Source: Los Angeles Times

Tiger Woods is reported to have offered an apology to the parents of children at the preschool where his has 2-year-old daughter attends, according to reports from an Orlando television station.

WFTV reported on its Web site that it has obtained a letter that Woods and his wife, Elin, wrote to parents of children attending Premier Academy to apologize for increased media scrutiny around the school.

“We hope that the paparazzi will find something better to do with their time in the near future,” the letter said.

Pursuing Kids

The rich and famous have always had a hard time coping with the balance of public vs. private life, and no other area of contention hits harder than the effort to keep kids out of the spotlight. In this case, Tiger Woods’ and his wife have probably had a difficult time accepting everything from birthday party invitations to play dates in the park without having to scrutinize the potential for unwanted media attention. Some people are so famous their babies become victims of the paparazzi long before ultrasound systems have a chance to determine their sex or even a possible delivery date.

Media coverage around Woods and his family has been intense since the Nov. 27 accident outside his home led to revelations that the world’s No. 1 golfer had been cheating on his wife. Woods did not make his first public appearance until Friday at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla..

Woods’ wife did not attend his nationally televised appearance, and photographers were seen outside the Premier Academy that day. WFTV says an off-duty sheriff’s deputy has been hired to sit outside the school.

The station did not say when the letter was sent.

During his 13½-minute statement, Woods lashed out at paparazzi for chasing after his family, including his daughter, Sam.

“However, my behavior doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school’s location,” Woods said. “They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.”

Woods thanks parents for their support and did not indicate he would remove his daughter from the school.

“In the meantime, it is our goal to keep life as normal as possible for our children,” the letter said. “We are sure that as parents you can appreciate that. For Sam, that normalcy means attending the school that she enjoys so much.”

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My Take: In all honesty, you couldn’t pay me in cash, prizes, or a year’s worth of free Silver spring cleaning services to have to go through the kind of media scrutiny most “stars” of Tiger’s stature go through. He may only be a golfer, but for the money he makes and the attention he gets from fans, he may as well be the biggest star on the silver screen. There isn’t an executive out there who wouldn’t have given their annual salary to have Tiger Wood’s represent their product or endorse their cause, whether they were the owner of top medical equipment companies, ran a maid services MD staffing agency, or created talking Halogen light bulbs. Everyone wanted a piece of the duffer.

Now, things are different. The papparazi is hounding Tiger and his family in an effort to perhaps present him at his worst. Under the glare of white hot light bulbs and press conference madness, Tiger laid out all his dirty laundry for us via national television, admitting multiple affairs and problems with addiction. Now, he just wants to get his life and his wife back no matter what the cost. Apologizing to his fans and sponsors, and now the parents and their kids who may have been caught in the cross fire is a start.

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Flight Fancy?
If you are traveling to Florida you might be interested to know that discount airfare is available online at www.hotwire.com/seo/. They will also help you located discount hotels and make car and ground transportation reservations for you.

Picture This:

What better way to recognize an anniversary, a graduation or a birthday than with custom photo gifts? Take your cherished photos of friends or family members and turn them into beautiful works of art, keepsakes, and even put them on cookies or chocolate hearts.

Source: Time

The Academy Award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire may have made all things Indian popular with moviegoers in the West, but before the movie’s release three U.S. Americans of Indian heritage were putting the final touches on their plan to take Bollywood into the digital age.

Today, three-year-old Saavn (an acronym for South Asian audiovisual network) controls global distribution rights, outside India, to a massive number of Bollywood films, songs, albums and music videos, all downloadable to iPods, MP3 players, cell phones and computers. And if consumers in America are captivated by the song-and-dance extravaganzas of Bollywood — the umbrella name for Mumbai’s film industry — Saavn believes its offerings will be attractive marketing tools for U.S. companies.

Last year Saavn posted revenues in the low seven figures — five times its 2007 numbers — with the largest spurt coming from its music enterprise. The company expects 2009 revenues in the low eight figures, “growth north of 500%,” says Neal Shenoy, one of Saavn’s co-founders, who manages the three other media companies within Saavn’s parent company 212Media. (Saavn is co-owned by Indian company Hungama, a competitor turned partner.) “We had no idea how quickly Bollywood and India would penetrate American culture,” Shenoy says.

