Modest clothing for women

As a woman who loves to impress everyone with the most fashionable and stylish clothes, the truth is that I tend to spend many hours on the high street shops every month! Still, I am the first to admit that with the current financial downturn I will have to look for new clothes elsewhere.

Keeping this in mind, I recently heard about this website selling modest clothing for women and after visiting the website I was really impressed not only with the quality of the clothing but with the prices also! In fact, everything is incredibly affordable when we keep in mind the quality of the fabrics, designs and cuts of the clothes, making it absolutely mandatory for any woman to take some time to visit the website above.

So, are you looking for the clothes that you will be wearing this summer? If that’s the case, then I would personally advise you to have a look at the website to which I have linked above.

Discovering Portugal

Have you ever been to Portugal before? Do you have an idea of what you can find on that country apart from the great beaches? If you are going to travel to Portugal anytime soon or if you would like to know more about what you will be able to experience there, then you definitely need to have a look at the msnbc.com article just below:

"

SALINAS, Portugal - Shoveling drying salt in a pit under scorching sun while tourists and fellow villagers drink beer and look on from above may sound like a miserable experience, but not in Salinas, Portugal.

The presence of tourists in the cafes on the ancient wall above the salt pit in this tiny Portuguese village some 60 miles north of Portugal's capital Lisbon is more than welcome and causes no consternation.

"One thing works with the other. Without tourism, the salt business would probably collapse, and vice versa," said Casimiro Froes Ferreira, 82, and the head of the Salinas cooperative.

The village has been extracting salt since at least 1170, when the local ruler sold part of the pit to the Knights Templar — the first known record of Salinas.

In the middle of a pool in the salt pit lies a deep well of water heavily laden with salt — Portugal's only natural saltworks. The water is pumped to shallow cells in the pool where it dries up over a few days, leaving a layer of salt.

"We work seven days a week between May and October when the weather is good and when salt needs to be dried and removed — practically the same way our ancestors did. After work everyone just joins the crowd in the bars overhead," Froes Ferreira said.

Most of the village's old salt depots and stores — made entirely of wood, including door locks to avoid corrosion from salt — have been transformed into souvenir shops and bars, where one can try a local cheese baked in salt.

Even the local bikers club is headquartered in such a hut.

"It's really cool, it's kind of like one of those medieval fairs, but you know it's for real, and the people are real," said Eliza Castro from Lisbon, who stopped in Salinas with her two children for a meal and some sightseeing after visiting the ancient castle of Obidos nearby.

Some larger, newer depots are also made of wood, as cement and metals are easily corroded by the mineral.

Maria Luisa Santos Dias, 74, who like most workers here is a member of the cooperative and owns a plot in the huge 300,000-square-foot pit, swaps periods of work in the sun with rest in the diner. Here she grabs a snack, chats to neighbors and helpfully provides directions to visitors.

"I feel good here in the pit, I started at seven in the morning today, before anyone got here," said the woman, who is wearing heavy rubber shoes to protect her feet from salt. "I married a salter many years back and got to liking this work." Her son, Jose Antonio, 37, and 16-year-old granddaughter Ines often work alongside her.

When I was six I started coming here and played with a wooden shovel. I'm no longer a little girl, but I still like coming here to work," said Ines, who is a student.

The cooperative was formed in 1979 after a crisis caused by growing imports, which nearly killed off the salt industry in Salinas and put an end to small private salt depots.

Although hardly prospering, it now makes ends meet thanks to its "all-natural" salt production, including manual collection and cleaning, which have attracted eco-conscious consumers in Germany. Only a small part of the work is done with the help of machinery, mainly lifting the salt from the pit.

"Here in Portugal we have to sell at the production cost, we're not competitive. But the Germans want the salt the way it comes out of the pit, the way it was done for centuries. And they pay extra for that," Froes Ferreira said.

Salinas produces 1,500 tons of salt a year. Workers earn 4.5 euros ($6.27) an hour, which makes up more than the average salary in Portugal of 840 euros, but only in the hot season.

"It's more of a good supplement, people have to have other jobs. But we have the tourism and our little invention — the cheese in salt. That's strictly for tourists, of course," he said, admitting that he does not like salt in his food.

"

Finding the best sniper paint ball guns

Even considering the fact that I am a woman, the truth is that as a lover of the nature and sports, I also take some time during the summer to go to the paintball field right next to my house with some friends of mine! In fact, paintball is a great way of enjoying some amazing moments with our friends!

Keeping this in mind, I recently had to buy new sniper paint ball guns, paintball pistols but also some new AK47 paintball guns, which are my favorite ones. Personally, I tend to take some guns with me when we go to the paintball field simply because they make me feel more secure, while also allowing me to have the ideal guns for different situations and ranges. Moreover, the AK47 paintball guns are probably the ones that offer us the best relation of shot precision/speed, making them absolutely essential for me. Below is an image of the AK47 paintball guns that I have recently bought:


So, would you also like to buy some new sniper paint ball guns, accessories, upgrades, ammo and other important gadgets for any paintball lover? If that’s the case, then I definitely recommend you to have a look at the website above and take full advantage of the great prices that you are able to get there, while also getting free shipping on selected products.

Families merging forces on vacation

As you know, almost everybody around the world loves to travel and discover new places! In fact, US families are no exception and now that the crisis is menacing us and making it harder to travel, the truth is that the families are joining forces and traveling together! Below is another msnbc.com article that tells you the story with full detail:

"

By Eileen Ogintz

Tribune Media Services

The Gomez family may be one of the few in the country who won't be too disappointed if it rains over the Fourth of July weekend.

"We just play indoor games in the cabins," says Michele Abril. For the last 20 years, she explains, her extended family — 30 strong and including four generations, have gathered at rustic cabins on Lake Sebago in New York for some old-fashioned fun. They crowd into four cabins (showers are a walk away), tote everything they need (even toilet paper) and divide all the chores. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the need to reconnect with friends and family. At beach houses and on sailboats, city condos and mountain cabins, families and friends are joining forces on vacation.

According to a new survey from TripAdvisor of people with children, nearly a third report they will vacation with another family this year to save money — a significant jump from 2008.

"We get calls daily from family and friends who want to get together in our cabins," says Stephanie Seacord from Point Lookout Resort in Maine where cabins that sleep nine or more start at $195. Cabins can be had for even less in Colorado at the YMCA of the Rockies where my family has also shared quarters —and cooking chores with relatives at a family reunion.

More visitors to Hawaii are opting to split condos rather than get individual hotel rooms, adds Lisa Cripe of Aston Hotels & Resorts, which has hotels, condo resorts and villas all across Hawaii.

Even Disney is getting into the act, with new Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts Vacation Club options (waltdisneyworld.com and disneyland.com) that you can turn into your home away form home — Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort are brand-new with a third villa resort slated to open later this summer and one at Disneyland in the fall.

You do the math. Whether you are at rustic cabins or a luxurious beachfront condo house, you'll spend less when splitting costs with another family. Especially this year with rental owners — 66 percent — offering special deals to encourage business, according to a survey from homeaway.com, the leading online vacation rental Web site. They're throwing in everything from a free night to free cleaning service, discounts, even tickets to a local attraction or food.

No wonder families are joining forces on everything from city apartment rentals (lots cheaper than a hotel!) to road trips to tours of Alaska. Elaine Masters and her son joined forced with another family and, says Elaine, "stayed in several suites where we could cook our meals, had cereal breakfasts and packed picnic lunches when we could." And they spent less than they would have on a cruise. "We saw everything we wanted (except Denali stayed hidden behind clouds)."

