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Podiatrist: Ugg Boots Do Uggly Things To Your Feet
At more than $100, they're not cheap but they've become a must have -- especially for teenage girls. What many

Ugg lovers don't realize though is, according to one podiatrist, the flat, shear ling lined boots are actually bad for your feet.

"They keep your feet warm in the winter and summer. You don't have to wear socks with them, that's the main reason I bought them," said Crystal resident Angie Peterson.

"They're comfortable," said Minneapolis resident Amanda Weinkauf.

They're a major fashion trend that hasn't gone out of style yet in Minnesota.

"I think they're ugly," said Weinkauf.

That doesn't stop thousands of women and girls from wearing and loving the

Ugg boots.

"Very comfortable, they feel like pillows on your feet," said Peterson.

However, podiatrists warn the shear ling boots are actually hard on your feet.

"The biggest problem with them is the fact that they have no support. They're completely flat on the bottom," podiatrist Dr. Kari Prescott.

Doctors say that lack of arch support can lead to foot and leg problems.

"If you don't have external support, all the muscles in your legs, really from the knee down, can become achy, sore. Some people refer to that as shin splints," said Prescott.

A foot condition called plantar fasciitis, or heel spurs, may also happen. Slipping in an arch support can help.

"This provides some curvature and it's not ideal," said Prescott.

And even forewarned about potential problems,

Uggs wearers still love their boots.

"No, I'd probably still wear them," said Peterson.

"I'd still wear them," said Weinkauf.

"It's always fashion over practicality, isn't it?" said Prescott.

Ugg Australia said they've been in business for 30 years and haven't had complaints about their classic flat shear ling

Uggboots hurting feet. They say the boot sells so well because it is comfortable.

As for arch support, Ugg Australia said they have 140 styles coming out for fall '09 and many of those do have arch supports in them. They said they also are adding outer support and added comfort features to the classic

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Doctors say flat shear ling boots can actually be harder on feet than high heels because they're worn for longer periods of time. And it appears Uggs are recession proof because they remain a top seller.

Obama inauguration: Will the 'H' word get a mention?
From all parts of America, the Obama pilgrims have been on the move to witness his inauguration on Wednesday.

And like all pilgrimages, it's not without its hardship.

Clutching their feel-good optimism from warmer climes, they have been jetting and bussing in to face the sober reality of frigid Washington.

On a night flight from LAX, passengers let rip with a roar as the plane left humid Los Angeles twinkling behind them.

But travellers have been weighed down with mundane matters, not just considering the impact of the weather but the demands of security which has seen a number of everyday items banned.

The need to remember to leave the backpack, umbrella and thermos at home is just the start. Travellers are also considering questions such as can we get by without the kid's stroller? Maybe Ugg boots were a better option than the leathers? How hellish will the Metro journey from Virginia or Philadelphia be? Does a choice have to be made between seeing Obama's swearing in and getting a good spot to view the subsequent parade?

AdvertisementJudging by the evidence on the ground, Ugg boots are the footwear of choice for a lot of Obama's army.

For a large number of inauguration-goers, it's less a mission than a field trip. Teachers, with apparently hawk-like peripheral vision, are a regular sight in DC herding school kids. Their commands seem to consist of "Stop!", "Wait until we all get there", "We're not going that way" and "what did I tell you..."

For the record, the items that are banned along the parade route are: Firearms, ammunition, explosives, aerosols, packages, coolers, thermos flasks, backpacks, big bags, laser pointers, animals other than help dogs and bicycles.

Banned on the Capitol grounds in addition to those prohibited items are: Umbrellas, alcohol, strollers, all signs and posters.

The biggest suspense about the inauguration is whether the "H" word will get an airing.

Today, during a rehearsal outside the Capitol, the ground announcer referred to Barack Obama's initial rather than his full name.

There are those of the Voldemort school of thought who believe Obama is: "He who must not have his middle name named".

Representative Steve King of Iowa, a Republican, found Obama's earlier decision to allow "Hussein" to be used as "bizarre" and a "double standard", Politico reported. "Is that reserved just for him, not his critics?"

Politico said that King had previously told AP that the middle name was among the reasons Islamic terrorists would rejoice at Obama's election. King also predicted that al Qaeda would be "dancing in the streets" if Obama were elected.

Obama's victory and inauguration means a great deal to many African Americans.

A California woman, Tamela, was taking her husband and two toddlers to the event. She helped get out the vote for him - the first work she had done for a political candidate.

Then there was a guy spotted in McDonalds in Los Angeles. Scraps of meat and bun were slowly hardening on his plate, forgotten about as he was glued to a Larry King programme on Obama's train trip on Saturday. He pointed it out to a passing mate and the two exchanged congratulatory fist bumps with pride in Obama's achievement lighting their faces.

Obama is having something of a Diana affect on stately DC.

The man's pictures are everywhere, a radio station has renamed itself Obama FM. The Newseum drew a lot of visitors today to a showcase of special sections and front pages on Obama in US newspapers.

Daughters rule dads with cunning: Phillip Morris
The Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez once wrote that, "one does not love one's children just because they are one's children but because of the friendship formed while raising them."

The 81-year-old Nobel Laureate has a wife and two sons. If Marquez had had a daughter, I'm not so sure he would have written such a clinical assessment. A daughter's love is different from a son's.

Men often form close friendships with their sons, friendships that in some ways resemble the loving relationship they might have with a family pet or a remote control. The relationship is simple and transparent.

But daughters present a different set of challenges. The father-daughter friendship is more one-sided and complicated. The clever daughter quickly learns to reduce the disparity in age and experience of the father to level the playing field in her favor.

