Cabriolet Brian Jessel BMW Fashion Gala 2007

The 2nd Annual Brian Jessel BMW Fashion Gala look place May 3rd and was once again a high end experience. Like last year’s show, the caliber of this year’s event was clearly over and above any other local events that I’ve previously attended. Yes, I’m sorry Ian. It’s even better than the Affiliate Dinner. Believe me, I attend a lot of parties and I throw a few too, but for Vancouver, this was definitely in a league of its own.

Brian Jessel BMW is one of North America’s most high tech dealerships. The transformation from automobile dealership to high end fashion runway was no less than astounding. The crew worked nonstop to have everything resemble a world class fashion show venue and I heard that they worked till 3 AM the same night to put everything back. This included cleaning up and driving all the cars back into the showroom before opening. However, it was worth it because this event this year would be supporting the BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre Foundation and the Prostate Center at Vancouver General Hospital; two worthy causes.

Guests were treated to an open bar that served fine wines, martinis, and yes, even high end beers, while Vancouver’s finest high end restaurants served exquisite appetizers to Vancouver’s Elite in attendance. Restaurants included Joe Fortes (Awesome Oyster Bar! Mmm!), Elixir Restaurant, Quattro on 4th, Raincity Grill, RARE Restaurant, Savory Coast, and Terra Breads. C Restaurant was also part of the festivities. Although they didn’t really impress me when I dined with them earlier this year, I was impressed that they weren’t above helping out some great charities.

Not to be outdone, the folks from The Original Cupcakes store sent a few ambassadors out to get people excited about cupcakes. Don’t they make you excited about cupcakes? It’s nice to see that even a cupcake store takes time out to help others. They ended up handing out miniature versions of their prized cupcakes after the fashion show and of course, I had to have one…or two…or three…

Meanwhile, a live band called “Token Rhyme” played on in the background as attendees made their way into the venue. Charity auction tables where generous local businesses donated some wonderful prizes, also lined the venue, hoping to grab the highest possible bids and raise a load of money for some great charities. Kelly ended up spending about $400 in the name of charity. I guess next time she’ll keep track of how many prizes she bids on. Whoops!

Celebrity MC’s, Coleen Christie and Mike Kileen from CTV hosted the event. Both of them did a very fine job of MC’ing and breaking the ice with the crowd. They played a bit of heads and tails with the crowd which eventually ended up in someone walking away with a one year lease on a BMW 323i. That’s not a bad prize. It’s ALMOST like winning a car….almost.

Of course, everyone was waiting for th HOT Grand Finale. The models strutted hard and put on some very fierce poses. I almost liked it better than the LG Lingerie Show but given the fact that the models in Whistler had to endure standing out in the middle of the cold and managed not to slide off the catwalk even in a snowstorm, I’ll have to give them the top prize. If you’re into scantily clad models strutting down the runway, you might want to check out my Cabriolet Brian Jessel BMW 2007 PhotoGallery.

As the evening came to a close, Brian Jessel himself took center stage to thank everyone for coming and gave a shout out to all the sponsors that made this event a success including main sponsors HUGO BOSS and Harry Rosen. The event was very well done, attracted a whole bunch of people, and raised a whole bunch of money for some great causes. Brian has a lot to be happy about.

A High End event just wouldn’t be one without the goodie bag! Everyone that attended got one of these little goodie bags which contained Michael Buble’s latest CD “Call Me Irresponsible”, a cool Harry Rosen Silver Shoehorn, a HUGO Boss hat and some other fashionable doodads.

Thanks again to Kenneth and John from Brian Jessel BMW for inviting me out to this most excellent event. Can’t wait to go again in 2008!

Tuesday is the new Friday

I had the day off today. Woke up this morning and it was 20' outside. Outstanding.

Watched a bit of Monster-in-Law on TV this morning. Frig it was funny. I love Wanda Sykes. Went to the mall this afternoon in search of a birthday present, and came home with a birthday present and Michael Buble's new CD for myself. I'm going to rip it to my iPod tonight so I'll have something new to listen to for the way in to work tomorrow.

Forgot to tell this story, but on Sunday at the family expo, the Kids' CBC show was starting when I was on break so I thought it was safe to sit in and watch Mark and Lunar Jim for a minute. Then didn't I get busted by a co-worker. "I hate to interrupt you," he said. "You looked like you were really enjoying that."

Embarrassing!

But not going to worry. I'm off to meet a friend for dinner.

Technorati changes

I noticed a change on Technorati today. Instead of listing the number of unique blogs and number of links to the blog, they just have a single “Authority” number displayed again beside the blog’s rank in the overall listings.

The top 10 searches of the day are:
1. WTF: youtube
2. WTF: ron paul
3. WTF: myspace
4. WTF: sarkozy
5. WTF: galilea montijo
6. WTF: joost
7. WTF: paris hilton
8. WTF: web 2.0
9. WTF: lileks
10. WTF: shoppero

Now, either I’m out of touch (which is most likely), or there are a lot of strange people out there. I have never heard of 5, 9, or 10, and I only just learned of 4 today (a French guy). Why would people search Technorati for “youtube” is anyone’s guess, because it’s pretty easy to type in youtube.com and search for the hot videos right at the source. I guess they want to see which Youtube videos are talked about in blogs particularly, the most. The biggest question now, is how will Britney Spears top Paris Hilton’s alcoholism, and end up back in the top 10? Top 10 Celebrity Alcoholics list anyone?

Published by: Abandoned Stuff

Newspaper Self-Immolation

At NewAssignment.net, John McQuaid looks incredulously into the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s decision to turn top-notch columnist James Lileks into a street reporter. We need all the street reporting we can get, but this is nuts. Quote:

The Star Tribune’s decision to eliminate James Lileks’s column and reassign him to a beat as a local reporter is so self-evidently dumb, an Umbridge-worthy example of the bureaucratic mentality run amok, that you have to wonder if newspapers – especially the once-robust, medium-sized daily paper – have indeed reached some kind of suicidal turning point.

Like McQuaid, I occasionally disagree with Lileks’ views. But I read his blog religiously. He is genuinely one of a kind, with a voice all his own, and a rare talent in the newspaper business.

Utterly bizarre and self-defeating. I predict Lileks will have a new — and better — opinion-writing gig in short order. And the Star-Tribune will have contributed in a big way to its own eventual demise.

Published by: CITYMEDIA

Why is MSNBC lying?

As we all know, MSNBC hosted the first Republican debate of the '08 cycle at the Reagan presidential library Thursday night. They also set up a poll at their website to rate the candidates.
They are now interpreting their results to tell us that Romney "won".

But according to the results, he didn't. Why are they intentionally mis-representing their own results?

Exhibit A: The polling results before the debate:

As you can see, even though this poll is unscientific, it does mimic the popular opinion going into the debate. Giuliani leading, McCain second, and Romney third. The rest of the candidates are lost in the background noise. This indicates that the polling is reasonably indicative of the MSNBC viewers.