When the kids were small, we met up ever summer in Minnesota at Ludlow Island Resort where we ate the fish we caught for dinner and the kids would chase frogs and ride in the special car that goes in the water.

We've shared Cape Cod and Caribbean houses, and every winter, Colorado ski condos with friends and family. Next week may be our farthest afield shared trip — a sailboat in Tahiti with another family and two of my daughter Mel's oldest camp friends — the girls' high school graduation present.

But these trips are about much more than saving money. "I love that our group can get together once a year or every other year and feel like we haven't missed a beat," says Carin Kromm, a geologist from Kernersville, N.C. Kromm gathers with her college friends and their children at a vacation home owned by one of the group.

Single mom Kelly Ladyga adds that it was much more relaxing to join forces with another single mom than to take her young daughter solo. Besides sharing the cost of rent at a beach house in North Carolina, groceries and rental car, she was able to get a much-needed break — far more relaxing than the solo trip she took to Hawaii. "Plus it was nice to sit with someone on the deck at night, drink wine and laugh about the day's adventures."

"It helps with your sanity for sure, kids seem to play better when they have other kids to play with — the more children, the busier they keep each other," says Michelle Revuelta, the Miami mom of two young daughters who has rented condos in Orlando and elsewhere with other families. "You truly feel you are on vacation," she says. And that isn't easy to accomplish with young kids in tow.

There are some rules to be sure. Never discipline anyone else's child, for one. That's a parent's prerogative.

Sophia Blinsky, who rents vacation homes as a business and who hosts her college group of seven families, says the hardest part is choosing the date. Make sure there are enough bedrooms, bathrooms and a common space where the kids can hang out in addition to the adults. "A swimming pool is mandatory," she adds.

"Just remember that where you are isn't as important as the place you rent."

Rates for some three-bedroom vacation homes start at just $99 per night, but sleep up to eight travelers, not just one or two, notes Alex Risser, president of the Vacation Rental Managers Association.

Be clear how you are dividing the costs. In her case, each family takes a day of the week and gets groceries, cooks dinner and cleans up. Other families simply split costs. Some divide the rent based on the number of bedrooms they are using or split the cost straight down the middle. However you do it, suggests Carin Kromm, keep it simple. "There is no need to schedule a lot of activities for the children."

The beauty of a vacation like this is allowing the kids to entertain themselves. A pool or the beach may be all they need. And once the kids are in bed, says Blinsky, the grown-ups can enjoy some "adult" time. They're not stuck staring at the wall in a hotel room watching the children sleep.

There's no corralling kids in restaurants, no getting dressed to feed the hungry preschoolers in an (overpriced) hotel dining room, no worrying about a tired toddler melting down in a hotel lobby.

There's no worrying about the rain either. "With a 30-person family, we make up our own entertainment," says Michelle Abril.

That's the best kind.

Furniture for our dollhouses

Just like most women all around the country, I am a lover of travels, glamour, shopping, sailing and many other activities that most women love! As a matter of fact, I have many hobbies that tend to captivate my attention when I got some free time to dedicate to them. Personally, I would say that being a dollhouse collector is one of the hobbies that I love the most!

Keeping this in mind, when I first heard about this dollhouse furniture nursery online reseller, I simply couldn’t be more excited about it! In fact, as soon as I visited the website, I realized that there was an incredible range of dollhouse miniatures that will surely delight any dollhouse collector like me. Furthermore, the website is so incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate that in a matter of seconds I was able to find some really nice furniture that will add a lot to the dollhouses that I currently won. Moreover, there are some incredible fireplaces on the website that you may buy for your dollhouse and it was extremely hard for me to decide which one I was going to buy for my favorite dollhouse! I am also thinking about building a new dollhouse to offer to my daughter and I am considering the possibility of buying the most modern dollhouse furniture from the website to which I have linked above so that the modern furniture of the dollhouse can really appeal to my daughter.

So, would you also like to build your own dollhouse and you need some furniture for it? If that’s the case, then I personally advise you to take some time and have a look at the website to which I have linked above and where you will be able to find the most incredible dollhouse furniture that will surely impress you. What are you waiting for?

Gale storm: the star of the 1950s TV

When considering the women that I admired the most when I was younger, I would definitely consider Gale Storm to be one of the ones! In fact, I am sure that almost anyone all around the world has already heard about her! Below is another msnbc.com article that tells you the story of the woman that we have always admired:

"

LOS ANGELES - Gale Storm, whose wholesome appearance and perky personality made her one of early television's biggest stars on "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show," has died at age 87.

Storm, who had been in failing health in recent years, died Saturday at a convalescent hospital in Danville, said her son, Peter Bonnell.

Before landing the starring role in "My Little Margie" in 1952, Storm starred in numerous B movies opposite such stars as Roy Rogers, Eddie Albert and Jackie Cooper. After her last TV series, "The Gale Storm Show," ended in 1960 she went on to a successful singing career while continuing to make occasional TV appearances.

Storm was a Texas high schooler named Josephine Owaissa Cottle when she entered a talent contest for a radio show called "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1940. She was brought to Los Angeles for the finals, where her wholesome vivacity won over the radio audience and she was awarded a movie contract.

The contest's male winner was a lanky would-be actor named Lee Bonnell, who would later become her husband.

Given the quirky name Gale Storm, she went from contracts with RKO to Monogram to Universal, appearing in such low-budget films as "Where Are Your Children?" with Cooper and "Tom Brown's School Days" with Freddie Bartholomew.

She was often cast in westerns as the girl the cowboy left behind, and appeared in such B-movie oaters as "The Dude Goes West" with Albert, "The Kid from Texas" with Audie Murphy and "The Texas Rangers" with George Montgomery.

"I was really scared of horses," she admitted in 2000. "I only rode them because that's what you had to do."

She appeared in three Republic westerns with Rogers and recalled that his horse Trigger did what he could to cause her trouble. As she would smile and ride alongside Rogers while the king of the cowboys crooned a song, Trigger (out of camera range) would lean over and bite her horse's neck.

Alcoholism surprised many
With her movie roles diminishing in the early 1950s, Storm followed the path of many fading movie stars of the day and moved on to television.

"My Little Margie" debuted on CBS as a summer replacement for "I Love Lucy" in 1952. It quickly became an audience favorite and moved to its own slot on NBC that fall.

The premise was standard sitcom fare: Charles Farrell was a business executive and eligible widower, Storm was his busybody daughter who protected him from predatory women.

The year after "My Little Margie" ended its 126-episode run in 1955, she moved on to "The Gale Storm Show," which lasted until 1960. This time she played Susanna Pomeroy, a trouble-making social director on a luxury liner.

Storm, who had taken vocal lessons, sang on her second series, and three of her records became best sellers: "I Hear You Knocking," "Teenage Prayer" and "Dark Moon."

She appeared only sporadically on TV after "The Gale Storm Show," guest starring on such programs as "Burke's Law," "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote."

Her fans were surprised to read in her 1980 autobiography, "I Ain't Down Yet," that she was an alcoholic.

"I had hidden it socially, never drank before a performance," she said. After being treated in three hospitals, she found one that helped her break the habit.

Born April 5, 1922, in Bloomington, Texas, Storm was only 13 months old when her father died. Her mother supported five children by taking in sewing.

Storm and Bonnell had three sons, Phillip, Peter and Paul, and a daughter, Susanna.

Bonnell died in 1987, and in 1988 Storm married former TV executive Paul Masterson. He died in 1996.

"

Residential and commercial insurance in the UK

Personally, I would say that there is nothing more important for me than protecting the things that I love the most in my life. In fact, I tend to find the best insurance deals so that everything in my life is protected against some unexpected events that often surprise us!

