It’s all about THE MAN this month, so I’m going around the world interview MEN.

Meet Sean, hhe is the golf pro at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino.

Hey Divas,

Looking for some money, honey? Well, then this is the event you should attend if you live in Northern California.I won’t be there because I’ll be speaking at University of San Francisco. But my intern Melissa will be there. Introduce yourself! Here’s the details:

This premier event will bring together the Bay Area’s most talented minds to:
· Foster a collaborative atmosphere between women and the angel community
· Confront the critical issues facing women entrepreneurs and investors today
· Drive the recovery of the California economy
· Build businesses and invest in thought out ventures
· Explore compelling investment opportunities

In addition to a networking reception, attendees will hear brief presentations and a panel discussion regarding the larger role women investors and entrepreneurs need to play in the California economy. More than ever, the angel community is eager to attract women investors. Women investors are considered a largely untapped market that is critical to “financial and mentoring support for new companies.”

REGISTRATION
Please register at http://summersolstice.eventbrite.com $25 by June 26, $40 thereafter.

PANELISTS AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The Summer Solstice will feature a unique panel of business women who will discuss a myriad of issues confronting the entrepreneurial community today. The panel itself will be comprised of notable members and entrepreneurs from the Keiretsu Forum and Women’s Initiative.

AGENDA
5:30-6:30pm Registration, Networking, and Booth Exhibitors
6:45-6:50pm Welcome and Opening Remarks
6:50-7:10pm Keynote Speakers: Bank of America’s Amanda Wallis
Rashmi Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO of SlideShare
7:10-8:00pm Panel Discussion

Panelists and Keynote Speaker Bios
Julie Castro Abrams is a national leader in microfinance and women’s issues. She has been CEO of Women’s Initiative since 2001, following a non-profit career that spanned 20 years in Chicago. She led the transition of Women’s Initiative from a founder-led organization to a rapidly growing non-profit that has expanded throughout the Bay Area and increased the number of women trained and receiving microloans tenfold.

Greta Mowry is an active investor member of the San Francisco Keiretsu Forum chapter and a co-Chair of the Keiretsu Forum WISE (Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurs) Committee. Mowry has close to 20 years of experience working with companies to identify and develop significant new sources of revenue. She began her career working in marketing strategy and new product development for several Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, H.J. Heinz and Gap Inc. In 2000, she launched the growth strategy firm, Verge, and has since worked with both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in the consumer products, financial services, online services, and retail sectors.

Rachel Sheinbein is a Senior Associate at CMEA Capital with the Energy and Materials team. Before CMEA, she was a consultant for start-ups in the areas of bio-plastics, solar and water treatment. For 9 years prior to consulting, Sheinbein worked in several positions at Intel Corporation — as a Chemical Engineer for industrial liquid waste systems, a Program Manager for Environmental Health & Safety, a Purchasing Analyst, and a Strategic Product Manager in the Information Technology group. Sheinbein is an active angel investor, focusing on clean technology, and co-chairs the Keiretsu Forum’s WISE (Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurs) group. In addition, Rachel volunteers in various roles for California Clean Tech Open - a business plan competition that encourages the development of clean technology companies.

Rashmi Sinha is co-founder and CEO for SlideShare, the world’s largest community for sharing presentations and documents. SlideShare is growing rapidly (more than 18 million monthly uniques) letting everyone from marketers, conference speakers and academicians share presentations and connect with others. Rashmi has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Brown University and did research on search engines and recommender systems at UC Berkeley. She is a frequent speaker at conferences such as Web 2.0 Expo and Future of Web Apps. She writes a blog at rashmisinha.com about running a startup.

Amanda Wallis is the Managing Director, Market Executive for the Northern California and Nevada Regions of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Wallis is a member of Bank of America’s San Francisco Leadership Team, comprised of the company’s top executives in the market. The team manages the bank’s ongoing relationships with local community leaders and organizations and makes decisions about how to use Bank of America’s resources to support the San Francisco community. With more than 30 years of financial services experience, Wallis joined U.S. Trust from American Express in London where she served as executive director, and Europe, Middle East, Africa Region Head of the American Express Private Bank. In that role she led a region with seven international locations. Prior to her role at American Express, Wallis spent over 10 years at the legacy Private Bank of Bank of America. During this period Wallis served in several leadership roles in San Francisco and London. In 2007 she was named one of the “20 Most Influential Women in European Wealth Management” by Global Investor Magazine.

