Like any good ol’ American, I wanted to grill some burgers and hotdogs this weekend since the kids are coming over for a little get-together. It’s quite soon after Mother’s Day but they felt like stopping by for a weekend, plus the friends and neighbors I gave a few calls to. I went to the local supermarket to get my meat. I came back with a little less than I expected. Still enough, but the prices surprised me a bit. I didn’t bring enough money to get everything I wanted.

According to experts, prices of staples like meat, eggs and milk will keep rising for at least a few years. The common American is finally feeling the sting. We’re finally starting to feel what the rest of the world is feeling, and I agree that it’s not very pleasant. Especially if the trend continues like the experts predict, and at this rate it definitely will.

Being forced to buy less when planning a party is always hard, and this is no better. Next time, I’m bringing more cash.

1. Lukla Airport, Nepal – The people who attempt to climb Mount Everest know this place very well. Renamed in January 2008 as Tenzing-Hillary airport, after the two men who first ascended the highest mountain in the world, this airport is where all Everest climber aspirants land to start their journey. The runway is around half a kilometer long, 20m wide, with an incline being a staggering 20%! With a 700-meter drop on one end and a mountain in the other, and the airport being so high up, this is another added risk to adventurers. There have been five recorded plane accidents. Nevertheless, the people who do come here consider it as part of the risk they signed up for.

2. Courchevel, France – A ski area in the French Alps, it is the largest linked ski area in the world. This is the first resort in France to be constructed from scratch, as opposed to the others which were built around an already existing village. Courchevel’s airport is infamous for having a short runway of around half a kilometer and a gradient of 18.5%! Pilots have to land on the higher incline to slow down enough, and takeoffs must be done towards the decline to pick up speed.

3. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba – The only airport in Saba, in the Caribbean, it is well-known to flyers because of the methods of landing and taking off for the small airport. There have been no tragedies there, but it is still very dangerous. One side has high hills while all the others drop into the sea. The runway length is a bone-chilling 396m, only allowing small aircraft and helicopters to land! The tower is an advisory service only and does not provide air traffic control. You also can’t refuel, so tough luck if you run out.

4. Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Martin – A very busy airport in the Eastern Caribbean, it is a major gateway for other airports nearby. Its runway of a little above two kilometers means that large jets have to fly low to land, and beachgoers at nearby Maho Beach are often treated to an up close and personal view of a big plane. Signs are placed nearby so no unfortunate spotter would be blown back by any plane’s powerful engines.

The ease of air travel allows lots of airports to pop up, including not so safe ones. Been to any of these airports? Speak up and tell us about your experience!

1. A plane. But how can you eat one of those? Michel Lotito did. He broke a Cessna 150 into little pieces and ate it over two years. The term iron stomach now has a whole new meaning.

2. Rocks. Wait, people eat rocks? A lady from China did. She ate 20 cobblestones, which she thought would pass through her system. The rocks eventually had to be surgically removed.

3. Frogs and rats. Not just frogs and rats. Living ones. Yes, alive. Yang Dingcai from China has been eating them for 40 years, which he claims benefited his health. Whatever floats your boat, old man.

4. Hair. But hair isn’t a big deal! For one 18-year old girl, it is. A short lifetime of chewing her own hair led to a 10-pound hairball taking up her entire stomach, which had to be operated on.

Ate anything like these lately?

My friends are always puzzled why I don’t do anything overtly special for Mother’s Day, aside from the call and small gifts here and there. It is because I try to make most days that special day. To be honest, I’m not close to my mother. She’s really piling on the years and getting senile, causing quite an annoyance sometimes. I still love her though, and she knows it. And I show it. Love is all she has left in her life now.

My kids also learned that lesson. They love their mother, no matter how far away they are, and they call and email at least once a week. Mother’s Day is just an excuse for them to visit. They also visit at other times, too. It makes me happy that they still care for us. I must have done something right.

Mother’s Day isn’t that special. Every single day is much more.

1. There are at least 30 dates for Mother’s Day! The one we Americans know is on the second Sunday of May (May 11 this year), which is also the most common date it’s celebrated. March 8 is the next most common, which is mostly celebrated in some parts of Asia and Europe. British and Irish people celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is March 2 this year. Indonesia has theirs on December 22! If you forget the date there, at least you can claim your Christmas present is also for Mother’s Day!

2. Mongolia celebrates Mother’s Day twice! March 8 marks International Women’s Day in this country, which is treated like Mother’s Day. June 1 sees Mothers and Children’s Day, which is also celebrated! It’s the only country which celebrates this occasion twice. The moms there must be quite happy with all the attention!

3. Anna Marie Jarvis is the woman responsible for Mother’s Day in America. When her mother died on May 9, 1905, she devoted her time to making Mother’s Day a holiday for mothers everywhere. Her mother was an advocate of the holiday, joining campaigns for peace, worker’s safety and health, ever since the Civil War ended. It was first celebrated in 1907, with only a few people. In 1908, it was 407 children and their mothers. The holiday became official in 1910, and a proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson came in 1914. By then it had finally turned into the holiday to appreciate mothers, not just for peace.

4. Mothering Sunday is deeply rooted in the church. It was originally a mass held in one’s mother church on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Families gathered at such days, and mothers and children were often reunited for one day of the year. Later, it became the day that servants would be allowed to visit their mothers. Today, it is interchangeable with Mother’s Day. It was also called Simnel Sunday, Rose Sunday and Refreshment Sunday before, due to certain traditions on the day. Talk about a deep history!

