salt ocean

Johnny Cash's "I WALK THE LINE" - Leonary Nimoy cover version

2011-06-03T17:49:00.001-10:00

Click on the image for information on where to buy the album.

No Homo, Ridin' Solo - capella, Ridin' Solo

2011-05-29T20:15:00.005-10:00

"Ridin' Solo" - Jason Derulo - NO HOMO Parody/Spoof by THESTATION

NO HOMO by THESTATION ...parody of Jason Derulo's RIDIN' SOLO

Oooh,
Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah
I may be taking this too far, you’ve got really nice eyes,
See you working on your bis, look like you’re barely tryin’
No homo, no homo,
No homo, no homo, homo

Yeah, I see you at the gym, lifting lots of weights make your body tight, oh
cardio on the bike,
Do you need a spot, well I think I might, oh

You’ve got really nice hair
And sweet underarmour gear, yeah
Can you tell me where you got it from?
I’ve been looking for that exact one, yeah

We could buy shirts together ,
Help me get my stuff together,
Maybe we could train each other
And possibly spot one another

I’m so sorry, but you seem so strong, it’s not that way
I’m so sorry, if you’re taking this wrong, swear I’m not gay

I just thought I had to say
The way you’re working out
You’re ripped beyond a doubt
This is not me coming out
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

Sometimes there comes a time
When you compliment a guy
and his sweet musclely thighs
And you’re looking like a prize
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

We’re kicking back watching TV
I ask if you watch Sex and the City, oh
Did I hear your stomach just moan
We gotta get some meat on those bones

We go out for buffalo wings
Every single bite makes me want to sing.
Ohhh, Ohhh
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah

I still taste that buffalo flavor
Do you have a spare Breath Saver?
Like a winter fresh endeavor
I could smell your breath forever

I’m so sorry, but your breath is da bomb, it’s not that way
I’m so sorry, if you’re taking this wrong, swear I’m not gay

I just wanna touch your hand
And tell you that you’re the man
And your cheek bones are so strong
And you’d look good in this thong
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

I just want to confess
That you’ve got a real nice chest
And you’re practically hairless
And you’re nipples are perfect
No Homo, No Homo, No Homo, No Homo, Homo

No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

Gay Irish 'Hairdresser to the Stars', James Brown, calls Ben Douglas a "Nigger"...

2011-05-29T00:01:00.018-10:00

... seven times. Apparently.

James Brown - hairdresser

Meet James Brown. 'Hairdresser to the stars'. Close friends and business partners with Kate Moss. James likes to call people "nigger". How delightful~!

HP http://www.jamesbrownlondon.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Brown-London/153907764667990 (taken down from 5/30)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JamesBrown_LDN
James Brown's product line-up @ Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Beauty/Hair/Professional-Haircare/James-Brown-London/ (does he make any hair products for niggers?)

James Brown - his Facebook page has now been closed.

I'm from Surrey, not Harlem. How dare a white, middle-class friend of Kate Moss call me the N-word eight times, says TV presenter Ben Douglas

By BEN DOUGLAS

THE DAILY MAIL

Shocked: Ben Douglas

Every now and again something happens that is so shocking, you walk away wondering if it was just a bad dream.

These events are mercifully rare – they come along perhaps once or twice a decade, and are all the more remarkable for it.

I experienced one of them last Sunday night, and I am only now coming to terms with the fact that it actually happened.

It took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, where I had been invited to attend the Bafta awards.

Always a wonderful occasion, this year’s event was no different, and it was in a mood of relaxed delight that I stepped outside for some fresh air during the evening . . . and in doing so stepped back into the Seventies.

After spotting my companion, an elegant executive at a glossy magazine, a curly-haired man looked me up and down and then asked her: ‘Are you with him?’

His response to her affirmative nod stopped me in my tracks: ‘You’re a nigger's bitch *(see note below), that’s what you are.’

I said: ‘Excuse me?’

He answered: ‘Yeah, nigger?’

‘What did you say?’

‘Nigger.’ He appeared to enunciate the word with some relish.

‘I think that’s a bit off,’

I said. ‘Would you mind not using that word please?’

‘What, nigger? Nigger? Nigger’s not offensive. Nothing wrong with nigger. I know loads of niggers.’

Perhaps it was the champagne – he was clearly refreshed – but to my mind the fact that nobody tore a strip off him had more to do with his identity.

For this was no tattooed skinhead thug, but a leading figure from the fashion world who numbers Kate Moss and Lily Allen among his closest friends.

I am not going to name him – while he is an offensive idiot, I have no desire to destroy his career – but suffice it to say that this individual is every bit in demand today as he was when he was involved in his first Vogue cover in the Nineties.

Then, apparently oblivious to the wide-eyed shock of everyone within earshot, he went on to repeat the insult no fewer than seven times (I counted).

Truth be told, I do vaguely know him, as does my companion, and perhaps that was the reason for what a charitable person might describe as his over-familiarity. But in the cold light of day I am in no mood to make excuses for him.

Because even when challenged, rather than back-pedalling and apologising for any offence, he launched into a pathetic, garbled attempt at street slang self-justification.

‘I’ve lived in New York for years,’ he said, ‘and I know loads of brothers. Don’t take this the wrong way but some of my cousins have been with blacks.’

Brothers? Was this really happening? Could this middle-class white boy really be a reincarnation of Huggy Bear from the Starsky And Hutch show I watched on TV as a child? Was I supposed to be thrilled by what he appeared to think of as his cousins’ generous open-mindedness?

A quick look around snapped me back to the present. There in the distance stood Matt Smith and Daisy Lowe, looking sharp and stunning, and beyond them an impeccably turned-out Benedict Cumberbatch and Gillian Anderson.

This was the Baftas, a supposedly elegant soiree of educated, liberal individuals, not a BNP fundraiser at an inner-city boozer.

But here’s the rub: this fool thought he was bonding with me as a black man. By using the N-word (and for the record I would rather he had used the C-word – it’s that bad), he thought he was being fashionable. I believe they call it ‘street’.

Well here is the reality: I am not from the mean streets of Detroit, Harlem or LA. I am from Teddington in Surrey, and while my genetic roots are Bajan, the parents who raised me are as white as the buffoon who stood there insulting me.

But this is irrelevant. It shouldn’t matter where I come from. Who in their right mind would launch into language like this with somebody he barely knows, within earshot of half a dozen perfect strangers?

I am the least politically correct person you could care to meet. I couldn’t care less if you call me black, coloured or even a negro (though I strongly suspect the vast majority of people wouldn’t).

Nigger is different. Admittedly it has been appropriated by rappers in the same manner as the word queer was reclaimed by the gay community, but in the mouth of a white man it remains deeply offensive.

What is it about fashionistas? First we had John Galliano’s drunken anti-Semitism, and now this. As far as I could tell, this man had no idea how much offence he had caused.

But think of the context. The N-word originated as an insult, a throwback to the days of slavery, inherently placing one race above another.

In hindsight, I should probably have punched him on the nose. Since the event, I have gone over it in my mind a thousand times, dearly wishing I’d had a witty retort ready to puncture his obscene self-regard.

But I was speechless. I am furious with myself for allowing him to get away with it – for making me feel inferior. I can take a lot of ribbing, but the N-word is one of abject humiliation. Without wishing to appear overly emotional, I felt annihilated in an instant: reduced to a parody of my genetic inheritance.

Some friends have told me to move on – that I retained the moral high ground by refusing to dignify his remarks with a reaction. I’m not so sure I agree. Bad things happen when people stay silent. I bitterly regret doing so.

Unless you have been in this position, it is impossible to imagine how belittling the use of the N-word can be. I was judged on the way I look rather than who I am. Because my skin is coffee-coloured, the assumption is that I am a fan of gangsta rap – a man who calls his friends nigger as a term of endearment.

That is racism, plain and simple. My passion is for musical theatre – my business, Fusion, runs children’s theatre schools in the UK, the Middle East and across Asia, and I am a trained ballet dancer.

How dare anybody make assumptions about me? In doing so they are offending not only me but every other black person.

We are supposed to have moved on but there is something about the world of fashion that seems incapable of change. I wrestled for some time with the question of whether to speak out. Then I remembered the last time I was insulted like this.

The location was Paris, the occasion was Fashion Week, and I was backstage when an assistant remarked: ‘You are all right – you’re not too black. I’m going to call you Golly.’

I told him his language was not acceptable. I demanded an apology and warned him never to speak like that again. He was suitably contrite, and I flatter myself that he won’t make the same mistake again.

Hopefully my nemesis from the Baftas is reading this. If you are, you really do owe me an apology.

Ben Douglas is founder of Fusion Entertainment and Fusion Academy.

*Editor’s note: The racist word used here is not one that we would normally spell out in full. However Ben Douglas, who wrote this piece for the Mail On Sunday newspaper, is adamant that he wants readers to appreciate the full ugliness of the word and we have bowed to his author’s prerogative.

Link to original article here.

Amazon.com Widgets

Recommended: Cooling Vests for Summer 2011

2011-05-06T20:58:00.003-10:00

NIKE cooling vests used during the 2010 Summer Olympics

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076740
Ergonomics. 2005 Jun 10;48(7):821-37.
A light-weight cooling vest enhances performance of athletes in the heat.
Webster J, Holland EJ, Sleivert G, Laing RM, Niven BE.
Source: School of Fabric and Textile Design, Massey University, New Zealand.

