wwwThePalmBeachPropercom To Illuminate Not Merely To ShineTuesday September 14 2010 - Saturday October 30 2010

20 of New Zealandrsquos Best ViewsProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

Since arriving to New Zealandjust over ten months ago Irsquovepublished loads of destinations p e c i f i c N e w Z e a l a n dbackpacking advice I still havep l e n t y o f N e w Z e a l a n dexperiences and advice to share ndash yet often I find this is a countrythat is best described through aphoto Itrsquos a great place for aspiringphotographers Why Almostevery direction you turn everyroad you drive down and everynew destination you visit yoursquoregreeted with a stunning vista asnow capped mountain a ruggedbeach or vast expanses of greenrolling hills Itrsquos a pretty great place to takepictures Below yoursquoll find 20 of myfavorite New Zealand views 1)Raglan Sunset Raglan Sunset Raglan is an epic little surf townfound about 90 minutes south ofAuckland Itrsquos home to theworldrsquos largest left hand breakand has a great bohemian feelRaglan is a town where you cango to the supermarket pub orcafe barefoot and not one personwill judge you 2) Tasman Seafrom a Toyota Hiace Campervan Tasman Sea from a ToyotaHiace Campervan Campervans are easy to buy anda cheap and efficient way to getaround New Zealand Irsquove foundtha t some of my favor i tememories in Aotearoa comefrom the time I spent cruisingaround NZ in my now deceased1986 Toyota Hiace Max 3)Bungy Jumping in Lake Taupo Bungy Jumping in Lake Taupo If you have any interest inthrowing yourself off a bridge orout of a plane then New Zealndis the place for you Picturedabove is the Taupo Bungy whichis the home of New Zealandrsquoshighest water-touch bungy Whywouldnrsquot you want to touch thewater after jumping from 47meters 4) New Zealand TrafficJam

New Zealand Traffic Jam There are no shortage of sheepin New Zealand(wersquore talkingover 30 million) so donrsquot besurprised if you find yourselfdealing with the odd road blockof sheep 5) Emerald BlueWaters of the MarlboroughSounds Marlborough Sounds To get from the North to theSouth Island of New Zealandyoursquoll have to cross the CookStrait Your budget-friendlyoption is crossing the strait withInterislander The crossing isbi l led as one of the mostbeautiful ferry rides in the worldndash yoursquoll understand why on aclear day 6) MarlboroughVineyards Marlborough Vineyards New Zealand is home to someexcellent wines ndash specifically theSauv ignon B lancs o f t heMarlborough Region There is nobetter way to take in this regionthan by a wine-tasting tour on abike 7) White Sands of AbelTasman Abel Tasman National Park The South Islandrsquos Abel Tasman

National Park is filled withplenty of beaches very similar tothis The Abel Tasman CoastalTrack can be experienced as agreat one-day walk 8 ) BigFranz Josef Glacier Franz Josef Glacier The Franz Josef Glacier is theworldrsquos fastest moving glacierand moves at speeds of up to onemeter a day This budget travelvideo tells you the best ways toexperience this fascinating areaof New Zealand 9) View from aCaravan View from a Caravan Caravans such as this one seemto be everywhere in NewZealandrsquos countryside Everyhouse you pass seems to haveone parked out back ndash the perfectopportunity for a Kiwi weekendescape I was lucky enough tolive in one on New ZealandrsquosWest Coast for three months Allits inconveniences aside (slightlysmelly leaky had to run insidethrough West Coast rain stormsto get to toiletshowerkitchenliving area) you sure couldnrsquotbeat the view 10) West CoastSunset

West Coast Sunset Step outside the above caravanat sunset and this was your viewNot bad eh 11) Snow CappedSouthern Alps Snow Capped Southern Alps Take a helicopter ride or a planeride above New ZealandrsquosSouthern Alps and this is yourview ndash not a budget activity butwell worth the memories 12)View of Mount Tasman View of Mount Tasman A day trip on the West Coastshould include a trip to LakeMatheson which will give youstunning mirror lake views of MtCook and Tasman This shot wasfrom just outside the cafe nearthe lake ndash a great place to relaxafter your hike around the lake13) Evening Sky Over thePacific Coast Kaikoura Sunset Kaikoura on the South Islandsits at the base of the SeawardKaikoura Range on the PacificCoast 14) Pacific Coast Sunrise Pacific Coast Sunrise Wake up early on the PacificCoast and you stand a chance ofcatching a sunrise shot similar to

this one 15) Geothermal RotoruaLake Geothermal Rotorua Lake Rotorua is a bubbling hotspot ofmud pools boiling geysers andsmells strongly of sulfur Itrsquos ageothermal wonderland andworth no more than a day of yourt ime 16) Sperm Whale inKaikoura Sperm Whale in Kaikoura Whale watching in Kaikoura is amust on your visit to the SouthIsland If yoursquore quick enough atthe draw you stand the chance ofcatching a shot like this 17)Rugged West Coast Rugged West Coast The rugged windswept WestCoast of the South Island ishome to glaciers rainforests andviews of the Tasman similar tothis A drive down the WestCoast is one of New Zealandrsquos 5Best Drives 18) View overQueenstown View over Queenstown Queenstown is one of NewZealandrsquos most epic towns Thissho t f rom the top o f theQueenstown Gondola gives youa good taste of the townrsquosse t t ing 19) UndiscoveredCai t lans Coas t Undiscovered Caitlans Coast The south coast of the SouthIsland is home to one of NewZealandrsquos best kept secrets ndash theCaitlans Coast Vast expanses ofgreen rolling hills unpopulatedsurf beaches and marine wildlifeare only some of the reasons youshould make sure you spendsome time here 20) MajesticAoraki Majestic Aoraki AorakiMount Cook is NewZealandrsquos highest peak at 12316feet and stunning to see on aclear day form the shores of LakePukaki Have you been to New ZealandDo you recognize these viewsOr what is your favorite view inthe Land of the Long WhiteCloud Leave your commentsbelow Technorati Tags BackpackingAdvice New Zealand TravelPhotos

First Impressions Southeast AsiaProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

Irsquove heard nothing can prepare atraveler for their first days inSoutheast Asia Irsquod agree Itrsquos aplace different than anywhereelse in the world My first tasteof Southeast Asia came with aquick 24-hour layover in KualaLumpur Kuala Lumpur is a city of starkcontrasts nestled up against thePetronas Towers ndash the tallestskyscrapers in Southeast Asia ndashyou have historic mosques andtemples world class shoppingmalls and potholed filled streetslined with open-aired foodmarkets offering food from allover the continent stalls withMalays from the surroundingcountryside selling their waresand WiFi enabled coffee shops (f ree WiFi come on NewZea land) Creative Commons Nate Robert Exiting my Air Asia flight at theKuala Lumpur InternationalAirport I quickly realized howclose Malaysia is to the equatorStepping out of the plane broughton an intense wave of stiflingh e a t a n d h u m i d i t y a noverwhelming heat I have notfelt in almost 18 months Asplanes full of travelers from allover Asia were packed into thecustoms arrival hall the smellsof travelers who had been onlong-haul flights permeated theair We queued up in lines wherethere werenrsquot enough passportcontrol agents and waited to bestamped into Malaysia Leaving the airport I wasimmediately greeted with dozensof hawkers selling various busservices to downtown KualaLumpur With my train ticket inhand I made my way throughthe humidity to the shuttle buswhich would take me to the high-speed train to Kuala Lumpur

After arriving to the KL SentralStation to hordes of people lightrail trains shops and taxi standswith signs in a language I knewnothing about it hit me how thiswas the first time in ages Irsquovebeen distinctly out of my comfortzone s t range ly i t was arefreshing and exciting feeling Kuala Lumpur I love the challenge of arrivingto a city where you know verylittle about the culture nothingabout the language and beingforced to make your own wayThis aspect of travel that somepeople disl ike the most issomething I yearn for I hailed a taxi that wouldhopefully take me to my hostelAs we traveled through thestreets of Kuala Lumpur I beganto rea l ize the cont ras t s Ireferenced earlier The pot-holefilled streets we traveled downwere filled with scooters of allsorts and sizes that zoomedbetween old cars and even older

buses If you didnrsquot turn aroundto see the towering PetronasTowers yoursquod never know youwere in a city with one of thecontinents leading economiesldquoThat is your street thererdquo thetaxi driver told me He thencircled the block just enough toturn my directions around beforedropping me off on the busystreet corner ldquoWelcome toMalaysiardquo he said as I exited histaxi I was immediately overcomewith the intense smells soundsand sights of Kuala LumpurLocals sat outside food hallshaving their dinner Garbage saton street corners waiting to becollected Incenses from shopscigarette smoke from men onstreet corners petrol and exhaustfrom passing buses and scootersand the constant beeping ofhorns all mixed together to makea s t r o n g h u m i d i t y - f i l l e dSou theas t As ian cock ta i l Kuala Lumpur

As I attempted to get mybearings and make my way to thehostel I manged to slip on thewet sidewalk and stubbed my toeon the concrete My trusty Kiwi-jandals from 11 months ago hadfailed me and began to puddlewith blood the absolute lastthing you need on a busy streetcorner as night falls Realizing Iwas lost and now with aninjured and bleeding foot Ihappened to walk past a travelersguest house I walked in and asked the man atthe counter where the BackHomeH o s t e l w a s H e q u i c k l yexpla ined th rough brokenEnglish some scribbles on apiece of paper and a series ofhand gestures where to go As Ilooked at him blankly he smiledgrabbed me by the arm andpulled me out the front door Tenminutes two alleyways fourturns and three to-close-for-comfort calls with passing buseslater he dropped me at a street

corner and explained it was justdown the block to the left Kuala Lumpur Scooters As he left and I stood theresmiling thinking about thegoodwill you see in people whiletraveling another old manapproached me and asked if Iwas looking for Chinatown (apopular nearby neighborhood)ldquoNordquo I explained ldquoIrsquom going tothe BackHome Hostel itrsquos just ndashrdquo and he cut me offldquoOh yesrdquo he exclaimed ldquoa verynice hostel come with merdquo Ashe took me down the street bythe shoulder he asked ldquoWhereare you fromrdquoldquoAmericardquo I told himldquoOh Americardquo he said withexcitement ldquoMy daughterrsquosEnglish teacher is from SanDiago Welcome to Malaysia ndashyou must be here on holidayrdquo Ashe brought me through trafficand the remaining 5 minutes tomy hostel he explained how hewas visiting Kuala Lumpurworking in the market sellingminiature Buddhas ldquoTake onerdquohe said as he pulled it out of hisbag ldquoOnly 20 ringitt and it willbring you good luckrdquo After all the hospitality I hadexperienced in the last half hourI could hardly say no ldquo Enjoyyour journeyrdquo the man said as heleft me at the door to my hostel While I typically donrsquot writeposts in a first-person narrativeformat I felt this was the bestw a y t o s h a r e m y i n i t i a le x p e r i e n c e i n S E A s i a Have you traveled SE AsiaWhat first experience stands outin your mind Please leave yourexperiences and advice below Technorati Tags BackpackingSE Asia Kuala Lumpur TravelStory

2 wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

New Zealandrsquos Top 5 Backpacking DestinationsProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

New Zealand The Land of theLong White Cloud AoteroaWhatever you call it NZ is ac o u n t r y t h a t h e a p s o fbackpackers flock to each yearAnd for well deserved reasons New Zealand is easy to travelaround offers up fascinatinglandscapes in a compact sizedarea (think glaciers rainforestsand beaches within a twentyminute drive of each other) andis home to a variety of thrillinga d v e n t u r e s p o r t s ( t h i n kskydiving bungy jumping riversledding and jetboating) If youridea of adventure isnrsquot jumpingout of airplanes or off bridgesNew Zealand will win you overwith its world famous wine orscenic drives So you want to come on abackpacking trip or a gap year toNew Zealand I donrsquot blame youYet where should you go Whatshould you see If yoursquore planning a trip to NewZealand these are 5 places Idonrsquot think you can miss 1) Bayof Islands (North Island) Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands north ofAuckland are a must see on yourbackpack ing t r i p t o NewZealand Think blue-greenwaters white sand beaches sunand (you guessed it) tropicalislands The main town in the Bay ofIslands is Paihia and is an idealspot to base yourself for yourtime in the Northland Paihia is abusy little town with plenty ofhostels heaps of bars and sitsdirectly on the bay Yoursquorewithin a days drive of 90 MileBeach and can escape the resortlike feel of Paihia with a quickferry ride across the bay tohistoric Russell While yoursquore here yoursquoll haveno shortage of things to do ndashspend your days sailing aroundthe islands dolphin watchingdiving kayaking or simply

soaking up the sun on the Paihiabeachfront To get a taste ofeverything the Bay has to offerconsider an overnight cruise onThe Rock 2) CoromandelPeninsula (North Is land Coromandel The Coromandel Peninsula isquick one hour long ferry ride orthree hour drive away fromAuckland Itrsquos a welcomedescape from the busy (and Irsquodargue) characterless city of NZrsquosNorth Island Coromandel offers up a varyingcombination of beaches quaintfishing villages and has greath i k i n g o p t i o n s w i t h t h emountainous spine splitting thepeninsula in half A visit hereisnrsquot complete without samplingCoromandel townrsquos famoussmoked mussels soaking the dayaway in your own private andpersonally dug spa at Hot WaterBeach or getting a real taste forKiwi ingenuity at the DrivingCreek Railway 3) Lake Taupo(North Island)

