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Great mtn. house outside of NYC, hiking, golf, need 4 days in London in Oct.
Get Lost!
While perfectly executed vacations certainly have their place, everyone needs a little adventure now and then. And even though it's always tempting to stick to tour maps, well-known museums, and restaurants with 200 Yelp ratings, we propose a challenge:
Lose your map.
It can be a daunting idea in a new city, especially if you don't speak the native language. But the best, richest experiences always arise when you're not looking for them. Instead of planning your day, why not walk out your door and see where it takes you? Don't search online for your lunch spot, just follow the sights and sounds (of course, a good indicator is how many people are happily dining at any given restaurant.) Maybe while you're polishing off dessert, you'll meet a friendly local who's happy to show you to their favorite corner of town, the shop where they got the first-edition book poking out of their bag, or the theater that shows old silent movies. Or maybe you'll keep strolling and come across an outdoor performance not written down in any book.
More often than not, locals love to share their knowledge with visitors. Maybe there's a famous gelateria that all of the tourists love because the owner speaks English, but there's an even better, lesser-known shop right around the corner where all of the neighborhood regulars get their fix. You don't speak the same language, but you certainly don't need to speak Italian to point to your favorite flavor.
From there, who knows? You can be a tourist tomorrow. Today, you are a traveller.
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9 Comments on "Get Lost!"
Our first home exchange was in Norway. We had an address but no map. Since we had a GPS we didn't think we needed a map…our first mistake. The neighborhood in which our home exchange was located was a true labyrinth, to say the least! We typed the home address into our GPS and it took us to the wrong house..at midnight! To make matters worse to determine whether or not we were at the correct house we drove up in the driveway. After discovering it was not the right house we tried to turn around and our car got stuck! So my husband left me in the car while he went after help. I was paranoid that the owners of the house would call the police or come and ask me why I was in their yard! Not speaking a word of Norweigan I felt very vulnerable! When my husband finally returned with neighbors, they were able to help us get our car out but even they didn't know where the address we were given was located!! We finally found our home exchange home but it was not an adventure I would ever want to repeat. I now print off a map of the area before I leave for a home exchange!
I live in Kfar Saba, Israel, close to Tel Aviv. I am a active member of MachsomWatch – Israeli women against the checkpoints and Occupation of the Palestinian lands. We have a big flat with a small garden.There is a train and buses from Kfar Saba to Tel Aviv. Would like to exchange house with nice people in interesting places.
I wrote an article about this very thing. It's strange that we always think of getting lost as a bad thing on vacation. If you have a go-with-the-flow attitude, it can be kind of fun!
See: http://science.discovery.com/tv-shows/an-idiot-abroad/travel-tips/how-to-get-lost.htm
We live in Begur, Girona a lovely small medieval town with views to the Mediterranean Sea. This in the Ampurda, a most beautiful area with lots of things to discover.
We live on the harbour in Auckland New Zealand. We (my wife and I would like to house swap with someone close to the Mediterranean Sea
Are you interested in visiting Istria, seminsula in Croatia? Have a look aat our houses on or web.
Best regards,
Venturing out in the hinterlands of any European country can be a challenge when driving a car, but a few years ago I bought a GPS unit in France. Fortunately it has every European country in it's coverage. Before I leave my home base, I plug in the "home destination" and then head out exploring. Sometimes I just drive, turning down nameless roads and finding treasures I wouldn't normally have known about if I followed the tried and true route. When I want to head home [not knowing where it is from the divergent path I just traveled] I hit the "home" button….and follow the GPS voice [in English of course]. So my advise….buy a GPS in Europe [or program your U.S. GPS with your destination country or countries.
I have a lovely home near Denver, Colorado. Would like to exchange with person in Italy or Spain close to city with transportation or Paris.


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On the Joseph Jaffe Podcast, Across The Sound Episode #43, Jaffe made my audio comment the Rant Of The Week. While it's always flattering when Jaffe pats me on the back, it's an issue that is really hitting home at Twist Image these days.
People want to work in this space. That's very cool. Twist Image is all about how to use technology, social media and the digital channels to bridge our clients to the future for their brands, and to engage in better conversations with their consumers.
As we grow, we're constantly on the hunt for talent (if you're curious about what we're looking for, check out the InfoPresse job posting here: Twist Image - InfoPresse). The point of this post is to identify that if we're only seeing about two - five percent of total marketing spend going to the digital space, what's going to happen when that number hits double digits and more?
It's happening already.
More and more dollars are moving to the online space and there simply is not enough talented people who "get it" in the workforce. I dread to think about how disappointed I would probably be if I walked into a classroom on web design (do they even teach how to develop a Blog in these courses?).
Marketers always talk about the talent wars. Digital Marketers are entering a very risky time. The money will be there. Will there be people with know-how and knowledge to execute it?

