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Archive for May, 2009
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
What a woman. I could easily be talking about Shirley Muldowney, the “First Lady of Drag Racing” or Hayley Wickenheiser, hockey player extraordinaire, or slam dunk star Candace Parker, or even Extreme Sport genius Darian Boyle. But today I am here to honor none other than Indy racing star Danica Patrick.
“Lyfe U Want” celebrates women. Their beauty, femininity, intelligence, sexiness, and their moxie. And Danica has all of the above and more (Did you catch her bikini photo shoot? Pretty hot stuff. Girl has got it goin’ on!). She may not be the first Goddess to grace the racing scene (kudos to Janet Guthrie for that), but she has proven to be the fastest. In 2008 she won an IRL race in Japan. After becoming the first female driver to win a major open-wheel race she said, “Finally. It’s a long time coming”. Today she tools on up to the starting line again at the Indy 500. Four words come to my mind: “Go get ‘em Danica!”
The awesome thing is the message she sends to other women: Stand up for what you believe in no matter what it looks like. Fight the odds. Do what you love. She also reminds all of us women of our strength, courage, boldness, and brilliance (BTW fellas, it seems to me that she could be reminding you of that too…).
So to you women: When you are celebrating Danica today, don’t forget to celebrate YOU.
And to you men: Whether you’re there at the Indy 500 screaming in the stands or kicking back a cold one in your living room and hollering at your TV, take the time to celebrate the amazing woman in your life–your wife, girlfriend, Mom, work colleague, or even just the woman at the other end of the bar that you really want to talk to. Remember: if it wasn’t for women, you wouldn’t even try…
Thanks Danica. You rock!
Tags: Candace Parker, Danica Patrick, Darian Boyle, female driver, Hayley Wickenheiser, Indy 500, IRL, Jane Guthrie, lyfe u want, Racing, Shirley Muldowney
Posted in Featured, News, Racing | No Comments »
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Teenage soldier went into battle against Taliban… wearing ‘I love New York’ pink boxer shorts
Taking on the Taliban in pink boxer shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops is not regarded as conventional military uniform.
Especially when the shorts declare ‘I love New York’.
However when Zachary Boyd, 19, was woken up by a Taliban assault on his platoon he only had time to grab his weapon, helmet and body armour before springing into action.
Most of the time his appearance on the Afghanistan’s frontline would have gone unnoticed by the eyes of the world.
However, Boyd managed to pick the day when a photographer was on hand to capture him going into battle in the pink boxers, red t-shirt and flimsy footwear.
 Zachary Boyd had been asleep when the firefight erupted in the mountains of Afghanistan. So he only had time to put on his helmet, body armour and grab his weapon The image of the fight at Firebase Restrepo in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province later ended up on the front page of The New York Times.
‘I knew he was a boxer guy. I knew that for sure. I did not know they were pink, and I didn’t know they said, ‘I love New York,’ father Tommy Boyd told his local Texas radio station WBAP.
‘After I saw the picture I just laughed for about five minutes.’
Boyd phoned his mother Sheree Boyd to warn her that he might be in the paper.
‘He said: “I hear the Times is what they put on the President’s desk”,’ she said.
‘Then he told us, “I may not have a job any more after the President has seen me out of uniform”.
‘It was typical. He has always been an interesting little character.’
Boyd, who graduated from Keller Central High School in 2007, decided to join the army because of the September 11 attacks.
He was promoted to the rank of Army Specialist last week.
The Ministry of Defence today said that A British soldier has died in an explosion in Afghanistan.
The soldier, from The Royal Marines Armoured Support Group, was killed yesterday while travelling in a Viking vehicle near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand Province.
Next of kin have been informed.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: ‘We are numb with grief at this loss of a noble Marine, who served his country for the good of the Afghan people.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues who feel the greatest loss.
‘He will always be remembered as a true hero.’
The marine is the 159th British Army soldier to have been killed in Afghanistan since conflict began in late 2001.
Britain has more than 8,000 troops based in Afghanistan, the vast majority serving in Helmand, a desert province that remains a heartland of Taliban-led insurgency.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday praised an Army soldier in eastern Afghanistan who drew media attention this month after rushing to defend his post from attack while wearing pink boxer shorts and flip-flops.
In fact, Gates said he wants to meet the soldier and shake his hand the next time he visits Afghanistan.
“Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage,” Gates said in remarks prepared for a speech in New York.
“I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that: a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his cross-hairs. What an incredible innovation in psychological warfare,” he said.
