Tonylimo Show # 10

Tony takes you to JKF,NYC

Dell (and Others) Trying to Catch Up with Apple's Style

With CES right around the corner, the Wall Street Journal
looks at a growing focus amongst PC manufacturers: design. With
increasing competition and the clear appeal of Apple's industrial
design, PC manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the physical
designs for their upcoming computers. This is a sharp turn-around from
the corporate attitude only a few years ago:

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, tech, Apple

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Dean Martin and Sinatra

at there best.

Bloomberg: Let's Trim Number of Parking Placards, Tackle Fakes

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday announced plans to reduce the
number of city-issued parking placards _ which allow people to park in
prime spaces off limits to other drivers -- and crack down on
counterfeit and misused cards.

For years critics have blamed the Big Apple's clogged streets, among
the world's most congested, and the dearth of curbside parking spaces
in part on the seemingly widespread use and abuse of the placards,
small cards that are placed on the dashboard and let traffic agents
know that a vehicle has special privileges.

The mayor demanded each city department reduce the number of parking placards it issues by at least 20 percent by March 1.

Only the police and transportation departments will have the
authority to issue the placards. Currently, various city agencies,
including the fire and education departments, can authorize them.

Also, the police department will create a special unit to go after
people who use fake or unauthorized placards, and agencies will devise
procedures to prevent abuse among city employees, the mayor said.

"Parking placards are a necessary tool for conducting city
business,'' Bloomberg said, ``but we have no tolerance for their abuse,
which contributes to congestion. City workers have often led by
example, and our efforts to reduce traffic congestion will be no
different.''

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Led Zep: We'll rock again in NY ??

LED ZEPPELIN celebrated their triumphant comeback gig by planning world
domination over cups of tea and coffee.
Unlike in their hellraising heyday, singer ROBERT PLANT and guitarist JIMMY
PAGE slapped each other on the back and were handed giant mugs of hot
drinks.
But then the rock fighting talk began and they discussed returning to Madison
Square Garden in New York - where they did three sell-out shows in 1973.
My source backstage at London’s O2 arena said: “Robert had a couple of bottles
of beer before going on stage but afterwards it was just hot mugs of tea and
coffee.
“The band were really fired up and were talking about their late drummer JOHN
BONHAM and what he would have thought about it - it was a time for
reflection.
“Then the talk went to, ‘What next? Was this it or would there be something
else?’ One of the guys started talking about their three concerts at the
Garden.
There was a consensus of, ‘Why not?’ It is one of the best live music venues
in the world. I have no doubt after their reaction backstage that they will
be there next year playing to a sell-out crowd.”

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Led Zeppelin to play three huge New York shows in 2008?

Band have supposedly discussed a three-night residency
Led Zeppelin are rumoured to be set to play three nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden venue in 2008.

According to The Sun, the band were overheard discussing the prospect after their performance at the O2 Arena on Monday
A source quoted in the newspaper explains, “One of the guys [in the band] started talking about their three concerts at the Garden. There was a consensus of, ‘Why not?’.”

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Technorati Tags: tonylimo, Led Zeppelin

Apple Making Deals for Web Video Rentals

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s
sputtering efforts to be a major purveyor of video downloads may get a
boost in 2008 from an agreement with 20th Century Fox for digital movie
rentals.

Apple has been trying to interest a number of
Hollywood studios in an iTunes rental service, and several people
familiar with the negotiations said that more than one studio would
appear onstage at the company’s MacWorld exhibition here
beginning Jan. 14 to endorse a new Apple movie rental service.

These
people, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the
negotiations, confirmed the Apple-Fox relationship. Apple now trails
several companies offering digital movie rental services, including Amazon and Movielink.

The
Financial Times first reported the movie rental agreement on Thursday.
Apple and Fox executives declined to comment. The Fox studio is a unit
of the News Corporation.

Technorati Tags: Apple, tonylimo,

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Apple's new 14st store in NYC

t

ROGER CLEMENS 2057 ON FOX SPORTS NEWS

Roger Clemens

Do we believe him ?.....sorry Roger...

FedEx Truck Carjacked from Manhattan Street

An 18-wheeler FedEX tractor trailer was hijacked by gun-toting thieves in Manhattan Friday morning.

Police say the truck was stopped at a traffic light at 47th Street and
Eleventh Avenue when two men pulled guns on the driver and forced him
out of the truck. The driver was put in another car and driven around
for awhile. He was found around 1:30 Friday morning in Brooklyn.



The driver -- who has 25-years with FedEx -- wasn't hurt.

FedEx spokesman Steve Barber says the truck was headed to hub in Newark, New Jersey.

Although Police and Barber said they didn't know the truck's contents
value, news reports say the truck was carrying more than one million
dollars in cargo including Christmas presents.

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A-Rod's new manager has worked for Madonna, Kravitz

NEW YORK -- A-Rod is adding some Hollywood glitz to his
management team.

Alex Rodriguez hired Guy Oseary, who has worked with Madonna and
Lenny Kravitz, to be his manager. Oseary is not a registered
baseball agent, and Scott Boras remains A-Rod's representative on
baseball matters.

Rodriguez said last week he had spoken just once with Boras
since the agent notified the New York Yankees that A-Rod was opting
out of his contract. The slugger then negotiated a new $275
million, 10-year deal with the team without Boras. After the
outline of the deal was agreed to, Boras drafted the contract with
the club.

"As I embark on this new chapter in my career, I know that I
have found in Guy Oseary someone who is aligned with my interests
and who has earned a lot of respect in the entertainment industry
as a true visionary," Rodriguez said in a statement issued by
Richard Rubenstein.

Richard Rubenstein has represented A-Rod's foundation and is the
son of Yankees spokesman Howard Rubenstein.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, a-rod, baseball, yankees

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The Guy from Boston - Chronicle

A chauffeur view on steroids in baseball..."Don't blame the ballplayers"

After reading all this about steroids and hearing it all over the New York radio all week.
The press and all these radio talk show guys make this out to be like their all saints.
Why should these ballplayers amit it in the first place. Everybody did it or i would say most did or tried it . If i was a ballplayer i properly would have tried it to get a edge. So Barry Bonds don't look as bad now. He has a little smile on his face now, and as time goes on we will find out more about who did what. Barry was the best at it, and you have to give him credit for it.
This was Baseball mess, they look the other way and now they got bit in the ass.
Don't blame the ballplayers

Andy Pettitte can spare us the crocodile tears and contrived 'regret'

A little over a year ago, it was reported in the Los Angeles Times
that a former Yankee pitcher named Jason Grimsley had accused some
major-league players of using performance-enhancing drugs in a federal
agent's affidavit. One of the players named in the Times story was Andy
Pettitte, who was about to finish his last season with the Houston
Astros.

