Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Betty James Travel Insurance Strategy

" The secret to the Betty James Travel Insurance Strategy is to incorporate three features in the policy you select: 1) include high-limits coverage; 2) buy a "zero trip cost" (aka "post departure") travel insurance policy, and 3) also insist on a policy with which the insurance company will act as the "primary payer"; that is, it will pay service providers directly as compared to secondarily.

A "secondary payer" insurance policy requires YOU to pay for services up front, later submitting receipts and descriptions of services/treatments (in English!) to the insurance company. After the secondary payer determines what, if anything, your other, at-home insurance company will pay, only then will they reimburse you for the balance.

ITN readers have complained to me of slow payments (sometimes very slow) by secondary payers."

https://www.intltravelnews.com/2010/09/the-betty-james-travel-insurance-strategy

Rick Steves: Foraging Europe’s markets for the perfect picnic

https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/travel-news/sns-foraging-europes-markets-perfect-picnic-20200526-r3cflfroejda3oo4hnnbh6qwky-story.html?outputType=amp

Rick Steves: Foraging Europe's markets for the perfect picnic

By RICK STEVES

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

MAY 26, 2020 AT 5:24 PM

Treat yourself to a picnic in a park with a view — and make friends with the locals while you eat. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli)

Treat yourself to a picnic in a park with a view — and make friends with the locals while you eat. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli)

Although we've had to postpone trips to Europe due to the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here's one of my favorite European activities -- a tasty reminder of what's waiting for you at the other end of this crisis.

As a budget traveler, there's no better experience than a picnic sourced from a local market and then eaten outdoors with a lively square, peaceful park, or rejuvenated harborfront as a backdrop. Picnicking is simply the best way to enjoy Europe's edible specialties economically. I've become a picnic connoisseur -- and markets are at the heart of my picnic plans.

To me, the marketplaces of Europe are as important as the museums. They're local life on display, and the energy is palpable. Purveyors shout their daily specials -- cheeses, meats, fresh produce, and warm-from-the-oven bread -- while shoppers zigzag from stand to stand. Nearly every town has a market, and I make it a point to be there for the action. Of all Europe's markets, three in particular -- from trendy to thrifty -- really whet my appetite.

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Barcelona, Spain, dazzles hungry travelers with its grand covered market, La Boqueria. Just off the city's busy, touristy boulevard, Las Ramblas, La Boqueria is an explosion of chicken legs, stiff fish, colorful fruits, and odd odors. Since as far back as 1200, Barcelonans have bought their animal parts and fresh produce here.

Today, the market is a social affair and a feast for the senses. Wander around -- as local architect Antoni Gaud' used to -- and gain inspiration. Beyond meats and produce, the focus here is on Spanish specialties: from olives, mushrooms, and artichokes to heartier iberico (Iberian) ham and Catalan botifarra sausage. Scavenge this slice of Catalan culture for a picnic that challenges your palate. Head to the booths farther in or along the sides for a bigger bang for your euro. If you don't know the language, just point to what you want and write the amount on a scrap of paper, or type it into your smartphone's notepad or translation app. Then head to Barceloneta beach and feast with your feet in the sand.

Across the continent in Poland, the city of Kraków offers a deep dive into the authentic, untouristed market culture at the Stary Kleparz market, just steps from the city's Royal Way. It's just lots of hardscrabble people selling what they grow, bake, and knit, while shoppers bustle around, stocking up for the week.

Search out the freshest doughnuts (paczki), the most popular bakery, the smelliest smoked-fish stand, and the old man with the smoked cheese. Buy sunflower seeds the way locals do -- by the flower, with the seeds still nestled in their pod. The picnic-perfect Polish specialty you'll find everywhere around Kraków is the beloved zapiekanka -- a toasted baguette with cheese, ketchup, and a bewildering array of toppings. Grab one to accompany your market snacks while you stroll the Royal Way.

The mother of all food markets is London's Borough Market. The city's oldest fruit-and-vegetable market, it's been serving the Southwark community for more than 800 years. Though tourists overwhelm the place, it still has a fun carnival atmosphere and endless, enticing food stalls. This is my favorite market for cobbling together a picnic with both local and international flair. There's everything from diver-farmed oysters (boasting they're straight "from boat to Borough") and venison burgers to glistening chutneys and delicacies from Croatia and Calabria...and more than a few cheesemongers.

