Indianapolis Colts Fan Creates Colts Lights Display
An Indianapolis Colts fan has created an over-the-top Colts display at his home. The Indianapolis Colts will take on the New Orleans Saints in this year's Super Bowl. Instead of replacing his Christmas lights, Bill Jamison replaced them with Colts lights. Bill Jamison says he is the biggest Colts fan in the world and that he "just couldn't stop putting Colts lights up." Take a look:
Video: Clip From Lindsay Lohan's BBC Documentary on Child Trafficking in India
Here's a brief clip from the BBC documentary about child trafficking in India starring Lindsay Lohan called Lindsay Lohan In India. A lot of people have made fun of Lindsay for the trip, but she is actually trying to shine a light on the situation and do something helpful. Child trafficking and prostitution is a true humanitarian crisis that most people don't know anything about. Her comments are clearly not scripted or planned out, so naturally they aren't smooth or terribly insightful -- at least in what we can see from this clip. But that's ok, and she sounds quite sincere. Take a look:
Mr. Potato Head Indiana Jones Taters of the Lost Ark
This Mr. Potato Head tie-in toy for the Indiana Jones series will not leave without his fedora. Mr. Potato Head Indiana Jones Taters of the Lost Ark, Idaho Jones Spud comes with mix and match parts including Indy's whip. You can also press and release the spud's fedora to hear three different short segments from the Indiana Jones theme song.
Michelle Obama Wears Naeem Khan Gown For First State Dinner
Michelle Obama looked stunning in a strapless Naeem Khan champagne colored gown that she wore for the first state dinner of the Obama administration. The dinner was honoring India's Prime Minister Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur Here's the press pool report of the evening:
Pool was brought into the Grand Foyer at 7:17 p.m., after Prime Minister Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur arrived and were greeted by POTUS and FLOTUS on the North Portico (this was open press).
As pool waited in the Grand Foyer, the Marine Orchestra filled the room with music, including John Rutter's Suite for Strings (the first one) and a number called Fascinatin Rhythm, which sounded it had a touch of New Orleans in it.
Your pooler could hear laughter and chatter coming from at the top of the Grand Staircase - although not enough to make out what anyone said. A fire burned in a fireplace in the Green Room. White House staff and Secret Service were shuttling around in tuxedos and floor-length ball gowns.
Speaking of which, FLOTUS is wearing a strapless, floor-length, champagne-colored gown with silver detail by designer Indian-born designer Naeem Khan. Her hair is swept back and she is also wearing a bunch of churis, traditional sparkly Indian bangle bracelets. Kaur was wearing a black sari with red and gold trim.
At 7:37 p.m., some administration officials made their way down the Grand Staircase. Secretary Clinton was first, accompanied by someone your pooler did not recognize, following behind were Gen. Jim Jones, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden - who is wearing a gown by Lebanese designer Reem Acra - and Ambassador Rice, Ambassador Timothy Roemer. They all two-by-two walked into the Green Room.
Around 7:45 p.m. POTUS, FLOTUS, Singh and Kaur made their way down the red carpet lining Cross Hall. They came from the west side. The four of them stood in front of the doors to the Blue Room - from right to left: POTUS, Singh, FLOTUS, Kaur. POTUS and FLOTUS flashed broad smiles as the cameras rolled and photographers clicked, while Singh and Kaur were more plain-faced. They four of them then turned and entered the Blue Room.
Pool is now holding in the press file, waiting to be taken to the tent for toasts.
Bloomberg has a very interesting article about how McDonald's is making inroads into the Indian markets. The majority of the country is Hindu, so that means no beef. A substantial minority is Muslim, so that means no pork. So what exactly do you order at a McDonald's there? Why a McAloo Tikki, a McVeggie sandwich (pictured above) or a Pizza McPuff, of course. Burgers are strictly vegetarian, and are made from mashed potatoes, peas and spices. The cooking of vegetarian items is done in a separate kitchen, and no onions are garlic is used to satisfy one subgroup which eschews root vegetables. Cleanliness is also key to keeping the locals happy.
The chain famous for hamburgers tailors its menus to local tastes, which means no beef in India because the majority of its 1.22 billion people are Hindus and revere cows. It also doesn't serve pork items in deference to Muslims.
Instead, it offers vegetarian and chicken dishes with items starting at about 40 U.S. cents. All restaurants have separate kitchens for vegetarians, including those who don't eat root vegetables like garlic and onions.
"It really doesn't make sense to sell beef in a country where 85 percent of the population doesn't eat it or will even shun a restaurant where beef is served," Bakshi said. "About 70 percent of the menu in Indian outlets doesn't exist anywhere else in the world."