Army Specialist Zachary Boyd, 19, of Fort Worth, Texas, rushed from his sleeping quarters on May 11 to join fellow platoon members at a base in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province after the unit came under fire from Taliban positions.
A news photographer was on hand to record the image of Boyd standing at a makeshift rampart in helmet, body armor, red T-shirt and boxers emblazoned with the message: “I love NY.”
When the image wound up on the front page of the New York Times, Boyd told his parents he might lose his job if President Barack Obama saw him out of uniform.
“I can assure you that Specialist Boyd’s job is very safe indeed,” Gates said in the speech.
The U.S. defense chief was scheduled to deliver the speech at New York’s annual Salute to Freedom dinner in Manhattan.
Zachary Boyd: This Bud’s for you!
Tags: Afghanistan, body armour, flip-flops, helmet, Pink Boxers, Soldier, t-shirt, Taliban, weapon, Zachary Boyd
Posted in Featured, News | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
You’re hitting the wrong guy, Ron Artest yelled. He leaned into Kobe Bryant’s face and yelled some more. You know who you’re hitting? You’re hitting Ron Artest.
Artest had tried to play nice. He watched as Bryant clubbed down on his arm once, twice, and the refs stayed silent. But now Bryant was clearing him out with a sharp elbow to the neck. If the officials weren’t going to tell Kobe to stop, Artest would do it himself.
He jogged across the court toward Bryant, pointing and yelling. He pressed against Bryant’s chest, got in his face and shouted.
You’re hitting the wrong guy.
Less than a minute later, Artest was stomping toward the locker room, his eruption ending in ejection, the Houston Rockets’ last hopes of a comeback leaving with him. Bryant stepped to the foul line.
You know who you’re hitting?
Of course he did.
Already down a game to the Rockets, his Los Angeles Lakers having coughed up another 15-point lead, Kobe Bryant knew exactly whom he was hitting. Bryant needed Artest. He needed the bad blood, the elbows, the taunting. He needed Derek Fisher to launch himself into the chest of Luis Scola.
Kobe needed all that Wednesday night offered because this is where he finds his fuel. Provoke him at your risk. Challenge him and he lifts his game above that of everyone else, scoring 40 points, delivering a 111-98 victory to send the Lakers and Rockets to Houston with their West semifinal knotted at a game apiece.
“I use it to drive me,” Bryant said. “Absolutely.”
Bryant embraced the tension, the physicality, because he needed to show his Lakers how to make a stand. They had floated through most of these playoffs, defending when necessary, winning more on talent than effort. That worked in the first round against the Utah Jazz, but the Lakers weren’t going to beat the Rockets playing that way. The Rockets know how to take a punch, evidenced again when they spotted the Lakers a 15-point advantage in the first half and then roared back to take the lead.
“It’s good for us,” Bryant said. “You have a challenge right here in front of you. If you’re going to be champions, you have to respond to it. … You have to get after it, by all means.”
The Lakers and Rockets got after each other enough to produce five technicals, one flagrant foul and two ejections – and that didn’t include Houston coach Rick Adelman banishing Von Wafer to the locker room after a sideline tantrum. Scola jawed with three different Lakers within a 30-second span late in the third quarter. When the Rockets forward then came out to set a screen for guard Aaron Brooks on the ensuing possession, Fisher cracked him to the floor with a brutal hit.
“If you’re tough enough, be tough,” Artest said. “Show you’re tough. Kobe’s great enough to take over games and lead his team. He could have done it without that.”
Playoff games, however, are won with mental toughness as much as they are physicality, and this is where Bryant has Artest beat. While Bryant embraces such moments, Artest becomes unhinged when the tension grows too thick. When the teams played in March, Bryant unloaded his fourth-quarter fury on the Rockets after Artest taunted him.
Artest’s timing wasn’t much better on Wednesday. No Rocket had hurt the Lakers more through the series’ first seven quarters than Artest. He was aggressive but efficient and, most important, poised. One well-placed elbow from Bryant changed that.
“I told Kobe, ‘You can do whatever you want to do, I’m not reacting,’ ” Artest said. “I’m going to let the refs control it. But what am I going to do out there: continue to get hit?”
By yelling at Bryant, Artest hoped to draw attention to his complaints at the expense of a technical. His ejection was bang-bang quick, but it’s hard to blame veteran ref Joey Crawford for his trigger given Artest’s history of erratic behavior.