Bustling markets like these make picnicking an engaging cultural experience. Make an effort to communicate with the merchants and know what you're buying -- and how much you're spending. You'll probably need to hit several stalls to put together a complete meal. And take the opportunity to try something unfamiliar.

I always incorporate a picnic brunch, lunch, or dinner into my sightseeing plans. I might start the day by scouring the market with my senses, then filling up my shopping bag and having breakfast on a riverbank. Markets typically close in the early afternoon, so it's smart to stock up in the morning.

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For an evening picnic, I find a spot on a castle wall to enjoy a commanding view and the setting sun. Some of my all-time best picnics have been lazy dinners accompanied by medieval fantasies in the quiet of after-hours Europe. When I'm exploring the Alps, I punctuate my hike with a picnic. Food tastes even better on top of a mountain. And with any luck, a picnic could become a potluck, resulting in new friends and stuffed stomachs.

When travel to Europe resumes, be sure to graze its bounty of local markets -- the experience will not only leave you with a full tummy, but also full of tasty memories.

Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Plants that Attract Seed-eating Birds – thanks to Laidback Gardener

More at: https://laidbackgardener.blog/2015/09/05/plants-that-attract-seed-eating-birds/

PLANTS THAT ATTRACT SEED-EATING BIRDS

Goldfinches are seed-eaters. They particularly love thistle seeds!

You'll see lots of advice on the Internet about shrubs and trees with colorful berries that attract birds: serviceberries, hollies, crabapples, etc. After all, birds like them and we find them attractive too. But not all bird species are fruit-eaters. In fact, the greatest number are seed-eaters, birds like goldfinches, chickadees, grosbeaks, and nuthatches. Few sites seem to mention the many plants you can grow to attract this group. It's as if you're expected to put up bird feeders for seed-eating birds and be content with that.

I don't use bird feeders, yet I see all sorts of birds (and animals too!) visiting my garden in the winter, most of them seed-eaters, birds that flock to the varied vegetation I provide. You see, I do no fall cleanup and all my perennials, annuals and grasses are left to stand all winter, to the great delight of the seed-eating crowd.

The secret to attracting birds with seed-bearing plants is to provide a lot of variety. Make sure you have a wide range of plants, some maturing in summer or fall, others holding on to their seeds through the winter. This will attract the greatest number of bird species. You'll need herbaceous plants (perennials, annuals, etc.), but also shrubs and trees. About the only kind of backyard environment that seed-eating birds will have nothing to do with is a neatly-kept lawn, so up the flowers and shrubs, and cut back on lawn for the best range of bird visitors.

And don't scorn weeds, either! Many plants considered weeds (thistle, goldenrod, fireweed, etc.) or weed trees, like box elder (Acer negundo), are actually great plants for attracting birds. If you have the space, why not turn a corner of your yard into a wildlife habitat by letting otherwise undesirable plants grow freely? The birds will thank you for it! (As will the butterflies, but that's a different story!)

Some Plants to Try

Here are some plants that seed-eating birds particularly like. They are found in all categories, from annuals to perennials, biennials, vines, shrubs, trees and even conifers. You'll notice that most of these plants are fairly common garden plants: it's just that we rarely think of them as bird fodder. Just leave them along during the winter and watch the birds come in great numbers!

