Ireland has always been popular as an international travel destination, and it’s understandable — after all, what’s not to love? The pristine and mesmerizing views, the breathtaking castles and architecture, the one of a kind cultural cuisine…the list goes on and on. But even though you may be eager to pack your bags and get going, it’s important to plan carefully in order to make the most of the time you have in the country. With that in mind, here are just a few tips to keep in mind as you plan for your Emerald Isle adventure.

Brush up on your Irish vernacular.

In the United States, immigrants make up approximately 13% of the total U.S. population. While most of them can easily adapt to the English language over time, they still remember the language of their country of origin. You’ll have a similar experience when visiting Ireland: most people speak English, but there are some who still speak Irish. On the other hand, it’s helpful (and fun!) to fill yourself in when it comes to keeping up with savvy Irish slang. For a quick and easy lesson, take a look at IrishCentral’s handy guide.

Prepare for unpredictable weather.

One thing that you’ll consistently hear from those who have been to Ireland is that the weather can be quite unpredictable. While rainy weather is the most common, you should also be prepared for the occasional sunny day as well. Experts say June and July visitors have the best chances of seeing the most sunshine, but even fall months like October can bring about the occasional sunbeam. The solution, again, is to be prepared for all sorts of weather: about 75% of U.S. adults wear Rx or plano sunglasses, and it’s worthwhile to bring along any sunglasses you have lying around, especially if you plan on doing some hiking or rugged exploring.

If you’re renting a car, know the rules of the road.

At its widest the island is about 174 mi (280 km). At its longest (north-south) it is 302 mi (486 km). While renting a car certainly isn’t necessary, it does make it easier to navigate and allow for more convenience between stops compared with public transportation options. That being said, if you do decide to rent a car, be aware that Ireland drivers drive on the left-hand side of the road. You should also consider your vehicle choice and compare it with your intended route.

“Renting a car is worth considering, to get to those spectacular places off the beaten track. If you are going to rent one, remember that people in Ireland drive on the left-hand side of the road and pass on the right — the opposite of US drivers. It’s best to rent a small car for visiting rural areas – country roads in Ireland are notoriously narrow and winding, and some locals drive along them more quickly than you might expect,” writes Kate Phelan on Culture Trip.

So there you have it — now you can plan your Irish getaway with ease. Top o’ the mornin’, and enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime adventure to the Emerald Isle!

Home improvement is a hallmark of summer activity, but a new study has revealed that residents of Chicago are the least likely to take out loans targeted for home improvement.

The city is tied for 45th place out of 50 big cities analyzed in the study, according to Lending Tree. Home improvement loans were only used on .28% of homes within the Chicago area. The only cities to fall lower on the scale were New York, Houston, and Miami.

In contrast, the top 10 cities had more than double this number. Oklahoma City came in first with .77% of homes in the area having taken out home improvement loans in 2017. The Lending Tree survey notes that rapid growth is contributing to the need for improvements.

“The city has been growing rapidly and is one of the most spread out cities in the country, meaning homeowners have lots of room to work with,” Lending Tree noted on Oklahoma City in their report.

Each year, a homeowner should spend between 1% and 4% of the home’s total value on repairs. This means that a $200,000 home should spend around $2,000 annually on repairs, maintenance, and general upkeep.

But residents in Chicago and other big cities are limited because of high mortgage costs and rental housing. In large cities where expansion is a necessity, these numbers are driving up home rental loans.

For other large cities, there is always the possibility of falling victim to a scam.

Baltimore residents have been targeted by a number of scams, so much so, that the Better Business Bureau has warned against consumers hiring any home improvement contractors or specialists who don’t have a license.

Even though the nut and screw industry in the United States employs over 130,000 people, finding those with the right certification is a challenge.

One Baltimore homeowner, Chanel Wells, lost thousands of dollars on a home improvement scam this summer.

Alex Rich ran a business that changed names every couple years to continue scamming homeowners. His business was not certified by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission or listed on its website. Once hired by an unsuspecting homeowner, he would demand outrageous fees for poorly performed work which then resulted in even more damage. After dodging calls, Rich is finally being taken to court in September.

It’s hard to find reliable roofing and home improvement contractors. When 51% of currently employed individuals are actively looking for new openings in their line of work, it can be difficult to get a consistent level of quality for many homeowners.

On top of that, scammers like Rich have been reportedly swindling people all over the country, particularly in the Northwest and Pacific areas.

Luckily, the Better Business Bureau has released a list of tips to avoid home improvement scams.

The first thing you should do is ask for information. A real seller will have no problem providing permit information, certification, or other forms of licensing.

Another major tip includes looking for pressuring behavior. When a door-to-door salesman tries to pressure you into a “today only” deal, it’s likely that they aren’t a reputable contractor. An actual seller will give you the time necessary to mull over the deal they’ve presented.

Another tip is to perform research on the company or seller. If the seller does give you time to think, ensure that they’re a reputable business online or by visiting home improvement commission sites online in your area.

