The Swiss must find Americans weak and laughable

Yesterday I found myself watching Rick Steve's Christmas Special.  I watched while Rick and his family went with a Swiss family to go find a Christmas Tree.

The two families took a hike out to the forest and chopped down a tree.  They then put the tree on the sled and hauled it back home...and no the sled was not motorized.

Laughably, I've heard American's claim they need giant gas guzzling pick ups and SUVs for such tasks. Then, I've seen them try to pull the "I'm tough" look at my gas guzzler.  That's when I want to hand them a sled and an ax and see how far they make it-my guess is most won't make it too far.  But perhaps if they got out of their gas guzzler more often and tried walking or cycling they would fair better.  

Rick Steve's is right...we have a lot to learn from Europeans.  It just amazes me that the concept of a sled and an ax instead of a gas guzzler is so challenging for so many Americans.


                               

Veganize to Lower the Fat and Calories in Ice Cream Recipes

It is actually pretty easy to veganize most ice cream recipes.

 Heavy Cream: Instead of heavy cream use soy creamer and arrowroot. I generally use 1 container of soy creamer from Trader Joes and 2 Tablespoons of arrowroot powder. You will need to heat this on the stove to get the arrow root to dissolve. Then let it cool in the fridge for about 2 hours before you put it in your ice cream maker.

 Milk: Use any non-dairy milk. My favorite choice for this is coconut milk, followed by soy milk. If the non-dairy milk has vanilla added to it decrease the amount of vanilla you use (or omit it completely). For citrus flavors it is best to use non-dairy milk that does not contain vanilla.
                             
                                   

Why I won't be spending money on Black Friday

My main complaint about Black Friday used to be that they jacked up the prices only to claim that this or that was on sale-even though the sale was the normal price of the item. Now Black Friday has become even uglier than that. Retail workers are forced to either cut short or completely abandon their plans with their family. Meanwhile the high ups in the company get to enjoy their evening off. This is a sad commentary on business, but even more so what the United States is becoming. We treat people like they are robots and in doing so become robots ourselves. We forget that this isn't even beneficial to business as unhappy burned out employees loose productivity over time. Just look at countries in Europe that give generous amounts of vacation time and the productivity those countries see verses in countries that give more limited vacation time. But this is really, beyond the point;the point being unless your job involves saving lives you should have the day off to spend with family. And given what Black Thanksgiving Friday has become I refuse to have any part in it.

                                     

Per 100,000 residents Ireland has 3.5 traffic fatalities , US 11.6 fatalities

There is so much that we can learn from travel.  I felt like I learned more about the United States and its problems while visiting Ireland than while visiting anywhere else.  

While researching safety in Ireland for my Kaufman Green Guide Dublin book, I came across the statistic traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents.  As far as safety goes this is a more important statistic than the stereotypical crime statistics.  So why does Ireland have a rate so much lower than that of the United States.  Here are a few reasons why and what we can learn from Ireland:

1.  Driving on the left:  Countries that drive on the left generally enjoy a much lower rate of traffic fatalities than countries that drive on the right.

2.  Encouraging the use of public transportation, cycling, and walking: Ireland has great public transportation and is working to add more public transportation even in smaller cities and towns.  When it comes to cycling and walking, adding more cyclists and walkers equals an overall decrease in fatalities.

3.  Having less SUVs: SUVs have very high kill rates when compared with cars.  SUVs are also much deadlier to pedestrians due to their flat fronts, inability to avoid collisions, and when two SUVs collide a fatality is 3x more likely to occur than when two cars collide.  Luckily most of the Irish have used common sense when it comes to their car buying choices and choose cars. In the United States we could learn from that choice.

Rachelle Kaufman is the author of Kaufman Green Guides.



                            

A secret to getting free and cheap flights (without dealing with frequent flyer miles).

One secret I have found to getting free and reduced cost flights is taking voluntary bumps. Often the airlines will give you hundreds of dollars to leave sometimes less than an hour later.

 Let's go back a step and talk about what a bump is and why bumps occur. Many airlines oversell seats;this is because usually a certain percentage of passengers who are scheduled to take a flight do not end up taking that flight due to a variety of reasons. So a number of airlines uses statistical models on computers to predict how many people won't show up and how many seats to oversell by. These statistical models don't work all the time.