She does this by constantly testing and winning her father's heart. She hones her conspiracy by becoming a perpetual flirt. From the time she comes to understand the power of the word, "Daddy," she uses the expression to her advantage and stealthily takes control of the friendship.

She uses the word and all that it implies to constantly reassure her "Daddy" that she loves him and, more importantly, needs him. She uses it when she prepares to spring surprises. She uses it lyrically and softly whenever she wants something.

The most highly skilled and manipulative daughter can magically turn the word into a gentle command.

This sort of "friendship" maneuvering does not work on mothers, unless perfected by a son. Women understand the cunning that courses through a young girl's veins. Where fathers see innocence, mothers recognize trickery. Mothers are immune to the traps girls set for fathers but are sometimes willing to assist them in their deceit.

I learned this lesson in "friendship" again this past Christmas. This time the lesson came with a boot.

I had never heard of ugg boots before Friday, Dec. 19. I had seen the boots on women and teenage girls, but I had no idea what they were or how much they cost.

I was mostly struck by the boots' ugliness and the willingness of some women to wear them in the summertime with shorts or pajamas.

But when I heard Faith's mother tell her, in no uncertain terms, that there would be no ugg boot for Christmas, I should have recognized the fix was in.

Faith, who rounds her age up to 10, shot me a glance that was both pensive and authoritative. But she said nothing.

"Your feet are still growing and I will not pay that much for boots. Maybe you'll get a knock-off brand, if they're not already sold out," she continued.

I'm now convinced they were ugg co-conspirators. The child silently played me like the viola she tucks under her chin whenever she conspires to soften my resistance. Her mother assisted.

The next day, I bought Faith her $160 pair of uggs.

I knew it represented conspicuous consumption. But I rationalized. It's winter in Cleveland. She needs these overpriced, ugly boots, I thought.

No, she didn't.

But that's what daughters do:

They carefully raise their daddies.

Shop an elevator ride away for inaugural guests staying at Washington hotel
WASHINGTON — With all the warnings about traffic restrictions and human congestion surrounding inauguration activities, shoppers could be scared off from venturing out to the stores to buy that new evening bag for a ball or commemorative baby bib to bring back home.

Guests at the St. Regis Hotel, however, have no excuse. A miniature version of a Neiman Marcus department store has been set up in the lobby since Thursday and it will remain open until the last ballgoers have their Manolos shined and their bow ties tied.

And what if you can't make that perfect bow? Young women in gowns are on hand in the evening to do it for you on your way out the door.

Female party attendees - or those happy to watch festivities on one of the many TVs set up at every turn in the hotel, including the lobby, bar and restaurant - can sidle up to the Eye Bar for eyelash application or a makeup touchup, for free.

"The makeup artist has been very, very busy," said St. Regis general manager Laura Schofield.

It's sort of like the Hollywood suites set up for celebrities during awards season - but these people are paying.

There have been brisk sales of cold-weather gear like cashmere scarves and ugg boots. Schofield predicts commemorative gear will become the focus once Barack Obama takes the oath of office, and Neiman Marcus' Bonnie Mann, normally the women's coat and sport shop at the store in Mazza Gallerie, notes that backless bras and hosiery - last-minute ball essentials - are stocked.

She also has sold a fur cape and expects to ring up a draped red Vicky Tiel Couture gown for $4,830. The potential customer had taken it up to her room to try it on.

"When you're in a hurry to get somewhere and get packed, you're going to forget something," Schofield said. "If Neiman Marcus doesn't have it here, they will hop on the Metro and get it for you from the store."

This is the first pairing between the retailer and hotel, but Schofield plans to do it again for other big events. The in-hotel shop has also attracted locals who didn't want to go farther than they had to in this unusually chilly snap of weather, she said.

Saks Fifth Avenue is offering similar in-hotel boutiques in the two Washington Ritz Carlton Hotels and a makeover service at the Fairmont Hotel.

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The art of planning
As a student, you may find yourself spending more time planning than doing anything else. A typical day may involve devising a study timetable; thinking that you really ought to ring your parents; emailing friends about where to go for a night out; writing an essay plan; deciding what to do with the rest of your life; going through the TV schedules; and planning to get out of bed.

One useful way to start is to buy a diary. Creative types worried that planning is for squares might like to buy different coloured pens for different activities. But resist the temptation to buy different diaries for different facets of your life. You will waste too much time trying to decide which bit of your life goes where and remembering where you put the right diary to note it down.

Then you need to think about goals.

If you make these too vague, such as wanting to be rich, or too ambitious, such as wanting to be prime minister, you will need to break them down into smaller, more precise goals, such as getting a part-time job or completing a politics assignment. Visualise yourself achieving the goal and then work backwards, visualising each likely step. Think about problems you might face and how to tackle them. Don't be tempted to give up in favour of the TV schedules.

The next step is to draw up a to-do list. Actually, you may need several. One should focus on long-term goals - a list of things you need to do before you reach No 10, such as joining a political party, delivering leaflets, getting elected. Another could look at what you need to do that term, such as paying the electricity bill, finding out where the library is and cleaning the bathroom.

Then you should make daily to-do lists. Don't make the list too detailed because the longer it is, the less likely you are to do it, and the more likely you are to feel a failure, and the bigger the chance of descending into despondent chaos.

Do put the most important things at the top, as you will need to tackle those first. And plan to do the bits first that you really don't want to do.