Keeping this in mind, if you live in the UK and if you are looking for the best residential and commercial landlord insurance solutions for your needs, then you definitely need to take some of your time to visit the website to which I have linked just above and see with your own eyes how incredibly easy it is to find a insurance solution, in just a few minutes, that really fits your needs!

Preventing train crashes

Train crashes are not as frequent as car crashes but the truth is that authorities still find the current number of train crashes way to high! In fact, there are some new procedures and solutions being studied so that this problem can be solved as you will be able to conclude from the msnbc.com article below:

"

WASHINGTON - The Washington-area transit agency has temporarily reassigned the superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes following this week's crash that killed nine people, officials said Friday.

The deadliest crash in Metrorail's 33-year history occurred Monday when a train plowed into another that was stopped. The moving train was operating in automatic mode, which means it was primarily controlled by a computer.

Matthew Matyuf, who led the Automatic Train Control Division, has been temporarily assigned to a "special project," Metro officials said. They would not elaborate on what that project was.

The reassignment is not an indication of any wrongdoing, spokeswoman Candace Smith said.

"It's not meant to be a negative reflection on him at all," Smith said. "It's just a precaution until the investigation is complete."

Matyuf has worked for the transit agency for more than 20 years, Smith said.

Federal investigators said Thursday that Metro's signaling system failed to detect a test train stopped in the same place as one that was struck during this week's deadly crash.

Test results indicate the oncoming train involved in Monday's crash may have lacked information that another train was stopped on the tracks ahead.

Meanwhile Friday, a memorial service was being held for the train operator who was among those killed in the crash.

The service for Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., was being held at the Temple of Praise Fellowship Hall in Washington.

"She will truly be missed by everyone she touched," said McMillan's brother Vernard, of Upper Marlboro, Md.

Jeanice McMillan and eight passengers were killed in the crash when her train barreled down the tracks and hit a stopped train. About 70 people were injured.

"

The importance of our job

Even considering the fact that I am a successful businesswoman who has a very decent job that can really allow me to travel all around the world whenever I want, the truth is that I am aware of the fact that it is extremely important that I do my best in order to make sure that I have enough skills for the tasks that I have to complete at work. In fact, I do my best in order to be job ready and that’s exactly why I often take part in some courses to be able to produce a better job in the company.

Keeping this in mind, I would personally advise all of you to take some time to discover the best elearning courses which are now provided by Learn.com, which is a the worldwide leading company on on-demand workforce development and productivity, making sure that you always have the needed skills to do a great job and, who knows, get promoted in just a few months! Moreover, with the courses provided by Learn.com you will have the chance to take part in courses that will help you understand the current business world and courses that will make sure that you have all the computer skills needed to produce a great job in your company.

So, would you like to produce a better job so that you could be promoted? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to read more about these courses on the link above.

Games are playing an important role

Do you still think that games are only for children? Do you honestly think that there is nothing you may learn from them? If you think they do, then you definitely need to read the msnbc.com article just below and see with your own eyes how that industry has developed:

"

By Winda Benedetti

Citizen Gamer

msnbc.com

I’ve spent the last several days carefully crafting a little something I like to call “A Foul Fowl.” It’s a game that requires players to traverse a strange planet and get to the bottom of a vast conspiracy. There are innocent lives to be saved. There are mutant farm animals to be subdued. There is lots and lots of shooting to be done.

Or at least, I hope there will be by the time I’m finally finished. I have to admit, I’ve been a bit obsessed with “A Foul Fowl” which, to be honest, is not exactly a full game per se, but rather one mission within the larger game known as “Spore Galactic Adventures.” Still, I can’t stop tinkering with it. I want to get my mission just right before I share it with the world.

And share it I will.

“Galactic Adventures,” which launched this week, is the first expansion for “Spore” and one that gives players the tools they need to create their own gameplay adventures and to then share those adventures so that other people can play them. It’s also the latest entry in the growing gaming phenomenon known as “user-generated content.”

Increasingly, gamers aren’t just “players,” they’re often “creators” as well. “Player expression” and “user-generated content” were two of the phrases buzzing about this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. It seems game makers everywhere are trying to come up with ways to help game players unleash their inner creative genius.

In April, the online game “City of Heroes” launched “Mission Architect” — an expansion that gives players the tools to create missions and then publish them for others to play. At E3, Nintendo showed off “WarioWare D.I.Y.” — an upcoming DS game that will let players design their own micro-games from scratch and then share them with others. Meanwhile, next week, Microsoft will launch “Kodu,” a programming tool that allows even novice players to create and share their very own Xbox 360 games.

Express yourself
Blame it on the Internet … and YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Everywhere you look these days, media consumers are becoming media makers. It seems everyone wants to create stuff and share it with the world … gamers included.

“I think players and people in general have stories they want to tell,” says Matt Miller, “City of Heroes” lead designer. “Everybody has that Great American Novel in them, and this is our outlet for them.”

With “Mission Architect,” “City of Heroes” players craft their own unique missions and story arcs by using a series of easy-to-navigate menus. They type in the story details and dialogue they want players to encounter. They select the goals players will be tasked with and design the enemies they’ll face off against. And then they post it for all to play.

Miller says they’ve been stunned by the response: Within 24 hours of the launch, players had put together 3,800 story arcs. As of this week, more than 200,000 missions have been published.

“I think that the desire to create is universal and has always been there, but now the tools are making it more accessible,” says Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo executive VP of sales and marketing.

Indeed, user-generated content in gaming is not new. For years, games like “Quake” and “Half-Life” have spawned communities dedicated to creating their own modified levels. But these days, it’s no longer just the savviest gamers who are getting in on the action.

When Sony launched “LittleBigPlanet” last year, they brought the user-generated concept into living rooms in a big-big way. The game gave PlayStation 3 owners approachable tools with which they could craft some seriously stunning levels. And players loved it — so far they have designed more than 800,000 of their own “LBP” levels.

At E3, Sony executives unveiled the next installment in what they’re calling their “Play, Create, Share” line of games. “ModNation Racers” is a PS3 kart-racing game that allows gamers to craft their own tracks for others to take a spin on. Check out this video to see just how easy it will be.

And that’s the key — ease of use. At long last, companies are coming up with ways to make gaming creation so easy that even a child can do it. In fact, that’s exactly what “Kodu” aims to be — a programming environment that even 9-year-olds could use to build their very own games. Scheduled to arrive via Xbox Live next week, “Kodu” is currently being used in schools to teach programming.

Preparing our summer holidays

Now that the summer is already showing us that it is about time that we prepare our holidays, the truth is that many of us are still wondering where to go this year, right? In fact, that’s one of the problems that stick to my mind during the year!

Keeping this in mind, I would personally say that when we are planning our holidays, we should really do some research before deciding where to go. Personally, I believe that by doing some research we are able to know which attractions we are able to find in the destinations that we may pick, we will also be able to know the currency that is used on that particular area, discover which are the main attractions and many other great things that we should know before deciding anything! Moreover, I recognize that this year is extremely important that we also find some cheap holidays so that we can take the most out of our holidays without menacing our financial balance.

In what relates to the destinations that we may pick, I would say that the beaches in Spain, the pyramids in Egypt, the amazing Greek monuments and museums and Ibiza Island are some of the best destinations that we may pick! Furthermore, if you have a look at the links above, you will be able to find some great deals on the best resorts in these destinations, making sure that you can really take the most out of any destination that you may pick while also staying in an amazing resort that will make you feel like a superstar! So, if you would like to depart from the UK and enjoy the cheapest and more memorable holidays of your life, then you should definitely take some time to discover more about the amazing offers that you will be able to find on the website to which I have linked above.

