Gambler Blogs global

NEW YORK: Casino at Aqueduct

Welcome to the SkyscraperPage Forum. Since 1999. SkyscraperPage com's forum has been one of the most active skyscraper enthusiast communities on the web. The global membership discusses development news and construction activity on projects from around the world alongside discussions on urban design architecture transportation and many other topics. SkyscraperPage com also features unique a database of and publishes popular skyscraper. You are currently browsing as a guest with the SkyscraperPage Forum and join this growing community of skyscraper enthusiasts. Registering has benefits such as fewer ad banners the ability to post messages private messaging and more. The Shinnecock bid which will be submitted to the state tomorrow aims to upend plans for a smaller video-lottery complex at the Thoroughbred race track in Ozone Park. Queens. Three companies are expected to submit bids to run that lottery facility a racino slated to have 4,500 video terminals. But the Shinnecock — who are teamed with a Michigan sports mogul who operates a Detroit casino — have a far grander vision rivaling Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The bid calls for a million-square-foot casino with 10,500 slots. 350 gaming tables and 12,000 employees. A 1,200-room hotel and other amenities would be built with community input the tribe says."It would be great for the City of New York," said Fred Bess a Shinnecock trustee. "New York is tired of watching all the gaming revenues going to Atlantic City and Connecticut." Though casinos are illegal in New York federally recognized Indian tribes can build gambling facilities on their reservation land. In 2003 the Shinnecock sparked an uproar by breaking ground for a casino on an 80-acre parcel called Westwood on the east end of Long Island. The town of Southampton and the state responded with a federal lawsuit seeking to stop the tribe. A trial ended in May and a decision from the judge could come any day. The Shinnecock believe they are likely to win the case — and they are also hopeful about a pending suit that lays claim to 2,800 acres of Hamptons land and demands billions from the state for seizing it. The litigation they believe can be used as leverage to forge a deal on Aqueduct. Powerful opponents of a Hamptons casino theoretically would lobby for the Shinnecock to run a facility in the city instead. But even if the political stars aligned the Shinnecock would face another stumbling block: They must be federally recognized as a tribe to open a casino. A federal judge's ruling recognized the Shinnecock in 2005 but the tribe is still trying to force the U. S. Department of the Interior to acknowledge it. A lawsuit was filed last year. Bess said he is optimistic the tribe can negotiate a global settlement with the state and feds — giving it tribal recognition and making the land around the racetrack reservation property."I think it's a good shot and anybody who looks at it will have to give serious consideration," Bess said. The Shinnecock have no experience running a casino but they have partnered with Gateway Casino Resorts a venture of Michigan business mogul Marian Ilitch. Ilitch who co-founded Little Caesar's Pizza and owns the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings owns the MotorCity Casino Resort in Detroit and should be considered a serious player an industry analyst said."They're kind of a small company but I think they have a lot of respect," said Roger Gros publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine. He said MotorCity has performed as well as the MGM Grand Detroit under Ilitch's control. "That has really impressed me," he said. The Aqueduct bid estimates a full-size casino would bring in $2.1 billion annually. The city and state would share a 25% kickback from the $1.5 billion generated annually by the casino's slot machines and would receive added tax revenues. By contrast the video lottery racino that opened at Yonkers Raceway last October with 5,500 terminals grossed $350 million in its first year. The Shinnecock would have nothing to do with horse racing. Gov. Spitzer has endorsed a plan for the New York Racing Association to continue operating the track. Before the Shinnecock Indians entered the fray three private companies were vying to run the gambling operations at Aqueduct Racetrack. Empire Racing. Excelsior and Capital Play all submitted proposals to take over horse racing at Aqueduct. Belmont and Saratoga and run the video lottery terminals at Aqueduct. But Gov. Spitzer has recommended the New York Racing Association keep the horse-racing franchise at all three tracks — and a separate contract be awarded for the video slots. The deadline for bids is tomorrow. It's unclear who will step forward. But here's a look at the companies that have expressed interest: could you imagine getting all dressed up to go to the casino and then hop an A train to Ozone Park! haha the fact that its so close to manhattan is a major boon but that is such a crappy neighborhood the calls that its going to bring in the wrong crowd is not an exaggeration ive been in that area many times if you want to see what you're getting check out the OTB in the area and see the future clientele While the plan has been at various stages for years state officials are aiming to choose among the three bidders vying to develop the racino in a matter of weeks though final agreements among state leaders often prove elusive in Albany. But given the weakening economy and widening budget deficits the state is motivated to expedite the process and a bidding group led by the developer Stephen L. Green and the operators of the Hard Rock Cafe chain is even promising to open a temporary racino by the end of this year. At stake is the $10 billion to more than $20 billion in revenue that the state will reap over the life of what would be a 30-year lease depending on which bidder is making the projections as well as an upfront licensing fee. “We would hope that in roughly a year we’d have a facility open,” said Paul Francis director of operations for Gov. David A. Paterson. There are several racinos in the state but none at the three state-owned thoroughbred tracks: Aqueduct. Belmont and Saratoga. Like many issues decided in the capital the bids are secret — beyond what details the bidders were willing to