Have you bid on your favorite bag yet?

The Sanibel-Captiva Art League has created more than 40 spectacular pieces of artwork, which is on display at Bailey’s General Store and has been attracting some very high bids in the silent auction to benefit F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service Here) of Sanibel.
Under the coordination of Marcy Calkins of the Sanibel-Captiva Art League, this is the second year that they have used Bailey’s General Store green recycle grocery bags as their canvas, creating some wonderful artistic creations.

The proceeds from the silent auction will go to F.I.S.H. of Sanibel, the non-profit volunteer organization assisting Sanibel and Captiva islanders and visitors with a wide range of services.

The F.I.S.H. Walk-In Center is located at 1630 Periwinkle Way, Unit B (next to Pfeifer Realty Group) on Sanibel and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They may be contacted at 472-4775.
The Sanibel-Captiva Art League is a non-profit organization formed to promote public interest in and appreciation of the fine arts. They strive to create art and grow through critiques and sharing of their art. The Art League sponsors competitions and exhibitions and is engaged in promoting art education and supporting community art.

A mother abandoned her hour-old baby girl

A mother abandoned her hour-old baby girl outside a fire station with a note pleading for someone to find her a 'good home.'

A fire fighter at Port St Lucie Fire Station in Florida found the newborn in a bag after receiving an anonymous phone call that a child had been left on a bench outside the fire station.
Stephen Beane discovered the child in a white bag wrapped in towels with a note which read: 'Please find her a good home. I'm sorry, thank you. Birth Mom. Born April 21 2011, 7.15am.'
He said: 'Lady’s voice on there said that she was concerned about a bag that was (lying) in front of the building,'
'I asked her who she was and she said, ‘I just happened to be driving by and saw a bag (lying) there and I was concerned about it.,' the Palm Beach Post reported.

He told CNN: 'It was an "Oh my God" moment, leaving a baby unattended like that.
'There was a note in the bag and it said, "Please find her a good home, she was born at 7.15am on April 21st, I'm sorry.'
Mr Beane's colleagues helped cut the umbilical cord and he called police and paramedics who arrived at 8.15am.

The newborn was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center to be checked over and is said to be in good health.
She will now enter the adoption system.

Under the state’s Safe Haven Law, the mother or father of an unharmed newborn can leave the child at a hospital, fire rescue station or emergency medical services facility. The child can be within seven days of birth.
In place since 2000, the law was amended in 2008 to increase the time in which parents can turn over a newborn from three to seven days from birth.

Manchester's backlash against high street gloom

The gloom on the high street lifted a little in Manchester with the announcement of further investment in one of the city’s landmark stores and new tenants taking space.

Selfridges at Exchange Square will push ahead with the next phase of its ￡20m redevelopment plan this week, with all five floors and the iconic glass facade to be remodelled to provide additional floor space and enhanced natural light.

The work is due for completion by September.

The lower ground floor will be closed from today to be converted into the new beauty department, including jewellery and sunglasses.

The ground floor will be devoted to men’s and women’s accessories from handbags to watches, and the fashion floors will also be refurbished.

The project represents Selfridges’ largest-ever single investment in any of its regional stores.

The Exchange Square store attracts more than 80,000 customers a week and currently employs 250 people, with an additional 250 working in its concessions.

General manager Jane Sharrocks said: “We are underlining our commitment to the store and the city by making this major investment.”

In other news, the Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays has welcomed two new tenants in Ponden Home Interiors and The Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

The outlet reported sales have grown 30.5 per cent in March on the same month in 2010.

And in Wythenshawe the town centre is now celebrating 100 per cent occupancy with the letting of retail space to mobile phone retailer Phones4U which has taken a five year lease with town centre owner St Modwen to take a 1,500 sq ft ground-floor unit.

Optimistic Tanner gets his hide tanned by Old Firm supporters

TV VIEW: AFTER THE week that was in it, it was probably less than ideal that an Old Firm game was scheduled for Sunday, but there was always a fair chance it would happen, these matches do tend to come around quite often.

Indeed, when Sky’s David Tanner said it was “the 300th league meeting of the teams” you half assumed he meant since Christmas, but it was actually just the seventh Old Firm encounter of the season. This pair make Real Madrid and Barcelona seem like strangers.

“Great colour, great atmosphere and, so far, positive messages are coming from the supporters,” said Tanner as the camera panned around Ibrox before kick-off. And with that a Celtic fan thrust two fingers in the direction of his Union Jack-wielding hosts, before disappearing from view under a sea of Tricolours. And one Palestinian flag.

It’d be good craic trying to explain it all to, say, Celtic’s Ki Sung-Yeung and Rangers’s Madjid Bougherra. “So, in 1690 there was the Battle of the Boyne and then . . . ” You know, any notion they might have had about it only being a game would be well and truly busted.

