Saturday, February 16, 2013

Crystal Parade Praises Football Star?s Sparkly Boots with encrusted Swarovski Crystals

(PRWEB UK) 16 February 2013

In what is believed to be one of the most expensive pairs of football boots ever used in action, Saint-Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wore the eye-catching footwear while warming up for his team's recent clash with Lyon.

The boots, which were made by Orravan Design, were Nike Mercurial Vapors encrusted in Swarovski crystals and took more than 50 hours to complete.

At least 4,000 Swarovski crystals were embedded into the leather boots - which also incorporated his name, number and the club crest and colours - which Aubameyang replaced with a more conventional pair once the actual match got underway.

The boots are a superb example of the versatility and craftsmanship of Swarovski Elements, which can give any item of footwear or clothing a visual lift.

And one of the UK's largest stockists of Swarovski Elements, Crystal Parade, says the footballer's boots demonstrated just what could be done.

A spokesperson said: "Swarovski Elements come in a huge array of wonderful colours, effects, shapes and sizes, so they are a dream material for designers like Orravan to work with.

"And as they carry the Swarovski label, they come with the high-precision cutting and passion for detail that has been the hallmark of the company since it was established back in 1895.

"Football boots may be an unlikely place for crystals, but it shows again that there is virtually nothing that a designer cannot do with Swarovski Elements."

Crystal Parade has a large on-site stock of Swarovski crystal jewellery that acts as a global design resource for everyone from dancers, artists and fashion designers to theatrical wardrobe production teams and even individual hobbyists.

Well known for the knowledge and courtesy of its staff, Crystal Parade is also a source of creative inspiration for its clients.

The ideal crystals for boots like those made for Aubameyang would be Swarovski No Hotfix Flatback Crystals, also known as Swarovski Rhinestones, which are well-suited to decorating smaller items or hand-held gadgets like boots or trainers, mobile phones, ipods, mirrors, greeting cards and wedding stationery.

These crystals have a high lead content that is heavier than standard glass crystals, increasing the index of refraction and making them appear as bright and sparkly as diamonds when they come into contact with light.

For more information about Crystal Parade Swarovski crystal jewellery, visit http://www.crystalparade.co.uk.


Source: http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10407214.htm

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Izzard and Flanagan set to get London laughing in 2013

-- /EPR NETWORK/ -- Eddie Izzard's 'Force Majeure' and Micky Flanagan's 'Back In The Game' tours top the billing of London's most unmissable comedy events of 2013, according to stand-up comedian, TV presenter and BBC Radio regular James Mullinger. Writing about the best comedy shows in London for the new 244-page guide to London 2013, produced by the events and bookings website LondonTown.com, Mullinger also urges comedy fans to seek out shows from Richard Herring, Harry Hill, Sarah Millican, Russell Kane and Nick Helm.

Finally hitting the big time after many years plugging away at grassroots level, Flanagan makes his first forays onto the arena stage in 2013 with performances at Hammersmith Apollo (24th & 25th May), Wembley Arena (3rd & 4th October) and the O2 Arena (16th - 19th October). His 'Back In The Game' tour promises to be insightful and hilarious - and, according to Mullinger, "if you only go to one comedy show in 2013, make sure this is it".

Fresh from having run 41 marathons in 53 days, Izzard is embarking on another world record in 2013 as the inimitable cross-dressing comic embarks on the biggest international stand-up tour of all time, taking in 25 countries around the world - including Nepal, New Zealand, Latvia and Slovenia. 20 UK dates of what promises to be a legendary tour include a London leg at Wembley Arena (11th & 12th May). These unmissable London shows by Izzard and Flanagan ? as well as a whole host of stand-up events throughout the capital in 2013 ? are previewed on LondonTown.com's London Events in 2013 page.

The spring sees two contrasting masters of mirth perform in London, with Richard Herring reviving his seminal show, 'Talking Cock', at the Bloomsbury Theatre (12th & 13th April) and the big-collared buffoon Harry Hill performing his latest set, 'Sausage Time', at Hammersmith Apollo (26th March & 11th April). Herring's though-provoking, profoundly honest and gloriously hysterical show has been described as man's answer to 'The Vagina Monologues' while the new offering from the zany, bespectacled Hill "is likely to be the funniest thing you'll see all year," according to Mullinger, who will perform his own fourth solo show - 'The Man With No Shame' - throughout 2013 at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden.

Later in the year, Sarah Millican - charming, filthy and loveable in equal measures - is back with a brand new stand-up tour, 'Home Bird', which swings by the Apollo on 8th & 9th November. Other names to look out for in London in 2013 include Russell Kane, whose show 'Posturing Delivery' is about masculinity and insecurities infuses with manic streams of consciousness, and Nick Helm, who will bring his boisterous musical comedy to the Udderbelly stage over the summer, as well as perform across the capital's comedy clubs on a weekly basis.

