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Addressing the Problem of Islam's Image
There can be no serious doubting of the fact that Islam is in need of a better press in Europe. In spite of some of the more enlightened and rational approaches aimed at educating the public, it seems that widespread and persistent prejudices remain and that these tend to prevent the development of any open-minded discussion of the matter.
In her eponymously titled book, Anja Hilscher attempts to tackle this "image problem" and to address existing prejudices in a humorous and entertaining manner. A qualified primary and secondary school teacher in Germany, the author is herself a Muslim and has been for more than half her life. She is currently involved in the supervising of integration courses. (Since 2005, Germany's immigration law has required that some newly arrived immigrants take part in courses on German language and society.)
Over twenty chapters Hilscher tells us about the "real" Islam and takes the view that this is something that not only outsiders, but many Muslims, too, do not properly understand nor practice. The image of "evil Islam" is contrasted here with the colourful life she knows on a day-to-day basis as a Muslim.
The cliché of the seventy-two virgins in paradise is given short shrift in the book as is the perceived menace of Sharia law or the Islamic judicial system, which, according to the author is very much based upon the work of "medieval theologians with a strong inclination towards intolerance and fanaticism".
By highlighting such stereotypical clichés and constructing its arguments around them, however, the book also manages to provide the reader with some completely new stereotypes.
The reader also discovers that many Far Eastern and Western philosophies have in their essentials a great deal in common with Islam and that, ultimately, all religions worship the same God anyway. Numerous quotations from the Koran and the Hadith are included and the Bible brought in for comparison, while Goethe, Lao Tse and the German philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart all have their say.
In her concentration on the sarcastic wit that pervades almost every page of the book, Anja Hilscher overlooks a number of important points and some of her attacks come across as exaggerated and not always justified.
Is it all down to misunderstanding?
The idea of appending appropriate source citations to each chapter is basically helpful; however the way in which the relevant passages are used does not always demonstrate the care one might have wished for. It might also have been a good idea to have focused now and again on some of the more accessible interpretations of the religious sources, or at least to have drawn the readers' attention to the existence of these.
As it is, after reading the book, we are left to wonder why it is that in such a peace-loving and harmonious religion such excesses as terrorism and the (only too real) discrimination against women can exist. According to the author, it is simply all a matter of misunderstanding.
The book is laced with anecdotes on the Prophet's respectful and exemplary treatment of women. It all sounds very nice. But does this not involve the glossing over of some historical facts?
How does it square for example with the historical patriarchal context in which the Koran was revealed to Muhammad? The question posed at the beginning of the book about the relationship between religion and culture is never properly answered either. And if there really is equality between all religious and philosophical truths, then why should we need to bother to become all worked up with enthusiasm for Islam?
In conclusion, Hilscher provides us with a "prediction", a mystical vision of a future for the currently rather "uncool" Islam. She firmly believes that there will come a day when the differences between the various ideologies will dissolve and a "new Islam" arise.
All in all, "Image Problem" is an entertaining read for those who want to get to know something more about the friendly face of Islam and who are not going to be put off by the author's sometimes rather idiosyncratic humour.
Annett Hellwig
© Qantara.de 2012
Anja Hilscher: "Image Problem: the image of evil Islam and my colourful Muslim world", Gütersloh Publishing House 2012, 160 pages. The book's currently available only in German.
Translated from the German by Ron Walker
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de
Comments for this article: Addressing the Problem of Islam's Image
If one does even a cursory search of the 3 main Western religions based in Mideast or 5 major including Hinduism and Buddhism, he would find that there is more similarities than differences in all of them. All wish the followers to honor "GOD" and their parents and those caring for them (first 4 commandments) and know the things man is not to do in the last 6. In some ways the harshest of the five is Judaism in the manner one is to punish another if he speaks dishonorably of God/Yahweh. Christianity has a 2 thousand year history of going to war in the name of God when the main reason was to gain or re-gain territories lost and not just the Crusades but wars within Europe and between Europe and Britain. Buddhism has many battles between different sects and against those practicing Hinduism. It is not the manner of the religion that is "bad" but the people practicing one kind and saying the others are wrong enough to fight against in a war--They weren't, but man looks at it so the salve his own conscience for fighting in the first place.
We as Westerners must stop looking for something "wrong" with Islam and allow them to practice. The graciousness in Islam that also comes from the customs of the Middle East is something most of us could learn to practice more often. We would get along better with ourselves and our neighbors if we did. Islam wants man to be good and to do good in this life and be prepared for the hereafter. Is that not what Christ told the Apostles and therefore us 2 thousand years ago???
Annett Hellwig says in her comment: "As it is, after reading the book, we are left to wonder why it is that in such a peace-loving and harmonious religion such excesses as terrorism and the (only too real) discrimination against women can exist. According to the author, it is simply all a matter of misunderstanding.The book is laced with anecdotes on the Prophet's respectful and exemplary treatment of women. It all sounds very nice. But does this not involve the glossing over of some historical facts?
Dear Annett, it would have been appropriate if you yourself had given some concrete examples of "historical facts" to contradict what Anja Hilscher has tried to explain to the German readers about the life of Prophet Mohammed. Yes, women are treated very negatively in some Muslim societies. No one is denying that but it is not because of Islam but because of patriarchal nature of the societies. Discrimination against women exists in every society in the world. Until 1750, women were being burned alive in Europe, had no rights of property, divorce or voting rights. Compare that to what Islam gave to women 1450 years ago and then you will understand the difference. Besides, you take the best in the west and compare the worst in Muslim countries and blame Islam for that. That, I find unfair.
Terrorism has no place in Islam and if it was, as you are suggesting then how come it only came to surface in the last 25 years and that too as the weak person's weapon. The history of modern terrorism - if we can define it - has deep roots in all parts of the world and the term is always defined from the perspective of the might. Terrorism of one is also freedom struggle of another person. For example Taliban are called by the West and USA as terrorists while they claim to be fighting for their country. So are Palestinians and so did many other groups in Europe. Red Brigade, Baader Meinhof, ITA and IRA, just to name few. Does it mean that Christianity is preaching terrorism?Bashy Quraishy02.06.2012 | 02:27 Uhr


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This week, a billboard went up in downtown Chicago asserting that the "best kind of job is a blow job." The ad is from an online company called Arrangement Finders, and the marketing director of the company spoke with RedEye about their approach:
Women using the site are typically seeking low-pressure relationships, and they tend to be in their 30s, sometimes with children ... Two other factors unique to Chicago pushed the company to launch the billboards here: a struggling job market and a 3-to-1 ratio of women to men on the site, the highest in the country.
What we gleaned from this interview is that the company is targeting women who are struggling to find a job and support their children. The billboard makes light of this by suggesting that ideal work for women is a performing oral sex. This is offensive on so many levels, and yet the owner asserts that this is something he thought would "get a chuckle and also start some buzz."
We don't think that it's anything to laugh about when people are exploiting women who are struggling to find employment. Because that's the target audience—women who are trying to make ends meet. Men who are signing up for this site should know that they're not providing a job; they're potentially exploiting women who lack other options.
We believe that this is a human rights issue. Women should not be forced to exchange sex for money in order to avoid poverty, homelessness or hunger. Young men should not need to see messages prominently displayed in our city that embolden them to buy sex.
What can you do? Reach out to Seeking Arrangements and ask them to take down the ad.
http://arrangementfinders.com/contact_us (Warning: there's explicit content on this site's home page)
Or, reach out to the billboard company that is providing space for the ad, Urban Core, and ask them to remove it.http://www.urbancoreoutdoor.com/

subset: commoncrawl


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People always say: 'It's inner beauty that matters, not outer beauty.'
Well, that's not true.
If it were, why would flowers put so much energy into attracting bees?
And why would raindrops transform themselves into a rainbow when they encounter the sun?
Because nature longs for beauty, and is only satisfied when beauty can be exalted. outer beauty is inner beauty made visible, and it manifests itself in the light that flows from our eyes.
It doesn't matter if a person is badly dressed or doesn't conform to our idea of elegance, or isn't even concerned about impressing other people.
The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; and, like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.
So if the person looking into someone's eyes has a dark soul, he will see only his own ugliness.
Beauty is present in all creation, but the danger lies in the fact that, because we human beings are often cut off from the Divine Energy, we allow ourselves to be influenced by what other people think.
We deny our own beauty because others can't or won't recognise it.
Instead of accepting ourselves as we are, we try to imitate what we see around us.
We try to be what other people think of as 'pretty' and, little by little, our soul fades, our will weakens, and all the potential we had to make the world a more beautiful place withers away.


