Debenhams Announces Chandelier Sales Soaring Despite Recession

High street store Debenhams have revealed that home owners, eager to lift the gloom of the recession, have created the most unlikely shopping boom of all time - highly ornate chandeliers.

Once the preserve of the rich and well-to-do, demand for the big, ever more elaborate, multi-bulb light fittings has been soaring ever since the first financial tremor hit the stock markets two years ago. ?

Sales have increased with every successive bit of bad news, to reach an all time high this week, says Debenhams. Customer demand for this type of home lighting (http://www.debenhams.com/home-furniture/lighting) has led the store to significantly expand its offer and make the full range available to buy online at Debenhams.com.

Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said: "While economists are searching desperately for light at the end of the tunnel, home owners are opting for more certainty by putting huge lights into the ceiling over their heads.

"Dark days may lie ahead for the economy, but in front rooms all over the nation, things have never looked brighter." ?

Elaborate creations in gold and silver with fashion jackets dozens of reflective crystals and up to 12 bulbs are now common place in even the most modest terrace house, Debenhams revealed.

The most popular designs are miniature sized versions of some of the greatest chandeliers found in stately homes across the country, as not everyone may have the space to accommodate one of the larger models.

Many chandeliers are up to three feet wide, and almost as deep, with a series of elegantly curved arms, with the assembly secured to the ceiling by a gold heavy duty fixing chain.

Some designs break with tradition, opting instead for a Modernist approach, using highly polish chrome and simple straight lines to mimic the appearance of a chic boutique hotel lobby.

Other styles use stark black metal and rugged construction to create the impression of a medieval banqueting hall.

The cost of a chandelier can be anything from ?34 for basic model, to almost ?300 for the top of the range, which features more sophisticated designs. ?

Said Debenhams Ed Watson: "Chandeliers are now so popular that you're just a likely to find one in a two-up-two-down in Bognor as you are in Buckingham Palace.

"The smaller sizes of the chandeliers mean the style is more Louis Walsh than Louis the XIV, but the longing for a little bit of opulence in these tough times is clear."

About Debenhams
Debenhams is a leading department stores group, and has a strong presence in key product categories including women's fashion - such as black dresses (http://www.debenhams.com/women/occasion-evening-wear/dresses), evening dresses (http://www.debenhams.com/women/occasion-evening-wear), women's shoes, bikinis, jeans, make-up, health and beauty, accessories, perfume, lingerie (http://www.debenhams.com/lingerie), wedding attire including bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses - men's clothing, home ware and children's wear with a number of Debenhams deals also on offer.

PR Contact:
Carie Barkhuizen
Debenhams PR Manager
Debenhams
33 Wigmore Street
London
W1U 1QX
020 7408 3298
http://www.debenhams.com

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Denver Rescue Mission Marathon Team Runs Rock-n-Roll Marathon

Twenty-three men from the New Life Rehabilitation Program at the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM), participated in the Rock-n-Roll Denver Marathon and Half-Marathon as part of the Denver Rescue Mission Marathon Team. Since 1892, DRM (http://www.DenverRescueMission.org) has been meeting the needs of homeless and low-income men, women, and children through emergency services, rehabilitation, transitional and permanent housing, and community outreach.

The DRM Marathon Team began in 2007 when father and son DRM New Life Program participants Nick and Shane Sterner, led a group of 15 men through training for their first race at the Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon. After graduating the program, Nick Sterner started Activity Inspired Rehabilitation (http://www.theairfoundation.org), an organization confronting homelessness and addiction through distance running. Sterner has been running with former addicts from DRM programs since graduating and trained his largest DRM team of 23 runners who participated in the 2010 Rock-n-Roll Marathon on Sunday, October 17, 2010. Team members are in the program and living at The Crossing, DRM's transitional living facility in Denver, and Harvest Farm, DRM's rural, rehabilitation 200-acre farm in Wellington, Colorado.

Racing in day-glow yellow DRM shirts on Sunday, the team ran through Denver's great parks: Civic Center Park, Washington Park, Cheesman Park, and City Park. Team members range in age from 20 to over 60, and their stories are as diverse as their ages.

Matt Schroeder is a first year team member, 35 years old and in Phase 2 of the DRM New Life Program. He has been addict women's coats ed to heroin since age 17. Matt has overdosed and lost three friends to heroin. Because of his addiction, he lost a music scholarship where he planned to be a piano teacher and has been to prison on drug charges two times. Facing another prison sentence, Matt explained to his judge that he had entered the New Life Program at DRM and just joined the marathon team. The judge, a marathon runner, gave Matt a suspended sentence. He has taken this opportunity to change his life and work towards productive, self-sufficiency.

Matt chose to be on the running team because he learned that less than 10% of 1% of the world's population had completed a marathon. He had always been part of a negative statistic – people who overdose on heroin. "Being on the team and training has helped me gain a sense of accomplishment," says Matt. "When I want to get over the pain I've caused my family, I can run and start to put it behind me." Matt has given his parents the medals received at races leading up to the marathon. "Now my Dad tells his friends I'm running, not jogging," says Matt. "Running has been a form of reconciliation for me and my family. I'm excited they were at the finish line on Sunday!"

Another first year team member is Mario Marshall, a 28 year old Phase 2 New Life Program participant who was in his last year of graduate school studying psycho therapy at the University of Denver before entering the program. Mario had a history of withdrawing from friends, family and society when things around him were not working. After a destructive relationship and breakup left him severely depressed, Mario began drinking heavily. He did not return to school after a holiday break, lost his scholarship which then led to him losing his home. Mario stayed on a friend's couch. The friend was Tuesday Buskey, chef at The Crossing. She encouraged him to enter the New Life Program. Mario could not believe he entered, thinking he was not like the other addicts. "Now I believe I am more like the other program participants than I could have ever thought," says Mario. "I am glad I joined."

Mario joined the DRM Marathon Team with another program participant Jason Sharrett. He wanted to know how far he could push himself and see if he could physically train and run a marathon. His mother came to see him at the finish line on Sunday as well as his older sister, who Mario had not seen in two and half years. She came to Denver from Vancouver. "The biggest positive I've seen in the running program is when I hit the wall running 24 miles," says Mario. "My team members pulled me through and told me not to give up!" He was also inspired by Gordon, who is 58 years old and on the team. "He is the oldest member and comes out on the runs and walks all the miles to complete his training."

Each DRM Marathon Team Member is fighting daily to change his life, to turn away from addiction and realize positive life change through spiritual development, case management, Christian counseling, education, and work therapy through the New Life Rehabilitation Program. Through this multi-phase program, the men discover that a major life change is not easy, but with small steps, loving support and guidance, it is possible.

The DRM Marathon Team trained since June 2010. Each week they ran with volunteers, participated in Yoga and Physical Therapy classes, and have been supported by Runner's Roost Colorado, Runner's Roost Fort Collins, Catalyst Therapies, Solepepper Sports, Rocky Mountain Road Runners, Fort Collins Running Club, Ancient Arts Healing, Running Guru, Endurance Sports Marketing Group, and Fusion Running. To prepare for Sunday's race, the Denver Rescue Mission Marathon Team had a celebration, carbohydrate-loading Pasta Dinner sponsored by Interstate Kitchen & Bar and Gaetano's at the Riverfront Lofts. "We are dedicated to helping maintain and progress the local communities in and around Denver. The Denver Rescue Mission is just one place we like to lend a helping hand," says Joseph Newman, owner of Interstate Kitchen & Bar.

Give Your Sole, held a shoe drive at the Rock-n-Roll Denver Marathon. Race participants donated their used running shoes right after the race. Runners took off their shoes that carried them through the race right off their feet and received a free pair of flip flops to wear home. All 425 pairs of shoes collected were donated to the Denver Rescue Mission.

Brett Byrd, founder of Give Your Sole, has seen first-hand the difference a simple pair of shoes can make to one of the 3.5 million people who will experience homelessness in the U.S. this year. "The impact of giving a person a pair of shoes is immediate," he says. "It gives them a sense of mobility that allows them to get to where they need to be; whether it is looking for work or going to the grocery store to feed their family. We are extremely blessed and grateful to have the relationship with the Rock 'n' Roll Series that we do. With their continued partnership we are able to reach those in need through such great organizations as the Denver Rescue Mission allowing us to give back locally in hopes of making a difference." In addition, 20 bags of clothing, 235 cases of water and 52 boxes of food were also donated by the Rock-n-Roll Denver Marathon.

About the Denver Rescue Mission
Since 1892, the Denver Rescue Mission has been meeting the needs of the poor and homeless through emergency services, rehabilitation, transitional and permanent housing, and community outreach. Last year, the Denver Rescue Mission served 659,854 meals, provided 171,480 nights of shelter, provided 185 tons of clothing, and placed 253 families into permanent housing. For more information, visit http://www.DenverRescueMission.org.

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Chloe Rose Boutique to Celebrate Launch with Fashion, Fun, and Fundraising

Marissa Olson is hosting the Chloe Rose Holiday Celebration to officially launch the recently opened Chloe Rose Boutique, http://www.chloeroseboutique.com.

It will be a combined fashion and fundraising event at the gorgeous new store on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th of December between 10am and 8pm and 10am and 7pm respectively. The store is located at 1824 Union Street in the hip Marina shopping district.

Marissa, the inspiration behind both the boutique and the event, brings a refreshing approach to integrating her young business with her community in a way that stretches her impact beyond style. The event will feature a selection of merchandise at a huge 40% discount for people who bring gently used clothing to be donated to The Community Thrift Store with proceeds going to The Women's Initiative for Self Employment. Chloe Rose will also contribute 100% of the profits from the sale of their stylish tote bags to this cause, which you can find at http://www.womensinitiative.org/index.htm. The event reflects Marissa's mission of connecting women who are passionate about style through fabulous fashion, quality experiences and meaningful contributions.

