Clapton Invited To Play North Korea

Above: British musician Eric Clapton, seen here in 2005, has been invited to play North Korea, a spokesman at the country's embassy in London said Tuesday.
(AFP/HO/File/lorenzo bevilaqua)

Guitar legend Eric Clapton has been invited to play North Korea, a spokesman at the country's embassy in London said Tuesday.
"We have invited him for a concert in Pyongyang at a time of his convenience," a diplomat at the mission told AFP by telephone.

"We invited him in mid-January. We haven't received an answer yet. Mr Clapton is a famous guitarist, an icon of the Western music.

"It's a good opportunity for the North Korean people to understand better Western music. Everybody knows who Clapton is."

The invitation emerged on the day the New York Philharmonic orchestra played a landmark concert in the North Korean capital, in a bid to improve relations between Washington and Pyongyang.

The North Korea State Symphony Orchestra is to play two concerts in Britain -- one at London's Royal Festival Hall and in Middlesbrough, north-east England, where its footballers were based for the 1966 World Cup.

Clapton, 62, has a distinguished career in blues and rock music, shooting to fame in the 1960s as a guitarist with The Yardbirds, where he earned his nickname "slowhand".

He went on to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and also enjoyed fame with Cream, Derek and the Dominos and as a solo artist.

Source: AFP (london) via Yahoo News

Obama's Leading Man

Barack Obama on an upcoming "Entertainment Tonight" segment as the Democratic presidential candidate chats about his favorite movies and stars.

His top films are three Oscar winners "The Godfather," "The Godfather: Part II" and "Lawrence of Arabia." Obama says his favorite actors are Jimmy Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon and Angela Bassett.

Will Smith is Obama's pick to play him if a movie is made about his life, something the two have discussed.

Will and I have talked about this because he has the ears!" the Illinois senator said in an interview slated to air Tuesday and Wednesday.

But campaigning doesn't leave much time for him to watch movies. It's hard enough eating three, healthy meals a day, he said.

"Sometimes when you're out in remote areas, there's not much you can do," Obama said. "You go for a burger, that's safe. If you start getting fancy you could get into trouble. If you're in a place like Iowa or Wisconsin there's gonna be cheese on just about everything. If you start eating too much junk you'll never survive."

Source http://www.etonline.com/

Relais and Chateaux opens NYC boutique

Above: Maison des Relais and Chateaux boutique in midtown Manhattan.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Bebeto Matthews
---------------------------
MAISON DES RELAIS and CHATEAUX
10 E. 53rd St.,
near Fifth Avenue
or 877-334-6464.
Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The hotel association Relais & Chateaux may not be a familiar name to the average American, but the organization is hoping to change that with the opening of Maison des Relais & Chateaux.
The Maison is a warm and inviting place, part home, part hotel lobby, a boutique in the heart of Manhattan with a small sitting area, Rolls Royce kitchen, and reservation agents for booking Relais & Chateaux hotels and restaurants around the world.

The New York Maison opened on Feb. 13; other Maisons are in London and Paris. Three sales offices are set to open this year in Singapore, Switzerland and the Benelux countries.

Relais & Chateaux (relais means lodge or resting place; chateaux means castle) was created in 1954 when eight hoteliers decided to form the association to attract attention to their properties located between Paris and Nice. The exclusive collection has since grown to include 478 hotels and gourmet restaurants in 55 countries. There are 45 U.S. properties.

Europe has a long tradition of small country inn hotels, says Jaume Tapies, international president of the association, adding that the average property is 23 rooms. When the organization started, North America was known for mega hotels. But he says the number of "small luxury inns" in the region and the numbers of North Americans going overseas for vacations who are seeking "unique experiences" warrants a New York boutique.

Tapies says he wanted the Maisons to be more than reservation offices, which explains the mini-theater, where people can watch a DVD of the history of the association, and in the future, take a video tour of one of the properties. A Library of the Five Senses includes tall shelves lined with guides to the properties and chefs' cookbooks. The kitchen features an $80,000 Electrolux island consisting of a stainless steel grill, champagne sink, induction wok and induction cooktop where food is prepared for tastings and other events.

