I can’t say I knew much about Andalusia, or more officially, the Autonomous Community of Andalusia; at best I would answer ‘flamenco and horses’ if asked what the region was known for. Sparked by a recent conversation, I was curious what it really had to offer, so I embarked on a road trip.

I didn’t see any horses, or much flamenco, but I did find a region with an extraordinary history, impressive architecture and beautiful people.

One thing I learned early one was the origin of the name Andalusia itself, which derives from Al-Andalus, the medieval Muslim state occupying parts of what today is Spain, Portugal and even some areas of modern France. I must have been ill the day we covered that in school because this was all news to me.

Granada
My first destination after landing in Malaga was Granada, best known for the Alhambra, the impressive Moorish citadel and palace. Occupying a small plateau on the south Eastern border of Granada, it is one of the most renowned buildings of the Andalusian Islamic heritage. While its fortified walls date back to the 11th century, it was only in the 14th century that the then sultans turned it into a lavish palace, citadel and residence.

Although there are plenty of accommodations available within the Alhambra, I decided to stay downtown. Do stay at the contemporary yet cozy Villa Oniria, a small 19th century palace right in the city center.

Córdoba
The next leg of my trip led me to Córdoba and while there are Córdobas in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia, this one is the real deal, the original city. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, it is said to have been the world’s most populous city in the 11th century, and subsequently became the intellectual center of Europe. It was during these times that Córdoba also became the capital of the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba.

One of the most prominent remnants of that time is the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the Mezquita. One of the most accomplished monuments of Islamic architecture, it was originally a pagan temple, then a Christian church, then made a mosque by the Moors, only to be reconverted into a Roman Catholic church and cathedral during the 13th century Reconquista, the Spanish re-taking of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

An easy 10-minute stroll from the Mezquita through the UNESCO World Heritage center you find the Hospes Palacio del Bailio, a lovely boutique hotel built between the 16th and 18th century that is a UNESCO World Heritage itself. Take the Don Quijote suite for a unique, oval-shaped and frescoed room overlooking the courtyard. And if you ask nicely, you’ll be led down to the historic Roman ruins found under the main restaurant.

Seville
The last stage of my rally led me to Seville, the capital of Andalusia. Out of the three cities, Seville was definitely my favorite, mostly because of the lively atmosphere around the famous cathedral in the town center, where little bodegas, bars and restaurants are filled with locals having a late tapas lunch. The cathedral, built on the former site of the city’s mosque after the Reconquista, is one of the largest medieval and Gothic cathedrals. Most interestingly, some of the mosque’s original elements were re-used in its construction, such as the former minaret, which was converted into a bell tower.

Once the sun has set, the roof top terrace at EME Catedral Hotel is one of the best places to enjoy close views of the cathedral and mingle with the Sevillanos. As a contrast, I recommend visiting the Metropol Parasol, an impressive umbrella-like building on La Encarnación square designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer and finished in 2011. Its terrace roof offers another great vista.

Do stay at Corral del Rey, which is tucked away close by on a small street by the same name. Spread over two buildings, this stylish little refuge is a quiet oasis with elegant design. It’s modern, yet distinctively Andalusian, elegantly combining European and Moorish design elements to reflect the region’s diverse history.

My personal Andalusian conquista ended here, but I’ll be back, there is so much more to be discovered…

And one final tip: listen to Alaa Shaheen’s Andalusia while driving. The Jordanian instrumental band’s debut album beautifully blends Arabian and Spanish sounds; it’s the right road trip soundtrack.

You are smart, attractive and trusting but lately he’s got you wondering. Is the man you love still in dreaming of his ex? He denies it but your inner voice telling you something is amiss! If this sounds like you, then you should be looking for these four signs. Only time will truly tell, but in the meantime, keep your cool — and your eyes peeled for these revealing tells.

He calls you by her name. It is called a Freudian slip but really, it’s a sign! Here are some common scenarios. He moves in for a kiss and speaks your name softly – wait, that’s not your name! Or he leaves you a voicemail and says, “See you later, Angela.” The name is Jill! Once is an understandable uh-oh, especially if you’ve just ended a heated debate about “her.” Twice, that’s reason to worry! If he’s calling you her name for no apparent reason, then hmmm…..

