Wino

I am not sure how much money Prince William raised for the Centrepoint Center. The prince took over for his mother as a patron for Centrepoint. He is doing good work for this charity. Prince William may well have the cushiest digs in the UK, so what was the heir to the British throne doing sleeping on the streets of London, beside a group of garbage cans, just a few days before Christmas? No, Wills didn't blow all his cash buying that rumored engagement ring for Kate Middleton. The prince is the Patron of Centrepoint, a British charity working to end youth homelessness in the UK; he slept outside to raise awareness of the group's programs. According to a Centrepoint press release, Prince William attended a dinner for the charity in March and challenged CEO Seyi Obakin to up the ante on the group's mission this year. "In accepting that challenge, I invited him to share, for one night, the experience a young person sleeping rough on the streets of London might have," Obakin says in the release. "It did not occur to me that he would pick up that gauntlet. But he did!" The prince, his private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, and Centrepoint's Obakin spent the night of December 15 in sleeping bags beside the Blackfriars Bridge in London. By Obakin's account, it was a rough night; for one thing, the temperatures dipped to -4 degrees Celsius (about 24.8 degrees Fahrenheit). But it wasn't just the cold that made it a difficult experience. "We took as much precaution as possible," Obakin wrote on the Centrepoint web site, "finding a relatively secluded spot in an alleyway, shielded partly by a collection of wheelie bins. But there was no shielding from the bitter cold, or the hard concrete floor, or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a 'good' kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn't see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are. I have never been happier to welcome the break of dawn!" The trio stuck it out until morning, when they rose and walked through West London so the prince could get a look at what Obakin termed the "invisible men and women" sleeping in the streets. The Prince told Centrepoint, "I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night. Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependency and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless." Despite the economy, or maybe because of it, volunteerism is up in America. Prince William made time for it, and his brother Prince Harry is also very involved in charity work. We think their mother, the late Princess Diana, would be proud of her sons. http://news.holidash...ndons-homeless/

Is the Guggenhiem on the list, too?

I guess that would work, if you wanted to see your phone go snap, crackle, pop!

Through the years, I have been in Pattaya for Christmas many times. Until this year, I never noticed so many local fireworks displays. Is this new or did I just miss it in years past?

I don’t think the authorities know yet, but some reports are saying it may be the lax security in Nigeria.

Let's hope this does not happen to you but what would you do if your cell phone is accidentally dropped in water? Not guaranteed to work, but it is worth a try. I saw this on the internet and it worked for someone out there. This guy’s blackberry was in water for thirty seconds. He did the following and it worked. Here is what he did. 1. Take the battery out immediately. The reason most phones stop working after a water bath is because the battery shorts the phone. DO NOT turn the phone off. This is crucial. 2. Take a zip lock bag and fill it with uncooked rice (instant rice also works). Insert the phone into the rice and leave it for two or three days. It sounds crazy but the rice soaks up the moisture. May help to leave the bag of rice on something warm like the TV. 3. You have to be patient. After both the phone and battery are dried out. Insert battery, and hope it works. GOOD LUCK.

I have seen some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work but not Fallingwater. I certainly hope to see it soon.

I smoked for a few years, too. I had some respiratory problems as a child, but due to peer pressure, I took up the nasty habit. I thought I was cool. I am so glad I chose to quit more than 30 years ago.

I will drink to that. Sounds like a worthy cause but don't think it has a snowball's chance in hell to work.

This incident will make traveling by air in the US very difficult this holiday season.

To tell you the truth, I make the same resolution each year, but somehow never stick to it. I would love to lose 20 pounds but find it hard to do. I am too lazy and like eating and drinking, too much.

Excellent way to solve the hangover problem, but not usually as much fun.

I am sorry to hear about your sister's problem. I don't think much about her conspiracy theory. She may be a highly eduacated professional, but she isn't too smart. One lung, two bouts of cancer and she is still smoking?

Helping the homeless is a very worthy cause. I hope Prince William's efforts help bring this problem to the forefront.

God rest those many soulds that died five years ago.

Seems to me, if a person cannot fit into a designated seat, then you pay for two seats. Simple enough.

I have seen some matches on free TV, but I think the many of the championship matches are on pay-for-view.

I have seen this sport on TV. It is very popular in the US, but a little too bloody for my taste. By Peter Rutherford SINGAPORE (Reuters) - It has been branded "human cockfighting" by Senator John McCain and bloodlust unbound by its critics, but mixed martial arts has evolved from 'no holds barred' brawls to become one of the world's fastest growing sports Popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the United States, MMA is a fusion of fight styles that melds the stunning strikes of boxing and muay thai, the sleek submissions of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the devastating power of wrestling. It has fought hard to gain credibility, regulatory backing and global appeal by introducing a comprehensive list of rules, stringent doping procedures and embarking on a educational campaign to win hearts and minds. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091221/sp_nm/us_mma

At the Simthsonian.com they have an interesting list of 28 places to see before you die. I have been to six of them and hope to see a few more in the near future. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/lifelists/lifelist.html

Thanks for trying to keep it a pleasant board. I hate it when posters attach each other instead of discussing the issue. I feel there is always two sides to a coin. Sometimes it seems posters here are all sitting around the campfire singing coom-by-ya. Even though I might agree with the campfire girls, there is usually another view and another song to sing.

If I were to bet, I think there were a few bodyguards close by.

The bottom line is the vast majority of politicians, no matter Republican or Democrat, will say almost anything to be elected. Promises are made on the campaign trail and many, if not most, are not fullfilled.

Just like security guys at the white house. They now think this lady tried to do the same thing before. Although the swiss guards have a big task, seems somebody wasn't doing there job.

Quote: "Can't blame them for the rename but more tourists would want to visit Angel Falls." Chavez can call it whatever he wants but for tourism, I would think they would keep the same name. I guess with oil revenue, Chavez does not have to worry about the tourists.

I think Prince William has much of his mother’s compassion for the underprivileged. Good for him. Maybe his next project could be to come to Thailand and help the poor farangs, like the Swedish couple found on the streets of Phuket? By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer LONDON – A cold alley in central London is a far cry from a palace — but it was the spot Prince William chose to sleep to highlight the plight of homeless British teenagers. He spent a chilly night near Blackfriars Bridge last week with Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of British homeless charity Centrepoint. William has been the charity's patron since 2005. "I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night," William said Tuesday. "Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependancy and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless. "I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets." William, second in line to the throne, was exposed to some of the hardships found on London's streets when his mother, Princess Diana, took him to a shelter in 1996. Just 13 at the time, William spent an hour at the facility with his younger brother, Harry. Diana was well-known for her charitable work and the homeless was a group she was particularly close to. She had also served as Centrepoint's patron, a position she held at the time of her death in 1997. A photograph released by the charity shows William, 27, in the alley in jeans, a gray hooded sweat shirt and a knit hat pulled low. In a post to the charity's Web site, Obakin said the idea for William to spend a night on the streets — known as "sleeping rough" in Britain — was hatched in March. "He was determined, as he has always been, to understand deeply the full range of problems a homeless young person might face," Obakin said. "For me, it was a scary experience. Out of my comfortable bed. Out there in the elements. Out there on an extremely cold night, with temperatures down to -4 C (24.8 F). And it was the same for Prince William. But he was determined to do it." Obakin said they found a secluded spot — tucked away behind some garbage bins — and settled in for a restless night. "But there was no shielding from the bitter cold, or the hard concrete floor, or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a 'good' kicking," Obakin said. William is currently training to be a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue pilot. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_britain_prince_william