This press release features extracts from London 2013: Best Comedy Shows, an article in the new 244-page guide book to London in 2013, published by LondonTown.com. To purchase a copy of London 2013 - The Annual go to http://www.londontown.com/2013/

-end-

About LondonTown.com
Londontown.com is the number one Internet site for London. With over 19 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, the site prides itself on its customer service and editorial independence ? no advertising or paid-for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Trusted and with a loyal following, LondonTown.com is a highly reliable source of recommendations and advice on what to do in London. http://www.LondonTown.com

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Source: http://express-press-release.net/106/Izzard-Flanagan-set-get-London-laughing-2013-93245209.php

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The Glove on Jordan, the NBA Finals, trash talkin'

by Associated Press

KING5.com

Posted on February 15, 2013 at 4:50 PM

PAYTON VS. JORDAN: Back in the day, Gary Payton relished the opportunity to guard Michael Jordan.

Payton was selected as a finalist for election to the Hall of Fame on Friday, kicking off All-Star Weekend in Houston. Jordan, meanwhile, turns 50 on Sunday, and the league is planning a tribute.

"I've got a lot of memories for him," Payton said, smiling. "We always had great battles. That's what brought it out of me. He and John Stockton were the two guys I always looked forward to playing against because I knew I was going to learn something.?

Payton's Seattle team faced Jordan's Chicago squad in the 1996 NBA Finals, after the Bulls had rolled to a league-record 72 wins in the regular season. The Bulls stormed to a 3-0 lead in the series, but the Sonics won the next two games.

Payton, known as "The Glove" for his defensive ability, guarded Scottie Pippen early in the series. Seattle coach George Karl put Payton on Jordan in Game 3.

"The only thing I remember is we got down 3-0," Payton said. "We got into a hole and we came back and won two. I wish I could've guarded him earlier. I didn't guard him in the first three (games). It probably would've been a better series, I don't know.?

Jordan had 22 points and seven assists in Game 6 and the Bulls won their fourth championship. While Jordan won their championship matchup, Payton said when it came to trash talking, Jordan was no match for him.

"Mike didn't really talk any trash," Payton said. "The only guy who can probably get close to me is probably Larry Bird. And Reggie Miller. They're the only ones who can come close to me, and I think I'm No. 1.?

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Source: http://www.king5.com/sports/The-Glove-on-Jordan-the-NBA-Finals-trash-talkin-191484081.html

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Friday, February 15, 2013

Online marketplace Ebay to create 450 jobs in Co Louth

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 12:44

CIARA O'BRIEN and MARY MINIHAN

Online marketplace Ebay is to create 450 jobs in Ireland, it announced today.

The jobs will be located at an operations centre in Dundalk, Co Louth, and will bring the total number employed by Ebay and its payments division Paypal in Ireland to 2,300.

The expansion is being supported by IDA Ireland.

The new positions will support Ebay's growing European customer base for Ebay Marketplaces and PayPal.

The announcement was made this morning by Taoiseach Enda Kenny who described it as "exceptional news" for the area.

"The fact that global technology leaders like eBay and PayPal are expanding their operations here shows that we have the local talent pool, infrastructure and business environment to attract high quality investments," he said.

"Last week's agreement on bank debt will lead to further investment as confidence in the Irish economy continues to grow which is good for jobs and recovery."

Mr Kenny said Ireland had worked hard to attract ?high-calibre? companies like eBay to the country and the reaction since the promissory note deal was struck last week had been ?quite extraordinary?.

The workers who will take up new positions for eBay will carry with them the responsibility of continuing to brand Ireland as an attractive location for investment, Mr Kenny added.

Speaking directly to eBay?s senior director of customer experience in Europe Gary Hagel, Mr Kenny said: ?You?ve got an open door to Government.?

Mr Hagel described eBay as the world?s leading e-commerce company and said hiring would start immediately, with people taking up positions as early as May of this year.

He said the company remained committed to its current facility in Blanchardstown, Dublin, ?and the people who work there who do an outstanding job?.

Asked why the company was investing in Ireland, Mr Hagel said eBay had had ?10 fabulous years? here with ?tremendous? support from the IDA. ?Fundamentally it?s the people?they?re very talented, very skilled, very passionate.?

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said Ireland was making the transition towards a new economy based on new sectors that would ?endure for 10, 15, 20 years ahead?.

Labour TD for Louth-East Meath Gerald Nash welcomed the announcement, which comes a year after Paypal said it would create 1,000 jobs in Dundalk.

"This is another major confidence boost for the county," he said, describing it as "a massive expression of confidence in the workforce and the area in terms of its business friendly and enterprising environment".