Exhibit B: The polling results after the debate

Very clearly (with 77,000 respondents thus far) Mitt Romney did very well, but he came in a distant second to Ron Paul. Furthermore...

Exhibit C: The viewers rate the six attributes that determine the victor

Again, Romney did pretty well, but not nearly as well as Paul.

So naturally, if MSNBC is going to point to these results to declare a winner, they're going to point to Paul, right?

Wrong.

In fact, if you troll through the MSNBC debates section, there is no mention whatsoever of Ron Paul's apparent victory at the debate. There's no mention of Ron Paul whatsoever!
The respondents are clearly perturbed about this fact on their message board.

Throughout their televised "analysis" yesterday (yeah, I watched), they mentioned Ron Paul 3 times by my count, and only admitted that he actually won according to their poll once. Not incidentally, they also chose that moment to state that their polling was unscientific. In addition, the few times they did mention him, they framed it as
#1) He did "pretty well"
and
#2) "He can't win".

So all this begs the question: If their polling indicates that Paul actually won the debate, why can't they just cover the news as it is? Very likely, he can't win, but why crown a false victor in their coverage? Why not simply report the results as they are; cover the story as it appears?

It's very evident that MSNBC doesn't want to give Ron Paul any press. Why not? They know that the two things that will kill a campaign are

• the collective belief that a candidate "can't win"
• lack of recognition

They are clearly attempting to use their influence to alter the results of the Republican primary process.

Why? I mean, if the Republicans happen to nominate a candidate who "can't win", isn't that good news for Dems? This also raises more questions: How are they interfering in the Democratic primary process through their intentionally skewed and selective coverage? What's in it for them?

And most importantly: Why are we allowing them to get away with it?

Published by: Crimes and corruption

Rom Pauls WIns

Ron Paul Wins MSNBC Poll -- Following the first Republican debate, Rep. Ron Paul has won MSNBC's viewer poll. With 32%, Dr Paul beat Mitt Romney by two percentage points. And he had the lowest negative rating of any of the candidates. (Via Thysdrus, Iosue, and others.) A friend of mine recently went to one of Dr Paul's speaking engagement and came away saying, "Wow, Ron Paul rocks." Told you so.

Here's what he says about the Iraq war and our military interventions in general.

Published by:

Dappled THings

Utah Legislative Ratings

A Compilation of Various Ratings of the Voting Records of the Utah Legislature. A listing of other ratings may be found under links at the bottom of the blog.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Presidential Aspirant Voting Records

With the field of Potentail Presidential candidates for 2008 now being formulated here's a composite of the voting records from two diverse "interest group" categories, as reported by Project Vote Smart (A VERY rough estimate = Average of first 10 ratings in either category.) Republicans:

* Sen John McCain votes 70% "conservative" 26% "liberal"
* Sen Sam Brownback votes 80% "conservative" 6% "liberal"
* Gov Mitt Romney not rated
* Rep Duncan Hunter votes 49% "conservative" 5% "liberal"

Democrats:

* Sen Barack Obama votes 23% "conservative" 97% "liberal" (If he gets the nod from the Demos would that be an Obamanomination)
* Sen Hillary Clinton votes 19% "conservative" 96% "liberal"
* Sen Evan Bayh votes 30% "conservative" 91% "liberal"

For comparison: Rep Ron Paul votes 88% "conservative" 32% "liberal" (That last number is a little surprising) Sen John Kyl (AZ) votes 88% "conservative" 4% "liberal"
Rep Nancy Pelosi votes 22% "conservative" 98% "liberal" Sen Orrin Hatch votes 66% "conservative" 7% "liberal"
Rep Jim Matheson votes 45% "conservative" 70% "liberal"
Sen Ted Kennedy votes 13% "conservative" 98% "liberal"
Rep Tom Tancredo votes 85% "conservative" 7% "liberal"
Sen Joe Biden votes 16% "conservative" 90% "liberal"
Sen Joe Lieberman votes 22% "conservative" 86% "liberal"


Published by:

JQW

Nosferatu and Timberwannabe Say Goodnight,

I finally got an elimination right! Phil Stacey and Chris Richardsen were kicked out of "American Idol" last night leaving Melinda DoLots, LaKiki, Jordin and Blake to battle it out.

The show started with Ryan Gaycrest announcing that "Idol Gives Back" raised like $70 million or something. Half of which is probably going to medicate Paula Abdul, so she doesn't act the fool anymore.

A hot moment also went down when Simon thought Ryan called his girlfriend a "puppet." Ryan tried to shrug it off, but he's not good at being put on the spot. Simon said to him, “Ryan, if you’re going to be obnoxious, I’m not going to answer your questions. … I’m being serious. You’ve already been rude about my girlfriend, so you can apologize.” Gay lover fight!

Speaking of gay lovers. When Blake and Chris were left as the final two battling it out for the last spot, Chris said he would go home for Blake. Awwww....how could America break these two lovers up?!

Melinda and Blake in the finals. Trust me.

Published by:

Dlisted

They can't all be an 'American Idol,' but some '08 hopefuls say they watch

File this in the "Only in America" category:

Politicians vying to be America's next president professing that their favorite reality TV show is American Idol. We're sure they were nervously watching Wednesday to see if Blake or Chris would be eliminated.

The Associated Press continues its "personal side" series by asking the presidential contenders about which reality TV shows they enjoy. American Idol, as you'll see, got a few votes. Their answers:

Democrats

• Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware: "Don't have one."
• Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York: "American Idol."
• Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut: "American Idol, which I say often reminds me of running for president sometimes."
• John Edwards, former North Carolina senator: College basketball.
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio: No time for TV.
• Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois: "Other than the U.S. Senate on C-SPAN? I don't watch them too often."
• Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico: "Fox News." (On Politics question: Anyone think he was being serious?)

Republicans

• Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas: "None this season; too busy. Last season it was The Amazing Race." (On Politics aside: We like the show too, senator -- and this season's finale is coming up!)
• Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York: Baseball.
• Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas: "Nashville Star, USA Network's country music competition."
• Rep. Duncan Hunter of California: The Versus network, previously called the Outdoor Life Network.
• Sen. John McCain of Arizona: Arizona Diamondbacks baseball.
• Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts: "American Idol."
• Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado: "None."

Prior to this, AP has asked the candidates about their "desert island necessities," what they would be doing if they weren't in politics and their favorite foods to cook.

Published by:

USA Today

American Idol

Ok Idol fans we are going to wrap up the last two weeks in one tidy blog. There's been a lot going on in the world of American Idol with Idol Gives Back and the surprise noone's leaving, to last night's dropping of two contestants.