“I’m sorry, I did not recognize you with your clothes on.”

How many times can you use that line? Well, I got to use it while I was at the ABC studios in San Francisco when our MAN Gilles Marini was hanging out in the green room for his segment on View From the Bay. He was there with his Dancing With the Stars partner Cheryl.

Besides his deliciously perfect body, what I found so remarkable about Gilles was his smile and incredible kindness. I’ve met many celebrities in my life, remember last week I was chilling with the boys at Regis and Kelly, and none has been so debonair and charming as Mr. Marini. His deep rich eyes are hypnotizing, especially when he starts talking in that dreamy French voice of his. Yum.

And, to push his perfection - he is a committed family man and absolutely loves his wife and family. Ahhhh.

Check out his interview on TangoDiva!

In conjunction with summer’s highly anticipated exhibition, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, the de Young Museum has partnered with 21 Bay Area hoteliers to create King Tut-inspired packages. The exhibition has attracted nearly five million visitors on its U.S. tour, and the de Young will be the only venue north of Los Angeles and west of Dallas. When Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs opens in San Francisco on June 27, 2009, it will mark the first time that the treasures of King Tut will be seen in Northern California since the record-breaking exhibition at the de Young in 1979.

With packages including special spa services, dining experiences, exhibition docent tours and other amenities, there are offerings tailored to every guest. Every hotel package also includes exclusive access to unrestricted VIP exhibition tickets, which are not available to the general public. VIP tickets are untimed and undated, enabling visitors to view the exhibition at their discretion, even when it is sold out. As VIP ticketholders, guests will also receive a Pharaohs Gold Card, entitling them to unique discounts and special offers from participating retail partners, restaurants, businesses and attractions all over Northern California.

Selected packages include:

• Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf – The Golden Chariot Tut package includes overnight deluxe accommodations, complimentary breakfast, complimentary parking and VIP tickets to the exhibition for $184.

• W San Francisco – An artful getaway for two, the W’s premium King Tut experience includes hip overnight accommodations, two “Tutini” signature cocktails at the XYZ bar, a “mummified” Bliss Spa Hot Salt Scrub or Shrink Wrap treatment, complimentary parking, and an upgrade to the next room type from $450.

• The St. Regis – The King Tut Platinum package includes overnight accommodations, a $100 dining credit that can be used at restaurants Ame and Vitrine or for in-room dining, two VIP exhibition tickets, overnight parking and a complimentary upgrade to the next room type from $499 per night.

• Hotel Palomar - Hotel Palomar’s Pharaohs Indulgence package includes a two-night stay in a deluxe suite, a luxurious “Mummy Wrap” Spa Treatment at the Burke Williams Spa, two VIP exhibition tickets, an exhibition catalogue and a champagne-and-strawberries welcome for $670.

Please see list of hotels below. For complete package details, please CLICK HERE.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs presents over 130 important objects from Egypt’s Golden Age, including 50 from the tomb of King Tut. The exhibition places Tutankhamun in a larger context through an additional 80 objects from the tombs of his ancestors, which provide insight into the daily life and royal burial practices of the 18th Dynasty. Four additional objects from Tut’s tomb add luster and intrigue to the de Young’s presentation. The exhibition runs through March 28, 2010.

The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Northern Trust is the proud cultural partner of the exhibition, and American Airlines is the official airline. The San Francisco presentation is sponsored by the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mrs. Thomas B. Crowley, Sr., and Rajnikant and Helen Desai.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are now on sale. For additional information about tickets and pricing, please visit http://www.deyoungmuseum.org. For groups of ten or more, visitors may contact the group sales office at tutgroups@famsf.org or call 415.750.3620.

VISITING THE DE YOUNG
The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international textile arts and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa.

Address: Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118

Information: http://www.deyoungmuseum.org
415.750.3600

KING TUT HOTEL PARTNERS:

• Starwood
- Le Meridien
- Palace Hotel
- St. Regis
- Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf
- W San Francisco
- Westin St. Francis
- Westin San Francisco Market Street
- Cova Hotel
- The Fairmont San Francisco
- Hilton San Francisco
- Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf
- Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf / Holiday Inn Express
- Hyatt Regency San Francisco
- Intercontinental San Francisco
- Mark Hopkins
- Joie de Vivre
- JW Marriott San Francisco
- San Francisco Marriott
- Omni San Francisco Hotel
- Hotel Palomar
- Radisson Fisherman’s Wharf
- Ritz Carlton

One of my favorite parties in San Francisco is taking place on Thursday!