Any kind of planning demands a similar approach. When it comes to drawing up a study programme, essay plan or night out, the first thing to do is define what you want to achieve, then think about how you are going to get there, then set yourself precise tasks.

For example: goal - attend night out in pub without spending entire termly budget, trashing new ugg boots, texting your ex. Route - eat beforehand, avoid drinking spirits, decline offers to dance on tables. Precise task - put on pasta water, delete ex's number from phone.

Keep reminding yourself of your plans. Don't worry too much if you find yourself veering off course - it is important to be flexible, and your goals may change as your research, or evening, progresses. But do keep track of your achievements. The problem with planning is that it isn't half as difficult as carrying out what you've planned.

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Robbie Savage back in shop window as Nigel Clough picks him to face Manchester United
Less than three months ago, Robbie Savage was spending time during his loan period at League One side Brighton and Hove Albion mulling over the possibility of a move to Lebanese club Al-Ansar in an attempt to prolong his career.

Fast forward to the present, and the midfielder is back at Derby County, with the opportunity of assisting the club to the Carling Cup final at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, after their astonishing 1-0 win at Pride Park nearly a fortnight ago.

But for the arrival of Nigel Clough as new manager of Derby County two weeks ago, Savage would probably have been shopping for a new pair of ugg boots in Manchester rather than making it into the stadium. As it is, Clough's arrival has brought Savage back in from the cold, an experience he has likened to being pardoned from enforced exile in Siberia. It has saved him some money in the process, he jokes.

"The gaffer has saved me a lot of dough because I am usually in Manchester shopping, spending my money," Savage said on Monday. "Under the previous manager I knew no matter how hard I trained I wasn't going to play.

"I thought I would never play for Derby again and I wouldn't have if [Paul] Jewell was still the manager – no matter how well I trained.

"I would be going out in the street and people were saying, 'Who are you playing for now?' I was made to feel that low on confidence and that bad a player that I was looking an any option possible. I went from Siberia to Beirut."

What better opportunity for Savage to prove his worth this evening than against the club where he was a trainee, and against former team-mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who he describes as the "best two Premier League players ever".

However, while the 34-year-old is restoring his own confidence under Clough, the rest of his team-mates seem to have stalled in their attempts to rebuild their own self-belief.

Their 2-0 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday was their third in a row in the league, and revealed "the deep-rooted" structural flaws that have caused the side to fall to fifth from bottom in the table, leaving their manager to accept his former side would have performed the basics better.

"The lads at Burton were better at doing certain things," Clough confessed. "No player in the lower leagues would have made those basic mistakes on Saturday. I have been in a state of shock for the last 48 hours."

Yet while he accepts that his side's confidence is low, he does believe the fact that they have little pressure or expectations on them to win tonight will only help them.

"We were expected to beat QPR at home, and in the home match here [against United] we weren't expected to get anything," he said. "With the way the players are at the moment, that almost suits them. I think they would rather be going to Old Trafford than Blackpool or Barnsley." Buy cheap ugg boots.

The Ugg Boots
Dry the ugg boots

Stuff your boots with recycled paper towels to allow your uggboots to keep their shape, and leave them to dry in a clean, warm place.

How Not to Dry Sheepskin Boots

Avoid direct heat sources like a fireplace, radiator, or blazing sun here, which can cause the sheepskin to pucker or crack.

How to Deodorize ugg boot

Now, what if you got a bad case of the ol' smelly dogs? Well, there's hope here, too. Once your ugg boot are dry, sprinkling a couple tablespoons of baking soda inside then giving them a shake and letting them sit, should kill any funky odors overnight. Be sure to gently brush the outsides of your cheap ugg boots with a suede brush to restore the pile, and you're good to go. So just stay on top of 'em from here on out, and these boots can last you nearly a lifetime.

Huntsville's Monday crime report
• Police who stopped a vehicle at University and Meadow drives confiscated a bag of marijuana and a .45-caliber Taurus handgun. • A Remington .12-gauge shotgun and ugg boots valued at $250 were stolen from a Chevrolet Sierra parked outside Shogun Japanese Steak & Sushi, 3991 University Drive. • A convenience store customer in the 5000 block of N. Memorial Parkway tried to pass a counterfeit $50 bill. • Three bowling machines valued at $4,500 were stolen from a business at 2000 Country Club Ave. • Police confiscated a bag of marijuana and a partially smoked marijuana cigarette from a vehicle outside a Sparkman Drive business. • One of two drivers involved in a wreck at Jordan and Shields roads left the scene. The accident damaged the bumper of a Ford Ranger driven by a 16-year-old boy. The report says the other driver may have been drinking. • A 1995 Lexus was stolen outside a Pulaski Pike convenience store. • A purse was stolen from a vehicle in a Jordan Lane parking lot; police later recovered it, along with $47.29. • A 1995 Ford valued at $7,000 was stolen from an Argyle Road home. • Someone was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession after police found a bag of pot and a partly-smoked marijuana cigarette on Meridian Street. • Police investigated the death of a 76-year-old black female at a home at 503 Eastbrook Drive. • During a stop at Garvin Road and Green Hill Drive, officers searched a vehicle and found eight rocks of crack cocaine and a set of scales. The owner was charged with felony cocaine possession. • Two Sony digital cameras, $50 and miscellaneous clothes were stolen from a home in the 500 block of Bob Wade Lane. • Police who stopped a pickup truck at Alabama 53 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard confiscated a Cobra .380-caliber handgun, seven .380-caliber bullets and 26 bullets for a 9mm handgun. The driver was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit. • A 40-year-old black male was reported missing from his home on Forsythe Drive.

