The Dailies

Canadian Mary McCarthy lives in the same mansion she and her millionaire husband moved into 62 years ago in the once-posh Country Club area of Havana.

Peacocks still strut the one-acre garden under royal palm trees, but the lawn is overgrown and the house filled with Napoleon III furniture, chandeliers and a Steinway grand piano is falling apart.

At the age of 107, McCarthy is wheelchair-bound, but still dresses up for visitors in a satin dress, silk blouse and chiffon scarf, red lipstick coloring her wrinkled face. Her pearl necklace and earrings, though, are plastic.

Her real jewelry and the small fortune she inherited when she was widowed in 1951 have been frozen in a Boston bank since the United States placed Cuba under sanctions after Fidel Castro’s leftist revolution in 1959.

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Whether it’s a nightmare boss, a stagnant position in a dead-end company, or an unfulfilled career dream, it may be time for you to stop complaining and do something. Follow these steps, courtesy of Tony Lee, editor-in-chief of CareerJournal.com, and find a job you love.

Step 1: Assess your situation, review your strengths, and dig in your heels.

“To even think you won’t have roadblocks is unrealistic, so number one — accept them,” says Andrea Kay, career consultant, speaker, and author of several books including “Greener Pastures: How to Find a Job in Another Place.”

Once you’ve done that, take time out to reflect, she adds. “Don’t rush to develop a new resume. That’s the mistake almost everyone makes. Instead, reflect on what isn’t working, what’s not right about where you are, what your greatest strengths are, and what you love to do,” says Kay.

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A U.S. Customs computer systems malfunction stranded more than 20,000 international passengers for several hours at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday.

The system, which contains criminal information used to screen passengers seeking to enter the United States, went down around 2 p.m. PDT and was not replaced until nearly midnight.

”That system allows our officers to make decisions on who we can allow to enter the United States,” Mike Fleming, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman, told the Associated Press. ”You just don’t know by looking at them.”

Homeland Security officials blamed the malfunction on the fiber optic cables that support the system used to process international passengers. The system was restored at 11:45 p.m., but it took Customs officials until nearly 4 a.m. Sunday to clear the last of the backlogged travelers.

Many passengers who had already spent 10 or more hours on airplanes during their flights were kept on their planes for several hours after the international terminals used for processing arriving passengers reached capacity. Airport officials said the stranded planes were connected to ground power and passengers had access to food, water and bathrooms.

The following is a longish post about how to travel Europe for less than the usual expensive costs you are used to.

Now this is how you do Paris. For their 20th wedding anniversary, retired nurse Carole Andregg and her husband jetted across the pond in comfort, stretched out in United Airlines’ roomy “economy plus” section. Once there, the Spokane, Wash., couple spent a week at the four-star Westin Paris, where their upgraded room offered spectacular postcard views of the Eiffel Tower, the Place de la Concorde and the majestic Musée du Louvre. Special VIP treatment at all the big museums followed. Sound like a budget-busting trip? Nope. The Andreggs paid less than $2,000 each.

Sounds interesting, right? Read on… (more…)

Don’t you just love her acting as Bellatrix Lestrange? I love Helena Bonham Carter! And there is some good news about her. Read on…

Helena Bonham Carter is pregnant again. The 41-year-old actress and her partner, Tim Burton, are expecting their second child together, her publicist, Karon Maskill, said Thursday. No other details were provided. The couple have a 3-year-old son, Billy Raymond.

Bonham Carter stars as evil witch Bellatrix Lestrange in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth film adapted from J.K. Rowling’s wizarding saga.

She and Burton met during the filming of 2001′s “Planet of the Apes.” She has also worked with the 48-year-old director in “Big Fish,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the animated “Corpse Bride” and the upcoming “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” co-starring Johnny Depp.

Burton has also directed “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood” and “Beetle Juice.”

Big Ben’s bongs fell silent Saturday as workers rappelled down Parliament’s iconic clock tower, beginning a month of maintenance work on the clock and its world-famous bell.

