(Budget Travel) -- I've never been a fan of the cold. As a kid, my favorite part of skiing was the hot chocolate, and I relished blizzards for the snow days, not the snowball fights. So when I booked a trip to the Icehotel in northern Sweden, my family and friends were amused -- and a bit concerned, especially when I got sick days before my flight. "You can't go to the Arctic with a cold!" my mother admonished. The hotel in northern Sweden opens every year in early December and closes at the end of April. But I had good reason for wanting to sleep in a glorified freezer: As an environmental reporter, I was curious to see a place where people have turned snow and ice into a moneymaker, one that's spawned copycats in frigid spots from Canada to Romania. Conceived by Yngve Bergqvist, a river-rafting guide who wanted to lure visitors to the Arctic north during the winter, the Icehotel started out in 1990 as nothing more than a crude igloo. Now, it's a fanciful ice castle that's rebuilt every November with an unparalleled level of artistry -- which explains why each winter 16,000 guests pay hundreds of dollars a night to sleep on a slab of ice and thousands more make the trek just to tour the rooms for the day. The 30 most elaborate suites are the handiwork of a team of artists -- sculptors, painters, architects, even comic book illustrators -- many of whom have never worked with ice before. Wielding chain saws and chisels, they spend weeks crafting frozen furniture while electricians install lights to provide an ethereal glow. Surreal? Exceedingly. This winter, German furniture maker Jens Paulus and American industrial designer Joshua Space created a space-station room straight out of "Star Trek," with giant carvings of the sun and moon on opposing walls and twinkling lights in the ceiling. British decorator Ben Rousseau and graffiti artist Insa devised the Getting Cold Feet suite, with oversize high-heeled ice shoes beside the bed. Twenty-nine unadorned snow caves offer a somewhat less pricey and more purist experience. Since no hotel would be complete without a bar, the artists also sculpt a chic space where guests can warm their innards with an Icebar Jukkasjärvi, a mix of vodka, blueberry liqueur, blue curaçao syrup and elderflower juice, sipped from a cube-shaped ice glass. Then there's the chapel, where designs etched into the ice walls resemble stained glass. About 150 couples tie the knot here each year, some brides bundled in snowsuits, others dressed in white wedding gowns, their teeth chattering as they recite their vows. When I arrive in Sweden, I'm surprised to find that the guests actually spend a lot of time in a pair of heated chalets that look like life-size gingerbread houses. The shower and bathroom are located in the one nearest the hotel -- because, really, who wants to sit on a frozen throne? And the other contains the restaurant, where chef Richard Näslin dreams up such intriguing dishes as arctic char ice cream, which has a slightly salty, smoky flavor and is much more delicious than it sounds. Budget Travel Dream Trip: Scale a volcano in Ecuador After my dinner, wrapped in several layers of fleece and down, I waddle out to a tepee for a folk concert by native Laplander Yana Mangi. At the end of each song, the crowd responds with a uniquely Arctic ovation: muffled mitten clapping. My suite has a nautical theme, with walls curved into a frozen wave and an oval bed of bluish ice set beneath a clam-shaped headboard. Topped with a mattress and a reindeer skin, the setup looks snug. Almost. The temperature is a brisk 23 degrees Fahrenheit, and I'm still petrified I'll lose a finger to hypothermia, even in my head-to-toe winter wardrobe. I climb under the furry blanket, making sure not an inch of skin is exposed. Then I gaze through the slits in my microfleece face mask and marvel at the stillness. My breath comes in shallow white puffs. Soon, I'm

Question: How long has the Icehotel been around?

Question: What is in a heated chalet?

Question: Where can guests stay?

Question: When did the Icehotel start out?

Question: What did the Icehotel start out as?

Question: When was the Icehotel first established?

Answer: started out in 1990

Answer: shower and bathroom

Answer: the Icehotel

Answer: in 1990

Answer: nothing more than a crude igloo.

Answer: started out in 1990

Summary:
The Icehotel started out in 1990 as nothing more than a crude igloo .
Now guests can stay in elaborate suites handcrafted in ice by artists .
Bathrooms are located in a heated chalet .


(Budget Travel) -- In the lodging world, green has gone mainstream. Once chided for being wasteful, the big hotel chains are now constantly trying to one-up each other with smart eco-design upgrades and stringent water and energy conservation policies.

Hyatt has begun recycling its own aluminum, plastics and paper in countries where such programs don't exist.

Consider this fact: In a recent survey, 68 percent of U.S. hotels said they had energy-efficient lights, and two thirds had implemented towel- and linen-reuse programs, up from just over half five years ago.

The number of properties trying to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, the most recognized standard for building sustainability, is also on the rise: Applications to the U.S. Green Building Council for the award spiked by 550 percent between 2006 and 2008. More than 500 hotels could soon earn the label; until four years ago, only one had the designation.

Although all the major players are making strides toward better green policies, some are doing more than others. Here's what the leaders have achieved in four earth-changing categories:

ENERGY CONSERVATION

Replacing inefficient lighting, one energy-draining bulb at a time

Accor: More than 8,600 Motel 6 locations in at least a dozen states have been retrofitted with occupancy sensors that cause the thermostat to readjust when guests go out.

InterContinental: A trial program has been rolled out at 650 hotels that aims to cut energy consumption by as much as 25 percent. If successful, it could be expanded to all of the chain's 4,000 properties, including Holiday Inns.

Marriott: Over the past decade, 450,000 incandescent bulbs have been replaced with compact fluorescent ones, and more than 250 hotels (including some Residence Inns) have earned an Energy Star efficiency label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Starwood: The new Element brand's goal is for every hotel to be LEED certified. Its first property, which opened last year in Lexington, Massachusetts, is fully loaded with Energy Star appliances, LED lighting, and top-notch ventilation systems. All together, that saves enough energy annually to power 236 homes.

WATER CONSERVATION

Tightening up on all the drips and drops in hotel bathrooms

Hilton: The company's aim: to reduce water use at all of its brands, such as Hilton, DoubleTree, and Embassy Suites, by 10 percent by 2014. Its nearly 90 European properties have taken the lead, installing water-saving toilets, showerheads, and faucets over the past three years. Home-turf hotels are next.

Hyatt: Nearly all North American properties have "low-flow" showerheads (which use a maximum of 2.5 gallons of water per minute) and toilets (1.6 gallons of water per flush). The improvements helped reduce the chain's overall water consumption by 3 percent in 2007.

Marriott: Over the past 10 years, the company has added some 400,000 low-flow showerheads and toilets to all of its locations worldwide. Marriott also buys 1 million towels annually that don't require prewashing, conserving 6 million gallons of water each year.

Starwood: All new Element hotels will have low-flow water fixtures in rooms and water-efficient landscaping; its Lexington star has led the way, saving up to 1 million gallons of water per year.

GREEN DESIGN

Thinking about the environment from the foundation up

Accor: The Motel 6 brand broke ground last year on an ultra-green building near Dallas, with laminate flooring made from recycled wood chips and a solar-powered water-heating system.

Best Western: Opening this year in Golden, Colorado, the chain's first LEED-certified hotel will run partially on solar power and have a porous asphalt parking lot to reduce storm-water runoff.

Hilton: The company's green gem is in Vancouver, Washington: a LEED-approved hotel with low-emission paint on the walls and special drains that funnel rainwater into wells for future use.

Hyatt: Seattle's Hyatt at Olive 8, which opened in January, has an 8,000-square-foot rooftop

Question: Which Hyatt properties have low-flow toilets?

Question: Who will cut the energy consumption?

Question: What percent have these lights?

Answer: Nearly all North American

Answer: the big hotel chains

Answer: 68

Summary:
Survey: 68 percent of U.S. hotels said they had energy-efficient lights .
InterContinental aims to cut energy consumption by as much as 25 percent .
Nearly all North American Hyatt properties have "low-flow" showerheads and toilets .


(Budget Travel) -- It's all the rage to criticize the airlines. But we found some smart, practical initiatives that point the way to a better future. This test design for Personal Rapid Transit is part of plans for driverless pods to replace airport shuttles. Driverless pods at airports Someday, driverless pods may be zipping passengers between an airport and its parking lots. Fully automated, pods are more convenient than shuttle buses driven by humans. Currently, 18 pods are being tested at London Heathrow's Terminal 5. They let you board when you want to, rather than wait for a bus on a fixed schedule. Punch in your destination, such as a parking lot, on a touch screen. Then leave the driving to the machine, which glides on rails at speeds of 25 mph. A bonus perk: The pods are battery powered, so they don't spew out environmentally destructive exhaust. Improved design of coach seats Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways has reinvented the economy-class seat: As the seat reclines, the bottom slides forward, but the back stays in place. So the passenger sitting behind doesn't have to endure a seat hovering inches from his or her chin. The new seats are especially welcome on long-distance hauls -- which happen to be routes Cathay Pacific flies regularly. American Airlines is among the other carriers reportedly interested in installing similar, slide-forward seats. In-cabin mood lighting Poor cabin lighting on a long flight may worsen jet lag. For instance, exposure to bright light at an hour when you are ordinarily asleep can confuse your body's internal clock. But smart cabin lighting may actually help your body adjust to a new time zone -- and beat back jet lag. Virgin America has an in-cabin lighting system that subtly shifts through 12 shades of violet, including a welcoming, bright blue-purple during the day, a softer violet hue after dusk, and a deep, calming near-black on red-eyes when it's time to sleep. Elsewhere in the world, Air Canada, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways offer mood lighting on many long-haul flights. Luggage check before you get to the airport Schlepping your bags isn't fun. It's also not necessary -- at least not in the many capital cities where you can drop checked luggage at bus or train stations and forget about it until you land at your destination. Many passengers can check bags at London's Paddington station (for Heathrow flights), Vienna's Wien Mitte station, Moscow's Kievsky Station, and Hong Kong Station. In the U.S., the best advance luggage-check option is at Walt Disney World: Guests staying at Disney lodging can check bags at their hotel before hopping on the free Magical Express ride to the Orlando airport. Paperless boarding passes  Boarding passes printed on flimsy paper seem almost as outdated as paper airline tickets. Now, cell phone check-in is allowed at many airports, such as Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles's LAX. Punch in your phone number at check-in and a bar code appears on your phone via e-mail or text message. Security officers and gate agents scan your phone's screen, making for an entirely paperless process. Some airlines, including American, Continental, and Delta (plus its sister unit, Northwest), plan to adopt the new technology at every airport gate nationwide. More power --sockets -- for the people Sometimes it's the simple things that count. Virgin America not only became the first airline to offer Wi-Fi on every flight, but it did so in an especially sensible way, with standard sockets (no adapter necessary) at every seat on the plane. Because while Wi-Fi is nice (even when there's a fee for it), it's even nicer to know that you won't run out of juice in the middle of a flight. Sockets obviously work with portable DVD players and cell phone chargers, too. Replacements for outmoded radar-tracking systems Radar is outdated. Locating a plane's position can take up to half

Question: Which airline has lighting that subtly shifts throughout the day?

