We're all heard about the ridiculous, archaic laws of the United States, stuff about shooting bison from trains and grazing your cows on Boston Common and so forth. But it's imperative to be aware of completely useless laws in other parts of the world, in case you should happen to travel there and find yourself in a really, really unlikely situation.

Here they are, the top 10 stupidest laws you may encounter abroad:

1. Australia - It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
2. France - Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
3. Thailand - It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
4. Italy - It is an offence for women of 'ill repute or evil looks' to enter a cheese factory in the area of Ferrara.
5. Scotland - It is illegal to be a drunk while in possession of a cow.
6. France - It is illegal in Antibes to take photos of police officers or police vehicles, even if they are just in the background. (I hope the photo at right isn't from Antibes!)
7. Lebanon - Men are legally allowed to have sex with animals so long as the animals are female. It is illegal to have sex with a male animal.
8. China - Women are prohibited from walking around a hotel room in the nude. A woman may only be naked whilst in the bathroom.
9. Hong Kong - A woman is legally allowed to kill her cheating husband, only if she uses her bare hands. The husband's lover however may be killed in any manner desired.
10. Switzerland - A man may not relieve himself while standing up, after 10 P.M.

References:
LawGuru.com
FunFacts.com.au
DumbLaws.com

At the end of last week's episode of Amazing Race 13, Andrew and Dan were penniless and in last place, but still in the race. Moscow almost did them in. Because it was a non-elimination round, they were granted a second chance. Luckily, with the Amazing Race and reality television, each new day brings a new beginning and more money.

When these frat boys opened their first clue, they found $326 to keep them solvent.

Of all the episodes this season, this particular day in Moscow evoked experiences similar to what it really is like to travel in another country. Most of the tasks involved traveling from one point to another while navigating signage written in the Cyrillic alphabet. For anyone who has tried to navigate another country in a hurry when the written language is unrecognizable, the teams' experiences may have looked familiar.

Travel Tips:

1. Check to make sure you have all your belongings with you when you get out of a taxi
2. When trying to catch a taxi, notice which direction the traffic flow is greater. If need be, cross the street to up your chances of finding one. You can always get a taxi to turn around.
3. If you loose all your money, don't be embarrassed to ask for help.
4. If possible, use a taxi with a GPS system. It can save time and money.
5. The metro system in Moscow has a map that looks similar to other metro system maps which makes taking the metro look fairly simple to navigate. Try it if you're in Moscow. It will be much cheaper than taking a taxi and you'll be out of the quagmire of Moscow traffic.
6. Do not let one person carry all the money. Each person should at least carry some of it.

Walking or cycling are the best cardio exercises while you are on vacation. That's the first exercise tip on this video I came across while I was looking for the video on the Push-up Bandit in Santa Monica. The recommendation is to put your car keys away. As the narrator states, bicycling and walking on vacation offer a close-up experience of your surroundings. Considering that this is the time of year where packing on pounds can come easily, this video has a certain timeliness quality.

Despite the tropic theme, as noted by the palm trees and sand, and the incredibly built hard-body of the narrator that sort of distracted me at first, the exercises are doable if one has the notion to exercise while on the road. As the guy who makes these videos points out, you don't need a gym to stay fit. He also give effective explanations on how to achieve success even if you are a beginner. Perhaps I was distracted by the biceps because in Columbus, one doesn't see such a scene all that often, if ever.

The internet is abuzz with news from abroad right now. Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok remains closed; India is reeling from a devastating terrorist attack aimed at British and American tourists in Mumbai; Raúl Castro is open to ending Cuba's 40-year feud with Washington, thereby allowing Americans to travel there more "freely." The last thing most Americans want to do right now is travel to a place where they are not welcome. We no longer want to travel because there is a greater fear of it. The state of things as we knew them is suddenly turning on its head.

Fear exists even in the most intrepid travelers. As a solo, female traveler stepping off the plane in Vanuatu, Myanmar and Colombia last year, I had little knowledge of exactly what I was walking into. However, the one thing I have going for me every time I travel to some less-trodden destination is that, although I carry a U.S. passport, I don't look American and I'm from a state that sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the mainland.

The unnatural trio of turkey, duck, and chicken might initially make your stomach curl, but the supposed supernatural taste of the turducken might just appease the staunchest of food critics. This chicken in a duck in a turkey has become a nationwide phenomenon in the past decade - so much so that NFL commentator John Madden awards a turducken to the winning team of the Thanksgiving Day game (usually the Detroit Lions versus the Dallas Cowboys). Just this year, though, Madden announced he would be returning to the traditional turkey for Thanksgivings henceforth.