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Shareef Likes It and Other Moves Rocking the NBA CasbahThe Clash once famously sang "Shareef don't like it" in their classic '80s hit "Rock the Casbah," but Shareef Abdur-Rahim certainly likes leaving basketball purgatory in Portland to play alongside Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter in New Jersey. Look at that lineup again--three players with All-Star Game experience and a fourth (Jefferson) who has future All-Star written all over him. Abdur-Rahim is a proven 20 ppg scorer who is also good for 8-10 rebounds per game. He replaces the rebounding that the Nets lost when Kenyon Martin signed with Denver before last season; while Abdur-Rahim is not as good defensively as Martin he is bigger and more versatile (can score inside or outside, shoots a better free throw percentage, is a better passer).
Houston hopes to "swiftly" become a contender by signing alliteratively named Memphis Grizzlies power forward Stromile Swift to play alongside Yao Ming. Tracy McGrady lobbied hard for this move and perhaps the change in scenery--and the opportunity to play with All-Stars T-Mac and Yao--will unleash the untapped potential in the freakishly athletic Swift. Most dominant centers who lead teams to NBA titles have a good/great power forward watching their back defensively and on the boards--for instance, Mikan and Mikkelson, Russell and Heinsohn, Wilt and Luke Jackson, Reed and DeBusschere, Walton and Maurice Lucas, Parish and McHale. Swift is not nearly as good as any of those guys, but he is more athletic than any power forward on the Rocket roster and provides a nice one-two punch at that position with savvy veteran Juwan Howard.
One other NBA related move may have flown under the radar but deserves mention--John Weisbrod signed with the NHL Dallas Stars as a scout. Yes, this is the same Weisbrod who recently resigned as General Manager of the Orlando Magic. Read that again--he quit his job as an NBA executive because he admitted that winning a Stanley Cup is more important to him than winning an NBA championship (a revelation that must have thrilled Magic season ticket holders) and the job he had waiting in the wings was to become an NHL scout. Weisbrod's trade of McGrady for Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, soon followed by dumping Mobley for a broken down Doug Christie, will not likely be supplanting Boston's acquisition of McHale and Parish on the list of great NBA trades of all-time.
posted by David Friedman @ 1:41 PM


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The 10MW Ringstedt II wind farm in the Cruxhaven district in Lower Saxony features five of Gamesa's G80-2MW turbines. The 8.5MW Gross Hasslow project in Ostpringnitz-Ruppin in the eastern state of Brandenburg is equipped with 10 G58-850kW machines.
Both facilities were developed and operated by Gamesa since their commissioning. The Ringstedt development began operating in 2007 and the Gross Hasslow was switched on in 2004.
Gamesa has developed and commissioned more than 255MW in Germany and currently has a pipeline of around 300MW in the country.
This is the first deal between the two parties. Financial terms were not disclosed.


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The intent of the album review has absolutely evolved over our lifetimes. Think about it. Before the internet was beaming into our handhelds; before super media consolidation and CNN and sexting, if you wanted to learn about an upcoming release, you had to buy a bunch of sheets of papers folded or stapled together that had an article about an album in it. What were they called again? Magazines? Magazines. And newspapers. That's right. And they were the only place to go to learn more about the album by that artist that made that song that was jamming on the radio or MTV Jams. There was an air of exclusivity, anticipation. There was a validated co-sign because, after all, whoever wrote about that album must've known what they were talking about because they got to hear the album before the rest of us. They're opinion must mean something. The art of the critique was not only entertaining and appreciated, but a different kind of necessary.
Technology reversed all of that. Now we all get the album on Leak Day. Now we all tell everyone in our social networks about the album. Now we're all critics. The power of the co-sign is still in the air, but we're all the more critical of it because, thankfully, we have the opportunity to respond to the review in real-time, which is perfect because we're all our friend's go-to music critic anyway. We can tell them what we really think and debate with other Hip Hop heads and get competitive in the world's most competitive genre. In that sense, the album review is as much about entertainment and anticipation as it is about community – about the necessity to revel in the culture and with fellow fans.
And sometimes those fellow fans disagree with you. Here are five albums from 2012 that HipHopDX readers rated higher than we did.
Odd Future – OF Tape Vol. 2
DX rating: 2.5
DX user rating: 3.48
Is it fair to compare Odd Future to the Wu-Tang Clan? Answer aside, it's an individual assessment. There is at least one similarity, though. Wu-Tang arguably has the staunchest fans in Hip Hop history (word to the "W" face-tats wandering around worldwide). OF fans are super maniacal in their own right, especially for a collective who so recently reached national prominence. Yet, even with a following that will e-ride against any target in which Tyler & Co. take aim, OF Tape Vol. 2 is a polarizing offering. Of the 90 people who rated HipHopDX's review, unexpectedly, only 45 gave it a perfect five out of five – far from consensus however you spin it. Clearly we weren't impressed with Odd Future's latest outing. We gave it a 2.5, after all. But with a 3.48 Average User Rating, fans of the mostly California-clan weren't exactly exalting this one either.
B.o.B – Strange Clouds
DX rating: 2.5
DX user rating: 3.62
To our valued Hip Hop purists: We agree. B.o.B imbedded himself so deep in the Pop aesthetic that remnants of his vicious lyrical origins feel like distant memories midway through Strange Clouds. To our valued Hip Hop progressives: We agree. B.o.B is certainly multitalented and, like some artists, should never be derided for venturing past the expected and experimenting with new creative expressions. Hip Hop is a big tent – an amalgamation of sounds and styles and cultures colluding lovely. But regardless of genre or theme or artistic ambition, a fractured album is a fractured album. Without cohesion, a full length LP moves like an aimless collection of songs. As adroit as B.o.B can be at his best, Strange Clouds left that aspect in the recording booth. Just because some of the tracks are good – great even – doesn't mean the entire album is a worthy listen. Taylor Swift or otherwise.
Future – Pluto
DX rating: 2.00
DX user rating: 3.02
The C-section to our review of Future's Pluto is easily one of the most entertaining of the year. First, it quickly spills into Hip Hop's storied regional North versus South debate originally ignited once OutKast was met with a barrage of boos after receiving the 1995 Source Award for Best New Artist (for Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik) – which is completely apropos considering Future is the cousin of Organized Noize producer Rico Wade. But it's also loaded with hilarious commentary. For every justified monologue on how the ATLien's mixtapes highlight his real skill more than Pluto, or how Northern fans are still hating on Southern music (by "Dirty south"), a perfectly timed "ALBUM SUCKS, should be named URANUS" (by "Anonymous") is interjected. It's an exhibition in converse discord between quality and comedy, much like the album itself. Also, isn't it ironic that Future is named "Future" but sounds like past? Wasn't Cher using Auto-Tune? T-Pain? Kanye?
Kool Keith – Love & Danger
DX rating: 2.5
DX user rating: 4.51
There are differing opinions, and then there's a cavernous divide between differing opinions. Kool Keith's latest falls into the latter. As much as our i-devices value Dr. Octagon's two decades-plus career of genre pushing Raptasticness, Love & Danger left us wondering if we were left out on an inside joke of some sort. But the fans rode to the rescue. We gave it a 2.5. Our readers gave it an Average User Rating of 4.51. Thirty-six of the 45 people who voted gave this one a perfect five out of five. It's truly remarkable how Ultramagnetic MCs heads and Sex Style fanatics are still down with Kool Keith. That's arguably the truest legacy of the weight of the Hip Hop legend's catalog. But given Love & Danger's extraordinary user rating, the question begs to be asked: Just because it was crafted by a classic artist, does that mean it's a near-classic album?
50 Cent – 5: Murder By Numbers
DX rating: 2.5
DX user rating: 3.86
It's difficult imagining 50 Cent sitting around caring what people think of his music. Is he a master marketer? Sure. Is he afraid to roil masses and ruffle feathers? Never. Is his beef shtick running out of effectiveness? Arguably. But New York City's self-dubbed Bad Guy is becoming less compelling on wax as the years go by. At least that's what we thought of 5: Murder By Numbers – hence our 2.5 rating. DX readers, on the other hand, believe this project is much closer to Get Rich Or Die Tryin' or The Massacre than Curtis and we're just haters hatin' and we should go kill ourselves – hence the 3.86 Average User Rating and the Molotov cocktailed comments section. For Fiddy fans, let's hope they are right (except for haters hatin', go kill ourselves part). The Rap industry is infinitely more entertaining when 5-0 releases replay worthy albums.


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Suffering in Silence – Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises in 2017
Natural disasters and conflicts make headlines — yet with the highest number of refugees since World War II and with an uptick and intensification of natural disasters in the past years, many Read More
Chocolate as a Force for Change
What do you think about when you hear "cocoa"? Of course, chocolate comes to mind. Chocolate cake. Hot chocolate. Chocolate truffles. Whatever the cocoa or chocolate product, one thing is certain Read More


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Can The Cold Cause A Cold?
Can The Cold Cause a Cold? That's the question WLTX asked LMC Urgent Care physician Dr. Langston Powell during this week's cold snap. Hear his answer in the link below.
Dr. Powell says there are several scientific reasons that make it much easier to contract a virus when the weather is cold.
First, the mucus in our body that normally protects us from viruses does not work as well when there is low humidity. Humidity levels are often lower in cold temperatures.
Second, the common cold virus has a protein coat. The coat is harder in a cold environment than in warm weather – making it more difficult for our immune system to penetrate the protein coat and fight the virus.
Third, cortizol levels go up when we're under stress. Cold weather is considered a stressor. Stress results in our immune system not working as well.
Lastly, our blood vessels constrict – making it harder to battle a virus.
To help prevent colds, Dr. Powell recommended dressing warmly, drinking hot liquids such as tea and taking vitamins.


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The AEN email list is the best way to keep in touch with what's happening in ethnic communities. It's free to join and you'll be connected with over 500 people - the key influencers and decision makers in the sector!
Existing members can change their settings (to receive a daily digest or individual emails), unsubscribe, change email address or temporarily stop email when going away here.
The AEN Journal is an open access online journal that publishes commentaries and critical perspectives from those in or involved with ethnic and religious communities in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The AEN Journal promotes critical debate on issues facing migrants and refugees, ethnic diasporic and religious communities. We are having a break from producing the journal but watch this space!


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By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks fell on Monday, extending losses into a second session, on worries that President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will not be able to reach agreement to avert steep spending cuts and tax hikes set to start next month.
"There are very few days left in this calendar year, and the rhetoric out of Washington is they are hopeful, yet there is no progress towards getting a deal done," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners.
"A lot of folks are fed up with these politicians not being able to work for the benefit of their constituents. We're telling Europe one thing and we can't get our own house in order," he added.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office forecasts the economy would go into a recession in the first half of 2013 if lawmakers are unable to strike a budget deal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA -0.39% shed 51.76 points, or 0.4%, to 13,139.08.
The S&P 500 index SPX -0.24% retreated 3.49 points, or 0.2%, to 1,426.66, with energy the hardest hit of its 10 major industry groups.
The Nasdaq Composite COMP -0.28% fell 8.41 points, or 0.3%, to 3,012.60.
For every two stocks gaining three fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where 286 million shares traded. Composite volume surpassed 1.2 billion.
The trading session ended at 1 p.m. Eastern, ahead of Tuesday's Christmas Day holiday, when the stock market will be closed.
Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York. Follow her on Twitter @MWKateGibson.