Have you ever lost your train tickets?

If you have never lost your train tickets while traveling all around the world, then you don't really know how lucky you are! In fact, it has already happened to me many times and I didn't know what to do! Below is another msnbc.com article which tells you one of those experiences:

"

By Christopher Elliott

Travel columnist

Tribune Media Services

Q: I'm trying to get a refund for lost train tickets, and I need your help. I bought two Amtrak tickets for my sister and me to travel from Osceola, Iowa, to Denver, recently. Then I discovered that my husband, thinking that the envelope contained old information from a recent Amtrak trip I'd taken to Colorado, threw the tickets away.

When I contacted Amtrak, I was told that "lost tickets are lost money" and I would have to pay the conductor on the train for the lost tickets. If I found the tickets within a year, I could have a cash refund minus 10 percent or use them for future travel within that year.

Of course, I will not find those tickets because they went out with the garbage. Is there any suggestion that you could give me so that I do not have to pay twice for the same tickets? I'm really frustrated.
— Diane Stephany, Des Moines, Iowa

A: Amtrak should be able to reissue your ticket without charging more. In fact, when I reviewed your letter, I though this must be a simple misunderstanding. How could any travel company issue a paper ticket in 2009?

Then again, we're talking about Amtrak.

Don't get me wrong. I think passenger rail is the future of transportation. Light rail and high-speed trains are more efficient, greener alternatives to fossil-fuel consuming cars and trucks. I take the train whenever it's an option — which, unfortunately, isn't very often.

Virtually all airline tickets are now electronic, meaning that you don't get a real ticket, but a confirmation number. When you arrive at the airport, you check in and are issued a boarding pass by the airline. Amtrak should be able to implement a similar system.

Still, Amtrak is clear about its ticket policy. "Your tickets have value," it warns on its Web site. "Please safeguard your tickets as you would cash. Amtrak is not liable for lost, stolen, misplaced or destroyed tickets."

I checked into Amtrak's refund rules. When you lose a ticket, Amtrak requires the purchase of a replacement ticket. Some travelers who buy a more expensive ticket are eligible for a partial refund of the second fare by filling out a lost ticket refund application, either online or through a station agent.

But there's a $75 service fee and a five-month waiting period, to assure that the original tickets were never used.

Next time you travel by train, keep your tickets locked up somewhere safe with your passports and other valuables. Treat them as if they're cash. I hope Amtrak can find a better way of handling tickets in the future, but until it does, you have to work within the system.

I contacted Amtrak on your behalf. As a one-time exception to this policy, it offered you and your sister a travel voucher for the total value of the original tickets that were accidentally thrown away.

The importance of video production

When considering all my experience as a businesswoman, I would personally say that marketing and videos really play an important role whenever we need to promote a new product, service or anything similar. In fact, even on our daily life we may also use videos to spread the word about something important, to have some fun, etc and that’s exactly why I have been looking for the best services on video production DC!

Fortunately, as you will be able to see when you visit the link above, I have already found the perfect company for all my needs of video production. As a matter of fact, 522productions.com is the ideal company for anyone looking to produce some amazing videos that can really play an important role in your life. Moreover, the website is so unbelievably user-friendly and easy to navigate that I am sure that in a matter of minutes you will be convinced of the wide range of possibilities that come with these video production services in Washington DC, Virginia, Baltimore, and Maryland.

So, have you always wanted to produce some videos and see how it all works? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to take some of your time to visit the website to which I have linked above and discover how you can easily change your life!

Airlines charging for Internet services

Do you often use Internet access while you are on a plane? If that's the case, then you will be sorry to know that many airlines are now considering the possibility of making us pay to take full advantage of the Internet services while we are traveling! In fact, as you may read from the msnbc.com new below, it will start to happen really soon:

"

DALLAS - Southwest Airlines Co. will start charging for Internet access on board four of its planes beginning Wednesday.

The airline said Monday it will charge $2 to $12 depending on the length of the flight and the type of device passengers use to connect to the Internet.

Southwest has been testing in-flight Internet access on the four planes for several months free of charge to passengers with a laptop or other device.

Southwest and other airlines see potential revenue in charging passengers to surf the Web or check e-mail during flights.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and AMR Corp.'s American Airlines have announced plans to install Internet access on more than 300 planes each, although far fewer have been completed. Both are charging up to $12.95 — less on shorter flights and for using a handheld device instead of a laptop computer.

"

My summer trip

As a woman who really loves to travel all around the world during the summer, the truth is that I often end up wondering where I should go next and enjoy my summer vacations. In fact, this summer I am really looking forward to travel to Thailand so that I can discover a bit more about this fantastic country that really fascinates me with the amazing cultural diversity and the beautiful cities!

Keeping this in mind, I have already been doing some research and I found some amazing deals on Accor Hotels in Bangkok. Personally, I believe that Bangkok is definitely the city I am going to choose to spend some weeks during this summer because I really love the markets on the city, the nigh life in Bangkok, the botanical parks, the enormous gardens, etc! Furthermore, there are many other interesting attractions for me to see on the city but I would like to save some space for the surprise effect so I am going to travel without programming them in advance. In what relates to the Hotels and the amenities that I am getting in there, I would personally love to go to the spa and the relaxation massages so that I can recover some energy and get ready for a new year of work!

So, would you like to travel to the Asian Pacific this summer? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to visit the link above and see with your own eyes how incredible is the possibility of saving up to 60% when booking on-line between 23 - 29 June, for stays between July 10 and September 30, 2009. Could we really ask for more?

Recession is taking people to the zoo

When considering your favorite destinations in your own city, do the city zoo come to your mind as one of your favorite? Well, it may not be but the truth is that an increasing number of people are now taking the most out of the zoo because they can't affor a bigger travel as you will be able to witness by reading the msnbc.com article just below:

"

CINCINNATI - To draw visitors, zoos count on gentle giraffes rolling out their long tongues to grasp treats, stingrays gliding through a pool to be petted and the playful tussling of tiger cubs. This year they're also getting help from the recession.

Zoos in cities including Cincinnati, St. Louis, Baltimore, Kansas City, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn., report higher attendance as consumers look for affordable entertainment closer to home.

"We are trying to be more careful in our spending, and this is a great way to do that and be with family," said Noelle Bragg, 42, of Springboro, about 35 miles from Cincinnati. "Gas prices are rising again, and we don't have to drive far to have a really good time."

Bragg, her son and nephew had just finished feeding a giraffe at the Cincinnati Zoo.

More than 58 percent of 120 members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums responding to an April survey reported attendance increases year-over-year.

Attendance at the Cincinnati Zoo rose 34 percent — to more than 372,000 visitors — in the first five months of this year.

At the Saint Louis Zoo, which charges for some attractions but not admission, attendance jumped 13 percent to 1.2 million visitors as of June 4. The increase surprised zoo officials, who had planned for a potential drop in visitors because of major road construction.

While certain exhibits — such as Zoo Babies in Cincinnati and a rain forest exhibit in Kansas City — help push the numbers up, the bad economy also pushed visitors through the gates.

"It's difficult to know exactly, but we're speculating that the economy is a factor," said Eric Miller, senior vice president at the Saint Louis Zoo. "Also, when people are stressed, they seem to turn more to family events and entertainment. A lot of zoos saw an upturn after 9/11."

Zoos say memberships allowing unlimited visits annually and benefits such as discounts for special events are appealing to economy-minded consumers. The Cincinnati Zoo's household memberships were up more than 6 percent to about 47,000 by the end of May.