If you’re interested in going into business with the seller, get any deals you make in writing. Print receipts, contracts, and get signatures before entering any deal that demands you pay up-front to avoid hidden fees.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam, don’t hesitate to file a report with the Better Business Bureau.

Kane County, Illinois, has been awarded an amazing $200,000 to be put toward children’s mental health services. This grant was given by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, an organization that helps to improve the lives of countless families in Kane County.

Through an expansion of the foundation’s efforts and higher levels of engagement, the county has hired two new members for its health department. With the new members, the health department in Illinois hopes to drop the number of emergency room visits caused by issues with mental health by 5% before 2021.

One individual was hired as the new program manager who will direct the flow of communication between those providing mental health care and treatment and the department. The other is a navigator who works with families coping with mental issues in order to provide assistance and other resources.

These efforts by the department of health in Illinois are vital to improving the lives of children facing illness, both mentally and physically. When nearly 94% of children have received the polio vaccine by 35 months old, similar combative efforts are a necessity for the mental health district.

Countless families in Illinois have been torn apart because they did not have the means to take care of their children. One pair of adoptive parents had to relinquish custody of their child to the state in order to get their son the mental treatment he desperately needed.

“Today, despite a 2015 Illinois law that states families should never have to trade custody for mental health treatment, at least four children a month enter state custody this way, according to data obtained by Side Effects,” reported the Illinois Newsroom.

Mental health in children is often overlooked due to a variety of factors. Insufficient means to care for the children affected is only one part of a much larger issue.

According to a recent study conducted by WalletHub, there are 10 states that are listed among the best for children’s health care, including physical health and mental health. Starting from the best in the state, the list includes; Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and California.

For vaccines and other resources, luckily there are around 12 million trucks, locomotives, and other forms of major transport designed to carry these goods between states.

The Kane County Community Health Improvement Plan seeks to improve resource availability to residents suffering from mental health and substance abuse throughout the state. As of now, the county may be eligible to receive another $2.1 million over the course of the next six years in the event the planning goals are met for the year.

A mere couple days since the 12 soccer players and their coach were rescued from being trapped more than two weeks in a cave in Thailand, they’re looking spritely. Throwing peace signs through the glass in the isolation ward where they’ll stay for a few more days while recovering, the resilient soccer squad, the Wild Boars, are glad to be back above ground. After 18 days and a grueling rescue mission, more details are still surfacing as to how they remained so strong through such an intense, terrifying process.

These boys and their coach had so many factors against them that their relatively unscathed escape has attracted astonished onlookers around the world.

“The world just needs to know that what was accomplished was a once in a lifetime rescue… It’s important to realize how complex and how many pieces of this puzzle had to come together,” said U.S. Air Force rescue specialist Derek Andersen. Just how complex was it? Their resilience tells all.

• Extreme conditions: Near three weeks underground, nine days isolated before even being discovered, the conditions were incredibly extreme. With severely limited food the first nine days, then still limited access after, the boys lost an estimated average of 4.4 pounds while trapped. They can go without food for a long time, but water, not so much. Americans use an average of 88 gallons of water daily, these kids saved their own lives from drinking cave water dripping from the ceilings and walls.
  
  “To not receive food, we can still survive for many months, but what’s necessary is water, which the cave has, and around this time there’s a lot in the cave, and they chose clean water to drink,” said a Thai health inspector. This, along with the unwavering leadership of their coach in keeping their mental states in check, literally kept them alive as long as the rescue lasted.
• Swimming: The young soccer players didn’t know how to swim, let alone cave dive in conditions difficult for veterans. Combine this with malnourishment, fatigue, fear, and a swiftly flooding cave and that makes for a nightmarish scenario. Nonetheless, they had to use underwater diving equipment and face dives a half-hour long, nearly a distance of a half-mile in black waters. A controversial decision was made to sedate the brave young ones because claustrophobia induced panic risked the lives of the children and rescuers. Still, they persevered.
• Language: More than two-thirds of the world is bilingual or multilingual, but the scared team spoke very little English. Rescuers, both in the cave and on the surface, were from all around the world, many of them English speakers. This included the doctor who stayed in the cave with them until they were all out. Imagine being 12 years old and vaguely understanding that, after two weeks in a cave, you were about to be sedated, pulled underwater, and guided through a lightless cave. All 12 of them lived it. And they got out.

Officials call the rescue nothing short of miracle and are astonished by the international and local community supporting the efforts. The most impressive part? The resilience of the boys and their coach.

“The situation went beyond just being a rescue mission and became a symbol of unity among mankind. Everyone worked together without discrimination of race or religion as the ultimate goal was to save the youth football team,” remarked the governor of the Chiang Rai province where the rescue centralized.

Unity in the face of horror defies fear and, these past few weeks have shown unity that brought new hope and life from darkness. We’ll join the Wild Boars in throwing a V-for-Victory for that.