When asked about the story at the time, here is what Andy Pettitte,
who now says he has worked hard his entire life to do things the right
way, said: "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in
baseball. I don't know what to say except that it's embarrassing that
my name would be out there."

Now Pettitte's name is out there - for using human growth hormone -
in former Sen. George Mitchell's report. Two days after Mitchell
releases that report to the public, a report that has Pettitte getting
HGH from personal trainer Brian McNamee and using it for two to four
days, Pettitte issues a statement, throws himself on the mercy of the
public and cops to two.

So Pettitte essentially cops to half of what the report said he did.
In a way that really sounds half-something-else. This really is an
absolute classic sports apology, the kind where somebody says that if
he offended somebody he's sorry, when the only thing he's really sorry
about is getting caught.

This wasn't from Pettitte's heart Saturday, it was from the lawyers
and agents, with more addendums than Mitchell had in the report that
brought Andy Pettitte to this moment.

Maybe, using Pettitte's logic, using human growth hormone to rehab
faster from a sore elbow doesn't mean you were looking to enhance your
performance. We really are getting a lot of that these days.

The real truth is that he got these drugs from McNamee, drugs he
never could have gotten from a legitimate doctor for an elbow injury,
and when people find out about it five years later, Pettitte expects
everybody to believe he was just doing it for his school.

He wants to come across as a standup guy here. Instead he looks like
somebody in a boxer's crouch, covering up so he doesn't get hit
anymore, doesn't get lumped in with all the other cheap, dirty drug
users named in George Mitchell's report.

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Apple Store on 5thave durning the holidays

Tonylimo Show # 8

The Tonylimo Show # 7

Tony's pick of the week

Complete list of players named

Manny Alexander

Chad Allen

Rick Ankiel

David Bell

Mark Bell

Gary Bennett

Marvin Bernard

Larry Bigbie

Barry Bonds

Ricky Bones

Kevin Brown

Paul Byrd

Alex Cabrera

Jose Canseco

Ken Caminiti

Mike Carreon

Jason Christiansen

Howie Clark

Roger Clemens

Paxton Crawford

Jack Cust

Chris Donnells

Brendan Donnely

Lenny Dykstra

Bobby Estalella

Matt Franco

Ryan Franklin

Eric Gagne

Jay Gibbons

Jason Giambi

Jeremy Giambi

Troy Glaus

Juan Gonzalez

Jason Grimsley

Jose Guillen

Jerry Hairston Jr.

Matt Herges

Phil Hiatt

Glenallen Hill

Darren Holmes

Todd Hundley

Wally Joyner

Mike Judd

David Justice

Chuck Knoblauch

Tim Laker

Mike Lansing

Paul Lo Duca

Nook Logan

Josias Manzanillo

Gary Matthews Jr.

Mark McGwire

Cody McKay

Kent Merker

Bart Miadich

Hal Morris

Daniel Naulty

Denny Neagle

Rafael Palmeiro

Jim Parque

Andy Pettitte

Adam Piatt

Todd Pratt

Armando Rios

Stephen Randolph

Adam Riggs

Brian Roberts

John Rocker

F.P. Santangelo

Benito Santiago

Gary Sheffield

Scott Schoeneweis

David Segui

Mike Stanton

Ricky Stone

Miguel Tejada

Derrick Turnbow

Ismael Valdez

Randy Velarde

Mo Vaughn

Ron Villone

Fernando Vina

Rondell White

Jeff Williams

Matt Williams

Todd Williams

Steve Woodward

Kevin Young

Gregg Zaun

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Steroid Report Implicates Top Players

Roger Clemens,
who won the Cy Young award a record seven times, and seven players who
won baseball’s most valuable player award were among dozens of
players named Thursday in the former Senator George J. Mitchell’s report on his investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the sport.“For more than a decade there has been widespread anabolic
steroid use,” Mr. Mitchell said in a news conference announcing
the results of a 20-month investigation he led at the behest of Major
League Baseball. He said the use of performance-enhancing substances
“poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game.”

Clemens was the most prominent name in the report, along with the Most Valuable Player award-winners Barry Bonds, Ken Caminiti, José Canseco, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez, Mo Vaughn and Miguel Tejada.

The report also includes the names of three of the top 10 home-run leaders of all time: Bonds, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmiero.

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Clemens, Pettitte prominent in Report

Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were two of the Major League players
implicated in Thursday's release of former Sen. George Mitchell's
investigation, which details the use of performance-enhancing drugs
during their playing careers.

The pitchers were named by a former Yankees trainer, Brian McNamee,
who detailed the drug use of his two clients. McNamee provided
information relating to Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner,
and Pettitte as part of a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's
office related to guilty pleas entered on April 26 on one count each of
distribution of anabolic steroids and money laundering.

The Yankees released a statement on Thursday afternoon through
Howard Rubenstein, the personal spokesman for principal owner George
Steinbrenner, that said, "We are reviewing the report and have no
comment."

According to the Mitchell Report, McNamee was a Blue Jays
employee in 1998 and a casual, professional acquaintance of Clemens.
Outfielder Jose Canseco testified that, around the same time, he had
numerous conversations with Clemens about the benefits of the steroids
Deca-Durabolin and Winstrol, and how to "cycle" and "stack" steroids.

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Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Factory Gets Landmark Status

NEW YORK (AP) -- The historic Domino sugar factory on Brooklyn's waterfront has officially achieved landmark status in a City Council vote.



The approval covers three buildings at the Williamsburg site, where Domino began operations in 1856. It closed in January 2004.



The City Council's move essentially rubber-stamps the designation
already granted by the city Landmarks Preservation Commission and
Planning Commission.



Landmark status ensures that the site's new owner, CPC Resources, can't
alter the existing exterior of the factory in its planned development.



That project includes plans for a mixed use community, with 2,400 residential units and parkland.

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Apple new store in NYC....

