Here’s one just a block away from my apartment:

9th Street and 5th Ave — “December 9, 2007: At 4 p.m., a 24-year old man pushed a woman headfirst into scaffolding and took her purse before being tackled and captured by two bystanders.”

BTW- those waiting for my Thailand stories and pictures bear with me. I have 20 gigs of photos for a grand total of 4,000+ photos taken, and it’s taking a long time to go through them (even just to pick a few highlights). With the long weekend, I should have something up by MLK day.

See the video of him singing “Nessun Dorma” in higher quality video/audio here:
VIDEO

EDIT: Someone has emailed me a link (the subject of which said “Paul Potts is a liar”) which is pretty sobering in that Paul Potts has sang opera professionally for the Bath Opera, in the UK. His biography is even listed with a picture in the past performance of Aida (LINK). He never really mentioned it, just said he’s a cell phone salesman now… Although I think that Simon and the other producers spun it this way to generate more buzz (which it did). But still, if he doesn’t do this professionally and on the side, the more power to him. If he does this professionally and lied about being a cell phone salesman. Shame on you…

His Biography was listed as follows from that LINK above:

Paul Potts Radames

A student of Ian Comboy, Paul has appeared on national and local television and radio. He has spent two summers touring Northern Italy training with one of the major opera schools, and has taken part in masterclasses with Vilma Vernocchi, Katia Ricciarelli and Luciano Pavarotti. He has also performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With Bath Opera he has sung the roles of Don Basilio (Marriage of Figaro), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlos. Future plans include the role of Chevalier des Grieux (Manon Lescaut) for Southgate Opera, London, and another concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the summer. Oh yes! He also plans to get married in May this year!!!

Double EDIT: got another email with THIS ARTICLE from UK’s Guardian newspaper that tells the story straight. Basically, he performed as an amateur on the side, then had to stop to to surgery, but always wanted to sing. Still bending the truth a bit, but the more power to him. Good luck Paul, and I hope you win this one! (read more to read the cache)

The Guardian article is cached below:

This is my lifelong dream, says the singing salesman

Paul Potts wowed the judges of a hit ITV talent contest last week with Nessun Dorma and became an internet sensation

Vanessa Thorpe, arts and media correspondent
Sunday June 17, 2007
The Observer

He has been billed as the classic hidden talent, the overnight star unearthed by chance and catapulted into the limelight. The truth about Paul Potts, the modest mobile phone salesman with the romantic soul and the voice of a Neapolitan opera singer, is, though, a little different.
While the three judges of the hit ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, on which Potts appeared last week, may have been astonished to discover the quality of his voice, he has in fact been struggling for 10 years on the fringes of the operatic world, looking for an opportunity to show the world what he can do.

With the prize of a lifetime within his reach in this evening’s live grand final, Potts is facing down allegations that he is an experienced performer who is reaping the benefit of professional training.
The 36-year-old tenor, who hid his talent from his colleagues at Carphone Warehouse and had all but given up on singing for a living, has won a huge following since his pitch-perfect performances on Britain’s Got Talent, the show designed to find a new star to appear at the Royal Variety Performance. Tonight Potts is to sing again for the highest stakes in his life - the chance to secure the kind of career he has always dreamed about.

Speaking to The Observer, the singer denied the allegations. ‘I have never worked as a professional singer. I have poured everything I could earn into a few lessons, but everyone taking part in this television show has had some training,’ he said yesterday.

‘My four performances with Bath Opera a few years back were all amateur. I am angry about this because I have never earned anything, although I did get petrol expenses a couple of times.’ His story is confirmed this weekend by the singing teacher who gave him lessons until Potts was forced to give up in 2003 because of illness. Potts adds that he has always been open about a trip to Italy to improve his voice. He had saved up to sing for Luciano Pavarotti in a masterclass, but had no tuition from the great tenor.