Sarah Anderson, of Cincinnati, her husband and 1-year-old son have visited the zoo six or seven times this year on their membership.

"If our son gets cranky, we can go home and not feel like we've wasted our money," Anderson, 26, said as she pushed her son in a stroller at the giraffe exhibit.

Attendance has grown even as some zoos deal with funding cuts.

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore reports about the same number of visitors as last year but the 2009 season is shorter. The zoo closed longer this winter to offset state funding cuts and prevent staff reductions.

Attendance climbed to more then 54,000 in April — the first full month of operation — compared with nearly 48,000 last April, and family memberships were up about 10 percent, zoo spokeswoman Jane Ballentine said.

The Kansas City Zoo's budget was cut 20 percent last year, while attendance has increased about 32 percent over the first five months of 2008 and memberships are up about 8 percent. The zoo cut staff and is closing an hour earlier to help reduce labor costs.

The zoo is using the economy in its marketing.

"All our ads talk about the value of zoo visits to families," Director Randy Whistoff said.

Zoos say another financial attraction for consumers is that many zoos around the country honor each other's memberships with free or discounted admission.

General admission can range from $6 to more than $20 for adults and $3 to more than $15 for children depending on the zoo, but the average basic admission runs about $10 to $13 for adults and $6 to $8 for children, said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Many zoos offer higher priced "best value" admissions that cover parking and admission to attractions that might not be covered by general admission. At the San Diego Zoo, a one-day "best value" ticket that includes unlimited use of zoo buses and an aerial tram costs $35 for adults and $26 for children.

While the Memphis Zoo also reported higher attendance — up 16 percent to more than 410,000 — the Denver Zoo and the North Carolina Zoo are tracking about the same as last year. Officials say that's still good news amid continual weekend storms in Denver and concern about natural falloff from the high turnout for last year's debut of a new elephant and rhino exhibit.

"We're happy that we're holding our own when a lot of other attractions are losing attendance," said North Carolina Zoo spokesman Tom Gillespie. "We seem to be getting more local people staying closer to home this year."

If there's a downside for zoos, it may be in visitors' spending once they arrive.

"We've seen a little softening on the gift side of concessions and more conservative spending on private parties and company picnics," said Denver Zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie. "I think people are trying to be more frugal."

Bragg's mother appreciates the chance to keep the wallet closed once through the gates.

"You don't have to spend anything extra if don't want to. You can even bring your own snacks," said Virginia Giron, of Centerville. She brings her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the Cincinnati Zoo on her annual membership, which cost about $150.

"

Finding the best electrician services

When considering the things that I love the most in my life, my house is definitely one of them! As a matter of fact, I really do my best in order to make sure that my house is always maintained with the best gardening and electrician services, so that I can feel confident about my house whenever I invite someone to dinner in my house.

Keeping this in mind, it took me years to find reliable, high quality and guaranteed electrician services in my area but I personally believe that I finally found the ideal Atlanta Electrician services, as you will be able to witness when you visit the website to which I have linked just above. Moreover, all those electrician services are provided by experienced electricians who have already deal with a wide range of situations in their jobs, making sure that they will also be able to solve any problem that you may find at home too!

So, do you live in Atlanta and are you looking for specialized services in safety inspections, site lighting, generators, new wiring, pole setting and ceiling fan installation amongst many others? If that’s the case, then I am sure that you will benefit from a visit to the website to which I have linked above and the great and high quality services provided by the company.

Museum celebrates the life of Walt Disney

Who has never heard about Walt Disney and his creations? Well, I am sure that we have all grown up watching his movies and discovering the adventures of Mickey Mouse and many other amazing characters that we know from the series! Keeping this in mind, a museum is now honoring the life of the man who started it all as you may discover by reading the msnbc.com article just below:

"

SAN FRANCISCO - He's the reason adults of a certain age can't stop themselves from finishing the song line beginning "M-I-C-K-E-Y," the force causing untold legions to see marching mops when they hear the rousing strains of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

But the story of Walt Disney the man sometimes gets forgotten in the telling of his legend. Descendants of the 20th-century innovator hope to fix that disconnect with The Walt Disney Family Museum, opening this fall in San Francisco.

"My dad's story is an inspirational story," Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, said. "I want people to understand his character and how he pursued his career."

And have fun.

"Our museum will be entertaining," she said. "That's what dad was all about."

Since Disney's death at 65 in 1966, some of the coverage of the man behind the mouse hasn't been the happiest thing on Earth, starting with the oddly persistent falsehood that his body was cryogenically frozen. He was cremated and buried.

Meanwhile, the icon has become so distinct from the person that some younger people think "Walt Disney" is a made-up corporate character, said Richard Benefield, founding executive director of the new museum.

Even for those who know, the story can get confused.

"People remember very specific things about Walt and it's bits and pieces and you don't necessarily remember them in a collective way," Benefield said.

Seeing Disney's work in one place — the cutting-edge animation, the theme parks, the technological advancements — "the order of magnitude is pretty outstanding," he said.

Still under construction, with an opening date of Oct. 1, the museum will feature 10 galleries, starting with Disney's beginnings on a Missouri farm. Among the artifacts is the form on which a 16-year-old Disney lied about his age (changing his birth date from 1901 to 1900) to train as a Red Cross ambulance driver in World War I France; he arrived as the war ended. Exhibits include listening stations and more than 200 video monitors as well as interactive displays.

The museum consists of three historic buildings that have been redesigned and upgraded by Page & Turnbull of San Francisco, with interior architecture and installations by the Rockwell Group. It is set in the Presidio, a former Army base with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge. That puts it, said Benefield, "in the center of the animation universe right now" with Lucasfilm Ltd. to the north and Pixar to the east.

Across the San Francisco Bay, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter is delighted about the new venture.

"Not only will it be a great illustration of Walt's life and career, but also his impact on entertainment and the medium of animation," said Lasseter, who studied under former Disney artists at the California Institute for the Arts, where he earned a film degree, and worked as a Disney animator early in his career. "I really think it will become one of the must-see places in San Francisco."

Exhibits highlight Disney innovations from synchronizing sound to a cartoon to fully capitalizing on the marvels of Technicolor to developing the multiplane camera to add depth to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," which was dubbed "Disney's folly" until it opened to wild acclaim.

The Oscar statuettes — one full size and seven little ones — awarded to that film will be on display. In all, Disney won a record 32 Academy Awards.

"His ideas were way beyond what was being done in Hollywood. He kept pushing the technology of animation and that is something that at Pixar we've always been doing as well," notes Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios.

(The Walt Disney Co. bought Pixar in 2006. The Disney Co. is collaborating on the project, but the $110 million museum, co-founded by Miller and her son Walter E.D. Miller, is an independent project fully funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation.)

The story of Walt Disney is one of lows as well as highs and Benefield said the museum won't shy away from the former. "We're just putting it out there," he said.

After the success of "Snow White," the movie "Fantasia" (1940) got mixed reviews — years later it would become a success — and nearly bankrupted the studio. Then came a strike at Disney Studios followed by the war years when the company was essentially taken over by the military. The museum will deal with the strike, which was bitter, and includes Disney's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Although it's not finished yet, what looks to be a visually arresting feature of the museum deals with Disney's fascination with trains, a hobby that eventually led him to create Disneyland. Visitors walking down a spiral ramp will pass a track suspended from the roof holding the "Lilly Belle," the 1/8 scale-model train Disney ran on a half-mile track around his home.

Disneyland would become the model of a modern theme park. It was also the place where a young Lasseter learned comic timing, telling "wonderful bad jokes" as a captain of the Jungle Cruise ride.