The unlikely combination of birds actually makes for a nice blend of dark and white, dry and juicy meats. Preparing and cooking the perfect turducken takes at least ten hours. Start by deboning all the birds and preparing a cornbread and sausage stuffing. Basically, the turkey is laid flat and spread with a layer of stuffing. The duck is placed on top of the turkey (add another layer of stuffing), and the chicken (with leftover stuffing inside) is placed on top of the duck. Carefully wrap the turkey as you normally would and cook as usual.

I knew about tofurkey about seven years ago, when Sam, my hippie next door neighbor in Boulder, needed a vegetarian alternative to turkey and went so far as to prepare our friends a tofurkey feast for Thanksgiving. Aside from the smooth slices this mock-turkey has opposed to the sometimes dry and stringy quality some Thanksgiving birds have possessed, my rather bland taste buds were not able to tell the difference at all. I never bothered to ask where Sam purchased this honking piece of pseudo-bird. It really did look, smell, and taste like a turkey fresh from the oven.

Since then, I discovered a brand of manufactured tofurkey in stores called "Tofurky" (trademarked without the "e"), which is owned by Turtle Island Foods and can be found at essentially every Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe's. The Tofurky brand carries all kinds of vegan delights, but specializes in its Tofurky Jurky, Franks, and Holiday Products.

My initial post on "Trouble in Hawaiian Paradise" might have painted an unrealistic picture of my island home. I think it's worth clarifying the real picture versus what my idealistic traveler self sees in Hawaii. So, being "real" for a moment, I must admit that Hawaii, just like other expensive and desirable travel destinations on the globe, certainly feels the effects of a decline in tourism. One particular Gadling reader brought specific issues to my attention that I'd like to discuss in greater detail in order to illustrate Hawaii's predicament more accurately and clearly.

Newer, more exotic, less expensive destinations are changing the landscape of options for travelers. These new destinations (like Laos, Slovenia, and Mongolia) have changed people's approach to travel. In most cases, it is not only more cost effective but also better to go elsewhere. Hawaii has always been expensive. That has not changed. What has is that tourists who don't necessarily want or have to come to Hawaii choose other destinations with similar climate, like Mexico and Costa Rica. These places are certainly more affordable, but the cultural experience is quite different. Many travelers will still pay the extra cost so they can experience "Hawaii." Others will not.

"If we can not end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity."

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was assassinated 45 years ago today. As one of the events that certainly shaped the collective consciousness of Americans, at least in my opinion, here are places I've been where I've thought of Kennedy and that fateful day where the words "grassy knoll" and "book depository" became part of history books.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer, his legacy has touched me personally.

Place 1: Dealy Plaza and the grassy knoll. There is a plaque here to commemorate Kennedy. The grassy knoll was made famous by the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone. Theories abound that shots were fired from the grassy knoll as well. If you drive along Elm Street, you'll be on the route Kennedy's limousine was following when he became Oswald's target. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark.

One of the best ways to travel without leaving your home is through photography. Pictures have the ability to draw us into new cities, cultures, and traditions, allowing us to discover worlds that were once unbeknown to our eyes. And now thanks to Google we have a new way of traveling not only around the world, but through time as well.

On Tuesday the Google blog announced that the internet company is making a LIFE photo archive available on Google image search. LIFE made a name for itself in the history of photojournalism, capturing many of the world's most important moments on film, but the really cool thing about this archive is that many of these images have never been published, meaning that we're getting to discover ones that have, until now, been sitting in old archives in the form of slides, negatives, etchings and prints.Twenty percent of the collection is currently online, and when they're done, there will be over 10 million images to search through.

What are some of the highlights of the collection? The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination; The Mansell Collection from London; Dahlstrom glass plates of New York and environs from the 1880s; and the entire works left to the collection from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gjon Mili, and Nina Leen. There are so many amazing pieces by some of the most influential photographers, it will be easy to spend hours searching the archive. And when you find one that really strikes your eye, you can even order a high-quality framed print of it.

You can access the collection here.

Even though gas prices have dropped considerably (a gallon of gas is $1.77 not far from my house) conserving energy and protecting the environment is still a concern. In Washington, D.C., bicycle commuting has grown considerably as a viable way to get from Point A to Point B.

Anyone living in an urban environment knows that bicycle commuting can create traffic problems even though they solve many problems. This video documentary created for Round 2 of the YouTube and Pulitzer Center "Project:Report" competition looks at the issues about bicycle commuting in D.C, but they could be applied to any city.

When I watched the video, it did give me the feeling that I really ought to bicycle to places more than I do. Since I never bicycle anywhere, an increase wouldn't take much. When I lived in Denmark, riding a bicycle was how I got to the train station in the town where I lived--even in the winter. It was a sane way to live.