Abies spp. (fir) zones 1 to 7, depending on the species
Acer spp. (maple) zones 3 to 8, depending on the species
Achillea spp. (yarrow) zones 2 to 4, depending on the species
Alnus spp. (alder) zones 1 to 8, depending on the species
Love-lies-bleeding
Amaranthus spp. (amaranth, love-lies-bleeding) annual
Andropogon spp. (bluestem) zone 3
Aquilegia spp. (columbine) zone 3
Asclepias spp. (milkweed) zones 3 to 10, depending on the species
Aster spp. (aster) zones 2 to 6, depending on the species
Betulus spp. (birch) zones 1 to 5, depending on the species
Calendula spp. (pot marigold) annual
Campanula spp. (bellflower) zones 1 to 6, depending on the species
Carpinus spp. (hackberry) zones 4 to 7, depending on the species
Centaurea spp. (cornflower) annual or zone 3, depending on the species
Cerastium spp. (snow-in-summer) zones 2 to 4, depending on the species
Cirsium spp. (thistle) zones 2-6, depending on the species
Clematis seeds: birds eat them, then use their fluff to build nests.
Clematis spp. (clematis) zones 2-8, depending on the species
Coreopsis spp. (coreopsis) annual or zones 3-7, depending on the species
Cosmos spp. (cosmos) annual
Delphinium spp. (delphinium, larkspur) zone 3
Deschampsia caespitosa (tufted hair grass) zone 3
Echinacea spp. (echinacea, purple coneflower) zone 3
Echinops spp. (globe thistle) zone 3
Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed) zone 2
Erysiumum spp. (wallflower) zone 6
Eschscholzia spp. (California poppy) annual
Eupatorium spp. (Joe Pye weed) zone 3
Purple finch munching on ash seeds.
Fraxinus spp. (ash) zones 3 to 7, depending on the species
Gaillardia spp. (gaillardia, blanket flower) annual or zone 3
Hamamelis spp. (witchhazel) zones 4 to 8, depending on the species
Helianthus annuus (sunflower) annual
Helianthus spp. (perennial sunflower) zones 3-6, depending on the species
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket) Zone 3
Limonium sinuatum (statice) annual
Linum spp. (flax) annual or zone 3
MIscanthus or maiden grass.
Miscanthus spp. (maiden grass) zones 4 to 6, depending on the species
Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist) annual
Oeonothera spp. (evening primrose) zones 3-6, depending on the species
Onopordum spp. (Scotch thistle) zone 4
Panicum virgatum (switch grass) zone 3
Papaver spp. (poppy) annual or zone 3
Pennisetum spp. (fountain grass, millet) annual or zone 5
Phlox spp. (phlox) annual or zone 3, depending on the species
Pine grosbeak feeding on a spruce.
Picea spp. (spruce) zones 1 to 7, depending on the species
Pinus spp. (pine) zones 3 to 9, depending on species
Portulaca grandiflora (portulaca) annual
Rudbeckia spp. (coneflower) zone 3
Rumex spp. (sorrel) zones 3 to 5, depending on the species
Salvia spp. (sage) annual or zones 3 to 10, depending on the species
Scabiosa spp. (scabiosa, pincushion flower) annual or zone 3, depending on the species
Let your sedums stand in the winter and they'll attract birds!
Sedum spp. (sedum) zones 3 to 10, depending on the species
Solidago spp. (goldenrod) zone 2
Sorghastrum nutans (false sorghum) zone 3
Tagetes spp. (marigold) annual
Thuja spp. (arborvitae) zones 3 to 6, depending on the species
Tsuga spp. (hemlock) zones 4 to 6, depending on the species
Verbascum (mullein) zones 3 to 7, depending on the species
Vernonia spp. (ironweed) zone 4
Zinnia spp. (zinnia) annual
"

Friday, July 3, 2020

Fun Raspberry Pi projects thanks to morning brew!: ☕️ Wrong kind of pie

What can you do with them? The Verge's video director built her own camera. But you can start smaller with a smart mirroror security system for your home, a mini gaming PC, or a robot that blows bubbles for your kid (or yourself). The options are endless.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: The Essentials <crew@morningbrew.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 3, 2020 at 3:02 PM

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TOGETHER WITH

Good afternoon and welcome back to The Essentials. Hopefully you're reading this on Day 1 of your Fourth of July long weekend. You've only got a few hours left to put some fun plans together, so let's get into it.

—Alex Hickey

Leading Off

Pxfuel

With the latest postponements of Mulan and Tenet, the summer box office is officially dead.

But at the same time, the home box office is catching on. A number of studios have skipped theatrical releases and headed straight to on-demand rentals.

The Trolls sequel earned almost $95 million in three weeks...more than the original made in theaters in five months. The King of Staten Island is leading rentals on multiple platforms, because after four months of Friends reruns, $20 for a Pete Davidson flick sounds reasonable. And Tom Hanks's new film Greyhound drops on Apple TV+ in a week.