Any way, Tanner addressed the issue of the parcel bombs sent to Neil Lennon and others, and expressed the wish that the game would be a demonstration of how “the football community can show a lead to the rest of society”.

Now, Tanner, didn’t say it, but you half guessed he hoped Lennon would get a nice welcome in the stadium, as a kind of a show of solidarity against the nutters. That kind of thing.

The Celtic fans, naturally, obliged. “There’s only one Neil Lennon”, they bellowed. “Neil Lennon, you w****r, you w****er,” came the reply.

Okay, so that didn’t work too well.

By the time a rousing rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann was countered with an equally lusty delivery of God Save The Queen , Tanner opted to focus on the football. It was for the best, really.

The 0-0 draw means that that particular title race is still on the wide open side, but south a bit Manchester United edged a teeny bit closer to the English crown with that comfy win over Everton.

The highlight of the occasion wasn’t actually the 83rd-minute winning goal, it was the scorer, Spanish-speaking Mexican Javier Hernandez, translating Portuguese-speaking Brazilian Anderson’s words in to English for Sky after the game. “Wow,” gasped Jamie Redknapp, “he’s an intelligent boy on AND off the pitch!”

While Chelsea might well have been cursing the intelligent boy’s intervention on the Old Trafford pitch, they at least kept the pressure on by grinding out a narrow 3-0 win against West Ham later in the day.

It was much as ESPN pundit Alan Curbishley had anticipated, the absence of the injured Scott Parker leaving him fearing for the Hammers.

Mind you, he noted Avram Grant had “brought Parker’s legs in to midfield” in the form of Jonathan Spector, so he wasn’t, in fairness, entirely missing.

Arsenal yesterday? Cohen, Cohen gone?

Mind you, they can take hope from Cork, their bid for the Division One title looked done and dusted yesterday, too, when they trailed Dublin by a not inconsiderable eight points, the Dubs’ Cesc Fabregas, Bernard Brogan, the author of much of their woes.

And look what happened?

A lively old encounter it was too, not least that half-time dust-up in the tunnel. Ah, handbags at the end of the day, most probably concluded. “Handbags, deireadh an lae,” said a TG4 voice over the pictures. Sporting handbags, then, are an international language.

There was almost, incidentally, a bit of handbags on Sky News later in the afternoon when John McCririck and Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, squared up over the issue of the use of the whip in horse racing.

McCririck loudly applauded the decision of Towcester racecourse to ban the use of the whip at their meetings from October, insisting that horses having the bejaysus whipped out of them by over-eager jockeys was “a cancer that’s eating inside racing”.

Rupert reckoned this language was a bit “emotive” and felt there should be some room for compromise.

Like, only hitting half the bejaysus out of them? He didn’t say.

“There cannot be ANY compromise, the public are sickened by it, it’s almost merciless,” McCririck replied, leaving Rupert a touch exasperated.

“This is a moral position,” said McCririck. “You can’t hit anything that’s living in life, only race horses! You can’t hit a cat! You can’t hit a dog! You can’t even hit your wife these days!”

Rupert really had no answer to that. So he didn’t try to find one.

Women in handbags thefts

Three young women have been arrested after allegedly assaulting two women and stealing their handbags in Hamilton last night.

The first assault and theft occurred about 9.30pm as a woman was waiting to be picked up by her husband after finishing work at the Westfield Shopping Centre on Hukanui Rd, Chartwell.

As the woman walked to her husband's van to get in, another car pulled up beside her.

A woman got out, assaulted the woman and took off with her handbag.

Shortly after the police received a call about a group of three woman entering a house on Bains Ave, Hamilton East.

They assaulted and demanded money from a woman that lived there.

When a neighbour who heard the commotion went to check that her neighbour was all right, she too was assaulted. They offenders grabbed her handbag and fled.

Three women, one already on bail in relation to an Auckland robbery, aged between 17 and 26 were later arrested at a Yeats Cres house in Fairfield.

All three were charged with aggravated robbery and were to appear in Hamilton District Court today.

Handbag auction will aid American Cancer Society

ST. PARIS — It’s a clear sign spring has arrived when purses and handbags start showing up on Brenda Cook’s property while she sleeps.

As a Champaign County co-chair for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, Cook organizes an unusual auction on the Sunday before Palm Sunday every year.

“This morning when I woke up there was a bag of purses on my front porch,” Cook said.

On Sunday, April 10, Cook and Cathlyn Adkins will host an annual Old Bag Sale, to raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Dozens of purses have been donated throughout the county, and by the end of the day Sunday almost all of them will be gone. Some of the most well-known brands have sold in the past for close to $200, while others will be picked up for as little as $5.

“I’ve made over $2,000 every year,” Cook said of the money raised for the charity.

