Sunday, June 28, 2009

katrina burgess

katrina burgess




The victim of a car crash, Katrina, 17, has been signed by top agency just months after doctors feared she would be paralyzed.

Katrina was in a car that ploughed into a ditch in January and she needed 11 titanium rods put in her broken neck, back and left leg.

She amazed doctors by taking her first steps just days after the final surgery.

Soon after seeing her photos on the Internet, London's BASE Models got in touch with Katrina and signed her to the agency.

get paid to advertise online

get paid to advertise online




At first glance, it looks like any old pizza party: kids reaching for cheesy slices, dads on the couch watching baseball, moms arranging cardboard boxes and trying to control the chaos.

But in reality, the event at a Fayette Avenue home in Buffalo last weekend was a two-hour, in-your-face commercial for Domino’s Pizza with host Robyn Brewer as the star.

It’s an example of “viral marketing,” the latest trend in corporate advertising. It’s where a company tries to garner hype and support for a product by arranging “hands-on brand time” with it, hoping to manufacture some valuable word-of-mouth buzz.

In the latest local instance, Brewer was one of 2,000 consumers around the country to host a Domino’s- sponsored party for family and friends. The events were organized by House Party, a viral marketing company founded in 2005 and headquartered just outside of New York City.

“Consumers get a tryout in a trusted environment. Marketers are excited because we’re putting them on a consumer’s couch or at their kitchen table in an intimate social setting,” said Kitty Kolding, chief executive officer of House Party. “Once [consumers] get that immersive experience, they’re more likely to tell people about it. It turns into an exponential outreach.”

Though the method bears a similarity to the Tupperware parties of old, House Party hosts are not paid, and do not give sales pitches. The object is to find “brand ambassadors” already passionate about a product.

In order for the idea to work, the host must be “appropriately social” and technologically adept. Brewer is both. Her house is often ground zero for neighborhood barbecues, she takes part in online social networking and often posts pictures on sites such as Snapfish.com.

“It sounded like a good idea,” Brewer said. “I thought it was a neat way to try some new products and share them with my friends.”

Brewer received a “party pack” with vouchers for $75 worth of free pizza, as well as a free board game to be used at the party and goody bags to hand to guests.

In exchange, she blogs about the party on her personal Web page at HouseParty.com and uploads digital pictures taken as the fun goes down. She’s encouraged to share the page’s URL on sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

The hope is that Brewer’s guests will tell their friends about the fun, who will tell their friends, and — you get the picture.

According to marketing experts, TV watchers have become immune to the traditional 60-second commercial, which is often looked at as an interruption —if it is looked at at all.

“We’re so tech enabled and have so many choices. We want to create our own consumption experience,” said Charles Lindsey, assistant professor of marketing at University at Buffalo’s School of Management. “And for companies, [viral marketing] maximizes the likelihood that a consumer will pay attention.”

So companies have begun injecting their products directly into the center of consumers’ lives — with their permission, of course.

“Buzz” or “viral” marketing capitalizes on the idea that consumers will be more perceptive to a band’s latest CD or Fisher- Price’s latest toy if they are the ones who have chosen to let it into their homes.

“These are people who have signed up to be there. It’s not Ford promoting our own message,” said Connie Fontaine, brand content and alliance manager for Ford Motor Co. “It has allowed us to connect with so many consumers in a way they want to be part of, where we’re part of the entertainment.”

Ford has used House Party for three promotions, the most recent of which was tied to its sponsorship of “American Idol.” Hosts held viewing parties for the show’s finale and test drove the company’s new Ford Fusion, which were delivered to about 40 percent of the participating homes by local dealers.

Critics are left to wonder: will people really want to turn their social gatherings into advertising campaigns? The answer is maybe — if there’s enough in it for them.

Many hosts are attracted by the promise of free stuff or advanced access to new products. Some feel a certain amount of social status comes with screening a movie at home before it is released in theaters to the general public.

So consumers get to feel like insiders while the sponsoring company gets the chance to build warm and fuzzy relationships with new consumers. But does it work?

Many major corporations seem to think so. House Party has marketing contracts with dozens of the retail and entertainment industry’s biggest players such as Fisher-Price and Kraft Foods. The company claims to be on track for $12 million in revenue this year.

According to clients, House Party’s ability to track metrics and gauge the success of a party marketing initiative is a major draw.

“They are very data driven. Some results are easy to quantify and some are more qualitative,” Fontaine said. “How excited were the hosts? How many people were invited? How many showed up? How many registered online and entered the sweepstakes?”

The key, experts said, is to keep the brand interaction and the socializing as authentic as possible. Pushy hosts shilling products from a script would defeat the whole purpose. But that doesn’t stop House Party from providing hosts with scripts to read when contacting media outlets about the parties, hoping to garner even more free buzz.

“We give hosts the tools to throw a great party and then we get out of their way,” said Kolding.

The entire concept stems from the kernel of marketing wisdom that word of mouth is the best advertising. But some question whether authentic and effective word of mouth is something that can be created by an outside source. Some experts seem to think it can.

“If you have the right product, the right format and the right host, there is a way to jump start early market share,” said Lindsey.



mlm opportunities

mlm opportunities

Earning additional money has become a necessity for most people in these tough financial times. Gone are the days when persons could feel comfortable with a single source of income - for some people, a nine-to-five job has almost become an endangered species.

As people look for ways to supplement or replace their salaries, one business opportunity has risen to the forefront as a viable option. Network marketing, also called multi-level marketing (MLM), is now being seriously considered by many people as a route to starting their own business.