Kate Middleton: man-pleaser
We all know it is wrong — however tempting — to speculate on whether Kate Middleton is the right woman for Prince William. How can any of us guess how they are as a couple when all we have to go on is photographs? Clearly it’s unfair to have misgivings about the heir to the throne’s girlfriend when she is the very model of appropriateness — and the fact that we do makes us feel a bit guilty. Which is why Kate’s comments, at a recent polo match, have come as a huge relief. What Kate said, to the writer Kathy Lette, is: “I have to pay attention to every second. I’ll be discussing the game in minute detail later on.” And there you have it. The throwaway line that sums up the problem we knew existed, but couldn’t quite put our finger on: KM is a professional man-pleaser.

It’s obvious now the cat is out of the bag — the carefully chosen outfits (a little flattering, a little demure, never an ugg boots or man-scaring bit of fashion in sight). The diligent study of the prince’s hobbies (remember the shooting lessons), including careful observation of the nuances of polo, although she is allergic to horses. The girlie part-time job that evaporated altogether because Kate needs to be ready to leap into an Issa dress at a moment’s notice and scurry to HRH’s side.

All this would be fine, were it not for the fact that Prince William is surely a bloke looking for a woman to live up to (Laura Linney in John Adams, only younger and good at skiing). And it’s no good for any of us subjects to have a wannabe royal clone in the royal family whose idea of ringing the changes is wearing Spanish riding boots instead of Hunters. We want bright and feisty, a fresh perspective, a sense of humour. Instead, in KM, we have the girl that Country Casuals might hire for its pastel cashmere campaign. A young woman on a mission, who takes her responsibilities too seriously and who has undoubtedly contributed to making William seem ever so slightly short on surprises.

This explains why some of us have been mysteriously despondent since Chelsy and Harry’s break-up. Honestly, I am going to miss Chelsy. That cheeky gap-toothed laugh. Those incongruous blonde locks and bling striding out in the driving Leeds rain. I don’t care if she’s orange. At least she has a personality and sex appeal and her own life and — most important — she was never in any doubt about who was pleasing who in that relationship. Harry had to stay on his toes, and when he fell short of her standards (when he failed to meet her off a flight and left her beating off paparazzi, for example), she let him have it. You wouldn’t catch Chelsy getting shooting lessons to impress her man on the range — she didn’t need to.

Harry may be sad now, but at least he knows he had a girlfriend who cared about him, not playing the good princess. Can William really say the same?

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GOOD OLD DAYS:A business model that survives time
Driving by the worn, wood-paneled Old West-style facade of the Grant Boys gun, outdoor supply and clothing shop on Newport Boulevard, it’s hard to imagine that the family-owned business — which has become a Costa Mesa icon — has not gone away by now.

When Edward “Buddy” Grant came down from Los Angeles to start the business 60 years ago, Costa Mesa was a one-horse town with less than 4,000 people — far from the upper-middle class suburb of more than 100,000 that it is today. The business started as Grant’s War Surplus in 1949, selling a motley assortment of goods that the military would get rid of at rock-bottom prices (World War II had just ended and there was a lot of excess stuff).

“The original store has very little in common with what the store sells today,” recalls Mike Grant, Buddy’s oldest son, in a short retrospective he recently started to write. “People would buy surplus parachutes to cover their cars. We would cut the lines off them and sell them as nylon rope. We sold a lot of paint, garden hose, work boots, but no Levi’s.”

It’s precisely the store’s ability to change with the times, while staying solidly grounded in its identity, that has allowed the business to survive and prosper in a market filled with chain camping and outdoor sports stores. Over the years, the Grant family has capitalized on countless opportunities.

Buddy didn’t care for guns or hunting at all, according to Randy Garell, who took over the store in the ’70s with his wife, Alexa, Buddy’s daughter. Before opening the Grant Boys, Buddy had a ladies dress shop in Los Angeles in the 1930s.

Since then, the store has gone through countless phases. In the early 1950s, men working on the construction of the 5 Freeway and Disneyland all wore jeans and Georgia steel-toed boots, so Grant’s started carrying them and business boomed. At one point the shop was among the top 10 Levi’s dealers in the country, according to Mike.

Then in the early ’60s, when surf culture blew up in the area, Grant’s started carrying Hang Ten T-shirts, which, in the height of their popularity, were often plucked straight off the delivery truck before they ever made it into the store.

“We carved out a niche business for ourselves, and we can turn on a dime,” Randy said.

Even in the last decade, Alexa saw the ugg boots craze coming. The store stocked up in 2000 and this past December, the shop sold one pair of the fur-lined, leather shoes every 12 minutes. Exceedingly popular in ladies fashion, the boots are not exactly what you would expect to find in a store specializing in guns and hunting equipment, yet they have become a staple of the company’s business.

“The average Newport Beach housewife is not ordinarily going to walk into what she thinks is a gun store,” Randy said, but now they are part of Grants’ demographic.

Randy says gun sales have also increased because of fears brought about by the Y2K scare, the crashing economy and the election of President Obama, who some gun enthusiasts fear will crack down on the industry.

“Business is better than ever,” Alexa said.

Even as the store morphs to meet the demands of an ever-changing population, it retains its homely character. Randy and Alexa have worked there since they were teenagers, and they’re not the only ones who have stuck with the store for decades.

Jack Carver, who joined the staff in his teens emptying garbage cans more than 40 years ago, is now in charge of buying the store’s guns and hunting and fishing equipment.

