₦airaland Forum

^ADM,
I didn't mean YOU watch BET, my apologies that it read that way. On the rest of your post, big kudos. I'm glad to see people who think like you do. I'll ask you to reconsider your opinion on watching Foxnews - and the rest of the media in general. I personally watch everything from Fox, to MSNBC to CNN (no russians for me tho ), because I found that there are certain pieces of information I'll never hear on fox or MSNBC depending on whether or not it suits their overall agenda, so I watch it all to get a decent balance on issues. As long as it involves human beings, there'll always be bias - including we the audience. Cheers bro.

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[quote author=Tayo-D]@JeSoul,

Knowing the liberal soul that Prez is, he will accept Uncle Sam's recommendation without any protest. Afterall, why should he discriminate? Discrimination is an evil republican tendency and pres will have none of it. Whether male, female, she-male or he-goat , you can expect pres to be the loyal subject to limitless government intrusion. Afterall, an affront against the govt is an affront against God.

I wonder if Pres will also let the govt loose on his enstranged girlfriend. Why should she have the luxury to jump from one guy to the other while the 99% can't do that? Her beauty and seductive ways must be punished because it is an affront on those who cannot even manage to woo and keep a mate. This is injustice of the highest order and Obama must come in to level the playing field. Since he cannot make the ugly babes good looking (or bust the budget trying with free plastic surgeries for all), the cheaper alternative is to make Pres' estranged babe ugly. I propose that Obama give this lady one of them Ibadan tribal marks to level the playing field!!![/quote]Hahahaha.... Prez, na that one you wan pass abi? you must not discriminate oh.

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[quote author=pres-elect]@tayo d and jesoul

perhaps we should hand her over to the republican governor of virginia so he can use his small govt-less-tax-moral-terrorism law to force her to do a transvaginal ultrasound and figure out if there's something wrong with her private part that makes her switch from man to man [/quote]or you can just take whichever one the goverment assigns to you, abi don't you believe in progressiveness anymore?

however, if mitt romney can promise more tax cuts for any man that dates a girl, it would increase my desire for a permanent babe( i wont even mind the haughty virginian girl my daddy wanted to force on me)

hey, did you hear the latest from americans-for-small-govt-and-less-taxes? they have proposed cutting govt depts to only defence, state and treasury. they want to merge department of justice with the supreme court. reduce the number of scotus judges from 9 to 4. reduce the federal budget,and taxes by 50% and . . . .
cut the number of states from 50 to 30
alaska returned to russia(together with madam i-can-see-russia-from-my-window ) by the way i can see the moon from my window, i guess i'm an astronaut
texas returned to mexico
florida returned to spain
louisiana returned to france. also the whole loiusiana territory including missouri, arkansas, minnesota, winsconsin etc all returned to france
washington and oregon returned to british canada
utah sold to the mormons
nevada at the stock market for gamblers to take thier chance
oklahoma given to the cherokee
the mohicans retake ohio and kentucky
common wealth of virginia, pennsylvania and massachusettes returned to the queen of england
the carolinas given to the descendants of king charles

small govt, small taxes, small govt, big defence, big wars ahaa, i forgot, INVADE THE NEWLY RELEASED STATES TO "TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY" (to 1850)

Lol. Some of the calls for reduction to government I'll agree are unrealistic...but overall, even Obama himself admitted (was it late last yr or early this yr now I can't recall) that many arms of the govt are convoluted and redundant and need to be streamlined.

[quote author=A.D.M.]First of all, I did not know Africans cared about Afro-Americans. I thought Africans hated AAs like Amu Igwe and others. I guess he doesn't speak everybody.[/quote]He certainly doesn't speak for everybody. What many Africans take issue with with AA's...well see an example below:

As for folks like Juan Williams, he may be smart and correct about that article he wrote, he works for Fake News, so his credibility is out the door in my book. Remember how Newt Gingrich punked him out at a debate in January? Yeah, anything he says is bulls**t.

you acknowledge the truth in his article but yet chose instead to look at the person - associate them with 'the enemy' and then dismiss him and his opinion as irrelevant. Whereas Williams himself is one of those AA's that does a lot for the black community, especially in the media. It is way more wise and crafty of him to work & dialogue on 'enemy territory' and by that change minds & earn respect than to remain in the comfy confines of BET.

