New Hope for the Jobless - Secret Unfolded by John Mattes

In October the national unemployment rate hit 10.3% this equates to approximately over 15 million Americans left jobless, many with little hope of returning to work in the near future. However perhaps there is hope out there a hope that has yet to be revealed.

INVESTIGATIVE GUY John Mattes has uncovered a federal program designed to give free gas cards to the unemployed but is a secret to those it's designed to help. The U.S. Labor Department provides millions of dollars in supportive services to the states for the unemployed. The program in some areas provides free gas cards, child care assistance and even pays for job interview clothing -- but the program has never been publicized so the unemployed don't know it exists or how to ask for it.



More info at InvestigativeGuy.com
Press Release: http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20091108/new-hope-for-the-unemployed.htm

Asian Style Baby Clothes by Lucky Wang

I just stumbled across the cutest baby apparel brand called Lucky Wang. They have little komodo wraps for babies, draw string pants like the kind Bruce Lee wore and more.

here are some pictures of some Lucky Wang Products

Azuki Green Kimono One Piece by Lucky Wang

Republic Jacket by Lucky Wang - Willow Sakura Red

Wawa Playsuit from Lucky Wang - Indigo Dragon

As You can see, Lucky Wang is very creative and offers a unique brand like no other. If you want truly stylish babies, consider buying a Lucky Wang outfit for your little baby.

Photos provided by Global Enfant home to the world's top organic baby products.

Not Blogging, But Still Traveling (kind of)

I know I haven't posted here in awhile. But that doesn't mean I've stopped traveling. I just got real busy all of the sudden. However in the past year, I did go to Bahamas, St Thomas, St Martin, Miami, Texas, Atlanta, San Fransisco, Lake Arrowhead and Los Angeles (too many times).

Visit my myspace and see pictures of recent places I've been. I try to keep it updated.

Subscribe to this blog, so you can see some pictures I plan on uploading in the next few days.

Here's a picture of my Sister and I in the Bahamas.

Too Much in One Night - New York Day 2 Pt.2

Wicked - On Broadway - New York City

Now it was time to get all dolled up and go to Broadway. The strike had ended a day before we arrived in New York and I was ecstatic that the lights were on in Broadway once again and we would get to see Wicked. I had long heard great reviews of Wicked and had always wanted to see it, my brother worked hard to get us last minute tickets and I am so thankful for that. James again was hesitant on going to a musical he wasn’t sure what to expect and although he was up for everything, in his head he thought it might not be too exciting. We stepped out of the New York subway in the middle of Time square and made our way to The Gershwin Theatre. The streets were crowded with people everywhere and we were running late but luckily we made it just in time and James even had time to stop for a bite to eat and go to the bathroom before the curtains opened. The show was absolutely everything I had expected and more and for James, it was a ton more than he expected. We loved the show and couldn’t stop talking about how funny and amazing it was. Definitely a great start to an even greater trip.

SoHo Grand - Hotel in Soho New York

After the show we were off to Soho Grand to meet up with our friends. The musical was over at around 1030 and in New York standards, this meant our night had just begun. First we walked back to out hotel to put our musical souvenirs away and have a drink before our night got started. We had chosen Soho Grand as the meeting spot cause it was a central location for everyone and we had already been there earlier in the night to make a pick up. Choosing a destination that was easy for us to get back to on the Subway in a short amount of time was essential. We arrived at Soho Grand shortly after everyone else; the hotel was definitely grand it was very stylish and sleek. The bar area was just a small lounge but it was a great place for us to meet and have a couple of drinks. It was great seeing everyone and catching up on old times and new gossip but now it was time to move on. This was just a place to start the night and although it was already midnight we still had a long night ahead of us.

