Quelle surprise.

For those whose daily commute traverses the GTA, be it via car, transit, or otherwise, the headline splashed across the Star's website this afternoon—"Toronto's 80-minute commute ranked last in global study"—was itself a study in the I-told-you-so kind of obvious. According to 2010's Scorecard on Prosperity, published earlier today by the Toronto Board of Trade [PDF], even half of that crosstown journey could be completed in the time it takes to zip across the greater Los Angeles area, which makes the Don Mills route seem either ridiculously epic or absurdly horrible. Or both.

Cue agitated huffing about Transit City or a war on cars. Or what Adam Giambrone should have been doing with his free time. Take your pick.

According to this year's report, Toronto's productivity level has plunged in contrast with other urban centres worldwide. In terms of economic performance, the numbers cited by the Board of Trade are anything but encouraging: twenty-first place out of twenty-four cities; 0.6% productivity growth.

The slightly more encouraging news is represented by our workforce. "Our strength comes from our diverse and multicultural society," the Board of Trade reminds us, pointing out that close to half of Toronto's residents hail from other countries. With the rich pool of skills that results from that makeup, Toronto "boasts the highest share of professional employment" in North America and "the highest share of high-tech employment in Canada and access to the largest market of all North American metros."

The caveat is that with a flagging economic performance, Toronto is at risk of losing its competitive edge in the aforementioned labour attraction category. We may be a city that attracts the best and the brightest, but with an economic standing that ranks "just slightly higher than Montreal and last-place Paris," that influx of talent may start dwindling without growing, robust productivity. In reversing this trend, the report lays the onus on this year's mayoral candidates to "shore up Toronto's economic performance by attracting jobs and investment."

The innovation in doing so—or the lack thereof—should prove interesting.

Skin:-tb- Arctic Cold (brown brows) by tb (melt event no longer avaible)
Eyelashes: Innocent. eyelashes – gentle by [ glow ] Studio (NEW)
Hair: Ambrosia – Powder by !lamb. (NEW)
Hair acc: LG Boutique_Plumes by LG CONCEPT (NEW)
Earrings: “DeLyn~~ SNAKE earrings Gold by [glow] Studio
Jacket: NoCollarJK_Denim/Washed by AOHARU (NEW)
Necklace: .+*AA*+.Chunky pearl necklace (L)*gold by Atelier AM (NEW)
Dress: Chalk Dress Nude by Tee*fy (COMING SOON)
Belt: fri. – Cinch.Belt (Gold) – Med by fri.day (NEW)
Garter: L*m garter(Satin-White) by Lo*momo (gatcha 25l)
Stocking: Lace Stockings Whitey by Dare
Shoes: -Saffron Pumps_NUDE by LeLutka
Bag:Eunique bag hand straw by LG CONCEPT

Crystal Palace rounded off a day that saw their survival hopes on and off the pitch given a boost by defeating fellow Championship strugglers Watford at Vicarage Road.

Good news for the Eagles has been as scarce as a Stern John goal during a turbulent season in south London. But both came today with the club's administrators announcing they had finally found a potential buyer before Trinidad striker John grabbed his first Eagles goal since joining some eight months ago to help sink the Hornets.

Sean Scannell and Neil Danns chipped in after the break as Palace edged to within a point of their opponents, who pulled one back through Danny Graham but are just one place above the drop zone.

Watford could count themselves hard done by, however, despite the scoreline. They hit the woodwork three times, found the Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni and defender Paddy McCarthy in inspired form and referee Paul Taylor in a forgiving mood until he sent off Palace defender Lee Hills late on.

Manager Malky Mackay felt they should have had an early penalty when Will Buckley's cross struck McCarthy's arm, but ref Taylor was unmoved. Watford were denied a 15th-minute opener when Speroni superbly kept out Martin Taylor's point-blank header, and they came even closer when Tom Cleverley's 20-yard drive crashed against the crossbar.

But against the run of play Palace took the lead on the half-hour when Johnny Ertl's cross found its way to the far post where John, who was farmed out on loan to Ipswich earlier this term, was unmarked and headed past Scott Loach.

Watford went straight back on the attack but were frustrated again when a diving header by Henri Lansbury from Cleverley's corner somehow stayed out courtesy of the inside of the far post.

And shortly after the interval the visitors went two up. Scannell's initial header, from Darren Ambrose's cross, came back off the post but the rebound fell kindly for Palace as the young winger picked himself off the floor and sidefooted the ball past Loach. Watford attempted to hit back again but Heidar Helguson put a lob over the top and fired another effort wide, before Danns hit the third with 25 minutes to go. Loach could only parry Scannell's shot straight into the air and Danns was on hand to rifle the loose ball into an empty net.

Cleverley hit the post again with a 20-yard curler before Hornets substitute Graham finally found the net for their consolation. Left-back Hills, who escaped with a booking for hauling down Lansbury in the first half, was sent off in the closing stages for a second yellow but Palace were celebrating moments later.

BURBANK, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Steril-Aire, Inc., the leading worldwide manufacturer of germicidal ultraviolet C (UVC) devices for indoor air quality, in association with their Italian distributor, IMACO International Mfg. Corp. and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Ambrosiana Library), both of

Classical music, dance, comedy choices for the week's entertainment California Chronicle By The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. Met HD Live: Reviews have been strong for the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Ambroise Thomas' "Hamlet," last done ...

Filed under: Fashion, News, Designers & Brands, Shopping

Watch out Sports Illustrated, it looks like the new Victoria's Secret Swim 3 Catalogue is about to give SI's Swimsuit Edition a run for its money.

The new bikini-ridden page-turner features VS vets Miranda Kerr and Alessandra Ambrosio (um, what recent pregnancy?!) and new bombshells Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lindsay Ellingson, Emanuela de Paula, Sports Illustratied cover girl Brooklyn Decker, Candice Swanepoel (who graces the Victoria's Secret Swim Catalogue cover) and a handful of other svelte beauties.

Besides the controversial topless bikini, the Summer 2010 swim collection includes string bikinis with fringes and sequin embellishments, one-pieces with creative cutouts, lots of bandeau tops, as well as asymmetrical styles and ruffle detailng carried over from the awards season red carpet.

Despite all of the delectable choices, Miranda Kerr revealed to StyleList that she does have her favorites.

"I love the traditional triangle bikini or a Brazilian bottom!" she told us in an exclusive chat. "I love the super hot, bright neon colors that Victoria's Secret has this season; they look great on the beach and lounging next to the pool."

However, not all of us can carry off a simple triangle bikini like Kerr, which the model understands.

"Everyone has different body shapes so it's best to find a swimsuit that flatters your individual shape, " she advises. "For example, if you have a small bust, a halter bikini top with slight padding will look best. Most importantly, with the right attitude and confidence any swimsuit will look good."

And the right workout plan. To get toned for her VS Swim shoot, Kerr says she keeps her exercise regime fairly consistent, explaining that it "always involves a mix of yoga, low-impact cardio, resistance and functional exercise, combined with high energy training such as boxing or running."

Kerr plans on hitting the surf of her native Australia this summer and tell us that her beach must-haves include "an iPod, sunglasses, water, organic rosehip oil and a great book," along with a killer soundtrack.

"I always love a bit of Kings of Leon, Alexi Murdoch, Muzik City, Phoenix," she says. "And you can never go wrong with Dr. Dre!"

As readers flip through the Victoria's Secret Swim Catalogue, they might be quick to comment on the thinness of the models, some of whom the industry dubs as "curvy."

Kerr herself has received flack for her skinny body in the past, but says she's willing to accept the criticism.

"As soon as you step into the public eye you need to take responsibility for the people you are influencing," she says. "Body image is something that the majority of young women struggle with and I do think it is important that models are seen to be healthy and at a weight that works for their body type."

To promote the brand's "Build Your Own Bikini" program, Kerr stars in the cheeky "Bikini Mixer" video, where she does endless two-piece quick changes (on the beach), driving home the numerous mix and match separates Victoria's Secret Swim is offering this season. And we love the creative way Kerr rides off into the sunset. Check it out below.



Plus, see all the foxy ladies from the VS Swim Catalogue, go behind-the-scenes with Emanuela de Paula, and most importantly, do some swimwear shopping on the Victoria's Secret site.

Miranda Kerr Talks Victoria's Secret Swimwear, Her Bikini Workout Routine and Beach-Bound Playlist originally appeared on StyleList on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 24, 2010 | admin | 17770http://www.torontoelectionnews.com/2010/03/24/di-matteo-giambrones-big-exit/Di+Matteo%3A+Giambrone%27s+Big+Exit%3F2010-03-25+02%3A08%3A21admin. NOW Magazine's Enzo Di Matteo sat down with Councillor Adam ...

The Sprint Cup Series is beginning to hit its stride, five races in and heading to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. It’s the first race of 2010 where drivers and teams will be guaranteed in based on 2010 owners’ points, meaning we’ve run enough of this year to nail down who’s on top and who’s in a hole.

Clearly, Jimmie Johnson is on top after winning his first career race at Bristol. I didn’t have him in the column at all last week, judging by his abysmal record at the track the past few years. My pick, Kyle Busch, wound up ninth, while darkhorse Marcos Ambrose had a poor day and wound up 33^rd. Kurt Busch had the best day of anyone I mentioned, finishing third, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed seventh and Kevin Harvick finished 11^th.

I’d be picking Johnson to win Martinsville even without the momentum of three wins in five starts, and the latest coming at his worst track. He’s also won five of the last seven run at the paper clip, six in his career, and you don’t expect any less from him barring catastrophe.

As for a dark horse, check out Juan Pablo Montoya. Until he wins an oval race in Cup, I think this is a fair place to categorize him. He led 37 laps here in the fall, and has a career worst Martinsville finish of 16^th in his track debut in spring 2007. Montoya has only failed to complete one lap in six starts, a key fact at short tracks where cars can easily fall laps down under long green flag runs.

Don’t like what you see? Here are three more:

Denny Hamlin won the two races out of the past seven that Johnson did not, which basically guarantees him a place in the column. Yes, he’s 19^th in points, and I bet that a bum knee’s got something to do with it. That might even spell disaster for him at the track, where he has a strong 7.2 average finish and only one finish outside the top 10 in eight starts. But the Virginia native, barring that one poor finish (a crash in spring 2006), has always run well here. I’m going to give him a break.

Jeff Gordon has seven wins, 22 top five finishes, and 28 top-10s in 34 career Martinsville starts. He hasn’t been outside the top 10 at the end of a Martinsville race since 2002. If you took Gordon’s Martinsville track record and tallied up the points, he’d have enough to win the championship in almost any pre-Chase season.

Finally, in an attempt to make this column interesting (and not just pick the four drivers with the best four average finishes at Martinsville), Ryan Newman is a choice that many might overlook. Like a handful of other drivers worthy of consideration, Newman has a 50 percent top 10 rate; unlike many of them, he hasn’t won at the track. But Newman’s 2009 record at the track, with finishes of sixth and sevent and a pole in the fall race, merits strong consideration for this weekend.

