Après des années d'attente, la restauration est passée mercredi à la TVA à taux réduit mais la baisse des prix promise semble très contrastée, entre les grandes chaînes qui en font un argument commercial et les indépendants qui l'appliquent souvent discrètement voire pas du tout.Impossible de savoir combien des 180.000 cafés et restaurants de France ont baissé leur prix mercredi en même temps que la TVA passait de 19,6 à 5,5%.

theodp writes "Three Amazon inventors set out to correct what they felt was a real problem: that 'out-of-print or rare books ... typically do not include advertisements ... the content is fixed and, therefore, has not been adapted to modern marketing.' Their solution is spelled out in newly-disclosed Amazon patent applications for On-Demand Generating E-Book Content with Advertising and Incorporating Advertising in On-Demand Generated Content. From the patent apps, here's what the future of reading may look like: 'For instance, if a restaurant is described on page 12, [then the advertising page], either on page 11 or page 13, may include advertisements about restaurants, wine, food, etc., which are related to restaurants and dining.' So, what would a delightfully-tacky-yet-unrefined Hooters ad do for your Hemingway experience?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

theodp writes "Three Amazon inventors set out to correct what they felt was a real problem: that 'out-of-print or rare books ... typically do not include advertisements ... the content is fixed and, therefore, has not been adapted to modern marketing.' Their solution is spelled out in newly-disclosed Amazon patent applications for On-Demand Generating E-Book Content with Advertising and Incorporating Advertising in On-Demand Generated Content. From the patent apps, here's what the future of reading may look like: 'For instance, if a restaurant is described on page 12, [then the advertising page], either on page 11 or page 13, may include advertisements about restaurants, wine, food, etc., which are related to restaurants and dining.' So, what would a delightfully-tacky-yet-unrefined Hooters ad do for your Hemingway experience?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Want to speak like a native but don't fancy spending your entire trip in a classroom? These holidays combine lessons with activities and the chance to hang out with locals

French

Surfing: Biarritz

If only school could have been this relaxed. At a solar-powered surf camp in a 300-year-old farmhouse close to Les Casernes beach, near Biarritz, language lessons take the form of informal two-hour chats over beers in the afternoons. Mornings are spent riding the waves, and five days of surf lessons (for 1½ hours per day) are included. The camp has plenty of places for practising tenses in your free time - in the garden, hydro-pool, hammam, tree hut, canoe or hammock. Suitable for beginners and improvers.

· A week costs £606pp, including surfboard and wetsuit hire. 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.

Outdoor adventure: Verdon

Perhaps you're more likely to remember new words if you learn them while scared out of your wits. A French immersion course in Moustiers, in the Parc Naturel Regional du Verdon, includes morning lessons (beginner to advanced available) in a converted hilltop monastery, plus afternoon exploration of the river Verdon by canoe, treks into the Garrigue with a forest guard, games of pétanque in the village square, dances at a bal populaire or viewings of French films, all accompanied by teachers to ensure French is spoken throughout. At the weekend, the adventuring ratchets up a gear with canyoning, rafting, kayaking and abseiling where no doubt you will learn the French for "Help!" and perfect your pronunciation of merde

· Course €1,670pp for 14 days, accommodation €458 per week, 0121 430 7660, experiencelanguage.co.uk.

Wine: Bordeaux

Many people's language priority is being able to order food and drink. But imagine how impressive you'll sound when you can not only stammer out "Un verre de vin, s'il vous plaît", but are also capable of ordering a fine Bordeaux, commenting on its complexity of flavour and describing the time you visited the very vineyard where it was created. This seven-day French and Bordeaux wine course will set you well on the way to talking about terroir like a native, with four 45-minute sessions of French a day (there's a test on day one to establish your level), three afternoon sessions on Bordeaux wines, including tastings at l'Ecole du Bordeaux, and excursions to Saint-Emilion and Médoc vineyards.

· Courses start 20 July, 17 August, 14 September, 12 October, £705pp. Homestay accommodation from £170 per week, flight from £115pp return. 0871 230 8512, statravel.co.uk.

Spanish

Walk the talk: Pyrenees

"When we visit my neighbour Hilaria's vegetable garden, if you pick tomatoes, you'll learn how to talk about them," says Georgina Howard, who runs the Pyrenean Experience, a language course in the Baztan valley that teaches Spanish by living Spanish. Language tutors are always on hand to help guests in conversation practise while they ramble through the Pyrenean mountains, meet local farmers, visit bars and hamlets, have lunch with the neighbours or host parties at the seven-bedroom farmhouse, and generally live the Basque life. There are more formal morning lessons on a terrace, and weeks for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers are run separately.

· Full board £850pp per week, 0121 711 3428, pyreneanexperience.com.

Surfing: Tenerife

Insted runs language courses in Austria, Spain and France that are combined with skiing or surfing. Its Tenerife course runs year-round from a central base in Puerto de la Cruz, a thriving town with busy bars and restaurants serving Latin American and African-influenced dishes. Minutes away from the classroom are the beaches, where the breaks have earned the Canaries the title "Hawaii of the Atlantic". Accommodation is with a local family, or in an apartment sharing with other students from the course.

· Homestay with family from €165pp per week B&B in private room, €200 half board. Apartment from €165pp for private room. Two week minimum, €220 per week for the course. 00 33 450 530 366, insted.com.

Tango: Buenos Aires

"Bailamos?" is Spanish for "Shall we dance?" - as those returning from this trip will know. In the historic centre of Argentina's capital, near the bohemian San Telmo district, pupils take a daily four-hour classroom lesson of Spanish, and Argentinian and Spanish culture, politics and history in groups of up to seven. Afterwards they don their dancing shoes to learn one of the world's sexiest dances at a nearby milonga, or tango hall.

· Six nights including homestay with from £467pp, tango classes £4 per hour. Hotel accommodation available. Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

Portuguese

Capoeira: Brazil

Practise whirling your limbs to the moves of capoeira while learning to twirl your tongue around the Portuguese language on a two-week course combining the two in Salvador. Classes of eight study beginners' Portuguese for 20 hours a week, then concentrate on the acrobatic Brazilian dance/martial art twice a week; both take place in a language centre. A samba lesson and cookery class are also included, and homestay accommodation is available so that you can practise over dinner (the language, not capoeira).

· Course £285 pp for 14 days, homestay accommodation from £89 per room per week. 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.

Italian

Food and cookery: Tuscany

For an indulgent foodie break with a side serving of language lessons, Sanctuary Villas puts up large groups of friends or two families in a luxurious converted farmhouse villa with an outdoor pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, near the medieval village of San Gimignano. The company can arrange extras including cookery classes with local chef Giuseppina and language lessons, taken in your villa, the garden which overlooks rolling, cypress-lined Chianti hills or wherever you prefer. Villa La Terme consists of two large houses, together sleeping 10 plus two children.

· From £5,824 per week (£69 pp per night) accommodation only, language lessons from £41 pp per hour with Sanctuary Villas (01242 547 902, sanctuary-villas.com).

Photography and cycling: Umbria

Northern Umbria is a very untouristy part of Italy, a bonus for language learners as locals are unlikely to revert to English when you chat, and because they have more time to do so. Guests at the Labbazia school in the Upper Tiber Valley will meet plenty of them on trips to local markets and bars in the nearby medieval villages, where they'll put into practise all they learned that day in class (three levels available). There's usually some sort of local pageant, dance or festival to attend, and many other activities are arranged on demand, from photography classes to tai chi, cycling or horse-riding.

· From €1,050pp per week, full-board at the agriturismo where lessons are held, including 20 x 45min lessons, transfers from Perugia and guided trips. 00 39 075 857 3004, labbaziaschool.com.

Greek

Beach and culture: Syros

On this two-week course at the OMILO centre on the Cycladic island of Syros, there are classes at the Pension Echo in Azolimnos (which is also one of the self-catering accommodation options) from 9.30am to 1.30pm each day. Then it's time to hit the beaches right by the centre for swimming and sunbathing, before moving a short distance to the village's lively tavernas. Excursions such as Greek dance lessons, museum visits, guided walks and local concerts are included and everyone goes along to a sociable first night meal. The island's capital, Ermoupolis, an affluent harbour of neo-classical buildings, mansions, marble-paved streets and white houses, is 4km away.

· Catch a ferry from Athens. Next dates September, €590 for two weeks. Rooms from €35 per night. 00 30 210 612 2896, omilo.com.

German

Watersports: Bavaria

Lindau is a beautiful town on its own island in the eastern side of Lake Constance, with a historic medieval centre and pretty harbour. It's a great base for learning German - after classes, pupils cool off by sailing and waterskiing on the lake, cycle around it or go on excursions to Meersburg, Salem Castle and Liechtenstein.

The Dialoge language school provides 20-25 lessons per week, and has a sports hall for basketball, volleyball and football games. Social evenings with barbecues, wine tastings and the cinema are arranged too.

· From €490 per week including accommodation with a host family or the school's apartments, €330 without. 0808 234 8578, studytravel.com.

Arabic

Interaction: Cairo

Pupils of the Bridge Abroad programme will learn the Egyptian dialect (one of the easiest to pick up) as well as classical Arabic on a week's beginners' course in Cairo. The focus is on learning through interaction with some of the city's 14.5million residents, after daily lessons in a school 15 minutes from the centre. Afternoons are spent among the throng, picking up more vocabulary in the souks, cafes and squares, and at lectures, concerts, cinemas and the famous sites.

· Three weeks (minimum) including accommodation costs from $878pp, $399 without accommodation, or from $711 per week private tuition, from $855 with accommodation. 0808 120 7613, bridgeabroad.com.

Japanese

Cooking and karaoke: Tokyo

Nowhere gives a culture shock like Japan, so throwing yourself into the local way of life is as important as learning the lingo if you are to have a hope of ever fitting in. Alongside a beginners' course that also covers Japanese culture in a centrally-located school, pupils can take workshops on calligraphy, tea ceremonies, noodle cooking, judo and karate, and interact with native Japanese speakers on nights out bowling, to quizzes and, of course, singing karaoke.

· From $2900 for two weeks including accommodation with a host family, in student dorms or apartments with World Link Education (0046 5580 3720, wle-japan.com).

Mandarin

Live-in learning: Beijing

Moving in with your teacher would have been an abhorrent notion when you were a teenager, but now it could be the best way to develop your language skills. Instead of trawling through a textbook twice a day, you can chat to your tutors from breakfast to bedtime while staying in their home on Go Learn To's "home language courses". These suit all levels and give the option of staying with your teachers, couples and families around Beijing as well as informal tuition. Guests get a set of keys and are free to come and go as they please, but are usually invited to join in with their teacher's life, to meet relatives and friends, go shopping and explore the nightlife.

· Seven days from £864pp per week full board, 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.

Russian

Culture: St Petersburg

Russia is one place where you're unlikely to pick up much of the language without some serious tuition. A course that includes 20 lessons per week in St Petersburg is a good place to start. After class, it's time to absorb the city's rich culture at its many sites.