Notice a trend? These aren't exactly tier 1, shell-out-for-a-large-popcorn movies. The blockbusters that can dream of $1 billion pushed releases back to late 2020 or 2021. Which means a summer with no superheroes, no Top Gun sequel, no Disney magic.

To fill the hole in your heart...

Read the NYT's tribute to Fast & Furious: mastering the art of the car chase.
Check out Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods (Netflix), Oscar-winner Parasite (Hulu), and Knives Out or BlacKkKlansman (Amazon Prime).
Explain to me why Will Ferrell's Eurovision Song Contest hit No. 1 on Netflix.

Stay Sharp

For the curious: Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History is three episodes into Season 5, and he's already dug into the dragon psychology of art museums, why hoarders might be getting a bad rap, and student council elections in Bolivia.

For media mavens: Check out The Idea's three-part series on Black-owned news media: a brief history, the first wave of digital outlets, and how they're making money.

For the nostalgic: These last six months have been...well, they happened. To help you make sense of them, the Brew editorial team poured some extra love into writing this incredible (yes, I'm biased) recap of wtf happened the first half of 2020.

For the distracted: Level up your productivity with entrepreneur, author, and productivity guru Nir Eyal, who's running a 2-week workshop with the Brew that will let you take back control of your work life. Learn more here.

Sponsored by Lumasol

Just a heads up, we're driving convertibles from now on. Or at least finding a friend who has one. Why? Because the sunscreen phenom, lumasol, has us chasing sunshine like it's our job.

The mystifying genius of lumasol starts with their mist-applying applicator, The Engine. Much like the random convertible we took a few selfies in front of just now, lumasol's engine is sleek, high-performing, and ready to go anywhere.

Simply pop a vial of lumasol's SPF into The Engine and apply across the face and neck for a lightweight, protective layer—even after you've applied makeup.

Choose from a 6 to 12-month refill subscription and always have your sunscreen needs covered, whether you're cruising in a convertible or minivan.

Bask in the sun—safely—with lumasol today.

R&R

Giphy

Whether you're staying home for the holiday weekend or venturing into the wilderness of civilization, here are some things to keep everyone happy this weekend.

Food and fun: Look no further than the Brew's summer barbecue cooking guide (put together by yours truly) and yard games guide (courtesy of Toby). Yes, these were technically for Memorial Day, but I'm just doing my part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Entertainment: Rumor has it Americans are hitting the pavement for extra road trips this year. Avoid fights over the AUX cord by cuing these up instead:

Music: For something more mainstream, this roadtrip playlist on Spotify or Rolling Stone's 10 coolest summer albums of all time.
Podcasts: Afar was kind enough to do the work for me and curated the best road trip podcasts, with options for crime lovers, history buffs, families, and fiction fans.
Audiobooks: I'll be listening to The Color of Money by Mehrsa Baradaran, which examines the racial wealth gap and the history of Black banks. After tackling that, head over to Brew's Bookshelf's newly revamped website for more inspiration.

The best idea of them all? Celebrate Independence Day by fighting COVID-19, which is resurging across the country. Here are eight things you can do to be safe.

Dept. of Cool Ideas

Rule No. 1 of tricking kids into educational opportunities: Make it sound like dessert.

The Raspberry Pi is a small, single-board computer that was created in 2012 to help teach computer science around the world. But with a price point of $35 and easy application in robotics, academia, and DIY, adults have joined in on the fun.

In December, the Pi surpassed 30 million units in sales.
Oracle used 4,240 of them to create a Pi "supercomputer." And NASA is using them for its Mars mission.

What can you do with them? The Verge's video director built her own camera. But you can start smaller with a smart mirror or security system for your home, a mini gaming PC, or a robot that blows bubbles for your kid (or yourself). The options are endless.

Happy Place

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Every July, during what may be the weirdest tradition in America, "Saltwater Cowboys" round up wild ponies on Virginia's Assateague Island and make them paddle over to Chincoteague Island, while tens of thousands of people watch. This year's event was canceled, but the best way to see the ponies anyways is with a lovely little skydiving business close by. You can watch little herds of the horses run around as you free fall on your way down.

I hope you all have a safe and fun July 4 weekend. We'll see your sunburned faces back here on Monday.

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Written by Alex Hickey

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Cheers,

Connie O'Dell

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