Question: Which airline has in-cabin lighting?

Question: How many driverless pods were there?

Question: Where are the driverless pods being tested

Question: How many pods are being tested?

Question: What shifts throughout the day?

Answer: Virgin America

Answer: Virgin America

Answer: 18

Answer: at airports

Answer: are

Answer: in-cabin lighting system

Summary:
18 driverless pods are being tested at London Heathrow's Terminal 5 .
Virgin America has in-cabin lighting that subtly shifts throughout the day .
A GPS-based air traffic control system is in trial use by Alaska Airlines .


(Budget Travel) -- Just a two-hour detour from Paris, the Loire was once a playground to Renaissance royals. Now its vaunted châteaux are attracting enterprising young couples and artists who have remade them into captivating -- and surprisingly affordable -- inns.

Surrounded by 10-foot-high limestone walls, Le Clos d'Amboise offers an unexpected sanctuary in the town of Amboise.

CHINON

Hôtel Diderot

"If you've never eaten a brioche with fresh Ste. Maure goat cheese, honey and walnuts for breakfast, then you haven't been to the Loire," says Laurent Dutheil, who is justifiably proud of the simple breakfasts he serves at his 23-room hotel in the western corner of the valley.

Dutheil also produces dozens of fragrant artisanal jams such as apple-lavender and quince-cinnamon. (Sadly, they aren't for sale, but you can buy Dutheil's recipe book, "Jam in the Cupboard.") The traditional foods fit well with the hotel's venerable atmosphere: Diderot is housed in a sprawling 15th-century home that the Chinon-born Dutheil, along with his two sisters, Martine and Francoise, bought and renovated six years ago. Budget Travel: See the hotels

Dutheil tackled structural issues, taking care to keep the exposed oak beams and original stone walls intact, while his sisters refurbished the rooms with cheerful striped wallpaper, toile bedding, and 19th-century armoires they scavenged on trips to Paris. The largest room, which sleeps four, has double windows with views of a courtyard. In the distance lie vineyards full of the red Chinon grapes much loved by 16th-century novelist and satirist François Rabelais.

4 rue de Buffon, 011-33/2-47-93-18-87, hoteldiderot.com, rooms from $72.

THÉSÉE

Le Moulin de la Renne

A tunnel of towering fir trees leads to the entrance of this converted 19th-century mill in Thésée, on the banks of the Cher River. Guests are greeted by an enormous Bernese mountain dog named Alpha and his equally friendly owners, Véronique and Christophe Villanfin.

There are 13 guest rooms, decorated with items such as embroidered quilts and framed puzzles of boats assembled by jigsaw fanatic Véronique. Jazz enthusiasts, the Villanfins host occasional concerts featuring local groups, including Les Bras'Coeurs, a quartet that performs Georges Brassens standards.

The soirees are held in the restaurant, known locally for its coq au vin: rooster stewed in cabernet bottled at Le Chai des Varennes winery next door.

11 route de Vierzon, 011-33/2-54-71-41-56, moulindelarenne.com, closed Jan. 10--Feb. 10 and 10 days in Nov., rooms from $76, entrées from $15.75.

CIVRAY-DE-TOURAINE

Château de l'Isle

The Château de l'Isle is quiet to the core -- unless you count the chorus of quacks coming from the duck pond on the 35-acre grounds. The 18th-century manor house had been abandoned for 10 years when Denis Gandon bought it in 1986 and transformed the place into a 12-room hotel.

Still, the château somehow feels like a private home: A portrait of Gandon's grandfather hangs over a 100-year-old antique table in the dining area, and an amiable Jack Russell terrier entertains guests with endless rounds of fetch. The stylish bedrooms have exposed wood beams and beds draped with coverlets in shades of crimson and marigold. Budget Travel: See the hotels

In the summer, breakfast is served in an expansive glassed-in terrace overlooking the garden. A nearby potager (or kitchen garden) supplies produce for some of chef Fabrice Cherioux's breakfast treats, such as a zesty tomato confiture.

1 rue de l'Ecluse, 011-33/2-47-23-63-60, chateau-de-lisle.com, rooms from $69, breakfast $13.

CHENONCEAUX

La Roseraie

This 18-room hotel in Chenonceaux was a must-stay on the itineraries of political notables after World War II, when the Allies were trying to figure out how to piece Europe back together. Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt all, at one time or another, laid their heads at La Roseraie.

Question: Where is the Hotel Diderot in Chinon?

Question: What has 18 rooms?

Question: In what century Hotel Diderot is housed?

Answer: Loire,"

Answer: La Roseraie

Answer: 15th-century

Summary:
Hotel Diderot in Chinon is housed in a sprawling 15th-century home .
The 18-room La Roseraie is a five-minute walk from Château de Chenonceau .
Auberge du Centre in Chitenay has 26 brightly decorated rooms .


(Budget Travel) -- Just a two-hour detour from Paris, the Loire was once a playground to Renaissance royals. Now its vaunted châteaux are attracting enterprising young couples and artists who have remade them into captivating -- and surprisingly affordable -- inns. Surrounded by 10-foot-high limestone walls, Le Clos d'Amboise offers an unexpected sanctuary in the town of Amboise. CHINON Hôtel Diderot "If you've never eaten a brioche with fresh Ste. Maure goat cheese, honey and walnuts for breakfast, then you haven't been to the Loire," says Laurent Dutheil, who is justifiably proud of the simple breakfasts he serves at his 23-room hotel in the western corner of the valley. Dutheil also produces dozens of fragrant artisanal jams such as apple-lavender and quince-cinnamon. (Sadly, they aren't for sale, but you can buy Dutheil's recipe book, "Jam in the Cupboard.") The traditional foods fit well with the hotel's venerable atmosphere: Diderot is housed in a sprawling 15th-century home that the Chinon-born Dutheil, along with his two sisters, Martine and Francoise, bought and renovated six years ago. Budget Travel: See the hotels Dutheil tackled structural issues, taking care to keep the exposed oak beams and original stone walls intact, while his sisters refurbished the rooms with cheerful striped wallpaper, toile bedding, and 19th-century armoires they scavenged on trips to Paris. The largest room, which sleeps four, has double windows with views of a courtyard. In the distance lie vineyards full of the red Chinon grapes much loved by 16th-century novelist and satirist François Rabelais. 4 rue de Buffon, 011-33/2-47-93-18-87, hoteldiderot.com, rooms from $72. THÉSÉE Le Moulin de la Renne A tunnel of towering fir trees leads to the entrance of this converted 19th-century mill in Thésée, on the banks of the Cher River. Guests are greeted by an enormous Bernese mountain dog named Alpha and his equally friendly owners, Véronique and Christophe Villanfin. There are 13 guest rooms, decorated with items such as embroidered quilts and framed puzzles of boats assembled by jigsaw fanatic Véronique. Jazz enthusiasts, the Villanfins host occasional concerts featuring local groups, including Les Bras'Coeurs, a quartet that performs Georges Brassens standards. The soirees are held in the restaurant, known locally for its coq au vin: rooster stewed in cabernet bottled at Le Chai des Varennes winery next door. 11 route de Vierzon, 011-33/2-54-71-41-56, moulindelarenne.com, closed Jan. 10--Feb. 10 and 10 days in Nov., rooms from $76, entrées from $15.75. CIVRAY-DE-TOURAINE Château de l'Isle The Château de l'Isle is quiet to the core -- unless you count the chorus of quacks coming from the duck pond on the 35-acre grounds. The 18th-century manor house had been abandoned for 10 years when Denis Gandon bought it in 1986 and transformed the place into a 12-room hotel. Still, the château somehow feels like a private home: A portrait of Gandon's grandfather hangs over a 100-year-old antique table in the dining area, and an amiable Jack Russell terrier entertains guests with endless rounds of fetch. The stylish bedrooms have exposed wood beams and beds draped with coverlets in shades of crimson and marigold. Budget Travel: See the hotels In the summer, breakfast is served in an expansive glassed-in terrace overlooking the garden. A nearby potager (or kitchen garden) supplies produce for some of chef Fabrice Cherioux's breakfast treats, such as a zesty tomato confiture. 1 rue de l'Ecluse, 011-33/2-47-23-63-60, chateau-de-lisle.com, rooms from $69, breakfast $13. CHENONCEAUX La Roseraie This 18-room hotel in Chenonceaux was a must-stay on the itineraries of political notables after World War II, when the Allies were trying to figure out how to piece Europe back together. Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt all, at one time or another, laid their heads at La Roseraie.

Question: What century was the home?

Question: Where is Hotel Diderot?

Question: Where is the 18-room La Roseraie?

Question: how many decorated rooms have Auberge du Centre?

Question: Where is the hotel housed?

Answer: 15th-century

Answer: western corner of the valley.

Answer: CHENONCEAUX

Answer: 13 guest

Answer: Amboise.


(Budget Travel) -- Last October, more than 40 people followed signs depicting a skull and crossbones, with a knife and fork in place of the bones, to a secluded Bavarian-style hunting lodge 30 minutes north of St. Louis.

An Entre dinner party was hosted in a Missouri hunting lodge.

The attendees didn't have any idea where they were headed or what to expect. All they knew was that they were in for a five-course meal courtesy of John-Jack, an undercover chef who'd invited each of them via a top-secret e-mail to the latest of what he calls his Entre dinner parties.

Guests arrived to a bluegrass band jamming in a room decorated with deer antlers. As a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace, they dined on wild-elk medallions, home-cured bacon, grapefruit confit, and butternut squash ice cream -- and toasted their good fortune with pumpkin ale from nearby microbrewery Schlafly.