Bi-weekly group activities include visits to the theatre and ballet and to other places such as the riverside city of Novgorod. Go in the summer and you can join in many vercherinkas - small parties with caviar, vodka and Russian folk songs. Beginners' and advanced courses are available, but everyone is asked to learn the Cyrillic alphabet before arriving.

· Two weeks from $2,170pp all inclusive, but excluding flights, languagesabroad.com.

· Don't miss our free phrasebooks every day next week, plus Italian the week after

• Language courses
• Cultural trips
• Adventure travel
• Argentina
• Beijing
• Brazil
• Buenos Aires
• Cairo
• China
• Cycling holidays
• Egypt
• Europe
• Food and drink
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Italy
• Japan
• Middle East
• Portugal
• Russia
• St Petersburg
• South America
• Spain
• Surfing
• Tokyo
• Tuscany
• Umbria
• Walking holidays
• Wine

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

I am a 47 years old chubby, witty, indépendant, easy going , separated, nearly fluent in English French mature women
I know a few things about Internet
I know a few good stories about men on the internet
I have enough in mind for a good book. As a tittle, I first thaught of : « Men and the Internet, the vanishing act… » but I’d rather go for : « Do you have taboos ? »
Because I am fed up being asked after 5 minutes or 5 hours the same question (whatever the socioprofessional background of men), « do you have taboos ? », meaning « full » blowjob and sodomy, because I see no point discussing the menu before entering the restaurant. I am not interested in men jerking off next door to their exhausted by kids/ sleeping wife.
To make a long story short, let me quote here a few lines from the movie "Analyse this" :
Boss Paul Vitti: I do things with her I can't do with my wife.
Dr. Ben Sobel: Why can't you do them with your wife?
Boss Paul Vitti: Hey, that's the mouth she kisses my kids goodnight with! What are you, crazy?)
I am fed up being told by married men (who take months to understand I am not gonna stalk their honorable wife-the mother of their kids or the dull non working wife they will never hurt) that I am the best mistress and that I really deserve a man of my own.
Bitter ? Not the least, I just don’t want to play geisha-always in a good mood and even less Back street anymore.
Prove me all I wrote above are cliches.
Tell me I am wrong, tell me you are not predictable .
What I expect, or rather what I don’t expect ?
I don’t expect : married cowards, hypocondriacs, tight asses, bad teeth and gums, smokers unless occasional (if they exist ?), bald guys with long hair on the side, teddy bears, whiners, cheapos…
I don’t mind bald men who shave and married men without cold feet.
My values ? So simple :
Sex, nature, creativity, food (in any particular order), what else ?
And, last but not least, I have a condition : « sexy brains », my first erogenous zone happens to sit between my ears, this is a curse, believe me…

Talk to you ?
Or, by the way, if you are young enough to know what a M.I.L.F. stands for, please, don't bother to write

Garmin is a well known name when it comes to GPS navigation systems, and their latest foray into the market includes expanding its relationship with BMW Motorrad, where both of them have joined forces to develop the next generation BMW Motorrad Navigator known as the Navigator IV. This is a motorcycle-friendly GPS navigator which will be based on Garmin’s zÅ«mo 660, where it aims to bring out the level best of Garmin’s navigation technology, merging that with exclusive, BMW specific features including a customized mount, preloaded BMW dealer database, unique audio and Bluetooth handling capabilities, and more.

You can tell by the 4.3″ navigator’s screen size alone that this is one highly portable device, boasting a bright touchscreen display which works even when you’re wearing a pair of oh-so-cool leather gloves. Preloaded details include detailed street maps with millions of points of interest, comprising of various locations such as restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, hotels and specific street addresses. Once the rider selects a destination, the system will automatically calculate the best route and spews out turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions in order to get you to the final destination within the fastest route. You can also listen to the navigator through a compatible Bluetooth enabled helmet or headset thanks to the BMW Motorrad Navigator IV’s stereo (A2DP) Bluetooth wireless technology.

While you’re zipping down the freeway on your favorite 2-wheel vehicle with this, you can easily access trip information straight from the BMW Motorrad Navigator IV’s trip information page, checking out a variety of information including speed, heading, altitude, and a customizable fuel gauge that can be modified to accommodate the motorcycle’s maximum fuel range. Other features include sophisticated routing capabilities that ensure you’re always on the right lane for added safety, alongside arrows that point to the appropriate lane for approaching turns or exits. There is no word on pricing, but the BMW Motorrad Navigator IV is tipped to be out in North America and Europe sometime in Q3 this year.

Press Release
Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Garmin enters into business with Motorcycle OEM copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

According to Celebuzz, Megan Fox went on a “date” with High School Musical’s Zac Efron Tuesday night. They went to Pace, “an upscale restaurant in Los Angeles’ woodsy Laurel Canyon neighborhood.” It can’t be that upscale if Megan Fox and Zac Efron were there, but nevermind that. There were a few rumors about Zac and Megan back in January, when someone somewhere saw the two of them in the same vicinity. After the rumors were spread, Megan was asked about her opinion on both Zac and Robert Pattinson. She told Elle UK, “Robert Pattinson and Zac – they’re just too pretty with the big hair and the suits. And Rob is, what, 22? Zac is 21? That’s a joke. Boys in their twenties are a waste of time. They have nothing to offer conversationally; they’re immature. I feel like I have a better shot with someone in his thirties.” Looks like Megan has changed her mind, if this “date” is any indication:

Did Megan Fox just go on her ultimate dream date?

The 23-year-old stunner shared an intimate dinner with Zac Efron on Tuesday night at Pace, an upscale restaurant in Los Angeles’ woodsy Laurel Canyon neighborhood, Celebuzz can exclusively report.

A fellow diner revealed, “They were very friendly and their faces were close when they talked.”

It’s no secret that the Transformers 2 actress has had a thing for the 21-year-old High School Musical heartthrob for quite some time. As we reported back in January, the two flirted at the Golden Globe Awards, raising eyebrows at an after-party.

Megan has even said, “What you don’t know is that Zac and I are the same person. It’s like Janet and Michael [Jackson], we are the same person.”

Was this just a dinner between two mega-hot friends? Or something more complicated?
It could be much trickier for him than for her.

Megan, for one, insists that she’s absolutely unattached, while rumors continue to swirl that the undeniably sexy actress is dating co-star Shia LaBeouf or possibly still together with ex-fiance Brain Austin Green. Zac, on the other hand, is pretty serious with long-time girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens.

[From Celebuzz]

Yeah, in the past few weeks Megan has been photographed in a series of faux-seductive poses or “candid” paparazzi shots with Shia and Brian. Many think that Megan was just doing the Shia stuff for Transformers promotion. Some thought that she was probably nailing both Brian and Shia. And now Zac? It’s too obvious. Even “Bob Hollywood” over at Vanity Fair is calling Megan’s play “the oldest trick in the Hollywood book”, and no, he’s not calling Megan a prostitute:

At the London premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Ms. Fox (who really sets off my wow-meter, let me tell you) denied being romantically involved with Robert Pattinson. A few nights later, she supped with co-star Shia ‘Don’t Call Me Sleepy’ LaBeouf at Nobu in Manhattan, fueling intense speculation about her love life.

Boy oh boy! This is the oldest trick in the Hollywood book. I feel like I’m back in the days of Hy Gardner, Hedda Hopper, and Louella Parsons! This is how the old studio bosses used to do it. You promote a picture by sending your leading lady out on a “date.” You have her deny something that wasn’t even a rumor to begin with—making sure that the thing she is denying involves another rising star. And you make double extra certain that the tabloids are there to drink it all in.

Frankly, I’m sick of it! Sick of being used! O.K., I’m not really sick of it. I don’t really care, in fact. This is how the game is played. And for all I know, Megan and Shia are enjoying a nice roll in the hay right now in some Malibu bungalow. Which is their right. Hell, I know I would do the other one, if I were either one of them, if that makes any sense.

[From Vanity Fair]

So, basically Megan is still with that loser Brian Austin Green, who doesn’t mind that his girlfriend is pretending to “date” or “bang” multiple guys to promote her movie. Who is the joke on exactly? Oh, right. Us.

Photo credit: WENN.com

Google Voice caters to your vanity, t-shirts are spared, birthdays remembered, and we keep those restaurant tortilla chips nice and crispy.

• Oren, Mark, Jan-David, and Ben wrote in to tell us that the very cool Google Voice now allows you to change your phone number for a one-time fee of $10. Google provides a simple search for those of us who want our own name as part of the number, and they'll keep your old number active for three months so that you can announce the change properly.
  
• Mick wrote a handy tutorial on how to add that missing fourth column in iGoogle.
  
• Bart made a simple yet useful site that helps you remember birthdays by sending you RSS notifications. (Mine's on the 27th of June, mark it down for next year.)
  
• Colin's fiancee told him that his old shirts had to go! But acknowledging how much they mean to him, she wound up framing them and turning them into some neat wall decor. Remember this trick the next time your significant other tries to toss out your old concert t-shirts.
  
• Matt saves web developers headaches by pointing us towards Support Details, a site that makes life simpler "when you ask the client what browser they're using and they say 'Vista.'"
  
• Commenter neely615 says:
  Maybe everyone knows this trick, but I inadvertently learned it while staying in a hotel room that had a refrigerator that froze everything I put into it. Turns out if you put that bag of chips you got for take-out from the Mexican restaurant in the freezer, they will still be crispy when you take them out the next day.

About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox (tips at lifehacker.com), but for various reasons—maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in—the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption.

Google Voice caters to your vanity, t-shirts are spared, birthdays remembered, and we keep those restaurant tortilla chips nice and crispy.

• Oren, Mark, Jan-David, and Ben wrote in to tell us that the very cool Google Voice now allows you to change your phone number for a one-time fee of $10. Google provides a simple search for those of us who want our own name as part of the number, and they'll keep your old number active for three months so that you can announce the change properly.
  
• Mick wrote a handy tutorial on how to add that missing fourth column in iGoogle.
  
• Bart made a simple yet useful site that helps you remember birthdays by sending you RSS notifications. (Mine's on the 27th of June, mark it down for next year.)
  
• Colin's fiancee told him that his old shirts had to go! But acknowledging how much they mean to him, she wound up framing them and turning them into some neat wall decor. Remember this trick the next time your significant other tries to toss out your old concert t-shirts.
  
• Matt saves web developers headaches by pointing us towards Support Details, a site that makes life simpler "when you ask the client what browser they're using and they say 'Vista.'"
  
• Commenter neely615 says:
  Maybe everyone knows this trick, but I inadvertently learned it while staying in a hotel room that had a refrigerator that froze everything I put into it. Turns out if you put that bag of chips you got for take-out from the Mexican restaurant in the freezer, they will still be crispy when you take them out the next day.

About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox (tips at lifehacker.com), but for various reasons—maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in—the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption.

Aktuelle Neuigkeiten aus der Internetwelt in Kurzform.