Creative Commons FriarsBalsam Smack dab in the center of theNorth Island is New Zealandrsquos( a n d O c e a n i a rsquo s ) l a r g e s tfreshwater lake Lake Taupoformed thousands of years agoafter a massive volcanic eruptionand is simply a crater filled withwater A very deep crater with itsdeepest point being over 600 feetdeep On the North Shore of thelake is the town of Taupo ndash abusy little town rightly wornonto New Zealandrsquos backpackertrail Lake Taupo presents plenty ofopportunities for the backpackerItrsquos the most famous spot in NewZealand to skydive and you canonly imagine the view of LakeTaupo from 15000 feet Ifyoursquore still keen to defy gravityconsider the Taupo Bungy whichat 47 meters is the highest watertouch bungy in New ZealandYour visit to Taupo arguablywouldnrsquot be complete without ago at trout fishing Lake Taupo

and the rivers feeding into arehome to the best trout fishing inthe world With heaps of hostels plenty ofoutdoor activities and a busynightlife scene chances are youmight spend a bit longer inTaupo than you original lyanticipated 4) Kaikoura (SouthIsland) Kaikoura Kaikoura sits in an absolutelyepic spot at the base of theSeaward Kaikoura Range Whilethe town itself leaves quite a bitto be desired its picturesquelocation and the nearby marinewildlife make up for anything thetown itself is lacking Thanks to a combination ofocean currents and a uniquecontinental shelf found offshoreKaikorarsquos coast is home a a hugevariety of marine mammals ndashthink bus sized Sperm Whalesand playful Dusky DolphinsW h a l e W a t c h K a i k o u r aguarantees yoursquoll spot a whale ont h e i r w h a l e w a t c h

tours(otherwise theyrsquoll give youa hefty refund) and a couplec o m p a n i e s w i l l t a k e y o uswimming with the dolphins The main street in Kaikouraoffers up a couple decent bars foryou to spend your evening in andthe bakery does a bloody goodKiwi meat pie for your breakythe next morning 5) Queenstown(South Island) Queenstown Queenstown sits in a unbeatablelocation on the shores of LakeWakatipu and offers up stunningviews of The Remarkablesmountain range This smallresort town offers up somethingto please even the most dedicatedof thrill-seekers ndash you can do itall in Queenstown just makesure you bring enough cash Yoursquoll want to add bungyjumping at one of AJ Hackettsthree bungy jump sites to yourlist as well as a trip on thefamous Shotover Jet If yoursquorekeen to relax consider a scenichike up Queenstown Hill or gofor a drive to sample some of thefamous Otago Pinot Noir fromnearby wineries T h e n i g h t l i f e s c e n e i nQueentown is sure to satisfy thebackpacker looking for a goodnight out With new bars andclubs popping up monthly donrsquotbe surprised if yoursquore cominghome at 5am after drinking anddancing the night away New Zealand is bound toimpress you regardless of whereyou travel Itrsquos a country withf a s c i n a t i n g l a n d s c a p e severywhere you turn friendlyl o c a l s a n d i s e x t r e m e l yb a c k p a c k e r f r i e n d l y Have you traveled to NewZealand Add your favoritedestination in the commentssection below Technorati Tags BackpackingNew Zealand Budget TravelNew Zealand Queenstown Top5 Backpacking DestinationsTravel Advice Travel Tips

Sydney Harbour YHA ndash Epic Place to StayProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

M y v i s i t t o S y d n e y i sunfortunately going to be a quickone ndash Irsquom here essentially on anextended layover en route toThailand Shortly after arriving Irealized itrsquos a city I could quicklyfall in love with Almost as quickly as I fell inlove with the Sydney HarbourYHA Itrsquos a flash recently built andperfectly located backpackers inSydneyrsquos historic The Rocksneighborhood The backpackersbrings everything to the tableyou could ask for on your visit toAustraliarsquos largest city ndash a centrallocation clean four and six beden suite dorms WiFi throughouta well equipped kichen on-sitecafe and as itrsquos purpose-builtthere are brand new facilitiesthroughout Sydney Harbour YHA LoungeA Hostel With hellip History The Sydney Harbour YHAoffers something yoursquod rarelyexpect (or even look for) in ahostel ndash an interesting historyYoursquore greeted with a variety ofthings when you first step footinto a backpackers ndash sometimesitrsquos a bar while other times itrsquos anauseating stench When you enter the front doorof the Sydney Harbour YHAy o u rsquo r e g r e e t e d w i t h t h earchaeologica l remains ofAustraliarsquos earliest Europeansettlement S y d n e y H a r b o u r Y H AA r c h a e o l o g i c a l R e m a i n s The First Fleet arrived to thenew colony of Australia only afew hundred meters away fromwhere the YHA now standsThese early European settlersarrived in 1788 and soon beganto build a settlement includinghouses hotels abattoirs abakery and even an illegal stillThe site was inhabited until thelate 1800s and was the home ofover 300 people In the early 1900s the bubonicplague broke out in Sydney andthe government used this as anopportunity to demolish areasthey saw as slums ndash including

this site Many buildings of thea rea were des t royed t heinhabitants relocated and the areabuilt up with industry and carparking In the late 1990s archaeologicalexcavations began to unveil theremains of this early communityndash over 40 houses and amost750000 artifacts on this siteYHA was approved to developthe site and the purpose builthostel opened in November of2009 The hostel was built on pillars tomaintain visual appeal andphysical access to the site Itrsquos aninteresting twist to the hostelw i t h i n f o r m a t i v e s i g n sthroughout highlighting thelocationrsquos history SweepingViews Across the SydneyHarbour Rooftop Terrace The highlight of the hostel is therooftop terrace Yoursquore affordedsome unbelievable views of theSydney Harbour the HarbourBridge and of course the SydneyOpera House Itrsquos a fantasticplace to recover from a nights p e n t s l e e p i n g i n t h eChristchurch airport ndash and

therersquos WiFi too Eco-FriendlyAccommodation Something I found many hostelsin NZ boasted about ndash but veryfew followed through on ndash wasthe commitment to being greenYHA runs eco-hostels in ruralareas in Auz and have takensteps to ensure the YHA SydneyHarbour is environmentallysustainable as well Some sweet things theyrsquore doinginclude hellipbull Solar hot waterbull 80000 l i ter ra in waterretention tank for toilet flushingbull Key card activated lights in theroomsbull Air-con in the rooms turns offwhen the window opens

The Bottom Line hellip Sydney Harbour YHA You canrsquot beat the locationndashyoursquore in a great neighborhood(where you wonrsquot find any otherbudget accommodation) withexcellent bars cafes galleriesand restaurants nearby Yoursquoll have to pay for it thoughWith six-share dorms at about$40night ndash and WiFi $995 ontop of that itrsquos one of the most

expensive hostels in Sydney Acomplimentary hour or two ofinternet time on check in wouldgood ndash chances are Irsquod tell myFacebook fans and Twittercontacts how great the hostelwas only benefiting the YHA inthe long run Nonetheless with brand newfacilities itrsquos well-worth the extra$5 ndash $10 night compared tocheaper Sydney Hostels Manyof Sydneyrsquos main sites includingthe Opera House the BotanicalGardens and the Harbour Bridgeare only a minutes walk awayand itrsquos the ideal spot to baseyourself on a visit to the city For more about the SydneyHarbour YHA check out theirwebsite Disclaimer While the SydneyHarbour YHA provided me witha complimentary nights stay inr e t u r n f o r a r e v i e w o nBackpackingmat t com theopinions above are entirely myown Technorati Tags AustraliaHostel Review Sydney SydneyHarbour YHA Sydney Hostels

What consumersdeserve from banksin foreclosure fiascoProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

B a n k o f A m e r i c a sannouncement this week that itwould resume foreclosures in 23states doesnt mean the crisis isebbingmdashor that banks are off thehook Consumers Union publisher ofConsumer Reports maintainsthat all foreclosures should stopuntil lenders can prove theyveadhered to all laws regulationscontract guidelines and statedinternal policies with regard toforeclosures loan modificationsand other forms of foreclosureavoidance Recently CU postedits position on its advocacy Website Defend Your Dollars onwhat banks should do now toprove their compliancebull Obtain an independent auditevaluating and describing thecurrent level of compliance asw e l l a s i d e n t i f y i n g a n ydeficiencies in the past 36monthsbull Make public the results of theauditbull Correct any deficienciesidentified in the audit andundergo a re-audit after sixmonths until an audit shows thatall deficiencies in compliancehave been fully correctedbull When there has been a cleanaudit determining that there areno (remaining) deficiencies incompliance present the cleanaudit to the primary regulatorundergo a thorough regulatoryexamination for compliance andobtain the permission of theregulator to resume foreclosuresbased on an i ndependen tdetermination of the regulator offull compliance with all suchlaws requirements and policiesbull Negotiate with the primaryr e g u l a t o r a n d w i t h l a wenforcement a plan to remedy theharm from past noncomplianceInclude in those talks stateattorneys general with inputf rom g roups r ep resen t ingaffected borrowers and affectedcommunities For more on a consumer-centered approach toward theforeclosure mess and otherpersonal-finance issues checkout The Daily Dollar DefendYour Dollars regular blog

Itrsquos Pumpkin TimeProper Media Group Whit Honea

Hide your pumpkins So I just tried to buy a few extrapumpkins and the stores arerunning out mdash or so they say I

have a theory and it involvesthis guy (above) eating themLike I said itrsquos only a theory butIrsquom looking into it This is a Wordless Wednesdaypost (Halloween edition) which

is why I didnrsquot say anything of

r ea l subs t ance Rambl ingc o n s p i r a c i e s t e n d t o b eoverlooked by the WW board Photo by fabbio via Flickr

3wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Fed allows continued sale of mislabeledholiday gift cardsProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

If you find a gift card tucked inyour stocking this year donrsquotassume that the informationprinted on the back of it iscorrect In fact therersquos areasonable chance that theexpiration date and fee rules arewrong This latest snafu is the result of alittle-noticed change to the gift-card rules of the Credit CARDAct of 2009 The act requiresthat gift-card funds remain validfor at least five years and limitswhen and how often card issuerscan charge certain fees For thedetails see the summary postedon Defend Your Dollars aConsumers Union advocacywebsite The new rules are good forconsumers but only if they knowabout them So the CARD Actalso requires that the newexpiration dates and fee rules beprinted on the cards along with atoll-free number for cardholderswho have any questions Andthatrsquos where things got trippedup The CARD Actrsquos gift-cardprovisions took effect Aug 22But less than a month beforetha t Congress passed anamendment giving card issuersmore t imemdashunt i l Jan 31 2011mdashto get noncompliant giftcards off the shelves All the newgift-card rules contained in theCARD Act s t i l l hold butinformation printed on the cardsdoesnrsquot have to be correct untilafter the holidays Suzanne Martindale an attorneya t Consumers Un ion t henonprofit publisher of Consumer

Reports says that financialinstitutions were behind theamendment because they had themost at stake ldquoThese are theissuers that sell multiple-usecards with a major network logol i k e A m e r i c a n E x p r e s s Discover or Visa Those types ofcards are more likely to comewith fees and expiration datesprinted on the cards that are nowobsolete under the new lawrdquo shesays ldquoSingle-retailer gift cardsusually donrsquot expire and are lesslikely to deduct fees so thedisclosure requirements are lesslikely to affect themrdquo A press release issued July 14by the Network Branded PrepaidCard Association praised theamendment for preventing ldquotheneedless destruction of over 100m i l l i o n p l a s t i c c a r d s rdquomanufactured before the newrules took effect Extending thedeadline also made sure plenty ofgift cards would be available toshoppers during the holidayseason when 90 percent of all

g i f t ca rds a re pu rchased according to the trade group The amendment includes aprovision thatrsquos supposed to helpconsumers avoid confusion aboutthe mislabeled cards Notice oft h e n e w r u l e s m u s t b eprominently displayed on storesigns or advertisements wheregift cards are sold Compliancewas spotty when we did aninformal check in late October ata dozen stores in CaliforniaMissouri and New York Threeof the stores had large signs onor near the card displays asrequired But three other storeshad only small hard-to-readnotices of the new rules affixedto the card kiosks and six storeshad no signs at all Yet even if every store sellingg i f t c a r d s c o n t i n u o u s l yannounced the new rules over theintercom that would only helpinform card buyers Itrsquos cardr e c i p i e n t s w h o n e e d t h einformation so they can makesure they use the cards before

their value is whittled away byfees or they expire Complicating things furthermany states have stronger lawsfor single-retailer gift cards thatprovide protections in addition tothe federal rules For example inConnecticut single-retailer giftcards cannot have any fees orexpirations dates period To seeif your state has a gift card lawcheck the fact sheet on state gift-card protections posted onDefend Your Dollars Martindale says consumerconfusion will peak this holidayseason while cards with thewrong information are still beingsold But that wonrsquot end theproblem ldquoIf this year is like anyother a sizeable number ofpeople who get gift cards will letthem sit in their wallets formonths or years before theydecide to redeem themrdquo shesays ldquoThat means it could besome t ime before a l l themislabeled cards are out ofcirculationrdquo To avo id th i s confus iona l t o g e t h e r M a r t i n d a l erecommends that you considergiving cash or a check to yourloved ones this holiday seasonBut if you still plan to buy giftcards include a note warningyour recipient that the card couldcontain incorrect informationThe recipient can also request anew card with the correctinformation printed on it Asalways we encourage anyonewho receives gift cards to spendthem right away to dodge theirmany other gotchasmdashJeanPietrobono