Café Wha? - Greenwich Village, NYC

One of the girl’s boyfriends grew up near New York and was a great tour guide for us and knew exactly where to go, he pretty much knew everything there was to know about New York. He took us to this little bar in Greenwich Village called Café Wha?. Tiffany and I walked in with out a hassle or cover and then the rest of our group was let in for free because this Paul knows everyone everywhere and hooked it up. The bar was small and underground but it was a blast. There was a live band there playing a variety of pop/reggae music it was great. We sat in this huge booth and ordered a ton of drinks and some food. The food was just ok. We got hot wings and they were surprisingly strangely sweet. It was an unexpected taste that wasn’t too great but nonetheless the atmosphere and music made up for the poor food. Us girls were dancing the night away and Paul took James on a mini tour of the west side. They tried to get into a strip club around the block but unfortunately “Mike” was not working that night and they were only letting swingers in at that time. The night overall was great and it was about 2am the time our bars normally close but instead of going home and getting some sleep we were off to another bar. James got a souvenir shirt to remember his night and we were off.

Pictures of our New York Trip

New York City - Day 2 (Part 1)

Rockefeller Center

The late night before combined with the extremely comfortable bed at The New York Hilton caused us to sleep our day away and we didn’t get out of bed till 1pm. Today my heart was set on one thing and one thing only Ice skating in Rockefeller center. James had never been ice skating before and I could tell he was hesitant but there was nothing about to stop me I even threatened to go by myself. For the last four years I have gone ice skating at Rockefeller Center during Christmas when the big tree was lit and I wasn’t about to miss it this time around. We stopped and got Gyros on the way and ate them in line as we awaited the next skating session. We waited about 30 min and then we entered the rink, rented our skates and got out there. Of course it was crowded but that didn’t stop us from having the time of our lives. James caught on really quickly to skating and at the end of the day ironically he was the one that wasn’t ready to leave. We skated for two hours and took multiple pictures by the beautifully lit up tree. During our skating session there were two marriage proposals. It was so amazing to be a part of and everyone there was aweing and ohhing it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go back again next year.

Morrelle Wine Bar

Another tradition I have when I visit New York is going to the wine bar across the street from Rockafeller Center after or before ice skating to enjoy a nice glass of wine and some yummy appetizers. Morrelle Wine Bar is a quaint little restaurant located directly across the street from the rink and features a variety of wine as well as great appetizers and entrees. After ice skating I was freezing and could not wait to go inside the restaurant unfortunately it was far too crowded and we didn’t have much time so we decided to go next door to the Morrelle wine shop. It was amazing how many bottles of wine could fit into such a small space, but the selection was vast and we found just what we were looking for. James ended up getting a bottle of Spanish Red Wine and I got a bottle of Spanish white wine. I was sold on the wine as soon as the merchant told me the wine was very lemony and had a taste like lemon and olive oil blended together, he may of thought he was warning me about the wine but it sounded just perfect to me. We packed up our bottles and headed back to The Hilton New York to cork one open.

The NBC Experience Store

Our next stop was the NBC Experience Store located outside of Rockefeller Center. Growing up in Burbank I thought I was immune to all the studio touristy consumer items but boy was I wrong. Immediately upon walking into the store our eyes turned to the huge display of The Office memorabilia. The Office is by far our favorite show to watch perhaps that’s because its pretty much the only show we can agree upon, nonetheless its hilarious. The NBC Experience Store had everything you could think of from The Office we ended up buying an actual Dundee Award, a Dwight bobble head, funny magnets for our fridge, a Dunder Miflin hat and all kinds of other funny gimics and gadgets from the show. We also got our first mini towel that you put in water and it expands to a full size washcloth. The store pretty much had everything you could imagine and more.

More New York Pictures

New York City - Day 1

The New York Hilton - Time Square New York, NY

As we landed onto the runway my heart beated with anticipation this was about to be our first big trip together and I was so excited. All the planning and wondering was over now it was time to sit back and enjoy the ride. We landed at JFK at approximately 5pm and after driving through an hour of heavy New York traffic we arrived at our hotel. For the first three days of our trip we were to reside at The New York Hilton. When we walked in the lobby was buzzing with excitement and I knew this was going to be a trip to remember. The New York Hilton was just how I imagined it and suddenly all the trouble I went through to book the room seemed obsolete.