Welcome to the world of underground supper clubs. Getting a reservation requires a little detective work, but once in, you may never go back to eating out the old-school way again. The idea behind these dinners is to let talented chefs work their whisks in an affordable, relaxed setting.

And since they're often operating out of their own kitchens, without a license to serve the public, these cooks have to keep the locales, and their own identities, under wraps. Budget Travel:  The utterly random dinner party

"The trend started in food-centric cities like San Francisco, but in the last year, groups have been popping up across the country," says Jenn Garbee, author of "Secret Suppers," which spotlights some of the more than 80 clubs now up and running in the U.S.

One such is Guerrilla Cuisine, founded by an incognito cook in Charleston, South Carolina, who uses the alias Jimihatt and wears a ninja mask at his gatherings. As at many clubs, diners must submit their reservations weeks in advance on Jimihatt's Web site and then wait for an e-mail with directions to the hush-hush locale.

Based on his track record, you won't be disappointed: The bearded Jimihatt and his rotating crew of sous-chefs have served secret, Southern-style suppers (andouille sausage gumbo, Cajun smoked chicken, chocolate beignets) in galleries, wineries, even a grocery store. Budget Travel: Haute diners

Jimihatt now has a little friendly competition from an Atlanta cook named Lady Rogue. Her RogueApron shindigs each have a different theme. At a recent event, a Great Depression-style repast in Lang-Carson Park, guests stood in a soup line for pancetta minestrone with porcini mushrooms, and lemongrass-spiked corn broth. Then they divided into teams for an impromptu game of Wiffle ball.

"Our goal," Lady Rogue says, "is to make dining more inclusive and to have strangers connect over food. What better way to meet people?"

For those hoping to break bread with their own buddies, there's 12B in Vancouver. To keep operations simple, its mastermind, Chef Todd, hosts the six-course dinners in his own apartment, hence the name. And unlike most supper clubs, 12B cooks only for groups of friends (up to 12 at a time). Budget Travel: Pay-what-you-like restaurants

"Even after working 16-hour days, I would sit at home and think, 'I've got to find a way to feed more people,'" Chef Todd says. Money isn't the incentive. His minimum-donation fee of $50 just covers costs for a feast (stuffed artichoke hearts, five-mushroom ravioli, butter-poached scallops served with BBQ pulled pork) that would average twice as much in a restaurant.

But as Chef Todd will attest, these clubs are less about saving and more about spending a night eating exceptionally well in the unlikeliest of places, whether a cozy lodge straight out of a fairy tale or a humble living room.

Supper Clubs

Entre, St. Louis, Missouri, http://danssouslaterre.com/

Question: How many supper clubs are in the U.S.?

Question: Do the chefs of underground supper clubs have licenses?

Question: What started in food-centric cities?

Question: What ways are people invited?

Answer: 80

Answer: without a

Answer: "The trend

Answer: via a top-secret e-mail

Summary:
Underground supper clubs started in food-centric cities like San Francisco .
Now there are more than 80 clubs up and running in the U.S.
Chefs operating out of their own kitchens without licenses to serve the public .
They have to keep the locales, and their own identities, under wraps .


(Budget Travel) -- Last October, more than 40 people followed signs depicting a skull and crossbones, with a knife and fork in place of the bones, to a secluded Bavarian-style hunting lodge 30 minutes north of St. Louis. An Entre dinner party was hosted in a Missouri hunting lodge. The attendees didn't have any idea where they were headed or what to expect. All they knew was that they were in for a five-course meal courtesy of John-Jack, an undercover chef who'd invited each of them via a top-secret e-mail to the latest of what he calls his Entre dinner parties. Guests arrived to a bluegrass band jamming in a room decorated with deer antlers. As a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace, they dined on wild-elk medallions, home-cured bacon, grapefruit confit, and butternut squash ice cream -- and toasted their good fortune with pumpkin ale from nearby microbrewery Schlafly. Welcome to the world of underground supper clubs. Getting a reservation requires a little detective work, but once in, you may never go back to eating out the old-school way again. The idea behind these dinners is to let talented chefs work their whisks in an affordable, relaxed setting. And since they're often operating out of their own kitchens, without a license to serve the public, these cooks have to keep the locales, and their own identities, under wraps. Budget Travel:  The utterly random dinner party "The trend started in food-centric cities like San Francisco, but in the last year, groups have been popping up across the country," says Jenn Garbee, author of "Secret Suppers," which spotlights some of the more than 80 clubs now up and running in the U.S. One such is Guerrilla Cuisine, founded by an incognito cook in Charleston, South Carolina, who uses the alias Jimihatt and wears a ninja mask at his gatherings. As at many clubs, diners must submit their reservations weeks in advance on Jimihatt's Web site and then wait for an e-mail with directions to the hush-hush locale. Based on his track record, you won't be disappointed: The bearded Jimihatt and his rotating crew of sous-chefs have served secret, Southern-style suppers (andouille sausage gumbo, Cajun smoked chicken, chocolate beignets) in galleries, wineries, even a grocery store. Budget Travel: Haute diners Jimihatt now has a little friendly competition from an Atlanta cook named Lady Rogue. Her RogueApron shindigs each have a different theme. At a recent event, a Great Depression-style repast in Lang-Carson Park, guests stood in a soup line for pancetta minestrone with porcini mushrooms, and lemongrass-spiked corn broth. Then they divided into teams for an impromptu game of Wiffle ball. "Our goal," Lady Rogue says, "is to make dining more inclusive and to have strangers connect over food. What better way to meet people?" For those hoping to break bread with their own buddies, there's 12B in Vancouver. To keep operations simple, its mastermind, Chef Todd, hosts the six-course dinners in his own apartment, hence the name. And unlike most supper clubs, 12B cooks only for groups of friends (up to 12 at a time). Budget Travel: Pay-what-you-like restaurants "Even after working 16-hour days, I would sit at home and think, 'I've got to find a way to feed more people,'" Chef Todd says. Money isn't the incentive. His minimum-donation fee of $50 just covers costs for a feast (stuffed artichoke hearts, five-mushroom ravioli, butter-poached scallops served with BBQ pulled pork) that would average twice as much in a restaurant. But as Chef Todd will attest, these clubs are less about saving and more about spending a night eating exceptionally well in the unlikeliest of places, whether a cozy lodge straight out of a fairy tale or a humble living room. Supper Clubs Entre, St. Louis, Missouri, http://danssouslaterre.com/

Question: Where do the chefs operate?

Question: how many clubs are there

Question: What country houses more than 80 of these clubs?

Question: Where did these clubs start?

Question: where did the Underground supper clubs start

Answer: Missouri hunting lodge.

Answer: 80

Answer: U.S.

Answer: San Francisco,

Answer: San Francisco,


(Budget Travel) -- On your next trip, you could be checking into a wine cask, a salvaged 727 airplane, or a room where the furniture defies the law of gravity. The casks at the Hotel De Vrouwe Van Stavoren in the Netherlands once held the equivalent of 19,333 bottles of wine. Upside-down stay At Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge, each of the 30 rooms is weird in its own way. The artist-owner, Lars Stroschen, has seen to that. One room, the first built, is made to look like a brightly painted medieval town, with an ultra-mini golf course surrounding the castle bed. Another has furniture attached to the ceiling, another has coffins for beds, and still another has lion cages on stilts (the Web site claims that kids "love to sleep" in them). Then there's the Freedom Room, which resembles a prison, complete with a toilet next to the bed -- oh, that German humor! 011-49/30-891-90-16, propeller-island.com. A place to unwine'd When they were owned by a Swiss château, the four enormous casks on the grounds of the Hotel De Vrouwe Van Stavoren in the Netherlands held the equivalent of 19,333 bottles of wine. Now, after some creative recycling, it's guests rather than booze that mellow out inside the casks. The richly worn and airtight oak barrels have two narrow beds, with a small sitting area outside. The grounds are quite close to tiny Stavoren's harbor, which was a major port in the Middle Ages. 011-31/51-46-81-202, hotel-vrouwevanstavoren.nl. A bad trip (with none of the consequences) The daughter of Ho Chi Minh's number two masterminded the Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery, a complex that more than earns its local nickname, the Crazy House. This LSD nightmare's three main buildings are Gaudi-esque concrete treehouse-like growths that appear as if they flowed organically out of the ground. Inside, the walls seem to dissolve into the floor, and right angles are avoided entirely. Each guest room is built around a different animal theme: the Eagle Room has a big-beaked bird standing atop a huge egg, while another has arm-sized ants crawling up the wall. The animal theme continues outside -- a large giraffe statue on the property contains a teahouse, and human-size "spider webs" are set up here and there. 011-84/63-82-20-70. Budget Travel: Check out these unusual hotels In a league of its own Hydrophobics should stay far from Jules' Undersea Lodge, named for novelist Jules Verne of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" fame. The 600-square-foot lodge, a former marine lab, is 21 feet underwater, close to the bottom of the mangrove-filled Emerald Lagoon, in Key Largo. You'll have to know how to scuba dive to reach your room, and guests without the mandatory certification must take a course at the hotel. Once you've reached the lodge, which sleeps up to six, you'll be close to angelfish, anemones, barracuda, oysters, and other creatures -- each room is equipped with a 42-inch window, so you don't need to be suited up to keep an eye on the neighborhood. 305/451-2353, jul.com. Crash in a jet plane Near a beach that's within Manuel Antonio National Park, the Hotel Costa Verde doesn't lack for great sights. But few are as amazing as its own 727 Fuselage Suite, a salvaged 1965 Boeing 727-100 that looks as if it's crashed into the Costa Rican jungle (it's actually mounted atop a 50-foot pillar and reached via a spiral staircase). The jet's interior was once able to hold up to 125 passengers, but there are few reminders left of its days in the service of South African Airways and Colombia's Avianca Airlines. The suite's two bedrooms, dining area, and sitting room are now covered over entirely in teak to match the surroundings. Guests can play "spot the toucan" on the small

Question: A Costa Rica hotel offers stays inside a salvaged what ?

Question: What town has a  hotel has an Airstream trailer park on the roof?

Question: What hotel offers stays inside of a salvaged airplane?