African-americans tend to forge their allegiances on recycled sentiments rather than reality. Foxnews is not the enemy - and CNN is not the ally. The media is only loyal one master - profit. The sooner AA's seize a hold of the many opportunities that exist even in the middle of the discrimination (grants, fellowships, organizations, heck even free college tuition specifically formed for minorities), the sooner they can infiltrate these high places & then help give back and uplift the communities - instead of organizing protest after protest when a racially charged case makes the headlines, that will die off without effecting any real change.

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@ jesoul
The yeye girl didn't have a reason to give me the boot. She started dating another dude who had three cars. I even had to buy a car and i ended up with loads of tickets bc many times I couldnt follow through with British right hand drive. Still de babe no send me. I really loved her. A Sheffield babe. I didn't sleep for two weeks and I threw away the hoodie she bought for me, burnt all her photos wiped her from my mind. The other guy later dumped her. And she get a new bf asap

Meanwhile I'm back to square one.

ROTFLOL..., berra thank your God, seems you have been doging all kinds of bullets. prez, stay away from 'blackberry babes' . Go to a good church or the library and find a nice sensible woman, not clubs or liberal rallies sponsored by Barney Frank

[quote author=Tayo-D]@Pres-elect,
On another matter, I don't know why you stress yourself over finding a suitable mate. Like everything else you liberals like, why don't you demand that your government legislate to get you a wife. After all, getting married is a right and it does't matter how many other people's rights are trampled for you to get what you think you deserve. Besides, if you can't afford the dowry and wedding costs (on that minimum wage), you have a right to demand that tax payers pay for it. What say ye?![/quote] this na dangerous road oh...you know love is gender-blind for libs, what if the govt. pairs Prez up with a she-male?

Well you said it yourself, its a Liberal country, and it will most certainly be reflected in the attitudes & behavior of people. Btw, that is a grand looking church.

[quote author=pres-elect]last time i was in Ohio, i wanted to go to night club and my cousin was scared, i asked why and he challenged me to stop watching cable and watch local news for 5 nights, and on each night i watched local news, there was either a killing, or dead body found somewhere, or missing dude etc . . ALL BLacks. and that is just for cincinnati-dayton area alone. black gangs, guns, drugs . . etc . . the statistics are grim teenagers . . teenage pregnancies etc . . . this is where i wish NAACP and co will focus more resources. that is my problem
my 2 pence [/quote]

montelik: Your story made me laugh. I still recall when my father made his first lengthy and leisure trip to USA in mid 90's. He was supposed to stay in California (Long Beach to be precise) for about 3 weeks visiting with some distant family. The man ran back to the U.K after 4 days. According to him it was constant sirens (ambulance or police), gunshots, fighting e.t.c. What even made it worse for him, was that even staying in doors and watching the local news made it worse, with the constant grim news reports.

Na which kin neighborhoods una dey go visit now? lol. Abeg no go place wey pass your power oh. pls call me if you need proper recommendation jare, I will come and pick you up myself .

Prez, I'm sure the NAACP does plenty of good work that does not make the news. It does seem that too often its only when its a racially charged issue they show strong face. But yeah, black leadership in entertainment, politics, religion etc can do 100X better in addressing the core problems facing the black community.

[quote author=Tayo-D]@JeSoul,

There is no space between us with regard to this issue. That I come out to request for people to look at the facts does not mean I condone Zimmerman's actions. No matter how we look at this, it is a tragedy and the tragey is being compounded by the actions of the many uninformed zealots.[/quote]Which is why I totally understand where you're posting from. The media initially sensationalized it & spun it deliberately to whip up sentiments and rile up people and they succeeded. Racial relations in this country are the best its ever been inspite of the many problems we still have - and it is probably the best among western nations. I have heard comments from people of all races on how tragic this is, the media making it a black vs. white thing is tragedy upon tragedy.

There is a larger issue here and I have been cursed and called names just becuase I was trying to bring attention to it. I don't usually agree with Juan Williams but I do in this case. He is absolutely right to call attention to the hypocrisy and the feigned outrage of the so-called Black leaders in America. I have no doubt in my mind that they wouldn't raise a voice if Zimmerman was Black or Trayvon White. This situation just plays into the template and narrative that supports their political agenda. What a shame indeed!!!!!!!