The idea started in 2005 when one of Cook’s friends suggested selling off a few of the unusual purses Cook had collected over the years. Not long afterward, a mother-in-law of one of Cook’s friends died of cancer. The woman had collected numerous expensive purses as well, and the first sale in Cook’s back yard drew a good crowd. It’s continued to raise money for the Relay for Life ever since, she said.

Local auctioneer Phil Thompson will run the event and refreshments will also be available for a small donation.

Cook said the purses will be arranged on several tables, and the highest bidder will get to choose their favorite item. By the end of the auction, those purses that have not yet sold will be available for $5 apiece.

Cook said because of support from local residents, the event has been a success from the beginning.

“The first year we did it in my backyard because we didn’t know what to expect,” Cook said.

Mother's little shoppers

Mother's little shoppers


SHOPPING: TWENTY YEARS ago the idea of Irish school children listing “shopping” as one of their hobbies would have been unthinkable. But if the anecdotal evidence of teacher acquaintances is to be believed, this is exactly what’s happening.

From the early days of the boom, well into the middle years of the recession, shopping has been seen by many Irish people, old and young, as just another way to pass the time. For classical economists, and consumer journalists, wedded to the notion that shopping is a functional necessity, the idea that some might find the process pleasurable is alien and weird.

For these experts, shopping is a war of attrition between retailer and consumer, and willingly putting yourself on the battle-field when you have no particular consumer needs to fulfil is just asking for trouble. Consumer advice typically encourages targeted, list-based forays into the field of conflict. But this isn’t how everyone else sees it.

“When you read about the Dundrum Town Centre or the Blanchardstown Town Centre they don’t talk about ‘shopping’, they talk about ‘the experience’,” says Prof Mary Corcoran, a sociology lecturer at NUI Maynooth. “They offer stimuli, spectacle and the opportunity to while away a considerable period of time. You flow through the shopping mall, meet friends, go to a movie, have a coffee, dine out, get your nails polished. The whole concept of consumption has diversified and expanded away from the idea of meeting material needs and simply putting the clothes on your back. For many people it’s a much wider social activity and form of expression.”

Kirstie McDermott, who co-runs the beauty website Beaut.ie, has spent several years monitoring the comments of the enchanted.

“There are definitely plenty of young women out there who would consider shopping to be a hobby,” she says. Though she wouldn’t see it that way she believes that viewing it purely as a means to an end is a bit reductive.

“It really is a social activity for a lot of people. It’s dressed up as ‘shopping’, but it’s really more about getting out of the house, away from the kids and into town for an afternoon to meet friends for lunch, pop into Arnotts and Brown Thomas before heading home.”

Some academics see nothing wrong with this and argue that shopping as a hobby is simply a by-product of the capitalist world in which we live. “I think there is a bit of moral panic around things like this,” says Olivia Freeman, a lecturer in consumer behaviour at the College of Business in DIT.

“I think the fact that people say they shop as a hobby is just a reflection of the fact that as a society we have become more consumer-oriented. I certainly wouldn’t be prepared to say that it’s automatically a bad thing.

“If shopping was only for the bare necessities, we wouldn’t be in a capitalist society at all. People shop for both social and functional reasons. I definitely think that consumers these days are savvier [than in the past]. I would be of the view that they’re not passive subjects, exploited by market forces, but that they are using consumption for their own ends, although those ends could be about expressing identity and forging relationships, rather than being straightforwardly practical.”

The problem is, the adoption of this social activity is increasingly starting in childhood.

“They start at a young age, shopping a little bit with their mothers,” says Sarah McDonnell, editor of The Gloss magazine.

“Then maybe they’re allowed off the leash a bit to go to one shop alone with a friend, and by the time they’re 13 or 14 they’re marauding around a mall with their own pocket money. Before you know it, the shopping malls are filled with these phalanxes of mini-women of 14 just walking along five abreast. They definitely see shopping as a hobby.”

Debbie Ging, a lecturer in the School of Communications at DCU, thinks this is a worrying form of indoctrination.

“I find it really hard to understand how shopping can be fun or satisfying compared with climbing trees, building bike ramps or listening to music,” she says. “When we were children and teenagers, we were never told that girls are obsessive shoppers, we weren’t given plastic shopping trolleys to play with and Imelda Marcos was the only woman we ever heard of with a shoe-collection fetish. Shopping for us was a nightmare – for me it still is – that dragged us away from freedom and adventure. Now, we seem to have hordes of little Carrie Bradshaws in training. They will be experts in the art of brand obsession by the time they graduate from Pennys and Claire’s to the more upmarket labels that will promise them empowerment and liberation through anti-wrinkle cream and handbags for the rest of their adult lives.”

McDonnell is a bit less worried. “While I wouldn’t like to think that shopping was replacing other more mind-broadening activities, I don’t think it’s automatically negative,” she says.