We stepped into our room and it was breathtaking the room was extra big compared to what I was expecting in the heart of New York City and the décor was fabulous. The room had a huge window with a view of all the excitement on the street. We looked down with wonder and amazement. So many places to go so many things to see but for now we were confused where to start.

We buddled up and decided to go on a search for some alcohol, the mini bar was far too expensive and we had a long trip. We went to a couple little markets but to our surprise there was no alcohol sold in any of them. After walking block after block we ended up at a tiny store called Liquor. The prices were absurd and the service was bad but we were determined and money nor would poor attitudes get in our way. We purchased a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum and made our way back to The Hilton New York.

By this time we were starving and decided to dine in the Hilton’s restaurant. It was a cute little place called The Marketplace we ordered hot wings, pizza and chicken fingers. Food was great but we were ready to explore, so we asked for a to go box half way through the meal and went up to our room to plan our night.

Thor Hotel & Bar in Soho - New York City, NY

We couldn’t decide where to go so I called my good friend Tiffany that lived in Manhattan. She wanted to meet up with us and show us around the city. The meeting place she chose was a hotel by her house called Thor. She texted us directions via hop stop and we made our way through the New York subway system. Thor was an upscale trendy hotel located in Soho it was a great meeting spot and had a lively crowd. We ordered a couple drinks and sat on a really cool retro style couch while we waited for her. The music at Thor was enjoyable and the crowd was great. An hour later and a few too many vodka sodas, Tiffany arrived. We caught up on old times had another drink and left Thor to go meet up with her boyfriend at another bar close in the city.

Sweet Paradise Bar in Soho - New York City, NY

We ended up walking through the streets of New York for what seemed like a very long time then we ended up at this small artsy bar called Sweet Paradise Bar. The bar was simple and even served movie theatre style candy. We had a couple drinks there and enjoyed the music but then it was time to head back to The Hilton New York. I was starving so we decided to stop off at one of the many Gyro stands located in downtown on the way back to our hotel. The line was long and we were cold so we ended up just going back to our room and eating the left over pizza and chicken from dinner at The Market Place.

More New York Pictures Here

Gotta Love California!

Here is a picture of the Seals in La Jolla, CA, in my home town San Diego, California. Just enjoyin' the summer!

Lebanon | A Maical City in the Middle East

I just felt like blogging some info about a country I'm currently learning about in my History of the Middle East Class.

Lebanon is a small and beautiful country on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located at the meeting point of three continents and, as such, has been the crossroads of many civilizations whose traces may still be seen today. Its coastline is about 225 km (150 miles) in length and is, on average, 45 km (30 miles) wide. The total area of the country amounts to 10,452 square km (4,500 square miles). Along the coast are the five famous cities of Beirut, Byblos, Sidon, Tripoli, and Tyre (see interactive map under Tourism). It is bordered in the north and east by Syria and, in the south, by Israel.
Lebanon's beauty is illuminated by its geography -- its narrow coastal plane and two parallel north/south mountains (the mountains of Lebanon and anti-Lebanon). The fertile Bekaa valley, with its Litani and Orontes Rivers, separates these mountains and nourishes the terrain. Residing majestically over the valley, Qournet Assaouda in the north of Mount Lebanon (altitude 3,083 meters or 10,112 feet) and Jabal al-Sheikh in the south of the anti-Lebanon range (altitude 2,814 meters or 9,230 feet) remain the highest peaks in the country.
This unparalleled natural splendor is enhanced by Lebanon's moderate, Mediterranean climate. Lebanon enjoys about 300 days per year of sunshine. The winter is mild on the coast and snowy in the mountains, while the summer is hot on the coast and mild on the mountains. It is possible during the spring months to ski in the mountains and swim on the coast in the same day.

Change in Traveler's Trade Pictures

So I decided to change the whole theme of my website. My memories of Europe are getting very foggy. I changed all my pictures to look like I remember them now. + I get bored in my Computer Photoshop class. I enjoy 'tweeking' out my pictures. Check them out here.

Before this month is out, Traveler's Trade will look almost completely like my 'tweek travel pictre page'.



Tell me what you think.
Give me some tips and advice.

Thanks
James
International Travel Guide