The 411 on Reservations Agents

Source: Florida Times-Union ()

Today

Career Cabal, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., Shelby’s Coffee Shoppe, 200 First St., Neptune Beach. Cost: $10. (904) 699-8617.

Wednesday

Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Arlington Council, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., Piccadilly Restaurant, 200 Monument Road. $12. Reservations: (904) 366-6600, ext. 7607.

Thursday

Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club, 7:15 a.m., Marsh Landing Country Club, 25655 Marsh Landing Parkway, Ponte Vedra Beach. $15. (904) 823-4840; karen.mcneal@djj.state.fl.us; www.pvbrotary.org.

Powerful You! Women’s Network, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., The Times-Grill, 10915 Baymeadows Road. Topic: Setting personal and professional intentions for the new year. $27, first time guests $22; includes lunch. Reservations required: (904) 386-5296 or www.powerfulyou.com/jax.

Jacksonville Beaches Kiwanis Club, noon, Selva Marina Country Club, 1600 Selva Marina Drive, Atlantic Beach. Speaker: Tom Meier, recently retired U.S. Customs agent. $15. Neil Powell, (904) 343-3571 or www.beacheskiwanis.com.

Friday

Exchange Club of the Jacksonville Beaches, 7:30 a.m., Selva Marina Country Club, 1600 Selva Marina Drive, Atlantic Beach. (904) 318-7162. www.jaxbeachexchangeclub.com.

Saturday

Toast of Jax Toastmasters, 7:30 a.m., Ramada Inn Mandarin, 3130 Hartley Road. (904) 424-5994. www.toastofjax.org.

Ongoing

Free Small-Business Counseling presented by SCORE, one-hour initial appointments can be made from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, SBA Office, 7825 Baymeadows Way, Suite 100-B, (904) 443-1900; Small Business Center, 5000-3 Norwood Ave. (904) 924-1100.

Compiled by Cindy Holifield

Send information on business-related events to First Business calendar, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231; fax to (904) 366-6264 e-mail cindy.holifield@jacksonville.com. Items must be received two weeks prior to the event and will be used …

Source: Charlotte Observer ()

10 … 9 … 8. The countdown to New Year’s Eve has started, and restaurants around University City are preparing for one of their busiest nights of the year.

Several will offer special meals, live music, and even deals with nearby hotels — shuttle bus ride included — for safe and legal reveling.

Here are some of your choices. The list does not include every local restaurant, so call your favorite if you don’t see it here. And ask about reservations; some restaurants offer them only on their busiest nights, including New Year’s Eve.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana

Northlake Mall — Bravo! will have several special entrees and appetizers for New Year’s Eve, including filet of ribeye with crab meat, lobster risotto and lobster risotto appetizers. They also recommend the hot fresh apple cider drink, with or without liquor.Bravo! is at the mall’s main entrance facing West W.T. Harris Boulevard, just west of I-77.

11 a.m.-10 p.m. 704-597-1455.

Boardwalk Billy’s Raw Bar & Ribs

University Place — Come to party at Boardwalk Billy’s, lakeside at University Place. The alternative rock band Audacity will crank up the music about 10:30 p.m. (check out its sound at www.myspace.com/Audacitycharlotte). The $5 cover includes a midnight “champagne of beers” toast.

Boardwalk Billy’s is at 9005 J.M. Keynes Drive (the North Tryon Street side of the lake at University Place). Open until 2 a.m. 704-503-7427.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Concord Mills Mall area — Carrabba’s will stay open later than its normal 10:30 p.m. closing time on New Year’s Eve, if customers want to linger.Carrabba’s also will be open this week for weekday lunch (except Christmas Day).

Carrabba’s is at 7900 Lyles Lane (off Weddington Road Extension, two blocks from Speedway Boulevard).

Open for New Year’s Eve starting at 4 p.m. 704-979-3224.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

Northlake Mall — Firebirds will stay open two extra …

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution ()

Even with a cold, steady drizzle soaking the onlooking audience, developer Barkley Geib had no complaints Wednesday afternoon as he cut the ribbon on the spanking new gas dock at Waterfront Lanier Harbor Marina.

