green living, smart spending
Whether you are interested in food, wine, history, music or vintage cars, there’s a festival somewhere in the world to enjoy in 2013. Travel smarter to these spring and summer festivals: Wine — Most wine festivals are in the fall, around harvest time. New York State’s Finger Lakes is beating the crush (pun intended) with
Read more
Buyer’s remorse, or shopper’s guilt, is when you get the feeling you’ve paid to much for something. Get rid of those second-thoughts by using one of these free price comparison apps that will help you save time, money and stress. Price Check by Amazon – Scan a product’s bar code, snap a photo, or say
Read more
Identity theft is a growing problem, and a top reason I do not publish my cellphone number or put anything intensely personal, like private family photos, on any public social media outlet such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, where anything I post is exclusively work related (I communicate privately with my family by telephone
Read more
Crime is not good for tourism. Travelers, especially women, are canceling trips to India, in the wake of a brutal gang rape and death of a young college student on a public bus. And now there are worries about the safety of tourists in Brazil, where a woman tourist was gang raped in Rio. Rape,
Read more
Get more car for your money with the all-new 2014 Kia Forte Sedan, with a starting price of $15,900, including as standard equipment safety and comfort features rarely found at this price. Even fully loaded, the top-of-the-line model still comes in under the $20,000 price line. The redesigned Forte is longer and wider than the
Read more
Feeling welcome is an important part of any vacation or business trip. A new survey of 140 countries lists the world’s most friendly destinations, and the least friendly. According to the World Economic Forum, Iceland, New Zealand, Morocco are the world’s top three most friendly destinations for tourists. I have visited all three over the
Read more
With a starting price of $15,995, and styling, technology and performance shared with corporate sibling Alfa Romeo, you can’t beat the 2013 Dodge Dart. Even fully loaded, with the award-winning 1.4 liter MultiAir Turbo, this spirited compact is under $23,000. That engine, by the way, was developed by another Chrysler sibling, Fiat. The 2013 Dodge
Read more
The jury is still out on whether or not genetically modified food is potentially dangerous to our health. The federal government says no, along with many scientists, including those who work for the companies that create the genetic modifications. Those include Monsanto and DuPont, whose advertising slogan used to be “better living through chemistry” Many
Read more
Just what the world needs – a stretch Lamborghini Aventador limousine, for your partying pleasure. It’s the limo version of Lamborghini’s Aventador model, complete with the same so-called scissor doors as the conventional model, which is a 690hp. $400,000 two-seater supercar. The stretch version is in the same fiery red orange color as the conventional
Read more
What are the best cars of 2013? The April issue of Consumer Reports tells all, with reviews of 281 models. Watch the CR video, below, or just read the winners by category. Budget car – Hyundai Elantra ($18,445). One of CR’s top-rated compact sedans, the well- rounded Elantra delivers a lot for the money. It’s
Read more