Gbam left right center inside outside. Those guys are simply spotlight hogs, always ready to jump on any train that they can ride to the front page.

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Prez, how body now?
[quote author=pres-elect]now here are some facts, american judicial system is not perfect. but compared to our country nigeria, they are far better.[/quote]Tank you jare. Seeing some comments from some nigerians made me wonder, remove the log in your eye...the way life is wasted every single day in naija without justice being done cannot even come a million miles close.

let me add, albeit controversially, that i agree with fox news anchor geroldo rivera. KEEP AWAY FROM THE HOOD. there are many beautiful clothes out there in america, why wear what will get you into unnecessary trouble? i have some hooded clothes that my one time girlfriend bought for me(before she jilted me for another man ) when she insisted i must wear it, i wore it without covering my face. call me a coward, call me an idiot, right now, I'm alive. say what you like, trayvon is gone. gone forever. perhaps. even killing zimmerman will not bring him back. this is my problem with NCAAP guys, educate the young to keep away from unnecesary trouble. it woud make more sense if trayvon died while fighting for the rights of blacks, or black equality etc. but HOOD? haba.

So why did she leave you now Prez? you no sabi wear cloth correct? Abegi let them protest for their right to wear the hoodie, nuthin wrong with it and also e no go be today that their priorities have been severely misplaced. Children born to young black women out of wedlock are a jaw-dropping >70% - that stat is too boring to protest about, didn't you see how they castigated and critisized Bill Cosby when he tried to speak against it? No question blacks still face many discriminations and are disadvantaged at many crossroads on the way to success - the worst part is we keeping shooting ourselves in the foot, and then refuse to take responsibility for it. My heart just bleeds for this culture...

Fantastic article for all of us to consider well. I could not agree more with Williams on every point.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577307613183789698.html
The Trayvon Martin Tragedies
The recent killing of Trayvon Martin needs more investigation. But where's the outrage over the daily scourge of black-on-black crime?
By JUAN WILLIAMS


The shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida has sparked national outrage, with civil rights leaders from San Francisco to Baltimore leading protests calling for a new investigation and the arrest of the shooter. But what about all the other young black murder victims? Nationally, nearly half of all murder victims are black. And the overwhelming majority of those black people are killed by other black people. Where is the march for them?

Where is the march against the drug dealers who prey on young black people? Where is the march against bad schools, with their 50% dropout rate for black teenaged boys? Those failed schools are certainly guilty of creating the shameful 40% unemployment rate for black teens.

How about marching against the cable television shows constantly offering minstrel-show images of black youth as rappers and comedians who don't value education, dismiss the importance of marriage, and celebrate killing people, drug money and jailhouse fashion—the pants falling down because the jail guard has taken away the belt, the shoes untied because the warden removed the shoe laces, and accessories such as the drug dealer's pit bull. Supposedly all of this is just entertainment and intended to co-opt the stereotypes. But it only ends up perpetuating stereotypes in white minds and, worse, having young black people internalize it as an authentic image of a proud black person. There is no fashion, no thug attitude that should be an invitation to murder. But these are the real murderous forces surrounding the Martin death—and yet they never stir protests. The race-baiters argue this case deserves special attention because it fits the mold of white-on-black violence that fills the history books. Some have drawn a comparison to the murder of Emmett Till, a black boy who was killed in 1955 by white racists for whistling at a white woman. The Martin case is very different from the Emmett Till case, in which a white segregationist Mississippi society approved of the murder of a black child. Black America needs to get out of the rut of replaying racial injustices of the past.

All minority parents fear that children who embrace "gangsta" fashion, tattoos and a thug attitude will be prejudged as criminal. Recall what Jesse Jackson once said: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved. . . . After all we have been through. Just to think we can't walk down our own streets, how humiliating." That is the unfair weight of being black in America for both the black person who feels the fear and the black teen who is judged as a criminal.


Despite stereotypes, the responsibility for the Florida shooting lies with the individual who pulled the trigger. The fact that the man pursued the teen after a 911 operator told him to back off, and the fact that he alone had a gun, calls for him to be arrested and held accountable under law. The Department of Justice is investigating the incident and the governor of Florida has appointed a special prosecutor to review the case.