Best of the Bay Area 2009. Join San Francisco magazine and TangoDiva as we toast the best people, places, and things making the Bay Area the very best place to live, work, and play.

Enjoy endless entertainment for every obsession: eats, treats, drinks, and beats. Celebrate the best of the best with more than 40 restaurants including Waterbar, Fifth Floor, La Folie, and Kara’s Cupcakes; free flowing bars with signature cocktails, Trumer Pils beer, and the Sonoma Valley Grapes & Wine lounge; and dancing to the hottest sounds in the city. Best of all, the party benefits Family House.

Thursday, June 25
VIP 6-11 p.m., Main Event 7-11 p.m.
Metreon CityView, 4th Floor
Buy tickets at www.sanfranmag.com between May 20 – June 5 and save!

————————————————————————
BE THE FIRST TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE BIGGEST BASH OF THE YEAR!

Buy Tickets at www.sanfranmag.com

VIP $175 advance / $200 at the door
YOU PAY ONLY $160 (PROMO CODE: TANGODIVAVIP)
MAIN EVENT $100 advance / $125 at the door
YOU PAY ONLY $90 (PROMO CODE: TANGODIVA)

BUY EARLY! Tickets sold out early last year, and our new venue accommodates 500 fewer guests. Your tickets must be purchased between May 20 – June 5 to get this discount and are based on availability. This offer will not be extended again.

San Francisco magazine’s Best of the Bay Area 2009 benefits Family House and is presented in partnership with Wells Fargo, Trumer Pils, Sonoma Valley Grapes & Wine, and FIJI Water. Produced by Dominic Phillips Event Marketing. Venue partner: Metreon.
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MORE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR FAMILY HOUSE

Buy Raffle Tickets at www.sanfranmag.com
$10 each or three for $20
Enter the raffle to win one of three great getaways.

Make a donation: $65 provides care and comfort for a family for one week. Donate now at www.sanfranmag.com.

What a great time! Melina did a fabulous job talking about the amount of fat in food. Really, after watching that segment, no one has an excuse for eating bad food!

CLICK HERE and take Melina’s quiz that’s on the Regis and Kelly website.

I got to hang out backstage with the crew and Regis. It was such and treat!

My dear friend Dr. Melina Jampolis is going to be back on Regis and Kelly for the 4th time. She’s the person who introduced me to the producers and got me on the show when my book came out. I wont be on the show this time, but I will be in the green room hanging out with Jack Black!

Dr. Melina Jampolis is a San Francisco, California, physician nutrition specialist - a specialty practiced by only about 200 physicians in the United States. She focuses exclusively on nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention and treatment.

Melina believes wholeheartedly in the role of nutrition in preventive medicine and achieving optimal health. She teaches a realistic, balanced and manageable lifestyle-based eating and exercise program and has helped thousands of clients improve their health and well-being over the past several years. Her real passion is to bridge the gap between the experts who talk about the latest nutrition and diet research and the “real-life” food and exercise choices that people face daily.

She lectures throughout the country and has written for various publications about nutrition and weight-loss-related topics, discussing strategies for healthy holiday eating, healthy kids’ snacks, easy breakfasts on the go and nutrition in the news. She is also the author of “The No-Time-to-Lose Diet: The Busy Person’s Guide to Permanent Weight Loss.” She hosted a program on the Discovery Network’s FitTV titled “FitTV’s Diet Doctor,” evaluating different diet plans and applying them to real people.

I am pretty darn lucky to have such an incredible friend! Make sure to watch her on the air Monday morning!

Chris Golson’s Photography Adventures announces a new digital photo workshop set in the San Francisco Bay Area that will include a photo shoot while aboard a Zeppelin in flight. The workshop will take September 27 - 30, 2009 in locations in and around Half Moon Bay, CA, just 24 miles south of San Francisco.

