If It Is Thursday It's Going Green - Cars

Reduce,Reuse,Recycle & Repair

This photo shows a new electric car - most of us will not be able to purchase such a vehicle but there are a few things we can do to economize.

We may not have much influence about the rise in gas costs but we can do a few things to lower the amount that we purchase.

Check Prices - Before you actually buy gas, check on the lowest prices in your neighborhood. Go tohttp://autos.msn.com and look for gas prices. Type in your zip code and you might be surprised at the difference in prices at local stations.

Drive Sensibly - Aggressive driving, speeding, rapid acceleration and braking, wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. Observe the speed limit.

Use Cruise Control - Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas. Cruise in the Slow Lane. Gas mileage drops considerably when you go over 60 mph. According to the Department of Energy, you pay about 20 cents more per gallon for each 5 mph you go over 60. Over time, that's a lot of extra fuel, and cash!

Remove Excess Weight - Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2% the equivalent of 8 cents per gallon. In other words, you can save up to $50 per year simply by cleaning out your trunk. If you have a removable roof rack and you are not using it, take it off to improve your fuel economy by as much as 5 percent.

Avoid Excessive Idling - Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines. Pausing somewhere? Shut down your engine: Idling for any length of time burns more gas than it takes to restart the car. Note: It only takes 30 seconds to warm up your car.

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned - Tune up your car according to your owner’s-manual schedule (usually every 30,000 miles) and raise your car’s fuel efficiency anywhere from 4 to 40 percent. Use the right motor oil. If the oil is too thick, your engine will have to work harder—burning more fuel. If it’s too thin, you won’t get the needed protection. Stick with the type recommended by your owner’s manual for maximum fuel efficiency.

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly - Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.

Think about how your fuel conservation efforts benefit the Earth and future generations. Look for more on this topic in next week's blog posting.

If It Is Thursday It's Going Green - Be Green, Live Green, Buy Green

Remember the 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair

Most of us have heard about the importance of making environmentally friendly lifestyle changes. Do you think that "going green” could mean turning your life upside down?

If you believe you don't have the time or money to join the green movement, you might be surprised that you already have some eco-friendly habits. These simple practices make a difference and can help you on your way to living an even greener lifestyle.

If you follow any of the green practices listed below, you just may be greener than you think?

If your household:

• Recycles paper, glass and metal items

• Has swapped plastic bags for cloth bags when shopping

• Utilizes natural sunshine light during the day

• Uses long-lasting fluorescent light bulbs

• Turns light switches off when they leave a room

• Covers windows with curtains to keep out cold air

• Closes the fireplace damper when a fire isn't burning

• Has insulated all heating pipes in the home

• Runs your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full

• Removes lint from the dryer filter after each use

• Covers pots and pans when cooking

• Cooks food in the microwave instead of the oven

• Uses shower-time efficiently and have installed a low-flow showerhead

If you eat: Locally grown organic foods, a variety of fruits and vegetables and limit your red meat consumption

If you drink: Filtered tap water instead of bottled water

If you buy:

• Organic cotton, bamboo, soy, or hemp clothing

• Reusable products, such as cloth napkins or plastic containers for food storage, rather than the disposable versions

• Natural bath and body products

• Nontoxic cleaning products

• Rechargeable batteries

If you travel…

• By carpool

• By public transportation

• By bicycle or on foot

• In a fuel-efficient vehicle

How are you doing so far?

Let me know how many of these environmentally friendly changes you

and your family have made.

peacesojourner@yahoo.com

Travel on the Fourth of July Holiday...........

Those of you who know me well, know that I do not travel on the major highways and I thoroughly enjoy puttering along to my destination by taking the scenic route.

Nothing - and I do mean nothing - could make me take a highway and be one of these cars pictured below. Just look at that backlog!

This Holiday week-end has many people traveling on the highways around the United States.

The entrance to the Peace Bridge to Canada is at the end of the road that I live on and

for the last couple of days there have been warnings that there may be a 90 minute wait to go over the bridge.