According to Wikipedia.com, network marketing is a selling strategy that compensates promoters of direct selling companies for product sales they personally generate, and for the sales of others they introduced to the company. By using referrals and word-of-mouth promotion, independent business owners receive compensation for the volume of sales they and their down-line team can generate.

Marketing concept or money scam?
This alternative method of marketing products has been underutilised by many people due to their ignorance of how it operates. Direct selling simply allows consumers to benefit from buying or selling products straight from the manufacturers or large distributors. The money that would normally be paid to wholesalers, retail outlets and advertisers can now be passed on as commissions to the end users.

Over the years, the network marketing model has received a bad reputation due to the actions of pyramid scheme operators claiming to offer legitimate MLM opportunities. Pyramid schemes entice people to join them by offering a monetary reward for enrolling others into the programme, without any product or service being consumed.

To distinguish a viable network business opportunity from a pyramid scam, you have to ensure that the main source of the commissions is coming from the sales of the company's offerings. If the plan offers impossibly high compensation payouts that are tied to pricey entry fees from new recruits, it may be a sign that the business is likely to be a non-sustainable operation.

The reality is that the multi-level rewards concept already exists in many organisations. Sales people earn commissions on their individual efforts, while their sales managers and their bosses also earn bonuses from the combined efforts of their teams.

For people who like helping people
Network marketing operations are, however, fundamentally unlike other businesses. Regular business owners may be accustomed to competing with others to ensure that they come out on top. On the contrary, being successful in network marketing requires that you work with others in your team to help them to build their own businesses.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad's Business School for People Who Like Helping People, confirms that "If you are a person who truly wants to help as many people as possible achieve their financial goals and dreams, then the network marketing business is worthy of your time". Kiyosaki reveals that network marketing offers several positive values that can make it fulfilling for the right people.

Good MLM opportunities will help you to develop your sales abilities, which Kiyosaki insists is the number one skill that all business people must have. He notes that most people aren't afraid of selling, they are afraid of rejection; and points out that the leaders in the business should help to guide you in facing and overcoming your fears about being rejected.

A creditable networking business should also offer education in areas such as leadership skills, communication skills, people skills, time management, money management and investing skills, goal setting and accountability.

Is this the business for you?
When evaluating a network marketing opportunity, here are a few questions to consider:

- What is the product or service being offered? You need to decide if the company's offering is something that you will personally use and feel comfortable recommending to others.

- Who are the principals in the organisation? Investigate who is in charge and their track record of success in business, just as if you are checking out any other business option.

- Are you comfortable being trained by the person who introduced you to the opportunity? If your potential sponsor is new to the business, can you get access to others in the line of sponsorship who can guide you?

- How is the money made? Make sure you have a clear understanding of how the compensation plan is designed. Is it possible to make a living doing this business full-time, or will it only bring in part-time income?

- Are you willing to do what it takes to become successful? Many people fail at network marketing, not because the business model or product line was not viable, but because they did realise that it required education and proper work ethics to succeed.

As you look for ways to increase your income, remember that network marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme that will effortlessly make you money overnight. However, if you're willing to be trained, and to then teach others to become successful in business, it just might be the opportunity you've been waiting for!

miss hawaii 2009

miss hawaii 2009

Miss Hawaii will be crowned Saturday night. On Friday all 30 contestants, reigning queen Nicole Fox and Ray Abregano the pageant’s director will be in studio.

miss hawaii 2009

Thirty contestants from around the state compete for the coveted title of Miss Hawaii and the opportunity to represent Hawaii at Miss America in January 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Over $500,000 in scholarship awards and prizes will be made available. Miss Hawaii 2009 will be televised LIVE from the Hawaii Convention Center via OC16 at 8:00 p.m., June 2

Thursday, June 25, 2009

google voice

google voice


Very Very good news to all the web users, Google is about to launch another innovation, Check this out..........

Google Voice hasn’t opened to the public yet, but there’s lots of speculation that the search giant’s phone service could become available soon.

google voiceGoogle
Google Voice’s voicemail transcription feature

It allows users to link their home, work and cellphone numbers to a new number, whose voicemails they can check online or by text message. Users can also specify which device rings based on the caller, set up personalized greetings for different callers, and save and search calls and messages.

In April, Courtney Banks reviewed Google Voice for WSJ.com, saying it could be particularly valuable to consumers with multiple phone numbers and devices. The automated voice-to-text conversion, which it uses to transcribe voicemail messages for reading in an email-like interface, has some kinks to work out, however, she said.

Craig Walker, a group product manager at Google, told the WSJ in a March interview that Google Voice won’t immediately run advertising but might in the future.

Currently, Google Voice is only available to users of GrandCentral, an Internet-phone service Google bought in 2007. Will you be there when it opens? What features are you looking

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

virgin mobile festival 2009

virgin mobile festival 2009



Virgin Mobile Festival, the much-loved summer music fest that first visited Baltimore in 2006, seemed unlikely to return this year. Despite rumors it would, nothing concrete was ever announced and the days ticked by like tour buses rumbling down 95.

Just before music fans totally dismissed the possibility of a rockin' summer, the V-Fest announcement has arrived. The festival, now called Virgin Mobile FreeFest, returns Aug. 30 like some rock and roll prodigal son: Loud, broke and a little bit thinner. Despite packing the now free festival into Merriweather Post Pavilion instead of its former home, Pimlico Race Course, and shaving the schedule to one day, the festival lineup still manages to include 17 acts.

The big draws this year are Blink-182 and Weezer, but in our opinion better bets would be Wale, The Hold Steady and Girl Talk (now out of the dance tent and unleashed on the festival proper!).