“I remember when I used to play back home in the neighborhood, there was always games like that,” Artest said afterward, delivering another memorable history lesson of life in the Queensbridge projects. “One of my friends was playing … and it was so competitive they broke a piece of leg from a table and they threw it and it went right through his heart and he died, right on the court.
“So I’m accustomed to playing basketball really rough. … I’m used to fighting on the court. That’s how I grew up playing basketball. It took me a lot of years to really back off and understand that’s not what the league is about.”
As for Bryant?
“You’ve got to have balls,” Artest said, “to hit a guy like me in the throat.”
No one need ever question the size of Bryant’s Spaldings. He lives for these moments, these confrontations. Maybe his elbow earns him a suspension, but the Rockets also know this: If he’s on the sideline for Game 3, they have all the more reason to fear Game 4.
Provoke Kobe Bryant at your own peril.
Need some gear to make watching the games more fun?
Tags: Houston Rockets, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Playoffs, Ron Artest
Posted in Basketball | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Dodger Left Fielder, Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance and suspended for 50 games… Ouch! Here’s where it get’s interesting…
A source close to Manny Ramirez said Thursday that the illegal substance for which the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger tested positive was not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing.”
At least not on the baseball diamond. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drug was prescribed to address Ramirez’s erectile dysfunction.
However, two sources said the substance Ramirez tested positive for was a gonadotropin. Major League Baseball’s list of banned substances includes the gonadotropins LH and HCG, which are most commonly used by women as fertility drugs. They also can be used to trigger testosterone production. Testosterone is depleted by steroid use, and low testosterone can cause erectile dysfunction.
“Testosterone and similar drugs are effective for erectile dysfunction in that they jazz up your sex drive,” said Charles Yesalis, a professor at Penn State University who has testified before Congress on issues of performance-enhancing drugs. “But far more clinicians accept that affect with Viagra and Cialis. It’s hard for me to understand if it was erectile dysfunction why they would use it.”
Another physician with experience in international drug-testing said LH and HCG are occasionally prescribed for men “whose testicles have basically stopped functioning.”
The physician, who asked for anonymity because of his standing in the drug-testing community, said HCG is used to re-stimulate the testicles, primarily in men with a history of steroid use.
Ramirez tested positive for the substance during spring training, then had another portion of the same urine – a “B” sample – tested again more recently, and it also was positive. Major League Baseball notified Ramirez of the second positive test after Wednesday night’s Dodgers victory over the Washington Nationals. Ramirez admitted to having taken the substance and declined to appeal. His 50-game suspension begins Thursday.
“The substance is not a steroid and it is not human-growth hormone,” a source close to Ramirez said.
Ramirez, the source said, acquired the substance through a prescription from a doctor in Miami for his medical condition. The source intimated that Ramirez might bring legal action against the physician.
Ramirez released the following statement Thursday morning: “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.
50 games… wow, it sure was nice while it lasted…
Tags: Cialis, Dodgers, erectile dysfunction, fertility drugs, gonadotropin, human-growth hormone, Left Fielder, Manny Ramirez, performance enhancing, suspended, testosterone, Viagra
Posted in Baseball, News | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Superstar filly Rachel Alexandra has changed owners and trainers, and the Kentucky Oaks winner might run against males May 16 in the Preakness Stakes.
“Her ability allows for a tremendous number of options,” new trainer Steve Asmussen told the Daily Racing Form.
Jess Jackson, who owned two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, and Harold McCormick bought Rachel Alexandra Wednesday from Dolphus Morrison and Michael Lauffer in a private purchase. She was transferred Thursday morn ing from Hal Wiggins to Asmussen at Churchill Downs.
Jackson watched the bay with the white star and white blaze gallop on a sloppy track. “She’s a graceful athlete,” he said. “She moves like a ballerina and has the size of some of the colts … No decision has been made on any race or on a rider.”
Maryland Jockey Club executive Mike Gathagan said a representative of Jackson’s Stonestreet Stable contacted Pimlico Tuesday and inquired about a Preakness supplement of an unspecified horse.
Not since 1924 has a filly won the Preakness, and none has tried in 10 years. Rachel Alexandra, who dominated the Oaks by 20¼ lengths Friday without ever being asked to run, might be favored. Chip Woolley Jr., trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, hopes she doesn’t come to Baltimore.
“I think any man would be crazy to want to run against her,” Woolley said Thursday. “I told people that day I was glad she didn’t run in the Derby.”
After sweeping the Oaks and Derby, jockey Calvin Borel was asked which horse he’d prefer if he ever had to choose. “I’d ride her,” Borel said without hesitation. “I think she’s the best horse in the country right now.”
