I’ve been using the new Nexus 7 since it was announced last week and, frankly, my iPad mini is starting to look a little weak by comparison.

Unlike the mini, which doesn’t use the higher resolution Retina display like the latest version of its full-sized iPad and latest iPhones, the Nexus 7 has a high definition display (1920×1200/323 pixel compared to mini’s 1024 x 768/163 pixel) screen and is capable of showing 1080p HD video. The difference is noticeable when you read or watch HD video but, I have to admit, that iPad mini is still pretty good when it comes to resolution. I used both to read parts of a book using Amazon’s Kindle app and, while both were quite clear, I could see that the text was somewhat sharper on the Nexus’ higher resolution screen.

Both have a 1.2 megapixel front and a 5 megapixel rear facing cameras. Here are the full specifications for the new Nexus 7 and here are the iPad mini specs.

As per price, the 16 GB Nexus 7 costs $229 while the mini starts at $329. That’s a $100 difference for pretty similar hardware configurations. Google GOOG -0.26% also doesn’t ding you as much for extra storage. A 32GB Nexus (WiFi only) costs $269, while Apple AAPL +0.55% charges $429 for its 32 GB model.

As per form factor, the new Nexus 7 isn’t as wide as the mini, (4.5 vs 5.3 inches, making it easier to hold in one hand though the iPad wins when it comes to depth or thickness, measuring only .28 inches compared to the Nexus 7′s slightly thicker .34 inches. The new Nexus is also slightly lighter than the iPad mini (.64 pounds vs .68).

Bottom line — because it’s not as wide,the Nexus 7,Over 400 styles of bottega wallet priced under $65. it not only fits well in the hand but takes up a bit less space in handbags and pockets. It fits pretty easily into the front pockets of my Docker khaki slacks. Of course you could argue that the mini’s extra screen real estate is a bonus compared to the Nexus more petite form factor.

Software

The biggest difference between the two tablets is Android vs iOS. This is where both reasonable and unreasonable people can argue depending on personal preference. For many of us, the best interface is the one we know so if you’re already an iOS user you’re likely to prefer the familiar iPad interface. Many Android users will likely feel the same about their operating system.

Although it’s hard to argue against Apple’s elegant U.I. and there may be even more to love about iOS 7 that comes out this fall, I have to give Google credit for — over time — improving and fine tuning Android into an excellent platform for both phones and tablets. One thing I like about the new 4.3 (which comes on the Nexus 7) is that you can create restricted accounts, which makes it a lot more family friendly for parents who want to let their kids use their tablets without being able to buy apps or make in-app purchases or visit naughty websites.

Two British expatriates are changing the face of fashion in Hong Kong with a trade show to help brands connect with the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific markets.

Peter Caplowe and Richard Hobbs are the men behind The Hub, billed as "Asia's first respected international business-to-business fashion trade show connecting globally renowned brands with influential retailers and business partners in the Asia Pacific region". The first show will be held from August 28-30 at the AsiaWorld-Expo.

"We want to put The Hub on the fashion map and get people in Hong Kong talking about fashion," says Caplowe from his showroom in Sheung Wan. "This is the first show, so everyone is watching and waiting to see how it goes."

The Hub has so far signed up 100 brands but more are expected. About 700 buyers, predominantly from Asia, have also signed up. A self-funded start up, Caplowe says they are targeting resources with the most impact. "And speaking to the brands, they're all just saying China, China, China."

The pair have cleverly struck up big China partnerships including Shanghai Mart, Asia's largest permanent international trade mart that boasts a database of more than 400,000 companies. It is bringing 300 of its buyers.Shop Wholesale bottega wallet for $9.99 or Less.

Hobbs and Caplowe are also working with the China Textiles Information Centre, a body "tasked with moving people in the manufacturing industry in China up the fashion food chain".

"The [Chinese] government is actually very supportive of this kind of thing," says Caplowe. "They are encouraging Chinese fashion companies to engage with international companies to upgrade their skills."

Brands exhibiting at The Hub are a mixture of European, US and Asian labels with a leaning towards menswear, jeans, contemporary and smaller heritage labels. The line-up includes the likes of Y-3 by Yohji Yamamoto, British outerwear label Barbour, Bailey of Hollywood, Orlebar Brown, Sunspel and Spanish brand Desigual. Ranging from British heritage to American street, the Hub has attracted labels looking for a bigger foothold in Asia.

With more than 40 years combined experience in fashion, Hobbs and Caplowe have an enviable book of contacts. The leaning towards menswear for this season is largely due to their personal networks.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

After robust back-to-school spending last year, shoppers are expected to cut back this year.

And they will be able to stretch their dollars a little further this weekend during South Carolina’s tax-free shopping period. The tax holiday – for items such as electronics, clothing and pens and paper – starts first thing Friday morning and runs through Sunday.

Shoppers statewide can save state and local taxes. In Richland County that means an 8 percent savings on back-to-school purchases, and in Lexington County, 7 percent. Many stores also offer additional sales to coincide with the tax holiday, which is the third-busiest shopping time of the year in South Carolina.

Families with school-age children are expected to spend an average of $634.78 on apparel, shoes, electronics and school supplies, down 8 percent from last year’s $688.62, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation.

That means the average family in Richland County could save about $51 and the average Lexington County family could save $44 by shopping during the state’s 14th annual tax-free weekend. Statewide, consumers are expected to save an estimated $3 million this year, according to the S.C. Department of Revenue.

Nationwide, total spending on back-to-school shopping is expected to reach $26.7 billion.

“The good news is that consumers are spending, but they are doing so with cost and practicality in mind,” Matthew Shay, federation president and CEO, said in a press release. “Having splurged on their growing children’s needs last year, parents will ask their kids to reuse what they can for the upcoming school season. As they continue to grapple with the impact of increased payroll taxes, Americans will look to cut corners where they can, but will buy what their kids need.”

That could mean shopping sales in addition to the tax holiday savings.

Back-to-school sales promotions began earlier this year than any in recent memory, retail experts have said, a reflection of an expected tough year for sales.

Wal-Mart, Target, Sears and other major retailers have bumped up their websites in preparation for this year’s sales, even as the economy continues to struggle along in its recovery.Buy Wholesale bottega purses for women and fashion accessories.

And local businesses compete, as well.

The Devine Street Association, a coalition of retailers in that area, will hold its Art Stroll Sidewalk Sale in conjunction with the tax-free weekend, running from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, spokeswoman Jennifer Suber said. Consumers can save up to 90 percent on certain items in addition to tax savings.

“It’s our annual sale. The merchants all participate and it’s a great thing for them to kinda get their summer merchandise moving and introduce people to fall lines,” Suber said. “It’s always very well attended. . . . People come there looking for bargains, and let me tell you something, you can get it. Great, great deals on things.”

One of the stores participating is Belladea at 2824 Devine St. The store will roll out a new collection by New York fashion designer and University of South Carolina graduate Jennifer Ghelardini during the weekend. Ghelardini also will be on hand to do custom dress orders, sales associate Nicole Smith said.

“She’s really amazing. She did Carolina Cup dresses and we just thought it would be really cool for her to do custom Game Day dresses through our store, because we have the space to get girls fitted. So it’s really exciting. That’s one of the biggest events that we are having in our store for the sale,” Smith said.

Belladea also has received a big shipment of Wendy Katlen and other designer merchandise for the sale during tax-free weekend.

Seventeen states will endorse tax-free sales on selected merchandise at some time this year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation in Washington.

The sales tax holiday is not without its critics, however.

“Temporary rollbacks of sales taxes, despite being sold as a boon for consumers and businesses, actually impose significant costs on both groups without yielding significant benefits,” according to a new report by the Tax Foundation, which called sales tax holidays costly and poor substitutes for state tax reform.

“Political gimmicks like sales tax holidays distract policymakers and taxpayers from genuine, permanent tax relief,” said Joseph Henchman, Tax Foundation vice president for legal and state projects. “If a state has to offer a ‘holiday’ from its tax system,Up to 40% Off Cheap bottega purses, shop farfetch today!‎ it’s a sign that there’s a problem with the system itself.”

Consumers put off purchases until sales tax holidays roll around, the Tax Foundation contends, rather than go out and make additional purchases simply because of the tax exemption.

“If politicians want to save money for consumers, then they should cut the sales tax rate year-round,” Henchman said.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

Outspoken new reality star Abbie Thompson has revealed her greatest fear . . . being compared to the cast of Geordie Shore.

Abbie, 18, appears in the new BBC Three television series Shoplife, following 10 youngsters as they work at the Metrocentre in Gateshead.

But Abbie said she fears being tarred with the same brush as the hard-partying group in the controversial MTV show.

The shop girl is shown complaining she has to use high street makeup in the first episode, airing on Thursday.

She also describes herself as a “bull in a china shop” and confesses her love of material things.

The teenager, who lives at home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, with her mum and a guinea pig, said she is worried about how she will come across.

She said: “I would hope Shoplife is not like Geordie Shore, although it does show what it is like on a night out in Newcastle.

“That’s one thing I am frightened for because a lot of people have asked if it is going to be like Geordie Shore, blah blah blah blah, and I would hope it is not.

“I am really anxious how I will come across because the trailer for the programme has me talking about liking material things.

“But all I buy designer is handbags and shoes, I don’t wear lots of make-up, I don’t wear fake tan. I do wear hair extensions but who doesn’t in Newcastle?

“So if that is the light I am trying to be shown in, then it’s going to be complete bullcrap, and it’s not me.

“I am quite outspoken, if I have an opinion I won’t be afraid to express it, because if you don’t say anything, nothing will get done.

“Bull in a china shop is right, but it depends on how you take it. Everything I say depends on how people take it.”

The series tells the stories of staff at the Metrocentre as they try to balance their hopes with the realities of working life, the minimum wage, and nights out. They include:

Abbie, who dreams of rising through the ranks at top fashion store Van Mildert and owning a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Slacker Joey Barrows, who escapes the sack from extreme sports shop Skate Shack for being late.

Chocolate salesman Tom Whalley, who dreams of leaving shop work to stage his own musical.

Abbie is shown fretting about her shopping habits and the chances of getting promotion to supervisor at the high-end retail shop where she works for the minimum wage and 1% commission.

She tells the cameras: “I am not a materialistic person, but I like materialistic things. At the moment, I literally have no money left. I normally get Est???e Lauder makeup, but I have had to go for high street make-up. I know it sounds really, like, shallow but it’s bloody upsetting. Is this what your life is like, Abbie, is it really what’s happening?”

Abbie is filmed claiming that her month’s pay is gone within a week, adding: “At the moment this is the skintest I have ever been. Ever, ever, ever.”

Joey, 19, is shown struggling to cope with his job selling sports kit and complains about his boss Lee Elliott, who usually works from home but keeps an eye on staff by CCTV.

Joey finds a blind spot in the stock room, but is hauled over the coals for spending too long off the shop floor. He says in the show: “Coming in four minutes late – I got a warning for that. I would love to tell my boss to stick it. Who wouldn’t?” Lee tells him: “Stop giving me the ammunition to give you a bollocking.”

Co-owner Paula Elliott said: “Joey is still with us. The important thing is that the shop is shown in a good light. We want to help young people get a foot on the ladder. The CCTV is there as security.”

Tom, 23, of Whickham, said the series helped him achieve his ambition of staging a musical in his spare time after finishing work at Hotel Chocolat.

He said: “I had a meeting with someone from the BBC and a year later the filming started, so it was a long process.

“They filmed me at the shop, but the theme running through was what if my hobby and dream becomes the day job? They filmed a lot of me desperately trying to write, thinking about staging my musical, which eventually did happen.

“My favourite bit was the night at Boulevard, a cabaret venue in Newcastle, when the musical was staged. It was something I always wanted to do but never had the drive to push forward but,For understated elegance, look to handbags and purses. with the programme behind me,Shop the latest High Quality bottega purses on the world's largest fashion site. it was the push I needed.”

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

Griskevicius and Wang first investigated what other women infer about a woman's relationship partner based on the luxuriousness of her possessions. "We found that a woman who is wearing luxury items and designer brands is perceived to have a more devoted partner and as a result other women are less likely to flirt with him," says Wang. "Regardless of who actually purchased the items, other women inferred that the man had something to do with it and is thus more devoted to her."

In another study, Griskevicius and Wang made participants feel jealous by having them imagine that another woman was flirting with their man. Shortly afterward, the women completed a seemingly unrelated task in which they drew a luxury brand logo on a handbag. The result? When women felt jealous, they drew designer logos that were twice the size of those in the other conditions.

"The feeling that a relationship is being threatened by another woman automatically triggers women to want to flash Gucci, Chanel, and Fendi to other women," explains Wang. "A designer handbag or a pair of expensive shoes seems to work like a shield, where wielding a Fendi handbag successfully fends off romantic rivals."

Another of Griskevicius and Wang's studies revealed that when romantic relationships were threatened, women not only desired more expensive handbags, cars, cell phones, and shoes, they also spent 32 percent more of their own money for a chance to win an actual luxury spending spree.

This research highlights that luxury products serve an important function in relationships, but that men and women use conspicuous consumption for a different purpose. Past research by Griskevicius has found that men often seek expensive products to show off to the opposite sex in order to attract them as mates. The current studies reveal that women often seek expensive products to show off to the same sex in order to protect their turf.

"The fact that most women's luxury products are aimed to impress other women helps explain why men have a hard time figuring out if a woman's handbag costs $50 or $5,000," adds Griskevicius. "Women's designer products are geared to show off to other women not men."

A surprising finding in the paper was that feelings of jealousy triggered a desire for luxury products not just for women in committed relationships but also for single women. "Many single women obviously want designer products, but instead of these products saying back off my current man, the single woman is saying back off my future man,Shoes, Cheap bottega wallet and more,free shipping!‎" adds Wang. "Conspicuous consumption for women has a lot to do with subtle status within the female group."

It's official: Handbag and apparel designer Kate Spade New York is coming to Minnesota.

The Galleria in Edina confirmed the long-rumored news via Twitter on Wednesday.

The store — Spade's first in Minnesota — will carry clothing, jewelry, handbags,Over 400 styles of bottega wallet priced under $65. shoes and accessories, as well as stationery, tech accessories, fragrances and gifts. Spade is known for its colorful products and "playful sophistication," according to the company's website.

The 1,900-square-foot shop will be located next to clothing store Dugo, near the shopping center's west atrium. It will occupy part the space formerly occupied by Brass Handle, which is relocating to a lower-level spot by Len Druskin and Bang & Olufsen.

This announcement comes one month after Galleria announced that North Face will open a store there this fall.

I also recently reported that the upscale shopping center is working on plans for a major renovation and expansion.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

Purchasing designer handbags and shoes is a means for women to express their style, boost self-esteem, or even signal status. New University of Minnesota research suggests some women also seek these luxury items to prevent other women from stealing their man.

Through a series of five experiments featuring 649 women of varying ages and relationship statuses, Carlson School of Management Associate Professor Vladas Griskevicius and PhD student Yajin Wang discovered how women's luxury products often function as a signaling system directed at other women who pose a threat to their romantic relationships.For understated elegance, look to handbags and purses.

"It might seem irrational that each year Americans spend over $250 billion on women's luxury products with an average woman acquiring three new handbags a year, but conspicuous consumption is actually smart for women who want to protect their relationship," says Griskevicius, coauthor of The Rational Animal: How Evolution Made Us Smarter Than We Think. "When a woman is flaunting designer products, it says to other women 'back off my man.'"

Griskevicius and Wang first investigated what other women infer about a woman's relationship partner based on the luxuriousness of her possessions. "We found that a woman who is wearing luxury items and designer brands is perceived to have a more devoted partner and as a result other women are less likely to flirt with him," says Wang. "Regardless of who actually purchased the items, other women inferred that the man had something to do with it and is thus more devoted to her."

In another study, Griskevicius and Wang made participants feel jealous by having them imagine that another woman was flirting with their man. Shortly afterward, the women completed a seemingly unrelated task in which they drew a luxury brand logo on a handbag. The result? When women felt jealous, they drew designer logos that were twice the size of those in the other conditions.

"The feeling that a relationship is being threatened by another woman automatically triggers women to want to flash Gucci, Chanel, and Fendi to other women," explains Wang. "A designer handbag or a pair of expensive shoes seems to work like a shield, where wielding a Fendi handbag successfully fends off romantic rivals."

