It starts today when the Prime Minister drags the rest of the Cabinet up to the city to hold an important get-together ahead of the Labour conference.

The Cabinet meeting will be the first outside of London and a programme of other events has been arranged for the day.

Gordon Brown will use the visit to meet with business and council leaders in Birmingham following the announcement of a £64 million package of economic aid for the West Midlands, whilst senior Cabinet colleagues will tour the region for various media-friendly engagements.

The Cabinet meeting was originally announced not long after the Tories revealed they would be holding their annual conference in Birmingham, which starts on September 28.

The theme of the Conservative conference will be past, present and future, with Birmingham obviously featuring heavily, whilst the value to the local economy of staging the Tories' main event to the city and wider Midlands is being put at around £20m.

Both events will undoubtedly put Birmingham and the Midlands in the national spotlight.

As a result, they both do represent a coup and will offer an opportunity to showcase the modern Birmingham and what the 21st century version of the city actually entails. It also provides a platform to highlight the plans for the future development of Birmingham.

The benefits of staging both these high-profile political events are significant. The opportunities to give Birmingham a much-needed image boost will, hopefully, be realised.

But there will be a downside, not just the massive security operation that will have a big impact on Birmingham during the Tory conference in particular.

We will also have to endure politicians of all shapes, sizes and profiles looking to grab their own 15 seconds in the limelight with various photo-ops, publicity stunts and vacuous soundbites.

From the current financial concerns and business prospects, to the state of the environment and violent crime, we'll be deluged on all fronts.

We can expect a vox pop on almost every street corner, someone will possibly release a large amount of balloons for some unfathomable reason linked to a particular cause or issue , whilst there will also be a shot of senior politicians on a canal boat/bus/tram/train/bike at various points.

These are relatively minor irritations - unless you get collared for a pointless vox pop, snarled up in congestion caused by the "ring of steel" security precautions, or worst of all get asked to shake the hand of some faceless politician as you attempt to find a post office or head for the BOGOF shelves of your local cut-price supermarket.

Hopefully the positives will far outweigh the negatives and the upside of having these undesirables descending on us will be a more positive, up-to-date profile for the city and the wider region.

There has to be some benefit and pay-back for hosting so many politicians.

No pain, no gain.

Kapal Bunga Melati 2

29 Malaysians, nine Filipinos, one Pakistani. Total: 39. The Malaysians are:

1. - Aniszamari Ibrahim, 32, chief officer, Terengganu
2. - Nuzaihan Abd Rani, 30, second officer, Perak
3. - Mohd Hannif Abdullah, 24, third officer, Kelant-an
4. - Zaini Tokeman, 24, third officer, Perak
5. - Mohd Felani Mohd Khalid, 22, junior third offi-cer, Selangor
6. - Mohd Nazreen Khuzaimie, 20, deck cadet, Kedah
7. - Mohd Muslim Mustafa, 20, deck cadet, Kelan-tan
8. - Hairol Jalil, 27, third engineer, Johor
9. - Johan Hafiz Muhamad Hadzri, 30, Kuala Lumpur
10. - Mohd Rasyid Mustafa, 29, fourth engineer, Kelantan
11. - Rony Yoman Enak, 27, juniorr electrical engineer, Sarawak
12. - Che Sanusi Che Abu Bakar, 48, bosun, Kelan-tan
13. - Yusainizam Abdul Jabar, 31, AB, Pahang
14. - Baharuddin Mohamad, 36, AB, Terengganu
15. - Nazih Aliq Ilman Mohd Nasir, 22, OS, Selan-gor
16. - Mohd Zulkifli Jusoh, 29, OS, Pahang
17. - Mohd Nasrul Ahmad, 20, OS, Terengganu
18. - Mohd Salwadi Mamat, 31, OS, Kelantan
19. - Ramli Kassim, 52, pumpman, Selangor
20. - Edwin Juntong, 38, pumpman, Sarawak
21. - Talib Abd Hamit, 50, oiler, Sabah
22. - Muhamad Subki Muhamad Hasan, 31, greaser, Kedah
23. - Sapian Sata Che Mansor, 26, greaser, Perak
24. - Asbulazam Abdullah, 32, greaser, Johor
25. - Fakryrul Rahman Wasmin, 22, jr rating, Johor
26. - Saharudin Khalid, 38, chief steward, Selangor
27. - Norazwan Ramli, 26, cook, Terengganu
28. - Muhammad Annas Azir, 19, steward, Kelantan
29. - Mohd Amin Dolmat, 23, steward, Malacca