The workshop will be a luxurious and unique experience designed to deepen the practical skills and artistic groundings of the aspiring beginner and intermediate digital photographer. It is open to a maximum of 10 students, to ensure that each participant gets plenty of one-on-one instruction. Spouses are encouraged to attend for a nominal additional fee, which includes luxurious accommodations and meals; however, it does not include the workshop.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Raphael House. “We believe it is important to give back to our community and we are proud to be affiliated with such an amazing organization”, said Chris Golson. Raphael House, conceived as the first shelter for children and families experiencing homelessness in Northern California, provides an environment of loving support where families and children are able to restore and strengthen family bonds as they move toward brighter more hopeful futures.

The instructor is acclaimed Dutch photographer Dirk Karsten, whose career includes work for companies like Mercedes, American Express, Heineken and Sony, and who has been the recipient of major awards bestowed from 28 countries; and Chris Golson, a Silicon Valley photographer, technologist and leader of many years of local workshops.

The three-day workshop will include a mix of interactive classroom seminars and outdoor photo shoots. Foremost among the photo shoots will be the airborne photo safari in a state-of-the-art Zeppelin. The Zeppelin, one of only a handful in existence, meets the highest safety standards and offers an exceedingly comfortable and quiet ride. It has such low-vibration (essential for picture-taking) that it is actually suitable for scientific missions that require making measurements with sensitive test equipment. And unlike a normal tour, you will be able to decide which direction the airship goes. (”Hey, can you take us down closer to Coit Tower?”)

Sessions include topics such as “Deciding What to Shoot” and “Working within Limitations of your Camera” Exploring the side of how master photographers take advantage of the eyes’ capabilities. This is to prepare for the highlight of the seminar “Airborne Safari” taking place in one of the world’s only new Zeppelin airships the Eureka. Capturing light perfectly at sunset and shooting from a unique perspective will be the memorable experience. This will be the first time the Airship will be completely dedicated a photographic teaching session. The Airship is an ideal venue for this preparatory outing as it a perfect stable platform to shoot from. With wide panoramic windows it enjoys 180-degree visibility unto San Francisco Bay. The attendees will learn the preparation of a challenging & unique shoot; understand the importance of artistic development and establishing a personal style in photography.

Lodging will be at the Seal Cove Inn, a luxurious and secluded bed & breakfast near Half Moon Bay, an intimate coastal town whose natural features afford spectacular conditions for outdoor photography. The Seal Cove Inn blends the modern luxuries and sophisticated services of a boutique hotel with the traditional amenities and architecture of a B & B.

The surroundings of the Seal Cove Inn offer ideal conditions for outdoor photography: afternoon fog creeps through ancient cedar forests; massive herds of seals sun themselves on the craggy shores below; and the commercial fisherman of Half Moon Bay set out with briny nets to troll for their daily catch. The area also provides ample pleasures for family members not attending the workshop: Ride horses unescorted on the beach. Lead your children on pony rides. Explore the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, which contains flora and fauna adapted to live on windswept shores. Stroll the charming, rustic streets of Half Moon Bay, where you’ll find galleries, country stores and top-notch restaurants.
For more: http://chrisgolson.com/workshop/ contact chris@chrisgolson.com or 650 996 2288.

About Chris Golson:

A Silicon Valley photographer and technologist, Chris is a lecturer at The Pacific Art League, where he has given multiple workshops on creativity, portraiture and histograms. He has produced book covers, awards and has a strong following for his right brain / left brain teaching technique in photography. Chris is a Californian and knows the area extensively. Chris has a long career in imaging, having helped launch HTDV for Sony as well as having developed several courses in digital photography, portraiture and imaging.

About Dirk Karsten

Dirk is an Amsterdam-based advertising photographer who has received major awards in 28 countries—among them the gold prize for best photography from the Italian Art Directors Club. He has been featured in each edition of Lurzer’s magazine “200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide” and his work has been shown in The Hague’s Gemeente museum. During his career his work has been commissioned by hundreds of the world’s most prominent companies and brands and he has mentored and trained many young photographers.

At last! The federal government is getting it that tourism is important to the well being of this nation. And you can get involved and support this act - which is not going to cost tax payers any money.

The “Travel Promotion Act,” S. 1023, which is expecting a vote today in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, would help to reverse the decline in overseas travel by creating a public-private campaign to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination and better communicate U.S. security policies. Oxford Economics, an international economic consulting firm, projects that travel promotion would yield $4 billion in new economic stimulus and $321 million in new federal tax revenue each year.