While there is no celeb endorsement (according to a spokeswoman), the boutique does plan to host invitation-only events at the Maison, such as wine tastings and cooking classes from Relais & Chateaux properties, including Patrick O'Connell from The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten from The Mercer Kitchen at the Mercer Hotel in New York.

Source: Associated Press
http://www.relaischateaux.com/page.php3?lang=en

Justin Timberlake To Induct Madonna Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Photo Credit: Theo Wargo/ WireImage.com; Feodor Savintsev/ Epsilon/ Getty Images)

Justin Timberlake will induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the organization's March 10 ceremony, a rep for the Hall confirmed to MTV News Tuesday (February 26).

Other inductors include Tom Hanks (for '60s group the Dave Clark Five) Lou Reed for folk legend Leonard Cohen), Billy Joel (for John Mellencamp), Ben Harper (for blues harmonica player Little Walter), Jerry Butler (for legendary soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) and John Fogerty (for instrumental group the Ventures).

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel on March 10.

To be eligible for nomination this year, an artist must have issued their first single or album by 1982, which was the year Madonna put out her first dance tune, "Everybody." While no one would confuse her decades of dance-floor anthems with rock and roll, the most successful female artist of all time has had a remarkably strong, nearly three-decade career.

Indiana's John Mellencamp began his career as a generic pop singer named Johnny Cougar in 1976, but over the course of nearly 30 years in music, he has become one of the most thoughtful and respected singer/songwriters of his generation. Initially dismissed as a Bruce Springsteen wannabe, Cougar hit his stride in the early '80s, when he released the rock radio staples "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good." He soon became known for chronicling the plight of the downtrodden American farmer and worker, with such folk-inspired albums as Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee. Along with Neil Young and Willie Nelson, Mellencamp helped found the annual Farm Aid concert benefiting small American farms.

Known for his seriously deep, froggy baritone vocals, Canadian poet/songwriter Leonard Cohen has been recording albums since 1968 in styles ranging from pop to folk and cabaret. His most famous, and most frequently covered, song is the meditative "Hallelujah." One of the most popular bands from the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, the Dave Clark Five rivaled the Beatles for a time in popularity thanks to hits like "Glad All Over." Rock instrumental band the Ventures, founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, are best known for such hits as "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O," as well as their pioneering use of space-age sound effects on some of their recordings, which have made them the biggest-selling rock instrumental group of all time.

Hard-drinking blues player Little Walter died at age 37 in 1968, but not before putting his indelible stamp on the art of mouth-harp playing, including being one of the first blues harmonica players to run his harp microphone through an amplifier, pioneering the use of electronic distortion in popular music.

Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff gave Motown a run for its money in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as they helped to pioneer the Philadelphia soul sound that was the signature of the Philadelphia International label. The production/songwriting team wrote hits for a galaxy of stars, including the O'Jays ("Love Train") and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me by Now"). The duo are being inducted in the non-performer category under the newly named Ahmet Ertegun Award, in honor of the late Atlantic Records co-founder

Buddhist Thought for the Day

The river becomes the cloud becomes the rain becomes the corn becomes the cow becomes the milk, and we gather around dishes of ice cream. The wave washing ashore this day in Burma is a messenger of the pterodactyls which flew over it 150 million years ago, and is a prophet to living beings of tomorrow for which we have no name. We breathe the ocean, feel the seas pulse in our veins, and are immersed in the wetness of all time.

“Water” by Mary Oliver

Veal Chops with Roquefort Butter

Veal Chops with Roquefort Butter

Ingredients
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz (30 g) good Roquefort cheese
1/2 tbsp (7 mL) chopped green onions
4 veal chops, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
Kosher or coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, a hand-held blender, or a heavy wooden spoon, beat butter and cheese together until smooth
Mix in onions and roll into a log about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, using parchment paper or aluminum foil to help you roll. Place in freezer while you prepare meat (or freeze for later use).
Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat broiler or grill, or a heavy skillet. Broil, grill or pan-fry chops for 6 to 8 minutes a side, until almost cooked through. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Top with a slice of the flavoured butter and serve with vegetables and potatoes or noodles.

