Please sit still while teacher counts you

The story that had my jaw dropping this weekend concerns London Metropolitan University, which could be fined £40,000,000 for overclaiming student numbers in order to qualify for government grants. The Vice Chancellor, who was, incidentally, paid more than the Prime Minister, has taken early retirement, presumably on terms that most of us can only dream of. In the wake of that there's talk of 500 staff redundancies and London Met not being "fit for purpose". There's a massive finger-pointing exercise going on at the moment involving all your old favourites: personal animosity, class war, race, union power and tactical score-settling. When the smoke clears we might just glimpse the real malaise which the figures only hint at.The Higher Education Funding Council For England found that London Met had a total dropout rate for the year 2006-7 of 30.6%. London Met reckoned it was only 2.3%. Even allowing for accounting disparities that's a discrepancy you could drive a bus through. In 2007-8 the University claimed funding for 15,306 students. HEFCE said there were only 10,613. It further reckons that over a five year period they overpaid London Met £36.5 million. That's one university managing to mislay a third of its student body but still claim for them. Obviously some inquiry will focus on how these claims came to be made and how many people had to turn a blind eye to them but what we really need to know as a society is this. Who is taking the piss out of the taxpayer most? The students who sign up and then just wander off in increasing numbers? (What is the real drop out rate and what does that mean for "education, education, education"?) Or the academics and bureaucrats who are so focussed on funding that they collude in what in the private sector would be called fraud? Either way it's a bigger scandal than MPs expenses.

Free Breakfast Sandwich at Sonic

Free CroisSONIC™ Breakfast Sandwich - Print this coupon at take it to Sonic. expires May 18thHere are the deals I got at Target on Friday night. I had free coupons for the deodorant, Macaroni Grill, and Cascade. Had a $1 off coupon for the Skintimate from a Sunday paper. I got the coupons for the Bliss candy bars here.. Target Coupon Generator- A Full Cup - Coupons. They are $1.00 of any Bliss candy. My grand total before coupons was $25.53 and total out of pocket after coupons was .42 cents.Fot more shopping deals, check these out........Money Saving MomAttention Target ShoppersNESCAFÉ TASTER'S CHOICE - The Smart Choice - free sampleGoogle Translate - free sampleAlways.com Always Clean - free samplehttp://www.blogger.com/AW_coolcoupon_x053009.pdf Free small Rootbeer Float with this printable couponSennheiser USA - My Song - free hatLOR-SS-052_email-2 - free shampoo sampleKFC Update: The latest news on the KFC coupons is this.... Take your printed coupons to KFC by May 19th and they will give you a form to fill out to get a new coupon. You will still get your free Grilled Chicken meal - plus a free drink now! They are just spreading out the valid dates on everyone's coupon so that not everyone gets free chicken on the same day. I have heard some stores are still honoring the coupons as they are so you may want to call before you head to your local KFC. I was able to use my coupon last week and we loved the chicken!!

High heel safa

Ladies & Gentlemen, Please welcome Yahoo! India Local

Yahoo! India has now introduced Local/Business search in India starting with a few cities (Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi ). It is the usual, Find "what" in "where" local search destination except there are a few cheeky cool things.Locality pages: for Koramangala, Indiranagar, Bandra West and Andheri West. Essentialist: On the Koramangala Locality page, I found a couple of interesting questions such as "Are you getting married?" , "Moving to Koramangala?" being asked at me. And on click, it gives an essential list of all businesses you may ever need in the process of getting married (Assuming you already have a girl) or moving. Pretty cool.Footprints: Assuming you have visited that business, then you could click on a "foot" looking icon and it will bump up a number. Something like digging a web page, I guess. I guess higher the footprint, more the listing will feature in your search, frontpage etc.If you are business owner of if you know a business, you could add details of it using the "Add a Business". I did'nt quite find a page/link to do that. But Y! Local did ask me about it when my search query did not yield a result. Such as thisThere is a fair amount of Maps integration as well, but is not useful practically yet. You can do stuff like move around the marker of a business to it's correct location, vote on it, save it etc.You can also send the listing on SMS, email etc. I also like the UI and the layout, but I also wish the frontpage was a little light and plain. Right now, it has one too many links.Cheers! to Yahoo! India.