Headlines from the Bitter Newsroom as flirty as Hillary Clinton with the Pakistani Foreign Minister: • Law schools, law schools, law schools.  We’ve had enough of beating that dead horse.  So let’s admire business schools, shall we?  Here’s a new list of the world’s best.  Don’t listen to all the other loser rankings.  This one is the best.  Like Harvard.  (Woops.  Spoiled it there, didn’t I?) [Business Insider] • Okay, you know we really couldn’t leave the law school dead horse alone. A new study finds that graduates from top-10 law schools were MORE likely to get laid off than grads from lower-ranked schools.  Get your “sense of entitlement” outta here, Yalies.  TTTs wanna work!  …Sez the study.  [BLT: The Blog of the Legal Times] • Manhattan lawyer Louis “Big Lou” Posner pleaded guilty to running a prostitution ring “out of a Midtown jiggle joint.” A service that even he himself admittedly enjoyed.  He was barred from working in, going to or being associated with any strip club or lap dance performance for five years.  Punishment enough.  [New York Daily News] • President Obama keeps heralding that new health care will make small businesses winners.  But Keith Ashmus, a partner at Cleveland law firm Frantz Ward LLP, thinks that those with more than 50 employees—like his firm—aren’t going to be sitting pretty.  Meanwhile, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli isn’t happy either.  He filed a lawsuit.  Not because of the Supremacy Clause, stupid.  Because he says the health-care law is plain ol’ unconstitutional.  Duh.  [WSJ Law Blog] • What do we want?  BL1Y on The Apprentice.  When do we want it?  Next season.  Go!  [Above the Law] • Men.  Men B harassin.  Even B harassin other men.  No, not sexually necessarily.  But that doesn’t matter.  Since the start of the recession, sexual harassment claims from men have been surging.  Some guys call it horsing around or blowing off steam.  Others call it a compulsory lashing out as a result of deep-seeded, insurmountable self-hate.  [Wall Street Journal via ABA Journal] • Who the hell needs Peeps to have fun with the law?  Tweet “something pithy” about your favorite SCOTUS case in 131 characters or less with the hashtag #cbftech so Dan Schwartz can illustrate “how technology is changing the practice of law” at a UConn Law School program.  Hmm, it sort of reminds us of another law school attempt to illustrate a point.  Let’s home this one doesn’t convey as well.  [Connecticut Law Blog via Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites] • Law school deans are getting involved in trying to get “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed.  Mainly because they argue the policy restricts diversity efforts and career options for public servants.  Fair enough.  Maybe while they’re at it they should also ask BigLaw partners what the hell’s going on with their “values of tolerance and respect.” They don’t even have a legal ban, and they’re still missing the mark.  [The National Law Journal] • Remember the days when Congress had nothing better to do than have baseball players testify about using steroids?  Not over yet, folks.  Jose Canseco, “the most prominent professional baseball player who stepped forward to defend [Roger] Clemens before a Congressional committee two years ago, filing an affidavit that said he had no knowledge of Clemens’s alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs,” has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury that’s investigating whether Clemens perjured himself.  [The New York Times] • A Mississippi school canceled prom after lesbian student Constance McMillen asked to bring a girl and wear a tux.  That night, the school officials then probably turned on American Idol and laughed at that delightful judge Ellen.  Then a federal judge ruled that the high school violated McMillen’s constitutional rights.  Then worlds collided.  [Guardian] • Gay marriage brings men together.  “Legal powerhouses” Ted Olson and David Boies talk about how they teamed up to fight against Proposition 8 and how they’re likely taking their fight all the way to the Supreme Court.  [Campbell Brown Blog CNN] • Still due: McGuireWoods’ $12 million in legal fees for fighting to get 300,000 BARBRI class members $125.  Tick tock.  [The Am Law Daily] Check out more news from previous days. Join Bitter Lawyer on Facebook.  Follow on Twitter. Buy Bitter Lawyer merchandise.

England's stand-in captain Alastair Cook is the latest in a long line to ignore the cascade of runs to the third-man boundary

Perhaps, for true evocation, this should be read while sitting in the Café Mozart in Vienna, eating strudel while listening to Anton Karas and his zither, for it concerns the third man and his virtual disappearance, a species threatened with extinction. Along with fine-leg, this was once the habitual between-overs grazing land of pace bowlers intent on escaping the inanities and banalities of what is as often as not crumpet-based chatter of the close fielders.

Now, save for the occasional scout who gravitates behind square, those boundary acres are left as empty as a Steinbeck dustbowl farm and across them the runs flow freely. As the ball scoots repeatedly down to the boundary boards behind square on the offside, and the persevering bowler offers a rueful look of frustration as an involuntary stroke brings rewards way beyond its worth, cricketers from former times shrug their shoulders and wonder.

"Why doesn't he post a third man?" could be cricket's most asked question in cricket after 'Howzat?' and 'Is Jonathan Trott ready yet?"

Many years ago a well-meaning Middlesex committee man buttonholed Mike Brearley during an interval and wondered if he had noticed that most of the runs being conceded were going through gaps in the field. Brearley thanked him and vowed to try and ensure it stopped happening. But the committee man did not quite say what he meant, which was that maybe the fielders could have been deployed better so that the areas in which the ball might have been expected to go were protected. And, of course, just as the chancellor's budget always takes with one hand in order to give with the other, so with field placing: protect one area and in theory you weaken another.

Think, though, of the various reasons why a captain and bowler place their fielders where they do. First, to take catches and to save runs. There is no point, simply for convention's sake, in having a fielder in a certain position if you do not anticipate a chance going there or if it is not in the batsman's scoring area. Then, though, fielders are placed for other more subtle reasons. A silly point or short-leg may be posted for a spinner for the possible bat-pad catch but also to make the batsman play differently, going back perhaps instead of forwards.

Then again a swing bowler, with his fuller length, could leave mid-off open invitingly, offering the option to drive there but once again with the risk of an edge increased (although he can unwittingly drag his length back as a defensive gesture while, conversely, the presence of protection at mid-off encourages a fuller length).

It is a tempter and so to an extent is leaving third man open. Here the risk of conceding easy runs, when there is no extensive slip cordon, is weighed up against the knowledge that a batsman, in eyeing up that area, will have to offer what is effectively half a bat's width. It is another tempter.

Whether or not there should be a third man ought to be dependent on a set of variables. If there are three or more slips, it renders the position more redundant. Fewer than this, though, and a large scoring area appears. Time was when most seamers with only two slips would not contemplate an absent third man. Times change. But there are further elements to be considered: the pace of the bowler, for example, and that of the pitch together with its bounce; the line of attack, with a wider line more likely to offer the chance to score behind square; whether the batsman is a front- or back-foot player, off-side or leg-side specialist; and the length that the bowler intends to bowl.

And, while it is easy to generalise, it is this last that bemuses me more than any. For while I understand completely why some fast-medium bowlers, swing bowlers especially, might not like the idea of leaving mid-off open, the notion that some of the tall men – Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Glenn McGrath, Steve Harmison – who operated from a shorter length than most, felt the need of the comfort blanket at mid-off while leaking to third man too many of the few runs they conceded anyway, is anathema.

Why would they resent runs through mid-off yet be prepared to suffer those to third man? I wonder whether any of the computer analysts employed by teams now have any empirical evidence to show whether runs saved at mid-off from the pace men exceed those conceded to third man. For the big men, I know which I would back.

Surf Co. has a new release out called My VW Thing Sunglasses. They come in either gold or silver rimmed and six assortment of colors.

That outfit was just a result of boredom and the need to feel like a rock star.

Sunglasses: Surf Co – My VW Thing Sunglasses
Hair: !lamb. – Ambrosia ( Ink )
Jacket: Armidi – Classic Pinstripe Blazer (Black)
Shoes: Lelutka – Saffron Pumps (Black)
Shirt & Pants: SD Wears Clothing – Mimo

Edicion impresa 25/03/10

Llega el fin de semana más intenso de la temporada de voleibol. Monforte de Lemos acogerá desde hoy la Copa de la Reina y un equipo tinerfeño, el Jamper Aguere, participa en esta edición con la intención de discutir el papel de gran favorito atribuido al CAV Murcia. Las de Ambrosio González iniciarán su andadura en la competición midiendo sus fuerzas con el otro representante canario clasificado, el Playa de Las Canteras. Será mañana a partir de las 19:30 horas en el Pabellón de A Pinguela.

Leer

Know yourself from the inside out, a program on nutrition and colon cancer ... Kokomo Perspective Tipton, IN - Tipton Hospital is hosting a program on nutrition and colon cancer awareness. Jane Ambro, a cancer prevention specialist with the Clarian ... and more »

Taking an evening off from her motherly duties, Alessandra Ambrosio was spotted out at the new Trousdale Nightclub last night (March 23).

The sexy supermodel was all smiles as she encountered a swarm of shutterbugs on her way out of the Los Angeles hotspot.

And as if her hotness wasn’t enviable already, according to Alessandra, she’s just naturally thin and doesn’t really do much to keep her fit form.

She explained, "I've been tiny since I was four, and I eat whatever I want. All that matters is that I stay healthy."

Hier les différentes équipes de GP2 ont participé à une journée d’essais sur le circuit du Paul Ricard. A la fin de cette journée, le français Jules Bianchi réalise le second temps derrière Pastor Maldonado.
Les conditions climatiques étaient difficiles : bruine permanente dans la matinée.
Dans l’après-midi, les conditions se sont un peu améliorées, Pastor Maldonado a réalisé le meilleur temps. Le Vénézuélien va participer à sa quatrième saison en GP2 au sein de l’équipe Rapax (ancien Piquet GP).
Le français, Julien Bianchi a parcouru 38 tours, il termine la journée d’essais en seconde position devant Giedo VanderGarde et Jérôme d’Ambrosio.  La journée est en demi teinte pour Charles Pic, il s’est classé dans le Top 10 du matin mais il réalise le 19ème temps l’après-midi.

Classement mardi fin d’après-midi.

1    Pastor Maldonado
2    Jules Bianchi
3    Giedo Van der Garde
4    Jérôme D’Ambrosio
5    Luiz Razia
6    Christian Vietoris
7    Giacomo Ricci
8    Josef Kral
9    Dani Clos

Kurt Busch & Marcos Ambrose chat with fans @CLTMotorSpdwy during the spoiler test #nascar http://tweetphoto.com/15639542

0 comments Source: tweetphoto.com

Ecco tutte le ultimissime: Mourinho con Milito in panchina, Quaresma, Eto'o e Pandev contro il Livorno. In difesa rientra il romeno con il caschetto. Roma con Menez dietro Toni e Vucinic a Bologna. A centrocampo Taddei e non Perrotta. A Parma Milan con Borriello e Ronaldinho davanti: in panchina Mancini, giocano Seedorf e Ambrosini. Lazio, torna Zarate dal primo minuto

As he stood on a Baltimore dock in a glorious March sun, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Tim Donahue remembered the Haitians. The 44 patients with spinal cord injuries, two of whom broke their necks. The 23-year-old woman who underwent 14 surgeries in 38 days to save her leg. The 16 adults and 13 children who were too sick or injured to be saved. Minutes earlier, Donahue had disembarked from the USNS Comfort, the massive and gleaming white hospital ship that pulled into its home port last week, two months after departing for its medical mission to Haiti. Donahue, the Comfort’s director of surgery, and his colleagues treated some 1,000 men, women and children injured in the 7.0 earthquake that decimated Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. They rescued lives, they reunited parents and children, they brought hope to the sickest patients. “It was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve done in the Navy,” he said.