Let's begin with Idol gives back. I was blown away by the efforts of th AI team and their pull on the inhabitants of elite hollywood. Not only did they get Ellen to co-host they had a vast arsenal of tinsel town's best. Jack Black was hilarious during his short bit as was the whole troop dancing around to Stayin Alive. It was an impressive show with a important message. What impressed me most of all was the fact that they decided not only to focus on Africa, but they are aiming at our country too. Here in the land of opportunity we have an alarming poverty issue. Not only in big cities but in rural communities there are children and adults for that fact starving and lacking the baisic tools for survival. As sad as it is I am overwhelmed by the viewers and the people involved with Idol Gives Back. Around Seventy million dollars raised, it is awesome! I would also like to mention Bono and his efforts in humanitarianism. He is quite possibly the most active celebrity on global issues. He has brought together several people to aid the world and his efforts reach almost every country. Thanks for that, there should be more like him!

Side note: Yesterday on The View Rosie(who is leaving soon YES!!) challenged fox to match the proceeds. Well Rosie why don't you shut you're yap and dig into your deep pockets. Oh for once focus on the issue, not the president, or the republican party, or your personal agenda, but the issue at hand. Give credit where credit's due!

Ok. on to this week's performances and ejections. I must say that everyone did a decent job with the Bon Jovi songs, a true suprise to me. Phil was good, Kiki was awesome as well as Melinda! Jordin was ok, she seemed a bit more nervous than usual, and Blake was once again unique and ground breaking. Chris was far better than I expected, but he wasn't good enough.

Phil and Chris were thrown out of the ring last night. Neither of them truly stood out so it's not a real shocker that they're gone. Phil really has a good voice but he's often boring to the point of snoozing. Chris is ok but reminds me too much of Justin Timberlake, which in effect never really let me give him much thought.

All in all it's been an exciting year on Idol. I am proud to be an avid fan and am impressed by their efforts to help the world. Remember to vote~for Melinda preferably~ and watch on Tues. and Wed. nights. Much love to all you Idol fans!?

Published by:

Tara diddle

The Next Net Battle - Adobe vs Microsoft

This post has been sitting in my moleskine for sometime fermenting and I figure since I just missed the boat from the A-List coverage of MIX early in the week I may as put it out there. These notes go back to my post in October 2006 called “Why Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are NOT Competing“. Since then I have been thinking over the ever changing paradigm of technology as a business and how these major companies are competing. With the releases of Adobe’s Apollo and Microsoft’s Silverlight (back then it was called WPF/E), it struck me: the next battle will be between Adobe and Microsoft.

I stand by my conclusions of my aforementioned posts - even if you comeback with Google Office competing with Microsoft’s traditional cash cow - MS Office. No, there is not competition between these products. Both are and will serve different audiences. Will Google Office cannabalize some of Microsoft’s Office Revenue? Yes. Will it be enough to affect the bottom line? No.

That being said, why Adobe vs Microsoft? And furthermore, why do I think Microsoft will win?

As the next generations of the web are being developed on the basis of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) and Software as a Service models with the addition of varying, diverse media types such as audio, video and text - the company who can best embrace and enable this will become victorious.

If you envision the entire life cycle of a web application or an RIA it starts at conception and design, followed by development and deployment. Now as this workflow has progressed and been perfected over the years so have the tools…

Adobe
Photoshop -> Dreamweaver -> Flex -> Flash -> Apollo

Microsoft
Expression Studio -> Visual Studio -> ASP.Net -> Silverlight

Both companies are coming close to perfecting the workflow from concept to implementation. Granted you are not controlling the information like Google - but do control how its designed, developed, deployed, and what platform it will run on. The key for these to companies is platform - which will be provide the platform for the next generation of web development?

So why will Microsoft win? Easy. ASP.Net is far, far, far, far superior to Flex. Silverlight will trump flash - I don’t care about the numbers of people with flash already installed either. Silverlight will come prepackaged in Vista and in five years those numbers will mean nothing. Also the release of Silverlight has given power to the millions of .NET developers out there to create rich, engaging applications with the same ease as they are used to.

Oh and don’t forget about the inherent compatibility with the infrastructure that an .NET application lies on (WPF, Windows Server, SQL Server).

Some people agree with me… Scoble says Microsoft may have just “rebooted the web”. Mike Arrington says Silverlight Is Important.

More on the battle in upcoming posts, as well as much more on Silverlight. Also upcoming - why Astoria will be amazing and the Web 3.0 platform; and why Jasper will show the Rails crowd that we can do it too - only better, more scalable, and faster. And naturally more analysis from the rest of the great stuff that came from MIX07.

It’s safe to say this is a great time to be a Microsoft Web Developer.

Published By:

Andy

Disney's Vista Gadget Points To Future Of Marketing Widgets

All the buzz here at Microsoft MIX in Vegas is rightly about Silverlight, but one other impressive demo I came across was a Vista gadget (a.k.a. widget) for Disney. Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach was on the main stage yesterday, talking about marketing Microsoft's connected entertainment services. One of the case studies wheeled out was Disney, which - as The Seattle Times reports - is working with Microsoft and large OEMs selling computers in China to install a software gadget on new PC desktops. The gadget features content meant to attract people to the company's Hong Kong theme park. Bach pointed out that Vista's gadgets (mini web apps that run on your desktop) are a way for brands such as Disney to establish a presence on "some of the most valuable real estate in the home" - i.e. the PC desktop. The Seattle Times goes on:

"The Disney gadget is aimed at an emerging Chinese middle class that does not have the history with the Disney brand that Americans do, said Edward Kummer, a Disney executive in charge of online promotions of the company's parks and resorts.

The gadget is constantly being updated via RSS feeds with news about the theme park and also includes long-format video, itinerary planning tools and other interactive content.

"This is effectively having a Disney application on the PC," Bach said.

No details were provided about the size of the application, the computing resources it uses or whether consumers could remove these branded gadgets."

There is a video of the Disney talk during Bach's presentation, up on the Visit MIX07 site. I've taken a few (rough) screenshots of the Disney gadget from the video, because I think its interactivity and rich real-time data (including video) is a great example of how widgets/gadgets will evolve over the next couple of years. I also expect this kind of interactivity and multimedia in widgets that run in the browser (e.g. Microsoft's own live.com widget platform).

Note that I haven't yet seen the Disney gadget on the Web, so if anyone has a link to it -- please note in the comments.

Published by:

Read/Write web

Young at heart choir - Ramones I wanna be sedated

Blogger: Digg Banned me for Typing a Number

Blogger: Digg Banned me for Typing a Number

A Digg.com user is claiming he got the boot from Digg for posting the HD-DVD AACS Processing Key number to the popular news aggrigation and filtering site. The processing key, a string of numbers only a hacker could love, is key to unlocking copy-protected High Def movies. In other words: it's a DMCA no-no for you to know, citizen consumer.

The number was initially published a couple of months ago, and a Digg.com user posted it to that site yesterday. It promptly, and mysteriously, disappeared. Digg user "chesterjosiah" reposted the story and went to bed. Overnight and today, the story grew to garner more than 15,000 diggs, making it among the most popular stories to ever appear on the site. And then, it vanished, along with chesterjosiah's account.

It's odd for a story to disappear from Digg. Digg works by social aggregation: if something's popular it gets modded up while unpopular stories get modded down. But in this case, Digg.com's editors stepped in and axed both posts. Not that that helped anything.

