Blondie - We Three Kings

Merry Christmas Everybody




This is a high quality music video of Blondie performing the holiday classic We Three Kings! If you like it, you can go over to www.Blondie.net and download the song for free! New Blondie in 2010!!!

The "New" Blend Thursday Night

The "New" Blend in Ridgewood is a classy intimate venue for the clubber who's looking for that lounge vibe but still wants to let it rip on dance floor . Blend went through a massive renovation that has transformed the restaurant /lounge into one of North Jersey's new hot spots. Forget what ever experience you had in the past, the "New" Blend is exactly as advertised ,new!
Thursday night is brought to by Joe Carollo and Elite Entertainment . It is a rarity now a days to for a small club to offer both intimacy and yet all the energy of a much larger venue . Blend is an excellent spot to unwind with some bottle service , catch a martini with a friend or burn up the dance floor listening to DJ Shant throw down those beats .The crowd is a good looking low key mature 21 and up ,always dress to impress and street parking is safe and readily available within a radius of a block of the club.

more photos on http://www.artchickphotos.com/

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20 Years Since the Berlin Wall Came Down

President Ronald Reagan - Tear Down This Wall

King Questions NFL Commissioner Goodell on Limbaugh Comments

Fans Consider boycott of NFL and NFL Sponsors over Limbaugh

Led by discredited race baiters "Hymie Town" Jessie Jackson and Twayna Brawley Al "Crown Heights" Sharpton ,racist in the NFL made unfounded accusation's against radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh preventing him from joining a group in buying the St. Louis Rams .

In the tradition of Dan Rather and on the theory that if you say a lie often enough and enough people repeat it over and over ,it some how makes it true . ESPN joined CNN in keeping alive the “racist “ allegations ,presenting them as though they were fact when in reality they were entirely fictitious .

The problem is that the comments attributed to Limbaugh were never made by Limbaugh .These comments were apparently entirely made up by Limbaugh critics. While noone in the media has questions the dubious nature of the involvement of Jackson or Sharpton who both clearly have there issues with race Limbaugh was pronounced guilty as charged because of the seriousness of the charge.

Insiders tell us that fans of both the NFL and Limbaugh are considering a boycott of NFL teams or NFL sponsors. The railroading and defamation of Limbaugh by CNN and ESPN is both an affront to Limbaugh’s 20 million plus listeners as well as all American’s ability to exercise there right to speak there mind. I suggest the NFL would be wise to focus on players off field antics if they are looking to improve there league image .

RIO GETS OLYMPICS!!!!

U.S. President Barack Obama's politically risky Olympics gamble failed to bring home the gold on Friday, with the Olympics committee's refusal to grant the 2016 Summer Games to his hometown Chicago.

After Investing so much of his personal persona in bringing the Olympics to the City of Chicago ,this latest failure only adds fuel to the fire that the pro government media image of President Obama is not what others see and he once again falls far short of all the hype.Yes we were told over and over that this man would bring hope and change ,and move the earth with the power of his persuasive personality but so far the hope is fleeting and rapidly turning to despair while the the change for most Americans seems mostly for the worse.

I have been to both Chicago and Rio on many occasions and I like both cities but RIO is my soul city and I couldn't be more delighted .Now is not time for regrets but time to wish the very best for Rio and the very best for Brazil and offer a hardly congratulations!!

Sandbar Final Friday the Last Corona in a Can and DJ Toro's Birthday

Though we have never been a fan or Sandbar ,with it's crazy parking, at times slightly overboard security and cold corona in a can ,we couldn't miss the Friday night grand finale with the team of DJ Toro and MC Len.After all Sandbar was a unique location with a large out door space on the water looking at the backdrop of the New York City Skyline and two very large indoor though a bit light on the AC dance floors.

We have been following this team since the old Wednesday and Saturday parties at Taste lounge in Bloomfield ,both for NJ Venues and ArtChickphotos. At this point they operate like a well oiled machine with out the staleness of some of the more over rehearsed duo's . The continued give and take between the two and their audience is masterful. There is always a freshness and with DJ Toro continuing to improve with each set spinning a mix that attracts both a serious Hip Hop crowd and a lighter more commercial crowd that's spans musical genres while leaving the "lame wedding DJing " for someone else.