Abstract
During the 1990s, emphasis on the health and safety of people who exercise in hot, humid conditions increased and many organizations became aware of the need for protection against heat-related disorders. A practical, pre-cooling strategy applicable to several sporting codes, which is low cost, easy to use, light-weight and which enhances cooling of the human body prior to and following exercise, was developed and tested. Eight males and eight females participated in a maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) test and four trials: a control (without cooling) and wearing each of three different cooling vests (A, B, C). Vests were worn during the rest, stretch, warm-up (50% VO2max) and recovery stages of the protocol, but not during the 30 min run (70% VO2max). Core and skin temperatures during exercise were reduced (by approximately 0.5 degrees C, rectal; 0.1-1.4 degrees C, abdominal skin temperature) and sweat rates were lower (by approximately 10-23%). Endurance times for running at 95% of VO2max were increased by up to 49 s. Perceptions of the thermal state and skin wetness showed changes to greater levels of satisfaction. Physiological and sensory responses were related to design features of the vests.

PMID: 16076740 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Amazon.com Widgets

RE-POSTED: EARTHQUAKE READINESS: Survival Kits

2011-03-12T19:01:00.008-10:00

EARTHQUAKE READINESS

survival kits - 2011.03.11 Lesson learnt: keep one handy at your office and maybe a mini-EDC (EveryDayCarry) on your person...

When I was living out in Kobe and got caught in the January 17th 1995 earthquake, one thing I swore to myself as my girlfriend and I walked for miles with our personal effects on our backs was to never ever get caught out like this again. That's one reason I couldn't wait to get away from Tokyo fast enough. Hawaii might have it's historical share of tsunami and plenty of active volcanoes, but still I don't get the feeling of impending doom and disaster like when I think of Tokyo. The last major earthquake in Tokyo was in 1923, and I can think it is only just a matter of time...

One thing is for sure. I definitely won't be around to get hit a second time.

Even though I don't I feel I need it, as a matter of habit, I still keep a "survival kit" ready to go at the foot of my bed. Just in case. I've thrown in a lot of extras over the years with high-tech super-bright LED flashlights, extra heavy-duty garbage bags and some 100 proof vodka (for drinking and sterilization). If I were back in Japan, I'd be packing two - just in case. Plus, gas masks for the inevitable chemical and oil smog that will arise from all the industrial fires.

The US Embassy in Tokyo actually has a Disaster Preparedness Checklist for Americans in Japan. Based on my own experience, there are certainly some items I would recommend doubling or tripling in quantity:

Disaster Preparedness Checklist for Americans in Japan -

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has also released a pretty damned thorough 86-page bilingual earthquake survival manual for residents of Tokyo. However optimistic they may be, I seriously doubt however that on the third day after the Big One hits, residents will start re-building.

More likely, people will be sitting on their asses waiting for help while the nation is paralyzed. And, maybe instead of massacring Koreans like they did in 1923, someone might get the bright idea of going after Whitey...

That's why if you're serious about a survival kit that makes sense, try to configure one that assumes basic help might only come after one or two weeks - not days. Keeping clean - both water & alcohol wipes - come to the top of most people's lists - as well as figuring out what to do for a toilet. Extra-thick black garbage bags from the US inside a box or crate, makes a quick serviceable porta-potty...

Another habit I picked up is periodically keeping a current photocopied sheet of all my relevant ID - passport, credit cards, SSN, etc - in my survival kit. Some people scan it and store it on their webmail accounts but only do that if you are certain you won't be hacked.

Bilingual Earthquake Survival Manual for Tokyo -

Amazon.com Widgets

HOOTERS JAPAN TO OPEN THIS FALL IN TOKYO

2010-09-13T03:40:00.001-10:00

HOOTERS TOKYO
COMING THIS FALL

Monday September 13 2010

(Tokyo) US-based Hooters of America, Inc. will be opening their first restaurant in Japan this Autumn somewhere in the vicinity of Akasaka-Mitsuske Station in Tokyo in Nagatacho. The Japanese franchisee, HJ Inc. (株式会社エッチジェー 18-6 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Japan TEL +81(3) 5651-4187) was incorporated July 2010 in preparation for the launch. And, they are already hiring Hooters Girls as well as one or two managers on their Japanese corporate website.

With over 455 locations worldwide in 29 countries, Hooters are already in other Asian countries including Singapore, Taiwan, South Korean and China which alone boasts four locations.

Already established US-based competitors include Dallas-based TGI Friday's which has well-known restaurant operator Watami as its Japanese franchisee and Hard Rock Cafe, Tony Roma's & Bubba Gump which in Japan are all under the management of WDI Group. Both Watami and WDI Group are publicly-traded and are known as competent and respected operators. Much less is known about the Hooters franchisee, HJ Inc.

Zen-Nippon Minkan Keisatsu aka "Nippon Civilian Police"

2010-09-04T01:10:00.001-10:00

http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi-shukan-post/view/nippon-civilian-police-skirts-a-fine-line-between-vigilance-and-vigilantism

'Nippon Civilian Police' skirts a fine line between vigilance and vigilantism

For dealing with certain matters where the police can’t—or won’t—take action, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Writing in Jitsuwa Knuckles (October), a monthly magazine specializing in Japan’s subculture, Yuri Suzuki introduces the Zen-Nippon Minkan Keisatsu, which goes by the English name Nippon Civilian Police (NCP).

NCP’s founder, Shuichi Araki, previously lived in the United States and claims to be the only Japanese national ever licensed to work there as a bounty hunter. Araki explains that NCP, which he established in 2006, is a “civilian police organization” accorded legal recognition by the government.

Araki’s operation currently employs about 70 “troops,” who work out of branches in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities. A photo accompanying the article shows a back view of an NCP member in a distinctive field jacket, carrying a riot baton in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other.

“NCP is completely different from both private security firms and volunteer street patrol groups,” he tells Jitsuwa Knuckles. “Some of our members are out on the street every day to safeguard citizens’ safety. Our main function is to perform tasks that the police, as a public entity, are unable to do. But we’re not subordinate to the Tokyo MPD—we’re completely separate.”

Araki stresses that NCP was set up with the full blessing of MPD headquarters, owing largely to his overseas-acquired knowhow in tracking down fugitives. Another reason, he says, is because police are legally hamstrung from performing stings and other types of undercover operations and are receptive to assistance from NCP.

One NCP member, identified only as “G,” operates incognito out of a shop in a drinking area.

“It’s hard to generalize the type of cases I’ve handled, which have ranged from fraud to missing persons to tracking fugitives,” says G. “We get scuttlebutt from a network of bars in entertainment districts, not only here in Tokyo but from Hokkaido to Okinawa.”

When NCP operatives assist in apprehensions, they are entitled to receive relatively small (50,000 yen) cash rewards offered by the police.

“There are lots of tasks the police are unable to deal with,” G points out. “Some, they will delegate to us. I can’t go into detail, but some cases may skirt the boundaries of legality. For example, at our discretion we might tie up with IT or communications companies to conduct investigations that the government is not empowered to do. Without taking such measures, there would be no way to catch the perpetrators in the act.”

But “G” admits that setting up a sting can, in worst cases, also result in getting stung in return. “As it stands, you might even get killed. But that’s the way it is,” he shrugs fatalistically.

According to Araki, activities of private securities firms in Japan are governed by a specific law, but no law currently exists for civilian police, so he operates in a gray area. “For example, if we were to turn in a suspect who was later proved innocent, we could be vulnerable to legal action,” he says. “We have to enforce self discipline on the one hand; at the same time, we are presently going through government channels to have our status taken up in the Diet.”

“In the eyes of the citizens, Japan’s police are unreliable and cannot be depended upon for protection, wouldn’t you say?” Araki asserts. “Take incidents involving stalking, some of which are clearly criminal acts. The police won’t do anything because they claim it’s just too troublesome to intervene in what they insist are ‘civil affairs.’ We make a case for action by bridging civil affairs with criminal cases.”

Araki believes Japan’s young people, in particular, are inclined to feel outrage when injustices are perpetrated.

“NCP is hoping to recruit more determined young people,” he says. “That’s why we’ve lowered our minimum age requirement from the present 18 years to 16.”

___________________________________________________________________

Sounds like Araki is trying to start his own version of 'Guardian Angels'. The funny thing is that I discovered they (The Guardian Angels Japan) have been in Japan since 1996 and currently have over 250 members:

The Guardian Angels Japan, Inc.
National Headquarters
Eitaibashi Eco-Piazza Bldg Basement
1-29-13 Shinkawa
Chuo-ku, TOKYO, 104-0033 Japan
Tel : (03)-3523-5300
Fax : (03)-3523-5366
E-mail : info@guardianangels.or.jp
URL : http://www.guardianangels.or.jp

The Invasion of the Sri Lankan Pedophiles ~!!!

2010-08-22T14:46:00.000-10:00

For some reason, pedophiles in Colombo, Sri Lanka (IP address 202.129.232.200 ) are looking to "f*** 15 year old Japanese boys" in the Google searches that direct them to this blog. WTF?!!

University of Oregon's Best ... On The Rocks does Bad Romance

2010-06-14T15:06:00.005-10:00

U Oregon all-guy a cappella group is now a viral hit

By MARK BAKER
The Register-Guard
May 17, 2010 8:17 AM
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — And you thought the "I Love My Ducks" video got a lot of hits online.

Well, maybe you haven't met the guys from On the Rocks, the University of Oregon student-run, all-male a cappella group.

