My night with Berlusconi: escort girl releases her tape - The Times, uk - link (aqui)

(Olycom SPA/Rex Features)

July 21, 2009

Josephine McKenna in Rome

Audio tapes and transcripts of Silvio Berlusconi’s alleged encounter with an escort girl were posted on the internet yesterday, rekindling the scandal over the Prime Minister’s private life.

The Italian daily La Repubblica and its sister weekly, L’Espresso, published snippets of an alleged bedroom conversation between Mr Berlusconi and Patrizia D’Addario, the woman whom his aides describe as a prostitute.

Ms D’Addario, who has already spoken to the media about their meetings, claims to have made the recordings during two visits that she made to Palazzo Grazioli, Mr Berlusconi’s residence in Rome, with a number of other women in October and November last year. The tapes have been presented as evidence to back her claims.

In one, allegedly recorded on November 4, Mr Berlusconi apparently tells Ms D’Addario to wait for him on the four-poster “Putin bed” — said to have been a gift from Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister — while they each take a shower.

Mr Berlusconi is heard to say: “I will take a shower as well . . . and then wait for me on the big bed if you finish first?” Ms D’Addario replies: “Which bed . . . that Putin one?”

Mr Berlusconi: “The Putin one.”

Ms D’Addario: “Oh how sweet, the one with the curtains.”

Mr Berlusconi has not denied that the woman went to his residence but has said that he did not know she was an escort. He did not comment on the tapes released yesterday.

Another conversation, alleged to have been recorded a day later, took place between Ms D’Addario and Giampaolo Tarantini, an entrepreneur who is under investigation by magistrates in Bari on suspicion of corruption and abetting prostitution.

Ms D’Addario says: “We didn’t close our eyes all night.”

Mr Tarantini replies: “I can imagine, how did it go?”

Ms D’Addario: “Good, but there was no pay cheque.”

Mr Tarantini: “Really?”

Ms D’Addario: “I swear. How come? You told me that there would be a pay cheque. He gave me a small gift, I don’t know what, a little turtle.”

Mr Berlusconi has been under growing pressure to come clean about his private life after revelations that he entertained about 20 women until dawn during a private party at his residence. The Prime Minister has previously rejected the allegations surrounding the sex scandal, and political allies came to his defence yesterday.

Daniele Capezzone, spokesman for Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party, called the posting of the conversations “pathetic”. Maurizio Gasparri, the party’s head in the Senate, called it a “failed campaign” by the newspapers to discredit Berlusconi.

Mr Berlusconi’s lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, described the tapes as being of no value, improbable and the product of invention. “The truthfulness and the legality of the taped assertions have already been contested,” he said.

Ms D’Addario, 42, has given the tapes to magistrates investigating the case against Mr Tarantini.

The Prime Minister, Patrizia the prostitute – and Putin's bed - The Independent, uk - link (aqui)

GETTY/EPA

Patrizia D'Addario, right, says she recorded conversations that she had with Silvio Berlusconi on the phone and in person, at his residence in Rome

'Taped conversation with escort' puts more pressure on beleaguered Berlusconi

By Claire Soares, Deputy Foreign Editor

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Silvio Berlusconi was facing fresh embarrassment last night after audio tapes surfaced of a supposed dalliance with a high-end prostitute at his Rome residence. "I'm going to take a shower too. If you finish before me, wait for me on the big bed," a man purported to be the Italian Prime Minister can be heard saying. "Which bed? Putin's?" queries his companion, Patrizia D'Addario. "Oh, how cute, the one with the curtains."

The reason why the fabric-covered bed is named after the Russian premier remains a mystery. But the audio tapes – posted online yesterday by Italian newspaper La Repubblica and weekly magazine L'Espresso – offer a tantalising glimpse into how Mr Berlusconi reportedly spent the night of 4 November 2008, when the rest of the world was waiting to see whether Barack Obama would become the first black occupant of the White House.

Mr Berlusconi's lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, immediately disputed the veracity of the tapes, dismissing them as being "without any merit, completely improbable and the product of the imagination". Government minister Gianfrano Rotondi said it was an attempt by leftist media to "intimidate" the government by "the violation of every ethic" in journalism.

Mr Berlusconi has been dogged by sexual scandal ever since his wife announced she was divorcing him in May, tipped over the edge by his presence at the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model. Next came a flurry of pictures of naked people cavorting at his Sardinian villa, and then details of his alleged dealings with escort girls emerged during an investigation into supposed prostitution rackets in the southern city of Bari.

One conversation on the tapes is between Ms D'Addario and the businessman at the heart of that investigation, Giampaolo Tarantini. She phones him after her night with the premier and brags: "We didn't get a wink of sleep all night." Ms D'Addario then complains that there was no promised envelope with the €5,000 she had been expecting, although, she says, "I was given a present, I don't know, a little turtle thing". She says she also got a promise that the Prime Minister would send her some aides to help with problems she was having getting a B&B built. "And then he said he wanted to see me again with a female friend because [he wanted the] two of us."

Mr Berlusconi has not denied that Ms D'Addario came to Palazzo Grazioli, but has said he did not know the 42-year-old was an escort. Mr Tarantini has apologised for the scandal, saying he brought the women to the premier's residence to show off and they were only paid travel expenses.

The Italian electorate has largely shrugged off the furore surrounding Mr Berlusconi. His party won big in last month's European elections and his approval rating is still around 50 per cent. His successful hosting of this month's G8 summit in the earthquake-devasted city of L'Aquila finally seemed to turn attention back to his political skills. Then came the escort tapes.

According to the transcripts, Mr Berlusconi phoned Ms D'Addario the day after their assignation on the Putin bed. He marvels at how he has got through a busy day, despite the lack of sleep. She tells him she's lost her voice. "Eh, how come?" the Prime Minister replies. "We didn't scream." "And I didn't yell," Ms D'Addario says. "Who knows why my voice has gone. Do you know why? Because I took 10 showers in ice-cold water because I was hot."

Silvio's secrets: The tape transcripts

4 NOVEMBER

Silvio: I’m going to take a shower too. And if you finish before me, wait for me on the big bed.

Patrizia: Which bed? Putin's?

Silvio: Putin's.

Patrizia: Oh, how cute! The one with the curtains.

5 NOVEMBER

Silvio: Everything good?

Patrizia: Yes, you?

Silvio: Me, yes. I've worked a lot. This morning I went to open an exhibition, I made a wonderful speech, that got lots of applause, and I don't seem too tired.

Patrizia: Ah, just like me in fact. I'm not tired, I've not slept. It's just my voice that has gone.

Silvio: Eh, how come? We didn't scream.

Berlusconi, on line registrazioni audio con la D'Addario: riesplode la polemica - Il Messaggero, it - link (aqui)

Ghedini: sono inventate, azioni legali contro chi le pubblica
Il Pd: i nastri smentiscono pietose bugie

ROMA (20 luglio) - Le registrazioni audio degli incontri con il presidente del Consiglio Silvio Berlusconi fatte dalla escort Patrizia D'Addario a Palazzo Grazioli sono state messe oggi on line sul sito dell'Espresso e di Repubblica insieme alle trascrizioni delle conversazioni registrate. Gli incontri riguardano una festa a metà ottobre 2008, poi quella del 4 novembre; mentre sono pubblicate anche due telefonate del 5 novembre, una della D'Addario con Giampaolo Tarantini e l'altra ancora con Berlusconi.