Source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, Barefoot in Paris

The Oscars Recap in 60 Seconds

Above: Host Jon Stewart delivers his monologue during the 80th annual Academy Awards, the Oscars, in Hollywood February 24, 2008.
REUTERS/Gary Hershorn (UNITED STATES-OSCARS)

from mahalo.com


---------------------------
Overheard at the Oscars:

"I am totally overwhelmed with joy, sparkles and fireworks," she exclaimed. "It’s like bombs, bombs, bombs in my head." - Best actress winner Marion Cotillard

"I was having a reverse "Zoolander" moment out there," she said. "I thought I heard someone else’s name. Then, very slowly, I heard my name being called. It was so slow that I’m still recovering from that moment. You could tell me that my dress fell off on stage, and I’d believe it." - Best supporting actress winner Tilda Swinton

"I don’t have to talk about it," Day-Lewis said abruptly. "I just do it."

When the journalist pressed him for an explanation of his refusal to discuss what he did for laughs, Day-Lewis shot back an answer that seemed to channel his character from "There Will Be Blood."

"Because it’s none of your (expletive) business." - Best actor winner Daniel Day Lewis

The only real success in show business is to "have a job, and then fight to keep it."
- Best supporting actor winner Javier Bardem

"I am not wearing $1 million shoes," she said in response to an Internet report. "That must have been a publicity stunt. I am wearing regular shoes. If I had a million dollars, I would use it to help people, not buy shoes." - Best Original Screenplay(Juno)winner Diablo Cody

http://www.ocregister.com/
http://www.mahalo.com

Oscar Gold: 'No Country For Old Men' Wins Four Awards; Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard Take Top Acting Prizes

Above: Daniel Day-Lewis, best actor winner for "There Will Be Blood", Tilda Swinton, best supporting actress for "Michael Clayton", Marion Cotillard, best actress for "La Vie en Rose" and Javier Bardem, best supporting actor for "No Country for Old Men", pose with their Oscars backstage at the 80th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, February 24, 2008.
REUTERS/Mike Blake

"Welcome to the make-up sex," host Jon Stewart joked by way of introduction.

Hold the makeup, but put two calls into the hairdresser, for Best Supporting Actor winner Javier Bardem, who took the trophy for his chilling performance of dopey-haired assassin Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men."

"This is pretty amazing!" he said in his acceptance speech. "Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think I could do that, and [for putting] one of the most horrible haircuts in history on my head!"

Joining their star on the Oscar dais were "No Country" writers and directors Joel and Ethan Coen, who hit the trifecta by winning for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

In three separate speeches, the pair refused to apologize for subjecting Bardem to his haircut but did credit their success to their unusually good taste, Joel joked while picking up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

"Thank you very much for this. I think whatever success we've had in this area is entirely attributable to how selective we are," he laughed. "We've only adapted Homer and Cormac McCarthy." (The pair were previously nominated for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," an adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey.")

But while the Coens acknowledged great writers, it wasn't until Diablo Cody picked up the Best Original Screenplay award for "Juno" that great writers were explicitly thanked.

"This is for the writers. I want to thank all the writers. I worship you guys," the stripper-turned-Oscar-winner gushed, adding, "I want to thank my family for loving me exactly the way I am."

The night's first real upset came when Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress over favorites Cate Blanchett and Amy Ryan. Obviously shocked by her win, Swinton gave credit in an impromptu speech to "Michael Clayton" co-star George Clooney for his "seriousness and dedication."

"Seeing you climb into that rubber bat-suit, the one with the nipples, every morning under your costume," she joked of Clooney's much-lampooned role in "Batman & Robin." "You rock, man. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Also offering up their thanks were relative unknowns Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who won Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly" from their film "Once." A Sundance hit, "Once" tells the story of two unnamed musicians who fall in love through song.

