Yes, Miraval delivers a range of spa options, from the Arizona Aloe Wrap to the Zero Balancing body treatment. But it also offers the Equine Experience, in which guests work with specially selected horses to gain insight about themselves. Or the Golf Connection may appeal to others.

The growth in real estate auctions " ..is due in part to the eBay phenomenon as Americans have become more familiar with the auction process," said Steven L. Good, chairman and chief executive of Sheldon Good & Co., based in Chicago.

Auctions can provide builders, investors and developers with the ability to buy and sell everything from single-family homes, townhouses and condos to raw and approved land, Ritti explained. Sales in once red-hot markets have tanked so quickly that sellers have little handle on how much their homes are really worth now -- or how to attract buyers to begin with.

Auctions also give homeowners another, often faster way to sell their abode in a market fast losing steam.

The pregnant crooner — or some prankster pretending to be her — has registered online for thousands of dollars worth of baby gifts at Petit Tresor, the swank L.A. kiddie store favored by celebs. "Oh, it’s not a fake, she’s having a baby shower soon and has told friends that they can order gifts from the site," a source tells the Scoop, adding, "It's not like she's expecting her friends to buy everything for the baby. She's already spent like $30,000 at the store."

And the accessories and furniture strongly suggest that, as rumored, Spears is expecting a girl: although the chandelier features little airplanes, there’s a preponderance of pink and frilly goodies among the merchandise.

• Autographed copies of The Last Spymaster by Gayle Lynds (St. Martin's Press), the New York Times bestselling international spy thriller that you won't be able to put down.
  
  
• Autographed copies of Code Name: Blondie by Christina Skye (HQN), the action-packed romantic suspense that's burning up the bestseller lists.
  
  
• The Husband by Dean Koontz (Bantam), the suspenseful and heartfelt story of a kidnapping and one's husband's willingness to do anything for love.

Student Lucy Berry won the chance to slap Ben Fillmore, 24, who had begun an auction on the eBay website to raise money for the Stroke Association UK.

Ms Berry, who used two rainbow trout, said after the slap at Hyde Park's Speakers Corner in London: "It was extremely satisfying."

Mr Fillmore hopes to raise £10,000 for the charity.

Ms Berry, who was allowed to choose the type of fish used in the slapping, said: "It is kind of a dream of mine.

Kikit's latest campaign reinforces its commitment to both stylish and practical quality that keeps Kikit a favorite among celebrities, fashionistas and everyday women. In the campaign, Davis wears Kikit's denim-driven apparel, carefully crafted to be the sexiest, most comfortable and flattering clothing you can own. Offering the season's essentials in denim, corduroy and twill, Kikit Jeans is available in upscale department stores as well Macy's, Burdine's, Marshall Field's, Nordstrom Direct, Palais Royal and Peebles.

Kristin Davis' look was facilitated by make-up artist Genevieve and hairstylist Renato. Ink&CO was responsible for the creative of the campaign with Sam Sohaili for creative direction and Carolina Palmgren for art direction.

A week after the federal government imposed new restrictions on carry-on items for airline passengers, the effect continues to ripple through California's hugely popular winery tasting rooms. As wineries enter the prime-visitation harvest season, they and their customers are adopting new strategies to cope with the ban on carry-on liquids imposed by the Transportation Security Administration. Tasting-room wine sales are a significant profit center for most wineries, and the tradition of buying a few bottles to carry back home in handheld cardboard cartons is a cherished ritual for millions of visitors.

But that practice has been curtailed, or at least changed, for wine buffs whose visits involve air travel. Now they are forced to decide whether to:

Put their bottles in padded shipping cartons provided by the wineries and treat them as checked luggage, which puts them at the mercy of the baggage handling system.

Have the winery ship bottles to their home, which is an expensive proposition available only to residents of one of the more than two dozen states where it's legal to ship California wine. Shipping charges for a case of wine, which usually weighs about 40 pounds, generally run $45 to $55.

Cram bottles into suitcases that will be checked, which also puts them at the mercy of baggage handlers.

Forego the purchase altogether.

