I am 18 years old, and I will be graduating from high school in just a few weeks. I want to go on a trip with my friends this summer, and have a ton of fun with them before we all go on to different colleges next fall. The problem is, I can’t decide where to go. I’m going to try and list the pros and cons of everything I have come up with so far, and I would appreciate any input you can offer. I especially need more ideas for places to go within the United States. I’m asking for your input on a destination.

I live in Austin, Texas by the way, that is important : ) We definitely want an urban environment, one that we can always find something to do. I don’t want to be stuck doing the same stuff everyday. We want to party, we want a young crowd, and we are very into music and concerts. We all have passports.

DOMESTIC

Texas Coast / South Padre / Corpus Christi
This is the easiest trip I have in mind. I believe it is a four hour drive from Austin to Corpus. We would stay at a hotel and hit the beach every day.

Pros:
Cheap, quick drive, popular location, young people, parties, beach, can make trip to Mexico

Cons:
Can only take four people total, beach will get old quickly

California
This will be a much more difficult drive. We will probably head to San Diego, go to the beaches, and possibly LA. We will then make a trip to Baja California, Mexico, crossing the border at Tijuana.

Pros:
San Diego and LA are cool, able to go to Mexico, beaches, California girls : )

Cons:
18 hour drive! Not a whole lot in between TX and CA, probably would stop in Phoenix to sleep. Would have to be a longer trip overall, taking into account drive distance. Much less safe, and Tijuana is the dirtiest city on the planet…

Chicago
This would be a trip to the Lollapalooza Music Festival, and we would fly.

Pros:
Cheap flight from Austin to Chicago, less wasting time getting there, awesome city with a lot to offer, Lollapalooza will be sweet

Cons:
Will need transportation in Chicago, Lollapalooza is about 40 miles outside of Chicago. Lollapalooza has a very similar lineup to Austin City Limits, which we will all be attending in October no matter what.

OUT OF COUNTRY

Please excuse my ignorance in this department, as I have never visited any of these places, and I don’t know much about them at all. I just think they sound like a lot of fun, and I really want to see the world. I haven’t been out of the country. I do have a passport. This obviously gets much more expensive, and part of making this choice will be deciding if this will be worth the extra cash. Any opinion on that matter is appreciated.

Rome, Italy
I’ve always wanted to go here. I am Catholic, and Vatican City would be exciting. Don’t know a whole lot about it.

Pros:
Beautiful, always wanted to go here. Italian food! Can see Vatican City, 18 = legal drinking age

Cons:
Expensive, will need to really study up on what to do there. Any English? I don’t speak Italian!

London, Paris, and (possibly) Amsterdam
This is definitely my favorite option so far, through my limited research. First of all, I can speak English. According to my grandma, they speak mostly English in Paris also, not French. I am not sure about Amsterdam. We would fly into London. I know for sure there is a train that goes straight to Paris, and we could make a whole trip out of just those two cities, forgetting Amsterdam.

Pros:
3 Awesome, Different Cities, a TON to see, will never be bored, huge cities, train to Paris, no required transportation, good music scene in London, Amsterdam is crazy!, 18 = legal drinking age

Cons:
Very Expensive, need to figure out transportation to Amsterdam if we decide to add that to trip, friends may not go for that as easy do to expense. Extra sacrifices will have to be made to not break the bank

I know I’m throwing out a lot of info there, just let me know what you think. I really appreciate the help.

September 11, 2008

BY ROGER EBERT Sun-Times Movie Critic
I think I might be able to explain some of Sarah Palin’s appeal. She’s the "American Idol" candidate. Consider. What defines an "American Idol" finalist? They’re good-looking, work well on television, have a sunny personality, are fierce competitors, and so talented, why, they’re darned near the real thing. There’s a reason "American Idol" gets such high ratings. People identify with the contestants. They think, Hey, that could be me up there on that show!

My problem is, I don’t want to be up there. I don’t want a vice president who is darned near good enough. I want a vice president who is better, wiser, well-traveled, has met world leaders, who three months ago had an opinion on Iraq. Someone who doesn’t repeat bald- faced lies about earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere. Someone who doesn’t appoint Alaskan politicians to "study" global warming, because, hello! It has been studied. The returns are convincing enough that John McCain and Barack Obama are darned near in agreement.

