The Left Lane
Don't be blown away

Written by John Clark, battalion chief with the Honolulu Fire Department and author of four books on Hawai'i beaches, the manual includes information on hurricanes and tsunamis, how to develop a general and specific safety plan before, during and after a storm, checklists, and general procedures for processing vessel claims. You'll also find emergency assistance information, phone numbers, radio frequencies and evacuation shelter locations. For the free manual, call Sea Grant Communications at 956-7410.

Just 'drifting'

Whip your Toyota around a Tantalus Drive hairpin curve and you'll spin out of control. But crank the wheel into the turn, yank the emergency brake, force the wheel back in the opposite direction and put the pedal to the metal, and your car will glide around the corner sideways. You'll be "drifting."

You'll also be risking an accident. Drifting is a precision automotive maneuver that caught on in Japan more than a decade ago and has now become an underground activity with youthful thrill seekers in Honolulu. But Kaimuki High School English teacher David Shimokawa says drifting could become a legal motorsport phenomenon in Hawai'i — and an alternative to the Tantalus Drive "races."

He has helped organized a "Drift Session" from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 14 at Hawai'i Raceway Park. He wants it to be a regular event. Admission is $5 for spectators and $8 for drifters. A driver's license is required. For further information, e-mail driftsession@hotmail.com

Do you have a child who gets carsick?

Sam Marzo, director of the Balance Center at Loyola University Medical Center, gives parents these tips in the June/July issue of Family Life magazine:

Feed your child something small but healthy — a biscuit, an apple — about an hour before the trip. You might also pack some candy for your child to suck on. Seat your child in the middle of the back seat and tell her to look straight ahead, focusing on the horizon.

Reigning 'Cats, Dogs'

"Cats & Dogs" took over the weekend box office, opening at No. 1 with $21.7 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to industry estimates.

"Cats & Dogs," which actually opened Wednesday, took in $35.7 million in its first five days.

Top 10 in ticket sales for the weekend, Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. said, were: 1. "Cats & Dogs," $21.7 million; 2. "Scary Movie 2," $21 million; 3. "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," $14.1 million; 4. "Kiss of the Dragon," $13.6 million; 5. "The Fast and the Furious," $12.4 million; 6. "Dr. Dolittle 2," $10.1 million; 7. "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," $6.8 million; 8. "Shrek," $6 million; 9. "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," $5 million; 10. "Baby Boy," $4.8 million.