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Stretching from nearby Westchester County northward to Albany and Troy, the Hudson Valley is rich in sites recounting the history of the ancient River Indians and early Colonial settlers who called its bountiful land home. Here, you can explore the majestic wonders of nature that provided the muse for America's first great art movement, the Hudson River School. A walk through the landscape along the Rip Van Winkle Bridge or Kaaterskill Falls might yield an exciting glimpse of fossils dating back to the Triassic or Precambrian eras, or score you a soaring, bald eagle sighting. Sumptuous inns, fabulous shopping and the delights of fine dining make a mere 48 hours in this lovely stretch of Upstate New York not nearly enough time to savor it all. If your passions include art, history and the natural world, the clock is ticking. It's time to gas up and get your Valley on! A great weekend in the Hudson Valley is closer than you think.
Saturday – 10 a.m.
Start your day in American art's birthplace
Nestled in the picturesque village of Catskill near the Rip Van Winkle Bridge is the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Cole's invention of a quintessential, American art style was as unique and renegade as our new, fledgling nation. The father of the Hudson River School, Cole's home was rescued from disrepair and turned into a museum, celebrating his New World vision. Cole and other artists in his camp, including Frederic Church and Jasper Cropsey, were heavily influenced by artistic romanticism and a passion for the natural world, fueled by the magnificent landscapes of the Hudson Valley which can still be enjoyed today. A visit to Cole's home includes guided tours of locations depicted in his art, such as breathtaking views of the Catskill Mountains and majestic Hudson River.
Saturday – 1 p.m.
Shine a light on the steamboat era
Built in 1869, the Saugerties Lighthouse embodies the soulfully wild, romantic heart of a gentle, nautical time. A living museum, the Lighthouse also operates as a bed and breakfast for those who plan ahead; reservations are coveted and often made a year in advance. Reservations or not, all are welcome to explore the Lighthouse's vast nature trails and historically preserved buildings, and to meet the Lighthouse Keepers who maintain the beacon of light which illuminates this edge of the magnificent, unchanged Hudson River as it appeared to steamboat sailors hundreds of years ago.
Saturday – 6 p.m.
Feed your appetite and eyes
Nearby Tatiana's Italian Cuisine features more than just delicious seafood and homemade Italian specialties. Dinner at this earthy restaurant's back balcony includes the unchanged view that inspired Cole's painting, "River in the Catskills." A perfect ending to your day, this family-run restaurant offers a welcoming respite for tired feet and hungry bellies.
Sunday – 10 a.m.
Learn about Colonial-Jewish America
Marlboro, New York in Orange County is home to Gomez Mill House, built on land purchased in 1714 by Spanish Inquisition survivor, Luis Moses Gomez. This section of the Hudson Highlands was the site of Duyfil's Danskammer, an ancient, Native American ceremonial ground, referenced as early as 1609 in Henry Hudson's ship diaries and notoriously coined as the Devil Dance Chamber. The land eventually became known as Jews Creek, with the Gomez family at its head. Today, this ancestral home is a museum and historic site open to visitors craving a peek into the early, day-to-day life of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation of a bygone era and the thriving fur trade conducted in this region. The Gomez Mill House is the oldest residential home listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Orange County and the first known, surviving Jewish residence in North America.
Sunday – 2 p.m.
Soak up the local history and sunshine
Around five miles down the road is historic Newburgh, where you can spend a lovely afternoon strolling, sightseeing, dining and soaking up the atmosphere of the newly-refurbished Waterfront. Paddlewheel cruise boats and jet skiing offer up recreational excitement, or take a spoken tour of George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters on Liberty Street. Victorian Revival Buildings and Federal Style Row Houses accentuate Newburgh's combination of old and new.
Sunday – 7 p.m.
Drench yourself in moonlight and music
Some of Newburgh's best restaurant choices are affordable, colorful and casual. Check out the Haight-Ashbury style music scene and 50 varieties of yummy burgers featured on the menu at Liberty Street's Wherehouse or Pineapple Larry's Pub on Grand. End the evening with a moonlit stroll along the Hudson. No matter how you spend your day, at the end of it, you will regret not having more time to enjoy this majestic corner of New York State.
Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.


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Symantec Client Security provides managed and unmanaged antivirus protection, intrusion detection, and a centrally managed client firewall. Administrators will like being able to lock down user security settings and the ability to edit firewall and IDS rules remotely. The package also has expanded malware detection to catch nonviral malicious threats. Symantec Client Security is designed to keep a company's mobile and remote PCs safe.
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One quick request for Houston-area Tech repair knowledge.
Seems that over the last few weeks, our Gateway laptop has been sick. The screen was flickering and it was going on/off battery-power even though plugged into the AC brick.
At first I thought it was the AC cord up by the plug, so I picked up a replacement adapter/plug set but that didn't help at all.
Now I am certain that the DC plug has been damaged.
For a while I could do a funky cousin to the old-school rabbit ears tweaking and by putting the cord a certain way and putting just a certain bit of pressure, the AC power would flow steady. Now that is next to impossible to do.
I've done some research and though I am bold enough to try a motherboard swap on the laptop, I'm not yet ready to drop approximately $400 for a replacement just yet.
I am NOT brave enough to attempt a re-solder job myself. But I don't think the issue is with the pins. From some web-searching, I think that these units (and similar brands) are using a plug that had slightly more brittle plastics and the component itself is cracked.
I've done some research and it looks like there is an outfit down in Webster that seems like it can do a replacement of the DC plug. Unfortunately, they've been closed during the holiday season so I haven't been able to contact them just yet.
I've also found a shop up in the North East that specializes in these as well, but I really would like to try to stimulate the local economy first (and avoid the ship-off).
Do any of my Houston tech readers have any recommendations for a reputable shop in the Houston-Metro (south/east/southeast preferred) area that could replace the DC plug on the laptop systemboard?
I'd really appreciate any leads as it turns out I have grown more attached to this laptop for blogging than I would like to admit. Lavie likes it as well as that means I can sit with her in the living room and not holed up in the study on the desktop system.
I'm planning on yanking the HDD from it first (for security). I figure the system will still power up and hit the BIOS so that should be sufficient.
--Claus V.


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Richard Petty's wife Lynda dies at 72
Lynda Petty, the wife of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. She was 72.
She was diagnosed with central nervous system lymphoma four years ago.
Richard and Lynda Petty were married in 1959, and she played an instrumental role in her husband's early racing career. Richard Petty, who holds the Sprint Cup record with 200 victories, told USA TODAY Sports in 2008 that Lynda would feed their four children and the pit crew from the back of a 1960 Chrysler sedan parked in the infield.
"We finally got a station wagon in 1969," Richard Petty said. "She said she thought she'd died and gone to heaven because it had all that room for the kids and the food."
NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said in a statement: "On behalf of the France family and everyone at NASCAR, I want to offer sincere condolences to the Petty family regarding the loss of their beloved matriarch, Lynda Petty. Through the years, Lynda became an integral part of the NASCAR landscape. We have lost a true friend, who will be missed each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the Pettys throughout this difficult time."
Lynda Petty gave the command to start engines in May 2005 at Darlington Raceway for the first Southern 500 held on Mother's Day.
"I'm honored they asked me," she told USA TODAY in 2005. "But I'm not really excited. I don't know if you get excited about being the grand marshal. I guess some people might. I've been coming (to races) for so long, I never thought about it."
Though her family made its fame and fortune in racing, Lynda Petty admitted to growing disenchanted with NASCAR in later years, saying, "People are not as friendly today. They don't come by and speak to you as much because everything is very competitive. It's such a stab-you-in-the-back, dog-eat-dog world in the sport now. I can't tell you how it breaks my heart.
"I don't like what it's become," she told USA TODAY in a 2008 interview. "You've had people that's come in with money — big money — and they pay these ungodly salaries to people who have a high school education and came out of a local body shop. When you look at what (Richard) made his whole career compared to what they're making now, it's mind-boggling."
Petty attended fewer races in later years before she became ill, saying she didn't like battling the large crowds and traffic jams.
"I kind of pick and choose where I go anymore," she said. "I don't go to all of them because, after 50 years, I guess you kind of burn out."
Though she still watched racing on TV in her later years, Lynda once said her favorite sport was pro football and didn't call herself a race fan.
"I don't think I've ever liked it, and I have to be very honest in saying that. Richard, when we were first married, I was 17 years old. And, of course, anywhere Richard went and I could be with him, I was happy."
Grandson Austin Petty, COO of Victory Junction, said via statement:
"We have lost my grandmother, but my family and our Victory Junction family are grateful to have had her love and wisdom for so many years. It was no secret that she was the cornerstone of the Petty family; a woman of humility and extraordinary strength. While we mourn her death, we also celebrate her life and the profound impact she had on those who knew her. The pride she had in her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren was shared with us through her unconditional love. Her strong example of leadership outside of her home was most recently acknowledged by the Association of Fundraising Professionals when she, along with my grandfather, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award for her personal commitment to seriously ill children and to our American troops. We honor my grandmother's legacy of inspiration and enduring love at Victory Junction today and always."
Lynda Petty is survived by her son Kyle (a TV analyst and six-time winner in Cup); daughters Sharon, Lisa and Rebecca; and 11 grandchildren.