But on a larger scale, all of this should open a serious national conversation about how our culture made it easier for this type of crime to take place. As President Obama said last week, "I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. And that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident." While civil rights leaders have raised their voices to speak out against this one tragedy, few if any will do the same about the larger tragedy of daily carnage that is black-on-black crime in America. The most recent comprehensive study on black-on-black crime from the Justice Department should have been a clarion call for the black community to take action. There is no reason to believe that the trends it reported have decreased since 2005, the year for which the data were reported. Almost one half of the nation's murder victims that year were black and a majority of them were between the ages of 17 and 29. Black people accounted for 13% of the total U.S. population in 2005. Yet they were the victims of 49% of all the nation's murders. And 93% of black murder victims were killed by other black people, according to the same report.

Less than half of black students graduate from high school. The education system's failure is often a jail sentence or even a death sentence. The Orlando Sentinel has reported that 17-year-old Martin was recently suspended from his high school. According to the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Office, in the 2006-07 school year, 22% of all black and Hispanic K-12 students were suspended at least once (as compared to 5% of whites). This year 22% of blacks live below the poverty line and a shocking 72% of black babies are born to unwed mothers. The national unemployment rate for black people increased last month to over 13%, nearly five points above the average for all Americans. The killing of any child is a tragedy. But where are the protests regarding the larger problems facing black America?

Haha uncle Tayo is never afraid to stand alone
Armyofone, my sister how now?

@topic,
Such a tragic story. I want to believe that the justice system is colorblind, but the truth is we all (including cops) racial profile every single day. If Zimmerman was killed & Trayvon had lived, would he have been charged or released? All we have are our speculations. While they have not found evidence Zimmerman is guilty of murder - I personally think he is 'guilty' - of what I don't know. I do know what we know about him testifies to his overzealousness.

-Anyone who calls the police that often and over frivolous things like 'doors left open' or 'people playing loud music driving by'...like seriously dude? overzealousness.
-And my biggest gripe with him - the 911 operator told him NOT to follow Trayvon and he did, why? overzealousness.
-And in following Trayvon he knew he had a concealed weapon, what were his intentions? overzealousness.

Being a neighborhood watchman does not confer on you any authority whatsoever, and walking around with a gun[/b]AND [b]seeking out confrontations with people on the street - is incredibly reckless. His actions directly led to the death an innocent person, and saying you're sorry is not going to bring him back. Claiming 'self-defense' when you're the one who went to look for trouble - with a loaded gun - to me will not suffice. Is there nothing in these facts that the police can at least charge him with? If I were Trayvon's parents or family I too would be demanding someone be held accountable.

^^^^^all that said,
The media lust of opportunists like Al Sharpton & co that are swarming all over this story, using it to plaster their faces all over tv...just plain sad. In this I'm 100% with TayoD and Juan Williams (a black liberal, see his spot-on article below). Black on black crime statistically outnumbers white/hispanic on black - stupendously & overwhelmingly so. Where are the Sharptons & Jacksons to mobilize protests for us to stop killing each other? especially as these numbers are disturbingly on the rise year after year, or are we upset only when someone of another race kills one of us? This is why I find it hard to respect them and the so-called 'civil rights movement' they claim to be leaders of. Much like charity, civil rights must begin at home.

Yolandy,
You need to be wise and gentle in how you approach this. Firstly and very important, do not give audience to extended family, church members or anyone else who speaks negatively about your husband. Your duty is first to love & protect him and make those people understand that you will not entertain them bad-mouthing him in front of you - especially as he's a good man and takes care of his family unlike so many others who claim to be religious. You must be his unrelenting ally & staunch supporter in the presence of others - this is so important!

Secondly, respect your husbands beliefs. I'm a christian myself and know it can be hard living with someone who does not share something that is so important and precious to you, BUT you must still respect his beliefs. Do not nag him and so make him an 'enemy'. Listen when he talks, and show you understand why he is frustrated with religion/religious people - especially in Naija where hyprocrits abound, religious superstition reigns and high profile pastors make a mockery of the faith by the way they live. Talking about your disagreements WILL help, perhaps he is not listening now because maybe you're pushing your faith on him. You can soften his heart when he sees that you understand why he believes as he does. Then perhaps he might not be so angry when he's in public and voices his opinion. The one thing he can do differently is to be a bit more diplomatic & less confrontational when giving his opinion to others. When you're both in a good mood...gently chide him about it, while you're massaging his back, joke about how he can a bit softer on the religious 'zombies' etc etc. Its not about manipulating him - but rather communicating your thoughts to him.