The video someone shot of them three weeks ago at UO's Erb Memorial Union amphitheater, performing what has become their most popular routine, a mocking of pop star Lady Gaga's music video "Bad Romance," has been viewed more than 1.7 million times online. That's about double the number of hits the "I Love My Ducks" Rose Bowl video has received since it stirred up controversy on campus last fall.

"It's crazy," On the Rocks member Jacob Steinberger said. "It's really weird. We put it up there, and a day or so later there was like a couple hundred thousand hits. And then it was climbing exponentially."

Another video of the group singing the 1987 Rick Astley pop hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up," on a New York City subway in March has received more than 737,000 Internet hits.

The viral videos have increased the group's popularity on campus. On the Rocks was formed by two UO students in 1999 and has been performing at the EMU at 4 p.m. on Fridays ever since, even as members have graduated and new students have taken their place.

"I love listening to them," said freshman Claire Berger, who first saw an On the Rocks performance when she was in the fifth grade in Eugene. Her family later moved to Portland, where she attended high school, but she's been back at the EMU every Friday during the 2009-2010 school year.

"I love the fact that it's just voices, but it sounds like instruments and drum sets," Berger said. "It's incredible that they can all mesh to put together such an awesome production."

If it rains, the 14-member group performs songs such as Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" inside the EMU "Fish Bowl." Two other popular UO a cappella groups, the all-female group Divisi and a co-ed group called Mine the Gap, also perform at the EMU on Fridays.

More than 300 people, the largest crowd of the year, watched and cheered them all in Friday's warm spring sunshine. But it was On the Rocks that seemed to draw the most interest.

"I love On the Rocks," UO junior Ami Tai said. "You can't beat them. They're so much fun."

The group's roots can be traced to the summer of 1999, when two UO students, Leonardo Silva and Peter Hollens, met in a UO writing class. They convinced others to join them and rehearse, giving their first performance when they auditioned to sing the national anthem at a UO basketball game. Now they are considered, along with Divisi, one of the top collegiate a cappella groups in the nation. They have been invited to audition this summer for "The Sing-Off," the NBC-TV show that is like a version of "American Idol" for a cappella groups.

"This is a pretty big year for us, because it's 10 years and all of a sudden we're getting all this publicity," said group member Teigh Bowen, a senior psychology major.

The group's popularity is a testament to the power of the Internet. They have appeared twice this spring on the Huffington Post Web site feature "Hot on Facebook."

Asked if Lady Gaga herself had maybe seen On the Rock's version of her hit song on YouTube, Steinberger said, "I'm pretty sure she has. Ashton Kutcher and Joe Jonas have seen it," he said of the actor and pop star, respectively. Both tweeted the videos on their Twitter pages, Steinberger said.

The group took an East Coast trip over spring break in March, performing at Boston University, Yale University and various parks and other sites in New York City.

The highlight, though, was "rickrolling" a Manhattan subway car. Group members boarded the A train at Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan, but not everyone knew group member Nick Firth had a video camera in hand.

"'On the Rocks' is about to 'rickroll' this subway," Firth can be heard saying on the video, as he points the camera at his face.

"Rickrolling" is an Internet prank begun about three years ago in which misleading links redirect users to the 1987 Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video. The term now also includes performing the song in public places after Astley himself appeared in the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, interrupting a song on a float promoting the Cartoon Network.

(source: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100517/NEWS/100519851/ )

Meet Your (Drunk) Congressman - introducing Rob Etheridge (D) N. Carolina...

2010-06-14T02:16:00.002-10:00

Drunk U.S. Congressman Rob Etheridge (D) North Carolina 2nd District Assaults College Kid

"Who are you?!"

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D - NC-02)
1533 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-4531 Fax: 202-225-5662

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

2010-06-06T18:49:00.000-10:00

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night
by Snoopy

Part I
It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out!
A door slammed. The maid screamed.
   Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon!
   While millions of people were starving, the king lived
in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was
growing up.

   Part II

   A light snow was falling, and the little girl with the
tattered shawl had not sold a violet all day.

   At that very moment, a young intern at City Hospital was
making an important discovery. The mysterious patient in
Room 213 had finally awakened. She moaned softly.

   Could it be that she was the sister of the boy in Kansas
who loved the girl with the tattered shawl who was the
daughter of the maid who had escaped from the pirates?

The intern frowned.

   "Stampede!" the foreman shouted, and forty thousand head
of cattle thundered down on the tiny camp. The two men
rolled on the ground grappling beneath the murderous hooves.
A left and a right. A left. Another left and right. An
uppercut to the jaw. The fight was over. And so the ranch
was saved.

   The young intern sat by himself in one corner of the
coffee shop. he had learned about medicine, but more
importantly, he had learned something about life.

   THE END

Play all three YouTube videos at once ...

Flotilla Choir presents: We Con the World

2010-06-03T15:32:00.001-10:00

Flotilla Choir presents: We Con the World

There comes a time
When we need to make a show
For the world, the Web and CNN
There's no people dying,
so the best that we can do
Is create the greatest bluff of all

We must go on pretending day by day
That in Gaza, there's crisis, hunger and plague
Coz the billion bucks in aid won't buy their basic needs
Like some cheese and missiles for the kids

We'll make the world
Abandon reason
We'll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
With guns and our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

Ooooh, we'll stab them at heart
They are soldiers, no one cares
We are small, and we took some pictures with doves
As Allah showed us, for facts there's no demand
So we will always gain the upper hand

We'll make the world
Abandon reason
We'll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
we're waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

If Islam and terror brighten up your mood
But you worry that it may not look so good
Well well well well don't you realize
You just gotta call yourself
An activist for peace and human aid

We'll make the world
Abandon reason
We'll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
We're waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

We con the world
We con the people
We'll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We're waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
We con the world (Bruce: we con the world...)
We con the people (Bruce: we con the people...)
We'll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We're waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
The truth will never find its way to your TV

ADERANS' REVENGE - Unflattering portrayal of Steel Partners head look-alike in TV commercial

2010-05-31T22:26:00.001-10:00

STEEL PARTNERS' WARREN LICHTENSTEIN IN ADERANS COMMERCIAL?
Given historical bad relations between activist fund Steel Partners and Japanese hairpiece maker Aderans, highly unlikely. However, more likely the unflattering inclusion of the annoying American businessman arriving by helicopter in the commercial is a deliberate dig at Lichtenstein...

Introducing Vera Elizabeth Baker - the First Mistress of the United States of America

2010-04-30T21:27:00.003-10:00

Obama & Vera Baker

National Enquirer Publishes Presidential Cheating Scandal

According to the National Enquirer's GLOBE - "Barack Obama was caught in a Washington, D.C., hotel with a beautiful political aide sparking a shocking cheating scandal! In a blockbuster world exclusive, an eyewitness and political insiders bare all the sensational details that are threatening the presidency. It’s must reading for every American!"

Robert Whiting Examines the Bobby Valentine Era with Chiba Lotte Marines

2010-01-18T02:03:00.001-10:00

Whiting to examine Valentine era with Marines

The Japan Times

Best-selling author Robert Whiting, who wrote "You Gotta Have Wa," "The Meaning of Ichiro," and "The Chrysanthemum and the Bat," returns to top form in an exhaustively researched exclusive four-part expose on Bobby Valentine's rise and fall with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Tapping into his deep pool of contacts and his keen understanding of Japanese society and baseball on both sides of the Pacific, Whiting provides a revealing look at the successes and failures of Valentine's first and second stints as the Marines manager, including giant missteps made by the popular American skipper.

Whiting also details the front office soap opera — incompetence, financial problems, systematic cruelty, bizarre characters — that created numerous problems on and off the field for Valentine's club.

The series will begin on Sunday (a day later in some areas), and run the following three Sundays.

The Japan Times: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/sb20100116j1.html

Clandestine campaign led to Valentine's demise

By ROBERT WHITING

Special to The Japan Times

First in a four-part series

Undermined: Bobby Valentine was the first foreign manager to win the Japan Series, but was unceremoniously forced out by the Chiba Lotte Marines last year in strange circumstances. AP PHOTO

It was just about the time that Chiba Lotte Marines acting owner Akio Shigemitsu declared that Bobby Valentine could run his team "for life" that things began to go sour. Until then, the former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager had been riding a wave of success that many commentators on Japanese baseball had thought impossible for a gaijin kantoku to attain.

He had arrived in 2004 to take over a team that had not had a winning season in nearly a decade and was one of the least popular in Japan. A year later, employing a looser American-style approach to training and a charismatic, impassioned, style of leadership, Valentine steered the Marines to a Japan championship, becoming, in the process, the first foreign manager ever to win a Japan Series.

Moreover, he gave Marines supporters a special boost when he challenged the 2005 MLB champions, the Chicago White Sox, to a "Real World Series" — a long-held dream of many Japanese baseball fans — claiming that his team could hold its own with any club on the globe.

Valentine won a number of honors, including Manager of the Year, and was chosen the "ideal boss" by readers of Weekly Spa, a popular magazine that caters to young businessmen. A newspaper editorial by the president of Nippon Metal called on Japanese firms to begin treating employees "the same way Bobby does" and curb their tradition of harsh management and overwork, which included 60-70 hour work weeks.

It was estimated by Hakuhodo Advertising, that the national media exposure Lotte enjoyed — a vast worldwide conglomerate of hotels, candy, chewing gum, fast-food restaurants and financial services — immediately following the Marines' Japan Series victory was worth the equivalent of more than $30 million in free advertising.