Another of Griskevicius and Wang's studies revealed that when romantic relationships were threatened, women not only desired more expensive handbags, cars, cell phones,Shop the latest High Quality bottega purses on the world's largest fashion site. and shoes, they also spent 32 percent more of their own money for a chance to win an actual luxury spending spree.

This research highlights that luxury products serve an important function in relationships, but that men and women use conspicuous consumption for a different purpose. Past research by Griskevicius has found that men often seek expensive products to show off to the opposite sex in order to attract them as mates. The current studies reveal that women often seek expensive products to show off to the same sex in order to protect their turf.

"The fact that most women's luxury products are aimed to impress other women helps explain why men have a hard time figuring out if a woman's handbag costs $50 or $5,000," adds Griskevicius. "Women's designer products are geared to show off to other women not men."

A surprising finding in the paper was that feelings of jealousy triggered a desire for luxury products not just for women in committed relationships but also for single women. "Many single women obviously want designer products, but instead of these products saying back off my current man, the single woman is saying back off my future man," adds Wang. "Conspicuous consumption for women has a lot to do with subtle status within the female group."

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

As upscale brands seek to enter or expand their outlet businesses and even produce merchandise specifically for that channel, they face an age-old dilemma: sales growth vs. brand exclusivity.

At Coach Inc., its North American outlet business has grown to 60% of its retail sales in the region from about 30% in fiscal 2006, according to Cowen & Co. analyst Faye Landes. The number of items sold at its outlets has jumped to 73% of its North American retail business from an estimated 38% during the same period,For understated elegance, look to handbags and purses. Ms. Landes said. (Wall Street estimates that Coach's North America retail sales account for about two-thirds of its overall sales.)

The outlet channel also has become more productive for Coach, generating over $2,000 per square foot, compared with less than $1,400 per square foot at its full-price locations, a reversal from fiscal 2006, she said.

"Consumers may increasingly perceive Coach as an off-price brand, which, if valid, could challenge [Coach's] efforts to elevate and transform the brand," Ms. Landes said in a report this week, adding that while most of the retailer's outlet products are made for that channel, they are still easily identifiable as Coach.

"Our findings raise a concern of possible over-democratization of the brand which may counter efforts to appeal to aspirational shoppers and build a sense of exclusivity and cachet."

Ahead of Coach's earnings report next week,Shop the latest High Quality bottega purses on the world's largest fashion site. the analyst said she continues to see demand waning among young female shoppers—a key target market —as well as among shoppers who purchase two or three bags a year.

Even though it is hard to "definitively attribute" Coach's recent lagging performance against its rivals, including Michael Kors and Fifth & Pacific's Kate Spade, the analyst said Coach's significant outlet presence could become a "hurdle," especially given the stated intent of incoming CEO Victor Luis and newly appointed creative director Stuart Vevers to make the company more of a luxury player.

Coach declined to comment, citing the quiet period ahead of earnings.

Analysts, on average, estimate that Coach's fiscal fourth-quarter profit will increase 11% to 89 cents a share from 80 cents a year earlier, with sales rising 5% to $1.24 billion from $1.18 billion, FactSet data showed.

The company has said in the past that its outlet shopper is very different from its regular-price shopper. While the outlet shoppers tend to be older, are price conscious and is willing to wait for styles, its regular-price shopper wants what's hot now.

It also has said that about 85% of what is sold in its factory outlets are products made for that channel alone. The remaining 15% is made up of discontinued products from past seasons that are no longer available in its regular priced stores. The outlets are usually located far away from regular priced shops. For instance, the closest Coach outlet to New York City is about 50 miles away.

Coach has traditionally pitched itself as a so-called accessible luxury brand that targets aspirational shoppers, setting itself apart from such ultraluxury brands as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, whose products are much more expensive.

But the outlets and competition aside, those who are bullish on Coach still believe the brand has plenty of growth potential. Coach has added categories beyond its bread-and-butter handbags and accessories and has expanded in online sales, men's collections and overseas.

"Coach has numerous opportunities to grow," according to William Blair & Co. analyst Amy Noblin.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

Professional handbag designer Jennifer Siletski of Springfield always enjoyed sharing her passion for fashion design with her daughter as the two created projects together in their home.

Fast forward 20 years and Siletski has combined her love for fashion and instructing and is currently the owner and director of the New Jersey School of Fashion Design & Accessories.

The fourth-generation artisan, who received her formal education at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, the New York School of Interior Design, and the Arts Student League, holds degrees in Textile Design, Accessories Design and Fine Arts

She has recently expanded the school’s offerings to include a New York Fashion Accessories Camp (NYFAC), which starts Monday in the heart of Manhattan's Fashion District.

By the end of the one-week program, each student will learn to make a new handbag and pair of shoes which they can take home with them.

The New York Fashion Accessories Camp is unique, said Siletski in a press release, because it is the only camp in the tri-state area where teens ages 14-18 learn patternmaking skills for handbags and shoes which take campers from concept to finished product.

“Campers spend their mornings in intensive hands-on studio classes, working alongside master craftspeople and professionals in the handbag and shoe industries,” she explained in the release. “The afternoons will be spent experiencing the industry first-hand. To achieve the program's goals, campers are taken from concept to finished product that includes execution, illustration and most importantly, patternmaking on a par with the leading fashion colleges in NYC."

Other upcoming summer classes include:

Sandal Making Workshops July 28 and Aug. 4 in Springfield

A two-day Handbag Workshop Aug. 11 and 18 in Springfield

A Handbag Camp Aug. 22-27 in Deal

Shoe and Handbag Classes held after school and on weekends begin in September.

Students who've studied with Siletski look forward to learning more from the instructor and honing their skills.

"I have studied with Jenn for five years," said Carly Bayroff, 16, of Scotch Plains, in the release. "I love coming back. How many people can say 'thanks, I made it' when getting a compliment on a bag they are wearing. Completing a handbag is such a rewarding feeling and all you want to do is show it off."

You’ve already developed a legion of famous fans, from Kate Middleton to Kate Moss. Who has been the most exciting for you?
I know in the States, there’s a sort of fascination with Kate Middleton, which is great. She’s going to be the most famous person in the world for god knows how many more years, and there’s a curiosity about her and everything that she does which is never going to go away. So of course it’s exciting, if she wears my shoes from time to time. But we don’t force it. She’s a fairly normal, grounded woman who wears my shoes, and that’s great.

On the completely other end of the spectrum there’s Victoria Beckham, someone who really knows how to work [fashion]. Having someone like that, and having someone like Middleton, who is more conservative, both wearing my shoes: That’s a nice balance. It’s also fantastic to have the actresses, the red carpet brigade,Over 400 styles of bottega wallet priced under $65. wear my shoes. I don’t follow it that closely, partly because I think it’s quite confusing if you’re trying to chase those people to wear your shoes–but it’s always flattering when they choose to wear my shoes to an event over someone else’s.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

A trio of Indonesian men, dressed in elaborate cowboy outfits, are pretending to viciously beat a hugely overweight man who is wearing a curly black wig and a bright satin two-piece gown. Punching and striking the man playing the woman, the cowboys yell that she is a Communist, and that she is pregnant and will give birth to another little Communist. What makes the scene even stranger, more surreal and disturbing than it might otherwise be is that the men in the cowboy suits and the one in the dress belonged to a paramilitary death squad during the anti-Communist purges in Indonesia in 1965, and they are reenacting one of their crimes. The men are the subjects of Joshua Oppenheimer’s brilliant documentary, The Act of Killing, and they are filming a collective biopic about what they did during this most dramatic and exalted period in their lives. The cowboys’ attack on the woman is a scene from their movie.

As The Art of Killing begins, a series of titles outlines the film’s historical background. In 1965 the Sukarno government, which some Western governments feared was sliding into communism, was overthrown and replaced by a military regime led by General Suharto. Blaming the initial coup attempt on the Indonesian Communist Party, the country’s right-wing leaders recruited gangs of thugs to wipe out suspected Communists with messy, improvisatory, but astonishing efficiency; estimates of the number killed during this period range from 500,000 to a million or more.

The death squads’ victims were depicted by the Indonesian government and the press as vicious Communists conspiring to destabilize the nation and enslave its citizens. Included among these “Communists” were landless farmers, intellectuals, and union members, along with anyone the government didn’t like or whose money the killers wanted. The American government supported the regime’s harsh and thorough anti-Communist programs, and, worried that Indonesia’s tens of thousands of ethnic Chinese might feel some bond with the People’s Republic of China, our intelligence services suggested that the Chinese population be killed along with the rest.

But among the interesting and unusual choices that Oppenheimer makes is his decision to forego the structure of the documentary whodunit—Who gave the orders? Who in Washington knew? Instead, he concentrates on the killers themselves: who they are, how they see their lives, and the bizarre and appalling film they are enthusiastic to make about what they did. Rather than exploring the theory that the tensions generated by Muslim sectarianism were exacerbated to fuel the massacres, Oppenheimer shows us the gangster-actors suspending a torture scene to listen in respectful silence to the chanting of the evening prayers from outside. In its revealing examination of the genesis of moral conscience and of the psychology of evil, The Act of Killing is less like any film I can recall than like journalist Gita Sereny’s book-length interviews with Albert Speer and the commandant of Treblinka.

Eerily, the Indonesian gangsters whom Oppenheimer interviews began their underworld careers outside a movie theater in their native city of Medan, North Sumatra, where, as teenage punks, they set up a movie-ticket-scalping operation.Over 400 styles of bottega wallet priced under $65. They all admired the same idols—John Wayne, James Dean, Victor Mature, later Al Pacino—and aspired to dress, behave, and kill with impunity, like Hollywood tough guys. Their big grudge against the Communists was that the leftists were demonstrating outside theaters showing American movies. The Communists hated American movies. So they had to be killed. Otherwise, the gangsters don’t talk about how they were recruited to be killers. One day they were selling cinema tickets in the street, the next day they were crossing the street to torture and behead.

When, under the military regime, their new responsibilities required new professional skills, they learned from the movies that garroting was a relatively quick and bloodless technique of execution. Anwar Congo—the elderly former gang leader on whom The Act of Killing increasingly comes to focus—recalls dancing across the street to do his grisly job after he’d seen a tuneful Elvis Presley movie. “It was like we were killing happily.” I thought of the 2008 Italian film, Gomorrah, of the scenes in which the two novice Neapolitan hoods mimic their role model, Scarface, and it crossed my mind that Al Pacino might have done some damage.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

Redesigned for extended stays, Hyatt House Bridgewater recently announced the completion renovations to all public areas of the hotel, following the guestroom renovations of last year.

Enhancements were made to the lobby, with marble counters, along with new furniture for the meeting room, and an updated fitness center featuring new state of the art Life Fitness gym equipment. The outdoor lounge has been transformed with the addition of cushy, burnt-orange patio seats, a firepit and a large-screen television, as well as tables with sun umbrellas. The outdoor seating carries the same color scheme as the seating in the open food court.

These new features complement the hotel’s spa and swimming pool. Sports-minded guests also can enjoy the private basketball court and a popular barbecue pit in the center of the hotel’s lush courtyard, where families often grill their own meals, especially on weekends.

“This type of atmosphere is something guests have been wanting and we are delighted to bring it to them,” said Hyatt House General Manager Vic Campitello. “These spaces are much more contemporary and engaging, taking the property to a new level and allowing travelers to feel like they are right at home and completely comfortable. For example, the lobby now has a sectional sofa with its own TV area, and our guests are really enjoying it.”

Another reason guests are excited about Hyatt House Bridgewater is the recently opened HBAR, an on-site bar and lounge with modern furnishings and ample space, featuring American classic dishes such as gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches and premium cocktails, beers and wines, open seven days a week from 5 p.m.Shoes, Cheap bottega wallet and more,free shipping!‎ to 10 p.m.

Within the past year, Hyatt House Bridgewater also completely revamped its 128 guest suites with neutral tones, and the bedding and furniture in the rooms are designed for the guests’ relaxation. as well as tile, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances in the kitchens. Each room is really a suite with a kitchen, complete with cabinets stocked with dishes and glassware so that guests can stay there comfortably for extended periods. The kitchen space also features a banquette and chairs to make travelers feel totally at home.

Megan Miller, the Hyatt House Bridgewater director of sales, said the guests typically are corporate relocation people, many with families. The gathering spaces on the main floor include not only the bar area and an open eating space, much like a food court, where the American classic dishes are served, but also a more intimate sitting lounge with its own large-screen television behind a half wall. On the other side of the eating area is a gallery where guests can get their breakfast. On one side is a long counter where a Continental breakfast is served buffet style, and on the other side are a series of stations where guests can find warm foods. In addition, there is a new chef-attended omelet station with made-to-order omelets each morning as part of the complimentary breakfast.

Located on Route 22 near Ethicon, Hyatt House Bridgewater is minutes from attractions such as Diamond Nation, Bridgewater Manor, Liberty Village Shopping Outlets, and Bridgewater Commons.Up to 40% Off Cheap bottega purses, shop farfetch today!‎ It is conveniently located near many prestigious universities, including Rutgers State University and Princeton University. For business travelers, the hotel is close to major pharmaceutical companies, business centers and the corporate offices for Johnson & Johnson, Metlife, and Sanofi Aventis. Hyatt house Bridgewater offers a complimentary shuttle within a 5-mile radius of the hotel.

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Luxury shoe designer Rupert Sanderson may not have a major US presence yet–but this should definitely help: Not only will Barneys New York be carrying his line starting this fall, but he’s also collaborated with the retailer on an exclusive line of shoes.

Sanderson’s designs have graced the feet of celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Chastain, and earned him the British Fashion Council’s Accessory Designer of the Year award in 2008. But he has been slow in building his business stateside, which is why his Barneys debut–and four exclusive designs–is exciting news for his American fans.

We met up with Sanderson–who is polished and polite in the charming way that only the Brits have mastered–on Barneys’ amazing shoe floor to talk about collaborating with the retailer and what it’s like to see his shoes on the Duchess of Cambridge.

Fashionista: Tell me a little bit about your line and what you’re doing with Barneys.
Sanderson: The line is 12 years old and it’s out of London, but all made in our own factory in Italy. We’ve done some exclusives with Barneys, but I’ve enjoyed working with Barneys on getting the edit right so we’re representative of what the line stands for but also sympathetic to the Barneys customer.

What does it mean to you to be in Barneys?
My first appointments when I started the line were in New York, and it really was important to me that I get into Barneys. It takes time. It’s quite right that all the brands you see around have earned their fashion chops, so to speak. I love the idea of the Barneys woman. Barneys was somewhere I really imagined seeing the shoes on display and for sale, so it’s a thrill to be here and to be collaborating. It’s an arrival and a coming home at the same time.

It seems like your philosophy has been “slow and steady wins the race” in terms of building a brand–what has that process been like for you?
It has been slow and steady.Shoes, Cheap bottega wallet and more,free shipping!‎ I suppose because we’re not some mega corporation with great huge turnover aspirations and lots of money sloshing around to just accelerate growth, there’s a certain organic-ness and we’ve managed to control everything.

To be a luxury brand, you’ve got to be around for quite a long time, and I think people forget that. There’s a certain sense that you should arrive instantly, fully formed.Up to 40% Off Cheap bottega purses, shop farfetch today!‎ It’s a complicated business–making shoes that are exciting and relevant and commercially viable for four collections a year. It takes time to mature into it. And I think the benefits of growing slowly, are that you’re here to stay rather than burning too brightly, too quickly, where the only way left is down.

As you mentioned, there are a lot of established brands on the sales floor. How do you make Rupert Sanderson shoes stand out?
Hopefully by working with Barneys, because they have a helicopter view of what’s working, what’s lacking, what they’re looking for, and we can shape the edit to fit in so there is a point of view there.

It’s a strange thing when you’re working with accessories; you spend an amount of time developing the collection in isolation, you don’t know what anyone else is doing. When you present the collection, there’s a real strong story that you’re championing. There’s a risk that it’s just not quite right with the ready-to-wear, so you do have to listen to the buyers about what the edit’s going to be. At the same time you have to be true to what you really believe is good design. You’re looking for that fine balance between pushing the boundaries and being recognized for something. That simplicity, the idea that less is more, is what I’ve been championing: achieve as much as you can with as little material as possible. It rings true to my aesthetic.