I was really happy to learn that very soon we may have another alternative to car travel. Did you know that there are plans underway for cars that can also fly AND have approval from the Federal Aviation Administration?

Here is the : The Terrafugia Transitio

This private aircraft – odd looking car has been in the news before. But the announcement that it's going into production has been greeted with excitement.

The news reports explain that the FAA's special exemption allows the vehicle to function as both a "light aircraft" and a car. Normally, for a plane to meet the "light aircraft" designation, it can weigh no more than 1,200 pounds. The Terrafugia Transition weighs 1,320, due primarily to the number of car-related safety features, like airbags and crumple zones. The "light aircraft" designation is key, because licenses for planes with that label require only 20 hours of flying time.

How does the plane-car work? So far, 70+ people have placed a deposit. The total retail cost: $194,000. Expensive, but really, can you put a price on skipping commercial flights?

I have decided to start saving so that I can be one of the first people to own a Terrafugia Transitio - no matter that I currently drive a 12 year old car with 140,000 miles on it. I could take off from my garden and soar over the Niagara river to Canada in just 4 or 5 minutes. Hmmm... would I need a passport to arrive that way? Who would be up in the sky directing all of the little flying cars ? Will there be traffic signs telling me to stay in my own lane and how about double yellow lines? Will the traffic cops be attached to their own little flying parachutes?

Well, I will let them work all of that out! Meanwhile I am staying here in my own garden for the holidays and all I have to do is look up to the sky to watch the downtown fireworks right in my neighborhood.

Hmmmmm.....what would little flying cars do if the fireworks entered their path of travel.....not to worry I won't have that $194,000 saved for a while yet - I will think all of the details through when I have the money and can purchase the car- will it come in the color blue - until then good luck to those of you who will be a dot on the highway like the cars in the pictures above.

This 4th of July week-end I am going nowhere - a cookout in the back yard is fine with me.

Happy 4th July to all - unless you are in England and, of course, we do not celebrate the fourth of July in England for some rather obvious reasons - we usually choose to ignore the whole thing :-)

peacesojourner

Today is National Train Day - 2011

The Southwest line travels from Waterloo, London to Bournemouth, England

A typical freight train in the United States

Today is National Train Day - 2011

Those who know me well know that I love to travel by train whenever I can. I sometimes think that I was born in the wrong century because I still have the nostalgia of train travel which developed when I was a child, and to be honest I have never felt the desire to rush from place to place :-)

Just this Tuesday I took a one day return ride on the the train from Buffalo, NY to Albany NY - a six hour journey each way - I was so happy to view the countryside just as the leaves are just appearing on the trees and the flowers are blooming. It is a wonderful route that travels through many towns and an excellent way to view the many bridges, and scenery that New York offers.

A young passenger in front of me was talking on his cell phone and I heard him say that he had never been on a train before and he was really enjoying it. He told his friend that it is just like being on an airplane except that the windows are much bigger and there is more opportunity to walk around. I thought that was an insightful observation.

As I was reading the complimentary magazine provided by Amtrak, I noticed the articles advertising information about the upcoming National Train Day and that it is on May 7, 2011 – today.

What Is National Train Day? It is a day for train lovers to celebrate the existence of trains. There are official Train Clubs; I have a friend who travels all over the world just to experience riding a certain train in a certain country. No, I do not sit at the train stations and record which trains I have viewed or travelled on in a Train Spotters Journal but I do think that I could get drawn into that hobby if someone invited me to do so.

Here is a condensed history of trains in the United States written by Amtrak. On May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah, the "golden spike" was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, ceremonially creating the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. And America was transformed.

Suddenly, the country was united in a way it never had been, and train travel sparked imaginations in small towns and big cities, among folk who desired adventure and businessmen who saw fortunes to be made. The sound of a train whistle was the soundtrack of happy reunions and tearful farewells. It heralded the arrival of mail, supplies and change.

The train became more than the go-to mode of transport for people and goods. It was a proud achievement of engineering vision, technical ingenuity and sweat. It was a cultural force that sparked the creative imaginations of storytellers in songs, movies and novels. Railways provided jobs for thousands of Americans. The train station became a focal point of every community, from New York City’s Pennsylvania Station to the tiny stations that dotted rural America.