This prompted Lotte acting owner Akio Shigemitsu, who was bursting with pride ("This is the greatest day of my life," he was heard to say during the Marines victory parade through downtown Chiba), to agree to reward Valentine with a new four-year contract worth $20 million, making the him the second-highest paid baseball manager in the world behind then-New York Yankees skipper Joe Torre.

Shigemitsu also signed onto a number of MLB-style additions to windblown Chiba Marine Stadium suggested by Valentine, including a new sports bar, luxury boxes, deluxe suites, picnic tables and an HD screen.

Valentine's exploits drew the attention of major media from North America as well as Japan. He was profiled by The Washington Post, The New York Times and HBO, giving the name Lotte a healthy dose of exposure in the U.S.

The highlight was a documentary produced by a trio of New York filmmakers entitled "The Zen of Bobby V," which premiered in the spring of 2008 at the Tribeca Film Festival and then aired on ESPN.

Although Valentine failed to win a second pennant — the Marines finished fourth in 2006 and missed by a game in 2007 (when "Zen" was filmed) — attendance and revenue had quadrupled under his watch.

Shigemitsu began talking about a lifetime extension of Valentine's contract. Valentine's supporters boasted that he was headed for the Japanese Hall of Fame.

But then the roof began to fall in.

The 2008 Marines finished in the second division — albeit barely in a four-team race for the flag. It was the third time in the five years of the Valentine administration that this had happened, and it was not the kind of record people expected from one of the world's most expensive managers.

Catalyst for change: Chiba Lotte Marines president Ryuzo Setoyama (left) was behind the move to end Bobby Valentine's tenure as manager of the team. KYODO PHOTO

Moreover, attendance had grown by only 2.7 percent during that '08 campaign. In December, Valentine was called back to Japan from the U.S. and unceremoniously informed that when his contract expired in 2009 he would not be invited back.

As Lotte's congenial president Ryuzo Setoyama explained to the media, the team had been losing money to the tune of $30 million to $40 million a year, despite the unprecedented buzz the Marines had created in the Chiba area community. Although revenue had risen, so had expenses, including player salaries and stadium improvements.

(New video boards and HDTV broadcasting equipment alone had cost more than $8 million a year.)

At the same time, TV revenue had remained virtually non-existent. Local television stations continued to pay a paltry $1,500 to televise one Marines home contest, a tiny fraction of what the more popular Yomiuri Giants commanded.

The baseball Marines were a subsidiary of Lotte Japan, which, along with its sister company Lotte Korea, was bleeding money in the wake of the '08 global meltdown and was unable to help.

Shigemitsu had said earlier that he would decide on Valentine's future at the conclusion of the 2009 season after examining the team's performance and gauging the wishes of the fans.

But the fact of the matter was that his father, Takeo Shigemitsu, the 85-year-old chairman of the Lotte empire, who had single-handedly built the business up from a small chewing gum stand (at a time when most Koreans in Japan were relegated to menial jobs like shining shoes, the mizu shobai nighttime entertainment business such as hostess clubs or the yakuza underworld) had never been happy with the $20 million deal his son had given to Valentine in the first place and had decreed that the contract could not be extended at that exorbitant price.

Moreover, in an offseason tripartite summit of the father, the son and team president, the father ordered the ballclub's deficit to be reduced to a manageable ¥2 billion ($20 million), and Setoyama was assigned the task of making the budget cuts.

* * * * *

Setoyama reckoned that under these circumstances Valentine was simply too expensive for someone, in his opinion, who seemed to be going backward.

Furthermore, he said, if you counted all the dozen or so people who had been enlisted in the Valentine effort to modernize the team, then, by the team president's calculation, he was costing Lotte a total of $8 million a year.

The "Valentine Family," as the media dubbed it, included Shigeo Araki, a former IBM executive and IT whiz who had been brought in to update business operations, Shun Kakazu, a young Harvard graduate who had constructed a sophisticated player data base, and Larry Rocca, a former New York sports writer, who had initiated American-style promotions (ladies night, salaryman's night, disco night) and successfully solicited several million dollars worth of corporate sponsorships for Lotte.

Setoyama asked them, along with several others, to submit their resignations and accept a buyout.

Noteworthy in this blitzkrieg of change was that none of those getting the ax, including most notably Valentine, were given an opportunity to discuss and renegotiate their contracts downward. The decision to dismiss them was as final as it was swift.

Valentine, stunned at going from being a "lifetime" manager to lame duck in the blink of an eye, appealed directly to Akio Shigemitsu for an explanation of this disastrous turn of events. Surprisingly, however, the acting owner refused to return Valentine's phone calls or answer e-mail inquiries.

More than any other team in the NPB, the Marines during the Valentine era had been identified by their manager.

At the entrance to the park, a flat-screen TV showed continuous loops of Bobby greeting fans. The concourse walkways inside the park were lined with 3-meter high Bobby murals, inscribed with his aphorisms — e.g. "The team is a family. A happy family makes the team stronger."

Even the food there had his image on it, including the Bobby box lunch, a brand of sake with his picture on the label, a beer named after him and Bobby bubble gum.

Near the main entrance to the stadium there was a small shrine in his honor, featuring his papier mache image, and not far away there was a street named after him, Bobby Valentine Way.

But now, Setoyama began dismantling every reminder of Valentine's influence. Down came the shrine, the main gate video presentation, the murals and posters on the walls. The beer, the hamburgers and other Bobby V. products also gradually disappeared.

Valentine's many supporters wondered what the hell had happened.

How could he sink low, so fast?

The members of the Lotte oendan (cheering section) and various fan groups were furious at this turn of events. They had formed a special bond with Valentine during his years with the Marines. Not only had he given them a team worth cheering about, but he also made them an integral part of the organization, unlike Japanese managers who tended to keep their distance from the outfield hoi polloi.

He had always made himself available to sign autographs inside and outside the stadium. He had participated in pep rallies and after home games had made it a point to see that his players walked out to the right-field stand area where the oendan stationed themselves to shake hands with the fans and express their thanks.

He had taken to calling the Lotte oendan "No. 26" because with their raucous enthusiastic cheering, they were the equivalent of an extra player on the team roster. He declared many times over that they were the best fans in the world.

As Kazuhiro Yasuzumi, an oendan member who works in a Tokyo-based ophthalmic goods firm, put it, "I went to Lotte games for years. It was always easy to get a ticket to sit in the outfield stands, because it was usually half-empty. But that all changed after Bobby came. You had to stand in line. He made Lotte special. He made Lotte a big part of the community, whereas before it wasn't.

"Bobby has been a phenomenally successful manager with CLM, both on and off the field. He's also been a great ambassador for baseball generally, especially American baseball. It was clear it would take a while for the changes he was making to reap benefits. But it didn't make sense to get rid of him. There are other ways to deal with the economic problems."

Daigo Asada, a young sports marketing executive who could be found in the outfield cheering section for nearly every home game, was incredulous.

"How can they do this?" he cried.

"Valentine is a man who said we were good enough to play in a real World Series. Who else has ever been able to say that? Considering the Marines cannot afford a payroll with a lineup of stars and free agents like Yomiuri or Softbank, Bobby has been doing a superb job. You can't get anybody better than Bobby V. This is treason against Japanese baseball. This is about Japanese society. This shows that you try to change things and you get hammered down."

Anger at the sudden changes in the Lotte organization thus set the stage for one of the more confrontational seasons in the history of the NPB.

* * * * *

From Opening Day 2009, Lotte fans in the outfield seats, declared war on Setoyama. They hoisted banners pillorying Lotte executives for their decision to let Valentine go.

"Clap Your Hands If You Want Setoyama To Resign" read one sign. "What An Unforgivable Disgrace" went another. "Death to Lotte Management" said one more.

Stadium security would quickly eject fans raising particularly offensive banners, but others quickly took their place.

Mitch Murata, a corporate adviser and ardent Marines fan, observed wryly, "These guys are more organized than al-Qaeda."

At the same time, oendan members launched a drive to collect signatures demanding Valentine's return.

Setoyama supporters within the organization, stunned by the reaction of the fans, began a stealth smear campaign intended to sully Valentine's reputation. They whispered that he was taking kickbacks from foreign players, that he had recruited one gaijin player from a local bar, and that he had hired his own son to design new Lotte uniforms, while collecting a hefty royalty on their sale.

They also claimed that he had sexually harassed Lotte female employees, that he was anti-Japanese and even racist, noting he used terms like "the f-----g Japanese way."

A new assistant general manager named Akira Ishikawa seemed intent on making Valentine's life as miserable as possible. He reportedly countermanded Valentine's instructions to players before and during games, and twice after Valentine had become involved in on-field disputes with the umpires came down to take the side of the men in blue.

A key, if unusual, combatant in the effort of the front office to discredit Valentine was a moon-faced, middle-aged woman named Yoko Yoneda, who, at the start of the 2009 season, had been elevated to the No. 3 spot in the front office, in charge of media relations and VIP suites.

With a fondness for garish fashion — black, zebra-striped polyester shirts and loud pink dresses — and carrying a mauve business card that described her as a "fortune teller" who did "character and color analysis," she was surely one of the strangest NPB executives in the annals of the game.

Yoneda made news at the beginning of the season, when she ordered reporters to stop wearing jeans and to use keigo, or formal Japanese when speaking to the players. This was the cause of great mirth to some observers, since most reporters had nothing else in their wardrobe and most players, for their part, were so uneducated they could not understand honorific Japanese.

