Best Trick or Treat in America

Friday, 21 October 2011

Best Trick or Treat in America- Trick or treating in one city's neighborhood may leave you with a ghoulish treat, a full-size candy bar, while knocking on doors in another may leave you feeling ghoulish yourself, stuck with a box of raisins.
Beyond the generosity of neighbors, there are also more strategic factors to take into consideration, such as how to get the most candy with the least amount of walking, and how to celebrate safely to make it home to enjoy your Halloween treats.

Real estate website Zillow.com took all those factors into consideration when crafting its third annual 2011 Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index, released today, ranking the 20 best cities in the country for Halloween.
Zillow used its own Home Value Index and Walk Score, along with population density and local crime data, to determine the rankings.
No need for a round of bobbing apples or a costume contest to break a tie here. The city of San Francisco came out the clear winner, topping even Seattle, which had come out on top in Zillow's previous rankings.
The top 20 cities vary in population, wealth , diversity and size.
The list includes cities from sea to shining sea, with Boston, Honolulu, Seattle and Chicago and San Francisco in the top five. But if you want a true candy rush, head West. The region is home to nine of the top 20 cities.
Zillow breaks the rankings down even further, listing the top five neighborhoods to trick or treat in each of the top 20 cities. If you're lucky enough to be in top city San Francisco, for example, head to Pacific Heights where, Zillow says, it's all treats and no tricks.
Only a week and a half remains until October 31, so finalize your costume, prepare your pumpkin bucket or pillowcase and see if your city made the best trick or treating list.
20 Best Cities to Trick or Treat:

1. San Francisco
2. Boston
3. Honolulu
4. Seattle
5. Chicago
6. San Jose, Calif.
7. Washington, DC
8. Los Angeles
9. Philadelphia
10. Portland, Ore.
11. Minneapolis
12. Pittsburgh
13. San Diego
14. Cleveland
15. Miami
16. Denver
17. Milwaukee
18. Virginia Beach, Va.
19. Baltimore
20. Albuquerque, NM

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Billy Beane Vice President Oakland Athletics

Saturday, 24 September 2011

Billy Beane Vice President Oakland Athletics- It looks like the Seattle Mariners could be primed to open the 2012 MLB season in Japan. Seattle would take on the Oakland Athletics in a two-game series but seemingly would also play a set of exhibition games as well. It is not clear if those extra games would be against the Athletics or from teams in the Japanese Baseball League, but plans are in the process of being made.According to the team, Mariners vice president of communications spoke with the team before Wednesday's game about the possibility of opening 2012 in Japan. While it's only in the discussion phase right now, it would make sense if Seattle has one of the most popular Japanese baseball players in Ichiro Suzuki to do something like this. It would also be the first time that the Mariners have opened a season outside of North America, and, on the surface, it is a worrisome way to start a new campaign.
Adamack stated, "We have been approached by MLB about participating in a season-opening trip to Japan in 2012. We have been advised that if this all comes together, we would play two regular-season games and a couple of exhibition games in Japan. Any other updates and information will come from MLB."
Nothing is definite at this point, because the players have to be on board with doing something like this, and discussions will take place now and during the offseason. This also wouldn't be the first time that a series in Japan was planned, as the Mariners tried to do one in 2003, but it was canceled due to fears of player safety during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Starting off a season like this would be a really tough road trip, especially if the schedule wasn't adjusted to give Seattle a few extra off-days in the first month of the season. Right now, the 2012 schedule has Seattle and Oakland opening on Friday, April 6 with a three-game series. Then Seattle heads to Texas for a four-game road trip from April 9-12. If Seattle has to go from Japan to Texas with no days off, that would certainly be an extreme competitive disadvantage for the Mariners.
While this may seem like an interesting idea on the surface, more details are needed before I am sold. One detail is what time the games will be broadcast back here in the States. It needs to be at a time where fans can actually watch the games.