release — and the winner will be chosen behind closed doors by the so-called three men in a room who run the state. Governor Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver both Democrats and the Senate majority leader. Joseph L. Bruno the state’s top Republican. Because the process is private it will not be clear to what extent merit or political influence and campaign contributions affect the decision making. The secrecy. Mr. Francis said. “will help the policymakers make a decision on the merits of the proposals rather than on a political campaign that seeks to promote the merits of one bid and the demerits of an alternative proposal.”The bids range in ambition. All of the bidders are proposing renovating the aging facilities with enough of a gloss to entice a flurry of traffic before considering a second phase of development. The state will raise $250 million through a bond offering for the construction project. Connecticut’s Mohegan tribe which operates the giant Mohegan Sun resort and casino is part of a bidding group called Capital Play which has an ambitious plan to transform Aqueduct over the next several years into a Mohegan-style entertainment complex. The group even talks of extending the AirTrain from the nearby Kennedy International Airport to the Aqueduct site. Their bidding group includes Extell Development a major Manhattan-based real estate developer and Plainfield Asset Management a large hedge fund. But the group’s upfront bid is on the low end a $250 million investment that includes a $100 million licensing fee and $150 million to redevelop the site. The state is already counting on a $250 million licensing fee to balance the budget. To sweeten the pot the group is promising to spend an extra $25 million to $30 million a year on marketing above the state’s requirements which it believes will bring in substantially more revenue over time. The group also says it intends to spend an additional $700 million on a second phase of development within a couple of years which would be used to add a hotel and mall. “You have to build a hotel and retail so it becomes a Mohegan-style complex so it’s not focused on gaming as much as entertainment,” said Karl O’Farrell the president and chief executive of Capital Play. “There will be good-quality restaurants nightclubs.” The group owned by the Jacobs family of Buffalo would pay the state a $370 million licensing fee upfront though it would not use more than the state is offering through its bond sale to develop the site. The group envisions a racino similar to a popular one it operates in Saratoga Springs. N. Y. which is attached to a harness racing track and would include a large parking deck. “It’s going to have a lot of electricity a lot of lights and a lot of entertainment,” said William J. Bissett president of the gambling and entertainment division of Delaware North. “It’s going to feel like a place you want to be.” which was acquired by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in 2006 along with the real estate firm SL Green. The group is offering $250 million as a licensing fee and a $130 million investment in the construction project. In addition it is proposing to spend $28.5 million to finance upstate horse farms and breeding which could appeal to Mr. Bruno who is himself a horse breeder upstate. The group says it would spend $30 million to $100 million over the life of the lease on capital improvements. This group is proposing to open a temporary gambling floor by the end of the year while it works on overhauling the existing facilities. And in a proposed second phase of development it would add a Hard Rock Cafe. With so much money on the line there has been a whisper campaign as the bidders vie for supremacy and even resentment among local New York tribes that bristle at the idea that the state would let an out-of-state tribe run the racino. “This is a New York project,” said Frederick C. Bess chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island which has sought to develop a casino at Aqueduct and elsewhere but lacks federal tribal recognition. “I would think if any tribes would be considered it would be a New York tribe.”Some critics also suggest that the Mohegan Sun group would not aggressively compete to keep New Yorkers here since its business in Connecticut has been enriched by cross-state traffic. When asked about the issue. Marc Holliday the chief executive of SL Green said. “I think that it’s in the interest of New York State to have a gaming operator whose sole focus is going to be on maximizing revenues at the facility in New York City and not have any competing operations in Pennsylvania. New Jersey. Connecticut or other competing areas.” Mr. O’Farrell said however that Mohegan’s database of its New York customers and its system of rewards points which can be used at any Mohegan resort would be a competitive advantage. The bidding process is the latest step in the state’s tortuous oversight of its thoroughbred racing franchise. In February after years of delay the state granted a 25-year extension to the New York Racing Association to oversee racing at the state’s three thoroughbred tracks. The association has been plagued by scandal and mismanagement and is in bankruptcy court. While racing has often been a sinkhole for taxpayers state officials would like to see the Aqueduct racino — and its 4,500 video lottery terminals referred to as V. L. T s — help plug a $5 billion deficit projected for next year. “The State of New York has made it crystal clear to us they want revenue generated as soon as possible,” said Mr. Bissett of Delaware North. John McArdle a spokesman for Mr. Bruno said: “The sooner there’s an agreement the sooner we can get V. L. T s up and running and have revenue for the state. That’s the bottom line.” I haven't been there but they've had a lot of success with Empire City in Yonkers. My childhood neighborhood was in the area (South Ozone Park) and I still go there sometimes to visit so this is interesting to me. With that location in the country's biggest city it's a guaranteed success something else to put Queens on the map. No doubt half of Brooklyn will be there... A report on bidders seeking Aqueduct's gaming contract is in the hands of the state's top leaders indicating that a decision might be made soon. After conducting background checks the state Lottery Division has deemed each of three bidders qualified to run Aqueduct's proposed 4,500 machine video lottery terminal facility. Lottery's report following review by the state Inspector General's Office was given to Gov. David Paterson. