housemoving gonk: October 2012

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Confession time: Panty liner ads aren't real

TODAY.com's Kyle Michael Miller takes a look at Bodyform's response to a Facebook ranter.

By Allison Linn, TODAY

Richard Neill almost certainly thought he was the wittier one.

Last week, he took to Facebook to rant sarcastically that a British feminine hygiene company had lied to him with all those commercials implying that getting one?s period is just an excuse for a series of joyful adventures.

Bodyform, the British company that makes the panty liners in question, showed him that they could not only take the criticism, they could do him one better.

On Tuesday, Bodyform posted a parody video of its own on YouTube and Facebook. In it, the company?s fake CEO apologized and fessed up about all those joyful feminine hygiene commercials.

?What you?ve seen in our advertisements so far isn?t a factual representation of events. You?re right. The flagrant use of visualizations such as sky diving, roller blading and mountain biking? - you forgot horse riding Richard ? are actually metaphors. They?re not real,? the faux CEO, who they dubbed Caroline Williams, intones somberly. ?I?m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but there?s no such thing as a happy period.?

The post came a few days after Neill?s rant went viral, prompting more than 84,000 Facebook ?likes? and thousands of comments along the lines of ?love this.?

In it, Neill opines that he grew up being jealous of all these women who got to spend their periods bike riding, dancing, parachuting and the like. Then, he said, he was faced with the reality of that time of the month when he ?got a girlfriend.?

?There was no joy, no extreme sports, no blue water spilling over wings and no rocking soundtrack oh no no no,? he wrote.

Bodyform responded: ?If Facebook had a ?love? button, we'd have clicked it. But it doesn't. So we've made Richard a video instead.?

Tim Calkins, a clinical professor marketing at Northwestern University, said the parody video response is exactly the type of marketing more companies need to be doing. He lauded the company for taking the risk of being funny and a bit edgy.

?The reason it works is it just feels very sort of real in that the company is listening and they?re responding and they have a sense of humor, but they also stick up for themselves,? Calkins said.

He noted that it?s also a world away from traditional marketing, in which companies may spend months carefully crafting messages and coming up with advertising campaigns.

?This, though, is an example of a company that?s building its brand but doing so in a way that is timely and authentic and funny,? he said.

Bodyform, which is based in the United Kingdom, was not able to comment as of press time. You can watch the full video on YouTube.

What do you think of Bodyform's response?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/10/17/14486733-confession-time-panty-liner-ads-arent-real?lite

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Giant impact scenario may explain the unusual moons of Saturn

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) ? Among the oddities of the outer solar system are the middle-sized moons of Saturn, a half-dozen icy bodies dwarfed by Saturn's massive moon Titan. According to a new model for the origin of the Saturn system, these middle-sized moons were spawned during giant impacts in which several major satellites merged to form Titan.

Erik Asphaug, professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will present this new hypothesis October 19 at the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Reno, Nevada. Asphaug and his coauthor, Andreas Reufer of the University of Bern, Switzerland, also describe their model in detail in a paper to be published in Icarus (in press).

Asphaug and Reufer propose that the Saturn system started with a family of major satellites comparable to the four large moons of Jupiter (known as the Galilean moons, discovered by Galileo in 1610). The Galilean moons account for 99.998 percent of the mass in Jupiter's satellite system; although it has dozens of small satellites, Jupiter has no middle-sized moons. The new model may explain why the two systems are so different.

"We think that the giant planets got their satellites kind of like the Sun got its planets, growing like miniature solar systems and ending with a stage of final collisions," Asphaug said. "In our model for the Saturn system, we propose that Titan grew in a couple of giant impacts, each one combining the masses of the colliding bodies, while shedding a small family of middle-sized moons."

Earth is thought to have undergone a similar kind of giant impact, in which our planet gained the last ten percent of its mass and spawned the moon. Just as our moon is thought to be made out of material similar to Earth's rocky mantle, the middle-sized moons of Saturn are made of material similar to Titan's icy mantle, Asphaug said.