At least as elegant and inspired as the Chloe Rose launc women's jackets h event is the experience of the boutique itself. The space is beautifully organic and chic with natural wood finishes and an uplifting aesthetic. Often overlooked details like lighting and lovely changing rooms let you spend time experimenting with styles and chatting about design with friends, or Marissa and her exceptional staff.

The carefully crafted selection of apparel and accessories includes hard-to-find designers like Aaron Ashe and Ali Ro. There is jewelry by Vanessa Mooney, Rebecca Minkoff bags and Candles and Fragrances by Sage. Chloe Rose serves a variety of styles and budgets in an environment that always feels refined. Ultimately it reflects Marissa's personal motto to "Live what you love", and creates an opportunity for her customers to do the same.

For more information contact:    
Marissa Olson, marissa(at)chloeroseboutique(dot)com

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Fashionista Outlet Gets Loved Up for Valentine's Day

London-based clothes retailer, Fashionista Outlet has announced a competition to tie in with Valentine's Day and show off its great range of labels. Competition entrants have the chance to win a luxury Cavalli handbag worth almost ?500 or a luxury Versace shirt worth just over ?250. All clothes lovers' have to do to enter is to recommend three friends to the online shopping site, http://www.fashionista-outlet.com.

Fashionista Outlet has built up a remarkable reputation with its online retail service, which offers customers incredible savings on a huge range of designer ladies' clothing and accessories. It has seen sales of its designer ladies' clothing leap up in the last year as fashion conscious women turn to the Internet for their wardrobe purchases. Bu fashion jackets online t it's not just women who can benefit from the great range of designer wear: the site stocks designer men's clothing as well. This competition will give new site visitors the chance to explore the wide range of quality designer wear that's on offer and, of course, there's the chance to win one of those amazing prizes.

With London Fashion Week just a few weeks' away, designer ladies clothing is the catchphrase around town and Fashionista Outlet is gearing up to take the front row seats at all the must-see catwalk shows. The site prides itself on its up-to-the-minute range of women's and men's designer clothing and London Fashion Week is the big date in the diary for the buyers at Fashionista Outlet.

The company wants to build on its growing reputation and encourage more people to discover top labels with up to 60% discount on high street prices. This high profile competition should help to raise its profile, and one lucky lady will be the proud owner of a gorgeous Cavalli bag.

Fashionista Outlet are retailers of all type of fashion including womens designer clothing

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Forbes Consulting MindSight® Research Finds Shift Toward Self-Gifting Among Holiday Shoppers This Season

Forbes Consulting Group, the leading market research company that directly accesses the emotional brain to discover consumers' deep emotional reactions, today announced results from a new study that reveals holiday shoppers this year are just as focused on pleasing themselves as they are on pleasing others. According to the study, which used the company's proprietary applied neuroscience technology, MindSight?, holiday shoppers in 2012 are still using gift giving to express love and affection, but there has been a significant shift in focus toward shoppers rewarding themselves as well. Compared to a similar holiday shopping study Forbes Consulting conducted last year, the latest MindSight? emotional profiles reveal that motivation to focus on unique personal needs when holiday shopping this season has nearly doubled in strength.

Although the trend toward self-gifting is exhibited in both men and women, the 2012 spike is significantly higher among women. Retailers and manufacturers appear to be aware of this trend and are seeking to capitalize on it by actively promoting sales on items designed to "treat yourself" such as perfume, cosmetics and jewelry.

"Perfume is distinctively associated with striving to perfect self presentation, and is also a distinctive means for expressing one's individual taste and style," said Dr. David Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes Consulting Group. "However, buying perfume can pose emotional risks similar to purchasing rare wines or works of art – shoppers can be afraid that they will ask the wrong questions or not know where to start. Perfume retailers should strive to provide friendly, down-to-earth advice that subtly educates the consumer and demystifies the world of perfumes. Removing the emotional worries of "getting it wrong" should boost sales of gift purchases both shoppers themselves and others on their gift list."

Forbes Consulting Group's study findings are echoed by the latest National Retail Foundation's tracking survey, which finds an increase in "self-gifting" among holiday shoppers, and is further substantiated by online consumer search records: searches related to treating yourself have shot up in 2012 and stayed at near peak levels since September of this year.

Consistent with Forbes Consulting's 2011 research findings, holiday shoppers who planned to participate in Black Friday this year were primarily motivated by the desire to "win" and achieve competitive victory with a "team" of friends and family, ultimately permitting them to express affection through gift giving. Notably, this year's motivational profile of Black Friday shoppers wa Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) s particularly skewed toward fulfillment of personal needs, and this motivation was strongly associated with interest in entertainment media and consumer electronics. Retailers specializing in these categories should strive to appeal to these shoppers' needs to acquire impressive gifts and provide instant gratification for the themselves.

Black Friday shoppers expected to spend nearly 40 percent more on their holiday purchases than other shoppers this year ($1,200 vs. $870). Additionally, results showed that the mindset of veteran Black Friday shoppers is optimistic – they are more likely to feel that their personal financial situation is better this year than last year, feel that the re-election of Barack Obama is likely to further improve their finances, and expect that Congress will act to stave off the "fiscal cliff." They also present a distinctly positive overall MindSight? emotional profile. In stark contrast to the stereotype of Black Friday shoppers fighting crowds to find bargains out of necessity, this years results point to shoppers with the financial means and motivation to do considerable shopping for others and still have money left over for self-gifting.

Retailers hoping to capitalize on the self-gifting trend need to think about the emotional experience they provide to their shoppers. For example, Consumer electronics purchases are distinctively associated with feelings of achievement. But shopping for consumer electronics can feel isolating and disengaging To promiote a sense of achievement, consumer electronics retailers should quickly connect shoppers with knowledgeable sales associates trained to advise customers in making the "best choice."

About the Research

The 2012 research included a quantitative survey with 1,190 respondents in the U.S. ages 18-65. and was fielded in November. The survey covered the top shopping categories, including clothing, consumer electronics, entertainment/media, gourmet foods, arts and crafts, jewelry, perfume, spa services, power tools, small appliances, specialty alcohol, and, of course, toys.

The survey included the use of the proprietary Forbes Consulting MindSight? technology to evaluate shopper emotions and motivations.

•     MindSight? enables researchers to "talk to the emotional brain." It utilizes a patent-pending technique of applied neuroscience to obtain authentic emotional insight from respondents before their conscious mind can edit responses.
•     MindSight? employs the Forbes Consulting Unified Model of Human Motivation to explain respondent motivations (published in Review of General Psychology, June 2011).
•     MindSight? works by "talking with pictures," rapidly exposing a proprietary and statistically validated library of emotionally evocative images for respondents to react to – each image is linked to one category in the Model of Human Motivation.

About Forbes Consulting Group
Founded in 1985 and based in Lexington, Massachusetts, the Forbes Consulting Group is a strategic and innovative market research company providing clients with deeper levels of insight about emotions and motivations - and helping them gain strategic market advantage on the strength of this insight. In its 26-year history, Forbes Consulting Group has become a valued resource for Fortune 500 companies. For more information, including the opportunity to receive a demo of MindSight?, the company's proprietary applied neuroscience technology that uncovers authentic emotional insight from consumers before the rational mind can edit responses, please contact sale(at)forbesconsulting.com.

Fashion Industry Executives Speak to Academy of Art University Fashion School Students

On Thursday, November 30, Academy of Art University's Fashion School will host a fashion industry panel discussion with designers, journalists and retail executives. This panel will address the student body and answer questions. Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer, also a journalist, will moderate.

The panel will include: fashion designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte; and Joe Haller and Ian Hannula of Nice Collective. Journalists Christine Suppes, editor in chief, FashionLines.com; Melissa Ceria, journalist and co-founder of ShareYourLook.com; and Donna Kato, fashion and style editor, San Jose Mercury News. Retailers Wilkes Bashford of The Wilkes Bashford Company; and Susan Foslien of stores Susan and The Grocery Store.

At 2:00 PM, the panel and other industry guests will tour the Fashion Design School studios at 180 New Montgomery Street. The First Floor holds the MFA Design Studios. The Seventh Floor holds the Illustration/Life Drawing, Fashion Design, Applied Textiles, Knitwear, Pattern Making, Draping and Construction Studios.

At 3:30 PM, the Industry Panel Discussion will take place at The Sheraton Palace, 2 New Montgomery Street, Twin Peaks Room.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy founded Rodarte in the fall of 2005. After bringing their first collection of 10 pieces to New York City, they found themselves on the cover of WWD and in a meeting with Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue. They followed up their first season with a 16-piece collection, which won them the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, and continued to gain support from retailers including the likes of Bergdorf Goodman, Colette, and Maxfield. Following their third collection, they were nominated for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis Award and the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.

In 1996, Joe Haller and Ian Hannula launched Nice Collective as a creative outlet including a club night, record label, DJ agency and clothing line. This season's collection consists of 100 different pieces comprised of 80% men's and 20% women's. Celebrity clients Chris Martin of Coldplay for his entire tour, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor for his summer tour, and Brad Pitt in the upcoming film Babel.

Wilkes Bashford received an honorary doctorate from the University, as one of our "Men of Fashion" at the May 2006 graduation fashion show. He is credited as the man who "made Sutter Street" with his successful flagship store and hailed by Esquire Magazine as "The Most Important Men's Fashion Specialist in the Country." His awards include Cutty Sark Award for the Best Men's Store, Uomo Moda Collections Award for Italian Menswear in America, and the Hall of Fame of the International Best Dressed List. The Wilkes Bashford Company operates four upscale retail stores with annual sales in excess of $30 Million.