“Those kids you see wandering through the malls, they’re not necessarily breaking the bank. I recently listened to my 12 year-old niece telling her mum and dad how much she’d spent in Dundrum. She’d split something with some friends at Eddie Rocket’s, so she was quids in for 28 cent on a milk-shake or something there, and then she bought some other tiny thing. You could argue that it’s teaching them to budget,” she laughs. “Those poor people working at Eddie Rocket’s.” And this is something their older relatives are also learning to do. These days, you’re more likely to hear hobby-shoppers outdoing one another with stories of bargains than irresponsible profligacy.

“They’re not bragging about their expensive shoes, they’re bragging about the brilliant foundation they got for five quid,” says McDermott.

“But that type of hobby-shopping is really the difference between snacking and proper eating. It’s like you’re wandering around the shops grazing. And if you’re doing that in Brown Thomas, you’re going to get into a lot more financial trouble than if you’re doing it in Penneys. So people are still going ‘shopping’ but they’re adapting.”

Indeed, almost everyone Pricewatch spoke to felt that the idea of shopping as a leisure activity was outliving Ireland’s boom years. Is this a bad thing?

“From one perspective it’s clearly a pretty superficial form of self-identity to understand or view yourself purely through branding or shopping and it’s more admirable in some ways to resist it,” says Corcoran.

“But at the same time you can’t be completely dismissive of the things that people like to do. If someone likes to do some window shopping, followed by a latte in the Dundrum Town Centre, I don’t think an analyst can accuse them of having some sort of false consciousness. It would be wrong to think of shopping purely as a utilitarian thing,” she says.

She believes that in times of austerity people become “more discerning about what they spend money on, but there’s always going to be another side of consumption that’s more about enchantment, where you go out and see the most fabulous dress in the world and you just have to have it”.

Mowbray left in the dark over Boro-Barnsley brawl

MIDDLESBROUGH boss Tony Mowbray said he didn’t see what happened in the brawl that marred yesterday’s game – because there were too many bodies in the way.

Mowbray saw his men land a point at the Riverside against Barnsley in a 1-1 draw which saw Scott McDonald’s late header cancel out Marlon Harewood’s first-half strike for the visitors.

However, the talking point came when Boro’s Kevin Thomson and Barnsley’s Paul McShane clashed on the touchline on 69 minutes which sparked a 20-man melee.

Once matters had calmed down, McShane was ordered off for throwing a number of punches while Thomson escaped with a booking.

Mowbray said: “There were 24 players in there if you count the subs and coaches and everybody in there. Maybe we’ve got some retrospective refereeing to come again this weekend.

“I don’t know the answer to that. It moved from two players grabbing each other and I’d like to think 18 players were trying to pull others out of the way. Sometimes that is what happens in these melees when everybody just gets in the way.

“It’s up to the officials to decide what’s right or wrong.

“What did Thomson do? I couldn’t even tell you if he was in there. Clearly (Joe) Bennett and Thomson were in there but I don’t know – I’ve no idea.”

Meanwhile, Barnsley boss Mark Robins was furious that only his man received an early bath.

He fumed: “I think it was harsh. The referee could have given us a free-kick earlier than that and it would have been the end of it and he could have given a free-kick either way, it was just bodily contact and just the proverbial handbags.

“I was disappointed that our player got sent off and Middlesbrough’s didn’t – that was the only way back for them. We should have been out of sight in the first half, made some great chances but didn’t take them.

“I don’t think either player deserved to be sent off because I don’t think there was anything in it but if one went then the other had to do because it was 50-50.”

Of the match itself, Mowbray admitted it was a lethargic display from his team who have been stricken with injury troubles these past few weeks.

He said: “The amount of players we’ve got coming from back from injury was the reason it was a lethargic performance lacking in energy, but I’m not taking anything away from them.

“A bit of spice came into the game late on but we wouldn’t have deserved to win it if Rhys Williams had gone through and smashed one in at the end.

“It’s frustrating we didn’t pass the ball as well as we can. We set up to play off the back of the opposition’s possession and it’s borne fruit in the last few weeks. We weren’t as good today as we have been at trying to hurt the opposition.”

Craving: a colorful handbag for spring!

This doesn’t happen often to me, but this time the warm weather caught me completely unprepared. In winter I tend to wear a lot of black and grey, brightened up with metallics or pops of color like a purple scarf (or purple tights!), a dress in a fun shade or a cute print. Yesterday I opened my closet and all I could see was… BLACK.
Not in a metaphorical, gloomy mood kind of way, but literally – my wardrobe seems to suffer from TooMuchBlack-itis, with a few sad bits of color in between. That hardly seems like the thing to get you in the mood for a warm spring day, does it?

I am saving most of my spring shopping for my London trip so that I don’t have to pay shipping, but there is one  easy way to brighten up any outfit: a handbag in a bright, vibrant hue.

