Life Style & Travel

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...

SAN FRANCISCO—The city that has built an empire on sourdough is on the rise to diversify its breadth of toasted offerings. The city’s latest culinary craze is one of the most commonly known breakfast foods that many people have grown up with in their kitchen pantries. Since 2014, artisanal toast has been receiving widespread media attention as being one of...

UNITED STATES—The original Land Rover Discovery was succeeded by the LR3 (in U.S. markets), which received a mid-run facelift and name change to, LR4. Makes sense, so far, right? Liking where their new model nomenclature was going, marketing executives at Land Rover decided to makeover their compact crossover (the Freelander) and slot it into the entry-level spot as…that’s right…the...

UNITED STATES—As the simple name implies, 'groundcover' covers the ground. Groundcover plants stay lower than shrubbery, and function something like mulch. They insulate shallow roots of other plants, inhibit weeds, and some groundcovers inhibit erosion. Besides all their utilitarian functions, they provide appealing foliage, and some bloom nicely. Lawn is probably the most common groundcover, and is also the most...

UNITED STATES—Autumn is the time for planting. Cooling weather slows plants down so that they do not mind disruption so much. Increasing rain (hopefully) keeps the soil evenly moist while roots slowly disperse. The combination of cooling weather, increasing rain and shorter days keeps plants well hydrated so they can slowly ease into spring. Why is this important now? Well,...

UNITED STATES—Every few times a year, the Motor Press Guild holds an event in which it challenges automakers to send forth their best examples, vehicles that epitomize their respective brands. One such event: Droptops & Dirt. It is at this event that carmakers have the opportunity to present their best off-road vehicles and/or their best convertible/retractable roof models. Once...