"Our model explains the diversity of these ice-rich moons and the evidence for their very active geology and dynamics," he said. "It also explains a puzzling fact about Titan, in that a giant impact would give it a high orbital eccentricity."

Asphaug and Reufer used computer simulations to study the giant impact scenario, and they found that mergers of satellites the size of the Galilean moons can liberate ice-rich spiral arms, mostly from the outer layers of the smaller of the colliding moons. Gravitational clumping of the spiral arms then leads to the formation of clumps with sizes and compositions that resemble Saturn's middle-sized moons.

"These satellite collisions are a regime that is not very well understood, so the modeling opens up new possibilities in general for planet formation," Reufer said.

The proposed mergers might have occurred as the final act in the process of satellite formation. Alternatively, Saturn may have had a stable system of Galilean-like satellites that was later disrupted by the possibly chaotic migration of the giant planets, as described in the popular "Nice model" of the solar system. A late origin has the advantage of explaining some of the most striking features of the Saturn system.

"What makes the Saturn system so beautiful and unique could be its youth," Asphaug said. "While we don't have a preferred timeframe for this origin scenario to play out, it could have happened recently if something came along to destabilize the Saturn system, triggering the collisional mergers that formed Titan. This 'something' could have been the close passage of a marauding Uranus and Neptune, which is part of the Nice model."

Asphaug acknowledged a couple of dynamical issues raised by the new model. The clumps spawned from the giant impacts might get swept up into the accretion of Titan, rather than evolving into separate moons with their own stable orbits. Additional simulations of the dynamical evolution of the complicated, accreting system are needed to further explore and validate the model. But Asphaug said new data from NASA's Cassini mission on the geophysics of Saturn's moons will provide the ultimate tests.

"Our model makes strong predictions for how Titan was assembled, what the middle-sized moons are made of, and how they started out as rapidly spinning clumps of ice-rich material," he said. "So it's testable. These little moons could provide the clues telling us what happened, and when."

This research was funded by NASA, the University of California, and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Note: A video simulation can be found at: http://vimeo.com/50778094

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Cruz. The original article was written by Tim Stephens.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/R_gBb41CqrY/121017154848.htm

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Bullet tax proposal to curb Chicago crime

CHICAGO?? As Chicago struggles to quell gang violence that has contributed to a jump in homicides, a top elected official wants to tax the sale of every bullet and firearm ? an effort even she acknowledges could spark a legal challenge.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will submit a budget proposal Thursday that calls for a tax of a nickel for each bullet and $25 for each firearm sold in the nation's second-largest county, which encompasses Chicago.

Preckwinkle's office estimates the tax will generate about $1 million a year, money that would be used for various county services including medical care for gunshot victims. Law enforcement officials would not have to pay the tax, but the office said it would apply to 40 federally licensed gun dealers in the county.

Video: Chicago police chief: Tighter guns laws needed (on this page)

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Through last week, the city reported 409 homicides this year compared to 324 during the same period in 2011. Although the violence still doesn't approach the nearly 900 homicides a year Chicago averaged in the 1990s, officials say gang violence was largely to blame for a rash of shootings earlier this year.

Woman loses second grandchild in 6 months to Chicago gun violence

Preckwinkle insists the ordinance is far more about addressing gun violence than raising money for a county that faces a deficit of more than $100 million next year.

"We think that's an appropriate thing to do, especially in the light of the gun violence we struggle to deal with in our criminal justice system and our public health system," she told a local newspaper editorial board this week, according to a transcript of the meeting provided by her office. "The legal gun shops in suburban Cook County are a conduit for crimes in Chicago. There's no way around it."

Preckwinkle declined to speak with The Associated Press ahead of the announcement Thursday, but her spokeswoman Kristen Mack confirmed the details of the plan.

Mack said the office has found no other jurisdiction in the nation that has imposed a tax on bullets, even though several have considered it. Legislation on such a tax was previously introduced by state lawmakers in Springfield, but it was never been voted on, she said.

Richard Pearson, the executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, scoffs at such talk, saying the tax wouldn't do anything to address gang violence but would harm local businesses and law-abiding citizens.