5 Travel Blogs You Should Be FollowingProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

I just finished catching up on myGoogle Reader feed ndash for anyonewho isnrsquot using some sort of aRSS feed reader to keep up withyour favorite travel blog postsyou should be I do my best tokeep up with travel bloggers onTwitter but be it the time zoned i f f e rence o r o the r da i lyresponsibilities I often misssome great reads On a rainy wet and windyQueenstown afternoon like wehad this past weekend ( I thoughtit was Spring) I can sit back witha cup of coffee and catch up onmy favorite travel blogs Hereare 5 Travel Blogs You Shouldb e F o l l o w i n g 1 )B i k e a n d B o o t s c o m B r i a n S e t z e r o fBikeandBootscom recently lefthis home of Texas and will beriding his motorcycle all the wayto Alaska v ia San DiegoCal i forn ia A cross-country road trip on amotorcycle has always been adream of mine after watchingCharlie Boorman and EwanMcGregorrsquos TV series A LongWay Down where they rodemotorcycles from John OrsquoGrotes Scotland to Cape TownSouth Africa Brianrsquos blog letsme live this dream through him Iespecially enjoyed his photos andhis take on his experience at theBurning Man Festival Follow Brian on his journey to

A l a s k a o n T w i t t e rndashBikeandBoots 2) CrsquoestChrist ine C h r i s t i n e o fCestChristinecom(camorose)left her PR job and home ofCalifornia to experience life inEurope She just finished a stintworking in Nice and she hasb e e n b l o g g i n g a b o u t h e rexperiences traveling throughoutEurope I enjoy Christinersquos blog for anumber of reasons ndash her writingis excellent and never fails tobring me to the destination sheh a s t r a v e l e d t o a n d h e rphotography is exceptional Chr is t inersquos goal of s lowtraveling the world rings truewith me as much of my travelshave been based around workingholidays 3) Twenty-SomethingTravel Arguably one of the fastestgrowing travel blogs out there(for well deserved reasons)Steph of Twenty-SomethingTravel has just recently started aRTW (round-the-world) trip

She hails from Washington DCand her blog aims to encourageother twenty-somethings get outand see the world Irsquove enjoyedfollowing Stephrsquos journey for thepast 10 months as she has beenpreparing for her trip and Irsquomeven more excited to follow heras she travels from Japan toChina to Australia to SE Asiaand then on to Turkey Greeceand the Balkins Sounds terrible right You canfol low Stephrsquos journey onTwitter ndash20sTravel 4) ExileLifestyle Colin of Exile Lifestyle is aminimalist who is traveling theworld and living in countries forfour months at a time (he lets hisr e a d e r s c h o o s e h i s n e x tdestination) Before leaving hishome of California he soldeverything he owned and nowc l a i m s t o h a v e o n l y 5 0possess ions in the wor ld He runs a number of businessesonline and can work remotelyf r o m a n y w h e r e I e n j o yfollowing him on his journey and

reading his unique philosophieson life and travel To get an ideafor his unique perspective on liferead about the lsquo Breakup Partylsquohe hosted when he split up withhis long-term girlfriend C h e c k h i m o u t a tExi leLifestyle com and onTwitter atcolinismyname 5)foXnoMad Anil of Foxnomadcom is adigital nomad who supports hisfull-time travels off of hisfantast ic t ravel blog Anilprovides heaps of advice ontravel and his posts never ceaseto amaze me Anil is the type of guy whogladly offers support to hisreaders ndash he never misses a thank-you for a RT is quick to replyto emails with detailed answersto questions and runs a numberof websites that are focused onhelping other travelers foXnoMadcom is one of themost successful travel blogs onthe web and yoursquore missing outon a wide-range of travel adviceif yoursquore not following his workSay hello to Anil on Twitterndashfoxnomad This list could easily includeanother 50 travel blogs youshould be following List anyblogs lsquoNot to be Missedrsquo in thec o m m e n t s s e c t i o n b e l o w Fea tu red Image Crea t iveCommons ndash Pe te r Jo t Technorati Tags BackpackingTravel Blogs Travel Tips

Airline industry and regulators examine issues aroundcode sharingProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

One of the airline industryrsquosm o s t w i d e s p r e a d mdash b u tmisunders toodmdashmarke t ingpractices will be scrutinized thisweek at a public forum inWashington DC The National TransportationSafety Board (NTSB) is hostinga symposium entitled ldquoAirlineCode-Sharing Arrangements andTheir Role in Aviation SafetyrdquoCode-sharing involves one ormore a i r l ines us ing the i rdesignator codes to processbookings and sell tickets onflights operated by anothercarrier a practice that hasdramatically proliferated inrecent years For two days industry expertswill examine these marketingp r a c t i c e s f r o m a s a f e t y

standpoint including publicperceptions of code-sharingassistance to families whenaccidents occur on code-sharedflights and regulatory oversightof both domestic and foreignairline code-sharing partnershipsThe symposium is free and opento the public with no registrationrequired Full details and anagenda are available at the NTSBsi te Though code-shar ingencompasses both domestic andforeign operations in recentyears major US carriers haveused code-sharing to outsource atremendous amount of short-haulflying to commuter airlines withnames that are unfamiliar tomany travelers According to theRegional Airline Association(RAA) more than 50 of alldomes t i c f l igh t s a re nowoperated by regional airlines andthey carry 25 of all passengers

In fact commuter partner airlinesc u r r e n t l y o p e r a t e 1 3 0 0 0domestic flights every day andcarry more than 160 millionpassengers annually In recent years the NTSB hasi n v e s t i g a t e d s e v e r a laccidentsmdashincluding some thatwere fatalmdashinvolving flightsoperating under code-sharingagreementsbull Continental Connection Flight3407 operated by Colgan Air inBuffalo NY in February 2009bull Northwest Airlink Flight 4712operated by Pinnacle Airlines inTraverse City Mich in April2007bull US Airways Express Flight5481 operated by Air Midwestin Charlotte NC in January2003 Some of these accidents haveraised questions about two setsof standards for issues such as

crew training crew rest andaircraft equipped to fly at higheraltitudes In addition the AirMidwest accident was examinedi n C R rsquo s M a r c h 2 0 0 7inves t i ga t i on i n to a i r l i nemaintenance outsourcingldquoAnAccident Waiting to Happenrdquo Through its representation onthe DOTrsquos Future of AviationAdvisory Committee ConsumersUnion has been vocal about theneed for greater oversight ofcode-sharing from a safetystandpoint as well as from aconsumer perspective CU isurging bettter transparency fors u c h f l i g h t s s o t h a t a l lconsumersmdashregardless of thechannel they use to make areservation either online orofflinemdashknow that if they book aflight on Airline A that they willbe carried on Airline B Inaddition CU recommends

greater FAA oversight of code-shared flights to ensure one levelof sa fe ty and opera t iona lstandards are maintained for bothUS network carriers and theircommuter and code-sharingpartners In addi t ion to the safetyimplications Consumers Unionhas found that code-sharing oftenmeans passengers buying ticketson ldquomainlinerdquo major carriers arebeing offered a lesser product viacommuter partners particularlyin premium classes such asbusiness and first This can takethe form of smaller seats lessoverhead bin space and lack ofmeals amenities and in-flightentertainment systemsmdashWilliamJ McGee

A tour of thebeautiful Dutchcity of DelftProper Media Group arwa

Delft is a beautiful Dutch citylocated in between Rotterdama n d T h e H a g u e i n t h eNetherlands Well known for theDelft Blue Pottery this small cityhas a typically Dutch city centerlined by gorgeous canals[Photo Credit - sub_lime79] The city of Delft has a historydating back to more than 750years its name derived from theword ldquo de lvenrdquo in Dutchmeaning to dig Delft has a goodconnectivity by road and railwith the other major cities in theNetherlands and the AmsterdamSchipol airport is just 45 minutesaway[Photo Credit - niehoff] Most of the Delft attractions areconcentrated in and around thecity center and it is best to walkalong the narrow winding pathsJust keep an eye on the traffic[Photo Credit - Zemistor] Start with the Oude Kerk(OldChurch) situated on HeiligeGeestkerkhof 25 As the nameindicates this is the oldestchurch in Delft built in the 13thcentury Originally known as theSt Hippolyte Church it was theh i g h e s t b u i l d i n g o f i t stime characterized by the 5sp i res The famous DutchBaroque painter Johan Vermeeris buried here[Photo Credit - FaceMePLS] The Markt Square contains theNieuwe Kerk(New Church) builtin the 15th century The churchis important since it houses theroyal burial chamber PrinceWilliam of Orange (Willem vanOranje) was the first royal to beburied here after being shot in1584 Since then the traditioncontinues[Photo Credit - tnarik] The Stadhuis(City Hall) is alsosituated in the Markt Square justopposite the Nieuwe Kerk It wasrebuilt in the 17th century after afire destroyed the building[Photo Credit - Pete] The city is also home to theDelft Technical University (TUD e l f t ) o n e o f t h e t h r e euniversities of technology in theNetherlands Just behind theuniversity in Julianalaan lies theBotanical Garden Enjoy the richplant life including tropical subtropical and ornamental plantsand herbs in this beautiful greenarea Another one of the things to doin Delft is a trawl around thetraditional open markets held inthe city center every Thursdaysand Saturdays Shop till yourheartrsquos content the next greatbargain may be just round thecorner A tour of the beautiful Dutchcity of Delft Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

4 wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Dont wait to book holiday travelProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Early October may seem like anodd time to be contemplatingwinter wonderlands but now isthe time to book holiday flightsThis year it wonrsquot pay to wait For the critical travel period thatencompasses ThanksgivingHanukkah Christmas Kwanzaaand New Yearrsquos all indicatorsare that flights will be fuller andfares will be higher in 2010Consider the followingbull Therersquos a lag in official databut the most recent airfare reportfrom the US Department ofTransportationmdashwhich reflectst h e f i r s t q u a r t e r o f t h i syearmdashindicates ticket prices hadrisen 47 percent compared tolast year reaching levels not seenin almost a decade Simply putfares are risingbull The ldquofareologistsrdquo at BingTravel es t imate pr ices forThanksgiving flights will dip thisyear but fares for Christmas andNew Yearrsquos will rise 2 percentc o m p a r e d t o l a s t y e a r bullBestfarescom advises ldquoAirlinesgive you a break once the kids goback to school but then kick int h e s u r c h a r g e s f o r p e a kThanksgiving Christmas andNew Yearrsquos holiday travelseasonrdquobull The FareCompare ChristmasTravel Guide sums it up ldquoDonrsquotpanic but itrsquos time to shop foryour Christmas plane ticketsAnd this year you procrastinateat your perilrdquo Experts note that rock-bottomdiscounts are nearly impossible

to secure during the holidaysHowever that doesnrsquot mean youneed to be gouged Wersquovecompiled some advice to helpyou secure the best possible farefor your holiday travels Butdonrsquot wait much longer One other point Even in thelightest of travel seasons airlineload factors have reached recordhighs in recent years Soplanning your holiday aroundspace-available travel can bequite risky in November andDecember This applies tofrequent flyer redemption that iscapacity controlled (that issubject to availability) And italso applies to student travelprograms that are dependent onempty seats Getting bumped onThanksgiving Eve is no way tosave a dollar

Here are some other suggestionsto keep in mind as you shop forholiday flightsbull It may seem obvious but itrsquoscritical to remain flexible andcompare i t inerar ies acrossseveral days Moving your tripby even 24 hours can have ahuge effect on the pricemdashandnever more so than during theholidays So consider all theop t ions wh ich can meanalternate dates alternate timesand alternate airportsbull Avoid peak travel days To goalong with al l those otherannoying fees several airlinesnow impose ldquopeak t r ave lsurchargesrdquo for those flying onthe most popular days The goodnews is that reviewing theseembargoes can tell you whichdates to avoid And the even

better news is FareCompare hascompiled all these peak days intoa single chart encompassingAirTran American ContinentalDelta United and US Airwaysbull Remember that you can oftenfind the lowest fares (and mostseats) if you fly on ThanksgivingDay or Christmas Daybull Theyrsquore marketed underdifferent names but severaltravel sites offer fare alert toolsto notify you when prices dropfor a given itinerary If youronline shopping efforts areg iv ing you s t icker shock cons ider s ign ing up bull Airfarewatchdogcombull Bingbull Expediabull FareComparebull Hotwirebull Kayakbull Orbitzbull Pricelinebull Travelocitybull Yaptabull The holiday season is primetime for your ticket price to bejacked up by baggage fees as youtote presents to Grandmarsquosh o u s e W h a t rsquo s m o r e t h eT r a n s p o r t a t i o n S e c u r i t yAdministration may decide tou n w r a p a n y g i f t s y o u rsquo v ewrapped Thatrsquos why it makesmore sense than ever to considershipping packages in advanceand traveling lighterbull Speaking of the TSA youshould check out its site for someairline packing tipsmdashWilliam JMcGee

Family Friendly Vacation on FloridarsquosPandhandleProper Media Group Britt Reints

