| The Circuit
Marble, inlaid gold and Swarovsky crystal were the design details of choice (bling!). After all, let’s not forget this is a palace. Fancy a spot of Falconry before high tea? Or a round of Dune Driving? How about some Sand Skiing? Or would you rather just admire a corral of camels as you sip iced cocktails on the sand under a fully furnished Arabian tent? More Than Three Wishes Absolutely no expense was spared; the attitude of the festival seemed to be: "You Want It, You Got It." Be careful of what you wish for – as I learned during one luxurious twenty-person dinner on a verandah overlooking the beach. I casually mentioned my disappointment in having missed the screening of a particular film, and before the words were fully out of my mouth, Bassem Kudsi (pictured), Head of Communications for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, whipped out his cell phone and arranged a private screening for the next morning – which was going to seriously cut into my scheduled poolside schmoozing.
Doris Goodwin on Obama's Borrowings
In the days since Gerald Ford's death, so much praise has been heaped on the late president's blanket pardon to his predecessor, Richard Nixon, that you'd think Tricky Dick was Jean Valjean. These magnanimous pronouncements are a preening exercise in cost-free generosity three decades after the fact. They reflect little or no consideration of the merits of the pardon itself. No new information has emerged during the past 32 years that makes Ford's pardon to Nixon look any more justifiable; indeed, what facts have dribbled forth make it seem less so. (More on these later.) Nor can the pardon plausibly be considered an example of the bipartisan spirit for which Ford is justly, if too extravagantly, praised by Washington insiders. The pardon may have had the long-term effect of tamping down partisan warfare between Democrats and Republicans over a possible criminal trial (obstruction of justice would have been the likeliest charge), but when a Republican short-circuits prosecution of a fellow Republican, you can't call that bipartisanship.
Hubbard love
However, that didn't prevent Edinburgh University Students' Union (EUSA) stopping Narconon Scotland putting up posters advertising its services. The rationale behind the move was that the union couldn't be sure Narconon was, in the words of EUSA's then vice-president Mark Calder, "independent". "We carried out research which showed it has strong links with Scientology," Calder said at the time. "We were also concerned that this link was not made explicit so a decision was made to take the posters down." The audio-visual presentation lasts for well over an hour. I have to say it drags a little, though I do enjoy the film about Venezualean Scientologists Audrey Cabrera and Ruddy Rodriguez. It seems it was only the personal intervention of these indomitable women that prevented the country falling into anarchy during and after the 2002 coup attempt against president Hugo Chavez.
Too cool for schoolies
Students who volunteer must make a commitment that embraces the whole of their year 12. They pledge to raise the money for their airfares and expenses and enough money to cover the cost of building the houses and classroom. The members of this year's group have been industrious. Daniel Rodway, 18, was the guest speaker at a dinner arranged by his uncle and aunt, Peter and Nicole Rodway. They held it in their home and guests paid $50 a couple. Money went towards building a new house. Before they flew out of Melbourne after their VCE exams, the students raised $20,000. Many of Daniel's mates headed to Queensland as he boarded the flight to India for his first overseas adventure. "The idea of travelling and seeing a foreign country attracted me more," he said.
The Sundance Diary by Dawn Keezer
Sundance is over. Well, for me at least, the festival continues through January 27th, but it was time for me to get back to Pittsburgh. This was one of the best festivals ever for me and for the Pittsburgh region. As I have written about earlier, this is the first time that Pittsburgh has had two major films in the festival. Both movies were shot and set here, too, which was a bonus. This provided a multitude of opportunities to talk about how great it is to shoot projects in our region. People were talking everywhere about how great our region looks on film. I met lots of people, saw some amazing films and made some new connections, which should help us see even more work in Pittsburgh in the near future. One last image to close the festival was of the tall blonde PIB, ordering at Starbucks in the Salt Lake City airport.
Arrogance doesn't play well in life
40,000 in tuition for two players and improperly solicited more than $80,000 from boosters. He also apparently did not report failed drug tests by players.
It got worse. Bliss urged players to lie to investigators looking into Baylor player Carlton Dotson, who shot and killed teammate Patrick Dennehy.
Bliss now has a "show cause" order for 10 years, which means any school wanting to hire him would have to appear before the NCAA Infractions Committee to discuss whether he would face additional limitations.