Instead, Digg's front page is rife with HD-DVD decryption posts, and Digg finally was forced to post an explanation, in essence stating we're sorta kinda terrified of entertainment industry lawyers:

This has all come up in the past 24 hours, mostly connected to the HD-DVD hack that has been circulating online, having been posted to Digg as well as numerous other popular news and information websites. We’ve been notified by the owners of this intellectual property that they believe the posting of the encryption key infringes their intellectual property rights. In order to respect these rights and to comply with the law, we have removed postings of the key that have been brought to our attention.

The post was mum on the banzoring, but it did allude to Digg's terms of service. Digg users reactions to the explanation have been largely apopletic, with a little bit of indignance thrown in for good measure and, of course, a fair number of commenters just went ahead and reposted the key itself.

Photo via Cafepress.com

Published:

Underwire

What’s Happening with HD-DVD Stories?

Hey all,

I just wanted to explain what some of you have been noticing around some stories that have been submitted to Digg on the HD DVD encryption key being cracked.

This has all come up in the past 24 hours, mostly connected to the HD-DVD hack that has been circulating online, having been posted to Digg as well as numerous other popular news and information websites. We’ve been notified by the owners of this intellectual property that they believe the posting of the encryption key infringes their intellectual property rights. In order to respect these rights and to comply with the law, we have removed postings of the key that have been brought to our attention.

Whether you agree or disagree with the policies of the intellectual property holders and consortiums, in order for Digg to survive, it must abide by the law. Digg’s Terms of Use, and the terms of use of most popular sites, are required by law to include policies against the infringement of intellectual property. This helps protect Digg from claims of infringement and being shut down due to the posting of infringing material by others.

Our goal is always to maintain a purely democratic system for the submission and sharing of information - and we want Digg to continue to be a great resource for finding the best content. However, in order for that to happen, we all need to work together to protect Digg from exposure to lawsuits that could very quickly shut us down.

Thanks for your understanding,

Jay

Published by:

Digg Blog

Silverlight, yet to see the perfection of it…

I am sitting here catching up on things. This weather around the STL kills me at this time of the year. Enough about me, more about Silverlight right? Well maybe.

Now what I’m reading by two of the top bloggers or most reputable bloggers out there today, Michael Arrington and Robert Scoble, is that we all had better pay attention to Silverlight. Ok, I’ll agree, from some of the excited overview of it, it sounds like a great 4 mb application that makes AJAX look like a bicycle and Silverlight the Ferrari.

That is really cool, you have me hooked. Now I jump over to the ex-Microsoft VP’s site. I have to see what he is saying about it. First off, he didn’t get a free pass to the MIX event, and secondly he plays both sides of the fence in his post.

As always, I casually see what people are saying. As you know, no matter how hard someone shoves down a new process, software, OS, etc… it’s the people that are going to bite or spit. Well right now the people are spitting. In fact, one of the more prominent comments under Scoble’s post goes like this

Microsoft rebooted the web? Why, did they crash it? Sorry, couldn’t resist.

What I’m not sorry about is that I don’t trust Microsoft. I don’t trust Ballmer. I don’t trust Gates. I don’t believe that the old Microsoft - the one that lied, cheated, and stole its way into becoming a monopoly has turned over a new leaf.

Ouch! But it gets even better, as I scrolled down further to find more Mac and Linux comments. Then the very last comment, I thought I would get to see something. There was a comment by Michael S. Scherotter who has a web site that he used to learn Silverlight on. He is a Microsoft employee.

So here I am. All excited to finally see this hype. Then it all became really clear. Just go there yourself - http://xmldocs.net/ - I’m sure you will be jumping up and down all over for this Silverlight exhibition.

Technically Speaking, if you are going to post a comment and link your web site. Then go on about “how I work at Microsoft, and how I made this web site to test it“, just make sure the thing works.

Black on White is not impressing me. Not one bit. I’m currently siding with the Linux and Mac people at this time. Remember, I’m from the STL, you have to show me. Please don’t mistake that with SHOE ME; that is north of here in Wisconsin!

Published By:

Techn ically Speaking

Mig29 Fulcrum And Sukhoi SU-26 Formation - Mirror Flight!

Mig29 Fulcrum And Sukhoi SU-26 Formation - Mirror Flight! - Click here for funny video clips

Semi Hot?

Fred Durst cleans up nice, I guess. I'm not sure if he's still a dirty douche or sort-of hot? I'm going to go with dirty-douche, because underneath that is probably a smelly mess. Fred cleaned up for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of "The Education of Charlie Bank" last night in NYC.

Didn't he tap Paris Hilton ass? In that case...nasty.

Published by Dlisted

Celebrity culture

Interesting article about the obscenity of celebrity culture below. One can only imagine that it's rise is directly proportional to the increasing availability of technology that provides us with instant information...Gen Y in particular has taken to this and doesn't realise how amazing it is that Britney Spears can abandon her underwear, shave her head or attack a car with an umbrella - and the whole Western world knows about it within 5 hours.

Drowning in a tawdry sea

April 28, 2007 07:26am

WHETHER we regard them as constituting a sea or a cesspit, we're drowning in them. Celebrities. In their shallow lives and shabby deaths

Our media and our minds are filled with celebrity affairs, celebrity marriages, celebrity honeymoons in celebrity resorts, followed by celebrity adoptions (the approved method of celebrity parenthood, in that they can cast the child as they would a kid for a movie - as opposed to taking the pot luck of conventional pregnancy) followed by revelations of trips to celebrity rehabs and celebrity divorce in celebrated brawls conducted by celebrity lawyers.

We have celebrity defendants in murder trials and celebrity candidates for elections, and can watch minor celebs on celebrity quiz or "reality" shows. And if the mainstream media is momentarily distracted from their meretricious doings by war or climate change, there are always specialist celeb mags and cable channels.

If there's one thing the fans love even more than a celebrated and worthless life it's an appropriately tawdry ending, preferably by overdose. Though I'd managed to be blissfully ignorant of Anna Nicole Smith's existence, it became compulsory after it ended. As are the lives and lofty examples of our thuggish sports stars (now, there's another devalued word) and the antics of the Barbie Doll army. Not to forget those other role models - the drug-addled models who totter like derelicts up and down the catwalks.

Semi-talented rock stars, boof-headed rugby players who treat women like dirt and gross businessmen whose claim to fame rests on obscene salaries join the conga line of those notorious for their notoriety.

What's going on here? Are our lives so meaningless, so lacking in imagination or energy that we have to waste our time, money and neurons on this human trash? It's a serious social illness -- if for no other reason than these useless idiots distract us from the achievements of people who really are worthy of our attention.

All this came to mind when I was helping launch the Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation in Melbourne, a marvellous venture to help kids over the hurdles. Chisholm was a secular saint, one of those indomitable women who profoundly changed the world around them, whether that world was Madras or Melbourne, Sydney or the bush. In her day she was cherished as a hero, a reputation gained through her work, not through a personal publicist. Now we see her face on our money - but not one in a hundred knows a damn thing about her.

