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When you’re away on holidays you always have two choices. You can either rent your own car or rely on public transport and tour buses. Now there’s a lot of charm in using the tube in London or the Metro in Paris to get around and to be honest it’s a pretty economical and quick way to travel but it only covers the city centre and maybe some of the suburbs of those cities so if you want or plan on travelling anywhere outside of the main areas which aren’t serviced by tour buses then you’ll need to look at hiring a car. Otherwise you’ll be missing out on some of the richer sights that any country has to offer.

Now most people are put off by the idea of getting a hire car in a foreign country because of the fact that maybe they’ll be driving on an opposite side of the road or the potential of something going wrong like an accident or a breakdown. Now in my case when I was in London I had a breakdown but was lucky enough to find a great car servicing firm called 1st Ready Fit near Uxbridge who took care of my problem promptly and professionally and at a really affordable price.

But that minor breakdown was more than worth the sights and experiences that we had during our trip and being out and about on the English roads so don’t let the potential risk be a deterrent to having an entirely different type of holiday for you and your family.

I’m a wine fan but can’t say that I always have been. In my youth I was more of a beer kinda guy but getting married and having family and a political career meant having to develop a more refined side to who I am as a person. Now that doesn’t mean there’s anything at all with drinking beers and believe me I’m a bit of a beer connoisseur when it comes down to it and I’m particularly fond of imported German wheat beers and drink them whenever I get a chance. My wife introduced me to the wonderful world of wine and my eyes were opened to a whole new part of enjoying myself social. So much so in fact that when we first got a chance we took a trip to France to visit the home of wine.

During our tour of the various wine regions that there are numerous vineyards in France for sale for anywhere from several hundred thousand euro to several million euro all depending on what region of France you’re buying your vineyard in. There are lots of technical and financial details involved when buying any size of vineyard anywhere in France so it’s always a very good idea to get information from a consultant or broker with local knowledge of the vineyards and regions that you’re considering. Without having exact details of the type of property you’re buying into you could wind up making very expensive and long-term mistakes that you’ll have your entire life to regret.

Foreign travel is always something I’ve enjoyed doing and at various stages of my life it’s been part of my job to visit foreign countries to represent the United States in various capacities. There are some places in the world that make an impression on you more than others. Paris for example is one because of the inherent beauty of the city and just the general atmosphere leaves a lasting impression on pretty much everyone that visits there. And of course just a short hop across the English channel brings you to London which is one of the oldest cities in the Europe dating back almost 2,000 years to Roman times when the city was called Londinium.

As a city steeped in thousands of years of history there’s an awful lot to take in while you’re there and it’s not the type of city that you can spend just 24-hours in if you want to have any hope of taking in all that this city has to offer. And one of the more unique things to do is to get some total relaxation with a tantric massage in London. Now I know that’s not what some people would consider part of being on a holiday but you’re going to be a tourist in London for at least a few days and you’re going to need to unwind and massage is a great way to do that. Now tantric massage is taking things up a level but the benefits are more than worth it.

So if you’re in the middle of creating a bucket list then this is definitely one to add to it during your foreign travels.

The weather has been bad lately and not just here but globally. I know there’s talk that there’s no such thing as global warming or global weather change but I’m seeing the kind of weather that would make me think otherwise to be honest here guys. I mean the last few winters alone have been bitter and each year it just seems to get worse and worse – or is it just me? I’m pretty sure the last few winters have been so cold I’ve wanted to just not leave the house if at all if possible. You know the kinda cold I’m talking about I’m sure.

And of course with extreme weather or cold weather or even extremely cold weather for that matter you need to start thinking about home maintenance and whatever about cold drafts in your home that make you uncomfortable there’s nothing going to make you more uncomfortable than a leak in your roof or even worse a complete and total lack of roof on your property. So that got me to thinking and I started doing some research about the different types of roofing that are available to property owners. And what surprised me was what I found out about lead roofing. Like what? Like how durable it is and how long it lasts for just a few things worth mentioning!

I’d always thought lead roofing was pretty messy and not all that tough but it turns out the exact opposite is true. In fact a properly installed lead roof will, quite literally, last you an entire lifetime and more besides.

Being a politician means a lot of things. It means dedication and sacrifice. It means long hours and generally no thanks in the end for all the hard work you’ve put in. It means that you can make a mark on history that people will remember you for forever – both good and bad. Being involved in politics is neither as easy or as straightforward as some people might think. There are, of course, perks to the job too – otherwise why would anyone put themselves through the wringer like that?

But it’s not all doom and gloom and you do get to meet lots of interesting people from all over the world and especially from countries that are friendly towards the United States. Oddly enough the original adversary of the US is now our greatest ally, generally speaking, in the Western world. And it was on a diplomatic visit from the UK that I was introduced to a man who was involved in the home decor business. And not just involved but entirely passionate about what he did for a living and the companies he worked with. One name came up over and over again – Blind Inspiration. He was so impressed by the way this company treated their customers and provided blinds in Berkshire to customers of all types that they’d really created a raving fan for themselves.

It’s hard not to listen to somebody when they’re talking about something with so much passion. Sure some people can waffle on forever about something and almost instantly make your eyes glaze over. But some people have that natural spark, that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that separates them from your average speaker or advocate and this guy was truly one such person. What he believed in became so infectious to others that they spread the message to everyone else they knew – like an information virus.

It’s become obvious to pretty much everyone in the United States that the system is failing and failing badly. This is due to a lot of things but mostly the fact that the current political system is based on a belief that the federal reserve should and does control much of the decision making made on Capitol Hill. If nothing else the current global recession is absolute proof that this system does not work and the fact that our American financial system is now basically under the control of Chinese financiers is a damning indictment of how low the mighty United States has fallen. Now it’s no longer necessary to fight wars to overthrow a country. Instead you simply wait for them to be in financial trouble and buy out all their financial interests.

And this weakening of America is also starting to affect our armed forces. America has become complacent in its military strength and this could be perceived as a sign of weakness by a foreign power. Our military technology is world class but alas the confusion and multiple overlapping projects requested by our military will cause us to weaken even further. Ronald Reagan once said that any nation with a strong military is less likely to be challenged by another nation and this has been proven as true countless times throughout history.

When the young men and women in our armed forces are put in harms way in the defence of democracy and to fight for freedom from tyranny we should ensure that they are equipped with the very best in equipment and other resources to fight the good fight in a way that ensures the highest level of success and the lowest number of casualties.

It’s time for change full period and my aim was to help bring out this change from a seat within congress.

Last time we discussed the Maryland 6th Congressional district and its incumbent, Roscoe Bartlett. Today we will look at one of the candidates trying to take him on.

Thus far, there are two announced Democratic candidates in the 6th District: 2006 nominee and 2008 primary candidate Andrew Duck and first time candidate Casey Clark. I recently spent some time talking to Casey Clark about the race and his candidacy.

Clark sees vulnerability in Roscoe Bartlett for a few reasons. First, although it looks to be a good election season for Republicans, Clark believes it will be a poor one for incumbents. That is especially true in economically stagnant communities like those throughout the 6th District. Second, Bartlett has had declining vote totals, fundraising, and political activity over the last few years. According to Clark, Bartlett has indicated he wants to be reelected but does not want to spend too much money, time, or energy on it.

Clark believes that a concerted effort by Democrats all over Maryland, famous for providing national political dollars, could help him oust Bartlett. He has already raised $150,000, almost as much as Jennifer Dougherty raised during the entire 2008 cycle. Clark has also been working the district through dozens of meetings a week with local elected officials, union leaders, school officials, and business owners. His campaign is being run by a professional campaign manager, a former executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party.