The snow flurries ended, the sun went down and the temperature began to drop again just before the grand opening of the West 14th Street (NYC) store this evening. Perhaps it would have warmed us up if we knew celebs
would be attending. The crowd of about 800 on the 14th St. sidewalk
began to spill over onto 9th Avenue, and eventually led all the way
west onto 15th Street. Crowds of passersby began to form about 5 p.m.
as the crowd grew, as workers who were headed home noticed the crowd
and stopped to watch and take pictures. The line had been moved between
bicycle fencing around 3 p.m., and now made three back-and-forth trips
along the 14th St. sidewalk west of the store. As 6 p.m. neared, four
Concierge staffers came outside in the their teal-colored T-shirts to
pump up the crowd. The staffers inside posed for photos on the uppers
levels of the stairs, and then dispersed to their work stations to
greet the incoming visitors. At 6 p.m. the security team motioned in
the crowd with the admonition, “Slow…slow,” and we
went inside to a deafening
roar–clapping and yelling and music–to grab our T-shirts
and poster tubes. Three stories above, staffers crowded the rail and
rimmed the staircase to provide applause and excitement. The crowd
mostly made for the third floor where you redeemed any prizes, or hung
out on the ground floor. And then everyone spotted Mary J. Blige on the second floor, palling around with Whoopi Goodberg. They both signed autographs and Blige posed for photos. It seemed that most people were more interested in the prizes
and celebrities than the rest of the store, and there seemed to be
little buying. By the time I left at 7:45 p.m. the line reached
substantially west on 15th St. behind the store–I hand counted
over 1,600 in line, with nearly 100 people standing around just
watching. Check the comments for more info and also full report that includes photos.

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, APPLE, NYC

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Apple donates 100 iPODS......

So there you are, a kid who just lost his entire house in the recent
Southern California wildfires. What would be at the top of your
wishlist? A new house? Returning to a sense of normalcy? All your old
possessions that are now irretrievably torched? Sorry, no can do. How's
about we just give you a free iPod nano and use you as a PR tool, would
that help? No? Just take the damn Nano kid, and smile for the cameras.
There we go. Good luck with that whole house thing.
Yes, Apple has donated 100 nanos to a group of kids who were victims of
the recent fires, which was nice of them. Sure, it wasn't completely
selfless, but it's not like it's their job to get them new houses or
whatever. It wasn't a random donation, either, but rather a request
that they fulfilled. Poway resident Steve Boyack emailed King Jobs
asking for them, saying that "iPods are an accessory most kids like and
can't live without." See, I would have said a bed is an accessory most
kids like and can't live without, but that's just me. In any case, soon
after shooting off the email, 100 nanos arrived into the hands of a
bunch of confused, homeless kids. Thanks, Apple!

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NYC Council to Consider Banning Horse-Drawn Carriages

NEW YORK (AP) --
The horse-drawn carriages that clip clop around Central Park could be
banned under City Council legislation to be introduced at the urging of
animal advocates who say the horses are treated inhumanely.



Councilman Tony Avella, who plans to introduce the bill next Wednesday,
said the horses that have entertained tourists and New Yorkers for
decades are exposed to cruel conditions and are at risk of injury or
death as they weave through city traffic.



In September, a horse died after it was spooked by street musicians
with drums and bolted down Central Park South. It was the second such
incident in less than two years.



"This situation is only getting worse -- the animals are not being
treated properly, and enough is enough,'' Avella said. "Horses are
incompatible with traffic -- especially midtown traffic.''



It is not clear how much support his bill has in the 51-member council,
and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week that the horses are cared
for and should stay as a New York City fixture.



"These are things that the tourists like and New Yorkers like and they define a city,'' he said.



The Horse & Carriage Association of New York issued a scathing
statement in response to the proposal, stating that the city's carriage
horses are in excellent health and Avella ``is the one who should be
put out to pasture.''

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, NYC, HORSES

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West 14th Street Apple Store

On Friday night at 6 p.m., the doors will formally open to the third and largest Apple retail store in Manhattan,
at the northernmost end of the Meatpacking District (it's on the corner
of West 14th Street and 9th Avenue, to be more specific). Unlike its
Fifth Avenue sibling, the West 14th Street Apple store won't be open
24/7--it closes at midnight, which might as well be the Meatpacking
District equivalent of three o'clock in the afternoon. It's probably
for the better. Steve Jobs has enough on his hands; he doesn't need to
have to deal with dubious lawsuits from drunk girls in stilettos who've
tumbled down that three-story glass staircase while trying to go hit on
the guys behind the Genius Bar (they get way cuter after four cosmopolitans!)

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Congress Wants Starbucks To Spy On You

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the SAFE Act,
a bill saying that anyone offering a Wi-Fi connection to the public
must report illegal images including “obscene” cartoons and
drawings–or face fines of up to $300,000.

The bill covers individuals, coffee shops, libraries, hotels,
government agencies, social-networking sites, domain name registrars,
Internet service providers, and e-mail service providers, and may
require that a complete record of a user’s activity be recorded
and saved.

In other words, the bill gives companies like Starbucks and your ISP a financial incentive to spy on you.

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Each Subway Line May Have a Manager

Transit officials plan to experiment with running New York's massive subway system like 24 separate railroads.



New York City Transit President Howard H. Roberts Jr. told The New York
Times each subway line could have its own manager, with authority to
make decisions ranging from fixing leaks to setting schedules.



The reorganization is set to start Monday with the 7 and L lines. It
could spread throughout the system over three years if officials like
what they see.



Roberts says he thinks decentralizing the management of the 660-mile
system will make it more responsive to rider complaints. The new
managers will be able to deploy more cleaners and special repair crews.



Almost 5 million passengers ride the subways on an average weekday.

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After 46 years on job, man is crowned Upper East Side's best doorman

Upper East Side doorman Steven Keschl has been voted the
neighborhood's best doorman - and after an amazing 46 years on the job,
it's well-deserved.

At 81, the big-hearted Hungarian native still happily greets residents, hails cabs and carries luggage on a daily basis.

"Good afternoon, my friends," a spry Keschl cooed as residents walked into 460 E. 79th St., where he has worked since 1961.

"There
isn't another doorman like Steve, and we're keeping him," gushed
apartment owner Rena Fafalios. "The building would close if he left."

"He's
part of the family here," agreed resident Argyro Pantazopoulos, 80, as
Keschl, dressed in his crisp green uniform, escorted her to a taxi.

Even
on the upper East Side, famed for its well-tailored and efficient
doormen, Keschl's devotion to the job is legendary: He has never missed
a day of work.