Florida Panhandle Beaches When you think about Floridabeaches you may picture thebronzed buns in bikinis onMiamirsquos South Beach Or perhaps you remember thecollege kids in board shorts yousaw partying with MTV inPanama City While these beaches do offerahellip unique vacation experiencethey arenrsquot exactly what youenvision when you think about afamily vacation If yoursquore moreinterested in pictures of toddlerseating sand and Dad paddling acanoe head to Santa RosaCounty for a family vacationalong Floridarsquos pandhandle Santa Rosa County is nestled inFloridarsquos northwest cornerbe tween Escambia whichi n c l u d e s P e n s a c o l a a n dO k a l o o s a C o u n t y w h i c hincludes Destin Unlike theneighboring counties Santa Rosaboasts no large cities Insteadyoursquoll find long stretches ofuncrowded white sand and acresof woodlands You wonrsquot findworld class dining or shoppingbut Santa Rosa County is a greatplace to visit if you simply needto relax and reconnect with yourloved ones Relax on NavarreBeach Navarre Beach and Fishing Pier In the southern most part of thecounty yoursquoll find NavarreBeach home of shifting sanddunes and the Gulf of Mexicorsquoslongest fishing pier At 1545 feet the Navarre BeachPier is also the longest pier in thestate of Florida Visitors canenjoy a leisurely stroll for $1 orincredible fishing for $7 Thewater at the end of the pier is

about 25 feet deep which is whyyoursquoll see large king mackerelcobia and even sharks pulled outon a daily basis If yoursquovealways wanted to try trophyfishing but arenrsquot willing to shellout hundreds of dollars for achartered deep sea f ishingexcurs ion f i sh ing off theNavarre Beach Pier is a greatalternative that you can sharewith the family Local fisherman with his gear onNavarre Beach Pier The beach itself is made of someof the softest sand in the state(and possibly in the worldaccording to a few professionalsand sculptors I talked to) Youwill need to use designatedboardwalks to access the beachin order to protect the dunes andgrasses which not only preventerosion but are also matinggrounds for sea turtles Thewater is a shade of blue seenmost often in travel magazines Bring a blanket a book and a

camera Play At BlackwaterRiver State Forest Kayaks at Adventures Unlimited One of the things that makesSanta Rosa County such a uniquedestination for a family vacationis the diversity of nature thatrsquosavailable After yoursquove spent afew days lounging on the beachthrow on your tennis shoes andshor t s and head nor th toBlackwater River State Forest Here yoursquoll find trees streamsand out-of-the-ordinary things todo at Adventures Unlimited At Adventures Unlimited youcan rent a canoe kayak or tube tof loa t o r paddle down theBlackwater River ColdwaterRiver or Juniper Creek Ifyoursquore feeling extra adventurousstrap on a harness and a helmetand take on one of the zip linesor rope courses Donrsquot want toleave Pitch a tent or rent acabin If your idea of an outdooradventure is more likely toinvolve bug spray than beach

chairs the north side of SantaRosa County is sure to pleaseAnd Everything In Betweenhellip Catamaran on the IntracoastalWaterway While Santa Rosarsquos greatestassets are arguably itrsquos naturalscenery therersquos also plenty to dobetween the two eco-extremes The Gulf Breeze Zoo is a greatplace to spend an afternoon andthe tiny towns of Milton andBagdad are perfect for antiquingand historical sightseeing Butdonrsquot expect a faster pace onceyoursquore inside city limits All ofSanta Rosa County seems tomove a little more slowly thanthe rest of the world which isexactly what makes the place sogosh darn charming Photos by Britt Reints Authorrsquostrip to Santa Rosa County wasprovided by the countyrsquos tourismboard

Proposed credit card settlement could mean lowerproduct pricesProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Earlier this month the USDepartment of Justice and sevens t a t e s a t t o r n e y s g e n e r a lsimultaneously filed a lawsuitagainst and reached a proposedsettlement with several majorcredit-card companies Theresults of these actions couldpotentially change the wayeveryday goods are priceddepending on your method ofpayment Under the settlement Visa andMasterCard agreed not to engagein anti-competitive practices thatblock merchants from offeringcustomers discounts or rebatesbased on their use of a particular

type of card American Expressalso named in the Federal suitfiled on Oct 4 in Brooklyndenied any wrongdoing and willcha l lenge the governmentcompla in t Central to the issue are ldquoswiperdquofees the companies and theiraffiliate banks charge merchantsevery time a consumer makes acredit-card purchase Such feestotaled $35 billion last yeara c c o r d i n g t o t h e J u s t i c eD e p a r t m e n t The lawsuit alleges that thecredit-card companies imposedrules that block sellers fromoffering consumers lower-costoptions depending on whichdebit or credit card they use If the settlement is approved

consumers will ultimately benefitfrom lower prices AttorneyGeneral Eric Holder said in as t a t e m e n t c i t i n g s e v e r a lexamples ldquoIf you use a preferredlower-cost credit card an airlinecould offer you more miles or amerchant could provide you witha rebaterdquo he said Holder also cited American

Express as maintaining theindustryrsquos ldquomost-restrictivemerchant rulesrdquo and ldquohighestf e e s rdquo o f a n y c r e d i t - c a r dcompany ldquoThey refuse to givemerchants the ability to offerrewards to consumers who use aless-expensive card or even top r o m o t e i n f o r m a t i o n t oconsumers about the costs ofus ing American Expressrsquoscards rdquo Holder sa id For a l l the benef i t s thesettlement might bring consumeradvocate and watchdog EdgarDworsky of the non-profi tC o n s u m e r W o r l d o r g i sconcerned that it could also leadto ldquo mass price confusionrdquo Warns Dworsky ldquoWe are likelyto start seeing many prices for

the same item Pay with avanilla credit card pay $x Paywith a premium credit card pay$x + 1 Pay with a debit cardpay $y Pay with AMEX insteadof Visa pay $x+2 Pay withdebit card and signature pay $Zuse PIN and pay $z minus 1ldquoThis really could get confusingfor customers Disclosure willbecome a key issue And evenworse this may give retailers anopportunity to bait consumerswith low advertised cash pricesbut charge more for using plastic( d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a tsurcharges are not allowed)rdquo

What annoysyou most atairportsProper Media Group sian

This week Irsquom in Norway andwhilst I adore flying and beingin the air airports stress me outThe whole journey to the airportstresses me out Irsquom basically nothappy again until Irsquom sat on theplane and wersquore in the air I havethe airport worries But theydonrsquot make it any easier for meIrsquove actually got to go to three toreach my final destination Hereare my main bugbears aboutairports The prices I know wersquore acaptive market but please canwe stop charging pound5 for asandwich I expect a markup Ido But basic food and drinkshouldnrsquot be so pricey Give us abreak Wersquoll buy your foodanyway but wersquoll probablyenjoy it more if the price didnrsquotmake us cry And yrsquoknow wemay even buy a snack tooperhaps a glass of wine See howthis works The little plastic bags I feel likethe rules around these thingsdonrsquot change but no one reallyknows what to do Therersquosalways uncertainty Furtherhighlighted when the guy onsecurity lsquodidnrsquot knowrsquo if Ineeded to put my mascara in abag Thanks Temrinal FiveReally helpful The baggage treatment Onlyyesterday did a t ravel l ingcompanion of mine watch ourbags be thrown down a nine footdrop kicked about and generallytreated pretty shoddily by BritishAirways Now Irsquom not naiveenough to think that all bags aretreated as kindly as kittens but atleast take a little care that wecanrsquot see you The lack of smoking areas Irsquom asmoker I apologise in advanceBut Irsquod like to be able to smokeonce I get through security Justa tiny little outdoor space I cango where Irsquom not annoyinganyone Even a i rpo r t s i ncountries that donrsquot allow indoorsmoking have this I donrsquotunderstand why we donrsquot The confusing gate times Eachairline seems to have differentrules about what time their gatecloses Is it ten minutes beforethe flight is departing Half anhour Irsquove never been able to getit right Not because Irsquom not anabsolute stickler for being at anairport on time (believe me Istress out about this more thananything) but I donrsquot feel thattherersquos a consistency about this OK theyrsquore my five biggestbugbears What annoys you themost Flickr image from inkiboolsquosphotostream What annoys you most atairports Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

5wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Update Links and The Next StepProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

Spring has finally arrived inQueenstown The days are getting longerwarmer and itrsquos becoming veryobvious that this would be anexcellent place to spend thesummer Gone are the days ofwinter sports and Irsquove been busyw o r k i n g w i t h N Z b y B i k edeveloping the preeminentmarketing website for cycletourism in New Zealand Creative Commons Nicholas_T Two weeks ago I jumped headfirst into the world of mountainbiking and rode the Rail TrailClassic ndash a 150 kilometer (100mile) mountain bike ride thatstretches across Otago on theOtago Central Rail Trail It was aspur-of-the-moment decisionTraining Nope I hadnrsquot been ona bike since wine tasting inMarlborough ten months ago Itwas brutally painful ndash nine solidhours of pedaling with a nastyheadwind for the final 30 miles Ihit the wall three or four timesand somehow kept going It wasan unbelievable feel ing ofaccomplishment to f inish It has been a busy month interms of mentions and guestposts elsewhere on the web Overthe past month Backpackingmattwas featured in the blog postslisted belowbull Adventurous Kate included mein her ldquo Best Blogs of the Weekldquobull CollegeScholarshipsorgnamed Backpackingmattcom asone of the ldquo Top 150 TravelBlogs for Studentsldquobull A m a n d a f r o mDangerousBusinesscom listedme in her ldquo Best of the Weekldquo

Lonely Planet retweeted two ofmy posts and after only a coupleweeks theyrsquore now two of myTop 10 viewed posts of all timeI t rsquo s a l w a y s g r e a t t o s e eLonelyPlanet pick up a post asit results in a quick increase ofviews Twitter followers andRSS subscribersbull New Zea landrsquos Top 5Backpacking Destinationsndash 94retweets amp 1427 page viewsbull 20 of New Zealandrsquos BestViews- 83 retweets amp 1012 pageviews

I also contributed two posts overat the Flightstercom blogbull Benefiting from the InternetWhile Travelingbull Travel Tips for WellingtonNew Zealand

The Next Step hellip Creative commons Elycia Irsquom going on 11 months in NewZealand Irsquoll remember these 11

months for some of the greatesttimes in my life ndash and also forsome of the most challengingThe last two months specificallyhave been extremely difficult andIrsquove decided Irsquom in need of achange of scenery ndash a chance toclear my head experience newplaces and again be challengedby travel One week fromSaturday Irsquom catching a series offlights that will ultimately landme in Thailand I have serious mixed emotionsabout leaving NZ but Irsquomexcited for the next step in myjourney This trip will mark aseries of firsts ndash namely my firsttime in Southeast Asia and myfirst go at solo travel I have three quick nightsscheduled across the Tasman inAustralia Irsquoll be in Sydney thenight of the 17th and on the GoldCoast for the 18th and 19th TheSurf N Sun Backpackers hasoffered to host me for two nights

and hopefully Irsquoll get to givesurfing another go Irsquoll then be catching a cheap AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpurwhere Irsquoll spend the night of the20th before flying into Bangkokon the 21st The plans end thereIrsquoll take the days and weeks asthey come and see where I endup If yoursquoll be around any of theseplaces get in touch with me andwe can meet up In the coming weeks lookforward to fresh new content onBackpackingmatt Irsquom excited toagain face the unknown bepushed out of my comfort zoneand experience the joys thatcome with traveling to newplaces Technorati Tags QueenstownUpdate

As of November 1 airlines will be askingtravelers more questionsProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Booking an airline flight hasgo t t en j u s t a l i t t l e morecomplicatedmdashand a little lessprivate Under new TransportationSecurity Administration ruleseffective Nov 1 travelers whodo not provide their full namegender and date of birth within72 hours prior to departure are atrisk of being denied boarding bythe TSA The Secure Flight rulesapply to all passengers flying onUS airlines into or out of USairports and over US airspace The TSA which is a branch ofthe Department of HomelandSecurity provides a detailedguide to Secure Flight on its siteA complete set of FrequentlyAsked Questions about theprogram is accessible as well Ifyoursquove booked a flight with adomestic airline recently youmay have noticed that somecarriers have already adopted thenew provisions For exampleAmerican Airlines has mandatedthat passengers comply byproviding these data for alltickets purchased since Sept1 5 t h W h e r e a p p l i c a b l e Amer ican a l so requ i res aldquoredress numberrdquo which itdescribes as ldquoA TSA-issuedc o d e a s s i g n e d t o c e r t a i npassengers whose names haveerroneously appeared on thewatch listrdquo United Airlines hasbegun requiring compliance as

well The Air Transport Associationthe nationrsquos largest airl ineindustry trade organizationoffers support However theInternational Air TransportAssociation representing 230airlines worldwide has beencritical of Secure Flight statingthat a l though the industrywelcomes matching passengernames against US Governmentwatch l ists the process isinefficient ldquoDHS is simplyasking for too much informationtoo f r equen t ly on a i r l i nepassenge r s rdquo On the back end the new rulehas created challenges for thetravel industry but brick-and-

mortar travel agencies onlinetravel agencies and computerreservat ions sys tems havepledged support Major travelsites such as Expedia and Orbitzprovide online updates about theprogram The National BusinessTrave l Assoc ia t ion o f fe r sresources as wel l For some travelers anotherconcern has arisen Are thesenew requirements the work ofUncle Sam or Big Brother TheElectronic Privacy InformationCenter has created an onlinedatabase about Secure Flight andother TSA passenger initiativesEpic states ldquoA significantnumber of these problems[irresolvable privacy and security

concerns] continue to plague theSecure Flight proposalrdquo Whatrsquosmore the American Civi lLiberties Union maintains SecureFlight has been packaged alongw i t h ldquo a l l k i n d s o f o t h e rm i s g u i d e d p o l i c y i d e a s rdquoincluding a ldquodysfunctionalsystem of watch listsrdquo and theprotection of innocent travelers In the meantime please keep thefollowing in mind when youbook your next flightbull Make sure you double-check allpersonal information you providewhen making a reservationwhether itrsquos done online byphone or in-personmdashnot only foryou but for your travelingcompanionsbull Names and dates need to be thesame as on other ID such asyour passport So youll need toaccount for marriages divorcesa d o p t i o n s n i c k n a m e s nationalities with two familyn a m e s a n d a l l o t h e rcircumstances that could affect aname changebull Itrsquos critical you avoid the ldquofatfingersrdquo syndrome by typing in awrong letter or number In thiscase i t can mean den iedboarding and a ruined tripbull If yoursquore scheduled to travel inearly November give yourself alittle extra time since the newregs undoubtedly will lead tosome check-in and boardingdelaysmdashWilliam J McGee