Fatal Illusions

Today I'm introducing suspense novelist Adam Blumer, who just saw his debut work, Fatal Illusions, release from Kregel Publications. Adam works full-time as a freelance writer and editor. He lives in Michigan with his wife and two daughters. For a chance to win a copy of Fatal Illusions, please leave a comment about our conversation with Adam.Mark, welcome to Forensics and Faith. First tell us about Fatal Illusions:Pastor’s wife Gillian Thayer, a calligrapher, is mourning the loss of twins who died at birth when she makes a discovery that shatters her world. She finds a love letter written to her husband, Marc. Before she can confront him, someone shoots Marc. He recovers, but the situation involving the woman who shot him is so complex and the media so relentless that the Thayers decide to take a sabbatical at a historical lighthouse in Michigan’s U.P. But someone else has also moved to the area--a serial killer and amateur magician who dreams of being the next Houdini. He strangled several young women in Cincinnati, but to pursue his dream of being a great magician, he must put the murders and his past behind him. He thinks he just needs time and distance, but he soon spots his next victim and can’t help himself. When Marc, the last person to see the victim alive, is arrested, he and Gillian find themselves thrust into the heart of a murder investigation and into the sights of a ruthless killer. You've said God called you to be a writer. How did that happen?I loved writing imaginative tales when I was a kid, but I didn’t start taking my writing seriously until I won a state high school creative writing contest. That’s when I realized that my writing was better than average and that perhaps God wanted me to do something with it. Because I loved writing and got good grades in English, I decided to get a journalism degree in college; it seemed like a smart vocational decision fitted to my skills. By then, it was pretty much a given in my mind that God wanted me to write. Exactly what I was supposed to write I didn’t know yet. For fourteen years I served as a staff editor for two ministries, but I always preferred writing stories.Inquiring minds always want to know about getting that first contract ...It took me a long time. I spent about twenty years pursuing novel writing seriously (and experiencing some ups but mostly downs) before my book proposal for Fatal Illusions got some attention. I began Fatal Illusions in 2002 in conjunction with a Writer’s Digest correspondence course on novel writing. I finished the first draft in the fall of 2005 and began contacting literary agents. In January 2006, agent Steve Laube, a well-known and respected voice in Christian fiction, asked to see the full manuscript. Though he ultimately declined to represent me, he sent me a two-page letter, pointing out how few manuscripts reach the stage that mine did, and gave me eight pointers on how to make the novel publishable. Energized, I followed his advice and got to work, but I still couldn’t find an agent or publisher.A year later, I contacted Kregel Publications about opportunities to edit books from home (my day job is as a freelance editor). The managing editor noticed on my resume that I had written several unpublished novels and asked to see my latest project. Kregel liked what they saw in Fatal Illusions and accepted it for publication. God opened a door I never could have opened for myself!Whoa, twenty years is a long time. What kept you going?I’m not really sure other than that God gave me the drive to keep writing and not to give up on the idea of being a published novelist. For quite a while, though, writing a novel was more a hobby than something I seriously thought was going to lead to publication. I wanted to be a novelist, of course, but I had a wife and two daughters to support. So I did editing to support them, published some short stories and articles on the side, and kept writing novels when I had time, wondering (and often doubting) whether anything would ever come of it. Each time I wrote another novel I believe I grew and improved as a novelist, so the unpublished novels weren’t wasted effort.Why did you write Fatal Illusions? What was your inspiration?Frank Peretti’s earliest supernatural thrillers taught me that Christian novels can do more than entertain. I wanted to write something not only suspenseful but also meaningful. My prayer is that the message will resonate with readers and maybe even challenge their spiritual thinking.The novels of Mary Higgins Clark also inspired me. I studied the organization and plot lines of her novels and wondered if I could write something as good. I also like her shifting points of view and her short, numerous chapters. (Readers might notice a resemblance.) Her novel You Belong to Me especially inspired me to try my own hand at a serial killer “female in jeopardy” suspense tale. Because most Christian readers are women, I decided to make my main protagonist female—in fact, a pastor’s wife, a protagonist you don’t read about very often. Add to that my love of true crime and forensic science, and I was on my way. Christian suspense novels by Brandilyn Collins and Terri Blackstock have also been a big influence.A past experience also provided a creative springboard. A church voted to remove from membership a believer who was sincerely repentant of immorality. I began to play the “what if” game in my mind. What if the person who was disciplined got really ticked? What if he or she became mad enough to kill? I thought a church discipline scenario