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10 Brooklyn restaurants Zagat praises

Zagat's guide to Brooklyn Looking

for somewhere to eat after a long day of Brooklyn shopping? Check out
this list of top Brooklyn restaurants, as listed in the Zagat guide.
For further information about New York dining, go to http://www.zagat.com.

Al Di La (Italian) 26 18 22 ($45)
Park Slope 248 Fifth Ave. (Carroll St.) M/N/R to Union St. 718-783-4565 www.aldilatrattoria.com
"Al-di-lightful",
this "really special" Park Slope Venetian showcases Anna
Klinger’s "superlative" cuisine, offered at "hard-to-beat" prices
and served by a "caring" crew in a "cozy" "communal" dining room; the
"no-reservations policy" leads to "painful waits", though, so "get your
gondola there early" - or try their "wonderful" "around-the corner"
wine bar.

Di Fara (Pizza) 27 4 7 ($13)
Midwood 1424 Ave. J (bet. 14th & 15th Sts.) Q to Ave. J 718-258-1367
It
"looks like hell" and waits can be "timed with a calendar", but at
"old-school artisan" Dominic De Marco’s "legendary" circa-1963
Midwood "mecca of pizza", the "heavenly" pies are "all they’re
cracked up to be" - i.e. No. 1 in NYC.

River Café (American) 26 28 26 ($111)
Dumbo 1 Water St. (bet. Furman & Old Fulton Sts.) A/C to High St. 718-522-5200 www.rivercafe.com
"Sheer
bliss from start to finish", Dumbo’s "classic stunner" under the
Brooklyn Bridge "wows visitors" with "top-notch" New American fare, a
"flower-laden" interior and "glorious" river/skyline views (it’s
"the place to propose - no matter what the proposition"); just remember
to "dress sharp" (jackets required) and prepare for a "wallet busting"
($95 prix fixe-only dinner); N.B. they do spectacular parties.

Blue Ribbon (American) 25 19 22 ($50)
Park Slope 280 Fifth Ave. (bet. 1st St. & Garfield Pl.) M/N/R to Union St. 718-840-0404 www.blueribbonrestaurants.com
A
first "prize" destination in Park Slope, this "welcoming" New American
from the Bromberg brothers stays "energized" into the "after hours"
with an "interesting", "attractive" crowd; the cost runs "high" and
waits "long", but "there’s a reason" so many "love this place" -
"astounding" food; N.B. the long front bar is a "favorite" stop for
champagne and "super-fresh oysters."

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First snow in NYC

t was a white Sunday morning for many
New Yorkers and New Jerseyans, as a storm that socked the Midwest with
moisture left snow on parts of the area. Crews were out across the area
salting the roads and plowing roadways, but folks are still being
advised to stay home if they can and drive slowly if they're on the
roads.
FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON

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Corvette Speed boat is coming....

If Ben Heck modded speedboats, I like to think it'd turn out similar to
Malibu's Z06 Corvette Speedboat, which is Frankensteined with a 505-HP
LS7 Corvette Engine. Every aspect of the boat, from the hull right down
to the trailer it rides on, is influenced by the design of the
Corvette. Looks like that Ferrari-powered boat from One Crazy Summer finally has some competition in the water. More photos over at [Jalopnik].

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, boats, corvette

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Don Imus Returns to Airwaves Monday

Will Don Imus be defiant or contrite? Will he mock his skeptics while making his triumphant return or muzzle his mouth?
``That question is part of the drama of his reemergence,'' said Michael
Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, an industry trade journal.
``Imus faces some choices.''

It's anybody's guess. Imus isn't talking. His handlers aren't talking.
But it's safe to say radio's best-known curmudgeon will have lots to
say when his show kicks off at 6 a.m. on WABC-AM, ending his 8 month
banishment from radio.

There's going to be plenty of room for him to stumble or thrive. The
show will be simulcast on weekdays from 6-9 a.m., rebroadcast in the
evenings and carried on Citadel Broadcasting Corp. stations around the
country. He'll also be broadcast on RFD-TV, which is owned by the Rural
Media Group Inc.
Monday's premiere will last four hours and be held at Town Hall in
Times Square, where $100 tickets are being sold to benefit the Imus Ranch for Kids With Cancer.

After its debut, the Imus spectacle will move to a studio across the street from Madison Square Garden.
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Holiday Traffic at 30 ROCK !!!

Xmas in NY again, its that time of the year.A little sneak peak on what goes on at the real 30ROCK.

Google -- A Wireless Service Provider?

Google Inc. plans to bid for wireless spectrum in an upcoming
government auction, raising the possibility the Internet's leading
search engine will become a wireless service provider.

The Federal Communications Commission is auctioning the 700 megahertz
spectrum to increase bandwidth for mobile phone and Internet services.
Television stations will be giving up that coveted section of the
airwaves -- it is extremely powerful, adept at going through walls --
when they switch to digital transmission in February 2009.

"Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in
today's wireless world,'' said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a statement
Friday.

Google will apply to bid for the "C Block'' of the spectrum -- which
carries a reserve price of $4.6 billion -- because regulators
stipulated that whoever operates it must allow its users to download
any software application they want to a mobile device. Google's bid was
not unexpected, as it played a leading role in lobbying the FCC to open
the spectrum.

"Regardless of how the auction unfolds, we think it's important to put
our money where our principles are,'' wrote Chris Sacca, Google's head
of special initiatives, in a company blog.

Mobile phone companies now force subscribers to use proprietary
software to operate handsets on their network, but Google has indicated
it plans to challenge that business model. The company announced
several weeks ago that it will develop software for mobile devices.

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Bobby Van, Former Hamptons Restaurateur, Dead at 64

Bobby Van, a Juilliard-trained pianist who founded a landmark Hamptons
"gin-mill'' frequented by artists Willem De Koonig and Roy
Lichtenstein, along with literary giants including Truman Capote, Kurt
Vonnegut and Willie Morris, has died.



Robert Craig Van Velsor, known as Bobby Van, died of a staph infection
on Tuesday, said his ex-wife, Marina Van. He was 64 and had been
receiving dialysis treatments for about the past year for a failing
kidney, she said.



Although he sold the restaurant in 1986, for nearly two decades Van
played host to nightly gatherings by some of the world's greatest
writers and artists drawn to the mahogany wood decor and Tiffany lamps
in the saloon in the middle of downtown Bridgehampton.