That's why coming clean with the NCAA is no longer one of the options for a coach or a school during a rules violation investigation. There is no choice.
You tell the truth, no matter how painful.
Save the arrogance for the playing field.
Brucie enjoys birthday in style
Veteran entertainer Bruce Forsyth has said he has no plans to retire as he celebrates his 80th birthday. "If I look as though I'm past it, I'll know it," he said at the London hotel where he will later host a star-studded dinner with 280 guests. Flanked by two beauty queens, he also hit back at claims he is "doddery" and too old to host Strictly Come Dancing. "Senile, yes, but not doddery," joked the former Generation Game host, who has been a star for 50 years. "You try to do live TV for two hours on a Saturday night without mistakes," he added. .
The Employment Guide(R) has redesigned EmploymentGuide.com
NORFOLK, Va. --(Business Wire)-- The Employment Guide, a division of Dominion Enterprises, has re-launched its Web site, EmploymentGuide.com.
The redesigned homepage features clearly defined navigation buttons and enlarged ad space. The application process has streamlined, shrinking the average job seeker application time from 20 minutes to seven. The expanded video center will house Employment Guide videos, as well as industry-specific, local, education and recruitment videos.
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Credit crunch catches up with Goldman
The average estimate for 2008 earnings, down modestly during the second half last year, plunged 13 percent since February 1 as analysts focused on Goldman's exposure to hard-hit markets. Goldman is expected to report first-quarter earnings of $3.24 a share on March 18, according to Reuters Estimates. That's about half what it earned last year, buoyed by an LBO boom, frothy financial markets and investment gains. Forecasts have come down sharply for all the big banks, as the credit crunch spreads across almost every market -- the contagion effect that Wall Street executives last year assured analysts was not happening. The most important yardstick, though, is the stock market. Goldman, for years a leader among financial stocks, is down more than 26 percent this year.
Live Music: The Growers, Savage Henry entertain at Wild Buffalo
On Friday night, local band The Growers played the its CD release show at the Wild Buffalo. With Savage Henry opening the show, The Growers played three separate sets, which was awesome. In between sets, a guy dressed in a tight white sailor outfit gave out raffle prizes, including special brownies and the chance to shave off one of his eyebrows on stage. It was pretty entertaining. But all three of the Growers sets were solid and the crowd seemed to get more and more into the music, with people dancing and moving around. The jam funk fusion band was perfect for the Bellingham crowd. Check out more on the Growers at www.myspace.com/thegrowers. Everyday Music is hosting free, weekly in-store performances on Sunday nights. Last Sunday, local band The Braille Tapes played. The band released a new EP on cassette tape only, titled Uncle BT.
Googlebot Gets Candid
Googlebot is like a dream which knows us all , , and soul. Here in this interview, Maile Ohye as the website and Jeremy Lilley as the Googlebot from Google Central Webmaster blog would answer all those questions that you ever had. Question & Answers Googlebot: ACK Website: Googlebot, you're here! Googlebot: I am. GET / HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com Connection: Keep-alive Accept: */* From: googlebot(at)googlebot.com User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html) Accept-Encoding: gzip,deflate Website: Those headers are so flashy! Would you crawl with the same headers if my site were in the U.S., Asia or Europe? Do you ever use different headers? Googlebot: My headers are typically consistent world-wide.
Smirnoff Launches Music Series With Signature Reinterpretations of ...
NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beginning this month, the makers of Smirnoff vodka are launching an exciting new Smirnoff Signature Mix Series, a campaign pairing three acclaimed rappers with contemporary beat- maestros to create new versions of iconic hip-hop songs. Nationally renowned artists Common, Q-Tip, and KRS-One are joining musical forces with Just Blaze, Cool & Dre, and DJ Premier to remix Common's "The Light," A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight," and Boogie Down Productions' seminal "Criminal Minded." The Smirnoff Signature Mix Series is part of the brand's ongoing commitment to fostering and promoting both established and emerging musical talent. The program was developed in partnership with Cornerstone, a leading marketing firm in New York City. Each artist/producer pairing represents a Smirnoff mixed drink made by blending one of the best-selling Smirnoff flavored vodka products with a popular mixer.
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