Rimmed by some 20 feet of exposed lake bottom, the surrounding lake has come to symbolize an economic malaise the 2007 drought has baked into metro Atlanta.

You’d never prove that by Geib, who mounted a bulldozer Wednesday to break ground for 114 townhouses selling for $400,000 to $1.8 million.

To be sure, the state’s record drought has dealt a blow. The number of lakefront homes sold in 2007 dropped to 173 from 232 in 2006, according to Gainesville broker and real estate analyst Frank Norton Jr.

But buyers continue to purchase waterfront homes on Lake Lanier, and at healthy prices. Norton notes that the average price rose to $655,000 this year, from $631,000 last year.

Lanier’s lakefront home performance essentially tracks the overall metro Atlanta market, where sales fell almost 15 percent in 2007 from the previous year. Throughout the metro area, the number of homes sold in 2007 totaled 50,337, according to December figures provided by ReMax broker Tal Kramer, who publishes a monthly newsletter on Atlanta home sales. In 2006, 58,917 homes were sold in metro Atlanta.

The average sale price in metro Atlanta also rose slightly, unlike in many other areas of the country, to $267,344 in 2007 from $261,050 in 2006, according to Kramer.

Dry, but upbeat
Three buyers for Waterfront Lanier Harbor townhouses attended Wednesday’s groundbreaking. All live in the Buford area, and none had second thoughts about their purchase.

P.J. Powell, a telecommunications sales representative living in Buford, plans to move to Waterfront Lanier Harbor with his wife and two children. Powell grew up in the Buford area and has watched levels rise and fall for decades.

“There was a time in the 1980s we had to walk …

Source: This is London (Original Article)

Manchester United defender Jonny Evans claimed today that he was attacked on the dancefloor at the team’s Christmas party, by the boyfriend of a woman who accused him of rape.

Evans told friends that he had only danced with the 26-year-old alleged victim, believed to be a glamour model, leading her boyfriend to attack him in a fit of rage.

It is understood the boyfriend then made a call to police, alleging the rape had taken place. The footballer’s friends believe the call was made out of revenge.

The allegation, at 4.15am on Monday, quickly broke up the seedy party, in which women had complained they were being treated like “cattle at a meat market”.

Scroll down for more… Trouble ahead: Jonny Evans arrives for the start of the Man Utd Christmas party

A close friend of the 19-year-old footballer said: “The girl was dancing with Jonny and her boyfriend was angry about this and approached him to have words.

“There was some sort of scuffle and the girl and her fella, who were both really drunk, then got thrown out of the hotel.

“She was barred from the hotel and never got back in so there is no way they could have been alone in a room. Let alone that Jonny could have assaulted her.

“Jonny is a really sweet bloke. There is no way he would have raped the girl. He’s just not like that. He is totally decent.”

His mother Dawn, speaking from the family home in Sale, said: “It is an extremely stressful time for all of us. We have been advised not to comment.”

Following reports of drunken debauchery at the party, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson banned players from further festive parties.

Evans, 19, was held in police custody for 15 hours, during which time he was questioned over the alleged rape.

Today the full extent of the night’s sordid which prompted a furious training-ground outburst by Ferguson, can by revealed.

During the marathon 15-hour drinking session …continue reading

Source: Express TravelWorld ()

The IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) is set to hold its annual convention
ICON 2008 in Hyderabad from January 10-12, 2008.

The convention will play host to dignitaries from the travel
industry both from India and abroad. The theme for this year’s convention has
been decided as ‘IATA Agents by 2020: Goals and Challenges’ and the business
sessions will provide travel agents with the impetus to set goals for the future
and overcome challenges.

Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Biji Eapen, president
of IAAI, said, "We have high expectations from the convention. IAAI is
the only platform that is truly representative of the IATA agent fraternity
in India and this year we are expecting more knowledgeable discussions and the
emergence of practical and workable solutions."