The singer, from Port Talbot, South Wales, will be competing for the public vote tonight against five other amateur artists, including a breakdancing troupe, a ventriloquist and an 11-year-old’s song-and-dance act. Potts will sing live for judges Piers Morgan, the former newspaper editor, actress Amanda Holden, and Simon Cowell, the multi-millionaire creator of the show. Potts has been a favourite for all three of them since the first pure note of his audition piece, Puccini’s Nessun Dorma. ‘The look on Simon Cowell’s face the first time I sang was priceless. You could see his eyes roll when I said I was going to sing some opera,’ said Potts.

‘It has been a helluva ride, but I think it is going to be wide open to be honest. The other finalists are very strong,’ he said. ‘I never thought I would get this far.’

His former singing teacher, Ian Comboy, told The Observer he regards Potts’s voice as ‘amazingly authentic’.

‘The top of his voice is almost totally natural. It does not strain,’ explained Comboy, who gave Potts lessons until 2003. ‘With most British voices in the Italian mode you can hear that it is still a British voice, but Paul’s voice is Italianate.’

Comboy, 66, who has himself sung at Covent Garden, added: ‘Paul used to cycle to lessons in Bath in all weathers, all the way from Bristol [his hometown], and arrive panting and sweating, but he would still sing like an angel. He lived for his singing. He would talk about nothing but the latest aria he was learning.’

The semi-final in which Potts triumphed once again on Thursday night was watched by 9.5 million people. ‘Apparently, that is 41 per cent of the viewing audience,’ said the singer.

National support has been boosted by the popularity of the video clip of his audition which, by the end of the week, had been watched on the internet site YouTube by more than a million people.

His fellow staff at Carphone Warehouse have also rallied to the cause. This weekend many of the stores are sporting posters of Potts.

He stopped singing completely four years ago following a series of misfortunes. An operation to remove a benign tumour followed an emergency appendectomy and then, once he had regained good health, his collarbone was broken when he was knocked from his bicycle. Bullied at school in Bristol, Paul first responded to classical music when he heard Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique symphony (No 6). ‘I remember I loved the theme of the first movement. Then I got into Puccini and the emotion of Italian music,’ he said.

In contrast, his wife, Julie-Ann, 26, likes house music, but Potts has introduced her to the classical repertoire. ‘She came down out of the audience to see me on Thursday and she was shaking with it all,’ he said.

When the couple married four years ago the groom sang Greig’s Ich Leibe Dich at the ceremony.

If Potts wins tonight he receives £100,000 as well his place on the Royal Variety bill. ‘We could do with the money,’ he said, ‘but it is really about doing what I believe I was meant to do.’

Caroline took me out on my birthday to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. Caroline chose to eat an herbed gouper, while I chose his signature herb-rubbed steak. Very good!

For Caroline’s birthday, we went with Godly and Rujin to Wined Up. This is a very impressive wine bar near Union Square/Flatiron area, where the entire wall is lined up from floor to ceiling with wine. We all started out with the cheese fondue and a flight of wines (3 each) each. It was a fun experience, esp. those who want a sampling of wine without cracking open full bottles.

For my mom, I went to Coach and bought her a purse. While my dad, I had promised to get golf shoes, without realizing how difficult of a feat that was. He has a very hard to get size, 7 1/2 EEE. Almost every place I asked said only Footjoy can make those, and they’re custom order. After nearly a month of digging around I finally found a pair of modern Oakley (which is pretty hot in my opinion) golf shoes in that size from Zappos.com. The best part was that if they didn’t fit, they pay for return by mail and will exchange them as well! My father took them golfing on a day after it rained and noted that since they are waterproof, it kept his feet nice and dry!

What’s interesting is that this year we had to file jointly in order to get the deductions for education and loans, but in the end for the first time, we didn’t get money back. We had to pay more tax.