5. Ancient Greeks and Romans also celebrated Mother’s Day! Although it wasn’t called that specifically, the two peoples celebrated dates related to their gods. Greeks honored Cybele, great mother of the Greek gods, at a date around mid-March. Romans had a holiday called Matronalia, dedicated to Juno. At the same time, mothers got gifts on that day.

Pretty interesting, hm? Mother’s Day is a holiday rooted within our society, as appreciation to those hardworking women who gave birth and took care of us. Did you give your mom a present this year? If not, at least give her a call!

1. China has only one time zone. All places in China use Beijing’s time, which is GMT+8, no matter where in the country you are. On the off chance you wander quite far, don’t panic when the sun sets early!

2. There are three units of currency. They’re all called Renminbi. The primary unit is the yuan. The jiao is a tenth of a yuan, and the fen is a tenth of a jiao. The latter two are available in 1, 2 and 5 units while yuan is available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. The exchange rate hovers at around 7 yuan per US dollar. You can’t use the dollar in most places so convert quickly. Also, you can’t bring Renminbi into the country.

3. Mind your manners. In China, everyone gets food from a big plate, with each person having smaller plates. Chinese hosts also love to place food on your plate. Don’t refuse! This displays their politeness and friendship. Leave it on the plate if you are full.

There are more things but I feel these are the most essential. What tips can you give?

It was taking his young wife a while to go into labor, so she told him to go back home and sleep. He did so, and it was a few hours later that the call came.

Excited, much like a first-time father was, he hurriedly dressed and set out to catch a bus. He crossed a few streets, being careful but quick.

It was then when fate decided to frown on him. A truck driver, a very drunk one, did not see the red light, nor saw him cross the street. It was only when his body was flying in the air did the driver realize what he had done.

The wife didn’t know of his husband’s death until after she had given birth.

It’s a very sad tale, and it happens all over the world. This is why I never drink before driving. And for those who get behind the wheel when under the influence, it will only end in tears. Yours or the family you just destroyed.

There are, however, men who set an example in the past, men who were undoubtedly the first people to unlock yet another place in this earth for everyone to see. Who are these men?

1. Roald Amundsen and his party were the first men to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911. He was 39 at the time. This man from Norway was obsessed with reaching the poles ever since he was a child, training his body just for the task. He was beaten to the race to the North Pole, but eventually became the first to reach the South. We could learn from him! Even after he was beaten, he did not falter and still went for the other goal.

2. Pavel Kononovich Sen’ko, Mikhail Michailovich Somov, Pavel Afanasyevich Geordiyenko and Mikhail Yemel’ Yanovich Ostrekin were the first men officially to have reached the North Pole. There are earlier claims of having reached it, which stopped Roald Amundsen’s trek, but this Soviet party is the earliest one with complete proof. Earlier claims were eventually proven to not have actually reached the pole. They got there using planes, but it was still dangerous as the conditions there did not favor flying that type of aircraft.

3. Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni are the two climbers to have reached the summit of K2, the world’s second tallest mountain. The Italians were heavily aided by their teammates, the two reached the summit on July 31, 1954. Efforts to reach the top started in 1892, but success only came much later. It was thanks to the previous expeditions that they were successful.

4. Ferdinand Magellan led the fleet that first circumnavigated the world, giving firsthand proof that the world is round, even though it is known already because of mathematics as early as the Greek times. Only one of his ships survived. Magellan was killed on April 17, 1521, in the Philippines, fighting the natives, before he could finish the journey. Juan Sebastian Elcano took over and eventually finished the trip. Magellan did not intend to sail around the world, it had simply turned out that way due to his exploration.

I didn’t mention Mount Everest since everyone knows that already. These people are indeed remarkable pioneers of their time, and led the way to future explorations. What do you think of these men?

1. Singapore Airlines ranks second when it comes to buying Dom Perignon in the entire world! Business class has almost 100 bottles of champagne assigned to it, all by itself. That’s a lot of champagne! No wonder passengers have a good time there.

2. Cathay Pacific carries rice cookers, toasters, cappuccino makers and skillets on board their airplanes. Breakfast there is always fresh!

3. Qantas, Australia’s national airline, originally stood for Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service. I guess that had to drop it when they went international.

4. Abu Dhabi Airport Services once did a complete turn around for a Boeing 777 in under 40 minutes, as opposed to a normal minimum of one hour. They unloaded passengers, cargo, mail, cleaned the aircraft, and loaded outbound passengers, cargo and mail in that short time. It must have been exhausting!

5. Virgin Atlantic lists catering as their third biggest expense, after fuel and maintenance.

These are interesting little things to know! Do you know any more little facts?

Sadly, like the article says, human paranoia helps a lot in discrediting the shark. One story filled with terror, one high-budget Hollywood production is all it takes for people to shut their ears and scream. It is hard to be logical when you are afraid, but we can do it. Humans fear what is out of their reach.

This doesn’t mean that I approve of shark attacks. We simply have to accept that it is part of nature. Lightning is more likely to strike you than a shark biting you, but we don’t make a big fuss about it. Shark attacks make for more headlines.

What is the point of this? Just education and information. Knowledge is power, and the more we know the less we fear. Everyone should try and know as much as they can.