* Die Spendenplattform betterplace (www.betterplace.org) wird eine gemeinnützige Aktiengesellschaft. Dadurch können sich interessierte Partner nun direkt an betterplace beteiligen. Drei prominente Partner sind bereits gefunden: Oliver Grün (Grün Software AG), Arno Mahlert (ehemals maxingvest AG) und Bernd Kundrun (ehemals Gruner + Jahr). Darüber hinaus können Nutzer ab sofort an Globalbudgets von Hilfsorganisationen spenden – bisher waren nur projektbezogene Spenden möglich. Um den Bekanntheitsgrad der Plattform zu steigern, setzt betterplace auf zahlreiche Kooperationen - mit Universitäten, Schulen und Medienpartnern. Auch in Zukunft sollen Spenden zu 100 % an die Projekte weitergeleitet werden. Die Spendenplattform finanziert sich über Förderungen, Privatspenden und die künftigen Aktionäre.

Anzeige
* Ihre Geschäftsidee ist so gut, dass es Ihnen die Sprache verschlägt? Wir finden die richtigen Worte für Sie und setzen Ihr Unternehmen medial ins rechte Licht. Mit piabo als starkem Kommunikationspartner profitieren Sie von weitreichenden Medienkontakten und jahrelanger Erfahrung in strategischer Beratung und ergebnisorientierter Pressearbeit. Zuhause in der Onlinewelt bringen wir Ihr Angebot zielgruppengenau an den User. http://www.piabo.net

* Die Local-Search-Plattform pointoo.de (www.pointoo.de) geht eine Liaison mit Restaurant-Kritik.de (www.restaurant-kritik.de) ein. Durch die Partnerschaft erhalten die auf pointoo.de vermerkten Retaurants zusätzliche Bewertungen. “Für uns ist diese Kooperation ein deutliches Signal, dass die Bewertungen der Konsumenten immer wichtiger werden, um valide Informationen über die Qualität gastronomischer Dienstleistungen zu erhalten”, erklärt Carsten Jutzi, Geschäftsführer von Restaurant-Kritik.de. Bei pointoo.de können Nutzer Plätze und gastronomische Einrichtungen vermerken und bewerten.

* Nie wieder versteckte Fette beim Einkauf verspricht die neue Handy-Anwendung von barcoo (www.barcoo.de). Nutzer können damit Lebensmittel scannen und deren Gehalt an Zucker, Salz, Fett und gesättigten Fettsäuren abfragen. Zusätzlich können die Lebensmittel in ein Ernährungstagebuch eingetragen werden. Die Daten für den Lebensmittelcheck stammen von der Lebensmitteldatenbank FDDB.info, deren Nutzung bisher nur über das Internet möglich war. Wer noch ein Oldtimer-Handy ohne Scan-Möglichkeit besitzt, kann die Codes manuell eingeben. Neben dieser neuen Funktion liefert barcoo Testberichte, Preisvergleich, Benutzerbewertungen und andere Infos zu Elektronikprodukten und Medien.

* “Weil Berlin-Brandenburg mehr Unternehmertum braucht!” Mit der Aktion media.net:catapult bietet das Unternehmensnetzwerk media.net berlinbrandenburg (www.medianet-bb.de) 15 Start-ups aus der Region die Chance auf ein einjähriges Kompetenzprogramm. Ziel ist es, Start-ups schneller auf den Gipfel erfolgreicher Unternehmensentwicklung zu katapultieren. Die Jungunternehmer werden von Mentoren betreut, in wichtige Netzwerke eingeführt und erhalten Hilfestellung zur weiteren Professionalisierung. Zu den Mentoren zählen Jens Müffelmann (Axel Springer), Oliver Beste (Founderslink) und Frank Briegmann (Universal Music Entertainment). Einsendeschluss für das Scoring-Verfahren ist der 10. Juli. Bewerbungsunterlagen und Teilnahmebedingungen finden Interessenten auf der Homepage.

Ten years ago today, Mark Sandman died on stage during a Morphine concert at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, Italy. His music and its impact has not always received the type of attention normally given to rock stars tragically struck down in their prime, let alone one this brilliant.
Sandman’s legacy is hard to measure, although some have tried. Frontman of both Treat Her Right and Morphine, as well as many side projects, he always seemed on the cusp of making the leap from critically acclaimed darling of college radio to major recording star (watch a live performance of Cure for Pain here). Treat Her Right (listen) toured with Bob Dylan, although once signed to RCA, never quite made to mainstream success (as Sandman put it “"RCA decided that if our little basement tape could do so well, why not spend fifty times more money and it will be fifty times better!”). Sandman died touring in support of Morphine's latest release, The Night, released by Dreamworks, the latest attempt by a big label to promote the band (listen).

Sandman’s music continues to impress, including a collection of his previously unreleased solo work issued after his death (selections can be heard here). Somewhere between proto-alt-country and swamp rock, one major aspect of Sandman’s work was innovative usage of bizarrely tuned basses, including the use of a two-string slide bass, an instrument of his own creation and one later used by collaborator Chris Ballew in his other band Presidents of the United States of America (who would write Gone Again Gone in Sandman's memory).

Perhaps more important than his musicality, Sandman’s lasting influence was the development of a local music scene in Cambridge that continues to this day. While the Pixies may be the best-known band to come out of the Boston/Cambridge scene in the 90s, as measured by their impact nationwide, Morphine may have been equally if not more influential locally. Sandman’s own record label, Hi-n-Dry has become the home of many local artists, including local favorites Dennis Brennan and Session Americana (featuring Treat Her Right harmonica player Jim Fitting, as well as others who’ve played with Sandman over the years. See them at Hi-n-Dry here). Furthermore, Sandman regularly promoted shows at the Middle East, helping develop the space from a neighborhood restaurant that occasionally rented out a stage into a major venue. Indeed, the intersection of Mass Ave and Brookline Street in Central Square, the location of the Middle East and TT The Bears has been officially named Mark Sandman Square. Even these landmarks don’t do justice to the community that he fostered and which continues to this day. Finally, Sandman was also a graphic artist, creating a comic called The Twinemen, which would later become the name of a band named in his memory.

Every week, Hi-n-Dry is offering downloads of Sandman's compositions. Or, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by any of Sandman’s old haunts, such as Toad and Lizard Lounge in Porter to the Middle East, TT’s, Plough and Stars in Central. If you’re lucky, or if you do your homework, you’ll find a band of old Cambridge regulars, playing roots standards, with a few Sandman hits thrown in.

Virginity Rocks...But not on a T-Shirt
This article from Boundless is worth reading just for this one section: "You see, since being married I've learned a lot about the differences between the male and female mind. I've learned how something that may seem innocuous to me may be viewed as sexual by a male. I've learned that a young man reading "Virginity Rocks" on a tight, hot pink t-shirt is probably not going to immediately start contemplating purity. And it was discouraging that this young lady didn't seem to be aware that her message was not matching her medium." Duncan and Keller on Women in the Deaconate
Here is the audio from the discussion that Ligon Duncan and Tim Keller had at the 2009 PCA GA concerning the role of women and the deaconate. I think Duncan does an especially good job of arguing that the deaconate is open only to qualified men. Good News for Toronto
My friend PMac is interning at our church this summer, working as an evangelist. He has begun a blog to share some of his experiences. Fancy Fast Food
I love the premise of this site. "These photographs show extreme makeovers of actual fast food items purchased at popular fast food restaurants. No additional ingredients have been added except for an occasional simple garnish." They can somehow make a Big Mac look delicious. July Wallpaper
Fancy up your desktop with some new wallpaper courtesy of Smashing Magazine.

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

I love GPS. in the mid 1990s I had a Garmin unit that had no maps, just a bread crumb trail of where you were and where you'd been. I lived in England at the time, and thought I had a highly original idea to take it to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and walk across the Meridian line and watch the screen as the numbers dropped to zero longitude. When I got there, I was hardly alone. I was surrounded by other geeks doing exactly the same thing. Oh well.

GPS has come a long way, and AT&T has released their subscription based Navigator [App Store] for the iPhone. It requires OS version 3.0. It is fee based, and will set you back US$9.95 a month on your AT&T bill. It is loaded with features, and has voice guided turn by turn directions. It also offers:

• Automatic rerouting
• Updated maps with no additional charge
• Real time traffic updates
• Fuel Price searches and navigation to those locations
• Point of interest searches in all the usual categories like ATM machines, hospitals, restaurants, airports

The map gives you a 3D view from a position just above and behind your vehicle. On the setup page you can chose flat maps if your prefer. I found the maps easy to read but would have preferred a landscape view instead of portrait, but there is no option to change. I saw a little lag when driving, but generally the response was fast. The app really needs a 3G connection. It works on the Edge network but was slow to load graphics. If you are somewhere where you have neither you are out of luck. No maps are contained on the app and nothing is cached. In essence, the app is only as good as the AT&T network, and if you do a lot of driving where the network is weak or absent, you'll be navigating on your own.

I found the voice very hard to hear. This is a limitation of the iPhone speaker. It just wasn't designed to be played at a loud volume. On the highway, with road noise, good luck hearing that warning to turn. Of course, the directions are on the map, but the whole purpose of voice instructions is to keep you from looking at the map.

Other features are a high altitude view of your entire trip from beginning to end, a list of your turns on a scrollable page, directions to the nearest AT&T WiFi hotspots (nice), and the ability to set your default navigation method like shortest, fastest, traffic optimized, prefer highways or streets, or pedestrian routing if you're not driving.

I found the voice alerts were too frequent. Frankly, the app is a blabbermouth, and it kept reminding me of a far away turn too often for my taste. It would be nice to be able to set just how aggressive the voice warnings are.

The big questions for most iPhone users will be to wait for other Nav apps to appear. TomTom is imminent, as is an app from Navigon. They both download the maps to your phone, so you are not dependent on the AT&T network. You only need GPS, and that signal is everywhere. You could also buy an inexpensive dedicated unit, that on the low end will cost about the same as a year of the AT&T subscription, and will certainly have a better speaker. Of course, there will be fees to update the maps, but in my experience you can use a GPS for years without doing that. Points of interest change, but the iPhone provides other sources like Google for up to date info.

I also think it is a bloody shame that the AT&T app has no access to your address book. Apple has walled that data off from 3rd party apps, and it is just senseless to have you type everything in again. You can copy and paste the data, but it is a needless pain. The AT&T app has this access when it runs on other phones like the Blackberry.

In summary, the app works, and is feature laden. I'm not sure it is the best option for in-car navigation, and you might want to wait for other solutions to appear. Of course, you can always get the AT&T app and cancel. It's a month by month charge.

So how is it like to drive with this app? My colleague Steven Sande did just that and his report follows.

Before you go, here are some screen shots to give you a look at some of the features on AT&T Navigator:

Gallery: AT&T Navigator

TUAWCruising with the AT&T Navigator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

I love GPS. in the mid 1990s I had a Garmin unit that had no maps, just a bread crumb trail of where you were and where you'd been. I lived in England at the time, and thought I had a highly original idea to take it to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and walk across the Meridian line and watch the screen as the numbers dropped to zero longitude. When I got there, I was hardly alone. I was surrounded by other geeks doing exactly the same thing. Oh well.