There is something about the energy they put out that can bring out the best in even the most hardened club goer. So after a great night we took a break and ordered one last corona in can just to make sure it was as bad as it had always seemed and yes like everything else about Sandbar our last cold one lived up to even our most discriminating expectations.

www.artchickphotos.com (NEWS)

We Now Have A Total Gangster Government

DJ AM dies @ 36 Remembering his music

DJ AM, 36 the celebrity DJ with a history of drug addiction was found dead in his apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear .Yep that’s what all the headlines are going to say ,but there was a lot more to DJ AM than just another sad story of a young person who succumb to drugs .Looking back its now even more ominous when , he was badly hurt last year in a South Carolina plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured rocker Travis Barker.

In another twist of irony DJ AM, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, was to star on MTV’s reality show, "Gone Too Far," in October were he and the concerned families staged interventions in the lives of drug abusers.

But club goers near and far will most remember DJ AM not for his fight with drug addiction or even that he is one of the characters in Activision's "DJ Hero”,but what DJ AM meant to a dance floor packed to the beat creating those one of a kind interwoven mashups on the one and two's and the positive powerfull influence his music meant to people; Rest in Peace .

The National Endowment for the Arts initiated a "call to action?"

"The National Endowment for the Arts initiated a "call to action" earlier this month for members of the art community to push President Obama's recovery agency through works that focus on health care, energy and the environment -- a troubling sign, one artist said. "

I could not agree more

Triumph des Willens (Full movie - English subbed)

Hertz Acquires Automoti.com, Car Sales Technology

Automoti Group is one of my blogging clients:

CONGRATS!

Online Provider of End-to-End Technology Solutions for Hertz Fleet Sales

Press Release

Source: The Hertz Corporation
On Monday August 17, 2009, 1:46 pm EDT
Companies:Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.

PARK RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - 08/17/09) - Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HTZ - News) announced it has acquired the assets of Automoti Group, Inc., an online marketplace for consumers to directly purchase used cars at discounted prices. Automoti's end-to-end solutions are currently utilized by the Hertz Rent2Buy program which enables consumers to rent a car for up to three days prior to purchase. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Mark P. Frissora, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hertz, commenting on the acquisition, said, "A key element to Hertz's reengineering has been its fleet sales, with an overall strategy of diversifying the sales channels used to sell vehicles. Automoti.com provides user-friendly technology that will enable Hertz to leverage an e-commerce platform to further develop our Rent2Buy program. By acquiring Automoti's technology, we will now own the best online car sales system, enabling Hertz to pre-sell vehicles while still on rent which will increase the revenue earned per vehicle sold."

The transaction provides Hertz with the rights to the Automoti website and technology platform and intellectual and tangible property pertaining to the platform.

John Thomas, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain Management of Hertz, said, "Hertz's newly developed Rent2Buy program is a fast-growing retail sales channel designed to be customer friendly, with a 3-day, try-before-you-buy test drive. Through Hertz Rent2Buy, we can extend our product offering by providing customers with a financially attractive solution for purchasing late model used vehicles in a simple, streamlined way."

Car buyers interested in a quality, used vehicle simply need to select and reserve a vehicle of their choice for up to three days at www.hertzrent2buy.com. If the customer decides to buy the car, they keep it, complete the purchase process and the rental cost is credited against the purchase price of the car. If the customer decides not to buy the car, they return it to the renting location and the transaction is treated like a standard rental. Hertz Rent2Buy provides customers with substantial savings off of retail prices and a no hassle, one price buying experience. Hertz Rent2Buy is currently available in 8 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, the Company plans to quickly expand the program to other states in the coming months.