Thirdly, do not try to change him. I repeat, do not try to change him. This is not your job. Love, respect, take care of and pray for him. Seek the face of God and leave it in His hands. That is really the best you can do. Your gentle, quiet, respectful, loving, supportive behavior towards your husband (especially in the company of family members & church folk) will be far far and away more powerful and convicting on him than talking/complaining to him. And despite your disagreements, don't pit yourself with your children against him - they are his children too and he has the right to also want to share himself with them so don't be angry at that. Whatever your children are taught now, they will also grow and be exposed to many many things and will need to decide for themselves which path they want to take. Having a loving father is a treasure many children don't have today.

All in all, I hope & pray all goes well for you. You already have a solid home & marriage, enjoy & cherish it! and God will complete the work He began according to His will. May it be so for you. Amen.

^and oh, my sister swears by Emirates. Timely service, excellent planes, professional staff, good food, various camera angles to watch what's going on etc etc. She refuses to fly any other airline lol.

And your story about the USA vets, lol, there's no country like America when it comes to patriotism . You should share your naija airline experiences with us now, you dey fear to scare us? lol. I used Air Nigeria from Accra to lagos once. The service at the counter was subpar. The computers weren't working (what a shock right?) and so everything was being entered manually and written by hand - that does not inspire much confidence at all. But once we got on the plane everything went very smooth, the flight, the service etc. I was pleased.

[quote author=M.O.M]@ JeSoul, hahahahahaha.. You just have to be smart in chi because everyone thinks they smarter than the other.. Am a sox fan.. The cubs dont play better and they got so many fans though.. Downtown chicago got lot of beautiful spots..it a nice city for couples to hangout.. So many restaurants downtown..words cant say it all.. i tried adding some pixx but said too large.. [/quote]White sox fan...you miss Ozzie? I agree on all your points about Chicago, all around just a lovely place.

AjanleKoko: Okay.
My first travel story would be about airlines.
I have flown quite a few airlines in my day. From BA to Virgin, Air France to KLM, Lufthansa to Iberia, Ryanair to Easyjet, Arik to Air Nigeria, Chachangi to Bellview

7 times out of 10, I fly coach. Apart from the fact that I definitely won't use my own dosh to buy a business class seat (for what), my company has gone the cost-cutting route, and prescribed economy travel for all but the Very Anointed execs. So I will still be flying economy for a while

Most flown airline: The regular airline i fly is Emirates. I have gold card access, and have racked up quite a few miles therein. I fly to many Kora countries via Dubai, my favourite city outside Africa. It's a combination of London, New York, Paris, and Kano, which is why I like it. More of Dubai in another post.

Worst Airline: British Airways, without doubt. I mean, I actually enjoyed Ryanair better than British Airways. I'm not kidding. Their planes feel old and dirty, their staff are rude, and the inflight sucks. Sometime in 2006, I flew BA London to Lagos, my inflight wasn't working, I called the flight attendant and he was like 'Well, if its not working its not working'. I mean . . .!

I wouldn't exactly say American and Delta suck, but I am not sure Americans should be running airlines They don't have 'ayesi or aponle' at all. All American carriers are somehow businesslike. More like 'sit your azz down and let's fly you to yer gardemm destination'

I flew Air India once, from Delhi to Jaipur. Jesu Kristi is all I can say. But India has two tight airlines, Jet Airways and Kingfisher. They have inflight entertainment on short haul. Also good inflight service, meals and all. Indian airlines are heavily branded, even the toilet paper carries ads, lol.

Best Airline: For me, it's KLM. I have only one word for this carrier, S-O-L-I-D. Qatar Airways I flew one time, and they splashed out for me. Their business class lounge is kickass, a 5-star spa. But e go hard to shake my loyalty to KLM.