Rounding out the bill are Taking Back Sunday, Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, Mates of State, Public Enemy, Jet, The National and St. Vincent. In the dance tent, see Lee Burridge, Pete Tong, Danny Howells and Holy F*ck.

The festival maintains its commitment to do-goodery by asking attendees to donate $5 to youth homelessness through RE*Generation. It also keeps its green theme, with composting efforts, recycling take back, clean energy efforts and carbon-offsetting.

Though offering less than we've become accustomed to, we're happy the festival remains largely intact. And considering the crap economy, Virgin Mobile FreeFest certainly got the price right.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

t20 world cup final live streaming



t20 world cup final live streaming








Watch live streaming of the T20 World Cup 2009 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Friday, June 12th. Start time 1330 local (1230 GMT).Watch Live Cricket
Pakistan hasn’t lost to Sri Lanka in any of the World Cup games, 50 overs or less. Out of 13 games at big, multi-team tournaments, Pakistan has won 10 of them.
Since both these teams are in the group that contains minnows Ireland, they’ll have to effectively compete in a three-way tie along with New Zealand.
Still, that is easier than competing in a four-way race. It means that Net Run Rates might probably acquire more importance, and teams will look not only to win, but win big.Watch Live Cricket
for more updates t20 world cup final live, t20 world cup final 2009, t20 world cup final, t20 world cup final video, icc twenty20 world cup finalvisit at Watch Live Cricket


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

ana maria macedo

ana maria macedo



IN the all's-well-that-ends-well department, Ana Maria Macedo -- who was stood up by her fiancé a year ago just two weeks before they were set to swap vows -- married him on Saturday, capping a three-day, fairy-tale wedding celebration.

Brazilian-born Ana Maria, a model and fashion designer, married Swedish financier Jon Jonsson at St. Bartholomew's Church in front of 200 jet-setting guests, including novelist Coerte Felske, restaurateur Vittorio Assaf and his Swedish wife, Charlotte, shipping heir Alexei Zoulas and his Brazilian wife, Priscilla, and Nicole Coste, the former flight attendant who has a son, Alexandre, 6, by Prince Albert of Monaco.

"If you were a wedding crasher," observed one guest with an eye for gorgeous Brazilian girls, "this was the wedding to crash."

It was an event that most of the guests thought would never happen after Jonsson got cold feet a year ago, in a replay of the "Sex and the City" movie, just before the lovebirds were planning to marry in Stockholm.

"I'm a real-life Carrie Bradshaw, jilted by my own Mr. Big," Ana Maria told Page Six Magazine a month later. The groom evidently freaked out as the guest list climbed from 80 to 250 and the bride-to-be planned increasingly lavish celebrations.

Not that she stinted with the New York version. The bride wore an Oscar de la Renta gown and borrowed Bulgari jewels, while the groom was suited by Tom Ford. The 10 bridesmaids wore Nicole Miller.

The fun started Thursday at Pink Elephant. On Friday, guests wore white for a cruise by the Statue of Liberty aboard the yacht Romantica with an after-party at Kiss & Fly. After the black-tie wedding on Saturday, Tavern on the Green turned into Carnival, with scantily clad samba dancers. Die-hard revelers finished off at the Griffin.

The happy bride, who lost her voice, whispered to Page Six, "There's no way to explain how wonderful it was." She and her groom leave today for Stockholm, then Ibiza for two weeks, and maybe St. Tropez.


marzia prince

marzia prince


Occupation: Fitness trainer, wellness coach, and fitness supermodel.

I am proud to say that I am a Cooper Certified Personal Trainer. I completed the prerequisites for nursing school which gives me the opportunity to look at the body from a medical standpoint. I attend many seminars, classes and conferences each year in order to stay on top of the latest research and training methods. I am currently working on my Masters in Personal Training. Other certifications include:


• Physical Fitness Specialist
• Pre/Postnatal Fitness Instructor
• Biomechanics of Resistance Training
• Fitness Specialist for Older Adults (65+)
• Coaching Healthy Behaviors
• Nutrition Certification
• CPR Certified

How I Started in the Fitness Industry: I have always been into fitness since high school. I ran track and played volleyball. After high school, I decided to join a gym. I started with aerobic classes first, years later I decided to hire a trainer. This changed my life! I learned so much about the body from nutrition to lifting weights that it impressed me! I loved learning about the body that I decided to go to nursing school. I have always been into science and math, that nursing seemed right up my alley. I was three years into nursing school when I decided to transition from registered nursing to get certified to become a personal trainer. That is where I am now! I have finally found my niche! It took me a few years to figure it out, but that is what life is all about! I found my passion- helping others become healthy! I love changing lives for the best! I know that I will always be in the fitness industry!

My Newest Accomplishment and Dream Achieved: I just won the 2007 Ms. Bikini Universe title and Placed 3rd in Model Universe this year in Miami. 2007 September Natural Muscle, 2008 Iron Man Magazine, and 2008 March Fitness Magazine.

The Most Rewarding Part of My Fitness Job: watching my clients change and grow. They go from being in a rut, unhappy, and lost to what they should do. After weeks of training, motivation, and education on a healthy lifestyle … I watch them grow and change. What they learn in the gym, they learn to take it into their lives. I love getting thank you letters on being a great motivator! Watching them blossom makes me even more motivated!


Where You Will Be Seeing Me Next: I just shot the new Haladrol ads for Gaspari Nutrition. You’ll be seeing me in every major fitness magazine.

