A friend of mine used a small compass when he inadvertently found himself in a rough part of a metropolitan city. He had just purchased a zipper-pull compass fr

A friend of mine used a small compass when he inadvertently found himself in a rough part of a metropolitan city. He had just purchased a zipper-pull compass from an outdoor store and didn't expect to use it in that context, but he swore it saved his life. Apparently it was one of those situations where walking in the wrong direction for a little while can lead you into a maze of miles of dangerous streets.