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Fall Colors off the Beaten Track

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Arizona

Everybody knows that autumn brings flaming foliage colors to New England sugar maples, oaks, beeches and more in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. But there are many other worthy spots around the world to admire autumn finery and appreciate the seasonal flow of time in nature. Here are a dozen of the best.
Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is known to aficionados as a desert with trees some of them deciduous hardwoods in the stream-fed canyons at the edge of the Sonoran. Oak Creek Canyon, north of Phoenix, is lined with oaks, maples and sycamores that fire up brilliant fall colors in October and November, especially along some of the side canyons that invite hikers welcoming the cooler temperatures of autumn. Unlike most other fall-color venues, from Oak Creek you can head back down to Phoenix and return to summer, polishing off your fall foliage tour with a day by the pool. Phoenix weather in October and November

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Arkansas

The landscape in northwest Arkansas' Ozark Mountains is very similar to New England. The best place to view the colors is Buffalo National River (actually a national park), where towering ridges shine in maroon, bronze, butterscotch and apricot. The ideal visitor gateway is the charming historic town of Eureka Springs; mid-October is the time to visit.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Eastern Canada

Not far from New England, but far less famous (and less crowded) are the forests of Eastern Canada. Maples, birches and aspens start turning as early as mid-September in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This is one of the few places travelers can enjoy superb, leisurely viewing without driving themselves: Canada’s VIA Rail runs multiday fall-color train journeys eastward out of Montreal. Through mid-October, Holland America Line offers week or longer sailings from Quebec City that visit the beautiful Gaspe Peninsula and Saguenay Fjord, whose forests are seen by relatively few travelers. Fall foliage train trips, Fall foliage cruises

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Oregon

Though they are much less imposing than the towering trees most associate with fall color, the 5- to 10-foot vine maples of the Pacific Northwest’s Cascade Range in Oregon may yield the most intense color found in any fall foliage, a palette of vermilion, salmon and magenta that seems magically more vivid on cloudy days (which come often enough after Labor Day). Oregon has the two best drives for vine maple color, the Mount Hood Highway (U.S. 26) heading southeast out of Portland, and the Santiam Highway (U.S. 20) between Corvallis and Sisters. Bend and Portland are the gateways; the best viewing starts in mid-September, or even earlier in dry years.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: British Columbia

Though larches range up into southern Canada, south-central British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley holds an entirely different natural venue for fall color: fruit orchards and vineyards. Stretching almost 200 miles north to south and framed by burly mountains and long, azure lakes, the apple, peach, pear, apricot and wine-grape farms that line the valley offer every conceivable hue throughout October, often into November. Their hues are complemented by the glowing gold of native cottonwoods. The launching point is Kelowna; a day trip either north or south from there is ideal, and the most scenic and colorful route is the short drive to Naramata from Penticton, overlooking Okanagan Lake. Okanagan Valley fruit

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Colorado

One of Earth’s most widespread trees is the aspen, found worldwide in the northern temperate zone, from Alaska to Siberia. Many aspen fanciers believe they reach their zenith in the Colorado Rockies, and one of the world’s biggest aspen stands is at the north end of the Elk River Valley, north of Steamboat Springs. One can drive for hours in the mountains near Steamboat Lake and see few trees other than aspens. A similar experience is found along the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, which circles the mountains southwest of Crested Butte. Go early in autumn; few experiences match the aural, visual and aromatic pleasures of an aspen forest after the first fall rains have dampened the fallen leaves.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Alaska

While most people envision Alaska as a landscape of conifers, its river valleys are lined with birches and tall, sometimes quite massive cottonwoods. These majestic trees turn a glowing gold in September; the smaller birches that dot the landscape add a lighter shade of lemon-yellow. The best viewing is in and around the quaint log-cabin village of Talkeetna, which lies along the banks of the Susitna River. It’s a pleasant and easy three-hour drive from Anchorage, but those who’d like to view at leisure can hop on the delightful Alaska Railroad, which winds north from the Anchorage airport to Talkeetna and beyond; from mid-September on, the trains run weekends only.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Wisconsin

