How Reading The News Helps Travellers Be Prepared

  

No news is good news, goes the old saying. Because newspaper headlines and the ones which grab out attention are often about wars, individual deaths, murders, accidents robberies and scams. 

Those Who Avoid Bad News

I have one friend who has a sick, elderly husband.  Yet she is very active in the community. She goes to art exhibitions. But she says she doesn't read the news because it is depressing. 

I, on the other hand, read the news because it is vital to me when I am travelling. 

Flights Affected Worldwide

I always remember 9/11, when I and my husband were in Singapore. A friend in Singapore phoned told me, gasping, "Turn on the news because a plane flew into a tower block in New York!"

My husband and I were busy packing to go to a conference in South Africa the next day. I am creative and easily distracted, but my husband is scientific and focused. 

My husband said, 'We should get on with our packing, not waste time reading or watching the news from far away. It won't affect us, or out travel plans."

But it did affect our travel plans. Changi was badly affected. Signs did not say where to go. Finally, after an hour's wait, go to this gate. Then Change - Go to that gate.

Why? Firstly, because the planes which were supposed to land in the USA were turned back. Those planes supposed to arrive in Singapore from the USA did not reach us. Passengers, as well as planes were diverted. Planes had not enough passengers, or too many passengers, had to land at different airports.

Secondly, a nervous potential passenger, scared to fly, sent a bomb scare threat to give himself an excuse not to fly.

Security was stepped up at the airport so the opening of bags, checking of bags, questioning as to whether you packed your own bag, was increased.

People cancelled flights because their events were changed, their holiday destinations changed, meetings were cancelled.

I read the news for the bad news and for the good news.

On my travels, I read local papers to know about local events and people. When I go to another country, I read their newspapers. I need to know the bad news, dangerous roads, pickpocket hotspots. 

Discount Delights

But I also want to now the good news. Restaurants which won awards. Discount stores. Free drinks with meals Tourist deals on two tours for the price of one.  Free delivery to my hotel or home.

Today in the online news I see three different kinds of news story. First, war in the middle east. 

Secondly, a teenager who killed his parents and siblings in the USA. I am wondering if we need to be teaching the next generation worldwide not to fight over grievances going back three generations, or even three weeks. Or are memories of old fights a warning of dangers to come?

Skyscraper Balcony & Window Falls

The last dramatic story I read was from the UK and it was about a pregnant mother of five who fell out of an open window in a skyscraper where she lived.

Five children in a skyscraper with open windows strikes me as a danger, even without a mother who has a lot on her mind, and no foresight to use birth control.

Not everybody would agree with me on the birth control issues. But I still think there is mileage in this question. Why is a family of five housed in a skyscraper where you can open and fall out of windows?

USA Hotel Window Precautions

I remember visiting a hotel in a skyscraper in American. The windows did not open, to prevent accidents.

Skyscraper Versus Ground Floor Motels And Garden Cities

 We need to rethink the advantages for families of garden cities with accessible employment and shopping and health services. We need to rethink ground floor living. 

Skyscraper, Balcony and Window Security

We need to rethink windows which have air vents. Maybe add bay window for views. But not windows which open wide. Consider grilles. As is done in Singapore before you can get a license to have a cat in a flat.

Photo credit Cyberuly - My Nikon D60 from Wikipedia. window safety grille.

In the UK a copany called Omlet makes a caat balcony run.

Omlet cat balcony run, UK.

Alarmed Fire Escape Doors

Instead alarmed windows, and fires escape doors with alarms to prevent burglary through the fire escape and to alert residents and neighbours and caretakers and fire services when children run out or fires break out.

News At Night And Good Sleep

But that is the future. What is the message for you now? It used to be the case that the ten o'clock news was the last thing at night and people did not watch because it worried them before they tried to sleep. So the news always ended with a funny or happy story.

After reading the news last thing at night, I try to read something jolly, or watch a humorous item on YouTube.

Happy Thoughts & Plans

When travelling, I gather up free newspapers. I often don't have time to read them thoroughly when busy travelling during the day. So last thing at night I cut out the coupons for offers to chase the next day. I note these welcome thoughts and plans in my diary.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13991417/pictured-pregnant-woman-died-tower-block-fall.html

https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/cat_products/cat_balcony_enclosure/

Please share links to posts you enjoy reading, and re-reading. See my similar post including seasonal Halloween clothes on my blog dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com 

https://dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com/2024/10/what-news-at-home-and-overseas-tells-us.html

Common rock thrush Calling, Lissen Birds - Natural Birds Voice, Bird Nat...

In London the busiest birds in our garden are the four magpies, a couple of parakeets, the occasional robin, some wood pigeons or collared doves, and a very busy woodpecker, pecking away, plus a blue jay.

In Singapore, we recorded a bird singing on a balcony. We set the camera up on a tripod, focused on the balcony railing. At first we were too far away to get the bird in focus and the song loud enough to hear. We gradually moved the camera nearer and nearer.

We do have a remote clicker to operate the clicker. But it is designed to take you own photo or yourself with a group and the camera facing you. No good for the camera facing away from you.

We looked online to see cameras you can set up.

In Singapore we have always had plenty of birds. Singapore is a garden city. The palm trees and high trees abound, keeping birds way above the ground. Birds can fly from balcony to balcony.

Cats
What about cats? Yes, there are cats. If you have a balcony, you can only keep cats if the balcony is copletely railed so the cats cannot jump over.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

Cashew Station artwork shows clean Singapore; what about cashew trees?

If you try the new Downtown line in Singapore which opened after Xmas in late December 2015 ready for the new year, you will have the chance to see some new artwork.

Cashew station at first disappointed me because I was hoping for something bigger and more colourful. But when I had time to stop and read the caption and look closely I appreciated that it was not an old style 2D painting but a rather original artwork, more like a collage of found objects.

I would be tempted to call it multi-media, but my son insists that multi-media would be at least two different types of media, such as sound and light. So a collage of feathers and buttons is still a collage. In this artwork we have a collage of everyday cleaning materials such as toilet brushes used to convey the theme of clean, green Singapore, the vision of Singapore as a Garden City.

I would have liked more greenery. But you can see that elsewhere. The Botanic Gardens station has a tree (see later post).

For news about cashew nut trees in the area, see later post.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.