• tsa.gov - wait times at airports
• ctia.org - cell phone help
• escapecellhell.org - cell phone help

A lot of people travel by air this time of year, and it’s the only time of year that they do. The airport can be a very confusing place for these people. So Clark wants to give them some guidelines. First of all, many people take everything but the kitchen sink when they don’t travel much. But the hassle of taking more than you need is not worth it. Take only what you need when flying. You will shave off tons of time and frustration dealing with lines and waiting for your bags. Try to get everything into a 22-inch bag. That way you can carry it on and don’t have to check it. Clark takes a 22-inch bag even when traveling on multi-week trip. If there is no way you can squeeze everything into one bag, pack a smaller carry-on with your medicines, valuables and at least one outfit. Check the other bag if you can’t carry it on too. Then, if your main bag gets lost, you have your medicines, jewelry, camera and a change of clothes. Remember that airlines will not cover you if anything of value is stolen, so keep it with you. Secondly, United is experimenting with a baggage check-in charge at airports. United charges $2 per bag that you check nowadays. Airlines also charge if bags exceed the weight limit for the plane. Those can be very expensive, sometimes more than the airline ticket itself. So, how early should you get to the airport? The TSA has information on its Web site about how long people are waiting in line at airports. If you’re checking bags, you want to check wait times over the past month and gauge how long you’ll be waiting. Look at the wait time for your day and time and add an hour. If you are not checking bags, look at the longest wait for your day and time and add 45 minutes. Also, if you can, check in online. You avoid so much hassle that way. You can check in online, even if you are checking a bag. Just bring the bag to the online kiosk area of the ticketing area and someone will have a baggage claim ticket already for you. If your flight is canceled, get on your cell phone and call the airline. Try to rebook the flight. If there are no seats on that airline's flights, ask for a seat on another airline. Most airlines have agreements with other companies that allow you to travel on any airline with availability. And please be polite. You won't get very far by screaming at anyone.

Clark is a big huge tomato fan. He loves getting them on burgers and sandwiches, and they’re almost expected on certain foods. But tomatoes are in severe shortage these days. Some fast food restaurants have signs posted stating that there are no tomatoes available; others post signs saying tomatoes are only available on request. Clark talked about the anticipated shortage back in September after the hurricanes hit Florida and other parts of the Southeast coast. Sure enough, that is the main reason for the shortage. Florida and Georgia are the main produce growers for the area and for much of the country, so the hurricanes affected the entire nation. What people don’t know is that, in the past, produce was rare unless it was “in season.” Tomatoes were not always included in meals or salads. But we’ve gotten used to having produce whenever we want it. That is due to the crops we grow and the amount of food we import. He thinks it’s a good thing that a tomato shortage makes a big news story today.