"These were different days,'' Marina Van said. "Everybody cared about
what you wrote and what you painted. No matter where folks went to
dinner, at the end of the evening, you knew everyone was coming to
Bobby's. That was the in-crowd.''



Other writers frequently seen hanging out at "Van's'' included George
Plimpton, Irwin Shaw, Winston Groom and James Jones, she said.

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Apple 14th st. store in NYC to open soon.

Let the waiting line begin! Multiple sources have pointed to December 7th as the grand opening date for the 14th Street
(NYC) retail store, a spectacular, two-story corner space in the
city’s Meatpacking District. From the Friday opening day, it will
most likely open at 6 p.m. The store will be the third in Manhattan,
and will match the SoHo and Fifth Avenue stores in architectural uniqueness.

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Copy Video From Your PC, and Then Watch It on Your TV

SanDisk’s Sansa TakeTV is aimed at people who want to take digital video from their computers and watch it on their TVs, without getting too high-tech about it

The heart of TakeTV is a U.S.B. flash drive that can store videos copied from your computer’s hard drive. There is also a docking station and player that connects to your TV. You plug the flash drive into the docking station and the video is available for viewing. A kind of carrying case for the flash drive turns into a remote control when the drive is removed.

The provided cables handle component or S-Video output; TakeTV can’t handle high-definition video. The device comes in two sizes, 4 gigabytes ($100) and 8 gigabytes ($150), and is available from www.take.tv and major electronics outlets.

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End to Broadway Strike

End to Broadway Strike Coming into Sight?
Broadway
stagehands and theater producers are inching their way toward a
settlement that could end a strike that has kept most Broadway theaters
dark for more than two weeks. Union spokesman Bruce Cohen said the
wage issue is the last item on the table and talks will go round the
clock if necessary.

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Tree Lights up at Rockefeller Center

Tree Lights Up Midtown
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lights are on, officially begining the holiday season in the city. Thousands of holiday revelers attended Wednesday night's 75th formal tree lighting ceremony in midtown Manhattan. This year's 84-foot-tall Norway spruce from Shelton, Connecticut is covered with 30,000 multicolored energy-efficient bulbs known as light emitting diodes, or LEDs.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, news, NYC

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Google has announced two new features for Google

Google has announced two new features for Google Maps that mimic
features in Google Earth, begging the question: is Google Earth on
borrowed time?

The first new feature is the additional of terrain in Google Maps. The terrain fly over feature
has long been available in Google Earth, but now you can fly over a map
and see the contours of the land, all without the need to download
Google Earth.

The second new feature mimics the community contribution feature of Google Earth. “Our Maps”
brings wiki-style collaboration to Google Maps, with users able to
annotate places and share those notes with friends or the greater
public.

Google acquired Keyhole in October 2004
and it was immediately obvious as to why: Google wanted the satellite
imagery to support their move into serious mapping. Keyhole provided
Google Earth, a downloadable program that gave a then unprecedented
view of the earth through the use of satellite imagery, but Google
isn’t a software company, Picasa and a few small efforts aside.
Google has integrated many of the functions from Keyhole into Google
Maps whilst continuing to sustain Google Earth, but for how much
longer? As Google Maps takes on more and more of the functionality of
Google Earth the appeal of Earth must diminish. It also makes sense
that Google would rather grow and sustain a web product over a software
download. Google Earth will still be with us for some time to come, but
how long is now up to Google, and I’m betting that Google is
already looking at ending support sometime in the next year or two as
Google Maps becomes everything Google Earth now is, but online and
without the download.

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YANKS MUST UP ANTE, AS METS, BOSOX, ANGELS, DODGERS GET IN GAME

November 28, 2007 -- The Yankees badly want Johan Santana. Here is
a problem: So does just about every other big-market team in the
majors.

Yet the complications hardly end there. The Yankees have
learned in the past 24-48 hours that the initial asking price by the
Twins is exorbitant, well beyond just the Phil Hughes/Melky Cabrera
level that had been generally anticipated.
SHERMAN: Johan Deal Would Be Painful And Pricey...But Worth It

And if the Yankees and every other interested club do not know
yet, Santana has a complete no-trade clause and will only waive that
provision if he receives an extension for at least six or seven years
at more than the $126 million that Barry Zito was bestowed last year.
The Mets are said by rival executives to badly want Santana,
but they have taken Jose Reyes and David Wright off the table and there
is serious doubt if they have the wherewithal to make a deal unless the
Twins have a particularly high regard for Carlos Gomez and Mike
Pelfrey. A young center fielder such as Gomez or Cabrera is a must in
this trade as the Twins look to replace Torii Hunter, who recently
signed with the Angels. The Red Sox (Jacoby Ellsbury/Coco Crisp), the
Dodgers (Matt Kemp) and the Angels (Reggie Willets) are all expected to
vie for Santana, and an NL executive said to watch out for the Cubs
(Felix Pie) and perhaps the Mariners (Adam Jones).

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Verizon Plans Wider Options for Cellphone Users

In a major shift for the mobile phone industry, Verizon
Wireless said yesterday that it planned to give customers far more
choice in what phones they could use on its network and how they use
them

While there are technical
limitations involved, the company’s move could lead to an
American wireless market that is more like those in Europe and Asia,
where a carrier’s customers can use any compatible phone to
easily reach a wide array of online services — and take their
phones with them when they switch companies. The move, which surprised
industry watchers because Verizon Wireless is known to be highly
protective of its traditional business, is part of a larger shift in
the communications world.

With the introduction of the iPhone from Apple, one of the first mainstream multimedia devices, and Google’s plan to make the software that runs cellphones, the industry is being pushed toward a more open approach.

Carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture between Verizon and Vodafone,
have spent billions on cell towers and other infrastructure, and
traditionally they have tightly controlled what happens on their
networks

They decide what phones subscribers can use and then
steer them toward ring tones, television shows and other products they
can buy

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No Settlement Reached in Broadway Negotiations

NEW YORK (AP) --
No, negotiations between striking Broadway stagehands and theater
producers have not run as long as ``Cats.'' It only seems that way.



Two days of back-to-back marathon sessions have not produced a
settlement between Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and
Producers, but both sides will return to the bargaining table Wednesday
to try again.

Progress reportedly has been slow in solving the thorny dispute that
has shut down most of Broadway since Nov. 10, although some headway
apparently has been made in lengthy discussions held Sunday, Monday and
into Tuesday.