Susan Foslien opened Susan of Burlingame in the fall of 1983. Today she has four stores Susan and The Grocery Store - located in both Burlingame and San Francisco. She has developed a loyal client following by selling Jean Paul Gaultier, Romeo Gigli, Jill Sander, Prada and Balenciaga.

In addition to being a celebrated jewelry designer and published author, Christine Suppes is one of the few San Francisco journalists to attend Paris Haute Couture as publisher and editor in chief of Fashionlines.com. Launched in 1999, Fashionlines was the first purely editorial fashion e-magazine encompassing national and international coverage with editorial staff based in New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, and California. Created with the firm belief that fashion and art are intertwined, Fashionlines covers top galleries, artists, photographers and writers.

Melissa Ceria is a journalist and co-founder of Shareyourlook.com, an online community for people who love fashion to explore personal styles across the world. She has written about fashion, style, and design for The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Time, Elle Decor, Departures, Travel + Leisure, and San Francisco Magazine.

Melissa started her career as the Eye Editor for Women's Wear Daily and W magazine in 1997, covering New York's fashion and social scenes. Two years later she joined Harper's Bazaar where she wrote and produced Melissa's Diary, a monthly fashion column on trends and celebrities in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Paris and London. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 2001.

Donna Kato is the style editor for the San Jose Mercury News, an award-winning Sunday lifestyles section that includes weekly features on fashion and beauty. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Donna started her career covering "death and weather" -- obits and blizzards -- at the Lincoln Journal. Her first fashion position was at the Kansas City Star. She stayed for five years anyway before moving on to the Los Angeles Daily News and the Mercury News. After more than a decade as a reporter covering city hall, health and fitness, youth and retail, among other topics, Donna returned to fashion in 2003 to start the Style section. She now loves th Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) e beat! While best known as the newspaper of Silicon Valley, the San Jose Mercury News enjoys the ranking of one of the top ten newspapers in the country by the Columbia Journalism Review and was named the boldest American newspaper by the Society for Newspaper Design.

For more information: 415.618.6271.

For press inquiries: Ian MacKintosh 415.618.3849

Academy of Art University is an accredited member of ACICS, NASAD, Council for Interior Design Accreditation (Formerly FIDER), (BFA-IAD), and NAAB (M-ARCH). The Academy also has one of the country's top Photography Schools, one of the nation's best Graphic Design Schools, and a highly regarded Architecture School.

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Sierra Trading Post Unveils New Website for Beta Testing

Sierra Trading Post launches a brand-new website to provide customers with the best online shopping experience yet. Enhanced product searches, streamlined navigation and clean layout are just a few of the many changes that come with Sierra Trading Post's new site.

"We built the new site to ensure that we are meeting the evolving needs of online shoppers," says Andy Newlin, Director of eCommerce for Sierra Trading Post. "We developed it in-house so that we will be able to implement new ideas and solve issues quickly."

In addition to simple navigation and modern look, the new site will allow customers to use advanced search options and filter product by a wide range of choices. "We feel that the new site is extremely user friendly," says Clint Nelson, Web Creative Manager for Sierra Trading Post. "We're excited to see if our customers agree." Users can now filter product by color, size, price range, customer review, brand and event. "It truly makes product selection faster and easier than ever."

One of the more noticeable features is the enhanced photo viewing, which provides an interactive zoom by simply clicking their mouse over the original. The quick-view window gives users a chance to view an item's details and add it to their cart without navigating away from their current page. There's even an area where customers can save products and buy them later. The enhanced user account with personalized dashboard will allow customers to manage their catalog and email subscriptions, shipping information and view their order history at the click of a button.

The new site is available to the public at beta.sierratradingpost.com, so customers can give feedback and any outstanding issues can be addressed. If all goes well, the new site will replace the current one at SierraTradingPost.com in the early months of 2011. "By asking for continual feedback and suggestions for improvements, we're letting the customer dictate how they want to shop the new and improved SierraTradingPost.com," says Newlin. "The feedback we've received on the test site so far has been very positive!"

About Sierra Trading Post
Headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyo., Sierra Trading Post is a multichannel retailer known nationwide for offering "Great Deals. Great Brands." Sierra Trading Post purchases brand name overstocks, closeouts and 2nds, and passes the savings on to its customers – selling outdoor gear, shoes, men's clothing, women's clothing, accessories and home furnishings at 35 to 70% savings ever Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) y day. A top 100 Internet retailer in sales per Internet Retailer Magazine, Sierra Trading Post operates four outlet stores in Boise, Idaho; Reno, Nev.; Cheyenne and Cody, Wyo.; with customer service call centers located in Cheyenne and Cody.

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Today on EverydayFamilyTV: Celebrity Stylist Gives Pregnancy Fashion Advice

EverydayFamilyTV's Leigh Koechner sat down with Gili Niv, personal stylist to LA's elite, to discuss fashion trends and baby bumps. Go to EverydayFamily.com (EF) and tune in to The EverydayFamily Room with Leigh Koechner, and learn what Niv says to the over three million members of EF.

"There are many women who struggle with body issues during pregnancy, and we are thrilled that Gili is joining us, sharing her style tips for their growing bellies," said Shiloh Johnson, Director of Content for EverydayFamily.com. "When your body is rapidly changing during pregnancy, it is common to want to cover yourself with baggy clothing. Gili encourages women to wear bright colors to show off their pregnant bodies. It's great advice for our members."

Niv is the founder of The Tip Jar, a respected fashion site known for Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) its quality products, store reviews and fashion findings. She has been featured in Women's Wear Daily (WWD), Wall Street Journal and C Magazine, and is a frequent guest on the Style Network.

"Gili delivers her advice with obvious chic finesse on The EverydayFamily Room with Leigh," says Tony Golden, Executive Producer and Business Development Director for EverydayFamily.com. "EverydayFamily has an overwhelming percentage of pregnant women wanting more information and we are happy to have a medium to provide what they are looking for."

The EverydayFamily Room features numerous parenting experts, selected for their diverse, unique and life-enhancing information, as part of its online TV programming.

About EverydayFamilyTV and EverydayFamily.com:
EverydayFamilyTV (EFTV) brings a daily dose of interactive parent talk with the launch of its first program, The EverydayFamily Room with Leigh Koechner, produced by its Emmy and Grammy award-winning production team. The online TV programming featured on EverydayFamily.com (EF) aims to bring EF members the very best information and entertainment through the knowledge of parenting experts, industry experts, celebrity parents and "Everyday" moms and dads.

EF is an online home and established resource to a growing community of over three million members who share their own everyday parenting experiences with those who are seeking guidance and support as they move through their family's journeys, from preconception, to preschool and beyond. The editors at EF, as well as the entire EF community, are dedicated to providing daily content for families seeking expert and parent advice, information and support… and to giving back to the communities supporting us.

For advertisers looking for sponsorship opportunities and creative integration that go well beyond banner ads and transition marketing messages in to an uninterrupted part of the user experience, contact Tony Golden, Business Development Director for EverydayFamily.com, at Tony.Golden(at)EverydayFamily(dot)com.

Goodwill Expands Commitment to America’s Heroes and Their Families

A new initiative from Goodwill Industries International will expand the organization's job training, placement and employment services programs to thousands of American veterans, as well as their spouses and families. The Goodwill? for America's Heroes and Their Families program comes in response to an urgent call from First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden asking all Americans to do more to help serve the nation's military families. Today, they will launch a national initiative at the White House to support and honor America's service members and their families. The initiative will coincide with Goodwill's fifth annual Advocacy Day, in which more than 175 representatives from Goodwill? including CEOs, workforce professionals, volunteer board members, and program participants will gather on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to invest in the American workforce through federal job training programs.

With many service men and women returning to duty in Iraq and Afghanistan for multiple deployments, today's military families are stretched thinner than ever before, and the success of many of these families largely depends on the ability of military spouses to find employment on the home front. President Obama recently recognized this crucial need when he said, "The readiness of our armed forces depends on the readiness of our military families."

In January, the President announced a major presidential initiative focused on strengthening military families. One of the major prongs of the initiative is developing career opportunities for military spouses. Building on this momentum, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are launching the initiative designed to encourage individual citizens and communities to make this same commitment and aim to educate, challenge and spark action from all sectors of our society — citizens, communities, businesses, nonprofits, faith based institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government — to ensure military families have the support they have earned. For example, they encourage businesses to hire military spouses even if they know those individuals might move on in a few years.

Goodwill is proud to be one of the first organizations to respond to this call by l women's jackets aunching Goodwill for America's Heroes and Their Families. Through its unique social enterprise business model, Goodwill raises money from items sold at its more than 2,500 retail stores and uses the revenues to fund job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs that help people become self-sufficient through the power of work. The organization also employs many of these people at its retail stores around the country. For nearly a century, Goodwill has made America's veterans a focus of these programs, serving more than 25,000 veterans in 2010 alone. This year, the organization will continue to serve veterans while also expanding employment services to military spouses and families.

"Since World War I, Goodwill has helped America's veterans find employment at home," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Now, with military members returning to Afghanistan and Iraq for multiple deployments, we're extending this mission to their spouses and families, because we know that helping them find jobs is crucial to the success of these families and the communities where they live."

In 2011, Goodwill expects to hire more than 5,000 people and has targeted 1,300 (more than 20 percent) of these positions for military spouses, veterans and their families. Goodwill agencies around the country expect to provide face-to-face career and family strengthening services to more than 15,000 military spouses, veterans and their families, and are also prepared to provide virtual career services that can be linked to military web sites, expanding these services to tens of thousands more people.

Questions can be directed to firstladypress(at)who(dot)eop(dot)gov.

