recalling 220,000 of its PeaPod and PeaPod Plus travel beds due to possible suffocation and entrapment risks for children.
The company announced the voluntary recall today in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Officials say infants and young children can roll off the edge of the inflatable air mattress and become entrapped between the mattress and fabric sides of the tent, and suffocate.
The CPSC says it is aware of one 5-month-old boy who died in December 2011 in New York City after he was found with his face pressed against the side wall of a PeaPod travel tent bed. The cause of death was not determined.
The CPSC is also aware of six reports of children who have become entrapped or experienced physical distress in the product. Two of the six reports included infants who were found crying underneath the mattress when it had not been inserted into the zippered pocket in the bottom of the tent.
In addition, Health Canada says it received three reports of children rolling over and becoming trapped between the mattress and sides of the PeaPod travel bed.
Travel Beds Recalled
The KidCo PeaPod Travel Beds and PeaPod Plus Travel Beds are small, portable tents marketed for use by infants from birth to over age 3, depending on the model.
The tents have a zippered side for putting in and taking out the child and an inflatable air mattress that fits into a zippered pocket at the floor of the tent. The travel beds fold into a compact round shape and come with a fabric bag for storage and travel.
The following models and corresponding tent colors are included in the recall:
- P100 Teal
- P101 Red
- P102 Lime
- P103 Periwinkle
- P104 Ocean
- P201 Princess/Red
- P202 Camouflage
- P203 Quick Silver
- P204 Sagebrush
- P205 Cardinal
- P900CS Green
You can find the model number on a small tag on the underside of the product.
The travel beds were sold nationwide between January 2005 and 2012 for between $ 70 and $ 100.
Owners of KidCo travel beds should stop using the tents immediately and contact KidCo to get a free repair kit on KidCo’s web site or by calling toll-free at (855) 847-8600.
Libertyville, Ill.-based KidCo says the repair kit includes a thinner replacement mattress and braces to strengthen the sides of the tent. The kits will be mailed out starting in mid-December.
Pictures of the recalled products and more information on the recall are available on the CPSC web site.
Suffocation, Entrapment Risks Prompt Recall of PeaPod Travel Tents by KidCo
Babies and young children can get trapped in the tent and suffocate. Nine children have gotten trapped or been in distress inside the tent.
US Consumer Product Safety Commission – Recent Recalls and Product Safety News
10 Careers for People Who Love to Travel
Some people’s idea of a vacation is visiting their in-laws on the other side of town. Others want to get away at any and every opportunity — the farther away the better. If given the chance, they’d climb Mt. Kilimanjaro one day and compare Impressionists at the Louvre the next.
These intrepid travelers will brave any terrain or climate. They’ll even repeatedly subject themselves to airport security just for the chance to go somewhere new.
If you get twitchy staying in the same place for too long, why settle for a few measly vacations a year? Satisfy your wanderlust on every one of those 365 days by embarking on a career that will have you really going places — and not just up the corporate ladder.
When you think about travel jobs, the travel industry (pilot, flight attendant) probably jumps to mind, but there are also many not-so-obvious career options for people who like to get around. We’ve searched the globe and found 10 of the best careers for people who love to travel. So update your resume, pack your bags and get ready to explore.
Parole Board To Platshorn: ‘You Cannot Travel To Promote The Legalization Of Marijuana’
You’d think that Robert Platshorn, the former 1970s marijuana smuggler who became, after almost 30 years in the federal pen, the longest-serving cannabis prisoner in United States history, had already paid his debt to society.
And there’s the rub. Platshorn’s new parole officer, Scott Kirsche, on Wednesday afternoon phoned the Black Tuna and gave him notice that the recently granted permission to travel to Chicago to address the American Bar Association has been rescinded on orders of his superiors, Reginald Michael and Frank Smith.
“I am ordered by my superiors to inform you that your permission to travel to Chicago is rescinded and you cannot travel to promote the legalization of marijuana without the permission of the U.S. Parole Commission in Washington D.C.,” Kirsche told Platshorn on the phone Wednesday afternoon. “You must request their permission directly.
Parole regulations state that a parole officer can grant travel permission on his own; only foreign travel requires permission from D.C., Platshorn told Toke of the Town on Wednesday.
So what we’re looking at here, folks, is a big crush of Robert Platshorn’s First Amendment rights to freely speak in favor of the legalization of medical marijuana.
