Holy City named a top Christmas destination

The local hospitality industry got an early holiday gift from the folks at Travel + Leisure, who have this year declared Charleston as one of the "10 Great Places to Spend Christmas," along with Bali; New Zealand; Boston; Puerto Rico; Edinburgh; Montreal; Munich; Park City, Utah; and Santa Cruz, Calif.

The magazine recommended would-be Holy City visitors indulge in roasted pecans, adult eggnog and choir performances at historic Drayton Hall plantation; reserve a room at the tony Wentworth Mansion; and dine on rack of lamb at the Peninsula Grill. Suggested stocking stuffers are the novelties handmade by sweetgrass weaver Vera Manigault at her stand on U.S. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant.

Trash to treasure

The students were given their assignment: Come up, in 10 days or less, with ways to convert a glass medicine bottle from a potential piece of trash into a new worthwhile use, while communicating a message of environmental responsibility.

The end result, in one case, was a shot glass — to be used, presumably, for medicinal purposes only.

The recycling initiative was part of the Google-sponsored Juicy Ideas Competition, which, with an assist from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, challenged 12 student teams from Charleston Southern University, The Citadel, the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College to create new value out of something that otherwise would end up in a landfill.

The shot-glass concept, one of three local finalists, came from Team SKCRKM from C of C. Members Sarah Kelly, Caitlin Ross and Kelly Mack earmarked 20 percent of the proceeds from the sales of the custom-painted, hooch-holders for the Go Green Movement.

The other local finalists — The Environmentalists and Team AEOIus — hail from Trident Tech.

The Environmentalists came up with the idea of transforming the small bottle into a floating hydroponic system to grow bamboo in dead zones created by fertilizer run-off. The team consists of Arianna Noble, Caroline Thomas and Justin Vail.

Team AEOIus' concept involved supplementing ways of heating water with sunlight through a re-convection system. The members are Kerry Cutler, Myles Dunn, John Nowocin and Michelle Tamasa.

The local innovators will go up against other rival recyclers from areas in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Iowa and Oregon that have a Google Inc. data center nearby. The grand-prize: an all-expense-paid trip in February to the Internet search-engine giant's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

Of high interest

These tough economic times have steered consumer thought away from spending and toward paying off debt.

Navigating payment plans remains a tricky task, but the state Department of Consumer Affairs is trying to make the process more transparent by disclosing businesses that offer eyebrow-raising interest rates.

The agency recently launched an online list of South Carolina businesses which offer financing packages that have maximum rate schedules with interest rates above 18 percent. The effort is meant to alert "consumers about costly interest rates before agreeing to a payment schedule," according to a statement.

"Some purchases necessitate larger interest rates, but in any event, the consumer should know what they're getting into before agreeing to a payment plan," said Brandolyn Pinkston, the agency's administrator.

The list also includes auto dealerships that charge closing or documentation fees.

More than 1,900 South Carolina businesses have payment plans that somehow incorporate an interest rate above 18 percent. As of last week, the 96-page list named an array of Charleston area businesses — mostly used car dealerships, furniture stores and financial operations — that fit the category.

To view the list, visit www.scconsumer.gov/licensing/mr_mvcf_list.pdf.

Choppy waters

With the economy awash with bad news, the Lowcountry's biggest boat show sets sail Jan. 23 to 25 at North Charleston Convention Center in hopes of luring leery consumers back into a market that has been foundering in recent years, especially as fuel prices soared and demand sank.

Hosted by the Tri County Marine Trade Association, the 29th annual Charleston Boat Show will feature the latest models, many offered at discount prices.

On deck will be sport cruisers, motor and express yachts, sport fishing boats, center console fishing boats, bass boats, bow riders, deck and aluminum boats, ski and pontoon boats, runabouts, bay boats, shallow water skiffs and family cruisers.

Among some of the featured attractions, boaters can "Wine Down" during the free wine-tasting event on Friday and Saturday night. In addition to face painting, children can attend a fishing clinic.