Ghedini: sono inventate, ogni azione legale verso chi le pubblica. Oggi il premier ha trascorso il pomeriggio a Villa San Martino, la sua residenza ad Arcore, dopo che in mattinata ha partecipato a Milano all'apertura del Forum del Mediterraneo. Ad Arcore c'era anche il deputato del Pdl e avvocato del presidente del Consiglio Niccolò Ghedini. «Materiale senza alcun pregio, del tutto inverosimile e frutto di invenzione», ha detto l'avvocato del presidente del Consiglio, annunciando che «saranno esperite tutte le azioni legali del caso» nei confronti di «chiunque ritenesse di riprendere tale materiale».

Parole concordate con lo stesso presidente del Consiglio, dopo aver ascoltato insieme le registrazioni, ad Arcore. L'avvocato Ghedini chiama in causa anche la magistratura «auspicando che verifichi come i giornalisti siano entrati in possesso» del materiale che «è tuttora in possesso» della Procura di Bari e «sottoposto a regime del segreto di indagine e del divieto assoluto di pubblicazione». Inoltre, insiste Ghedini, «La veridicità e la liceità delle asserite registrazioni erano già state contestate». L'avvertimento poi per chi volesse utilizzare quei nastri è chiaro: «La pubblicazione integra è di per sè un illecito - scrive in una nota il deputato del Pdl - che dovrà essere perseguito, e nei confronti di chiunque ritenesse di riprendere tale materiale saranno esperite tutte le azioni legali del caso».

L'arrabbiatura di Berlusconi. Chi ha avuto modo di sentire Berlusconi ripete che la strategia non cambia: non sarà l'ennesima spazzatura a fermarlo. Nessun tentennamento, al massimo un'arrabbiatura, così lo descrive chi ha avuto modo di parlargli, perché il nuovo capitolo della vicenda potrebbe fare ombra sui successi che l'Italia ha ottenuto nell'organizzazione e gestione del G8. Da qui l'intenzione di procedere senza cambiare le carte in tavola. «Con l'altalena dei gossip - ha sottolineato il suo portavoce Paolo Bonaiuti - non si va da nessuna parte». Il leit motiv del premier non cambia: andare avanti con il programma dell'esecutivo perché, avrebbe ripetuto a diversi dirigenti del Pdl, è l'unico modo per rispondere a tutto. A questo, avrebbe ricordato ancora una volta il Cavaliere, servirà il conclave che si terrà all'Aquila con i ministri e poi il seminario di settembre con i gruppi parlamentari.

La messa on line degli audio del premier ha fatto ripartire le polemiche. «Le registrazioni dell'Espresso ristabiliscono il confine tra realtà dei fatti e pietose bugie tese a nasconderla. La realtà desolante che emerge dai nastri è che la escort non era affatto una estranea sconosciuta e che i compensi alle partecipanti alle feste del premier erano una consuetudine. Invece di attaccare la stampa che fa il suo mestiere, a palazzo Grazioli dovrebbero decidere finalmente di fare chiarezza di fronte al Paese», afferma in una nota Paolo Gentiloni, responsabile comunicazione del Pd. «Gli esponenti del centrodestra accusano il Gruppo Espresso, che oggi pubblica le registrazioni sul caso Berlusconi-escort, di rovistare nella spazzatura. Appunto...». È quanto dice invece Vinicio Peluffo, deputato del Pd.

«Il Paese sta andando a rotoli, c'è una crisi che fa paura e abbiamo un presidente del Consiglio che ha ben altro per la testa. Un minimo di vergogna non guasterebbe». Lo dice il responsabile Comunicazione del Pdci Jacopo Venier. «Dal Pdl reazioni senza ritegno - conclude - gli ascari di regime, i moralisti a senso unico, si affannano a negare l'evidenza, minimizzano il problema e minacciano la stampa perchè ormai da tutti i punti di vista emerge l'oscenità di questa triste vicenda».

Romani: campagna diffamatoria cade ne vuoto. «Archiviato il G8, mentre all'estero molti mezzi di informazione hanno fatto significativi passi indietro, in Italia continua l'attacco contro Silvio Berlusconi», ha rilevato il viceministro alle Comunicazioni, Paolo Romani. «Ancora una volta l'Espresso torna a rovistare nella spazzatura nell'inutile tentativo di rinverdire un caso inesistente - ha aggiunto Romani -. Ma l'azione di chi vuole avvelenare i pozzi e imbarbarire il clima politico nel paese è destinato a cadere di nuovo nel vuoto. Infatti, nonostante la lunga campagna diffamatoria che da mesi il Gruppo Espresso-Repubblica sta portando avanti, gli italiani dimostrano di avere fiducia nel loro Presidente del Consiglio».

Il Pdl: campagna fallita. «Non mi pare che questo aggiunga nulla a una campagna fallita condotta dall'Espresso e da Repubblica», ha detto il capogruppo al Senato del Pdl, Maurizio Gasparri.

«Il problema per l'Idv è che si guardi la spazzatura e non chi rovista, ecco perché siamo solidali con la pubblicazione dell'Espresso - dice Antonio Di Pietro, leader dell'Italia dei Valori - Le conversazioni arrivano da una delle due parti perciò non c'è violazione del segreto. Doveva pensarci prima di frequentare l'altra parte...».

'Espérame en la cama de Putin' - El Mundo, es - link (aqui)

Patrizia D'Addario, la prostituta que dice haberse acostado con Berlusconi. | Efe

• D'Addario asegura haberse acostado con Berlusconi el pasado 4 de noviembre
• Esperaba una 'recompensa' de unos 5.000 euros, que finalmente no consiguió

Giorgio Silvestri | Madrid

Actualizado lunes 20/07/2009 20:41 horas

'Yo también voy a ducharme... ¿me esperas en la cama grande, si terminas antes que yo?'. '¿En qué cama, la de Putin?'. 'Sí, la de Putin'. 'Ay, qué bonita, ¡la de las cortinillas!'.

El primer ministro italiano, Silvio Berlusconi, está otra vez en apuros después de que el semanal romano 'L'Espresso' publicara este lunes en su página web las cinco grabaciones de audio de los dos encuentros entre 'Il Cavaliere' y la prostituta de lujo Patrizia D'Addario.

Dichos encuentros, 'pinchados' a escondidas por la propia D'Addario, tuvieron lugar hacia la mitad de octubre de 2008 y la noche del pasado 4 de noviembre, la misma en la que Barack Obama ganó las elecciones presidenciales norteamericanas.

En la primera conversación, entre D'Addario y un mayordomo de la residencia del mandatario italiano en Roma, se puede oír a la 'escort' preguntar: "Pero, ¿ahora cenamos?". La respuesta del hombre es lapidaria: "Ni idea... es que el presidente es un poco alegre: canta, cuenta algún chiste". Y ella: "¿Nosotras también podemos cantar?".

