Carhenge for Sale: Own a Nebraska Landmark for $300,000

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Glen Allison / Stone / Getty Images

One of Nebraska's most popular tourist attractions is up on the auction block.

Just outside of Alliance in western Nebraska, Carhenge was conceived as a tribute to England's prehistoric Stonehenge, constructed of vintage cars instead of stone monoliths.  It is operated by the nonprofit organization Friends of Carhenge, who are offering it for sale at a price of $300,000.

Carhenge was built in 1987 by the artist James Reinders, with the help of his relatives at a family reunion.  Thirty-eight old cars were spray-painted gray and arranged in a circular formation; a 1962 Caddy serves as the heel stone.  Sitting on 10 acres of former farmland, Carhenge is a playful, Americana-infused take on an ancient wonder.

(LIST: Top 50 American Roadside Attractions)

Sadly, Friends of Carhenge does not have the resources to further expand the site.  “Because we are somewhat limited in money, we can't develop the land as we should,” Marcia Buck, president of the Friends of Carhenge, told the Lincoln Journal Star.  The group had envisioned adding a campground, go-cart track, and gas station to attract more visitors and generate greater revenue.  Now, money from the expected sale will be used to pay off operating loans, as well as to start an art scholarship and promote local tourism.

More than 80,000 visitors make a pilgrimage to the site each year, where admission is free and the grounds are open all day, every day.  Tourism is particularly popular during the summer solstice.

If a suitable buyer does not emerge, Friends of Carhenge insist that they will continue to take care of the landmark.  For anyone interested in owning this slice of quirky roadside kitsch, it's time to start gathering your pennies.

PHOTOS: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Allison Berry is a contributor at TIME.  You can continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

More than 2,000 of the oceanic beasts were stripped of their fins and left for dead at the bottom of the Pacific. Read More

Less than a week after his arrest on the steps of the Supreme Court, the activist and Princeton professor was cuffed in Harlem. Read More

Debt Financing

Health Management

Read More

Hong Kong maid wins landmark case

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
30 September 2011 Last updated at 11:32 GMT By Katie Hunt Business reporter, BBC News Evangeline Banao Vallejos' lawyer, Mark Daly: "It's a good win for the rule of law"

Hong Kong's High Court has ruled that a domestic helper from the Philippines should be allowed to apply for permanent residency in the city.

The case was brought by Evangeline Banao Vallejos, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1986.

The ruling follows a landmark judicial review and could lead to more than 100,000 other foreign maids winning rights to residency.

The government has said that it will appeal against the ruling.

The case has sparked widespread debate on equal treatment for foreign maids.

Mark Daly, the lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Vallejos, said that she was very pleased by the ruling.

"When we told her she said 'thank God'," he said, adding that it was a normal working day for her.

"It's a good day for the rule of law," he added.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, Ambrose Lee, said that the government would not process or approve right-of-abode applications for domestic workers while it appealed against the ruling.

"The government respects but is disappointed with the ruling," he said.

Public resources

Some critics have said granting residency to domestic helpers would strain the provision of health care, education and public housing.

Continue reading the main story

We hope it will pave the way for Hong Kong to open its doors to equal treatment for migrant workers”

End Quote Norman Carnay Mission for Migrant Workers While other foreign nationals can obtain residency after working in Hong Kong for seven years, immigration rules exclude domestic helpers from seeking permanent residency.

Human rights lawyers and many domestic helpers argue that this is discriminatory.

Permanent residency means that a person can remain in Hong Kong indefinitely, vote and stand in elections.

But some politicians and commentators warned that allowing foreign domestic helpers to have permanent residency would allow them to bring their children and other relatives to the city, who would require education and housing.

Equal treatment

Norman Carnay, programme officer at the Mission for Migrant Workers said that he welcomed the decision.

The case has divided opinion in Hong Kong

"We hope it will pave the way for Hong Kong to open its doors to equal treatment for migrant workers," he said.

But he added that right of abode was not necessarily a priority for many domestic helpers.

"From surveys of our community, the more pressing concerns are wages and working conditions," he said.

There are around 300,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines. It is thought that around 120,000 have lived here for more than seven years.

They are required to live with their employers and cannot accept other jobs.

Without the right to permanent residency, if a maid is dismissed by her employer, she must find another job as a domestic helper or leave Hong Kong within two weeks.

Hong Kong's domestic workers have a guaranteed minimum wage of 3,740 Hong Kong dollars ($480; £308) a month and day off each week, meaning their working conditions are better than other countries in Asia with large numbers of domestic helpers, such as Singapore.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Read More