Time briefly stood still as the clock’s hands were frozen shortly after 8 a.m. They then were wound to 12 o’clock as a team of specialist “industrial rope-access technicians” descended to clean the clock’s four latticework faces, part of maintenance ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2009.

Although the clock soon will be ticking again, the famed bell that sounds the hour at Britain’s Houses of Parliament will be silent for four to six weeks as engineers replace bearings in the clock mechanism.

This is the first time since 1956 that both Big Ben’s sonorous hourly bongs and the chimes that mark each quarter-hour will be silent, robbing London of one of its most distinctive sounds.

Parliament’s neo-Gothic clock tower, designed by Charles Barry, is popularly known as Big Ben, although the name refers only to the 13.5 ton Great Bell inside.

Cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in east London, Big Ben first rang out in July 1859. Soon after, it cracked — as an earlier version had during testing. Officials simply turned the bell so the hammer wouldn’t strike the crack. That same bell, crack and all, remains in use.

Summer’s in full swing, and for many that means hitting the open road on a family vacation or freewheeling road trip. If you plan on putting the pedal to the metal, don’t forget to pack some gear in your travel bag. We pulled together five gadgets that will help you get where you’re going and have fun while you’re at it. The iPhone can get you traffic info as well as play tunes, while the TomTom will direct you to your destination and DS Lite keeps your passengers happy. And don ‘t forget to take pictures: The SD850 takes beautiful pictures, while the waterproof Xacti can shoot video by land or sea. Now gas up and get going!

*Source, Yahoo Tech

We hear a lot of celebrity kids made cash cows by their parents and relatives. This is bad! This is one form of child abuse that authorities should look into. Remember Macaulay Culkin? That kid sued his parents and filed for emancipation. Imagine that.

Now here’s another allegation againsts a teenage celebrity’s parents. This time, a bodyguard who has been with the celebrity for 3 years made the accusation. Read on…

Lohan’s ex bodyguard blames parents for her wild behaviour

Both of Lindsay Lohan’s parents are responsible for her bad behaviour, according to the actress’s longterm bodyguard Tont Almeida.

Almeida, who worked for Lohan for three years until 2005, claims Dina and Michael Lohan failed to provide the 21-year-old with any structure – and kept her working to pay for their lifestyle.

He tells In Touch magazine, “From a young age, she dealt with her father’s physical, emotional and drug abuses as well as her mother’s drinking.”

Almeida also claims he had to pull Michael off his daughter – then 16 – after he stopped the car he was driving “and dragged her out of the car, pushed her up against the hood, screamed at her and called her a slut.”

He adds that Dina frequently “let her do whatever she wanted, just to keep her happy and working. (At her 16th birthday party) Lindsay drank whatever she wanted – I saw her drinking beer and mixed drinks with my own eyes (without Dina’s intervention).”

He says, “Lindsay was the family cash cow – and she (Dina) resented it. They counted on her to pay their bills…I saw Lindsay exhausted, begging her mother for some time off.”

In the interview, Almeida goes on to claim Lohan’s parents allowed her to sleep with ex-boyfriend Aaron Carter when she was 15 and he 14, and that he caught her sniffing white powder in a nightclub when she was 18. He also alleges that the actress cut herself and threatened suicide during miserable teen years.

From Patty Betita

Dandruff. Choose a dandruff shampoo that is strong enough to get rid of the source of these hair flakes but not too strong to damage your scalp. If you’re still in the process of treating dandruff, never wear black tops for obvious reasons.

Sunscreen. Too much exposure to the sun can cause irreversible skin damage. Choose a sunscreen to protect you from the sun’s damaging rays. It’s also a good anti-aging device.

Pimples. Never prick a pimple for it might leave you scarred for life. Always consult a dermatologist before applying anything.

Whitening. Do not experiment. Try only tested breakthrough products in whitening technology like the New Olay White Radiance. It is an effective moisturizer, has Vitamin E, visibly reduces dark spots and pores, and evens out your skin tone.