Answer: 727 airplane,

Answer: Stavoren in the Netherlands

Answer: De Vrouwe Van Stavoren in the Netherlands

Summary:
Guests can mellow out inside wine casks in the Netherlands .
A sleek Cape Town, South Africa, hotel has an Airstream trailer park on the roof .
A Costa Rica hotel offers stays inside a salvaged airplane .


(Budget Travel) -- Prohibition-style bars and speakeasies have been popping up all over, but these lounges go beyond the gimmicks in their near obsessive devotion to the art of old-time cocktails and decor. The perpetually packed Beehive in Boston is known for its Beehive julep and champagne cocktails. The Edison, Los Angeles, California The 1920s scene at legendary watering holes like the Cocoanut Grove and Ciro's of Hollywood inspired this cavernous lounge, where current industry players mingle in their best vintage cocktail dresses and blazers. The Edison is in the basement of a former power plant; leather furniture surrounds preserved industrial elements like furnaces and power generators. Silent movies play on brick walls, and a circus troupe performs weekly. On Soup Kitchen Fridays, drinks mixed from house-made Bath Tub Gin are 35 cents from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and come with free grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. edisondowntown.com. The Violet Hour, Chicago, Illinois Luxurious floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains create intimate spaces inside the Violet Hour, discreetly hidden behind an unmarked, wood-paneled door. Circles of high-backed leather chairs and the warm glow from crystal chandeliers and working fireplaces encourage conversation. So does a strict no-cell-phones policy. Eight kinds of ice -- shards, crushed and cubes of varying shapes -- are tailored to specific drinks, which gives an idea of how seriously this bar takes its cocktails. A favorite is the Juliet and Romeo, Beefeater gin with mint, cucumber and rosewater ($12). theviolethour.com. Budget Travel gallery: See the bars APO Bar + Lounge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Look for the pharmacy cross marking the entrance to APO, short for apothecary -- a place where ingredients like gin and bitters were put to medicinal use way before the cocktail was born. Inside the sleek, green-hued lounge, barkeeps sporting '30s-style suits serve cocktails spruced up with creative, unusual ingredients. The Booty Collins, for instance, is green-tea-infused gin with brandied cherries, passion fruit and homemade seltzer, finished with agave nectar, cayenne pepper and fresh valerian root ($10). The bar recently introduced a simpler recession-proof menu of $6 drinks that lose the exotic accents and just mix fine spirits with fresh fruit juices. apothecarylounge.com. Flatiron Lounge, New York City In a landmark 1900 building in Manhattan's Flatiron District, this lounge evokes jazz-age glamour with velvet bar stools, red circular booths and an entire wall covered in blue vintage mirrored-glass tiles. The anchor is the 1927 mahogany bar salvaged from The Ballroom, where Frank Sinatra partied. Painstakingly crafted drinks range from fresh-fruit-infused cocktails ($13) to daily martini flights -- three mini cocktails with a common theme, such as the Flight Back in Time, featuring a Sazerac, a Sidecar and an Aviation martini ($22). flatironlounge.com. The Beehive, Boston, Massachusetts Named for a Paris café des artistes that once hosted artists Marc Chagall and Amadeo Modigliani, this Moulin Rouge-esque supper club presents jazz, cabaret and burlesque performances on a shimmering stage draped with theatrical red-velvet curtains. At round stage-side tables, diners feast on stick-to-your-ribs comfort food like gravy-smothered poutine. Chandeliers hang among exposed pipes over the perpetually packed bar, known for champagne cocktails and Beehive juleps ($10.50). beehiveboston.com. Velvet Tango Room, Cleveland, Ohio This funky 1800s brick house was a speakeasy during the '20s, and it feels like not much has changed since then, as evidenced by the well-used jazz piano and the secret room hidden behind a two-way mirror. Bartenders measure ingredients on scales to ensure exact proportions go into cocktails ($15) made with throwback mixers like frothy egg whites, fresh-brewed bitters and homemade ginger soda. velvettangoroom.com. Illusions Magic Bar, Baltimore, Maryland With custom-made chandeliers above the cherry wood bar and jazz and swing played on the piano, Illusions gives the impression of being like any other roaring '20s-themed jazz club

Question: Where in Boston can I see jazz, cabaret and burlesque?

Question: Where is the Beehive located?

Question: How many kinds of ice are mixed into cocktails?

Question: Where is the Velvet Tango Room?

Question: What club in Cleveland used to be a speakeasy during the '20s?

Question: What does the Beehive present?

Question: Where is the Violet Hour?

Question: Where was the speakeasy?

Answer: Beehive

Answer: Boston, Massachusetts

Answer: Eight

Answer: Cleveland, Ohio

Answer: Velvet Tango Room,

Answer: julep and champagne cocktails.

Answer: Chicago, Illinois

Answer: Cleveland, Ohio

Summary:
The Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland was a speakeasy during the '20s .
The Violet Hour in Chicago mixes cocktails with eight kinds of ice .
In Boston, The Beehive presents jazz, cabaret and burlesque performances .


(Budget Travel) -- Some of my greatest travel memories are about exploring the local markets -- digging through the goods, chatting with vendors, feeling my way through the nuances of a spirited negotiation. Each time, I walk away with an earful of native lore and insider info -- on top of armfuls of awesome finds.

The Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market in Ohio takes place one weekend each month, excluding February and July.

Once, I picked up a pair of swingy silver earrings at a market in Uruguay and simultaneously bagged a tip for the best spot to dance to candombe music, something the seller insisted I do while wearing my new purchase. It was just the kind of authentic encounter I'd never have found in a shop on the main drag. Each of these American markets will leave you with that same richness of experience -- as well as heaps of quality souvenirs. Who needs another plastic snow globe, anyway?

BRIMFIELD ANTIQUE & FLEA MARKET SHOWS

Where & when: Brimfield, Massachusetts; six consecutive days each in mid-May, July and September.

What: A local auctioneer, Gordon Reid, started this outdoor market, now the country's largest, on a somewhat humbler stage back in 1959: his own backyard. Now, more than 1 million visitors flood in every year to shop the peerless selection of affordable New England collectibles (weather vanes, decoys and Nantucket baskets) and maritime accoutrements (brass lamps and ships' wheels) spread across more than 20 "fields" on either side of the town's main road, each containing hundreds of vendors. Budget Travel: 20 great flea markets around the world

Three of the best fields are Dealer's Choice, known for its quality rustic furniture; Heart-O-The Mart, favored for hobnail glassware and intact grain sacks; and J&J Auction Acres, flush with high-end items like colonial cherrywood chests and convex mirrors. Even the food has a regional bent: Try the generously sized $10 lobster rolls, the fresh-popped kettle corn, and the Pilgrim Sandwich, a supersoft roll layered with roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mayo. brimfield.com.

Best shot at a bargain: The slower July and September markets may yield better deals than the crowded May outing, which serves as the region's antiquing-season opener.

Gigi's find: A portable radio. "I love how [it] is part gadget, part accessory: It swings closed into a ring shape you can carry around like a purse as it plays. I got it years ago at Brimfield for $15." Budget Travel gallery: See these cool flea markets

SPRINGFIELD ANTIQUE SHOW & FLEA MARKET

Where & when: Springfield, Ohio; one weekend each month, excluding February and July.

What: Over the course of its quarter-century run, this busy market held on a county fairground has won a reputation as the heartland's go-to source for all things folky and primitive, such as old metal pails, Shaker boxes, cross-stitched samplers, and calico quilts. Farmhouse antiques, like blanket chests, milk-paint cupboards, and sturdy rocking chairs also figure prominently, as do well-preserved dishware and tabletop items. Budget Travel: How to shop every market like a pro

During each year's three supersize Extravaganzas -- in May, June, and September -- the number of vendors swells to more than 2,500, some operating out of cattle barns and poultry houses. Visit the market's online discussion forum to connect with sellers, preview goods, and even post wish lists. springfieldantiqueshow.com.

Best shot at a bargain: Go in September, when dealers are trying to liquidate their stock for the winter.

BROOKLYN FLEA

Where & when: Brooklyn, New York; Saturdays from mid-April through Thanksgiving.

What: In less than two years, this sale in a Brooklyn schoolyard has attracted a large enough following to justify a second location and seasonal spin-off events. Shoppers come for the mix of vintage clothing and jewelry, architectural salvage, and decorative objects like modernist table lamps and metal

Question: Which town has an antique and flea market the first Sunday of each month?

Question: When is the next Brimfield market in Massachusetts?

Question: what state is Brimfield market held in?

Question: When is the next Brimfield market?

Question: Where can you find second hand goods?

Answer: Springfield

Answer: six consecutive days each in mid-May, July and September.

Answer: Massachusetts;

Answer: six consecutive days each in mid-May, July and September.

Answer: The Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market in Ohio

Summary:
The next Brimfield market in Massachusetts is September 8 to 13 .
Alameda, California, has an antique and flea market the first Sunday of each month .
Brooklyn Flea features secondhand goods and wares from local designers .


(Budget Travel) -- Thanks to a vibrant design culture and growing tourism industry, Spain now has some of the best boutique hotels on the continent -- including a recent wave of hotel chains that's making chic accommodations affordable.

The real estate boom has been a key factor. Spying the potential, many entrepreneurs snapped up 19th-century residential buildings and converted them. Gat, a trailblazer, operates two hotels in Barcelona's Raval, a multicultural neighborhood just off Las Ramblas. Both feature abstract art, acid green walls, and stylishly minimalist furniture.

Book weeks in advance for the Xino (more appealing than sister hotel, the Raval). All its rooms have private baths, and you can admire the city skyline from the rooftop terrace (doubles from €70 ($110)).

The Room Mate chain is multiplying rapidly, with branches in Granada, Madrid, Malaga, Oviedo, Salamanca, Valencia and counting. (It first caught our attention last year.) But don't think chain-like conformity. Each property, named after an imagined roommate, has its own personality, as interpreted by a crew of hot young interior designers.

In Madrid, book Room Mate Alicia, a cultured, original, and slightly edgy creature, according to the owners. Near major museums, the hotel's light-filled, airy rooms are stylish without going overboard on showy design elements. Ask for one that looks out over Santa Ana, the city's hottest 'hood (doubles from €100 ($157)).