"What is so great about this museum is really teaching people about the man behind the name, the man behind all this great work," Lasseter says. "What I'm so excited about is for people to learn how creative this guy was and what an innovator he was."

"

Important mobile phone accessories

As a businesswoman who knows the importance of communication for the success of any business or company, the truth is that I often recommend the managers to offer better communication services to the workers of the company, whenever innovative communication services and gadgets are available.

Keeping this in mind, I am a lover of mobile phone gadgets and mobile phone accessories and I often search for them across the Internet. Still, there are so many websites selling these accessories that I really had to discover the best one selling this type of gadgets. As a matter of fact, I have recently discovered mobilefun.de which is, in my opinion, the best online store for anyone looking for the best Handyzubehör (which are mobile accessories in German) such as Handytaschen (mobile phone cases in German) and Blackberry Zubehör (Blackberry accessories in German). Personally, I think that the enormous variety of accessories, which you can easily buy with PayPal or credit card, will definitely make sure that you will be able to find something that really appeals to you, allowing you to get better communications and add important new features to your mobile phone with the new accessories that you are buying from mobilefun.de online store. Furthermore, as most mobile phone brands are available on the website, I am sure that anyone can find anything for the mobile phone that you own! Moreover, the website is so user-friendly and easy to navigate that I am sure that in a matter of seconds you will be in the section where you can find the accessories that you are looking for.

So, would you like to buy some new important mobile phone accessories and gadgets to enhance your communications? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to take some of your free time to visit the website to which I have linked just above and see with your own eyes how incredibly easy it is to buy vital mobile phone accessories online.

Watch out for hidden airlines fees

Even considering the fact that the current financial downturn is menacing us all and that airlines really have to offer us the best prices, the truth is that we often find some hidden fees that can really surprise us! In fact, as you will discover by reading the msnbc.com article below, that's what happens most of the times:

"

MINNEAPOLIS - As if charging $15 to check a bag weren't enough, two airlines are asking for $5 more beginning this summer if you pay at the check-in counter — a fee on top of a fee.

Of course, you could always pay your baggage fee from home. The airlines call it the "online discount."

If airlines can get away with that, what's next? Rather than raise fares in the middle of a recession, they're piling on fees to make money — fees for bags, fees to get through the line faster, even fees for certain seats.

United Airlines alone expects to rake in more than $1 billion this year in fees ranging from baggage to accelerated frequent-flier awards. That's more than 5 percent of its revenue.

The most likely new fees are those that some airline, somewhere, has tried. Fees usually originate with one or two airlines, and competitors watch to see whether passengers accept them or revolt. For instance:

• US Airways and United are hitting passengers up for $5 to pay their baggage fees at the airport instead of online. United implemented the fee June 10, while US Airways will put it into effect July 9.

• If you want to select an exit row seat on AirTran and enjoy the extra legroom, expect to cough up $20.

• Allegiant Air, a smaller national discount airline, charges a $13.50 "convenience fee" for online purchases, even though most other carriers encourage purchases direct from their Web site.

• European discounter Ryanair charges for something everyone has to do if they want to fly: check in. It's 5 euros, or about $6.75, to check in online, double for passengers who pay at the airport. Ryanair plans to eliminate airport check-in desks.

• Spanish airline Vueling charges a fee to pick a seat. Any seat at all. A "basic" seat behind the wing runs 3 euros. For 30 euros, travelers can choose an aisle or window seat and guarantee that the middle seat will remain empty.

"They need to chill out with those," said a frustrated Jim Engineer, a public relations executive waiting for a flight out of New York's LaGuardia. "Charging for a glass of water and seats just translates into unhappy customers."

As recently as last year, most fliers only came across a fee if they checked three bags or sent a minor child across the country. Most people, most of the time, traveled fee-free.

But that began to change last spring. Spiking jet fuel prices and passenger resistances to higher fares started airlines looking around the cabin for things they could charge extra for.

Passengers are finding it's a lot easier for the airlines to add the fees than to take them away.

"They're going to keep nudging them up until they run into market resistance," said Ed Perkins, a contributing editor at the Web site Smarter Travel.

That's what happened at US Airways. It tried for seven months to charge for soda and water but gave up in March after no other airlines took up the idea. And Delta scaled back a plan to charge $50 to check a second bag on all international flights. Instead, the charge will apply only on flights to Europe.

United has been a leader in finding ways to charge passengers separately for things. Some are for perks coach travelers used to get for free, like food. Others are new services altogether, like United's door-to-door luggage service via FedEx.

Airlines say fees are part of "a la carte" pricing that allows them to hold the line on fares. Rather than charge higher fares to everyone, they say, passengers can pick and choose the extras they want to pay for.

Ideas for fees don't come out of thin air. Last month in Miami most of the big U.S. carriers and many overseas airlines attended a conference devoted to a-la-carte pricing and fees. (Motto, next to a cartoon of an airliner: "Discovering the flying store.")

Some fees stretch the imagination: The CEO of European discount carrier Ryanair has floated the idea of charging for lavatory use and sick bags. But even he hasn't gone ahead with what appears to have been a publicity-seeking gambit, and no other carrier has suggested such a charge.

Still, there's no rule against such a fee in the U.S., according to the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Holdings Inc. say they have no plans to tack a fee on to carry-on bags, an idea that would almost certainly annoy passengers just getting used to paying for checked baggage.

It would also put airline workers in the awkward position of deciding whether that bag on your arm is a big purse, presumably free, or a lumpy suitcase. Already, fees for checked bags have made finding space in the overhead bin tougher.

And even if carry-on bags stay free, United is already offering a "Premier Line" check-in for $25. It allows fliers to get through check-in and security faster and board earlier.

That guarantees some of that precious overhead space — so in a way, it's like a carry-on fee, said Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks Co., an airline consultant who has written a guidebook for airlines seeking "ancillary revenue," the industry term for fees and extra services such as airline credit cards.

Matthew J. Bennett, CEO of FirstClassFlyer.com, said he thinks travelers in the front of the plane will remain immune from the nickle-and-dime fees airlines aim at coach passengers.

For those in coach, though, "What they are going to charge for in the future is anything that's not bolted down."

"They've already gotten sufficient revenue from them," Bennett said. "All they're saying to coach-class travelers is 'We really haven't gotten enough from you.'"

"

Finding the perfect jewelry

Even considering the fact that I am a woman who plays an important role in the company, the truth is that I am a lover of good music and nice beats! In fact, I love some hip hop songs that my son often shows. Moreover, he often refers to the jewelry that he sees on the video clips, insisting that I should buy some jewelry for him too…

Keeping this in mind, I have already searched the Internet for the best website where I can buy those jewels for the best prices, allowing me to surprise my son with something that he will love! Personally, I have already picked up the spinner that you may see just below:



Would you like to surpise your son with something similar? If you would, then you definitely need to have a look at this Bling Bling Jewelry and I am sure that you will also find something that your son will love. In fact, I am sure that my son will be able to stand out from the crowd with a lot of style!

Grand Canyon may be dangerous

Have you ever considered the possibility of traveling to the Grand Canyon Park and enjoy some relaxing moments there? Would you be prepared to do so? If you don't know which dangers you will find there, then you definitely need to read the msncbc.om article below and discover how you can easily be surprised if you are unprepared:

"

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. - Frank Poole worked out at a gym and hiked around his Mississippi home carrying a weighted pack for months in preparation for his trip to the Grand Canyon.