While travelers may think of Door County, Wisconsin, for its cherry orchards in July, the same trees create a rolling, pastoral landscape of burnished bronze, carmine and butterscotch in October as the leaves turn. This serene peninsula in Lake Michigan, three hours north of Milwaukee, also has apple orchards, though these don’t offer colors quite as vivid, and quiet country lanes through native birch and hardwood forests. While the cherry season is long past by fall, Door County is the fourth-largest producer in the United States, so there’s still plenty of jam, cider and other fruit products to enjoy not to mention fresh apple pie.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Sweden

The beautiful countryside of Sweden is at its best in the birch forests of the Dolarna lakes district, in the middle of the country four hours northwest of Stockholm. Tidy pastures dotted with horses are framed by blocks of birches dappled by fall’s slanted light, with a hundred lakes shining between the hills and the quintessential Swedish iron-red-painted homes tucked into farmsteads. The two towns bookending huge Lake Siljan, Mora at the north and Rattvik at the southeast, are both excellent visitor centers, with numerous hostels, small inns and B&Bs mostly geared toward the summer music festival season. Trains from Stockholm to Rattvik make reaching the area easy, though Sweden is also delightful for driving.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Germany

While northern continental Europe has many hardwood forests, a particularly impressive autumn experience is on offer in Germany’s Rhine River Valley, whose vineyards turn an array of colors from saffron to amber. The hillsides here hold maples, oaks and beeches that also change; innumerable tour boats and cruise boats ply the Rhine on day-trip or multiday outings. The 40-mile stretch of the Middle Rhine from Koblenz to Bingen was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002; scenic highways follow both sides of the river and are a delight to drive in late September and October.

Fall Colors off the Beaten Track: Japan

Japanese maples are a staple of landscaping around the world, largely for their graceful shape and autumn colors — sometimes so vivid it’s hard to believe. The original home range of these trees centers on Japan’s island of Hokkaido, the northernmost main island in the chain. Sapporo, the island’s capital, is better known for skiing (“Blessed by Snow” is the city’s slogan), but its trees blaze in late September and October; nearby Chitose has an October festival devoted to fall foliage. A uniquely Japanese experience is a visit to a ryokan (hot springs guesthouse) with fall leaves scenting the air and coloring the scene.

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2011 Most Influential Women

Friday, 26 August 2011

Most Influential Women- Influential Women's Equality Day is on Friday, August 26, 2011, we take a look at some of the most influential women in the world from politicians, German Chancellor Angela Merkel , and Supreme Court justices, ruth bader ginsburg, sonia sotomayor, ruth kagan , to entertainers, Lady Gaga , and media powerhouses, Oprah Winfrey ,. Most made Forbes' latest list of the world's most powerful women, Forbes 100 most powerful women 2011. And in our view, the few who didn't make the cut this year still have some serious pull.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader born March 15, 1933 is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice and the first Jewish female justice. Ginsburg has spent most of her distinguished career working for equal rights for men and women, +ruth bader ginsburg notable cases , Despite rumors, +ruth bader ginsburg retirement , of her retirement, she has not announced any plans to step down.Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Beyoncé

This effusively confident R&B sensation rose to fame as the centerpiece of Destiny's Child, American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girls' Tyme. After years of performing underground, they were signed to Columbia Records as Destiny's Child, comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. , one of the best-selling girl bands of all time, Destiny's Child best-selling. She's also a Golden Globe-nominated actress  film, Dreamgirls , and a fashion designer, Beyonce House of Deréon , and has endorsed some big-name brands, Beyonce Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal.Beyonce singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, actress, model, fashion designer , Beyonce Forbes 2011 powerful women #18

Tina Brown

British-born Editor Tina Brown rose to American media prominence as editor of Vanity Fair Vanity Fair covers, then The New Yorker magazine. She wrote a best-selling biography of Princess Diana, The Diana Chronicles , and was inducted into the Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame, +Tina Brown Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame , the same year. Tina Brown Editor in Chief Daily Beast Newsweek ,  tina brown #81 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Hillary Clinton

