Word: membership
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...home of a Filipino general on Jolo Island, not far from his village where he still lives. For the authorities, Chief's decision to stay is one of many signs that Abu Sayyaf is on the run. "They suspect me, definitely," he says of the Islamist group's dwindling membership. "They have tried to kill me. But I never thought of leaving Jolo. I know the armed forces will protect me. And if I leave, the terrorists will suspect me more. They will come after my family." Chief says he doesn't regret what he did. "I didn...
...General Juancho Sabban, the Jolo-based head of Task Force Comet, the Philippines' counterterrorism effort. He believes Abu Sayyaf, which once boasted more than 1,000 men under arms, now numbers at most 250 fighters who dare not move around in groups of more than a dozen. Hard-core membership, Sabban says, has shrunk...
...your statement about Blair being "curiously reticent in talking about his own faith ... characteristic of British politicians, not American ones": American politicians who loudly tout their faith are usually touting membership in one of the Christian sects, and rarely Judaism (and even more rarely Islam). The political climate in the U.S. makes it useful to boast about one's belief in Jesus and the Christian God, and political suicide to mention any faith that is focused in a different direction. Can you imagine a candidate for President glowingly referring to an uplifting feeling at a full-moon ritual or celebration...
...Service like that used to be the purview of upscale hotels, private bankers and credit-card companies. But concierge firms catering to what Elliot calls the "cash-rich, time-poor" are now springing up all over. Katharine Giovanni, chairwoman of the U.S.-based International Concierge and Errand Association, says membership in her organization has doubled in the last two years, to around 650 companies. And Giovanni says those firms are no longer catering exclusively to the leisure class. Many concierge clients these days are harried two-career families who simply need an extra hand planning a child's birthday party...
...course, such access doesn't come cheap. A general membership can cost $1500 per year. An elite membership, which comes with a personal concierge available 24 hours a day, costs-well, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. "We're not saying Quintessentially is for everyone," Elliot admits. Those of us who can't afford an invite to the party will just have to find our Patagonian blueberries and albino peacocks elsewhere...