Nova Articles

Who in the world types terms like “high risk loans for businesses with poor credit” in to the search engines? It seems one of the most common keyword phrases experienced daily by them, as scored by volume reported, but who are people that write – and therefore think – this way? So ungrammatical, so casual, so carelessly…entrepreneurs?

It appears as if nearly every independent business is in dire need of Little business loans or if not, then gives a distinct silent cry for a loan. Naturally if anyone falls inside a financial pit, there’s almost no escape nor is there any vitality to fight back, sequencing fatal results for this business. Shame on those sloppy enough to have not realized anything about sustaining their business, I blame personal and emotional interference.

And just what does it say about business people they are given over to such conceptual mash-ups like “high risk business loans bad credit” anyway? Talk about stream-of-consciousness writing! Joyce would be proud, in all likelihood. Yet that’s precisely the mindset of a success story. While there are many highly intelligent and highly literate successes in business, there are vastly more who succeed despite, it would seem, themselves – that is to say, you needn’t be an intellectual in order to make a lot of money. You basically need to learn how to make big bucks and go about doing it.

If that means becoming literate, being an intellectual, then so be it. But one really has nothing to do with the other. That’s why we have people Googling high risk business loans bad credit on a daily basis. These are obviously businessmen and women who are needing money and yet are high risks themselves! Furthermore, consider that they understand that they are hazardous propositions and yet half-expect, at the least, to find someone ready to lend them money. What audacity in fact – the same hard thick-skinned nerve that’s in the DNA of most any entrepreneur, only exponentially increased!

It’s a great thing, such cheek, such gall, such moxie, such temerity. It’s just that kind of gumption that got you to be an entrepreneur to begin with, after all. But several of your peers have it in abundance – and that’s truly an understatement! So they go around scouring the web for all signs of a business loan for those with bad credit, fully expecting that where there’s a need there’s a businessman or woman who has figured out a method to meet it!

And indeed, such intuition is proven right: there is certainly a way for those with bad credit histories to get money for their businesses. Furthermore, they can pay back the funds slowly and gradually, practically taking their sweet time to do so! This is no loan, however, but cold hard cash that’s advanced against anticipated credit card sales. You would only pay back a certain previously agreed upon percentage of the monthly receipts – that’s it!

Investing in Washington, D.C. can raise many challenges unique to that locale. Professional developers like Isaac Toussie recognize that, first of all, the property markets of our nation’s capital possesses some very interesting characteristics. Even though the city’s real estate environment continues to be harsh due to still-disappearing gains, gains made during pre-2008 boom-times, new developments are taking place that may suggest a turn-around.

Not everyone understands that home sales have fallen as credit’s dried up the way a pro like Isaac Toussie does, resulting in ripple effects like job insecurity and worse. In fact, suburban D.C. has even been through price drops of up to one hundred thousand dollars! But as is often the case in the world of business, there may be a silver lining in even this disaster. That’s because one man’s tragedy is another’s opportunity, to put it honestly. And so the flood of foreclosed properties has come to tripped off a buying spree in many places, particularly among the many first-time home buyers of Prince William County who finally found prices within their reach. It should also be noted that so-called “vulture investors” have swooped in as well to snap up distressed properties, which is generally considered to be a good reflection of the wider economic situation, as it is a strong sign of a certain confidence in the market, that market fundamentals remain solid. In fact, these two groups of buyers play a role akin to that of canaries in a mine, signaling trends and shifts.

The second matter that has occupied many a thoughtful observer of late concerns the rate of mortgage delinquency, which has actually declined a little, according to a recent industry survey just concluded. The rate at which mortgage payments have fallen behind has decreased slightly during the fourth quarter of 2009, which is surprising indeed considering that delinquency rates normally rise during the last three months of the year, due to all heating expenses for winter and the holiday shopping season.

Surprised though market analysts may be, very few are puzzled because most take this development for nothing more than a statistical outlier, a coincidence. Most economists and other experts continue to believe that the situation continues to be extremely dangerous, as there are still record numbers of homeowners in financial straits, with the biggest difficulty of all unresolved: that way too many have missed at least three payments, and these people are really the ones least helped by any relief program whatsoever, historically speaking; these are the very souls who will be going into foreclosure rather soon.