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Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/851/f/10838/s/288efe28/l/0L0Sirishtimes0N0Cnewspaper0Cbreaking0C20A130C0A2140Cbreaking210Bhtm/story01.htm

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Koch-funded charity passes money to free-market think tanks

By Paul AbowdThe Center for Public Integrity

In 2009, a network of online media outlets began popping up in state capitals across the nation, each covering the news from a clearly conservative point of view. What wasn?t so clear was how they were funded.

?The source is 100 percent anonymous,? said Michael Moroney, a spokesman for the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, the think tank that created the outlets.

In fact, 95 percent of Franklin?s revenue in 2011 came from a charity called Donors Trust, according to Internal Revenue Service records.

Conservative foundations and individuals use Donors Trust to pass money to a vast network of think tanks and media outlets that push free-market ideology in the states ? $86 million in 2011 alone. The arrangement obscures the identity of the donors wishing to keep their charitable giving private, especially ?gifts funding sensitive or controversial issues,? according to the group?s website.


The $6.3 million donation to the Franklin Center was the second-largest gift made in 2011 by the group, a tax-exempt ?public charity? that takes tax-deductible donations from donors ?dedicated to the ideals of limited government, personal responsibility, and free enterprise,? according to its website.?

Donors Trust includes 193 contributors,?the majority of whom are individuals. ?A lot of donors are flying totally under the radar,? says president and CEO Whitney Ball.

Donor-advised fund
Since its founding in 1999, Donors Trust and its affiliated organization, Donors Capital Fund,?have distributed nearly $400 million, becoming major vehicles for tax-exempt giving from wealthy conservatives such as billionaire industrialist Charles Koch.

Koch is among an exclusive pool of donors who have used Donors Trust as a ?pass-through,? says Marcus Owens, the former director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division, now in private legal practice. ?It obscures the source of the money. It becomes a grant from Donors Trust, not a grant from the Koch brothers.?

Ball helped found Donors Trust in 1999 as a ?donor-advised? fund. Donors can open an account and protect their identity from the public and even the recipient of their grants.

In addition, donor-advised funds offer contributors an extra level of control over where their money ends up, which seeks to remedy what Ball sees as the tendency for foundation money to ?drift left.?

This was a chief concern of Daniel Searle, the late philanthropist and pharmaceutical executive who was one of Donors Trust?s early board members.

In 1998, with help from Donors Trust co-founder and board chairman Kim Dennis, Searle established an endowment called the Searle Freedom Trust, now worth $114 million,?which has in turn given generously to Donors Trust.

?Great guys?
The Searle Freedom Trust is one of dozens of conservative foundations that have given tens of millions of dollars to Donors Trust from 2001 to 2011. Among the group?s donors is the Knowledge and Progress Fund, a Wichita, Kan.-based foundation run by Charles Koch.

The foundation gave almost $8 million to Donors Trust between 2005 and 2011.

Where those funds ended up is a mystery, though some of the recipients, including the Mercatus Center and the Institute for Humane Studies based at George Mason University in Virginia, have also received major funding from foundations set up by Charles Koch and brother David.

Brendan McDermid / Reuters file

David Koch is shown in New York on Dec. 10. In 2010, nearly half of the revenue for David Koch's Americans for Prosperity Foundation came from Donors Trust, in the form of $7.6 million in grants.

Nearly half of the revenue for David Koch?s Americans for Prosperity Foundation came from Donors Trust in 2010, in the form of $7.6 million in grants.

Representatives for the Koch foundations did not return ?calls for comment.?

Before Donors Trust, Ball was the director of development?for the libertarian Cato Institute, which Charles Koch was instrumental in founding.

?We think they?re great guys,? she says of the Kochs, ?but if they weren?t around, we?d still be successful.?

At a private Koch fundraising meeting in the summer of 2010,?Donors Trust hosted cocktails and dessert for what Ball called a ?target-rich environment? of wealthy donors.

Several wealthy conservatives who have attended Koch fundraising parties have Donors Trust accounts, including Amway co-founder and longtime booster of conservative causes Richard DeVos; hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer; and Philip Anschutz,?owner of the conservative Examiner newspapers.

Dozens of other major conservative philanthropies have Donors Trust accounts, including the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation,?the John M. Olin Foundation?and the Coors family?s Castle Rock Foundation,?according to IRS records.

Money in the states
For a decade, Donors Trust has bolstered the efforts of D.C.-based conservative think tanks, including Cato, the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute ? whose president, Arthur C. Brooks, is on the Donors Trust board.

In recent years, it has taken a strong interest in the states, funding state-level think tanks and three national umbrella organizations that coordinate their activities: ?the American Legislative Exchange Council, the State Policy Network (SPN), and the Franklin Center.

