BOOKBITES . . . SHARING MOROCCO .jpg)
A Fantastic Cookbook To Love for the Holidays.... I am in love with the divine Morocan recipes and photos in the new cookbook by the Petit Gourmande Ruth Barnes. I will be doing special recipes from this book in Culinary Coup throughout 2015. Enjoy! ____________________________________________________________________ POLITICAL SHORTS . . . Here comes the GOP Control of Capitol Hill gives Republicans a new opportunity, if they care to seize it. 
After capturing the Senate and adding to their House majority in November’s elections, Republicans are about to take full control of Congress for the first time in nearly a decade. So they have to choose: Are they a governing party, or are they a brake on President Obama? Can they be both?
David M. Drucker See full story in The Washington Examiner 1/5/15
__________________________________________________________________ TECHNOLOGY NEWS . . . NEW PHIND UNVEILED AT GARAGE AT APPNATION PHIND, the new visual search app for iOS, is pleased to announce that it will be presenting during The Garage at APPNATION at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). PHIND gives users information on locations, attractions and landmarks that are directly in front of them with a one-button push of the camera by utilizing location based services and comparing user photos against its database of over 100 million photos. "Presenting at APPNATION is going to be a grand unveiling for us and we can't wait to showcase everything that PHIND can do to the tech-savy crowd," said PHIND Co-Founder & CEO Rishi Jhunjhnuwala. "PHIND is an excellent companion for all CES attendees to learn more about what Sin City has to offer, first-timers and veterans alike. PHIND stands apart from location-based apps by knowing what you are looking at by comparing the photo the user takes to our database of photos."  PHIND has access to over 100 million photos of locations, attractions, landmarks, and places in its database. If a CES attendee uses PHIND to take a photo of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, they would receive information on when it was built, the owner and other fun facts about the iconic hotel. Additionally, they would find out about the restaurants, bars and stores that are available. PHIND also works on smaller landmarks like statues by providing information on the artist and the history of the piece. Complimenting its patent-pending visual search algorithm, PHIND narrows its search results down based on the user's location. All of this is done in a matter of seconds. Additionally, PHIND builds contextual bridges that aggregate information on locations from Foursquare, Yelp, and Wikipedia along with many of the other major content providers to present historical facts, photos, reviews, hours of operation, social media profiles and more. PHIND also easily connects users to Uber to help get them to any destination. PHIND works across the United States and in key international cities all over the world. Future releases of PHIND will see Android compatibility, the ability to share locations on social media accounts, purchase tickets for attractions and more. Taking place January 5 & 6 at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, APPNATION's Garage demo area features cutting edge, up-and-coming developers and entrepreneurs from around the world. APPNATION gives young start-ups an opportunity to showcase their apps, products, and innovations in front of thousands of marketers, advertisers, agencies, carriers, device manufacturers, and angel and venture investors. PHIND will be presenting alongside other start-ups like Nestdrop, HelloTel, PuzzleBox, ZipZap and more established brands including Facebook, Nike, Spotify, Marriott and more. APPNATION attendees are invited to stop by PHIND's booth at the Garage for a one-on-one demo. PHIND is available for download in the App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phind/id898016251?mt=8. Users can sign-up for a PHIND account either by using their Facebook account or signing up for a native user ID. For more information, please visit http://www.phind.it, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/phindapp and follow us on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/phindapp. ABOUT PHIND PHIND is a visual search app for Apple iPhones and iPads that launched in November 2014. With a one-button push, users can take a photo and find out about the world directly in front of them. PHIND provides information on locations, attractions and landmarks by analyzing the user's location and cross-referencing the photo they uploaded to its database of more than 100 million photos. For more information, please visit http://www.phind.it, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/phindapp and follow us on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/phindapp. ___________________________________________________________________ ARTS & STYLE . . . .jpg)
Santa Barbara Symphony Appoints New Executive Director 