So does Eric Fein, the Jericho resident who owns Preakness runner Musket Man. “People are saying she might be the best horse, girl or boy, and I agree.”
The filly’s possible presence creates an intriguing set of subplots for the 134th Preakness. She is not nominated to the Triple Crown, so she would have to be supplemented for $100,000. That wouldn’t deter Jackson, but unlike the Derby, whose maximum is 20 runners, the Preakness’ field is limited to 14. If 14 Triple Crown nominees were entered, Rachel Alexandra would be shut out. As of Thursday afternoon, there were nine confirmed starters and two probables, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire.
Woolley said if she runs at Pimlico and Borel chooses her over Mine That Bird, there would be no hard feelings. “I’d hate the situation Calvin would be put in if that happens,” Woolley said, “but it’s part of the business. If he decides to ride that filly, I wouldn’t blame him. I’d wish him the very best.”
But there’s no guarantee that Borel would be Asmussen’s choice, because they rarely team up. Shaun Bridgmohan is Asmussen’s main man, with Robby Albarado his other regular.
“We’re just waiting to see what happens,” Woolley said. He has plenty of company.
Tags: Calvin Borel, Churchill Downs, Curlin, filly, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Mine That Bird, Preakness Stakes, Rachel Alexandra, Steve Asmussen
Posted in Horseracing | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
When the nights get longer and the weather warmer, thoughts of refreshing cocktails designed to complement a menu, a theme, or a whim are perfect party starters. Here are some of our faves including a new take on the basic Vodka Martini for something a little different.
Here are 6, count ‘em six summer inspired cocktails to kick start any summer shindig!
Newport Cooler
1 1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Peach Liqueur
1 teaspoon Lime Juice
Ginger Ale
Pour gin, brandy, peach liqueur and lime juice in a collins glass filled with ice, top with ginger ale and stir gently.
Beach Street Cooler
1 1/2 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Curacao
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Cola
Combine the brandy, curacao and lemon juice in a shaker filled with ice, shake and pour into a chilled collins glass. Fill with cold cola and stir well.
Tropical Itch
1oz. Vodka
1oz. Light Rum
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao or Grand Marnier
3 – 4 oz. Passion Fruit Juice
Combine in a shaker with a cup of ice. Pour, with ice into a double old fashion or Collins glass. Top with additional passion fruit juice if needed.
Pina Martinique
1 1/2 oz. White Rum
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Coconut Cream
2 tbsp. Strawberries (crushed)
2 tbsp. Pineapple (crushed)
1 cup Crushed Ice
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix at high speed for 45 seconds. Pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge or strawberry.
Pineapple Martini
2 oz Vodka
1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the vodka, pineapple and simple syrup. Shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple if you have it.
Nude Beach
1 oz. Gold Rum
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
2 oz. Orange Juice
1/2 oz. Grenadine
Dash Lime Juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Mix well and strain into a chilled collins glass filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with a lime squeeze.
Tags: Brandy, Gin, Newport Cooler, Peach Liqueur, Pina Martinique, Pineapple Martini, Rum, summer cocktails, Vodka
Posted in Cocktail Recipes | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Dancing With The Stars champion Heli……. Oops, I didn’t mean to say that. No, really – scratch that…
Two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was acquitted of tax evasion. Helio was accused of failing to file $5.5 million in income over a 5 year period.
Welcome to America! I’m sure that is just change for him. If Uncle Sam asked how much I made this year and I was making millions, I would try to keep as much of as possible too. Helio worked hard for his money. Unlike those losers in NASCAR, he can turn left and right. Did you see those dance moves he had on DWTS? I hope he claimed the sweet disco ball on that he won on the show……. Wait, ignore that last little bit. Oh, forget it.
Federal jury finds the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner not guilty on tax evasion charges.
Castroneves, his sister and business manager Katiucia Castroneves and motor sports lawyer Alan Miller were accused of helping the driver evade more than $2.3 million in U.S. taxes.
The jury acquitted Castroneves and his sister on the tax-evasion counts and was hung on one count of conspiracy against each of them. Miller was acquitted on his counts of tax evasion and conspiracy.
Outside the Miami courtroom, Castroneves looked to the sky and said, “I just want to thank God, and my fans, and all of the people who prayed for me.
“I love racing, that’s my whole life,” he said, choking back tears. “Instead of going to Disneyland, I want to go to Long Beach and race.”
