| Stargazing in southern skies
Dreamer, entrepreneur, pilot, stargazer - all paradoxically define M Thiagarajan, MD of Paramount Airways. He shares his fascination for the skies and the aircraft that took him close to the stars with Sangeetha Neeraja. There was a bustle at the Trident Hilton Chennai with cabin crew and men in uniforms shuffling to get in line. This gathered momentum after a while and the congregation thus formed resembled something of an assembly. On enquiring I was told that the Paramount Airways chief was there to address the fleet during the Business Lounge Enclave. Just then the door opened and in walked an unassuming man in his early thirties - one who had envisioned and spearheaded a new movement in the skies of south India. Meet M Thiagarajan, scion of the reputed Madurai-based business family, the Thiagaraja group of mills and academic institutions.
Ellerbee? Ellerbe? Either way, it's dirty
From the high ground off Shocoree Drive to the floodplains at Falls Lake, Ellerbee (or "Ellerbe" -- see box) Creek is only about 12 miles long, but it drains almost 37 square miles of Durham.It's polluted and "impaired" as a home for aquatic life, but since 1999, its environs have gained three nature preserves. It has not just one but two citizens' organizations attending its rehabilitation -- each, today being Earth Day, at work this morning starting at 9. Helpers welcome.-The Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association and Friends of South Ellerbe Creek are cleaning up Walltown Park, where one of the creek's branches flows under Guess Road;-The Watershed Association is holding a cleanup and eradication of invasive garlic mustard along another branch, in its Pearl Mill Preserve off Green Street.Those groups have had "a huge positive impact on the health of the creek," said Laura Webb Smith of the city Stormwater Services division, in terms of hands-on labor and public education.
Notes from under the basement stairs
This marks the second instalment of an ambitious new weekly series in the Arts & Life section. Each Tuesday, we'll introduce the week's theme with a feature story. On Wednesday, we'll bring you a first-person essay on the subject and on Thursday we'll turn our pages over to our readers. Today, Samantha Grice looks at one example of our ongoing battle in the war on stuff. We want your feedback! Do you have a basement crammed with useless stuff? How do you keep a grip on the constant cycle of accumulation and disposal of possessions? Send your thoughts to us at allabout@nationalpost.com. - - - Last January, David packed up his mother's home in London, Ont., following her move into a nursing home. And while he was aware his mom had been buying a lot of stuff from The Shopping Channel -- he'd taken control of her credit cards nine months prior and noted up to five TSC transactions per day --he was still surprised to find so many unopened bags and boxes from the popular Canadian network.
Source: Junior League of Orange County California
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 24, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Golfers at the Junior League of Orange County, Calif. (JLOCC) Second Annual Golf Tournament by the Sea enjoyed a spectacular day on the exclusive course at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point on Friday, March 30. According to Event Chair Mara Hampton, the event raised close to $30,000 for various JLOCC-supported programs and projects while participants made the most of picture-perfect weather and, between plays, watched whales surfacing in the nearby ocean. .
Arcadia council weighs Caruso's mall proposal
ARCADIA - The rivalry between shopping center giants Caruso Affiliated and Westfield appears to be coming to a head in this city, as City Council members considered a 830,000-square-foot outdoor mall proposal brought before them Wednesday night. Caruso's upscale project, slated for the parking lot of the landmark Santa Anita Race Track, entered the final stages of city approval in a night filled with red "Yes!" buttons and black T-shirts printed with stop signs. The meeting began about 7p.m.; an inch-thick stack of requests to speak was barely dented by 9:30p.m. Audience members packed the Masonic Lodge, which had seats for 700. An overflow room at the nearby library had another 150 seats. A decision had not been reached as of late Wednesday. During his presentation before the City Council, developer and CEO Rick Caruso touted the project, known as The Shops at Santa Anita, as a community-friendly one that respects the race track's history.
Online shopping is something to talk about
A trip to e-commerce stores is becoming more like a trip to the mall with the growth of social networking shopping Web sites. Sites including StyleHive, ThisNext, Kaboodle and Wists host social networks where users create profiles and highlight their favorite products. Just like MySpace became a place for people to find cool new bands before they were signed by the big labels, sites like Wists are good for spotting new design trends in products, said David Galbraith, a spokesman for Wists, New York. Using these sites, consumers can gain insights similar to shopping with friends or listening to the opinions of sales associates. Users on these sites are consumers, stylists and retailers who are interested in interacting with others to keep up to date on the latest trends.
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