Wineries are promoting the first two options and discouraging the last two by tweaking their customer-service practices. Typical of the strategies are those adopted by the two tasting rooms operated by Francis Ford Coppola Presents (Rubicon Estate in Rutherford and his new still-to-be-named winery in Geyserville). They're offering temporary discounts on shipping charges, beefing up the quality and number of shipping boxes and stressing education.

When the restrictions were announced, "we immediately assumed that sales would drop and that customers would feel fearful and inconvenienced," Coppola executive Tracy Geldert says. "But the first weekend was fabulous at both wineries. It seemed like a non-issue, which was a great relief. "We would remind people when they purchased the wine, and if we were helping them carry their wine to their car, we would double-check to give them assurance that the situation was addressed."

At Kenwood Vineyards in Kenwood, the new tasting-room policy is to give customers the packing boxes free instead of the previous charge of up to $10 and for the employees to pack the wines for the customer as check-in luggage. "People initially were reluctant about any shipping back to home," retail service manager Alan Jensen says. "But as it has progressed, people appreciate our doing the packing for them, and they see it as a positive. It hasn't slowed down our sales yet."

*****

Although representatives say the restrictions haven't yet hurt sales, they concede there might be an eventual dampening effect. Jensen says the initial effect might be on specialty wines available only at the winery. "Those are the wines people will want to take back with them, and that's where the restriction probably will hurt us. It may be we'll have to do something more to encourage people to take wines with them."

One such creature is still up for sale on the auction site, the Guardian newspaper reports. The high bid, at the time of writing, is $28 (£15).

Such items regularly come up for sale on Ebay, and Dr Simon Coppard of the Natural History Museum in London is often consulted by collectors to help identify them.

Dr Coppard named the urchin Coelopleurus exquisitus because of the bright colours on its exterior. The urchin is incorrectly described as being of the species Coelopleurus interruptus on the auction page.

The zoologist said he was concerned that controls need to be put in place on the numbers of urchins up for sale, although he welcomed the interest in the subject.

Movie stars appearing at the Academy Awards will no longer receive the lavish goody baskets they have come to expect -- worth as much as $100,000 each and including freebies such as iPods, resort vacations, coupons for laser eye surgery, jewelry and high-priced lingerie -- because of a crackdown by the federal tax collector.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday announced they have reached a settlement on undisclosed taxes owed to the government on the "gifts" received at the Oscars in the last several years, through 2005. The academy also announced it will no longer give out the bags, saying the board quietly voted last April to end the practice. In recent years, the academy has given the bags -- also known as gift bags or swag -- to as many as 200 hosts, performers and winners on Oscar night. "There's no special red-carpet tax loophole for the stars," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said in a prepared statement. "Whether you're popping the popcorn, sitting in the audience or starring on the big screen, you need to respect the law and pay your taxes."

Typically, if the IRS finds someone has failed to pay taxes but no fraud is involved, it assesses back taxes, interest and penalties for only the preceding three years. In this instance, if 200 people received $100,000 baskets in each of the three years through 2005, the taxable non-cash income would be $60 million. Neither IRS spokesmen nor Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger would confirm or deny that number. Nor would they say whether, under the terms of the settlement, the IRS forgave back payment, interest and penalties. Nor would they say whether the Academy has paid a lump sum on behalf of past recipients.

If the agency forgave the debt, that means U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill. If the academy paid back taxes on behalf of past Oscar participants, these celebrities would have to count that as additional taxable income. Albert Lauber, director of Georgetown law school's tax program, said he thinks it would be hard to collect money from the celebrities for past years. He said the IRS most likely agreed to settle the matter if the Motion Picture Academy paid a penalty for failure to file forms with the IRS.

U.S. authorities are advising women not to wear gel bras on airplanes as information developed in the foiled London plot points to an expanding role for women in smuggling explosives on to an aircraft. Authorities at Scotland Yard are questioning a husband and wife, suspects in the London terror plot, about allegations that they were planning to use their baby's bottle to hide a liquid bomb.

Police in the U.K. have recovered baby bottles containing peroxide, including some with false bottoms, from a recycling center close to the homes of some of the arrested suspects. The use of female suicide bombers has been successful in previous airplane attacks.