He constantly gripes about her. If he’s complaining about her constantly then he might still be in love. Remember, there’s a fine line between love and hate — at least, according to the song. When she’s constantly on his mind, it could be a sign that he wants her back. However, ex’s that have children together often squabble. Take that with a grain of salt!

He’s interacting with her on social media. If he’s chatting with her on Facebook or texting her at all hours of the night, you’ve got a sure sign. Many former lovers remain friends but unless he’s still holding out hope, he needs to move on. Some women consider this kind of behavior “emotional cheating.”

He makes her “off limits.” Guys in love like putting the objects of their affection on a pedestal. If she’s an “off limits” topic of discussion, then that is a sign he’s in love with her. Naturally, you shouldn’t obsessively question him about the ex, but if he refuses to discuss their relationship or current status, you’ve got a problem.

The best sign is your inner voice. Listen to your intuition. On the flip side, don’t become so paranoid about the ex that it makes you green with jealousy. Excessive jealousy will certainly push him away even more. Emotional infidelity is a real confidence shaker, if you let it become one. Don’t let it! Get the assurance you need or get out!

More from this Contributor:

10 signs a relationship is over

Do you have a cheap boyfriend?

Is your man a bad kisser?

St. Patrick’s day comes along every year on March 17th. This year, the Irish holiday happens on a Saturday, so you can make your entire weekend a celebration, however, many events occur before the actual date.

28th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Located in Seaside Heights, NJ in Ocean County, this parade is sure to please. The parade, however, is the week before on March 10th. The traditional parade starts at noon and is a tribute to St. Patrick. With marching bands, dancers, floats, food to eat, mummers and more, this parade is fun for the whole family. Get there early to park.

Caffrey’s Tavern
This place is Irish all year round, but join them on St. Patrick’s day for a full, fledged Irish experience. Caffrey’s also boasts live music on Fridays and Saturdays as well as traditional dishes such as Fish and Chips and Corn Beef and Cabbage. Their website has coupons, so check those out before you go. Caffrey’s is located at 440 Route 9 South in Forked River, New Jersey.

Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade
There is still time to be in the parade if you choose to do that instead of just watching, but being a spectator, whether it be live on March 11th or from home on March 17th when it re-airs, is also fun. The parade goes from 1-4pm and proceeds down Kelly Drive. This is a true tradition, since the 1700′s, in Philadelphia. There will be floats, bands, flags, music, performances, food and so much more.

Craft Beer Express
Also a Philadelphia St. Patrick’s day tradition, the Cafe Beer Express experience happens the week before St. Patrick’s day. This year, on March 10th from 11am – 9pm, many bars in town join in this pub crawl for people who love beer and want to taste and try new beers. Tickets can be bought at the bars or you can buy a bus ticket for $ 10 in advance. A list of bars participating can be found on their website.

Privacy is a tricky concept in these times of World Wide Webs, Internet Superhighways and e-Everything. Our brains have quickly evolved to expect that all existing information, from Hollywood to Washington, D.C., should be immediately available to us, unfiltered, with more transparency than a roll of Scotch Tape.

Enter Facebook, originally created as a way for hip, cool college kids to communicate. In the past few years it’s blown up, becoming the social networking platform of choice for teenagers, business owners, celebrities and even your grandma.

Now, Facebook wants you to accept its new Timeline interface, which appears to be a game-changer in many ways. Should you be worried?

Technology has brought us much joy, but because it morphs at fiber-optic speeds, change is inevitable. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Timeline will provide users with a more comprehensive way to tell their life story, using photos, videos, facts and friends.

Or to quote Facebook: “The movies you quote. The songs you have on repeat. The activities you love. Now there’s a new class of social apps that let you express who you are through all the things you do.”

Users will inevitably be putting much more information out there. So far, it’s been optional, but over the next few weeks, everyone’s Facebook will become a Timeline page.

