The Duchess of York has been the topic of major news reports coming out of London in recent days. The Duchess Sarah Ferguson hasn’t been the headline subject of international news for quite a few years, and though she has invested a great deal of time and effort in humanitarian work, her biggest sensational news occurred when she married Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. And while the couple is no longer together, it is once again her association with the Duke that has propelled her into the media spotlight. Well, then there was the 1992 tabloid photo that showed her sunbathing topless, really is that such a big deal? Well, she was with Texas businessman, who was kissing her feet, at the time and not her husband the Prince. And while she has never been portrayed as an innocent bystander, and has been given some slight notoriety reputation, this latest business is considered by many to be a royal scandal.

The news of the original Fergie’s personal fudgie stretched across the globe and eclipsed her trip to the United States to promote her new book. However, it did not stop the Duchess from continuing with her book tour plans. The controversy focused on a meeting she had with a businessman, who was actually a report in disguise, who paid her forty thousand dollars with the promise of an additional seven hundred seventeen thousand more to introduce him to her former husband the Duke of York . So, while this is an extremely controversial situation in the royal world, there doesn’t seem to be anything illegal about her behavior. And in some American celebrity standards, it seems to be status quo. This, however, seems to be an extremely embarrassing situation for Ferguson, who has stated regret over the deal. She and her former husband Prince Andrew were divorced in 1996 and Ferguson claims she has been near poverty since her official break up with the prince. The royal family is one of the points of fascination for tourists in Britain and the guests in the hotels in London are always eager to catch a glimpse of one or more of them.

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Kicking off the Aintree John Smith Grand National horse race will be Liverpool day, Thursday 8 April. This is a day dedicated to the great city the race is held in, with a plethora of Liverpool inspired sports, entertainment and music.

To head off the first ever Liverpool day, organizers are taking steps to utilize the great masses who love their sport and try to make that day a bank holiday for the city. Inspired by the Australians who have already set aside a bank holiday for one of their horse races, and not to be outdone, it is now Liverpool’s turn. They are on Facebook, Twitter and even have their own online petition to the Prime Minister that you can sign to help make this a reality.

Until then, they will just have to settle for the best of the best showing up and entertaining at Aintree. If you want to see some of these people you are going to have to get your hands on some tickets because they are going really fast and the time is almost up. For one thing, the Bootleg Beatles, one of the best Beatles tribute bands will be playing. With the recent resurgence of Beatles Mania that has been going around, this is very exciting news. It is only the beginning of the Beatles Mania and a number of other Beatles themed events are planned for Liverpool day including wax sculptures of the four man group. If that isn’t enough excitement, Ricky Tomlinson an actor heralding from Liverpool and best known from his role in the Royal Family is set to be starting off the festivities for Liverpool day as well as the whole horse racing weekend. If this is not the kind of thing you are interested in maybe the hat that has been specially designed, not for Ladies Day which is known for the extravagant hats, but rather for Liverpool day will be unveiled that day. There has been a little leak about the general ideas for what the hat will look like but we won’t have any photos of it until the day of.

Even in all the other excitement, don’t forget that there will be races going on that day. It is not just about the music and entertainment, but really it is about the wonderful world of horse races that draws crowds to these grounds, and it remains one of Liverpool’s favorite sports.

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If you are going to the races at Cheltenham this upcoming week there is a little something you need to know about the three main enclosures from which you can see the races.

The first main enclosure is the Sun’s Best Mate and it sits opposite the main stands so it is very easy to find. Inside you will find a number of great places to eat when you get hungry as well as some great bars and betting facilities in case you want to just hang out and watch the race from there. There will in great fashion be a number of cover bands and other forms of entertainment in here, but you should get your tickets into here now because seats are already filling up fast and there is already no room left on the big race day, and Friday the 19th.

For most of the festival Tarstalls and Club will be combined. The exception being on the Open Saturday and the Festivals. This will be great news for people who get in here because with them combined you have a much greater view of everything going on. From here there is access to the Member’s Lawn, paddock, viewing steps and if the weather is good the center of the fence near the finish line. This is a great place for all race fanatics to gather and watch from the best area in the house. At the Guinness Villiage near the Tarstalls there will also be additional seating, bars bands and more entertainment. From the Tarstalls you have great access to all sorts of different areas of the event, with the ability to go to any of the wide choice of betting, restaurants and bars available inside these two areas, The Paddock, the Centaur, The Hall of Fame, the unsaddling enclosure where you may be able to see some of your favorite horses. This is another great place to grab a seat. If you have any extra time, you may want to check out the Tented Villiage and make your way around the vendors as you never know what great things you will find there.

The final place is the Club, which is the most exclusive you can get. Here the best viewing and refreshments are available, as well as having access to all the other facilities offered in the other enclosures.

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My mind was still in South America as the plane took off for Seattle. I was surprised to be detained while security screens for the Swine flu and happy that while on the plane, they served Tortilla’s filled with ham and cheese. Arriving in Seattle was surprising also, it was sunny. I could actually see the city glinting up at me as we flew over. My friend Erin was nicely waiting for me at baggage claim, it’s been 5 years since I’ve seen her and she still looked just as I remember her, all Seattle through and through, pale, healthy and organic.

Before she dropped me off at what I consider one of the best luxury hotels in Seattle, she took me to Queen Anne for brunch. I barely could wait for my first bite of the Eggs Benedict. I missed American food tremendously. I missed my friend horribly. We had a great time catching up with what’s happened to us in 5 years. After lunch, she drove me through the city to show me what’s new, I felt like I had my own personal tour guide, but one who dissects the city apart like a surgeon looking for a bleeder.

Erin again offered for me to stay with her, but I politely declined, explaining to her once again, how I adore staying in a luxury hotel where every whim of mine is met. She laughed and told me that her parent just bought a place on Lake Sammamish and not that she could meet all my whims, the place was absolutely gorgeous and lazy. She said I could lay back on the dock and fish, or skip stones. This time it was me who laughed. As she dropped me off at the front lobby of my hotel, I told her to come to my room and spend the night, so we can catch up some more, and I’d make sure her every whim would be taken care off by the staff of the hotel and then tomorrow, she can drive me out to her parents place.

It only took her two seconds to say yes.

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There’s always time for your favorite hobbies, and it’s important to remember that the way people spend their spare time is how they really like to live. But it’s never all that surprising to learn that young people like to drive fast. There might be any number of certain sociological factors that go into the need for speed, and it most certainly comes from the lore of love for the automobile. Taylor Swift can probably be very articulate about why she likes fast driving, but chances are, this country music sensation will be better off singing about it.

It seems like everything she touches turns to gold these days. When she makes a new record, Swiftranks higher than anyone else on the charts, because her music is, like her driving, unstoppable. She certainly can’t be slowed down, and there’s no reason to see any kind of slowing. It’s one of those celebrity phenomena, where the young talent, in this case just two decades old, will find her own drive met with equal enthusiasm from record producers and a hungry public. It’s a sure formula for success, but it’s one that we’ve learned over the years to be a bit wary of. There are too many stories about fantastically talented young people who got famous too quickly, and didn’t know how to handle it.

There’s good reasons, however, to suspect that Swift does know how to handle the elusive mutual attraction fame has toward her. Her songwriting keeps getting steadily more self-assured, and simultaneously more revelatory, as the records go by. She is also in a new kind of world marketplace, where digital airwaves and social networking sites play as much a part of the show as the persona of the country girl who likes to walk by creeks. It may be a very difficult road to negotiate, but it’s got to be an amazingly fun drive.

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