When two airplanes went down within minutes of each other in Russia in 2004, officials immediately suspected a terrorist connection. It was later learned that the two suicide bombers were Chechen women. They had both been detained in the airport before boarding their flights but managed to convince airline officials using a little cash and charm to let them on board. Ninety people were killed. "Black Widows," as they are called by the Russian media, are Chechen women who kill themselves to avenge the deaths of their husbands or other male family members.

There are numerous other examples of the use of female operatives in terrorist operations. Two women with explosive belts were among the hostage takers during the siege of a middle school in Beslan, Russia. Over 300 people were killed; half of them were children. A woman had planned to blow herself up with her husband in an attack at a wedding in a hotel in Amman, Jordan last year that killed over 50 people. His explosive belt worked, while hers did not.

What you get now:

1. Battle of the Gods t-shirt and stickers.
2. Animated 3d model of YOU made by our art team.
3. Commemorative plaque featuring your 3d model, your chosen location (choose between 3 pre-selected high visibility game locations) and you in our storyboards.
   
   What you get later:
   
4. Be the first to play the game in its early unreleased, unfinished stages. (after signing a non-disclosure and non-release form, of course).
5. Be the first viewable thing in the opening to chosen level, animated for worldwide release.
6. 2 free copies of the game signed by the whole team. This will be a special edition only for you with you added to the cover.

"I showed up at my last audition, which I did with [star] Edward [Norton], in full costume," Biel said. "I figured this is my one opportunity. I've got to go all the way. They might laugh, but they might love it." Biel -- who is otherwise known for her roles in such genre films as Blade: Trinity and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- said that she found the costume in a vintage-clothing store. "I went to this store called Paris 1900. It's on Main Street in Santa Monica," Calif., she said. "It's really beautiful. It has all these vintage blouses, scarves and beautiful things. I just went crazy. I bought a blouse and sash and a long beautiful skirt and earrings. I had friends do my hair, and I wore no makeup. I just walked in there like I was out of some back lot."

At first, Biel thought she went a bit too far. "The first reaction was a little shocked," she recalled. "Then I thought, 'This is going to go so wrong.' [Writer/director] Neil [Burger] looked at me and said 'Oh, my God, now we have one outfit out of the way.' He just put me at ease immediately. If he hadn't said that, I think I might have botched my audition."

*****

For his part, Burger said that he and Norton loved the extra effort Biel made in the audition process. "Two things happened with the casting of Jessica," he said. "She came in, and she knocked us out. I'm sure she told you. It really took us by surprise, and what you realized was that she had this timeless classic beauty that was perfect for the period. I've looked at hundreds of photos of that time, and she would have fit right in. She would be one of the most beautiful women of that time, and still it completely worked. The other thing for the character of Sophie [is] she's a fearless woman and take risks. And Jessie had that same kind of quality: completely fearless, adventuresome, strong and really bold. She walked on the set with those three actors, Edward, and Paul [Giamatti] and Rufus, and they're all intense guys and really intimidating, and they're all at the top of their craft, and she got on the set and there was no problem." The Illusionist opens Aug. 18..... —Mike Szymanski

The batteries were shipped to customers between April 1, 2004 and July 18, 2006. The words "DELL" and "Made in Japan" or "Made in China" or "Battery cell made in Japan, Assembled in China" are printed on the back of the batteries. If your battery does not reflect one of these markings it is not part of this recall, and you may exit the site.

There is a two (2) step process to identify if your battery is affected:

Check if your battery model MAY be affected. If your battery is not listed, you are not affected.

Check if your specific battery PPID (Dell Part Piece Identification) is affected. This step is necessary to identify if your battery is affected. Only some batteries within each model are affected. If the battery is subject to this recall you will be automatically connected to a replacement order form.

First, it was the corset. Now, the fashion industry has brought back skin-tight jeans, disco leotards and 7-inch platforms. And for accessories? Look for corns, bunions, sprained ankles, bruises, yeast infections and chafing.

Yes, for many of us, beauty and pain often walk hand in hand. But how far are we willing to go for fashion? For some, it's all the way to the emergency room.

*****

High heels and wedges. Crime: Guilty of causing corns, blisters, bunions, hammer-toes, plus permanent damage to knees, hips and back.

Tight jeans, leotards and thongs. Crime: Guilty of causing yeast and vaginal infections, chafing.

Binding bustiers, corsets, etc. Crime: Guilty of causing bruises, lacerations, shortness of breath, etc.