But it wasn't long after Poole started hiking on a popular Grand Canyon trail that he was struggling to breathe. Several hours later, he was in a northern Arizona hospital, where doctors determined the 75-year-old Poole had suffered a heart attack.

"I never suspected I was having a heart attack," Poole said recently from his home in Oxford, Miss. "I just thought it was the heat and extra exertion, the altitude and things like that. I was just so naive."

At the Flagstaff Medical Center — northern Arizona's only Level I trauma center, and the place where Poole was treated — officials have a name for the spring and summer months when many tourists travel to the canyon. They call it "Grand Canyon Season."

Emergency workers at the park and hospital officials know they'll start seeing more people with injuries or those who, like Poole, didn't know they had underlying health conditions that surfaced during the strenuous hikes at the canyon.

The canyon lures millions of people each year with its colorful landscape, immense size, and awe-inspiring geology. But it presents obstacles that can leave even experienced hikers emerging sore and fatigued, including scorching heat during summer months, an altitude of 7,000 feet, and steep, rocky, winding trails.

"There's a million ways you can hurt yourself down there," said Lon Ayers, who works in the park's backcountry office.

The last few weeks have illustrated that.

In late April, an Ohio man fell 60 feet when he was peering over the edge of the canyon and lost his balance. Two days later, two teenagers and a young man who were swimming in the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon were swept away and drowned. Another injury occurred when a mule lost its footing on a trail, fell and rolled over the passenger it was carrying.

Falls, fatigue, extreme temperatures and horseplay at national parks around the country lead to nearly 3,600 search and rescue operations each year, according to 2007 figures. The park service also responds to 16,000 emergency medical calls a year for anything from abrasions to twisted ankles, heat stroke and cardiac arrest, said Dean Ross, NPS branch chief of emergency services in Washington, D.C.

Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more rescues than at any other park, including 300 helicopter rescues a year, said Ross.

People who come prepared, bringing plenty of snacks and water, and who pace themselves and listen to their bodies fare the best.

"Don't be afraid to try it, (but) take it easy," said Dave Florence of Green Bay, Wis., who recently completed a 40-mile, five-day hike at the canyon.

But hikers don't always heed warnings from rangers and on signs posted around the canyon.

Allan Widener of Louisville, Ky., recently took the Bright Angel trail just off the canyon's South Rim. After a park staff member strongly recommended that Widener not head down without water, the hiker quipped that, "I don't drink water, I drink Coke."

On the way back from his 1½ mile hike, leaning against the canyon wall in a shady spot, the 48-year-old said he wished he'd had something to drink.

Park rangers say they generally encounter three types of people hiking in the canyon. There are the strong-headed ones, usually in their teens and 20s who have an invincibility complex and will go against recommendations. Others are excited and unprepared but willing to change plans if needed.

Then there are people like Albert Shank, who are prepared and generally stick to plans they've made, but sometimes get in trouble because of circumstance or because they made a bad decision, said Marc Yeston, deputy chief ranger.

Shank was about 28 miles into what was supposed to be a 42-mile rim-to-rim run in April when his legs started cramping and his body refused to keep down any food or water. He nearly collapsed on a park bench and spent several hours having saline pumped into his body before he was able to walk out of the canyon.

The Arizona State University faculty associate, who often runs distances longer than marathons, had plenty of water, energy bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but not enough electrolytes or salty food.

"

Finding the best bank CD rates

As a businesswoman who tends to share important advice based on experience, I would personally say that it is vital that we are always informed about the latest updates on the most important bank rates so that we are prepared to invest our money or take any other important action.

So, would you like to find the best bank CD rates? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to have a look at the website to which I have linked just above. In fact, I personally believe that website is, by far, the best place for you to be informed about the best bank rates.

Kids flying solo

How do you feel about kids flying solo? Would you agree that it is unsafe? Well, even if we consider the recent events, the truth is that there are still many children flying solo and it seems that there isn't much we can do about it... Below is another msnbc.com article showing you how it all works:

"

Tension has now faded to laughter, but recently the Drake family “went to war.” Their two-week standoff fueled a covert plot on one side, and a power play on the other — all over plans to jet a little girl alone across the country for vacation.

Battle lines were drawn between KeJuana Drake and her mother, Burnice. Too swamped with work and school to travel, KeJuana wanted to fly her 9-year-old daughter solo from Washington, D.C., direct to the West Coast to visit a favorite aunt. The kid was on cloud nine. But grandma Burnice balked, arguing it’s harmful to send children unescorted on airliners.

Schemes were hatched. KeJuana decided to secretly buy the ticket anyway — “ask for forgiveness later rather than permission up front,” she figured. Burnice countered, purchasing a round-trip ticket for KeJuana to coax her to accompany her granddaughter.

“Mom,” KeJuana later admitted, “trumps all.” KeJuana will sit next to her daughter on June 27 as a Northwest Airlines flight carries both to Los Angeles. The next day, KeJuana will return to Washington. And after hearing how Continental Airlines mistakenly placed two different unaccompanied girls (aged 8 and 10) on the wrong Continental Express flights to the wrong cities last weekend, Burnice is truly savoring her victory.

“Yes, I am!” she said. “I don’t like for children to be put into adult situations and, in my opinion, flying alone puts a 9-year-old in an adult situation. It can be stressful and traumatic for a child to be alone on a plane. Stuff can happen.”

Parents, grandparents reconsider
In the wake of the Continental errors — and on the cusp of summer, when thousands of unattended kids zoom across time zones en route to camps or to see divorced moms and dads — many parents and grandparents are re-thinking how and when children should go it alone.

Every major carrier accepts and offers special attention to unescorted flyers starting at age 5. On United Airlines, solo-flying kids must wear red-and-white buttons so flight crews can identify them. On Southwest Airlines, unattended children are introduced to the flight attendants. Still, parental nerves seem more frayed over the issue, experts say.

At the Family Travel Network, an online magazine and trip-planning hub, many parental e-mails are this week tinged with vapor-trail jitters.

“This is peak season for unaccompanied minors and what happened with Continental is every parent’s nightmare,” said Nancy Schretter, the site’s managing editor. “You know, some parents won’t even let their 5-year-olds play outside alone. And with those two Continental flights, the parents looked like they did all the right things, had everything set up.

“Now a lot of parents are asking: is my child old enough to do this? A lot of parents are re-evaluating that. It’s a critical question,” Schretter said. “Are they mature enough? Can the child ask the right questions (while onboard)? There’s no excuse for these (Continental) situations, no way. But parents should be asking themselves: am I really comfortable with my kids flying alone?”

For New York City-area mom Molly Gordy, Continental would have been “the more convenient choice” on which to transport her 11-year-old daughter, Sophie, alone to Milwaukee to visit her grandparents.

“Instead and fortunately, according to the latest news, we went (with) Midwest Airlines” for her daughter’s June 26 solo flight, Gordy said. And she paid more to do it. She felt a smaller airline and more intimate service would be a better fit for Sophie. “What I care about is a human being who cares about my child.”

Policies differ by airline
At what age do unattended minors still require gate-to-gate handholding? That debate extends well beyond family dinner tables. Even the carriers don’t have a consensus. On Southwest, unaccompanied-child service is available only for passengers between ages 5 and 11.

Asked why the airline deemed age 12 as being old enough to fly alone as an adult, Southwest spokesman Paul Flannigan couldn’t initially provide an answer. He asked around at company headquarters in Dallas and later still couldn’t explain the policy, responding by e-mail: “No one I talked to could tell me why our UM (unaccompanied minor) policy addresses the ages that we currently have. Basically, we follow standards and guidelines that are dictated by the industry.”