"What are we doing here? This is mad. We made this movie two years ago," Hansard enthused, triumphantly waving the Oscar above his head. "We never thought we'd ever come into a room like this. Thanks for taking this movie seriously!"

In a touching moment, Irglova was brought back onstage by Stewart after she was cut off during the pair's initial acceptance speech.

Also coming back to the stage was Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood"), who won the same award in 1990.

"It seems to me like this sprang like a sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of Paul Thomas Anderson," he said, thanking the film's writer/director. "My deepest thanks to the Academy for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town."

Given that the show came on the heels of a lengthy work stoppage for most of Hollywood's human workforce, it was perhaps a little strange that the evening's first major honoree was ... a rat? Director Brad Bird picked up his second Best Animated Feature Film Oscar in four years for "Ratatouille," the story of a "rat with a dream," he said during his acceptance speech.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," he laughed while picking up his trophy, the third in the category's short history for Pixar Animation Studios.

While Bird joked about throwing up, Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard looked like she actually might. Honored for her performance as Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose," a shaking Cotillard seemed on the verge of tears throughout her acceptance speech.

"Wow, I'm speechless now," the French actress said, welling up. "Thank you, life; thank you, love! It is true there are some angels in this city."

Also winning awards were Robert Elswit for Best Cinematography for "There Will Be Blood"; Dario Marianelli for Best Score for "Atonement"; Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood for Best Visual Effects for "The Golden Compass"; and Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo for Best Art Direction for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

Only one win behind "No Country," "The Bourne Ultimatum" picked up three Oscars — for Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.

Source MTV News
http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1582193/20080225/story.jhtml?rsspartner=rssRSSOwl

Buddhist Thought for the Day

Conquer the angry man by love.
Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.
Conquer the miser with generosity.
Conquer the liar with truth.

--The Dhammapada

Laurent Tourondel's Bouillabaisse Marseilles

The ever-expanding BLT empire is going to have a new addition and one that is a departure from previous generations. The Trump Soho, on which construction has recently resumed, is to have a big, new BLT restaurant, but chef-owner Laurent Tourondel says it won’t be a BLT Steak, Burger, Prime, Fish, or Market. “It’s going to be a new concept, something I’ve never done before,” he says. Tourondel also shot down a rumor we’d heard that a hot, young downtown chef was being recruited to do another big restaurant in the building. “I’m in charge of all the food and beverage there, so I would know,” he asserts. Unless he just isn’t telling.

Tourondel once helmed a restaurant I loved, Cello, which was located in a townhouse in the Lenox Hill section of New York City. I always ordered the bouillabaisse. It was outrageously delicious. Luckily I have the recipe. It takes some time and effort but the result is worth it. Believe me :)

Laurent Tourondel's Bouillabaisse Marseilles from Cello Restaurant, New York, NY

Yield: 6 -8 servings

2 pounds rock fish, filleted, bones reserved
1 pound John Dory, filleted, bones reserved
2 pounds rouget or red snapper, filleted, bones reserved
1 pound striped bass, filleted, bones reserved
2 pounds grouper, filleted, bones reserved
6 blue crabs, broken into small pieces
16 small squid
1 cup mussels
Two 1 1/2 pound lobsters, head separated and crushed
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, diced
5 garlic cloves
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
12 black peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Pastis (licorice-flavored alcohol from south of France)
1 cup white wine
1 dried red chile pepper
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1 pinch saffron
5 parsley stems
6 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper


Rouille


1/2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1 fresh chile pepper
1 pinch saffron
1 cooked potato, peeled


Garnish


8-10 cooked potatoes
1 baguette
10 Tablespoons Gruyère cheese, grated


To prepare the bouillon, in a large, hot stockpot roast the bones of the rock fish, rouget, striped bass, grouper, crab and the lobster heads in the olive oil. Once the bones are caramelized, add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel and garlic; sweat for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and coat all of the vegetables and bones. Add the pastis, and cook until dry. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the peppercorns, chile pepper, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, and parsley stems; add enough water to just cover everything. Cook until the liquid has reduced by a third. Stir frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.


