Hip Young Things

No secret is safe in the internet age. In some cases this is actually a good thing. Crooked politicians can no longer hide all their dirty secrets and theme parks can’t surpress news of major theme park accidents from the public at large. In fact, with the explosion of camera phones and video sharing sites, most park accidents can be viewed in living color online.

One of the benefits of this transparency is that people can research theme parks before planning a vacation. Statistics are available as to the number and types of accidents at various parks as well as ride-by-ride accident reports. Data gathered by organizations such as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Association of Amusement Ride Safey Officials and the Council for Amusement and Recreation Equipment Safety along with many local and state regulatory agencies compile and analyze data related to accidents and health-related incidents are parks.

Another benefit is that these same agencies are able to share their guidelines and recommendations for safe park visits . There are safety tips and guides available all over the web, some directed at adults, but many suitable for children, that can help ensure everyone has a good time.

Reno and Las Vegas are miles apart, but they do share a lot of the same things. It’s part of the same desert landscape, and there are local things in Reno that rub off on Vegas, and it returns the favor. It’s difficult for the cities not to influence each other, and even the cops on the sitcom have distinctive qualities that seem purely from Vegas. So it’s not a surprise that Dawn Wells hails from Reno, and went on to do some rather spectacular things with her life.

The influence of Vegas did reach her, even in the late 1950s, when she was on her way to winning beauty pageants, and began to have big dreams of becoming a star. Although every girl from her time had dreams of becoming one of the leading sweethearts, not everyone got the great opportunity that she did when she landed the role of the incomparable Mary Ann in Gilligan’s Island. This was a role of a lifetime for anyone, and after three seasons, she’d made it into the hearts and minds of lots of teenagers.

To this day, there are countless conversations and on-line quizzes, of the sort that can tell one about their personality depending on which Beatle is their favorite. But here, the test is to decide who would be the better girlfriend, Mary Ann or Ginger. In Nevada terms, Tina Louise does seem to be the more likely candidate, as she has the dresses that one might see in Las Vegas hotels of the 60s, but it’s not her home the way it is with Dawn Wells.

Wells has had a very active career after the Island, too, going beyond the reunions and movies with most of the members of the original cast. She’s appeared in television and film, and also has her own charity, Wishing Wells Collection , helping people with limited mobility by constructing clothing that suits them particularly, and also works on the Denver Foundation with Gilligan’s wife. She’s still the famous sweetheart!

As the largest city in Portugal, and also its capital, it should come as no surprise that the music scene in this city is incredible. This, among a diverse cultural heritage and numerous artistic expression outlets and entertainment options is one of the great draws the city offers its numerous tourists every year. And they aren’t the only ones who love the music scene here. The residents are also extremely supportive of the venues and musicians that perform there and music is an important aspect of daily life.

Some of the best music venues in the city are some of its top night clubs. These and some of the larger arenas or concert spaces as well as smaller venues including cafes and coffee shops all demonstrate the importance of music to the culture and represent the diversity of the scene. Bugix is a great example of a club that is also a popular place to see and hear live music performance. Every Friday and Saturday night live music is the featured attraction while the patrons enjoy beautiful views of the Tagus River and take advantage of the dance floor that is located upstairs.

Jazz is poplar on Lisbon and other cities across Portugal and many of the clubs and smaller venues cater to this music genre. Hot Clube de Portugal is one of the many, though it stands alone in many ways. It has been in business for more than fifty years and has been a major element in the history of jazz music and performance in the city. The Speakeasy is another great jazz establishment and is one of the smaller and more quiet places in the city. It is great for romantic evenings with a date and also the perfect place to bring close friends for great music but a place that also allows for quality conversations. Flamenco dancing and good food are another great aspect of this establishment.

Regardless of your personal tastes or musical preferences, there is a club or concert venue in Lisbon that will appeal to your style. You will definitely want to explore the music scene in this city if you plan to visit the gorgeous hotels and resorts in Lisbon

Weddings are probably the most classic and traditional of ceremonies in existence today.  However a Japanese couple gave their wedding a unique and modern touch.  A robot.  The I-Fairy is a robot that leads tour groups around museums and other tourist sites in Japan, but with some reprograming it can do much more.

Atlanta is well known for its sports teams and while this is one of the city’s major cultural features, it is also extremely well known and popular for some of the great musical venues and artists that are located in the city. And in addition to the numerous musical artists that are born in this city the great venues and performance establishments attract famous artists as well as the major arenas that host international superstars. Music is an extremely important aspect of the daily lives of most of the citizens of Atlanta and is also one of the primary attractions for the people who visit the city and enjoy a stay in one of the great hotels in Atlanta .

A great example of this is Smith’s Olde Bar which bills itself as a neighborhood joint, though it will be hosting the likes of Jeff Daniels who will perform some original songs onstage there. The relaxed atmosphere belies the impressive line up of performers and the outstanding music that is offered. There are also open mic nights, which are popular with music lovers as well as musicians who are just beginning to get live performance experience. The venue has an intimate atmosphere but can hold an audience of up to 350 people, which is attractive to a lot of visiting bands.

The Opera Nightclub is another great example of venues in the city and represents the diversity of the club scene when compared to Smith’s. In addition to the live concerts that take place here, it is one of the city’s primary dance clubs. Celebrities are attracted to performing there as well as simply showing up to enjoy a great night out. This is one of the locations in Atlanta where you can sometimes rub shoulders on the dance floor with celebrities and vip clients. It is definitely one of the great places in Atlanta to see and be seen in, and this is exactly what many of the citizens do regularly and the tourists enjoy while they are there.