Now, 140 years after the “golden spike” connected east and west, there’s never been a better time to take the train. Huge crowds and the frustrations that go with them burden our highways and airports. And at a time when we all share the same pressing concerns about environment and energy conservation, trains are a more energy-efficient mode of travel than either autos or airplanes. Riding the rails is not only a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but also a great way to meet interesting people and see breathtaking scenery.

That’s why, in commemoration of the anniversary of the day the "golden spike" was driven, they celebrated the first-ever National Train Day on May 10, 2008. Thousands enjoyed live entertainment, train displays, raffles, prizes and surprises for big and small across the nation.
This year the events will be even better. Today there will be a coast-to-coast celebration of the way trains connect people and places, with major events in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, while other events will occur in smaller markets nationwide. Join us and discover the Rail Way during any of the National Train Day festivities that are sure to be a treat for all ages.

To find out what activities may be happening to celebrate National Train Day in your area go to: http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2011/events

As I write this I realize that I could spend hours on this subject, especially about the immigrants who came to the United States (some voluntary and some enslaved) who laid those original tracks so that people could travel this vast country. I will save that story for another day.

I am off to my local train station to join in the fun – why not join me?

peacesojurner

Shaftesbury, North Dorset, England - 2009

Shaftesbury is a small Market Town with history that goes back to medieval times.

Located in North Dorset, England 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 750 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill.

It is one of the oldest towns in Britain. Population of 6,665 with 3,112 dwellings.

Earlier this year, when I was visiting my family in England, my sisters and I travelled to our cousin's house in Shaftesbury. This photo shows Sue's back garden which is typical in English homes. Most have plenty of flowers along with some tomato plants and runner beans.

This is a typical view of the English countryside which looks out across the Blackmore Vale and you can see the fields are broken by hedgerows in a scene that evokes the best of traditional English charm. In England we love our hedges which is the main method of indicating property lines which are designed for privacy.

When I visit this area I like to sit on the benches which are on the top of the hill. This view can throw a person into thoughtful reflections while viewing the limitless landscape. I try to imagine what life was like more than a thousand years ago in this little village.

Shaftesbury's recorded history dates from Anglo-Saxon times. Alfred the Great founded a Burgh (fortified settlement) here in 880 as a defense in the struggle with the Danish invaders. Alfred and his daughter Ethelgiva founded Shaftesbury Abbey in 888 and later the abbey became the wealthiest Benedictine nunnery in England.

Shaftesbury became a major site of pilgrimage for miracles of healing.

Tourism is one of the main industries in the town and people come from far and wide to

view Gold Hill, a steep cobbled street lined with uniquely individual thatched and tiled cottages. If this looks familiar to you this particular scene has appeared in several movies and has also appeared on the cover of countless books about Dorset and rural England.

The houses are built on a very steep hill and people still live in them. On a wet day walking on the cobblestones can be slippery.

At the top of this street is the 14th century St Peter's church, one of the few pre-18th century buildings remaining in Shaftesbury. This ancient cobbled street, running beside the walls of King Alfred's abbey, also features on countless chocolate boxes and calendars. In the Middle Ages the Abbey was the central focus of the town.

This is Sue's cottage. She and her family love living here and there is plenty of nostalgia that goes with living in a building that was designed and built so long ago. We had lunch and talked for hours, as we always do, when we get together. Catching up on family events and reminiscing about our childhood days.

*****

Another happy day sharing time with family in a spectacular English village

with amazing scenery. It doesn't get better than that.

The History of Some of England's Traditional Icons

I thought I would write a little about the history of a few of the traditional icons of the U.K.

When I was visiting earlier this year I was filled with nostalgia and found myself taking photos of many things that were familiar to me when I was growing up.

For several years I lived and worked just around the corner from Harley Street, near Regent's Park, London. This street is known world over for its large cluster of private dentists,

surgeons, and doctors, mostly where the rich and famous seek health care.