Yet who isn't cursed with the knowledge of Paris Hilton? This trashiest of all celebs makes the trailer trash on Jerry Springer look like European aristocracy. Eliminating junk email isn't the problem. How do we screen out all further reference to this megabrat?

Real fame, enduring fame, relates to achievement - whereas celebrity relates to ratings, cover stories and social pages. I'm not saying they don't blur and overlap, that mass marketing cannot commidify authentic, genuine fame and make it into nonsense - symbolised in the
T-shirts of Einstein poking out his tongue at the celebrity he'd never wanted or sought. The full-time celeb wants and seeks nothing else.

Fame is often an unintended consequence of work in a lab, a jungle, a hospital, at the coalface of suffering. Whereas celebrity is pursued for its own sake, pulled along by a dog-team of showbiz hacks. At fever pitch for decades, the psychopathology of celebrity now seems a terminal disease - eclipsing the work of the unsung heroes who cure terminal diseases.

The opposite of fame isn't obscurity so much as infamy. (Somehow "fame" seems inappropriate to a Hitler.) In a sense anonymity is the antonym of celebrity but, on another level, celebrity is its own opposite. The word evokes triviality, inconsequence, worthlessness. The only good thing? Celebrity has the shelf-life of yoghurt. Celebrities are tissues (you choose between facial and toilet) compared to the chiselled marble of enduring reputation. Though as a trip to Westminster Abbey reminds us, even marble has its use-by date.

We live in an era when more US citizens vote for contestants on TV's American Idol than for their presidency (and then elect and re-elect a dolt like Dubyah), in a time when Paris Hilton defames both a hotel chain and a city, when Madonna can happily infringe the Vatican's copyright, and the Dalai Lama depends on the endorsement of Richard Gere. You wonder whether the weather is, after all, the greatest of human crises. Isn't the gush and tosh of celebrity culture (sic) every bit as threatening?

With climate change, we might all be drowned by rising sea levels. But wouldn't you rather drown in seawater than in the rising tide of celebrity bullshit?

Published by: http://emscorneroftheworld.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!6A0E1CA25040A25E!736.entry

Another Butler News.

Admitting that she had fabricated her own academic credentials, Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, resigned from her post on April 26 after nearly three decades with the college.

The news came as a shock to the MIT student body and community, as Jones was famous for urging stressed-out and highly-competitive students to relax, and stop trying to be so perfect.

In fact, she'd recently promoted a book she'd co-written on the subject - "Les Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond," making her a guru of the movement to tame the college admissions frenzy.

Yet, to the vast majority of people who never knew her personally, the news that she fudged nearly all of her academic credentials might seem less shocking. In fact, the book "Freakonomics" estimates that 50 percent of people lie on their resumes, with author Stephen D. Levitt referring to a W.C. Fields quote in his explanation: "Anything worth winning is worth cheating for."

But you'd be hard pressed to find a person who has been caught cheating and thought it was worth it in the end.

Just ask David Edmondson, the former CEO of Radio Shack who resigned in February 2006 after it was found that he had "clearly misstated" his academic record, claiming that he had received a bachelor's degree when he had not. Or George O'Leary, who stepped down five days after being made Notre Dame football coach in 2001, admitting he'd lied about his academic and athletic background. He never received a master's degree or even played college football.

Employers of individuals in less visible positions are also taking an increasingly black-and-white view of employees who fiddle with their credentials.

"This MIT case underscores the danger of embellishing what's in a resume. It's more and more common for employers to do background checks, and there are more and more resources available for employers who wish to do so. Even if an employee has been found to have embellished a smaller detail, they may terminate the employee on principal alone," Patrick Manzo, vice president of compliance and fraud prevention at Monster.com, told eWEEK.

Other factors have made it even more risky for people to stretch the truth on their resumes. Newer technologies have made it easier for companies to ferret out cheaters both before and after hiring them. Also, the digitizing of resumes has made it possible for even the smallest lie to follow an individual throughout his or her career.

"Young workers need to be especially careful - a lie on your resume early on can have long-lasting consequences," said Manzo.

Monster found that a surprising number of job seekers hold the misguided perception that employers expect a little resume padding here and there even though companies have repeatedly said that this is simply not the case.

"Make sure your resume is correct in each and every respect," said Manzo.

Published by: Phisorg

Company for Alicia Butler

Apparently the Dean of Admissions at M.I.T. pulled an Alicia Bulter and lied about her academic credentials. There are several differences between the two situations, of course. Marilee Jones, the M.I.T. dean, got away with it for 28 years, earned promotions and even wrote a book about the stresses of the college admission process. However, she was not a public official, and she did (finally) fess up when confronted with evidence of her duplicity.

The moral of both these stories - don’t pad your resume, folks. It really comes back to bite you in the end.

Published by: "a Kinght in DragonLand"

Web 2.0, the Travel Industry, and the Customer Experience

As mentioned earlier, we are big fans of Web 2.0 and it's increasing impact on marketing. It is quite interesting to see its impact on various industries. For example, the travel industry is now examining how to utilize Web 2.0 principles in helping them to better drive traffic to their websites, increase sales, and decrease overall costs. In fact,the editor of Eye For Travel online magazine, has defined Web 2.0 for his industry as meaning that consumers now rule the web and that user generated web content is the key to increasing traffic, and therefore, increasing sales.

As a result of this, this industry is debating whether or not to continue to pour money into social media phenomena, such as YouTube and Trip Advisor (2 of the fastest growing websites on the internet). Through these sites, consumers can post their opinions of airlines and hotels, and rate them based upon their traveling experiences. The alternative philosophy is to pull back spending in this area and instead simply focus on customer retention techniques.

As you can imagine, there are differing opinions on both of these ideas. We argue that no matter what your opinion is on this debate, companies have to focus first on the customer experience. If the customer experience is not good, it doesn't matter how you market. You will alienate customers either way if their experience is not positive.

For more on this interesting debate, you can attend the Affiliate Marketing Travel Industry Conference in May. It promises to be a conference filled with a rousing debate on the best ways to capture consumers' travel share-of-wallet most effectively.

Have a good weekend!

Via;: Direct marketing blog

Davis Freeberg’s Sites Of The Week

Full Size Mattress Like New Slight Urine Smell Hosted on Zooomr

This week’s winner of the site of the week contest was What the F . . . . ?!?! What the F is a collection of funny classified ads that have shown up in various papers over the years. The ads were uploaded to Scribd.com by someone with the handle of Sanctifyer. Sanctifyer has also uploaded several other documents that are worth checking out as well, including a collection of funny things that people say in court and a well written inspirational piece on happiness.

In reading through the various ads collected on What the F, my favorite had to be this unique description for someone looking to get rid of their dog.

“Free To Good Country Home - 3/4 Rotweiller, 1/4 Shepherd. 3 years old, female, spayed, very intelligent. Loves to eat live rabbits and kittens.
Loves to play ball with kids. Call after 5pm.”