Some items, including the McAloo Tikki and Pizza McPuff, were exported to restaurants in the Middle East. While locals expect the different menu, foreigners used to a Big Mac can be taken aback by a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
So why don't we get a McAloo Tikki or other vegetarian items here in the states? Maybe it's just the great names getting to us, but we think they'd be a hit.
National Jewelerreports that Tanishq - an Indian jewelry chain - has closed its two U.S. jewelry store locations in New Jersey and Illinois.
Tanishq USA Head of Sales Operations Gaurav Bhuwan said that Tanishq shuttered its stores, located in Paramus, N.J., and Schaumburg, Ill., at the end of July.
The Illinois store opened in August 2008, and the New Jersey store followed that November.
Tanishq is a division of Indian jewelry manufacturer and retailer Titan Industries Ltd. and has locations across India.
National Jeweler says Tanishq had planned to open as many as 25 new stores. It sounds like it was very unfortunate timing for them entering the U.S. market.
Donna Karan International, which is owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is getting ready to sign
a deal with Mumbai, India based S. Kumars Nationwide Ltd. ("SKNL") where SKNL will manufacture and distribute DKNY mens wear. DKI's last joint venture partner, Marchpole Holdings, is in the British equivalent of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
The deal with SKNL is expected to include DKNY Black Label, targeted for the bridge market, as well as suits and sportswear. Distribution would be global — North America, Europe, Africa, the South Pacific, Middle East and Asia — replicating the Marchpole arrangement.
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SKNL, based in Mumbai, India, is a publicly held textiles and apparel firm that includes under its brand umbrella Carmichael House, Belmonte and, as a subsidiary, Scottish cashmere manufacturer Reid & Taylor. SKNL also operates retail stores in India through Brandhouse Retails Ltd. that sells, among others, luxury brands Alfred Dunhill and Escada.
Interestingly enough, SKNL North America has joined with Emerisque to bid on the bankrupt menswear manufacturer Hartmarx, which is based in Chicago. Emerisque, in conjunction with SKNL, is now the stalking horse bidder in the Hartmarx bankruptcy. So, it's possible that if all the deals go through, DKNY menswear could be made in the Hartmarx factory in Chicago, which would be a good deal for everyone involved.
Model Eliza Cummings poses on the cover of Vogue Italia for April, 2009. This unusual and compelling cover was intentionally made to look worn and used. Eliza is wearing lots of necklaces and a headband.
Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten talks to the International Herald Tribune about including Indian elements in his pieces. Dries Van Noten talks about how his love affair for India design began. He also talks about using the colors and fabrics of India.
Take a look:
Donna Karan and DKNY are opening a stores in India.
Donna Karan Studio LLC inked a retail boutique license deal with DLF Retail Brands Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of India real estate developer DLF Ltd. As part of the agreement, DLF Retail Brands will open retail stores for both Donna Karan New York and DKNY in India, beginning next month with three freestanding units in New Delhi, at the DLF Place and the Emporio Mall in the capital city's Vasant Kunj district, and the DLF Place in its Saket neighborhood. The first three stores will offer a mix of DKNY ready-to-wear and accessories.
"India is fast becoming a major fashion hub and the next big destination for luxury," said Kelvin Coyle, managing director of DLF Retail Brands. "In keeping with our commitment to the Indian market, we strive to bring the best in luxury to India.
"In India, the brand will cater to globe-trotters and individuals who have a penchant for style," Coyle added.
As part of the deal, DLF Retail Brands also plans to open additional Donna Karan New York and DKNY stores in New Delhi in the near future.
Donna Karan International is determined to expand its reach around the globe; it already has retail boutique license agreements in place for Mainland China and South Korea.
The BBC reports that the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, is going on sale in India next month. The company hopes people will trade up for the tiny car from motorcycles.
The Nano is only available in India. Many would not be interested in the Nano which car has no air conditioner, airbags, radio or power steering. But you probably shouldn't expect much with a car that costs about $1,979. The vehicle's top speed is only 43 mph.
The BBC says a slightly bigger European version, the Nano Europa, is expected to be released in 2011 and will cost about is due to follow in 2011, and is expected to cost about $5,780. Hopefully, it will at least have an air conditioner. The Tata Nano is manufactured by Tata Motors.
The underground economy is something that most economists and lawmakers despise. It runs on cash. It's unregulated. And there's no way to tax it. But the recession is changing the way economists think about the growing underground economy, especially in countries such as India. According to the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations, almost 52 million people expected to lose their jobs worldwide, because of the recession. The underground economy is providing a place for these people to go.
