US President Barack Obama on Tuesday praised Islam as an integral part of America, as he feted prominent US Muslims at an Iftar dinner marking the holy fasting month of Ramadan. “For well over a billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection,” Obama said, in remarks
Posts Tagged ‘dinner’
Kristin Davis ‘finds new love’
July 29th, 2009 |
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‘Sex and the City”” star Kristin Davis seems to have now found love in celebrity photographer Russell James.
“It”’’s been going on for a bit now. She”’’s very supportive of him – she seems very happy,” People magazine quoted a source as saying.
The pair was recently spotted enjoying a cozy dinner in Los Angeles.
According to a [...]
‘Gift of the gab’
July 28th, 2009 |
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In our series of weekly viewpoints from African journalists, former BBC editor and Ghanaian minister Elizabeth Ohene, relives her unforgettable encounters with Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president currently defending himself against war crimes charges.
Not much had changed. It was the same self-assured, flamboyant performer. I must confess it gave me quite a start to hear that voice on television say: Dr Charles Ghankay Taylor.
The memories came flooding in… The Charles Taylor story is well known, so where do I start with my Charles Taylor story
Boxing Day, 1989. The day after Christmas Day, Boxing Day is usually a slow day in newsrooms, and the four of us who were at work in the BBC’s Focus on Africa office that Boxing Day were probably cursing our luck that we were at work when most other people were nursing their Christmas hangovers at home.
The phone rang and the voice at the end said he was Charles Taylor, he had launched an invasion into Liberia to throw out the head of state, Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe.
‘No better than a murderer’
I do not remember if there were any arguments among us about whether we should give him the exposure. But that is not the point today and as the old cliche goes, the rest is history.
He was interviewed and the Liberian rebel war was introduced to the world – and with it a certain notoriety for the programme.
As time went by and Focus on Africa continued with what was to become a daily chronicle of the war, the internal arguments and agonising did take place in the office.
But hey, the man made great radio. Gift of the gab – if ever anyone had it, that was Charles Taylor. Probably the most famous of the verbal sparring between editor Robin White and Charles Taylor went something like this…
Robin White: "Mr Taylor, some people think you are not much better than a murderer."
Charles Taylor: (guffaws) "Robin, Jesus Christ was accused of being a murderer in his time."
Okay, I know Jesus Christ was accused of many things in his time but I cannot recall him being accused of murder; all the same you get the drift and must concede it made riveting radio.
‘He killed my ma’
Fast-forward to 1997 and I am in Liberia to cover the elections that would eventually make Charles Taylor president.
My abiding memories of that assignment and the face-to-face encounters with Charles Taylor must surely be the chant of his youthful supporters.
There were thousands of them, all clad in yellow Taylor T-shirts and they would run up and down the streets of Monrovia chanting: "He killed my ma, he killed my pa, I’ll vote for him."
When I interviewed him, he brought up the matter of the chant.
"Have you heard them" he asked. "They mean it, you know, and they love me." And indeed they voted for him, and he became president.
Did he make up that chant himself, as some suggested I tackled him on that and as I recall it he simply laughed, but again you must admit he can put words together to make good radio.
Reluctant dinner guest
Fast-forward again to the year 2002 and I am a minister of state in Ghana when a then "under-pressure-to-step-down" President Taylor arrives for a summit of the West African bloc Ecowas, and I am asked to be his ministerial escort.
CHARLES TAYLOR CHARGES- Violation of humanitarian law: Conscripting child soldiers
- Crimes against humanity: Terrorising civilians, murder, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement
- War crimes: "Violence to life", cruel treatment (including hacking off limbs), pillage
I am afraid the abiding memory of that encounter was the last evening of the summit when Ghanaian President John Kufuor hosted a dinner at the hotel in which all the visiting presidents were staying.
I arrived to take Charles Taylor to the dinner at the seafront of the hotel.
He was reluctant to go and I could not immediately work out what the problem was because he would not say. I managed to get him out of his room, we walked for a few yards and could see ahead of us the dinner laid out and the guests.
He stopped, and have I mentioned that he was surrounded all the time by four hefty bodyguards We never made it to the dinner – he did not feel safe.