La segunda escucha es más larga y elocuente: D'Addario y otra mujer se presentan a Berlusconi, probablemente al tanto de su ocupación. Las mujeres intentan romper el hielo y comentan: "Las dos vamos vestidas de negro". Berlusconi se muestra ilusionado, y les cuenta que ha confeccionado nada menos que "22 vestidos" igual de bonitos para su teatro particular.

Aquella noche, así como contó a los magistrados hace unos días, ni D'Addario ni su compañera terminaron la noche en casa del mandatario italiano. Eso sí, la prostituta de lujo, preguntada por el propio Berlusconi, le pone al tanto de unas complicadas operaciones inmobiliarias en Bari ("Sola, es un poco dura"). Esto último, al parecer, le tranquiliza: "Me hizo una promesa: me dijo que iba a enviar a gente para la obra", según cuenta D'Addario por teléfono, días más tarde, al también empresario Giampaolo Tarantini, el 'organizador' de las fiestas de Berlusconi.

La 'fogosa' noche electoral

Llegamos así a la 'fogosa' noche electoral estadounidense del pasado 4 de noviembre. Berlusconi enseña a D'Addario un libro que quiere regalarle, y acto seguido exclama: 'Yo también voy a ducharme... ¿me esperas en la cama grande, si terminas antes que yo?'. '¿En qué cama, la de Putin?', pregunta ella. 'Sí, la de Putin'. 'Ay, qué bonita, ¡la de las cortinillas!'. D'Addario, según declaró a los jueces, pasó aquella noche con el jefe del ejecutivo italiano.

La cuarta grabación, del 5 de noviembre, se refiere a la llamada telefónica de la pareja a Giampaolo Tarantini. La mujer no se corta una pizca: "Anoche no pegamos ojo". "¿Y qué tal?", le pregunta éste. "Bien, pero no había ningún sobre", comenta la mujer. "¿De verdad?". "Te lo juro. Me habías dicho que iba a haber un sobre. Me hizo un regalito, yo qué sé, una tortuguita", se lamenta D'Addario, que se esperaba una 'recompensa' de unos 5.000 euros.

Justo al final de la llamada, emerge otro detalle picante: "Quiere que me deje lamer por una amiga suya", comenta la mujer a su interlocutor, que, algo incómodo, sonríe: "De todas formas, él es bueno...".

Llegamos así a la llamada telefónica de Berlusconi, que está a punto de partir para Moscú, a D'Addario, también del 5 de noviembre. "Esta mañana he inaugurado una exposición, he hecho un muy buen discurso, con aplausos, no parecía estar ni siquiera cansado...", le revela él.

Lo mismo digo yo: no tengo sueño, tan sólo se me ha ido la voz", replica la mujer. "Es que me duché diez veces con el agua helada porque tenía calor", añade. Segundos más tarde, ambos se despiden con un "adiós, cariño".

Silvio e Patrizia, ecco gli audio - L'espresso, it - link (aqui)

di Antonio Massari

Le registrazioni degli incontri con il premier fatte dalla escort D'Addario a Palazzo Grazioli. La prima festa a metà ottobre e poi la notte trascorsa assieme il 4 novembre 2008. Ecco le prove che la donna che ha chiamato in causa il presidente del Consiglio dice la verità

Patrizia D'Addario e Silvio Berlusconi

Dalle presentazioni con i nomi di fantasia, come Alessia o Clarissa, all'appuntamento post doccia nel "letto di Putin", ai resoconti della serata con Giampaolo Tarantini, a quel "ciao tesoro" telefonico con il quale, Berlusconi, la congeda prima di partire per Mosca.

LEGGI E ASCOLTA

Gli incontri tra il presidente del Consiglio e l'escort Patrizia d'Addario sono rimasti impressi nei nastri che oggi L'espresso è in grado di rivelare in esclusiva.

Questi nastri rappresentano la prova che gran parte delle affermazioni, rilasciate dalla escort barese nelle sue interviste, nonché dinanzi ai magistrati, sono vere, e confermate dagli audio che lei stessa ha registrato a Palazzo Grazioli.

Siamo a metà ottobre 2008 e i nastri riportano "l'anticamera" delle ragazze, che attendono di essere accompagnate dal premier, annunciato come un "presidente un po' allegro, che dice qualche barzelletta e canta". Le ragazze chiedono se potranno cantare con lui. Poi si passa alle presentazioni. Il premier le approccia attraverso un cordiale "Ciao, come va?" e un galante complimento alla loro bellezza. Le donne sono altrettanto cordiali, ma parecchio imbarazzate. Almeno finché non si rompe il ghiaccio, quando esclamano, ridendo all'unisono: "Siamo tutte vestite di nero". Berlusconi commenta compiaciuto, spiegando d'aver fatto confezionare abiti particolari per un teatro, e suscitando così la curiosità delle donne.

È questa, quindi, la prima volta di Patrizia d'Addario a Palazzo Grazioli. Quella prima volta di "metà ottobre", durante la quale la escort decise di non restare con il premier. Dai nastri spunta un'altra conferma della sua versione: sentiamo la d'Addario che, sollecitata dalle domande di Berlusconi, parla al premier del suo intento di portare a termine un'operazione immobiliare.

Nelle cassette, però, è rimasta impressa anche la nottata trascorsa da Patrizia, a Palazzo Grazioli, circa due settimane dopo. E' il 4 novembre. Quella sera Barak Obama diventava presidente degli Stati Uniti. Nelle stesse ore il premier invitava la d'Addario a infilarsi, dopo la doccia, nel letto di Putin, dove lui l'avrebbe raggiunta poco dopo, mentre scorre la colonna sonora del musical "Scugnizzi", che nei nastri si conclude con un paradossale refrain di "zoccole, zoccole, zoccole".

Berlusconi sapeva che la d'Addario si stava prostituendo? Dai nastri è impossibile stabilirlo, ma c'è un particolare che induce a riflettere, e riguarda la telefonata tra la d'Addario e Giampaolo Tarantini all'indomani della nottata trascorsa con il premier: "Non mi ha dato nessuna busta", dice Patrizia a "Giampi". E Tarantini risponde: "Veramente?". Il suo tono lascia intendere una profonda sorpresa. Anche se il dialogo riprende più serenamente, quando Patrizia dice d'aver ricevuto dal premier la promessa di un aiuto "sul cantiere": "Ci devo credere?" chiede Patrizia. "Se lo dice lui...", risponde "Giampi". Poco dopo il cellulare squilla ancora: è Berlusconi a chiamare Patrizia, spiegandole che ha dovuto tenere un discorso, peraltro riuscito benissimo, e che sta partendo per Mosca.