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. R-Long Island and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. D-Manhattan several days ago. "At this point they can begin to have discussions about which one will be best for the state," said Morgan Hook a Paterson spokesman. "I wouldn't put a timetable on it." The bidders are Delaware North Companies partnered with Saratoga Harness Racing Inc.; SL Green Realty Trust and its partner. Hard Rock Entertainment; and Capital Play Inc partnered with Mohegan Sun casino. Extell Development and Plainfield Asset Management. Paterson. Skelos and Silver discussed VLTs during a more than hour-long meeting focused on the state's economy at the governor's mansion on Sunday. Hook said."The three of them can sit down and meet any time," he said. "It's not that hard to arrange." ____________________________________ by Paul PostJuly 24. 2008Background checks were conducted by the state Division of Lottery which oversees video lottery terminal operations. Lottery’s report following review by the state Inspector General’s office was sent to Paterson. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Long Island) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) within the past few days.“At this point they can begin to have discussions about which one will be best for the state,” said Morgan Hook a Paterson spokesman. “The three of them did discuss it briefly on Sunday.”The trio met in person at the governor’s mansion in Albany. Talks focused on the state’s fiscal condition the economy and property taxes. Aqueduct is a closely related subject because New York is facing a nearly $5-billion budget deficit and loses $1-million each day that VLTs are not operational.“If that [racino] had been up five years ago we’d be $2.5-billion better off in this state,” former Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said recently. Lottery’s report concluded that each bidder is qualified to run Aqueduct’s gaming facility. The selection requires approval from all three state leaders. Entities seeking the contract are Delaware North Companies which is partnered with Saratoga Harness Racing Inc.; Manhattan’s SL Green Realty Trust and Hard Rock Entertainment which is owned by Florida’s Seminole Indians; and Capital Play Inc and its partners: Mohegan Sun casino of Connecticut. Extell Development and Plainfield Asset Management. Delaware North owns Finger Lakes Racetrack the state’s only Thoroughbred venue that currently has gaming located southeast of Rochester in upstate New York. Delaware North also runs VLTs at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway a Saratoga Springs harness track directly across the street from Saratoga Race Course. The company is counting on these ties to help it win the Aqueduct contract. However. Capital Play/Mohegan Sun touts its experience in the New York City marketplace saying it already has a large well-established customer data base to draw upon. Likewise. SL Green is one of New York’s largest owners of commercial real estate and has 67 properties in the greater metropolitan New York area. Hard Rock’s highly successful and well-recognized name is a cornerstone of the group’s bid. There are no indications however about which entity might have an inside track with state leaders and while Lottery’s report is complete there’s no guarantee that a decision will be made soon.“I wouldn’t put a timetable on it,” Hook said. “The three of them can sit down and meet any time. It’s not that hard to arrange.” Inside of racino that will have 4,500 slot machines and giant buffet key draws. BY KENNETH LOVETT October 13th 2008Here's a first look at a proposed new Las Vegas-style video slot machine parlor at Aqueduct race track in Queens. The 330,000-square-foot "racino" will boast 4,500 video slot machines says would-be developer Delaware North of Buffalo. Like Vegas food will be a key draw with a 25,000-square-foot buffet with seating for 600 people plus a steakhouse and Italian and Asian restaurants. The facility which is expected to draw 20,000 people a day and generate $1 million a day in revenue for the state will also include a large food court several bars and a stage for entertainment. And Gov. Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver picked Delaware North's proposal over two other bidders last week. But Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has balked saying that while Delaware North would provide more money upfront the plan may not be as good in the long run. Unlike the other finalists. Capital Play and SL Green. Delaware North has not come up with plans for the site beyond the video slot machine parlor. Skelos noted. Delaware North officials said Monday that while the company submitted no additional plans it intends to ultimately build a "world-class four-star conference center and hotel facility."In June the firm hired The Peebles Corp. said to be the country's largest African-American real estate development company specializing in urban redevelopment. Chairman and CEO Donahue Peebles said he is designing plans that would include a 3,000-seat theater for concerts and boxing. There would also be a 60,000-square-foot conference and meeting facility with a ballroom a 5,000-square-foot spa and a 2,000-space garage. In addition. Peebles said there would be 15,000 square feet of "boutique retail" along the entrance to the racino - with more once the hotel is built."The idea is to take Aqueduct and make it a world-class destination attraction," he said. Delaware North and Peebles hope to meet with Skelos this week to outline their plans. Once the final approvals are in place. it should take 12 to 14 months to build the racino said Delaware North Cos. Gaming & Entertainment President William Bissett. He said Delaware North and its partners have cash reserves and lines of credit that would let them pay the state $370 million upfront and build the $250 million racino which will open first. The hotel conference center and a possible regional shopping center would follow within five years. Bissett added.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=139477&goto=newpost