In another large pot run all of the contents of the bouillabaisse through a medium holed food mill. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the bouillon to a simmer and add each filet of fish individually based on its thickness (thickest filets first). Cut the lobster tail through the shell into large pieces. Add the lobster, squid and mussels to the bouillon. Cook until the mussels open. Serve as is in the pot.


To prepare the Rouille, in a food processor, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt pepper. Serve on the side with the Gruyère cheese, cooked potatoes and toasted baguette.

source http://starchefs.com/bouillabaisse/html/english/recipe_04.shtml

Unbelievable Magazine Ads from Back in the Day

"Blow in her face and she'll follow you anywhere." Pretty much says it all.


LOL

Source: http://adsoftheworld.com

Oh, Snap!! Who Put the Pop in Snap, Crackle and Pop ??

Even though it's not unusual for songs by sacred icons like the Stones and the Beatles – even Bob Dylan – to be heard hawking products on television these days, it was rare in 1963. And even now it's not kosher for a band to actually compose a jingle for a commercial, which is what the Rolling Stones did back then. The folks at Spinner unearthed (though it was right there on YouTube) a TV spot for Rice Krispies that ran in the UK when the Stones were considered a scary bunch of yobbos.


Source: http://www.worldofwonder.com

Deaf Dancers Find Fame in China

Disabled troupe breaks barriers through expressive art

The deaf China Special Art Troupe hopes to perform at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics later this year. The troupe has become well known in China and has travelled extensively abroad, showcasin its expressive form of dance.



Source http://www.reuters.com

Estonian Waterfall Sculptures

Highest waterfall in Estonia freezes, creating a spectacular winter wonderland.
The Valaste waterfall is 25-metres high and lies between the village of Ontika which has just 83 inhabitants, and Valaste, where 121 people live.

Strong sea winds and sudden low temperatures have seen much of the waterfall freeze. While water still flows, everything surrounding it is covered in beautiful ice crystals. The strong winds blew the water up from the falls, covering all nearby objects.



Source http://www.reuters.com
http://liveleak.com

Snow Day

Above: A man makes his way through the snow in Central Park in New York, February 22, 2008.
REUTERS/Keith Bedford (UNITED STATES)

An unexpected winter storm brought the heaviest snowfall of the season to New York City today, delaying area flights for hours and snarling road travel throughout the Northeast.

The city received as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow before it tapered off and changed to a mix of freezing rain and sleet around noon, the National Weather Service said. As little as 1 inch had been forecast. A winter storm warning remains in effect until just after midnight.

"So far this has been a relatively easy winter, but we have a long day and a long night ahead of us", New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference.

"The storm caused morning accidents and delays on Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania highways and created havoc for tractor-trailers throughout the New York City region", said Gene Michaels of Westwood One Inc.'s Metro Networks traffic service.

"By around 1 p.m., major roads in the New York City region were plowed and down to the asphalt", Metro Networks said.

Staten Island had the biggest snowfall in New York City, with 8 inches on the ground as of 10:25 a.m., according to the weather service. Central Park received 6.

Fairfield County received the heaviest amount in Connecticut, with 9 inches in Stratford. Bergen County got the most in New Jersey, with 7 inches in Franklin Lakes.

Stronger Than Expected

"A coastal low-pressure system moved in overnight, bringing a lot of moisture," said Dave Sage, a meteorologist with the weather service in Buffalo, New York. "It arrived a bit sooner and stronger than expected."

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com

Buddhist Thought for the Day

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.

--Bill Cosby


Photo of Laughing Buddha from http://www.sanctuarytattoo.com

Anthony Bourdain Gives Good Quote

Fodor's recently talked to Anthony Bourdain about his favorite spots in New York City. He reveals where to go for underground (literally) sake and Tokyo-style snacks, the city's best lox-scrambled eggs, and splurge-worthy Italian. And I love his curmudgeonly take on the city’s live-music scene: “I don't know which is worse: to be packed in a room with a lot of people half your age, in which case you feel like an idiot, or even worse, go see someone you've really loved for a long time, like Elvis Costello, and you look around and see all the other original fans and they're all old and hideous just like you.”