One more thing to know about D.C. property markets: the city was the nation’s murder capital for much of the 1990s, and still suffers from the ravages of municipal mismanagement to this day. Of course, tony nabes like Georgetown exist, but for the most part D.C. is a place where real estate investors need to exercise due diligence when researching opportunities. The city has been slowly recovering, with gentrification helping pull some pockets of poverty and despair up and out into the modern 21st Century economy, but it’s not a sure bet that current commitment levels will last.

New York is one tough town. And it prides itself on its cut-throat lifestyle, even while the number of charities blossom as nowhere else. The serial success story that is Zalman Silber is an example of the businessman-turned-philanthropist. But isn’t it ironic that a place which worships material success gained by one’s teeth and nails, as it were, should find itself so interested in appearing charitable, too? As if the rich are secretly embarrassed with their fortunes – as if Balzac was right, that “behind every great fortune lies a great crime,” or as if Jesus was correct, that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle….”

As if, to be frank about it, the rich give in order to assuage their guilt.

What is it about this world that should so often find the elevated so close to the base? One can observe dichotomies existing side-by-side, many times in peace and, even, complete ignorance of one another, even in New York, even in the 21st Century.

And one wonders if such philanthropy, targeted towards one’s own community, set up to benefit one’s own interests, are perfectly true acts of charity or just another way in which the ego manages to further inflate itself.

Such questions, of course, likely do not concern those like Zalman Silber, who give freely as they please and couldn’t care less about such quibbles. Indeed, it is safe to say that for those who do have the funds to give, giving is a pleasure in itself – akin to any other form of spending money.

Now that’s not as cynical as it may sound at first. For spending money is a form of experiencing one’s own power, one’s own ability to produce satisfaction and pleasure. It may well lead to egotism, and it often does, to be sure – but at its root is a simple human joy at being able to affect one’s surroundings, one’s world. It is the same joy that accompanies a child who can crawl, then walk, then run, then ride a bicycle, then drive a car, then pilot a boat or helicopter or airplane. The proper spending of money can be life-enhancing in a very deep way, far more so than the mere accumulation of creature comforts. The proper spending of money – as in charitable donations – allows one to give of oneself, in a sense, a very important sense. For money is power, and in cases of honest work to give money is to have given of one’s time and one’s very life – the time spent earning the money, the life devoted to productive work.

And such is, as the humanist Erich Fromm had noted in his many works on human psychology and human society, the most demeaning aspect of poverty, that one cannot give of oneself. For it is not he who has much, but he who gives much, that is rich – and yet, to give requires one to first have! And it is the misfortune of the poor that they can barely provide for themselves, never mind share with others – though, curiously, survey after survey has concluded that the less money one has, the greater a percentage of one’s income tends to be given away in charity. It is as if the poor know something which escapes the rich. It is as if the New York of lights and smiles is unaware of something so basic that it can only be known to those whose lives involve the basics and no luxuries.

Is it possible to use an online course to get the kind of knowledge a developer like Isaac Toussie has regarding real estate?

The information superhighway will soon be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. It took several decades for the web to percolate out from a fairly small coterie of research scientists and other academics into the wider general population, but once it did, our world was changed forever: It was wired.

And so nearly everything is on the internet these days, and almost everything is done through it – even sex! And the once near-exclusive province of worthless diploma mills, so-called distance learning has really come of age with a vengeance with the advent of the worldwide “w.” And now, in this age of Web 2.0 going on 3 or even 4, it seems like every corporate body and its subsidiary is getting in on the action.

Bah, humbug, some are tempted to say. No mere Luddites, these, some people just wonder whether e-learning can ever truly substitute for the face-to-face interactions of traditional modalities. In this article, we shall be taking a look-see at the issue for ourselves. Due to issues of legal liability, we shan’t name any names, lest we libel the guilty – wink, wink. But a brief survey of three of the most widely advertised such courses online has revealed to this author at least that business fundamentals can indeed be properly passed along online. These courses will never compare to actual field experience, lending anyone the knowledge of an Isaac Toussie, but then again nothing ever can.

No, the main attraction for these courses – their competitive advantage, to borrow an economist’s term, if you will – is that they are extremely accommodating of your schedule. With most such courses, you can attend class whenever you want – and certainly in whatever you want, including your birthday suit! Convenience is their number one draw, and this kind of accessibility is not to be discounted, especially since it is not necessarily any more expensive than the kind of learning offered by the traditional classroom setting. In fact, these courses can cost rather less money, particularly if you think about factors like time, such as the time it takes to commute to a brick-and-mortar school.