It is the best kind of military mission. For two months, Navy and civilian doctors and nurses slept in racks on top of each other, toiled in the belly of the vessel even as aftershocks shook the ship, and endured the emotional stress of treating battered patients. In the early days of the mission, I interviewed Capt. Michael C. Radoiu, a physician on board, who told me that “seeing young children in pain, and often horrid pain, has been my toughest challenge.” Radoiu has traveled around the world, but “I have never seen anything like the Haiti earthquake,” he said. The ups and downs were stark: the teamwork was great, Donohue told me, but the agony of what the Haitians had endured was incredibly sad. “I found nurses crying at the end of the day,” he said.

On March 19, the welcome home scene in Baltimore was all about celebration. Dozens of local school kids waited for hours to greet the Comfort and its staff. A team from Dunkin Donuts handed out free donuts, bagels and juice to keep everybody energized.

 

Students from St. Casimir Catholic School in Baltimore wait for the Comfort to pull into dock

 

The kids carried homemade signs (a bright pink one read: “Haiti Loves You! We do too!!!”), they waved and cheered. As crew members disembarked, students gave them certificates that read, “Your work on behalf of the earthquake victims in Haiti exemplifies the spirit of America, and we are all proud of you.”

Weeqwa Watkins, 11, a student at St. Ambrose, shows off a certificate she will give to Comfort staff members after they disembark from the ship.

Lt. Michel Santana and Lt. Evan Toatley stood on the dock after disembarking with their gear and big smiles. As Comfort docs and nurses cared for patients during the trip to Haiti, Santana and Toatley kept the ship’s store, laundry room and barber shop running. Most importantly, they made sure everybody got fed. Favorite morale-boosting meal: steak and crab legs. Most popular dessert: ice cream. “It starts riots,” said Toatley.

 

Lt. Evan Toatley (L) and Lt. Michel Santana pose after disembarking.

Haiti has faded from many an American memory, but its people still need help. The Comfort’s “Operation Unified Response” mission ended because the gravest injuries had been treated and it was no longer practical to helicopter patients out to the ship for care. But when I asked Donahue if he, personally, was ready to leave, he didn’t hesitate: “Of course, I’m a doctor. I would have loved to stay longer.”

(All photos taken by the author)

Plus: Kidz in the Hall lead us through their Land of Make Believe, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid

Nicki Minaj
Photo: MTV News

Celebrity Favorites: Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has an affinity for a certain silver-screen serial killer. On Ludacris' "My Chick Bad," Minaj big-ups Mr. Freddy Krueger himself.

"Tuck yourself in, you better hold on to ya teddy," she raps. "It's 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' and guess who's playing Freddy?"

Before that, on the unofficial remix of Beyoncé's "Sweet Dreams," she name-drops the dream thief again. "Yo, Young Money right here/ Bike here, throw it up, no high chair/ Cold like a white bear/ Freddy Krueger, I'm a rap bi--- nightmare."

On the set of her "Massive Attack" video, we asked Nick if she was anticipating the upcoming remake of the popular 1980s horror film. The Jamaica Queens native said she just found out about it, but she should have had a role in the movie.

"I didn't even know they were doing it," Nicki said with her sunny smile. "They should have cast me. Like a freaking crazy lunatic running crazy down in a wig and the Freddy glove with pink fingernails on it? They missed the mark."

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Independent Album: Land of Make Believe

Headliners: Kidz in the Hall

Key Collaborations: "Jukebox" (featuring MC Lyte), "Fresh Academy" (featuring Donnis and Chip the Ripper) and "Will II Win" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius)

Essential Info: Naledge and Double-O dropped their latest LP earlier this month, and in between their always busy recording schedule, the duo dropped jewels on us about what some of the songs mean to them.

"This was a song that we did early on in the recording process," Double-O said about "Running." "We were going through internal issues and dealing with a lot of B.S. So this song really represents the frustration with everything. I made sure Naledge spit it with a certain energy, and then I distorted his vocals to really get the point across. We used some vocal effects on other songs on the album, but I left them all off on the bridge so you really get the raw emotion we were feeling."

Double-O was partial to "Out to Lunch" featuring the Kid Daytona. "This record was meant to be for the hip-hop heads who really enjoy lyrics and minimal beats," Double said. "Me and Daytona used this song as our ode to the Native Tongues era. We totally went for that fly, fashionista and abstract feel on this record. It's the perfect cipher beat."

O gets more personal later on in the album. "This record was essentially my version of 'Cleanin' Out My Closet,' " he said, comparing "Do It All Again" to Eminem's 2002 hit. "I often have gotten criticism for not being interesting enough or getting personal on our records. This record is one of many moments on this album I lay my inner me on the table."

Other Heat This Week

» Jim Jones - The Ghost of Rich Porter
» Jay Rock - From Hood Tales to the Cover of XXL
» Tony Yayo - Gun Powder Guru 2: The Remixes
» Asher Roth - Seared Foie Gras With Quince and Cranberry

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Via this post on Bob Ambrogi's LawSites, I discovered a creative contest being organized and promoted here by Daniel A. Schwartz's Connecticut Employment Law Blog. The challenge? "Summarize, comment on, or write something pithy" on any Supreme Court case in a single "tweet" on Twitter. Schwartz offers a couple of examples: * Brown v. Bd of Ed: Remember Plessy v. Ferguson? We don't know what we were thinking. Yes, separate schools are inherently unequal #cbftech * What would Law & Order be without its most common phrase "You Have the Right to Remain Silent"? Thank you Miranda v. AZ #cbftech Schwartz says the best Supreme Court-themed tweet will receive a modest prize of some kind, and that many of the top entries will be shared at the upcoming Connecticut Bar Foundation's Technology Symposium. Here are the basic instructions to participate: Your entry must be posted on Twitter. Your entry on Twitter must include the hashtag of #cbftech, so that it can be tracked. You may enter as many times as you'd like. The deadline is midnight of April 2, 2010, and the winner will be announced at the symposium on April 9, 2010. To see what has already been submitted...

With production on director Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” well underway, further details about the film continue to come from surprising sources. While no photographs of the film's costumes have been publicly released thus far, Deborah Ambrosino — one of the costume designers on "Thor" — has spoken out about the look of the film's clothing. In a [...]

Ah yes, this is indeed a wonderful era for learning and networking. There are conferences and webinars coming out our ears, hotspots a-plenty and if you’re lucky, sponsored drinks at the bar.

Our weekly events list is designed to help you plan ahead. And if we’ve missed something, don’t hesitate to add your event to our industry events calendar.

 March Events

April Events

May Events

 

First of all, good news! The Crown corporation in charge of the CN Tower is not impressed by used-car website Vehicle Gateway's "plan" to rename the landmark the "VG Tower" and light it up in eerie green forever. In fact, the Canada Lands Corporation hadn't even heard about the claim until it showed up in headlines. Another warning sign came when Vehicle Gateway representatives refused to discuss the subject when CN Tower staff called them to ask what was up with their so-called bid. Even if the whole thing were a terribly heavy-handed publicity stunt, it paid off, if you believe that no press is bad press. And on an unrelated note, Torontoist is pleased to announce that we have just concluded a $170 trillion, three-thousand-year deal to acquire the naming rights for this very city, effective at the end of this sentence.

The TTC may want to save some time at its March meeting today to discuss the complaints of the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, who say that the five subway stations from Wellesley to King are decrepit holes which reflect badly on all of downtown. The BIA cited dozens of little problems, including missing or burned-out lights, broken benches, leaks, and out-of-date maps of the stations' vicinity, and said that only four of the problems they've identified have been corrected since last May.

At today's meeting, the TTC will also be discussing putting suicide barriers on subway platforms. Eighteen people committed or attempted suicide last year, causing about twenty-three hours of delays. The decade before that saw 150 people kill themselves by jumping onto the tracks. According to TTC Chair Adam Giambrone, the barriers would come at an estimated cost of five hundred million dollars.

In the meanwhile, Giambrone's return to TV could signal the end of his time in public office. By bringing back On the Rocket, the CP24 show where he takes questions while riding around in an out-of-service streetcar, Giambrone is resuming a job he'd have to quit immediately if he registered as a candidate for re-election as the city councillor for Ward 18 (Davenport). Giambrone says he hasn't made up his mind to run or not.

And local author Margaret Atwood is finally getting some attention for her novels The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood. We kid, but actually the international award Atwood has won sounds kind of fun. She and the Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh are co-winners of the Dan David prize, an eccentric program that recognizes achievement in three different fields each year. Its categories are "Past," "Present" (which Atwood won), and "Future," each of which carries a one-million-dollar pot. Atwood and Ghosh will each donate 10% of their share to graduate students in literature, another of the award's conditions.

Look at this picture of teens playing Rock Band on a projection screen at the Pickering Public Library! Following that program's model, the Toronto Public Library is hoping to set up gaming equipment at eight of its branches and acquire a three-hundred-thousand-dollar video game collection to lend out. It's a solid plan: alongside arguments about games boosting problem-solving skills and literacy, there's also a growing body of statistics suggesting that young adults drawn into libraries by video games often end up picking up a book or two while they're in there. You're tricky, TPL, but that's why we love you.

In some circles, it is a well-known and boast-worthy fact that Utah has historically consumed more Jell-O per capita than any other state in the nation. This jiggling, fruity dessert made from horse hooves and artificial flavoring holds a special wobbling place in the heart of every Utahan, native or adopted. The love of Jell-O resonates so deeply that in 2001, when Utah narrowly beat out Iowa in annual Jell-O consumption, state officials elected Jell-O the official state snack and named Bill Cosby an honorary Utah citizen.

When my family relocated to Utah from New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the summer of 1998, we were unaware of the local gelatin affinity. Shiny yellow and blue Jell-O salads sat in our fridge vibrating their friendly "welcome to the neighborhood." We discovered the strange, almost otherworldly suspensions of savory items—shredded carrots, peas, and cubed ham—in gifts of Jell-O molds. And I, just shy of my thirteenth birthday, entered a new semester of junior high and a new culinary terrain.

Home economics was my first class. My teacher, who had an incredible ability to hide and forget multiple pencils in her stiff purple bouffant, stood in front of the class, introduced herself, and with a wide smile began the semester with this question: "Now, how many of your mothers have more than five recipes for Jell-O?" Almost everyone in the class raised their hands. "Now," she said, "tell me, how many of your mothers have more than 10 recipes for Jell-O?" I could hear the soft scrape of rising fabric behind me. Many of my classmates kept their hands high. Her excitement increased. "How many of your mothers have more than 15 recipes for Jell-O?" Her eyes gleamed and her smile widened at the response. "Twenty?" I turned around, and at least six or seven classmates with Jell-O-obsessed mothers beamed back.

Utah food culture, for the most part, can be dubbed Mormon cuisine. The state was settled in 1847 by Brigham Young, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the assassination of founder Joseph Smith, and as the community fled religious persecution it spread into southern Idaho, California, Wyoming, and Nevada, popularly called the "Mormon Corridor" or the "Jell-O Belt." A mix of convenience foods and Southwestern ingenuity, Mormon cuisine is built around feeding dozens of mouths from pantry stores and prudent seasoning. Notably, many iconic Mormon foods are enjoyed throughout the Southwest by Mormons and non-Mormons alike.