So while the Grant Boys might look odd among square-framed strip malls and impeccably clean mega chains of Costa Mesa, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine the store still being around 60 years from now, with its hokey Western-themed building that will be just as out of place as it was the day it went up.

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Sarah Jessica Parker: Bundled Up in the Big Apple
Braving the cold winter weather, Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted out in New York City earlier today (February 6).

Dressed for the chilliness, the actress bundled up to stay warm in a knitted hat, navy blue parka, jeans, and some cozy ugg boots as she exited her Big Apple abode.

In related news, New Line Cinema spokeswoman, Candice McDonough, has confirmed that SJP’s “Sex and the City” will have a sequel – due out in summer 2010.

The movie will again include her three co-stars, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, along with writer-director Michael Patrick King.

Talking about the movie, King is keeping fans guessing, stating, “I’m very excited to work with these amazing actresses again and would love to give everyone more information about this sequel..but I’m busy with my ‘Sex’ life.”

Ugg boots destroy cold weather fashion
The chill of winter weather has made its presence known to the University's campus and many a student has obtained some sort of sickness.

But one winter problem that plagues the college campus is not biological at all. It is material in nature and a visual nuisance in need of extermination: the ugg boots.

This sickness begins when the Georgia temperature starts flirting with the 50s. And at the turn of the millennium, someone, the Antichrist perhaps, decided to bring the Ugg boot to Hollywood.

From there, madness spread.

I'm more perplexed by the "fashion" status of the ugg boot than I am Scientology. Honestly.

A few years back, the disease hit Georgia and spread more fiercely than kudzu. These horrible boot/suede/fur fusion footings have become a mainstay, it seems, on the University campus.

But I ask you today to quarantine the afflicted parties and cleanse the campus of these God-forsaken shoes.

Originally invented to warm the feet and calves of the Australian surfer, the uggboots is composed of a soft sheepskin suede outer and a shearling lining. Its roominess and lightweight design are very popular comfort features.

And I understand how nice a lightweight and warm shoe must be for winter weather. But God, they are so ugly. Find something else. Please!

Ladies, I know they may be comfortable, but you must stop. As soothing as they must be to the soles, they are far more unattractive.

If you just don't care how you look or you're not trying to attract the opposite sex, then wear them out. But Valentine's Day is coming up, and if you aim to have someone to share it with, I would donate or burn whatever Uggs you have.

I have yet to meet a fellow male who has even thought about saying, "Ya know, I kinda like 'em." It just won't happen. More power to the Australians for their sheepskin ingenuity, but leave it for the Aussies and the swimmers, and only them.

I admit, I've seen a few outfits that incorporate Uggs and actually work.

But in my time here, I can count those instances on one hand. What's more, you girls can't arrange a decent outfit to go to class in! Sweatpants, leggings, or the bare leg are not appropriate parings for your Ugg-ly outfit.

And the Uggs and exercise shorts ensemble? Honestly? Do you own a mirror? Is it full length? And for those of you who reach for your uggs when it's 75 out, I have no advice for you because you're simply too far gone.

Now, technically, the ugg is a unisex shoe. So to you ladies and you few brave gentlemen, please wear your horrid shoes with caution. Or better yet, don't wear them at all.

I need to love life and find confidence in my generation. You girls are making me doubt our future as a society.

So, please, keep the campus out of attire agony and opt for a better boot.

Everything you need to know
Dear Joe,

I know that I go to a tough school, but I can’t take any more whining. I’m surrounded by complainers, and feel as if they’re always raining on my parade. Any ideas on how to change their attitudes, or make me more complaint resistant?

—Whiny in West Wing

Dear Whiny,

You would think that living in a wonderful city, receiving a great education, and having the world at your fingertips make you happy. Unfortunately, Whiny, for those who are always trying to take from the world, nothing is ever good enough. A week-long vacation to a community college in Bulgaria would teach them a lesson in being thankful. As much as we would like to change the wave of negativity that floats around campus, there’s not much we can do. Like sun radiation, or ugg boots, some experiences simply have to be dealt with. The difference is the protective measures we take against them. Avoid unreasonably negative people. For instance, those who complain about cookies, funk music, and high fives are suspect for investigation.

You should probably note that all people can be whiny at some times. It’s a natural product of being overworked and eating at Skibo Coffeehouse. An important responsibility of friendship is helping friends feel better. When a friend is starting into the downward spiral of misery, try to lift him out before it’s too late. And contrary to popular belief, LEN’s law does not occur. No matter how helpful you are in spreading your optimism, no one will steal your sunshine.

Turn that frown upside down, Joe

Dear Joe,

Don’t laugh at me, but I have a stamp collection. Even for being a Carnegie Mellon student, I get harassed every day for searching through catalogs and the Internet to find that perfect stamp. Why is everyone so hostile toward stamps?

—Posted in Porter

Dear Posted, If you were five years old, I would say that everyone is just jealous of your totally awesome stamp collection. The fact of the matter is: stamp collecting is dorky, even at Carnegie Mellon. Your activity falls into the “classical nerd” category. These are tasks considered “cool” to nerds 40 years ago, but now have given way to blogging, Internet gaming, and hygiene. Examples of classical nerd activities include wearing suspenders, bug or stamp collecting, cartography, and pen pals. Unfortunately, these activities are feverishly fun, which means they’re hard to get rid of when you realize that Eisenhower’s not in power.

Does this mean that you should give up your passion? Absolutely not, Posted. Fight the good fight and defend your quirky and somewhat antiquated hobbies. It’s people like you who tell the world how everything is sorted or what kind of glue goes best with balsa wood for that perfect model plane. Maybe the newer nerds aren’t impressed with your toys, but so be it. At least collecting stamps doesn’t result in repetitive stress injury.

