PARIS HILTON CARS

CHEF Cat Cora

Mediterranean gets a makeover when Cat Cora's blend of French, California and Greek cuisines

hit Kitchen Stadium.

Stats

From: San Francisco Bay/Napa Valley via New York, France, California and Jackson, Mississippi.
Restaurants: Working on my signature restaurant.
Cuisine: Mediterranean, particularly Greek, French and Italian. Also Asian, spa, Creole, Southern/soul food and, as a mom, gourmet baby food.
Interests: Yoga/meditation, waterskiing and skiing/boarding, body surfing, dancing to ABBA with my 14-month-old son, rockin’ out with my guitar that I don't play very well. Of course, cooking, eating, and drinking great wine.
Ideal secret ingredient: Lamb sweetbreads or cheeks.
Culinary inspirations: MFK Fisher, Julia Child, my grandmother Alma, my parents, and my godfather, who worked in restaurants in Lyon, France to put himself through college.
Ideal judge(s): Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith.
Culinary secret weapon(s): Global Santoku knife, ouzo, and a mortar/pestle.
Favorite restaurant: French Laundry.
Favorite food: Greek or Asian.
Food you won’t go near: I have not found it yet.
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Alligator.
Favorite food destination: New York for oysters and martinis at Blue Ribbon, and Paris for lunch at Alain Ducasse.
Alternative dream job: Actress and novelist.

CHEF Mario Batali

True Italo-philes know Molto Mario is the king of authentic Italian eats.

Stats
From: Seattle
Restaurants: Babbo, Lupa, Otto, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamon, Bistro Du Vent, Del Posto
Cuisine: Italian, Spanish, and French
Interests: Family, travel, golf
Ideal secret ingredient: Seafood
Culinary inspirations: Alain Ducasse, Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Jeremiah Tower, Alice Waters
Ideal judge: Bart Starr or Jeremiah Tower, two of my heroes
Culinary secret weapon: Vin cotto or balsamic vinegar
Favorite restaurant: Pearl Oyster, Mesa Grill, or Gray’s Papaya
Favorite food: Anything anyone else makes
Food you won’t go near: Durian
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Fried grasshoppers
Favorite food destination: Bologna for lasagna, Brodo for tortellini
Alternative dream job: Pool boy in Malibu

CHEF Masaharu Morimoto

Japanese food fans bow down to the legendary master Morimoto-san.

Stats
From: Hiroshima, Japan
Restaurant: Morimoto Restaurant in Philadelphia and New York City
Cuisine: Japanese
Interests: East/West integration, Japanese traditions
Ideal secret ingredient: Ingredients that generate umami, the fifth taste
Ideal judge: Someone who understands global cuisine
Culinary secret weapon: Home-milled rice
Favorite restaurant: Ginzu Kyubei
Favorite food: Sushi
Food you won’t go near: None
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Live snake
Favorite food destination: Japan, because I am Japanese
Alternative dream job: Professional baseball player

r.

Conscious communities need 'conscious' leadership.

What is conscious leadership? According to Farr Associates, a executive and organization development firm based in High Point, NC, conscious leaders possess three key qualities:

Quality 1: You must have the skill to gain insight into the follower's mind, concerning his situation, and how they perceive you. In particular, you must know what they perceive as negative. Since sensible followers are reluctant to say negative things to anyone who has power over their work lives, mapping out negative perceptions takes a good deal of leader skill. A leader can break down any reluctance to give feedback by supporting the efforts of followers to work in a way that satisfies both themselves and their company. A good leader knows and consistently uses some of the many techniques for learning follower's needs and assessing how they experience their environment. Leaders need to create and manage a system of feedback loops that keep them in permanent touch with follower mindset, so they lead professionally with maximum impact.

Quality 2: To be a powerful leader, you must present your "leaderself" to others, rather than your "naturalself." Good leaders do not always do what comes as a natural expression of their personalities. Instead, they come from a leaderself that is designed and created to do exactly the leadership behavior called for by the situation. They fit the leader role rather than make the role fit them. It is amazing how often poor leadership occurs because leaders do what comes naturally from their personalities rather than what is needed to be effective.