Because Utah is the most homogenously religious state in the nation, social life tends to revolve around LDS church functions, church potlucks being the nucleus of Mormon cuisine. Any budding culinary anthropologist can touch down at the Salt Lake City International Airport, shout "Take me to a ward potluck!", and discover the bedrock of Mormon food.

At most social functions, there will be funeral potatoes. Not just for post-burial buffets, the dish is comforting at any social gathering. Calorically astronomical and dense with melted cheese, funeral potatoes are a casserole of shredded cooked frozen potatoes, canned cream of chicken soup, and sour cream, topped with crumbled cornflakes and baked until molten. This food, along with green Jell-O, was immortalized in a set of collectible pins from the 2002 Winter Olympics.

There will also be frog's eye salad, an ambrosial addition to any potluck. This is made from small pasta balls called acini de pepe—Italian for peppercorns (fregola or orzo can be substituted)—that have been cooked, drained, and cooled, then mixed with a tub of whipped topping, canned crushed pineapple, and canned mandarin orange segments.

There might be Hawaiian haystacks, an economical and engaging dish made from a pot of white rice and refrigerator scraps. Boiled chicken, Tuesday's ham, microwaved corn niblets, and shredded lettuce are set out in little bowls. Gravy, fried wontons, and pineapple rings are essential. Guests pile their plates with a heap of rice and add toppings as they please into a loaded stack.

These dishes are composed of ingredients easily found in any Mormon fridge or pantry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Mormon pantry is unique in its depth. The 30-page Essentials of Home Production and Storage booklet published by the LDS church states that a larder should contain up to a year of family sustenance. Both a go-to for quick family meals and a supply of beans, grains, dry milk powder, and canned peaches for surviving a The Road-style apocalypse, the pantry promotes an overall attitude of preparedness and self-sustainability that Mormons hold dear.

Mormon food can sometimes seem like an afterthought—packaged and processed foods cobbled together into bland dishes and stretched to feed piles of kids. One Mormon friend of mine, who grew up in a household of nine, mentioned the functional aspect of meals. "Food was supplied, eaten, and then moved on"; food was sustenance, not sensual pleasure.

But often the cuisine's thrifty use-what's-on-hand creativity is bolstered by bursts of decadent combination. Take fry sauce, the perfect mix of two highly processed and beloved ingredients. Ketchup and mayonnaise combine to surpass the originals: the mix is tangy, with a savory tomato backdrop and the fattiness of aioli. Dragging fries through a coral-pink pooling is a local pastime at any of Utah's great hamburger joints: Iceberg's, Crown Burger, Apollo Burger, Arctic Circle, or Hires Big H, all of which have their own variations.

The pastrami burger is also a nod in this direction. Though California can claim ownership, Utah has taken it and sprinted. Piles of griddled pastrami heaped onto juicy char-broiled hamburgers and slicked with cheese and the all the fixings, they are standard in Utah restaurants. As is the Utah scone, similar to the crumbly currant-studded pastries of New England only in name. A Utah scone is a mass of soft chewy dough deep-fried until golden and puffy as a seat cushion. Its roots lie in Native American fry bread, a dish conjured out of government issued rations of lard, flour, and salt. These fried disks are often the foundation for a mess of chili, beans, and melted cheese, but they are even better served sweet. Honey butter, another Beehive-State icon, is slathered on for full effect.

Since the Book of Mormon prohibits consumption of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and drugs, one might begin to suspect that Jell-O, cheesy casseroles, meat-topped burgers, and ice cream sundaes—Brigham Young University has five locations of its own ice cream shop to supply its students—are the allowed opiates of the community. This is not to say there is no asceticism. A 24-hour monthly fast is recommended.

Donald Lambro has the top story at Human Events.

Anyone who thinks the battle against Obamacare is over does not understand the depth of the opposition to this massive government expansion and the forces of freedom that will be challenging its despotic provisions.

President Obama and the Democrats narrowly won a majority for a bill that will explode federal spending and debt, drive consumer medical care costs through the roof, and lead to healthcare rationing.

But there is yet another vote to come on this bill in November when Obamacare will be the paramount political battleground in the midterm elections that will likely lead to the defeat of at least 30 House Democrats, and possibly more, and easily half a dozen Senate Democrats–effectively  killing Obama’s agenda for the remainder of his term.

But that’s only a part of the political, legal and institutional forces arrayed against the bill’s many anti-choice healthcare mandates and new taxes that Democrats sent to Obama late Sunday night.

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The DEMOspring10 conference ended today after three balmy days in Palm Desert, Calif. A total of 65 companies competed for the $1 million prize that was awarded tonight to eXaudios, which created call center software that could detect the emotional state of a caller based on the sound of the caller’s voice. But the conference wasn’t just about a Darwinian contest. Here’s a photo gallery that shows off some of the best sights and scenes of the event. The opening photo above captures Matt Marshall, chief executive and editor in chief of VentureBeat, as he greeted the crowd on Monday morning on the big stage.

The opening night reception on Sunday was a great chance for entrepreneurs, journalists, investors, and other attendees to mingle at big bar in the center of the Desert Springs hotel.

Joshua Kerr of ABJK NewCo shattered the morning bliss as the first presenter at the conference. As he introduced the company’s Zosh platform for digital signatures, he made a point by noting that the fax machine would finally be put to rest.

Our fearless leader introduced the conference with a talk about disruption and the constant change of the tech industry. Matt Marshall was very serious, and he was thus a very poor substitute for Chris Shipley, who always made it a point to dance her way onto the stage. Just kidding. Matt showed his passion for entrepreneurship, and his compassion for entrepreneurs.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a real DEMO without Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg (right), caught chatting with Michael Miller, former editor of PC Magazine (current columnist) and now senior vice president for technology strategy at Ziff Brothers Investments. (I think they must be obsessing about Steve Jobs).

For a half hour of our pitiful existence, VentureBeat assistant editor Anthony Ha and I were able to work with our laptops at one of a number of swimming pools at the fine resort and spa. We were certainly better off than all of those poor slobs who were stuck inside the hotel conference room, but I am certain that the people swimming at the pool thought we were pathetic.

DEMO presenters will do anything to get attention. First the guy hit the fax machine with a baseball bat, and then Sol Tzvi, chief executive of Genieo, locked herself up in handcuffs. She blasted Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others and noted how users needed to be liberated from locked content.

Bruce D’Ambrosio talked about his Digital Scirocco Marketplace — a content monetization market — by describing the web page of his cat Punky. That prompted Rafe Needleman of Cnet to sent the tweet: “Ok, rule #1 for #Demo presenters: No pictures of your cat!” But in the cab ride to the airport, D’Ambrosio said that, love it or hate it, Punky got his company a ton of attention.

Have you ever seen so much raw media power in one place? The journalists attending DEMO can make or break companies, like Simon Cowell dissing singers on American Idol. Here, one crew of the powerful influencers dines at Guillermo’s restaurant.

Matt Marshall led a bunch of discussions with expert panels about the various industry segments where the startups participated. Here he discusses the market for consumer technology with Chi-Hua Chien at Kleiner Perkins, Robert Davis at Highland Capital Partners, Michael Jones of Google, and Phil Sanderson of IDG Ventures.
The DEMO pit was a great place to get up-close-and personal with all of the presenters. Here, Parag Sheth, founder of Hillcrest Labs, shows off the Kylo TV web browser and a navigation wheel you can use to quickly browse through web sites on your TV set, withou a mouse or a remote control.

You have to got to love the hardware guys who show up at DEMO with a weird contraption. Here, Greg Nygaad of Li’l Magic shows off a system that can be used to optically recognize all of the loose hardware parts — such as chrome or stainless steel screws that have different prices — that are tough for hardware stores to price and process at the cash register.
Jermaine Kelly, chief executive of Immitter, was one of the Alpha Pitch presenters. These folks were earlier stage companies that had to describe their companies in just 90 seconds. Kelly talked about how Immitter helped indie music fans and artists discover each other by combining features of Pandora, user-generated content on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Alon Geron had one of the brightest ideas at DEMO. His company, Invested.in, allows you to leverage your social networks to raise capital for any reason. Geron took the opportunity to start a fundraising campaign that would pay for the cost of his trip to the conference.
Hilary DeCesare, chief executive of Everloop, described her tween social network as “Facebook for kids.” Naturally, when a Facebook guy spoke on a panel, DeCesare took advantage of the networking opportunity to start a discussion with the mother of all social networks.
Mark Gartland (a former colleague from my Red Herring days) teamed up with Claudia Ward to create MiniMash. The startup’s aim is to make video creation easy and viral. Somehow I think a video of me is out there on the web.
Julie Ruvolo, chief executive of Solvate and a former VentureBeat writer, talked about her business of matching independent contractors with tasks that people want done. She says getting gigs for short-term projects is emblematic of the modern way of doing work. Solvate automates the task of finding talent — a needle in a haystack — for those who need something done.

There were so many living room TV webification companies at DEMO that the poor stage hand who had to wheel the flat-panel TV out should have just left it there. Here’s the leaders of ViaClix talking about how they solve the problem of presenting users with the choice of a ton of videos from the web.

The desert night descends on the DEMO sign.
DEMO evenings were for networking dinners. Here’s VentureBeat Publisher Andie Rhyins enjoying a “No don’t take my picture” laugh at Morton’s steak house.

Some of the attendees had to let off steam during the karaoke party. This unknown person had to be escorted back to his room.

Tara Sims of SiliconPR did a fine job representing her client InVisage Technologies at the karaoke night event at the Costas Night Club. Here she is belting out Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” Unfortunately, she came in second place, and was beaten out by the great (Mustaaangg Salllaaayyy) Derrick Mains, chief executive of GreenNurture. Sims was prepared to file an official protest, since Mains was a member of a real band and really belong on the real American Idol.

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Did Volcanoes Help Dinosaurs Ascend to Power? RedOrbit Comprising the research team were Jessica H. Whiteside of the Brown University Department of Geological Sciences; Paul E. Olsenand Raymond N. Sambrotto of ... How Dinosaurs Rose to ProminenceScience Daily (press release) all 46 news articles »

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Sant Ambroeus in the West Village is hiring for the upcoming outdoor season.

We are hiring motivated and experienced staff with the following attributes:

- At least 2 years of fine dining experience
- Strong Italian culinary & wine knoledge preferred
-Team players
-Schedule flexibility
-Positive and friendly attitude with strong verbal communication skills
-Proficient in Aloha POS and Open Table

the following positions are available:
-Server
-Bartender
-Food Busser
-Host/Hostess

Please send your resume to axel.meier@santambroeus.com.

We will also hold open interviews Wednesday March 24 and Thursday March 25 from 3pm to 5 pm at Sant Ambroeus 259 W 4th Street.

We are an equal opportunity employer

Yes, we're five races into the season. Yes, it's not even April yet. But this is NASCAR, where hundredths of a mile per hour -- the speed of a tennis ball rolling across the ground -- separate those who race on Sunday from those who go home early. So we're used to minuscule measurements. And by that standard, it's not too early for several drivers to start getting very, very nervous.