"Talks ended this morning (Tuesday) at 7:30 a.m. without a deal after
13 hours of hard bargaining in what I can only describe as a 'rain
delay' in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series,''
Bruce Cohen, a union spokesman said. "The rainy weather should clear up
when talks resume Wednesday.''



All struck shows has been canceled through Wednesday's matinee performances, the league said.

The two sides have been meeting since last summer but negotiations only
began in earnest after Labor Day. But they weren't enough to head off a
strike as stagehands walked off the job, shutting down such hit shows
as "Wicked,'' "Jersey Boys'' and "The Lion King'' as well as two dozen
more plays and musicals.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, news, nyc

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Studios Unveil DVD Copying Schemes

The good news: Movie studios recognize that strict DRM on DVDs helps make piracy and illegal downloading an attractive route for consumers so various schemes are now being rolled out to let users copy their DVDs onto multiple devices, including PCs and handheld devices. PC World takes a look at new offerings from Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers that trial DVD copying on a limited basis. And, yes, this is a very limited launch; Fox’s new Fox Digital Copy technology is only being offered for the Live Free or Die Hard Collector’s Edition, while Warner’s system applies only to the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The bad news: The new systems don’t offer anywhere near the same flexibility as, say, copying a CD onto your computer or iPod. The FAQ for Fox Digital Copy lays out all of the requirements and restrictions, including the fact that files will only work on Windows PlaysForSure-enabled devices, i.e. no Video iPod or PSP, or even a Zune for that matter. (Here’s a list of all of video devices that are PlaysForSure). Also, users may have to connect to the internet to get a software update for the files to work on the computer. See the PC World review mentioned above for how it all worked in practice. Although not released yet, the Warner Brothers approach is expected to be similarly limiting.

For people who play by the rules the new offerings (and their future iterations) may make life easier. But people inclined to illegally download movies or who know how to rip a DVD onto their computer probably aren’t going to change their habits. Also, these systems face competition from technology like that offered by Sonic Solutions, which goes the other way, allowing users to burn a DVD from their downloaded films.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, tech

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IPhone Must Be Offered Without Contract Restrictions, German Court Rules

PARIS, Nov. 20 — Last month, French law forced Apple to promise that consumers could buy a version of its iPhone
in this country without having to be locked into a long-term contract
with Orange, the only mobile phone operator offering the new device.

Now, the same issue is tripping up Apple’s plans to sell the
music-playing cellphone in Germany, the largest European telephone
market. Last week, the Vodafone Group won the first round of a legal case against T-Mobile over its exclusive deal to sell the iPhone there.

A German court ruled that T-Mobile must offer the iPhone to
everyone, even without the 24-month contract that it had required for
buyers of the phone, which went on sale in Germany for 399 euros ($591)
on Nov. 9. T-Mobile is appealing the ruling.

Vodafone of Britain
had tried to secure its own pan-European exclusive deal with Apple for
the iPhone. A spokesman, Simon Gordon, said the company was not trying
to block the sale of the device but rather trying to level the playing
field in Germany. Vodafone operates Vodafone Germany, the No. 2 German
carrier. T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is the industry leader there, with 34 million customers.

Various
European countries have laws that protect consumers from being forced
to buy something else as a condition of buying a product. Britain does
not have the same kind of restrictions, allowing O2, a mobile network
operator owned by Telefónica of Spain, to sell the iPhone there with an 18-month exclusive contract.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, iphone, tech, Apple

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Thanksgiving, Foul Weather Contribute to NYC Metro Airport Woes

The start of the Thanksgiving holiday week had all the wrong
ingredients at LaGuardia Airport: foul weather and normal congestion
combined with extra holiday travelers.
Flights were delayed an average of 80 minutes, and at least 10 planes could be seen lined up for takeoff on Monday morning.



Rain mixed with snow and gusty winds also caused delays at Newark
International Airport, with flights arrivals delayed an average of one
hour and 21 minutes.

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Report: A-Rod plan to go around Boras came from Buffett

NEW YORK -- Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to
approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras, The
Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

The newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter, whom it
did not identify.

"A-Rod really loves being a Yankee," Buffett was quoted as
saying. He wouldn't comment on the substance of any discussions
with the player.

The two became friends several years ago.

Rodriguez, on Boras' advise, opted out of the final three
seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract on Oct. 28.
The Yankees had said many times that if he opted out, they wouldn't
negotiate because they would lose $21.3 million from Texas for the
final three seasons that was agreed to at the time of the 2004
trade, money to offset the $72 million New York owed from 2008-10.

Upset with developments after he opted out, Rodriguez contacted
Buffett, and the investor told him to approach the Yankees without
his agent, the Journal said.

After speaking with the investor, Rodriguez contacted a managing
director at Goldman Sachs that he knew, John Mallory, who then got
in touch with Gerald Cardinale, a Goldman Sachs managing director
who has worked with the Yankees and their YES Network.

With the assistance of the two Goldman executives, Rodriguez and
the Yankees negotiated a $275 million, 10-year contract that is in
the process of being finalized.

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Holiday Season Gridlock Alert Days Start

The NYC Dept. of Transportation has designated Friday as a Gridlock Alert Day.


This is the first Gridlock Alert Day of the holiday season. Residents,
commuters and visitors are asked to use mass transit on these days.

In addition to Friday, November 16, here are the other Gridlock Alert Days for this season:

Wednesday, November 21 Wednesday, November 28 Friday, December 7 Thursday, December 13 Friday, December 14 Wednesday, December 19 Thursday, December 20 Friday, December 21

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Officials: Jeter Owes $100,000 in Back Taxes

There are signs the taxman isn't a Yankee fan.



New York Yankees star Derek Jeter is in trouble for claiming he resided in Florida during his best years in the Bronx.



The Yankee captain has an off-season home in Tampa that he says is his
primary residence, but New York tax officials don't agree.



New York tax officials say Jeter owes up to $100,000 in back taxes and
interest for the years 2001 and 2003. Jeter claimed Florida
residency in those years despite owning and renting homes in Manhattan
and Long Island.



Jeter's lawyers say they will try to reach an agreement with tax officials.

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, BASEBALL, JETER

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Yankees Give A-Rod Biggest Contract in Sports History

The New York Yankees agreed to give Alex Rodriguez the biggest contract in sports history.