My Lifetime Ambition: is to be happy and healthy in life in whatever I choose to do. I focus in the positive that life throws my way and embrace it! Life is too short not to enjoy. I want to conquer my fears and feel empowered by my own personal accomplishments in life. I want to help the world be a healthier and happier place one person at a time. It may take me an entire lifetime … but I try my best and do it with a smile on my face

Hobbies: Anything active! Waterskiing, wakeboarding, swimming, biking, dancing, shopping, hanging out with my pups, traveling, and running local 5k’s for charity.


My mission is to educate my clients about exercise, diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. My goal is to empower them to make the most of their abilities: through knowledge, direction and encouragement. Ever felt lost and confused when trying to work out on your own, even after using the services of a personal trainer? Never again-you'll understand every aspect of your program. I encourage clients to take an active interest in accomplishing their goals, and I welcome their input and feedback throughout the entire training process.

Now that you know a little more about me, I will leave you with this thought!

Don’t give up on your dreams! You can reach them if YOU believe in YOURSELF! Find something your passionate about and let it shine! Don’t let anyone or anything stand in your way! Break the barrier and fight for what you truly love! It won’t be easy, but you can take the obstacles and learn from that. Regret nothing and move forward! And my favorite saying “Keep fighting the good fight, train for life!” Thank you to all may fans out there that support me!!!! I really appreciate the kind words!!! I love you all!!!

Yours in Health,

Marzia’s a fitness model, as you can probably gather. Simply lovely.

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

marzia prince dallas

Marzia Prince Buffs the Hood

Marzia car wash

Marzia Prince White SwimsuitMarzia Prince ThongMarzia Prince Hot Girl

Marzia Prince Gold BikiniMarzia Prince Fitness Model

Sunday, June 14, 2009

mean girls

mean girls

The Fashion Show always reminds me of this quote from the new FOX show Glee: "I'm Beyonce, I ain't no Kelly Rowland." It's said by a sassy girl who objects to being a background singer, and it doesn't quite fit with The Fashion Show because this reality competition is so Kelly Rowland.



This episode is all about cliques, which means all the contestants talk about their high school years, and as you might expect, all the guys felt like outsiders who were mocked all the time. Oh really? Someone mocked James-Paul or Johnny or Merlin? I don't believe it!

Which Fashion Show Judge Are You?>>

It's a totally high school challenge when the contestants must design a graphic t-shirt for a potential student body president that appeals to a specific clique. In proving that these people know nothing about teenagers, all the cliques are the most stereotypical ones you could imagine, from nerds and jocks to the goth kids.

I would never vote for this Tracy Flick wannabe because she has the personality of a block of wood. She says stupid things like, "Wow, that slogan is so clever" while referring to the least clever things I've ever seen. Thanks to the fact that she glued a bunch of leaves onto a t-shirt for the tree huggers, Daniella wins again and gets immunity.

Isaac Mizrahi, looking scary as always, lets the contestants know the fashion show is tomorrow and they must design a dress for a 20-year-old in the style of their clique. If the original Adam West Batman was still on, Isaac would be perfect to play a campy villain.

The Fashion Show is making me feel bad about myself, because first Merlin badmouths the movie Mean Girls (which is fantastic) and then Johnny calls Angel "retarded" for not knowing what a "b-girl" is. At first I thought it was a girl who competed in spelling bees, but that's just because I'm a total dork.

When Isaac and Kelly review the work, they get Johnny back by comparing him to Fred Flintstone and Tony the Tiger thanks to his odd orange, striped muumuu. This show is like that old riddle about the barber with the awful haircut, because every single outfit being worn by a designer is hideous.

When it's time for the runway show, the designers prove that their clothes do reflect their styles, because just about every outfit is craptastic, though the biggest offender to me is Reco's mullet-esque baby doll drama club dress (short in the front, long in the back). My fury is enraged when some lame attendee thinks the preppy look resembled something she might see on "Gossip Girls." It's not plural, which proves that her opinion can be ignored because that girl is an idiot.

Top 2: Merlin and Haven
Isaac wants to make out with Merlin's dress, and I think Fern wants to eat it. Kelly tries to be sassy, but she cannot pull it off. Merlin wins, mostly because this isn't a diction competition.

Bottom 2: Johnny and Angel
Kelly Rowland was insulted by Angel's terrible interpretation of hip hop, and then the judges yell at her for not watching MTV or knowing what hip hop is. That's like finding fault in Johnny for not knowing what lady's undercarriage looks like. Yes, porn is all over the Internet, but that doesn't mean he has to watch it.

Isaac Mizrahi really starts to piss me off when he claims "Fashion design must be consumed, or it is a failure." I've seen enough of those ridiculous avant-garde runway shows to know that the fashion world is the exact opposite of mass consumerism. These judges need to stop pretending that what they do matters at all to anyone.

The Fashion Sow
Elimination Time
! Isaac Mizrahi claims that it's impossible to claim ignorance of hip hop, so Angel is eliminated. I would like to claim ignorance of Isaac Mizrahi, because he is acting like a total diva beeyotch and I wish I didn't know about him.

Which high school clique did you belong to?
Nerds
Jocks
Preppies
Tree Huggers
Drama Geeks
Skaters
Goth Kids
Mean Girls
B-Girls


iran election news

iran election news

Reporting from Washington -- The reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a stinging setback to the Obama administration's hopes of cultivating a better relationship with the Islamic Republic.

U.S. officials insisted Saturday that they intended to press forward with their effort to engage Iran, despite their misgivings about the outcome of the election. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said U.S. officials were "watching and waiting," and hoping that "the outcome reflects the will of the Iranian people."