A former cheerleader at high school baseball powerhouse PL Gakuen and an employee at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which manufactures Pocari Sweat, a Japanese soft drink, Yoneda had been introduced to Akio Shigemitsu, by the president of Otsuka, and had been given a job in the Lotte front office in 2006.

No one could figure out what the nature of her relationship was with the diffident billionaire's son, who denied there was anything romantic going on. He simply explained in a news conference that Yoneda was an "eccentric character" who told his fortune.

Setoyama was just as surprised at her elevation to the top ranks of Lotte as everyone else.

From spring training on, Yoneda had pressured scribes to criticize Valentine more in print and, in one case, demanded a reporter to write Valentine had chosen the wrong pitcher. She complained that Valentine's lifelong friend, coach Frank Ramppen could not even hit fungoes properly.

As head of the VIP suites, she cut off access to Valentine's wealthy supporters (including an American corporate executive who spent $15,000 a year on tickets to Marines games but who, Yoneda said, had damaged a VIP room carpet).

She then turned around and granted entree to the families of select Marines players like star infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka in an effort to curry favor with them (and was even seen spotted playing Nintendo Wii video games in one of the $2,000 suites).

To some observers, Setoyama and his men were employing a kind of "mura hachibu," (village ostracism), a tactic designed to isolate Valentine, make his final season as miserable as possible, and perhaps force him to quit early and thereby save the front office part of his salary — or, if that was not possible, at least affect Valentine's ability to run the team successfully.

The last thing Setoyama seemed to want was for Lotte to win another Japan Series and cause such a groundswell of support for Valentine that the organization would have no choice but to offer Valentine a new contract.

* * * * *

The battle for the soul of the Marines entered a new phase, a month into the 2009 season when a Valentine sympathizer working in the front office leaked the minutes of an executive meeting in which Setoyama, shedding his mask of congeniality, dismissed complaints from the oendan and the petition they were circulating, as worthless.

"The fans are like carp, they will eat anything you feed them," he was quoted as saying, adding, "Regarding those people in the right-field stands that are pro-Valentine, we should think about changing locations if they're going to damage our image. If we have unworthy fans like this, let's just move our home stadium. It's just a bunch of stupid Chiba fans anyway."

Setoyama claimed the minutes were a forgery, but they were later proven real. And the public revelation of his remarks prompted the appearance of even more protest banners, including one sign that alluded to front office graft as a motivation for his actions and another that alluded to Setoyama's own adventures in sexual harassment, along with others offering helpful suggestions as to what Setoyama could do with himself.

The most memorable, however, was a banner, reading "Bobby Forever," that was so huge it stretched across half the outfield and was 30 rows high. After one game, angry fans supporting Valentine congregated outside the stadium demanding an audience with Setoyama, forcing the team president and his assistants to hide inside until they dispersed.

Valentine himself kept his silence, aware that a clause in his contract forbade him from criticizing the team under the penalty of being fired and losing his salary.

But by mid-season, the oendan petition had reached 112,000 signatures. It was presented to the elder Shigemitsu, who rotated between Tokyo and the Seoul office of Lotte Korea, on one of his regular visits to Japan. The wizened patriarch was so upset at the bad publicity the Marines were getting, and the way his son Akio was handling things in general, that he ordered an investigation into the goings-on at Lotte.

Valentine and his supporters held out hope that the investigation would result in the firings of Setoyama, Ishikawa and Yoneda, once the elder Shigemitsu discovered just how badly they had behaved.

Indeed, many staff members expected that to happen. But it was not to be.

The final report of the investigation, which was not released to the public, concluded that the rumors being spread about Valentine were untrue. In fact, most of the interviewees, if not all, had supported Valentine.

However, in the end, the old man decided that the American kantoku would, nonetheless, still have to go. Perhaps it was simply to save his son from further embarrassment or perhaps he did not know what else to do, since he knew next to nothing about the baseball team he had owned for several decades.

Either way, he wasn't saying.

At any rate, as one observer put it when the report was completed, something had to be done.

"You've got usotsuki (liars) on one side and tengu (an egomaniac) on the other. It was not a good mix."

The Japan Times: Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20100117j1.html

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Meet the Newark Airport Romeo: HAISONG JIANG

2010-01-08T22:24:00.007-10:00

Chinese graduate student arrested for "defiant trespass"

Thousands inconvenienced by airport security lock-down

A Chinese graduate student at Rutgers believed to have caused a security breach that resulted in major delays on January 3rd at Newark Liberty Airport has been arrested, authorities said.

Haisong Jiang, 28, of East Lincoln Avenue, Piscataway, NJ was taken into custody at his home, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

He is believed to have taken advantage of a guard's absence to sneak past a checkpoint.

He was questioned at the airport by Port Authority police, who arrested him before releasing him.

The Port Authority said in a statement that Jiang will be charged with defiant trespass, and that the charge was determined in co-ordination with the Essex County prosecutor and federal officials, though it is not a federal charge. It was not immediate clear whether Jiang has retained a lawyer.

Jiang is a doctoral student in a joint molecular biosciences programme at Rutgers University: The Mengqing Xiang Lab at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Jiang was born in Jiangxi, China, and has been in the US since 2004 on an F-1 student visa.

In an interview with the press, a roommate of Jiang indicated Jiang took his girlfriend, Qianqun, to the airport on Sunday. He said she is a recent Rutgers graduate who lives in Los Angeles and was visiting for the holidays.

He said Jiang had not mentioned anything to his roommates about what happened at the airport and they were surprised when he was arrested. He said he felt Jiang did not think what he had done was a serious matter.

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THE LIES HATOYAMA TOLD ME: Japanese Ambassador Summoned for Lies by Hatoyama

2009-12-30T19:01:00.009-10:00

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton summoned Ambassador Fujisaki for an urgent meeting Dec. 21 to clarify that the U.S. has not altered its stance on the Futenma air base issue. Her strong remarks essentially called out Prime Minister Hatoyama for lying. (Kyodo)

http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/e/ac/tnw/Nni20091228FP0CLIN1.htm

December 28, 2009, Nikkei

U.S. gives yellow card to Hatoyama

Obama administration essentially questions credibility of Japan's erratic prime minister

The friction over a U.S. military base in Okinawa has escalated into a credibility issue for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, at least from the perspective of the White House.

On Dec. 21, when the U.S. capital was digging out from a heavy weekend snowfall, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton summoned Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki for an urgent meeting that sources say was prompted by a remark Hatoyama had made regarding his meeting with Clinton on Dec. 17.

Clinton told the envoy that the Barack Obama administration has not altered its position regarding U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma: The agreed-on plan to relocate the base's operations elsewhere in Okinawa Prefecture must be carried out. She repeated that the U.S. would accept no alternatives to a pact negotiated by previous Japan and U.S. administrations.

The secretary of state also asked that Hatoyama make clear that she had not expressed understanding of the prime minister's desire to explore other options. Hatoyama told reporters that Clinton had said words to this effect at a meeting in Copenhagen, where global leaders met to try to deal with climate change.

Obama administration's faith in Hatoyama had already been shaken once, in November, when Hatoyama told Obama, "Trust me" in regard to Futenma. One day later, however, Hatoyama was talking about the issue as though he were still seeking an alternative solution.

This time, Clinton is essentially calling the prime minister a liar.

There are other repercussions. The U.S. government has rejected an informal approach by Japan on a possible visit by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, according to sources. These sources say the response received by Japan was this: Contact us again when you have accepted the relocation plan. The Obama administration appears intent on giving the Hatoyama government the cold shoulder at high-level talks at Group of Eight and Group of 20 meetings in 2010 as well.

Obama is reportedly frustrated by the inability of Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and other Japan experts in his administration to achieve a breakthrough on Futenma. Clinton's own standing with the president might have been damaged had she showed understanding of Hatoyama's aims.

The Japanese government appears oblivious to the critical nature of the situation surrounding the Futenma helicopter base, although Hatoyama said Dec. 22 that he understands the U.S.'s basic stance.

Okada told reporters Dec. 22 that the secretary of state's meeting with the Japanese ambassador had added "nothing new outside our assumptions."

At a separate news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano sought to tweak Hatoyama's Copenhagen remark.

The prime minister meant that "Secretary Clinton understands that, with the Japanese government having changed hands, the environment has become very difficult" for the immediate implementation of the bilateral agreement, Hirano told reporters.

Japan aims to settle the Futenma issue by May, Hirano and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said. Sources say the U.S. has already been informed of the deadline.

The Democratic Party of Japan and its two ruling coalition partners were planning to begin consultations over Futenma after Dec. 28. The two smaller parties will offer their proposals for relocation sites, then the feasibility of their suggestions will be considered.

The Hatoyama government is awaiting the results of the mayoral election in Nago, where another U.S. base sits that, under the current plan, would absorb the Futenma functions. The incumbent mayor has accepted the plan, provided that the landing pad is built on a platform out at sea. His challenger is against the plan altogether. Depending on how the voting goes, Hatoyama could be left with even fewer options.

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McDonald's Japan's " Big America Invasion": 4 new "American" burgers from January 15th 2010

2009-12-25T15:40:00.017-10:00

McDonald's Japan Announces 4 New "Big America" Quarter Pounder Burgers for 2010

According to McDonald's Japan's corporate website, 2010 will see the introduction of four new "Big America" 'Quarter Pounder burgers: the Texas Burger, New York Burger, California Burger and the Hawaiian Burger.

Timed with the withdrawal of Wendy's Japan, these new "American-style" burgers will be sure to hit Japan's 'fat spot'.