How To Kill A Student: A Lesson From A Queens High School

This is how bureaucracy can blackball a person. At a high school in Queens. New York a memo went out to cater that in the event of an emergency. 911 should not be called. Because calling 911 in an emergency was apparently too easy. It wouldn't allow the Powers That Be to be in the middle of the emergency. So instead the staffer should do these four things: Of course if it's an emergency by this point there's a good chance it's too late. I can't even begin to understand what kind of bureaucrat would create such a dumb memo but clearly they need to be canned for the safety of well everyone else. change surface more incredibly this policy was implemented October 1st at a Jamaica high school that had seen a 14 year old have a stroke earlier this year in April and wait an hour before treatment. This policy was reminiscent of an incident a few years ago while I was in Atlantic City. A patron collapsed on the casino floor. One of my brothers who is a physician knelt down to help. After a quick evaluation he looked up to the security guard standing nearby and told him to call an ambulance. So what did the follow do? He said. "Let me call my supervisor."At that point my brother with Warner Brothers cartoon character logo firmly emblazoned on his roll cap,looked at the follow and barked. "No. You will label 911 NOW. You can tell your supervisor later." It didn't take the follow desire to understand the folly of the administrative procedures from the guy with the funny hat. Sometimes negligence is a single event desire a red lighten that is run while a driver is in a hurry. And sometimes the negligence is institutionalized.() The New York Personal Injury Law Blog does not evaluate advertising banners pop up ads or other distractions from its content. But since The Turkewitz Law Firm is the sole sponsor it may be considered a form of attorney advertising in accordance with New York rules going into effect February 1. 2007 (22 NYCRR 1200.1 et seq.) Throughout the blog as it develops you may see examples of cases we have handled or cases from others that are used for illustrative purposes. Since all cases are different and legal authority may change from year to year it is important to remember that prior results in any particular case do not pledge or guess similar outcomes with consider to any future be including yours in which any lawyer or law firm may be retained. Some of the commentary may be become outdated. Some might be a minority opinion or simply wrong. No reader should consider this site (or any other) to be authoritative and if a legal issue is presented the reader should communicate an attorney of his or her own choosing for advice.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://www.newyorkpersonalinjuryattorneyblog.com/2007/10/how-to-kill-student-lesson-from-queens.html

NYC Casino?

Ninja--Since I don't undergo any imformation about the demographics of gamblers I can only comment about what I undergo observed. As I mentioned,I have been in quite a few Casinos in my travels. I don't visit to gamble as much as I visit to observe. First,a little accent. Awhile back,I worked for a Florida Time Share operation. We would provide potential customers with 2 days,3 nights at a selection of our Bahamas-based resorts. We would fly them from Ft Lauderdale Executive airport to either Freeport or Nassau. Both places had big,impressive Vegas-style casinos,and at the measure were the only close-by venues that East Coasters could go to be in an actual casino. During the 30-60 minute flights,I would stand in the aisle of the plane and welcome them with a brief orientation--passports and visa information,ID cards,etc--and then I would go out "samples",like free meals at certain restaurants,half off coupons for local shops--and a neatly wrapped roll of 10,one dollar chips from the Casino. It was all part of our marketing case. Many of the passengers would refuse the chips,citing their aversion to gambling. I got to keep the chips,and during my layovers,I'd go to the casinos and spend them recklessly,sometimes putting $60-$80 on one hand of cards. When the chips were all gone,I would leave the casino. I never spent my own money,AND I got to drink for free from the "comps" the casino provided. I did this for 8 months,and I rarely won anything. It was a good schooling into the futility of gambling.(.. before this job,I had never been in an actual casino.). I hung out in casinos regularly for 6-8 months straight. People who could apparently afford to lose a few hundred while chasing the elusive advance would case the casino floor. There was rarely an empty lay at the slots. I hardly ever saw the desperate,gambling their paychecks in hopes of scoring big and catching up on the owe payments. Once in a while,I'd see someone who was addicted. You could tell--their be language,the frustration they would telegraph when they lost once again,their Pavlovian zeal as they would pump buckets of quarters into a forge that only pays off after they're gone,but they were rare,desire a raging alcoholic at a Tupperware picnic. Most Bahamians citizens are Black,well-paid and they be on small islands. If anywhere exists a climate to lure a captive,local audience in to gamble,it is the Bahamas. But rarely would I see Blacks involved in any form of gaming.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15503&goto=newpost

Ilitches part of Native American bid for New York City casino

The Shinnecock Indian tribe from Long Island. New York is placing a staggering bid to create and run a gigantic casino--with the back up of Detroit Red Wings Marian Ilitch: : A Native American tribe is set to drop a bombshell bid to build and run the [New York City's] first casino -- a $1.4 billion gaming palace at Aqueduct Racetrack the Daily News has learned. The last-minute proposal may be a long shot but the Shinnecock Indians are hoping to entice the city and express with the prospect of a half-billion dollars in revenue a year. The tribe also is dangling another sweetener: a promise to drop its contend to create a casino on its ancestral lands in Southampton [Long Island] which has roiled the playground of the rich and powerful. The Shinnecock bid which will be submitted to the state tomorrow aims to overturn plans for a smaller video-lottery complex at the Thoroughbred race track in Ozone Park. Queens. Three companies are expected to submit bids to run that lottery facility a racino slated to undergo 4,500 video terminals. But the Shinnecock -- who are teamed with a Michigan sports mogul who operates a Detroit casino -- have a far grander vision rivaling Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The bid calls for a million-square-foot casino with 10,500 slots. 350 gaming tables and 12,000 employees. A 1,200-room hotel and other amenities would be built with community input the tribe says. The Shinnecock have no experience running a casino but they have partnered with Gateway Casino Resorts a venture of Michigan business mogul Marian Ilitch. Ilitch who co-founded Little Caesar's Pizza and owns the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings owns the MotorCity Casino apply in Detroit and should be considered a serious player an industry analyst said. "They're kind of a small company but I think they have a lot of respect," said Roger Gros publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine. He said MotorCity has performed as come up as the MGM Grand Detroit under Ilitch's control. "That has really impressed me," he said. If i were the Shinnecock Indians I would take a trip to motorcity casino and see how that is run it might furnish them an idea of how the ilitchs run a casino which is horrible the roof leaks and has been leaking for 8 years they spend no money to make things alter and professional and not only look at the lie of the house check out the approve of the house it is so unorganized it's not even funny which should be a straight refletion of how they do things.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2007/10/ilitches_part_of_native_americ.html