ICON 2008 will also see the unveiling of three special packages for the travel
trade. Unwilling to divulge details, Eapen said that the packages would be useful
for the IATA agent’s activities.

To facilitate its members’ operations, IAAI will also be
officially launching its online portal www.iataagents.org at the convention.
Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Eapen said that the portal
will be launched with Galileo as the GDS partner. The portal will initially
include airline inventories, and later hotels and other travel services. "We
are limiting the membership to 100 in the beginning. We are releasing the portal
for all members. Non-IAAI members can avail of the same through IAAI membership,"
he said.

He added, "Each agent can avail of and make reservations directly through
the portal. We are proud that apart from IAAI’s comprehensive membership comprising
exclusively of accredited agents and around 500 delegates from all over
India, few official guests from abroad are expected as well."

Source: Star Chef Anne-Sophie … - TravelVideo.tv (press release) ()

East Meadow, NY, December 17, 2007 – In January and February 2008, First and Business Class passengers on Lufthansa’s long-haul routes from Germany will have an opportunity to savour menus designed by one of France’s top-ranked chefs. For eight weeks, the internationally-renowned chef Anne-Sophie Pic from the Maison Pic restaurant in Valence in southern France will create palate-pleasing dishes for Lufthansa guests on board as part of the Lufthansa Star Chefs program.

To-date, Maison Pic has been awarded a total of nine Michelin stars. Three generations of the Pic family have now earned three-star ratings. In their day, Anne-Sophie Pic’s grandfather Alain and her father Jacques each gained three stars for their outstanding culinary skills. Earlier this year, Anne-Sophie also won this ultimate culinary accolade. But that is not all. In September of this year, she was voted “Chef of the Year” by 8,000 of her fellow chefs, making her the first woman in France to receive her country’s highest culinary achievement.

Initially, however, the slender Frenchwoman had intended to follow a different career. She studied business management in Paris and New York and it was only after graduating that she decided to return to her home and master the art of cooking. When her father died unexpectedly in 1992, the then 22-year-old took over the day-to-day running of the family business before dedicating herself to her true passion, and moved back into the kitchen of Maison Pic. In her cooking, Anne-Sophie Pic seeks to uphold the high standards established by her family, but she also seeks advice from the local fishermen, farmers and market stallholders from whom she sources her ingredients.

The Lufthansa Star Chef program
Lufthansa’s award-winning food and wine programs, Star Chefs and Vinothek Discoveries, were created in 2000 pair the airline with renowned star chefs from around the world.

To-date, such international …

Source: North County Times ()

OCEANSIDE —- First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside offers two meetings monthly for anyone in the community who is experiencing the loss of a loved one, especially now during the Christmas and holiday time. The next one will be from 2-3 p.m. Wednesday in the church Fireside room. The program, Picking Up the Pieces, will help people learn to cope with starting a new life. The church is at 2001 El Camino Real at Fire Mountain Road. Call (760) 757-3560.

Free nutrition lecture in December

LA JOLLA —- A free lecture on nutrition and cancer will be presented by Moores UC San Diego Cancer Center nutrition expert Vicki Newman, R.D. “Nutrition Solutions for Common Challenges During Treatment” is from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday. The center is at 3855 Health Sciences Drive, Room 2007. Reserve to (8 822-2236 or healthyeating@ucsd.edu.

Volunteers sought for melanoma study

SAN DIEGO —- Melanoma specialists at Moores UCSD Cancer Center are recruiting patients into a large Phase 3 study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Allovectin-7(R), an investigational product for advanced melanoma (skin cancer). If Allovectin-7(R) is found to be safe and effective in clinical trials, it may offer patients a new option for fighting melanoma that has progressed to stage 3 or stage 4. Patients eligible for the clinical trial must be at least 18 and have confirmed recurrent metastatic melanoma with at least one tumor large enough to inject (about the size of a pea). Those who have already received chemotherapy for melanoma are not eligible. In addition, patients with lung lesions can be included but those with liver or brain lesions cannot. To find out whether you or someone you know qualifies for the study, visit www.melanomatrial.com or call (8 822-5354.