6 dead, at least a dozen wounded in less than 24 hours in Chicago

"If she wants to get to the people causing all the problems she ought to put a tax on street gangs," he said. "All this is going to do is drive business out of Cook County, into other counties, Indiana and Wisconsin."

One suburban gun shop owner agreed, saying that his customers, many of whom are hunters and police officers, will simply go elsewhere.

"Who's going to come to Tinley Park to buy ammunition," said Fred Lutger, the owner of Freddie Bear Sport in that suburban Chicago community.

Chicago Searches For Ways to End Gun Violence And, said Lutger of that money going toward treating gunshot victims, "Why should be paying for gang bangers shooting each other? You're taxing law-abiding citizens for what criminals are doing."

Gun rights advocates spent years challenging in court Chicago's handgun ban, which was ultimately overturned in 2010 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lutger said a lawsuit was certain. Pearson said he and others started talking about a legal challenge as soon as they heard Preckwinkle was considering the tax.

Even Preckwinkle seemed resigned to a legal challenge in her comments to the newspaper board.

"You can't make decisions based on the basis of whether or not somebody's going to sue you or then you'll never do anything," she said.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49458564/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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West Bank residents send strong message during Night Out Against ...

In some ways, it seemed like another party. But West Bank residents attending?annual Night Out Against Crime gatherings say they are putting criminals on notice that their communities are off limits.

From Algiers to Avondale, residents?joined forces with police officers, firefighters, elected officials and community leaders to remind themselves of their strength in numbers.

"The people here have come together as a whole,'' said Jacquelyn Foley, president of the Lincolnshire Neighborhood Association in Marrero where 100 to 250 people were expected. "We're an old neighborhood. The people want peace.''

Foley said crime is down 60 percent in her community because residents no longer fear calling police when they see crime happening.

Pastor Sterling Mealancon of Progressive Church in Marrero said his congregation has tackled blight and environmental cleanup?in the community off Ames Boulevard to uplift residents and eliminate the places where criminals used to hide.

"We are aggressively involved in this community,'' he said.

Staff writers Andrea Shaw and Michelle Hunter contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/10/west_bank_residents_send_stron.html

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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Presidential Debate at Hofstra University

0

Commission on Presidential Debates

President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney met at Hofstra University for the second of three presidential debates. Moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley.

Source: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/308543-1

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Video: Obama vs Romney: Who Won?

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

LeapFrog Investments Brings Insurance to Vulnerable Populations

By David Stripling

At SOCAP 2012, we caught up with Samantha Duncan, Investment Officer at LeapFrog Investments. LeapFrog is an investment vehicle for microinsurance carriers in emerging markets. She shared with us some of the benefits of being listed as a fund on Impact Assets IA 50 list of fund managers.

TriplePundit: Would you mind telling us a little about LeapFrog Investments and what you do there?

Sam Duncan: LeapFrog is a profit-with-purpose investment fund focused on Africa and Asia. We invest in businesses that provide insurance and related financial services to low income and other financially excluded people.? We are a $135 million fund, and the largest investor worldwide in microinsurance. ?To date, we have invested in companies covering Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and India ? and have a strong focus also on Southeast Asia. LeapFrog is committed to achieving both top quartile private equity returns and to reaching 25 million people with financial safety nets.? We launched the fund in 2008, at the Clinton Global Initiative with President Bill Clinton, and raised it in early 2009. ?So far, in just over three years, we can say that all our companies are growing and profitable, and that we have reached over 8 million people.

3p: That is phenomenal; that is fantastic, congratulations to you guys. Such a short lifespan with such a rapid success.

SD: Thank you!

3p: So LeapFrog was recently listed as part of the IA 50. Would you mind telling us what this means for LeapFrog, and how this might benefit the organization going forward?

