Countdown To Oscars

On January 25, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their annual Oscar nominations for the Best Achievements in Film for the year 2010. One day prior to the announcement, I made my nomination predictions in all categories barring the Shorts. Turns out I did pretty well – I got 87% of my predictions in the top categories right. Now, with the Academy Awards little less than a month away, I’ve decided to kick off my winner predictions through a new daily column called “Countdown to Oscar.” Every weekday from now until the Oscars on February 27, I’ll pick a category (sometimes two) and make my analysis and prediction of who will win, who should win and who should have been nominated.

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America’s Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels

1. Grand Resort and Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. received thumbs-down ratings from 87% of the patrons weighing in at Trip Advisor. Out of 225 reviews, 162 rated the hotel “terrible.”
Among their comments: “Just filth. The health department needs to close this place.
If you’re looking for a place with…chewing tobacco spit oozing down the halls; spiders actively making webs in every corner of your room; carpeting so greasy and dirty you wouldn’t want to set your luggage down….”
On the bright side: It’s affordable, with rooms going for a mere $50 per night.

2. Jack London Inn, Oakland, CA.
“This inn is nothing but a dirty, noisy, scary, disgusting place…I’d rather stay in my car…”
“This place appeared to house a bunch of folks who just got out of prison…”
Room rates? $41 a night.

3. Desert Inn Resort, Daytona Beach, FL. Out of 260 reviews, 185 rated the hotel “terrible.”
“Roaches scurried everywhere…”
“It was a dump and the staff didn’t seem to care.

4. Hotel Carter, New York, NY
“I’m not that picky and neither is my fiance, so we compromised comfort for location. We were totally wrong…The rooms at this hotel are gross…dirty, unkempt, they reek of who knows what….”
“If you would like to pretend you went to Honduras, you can get great pictures here….black mold in the showers”  “Mice!”

5. Polynesian Beach & Golf Resort, Myrtle Beach. Out of 228 reviews, 172 rated this hotel “poor” (33) or “terrible” (139).
“Nearly ruined our vacation.”
“The pool was so nasty, I would not let the kids go in.”

6. Atlantic Beach Hotel, Miami, FL

7. Rodeway Inn, Williamsville, NY

8. Super 8 Estes Park, Estes Park, CO 

9. Palm Grove Hotel & Suites, Virginia Beach, VA

10. Econo Lodge Newark Int’l Airport, Elizabeth, NJ


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Free Advertising - South Florida Event Listings

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Please inform with any special requests. For advertising outside of South Florida send an email with related information.

Events my include but are not limited to:
Tweetups, Meetups, Social, Sightseeing, Tourism, Wine Tasting, Charity Events, Concerts, Tweet-Ups, Holidays, Local Meet-Ups, Networking, Business to Business Networking Events, Travel, Cruise Travel, Dating, Health, Real Estate, Special Occasion, Night Life, Organizations, Restaurants, Nature Enhanced, Holiday Themed, Government Related, History, Luxury Lifestyle Events.

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• Daily event tip: Metal mania, PB Food and Wine Fest, more (pbpulse.com)
• Unique tours for business people | Vietnam Business News (vietnambusiness.asia)
• Wine Tasting Event (ashtonparkneighbors.com)

South Beach Wine and Food Festival 

February 24 - 28, 2011

Purchase Tickets

Rent or Buy? 10 Cities Where It's Better to Rent

There are so many great cities in which to rent rather than buy a home right now, and for not all that much money. The latest Trulia Rent vs. Buy Index shows that even though it’s a better deal to buy than rent in 72 percent of the U.S. at the moment, rental rates are pretty low in most places.

Still, the study behind the index found that a “nation of renters has emerged as more Americans rent by choice or due to unforeseen financial difficulties.” And yet, renting is only less expensive than buying in four of the cities covered in the study, including New York City and San Francisco.

But even though buying is a great deal, no one at Trulia is surprised that U.S. consumers are renting.
“Since the start of the ‘Great Recession,’ many former homeowners have flooded the rental market. Following the principles of supply and demand, renting has become relatively more expensive than buying in most markets,” said Pete Flint, CEO and co-founder of Trulia, in a press release announcing the study.

“Though necessary for achieving true economic recovery, stricter bank lending practices have also further aggravated the struggling housing market in the short term. Even highly-qualified home buyers face intense scrutiny on their income, savings, existing debt and credit history before they can get a mortgage loan.”

The 10 best cities to rent rather than buy include:

1. New York
2. Seattle
3. Kansas City
4. San Francisco
5. Memphis
6. Los Angeles
7. Fort Worth
8. Oakland
9. Portland
10. Albuquerque

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13 Things Your Mail Carrier Won’t Tell You

1. Maybe your dog won’t bite you. But in 2009, 2,863 of us were bitten, an average of nine bites per delivery day. That’s why I wince when your Doberman comes flying out the door.

2. Remember this on Valentine’s Day: It takes our machines longer to read addresses on red envelopes (especially if they’re written in colored ink).

3. Why stand in line? At usps.com, you can buy stamps, place a hold on your mail, change your address, and apply for passports. We even offer free package pickup and free flat-rate envelopes and boxes, all delivered right to your doorstep.

4. Media Mail is a bargain, but most of you don’t know to ask for it. Sending ten pounds of books from New York City to San Francisco through Media Mail costs $5.89, compared with $16.77 for Parcel Post. Besides books, use it to send manuscripts, DVDs, and CDs; just don’t include anything else in the package.

5. We don’t get a penny of your tax dollars. Really. The sale of postage, products, and services at our 36,000 retail locations, and on our website, covers all of the post office's operating expenses.

Places to Get Married in South Florida

South Florida, which stretches from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, has some of the best beaches on the east coast for a beach wedding. From the trendy beach areas of Miami Beach and "South Beach" to the palm tree-lined beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, the natural settings of Key Biscayne to the laid back atmosphere of the keys, south Florida has something for everyone. Crandon Park in Key Biscayne has been named one of the top 10 beaches in the country. The very scenic Bill Baggs State Park with its natural beauty and historic lighthouse, also in Key Biscayne, has also been named one of America's best swimming beaches.

Miami is a large multi-cultural urban area with strong ties to South America, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. It is a major cruise ship port, making it popular for Wedding and Honeymoon cruises, and the city can be a ton of fun if that's what you're looking for. Miami's beaches and night life are focused on one area in particular - the world famous South Beach.

Contact A Sense Concierge for more Information

Miami Beach Antique Show - Make A Wish

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show Partners with The Make-A-Wish^® Foundation of Southern Florida

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--US Antique Shows, a major producer of antique shows in North America, announced today it will be partnering with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida for its 50^th Anniversary celebration to help raise funds for the South Florida children. The Original Miami Beach Antique Show will be hosting a silent auction during its five-day event at the Miami Beach Convention Center, February 3^rd -7^th, of which 100% of the silent auction proceeds will benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida.  

Funds raised at the show will go towards a 7 year old girl’s wish. Massiel is a non verbal, wheelchair bound little girl from Cutler Bay. Massiel’s wish is for her, and her family, to travel to Disney World on February 20, 2011 for 6 nights and 7 days of Disney fun and Orlando area attractions. A highlight of Massiel’s trip would definitely be a special meet and greet with her favorite character, Dora the Explorer.  

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