Consumers (slightly) loosen their belts this holidayseasonProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

After two years of reining inholiday spending consumersmay be looking to loosen theirbelts but only a bit according tothe new Consumer ReportsHoliday Shopping Poll Aboutone in three consumers plan tospend less this holiday seasonbut thats fewer than the 42percent who said they planned tocut back in 2008 But what consumers plan onspending and what they actuallyare two different things In aprevious poll conducted byConsumer Repor t s a t t heconclusion of the last holidayshopping season shoppersestimated they spent on average$811 16 percent or $112 higherthan what they had planned

Whatever consumers do spendoften hangs around with them forfar longer than just the holidayseason The poll revealed thatsome 136 million Americansremain saddled with last yearsrsquol e f t o v e r h o l i d a y d e b t Fortunately this year consumersare planning to use cash as oftenas last year and decrease theiruse of debit and credit cardsw h i c h s h o u l d h e l p c u r boverspending In the 2009holiday season for examplethose who used credit cards forgift purchases spent an averageof $896 on gifts considerablyabove the average of $811 Consumers are also sniffing outbargains and looking for ways tosave Forty-two percent ofconsumers feel getting the bestprices on holiday gifts is moreimportant and only 5 percent said

it is less important this year thanlast Thirty-one percent of adultsplan to spend less on gifts forthemselves with only 7 percentplanning to spend more Gift lists T a k i n g a p e e k a t w h a tconsumers say they plan to buyclothes still topped the list (68percent) and gift cards remainedsecond tying at 62 percent withtoys and electronics Whileclothes came in at number onefor planned gifts its only in 4thplace among gifts Americanshope to receive behind moneyelectronics and gift cards Gift cards continue to be a hugepart of holiday gifting despiteo u r c a u t i o n s a b o u t t h e i rdrawbacks Some 27 percent ofpeople who received a gift cardin 2009 still havent used at leasto n e o f t h e m A n d w h e n

consumers do use them two-thirds said they spent more thanthe cards value Skipping the budget Nearly half (47 percent) ofAmericans are planning to set ab u d g e t f o r t h e i r h o l i d a ypurchases That s down 12percentage points from the heightof the recession in 2008 Butmaking a budget and sticking toit are two different things Of the36 percent of consumers whomade a budget last year 39percent reported that theyexceeded it 5 percent said theywent way over budget Most people said they havenrsquotbegun shopping As of mid-October only about a quarter (28percent) of Americans hadstarted Twenty percent do notexpect to finish until after Dec23rd

From now until the end if theyear well be offering holidayhelp including advice from ourresident shopping expert TodMarks aka Tightwad Todfeatured in the video above whowill be posting on this blogfrequentlymdashChris Fichera Methodology The ConsumerReports National ResearchCenter conducted two telephones u r v e y s o f a n a t i o n a l l yrepresentative probability sampleof telephone households 1023interviews were completedamong adults aged 18+ betweenJanuary 7 ndash 10 2010 for the post2009 holiday data Another1010 interviews were completedamong adults aged 18+ betweenOctober 14 ndash 18 2010 Themargin of error is +- 3 pointsat a 95 confidence level

What do your adultkids know aboutyour personalfinancesProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Retirees perhaps its time tohave the talk with your kidsNo we dont mean the one youhad maybe 40+ years agoinvolving bodily fluids or illicitsubstances Were talking about moneyYour money You may think your adult kidsalready know a lot about yourfinances but a recent survey bythe not-for-profit EmployeeBenefit Research Institute showsthat may not be true While morethan half (54 percent) of retireessaid theyd had discussions withtheir adult children about theirincome and expenses less thanhalf (47 percent) of adul tchildren recall having had suchdiscussions with their parents Less than half (42 percent) ofadult children said they knewtheir retired parents income Yet63 percent of retirees thoughttheir kids knew that information Theres a good reason to provideyour kids with at least basicinformation related to financialmedical and legal issues saysRosanne Roge managingdirector of RW Roge a wealth-management firm in BohemiaNY That way they wont beblindsided during an emergencyRoge says her firm has each newclient fill out a form includingamong other items the names oftheir attorneys accountants andother professionals as well asthe location (but not otheridentifiers) of their variousfinancial accounts wills medicaldocuments and other importantmaterial Each client gets a copyand Roge puts a copy in hercompanys vault This way Godforbid something happens wehave the information the we canlet the kids know she says O l d e r c l i e n t s p e r h a p srecognizing their growing needfor their kids help are morewi l l ing to share f inancia linformation with their kidsRoge observes Younger retireestypically dont feel the need toshare the dollar details The kidsare informed on a need-to-knowbasis she says There can be risks to sharinginformation with children whoyou fear might take advantage ofyou la ter Read ConsumerReports Money Advisers articleon financial elder abuse foradvice on how to minimize thatpossibilitymdashTobie Stanger

6 wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

States settle Publishers Clearing Housedeceptive trade practicesProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

If you visit the PublishersClearing House home pageyoursquoll see a message asking ifyoursquore ldquothe winner wersquoll belooking for on November 30thrdquoT h a t rsquo s p r e t t y e n t i c i n g considering that the ldquoultra comboprizerdquo is $1 million plus $5000 aweek for life But therersquos something you wonrsquotsee Earlier this month PCHreached a settlement with 32s ta tes and the Dis t r ic t ofColumbia requiring it to pay $35million and to make changes toits marketing materials The set t lement addressesallegations that PCH continuedto mislead consumers despiteconsent judgments in 2000 and2001 prohibiting it from ldquousingfa l se and decep t ive t radepractices to entice consumers toparticipate in its sweepstakesrdquoaccording to a statement issuedby the Colorado At torneyGeneral You can download theentire agreement in PDF formatfrom the Oregon AttorneyGeneralrsquos Web site Among thechanges PCH agreed to modifyis mailings to eliminate any

suggestion that buying magazinesubscriptions or other productsf r o m P C H i n c r e a s e s t h elikelihood people will win andthat the more they buy the bettertheir chances PCH also agreed to stop sendingcommunications from a ldquoBoardof Judgesrdquo which the statesalleged suggests the recipient isclose to winning And it musthire an ombudsman to review thecompanyrsquos solicitations The agreement also requiresPCH to identify ldquohigh activitycustomersrdquomdashespecial ly theelderlymdashwho spend hundreds orthousands of dollars on magazinesubscriptions in some casesplacing and paying for duplicateorders In some instances PCH mustsend letters to those customersreaffirming that no purchase isn e c e s s a r y t o e n t e r t h esweepstakes that buying will nothelp them win and that ldquothe

majority of Publishers ClearingHouse winners did not submit anorder with their winning entryrdquoPCH must halt marketing tosome high activity customersaltogether In agreeing to the latest orderPCH denied v io la t ing theprevious consent judgment In his statement ColoradoAttorney General John Sutherssaid some of the tactics PCH hasused ldquocan be par t icu la r lyinfluential on senior citizensrdquo He advised family neighborsand friends to be vigilant inmaking sure someone is notpurchasing PCH products ldquoforthe wrong reasonsrdquo such as withmistaken belief that it willinc rease the i r chances o fwinn ing During a recent visits to thePCH website we found noticesadvising visitors that no purchasei s necessa ry to en te r thesweepstakes and that a purchase

will not increase an individualrsquoschances of winning Oddly then o t i c e s a p p e a r e d o n t h ehomepage during some of ourvisits to the site but not others We also were troubled by someof the annoying marketing ployswe found When we tried navigating awayfrom the sweepstakes entry pagewithout entering our informationa pop-up box s topped us warning that our entry would beforfeited if we proceeded The site also hijacked ourInternet browserrsquos ldquobackrdquo buttonpreventing us from returning tothe previous s i te we werevisiting The site also launched apop-up window with an ad froma PCH partner Finally twoboxes soliciting our consent toreceive e-mail offers and otherprize-related information fromPCH and its partners werechecked ldquoyesrdquo by default And by the way whatrsquos theestimated chances that yoursquoll wint h a t u l t r a c o m b o p r i z e According to PCH 1 in 175billionmdashAnthony Giorgianni

On the right tracksProper Media Group sian

There is no better way to travelin Europe than by train Unlessyoursquore in the UK and then youmight need to sell a kidney toafford some of the fares But ifyoursquore anywhere else hoppingon a train and grabbing a windowseat is the best way to get from Ato B Irsquove travelled by train in mostEuropean countries Irsquove visitedMainly through Spain and Italythough Either because I had toget somewhere or just becausesomewhere on a map soundedinteresting and I wanted to goand see what was there And itrsquosjust so easy And cheap Youcan hop on the train at Florenceand for euro15 be in Rome in a fewhours And you get to seeeverything Itrsquos the best way ofgetting to see some Europeancountryside if you donrsquot actuallydrive I think a lot of people who gotravelling when theyrsquore youngare tempted by the train travelpackages Bu t they rsquo re soexpens ive I c an see t heconvenience of them is temptingand on my first trip to Italy Iconsidered buying one but if youfollow these tips you can getaround easily and cheaplywithout having too much hassle 1 Check out the station the daybefore and buy your tickets thenMost s tat ions abroad havesomeone who speaks EnglishIrsquom loathed to tell you not to tryand speak the language of thecountry yoursquore in but stuff likethis is difficult if yoursquore notconfident It might be better toadmit defeat on this one 2 Watch what other people are

doing In Sicily you have tomake sure you stamp your ticketbefore you get on the train Youcan just walk on to the trainthough therersquos no barriers Itrsquoseasy to forget so keep your eyesopen and watch what otherpassegners do so you donrsquot gettold off 3 Sit at the front of the trainMain reason for this For somereason some train stationsabroad have few signs on theplatform If yoursquore at the fronttherersquos more chance of youseeing the signs Itrsquos worthwhilefinding out the three stops beforeyours That way you know whereyou need to keep a look out Andhour of looking panicked at eachtrain station does not make for a

relaxing journey 4 Check the luggage holds Thisis something that Europeanstations are fantastic at Theirmanned luggage holds arebrilliant If you want to stop offsomewhere but donrsquot fancylugging your wheelie casesabout pop them in here and goand have a bit of an explore Getback on the train when yoursquoreready I t rsquos of ten not veryexpensive (about euro6 for half aday) and yoursquoll have much morefun instead of trying to lug a caseabout cobbled streets 5 Make sure you check Sundayservices A lot of countries havereduced services on a Sunday(when everyone is meant to be inChurch not gallivanting) Some

of the smaller stations might noteven have trains running thatday Check before you arrive andmake sure you grab a sandwichbefore boarding Irsquove never seena train in Europe with a foodcart A little bit of preparation andthought and you can have afantastic trip in Europe using thetrain Be spontaneous Look at aplace on map hop on a train andgo there for the day Flickr image from tanvachlsquosphotostream On the right tracks Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Why visit EuropeProper Media Group JeremyBranham

For many people who love totravel Europe is one of the topdestinations in the world to visit However with so many places togo why i s Europe a topdes t ina t ion With the euro Europe can beone of the most expensive placesto visit If you are visiting theUK it is even more expensivewith the British pound SouthAmerica Asia and Africa arecheaper and offer many morebudget options where yourmoney goes further It seemsthat there are many reasons tovisi t e lsewhere HoweverEurope offers many things thatappeal to so many people Despite the recent travel alert toEurope many people are stillwilling to visit Europe for anumber of reasons For one ithas been the center of some ofthe greatest battles empires andscenes f rom h i s to ry thananywhere else on earth Fromthe Roman Empire to World WarII and everything in betweenEurope offers some of the besthistorical sights anywhere onearth

For those who can afford totravel Europe is a great mix ofold and new comfortable yetchallenging fun yet educational Europe offers the comforts of theWest but with so much historydiversity and culture itrsquos enoughto take you out of your comfortzone to visit the many places andsights the continent has to offer Not only is Europe fun itrsquos acontinent loaded with history andoffers an opportunity to explore

and learn Even for Europeans the mix ofcultures and diversity on thecontinent offer interesting placesto explore that are close yet verydifferent from the comforts ofhome F rom the days o fcommunism to the empire inI t a l y F r o m t h e G e r m a nindependent states to the richScandinavian history FromBritish royalty to the proud andonce powerful French From the

smallest countries on earth torecent independence and newnations in Eastern Europe Europe offers so much in historydiversity and culture that youcould spend the rest of your lifetraveling the continent and neverlearn all there is know about thecountries and people that inhabitit As part of the history andculture some of the most famouslandmarks monuments sights

and museums offer culturalattractions that draw people bythe millions each year Whetheritrsquos the unique and majesticEi f fe l Tower the somberreflections of Auschwitz thenatural beauty of less knownnatural wonders like PlitviceLakes or the famous museumsof Paris London and MadridE u r o p e h a s a w e a l t h o fat t ract ions that keep themcoming every year While there is so much ofEurope to be explored itrsquos goodto reflect on why people havesuch an interest and come backto visit every year While thereare cheaper more affordableplaces to visit nowhere else canyou find the history culture andattractions that Europe has tooffer Itrsquos why millions visitevery year others are proud tocall it home and why many canrsquotwait to go back What are your reasons forvisiting Europe Why visit Europe Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Four-Day WeekendTrips in Florida ndashThe ThanksgivingEditionProper Media Group Britt Reints