Return to Sender, Joe

Isla Fisher admits she detests shops as Confessions of a Shopaholic is released
Sexy actress Isla Fisher has admitted she detests shopping despite her role in the Confessions of a Shopaholic.

The movie, based on Sophie Kinsella's famous novel, follows a designer label addict around New York as she tries to overcome her credit card busting habit.

Isla, 33, plays giddy character Becky Bloomwood, but says she'd rather slob about in pyjamas and ugg boots then splash the cash on flashy clobber.

The Wedding Crashers star prefers to snub glitzy parties in favour of a quiet night in front of the TV with funnyman husband Sascha Baren Cohen.

Isla insists she is a far cry from her shoe-addicted alter ego Becky: "I dont really like shopping, its a bit of a drag to be honest.'

"I dont feel any pressure to own all the bright and shiny objects in the film.

"I'm nothing like that character and I couldn't keep that up.

"The character unfortunately focuses too much of her attention on appearences and what's on the outside.

"I am quite the opposite. I'm definitely not a fashionista!

"I couldn't stay long in heels, I would rather be at home in my pyjamas and uggs.

The Look: Towson's biggest fashion mishaps
A recent letter to the editor titled "When did North Face jackets become Towson's official uniform?" got me thinking about some of the groupthink on-campus trends I've noticed this winter.

Despite the fact that many of our parents are being laid off left and right, almost every girl on campus can be seen sporting The North Face Women's Denali Jacket, which on The North Face Web site runs at $165. Pretty pricey for Polartec fleece.

What confuses me about the Denali's popularity, however, isn't the fact that so many girls are willing to shell out almost 200 bucks to own the new "in" jacket. What confuses me is their choice in brand name.

Just read the details on the jacket listed on The North Face Web site: "A favorite among outdoor enthusiasts, the Denali Jacket offers straight-forward comfort and warmth in cold weather excursions."

Ladies, we live in central Maryland.

I'd hardly call trekking to P-tux in that ice storm we had earlier in the semester a "cold weather excursion."

The true fashion crime being committed isn't the use of the Denali in place of a winter coat (I hear they are actually much warmer than they appear).

The outfit combination that a surprising majority of the women on campus seem to wear on a regular basis is what makes me cringe.

I submit the revised Towson University uniform for the female population: A North Face Denali Jacket, a black tights and a pair of ugg boots.

For the ideal winter outfit, I see several flaws in its design.

Flaw one: the black tights are worn in place of pants.

Apart from the risk of what can only be described as "wicked camel toe," tights used in place of pants can be used to effectively compliment a mini-dress or any article of clothing that reaches well past one's genital region.

Because the Denali lies just above the crotch, this rule does not apply.

Even though the Denali offers both "comfort and warmth," winter is not the best season to forgo pants.

Even though your torso and feet may remain warm in fleece and fur, nothing is going to be warming the most exposed part of your body.

Flaw two: no matter what your body type, this outfit does nothing to flatter it.

The Denali is neither form-fitting nor loose and wavy.

For the upper half of your body, it compliments little more than a hoodie or sweatshirt would.

The black tights leave nothing to the imagination, as they hug every inch of the calf and thigh.

And I don't think anyone really needs another reason to hate uggs.

And lastly, flaw three: you look absolutely ridiculous.

What makes a lasting style is its versatility.

Scarves have become so popular because of the variety of colors, patterns, styles and ways to wear them.

Layers can be worn by multiple girls on campus everyday because accessories can be used to give a plain outfit originality.

The North Face Denali Jacket, black tights and a pair of uggboots, no matter if you change the color of the jacket or tights or the design of the boots, will remain unoriginal, unproductive and unforgivable by fashionable society.

WOMANS DEATH IN SEA ISLE STILL A MYSTERY
SEA ISLE CITY--- The Cape May Co. Prosecutors Office appealed to the public for assistance, on Friday, regarding the death of a Pennsylvania woman whose body was found near a boat ramp in Sea Isle City last Sunday.

Shortly before 8:00 am Sunday morning (Feb. 15) the body of 35 year old Tracy Hottenstein was discovered on a tiny sliver of marsh next to a public boat ramp at the street end of 42nd Pl.

The Conshohocken Pa. resident had been in town for Saturday's annual Polar Bear Plunge.

According to the Cape May Co. Prosecutors Office, Hottenstein was at the Ocean Drive Bar, on Landis Av. later Saturday night, and was last seen leaving the OD around 2:15 Sunday morning.

Although her body had been in the water at some point, an autopsy has failed to determine how Hottenstein died -- furthermore, sources tell NBC 40 that the cause of death is not drowning.

Authorities are still waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

On Thursday and again Friday morning, Middle Twp. and State Police divers searched the bay near where Hottenstein was found.

Described as 5'4" tall and weighing approximately 135 pounds, she was last seen wearing a pink plaid hat, pink scarf, a black long sleeved top and a black vest, along with dark jeans and tan ugg boots.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Cape May Co. Prosecutors Office -- Major Crime Unit, at: (609) 465-1135.

Chaos is nearer the surface than we imagine, waiting to break through
YOU could argue that for our sanity we need to believe in certain things. We need to believe in order, for example. We need to believe that things are in some way under control, that we, or someone else, is on top of things, has a grip. Beyond our belief in order lies the appalling vista. It is the stuff of nightmares, of horror films.