created an unusual motive for murder—hence one of the subplots in Fatal Illusions. I also read Ruth Brandon’s The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini. This biography of the famous illusionist fascinated me and helped me develop the characterization of my serial killer. In fact, readers will discover an important plot clue connected to Houdini.That's a lot of inspiration! Talk to us about writing from the female POV. How hard was that for you? It did create challenges in making Gillian a three-dimensional character who doesn’t think like me. Among several issues, she struggles with private grief and needs a godly female mentor in her life. Describing her struggles as a woman who has unique emotional needs and insecurities was often challenging. Thankfully, I had a few female first readers and editors to help me get her right. Tell us about underlying themes in Fatal Illusions.Mainly I probe the themes of secrets and deception (or “illusions” as my title suggests, though on a secondary level). As believers, how do we lie to ourselves and to others? Do we try to hide who we really are inside? What happens if we try to live a lie? Should spouses ever keep secrets from each other? What can happen if they do?I also encourage readers to consider how they would protect their families if they faced the same type of evil the Thayer family must confront. (My serial killer cyber-stalks his victims weeks before he makes his move.) Many of the novel’s themes are areas I’ve had to work through in my own thinking. When life doesn’t make sense, how do I respond? Do I trust God, even when His ways are difficult to understand?Sounds like you did quite a bit of research to make this book accurate.Yes, more than I expected. Calligraphy didn’t require much research because I had dabbled in it in high school and won a few awards. Information about magicians wasn’t tough to find either because I had already been researching Houdini on the Internet after reading a biography about him. For serial killers, I watched a lot of Forensic Files and Body of Evidence on TV and read Mary Higgins Clark and other crime/suspense authors. One big area I had to research was police procedure, since a retired homicide detective helps the Thayers catch the Magician Murderer. I researched crime scene investigation, forensic science, computer crimes (since my villain is a cyber-stalker), and other related areas. But these have always been areas of interest, so I hardly thought of the research as work. Because Gillian is a professional calligrapher of famous quotations, Bible verses, and love poems, I also had to research her literary side, since that’s her lens for viewing the world.What was the hardest part about writing this book?Finding the time to write a suspense tale of this scope and complexity. (I’m a full-time freelance editor and write novels after my regular work.) I spent a lot of evenings and weekends on this project. Another problem was that I constantly questioned my abilities and doubted that my stuff was good enough to be published. These doubts fed procrastination. After all, if nobody’s going to want my novel, why push myself so hard? You can imagine my surprise when Kregel bought my novel. Today I write with a different attitude about my projects; I see them as God’s calling. God has opened doors I never could have opened for myself. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of every opportunity He gives. May He receive the glory!A question just for fun. What's the quirkiest thing that's ever happened to you?Has to be when I went on a trip to the Holy Land and met my wife. In the spring of 1995, still single and disillusioned with dating, I gave up on the idea of dating anyone ever again. I decided to go on a trip to the Holy Land as sort of a spiritual pilgrimage; I wanted to meditate on God and see what He wanted to show me about Himself. Wouldn’t you know it? What I least expected happened. At the Boston airport, I met Kim, a gorgeous brunette (her church group met mine) who’d brought the same novel to read on the airplane, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. No kidding. Then at London’s Heathrow Airport, the ticket person thought she and I were a couple and put us together on the all-night flight to Tel Aviv. Kim didn’t care for her sardines, so I ate them. The relationship appeared to be promising. To cut to the chase, we chatted in Jericho, conversed in Nazareth, and talked nonstop in Jerusalem. On the way home I sat beside her on the plane. A few weeks later, I visited her in Milwaukee and met her parents. By New Year’s, we were engaged. Pretty amazing, huh? I now tell singles not to look for a marriage partner. Seek God, and He’ll put you on a collision course if marriage is His plan for you.We have quite a few aspiring novelists here at F&F. As your final remarks, what advice do you have for them?Be patient and work hard, but keep in mind that doors will open for you only in the Lord’s timing. We can’t rush God. If He has prompted you to write, God gave you that desire for a reason. Explore what His will could be, but learn to wait on Him—perhaps even for a long time. When He’s ready, He’ll let you know. In the meantime, seek Him with your whole heart. Thank you, Brandilyn, for the opportunity to introduce myself to your readers.----------------------------Reminder: If you'd like a chance at a free copy of Fatal Illusions, please leave a comment. I'll randomly draw a name and announce winner tomorrow.Buy Fatal Illusions from Amazon.Buy from Christianbook.com.