CONTACT:
Lauren Lawson-Zilai
Goodwill Industries International
Phone: (240) 333-5266
Lauren.Lawson(at)goodwill(dot)org

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that career services and other support services by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,500 retail stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2010, 2.5 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 84 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at http://www.goodwill.org, or call (800) 741-0186. Twitter: @GoodwillIntl. Facebook: GoodwillIntl

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Clothing Retailer Boden Gears Up For US Expansion

An already established fashion outlet with over 900,000 US customers, Boden is investing women's jackets in warehouse and staff expansion to support ambitious growth plans. In January 2011 Boden completed work to double the size of its facility in Pittston, Pennsylvania. Boosting available space has enabled the business to keep more of its stock in the United States and give customers "a much improved service," said Boden's Managing Director Julian Granville. Mr Granville pointed at the increased head count at the newly expanded facility and that Pittston offers "a first-class work force", which has been key.

Back in London, the head office team focusing on customer acquisition has also restructured and expanded to cater for growth. The latest recruit, International Online Marketing Manager Esther Wrigley, has come on board to drive Boden's customer acquisition online. "With over 85% of orders coming in from our website, all online marketing channels are being ramped up", says Ms Wrigley. She sights "lead generation, display advertising and demographic profiling" as some of the most high impact new tools to ensure profitable growth.

Despite Boden acquiring over 150,000 new customers annually since moving into the US market, the apparel sector is predicted to face increasingly challenging conditions in 2011. Higher cotton prices and rising labour costs overseas may force clothing retailers to raise prices by between 5 and 20 per cent in the second half of this year alone. Miss Wrigley remains optimistic, however, "with our improved customer service and marketing operations in the US, we are confident we can respond to the forthcoming challenge."

About JP Boden & Co

Boden sells clothing for men, women, teens and children with a British twist through its website and catalogs. The company is turning over ?200 million a year and employing 800 staff. More than 200 womenswear styles are on offer, as well as extensive ranges of menswear, baby, boys and girls clothing. Boden launched operations in America in 2002, Germany in 2007 and Austria in September 2009.

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CAbi Launches Fall 2011 Collection

Women's designer clothing collection and the nation's largest direct sales apparel company, CAbi (Carol Anderson by invitation) has launched its Fall 2011 Collection. The collection is now available for purchase exclusively through CAbi's Independent Fashion Consultants and in-home shows.

The Fall 2011 Collection has been touted as designer Carol Anderson's most highly anticipated collection yet. Known as "the best kept secret in fashion," CAbi has become synonymous with contemporary yet cutting-edge style, leaving the fashion industry and the Internet abuzz with chatter over this exquisite collection.

Watch the CAbi Fall 2011 Runway Show

Fall Fashion Trends 2011: Iconic Starlet Inspired Collection

The CAbi Design Team designed with an eye toward luxe this season, opting for couture-quality fabrics like Silk Habotai and lace, and embraced body-skimming silhouettes. The collection is riddled with the fashion industry's hottest fashion trends for fall 2011, showing women everywhere how to create modern romance through blush tones; unleash their animal magnetism with skin prints; and embrace the supreme staple of the season – tweed.

The Fall 2011 Collection embodies the essence of some of Hollywood's most revered big screen starlets. Whether she's the girl-next-door like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, the icy blonde sophisticate, Grace Kelly, in Rear Window, or the every-girl-turned-fashionista such as Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, this collection allows women to shine with their own personal expression!

View the CAbi Fall 2011 Look Book

A Sought After Career in Fashion

Yet it is not just the fashion that makes CAbi such an exceptional brand. The legion of passionate CAbi Consultants are a diverse and unique group of women from all walks of life, who truly do say "I love my job!"

CAbi Consultants are entrepreneurial women, who are driven to succeed in a career that affords them the balance of life, family and their communities. For this reason, CAbi has become one of the most successful home-based careers for women, as the fashion has become a conduit for financial success, a flexible schedule, and rich new relationships.

Heart Of CAbi Foundation

The charitable giving arm of CAbi, the Heart of CAbi Foundation, works with other internationally recognized nonprofit organizations to fulfill the mission of providing the poor and disenfranchised women of the world a greater opportunity and realization of empowerment through the gifts of clothing, financial support, and our volunteer efforts. Since 2005, the Heart of CAbi Foundation has donated over 1.4 million garments and 400 microloans to women in over 40 countries and in US communities that have been ravaged by natural disasters.

"The Heart of CAbi Foundation was created to help victims who lost every belonging in Hurricane Katrina – and now we've been privileged to help women across the world," said Scott Farquhar, CEO, CAbi LLC. "With the tremendous outpouring from the volunteers and individual donors and the caliber of organizations we've worked with, it begs us to imagine our impact in the next five years."

Watch the Fall 2011 Heart of CAbi Foundation Video

About CAbi LLC:

For over 25 years, women's apparel designer, Carol Anderson, sold her collections in high-end department stores and specialty boutiques across the country. In an effort to maintain her creative freedom and to bring her loyal following of customers even clos women's coats er to the brand, CAbi (Carol Anderson by invitation) was launched in 2001. Leveraging the brand's reputation in the fashion world, CAbi is a lucrative career opportunity for women that brings Carol's designs directly to the customer.

CAbi has expanded its large national footprint with Consultants in all 50 states. CAbi offers two collections a year, which are available exclusively through the company's Independent Fashion Consultants. CAbi has developed a solid reputation for its unparalleled quality in clothing as well as its outstanding CAbi Consultants who are known for placing the customer's happiness with her clothing selections above sales.

For more information, visit http://www.cabionline.com and read CAbi's blog, the CAbi Canary, at http://www.cabicanary.com

View our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cabiclothing and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cabiclothing

Contact: Marie Coleman, mcoleman(at)carolanderson(dot)com or (310) 683.3333 x682

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Racy.com Applauds the New Movie "Hysteria" with a standing "O"

Racy applauds the new movie "Hysteria" with a standing "O" "Not only is the romantic comedy cleverly witty, but it brings to light the importance of sex toys to female sexual health," states Racy.com's Co-Owner, Jonathan Thralow. "Racy sales of vibrators to the American public has grown quickly since the beginning of 2011, and those sales should double as sex toys become more accepted and people are introduced to our safe online shopping."

Many "Hysteria" movie goers will revel in female camaraderie with the inflicted patients. "The explicit theme of female masturbation will boost the sale of sexual aids," predicts, Thralow. "Currently, our top selling vibrator is the Jungle Jigglers Wabbit. "Hysteria" will do for vibrators what "Risky Business" did for sunglasses or what "The Ugly Truth" did for remote control vibrating panties," Thralow states.

A 38 year old, professional woman from northern Minnesota, Sarah T. confesses that her first sex toy was a vibrator. It was a gift from her fiancé. Since this introduction into vibrators, she reveals, "my inventory includes many variations on the old standby. Vibrators allow me sexual satisfaction when ever the mood presents itself."    

Racy.com's best selling vibrator is the Rabbit Vibe . The "Rabbit" came to fame thanks to the small screen when it had a staring role in "Sex in the City." They have sold thousands of rabbit vibrators year to date," supplies Thralow. "These sales doubled from last year and we expect them to double again next year."

"Hysteria" premiers in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Racy Inc. is dedicated to allowing women's coats people their sexual freedom through the sales of its sexual aids and exotic clothing. Racy Inc. features everything from costumes and toys to gag gifts and party supplies at its online store, Racy.com

For more information visit them on the web at http://www.Racy.com.

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Isaay.com Sees Increase in Sales and Conversion After Re-Platforming on Demandware

Demandware?, Inc., a leader in on-demand ecommerce, today announced that Isaay.com, a curator of brand name and designer merchandise for the fashion forward woman, has re-launched its online store, http://www.isaay.com, on the Demandware Commerce platform. Upon replacing its open source platform with Demandware, Isaay.com has measured a 200 percent increase in conversion, which the company attributes to its new platform.

Isaay.com offers its customers a unique shopping experience that focuses on delivering the best of women's designer brands, customer service, media and content. The online-only retailer sells clothing, shoes, lingerie, bags and accessories from the world's top designers representing more than 40 brands.

Isaay.com originally launched its ecommerce operations on an open source platform with the intent of building out three different sites, but after a year in development, it was only able to launch one site due to the limitations of the platform. The company realized that its open source platform wasn't capable of supporting its growth plans, and began to search for a new platform that could scale. Other critical requirements included the ability to provide personalized shopping experiences for customers based on geography or key word searches, a central environment for easily managing all merchandising functionality across sites, and international selling capabilities.

After reviewing several options, Isaay.com felt that the Demandware Commerce platform was the only solution capable of meeting all of its requirements. Demandware's entry-level pricing model allowed Isaay.com the opportunity to work with the same platform used by some of the world's top brands for a price they could afford.

"We no longer have to settle for the lesser, inexpensive solution that we know would have to be replaced as our business grows," said Gary Shar, CEO and founder of Isaay.com. "If we want to give our customers premium service, we need premium functionality to do so."

Since launching its new site in July, Isaay.com has realized significant results including:

•     100 percent increase in daily traffic
•     Conversion rate increase of 200 percent
•     Overall increase in sales
•     30 percent decrease in bounce rate
•     400 percent increase in page views
•     25 percent increase in time on site

Isaay.com worked with Demandware Solution Partners, Fluid and Precision Design, on design and implementation, which took six months to complete. According to Shar, "Our partners bent over backwards and called in all their top-level people to get our site up quickly without cutting any corners."

Shar concluded, "We have had both the pleasure and misfortune of dealing with many vendors since inception of the company. I can unequivocally say that without the partnership and assistance from Demandware, Fluid and Precision Design, our new site would not have been possible. The support and follow up we have received since launch has also been overwhelming. We are so excited about our future together as we grow to become a ground-breaking ecommerce site changing the way consumers shop online."