Not even the presence of all the other presidents could convince Mr Taylor it was safe to go and eat in an outdoor setting; he looked and acted like a hunted man. He ended up with room service for his dinner that night and I cannot remember any great witty remarks.
He will doubtless keep the courtroom in The Hague spellbound with his oratory and choice phrases. I shall be watching carefully to see if the judges are also mesmerised by his performance.
I wonder whether that macabre chant will be resurrected, this time ending with the words Taylor used the day he was forced out of Liberia: He killed my ma, he killed my pa… and he will be back.
How do you remember Charles Taylor’s rule Are you a Liberian who lived under his Presidency Did you ever meet Mr Taylor in person Send us your comments.
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This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Michael Sigman: ‘No’ Hollywood Style
July 27th, 2009 |
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The Hollywood No is a key element of a code that, once deconstructed, at least allows the petitioner to take things less personally.
Freddie Highmore Dakota Fanning Dating?
July 27th, 2009 |
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Is there a new teen powerhouse couple in the making? Dakota Fanning, 15, and Freddie Highmore, 17, were spotted on a dinner date at Il Cielo in Beverly Hills on Saturday night, E! spies have learned.
Iced coffees are as fattening as a steak meal
July 27th, 2009 |
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Forget about dinner after having that chilled iced coffee with friends, for an expert says that some of these cold coffees have more calories than a steak and chips dinner.
Dr. Rachel Thompson has found that women who have the drink are consuming a quarter of their recommended 2000-calorie daily intake.
And this intake of calories increases [...]
Leona Lewis saves rabbit from ending up as a tramp’’s dinner
July 23rd, 2009 |
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British singer Leona Lewis once rescued a rabbit from a homeless man who threatened to eat it for his dinner.
The ‘Bleeding Love’ hitmaker was walking along a street in Los Angeles when she saw a man sitting with the white bunny on a leash.
Lewis was so concerned over the creature’’s welfare, she asked the vagrant [...]
Murray Fromson: And That’s the Way It Was…
July 22nd, 2009 |
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When I first met Cronkite was a hawk, a supporter of the conflict in Vietnam like so many Americans of his generation. What led to his profound change of heart about the war?
Baucus Leading Recipient Of Health Care Industry Cash
July 21st, 2009 |
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As liberal protesters marched outside, Sen. Max Baucus sat down inside a San Francisco mansion for a dinner of chicken cordon bleu and a discussion of landmark health-care legislation under consideration by his Senate Finance Committee.
…
Holly Robinson: The New Shape of Family
July 20th, 2009 |
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Divorce can be dignified. Our children deserve the best of us even when the marriage bonds we once thought permanent fray and break.
Expenses reveal BBC’s expensive tastes
July 17th, 2009 |
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A bill of nearly £1,600 for an “executive Christmas dinner” held by the BBC’s creative director Alan Yentob was among the claims in the latest list of expenses published by the broadcaster.
Former BBC former drama chief Jane Tranter, who quit as the BBC head of fiction last year to take up a new US role with the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, claimed more than £3,000 for flowers over a three-year period, most of them as gifts for BBC stars.
The new figures follow the publication last month of more than £360,000-worth of expense claims made by 13 members of the BBC’s executive board. The latest statistics relate to the BBC’s 30 most senior managers outside of the board, including the controllers of all its TV and radio stations, and other senior executives.
Unlike the publication of MPs’ expenses, the data was not heavily redacted and shone further light into the internal – and occasionally unlikely – workings of the BBC. Some of the more eye-catching claims included:
• Creative director Alan Yentob claimed £1,579.63 for an “executive Christmas dinner” for 27 people in 2006.
• £4,589 claimed by Michael Carrington, controller of CBeebies, for travel to a conference in New York.
• Over £800 of Molton Brown gift sets and toiletries claimed by BBC1 controller Jay Hunt, along with a £94.50 “silver bangle with charm”, a £59.95 biscuit jar, and £48.95 for two pairs of cashmere socks bought as a “gift for a leading supplier”.
• The BBC’s director of archive content and former BBC2 controller Roly Keating claimed more than £1,000 for champagne and chocolates.
• A £1,233 dinner held by BBC Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer to celebrate the 35th anniversary of BBC Radio 4 panel show, Just A Minute
Elsewhere in the figures published yesterday, it was revealed how entertainment executive Jonathan Beazley claimed £6.99 for a Doctor Who action figure, and BBC3 controller Danny Cohen claimed £26.97 for a box set of the first series of Skins, the teen drama he commissioned when he was head of rival channel, E4.