Informal jobs "will absorb a lot of people and offer them a source of income" over the next year, says W.F. Maloney, an economist at the World Bank in Washington. Indeed, the jobs are "one reason that the situation in desperately poor countries isn't as bad as you'd think," says Simon Johnson, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund.
Until late December, Pilaporn Jaksurat, 33, was working full-time on a cotton spinning machine in a textile mill in Bangkok. She made about $7 a day and her benefits included bonuses of $30 a month for good attendance and a severance package worth about $800.
Then she was laid off when her factory, which sells fabric to clothing manufacturers in Europe, said it had to cut costs to cope with the global economic crisis. Finding a similar job wasn't an option, since other local factories were also dumping staff due to a massive decline in orders from buyers across Europe and North America. She decided to start her own business, selling shots of medicinal wine to truck drivers and motorcyclists on the highway by her home -- an adult version of the neighborhood lemonade stand. With help from friends, she fashioned a makeshift bamboo stand on vacant grass by the roadside. The start-up cost was about $275, she says, paid for with money from her severance package.
A few weeks later, shouting to be heard over the roar of oncoming trucks, Ms. Pilaporn says she's making a profit of about $10 a day after expenditures for ingredients, including herbs and wine. That's better than the $7 or so she made at the garment factory. She likes being her own boss, she says, and the income allows her to keep sending money home every month to help support her parents and 2-year-old child, who live together in a rural area in northern Thailand.
"It's a bit noisy here, but you get used to it," she says. If business "keeps up like this, I'll be fine."
Defining what makes a job informal isn't easy. Generally it includes any work outside the traditional "formal" sector, in which companies register with the government, pay taxes and provide jobs with fixed salaries and benefits like pensions or health care. It includes self-employed street vendors in Cairo, tortilla sellers in Mexico City, rickshaw drivers in Kolkata and scrap collectors in Jakarta.
In the developing world, informal workers make up a much bigger portion of the workplace. There is also an underground economy in the U.S. and other first world countries, however. Maids and nannies who are not citizens, gypsy cab drivers and other workers make up most of the U.S.' informal workforce which is estimated to be 10% of the American economy. Other underground examples in the U.S. include home businesses in which the owner fails to report cash income for services such as baby sitting, cooking or other services. Even garage sales are part of this underground economy. Under U.S. law all income is required to be reported, including barter income, although it's difficult to enforce.
Beauty Rumor: Freida Pinto to Sign With Estee Lauder
The gossip at Milan Fashion Week was that Estee Lauder is looking to signSlumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto to a new cosmetics contract.
An Estee Lauder spokeswoman said the company does not comment on market rumors. Pinto's agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) also declined comment Monday.
The 24-year-old Bollywood-turned-Hollywood star certainly would be a catch for any brand aiming to increase its fortunes in India: she has global awareness and is seen by many as a hometown girl-made-good. In addition to starring in the 2008 surprise hit -- which gathered eight Academy Awards on Feb. 22, including Best Picture -- Pinto has signed on to Woody Allen's latest project, an as-yet-untitled film which will also star Naomi Watts.
And the Estee Lauder Cos. is making moves designed to spike its business in the country. According to Euromonitor, India's total beauty business generated sales of about $4.45 billion in 2007, marking a 47 percent increase over 2002. Last July, the Estée Lauder Cos. acquired a minority stake in Forest Essentials, an ayurvedic manufacturer of skin, body and hair care products, which is based in a suburb of Delhi. In June, the first Estee Lauder brand store opened in India -- a 485-square-foot jewel box at the Galleria at Trident in Mumbai. "The timing is right to bring Estee Lauder to India," John Demsey, an Estee Lauder group president, said at the time, adding that the goal is to "introduce the brand to a whole new generation of women."
Lauder opened a MAC Cosmetics store in Mumbai in 2005 and is looking to expand its hold on the cosmetics industry in India. Clinique is also sold in India. Freida is quite lovely and would make a perfect cosmetics spokesperson for Lauder.
China has dominated the worldwide toy market for years. But after all the toy recalls and related scandals, India has decided to take on China in the toy market. One company is having great success with its stuffed animals that are totally organic. The fabric and the dyes used to make them are all totally organic. They are also handmade. Take a look:
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta visits a large spice market in Delhi, India and shares his knowledge of some spices that have health benefits. Some of the spices Dr. Gupta says have health benefitis include cumin, turmeric, chile pepper and ginger. Dr. Gupta says cumin can ward off ashtma and indigestion; turmeric can protect against Alzheimer's; chile pepper can help fight arthritis (when made into a cream) and ginger can help reduce motion sickness. Take a look:
National Jeweler 
The gossip at Milan Fashion Week was that Estee Lauder is looking 