Shenoy and Saavn’s two other founding partners — CEO Vinodh Bhat and managing director Paramdeep Singh — had witnessed popular media’s gradual but certain infatuation with Bollywood, whose revenues account for roughly 80% of India’s $2 billion film industry. In 2003, rapper Jay‑Z sampled London DJ Punjabi MC on the Bollywood-flavored track “Beware of the Boys.” Bombay Dreams launched on Broadway the following year. The infectiously danceable “Chaiyya Chaiyya” played over the opening credits of Spike Lee’s film Inside Man in 2006. And last year even Snoop Dogg got into the act by creating a rap song for the Bollywood movie Singh Is Kinng, “helping put the film and its music on the map in the U.S.,” says Bhat. Warner Bros. recently released its own Bollywood film, Chandni Chowk to China, whose sound track Saavn distributes for downloads.

And then there’s Slumdog.

A.R. Rahman, a 20-year Bollywood veteran — he wrote “Chaiyya Chaiyya” and hundreds of other songs — and the composer of Slumdog’s Oscar-nominated score, concedes that the film’s music, with vocals sung in English rather than Hindi, is not true Bollywood. Nevertheless, the movie has been a dynamic conduit for Saavn’s business — even if Saavn distributes only one Mumbai-produced song from it. “Slumdog’s sound track has elevated the entire Bollywood genre and brought us a new customer base wanting to explore similar music,” says Bhat.

Saavn’s offerings — more than 90% of all Indian music is film music — are available at digital music stores, while mobile carriers offer Bollywood ringtones, ring-back tones, single tracks, music videos and Bollywood graphics. “Since the release of Slumdog, we’ve seen a substantial increase in the sales of Bollywood ringtones, ring-back tones and songs,” says Ed Ruth, director of V Cast Music at Verizon, which offers more than 1,200 Bollywood ringtones and ring-back tones and more than 30,000 songs.

Powered by Bollywood, Saavn has already conducted a brand-marketing campaign for Verizon. Half a dozen major U.S. companies are now in discussion to use Saavn’s content to pursue the same market. The wealth and education level of South Asian consumers in the U.S. make them a desirable target, says Nirmalya Kumar, a professor of marketing at the London Business School and the author of India’s Global Powerhouses: How They Are Taking On the World. The best way to reach them emotionally, he says, is through the music and movies they love. As for Saavn’s platform, “You can’t market today without including the digital world,” says Jerry Wind, a professor of marketing at Wharton.

Digital Ties
South Asian consumers in the U.S. have strong ties to family back home and, coupled with their strong interest in and knowledge of changing technology, they are key consumers of other online content innovations. This might include digital wedding website content, which would allow them to share photos, videos, podcasts and music from their wedding with distant relatives out of the country. Other options besides film, music and personal events could likely include forms of recognition via any one of the new online memorial website tools available.

Americanized Bollywood hybrids could help Saavn expand. “Whether it’s Slumdog or Snoop Dogg, future media collaborations will inject Bollywood further into the mainstream,” says Shenoy. “And when fans want to experience the real Bollywood genre, they’ll come to us.”

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My take: I’m guessing these guys have stumbled into a gold mine. The success of Slumdog, not to mention the literature of India over the last decade, has created a huge market for all things Indain among otherwise non-Asian consumers in the U.S. Certainly, if we are just as comfortable buying wholesale shopping bags, or the latest in organic and natural beauty products on the Web, why wouldn’t we want to download the best of Bollywood? Asian cultures will glom on to this idea, too, because the music, videos and other art forms of India are simply unsurpassed by America’s versions in Hollywood, not necessarily because they are inferior, but because they cannot conjure nor recreate the cultural connections the way real Indian art can.

In my neighborhood shops and specialty stores there is no shortage of Indian products for sale. Right there next to the kids stationary, games, or trendy cards are also things like incense, bindi dots, henna tattoo kits, scarves, sandalwood oils, and other great Indian personalized custom gifts you can give to friends and family. The more ethnic the better it seems when it comes to giving.