Angora Rabbit

Changeable seal

Clean pig

Only with shoes it will walk on the "dirty"

Be scared by the crazy elephant

Five new Global Agenda fansites to keep your eye on

Hi-Rez Studios recently announced the winners of their Global Agenda fansite contest and taking the top prize is Agenda Source. All winners received beta keys for distribution on their sites and coupons for the Global Agenda Merchandise store, where you can make your own custom T-shirts.Fansites have played an important role in the MMO community since the genre surfaced back in the late 1990's. They are great sources of game information and often even break news before official sources. Not only that, they're a great place for people to gather and chat about their favorite past time. EVE Online recently touted their blogging community, which is 235 strong. This batch of Global Agenda fansites were recognized for their "superior creative design, depth of content, and innovative use of community-building features."Second place went to Global Agenda Mission Control, third to HexAgenda, fourth to The Global Agenda Wiki, and fifth to The Alliance of Agencies. Combined, these sites boast some great tools and features, including: a "What We Know" section, Q&A section, Twitter Feeds, RSS Feeds, forums, polls, IRC chat channels, and wiki. We recommend that you bookmark these sites now, especially if you want a chance at getting into beta!

44 Social Media Books for 2009-2010 Plus One

Ta da .. for your reading pleasure here's a list of titles of social media books scheduled to be release 2009 – 2010. 1. The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media by Paul Chaney - Sept 22,20092. Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods by Shel Israel - Sep 3, 20093. Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod - June 11, 20094. The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business by Tara Hunt - April 21, 20095. Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business by Larry Weber - Mar 3, 20096. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko and David Brake - May 4, 20097. Public Relations and the Social Web: How to Use Social Media and Web 2.0 in Communications by Rob Brown - May 28, 20098. Understanding Digital Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation by Damian Ryan and Calvin Jones - Feb 28, 20099. Social Media Marketing: How Data Analytics helps to monetize the User Base in Telecoms, Social Networks, Media and Advertising in a Converged Ecosystem by Ajit V Jaokar, Brian Jacobs, Alan Moore, and Jouko Ahvenainen - Feb 15, 200910. Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah, and David Meerman Scott - Oct 19, 200911. The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media by Paul Gillin and Geoffrey A. Moore - May 1, 200912. Yes We Did! An inside look at how social media built the Obama brand (Voices That Matter) by Rahaf Harfoush - Jun 1, 200913. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge - Mar 1, 200914. The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web by Tamar Weinberg - Jun 15, 200915. Mastering Web 2.0: Transform Your Business Using Key Website and Social Media Tools by Susan Rice Lincoln - Jul 28, 200916. Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business by Erik Qualman - Aug 24, 200917. Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm, Anthony Robbins, and Ken Burge - Feb 17, 200918. Online Public Relations: A Practical Guide to Developing an Online Strategy in the World of Social Media by David Phillips and Philip Young - Jun 28, 200919. International Communications Strategy: Developments in Cross-Cultural Communications, PR and Social Media by Silvia Cambie and Yang-May Ooi - Aug 28, 200920. The Social Network Business Plan: 18 Strategies That Will Create Great Wealth by David Silver - Feb 24, 200921. The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff by Clara Shih - Mar 22, 200922. MediaMasters: Insider Secrets from the big names of broadcast, print and social media by Alan Stevens, Jeremy Nicholas, and Debbie Jenkins - April 3, 200923. Friends with Benefits: Online Marketing with Blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and More by Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo - Aug 15, 200924. A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization: Strategies, Tactics, and Tools for Succeeding in the Social Web by Deltina Hay - Mar 1, 200925. Understanding Digital Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation by Damian Ryan and Calvin Jones - Feb 28, 200926. How to REALLY use LinkedIn by Jan Vermeiren - Mar 4, 200927. The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick - Jan 7, 201028. The Internet: An Introduction to New Media by Lelia Green - Jan 1, 201029. You Need More Than a Website: Promote Your Professional Services Firm Using Social Media by Jan Davis - Dec 16, 200930. Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Can Help Employees Work Better and Faster by Arthur L. Jue, Jackie Alcalde-Marr, and Mary E. Kassotakis - Nov 2, 200931. This is Social Media - Tweet, Blog, Post and Link Your Way to Business Success by Clapperton - Oct 15, 200932. Social Influence Marketing For Dummies by Shiv Singh - Oct 12, 200933. The Young and the Digital: What the Migration to Social Network Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future by S. Craig Watkins - Oct 1, 200934. Designing Social Interfaces: Principles, Patterns, and Practices for Improving the User Experience by Christian Crumlish and Erin Malone - Sep 15, 200935. Friends with Benefits: Online Marketing with Blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and More by Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo - Aug 15, 200936. PR Strategy and Application: Managing Influence by W.Timothy Coombs and Sherry J. Holladay - Aug 14, 200937. Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm, Anthony Robbins, and Ken Burge - Feb 17, 200938. The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein - May 26, 200939. The Social Network Business Plan: 18 Strategies That Will Create Great Wealth by David Silver - Feb 24, 200940. All a Twitter: A Personal and Professional Guide to Social Networking with Twitter by Tee Morris - Jul 23, 200941. Everything twitter - From Novice to Expert: The Unofficial Guide to Everything Twitter - THE BLUE BOOK 2009 by Steve Soho and Monica Jones - 200942. Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan, Julien Smith - August 24, 200943. Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing by Jim Tobin, Lisa Braziel - Nov 5, 200844. 33 Million People in the Room: How to Create, Influence, and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking by Juliette Powell -Feb 10, 2009Plus One - Social Media Marketing GPS #smgps .. the first business book written using Twitter as the major content platform and distribution channel. I've been working on the all-tweet SM book for about a month and it's nearing completion. More soon.

(IT) Central Team Communications Support Officer

Rate: £150-£160/Day Location: City Of London Central Team Communications Support Officer Our Central Government Client is looking for an experienced individual to support the Communications team with timely internal communications with staff, including the delivery of in-house newsletters, internal email messages, arranging team meetings. Main Responsibilities include: Managing communications across stakeholders Central Team Proactively seek communication opportunities Develop and deliver a comprehensive Central team communications strategy to increase awareness and understanding of Central Government and its services Monthly communications e-newsletter to all staff Weekly rolling presentations on plasma screens Identifying and preparing key messages for Intranet Preparing and editing presentations and documents Monthly team meeting agenda and arrangements (including all facilities management) Work with the Management team in delivering ad hoc Central Team events and away-days as instructed Ensure internal briefing and lines to take are up-to-date and communicated throughout the organisation Provide communications support for projects as required Provide other ad hoc communications support as required You will have come from a Media or Events Organising background and have worked in a similar capacity with a Central Government Client with the last 18 months. ReThink Recruitment acting as an Employment Business. Rate: £150-£160/DayType: ContractLocation: City Of LondonCountry: EnglandContact: Shaun HuntAdvertiser: ReThink RecruitmentEmail: Shaun.Hunt.370F5.BF4F8@mail.jobserve.comStart Date: ASAPReference: JSEVENTSCOMMSMAMAGER