She may not be commander in chief, but Hillary Clinton, hillary rodham clinton , is one of the highest-ranking members of the U.S. government. secretary of state condoleezza rice Madeleine Albright , She is charged with managing the nation's foreign affairs, which is no small task in today's international political climate, united states international relations clinton. United states secretary of state , +hillary clinton #2 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Ellen DeGeneres

As the star of her groundbreaking sitcom, Ellen , this comedian and actress made TV history when her character mimicked reality, Ellen Degeneres comes out as lesbian. Since then, she and her hit daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show , have won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, Ellen Degeneres Show Daytime Emmy Awards. A short-lived "American Idol" judge, Ellen DeGeneres American Idol , she also has won awards for her charity work, Ellen DeGeneres charity work. Ellen DeGeneres talk show host , ellen degeneres #55 forbes 2011 most powerful women , The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner born 19 February 1953 has been compared to Eva Peron, the former first lady of Argentina, which is the title de Kirchner held before being elected to her current position. She was one-half of a presidential marriage, with her husband the former president, nestor kirchner , who stayed active in her presidency until his death in 2010. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner wins primary , president of argentina , cristina fernandez #17 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Lady Gaga

With her bold looks, Lady Gaga Outfits , and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga has become a dominant force in pop culture. She was named 2010's most charitable celebrity, Lady Gaga most charitable , is a stalwart LGBT activist , Lady Gaga LGBT activist , and has joined other celebrities in a crusade against bullying, Lady Gaga anti-bullying. Lady Gaga singer, songwriter, social activist , lady gaga #11 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Melinda Gates

Married to one of the richest men on the planet, Bill Gates , Melinda Gates is a leading force at the largest private philanthropy in the world. The foundation's mission is to improve health care, Gates Foundation global health , and reduce extreme poverty, Gates Foundation reduce extreme poverty , around the world and, in the U.S., to expand educational opportunities, Gates Foundation education initiative , and access to information technology. In 2005, Time magazine named the Gateses and an iconic musician, Bono , People of the Year. Melinda Gates co-chair Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , melinda gates #6 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard, born 29 September 1961 is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010. Gillard was elected at the 1998 federal election to the House of Representatives seat of Lalor, Victoria for the Australian Labor Party. She is the first woman and nonnative to hold her political position in Australia. Her background and passion lie in education, which she has made central to her economic agenda. Australian labor party , Economic plans julia gillard economy , prime minister of australia , julia gillard #23 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Arianna Huffington

Once a Arianna Huffington conservative commentator this Greek-American media powerhouse started espousing more liberal views, arianna huffington liberal transformation , in the mid-1990s. She ran as an independent candidate for governor in California's 2003 recall election ,she did +arianna huffington placed fifth recall election. Two years later, she co-founded a news website that grew so popular, a major online-media company bought it for Huffington Post $315 million, catapulting her to a new level of prominence. Huffington Post Media Group editor in chief  , arianna huffington #31 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

The lone female leader in a continent run by men, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf  born 29 October 1938 is the 24th and current President of Liberia. She served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert from 1979 until the 1980 coup d'état, after which she left Liberia and held senior positions at various financial institutions. She placed a very distant second in the 1997 presidential election. Later, she was elected President in the 2005 presidential election and took office on 16 January 2006. Sirleaf is the first and currently only elected female head of state in Africa. She is known as Liberia's "Iron Lady" ,iron ladies of liberia. She accomplished a feat that most national governments have failed to do, erasing the country's external debt. Ellen johnson sirleaf liberia debt , president of liberia , Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf #62 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Elena Kagan

Elena Kagan born April 28, 1960 is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 7, 2010. Kagan is the Court's 112th justice and fourth female justice. She is the latest woman appointed to her position, most recently serving as a professor and dean of Harvard Law School, her alma mater. Her first opinion was filed in January 2011. Ransom v. FIA Card Services , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ,