Turkey or Travel My favor i te th ing aboutThanksgiving is not in fact theturkey My favorite thing aboutThanksgiving is the four-dayweekend You can do a lot withfour days 4 Four-Day Weekend Trips inFlorida Take a weekend trip to theE v e r g l a d e s a n d s p e n dThanksgiving with Wild Willy 1 Tour St Augustine- ournationrsquos Oldest City is filled withhistorical sites that are perfect fora mini-family vacation in the fall Yoursquore outdoors but not in aswimsuit and the kids arelearning In addition to theinfamous lighthouse ndash which isbasically a requirement if yoursquoregoing to be in St Augustine ndash Irsquodalso recommend a trip to thePirate amp Treasure Museum Ifyour children find out you werenear a pirate museum and didnrsquottake them they are not likely toforgive you Ever 2 Swim with the dolphins inThe Keys- while northern andcentral Florida is getting a littlechilly by Thanksgiving youshould still be able to enjoybeach weather down south Andwhy not There are few thingsmore delightful than calling yourfamily Up North and sayingldquoguess what Irsquom doingrdquo whenwhat they are doing is freezing 3 Hit the Orlando Theme Parks-rollercoasters furry charactersand nightly fireworks Whatrsquosnot to love Well actuallyThanksgiving weekend is one ofthe busiest weekends all year forplaces like Walt Disney World But therersquos a reason so manypeople show up to theme parksover the four-day weekendamusement parks a great place tobond as a family 4 Explore the Evergladesndash whatsays family togetherness likeall igator hunting And byhunting of course I meanlooking to spot and not shoot Take a tour of the Everglades byboat bike or swamp buggy Ifyou want to go all out with thenature-themed getaway checkoutcampgrounds in the Everglades (Do not however invite me That is insanity I will be in ana l l i g a t o r p r o o f h o t e l o rsomething thank you verymuch) Photos by Britt Reints

7wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

The Fortress de Mimoyecques near CalaisHow history could have been so differentProper Media Group ThomasDowson

A few days ago Jeremy posedthe question why is Europe a topdestination The first reason heoffered in response was thatEurope has been at the centre ofsome of the greatest battles inhistory No matter how onedefines greatest this is surelytrue ndash battles have literally ragedacross the whole continent andFrance has experienced morethan its fair share In fact foranyone interested in the historyof warfare France is one of thebest places to visit in Europe Jeremy also made the point thatthere is so much history andculture you could ldquospend the restof your l i fe t ravell ing thecontinent and never learn allthere is know hellip rdquo Having livedin Normandy for nearly six yearsnow I find this is so true of thatpart of northern France I exploreregularly let alone the rest ofFrance or Europe I frequentlytravel to and from Calais andhave only recently stumbledupon a World War II monumentthat I have driven by countlesstimes a monument that reallycould have changed the course ofhistory One of the tunnels that make upthe Fortress de Mimoyecquesand the lsquorail-trucksrsquo used toremove the chalk from thetunnels(photograph Sparks68) The lsquoFortress de Mimoyecquesrsquois located in a limestone hill notthat far from the French entranceto the Channel Tunnel nearCalais This fort comprised anumber of subterranean tunnelsthat were intended to house theNazirsquos lsquoCannon of Londonrsquo ndash the

V-3 (Vergel tungswaffe 3) Construction of the fort began inSeptember 1943 in a desperateattempt to stem the tide of Nazidefeat the V-3 would have beencapable of raining bombs downon London ndash some 165 kmsaway Part of the barrel of the V-3super-gun there were to be 25 oft h e s e e a c h 4 2 0 f e e tlong(photograph Late Red) Slave labour was used to dig thetunne l s and even a s theLimestone debris was removedfrom the tunnels it was paintedgreen so as to prevent the AlliedForces from realising what wasgoing on Fortunately for the cityof London Intelligence Unitsalmost immediately noticed

suspicious activity by comparingreconnaissance photographstaken over a period of time frombefore construction began TheA l l i e d F o r c e s r e p e a t e d l yattempted to bomb the fort fromNovember 1943 until August1944 None of these missionswere entirely successful and thefort was never abandoned but itwas over-run by the Canadians inSeptember 1944 Th i s yea r a museum a tMimoyecques was opened on 1July which allows visitors toview tunnels in various stages ofconstruction and damage theremains of guns a small scaledreplica of the V-3 as well asremains of machinery railsystems and tools employed by

the slaves There is also amemorial at the site to theseslaves and to the airmen lost inac t ion dur ing the var iousmissions to destroy the fort For anyone (par t icu la r lyinterested in military history)travelling to or from Calais andneeding something to do theFortress de Mimoyecques isdefinitely worth a visit The Fortress de Mimoyecquesnear Calais How history couldhave been so different Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Stock Up at the VNSA BookSale in ArizonaProper Media Group Tiffany Joyce

Shop for books at the VNSABook Sale The 55th Annual VNSA UsedBook Sale is being held onFebruary 12th and 13th 2011 atthe Arizona State Fairgrounds inPhoenix Arizona ldquoVNSArdquooriginally stood for VisitingNurse Service Auxiliary whowere the original founders of thebook sale back in 1957 Thename changed but the logoremained the same ndash ldquoVNSArdquonow s tands for VolunteerNonprofit Service AssociationDoors for the VNSA Book Saleopen each day at 800 am andclose at 600 pm Get thereEARLY to get a head start on thebooks lines start forming ase a r l y a s 4 0 0 a m b o t hmornings People can get intosuch a frenzy for this book salethat it obliged the organizers ofthe event to post the policy ldquoAllpatrons must walk not run whenentering the sale and whilemoving around the buildingkeeping safety in mindrdquo Tens of thousands ndash perhapseven hundreds of thousands ndash of

used (and some new) books arestacked lined and piled up alongisles and isles of tables shelvesand cases taking up an enormousspace ins ide the VeteransMemorial Coliseum Books areorgan ized by every top icimaginable including an area forrare books and an updatedlayout map is posted to theirofficial website every JanuaryThis is for the exact purpose ofhelping folks come up with agame plan for getting to thebooks that they need SeriouslyIrsquove stood in line and listened tofolks planning as if they werepreparing for battle Watcheswere synchronized Maps weredrawn out Veterans of the eventtold dramatic tales of book salesgone by Itrsquos fascinating Admission is free though theArizona State Fairgroundsc h a r g e s a p a r k i n g f e e M e r c h a n d i s e p a y m e n t i saccepted in the form of cashL O C A L c h e c k s V i s a Mastercard and debit cardsshowing the Visa or Mastercardlogo Shopping car ts areprovided for those with a mindtowards s tock ing up and

shipping services are availablefor out-of-state visitors The VNSA book sale supportsThe Arizona Friends of FosterChi ldren Foundat ion TheLiteracy Volunteers of MaricopaCounty and The Toby HouseLike-new-condition books cansell for PENNIES many sell forjust a buck and there is a vastvariety to hunt through Morelikely than not you will findgems at this book sale that youwill not find anywhere else Itrsquosan unlikely adventure but it isfun Itrsquos kind of like a treasurehunt really Be prepared to be cannythough Like I said folks line upEARLY (the biggest crowd is onSaturday) and they strategize allyear round for this event Sometake the VNSA book sale VERYser ious ly Watch ing andlistening to the avid book huntersis a form of entertainment initself So go have fun findsome good reads and supportsome excellent causes Photo credit ldquobrowsing forbooksrdquo by Special KRB onFlickr Creative Commons

Walking on theMoon in IdahoProper Media Group Phil Corless

Craters of the Moon NationalMonument Inspired by Neil Armstrong andBuzz Aldrin one of my dreamsof childhood was to walk on themoon I didnrsquot want to be an astronautRather I wanted to romp aroundin low gravity as a tourist It wasnrsquot an unreasonablefantasy I mean not if you werea regular viewer of The JetsonsWe all thought there would beflying cars and robot maids inour future Vacations on the moon arenrsquotabout to happen anytime soon soIrsquoll just have to settle for a littleimagination and a road trip toCraters of the Moon NationalMonument in Arco Idaho Moonwalking at Craters of theMoon This rugged and remotelandscape might be the closestthing to a moon-like surfaceyoursquoll find on Earth The 600square-mile lava field is avolcanic wonderland that offersup a fu l l dayrsquos wor th o fexp lora t ion fo r fami l i es There are numerous hiking trailswinding in and around more than25 volcanic cones and 60 distinctlava flows some of which dateback 15000 years Cinder Crags at Craters of theMoon If you have a budding geologistor rockhound in your familymaking a visit to Craters of theMoon will be a dream for themThe Park Service offers severalactivities including a juniorranger program that will teachkids about the unique geology of

the area Theyrsquoll learn about pahoehoelava cinder crags spatter conestree molds fissures and lavabombs But the best part mightjust be going underground intothe lava tubes and pit cratersS o m e o f t h e m a r e q u i t eextensive and dark (so bring aflashlight) but very safe for eventhe youngest kids to venture intowith their parents The tubes areso deep in places that yoursquoll findremnants of winter ice and snoweven on the hottest days ofsummer Exploring the caves at Craters ofthe Moon Oh and i t does get hot Temperatures can reach wellover 100 degrees in the summerwhich bakes the black lava totemperatures as hot as 170degrees So donrsquot sit down onthe lava flow if itrsquos a sunny day Craters of the Moon is an hourfrom Twin Falls Idaho whereyoursquoll find plenty of hotels Itrsquosalso 3 hours from the statecapital of Boise Many travelersmake Craters a stop on their wayto Yellowstone National Parkwhich is 4 hours to the east However you get there plan forat least a half-day of hiking andwandering to get the full effect ofthe place Start at the VisitorCenter and drive along the 7-mile loop road making sure tostop at each of the trails that willlead you to different areas ofgeologic formations It might be as close as you get towalking on the moon A fragile lava flow Photos by Druid Labs andDelrandall and Alaskan Dude viaFlickr

Divorce American-style No-fault isnow the law in all 50statesProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

No-fault divorce became the lawyesterday in New York statemaking it now possible to file fora split in any state in the unionwithout having to show fault byone partner The Empire Statewas the last state to pass a no-fault divorce law Such a movecould make breaking up muchless expensive for many NewYorkers Whether that now will result in anew flood of divorces isnt clearsome news reports said lawyerswere seeing a deluge of newclients yesterday while otherssaid would-be exes were holdingback Anyone considering a splitneeds to look beyond theemotional to the financial ideallywell before the papers are filedThat includes getting copies ofall relevant financial and legaldocuments and storing themwhere your spouse cant getthem creating a budget as asingle person or single parentandmdashof coursemdashclosing all jointaccounts For more on divorcefinancial planning check outIfdivorce strikes andSplitting upyour retirement funds fromConsumer Repor t s MoneyAdviser

8 wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Save Californiarsquos State ParksProper Media Group Kim TracyPrince

Drawing the Line in the Sand atLeo Carrillo State Beach CA As with most state-run agenciesCaliforniarsquos state parks aresuffering from the dismal budgetcrisis that slashed its funding andraised its fees The governoralmost shut the parks downcompletely to save money How is it that wersquove come tothis point That lands set asidefor the public can be closed tothe public That nature is off-limits to the humans who livenear it who crave it who requireit to survive In the movie ldquoInto the Wildrdquoy o u n g p u n k C h r i s t o p h e rMcCandless headed out to kayakthrough the Grand Canyonwithout a permit and completelyblowing off all the rules Duringmost of the movie I thought thekid was pretty much a jerk if forno other reason than he renamedhimself Alexander Supertrampbut I had to agree with him whenhe showed disgust for TheRules Irsquom not saying that all

rules are bad our parks haverules for safety maintenanceand to preserve the lands for theenjoyment of others But when you simply close aforest because therersquos no moneyto pay the rangers or the janitorsthatrsquos just ridiculous Itrsquos Earth How can you shut her down But without money how canyou keep her open When we went camping atMcGrath State Beach in Venturaearlier this year the garbage canswere overflowing the bathroomswere too disgusting to shower inand there was no firewood forpurchase at any of the advertisedstations in the park Yet theplace was full At $35 percampsite per night they DO havemoney coming in at leastsometimes But the $1 billionb a c k l o g i n r e p a i r s a n dmaintenance s ta te -wide i smaking a l l parks suf fer Enter the voters We can savethe day At least thatrsquos how itusually goes in California wherethe Wrath of the People is heardif not at the ballot box (thepercentage of registered voters

who actually vote is consistentlylow) then online in politicalfliers and in television ads YesFor State Parksndash otherwiseknown as Prop 21 and not to bec o n f u s e d w i t h L e g a l i z eMarijuana which is Prop 19 ndashaims to create a fund to help stemthe tide of disarray suffered byour 278 state parks by chargingm o s t v e h i c l e o w n e r s i nCalifornia a new annual vehiclelicense fee of $18 For outdoorlovers like myself who canafford to pay the fee this seemslike no problem In returnCalifornia drivers get free dayuse at any park That savesparking fees for Leo Carillo StateBeach the one that we use mostoften All of this money and theadministration of it will besubject to a yearly audit Can weplace our faith in a legislatureand administrative body that hasscrewed up royally thus far andput the parks into the sadcondit ion theyrsquore in now H e r e rsquo s h o p i n g U n l e s ssomebody else has a better idea[photo by Kim Tracy Prince]

Tricks to buyingHalloween costumesand treats onlineProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