Dell is recalling 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they could erupt in flames, the company said today. This will be the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. Dell, the world’s largest PC maker, said the lithium-ion batteries were made by Sony and were installed in notebooks sold between April 2004 and July 18 of this year.

The recall raises broader questions about lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a host of devices like cellphones, portable power tools, camcorders, digital cameras and MP3 players. The potential for such batteries to catch fire has been acknowledged for years, and has prompted more limited recalls in the past. But a number of recent fires involving notebook computers, some aboard planes, have brought renewed scrutiny.

Dell has reported to the safety agency that it documented six instances since December in which notebooks overheated or caught on fire. None of the incidents caused injuries or death. Dell said the problems were a result of a manufacturing defect in batteries made by Sony. The safety agency said the batteries were not unique to Dell, meaning that other companies using Sony batteries may also have to issue recalls. Sony has sold its batteries to all the major computer makers, including Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Lenovo and Apple. The recalled batteries were used in 2.7 million computers sold in the United States and 1.4 million sold overseas. The total is about 18 percent of Dell’s notebook production during the period in question.

*****

The new Dell batteries, which the company hopes to distribute over the next four weeks, will be made by Sony and other vendors. Dell said it was confident that Sony had solved the problem by changing part of its manufacturing methods. "We are absolutely confident that when we replace the batteries that we are getting the at-risk batteries out consumers' hands and that there will be no more incidents," Mr. Gruzen said.

As stories about Dell laptop fires spread, Dell has decided to recall 4.1 million laptop batteries, a Dell insider told ConsumerAffairs.Com. The insider, ex-Dell engineer Robert Day, said it appears to be the batteries Sony manufactured for Dell between 2003 and 2006.

A source at the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, who did not want to be identified, confirmed the recall but said full details would not be made available until early tomorrow morning. On August 3, ConsumerAffairs.Com reported the story of Thomas Forqueran, stranded at Lake Mead State Park in Nevada after a Dell laptop set his vintage truck ablaze.

That story came in the wake of two other summer Dell laptop blazes -- one in which cameras caught an exploding Dell laptop at a conference in Japan. The other took place in Illinois where a Dell laptop spurted flames for over five minutes and forced an evacuation of an office building. Airline regulators have also become alarmed and may ban laptops in planes. Ronald Riley, president of the Professional Inventors Alliance USA, said the battery is the prime suspect in the laptop fires.

Riley gave two possible reasons for the battery combustion. He said the battery could have an internal short, as part of a manufacturer's defect, causing the battery to explode. He said any number of variables could trigger the flames. He also said it's possible that when the battery gets hot, it "wants" to expand, but has no room.

"The first time, you are horrified," she tells Harper's Bazaar in its September issue. "It's all lovely when you are pregnant; but when you are not pregnant and you haven't been for a couple of months and you are still carrying tons of extra weight and everything's all hanging and sagging, you think, How is this ever going to go back? But it does. If you do a lot of working out."

Both times she was expecting, Paltrow, 33, says she gained 40 lbs., and lost 20 by the time she came out of the hospital. "With Apple I kept the extra 20 pounds on until she was three months old, and then it came off," she says. "And that's exactly what's happening now." She's been working out, "but not dieting, because I am a milk machine." But should anyone think her figure is perfect again, Paltrow says, "They should see the cellulite on my thighs right now."

Still, the woman once known for her alcohol-free macrobiotic diet has loosened up. Her vices, she says, are "California and New Zealand pinot noirs." Once the kids are in bed, "I come downstairs, pour myself a glass of red wine and sit in the garden" of the London home she shares with husband Chris Martin.

You won't find "crushed bugs" on the list of ingredients for any of these foods, however. Companies have a bit of latitude in describing exactly what they put in our food. Many larger companies, such as General Mills, the manufacturer of Yoplait and Pepsi, the maker of Tropicana, identify the dye in their products as either carmine, or cochineal extract. Still, many companies simply list "artificial color" on their ingredients list without giving any details.

*****

Indeed, who would think that chicken, eggs, and salmon are often artificially enhanced to look more appetizing to consumers? The plump, juicy chicken sitting on the supermarket shelf is likely to have been fed canthaxanthin, a pigment added to chicken feed to enhance poultry's yellow color and make it look palatable. And egg-laying hens are also given a dye along with their feed, making egg yolks vary in color from light yellow all the way to bright orange.