BBC News channel controller Kevin Bakhurst spent several hundred pounds trying to persuade talent to change channels and join the BBC. “Job talks – try to persuade to join BBC News.” Another, for £78.19, went on “contacts/gathering information” about the BBC’s rival, Rupert Murdoch’s Sky.
The BBC’s chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, said the corporation was delivering a “step change in the information we disclose to the public, and we believe this will make us one of the most transparent and open public service organisations in Britain”. All of the expenses claims related to a three-year period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March this year.
Thomson said: “Later in the year we will formalise our processes in this area and routinely publish large amounts of information relating to the pay and expenses of our top executives. We will also give details of the amount of money the BBC pays for onscreen presenters and artists.
“The public will then be able to see how the BBC performs against its commitment to reduce the amount of money the organisation spends on top talent, which currently stands at approximately 2% of the licence fee.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Expenses reveal BBC’s expensive tastes
July 17th, 2009 |
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A bill of nearly £1,600 for an “executive Christmas dinner” held by the BBC’s creative director Alan Yentob was among the claims in the latest list of expenses published by the broadcaster.
Former BBC former drama chief Jane Tranter, who quit as the BBC head of fiction last year to take up a new US role with the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, claimed more than £3,000 for flowers over a three-year period, most of them as gifts for BBC stars.
The new figures follow the publication last month of more than £360,000-worth of expense claims made by 13 members of the BBC’s executive board. The latest statistics relate to the BBC’s 30 most senior managers outside of the board, including the controllers of all its TV and radio stations, and other senior executives.
Unlike the publication of MPs’ expenses, the data was not heavily redacted and shone further light into the internal – and occasionally unlikely – workings of the BBC. Some of the more eye-catching claims included:
• Creative director Alan Yentob claimed £1,579.63 for an “executive Christmas dinner” for 27 people in 2006.
• £4,589 claimed by Michael Carrington, controller of CBeebies, for travel to a conference in New York.
• Over £800 of Molton Brown gift sets and toiletries claimed by BBC1 controller Jay Hunt, along with a £94.50 “silver bangle with charm”, a £59.95 biscuit jar, and £48.95 for two pairs of cashmere socks bought as a “gift for a leading supplier”.
• The BBC’s director of archive content and former BBC2 controller Roly Keating claimed more than £1,000 for champagne and chocolates.
• A £1,233 dinner held by BBC Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer to celebrate the 35th anniversary of BBC Radio 4 panel show, Just A Minute
Elsewhere in the figures published yesterday, it was revealed how entertainment executive Jonathan Beazley claimed £6.99 for a Doctor Who action figure, and BBC3 controller Danny Cohen claimed £26.97 for a box set of the first series of Skins, the teen drama he commissioned when he was head of rival channel, E4.
BBC News channel controller Kevin Bakhurst spent several hundred pounds trying to persuade talent to change channels and join the BBC. “Job talks – try to persuade to join BBC News.” Another, for £78.19, went on “contacts/gathering information” about the BBC’s rival, Rupert Murdoch’s Sky.
The BBC’s chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, said the corporation was delivering a “step change in the information we disclose to the public, and we believe this will make us one of the most transparent and open public service organisations in Britain”. All of the expenses claims related to a three-year period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March this year.
Thomson said: “Later in the year we will formalise our processes in this area and routinely publish large amounts of information relating to the pay and expenses of our top executives. We will also give details of the amount of money the BBC pays for onscreen presenters and artists.
“The public will then be able to see how the BBC performs against its commitment to reduce the amount of money the organisation spends on top talent, which currently stands at approximately 2% of the licence fee.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Expenses reveal BBC’s expensive tastes
July 17th, 2009 |
No Comments
A bill of nearly £1,600 for an “executive Christmas dinner” held by the BBC’s creative director Alan Yentob was among the claims in the latest list of expenses published by the broadcaster.
Former BBC former drama chief Jane Tranter, who quit as the BBC head of fiction last year to take up a new US role with the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, claimed more than £3,000 for flowers over a three-year period, most of them as gifts for BBC stars.