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Once again life has taken over, and of course my classroom schedule became hectic as well.
We did sell our house (yea!) and are temporally moved (squished) in with my mother and sister. I'll update you all more on what our future plans are, but you will have to wait like everyone else for that :) My hubby and I celebrated 10 years together (while packing and moving), not our ideal 10 year anniversary...we had thought of doing something grand when we talked about it a few years ago...but we had no idea then that we would be packing and moving. So those plans were put on the back burner, maybe next year.
My family did get together for our annual Eggextravaganza. I somehow managed to upgrade the girls' Easter buckets (after digging through boxes to find my cutting machine). I love how they turned out!
Feel free to add captions to this one!
I must admit I am a bit of a chevron freak...along with polka-dots!
I did somehow manage to make it to Spring Break...it was rough that last week. I had to give my transition students the 4th grade CAR (content area retest), manage behaviors (SPRING FEVER hit my room hard, 2 in school...reflection room attendants, and two suspensions...my AP kept giving me chocolate, not such a good sign).
We have also been booking it through our Social Studies content. Teaching Civil War to present day is a TON of material! I love my co-workers and how well we work together when planning. We have been integrating Social Studies into our Reading lessons like crazy! If you haven't already done so, head over to ReadWorks.org it's free and a lot of their passages are Science/Social Studies common core...and it's FREE!!!!
Once I finally got my daughter over croup (again) Spring Break came as did the pollen! Which knocked me on my bottom. Ever wonder how much your child touches your car? Well head to the south and park your car outside overnight, and tada...POLLEN ART! This picture does not do it justice.
Someone went to the dentist! I did too, but I have to take Valium just to get a cleaning; therefore, my picture is not as cute :)
She got her hair cut and done!
And we hung out at the park
Overall not too bad of a break, but nothing real exciting...and it's almost over.
We head into the home stretch when we get back...one week of test prep, finish curriculum madness then state testing begins! I don't have any amazing plans or packets...just not enough time! I will say that another great tool I have been using is LearnZillion.com...and they just came out with an app for your ipad or iphone. It's common core aligned as well.
After testing the true madness begins! Maybe I'll have some fun things planned to keep them busy....no promises though :)


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There's too much regulation, says Romney. Too much regulation, say some businesses. It's always categorical, not about which regulation. Just that regulation is bad. Stop it.
The forests are burning. The drought continues. The deserts are growing. The earth is warming. The diseases are spreading. The storms are destroying our towns and farms. The glaciers are melting and the oceans are retaking our shores, submerging islands, making refugees and warriors. But oh block the regulation. Read the rest of this entry »


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I havent programmed in java for a few months now, been learning some other languages, but i start school in the fall for java so i thought i would fresh'n up abit. Tried to make a simple java game of hangman but its not working. Here is the code:
now here is the error:import java.util.Random; import java.util.Scanner; public class Hangman { public static void main(String[] args) { // TODO Auto-generated method stub String[] words = {"donkey", "moose", "horn", "nicole", "connor", "taco", "meenu", "brad", "fridge", "dust"}; Random rand = new Random(); Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in); ///start of play again int wordN = rand.nextInt(words.length); String word = words[wordN]; char[] letters = new char [word.length()]; int strikes = 8; String[] characters = {"_ ", "_ ","_ ","_ ","_ ","_ ","_ "}; boolean won = false; //printing word length for (int i = 0; i<=word.length(); i++){ System.out.print(characters[i]); } //getting each letter for (int a=0; a<=word.length(); a++){ letters[a] = word.charAt(a); } do{ System.out.print("Guess a letter: "); String guess = scan.next(); char cGuess = guess.charAt(0); for (int b = 0; b<= word.length(); b++){ int iLetters = word.length(); if (cGuess == letters[b] && b<iLetters){ characters[b] = cGuess+" "; }if (cGuess != letters[b] && b==iLetters){ strikes--; System.out.println("The letter "+cGuess+" is not in this word. You have "+strikes+" trys left."); } } for (int i = 0; i<=word.length(); i++){ System.out.print(characters[i]); } if (guess.equals(word)){ won = true; } }while(won != true); } }
any help would be lovely, thanksException in thread "main" java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: String index out of range: 4 at java.lang.String.charAt(Unknown Source) at Hangman.main(Hangman.java:26)


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Well, according to MSN Entertainment this morning...they are.
"Where are they now? The one hit wonders of yesterday."
http://t.entertainment.msn.com/video?vi ... f406b89c89
Could be one of the reasons we seem to be facing such an uphill battle in getting them to return here for a tour...or a festival...or just one dang show. I, for one, do not consider Jamiroquai to be a "One Hit Wonder" band. But apparently, "Virtual Insanity" is considered by the media here to be their only staple of success on our soil. It often baffles me how a stigma can be so easily placed.
At least they give them props for their continued production of music.
Still hoping and still fighting the good fight to get them back over here.


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City of Conyers, GAHome Menu
Friends of the Library Book Sale
- Date: 03/14/2020 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
- Location: Nancy Guinn Memorial Library
864 Green Street
Conyers, Georgia 30012
The Friends of the Library at the Nancy Guinn Library, 864 Green Street, invite the public to their monthly book sales on the second Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Thousands of gently used books at discounted prices! Come in via the back entrance off of Travis Street. For more information, call 770-388-5040.Return to full list >>


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Hi. I am just curious. I have seen on several threads how many of you do NOT like the Paughco 45/BT 4spd frames. I'll admit my first reaction when I heard of these was "Yay! Someone out there has read my wish list!!" I have seen one of them "in the flesh" and the welds are very good, but I must agree with some of you out there, the overall look is kinda fugly. Obviously it isn't intended for resto's so floorboard mounts, tank mounts, seat tube and the like are not an issue for an enterprising chopper builder. (just a little clarification - I am NOT building a chopper) What throws me is the offset motor mounts. The modern chopper guys have been building offset motor mount frames for a while now to accommodate the obscenely obese rear tires that are all the rage with the TV biker crowd and there has been plenty written about the left leaning tendencies leaving a stoplight and the resistance to right turns. Most of these have been big inch/high horsepower bikes with 6 inch belt drives hanging way out into oncoming traffic. So, getting to the point - do you think a little 45 motor with just several hp and about 120lbs soaking wet would cause much of a handling issue leaving said stoplight if it were offset? Also, not having the giant rear tire would eliminate the difficulty turning into a corner those new age choppers have, but do you think having the 45 motor/BT tranny offset would adversely affect handling at highway speed? The gyroscopic force of the reciprocating mass would have a stabilizing effect, I would think, even if it was 1.5in" left of center.
So, if someone were contemplating building a frame to accept a 45, a 45/K or a 45 Magnum with an early HD 4spd, what would be the design factors that you would change from the frame mentioned that you didn't like? I know all about using Brit transmissions, but I am interested here in BT4spd.
Ok, fire away!


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Daily Diaries: ACC and Atlantic 10 Tournament FinalsPosted by rtmsf on March 16th, 2010
In our attempt to bring you the most comprehensive Championship Week coverage anywhere, RTC covered several of the conference tournaments from the sites over the weekend. We had RTC correspondents at the ACC and Atlantic 10 Tournament finals on Sunday; each of them wrapped up the day's action in these diary submissions.
Atlantic 10 Championship
Temple 56, Richmond 52
- "It is tough to win both the regular season title and the conference tournament. I have to congratulate Temple on their achievement" said Richmond Coach Chris Mooney to start his last press conference at the 2010 A10 Tournament. His Richmond team had lost to Temple, 56-52, in front of 10,000+ fans at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The cheers from the arena floor could he heard in the background as the reporters asked Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper to analyze their team's performance. Richmond came out cold in the first half, missing their first four shots. A dunk by center Darrius Garrett put Richmond on the board, but Temple had already converted three times. Three minutes into the game it was 7-2 Temple, just like the day before, different day and opponent perhaps, but the same start. That was the story of the A10 Championship game. Like their semifinal game with Rhode Island, the Temple Owls scored first and never relinquished the lead. Richmond however was not Rhode Island and the Spiders did not go quietly. The crowd was Temple's by a 60-40 margin, and when the Spiders came close cutting Temple's lead to one with 39 seconds left in the game, the Spider faithful came to their feet and gave their team a loud cheer.
- "Threepeat!" shouted the fans as the Temple team cut down the nets. "It's the beginning of a dynasty!" a fellow member of the media said as he packed his bags, "They bring back Fernandez, Allen, Eirc and Jefferson. They will own the A10 for at least two more years." Dynasty talk will have to wait for next season's previews however, because the talk along press row was whether the game would help Temple's argument for a #3 (or better) seed. There is another month to this season, and the growing expectation that this Temple team (and most probably the two other A10 teams who will participate in the NCAAs next week) will play through the first weekend, and possibly into the second weekend.
- Weather and a leaky roof aside, the A10 Conference Tournament was everything an eastern basketball fan could ask for. Three days of terrific basketball, ten games in all. Throw in an overtime game and two of the last three games decided by six or fewer points and play after play by athletic and skilled basketball players. The work of Kevin Anderson and Juan Fernandez in particular stand out. Anderson put the Richmond team on his back and brought them back against Xavier in the semifinal game. Anderson scored the last four points in regulation to tie the game, and hit the first points in overtime that put Richmond in the lead. Fernandez is a oddity for American audiences. Temple fans remember Pepe Sanchez, an Argentine guard brought over by John Chaney very fondly. Fernandez is about six inches taller and very skilled. In the championship game he called for the ball again and again, taking to the lane or hitting a pull-up jumper, a small lapse at the midpoint of the second half aside, he was composed throughout, chewing on gum, as if to set his internal clock. In the championship game Anderson played 38 minutes and scored 14 points. Fernandez played 38 minutes and scored 18 points: the margin of the game.


