Overheard on a G train, Sunday, Brooklyn NY
A dad explaining to his son and daughter that "the world has changed, you can be anything you want to be these days, there's nothing wrong with that" when they asked why there were five men dressed as ladies in the carriage. He touched his daughter's cheek and said "they want to be like you".
The lead drag queen thanked the father for encouraging his children to understand and not judge others.
Then the other hideous, screetchy drag queens with bad wigs ruined the moment by swearing (F and C words) in front of the children, calling each other beATCHes before toddling off in their heels into the real world.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Heat wave steams East Coast for second day, cooling centers offer NYC residents relief
NEW YORK (AP) -- There was plenty of complaining about the weather on Tuesday.
A high of around 93 was predicted for Tuesday in New York -- but combined with humidity it was expected to feel like 98 degrees. On Monday, the temperature hit 92 in Central Park. Cooler weather and storms were forecast by Wednesday.
New York City officials opened 290 cooling centers at city-run senior centers and community centers, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged residents to help prevent blackouts by conserving power and to not exert themselves.
Last year, a heat wave that struck in late July and early August caused 40 deaths directly from heat stroke and contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 07-10-07 1038EDT
A high of around 93 was predicted for Tuesday in New York -- but combined with humidity it was expected to feel like 98 degrees. On Monday, the temperature hit 92 in Central Park. Cooler weather and storms were forecast by Wednesday.
New York City officials opened 290 cooling centers at city-run senior centers and community centers, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged residents to help prevent blackouts by conserving power and to not exert themselves.
Last year, a heat wave that struck in late July and early August caused 40 deaths directly from heat stroke and contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 07-10-07 1038EDT
Pouty Paris makes nice for tourists
By ANTONIO OLIVEIRA, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 9, 1:47 PM ET
Their city is the world's No. 1 tourist destination, yet Parisians sometimes seem downright grumpy about it.
On Monday, city officials set out to change that, urging cab drivers to smile and telling waiters to try out their English.
Tourists, too, were given tips like "try out French products" instead of heading to the first Starbucks in search of friendly service.
As Mayor Bertrand Delanoe launched the first Paris Tourist Day on the sprawling Trocadero Plaza across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the response from passers-by was predictable: Parisians said their rude reputation was exaggerated. Visitors disagreed.
Paul Roll, director of the Paris Tourism Office, conceded that the French capital has a "rather unfriendly" image but defended his compatriots.
"French citizens are shy when they need to speak in a foreign language. They have a very strong accent, which makes it difficult to understand," he said.
He said the campaign was aimed at making Parisians understand how important tourists are to their city's economic growth, and to help them improve their habits when dealing with foreigners. A full 12 percent of jobs in Paris are directly connected to tourism, Roll said.
"To be frank," said Brazilian tourist Joana D'Arc de Almeida, "I think Paris needs to learn a lot about how to deal with tourists, because that's what brings money to the city. It looks like they have so much money from it already that they don't care about people anymore."
She said she's determined, regardless, to adapt to the "French way of doing things."
Tour guide Nicole Rimbaud insisted her fellow Parisians' "habits are really changing."
"If (visitors) make an effort and try to explain to Parisians that they don't speak French instead of speaking English right away, (French) people can be very warm, actually," she said.
Cab driver Mustafah Hammoum welcomed the friendliness campaign — but said in general his colleagues are "quite nice."
"We do our best," he said.
"What could we improve? Well, traffic, that's for sure. And English skills, why not. There are lots of cab drivers who don't speak that language. It's a real problem when people can't understand each other," he said.
Many Parisian cab drivers aren't native French speakers, either, adding to the challenges for passengers.
Bystanders at the Trocadero event were offered Parisian water, orange juice and brochures with a "Charter for the Parisian and Visitor."
"I will take the time to give information to visitors. I will make use of my foreign language skills to reply to them in their language," reads one item of advice to Parisians.
To tourists, the brochure says, "I will experience the Parisian lifestyle" and "I will take advantage of my stay to try French products."