The Hertz Corporation (www.hertz.com), a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HTZ - News), is the world's largest general use car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,000 locations in 145 countries worldwide. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 42 major airports in Europe, operating both corporate and licensee locations in cities and airports in North America, Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the Company has licensee locations in cities and airports in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz #1 Club Gold�, NeverLost� customized, onboard navigation systems, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and unique cars and SUVs offered through the company's Prestige, Fun and Green Collections, set Hertz apart from the competition. In 2008, the Company launched Connect by Hertz, entering the global car sharing market in London, New York City and Paris. Hertz also operates one of the world's largest equipment rental businesses, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, offering a diverse line of equipment, including tools and supplies, as well as new and used equipment for sale, to customers ranging from major industrial companies to local contractors and consumers from approximately 350 branches in the United States, Canada, China, France and Spain.

http://automoti.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/hertz-acquires-automoti-com-car-sales-technology-online-provider-of-end-to-end-technology-solutions-for-hertz-fleet-sales/

The 70's Generation, "the Generation that never made it".

like most generations coming to age in a particular time period that era has a way of effecting ones out look throughout that rest of there life. In the 1920's it was the devil make care attitude ,in the 1930's the great depression ,in the 1940's it was world war two and the greatest generation ,in the 50's it was moving to suburbia ,in the 1960's it was the anti war counter culture ad wanting to change the world . These generational experiences have a way of effecting the majority of that generation shaping there experience and the way we think about the world . In the 1970 's oil shocks ,stagflation, international terrorism ,military failure ,stagflation ,the misery index, high divorce rate ,high drug and alcohol use ,the hang over from the sixties all lead to one over riding principle for the 70's generation FAILURE and the 70's generation became the generation that never really made it .

With this failure came the litany of kook conspiracy theories ,and inability to see a benevolence in the universe ,a feeling that things larger then onself were working against us . That malevolent forces beyond our control were conspiring against us. That we were helpless in the face of doom .Not trusting the markets nor the government but looking to punish and spread the misery equally far and wide, the 70's generation embrace totalitarian socialism or communism to a greater degree than anyone since the 1930's.

As the 70's generation grew up it brought incompetence and disaster and mostly failure in its wake , from ENRON, the mutual fund debacle ,to the current banking and finance disaster to the destruction of wall street ,the 70's folks have unleashed a cataclysm of disaster and failure on to the rest of us. Remember these people still think good old stagflation Jimmy Carter was a good president?

So why do I keep harping on this day in and day out ,well any economist worth his salt would admit that one of the strongest cyclical driving forces in an economy are demographics and given the most economic activity is driven by business creation and house hold formation it can be noted that from time to time an economy is blessed with demographics that favor these to factors ,but what we find in the 70's generation is a proclivity for neither. My last reunion told the whole story ,as i am told nearly half the graduating class of 1980 had never been married . I found this simply astonishing given we came from a very upper middle class place with a "first rate education".

No don’t get me wrong every generation has its successes and failures but some generations seem to produce more of the latter .

there is more to come....

Men Without Hats - Live Hats - 14.Safety Dancing

move over 70's Generation

ObamaCare Hidden Truth

DJ EXPO Atlantic City 2009

August 10-13 @ the Taj in Atlantic City

Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker Causes Stir

Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker branded 'dangerous and mean-spirited'

NATURE UNLEASHED HAIR and MAKEUP RUNWAY SHOW

ArtChick spand the week at Surf Club and she leftme to handle North Jersey and New York City .So Saturday night I ended up at Bliss for the Nature Unleashed Hair and MakeUp Show hosted by Kristina Marie & Panache Salon with DJ's Chris Backman ,DJ Toro & Paul Patrick.

Proceeds were donated to the reasearch for the Ovarian Cancer Fund and the Music ranged form Hip Hop ,Commercial Housetoo Mash Ups.

DJ Toro who has become a local favorite in North Jersey weilding a particular brand of Hard Hip Hop .Earning his stripes as a member of the DJ Kings.DJ Toro is often affectionately refered to as the "House Musics " crowds favorite Hip Hop DJ.

Many who follow my ramblings from time to time know that DJ Chris Backmen is one of my favorite Mash Up DJ's. Chris seems to have an acute awareness of the needsand musical taste of the 30 somthing crowd without coming across like a typical wedding DJ.

Adding to the mix is the talented Paul Patrick spinning deep Comercial House always keeping things interesting yet comfotable for relative non House belivers .