?Gridlock? at the federal level of government means donors see ?a better opportunity to make a difference in the states,? says Ball, who sits on the board of the State Policy Network.

SPN has become a major recipient of Donors Trust money ? receiving $10 million in the past five years.

In 2011, the nearly $2 million in grants from Donors Trust made up about 40 percent of SPN?s revenue for the year, according to tax records obtained by the Center.

In the past five years, Donors Trust money has gone to at least 51?state-level think tanks affiliated with SPN,?located in nearly every state. Last year, SPN used the money to incubate think tanks in Arkansas, Rhode Island?and Florida, where it hosted its yearly gathering in November.

One workshop touted privatization of state and local government services. Another featured anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist. A third focused on how ?property rights and markets provide the best way to protect the environment.?

SPN also sponsors?the American Legislative Exchange Council, another D.C.-based clearinghouse for state-level policymaking that gets support directly from Donors Trust.

A laboratory for corporate-friendly laws in the states, ALEC hosts closed-door meetings where corporate lobbyists and state legislators meet to hammer out free-market legislation.

Ten state-level think tanks got a total of $200,000 from Donors Trust to attend ALEC meetings in 2011?including the Michigan-based Mackinac Center and the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, which introduced a raft of anti-union model bills at ALEC?s spring 2012 conference.

The Mackinac Center has gotten $2.4 million from Donors Trust since 2008, according to the Bridge Project, a liberal think tank.

One Donors Trust grant to Mackinac Center was earmarked for ?statehouse reporting??efforts. Mackinac put the money toward a media machine of blogs and research studies making the case for the state?s new ?right-to-work? law.

The Mackinac Center works closely with other Donors Trust recipients, including the Franklin Center, which counts Mackinac?s ?media? outlets?in Michigan as affiliates.

The Franklin Center, Mackinac and another major recipient of Donors Trust cash, Americans for Prosperity, co-hosted a day-long training for ?citizen watchdogs? featuring speakers on ?school choice? and ?union reform? from the Mackinac Center and Republican state Rep. Tom McMillin, who is also an ALEC member.

Against the tide
The California-based Tides Foundation, which Ball calls the ?ideological opposite? of Donors Trust, also operates donor-advised funds. The Center has received funding from the Tides Foundation in the past.

In 2011, Tides raised $91 million and made $96 million in grants, including $26 million to overseas recipients.

Tides gives grants to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and liberal groups like the Center for American Progress and the National Resources Defense Council.

Since 2010, the foundation has received $10 million from George Soros? Foundation to Promote an Open Society,?which has assets of $2.2 billion (Tides has assets of $142 million, and the Donors Trust funds have combined assets of $62 million.)

Soros? Open Society Foundations is a donor to the Center for Public Integrity.

Soros? foundation listed the specific recipient of its grants to Tides, including its largest gift, a $1 million grant for school nutrition programs. The largest foundations contributing to Donors Trust do not identify the ultimate recipient of their funds, records show.

Donor-advised funds offer private foundations created by wealthy individuals several tax advantages and a degree of anonymity, but there are also advantages for recipients.

The Franklin Center, for example, maintains a tax-exemption as a ?publicly supported? entity.

If the organization were perennially accepting 96 percent of its funding from a handful of wealthy donors ?it would not count as public support? and could jeopardize its tax status, Owens said.

Though its donors remain anonymous, the Franklin Center touts ?transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility as its watchwords.?

One of Franklin?s state-based blogs, New Jersey Watchdog, also received $50,000 from AFP in 2011, according to IRS records.

In 2011 alone, Donors Trust helped the Franklin Center expand by funding state-based reporting projects in Illinois,?Iowa,?Missouri,?Nebraska,?Nevada,?Ohio?and Virginia.

Recurring themes on the Franklin Center blogs include ?union bosses,? ?Marxian? senators and the perils of renewable energy.

Franklin has noted that its journalists? work had landed on major networks from Fox to MSNBC.?The details of several stories offered by the Franklin-funded outlets have been called into question, however.

One report from a New Mexico affiliate housed at a free-market think tank also funded by Donors Trust?garnered national attention when it reported that millions of dollars in federal stimulus money had been allocated to non-existent congressional districts.

The government database on stimulus spending had indeed listed non-existent districts as receiving funds, but The Associated Press reported that the problem was due to data errors and that ??phantom congressional districts? are being used as a phantom issue to suggest that stimulus money has been misspent.?

When asked to comment on the criticism, Franklin Center spokesman Moroney said: ?Franklin Center adheres to the highest degree of journalistic integrity and we stand by our Watchdog.org reporting 100 percent. In this case, the Associated Press had it wrong.?

Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16939114-koch-funded-charity-passes-money-to-free-market-think-tanks-in-states?lite

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