Future plans for Isaay.com include the addition of a mobile commerce site leveraging Demandware's mobile application. The unified environment between mobile storefront and ecommerce website will provide Isaay.com customers with a seamless, cohesive shopping experience wherever they may be.

"There's nothing more exciting for a technology vendor than to partner with such a passionate and dedicated retailer," said Jamus Driscoll, senior vice president of marketing at Demandware. "Isaay.com has put its trust in us and our platform to help them take their business to the next level"

About Isaay.com
Isaay.com offers style-conscious women a personalized high-fashion online shopping experience. Featuring thousands of items from the world's best designers, Isaay.com emphasizes great customer service, free shipping both ways, a 90-day return policy, and makes it "All About You" by offering curated collections of the to women's jackets p designer brands and style guides that provide advice on how to wear great fashion. For more information, visit http://www.isaay.com.

About Demandware
Demandware is a leading provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce solutions that enable companies to easily design, implement and manage their own customized ecommerce sites, including websites, mobile applications and other digital storefronts. Customers use our highly scalable and integrated Demandware Commerce platform to more easily launch and manage multiple ecommerce sites, initiate marketing campaigns more quickly, and improve ecommerce traffic. For more information about Demandware, visit http://www.demandware.com, call 888-553-9216 or email info (at) demandware (dot) com.

Demandware is a registered trademark of Demandware, Inc.

Media Contact:
Christine Major
Corporate Communications Manager, Demandware
Office: 781-425-1228 Mobile: 603-743-4534
Email: cmajor (at) demandware (dot) com

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San Francisco Motorcycle Clothing, 415 Clothing Announces They Are Now Offering Shipping for the Holidays

San Francisco motorcycle clothing, 415 Clothing is now offering to ship items directly to the doors of their customers, friends and family. This service will only be offered from now until Christmas 2011. This is a perfect opportunity for those who have loved ones who live out of town, for those who are going out of town and won't make it back in time for Christmas, or even for those too lazy to go to the post office on their own.

Shipping is only available to residents who live within the United States and will cost a small fee for orders under $250. Customers who spend $250 and over will receive their shipping for free. As a complimentary gift, the staff at 415 Clothing will wrap the packages in lovely giftwrap before they send them off. If the customer mentions this release at the store or 'Likes' 415 on Facebook, they will receive 10% off of their purchases. Facebook subject to being looked up. These discounts also apply to 415 tattoo shop, Tattoos by Nicole.

"We like to make it convenient for our customers so that they don't have to make a trip to the post office. It's great for those who have family from out of town," says Heather V of 415 Clothing. Parking is plentiful, easy and free. It provides for a nice shopping environment that's not as hectic, which means that customers don't have to worry about fighting a crowd to shop. What better way is there to shop for family and friends? Bought, wrapped and shipped all in the same hour - who could ask for more?

For more information, please call (415) 529-5105 or visit them online at 415clothing.com.

About 415 Clothing

Disturb the peace in style with San Francisco motorcycle accessories at 415 Clothing Company of San Francisco. They specialize in exceptional women's coats Women's, Children's, and Men's clothing. 415 Clothing Company carries a wide selection of motorcycle clothing, including leather motorcycle jackets, hoodies, hats, and more. Shop in store or online. 415 clothing is the best bet for exclusive, high quality San Francisco clothing. 415 Clothing Company produces a very distinctive style of "Frisco" clothing. It is the best place to get authentic, high quality leather motorcycle jackets. 415 Clothing also has a tattoo parlor, boasting a place to both shop and get inked.

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4 Reasons Why T-shirts Make the Perfect Promotional Product

The t-shirt is one of the most popular staples of a wardrobe next to, of course, a good pair of jeans. The t-shirt is a comfortable, stylish and practical piece of clothing. A t-shirt is also the perfect promotional product because it's affordable, versatile and a great way to advertise. Plus, everyone loves to get a free t-shirt at a sporting event, concert, road race or other special event to keep as a souvenir. The promotional product experts at 4AllPromos believe there are 4 reasons why t-shirts make the perfect promotional product for any business, special event or promotion.

1.    T-shirts make perfect giveaways at school sporting events and fundraisers and are a great way to raise awareness and help promote a business or cause. The promotional products industry see an uptick in apparel sales, specifically t-shirts, in the spring as businesses and non-profits gets ready for special events such as benefit walks, team building events and outdoor festivals. "T-shirts are one of the best products to promote with," says 4AllPromos President Cosmo Corigliano. "We have seen steady sales of t-shirts over the years because they are lightweight, easy to ship and are a popular among customers and the public."

2.    Some promotional products come in certain colors, but t-shirts come in pretty much every color in the rainbow. These color accommodations allow businesses to match their organizations logo or name to the apparel perfectly. Mix and match the colors of t-shirts to create teams or give customers a better selection. Shirts are also made to fit men, women and children. Orders can be customized based on the customers.

3.    The turnaround on t-shirts is quick. An order for t-shirts can be received in a matter of two or three weeks. Of course, if you have more complicated order with a variety of sizes or multiple imprints it is always a good idea to get the order into 4AllPromos as early as possible. However, if you are planning an event or fundraiser a few weeks out 4AllPromos can print t-shirts in a reasonable amount of time.

4.    There are so many ways to advertise today including online, in print, or via a mobile device but a t-shirt will never suffer from technical failure. A message on a t-shirt can travel from state-to-state, to another country or even another county and conjure up conversation. Create a t-shirt with a unique message or photo and help start a conversation. So many people sport a comfy t-shirt while running errands or hitting the town and virtually serve as a walking billboard for a business, event, website, non-profit, school or other occasion they support.

5.    Finally, nowadays it is possible to print almost anything, anywhere on a t-shirt. Some t-shirts can have multiple imprints in many colors-on the sleeve, on the breast pocket, on the front or on the back. Use graphics and/or text to call attention to a business or event. Advertise or promote a campaign with a QR code, which allows people to use women's jackets their smart phones to access special discounts.

Need help placing a t-shirt order? The promotional product experts and graphic artists are available online or toll-free at 1-866-732-3386 Monday through Friday. 4AllPromos is a leading online marketing of custom imprinted and promotional products including tote bags, drinkware, golf accessories, party giveaways and much more. Find 4AllPromos on Facebook or Twitter for special promotions and industry news.

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Eco-Fashion – Now for Your Mobile Phone

As the glamorous world of haute couture continues to embrace eco-friendly fashion with many of the industry's big names creating breathtaking and exquisite designs, it's finally time to put to rest the old image of eco-friendly clothing being badly fitting and uncomfortable to wear.

Eco-fashion made big news during this year's Award Season as designers Tom Ford and Stella McCartney along with Chanel, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent signed up for Livia Firth's Green Carpet Challenge to create unique, eco-friendly dresses to be worn on the red carpet

Oscar Best Actress Meryl Streep wore Lanvin's first-ever eco-friendly gown and The Artist actress Missi Pyle wore a cruelty-free, mineral-dyed "peace"-silk gown by Valentino Delfino.

Also getting the eco-fashion treatment are, of course, a host of shoe, handbag and jewellery labels and now, with its new 2012 range of eco-friendly pouches, you can wrap up your mobile in sustainable style too with an e-pouch.

Created by UK design company Anokimobi, the e-pouch range of phone pouches and wallets not only look good in a mix of vibrant colours and striking prints but are constructed from 100% organic and recycled materials. Incorporating c women's jackets lever design features such as discreet pockets and easy access features to keep credit cards, coins and headphones safe too, the e-pouch range is promoted as a 'better, smarter, greener choice' for the consumer and doesn't come with an expensive 'green price tag'.

Tom Tranter, Director of Anokimobi explains: "We have been creating products that are eco-friendly for a number of years and wanted to produce stylish and planet-friendly phone cases and covers too. The e-pouch range is aimed at the tech savvy women and men who want to make a style statement but in a conscious way. We are very careful with our eco-credentials; dyes, manufacturing methods and labour force are thoroughly vetted. The e-pouches themselves are made with a combination of organic biodegradable cotton and other eco-friendly materials; from the outer fabrics and recycled filler, through to the recycled plastic strengthening elements. There is something for everyone in our range, all of it designed to minimise the impact on the planet - we call it style with soul."

Comprising fourteen core designs, the range is suitable for cell phones, cameras and MP3 players and is the only phone pouch range to contain Biomaster? anti-bacterial silver ions to reduce everyday germs; a potential health hazard that hit the headlines last year.

About Anokimobi Ltd:
Anokimobi started its life in 2002 designing and producing mobile phone accessories with a twist; offering clients bespoke wrist straps, phone charms, lanyards and pouches. Quickly gaining a reputation for innovation, within 6 months of trading Anokimobi was working with clients such as BBC, MTV, Burger King and Virgin Trains and later went on to design products for most of the telecoms and mobile phone companies including Nokia, O2, Orange and Vodaphone.

As its reputation for design excellence grew, Anokimobi was increasingly commissioned to design and manufacture products outside of the mobile phone market and in 2007 it began actively promoting and pioneering a range of greener products for its retail and promotional clients.

In 2011 it launched the e-pouch range of pouches and skins to offer a greener alternative to the mobile phone covers, cases, pouches and skins on the market. Like designers in the fashion industry who are increasingly designing beautiful, planet-friendly clothing, the e-pouch range of pouches and cases were created to be stylish and functional while using the greenest possible production methods and materials.

MyReviewsNow.net Affiliate Net Fashion Avenue Launches Huge Women’s Designer Clothing End of Season Sale

Online shopping leader MyReviewNow.net announced today that its affiliate partner Net Fashion Avenue has launched a huge end of season sale on a wide selection of designer clothing.