SD:? Impact Assets is a really powerful vehicle for us as a community of impact investors, helping us to contribute and share in developing the sector.? And we are proud to be named among the top 50 fund managers.? Impact Assets is doing a fantastic thing in trying to mobilize a lot of capital and build a platform for investors.? For us, there are obvious benefits in potential future fundraising, but it is really more about building the community and being involved in developing the space. You know, a core premise of LeapFrog is to prove the concept that there are investible businesses out there that provide much needed financial services, and other services for low-income people. We need to treat those low-income people just as consumers, just like we treat anyone else, as subjects to whom we need to deliver a quality product, not as supplicants. ?Demonstrating that those businesses exist, and mobilizing private capital and specialist expertise to make those investments perform exceptionally is what we are all about.? Being recognized by the IA 50 furthers that goal.

3p: That is terrific, do think this will help facilitate your access to more capital and get more liquidity into the marketplace?

SD: LeapFrog raised our first fund in 2009; we are very dedicated to investing at this time. But, as with all fund managers, once we are successful in doing that, it would be natural for us to come back to the market to raise further funds.? To get the visibility that we will get with IA 50 could help us to reach out and connect with those investors that look to Impact Assets as a place to find recommendations of quality asset managers.

3p: Would you like to share with us some of the work you have been doing on the ground in Indonesia, maybe some of the new and exciting things happening there?

SD:? Indonesia is a really exciting market, and especially for us, since this is a really populous nation where insurance penetration is so low.? There is a really big population of people who need quality financial services, and need insurance. So we have been spending a good amount of time getting to know the market, with local insurers, both on the life and non-life insurance side.? We are trying to identify the best vehicle to reach a lot of people while achieving our significant profit goals.? In Indonesia, they have a very developed microfinance market, but very fragmented network.? So what we look at in trying to reach people ranges from tapping into mass market banks, and the existing trust relationships of banks that know their customers and know their micro clients, through working with cooperatives in Indonesia that aggregate millions of people, through distribution via insurer agency forces. All have in common the need to connect through a really strong avenue to also develop trust-based relationships. Indonesia is also still an agricultural economy; there are a lot of farmers who need insurance, such as crop insurance. We are an investor looking for businesses that can best reach those kinds of populations.

3p: Do you have any good stories of how you insurance investments have benefited people on the ground?

SD: Yes. Our first investment was a company called AllLife, which provides life insurance only to people living with HIV/AIDS and, more recently, type 1 and type 2 diabetes.? It is a really interesting model because before AllLife started, it was terribly difficult for someone with HIV in South Africa to get insurance at all, let alone affordable and quality protection of the right kind.? Insurance not only helps mitigate the costs of loss of a family member; if you do not have life insurance, you cannot access credit, you cannot access other forms of financial services you need, and you are excluded from the financial system.? AllLife offers people with HIV insurance by linking people to a health management program, and helping them to lead long and productive lives. ?Interestingly, the people in AllLife insurance may even have a higher life expectancy than the average South African outside the program. AllLife reports clinical measures of a 15 percent increase in the health of policyholders within a year, not least because the program improves optimism and hope for the future, so people start exercising, looking after themselves, and engaging with their communities again. Another great example: We just made an investment with the Mahindra Group in India. They are one of the world?s largest providers of agricultural equipment and machinery by volume, and they reach millions of farmers and other people rural areas across India. We just partnered with them and their insurance brokerage, which covers millions of low-income people typically with incomes of $1.25 to $3.50 per person in the household per day, and we are helping them scale their life and property offerings while also introducing a health insurance offering. Since two percent of India falls into poverty each year due to health events, you can?t underestimate the importance of getting families these insurance safety nets.

3p: This year?s impact theme, despite the title, Making Money Matter, seems to be focused on scale. LeapFrog, in keeping with Judith Rodin?s ?recombinant innovation? idea, has scaled impact in a different way, not the same old increase of service. ?LeapFrog has brought an old product to people in a new sector of vulnerable populations, reducing barriers for them.? Are there any other aspects of scale you think are worth touching on?