subset: commoncrawl


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Vaizey to address arts fund-raising at TMA event
Conservative culture minister Ed Vaizey is to speak at an upcoming Theatrical Management Association event addressing fund-raising within the arts.
Vaizey will outline the Tory party's proposals for philanthropy in relation to the arts sector at the symposium, which will take place on April 16 at the Magic Circle in London.
"This sort of event is hugely important to emphasise the opportunities that exist to support theatres as well as other arts organisations," said Vaizey. "It's vital politicians provide the kind of leadership that will encourage more - and more generous - giving to the arts."
Other speakers will include Lady Sainsbury of Turville, chair of the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatre development appeal, Adrian Morgan, general manager of the Library Theatre in Manchester and Dorothy Wilson, director of Midlands Arts Centre.
The symposium is sponsored by Blackbaud. Christopher Goodhart, managing director of Blackbaud's arts and cultural division, said: "In the current funding climate, theatres and performing arts organisations across the UK are finding themselves under more pressure than ever before to focus on generating their own revenue. Consequently, events such as this are crucial in providing arts and cultural organisations with guidance on how best to maximise their revenue streams, ensuring financial security and independence for years to come."


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For nearly a year, the three foreigners picked up at an apartment here a week after the Sept. 11 attacks seemed like just another group of Arab men caught up in the government dragnet. They languished in prison while facing charges that seemed minor; federal agents had actually been looking for the previous occupant when they raided the apartment.
But at least one thing appears to have separated the Detroit trio from hundreds of other Arabs swept up by the government in the last year: a cooperative witness. A fourth Arab man who once lived with the men and who had been charged in the case appears to have become a witness against the other three and is playing a critical role in the government's case.
The picture painted by the indictment issued on Wednesday by a federal grand jury is of a busy terrorist cell working hard to avert suspicion. The men used fake names to open post office boxes and had phony visas so authentic-looking that one veteran investigator of visa frauds said he could not tell the visas were bogus, and they even enlisted a ''mentally unstable man'' to disguise their notes, federal court filings show.
Much of this evidence comes from an apartment on Norman Street in Detroit which was once the residence of Nabil al-Marabh, who the government believed had ties to Al Qaeda. It was Mr. al-Marabh, 35, that federal agents were looking for when they raided the apartment on Sept. 17. His name was still on the mailbox.
Instead, they found the three men who were indicted on Wednesday as being part of a terrorist conspiracy: Karim Koubriti, 24, and Ahmed Hannan, 34, both Moroccans, and Farouk Ali-Haimoud, 22, an Algerian. A fourth man from Chicago and known as Abdella was also indicted. He is still at large.Continue reading the main story
The Detroit case has been aggressively investigated by federal authorities since last September when the men were first arrested. The case has stirred debate within the government, government officials said. Some officials have hinted that they suspected the men had ties to Al Qaeda, but others have said that no evidence has emerged to show any definitive connection.
The indictment paints the men as operating a terrorist cell, though no definitive connections to Al Qaeda are revealed. None of the men are now suspected of knowing in advance of the Sept. 11 attacks, government officials said.
While the men are regarded by counterterrorism officials as low-level operatives, the charges against them are serious, particularly an accusation that they conspired to provide material support for terrorism against the United States.
Some officials said today that the case was important but not a breakthrough in understanding terror operations in the United States. The indictment provides little information about the nature of the terror operation that the men are accused of supporting, nor does it indicate how far plans for an attack had progressed.
Investigators did find in the Norman Street apartment a cache of material they considered suspicious, including audiotapes that preached jihad, notes suggesting a plot against William S. Cohen, the former secretary of defense, and a cache of phony ID documents. The indictment said investigators also found a videotape that had surveillance footage of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
It remains unclear whether the material belonged to the three men or to Mr. al-Marabh.
Mr. Koubriti, one of the three men, implicated a fifth man, Youssef Hmimssa, whose picture was found among forged identity documents. Mr. Koubriti said that a day planner that contained notation in Arabic referring to an American airbase in Turkey, the American foreign minister and an airport in Jordan, belonged to Mr. Hmimssa.
Mr. Koubriti and Mr. Hmimssa had lived together in Dearborn. Mr. Hmimssa was arrested shortly after the first raid, on Sept. 28, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Kevin Ernst, a lawyer for Mr. Ali-Haimoud, said in an interview on Wednesday that Mr. Hmimssa was cooperating with the government.
''The only difference between October of last year, when the government dismissed the charges against my client because there was no evidence, and today, when they issued the superseding indictments, is one snitch,'' Mr. Ernst said referring to Mr. Hmimssa.
Mr. Hmimssa's lawyer, Stephen Rabaut, did not return calls. Government officials would not say whether he was an informer.
Jim Thomas, a lawyer for Mr. Hannan, said his client had been held since Sept. 17 without a bond. ''He is still, in the face of these very serious charges, presumed to be innocent,'' Mr Thomas said. ''The trial will be scheduled hopefully for some time in January and at that time we expect to have a full and fair hearing in front of impartial jury.''
While the case against the three men in Detroit has grown more serious, the case against Mr. al-Marabh, the initial target, appears to be winding down. Mr. al-Marabh, who is being held at a prison in Batavia, N.Y., is likely to be deported to Algeria after pleading guilty to illegally entering the country.
''We brought an immigration violation charge against him; that charge does not contain any evidence linking him terrorism,'' Bryan Sierra, a spokesman for the Justice Department, said.
In the indictment against the other men, the government says they were part of a terrorist cell that provided support to other operatives, recruited members, collected intelligence on potential targets and cased the Detroit Metropolitan Airport while all three worked there.
Part of the men's intent was to ''cause economic harm to U.S. businesses,'' the indictment said, and previous documents said they planned an ''economic jihad.''
The men went to some length to conceal their plan, it said. They used a ''mentally unstable man'' to try to disguise their writings in a notebook. They used the man, who is not identified in the indictment, to write his name and personal information on some of the notebook pages found in the apartment, which contained plans and sketches of an American airbase in Turkey and a Jordanian hospital. They also had the man temporarily hold on to the notebooks.
It appears that they also had high-quality false ID documents.
Edward Seitz, a special agent for the State Department who has investigated visa fraud for 14 years, testified at an April hearing that one of the visas was so authentic looking that he had to check the agency's database to find out if it was fraudulent.
''It was of such a quality that to the naked eye it would have probably passed,'' Mr. Seitz said. ''It would have passed me.''Continue reading the main story