Delta Airlines, in contrast, will provide extra attention to riders who are 17 — if parents request it and pay a $100 fee. (All the major airlines charge for the service). However, Delta also leads the U.S airline industry in complaints when it comes to their handling of unaccompanied minors. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, customers have lodged 23 complaints against Delta since 2007 about its treatment of solo-flying kids. (Delta did not respond to an interview request for this story).

US Airways received 19 complaints in that category. Continental has been tagged with seven complaints over that same span regarding its care of unaccompanied minors.

At Continental, spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said Wednesday the carrier’s unaccompanied-minor policies are solid and work well if the employees adhere to them. In a statement earlier this week, Cripe blamed the two weekend mistakes on “miscommunication” among gate staff.

“We are working with employees to reinforce the procedures that we have in place,” Cripe said in an interview. “The established procedures are effective when followed.”

Complaints down this year
So far in 2009, complaints are down against the airlines over their safekeeping of unattended kids — on pace for 22 this year, according to DOT. Last year, there were 53 such complaints, and in 2007 there were 41. But summer has not officially begun. And the airlines are not required to report such incidents to the government.

At the Family Travel Network in McLean, Va., questions are surging and the advice is flowing, Schretter said. Parents are being reminded to have their unescorted kids memorize flight numbers and destination cities, and to have children practice reciting the vital question they should always ask flight attendants upon boarding: “Am I on the right plane?”

Equipping kids with cell phones is another useful tool. And, Schretter suggested, parents might consider sticking to larger carriers when flying children unattended — particularly when a connecting flight is involved. Bigger airlines typically park one plane at each gate vs. smaller airlines which sometimes funnel passengers down a jetway and outside where several planes are waiting.

“With the small, regional jets, they have these cattle chutes where the kids go out,” Schretter said. “There is one door and all these little planes, and it’s sort of like an accident waiting to happen.”

"

The important role played by prepaid debit cards

Credit cards are surely one of the best friends that any person may have but the truth is that there are still loads of people who don’t feel secure when paying with their credit cards. In fact, there are normally fees directly related to the credit cards that sometimes surprise us and it is also a bit unsafe to allow children to use our credit cards when shopping online.

Keeping this in mind, as a woman who is also a mother, I believe that the best option for any mother willing to give a card to a son must consider giving him a Prepaid Debit card which are the safest option for buying on the Internet but also the best way of controlling the expenses of our children. Personally, I would like to recommend NetSpend as the leading provider of these prepaid debit card services in the USA as the company that you can trust when you finally decide to adopt the prepaid debit card concept in your family too, like thousands of other families, just like mine, have already done! In fact, my family tens to use it almost everyday when shopping online!

Taking your kids to a skateboard camp!

When thinking about your summer vacations, would you consider that your kids will love going to the destination that you have picked up already? If you believe that the kids will be bored, then you definitely need to consider the possibility of taking them to the skateboard camp that is being described in the msnbc.com article just below:

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By Eileen Ogintz

Tribune Media Services

Amazing. It's vacation and the teens are awake and ready to roll before 8 a.m.!

That's what happens on those rare occasions when they love the itinerary you've planned. Avid skateboarders 12-year-old Max Weinberg, my cousin, and his 13-year-old buddy, Miles Singer, are not only heading to the world's second-largest skateboard park — Black Pearl in the Cayman Islands — but they're going to get tips from the pros, including professional skateboarder and champion snowboarder Shaun White, instantly recognizable his long mane of curly red hair.

The 22-year-old White has come down to Grand Cayman, his parents and sister in tow, to inaugurate Skate Cayman an 11-week summer program through which top pro skateboarders, including Bucky Lasek, Greg Lutzka, Brian Sumner and Chris Cole, will offer kids tips and demonstrations.

"I hope I'm a positive influence," said White, surrounded by awestruck kids in their bright school uniform shirts.

"He does such good tricks and he doesn't get scared or anything," says John McDonald, 10, who admits he gets "kinda scared," when he tries a new trick.

"He's really nice," adds 9-year-old Zion Coe.

"I had older pros who were really nice to me," explains White, adding he's glad for the opportunity to do the same in return. "This is a reward for me."

Besides, he adds, what could be better than testing his latest tricks at this huge skate park, while sharing an island vacation with his family — snorkeling with the Southern Atlantic stingrays in the crystal-clear water at the island's famous Stingray City, hanging out on Seven Mile Beach's white sand, holding the baby Green Sea Turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm. "This place is great for parents and for kids," adds Shaun White's mom Cathy. "The kids aren't going to be complaining they're bored!"

Teresa Morse, from Grayson, Ky., said her family chose the Cayman Islands to vacation specifically so 11-year-old Fenner could come to this skate park. "We've been here almost every day," she said, snapping photos with an obliging Shaun White.

Single Dad John Seamons, vacationing with his two boys from Colorado, was just as enthusiastic — both for the opportunity for his 10-year-old and 14-year-old and the chance for some "grown-up" time, confident that they were happily occupied at the skate camp. "When I heard about it, I signed up right away," he said.

Skate Cayman is part of a broader Summer Splash promotion aimed at families. Kids under 12 fly free on Cayman Airways (nonstop from New York, Miami and Tampa) eat free at island restaurants and get free admission to local attractions like the Skate Park in the afternoons and the Turtle Farm. Teens can also dive free while parents get a free night when they book for four.

Douglas Cameron, the Canadian who oversees the camp and manages the park and the surf ride attraction next door, stresses that the skate park is as much for local kids as it is for visitors. The park offers 64,000 square feet of ledges, boxes, v-hips, banks and stairs and half pipes, which gives skateboarders a spectacular opportunity to test their mettle. "I can be challenged and so can beginners," says White.

Just as important, this is a safe place where parents can leave older kids on their own, says local Constable Steve Myers, whose son Sean, 8, an avid skateboarder, is a park regular and has joined the camp. "This is a great environment," he says, adding that kids learn comradeship and teamwork here."

Another plus: the facility provides an informal and safe setting for visiting kids to meet and get to know locals. His son, he adds, has made friends from New York, California and Texas, among other places. "They get to understand and respect each other," he says.

That's obvious. The weekend we spend here, Miles and Max opt for the park and their new friends rather than the chance to hit the beach or even sleep in. And, though our hotel — the Westin Casuarina Resort — is right on Seven Mile Beach and boasts a terrific pool complex, the boys are too busy skating to check them out even once (summer rates are $159 plus tax a night — two thirds off winter rates!)

Kids skate under the lights on Friday nights and when they get hot they take a break at the Surf Park, which simulates real surfing with barrel waves. Adults gather for drinks at the outdoor restaurant as music plays and little kids tumble down the bouncy slides set up nearby. "The kids can skate and you can relax," says Terry Sturtevant, a local nurse and mom of a young skater.

Cameron adds that his staff will customize a package for visiting families. "Just get in touch," he says.

The kids at the Skate Camp, meanwhile, have eyes only for Shaun White and pepper the star athlete with questions.
How old was he when he started? (Six)

Was he ever injured?

He crashed mid-air with another skateboarder, broke several bones and had to go to school on Picture Day when he was 11 with two casts and two black eyes. The kids thought that was hilarious.

Does he get nervous?

"Not really," he says, but his mom Cathy, standing by listening, whispers that she can't stand to watch him for fear that he'll get hurt.

The kids watch as Shaun White struts his stuff in the park-flying high in the air, holding onto his skateboard. He makes it seem effortless.

"You don't see that every day," says 10-year-old Aliyha Nelson. That's an understatement.

When White finally leaves, Max, Miles and the rest of the kids don't miss a beat.

There's another trick to practice.

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