Hot is regularly used to describe Madrid these days -- and not just in reference to the climate. Finally stealing some of the limelight from Barcelona, Spain's capital is going through a renaissance in food, design and counterculture. Visiting creative types head for fashionable Chueca and check in to Colors Host, decorated in a chromatic riot of shades. Book rooms 1, 2, 10 or 11 for an enclosed balcony overlooking Calle Fuencarral (doubles from €45 euros ($71)).

At the other end of the spectrum, the Analina Rooms offers tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors and breakfast next door at Maestro Churrero, a café famous for the quintessential Spanish snack, chocolate con churros (doubles from €65 ($102)).

Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE!

Question:
Is there abstract or modern art there?
What do the Analina rooms offer?
What do these hotels feature?
What do Barcelona's Gat hotels feature?
Where is Barcelona located?
What are Analina Rooms?

Answer: Both feature

Answer: tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors and breakfast next door at Maestro Churrero,

Answer: abstract art, acid green walls, and stylishly minimalist furniture.

Answer: abstract art, acid green walls, and stylishly minimalist furniture.

Answer: Spain

Answer: offers tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors and breakfast next door at Maestro Churrero,

Summary:
Barcelona's Gat hotels feature abstract art and stylishly minimalist furniture .
Room Mate has branches in a handful of Spanish cities .
In Madrid, Analina Rooms offers tastefully modernist brown-and-white interiors .


(Budget Travel) -- We've found 15 water parks in your own backyard. Before the dreaded "are we there yet?" echoes from the back seat, you'll be in the parking lot. At Splish Splash in Long Island, New York, the most popular offerings pitch you into darkness. Wilderness Territory Waterpark Resort at Wisconsin Dells Near Madison, Wisconsin (55 miles) The Wilderness Territory's most popular ride is the Hurricane: Riders experience the eye of the storm as they rapidly descend through a four-story funnel. Flashes of lightning, rumbling thunder and drifting fog convey the sense of a full-blown natural disaster. Details: 511 E. Adams St., Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, 800/867-9453, wildernessresort.com. Kids eat free with adult purchase. Other Wilderness locations: A new, 150-acre Wilderness resort in Sevierville, Tennessee. Other water parks in Wisconsin Dells: Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and Noah's Ark. Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio Near Toledo, Ohio (60 miles) Kalahari doubled the size of the park in December 2007. The highlight is the Swahili Swirl. In a four-person inner tube, you'll be ejected from a steep tube slide into a 60-foot-diameter bowl; it's a dizzying three times around before you're sucked down the drain and dropped into a 50-foot-long landing pool. It's like a really fun toilet bowl. To mellow out, relax under the 40,000-square-foot clear Texlon roof, which houses tropical plants and allows guests to catch sun year-round. Budget Travel: See the parks Details: 7000 Kalahari Dr., Sandusky, 877/525-2427, kalahariresort.com. Look for "Beat the Clock" lodging specials on the Web site. Other Kalahari locations: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. And a new water-park resort is under development in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom, Geauga Lake, Ohio Near Cleveland, Ohio (25 miles) Older children and teens flock to the 60-foot-tall, 253-foot-long Liquid Lightning tornado slide. The ride launches you -- at speeds of up to 24 mph -- from a tube slide into a giant funnel, before spitting you into the calm waters of the finishing pool. Tamer settings include the Splash Landing family activity center, with waterslides, soaker hoses, bubbling geysers and a raining umbrella, and Coral Cove, an activity pool with three basketball hoops and huge climbable animals. Details: 1100 Squires Rd., Aurora, Ohio, 330/562-8303, wildwaterfun.com. Aquatica by SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida Near Tampa, Florida (85 miles) The signature experience here is the Dolphin Plunge, 250 feet of clear underwater tubes that plunge riders into a lagoon populated by charismatic black-and-white Commerson's dolphins. For a split second, you'll feel as if you're swimming with them. Aquatica's attractions include something for everyone: 36 slides, six rivers and lagoons and more than 80,000 square feet of white-sand beaches. Details: 5800 Water Play Way, Orlando, 888/800-5447, aquaticabyseaworld.com. Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach, Florida Near Orlando, Florida (55 miles) Daytona Lagoon's most hair-raising experience is Blackbeard's Revenge. After you climb the 62-foot tower and mount an inner tube, you'll take a 15 mph, six-story tumble down a twisting, pitch-black tunnel slide. Don't miss the brand-new Kraken's Conquest, either: It's a four-lane, 55-foot-long ProRacer-series speed slide. Friends and families can challenge each other to high-speed, watery showdowns. Details: 601 Earl St., Daytona Beach, 386/254-5020, daytonalagoon.com. The park offers a different special each day; for example, every Thursday you can get unlimited use of miniature golf, the carousel, and the rock-climbing wall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $10. Splash Island at Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Florida Near St. Petersburg, Florida (74 miles) At the interactive water-play area, the towering Tikki Head --

Question:
Where is the Kalahari Resort?
When did the park size double?
What size is the Ohio park?

Answer: Sandusky, Ohio Near Toledo, Ohio

Answer: December 2007.

Answer: 150-acre

Summary:
Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio, doubled the size of the park in 2007 .
At Water World in Denver visitors can hop onto inner tubes and journey into the dark .
The Cliff Diver at Splish Splash in Long Island will drop daredevils eight stories .


(Budget Travel) -- When you have beach on the brain, who wants to bother with a layover? Budget Travel has prepared the ultimate insider's guide to seven resort towns south of the border that are just one quick flight away. The Pacific-coast resort of Puerto Vallarta has attracted artists in recent years with its natural beauty and well-preserved colonial architecture. MAZATLÁN As resort towns go, Mazatlán is one of Mexico's prettiest, with an assortment of 19th-century neoclassical, republican, and French baroque buildings in pastel colors. The best place for wandering is Old Mazatlán, particularly the tree-lined streets around Plazuela Machado, where guitarists and singers roam from one sidewalk café to the next. Eat Sample traditional Sinaloan dishes at Pedro & Lola, a restaurant with seating on the square that's known for its Mexican Molcajete, grilled beef served with cactus and onions (011-52/669-982-2589, restaurantpedroylola.com, beef $14). Drink On nearby Belisario Domínguez street, locals gather nightly for tequila and Pacifico beers at La Tertulia, a bullfighting-themed bar that's owned and staffed by actual bullfighters and has posters, costumes, and pictures of the sport's greats all over the walls (no phone, tequila from $2). BudgetTravel.com: Find a nonstop route to Mexico Stay Among the hotel options in the area, the 72-room Best Western Posada Freeman Express has the most character -- it's in a renovated 1940s high-rise and has a rooftop pool with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean (011-52/669-985-6060, book.bestwestern.com, from $80). Detour To lose the crowds, jump on one of Aqua Sport Center's boats to tiny, uninhabited Deer Island just off the coast. It has a white-sand beach, trails for hiking, and clear waters that are perfect for snorkeling (011-52/669-913-3333, $12). IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO The twin cities of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are separated by just three miles, but despite that proximity, they don't have a lot in common. Zihuatanejo, which dates back to precolonial times, is a relaxed fishing town set on an enclosed bay with not a single high-rise hotel. Stay The 30 rooms at the Hotel Brisas del Mar are accented with Mexican tiles and have hammocks on the balconies (011-52/755-554-2142, hotelbrisasdelmar.com, from $102). Ixtapa, in contrast, was built 36 years ago as part of a government effort to spur tourism development on the coast. Today, it has a gleaming strip of beachfront hotels, manicured lawns, and a wide range of restaurants, from local spots to large Mexican chains. Eat El Arbolito serves fresh seafood dishes, such as camaronillas -- shrimp and cheese in a fried tortilla -- and creative cocktails like the Black Banana, a mixture of Kahlua, coconut liqueur, and orange juice (011-52/755-553-3700, entrées from $8). Drink At Barceló Ixtapa Beach Hotel's Sanca Bar, bands play salsa and Cuban music on weekend nights (011-52/755-555-2000, barcelo.com, beer from $3). Do Ixtapa has no shortage of beaches, but if you're in the mood for something more active, rent a bike at Xplora Adventours (011-52/755-553-3584, $3 per half hour) and take a ride through Parque Ecológico Aztlán, a forest teeming with native birds, turtles, and iguanas. BudgetTravel.com: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo photos ACAPULCO Acapulco got its glamorous start in the 1950s and '60s, when celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Judy Garland turned the exclusive hotels on the rugged cliffs over the bay into their playground. Drink One of these spots, the 78-year-old Hotel el Mirador, is the place to go for a quintessential Acapulco experience: Watching cliff divers plunge 130 feet into the bay while having a watermelon daiquiri on the patio at the on-site La Perla bar (011-52/744-483-1155, hotelelmiradoracapulco.com.mx, $24 drink minimum). For another

Question: What is a diving hot spot?

Answer: Acapulco

Summary:
The island of Cozumel, 11 miles off the Yucatán coast, is a diving hot spot .
Puerto Vallarta has attracted painters, sculptors and other artisans in recent years .
Los Cabos, on the tip of Baja California, has one of Mexico's most dramatic settings .