As a result of the limited time end of season sale, online shoppers can add top brand name designer womens clothing to their wardrobe for a fraction of the normal retail price, with many discounts topping 40%. They'll also enjoy free shipping.

In all, there are 175 incredible deals to be had on a prom dresses, cocktail dresses, homecoming dresses, and evening dresses, all of which are offered in a variety of styles, colors and fits from some of the world's top designers.

"At MyReviewsNow.net, we're so much more than an ordinary online shopping mall," commented an Affiliate Spokesperson from MyReviewNow.net. "Unlike some websites that offer overstock or surplus products, and oblige online shoppers to spend hours hunting for a small handful of decent deals to be had, we connect with affiliates who give our loyal community incredible deals on top quality, name brand merchandise. Honestly, folks who shop at Net Fashion Avenue's great end of season sale won't struggle to find a great deal on women's clothing that's worth bragging about. Instead, they'll have so much to choose from, and will enjoy such low prices and free shipping, that they may never set foot in a mall again!"

For more information or media inquiries, contact Lina Andrade at info(at)myreviewsnow(dot)net. Press release issued by SEOChampion.com.

About MyReviewsNow.net

A virtual shopping mall of services, products and publications available online,
MyReviewsNow.net is a business directory that sets itself apart from similar sites by offering both professional reviews and customer testim women's coats onials on the Internet's hottest offerings in a fun, simple format that is easy for online shoppers to enjoy.

About SEO Champion

SEO Champion was started in 1999 and is owner operated by Michael Rotkin, SEO Specialist for over 17 years. Michael Rotkin's goal for his clients is to "own" keyword placements for the top 3 slots organically, so that his clients can earn a higher return on investment from their advertising dollars. Rotkin realizes the value of SEO over Pay-Per-Click campaigns, where click-throughs are generally more expensive and harder to convert into sales. SEOChampion's intense work ethic can be seen in daily and weekly reports that show progress through organic keyword gain. This effort is the reason his SEO firm has been able to build a loyal client base for many years. Learn more at http://seochampion.com/.

Dr. Paul M. Parker of the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery Explains New FDA Regulations for Sunscreens

While many products contain sun protection these days, including moisturizers, make-up and sunscreen, the amount of protection that consumers are receiving varies greatly. For the past 33 years, the FDA has been working on new labeling requirements that will give consumers more information regarding the type of sun protection the product provides.

"The old regulations dealt with protection from sunburn which is caused by UVB and didn't deal with UVA radiation at all. UVA radiation contributes to skin cancer and photo aging of the skin. The FDA has established a test that will allow products that pass the test to be labeled 'broad spectrum.' Using a broad spectrum sun protection product, in addition to limiting sun exposure and wearing protective clothing, offers patients the highest level of protection," explained New Jersey plastic surgeon, Dr. Parker.

Another facet of the new regulations prohibits manufacturers from making claims of "waterproof," "sweat proof" or "sunblock" on their labels. The FDA believes that these claims exaggerate their effectiveness, since all sunscreens will wash off. Claims of "instant protection" are also prohibited, and no product may claim to provide protection for more than 2 hours without reapplication.

In order to help consumers clearly understand sun protection products, now only broad spectrum sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher can cla fashion jackets online im to reduce the risk of premature skin aging and skin cancer if used as directed along with minimizing sun exposure and wearing protective clothing. All sun protection products with an SPF of less than 15 can only claim to help prevent sunburn.

The skin care staff at Beaura Spa at the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery can give their patients a brightened complexion, revitalize their face, smooth wrinkles and even out their skin color. The Beaura Spa New Jersey offers several different skin care product lines with sun protection and makeup that's good for skin.

"My clients are always looking to save time with products that can do double duty. I love being able to show them a great product that will not only help their skin, but also protect it from the sun. We've learned that it's all about the feel of a product on the skin for our patients. We offer several different product lines to accommodate their preferences," said Kim Ashton Spa, Coordinator at New Jersey day spa, Beaura Spa.

Kim also went onto explain that while women often rely on sunscreen contained in their moisturizer or foundation, it will not provide all day protection. Beaura Spa offers a loose powder with SPF that can go on over makeup to extend and boost sun protection without having to start a makeup routine all over again later in the day.

Patients who've undergone plastic surgery are also advised to use a sunscreen on their incision to prevent hyperpigmentation (darkening) of the surgical site. A sunscreen will not only protect the incision, but it will also moisturize the area and aid in healing.

"Patients need to use a broad spectrum product, every day, every time they go out in the sun. These new labeling regulations should make it easier to understand exactly the amount of sun protection a product will give if you apply the recommended amount," Dr. Parker said.

While the new regulations go into effect this June, manufacturers have had over a year to change the labeling to meet the new requirements. In fact, many have been making the transition over the past year, and consumers should be able to see the new labeling on shelves already.

The Parker Center for Plastic Surgery and the Beaura Spa offers women, men and teens skincare treatment, products and, if necessary, surgical solutions. Beaura Spa offers everything from facials to dermabrasion to injectables and skin care products to keep skin bright, even and clear.

The Parker Center includes a fully accredited state-of-the-art surgical center, Surgiplex and the Beaura Spa. Patients appreciate that the Parker Center offers them the safety of a hospital, but in a warmer, calmer atmosphere and a spa that offers the latest in skin care. New Jersey surgical patients benefit from the Rapid Recovery Program, which is a unique set of medical protocols that speeds recovery, lessens discomfort and allows patients to get back to their busy lives as quickly as possible.

About Dr. Parker
Paul M. Parker, MD, a New Jersey cosmetic surgeon, is the Medical Director of the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery. He has over 20 years' experience and is well known for his surgical results as well as his commitment to patient care and satisfaction. Dr. Parker graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and completed his residency in general and plastic surgery at New York University Medical Center.

Parker Center for Plastic Surgery
122 East Ridgewood Avenue
Paramus, NJ 07090
201.967.1212

idolookgood.com to Launch New Online E-commerce Site in Mid-August

Women's clothing retailer, idolookgood.com, announced today the upcoming August launch of a new e-commerce web shop that will enable the company to enhance its merchandising and marketing efforts and deliver a more personalized and relevant consumer experience.

The new idolookgood.com is being designed so that the customer experience couldn't be easier. The combination of intuitive navigation--by style and by brand, along with social media interaction and shopping cart makes finding and purchasing boutique women's clothing effortless.

Since it's founding in 1995, idolookgood.com has featured some of the finest boutique women's clothing including brand names: Comfy USA, Cut Loose, Color Me Cotton, Fenini and many other wonderful women's boutique designer clothing brands.

idolookgood.com edits the best collections of artisan designers from around the world to bring women's clothing and accessories with a unique point of view to the market. idolookgood.com is dedicated to dressing the woman who wants to look good, feel comfortable, wear color and own clothing with a flattering fit. In addition the clothes are easy to care for and pack and travel well. Who doesn't want and deserve that?

Over the past decade, idolookgood.com has grown from a Washington, DC area premier boutique destination, with a reputation of offering the "Best of the Best" to now an " women's jackets in-the-know" on-line women's clothing boutique.

Prior to launching in August 2012, prospective customers are encouraged to sign up today for email alerts to keep in the know on the opening of the new e-commerce site.

COMPANY INFORMATION
Women's clothing retailer, idolookgood.com, the source for trend-appropriate modern clothing that balances career and casual lifestyles. An artfully edited mix and match women's clothing collection that is trend-appropriate and blends the best of American and European influences.

At the end of the day, idolookgood.com prides itself on the superb assortment of boutique women's clothing which is comfortable, colorful and season less, with flattering silhouettes for women of all sizes.

be present Announces Release of Vote Collection for 2012 Election Year

Denver-based yoga clothing company, be present, is reintroducing its popular "VOTE" tee for 2012. This year, the collection expands to bring other fonts, styles and sayings for both men's and women's ap women's jackets parel.

be present first introduced its popular "VOTE" tee in 2004 when the company partnered with yogini and friend Tracy Columbus, to conceptualize the design. The original "VOTE" tee is characterized by the "O" in vote, which is replaced with am Om symbol. The artwork made another appearance in 2008 has become a very popular be present item and is also well recognized within the yoga community. The tees are back in high demand for 2012 and be present has responded by making more options available in the collection.

2012 brings some new additions to be present's Vote Collection. The original artwork still makes an appearance on men's styles and select women's styles. In addition, the company is releasing two new designs; one is similar to the original "VOTE" artwork but introduces a new, script font. The other reads "Vote With Your Heart," still maintaining the Om symbol in place of the "o" in "Vote" and also utilizing a two-color screen print. Artwork will be available on men's and women's styles which include organic cotton tees, women's organic cotton long sleeves and a blended polyester, cotton and rayon short sleeve tee for women.

All styles of the be present Vote Collection will be available for sale at http://www.bepresent.com.

be present, clothing for the yoga lifestyle, was established in Colorado in 2002 by Amy Lopatin Dobrin and Jon Dobrin. All be present clothing is proudly made in the USA. The brand remains at the forefront of the yoga apparel industry, continually designing clothing that is original and functional.

For additional information, images and samples, please contact:
Maggie Mistovich
maggie(at)bepresent(dot)com
#303.228.4601
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FashionHaunt Announces International Sellers to Join the Site. Expand or Start Your Clothing Business by Taking it Online with FashionHaunt.com

FashionHaunt recently announced that international sellers from certain countries would be allowed to sell items on the site.

As planned FashionHaunt has opened its door for international sellers to create a global platform.

Selling clothes online should be easy, cost effective and efficient as it sounds like. There is no cost of renting a space, hiring employees, or paying for utilities. But the reality can be a lot more different than imagining. With the notion to provide easy, efficient, and global arena, FashionHaunt has invited sellers from India, China, Canada, France etc to join the site.