The event was hosted by Kristina Marie and the Panache Salon with a colorfull and dramatic fashion show showing of the hair and makeup designs of Panache Salon. The fashion show was not only unique but was well organised and timely,with designs ranging from kinky to avangarde.

from : http://www.artchickphotos.com/

4th of july with 4000 of my closest friends

It was a 4th of July blow out event in Atlantic City with Pacha NYC Resident DJ Boris along with "Made in Brazil" Mario Calegari at the Etess Arena at the Taj. It was an amazing evening some would say the party of the season .Our hosts R3 Ventures put together a holiday bash that people will be talking about for some time .



With security that was not too intrusive ,the Area was a very large space ,I had heard 11,000 square feet as compaired to say DEKO witch is I think about 2,000 square feet.It had a loft/warehouse kinda feel to it reminding me of a "RAVE" party with lasers ,strobes and a full compliment of lighting .There were ample bars to grab a drink and despite several 80 year old bar tenders moving along at 33 speed you could usualy find an empty barwith a quick search.The service was decent,great fo AC which has become known for its very poor slow non descript bar service almost as much as it is known for gambling.

Mario was first up and was in top form,I have to say I have seen Mario spin many times but this time he brought it to a whole new level.Not to be out done Boris brought his A game along with the Pacha dancers and took the party home with sick beats.

from: http://www.artchickphotos.com/

New Party : LIQUID ICE

Liquid Ice Night Club
250 West Route 59
Nanuet, NY 10954

July 30th will be the date of the first party
-As of now the party is 21+ for guys and girls
-Girls will be free until 12:30pm
-There will also be a 1-2-3 drink special till 1am
-Dress Code is Trendy but Fashionable
http://www.artchickphotos.com/

hit me up for details

Gorrilla Marketing in the 21st Century,

Old fashioning marketing not working looking for a new approach one more suited for the 21st century not the 20th. Let my team and I show you the art yes art of a gorilla marketing campaign. With blogging, social networking and all the Internet trickery plus a little old fashion street team action we can create a buzz,raise your profile and drive your profits .Check out some of our blogs and websites and then send us an email with your contact information .

http://www.artchickphotos.com/
http://theridgewoodblog...blogspot.com/ http://onesmallvoice.blogspot...com/
http://brewagrownupsguidetovice.blogspot.com/
http://motikahana.wordpress.com/
http://automoti.wordpress.com/
email:
crashmanagement@gmail.com

NATURE UNLEASHED HAIR and MAKEUP RUNWAY SHOW!

this benefit is brought to you by : KRISTINA MARIE & PANACHE SALON

A NIGHT DEDICATED TO ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN SOMEHOW AFFECTED BY CANCER. FOR ANY SURVIVOR OR FAMILY MOURNING A LOST. COME OUT AND SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE. ALL PROCEEDS RAISED WILL BE DONATED TO THE RESEARCH OF OVARIAN CANCER FUND.
WWW.OCRF.ORG

THERE WILL BE A HAIR & MAKEUP RUNWAY SHOW AS WELL.
WWW.MAKEUPBYKM.COM
WWW.1ON1TRENDSETTING.COM

Photos by www.artchickphotos.com

WE HAVE DJ CHRIS BACHMANN, DJ TORO & PAUL PATRICK SPINNING EVERYTHING FROM COMMERCIAL HOUSE TO HIP-HOP & MASH-UP.

DOORS OPEN AT 9PM
SHOW STARTS @ 11PM.
PLEASE BE THERE TO SEE TO THE SHOW - YOU DONT WANT TO MISS THE PERFORMANCES :)

DOOR ENTRY $5!!!!!!!!!!!!
** NOTE ANYONE INTERESTED IN DONATING MORE THAN THE DOOR IS MORE THAN WELCOME TOO. YOU WILL SEE A BOX JUST FOR THAT AT THE SHOW**

AGAIN DONT MISS THE NATURE UNLEASHED RUNWAY SHOW :) STARTING @ 11 PM!!!!!!!!!

THIS FOR A GREAT CAUSE AND A GREAT NIGHT :)


SEE YOU THERE :)

TGIF Join me today For Happy Hour in NYC !!!!