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Europe’s desire for expensive handbags appears stronger than its taste for champagne as the French luxury group Hermes posted a 16 per cent sales rise while champagne maker Laurent-Perrier recorded a 10.5 per cent drop. Hermes, which sells $300 silk scarves and $10,000 Birkin handbags, said demand “remained strong in Europe”.

Ireland passes IMF review

Ireland met its international bailout commitments, and successfully concluded the latest review of the $85bn programme, its finance ministry said. Rescued in late 2010, Ireland would be the first bailed-out eurozone country to wean itself off emergency aid if it exits the scheme on schedule at the end of this year.

Sirius warns of potash mine delay

Shareholders in Sirius Minerals face more uncertainty after the AIM-listed firm asked officials to delay their decision on its $1.7bn ($1.1bn) plan to mine potash fertiliser in an English national park on the North Yorkshire coast. The company said it needs to deal with lingering issues over environmental assessments.

HR Owen fends off takeover bid

One of London’s oldest car dealerships urged shareholders to reject a $32.5m offer for the business from the Malaysian billionaire and owner of Premiership football club Cardiff City, Vincent Tan. HR Owen, which opened for business in Mayfair more than 80 years ago, said the 130p-a-share offer from Berjaya Philippines was “inadequate”.

LSE boasts 39% revenues lift

The London Stock Exchange posted an impressive 39 per cent rise in revenues, as it was lifted by more companies choosing to list in London as well as increased fundraising from listed companies.For understated elegance, look to handbags and purses. Firms raised a total $6.Shop Wholesale bottega wallet for $9.99 or Less.1bn in the quarter to June 30, more than double the $2.3n seen a year earlier.

Future may cut some magazines

The closure or sale of some print magazines could be on the agenda for the games and technology magazine publisher Future after it warned it would miss profits. Chief executive Mark Wood admitted “senior management and the board are not satisfied” and vowed to slash “legacy print costs”.

Eurostar sales rise ‘thanks to Games’

Eurostar said publicity from last summer’s Olympics saw a surge of international passengers from the US, Australia and Brazil buy tickets this year. The Channel Tunnel rail route saw sales jump 7 per cent to $453 million in the first half of this year, partly thanks to the 2012 Games legacy.

EasyJet sees its busiest summer

The hot weather is not keeping everyone in the UK: easyJet has predicted its busiest summer yet, with nine million due to fly out of UK on the budget airline between mid July and the end of September. Its most popular routes are to Malaga, Palma, Alicante and Barcelona.

Anglo slips in iron ore production

Anglo American has failed where fierce rivals Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton succeeded, announcing a 1 per cent fall in iron ore production. Rio this week announced record-breaking output, and BHP said production soared 7 per cent in the year to June.

Speedy Hire sales dip post-Olympics

Plant and tool hire firm Speedy Hire suffered an Olympic hangover as UK and Ireland sales sank 2.6 per cent on last year in the quarter to June 30. The firm was trading against a significant uplift in infrastructure spending last year ahead of the Olympics.


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White wine was flowing as a group of 20 women gathered at the Park Avenue home of Cathie Black on a recent June evening. But they weren't gabbing about politics or education with the former Hearst Magazines chairman and briefly tenured New York City schools chancellor. Instead, they were slipping into shapewear—the slimming undergarments that magically make bulges disappear. Ms. Black was hosting her first party for Ruby Ribbon, a two-year-old direct-sales company in the mode of Avon or Tupperware.

"It was hysterical; they were running upstairs in our apartment trying things on and looking in different mirrors," said Ms. Black, who met Ruby Ribbon's founder while at Hearst and has recently taken an advisory role in the company. "This is a way to empower women to have their own businesses."

Ruby Ribbon is one of the latest direct sellers to enter the marketplace. But the women it recruits aren't your grandmother's Avon Ladies. Armed with Twitter, Facebook and a host of other digital tools, these sellers leverage their growing online networks to market items from clothing to beauty products with a swipe of a screen. They earn commissions of as much as 40%. Some of the modern-day peddlers—inspired to join the fray in part by the jobless recession—host parties at their homes. Others simply post products on their Facebook feed or tweet about hot new merchandise to make a sale.

 The category is increasingly lucrative. Last year, U.S. sales in the direct-selling market were $31.63 billion, a 6% rise over 2011, according to the Direct Selling Association. Now that the model has evolved into the digital sphere, venture capitalists are also getting on board—Ruby Ribbon, for example, has received $12 million in funding since its founding.The world's premier luxury fashion brand long celebrated for its extraordinary bottega handbag .

"These companies all started as the modernization of the direct-sales model, but as cooler, hipper companies with a bit of an online presence," said Alison Jatlow Levy, a retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon. "The VC firms are saying, 'Of course there's a market.' "

In the 126 years since Avon Inc. was founded, companies from Amway to Arbonne have helped women earn a living, offering flexible hours and the power of entrepreneurship. But online social networks are making it far easier to market merchandise. That convenience can turn into big revenue for the parent companies. Since relaunching in 2007, Stella & Dot, a San Bruno, Calif.-based jeweler, has amassed $200 million in revenue through its direct-sales force.

Not every category is a winner. Women traditionally hate shopping big retail stores for shapewear, for example, and might prefer to do it at home or online. But players offering skirts and tops might have trouble differentiating themselves from brick-and-mortar brands.

Costume jewelry has a strong track record in the industry. Park Lane, which touts itself as the "leader in direct-sales jewelry," has been in business since 1955.

Now two-year-old Chloe + Isabel, which counts Ashton Kutcher as an investor, is making a splash. Launched two years ago, the company offers its pendant necklaces and floral-drop earrings for $20 to $200.

Not just anyone can sell them. Salespeople are often vetted and expected to undergo training—only 15% of applicants are recruited, said Chantel Waterbury, founder of the Manhattan-based company. Its merchandisers spend about three hours learning the ropes through videos, phone sessions and webinars, and must pay about $175 for a startup kit. Commissions can run as high as 30%, and sellers are encouraged to move beyond home parties to partner with local boutiques and salons.

"We're teaching social-media campaigns—it's a rigorous curriculum," said Ms. Waterbury, who hopes to reach revenue of $100 million by 2016 and soon expand into handbags. "I'm focused on helping [the seller] make money but also on making her more competitive."

Some of the new firms are practically reincarnations of the old model. Anna Zornosa, a former Yahoo executive who is the founder and chief executive of Ruby Ribbon, is the daughter of a former Avon Lady.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses .

In addition to attracting Ms. Black, who is working as an adviser to a handful of digital startups, Ruby Ribbon has so far recruited 140 sellers. Each ponies up $200 as an initial investment for training and sample merchandise. Ruby Ribbon launches a new product every three months and plans to build its 34-state network nationwide. The company recently generated more than $100,000 in monthly revenue.

"The Avon Lady of 10 years ago didn't have the benefit of technology to get her orders," said Ms. Zornosa.

"It's a very intriguing model," Ms. Black added. "There's nothing like Ruby Ribbon in the direct-selling space."

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"It's far short of what they are capable of doing and should be doing," he said.

Branded as both inconvenient and theatrical by commuters, security checks at Shanghai Metro, which handles 7 million journeys a day, have become the target of much derision in recent years.

On Wednesday netizens reacted angrily to images online of a man sneaking past a turnstile with a replica shotgun at Shangchenglu Station on Line 9. Police said they are still investigating the incident, which occurred at about 8:25 pm on Tuesday.

However, authorities hope to fix the problem with a new Shanghai Rail Traffic Regulation that is being drafted.

Zhang Yan, one of the lawmakers with the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress who will decide on the new rules, said she believes the draft law, if approved, will give the metro's security measures more bite.

One of the improvements, she said, is the introduction of new penalties for passengers and security staff.

"For example, commuters who attempt to avoid baggage checks at station entrances will be barred from traveling on the subway," she said. Inspectors, she added, "will also be punished if they are discovered neglecting their duty".

It is not known whether enforcement of the law will involve undercover supervisors to observe security workers, a practice already employed in Beijing Subway, according to station guards.

Shanghai Metro already prohibits flammable, poisonous or corrosive substances, as well as other dangerous items. Since 2010, X-ray baggage scanners are at each entrance to every station. Inspectors check baggage using handheld scanners.

Yet Brian Glucroft, of the United States, who has been living in Shanghai for the past four years, said he does not think the existing security measures are useful, and branded them security theater, giving the illusion of safety but doing little to prevent dangerous incidents.

"So many people blatantly ignore it (the bag check)," he said. "Security guards typically react in no way other than to signal to the next person (in line)."

Zhao Yiqun has been working as an inspector at South Huangpi Road Station since 2010. He confirmed most commuters regularly refuse to scan their baggage at the security checks, especially women with brand-name handbags.

He said about half of the metro's passengers willingly scan their bags, but after 30 minutes observation by China Daily reporters on a weekday lunchtime, only 10 percent allowed their bags to be scanned. Less than 25 percent allowed their bags to be scanned at the city's busiest station at People's Square.

By contrast, workers for Beijing's subway network, which handles 10 million journeys a day, said people are largely compliant, while authorities have placed a greater emphasis on enforcement since X-ray scanners were introduced ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.The world's premier luxury fashion brand long celebrated for its extraordinary bottega handbag .

Recently, the capital imposed a rule that passengers must sample drinks before entering a station.

Zhang Fuying, a security guard at Huixinxijie Nankou Station, said she had to complete a week of training, an internship at a station and an exam in order to get her job.

"The instructors tell us not to just stare at the screen, but also pay attention to the passengers' faces, because if someone is carrying a forbidden objects they will be nervous when passing security," said the 20-year-old, who works alongside five guards and three police officers.Find a great selection of bottega wallet  deals on anmison!

According to Beijing Subway's operators, as of March it had 6,700 personnel manning 500 security checkpoints at 230 stations.

In Shanghai, however, there is considerable debate over the effectiveness of the security checks. Some lawmakers want to improve them while others want to scrap them altogether and replace X-ray scanners with random spot checks and police sniffer dogs.

"Inspectors with handheld scanners and dogs can effectively stop flammable materials from being brought onto the Metro," said Wu Zhiming, chairman of the Shanghai branch of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He said the current system is expensive and involves checking almost 30 percent of the city's population across 300 metro stations every day.

Cities like Tokyo and Moscow have no large-scale security checks on their subways, he argued.

But Zhou Ye, a spokeswoman for Shanghai Public Security Bureau's urban rail and bus department, said it is unlikely that the security checks will be scrapped.

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The Sycamore Township mall is adding the region’s fifth Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant and is working to add the region’s first Kate Spade New York store.

Cindy Hart, marketing manager for Kenwood Towne Centre, would only confirm the addition of Red Robin. As for Kate Spade, she said the mall doesn’t have a signed agreement, so she couldn’t speak about that retailer.

However, a number of permits name Kate Spade as the tenant moving into a space at the mall. A building permit was applied for in June to make interior alterations at Kenwood Towne Centre for Kate Spade. Later in June, an alarm permit was filed for a “new tenant in an existing mall space ‘Kate Spade.’”

Kate Spade New York, founded by designer Kate Spade in 1993, sells handbags, clothing, shoes, home goods, jewelry and other accessories. Handbags can range from $100 to just under $500; shoes range from $125 to $375.

There are more than 80 Kate Spade New York retail shops and outlet stores in the U.S. The nearest Kate Spade retail stores are in Indianapolis and Easton, Ohio. There’s also a Kate Spade outlet store at the Jefferson Prime Outlets along Interstate 71.

Red Robin, a casual dining gourmet burger chain, is moving into about 6,000 square feet of space on the lower level of the mall close to entrance six, near Macy’s. The restaurant is filling two spaces formerly occupied by Champs and Sleep Number, both of which have already relocated into other spaces in the mall, Hart said.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses .

The burger joint will have a small outdoor patio facing Kenwood Road. Red Robin is expected to open sometime this fall.

Style ambassadors will showcase international brands and provide fashion advice, including when to make a wardrobe investment and how to mix high- and low-priced items. Caitlyn will be established as Modnique’s luxury go-to, offering shopping advice for the cosmopolitan woman looking to elevate her look and style.

With items ranging from $29 dresses to $15,000 handbags, Modnique offers a large repertoire of international designers including well-known American designers, lesser known European brands, and pre-loved luxury handbags, jewelry, and watches.

“Our customers have an international flair, and our style ambassadors will introduce modern women to styles and brands they otherwise may not have heard of,” said VP of Marketing and Mobile for Modnique, Ivka Adam.

Modnique introduces customers from around the world to international designers and the style ambassador program will help facilitate and raise awareness for these products. “We can provide a customer in Montreal with access to a Spanish designer that was only known locally before being featured on Modnique,” mentions Adam.

Modnique is a global fashion e-commerce company headquartered in Redondo Beach, Calif. Founded in 2010, Modnique runs boutique events for apparel, jewelry, shoes, handbags, watches, accessories, kids and beauty. New merchandise arrives daily and is featured in 36-72 hour events. Curated shops house inventory without an expiration date. Events and shops are sourced for the chic, international consumer and feature brand name items to suit any style or occasion.The world's premier luxury fashion brand long celebrated for its extraordinary bottega handbag.

About Caitlyn Chase

Caitlyn Chase is an internationally known writer, blogger, and designer. After a successful career as a fashion and luxury writer for magazines such as 944, Esquire, Haute Living, and In Touch Weekly, Caitlyn launched an inaugural cashmere line called Caviar & Cashmere. Today, the Caviar & Cashmere brand and blog are synonymous with luxury. Caitlyn has been featured in magazines such as Glamour and Vogue Japan, and recently became the face of Olay Fresh Effects. Caitlyn plans to grow Caviar & Cashmere into a full-scale luxury brand in addition to keeping her followers abreast of the latest in worldwide luxury on her blog.

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A 34-year-old woman, Chigozie Luke, and two men were, Wednesday, arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate's Court over alleged theft of valuables worth $12,780.

The other suspects are Olajide Balogun, 43, and Ayobami Odunfa, 30. They were docked before Magistrate Demi Ajayi.

The accused who reside at Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, preferred against them by the police.

The Police prosecutor, Barth Nwakaoye, said the defendants conspired to commit the alleged offence on June 1, 2012 at John Gabe Nigeria Ltd, Maza Maza, Lagos.

He said the suspects who were staff of the company stole a bag containing 204 pairs of shoes, cam-coder, jeans shirts, handbags and other valuables.

Nwakaoye said the stolen items worth $12,780 were property of Mrs Ifeoma Oyeoka.

The prosecutor told the court that the goods were sent to her from the United States of America and meant to be transported to Enugu by the company.

According to him, the offence contravenes Sections 285 and 409, Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate A. A Demi-Ajayi granted the suspects bail in the sum of N250,000 each with two responsible sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to September 25, 2013.

Meantime, a 26-year- old bus conductor, Shola Okeseyi, was, yesterday, remanded in prison custody by an Ikeja Magistrate's Court over alleged robbery.

The accused who resides at 22, Odofin Street, Itire, is facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and robbery, brought against him by the police. He was arraigned before Magistrate Dan Oni.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Edet Okoi, told the court that the defendant and others at large conspired to commit the alleged crime on June, 25, 2013, at 12, Jacob Close off Isiba street Itire Lagos.

He said that the accused at about 3:35pm, while armed with gun and other dangerous weapons robbed one Mr Festus Osagie of his lap top valued N75,000, one Nokia 2100 valued N10,000 and cash sum of N15,000.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

He also alleged that the defendant stole a Techno handset worth N15,000 and a cash sum of N10,000, belonging to one Samuel Adeniyi.

The prosecutor claimed that the suspect while armed with gun and other dangerous weapons robbed one Njoku Ignatius, of his Nokia Phone valued N8,500 and a cash sum of N7,500.

The prosecutor said that the offence committed is contrary to section 5 (b) and punishable under section 1 (2) (a) of the robbery and firearms special provisions Act, Cap 398, Vol xxii, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, as amended.

When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilt to the four count charge, but his plea was not taken, as the magistrate ordered that he should be remanded in prison custody.

They are the maestros of international fashion, survivors of the peaks and troughs of a fickle, cut-throat world that has felled many a brilliant designer.

Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani are both around the 80 mark (Armani turned 79 on July 11, and while King Karl is officially 77, those in the know say he’s well over 80), but there they were in Paris last week unveiling acclaimed haute couture collections of exquisite hand-sewn embroidered one-off creations. Their magisterial displays showed once again why these eternal reinventors are still at the top of their volatile field.