Congratulations to What the F on winning this week’s sites of the week contest. The ads really were better than anything that I’ve ever seen on the Tonight Show and offered great entertainment for the week.

The nominations for the site of weekend are listed below, you can vote in the sidebar. If you’d like to nominate a site for consideration, you can email me at Davis at DavisFreeberg.com.

The Hype Machine
Strange Vehicles
Viva Radio

Via: DAVIS FREEBERG

Admit it, we all steal great decks

And Slide Share has made it easier for us to find new and exciting ways to liven up our dull old PowerPoint. Although I have recently invested 55 of your English pounds in the Keynote software (and Pages) for my Mac at home so I can hopefully create something more visually exciting. When I can be arsed, I might put some of mine up there too rather than the pathetic collection I have to date. Mind you, I think they’re funny. In the meantime:

David Byrne (he of Talking Heads) has been making art with powerpoint (the image above is one of his creations)

There’s a contest on Slide Share for the best decks. Check them out.

And this blog by Garr Reynolds has some excellent ideas and stuff.

Six emerging media trends (below) is v interesting - by the fast-acquiring guru status Greg Verdino I hope Greg is presenting at Digitas strategy boot camp in Boston next week when my good buddy Nobber Ryan is there. I had the pleasure of going there last November and Greg was one of the highlights along with Spam the Monkey. I should get round to filling in the other highlights some other time…

And I don’t know if this was entered into the awards but is perhaps how we should all be working? I cringe whenever we’re forced to get a signed scope of work back on the fax! I mean, are we really in 2007??? And I work for a digital agency.

And remember kids, don’t forget to make the right credit when using other people’s slides though. I think there must be some proper web etiquette way of doing this too. I’ll see if I can find out. Blimey, I think I’ve just managed a work-related posting.

Published by http://bluurb.wordpress.com/

Disney / Jim Henson Company has NO sense of humor

Got this from Sad Kermit on the MySpace today…..sad sad day.

Hiho everybody, Sad Kermit the Frog here.

The world is suddenly crashing in on me worse than it ever has before.
It looks like The Jim Henson Company, now owned by Disney, has had
YouTube and MySpace pull the “Hurt” video on the basis of copyright
infringement. I am so deeply saddened by this. The same very company I
gave years of blood and sweat to stabs me in the back with a
money-hungry grin. They never cared about me, goddamnit. What you see
before you is the shell of a frog who once had a soul, a life, a girl,
and Jim. I just don’t see how I can go on any longer with my only
artistic outlet being stripped from my bare, shaking, little frog
hands.

Remember, I love you all and wish you all the best. If you’re too far
into drugs like me, please get some help. Don’t go the same route as
me. And if you suffer from depression, please talk to somebody who can
help you. Do it for me.

Love always,

Sad Kermit

P.S. New video out in early/mid May…

Seriously. Disney? The shit is funny, get the stick outta your ass. Alas, it’s true:

As if Sad Kermit needed any publicity. Parody, Disney, is not copyright infringement. I didn’t hear NIN yelling about Sad Kermit’s usage of the song “Hurt”. Why? Because they have a sense of fucking humor and realize it’s GREAT publicity for their song.

Some companies will never learn man.

UPDATE: Dailymotion ain’t no punks.

Sad Kermit - Hurt
Uploaded by sadkermit


Via: http://b.drewolanoff.com/2007/04/27/disney-jim-henson-company-has-no-sense-of-humor/

ETHICS -- BUSH ADMINISTRATION TARGETED FORMER MINNESOTA U.S. ATTORNEY IN PURGE

McClatchy newspapers reported Thursday that "the Bush administration considered firing the former U.S. attorney in Minnesota, but he left his job voluntarily before the list of attorney to be ousted was completed." Congressional investigators told reporters that they noticed U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger's name "on a version of the list that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, began assembling in early 2005." Heffelfinger, who served as the U.S. attorney for Minnesota from September 2001 to February 2006, resigned more than nine months before the Justice Department finalized their list of prosecutors to purge.

The list with Heffelfinger's name has been examined by congressional investigators, but was not made public in the thousands of pages of documents released by the Justice Department since the investigation into the scandal began. Heffelfinger has previously said that politics were not a factor in his decision to step down, but when asked by McClatchy about the early list, he said he "had no indication whatsoever at any point during my service as U.S. attorney that anybody at Justice was less than fully satisfied with my work."

He met with Sampson "no less than three times," but says if Sampson had concerns about his performance, "they were never raised." "Heffelfinger's case interests congressional investigators because he worked in one of the states that White House political adviser Karl Rove identified as an escalation battleground, and because he was replaced by a 34-year old Bush administration loyalist who'd been a member of Gonzales' inner circle." Rachel Paulose, Heffelfinger's replacement, has caused turmoil in the Minnesota U.S. attorney's office, where four top staffers voluntarily stepped down in protest of her "highly dictatorial style of managing."

Iraq:turning the Table

Yesterday, the Senate approved a $124 billion war spending appropriations bill, sending to President Bush's desk a measure that would "force troop withdrawals to begin as early as July 1." Because of the withdrawal provisions, Bush pledged to veto the bill next week -- a period that coincides with the four year anniversary of his infamous "Mission Accomplished" declaration aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.

The Center for American Progress's Iraq plan -- Strategic Redeployment -- explains why a phased withdrawal is necessary: it would provide political space for Iraqis to strike power-sharing agreements, empower Iraqi forces to take control, motivate regional powers to get involved, undermine Iraqi support for the insurgency, extricate U.S. soldiers from a civil war, shift our attention back to global terrorist networks, and restore the strength of the all-volunteer ground forces. Before their recent campaigns to demonize the concept of redeployment as "surrender" and "precipitous withdrawal," a number of conservative lawmakers had urged President Clinton during the 1990s to adopt the position that they now criticize. While the White House and its conservative allies now detest congressional involvement in Iraq policy-making -- calling it "micromanagement" -- in the 1990s, conservative lawmakers understood and exercised their constitutional rights to shape foreign policy.

"Under the Constitution, Congress has a duty to question the war policies of this or any president," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV). "We must listen to the voices of the people." A New York Times-CBS News poll found that the public favors a timeline for withdrawal in 2008 by a wide margin, 64 percent to 32 percent. The poll also found "public support for Congress to have the final say on troop levels in Iraq, 57 percent to 35 percent." Today's Progress Report highlights a few examples of the conservative hypocrisy on the need for timetables:

JOHN MCCAIN ARGUED FOR WITHDRAWAL: In Oct. 1994, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called on President Clinton to withdraw forces from Haiti "as soon as possible." "In my view that does not mean as soon as order is restored to Haiti," he said. "It does not mean as soon as democracy is flourishing in Haiti. It does not mean as soon as we have established a viable nation in Haiti. As soon as possible means as soon we can get out of Haiti without losing any American lives." A year before, in Oct. 1993, McCain argued against giving any strategy the chance to succeed in Somalia. "Mr. President, can anyone seriously argue that another 6 months of United States forces in harm's way means the difference between peace and prosperity in Somalia and war and starvation there? Is that very dim prospect worth one more American life? No, it is not," he said. (Watch the video of his statements here.) A McCain spokesman said, "It's intellectually dishonest to compare the situations in Haiti and Somalia to the current situation in Iraq." The only intellectual dishonesty comes from McCain's willingness to contort his views to defend Bush's failed Iraq policy.