Patrizia sta per entrare a Palazzo Grazioli. Chiede a un accompagnatore come si deve comportare con Berlusconi

UOMO: ... dietro sto. [...]
PATRIZIA: ma adesso ceniamo? poi a che ora diciamo...di solito...
UOMO: ...non lo so io...perché...so che il presidente è un po' allegro..canta....dice qualche barzelletta
PATRIZIA: pure noi possiamo cantare?
UOMO: ...e si fa un po' più.. ... però...non c'è problema
ASCOLTA L'AUDIO


Berlusconi si presenta alle ragazze. Tra battute e risate, inizia la festa

VOCE MASCHILE: Clarissa...
SB: Ciao, tutto bene?
RAGAZZA: Assolutamente
SB: Ciao
PD: Alessia
SB: Ah che carine ... complimenti
PD: grazie
RAGAZZA: Tutte in nero!
SB: Ahhh!
VOCE MASCHILE: Tutte in nero!
RAGAZZE: Tutte in nero!
SB: Io tra l'altro pensa... che per il nostro teatro ho ordinato 22 costumi, sai quei costumi...li hanno fatti
VOCE MASCHILE: dimentichi qualcosa?
SB: Allora...tu di dove sei?
PD: Io sono di Milano [però vivo attualmente vivo a Bari] ...
SB: Cosa fai?
PD: sto occupandomi di un'operazione immobiliare [...] va un po' male perché da sola è un po' dura
ASCOLTA L'AUDIO


E' il 4 novembre, sono passate due settimane. Obama sta per essere eletto alla Casa Bianca, Berlusconi e Patrizia sono nel "lettone di Putin".

SB: questo [libro?...] l'ho disegnato io
PD: l'hai fatto molto bene
SB: l'altra volta ce l'avevi?

PD: Sì
SB: C'eri già l'altra volta?
PD: Sì
SB: ma tu pensa... e questa? prendi
PD: no questa no
SB: è la più bella
PD: è bellissima questa

SB: prenditi questa la regali a qualcuno
PD: no
SB: no, sarebbe uno spreco

PD: anche questa l'hai disegnata tu?
SB: questa è una mia idea ma non l'ho disegnata io. ma guarda che roba...com'è fatta. questo è un mio amico che me l'ha fatta. che mi fa tutte le cose...io mi faccio una doccia anch'io... e poi, poi mi aspetti nel lettone se finisci prima tu?

PD: quale lettone.. quello di putin?
SB: quello di Putin
PD: ah che carino..quello con le tende

canzone 1 'Gente magnifica gente' - Sal da Vinci - dal musical 'Scugnizzi'
canzone 2 'Zoccole zoccole' - Sal da Vinci - dal musical 'Scugnizzi'
ASCOLTA L'AUDIO


E' il 5 novembre. Patrizia commenta con Giampaolo Tarantini la nottata in bianco con il premier

PD: Pronto buongiorno
GT: Buongiorno
PD: Come stai?
GT: Bene
PD: Non abbiamo chiuso occhio stanotte
GT: Eh immagino, come è andata?
PD: Bene, niente busta però
GT: Veramente?
PD: Giuro. Come mai? Tu mi avevi detto che c'era una busta. Mi ha fatto un regalino, non so, una tartarughina
GT: Uhm
PD: E poi mi ha fatto una promessa
GT: Cioè?
PD: Che..va beh te lo posso dire, tanto tu sei la guardia di tutto, mi ha detto che mi mandava gente sul cantiere, l'ha detto lui quindi ci devo credere?
GT: Si, e va beh se lo dice lui. Gli hai dato il tuo numero?
PD: Si, gli ho dato il mio numero, l'ha voluto stamattina anche il mio cognome e ha detto che mi avrebbe aiutata sul cantiere mi mandava gente
GT: E beh va beh oh
PD: E poi ha detto che vuole rivedermi con un'amica perché..in due
GT: Senti ma come? a che ora sei tornata?
PD: Adesso, adesso che ti sto chiamando
GT: Ma dove stai, in albergo già?
PD: Si adesso
GT: ci vediamo per un caffè
PD: Sì se vuoi noi siamo qui in albergo, non sappiamo nemmeno a che ora dobbiamo partire
GT: Amò ti ho mandato un messaggio ieri
PD: Ah, c'era scritto l'orario che dobbiam partire? Siccome Barbara ha detto, appena sono arrivata ha detto 'Hai avito la busta, 5000 euro' ho detto no, io non ho preso proprio niente
GT: Ti volevo dire una cosa, di me ha detto qualcosa no?
PD: Mah mi ha chiesto solo da quanto tempo ci conosciamo io e te, ho detto da tantissimo tempo, ho fatto bene?
GT: Brava si
PD: Ho detto che ci conosciamo da tanto tempo, Barbara è anche una mia amica ho detto, lui ha detto che ha una sua amica e vuole farmi leccare da una sua amica
GT: Ahahahah
PD: Ti giuro, così mi ha detto. Molto affettuoso, tutta la notte non abbiamo dormito
GT: E' bravo comunque lui
PD:

E poi lui stesso mi ha chiesto del cantiere, gli ho detto qua lo sto portando avanti da sola, però non è facile giù al sud, una ragazza da sola, anche perché è una cosa abbastanza grossa e lui mi ha detto ti manderò io qualcuno, mi auguro che sia vera
ASCOLTA L'AUDIO


Subito dopo, Berlusconi chiama Patrizia. Commentano la serata, poi lui parte per Mosca

PD: Pronto?
SB: Come stai questa mattina?
PD: Come stai?
SB: Questa mattina
PD: Bene
SB: Tutto bene?
PD: Si..tu?
SB: Io si, ho lavorato tanto, questa mattina sono andato a inaugurare questa mostra, ho fatto un bellissimo discorso, con applauso e non sembravo stanco
PD: Eh infatti come me, io non ho sonno non ho dormito, è andata via solo la mia voce
SB: Beh come mai? Non abbiamo gridato
PD: Eh eppure non ho urlato, chissà perché è andata via la voce, sai perché? Perché ho fatto la doccia, 10 volte con l'acqua ghiacciata perché avevo caldo
SB: Va bene senti, tutto bene?
PD: Si tutto bene
SB: Hanno consumato, io sto partendo adesso per Mosca
PD: Va bene
SB: Ti chiamo domani quando torno eh?!
PD: Ok, un bacione forte anche a te
SB: ciao
PD: ciao
SB: ciao tesoro
DONNA: ciao un bacio
ASCOLTA L'AUDIO

(20 luglio 2009)

Silvio Berlusconi: 'I'm going to take a shower. You wait for me on the bed' - The Guardian, uk - link (aqui)

• News
• World news
• Silvio Berlusconi

John Hooper analyses recordings allegedly made by escorts invited to parties held by the Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi

• guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 July 2009 18.27 BST

• Download mp3

The recordings have been published in full on the website of La Republica

Berlusconi: the 'escort' tapes - The Guardian, uk - link (aqui)

Read the transcript of clips published today by two Italian websites, purporting to contain the Italian prime minister in conversation with an escort

• guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 July 2009 18.04 BST

An escort, Patrizia D'Addario, is about to enter Berlusconi's Palazzo Grazioli. She asks a man who accompanies her how to behave with Berlusconi.

Man: … I'm staying behind […]

Patrizia: But are we having dinner now? Then at what time should we say ... as usual [...]