The new figures follow the publication last month of more than £360,000-worth of expense claims made by 13 members of the BBC’s executive board. The latest statistics relate to the BBC’s 30 most senior managers outside of the board, including the controllers of all its TV and radio stations, and other senior executives.
Unlike the publication of MPs’ expenses, the data was not heavily redacted and shone further light into the internal – and occasionally unlikely – workings of the BBC. Some of the more eye-catching claims included:
• Creative director Alan Yentob claimed £1,579.63 for an “executive Christmas dinner” for 27 people in 2006.
• £4,589 claimed by Michael Carrington, controller of CBeebies, for travel to a conference in New York.
• Over £800 of Molton Brown gift sets and toiletries claimed by BBC1 controller Jay Hunt, along with a £94.50 “silver bangle with charm”, a £59.95 biscuit jar, and £48.95 for two pairs of cashmere socks bought as a “gift for a leading supplier”.
• The BBC’s director of archive content and former BBC2 controller Roly Keating claimed more than £1,000 for champagne and chocolates.
• A £1,233 dinner held by BBC Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer to celebrate the 35th anniversary of BBC Radio 4 panel show, Just A Minute
Elsewhere in the figures published yesterday, it was revealed how entertainment executive Jonathan Beazley claimed £6.99 for a Doctor Who action figure, and BBC3 controller Danny Cohen claimed £26.97 for a box set of the first series of Skins, the teen drama he commissioned when he was head of rival channel, E4.
BBC News channel controller Kevin Bakhurst spent several hundred pounds trying to persuade talent to change channels and join the BBC. “Job talks – try to persuade to join BBC News.” Another, for £78.19, went on “contacts/gathering information” about the BBC’s rival, Rupert Murdoch’s Sky.
The BBC’s chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, said the corporation was delivering a “step change in the information we disclose to the public, and we believe this will make us one of the most transparent and open public service organisations in Britain”. All of the expenses claims related to a three-year period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March this year.
Thomson said: “Later in the year we will formalise our processes in this area and routinely publish large amounts of information relating to the pay and expenses of our top executives. We will also give details of the amount of money the BBC pays for onscreen presenters and artists.
“The public will then be able to see how the BBC performs against its commitment to reduce the amount of money the organisation spends on top talent, which currently stands at approximately 2% of the licence fee.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Obama urges ‘new black mindset’
July 17th, 2009 |
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<img src=”http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46072000/jpg/_46072050_007661704-1.jpg” align=”left” width=”226″ height=”170″ alt=”Barack Obama speaks at the NAACP convention in New York (16 July 2009)” border=”0″ vspace=”4″ hspace=”4″>
US President Barack Obama has told America’s oldest civil rights organisation that African Americans should take charge of their lives.
He said there were "no excuses" for ethnic minority children not to work hard and succeed.
Mr Obama’s comments came in a speech at a dinner marking the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
It is Mr Obama’s first speech focussing on race since he became US president.
Mr Obama told the NAACP dinner that people had to take responsibilities for their lives and their communities.
"Government programmes alone won’t get our children to the promised land – we need a new mindset, a new set of attitudes," he said.
The president said African American communities had "internalised a set of limitations" and "come to expect so little from the world and from ourselves".
But he said African American children should aspire to be scientists, engineers, Supreme Court judges and presidents.
He said there were "no excuses" for African American children not to work hard and aim high.
"No one has written your destiny for you – your destiny is in your hands. You cannot forget that, that’s what we have to teach our children," he said.
Mr Obama also said he wanted to see a return to strong parenting and adults taking responsibility for the discipline of all children in their community.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Ponting hosts black tie dinner for cricket WAGs in London
July 15th, 2009 |
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Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting hosted a gala black tie dinner for some of his team mates and their WAGS here on Tuesday.
While beauty Lee Furlong and her boyfriend Shane Watson joined 800 guests, including the entire British cricket squad to raise money for the charity foundation, absent from the group was the highest profile [...]
Potlucks For The Planet: Environmentally Themed Dinners All The Rage
July 14th, 2009 |
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Worm composting, local economies, dumpster diving: all coming to a dinner table near you. Whether they have the goal of educating people about a particular environmental issue or encouraging the consumption of eco-friendly food, potlucks with …