Online Communications Director

The Campaign for Community Change is working with a large coalition of local and national organizations committed to passing humane immigration reform by early 2010. The coalition will launch a campaign this spring that will work on multiple fronts, generating policy recommendations, reaching potential supporters through a coordinated online and offline field campaign, raising issue visibility in the media, and mobilizing voters to support pro-immigrant candidates. Campaign for Community Change is seeking an Online Communications Director with 3-5 years experience in managing complex online campaigns. The Online Communications Director should be a self-starter, a web and data "geek", and an experienced organizer with a clear vision about how to use the internet and online tools to mobilize thousands of supporters. The ideal candidate will have a history of proven success in list building, leveraging technology for grassroots organizing, developing and implementing effective online advocacy and fundraising strategies, project management, and staff management. Previous experience working with coalitions and distributed teams successfully is a plus. This position is temporary. The Online Communications Director reports to the Coalition Campaign Manager Principal Responsibilities: • Work with coalition partners to develop a clear online organizing plan designed to get results, including: list growth, online contributions, activist mobilization, and on-the-ground support for the issue. • Work closely with Field staff and the Communications team to develop effective online/offline strategies and messaging. • Develop a detailed online campaign budget including technology and design costs, paid marketing and staffing. • Hire staff as needed and coordinate sharing of staff resources with coalition partners. • Manage the coalition website; contract and work with vendors as needed. • Develop a strong email communications plan to engage list members in campaign activities, and maximize viral growth. • Recruit and work with partner organizations who support the campaign. • Work with the coalition and partner organizations to maximize the campaign's reach online - including website traffic, blog coverage, social network reach, etc. • Manage the coalition list-building project, including: ? The keeping of a project timeline that lays out the steps needed to achieve list-building goals. ? The convening of meetings and following up with partners as necessary to ensure that all milestones are being met. ? Manage a project wiki where partners can find the latest project updates and all pertinent documents. Qualifications: • Strong project management skills • Experience in staff hiring and management • A commitment to the passage of just and humane immigration polic • An internet visionary constantly looking for new and innovative ways to organize campaigns online • Knowledge of basic HTML, CSS and image manipulation. • Understands the online political space and political blogosphere. • Able to track a lot of moving parts and manage complex projects. Maintain attention to detail, while keeping the big picture in mind. • Able to write compelling email copy, with an understanding of what makes some emails more effective at generating action than others. • Experience working with partner organizations on an issue campaign. • Familiarity with Democracy in Action or similar program (Blue State Digital, Convio, Capitol Advantage, Get Active, etc) • Familiarity with best practices in list segmentation, message personalization, and email response tracking. • Familiarity with online organizing practices, including social network and blogger outreach. • Familiarity with the use of voter file data and modeling for reaching potential campaign supporters, a plus. • The ability to speak Spanish is a plus.

Hongkong film recalling

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1909

Chloe

Two posts in three days!!Sadly today's is not a happy one. Yesterday our dog Chloe passed away. Chloe came to us as a 12 week old puppy from the RSPCA when Rebecca was a 12 week old baby. They grew up together and were so close. Rebecca used to have snacks with Chloe - 1 chip for her, one for Chloe - straight out of the bag, she used to get in Chloes' kennel and even as a toddler eat her food (gross!!) In one of the pics below Rebecca at about 3 is sound asleep leaning on Chloe (she crashed when we had visitors one afternoon). I know Chloe would have just sat there as long as Rebecca slept if we had not spotted them. When Rebecca's Dad and I split up neither of us could really take Chloe - we both went to townhouses with tiny backyards and she was a big energetic dog - so she went to live with his parents (bless them so much) - and she and Rebecca still saw each other all the time. I still saw her too and she never forgot me - or me her. She was a great companion for Mark's parents and they are very sad - as are we all. Rebecca's heart is broken. She has lost her buddy.Goodbye Chloe-girl - we will all miss you. Thank you for beign part of our lives for the past 11 years.

Lara Stone《Vogue》J

What's in Peter Mandelson's blind trust?