Prosecutors will review their options on the hung conspiracy charge. Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001 in his first attempt and then won it again the following year — the only driver to win the prestigious race in his first two tries.
While Castroneves’ racing success and gregarious manner off the track made him a popular driver, his fame shot higher in late 2007 when he won the “Dancing With the Stars” television competition with partner Julianne Hough.
His return to racing is a major boost for the IndyCar Series, and “we look forward to having Helio back on the grid here at Long Beach,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the series’ parent, the Indy Racing League.
Castroneves’ ride is considered one of the most coveted in motor sports in light of Penske’s strong record in the IndyCar Series, including 14 Indianapolis 500 victories alone.
Castroneves himself has 14 wins in 114 starts and race earnings of $13.2 million in the series. He also nearly won his first series championship last year but came up 17 points short of title winner Scott Dixon.
The tax-evasion case mainly revolved around income from a $2-million sponsorship deal Castroneves had with the Brazilian firm Coimex and the $5-million licensing deal he reached with Penske in late 1999. He and the other two defendants faced more than six years in prison if convicted of the alleged conspiracy and tax evasion between 1999 and 2004.
Good Luck Helio – but we still have money on our friend Danica…
Tags: champion, Dancing With The Stars, Helio Castroneves, Indianapolis 500, NASCAR, tax evasion
Posted in Racing | No Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Australian beauty Anna Rawson turns heads in every continent she enters. Arguably the most successful model/athlete in the world, Rawson has had a great freshman year on the LPGA.
Having modelled from an early age, Anna became a professional player in 2004. The 26 year-old is yet to win regularly but it doesn’t stop her pulling in the crowds for some strange reason…
Tags: Anna Rawson, athlete, Australian, Bikini, Golf, LPGA, model
Posted in Galleries, Golf | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specializes in classical crossover music. Bond has been described as the best selling string quartet of all time, selling over four million records with their style of music. The quartet consists of Haylie Ecker (first violin, from Perth, Australia), Eos Chater (second violin, from Cardiff, Wales), Tania Davis (viola, from Sydney) and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello, from Hull, England).
They are the four piece string quartet girl band that have revolutionized classical music with their raunchy image and revealing outfits. For your viewing pleasure, a little gallery and for your reading pleasure, an interview with the girls…
What instruments do you play and why did you choose them?
Tania: I chose the Viola, I just love the sounds it can make.
Eos: I chose the violin because my older sister played it. I wanted to be like her.
Gay-Yee: I chose the cello because I think the sound it akes is really intriguing.
Haylie: I play the violin and the piano, my parents suggested I learn the violin and I learnt the piano as part of my musical education.
What made you decide to develop your interest further and take up music as a career?
Eos: I just love music so much and I’m quite good at it so I thought, this is your dream go for it girl!
Gay-Yee: It wasn’t really a conscious decision to go into music, I just couldn’t see myself doing anything else and being happy.
Haylie: I was lucky enough to travel as a child with my family and in LA I had this amazing teacher who, at the time had a few child prodigies who were getting recognised. I decided I wanted to be just like them.
How were you first introduced to each other?
Tania: Haylie and I have been friends since we were teenagers in Australia. I met Eos and Gay-Yee through Tania at college in London.
What did you initially think of forming a band, rather than going down a more traditional route?
Tania: We wanted to do something with music, we all wanted to write and perform our own songs, and we are friends, what could be more fun?
Eos: I had been playing with other bands before but when I met the girls I thought, this is who I want my band to be with.
Gay-Yee: Originally we just saw ourselves as a string quartet. When we formed we didn’t know where we were headed we just wanted to play. Now we feel like a band.
Who came up with the name Bond and why?
Tania: Haylie came up with our name, it was inspired by our love of the music in James Bond films by John Barry, passionate and dramatic!
Haylie: I had a boyfriend at the time who said we should all take on a bond girl persona, in a Spice Girl type way; we just thought it would be really fun! It’s a play on words really, the bond of music and friendship.
Did any other artists inspire you – if so which ones and why?
Tania: Missy Elliot is a huge inspiration, she writes, performs, and produces. She is a very positive powerful artist.
Eos: Artists strong in instrumental music inspire me, like John Barry, Daftpunk and Goldfrapp.
Haylie: Heaps! Music is so personal, I just can’t explain why a musician or a piece of music hits a chord with me.
You have quite a raunchy and fashionable image – do you think that helps to make classical music more up to date?
Tania: We are a band that loves so many different types of music, the music we play is pop with classical influences, so we are classy ladies who have a pop image!