‘‘Giorgio le Magnifique,’’ crowed Le Figaro newspaper. Armani Privé, as his haute couture line is known, received one of the biggest ovations for the Italian couturier in years.

Armani, tanned but looking a little more his age than in past years, said of his show, Nude: ‘‘There is a lot of lightness and a touch of the 1930s. Quite Gatsby, if you want to sum it up.’’

The show’s title reflected the pale, fleshy and barely pink or apricot palette. One especially over-the-top Hollywoodesque long pink ostrich feather coat, over a pink lace top and silk organza pants, had the crowd going politely wild.The world's premier luxury fashion brand long celebrated for its extraordinary bottega handbag .

After a Versace show headlined by 1990s supermodel Naomi Campbell, which was pitched at the Hollywood starlet keen on maximum flesh exposure, Armani seemed to be declaring that young and sexy wasn’t enough to be chic. The presence of Catherine Deneuve in the front row and the long flowing dresses, loose, long, flared pants and below-the-knee skirts said it all.

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Prolific Falmouth shoplifter stole wallets

 A prolific shoplifter who stole three wallets from a shop in Falmouth was arrested after some good work by the police, Truro’s magistrates’ court heard.

A picture from CCTV images taken at the Fat Face Shop in Church Street was sent to Penzance, where a policewoman recognised the man as she had dealt with him before for similar offences.

Before the court was carpenter Clifford Vaughan Townsend, aged 51, of Chywoone Place, Newlyn, who pleaded guilty to the theft of the wallets worth $48 on March 19.

Prosecutor Julian Herbert said when CCTV was checked, after defendant had left the shop, it showed him taking the wallets and leaving without paying. He had a number of previous convictions for shoplifting.

Solicitor Paul Gallagher said Townsend realized he was nearing the end of the road and had now changed his lifestyle, changing his friends, and was adamant that he would not offend again.

As a carpenter he had been short of work lately, which was why he had been stealing.

Townsend was given an eight week prison sentence, suspended for a year, by District Judge Ian Strongman. He had to pay $48 compensation.

A woman suspected of being the so-called “blond scammer” — one in a ring of thieves who lifted women’s wallets from shopping carts and immediately charged expensive items on their credit cards — has failed to appear in court in two counties where she was charged, a District Attorney’s spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

Pilar Raine Abalos, 42, of Poway was scheduled to appear in San Fernando Superior Court on charges of identity theft and burglary June 28, but she failed to show up, spokeswoman Jane Robison said Tuesday.

Abalos was also scheduled to appear June 17 in Ventura County Superior Court on charges of identity theft, forgery, burglary and fraudulent use of a credit card. She also failed to appear there.

Now the Poway woman, who posted bail each of the times she’s been arrested, is scheduled to appear for a bench warrant hearing in both counties, court officials in both jurisdictions said.

The last time she appeared in court was in San Fernando, where Abalos entered a plea of not guilty to charges of identity theft and burglary.

She entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Michael O’Gara on May 1 and was ordered to appear back in court June 28.

Abalos is now scheduled to appear Friday for a bench warrant hearing in San Fernando, Robison said. She has a similar hearing set for July 17 in Ventura.

In January, Santa Clarita Valley residents were first warned about a blond woman who drives a Cadillac SUV and stalks other women at grocery stores, stealing their wallets and using their IDs to obtain cash or expensive jewelry.

Three female victims stated they had their wallets removed from their purses while shopping at Santa Clarita Valley grocery stores in January, Deputy Josh Dubin said.

Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s deputies released a grainy surveillance photo of the woman, warning that she steals from others with similar build and features so she can impersonate the victims.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

On March 2, Dubin named Abalos as the woman seen in the grainy surveillance image and identified her as the suspect in a series of thefts that occurred in the Santa Clarita Valley.

After her arrest, bail was set at $100,000. After she had posted bail, she was arrested by Ventura County Sheriff’s Department detectives and booked into custody. She was released on $50,000 bond and a promise to appear back in Ventura County Superior Court.

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Students revolutionise wallet design

A slim, flexible wallet designed to slip inside the pocket of a pair of skinny jeans or another tailor-made to hold a USB stick could be the money holder of the future.

Both were among the creations from about 80 Brisbane industrial design students who were recently given the task of revolutionising the standard wallet and turning it into a consumer-oriented product.

The event, which marked World Industrial Design Day, saw students tailor their designs to the needs of a user of their choice.

“We chose the wallet because it's a small, everyday object with lots of potential to be personalised,” said event co-ordinator and QUT industrial design lecturer Dr Shayne Beaver.
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Some of the designs included compartments for USBs and guitar picks.

Another was a tough, but attractive wallet for surfers, while another was designed for women who wore skinny jeans.

"Some focused on a high quality finish for someone who wanted their wallet to be durable as well as aesthetically pleasing," Dr Beaver said. "Others chose someone who might be doing a lot of surfing or travelling, and so the wallet had to be durable but also adapt to the weather.

"There was also lots of variation in the things they carry, and whether or not the wallet would be able to carry cash and a phone, or just small amounts of money and space for cards.

"Others made them to be discrete, so you couldn't see it. That way, if you were travelling you could keep it hidden."

Despite the inventive creations, Dr Beaver said she didn't believe traditional designs would be taken off the shelves any time soon.

“People are getting fussier, and many want a product more suited to their needs,” she said.

“There's a lot of personalisation in wallets now, and lots are even being replaced by phone cases with space only for cards and a set of keys.

"But I don't think the traditional wallet will go away.”

Dr Beaver said she hoped to pitch several of the more successful designs to production companies later in the year.

Four young men reported items missing following a July 4 party on Smith Ridge Road.

At 10:17 a.m. July 5, a 17-year-old male told police that he believed while he was swimming in a pool at the residence the day before, someone stole his wallet and iPhone 4, which was valued at $200. The wallet contained his driver's license, $20 in cash and a $30 gift card.

At 1 p.m. July 5, a 19-year-old male reported to police that his black iPhone, with an estimated value of $200, was stolen the prior night at the same residence, also while he was in the pool, he believed.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

At around 2:19 p.m., another 19-year-old male and the 20-year-old male resident of the house each reported items stolen as well. The 19-year-old said he had $100 in cash in his wallet when he went in the pool and no cash afterward. The 20-year-old resident told police he noticed his HTC phone, valued at $200, was missing around 1:30 a.m.

The complainants said the party was large and many people they did not know attended, according to the report.

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Visa to launch V.me global digital wallet in Australia before Xmas

Australians love online shopping. But with more users connecting to the internet to buy their goods and services, it could mean having to sign up or register with a number of websites, and entering or storing your credit card information with multiple vendors.

While PayPal has provided an extra layer of security for online purchases, the truth is that digital wallet choices for Aussies are actually few and far between.

Today, however, Visa announced that its e-wallet solution V.me will head to Australia "just in time for Christmas".

V.me, as described by Visa, will work just like a digitised version of your wallet, securely storing all personal details and major payment card information – which not only includes Visa debit and credit cards, but MasterCard and American Express cards as well.

"It's a digital manifestation of what's in your pocket," said Greg Storey, Visa's head of V.me for Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Making shopping easier

Storey said that at least 33 per cent of smartphone users have shopped online using their phone, and Vipin Kalra, Visa's country manager for Australia said that research showed that 72 per cent of all Australians had shopped online at least once in the past 12 months.

But while these numbers have shown to be increasing, Kalra went on to add that research in the US showed that customers were most likely to abandon their purchase at the time of payment because the process required a lengthy form to be filled out.

"It addresses some consumer desires, which is for ease, convenience and simplicity when purchasing online," Storey said.

Similar to PayPal's solution, after storing all your cards and personal information in V.me, users will be able to make purchases by simply putting in a username and password, which will then let users choose a preselected "default" card or any other card.

Visa has a number of merchants already on board, including JB Hi-Fi, Cotton On, City Beach and Lorna Jane, and is in talks with other merchants, including e-commerce and bricks and mortar stores, as well as for travel and bill payments.
Visa secure

Like PayPal, merchants will not be able to see all your details, nor will Visa be able to track your transactions. But unlike PayPal, users will not be able to store funds with V.me, just link credit and debit cards to the service.

Payments will be made through the financial institutions involved with the transaction, with V.me acting simply as a gateway to your stored information.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

Visa believes that consumers will feel confident of V.me as it has backing from over 40 financial institutions locally, with three of the four "big banks" named as partners. Though Commonwealth Bank was not named, it may be included by launch later this year.

As only a username and password will be needed for most transactions, when asked further about the security of the service, Kalra said that Visa's many layers of encryption, "strong authentication" and device identification will be used to prevent fraud, as well as the ability to set transaction alerts for Visa cards.

In any case, Visa cards stored on V.me will also come with the Visa's zero liability policy, where cardholders will not be held responsible for unauthorised or fraudulent transactions.

Click on their website www.anmison.com for more information.

The fifth annual White Linen Affair sponsored by 100 Black Men of Las Vegas Inc. took place June 29 at the Eastside Cannery to raise money for the organization’s efforts to empower young people.

The event is the organization’s major fundraiser. The nonprofit 100 Black Men of Las Vegas works to improve the quality of life for African-Americans and other minorities. It empowers young people through mentoring, education, health and wellness and economic development programs. These programs are designed to nurture creativity, emphasize academic achievement and reinforce social responsibility.

More than 300 men and women wearing all-white cocktail attire attended this year’s White Linen Affair in the Cannery’s beautiful party room, called the One Six, on the hotel’s top floor that overlooks the Las Vegas skyline.

Guests including Wilbur Jackson, Kenneth Pearson, Harvey Williams, Rosalind and Darryl Raiforde, Renee and Donald Nubia, Diane Mayfield, Cathy McCluney, Sharon Petteway and Geri Ratliff participated in the silent auction chaired by Henry Taylor that offered designer handbags, jewelry, art, a bar butler, gift certificates, and a University of Michigan jacket and jersey.

The buffet supper included cheeses and fruit, crabcakes, coconut shrimp, and a turkey and roast beef carving station.

The Reggie Gonzales Band played for dancing.

The president of 100 Black Men of Las Vegas, Brian Pauling, welcomed the guests and thanked Lillian McMorris for chairing the 2013 White Linen Affair. Pauling spoke about the Las Vegas chapter’s adoption of the national organization’s action agenda, “Five For The Future,” which emphasizes mentoring, education, economic development, health and wellness, and leadership.

The 100 signature mentoring program has successfully been implemented at Wendell Williams Elementary School and the Mackey Magnet School as well as the group’s own charter school, The 100 Academy of Excellence.

The 100 Black Men mentoring program consists of individual mentoring, group and pod mentoring (groups of five), all utilizing the nationally recognized text “Mentoring the 100 Way.”

Members involved in the program are grateful to the staff at each of the participating schools. The mentoring committee devotes its time to tutoring and mentoring students. The 100 Black Men mentors are all volunteers. These men are required to complete a rigid training and certification program prior to their community placement. All members are also required to pass an extensive background check.

More members and their guests attending were April Ahammer, Stacey Wise, Tammie Henderson, Sally Hall and Dwayne Sims, Juanita Bell, Shirley and James Oakley, Joyce Atkins, Susan Moon, James Spencer, Pris Hughes, Cynthia Thompson, Rita Sims, and Barbara and John Johnson.

The evening concluded with music from the Shelley Jordan Jazz Quartet.

Arnold, 56, is a third-generation artist and a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts. His father, Charles Arnold, was a photographer who taught at RIT.

Arnold chose precious metals as his artistic muse, casting his wearable art in sterling silver or 14-karat gold. He is inspired by sculptor Albert Paley, defining his aesthetics with organic, clean lines.

“I am a little sculptor,” Arnold explains.

The jewelry is contemporary, for women who like an artistic look in their accessories. He decorates his works with touches of colorful gemstones such as the fiery mystic topaz or deep purple amethysts.

Arnold’s work has been sold in art galleries around the country, and he has been accepted into shows at the American Craft Council as well as the Ann Arbor Art Fair. His work was selected by the World Gold Council for outstanding contemporary designs, and he has a piece in the White House Permanent Collection, which was accepted during the Clinton presidency.From bottega bag , to stylish clutches, to travel wallets & mini purses, Barneys New York offers an impressive selection of designer bags.

He works from his studio and retail shop in Webster, but he travels the country to show his wares. He’s no stranger to 80-hour work weeks, having traveled for weeks at a time to different cities while his manager, Eve Lippert, watches over the Webster store. He estimates that he has shown at more than 500 craft shows.

Traveling the art-fair circuit became a financial necessity after his daughters Brittany and Chelsea were born. The girls would need school supplies, clothing and — eventually — college tuition, so Arnold worked tirelessly to support the family.

“You know how stores wait until Christmas for their big sales?” Arnold asks rhetorically. “Each show is a little Christmas.”

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In Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair," Maya Angelou says, "Hair is a woman's glory." The Bible has similar statements: "If a woman's hair is abundant, it is a glory to her" (Corinthians 11:15), and, "Gray hair is a crown of glory" (Proverbs 16:31).

Bottom line: Hair always has been important. Similarly to clothing, hair can signify status, heritage and history, and hairstyles represent expression of personal identity.

"J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere: Sartorial Moments and the Nearness of Yesterday" — on view through Sept. 29 at the Museum of the African Diaspora — is a striking exhibit that looks at hair and fashion in post-colonial Africa, from the mid-20th century up to the present day.

Organized by Olabisa Silva, director of the Contemporary Centre for Art, Lagos, and Oyinda Fayeke, an independent curator, "Sartorial Moments" is the first time Ojeikere's work has been displayed on the West Coast.

Born in Nigeria in 1930, Ojeikere is a studio photographer who has been documenting African fashion and hairstyles, both contemporary and traditional, since the mid-1950s. Concerned by an ever-increasing Western influence on Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, Ojeikere captured men and women in traditional dress and early adopters of Western fashions.

Six large, silver gelatin prints of women with elaborate hairstyles, from braids and twists to knots and ties, exemplify Angelou's "glory" sentiment. The styles, whether sculpted closely to the scalp or in spiky, antennaelike loops or caged towers, are the icing on the cake of personhood: a crown, a source of pride and a personal statement.

A stunning row of portraits pictures women with head ties: elaborate, beautifully folded, tucked and wound fabric hair wraps. Some have demure, Vermeer-like head turns and others a candid humor, but all are regal. A vertiginous head tie turns a woman's profile into the shade of Nefertiti.

About 30 smaller images, largely dating from the 1950s into the 1970s, are an assortment of traditional and modern dress; some have both.

Two men in shades in 1970 are too cool for school, while many of the women are textbook examples of the pinup femininity spearheaded by Dior's "New Look," a style recently revived by "Mad Men."

Tradition and trend cross over in several images, including one from 1964 with four women in head ties and traditional Nigerian dresses, all holding patent-leather handbags that look identical (but aren't quite) that today are highly coveted by fashionistas.

The show is a delight not only for those interested in vintage fashion and the history of traditional costume, but also for Ojeikere's keen and fastidious eye. His images are as noteworthy for their content as for their intrinsic beauty, humor and joy.

The sirens began blaring at the crowded arts festival in Cincinnati. As a native Rochesterian who hadn’t spent time in tornado country, jewelry artist Chip Arnold had no idea it was a tornado warning. With not enough time to evacuate, Arnold and his teenage daughter, Brittany, held on to their tent as the gusts blew through.

“I don’t even know how we made it,” Arnold recalls.

But they held on. This, after all, is how he makes his living. Through winds, hail, rain as well as bright sunny skies, traveling artists such as Arnold have seen it all. With Rochester as a home base, a bevy of local craft artists — potters, jewelers, sculptors, painters, woodworkers — take their wares to juried art shows around the country. Many are highly competitive art shows where only a small percentage of the artists who apply are invited. Some of the more prestigious fairs include the American Craft Council shows in Baltimore and Atlanta, The Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and the Ann Arbor Art Fair.

Fans of the fine craft show circuit will find a large community of artists from the Rochester region. Local artists say that’s because we have a vibrant, supportive arts atmosphere here that draws creative types. Institutions such as Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts and Alfred University help spark the creative juices here, and the lower cost of living makes it possible for artists to engage in their passion as a full-time career.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

“There are so many creative people working in Rochester,” says knitwear artist Andrea Geer.