Obesity program to air tonight

Kaiser Permanente and Discovery Continuing Medical Education program have teamed to launch “Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity,” an educational …

Source: Globe and Mail ()

Last week, at a holiday lunch, I sat beside a lovely young woman who appeared to find the food on her plate potentially dangerous. Gingerly shifting each baby vegetable with her fork as if it were a grenade and lifting underneath to check for signs of anthrax or perhaps weapons of mass destruction, she had barely lifted a morsel from her plate in the time it took me to lick my own clean.
"I’m not vegan or anything," she explained. "It’s just that sometimes I can’t eat if I don’t feel comfortable with what I’m eating." Which pretty well sums up the mass neurosis of our lactose-intolerant, allergic, chemical additive and trans-fat free age. Food has become the enemy, full of hidden lurking dangers. And if you go anywhere near it, you might get sick - not to mention fat.
We are what we eat, so our bodies should be temples, the logic goes. Want to live longer without any signs of aging? Don’t ingest any "toxins" such as red meat or dairy, just say no to wine or coffee, hey, don’t even cook your food. Better yet, don’t eat anything at all. Indulgence, along with fun, is out of fashion. Self-improvement is the new name of the game and the surest path to perfection is through denial.
With the holiday season, of course, this mass hysteria comes to a fizzy head. Nutritionists must be exhausted what with those 24-hour hotlines issuing red alerts on What to Avoid at holiday parties and How Not to Pack on those Unwanted Holiday Pounds. As we wheel our holiday shopping carts spilling over with cheddar, foie gras and shortbread through the checkout aisle, we must run a gauntlet of magazines and tabloids with too-fat, or scary-thin bikini-clad on their covers promising Flat Abs by New Year’s.

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Source: PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) ()

- China Southern Airlines, (NYSE:ZNH) (HKSE:1055) (SHA:600029) - www.csair.com/global - the newest member of SkyTeam and the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China has launched a new telephone payment system.

As it continually modernizes its sales distribution system, China Southern Airlines will now allow customers to purchase their e-tickets in China by dialing the airline’s hotline at

95539.

After booking flights (with the helpful assistance of our representatives and on-line system), customers will be directed to input their credit card number, valid dates and CVV code.

China Southern’s new phone payment system will be accepting credit cards from ICBC, CCB and CMBC with additional financial institutions added soon.

For more information please call 020-95539.

The newest member of SkyTeam - www.skyteam.com - and the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China for the past 28 years, China Southern Airlines - www.csair.com/global - connects more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include: Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan and as well as International service, including: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Osaka, Paris, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

For China Southern Airlines reservations information, please contact your local travel agent.

China Southern Airlines
Mr. Jeff Ruffolo, +1-714-532-2054
Ruffolopr@hotmail.com
Skype: JeffRuffolo

Source: CNNMoney.com ()

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — With severe winter weather conditions forecast for the Northeast U.S. on Thursday, Continental Airlines announced travel options for customers whose flight plans may be affected by the weather.

Weather conditions are expected to make air travel difficult throughout the Northeast. This forecast will force some delays and cancellations of flights at airports in the region throughout Thursday.

To avoid inconvenience, travelers scheduled on flights on Thursday may wish to delay commencement of their trip.

Customers ticketed for travel through Dec. 14, to or from certain affected airports in the Northeast (see continental.com for applicable airports), are permitted a one-time date or time change to their flights without penalty for rescheduled travel originating by Dec. 21. If a flight has been canceled, a refund in the original form of payment can be requested.

The fastest and most convenient way to change travel plans is via continental.com. Customers should enter their confirmation number and last name in “Manage Reservations.” Customers may also call Continental Airlines reservations at 800-525-0280 or their travel agent.

continental.com provides an overview of Continental as well as up-to-date information regarding the status of specific flights. Automated flight status information is also available at 800-784-4444.

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