Fodor's: What do you love most about New York cuisine?

AB: I'd attack the question like this, 'What do we do in New York better than anyone else in the world?' And the answer to that question is deli. If you have limited time in New York, hit Barney Greengrass, the Sturgeon King, for the classic New York breakfast. You know, smoked fish, a toasted bialy or bagel, lox, or their scrambled eggs with lox and onions. It's great to go on a Sunday and pick up a copy of the Post, or pick up the Sunday Times. That's about as New York as it gets. And then to complete your deli exploration, go to Katz's Delicatessen for a pastrami sandwich. It's the food that I miss when I'm away, no matter how well I'm eating. Even in places with fantastic food -- Singapore, Hong Kong -- the food that I miss first is deli.

Fodor's: Are there any new or underrated restaurants that people should know about?
AB: I don't think it's possible to overpraise Momofuku Ssäm Bar. I think it's one of the few cases where a place totally lives up to the hype. It's that exciting. Call ahead and go for the Bo Ssäm, the whole pork butt. They also have a frisée salad with a spicy tripe stew underneath that's just mind-blowing. That's one of those places where you just go and eat as much as you can. It is not a home for vegetarians. It is hostile territory for vegetarians.

Fodor's: Where do you go for a romantic evening?

AB: Definitely Del Posto if we're looking to put on really good clothes and go out and spend a lot of money on a high-end meal. That's a special event dinner, and I think it's outrageously good. I think its genius. I love it. And my wife is Italian, so she's a very harsh critic of Italian restaurants, to say the least. But she loves it. That's a good night out.

Fodor's: Do you usually hang out in one neighborhood?

AB: I'll go where the food is. I think the Time Warner Center is the ugliest building in the universe, but I'd walk through hell to eat at Per Se or Masa. I just signed a contract for a nice advance for a book, and I'm looking to totally reward myself and do something really outrageously expensive and self indulgent. A woman might go out for an Hermès bag, I go to Masa. That's also a really good first date place. Take someone to Masa and if they don't eat absolutely everything, there's no possibility of a relationship.

Fodor's: What are some of your favorite bars?

AB: You know, I'm looking for food and drink at the same time. Maybe Sakagura, which has really good sake. It's sort of an underground joint with a whole lot of different sakes -- very Japanese. We've been going out for a lot of underground yakitori lately...to little izakayas that are for Japanese only and you eat little bits of chicken on a stick -- very authentic, Tokyo-style, super casual places that are built around the whole idea of drinking beer or sake and snacking. Yakitori Totto (251 West 55th St., 2nd flr.) is fantastic. That's become something of a chef hangout.

Fodor's: How about street vendors? Are there any you'd recommend?

AB: The Red Hook South American vendors (photo, right), and I know they're under fire. It's something to be sadly missed. It's shameful that beyond the usual dirty water hot dogs, about which I'm pretty sentimental, we don't have anything remotely similar to what they have in Singapore. There's no street food that I could enthusiastically say, 'This is worth traveling for.' There's the odd souvlaki or gyro guy that's okay, and some people get really sentimental about them. Me? Nah. We're good on the high-end. We're a place to go for deli and for the high-end.

Fodor's: Do you ever go out to hear live music?

AB: Never. I don't care if it's the Beatles or the Stones with all their original members somehow exhumed and back from the dead. I don't know which is worse: to be packed in a room with a lot of people half your age, in which case you feel like an idiot, or even worse, go see someone you've really loved for a long time, like Elvis Costello, and you look around and see all the other original fans and they're all old and hideous just like you. It's a totally depressing experience. I just don't go out and see music anymore.

Fodor's: If you have any friends or family visiting, are there any hotels that you'd recommend?

AB: I'm always looking for a boutique-y hotel. When I wake up in the morning I want to know where I am; a place that doesn't feel like every other chain hotel in every other city. The Mercer has a boutique-y feel to it. People who come in from out of town and stay there give me good reports.