Quality 3: To create an effective “leaderself”, you must operate from self-awareness rather than from an automatic mind. For many leaders, this is unbelievably difficult, because they are unaware of much of what they do and of the perceptions they create in others. They act on automatic pilot, focusing attention on what they want as an end outcome in the business, with little or no thought on how they want the follower to feel, see and change their behavior. They lead with too much focus on what they want done, rather than from an awareness of followers' mindset. Often, the personality traits that make for effective managers can make them terrible leaders, especially once their role expands beyond leadership, based on their personal charisma and implementation skills.

Top 5 Most Luxurious Hotels and Resorts

So you want to take the holiday of your life, and to make that even more special you decided that there will be no expenses spared.

If you still don't know where to go, here are 5 places that will surely rock your boat!

1. Altamer Resorts (Anguilla) - the 3 exclusive villas in the Altamer Resort are some of the finest in the world. Well, at $80,000 a night (this price was charged in December 2006 through January 2007, and is the most expensive) it really should be that way!Each villa has its own private swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, home theater, an office with high speed internet access and wireless connection in the villa. You also get a personal butler and 8 dedicated staff, including a chef if the meal plan was selected.There are also 2 tennis courts that double as basketball courts and a volleyball court that are common for the 3 villas. If that won't satisfy you, the pristine beaches of Shoal Bay West will be what you are looking for.

2. Burj Al Arab (Dubai) - if you're visiting the United Arab Emirates this is the only place to stay! At around $4,000 for a 2 bedroom, 3605 square feet suite, it is not as expensive as other accommodations but it isn't exactly cheap either.Each suite has an office area complete with laptop, Internet access, private fax, printer and copier. Some of the advanced technologies that are at your disposal in a Burj Al Arab: lighting, curtains and air-conditioning at the touch of a button; 42 inch plasma screen, video on demand, DVD and a wide variety of cable channels.

3. Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows (Kohala Coast, Kona) - this AAA 5 Diamond Award Winner is located on the big island's Kohala Coast, Hawaii's sunniest coastline.The only way you can benefit the full Mauna Lani experience is to take a tour of the island by helicopter: search for active lava flows, lush rain forests, deep valleys and waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, whales, hidden beaches and much more.The top of the line in accommodation is the 3 bedroom villa that features a master bedroom/bath suite and 2 guest rooms for up to 6 people. It includes daily housekeeping service, spacious private lanai and state of the art kitchen, fully equipped laundry facility and a designated parking stall. The Prime Villa goes at $1,920 per day plus tax with a minimum stay of 3 days.

4. Le Meridien Bora Bora (Bora Bora, French Polynesia) - this tropical paradise can be one of the most romantic escapes for couples in love, especially with Le Meridien's offer: a Premium Overwater Bungalow will set you back a little bit over $1,000 a day.You might wonder why the bungalows are called "Overwater". Well, that's because they are... over water. Imagine being in a room that has a glass floor (it's a thick pane of glass, don't worry) that gives you a clear view of the clear turquoise water below. Plus, a ladder even lets you take a swim in the lagoon's warm water!

5. Dromoland Castle Hotel (County Clare, Ireland) - sometimes the beaches and white sands become a little too, dare I say it, boring. A change of scenery, from the beaches to the greenest grass, from the ocean to the mountains, add a little variety and spice to life.Dromoland Castle is one of the few castle hotels that can trace its ownership back through history to Gaelic Irish families of royal heritage. Blending old world elegance with modern day comforts, it is one of Europe's most desired destinations.A one bedroom suite will offer its 2 guests all the amenities that one expects from a $1,350 per night service: internet connection, cable TV, audio system, movie service, messaging services, 24 hour room service and a lot more!

These are only 5 out of hundreds of dream locations that you can visit and then say that you had the vacation of a life time.