More problematic is the hands-on approach that is likely necessary for a really good grasp of how the real estate business works. Learning about the relevant laws is important but not quite what one actually does in real estate. What’s really important is a way of cultivating the mindset of a real estate tycoon! Perhaps one of these internet real estate courses, possibly offered by a “real” school such as a government-supported local community college, may involve an actual internship as a part of the experience, which would go a long way towards just that end of teaching real-world knowledge.

Now even with all that said, however, we must end on this note, that of the legal disclaimer: Neither the author nor the publisher shall be held liable for the content of this article, which constitutes mere opinion only and should not in any way be misconstrued as professional advice of any sort whatsoever! Always consult the relevant professionals, properly licensed and/or otherwise qualified, when making business decisions of any financial consequence.

State tax forms are needed to file state taxes – but exactly where is our tax money going? Taxes are utilized to support the government, but in a democracy the government is supposed to be “for the people,” as a popular rumor has it. All of the state tax forms filed year in, year out seem to have no effect on our local governments, which across the country are more likely than not operating at a deficit. How is this possible with all the money pouring into government coffers?

Most folks merely file their state tax forms and leave it at that, too busy with their lives and some even hoping not to attract any government attention. But a growing number of our fellow citizens and residents are seriously concerned over where “their money” is going. Virtually everyone agrees with paying for firefighters, sanitation workers, and other civil servants, but even then there can be a lot of controversy over the details.

Take teachers for example. Again, nearly everyone agrees that teachers are needed. But how to compensate them with our tax dollars, exactly? Currently, numerous people across the nation are up in arms over teacher perks and salaries.

It’s felt that educators have things much too comfortable, and there are people who would like to make the profession of teaching a job like any other, which in the United States means “hire and fire at will.”

These individuals want to, they say, hold teachers more “accountable” for student performance, which is often proposed to be measured by standardised test scores. But the other side of the argument believes that teaching isn’t just a job like any other, that the training of minds and the inspiration of hearts isn’t something which can be neatly measured on a quarterly or yearly basis like some corporate earnings report.

Are you an eBay lover? if that’s the case, you probably have considered ordering a used Macbook there. But before you order your next Macbook on eBay here are some important tips.

Take your time before shopping:

There is no need to rush into anything. This is a sizable purchase and you should take the time to study your used or refurbished Macbook deal. You will want to make sure you are genuinely getting a deal and that it is really what you are looking for and please don’t forget to calculate in the shipping costs.

Selecting the right seller:

Look for sellers with loads of positive feedback. Be wary of sellers with negative, low, or zero feedback.

Take a look at the description:

Read the description very attentively. Make sure all the components that you will need, such as the power cord, are mentioned.

Ask questions:

If you are doubtful about anything, ask questions. Be sure to ask any questions previous to bidding on the item. Bear in mind once you bid you are bound to the offer.

A detox diet is really a nutritional plan which claims to rid the body of impurities. Many such eating plans involve limiting consumption to only water or juice or outright fasting on a regular basis. Another kind of detox diet recommends the complete elimination of a certain kind of food such as all fats or all carbohydrates. Proponents of these ways of eating believe that trapped toxins are released somehow, passing through the skin, sweat, or breath and out of the body.

All detox diet plans are based on really ancient Egyptian and Greek notions about the body. Besides what we eat, other modalities are employed to detoxify the body, including physical treatments for example colon cleansing. Several herbs and allegedly herbal supplements are sold to supposedly speed up or otherwise aid the detoxification process. Such products are frequently marketed as targeting particular organs.

Bodily dextoxification is a field of so-called alternative medicine, which means that there is no scientific evidence for its claims. However, many swear by its placebo effects, though some of the more outrageous practices prevalent in the field appear to be potentially dangerous.

The whole affair may be more psychological than physical, in the final analysis. For one thing, there are simply people who derive a certain sense of pleasure from being contrarian, individuals for whom eccentricity is fashionable. Then there are those who are mentally disturbed conspiracy theorist-types and believe that the medical establishment wants to keep people sick. Whatever the private motivations of such individuals, the final effect is to perpetuate new generations of detox theory adherents who seem to argue against anything scientific.