I would also want someone who didn’t make a teeny little sneer when referring to "people who go to the Ivy League." When I was a teen I dreamed of going to Harvard, but my dad, an electrician, told me, "Boy, we don’t have the money. Thank your lucky stars you were born in Urbana and can go to the University of Illinois right here in town." So I did, very happily. Although Palin gets laughs when she mentions the "elite" Ivy League, she sure did attend the heck out of college.

Five different schools in six years. What was that about?

And how can a politician her age have never have gone to Europe? My dad had died, my mom was working as a book-keeper and I had a job at the local newspaper when, at 19, I scraped together 0 for a charter flight to Europe. I had Arthur Frommer’s a Day under my arm, started in London, even rented a Vespa and drove in the traffic of Rome. A few years later, I was able to send my mom, along with the a Day book.

You don’t need to be a pointy-headed elitist to travel abroad. You need curiosity and a hunger to see the world. What kind of a person (who has the money) arrives at the age of 44 and has only been out of the country once, on an official tour to Iraq? Sarah Palin’s travel record is that of a provincial, not someone who is equipped to deal with global issues.

But some people like that. She’s never traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America or Down Under? That makes her like them. She didn’t go to Harvard? Good for her! There a lot of hockey moms who haven’t seen London, but most of them would probably love to, if they had the dough. And they’d be proud if one of their kids won a scholarship to Harvard.

I trust the American people will see through Palin, and save the Republic in November. The most damning indictment against her is that she considered herself a good choice to be a heartbeat away. That shows bad judgment.

Wow-I couldn’t have said it better myself

please help i have no time at all to make a summary for this article
title: Tsunami hero girl sees U.N., Meets Clinton
Tilly, now 11, visited the United Nations Thursday and met former president Bill Clinton, the U.N. envoy for the tsunami recovery.

"My mum didn’t realize what was happening on the beach because she wasn’t taught about tsunamis when she was younger," said Tilly, who was in New York with her mother, father and sister. The Smith family all escaped the lethal waves after Tilly’s early warning during their vacation on the island of Phuket.

Two weeks before the Dec. 26, 2004, disaster that took at least 178,000 lives, Tilly had studied tsunamis in her geography class in Oxshott, a community of about 5,000 just south of London. The children were shown a video from an earlier tsunami.

Tilly was armed with that knowledge when the Smith family decided to go for a morning walk on the idyllic beach near the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa.

Suddenly, "I saw this bubbling on the water, right on the edge, and foam sizzling just like in a frying pan," she remembered. "The water was coming in, but it wasn’t going out again. It was coming in, and then in, and then in, towards the hotel."

She recognized it as an indication that earthquake-driven waves were only minutes away.

Tilly turned to her mother, Penny, "and I said, ‘Mum, I know there’s something wrong, I know it’s going to happen–the tsunami.’"

When her mother replied that it was just a day at the beach, "Tilly went hysterical,"

While Colin Smith relayed Tilly’s warning to the hotel staff, the girl dashed back toward the beach filled with about 100 people. She told the Japanese-born hotel chef of the danger, "and he knew the word tsunami because it’s Japanese. But he never saw one."

The chef and a nearby hotel security agent both spread the warning and the beach was swiftly evacuated–minutes before the devastating waves struck.

The beach near the Marriott Hotel was one of the few in Phuket where no one was killed or seriously hurt.

On Thursday, she was welcomed at U.N. headquarters by officials of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, a Geneva-based U.N. agency that is trying to educate people worldwide on proper disaster response.

During last month’s earthquake in India and Pakistan, scores of schools were destroyed and many children died under the rubble.

"Tilly’s story is a simple reminder that education can make a difference between life and death," Clinton said before his meeting with Tilly. "All children should be taught disaster reduction so they know what to do when natural hazards strike."

Later Thursday, the former president sat next to Tilly on a couch at a midtown Manhattan hotel and asked her to tell him about what happened.

In countries such as Japan, Cuba, Iran and Bangladesh, people have learned to live with frequent natural hazards such as floods and earthquakes, said Salvano Briceno, who directs the Geneva-based U.N. disaster strategy agency.

"When you have only a few minutes, it is important to know the actions you must take to reduce your risk, such as running to higher ground to avoid the flood water," Briceno said.

Next week, Tilly will be back in school–and in her favorite class.