Man: ... I don't know ... because ... I know that the president is a bit jolly ... he sings ... tells a few jokes.

Patrizia: So we can sing?

Man: … and then you get into some more ... but... there's no problem.

Berlusconi presents himself to the women. Among jokes and laughs, the party takes off.

Male voice: Clarissa ...

SB: Ciao, everything OK?

Woman: Absolutely.

SB: Ciao.

PD: Alessia.

SB: Ah, what nice girls you are ... my compliments.

PD: Thank you.

Woman: We're all in black!

SB: Ahhh!

Male voice: All in black!

SB: Among other things, I have... isn't that incredible ... I've ordered 22 costumes for our theatre, you know those costumes, they made them.

Male voice: Are you forgetting something?

SB: So... you, where are you from?

PD: I'm from Milan [but at the moment I'm living in Bari] …

SB: What are you doing?

PD: I'm taking care of a property operation […] it's not going very well because by myself it's a bit hard.

It is 4 November – two weeks have passed.

SB: This [book?...], I've designed this.

PD: You've done a very good job.

SB: Did you have this last time?

PD: Yes.

SB: You were here already last time?

PD: Yes.

SB: Well isn't that incredible... and this one? Take.

PD: No, not this one.

SB: It's the most beautiful one.

PD: The most beautiful one is this one.

SB: Take this one with you, give it to someone as a gift.

PD: No.

SB: No, it would be a waste.

PD: Did you design this one also?

SB: The idea is mine but I haven't designed it. Just look at this ... how it's made. It's a friend of mine who's made it for me. He does everything for me ... I'm also going to have a shower ... and then, then are you going to wait for me in the big bed if you're done before me?

PD: What big bed ... Putin's?

SB: Yes, Putin's.

PD: Oh how nice ... that one with the curtains.

It is 5 November. Patrizia and her "agent" Giampaolo Tarantini are discussing her sleepless night with the prime minister.

PD: Hi, good afternoon.

GT: Good afternoon.

PD: How are you?

GT: Well.

PD: We didn't sleep last night.

GT: I can imagine. How did it go?

PD: Good, no envelope though.

GT: Really?

PD: I swear to you. How come? You told me there would be an envelope [...] gave me a gift, I don't know, a little turtle.

GT: Um.

PD: And then made me a promise.

GT: Which was?

PD: That ... OK, I can tell you, so long as you don't tell anyone. He told me that he would send me people on the construction site. He said it, so should I believe it?

GT: Yes, if he says it. Did you give him your number?

PD: Yes, I gave him my number; he wanted it this morning, and my surname too, and told me that he would help me on the construction site, would send me people.

GT: OK then.

PD: And then told me that he would like to see me with a female friend because ... two of us.

GT: Listen, how? What time did you get back?

PD: Just now, before I called you.

GT: But where are you, in the hotel already?

PD: Yes.

GT: Let's meet for a coffee.

PD: Yes, if you want we will be here in the hotel, we don't even know what time we need to leave.

GT: Amò sent you a message yesterday.

PD: Ah, was it written what time we need to leave? As Barbara said, as soon as I arrived he asked "You have received the envelope, €5,000." I said no, I haven't taken anything.

GT: I wanted to say something to you, he said something about me, no?

PD: He only asked me how long we had known each other, I said for a long time – was that the right thing to say?

GT: Well done, yes.

PD: I said we had known each other a long time, and I said that Barbara is a friend of mine too, he said that he has a girlfriend and would like to have me licked by this girlfriend.

GT: Ahahahah.

PD: I promise you, this is what he said. Very affectionate, all night we didn't sleep.

GT: Good for him.

[...]

PD: Hello?

SB: How are you this morning?

PD: How are you?

SB: This morning.

PD: Well.

SB: Everything good?

PD: Yes, you?

SB: Me, yes. I've worked a lot. This morning I went to open this exhibition, I gave a great speech, with applause, and I didn't seem tired.

PD: Ah, like me in fact, I'm not tired, I haven't slept. Only my voice is gone.

SB: Why? We didn't shout.

PD: And yet, I didn't holler, who knows why my voice is gone. Do you know why? Because I took a shower, 10 times with icy water because I was hot.

SB: Great. Listen, everything OK?

PD: Yes, everything is good.

SB: They've worn out. I'm leaving now for Moscow.

PD: OK

SB: I'll call you tomorrow when I get back, OK?

PD: OK, a big strong kiss to you.

SB: Ciao.

PD: Ciao.

SB: Goodbye, treasure.

Woman: Bye. A kiss.

We didn't sleep a wink': escort releases recording of her night with Berlusconi - the Guardian, uk - link (aqui)

• Spotlight back on private life after L'Aquila summit
• Tapes claim Italian PM sought menage-a-trois

• John Hooper in Rome
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 July 2009 22.08 BST

If Silvio Berlusconi thought he'd shaken off the furore over his alleged use of escort girls, he was in for a nasty surprise today.

The Italian prime minister has successfully deflected and sidestepped lurid allegations about his supposed liaisons in recent weeks, helped by some timely international summitry which let him demonstrate his statesmanship, not to mention his commitment to dealing with the aftermath of the L'Aquila earthquake.

But today it was all about call girls, giant beds and the suggestion of a menage-a-trois, after a left-leaning news magazine, L'Espresso, posted "pillow talk" recordings that an escort said she made during a night with the septuagenarian Italian leader.

The escort, Patrizia D'Addario, claims the tapes relate to the night of 4 November last year, when the leaders of the world were holding their breath, waiting to see if Americans would elect their first black president.

Berlusconi, apparently, had other things on his mind.

According to D'Addario, Berlusconi was entertaining her in the bedroom of his magnificent Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli. In one fragment of conversation, Berlusconi appears to direct D'Addario to wait for him in bed while he showers. In another conversation, recorded the next day, she protests to Giampaolo Tarantini, the businessman who allegedly set her up with the Italian prime minister, that she had not received the €5,000 (£4,300) she was expecting.

In a third snippet, it is claimed she confides to the same intermediary that Berlusconi asked her whether next time they met she would agree to a menage-a-trois with another of his girlfriends.

"He said that he has a girlfriend and would like to have me lick this girlfriend," D'Addario says, according to the posted recordings.

The Berlusconi camp moved quickly to rubbish the tapes. Berlusconi's spokesman said: "This seesaw of gossip is not getting anywhere". A spokesman for his party, the Freedom People, called the release of the recordings "pathetic". An attorney, Niccolo Ghedini, said they were "without any merit, completely improbable and the fruit of invention".

The content of the conversations was reported in broad terms last month, but the words themselves, some pronounced in what sound like the distinctively nasal tones of Italy's prime minister, are likely to have an effect no news report can rival.

One of the conversations appears to back claims that Italy's leader has a giant bed with a connection, as yet unclear, to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

After an exchange in which the prime minister seems to be offering a present to D'Addario, he says to her: "I'm taking a shower." He then asks her to wait on the big bed. She asks which one. He replies: "Putin's".