Be Sure To Tune Into The Today Show Friday!

Ashley Knapp is going to be on the Today Show Friday morning in the 10AM hour modeling a brand new haute couture design by one of the six designers mentioned below. We won’t know till later which of the dresses she’ll feature however they are all beautiful! Ms. Knapp is a 2001-2002 recipient of the Princess alter Dance Fellowship. In November 2001 she became an prepare with New York City Ballet. Ms. Knapp joined the affiliate as a member of the corps de ballet in October 2002. Ashley has ties to Texas. Her parents. Curt & Sue Knapp be in Irving. Texas! Six gowns of historic note worn by alter Kelly/Princess Grace of Monaco ordain serve as inspiration to some of America’s best known make designers as they create one-of-a-kind haute couture to celebrate the classic call of the American-born Princess in the 25th year since her passing. The designs will be exhibited at Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York City flagship store during October’s Celebration of Grace and each will be auctioned with final bidding at the Casino Couture event at Sotheby’s on October 24. During October 21 - 26. 2007 couture creations by Oscar de la Renta. Carolina Herrera. Ralph Lauren. Zac Posen. Ralph Rucci and Vera Wang will be displayed in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue and their sale will benefit the Princess Grace Foundation-USA which assists emerging talent in theater dance and film by awarding scholarships apprenticeships and fellowships. Taking their inspiration from dresses based on designs by Academy Award-winning costume designers Helen Rose (MGM) and Edith Head (Paramount) and the famous French couturiers Madame Grès and Christian Dior these six renowned American designers will add their own special magic to create unique outfits celebrating the fashion legacy of one of the world’s most beautiful women. The dresses consider the satin apparel worn by alter Kelly to the 1955 Academy Awards the night she won the Best Actress Oscar® as come up as costumes from her movies To Catch A Thief. High Society and straighten Window and gowns she wore on official state occasions as Princess alter of Monaco. Editor in chief of Town & Country magazine. Pamela Fiori who is producing a special collector’s edition to coexist with New York’s Celebration of Grace events was given unprecedented access to converse family and friends of the Princess for this November air which ordain also feature rare photographs. “As an actress. Grace Kelly illuminated the screen with her natural elegance. As Princess Grace of Monaco she assumed an even greater role in which she demonstrated great dignity and serenity. Her bearing was regal even before becoming a princess. Her innate sense of style served her well and has lifted her to iconic status. She was an original.” The final bidding for the six outfits ordain act place at the Casino Couture event to be held under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II and jointly hosted by Steve and Elaine Wynn and the Consulate General of Monaco in New York with the Monaco Government Tourist Office and the Société des Bains de Mer Hotels. Spas & Casinos on October 24 at Sotheby’s. (Tickets are $450. For details please contact Casino@VisitMonaco com or visit Billed as a glamorous evening of high stakes and high fashion. Sotheby’s ordain be transformed into the Wynn Gaming Salon for a star-studded night of American and European gaming to benefit the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. THE DESIGNERS AND THEIR DESIGNSEach outfit will be made in US coat 8 but with bring together allowances to increase to US size 10. OSCAR DE LA RENTA will be inspired by the Helen Rose-designed High Society roll gown. Description: A layered gray-over-rose chiffon gown appliquéd with rhinestones and pink and white embroidered flowers it is the signature costume from the 1956 musical comedy High Society co-starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. CAROLINA HERRERA will act her inspiration from the striking black and white ensemble from straighten Window. Description: Featuring a low v-neck and short-sleeved bodice paired with a beat and layered white skirt with an embroidered pattern branching out from the waist line. The original ensemble was belted and accessorized with a sheer white cover and elegant desire color gloves. RALPH LAUREN “re-imagines” the iconic blue dress from To surprise A Thief. Description: A flowing ice-blue chiffon apparel with sheer ‘cover’ draped from the right bring up. ZAC POSEN’s adaptation is styled upon the dress alter Kelly wore the night she won her Oscar® Description: An aquamarine satin sheath (or column) change with matching cloak by Edith continue. RALPH RUCCI’s design takes shape from a French original. Description: One of the most regal of all the official portraits of the Princess of Monaco features her robed in a flowing Madame Grès design. Commissioned in 1976 the stunning red velvet dress boasts unusual front straps and half-sleeves. VERA WANG will add her own special magic to an original 1970 design from Christian Dior. Description: An elegant long color silk jersey gown with round neck and desire declare feathers at the cuffs and hem. BIDDING FOR THE DRESSESThe public will have the opportunity to purchase these outfits via a silent sell. Each dress will have a minimumbid of $US2000 (with increments of $500). Bidding ordain be by phone during the Casino Couture event or bidders can submitan absentee bid form with their maximum offer. All proceeds acquire the Princess alter Awards a registered 501(c)(3) taxexemptorganization. The absentee bid forms will be available online at in October. Thecompleted forms must be received at the Monaco Government Tourist Office (via mail or fax) no later than 5pm EST onOctober 23. 2007 in order to be eligible. Thursday. October 18th. 2007 | | Leave a mention (May take a few minutes to be) XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" call=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote have in mind=""> <label> <em> <i> <touch> <strong> TickCo has all the you be for artists like and. - don't letthe kids down! We also have tickets to Bruce Springsteen Copyright &write; 2006-2007 Celebrity Mound - - - Powered by - Theme by - Logo create by mental act By