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What was the worst investment you ever made?
What was the best?
January 30, 2008
HousingPANIC Stupid Question of the Day
Posted by blogger at 1/30/2008
Labels: bubble after bubble, catch a falling knife, it's always a great time to buy
71 comments:
Best: My last house, bought in '03 and sold in '05.
Worst: My current house.
- January 30, 2008 11:23 AM
The worst mistake I ever made was getting heavily into put options back in mid-06. The market was starting to crash in May/June and all the signs pointed to a recession and bear market - the inverted yield curve, the worsening housing market, faltering stock market leaders (GOOG, AAPL, Whole Foods, etc.), sinking auto sales, foundering GDP, etc. Between May and June I made a TON of money with puts on homebuilders and subprime lenders, only to watch it vanish in the incredible rally that started in August.
I still haven't quite figured out what happened - why did the stock market take off like a rocket when the economy was obviously starting to head downhill? My guess is that it had something to do with high-level political or fed actions. PPT or maybe Paulsen, who had just been appointed around June, conned China into pumping cash into the stock market. Either way, it was a horrible experience and turned me off of options forever.
- January 30, 2008 11:27 AM
Best: Shorting CFC and IMB
Worst: Not shorting harder
- January 30, 2008 11:46 AM
Best: The Reno house I bought in 2000 and sold in late 2003.....the proceeds of which went into PM's
Worst: My ex-wife!
- January 30, 2008 11:51 AM
worst: etoys stock (only lost 8k) but held till bitter end.
best: RE - sold buncha homes in 05 - now renting a crapshack. oh man is it crap. garage floods everytime it rains, fooking lovely.
- January 30, 2008 11:59 AM
Best investment: the place I bought and am living in while collecting $50K per year as a housing allowance.
Worst: holding on to my tech options back in 2000, became a near paper millionaire and lost it very fast without getting out. And I added some of my own money that became a net loser as well.
- January 30, 2008 12:41 PM
- Ed said...
BEST: House I bought in Las Vegas and sold for $200K more within 4 years. Same house that is now worth $150K less than what I sold for.
WORST: not selling my stock options in time circa 1999/2000. I would have had to pay short term capital gains. So I foolishly held on until it would only be long term gains. Well within that time I lost a few hundred thousand dollars. Every time stock price dropped $5 I thought it has to come back. And the next $5, same thing. And on and on. I painfully watched week after week and kept (again very foolishly) thinking it has to come back.
Learned that lesson well. Which is why I sold my house at the first sign of a deteriorating housing market.
- January 30, 2008 12:49 PM
Condom machines in a women's prison.
- January 30, 2008 12:56 PM
Worst: Buying Cisco @ 65 during the height of the tech bubble.
Best: Buying Apple @ $18 just after it burst.
- January 30, 2008 1:05 PM
A Gibson Les Paul Standard - in 1980 $860. Today $4500. too bad it's not liquid like gold which was Ok - Austrian Gold Dukat $110 ten years ago - I sold 2 for $410. each the other day - needed some fast cash - things are getting tighter, I think.
- January 30, 2008 1:13 PM
Best: 4 acres of raw land I made $100 K on when I sold last year....
Worst: I think it was the 84 Pontiac Fiero. I Paid $14,500 new and it was only worth .50 cents 3 days later (Thanks GM)
- January 30, 2008 1:29 PM
BEST, buying 80 acres of Florida land in 93 for 2k an acre and reselling part of it later in 2005 for 25K an acre.
WORSE Paying 75 dollars for a marriage license in 94 that ended in divorce where the Ex gets half of the land and sells it for 500K in 2005
- January 30, 2008 1:40 PM
- Malcolm said...
Worst: FSELX in 2000
Best: Sisters of St Joseph in 2003
- January 30, 2008 1:54 PM
- Chris said...
Best... Buying Dell at 16.00 dollars a share.
Worst... Selling Mcdonalds at 29.00 dollars a share.
also buying my condo period.
- January 30, 2008 1:55 PM
Worst - bought Lucent at $40 because it couldn't go any lower. Sold 500 shares of Apple in 2004 because the stock wasn't going anywhere.
Best - bought silver at $4, and gold at $300.
- January 30, 2008 2:06 PM
worse investment? getting hooked on the MSM; best investment? finding good books and magazines to read;
- January 30, 2008 2:07 PM
Best. Wife, kids, education and military experience.
Worst. PVII. Lost everything (only $8000) but on the bright side - that was my only loss in the tech bubble.
Marky Mark
- January 30, 2008 2:16 PM
Best: Gold in mid-2006
Worst: Tech mutual fund in 1999-2000
The jury is still out on the huge investment into higher education.
- January 30, 2008 2:20 PM
I had 20K of calls on GG. The market maker / counter party / hedge fund took it down $4 for two months -- this started an hour after I took the position.
- January 30, 2008 2:23 PM
Best a house in the desert in 87 doubled my money when sold in 89
worst a mini doughnut machine I made about 33 cents and had trouble with the health dept oh well california giveth and taketh away..
- January 30, 2008 2:26 PM
Best: Selling investment property in 2005. Used proceeds to pay off main house. No debt on anything.
Worst: Not enough for retirement.
What does it matter with the trashing of our $? "Serfs up dude"!
- January 30, 2008 2:26 PM
Best investment has been my gold portfolio, which has more than doubled (thanks as much to GLD as gold mining stocks like GBN and GG). Second best was buying a condo in the Philly burbs for $80K in 2003 and selling it in 2005 after 18 months for $146K.
Worst investment, boy there are so many to choose, let's just say my portfolio was tech-heavy at the height of the Internet bubble.
Lesson learned then and applied to now. You see bubble are good, but only when they're inflating. Don't stay too long past midnight on New Years' Eve, and definitely don't show up after the ball drops.
In other words, don't be a bag holder!
- January 30, 2008 2:35 PM
Best: my house bought between Christmas and New Years 1999. I walked out of settlement (for legal cause) and knocked 20% off the price to close the next week. 120x (not percent) return on equity when sold in 2006.
Worst: letting a few CFC puts expire in May and not re-upping
- January 30, 2008 2:59 PM
500 shares of Global Crossing.
- January 30, 2008 3:13 PM
Best: shorting Ambac and MBIA
Worst: holding on to my YHOO stock this year. Ouch!
- January 30, 2008 3:19 PM
Best: PUTs on financials in 2007, up $800K
Worst: Long oil and Nat Gas servicers in 1995, lost $86K
- January 30, 2008 3:22 PM
Best: Buying a pile of gold at $425/oz...and shorting CFC right before they crashed hard, and making money of them twice actually!
Worst: Being the last sucker piling in on some Dot.Con stocks. I barely had enough money left over for the stamp to send me my $40 check.
- January 30, 2008 3:24 PM
Worst: 3 Card Monty on a street corner.
Best: Aflac
- January 30, 2008 3:37 PM
Worst: buying gold right now.
Best: buying Thai Baht when it was 50 to the dollar in 1998, it is now 31.
- January 30, 2008 3:37 PM
- beerwineliqour said...
I just bought a 2008 Vette - but I got it used. Some poor chap had it for 2 months and only put 1K miles on it before he found out he had knocked up his wife - so he trades it in on a new Tahoe. I think this will be my best investment this year hands down, as I got it at 2009 depreciated price...
My worst investments will continue to be my houses of course...
- January 30, 2008 3:40 PM
Best: Buying a house/five acres in southern Oregon in late 1999 for $145,000 and selling in 2006 for $650,000.
Worst: Selling my Microsoft and GE stock about six years ago. Those were keepers.
- January 30, 2008 3:47 PM
What was the worst investment you ever made?
Money wise, it's always been...a little on the plus side...a little on the minus side...no great fantastic wins or utterly devastating losses (YET!).
What was the best?
$15 for a marriage license back in 75. The other half has never stopped appreciating.
(Hey, it's not always about money!)
- January 30, 2008 3:52 PM
Buying house in NoVa/DC in 2001 & selling it in 2006 & puting mega $$$ in the Bank
Worst: losing first starter house in 80's Texas Oil RE crash
The "Worst" taught us about RE cycles so that we unloaded the DC house 20 years later & recouped our RE losses, not to mention upping our Retirement account greatly. We currently rent & save even more Monthly :)
- January 30, 2008 3:54 PM
This is the change Hillary is talking about!
That's all you'll have left!
- January 30, 2008 4:01 PM
- Mammoth said...
Bought into two Janus Mutual Funds in March 2000, and put in a total of $9,200 over the course of that year. Finally sold at the end of 2006, after the price finally had risen to ½ of what I had initially shelled out. Ouch!
Shoulda held on 'til last August. Shoulda, coulda, woulda…unfortunately in the real world you can't just click the "UNDO" button.
Best investment? That would be keeping my old house and turning it into a rental, back when I bought my current residence in 2001. Lucked out with good tenants who stayed there for six years. After they moved out last August I spent 2 months fixing up the place, then sold it in October and paid off my residence.
Purchase price: $126K. Sell price: $285K. You do the math…
But my best investment, in terms of percentage gain, was the '67 Pontiac LeMans convertible that I bought in 1978 for $300. I drove that car – it was a BLAST – for 13 years, until some idiot ran into it and totaled it. This bozo's insurance company paid me $4,500 plus I got to keep the car and sell it for parts.