Hair care. Coconut products are not only in demand but are proven to also have beautifying and health benefits. If you suffer from dandruff, flakes and falling hair, there is a shampoo and conditioner that will take care of these problems. When I am stressed, my scalp has a tendency to develop flakes, and I also noticed that I experience a lot of hair fall after a shower or when I start brushing my hair, but a lady in one of my workshops suggested that I should use Nature’s Garden coconut shampoo and conditioner with Minoxidil and Aloe Vera. She swears by it! It smoothens and makes your hair stronger, because coconut penetrates into the roots and the Monixidil helps in the treatment of the scalp, and stimulates hair follicle that induces hair growth.

Oral Hygiene! Brush your teeth at least twice a day, usually after meals. Always floss. For social smokers like myself, I make sure I take pastilles like Astring-o-sol, and I always carry a small bottle of mouth wash in my kikay kit. I recently switched from my regular whitening toothpaste to Sensodyne toothpaste since I discovered that I have sensitive gums.

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has won roughly $545,000 in the arbitration of a lawsuit against her first husband over his plans to publish a tell-all book about the star, court documents showed on Wednesday.

As part of the arbitrator’s decision, Lopez also won a permanent injunction barring her ex-spouse, Ojani Noa, from disclosing intimate information about their relationship for personal gain.

Among the revelations purportedly made in the ghost-written book, according to media accounts, was that Lopez had multiple affairs during her brief marriage to Noa, including one with salsa-singer Marc Anthony, Lopez’s third and current husband, while he also was married to someone else.

Anthony and Lopez, 38, married in June 2004, just days after he was divorced from Dayanara Torres, a Puerto Rican model and beauty queen, and five months after Lopez broke off her much-publicized engagement to actor Ben Affleck.

Lopez sued Noa, 31, in June 2006 to stop him from publishing the book, claiming it violated the terms of a nondisclosure, “non-disparagement” agreement the two had reached under a previous legal settlement.

The arbitration of their latest dispute makes permanent an injunction Lopez obtained against the book’s publication in June 2006.

“I just hope he respects the order of the court,” said Paul Sorrell, attorney for Lopez. “If he doesn’t, it won’t be over.”

Sorrell filed papers in a Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday asking a judge to affirm the arbitration.

Lopez was awarded $200,000 in damages for breach of contract, $300,000 in attorneys’ fees and nearly $48,000 in arbitration costs.

Noa’s plans for a book were revealed in a January 2006 article in the New York Post describing the proposed expose as a 12-chapter “tell-all manuscript” under the title: “The Unknown Truth: A Passionate Portrait of a Serial Thriller.”

Noa, a restaurant and nightclub manager, offered not to publish the book if Lopez paid him $5 million, according to Lopez’s suit.

Lopez divorced Noa in 1998 after 11 months of marriage. She married her second husband, dancer Chris Judd, in September 2001 and filed for divorce from him the following July.

Lopez and Anthony star together in “El Cantante,” a movie about salsa legend Hector Lavoe that opened in U.S. cities this summer.

It’s never too early to start thinking about your holiday wish list.

Sure to top it this year? Chanel’s “Diamond Forever” tote (pictured left). In December, the company will debut 13 of these diamond and alligator handbags just in time for the holiday shopping crunch. Each is a stepped-up version of the classic Chanel shoulder bag, with the iconic Chanel “Cs” encrusted in a staggering 334 diamonds (a total of 3.56 carats) set in 18-carat white gold. The alligator skin is farmed and treated with a matte finish.

The total cost: $260,150.

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Lindsay Lohan has checked into the Cirque Lodge drug and alcohol treatment center in Sundance, Utah, according to a CBS News radio report.

This would be Lindsay’s third stint in rehab, following her previous stays at Wonderland and Promises in the Los Angeles area.

Cirque Lodge was recently named by Town and Country magazine as one of the top substance abuse treatment facilities consistently providing outstanding levels of care.

Cirque Lodge provides alcohol rehab and drug rehab treatment services at two main facilities: the Lodge and the Studio. The Lodge is described as “a private substance abuse mountain retreat with stunning views of both the Sundance Ski Resort and the cirque on beautiful 12,000 foot Mount Timpanogos.” The drug treatment center at the Studio is located near the base of Mount Timpanogos and the mouth of Provo Canyon, a world-renowned fly-fishing and ice climbing area.