The new birkin hermes handbags from china

The most favorite leather for a Hermes Birkin grip equals Togo, smooth rough calfskin leather. Taurillon Clemence which is made from baby pig lives even downier and more heavyset than Togo. You can also choose buttery soft Chevre (goat scramble) or smooth out and sheen box. birkin hermes handbags with exotic leathers much when alligator, crocodile and lizard are quite suitable for ceremonious and heroic cultural occasion*. If you privation a perfunctory and pretty face, you give the axe judge Togo or ostrich Hermes Birkin with linen.



 If you are reckoning greasing one's palms a Hermes Birkin bag, the Hermes Birkin Togo leather version is a beautiful choice. The unusual leather like crocodile and ostrich leather makes the hermes handbags is also eye catching while the Hermes Birkin Togo bag is a lot more unostentatious so far classic. Whilst unmatched of the emblematic handbags from the Hermes family, the Hermes Birkin bag is a very female, convenient handheld handbag which reinvents the far-famed components from the kickoff Hermes luggage compartment*.

Loewe Spring 2011 Bag Collection

Famous for streamlined silhouettes and an entrancing color palette, the revered fashion house provides us with a splendid accessory parade. The Loewe spring 2011 bag collection is packed with minimalist style designs that suit both casual and semi-formal outfits. Explore the fabulous new season vibe these chic and colorful closet staples radiate.

Steven Vevers, as the creative director of the glam fashion house Loewe, kissed goodbye to his career at Mulberry and decided to help this small brand to enter the mass-appealing market. The highly acclaimed designer brought his unquestionable skills and experience from earlier collaborations with other great labels to flood the fashion pack with brand new accessories following the style policy envisioned by Loewe. The Loewe spring 2011 bag collection will definitely launch a craze among fashionistas who are lusting after the hottest style items their favorite celebs also popularize. Kylie Minogue, Jessica Alba and also Angelina Jolie were spotted promoting the universally flattering allure of these chic shoulder- and handbags.
The conventional and old time classy anatomies of the new season Loewe bags preserve some of the minimalist vibe that reminds us of the chic Mulberry accessory designs. No doubt, Steven Vevers is still loyal to his fashion fantasy that ties him to refined structures, fine lines and neat tailoring. These professionally inspired bags come in various shapes all radiating urbane glamor and sophistication. Pair your super-polished casual chic outfits with the cutest bags decorated with floral details. The color palette used makes these accessories more playful and true to the eclectic groove of the warm season which will also melt the heart of the fashion pack to spend more on high street designer bags. Dress up your wardrobe with purple, yellow or chic neutral-colored staples that can add a splash of color to your boring weekday look.

'Trashed' studio turns recycling into artwork

When Jessica Garmon sees a burned-out light bulb or a wine bottle, a tin can or old fabrics - or virtually anything someone is considering throwing out or recycling - her mind fills up with ideas on how to repurpose them.

The 33-year-old Concord native earned a bachelor's in interior architecture from UNC-Greensboro and designed commercial interior spaces for a Charlotte firm before opening her Concord art studio this month. She and her husband, James, have been married eight years and have two kids.

Trashed, on the second floor of 38 Union St. S., offers classes and themed events where people of all ages can learn to create functional art, candles, pillows or handbags. People also can learn to re-upholster furniture using recycled materials. Its grand opening will be on Earth Day, April 22.

During the Cabarrus Arts Council's Art Walk Friday, people can visit to make lanterns from recycled paper, soup cans or milk jugs. Those lanterns will line the street for an Earth Day vigil next week.

Possible projects could range from making a handbag or a cell phone case to creating a three-dimensional wall hanging from pages of old books or magazines. People can learn to wire jewelry using broken vintage jewelry pieces, or they can cut up portions of used gift cards to make trinkets for bracelets.

Or, "These light bulbs can be turned into candles," said Garmon. "You kind of gut them, put a magnet in the bottom, line them up on a strip of metal so they sit, and fill them with oil and a wick to make floating candles. These old seatbelts, you can weave them and make a rug or a mat or a bag.

"I want people to come here and make things they're going to use or hang and look at. Function is my thing. I don't like things to just look pretty. They have to look really cool but be meaningful as well. They have to function and have a purpose."

Garmon's desire to rummage and repurpose cool finds has been a lifelong interest. While visiting an elementary school friend as a child, she recalled wanting to rummage through an old, nearby abandoned house while the other kids wanted to play kickball.

"I remember thinking, 'Why on Earth would you want to play kickball when we can go rummage through this old house and find cool stuff and do something with it,'" she said. "I always look at things and see them differently, or use them for something they're not intended."

Garmon's hope is to get people to think about what they throw out or recycle.

"The whole point of (Trashed) is to repurpose things, because there's so much going into landfills, and people throw away stuff that's perfectly usable," said Garmon.

Shannon Rienbeck, 31, has lived in Concord 17 years and met Garmon at her church.