“We all form a bond,” adds Sharon Diebolt, who creates a line of wood purses with her husband, Mark. Rochester artists get to know each other on the road and develop friendships.

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It has suddenly become much more profitable  to smuggle gold, and the underworld is very interested.

Consider this: In June, customs in Delhi and Mumbai seized 35 kg of gold worth over Rs. 9 crore. There were 10 seizures in Delhi alone. And sources in Mumbai said that 10-12 kg of smuggled metal is getting past customs and into waiting hands in the city — every day.

Smuggling syndicates, which had operated at a low intensity since liberalisation in the 1990s relaxed controls, have stepped up the action, often employing passengers who carry the gold — and the risk — for them.

The reason for the sudden surge:  With the fall in the value of the rupee against the dollar, gold costs Rs. 2.5 lakh per kg more in India than in Dubai, a price gap that has  widened from Rs. 1 lakh in less than a month’s time.

Import duties have risen to 8% from 6% and some banks have stopped selling gold coins, heightening Indians’ traditional hunger for the yellow metal.
Syndicates pay the flyer Rs. 50,000 per kg plus costs.

If caught, he gets nothing. That’s a clean profit to smuggling groups of just under Rs. 2 lakh per kg for a three-hour operation — the time it takes to fly someone with the cargo from Dubai.
 
A customs official said that organised syndicates were using “carriers” in large numbers, and another added: “The moment a carrier is caught, the syndicate members send their men to pay the bail amount and get him out.”

The carriers get bail easily as the offence is bailable.

Officials said smugglers had come out with innovative ways to conceal gold.

In recent cases in Mumbai and Delhi, officials found carriers concealing gold bars in socks, undergarments, in trouser waistbands, shoe soles and false cavities in handbags.

One man even tried to bring in gold in the form of staple pins. Gold has also been found inside TV sets.

Customs department sources also said that last month has seen a change in smuggling pattern, with more and more gold bars being smuggled than the earlier practice of smuggling jewellery.

Legal imports have plummeted to 40 tonnes in June from 162 tonnes in May and 142 tonnes in April.

“The syndicates are taking advantage of this by enhancing smuggling attempts to push gold, obtained through illegal channel, in the market,” said a gold trader.

Kumar Jain, vice-president of Mumbai Jewellers Association, said the government should take measures to reduce the gap in Dubai and India prices.

“They should also consider bringing down the duty. After the duty hike recently, so many attempts of smuggling have taken place,” said Jain.

Fashionistas who are ready to update their wardrobe with the latest new styles can check out the sizzling new arrivals from Jessica Simpson. MyReviewsNow.net's partner in style has just released the newest sandals, pumps, and wedges that can take women from day to night this summer. Making access to the latest styles even easier, all orders that total over $100 will ship to any address for free.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

Always a trendy fashion diva who is dressed to impress at all the Hollywood functions, Jessica Simpson has brought affordable style to women everywhere. From handbags, shoes and belts to dresses, blouses and jeans, women will find everything they need to dress like a star. Featuring the famous and unique style that is sure to turn heads no matter where the summer takes you, Jessica Simpson designs feature animal prints, bright and bold colors, and flattering cuts that benefit every type of body.

"Jessica Simpson designs are hip and of the moment," commented Todd Maxwell of MyReviewsNow. "Updating the wardrobe at the start of summer is made easy with all these new styles. The sizzling summer shoe collection will have you walking in with confidence to barbecues, roof deck parties, and wherever the summer will take you!"

Fashion forward people who are ready to check out the newest styles for themselves can see all the new arrivals from designer Jessica Simpson when they visit MyReviewsNow.net's Clothing & Apparel Portal. On the shipping website they will have access to exclusive sales for a number of popular online stores, and they will be able to learn about new coupon codes and products on the shopping blog. In addition, shoppers can take advantage of the friendly shopping community at MyReviewsNow.net. They can check out consumer reports left by other shoppers about their personal experiences with products and stores, or they can submit their own reviews.

on their website www.anmison.com for more information.
 

The next five months are going to be the toughest in Botswana's post-2008 era. Water rationing is upon us, a creepy signal that we are in a crisis. We don't have water and this has serious implications. First, we are going to have a serious shortage of milk because of the dry spell that has left us with very limited choices. Since beer prices have been hiked several times in recent months, many people have resorted to drinking tea. All of a sudden, tea is going to be an expensive commodity in the next few weeks.Everything has become so expensive that even going to the bathroom in a friend's house will soon be charged for. We should learn to limit our visits to friends and relatives in the coming months or else we will have to contribute something to their pockets. Can you imagine - you have saved water in your last two buckets - one for yourself, the other for your children, preserved for the coming two days or more, before water flows your way. And then from nowhere comes an army of so-called friends invading your lounge. Hell!Some of them do not have ditlhong, they visit with their kids, moms and even distant relatives. First they ask for your last drop to drink. 'Ke kopa metsi a a nowang foo' they start. The next thing they want to visit your loo. He banna! You are caught between a rock and a hard place - having to save this friendship and having to save your water to be able to respond when nature calls.

I recommend that friends should visit for only 20 minutes and leave, or they should pay for the loo.The next five months are going to be challenging indeed. We will have to come up with new ways of doing things.People have to carry with them sekupunyana/skoop in the boot. Another alternative can be these dikupu normally used by soldiers in combat, field trips or during training. Even a flask will ease the situation. For women its simple, they just put the flask or the skoop in their handbags.Maybe we should also find a way of making sure that the few drops left in our dams and reservoirs are enough for us all. We should put our security agents at all our entry points - border-gates and the airport.

Every visitor should produce at-least five litre-sekupu and show it to the agents - this is for those visiting for two days only.Another alternative can be that we put a condition that visitors coming to spend more than a week in our beautiful country bring with them a 25-litre container. We should explain to them that we have no choice but to do it. Let us review our Visa application forms to include a clause that makes it compulsory to bring water when you visit this country. It's simple, we don't have water, and water is a security issue.As we move forward, and there is no improvement we can then find excuses to deport more of these guys. Hei. They should leave us alone in our dry country. We cannot afford to share the little water with people who have a choice of going home when things get even worse. No!We should also deploy security agents in conferences, who should monitor the number of times people visit the bathrooms at events where large crowds are converging.From bottega bag , to stylish clutches, to travel wallets & mini purses, Barneys New York offers an impressive selection of designer bags.

For instance, if there is an event at some Convention Centre, our agents should distribute toilet coupons and make sure that no individual exceeds their limit/quota. If they do exceed, its up to them, they will see what to do with whatever will be troubling them at that point in time. It will irresponsible for any individual to exceed their quotas when they know the what we are facing as a nation, ke mathata.The last but not least, Water Useless Corporation (WUC) should allow us to drill water from our homesteads, since they resolved to close all boreholes on the grounds that it was expensive to operate them (boreholes).It was only a few months ago when they took over as solo suppliers of water in the country, and they closed our boreholes.Instead of harassing Basarwa, maybe we should engage them to share skills on how to survive for days without a drop of water. We should get skills on how to draw water from anything, ranging from wild fruits, tree trunks to a rock.

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Police are defending a decision to ask the family of a Christchurch handbag theft victim to organise security camera footage in a bid to identify the offender.

Violet Fraser, 84, had her handbag containing $1140 stolen from Westfield Riccarton on Sunday. She had mistakenly left it under a seat near Wendy's Supa Sundaes.

The money was to pay her rates and insurance accounts.

When she returned with her daughter, Mandy Fraser, 50, moments later it was gone.

An hour later mall security found the handbag in the women's toilets. The money was gone.

The police were contacted and on Wednesday the Frasers received a letter from them asking Mandy Frasher to arrange with Westfield to get the CCTV footage and send it to a police website.

The letter also asked for Mandy Fraser to identify where they were in the mall and what they were wearing.

 The letter told Mandy Fraser to arrange for the mall to "upload still photos from video footage" and send it to police. It said she should tell mall management not to "dispose" of the original video footage "unless instructed to do so".

The letter also said if police didn't receive CCTV footage the theft complaint would be filed - effectively no further investigation.

Mandy Fraser told The Star she was upset police had asked her to seek out CCTV footage which might have been able to identify the thief. She believes it is the police's job to do that.

After The Star made inquiries with the police on Wednesday about the situation they contacted Westfield themselves for the CCTV footage.

The footage did not identify an offender.

A Christchurch police spokeswoman said asking Mandy Fraser to source the CCTV footage was the logical thing to do in this case.

As there were multiple CCTV cameras in the mall the only way of accurately pinpointing which one had possibly captured the theft was to get the Frasers to liaise directly with the mall.

Otherwise the police would have had to have taken the Frasers back to the mall.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

"If we contacted them what are we going to ask for? We would have to bring her back in to do it. It is easier if they do it because they know where they were at what time.

"This means the footage received is likely to be more of value than if requested by police," the spokeswoman said.

She also said the theft highlighted how careful people needed to be when they left handbags unattended.

People should also think twice about carrying large amounts of money, she said.

Mandy Fraser said her mother didn't like using Eftpos and had withdrawn the money from a bank at the mall shortly before the theft.

 The numbers swelled quickly and by 1965 there were 33 playing members. The club also developed a social side and a tradition of Christmas parties and holiday weekends developed.

Competitions were also organised, as were charity bridge events which have raised money for a variety of good causes over the years.

With a waiting list in 1976 the club decided to expand and a mortgage was taken out to buy new premises – Mr Bumbles Parlour – in Wells Promenade, which was formally opened in 1978.

It is still the club’s headquarters and where its 240 members meet to play bridge every week. The oldest member is 95 and the president in golden jubilee year is Les Jones.

Olicana Bridge Club is organising lessons for both beginners and improvers starting in September. The beginners’ classes will be in the daytime midweek and also Wednesday at 7pm.

A second course will run at 2.15pm on Wednesday.

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Honey's Unique Boutique, Pompton Lakes' newest shopping destination, is a retail and consignment shop with a twist.

Owner Jeannie Tonnesen just opened the store on June 17, and plans to have a grand opening around the Fourth of July. Located on 22 Lakeside Ave, the boutique sells top-of-the-line clothing for men and women and offers a selection of handbags, jewelry, shoes, and household items as well.

"The unique part of it is that we carry top-of-the-line women's clothes but we also take consignment clothes affordable to this area," Tonnesen said.

Prospective shoppers can find women's designer companies such as Vivace, Urban Mix, 90 Degree, and The Mustard Seed Clothing Co. hanging from the boutique's clothing racks. There are custom-made handbags that adorn the walls next to designer brands like Vera Bradley, shoe racks that are stocked with the latest styles, and jewelry that's all brand new except for a few vintage pieces.

According to Tonnesen, the most expensive item at the store is a $150 prom dress that's three-times cheaper than its original price. A Mustard Seed full-party dress that's originally priced at $140, sells at Honey's Unique Boutique for just under $40, and on average, women's fashion items sell for $20.

"I carry household items, a lot of handbags, pictures, small pieces of furniture – a lot of which is done specifically to people's needs," she said. "If you'd like an item enhanced with crystals or artwork, we can do that for you too."

As an artist, Tonnesen enjoys the process of personalizing items, some of which include flower pots, small pieces of furniture, shirts, pants, and handbags. If a customer sees a nightstand that they like, Tonnesen can customize it as long as they place an order well in advance. She can do this for clothes and handbags as well. Some of the items that she creates are also carried by local stores.

Other features of the store include porcelain and Dresden china and a wall of electronics. The electronics wall contains devices such as portable DVD players and small televisions, all of which are new.

Honey's Unique Boutique has a spacious layout and an updated design with modern features that are clean, neat, and contribute positively to the shopping experience.

"It's light, bright, and airy," Tonnesen said. "We strive to maintain a comfortable shopping experience."

Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; on Thursday the store is open until 6 p.m., and Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Be sure to visit often because the inventory changes on a daily basis.

 Members of Olicana Bridge Club were stepping back in time to the 1960s this week to celebrate the club’s golden jubilee year.

Yesterday, Wednesday, saw members enjoying a full day of celebrations with a theme of the swinging sixties – featuring fancy dress and lots of food and drink.

In the afternoon hats, handbags and gladrags were donned by those visiting the club’s premises in Wells Promenade, Ilkley, to enjoy afternoon tea.

A second event in the evening had a theme of ‘We’re all going on a summer holiday’ with bubbly and snowballs on arrival for guests and food with an international theme.

Committee member Molly Bell’ who came up with the idea of a ’60s themed event, said: “We wanted to mark the day in a way that is quite different but also a lot of fun.

“Around 145 members participated in celebrations throughout the day with prizes on offer for all sorts of things – bridge can be a lot of fun!”Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

The club has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 1963. Four ladies who had been regularly playing bridge together on a Friday evening decided to encourage their husbands to join them.

On January 15, 1963, the first club meeting was held. and a committee was formed with Bill Hunter as chairman and president. The first decision was to call the club Olicana Bridge Club.

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Plenty of companies have turned Pinterest into a de facto catalogue as a way to drive online sales. Nordstrom (JWN) is going in the other direction: stretching the image-based social network into its brick-and-mortar stores.

In March, the department store chain started marking its “most-pinned” products from Pinterest with little “P” logos at two stores near its Seattle headquarters. Now Nordstrom has expanded the initiative to 13 of its 248 locations in a trial that will end just before the company’s big anniversary sale later this month. The Pinterest push marks the latest play by the 112-year-old brand to leverage tech startups for in-store sales.

In a sense, Nordstrom’s move to bring an aspect of Pinterest into its stores was just a way the company could mesh with an online environment its shoppers had embraced. The department store has 4.5 million followers on the social network, many more than its closest department store rivals combined. “We had such a large and engaged Pinterest community already,” says Nordstrom spokesman Colin Johnson. Executives had already adopted Pinterest as a tool, he adds, ”to find out what’s exciting for our customers—and what’s inspiring them.”

Nordstrom has a Pinterest page featuring Boo, the world’s cutest dog, perhaps a nod to the Internet’s cute-animal obsession. But the Pinterest campaign goes beyond fluffy puppies and super-saturated shoe photos: Nordstrom uses the items pinned by its followers to help manage inventory. The company developed an app that lets workers on its sales floor access a “dashboard” that cross-references the most-pinned handbags, shoes, and other offerings with the products in stock at that location. “If we’re not deep in stock in something,” Johnson says, bookmarking something on Pinterest is “not going to help the customer.”

A dress marked as “most-pinned” near one Nordstrom might not hold that distinction elsewhere, and the company can shift supplies to match. There are other layers of geography to consider, too. A pair of much-pinned snow boots probably aren’t going to sell well in a Sun Belt store, even if Nordstrom has them in stock. Johnson says the strategy is more about “engagement” than a way to drive revenue. “You get such great instant feedback that it makes a lot of sense that you’d want to capture it,” he says.

The goal is to develop a consumer label that will rate apparel, from a jacket to a pair of jeans, based on a company's adherence to environmental and worker-safety practices.

Will the Bangladesh tragedies cause a shift in how consumers buy clothes?

"In the short term, yes," said Kimberly Elsbach, professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. "But people tend to slip back into old habits. … It's tough to keep people vigilant, especially when so many other things fight for our attention."

Elsbach said consumers would need more constant reminders, such as a "humane trade" label, similar to the "fair trade" tags found on edible products in grocery stores or organic food vendors. "If an entire (apparel) chain can guarantee humane trade, it's easier for someone to say, 'OK, I'll just shop at 'XYZ' chain, because I know their products are produced humanely,' " said the UC Davis professor.

Clothes-shopping on a recent summer afternoon in midtown Sacramento, elementary school teacher Suzy Brusca said she typically doesn't spend too much time checking labels, partly because it's hard to know how to judge a company's adherence to worker safety or environmental concerns.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

"When I look at labels, I don't know which ones are ethical and which aren't," said the Carmichael resident. "But it's just like with our food, where people started reading labels and following where it came from and what's in it.

"Maybe that's where we need to go with clothes."

'SUSTAINABLE' CLOTHING If you want apparel produced in environmentally friendly and/or humane manufacturing conditions, here are starting places.

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 Changes are coming to the 'Fire over the Fox' festival in downtown Green Bay Thursday. Any cooler and large type of bag will be prohibited from the festival area. Officials say the purpose is to keep the event safe and family friendly.