Marcos Ambrose (31st in points): Ambrose had one of the best cars in Sunday's Bristol race, but got caught up in the Mark Martin-Greg Biffle wreck and his day was done. Ambrose is one of the brighter young drivers in NASCAR, but has he buried himself too far in the standings to make a run? On the plus side, he's got a hell of an inventive crew, as you can see above.

Ryan Newman (26th): Newman has gotten himself off the top-35 bubble, but he's still got a long way to go to get into the Chase. Still, he's one of the best qualifiers in the sport, and as the weather warms he ought to be starting at the front of the pack.

David Reutimann (24th): The Franchise was one race away from making a Chase run last year, but so far this year he hasn't followed through on the momentum. Two DNFs in five races will do that to you.

Kasey Kahne (23rd): Everything was supposed to change when Richard Petty Motorsports switched to Fords. And it did -- in the wrong direction. Kahne has gone from the Chase to irrelevant this year, and it couldn't come at a worse possible time for him in the midst of a contract year.

Juan Pablo Montoya (22nd): What the heck happened here? Montoya was actually challenging for the championship early in last year's Chase, and he's buried deep in the field now. He's been the victim of wrecks, but he also brings one of the better cars to the track week in and week out. Of all the guys on this list, he's the most likely to get into the top 12 by June.

Denny Hamlin (19th): How bad is that wrecked knee affecting him? It can't possibly be a lot of fun trying to drive on that on short tracks. Mr. Next-to-challenge-Jimmie is mired in double-digits, and his inconsistency week to week could make it tough to charge forward.

Your turn. Who among these guys is most likely to jump up? Who are your unfortunate surprises of the year?

At Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had gotten to the top 10 and had put himself in position to possibly challenge for the win, but a trip down pit road, and a resulting speeding penalty, changed everything.

 

It put him back to 15th and resulted in one of the most publicized radio rants from Earnhardt, Jr. with crew chief Lance McGrew.

 

 

Lance McGrew: Hey, we sped on the segment coming into the pit box. It was just like a tick. Like 0.06 mph or something like that. Like you gassed it up a bit as you turned off the wall into the pit box and the start-finish line is the speed line so if you gas up any before that you're going to speed.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Not picking on my teammate, but Mark gassed the [expletive] out of his car towards his box. So if they want to correctly gauge the pit-road speed they need to get the [expletive] kind of system that can [expletive] do it for every car on the track, not just depending on what stall you’re in. Because it’s [expletive] me. It probably did the same thing to the 47 [of Marcos Ambrose]. Everybody behind us before that [expletive] timing line can do all the [expletive] they want getting into their stall. It’s [expletive] [expletive]. It’s two-thousand-and-[expletive]-10.

 

Lance: 10-4 but all we can do is when leaving the box, you know what I'm saying? We can gas it up on the exit but he can gas it up getting in as his box is on the line so he can't leave hard like you can.

 

Dale Jr.: I can't leave hard. I can't get over 5000 and make a gain before the first box. There ain't enough room. I'm telling you right now.

 

Lance: You passed two cars today doing it. I watched you.

 

Dale Jr.: Well, anyhow. To get busted at Bristol for [expletive] speeding by what-the-[expletive]-ever it was and when I didn't [expletive] gain nothing on nobody, it's not the way it should be. There should be a different way of doing it. You bust your [expletive] to get up there. Now they can't be [expletive] [expletive] about every [expletive] little nitpickin' [expletive] thing. We're out here racing our [expletive] off.

 

Lance: I gotcha bud, I gotcha bud. Look, we're back up to 15th position. Calm down, take a couple deep breaths and everything is going to be fine.

 

 

This was then followed by another exchange that included heat of its own. Earnhardt Jr. told Lance on the radio that the car was pushing, in which McGrew responded, “Don't lay down on me, bud.”

 

Earnhardt Jr. then laid into McGrew saying, “I can't lay down here. This is Bristol. I don't ever [expletive] lay down. Don't ever say that again on the radio. Don't need the whole world hearing that."

 

The day turned out to be a good day for the No. 88 team, as they finished in seventh and gained five points in the standings, to move up to eighth.

 

“Typical 2009 would have been, we had that penalty, we would have finished 31st and we could have never made our way back through the field,” McGrew said after the race. “Seventh is not exactly what we were hoping for today. But it’s good enough to put us in the top eight in points.”

 

McGrew also added that sometimes you have to let the emotions flow.

 

“You’ve got to let him vent,” McGrew said. “I kind of snapped at him a little bit and got him a little riled…I shouldn’t have snapped at him like that. But it’s just one of those things where he’s got to be on the wheel the whole time and I’ve got to do what I can do to keep him motivated and keep him pumped up.

 

“If that makes him a little mad sometimes, then you’ve got to do it.”

 

Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t available for immediate comment after the race, but prior to the Charlotte Motor Speedway spoiler test, he shared his opinion.

 

“Everybody goes through that,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I think that in the heat of the moment, you’re going to get [angry] and you’re going to fire off some shots and I was really, really mad about that damn speeding penalty, and I needed to say some [stuff] to get calmed down a little bit because I was so [angry].

 

“Running my mouth, that’s my pop-off valve. It gives me a little bit of relief so I could get back to what I was doing. It’s however anyone really interprets it. Lance handled it pretty good. I was at no point mad at him. We haven’t really gotten into it since we started working together over anything. We’ve got a pretty good balance between our personalities to keep us from doing that.

 

“You’re going to have days where you get a little hot on the radio and I haven’t really been hot on the radio in a long, long time. And we ain’t run worth a [crap] in a while, either. There ain’t been no reason to … complain when you’re running like [crap].

 

“So when we’re running pretty good and you can almost reach that top five or see yourself almost in a position to get a win and it gets snapped away from you that quick, man, it’s hard to bite your tongue. It’s hard to sit there and just take it and not show any emotion.”

 

Some drivers pound the dashboard or take out their anger by driving the car harder, but for Earnhardt, he says he has to let it loose by telling somebody.

 

"I had to cuss my ass off just to calm down," he said. "I personally can't get back to what I'm doing just by sitting there and cussing by myself or punching the dash or whatever these other drivers do. I can't get calmed back down.

"I have to tell somebody. I have to know somebody's hearing my side of it, you know what I mean? And then I'm like, ‘Alright, I'm alright. Back to work.'" 

In regards to the "don't lay down on me" comment, he said that it's a touchy subject to him.

 

"He was like, ‘Don't lay down on me,' and that pisses me off, because that's a little touchy subject with me," Earnhardt Jr. said, patting his chest. "People have always been giving me [expletive] about my motivation—all my career. Whether I'm not focused enough, whether I've got the desire, the passion, all that stuff.

 

"Anytime anybody sort of touches on that type of [crap], it pisses me off. Plus I wasn't in a good mood at the time."

 

He then added that it's not rare to see a driver and crew chief to fire back at each other on some topics.

 

He was then asked if he’d speak to NASCAR about changing the rules, but he saw no point in that.

 

“There’s no point in asking,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They ain’t going to do nothing about it. They like how they’ve got it and that’s the way it’s going to be…It [angers] you when that happens to you. This is the [freaking] real deal.

 

“We’re out there racing our [butts] off, I’m busting my [butt] to get in the top five, and now it’s gone like that, as soon as I got there. I was [angry]. I probably overreacted but there is an underlying story to the issue.”

 

He then added that with the current system, it's hard for drivers also to gauge the correct RPM.

 

"They say ‘Pace car is at pit road speed, get your [freaking] tach,'" he said. "Well, I can't get it, it's all over the place. Cars are going and weaving and [crap] before the race starts. At Bristol? It's a [freaking] short track.

"My [RPM calculation] was 5100. So I'm running 5000 down pit road all day long and I was OK until I gassed it to go to my stall like everyone else does, but I shouldn't have done it, because I know that I passed the timing line." 

Team owner Rick Hendrick says he’s happy overall with the pair and the results through it all.

 

"They've worked really hard," Hendrick said. "Lance and Dale have great chemistry. I think if you listen to them on the radio, they're working well together.

 

"Dale had a great car. He would have been in the top five or had a real shot at it himself had he been able not to have that speeding penalty."

 

The No. 88 team looks to carry their momentum on to Martinsville this coming weekend, where both Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports have had past success.

During the general election campaign of 2008, Barack Obama talked a very moderate game -- even a conservative game. This was especially true in the debates versus McCain. He sounded like, oh, David Boren, or Sam Nunn. At times, he sounded like Richard Lugar, the Republican, whom he cited favorably. He mocked the idea that he was some wild-eyed radical out to socialize the country.

But on the eve of the election, with his big victory in sight, Obama let his hair down a little. He said, “We are going to fundamentally transform the United States of America.” Granted, every candidate indulges in high-flown rhetoric. But Obama seems to have meant it, don’t you think?

With the nationalization of health care, we might ask the flummoxed and shocked, “What part of ‘fundamentally transform’ didn’t you understand?”

He also let his hair down with Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber. Candidate Obama said, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

Again, we might ask, “What part of ‘spread the wealth around’ didn’t you understand?”

The cold truth is, if you’re going to elect socialists, you should expect socialism. Now, everyone gets all “wee-weed up,” as the president says, when you say “socialist” or “socialism.” We Americans have the weirdest political nomenclature in the world. We are a country where socialists, collectivists, and leftists are routinely called liberal, and free-market types are routinely called conservative, right-wing, or worse.

Ever since I first began to peep classical-liberal views, in college, I have been called a fascist. You?

In France, the establishment scorns the entrepreneurially minded as “neo-liberal,” and Americans are confused. When John Howard was in office, our mainstream media had to attack that right-wing, Bush-supporting, war-mongering prime minister of Australia: leader of the Liberal party, of course.

If Obama and Pelosi were politicians in France -- holding the same views they have now -- would they belong to the Socialists? Same question for Italy: Would they belong to the Socialists? How about Germany? SDP, right? And so on. To say it once more, America is a weird place. Foes of free-trade pacts, such as NAFTA, are called “liberal.” When Angela Davis was vice-presidential nominee of the Communist party, she was called “ultra-liberal” -- National Review had a field day with that.

I wish that Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont belonged to the Socialist party. (Instead, he runs as an “independent” and “caucuses” with the Democrats.) That would be refreshingly honest.

The Democrats’ economic thinking -- and other thinking -- did not begin with the inauguration of Obama. Almost ten years ago, I interviewed Phil Gramm, the economist-politician who had just announced his retirement from the Senate. He said that of course the Democratic party was socialist, “if by ‘socialist’ you mean the redistribution of wealth, more decisions made by the central government -- no question about it. My grandmother thought of the Democrats as the party of the people. What they are is the party of government.”

But for most contemporary “liberals,” the people are the government, and the government is the people -- no difference, really. (And, frankly, you could make a case.)

It has long been the dream of contemporary liberal Democrats to make the United States more like Scandinavia, more like Europe in general. They have long been embarrassed by American “exceptionalism.” I think in particular of the kids -- the American kids -- I studied abroad with. Every American difference made them cringe. They are the ones who slapped the Canadian maple leaf on their backpacks. And now people much like them are in control of the American government, or most of it.