"It's not just recycling where you put something in a bin," she said about Garmon's studio. "You actually physically do something creative with it. She has a different way of looking at things. She's putting a fun spin on it. I would have never thought to keep a light bulb for any reason."

Marsha Coan, 35, a 13-year Cabarrus resident, said the studio uses everyday items that might have been headed to the trash had Garmon not intervened.

"There's not junk in here," she said. "I look around and see possibilities. A person who is not naturally creative can come in here, and it's going to spark something. I don't sit at home and create stuff all the time, but I get in here and ideas start rushing into my head. You don't have to be a creative, artsy-type person, you can come in here and not have a clue and you're going to leave with something really cool, and you're going to be able to use your brain in a different way."

Garmon, who is not afraid to dive in a dumpster to salvage something, said there's a broader goal behind her new venture.

"Hopefully, over time, we'll truly raise awareness and people will look at things and think, 'I don't need to throw this in the landfill. I can give it to somebody who will turn it into something and reuse it.' Because our kids are going to have too much trash to deal with."

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/04/13/2209293/trashed-studio-turns-recycling.html#ixzz1JODTERlL

Bags that brighten up ensembles

Bags that brighten up ensembles


A shiny little thing that kept gleaming in one corner of a stall until we picked it up and realised it is a beautiful crystal-studded belt that can make a hole in one’s pocket by a good Rs 24,000. But this belt at designer Radhika Gupta’s stall was just the tip of an iceberg. Be it bags made from rabbit and Australian lamb skin, high-heeled sandals crafted using lizard skin or the use of ghungrus in shoes, just about everything at the recently-concluded Wills India Fashion Week made a statement.

If exotic animal leather is your weakness, then handbags by Chennai-based designer Shahrukh Zaidi’s Studio SRZ could just be your thing. His work embodies clean lines that speak of Brazilian cow-ons in leopard, cheetah and other exotic prints, well-structured croc-prints in vintage tones, lamb-skin bags in earthly tones and European cow suede in vibrant colours. “Many bags have also been made using springbok leather — a South African animal — that has a huge demand in the meat industry there. Then there were bags made from New Zealand, Pakistani and Australian lamb skins. One can dye these skins into different shades for an exotic and high-end look,” Zaidi said, pointing at some of the coloured bags. The prices of these handbags start from Rs 8,000 and go up to Rs 18,000. The label also has a collection of bags, wallets and briefcases for men which can cost anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 30,000.

There isn’t a scarcity of variety for those either who don’t want to spend much on bags. With organic jute and cotton bags, the brand, The Jute Shop, promises a low-priced and eco-friendly experience to the climate-conscious consumers. While some jute bags have wacky chappals printed on them, others some come with serious messages like Save The Earth written on them. And guess what, they start from a mere Rs 40 and go up to Rs 250. The cotton ones were more casual and range between Rs 100 and Rs 500. Although the brand retails only from Kolkata, its director Sudip Sen says they are Net savvy and one can place online orders by logging on to their website.

Meanwhile, Radhika Gupta has stuck to her signature style of bright, colourful bags with an addition of ghungrus for “that bling look.”

“I’ve used ghungrus in different shapes and concepts this time as people love to have a bling effect in their accessories. The colours, however, remain same because that’s what the brand is known for,” she said. Her creativity has also taken beautiful forms in jootis and belts too. While bags were priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000, jootis cost anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,000.

The event was also abuzz with a few jewellery designers as well but most, with mundane gold and diamond pieces, failed to make an impact. Nonetheless, a breather came from Amrapali, who, by blending both gold and silver, produced an array of innovative neck-pieces, earrings and rings.

According to Suman Khanna, spokesperson of the brand, jewellery is about accentuating clothes and not just complimenting them anymore. She said, “Jewellery is no longer just a piece of metal you wear on your body to match your clothes. A right jewellery piece can define your personality and sometimes even overtakes the clothes one wears. So we have tried to play around with colours of different metals this time. All the pastel stones are gone and you have ones with deep, dark shades like black onyx and turquoise blue making a statement.”

For those with a shoe fetish, Jakaal by Samir Singh offered shoes made of lizard leather and water snakes. “We have also used exotic calf leather and treated it to look like crocodile leather,” Singh said. The collection was priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000.

Violent handbag snatcher jailed

A heroin addict who snatched handbags and held up a supermarket to pay drug debts has been jailed for nearly 15 years.

Lloyd Jackson, 35, tried to steal a handbag from a woman as she walked into a Woodville electrical store in May 2009.

A day later he attacked an elderly couple visiting their son's grave at Dudley Park cemetery, pushing the man to the ground and stealing the woman's handbag.

Less than a year later, while on bail for those offences, Jackson stole a car parked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and used it during an armed robbery at a nearby supermarket.