Speaking of giving, you can also customize those great reusable plastic bags that you take to the grocery store with a friend’s name or a graphic design. They make great gifts for friends and family, too, and you can give them away stuffed with food items from Trader Joes; books; or speciality skin care products.

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If you run a small company, whether its music store or a retail shop, and you have employees to take care of you are probably handling all your payroll solutions on your own to save time and money, right? You may want to rethink that. Check online and get some quotes from the different companies in your area that provide off-site payroll services for small companies. Usually you wind up saving money and time by being able to spend more of both on your business rather than tracking payroll issues.

Source: Los Angeles Times

A new study shows that, when moral implications of sexual activity are left out of the argument, sex-ed classes for teens can reduce sexual activity by nearly one third in 12-13-year olds.

Other forms of sex education also worked, however, reducing sexual activity by about 20% and reducing multiple sexual partners by about 40%, according to the study reported Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

None of the classes appeared to influence the use of condoms or other birth control when the students did have sex. The children thus remained at risk of pregnancy and disease. “This study, in our view, is game-changing science,” said Bill Albert, chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group based in Washington. “It provides, for the first time, evidence that abstinence-only intervention helped young teens delay sexual activity.” The George W. Bush administration poured tens of millions of dollars into federal funding for abstinence-only programs, most of them religious-oriented, with little or no evidence that they worked. And new data released last week showed that sexual activity, pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are increasing among teens. The Obama administration has sharply reduced funding for abstinence-only programs and has announced its intention to fund only interventions that have been found to work. The new study is expected to provide support for such interventions. But Albert noted that this is only one study in one region. It “should not be interpreted as a signal that abstinence-only education works at all times and under all circumstances. That doesn’t even pass the common-sense test.”

Growing Up Fast

Teenagers have slowly been leaning toward early sexual activity over the course of the last two decades. Those sweet 16 invitations are no longer quite the message of transition from innocence to adulthood they once represented. Gone, too, are the days when 12-year-old boys were happy hanging with their pop playing with toy train sets or building a fort. These days, model trains and Barbie parties have given way to all-night Wii games and texting sessions, and sexualized videos and TV programs have youngsters experimenting earlier than ever before.

In an editorial accompanying the report, journal editor Dr. Frederick P. Rivara of the University of Washington and Dr. Alain Joffe of Johns Hopkins University argued that “no public policy should be based on the results of one study, nor should policymakers selectively use scientific literature to formulate a policy that meets preconceived ideologies.” The study’s lead author, psychologist John B. Jemmott III of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, agreed in a statement, saying that other types of students must be studied as well: “Policy should not be based on just one study, but an accumulation of empirical findings from several well-designed, well-executed studies.” The study was conducted among 662 African American sixth- and seventh-graders in four low-income schools in the northeastern United States. The students were randomized into four groups. One received an eight-hour abstinence-only class focusing on the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It was based on principles shown to be effective in reducing transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and did not use a moralistic tone or portray sex in a negative light. A second group received an eight-hour safe-sex class. The third group received a comprehensive eight- or 12-hour class emphasizing both aspects.

The control group received education only about healthy living. Over the two years after taking the classes, 48.5% of those in the control group reported sexual activity, compared with 33.5% of those in the abstinence-only group. About 52% of those taught only safe sex reported sexual activity, and about 42% of those in the comprehensive class made a similar report. About 8.8% of participants in the comprehensive class reported activity with multiple partners, compared with 14.1% in the control group, indicating that the comprehensive class reduced the risk of sexually transmitted disease. Diseases and pregnancies were not monitored, however. Catherine Camacho, deputy director for the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Family Health, said previous research had shown that it made sense to include abstinence education as part of a comprehensive program. “A comprehensive approach that does include abstinence is the most effective program,” she said. “We have never disagreed with that. But we would prefer to call it abstinence-plus.”