You can save yourself sometime with virtual shopping forcostumes decorations and evencandy But unlike the gore andgoodies you pick up in localshops yoursquoll have to deal withsh ipp ing f ee s and r e tu rnrestrictions Check them closelybefore you buy the fees can besteep and you may only have ashort time window to return saya sub-prime Lady Gaga meatoutfit The Web sites below meet ourstandards for privacy contact-info disclosure and customerservice Other sites to check outSimplicity for sew-it yourselfcostume pat terns OrientalTrading Company for a giganticselection of inexpensive and funp a r t y s u p p l i e s a n dC a n d y W a r e h o u s e c o m f o rsweets (Also see our tips onhaving a safe Halloween)bull B e s t f o r c o s t u m e s B u y C o s t u m e s c o m This sitersquos huge selectionincludes maternity costumesplus-size choices and getups foryour pets Five products arediscounted to $5 or less everyweekday at 9 am CDTmdashfirstcome first served A 110-percentprice guarantee is in effect andyou can get e-mail notificationswhen your favorite costume isavailable Shipping $499 and up Returns 14 days from receiptbull Best for accessories RickyrsquosCostume Superstore C l i c k o v e r t orickyshalloweencom for wigsmasks makeup and hats We

found 400-plus wigs and almost500 makeup items includingfeathery blue eyelashes $10 andfake knife wounds $699 Signup for the newsletter for specialdiscounts Shipping $5 flat rate free fororders of $49 and up Returns 10 days from receiptbull B e s t f o r d e c o r a t i o n s D a r k s i d e D i s p l a y s Whether you want to scare trick-or treaters or trick out your homefor a party shop here fordecorations spooky lighting andmore Freak out your neighborswith a Dripping Blood DoorGore sign $650 or the SmokingSkull Fogger $40 The sitepromises to match othersrsquopricesndashin case you find a greatdea l on a smok ing sku l lsomewhere e l s e Shipping $6 and up Returns 14 days from receipt 20percent restocking feebull Best for rentals Akron Designamp Costume If you want a stage-readycostume consider renting onehere You can get a NASA SpaceSuit for $125 or be MotherGoose for $65 (stuffed gooseincluded) You rent a costumefor a day but get three daysbefore and after for shippingadditional days are $15 eachTherersquos also a large selection ofcostumes to buy Shipping $825 and up eachway plus $10 handling per box Returns Four days from receipt25 percent restocking fee noreturns on orders placed betweenOct 15 and Nov 2mdashMandy Walker

Upcoming Art Events in ArizonaProper Media Group Tiffany Joyce

The Boulder Resort in Carefree The 17th annual Carefree FineArt and Wine Festival is beingheld from November 5th throughthe 7th in downtown CarefreeArizona More than 175 fineartists will be featured and thecrowd will be entertained withlive local music Browse alongthe many booths and displaysand admire arts and crafts from amyriad of disciplines Enjoychocolate and wine from acrossthe globe or indulge in heartierfare courtesy of local Arizonarestaurants The Americas at La Gran FiestaA Celebration of HispanicHeritage and Culture is a freeoutdoor festival being held at theScot t sda le Cente r fo r thePerforming Arts in ScottsdaleArizona on November 6th and7th The festival showcasesMexican Caribbean and SouthAmerican artistry culture musicdance and cuis ine Liveperformances by Arizonarsquos topLatin bands will entertain thewhole family Activities forchildren will also be provided aswell as handmade gifts andLatin-inspired food and drinks The Scottsdale Waterfront The Soleri Bridge and Plaza indowntown Scottsdale Arizona iscurrently under construction anda public dedication will be held

on Dec 11 with related activitieshe ld December 10 th-12th Designer Paolo Soleri is a formerstudent of Frank Lloyd Wrightand the a r t i s t rsquo s s t ruc tu redemonstrates the importance ofsolar movement Two steel-clad64-foot-high pylons create ashaft of light that depending onthe time of year cast a shadowthat spans onto the south side ofthe historic Arizona Canal Thebridgersquos debut will includeguided tours of the bridge andthe Soleri exhibition ldquoBridgesSpanning the Ideas of PaoloSoleri at Scottsdale Museum of

Contemporary Artrdquo National Geographic Traveler iss t a g i n g a n u p c o m i n gphotography workshop at TheBoulders Resort amp Golden DoorSpa in Carefree Arizona Learnprofessional digital photographytips such as avoiding digital-agepitfalls how to tell a story withphotographs composition andlight tips and how to capturemovement The workshop isbeing held from April 8ththrough 11th 2011 and is beingl e d b y w o r l d - r e n o w n e dphotographer Bob Krist Thepackage costs $1450 (single

occupancy) and includes threenights deluxe accommodationswelcome reception breakfast andlunch buffets photographysessions and outdoor walkingtours around the resort Seriousamateur photographers arewelcome but the workshop isrecommended for experiencedphotographers Photo credits (in order ofappearance)- Boulder Resort by tequilamikeon Flickr Creative Commons- ldquoScottsdale Waterfrontrdquo by DPatrick Lewis on Flickr CreativeCommons

New ban on upfrontfees for debt reliefservices has somecaveatsProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

A new federal rule that se f f e c t i v e t o d a y p r o h i b i t stelemarketers of debt relief ordebt-settlement services fromc h a r g i n g u p f r o n t f e e s t oc o n s u m e r s s e e k i n g h e l p However the FTC said todaythat it will defer enforcementrelated to tax-debt settlements e r v i c e s u n t i l i t r e v i e w squestions raised by the industryabout whether tax debt is in factunsecuredmdashthat is unsupportedby underlying collateral Allunsecured debt is subject to thenew rule The new ban is an amendmentto the federal TelemarketingSales Rule which prohibitsd e c e p t i v e t e l e m a r k e t i n gb e h a v i o r s a n d r e q u i r e stelemarketers to provide certaindisclosures upfront The FederalTrade Commission the agencypromulgating and enforcing therule offers FAQs on yourconsumer rights related to debtcollection The FTC emphasizedthat tax-debt settlement servicesstill have to comply with otheraspects of the TelemarketingSales Rule Consumers Unionpublisher of Consumer Reportshas urged that the FTC activelymonitor and enforce the newprovisions As our ConsumerReports Money Adviser reporto n F r e e d o m D e b t R e l i e fillustrates consumers can bevulnerable to unscrupulouspitches for help eliminating debt Another amendment of thetelemarketing rule effective lastyear banned many types of robo-cal ls except for char i t iesandmdashregrettably in this heatede l e c t i o nseasonmdashpoliticiansmdashTobieStanger

9wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Do you know whatrsquos on yourEuroProper Media Group Andy Hayes

Much of Europe is now on theEuro a single currency intendedto make trade and commercemore seamless across thecontinent But do you knowwhatrsquos on those coins and billsthat you in a rush just stuff intoyour purse and pockets If yoursquove got some coins andcurrency go and get them Donrsquot rush ndash Irsquoll be here whenyou get back Yoursquove no doubt heard thearguments and controversy aboutchanges to currency within yourown home country But imaginetrying to debate such things for acurrency that covers such a vastswath of land politics andtraditions The basic principlesthat the Euro operates on now arepretty clear here are a few thingsyou can look out for on your nexttrip Coins Euro Coins are not standard

across Europe One side of thecoin is which contains thegeographic out l ine of thecontinent The other side isdependen t on the i s su ingcountrywhich will have its ownspecific design for the opposingside of the coin No worries ndash a Monaco Euroc o i n w o r k s j u s t f i n e i nAmsterdam and vice versa Bills Unlike the coins countries haveno control over whatrsquos displayedon Euro bills issued by thecountry You can tell where anote was issued by the leadingcharacters on the serial numberotherwise itrsquos just like any other But what about those images These are meant to representarchitectural periods throughoutEuropean history Herersquos the fulllist since you more than likelywonrsquot see all of these whenvisiting (unless you are richerthan Karen or I ndash if so pleasesend some bills)

bull 5EUR ndash Classical grey colourbull 10EUR ndash Romanesque redcolourbull 20EUR ndash Gothic blue colourbull 50EUR ndash Renaissance orangecolourbull 100EUR - Baroque andrococo green colourbull 200EUR ndash Iron and glassyellow colourbull 500EUR ndash Purple modern20th century architecture

Useless Trivia It seems that thecountry that printed a Euro coinor note isnrsquot always the countrythat issued it Sorry I just reportthe news I canrsquot explain why Photo Credit uggboy Do you know whatrsquos on yourEuro Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

The Berlin WallFamous for itsdestructionProper Media Group MarcusCederstrom

Amanda has been doing awonderful job writing about allthere is to see in Berlin (Checkout here Best of Berlin TravelTips as well as Berlinrsquos Haus amCheckpoint Charlie Museum)And to be perfectly honest sheinspired me to revisit the trip Imade there a while back I knew very little about thehistory behind the Berlin wall Irsquom at the age where I donrsquotreally remember the eventsleading up to the fall of it and itwasn rsquo t d i s t an t enough tonecessarily be covered in depthin my history classes but notclose enough that it was coveredin my current events classes Basically my education failedme I knew the wall fell I knew itfell in 1989 I knew it wassymbolic and historic and plentyof other -ics But I didnrsquot knowwhat to expect when visiting thisBerlin sightseeing attraction Itrsquosa strange idea in the first place How does one visit somethingthat is historic for its verydestruction I wanted to see it

because it no longer existed Thatrsquos what made exploringBerlin so much fun though Because walking around the cityI suddenly stumbled upon a lonecement panel Remnants of theBerlin wall I headed to the eastside and found a large stretch ofwall which out into perspectivejust how high it was just howdominating it was And ofcourse I wandered through theEast Side Gallery and realizedthat here was an incrediblestretch of the wall still standing Some trips stand out Berlinstood out For what was thereand for what wasnrsquot Itrsquos astrange European travel tip Iknow but go to the city of Berlinand look for what isnrsquot there aswell as what still remains Wandering around the citylooking for the history of thewall becomes one of the bestplaces (and non-places) to visitin Europe The Berlin Wall Famous for itsdestruction Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Monkey Watching on St KittsProper Media Group RosalindCummings-Yeates

A st Kitts monkey perched onmy shoulder The eastern Caribbean island ofSt Kitts offers lots of activitiesfrom volcano scaling to beachcombing but the top of my list ismonkey watching There areabout 40000 Kittitians living onSt Kitts There are 60000Vervet monkeys scamperingaround the island Do the math The monkeys greatly outnumberhumans so your chances ofseeing and interacting with theseamusing creatures are very good Vervet monkeys have a greenishhue to their fur and typicallytravel in packs They werebrought as pets from West Africato St Kitts by colonials in the18th century and now they

basically run the island The besttime to spot them is in the coolearly morning and eveninghours They are too smart toroam around in the heat of theday baking under the hot sunlike humans I saw glimpses ofthem every day scampering

across roads and rustling in thetrees They also hang out atb e a c h e s a n d s e a - s i d egrills According to locals theyl o v e t o t o r m e n t h u m a n sby climbing through guava treestaking a bite of the fruit and thenthrowing it to the ground Many

Kittitians are convinced that theyjust take one nibble of the fruitto spite humans so that they canrsquothave any of the guavas I sawevidence of this when I passed aguava tree surrounded by scadsof guavas with tiny bites in themlittering the grass below it StKitts monkeys are also famousfor stealing drinks from beachbars I never saw this while I wasin St Kitts but I did notice amonkey hovering close by whileI was sipping my mango coladaon a beach lounge After amorning of monkey watchinghead to the Spice Mill restauranta gorgeous bistro on CockleshellBeach that serves up Caribbeanclassics like conch fritters grilledred snapper and mango barbecueribs Photo courtesy of RosalindCummings-Yeates

Riga Latvia from a birdrsquos eye perspectiveProper Media Group KimberlySullivan

Riga is truly a great Europeandestination It has beautifularchitecture a charming oldtown stunning examples of artdeco and can easily be visited ina weekend or serve as a base forlonger trips to explore thesurrounding seacoast and thecountryside Heather has alreadywrit ten about many of thehighlights worth seeing on a visit to this Baltic capital Rigarsquos old town is qui tecompact with winding medievalstreets There are two panoramic

points worth visiting to enjoya sweeping view over the entirecity The first is St Peterrsquos cathedraljust in the center of town StPeterrsquos went through several erasof construction but the originalstructure was begun in the 13 thcentury The steeple was addedin 1491 and a v i s i t he re provides a great view over theold town skyline with i tsnumerous sp i res and theDaugava River Another panoramic point is theRadisson Blu Lativja Rija once aboxy characterless Soviet hotelwhich has been beautifully

converted into a modern hoteloffering stunning views over theold town Our kids loved looking out theroomrsquos window each morning

and pointing out where we hadbeen Guests can also takeadvantage of the top-floor saunawith glass walls looking out overthe city I found this an enjoyable

ndash and relaxing ndash way to starteach morning Even if you are not staying atthe hotel you should make avisit there to the popular top-floor bar to enjoy a drink andadmire the Riga views If yoursquorep lann ing a t r ip he re theH o t e l s C o m b i n e d p r i c ecomparison site can quickly findthe best deals for Riga hotels Riga Latvia from a birdrsquos eyeperspective Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

CraigmillarEdinburghrsquosOther CastleProper Media Group Andy Hayes

Edinburgh Castle is the mostvisited attraction in Edinburghand in Scotland Itrsquos a beautyand a must-see Edinburghattraction But if yoursquore a castlelover and have already seen it(how can you miss it) Irsquove gota n o t h e r S c o t t i s h c a s t l esuggestion for you CraigmillarCastle Craigmillar is just a few milessouth of Edinburgh perched on a

CRAIGMILLAR page 10

10 wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Friday Travel Photo Crickets Agravela CarteProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