So, what you can do? Click HERE to take action.

In the center of the quaint town of San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, there is a small church where the locals go to baptize their newborns and confess their sins. The church itself is not that striking, but the most noted element on the facade is a tiled painting, set in the 1730’s, of Pericu Indians slaying a Jesuit priest who tried to convert them to Catholicism. Much hasn’t changes since then really. Even now, the locals fiercely protect their culture from outside influences that would dilute the beauty of their little village. Subsequently, there aren’t any mega shopping malls or Starbucks on every corner, which means you’re more likely to find a taco stand than a coffee shop.

We walked up Calle Zaragoza, where we popped into the famed restaurant La panga for a little cocktail before our self-guided art and wine walk. The chef and co-owner Jacobo Turquie, besides being easy on the eyes, is an award-wining chef and a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America in New York. His delicious dishes include specialties like tuna & avocado timbale with jalapeño-soy sauce and seared sea scallops with dry chili oil over risotto with asparagus tips and aged ramonetti cheese from Northern Baja. After a visit to La panga, our tour began.

The collections of galleries in the historic district are quite impressive for such a tiny town. You’ll find everything from traditional Mexican artwork to over-the-top bronze sculptures and neon-colored Lady of Guadalupe paintings. One of my favorite galleries was galleria de ida Victoria located at 1128 V. Guerrero. There, they showcase artists from around the world in a gorgeous three-story building overlooking a lush courtyard. Just around the corner, was Corisca Galeria De Arte on Alvaro Obregon 10.

We met up with one of the art walk volunteers and he boasted that San Jose Del Cabo had the highest ratio of millionaires per capita in Mexico. I could not find any evidence to support his claim, but I must admit that if a city’s cadre of high-end art galleries is a realistic indicator of wealth, then San Jose Del Cabo just might be filled with the mega rich. Divas, time for a trip to Cabo to get yourself a rich expat hubby??

We were invited to a late lunch at Esperanza Resort and Spa. There we sat, overlooking the Sea of Cortez while feasting on fresh cerviche, champagne and red snapper. There, I had Paul interview one of the guys that works at the resort and I’ll get that online ASAP. ?

The lunch was incredible and it was time for a disco nap before our cooking class at Las Ventanas Al Pariso that night.

We headed over to Las Ventanas Al Pariso, which is around a 15-minute drive from downtown San Jose Del Cabo. Las Ventanas Al Pariso has long been considered the most exclusive resorts in Baja. With only 71 suites on the property, they are known for their exceptional service and respect for privacy (aka, great place to bring your clandestine lover).

If you are not staying at Las Ventanas, the only way you’ll get to visit the property is by dining at one of their four restaurants or taking a culinary class. We took a cooking class taught by two of the resort’s chefs. We learned how to prepare beet and heirloom tomato salad with orange essence and red snapper news of the day – which is a fresh fillet of red snapper wrapped in your favorite newspaper and baked. The best part was that after we learned how to cook the food, we got to eat it. Brooke and I love churos and they made some fresh oens for us that night. The one-hour classes are USD $110 per person (plus tax and service) and are held in the open-air demonstration kitchen located in the fragrant herb garden – where many of the vegetables and herbs used in the cooking class were grown.

Pleasantly full, we arrived back at Marquis Los Cabos, opened the patio doors overlooking the Sea of Cortez and was lulled to sleep by the sound of the crashing waves.

I find it amazing that all these incredible cultural delights and world-class resorts are a mere 2-hour flight from LAX. But you know, once the swine flu is forgotten and the bad press about Mexico’s border towns disappears, the prices and the tourists are all going to increase in Los Cabos.

Details:

Vist Los Cabos website
http://visitloscabos.travel

La panga Antigua restaurant
Zaragoza #20 Col. Centro
San Jose Del Cabo
www.lapanga.com

ESPERANZA - AN AUBERGE RESORT
Carretera Transpeninsular KM 7
Manzana 10, Punta Ballena
Cabo San Lucas
Mexico 23410
USA Toll Free 1-866-311-2226
http://www.esperanzaresort.com

Las Ventanas Al Paraiso
KM 19.5 Carratera Transpenisular
Cabo San Lucas
52-624-144-2800
www.roasewoodhotels.com