Of course, not all detox diets are shams – several are quite sensical plans that seem to be basically affixing the “detox” label onto themselves becuase it’s a hot-selling buzzword at the moment. Insofar as individuals are more conscious of what they are consuming, these dietary schemes are, in the main, harmless.

Stocking and supplying medical office supplies has traditionally been one of the duties of a hospital dispensary, which is mainly dedicated to dispensing medication according to doctors’ prescriptions. Nowadays, the term “dispensary” refers to a handful of different institutions around the world – or, even, within the country.

For instance, in California a dispensary can be a specially designated store licensed to sell not medical office supplies but medicinal marijuana (which is also the situation in the Canadian province of British Columbia), while in the states of Idaho and South Carolina a dispensary used to refer to the governmental agency that served as the only legal source of alcohol.

Also no source of medical office supplies is the Kenyan dispensary, a small outpatient health facility usually managed by a registered nurse. These nurses report to clinical officers at a health centre, which is also where patients are referred to for treatment in cases a lot more complicated than a common ailment like cold or malaria. Modeled on the British system, this sort of healthcare dispensary is no basic storehouse of supplies but what Americans would call a community clinic.

This kind of medical clinic or dispensary got its start up in London, England back in the 1700s, and is credited with aquainting doctors with the issues of the poor because unlike the case with hospitals or a private practice, this dispensary service really brought doctors into their patients’ homes. Their social consciences shocked, thus were the first dispensaries set up – free healthcare for the poor.

Indeed, young aspiring physicians of the day had been really eager to serve as honorary physicians to the dispensaries, though such an appointment was generally voluntary (with no more than a small honorarium at best) and not as prestigious as a hospital posting. It was nothing short of a medical revolution: for the first time since the Hippocratic Oath, altruistic motivations were the norm.

With media attention normally focused on foreclosed homeowners, this article will take a brief look to consider the consequences on homebuilders such as Isaac Toussie.

Embittered homeowners who have been foreclosed upon have taken to trashing the property before getting kicked out, with anecdotal estimates by real estate agents putting the number of such vandalized properties at up to fifty percent of all such units. But given all the media coverage of foreclosed homeowners, it’s time to take a look now at how the same crisis is affecting homebuilders like Isaac Toussie. After all, many of the small-time businessmen had to take out loans in order to finance their housing developments. Of course, there are no such developers out on the street, and their cases, unfortunate in themselves, are not anywhere near comparable to that of homeowners who have nowhere to go at all. But it’s fascinating to see how things can turn out for businessmen and women caught up in the same economic catastrophe, and how reactions can differ – or not.

For example, many small homebuilders have had to dip into personal savings just to keep their companies afloat, a familiar predicament to many homeowners. Buyers were disappearing with cash deposits of several thousand left on the table, proof that local residential property markets had turned ice-cold. Even more unfortunately, many homebuilders have proceeded since then to file for bankruptcy protection, with vast sums owed not only to their lenders but also their subcontractors and workers. But still worse yet, these small-time builders have often financed their businesses with so-called recourse debt which allows banks to seize homes, cars, and other personal assets in case of default – again, quite a familiar scenario comparable to that faced by many homeowners.

Such scenarios have increased and are now considered widespread across the country. Many a builder has been left with unsold units and land, falling behind on interest payments and facing foreclosures. And in a very bad sign of the extent of the destruction involved, even very large homebuilders are in trouble, with legendary builders such as Levitt & Sons, founders of Levittown, New York on Long Island, famous for epitomizing postwar suburbia, forced into bankruptcy like some small unlucky start-up.

It’s gotten so bad that once solid partnerships and friendships have frayed as an every-man-for-himself mentality creeps into the proceedings. Contractors and subcontractors have had to take out liens on the property they build in order to protect themselves. And it is in this manner that the ordeals of homeowners and homebuilders differ: the latter have almost no hope of any governmental assistance whatsoever, despite being affected by the same subprime mortgage industry shenanigans that’s made owning a home so suddenly burdensome.

Legal Disclaimer: Be advised that such information as has been presented so far only constitutes mere opinion and should under no circumstances be misconstrued for professional advice of any kind whatsoever! Always consult those properly licensed and/or otherwise qualified when it comes to making business decisions of any financial importance.

I had some online CPE courses to do the other day. As a lawyer, it really is mandatory that we take continuing professional education. Online CPE courses are fantastic, because I normally get do attend on my own schedule. There are some courses which are available live only, almost the same as a normal course taken at a college except conducted over the internet, taking advantage of that medium’s exponentially greater reach but little else.