The tapes also include ammunition for Berlusconi's supporters, however. He has said that he has never paid for sex, and insisted that he was unaware the women who attended his parties were being rewarded. In the telephone call with Tarantini, D'Addario tells him that things went well, adding: "No envelope, though."

There is another respect in which the recordings could help Berlusconi. They imply that the 72 year-old billionaire politician, who has had prostate cancer, nevertheless has remarkable sexual endurance. It remains to be seen if that will inspire more admiration than censure among ordinary Italians.

D'Addario tells Tarantini "we didn't sleep a wink" and when Berlusconi calls her later, she is heard to say that she is not tired even though she didn't sleep. "Only my voice has gone," she says. He replies: "Why? We didn't shout."

On the recording, both the voices sound gruff.

D'Addario, who stood as a candidate in local elections this year for a group close to the prime minister's party, has given the recordings to prosecutors investigating Tarantini.

Patrizia D'Addario decía la verdad sobre las fiestas de Berlusconi - El País, es - link (aqui)

La revista 'L'Espresso' publica las cintas que grabó la prostituta durante sus dos citas con el primer ministro italiano

MIGUEL MORA | Roma 20/07/2009

Patrizia D'Addario no mentía. La prostituta, de 42 años, afirmó que había visitado dos veces a Silvio Berlusconi en su residencia de palazzo Grazioli y que había entregado las cintas que prueban dichos encuentros al fiscal Giuseppe Scelsi. Ahora, la revista L'Espresso ha publicado esas cintas. Son cinco grabaciones distintas, que confirman por entero la historia que D'Addario ha contado a los fiscales y a diversos periódicos, entre ellos a EL PAÍS.

Las cintas, en las que se oye claramente la voz de Berlusconi, demuestran que el primer ministro mintió a la opinión pública cuando dijo que no recordaba haber visto nunca la cara de D'Addario, a la que después acusó de haber sido "pagada" para montarle una trampa.

D'Addario, una escort de lujo de 42 años, fue contratada por Gianpaolo Tarantini, un empresario pullés que se hizo amigo íntimo de Berlusconi en el verano de 2008 y que está siendo investigado por corrupción, cesión de drogas e inducción de la prostitución.

La mujer acudió con Gianpi a palazzo Grazioli dos veces distintas. Una a mitad de octubre de 2008, a una cena en la que había otras 20 chicas, escort y velinas, entre ellas una pareja de prostitutas lesbianas. D'Addario no se quedó esa noche porque, ha explicado después, no tenía intención de participar en una orgía. Según su testimonio, esa fue la razón de que cobrara solo 1.000 euros en vez de los 2.000 que Tarantino le había prometido.

La segunda visita se produjo el 4 de noviembre, era la noche del triunfo electoral de Barack Obama. D'Addario se quedó a pasar la velada con Berlusconi. Pero tampoco cobró un euro porque, según afirmó, el primer ministro le prometió ayudarla con el proyecto urbanístico que estaba tratando de construir en Bari.

Conversaciones

Las cinco conversaciones que publica L'Espresso en su página web relatan la sucesión de los hechos. En la primera, D'Addario se está acercando a palazzo Grazioli en coche, y una voz masculina le explica que el presidente es "un poco alegre, y canta y cuenta chistes".

En la segunda grabación, se oye a Silvio Berlusconi saludar a las chicas ("Ah, qué monas, felicidades") y presentarse a D'Addario. La segunda noche están Gianpaolo Tarantini, D'Addario, y dos 'chicas imagen' de Bari, una de ellas Barbara Montereale y otra su amiga Lucia. Acabada la cena, Berlusconi se queda a solas con D'Addario, le muestra un catálogo de joyas, algunas diseñadas por él mismo, y le invita a esperarle en la habitación:

-Yo me doy una ducha y ¿luego me esperas en la camaza (lettone) si terminas primero tú?, dice Berlusconi.

-¿Qué camaza?-, pregunta D'Addario- ¿la de Putin?

-Sí, la de Putin.

Como fondo se escucha música: es la voz del cantante neomelódico napolitano nacido en Nueva York, que hace furor entre los jóvenes camorristas, Sal da Vinci. La canción se titula Zoccole zoccole (putas, putas).

Acabada la noche, D'Addario vuelve al hotel romano donde se alojaba y graba una conversación telefónica con Tarantini. Le explica que no ha recibido el sobre con el dinero.

-No hemos pegado ojo esta noche -dice D'Addario- ¿Y el sobre, qué? Barbara me ha dicho, en cuanto he llegado si he visto el sobre, 5.000 euros. Le he dicho que no, que yo no he cogido nada.

Luego, D'Addario explica que Berlusconi ha prometido interesarse por el complejo residencial que quiere construir en Bari. Y le dice a Tarantini:

-Y después me ha dicho que quiere volver a verme con una amiga, porque, a dos... Ha dicho que tiene una amiga y que quiere hacerme chupar por ella. Te lo juro, eso me ha dicho.

Un poco más tarde, la última grabación. Berlusconi llama a D'Addario.

-He trabajado mucho- le dice-, esta mañana he ido a inaugurar una exposición, y he hecho un bellísimo discurso, con aplausos, y no parecía cansado.

-Como yo, de hecho- responde Patrizia- yo no tengo sueño y no he dormido, solo he perdido la voz.

-¿Y eso? Si no gritamos...

-Yo tampoco he gritado, quién sabe por qué he perdido la voz -ironiza D'Addario. ¿Sabes por qué? Porque me he duchado 10 veces con agua helada porque tenía calor.

Baden Powell - Canto De Ossanha

quarteto em cy y tamba trio - imagem

Tamba Trio - Beira-Mar

Tamba Trio com Ohanna - O morro não tem vez

Tamba Trio - Mas Que Nada

Tamba Trio - Moça Flor

Tamba trio - 3 horas de la mañana

Bar é arte

Brent Linch

Evening Lounge

Oil on canvas

Bar é poesia - Mariana Botelho

Mariana Botelho

baby-me


(Mariana botelho)

..e se hoje eu chover
por favor

me beba

Mesa de bar e singelas bolsas (2)

Marni

Anyone who grew up in the Nineties probably fears tie-dye revivals, and with good reason. However, this unusual accordion- shaped clutch bag is the exception that proves the rule. Intriguingly home-made looking, this is a style for a woman who doesn't fear being different.

Where www.brownsfashion.com

How much£495

(Source - The independent, uk)

Bar é vinho

Champteloup Sauvignon Blanc 2007

A benchmark old-world sauvignon from the Loire, proving the French can still do the grape justice ? clean, crisp, dry and very quaffable. This is a terrific garden summer lunch wine, excellent with goat?s cheese salads and lighter fish dishes.
Price: £6.49
Waitrose.com
(Source - The Independent, uk)

Comercial antigo - Old Buddweiser Commercial

Charge do dia

Pancho - Gazeta do Povo - Curitiba, PR

Neil Armstrong sidesteps Moon debate at Apollo 11 reunion - The Times, uk - link (aqui)

From Times Online

July 20, 2009

Jacqui Goddard in Miami

The Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong shied away from a public clash of opinion with his two former crewmates last night, quietly failing to join their calls for America to re-examine its controversial plans to send astronauts back to the Moon.