Mary McAleese

In a country divided, Mary McAleese born 27 June 1951 is the eighth and current President of Ireland. Prior to becoming President she was a barrister, journalist and academic. McAleese is Ireland's second female president. She was first elected president in 1997 and won a second term, without a contest, in 2004. Her birth in Belfast means that she is the first President to have come from both Northern Ireland and the Province of Ulster. She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. She was the first person elected to her position in Ireland who was born in Northern Ireland. Her two terms in office have been devoted to building bridges. She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, and her two terms in office have been dedicated to building bridges.president of ireland , belfast northern ireland

Angela Merkel

Trained as a physical chemist, Angela Merkel born July 17, 1954, Hamburg, W.Ger. Chancellor of Germany 2005 . Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, earned a doctorate in physics at the University of Leipzig (1978) and later settled in East Berlin, where she worked as a quantum chemist. In 1990, shortly before Germany's reunification, she joined the Christian Democratic Union CDU. Turned to politics after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She rose to her current position in 2005, and her tenure has focused on health care reform, angela merkel health care reform , and future energy development, angela merkel energy. chancellor of germany , +Angela Merkel #1 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Duchess Catherine

People all over the world tuned in to watch this elegant "commoner", Kate Middleton Born: 9 January 1982, Birthplace: Reading, Berkshire, England, Best Known As: The wife of Prince William, and the Duchess of Cambridge marry an heir to the British throne,Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge. She's already become something of a style icon, Kate Middleton style icon , drawing comparisons to Prince William's beloved late mother, Princess Diana.Duchess of Cambridge

Janet Napolitano

Janet Napolitano Born: 29 November 1957, Birthplace: New York, New York, Best Known As: Governor of Arizona, 2003-2009. Has been charged with keeping America safe, homeland security , from terrorism, or what she calls "man-caused disasters." National security matters range from airport security to border safety, and they have sparked controversy and criticism. janet napolitano , secretary of homeland security , Janet Napolitano #15 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama born January 17, 1964 is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center. In 2011 Forbes Magazine named Michelle Obama most powerful woman in world in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She is doesn't hold a political office, but she has a highly visible role in both the national and international political spheres. michelle obama childhood obesity, Trained as a lawyer, she now works as an advocate partnering with a pop star michelle obama and beyonce and runs the most famous household in America. michelle obama #8 forbes 2011 most powerful women

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor born June 25, 1954 is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice. Became a groundbreaker, sonia sotomayor first hispanic supreme court judge , in her position and has enjoyed a long career marked by notable rulings, sonia sotomayor notable rulings. She has been a champion for ethnic diversity and identity, and many of her speeches focus on these topics. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Martha Stewart

This homemaking media maven born August 3, 1941 is an American business magnate, media personality, author, magazine publisher. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising. Her syndicated talk show, Martha, is broadcast throughout the world, she has written numerous bestselling books, and she is the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine. Became a billionaire when her company went public, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia IPO , in 1999. Her reputation took a hit when she was sentenced to prison for a federal crime, Martha Stewart lying to investigators about stock sale , but her company and the power of her brand name, Martha Stewart brand , survived. founder Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey born on January 29, 1954 is an American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011. May have ended her reign as one of the most beloved talk show hosts of all time, but her powerful influence on public opinion, "The Oprah Effect" , isn't likely to wane anytime soon. Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) , oprah winfrey #14 2011 forbes most powerful women ,

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Lightning CN Tower

Thursday, 25 August 2011

 Image by Toronto

Lightning CN Tower- The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower. It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, a signature icon of Toronto's skyline, and a symbol of Canada, attracting more than two million international visitors annually.
Its name "CN" originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets, prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. Since the name CN Tower became common in daily usage, the abbreviation was eventually expanded to Canadian National Tower or Canada's National Tower. However, neither of these names is commonly used. In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Read more: Wikipedia

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