GPS has come a long way, and AT&T has released their subscription based Navigator [App Store] for the iPhone. It requires OS version 3.0. It is fee based, and will set you back US$9.95 a month on your AT&T bill. It is loaded with features, and has voice guided turn by turn directions. It also offers:

• Automatic rerouting
• Updated maps with no additional charge
• Real time traffic updates
• Fuel Price searches and navigation to those locations
• Point of interest searches in all the usual categories like ATM machines, hospitals, restaurants, airports

The map gives you a 3D view from a position just above and behind your vehicle. On the setup page you can chose flat maps if your prefer. I found the maps easy to read but would have preferred a landscape view instead of portrait, but there is no option to change. I saw a little lag when driving, but generally the response was fast. The app really needs a 3G connection. It works on the Edge network but was slow to load graphics. If you are somewhere where you have neither you are out of luck. No maps are contained on the app and nothing is cached. In essence, the app is only as good as the AT&T network, and if you do a lot of driving where the network is weak or absent, you'll be navigating on your own.

I found the voice very hard to hear. This is a limitation of the iPhone speaker. It just wasn't designed to be played at a loud volume. On the highway, with road noise, good luck hearing that warning to turn. Of course, the directions are on the map, but the whole purpose of voice instructions is to keep you from looking at the map.

Other features are a high altitude view of your entire trip from beginning to end, a list of your turns on a scrollable page, directions to the nearest AT&T WiFi hotspots (nice), and the ability to set your default navigation method like shortest, fastest, traffic optimized, prefer highways or streets, or pedestrian routing if you're not driving.

I found the voice alerts were too frequent. Frankly, the app is a blabbermouth, and it kept reminding me of a far away turn too often for my taste. It would be nice to be able to set just how aggressive the voice warnings are.

The big questions for most iPhone users will be to wait for other Nav apps to appear. TomTom is imminent, as is an app from Navigon. They both download the maps to your phone, so you are not dependent on the AT&T network. You only need GPS, and that signal is everywhere. You could also buy an inexpensive dedicated unit, that on the low end will cost about the same as a year of the AT&T subscription, and will certainly have a better speaker. Of course, there will be fees to update the maps, but in my experience you can use a GPS for years without doing that. Points of interest change, but the iPhone provides other sources like Google for up to date info.

I also think it is a bloody shame that the AT&T app has no access to your address book. Apple has walled that data off from 3rd party apps, and it is just senseless to have you type everything in again. You can copy and paste the data, but it is a needless pain. The AT&T app has this access when it runs on other phones like the Blackberry.

In summary, the app works, and is feature laden. I'm not sure it is the best option for in-car navigation, and you might want to wait for other solutions to appear. Of course, you can always get the AT&T app and cancel. It's a month by month charge.

So how is it like to drive with this app? My colleague Steven Sande did just that and his report follows.

Before you go, here are some screen shots to give you a look at some of the features on AT&T Navigator:

Gallery: AT&T Navigator

TUAWCruising with the AT&T Navigator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Image: Kosmoplovci, P3225504-procesor, from the series “Fragments”

In June I traveled through southeastern Europe from Venice to Athens, where I’m looking at art and blogging. Part three of the travelogue is about Belgrade, Serbia.

With a population of two million, Belgrade is twice as big as Zagreb, which is thrice as big as Ljubljana, but the sizes of these three cities have a paradoxically inverse relationship to their cultural infrastructure, particularly at the intersection of art and technology. While little Ljubljana had enough events to fill my schedule for four days, Zagreb’s handful of galleries were in a summer slumber. But organizations were actually there, even if hibernating, while Belgrade had nothing. Many attributed that to the smaller country’s attempt to find a niche or a brand for itself in Europe’s crowded contemporary art world. “Artists in Ljubljana were trying to position themselves away from the context of ex- Yugoslavia,” said Maja Ciric, a Serbian curator. “I think it happened as an act of security. Institutional plans to normalize new media as a discipline were carried out to valorize the positive force of power, to show that the productivity of power is realized through policies that allow for the formation of the individual.”

Image: Kosmoplovci, stills from Satelitska Stanica

Belgrade had a small but active demoscene in the 1990s, which gave rise to one of the most interesting art collectives in the former Yugoslavia, Kosmoplovci (pronounced “kos-mo-PLOV-tsee”). The name means something like astronauts or space sailors, and comes from a 1970s do-it-yourself science and technology magazine that some demoscene friends found at a flea market in the early ‘90s. The members of Kosmoplovci are fond of rummaging through the past, and their varied output—which includes internet works, videos, music, comics, and books—usually involves allusion and found media. Satelitska Stanica is based on an old 8mm film extolling a joint project with Japan to build a satellite station in a remote Yugoslavian province; the reel was salvaged at a flea market and transferred to digital devices with minimal interference. Marko Kraljevic, the Turk-fighting hero of Serbian epics, appears in previews of 2D and 3D video games that Kosmoplovci will probably never make. Self-aware makes public footage from a broken webcam, primarily the bewildered faces of the camera’s owner and repairman in the shop.

Recycling material follows from Kosmoplovci’s structure, where the four or five core members regularly bring in a dozen or more “temporary” Kosmoplovci, who specialize in specific media or channels of distribution (Aleksandar Opacic, for example, has a ragged, layered style of drawing that defines Kosmoplovci’s comics). All their videos can be freely downloaded, or have distinct online versions, while paper publications often get passed around to friends. Their distribution systems put them outside markets and conservative institutional systems; and while Igor, the collective’s de facto leader, said he does tech support for cultural institutions in Serbia, which helps the group maintain a link to the establishment, he spends just as much time on web sites for his drum-and-bass DJ friends.

Image: Nikola Tosic, Under Super Stupid Land

A couple of weeks before going to Belgrade I wrote to Nikola Tosic—who specializes in posters and spare prose pieces—with a request to meet and chat, and in a gesture of Balkan hospitality he replied with an invitation to stay at his place for the duration of my visit. Tosic lives on the outskirts of Belgrade, fitting for an artist who was active with Neen but keeps his distance from the local scene. His artworks, which he tosses off when he’s not working as a designer or training for triathlons, are deliberately marginal. A thank-you note to the internet’s creator and a description of the human species intended for aliens have clumsy graphics and a plain but quirky usage of English, which gives them the poignancy of stories by a precocious child. Tosic also organizes ephemeral events, like Let’s Meet in a Nice Restaurant, a networking-as-art gathering that has happened in Milan, Istanbul, and Transylvania. His current pet project is Triathlon Team, which involves hosting and designing blogs for his favorite triathletes. The idea of designating a team for a purely solitary sport, and trying to make humble triathletes the subject of media attention, has the same dry, barely-there humor as his cartoonish pieces.

Image: Nikola Tosic, sticker for Internet Pavilion

Carving art up by nations is always fraught with missteps. Geographic proximity makes it tempting to draw similarities between Kosmoplovci and Tosic, though their paths haven’t crossed in years and they have never collaborated. They have stronger analogues with DIY scenes and Neen, respectively, than anything in their neighborhood. Still, local conditions—namely, the absence of an institutional peer network—has an affect on their choices; no one is telling them they shouldn’t make art about triathlons or drum-and-bass. “Belgrade’s lack of a real new media lab or institute makes it more free,” said Ciric, the curator. “Because when new media works are produced they are a result of the pure individual creativity.”

Pas encore les olives et les oeufs quand j'ai pris la photo.
C'était bon...

C'est les vacances !!! Il fait chaud très chaud, les zouzous sont à la maison et je ne travaille plus jusqu'au mois de septembre (le planning des ateliers de la rentrée sera en ligne mardi, c'est promis !). Pourtant, je ne compte pas m'arrêter de cuisiner, bien au contraire : j'espère même avoir un peu plus de temps pour tester de nouvelles recettes ou réviser mes classiques (à la demande générale) et les publier plus régulièrement sur mon blog.

Aujourd'hui, je fête donc le début des vacances en invitant quelques amies avec leurs enfants. Au menu, rien de chaud, rien de cuit mais simplement une salade niçoise complète et délicieuse. L'occasion pour moi de la découvrir, autrement que dans les restaurants attrape-touriste, en lisant le hors-série de Côté Sud. Ne reste qu'à cueillir des petits légumes mûrs à point dans le jardin et ce sera prêt : en cuisine !

La salade niçoise

- 4 oeufs
- 8 tomates
- 2 petits poivrons verts
- 2 oignons frais
- 1 botte de radis
- 300 g net de fèvettes
- 1 branche de céleri
- 1 bouquet de petits artichauts
- 1 gousse d'ail
- 10 filets d'anchois marinés
- 200 g de thon à l'huile
- 1 louche d'olives de Nice
- Huile d'olive, vinaigre, sel, poivre, basilic

1°/ Cuire les oeufs 10 mitnutes à l'eau bouillante et laisser refroidir avant de peler et détailler en quartiers. Peler et découper les tomates en quartiers. Peler et émincer poivrons et oignons. Tourner les artichauts et les émincés avant de les citronner pour leur viter de noircir. Emincer le céleri et les radis. Préparer une vinaigrette avec l'huile d'olive et le vinaigre. Assaisonner.

2°/ Frotter un saladier avec la gousse d'ail. Disposer tous les ingrédients dans le saladier et arroser de vinaigrette. Parsemer de feuilles de basilic ciselées et servir très frais.

Pour ma part, j'ai trouvé cette salade délicieuse. J'avoue, j'y avais ajouté du concombre même si c'est pêché et le soir, j'ai compris pourquoi : le concombre rend de l'eau et détrempe toute la salade. La solution : le servir à part ou l'ajouter à la salade au dernier moment. Une autre idée donnée par l'une de mes amies : remplacer la vinaigrette par une anchoïade. A tester la prochaine fois.

The first video in a new series of challenging culinary experiences sees our award-winning food blogger learn how to tackle the African Land Snail

I consider I've been pretty lucky in the genetic lottery. Sure, I'm as near to ovoid as an erect hominid can physically manage but, while my parents gifted me with male pattern baldness, the capacious eyebags of a dolorous spaniel and a two-inch lateral scoliosis, I also have a resonant baritone singing voice and an excellent memory for trivia. Best of all I seem to have missed out two traits that trouble normal mortals: I don't do guilt and I've yet to find a food that disgusts me. This is good news for a food writer - pretty much anything from Japanese natto to recently smothered ortolans are going to be fair game.

Which is why I was so sanguine when Guardian Films asked me to eat snails. C'mon guys. Try harder. I've done the lot. Mum says I ate them raw in the garden at two; I can hoik down a couple of dozen petits gris without pausing to suck the garlic butter out of my moustache; hell I've even foraged my own garden snails and fed them to my daughter. Ah yes, said the director, but what if they weighed about a kilo each and were as big as two clenched fists? Have you tried Giant African Land Snails?