A highlight of a visi t toBangkok is undoubtedly the widevariety of food on offer fromstreet cart vendors From the quintessential PadTha i Nood le s t o bananapancakes to barbecued chickento dishes yoursquoll not know whatyoursquore eating unless you speakfluent Thai ndash you can get it allfrom the street carts And youshould Put any food hygieneconcerns behind you and spend aday wandering from street cart tos t ree t car t sampl ing the i rspec ia l t ies The best part Yoursquoll be hard

pressed to spend over $2 on adish Yesterday evening AdventurousKate (AdventurousKate) andPamela (Spunkygirllogue) hitthe streets of Bangkok lookingfor another Bangkok specialty ndashbugs Crickets It took a bit of exploring butnear the Bangkok street famousthe world over ndash Khao SanRoadndash we found them A cartful l of bugs ants wormscrickets ndash you name i t Cart Full of Bugs 20 Baht ($067) got Kate andmyself an assorted bag full ofbugs Some were salty someslightly sour some were gooey

whi le o thers (namely thec r i c k e t s ) w e r e c r i s p y ndashsurprisingly they werenrsquot thatbad S t a y t u n e d t oAdventurousKate com andSpunkyGirlMonologuescom formore photos and a Bangkoktravel video Do you have a picture yoursquod liketo share here Email me at mattbackpackingmatt com and Irsquollgladly feature it with a link backto your blog Technorati Tags BackpackingThailand Bangkok BudgetTravel Street Food

Biking Through StKittsProper Media Group RosalindCummings-Yeates

The Circus roundabout indowntown Basseterre As a small volcanic island inthe Eastern Caribbean St Kittsoffers 69 sq miles of rain forestmountains and beaches toexplore With scenery so lushand varied the most engagingway to explore this lovely island is by bike Most St Kittsresorts offer bike tours and Iquickly signed up for the two-hour tour of Basseterre thecharming capitol of St Kitts atthe St Kitts Marriott Resort Irsquom an avid biker but I mustadmit I wasnrsquot prepared to tackle

the hilly terrain of St Kitts From the blazing 90 degree heatto the steep hills scatteredthroughout the island I obtaineda strenuous workout before Ieven arr ived in downtownBasseterre If yoursquore not up to aserious cardio session Irsquodrecommend a tour that starts inBasseterre which has few hillsin the cool evening hours Biking through Basseterresupplies a colorful backdrop of1 8 t h c e n t u r y G e o r g i a narchitecture an outdoor marketteaming with unusual tropicalfruit and friendly Kittitianswaving at every turn Myfavorite part is the Circus aroundabout in the center of the

town Modeled after LondonrsquosPiccadilly Circus St KittsBritish colonial influence isprominently displayed with theo r n a t e b r o n z e B e r k e l e yMemorial Clock Top off yourbiking experience with a visit tothe legendary Mr Xrsquos ShiggedyShack Located on the beachdig your feet in the sand whiles a v o r i n g f r e s h l y c a u g h tCaribbean lobster or melted lavajerk chicken Donrsquot miss thebonfire and live fire show onThursdays Photo courtesy of RosalindCummings-Yeates

Strike A PoseDuring ChicagoFashion WeekProper Media Group RosalindCummings-Yeates

A Maria Pinto design at FashionFocus Chicago Chicago may be known as thecity of big shoulders but thanksto Michelle Obama itrsquos alsoknown for toned and stylishshoulders draped with fashionforward apparel ChicagoFashion Week also cal ledFashion Focus 2010 celebrateslocal style setters and designerswith fashion shows shoppingevents and a big runway showtonight in Millennium Park lsquoTheArt of Fashion 2010 RunwayShowrdquo will showcase the Spring2011 collections of Chicagorsquostrendiest designers Under a heated tent in the ChasePromenade of Millennium Parka sold out crowd will enjoy thespectacle of a fashion showfeaturing the clothes of hot localdesigners including Elda De LaRosa Lara Miller Paul Sisti Boris Powell and Hector-JavierMonArrez The VIP receptionincludes cocktails and horsdrsquooeuvres as well as a a StyleChicago goodie bag The afterparty for the event kicks off at9PM at The Undergroundnightclub 56 W Illinois Fors ty l i sh d i shes a s we l l a satmosphere head to Chi-Townrsquos

hottest lounge The Violet Hourat 1520 N Damen Settle into theelegant French salon decor andsip a signature drink like theJuliet amp Romeo and sample thechili cheese mini dogs or theartisan cheese plate Donrsquot overdo it though Fashion weekcontinues tomorrow with an allday designer shopping eventFashionChicago featuring morethan 30 clothing jewelry andaccessory designers from 10Am-6PM in the fashion tent Photo courtesy of Fashion Focus2010

CRAIGMILLARcontinued from page 9

hill that offers great views backi n t o E d i n b u r g h f r o m aperspective few tourists see Itwas a private castle built in the14th century by the Prestonfamily It passed on to theGilmours in 1600s and then int h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y i t w a sabandoned The Castle is nowownedmaintained by HistoricScotland Despite having beenabandoned Craigmillar is one ofthe best examples of medievalconstruction ndash it was neverattacked perhaps because of itslittle known status Regardless Craigmillar haswitnessed plenty of history Queen Mary of Scots spentsome t ime he re and t heldquoCraigmillar bondrdquo was anagreement to have her husbandmurdered As well many of thekings of Scotland had dealingshere ndash some of them good and

some of them not-so-good Admission is pound420 and thecastle is open 7 days a week(closed ThursFri in winter) Formore information includingmaps to plan your visit checkout the Craigmillar page onHistoric Scotland Craigmillari s n rsquo t k n o w n a s o n e o fE d i n b u r g h rsquo s b e s tneighbourhoods but I do thinkwhile you visit the castle yous h o u l d s p e n d s o m e t i m eexploring the grounds ndash itrsquospeaceful here and the view issuperb even on a cloudy day Photo Credit cmchang Craigmillar Edinburghrsquos OtherCastle Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Friday Travel PhotoSunset OverSarajevoProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

Todayrsquos Friday Travel Photowas submitted by Clark amp Kimo f t h e t r a v e l b l o gToUncertaintyAndBeyondcom Kim captured this fantasticphoto outside of SarajevoBosnia Sunset Over Sarajevo Clark remembers this from thenight they were backpacking inSarajevo I asked the locals where I couldfind a good view of the city andthey pointed me up the large hillby the war cemetery (can be seenin the bottom left of the photo) As I hiked up there were signsoff the road warning pedestriansof land mines in the nearbywooded areas hellip Yoursquoll passlittle grocery stores cafes oldwooden mosques and houseswith bright front doors hellip There

was a group of local kidsclimbing around a bombed outbuilding behind me to watch thesunset I tried to take photos ofthem but they would squeal andrun away before we got the shotThey were a little camera shy It was a very cloudy Thursdayevening but the sunset ended upbeing pretty interesting I reallyliked the intense beams of lightcoming through the clouds by thehorizon Fol low Clark amp Kim onTwitter2UNB to see morefrom their travels around theworld Do you have a photo yoursquod likefeatured here Drop an email tomatt backpackingmatt com andIrsquoll gladly feature it with a linkback to your blog Technorati Tags Bosnia FridayTravel Photo Sarajevo TravelPhotos

11wwwThePalmBeachPropercom

Buzzword QE2(which has nothing todo with cruise ships)Proper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

The thoroughly opaque termquantitative easing or QE hasnow reached the transcripts ofthe evening newscasts by way ofacademic journals and thefinancial press So what exactlyis it Quant i t a t ive eas ing i s amonetary policy tool employedby central banks in this case theFederal Reserve The Fed wadesinto the marketplace offering tomake purchases of financialinstruments and paying for itwith of course dollars Ours i s t e r W e b s i t e T h eConsumerist has more on this Last time the Fed tried QE in2 0 0 8 i t p u r c h a s e d U S Treasuries and toxic assets likesecuritized assets By doing sothe Federal Reserve expanded itsbalance sheet by $2 trillion Thetrouble was not much of thatmoney ended up back in theeconomy

So why is there so much talknow about a second round ofquantitative easing or QE2Usually the policy tool that getsthe most work is the FederalFunds rate When the Fedlowers this rate it typically startsa cascade of lower interest ratest h r o u g h o u t t h e e c o n o m y resulting in banks lowering ratesfor industry and consumersT h o s e F e d c u t s h a v e n rsquo tencouraged lending And nowthat the Fed funds rate isvirtually zero percent that toolrsquosusefulness is now exhausted --you canrsquot lower rates to less thanzeromdashChris Horymski

Friday Travel PhotoLayer of CloudsProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

After a week long hiatustodayrsquos Friday Travel Photobrings you to a pull-off on theQueenstown to Glenorchy Road On a clear day itrsquos an epic 45m i n u t e d r i v e f r o m b u s yQueenstown to the quaint littlevillage of Glenorchy The roadtwists turns and skirts along theshores of Lake Wakatipu withexcellent views of Afton Peakand the surrounding mountains Once you arrive in Glenorchythere are heaps of hikes in thearea and the Routeburn Trackstarts 20 minutes outside of thevillage After your hike warm upby the fire with a pint of Speightsat the Glenorchy Hotel ndash a greatSouth Island pub

On most days this view wouldshow the mountains in thedistance rising from the vividblue waters of Lake Wakatipu Clouds over Lake Wakatipu Onthe evening I snapped theseshots the clouds had dropped tothe lake level resulting in thisstunning series of photos Clouds over Lake Wakatipu Itwas an epic if not freezing placeto watch the sunset Clouds over Lake Wakatipu Do you have a photo yoursquod likefeatured here Drop an email tomatt backpackingmatt com andIrsquoll gladly feature it with a linkback to your blog Technorati Tags Friday TravelPhoto Lake Wakatipu NewZealand Queenstown

Even before age 2your childs onlineprivacy could be at riskProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Our Baby and Kids blog notest h a t t o d a y rsquo s p a r e n t s a r eincreasingly building digitalfootprints for their children priorto and from the moment they areborn From that first sonogramportrait to birth announcementsand myriad cute new babyphotos todayrsquos tikes have anonline presence before they caneven hold their heads up on theirown A recent study by Internetsecurity firm AVG discoveredthat 92 percent of Americanchildren under age two haveappeared in online pictures Anditrsquos not just proud parents doing

the uploading other familymembers and friends may sharecute baby pictures on the Web A s i d e f r o m p o t e n t i a lembarrassment for these babieswhen they grow up personalinformation included with thephotos such as birth datesmiddle names and mothersmaiden names could possiblylead to identity theft So youmight want to let the paparazziknow that you prefer keepingyour babyrsquos pics private And ifyou do post pics to socialnetworking sites be sure yourprivacy settings are up-to-dateRead more our Guide to OnlineSecurity Also check out ourreport rating computer securitysoftwaremdashDesiree Ferenczi

Surprise 1974rsquosWIN buttons actuallydid whip inflationProper Media Group ConsumerReports Money amp Shopping Blog

Scorned and ridiculed in theirday WIN buttons may deserve alittle belated respect (For thosewho werenrsquot around at the timeWIN or Whip Inflation Nowbuttons were a 1974 FordAdministration gimmick to rallyAmericans in the fight againstthe dreaded economic scourgethen in double digits) I bought one for $5 on eBayrecently to illustrate a piece inour Consumer Reports MoneyAdviser newsletter and decidedto check how its value had stoodup against inflation Contemporary newspaperaccounts indicate that many WIN

buttons were distributed for freeOthers were sent to anyone whowrote the White House pledgingto support the cause Letrsquos say you invested 10 centsin a first-class stamp and mailedin a request Accounting forinflation that 10 cents wouldnow be the equivalent of about44 centsmdashor less than a tenth ofwhat the WIN button is worthtoday So it turns out the little red WINbutton not only whipped inflationbut whipped it good Just not inthe way the Ford AdministrationhopedmdashGreg Daugherty Greg writes the ldquoRetirementGuyrdquo column each month in ourConsumer Repor t s MoneyAdviser newsle t te r

Europe a la CartePodcast 21 October2010Proper Media Group Karen Bryan

The 21 October Europe a laCarte Podcast summarises thefollowing three recent Blogpostsbull Coming Face to Face with theStone Age in Parisbull Why You Should Stop inKayseri Turkeybull Tempting Your Stomach at theOutdoor Market in ViestePuglia I taly

Therersquos an invitation to theTwitter Party on 22 October

2010 celebrating the 4th birthdayof the Europe a la Carte Blog I describe my forthcomingInntravel Walking Holiday onthe Spanish island of Mallorca Wersquoll spend 6 nights in the townof Soller and undertake variousse l f gu ided walks in th i sbeaut i fu l reg ion Europe a la Carte Podcast 21October 2010 Browse through our Europetravel tips to find the best placesto visit in Europe Contentpublished on Europe a la Carte

Friday TravelPhoto ItalianAlleyway at DuskProper Media Groupbackpackingmatt

Todayrsquos Friday Travel Phototakes you to Bary Italy ndash anunsuspecting port town on Italyrsquoseast coast Fa te would resul t in mespending a night here aftertraveling some 16 hours via trainbus and ferry from Sicily Mygoal was to catch a ferry toAthens ndash I unfortunately missedthe ferry and ended up spendinga night here Bari Italy Alleyway I spent the evening wanderingthe cobblestone streets andtaking in the feel of the placeItrsquos an excellent example of howunplanned changes to yourtravels may result in you findingyour new favorite destination Do you have a photo yoursquod likefeatured here Send it to matt(at) backpackingmatt (dot) comand Irsquoll gladly feature it with alink back to your blog Technorati Tags Europe FridayTravel Photo italy