(Budget Travel) -- With rates as low as $36, these flashy new European hotels take the convenience of the pod concept and expand it with style. Qbic hotels have a clever lighting concept -- Deep Purple Love, anyone? You can pick the color you like, or turn them off altogether. YOTEL Where: Inside terminals at London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports (in Terminal 4), and Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. The concept: Catering to those with a long layover, these glossy, no-nonsense capsule hotels are small but convenient for business travelers -- or someone just looking for a nap and a shower. What you get: A windowless room (about 75 square feet) that looks like a cruise ship cabin -- there's a shower, a TV, a fold-out work desk and an overhead storage rack; Wi-Fi is free. Bonus: a 24-hour room-service menu of snacks and drinks delivered within 15 minutes. What it'll cost: There's a four-hour minimum, which costs about $36 for a standard cabin in the London locations. After that, pay by the hour (about $10). Premium cabins are probably better for shares -- those start at $57 for four hours. yotel.com. QBIC Where: Antwerp, Belgium; Maastricht and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The concept: A completely self-service hotel. You check yourself in at the kiosk and buy everything with your hotel key card. What you get: In the center of each room is a Cubi, a 75-square-foot enclosed platform for the bed, a bar-like work-and-dine space and the bathroom. The lighting is at your discretion -- Mellow Yellow, Deep Purple Love -- it's all pretty club-like. There's a vending machine in the lobby filled with drinks, locally made snacks such as organic bread and things you may have forgotten -- like neckties. What it'll cost: From $91. qbichotels.com. CITIZENM Where: Near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and in central Amsterdam's posh Zuid neighborhood, which started taking guests this April. The concept: Keeping prices down by using prefabricated everything -- the 150-square-foot rooms are built in a factory, stacked up and then shot through with plumbing and electrical wiring. Budget Travel wrote about citizenM in a February 2009 story on boutique hostels. Budget Travel: See photos of the boutique hostels What you get: Only single-bed rooms are offered, each with an ultramodern cylindrical shower. Use a control panel (called a moodpad) to manage the room temperature, blinds, alarm clock, stereo and lighting -- there are clever choices like "I'm here to party," with intense colored lighting and dance music. There's also a 24-hour self-service cafeteria; if you're craving a martini, a bartender is on duty in the evenings. What it'll cost: From $109. citizenm.com. EXPANSION PLANS All three of these mini chains have plans to expand -- some more than others. CitizenM will open a third hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2009, and plans to expand into London and New York City in the next five years. Yotel will open in London and then at all major airport hubs in Europe and the U.S., but there are no fixed dates. Qbic hopes to pursue a franchise model -- if you (really) like what you see, apply to be a franchise-owner on the Web site. Get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you FREE - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc., all rights reserved. Note: This story was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Question:
which is the price of a room
What gives the rooms a club-like feel?
How much do you pay for four hours?

Answer: as low as $36,

Answer: lighting

Answer: $57

Summary:
Pay just $36 for four hours in one of Yotel's London locations .
At Qbic hotels, colorful lighting schemes give the rooms a club-like feel .
CitizenM rooms feature an ultramodern cylindrical shower .


(CNET)  -- Amazon plans to unveil a thinner Kindle with a sharper picture in August, according to a Bloomberg News report on Saturday citing anonymous sources.

Two people familiar with the online retailer's plans told Bloomberg the next-generation e-book reader will not have a touch screen or color, but the display will be sharper and more responsive.

Earlier this week at Amazon's annual shareholder meeting in Seattle, CEO Jeff Bezos said a Kindle with a color reflective screen is still a ways off.

A story in The Wall Street Journal on the meeting quoted Bezos as saying he had "seen several things in the laboratory, but they are not quite ready for production."

The New York Times reported in February that Amazon had bought Touchco, a New York start-up developing flexible multitouch panels. That led to speculation that the e-tailer was planning an answer to the iPad, Apple's tablet device.

Bezos said Tuesday that Amazon intends to keep the Kindle focused on what it has always been -- a reading device.

CNET e-mailed Amazon on Saturday afternoon seeking a comment on the Bloomberg report. Bloomberg said a call to an Amazon representative was not returned.

On Thursday, Sony announced it is releasing its Reader -- which launched in the U.S. in 2006 -- in several new countries this year, including Japan, China, and Australia.

Also on Thursday, Marvell said it's teaming up with the One Laptop Per Child foundation to create an inexpensive tablet, which they plan to show off at CES next year.

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission.

Question: What does Amazon plan to unveil in August?

Question: Will the product have a touch screen?

Question: What does amazon plan to unveil?

Question: What is rumored to not have a touch screen?

Question: What is Amazon going to unveil?

Question: Who is the CEO?

Question: What will the e-book reader not have?

Question: Whats the ceo called?

Question: What does CEO Jeff Bezos say?

Answer: thinner Kindle with a sharper picture

Answer: not

Answer: a thinner Kindle with a sharper picture

Answer: the next-generation e-book reader

Answer: thinner Kindle

Answer: Jeff Bezos

Answer: a touch screen or color,

Answer: Jeff Bezos

Answer: Kindle with a color reflective screen is still a ways off.

Summary:
Amazon plans to unveil a thinner Kindle with a sharper picture in August .
Sources say e-book reader will not have a touch screen or color .
CEO Jeff Bezos says a Kindle with a color reflective screen is still a ways of .


(CNET)  -- At a hacker conference no one is safe. Demographic of Defcon conference for hackers is older, wiser and employed. When I first went to Defcon in 1995, the halls were mobbed with teenagers and attendees seemed more concerned with freeing Kevin Mitnick and seeing strippers than hacking each others' computers. Jump forward to Defcon 17 this year, which was held over the weekend in Las Vegas, things certainly have changed. The attendees are older and wiser and employed, most of the feds aren't in stealth mode, and even the most savvy of hackers is justifiably paranoid. "Welcome to the hacker world," said Defcon founder Jeff Moss. The evolving demographic of Defcon attendees shows that the hacker community, like all of us, is aging. But it's also a reflection of how the threat landscape has changed. Web site defacements have given way to much more serious risks like financial fraud and unaddressed critical infrastructure weaknesses. It's a cornucopia of phishing e-mails, cross-site scripting attacks that poke holes in trusted Web sites, and criminals harvesting credit card numbers and selling them on the underground equivalent of eBay with guarantees of service and support. Defcon and Black Hat, the pricier and more corporate sister confab held the two days preceding Defcon ($120 for Defcon registration versus $1,395 to $2,095 for phased registration at Black Hat), offer a forum for researchers to share information about vulnerabilities they find in software, hardware and systems. Targeted this year were everything from the iPhone and surveillance video feeds to e-parking meters and security underlying the Domain Name System. Vendors and users weren't the only ones who need worry. Attendees had plenty to fear and security experts themselves weren't spared. On July 27, Web sites belonging to a handful of security researchers and groups were hacked and passwords, private e-mails, IM chats, and potentially sensitive documents were exposed on the vandalized site of security golden boy Dan Kaminsky. (Mitnick, whose jailing in the '90s for computer crimes made him a cause celebre at "Free Kevin" benefits at Defcon at the time, was among those attacked.) There were more widespread threats at the shows, too. Anyone using the Wi-Fi networks at the events had better be careful lest they get their password sniffed and posted on the Wall of Sheep. Then there was the USB thumb drive that was passed around among attendees of Black Hat that was found to be infected with the Conficker virus. Reporters who aren't nearly as geeky as the sources they interview are always easy prey. One reporter was concerned about being hacked via the local area network in the press room after a rare Blue Screen of Death crashed his laptop. Last year, three French men were expelled for sniffing the press room LAN at Black Hat. They said they had obtained eWeek's and CNET's passwords but failed to prove the CNET allegation. This year, three South Koreans registered as press were ejected for asking questions that led organizers to believe were on an intelligence-gathering mission instead of merely reporting, according to the IDG News Service. I had a panic of my own at Defcon this year. I was connected to the Internet using an EVDO wireless card and a virtual private network and was startled a short while later when a Web page opened up out of the blue and I noticed the VPN was disconnected. Granted it looked like a legitimate page for my wireless carrier, but not wanting to take any chances I immediately logged off. (See "Defcon: What to leave at home and other do's and don'ts" for tips on how to best protect yourself.) Unfortunately, I had neglected to disable the Wi-Fi on the laptop. Because Windows XP event logging is lacking, it's not clear whether someone may have spoofed the name of a wireless network the laptop is configured to automatically connect to. Time to call the help desk. At least I didn't use any automatic teller machines at the hotel. Defcon organizers confirmed on Monday that a fake ATM was discovered

Question: What was passed around at conference?

Question: What was passed around at the conference?

Question: What do you share on Defcon?

Answer: USB thumb drive

Answer: USB thumb drive

Answer: information about vulnerabilities

Summary:
Defcon is a forum to share info on vulnerabilities in software and hardware .
Attendees worried about using Wi-Fi for fear of passwords being stolen .
Fake ATM was spotted in hotel with a PC inside it .
Thumb drive with virus was passed around at conference .


(CNET)  -- When Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg recently announced a "Like" button that publishers could place on their Web pages, he predicted it would make the Web smarter and "more social."

What Zuckerberg didn't point out is that widespread use of the Like button allows Facebook to track people as they switch from CNN.com to Yelp.com to ESPN.com, all of which are sites that have said they will implement the feature.

Even if someone is not a Facebook user or is not logged in, Facebook's social plugins collect the address of the Web page being visited and the Internet address of the visitor as soon as the page is loaded -- clicking on the Like button is not required.

If enough sites participate, that permits Facebook to assemble a vast amount of data about Internet users' browsing habits.

"If you put a Like button on your site, you're potentially selling out your users' privacy even if they never press that button," says Nicole Ozer, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. "It's another example of why user control needs to be the default in Facebook."

In the last few months, scrutiny of the privacy practices of the Internet's second most popular Web site has reached an all-time high, with politicians threatening probes and privacy activists calling for formal investigations.

In response to the outcry, Zuckerberg convened a press conference last week at Facebook's Palo Alto, California, headquarters, where he pledged to make privacy "simpler."

For its part, Facebook told CNET on Tuesday that the information about who viewed what pages with a Like button is anonymized after three months and is not shared with or sold to third parties. A representative acknowledged, however, that the current privacy description of Facebook's social plugins "is not as clear as it could be, and we'll fix that."

Facebook's FAQ says: "No data is shared about you when you see a social plugin on an external website." No mention of this data-sharing appears under the "Information from other websites" section of the company's general privacy policy.

Publishers like "Like"

Almost as soon as Zuckerberg had finished describing the Like buttons at the F8 developer conference in April, they became a hit with Web publishers hoping for a traffic boost.

Wired's Webmonkey.com published a tutorial, a WordPress adaptation appeared, and Foursquare quickly incorporated the concept too.

Facebook itself confirmed that after only a week, "more than 50,000 sites across the Web have implemented" social plugins.

SearchEngineLand.com said Like buttons are "recommended" for virtually all Web sites; one blogging how-to guide reported that "small, blue Like buttons are now multiplying across the Web faster than you can say 'pandemic.'"

Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that if his group had been aware of how the Like button was implemented, it would have raised this topic in a request for a Federal Trade Commission investigation of Facebook's privacy practices. (The statement sent to the FTC says, in part, that social plugins "violate user expectations and reveal user information without the user's consent.")

"The recent Facebook changes are too complex and too subtle for most users to meaningfully evaluate," Rotenberg said. "And it's not obvious that the recent announcement from Facebook has addressed all of these problems."