It's not the first time the city has sought to clean up its manners, nor the last. While Monday's event was a one-day affair, city officials are also offering long-term friendliness projects.
"Ambassadors of Welcome" kiosks went up for the summer in five strategic tourist sites, like near Notre Dame Cathedral and Place de la Bastille.
In any case, Roll notes, despite tourists' fears of surly Parisian service, when they get here they usually change their minds. He said 97 percent of those who visit say they want to come back.
Paris saw 15.3 million visitors in 2006 from foreign countries and elsewhere in France, according to the Paris region tourist bureau.
Their city is the world's No. 1 tourist destination, yet Parisians sometimes seem downright grumpy about it.
On Monday, city officials set out to change that, urging cab drivers to smile and telling waiters to try out their English.
Tourists, too, were given tips like "try out French products" instead of heading to the first Starbucks in search of friendly service.
As Mayor Bertrand Delanoe launched the first Paris Tourist Day on the sprawling Trocadero Plaza across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the response from passers-by was predictable: Parisians said their rude reputation was exaggerated. Visitors disagreed.
Paul Roll, director of the Paris Tourism Office, conceded that the French capital has a "rather unfriendly" image but defended his compatriots.
"French citizens are shy when they need to speak in a foreign language. They have a very strong accent, which makes it difficult to understand," he said.
He said the campaign was aimed at making Parisians understand how important tourists are to their city's economic growth, and to help them improve their habits when dealing with foreigners. A full 12 percent of jobs in Paris are directly connected to tourism, Roll said.
"To be frank," said Brazilian tourist Joana D'Arc de Almeida, "I think Paris needs to learn a lot about how to deal with tourists, because that's what brings money to the city. It looks like they have so much money from it already that they don't care about people anymore."
She said she's determined, regardless, to adapt to the "French way of doing things."
Tour guide Nicole Rimbaud insisted her fellow Parisians' "habits are really changing."
"If (visitors) make an effort and try to explain to Parisians that they don't speak French instead of speaking English right away, (French) people can be very warm, actually," she said.
Cab driver Mustafah Hammoum welcomed the friendliness campaign — but said in general his colleagues are "quite nice."
"We do our best," he said.
"What could we improve? Well, traffic, that's for sure. And English skills, why not. There are lots of cab drivers who don't speak that language. It's a real problem when people can't understand each other," he said.
Many Parisian cab drivers aren't native French speakers, either, adding to the challenges for passengers.
Bystanders at the Trocadero event were offered Parisian water, orange juice and brochures with a "Charter for the Parisian and Visitor."
"I will take the time to give information to visitors. I will make use of my foreign language skills to reply to them in their language," reads one item of advice to Parisians.
To tourists, the brochure says, "I will experience the Parisian lifestyle" and "I will take advantage of my stay to try French products."
It's not the first time the city has sought to clean up its manners, nor the last. While Monday's event was a one-day affair, city officials are also offering long-term friendliness projects.
"Ambassadors of Welcome" kiosks went up for the summer in five strategic tourist sites, like near Notre Dame Cathedral and Place de la Bastille.
In any case, Roll notes, despite tourists' fears of surly Parisian service, when they get here they usually change their minds. He said 97 percent of those who visit say they want to come back.
Paris saw 15.3 million visitors in 2006 from foreign countries and elsewhere in France, according to the Paris region tourist bureau.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Hey You Who?
Earth underwhelmed by environment pop extravaganza@
LONDON (Reuters) - They rocked the world, but as the clean-up at nine climate change gigs around the globe begins, many wonder if the galaxy of pop stars did much to change it.
U.S. and British media were generally underwhelmed Sunday by Live Earth, the mega-concert organised by former U.S. vice president and green campaigner Al Gore, which, though built on the model of Live Aid and Live 8, created a less positive buzz.
In Germany, however, newspapers were more upbeat about Saturday's gigs designed to pressure leaders to sign a new treaty by 2009 that would cut global warming pollution by 90 percent in rich nations and more than half worldwide by 2050.