District Court Judge David Smith told Jackson what he did was cowardly because the victims were vulnerable, soft targets.

He sentenced Jackson to 14 years and 10 months in prison with a non-parole term of nearly 10 years.

The Incomparable Leather Handbag

Both males and ladies have loved leather for centuries. It is no various these days. That is why regardless of the opposition of activists to the use of animal items, leather handbags are still the most common fashion accessory today, following only to shoes. Need for and creation of high quality leather handbags proceed unabated all more than the world. Leather handbags are not only a style statement, they are a standing image.

Leather Handbags Make Anyone Look Excellent

Guys are also avid fans of leather handbags, not just females, though the leather handbags for every single of the sexes are not interchangeable. There is no question that leather handbags can be classy enhancements to anyone's physical appearance, and to most models of apparel. No accessory is as effortless to match or coordinate. Leather handbags go with practically any variety of outfit.

Most leather merchandise, which includes leather handbag, do not come purely by on their own, but in mix with other supplies like nylon, denim and corduroy. So it is with leather handbags, which often are fitted with these functions as crucial rings, security sets and what-have-you. The conclude product is invariably a single that makes everyone search greater. Leather handbags are durable and won't at any time go out of design.

Set two women of approximately equal elegance and social position side by side. Give one girl a leather handbag, and the other girl a handbag manufactured of yet another substance. Which a single do you assume will surpass the other in seems? In all probability, the one particular handed a leather bag. Leather is basically fascinating, handsome and timeless.

Caring for Your Leather Handbag

Beautiful things frequently arrive at a price. In the circumstance of leather handbags, it really is mostly not cost, but the demands of preservation. Leather handbags are leather merchandise that do call for periodic cleansing. Leather handbags want to be polished and to be guarded from moisture or soaking, and really should be washed only with a special leather cleaner. If you can't manage or find a cleaner specifically for use on leather, use little quantities of petrol on a gentle cloth to wipe absent dirt and grime from the hide. The leather handbag will regain its sheen in time at all.
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How Much Are Normal Auto Insurance Premiums?

For human beings who wish to insure their cars, rising automobile insurance premiums cause serious concern. Insurance quotes for the same automobile can vary considerably between three different insurers. Here are some outlines that insurers consider when determining premiums.

The client’s age is one of the major criteria that are used to ascertain the premium amount. The insurance firm is particularly interested to know if the client is 25 years of age or younger. For example, clients who have yet to reach the quarter-century mark pay higher premiums than those above the age of 25.

Your contemporary job is the second most vital issue effecting automobile insurance premiums, aside from age.

More ideal insurance terms are offered to human beings who’s border of employment is in professions such as banking and code. Human beings with jobs that are “exciting” so to speak have less ideal terms than the aforementioned.

Gender itself is considered a major factor when it comes to the typical auto insurance premium. Women usually pay less for automobile insurance than men. This is since the number of accidents they get into is lower.

Previous driving familiarity is another large factor in determining the amount paid in automobile insurance premiums. All insurance companies check outside your driving record as well as any points that may be present. A driver that has a terrible record of driving will pay more money than the installments paid each month by one with a positive driving record.

One more vital piece of data that changes monthly rates is the condition of the vehicle, including safety features, age, and manufacturer. Expensive cars such as Jaguars and BMWs carry higher premiums than your typical Ford.

Insurers pay most attention to things like mileage, imitation, age, engine capacity and registration number when evaluating a vehicle. They all play a significant part in the computation of rates.

Sometimes the amount of miles a person drives every year is used in determining the premium. Can insurance costs are greatly determined by the place of residence. The area’s rate of automobile theft is also considered by the insurance corporation.

Ensuring that your automobile is secure is an vital method to saving money on automobile insurance. Individuals demand to reckon about the purpose of enhancing the security of cars, to propel down their premium rates It is a basic method of lowering the cost of insurance coverage on the automobile.

Coverage for stolen items is a basic feature. The vehicle falls under the high risk category if it is simple to steal or break into and such a vehicle will be also attractive an item for the criminals to ignore.

The circumstance that the insurer is unlikely to compensate financially indicates lower risk. This will be factored in to the monthly premiums and overall costs. The websites listed below will aid you on finding outside how much it will cost you.

Cash stolen from dying women's handbags: Why isn't more done to stop the obscenity of hospital theft?