You can go on and on about how reliable Toyotas & Hondas are, but many GM cars from the mid-'60's were equally reliable. When that Pontiac headed off into oblivion it had racked up nearly 320,000 miles. Man, I still miss that car!
- January 30, 2008 4:11 PM
Best: buying puts on homebuilders in spring 2006 that expired that summer
Worst: buying puts on homebuilders in fall 2006 and watching them defy gravity as the housing market collapsed
- January 30, 2008 4:11 PM
Believe it or not...
GOLD below 250
Still have it,
all of a sudden I'm glad I hung on to it!
It was a long haul from june of 99
- January 30, 2008 4:13 PM
worst: lots of MRKL at ~$.50/share
best: beach condo in '97 at ~93K sold a couple years ago(definitely the best investment!)
- January 30, 2008 4:17 PM
Ascend communications
20% of a new chain
NationsBank, now BAC
- January 30, 2008 4:31 PM
Best: A Canadian diamond set in a Kretchmer Ring for my wife
My MD
House bought $0 down in 2004, sold 2006.
Worst: Global Crossing lol
- January 30, 2008 4:33 PM
I bought MSFT at 78 right before the 2000 election. I figured that Bush 2 would kill the federal probe and the stock would go. Little did I know that we were in the middle of that HUGE tech bubble. It's now at 32.......
- January 30, 2008 5:05 PM
Purchase of a Luxury Ghetto Riverfront Townhome in America's 3rd World country, Wilmington Helawhere. The complete and utter lack of prosperity and civilization and raging crime made it impossible to live there and undermined my ability to work.
I washed my hands of my overpriced ghetto shack a year later and took a 50-60k hit. Its what motivated me seek out and find these blogs and why I now rent in a first world western civilization.
If I can hold onto what's left of the proceeds from my overpriced DC condo sale (my best investment ever) and if prices continue to tank here, in a few years I can come out ahead and be a much stronger and wiser person.
- January 30, 2008 5:06 PM
Best: Education (P/E ratio hands down the best investment ever and till they make a mindwipe they cant ever take this from you)
Worst: Hard to say...mebe new car, but it was a honda civic best of a bad situation (buying new) and hey, its a palindrome
- January 30, 2008 5:33 PM
Best: My law degree
Worst: Tech stocks. I am still writing the losses off...
- January 30, 2008 5:46 PM
Worst: A biotech stock lost $17k at opening bell. No leverage.
Best: Joined the Army for the college benefits.
- January 30, 2008 5:53 PM
Worst: I've owned several stocks that went to zero, including one (McKesson HBOC) that dropped in half overnight when they were caught fiddling their books.
Also bad: I've made several oil and gas investments that I just got tax writeoffs for.
Best: Other oil and gas investments that have paid off big time.
- January 30, 2008 6:13 PM
The worst? Bought 3 ounces of gold at $650 in 1980.
The best? I'll have to think about that.
- January 30, 2008 6:26 PM
worst - great thing is i have never made a bad investment.
best - crappy thing is i have never made a good one either.
- January 30, 2008 6:31 PM
Best :
Jan 2008 Puts on Home Builders in Early 2006.
Puts on Lenders in 2007.
Puts on Financials in Late 2007 and
Worst :
Purchased Calls on gold/silver stocks in May 2006.
2008 GOOGLE PUT in May 2006.
- January 30, 2008 6:34 PM
Worst: Lost $4000 in ASTP a company that made photovoltaic cells, it went bankrupt.
Best: College education at a state school
- January 30, 2008 7:04 PM
- Frank R said...
Worst: Dot-com stocks in the late 90s. I was young and dumb (in my mid 20s) and listened to stockbrokers on commission.
Best: My business. I think that's the best investment anyone can have. We're getting ready to celebrate the 5-year mark soon.
- January 30, 2008 7:09 PM
Worst: Buying stock based on a friend's suggestion. The company went from $1/share to $0
Best: Yahoo.com (bought in Jan 97, sold in Dec 99).
- January 30, 2008 7:24 PM
Best: Receiving for free the high price for salvation that Jesus paid for me (and you, too!) almost 2000 years ago!
Worst: All the time I squandered serving the world, and the things of the world, which are obviously devilish and bent on devouring all who play the world's game.
For clarification, see John 10:10!
- January 30, 2008 7:48 PM
Honeywell stock in the 90's took a bath on that one.
- January 30, 2008 8:03 PM
- January 30, 2008 8:25 PM
What was the worst investment you ever made?
Someone else's business.
What was the best?
My business.
- January 30, 2008 9:13 PM
Best: Graduate school. It was free tuition and I was paid a stipend eqivilant to minimum wage, but it was grueling for several years. But landing a 6 figure job (with a high ceiling) by age 26 made it worth it.
Worst: My current house. It's value will at best stagnate until 2010.
- January 30, 2008 9:31 PM
Worst: getting myself overleveraged in silver in an OANDA account last year. I had to sell in the bloodbath on Aug 17, and am just now getting close to a breakeven. If I had either not overleveraged, or just not done anything that day, I'd be $10K up.
I should have known better than to leverage more than 2 to 1 - after all silver tanked from about $15 to about $10 just in 2006. Ah greed...
Distant second: putting $2000 in American Century Ultra fund 3 days before the NASDAQ peak. Reason for that investment: it's gained 80% in the last year!!! Lost about half of it.
Best investments - dollar wise: our house: appreciated $60 over 11 years and allowed bullion investments.
% wise: bullion and Central fund of Canada. Only wish we had started buying in 2002 or so at $4.50 an ounce instead of in 2004 at $6.60. I also wish we had gotten all the cash we could at refinancing in 2005 and plowed it into silver.
- January 30, 2008 11:08 PM
The worst investment I ever made was buying $2000 worth of Worldcom stock in early 2001 when it was in the $40/share range.
I rode that baby all the way down to zero.
The ironic thing is that I almost bought Countrywide instead of Worldcom. Up until last year that would have been a much better play, but the end result would have been pretty much the same.
- January 30, 2008 11:18 PM
Best: As someone else said, my education. I spent about $25K for my degrees. The difference in my income over a lifetime vs. not getting the degrees will be in the millions. Can't imagine I will ever have a better investment than that.
Worst: Had 60% if my 401k in tech funds during the late 90s. That joke about a 401k being turned into a 201k rang very true for me. Luckily I was young enough that I had time to recover.
- January 30, 2008 11:29 PM
Worst: CMGI stock options during the .com bubble. Stands for
...learned my lesson well.
Best: 15 acres in NC near Raleigh. Tripled in 10 years.
- January 30, 2008 11:50 PM
Stanley works in the 60's
With splits and the dividends it's been great!
- January 31, 2008 12:21 AM
Worst: Married for 4.5 years.
Best: Bought my first Maple Leaf (that's gold, y'all) for $277.00.
- January 31, 2008 2:36 AM
Southern Maine ...
WORST: Bought a popular nightclub in 1996 with 4 other partners (we're still friends). After 14 months of working +40hrs a week in the club (for free), we had only made a profit one month so we folded.
BEST: Bought 3 abutting parcels of raw land on a hill in 2003, created the best water/mountain view subdivision in this region. Quit my 23 year career as a Semiconductor Engineer to pursue business full time. I sold the lots, not home packages - the buyers had their own designs and contracted their own builders. I profited about $2.5M in 4 years on a $150K investment. Woo Hoo !! That's absolutely HUGE for this area. I was incredibly fortunate.
SECOND BEST: NOT developing an abutting 194 acre parcel into 70 new non-view lots in May 2006. I had become a daily reader of these housing blogs; they gave me the 4extra insight to know when to stop the process while I still could. Once you've started, there is no efficient way of turning back. Looks like I will be sitting on this land for a few years ... but that's okay by me; parcels this large are getting scarce. Taxes are about $2500 a year.
THIRD BEST: Divorcing my wife Dec 2002 ... she took half my net worth (at that time) back to Canada with her ... in retrospect, it was a real bargain!
- January 31, 2008 2:43 AM
- whitetower said...
Worst: A dot.con stock bought in Feb. 2000 for $7/share. I kept the faith right down to .02/share.
Best: Obtaining my PhD.
- January 31, 2008 2:55 AM
worst:bought house in las vegas (summerlin)1993 $117.000 sold feb. 2001 for $139.000. the next year 2002 the the buyer sold same housefor $310.000 did i screw up. keep the house 8 years make $22.000 buyer keeps one year makes $171.000. to this day i still lose sleep over that one.
- January 31, 2008 2:56 AM
Best: My grad school education
Worst: Attending the most expensive grad school in the country GWU.
- January 31, 2008 4:38 AM
- Devestment said...
Worst= 50% loss in house bought in 1990.
Best= Gold at 250 when advised to buy tech stock.
Saving while business was good.
Buying stocks at the crash and then dumping.
Buying real estate on the way up and dumping near the top.
- January 31, 2008 7:02 AM
BEST: National Beverage in 1991, ticker is now FIZZ
WORST: Law School, I paid over $11k in student loan interest last year.
- January 31, 2008 11:20 AM
Graduating in Law and 2 postgraduation degrees (one on tax and the other on finance). 8 years of higher education and no work whatsoever...
I should have been a plumber...
- January 31, 2008 12:49 PM
In the 1970s I invested in a limited partnership that was going to build a seaside hotel in Spain. I ended up with a 100% loss. Fortunately, it was only $1,300. (I think the equivalent today would be $5,000).
- January 31, 2008 3:46 PM