Still, next time you are planning a trip, take another look at this list and consider visiting a place that will forever be with you!

Know about Earth

The 20 happiest nations in the World are: 1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Austria 4. Iceland 5. The Bahamas 6. Finland 7. Sweden 8. Bhutan 9. Brunei 10. Canada 11. Ireland 12. Luxembourg 13. Costa Rica 14. Malta 15. The Netherlands 16. Antigua and Barbuda 17. Malaysia 18. New Zealand 19. Norway 20. The Seychelles

Other notable results include: 23. USA 35. Germany 41. UK 62. France 82. China 90. Japan 125. India 167. Russia The three least happy countries were: 176. Democratic Republic of the Congo 177. Zimbabwe 178. Burundi

Source: Science Daily

Floating About

i love my I-POD

Activist: Hurley Wedding a 'Mockery of Hindu Customs'

The Associated Press

NEW DELHI -- A Hindu religious activist has filed a complaint in a western Indian court saying that Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar's Hindu wedding made a "mockery of Hindu customs," a news report said Wednesday.The 41-year-old British actress-model and Nayar, a 42-year-old Indian businessman, were married in a lavish Hindu ceremony at a palace-turned-hotel in the western Indian city of Jodhpur in March.

The couple first wed in a private civil ceremony in a castle outside London.

Video: Hurley headed to jail?"This was a marriage for commercial "This was a marriage for commercial purposes, but at the cost of religious feelings," Hasti Mal Saraswat, said in his complaint, The Times of India newspaper said.

Saraswat is acting on behalf of Vishnu Khandelwal, a local businessman and religious activist.Jasraj, a Hindu priest who uses just one name, also said that since the couple already had married before, they had no Hindu religious sanction to marry for a second time.

The complaint goes on to say that Hurley did not remove her footwear while walking around the sacred fire at the ceremony and wore revealing clothes.The report had no details on when the complaint was likely to come up before a judge. India's legal system, burdened by a huge backlog of cases, is notoriously slow and it can take months and even years before complaints come up for hearing.

The petition was filed under a section of the Indian Penal Code that makes it an offense to upset any religious feelings with "deliberate and malicious intention."Saraswat told the newspaper that Arun Nayar's father, Vinod Nayar, also will testify against the couple. Earlier this week, tabloids in England and India carried reports that Vinod Nayar has severed ties with his son after he was thrown out of the wedding on Hurley's urging.Hurley and her husband have not commented on the reports or on the complaint.Actress Hurley appeared in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and "Bedazzled," and for several years was the international face of Estee Lauder cosmetics.

Source-Associated press

Why Goa has become hot these days?

Goa no longer cool enough!

Feeling sweaty and uncomfortable in ‘holiday’ Goa? The weather bureau in the State today confirmed that humidity levels have been up by 10 to 12 per cent over normal recordings and partly cloudy weather and cyclonic rain is compounding the discomfort levels.

From data furnished by the IMO office, the humidity levels normally recorded twice in the day at 75 per cent and 63 per cent showed an increase to 83 per cent and 71 per cent during the last couple of days.Similarly, the State is also experiencing a high in the minimum temperatures which is being recorded at 27 degrees for the last few days “This is two degrees above normal,” explained Mr K V Singh heading the IMO office in Goa.The maximum temperature has also shown an increase to 35 degrees which officials say is two degrees above normal.For 2007, this is above normal as in April last year the minimum temperature was recorded at 25 degrees while maximum was 33.8 degrees.Explaining further reasons for the partly cloudy skies and rain Singh said this is on account of an upper trough being experienced from South Madhya Maharashtra to the Southern interior Karnataka.
Singh, however, said that some change could be experienced in the weather conditions offering much respite in view of changes recorded in wind directions.The westerly winds have begun to cease and the same is now heading from the North and is hoped to bring down the humidity levels from 10-12 per cent to at least 8-10 per cent.
- Herald Goa Daily