The
supers star third baseman agreed with the Yankees on a 10-year, $275
million contract, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
His previous contract, signed after the 2000 season with the Rangers
ball club was also for 10 years, but for $252 million. That’s the
same contract A-Rod opted out of during Game 4 of last month's World Series.

The
contract is not yet official. The details of the dontract must be
finalized, but these are just minor details and the biggest difficulty
in keeping Rodriguez in pinstripes was left behind. He will play for
the Yankees through the age of 42 and will be a key factor in drawning
the fans to the ew Yankee Stadium which will open in 2009.

In
the contract there will be incentives connected to A-Rod's expected
chase of Barry Bonds' all-time home run record. A-Rod has passed the
500th home run milestone on Aug. 4 at the age of 32 to become the
youngest player to reach that feat. This season he hit 54 homer runs
and now has 518 for his career. But he struggled in the playoffs and
the Yankees were eliminated in the first round for the third straight
year.

"It looks good," said Hank Steinbrenner about the deal
between the Yankees and Rodrigues. The deal will probably be made
official before Monday, when A-Rod will most likely be designated as
this year's AL MVP winner.

Meanwhile, the negotiations with
Mariano Rivera have reached a halt. The Yankees have made a three-year,
$45 million offer to Rivera and that would be the final offert sais
Hank Steinbrenner. Rivera said he wanted four years.


Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, A-ROD, BASEBALL

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Barry Bonds indicted for allegedly lying under oath

Home run king Barry Bonds, the owner of the most sacred record in sports and once considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, was indicted Thursday for allegedly lying under oath to a grand jury about his steroid use.

Federal prosecutors charged the 43-year-old slugger with perjury and obstruction of justice in a 10-page indictment filed in United States District Court in San Francisco, four years after investigators raided the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative and Bonds testified that he never knowingly used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the indictment, investigators obtained evidence that indicated Bonds, baseball's career leader in home runs with 762, had tested positive for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in their Sept. 3, 2003, raid at BALCO's Burlingame, Calif., offices and a subsequent raid on trainer Greg Anderson's home. Bonds, however, denied knowingly using steroids when he was confronted with evidence when he testified before the grand jury on Dec. 4, 2004.

"There's this number associated on a document with your name, and corresponding to Barry B. on the other document, and it does have these two listed anabolic steroids as testing positive with it," an unnamed prosecutor had asked Bonds, according to the indictment. "Do you follow my question?"

"I follow where you're going, yeah," Bonds responded.

"So I
guess I got to ask the question again, I mean, did you take steroids?
And specifically this test is in November of 2000," the prosecutor
continued. "So, I'm going to ask you, in the weeks and months leading
up to November 2000, were you taking steroids?"

"No."

If convicted, Bonds faces up to 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 7.

Bonds'
legal team said it did not believe the ballplayer would ever be
convicted and blasted the Department of Justice for what it called
unethical behavior.

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, BASEBALL, BONDS

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A-POSSIBILITY for A-ROD

November 14, 2007 -- Hank Steinbrenner opened the door even wider for
Mariano Rivera to return to the Yankees yesterday and - perhaps more
interesting - did not slam the door on the potential of bringing back Alex Rodriguez.Maybe it is just wishful thinking or part of a negotiating strategy,
but in recent days the Yankees began to hear some buzz that Rodriguez
was interested in engaging the organization in conversations. Until
yesterday, Steinbrenner had dismissed Rodriguez since his agent, Scott
Boras, announced during Game 4 of the World Series that his client was
opting out of the final three years of his contract. Upset that
Rodriguez would not even return his calls or negotiate with the club,
Steinbrenner said the Yanks were moving on without Rodriguez, and the
organization was unified behind that strategy.

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Will Success, or All That Money From Google, Spoil Firefox?

Only a couple of years ago, Firefox was the little browser that
could — an open-source program created by thousands of
contributors around the world without the benefit of a giant company
like Microsoft to finance it.

Mitchell Baker is the Mozilla Corporation’s chief executive.

Since then, Firefox, which has
prospered under the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation, has grown to be the
largest rival to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, with 15 to 20
percent of the browser market worldwide and higher percentages in
Europe and among technology devotees. It is the most popular
alternative browser since Netscape, with about three times as many
users as Apple’s Safari.

Part of Firefox’s appeal was its origins as a nonprofit venture,
a people-powered revolution involving the most basic Internet
technology, the Web browser. Also, because the core code was open,
Firefox could tap into developers’ creativity; they are
encouraged to soup up the browser, whether by blocking ads from
commercial Web sites, a popular add-on, or by creating
“skins” to customize the browser’s appearance.

But
in trying to build on this success, the Mozilla Foundation has come to
resemble an investor-backed Silicon Valley start-up more than a scrappy
collaborative underdog. Siobhan O’Mahony, an assistant professor
at the School of Management of the University of California.

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Great White Way Still Dark

NEW YORK (1010 WINS)
-- Striking stagehands and theater producers traded accusations but not
much else as the work stoppage that has shut down more than two dozen
Broadway plays and musicals entered its third day Monday.



1010 WINS Audio: Glenn Schuck Reports



James J. Claffey Jr., president of Local One, fired the first salvo
Sunday, declaring that the stagehands would remain off the job until
producers started acting "honorably'' at the negotiating table.



Have Tickets? Refund Information



Speaking at a somber news conference, Claffey said the League of
Theatres and Producers needs to make a "constructive'' adjustment to
its counter offers.



"We want respect at the table,'' he said. "If there's no respect, they
will not see Local One at the table. The lack of respect is something
we are not going to deal with.''



Shot back Charlotte St. Martin, the league's executive director: Local
One "left the negotiating table and abruptly went on the picket line.''



She said the union "refused to budge on nearly every issue, protecting
wasteful, costly and indefensible rules that are embedded like dead
weights in contracts so obscure and old that no one truly remembers
how, when or why they were introduced. The union wants you to believe
they are the victims, the little guys.''

Technorati Tags: tonylimo.theatres, nyc, news

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How Joel Osteen Inspires Millions

Business leaders can learn a lot from the popular evangelist's

uplifting style. Accentuating the hopeful empowers people to take action

It's easy to spot Joel Osteen. The pastor of Houston's Lakewood Church has been featured on 60 Minutes, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and other major network shows in addition to countless magazine and newspaper articles, mostly focusing on his new best seller, Become a Better You.

The book was released in October with an initial printing of 3 million
copies. Lakewood Church averages 47,000 attendees for Osteen's weekly
services. Osteen has influence.

