The heart of Madrid, the Plaza Mayor, is surrounded by 136 houses built in the 17th century. These home have been passed down through generations of the same family. For two centuries, the plaza served as the city’s chief forum for beheading, bullfights, and the canonization of saints. One of the world’s grandest palaces, the Royal palace was completed in 1764.

Contemporary Madrid came into its own after the death of the Fascist dictator Franco. Years of the Franco regime left Madrid and much the country in economic shambles due to isolation. With his death, Madrid, and Spain as a whole, began to re-assert itself on the international stage. Within Spain, reaction against the dictatorial bureaucracy centered in Madrid and a history of centralism that pre-dated Franco by centuries has resulted in the successful modern movement towards increased autonomy for the regions of Spain, considered as European regions, under the umbrella of Spain

Madrid is also noted for its nightlife and discotheques. It’s not uncommon for madrileños to dance all night, head to the Chocolateria San Ginés for chocolate y churros at dawn, go home, shower, shave, and go to work. This nightlife, called la movida and initially focused on the Plaza del Dos de Mayo, flourished after the death of Franco, especially during the 80s while Madrid’s most cherished mayor Enrique Tierno Galván was in office. A particular hub for this night activity is nowadays the nearby gay village of Chueca.

The Madrilenos don’t have dinner until ten or eleven in the evening. To quench hunger until that late dinner hour, they enjoy a light snack called tapa. Tapa can be king crabs, blood red, large as soccer balls; tiny squid cooked in their purplish ink; bull’s testicles sauteed in garlic; slivers of chewy air-cured ham; suckling pig, roasted in old ceramic wood-burning ovens; grilled flounder; fried hake, red snapper encrusted with salt and then baked; garlic soup, and tripe stew.

Madrid’s famous art museum is the Prado. Spanish works of Goya and El Greco compose the bulk of the Prado’s collection and of course there are paintings by the prolific Picasso. Hundreds of Italian and Dutch Renaissance pieces are displayed-–mostly bought with New World gold by the kings of Spain.

Madrid is also host to one of the most famous bullfighting rings in the world, Las Ventas.

Other Spain Links:

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In 2001, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 86,212 complaints relating to personal identity theft. Two years later in 2003 those complaints had risen by 40% to 214,905. One wonders what would have caused a 40% increase in complaints from this new form of theft.

Its because we now make so many of our transactions without being seen or heard. We conduct our business over the internet and anyone’s fingers could be at the keyboard. Anyone who surfs the internet is aware of the multitude of passwords now needed for banking and literally most sites.

Even with unique passwords some spyware can steal your passwords, credit card and bank account numbers, and Social Security numbers.

Actually a method developed in the late 1800s by Charles Darwin’s first cousin, Sir Francis Galton, maybe the best solution to our thievery problems caused by this high tech world of ours. In 1901, Scotland Yard began using his system as a means of criminal identification. One identifying characteristic we all have at our fingertips is our finger prints.

A company named DigitalPersona now has fingerprint hardware and software for the home PC called Password Manager. For example if you were to do online banking and you click on the button that says “see accounts” a pop-up window always appears, requesting that you identify yourself. Instead of logging in a password that could be stolen from you just press your right index finger for a split second on a small scanner the size of a postage stamp that is near your keyboard. Your finger print identifies you and you can complete your transaction.

The Azteca Bank in Mexico has registered 4 million people who can now use their ATM by identifying themselves only with their fingerprint. This is an excellent method of identification for this bank since many of their customers are migrant workers who do not have existing forms of ID.

Perhaps returning to the successful methods of identifying people used in Scotland Yard in 1901 will be the best technology in the year 2004 and beyond as well.

You have decided its time to move to a bigger home as your family is growing or you have been transferred to a different city or state. Now you must choose whether to rent or sell your existing home. If you are planning on selling your home, there are many things to consider. Choosing the right Realtor to market a property and negotiate the sale is the most important step in the process, and since you normally contract to list your house with the agent for a specific period of time, you may find yourself unable to switch to another should you find yourself unhappy with the service you receive. It can also be important to choose a good real estate professional in property development. The Realtor will be your sales agent and marketing professional.

Many real estate agents will tell you what you want to hear. In the real estate profession, this is known as buying a listing and is employed by shortsighted agents who are more interested in themselves than they are in you. If your home is priced properly, many agents will show it to their buyers. If you price it too high, no one will show the house and it will sit on the market for some time. When you finally drop your price to reflect its real value, your house is old news and buyers may think you are growing desperate, and you may find yourself accepting a price that is below what you could have received had the house been priced properly to begin with.

Not all real estate agents were created equally. Look around as the real estate profession is constantly changing and, the best real estate professionals stay aware of those changes by continuing their education. Open houses are a great way for potential buyers to get a feel for the home, but make certain that you have done your best to make the home presentable. Don’t leave clutter laying around, as the home will appear smaller, and an untidy home does not give off a comfortable feeling. Fresh paint will give your home a fresh feeling, and remember to remove heavy drapes to allow the sun to shine through the windows. Dirty windows, doors, and sidewalks should be cleaned as this is the first thing a potential buyer will see upon entering the home. An inviting home will sell much faster than one that looks uncared for.