Admission guidelines state that a thorough history and physical examination will be completed upon arrival by the center’s medical staff, and it is also stressed that new participants keep an open mind:

“We believe that recovery involves spiritual healing and ask that all individuals seeking addiction treatment at Cirque Lodge be open to exploring this aspect of their lives,” say the guidelines.

The rooms are certainly built for comfort, with private and shared rooms featuring down duvets and pillows, reading and relaxation areas, fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, and large bathrooms with slate tile and jetted tubs.

Earlier today, the NY Post’s Page Six reported that Lindsay had gone to her mother’s home on Long Island on Friday. The exact day of Lindsay’s reported check-in to The Cirque Lodge is not yet known.

Lindsay is due in court in Santa Monica on August 24, where she will face charges from her Los Angeles arrest on July 24 for suspicion of DUI and driving on a suspended license, as well as previous DUI-related charges.

In less than an hour you start to feel caffeine’s effects. You’re more alert, energetic and productive. Your mood lifts and that foggy, tired feeling is gone.

If you rely on daily doses of caffeine to chase away fatigue and perk up your disposition, you aren’t alone. Nine out of 10 Americans consume some type of caffeine regularly, making it the most popular behavior-altering drug.

For most people, moderate doses of caffeine — 200 to 300 milligrams (mg), or about two to three cups of brewed coffee a day — aren’t harmful. But some circumstances, such as caffeine sensitivity or use of certain medications, may warrant limiting or even ending your caffeine routine. Find out if you need to decaffeinate your diet and, if so, how you can do it with minimal distress.

When to cut caffeine use (more…)

Continuation… see part 1

“What is your ideal work environment?”

This question is not about whether you prefer a cubicle or an office, so think broadly to include ideas about supervision, management styles, and your workday routine.

Bob Hancock, senior recruiter for video game publisher Electronic Arts, says that he uses this question with candidates because it can give “a sense of their work habits, how flexible they are with their schedules, and how creative they are.”

“How do you handle mistakes?”

The best strategy for this general question is to focus on one or two specific examples in the past and, if possible, highlight resolutions or actions that might have relevance to the job you’re interviewing for.

“Employers want to know they’re hiring someone with the maturity to accept responsibility and the wherewithal to remedy their own mistakes,” says Debra Davenport, a master professional mentor and columnist for the Business Journal in Phoenix.

“What is your most notable accomplishment?”

Paradigm Staffing’s Olson suggests that candidates think of three or four accomplishments and quantify what their actions meant in terms of increasing revenues, saving resources, or improving resources.
“Being able to quantify your achievements in your career will launch you ahead of the rest,” she says, “and demonstrate your ability to do the same as a future employee.”

Part 1 in a series of 2…

One of the easiest ways to build confidence before a job interview is to prepare answers to questions you might be asked. Whether you’re applying for a position as a web programmer, accountant, or legal secretary, interviewers often use some general questions to assess candidates, so you’ll increase your chances for success if you prepare for them in advance.

Six common questions are listed below, along with insights from several recruitment professionals about how to answer. As part of your interview preparation, take the time to formulate answers to each question, focusing on specific tasks and accomplishments.

“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

This is one of the most well-known interview questions, and interviewers often ask it indirectly, as in, “What did your most recent boss suggest as areas for improvement in your last performance review?”

Lindsay Olson, founder of Paradigm Staffing Solutions, a firm specializing in hiring public relations professionals, suggests tailoring your “strengths” answer to skills that will benefit the prospective employer. Though you may have a knack for building gingerbread houses, it might be of little value for the job at hand.

When it comes to weaknesses, or areas of growth, Olson recommends building on your answer to include “how you have improved, and specifics on what you have done to improve yourself in those areas.”

“Why did you leave your last position?”