My 1 year anniversary is coming up in June 3rd. We plan on going to the restaurant that we had our rehearsal dinner at, Rialto. They had good food and really good sangria! I highly recommend their Seared tuna (sushi grade) and their wasabi mashed potatoes. Some people suggested going to the place where I proposed, at Apple Bombar, but we’ve been going there lately a lot for their $5 drink specials. LOL. Caroline for my anniversary helped pay for some of my camera upgrade. I sold my Digital Rebel 300D, and used that money to upgrade to the Canon 30D. I plan on buying her something special, but that’s a secret!

This place takes American dollars, has no tax, and everything is duty free. This means that booze is cheaper that soda (as soda is imported). Drinking from the tap here is ok, although has a metallic taste, as the drinking water is desalinated from the ocean through distillation (the metal you taste is from the distiller). But when there’s signs all over the place for shots for $1 who cares? I never had so many pina coladas and other tropical drinks in my life. It’s sooo cheap!

One of the awesome highlights was Unexso Dolphin Experience. We opted to swim with Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins in Unexso’s private lagoon. I highly recommend this experience! (those who go to Hawaii to do this at the Hyatt are getting ripped off as they’re high priced and they’re actually Atlantic, not Pacific, bottle-nosed dolphins that were imported!).

As for food it’s varied, but our favorite was the fresh conch salad. You can see the pics in my gallery that I posted earlier.

There’s not much to do on the island itself. Shop, eat, relax, drink, swim, jetski, snorkel, and parasail. It’s a great vacation to do nothing and relax. I highly recommend! Trip was cheap as I paid only for food, activities, and airfare. Although if you stay there and pay for the hotel, the rates weren’t too bad either. 4-5 days is probably enough to enjoy this place well.

From Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115067814013983792.html

Marry This Year:
In China, All Signs
Point to Wedded Bliss

*Zodiac and Lunar Calendar
Smile on Happy Couples;
‘We Can Have a Pig Baby’***

*By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH and LORETTA CHAO
****June 19, 2006; Page A**** 1*****

SHANGHAI — Sun Lidong and Liu Weijia had been dating for about 18
months
when they first heard that this year would be an especially auspicious
time
to get married. They decided to take the plunge.

“Getting married at the right time will bring you more happiness and
more
luck in the future,” says Ms. Liu, 24 years old, a customer-service
manager.
“It’s very important.”

Liu Weijia and Sun Lidong, seen here in one of their wedding photos,
believe
that a 2006 union bodes well for a successful marriage.

A rare quirk of the lunar calendar — and its alignment with the
12-year
cycle of the Chinese zodiac — has set off a wedding frenzy in China,
as
brides and grooms try to harness the forces of cosmic fortune to
strengthen
their marriages.

During the first three months of this lunar year, which began in late
January, 44,000 couples registered their unions with the city
authorities
here. That is twice the number who registered during the same period in
2005. Couples often line up outside the city’s marriage-registration
centers
on weekends and holidays by 5:30 a.m. so they can beat the rush when
the
doors open at 9.

The wedding mania is rippling across China and through the Chinese
diaspora.
Chris Chen, co-owner of wedding planner Dynasty Weddings in New York,
which
caters to the area’s Chinese community, says his business has doubled
from
last year. “Everyone’s just getting married like crazy,” Mr. Chen says.

Yan Guiying is intent on finding a husband for her 27-year-old
daughter. For
more than two months, she has turned up every Saturday at People’s Park
in
Shanghai for what is essentially a bustling market of parents trying to
find
mates for their children.

Clutching a hand-lettered sign with her daughter’s vital statistics —
she’s
five-feet-three-inches tall, weighs 105 pounds, has white skin and
earns
$560 a month as a fashion designer for an Italian company — Ms. Yan
joined
hundreds of other mothers and fathers trading their children’s pictures
and
statistics.

“I’m very anxious,” said Ms. Yan, a retired bank clerk. “Everyone wants
their kids to get married this year.”

Behind the boom: This lunar year, 4703 in the Chinese calendar, will
last a
longer-than-usual 385 days and contain two lunar springs. The advent of
spring, or* li chun*, is considered especially propitious for starting
a
family. So, having two springs in a single year is doubly lucky.