Kapal Bunga Melati 5

By the way, if you're curious about how the contest winner was selected I used http://www.random.org/lists/  to select a winner.  I entered numbers 1 through 79 (the number of entrants, each corresponding to the order in which they replied to the contest post) into the list field and let it do its thing.  The randomizer returned with number 2 in first place, and since Karla replied to the contest post second she is the lucky winner!  If you didn't win this time don't fret--the 'Shop My Stash' giveaways will be a regular feature here on Beauty Sleeping so there will be plenty of chances to win.  Hope to see you next time! 

Here is the list that randomizer.org selected, in case you wonder how close you were to winning:

List Randomizer

There were 79 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. 2
2. 27
3. 79
4. 43
5. 33
6. 55
7. 12
8. 56
9. 50
10. 67
11. 25
12. 63
13. 14
14. 35
15. 22
16. 45
17. 26
18. 7
19. 71
20. 78
21. 64
22. 42
23. 40
24. 58
25. 69
26. 60
27. 52
28. 4
29. 21
30. 47
31. 57
32. 1
33. 8
34. 68
35. 16
36. 54
37. 77
38. 72
39. 66
40. 41
41. 49
42. 15
43. 5
44. 34
45. 3
46. 29
47. 17
48. 19
49. 37
50. 38
51. 24
52. 31
53. 76
54. 75
55. 62
56. 10
57. 39
58. 32
59. 18
60. 61
61. 36
62. 30
63. 20
64. 23
65. 46
66. 65
67. 11
68. 44
69. 70
70. 73
71. 51
72. 13
73. 6
74. 48
75. 74
76. 28
77. 59
78. 9
79. 53

Timestamp: 2008-09-04 16:50:43 UTC

Speaking of Plan B, how much do I hate the republican party and their little pawn Sarah Palin? As a friend stated eloquently in his facebook status... perhaps Mrs. Palin should remember Jesus Christ was a community organizer, and Pontius Pilot was a Govorner. I am also in the camp that thinks Trig is Bristol's kid and not hers... that is neither here nor there, other than to question her abstinence only programs. Also to say perhaps if she wasn't so focused on her raison d'etre - HOCKEY MOM (excuse my assumption this is for her oldest son Track, and not her 3 daughters)... that maybe her daughter might not be out boozin' and fuckin'. Maybe not. But MAYBE.

Sarah Palin, as a candidate, is insulting to women. As an owner of a vagina, I am insulted that the Republican party can basically insinuate that Palin picks up where Hillary left off. Right. Women aren't bright enough to notice a little switch-a-roo replacing a Wellesley and Yale Law graduate, one of the strongest advocates for health care and advocating for children her entire adult career, beginning in college, economically and socially liberal... with... a self-proclaimed hockey mom, MOOSE hunter, University of Idaho graduate (attended 3 other colleges before graduating)... she worked for one year, it looks like as a sports reporter...  and if I did the math correctly from the People Magazine article... she, too, was preggers when she got married.

Which is neither here nor there... EXCEPT the Republicans are so high and mighty on their "Small town" values. I'd like to say that my entire family is from a small town too, and the republicans do not own the rights to small towns nor their collective values.

In other news, I did have an awesome visit with Alie the last week... and have shaved another 10 seconds off my 100s in swimming... down to around a 1:32, though that is me going all out... not a consistant 12 100s pace. I also RULE at flip turns. I knew my gymnastics experience had to come in handy SOME day.