I suppose the most remarkable thing about African Land Snails is how much they resemble the rest of the family. Physiologically they appear identical, just, frankly, sodding huge. The 'foot', the rubbery appendage with which your average garden snail can cling to a rock or, we are told, slide unharmed along the edge of a razor is at least as big as the palm of your hand. This is important because this is the bit that, according to my expert guide Abiodun Olawunmi of the admirable A2 Delicious restaurant in London's glittering Catford, was the only part we were going to eat. I'd gladly fill you in on the whole process of shell smashing, guts removal, washing with alum rocks and boiling for ages but you'd be better off watching the video above for the full, rather astonishing effect.

So the final and most important question is, how did it taste? Well it didn't, exactly. Like whelks, boulets, garden snails and pretty much the rest of the edible gastropodia, there's not a chance that any evanescent snailish essence could survive the rigmarole of desliming and rendering edible - but that's not the point. The remaining texture was utterly unlike anything else I've ever put in my mouth. Abi's hot pepper sauce was a gently brewed assault of flavours that would have converted a well-worn espadrille into a worthwhile meal. In fact I'll go on record saying that I'm prepared to eat a McDonald's hashbrown thingy if Abi's sauce is to hand, but the snail's foot adds a textural matrix somewhere between an undercooked artichoke heart and the cartilage from a premiership footballer's knee - with just a tad more disquieting crunch.

Did I enjoy it? Hell yes. It's rare to find a totally new combination of flavour and texture and it was privilege to be shown how to prepare it properly. Will I be knocking up land snail at my next dinner party? I'm ashamed to say, no. I'm not sure I could find anyone to share it, but do try Abi's sauce with a less challenging protein - I did chicken thighs last night - and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

• Food & drink
• African recipes

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Youpi, la TVA est à 5,5% dans la restauration! Bon, aucune garantie de répercussion, ni sur les salaires (à la hausse) ni sur les prix (à la baisse). Mais l'UMP se réjouit et fait des cadeaux : les restaurateurs qui baissent les prix reçoivent en prime une carte du parti. Seule mesure emblématique du gouvernement, la TVA à 5,5% donne lieu à l'UMP à des scènes de bonheur et de réjouissance comme on en a pas vu depuis la libération de Paris en août 1944.

« Le secrétaire d'Etat au Commerce Hervé Novelli a célébré dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi le passage de la TVA dans la restauration de 19,6 à 5,5% dans un établissement parisien avec les organisations professionnelles. »
Symboliquement les 12 coups de minuit qui marquaient l'entrée en vigueur du taux réduit de TVA, réclamé depuis 17 ans par la profession ont été sonnés devant M. Novelli par le personnel de l'Alsace, une brasserie des Champs-Elysées. - Source Courrier PIcard

Ainsi, on apprend que « Christine Lagarde et plusieurs ministres ont salué mercredi la baisse de la TVA dans la restauration en France en jouant les clients dans quelques établissements parisiens ayant choisi de réviser leurs tarifs. »

A l'heure du déjeuner, la ministre de l'Economie est venue le vérifier lors d'une visite au pas de course dans une petite brasserie, un café de prestige et un restaurant d'une grande chaîne situés au centre de Paris.

Quand on lui fait remarquer que cette mesure a été mise en place « sans aucune garantie effective » quant à la baisse des prix et aux emplois créés, Christine Lagarde répond qu'un restaurateur qui annoncerait des baisses de prix sans les appliquer tomberait sous le coup d'un article du code de la consommation contre les informations trompeuses. Pour le reste, dit-elle, « la meilleure sanction, c'est le consommateur » ... / ... - Source Reuters/Yahoo

Ecoutant Hervé Novelli cette semaine dans une émission sur France3 à l'Assemblée Nationale, nous avions bien noté qu'une partie de la baisse de la TVA avait pour but d'améliorer les salaires des personnels de la restauration.

Un comité de suivi a été mis en place. Il rendra compte de ses travaux tous les 6 mois, et sera composé de représentants des neuf organisations professionnelles et des pouvoirs publics, de personnalités qualifiées et de quatre parlementaires. Il devra veiller au respect des quatre engagements pris par les restaurateurs en matière de baisse des prix (qui devrait intervenir dès mercredi), de hausse des salaires, d'embauche (40.000 emplois supplémentaires en 2 ans) et de modernisation.

D'ailleurs : Le secrétaire d'Etat a également annoncé qu'il rencontrerait dans les 10 jours les organisations de salariés pour faire en sorte que les négociations reprennent.

Il est temps, car : Les employés de la restauration ne bénéficieront pas d'une hausse des salaires liée à la baisse de la TVA entrant en vigueur mercredi. Selon plusieurs syndicats, les négociations engagées en ce sens avec le patronat « sont en cours » depuis deux mois. L'Union des métiers et des industries de l'hôtellerie (UMIH, principale organisation patronale) se donne jusqu'au 31 décembre pour tenter d'aboutir à un accord. - Source AP/Yahoo

Toujours attentif à faire « briller » cet authentique avancée du pouvoir d'achat et de revalorisation des salaires : Le secrétaire d'Etat au Commerce Hervé Novelli a adressé ce lundi un courrier aux 120.000 restaurateurs français pour leur rappeler les engagements de la profession en échange de la baisse de la TVA de 19,6 à 5,5% dès le 1er juillet.

Il n'a pas été le seul à leur écrire puisque l'UMP de son côté s'est fendu d'un tract envoyé aux mêmes restaurateurs que nous avons retrouvé sur son site



Réaction de certains restaurateurs : Des restaurateurs se sont émus mercredi d'avoir reçu un tract de l'UMP vantant le rôle de Nicolas Sarkozy dans le passage de la TVA à 5,5% et se doublant d'un bulletin d'adhésion au parti présidentiel.



... / ... Le parti a confirmé avoir envoyé auprès des restaurateurs, cafetiers et autres traiteurs un tract estampillé UMP ayant pour titre « TVA à 5,5% engagement pris, promesse tenue », accompagné d'un bulletin d'adhésion à l'UMP.

Dominique Paillé, porte-parole de l'UMP, a affirmé que son mouvement assumait « totalement cet envoi ». « Ça ne me paraît pas choquant », a-t-il déclaré à l'Associated Press. « Nous avons tenu nos engagements de campagne. Les restaurateurs sont invités, s'ils le souhaitent, à adhérer à l'UMP » ... / ... Source : AP/Yahoo

Et ceux qui ne le souhaiteraient pas, ils auront affaire au « comité de suivi » ?
L'UMP a également créé un espace Facebook « TVA à 5,5% : Engagement pris, promesse tenue ! »
où quelques comparses se sont inscrits et déclarent (fôtes incluses) :

« vive le cafe a 1 euro .....pour aller plus loin que la tva a 5.5% »
« mon pére ayant son propre restaurant on aprècie.mais cette réforme ne va pas tant profitè que sa au restaurateur car une rèduction de charge leur est supqimé »

« Fils de restaurateur, je ne pouvais faire moins que rejoindre le groupe. On ne peut en effet accepter qu'un fleuron de notre industrie, générateur d'emplois, soit pénalisé par une TVA anormalement élevée. Cette industrie, portée au rang d'un art par les grands ( et les moins grands ) chefs méritait cette reconnaissance. Je félicite Nicolas Sarkosy et l'UMP à travers son président et ami, de s'être battus pour que cette mesure aboutisse. Bravo ! »

« Bonjour à tous, merci merci merci .... ns sommes saisonniers en station, ce depuis 15 ans nous n'avons pas recus en héritage notre & nos affaires, c'est à la force du poignet avec ou sans neige que nous avons dû travailler, sans aide des banques ni de l'administartion, si je regarde aujourd'hui le temps passé, les risques encourus ainsi que les embuches que nous avons subis depuis 15 ans, c'est vraiment un luxe d'etre à son compte dans la restauration... que nos détracteurs viennent travailler avec nous pour voir, ce que je veux dire c'est que grace cette mesure, nou allons efin embaucher du personnel en CDI, et peut etre meme pouvoir se payer sans vivre sur notre affaire. Ce qui est grave, c'est qu'il faut encore se justifier meme apres 15 ans d'activité avec ds hauts comme avec des bas, alors messieurs les élus du peuple, à qd une reforme du systeme bancaire, avec des partenaires qui aident vraiment les entreprises, pas qui les coulent !!! »

Au delà de cette liesse, il est intéressant de lire le point de vue de Denis Clerc, économiste, dans la revue Alternative économique

... / ... en 2006, 155 000 salariés de l'hôtellerie-restauration, soit près d'un sur cinq, étaient des « travailleurs pauvres » c'est-à-dire qu'ils vivaient dans des foyers touchant moins de 60% du revenu médian. C'est le taux de pauvreté le plus élevé de toutes les activités salariées. Certes, ce n'est pas seulement une question de niveau de salaire, mais largement une question de temps de travail: la branche emploie énormément de salariés à temps partiel (31,2% pour les seules entreprises de dix salariés ou plus) et le temps partiel est la cause première de la paupérisation laborieuse. Malheureusement, les négociations en cours ne portent pas sur une réduction du nombre de ces emplois paupérisants.

L'important aux yeux du gouvernement semble être que le nombre total d'emplois progresse, quelle que soit leur qualité. Mais ces nouveaux emplois auront un coût exorbitant pour le contribuable: 2,4 milliards d'euros pour 20 000 emplois non aidés, cela représente une subvention de 120 000 euros par emploi, alors qu'un emploi coûte en moyenne, cotisations so-ciales comprises, 40 000 euros par an... On ne peut que s'étonner de la schizophrénie de cette politique à l'heure où est lancé le revenu de solidarité active (RSA), qui coûtera presque deux fois moins cher au budget de l'Etat: le RSA vise à réduire la pauvreté laborieuse, alors que la baisse de TVA dans la restauration risque de l'accroître ... / ...

Par contre, en ce qui concerne le RSA :

« Depuis le début de la semaine, les dossiers de RSA (revenu de solidarité active) commencent à être enregistrés par la Caisse d’allocations familiales du Val-de-Marne. Depuis le 1er juin en effet, les personnes en difficulté peuvent engager des démarches pour toucher le RSA, la CAF se chargeant de sa mise en oeuvre. Pourtant, sur les 80 000 bénéficiaires de l’aide dans le département, 14 000 personnes sont toujours inconnues des services de la CAF » ... / ... - Source Le Parisien

« En Seine-et-Marne, les services du département et de la Caisse d’allocations familiales (CAF) avaient estimé à environ 26 000 le nombre de travailleurs pauvres qui pouvaient prétendre à ce complément de salaire. A ce jour, ils sont seulement 3 262 à avoir déposé leur dossier, qui vient d’être accepté » ... / ... - Source Le Parisien

Bah  ! Avec un tract d'information muni d'un bulletin d'adhésion à l'UMP, il ne fait nul doute que les demandeurs du RSA vont immédiatement comprendre et découvrir le goût de la « fête » comme les propriétaires de restaurants ...

Retrouvez les articles de Slovar sur son blog


Téléchargez l'application iPhone de Marianne2.fr : http://itunes.apple.com

For a limited time and while supplies last, order the Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Verizon Wireless) or Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Sprint) from Amazon.com for as low as $0.01 (with new service plan.)