Yet the disputed victory by Ahmadinejad was clearly a disappointment for the administration, coming one day after President Obama hailed the public debate in Iran as a sign that its people were open to "new possibilities."

Former U.S. officials and other experts said the outcome could make it even harder for the United States to work with Iran.

Bruce Riedel, a veteran U.S. intelligence official now at the Brookings Institution think tank, said that if the divisions from the election lingered, Iran would be less able to begin diplomacy.

"Iran in turmoil will not be ready to engage Obama," he said.

If the world comes to see Iran's government as illegitimate, diplomatic outreach and new incentives from the United States will come to look like a questionable idea.

Congress and pro-Israel conservatives, already strongly critical of Ahmadinejad, will undoubtedly press Obama to put a tight deadline on his overture to Iran. They are expected to urge him to move on to tougher measures, such as economic sanctions or military action, to try to compel Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Ahmadinejad's victory "could well mean more pressure to limit the timeline" for engagement, a senior U.S. official acknowledged before the election results were in.

Obama has contended since the beginning of his presidential campaign two years ago that the United States should offer an "unclenched" hand to Iran to try to overcome 30 years of hostility and mistrust. U.S. officials have been pressing for Tehran to open a new dialogue on its disputed nuclear program, and has been trying separately to open talks on the countries' joint interests in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ahmadinejad has given mixed signals on engagement, but Iranian officials made it clear that no serious conversations could be held until the presidential campaign was concluded.

Leading members of Congress, Israeli officials and others have contended that an Iranian government headed by Ahmadinejad was not likely to take any U.S. overture seriously, and would instead stall and use the time to move ahead with its nuclear program.

With Ahmadinejad's victory, "you're going to see more pressure for sanctions, and for quick results from the engagement," said Trita Parsi, president of the Washington-based National Iranian American Council. But he said that because any successful negotiation would take some time, the pressure "could have a crippling effect on the diplomacy."

Because of the hostility to Ahmadinejad, it would be very difficult for any American president to negotiate a deal with Iran that would entitle the country to continue with even a small uranium enrichment program, analysts say.

One much-discussed compromise would allow Iran to have a limited enrichment program in return for closer international scrutiny of its nuclear program.

Lawmakers this year introduced legislation that would have imposed new sanctions, including provisions to halt gasoline sales to Iran, and to force international energy firms to stop doing business there. Clinton told the Senate last month that such legislation undermined the administration's efforts to reach out to Iran, because it created the impression that the United States was not sincere.

Some American hawks have contended that Ahmadinejad's reelection would be preferable because it would clarify the issues and help keep the administration from wasting time waiting to see whether the new Iranian government would move on the U.S. proposal for negotiations.

Elliott Abrams, one of President George W. Bush's top officials on the Middle East, wrote in an article in the New York Times last week that the election of a reform candidate might have led the United States and its Western allies to the "delusion" that they could negotiate an end to Iran's nuclear program and persuaded them to make "preemptive concessions" to Iran.

Ahmadinejad and his reformist rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi have said they are committed to Iran's right to enrich uranium. Iran says the program is intended only for peaceful purposes, but the United States and many other world powers fear the goal is to gain nuclear weapons know-how.

Mousavi, like Ahmadinejad, also is believed to have been committed to continuing Iran's support for the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, another point of friction with the United States.

Yet Mousavi contended that the Iranian government's confrontational approach to the West had hurt the country, and said he intended to reduce those frictions.

Most key national security issues in Iran are decided not by the president, but by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Nevertheless, the president has influence, and if Mousavi had won, he probably would have brought into the government's senior councils a substantial group of allies who might have moderated foreign policy approach, analysts say.

The senior U.S. official, while acknowledging that Ahmadinejad's victory was likely to intensify pressure for an end to the U.S. overture to Iran, said it remained unclear what course the Iranian president would take. He said that although Ahmadinejad might continue his hard-line approach, he might also feel more secure in a second term.

"He could feel stronger, and that he now has a mandate to engage the United States," said the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the diplomacy.

Ahmadinejad's victory seems likely to put to rest claims that Obama's conciliatory approach was opening the way to sweeping reform in the Middle East.

When moderate forces won new seats in Lebanon's parliamentary elections this month, some analysts suggested that in part it was because of enthusiasm about the new U.S. president. And there has been speculation that the seeming surge of support for Mousavi was partly an "Obama effect" in Iran.

But Parsi, though a supporter of Obama's outreach program, said the issue of U.S.-Iranian relations was only a minor factor in the election, far behind economic concerns and the incumbent's management.

"The argument is a little far-fetched," he said.

iifa awards 2009 watch online

iifa awards 2009 watch online

iifa awards 2009 watch online web
Watch IIFA Awards 2008 Movie O...
Watch IIFA Awards 2008 Online Free, IIFA Awards 2008 Download IIFA Awards 2008 free, ... Aa Dekhen Zara DVD 2009 WATCH ONLINE FREE, May 22, 2009 ...
http://www.desifun.co.uk/watch
Total Drags: 1 - Unique Drags: 1 Bookmark and Share
View All
iifa awards 2009 watch online images
Idea Filmfare Awards 2009 pict...
http://www.noddit.com/Entertai
Total Drags: 1 - Unique Drags: 1 Bookmark and Share
View All
iifa awards 2009 watch online videos
IDEA IIFA 2009 amitabh bachchan promo
http://www.google.com/url
Total Drags: 1 - Unique Drags: 1 Bookmark and Share
View All
iifa awards 2009 watch online news
No news found associated with iifa awards 2009 watch online .
Click here to drag news here.
iifa awards 2009 watch online Tweets
View All
iifa awards 2009 watch online Q&A
OSCAR Awards 2009 - 81st Annua...
The Academy Awards presentation will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2009. Check complete Nominations List. OSCAR Awards 2009 - 81st Annual Academy
http://www.maybenow.com/OSCAR-
Total Drags: 1 - Unique Drags: 1 Bookmark and Share