Pelosi & Co. kept calling Sunday’s vote and achievement “historic.” They were quite right. This is a milestone on the way to American Europeanization, or de-exceptionalization.

And how did this happen? Who is responsible for this development? The American people, of course -- the American electorate. Obama, Pelosi, Sanders, and the rest didn’t shoot their way into office: They were put there, fair and square, by voters. In a democracy, you really can’t complain about what you have -- that is, if you get your way at the polls.

To be continued, of course . . . Isn’t it nice that, in American politics, nothing is ever final? Or is a federal program, indeed, forever? In the Reagan years, we used to talk about a “domestic Brezhnev Doctrine.” In world affairs, the Brezhnev Doctrine meant that, what was Communist, was Communist forever: no “rollback” (or repeal, if you like). The domestic Brezhnev Doctrine meant: Once the Democrats put something in -- the TVA or whatever -- it was forever, no rolling back.

Well, as I said, to be continued . . .

Received an e-mail from Cambridge, Mass. Our reader said, “During intermission at a school play, the health-care vote was announced. The audience stood and cheered.” Why, you bet. But surely there were some Scott Brown voters in that auditorium, right? They could not all have been Coakleyites and Obamites, I imagine. No? (Amazing how historic -- how distant -- that name Coakley now sounds. At least to me.)

Received an e-mail from Oxford, England:

Jay,

 

I’m English, and have been watching all this [the health-care legislation] unfold with horror. I think I have realised why I care so much. As a libertarian I have spent my life hoping that Britain will follow America’s example and move closer to her values. Today, the opposite seems to be happening. Is it possible that the United States is joining the old guard, and that the idea of America representing the future was just a chimera, or at best a temporary phenomenon? If America as it was intended falls, then which country will represent my ideal? Pretty terrifying stuff.

Perhaps they could reelect Howard in Australia?



I noticed a quotation from Carly Fiorina at the California Republican convention: “Conservatives, independents, moderates, Republicans, Democrats, tea partiers, libertarians -- all of us now belong to one party: the Had Enough party.” That reminded me of maybe the neatest, pithiest political slogan of all time -- the Republicans’ slogan in the midterm elections of 1946, after some 14 years of Democratic, New Deal rule: “Had Enough?”

You could have fit that on a very small button -- and they did!

Back to England for a moment (we had that letter from Oxford): I was in London recently, and read the papers there with interest. Like you, perhaps -- if you’re a Reaganite -- I am not too excited about the prime ministership of David Cameron. And he may not win: It would not be shocking to see Gordon Brown returned to power. But if Cameron does get in, just about the best thing about his government will be that Michael Gove will be education secretary (more or less). Will be Britain’s Bill Bennett.

Gove is a figure well-known to readers of National Review and of this column. When he was first elected to Parliament, I did a piece on him for NR: for here was a writer -- a superb right-of-center journalist -- who had stood for office and won. Not content merely to scribble, he was “in the arena,” to borrow TR’s words.

In early March, Gove said this to the Times: “I’m an unashamed traditionalist when it comes to the curriculum. Most parents would rather their children had a traditional education, with children sitting in rows, learning the kings and queens of England, the great works of literature, proper mental arithmetic, algebra by the age of 11, modern foreign languages. That’s the best training of the mind and that’s how children will be able to compete.”

I will quote from the Times article:

History should be taught “in order -- it’s a narrative,” Mr Gove said. Lessons should celebrate rather than denigrate Britain’s role through the ages, including the Empire. “Guilt about Britain’s past is misplaced.”

 

English classes would put more emphasis on the classics, with children encouraged to learn poetry by heart. “A lot of the ‘great tradition’ is locked in a cupboard marked ‘too difficult’ and that’s quite wrong.”

Say what you will about a Cameron prime ministership, which would probably be so wet, it would be soaking: Michael Gove as education czar would be thrilling.

I’ll have more about him and his plans later . . .

Here is a little family news, so to speak: Our senior editor David Pryce-Jones, a famous writer, is the son of a famous writer, Alan Pryce-Jones, who was editor of the Times Literary Supplement. Both of them have authored a million books. David’s daughter Jessica Pryce-Jones has just published Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success. Jess, as she is known, is a big-time expert in this field of happiness (and unhappiness) at work. She is based in Oxford and is married to the BBC correspondent David Shukman. She is the first in her Pryce-Jones generation to publish a book. They are all brilliant (natch), whether they publish books or not.

The next generation will almost surely author books. There are nine children in that group, with a tenth due any day now, I believe, and the oldest of those children is in his first year at Cambridge. He is studying hard sciences -- chemistry and the like -- but he has a serious literary bent, and a political one as well. I would not fall over dead if he became prime minister. And if that is the case, let us hope he is Pryce-Jonesian in his politics, as well as in other respects. But even if he were Labour -- he would be laudable Labour, I’ve no doubt.

John Gross is a Londoner, and as erudite and judicious a writer as you’ll ever encounter. He has an anthology of parodies -- an anthology he has edited -- coming out soon. In the meantime, enjoy, as I did, his piece in the current Commentary, “Denying Shakespeare.” (Subscription required.) This is a piece on the “anti-Stratfordians,” which is to say, those who do not believe that Shakespeare was Shakespeare: who believe that the plays and poems were written by somebody else, or even a team of non-Shakespeares. Over the decades -- centuries -- we have had the Baconians, the Oxfordians, and others. Some eminent folk have succumbed to anti-Stratfordian superstition, including Mark Twain.

I remember a point someone made long ago about Oxford -- about Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford: We have poetry by him -- poetry indisputably by him. It is good poetry. Certainly I wish I had written it. But it’s not Shakespeare, by a long shot.

Another Shakespeare tidbit, sort of? I think NR junkies will particularly like this: I recently reviewed a revival of Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet at the Metropolitan Opera. But that’s not what NR junkies will like (in all probability): I’m talking about this: Some years ago, I took a “Christmas sail” with the Buckleys, Bill and Pat. This was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. One of the crew members was a very dignified man, about 40, named Hamlet. He remains the only Hamlet I have ever met. Pat Buckley had an observation about how he pronounced his name -- something like “Omelet.” “Hamlet” is a very hard name to wear, I would think, but this gentleman wore it well.

I have never met an Othello, a Shylock, or a Timon. Have known a few Lears, and one Titus.



The other night in a concert hall, I heard a dog not barking -- and I will explain. Before the Bolshevik Revolution, the theater in St. Petersburg was known as the Mariinsky Theatre: a home for ballet and opera, in particular. After the revolution, “Mariinsky” went by the wayside: and the theater became known as the State Academic Theatre. A little later, the name “Leningrad” was added (the “Leningrad State Academic Theatre”). In 1935, the joint became known as the Kirov, and, for the next many decades, that name went all around the world.

Sergei Kirov, as you recall, was the brutal Bolshevik who, in grand Soviet tradition, was killed by other brutal Bolsheviks. They all deserved each other, richly.

At the end of 1991, the Soviet Union went bye-bye, and the theater in St. Petersburg reclaimed its old name: Mariinsky. (For that matter, St. Petersburg reclaimed its old name, too.) However: The opera, ballet, and orchestra continued to travel in the West under the name Kirov -- because Westerners had grown used to that name. Understandably, the relevant authorities were reluctant to harm their brand.

Whenever I would review the orchestra, for example, I would get a few angry letters -- mainly from Russian émigrés. They would say, “Stop using that name, ‘Kirov’! The orchestra is the Mariinsky now. Don’t you know who Kirov was? Don’t you know anything?” I would reply, “Look, babe, ‘Kirov’ is what it says on the program, and as long as they perform under that name, in a concert I am reviewing, I will duly write that name. I can’t be more Catholic than the pope. When they change, I will change. If you got a beef -- write to St. Petersburg.” Some of them would reply, “Well, it’s people like you who force such change: who educate the public and bestir institutions.” And they had a bit of a point.

A few years ago in Salzburg, I did a public interview of Valery Gergiev, the famous conductor who is the head of the Mariinsky Theatre. I asked him about the issue of the name. He said that the theater would get around to removing the name “Kirov,” even for the purposes of Western travel. He also maintained that Sergei Kirov was (in brief) a kinder, gentler sort of Bolshevik -- more enlightened, not as cruel as others. I held my peace, at least right there on the spot. I wasn’t there to argue, I was there to pose questions of interest.

At some point, the authorities -- Gergiev & Co. -- took an intermediate step, a transitional step: billing the orchestra, for example, as the “Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre.” The “Kirov Opera of the Mariinsky Theatre.” And so on. Well, the other night, I heard the dog not barking: I looked down at my program, and I saw, plain and simple, “Mariinsky Orchestra” -- no “Kirov” at all. So, almost 20 years on, the transition is complete. “Kirov” is out of the picture altogether. Both the name and the man have been consigned to the ash heap of history, never to rise again, I hope.

But there is one more matter -- a tiny matter, concerning transliteration. I have a friend who is a former ballerina, a conservative, and a woman of impeccable taste. She says she likes the old, tried-and-true transliteration: “Maryinsky.” She says the new one, with those two i’s, looks weird and wrong. Something for another day . . .

People have said, “Talk about Tiger at the Masters.” I would like to talk, instead, about Nicklaus at the Masters. He is going to be an “honorary starter” -- that means, he will hit a ceremonial drive on the first tee, then retire to the clubhouse. Snead and Nelson used to do that, too. And Arnold Palmer will do it along with Jack.

I must say, when I read the news about Jack, I winced -- I almost took it personally. And I was a little mad at him. Why was he doing this? Why was he abasing himself? Isn’t the ceremonial job a little beneath this great champion? Of course, those who idolized Snead and Nelson probably thought the same thing, when those two started to hit the honorary shots. And you might say that what Jack is doing takes a great deal of humility -- and is to be applauded.

I will keep thinking about it.

One word about Tiger? Anything can happen at this year’s Masters with him -- anything. He can miss the cut. By a lot. And he can win. And everything in between.

Take a letter from Beaumont, Texas (and does Beaumont have a beautiful mountain, as the name implies?): “Mr. Nordlinger -- I know you like unusual names, so I thought I’d pass this one along: Boogie Anagnostou. He’s a pitcher on the Rice Owls baseball team in Houston.”

Excellent.

The nickname of the Rice teams reminds me of something -- I just read it. You may remember the name Emily Greene Balch. She was once quite famous: an American intellectual, social reformer, and pacifist. She won the Nobel Peace Prize, half of it, in 1946. She was an unfortunate bolshie, but she was brilliant, and admirable in many ways. She lived and worked to a grand old age -- mid-nineties. She said, “My grandfather used to say that an old woman was as tough as a boiled owl.”

What a great expression. EGB, by the way, was born in 1867, which gives you an idea of when her grandfather was born.

Care for a little language? In conversation the other day, Paul Johnson used the word “fazed”: So-and-so was “fazed” by something. It occurred to me that, much more commonly, the word “unfazed” is used -- sort of like “couth” and “uncouth.” You often hear that something, or someone, is uncouth, rarely that something, or someone, is couth. You know?

Finally, a fine expression -- another one. In a column last week, I mentioned that NR’s current publisher, Jack Fowler, and his immediate predecessor, Ed Capano, are both half Irish and half Italian -- a “blessed ancestral combination,” I said. A reader writes, “I believe that, in New York, this is known as ‘Gaelic/Garlic.’”