When 74-year-old Marian Green was rushed into hospital with heart and kidney failure, her family knew they were probably witnessing the last days of her life.
Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchild were brought to her bedside to bring some quality to the time she had left.
Their efforts succeeded in lifting her spirits — until they discovered four days after Marian was admitted that a hospital worker had stolen cash and a bank card from her handbag and gone on a ￡2,500 spending spree, buying clothes, a TV, a games console and alcohol.
‘It ruined the last precious days we had left,’ says her daughter Patricia. ‘We had to spend time with the police when we should have been spending it with her.
‘We tried to reassure Mum, but she was worrying. She had wanted to leave that money to the family. She died two weeks after the theft. I feel bitter and angry about the whole sorry episode. What kind of person would steal from a sick patient in hospital?’
It is a good question: yet Marian is far from the only hospital patient to be robbed while at their most vulnerable.
While no national figures are available on this most despicable of crimes, reports across the country suggest hospital patients are increasingly seen as easy targets.
There was the case last month of nine-year-old Chloe Challoner, a cancer patient who had her mobile phone stolen while receiving chemotherapy at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.
Her father, Jamie Giblen, 31, was so concerned that an intruder had been in her room that he asked for her to be moved to another hospital.
Other crimes simply beggar belief, such as the theft of wedding and engagement rings from a 93-year-old woman as she lay on a ward at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds last May. She died two weeks later. The NHS has entire departments concerned with crime, but not necessarily crimes against patients.
And there seems to be little  co-ordinated action to stem the disturbing level of thefts inside hospitals. A trawl of newspaper reports reveals thefts of cash, credit cards, jewellery, clothing, music players, hearing aids, iPads and mobile phones from hospitals nationwide.

Nine-year-old Chloe Challoner, a cancer patient, had her mobile phone stolen while receiving chemotherapy
At the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, a spate of more than 60 thefts led to hospital managers holding a meeting with police in February to try to halt the tide of crime.
Four pensioners, including one who was terminally ill, had jewellery stolen while they were patients at the Tameside General Hospital last August. A hospital orderly is awaiting trial.
All these crimes have one thing in common; they cause untold distress and upset to victims and their families.
‘On the one hand, you are grateful for the wonderful care the NHS provides and the vast majority of excellent staff on the ward,’ says Marian Green’s daughter Patricia.
‘Yet on the other, you find out that someone who should have been caring for your mother has actually taken advantage of her at the most vulnerable time in her life.
‘Before my mother went into hospital, she had asked someone to fetch ￡200 for her from the cashpoint, and unfortunately they left her card with a piece of paper with her PIN inside the bag. They were all taken from her handbag.
‘The police and hospital were fantastic, and when they found out that money had been withdrawn from an ATM in the hospital, they told us they were examining footage from a CCTV camera aimed at the machine.
'My sister told a nurse who was looking after my mother about the CCTV. The nurse went white. Several weeks later, after my mother had died, we found out that she had handed herself in to the police.’
She adds: ‘On the day that she realised her things had been taken, my mother’s blood pressure went through the roof and she had terrible chest pains.
'It still upsets me to think about it. We told her that all of the money had been recovered, even though it hadn’t, just to give her peace of mind.’
An employee of the hospital is awaiting trial.

Chloe Comme Parris fall 2011 handbags LG Fashion Week

Chloe Comme Parris presented their fall 2011 collection to a Toronto audience yesterday during LG Fashion Week. The collection was full of natural and comfortable fabrics designed in asymmetrical silhouettes with an edgy, rock and roll vibe. There was one distinct handbag on the Chloe Comme Parris runway, an edgy double handle tote.
The Chloe Comme Parris double handle tote on the LG Fashion Week in Toronto runway was edgy and worked well with the overall rocker-chic vibe of the fall collection. The tote bag was large in size and would work well for casual work environments, creative offices and weekend or casual wear. The Chloe Comme Parris tote bag featured silver zippers and tassels. The leather was vintage charcoal and appeared soft and inviting on the runway.
Chloe Comme Parris, which is a new design duo made up of sisters Parris Gordon and Chloe Gordon, presented their second collection to Toronto during fashion week. The fall 2011 collection is creative and edgy; setting the stage for the up and coming design team to soon be highly sought after. The double handle satchel the Gordon sisters showed on the runway is ingenious and should be a sought after item come fall.
To view photos from the Chloe Comme Parris fall 2011 runway show during LG Fashion Week in Toronto, please click on the slideshow to the left of this article.

Director del CTI en Caldas entregará hoy su cargo

Director del CTI en Caldas entregará hoy su cargo

Luego de estar un a?o al frente de la Dirección Seccional del Cuerpo Técnico de Investigaciones (CTI) en Caldas, Manuel Antonio Arias Echeverri, tendrá que entregar hoy su cargo. La Fiscalía General de la Nación le aceptó su renuncia protocolaria, requisito que deben cumplir los directores de estos organismos cada que asume un nuevo fiscal general.
Con una trayectoria de 30 a?os en la Policía Judicial, Arias Echeverri llegó en marzo de 2010 a Manizales procedente del CTI de Armenia, y reemplazó a Eduardo Bohórquez.
Fuentes del CTI indicaron que la notificación de la aceptación de la renuncia se conoció el fin de semana y que aún no es oficial el nombre de la persona que asumirá el cargo.