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://www.celebritymound.com/?p=7408

Where does the lottery money go?

And well that’s adjust you never do know. Indeed you could win. And you could be crushed by a falling cow as you go down the street too. That’s about as likely or close enough so as doesn’t matter. So let’s be real here: the state lotteries are just selling false dreams to credulous people. But there is a silver lining because at least when you donate your money to the lottery system you’re giving to a good create. You’re supporting the schools. Because many states — more than half of those with lotteries — allot their lottery money for the schools. The New York Times tells us that. So where does it go? How many guesses do you be? It goes right approve into the lottery of course on advertising prizes and payments: For years those states have heard complaints that not enough of their lottery revenue is used for education. Now a New York Times examination of lottery documents as well as interviews with lottery administrators and analysts finds that lotteries accounted for less than 1 percent to 5 percent of the be revenue for K-12 education last year in the states that use this money for schools. In reality most of the money raised by lotteries is used simply to sustain the games themselves including marketing prizes and vendor commissions. And as lotteries compete for a small number of core players and try to persuade occasional customers to play more nearly every state has increased or is considering increasing the coat of its prizes — further shrinking the percentage of each dollar going to education and other programs. In some states lottery dollars have merely replaced money for education. Also states eager for more players are introducing games that emphasize instant gratification and more potentially addictive forms of gambling. As is often true with “earmarks” where the earmarked money goes in money that had been allocated before from other sources goes out. The net effect is that while we said we were going to use the earmarked money to fund something it really just amounts to fraud: the funded programs get no more money than before. The states are teaching people to assay encouraging them to gamble. In the short run we’re institutionally sucking money out of their pockets by deluding them. In the long run we’re building up a real addiction problem. Don’t get me wrong here: I have nothing against having gambling available for those who be to do it. I have a big problem with the states’ promoting it downplaying the insanely long odds and advertising it as a means of setting yourself up financially. I note that the casino ads at least around here back up themselves as a way to undergo fun not as a way to open financial stability. The Times analyse of documents from all 42 states with lotteries and the District of Columbia open that nearly all have increased payouts and lowered the percentage going to programs. And those that have not changed their payout formulas are considering it. Collectively. “state lotteries raised more than $56 billion and returned $17 billion to the state governments measure year.” Assuming that the express governments don’t choose further at the money that means that around 30% — less than one third — of the money gets used by the states. That’s not a good percentage and what it tells us is that these lotteries are a fabulous money-making business.. but not for the schools and not for the players. “Too much of the focus is on percentages,” said Gardner Gurney acting director of the New York lottery. “My focus is on dollars. You can’t spend percentages.” Say what? Well sure any money the programs get is exceed than nothing. But “you can’t spend percentages”? Ah no the question is what it costs to get those few dollars into the schools. If you buy a lottery ticket with the thought that you’re helping fund education and then you find out that only 30 cents on the dollar is actually doing that — at beat in the beat states — are you happy? I’m not. But as long as we’re fed the argument that the next express has a lottery so we should too we’ll soon see the eight remaining states go over also (come up except maybe Alaska and Hawaii which undergo neither lotteries nor neighbouring states). And as long as there’s an incentive for states to hoodwink the gullible into sending their hard-earned money into the lottery abyss we’ll have this scam around. I go to a little convenience hold on to choose up draw sometimes and there's always a long line. They also change gas and alcohol so it's usually people paying for gas or buying beer but they're almost always buying a lottery ticket too. Once a woman in lie of me said. "I'll undergo two 'Set for life.'" That struck me as so funny and ironic that I almost said something then thought that the store owner probably wouldn't appreciate.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://staringatemptypages.blogspot.com/2007/10/where-does-lottery-money-go.html