We need to believe, too, that the Government is in charge. Despite increasing evidence to the contrary, we cling needily to the notion of this paternalistic institution to which we have delegated the running of the bigger picture. Once we can believe that they are there fighting the macro-battle, then we can focus on our own petty struggles. And every time we read about further deterioration in the economy, or the world order, we can console ourselves with the notion that while we are powerless to do anything, we have a Government and it is, presumably, on top of things.

So we literally suspend disbelief as we observe the weekly routine that is the Oireachtas. We will ourselves to believe that the talking, and the plans, and all the rest of it, are going to make a difference, maybe even that they will work. We may disagree with the talk and the plans at times, but part of us gullibly thinks that these guys are, in some way, competent to be in charge. This necessary gullibility is revealed by the fact that until very recently, most of the media -- and many of the public -- wilfully allowed themselves to believe that this Government was on top of things, despite the fact that since before last summer the Government has been adrift.

While much has been made of this Government's apparent need to "get real", many of these exhortations have come from an Opposition that has resolutely refused to get real itself. It is an Opposition that has put playing political games and political opportunism ahead of actually eyeballing what is an extraordinary shift in our whole world, and positioning ourselves for this shift. buy uggs.

But then again, who is going to be the politician to turn to the people and say the real truth? "Things are never going to be the same again. The world as we know it is disintegrating. You need to radically alter your expectations of life. The value of everything is up in the air and could be nothing, as are all the systems and certainties that our lives up to now were based on. Indeed, the very sovereignty of our State is now in doubt as we are moving, with increasing haste, towards bankruptcy. There is a high possibility the country is going to run out of money, and one week soon we simply will not be able to pay people's dole, or nurses' wages or any other bills.

"We're not really sure what will happen then because the very institutions that might bail us out in that situation, like the IMF or the ECB, might not at that point be able to bail us out. We can take nothing for granted anymore, including the world order."

The closest any politician has come to looking the people in the eye and telling them the mind-blowing truth about what's going on is, funnily enough, Brian Cowen, when he told the Dublin Chamber of Commerce that our children would probably not enjoy the same standard of living as we do. It was, when you think about it, a fairly radical thing to tell people because you are asking Irish people to let go of another one of our core beliefs -- that the country is constantly getting better and that each generation enjoys a standard of living that is higher than that of our parents. Remember, this is a country that went from hobnail boots to ugg boots, from poor farmers to farmers' markets, in little more than two generations. We are a country that believed a year ago that things could only get better. The notion that we could now slip back, from being one of the richest countries in the world, to being a Second World, or indeed a Third World country again, is unimaginable for most of us.

Just as we need to believe we have tamed our demons with civilisation and order -- two immutables that cannot break down -- we need to believe too that we have conquered poverty and our past with unrelenting progress.

Of course, one of the reasons that no politician has told people how much in freefall the foundations upon which we have built our lives actually are is because most politicians are in denial too. They believe that conducting the weekly circus in the Dail, having pops at each other and dissing whatever plan the opposite side moots is still, in some way, acceptable behaviour. They do not realise that democracy as currently practised in this country has failed, is in terminal failure, and is now irrelevant.

Can you believe for example, that the Government is still waiting for a report from the Commission on Taxation? Its effort to speed things up has apparently been to tell the Commission to report in July instead of September. We could, as the man says, all be dead in July, but somehow it seems that the Government thinks it is still OK to wait for some report on what we should do about wider tax reform.

This at a time when any taxi driver could probably offer a decent stab of a taxation plan for the country -- and at a time when people are prepared for the worst in terms of taxation. It was last Tuesday before Brian Cowen realised the country was screwed and needed a mini-budget, despite the fact that schoolchildren were muttering the day after the last Budget that it was not enough and we would need another one within months. Mary Coughlan thought, just the other day, that the country's finances were in good shape. Fintan O'Toole, who has set himself up as a tax expert, appears to be running the Opposition's policy -- which is "Eat the rich". Trust me: politics is not working here.

So now we need to consider something different, now we need to consider something that could get a grip on things. If our politicians don't realise this, they will realise it soon enough. Who among them, do you think, will dare leave

the safety of Leinster House to campaign for local or European elections, or, indeed, for a Lisbon Treaty? Who among them will relish going out among the people if there is a general election? Can't you picture it? Politicians getting egged, getting a dig instead of a dig-out? Rival factions of canvassers and supporters going at each other?

Of course by then we will presumably have unrest on the streets anyway, as unions or taxi drivers or whoever else having taken to the city centre are encouraged by the kind of sinister elements who start sowing seeds of unrest wherever there is discontent. It's a miracle that some public gathering hasn't ended in rioting yet, but it will happen soon enough as people lose hope even further and as the vague sense of chaos and drift out there begins to crystallise in people's minds.

The mini-Budget and the continuing inability of the Government to seem to be in charge will form the background to unrest -- will, if you like, provide an ambience that is conducive to unrest. The opportunity and immediate catalyst for unrest will be protests or election campaigns. And once it has happened once, and civil society is breached, and the world doesn't end, then it will happen more and more, and soon at every place where people gather in public there will be tension and the potential for unrest. With trust in the financial system and the political system gone, soon enough people will lose faith in all systems. Chaos is much nearer the surface than we imagine, waiting to break through, and once it breaks through, it's like a virus.

So what kinds of measures should we consider? The idea of a so-called National Government has been batted around a bit recently. However, it is difficult to say if there is anything inherently inspiring about the current incumbents of Leinster House all working together instead of agin each other.