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My take:Frankly, it’s pretty discouraging to think that teens are experimenting with their sexuality at such a young age. If your teen is active sexually and not careful, you can say goodbye to those college savings plans. Forget about that whole life policy and start getting the best term life insurance quotes you can get your hands on because you just might need to set money aside for the costs of helping raise grandkids long before you even get near retirement age.

Seems these days you no longer get the baby announcements sent out that you are having a discussion about sex, drugs and rock and roll with your youngsters. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for education and probably at the rate we’re heading, the earlier the better. I just prefer to think my son, who is now 10, still has a few years left in him that are going to be perfectly happy sitting next to mom and watching comedy movies online all night.

Speaking of movies, did you know there are some great sites you can take your teen to online for a free movie download? It’s true. You pay a small fee and each month you get a new list of titles in your in box. Netflix online also has a great selection of instant play movies online to watch and many of them are new releases.

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You can also find the best concert tickets for sale the day of the show. This is a great way to save money on expensive theater tickets to big hit musicals and Broadway shows. You just have to be willing to take what you can get for seats and be ready to pay and go that day.

There are three basic types or groups of microphones that include dynamic, condenser and ribbon. Using a variety of these microphones can eliminate many problems. One microphone may give you a lot of feedback even if you use the “eliminator” which can give you poor frequency in response because it is being eliminated as feedback.

You have set up a beautiful rolling stage that has a retractable caster assembly so that it can be rolled across a flat floor while it is completely assembled. The stage consists of a support structure and three 4′x8′ SC90 Platforms, creating an 8′x12′ area. Multiple rolling stages can bridge SC90 Platforms to create a larger performance area with a stage guardrail for safety and with the risers in place you are almost ready to go.

Now you need to set up your microphones and sound system. Dynamic microphones are the most common and basic type of microphones. They will be good for the lead performer because they are a rugged microphone. There are also similar to a speaker and tend to have a limited frequency response.

The most popular over the years has become the condenser microphones because they have a wide frequency. There are more delicate than dynamic microphones however. They do require an internal battery or an external power source that can be provided by the mixer.

Ribbon microphones have an excellent frequency tone and tend to be delicate as well as expensive. They are rarely used in the basic P.A. systems.

You should also consider the pattern of your microphone, which is the direction that the microphone picks up sound from. Polar patterns are divided into two types, Omni and unidirectional. The Omni accept sound from all directions and often from the direction you do not want sound to be picked up from, this is usually called feedback. The unidirectional microphones are the most common by about 95%. It is very important to know the pattern of the microphone you are using as well as its susceptibility to feedback.

You also need to consider the sensitivity or hearing level of your microphone. The more sensitive it is, the more it is likely to pick up additional sounds. It all depends on the stage volume as to the sensitivity you need.

I am only going to touch on impedance (sound measurement) of a microphone because it gets into a lot of technical data. You need to determine whether you need high impedance or low impedance. It all depends on what type of mixer that you have. However, professional microphones are usually low impedance.

You can easily enhance your performance and sound field from the stage by choosing the proper microphone for your performance. If you have good sound then you will have a great performance and isn’t that what it is all about?

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Professional ticket sellers will sometimes use ticket brokers to sell their tickets. A ticket broker buys sports tickets from wholesalers and other sources to resell them at increased prices that reflect the costs of obtaining premium seating. Many people will compare ticket brokers to ticket scalpers; however, there is drastic difference between the two. Ticket brokers will guarantee ticket authenticity as well as strive to maintain good customer relationships while maintaining an office with regular business hours. Due to the difficulty of purchasing good seats when they go on sale through Ticketmaster or the box office, ticket brokers are increasingly becoming the norm when you need tickets for a hard to get or sold out event, whether that be sports, theater or concert tickets.

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In these recessionary times, it is important to get the maximum mileage out of every dollar. That means purchasing items that produce far more than their initial cost value to save money. Not only do we have to tighten our belts, but we also have to invest our dollars wisely so they work for us. That is why purchasing LED lightbulbs makes sense, even in recessionary times. LED bulbs make it possible to produce your own fresh food throughout the year. It saves money on your grocery bill, increasingly important considering how high the price of food has risen. It also insures for you will have a complete diet of fresh vegetables even if you do not have a lot of money in your pocket.