Currently 1 in 50 adults have OCD. This is a treatable condition that causes certain people to have worries and doubts about everyday things that most people wouldn’t even give a second thought. OCD, in most cases is where the sufferer has compulsions and obsessions. Some of the most common obsessions are a fear of dirt, germs, forbidden thoughts, a strong need to have things perfect, imagining harming others and themselves, and sexual urges that are intrusive. A tendency to repeat things, hand washing, counting, arranging things repeatedly, and hoarding objects or money is the compulsive side of this disease. Anybody of any age group can have OCD, and stress can increase the problems that come with having OCD. Most people with OCD recognize that these symptoms interfere with their work, social life, and relationships. Having these disorders takes up a huge part of the sufferers day, normally everyday of their life. Although the cause of OCD is unknown, it is believed that it can start anywhere from preschool to adulthood. In general, most people that have OCD have other disorders as well. Phobias and panic attacks are not uncommon for these people, and at some point in their life, depression could set in. Thankfully, there are many medications available to treat OCD. Clomipramine, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Luvox are the drugs prescribed most for treatment. It may be several weeks before a person with OCD notices the benefits of his or her medicine. Under the guidance of a trained therapist, behavioral therapy can also be used to treat OCD.

The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington was the home to the 1962 World’s Fair. The 605-foot tower was built in less than a year and was conceived by Eddie Carlson as a doodle on a napkin in 1959 and given form by architects John Graham Jr., Victor Steinbrueck, and John Ridley.

The Seattle Space Needle boasts the following:

# A revolving restaurant where you can enjoy Pacific Northwest cuisine that is matched only by the view served with it. The restaurant is 500 feet up & revolves one full revolution over a 58 minute period.
# A 360º observation deck with a “safety grid” installed. The trip to the top takes less than a minute and travels at 10 mph, and the view is fantastic.
# 85 million candle-power lamps atop the needle which provide a beacon light

It sits on the Seattle Center, a 74-acre site with such attractions as KeyArena, Memorial Stadium, Seattle Opera House, Pacific Science Center, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Experience Music Project, and more. You can catch the monorail to all of Seattle Metro and from there to the Waterfront & Ferry Terminals, the Train Station, SeaTac International Airport, & all points beyond.

The Seattle Worlds Fair, also known as the Century 21 Exposition, really started something there. The area surrounding is very accessible and tourist friendly, with restaurants, hotels, and motels all within walking distance.

Virginia City, Nevada is one of America’s largest Historical Landmarks. It is located just southeast of Reno, Nevada, and this historical mining town is easily accessible by car from Lake Tahoe, Reno, or Carson City. It has been rumored that Virginia City’s rich gold and silver mines financed the Civil War. Rich in history, Virginia City and the Comstock Lode still maintain the feel of the hifalutin mining days, when Mark Twain roamed the streets and everybody wanted a piece of the richest place on Earth. The town started with two miners named Pat McLaughlin and Peter O’Reilly when they discovered gold at the head of Six-Mile Canyon in 1859. A fellow miner, Henry Comstock, stumbled upon their find and claimed it was on his property. The gullible McLaughlin and O’Reilly believed him and assured Comstock a place in history when the giant lode was named. The biggest problem in this newly found paradise was the sticky blue-gray mud that clung to picks and shovels. When the mud was assayed, it proved to be silver ore worth over $2,000 a ton. The resulting boom turned Virginny Town, named after miner James Finney–more fondly known as ‘Old Virginny’–into Virginia City, the most important settlement between Denver, Colorado and San Francisco, California, and turned the grubby prospectors into instant millionaires who built mansions, imported furniture and fashions from Europe and the Orient, and financed the Civil War.

At the peak of its glory, Virginia City was a boisterous town with something happening 24 hours a day both above and below ground for its nearly 30,000 residents. A devastating fire nearly wiped out the town in 1875, destroying over 2,000 structures, but the town rebuilt itself in just one year, and many of the historical buildings currently standing are from that time. The mines closed in 1942, and after World War II, the city began attracting tourists. Today, many mansions such as the Castle, the Mackay Mansion, and the Savage stand as monuments and can be toured by visitors who want to get a feel for the life of a miner during the Comstock. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad runs again from Virginia City to Gold Hill. The largest federally designated Historical District in America is maintained in its original condition. The main business street is lined with 1860s and 1870s buildings with specialty shops of all kinds. Visitors can pan for gold, and there are several restaurants open to the public. There are staged gunfights, saloons, and people in period clothing everywhere you look. The enormous graveyard can also be toured, but be sure to wear sturdy shoes as you will have to climb to take it all in.

SMS: Short Message Service is a revolution in mobile communications. Most new cell phones and PDAs are capable of using this technology. Just ask your retailer about your cell phone.

Sending and receiving text messages with your telephone has gotten very easy to do, and a lot of your own labor at typing on your telephone has been replaced with pre-set messages and icons. This is a great way to send a reminder to stop for something at the store, send your address to a visitor, or just to check-in and say hi. PC to SMS is also being used more. This is a way to type a message onto a web page and have it sent to a SMS-enabled cellphone or PDA using the person’s telephone number instead of a web address.

Some email programs will let you automatically send an alert to your cell phone/PDA when a certain letter/document arrives or when a person emails you using the SMS technology.

Some say the word Panama comes from an Indian word meaning “land of many fish. Others believe it stems from the Cuna Indian phrase “panna mai,” when Spanish solders met a Cuna Indian and asked where they could find gold, the reply was “panna mai–far away,” in the hope, according to the tale, that the soldiers, too, would go far away.

Panama varies in width from 30 to 120 miles. The Caribbean Sea hugs it to the north and the Pacific Ocean is on its south side; one can watch the sun rise over the Pacific and set in the Atlantic. Because the isthmus is narrowest here, Panama has become an international shortcut: Over 400,000 gold rushers en route to California crossed here. Bananas are grown in the northwest.

In the interior, farmers grow rice, potatoes, coffee, vegetables, and citrus fruits. In a mountainous region near Cerro Punta are raised thoroughbred horses. Cowboys are also in the interior tending their cattle.

Panamanians have clean water, good health services, ample food, ready transportation, and disposable income. Panama’s economy is service-based, heavily weighted toward banking, commerce, and tourism. This is stability in an area of the world that is in turmoil.