Yan Guiying (center, with glasses) is among the parents who gather at
People’s Park in downtown Shanghai hoping to find spouses for their
children. Ms. Yan’s sign touts the attributes of her daughter, a
27-year-old
fashion designer.

The extra-long year is a very uncommon event, tied to the complicated
system
used to keep lunar timekeeping roughly in sync with the solar calendar.
The
last one occurred in 1944, five years before the Communist Party took
control of the country. People seem to have decided that the rarity
will
magnify the good fortune of the double spring.

Adding to the pressure, the years on either side of 2006 are considered
exceptionally unlucky since they have no lunar spring. They are known
as
“widows’ years.” Many people believe women married in those years will
lose
their husbands at an early age. Marriage registrations in Shanghai were
down
nearly 20% last year.

Then there is the zodiac, which in Chinese culture holds that one’s
birth
year helps determine his personality and prospects. This is the year of
the
dog, which is widely viewed as good for marriage. Next year is the year
of
the pig, which is seen as a time when fortune smiles on newborn babies.

The upshot of all the signs is that China is facing a demographic jolt
as
marriages that would have been spread over three years are being
concentrated into one. At the same time, a significant spike in births
is
expected next year. Nielsen Media Research says it has already detected
a
surge in advertising for diapers and baby food on Chinese television
and in
magazines and newspapers.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” says veteran wedding planner Xu
Hongliu, who has handled more than 100 weddings so far this year. “It’s
causing severe shortages” of everything from disc jockeys to
photographers.
Prices for roses and lilies have climbed as much as 30% in Shanghai’s
markets as demand has increased, she says.

Sociologists say that the wedding boom this year is part of a broader
resurgence in traditional beliefs suppressed under Communist rule. They
say
it is fueled by the uncertainties of China’s shift to a free market
economy.
“People feel like they are not in control,” says Xu Anqi, a sociologist
at
the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and they “want to get help and
blessings from [supernatural] forces for a good life.”

LUCKY IN LOVE?

*No** li chun** (”widow” year, or not good for marriage): * 1956, 1959,
1962, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991,
1994, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2013

*Two** li chun** (good for marriage): * 1995, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1966,
1968,
1971, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001,
2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014

*Dog years with** li chun**:* 1958, 1982, 1994, 2006

*Astrologers warn people not to take these dates too seriously, because
there are a number of other factors, including feng shui, zodiac
compatibility, and element compatibility, that are considered when
making
matches; they also say those married in widow years should not think
that
all marriages in those years are doomed. *

Ms. Liu and Mr. Sun were married last month in a Shanghai hotel before
hundreds of their friends and family members. In a short ceremony
conducted
by the DJ, the pair re-enacted their engagement — with Mr. Sun on one
knee
– before exchanging vows and rings. After Mr. Sun’s boss made a toast,
bubble machines were turned on as the DJ led the crowd in a rousing
rendition of “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”

“Of course, this is a good year. It’s a year of the dog and a double
spring,” said Mr. Sun. “It’s even better that we can have a pig baby”
–
since 2007 is a year of the pig. Explained Ms. Liu: “Pigs are fat, they
live
a comfortable life. My pig friends are all doing quite well.”

Seated to one side was Rei Wang, 25, and his new wife, Eva Chu, also
25, who
were married on May 1. “I wanted to hold off for a couple of years,”
confided Mr. Wang. But, he said, “Our parents ordered us to get married
this
year.”

The aunt of Ms. Liu, the bride, however, said she didn’t understand
what all
the fuss was about. Weng Xiuzheng, 64, spent her career in the People’s
Liberation Army and didn’t consider lucky dates when she got married in
1962.

“When the army decided it was OK, we moved to be together” in the
barracks
at a military hospital, she said. “People didn’t worry too much about
the
timing in the old days, and we’re all still doing OK.”