JON KYL WANTED FORCES OUT BY CERTAIN DATES: Another senator who has displayed intellectual dishonesty over the need for a timetable is Jon Kyl (R-AZ). Recently on CNN, he attacked the withdrawal plan, claiming it was "the first time I know of -- in the middle of a war -- that a country just announces that on a specific date it's walking off the battlefield." But in June 1998, Kyl voted in favor of provisions that called for U.S. forces to "walk off the battlefield" by a certain date in Kosovo and Bosnia. In June 1998, he supported a bill to "require the President to submit Congress a plan for withdrawing United States forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina if the Congress does not so act by March 31, 1999.” In May 2000, Kyl supported an effort by Congress to compel Clinton to withdraw all ground forces from Kosovo by July 1, 2001.

JOHN BOEHNER VOTED TO LIMIT TROOP DEPLOYMENTS: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) recently warned that we cannot leave Iraq -- "like we did in Somalia" -- because "we will leave chaos in our wake." Yet, Boehner voted numerous times to limit the deployment of troops in Somalia. On at least two occassions, he supported amendments to move up the deadline to bring toops home from Somalia (House Roll Call Vote #179, 5/22/93 and House Roll Call Vote #555, 11/9/93). He also voted against $1.8 billion in funding for the operation in Somalia (House Roll Call Vote #188, 5/26/93).

EVEN BUSH ARGUED FOR DEADLINES: Earlier this week, Bush said, "I believe artificial timetables of withdrawal would be a mistake. An artificial timetable of withdrawal would say to an enemy, just wait them out." But in 1999, George W. Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo, and yet he refuses to apply the same standard to his war. Bush explicitly said, "I think it’s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn." Bush also said, "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is." Now, Bush has taken exactly the opposite position, arguing it's important for the president not to explain the exit strategy.

I want my Joost TV

While I was in Davos, I got to meet Niklas Zennstrom, the founder of Skype. Somehow he neglected to mention that he was about to revolutionize TV. Later on in the conference, I heard rumors about Joost, his new service, but unfortunately I couldn't ask Niklas for a beta invite. It would help if remembered who I was along with other couple thousand people clambering around Davos.

The buzz is that Joost is the future of TV. I signed up for the Joost beta a couple of weeks after I returned and I got the download notice in my inbox two weeks ago. I finally have managed to download the beta today.

After a couple of sputtering starts on our home 5Mb DSL line, the thing finally got going. At first I thought this is not going to work as the image started and stopped, but when it did get going it was presenting me with near DVD quality images on my PC. I hear they have a new proprietary compression algorithm, but the image and sound are pretty good.

You are first confronted with a user interface for selecting channels of information. Since I live in the UK, I don't think I have heard of any of the channels or the programs on the channels, but I understand that they are signing up some pretty amazing media deals.

From these channels, you can select specific programs to watch on demand.

Once you start watching, you get a full screen viewing experience by default. It is absolutely nothing like YouTube. It is full screen with all the normal controls that you would expect.

While you are watching, you can access a set of widget for adding comments or instant messaging a friend. If they open up the platform the way that Skype has, you can imagine all sorts of widgets being created for searching for related shows, looking up references to and from the show, historical references or simulcasting your own commentary and voice over.

One thing you should watch out for. As soon as I downloaded this, I started taking screen shots. I live in the UK, so I don't know anything about a series called Total Recall 2070, but it looked interesting. After taking this screen shot, the couple take their clothes off and start getting it on when my wife walks in. I am only talking about the first few minutes of the program. I have to explain that I am doing this in the name of research! It could probably use some sort rating on the programs, at least while I am trying it out at home and not in the office.

Anyway, I have invitations for 3 friends to invite to the Joost beta. Please let me know if you are interested.

VIA: http://newton.typepad.com/content/2007/04/i_want_my_joost.html

Visit a pearl Factory

Visit a Pearl Factory

Creating beautiful pearl necklaces and pearl bracelets requires a process of sorting through thousands of pearls to find matching pearls. Follow Jewelry Television into this pearl factory where we buy such large volumes of pearl jewelry, we can offer amazing prices to our customers. Visit JTV.com to browse our wide selection of pearls and pearl jewelry.

Via: http://jewelrytelevision.typepad.com/jewelry_television/2007/04/visit_a_pearl_f.html

Quickly Press Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, Start to Unlock Total Frustration

One of my many vices--a list that includes microbrews, komodo dragon eggs, and wearing Kiss makeup to work--is video games. It's a vice that isn't so popular with the other residents of the house, one of whom wants me to "relate to your family" or "listen when I'm talking to you" while the other thinks the TV is just a communication device to Orson Elmo. But as I've said before, I love my games, and as scintillating as folding laundry or reruns of Seinfeld may be I'd still rather have a controller in my hand, dishing out some pain to genetically mutated zombies.

Thanks to the IRS, who was kind enough to sit on a large stash of my cash for the better part of last year, we've decided that it's OK to invest a little money in our own happiness. Oodgie, bless her, knew that this meant that if I didn't upgrade from my Xbox--which was already two years old--I'd whine like a two year old who'd gone three minutes without candy. Enter the Xbox 360.

I hooked the bad boy up this weekend, and popped in the game which one friend described to me as "like crack, but more addictive." It was completely awesome. But it did expose one fatal flaw in my plans.

I'm not very good at video games.

What's hard to explain to Oodgie, after coming to bed at 4 AM with sore thumbs and a bad attitude, is that I spent half that time trying to do the same thing over and over again, but failing miserably the first 30 times. I just can't let puzzles lie, and damn it if I'm going to let some alien invaders enchanted sorcerer Lego jedi pinhead programmer get the better of me. And like many things in life that confound and annoy me, I express my frustration verbally. Loudly. Angrily. And generally with great profanity.

If you're curious (and I'm sure you are) I have found a video replica (below, NSFW) of my gaming experience online, so scarily identical to mine that it could only be an illegally captured recording of me. If you have the patience, I encourage you to sit through the duration, because only then can you truly capture the suffering, the tenacity, and the futility of my efforts.

Via: http://croutonboy.typepad.com/cheekys_hideaway/2007/04/quickly_press_u.html

The Dangers of Dating a Coworker

While dating a coworker might seem like a wild, adventurous thrill ride that could make an otherwise drab workweek that much more exciting, there are a few key factors to keep in mind before taking the plunge into an office romance.

These points are critical, especially for those of you who are trying to advance your career in a small office environment.