Since the 19th century, the number of doctors, hospitals, and medical organizations in and around Harley Street has greatly increased. Records show that there were around 20 doctors in 1860. When the National Health Service was established in 1948, there were about 1,500. Today, thousands of people are employed in the Harley Street area, in clinics, medical practices, and hospitals such as The London Clinic.

When I was in the London Waterloo Train Station I was fascinated with this example of modern health care. Medicentres are walk-in private medical centres based in London. No appointment is necessary and you will normally be seen within 20 minutes. A great idea for travelers passing through or people who work in the city who can drop in on their lunch break.

* If a person becomes ill while visiting Britain, they are eligible for free, out patient, emergency treatment in the Accident and Emergency departments of National Health Service hospitals.

The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster is recognized worldwide. Although it has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles,

the majority of buses in London are still red.

Buses have been used on the streets of London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating his horse drawn omnibus service from Paddington to the city. The London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) began using motor omnibuses in 1902, and manufactured them itself from 1909. The last horse-drawn bus ran on 25 October 1911, although independent operators used them until 1914. The company is now known as London Transport.

This particular bus had been rented out to transport a wedding party to the church and reception - quite a novel idea :-)

A mailbox in the United Kingdom is called a pillar box where mail is deposited to be collected by the Royal Mail. Pillar boxes have been in use since 1852, just 12 years after the introduction of the first adhesive postage stamps and uniform penny post. Royal Mail estimates there are over 100,000 post boxes in the United Kingdom.

Most traditional British pillar-boxes produced after 1905 are made of cast iron. Each post box has its own set of keys and postal workers have to carry large bunches with them when clearing the boxes.

And last but not least, the red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom . The first standard public telephone kiosk introduced by the U. K. Post Office was produced in concrete. The red telephone box was the result of a competition in 1924 to design a kiosk that would be acceptable to the London Metropolitan. The Post Office chose to make Scott's winning design in cast iron and to paint it red to make it easily visible.

In 1935 it was designed to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V. It was the first red telephone kiosk to be used extensively outside of London and many thousands were deployed in virtually every town and city. It has become a British icon.

Upon the privatization of Post Office Telephone's successor, British Telecom (BT) issued a more utilitarian design, and began to replace most of the existing boxes.

photos by peacesojourner

The Venceremos Brigade Returns Home Today

The Peace Bridge

A group called the Venceremos (We Shall Overcome) Brigade re-entered

the U.S. in Buffalo today

after defying the U.S. travel ban to Cuba.

The Venceremos Brigade is a U.S. political organization formed in 1969. It was formed as a coalition of young people attempting to show solidarity with the Cuban Revolution by working side by side with Cuban workers and challenging U.S. policies towards Cuba, including the United States embargo against Cuba and the U.S. government's restrictions on travel to the island.

Well wishers stand out to welcome the travellers who returned to the United States this morning. The sun was shining and the group was happy as the Venceremos Brigade crossed over the Peace Bridge from Fort Erie, Canada to Buffalo, New York.

The first Brigades participated in sugar harvests in Cuba and subsequent Brigades have done agricultural and construction work in many parts of the island.

In the summer of 2003, the group joined with the "Pastors For Peace" project of the Inter religious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) and organized a group travelling to Cuba, to highlight their objection to the U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba.

Here are some of the group arriving on the last leg of their journey from Cuba.

This is the 40th consecutive year that the group has traveled to Cuba.

More than 150 Americans from around the country are part of this year's trip.

A rally calling for the U.S. to end the travel ban was held after the group's arrival

at Front Park in Buffalo.

New York City - July, 2009

Last week I was in New York City, with a friend, for a few days.

The event we attended was held in the New York Hilton Hotel.

At the end of the day, while walking to our hotel,

we passed through Times Square and along Broadway.

These photos were taken late in the evening and as you can see there are hundreds of people out just enjoying themselves.

It is such an interesting place to be and we did plenty of 'people watching.' :-)

The city is an attraction for people from all aspects of the community. There are local residents and visitors from just about every culture and country in the world.

