Advantages: Cheap way to see North Korea, and taste Korean food.
Disadvantages: You only see a little bit for a little while.

...North Korea’s full name is the “Democratic People's Republic of Korea” and like most places that feel the need to put the word “democratic” in the title, it is in no way democratic whatsoever. The country’s ruler Kim Jong Il holds totalitarian sway over all 46,959 square miles of the DPRK’s territory and the lives of all 24 million of its inhabitants are at whim. He is not, however, top dog. His post of “Chairman of the National Defense Commission” is indeed the highest post that can be held by a living person, but his (dead) father technically outranks him with the humble little title of “Eternal President”. Unfortunately Kim senior's decision-making ability and hold on bureaucracy has slipped somewhat since his death. An incredibly severe drought in 2001 followed by a harsh winter and mismanaged state food distribution has... Read review

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Advantages: Lightweight, robust, colour coded poles, reflective guy ropes
Disadvantages: It's not true 4-season, small cooking area, lack of headroom

...I bought a Tadpole 23 three years ago and use it for wild-country back-packing, rock-climbing and winter mountaineering. It is an ultra-lightweight tent that weighs less than 2kg, designed for two people, in three-season conditions (However, I have used it for winter mountaineering in the UK, which it is fine for if you have a good sleeping bag and air mattress). It does all the standard tent stuff - like keeping the wind and rain off you and your kit whilst allowing you to cook and sleep, but is much more sophisicated than a standard tent. When you first see it up, it looks a bit flimsy, but it is actually very resistant to the wind and The North Face have made every effort to reduce its weight as much as possible without compromising on the strength. It is easy to put up on your own (even in the dark when you're tired) due... Read review

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Advantages: Didnt cause me to break out in spots
Disadvantages: Cost

...Not having money to burn, i bought a couple of sample pots from a friend of this face cream. They cost me £15 for the tiniest of pots, but i had checked them out beforehand on ebay and that was the going rate. When i opened the pot, the first thing that hit me that it was a solid block of moisture, rather than a creme that you could easily get out with your fingertip. Only when i used very warm fingers would it coat my fingertips. It was a pure white cream that smelled strangely of nivea. However, it didnt have the same texture and thickeness of nivea. The next battle is to get it on your face, well the idea is that you warm your fingerips and gently rub them together to disperse the cream across the pads of your fingers. Again, warm fingers are needed for this. The idea now is to gently press it into your facial skin... Read review

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Advantages: Wide open spaces
Disadvantages: the weather, mosquitoes

...I feel the weight of responsibility, writing the first review of a whole state, but I shall take a deep breath, flex my fingers, and have a go. I ended up there to do a postgraduate degree (long story) and lived there for two very satisfying and enjoyable years. ********TRAVEL Plane - You can fly into one of North Dakota's little airports: Grand Forks International Airport is a shed (a very nice shed) outside town that gets its fancy title from the weekly flight to Winnipeg, Canada. Personally, I quite like to fly to Minneapolis (see peteshone's splendid review of that city) because it's a darm cheaper: currently around £520+ at expedia.co.uk from London in June, as against its cheapest price of nearly two grand to go to Fargo and back (although you could find that cheaper I think). Train - is my prefered mode of transport into ND... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic Meal whilst having a great train ride - a totally different experience
Disadvantages: A long way from where we live

...When 2 friends of ours invited us for a meal but told us that we had to be at their house by 4pm as we would need to set off by 4.15pm I was somewhat confused. When they followed this by "and make sure you are dressed smartly" I really couldn't work it out. Then when we had to make our menu selection 2 weeks before the date of the meal my mind was blown. I swiftly realised that we may be making quite a journey and they were driving - I don't travel well so popped a travel sickness tablet in my mouth and we set off. The Journey There In fairness I cant really remember much about the journey because of the travel sickness tablet. I was asleep before we even left Rotherham and woke up still none the wiser as to where we were going in the middle of the countryside in North Yorkshire. First to the Pub... Read review

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Advantages: Fresh, Fun, Exhilarating Sea Views & Great Entertainment
Disadvantages: More deckchairs & outside seating needed.

...I have just enjoyed a week in Blackpool and my favourite time was enjoying the beautiful scenic views on North Pier. It is amazing to sit at the end of the Pier and enjoy a drink watching the sunset and the thousands of starlings that fly overhead is a natural phenomenom. We visited 3 shows the best being Soap Queens with Debra Stephenson and Bernie Nolan., Great comedy, brilliant songs and the audience made two emotional standing ovations. The Theatre is a lovely, vintage and beautifully restored little gem. Steeped in Victorian swags, tails and ambiant atmosphere you are transported back in time. The lights, the views and atmosphere is one of the best we visited in the resort. The staff were friendly and very theatrical. We loved it. Joey Blower the resident comedian at The Merrie England Showbar at the front of the Pier is a comedy... Read review

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Advantages: Unintentionally hilarious
Disadvantages: Too long, too rubbish

...My mother and I disagree on many matters but there are one or two subjects on which we can find common ground. For example, we both think that BBC news correspondent, and sometime presenter of "Newsnight", Gavin Esler is a rather handsome man. I also know that we will almost always have the same opinion on books we have read. Why then would I deliberately encourage my mother to read a novel that I had found to be truly awful, a wicked misuse of trees and a scandalous waste of the time it took to read it? Quite simply I needed reassurance that "The Great North Road" was as shamefully abysmal as I thought. The book is set in 1950s Newcastle and this is the only reason I can think of for my local branch of Waterstones' having displayed it so prominently. I like the idea of supporting local authors, and the fact that the book was part... Read review

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Advantages: Decent team and more exciting than the Premiership
Disadvantages: Not having that good a season

...'Sorry for the low rate but there is so much more info that you can give here.' This seems to be a comment that I have left quite a lot when reading recent ops from members about their favourite football clubs, although standards are improving. When I noticed that I thought it was about time to put my money where my mouth is so to speak and write an op about football the way that I would like to see one with short pieces about all apsects of the club. So, here goes, an opinion on Preston North End, affectionately known as PNE. Beware this could be a long op!! Brief History PNE can be traced back as far as 186