IN THE PINK. Farmers can have their pick from a color chart that goes from the numbers 1 to 15, coinciding with colors from yellow to red. The yellow color comes from xanthophyll and carotenoids in the feed absorbed through the intestine, metabolized, and deposited in the egg yolk. In an article published last year, R. Scott Beyer, a poultry specialist from the Kansas State University, recommended different levels of xanthophylls, depending on what color of yolk is desired. He says 23 mg of xanthophyll per pound of feed results in a "medium orange" color.

The fresh, farm-raised salmon that shoppers buy also get their orange-red hue from eating the chemicals astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Wild salmon are pink because they eat shrimp-like creatures called krill. But to achieve the same pink color, farmed salmon need chemicals, which are mixed with their feed. In the past couple of years, the European Union significantly reduced the level of such dyes that can be fed to salmon because of concerns that the dyes, at high levels, can affect people's eyesight.

Jibbitz introduced its "1-Piece" consumer-friendly design early this year and now millions of consumers use the decorations to personalize their Crocs. Jibbitz come in all different shapes and sizes from holiday symbols, sports gear, patriotic symbols, animals, happy faces, flowers, awareness ribbons, rhinestones and inspirational messages such as "be happy," "love," and "smile." Jibbitz are sold individually for $2.49. The newest Jibbitz designs will be shown at the World Shoe Show August 1-4 in Las Vegas in booth #571.

Jibbitz will be debuting new products at the World Shoe Show such as bracelets, anklets and straps that can also be customized with Jibbitz snap-on accessories. The company is also now manufacturing embellishments for scrap booking and a variety of charms for cell phones and bracelets. Jibbitz bracelets and anklets retail for $9.99, Jibbitz straps retail for $7.99 and the Jibbitz embellishments and charms retail for $2.00-$2.49.

"We couldn't be happier with Jibbitz acceptance amongst consumers," said Sheri Schmelzer, creator of Jibbitz. "We have always wanted a creative, self sustaining business that could give back to the community through the creation of jobs in Colorado and abroad. With 40 employees and the ongoing popularity of Crocs(R) we can only expect Jibbitz to continue to have positive growth in the next year." Jibbitz also recently expanded sales to Europe and the Middle East. About Jibbitz -- "So, that's what the holes are for!"

The 32-year-old supermodel also appears in a photo spread inside the magazine, on newsstands Aug. 8. In two photos, she sports an androgynous look — wearing a black hat, jacket and tie — inspired by Marlene Dietrich. In another, she channels Dietrich in the 1934 movie "The Scarlet Empress" by posing in a white gown draped around her waist.

Moss has the top spot among the rich and famous featured in the magazine's international best-dressed list for 2006. Other sharp dressers include George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Renee Zellweger, Gwen Stefani, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, CNN newsman Anderson Cooper, filmmaker Sofia Coppola, Prince William and Jordan's Queen Rania.

"I grew up wearing Skechers. Like me, they are not afraid of taking chances and having fun," said Ashlee, who was recently declared "One of the reigning queens of pop music!" by NBC's The Today Show. "I'm happy to be a part of the brand and hope to add a few more pairs to my closet."

Signing Ashlee as the front person for Skechers is a natural step for the Company, which has a history of partnering with the most talented female musicians from early fame through the height of their careers. Past signings include Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and the Company's current spokesperson, American Idol 2005 winner and multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood.

"Ashlee is a leading force in the music industry," commented Michael Greenberg, Skechers' president. "She's young, beautiful, talented, and already has two multi-platinum records and six million records sold under her young belt. Ashlee is also the perfect union between fashion and music, using her influence to empower young women to be themselves. We were drawn to her energy, style and grace -- which we believe will be captured in the upcoming Skechers world marketing campaign. We are excited to have Ashlee wearing our newest women's footwear."

Ashlee will appear in a multi-level marketing campaign wearing Skechers sport, active and fashion footwear. Set to launch in late 2006, the first photo shoot is scheduled for August 2006 after Ashlee concludes the summer phase of her North American tour in support of her No. 1 sophomore release I Am Me.