Verizon Wireless version:

With Mobile Broadband Service and Wi-Fi capability, the MiFi 2200 for Verizon Wireless enables you to take full advantage of America’s largest and most reliable 3G network. This Intelligent Mobile Hotspot automatically connects to Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband service to give broadband Internet access to up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. You and your colleagues will be able to check email, access corporate intranets, download files, send pictures with a Wi-Fi-enabled camera, and access the Internet on any Wi-Fi-enabled device–even when you’re nowhere near a traditional hotspot.

Easily portable, the MiFi 2200 is about the size of eight stacked credit cards and weighs just over 2 ounces. Other features include two-way text messaging capabilities, compatibility with Windows, Mac and Linux PCs, VPN capabilities, and multiple Wi-Fi security settings. The lithium-ion battery provides up to four hours on the road or 40 hours of standby time, and you can extend the battery life of your work session by connecting the device to your notebook via a USB cable.

Verizon Wireless Service
With the Verizon Wireless Mobile 3G Mobile Broadband network, a high-speed connection to the web is always in reach with typical download speeds ranging from 600 Kbps and peak rates up to 1.4 Mbps. You can select from two Mobile Broadband plans:

* $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and 10 cents per megabyte overage
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Sprint version:

With Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Service and Wi-Fi capability, the MiFi 2200 for Sprint enables you to take full advantage of America’s most dependable 3G network and provide wireless connectivity to your laptop as well as other Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as mobile phones, cameras, portable game consoles and more. This Intelligent Mobile Hotspot automatically connects to the the EVDO Rev A Sprint Mobile Broadband Network to give broadband Internet access to up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. You and your colleagues will be able to check email, access corporate intranets, download files, send pictures with a Wi-Fi-enabled camera, and access the Internet on any Wi-Fi-enabled device–even when you’re nowhere near a traditional hotspot.

The MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile hotspot connects to the verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband and offers access to up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
The MiFi 2200 for Sprint also offers GPS location capabilities, enabling you to take advantage of select location and mapping applications such as getting driving or walking directions or finding the best restaurant nearby.

Easily portable, the MiFi 2200 is about the size of eight stacked credit cards and weighs just over 2 ounces. Other features include two-way text messaging capabilities, compatibility with Windows, Mac and Linux PCs, VPN capabilities, and multiple Wi-Fi security settings. The lithium-ion battery provides up to four hours on the road or 40 hours of standby time, and you can extend the battery life of your work session by connecting the device to your notebook via a USB cable.

Sprint Service
Business and home customers can choose between two Sprint service options for the MiFi 2200 (prices exclude taxes and surcharges):

* $59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan
* $149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone plus device connectivity)

Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte (MB) of usage over the 5 GB amount.

The newspaper people will tell you that if they are obliterated by the evil internets one of the big loses will be investigative journalism. If it hadn’t been for those gritty investigative journalists the newspaper hires there’d be no Watergate, no Whitewater Gate, no ‘Gates of any kind.

Of course, that’s just plain silly. Newspapers didn’t invent investigative journalism any more than they invented news or reporting news.

In fact, in this digital age where anyone willing to do the work can spill the beans to a massive audience, there is more reason than ever for independent investigators to step up to the plate. The folks at QuarryGirl, a blog dedicated to animal rights, have done just that.

Having been given a great deal of anecdotal proof that some food at Vegan restaurants around LA contained animal by-products, they decided to see if they could prove it. One might assume, as a bunch of bloggers with, potentially, no J-school experience whatsoever, they might make a hash of things. Instead, they made a plan:

Here's an outline of the plan:

• Locate a facility that has no traces of egg, casein or shellfish in which to perform the advanced tests
• Purchase anti-contamination equipment including industrial sterilization supplies, lab coats, uncontaminated bags, swabs, razor blades, gloves and floor coverings
• Obtain highly restricted industrial food testing "kits" only available to the food manufacturing industry
• Develop a regimented process to test each food item with the highest standards of inter-test cleanliness, ensuring that absolutely no food particles from one food item contaminate another
• Select a diverse set of menu items from 100% vegan-only restaurants throughout LA (with one exception, see later)
• Order the food for carry-out, and seal it in an airtight bag in its original packaging either inside, or very close to the point of purchase
• Transport the food items to the testing facility intact and sealed, and perform the tests within 48 hours of purchase, keeping them refrigerated until immediately before the test
• Develop a strict bracketing control, with a thorough analysis of the testing facility and equipment before testing: A negative control to ensure no pre-existing contamination, and a positive control test on a known-positive food product (containing all three target non-vegan items) to ensure that the tests do indicate positive results
• Conduct the test in absolute secrecy to ensure that no restaurant would know they were providing samples, and pose as regular customers ordering take-out food in a normal way, with no disclosure that the items would be used for a test.

So, we divided up the work between us, and dedicated a Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday as well as over $1,000 of our collective money to pulling off the most extensive scientific test that we know of to find out, once and for all, if samples of restaurant food are vegan or not.

Not sure about you, but that sounds like a pretty sound plan. Find out what happened here.

This is just one example of how the inevitable death of newspapers will simply not be the information apocalypse they’d like you to think it will be.

Dave Title is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Dave Title and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here.

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Fin de la saison. C'est le début d'un bilan intermédiaire pour les agences. 9 mois compliqués avec la crise qui a d'abord frappé fortement les agences puis le digital a repris confiance avec de nouveaux briefs, de nouvelles campagne. Le moral semble revenir. Doucement, mais surement. Tant mieux.

En attendant, voilà ce qui a été visible au mois de juin :

Montana and Co : Deux petites opérations la première pour Guy Degrenne. Un diner de blogueurs autour de la nouvelle ligne de la marque dans un restaurant laboratoire. La seconde pour Philips. A suivre.

Spintank : Toujours le même problème chez Spintank : pour savoir ce qui s'y passe il faut nier les équipes et regarder ce que fait le chef. Là, le chef est moins intervenu dans l'émission de BFM Human Network. Ce qui pose des questions... Souhaitons leur de bonnes vacances avec la caravane de l'UMP !

Tequila Rapido : Tequila Rapido, l'agence niçoise n'a pas beaucoup buzzé ce mois-ci, d'un autre coté, ils apprennent à communiquer sur eux même. Ils ont enfin acquit un peu de visibilité dans la presse. Message personnel : Continuez les gars.

Elan : Elan propulse plusieurs marques ce mois-ci et notamment Electrolux avec le sublimissime restaurant éphémère en haut du Palais de Tokyo. La presse, les blogs en parlent déjà alors qu'officiellement le lieu n'ouvre que le 8 juillet. Du bon buzz...

Tribeca : Tribeca vient d'être confirmé pour son travail digital pour Luminarc, marque pas simple à valoriser sur le net. Bravo à eux. Par ailleurs, il ont invité des blogueurs chez Courrier International pour développer une approche d'ambassadeurs. Pas con. Il devrai refaire la même chose pour Canalplay qu'ils viennent de gagner... Enfin, Facebook vient de démontrer sa puissance, puis que leur page fan Domino's Pizza comptabilise 13 000 fans. Du coup, ils vont faire un "Pique nique des Familles". Tribeca en continuant à progresser ainsi, devrait cartonner l'année prochaine...

Blogbang : Blogbang a poussé, notamment, Helmut Fritz ce mois-ci. De la chanson de l'été qui tâche avec des blogueurs invités chez Ladurée. Mais il semble que Blogbang ait à faire face dans les prochains mois à un terrible bad buzz : ils détournent l'audience des blogs qu'ils propulsent à leur avantage ce qui évidemment empêchent les blogs adhérents à leur régie de gagner de l'argent réellement...

Kassius : Kassius a poussé plusieurs de ces clients habituels comme Yoplait en street marketing et a tenté de faire buzzer Netixy sur la toile. Echec. Vivement les vacances !

Kingcom : Kingcom n'a pas adressé son flux d'actions du mois comme à son habitude... ce qui est logique, ce qu'ils font acquiert une visibilité dans ce buzzomètre... et ils en font des trucs. Parfois bien, même.

Heaven : Heaven a sorti une application iPhone plutôt bien foutue pour Van Cleef & Arpels. Elle a un peu buzzé ce qui a continué de poser cette agence dans le monde très fermé du luxe. Dans la même veine de choses bien faites, leur application Faceboo pour le Club Med est efficace. On attend les prochaines réalisations...

Vanksen : Culture Buzz / Buzz Paradise : Vanksen est devenu cette année un véritable groupe mondial. Non seulement ils ont des bureau dans de nombreux pays, mais ils viennent de faire deux choses : développer leur bureau new yorkais et être short listé pour un Lions à Cannes. Respect donc pour ce pure player. Leur actu du mois : Symantec, Passoa (invitation des bloggers à Paris, lille, Marseille pour participer à l’orangina Wake Jame Tour, rencontrer des rider pro et tester le wake board) et ils ont mis en oeuvre leur nouvelle régie avec des billets sponsorisés pour Evian ou Orangina. Pas de grand coup d'éclat ce mois-ci pour Vanksen, mais la certitude que Vanksen est en train d'imposer son nom, mondialement.

You to You : Comme chaque mois, You to You se bouge pour ses clients : Actimel (rencontre avec des blogueuses "maman" et des chercheurs, scientifiques et nutritionnistes de Danone), Géant vert (blogueurs invités à cuisiner avec Gontran Cherrier des recettes de légumes) et enfin le concours Gemey Maybelline. Par ailleurs, et c'est nouveau, You to You vient de lancer ce qu'ils nomment : des billets indépendants. Des billets sur des blogs rémunérés, mais indépendants ce qui donne la possibilité de critiquer le produit ou le service sans risqué d'être black listé. Nous sommes donc loin des comportements des agences comme Heaven ou RPCA en matière d'assumer les propos... 

Bonnie & Clyde : Bonnie & Clyde filiale de Nextedia vient d'annoncer que sa maison mère changait de direction. Ainsi, laissons lui l'été pour revenir en force à la rentrée. Bonnes vacances.

Modedemploi : Modedemploia fait beaucoup de chose ce mois. Ils ont révélé leur travail autour des avions Dassaults, ils ont montré tout les gens qu'ils avaient recrutés, ils ont fait une fête d'agence tendance concert... bref comme Vanksen, ils montrent qu'ils terminent très fortement l'année, même s'ils n'ont rien buzzé de très visibles.

TBWA : Le mois dernier, je vous indiquais que TBWA était vraiment moins visible sur le digital... ce mois-ci cela s'est confirmé par le départ de celle qui gérait tout en interne. TBWA vient de perdre un pro du web et risque de retomber au 1.0. Bonnes vacances...

Tribal DDB : Tribal DDB est la seule agence française à avoir pris un prix à Cannes. Du bronze. Du bronze pour leur catcheur fou : Chlorophyllo. Cela valait bien un mois calme du coté du buzz...

X-Prime : X-Prime vient de sortir une sur-couche à un site sur Toulouse.Il n'y a rien d'extraordinaire mais en matière de vidéo, ils montrent tout leur savoir faire. X-Prime serait-elle l'agence qui a compris l'intégration de l'audiovisuel dans le digital ?... Les Friday links le démontrent.

