Manhattan

Hello, I'm new posting here, but I have sort of a pressing issue that I need as many opinions as possible on... I graduated from high school in 2009 and enlisted in the USMC. I got medically discharged after being in recruit training for more than two months, and so now I have a job working at a market research agency, which is a decent gig. I decided that I needed to go to school in the fall since the whole military plan fell through (for now at least, thinking of NROTC possibility). Recently I received notice that I have been accepted to the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska, and University of Missouri (I want to go to the Midwest for school, escape the East Coast for a bit). I am gathering as much information as possible about the schools, but I am still pretty torn. Please feel free to post any opinions you may have on any of these schools. If it is any help, I plan on majoring in meteorology/atmospheric sciences or in the case I go to Iowa, geography. My thoughts so far: NEBRASKA + Solid academic reputation, lots of research opportunities + Offers the major I am interested in (meteorology) in a good location for study in this field + Great football + Very friendly people (supposedly) + Only school on list with free speech rating of "green" (see: [url="www.thefire.org"]The FIRE[/url]) - Very homogeneous - Very strict - Located in Lincoln, NE, which doesn't strike me as a good college town MISSOURI + Most favorable reviews by current students + Offers the major I am interested in (atmospheric sciences) + Columbia is supposedly a great college town + Beautiful campus and surrounding area + Tobacco/Alcohol taxes & laws are among most lenient in USA - Not as good academic reputation as Nebraska or Iowa (except in Journalism) - Mediocre football, decent basketball that gets destroyed by its rival, Kansas - Greek is very dominant IOWA + Best academic reputation among the three schools + Emphasis on writing, has world-famous creative writing workshops (I am very interested) + Iowa City is in a lot of top-10 lists, called the "Paris of the Midwest"... Oh the irony... + Good football + Large out-of-state population - Does not offer meteorology or atmospheric sciences as a major, would probably go for geography - Smoke-free campus Thanks in advance and Respect, Manhattan

Hey folks, I'm an experienced hookah smoker, but I don't think I am a very well informed smoker in terms of the culture and industry-at-large, so I decided to join this community so I can keep up with people's opinions on hookah related products and hookah smoking techniques. I own three hookahs, one I only recently purchased this week. I like my first one the best - it is a very decorative and durable hookah made out of brass, but it is showing its age. It requires a lot of upkeep to run smoothly, but when it does, it is a blast. I use it only for large occasions. My second hookah I bought at a tourist trap in Florida to get me through a boring month with relatives. It is really small (like 20") and has a mass-produced look to it, but it actually works really well. The hookah I just purchased recently I actually don't really like too much. I haven't actually had a chance to use it yet, but the reason I don't like it is because it looks really silly... ... I am actually really close with the proprietor of the shop that sells me all of my hookah needs. I spent like 30 minutes talking with him about what kind of hookah I should purchase and I eventually settled on one that he very highly recommended. I was torn between this one and a similarly-priced one that had the classic decorative hookah look, but he insisted that this one was better. So I trusted him. But now I'm looking at it, and I think it just looks silly with its plastic bubble design. Maybe it will grow on me when I finally use it? I paid $80 for the hookah and all of the accessories you see in the image below, except for the plastic can of double-apple tobacco, which is a brand I have never tried before (it is called HookaH HookaH... sounds stupid) so I thought I would give it a go (Yes, I got everything else with the purchase of the hookah pipe). The brand I most often buy is called Romman, which is well stocked and pretty good compared to the narrow selection of other brands I have tried. He also gave me that free little pack of Al-Waha tobacco. Anyway, here is a photo of my new hookah (I believe it is by Mya Saray), tell me what you think: [img]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4452/downsizey.jpg[/img] Thanks in advance, and Respect, Manhattan