SD: Insurance is fascinating by definition in that the more people you can reach, the more predictable and securely profitable it becomes, and the more risk you can spread across a given insurance policy, so insurance really is unique in that sense. In addition to that, LeapFrog is focused on partnering with established local businesses, which already have some scale.? We invest between $5-$20 million, which is also among the top end of impact investments that we see among funds at SOCAP. We use that quantity of capital to reach many, many people.? It is different when you are investing in established businesses and help those move into ever greater scale. You can work with a stellar partner on the ground to launch multiple innovative experiments, with significant potential impact, even while scaling the existing high-impact business.

3p: That is great, especially since you are relatively young as an impact investment fund. Are your investments finding other investors and capital markets to help grow their businesses as you fund them?

SD: That is core to LeapFrog. We are a team of insurance and financial services specialists with decades of experience, for example, in microinsurance, so we partner with businesses to bring out operational expertise. This is often the appeal, far above the capital (though counterparts like that too!), of our involvement. Another thing we focus on is bringing visibility to the businesses we invest in, helping them grow their global awareness and brand, ?getting the visibility they deserve and that creates a range of opportunities. An example of that is AllLife, which we just helped complete a subsequent fundraising round of close to $10 million. LeapFrog is backed by development institutions such as the IFC, the European Investment Bank and FMO, as well as entrepreneurs and investment icons like Pierre Omidyar (through Omidyar Network) and George Soros (through SEDF), and major banks, funds and re-insurers such as J.P. Morgan, TIAA-CREF and Scor. We use that network to help our portfolio companies increase their brand and global awareness, and to help enable follow-on capital raises if they need it.

3p: In closing, is there anything about your SOCAP experience you would like to share?

SD: We pride ourselves on being able to channel institutional capital to solve the world?s most pressing problems. We don?t believe there has to be a trade off between money and meaning, or profit and purpose. The theme I am seeing this year is that we are trying to develop a sector, including whole industries, not just specific businesses. LeapFrog is really about taking that sectoral approach to a different level. We were the first private player to invest systematically and at scale in microinsurance and related frontier financial services. We want to see insurance to the next billion consumers recognized as a sector in these countries, with protection available to people of different income levels. We really recognize the need for collaboration in that pursuit, bringing the non-profit sector and government along, and engaging with other for-profit investors who are values-aligned, to achieve not only financial results that are beneficial for all but shared impact on the greatest scale possible. Alongside President Clinton in 2008, we called for the launch of a hundred LeapFrogs, and a hundred partnerships with LeapFrog. We are thrilled to see so many people here thinking big and taking the leap.

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Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/10/bringing-insurance-vulnerable-populations-leapfrog-investments-lands-ia-50-list/

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Raspberry Pi Gets a Double Slice of RAM

The Raspberry Pi micro-computer can’t compete with the latest all-in-ones, ultrabooks, and towers hitting the market. But it’s not supposed to. The $35 bare-bones device was created to be a gateway to development for kids and hobbyists. Still, that doesn’t mean the low-powered learning device should be precluded from hardware upgrades. On Monday the Raspberry [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/d6Qr0rXur_8/

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Endeavour finally reaches permanent LA museum home

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? It was supposed to be a slow but smooth journey to retirement, a parade through city streets for a shuttle that logged millions of miles in space.

But Endeavour's final mission turned out to be a logistical headache that delayed its arrival to its museum resting place by about 17 hours.

After a 12-mile weave past trees and utility poles that included thousands of adoring onlookers, flashing cameras and even the filming of a TV commercial, Endeavour arrived at the California Science Center Sunday to a greeting party of city leaders and other dignitaries that had expected it many hours earlier.

Endeavour finally inched toward a hangar on the grounds of the museum Sunday night.

"It's like Christmas!" said Mark Behn, 55, a member of the museum ground support team who watched the shuttle's snail-like approach from inside the hangar. "We've waited so long and been told so many things about when it would get here. But here it is, and it's a dream come true."

Movers had planned a slow trip, saying the shuttle that once orbited at more than 17,000 mph would move at just 2 mph in its final voyage through Inglewood and southern Los Angeles.

But that estimate turned out to be generous, with Endeavour often creeping along at a barely detectable pace when it wasn't at a dead stop due to difficult-to-maneuver obstacles like tree branches and light posts.