From the top LEFT HAND Corner going clockwise, we have the HAWAIIAN BURGER, NEW YORK BURGER, TEXAS BURGER and CALIFORNIA BURGER.

The first burger to be released on January 15th 2010 will be the TEXAS BURGER which boasts a beef patty sitting over a slice of American cheese and a funky mustard-relish concoction topped with a middle bun capped with bacon, fried onions and BBQ sauce.

Early February 2010 will see the introduction of the NEW YORK BURGER featuring a bagel-type bun and a Quarter Pounder beef patty topped with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce and a mustard sauce. Obviously not Kosher - nor Halal for that matter... I'll take two.

The end of February will see the arrival of the CALIFORNIA BURGER which disappointingly enough will NOT include avocado. Seriously - WTF? Instead, we get a Quarter Pounder patty topped with spicy cheese, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and a special Californian red wine sauce. Let's hear it for Thunderbird!

Finally, mid-March 2010 will bring us the HAWAIIAN BURGER which will include a generous slab of SPAM and a complimentary blunt of the finest pakalolo. Just kidding.

Instead we'll get another Quarter Pounder patty over chopped lettuce and an American cheese slice topped with an Egg-McMuffin egg patty and special brown sauce. Kinda like a Loco Moco but without the rice.

Despite all the apparent hoopla over the "American" origins of each burger, it's interesting to note that none of the burgers will contain US beef. WTF?

If someone really wanted to do an All-American burger invasion of Japan, they'd draft In-N-Out Burger or Fat Burger.

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BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT's Susan Boyle Does Japan!

2009-12-24T17:35:00.008-10:00

Susan Boyle to sing on Japan's New Year's Eve TV extravaganza

TOKYO, Dec. 25 2009 KYODO

Scottish singer Susan Boyle, the breakout star of Britain's Got Talent, will sing a song on ''Kohaku Uta Gassen,'' Japan's annual TV music show on New Year's Eve.

Boyle, 48, shot to international fame in April after stunning judges and the audience on the British show, where her powerful singing voice contrasted sharply with her dowdy appearance.

She will sing as a guest on the music show, which was first aired in 1951, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. The show, literally ''the Red and White Song Battle,'' divides popular artists of the year into competing teams of red and white, with female artists forming the red team and male artists the white team.

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Balloon Boy's Parents: Sentenced to 90 and 20 days!

2009-12-23T14:31:00.005-10:00

'Balloon boy' parents get jail time

December 23, 2009

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — "Balloon boy" dad Richard Heene was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days in jail for his part in the October hoax that transfixed the nation. His wife received a 20-day sentence. Each was placed on probation for four years.
"This was all done for the purpose of making money," District Judge Stephen Schapanski said. The judge ordered that the Heenes could not profit directly from his crime.

His wife, Mayumi Heene, was sentenced to 20 days alternative jail time and four years probation because Schapanski said she was "less involved" in the hoax.

Richard Heene was ordered to report to jail by Jan. 11 to serve 30 days. He can serve the remaining 60 days on a work release program.

Mayumi Heene will be allowed to start her sentence after her husband's release. She will be able to serve the sentence through an alternative program.

Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to charges that they carried out the balloon stunt in October to promote a reality TV show. They reported that their 6-year-old son was floating away in a helium balloon.

Before being sentenced, Richard Heene apologized for the hoax, saying "I'm very, very sorry."

Mayumi Heene didn't address the court.

Prosecutor Andy Lewis said Richard Heene "wasted a lot of manpower and a lot of money in wanting to get himself some publicity." He says a message needs to be sent to other self-promoters that they will be punished for orchestrating hoaxes.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony. The penalty range for a class 4 felony is two to six years in the Department of Corrections and a fine of $2,000 to $500,000.

Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to one count of false reporting to authorities, a class 3 misdemeanor. The penalty range for a class 3 misdemeanor is up to six months in county jail and a fine of $50 to $750.

A separate hearing will likely be held to determine how much, if any, the Heenes will have to pay in restitution.

By Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

Hughes reports for the Fort CollinsColoradoan
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-12-23-balloon-boy-sentence_N.htm

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Balloon Boy's Parents: $42,000 fine

2009-12-23T01:52:00.004-10:00

Balloon Boy parents hit with $42,000 tab for October stunt

By Joey Bunch

The Denver Post

POSTED: 12/22/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
UPDATED: 12/22/2009 08:40:44 AM MST
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14046766

The parents in the "Balloon Boy" ruse have been hit with a tab of $42,000 from local, state and federal agencies for their October stunt that briefly left many fearing for the fate of their 6-year-old, their lawyer said Monday.

The Heenes' attorney, David Lane, said the Fort Collins couple isn't ready to pay up, at least not yet.

"Let's see the bills," he said. "They're not paying anything until they see some receipts."

Lane said he was e-mailed the amounts by the Larimer County district attorney's office.

The Heenes reached a plea deal on charges stemming from the October hoax, in which they led the world to believe their 6-year-old son was aboard the homemade craft on its 50-mile flight from their Fort Collins home.

They are to be sentenced Wednesday in Larimer County. A judge could determine then what they owe in restitution to the agencies that responded, from police to the National Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration.

"If they've got records to show these are legitimate costs, then we can discuss it," Lane said. "But, first off, these people don't have that kind of money."

A rapt television audience watched the flying saucer-shaped balloon drift across the Colorado plains Oct. 16 after the Heenes reported their son was on board.

When the balloon landed, the boy was not inside. He was hidden in an attic at his house and later said on national television that the incident was done for a show. The family was shopping themselves to networks as stars of a show about a science-crazy family.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Monday it appears the Heenes acted alone in the publicity stunt and that no media outlets conspired or made promises.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com

Investing in Japan: Discover the difference!

2009-12-18T18:16:00.006-10:00

Investing in Japan

Discover the advantages of investing in Japan.

Learn how leading asset management firms and fund managers have successfully profited from Japanese investments.

Get information about Japan's individual regions and markets.

Deloitte analyst, Holly Leam-Taylor, quits after email asking colleagues to vote on office's most attractive men is sent round the world -email below

2009-12-11T14:52:00.009-10:00

Deloitte girl quits after email asking colleagues to vote on office's most attractive men is sent round the world

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235129/Deloitte-girl-quits-sending-email-asking-colleagues-vote-offices-attractive-men.html

When graduate trainee Holly Leam-Taylor planned an awards ceremony to name the most attractive men in her office, she thought it would be a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun.

She duly emailed a small number of female colleagues at City firm Deloitte asking them to vote.

With nine categories such as 'Fittest body' and 'Boy most likely to sleep his way to the top', it certainly grabbed attention.

So much so that the email was forwarded all round the world and spread like wildfire over the internet.

But it wasn't such a laughing matter to her managers at accountancy firm Deloitte, and less than 24 hours after sending the email Miss Leam-Taylor resigned.

Speaking from the detached Surrey home where she lives with her parents, the 22-year- old said: 'It was just a lighthearted joke to celebrate Christmas.

'It's a complete shock that one email could spread like this and who would think it could get so out of hand? In retrospect it was a stupid thing to do but there wasn't anything controversial or sexist in there.

'But if I could take it back I would and I will be so, so careful about sending any emails in the future.'

Miss Leam-Taylor joined Deloitte as a consultant analyst in August this year on an estimated £25,000 a year, and sent her email, entitled Deloitte First-Year Analysts'

Christmas Awards, on Tuesday afternoon.

The categories were: Fittest boy - looks; Fittest boy - body; Best-dressed boy; Boy most likely to sleep his way to the top; Best piece of gossip you've heard so far this year; Most attractive 'older' member of staff; Boy with the best personality; Most hilarious/embarrassing moment a girl has had; and The official Deloitte Firstyear Analyst Girls' 'Man Of The Year'.

Within hours the email was being read by millions of internet users as far away as New Zealand, the U.S. and Australia.

On Wednesday morning she arrived at her London office to find her email inbox full.

'It was crazy,' she said. 'I had so many emails from all over the world saying I had made people's day and that I'd put a smile on their face.

'I also had loads of emails from men in the office nominating themselves for various categories and everyone thought it was hilarious.

'But once I realised it had been forwarded outside the office I realised both Deloitte's and my reputation had been damaged so I decided to hand my notice in there and then.'

Miss Leam-Taylor, who graduated from Warwick University with a 2.1 degree in Management, sent her letter of resignation at 3pm on Wednesday and left the office.

She insists she was not asked to do so, but thought she should jump before she was pushed.

'I wasn't upset as I knew I'd made the right decision,' she said. 'The awards ceremony was my idea and it's something that everyone discusses in offices up and down the country.

'I thought it would be a good idea, it was just a bit of fun.

'But in all of our contracts it says we mustn't use our emails for personal use so I knew I was in breach of that.'

Miss Leam-Taylor will spend Christmas at home with her parents Andrew and Gillian, both 55, and then consider a new career in fashion in the new year.

A Deloitte spokesman said: 'We are very disappointed by this matter. While intended as a joke, this is a stark reminder of the need to exercise careful judgment when using email.'

Miss Leam-Taylor is far from the first person to have been caught out by a forwarded email.

In 2000 public relations executive Claire Swire sent an explicit email to her City lawyer boyfriend who forwarded it to a group of friends. To their horror it was soon being read by millions of internet users worldwide.

