By Eric Wolf Schoen
Did you ever wonder what possesses people to do things? We have all had Mister Softee ice cream with the truck blasting the famous jingle. Far-left Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler is pushing new legislation that would require Mr. Softee and other Big Apple ice cream trucks to stop powering their soft-serve machines and freezers with generators that use fuel.
The bill would require the vendors to switch over to environmentally friendly alternatives like electric or solar power — likely at a cost of $5,000 or more.
Does it make such a difference to the environment to require vendors to switch cutting their profits and requiring them to retrofit their vehicles.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand intends to get to the bottom of potential UFO activity. How does this affect your life? New York has a dire need for federal action to help New York support asylum-seekers, and the Senator is possessed with UFOs?
Condiments (mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc) and plastic silverware have been served up with to go and delivery items for years. Now there are rumblings in New York City and Westchester that vendors will be fined if they provide these items without a request from the consumer. Don’t we have more important things on the world agenda than relish packets. And everyone has a drawer where they keep extras often helpful in an emergency.
No new weed shops will be able to open in New York after a judge blocked cannabis regulators from moving forward with retail licensing. This is the latest blow to New York’s ambitious effort to ensure that people harmed by marijuana enforcement are able to reap the financial benefits of legalization.
Do we really need a weed shop, smoke shop, whatever you want to call it on every street corner? Has the smell of weed smoked openly on the street gotten to you? Are these stores selling products for purposes other that smoking weed?
An ‘influencer’ with some million followers tweeted that he was giving away Play Stations, telephones and gaming accessories in Union Square in New York City. 2000 people showed up for some of the loot, causing chaos and the destruction of police vehicles and equipment. 66 people were arrested, much damage was caused with the ‘influencer’ getting a simple desk appearance ticket also known as desk disappearance ticket. Nothing will happen to this man who caused harm, danger and destruction to people and property. Pathetic!
There are so many problems in the world today that we seriously need to examine what the real problems are and what the made for TV or made for publicity problems are.
TRAVEL SAVINGS and Important things To-Do
I received so many emails regarding ways to save at the grocery store that I thought I would give travel a shot. The first thing one needs when traveling is a good quality cell phone. There are so many on the market that with the help of a child you can select one appropriate for you.
Try not to check bags because this is where the costs come in. Mark your bags with your name and cell phone number, not your address. This is enough information for someone to contact you. Putting your address on your bag gives thieves just enough information that they know you are away and can burglarize your house.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to take Amtrak than fly. It’s a lot more convenient depending where you are going. Amtrak has a lot of discounts including big discounts if you travel overnight or are an early bird.
Sometimes with car rentals you are better off to rent off site rather then at the airport and cab it to the offsite rental location. This way you avoid the on-site fees at airports which can be a third of the cost of your rental. Always rent from a reliable company that has a live person to handle problems 24 hours a day.
Data from Airline Reporting Corp. shows booking a flight on a Sunday instead of Friday will save an average 15%. Don’t book your airline ticket at the last minute if you can avoid it. Data also shows booking your ticket 28-35 days before departure can save you a minimum 10% versus two weeks or less before flying.
Friends of mine just booked a vacation home in Texas. There were 5 families and each family got a room. They were only together for a short period of time, so having everyone together in a house was not only fun but cheaper than a hotel.
Hotels typically provide full refunds until several days before arrival. If prices drop you can always refund the hotel and book at the lower rate.
Particularly when going out of the country, check your insurance policy to see what is and is not covered. It may pay to take out extra insurance if your policy does not cover health costs overseas.
When booking a cruise if you are using a travel agent use one that specializes in cruises. They often get special deals or upgrades a regular travel agency might not get. .
I’ll be back as the summer winds down with more travel tips. Travel is one of those places where the you can always save money if you head in the right direction!
Briefs: Could my column last week have stirred up folks against congestion pricing? Now the unions as well big corporations and other groups with influence are lobbying against these insane fees.
This week marks the 49th anniversary of the resignation of President Richard Nixon. It seems like only yesterday!
Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge. Reach him at thistooisyonkers@aol.com.