Have a great one.

 

 

---

Marc at the Vuitton show.

"I don’t find clothes sexy at all," Marc Jacobs said last night in a talk with the deputy director of the Museum at F.I.T., Patricia Mears, as part of the French Institute Alliance Française Fashion Talks Series. "I find people sexy, and I find personalities fascinating and sexy and appealing and charming. So a sexy girl wrapped in a sheet is a sexy girl, and an un-sexy girl in a low-cut dress is still an un-sexy girl." That thinking surely influenced the famous casting for his fall 2010 Louis Vuitton show, for which he chose voluptuous, recognizable models instead of the typical super-skinny teenage girls.

Jacobs explained that he hadn’t been attempting to make any statements about age or body type. “I believe that these iconic, larger-than-life women are very Vuitton-like. I was saying earlier that I believe that a Vuitton woman has luster and more of an edge to her, and this season we talked about it and we decided the criteria was, they have to be available on the day of the show and they have to be gorgeous," he explained. "So we just kept throwing out names … I suggested Elle Macpherson and Laetitia Casta, and [my stylist Katie Grand] suggested Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima." Jacobs didn't get everyone he wanted. "There were plenty of other girls who we wanted to work with who weren’t available. We wanted Daria [Werbowy], but she was booked for a shoot, and Isabeli [Fontana] but she was booked for a shoot."

He continued: "Even if you had no idea about fashion and had never looked at fashion, you would say, ‘Wow, look how beautiful those women look.’” He knows he succeeded, because straight guys told him so. “I did receive e-mails from people’s brothers who were like" — here he faked a deep, dopey voice — "‘I don’t know anything about fashion, but that was a gorgeous show.’ Which was really what we wanted to do.”

During the audience Q&A;, a prepubescent boy no older than 12 commandeered the microphone. “When you have so many different ideas coming at you, and sometimes none at all, how do you not want to just throw in the towel sometimes?” he stuttered. “It happens all the time!” Jacobs assured him. “Every single season, I say the same thing, I say, ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do this time.’ I am like a broken record … My shrink hears it every week.”

Another audience member asked if Jacobs stresses over his outfit in the morning. "I really think that whole moment of taking care of yourself and showering and putting on lotions — for women, it’s really great, with the whole makeup thing — and then choosing an outfit, I don’t know, I just think it’s such a glorious and beautiful process," he said. "I used to be the type of person who would be in and out of the bathroom in five minutes, and now it takes me two hours. Nobody understands what I’m doing in there. I emerge wearing the exact same thing I wear every day. But, what are you going to do?"

A young woman asked Jacobs if he prefers boxers or briefs. “Briefs,” answered Jacobs, unfazed. The woman was delighted, and added, “My mother wants me to say that she buys Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton.” There was thunderous applause.

Related: Curvy, Adult, Diverse Models Walk Louis Vuitton

Read more posts by Charlotte Cowles

Filed Under: on the marc, adriana lima, alessandra ambrosio, daria werbowy, designers, elle macpherson, fall 2010, isabeli fontana, katie grand, laetitia casta, louis vuitton, marc jacobs, models, paris fashion week

The Red Auerbach Award is given annually to the nation's top Jewish college coach, as voted on by the members of the Jewish Coaches Association.

Look of the Day, March 23, 2010, originally uploaded by Grazia Horwitz.

A quick and comfortable look for today. I wanted spring, and laid back, but also SLink’s awesome new Tiger heels (Lychee), just because my pixel feet never hurt anyway . Maitreya’s BF jeans (including belt) is great for any casual look. I’ve had it for ages, but I keep going back to it, so in my opinion, it’s a classic! The salmon top is from Dutch Touch (lingerie section) and the flower bolero is from Feather. I bought it at Clothing Fair, but I think this will be available in their shop now.

My skin is Gwen spring, from Dutch Touch, in cream. Hair is the latest release from Lamb!, Ambrosia, in powder and the hair flowers are from UME mode.

SLurls can be found here.

Filed under: Dutch Touch, Feather, LOTD, Maitreya, MV-SL-Fashion, Slink, Ume

Madrid.- La presentadora Pilar Rubio, las actrices Amaia Salmanca y Elsa Pataky y la cantante Edurne son las cuatro españolas que encabezan la lista de las cincuenta chicas más sexys del mundo, según publica hoy la revista DT.

Prestigiosa lista que encabeza Megan Fox gracias a su belleza y a ese halo de chica rebelde y trasgresora que la envuelve. El número dos es para la brasileña Adriana Lima, modelo que por sus poderosas y sensuales curvas es además una de las mujeres más deseadas del mundo.

Tras ella, Pilar Rubio, actual presentadora de "Más que baile", y las actrices Amaia Salamanca, protagonista de "Sin tetas no hay paraíso", y Elsa Pataky, que acaba de rodar "D.D. Hollywood" a las órdenes del cineasta Bigas Luna.

La cantante Edurne, que ahora triunfa en un programa de televisión gracias a sus cualidades como bailarina, ostenta el lugar número siete de la lista, confeccionada con más de 50.000 votos de los lectores y usuarios de DT y DTlux.com.

La exuberante Scarlett Johansson ocupa el noveno puesto, mientras que las modelos brasileñas Alessandra Ambrosio y Ana Beatriz Barros ostentan el sexto y el octavo lugar respectivamente.

A la maniquí israelí Bar Rafaeli, de sonrisa irresistible, mirada arrolladora y medidas perfectamente distribuidas en sus 175 centímetros, la sitúan en la décima posición.

Como en ediciones anteriores, no podían faltar en esta famosa lista la belleza de las españolas Paz Vega (15), Patricia Conde (17), Penélope Cruz (20) y Carolina Cerezuela (24). Junto a ellas aparecen, por vez primera, las periodistas Sara Carbonero (12) y Beatriz Montanchez (14).

Entre las latinas destacan el porte sexy y sensual de Jessica Alba (27) y Eva Longoria (30). Heidi Klum y Angelina Jolie también dominan los códigos sexys y ocupan los puestos 43 y 48 respectivamente.

El porte excéntrico de Lady Gaga también se premia y sirve para cerrar la lista.

Nearly two years after their release of We Want In: The Street LP, Outlawz are resurfacing today to put out five albums. Today also marks HipHopDX’s world premier of Dashah of Fresh Vetz’s latest free album, entitled Rap Burglar 3: The Final Apprentice.

Murs & 9th Wonder's Fornever and Masta Killa's Live both pushed back to April, as Stat Quo's Statlanta moved from May to June.

The following is the upcoming release schedule:



March 23
Brotha Lynch Hung Dinner And A Movie
Donwill (of Tanya Morgan) Don Cusack In High Fidelity
EDI Don (of Outlawz) The Stash Spot  
Guce (of Bullys Wit Fullys) & Matt Blaque A Gangsta & A Gentleman
Haji Springer Slumdog Thizzionaire
Inspectah Deck (of Wu-Tang Clan) Manifesto
J-Kwon J-Kwon
Madlib Madlib Medicine Show No. 3: Beat Konducta In Africa
Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx The eXXecution
Mary J. Blige Stronger withEach Tear (U.K. Edition)
Moka Only (as Ron Contour) & Factor Saffron
Monica Still Standing
Outasight Further EP
Outlawz Lost Songs Volume One
Outlawz Lost Songs Volume Two
Outlawz Lost Songs Volume Three
Sadat X (of Brand Nubian) Wild Cowboys II
Snoop Dogg More Malice
TQ Kind Of Blue
X-Raided The Unforgiven 2.5: Assisted Suicide (Collector’s Edition)
Young Noble (of Outlawz) Noble Justice: The Lost Songs

March 30
Amp Live (of Zion I) Murder At The Discotech
Army Of The Pharaohs The Unholy Terror
E-40 Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift
E-40 Revenue Retrievin’: Night Shift
Erykah Badu New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh
Messy Marv Project Suppastarr
Meth-Ghost-Rae (of Wu-Tang Clan) Wu-Massacre
Mulatu Astatke Mulatu Steps Ahead
Tech N9ne The Lost Scripts Of K.O.D.
Usher Raymond V. Raymond
Wordsmith Vintage Experience

April 6
Chief Kamachi The Clock Of Destiny
Declaime (a/k/a Dudley Perkins) Fame
Diabolic Liar & A Thief
Insane Clown Posse Bang! Pow! Boom! (Nuclear Version)
Madlib (as Young Jazz Rebels) Slave Riot
Moka Only (as Ron Contour) Rontario
Solomon Burke Nothing’s Impossible
Too Short Still Blowin’
Vivian Green Beautiful

April 13
BLESTeNATION Welcome To MBugout City
LMNO Next In Line
Masta Killa (of Wu-Tang Clan) Live
MGMT Congratulations
Murs (of Living Legends) & 9th Wonder Fornever
Spectac & Amiri Almost Famous
yU (of Diamond District) Before Taxes



April 20
9th Prince (of Killarmy) Revenge Of The 9th Prince
Andre Nickatina Khan! The Me Generation
Braille Weapon Aid
Cognito Automatic
Cypress Hill Rise Up
Danny Boy It’s About Time
Dark Time Sunshine Vessel
Devin The Dude (of Coughee Brothaz) Suite #420
Fashawn Boy Meets World (Deluxe Edition)
Goldtoes N Berner R All N Ur Pockets: The Soundtrack
Guce (of Bullys Wit Fullys) Gucey Valentine
Kottonmouth Kings Long Live The Kings
Kurupt (of Tha Dogg Pound) Streetlights
Little Brother LeftBack
Madlib Madlib Medicine Show No. 4: 420 Chalice All Stars: All Jamaican Sounds
Messy Marv The Shooting Range
Ozomatli Fire Away
Roc Marciano Marcberg 12” EP
Sleepy D Sleep Deprivation
TRUTHLiVE & Jake One Patience

April 27
B.o.B. The Adventures Of Bobby Ray
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Uni5: The World’s Enemy
Daddy Yankee Mundial
Kon & Amir Off Track Volume III: Brooklyn
Yo Gotti Live From The Kitchen

The following are additional release dates announced during the past week:

Nas & Damian Marley Distant Relatives [May 18]
Roc Marciano Marcberg [May 18]
DPG (a/k/a Tha Dogg Pound) Keep On Ridin [May 25]
Roscoe Dash Ready Set Go! [June 1]
Yukmouth (of The Regime) Free At Last [June 1]
Chamillionaire Venom [June 22]
Macy Gray The Sellout [June 22]
Stat Quo Statlanta [June 22]
Danger Mouse & Sparklehouse Dark Night Of The Soul [June 29]
Marsha Ambrosius Late Nights & Early Mornings [June 29]
Ice Cube I Am The West [July 13]

(View entire post here)

PGI's Hardcover Team Scores Seven Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers, Leading Another Great Week for Penguin Group (USA) on the New York Times Bestseller Lists

Penguin Group (USA) had another great week on the New York Times bestseller lists, led by the outstanding achievement of landing seven titles on the hardcover fiction list, including four debuts, marking the most number of titles hitting simultaneously on one hardcover list in 2010.