This Friday 7/10/09 Model Dani Uno and I will be guest bartending at Croton NYC 6-8



Live DJ Spinning Hip Hop, House, R&B, Top 40, Mash Ups, etc
Full Menu & Appetizers

Drink Specials!!!
$4 Beers
$5 Margaritas & Martinis
$5 Well Drinks

Croton
108 W. 40th Street (btw 6th & Broadway)
New York, NY 10018
http://www.crotonnyc.com

How to buy a Rental Car

How to buy a Rental Car

Shared via AddThis

IRAN ELECTION : TWITTER

@Twitter is the only open news source working in Iran right now
@Twiitter maintenance shut down was postponed due to huge out cry from twitter users
@Main Stream Media (State Media) has been forced and dragged kicking and screaming by twitter users to cover events in Iran
@Twitter is being monitored by Iranian Secret police be careful about giving twitter addresses on RT(retweets) or any pro democracy information too specific with your tweets

twitter.com

#Iranelections

Say Goodbye to the “Used Car Salesmen” forever!

Hertz Rent2Buy http://hertzrent2buy.com/Content/Default.aspx is a completely new and revolutionary way way to buy a used car. It puts you the consumer in control of the buying process .It eliminates dealer markups . No more pushy sales people. No more surprises. Simply go online ,pick the make ,model and color you like ,rent it for 3 days and then decide to buy it yes or no.That's right rent the car you like for 3 days and then decide to buy! Its that simply!

http://automoti.wordpress.com/

Model Dani Uno @ Surf Club

Model Dani Uno @ Surf Club
ArtChick Photographer
James Camera man

Bad Bwoy by Nat Senat

Bad Bwoy from Nat Senat on Vimeo.

Lots of you know I got a bit part for a music video.It was shot in the South Bronx and Brooklyn. I had never worked on anything like this before .No joke it took some long hours but the cast and crew were great to work with. This is a trailer I am afraid it doesn't contain any of my scenes but I am hopeful and looking forward to seeing this project done .

James Foytlin aka PJ Blogger

Hello everyone,
its been a long time a know. I hope everyone is enjoying what looks like a beautiful summer in the making. I appologize for this project taking so long. But some complications and some delayed shooting did not help the situation, but we are back on track. I just wanted to touch base with you and let you I did not abandon you at all, rather share with you a sneek peek of some raw scenes of the intro of the video. I will try to get the final product in hand as fast as my circumstances will allow me.

I hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,
Nathan
BAD BWOY TRAILER:
http://vimeo.com/4778090

Connections, political donations and cocktail parties

A Tale of Bernie Maddoff....

from http://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/

So yes I have sold my practice, retired and a lot of you have voiced concern about weather I will continue with this blog. The answer is a resounding yes and I am going to start with a little story about Bernie Maddoff. As you know I have for most of this decade warned many of you that these financial wrong doings are never the solitary acts that the media and the industry want you to think they are. What we have with the Bennie Maddoff scandal is another example of how the rules that the rest of us go by don't seem to apply to certain people. Connections, political donations and cocktail parties as for most of this decade seem to out way professionalism and ethics. Wall Street in recent years has become a business where the customer's money has become the firm's money to do with as they see fit. Don't blame your local broker he or she is subject to the most stringent rules and requirements imangable but understand that people like Bernie operate outside those legal requirements that you and I are often subject too.

I only know what I read but misgiving about Mr. Maddoff surfaced as far back as the 1970's and a fairly large amount of suspicsion has been build up that last 12 years! Yes that's right heavy dought has been cast more than once in the last 12 years . Now Mr. Maddoff made off to a tune of 50 billion yes that's BILLION , about double what the auto industry was bailed out for. Seems his operation didn't pass the small test more than once, yet when notified the regulators sat on there hands or seemed unwilling to take on the challenge.

So here I will interject some of my own personal musings and many of you who know me personally will find this somewhat ironic. As it became clearer and clearer that I needed a change I began to shop around for a new clearing and compliance arrangement. One firm that shall remain nameless seemed like a pretty good fit to me but upon discussion they seem to have problem, not with this blog but with my other blog,"the Ridgewood blog". A blog in which soccer moms and dads argue as to the nuances of turf fields, math programs and the finer points of pedestrian etiquette while crossing the local streets. The very day the Madoff story broke and it became know that the likes of Eli Wisel, Yeshiva University and NYU had all fallen prey to this scoundrel to the combined tune of say 80 million .I was being blown off by a firm that was worried about negative fall out from the Ridgewood blog? And that my friends was the as they say the straw that broke the camels back and told me once and for all it was time to step aside and search for new ventures.