Another delay came in the early morning hours Sunday when the shuttle's remote-controlled, 160-wheel carrier began leaking oil.

Despite the holdups, the team charged with transporting the shuttle felt a "great sense of accomplishment" when it made it onto the museum grounds, said Jim Hennessy, a spokesman for Sarens, the contract mover.

"It's historic and will be a great memory," he said. "Not too many people will be able to match that ? to say, 'We moved the space shuttle through the streets of Inglewood and Los Angeles.'"

Transporting Endeavour cross-town was a costly feat with an estimated price tag of $10 million, to be paid for by the science center and private donations.

Late Friday, crews spent hours transferring the shuttle to a special, lighter towing dolly for its trip over Interstate 405. The dolly was pulled across the Manchester Boulevard bridge by a Toyota Tundra pickup, and the car company filmed the event for a commercial after paying for a permit, turning the entire scene into a movie set complete with special lighting, sound and staging.

Saturday started off promising, with Endeavour 90 minutes ahead of schedule. But accumulated hurdles and hiccups caused it to run hours behind at day's end.

Some 400 trees had been removed along the route, but officials said most of the trees that gave them trouble could not be cut down because they were old or treasured for other reasons, including some planted in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The crowd had its problems too. Despite temperatures in the mid-70s, several dozen people were treated for heat-related injuries after a long day in the sun, according to fire officials.

But it was a happy, peaceful crowd, with firefighters having only to respond to a sheared hydrant and a small rubbish fire, and no reports of any arrests.

And despite the late problems the mood for most of the day was festive.

At every turn of Endeavour's slow-speed commute through urban streets, spectators jammed intersections as the shuttle shuffled past stores, schools, churches and front yards through the working-class streets of southern Los Angeles. Sidewalks were off-limits due to Endeavour's enormous wingspan.

Endeavour's arrival in Los Angeles was a homecoming. It may have zipped around the Earth nearly 4,700 times, but its roots are solidly grounded in California. Its main engines were fashioned in the San Fernando Valley. The heat tiles were invented in Silicon Valley. Its "fly-by-wire" technology was developed in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey. In 1991, it rolled off the assembly line in the Mojave Desert to replace Challenger, which blew up during liftoff in 1986.

As Endeavour shuffled by crowds, its age was evident after 123 million miles in space and two dozen re-entries.

Stephanie Gibbs, a longtime Inglewood resident, passed the Forum, where the Los Angeles Lakers used to play and where Endeavour made a pit stop Saturday, many times in her life. But she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

"There was a space shuttle blocking the street and I said, 'Whoa,'" she said.

Gibbs, who lives off Crenshaw Drive, the narrowest section of the move, would like to see a sign designating it as a shuttle crossing.

"We've been on the map" because of the Lakers, she said. "This kind of highlights it more."

Endeavor was scheduled to go on display at the museum starting Oct. 30.

___

Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/endeavour-finally-reaches-permanent-la-museum-home-212022512--finance.html

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Israeli Soldier Charged With Stealing Military Equipment

The Israeli Military Prosecution filed, Sunday, an indictment against an Israeli soldier guarding a weapons storage facility, accusing him of stealing night vision equipment.

Israeli sources reported that army protocols require the soldiers to file an immediate report whenever they find out that there is equipment, or weapons, missing but the soldier failed to do so an issue that placed him under investigation that led to this indictment.

The army said that it is currently trying to track and locate the stolen equipment in order to prevent it from ?falling into the hands of hostile entities?, according to the army.

There has been dozens of reports about Israeli soldiers selling weapons and equipment to Palestinian fighters.

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Source: http://www.imemc.org/article/64391

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Fall getaways: Splurge or steal? - TODAY Travel

Nilou Motamed of Travel + Leisure tests the TODAY anchors' travel smarts by sharing four great getaways, from sunny beaches to mountain retreats, to see if they can tell the splurge from the steal.

By Travel + Leisure

Whether you want to escape to wine country or a Caribbean beach, we've found a hotel to match your budget.

1. Southern Retreat

Courtesy The Willcox

With crown moldings, four-poster beds and fireplaces in rooms, you'll see plenty of antebellum charm at The Willcox hotel in Aiken, S.C.