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Guest Editorial, April 10-12, 2013
April 10, 2013
The bill essentially repeals Utah's requirement that people obtain a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon.
The original sponsor argues that the bill is necessary because farmers and ranchers, who often carry a gun openly without a permit (as allowed by Utah law), become lawbreakers if they merely put on a coat or jacket, thereby concealing their weapon.
In vetoing the measure, Gov. Herbert noted that Utah has had its concealed weapon permit in place for decades and has received little or no complaints, even from ardent gun-rights advocates.
Gov. Herbert also emphasized the value of the training that permit holders receive, including instruction in proper loading, transporting and storing of weapons, allowable uses of firearms in self-defense, and the variety of applicable gun laws.
Finally, Gov. Herbert argued that Utah's permit process improves safety each year by detecting and denying many permit applications submitted by criminals and mentally ill individuals.
My constituents who have contacted me to urge an override of the governor's veto argue that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms without infringement by government.
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These constituents also believe that Utah's concealed weapon permit does little to improve public safety, because law-abiding citizens would be responsible without the permit requirement, and criminals will simply ignore the requirement.
On the other hand, constituents who support the governor's veto, and oppose an override, contend that the permit requirement is sensible and not onerous.
These constituents, many of whom are permit holders themselves, say that the classes required to obtain a permit serve a useful purpose by educating gun owners in safety procedures and in the legalities of carrying a weapon.
I greatly respect all of my constituents who have contacted me about this issue, both for the opinions they have expressed, and for their diligent efforts in speaking up and making their views known.
Like most difficult questions of public policy, there are good arguments on both sides of this issue.
The most persuasive points that have guided me in making a decision on the potential veto override are these:
First, Utah House Bill 76, and Gov. Herbert's veto of the bill, have nothing to do with any laws or policies about gun control being considered in Washington, D.C.
I believe that many people are supporting Utah's House Bill 76 out of opposition to proposed gun control measures at the federal level.
Any position I take on Utah's own firearms regulations is completely separate from my views on federal weapons restrictions, which implicate entirely different constitutional questions.
Second, during my five years serving in the Utah House, I have not received any significant criticisms, complaints or proposals regarding a need to change Utah's concealed carry permit.
As Gov. Herbert noted, the system has seemed to work well for decades, with broad support from all sides of the political spectrum.
Third, if there are changes that need to be made to allow certain people such as farmers or ranchers to more freely carry a weapon, I think we can make such changes without discarding the entire concealed carry permit system.
Fourth, I don't believe that Utah's concealed weapon permit requirement is an unconstitutional infringement of citizens' rights to keep and bear arms.
Finally, I think that, overall, the advantages to society of the concealed weapon permit system outweigh its disadvantages.
For these reasons, I support the governor's veto and intend to vote against an override.
Kraig Powell represents Wasatch County and parts of Summit County in the Utah House of Representatives.


