Yesterday, the Spanish national football squad won its first World Cup semifinal. A
distinguished supporter insisted on personally congratulating them
in the locker room. (SLYT, but priceless. Watch in particular the hero of the match enter the frame around 1:16).
posted by Skeptic
on Jul 8, 2010 -
83 comments
"What it feels like to be at the stove creating dishes for some of the most powerful people on earth."
Club
de Chefs des Chefs is the
elite fraternity of
chefs to world leaders - including those who head the private kitchens
of the
United States President,
Prince of Monaco, Queen of England, European Commission,
the Kremlin,
President of France, Chancellor of Germany and Great Hall of Beijing. Barely 30 members strong, the club meets
this week in Italy, for the Club's annual gala dinner and food tour. Lisa Mullins of NPR's The World
interviewed a few of them by phone from Rome today (Mark Flanagan of Buckingham Palace refused to reveal the Queen's favorite dish... a kitchen policy, lest she be served it at every public event ever after). Past gatherings have happened in
France,
Greece, Monaco; and the 2010 meeting takes place in Hong Kong. They wouldn't have you as a member... but don't let that stop your culinary envy.
posted by pineapple
on Jul 21, 2009 -
42 comments
Ladies, have you ever dreamt of being
whisked away kidnapped by a dashing young Prince? Or being swept off your feet and losing your virginity to a dark and mysterious
stranger, who happens to be a Sheikh? Or how about being sold to an Arab aristocracy and living off the rest of your days in married
bliss. No? Then how about considering a Royal who is so
down-to-earth you won't meet anyone else quite like him? Much better than the alternative of marrying his
polar opposite, don't you think? Of course, you can always
try and keep it platonic if you wanted to. Welcome to the wonderful world of
Sheikhs and Desert Love, where all of your
fantasies can come true!
(via)
posted by hadjiboy
on Mar 15, 2008 -
44 comments
"I've said all along, we are in this together." John Simson, executive director of
SoundExchange - the royalty collecting arm of the RIAA -
extends an olive branch through 2008 that will cap the advance payments internet broadcasters will have to cough up at $2500 per year. This comes in the wake of the
Day of Silence, (it was June 26,
did anyone notice?) spearheaded by Los Angeles-based terrestrial/online radio station
KCRW (home of the brilliant
Morning Becomes Eclectic) and
SaveNetRadio, during which some of the biggest names in online radio - include
Live365, NPR and
Pandora - went dark for 24 hours, airing a
one-hour broadcast twice during that day on the history of flat fees in public broadcasting. [direct .mp3, 38mb] Under the much-maligned changes made by our government's Copyright Royalty Board,
the top six internet radio stations would have had to pay 47 percent of their total revenue (anticipated to be around $37.5 mil.) to the RIAA, starting this July. The Internet Radio Equality Act
[summary, in its entire pdf glory] has been introduced to the House of Representatives, seeking to permanently reverse this decision.
posted by phaedon
on Jul 3, 2007 -
69 comments
In 1299,
Osman I declared independence from the Seljuk Empire, thus beginning the rise of the
Ottoman Empire. Over the centuries, The Last Caliphate stretched from
Saudi Arabia to Austria, influencing
architecture ,
music, and possibly the most beautiful
textiles of the Middle Ages. It was not to last, however. Following a century of uprisings and war, the
"Sick Man of Europe" finally succumbed to
Turkish Nationalism and was constitutionally abolished by the emerging Turkish state on March 3, 1924. In the intervening 83 years, so much has changed. If the Empire was reinstated today,
where would you find the last remaining heir to the Sultan's throne?
posted by quite unimportant
on May 8, 2007 -
12 comments
Ah, the law in Florida. (NYT) The rich princess pushed her maid down a flight of stairs, but will be allowed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of battery without having to appear in court, pay a $1,000 fine and give a judge a letter of regret about injuries to her Indonesian maid in the incident.
All this because the maid cannot be in court. After she went home to Jakarta in May for her mother's funeral, the United States Embassy there denied her a visa to return to Florida and testify on the grounds that she might try to stay in this country illegally. The maid is also the primary witness in a federal investigation of the princess for possibly employing Ms. Soryono under conditions of involuntary servitude, the Justice Department said. After the court hearing in Orlando, this federal investigation appears likely to end without charges.
posted by semmi
on Jul 2, 2002 -
4 comments
Despite royalty costs that are lower than for commercial stations, numerous college and community radio stations have either shut down their Internet streams or on the verge of doing so. It's not just royalties killing these webcasts -- there are also regulations that require college stations to report every song they play and restrictions that would force college stations to police how often they play any given artist.
Stations are trying to unite and fight these restrictions, but is it too little, too late? Nearly twenty webcasts have already gone under...
posted by insomnia_lj
on Apr 8, 2002 -
10 comments
It's a girl!! Japanese Crown Princess Masako gives birth to a daughter. Congratulations to the Imperial family and to MeFi readers in Japan.
posted by shylock
on Nov 30, 2001 -
15 comments
Jordanian king pulls a Princess Jasmine. According to the report, King Abdullah II occasionally dons a disguise and slips out of his palace to mingle with the plebes and check up on the efficiency of government offices. What a cool idea. I picture George W. disguising himself as a migrant farm worker and applying for welfare.
Nah...the Bally loafers would probably give him away...
posted by Bixby23
on Jul 30, 2001 -
4 comments