On the other hand, some of the Like button's features can work only if Facebook receives the user ID and URL of the Web page being visited. That allows a custom bit of Javascript code to customize the Like button.

Social plugins "work the same basic way all widgets across the Internet do," said Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman. "The URL of the Web page the user is viewing must be sent to Facebook for Facebook to know where to render the personalized content."

Schnitt said Facebook does not correlate pages viewed with advertising, so someone who spends a lot of time reading articles about German sports cars on caranddriver.com will not receive Porsche 911

Question: How many sites have implemented plugins?

Question: What allows Facebook?

Question: What do like buttons allow?

Question: What does the like button allow?

Question: How many sites have implemented social plugins?

Question: What collect Facebook's social plugins?

Question: What does the Facebook plugins collect?

Question: What do Facebook social plugins do?

Answer: 50,000

Answer: Like button

Answer: Facebook to track people

Answer: Facebook to track people

Answer: 50,000

Answer: address of the Web page being visited and the Internet address of the visitor as soon as the page is loaded

Answer: the address of the Web page being visited and the Internet address of the visitor

Answer: collect the address of the Web page being visited and the Internet address of the visitor as soon as the page is loaded

Summary:
Like button allows Facebook to track people as they switch websites .
Facebook's social plugins collect the address of the Web page being visited .
More than 50,000 sites across the Web have implemented social plugins .


(CNET) -- A post on the Facebook developer blog announces the big application program interface (API) update from the social network that was first reported on Sunday night, which it's calling the Open Stream API. The "Open Stream API" was front-and-center with Facebook's controversial redesign earlier this year. It's the first major implementation of an emerging (read: brand new) open standard called Activity Streams, on which Facebook has been collaborating with developers for the past few months. Basically, what it means is that third-party developers will have access to a feed of all content posted to news feeds--notes, photos, videos, links, "likes" and comments, and activity from other applications built on the social network's platform. "We've officially moved away from the Web of just blog posts, which a lot of these formats were originally designed for," said open-source developer and advocate Chris Messina, who has been spearheading the development of Activity Streams for about a year now. "Over time, what I think will happen is (that) you'll see something toward the type of cleverness and ingenuity that has surfaced around the Twitter community, but in a way that is even more expressive and rich," Messina said. "In the case of Twitter, you're just talking about status updates; in the case of Facebook you're talking about a lot of different activities." Previously, only status updates--the most Twitter-like part of Facebook--were accessible to developers. That's why this announcement likely makes the biggest difference to the creators of social feed aggregation applications like TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop. But because Activity Streams is an open standard, other social-networking and media-sharing applications will be able to use it too. This means that there could be, say, an Adobe Air-based desktop application that brings in updates across photo-sharing applications like Facebook, Flickr, and Photobucket. Facebook is also targeting different types of developers -- specifically mobile and desktop -- rather than strictly the Web app developers whose creations made Facebook's platform such a wild success when it debuted two years ago. "One of the most important stories to tell here is this is the first time that we've ever opened the core Facebook product experience, which was previously called the 'feed' and which we're now calling the 'stream,'" Facebook senior platform manager Dave Morin explained to CNET News. "We're especially excited to see the types of desktop applications and the types of mobile applications which developer are going to build for the stream. We've sort of never really allowed this before, so we're pretty excited to see what developers come up with." Facebook will be holding an event on Monday afternoon in Palo Alto, California, to introduce developers to the new API. Presenting at the event will be representatives from Adobe, which is building a Facebook application in its Air runtime environment, and Microsoft, which is doing the same in Silverlight; contact management system Plaxo and third-party app Seesmic Desktop (which already has unveiled its support for the Open Stream) are also presenting. The "stream" took front-and-center with Facebook's controversial redesign earlier this year. Inspired by the likes of Twitter, the revamped design marked a shift in strategy for Facebook from static profiles to a real-time flow of information. At the same time, it proved unpopular among some users. But Facebook isn't the only big social-networking player to be implementing Activity Streams. The emerging standard was behind the upgrades to MySpace's MySpaceID product that the News Corp.-owned service launched in March at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival. "It was sort of one of the earlier opportunities we had to take a nascent spec and see it all the way through to launch," MySpaceID product lead Max Engel told CNET News, adding that his team first started working on Activity Streams last September. It's what powers a new MySpace "gadget" for Google as well as its

Question: What changes were made?

Question: What will third-party developers have access to?

Question: A post on the Facebook developer blog announces what?

Question: What will API users be able to use to interact with their stream?

Question: Who will have access to feed of all news feed content?

Question: Which users interact with their stream?

Answer: third-party developers will have access to a feed of all content posted to news feeds--notes, photos, videos, links, "likes" and comments, and activity from other applications built on the social network's platform.

Answer: a feed of all content posted

Answer: the big application program interface (API)

Answer: news feeds--notes, photos, videos, links, "likes" and comments, and activity from other applications built on the social network's platform.

Answer: third-party developers

Answer: third-party developers

Summary:
A post on the Facebook developer blog announces the Open Stream API .
Third-party developers will have access to feed of all news feed content .
Previously, only status updates were accessible to developers .
Blog: API users will be able to use applications to interact with their stream .


(CNET) -- Compact-camera manufacturers have begun testing the waters with a wealth of high-end features as they search for new ways to gain revenue, market share, and recognition. A prototype of Olympus' Micro Four Thirds model, one of several small cameras with big features. In earlier digital photography days, a camera with an extra megapixel of resolution, face recognition, or image stabilization could stand apart from the herd. But now that herd has grown larger, most folks who'll buy a digital camera already have done so, the economy has put consumer spending on ice--and camera makers are making some bolder bets with high-end features. Among them: Nikon's built-in GPS support to record where a photo was taken, Casio's high-speed video, and the Micro Four Thirds camera system from Panasonic and Olympus. Premium features aren't an easy sell. They tend to appeal to market niches rather than the mainstream. Early implementations are often rough around the edges. And it's hard enough to convince people to buy a new camera, much less one with the higher price of premium features. But winning those customers can have a good payoff with better profit margins. And that's critical in this day and age. Market research firm IDC expects that after years of growth, the shipments of digital cameras will decline in 2009. "It's crowded, and it's getting crowdeder," IDC analyst Ron Glaz said of the digital camera market. "We're anticipating that with the slowdown in economy and disposable income, we'll start seeing consolidation of the vendors." In other words, even though something in the neighborhood of 38 million digital cameras are sold annually, some companies will throw in the towel. Even as the compact-digital market saturated in recent years, digital SLRs showed strong market growth. Some high-end compact models are geared for those thinking of buying an SLR, but who want something less bulky and complicated. Another type: SLR owners who need something they can slip into a pocket or easily take on a trip. Dethroning Canon The company to dethrone here is Canon, the leader of the compact camera market. Not only does it have seemingly innumerable cameras for every variation of consumer, but it also has long offered its G series for enthusiasts who are willing to pay a premium for high-end features. The current PowerShot G10 offers 14.7 megapixels of resolution, full manual controls, support for raw image format, a durable body, and a relatively fast lens. "There have always been competitive products for the G-series. However, the range of competitors has expanded recently. Now, not only high-end point-and-shoot, but also low-end DSLR products are priced about the same as the G10," Canon said in a statement. The company has offered a new G-series model each year since 2006, and Canon believes the G10 to be the leading high-end compact camera in the United States. Canon shares dominance in the SLR market with Nikon, and in the compact market, Nikon's Coolpix P6000 is aimed straight at Canon's G10. The P6000's chief distinguishing feature is its built-in GPS receiver, which enables the camera to know where it is when a photo is taken. That location data is written into the image file through a process called geotagging that lets people sort their photos not just by when they were taken or by what folder on a computer they were stuffed into, but also by where they were taken. "Having GPS in the camera makes all the sense in the world to me," Glaz said. "People are now capturing thousands of pictures a year. There are only a few things they remember about them--I was in Paris, it was around the holidays." So location data is important, especially as software arrives that can convert a photo's latitude-longitude information into a place name. That will let people search for photos by typing in text, not just by looking at image thumbnails on a map

Question: Who is testing high end features?

Question: When are shipments of digital cameras expected to decline?

Question: Who is the leader of the compact camera market?

Question: Which company is the leader of the compact camera market?

Question: What are expected of the shipments of digital cameras after years of growth?

Question: What are the camera maker testing the market with?

Answer: Compact-camera manufacturers

Answer: 2009.

Answer: Canon,

Answer: Canon,

Answer: will decline in 2009.

Answer: a wealth of high-end features

Summary:
Compact-camera makers are testing the waters with high-end features like GPS .
Premium features like high-speed video aren't an easy sell in a tough economy .
After years of growth, shipments of digital cameras are expected to decline in 2009 .
The company to dethrone here is Canon, leader of the compact camera market .