Whether you are a country music fan or not, it is hard to miss the stunning duo Brooks and Dunn. Both successful songwriters, they came together in 1991 and have been making great music ever since. Over the past 19 years they have become one of the top selling groups of this era. In December they announced that although they will no longer be recording together, they were going to do a farewell tour. The tour started on April 23 in Sacramento and, if the first show is any indication, don’t wait to buy tickets because they are selling fast. For information on tour dates and tickets, check out their website.

The Twilight saga has been a phenomenon. Long before the movies were ever released, Twilight was a hit with tween and teen girls across the country.  Once the movies hit theatres, they raked in millions of dollars worth of sales.  With apparel, accessories, and even now comic books Twilight has become one of the biggest brands of the last several years.

Despite the vampire craze sweeping across the country, there is one thing that Twilight is notably without…a video game.  Browsing down the video aisle at the electronic store, you can find a video game for nearly every major action and kid movie to come out in recent years; except Twilight.  Critics are uncertain why this is and say that it will cause franchise owners to miss out on potentially millions of dollars in sales. Follow this link to read more.

Centuries ago, in marshland territory, Dutch and free African settlers in the 1700s, cleared the area and created a pasture, naming it Noortwyck.  The English arrived and conquered the settlement, now known as New Netherland in 1664, and after that became a hamlet distinct from New York City to the South.  It officially became a village in 1712, and then referred to the following year as Grin’wich, and so the famous site of Greenwich Village in New York became a reality  two hundred and ninety-seven years ago.  It grew in size, in 1822, when an epidemic of yellow fever hit New York and citizens fled to the better air of Greenwich Village.  Today, the Village serves as a landmark of Bohemian culture, and a central area for new ideas and movements of all kinds, including politics, art, and culture.  Once the 20th Century began, it was the home of experimental theater and art galleries and small presses.  Today, you’ll find one of the largest legacies in this small area, the Whitney Museum of American Art.

You’ll also find the Cherry Lane Theatre, begun in 1924.  This is the Big Apple’s oldest and continuously operating off-Broadway theater.  It was originally a farm silo in 1817, then a tobacco warehouse, and a box factory.  Then Edna St. Vincent Millay and members of the Provincetown Players transformed the structure in to the Cherry Lane with the play The Man Who Ate the Popomack.   This was a vital company in the 1950s, developing the Theatre of the Absurd and The Living Theater.  It became known as a place where aspiring playwrights could perform their work.

Currently, until March 14th of this year, you can see Extinction by Gabe McKinley, starring two TV stars, James Roday of Psych, and Michael Weston of House and Six Feet Under.  The play is a dark comedy about friendships and what happens when they’re about to become extinct. You may want to stay near these places, so look for these  small hotels in Greenwich Village and New York.  You’ll find these accommodations offer a great deal of charm and character and even architecture.  Stay close to the places you want to see, and do it with the comfort and service that fits you best.

I am always behind on entertainment and after more than ten years, I am finally watching the West Wing. I had never really thought I would like the show much and only started watching it when I friend I trust told me I should. I particularly like the writing for many of the characters.

In the episode I just watched it was season two and once again it was what they refer to as “Big Block of Cheese Day.” A day on which people who would normally never get to meet with high level White House staffers are allowed to discuss their issues with the people who have the President’s ear. This always leads to situations like what happened when the Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality talks to C.J. They are there to tell her that the president should support legislation that makes every school use a specific map that will promote Social Equality better and show the true size of each country. This wouldn’t have been as funny to me if it wasn’t for the part where they flip the map of the world upside down. She tries to protest that you can’t just do that, and when asked why not, this usually composed staff member tells them that it’s freaking her out.

It is writing like this that makes me want to just grab a United States map and travel to Hollywood. I would love to be able to see some of these scripts as they are being put together. For me it is not the actors who become my heroes in shows like this, it is the great team of people behind the scenes that give the actors something to bring to life. I would love to be able to meet with some of them and find out where they get their ideas from and how they manage to find all the right words. That is something that really gives a show like this an extra spark.

I remember the moment I fell in love with William Shakespeare. I don’t mean that in the romantic sense in case anyone has already become disturbed by that statement. I meant it of course in the poetic sense and anyone who loves the bard will known exactly what I mean and will likely remember their moment of discovery as well. And I’m not talking about a first encounter with reading one of his plays or even seeing a live production for the first time. For every lover of Shakespeare, okay I mean for many, there is an epiphanic moment that occurs during a particularly fabulous performance or production or even moment of “ah ha” reading a play that will forever bind one’s heart and soul to the great plays of this Elizabethan writer.

So, with that elaborate introduction, I set the plot in motion and say that mine occurred very recently. In fact it was last October when I was in DC with my father. My father is a lobbyist and had to be in town for his work. I always find this to be particularly tedious and am not interested in his field. I also happen to be a sophomore English major in college and have been more interested in the twentieth century American writers than anything else. Last semester I took a Shakespeare class, it was required and didn’t really want to. During the last week of October my dad told me he had to go to DC for a couple of days and really wanted me to go with him. You see, my part time job is taking notes for him in these situations and sort of acting like a secretary. Generally I would stay in the hotel room and type up his notes.

Anyway, while we were there I noticed an ad for the Folgers Theater production of Much Ado About Nothing. It happened to be on our list of reading for the semester and my idea was to see the play and not have to read it. So, I talked my father into taking me to it. What happened was utterly amazing. I had never imagined Shakespeare could be so dynamic, spectacular and well, easy to understand. It was like it took place in a sort of Caribbean carnival context, though I believe it was set right there in DC. It really felt like more of a contemporary play and I didn’t have any trouble getting it, if you know what I mean. Ultimately I couldn’t wait to read the play after I saw that and was excited to tell my instructor about it when I returned to school. The funny part is he thought I saw it because I was interested in Shakespeare, not because I was trying to get out of reading a play. I decided not to make much ado over it