As for Nate's attack on my new righteous haircut... which everyone is loving. In fact... when Alie went in to Frenchy's to get her haircut, I had a stare down with the receptionist because she was newly rockin' MY haircut. I will say, I have long thought Samantha Ronson was hot, and emailed with her a few times a couple years ago. I certainly don't identify as a 'former lesbian'... I identify as I have since I was around 17 or 18... as QUEER. And one of the reasons I DO love my haircut is that it IS a little queer. It isn't the below-the-shoulders-layered-girl-next-door look. I kinda like having a haircut that says "I'm not a part of this". Which doesn't mean I do or don't love pussy or cock. It is more of a state of mind. So you're right, Nate... I don't buy into the whole assumption that short hair means you are a dyke. Nor do I buy into that being something I need to argue for nor against. I grew up in that small town, I grew up with those names thrown my way. The miniature 25 year old reference is to my freshman year of high school when I cut all my hair off... inspired by the Linda Evangelista cover of Elle magazine... forgetting that I lived in rural Illinois.

See... here's the thing haters: No matter what you say to me, how you criticize me for how I look or the way I dress... what I write or think or anything else... You can't make me feel any worse about myself than I already have in the past. I am not sure why this is a worthwhile activity for someone like Nate. Nothing you can say to me could surpass things that my father has said to me. The way it feels to feel like an outcast growing up. To EARN the nickname of Little Keith Richards in your early 20s. To land in the hospital via ambulence 4 times before getting sober. To uncover and shake hands with it all, to walk through all of the dangerous neighborhoods of your mind...

So to hear, essentially, "Your new haircut makes you look like a lesbo"... feels a little... below my radar.

But I had to address it since you kept saying it. To respond... pssshh... sistah, please.

It gave me a little giggle. It made me wonder who would stand outside a club and plays a video game. I have noticed some bars that advertise Guitar Hero nights, usually in the beginning of the week when it's usually slow. So I'm wondering is this going to be the new karaoke night? Are people going to get together after a crappy Wednesday and go to their local bar to pretend that they are rock stars? It would be very interesting to see. Personally I've never played Guitar Hero, but I have several friends that are just about obsessed with the game. They can't wait for the new games to come out. They spend several hours playing the games. They get together and compete with each other. So I guess it's not a far step from bringing it into the bars and making a night of it. I'm sure that what I saw was a promotion for a new game. But I wonder, if it weren't a Sunday night would there be a whole line of people standing around waiting for their turn?

Google Webmaster Tools:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools

How to add them to Word Press:

http://faq.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/how-do-i-verify-my-site-with-google/

Another week, another scan of the Saturday Star newspaper. Here's a list of job ads in the paper:

• Optimal is looking for a Kerteh-based Chemist. Emailand web presence available. A lot of people moved to Optimal when it first started up, though I think the renumeration package isn't as good nowadays. However, it's still better than PETRONAS because Dow Chemicals is running interference.
• ExxonMobil is looking for a safe/ risk engineer. Submit CVs by 20th Sept, 2008 at the local web page.
• Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) is looking for a senior project, process control, process consultant and senior safety engineer. There is  a walk in interview on the 18th to 22nd October, 2008 (tempting, tempting) at the JW Marriot, between 0900 to 1700. You can apply via email here. 
• MISC has some positions, though with the recent hijackings, they might expect a drop of takers.
• Shell is looking for some downhole people and well people: Offshore Completion and Intervention Supervisor, Offshore Drilling Supervisor, Well Completion Design Engineer, Well Eng, Well Opns Eng.  Head to their website and follow Professionals & Apply → Job Search → Region → Asia. Closing date's Sept 21st, so run to your nearest netbook

எங்கள் பொழுது ரொம்ப ஜாலியாக கழிந்தது. ஆனால் ஒரு குறுகிய வட்டத்தில்தான் புழங்கினோம். காலேஜ், மெஸ், நண்பர்களின் அறைகளில் அரட்டை, சீட்டு, ஏதாவது விளையாட்டு அவ்வளவுதான். வெளியே போவதென்றால் சினிமாதான். அதுவும் சேலம் டவுன் மாதிரி சினிமா பார்க்க ஒரு வசதியான இடத்தை நான் அது வரை பார்த்ததே இல்லை. இரண்டு தொடர்புள்ள தெருக்களில் அடுத்தடுத்து நாற்பது ஐம்பது தியேட்டர்கள். ஒரு தியேட்டரில் டிக்கெட் கிடைக்காவிட்டால் வேறு படம் போவது ரொம்ப சுலபம்.