But these are quite the exception, and typically only available this way because of copyright concerns. I generally avoid these kinds of continuing professional education courses unless the lecturer happens to be some hot-shot lawyer or the material is especially interesting to me.

To me, the primary benefit of online CPE courses is how it is possible to go at one’s personal pace. And as a third-year associate at one of the largest corporate law firms in the world, believe me when I say how much I appreciate that convenience! I work sixty to seventy-hour weeks, including weekends of course, and that’s not even considering all the years of studying I’ve already gone through: by now I have twenty-some-odd years of schooling – considerably much more than two whole thirds of my life!

So anything that lets me take it easy a little is most desired, and being able to pursue continuing professional education over the worldwide web makes a bad situation a little better.

I mean, I actually do not want to do it – but it’s a requirement for periodic relicensing as an attorney, and i am not ready to quit the profession just yet, if ever – so being able to at least take my time with it takes some of the onerousness out of it all. Plus, sometimes it is free if it’s a pilot course, an experimental course for which I receive free CPE credits in exchange for offering some feedback, making things even less onerous!

A wealthy person like Zalman Silber is usually admired for making a lot of money and giving it away. From a certain perspective, that is the best of all worlds, to be a winner in life with access to the world’s luxuries while also doing good: to be respected for one’s material achievements as well as spiritual aspirations.

Yet for all the Zalman Silbers of the world, there is a world of difference between being and having. Many mistake having with being – the more they have, the bigger they are, as if a better person is produced by ever more goods. Yet real good comes about not from possession – or, even, good works – but from being, true being.

It is a hard thing to understand, as most of us take life very much for granted. We imagine that to be is the simplest thing in the world – but we discount our own humanity in supposing that, plant-like, all we need is some light and water and we are all that we can be.

No, not even having a beachfront mansion with a helicopter out front and a yacht out back on your very own island makes you all that you can be. To be fully human, we must also understand deprivation, fear, want – we must experience life in all its totality.

We must empathize. For the act of empathy makes us most human – the exercise of our imaginations, the use of our unique ability to almost literally put ourselves in another’s stead.

And hence the distinction between being and having. One sees this very clearly in a classroom, even in college, where most students scribble away furiously, taking down notes as the professor speaks. Yet how much are they really retaining if half their brains are busy recording what was said instead of being fully engaged in what is said?

Full undivided attention means precisely that. It is the total direct no-holds-barred personal experience of what is going on, what is being said – and what that means in all its implications. In the act of note-taking, however, one is necessarily forever playing “catch up,” with a significant amount of one’s attention focused on the act of recording – and editing, moreover: a necessarily “distancing” set of behaviors.

It is as if these students expect that the very having of some notes of the lecture constitutes knowledge itself – literally having knowledge – while the fact of the matter is that one best knows, most completely knows, in the direct experiencing of what is to be known.

This direct experience does not come from notes hastily jotted in a strobe light-like manner. It comes from being fully in the moment, as opposed to standing outside of it recording.

Wine holders hold wine. They store and organize wine, and can be produced of any number of different materials in any number of different sizes. Also recognized as wine racks, large ones could be found in a professional wine cellar while a lot smaller designs might be wall-mounted in the kitchen to conveniently display an amateur collection.

These latter types will at times incorporate wine glasses for a combination rack that holds both drink and implement. Speaking of which, the truest wine holder of all is probably one’s own mouth! But for creative aesthetics, nothing beats the man-made versions. Those constructed from metal are particularly imaginative.

The material itself provides for the greatest amount of imagination, allowing as it does fluid sinuous styles difficult or even impossible to achieve with any wooden or stone. Numerous are very whimsical, such as a widespread favorite where thin metal spirals hold wine bottles upside-down in a haphazard manner suggestive of intoxication!

Many who take their wines, and thus their display, seriously enough to think about such devices (as opposed to just putting them on a shelf in the fridge or pantry) will usually favor wood because of the role it plays in formulating the flavor of many wines.

After all, wines are aged in wooden caskets for just that all-important reason, and many winemakers are even so careful as to factor in the species of wood used for their bottle corks! Therefore the bestselling styles are still wooden, even in the most modern of decors where chrome or stainless steel predominate.