So how will all this enhanced App-driven information sharing affect your privacy?

There’s a great article we found on PCWorld.com that walks through all the changes and how critics – and fans – of Timeline view those changes, and what to expect.

And there is a bottom line: If you plan to continue enjoying social media platforms and the open exchange of information and ideas that the Internet affords, you have to educate yourself on how to protect your privacy to the extent that you want to do that.

I decided to test out the information provided. I followed the steps outlined in the PCWorld article. I began by clicking on the “Privacy Settings” tab at the top right hand corner of my Facebook page (see photo).

Wow.

While I don’t remember enabling Facebook Apps like “Get Beer,” “Daily Mile,” “Cutest Smile,” “Hello Kitty Love,” or “Nicest Person Contest,” I have no doubt that at some point or another I clicked to allow these apps in an effort to access something that, at the time, made perfect sense.

It was just as easy to edit the settings and remove the unwanted Apps. I disabled about 82 of the 89 Apps that, over time, I’d apparently given permission to access my personal data.

On a side note, I was disappointed to discover that the “Which Bluth are you (Arrested Development)” App I’d activated was “temporarily unavailable due to an issue with its third-party developer.”

Disappointment aside, this also reinforced to me that some of these annoying Apps may take care of removing themselves, especially as Facebook evolves, and moves closer to IPO status.

We want to know how you feel about Facebook Timeline. Take a moment to vote in our poll, and feel free to leave your comments.

If you have yet to make the change – of if you have embraced Timeline, but still have questions, you can link here for an official Facebook tutorial.

Also:

• Consider your current password. This would be a good time to come up with something more complex than “1234567″ or “Password.” The No. 1 problem with Internet security is our lapses in protecting ourselves.

• Think of this as a fresh start. Feel free to continue posting all the cute, odd things that happen in the privacy of your own living room. But moving forward, this might be the right time to think about how you are “telling the story of your life.” What information you are making public, and which details of your past, present and future should be readily accessible to your friends, family, employer, and advertisers?

• Educate yourself. You’ve got the world at your fingertips, and all the information that goes along with it. There’s a reason we’ve come to love Facebook. It’s useful, it’s fun, it’s interesting. Don’t take for granted that you understand the changes; don’t be surprised to find out there’s more to know than you thought. Take responsibility for your social networking habits, and get informed.

For more on Facebook changes, check out Inside Facebook, an independent news and information site on all things Facebook, by Inside Network.

^{I wont try to comprehend how you did it this time,
You broke me, once again, from bondage in my wavering mind…
Where the iniquity begins,
execution of this coup,
either way, good or bad, it always leads me back to You.
Esteem You in my heart,
make love to You with my song,
this Epic Portion in which keeps me from doing wrong.}

“Rich Forever,” the new mixtape from Rick Ross.

The mixtape features guests such as Drake, Nas, Pharrell and Maybach Music Group cohorts Wale and Meek Mill.

Ross’s new album, “God Forgives I Don’t,” remains without a release date. It was due for a Dec. 13 release but was pushed back after the Bawse’s health scare in October.

Download Rick Ross: Rich Forever

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to travel to five states following next week’s State of the Union address, courting voters who will be critical to his re-election campaign.

The president will discuss proposals from Tuesday’s address in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Phoenix on Wednesday and in Las Vegas and Denver on Thursday. On Friday, Obama will speak in Detroit.

The White House has not outlined policy proposals that the president intends to make in the address. With the nation trying to move forward from a deep economic recession, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday the speech would carry economic themes similar to those the president has been discussing in other forums.

“He is fiercely focused on economic growth and job creation and … using every tool available to him to assist him in that project,” Carney said. He said the president would “travel around the country to talk about the issues that are important to Americans in every state, including, most importantly, economic growth and job creation.”

Republicans said Obama’s travels were politically motivated, accusing the president of being focused entirely on his re-election campaign.

“It’s clear President Obama has abandoned governing and is in complete campaign mode,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski.

The five states are expected to be heavily contested by both Obama and his Republican challenger this year.

