It's been a while since I've posted one of these. Will try to include more.
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Is Africa being colonized by China? A question that will be answered on
BBC America's Newsnight program tonight at 10:00pm ET (Press Release).
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Weak Dollar Takes Toll on European Beauty Exports. European beauty manufacturers are feeling the effects from the worsening euro-dollar exchange rate, causing a squeezing effect on exports. “The dollar is killing us,” said Eric Henry, chief operating officer of Beauté Prestige International, the French subsidiary of Tokyo-based Shiseido. He noted that the problem not only affects the U.S., but in other markets in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, whose economies are linked to the dollar.
Henry emphasized that European producers are running out of elasticity in terms of raising prices in the U.S. to offset the exchange in balance. “If we go above the limit, we lose volume,” he said, referring to his prices compared with American manufacturers. “But we have to protect margin" (WWD).
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Vanessa and Angela Simmons, creators of
Pastry footwear are planning to introduce their new apparel and handbag collections which are set for release this Spring (Press Release).
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Sports Stars Accuse Investment Advisor of Gouging Them. NBA legend Jerry West, Dodgers third-baseman Nomar Garciaparra and a bevy of other major sports figures have accused their prominent Los Angeles investment advisor of gouging them out of more than $3 million in excessive commissions on bond trades.
Gary R. Fournier, who has handled investments for scores of sports stars and celebrities, allegedly misrepresented his commissions and "churned" accounts to generate unnecessary trades and exorbitant fees, according to a claim filed with securities regulators (Los Angeles Times).
** Singer
Son Ho-young was invited for an official visit to Hiroshima, Thursday April 17th. Recently, in an effort to rediscover Hiroshima and make the charms of the Japanese city widely known both in Japan and overseas, “The Welcome to Hiroshima Project” was launched. Son was invited for the first event of the project where he visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum as well as attended a Welcome Party (KBS GLOBAL).
** Six-time Grand Slam champion,
Venus Williams is planning on taking a little time off between tournaments to gear up for the French Open beginning in late May. This led to incorrect reports and rumors that Venus was taking an indefinite hiatus possibly from an injury.
From her personal blog, Williams states that she is not suffering from any injuries or health problems. The incorrect report comes a writer translating her statement that she intends to return to competitive play next month (May) for the French Open as an “indefinite leave of absence”, which is not true. Williams has more than just success on the court, she also has a successful sporty lifestyle clothing line,
Eleven by Venus Williams at Steve & Barry stores (The Associated Press).
** According to
Fashion Week Daily, fashion designer
John Galliano will be awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The event will take place May 17th at SCAD's annual fashion award. Talley and SCAD president Paula S. Wallace will present Galliano with his honor at the evening affair honoring his talent, vision, and creativity. In addition, the show will be televised live via
SCAD's Web site.
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Crayola Renames Colors, Creating Eight New Emotionally Inspired Hues. The eight new emotionally colored hues have been added to Crayola's flagship, the box of 64 (with Built-in Sharpener!), to celebrate the box's 50th anniversary. To test whether Crayola's new strategy was really in sync with its target audience, the journalism team took several 64-count boxes with the new colors to Leslie Villers' third-grade class at Fernbank Elementary School in DeKalb County. The resulting chaos yielded many keen insights into the wisdom, or risk, of this level of spectrum spoiling. Some of the children liked the new names while others thought the change was not needed.
Why the color change? Over the years the names have become stall and thus go into retirement. To come with the new names, Crayola polled 20,000 kids online, said company spokeswoman Stacy Gabrielle, asking them what they value and what makes them happy, then having them associate those feelings with colors (Montery Herald).
** Martha Stewart dealing with lose of her beloved dog Paw Paw. On her personal blog, Martha writes that Paw Paw died of renal failure last Saturday just before his 13th birthday.
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Ludacris Teams With Ciara to Raise Money for AIDS Research. According to
Us magazine, April 24, Ludacris will host a $100-a-plate benefit at his new restaurant, Straits, in Atlanta. Afterwards, he and Ciara will visit the Ralph Lauren store for an exclusive shopping event at Atltana’s Lenox Square Mall. Last year, his fundraiser raised more than $200,000 for the Ludacris Foundation.
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Pamela Anderson is set to star in her own reality TV series tentatively titled "Pamela" on E! this summer. E! Executive Vice President Lisa Berger says, "the cameras will capture Pam's fabulous adventures, emotional journey and all the surprises that come along the way. It's going to be a wild ride" (World Entertainment News).
(Photo Credit: radiotimes.com)