Thursday, June 11, 2009

house husbands of hollywood







house husbands of hollywood







Hold on to your sunbonnets if your image of Melissa Gilbert remains frozen as the young Laura Ingalls Wilder she played in Little House on the Prairie in the '70s and early '80s. Half-Pint's autobiography, Prairie Tale, is no clean-cut family drama: It's chockablock with juicy tidbits from her point of view. She numbers among her boyfriends Michael Landon Jr. (son of the actor who brought Little House to TV) and Rob Lowe (with whom she became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage). She claims that Shannen Doherty, who appeared in a Little House episode when she was 12, had a one-night stand with her first husband. (He was separated from Gilbert at the time.) She says that Johnny Depp once asked to feel her at-the-time lactating breasts at a party, and that she replied, ''Yeah, do whatever you want.''
Gilbert, now 45, looks back with nostalgia, ruefulness — and some anger. She says Cicely Tyson, with whom she costarred in the short-lived TV series Sweet Justice, had a ''diva-like temperament'' and on one occasion ''slapped a director across the face.'' Gilbert's irritation with her first husband, Bo Brinkman, is certainly understandable; after all, as the actress tells it, she once came down to the kitchen of their home in the middle of the night, only to find him having sex with a prostitute. Even in Hollywood, this is considered bad form.
Prairie Tale is written in the sort of unadorned prose that convinces you Gilbert wrote this herself. The book is less of a “tell-all” than a “tell-some”: When she admits she had “an emotional affair” (as opposed to a sexual one) with her leading man in the TV movie Seduction in a Small Town but then doesn’t name the fellow, the reader almost resents having to race to IMDb to find the name of the man she refers to only as “Calgary guy.” (For those who want to know, Brian McNamara played her husband.)
On the other hand, Gilbert has had her share of personal bests. Who else could claim that, as president of the Screen Actors Guild, she used her influence to help a grateful Marlon Brando collect residual checks for The Godfather? B–

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

airfarewatchdog.com

airfarewatchdog.com


Remember when you were in school and the first writing assignment each September was: "What did you do on your summer vacation?"
I can't answer that question yet, because my vacation doesn't start for three more weeks. But I thought it would be helpful for those planning to spend thousands of dollars for leisure or business travel to tell you about my experience researching and booking a two-week trip to Europe with my wife.
First, let me say to the travel agents whose good service and help I have appreciated for years, I didn't follow your advice and let you do it for me. I did all the planning and booking myself on my home computer.
I wasn't trying to avoid paying an agency for its work. If you find a good agent, he or she will probably be worth the money. I did my own planning and booking for several other reasons, starting with the fact that I actually enjoy doing the work required.
Do-it-yourself online is also the way most travelers plan trips, and I want to have the same experience with the process as you do.
Especially in searching for hotels in my price range, I like to look at multiple Web sites that offer reviews of travelers' experiences and rate hotels, usually on a 1-to-5 scale. The one I used most is www.tripadvisor.com; others I have found useful are www.hotels.com and www.booking.com.
Beyond that, doing the work myself enabled me to check, over weeks starting in January, what was happening to airfares and other travel costs. I checked individual airline Web sites as well as multicarrier online agencies - Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity and Vayama - each a few times, before settling down to use just one multi-airline site and two airline sites.
As I checked, about once every other day, I found fares could range widely on the same Web site, from about $800 to $1,400, for the same itinerary on different airlines.
Airline experts were predicting in January that transatlantic fares were likely to drop as the year went on because the recession had pushed down demand so significantly. We were still mulling over which airline and European gateways we would use, so we decided to wait a month or two to buy tickets.
I also set up a search at www.airfarewatchdog.com that promised to alert me when fares went down on a particular itinerary I specified. It did its job, telling me in early February that the cost had dropped about $100, or about 5 percent, for two tickets.
But old habits die hard, and the last time I planned a trip to Europe, four years ago, I waited too long and wound up paying more for tickets.
So the last week of February, I took the plunge and bought the tickets for just over $900 apiece. Then over the next month, the experts who forecast that fares would drop turned out to be right.
Airfarewatchdog.com continued to send me messages about lower costs, making me wonder if I should cancel the first reservation - for a $500 penalty - and start over.
Had I waited another month or two, I could have saved about $100 for each ticket, not enough to cancel and rebook. Had we been able to take the trip in late winter or spring, we could have saved several hundred dollars more as airlines began slashing fares to fill empty airplanes.
But I'm not unhappy with what I bought, because the lower fares for the summer travel we needed were for slightly different itineraries on different airlines. I was glad I got the precise ones I wanted.
The hotel search process is easier for me than looking for airlines and fares. For each city we will visit, I checked tripadvisor.com, which lists hotels by their popularity ratings by travelers from all over the world.
Scrolling down a list of hotels, you find good descriptions and room rates and whether a hotel is rated from one to five stars. I love smaller European hotels, and chose ones that were in the locations we wanted and received rave reviews from several previous guests.
Tripadvisor.com connects you to multiple online agency sites to actually book a room.
I waited until a few weeks ago to settle on transportation within Europe. We eventually decided to use both trains and a rental car, and compared the cost of buying Eurail passes or individual point-to-point tickets on www.raileurope.com.
For a rental car, raileurope.com has train passes that also include use of a car for a certain number of days. But for the car, I Googled "European rental cars" and found a wide choice of both U.S. and European companies with roughly similar rates.
I will tell you more about our European adventure when we return. Now, if the dollar vs. the euro exchange rate would just stabilize, I can figure out how much we can afford to spend on the wine.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