Sidestepping the debate as to whether Nasa is wasting time and resources on revisiting the lunar surface before launching more ambitious voyages to Mars and beyond, Mr Armstrong instead reflected on the history of the space race as the three reunited to mark the 40th anniversary of their mission.

Delivering the annual John H.Glenn lecture at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, Mr Armstrong joined Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in addressing a “who’s who” of aviation dignitaries.

But while his crewmates used the opportunity to deliver feisty calls for America to rethink its lunar ambitions and set its sights on loftier goals, Mr Armstrong – who is said to favour Nasa’s plan for establishing a manned base on the Moon before venturing beyond – stepped more cautiously.

Times Archive 1969 Man takes first steps on the moon

The spectacular moment came at 3.56 am: "That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind"

• Topic: Men on the Moon

Related Links

• Armstrong remembers astronauts who died

• One small step back to where we started

• Cheese replica of Armstrong as shops cash in

Multimedia

• Moon Landing: Times reports, plus full coverage

• Comment Central - where were you?

• BLOG: Where were you? Share your memories of the event

• Pictures: Apollo Mission

“History is a sequence of random events and unpredictable choices, which is why the future is so difficult to foresee,” he said, adding with a wry smile perhaps intended for his Apollo 11 colleagues sitting in the front row: “But you can try”.

Mr Armstrong, 79, received a standing ovation as he took the stage from notables including the new head of Nasa, Major General Charles Bolden, the crew of space shuttle mission STS-125 that repaired the Hubble Space Telescope in May, and what organisers called the “largest gathering of Apollo astronauts for years”.

In a sometimes cerebral address whose subtext appeared to be a call for more international partnership in space, the first man on the Moon reminisced on the evolution of rocket science and how America’s race to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon drove his and Aldrin’s successful landing on the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969.

“It was the ultimate peaceful competition, USA versus USSR. While not a cert that it was a diversion that prevented war, nevertheless it was a diversion, it was intense, and it allowed both sides to take the high road with the objectives of science and learning and exploration,” he said.

“Eventually it provided a mechanism for engendering co-operation between former adversaries. In that sense, among others, it was an excellent national investment for both sides.”

Mr Aldrin, 79, who began his address with a plug for his website and poured forth a range of futuristic visions for human space exploration, took a less measured approach, calling for America “to boldly go on a great new mission of exploration”.

“Four decades have passed since Neil, Mike and I passed across the blackness of space to win a race,” he said.

“This time instead of a Moon race we can try to make the Moon a true stepping-stone to more exciting and habitable destinations….if we persevere, we can reach Mars itself before 2035,” he said, adding: “Isn’t it time that we continued our journey outwards, past the Moon?”

He added: “The greatest challenge for us is this: America, do we still dream great dreams, do we still believe in ourselves, are we ready for a great national challenge. I call on the next government and our political leaders to give this answer: 'Yes we can, yes we can'.”

Michael Collins, 78, used his time at the podium to call for man to treat Earth better, and for improved environmental and economic controls, and to warn that humankind needs to move off the planet if it is to survive long-term – and that the next destination should be Mars.

“Sometimes I think I flew to the wrong place,” he said, saying that he worried that the current emphasis on returning to the Moon would delay the exploration of Mars by decades.

Tough problems littered the path to Mars, he ceded, “but I don’t see a showstopper that can’t be solved”.

He added: “I’d like to see Mars become the focus, just as John F. Kennedy focused on the Moon.”

Back in the red: Poppy the Lipstick Queen - The Independent, uk - link (aqui)

Poppy King: 'There is a renewed interest in wearing strong colour. It has a feeling of hope'

Poppy King's brand Lipstick Queen has a cult following thanks to her wizardry with colour. Carola Long meets a woman with the secret to the perfect pout

Monday, 20 July 2009

Nothing compliments a tan – whether real or fake – better than red lipstick. However, when the summer fades, the look is still set to become one of autumn's strongest trends with Corvette red at YSL, crimson at Elie Saab, Lanvin and Lacroix, and vermilion at Gucci.

Crimson at Lacroix

Corvette red at YSL

When it comes to attracting attention, red lips work better than killer heels, cleavage (so déclassé, even Posh has allegedly had her alleged implants removed) or "statement" jewellery. Scarlet is impossible to ignore, as Angelina Jolie was clearly aware when she appeared at Cannes sporting the most provocative inflated red pout imaginable, offset by minimal eye make up and a nude-coloured dress.

Chloë Sevigny's take on brights

"Let the lipstick be the star of the show," agrees Poppy King, founder of cult independent brand Lipstick Queen, which, alongside a neat range of pinks and browns, boasts the most flattering, easy-to-wear reds around. King herself has a touch of the modern day Marilyn about her, with finger waved hair the colour of unsalted butter and a silk scarf tied round her Louis Vuitton bag, à la Joan in Mad Men, and of course, a pristine crimson pout. Despite these retro touches, however, she is by no means slavishly vintage. "People always say to me, 'oh you must love Dita Von Teese', but that's not my idea of how to wear lipstick now," she insists, "that's costume and burlesque." Instead of the painted perfection of a Fifties starlet, King complements her colour with a light base, blusher and eye make-up. In her view, the most contemporary way to do bright colour is with minimal make up and jewellery, and loose messy hair, just like

Chloë Sevigny, who wears lipstick with "strength and power, but not in a threatening Eighties way". According to Paul Herrington, head of artistry at Bobbi Brown, warm skin tones suit reds with orange undertones and cool skin tones suit blue undertones. However, for a clear red that flatters anyone try King's Red Sinner, which stays true thanks to its equal amounts of blue and yellow.

Bright lipstick can be daunting, but King's shades stand out amidst an array of mystifying plumpers, lacquers and next big thing ingredients, thanks to their simplicity. "There is a real craving for something uncomplicated," says King, whose brand is just that. The animated Australian, who beats numerous big brands to boast the best-selling lipstick in New York store Barneys (her sheer Medieval tint) and has waiting lists for her products at Space NK, started Lipstick Queen in 2007 with two products in a range of colours that she compares to "full fat and Diet Coke". Sinner is an opaque with 90 per cent pigment and Saint is a subtle sheer version with 10 per cent pigment for anyone who finds heavy colour too much.

Skin Foundation, £26, Bobbi Brown, 0870 034 2566

Brow definer, Benefit, £21.50, 0800 496 1084

Repairwear Intensive Lip Balm, Clinique, £20, clinique.co.uk

Crèmestick lip liners, £11.00, maccosmetics.co.uk

Red Sinner lipstick, £16.15 Lipstick Queen, spacenk.co.uk

They came out in 2007 when the lipstick revival first started after years of gloss, and Women's Wear Daily called it "the breakthrough product of the year", recalls the 37-year-old make-up fanatic who launched her first company, Poppy Industries, when she was just 18. "You wonder why a simple product would be a breakthrough but people wanted a return to lipstick in its most iconic form," she explains. Since then the range has expanded to include the Big Bang lipgloss, the name of which was inspired by King's theory that the right ratio of shimmer to shine will suggest Jolie-like lips more effectively than plumpers which sting them into looking bigger, and the new Chinatown gloss. Coming in pencil form, it was influenced by the kookiness of Chinatown in New York, and the Roman Polanski film.