Fodor's: Now that you're a dad, where are some of your favorite places to go with your daughter?

AB: Central Park. It's great. My daughter loves it, and she loves Carl Schurz Park. That's a very baby-friendly park. She doesn't walk yet. I stroll her around the park. There are good swings, doggies to look at, and it's on the river. I'm looking forward to bringing her to the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I like museums and I loved it when my dad would bring me as a kid.

http://www.fodors.com/news/story_2939.html

Candy Man

Above: Portrait of Oscar nominee George Clooney made in mosaics of thousands of Jelly Belly candies by Roger Rocha.
Photo: AFP

A portrait of George Clooney has been made using 10,000 sweets.

The image of the 46-year-old actor - who is nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Michael Clayton at the Academy Awards on Sunday - was commissioned by the Jelly Belly Gourmet Beans Company.

The piece - which features Cotton Candy beans for George's cheeks and Buttered Popcorn candy for his highlighted hair - will be donated to a charity of George's choice later this week. Unless it goes to Clooney of course, then it will be a beloved treasure that’s prominently displayed in his house.

We love us some Clooney — especially with a Cotton Candy glow on his cheeks and some Cantaloupe laugh lines — but are those Coconut teeth and Buttered Popcorn highlights? Ick.

Flavor preferences aside, we can't wait to see how George's notoriously goofy and competitive Ocean's pals will respond. A statue of Brad Pitt made of Mike and Ikes? A chocolate Matt Damon for Easter? A carving of Don Cheadle in Bit-O-Honey?

Source: Page Six
and
http://www.theage.com.au/news/film/clooney-immortalised-in-beans/2008/02/21/1203467235288.html

Moonshadow, Moonshadow - Lunar Eclipse contd

A sequence of images taken approximately every twenty minutes show the moon passing through the shadow of the earth as photographed in Toronto Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008. A total lunar eclipse, can only occur on a full moon, when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth. The next total lunar eclipse will not be visible from North America until Dec. 21, 2010.
(AP Photo/THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Five Leading Tibetan Organizations Launch Major Protest

Five leading Tibetan organisations launch a major protest march from India to Tibet demanding for the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue. Below is an article written by Bijender Sharma published by Punjab News Online:

Five leading Tibetan organizations announced today [19-02-2008] the launch of the "Tibetan People's Uprising Movement", a new coordinated Tibetan resistance effort in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Exiled Tibetans led by five organizations have announced a plan to take a major protest march from India to Tibet demanding China for the peaceful resolution of Tibet issue.

The groups announced that hundreds of Tibetans would depart from Dharmsala, the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, on March 10 [2008], this year the day Tibetans would be observing the anniversary of the uprising against Chinese rule, with the hope to walk to Lhasa, Tibet's capital. The long-distance protest march is part of a series of global protest actions Tibetans and their support groups are planning to disrupt the symbolic relay of the Olympic torch as it is carried through 20 cities on five continents. "China is hoping to showcase itself as a global leader and forever silence any challenges to its rule in Tibet," Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, and others told reporters at a press conference in Lower T C V in Mcleodganj near Dharmshala on the concluding day of three day workshop on Tibet.

Tsewang urged Tibetans around the world to take to the street and take actions wherever China takes the torch, but called on Tibetans to refrain from using violent means."The march to Tibet is an initiative by exiled Tibetans to strengthen Tibetan resistance by taking the struggle home," Tsewang said. The group members, however, refrained from divulging further details on the march, including the route they planned to take. China has ruled Tibet since Communist troops forcefully invaded the region in 1950. China's illegal occupation of the once peaceful cultural nation subsequently resulted in the death of an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans and destruction of thousands of monasteries. Besides, China is accused of carrying on unabated gross violation of Human rights in Tibet, other ethnic regions and China at large. With the world's attention drawn on China as it prepares to host the 2008 Games in China, Tibetans have long vowed not to miss the moment to press for their cause. And Tibetans are not alone in their struggle.

There are other endless lists of international activists and human rights campaigners desperately pushing China for a better change and expose their wrongdoings.

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