Interesting flight experiences: October 22nd last year, I flew Southwest from Louisville to BWI, with some WW2 vets. The flight was very heavy with the patriotism bit, lots of 'U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!' going round, salutes, and hi-fives. As we touched down at BWI, the plane was sprayed by two fire engines on the tarmac.
Heavy stuff, Made me wish I was from a country I could be proud of, rather than a country where my fantasy is to be locked in a soundproof room with an Ak47, 5000 rounds of ammo, and all leaders past and present tied up and sitting on the floor
I won't even discuss the many near misses and screwups we get from local Naija airlines. I will spare their blushes here

Edutainment on Airlines: I discovered these albums exclusively on in-flight entertainment:
1. Long Walk to Freedom: 40 years of South African Music, on SAA. Great selection of songs from Spokes Mashiyane, Mama Makeba, Phineas Mkhize, and lots of other Southie greats.
2. Songs from A Zulu Farm, by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. You may have figured by now that I am a huge fan of SA music.
3. The Emirates Guide to 500 Years of Classical Music. This is an award-winning music documentary that traces the evolution of music from the Renaissance to the Modern eras. Also comes with an eclectic selection of tunes and famous compositions. It's said to be the most comprehensive classical music selection on any flight.

Let's read airplane experiences from others.

Very nice. You're really a globe trotter. Very nice wealth of experience you have there. Me personally, how can I say this...in spite of my love for travel...I absolutely HATE flying. I do my best to forget all my flying experiences so I can't offer any useful advice there lol. I do remember a horrible trip to Houston on US Airways (the most useless airline in the world), late take-off, plane was like a cheap bus, 2 unscheduled stops (plain torture for someone who hates flying) and lost luggage for the entire trip, I got my bags the day after I got back home.

You're right about KLM being a solid airline. The last I recall using them was about 3 months ago, smooth flight, great in-flight entertainment and awesome food, professional attendants. The worst was some Greek airline (I think, sorry I have deliberately forgotten lol), entire 2hr flight to france was rough, crap food, no entertainment and when it came to landing - dear Lord, plane was girating from left to right, I've never seen a pilot struggle so much to land a plane, I'm sure it was a trainee on his first flight.

I'm going to differ a bit here...I don't think this is necessarily a problem of culture but rather a basic misunderstanding of what marriage is or should be about.

In the institution of marriage - two become one - in every aspect including financial. Women shouldn't be looking at it as "a man being able to take care of you", this is very selfish. She should equally be thinking about how she can also contribute financially rather than keeping her cake and eating from someone else's. You should both be able to take care of each other. It shouldn't be looked at as "his money" and then "my money" but instead how will combine our efforts and how will we spend "our money together". Before I married my husband we combined our accounts and spent money together. No such thing as his or my account, everything is joint including properties & assets. This is someone I'm going to trust with my heart & life, you need to search yourself if you're not ready to trust him/her with your money as well.

@OP, its good you're having this discussion now. I will caution you about the hopes of "changing" someone once you're married. Any changing or compromising or agreements should be done before you tie the knot or else end up like many stories we see everyday. I wish you all the best brother.

dyt babe: My weddin day

That's awesome sister. Congratulations and I pray everything goes smooth and perfect on your big day. Godbless!

^lol no problem, Chicago is an awesome city. My husband has been begging for us to go back. I have to remind him we still have about a thousand more cities to visit lol.

Since you're a local please add your own experience on local spots and tips/tricks, you would definitely know a whole lot more.

Short story: After seeing a Cubs game I forgot my shiny new cellphone in the taxi we took. After days of calling the taxi driver finally picked up. He took our address and info and promised to mail it, middle eastern guy I think ... we never heard from him again LOL . Is that how Chi-town drivers roll? lol.

Nice thread.

I love to visit new places and going by that I've never been to the same place twice (except once). One of the nicest cities I've ever visited is Chicago (I was there 07 I think). Forget NYC with its boring linear sky scrapers, Chicago is full of architechtural eye candy lol just beautiful all around. Maybe I loved it so much because its similar in 'feel' to my own town Boston. Plenty to do - visit the museums, zoos & aquarium, visit landmarks like the Sears Tower (3rd tallest bld in the world), plenty of stores if shopping is your thing, attend a sporting event (baseball, basketball etc), check out grant park where Obama gave his victory speech in 08 or gorgeous millenium park, take pictures by the wacky Chicago egg, eat at a variety of diverse restaurants - we ate at this Greek Restaurant close to the sears tower and I have dreamt about that place ever since lol. And when you're tired, take a stroll at the beach that is easily walkable from downtown or go to a fair at the pier. And if you're there with a partner, I highly recommend doing one of the many cruises on Lake Michigan that offers breathtaking views of the city especially at night. And if you have extra cash, I beg you to stay at a sky scraper hotel with a city view - it is breathtaking at night lol and totally worth going to bed & waking up to bright sunshine with that as your backdrop.