King often glances at the past for inspiration, before giving it a modern twist. Medieval, which King describes as the "entry level of reds", was inspired by beautifying techniques from the Middle Ages when it wasn't respectable for women to paint their lips. Instead they would squeeze lemon juice onto their mouths to irritate the skin, causing the blood to rush to the surface. To recreate the just-bitten shade, King repeatedly squeezed lemon onto her own increasingly-tender moue, while a chemist faithfully copied it. The instant polish that Medieval gives has attracted a cult following. King has noticed her overall sales double in the last six months, but she sees the lipstick index – Leonard Lauder's theory that lipstick sales rise when the economy drops – less of a viable financial barometer than an insight into consumer psychology. "That idea is code for the fact that lipstick cheers women up, especially in a recession," she says, "and there is a renewed interest in wearing strong colour. It just has a feeling of hope."

Shades and textures vary with the seasons but the power of lipstick to enliven the complexion is unrivalled. "You can tell immediately if a lipstick suits you because it lights up your eyes, your hair, your skin," says King, "as if the sun has come out from behind a cloud." It was this property that led her to work with her favourite cosmetic. "I've always thought that it was the one thing that made me look so much better," she says, "it's like a Superman suit." King grew up in Melbourne and started her first line of matte lipsticks because she despaired of the "Debbie Gibson fuschia gloss" around in the Eighties. She worked on her Poppy brand for 12 years, during which time she was named Young Australian of the Year, then became became vice president of marketing at Prescriptives before launching Lipstick Queen in 2007.

Her favourite lipstick wearers, Louise Brooks and Eighties-era Madonna, used it to radically reinvent themselves. "Brooks' look was pure flapper," she explains, "her dark pout showed she wanted to be taken seriously, sexually and intellectually. Madonna's lipstick was sexually arousing but on her own terms." Her passion is also ignited by the fact she believes lipstick isn't about correcting a perceived fault – like concealer – or enhancing something – like mascara. It's an instrument of pure self-expression.

Lipstick Queen is available exclusively in the UK at Space NK spacenk.co.uk

Poppy King's red lip essentials

For a bold, fresh look, wear red lipstick with minmnal make-up. Even out your skin with a base or luminiser to get it looking even but natural, then apply mascara, very little liner or eyeshadow, a smidgen of blush on the apples of the cheeks, not horrible stripes, for that country picnic look.

Straight from the tube is the best way to apply lipstick, then blot once and reapply. Dabbing a tiny bit on your cheek is a fabulous way to tie your whole look together, even if you use your usual blush. Look for a red that is as true as possible and doesn't go orange or pink. Lipliner is only necessary if you really feel like you want to define the edge, but it's not a must, and try and find one that matches as closely as possible. Apply it after you have put on your lipstick for a less heavy-handed look.

The future for space - The Guardian, uk - link (aqui)

Front page of the Guardian the day after Apollo 11 landed on the moon

The Apollo 11 mission inspired me to become an astronaut. Forty years later, the task of exploring space must go on

• 
• • Leroy Chiao
  • guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 July 2009 12.00 BST

Forty years ago, I watched with the rest of the world as Eagle touched down on the surface of the moon. Even as an eight-year-old boy, I knew that the world had just changed. I knew that I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to do that.

When I was invited by Nasa to interview for the Astronaut Corps, we had just celebrated the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11. What a heady time to be selected as an astronaut! President HW Bush had just asked Congress for a 24% increase in Nasa's budget to support his Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). SEI called for completion of Space Station Freedom, the establishment of a moon base and a crewed Mars landing by 2019.

SEI didn't materialise, for a number of reasons. Fifteen years after the SEI announcement, I stood with a small group of fellow astronauts at Nasa headquarters in Washington, as President Bush (43) announced his Vision for Space Exploration (VSE). The VSE called for the completion of the International Space Station and retirement of the space shuttle by 2010, the first crewed flight of a new spacecraft by 2014 and a crewed return to the moon by 2020, with Mars exploration to follow on an indefinite schedule.

We are five years into the VSE, with the programme called Constellation. Rockets, spacecraft and other hardware are being designed and built. But, the programme is grappling with its share of controversy and challenges.

To consider the direction that Nasa should pursue, President Obama's White House office of science and technology policy formed the review of US human space flight committee in early June, chaired by veteran aerospace executive Norm Augustine. I am honoured to be one of the 10 members of this committee. We have been tasked to perform a 90-day study, the result of which will be sets of options for the new administration. This is an important departure from past studies: We have been asked to issue not recommendations, but options.

I can promise that we are looking at everything: Constellation in its current form, alternative architectures, alternative rockets and spacecraft, commercial ventures, international aspects, advanced concepts and, of course, budget. In addition, there are workforce issues to consider, technology issues, industrial base concerns, to name a few. The trick will be to stitch different sub-options together into a workable number of paths.

As one might expect, we have not yet reached conclusions nor formed option sets. All of our deliberations are announced and open to the public, so anyone can follow our progress and direction. We all have individual opinions, but those opinions are evolving as we learn more and hear more points of view.

Who, in 1969, could have imagined that we would not have regular travel to and from moon bases by the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11? The announcement of the SEI in 1989 gave us hope that we would be back to the moon to stay, within another 20 years. Those 20 years have passed, and the nation's space programme is in an uncertain time.

So, where should we go over the next 20 years?

One thing is clear in my mind: It is vital that America maintains the leadership role in space exploration. The derived prestige is important to the national psyche, reaching to the core of the can-do attitude that defines our nation. Perhaps most importantly, the space programme not only drives technology, it inspires our young. Because these benefits are unquantifiable, many people discount their importance. But, history tells us to ignore these qualities at our own peril. Nations that allow themselves to slip often become second-rate powers or disappear altogether.

This does not preclude international cooperation and partnerships. Quite the opposite, I strongly encourage it. Today's space programme is not the same as the cold war space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The International Space Station has faced challenges, but it stands as a positive symbol of common ground, where the partner nations work together toward a common goal.

As we move forward, the United States should continue to lead the international partnership of space explorers, as we strive to travel again beyond low Earth orbit. We should bring new countries into the partnership, which have contributions to offer. In 2003, China became only the third country able to loft astronauts into space. Over the last six years, they have demonstrated impressive abilities, performing a spacewalk on their last mission. India has made strides in rocket technology and has announced its intention to develop a human space flight programme.

Should we look back at the last 40 years and be disappointed? I believe that would be a mistake. Skylab was a resounding success. Despite the challenges, the space shuttle and International Space Station are marvellous flying machines. We started down the road of international cooperation with the Apollo-Soyuz test project, and led the formation and maturation of the current, highly successful international partnership.

We have not had the big home run since Apollo, but we have made steady progress. Let's keep going.