The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul (Putnam) debuts at #3; while Deep Shadow by Randy Wayne White (Putnam) debuts at #6, his highest debut ever. Randy is currently on a 26-city book tour. Angelology by Danielle Trussoni (Viking) debuts at #7 and has received great reviews in the New York Times Book Review, People, O, the Oprah Magazine, and Time magazine. The author is finishing up a 12-city tour this week and there’s a film adaptation in the works with Will Smith’s Overbrook producing, Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) directing and Michael Goldenberg (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) writing the screenplay. 

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of March 28th

Five new debuts for Penguin Group (USA) on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of March 28th: The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul (Putnam) at #3, Deep Shadow by Randy Wayne White (Putnam) at #6, Angelology by Danielle Trussoni (Viking) at #7, and Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein (Dutton) #9, all debut on the hardcover fiction list. And The Batboy by Mike Lupica (Philomel) debuts at #9 on the children’s chapter book list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is # 2 in its 50th week; Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam) is # 10 in its third week; and Split Image by Robert. B. Parker (Putnam) is #13 in its third week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (NAL Caliber) is #5 in its second week; and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking) is #15 in its fifteenth week.

On the mass market paperback list, Long Lost by Harlan Coben (Signet) is #6 in its third week; Corsair by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul (Berkley) is #7 in its third week; Big Jack by J.D. Robb (Berkley) is #10 in its third week; Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (Roc) is #12 in its second week; and In Bed with the Duke by Christina Dodd (Signet) is #18 in its second week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen (Sentinel) remains at #1 in its fifth week; Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) is #5 in its 163rd week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #8 in its 162nd week; In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #14 in its 40th week; and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #15 in its 128th week.

On the paperback advice, how-to and miscellaneous list, Food Rules by Michael Pollan (Penguin) returns to #1 in its eleventh week.

In the young readers sector, on the children's picture books list, The Easter Egg, written and illustrated by Jan Brett (Putnam), remains at #1 in its fifth week; Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: The Visual Guide by Jo Casey and Laura Gilbert (DK) is #2 in its third week; Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth is #5 in its 50th week; and Otis written and illustrated by Loren Long (Philomel) is #8 in its sixteenth week. On the children’s chapter books list, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Dial) is #10 in its sixth week. On the children’s paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #2 in its 59th week; and The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids by Michael Pollan (Dial) is #9 in its eighth week.

Ears:

*TSM* Limited Edition “Ambrosia” Bunnah Ears Whiskers & Tail ~ Group Gift ~ Poor Helena lost her RL bunny and sent us a inworld group Giftie join The Stringer Mausoleum Group and check notices

~The Stringer Mausoleum~

Outfit:

:WhoNose: Sparkle TEAL Outfit – MM Board ~ New Release and this color available on MM

~WhoNose~

Pose:

Juxtapose-NoMoreWords ~ 3 of the 8 poses shown ~ 50 L Monday today only at this price

~Juxtapose~

Skin:

*CUPCAKES – Allure – Lace ~ 50 L Monday

~Cupcakes~

Lingerie:

*RD* White Maeve Group Gift & *RD* Black Maeve Picks Gift

~Reasonable Desires~

Necklace:

*SiSSi* Lucky Dice ~ 159 L ~ New Release only available at the Accessories Fair

~*SiSSi*~

Prop & Pose:

ChaCha 1 L ~ the prop is texture change origianlly comes in a natural wood finish I switched this to something more glossy

~[doll.]~

Shoes:

R2 “Koaniani” Black ~New Release 249 L I spent forever trying to decide so many happy colors I wish these had come in a fatpack!

~R2~

Outfit:

There is a brand new thing in the Fishing Pond called Sorrow Doll ~ 21 Pieces to fish for in this cute dolly dress outfit or you can buy the whole thing from the poster over the pond.

~Sn@tch~

Poses:

Carrie 07 1 L & Gemma 6 1 L (includes chest bow)

~[doll.]~

Monocle:

*Sanu Cloud of Clover Monocle buy box in front of bunny for 20 L ~ comes with 2 versions dark silver and light

~Sanu~

Dress:

LW* March Item Chair Goodie ~Camp for 30 min includes 2 tyes of skirts one with clovers and one without

~Luxuirous World~

CITY HALL • Diverse city, not so diverse council [ National Post ] • Councillors spend thousands in public cash on donations that boost their profile [ Globe & Mail ] • Adam Giambrone to compensate city for disputed cab fare [ Globe & Mail ] • DiManno: Time for Adam Giambrone to get off bus [ Toronto Star ] • [...]

Filed under: Celebrity, Celebrity Style

By now, you may have already read about the new line of Degree Natureffects products.

And you may have even read our post about Mary J. Blige teaming up with Degree to give a free outdoor show in New York City to celebrate nature and the outdoors.

Well, today was the day! And a rainy one, at that. But when Mary J. took the stage in the middle of Times Square, I was there with my umbrella to catch a few minutes with the star.

First, you may be wondering, what does Mary J. Blige have to do with deodorant? Simply put, the Natureffects line is all about empowering women to get out and enjoy nature, while Blige's charity, the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, is all about empowering women, period.

The two combined forces and celebrated their partnership with a free outdoor show, laying down some astroturf and faux foliage to make Times Square a little greener for a day. After delighting the public with an impromptu set of three hit songs, Blige met us in her trailer to talk about her charity, and of course some beauty and style gossip.

StyleList: Tell me what your charity is all about and why it means so much to you.
Blige: "My charity is called FFAWN, Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now. Our initiative is to educate, empower, and encourage women. To make sure that they know they can give themselves a second chance -- especially women who, you know, give up on themselves. We're sending young women to school -- to a women's academy of excellence -- and they're going to graduate and go to college because of us. Everything that we can do to make sure that women are empowered and have the confidence and skills they need to go reach their full potential."

StyleList: What do you do when you really need to relax and de-stress?
Blige: "I go by myself. That's really it, I just kind of go quiet. I don't get massages a lot, unfortunately I'm not that type of woman, but that's a nice thing to do as well."

StyleList: It's raining like crazy today. How do you get your hairstyle to stay put in weather like this?
Blige: "Just spray it really hard, and that's it!" Blige laughed. She also credits Kimberly Kimble's products for her coif.

StyleList: Was there anything you bought recently that you just couldn't wait to wear?
Blige: "Yeah, this!" [She points to a black leather cuff on her wrist with gold hardware.] "It's a Hermes cuff. I was searching all over New York because they have the ones with the silver [hardware] but they don't have the ones with the gold. I saw this lady with it on one day and I tore New York up trying to find it. Let me give June Ambrose credit -- I called June, I said 'June, no one can find this bracelet!' And June found the bracelet. You know, they were kind of weird down at Hermes, they were kind of lying and saying that they didn't have it. It's about who you need to speak to."

Hard to believe that even Mary J. Blige could have trouble tracking down an "it" accessory, right? The star will have plenty of accessories to keep her busy this year, though, as she launches her line of Melodies sunglasses and starts a fragrance venture with HSN.

We'll be watching!

Mary J. Blige Gives Surprise NYC Concert originally appeared on StyleList on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louis LangrA e conducts Ambroise Thomas' French opera version of Shakespeare's tragedy, starring Simon Keenlyside, Marlis Petersen, Jennifer Larmore, and James Morris.

Today at DEMOspring2010 , Seattle-based DigitalScirocco will unveil its online auction-based marketplace for digital content and services. Â Founder and CEO Bruce D'Ambrosio, will demo the DigitalScirocco online system during the DEMOfocus on Social and Media Technologies session beginning at 10:45 a.m.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback tonight released the following statement regarding efforts in the House to pass their health care bill and the White House’s plans to use an Executive Order to bypass the legislative process.“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats keep coming up with more and more creative ways to get their health care bill signed into law at all costs. The latest attempt is…

0 comments Source: senatorsambrownback.blogspot.com

Bruce D’Ambrosio wants to change the way content and services are distributed on the Web—and how people make money from them. His new startup, Seattle-based Digital Scirocco, is emerging from pseudo-stealth mode today at the semi-annual DEMO conference in Palm Desert, CA. The company’s service has been live for a couple of months, but has [...]

Our Creatures winning streak is over and it comes at the hands of Jimmie Johnson.

Kurt Busch dominated the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, like he's done so many times in the past, but it was Jimmie Johnson that found a way to pull into victory lane.

When a caution flew with 17 laps to go the leaders came down pit road for their final stops. Busch and Johnson took four tires and restarted in the middle of all those that had taken two. Johnson was able to get through the traffic for his 50th career win, while Busch settled for third.

The disappointment about losing to the 48 team in a race where they had the field covered was evident in Busch's face during the post race interview. However, nothing comes easy at Bristol and Sunday's race was no different. Rain delay's and a 13 car wreck were the focus as Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards managed to stay out of the spotlight and mind their manners.

Manners weren't on the agenda for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch.

Earnhardt Jr. started the day in the 18th position and had worked his way up to the top 10 when a pit road speeding penalty forced him to the back, making him battle through the field. His radio was the center of much attention after that as he brought his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet home in the seventh position and moved to eighth in the points.

Busch on the other hand had a very uncharacteristic Bristol day. 

After sweeping the races at the track in 2009, Busch struggled as soon as the car was unloaded on Friday. He practiced in the 30s and then qualified 38th for Sunday. Come race time things didn't get much better as he was nearly lapped a few times and then finally cut a tire and hit the wall.

Amazingly he came back to finish in the ninth position.

As for our Creatures, they too had up and down days. It looked like the streak was going to continue was Kurt Busch dominated but in the end it wasn't meant to be. Here's how they'll look as we head to Martinsville and the return of the spoiler.

Kara Martin (782 ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh (1 ) 

Kelly Crandall (699 ) Jeff Gordon finished 14th (0 )

Dustin Parks (682 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (1 )

Christopher Leone (680 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (1 )

Ben Bomberger (653 ) Marcos Ambrose finished 33rd (1 )

Billy Fellin (646 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (0 )

James Broomhead (632 ) Kevin Harvick finished 11th (1 )

Sal Sigala Jr. (583 ) Kurt Busch finished third (0 )

Rob Tiongson (566 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (0 )

David Yeazell (566 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (0 )

Misan Akuya (554 ) Kevin Harvick finished 11th (0 )

Patti Rodisch (504 ) Kyle Busch finished ninth (0 )

Adam Heasley (460 ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh (0 )

 

Next Up

The Martinsville Speedway and the return of the spoiler. 

Jimmie Johnson will be looking for his seventh win at Martinsville and for his second in a row at the track, as well as back-to-back wins coming off his first at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin will return home to Virginia looking to turn around his slow start to the season and improve on his 19th place point position.

Creatures have your picks in for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 by Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. 

Camry driver Kyle Busch (ninth) earned a top-10 finish after rallying from a blown tire halfway through the 500-lap race in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. (12th), Brian Vickers (15th) and Denny Hamlin (19th) also collected a top-20 finishes at the half-mile Tennessee oval. Other Camry drivers in the race included Robby Gordon (22nd), Joey Logano (27th), Scott Speed (31st), Marcos Ambrose (33rd), David Reutimann (38th), Michael Waltrip (41st), Dave Blaney (42nd) and Joe Nemechek (43rd). ...