(CNET) -- Craigslist's managers have complied with the wishes of most of the state attorneys general who demanded they rid the site of prostitution ads. Craigslist says it has removed prostitution ads, but some issues remain. The Web's dominate classifieds publication replaced its controversial "erotic" section with a new "adult" category. And where Craigslist once relied on readers to flag dodgy advertisements, the company's employees now review every ad submitted to the adult area before they appear online. Yet, the site has been unable to block every solicitation for sex. Catherine, a self-described sex worker from San Francisco, confirmed for CNET that she successfully posted an ad for her services to the adult section late last week. She wished to remain anonymous, so neither the ad's photo nor text can be included in this story. Regardless, it isn't hard to find questionable ads in Craigslist's new adult section. The most noticeable difference between Craigslist's erotic and adult categories is the photos. In the adult section, the photos are less provocative. Less skin is showing. When it comes to the text, however, the two sections are very similar. Both are packed with ads for massage services. Ads in both areas include descriptions of the masseuse's breast size ("I'm a natural C cup") and they are often photographed dressed in their underwear. Even if most of these services are legitimate, and only a few are veiled offers of sex in the new adult area, plenty of others make little if any pretense about what they offer. These ads typically include words such as "busty," or "fantasy girl" in their descriptions. Often, they feature photos of a woman or man dressed provocatively in their underwear or bathing suit. Some include hourly rates. Clearly, Craigslist faces a significant challenge as it tries to purge prostitution from its Web pages. While it can ban nude photos and overt offers of sex, how can anyone expect the site to outlaw ads featuring photos of bikini-clad women offering phone numbers? One can find racier images in department store ads. The Internet has made it easier for merchants of all kinds to conduct commerce and reach wider audiences. Should anyone be surprised that the sex trade has benefited from this as well. If Craigslist were to disappear tomorrow, does anyone really expect that would curb prostitution? A review of some competing online classifieds shows that while Craigslist has been a popular destination for sex workers, it is by no means the only one. For example, Backpages.com is an online classified publication and Craigslist competitor. The content it produces can also be found on the Web sites of some entertainment and alternative publications in major metropolitan areas, such as New York's Village Voice or San Francisco's SFWeekly. Craigslist is G-rated compared with the photos found in Backpages' adult section. Ads included nude photos while others showed people engaged in sexual intercourse. A common ad would show a bare chested woman asking men to call her at a phone number. In the area of Backpages that services Charleston, S.C., one ad found on Tuesday by CNET featured a photo of a bare-chested woman apparently engaged in masturbation. It must be noted that there was nothing as graphic on Craigslist. This is relevant because Henry McMaster, South Carolina's attorney general, last week threatened Craigslist with a criminal investigation. McMaster hasn't made any similar threats--at least none that has been publicized--against Backpages. Managers at Backpages did not respond to an interview request. In November, Craigslist and 40 state attorneys general, including McMaster, signed an agreement that called for the site to add more safeguards. The classifieds publication followed through and one of the new changes was a new requirement that anyone posting to the erotic section must provide a credit card. All the parties hoped that criminals would be unwilling to provide identification and this would be deterrent. "Many of the classified and communication services on the Craigslist site provide the public with a valuable service," McMaster wrote to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster on May 5. "However

Question: What did advert show on Tuesday?

Question: What has been banned from Craigslist?

Question: What had Craigslist banned?

Question: What did craigslist ban?

Question: When did the ad show a bare-chested woman?

Question: who has banned sex ads?

Question: What type of ads were still located?

Question: What type of ads are now banned?

Question: When did  an ad on the site shows bare-chested woman ?

Question: What list has banned sex ads, but some still remain ?

Answer: photo of a bare-chested woman apparently engaged in masturbation.

Answer: prostitution ads.

Answer: prostitution ads.

Answer: nude photos and overt offers of sex,

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: Craigslist

Answer: prostitution

Answer: prostitution

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: Craigslist

Summary:
Craigslist has banned sex ads, but some still remain, author says .
A San Francisco sex worker says she still sells sex through the site .
On Tuesday, an ad on the site shows bare-chested woman .
Source: law protects Craigslist from being held liable for users' actions .


(CNET) -- If you want to consider a difficult computational problem, try thinking of the algorithms required to animate more than 10,000 helium balloons, each with its own string, but each also interdependent on the rest, which are collectively hoisting aloft a small house. The production team at Pixar faced many new technological challenges on "Up," its tenth feature film. That was the challenge the production team at Pixar faced when it set out to begin work on "Up," its tenth feature film, five years in the works, which hits theaters on Friday. There was absolutely no way the team was going to hand-animate the balloons. Not with their numbers in five-figures, and especially not when you consider that within the cluster, every interaction between two balloons has a ripple effect: If one bumped another, the second would move, likely bumping a third, and so on. And every bit of this would need to be seen on screen. In "Up," the story revolves around the main character, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, who, frustrated with his mundane life, ties the thousands of balloons to his house and sets off for adventures in South America. A small boy ends up marooned on board, and hilarity ensues. The cluster of balloons is so central to the film's branding--it's called "Up," after all--that to promote the film, Pixar teamed up with two of the world's cluster ballooning experts for a nationwide tour involving a real-life flying armchair and dozens of huge, colorful balloons. "You have a movie that's about a house that flies, which is a pretty far-fetched idea," said Steve May, the supervising technical director on "Up." "We all know, from kids' parties, how a bunch of balloons behave, so if we could animate balloons in a realistic way, the believability that the house could fly would sell." For May, "Up" producer Jonas Rivera, director Pete Docter, and the many others involved in making the film, believability was key, even within the context of a story about a flying house. And while a major part of instilling that believability must come from a well-conceived and executed story and script, the animation is no less responsible for winning over potentially skeptical audiences. Balloons, the mother of animation invention May said that the animation department at Pixar never even considered hand-animating the balloons. But even standard computer animation wouldn't be up to the task, because of the N-squared complexity involved in the thousands of interdependent balloons. Instead, the studio's computer whizzes figured out a way to turn the problem over to a programmed physical simulator, which, employing Newtonian physics, was able to address the animation problem. "These are relatively simple physical equations, so you program them into the computer and therefore kind of let the computer animate things for you, using those physics," said May. "So in every frame of the animation, (the computer can) literally compute the forces acting on those balloons, (so) that they're buoyant, that their strings are attached, that wind is blowing through them. And based on those forces, we can compute how the balloon should move." This process is known as procedural animation, and is described by an algorithm or set of equations, and is in stark contrast to what is known as key frame animation, in which the animators explicitly define the movement of an object or objects in every frame. Procedural animation has been around for some time, but May suggested that even the most difficult uses of it in the past don't come close to what Pixar had to achieve in "Up." Pixar fans may remember the scenes in "Cars" of a stadium full of 300,000 car "fans" cheering on a high-speed race below, each of which was independently animated. That, too, was done with procedural animation, May said, since creating so many cars individually would have been a non-starter.

Question: What is the movie about?

Question: What company created the film "Up"?

Question: Who faced many new technological challenges?

Question: What company made the film Up?

Question: How many balloons were animated?

Question: What day does the film "Up" open on?

Answer: Carl Fredricksen, who, frustrated with his mundane life, ties the thousands of balloons to his house and sets off for adventures in South America. A small boy ends up marooned on board, and hilarity ensues.

Answer: Pixar

Answer: production team at Pixar

Answer: Pixar

Answer: more than 10,000 helium

Answer: Friday.

Summary:
Pixar faced many new technological challenges on its film "Up," opening Friday .
The movie is about an old man who flies away on a house lifted by balloons .
Pixar used a programmed physical simulator to animate thousands of  balloons .
Studio's goal is to make even the hardest animation problems look simple on screen .


(CNET) -- Investigators for the Department of Justice began asking questions about Apple's business practices involving digital music at least three weeks ago, multiple music industry sources told CNET.

DOJ investigators have interviewed numerous executives at record companies and digital music stores and according to those with knowledge of the discussions, it is clear that investigators are interested in learning whether Apple has employed anticompetitive tactics.

The sources said that the department's inquiry is just in a fact-finding stage and that there is nothing to indicate investigators have found any wrongdoing or would file a complaint against Apple.

Representatives from Apple and the Justice Department did not respond to interview requests.

This is what we know about the investigation so far.

• DOJ investigators have interviewed executives from the four major music labels and several digital music retailers about how Apple wields its iTunes influence.

• Part of what investigators are interested in is whether Apple used its market dominance to discourage two of the top record companies from participating in a special Amazon music promotion called the "MP3 Daily Deal."

• Apple has a history of throwing its weight around the music sector. Apple's iTunes accounts for 70 percent of all digital song sales and wields huge power. Apple has often used that clout to dictate terms to suppliers -- that is, the major labels.

Here are just a few examples: The major labels wanted variable pricing on songs and albums and for years Apple resisted. In 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the top recording companies were "getting greedy"after music execs considered a music price hike. Last year, Apple finally gave the labels some additional control over song pricing.

The big record companies wanted the ability to sell albums that were unbundled, meaning they wanted Apple to sell hot LPs as a full package and refrain from selling individual songs from these works. Again, on this issue Apple hasn't given much ground.

To iTunes' fans, Apple was a freedom fighter. The perception was that Apple was standing up for consumers.

Apple's refusal to force customers to buy full albums saved them from having to shell out money for songs they didn't want. To them, Apple's reluctance to raise the 99 cent song price was another way the company kept music costs down. And the government never made a peep about these practices.

Deal or no deal?

But what may not seem as consumer-friendly is the accusation that Apple tried to squash a competitor's effort to offer discounted music.

Amazon's "MP3 Daily Deal," is a promotion that involves slashing prices on specific music titles and pushing them heavily on the day of their release. Amazon sometimes negotiated to get exclusive access to the music for a period of time, and the labels and their artists would often support the Daily Deal by promoting it on their Web sites.

Apple managers informed the labels that any music included in Amazon's promotion would receive no promotion at iTunes, music industry sources told CNET in April. In one case, Apple complained to Sony Music Entertainment after seeing material from Alicia Keys touted as part of the Daily Deal.

In March, Ed Christman, from Billboard magazine, broke the news about Apple's attempts to make the labels "rethink" their support for the Daily Deal.

He wrote that Apple contacted EMI executives with similar gripes about such albums as Corinne Bailey Rae's "The Sea," Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and Ke$ha's "Animal."

When it comes to tracing iTunes' potential DOJ troubles, one has to start with Apple's success. During the last decade, with its iPod digital music players and iTunes music store, the company completely remade the way people across the globe listen to, store, and buy music.

Apple's iTunes store accounted for 28 percent of all music purchased by U.S. consumers in the first quarter of this year, research firm NPD Group said Wednesday.

Two years ago during the same period, iTunes' market share was 19 percent.

Companies that dominate a market as much as Apple rules digital music often are accused of anti-trust violations

Question: Who was asking questions about Apple's business practices?

Question: What do investigators want to know?

Question: What accounts for 70 percent of all digital song sales?

Question: What do the investigators want to know?

Question: What percentage of all digital song sales does iTunes account for?

Question: What percent of Apple's iTunes accounts of digital song sales?

Question: What company is the Department of Justice investigating?

Question: What did Investigators want to know about Apple?

Question: Who is asking questions about Apple's business practices?

Answer: Investigators for the Department of Justice

Answer: whether Apple has employed anticompetitive tactics.

Answer: Apple's iTunes

Answer: whether Apple has employed anticompetitive tactics.

Answer: 70 percent

Answer: 70

Answer: Apple

Answer: whether

Answer: Department of Justice

Summary:
Department. of Justice is asking questions about Apple's business practices .
Investigators want to know whether Apple has employed anticompetitive tactics .
Apple's iTunes accounts for 70 percent of all digital song sales .