Ketchum : Ce mois-ci, Ketchum a annoncé qu'ils fusionnaient avec Pléon. Sinon, ils ont lancé le blog Ma RATP dans la poche pour appuyer la communication auprès des journalistes sur les services proposés par Ma RATP dans la poche. Un service pour les journalistes. L'approche est maline. Par ailleurs, ils continuent avec leur client Norton a animé la communauté de ceux qui aiment Norton avec le lancement d'un jeu-concours. Rien de bien excitant.

Passage piéton : Passage Piéton a mis en ligne un site de mise en avant de l’offre Cross média pour Lagadère Publicité, ils ont terminé la Grande Collecte Nationale de la halle (+ 300 tonnes de vêtements récoltés), un vrai succès grâce notamment à l'action de la blogosphère féminine. Par ailleurs, ce mois-ci il ont préparé l'événement de dimanche prochain et devrait remporter le prochain  Buzz d'Or !...

Isobar : L'agence digital de Isobar, Noyz, a, une fois de plus, fait du plus produit pour un de ses annonceurs. En l'espèce, Philips. Là, c'est à la limite de la caricature d'un événement blogueur. Un produit de marque, une campagne jouant sur le "cul" pour à l'arriver espérer générer de la note. Il serait bien que Noyz fasse du planning stratégique digital... il vont finir par perdre des clients...

RPCA : RPCA revient en force après plusieurs mois de silence pour leur client Chupa Chups. Quatre vidéo virales assez simplistes mais qui fonctionnent, des cadeaux blogueurs et une mécanique digitale qui a le mérite de faire du référencement. Par ailleurs, ils se sont appuyés sur Ebuzzing pour générer de la note - sponsorisées - sur les blogs. Encourageons les à percévérer et à monter le niveau de leurs concepts viraux pour éviter de passer par des billets sponsorisés.

Buzzman : Buzzman a monté deux opérations : un buzz assez énorme mais classique pour Axe et ses Muchas Maracas (belle efficacité en tout cas, nombreuses reprise) et un événement pour GDFSUEZ, Je fais pousser un arbre, ayant comme ambition d'inciter les gens à passer de la facture papier à la facture numérique. C'est propre et bien fait d'autant plus que la communication s'est avant tout orientée sur ceux qui ne sont pas forcément écolo...

Nouveau Jour : Nouveau Jour est une agence qui n'arrive pas à sortir des campagnes digitales construites alors de temps en temps ils buguent. Là, pour un de leur client, ils ont invité des streaptiseuses du meilleur goût autour d'un paperboard pour faire faire leur boulot à des blogueurs. Dommage, cela partait d'un bon sentiment cette soirée école de commerce.

Self Image : Self image sauve son mois par une micro opération pour Badoit dans les derniers jours du mois de juin. Un petit événement 360 avec un concours qui a fait écrire quelques lignes sur certains blogs. Ils ont besoin de souffler. La question est pourquoi ?...

Les Résidents : Les Résidents ont assuré la partie opérationnelle de l'événement de Buzzman pour GDFSUEZ, et réalisé le community management pour la campagne remarquable de Volkswagen qui est un buzz qui prend car des blogueurs comme des portails spécialisés relayent l'opération. Un belle fin de saison pour cette agence qui a vécu quelques départs comme celui de Cyril Montana.

Chainsaw : Chainsaw a poussé arrivant presqu'à spammer nos boites mails et compte twitter pour l'institut du Monoï. Si la méthode est indécente, l'idée créative d'un débarquement pour huiler des donzelle n'est pas aggressive. Le clip a été vu de nombreuses fois et auraient été servi davantage par des méthodes de communication moins "bourrins" pour éviter un goût finalement amer dans la bouche pour cette opération de buzz.

Absence de présence buzzique des annonceurs des agences suivantes :

 

   

 

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This is one in an occasional series on MediaShift where I discuss issues in-depth with thought leaders in online media. The format has changed to give you a profile of the person, as well as more of our dialogue -- including video clips. If you have suggestions for future Q&As or want to participate yourself, drop me a line via the Feedback Form.

Profile

Steve Rubel

Age: 39

Hometown & Current Location: Long Island, NY

Favorite Websites: Gmail, Friendfeed, Posterous, Google Reader, NYTimes.com, Instapaper

Online Persona (all the places to find you online): Lifestream site, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Friendfeed page, Google Profile.

What Makes Him a Thought Leader: Rubel was one of the first PR people to take up active blogging back in 2004, and his Micropersuasion blog has been a must-read A-list blog since then. Rubel is now senior vice president, director of insights, for Edelman Digital, looking at technology, media and online trends. He has more than 27,000 followers on Twitter and writes a bi-weekly column for Advertising Age magazine.

What He's Doing Now: The biggest change for Rubel was mothballing his Micropersuasion blog and putting all his efforts into a lifestream site run through Posterous. He can now post more frequently and embed more multimedia easily into his stream. He told me the new site gets twice the traffic of his blog, likely because of the higher volume of posts, the curiosity of people who want to see his new site, and his experimentation on the site.

Q&A

I spoke with Rubel a couple months ago when he was visiting San Francisco for the Ad:tech conference. We met at B Restaurant near Moscone Center and I interviewed him with my Flip camera. We talked about his balancing act as a blogger/journalist/PR person, how PR is shifting with the advent of social media, and what lessons Edelman and Edelman's client Wal-Mart have learned from previous missteps online. Here's the edited video from that chat (apologies for the background noise), with notations below on particular questions and subjects if you'd like to jump to topics of interest to you.

01:48: Blogs losing their luster to Twitter and other online forms of expression.

02:52: Elephants (social media) and zebras (old media) mating, creating...?

03:58: What's the next big thing in social media?

05:44: Rubel got in trouble with PC Magazine by saying he doesn't read it anymore.

06:50: Social media has become an integral part of PR.

08:30: Will PR companies hire marketer-programmers?

08:58: What's the biggest mistake PR people make online?

09:55: Celebrities cut out the PR middleman by using Twitter, social media themselves.

11:05: What Wal-Mart and Edelman learned from past PR mistakes online.

12:30: Is the press release outdated, and should it be replaced with "social media press release"?

13:40: What's the best way for brands to track themselves on social media?

*****

What do you think about the changes happening in PR? Do you think social media has become an integral part of a PR person's daily routine? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».

I spoke with Rubel a couple months ago when he was visiting San Francisco for the Ad:tech conference. We met at B Restaurant near Moscone Center and I interviewed him with my Flip camera. Mark Glaser writing for Mediashift on pbs.org

Timestamps of the interview are on the PBS site if you want to drill down into a topic.

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Sky Saxon, lead singer with 60s garage punk legends the Seeds, died on the morning of June 25, 2009 (or as his official web site put it, he “passed over to be with YaHoWha”); as it happened, he died the same day as both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, ensuring that the entertainment press, who might have been expected to treat his passing like a one-line filler item, didn’t even give it that much attention. But Saxon hadn’t been a celebrity in the traditional sense for a very long time. Sky may have been a rock star for about two years on the strength of the singles “Pushin’ Too Hard” and “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine,” but after those twenty-four months as a bargain-basement Mick Jagger, he evolved into Flower Power’s Last Man Standing, a guy who let his freak flag fly with a wild-eyed sincerity that made most of his peers from the Sunset Strip scene look like weekenders, and transformed his story into something far more interesting than the typical two-hit wonder and cult hero.

Sky Saxon was born Richard Marsh in Salt Lake City, Utah; depending on which source one cites, Marsh was born in either 1937, 1945 or 1946. Whatever his age, Marsh lit out for the bright lights of Los Angeles, California in the early 60s, determined he was going to be a singing star. Under the name Dick Marsh, he cut his first single in 1963, “What Chance Have I” b/w “There’s Only One Girl,” and quickly released three more singles as Ritchie Marsh or Little Ritchie Marsh; the material was well-executed but lightweight assembly-line pop of the teen idol variety, complete with honking saxophone and adenoidal vocals, and the only thing that links them to his later work is Marsh’s willingness to throw himself into the emotional deep end on tunes like “Baby Bay Baby” or “They Say.” By 1964, Marsh had adopted the stage name Sky Saxon, and cut a pair of singles that, like his earlier releases, didn’t go too far. (Most of these pre-Seeds sides can be heard on the 2003 Norton Records collection A Starlight Date With Richard Marsh.)

In 1965, Saxon met a guitarist named Jan Savage and they started talking about forming a band. Bringing in Daryl Hooper on keyboards and Rick Andridge on drums, they became the Seeds and started playing clubs on the L.A. rock circuit. A far cry from the well-scrubbed teenage charm of Ritchie Marsh, the Seeds conjured up a sound that was grimy and minimal, built around cyclical melodic patterns and Hooper’s relentless keyboard riffs (one critic suggested that he only knew one solo but played it over and over in different keys and octaves on each song). Long before the word “psychedelic” gained common currency in the pop music scene, the Seeds cultivated a distinctly druggy sound and aura, and several of their early tunes (such as “Mr. Farmer” and “Rollin’ Machine”) pointed to their inescapable love of marijuana. GNP/Crescendo Records signed the Seeds to a record deal, and in 1966 their first single, “Pushin’ Too Hard,” quickly climbed the charts. With Saxon’s sneering vocals, Hooper’s loping keyboard lines and Savage’s ... well, savage guitar breaks, the tune was an especially potent example of California garage punk, and soon the Seeds were one of the biggest draws in town. In quick succession, the Seeds cranked out two albums in 1966, The Seeds and A Web Of Sound, and charted two more singles, the oft-banned “Mr. Farmer” and the more successful “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine.” (The latter became something of a garage rock standard, covered by the Ramones, Johnny Thunders and most notably Alex Chilton, whose version sounds positively deranged.) However, the glorious crudity of the Seeds didn’t leave them much room for advancement, and after 1967’s Future, an ambitious concept album that sounds more clunky and pretentious than anything else, things began to go downhill for the band, and within a year they released a live album as well as a set of blues workouts credited to the Sky Saxon Blues Band, though the lineup was the same as the Seeds. In 1968, they were reduced to something like self-parody, playing a hapless rock band called the Warts on an episode of the sit-com The Mothers-In-Law (they do just fine miming to “Pushin’ Too Hard,” but while none of the Seeds were actors, Sky’s slack jawed mugging suggests he was under the influence on the day of filming.)

The Seeds limped along for a few years, releasing a few singles on various labels, until the band finally called it a day in 1972. However, by this time Saxon had become interested in loftier pursuits. Tunes from Future like “Travel With Your Mind” and “Where Is The Entrance Way To Play” suggested Sky was interested in something a bit deeper than the grungy sneer of the Seeds, and in the early 1970s he fell in with the Source Family, a spiritual commune overseen by one Father Yod, aka YaHoWha (born James Edward Baker). The Source Family was affiliated with a successful vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles (the eatery financed the family’s activities), and when they weren’t serving food, they were walking a spiritual path that combined Eastern mysticism and an understanding of “vibrations” with a desire to return to the ways of nature. Saxon became a passionate devotee of Father Yod’s teachings; he changed his name to Sunlight, became a member of the Source Family’s experimental psychedelic music group Yahowha 13, and when the commune moved en masse to Hawaii in 1974, Sunlight joined them. The one-time rock star’s public profile dropped to zero as he and his fellow seekers followed Father Yod’s edicts of sharing, respecting the Earth and not allowing lust to interfere with spiritual love (a big jump for the guy who recorded the marathon paean to teenage sex, “Up In Her Room”). Sunlight also developed a special concern for dogs, believing they had a special connection with the Heavenly Father (just read dog backwards ... see?) and he worked with animal rescue groups.