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If you are thinking about chartering a yacht, here are some tips. You might want to start by making a list of what you really want to do and experience on your yacht charter. This list will help you when you talk Caribbean yacht charters, to give a base of information from which to seek a yacht to best suit you. In order to budget correctly, you will want to understand the terms under which charter yachts operate. You will want to work closely with your charter agent to fully understand your charter contract and the terms used within it.

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Do you enjoy casino gaming? Have you ever tried online casino gaming? If you have, then casinos online is the place to get the experience. You can get and enjoy that genuine casino experience right from your own home.

There are many high quality online casinos that run secure quality casino software. Because the technology is better than most other gaming sites, you are likely to get engrossed and win money. Many sites offer a test drive with free credits just to check out the casino. The free credits are basically practice money so you can try your hand on the various games that are available on that site.

Some online casinos will offer a matching bonus to play on their tables for joining. With these free credits, you can use them to earn actual money and cash out once you have joined. This allows a casino to build a relationship and trust with first-time casino customers. They are basically giving money away, if you are a winner.

The amount of free credits you get will depend on how much you deposit when you sign up on the site. Usually, upon a deposit of at least $200 you can expect to be offered up to $300 at sign up. This type of offer is to encourage you to play and learn about the site and the people who play on it. This helps to build trust. Online casinos also know that when a person finds a site they like and trust they are most likely going to go to them first.

Of course, you usually have to go through your initial deposit before you get your free credits. Then you can draw on your credits and leave the site covering any losses. Remember to check the terms and conditions carefully before you join. If anything seems to be confusing, call and ask questions. You will usually find an 800 number to contact the casino on the website.

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Do you have Authentic Concert Tickets?

When you purchased concert or sports tickets online, you need to make sure that they are verified and guaranteed authentic. The problem with counterfeit tickets has risen in recent years. Usually, counterfeit tickets are concert tickets; however, sports and even theater tickets have been subject to fraud as well. Unfortunately, they tickets for events where seats are in high demand are usually sold online. The events that are usually affected by counterfeit tickets are those that are sold out quickly or in sports, the championship game. Many times, you may not know you have counterfeit tickets until you get to the venue.

Save Money Smoking

There is a product that will save a smoker thousands of dollars a year. It is called NJoy and it is pronounced like the word “enjoy”. NJoy is an electronic cigarette that uses rechargeable batteries along with replaceable cartridges that contain water, propylene glycol, and nicotine to create a vapor mist that tastes, feels and smells like a cigarette or cigar when it is inhaled. One cartridge is the equivalent to approximately 2-packs of cigarettes and costs about $5. This means smoking NJoy saves the smoker money because the average price of cigarettes is $6. In an attempt to battle skepticism, NJoy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to all of its customers.

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As a business owner, you want the best and most desirable barricade solutions in the industry. You want them to consist of a high quality UV digital rant on polyester material that when a potential customer steps up to one of the barricades, they will notice a distinct difference in a split second. We want those wall graphics to portray your business in the best possible light. Whether you are an event planner, a hotel or restaurant manager, an athletic director or a small business owner; one manufacturer takes pride in exalting your identity, and putting out the message that you want others to see.

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Is your idea of a perfect holiday luxuriously sumptuous surroundings? Do you want to spend time docked at the most fashionable marinas? Learn several different water sports? Or simply anchor in a private cove and curl up with a good book? Do you want a motor yacht or sailboat? Motor yachts tend to be larger and faster, and give you the super yacht lifestyle. Sailboats give you the feel of the ocean and the romance of the sea. These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself when you are planning to get a yacht charter.

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There are some common banking methods an online casino offers that are quite popular like eWallets. An eWallet is an electronic wallet that lets you deposit money into that account and then use it to fund your account. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to deposit money. Some common ones are eWalletXpress casinos, UseMyWallet casinos and Quicktender Casinos and Click2Pay casinos. RTG Casinos are some of the best around and the newest addition is Win Palace. With an amazing interface, players get a fresh look at how an online gambling casino should be like.