 When the models fail and the airlines finds themselves with more passengers than seats the airlines are first required to ask for volunteers to give up their seats. Often with these offers to give up seats come travel vouchers usually worth several hundred dollars that are usually good for one year. When the next flight won't leave until the next day often hotel vouchers are offered too. The airlines want to avoid a involuntarily bump as there are strict rules and regulations regarding involuntary bumps and how much compensation those being involuntarily bumped are entitled too-often this compensation can in certain cases exceed the cost of the ticket.

 It is often a gambling game on what point to grab the voucher and what point to wait to see if a better offer will be made and to get more information about alternative flights. I've found the first offer as of recently is at the self-check in. I've found these offers come with a low-mediocre offer and basically no information about what your options will be to get to your destination if you take the bump. When the gate agent announces that they are looking for someone to take the bump the gate agent generally gives more information about what the flight will be that you will be moved to. If they don't than beware you might be facing a long wait to get to your destination. If the offer sounds good this can be a good time to take the bump.

 Here is an example of where taking a voluntary bump worked out great more me. I was supposed to fly from Cleveland to BWI. BWI really was not my airport of choice. Instead of flying to BWI I was able to fly to National Airport which is my airport of choice as it is the only airport that connects directly to the DC metro and the flight was only one hour later. Basically I saved the hassle of BWI and at the same time got hundreds of dollars off my flight to Ireland. How cool is that!
 There are some ways to try to get on a flight where you are likely to be bumped. Look for a flight that is already very full. Also look for airlines (such as United and Skywest) that have a high bump rate.
 Rachelle Kaufman is the author of the Kaufman Green Guide series.
                                          

Often travelers to Ireland think about pubs, music, and beauty.  Ireland has all of these things;but another thing that is sometimes forgotten that Ireland has to offer is a rich archaeological heritage.

One of the coolest things I got to do while in Ireland was see ancient cave art.  We hiked up a huge hill to get to the burial mound.  The hike was well worth it.  The cave art was truly amazing.  It is so interesting to think about the people who created these images so long ago.

The picture above is from our trip.

                                  

Police department in New Jersey uses innovative idea to save lives

The Fort Lee police department is getting it right when it comes to pedestrian safety. They are targeting the drivers who are endangering pedestrians and whom caused 62 pedestrian deaths last year. So to attract attention to crosswalks and pedestrian safety the Fort Lee police department is using a police officer dressed in a Donald Duck costume. When drivers did not stop for the very obvious duck, they gave the drivers tickets.

 According to Police Chief Keith Bendul "Two years ago we had 62 people struck in Fort Lee. At this time I'm glad to tell that in the past two years it's down to 40. That number is still higher than zero which is my ultimate goal".

 One driver went a little bit quackers over this. One women tried to claim to the news she had duckophobia... or in other words she is extremely selfish and cares more about a small fine than she does about human lives. Which perhaps raises the question when in one city alone this is killing around 50 people a year do we need stiffer penalties including possibly jail time?

 Police Chief Bendul also said "When you see a pedestrian whether it's a young child or an adult stop and let the pedestrian cross and then proceed with your day". Now this should be common sense. Sadly for many including duckophobia lady it isn't. Not only do I hope the Fort Lee police department continues and expands this program, I hope to see other police departments taking up similar programs and targeting drivers.

                                                    

                                      

Grocery Shopping-An affordable travel solution

Grocery shopping while traveling can be a great way to save money and stay in control of your eating.  While refrigeration is often an issue there are plenty of foods that one can buy that don't need refrigeration but yet provide complete and healthy nutrition-at a fraction of the cost of eating out at every meal.

What to buy: Fruit, vegetables that can be eaten raw, nuts, nut butters, canned beans, seeds (such as sunflower), apple sauce, snack bars, popcorn, fresh whole grain bread and local treats.    

Where to buy it: Head off the main streets for the best prices; or in some cities even just to find grocery stores and markets.

How to find groceries/markets: Do advance research on the internet; buy a travel guide; as the locals; ask at attractions;or just walk around until you find a store.

                                            

And this month's dumbest lawsuit goes too...

Unilever.

That is right.  If you haven't heard the news yet Unilever is suing vegan mayo company Hampton Creek over Hancock Creek calling their vegan product mayo.

So far this lawsuit isn't going well for Unilever.