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This exquisite hard plastic case cover decorated with leopard pattern can provide perfect protection for your Apple iPhone 4G 4S. Use this plastic case to prevent damage to your phone from scratches, bumps, dirt and fingerprints. What is more, to change a fresh look for your Apple iPhone 4G 4S with this plastic case.
- Fashionable and charming protective case for Apple iPhone 4G 4S
- Features leopard pattern decorated on the case
- Protects your phone against scratches, dust, shock and fingerprint.
- Offers all-around external surface protection to your phone without compromising usability
- Allow easy and full access to all buttons, controls and ports
- Keeps your Apple iPhone 4G 4S safe and protected in style
- Material: Hard plastic
- Note: Case ONLY, iPhone 4 NOT included.
Compatible with:
- Apple iPhone 4G 4S
Package Includes:
- 1 x Hard Plastic Case for iPhone 4G 4S
Note: Please be reminded that due to lighting effects and monitor's brightness/contrast settings etc, the color tone of the website's photo and the actual item could be slightly different.


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No game today so let's see how Sox prospects are doing so far:
Jordan Danks: .424/.513/.697/1.210 with 3 Ks and 5 BBs in 33 ABs
C.J. Retherford: .346/.414/.615/1.029 with 2 Ks and 2 BBs in 26 ABs
Dayan Viciedo: .333/.350/.556/.906 with 6 Ks and 1 BB in 18 ABs
In this small sample size Danks is hitting the cover of the ball and has cut down the Ks. Viciedo isn't doing so well (remember, the AFL is a hitters league) and his plate discipline is awful. Retheford is somewhee in the middle.
You can see how all the Sox prospects are doing in their Winter Ball leagues here:


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Backstage at the Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 is where the high fashion extravaganza begins. Take a good look at the eyewear on display here. The sports-influenced trend continues in angular shapes as with tinted lenses that came oversized and adorned with anything you can imagine.
Now let's not deviate from the clothes. Jil Sander returns to, well, Jil Sander. Emilio Pucci takes on China while Prada heads to Japan and not so surprisingly, Dolce & Gabbana settles on Sicily again.
Gucci holds back with rich fuchsia shades while Marni on the other hand stays true to shape and proportion. And finally, the Versace girl goes sexy-grunge in gladiator heels, no less. Don't forget the rest. Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi (top) and Giorgio Armani complete this roundup of backstage scenes at Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013.
Dolce & Gabbana
Emilio Pucci
Giorgio Armani
Jil Sander
Roberto Cavalli
Image Credits: vogue.co.uk
Related articles
- Backstage At New York Fashion Week | Spring/Summer 2013 Part 1
- Backstage at New York Fashion Week | Spring/Summer 2013 Part 2
- Scenes at London Fashion Week | Spring/Summer 2013
- Anna Dello Russo (ADR) at H&M Accessories Collection Preview | Full Price List
- Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2013 Womenswear Show Live Stream


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"In order to comply with the new health care law, your current health plan will be discontinued on Dec. 31, 2013," reads one of the letters, which are being sent out by about half a dozen insurers. "But don't worry. You have lots of options."What's going on? Under health care reform, each health plan has to cover 10 essential benefits. Some of those benefits -- such as prescription drug coverage -- aren't included in many health individual health plans today. The new plans also have to include numerous preventive services, and meet standards for what they'll cover.
In some cases, those benefits mean that the premiums for the new plans will cost more, or that deductibles will be higher.
So what can you do?
1) Remember that as part of health care reform, many consumers will now qualify for subsidies to help offset costs. If your household income is less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level (e.g. $62,040 for a family of two, or $94,200 for a family of four), you may qualify for those subsidies. Also, expanded Medicaid coverage will be available -- for free -- for households that are at less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($21,404 for a family of two).
In other to get the subsidy, which is technically a tax credit, you would need to buy your health coverage through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Enrollment begins Oct. 1, with coverage starting Jan. 1, 2014. Here's a map with links to the rates for health insurance in the Exchange.
2) Shop around for a better deal. You do not need to stay with the insurance company you're with now, although that fact isn't necessarily trumpeted by the insurers in the letters they're sending out. So go on the Exchange -- you can still shop there, even if you don't qualify for a subsidy -- or check with a broker to see what else is available, and what it costs.
What if you have a pre-existing condition and have been turned down for health coverage in the past? It no longer matters. As part of health care reform, insurers must take all applicants. No more health screenings or questionnaires.
3) Remember that the premium is only part of the cost of insurance, particularly if you use the coverage. Your actual out of pocket costs are determined by how much of a deductible you have to meet, how much the co-pays or coinsurance charges are, what drugs are covered, etc. We calculate, for example, that the preventive care included in these policies without any copays, etc. is worth about $500.


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I think this rather long column will help readers understand a little better why the "genealogical perspective" is so crucial for understanding human affairs:
Two Cheers For Pinker On Genealogy…But What About Race?
By Steve Sailer
Genealogy—the study of who a person's ancestors are—is viewed by American intellectuals as a quaint hobby of only individual interest. But it's actually one of the most under-explored paths to better understanding humanity.
So I was quite pleased to see the cover story in the August 6, 2007 issue of The New Republic, "The Genealogy Craze in America: Strangled by Roots" [Free registration required, or read it here.] by Steven Pinker, the Harvard psychologist and author of the outstanding 2002 bestseller The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.
Pinker has become perhaps the pre-eminent spokesman for the human sciences. His next book, The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature, will be out in September.
I was especially happy because Pinker's article cogently articulates many of the ideas about the overlooked importance of kinship that he and I kicked around via email in the late 1990s, and which have provided the basis for many of my VDARE.com articles ever since. ...
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer


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Campfire cupcakes
Nutrition and extra info
- kcal233
- fat14g
- saturates3g
- carbs25g
- sugars16g
- fibre1g
- protein3g
- salt0.27g
- 140g light muscovado sugar
- 100g self-raising flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
Baking powderbay-king pow-dah
Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…
- 3 eggs
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp milk
One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a 'complete' food…
- 50g milk chocolate chip
- 30g pack mini marshmallows
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and milk, then stir together with the dry ingredients until well combined. Add the milk chocolate chips. Place cupcake cases into a 12-hole bun tin. Divide the mixture between the cases, then bake for 20 mins until risen and cooked through. You can now leave to cool and store for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Just before serving (either warm from the oven or cold), arrange marshmallows over the tops of the cakes. Heat grill to medium and pop the cakes under it for 30 secs, watching all the time, just until the marshmallows are lightly browned. Remove and eat straight away.


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3810 North Jog Road
West Palm Beach, Florida, 33411
Commute to Downtown West Palm Beach
Almost all errands require a car.
It is possible to get on a bus.
About your score
3810 North Jog Road has a Walk Score of 6 out of 100. This location is a Car-Dependent neighborhood so almost all errands require a car.
This location is in West Palm Beach.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 3810 North Jog Road.
View all West Palm Beach apartments on a map.
Popular apartment searches include fitness, pool and furnished.
Search for homes in West Palm Beach or find a West Palm Beach real estate agent who knows walkable neighborhoods. Links will open on our partner site Redfin.com.
This location is in the city of West Palm Beach, FL. West Palm Beach has an average Walk Score of 42 and has 99,919 residents.


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'good-looking mobile phone'
'All in all, the Incredible looks and feels like a modern, sophisticated smartphone with a lot of that masculine edge that Motorola imparted to the Droid along with the curvy smoothness the Droid Eris sports. '
'Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G are all onboard.'
'Excellent 8MP camera'
'It's also one of the most responsive accelerometer-equipped smartphones we've tested. '
'So the Samsung Omnia 7 is a fine phone for the most part and Windows Phone 7 is a cracking attempt from Microsoft to get itself back in the smartphone race. '
'cool industrial design'
'We were impressed with some of the small touches, including the super-responsive, touch-sensitive back and search keys, while the physical Start button has a more reassuring click than Apple's iPhone 4, even if it is slightly smaller. '
'best media playing phone'
'thinnest smart phone'
'We think the Apple iPhone 4 is without a doubt the sexiest smartphone on the market, and its Retina display just adds more fuel to the fire. '
'The question really isn't whether the iPhone is a cool, new phone – it is. '
qHD display and a dual-core processor
Gigantic and high-res display
Dual-core 1GHz processor
Speedy processor
World-roaming capabilities
Fast and stable platform experience
Slim and fast
Solid operating performance
'No multi-tasking support.'
'good-looking, sturdily built handset'
'Keyboard is a bit cramped.'
'exceptional and responsive slide-down QWERTY keyboard'
'Built for both business and entertainment, the LG Quantum is probably the most versatile of the latest Windows 7 phones, thanks to that generous QWERTY slider, while the Samsung Focus just flaunts a Super AMOLED screen and the HTC Surround specializes in Dolby sound on the go for the music and video addict. '
'very capable phone'
'high-end smartphone'
' An extraordinary mobile phone we had the chance to test is the LG Quantum, a phone that was designed to rival a very competitive market.'
Well thought-out OS
Bigger and more spacious keyboard
Fast, capable and easy to use
3.6in capacitive touchscreen
Solidly constructed
A full QWERTY keyboard
Solid performance
Call quality is good
Touchscreen form factor finally done right
Buggy software
Mediocre voice quality
ReviewGist helps you find the best products to buy by making sense of online reviews.
We are currently aggregating 376,500 reviews
covering over 29,474 products.
© 2020 ReviewGist.com. All Rights Reserved.


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text:
The average hourly pay for a Machinist with Machine Programming, Manufacturing skills in San Jose, California is $32.04.
Is Machinist your job title? Find out what you should be paid
Use our tool to get a personalized report on your market worth.What's this?
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$58,240 - $88,116
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What Do Machinists Do?
Machinists make parts and sometimes their own tools in order to build or create larger things. Machinists are often in a factory or manufacturing setting, but not always. Manufacturing experience is important. The Machinist must be capable of working with a variety of tools in sometimes inhospitable conditions. Tools of the trade may include hand tools, cutting tools, measuring tools and machine tools. Machinists must be capable of making their own tools and parts. They also need to be expe…Read more
Machinist Tasks
- Calculate dimensions and tolerances using knowledge of mathematics and instruments.
- Select, align, and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, and materials on machines.
- Operate various types of machine tools to perform progressive machining.
- Measure, examine, and test completed units to detect defects and ensure conformance to specifications.
- Detect malfunctions or out-of-tolerance machining and adjust machine controls as necessary.
Machinist Job Listings
Search for more jobs
What Are Popular Skills for Machinists?
Avg. Hourly Rate
18 responses
13 responses
13 responses
5 responses
4 responses
Skills in CAD/CAM are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Blueprints, Precision Machining, Machine Operation and CNC/NC.
Pay Difference by Location
Learn more about cost of living by city.
Employees with .NET Software Developer / Programmer in these locations earn less than the national average. The lowest salaries can be found in Grand Rapids, Michigan (42.9% less), Buffalo, New York (38.5% less) and Cincinnati, Ohio (34.1% less).
Years of Experience
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Welcome to Apsley House Hotel
This elegant Georgian Country House Hotel built in 1830 by the Duke of Wellington, is set in its own delightful gardens, enjoying stunning views across Bath and the surrounding countryside. One of Bath's finest small hotels, with its own story to tell, Apsley House has been refurbished in great style and every care has been taken to preserve the natural elegance of the house, but still provide modern comforts.
With an atmosphere more jrocam in keeping to that of a private house than that of a hotel, we invite you to come and stay, and "make yourself at home".
2018 RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE HotelsCombined
9.9 Rated by Guests