Eos: We don’t see our music as classical. We are a pop band who is influenced by classical music. We also normal girls who love to shop! Having a strong image is important to get our music to a wider audience.
Gay-Yee: Our music is pop that is classically influenced; I hope that will bring classical music in to the mainstream. Also we are girls that dress how we want to, that probably helps too!
Haylie: We don’t do classical music as such; our music is classically inspired. Bond is more pop, hence our image.
Who does the arrangements of your pieces?
Tania: We write and arrange a lot of our music. But we also enjoy working with other people. Over a third of “Classified” is written by us.
Haylie: Matt Dunckley did our orchestral arrangements.
What is your favourite piece of music to play and why?
Tania: For me it has to be Explosive, it is the most powerful and invigorating track to play.
Eos: I love the feeling I get playing Rachmaninovs 2nd symphony, its so powerful I feel like I’m apart of something really amazing.
Gay-Yee: Ace of spades by Motorhead! It makes me feel ready for anything!
Haylie: Dreamstar is my favourite because it reminds me of Kenya. I was on holiday there when I wrote it, it always brings back happy memories.
Describe your new album Classified?
Tania: Classified mostly takes well known classical themes and develops them into new tracks with dance, hip hop, pop and chill out influences. The best way for people to understand Classified is to listen to it!
Eos: Classified is more classically influenced than both Bond and Shine. We are really excited about it.
Gay-Yee: Exciting, Invigorating and Alive.
Haylie: Well that’s Classified… unless you buy it or legally download it of course!
You were the first female instrumental band to enter the UK pop charts ever, and have gone on to have numerous achievements. What do you feel has been your proudest moment?
Tania: Being number 1 in the pop charts in Australia at the moment is the most amazing feeling; all my friends and family in Sydney are so excited.
Gay-Yee: I feel so proud just having the opportunity to perform all over the world.
If you could play with any musician / artist alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
Tania: Jeff Buckley, he was an amazing musician, his music has real emotions behind it.
Eos: I would really like to play with Ravi Shankar.
Gay-Yee:I would love to work with Eminem or Dr. Dre. That would be amazing
Haylie: Henri Mancini, I love his arrangements they are so luscious and Hollywood in feel. I love that.
What would be your words of advice for aspiring Bonds out there?
Tania: GO FOR IT!
Eos: Practice! Go out and join an orchestra, or a group, just enjoy it – music is fun and social. It’s also challenging and technical but it’s worth it, trust me.
Gay-Yee: Enjoy every second of it, that is what music is all about.
Haylie: Just follow your heart and be strong.
What is next for you, and when can we next see you in the UK?
Eos: We are touring Asia, Australia and the USA for the next few months and then back in the UK early next year.
Tags: bond, cello, classical quartet, Eos Chater, Gay-Yee, Haylie Ecker, Tania Davis, the bond girls, viola, violin
Posted in Featured, Music | No Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Since we are talking about lifestyle… How about the Ferrari lyfestyle. Ever need to feel the wind in your hair at 190 miles per hour? Well, here’s your chance!
In Ferrari speak, the name ‘Scuderia’ is synonomous with the most hardcore streetable track supercars the Prancing Horse has to offer the public. Unveiled at the Formula 1 Constructor’s World Championship, the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is the first convertible Ferrari to bear that name.
The Scuderia Spider is billed as the fastest convertible to come from Ferrari, ever. While the new Ferrari California will be released soon in an attempt to make Ferrari supercars accessible to more drivers, the expensive track-ready Scuderia Spider is for Ferrari customers who crave pure, unbridled speed.
Upgrades over the Ferrari F430 Spider on which the Scuderia Spider is based included 80 kg in weight savings due to the use of lightweight body trim materials and the stripping of anything unnecessary to peak performance, and a carbon-trimmed roll bar that broadcasts to all gawkers the Scuderia Spider is ready for the track.
Inside, lucky rich guys who manage to snag one of the 499 Scuderia Spider cars being produced will be treated to an austere but functional Ferrari interior complemented by a custom Ferrari iPod Touch that can be mounted and removed from the dash and is used to control media functions.
Expect the instant-classic Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M to command a significant premium over the F430 Spider when those 499 units are released to the power-hungry car buying public worldwide.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.7 seconds
Top Speed: 193 mph
Tags: convertible, Ferrari, Ferrari California, Ferrari Scuderia Spider, Formula 1, lyfestyle, track-ready
Posted in Cars | No Comments »
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