"I like geography," she said.

I can not seem to make the third column of my page which i did in CSS using smultron and firefox to look the same in safari.
I need to align the 3rd column of text with the 2nd column.
Here is the CSS style page:
* {

margin:0;
padding:0;
}

#wrap {

font-family: "Arial",Verdana,sans-serif;
width: 950px;
padding:90px 100px 1480px 100px;
margin: 50px 140px;
text-align: left;
border: 1px solid black

}

#col1 {
padding:10px 30px 0px 0px;
margin: 20px auto;
width:300px;
float:left;

}

#col2 {

padding:0px 30px 300px 0px;
margin: -50px auto;
width:300px;
float:left;
}

#col3 {

padding:35px 30px 260px 0px;
margin: -733px -50px 0px 30px;
width:300px;
float:right;

}

#image1 {
margin: 200px 80px 10px -100px;
float: left;
}

#image2 {
clear: both;
margin: -565px -50px;
float: right;
}

#header1{
margin: -40px 10px 30px 0px ;
color: blue;
}

h5 {
color: blue;
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and here is my html:

</head>
<body>

<div id="wrap">

<div id="header1">

<h6>DesignEx</h6>
</div>

<br />

<div id="header2">
<h4>A Very British View</h4>

<br />

<h5>William Yeoward</h5>
</div>

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<div id= "col1">
<p> At 45 years old William Yeoward is one of
London’s leading creative forces, with a
reputation as a style-maker,retailer,
decorator and designer of truly beautiful
homewares. The creative drive behind the
multi-faceted and highly regarded
Yeoward brand, William Yeoward is a man
of enviable passion and dedication,
integrity and imagination and was a
valued guest of designEx ComFIA from
8-11 May this year.
</p>
<br />

<p>Having studied Art History, Theatre
Design and English Literature at one of
England’s private schools, William
embarked almost immediately on a career
Ain interior design and retailing. After a
brief period training under Tricia Guild and
later Nicy Haslam, he opened his first
store on King’s Road, Chelsea in 1985.
Stocked with antiques, objects and pieces
that he had designed and commissioned,
the business flourished and evolved over
a period of nearly 10 years as he
continued to add further elements to the
range – antiques, lighting, decorative
accessories, dinner services and antique
crystal pieces.
</p>
</div>

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<div id= "col2">
<p> His subsequent interest in antique crystal
inspired William to create, together with
Timothy Jenkinds – a third generation
crystal maker and distributor – a
collection of pieces inspired by 18th and
19th century designs from England and
Ireland. Although the collectiion was
intended to be an accent to the Yeoward
lines, it soon became obvious that William
Yeoward Crystal would become a brand in
it’s own right. Now, William Yeoward Crystal
has solid distribution in the USA and the
UK and was highly acclaimed by Elle
Decor as,The zenith in crystal making.

</p>
<br />

<p>As the original King’s Road shop was
turned over exclusively to William
Yeoward Crystal, 1997 saw the opening
of Yeoward South in London’s Battersea-
a fabulous warehous space filled with
furnitiure, lighting accessories, antiques
and quirky pieces.
</p>
</div>

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<div id= "col3">
<p>Over the past two years, William has
turned his attention to his latest venture-
William Yeoward Fabric and Wallpaper
(distributed by Designers Guild).His
collection of decorative designs and
sumptuous textures are daring and
classical, seductive and contemporary,
combining wool, silk, a marvellous colour
palette and William’s innate sense of style
bring true innovation to the market.
</p>
<br />

<p>William possesses a rare combination of
prolific creative talent coupled with a
natural commerical flair. He is known for
his sophistication, elegant, and highly
individual style. He is a man who cares
very much and strives tirelessly to perfect
his trade and then share the rewards of
his talents with others.
</p>

<br />

<p>At designEx COMFIA 2003, William shared
with us his views on both interior and
product design in London today, based on
his experience at the coal face of
design. An entertaining, informative and
relaxed speaker, he offered a valuable look
at British design.
</p>
</div>

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</div>

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</div>

</div>

</body>
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thanks!

are there any wrestling schools/academies in the south of the UK. Within an hours drive of London?

Im going to a dance school in South-East London, Charleton & my boyfriend is going to York University. How long does it take to drive from York to London?

anyone know some driving schools that have minis(car) for students in London Area especially South East?