annie lobért

annie lobért

Hookers for Jesus founder Annie Lobert, a former prostitute, married Christian rocker Oz Fox of the heavy metal band Stryper in the Church of South Las Vegas, Nevada Friday night, reports CNN. Interestingly, the wedding ceremony of Hookers for Jesus founder Annie
Hookers for Jesus Founder Annie Lobert Marries Oz Fox of Christian Metal Band Stryper
Lobert and Oz Fox was broadcast live on the web.


According to CNN, Hookers for Jesus founder Annie Lobert had worked as a prostitute for 11 years and made up to $500 an hour before turning her life over to Jesus Christ. Annie Lober says that the turning point came when she overdosed on cocaine. As CNN notes, many people jokingly refer to Hookers for Jesus founder Annie Lobert as a "porn-again Christian."

Annie Lober's new husband, the aforementioned Oz Fox, 47, has been with the Christian heavy metal band Stryper for a number of years now. The band formed in 1983, broke up in 1993, and got back together for a reunion tour in 2003. According to Wikipedia, their new album, "Murder by Pride," is slated to be released next month.

Annie Lobert has now dedicated her life to helping prostitutes leave the world's oldest profession in favor of a more wholesome and respectable lifestyle. Simply put, the Hookers for Jesus founder wants to bring these women to Christ.

I would imagine that Annie Lober has her work cut out for her. Last November, I wrote an article on this site titled, "Brothels See a Rise in Job Applications." In it, I discuss the fact that the economic crisis has caused a spike in job applications to brothels.

At the time, the television news show "Nightline" broadcast a profile on a lovely young woman whom they referred to as "Kimberly," who was about to start a new at the Mustang Ranch, a brothel located near Reno, Nevada.

"Kimberly" said that, prior to applying for work at The Mustang Ranch, she had put in 30 job applications for a wide range of more traditional jobs - retail stores, daycare facilities,etc - but was not called back for a single interview. Thus, she felt she had not choice but to enter the world's oldest profession.

But, of course, she really does have other choices.
And it is this awareness and realization that changed Annie Lobert's life and inspired her to start Hookers for Jesus.

If she hasn't already, perhaps "Kimberly" ought to have a chat with Annie Lobert?



Tuesday, June 2, 2009

im a celebrity get me out of here usa

im a celebrity get me out of here usa


THE SHOW "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!"

WHEN | WHERE Monday-Thursday, Monday night at 8, through June 18 on NBC/4. Monday-Wednesday June 22-24.

REASON TO WATCH Serious answer? Or smart-alecky quip, which I'm having trouble coming up with at the moment?

THE CELEBS Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Lou Diamond Phillips, John Salley, Janice Dickinson, Sanjaya Malakar, Stephen Baldwin, wrestler Torrie Wilson and former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich, who took the place of hubby Rod, who's awaiting trial on corruption charges and unable to leave the States ( NBC says he will have a role on the show.)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Pretty much the same format as the 2003 ABC version - think "Survivor" with celebrities plus some comedy. These episodes will air live from Costa Rica, and viewers will be allowed to vote for celebrity challenges. Want Heidi to throw Spencer into the Pacific to practice synchronized swimming with the Great Whites? Hit the number for "Yes! Please, please, please!" on your phone.

In fact, challenges will not be life-threatening, per se, but stomach-threatening. (Insects for dinner, anyone?) People are voted off or simply leave. Hosts are Myleene Klass and "Total Request Live's" Damien Fahey, who predicts the first to go will be Speidi: "I don't know why. They're not accustomed to being in the jungle."

BOTTOM LINE Six years ago, ABC plucked this British import off the shelf of reality TV's dollar store because it was so deep in fourth place at the time that there was nothing left to lose, anyway, including dignity. The ABC version sank.

Will we be so lucky this time? One cannot be certain: The live component is certainly a delicious new wrinkle, and Speidi without makeup or hairdressers? Will we even recognize them? Plus, the production team will camp this show up big time. Will it be terrible? Almost certainly. Will we watch? Alas, almost certainly.

The original American version of "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!" aired on ABC from Feb. 19 to March 5, 2003. The "celebrities" stranded in the Australian Outback included eventual winner Cris Judd (the dancer/former husband of Jennifer Lopez), Robin Leach, Alana Stewart, Maria Conchita Alonso, Nikki Ziering, Tyson Beckford, "Downtown" Julie Brown, Bruce Jenner, Stuttering John Melendez and Melissa Rivers. John Lehr was the host.

missing plane found

missing plane found

Atlast the search for the most deadliest plane crash ever seen, for which the Brazilian air force aircraft was searching the Atlantic Ocean for a missing Air France flight that had been carrying 228 people have found debris from a plane, an air force spokesman said. The "small remains" were located 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Brazil's Fernando do Noronha island. It could not immediately be confirmed that the debris was from Air France flight AF 447, the spokesman said.

Earlier today, a pilot from Brazil's airline TAM possibly spotted a burning piece of wreckage on the Atlantic Ocean while he was crossing the Atlantic. The Brazilian Air Force had confirmed that the pilot saw 'orange-coloured spots' in the middle of the Atlantic. The observation could have approximately corresponded to the time Air France 447 disappeared from radar.