எழுத்தாளர் ஜெயமோகன் ஒரு இந்திய சுற்றுப்பயணத்தை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளார். அவர் சேலத்துக்கு அருகே உள்ள தாரமங்கலம் கோவிலைப் பற்றி எழுதி இருப்பது இங்கே. தாரமங்கலத்துக்கு டவுன் பஸ்களே போகும். எங்கள் செட்டில் யாருக்கும் இப்படி ஒரு கோவில் இருப்பதே தெரியாது. தெரிந்த லோகல் நண்பர்கள் யாரும் இதை ஒரு முக்கியமான விஷயமாக எங்கள் செட்டிடம் சொல்லவும் இல்லை. சொல்லி இருந்தாலும் போயிருப்போமா என்பது சந்தேகம்தான். இன்றோ போக ஆசை இருக்கிறது, நேரம் இல்லை.

கடைசி பாராவில் அவர் ஓமலூர் கணவாயை பற்றி குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறார். ஓமலூரில் கணவாயா? எங்களுக்கு தெரிந்ததெல்லாம் சினிமா தியேட்டர் ஒன்றுதான். இத்தனைக்கும் ஓமலூர் கல்லூரியிலிருந்து ஒரு நீண்ட நடை போகும் தூரம்தான். நாங்கள் பல முறை நைட் ஷோ பார்த்துவிட்டு லாரி கிடைக்காததால் நடந்தே வந்திருக்கிறோம்.

படிப்பவர்களில் ஒருத்தர் இரண்டு பேராவது பக்கத்தில் உள்ள கலை அம்சம் உள்ள கோவில்களுக்கோ, அருகில் உள்ள கடற்கரைக்கோ, பார்க்குக்கோ போனால் என் ஜன்மம் சாபல்யம் அடைந்துவிடும்.

P.S. நேற்று எனது இரண்டு பெண்களும் அருகில் உள்ள ஒரு ஏரியை சைக்கிளில் சுற்றி வந்தார்கள். நானும், என் மனைவியும், என் மாமியாரும் பின்னாலேயே சுற்றி வந்தோம்.

However.. you must answer a question, a question so hard that I myself struggle to answer it.

Question: Given that Apachai is the best, who is the second best?

• A) Sayoko
• B) Frahlo
• C) Sephiroth

Leave your answer in the comments!

I shall pick the four winners at random, or if there's no winners I'll just eat them.

Hiddenlight777

I've found a lot of my good deals (some that are pending) on Craig's List.  But I've also gotten a lot of good laughs.  The spelling cracks me up for one thing.  Many listings tote "prity" items for "sail".  So, today I present, the funniest of my local Craig's List.

--

Fix my computer for excellent surf and turf dinner

My husband was drunk and he deleted most of the drivers, whoops!!! Need windows reinstalled. I cook like you wouldn't believe

--

Gary Andres Bio

Serving as Vice Chairman of Public Policy and Research at Dutko Worldwide, Gary's public opinion research and analysis is used by Staffers, Members of Congress, the Administration, and private entities on a regular basis.

His extensive writing career currently includes serving as a weekly columnist in the Washington Times, and regularly contributing to publications like the National Review, Weekly Standard, Real Clear Politics and Roll Call. He also writes a regular column for the Washington Times analyzing trends in survey research and public opinion, called The American Survey.

Gary regularly conducts and analyzes public policy polling projects for Dutko clients. Recent public policy victories on behalf of clients include a significant role in the development, passage, and continuing implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act.

Prior to joining the Dutko Worldwide in 1993, Gary's career milestones include serving as Vice President for Washington Research at Prudential Securities, Executive Director of Federal Relations for Southwestern Bell Corp., and as Deputy Assistant for Legislative Affairs to President George H.W. Bush.

Gary's long record of volunteer involvement in RNC and NRCC activities included a role in 2004 of the RNC in New York as a floor coordinator.

He earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy at the University of Illinois (Chicago).

Visit his bio online at www.dutkoworldwide.com.