Several articles examined the green credentials of artists on the day, including Madonna, whose annual "carbon footprint" was estimated at around 100 times the average Briton's.
The News of the World tabloid, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper, detailed estimates of Madonna's carbon emissions from nine houses, a fleet of cars, a private jet and the Confessions tour, calling her a "climate-change catastrophe."
The Sunday Telegraph quoted U.S. reports of her alleged financial links to companies accused of being major polluters.
Her spokeswoman in Britain was not immediately available for comment, but in a statement appearing in the Independent on Sunday, her New York spokeswoman said:
"Madonna's agreeing to sing at the Live Earth Event is merely one of the first steps in her commitment toward being environmentally responsible."
The negative headlines took some gloss off Madonna's widely praised appearance at Wembley Stadium in London, where she sang her specially written anthem "Hey You" before a raunchy performance of three of her biggest hits.
MIXED MESSAGES
The New York Times' online edition Sunday featured a small picture of the event and a headline linking to "Artsbeat Blog," and in Britain only the Independent Sunday made anything more than a fleeting reference on its front page.
But in Germany, where Snoop Dogg was among the acts at the Hamburg gig, Live Earth dominated headlines.
"The bottom line is that if nothing else, the issue of climate protection was a lot of fun for two billion people for one day," wrote Bild am Sonntag, Germany's best-selling Sunday newspaper.
Organisers say that in addition to the tens of thousands of fans at the gigs, the television, radio and internet audience could be as large as two billion.
Commentators noted the difficulty in marrying pop music with serious themes like the environment.
"Mixing music and a serious message gives concert a clunky rhythm," was the Washington Post's description of the Wembley gig, arguably the biggest lineup on the day that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and the Foo Fighters.
Performances were interspersed with long gaps, some of them filled by short films on environmental themes.
Many performers were "on message," calling on crowds from Sydney and Tokyo to New York and Rio de Janeiro to cut down on their personal carbon dioxide emissions and recycle.
Yet U.S. comedian Chris Rock expressed the kind of disbelief shared by many on the day that Live Earth would make a lasting difference, even if he was only joking:
"I pray that this event ends global warming the same way that Live Aid ended world hunger," he said in London.
(Additional reporting by Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin)
LONDON (Reuters) - They rocked the world, but as the clean-up at nine climate change gigs around the globe begins, many wonder if the galaxy of pop stars did much to change it.
U.S. and British media were generally underwhelmed Sunday by Live Earth, the mega-concert organised by former U.S. vice president and green campaigner Al Gore, which, though built on the model of Live Aid and Live 8, created a less positive buzz.
In Germany, however, newspapers were more upbeat about Saturday's gigs designed to pressure leaders to sign a new treaty by 2009 that would cut global warming pollution by 90 percent in rich nations and more than half worldwide by 2050.
Several articles examined the green credentials of artists on the day, including Madonna, whose annual "carbon footprint" was estimated at around 100 times the average Briton's.
The News of the World tabloid, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper, detailed estimates of Madonna's carbon emissions from nine houses, a fleet of cars, a private jet and the Confessions tour, calling her a "climate-change catastrophe."
The Sunday Telegraph quoted U.S. reports of her alleged financial links to companies accused of being major polluters.
Her spokeswoman in Britain was not immediately available for comment, but in a statement appearing in the Independent on Sunday, her New York spokeswoman said:
"Madonna's agreeing to sing at the Live Earth Event is merely one of the first steps in her commitment toward being environmentally responsible."
The negative headlines took some gloss off Madonna's widely praised appearance at Wembley Stadium in London, where she sang her specially written anthem "Hey You" before a raunchy performance of three of her biggest hits.
MIXED MESSAGES
The New York Times' online edition Sunday featured a small picture of the event and a headline linking to "Artsbeat Blog," and in Britain only the Independent Sunday made anything more than a fleeting reference on its front page.