***

The email posted in its entirety below (scroll down to the bottom to read the original):

From: Byrne, Andrew [mailto:Andrew.Byrne@gs.com] Sent: 09 December 2009 19:54 To: Oliver Bell; Andrews, James; Richard Taylor; James Wyatt Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

He's basically ended that girls career mind you!
How is everyone - Taylor you back in town next week?

From: Oliver Bell [mailto:Oliver.Bell@olswang.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 7:52 PM To: Andrews, James; Richard Taylor; Byrne, Andrew; James Wyatt Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
Classic. I want to know how William Poole managed to get his hands on that email to begin with - legend!

Oliver Bell
Associate
Olswang LLP
D +44 (0) 20 7067 3528
E oliver.bell@olswang.com

From: Andrews, James [mailto:James.Andrews@duffandphelps.com] Sent: 09 December 2009 19:30 To: Oliver Bell; Richard Taylor; Byrne, Andrew; James Wyatt Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
I think someone might not be having the greatest time at work today.
James Andrews CA | Senior Associate|DUFF & PHELPS
Duff & Phelps Ltd| 40 Bank Street |Canary Wharf|London E14 5NR
Tel: + 44 20 7715 6729|Fax: + 44 20 7715 6710 |james.andrews@duffandphelps.com

From: Hosein, Azim Sent: 09 December 2009 19:06 To: Andrews, James; O'leary, Tom Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Thought this might have been raunchier but anyway….

From: Suthenthiran, Meshanth (CALYON) [mailto:Meshanth.Suthenthiran@uk.calyon.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 6:27 PM To: Hosein, Azim; Erbay, Cevik; Jee-Yann Tan Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Read from bottom up
From: Kaim, Adrian (CALYON) Sent: 09 December 2009 18:22 To: Mistry, Hemal (CALYON); Suthenthiran, Meshanth (CALYON) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
Holly sent an email yesterday morning. Today half of the financial world (male half) is competing for Holly's award.

From: Azer J Qurban [mailto:azer.j.qurban@jpmorgan.com] Sent: 09 December 2009 12:11 To: Matthieu A Forget; Do, Richard; Kaim, Adrian (CALYON); Ankit Pathak;emil.hasanov@rbs.com
Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
classic - read from bottom up
From: Darran M Linnane Sent: 09 December 2009 11:41 To: Adam X Black; Paul X Bagnicki; Thomas J Hipwell; Timothy M Zrinzo; Bartosz X Szczyrba; Amit X Amin; Peter S Yung-Hok; Daniel L Serjeant; Eimear B Harrington Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Read the bottom mail.
It's made it across a whole lot of companies
From: Warren, Hannah (UK - London) [mailto:hwarren@deloitte.co.uk] Sent: 09 December 2009 11:31 To: Darran M Linnane Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Hannah Warren
Consulting
Deloitte MCS Limited
Mobile: +44 (0)7825 823 605 hwarren@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
Please consider the environment before printing

From: Ghorashi, Ramin (UK - London) Sent: 09 December 2009 10:58 To: Rigby, Chris (UK - London); Warren, Hannah (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

In case you somehow hadn’t seen this already, read from the bottom...
From: Tiryakioglu, Eren (UK - London) Sent: 09 December 2009 10:46 To: Barnett, Elizabeth (NZ - Auckland); Armstrong, Ruth (UK - London); Ghorashi, Ramin (UK - London); Crampton, Zel A (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Feel a bit guilty doing this... But I think you deserve to see it Barnie J

From: Dewsbury, Simon D (UK - London) Sent: 09 December 2009 10:30 To: Bryant, Christopher (UK - London); Diner, Benjamin (UK - London); Cousins, Daniel (UK - London); Dewsbury, Simon D (UK - London); McClurg, James (UK - London); van Aartsen, Bob (UK - London); Yeo, Simon J (UK - London); Tiryakioglu, Eren (UK - London); Hart, Nicholas (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Guys, the lad sitting next to me just got this back from his flatmate who works at KPMG.....
Look at how far it’s been and how many different companies it’s been too!
Simon Dewsbury
Consulting | Operations
Deloitte MCS Limited
Stonecutter Court, Stonecutter Street, London, EC4A 4TR, UK
Direct: +44 (0)20 730 37734 | Mobile: +44 (0)7825 114 980
sidewsbury@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
Please consider the environment before printing.
From: Chadha, Ryan [mailto:Ryan.Chadha@KPMG.co.uk] Sent: 09 December 2009 10:24 To: Ghuwalewala, Karan (UK - London); Jain, Nikhil X (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I got this just now! Is it the same Holly?!!
Ryan Chadha
Consulting Assistant
Investment Advisory
Pensions, Tax & People Services
KPMG LLP
10 Upper Bank Street
London
EC14 5GH
Tel.: +44 (0) 20 7694 1521
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7694 1681
Mobile: + 44 (0) 77923 44835
ryan.chadha@kpmg.co.uk
The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavour to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.

From: Koriath, Alexander Sent: 09 December 2009 10:21 To: UK-DL Investment Advisory All Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

From: Davies, Aled Sent: 09 December 2009 10:01 Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
Good ol' Deloitte...

From: rajivan.thiruchelvarajah@barclays.com[mailto:rajivan.thiruchelvarajah@barclays.com] Sent: 09 December 2009 09:47 To: nick.vaill@barclayswealth.com; nickvaill@hotmail.com;Claude.Menezes@rbs.co.uk; cyprian.njamma@mansfield-oxford.com;cyprian.njamma@mercer.com; mellorsam@hotmail.com;thomas.griffiths@uk.abnamro.com; Davies, Aled;christophercoombs@bankofscotland.co.uk; davidjames_locke@hotmail.com;Dhiren_Patel@ml.com; laurence_sciannaca@hotmail.com;malcolm.andrade1@barclays.com; Justin_Onuekwusi@ml.com;Paul.Castell@tube.tfl.gov.uk; paul_castell@hotmail.com;rajivant@hotmail.com; d.hunt@executrack.com;jamesharrisevans@hotmail.com; stephen.james@aonconsulting.co.uk;mortimerchris@hotmail.com; rajivan.thiruchelvarajah@barclays.com;mervski@gmail.com; Johnson, Mark; fogundiwin@messagelabs.com;nick@amigo.eu.com; Emeka.Njokanma@tdsecurities.com;u.udofia@ggsnl.com; ralph.s.dodd@uk.pwc.com;akwa.ibong@btinternet.com; Andrew.Bown@barclayscapital.com;thomas.richardson@rbs.com; devon_griffith@ml.com; steve.ohene@ml.com
Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
Read from bottom up fellas.
Do we have any Deloitters amongst us?
From: Bui, Trey : Barclays Internal Audit Sent: 09 December 2009 09:41 To: Sathya Bala; dhedges1@uk.ey.com; Hedges, Jessica (AU - Sydney);poopatel@deloitte.co.uk; Elaine.Kow@thomsonreuters.com; D'Cruz, Greig : Barclays Internal Audit(BIA); Thiruchelvarajah, Rajivan : Barclays Internal Audit; Caswell, Anna : Barclays Internal Audit; Bordin, Dayna : Barclays Internal Audit; Perkins, Gemma : Barclays Internal Audit; Bhatia, Kamal : Barclays Internal Audit; Walker, Brody : ; Nesic, Alex : Barclays Finance;Elaine.Kow@thomsonreuters.com
Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

What a difference a day makes… love these mass global emails. Lesson: no one is to be trusted when it comes to these type of mass correspondences ha ha
Read from the bottom up
Though that being said the activities below reminds me of my grad years…
From: Raffel, Julian (AU - Sydney) [mailto:jraffel@deloitte.com.au] Sent: 08 December 2009 23:49 To: Jenkins, Victoria (AU - Sydney); Maloney, Kristin (AU - Sydney); Nguyen, Ann (AU - Sydney); Kapo Fung; Lindsay Fawcett (CXC); Chiwanga, MacDonald; Salem-Mosses, Corinne (AU - Sydney); Xie, Amy (AU - Sydney); Cunanan, Amanda (AU - Sydney); Charlton, Amanda (AU - Sydney); Ang, Robin (AU - Sydney); Andrews, Matthew (AU - Sydney);arzeh.sukkar@au.pwc.com; Andrews, David (AU - Sydney); Hullah, Andrew (US - New York); Bui, Trey : Barclays Internal Audit; Sheret, Brett (AU - Sydney); Bayley, Erica (AU - Brisbane); Wills, Cameron (AU - Sydney); Chugh, Viraj (AU - Sydney); Scarfe, Angela (AU - Sydney); Folb, Daniel (AU - Sydney); Bowrey, Tim (AU - Sydney); Wong, Evelyn (AU - Sydney); Hu, Lina (AU - Sydney); Huynh, Sylvie (AU - Sydney); Berry, Daniel (AU - Sydney); Eric Phuah; Francis, Brenton (AU - Sydney); Parker, Greg (UK - Reading); Joanna Field; Lindberg, Joe (AU - Sydney); Toohey, Melissa (AU - Melbourne); Seller, Paul (AU - Sydney); Nolan, Richard (AU - Sydney); Zalums, Viktor (AU - Sydney) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

This is funny – read from bottom up…
From: Redpath, Paul (AU - Sydney) Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2009 10:33 AM To: Orr, David (AU - Sydney); Bor, Mathew (AU - Sydney); Billingsley, Michael (AU - Sydney); Jordan, Steven (AU - Sydney); Sullivan, Michael R (AU - Sydney); Raffel, Julian (AU - Sydney); Verinder, Mark (AU - Sydney) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Gents, this is what the grads get up to in London. I wonder if ours have a similar awards program. Bor, you’d win no.3 for sure.
From: Kasby, Peter (UK - London) Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2009 10:00 AM To: Redpath, Paul (AU - Sydney) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Hey mate,
Thought you may get a kick out of this. Some new analyst sent it out, read bottom up.
P
From: Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland) Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 5:55 PM To: Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I can vouch for Deloitte, PwC and a number of tier one law firms in NZ...
From: Randolph, Daniel (UK - London) Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2009 11:52 a.m. To: Park, Greg (UK - London); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Much of KPMG and RBS may also be aware of this now....
From: Park, Greg (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 22:47 To: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

the majority of audit has now been apprised of this wonderful awards ceremony

From: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London) Sent: Tue 08/12/2009 10:24 PM To: Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
Please see attached an e-mail from one of the guys I used to work with to Holly herself...
From: Mee, Rachel (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 16:22 To: Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Did I get promoted without realising it??! :p
Just realised that it’s been a while since a Clorley FB update so please see attached......
Rachel Mee
Deloitte MCS Limited
Stonecutter Court, 1 Stonecutter Street, London, EC4A 4TR, United Kingdom
Direct: +44 (0)207 3038811 | Mobile: +44 (0)7771 388588
rmee@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
PPlease consider the environment before printing.

