with a glass for you to fill

So this morning I was feeling particularly gross. There's always one day of my cycle that is the worst. That day is today. I decided I needed some things to make me feel pretty. Some bronzer, maybe some new nail polish, maybe even lipstick. I really wanted to see as few people as possible, so I decided to avoid the Wal-Mart/Meijer/Target crowds and instead I went to Walgreens.Never again.As I go through the front door, I am accosted by a woman informing me that body sprays were 2 for $9. Did I want to smell them? Let her tell me about all the summer scents! Blah blah blah.And then? No sooner have I politely made my way past her than I am approached by yet another saleswoman - literally about 5 steps later - asking me if I need a basket (I have nothing in my hands yet). I politely say no. No more than a minute later (still in the same aisle!) the original lady asks me if I need help finding anything. Um, I'm standing still in front of a rack of fingernail polish...I think I have a handle on things. Geesh.So, fingernail polish and bronzer in hand, I make my way to the second aisle and am trying to decide if I want to change from the usual Ponds face wipes to the Dove ones when I hear a loud, "Ma'am? Ma'am? Ma'am?" increasing in intensity each time. I turn around, shocked that this could be directed at me. "I can check you out over here when you are ready!" I roll my eyes and was d.o.n.e.I put back my unnecessary purchases. I pick up my "girl stuff," toilet paper, and iTunes card. As I check out with the only cashier who didn't harrass me, a previous harrasser gives me a sad look - like I broke her heart by not going through her line.Seriously?So much for the lack of interaction...

Belt and braces. Then another belt.

Whether the UK version of Wired will work or not will depend more on the buoyancy of the UK print advertising market and the health of the American parent title than anything else. However, I was intrigued to see that the launch issue comes with a peel-off day-glo orange sticker describing it as "the new magazine about what's next". This suggests that after the usual nervous conversations about what the first cover should look like, what would make the appropriate cover image (looks like Manhattan but it's actually London) and the exact combination of cover lines that position the title - "ideas/technology/culture/business" - with more pointed invitations to read further inside - who could "the genius who killed the economy" possibly be? - and the designer's painstaking efforts to incorporate the announcement "UK launch issue" into the logo so completely that you don't actually notice it, somebody profit-responsible has come in there at the last minute and said "what this needs is a sticker saying what it is".

Free of charge,Pfizer

The United States, Pfizer (Chinese name Pfizer Pharmaceutical 500), the company began to handsel unemployed youth 70 kinds of drugs, including well-known Viagra Viagra and cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor Lipitor

Staff Assistant

The War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) at American University Washington College of Law is seeking a qualified and highly motivated candidate for the position of Staff Assistant. The Staff Assistant supports the day-to-day operations of the office, assists with the implementation of WCRO initiatives, and serves as a key contact person for student activities, including the Summer Law Program in The Hague. As a full-time employee of American University, the Staff Assistant becomes eligible for tuition remission benefits at the University in the second semester after hire, making this an ideal position for a recent graduate interested in furthering his or her education. Regular duties include: - Managing office logistics, including office supplies, scheduling, and travel arrangements - Drafting correspondence for WCRO staff - Drafting grant proposals and reports to funders, and helping the Director to identify new sources of funding - Assisting with budget management - Coordinating the WCRO’s volunteer and consultant staff - Maintaining the WCRO website and online resources - Overseeing mail and electronic distribution of reports and publications - Arranging logistics for WCRO conferences and speaker events - Assisting with the outreach, implementation and follow-up activities related to the Summer Law Program in The Hague Other duties may include: - Preliminary design and layout for publications and marketing materials - Assisting with the collection and indexing of jurisprudence from international/ized courts and tribunals - Conducting research related to the work of the Office War Crimes Research Office: Originally established to work with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the WCRO now provides research for a variety of international/ized criminal tribunals engaged in the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, including the International Criminal Court, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

When Experts Picked California Wine Over French Wine

"Alan Rickman portrays Steven Spurrier, the British wine dealer who organized a famous blind wine tasting near Paris in 1976, in Randall Miller's "Bottle Shock."" Source of the caption and photo: online version of the WSJ article quoted and cited below. Cultural pretension and conspicuous consumption are among the less admirable aspects of human behavior. So the blind wine tasting where California beat France, has always had appeal. This, plus the inimitable Alan Rickman (aka Snape), put this movie on my "to see" list. (p. B7) "Bottle Shock," an easygoing little movie, made with more affection than skill, takes us back to the days when men wore loud plaid suits and people who were serious about wine sneered at the very mention of California. Sticking reasonably close to the historical record, the director, Randall Miller (who wrote the screenplay with his wife, Jody Savin, and Ross Schwartz), reconstructs a watershed moment in the wine world's acceptance of the Golden State and, eventually, of many other non-French viticultural regions. In 1976, at a gathering near Paris, a panel of experts conducted a blind tasting at which two California wines emerged victorious over their more pedigreed French competitors. That tasting provides the climax to "Bottle Shock," and even if the potential surprise of its outcome were not already spoiled by history, the movie's adherence to the clichés of the triumph-of-the-underdog narrative would be enough to remove any doubt. There are, indeed, at least two underdogs hungering for triumph. The first is Steven Spurrier, played by Alan Rickman, whose parched low voice and air of beleaguered pomposity are never unwelcome. For the full review, see: A. O. SCOTT. "Plaid Suits, Prize Grapes and the Rise of Napa." The New York Times (Weds., August 6, 2008): B7.

Angora Rabbit

Big ,jesus

New York's Finest in LA - 1977

It was 32 years ago yesterday and today, that The Ramones made their sophomore appearance on LA's Sunset Strip.They debuted at the Roxy in August of 1976, and in February 77, they headlined a New York's finest set of days at the Whisky a Go Go down the street with Blondie opening. Blondie headlined the previous two days, sharing the stage with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.Coincidentally, all three of those seminal 70s bands are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame!These gigs showed me what Beatlemania might possibly have been like. My friends and I were excited and had been anticipating the double-header of these CBGB all stars for weeks, if not months.Not sure if it is "fun" being a superstar... but it seems that the blonde faction of that week in February 1977 at the Whisky a Go Go made it all the way to the top of the charts and made grand careers out of chart topping.