Many young Chinese aren’t taking any chances. Tang Yihuan and his
then-fiancée, Cheng Ting, were all set to get hitched last year. The
couple
bought an apartment and filled it with furniture. They picked out rings
and
hired a photographer. Then, they found out about “the widows’ year,”
and
preparations screeched to a halt.

The wedding was put on hold until this past March. In the meantime, the
couple lived with Ms. Cheng’s parents to “keep everything new,” says
Mr.
Tang. “If we got married last year, it would have been a disaster,” he
says.

Mr. Tang says the delay is already paying off. Shortly after his
wedding, he
says, he was offered a new job, with higher pay, at a public-relations
company that handles big multinational clients.

That’s the kind of story that inspires parents. “I want my son to get
married this year,” says Zhang Yongfang, who started coming to the
People’s
Park matchmaking gatherings in February.

But, she says, she’s worried. It’s already June and she hasn’t found
any
takers so far. She holds out photos of her 27-year-old son in a green
vinyl
portfolio. “We are running out of time,” says Ms. Zhang. “He can’t get
married next year. That would be horrible. He’ll have to wait until the
year
after that.”

*–Ellen Zhu contributed to this article.*

Maui:
- Boat ride to Molokini and go Snorkeling: this is known as the #1 dive snokel site on the planet (#2 is Fiji)
- Parasailing at 800′: awesome and high up - pricey though for a relatively short time in the air
- Old Lahaina Luau: Even though we were at the Grand Hyatt which has their own, this one is better known as it is the “classic” of all Luau’s. Highly recommended. If you plan on taking pictures, make sure you have a fast lens of at least a f/2.8 aperture!
- Drive to Hana: nice twisties and turns on the most scenic roads (although at times insane) around the island. Went all the way to the Seven Sacred pools and back. A large portion of my scenic amazing shots from Hawaii are from this trip. Highly recommend renting a sports car convertible
- Mama’s Fish House: fish are caught fresh daily by staff and this place is known for their most amazing food.
- Mount Haleakela: 10,000 feet above the world, looking into the crater of a dormant Volcano. We chose to go on a chartered luxury van ride as I was tired of driving the Road to Hana
- Sensai: This sushi place is in what’s left of a town that’s basically abandoned after the hotels closed up. It’s fairly remote, and the sushi was only okay. I’ve had better in NY and Seattle.

(Note about Maui, wear lots of sunscreen and re-apply frequently. Both of us got burned despite using it, but luckily they had aloe with lidocaine to numb the burn) Lahaina translates to “Merciless Sun” for this reason!

Big Island:
- Flumin Da Ditch in Hawi: kayak down the old irrigation flumes that go through mountain tunnels, rain forest, and pass by waterfalls. Highly recommended.
- 15 Mile Waterfall ATV Adventure in Hawi: Traverse through brisk mountain streams; enter a rainforest filled with native Hawaiian trees and canopies of ferns and flowers before discovering a private secluded waterfall. Your guide will paint a historical picture of the rich culture in the area. A visual rush of panoramic collages makes this a driving experience to remember
- Drove around the entire island except to Hilo as we ran out of time
- Drove to Mauna Loa and Volcanoes National Park
- Drove to South Point, off-roaded a long ways to the Green Sand beach (green becuase of olivine). Note it is a 60 foot climb down a cliff, so wear sneakers
- Drove to Punalulu black sand beach. This place is the windiest place in Hawaii, but its cool to see the sea turtles chilling on the beach. Note you have to stand a good distance away from them by law as they are endangered. Bring a telephoto lens if you plan on taking photos.

For all the shots, most of these places are secluded. I planned ahead and brought my tripod with a remote trigger. If you have any questions and want ideas or tips for a trip to Hawaii, let me know. I wouldn’t go back to Maui as it got boring once you do the road to Hana, but Big Island I do plan on going back as theres so much more I want to see like checking out Waipio Valley (remember the opening scene in Jurassic park with the helicopter vista? This is the place) and taking the helicopter over the volcano.