As a communications coach, I make observations on what makes a
particular speaker inspiring to his or her listeners. The secret behind
Osteen's charisma is this: He speaks the language of hope.

According to Osteen, "As parents, we can profoundly influence the
direction of our children's lives by the words we say to them. I
believe as husbands and wives we can set the direction for our entire
family. As a business owner, you can help set the direction of your
employees. With our words, we have the ability to help mold and shape
the future of anyone over whom we have influence."

As a communications coach, I make observations on what makes a
particular speaker inspiring to his or her listeners. The secret behind
Osteen's charisma is this: He speaks the language of hope.

According to Osteen, "As parents, we can profoundly influence the
direction of our children's lives by the words we say to them. I
believe as husbands and wives we can set the direction for our entire
family. As a business owner, you can help set the direction of your
employees. With our words, we have the ability to help mold and shape
the future of anyone over whom we have influence."

If that's the case, and I believe it is, then dwelling on the
negative (for example, focusing on how "bad " things are, how the
economy will ruin your business, etc.) will demoralize your listeners.
Speaking in positive, optimistic language, however, will leave everyone
inspired and energized by your presence.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, Joel Osteen

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Honeymoon dancing in Mexico

Christmas is coming to NY...

Crews Prepare Rockefeller Center Tree for Trip

NEW YORK (AP) -- This year's Rockefeller Center tree is 84 feet tall and 48 feet in diameter.

It's scheduled to be cut down Wednesday by a two-man crew using a giant hand saw at the Shelton, Connecticut home of Joe and Judy Rivnyak.

The tree will then be hoisted by a huge crane onto a 115-foot long trailer and brought to New York City, where it is expected to arrive on the ninth of this month.

New Yorkers will get to see it lit up in a ceremony planned for November 28.



Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, new york, christmas, Rockefeller

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Carey Softball Challenge

The Chauffeurs won 8-7 played at the ICYP feild in Astoria, Queens

A-ROD GOING A-WOL

A-ROD WOULDN'T TALK TO YANKEES WITHOUT $350M OFFER ON THE TABLE

November 3, 2007 -- The Yankees were out of the Alex Rodriguez negotiations before they even began.

According to a report on ESPN.com, confirmed by The Post last night through industry sources, before A-Rod opted out the Yankees were notified through agent Scott Boras they could not even meet with their MVP third baseman unless they presented an offer of $350 million as a starting point.

The Yankees made a substantial offer before Rodriguez opted out, but still came up short by more than $100 million to meet his price. The Yankees were done with any negotiations once Rodriguez opted out.

Hank Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman declined to comment if there was, in essence, a $350 million ultimatum - but sources said that's exactly what the Boras demand amounted to.

The Yankees repeatedly made it clear an opt-out would end negotiations, and that is what happened.

"We called Alex and never got a return call,'' Hank Steinbrenner said. "The [contract] number was really insignificant.''

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, A-ROD, YANKEES

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Joe Torre Hired to Manage Dodgers

Joe Torre was hired Thursday to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers,
taking the job two weeks after walking away from the New York Yankees.

Torre moved from one storied franchise to another, getting a
three-year contract. He takes over a team that finished fourth in the
NL West this season and hasn't won the World Series since 1988.

The 67-year-old Torre becomes the Dodgers' eighth manager since they
moved west from Brooklyn for the 1958 season. Torre grew up in
Brooklyn, rooting for the rival New York Giants and detesting the
Dodgers.

"As a kid growing up, you didn't like them,'' Torre said on WFAN
radio in New York less than an hour before the hiring was announced.
"As a player, to me the Dodgers were the Yankees of the National League
because ... you either loved them or you hated them.''

Torre guided the Yankees to four World Series championships from
1996-2000, and they made the playoffs in all 12 years he managed them.
After New York was beaten in the first round by Cleveland last month,
the Yankees offered him a one-year contract with a paycut.

Insulted, Torre turned it down. Torre was hired by the Dodgers on
the same day the Yankees formally introduced Joe Girardi as their
manager.

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, baseball, Torre

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New era dawns with Girardi at helm

Joe Girardi grinned, slipping on the pinstripes once more, signaling the opening of a new era in Yankees baseball.

Girardi was formally introduced as the 32nd manager in club history on Thursday, posing for photographs and reiterating his excitement for perhaps the biggest challenge of his multifaceted career in a press conference held in the Stadium Club at Yankee Stadium.

"I can't tell you how honored we are to be putting on this uniform for the third time," Girardi said after donning a jersey with the No. 27 on its back -- appropriate, perhaps, since Girardi will be trying to lead the Yankees to their 27th World Series title.

"This is the place to be. For the Girardis, this place is home."

The 43-year-old Girardi, the 2006 National League Manager of the Year, agreed to terms earlier in the week on a three-year contract reportedly worth upward of $8 million.

Succeeding Joe Torre after a 12-year run at the helm, Girardi inherits a Yankees club prepared for some transition, continuing to filter in younger talent while attempting to win its first World Series championship since 2000.

Though Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner preached during the interview process that observers should have "patience" with the new manager, saying that he would not necessarily be inheriting the 1996 Yankees, Girardi has objected to that viewpoint.

Technorati Tags: TONYLIMO, BASEBALL, YANKEES

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Avis Acquires 45% of Carey International Limousine

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Avis Budget Group, Inc. announced today that it has acquired a significant interest in Carey International Inc. In connection with this transaction, Avis Budget Group invested approximately $60 million in cash and now owns approximately 45% of Carey’s common stock. In addition, Avis Budget also obtained a one-year option to increase its ownership stake in Carey to approximately 80%, subject to certain conditions, which would likely include the assumption or repayment of Carey’s existing indebtedness. Carey International, with approximately $250 million in revenue in 2006, is the market share leader in the approximately $5 billion chauffeured ground transportation category. Carey offers its customers consistently superior premium service through the industry’s only franchise system. Carey operates in 550 cities and 60 countries through its network of franchisees and alliance partners.

“With this investment, Avis Budget Group expects to be able to offer corporate customers and travel partners the most complete portfolio of local ground transportation products and services available anywhere,” said Avis Budget Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ronald L. Nelson. “As the world’s premier chauffeured services brand, Carey provides premium-quality services across a broad geographic footprint, making it an ideal partner for Avis Budget.”

Technorati Tags: tonylimo, carey, news

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