Monday, January 18, 2010

Big Givers Donate To Haiti





The response to the earthquake tragedy in Haiti was almost immediate, and just days afterward, millions of dollars have been raised, a lot of it through small donations of $5 or $10 transmitted through the humble text message. But there's another kind of giving that has emerged too: Single donations in much larger amounts, from the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Olivia Wilde, Tiger Woods, Madonna. Hopefully the list will grow and grow.Why is it so gratifying though to hear about celebrities making donations? Perhaps because by doing so, they're doing something we've already done, something that thousands of ordinary people are doing. A crisis reminds us that we're all vulnerable, we're all responsible for helping. And that's what it is going to take to bury the dead, take care of the living, and rebuild Haiti.So when George Clooney asks for your donation tonight, during the Hope for Haiti telethon he is hosting on MTV, you won't just be saying "yes" to an incredibly magnetic movie star, you'll be joining a community of people wanting to help. It's as simple as that. Celebrities undeniably bring some glamour and sparkle to the task of fundraising, and that's okay. It is after all a difficult and serious business. We're lucky to have them.Check out the gallery below for a look at the amounts donated so far.

Information provided by http://www.luxist.com/

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Top Ten VC Blogs (New And Improved)

The Top Ten VC Blogs (New And Improved)

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Thursday, January 07, 2010

Prince of Brunei's Harem Girl Tells All

SHE SAYS
"SHE KNEW SHE WAS A HOOKER"


Prince of Brunei's Harem Girl Tells All
by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 6th 2010 8:02AM
This spring Plume will publish Jillian Lauren's memoir Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, about the 18 months she spent as one of Prince Jefri of Brunei's playthings-for-hire. At 18, when Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout, a "casting director" offered her $20,000 to party with a rich businessman and a bunch of other young American lovelies for two weeks. Soon after Lauren found herself on a plane to Brunei, where she spend 18 months in the 40-girl harem of Prince Jefri, the Sultan of Brunei's younger brother and owner of famed hotels like the New York Palace and Hotel Bel-Air, earning a small fortune. She writes about rooms in the Prince's opulent palace "where absurdly beautiful women lounged on every inch of the upholstery" and exotic orgies ensued. "I fell victim to Stockholm Syndrome," Lauren writes. "I knew I was a hooker, but somehow I felt like Cinderella." The Prince often loaned her to the Sultan for sex sessions, which she was compensated for with lavish shopping sprees. You'll have to wait until publication for the really sexy bits. "Some Girls would have been riveting even if Lauren had merely illuminated the murky world of high-class prostitution," notes author Jennifer Eagan. "The fact that she does so with humor, candor, and a reporter's gimlet eye is an added delight."
Tags: Brunei, call girl, CallGirl, Prince Jefri, PrinceJefri, sex, Sultan of Brunei, SultanOfBrunei
Information provided by www.luxist.com


Skull and Bones Ballot Box Up For Auction

SKULL AND BONES


A rather intriguing lot will be up for auction at Christie's later this month. An 1872 skull ballot box from Yale University's mysterious Skull and Bones society will be sold as part of Christie's New York's Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver & Chinese Export sale on January 22. The skull has a hinge on top and is surrounded by charred-looking crossbones one inscribed with the word Thor. Skull and Bones was founded in 1832 and has been the subject of many works of history and fiction (I found Secrets of the Tomb to be particularly riveting). Many notable Yalies including both Bush presidents have been members. The lot includes a black book with names and photographs of earlier members and is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000.
Information provided by www.luxist.com


THE YNOT WISH LIST