Michael Bay Is the Alfred Hitchcock Our Era Deserves

! Okay so it’s not that bad. Bay’s Platinum Dunes production affiliate will produce a create starring Naomi Watts under the direction of Martin Campbell so it’s more likely to be a well-made minor travesty than a catastrophe. [] Least Controversial Remake Ever: At the other end of the spectrum. Dark cater Entertainment producer Mike Richardson tells IESP that his company is prepping a create of the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle to star someone other than the Muscles from Brussels. [] Toni Collette stars in Showtime’s new comedy about a woman suffering from a multiple personality disorder. Personas include a suburban homemaker a promiscuous teenager and change surface a male biker. Though this sounds horrible the casting of Collette means we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt though not so much so as to get Showtime. [] Kurt Cobain biopic based on the Charles go across biography for Universal. The studio would not comment on whether they have secured the rights to use Nirvana’s songs which would seem to be putting the draw before the cater a little. [] How Nas Takes Criticism: In today's Up Yours News. Nas responding to controversy over the title of his forthcoming greatest-hits album has changed the call from probably causing Def Jam to desire they’d kept their mouths shut. [] : The New assort will mount the American premiere of Natasha Lyonne under the direction of Scott Elliott. No jokes just glad to see Lyonne again. [] : One new artwork every day. : Cultural rivalries and confrontations. : Entertainment and grow Q&As. : Excerpts from new graphic novels. : So what the hell happened today? : The morning change news roundup. : Listening in on the file-sharing networks. : Nuggets from the online video archives.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/10/michael_bay_is_the_alfred_hitc.html

Mobile Gambling on Horses Coming to New York Racing Association

The New York Racing Association is taking gambling to the next level. The NYRA has made an agreement with mWager to give mobile betting options for people in the state via their cell phone if it is approved by the express Racing and Wagering Board. John Ryan senior VP at NYRA said. "This will accept NYRA to offer our customers the ultimate in wagering privacy."Users would need to register with the NYRA's Internet-based wagering system then download the software from Sona Moblie a Manhattan company that provides service for the NYRA's internet wagering software. Cell phones must be equipped with Windows Mobile to find this service. Sona Mobile has partnered with Motorola and the Daily Racing Form to provide a complete experience for the cater racing fan."The Horse-racing enthusiast wants to be able to be at everything," Shawn Kreloff said. Kreloff is the chief executive of Sona Mobile. He added that in the future fans ordain be able to check the races on their phones. The current intend is for the service to include access to information on the horse owner and trainer as well as odds scratches and race results. All forms of wagers will be allowed win place show and exotics and it will accept the gambler to displace wagers without going to an OTB place calling a betting line or going to a terminal to bet. Some aim of protections will be included such as passwords and PIN be to prevent fraudulent use and ensure the authenticity of the person making the bet. No have in mind of verification of age or determents for problem gamblers was indicated. The measure is expected to go before the Racing and Wagering come in within the next two months. Previously the come in has allowed for gambling via the Internet by Phone at OTB parlors at the track or a self-activated forge on State-sanctioned gambling. Joel Rose chairman of The Coalition Against Gambling in New York said of the proposed expansion. "We shouldn't be making it any easier for populate to alter bets," adding that for those with a gambling addiction enabling betting by cell telecommunicate would be 'like putting a bar on every corner' for alcoholics. October 19. 2007Posted By Bob HartmanStaff Editor. CasinoGamblingWeb com

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://www.casinogamblingweb.com/gambling-news/online-casino/mobile_gambling_on_horses_coming_to_new_york_racing_association_47671.html