The moral to the story is that it appears that the regulators and the industry have consistently protected themselves and defend their unaccountability at the detriment to the investor class, while the investor is left with these words to the wise "if your over 18 everything I say to you could be a lie ".

and yes there will be a lot more to say on this subject for the next couple od weeks while the biggest scandle in US financial history unfolds.

http://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/

Interview with Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Lonegan

From http://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/

So after a little phone tag I finally had an opportunity to sit down with Steve Lonegan and talk the campaign ,Chris Christie ,Governor Corzine and the New Jersey Supreme Court .What stuck me the most is that behind the visions of a tough veteran campaigner is a very passionate man that cares a lot about people .Our interview in the midst of a long day on the campaign trail was only interrupted by a call from his mom.

So I started with something that always bugs me How can a guy running against government subsidies ,take matching funds to run a political campaign ? You see ,he said and i paraphrase ,Corzine can reach into his pocket and take out $60 million bucks but my own mother can only give me around $3400 so either you have to lift the limits or I would be at a huge disadvantage in not take the matching funds.

I pressed him on why he thought he could really cut state spending and he assured me that cutting down and consolidating the number of departments in the state was very doable . He also reminded me that Pennsylvania one of the states New Jersey residents have been fleeing to ,has a flat tax so there was no reason we couldn't do it here. He pointed me to his record running Bogota and how he enacted similar cuts .The difference being on a state level you had to add more zeros .

This moved our conversation to Bogota and that it had only 8000 residents and I wondered if he thought that was a fair comparison to Trenton ? Again he reminded me and I know this to be true from running this blog ,that in Trenton you have a lot of room to hide but at a local level you are looking people in the eye everyday who you might be dramatically effecting their lives.

This moved us to an other issue it seems Steve has his work cut out for him not only does he have to compete against the deep pockets of Jon Corzine and the Democratic machine but he also has to fight the "chosen one" every Republicans favorite son Chris Christie and the extremely liberal Republican party in this state .
Abbott and COAH were next on the table for discussion and changing the extremely redistributive almost socialistic NJ Supreme Court (my words ). Steve once again reminded me that as Governor he will have the opportunity to appoint 4 new justices and he assured me that the there is a pool of traditional constitutional defending judges.

Finally he stated that he is far more optimistic in the future than I and that the chief threat to New Jersey's economy are the policies of Jon Corzine and in particular the very destructive policies of Barack Obama .

PJ Blogger

the Ridgewood Blog http://tinyurl.com/mofu7z

http://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/

contact : onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com

Re Grand Opening of Surf Club 2009

http://www.artchickphotos.com/

So we waited all winter and neither rain nor snow was gonna keep me away for the re grand opening of Surf Club . To many of us the Summer starts with the first big Sunday House Party at Surf and ends with the last.We arrived around 3:30 ,having to pick up a stranded clubber on the way .The Mind Control crew was already in true form while everyone secretly hoped the sun would make a surprise appearance.

Opening day at Surf is a mixed affair ,the serious House crowd meets the Surf Club regulars all jockeying for the best spots at the bar closest to their favorite bar tenders .Some just stake out their turf on the dance floor so for the rest of the summer they have a spot to meet up with their crew. Its a tradition as long as anyone can remember ,even a lot of the non House crowd put in face time making the rounds hoping to meet up with some old friends or cozy up to their favorite adult beverage. We ran into one of our favorite deep disco DJ's and he too was as happy as we were to make to one more summer at Surf Club.

Its like coming home again after a long cold winter ,so here we were cameras in hand working the crowd and doing our own due diligence for this summers favorite elixir. There was that bartender from Avenue ,or our favorite red head or the many dynamic duos seemed to me everyone was there or at least there in spirit anyway .