AF 447, with 228 people on board, went missing at about 7:45 am on Monday (June 1). French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris the chances of finding any survivors are 'very slim'

Monday, June 1, 2009

air france flight status

air france flight status
Today it happened something unusual, when an Air France AF447 flew for brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro airport, and it should have landed at the Paris airport at 09:15 GMT, however, the plane is missing. The pilots of the Airbus A330-200 plane reported a technical fault at the electric circuit, and that they are experiencing turbulence. After that, the AF447 flight has gone missing and there are no news yet. Air France officials said that they don’t know where the plane is at the moment, and they are hoping that all people aboard and the crew are OK.

The AF Airbus A330 had 216 passengers and 12 crew, and the Brazilian officials said that the pilots last reported something at 11 P.M. local time when they were near the island of Fernando de Noronha. This is at about 1,5000 northeast of Rio de Janeiro, between the city of Natal and the island of Ilha do Sal.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said that he is deeply concerned, and he assured people that he will do the utmost to find the Airbus A330-200 plane. I remind you that the missing Air France flight AF447 was carrying 228 people aboard, and we surely hope that all of them are OK.

The Airbus A330-200 is considered one of the safest planes, and such aircraft didn’t have a fatal commercial flight crash. According to experts, the A330 shouldn’t go down in flight or when climbing to the flight route as accidents happen when landing or when planes take off. Also, the Air France didn’t have a fatal crash since July 2000 when a Concorde plane crashed, but the supersonic airplanes aren’t used for commercial flights anymore.

We will keep you updated with the Air France Flight AF447 status, and we hope that the passengers of the Airbus A330-200 will be found safe and alive

expedition africa

expedition africa

Africa has been known as the dark continent since centuries, but if you look Africa deeply, you will see that it has its own history, culture and tradition.
History’s “Expedition Africa” sends four explorers through Tanzania to re-enact Henry Morton Stanley’s 1871 expedition to find Dr. David Livingstone.

Four Explorers to Follow Stanley’s Path Through Tanzania

In “Expedition Africa,” a show premiering Sunday on the television channel History, four explorers will travel 970 miles from Zanzibar to Ujiji in western Tanzania, following a similar path to that taken by journalist Henry Morton Stanley in 1871 to find British explorer and Christian missionary David Livingstone.

The four participants—a guide and expedition leader, a survivalist, a National Geographic correspondent and a journalist—will be restricted in their use of technology, such as not using GPS devices, in an attempt to replicate the challenges faced by Stanley.

“The first thing was to hire an old 16th century boat to even get them from Zanzibar to the African main land,” said producer Mark Burnett, best known as the creator of “Survivor,” to CBS. “Then they had to hire porters. … They even hired Masai warriors to guard them from the lions and some trouble, and then head off.”

But there are some significant differences in the “Expedition Africa” journey, which takes just 30 days, compared to Stanley’s nine-month journey. “So they go over mountains that he went around,” writes the New York Daily News. “They also drive part of the way, though we don’t see those stretches.”

The Story of Livingstone and Stanley

Scottish-born Dr. David Livingstone began traveling through Africa in 1841 as a Christian missionary. He soon realized the evils of slavery and was convinced to travel through the continent spreading Christianity. His travels took him to unexplored areas of the Kalahari Desert and the Zambezi River and in 1855, he discovered and named Victoria Falls, writes Worldwide Missions.

In 1864, Livingstone embarked on what would be his last expedition: to find the source of the Nile River and continue to document the horrors of slavery. As time went on, Livingstone’s correspondence became more and more infrequent, which sparked speculation that he had been kidnapped or killed somewhere in Africa.

The editor of the New York Herald took an interest in Livingstone’s disappearance and in 1871 he commissioned reporter Henry Morton Stanley to go to Africa and find Livingstone, writes the BBC. The Welsh-born Stanley, who had immigrated to the United States as a teenager and fought for both sides in the Civil War, had no experience as an explorer.

“What’s really been fascinating in doing the research for this project is seeing the transformation of Henry Morton Stanley from a journalist to an actual explorer,” said “Expedition Africa” participant Kevin Sites in a promotional video. “He didn’t know what he was doing when he came here. He had a mission that was funded by his newspaper to find Dr. Livingstone, but he did not know how to put together an expedition; he was simply a journalist.”

Stanley lost more than half of his more than 350-man party to disease and desertion in his 700-mile journey from Zanzibar to the western edge of Tanzania. He “endured malaria, smallpox, tribal warfare, mutinous porters and crocodile attacks” and “lost 40 pounds from dysentery in a week,” writes Martin Dugard, author of “Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone,” on the “Expedition Africa” Web site.

On Nov. 10, 1871, in the eighth month of his journey, Stanley’s expedition party found Livingstone in the small village of Ujiji, Tanzania. In an account provided by EyeWitness to History, Stanley described meeting Livingstone: “I would have run to him, only I was a coward in the presence of such a mob,—would have embraced him, only, he being an Englishman, I did not know how he would receive me; so I did what cowardice and false pride suggested was the best thing,—walked deliberately to him, took off my hat, and said, ‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’”

Although toothless and in poor health, Livingstone took the new supplies brought by Stanley and went on exploring Africa until his death in Zambia two years later, on May 1, 1873. His body was taken back to England, where Livingstone was given the biggest funeral in modern history, according to Dugard.

After Livingstone’s death, Stanley decided to continue Livingstone’s mission. He spent the next four years exploring the lengths of the Lualaba and Congo Rivers, and identified Lake Victoria as the source of the Nile