From: Black, Andrew P (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 22:19 To: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

You saying I’m out of the running for, “Boy most likely to sleep his way to the top”? Oh well, Randolph had it in the bag anyway...
From: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 22:08 To: Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I have heard you are one of the favourites in the running for “Most attractive “older” member of staff (i.e above analyst grade)” Mr. Blick!
They have also added an award for the “fittest balding Welsh consultant in Supply Chain”. In the bag me thinks! J
From: Black, Andrew P (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 16:04 To: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I reckon by this time tomorrow the whole of London will be having a chuckle over this. Poor girl, this is going to follow her forever...
From: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 22:01 To: Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I think she is just trying to win number 8 on her own award list!
I can’t wait for this to come back to me from one of the other US guys in the office through some random trail of people!
PS. You can find the girl easily on facebook – I imagine Clorley will want to be friends with her ;-)
From: Mee, Rachel (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 15:39 To: Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

That is fookin hilarious!
I know you boys are all keeping your fingers crossed really.....!
Rachel Mee
Deloitte MCS Limited
Stonecutter Court, 1 Stonecutter Street, London, EC4A 4TR, United Kingdom
Direct: +44 (0)207 3038811 | Mobile: +44 (0)7771 388588
rmee@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
PPlease consider the environment before printing.

From: Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen) Sent: 08 December 2009 19:27 To: Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

I thought you already got men down there to do that....?

Van: Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland) Verzonden: dinsdag 8 december 2009 20:19 Aan: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen) Onderwerp: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards
When you sending a few of them down to Sha Banga Bang (NZ) to see where the real men work?
From: Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London) Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2009 7:38 a.m. To: Kasby, Peter (UK - London); Kumar, Vj (US - Irving); Kutas, Jonathan (US - Los Angeles); Randolph, Daniel (UK - London); Mee, Rachel (UK - London); Black, Andrew P (UK - London); Clorley, Andy (UK - London); Park, Greg (UK - London); Elton, Dan (UK - London); Bissenden, Tom (UK - London); Muir, Nick (NZ - Auckland); MacDonald, Jolene M (UK - London); Eckerby, Johan (SE - Stockholm); von Dobeln, Jakob (SE - Stockholm); Van de Boom, Mark (NL - Amstelveen) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

This is how professional the new female analysts are in Deloitte UK! Should give you a laugh – read from the bottom!
From: Winkworth, Neil (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 12:32 To: Watt, Carl (UK - London); Williamson, Mike (UK - London); Yeomans, Rob (UK - London); Neill, Matthew (UK - London); Cole, Simon (UK - London); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Donaghy, Dan (UK - London); Holmes, Alex (UK - London) Subject: RE: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

With a bit of help, she could be world famous. CLM anyone?
Neil Winkworth Deloitte MCS Limited
Mobile: +44 (0)7825 826 815 nwinkworth@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
Please consider the environment before printing.
From: Watt, Carl (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 19:04 To: Williamson, Mike (UK - London); Winkworth, Neil (UK - London); Yeomans, Rob (UK - London); Neill, Matthew (UK - London); Cole, Simon (UK - London); Thomas, Rhodri (UK - London); Donaghy, Dan (UK - London); Holmes, Alex (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

This is classic. We are not eye candy.
Carl Watt Consulting
Deloitte MCS Limited
Stonecutter Court, Stonecutter Street, London, EC4A 4TR, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7007 4657 | Fax: +44 (0)20 7583 1198 cawatt@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
Please consider the environment before printing.

From: Unwin, Rob (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 18:01 To: Yell, Will (UK - London); Dearden, Tom (UK - London); Watt, Carl (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Classic, this will be round Consulting by the end of the day.
From: Southall, Matt (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 17:56 To: O'Connor, Catherine X (UK - London); Unwin, Rob (UK - London); Darius Alavi-Ellis; Mills, Alison (UK - London); Volschenk, Reinard (UK - London); Ward, Roger (UK - London); Petranca, Jean-Paul (UK - London); Frazer, Tom (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Young professionals?
I hope I make the most ripped category
From: Grunwerg, Daniel (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 17:53 To: Menashy, Simon (UK - London); Southall, Matt (UK - London); Yeomans, Rob (UK - London); Wong, Janice (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

From: Marten, Alexander (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 17:42 To: Grunwerg, Daniel (UK - London); Major, Chris (UK - London); Mello, Marina Y (UK - London); Hussey, Mark (UK - London); Paterson, Catriona X (UK - London); Makowska, Felicia (UK - London); Paterson, Catriona X (UK - London); Laffan, Alexander (UK - London); Stapleton, Alan (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

Guys see the message below, pretty amusing to say the least!

From: Poole, William (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 17:32 To: Marten, Alexander (UK - London) Subject: FW: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

From: Leam-Taylor, Holly (UK - London) Sent: 08 December 2009 11:50 To: Huntington, Alison (UK - London); Alvarez, Jessica (UK - London); Butters, Sam (UK - London); Unat, Buket (UK - London); Duk, Rachel (UK - London); Furness, Natasha (UK - London); Farrow, Georgina (UK - London); Hartley-Brewer, Georgia (UK - London); Hollins, Lizzie (UK - London); Jenkins, Sian (UK - London); Mataragka, Chrysa (UK - London); Goodey, Hannah (UK - London); Golding, Amy (UK - London); Cocker, Harriet (UK - London) Cc: O'Mahony, Joanna (UK - London); Zonenberga, Liga (UK - London); Emler, Sophie (UK - London); Cranston, Sarah (UK - London); Bailey, Suzanne (UK - London); Wolfson, Melanie (UK - London) Subject: Deloitte First year analysts Christmas Awards

So girls....

It’s been nearly 4 months at Deloitte so I think we should have some sort of Xmas awards ceremony for us ladies about the stuff that really matters at work i.e. gossip/ the boys! This probably massively violates the HR equal opportunities policy, but never mind! It’s all for fun and a bit of a laugh.

Ok, so the categories are below, please get your votes in asap, I’ll send out the results on Friday 18th Dec (that is all I will be doing that day as I will be SO hungover from the ball!) Any comments as to why you’ve picked a certain person that are particularly good/hilarious can be included, anonymously, of course

1.)Fittest boy – looks
2.)Fittest boy – body
3.)Best dressed boy
4.)Boy most likely to sleep his way to the top
5.)Best piece of gossip you’ve heard so far this year
6.)Most attractive “older” member of staff (i.e above analyst grade)
7.)Boy with the best personality
8.)Most hilarious/embarrassing moment a girl has had
9.)The official Deloitte First-year Analyst Girls “Man of the year”

Enjoy thinking about it!
Much love to all

Holly xxx
Holly Leam-Taylor Analyst | Consulting
Deloitte MCS Limited
Stonecutter Court, Stonecutter Street, London, EC4A 4TR, United Kingdom
Direct: +44 (0) 20 7303 3872| Mobile: +44 7917 242214
hleamtaylor@deloitte.co.uk | www.deloitte.co.uk
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SNL Tiger Woods skit roasts 'scary' Elin Nordegren

2009-12-06T17:53:00.002-10:00

SNL Tiger Woods skit roasts 'scary' Elin Nordegren

Tiger Woods, the topic of four out of five "Hot Topics" segments on last week's The View, is now the subject of the most searched for Saturday Night Live sketch of the week. The Tiger Woods SNL sketch featured a frightened Tiger Woods giving press conferences after a series "accidents" while Elin Nordegren stood by glowering out him while wielding a golf club.

Saturday Night Live cast veteran Keenan Thompson played Tiger Woods and guest host Blake Lively played Elin Nordegren, the woman whose actions The View co-host Joy Behar called "scary" during last week's "Hot Topics".

The Saturday Night Live sketch features CNN's Wolf Blitzer cutting away to a series of press conferences with Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren during which Woods becomes progressively more injured and more apologetic for his indiscretions while Elin Nordegren intimidating him like one of those scary Lifetime movie wifebeaters. Tiger Woods eventually holds up a series of papers for the camera stating "Help Me,....I'm scared,..,She is so strong."

Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren: Hell Hath No Fury .... the Chinese-made CG Video...

2009-12-02T17:53:00.005-10:00

The Taiwanese Newspaper's CG Re-enactment of the Tiger Woods - Elin Nordegren Domestic Violence Incident