"There's a lot of excitement in the community," said Jeff Mirkes, president of the Festival Foods Fire over the Fox event.

Mirkes, who is also president of Downtown Green Bay and Olde Main Street, Inc., says the annual Fourth of July festival is one families look forward to; and safety is a big concern.

That's why the festival committee decided to ban carry-in coolers, large bags and alcohol.

"We do not see this as being a major problem to event attendees, said Mirkes.

The ban will be confined to the public areas within the festival: like Leicht Park, the Nitschke Bridge and the CityDeck. Chairs, blankets and other things like handbags are still allowed.

"I think to prohibit the carry-ins is a decision made by the committee that I think is appropriate," said Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt at the press conference announcing the changes.

Schmitt says ‘Fire Over the Fox’ brings roughly 100,000 people to the downtown area.

Schmitt says the bans will help ensure the event stays safe, in light of recent events like the Boston Marathon bombings.

"We haven't had problems in the past and I don't anticipate any,” said Schmitt. “But, at the end of the day, we need this to be an event that continues to grow and we want it to be safe."

So how will it be enforced, especially as the event has multiple entrance points throughout the entire festival? Officials say that will be up to the discretion of the police.

"It's going to be up to the officers discretion,” said Lt. Kevin Warych with the Green Bay Police Department. “Whether it be officers telling the person to take it back to their car."

About 50 Green Bay police officers will be patrolling the festival on foot, bicycle and boat.

Officials also ask people that if you see something, to say something.

While festival goers will not be able to bring in their own alcohol, there will still be vendors selling drinks.

Mirkes says there will be signs posted at the various festival entrance points, reminding patrons of the new rules – and the old ones.

A former executive with Tiffany & Co. stole a little blue box bounty from the jeweler’s midtown Manhattan headquarters and resold it for more than $1.3 million, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun was arrested Tuesday at her home in Darien, Conn. She was to appear later in the day in federal court in Manhattan to face charges of wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property.

As vice president of product development, Lederhaas-Okun had authority to “check out” jewelry from Tiffany to provide to potential manufacturers to determine production costs. Authorities allege that after she left Tiffany in February, the company discovered she had checked out 164 items that were never returned.

According to a criminal complaint, the missing jewelry included “numerous diamond bracelets in 18-carot gold; diamond drop and hoop earrings in platinum or 18-carot gold; diamond rings in platinum; rings with precious stones in 18-carot gold; and platinum and diamond pendants.”

When confronted about the missing jewelry, Lederhaas-Okun claimed that she had left some of it behind at Tiffany and that some had been lost or damaged, the complaint said. But an investigation found that Lederhaas-Okun resold the goods to an unidentified international dealer for more than $1.3 million, it said.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

Bank records showed that since January 2011, the dealer wrote 75 checks to her or her husband for amounts of up to $47,400, the complaint said. Investigators also recovered purchase forms signed by Lederhaas-Okun that said the items were her personal property.

Authorities allege Lederhaas-Okun purposely checked out items valued at under $10,000 apiece to avoid detection. The company takes a daily inventory of all checked-out items worth more than $25,000.

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Beauty, handbags and a better control of licenses around the world meant Burberry was on trend with the City today.

The British luxury brand’s decision to take control of its beauty and fragrance business, expand its accessories lines and streamline its supply chain has wooed the analysts at HSBC.

Luxury expert Erwan Rambourg at the broker said the integration of Burberry’s beauty arm and its Japanese business are the “last big legacy issues” but they are being sorted quicker and more effectively than he first thought. The brand, which has hired actress Sienna Miller and fiancé Tom Sturridge, pictured, as the face of their latest campaign, no longer trades at a premium to the luxury goods sector. Rambourg raised his 2015 estimates and said that although Burberry is predominantly still a clothing brand, its handbags and accessories lines — where luxury brands make the real money — has “credibility” which is “increasing every year”.

The brand’s international expansion has been a success and now it has “operational excellence” and a “much better grip on its supply chain”, he added.

Burberry’s reliance on China has hit the share price recently as fears re-emerged on the growth in Asia. Burberry’s stock lost around 18% in June. Brenda Kelly, senior market strategist at IG, said: “Any continued slowing in China could well weigh on the price in the medium term.”

But today Rambourg raised his rating to overweight — up from neutral — with a target price of 1750p, up from 1530p. Punters were dedicated followers and it was the Footsie’s second highest riser, strutting up 43p to 1407p.

The wider market could not stay above the 6300 level achieved last night as traders were unsure of where the market was going due to an absence of new data. The FTSE100 fell 35.54 points to 6272.24.

Outsourcer Serco took top spot — up 29p to 654.3p — following a report it had won a $1.25 billion ($657million) US health contract.

Miners were shining after an improvement in metal prices — gold has rebounded from its worst quarterly slump. Chilean-based copper mining group Antofagasta rose 15.5p to 848p

On the mid-cap index, distribution group John Menzies said it remains on track to meet full-year expectations but it slipped 8.5p to 696.5p.

Grocer Ocado reported first-half earnings ahead of analysts’ forecasts. Its shares hit a record high last month after it announced a deal in May to supply supermarket group Morrisons but today the shares lost 6.6p to 305.6p after it reported a pre-tax loss of $3.8million.

Small-cap building firm Marshalls reported a dip in first-half sales but said there is no change in its full-year forecast. It retreated 0.75p to 134p.

AIM-listed MDM Engineering announced a dividend at its final results and it strengthened 5.5p to 137.5p.

Prakasam district police on Tuesday arrested three inter-district robbers involved in separate cases and recovered jewellery worth nearly Rs 18 lakh from their possession.

District police superintendent K Raghurami Reddy said a woman thief, Mekala Ramanamma of Gokavaram village in East Godavari district, was arrested near Ongole railway station while she was moving in a suspicious manner.

He said Ramanamma was an accused in three different theft cases over the past several months. Ramanamma used to travel in buses and trains and steal purses and handbags from co-passengers.

Police recovered 25 tolas of gold ornaments worth Rs 7 lakh from the possession of Ramanamma.From bottega bag , to stylish clutches, to travel wallets & mini purses, Barneys New York offers an impressive selection of designer bags.

In another case, police nabbed P Venkatesh of Chennai and recovered 25 tolas of gold and two kgs of silver ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh. Venkatesh is an expert in housebreaking and robbed six houses in Kandukur, Singarayakonda and Tangutur towns in the district.

Another robber Sathuluri Krishna of Kesavarajukunta area in Ongole was arrested and gold chains worth Rs 3.2 lakh and three two-wheelers were recovered from his possession. Singarayakonda inspector T Ashok Vardhan, town DSP P Jhashuva and Ongole rural CI Srinivasan were involved in the arrests.

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POLICE are hunting an attacker who mugged two elderly women in broad daylight in Poole last week.

The two incidents – which are now being linked by police – took place on Thursday and Friday in The Avenue, Branksome Park.

Both victims were taken to hospital as a result of the incidents.

As previously reported, on Thursday, an 89-year-old woman was attacked around 2.30pm, pushed to the ground and had her handbags and its contents snatched.

On Friday, a 91-year-old woman was robbed in the same area around 2pm and also knocked to the floor.

 A spokesperson for Dorset Police said both victims remain in hospital, being treated for a broken arm and fractured pelvis.

Police have issued a description of the attacker saying he is of a medium build, possibly in late teens to early 20s, around 5ft10 to around 6ft tall with dark hair.

He was wearing a dark jacket and dark trousers.

Both victims had their handbags with purses and personal items stolen.

Nothing has yet been recovered.

In response to the frightening incidents police have increased patrols in the area to provide reassurance to people.

Leader of the Borough of Poole, Cllr Elaine Atkinson, described the attacks as “horrendous and callous”.

 She said: “I would just encourage anyone with information to report it to the police, and for residents in the area to keep themselves as safe as possible.

“The police and the Safer Poole Partnership will be giving advice and information in the wake of these awful crimes. The area also has a fantastic Neighbourhood Watch and I'm sure they will also be issuing advice.”

Cllr Atkinson said the police will be doing “everything they can” to find the perpetrators.

“It's very shocking to hear about it”, she added.

On Thursday, armed officers were threatened with an axe at a property in Bournemouth Road, Parkstone while making inquiries about the first vicious mugging.

ingle-use plastic bags will be the target of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors when it meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the county administration building, 105 E. Anapamu St., in Santa Barbara.

The board will discuss how the county could develop an ordinance regulating the use of plastic carryout bags and how the ordinance would be enforced. Members also will decide on a budget for modifying the final environmental impact report provided to the county by the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON) if the effort moves forward.

The supervisors voted May 17 to provide $35,000 in 2013-14 general fund money to develop a draft ordinance and modify BEACON’s environmental impact report.

According to the county staff report, an estimated 20 billion single-use plastic bags are used each year in California, including about 658 million in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which were the target of BEACON’s environmental impact report.

Statewide proposals to ban single-use bags in 2012 — Assembly Bill 298 and Senate Bill 568 — both failed to reach the ballot.

This year, SB 405 authored is making its way through the senate and assembly.

Seventy-six cities and counties throughout the state have ordinances banning the plastic bags. In Santa Barbara, Santa Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, only San Luis Obispo County and the cities of Carpinteria and Ojai have implemented ordinances.

The board will also consider adoption of an ordinance to revise Laguna County Sanitation District service charges and connection fees.

The proposed 11 percent rate hike would raise a typical household’s monthly bill by approximately $5.99, or $54.08 annually.

Four people were arrested during the raid.

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The market for branded and premium sunglasses in India is experiencing strong growth.

Although local players dominate the domestic market, the industry is changing rapidly, with more and more international brands stepping in to woo Indian customers.

Mehak Prakash is ready to splurge $387 on a pair of sunglasses from an Italian luxury label this summer.

Ms Mehak, who is a chocolatier, saves for a pair of new shades every summer.

She believes that, like luxury handbags, sunglasses too are a noticeable way to display and indeed acquire, the perceived cachet inherent in a designer brand.

She said: "I got this fetish three years ago and since then there was no looking back. Every season I pick up at least one pair if nothing else and the pricing can go up till 15,000-20,000 rupees. That is about $300-400."

The customers who share Ms Mehak's level of brand consciousness that have fuelled the sales of branded sunglasses in the Indian market, which is largely dominated by less-renowned players who lack the marketing focus of the big brands and whose products lack both quality and design protection.

According to a latest government survey, the premium sunglasses segment, which accounts for 30 per cent of the Indian eyewear market, is growing at 40 per cent a year.

Lalit Kalra, managing director at Dayal Opticals, said: "More and more awareness towards the fashion industry plus there are a lot of brands launching in India, like all the major brands have got stores now in New Delhi, so they are really affecting lots and lots of people. So more brand awareness is catching up, people are aware of brands and they want to spend on good brands, spending power is also increasing."

With sunglasses becoming a fashion statement, eyewear designers are introducing new shapes and colours every season to reflect the whims of buyers.

Analysts, who have traced the behaviour of this growing trend over the years, believe that India's fashion eyewear market has huge untapped potential.

Gurpreet Singh, owner of Xpert Opticians, said: "There are some very big players…They are already in India, like you name the brand, and it is available in Indian market. I think they are doing really good, especially in comparison to all over Asia, India and especially the north side in India. It is doing very well and yes, definitely there is much more scope."

Despite the whopping prices, Indians have over the years come to love their expensive sunglasses. Besides the other branded must-have objects like handbags and watches, shades too have emerged as a fundamental fashion accessory for more brand-conscious customers.  

Over at Silverstone, the handbags are out between two UK mobile networks ahead of the British Grand Prix. Why? Well it all comes down to what's on the Vodafone-sponsored cars.

Jenson Button's and Sergio Perez's jam jars are branded with Vodafone's yet-to-launch 'Ultrafast 4G' network. According to Vodafone, this annoyed EE somewhat, who contacted the red network "demanding" that the cars be garaged and the branding removed, TechRadar reports. EE claims it did nothing of the sort.

A Vodafone UK spokesperson told TechRadar there was no harm in branding the cars with its forthcoming service. "This is sponsorship, not advertising," they said. "The clue is in the team's name: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. We're using the cars to build further awareness of our forthcoming ultrafast 4G service.

"It's a 'static' promotion, albeit on a car that can travel at over 200mph. Consumers know Vodafone's ultrafast 4G is coming. We've said very publicly it will be here by the late summer. Even if someone seeing the car wasn't aware of that, there is no 'call to action' on it."

EE's response? It said it never made the demand, that it just thought it strange Vodafone would want to publicise a service that hasn't launched yet. "We're far from demanding Jenson get garaged, we're right behind him for tomorrow's race," a spokesperson said. "We simply asked why advertise a product that you don't have?

"When it comes to 4G mobile networks, Vodafone UK isn't even on the grid."

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For a growing number of Internet retailers, offline is the new online.

Across the country, retailers that existed only in cyberspace are opening — or thinking of opening — traditional stores at a time when e-commerce’s explosive growth has spawned a slew of dire predictions that brick-and-mortar retailing will become irrelevant or even extinct.

Online giant Amazon is actively exploring a store concept. Specialty retailers such as Warby Parker, which sells eyewear, and Bonobos, a men’s clothing company, already operate stores.

In Minnesota’s Twin Cities area, Sigma Beauty, a fast-growing, 4-year-old online makeup retailer, recently opened its first outlet — at the Mall of America.

“I feel that everything we’ve done with this company was backward,” joked Simone Xavier, who launched Sigma with her husband, Rene Xavier Filho. “But we wanted to put a face on the brand, and we wanted people to touch and feel the product.”

Moving from websites to storefronts may seem counterintuitive, as online retailers enjoy lower costs than brick-and-mortar chains such as Best Buy and Target, which have to pay store leases and hire salespeople. Plus, more and more shoppers are buying products online, using their laptops, smartphones or tablets.

For the first three months of 2013, e-commerce sales jumped 13 percent to $50.2 billion compared with the same period a year, according to comScore. The double-digit growth in online sales has often come at the expense of physical retailers, which is why companies such as Best Buy and Target are spending millions of dollars to upgrade their websites and mobile software.

But today’s retailer will gladly record a sale any way they can get it, said Jeff Green, a Phoenix-based retail consultant.

“It is strange to see e-commerce sites open physical stores,” Green said. “But when you think about it, it’s not surprising. The most successful retailers are going to have a combination of bricks-and-mortars and digital sales. For online retailers, you might as well get to the sale as close as you can.”

Bricks-and-mortar retailing may seem outdated, but the physical store still offers a credible and safe place for customers to examine the product, ask questions, buy and, if necessary, return it.

“It’s about taking the risk out of buying,” said Steven Dennis, a retail consultant and a former top executive with Neiman Marcus and Sears. That’s especially true of certain products such as clothing, shoes, handbags and eyeglasses, where consumers still prefer real store interaction vs. a purely digital experience.

Don’t expect online retailers to completely shed their digital roots. It’s one thing to open one experimental store in a suburban shopping center to showcase your products; quite another to operate dozens of stores in big malls or large cities, which requires money and expertise that are often beyond the reach of Internet firms.

In the case of Take Sigma Beauty, which was founded in 2009, the New Brighton, Minn.-based Internet makeup retailer quickly grew, thanks to its international reach and deft use of social media like YouTube. The company expects to generate $25 million in sales this year compared to $18 million in 2012.

Opening a store was never part of the plan, Xavier said.

But when the couple learned of available space at the Mall of America, they quickly jumped on it.

For one thing, Xavier said, although Sigma Beauty sells to customers in more than 100 countries, few people in Minnesota are aware of the company.

In addition, a retail space provides an ideal place for Sigma Beauty to host events like “beauty parties” in which the company recruits celebrity makeup experts from YouTube to offer personal makeup tutorials.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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While most of us make it a point to eat healthy and exercise as often as possible, we tend to ignore other simple things that actually take a toll on our well-being, The Times of India reports. Find out if you are compromising on your health everyday by indulging in these habits that you must say goodbye to pronto.

Wearing heels often
Do your back and feet a favour and keep the high heels only for special occasions. Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian may swear by their towering stilettos but they also have a battery of help to cater to their every need. An alarming number of women have started wearing heels on a daily basis, or every other day. And experts say that wearing high heels affects posture, puts a lot of pressure on joints and at times even lead to conditions like painful bunions, hammer toes, back pain and arthritis. Not to mention the risk of twisting your leg and falling down.
Damage control: Ensure that if you have to wear heels often, they aren't more than 1.5 inches. Alternatively, carry a pair of flats while you travel and wear heels only for some time. Rest your feet after wearing heels by soaking feet in warm water.