Storing wine is really a serious affair if you care about taste. Ambient lighting and even the very angle at which bottles may be tilted during storage are said to help produce the flavor of a wine. Keeping your wine in a manner that both highlights the beauty of their bottling while preserving or aiding the creation of their flavors can be challenging, depending on how exacting your expectations.

Camping supplies are a necessity even when simply hiking. This is because there’s always the possibility of mishap which will cause you to stay the night in the forest (mountain or desert or wherever else you might be trekking through).

Never underestimate the power of Mother Nature; the weather conditions can change in a sudden flash in many places upon the earth. Indeed, our planet is a living one, and the very ground upon which we walk can betray us. A rockslide, or worse, can present insurmountable obstacles in our way, necessitating some fieldcraft to maneuver around.

Thus it’s always a good idea to take along camping supplies, just in case. You don’t need to bring everything, but some things are absolutely essential. At a minimum you’ll most likely need some kind of shelter, so a tent or sleeping bag should be the first thing on your list. Food and water is next, and it’s a good idea to bring at least one day’s worth, though three days’ is the standard recommended minimum.

Emergency supplies for instance first-aid kits and flare signals should also be packed. Of course, much depends on your choice of venue, the time of year, and your own familiarity with the location as well as your general expertise in the field, but having the proper gear around should disaster or, even, just a relatively minor setback, strike won’t cost you too much in terms of weight.

Essential camping gear should be no more than thirty pounds or so, easily portable and convenient. Do not skimp on common sense! Most serious hikers, campers, and outdoors types know that the possibility of danger is often present, however minimized. If you are just a casual camper or hiker, then you truly will need to do things by the book and think a few steps ahead!

An exam glove is utilized by medical professionals to conduct examinations without contaminating the sample or patient as well as themselves. Most such exam gloves used to be produced out of rubber latex, but the chances of allergic reactions has made the likes of neoprene and nitrile, the materials of choice for many modern medical exam glove. It’s almost impossible to tell them apart at first glance, but each presents its own unique characteristics that make some people prefer one over the other.

The common exam glove these days is made of synthetic rubber that tends to cost much more than organic latex alternatives, a concern in these recessionary times when even well-known hospitals like Saint Vincent’s in the Bronx, New York can shutter due to financial difficulties.

Furthermore, something like nitrile rubber has second-rate strength and flexibility when compared to organic rubber, though it is much more resistant to oils and acids. Neoprene, on the other hand, resists burning much better and will frequently be found in the weather stripping applied to fire doors as well as in the examination gloves of a healthcare provider.

Exam gloves were first instituted with William Stewart Halsted’s 1890 practice of using rubber gloves that protect medical workers from skin exposure to carbolic acid, a required sterilizing agent. Carbolic acid, or phenol, was adopted originally by Sir Joseph Lister for use in antiseptic surgery, but skin irritation lead to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s invention of a rubber glove that could withstand the organic compound.

Interestingly, latex gloves are still much preferred in surgery nowadays because of the fine control and greater sensitivity they provide. The one exception to this fact is the polyisoprene glove, but these are over twice as expensive as their natural latex counterparts, and as mentioned previously, hospitals have now become very cost-sensitive environments.

Never go hiking without a camping tent – I discovered that the almost-hard way. I say “almost” because considering that I’m not only alive to tell the tale but suffered no injuries, either, it probably wasn’t as tough as it might have been had I not been so lucky.

I and my companions did not have a camping tent between us since it was just supposed to have been an simple day-hike over (and up) easy terrain. A thousand-foot mountain affords nice enough views, to be sure, such that the curvature of the earth could be faintly seen, but it isn’t considered a big deal by any who hike or climb real mountains.

So, of course, we didn’t bring a camping tent. And sure enough we get lost, and with only another two hours of sunlight left most of us decide to backtrack downhill – except for myself and another friend. And though we do eventually summit, as novices we make the mistake of mistiming our descent, such that it’s already twilight by the time we choose to head back.

You see, being so inexperienced we mistook the fact that there was still light in the sky for having enough time to get back down. But of course we were at the summit, where we had a excellent view of our surroundings – this was Mount Buck, the highest point in the whole Lake George area of New York.

And though the sun was low on the horizon it appeared wonderfully bright all around. Golds mixed with blues turned pink and white – it was a swirl of colours matching the happy dance of emotions within that we’ve finally reached the top.