Unlike most rockers who flirted with arcane religious pursuits in the late 60s and early 70s, Sunlight never walked away from the Source Family and Father Yod’s teachings, though he did return to California in the late 70s, moving back and forth between Hawaii and California for most of the rest of his life. (He also helped compile a box sex of rare YaHoWha 13 recordings, called God and Hair.) As the garage rock revival took hold and a handful of punk rockers name-checked the Seeds as a primal influence, Sunlight found that he had a small but loyal following, and while few outside of this band of loyalists were paying much attention, he began making music again, calling himself Sky Sunlight Saxon and mixing covers of the old Seeds standards with tunes that reflected his newer spiritual direction. Just a list of the names of his various bands of the 70s and 80s tells a tale in itself: Fire Water Air, Stars New Seeds, Universal Stars Peace Band, Purple Electricity, Fire Wall, Fast Planet, the Dragonslayers. Saxon assembled a new version of the Seeds and hit the road, though most of time Saxon was the only original Seed in the band (the rotating lineup at various times included Mars Bonfire, the studio keyboardist who wrote “Born To Be Wild,” and Don Bolles, drummer with the Germs, and the notion of one band finding room for both of those people is slightly mind boggling). Much of the time, Saxon’s new music made him sound like a slightly addled old hippie, but he also came off as a gentle eccentric with a plentiful head of energy and a willingness to do right by his increasingly warped legend.

In 2009, Sky Saxon relocated to Austin, Texas, a town noted for its friendliness to aging psychedelic rangers, and he continued to perform as his official website proclaimed him “King of garage rock! Master of psychedelia! Godfather of punk! Founding father of flower power!” That must have been a heavy legacy for one man to shoulder, and though Saxon soon found an unexpected patron in Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, who recorded a tune with him, “Choose To Choose Love,” his health began to fail, and only a day after he played a show in Austin on June 20 with local band Shapes Have Fangs, Saxon was hospitalized, and succumbed to heart and liver failure on the morning of June 25. Or at least that’s how most of us look at it. As for Sunlight, only a few months before he passed on, he told an interviewer, “Well, I think you could retire when you die. I don’t, however, believe in death, so I guess I will retire when I leave my body. But I plan to continue writing and performing in heaven.” So who knows? Maybe Sky Saxon and Michael Jackson are teaming up for a double bill in The Great Blue Yonder at this moment. And why not? They both loved animals.

Cette 3ème édition du festival classique, organisé en partenariat avec Saint-Jeannet, sous la direction artistique de Jean-Christophe Berger, verra la naissance d'un Orchestre de Musique de Chambre, nommé «Les Saisons», qui ouvrira le festival, le 21 Juillet à 21h avec Bach et Vivaldi (entre autre Les 4 Saisons) interprétés par trois jeunes brillants Solistes: Fleur Grûneissen, Gautier Dooghe et Pierre Fouchenneret.

Le 22 juillet à 21h, dans l'église, ce sera un concert plus intimiste avec deux Solistes, Pierre Fouchenneret au Violon et Antoine Pierlot au Violoncelle, nommé aux Victoires de la Musique classique en 2009. Ils interprèteront, Bach, Cassado, Ligeti et un Duo de Ravel.

Le 25 juillet à partir de 14h, à la chapelle St jean Baptiste, nous accueillerons des amateurs de 7 à 77 ans qui veulent s'exercer au Violon, Alto, Violoncelle, dans une session «Osez la Musique» Cet atelier est GRATUIT, nous attendons vos pré-inscriptions à L'Office de Tourisme pour organiser des groupes.

Le 27 juillet prélude à 19h (35mn) nous écouterons le jeune Lauréat de Concours International de Piano de Brest, Fabrice Bibas, qui offrira une sonate de Shubert.
Après une courte visite du village et/ou une restauration rapide (buffet ou restaurants du quartier), vous pourrez continuer la soirée avec le Concert à 21h. Nous aurons le privilège d'accueillir, la déjà célèbre Violoncelliste Maja Bogdanovic qui se produira aux cotés du non moins célèbre Trio Magellan, composé de Julien Gernay, Pierre Fouchenneret et Antoine Pierlot. Ils serviront les oeuvres Rachmaninov, Beethoven et Tchaikovski.

Le 29 Juillet prélude à 19h (35mn) à nouveau Fabrice Bibas, mais cette fois dans l'interprétation de Bartok et Chopin. Puis Concert à 21h avec 8 grandioses artistes, Fleur Grûneissen, Julien Gernay, Pierre Fouchenneret, Gaudier Dooghe, Tristan Dely,Jean-Christophe Berger, Antoine Pierlot et Maja Bogdanovic. Ils nous enchanteront dans Fauré, Poulenc, Enesco et 6 d'entre eux complèteront la soirée avec une œuvre magistrale de Tchaikovski, «Souvenir de Florence»

Le 31 Juillet prélude à 19h (35mn) sera un divertissement «Cordes et Flûte» dans Shubert et Beethoven, avec Fleur Grûneissen Gautier Dooghe, Andreï Iarca, Jean-Christophe Berger et Maja Bogdanovic. Puis la finale ! Concert à 21h avec un Quatuor à Cordes, Gautier Dooghe, Andreï Iarca, Jean-Christophe Berger et Maja Bogdanovic, qui nous raviront avec «Les Dissonnances» de Mozart, «Langsamer Satz» de Webern et le «Quatuor Americain» de Dvorak.

Tarifs: Préludes 4E, Concerts 12-15E, gratuit moins de 12 ans accompagnés
PASS 3 concerts 40E et PASS 5 concerts 65E (dont adhésion 10E)

Réservations: Office de Tourisme de St Jeannet 0493247383 (ou 0493244802) -//- agenda Festival - Saint-Jeannet, Alpes-Maritimes (06) - le 21-07-2009 -//-

Says ridiculous that that each time a phone rings in a public place, the phone user has violated copyright law.

A few weeks ago we mentioned how the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) had taken AT&T to court arguing that phone ringtones are a “performance to the public” under the Copyright Act and that it must be compensated accordingly.

“AT&T is directly liable for the public performance of ringtones,” reads the initial court submission. “When a ringtone rings in ‘public,’ it is undeniably a ‘public performance’ as those terms are defined in the Copyright Act.”

ASCAP argues phone carriers must pay additional royalties or face legal liability for contributing to what they claim is cell phone users’ copyright infringement. In an amicus brief filed Wednesday, EFF points out that copyright law does not reach public performances “without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage” — clearly the case with cell phone ringtones. If phone users are not infringing copyright law, then mobile phone service providers are not contributing to any infringement.

The case is now being tried in a New York federal court, at which yesterday the EFF urged the court to reject these bogus copyright claims that could ultimately raise costs for consumers, jeopardize consumer rights, and curtail new technological innovation.

“This is an outlandish argument from ASCAP,” said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. “Are the millions of people who have bought ringtones breaking the law if they forget to silence their phones in a restaurant? Under this reasoning from ASCAP, it would be a copyright violation for you to play your car radio with the window down!”

ASCAP has responded by saying that it does not plan to charge mobile phone users, just mobile phone service providers. But if ASCAP prevails, consumers could find themselves targeted by other copyright owners for “public performances.” Worse, these wrongheaded legal claims cast a shadow over innovators who are building gadgets that help consumers get the most from their copyright privileges.

“Because it is legal for consumers to play music in public, it’s also legal for my mobile phone carrier to sell me a ringtone and a phone to do it,” said von Lohmann. “Otherwise it would be illegal to sell all kinds of technologies that help us enjoy our fair use, first sale, and other copyright privileges.”

Stay tuned.

jared@zeropaid.com

This weekend is the celebration of the American Independence Day on July 4th and if you have ever lived or travelled to America on this date, you know that the day is typically celebrated with BBQs and fireworks. Across the nation, people get ready for traditions that have remained largely unchanged. As the big day dawns, though, there are several ways that social media and particularly social media tools on mobile devices could transform the day for the digitally connected - and offer a great promotional idea for the right brand in the process.

Here are a few ideas:

• Fireworks Finder Mobile App - A simple map based application that would allow you to search for local destinations that have fireworks to decide where to go. In addition to the location, it would offer useful information like what else is happening, and how long the fireworks in that area are estimated to go for. After all, who doesn't want to see the longest fireworks display? Who This Idea Works For?: Fast Food Restaurant (could show nearby restaurants), Fireworks seller (link to nearby retail spots), Local city governments (to increase tourism and locals who stay close to home)
• Fireworks Countdown Timer - One of the biggest questions on the 4th of July as people pack into large cities and gathering areas to watch fireworks is when exactly they will start. Though they are scheduled, often the real start time is different and due to weather or when it actually gets dark enough. This timer could be a mobile app that would be updated in real time with the true start time of the fireworks. It could also count down as the fireworks are running until then end so you know how much time is left. Who This Idea Works For?: Baby/Kids Product Makers (as a useful service for parents to answer impatient kids), Watch/Timekeeping Brand (relates to keeping time), Cell Provider (exclusive download to certain cell networks for subscribers)
• Fireworks Photo Tips PDF - During the fireworks, people often can't help taking their point and click cameras and trying to get a shot of the fireworks. Usually, there are some simple things, like zooming in, turning autofocus off and turning the flash off that can make a big difference in the quality of pictures. Giving people a download ahead of time with how to get the best photos from the day could be a great useful printout that people actually offer their email in exchange to download and print to take with them. Who This Idea Works For?: Photographic Equipment Manufacturer (include info on best cameras with night modes), Photo printing services (offer a coupon for discount on uploading and printing your photos afterwards).

Anyone seen any of these ideas being used already? While every retail brand is doing the typical "4th of July sale" - the may be opportunities are out there and waiting for your brand to engage people through social media and stand out from your competitors in the process.

Comments

<b>Enquête - </b>La TVA est passée de 19,6% à 5,5% dans les cafés et restaurants le 1er juillet. Mais les restaurateurs ont-ils joué le jeu et sur quel type de produits ?
LCI.fr a testé la TVA à 5,5%

Gaijin. Celui qui se tient, raide comme un piquet, sur la droite d’un escalator. Qui reste planté devant une carte du métro pendant des heures. Qui achète de la lessive en pensant prendre un paquet de gâteau. Qui salope les rues de Roppongi en rendant ses derniers litres de bière. Qui change de restaurant jusqu’à trouver un menu avec des images. Qui tente de mener une vie tranquille, installé et intégré depuis 10 ans dans le même quartier. Un mot, une boutade, une caresse, un...