But in Germany, where Snoop Dogg was among the acts at the Hamburg gig, Live Earth dominated headlines.
"The bottom line is that if nothing else, the issue of climate protection was a lot of fun for two billion people for one day," wrote Bild am Sonntag, Germany's best-selling Sunday newspaper.
Organisers say that in addition to the tens of thousands of fans at the gigs, the television, radio and internet audience could be as large as two billion.
Commentators noted the difficulty in marrying pop music with serious themes like the environment.
"Mixing music and a serious message gives concert a clunky rhythm," was the Washington Post's description of the Wembley gig, arguably the biggest lineup on the day that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and the Foo Fighters.
Performances were interspersed with long gaps, some of them filled by short films on environmental themes.
Many performers were "on message," calling on crowds from Sydney and Tokyo to New York and Rio de Janeiro to cut down on their personal carbon dioxide emissions and recycle.
Yet U.S. comedian Chris Rock expressed the kind of disbelief shared by many on the day that Live Earth would make a lasting difference, even if he was only joking:
"I pray that this event ends global warming the same way that Live Aid ended world hunger," he said in London.
(Additional reporting by Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin)
Monday, July 02, 2007
Friend Stealer
Are my online friends for real? By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology Correspondent, BBC News
As Facebook continues its explosive growth here's one question troubling me. Are my friends for real?
This week I received this intriguing message from a man who moves in London's new media circles.
He wrote: "I met somebody the other day who told me that online networking was so important, and he didn't have the time, he was paying somebody to be him online. To blog, network, post etc . £1,000 a month too.
"Apparently it's a new occupation which he reckons already numbers hundreds of people, paid to be other people!"
I rang the sender of the message - a real-world friend as well as a Facebook contact - and he gave me more details.
"This guy is a busy entrepreneur and he says that wherever he goes, people marvel at the energy he still manages to put into blogging and networking - and he then tells them it is all being done by a guy he pays to do it."
It's well known that Chinese workers spend long hours earning "gold" on the online game World of Warcraft, so that busy Western gamers can buy a new sword without putting in an excessive amount of time in front of their computers. But are there really crowds of busy executives hiring others to do the online dirty work for them?
One of the things I like about Facebook is that its users appear to be there under their own identities - rather than the "lonelygirl15" of YouTube, or "crazyguy1603" on MySpace.
I started worrying about some of my Facebook "friends". Were they who they said they were?
Busy man
What about Brent Hoberman, the founder of lastminute.com, and one of the elite members of London's "digerati"? Surely a busy man like him, in the middle of starting up a new online venture, does not have time to update his status on Facebook, ask his friends about their favourite books and films and take part in discussions about TV property programmes?
When I contacted him he assured me (via a blackberry message, mind you) that this was the real Hoberman.
"I think if I could get someone else to manage my e-mail then I could outsource social networking," he said.
"But I can't, and think one has slightly lost the plot if that happens."
Good, so he's the real him.
But what about my dear friend Sir Patrick Moore? I joined up with him a couple of weeks ago and was not entirely convinced he was the great astronomer.
His profile said he was here for "random play" and "whatever I can get" and his home town was Pinner.
Seeking reassurance
I happened to know that Sir Patrick lives in Selsey, in Sussex, so I wrote seeking reassurance.
"It is definitely me," he replied some days later, "extraordinary as it may seem! I was told about Facebook by some young camera crew I was working with, you see, and I was intrigued how people are able to communicate these days.
"You 're quite right I do live in Selsey, Pinner is the town in which I was born."
Hmm, still not entirely convinced.
And then there is Stephen Fry.
As an admirer of the great comic writer and actor (and gadget obsessive) I was delighted to spot him on another friend's network.
And even more pleased when my friendship request was accepted.
But his friends list appeared to be growing at an alarming rate, he was busy asking questions, playing rock, paper, scissors, and describing his favourite artists using the "ilike" application.
Surely this was the work of a gifted assistant?