Often companies create a solution which promises to provide a platform and services at no cost, but in no time one realizes that they are being charged nickel and dime for the basic services. Therefore, the seller gets trapped in the maze of false marketing campaign. With its recent announcement FashionHaunt has extended its services to International sellers also.

After providing years of free service to swap, sell and b women's coats uy clothing online at MyClozet, the founder decided to establish a platform to sell clothes online which provides the sellers all that services at no cost, that is when FashionHaunt was born. The seller is charged only if the item is sold. There is no complex mathematical formula involved in calculating the commission. Sellers are charged a flat rate fee of 3% of the sale price. The site works for the best interest of the sellers by providing some services as listed below:

List items for free.
Pay commission of 3%, only if the item is sold
List as many items as you wish
Listing never ends
Get paid directly to your PayPal account

By allowing international sellers to join the site, the company plans to build an international community. FashionHaunt is an answer to all that confusion of selling clothes online. Sellers can sell their items at FashionHaunt with peace of mind. Sellers are not bound by any geographic regions, they can sell their product to customers from around the world, 24/7.

FashionHaunt is an innovative online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of new and gently used clothing, accessories, jewelry and costumes for men, women, and children. The possibilities are endless with FashionHaunt on your side. The items that you can sell on FashionHaunt is not limited to western clothing but traditional too. So, the seller who is interested in selling traditional clothing such as Indian clothing, Japanese clothing, Irish clothing are also welcome.

Founder of FashionHaunt has converted the imagination into reality by providing this dynamic and global marketplace. The seller has all the necessary tools at their dispense to make it selling clothes online easy, inexpensive and efficient. Are you a small business owner, individual seller or boutique owner looking to sell clothes online?, Come join this growing community today.

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Turner Construction Company to Build Military Care Facility

Turner Construction Company recently broke ground on the new National Intrepid Cente fashion coats r of Excellence (NICoE) Satellite Center in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

As part of a national campaign to construct up to nine identical facilities on major military bases across the United States, NICoE will be used to treat military service members with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health conditions. These satellite facilities will extend the care of the main NICoE facility at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, a state of the art healing facility completed by Turner in June 2010.

"We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the leaders of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the American people who so generously have donated funds to construct these facilities that are so needed by our service members," said Chris Jahrling, Vice President and General Manager of Turner's Federal Services Group. "We are immensely proud of the similar NICoE facility we constructed at Bethesda Naval Center and are excited to build another NICoE facility here at Fort Belvoir to better serve our wounded servicemen and servicewomen."

The new $11 million facility will include areas for psychiatric testing, chiropractic space, acupuncture, testing rooms, exam facilities, physical therapy areas, a sleep lab and multiple family areas for visiting and delivery of information. All nine facilities will be located on major bases to prevent separating our affected service members from their units, families, and other support groups while they undergo diagnostics and treatment.

"Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress are invisible wounds that many of our men and women in uniform are suffering from as they return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. "It is our duty as Americans to care for these men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation in battle and sacrificed a piece of themselves for our freedom. We need to make every resource and method of treatment available to them to accelerate their recovery. These NICoE centers will accomplish this goal."

About Turner Contruction Company
Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in the major segments of the building construction field. During 2011 Turner completed $8.2 billion of construction. With 5,000 employees and over 1,500 projects Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF. For more information, visit Turner's website at http://www.turnerconstruction.com.

WestBow Press Accepting Submissions for Third Annual Women of Faith? Writing Contest

WestBow Press, the strategic self-publishing division of the world's largest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson, Inc., today announced they are accepting submissions for the third annual Women of Faith? writing contest. Previous contest winners Amy Sorrells and Marcia Moston both received self-publishing packages from WestBow Press. Both authors went on to become traditionally published.

Last year's WestBow Press Women of Faith book writing contest garnered 610 entries from aspiring authors from all over the world. The Grand Prize was awarded to Amy Sorrells for her captivating novel, "Comfort and Salvation," which was later acquired for publication by David C. Cook. The book is expected to be released with the working title, "Canary Song," during the summer of 2014. Sorrells' recent interview with WestBow Press can be viewed here: http://www.westbowpress.com/womenoffaith/

The winner of this year's contest will receive a Bookstore Advantage publishing package from WestBow Press and also be reviewed by Thomas Nelson for a publishing contract. The Women of Faith writing contest is open to unpublished Christian-themed manuscripts of 10,000 words or more by authors who are at least 18 years of age. Most genres are eligible, excluding gift, children's and picture books. All submissions must be received by Jan. 31, 2012.

"The Women of Faith writing contest provides a wonderful opportunity for writers with Chri women's jackets stian-themed manuscripts to take the first steps toward becoming published authors," said Keith Ogorek, senior vice-president of global marketing of Author Solutions, Inc., the parent company of WestBow Press. "We're excited to partner once again with Women of Faith and are looking forward to reading this year's entries."

For more information, including the complete list of prizes, rules and regulations and an explanation of editorial standards, please visit: http://www.westbowpress.com/womenoffaith/ For more information about self-publishing with WestBow Press, please visit: westbowpress.com.

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About WestBow Press:
WestBow Press is a strategic self-publishing alliance of Thomas Nelson, Inc., the world's largest Christian publisher, and Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI), the world leader in the popular self-publishing industry segment. Through this partnership, authors benefit from the rich publishing heritage of Thomas Nelson and the speed-to-market advantages of the ASI self-publishing model. Titles published through WestBow Press are evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication under the Thomas Nelson imprint. Thomas Nelson, Inc. continues to "inspire the world" with distribution of products in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, or to start publishing today, visit westbowpress.com or call (866)-928-1240. Follow us @westbowpress on Twitter for the latest news.

About Women of Faith?:
Women of Faith? delivers life-changing messages via high-quality events in cities across North America through authentic connection with audiences, world-class talent, humor, and an atmosphere of encouragement and support. As a result of their partnership with World Vision, more than 176,000 children have been provided with food, water, clothing, shelter, and education through child sponsorship. Women of Faith is brought to you by the world's largest producer of inspirational events: Live Event Management Inc., a Thomas Nelson, Inc. company based in Plano, Texas. For more information and a schedule of upcoming events, visit womenoffaith.com or follow us on Twitter @womenoffaith or Facebook at facebook.com/womenoffaith.

Sexy Christmas Gifts For Women From Yandy.com

This holiday season, Yandy.com, online retailer of women's apparel, has a little something sexy for every type of shopper looking for non traditional Christmas gift ideas for women. With more than 7,000 items to choose from, every shopper at Yandy finds just the right gift to slip in to that special someone's stalking.

With so many Christmas gift ideas to choose from Yandy, the site is offering up some suggestions this holiday season for stumped shoppers. Some of the most popular lingerie choices include a red stretch lace bra and matching strappy booty short set for $19.95 and the ever popular, charmeuse robe and matching chemise set for $19.95. For the more conservative recipient, the sweet sensations satin pajama set, featuring a long sleeve satin sleep shirt and pants, is not only ideal but affordable at $31.95.

Yandy also offers something for those looking for something a little more risqué. Lingerie costumes are a fun way to jingle some bells and spice up the bedroom. One of the most popular bedroom costume choices for the holidays is the Santa apron babydoll set with marabou trim for $25.95.

Yandy is also gearing up for the holidays by offering select Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday sa women's jackets online les, exclusively for Yandy shoppers.

In addition, Yandy offers same-day shipping, so customers can rest assured that even when shopping at the last minute, orders arrive in a timely manner, as well as free flat rate shipping on all orders over $70. As an added bonus, Yandy also offers customers a free panty with every order. The gifts just keep on giving at Yandy.com this holiday season.

About Yandy.com
E-commerce is on the rise and Yandy.com is one of the largest online retailers of lingerie, sexy Halloween costumes, swimwear and clothing on the web. Founded in 2003, Yandy boasts more than 6,500 products always in stock at easily affordable prices. Yandy ensures that every customer will receive a safe, secure and private online shopping experience and is backed by COMODO online security and Google Checkout. Yandy is dedicated to customer service and only sells what is in stock which allows for quick, same day shipping. Offering the highest quality products at the most affordable prices in the market, Yandy has become a leader in e-commerce. Yandy works closely with all of the manufacturers they distribute for and hand select all of the items on the Web site to ensure customers have the largest and most diverse collection to choose from. In addition, the customer service team at Yandy is unrivaled. With attentive and helpful operators, should a question or problem arise, the customer service team at Yandy is always willing and able to assist. At Yandy, every customer can Be Sexy.

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Celebrate Your Style This Holiday Season

Looking and dressing stylish for this festive time begins with getting organized. Look at your social schedule and plan each event ahead of time so that you will be prepared no matter what type of event you?€?re attending. Factor in each detail of your outfit, including accessories, shoes, jewelry, and handbag.

Perfect party dressing

- A black suit.
- Something in sequins.
- A little dress. It doesn?€?t necessarily have to be black as this season vibrant colors are a nice change from the traditional black dress. Don't be afraid to stand out in purple or red.
- High heels, evening sandals, and a clutch bag in a new metallic like pewter or bronze.
- All out glamour in a metallic frock.
- Add "bling" with a chunky gold necklace or a colorful bauble women's coats that adds texture to your outfit.
- Something red.

Here are some suggestions about what to wear for different types of holiday functions. Read your invitation and be aware of dress codes.

Casual - Dressy jeans with a sparkly top and a pair of the season?€?s hot shoes such as the Mary Jane platform.

Family party or open house - A cardigan sweater set with a skirt or pants will work by adding some glitz with your jewelry, metallic sandals or heels. Make a statement with jeans, a beaded top, or a short leather jacket. Note: If you are going to attend a religious service, before or after a party, then you really need to dress appropriately for that occasion.