After an extensive nationwide search, the Santa Barbara Symphony is pleased to announce the appointment of David Pratt as its new Executive Director. Pratt will assume his duties on March 2, 2015. David Pratt, a native of Australia, has over 15 years of successful management experience in leadership roles across the performing arts, film, and entertainment sectors in the United States and Australia. Prior to joining the Santa Barbara Symphony, Pratt acted as Executive Director for the Savannah Philharmonic, where he delivered substantial increases in audience numbers, donations, and corporate support, producing annual surpluses above targets and introducing new and engaging programs and events. “After a thorough strategic planning and search process, the Santa Barbara Symphony is thrilled to welcome David Pratt as our new Executive Director,” said Arthur Swalley, Santa Barbara Symphony Board President. “We are proud to bring in a great new leader to build on our current artistic and operational excellence. Even more importantly, Mr. Pratt is uniquely qualified to lead the Symphony in our next stages of growth. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Pratt to the Symphony family.” “I am very excited and honored to be joining the Santa Barbara Symphony as their new Executive Director,” said Pratt. “The Santa Barbara Symphony is one of the community‘s most treasured cultural assets with world-class programming, great artistic leadership and highly respected education programs. I look forward to working with the board, staff and the community to lead the organization for long-term growth and success.” About David Pratt David Pratt, a native of Australia, has over 15 years of successful management experience in leadership roles across the performing arts, film, and entertainment sectors in the United States and Australia. His work and record speak for itself. Prior to joining the Santa Barbara Symphony, Pratt acted as Executive Director for the Savannah Philharmonic, where he delivered substantial increases in audience numbers, donations, and corporate support, producing annual surpluses above targets and introducing new and engaging programs and events. Previously, Pratt held the position of Senior Event Manager with the G’Day USA Festival, where he created and managed a series of arts, cultural and music events across several cities in the US. This included a successful partnership with the Palm Springs International Film Festival spotlighting Australian film and a series of performances in Los Angeles with the internationally acclaimed performer and composer, William Barton and the Qantas Choir. He also identified, secured and managed multiple event sponsor partnerships contributing significant funds to the annual $2 million budget. Prior to returning to Los Angeles in 2009, Pratt held a senior management position as Commercial Enterprises Manager with Australia’s largest and most successful orchestra – the Sydney Symphony. He was responsible for planning the Symphony’s commercial season producing highly successful performances with artists such as Roberta Flack, Nigel Kennedy, and Kate Ceberano as well as overseeing the program’s annual $3.5 million budget. From 2006 to early 2008, Pratt was the General Manager of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Australia’s North East tropical region. He had unprecedented success with record attendances, surpluses, and significant increases in financial support from individuals, government, and the corporate sector. He also worked on a short-term contract earlier in 2006, managing a series of fundraising events for the Sydney Opera House with the visit of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Between 1997 and 2006, Pratt held various management positions across the film and entertainment sector in Los Angeles. He organized the 2005 Australian Film, Music, and Style Showcase for the G’Day USA Festival. In 2001, Pratt founded Australians In Film, where he built the organization into a high profile film culture association with a sizeable membership, trusted long-term partnerships with US film studios and significant corporate support. In this role, Pratt oversaw monthly film screenings and events with actors, directors, and producers working directly with industry A-listers such as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Baz Luhrmann, and Philip Noyce. In this role he also created music and art events profiling emerging artists to the Los Angeles community. From 1997 to 2004, Pratt was the Australian Film Commissioner for Ausfilm in Los Angeles, promoting Australia’s film and TV production sector across the US entertainment industry. He secured over $600 million worth of production, was the undisputable driving force for the Australian Government introducing film and TV incentives, and was the catalyst for Ausfilm’s corporate support more than quadrupling from 15 to over 60 companies. Prior to moving to the US in 1997, Pratt was General Manager at the Melbourne Film Office for the State of Victoria. He secured over $1 million in re-current funding from State Government for this newly established office, won the full support and trust of the local film community, and led major marketing missions in North East Asia, USA and the UK securing thousands of dollars of business. Pratt has a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, and a Certificate in Public Relations. He is passionate about music, travel and exercise. www.thesbsymphony.org. ____________________________________ 
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