Currently: More people are learning that vegan mayo (gasp I called in mayo) exists.  The market for vegan mayo is much larger than vegans, but awareness of the product by those who weren't vegans wasn't nearly as good until this.  Hampton Creek is seeing record sales and getting all kinds of publicity (not to mention twitter followers).

If Unilever keeps up this nonsense or wins:  They might win in getting rid of the word mayo.  Including their own use of the word as people stop buying unhealthy un-animal friendly Hellmann's and their product goes extinct along with the dinosaurs.


                                   

In honor of Patrick Pearse's Birthday

Okay, I'm a day late in posting this, but yesterday was the birthday of Patrick Pearse one of the leaders of the Easter Rebellion of 1916.

In honor of Patrick Pearse's birthday I'm going to share part of the my review of Kilmainham Gaol from the Kaufman Green Guide: Dublin.  Sadly Kilmainham Gaol was where Patrick Pearse was executed.

The tour of Kilmainham Gaol began with an introductory slide show in what was one of the jails chapels.  The slide show begins by showing how the jail and other jails were often overcrowded.  It was also mentioned that jails until more recent times did not separate men and women or children and adults. 

During the slide show the guide also talked about the 1916 Rebellion as many of those involved in the 1916 Rebellion were both held in jail cells in Kilmainham Gaol and some of them were also executed in the yard of Kilmainham Gaol.  If you haven’t already learned about or heard of the 1916 Rebellion you will learn about the 1916 Rebellion during your stay in Ireland.  My husband and I found it particularly interesting learning about the 1916 Rebellion because neither of us remembered being taught about the 1916 Rebellion in school.  

Following your introduction in the chapel, you will see the older wing of the jail.  The older wing of Kilmainham Gaol is also where many of those in the 1916 Rebellion were held.  You then move to the “newer part”.  By newer part I am referencing built during the Victorian era.  In the Victorian part of the jail you will see fascinating functional architecture.  History buffs will appreciate that the cells of certain famous prisoners have been labeled with plaques both in the older and newer parts of the jail.  History buffs will also enjoy the interesting stories about the famous prisoners that your guide will share with you. 

Speaking of prison cells, in the Victorian part, when your tour guide gives you some time to look around at the different cells make sure to look into the cell of Grace Gifford Plunkett’s.  In her cell Grace Gifford Plunkett painted pictures that can still be seen today.  There is an amazing picture of the Virgin and Child painted by Plunkett.  The painting is particularly amazing when you figure that Grace Gifford Plunkett probably had limited access to materials to paint with. 

You will then go outdoors to the exercise grounds, which were more importantly the sight of the executions of a number of members of the 1916 Rebellion.  The sites of the executions are marked with crosses.  Most of the executions took place in one spot, but that of James Connolly took place across the yard from the others.  Connolly was severely injured during the rebellion and likely would have only survived a few days and was held at Dublin Castle instead of the jail due to his poor health.  Too weak to be taken to the other side of the yard Connolly was brought from Dublin Castle and was executed on the opposite side of the yard than the others.  The executions were carried out by firing squads. 

The 1916 Rebellion wasn’t particularly popular or widespread.  It was the secret executions by the British government of a number of those involved in the 1916 Rebellion and their martyrdom that would change how many of the Irish felt and that ultimately lead to most of Ireland joining the mostly successful fight for independence from the United Kingdom.   Several years later most of Ireland would be free from British rule, except for a few of the northern parts.  Some of the Irish even today do not consider this victory complete as Northern Ireland is still subjected to British rule. 

Returning to the yards, the yards weren’t used mainly for executions; rather the main purpose of the yards was for having the prisoners exercise.  If you have seen the prison scenes with Mr. Bates in Downtown Abby where the prisoners are walking around in circles not allowed to talk to each other, this is how the exercise was at the Kilmainham Gaol. 

One other thing to see on your trip to the jail is the front of the building.  The front of the jail is not part of the tour so have a look at the front of the building before or after your tour.  There are two things to note about the front of the building.  The first is the carving with the 5 snakes in front of the building.  The second thing to note is that in the early days of the jail public hangings occurred in the front of the building, but only for a short period of time before public hangings were ended and prisoners were executed in private.  

You can read more about Kilmainham Gaol and other Dublin attractions in the Kaufman Green Guide Dublin by Rachelle Kaufman.