So 17 months after Gordon Brown first promised a transparent register of ministerial interests, delayed suspiciously, the document has finally been published. Hopes were riding high, policed by the ruggedly independent Sir Philip Mawer, who earned his spurs as a robust Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. So it's arrived. It's not online so you can get it here It's fine. We get to know Ed Miliband has a girlfriend (but not who), Jack Straw's wife does coaching and that Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper are husband and wife. But, but.... Any minister who wants to not declare outside interests can (and should) transfer them into a "blind trust". Peter Mandelson, Paul Myners and Ben Bradshaw are amongst those who have taken advantage of this. Blind trusts are run by others at arms length, although the owner still receives regular reports on the performance of their assets and continue to receive the money they generate. So while Mandelson, Myners and Bradshaw et al will still know what they put in to the trust, the public do not. Of course, trustees may sell all the assets and buy new ones, but personal finance experts say this would be unusual. The Cabinet Office rules do insist ministers aren't informed about acquisitions and disposals. But Hilary Benn declares his quarter shareholding in a farm, so why not Lord Mandelson? And while Lord Myners mentions his Blind Trust (administered by Coutts & Co) in the Register of Lords' Interests, there's no mention in the same document of Mandelson's blind trusts. Anything embarrassing can simply be hived off into a blind trust. The Cabinet Office says that ministers have always had blind trusts, a claim backed up by the 2005 Ministerial Code. And the Registrar in the Commons says that blind trusts do not have to be registered with Parliament, so no rules broken. But the public have the right to know what's in Mandelson's blind trust. Which is perhaps surprising.

Wedding held in cinema

Ten US banks fail 'stress tests'

Ten of America's largest 19 banks need a combined $74.6bn (£50bn) of extra funds to boost their cash reserves.
That is the main finding of the so-called "stress tests" to see if the banks have sufficient capital to cope should the recession worsen.
Bank of America is the most at risk, needing an additional $33.9bn.

The not-so-big four

Broadcast television is declining at an accelerating rateITS amazing how little has changed around here, says a character in the final episode of E.R., which aired in America on April 2nd. Indeed, it seemed like old times for the hospital drama: 16m people tuned in, not many fewer than it drew a decade ago. But the impression of good times is no more real than a stage set. For programmes like E.R., and for broadcast television itself, much is changing.The recession has been cruel to a business that depends almost entirely on advertising. Local television stations, many of them owned by or affiliated with national broadcasters, have seen advertising revenue fall by as much as 40% as car dealers and other retailers cut back. Later this month the national networks will test the market for advance advertising. It should prove better than the local market, but still difficult. And this painful cyclical problem coincides with a bigger, structural one: the audience for the big four broadcast networks is eroding (see chart). ...

how to measure a real friend?

I have my friend, for 3 years. she's my classmate since first year college. i am the type of person who give everything just to make them happy. for 3 years weve share our experiences and bonding each other. One night i ask her to help me,many excuses i really heard with her. maybe i think also she do that because she dont like to follow whatever i ask to her. a simple thing rather. is it right to think that this is not a real friend for you?what do you think?..but if ever she aproach me if she needs my help i always her to help her. financial, emotional. to comfort her and everything.

What if the president goes?

Umaru YarAduas ill-health is fuelling dangerous speculationIN AN office in Nigerias commercial capital, Lagos, economists scour the mornings newspapers for photographs of President Umaru YarAdua, hoping to divine a clue as to his well-being. The global financial crisis and the dive in the price of oil, Nigerias main export, are forcing the countrys businessmen and investors to rethink Nigerias hitherto unusually hopeful economic outlook. Ministers admit that Nigeria is in for a rough time. The prevailing view, however, is that it should be able to ride out the storm, provided there are no bad political squalls.But what if the long-ailing president were to die or leave office prematurely? Then, says Bismarck Rewane, a prominent financier, all bets are off. When the departing president, Olusegun Obasanjo, hand-picked Mr YarAdua in 2007 to succeed him, the new mans health immediately aroused concern. As governor of a remote northern state, Katsina, he set up a specialist unit in his local hospital to treat a chronic kidney ailment. On the campaign trail, his soft voice and persistent cough contrasted unfavourably with the rumbustious ways of Mr Obasanjo. ...