Lost in our reveries, we did not realize that not only does the sun set in seconds, but that in a forest the canopy of foliage will make even mid-afternoon seem much, much later to the human eye….

When selecting real estate, articles generally discuss what is recommended by industry experts such as Isaac Toussie. But learning from failure is as important as learning from success; indeed, the two are symbiotically interweaved. And thus, following up on the previous installment’s discussion of desirable but still affordable New York City neighborhoods, we will consider the worst of the worst here by way of steering you to properties elsewhere!

A borough-by-borough run-down concludes as follows:

Staten Island: generally speaking, the areas closest to the ferry terminal will be the worst, with crime, noise, and other social ills most prevalent.

Manhattan: a much more diverse set of circumstances here, but a good rule-of-thumb principle holds that areas north of Central Park should be avoided (though gentrification has made many such areas much better than previously was the case). With the exception of Chelsea and Upper East and West Side areas like Lincoln Center, avoid all areas with a public housing project.

Bronx: the whole borough should be avoided (but for Riverdale on the west coast and Throgg’s Neck on the southeastern one).

Queens: the most complex situation in the whole city, with many neighborhoods fairly mixed ethnically, racially, and socio-economically. But clearly inferior places include vast tracts of Jamaica and surrounding areas, especially towards points south near Brooklyn. Ravenswood is another problem area, next to Astoria in Long Island City. Roosevelt Island is deliberately mixed, but as is always the case, the bad will drive out the good, and it’s quite a debate whether gentrification can work there. East Elmhurst (but not all of Elmhurst proper) should also be avoided for the mix of noise, crime, and other social ills presented by many of its denizens. Jackson Heights is on the borderline, once a nice nabe but now host to a vast illegal immigrant community.

Brooklyn: another complex case, though rather more clear-cut than that of Queens described above. Sunset Park is gritty and working-class but at least somewhat safe, relatively speaking. Definitely avoid Bushwick and surroundings, as well as Flatlands and even, nowadays, Canarsie. Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights are not very desirable areas and have a history of violence, as is the case with Ocean Hill and Brownsville. East New York should be avoided like the plague. Coney Island is also often bad, though the City of New York is finally committed to a wholesale revitalization effort.

Tough stuff? Not really. One cannot be too truthful when it comes to the persisting pockets of urban blight. For those new to New York, such “color” is commonly fun. But for many others, peace and quiet is desired above all for thinking, studying, and enjoyment of being.

The neighborhoods listed are anathema to those values, peopled as they are by those of a disposition, whether cultural or otherwise, towards noisy commotion and even physical violence. Yet because the city bursts with new arrivals each day, industry observers like Isaac Toussie agree that property prices and rent will still be very expensive, even when compared against more desirable spots in the same city. For example, Kingsbridge and Bedford Park in the Bronx, ghetto to the core, can still command rents only a couple of hundred less than those in premier places like Riverdale or Throgg’s Neck!

Wedding favors really add to the “sentimental interest” of one of the most important occasion in anyone’s live. A wide variety exists on the market for almost every possible purpose, with every theme including religious ones, well represented.

For example, Asian themed wedding favors are one of the most popular bestsellers nowadays, though conventional favorites like the fairytale still dominate the industry. And perhaps in a sign of our times, you can find even varieties that incorporate casino objects such as dice and playing cards into their designs!

Indeed, the range of wedding favors available for today’s brides is richly diverse. There are even edible favors like personalized mints and cookies! There are also favors by season, favors by political persuasion, and favors that acknowledge the very location of the wedding, for example Hawaiian themes for a ceremony in Hawai’i. Have a favorite TV show? There are sure to be gifts based on it!

General favors for guests have included copies of the music played at the wedding reception and party, shot glasses filled with candy, and of course silver picture frames with a photo of the couple. Obviously, those for your groomsmen and bridesmaids should be different than any you give away to guests.

These favors should be much more personalized, reflecting not only the wedding but the additional unique roles the recipients play in helping to make it all happen. Probably the most popular types for groomsmen seem to be commeorative colognes and watches, while bridesmaids have generally been limited to bags! (Still a far cry from the old days when favors consisted of sugar cubes or almonds, in an age when such commodities were expensive luxuries!) In the end, the point of a gift is to communicate love. In sharing their happiness, a couple further cements the bonds of friendship even as they embark on the creation of new familial ones.