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The Kentucky Interagency on Homelessness mission is to coordinate and influence policy across Kentucky to end homelessness.
The Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness (KICH) is committed to engaging the state's leadership to forge partnerships among state agencies, service providers and advocacy groups that enable all Kentucky communities to achieve local solutions to ending homelessness. Under KRS 194A.735(10)(e), KICH functions and duties are:
- To serve as the single statewide homeless planning and policy development resource for the Commonwealth of Kentucky;
- To review, update, and recommend changes to Kentucky's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness and monitor its implementation;
- To serve as a state clearinghouse for information on services and housing options for the homeless population;
- To conduct other activities as appropriate and necessary; and
- To report to the Governor and General Assembly as requested.
People are considered homeless if they do not have access to safe, affordable and permanent places to live. People become homeless for a variety of reasons: health problems, family conflicts, limited life choices and the lack of a support system are frequent causes of homelessness. Economic factors, such as the loss of employment or the lack of affordable housing, are playing an increasing role as well.
The effects of homelessness are extensive and severe. For the individual, homelessness means more than just a loss of self-esteem; they face dramatically higher rates of infectious disease, mental health problems, physical disorders, disabilities and premature death. They also face heightened risks of becoming incarcerated or institutionalized.
Homelessness has a dramatic impact on the community as well.
Homelessness takes a tremendous toll on family stability by hindering the ability to find and maintain jobs, hampering the learning process of children who are hungry and disoriented and causing health problems due to stress and exposure to the elements and infectious disease. Because they lack other resources, homeless persons tend to use a variety of public systems in inefficient and costly ways. The true cost of homelessness is passed to the community through higher demands on law enforcement, corrections, health care, welfare, education and other systems. Though the chronically homeless make up a smaller portion of the homeless population, they use a disproportionate amount of resources.
Precariously housed individuals are a key component of homelessness in Kentucky. There are three forms of precariously housed: doubled-up, living in substandard housing, or at risk of imminent eviction.


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Kohima, Jun 14: Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Mani Shankar Aiyer will inaugurate the 23rd annual convention of Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY) at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.
According to official sources here today, the weeklong convention of SPIC-MACAY, being organised by the Nagaland Government and Nagaland University, will continue till June 21.
The convention will be a platform for witnessing the performances by maestros from all over India and getting an insight into the cultural heritage, its values and ethos.
Participants from different parts of the country will get a chance to meet and spend some quality time together. They will also experience the rare opportunity of interacting closely with eminent maestros and imbibing from them values and thought processes, which have made them great, sources opined.
The convention is dedicated to Padma Vibhushan Pundit Kishan Maharaj, who passed away on May 05 at Varanasi.
Over 500 participants from all over India and more than 200 students from Nagaland are participating in this convention. Several world-renowned artists are also participating in the convention.


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The Honourable Premier Colin Barnett visited the Department of Housing to acknowledge Housing recently winning the overall award for Public Sector Excellence and the 'Developing the Economy' award in the 2014 Premier's Awards.
The 2016-2017 Annual Reports for the Housing Authority and Department of Housing are now available.
The Housing We'd ChooseA study for Perth and Peel - May 2013
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Habitat for Humanity builders are hammering in a new direction for Tallahassee. City leaders want more work force housing, greater energy conservation, and a stronger economy.
Tallahassee Heights added 29 new affordable homes to the community, supporting a workforce that will keep the economy growing, and each house has the latest technology to save energy.
Bill Stone, Habitat construction supervisor, said, We want to make sure that their utility bills are low, so we go to the extra yard to insulate them, use fluorescent fixtures to make them be cheap to operate and own, and the city utility is helping us with a pilot project to do these solar hot water heaters."
William Eades, an electrician, said, "They are using solar heat and water. They're using a high efficiency water recirculation type heating system now, so the power consumption on these houses is constantly dropping almost with every house we build."
The city wants to lead by example, and it's considering offering cash incentives to businesses which move to save energy.
Leaders are also discussing incentives for businesses that move into the area, as well as sprayfield expansion and the joint 911 dispatch center.
The city also has thousands to pay out for the sprayfield project. The mayor says he does not expect a tax increase this year, and is hoping for a property tax decrease.