text:
PARIS/LILLE (Reuters) - Renault (RENA.PA) and PSA Peugeot Citroen (PEUP.PA) were both hit by strikes on Thursday as both French car makers eye moves to cut costs and boost productivity amid slumping sales.
A single production line at Peugeot's Aulnay plant on the outskirts of Paris, slated to be closed in 2014 at the cost of 3,000 jobs, ground to a halt after five workers were summoned for lack of productivity, a representative of the CGT union said in a phone interview.
"The strike was extended to the evening team and a third negotiating meeting has been planned, but production has been halted," CGT representative Jean-Pierre Mercier said.
A company spokesman said that production on other lines at the plant had been slowed but not halted entirely.
Peugeot has pledged to offer jobs elsewhere to about half of the workers to be laid off at Aulnay, but unions at its factory in Rennes, western France, where layoffs are also planned, say that some promised job offers elsewhere will not be available until the first quarter of 2014.
At Renault, two French factories were also hit by work stoppages, separate union sources said.
The walkouts came as the car maker was locked in another day of labor talks over its demand that workers agree to moves to cut production costs in line with countries such as Spain.
The next negotiation session on the productivity measures, which Renault said are necessary to keep jobs in France, was set for December 11.
Reporting By Gilles Guillaume and Pierre Savary; Editing by David Goodman


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|SPAN 101 - Beginning College Spanish 1
|This course is for students who have not previously studied Spanish and who are not familiar with the language. Using a communicative approach with a variety of listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities, students will become familiar with basic structure and vocabulary of the Spanish language. Elements of Hispanic culture, customs and geography will be introduced. Note: this course is not designed for students who have taken 3 or more years of Spanish in high school, or for anyone who has passed the high school Regents Spanish exam. This course is not designed to meet the needs of heritage or native speakers of Spanish. 3 credits (3 lecture hours), fall or spring semester This course satisfies the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirement and the SUNY General Education Requirement for Foreign Language.


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For more details on this Global First, please Click Here.
Check out some a few pictures from the event below.
Stay tuned for more updates from GIGABYTE.
A group of motherboard enthusiasts working for GIGABYTE, sharing their insider knowledge and general ramblings of the motherboard business, the tech industry, latest technologies and trends, and other random odds and ends.


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ACADIA NATIONAL PARK (Maine): The mountains, the ocean, the pine-scented air! You may have thought a trip to Acadia National Park was off-limits, but this popular, well-booked area is still a possibility if you're willing to book lodging a short drive away.
Acadia is for travelers who like their seaside a little rough around the edges, with cliffs, trails, cool ponds (like Bubble Pond, above), and surprisingly empty beaches.
Acadia Lodging: Bar Harbor Motel (from $175, barharbormotel.com)
TAOS (New Mexico): This Southwestern town is not only a finalist for Budget Travel's Coolest Small Town in America 2016, but thanks to its mountain setting, this art-loving town is also literally cooler than you might expect in summer, with highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s.
We love that Taos is home to Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest settlements in America. You can also raft the Rio Grande, get stunning views from the taos Ski Valley lift, drop by an allegedly haunted cantina, and indulge in natural hot springs.
Taos Lodging: The Historic Taos Inn (from $179, taosinn.com)
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming): Who's up for jaw-dropping scenery, warm western hospitality, and the closest thing to a safari experience that the lower 48 can offer? Sure, lodging in the park can be pricey, but a stay in nearby West Yellowstone, Montana, won't break the bank.
Best known for the Old Faithful geyser, which won't disappoint with its spectacular display, Yellowstone is also home to 1,000 miles of hiking trails, 67 species of mammals (including bears, moose, and, thanks to a successful reintroduction in 1995, more than 300 wolves), and ranger programs such as walks, hikes, and campfire programs that can help you get the most out of this crown jewel of the national park system.
Yellowstone Lodging: Alpine Motel (from $95, alpinemotelwestyellowstone.com)
MYRTLE BEACH (South Carolina): If you want a dreamy beach vacation, there's still time to find a deal! Myrtle Beach's miles of sand, wildly popular boardwalk, charter fishing expeditions, and Ripley's Aquarium (where you can get nose-to-nose with sharks) will keep you busy while the sun shines.
Sure, we love the beach, but don't forget that Myrtle Beach's world-class eateries roll out an irresistible southern-style welcome with local micro-brews, seafood buffets, and oceanfront tables.
Myrtle Beach Lodging: Best Western Ocean Sands Resort (from $162, oceansands.com)
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS (Tennessee, North Carolina): Are you ready for America's most popular national park (with more than twice as many visitors than the Grand Canyon), a major nearby theme park, and miles of trails and streams?
Head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for fishing, hiking, and scenic drives like the six-mile Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, and don't forget to spend at least one day at 150-acre Dollywood (above) for authentic Tennessee music, food, and, of course, thrill rides such as the Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine.
Great Smoky Mountains Lodging: The Park Vista DoubleTree by Hilton Gatlinburg (from $189, parkvista.com)
CHICAGO (Illinois): A major American city that is as affordable as it is friendly, Chicago sends visitors home with bragging rights to incredible shopping, art, theater, and food.
Chicago packs in second-to-none theater, improv comedy such as Second City, the unparalleled Art Institute museum (where you'll find Edward Hopper's moody diner painting, Nighthawks, and Georges Serraut's ground-breaking pointillist masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, music venues such as House of Blues, and its rollicking Navy Pier along Lake Michigan. It's also home to the iconic "Bean" sculpture in Millennium Park (above).
Chicago Lodging: Hotel Indigo Chicago (from $144, ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels)
MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK (Kentucky): If natural history with an air of mystery is your thing, this incredible system of underground caverns may be your perfect summer vacation.
The world's longest cave system, the limestone caverns in Mammoth Cave National Park can be navigated with the help of park rangers, and programs range from the tried-and-true, one-of-a-kind major paths (ideal for all ages and interest levels) to muddier, darker options that the more adventurous among you will revel in. This time of year, lodging near the park tends to fill up, but you can still find affordable options a short drive away.
Mammoth Cave Lodging: Four Seasons Country Inn (from $119, fourseasonscountryinn.com)
MORRO BAY (California): Before you cross the California coast off your to-do list for this year, know that Morro Bay, on the central coast not far from the sprawling Hearst Castle, can be a bargain for vacationers.
With a world-class natural history musem, iconic Morro Rock, a beautiful harbor, and, oh yeah, the world's largest ocean just down the street, Morro Bay remains one of the Golden State's "hidden gems."
Morro Bay Lodging: No, you can't bunk down at nearby Hearst Castle (above), but we love Ascot Inn at the Rock (from $159, http://www.innattherock.com/)
BERKSHIRE MOUNTAINS (Massachusetts): If you don't want to have to decide between great museums and relaxing mountain hikes, book a week in western Massachusetts, where you can revel in both.
Explore one of the U.S.'s largest collections of modern art in the Berkshire Mountains, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams; see the comprehensive collection at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown; and step back into 19th-century New England by crossing the border into Bennington, Vermont, for the Grandma Moses collection at the Bennington Museum and Grandma Moses Schoolhouse.
Berkshires Lodging: The Williams Inn, Williamstown (from $185, williamsinn.com)
MACKINAC ISLAND & MACKINAW CITY (Michigan): Michigan's lakeshores aren't exactly under the radar—Midwesterners have long regarded locales like the Upper Peninsula and Mackinac Island as the best places for a family vacation. But they remain underrated among travelers from farther away.
If you're still on the fence about where to spend your summer vacation, head for Mackinaw City, a half-hour ferry ride from Mackinac Island's Victorian homes, stunning state park, and iconic Arch Rock.
Mackinaw City Lodging: American Boutique Inn Lakeview (from $121, americanboutiqueinns.com)
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text:
| 17.7°C Dublin
Lily Allen has become embroiled in a row with Katie Hopkins after the former Apprentice candidate criticised the singer's weight.
Katie, 38, who has become known for venting unpopular opinions, criticised the Somewhere Only We Know singer, 28, in a rant for Heat magazine.
"I quite liked her when she was singing and kind of interesting and then she went off to tell us all about being a mother," she said.
"She was removing herself from the spotlight because she wanted to be a mother and that largely involved gaining two stone and looking pretty hideous.
"So then she decided that was boring and now she wasn't going to be a mother any more, she was going to be a singer.
"Like Peaches (Geldof), she is just famous for having a famous dad."
Lily, whose father is the actor Keith Allen, reacted with fury on Twitter, writing: "Katie Hopkins: I am not famous for having a famous dad, I doubt that most of my fan base have a clue who my father is."
The singer, who lost a son six months into a pregnancy in 2010, added: "Yes, after tragically losing a child so late into my pregnancy I may have gained a few pounds. I am one of many that find comfort in food."
Lily, who went on to have two daughters, added: "The two pregnancies that followed were terrifying because of what had happened before and I was pretty much on bed rest for 20 months.
"I wasn't exercising because I didn't want to take any risks, and, funnily enough, the survival of my children felt more important than being thin.
"Can somebody tell me what Katie Hopkins does except go on telly slagging off girls half her age?
"PS: Katie, looks are obviously so important to you. There's always plastic surgery ya know. Maybe they could sew your mouth up while they fix the rest of you."
The Smile singer told her fans that she was deleting her tweets.
"Sorry about that, but my babies are a touchy subject and I gave her exactly what she wanted by responding," she said. "I am now going to delete it all."
Katie called US celebrity Kim Kardashian "one large bottom" and Kelly Osbourne a "purple-headed dwarf" in the filmed rant on Heatworld.com .
PA Media