Life Style & Travel

Back in the decade of decadence (the 1980s), members of (what we now refer to as) the Yuppie generation wanted something to brag about. These ambitious corporate ladder climbers wanted to one-up their peers in every way. Unfortunately, most yuppies were too young to have earned enough dough to afford a ticket to travel “S-class”. No, the flagship Mercedes-Benz...

UNITED STATES—Early American settlers from Europe had a lot to learn about the plants of North America. After their first harsh winter without much food, many were eager to eat the first fresh greens of spring, which was sometimes the very poisonous jimson weed. Those who were not lethally poisoned right away might have hallucinated and told their friends...

UNITED STATES—Affixing a name that has long stood for rugged go-anywhere capability onto a vehicle that has crossed over to the car side of the forced air induction vehicle offerings from Land Rover can be a risky move. The folks over at Jeep are receiving a bit of backlash from Cherokee fanatics for building the new Cherokee upon a car-based...

SAN FRANCISCO—Taco Bell has announced on Wednesday, July 8 that the fast-food chain will now deliver to three major cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas. Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol said in a press release on their website that, “delivery is yet another example of how we’re using technology and innovation to respond to consumers’ wants and needs, further...

SAN FRANCISCO—According to a report released earlier this week from wealth management firm William Blair, Chipotle restaurants in San Francisco saw a significant increase in menu prices as a result of hikes in the local minimum wage. The report noted that Chipotle locations in the city “saw across-the-board price increases averaging over 10 percent, including 10 percent increases on chicken,...

UNITED STATES—A muffled announcement came over the loudspeaker, “This is Garden City, Kansas. If this is your stop, get off here. This will be a brief stop. This will not be a smoking stop.” The tribe of smokers on board groaned. As the groans subsided, the Southwest Chief clanked into forward movement again and Raveendran’s mouth watered as the deserted...

UNITED STATES—During a drought, there really is no way to use less water in a garden pond. Aquatic plants cannot survive without adequate water; not to mention fish. Pumps that circulate water must stay submerged to operate properly, and to not get damaged by operating without water. Some degree of water needs to be added regularly to compensate for...

CALIFORNIA—On June 3, 2014, tax officials sent a 16-page report to Blue Shield California, the state’s third largest insurer. The tax board did not comment on why blue shield was audited, but after consideration it was decided that the non-profit health plan provider would now have to pay state taxes. They had earlier cited confidentiality reasons for not making...

UNITED STATES—Competing in a high-volume, budget conscious segment has never been an easy proposition for a premium brand. Let’s face it, when you are used to building the finest vehicles money can buy, trivial things like “profit margins” seem to take care of themselves. All you have to do is build the best car, pass the cost on to...

UNITED STATES—With conservation of water being so important right now, annuals are not a priority. Many of us are trying to use as little water as possible, and only to keep the more significant trees, shrubbery and perennials alive until winter. Lawn and annuals are usually the first to succumb, mainly because they use more water than anything else. They...