Then came his latest status update: "Stephen is...concerned about the number of friendship requests he's getting. Don't want to turn anyone down, but 20+ every hour and rising is getting to be a worry."
Confirmation, then, that this was the real Stephen Fry, facing one of the dilemmas of modern manners - how to politely decline an offer of online friendship.
The actor has now set up a friendship group as a point of contact for all those strangers who want to be his friends.
But, like millions of others, he seems to have caught the Facebook bug.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6260210.stm
Published: 2007/07/02 09:58:09 GMT
As Facebook continues its explosive growth here's one question troubling me. Are my friends for real?
This week I received this intriguing message from a man who moves in London's new media circles.
He wrote: "I met somebody the other day who told me that online networking was so important, and he didn't have the time, he was paying somebody to be him online. To blog, network, post etc . £1,000 a month too.
"Apparently it's a new occupation which he reckons already numbers hundreds of people, paid to be other people!"
I rang the sender of the message - a real-world friend as well as a Facebook contact - and he gave me more details.
"This guy is a busy entrepreneur and he says that wherever he goes, people marvel at the energy he still manages to put into blogging and networking - and he then tells them it is all being done by a guy he pays to do it."
It's well known that Chinese workers spend long hours earning "gold" on the online game World of Warcraft, so that busy Western gamers can buy a new sword without putting in an excessive amount of time in front of their computers. But are there really crowds of busy executives hiring others to do the online dirty work for them?
One of the things I like about Facebook is that its users appear to be there under their own identities - rather than the "lonelygirl15" of YouTube, or "crazyguy1603" on MySpace.
I started worrying about some of my Facebook "friends". Were they who they said they were?
Busy man
What about Brent Hoberman, the founder of lastminute.com, and one of the elite members of London's "digerati"? Surely a busy man like him, in the middle of starting up a new online venture, does not have time to update his status on Facebook, ask his friends about their favourite books and films and take part in discussions about TV property programmes?
When I contacted him he assured me (via a blackberry message, mind you) that this was the real Hoberman.
"I think if I could get someone else to manage my e-mail then I could outsource social networking," he said.
"But I can't, and think one has slightly lost the plot if that happens."
Good, so he's the real him.
But what about my dear friend Sir Patrick Moore? I joined up with him a couple of weeks ago and was not entirely convinced he was the great astronomer.
His profile said he was here for "random play" and "whatever I can get" and his home town was Pinner.
Seeking reassurance
I happened to know that Sir Patrick lives in Selsey, in Sussex, so I wrote seeking reassurance.
"It is definitely me," he replied some days later, "extraordinary as it may seem! I was told about Facebook by some young camera crew I was working with, you see, and I was intrigued how people are able to communicate these days.
"You 're quite right I do live in Selsey, Pinner is the town in which I was born."
Hmm, still not entirely convinced.
And then there is Stephen Fry.
As an admirer of the great comic writer and actor (and gadget obsessive) I was delighted to spot him on another friend's network.
And even more pleased when my friendship request was accepted.
But his friends list appeared to be growing at an alarming rate, he was busy asking questions, playing rock, paper, scissors, and describing his favourite artists using the "ilike" application.
Surely this was the work of a gifted assistant?
Then came his latest status update: "Stephen is...concerned about the number of friendship requests he's getting. Don't want to turn anyone down, but 20+ every hour and rising is getting to be a worry."
Confirmation, then, that this was the real Stephen Fry, facing one of the dilemmas of modern manners - how to politely decline an offer of online friendship.
The actor has now set up a friendship group as a point of contact for all those strangers who want to be his friends.
But, like millions of others, he seems to have caught the Facebook bug.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6260210.stm
Published: 2007/07/02 09:58:09 GMT
Sunday, July 01, 2007
TATER MITTS
Top of my list for my next birthday present. The Tater Mitt - a pair of rubber gloves seemingly coated in steel wool. Peels a potato ("any type") in 08 seconds of "real time" (not fake time, real time).
Official Website and watch the highly effective advertisement campaign (again and again and again!)
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