Lugging around a heavy handbag
Most women's handbags weigh an average two to five kilos. Shocked? You should be. The sheer number of things women keep and carry in their handbags can scare most men off. But carrying around such heavy bags put your health at risk - you're inviting health problems like back, neck and shoulder pain. Your posture also goes for a toss - lugging around a heavy bag will make you slouch sooner or later.
Damage control: Make it a habit to empty your bag every week or two and carry only absolutely necessary items. Or even better - switch to a smaller bag to avoid the temptation of putting more things in your handbag.

Not removing your make-up at night
Sometimes even the most meticulous women give in and don't remove their make-up before turning in at night. While this cardinal sin is a strict no-no, what you should know is that leaving makeup on all night is inviting skin problems. Your face needs to be cleaned of the makeup, dirt and oil at the end of the day or you will face problems like clogged pores, tired looking skin and pimples. Wearing eye makeup overnight can cause eye irritation or even infection.
Damage control: Keep a bottle makeup remover and cotton swabs right next to your bed so that no matter how tired you are, you can just reach out and remove the makeup.
Dwelling over the past
When you refuse to let go or stop thinking of your past or worrying incessantly about the future, you are damaging your present as well your future. Mental stress can drain you of energy and affect you in more ways than you realise. And according to studies, women have a higher chance of suffering from stress-related disorders than men.
Damage control: If you find yourself depressed or anxious, ask yourself what is causing it. Is it a broken relationship or health woes? Address the problem at the root and don't be afraid of asking for help.
Worrying about looks
Vanity affects both the sexes but it affects a far larger number of women than men. And women have a range of body issues, which can take a toll on them mentally. Going on numerous diets, having eating disorders and undergoing excessive cosmetic surgery can cause you physical harm.
Damage control: Toss those beauty magazines in the trash and improve your body image by making a conscious effort. Be happy with what you've been given.
Emotional eating
When was the last time you reached out for that comfort food and guiltily ate it? Women are genetically more emotional than men while comfort eating affects both sexes, it is said that men tend to eat emotionally when they're happy and women when they are upset. And women tend to satiate their cravings with sweet, high calorie foods instead of healthier options.From bottega bag , to stylish clutches, to travel wallets & mini purses, Barneys New York offers an impressive selection of designer bags.
Damage control: Next time instead of allowing the carvings to get the better of you (and your waistline), distract yourself with something other than food.
Not sleeping enough
Do you get your eight hours of sleep every night? Or do you scrimp and then sleep all weekend? Don't blame a hectic lifestyle or stress on not getting enough sleep. Not only can inadequate sleep make you feel lethargic, it can also make you look like hell, apart from causing accidents, overeating and an increased heart disease risk. Sleep affects your blood pressure and mood more than it affects men.
Damage control: Go to sleep early as often as you can and wake up at the same time everyday.

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It’s fairly common knowledge by now that St. Darren Lehmann and John Inverarity are firmly wedged between a rock and a hard place regarding selections for the first Ashes Test.

Right now, the only players well-and-truly inked in for Nottingham are Shane Watson, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and James Pattinson. The four left in the top six are up for debate, but Chris Rogers seems a relatively safe bet to open with Watto.

The depth in the fast bowling means any combination will acquit themselves well, but the presumptive incumbents in Harris and Siddle have been shaken up by Mitchell Starc’s new romance with the Duke ball.

However, the Ashes – this Ashes – only have the currency of bragging rights. Whoever has custody of the cremated bails in September should be mindful that they’re only on loan until January, after which they’ll sit in a cabinet for another three and a half years, only occasionally to be dusted off and waved at the old enemy.

It so happens that back-to-back Ashes will work to Australia’s advantage come the final showdown in the sunburnt country.

This Ashes will uncover the batsmen who can truly be relied on, the bowlers who keep their lines and lengths through thick and thin, and the patience of Lehmann to finally gel the Watson/Clarke divide.

Let’s not delude ourselves here. Lehmann, for all his positives, is not a panacea in himself. There will be losses, setbacks and controversies. No point ruling out an innings defeat or off-field handbags within the team. A major away series is the ultimate baptism of fire, as even the champions in 2005 found out.

Luckily for us antipodeans, ancient chemistry is on our side because steel is forged in fire.

After the Oval Test we will have a much better idea of who plays better under pressure, who can handle the swinging ball and who the ball should be thrown to when the chips are down. The short-term disarray will ultimately uncover pretenders and performers on the biggest stage possible.

If you’re still skeptical about how adversity brings out the best in batsmen, have a squiz at the 2006/07 whitewash of the Poms. Who made runs against a line-up of greats hellbent on vengeance? Kevin Pietersen and Alistair Cook. Who made our lives a misery for the next two series? The aforementioned.

A callow Cook in particular cemented his reputation as the consummate rock of the top order and grew to become the most prized wicket in the Test team.

Some emperors might have no clothes – but even when starkers they are emperors regardless.

This series might be written off as a lost cause to the English – but let’s find out who will stand in their way.

“Come into the stores – once you meet us, we’re lovely people,” Sabee grins. “We’re like bartenders – the things people have shared with me .. the connections you make … children, families, parents, dogs, they’re your friends. If they do come into our stores, I think they’ll get that.”

This brings the conversation back around to the stores that are gone. Like Sweetie.

“If I had to close my store … the thought brings tears to my eyes,” Sabee said. “It’s my lifeblood. Maybe people think these are hobbies? (But) it would be devastating. I know Joeanna [Sweetie proprietor] went out with grace and a positive attitude … it would be horrendous to close my store and I don’t ever want to have that.”From bottega bag , to stylish clutches, to travel wallets & mini purses, Barneys New York offers an impressive selection of designer bags.

“I’m an extrovert – I would crumble without interaction,” Walsh adds. “I don’t think it enhances our ability to get along with one another if we’re not talking to each other.” That rolls into the big picture, she posits, recalling the violence-prevention curriculum she once represented as an education-company salesperson: “People should know that good social skills means good violence prevention – you wind up not fighting because you learn how to join in.”
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Director Marc Forster has done the impossible. He's made an exciting and thoughtful zombie movie for grown-ups. "World War Z" is not the creepfest of the undead you might expect. It really plays out as a medical thriller in the mold of "The Andromeda Strain" or "Contagion."

The plot begins with the sudden appearance of a mystery virus infecting humans at astonishing speed. In seconds, it transforms people into violent carnivores with rabies-like symptoms. It overtakes the populations of big cities at a lightning pace until a growling army of mutants threatens all of mankind.

Brad Pitt is cool and credible as a United Nations troubleshooter called upon to hunt down the source of the virus. Hints of political intrigue add to the dramatic reality as the anxious search jumps from Korea to Israel to England.

Spectacular special effects include wide-angle shots and aerial views that boggle the mind. Yet subtle moments and a touch of humor are injected in just the right places to keep the story grounded. But it's the professional and understated performance of Pitt that provides the gravitas to anchor the wild story.

'Bling' isn't worth yours

Based on a 2010 Vanity Fair article, "The Bling Ring" is a detached look at a group of L.A. teenagers who formed their own home shopping network.

They easily broke into the unlocked homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom, to name a few, and helped themselves to clothes, jewelry and rolls of cash valued at more than $3 million.

What motivated them was the belief that the items would never be missed from the stars' overloaded closets, the chance to style and party like their celebrity idols and the assumption they'd never get caught.

It's shocking to see this crew of five (played by Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Claire Julien, Taissa Farmiga and Emma Watson) with absolutely no scruples and no sense. The same could probably be said for the parents who failed to take much interest in their whereabouts, education or future.

Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this, her fifth film, and she doesn't give us any empathy for any of the characters. What she shows is pure materialistic worship beyond what was depicted in her earlier "Marie Antoinette."

Coppola doesn't judge or openly mock them (although the ridiculous behavior of Watson's character certainly warrants it) and doesn't bother to ask why.

I wonder why she made "The Bling Ring." It's just a tabloid story put on film to cool music. It's as empty and shallow as one of Hilton's little jeweled handbags. Skip this one and save up for a little bling of your own.

JOHN DEPKO is a retired senior investigator for the Orange County public defender's office. He lives in Costa Mesa and works as a licensed private investigator. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a company in Irvine.

The relationships include service. Walsh recalls buying a clay pot from JF Henry next door: “I had never tried cooking with clay pots – but Tom (Henry) took the time to explain it to me. … I’ve made a lot of friends.”

Sabee smiles at her: “I consider you a friend, and you were a customer.”

Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for bottega purses.

Walsh recalls talking to Sabee when she first considered opening up a shop. Now, they analyze trends together, in addition to the aforementioned commiseration. They believe West Seattle residents are spending money in shops – but maybe in other districts, such as downtown, as well as online. Walsh says a friend with a downtown boutique between the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market is doing really well, with a “steady stream of traffic and tourists.”

The Junction might not get many tourists, but with 85,000 people in West Seattle – and more coming – there’s certainly potential for more shopping. A lot more shopping. The Lindas wonder aloud what it will take – how they can “coax” people into giving local shops a try.

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Luo Wenguang can't say the exact number of Chihuahuas he has, but he narrowed it down to somewhere between 120 and 130. Luo, a single 51-year-old man who stands an imposing 6-feet tall, does not worry about his masculinity being damaged by being so closely associated with the cute, tiny dogs most famous for being carried in heiresses' handbags.

"Some people have golden retrievers or Tibetan mastiffs to show their manliness. But you know, what matters is knowing the importance of dogs and loving them. After all, I already feel powerful in my exhibition business and I don't need to prove anything," said Luo.

Luo is best-known for his career as the founder and general manager of Beijing Sidex Exhibition Service. In his earlier years, he also won international prizes for his pottery, painting and singing. He is a consultant for commerce and agriculture organizations too. Luo also has many more pursuits he'd like to follow. "I might go to a rural area and become a volunteer-teacher, or start an old people's home," said Luo.

The dog pound

But for now, he is tethered to his Chihuahuas. To take care of his dogs Luo bought a traditional courtyard house, and a new apartment close by.

With the help of his full-time assistant, Luo has set up the supersized dog house in accordance with strict, scientific breeding principles. Luo calculates the precise amount of space the dogs need. He lets them out according to a staggered schedule. Outsiders are forbidden from visiting. Even friends and like-minded Chihuahua enthusiasts must be sanitized before entering the house since they might carry bacteria. This reporter was forbidden from entering.

At his apartment in Shunyi district, filled with assorted books on Chihuahua raising from all over the world, Luo lit up a cigarette and said, "I want no fame or profits out of this. My Chihuahuas are not for sale."

This hobby is a luxurious one. Luo has spent more than 2 million yuan ($325,000) on food and medical supplies, in addition to the cost of the house and assistant. "We buy the best pork legs and grind them with canned dog food. We also give them calcium tablets, vitamins and other nutriments."

The whole thing started by mistake, when one of Luo's friends borrowed about 10,000 yuan from Luo to buy a Chihuahua 20 years ago. Unable to pay back the money, the friend gave the dog to Luo, triggering a lifelong, obsessive love affair. "They say I am a weirdo, a geek," he said.

Now Luo is a prize-winning breeder. With their pure descent, beautiful shape, noble walk and graceful gestures, Luo's dogs have won about 120 prizes in international and domestic dog competitions.

Luo shares his experiences with other Chihuahua owners in QQ groups, and sometimes gets into arguments over different opinions.

Luo is recognized as "father of Chihuahuas in China" in breeding circles. "They call me 'the big boss'," he said. People say nobody will overtake his accomplishments for years, but he modestly admits that there's still room for him to grow. "I'll keep studying and surpassing myself," said Luo."Actually it's quite annoying that you win every time."

Luo is obsessed with purebred Chihuahuas. "They are beautiful and cute. Purebreds have apple-shaped heads, thick hair, big eyes and erect ears," said Luo. "Recently I heard a cross-breed weighs about 18 kilograms," said Luo with disapproval, proudly noting that his purebreds weigh at most 2.7 kilograms.

Basically there are two kinds of Chihuahuas, short-haired and long-haired, with the latter being more expensive and rare. Luo is one of the first to breed long-haired Chihuahuas in China. After generations of breeding, his dogs' long-haired genes are sturdy.

Origin of species

Luo studies the origin of each dog and its ancestors before he starts to do his match-making magic. He says he can control the fur colors and gender ratios of the puppies before they are born.

"I like Chihuahuas because learning about their genetics is fun and never-ending," said Luo. He knows, for example, how the weather affects the length of a female's labor, and how to predict the ratio of female and male puppies.

 Luo has a bigger dream than just breeding the best Chihuahuas in the world. "They are called 'lap dogs', and are best as companions. Imagine when the children get married. The parents grow old and get lonely," Luo said. "Chihuahuas follow their owner around. They don't attack, and are best for a Chinese family."

A Chihuahua's health is very fragile. "More than 90 percent of the births are difficult," said Luo. He has to take the dogs for cesarean sections, which cost thousands of yuan each time.

 "To me, the cesarean sections are brutal enough, so I won't have let females get pregnant more than three times." Dog breeders are usually associated with brutal behaviors, such as forced mating, frequent artificial insemination, and cruel midwifery.

Luo says many mate one dog twice a day, or starve a pregnant dog so that the dog can give birth more naturally. Luo condemns such behavior.

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THEIR frustration could be seen by the continual shaking of their heads as the long queue, moving at a snail's pace, snaked to the check point.

Luke Marange (42), and his wife, Chipo Mushowe (34), of Dangamvura in Mutare had been in the queue for a gruelling four hours before they could pass Beitbridge border post into Zimbabwe last week, as congestion at the border continues unabated.

The couple were on their way home from a shopping trip in South Africa.

When Standardcommunity visited the South African side, shoppers and tourists could not hide their anger at the long time they spent passing through Beitbridge border post.

They accused immigration officials from both sides of the border of taking too much time to clear a single person, causing unnecessary congestion.

"We spend about one and a half hours waiting to be cleared at the Musina border post. There were scores of people in the queue when we arrived and the queue was moving at a snail's pace as the immigration workers took their time to clear us," said the visibly exhausted Marange.

But the one and half hours delay at the South African side was nothing compared to the three and half hours the couple later spent at the Zimbabwean side.

Tempers flared as Zimbabwe Revenue Authorities (Zimra) officials started rummaging through the travellers' luggage, searching for those who had evaded paying duty.

The officials took their time searching each and every bag, box and even women's handbags.

"We used to complain of the South Africa immigration officials ill-treating us, but our own people have become even worse," fumed Mushowe. "They are also very slow and do whatever they want with us.

Imagine, we wait about an hour before they even attend to us."

She added: "The level of professionalism at the border post has gone down and we just wonder when this problem will come to an end? I think they enjoy seeing us stuck here at the border."

Mushowe claimed that those who paid bribes to avoid paying duty and had their papers processed quickly.

The Standardcommunity also noticed that a queue for vehicles was stretching up to 100 metres waiting to be cleared.

Efforts to get a comment from the immigration officials at the border were fruitless.

Beitbridge is the busiest border post in southern Africa, handling about 9 000 travellers daily. The figure sometimes soars up to over 25 000 during holidays.

Tourism players have also repeatedly called on the government to resolve the problem of congestion, as it was a "death penalty" to the industry.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive officer, Karikoga Kaseke recently said an interim board had been set up by government to address the crisis at the border post to guarantee the swift flow of travellers and traffic, ahead of the United Nations Tourism World Organisation (UNWTO) meeting.

The Calvin Klein man for next summer keeps men in their comfort zone, with a solid focus on basics in reassuring blues. There are bomber jackets, suits with cuffed pants and classic shirts.

Designer Italo Zucchelli offers up monochromatic looks predominantly in blues: wake-up royal, soothing sky and down-to-business navy. Classic double-pocket snap-close shirts are paired with same-color pants that cuff at the ankle. They in turn are worn with a shoe of the matching color and same-color socks — none of the black socks seen on other runways.

Bomber jackets come in white with classic blue vertical stripes, perfect for a day at the ballpark.

On the more daring end of the spectrum, sweatshirts are made of a funky mix of fabrics: One had a neoprene effect, another was chunky knit and finally there were cotton panels. Together, they create a harmonious clash fitting of the heavy metal riffs that resounded down along the runway.