Aight I'll stop now (suprised I remember this much lol). I'll see if I can add pictures when I get home.

TIP: One tip we always use when travelling - be nice and smile to the person at the counter when checking in at your hotel! I cannot mention how many countless room upgrades and 'honeymoon' suites we've scored by simply being nice & treating them well. The person behind the counter has a ton of power in what room they put you in and it costs them nothing to upgrade you for free as long as rooms are available. You can buy the least expensive room at a 4-5 star hotel and take a chance you'll get upgraded.

Cool! Very nice complilation, many featuring in an impressive list of popular movies/tv shows.

Lol. Congrats to the poster and 'journalist' for usind a sneaky headline to gain attention. Title modified.

Okija, the log states that you were banned from posting in the politics section for tribalism. I know bans expire after a while but I'm not sure how long yours will be. Hope that helps.

Maz, this topic really belongs in the Islam section...but because you're such a stand up guy & member of the section no problemo. Hows everything with you by the way? Take care.

Nice. I haven't been able to preview it yet but will do so when I get home. Kudos esp making it free for cheap church folk . That it is Mac friendly is also very good. Good job and more cyber power to you.

Lol. Nice write-up. Its truly unfortunate every where you turn some tout is trying to pull money out of you... I can understand paying to park but charging for the seating area? hmm. I bet the 'pastor' also took an offering after he was done preaching, those thieves don't 'work' for free.

Love both series.

The X-Files is in the hall of fame and it will take an amazing series to overtake its level.

Fringe started off really good and subsequent seasons have shown promise but I have grown less and less patient with the writers. They are screwing up what could've been an amazing storyline. There are less 'cliffhangers' now than before and more 'filler-episodes' to buy time before getting into the meat of the series. Plus they introduced (a while ago now) a few threads/stories that they never followed up on... loose ends.

Can't say anything bad about the cast though - they are great! From Olivia to crazy Walter to quirky Astrid to dashing Broyles and loveable Peter. The acting is top notch and I think is a major reason the show still has many loyal followers. But they must pick up the slack quick & soon or else Fringe may soon be cut .

Lol. Make everybody siddon. Me I am co-signing...if you can't beat em', join em' and outdo 'em . She can also add travelling to that list...plenty benefits and not just health-wise. I wouldn't mind the very generous Prez sponsoring my next trip lol.

hey hey now JeSoul, whats good with ya ? nobody see ya brake light again. *phew* great relief to know it was the spambot. thanks for that piece of info.

Alls good dear. I would ask how you're doing but I know nothing can ever get you down or dampen your Israeli spirit...right? Its harder to read NL with the new look hence participation will also naturally reduce. I am around though & I hope the coming fixes restore the user-friendliness of the site.

As for the spambot, it can strike anywhere & anytime and even the mods are not spared lol. If you're ever banned again & your posting abilities not returned just alert the mods on the 'mod thread' and it'll be taken care of.

Cheers.

buzugee: you know thats a great question. i got banned for a short time and then i could post again. like when i tried to post before. it said ' YOU ARE BANNED'. time to look for a new pastime i guess speech aint so free

Don't worry nobody is out to 'silence'you. It was the spambot. If you post a topic/comment that looks like spam it will ban you for a short period of time and then you'll be able to post again.

^You and me both. I wish we could just revert to the old layout but I hear its gone for good. There are still many creases to be ironed out with this new format (including the 'online/offline' bit), and I hope it makes the place as user-friendly as it was or else . You can also see who's online only when you're both viewing the same topic at the bottom of the page.

^Oga DS, how body? Topic moved.

^Wish I could help. The new layout is new to most of the mods as well. I learnt a few bugs are still being fixed.

Personally, I thoroughly dislike the new look, it will definitely reduce traffic on this site.