While walking along , it is hard not to keep looking upward at the skyscraper buildings.

It is truly an amazing city!

The sign boards are wonderful to view and the hustle and bustle of the crowd

promotes a feeling of energy and excitement.

Times Square now has a pedestrian area and some of the streets

have been blocked to traffic.

There is an area there that has a set of elevated bleachers filled with sightseers.

Many were enjoying a take out meal or just relaxing.

This year's theme of the NAACP is 'Bold Dreams - Big Victories' and

hanging from every light post were banners declaring good wishes from New York City.

New York has a new image, the streets are cleaner,

the police officers were courteous and the taxi cabs are in excellent

condition. There was a congenial atmosphere in the typical tourist areas.

No, I don't work for the Tourist Board - I just like to tell it as I see it and

it is always good to give compliments :-)

Lepe, Hampshire, England

More on my recent visit to England

    

Another walk in the New Forest National Park:

 On this day, we set out,  for the hamlet of

Lepe, in the county of Hampshire, which is a coastal Country Park in the New Forest National Park. There are stunning views across the Solent ,  a narrow channel between the Isle of Wight and the southern mainland of England.

Lepe has a wonderful mix of habitats;  birds watch over the shoreline of the Solent which provides access to the port of Southampton Strait of the English Channel. It extends 15 miles between mainland England and the Isle of Wight and varies in width from 2 to 5 miles.

There is over a mile of beach, pine fringed cliffs and wild flower meadows where butterflies are attracted to the wildflowers.

The park is popular for walking, swimming, fishing, windsurfing and bird or boat watching.

On the day we visited the park was tranquil and there were very few people around.

This lighthouse was built by the local community to commemorate 

the 2000 Bicentennial.

As we walked along the quiet shore it was hard to imagine that this peaceful area had played such an important role in the WWII  D-Day landing of Normandy. 

Troops, vehicles and supplies bound for Normandy, left the Lepe coast 
on the 6 June 1944:  thousands of troops with their vehicles and supplies left Britain for the beaches of Normandy. This was D-Day, the start of the great campaign to drive the German army out of France and to bring the Second World War to its end. The D-Day invasion, code named Operation Overlord, one of the most remarkable feats in military history, was under way. It had taken over two years of planning, and was one of the best kept secrets of the war.

Many hundreds of troops with their equipment, vehicles and ammunition were hidden along the narrow roads and in the woods of the area.

My sister and her childhood friend walking side by side, having a chat,  as they have done so many times before.

Watch House is still lived in today and it is just what it's name says,  a lookout built to keep an eye on the harbor.

Almost anywhere that you visit in England the area is steeped in history and local legends.

In the 1800’s after years of smuggling in the area, the Coast Guard Cottages and Watch House were built, housing the Preventative Officers and their boat. Soon after Billy Coombes, the captain of a smuggling ship, was captured and hanged at Stone Point.

Local history of Lepe can be traced back 70,000 years during the last Ice Age, when sea levels were low and a chalk ridge extended from Studland in Dorset to The Needles, Isle of Wight. 

5-12,000 years ago humans lived a nomadic life in small groups at seasonal camps but were forced inland as sea levels continued to rise.

1-5,000 years ago they began farming and so settled in villages leaving evidence in the form of Bronze Age burial mounds, Iron Age pottery, Roman coins, and Medieval tidal mills.

Lepe harbour was used for ship building until 1825 when it silted up.

  

Lepe has a stony, sandy and muddy shore, without a large number of rocks and the foreshore is often disturbed by bait-diggers after lug worms.  This scenic photo shows a local fisherman digging for bait with the Isle of Wight in the background.

*****

 Another delightful  day enjoying each other's company and exploring  the  beauty of this shoreline.  This area is so peaceful and it was interesting to recall how important this site  was during WWII and that  Lepe was once one of the main ports in the Solent but was wiped out of existence by a great storm in the seventeenth century resulting in the complete demise of the related fishing community.

Nowadays the area is a  destination for the pure enjoyment of observing nature and walking, while taking a break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.