Steal: The Willcox, Aiken, S.C. (from $185/night)
Travel + Leisure readers ranked the hotel No. 3 on the 2012 World?s Best Awards list of Top Inns and Lodges in the Continental U.S. And it?s easy to see why, as rooms have plenty of antebellum charm: crown moldings, four-poster beds and fireplaces. The Willcox even has its own food truck serving dishes such as spicy fish burritos and fried chicken biscuits. Fuel up and then head outdoors to enjoy local parks or go for a horseback ride.

Splurge: Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, S.C. (from $475/night)
This atmospheric plantation-style resort has Spanish moss dripping from low-lying oak branches and egrets soaring overhead. The rooms within 29 cottages are outfitted with pine floors, gas fireplaces and private screened porches. Bird lovers can paddle a complimentary kayak or canoe through the lagoon to see more than 100 species, including bald eagles, great blue herons and snowy egrets. Guests also keep busy with activities like golf, fly-fishing and naturalist-led alligator ?hunts.?

Related: Best affordable beach resorts
2. Vineyard Vacation
Steal:?Gaige House, Sonoma, Calif. (fall getaway special from $195/night beginning Oct. 28)
Set on three lushly landscaped acres, Gaige House actually has two parts: an original 1890 building with 15 rooms, and eight new stand-alone spa suites. All are decorated with Asian-themed minimalist chic, meaning dark-wood platform beds, rice-paper screens and black-granite baths. There?s a heated outdoor pool, as well as spa services that can be enjoyed in your room, on a creek-side deck or in a cabana surrounded by greenery.
Splurge: Carneros Inn, Napa, Calif. (from $505/night)
Sophisticated cottages with outdoor showers and decks await in one of Napa?s most pastoral landscapes: the rural Carneros wine region. (The spa incorporates local ingredients in treatments like the Chardonnay Antioxidant Wine Therapy Facial.) Book a garden cottage for views of the vines from your enclosed patio. Take advantage of complimentary bikes to tour the area.
3. Caribbean Fantasy
Steal: Rosalie Bay, Dominica (from $149/night)
Twenty-eight gingerbread-trimmed cottages look out onto either a rocky beach or the Rosalie River. One of the world?s few carbon-negative resorts, Rosalie Bay not only relies on solar panels but also has its own wind turbine and organic gardens?and just received a Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award for responsible tourism. There?s also a restaurant, where most dishes are made from regional ingredients, from the Kalinago porridge with cassava root to the smoked cod on fried green plantain.
Splurge: GoldenEye, Jamaica (from $560/night)
Jet-set bohemians and creative types have flocked to GoldenEye since the mid 20th-century, when it was the cliff-top retreat of Ian Fleming, who wrote 14 of his James Bond novels here. A two-year overhaul (completed in 2010) has transformed the property from a private villa rental to full-fledged 22-room hotel on the waterfront amid gardens of banyan and mango trees.
4. Mountain Escape
Steal: Waldorf Astoria Park City, Utah (from $199/night)
Fireplaces, balconies and mountain views are a few of the in-room perks that come with staying here. The hotel?s restaurant, Spruce, is one of Utah?s best?order a hearty dinner of elk and roasted potatoes?and you won?t want to miss a warm-stone massage at the 16,000-square-foot Golden Door Spa. Outside, there are patios with fire pits and year-round heated pool and whirlpools.

Splurge: Washington School House, Park City, Utah (from $395/night)
With creamy white wainscoting, vintage chandeliers and French and Swedish antiques, this renovated 1889 schoolhouse is more Alpine chic than Rocky Mountain rustic. Staffers offer spot-on recommendations for restaurants and boutiques and instantly coordinate the complimentary transportation to your mountain of choice (though Park City?s Town Lift is steps away).
More from Travel + Leisure:
Source: http://todaytravel.today.com/_news/2012/10/15/14399062-fall-getaways-splurge-or-steal
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Monday, October 15, 2012

Romney Raises $170.4M, Obama More

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