Pakistan urged over Taleban fight

Richard Holbrooke: US and Pakistan "have the same common enemy"
Washington's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan has said the US must put more pressure on Islamabad to counter the Taleban.

What GIFT would you want for your birthday?

I actually dont have something in mind that i like to have as a present for my birthday but i would just be happy and appreciate it if someone gives me a present on my birthday. I think i am already happy and very contented of what i already have and i think there is nothing more i could ask for my birthday.

AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT PROJECT

Bobby Goldsmith Foundation celebrates 25 years with the launch of the Quilt ProjectThe Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and the Powerhouse Museum last night joined to celebrate 25 years of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and launch the exhibition of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project at the Powerhouse Museum.In a cocktail event hosted by media personality Ita Buttrose and attended by The Honorable Michael Kirby and his partner Johan van Vloten, Dr Dawn Casey, Director of the Powerhouse Museum, Todd McKenney, Ian Roberts, Harry M Miller, Simmone Logue and BGF directors, staff, supporters and clients, Fergus Kibble, President of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation reflected on the importance of The Quilt.“The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation was delighted to contribute funds to the curation and restoration of The Quilt as we strongly believed it is a poignant and symbolic reminder of our culture and heritage and it should be protected,” he said.“I think it is important not just to remember the people who died, represented by these quilts, but also to remember those who made these quilts as a remembrance. They were the lovers, the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, and of course the friends of these people. Without their love there would be no Quilt.”The AIDS Memorial Quilt Project will run until 26th February at the Powerhouse Museum.The next BGF fundraising event, the BGF Glamstand at the Mardi Gras Parade on March 7 2009, is selling fast. For tickets or to make a donation to BGF go to www.bgf.org.au.The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation is Australia’s oldest HIV/AIDS charity. Established though community efforts in 1984, the organisation continues to focus its efforts on improving the quality of life for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS.For media information please contact: The Bobby Goldsmith FoundationMurray Black Phone: (02) 9283 8666Email: murray.black@bgf.org.au

Would you watch Angels and Demons?

plot: When a murder of a physicist, Leonardo Vetra, finds a symbolist, Robert Langdon, and Mr. Vetra's daughter, Vittoria, on an adventure for a secret brotherhood, The Illuminati. Clues lead them all around the Vatican, including the four alters of science, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. An Assassin, working for the Illuminati, has captured four cardinals, and murders each, painfully. Robert and Vittoria also are searching for a new very destructive weapon that could kill millions. it is a book from dan brown whos soal is burning in hell right now, For me ill just pirate that movie, its ok for me if that movie attacts vatican but if that movie attacts God in the bible ill condam that movie.

Friday Fun

I recently had the pleasure as serving on the jury for the Independent Games Festival, and out of all the games I played, the one that I spent the most time with by far was Keith Nemitz's Indie breakthrough Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble. It's a single-player RPG based in a 1920's high school, disguised as a board game. You choose a girl to play from a set of characters, then attempt to build a girl gang through threats, intimidation, taunting, and leveling up. Your gang then attempts missions such as uncovering suspicious school accidents, finding the school's hidden still, electing a horse mayor, and other shenanigans.Each of the 12 playable girls have different starting stats for popularity, rebellion, glamour, and savvy, and they play mini-games such as Taunt, Fib, Expose, and Flirt... not the most positive activities, but remember, these are DANGEROUS girls, and they're in trouble. It's like when Kit Kittredge turned 14 and started smoking in the conservatory and piercing her hat with safety pins.Most of the minigames use the four card suits as tokens or icons, giving the whole experience a parlour-game feel that fits in beautifully with the 20's setting. The story sucks you in and the constant promise of leveling up one of your gang or learning new taunts teasing Bully Girl in the gymnasium makes you forget the underlying unusualness of playing a solitaire RPG that's pretending to be a board game on a computer.There's a free demo available, plus a gameplay video on youtube, and firsthour.net has a walkthrough of, well, the first hour of the game. Check it out and enjoy!