Size Matters

A small- to medium-size office can be a potentially disastrous place to find oneself attracted to a female colleague. While falling for a coworker isn't necessarily advised in any office environment, this holds especially true in a small workplace where everyone is into everyone else's business — both personal and work-related.

On the other hand, it's only natural to find yourself attracted to someone you work with closely day in and day out. While larger offices are generally more impersonal, smaller work environments tend to create the type of closeness that can lead to the development of a romantic relationship.

The Conditions Are Right

Plus, when getting involved with a coworker, chances are that you can bypass all the intricate steps that are required to attract and impress her from the get-go.

You are already in direct contact with her on a daily basis, you talk about life and work, you have coffee and perhaps the occasional lunch here and there, it's almost as if the early stages of the dating game have already been taken care of.

To Leap or Not to Leap?

But at what point do you decide if it's worth your while — and potentially your future at that job — to take the next step and become involved with your coworker? Well, before you make any drastic decisions, our best advice is to take a closer look at all the potential benefits and disasters that could be associated with this new career move.

Then — and only then — can you truly ask yourself: "Does the play outweigh the price I may have to pay?"

The Benefits

As with most new relationships, the real excitement comes in the early stages: the flirting, the secret emails, the smiles and sexual glances, the playful jokes and letters. These are all bonuses that will most definitely bring joy to your long, hard day at the office. Let's take a look at some of the specific benefits

• You feel vitalized when you wake up in the morning; you can't wait to see her all decked out in her office attire, complete with that cheery smile when she sees you walk in. Perhaps even a little "good morning" peck on the cheek — in private, of course.
• If she's the office babe, chances are you'll feel and act like the office stud with this new boost of excitement in your life. However, the other guys in the office might be somewhat jealous of you when they catch on. But you couldn't care less; you're on top of the world, right?
• You get to have lunch together. An otherwise boring office lunch can magically turn into an intimate lunch date complete with flirting, frolicking and maybe even a quickie.
• During private time, you'll always have something to talk about when your conversation becomes stale, as you both live and breathe 40 hours of the same workspace each and every week.
• You always have someone to confide in concerning your work-related problems. Likewise, you can be there for her when she needs to blow off some steam.
• The thrill of being intimate in the office during the day, after hours and when others aren't looking can be very exciting.
• If you share good chemistry, chances are you'll work well in groups and complement one another on certain aspects of your jobs.

The Downsides

As with everything in life, along with the good comes the bad. The only difference in this case is that when it's bad, it's horrible.

• When things aren't going your way at work, whether it's a personal issue or a work-related incident, the last thing you need is added pressure stemming from tension between you and your office flame. That cold, hard glare she lets off can really burn a hole right through the back of your brain when tension arises. Even worse is when others around the office have to witness this chaos. Not pleasant in the least.
• The more private time you spend together during office hours, the more and more you'll begin to alienate yourself from your other colleagues. The worst thing you can do is distance yourself from your immediate associates, especially those you've developed personal relationships with. As soon as trouble in corporate paradise rears its ugly head and you find yourself as the office outsider, you'll have to work overtime to regain their trust and friendship.
• When the going gets tough, it's difficult to avoid one another in a small office. Chances are your office space or workstation is just around the corner from hers, so attempting to ignore her all week is virtually impossible. In a larger office, you may be able to pull it off.
• Office gossip can destroy your chances of promotion. Should your boss discover that you're more preoccupied with your relationship than with your job, you may find yourself writing those cute little love notes on a pink slip.
• No matter how much excitement your coworkers have in their personal lives, they always seem to be trying to catch you in the act. If they sense that something is going on between you and your lady friend, they'll do everything in their power to expose you. If you are caught in an act of intimacy during office hours, you're busted. This alone can severely harm your professional image.
• If she's having a bad day, guess who's first in line to hear about it all day at work, then some more during private time?
• If she's having mood swings, you're public enemy No. 1.

The Breakup

As with many relationships, you may find that this one simply isn't working out. Should you decide that it's time to break it off, those 40 work hours per week might feel like an eternity in the early stages of the breakup. The beauty of breaking off a normal relationship is that you no longer have to see the other person afterward. Obviously, the same rules don't apply when it comes to an office fling.

• If you are responsible for ending it, she might seek revenge and try to make your life hell at work. She may even try to get you canned.
• On the other hand, if she ends it, you could be the bitter one and you might even attempt to seek revenge of your own. What's worse, jealousy may take its toll when you witness her flirting with other employees, going out on lunch dates and ultimately moving on with her life — without you. Such distractions can seriously harm your performance at work.
• And last but not least, if you gossiped about other coworkers with her or bad-mouthed anyone during your good times together, there's a chance that those comments will come back to haunt you.

Make a Professional Decision

So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in this type of predicament, do whatever you feel is right, but let your brain weigh the pros and cons before enrolling yourself in a crash course in career chaos.

Unless you honestly believe that you can juggle your career and a relationship with one hand, you might want to do yourself a favor and keep your business and personal lives separate.

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

Arby's Beef 'n' Cheddar

KFC Famous Bowl

Subway six-inch turkey breast and ham sub

Wendy's Southwest Taco Salad

Burger King sausage, egg, and cheese croissant

McDonald's Big Mac

Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande

McDonald's Filet O Fish Sandwich

Burger King Whopper

McDonald's Sausage McMuffin

Mexican who could become richest on the planet

A modestly dressed Mexican with a taste for expensive cigars, baseball memorabilia and bonsai trees has overtaken the American investor Warren Buffett as the world's second richest man and is quietly closing in on Bill Gates as the richest man on the planet.

	Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim

Carlos Slim, a magnate whose empire supplies Mexicans with everything from cheap flights to cigarettes, has seen his fortune soar by more than $4 billion (£2.02 billion) in two months to $53.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

The 67-year-old's net worth outstrips Mr Buffett's holdings, which have fallen to $52.4 billion since Forbes released its table of wealth rankings last month.

Since last year, his fortune has increased by $19 billion because of a strong Mexican economy and soaring stock prices for his businesses.

Mr Gates still holds the top spot with $56 billion but with the Microsoft co-founder increasingly focusing on philanthropy, analysts say Mr Slim is on track to surpass him.

"It's virtually cradle to grave," Prof George Grayson, a Mexico expert at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, told the Los Angeles Times. "You are engulfed by Slim in Mexico."

Mr Slim is the son of a Lebanese-born shopkeeper. As a child he recorded every peso he spent in ledgers that are still in his office.

He bought a cigarette company in the 1970s. Despite an economic collapse and widespread panic in Mexico in the early 1980s, he kept acquiring assets.

The workaholic's charitable foundations have benefited hundreds of thousands of Mexicans. He has funded hospitals, a national archive and an art museum named after his late wife Soumaya, which houses works by Degas, Monet and the largest Rodin from her private collection.

Mr Slim recently told Forbes that his vision of a businessman's role differed to that of Mr Buffett, who is to donate $ 1.5 billion every year to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Our concept is more to accomplish and solve things - not going around like Santa Claus," he added. "Poverty isn't solved with donations."