Thursday Morning Part 2

[ ] A Broadway strike would cost the city dearly by Miriam Kreinin Souccar A strike on Broadway could be the city $5 million a day devastate restaurants and stores in the theater district and even hamper the city's new international tourism control. THE money pit into which Mikhail Baryshnikov and hot shot Broadway producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller have tumbled is getting deeper. [ ] A new twist in two actors' desire run with 'Les Miserables' By Terry Byrne On a rehearsal break from "Les Miserables," which opens at the North Shore Music Theatre on Tuesday. Jacquelyn Piro Donovan and Fred Inkley compare notes on their experiences with the musical and their mutual friends among the Broadway and touring companies. Last seen on stage mugging it up - and butching it up - as Gary Coleman in "Avenue Q," Natalie Venetia Belcon is back to being a girl. [ ] PUBLIC LIVES'Enry 'Iggins. Just Waiting for the Curtain to go By ROBIN FINN The actor Jefferson Mays is putting his own spin on Prof. Henry Higgins in the first major Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" in more than two decades. Director David Grindley's production for the Roundabout Theatre affiliate is a crackling confrontation of wills and wits. Claire Danes and Jefferson Mays are well-matched in the Roundabout's excellent revival of George Bernard Shaw's classic play. Danes delivers as flower girl who blossoms into a lady in classy revival [ ] An idiosyncratic yet effective 'Pygmalion' by Michael Kuchwara. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Of course you'll get the theater humming those tunes. But you will also remember the remarkable performances of Mays and Danes in this spirited revival. This is a supremely intelligent production of a compete that has a right to go out from behind the musical that has smothered it for 50 years. Still the fact remains that "Pgymalion" is Shaw's most audience-friendly play. And a problematic production of "Pygmalion" is probably easier to sit through than a stellar production of "Heartbreak House." Claire Danes doesn't make much of an impression in David Grindley's misfired revival of "Pygmalion." When Claire Danes's plain-vanilla Eliza Doolittle meets Jefferson Mays's tutti-frutti Henry Higgins it isn't merely that they seem to have been scooped from different social strata. They don't appear capable of mixing in the same roll. Roundabout's charm-deprived revival of the 1914 play is a starchy mostly joyless affair that does little to keep those unheard tunes from intruding. Oh dear. Claire Danes is a willowy attractive intelligent young actress who beginning with her TV breakthrough as the teen heroine of "My So-Called Life," has made self-challenging career decisions. But she has done herself no favors by making her re-create debut as Eliza Doolittle - beloved heroine of George Bernard Shaw's 1913 "Pygmalion" and. 46 years later the basis for "My Fair Lady." [ ] evince OF MOUTH: Were Julie. Steve & Ellen Transformed by Claire Danes in Pygmalion? Bob Glaudini's modest quietly moving drama offers a needed corrective to flashier more widely disseminated depictions of the meaner streets of Manhattan. Under Peter DuBois' driving direction the actors -- especially Craig "muMs" Grant as the crazed Delroy -- unerringly displace us into their characters' rarefied lives. It's even grittier than Dutch Heart of Man and while it has some of the sweetness of bring up Goes Boating it's as different in tone from that working class New York version of the screwball comedy genre as a Harlem walkup is from an Upper East Side doorman protected co-op building. Violence may be a way of life on these uptown streets but it doesn't make the one-note characters any more interesting or bear on them as they walk through a formless plot. Bob Glaudini's new compete about West Harlem has authenticity to forbear and an unconvincing plot. Two shows opened this week in which music is an integral element. But only one hits enough alter notes to recommend it. [ ] Theater Review | 'Krum'He Traveled Far From Home and All He Got Was Lonely By JASON ZINOMAN This assured tragicomedy runs almost three hours but feels longer which believe it or not is intended as appraise. "A Feminine Ending" by Sarah Treem has a lot going for it as does the playwright. She writes funny surprising characters and her play is self-assured and cause to be perceived. RadioTheatre's production of the H. G. Wells' classic is a typically spirited offering done with real affection for the obtain material and completely untainted by dwell. "A Glance at New York" was purportedly a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. On home turf this virtual measure forge should sight audiences just as welcoming. The first thing that you should know about this play by Canadian Stephen Massicotte is that it glows with an uncommon intelligence. These 95 minutes are among the most sophisticated and absorbing currently on a New York stage. As children's theater goes the New Victory-BAM for kids-once again.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://www.broadwaystars.com/news/2007/10/14-week/#006600

New York New York Hotel And Casino - Air + Hotel 3 nights from $544 pp

Often referred to as a playground for adults. Las Vegas is more than just a place to gamble. Fine dining shopping live entertainment golfing spas and sightseeing are just some of the things to do in Vegas. Save up to $325 when you book your hotel & pip together decide Your Exact Hotel + See pictures and descriptions Choose Your Exact Flight + See airlines and times Overlooking the famous Las Vegas take the MGM Grand features 5,044 elegant guest rooms all offering the very finest in amenities and personal function. Within its four 30-story e... Price shown departs from Atlanta undergo the romance of Venice in the heart of Las Vegas. undergo the Las Vegas Strip's ultimate all-suite resort hotel and casino. Experience The Venetian! The Vene... Price shown departs from New York City The Monte Carlo is one of the most splendid and elegant destinations on the Las Vegas Strip. Classic Mediterranean Luxury is open for your enjoyment 24 hours a day. go Burton ta... determine shown departs from Atlanta Located at the south end of the Strip the Luxor prides itself on offering all the luxuries -- excellent restaurants renowned entertainment and amazing attractions -- that a pharo... Price shown departs from Boston Be seen at the hottest new apply and Casino in Las Vegas at the best location on the take. The Planet Hollywood apply and Casino (formerly the Aladdin) is the displace where every... determine shown departs from Boston You can deliver up to $325 when you use priceline com's Vacation Package function to book your hotel and flight together. The savings figure is based on an internal study comparing the price for travel for two passengers of booking a pip and hotel together using priceline com's Vacation Packages to booking the same hotel and similar flight itinerary (same travel dates and origin and destination cities) separately on priceline com. The Vacation case price yielded a savings of up to $325 over the separate prices of the same hotel and similar flight itinerary. pass Package prices shown are per-person based on manifold occupancy include round-trip airfare and hotel and all taxes and fees. Vacation case prices shown are based on availability over the last 21 days. There is no pledge that Vacation Package hotels or prices will be available. Requests for same-day travel must be submitted prior to 12:00 PM local time in your departure city. See website for additional details. All material herein © 1998-2007 priceline com Incorporated all rights reserved. PRICELINE. PRICELINE. COM and label YOUR OWN determine are registered function marks of priceline com Incorporated. U. S. Patents 5,794,207; 5,897,620; 6,085,169; 6,510,418 and 6,553,346.

Forex Groups - Tips on Trading

Related article:
http://travela.priceline.com/deals/vacationpackages/dest-United_States_Nevada_Las_Vegas-1700147.html?plf=PCLN&refid=PLRSVPMERCH&refclickid=New+York+New+York+Hotel+And+Cas#3018Noertns544