“Interviewers will always want to know your reasoning behind leaving a company ? particularly short stints,” says Olson. “Be prepared to tell the truth, without speaking negatively about past employment.”

“Can you describe a previous work situation in which you … ?”

This question comes in many forms, but what the interviewer is looking for is your behavior on the job. Your answer could focus on resolving a crisis, overcoming a negotiation deadlock, handling a problem coworker, or juggling multiple tasks on a project.

The theory behind this type of question is that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, according to Yves Lermusi, CEO of Checkster, a company that offers career and talent checkup tools. “The key to responding well is preparing real job examples, describing your behavior in specific situations that demonstrate important skills that the job requires.”

to be continued…

As any job seeker can tell you, acing an employment interview is no easy feat. According to a survey by Robert Half International, nearly one-third (32%) of executives polled said job candidates make more mistakes during the job interview than any other part of the job-hunting process.

You Can’t Take It Back

Consider these real-life responses from hiring managers who were asked to name the strangest things they had ever heard of happening in a job interview:

* “After answering the first few questions, the candidate picked up his cell phone and called his parents to let them know the interview was going well.”

* “The job seeker halted the conversation about work hours and the office environment, saying she didn’t like being confined to a building, but would consider taking the job if she could move her desk to the courtyard outside.”

* “When asked by the hiring manager why she was leaving her current job, the applicant said, ‘My manager is a jerk. All managers are jerks.’”

* “After arriving for an early morning interview, the job seeker asked to use the hiring manager’s phone. She proceeded to fake a coughing fit as she called in sick to her boss.”

Preparation Is Good Insurance

While it’s unlikely you’ll make mistakes as egregious as the ones above, it always helps to prepare before interviewing with a prospective employer. Here are five tips to help you make a good first impression:

* Do your homework. Before the interview, review the job description again and make sure you can describe how your skills and experience match the requirements of the open position.

* Come prepared. Bring extra copies of your resume — printed on high-quality paper — and a list of references to the interview. Also dress appropriately. Even if you’re interviewing with a company that has a casual dress code, it’s better to be slightly over-dressed than under-dressed.

* Know what to expect. In all likelihood, the hiring manager will ask you a host of standard questions, such as “Why do you want to work for this firm?” and “What makes you right for this role?” Practice your responses to these queries with a friend at home so you can provide clear and concise answers.

* Have the right attitude. Be confident during the interview but not arrogant. Also consider your body language. Making eye contact with the interviewer and nodding your head in agreement shows you’re engaged; slouching in your chair indicates you’re bored.

* Follow up. Sending a thank-you note after the interview may seem old-fashioned, but hiring managers always appreciate receiving one. A brief message thanking the person for his or her time and reaffirming your interest in the role shows your professionalism and desire for the job.

Above all, be yourself when interviewing with a prospective employer. Companies seek workers who not only have the skills to perform the job but also the personality to thrive within the corporate culture.

OMG! I got this review from The Seattle Times… Jane Austen’s life was made into a movie! And Anne Hathaway is playing her. What a treat!

Eversince I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen has been one of my favorite authors of all time.

Read the movie review I’ve gathered…

“Becoming Jane” a lovable romance, especially for Austen fans

“Becoming Jane” plays like a Jane Austen novel starring Jane Austen — and what could be more arthouse friendly than that? Director Julian Jarrold, working from a screenplay by Sarah Williams and Kevin Hood based loosely on events in Austen’s life, crafts a delightfully pretty picture, filled with charming manners and elegant blue-gray light. It’s not a documentary, nor even a biopic (its events mostly unfold over a very brief period of Austen’s life, during her 20th year), and Austen purists may scoff: Quite possibly, “Becoming Jane” may be pure fiction. But fiction, for a novelist, is as natural as breathing; here, art and fact intertwine, with the former perhaps overshadowing the latter. (more…)

It was really hard sometimes to say no to a friend, most especially when he needs someone to hear his troubles. And I am a friend who is there all the time for my friends. But there are times when I want to be NOT there for friends. Don’t get me wrong, okay.

It’s just that today is my birthday, for crying out loud!