We caught up with model Dani Uno ,we had been hoping to do a shoot with her but the cold rain washed away our visions of some early beach shots . The crowd was filled with the drama of old loves ,broken hearts and second chances all collided into one big party scene. ArtChick and I constantly texted each other to better coordinate the photographic attack or have the next drink waiting in the right spot.

As many of you know Summer 2008 at Surf was particularly memorable season punctuated by one huge rainbow ,in a summer were no rain touched those sandy beaches on any weekend all season . Not even the "Guido Beach" scandal could slow down the non stop party . So rain and all , not bad for a first day Summer 2009 here we go.

from http://www.artchickphotos.com/

The Importance of Being Earnest

from http://www.artchickphotos.com/

ArtChick and I had the opportunity to sit in on a dress rehearsal of the Benbokis Production of ,"The Importance of Being Earnest." at the Gene Frankel Theatre .The Oscar Wilde classic comedy about mistaken identity. Where two young English gentlemen use a seemingly small deception in an effort to escape unwelcome and dull social obligations. First there is Jack Worthing who has invented a decadent and wicked brother, Earnest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave for the country and visit the object of his affection, Gwendolyn, in London and, his friend Algy Montcrieff who assumes the name 'Earnest' when visiting Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily, at his country home. The deception and mistaken idenity becomes discovered and threatens to unravel the best laid romantic plans of the four lovers. A game of social chess then ensues where old secrets and trust funds are revealed,family materes settled and lovers united .

There is nothing more satisfying than to watch someone who loves what they do ,do what they love. This very exceptional and energetic cast brings a freshness to this classic ,yet the original intent and the 19th century subtleness remain intact, with a slightly more airy contemporary feel.So fresh in fact that even though I had seen or read the play many times it came a cross so new I could hardly control my laughter.

The dialogue takes on a natural rhythm making the plays humor come alive in almost a TV sitcom feel but with no need for the unnecessary laugh track that so often signals when to laugh.There is an welcome absence of the usual gimmicks that so often degrade contemporary theaters attempted remakes of old classics clouding their intent. Neither is this some stale rendering or some hybrow master piece theater wannabe production ,this is real ,alive and this is now . It is contemporary yet classic at the same time and will bring a smile to your face and a very fun filled evening.

The very eclectic, international cast is as follows:

Ben Bergin as Algernon Moncrieff
Josh Padgett as John Worthing
Liz Curtis as Cecily Cardew
Caitlin Gold as Gwendolen Fairfax
Lauralee Nicole Reed as Lady Bracknell
Devin James Heater as Reverend Chasuble
Lara Zaluski as Miss Prism
Sebastian Croucher as Merriman/Lane

The entire cast are graduates of the two-year professional training program at the oldest theatre conservatory in America, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Other graduates include legends such as Lauren Becall, Robert Redford, Anne Bancroft and hundreds more (for full list see http://aada.org/alumni/alumni_list.html).

Benbokis Productions is a new, dynamic theatre company based in New York City. It is headed by producing partners Ben Bergin and Liz Curtis, both graduates of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.

Benbokis Productions proudly presents Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy,this four-night run begins on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 and concludes on Saturday, May 9th, 2009. All performances take place at 7:30 PM at the Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street, NYC.

Doors open at 7:00 PM. Tickets are fifteen dollars. FREE refreshments will be provided. Please call or email at least one day in advance for reservations: 917.836.6575 or caitling2@hotmail.com.

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Costa Rican Coffee

In recent years Costa Rico has become more famous for its surfing rather than its coffee ,but this small Central American nation has been know for its coffees for some time. Costa Rican coffee has set the standards the rest of Central America. The most famous coffees by region are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Herediá, and Alajuela. Most coffee in Costa Rica comes from the caturra coffee varietal. Other popular Costa Rica coffee varieties are Mondo Novo and Catuai. The best Costa Rican coffee beans are grown above 3,900 feet, in the rich volcanic soil that gives the coffee a full body with lower acidity.

I recently had the opportunity to try some coffee from a little know importer sold under the Costa Rican banner ,the coffee was rich with low acidity . It was full flavored but not hard or over powering. The second cup went down as easy as the first. This Coffee retails for $4.99 for 8.8 oz bag

Intro-Torneo Circuito nacional de Surf- Playa El Carmen 2007