Obama won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, sending him on a path to the White House, but the state looks like a toss-up this year. Colorado, Nevada and Arizona are three Western states the president’s campaign covets, while Michigan is expected to get ample attention from Republicans after the economic recession hurt the state’s manufacturing base.

Obama carried all of the states except Arizona in 2008.

The world can be roughly divided into two parts – TV lovers and TV bashers. Television, for most of us, is a good stress reliever. The following people, on the other hand, are the ones bringing a bad name to TV. As in the case of all good things, these party poopers make you want to smash your TV with your bare hands. I present you a list of people who bring out murderous tendencies in regular humans with their antics.

Highly Overrated Actors on TV

David Spade
Just Shoot Me! before I do, as David Spade keeps attempting to suck the joy out of television! Saturday Night Live showed us the amusingly sarcastic side of David Spade. After Rules of Engagement, the audiences decided that they have had enough versions of his sharp-tongued, dwarfy and skirt-chasing characters.

David Caruso
Take a bow, Lieutenant Horatio Caine, as David Caruso enters this list with honors. He chooses to portray every complex emotion by wearing and removing his sunglasses. To that, he adds some crass one-liners delivered in a deep monotone. Crime solving on CSI: Miami hits a hilarious low.

Sarah Jessica Parker
Sex and the City may have created a sartorial revolution, but the equine-faced Sarah deserves a lot of flak for portraying the thirty plus Carrie as a giddy sixteen year old. Thank heavens for the Vivienne Westwood outfits and the Manolo Blahnik footwear that shifted the spotlight from Ms. Parker’s juvenile attempts at acting.

Jennifer Love Hewitt
This Ghost Whisperer had her job all sorted out. A maximum of two expressions fleeted across Jennifer Love Hewitt’s face throughout the time the show was aired. A collective sigh of relief was heard in some quarters when this show was abruptly pulled off the air.

Miley Cyrus
A chubby face that sings in a high school, Miley Cyrus fulfills the requirements for being a preteen idol. As far as her acting abilities are concerned, the less said, the better. Let us hope she manages to gain some of that when she loses her baby fat.

Charlie Sheen
Was Charlie Sheen actually acting on Two And A Half Men? If not for the laughter track, it seemed like a reality show, giving a glimpse into his personal world. The slow speech, the lost eyes looked so natural, it could be termed ‘method acting’, except for the fact that it was not.

Ashton Kutcher
The role of Michael Kelso on That 70′s Show embodied the spirit of Ashton Kutcher. He followed it with Punk’d, which reinstated the fact that Ashton Kutcher equalled bad television. He seemed to have done a huge favor to television audiences by moving over to the big screen. We can now touch our remote without the fear of getting punk’d. Rejoice!

David Hasselhoff
So what’s with this list and the name ‘David’, as they all seem to hatch a conspiracy to annihilate television? Before all the episodes of drunken rants happened, David Hasselhoff was a Baywatch star (not actor, but star) who didn’t even bring any star value to the show. Can’t really blame the guy, can you, when you had Pamela, Carmen and Yasmin grabbing all the eyeballs.

Other Overrated Actors on TV

The stellar names above deserved a special mention, for reasons of mass aversion. Here are a few more actors who have unknowingly unleashed an epidemic of misery on the viewers. Let us hope they spare us the agony of viewing them on television in 2012.

1. Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives)
2. Fran Drescher (The Nanny)
3. Minka Kelly (Charlie’s Angels)
4. Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal, Brothers and Sisters)
5. Spencer Pratt (The Hills)
6. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
7. Gillian Anderson (The X-Files)
8. Ron Eldard (Arresting Behavior)
9. All the Disney Horrors – Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, Raven-Symoné, Demi Lovato and the likes.
10. The Cast of The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless

These actors have played a part in television being called the ‘idiot box’. However, dislike is a very subjective term, and you are obviously free to dispute this list. Acting prowess aside, they have managed to inadvertently give us some comic relief, putting a smirk (not a smile!) on our faces. After all, isn’t this a part of entertainment too?