A party at your own house where you are the hostess - Since you will be on your feet most of the time, look for comfort. A skirt or pants with a satin top and comfortable shoes such as a ballet flat.

The office party - Please remember, that an office party is really a festive business meeting and that certain etiquette must apply. Forgo any bare skin, even if that?€?s what you see all over TV and in the media. Never go braless to an office party, wear a halter top, or anything with a plunging neckline. Keep in mind that, even though you are there to have fun and it?€?s a party, you really are socializing with people you work with so make sure that you don?€?t dress in a way or do anything that night that you?€?d regret the next morning. Go for a classic look like, a satin dress with a sequin Bolero jacket.

After five cocktails and dinner - A tailored suit in satin or velvet or a black suit with a sequin top will look very trendy. Carry a small clutch in silver or gold.

Semi-formal affair - Mix classics like trousers, or a skirt in a rich fabric like velvet, with a white long sleeve blouse in silk or satin. A drop-dead gorgeous short strapless dress with earrings, shoes and a bag in gold or silver. Try a new combo like a deep, dark chocolate dress with bronze or cooper accessories, or a rich wine color that?€?s almost Merlot and pair that with silver or pewter accessories.

Black tie affair - All out glamour. A tuxedo suit or a gown.

Makeup tips for a holiday look

Holiday parties can cause havoc on your skin, so a good idea is to get a facial and a brow wax beforehand. Remember, great makeup can do only so much. It?€?s the skin that is the canvas that you are applying the color to. And make sure you adjust your skin care routine during the winter months when you are spending more time indoors, in artificial heat. It is very important to keep your skin well hydrated day and night.

Lipstick- A bright lipstick will energize your ensemble and immediately update your look. If you wear one of the new red lipsticks, make sure that you do a very muted or soft eye. If you are doing a very dramatic eye, then you want to keep the lips soft and neutral.

Eyeliner - The dramatic or smoky eye is really in, but not everyone can use a liquid eyeliner which requires practices and a steady hand. Best bet - use a kohl pencil which is easier to handle and will give you a better line. The best way to do a liner is to use the pencil and smudge along the lash line, using short strokes. Then you can take a small smudgy brush and just go over it. What you really want to create here is color not a definite line.

Some tricks for creating that smoky eye look:

No matter what color you use, it?€?s the gradation of color that is the most important thing to consider. The color should be the darkest by the lashes and then lighten up as you go up towards the brow bone. Go for violet or chocolate brown as opposed to a deep black, which can be too goth and can age a women?€?s face and skin.

A professional makeup artist trick that will help you avoid the "raccoon eye."

When you?€?re putting your eye shadow on, especially dark shades, apply some loose foundation powder under the eye before applying the shadow. This will catch all the fallout. This way, when you?€?re done, all you need to do is sweep away the powder with a brush.

Lashes - One thing every holiday face should have is great lashes. Use a thickening or lengthening mascara. For thin lashes, use defining mascara and use two coats. You can enhance any mascara by using a coat of eyelash primer under the mascara. This will add volume.

To complete your look, don't forget some fabulous perfume. One of the tricks that I use is, when I am getting dressed and still in my underwear, I spray the air and then walk into the mist. This way you don?€?t run the risk of getting the perfume on your clothes.

Follow these simple suggestions, and no matter where you go during this festive season, you will step out in style. Coco Chanel once said. "A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous."

The Rich and Ancient Heritage of Baza

Baza is the capital of the northern part of the Province of Granada, and festivals take place here that are unique in Spain, such as the famous Cascamorras. Archaeological remains tell us that man has lived here since prehistoric times. The well-known Dama de Baza was found in one of the Iberian burial sites in the area, and the Moorish baths are among the most complete in the country.

Baza is believed to be one of the oldest of all human settlements in Spain. The town and its surrounding area has a rich and varied architectural, historical and archaeological heritage, having been home to many different cultures down the centuries and back to pre-historic times. Its town centre was declared a Historic Centre in 2003, and in its narrow winding streets, especially around the walled medina area where the Alcazaba was built, we can see many remains of this rich and ancient past.

Approximately 20,000 people live in the municipality, situated to the north of the province of Granada. Its archaeological sites, such as the Iberian-Roman town of Basti and its ancient burial sites, in one of which was discovered the famous Dama de Baza, and its Moorish Baths all make this one of the most important archaeological and historical towns in Andalucia.

From the point of view of the environment, Baz fashion coats a offers a contrast of landscape which ranges from its mountain range, declared a Nature Park in 1989, to almost desert landscapes in the area known as the Altiplanicie, with an oasis of green between the two, which is La Vega. But the region is also known far and wide for its own particular type of domestic architecture, which is the house cave. Many of these ancient dwellings, which were used in the past by farmers, cattle breeders and miners, have now been adapted for rural tourism.

Baza has an important architectural, archaeological and historical heritage, the result of the many different peoples who lived in this area over the centuries, ah of whom left something of their culture behind them. Although little remains of the Alcazaba de Baza these days other than sections of wall and sorne towers, in its day it was an impregnable fortress. Its walls were built in three phases: the first in the 11th and 12th centuries, the second in the time of the Nazari occupation and the third by the Christians in the 16th century. It is located in the heart of the old town centre, dominated by the old medina.

The palacio de los Enriques is a magnificent example of a Renaissance palace designed in the style of an Italian country villa, and as such it is unique in all of Andalucia. It was ordered built by Enrique Enriquez and his wife Maria de Luna, aunt and uncle of the Catholic Monarchs. Work on the palace began in 1506, and since then it has been extensively restored. Inside can be seen sorne excellent examples of Mudejar armoury, all extensively decorated with Renaissance motifs.

The Real Posito was built in 1762, during the reign of Carlos III, and it still conserves its beautiful patio surrounded by galleries. On the main entrance we can see the royal coat-of-arms and that of the corregidor (the local chiefmagistrate) and the mayor. Inside, besides being a grain store, works of theatre are also held. This was also once the headquarters of the Economic Society of Friends of the Baza Country during the last quarter of the 18th century. The Moorish Baths in the town are particularly well preserved, dating back to the 13th century. They are a magnificent example of urban baths of the period, located beside the mosque in the old area of Marzuela (the present barrio of Santiago). A visit to the Moorish Baths is a must for any visitor to the town.

As one would expect, there are numerous churches in the town, the most outstanding being the Iglesia Mayor Colegiata. One should also see a monumental fountain situated close to the Puerta del Peso, on the royal Lorca road, which was designed in the form of lion and human heads. There are many local festivals throughout the year in the town, the most outstanding of them being the Festival of El Cascamorras. It was declared to be of National Tourist Interest in 2006, and begins every year on September 6, from six in the evening, kicking off what has become one of the most popular traditional festivals in the entire region.

Ocicat Cat and Kitten Information

The Ocicat is a medium to large cat that was developed to look like a wild jungle cat. In fact, it was named after the ocelot. They are well muscled and balanced with large almond shaped eyes and a tight, short coat. The official breed standard recognizes four basic color points, tawny, chocolate, blue and cinnamon.

Every eye color is recognized with the exception of blue. Unofficially, the colors vary widely. The most distinctive characteristic of the Ocicat are the spots. Ocicats are often described as affectionate, people oriented, trustworthy, outgoing, dog like and athletic. Ocicats are known to take well to training, even learning simple commands.

History

The Ocicat was developed in 1964 by crossing the Abyssinian, American Shorthair and Siamese. Credit for developing the breed is given to Virginia Daly, a breeder from Berkley, Michigan. The Cat Fanciers Association accepted the breed for registration in 1966 and accepted the breed for championship status in 1987.

The ancestor of all domestic cats is the African Wildcat, the genus Felis Lybica. This genus is comprised of smaller cats. Cats are thought to have been domesticated with the advent of farming and the storage of grain. The grain attracted rats and other vermin which naturally attracted wild cats. As time evolved, certain of these cats were domesticated for the mutual benefit of both cat and man. The African Wildcat has certain features which is obvious in the housecat of today.

Health

Cats who reside in the house should generally visit the veterinarian yearly, unless health problems are evident. Cats who enjoy the outdoors may need to see the vet as many as four times a year. When you take your cat to the vet, be sure to bring along a fresh stool sample so the vet can do a fecal exam to check for internal parasites such as tapeworm, round worm, whip worms and hook worms. The vet will also check for external parasites such as fleas, ticks and ear mites.

Any vet check should include a dental examination and a cleaning if necessary. Cats who are eight years of age or older are considered geriatric and additional blood and urine tests may be necessary to screen for any health problems. At about six months of age, the kitten should also be examined for sexual maturity and decisions about birth control should be made.

Behavioral Traits

An affectionate, non aggressive cat
Can be trained
Can be taught dog like tricks
Some like water
Make great family pets

Ocicat Registries and Clubs

Ocicats of North America
Ocicats of Europe
Cat Fanciers Association CFA
International Cat Association TICA
The Traditional Cat Association, Inc TCA
Canadian Cat Association CCA
The Australian Cat Federation Inc
The American Association of Cat Enthusiasts AACE
American Cat Fanciers Association ACFA
United Feline Organization UFO
Cats United International

Kittens

Kittens are generally available and the price depends upon bloodlines color and markings. Un fashion coats online like puppies, kittens should not be separated from their mother until twelve to sixteen weeks of age. Some very important developmental stages occur during this period including emotional, mental and health. Curtailing this development may lead to any number of medical and behavioral problems.

Kittens that are separated from their mother at too young an age often fail to gain weight fast enough, have immune system problems because they have not had enough mothers milk. The may also develop eating and eliminating problems, and can have problems socializing with other cats and with people.

Every cat and kitten is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your cat or kitten. This information is meant as a good faith guid