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For young Chinese men, the cost of marrying their lady love, especially a city girl, just keeps going up.

The latest bad news spreading on the Internet is a small, self-reporting survey and correlating map of China, indicating where the priciest and most affordable brides live. Everybody's talking about it and what it says about their marriage prospects and a materialistic society.

The results was released last week: Shanghai girls are the costliest in the nation in terms of what it calls "betrothal gifts" or pin li (聘礼). The price of marrying a Shanghai woman is 100,000 yuan (in cash, ring, jewelry, handbags, luxury gifts) and an apartment. No. 2 is Tianjin at 60,000 in cash and gifts, plus an apartment.

Chongqing is on the bottom of the list, where respondents indicated the cost was zero, but that's hard to believe in this day and age of materialism.

"If I was a bride-to-be in Shanghai, I would have been so happy. But unfortunately, I am a bridegroom-to-be," says Peter Fu, a 28-year-old professional.

"This news is like a thunderbolt. My parents are worried because they already bought an apartment that cost them two million yuan (US$326,320)," he tells Shanghai Daily. Originally his parents agreed to buy a one-carat diamond ring for his bride, but this news about more cash and gifts puts a burden on them, he says. "This is tragedy for the bridegroom's family."

Many people say that the rocketing prices in real estate is driven by mothers-in-law, since nearly all of them demand the bridegroom's family buy a new apartment, the bigger the better.

"Frankly, it doesn't matter to me whether I live with my in-laws because they already have a big apartment," says Rachel Lin, a 28-year-old employee in a public relations company. "But my mother told me how inconvenient it would be to live with my in-laws and said I needed independent space for myself and my husband."

She called the requirement of buying a new apartment in Shanghai "daunting." Her fiance's family agreed to give the couple 1 million yuan as a down payment, but that still means a million yuan mortgage costing nearly 10,000 yuan a month. "That really eats into our salaries and will lower our life quality," she says.

She says she'd rather rent, spare the headache of ownership and "use the money for overseas travel and buying clothing for myself."

For some brides-to-be families, these requirements from the bridegroom are not simply about money but about the future status of their daughters in a new family.

"I am not an unreasonable person, but I still insist my daughter follow the mainstream for her betrothal gifts and apartment," says Wan Mengqi, who has a 25-year-old daughter. "If a man cannot prove that he is able to meet the average financial standard of society, then how could he guarantee a secure marriage for my daughter? Money isn't everything, but no money is nothing.

"The ripe age of young girl is so short and I believe the gifts show sincerity and respect of the bridegroom's family. I'm not asking for a big villa or a sum the groom's family cannot afford. Let's say its amount should hurt, but not wound," she laughs.

Mother-in-law-to-be Wan says the family of the bride also pays a considerable amount, what used to be called a dowry or jia zhuang (嫁妆).

"Usually the bride-to-be families in Shanghai are not the ones who don't know the rules," says Pan Yicheng, a 55-year-old primary school teacher with a 26-year-old daughter.

"We don't want to seem stingy and snobbish to the bridegroom's parents. We have a tacit understanding that we will pay for the complete renovation, outfitting and furnishing of the apartment, buy all the appliances and a car," she says.

She says that when the bride's family pitches in and shares some of the costs, the relations between the two families will be better in the future.

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The corruption of the welfare state is on display in a new undercover video from Project Veritas, which sent undercover videographers to get some of those free “Obamaphones”… while openly telling the corporate reps distributing the phones that they intended to sell them for drug money.

The corporate representatives were not fazed by this in the slightest.  One of them helpfully directed the undercover operative to a pawn shop, to find out how much cash he could get for that taxpayer-funded cell phone.  ”Yeah, I don’t care what you do with it,” the representative mutters.  Another rep seems mildly disturbed by the sale of these phones for drug money, but describes it as a fairly common practice.

One representative acknowledges that selling the phone is illegal, but suggests pleading the Fifth if caught.  (Project Veritas playfully illustrates this with a quick shot of IRS official Lois Lerner taking the Fifth to avoid congressional testimony.)

For an amusing change of pace, a female Project Veritas undercover filmmaker bursts into a profanity-laced rant about how she needs to “sell as many of these phones as possible to pay off my bills and stuff” – bills she ran up by purchasing designer handbags.  ”All I’m saying is, thank god for Obama, because Obama is basically paying for Louis Vuitton bag right now, if you know what I mean,” she declares.  That’s laying it on a bit thick, but the phone company representatives are serenely untroubled, advising her to keep her plans to herself.

(A disclaimer, which is also duly delivered by Project Veritas at the beginning of the video: the “free” cell phone program long predates the election of Barack Obama, but the phones have become widely known as “Obamaphones,” including among beneficiaries of the program.  Most Americans learned about this jaw-dropping excess of the welfare state when an Obama supporter was filmed ranting about “Obamaphones” at a Mitt Romney for President rally in 2012.  The true name of the program is “Lifeline,” its cell phone benefits began under President Bush, and it adds up to a cool $2.19 billion per year, sucked out of you taxpaying chumps through a surcharge on your monthly phone bills.)

If your blood isn’t boiling yet, wait until you see how company managers, including corporate executives, handle reports of illegal conduct by their employees.  The video ends with a promise that it will be sent to Dave Skogen, CEO of Global Connection Inc. of America, one of the big companies that rakes in millions from the “free” cell phone program.  The UK Daily Mail picks up the story from there:

Company CEO Dave Skogen wrote to an O’Keefe associate on June 10, assuring her that ‘[s]hould an agent or employee of GCIOA not live up to our standards, including enforcing the rules of the Lifeline program, we respond quickly and in an appropriate manner.’

‘We do not benefit from customers selling their Stand Up Wireless phones and do not encourage them to do so,’ he wrote.

But when MailOnline contacted Skogen for this story and shared a lengthy collection of direct quotations from his salespeople’s remarks, he offered little other than an assurance that ‘[w]e have been and will continue to be committed to following all applicable laws and regulations as we serve our customers.’

Pressed for a more detailed statement, Skogen complained that MailOnline ‘asked us to respond to a story on a program that does not exist (free government cell phones) and a video we have not seen.’

A “program that does not exist?”  Skogen’s company has made $38 million from the Lifeline program, and he thinks it doesn’t exist?

The Daily Mail weighs the prime corporate welfare steaks that have been cut from this plump cash cow:

Both land line and mobile bills in all 50 states and the District of Columbia include a Federal Universal Service Charge, a portion of which subsidizes the program.

That makes the program a handout to both lower-income Americans and the companies that supply the phones. To many on the political right, the enterprise has been twisted beyond any semblance of its original purpose.

Like industry leader TracFone, which has received more than $1.5 billion – including $440 million in 2012 alone – to provide phones to 3.9 million recipients, StandUp and Terracom behave more like corporate titans than good Samaritans.

TracFone is owned by Mexican multibillionaire Carlos Slim Helu.

Stand Up Wireless’s parent company, Global Connection Inc. of America, has collected more than $38 million for its subsidized phones. The company itself is owned by Milestone Partners, a venture capital firm based in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

The Oklahoma-based TerraCom Wireless has harvested a total of $168 million for its participation across 23 states. Its self-described ‘sister company,’ YourTel America, Inc., has reaped nearly another $103 million.

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A woman loves it when other people compliment her good looking face. It is a fact. These compliments may come up probably because one is wearing appealing gloss on her lips, has some sort of powder or foundation that blends well with the skin complexion or even nicely done hair. In order to keep up with such appearances, many women love keeping mirrors and makeup kits of different varieties in their handbags that they carry wherever they go. And whenever they get the slightest opportunity, they open their handbags, get whatever beauty enhancer is inside at the time and get busy with beautifying their faces.

Let’s forget the usual bedrooms, toilets and bathrooms. Nowadays some women are finding it more convenient to apply makeup while inside their cars, behind the wheel.

Any culprits?
Harriet Bbosa is one such woman. Bbosa has two children aged seven and 11 studying at Kampala Parents school. “I never get any time in the morning to make-up because of these two boys whom I am supposed to prepare adequately for school,” Bbosa says.
“At such a time, I am not thinking about myself but only about my two boys,” she adds.

Often, there is traffic jam at the primary school because there are many parents dropping off their children. This is the opportunity that Bbosa normally grabs to pamper her face a little. “I usually apply a bit of mascara, powder and red lipstick. Also, I take the time to arrange my hair as well,” says Bbosa. The marketer says that she only applies her makeup while in a traffic jam. She simply parks the car aside and does it before driving off to her workstation in Kamwokya.

Some female motorists however go to extremes. Daisy Nakimuli for instance is found of applying hers even when she is driving on a highway. On how she is able to pull it off, the mother of one and owner of a Toyota RAV 4 says that she normally slows down bit and uses her left her hand to either powder her face or put on a bit of lipstick.

Is there a law against it?
There is no law against this vice but this donesn’t mean that it should go on. Lawrence Niwabiine, the Traffic Commander for Kampala Metropolitan strongly discourages such habits because they are distractors that can easily cause accidents.“One’s whole attention shifts to the makeup instead of the driving. In the long run, the motorist can easily knock someone else or even be knocked instead,” Niwabiine states.

Niwabiine encourages such women to wait until they have reached their destination to apply their make-up. According to him, the habit is rampant mainly among women going to work in the morning and these love applying their makeup mostly around traffic lights and in a traffic jam as well. Since there is no penalty for this, Niwabiine says that all they can do as traffic officers is continuously warn the female motorists.

 A Toms River man who authorities said provided false identification to Jackson police is sought after a serious crash last week on Whitesville Road left two people hospitalized.

Authorities are seeking Gary Miller Jr., 36, of Toms River after police said he tried to make an illegal U-turn in a Chevy Astrovan at about 12:37 p.m. on June 2.

Motorcyclist Eugene Lewis Jr., 29, of Green Brook and his passenger Kristen M. Letwenski, 34, of Brick were riding behind the Astrovan traveling north when Miller tried to make the turn, according to a news release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Lewis was unable to stop his motorcycle in time, and he and Letwenski were ejected from the bike, authorities said. They were flown by medevac helicopter to the trauma center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where they remained in critical condition as of June 11, said prosecutors. Miller was uninjured, authorities said.

During the crash investigation, Miller gave Jackson police a false name and used identification of his half-brother, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

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On Friday, the nation celebrates Flag Day, yet at the mall it seems the celebration has begun early.

After 236 years, Old Glory is trendy; the Stars and Stripes adorn every surface imaginable, from stilettos to denim shorts to sunglasses.

At Express, sequins composed the flag on a tube top; at Old Navy, stars and stripes show up on swim trunks.

A black-and-white vintage version appears on a shirt from Jessica Simpson’s clothing line. Teenyboppers will find red, white and blue skirts and T-shirts featuring hearts instead of the classic stars at Justice.

Some might find the look disrespectful or distasteful, but it’s not breaking any rules. The “United States Flag Code,” laid out in the United States Code to outline proper flag etiquette, states that the design of the Star-Spangled Banner is allowed on clothing, but an actual American flag cannot be used as apparel, bedding or drapery.

Josh Saterman, vice president fashion director at Macy’s, says patriotism has always been envogue.

“It’s fun, and it speaks to the larger trend of pride for our country,” he says of the iconography.

“The flag can be worn in so many different ways, and each demographic, region, climate zone and individual can play with which silhouettes and details speak to them the most.”

Designers tend to play around with the pattern as well. Betsey Johnson features the flag in many of her line’s accessories, replacing the stars with grommets and rhinestones. Her “Americana” collection includes iPhone and iPad cases, wallets and handbags.

Arlene Goldstein, vice president of trend merchandising and fashion direction for Belk, says the flag design has been a tradition in fashion for a long time. This year, the flag’s popularity has slightly increased, as it “coexists” with this season’s stripe trend, she says.

Another reason for the spike in flag paraphernalia: In the summertime, “people become more overt with their patriotism,” Goldstein says. Holidays like Memorial Day and Independence Day are prime time for patriotic dressage. The most popular articles of clothing sporting the Stars and Stripes are T-shirts, she says.

Designers who frequently display their American pride in their lines include Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Retailer Urban Outfitters has “American Summer” and “Salute the Flag” collections on its website, offering more than 80 flag-adorned items.

From Nalgene to Sigg, the water bottle as accessory is nothing new. Conspicuously carrying one says, “Water fountain? HA. I care about my body enough to bring this enormous canteen with me everywhere, as if I’m perpetually returning from training to be a Navy Seal and/or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.” Carrying a reusable water bottle means YOUR hydration is never left to chance.

But unfortunately, it doesn’t lead to recurring revenue, and that made Nestle sad. The $92 billion food giant owns more than 8,000 brands, among them Arrowhead Water and Poland Spring, but none apparently has the cachet of a Lifestyle Water — essentially, a drinkable purse. (Nestle also owns Perrier and San Pellegrino, but since they’re fizzy, they aren’t part of the coveted “premium still water” niche.)
 
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Johannesburg - The mayor of Sedibeng Municipality has spent a night in the cells at Vanderbijlpark police station after he was arrested for alleged drunk driving and bumping into another vehicle.

Mahole Simon Mofokeng is alleged to have knocked another car while he was leaving a hotel in Vanderbijlpark on Tuesday evening.Police were called and Mofokeng was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and negligent and reckless driving.

Provincial police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila confirmed that Mofokeng had been taken to hospital, where his blood was drawn.“He was only released this morning, on R1 000 bail.
“He was released from the police station and did not have to appear in court.“His case has been postponed to September 5,” Malila said.

Mofokeng’s spokesman, Dan Manoeli, said: “All we know is that there was a minor accident that took place involving the mayor. We don’t have details and can’t confirm the reports over his arrest.

“We can’t get hold of him or the municipal manager.”This is not the first time that there has been drama involving Mofokeng and alcohol.In February, he was in a bar in Vanderbijlpark when he fell and had to be helped up.Manoeli said they suspected at the time that Mofokeng’s drink had been tampered with.

“He went to the bar to meet some people, and while still waiting, he ordered a drink. He went in and out of the bar, and within a short period of time he felt dizzy and collapsed. That is when we suspected the drink might have been poisoned or spiked.”

Pop-up retailing has made big inroads for landlords as tenants embrace the idea of having a short-term lease for quick and maximum exposure to shoppers.Department store Myer embraced the new style of shopping last December, with pop-up stores at Southern Cross Station (above) and Bondi Junction in Sydney.

The outlets sold an array of small gifts, from perfumes to handbags, with gift wrapping services to catch the late Christmas shopper. More are planned this year.

Lend Lease has had an 8 per cent growth in turnover since the beginning of the year and plans to increase offerings in all its shopping centres.

The model, previously known as ''casual mall leasing'', was traditionally identified as the new car being advertised in the middle of a shopping centre, or an untenanted shop filled with shoes and a spruiker on a public address speaker.

But as malls evolve to keep fresh, pop-up retailers are securing prime space in front of major tenants, busy thoroughfares and shopping centre entrances.

Lend Lease's national new business manager for pop-up retail, Sally Harding, says every spare space in a shopping centre is considered a prime location.

''Every area of a mall is available, such as a wall, which can be interactive, parts of the car park, the centre circle and along the walkways,'' Ms Harding said.

 After they left, Ms. Stromberg realized the bags were gone and called the police. When she checked the changing room, she found five clothes hangers hidden beneath a cabinet and began to take inventory, at which point she discovered that the duo had also made off with five dresses by Chanel and Herve Leger.

Ms. Stromberg, who worked for many years in Manhattan’s garment district, said that she keeps a sharp eye on the store, which is her pride and joy. She has seen occasional attempts at shoplifting, she said, usually by young girls. “I just tell them, give me the blouse.”

She did not discuss the value of the stolen items in a phone interview on Tuesday, but a single Hermes or Chanel handbag can go for several thousand dollars.“I’m still waiting for the mug shots,” she said. “This is not the first time they did it. They have to get caught somewhere.”

She believes the Corner Closet was specifically targeted by the two, speculating that a third party had cased out the shop in advance. She is now installing a surveillance camera system in the store.The village could do more to protect shop owners, Ms. Stromberg said. “Why doesn’t the village have outdoor cameras?” she wondered, asking why the burden of surveillance is placed solely on merchants.
    Ms. Stromberg said police told her that the robbers may have struck another store as well, in Bridgehampton.
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