What we probably need to try now are some kind of emergency measures that allow us to react to the situation as quickly as it develops. Waiting for the Commission on Taxation or an Bord Snip Nua to report months down the line makes no sense now. Neither does the Government being unable to cut civil service pay because the legal advice is that they can't. Similarly a Government that needs to spend months fooling around with the social partners before it can make a decision about economics has no place in the world right now. Neither has a Government that is legally constrained from cutting tribunal lawyers' fees. Buy cheap ugg boots.

In fact, come to think of it, much of the country is tied up in red tape that was designed for more genteel times. This is not a particularly relevant example right now but it is a rather telling one: Did you know that 85 per cent of the staff of the Office of Public Works, the Government department responsible for decentralisation, are refusing to move to their decentralised location? Irrelevant right now, but just another example of the kind of rubbish that is still going on as Rome burns.

These are sterner and more urgent circumstances, and it is perhaps time that we looked at suspending some of our more civilised instruments of running the country. After all, it is the very collapse of civilisation that we are battling for right now, so we need to fight a bit dirty, just so the centre can hold in some way. Standing on ceremony, as we are wont to do, could only be a recipe for greater chaos.

Moir’s Big Yin routine is one big yawn
There are 370 shows at the forthcoming Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival. At 369 of them, the performers will be following the two unwritten laws of comedy: find your own voice and write your own material. At one of them, a man in a black Spandex one-piece and “banana-fied” ugg boots will perform a set “inspired by Billy Connolly’s classics”.

Gary Moir, a former winner of Stars in Their Eyes, makes much of the fact that he, like Connolly, is a failed welder from the Glasgow shipyards. Normally, this would qualify him for delivering Chinese meals or restocking the freezers in Asda, but not Moir.

He had wearied, so his legend goes, of people telling him he was as funny as Billy Connolly. So shipbuilding’s loss would be comedy’s gain. But instead of becoming Gary Moir, hilarious individual performer who wears normal clothes and relies on his own imagination, he became the Big Yin, a Connolly tribute act.

He is not alone. There are a host of banjo-strumming, glottal-stopping faux Billys out there, appearing in the sticky-carpet clubs that Connolly played in at the start of his career. (They are also available for weddings, parties and corporate events, for people who imagine their big day would be improved by a singalong version of D-I-V-O-R-C-E.) Moir’s show has been a Glasgow Comedy Festival sell-out for the past three years; this time around, he is expected to fill the Barrowlands.

When Connolly started out, the Barrowlands was a dance hall. He played folk clubs and function rooms: his career-starting Billy Connolly Live! was recorded in the Tudor Hotel, Airdrie. Back then, Connolly was a fresh voice, an accent never heard before on Michael Parkinson’s BBC chat show.

He cheekily mixed up scatology and social observation with spoof songs. Among the mother-in-law gags of the 1970s, reimagining the Last Supper as a bar room rammy was bold and original. He swore like he was still working in the shipyard and made jokes about subjects — masturbation, flatulence, piles — that many of his audience would blush to discuss with their GP.

It was sensational and shocking, while being accessible in a way that the alternative comedians of the next decade never quite pulled off. But it is a product of its time and place: Connolly’s stand-up is a period piece, tied to a time when buses were orange, green and operated by the corporation. Neither Moir nor the other tribute acts on the circuit have adopted the purple beard or flowery shirts favoured by the latter-day Connolly. He has not sung In the Brownies, or worn the big banana boots that Moir copies in his stage costume for 30-odd years. The originals are where they belong — in a museum.

Unpleasant illnesses, evil families, problem drinking. . . the material that took Connolly’s audiences into wild, uncharted territory is now available back-to-back on television. The fabulous Glesca patter has been cleaned up and repackaged for telly, radio and in the acts of plenty of comedians who can stand up on stage without hiding behind somebody else’s hairstyle.

Connolly himself has run into difficulty dealing with contemporary events — there was a huge uproar in 2004 when, at the Hammersmith Apollo, he made a joke about the hostage Kenneth Bigley, who was soon to be beheaded in Iraq.

So the tribute acts such as Moir stay on safe comedy territory. He even borrows other comedians’ lines and puts them into his phoney Connolly mouth. Does his bum, he asks the audience, look big in his catsuit? It was Arabella Weir, not Connolly, who originally posed that question. He ploughs on regardless, with a charmless discussion of the size of other parts of his anatomy. It is about as daring as Kate Middleton’s dress sense and as challenging as an episode of Fireman Sam.

Of course, the audience that goes to see the Big Yin does not want to be taunted or challenged or made to feel uncomfortable. If they did, they would stay in and watch a Sarah Silverman DVD. They are going for nostalgia, for the values of the1970s wrapped up in a fancy-dress outfit. It’s not grown-up and it’s not very funny.

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OK! Interview: Peter André & Katie Price
The former UK glamour model and her pop star hubby stopped by OK!’s Beverly Hills office, and opened up about their life in the US, the Beckhams, and Jade Goody.

Do you live a normal life here in the US?

Peter: In England, it is constant. Here you get some days when they are there, and some days when they are not. You can be normal.

Katie: You think it’s pretty normal to go and have a 13-mile run along Malibu beach and have twelve paparazzi following you around?

The Beckhams attempt to “conquer America,” was short-lived because it looks like they’re now going back to Europe. What are your thoughts?

KP: Well, we never said that we were trying to break America. I don’t know if they said that they were trying to. It’s sad they’re going to be leaving. I’m sure that she loves it here, and her boys love it here. Just — good luck to them!

PA: I think that they are so successful anyway –who cares. It doesn’t matter, and I think –you know, good luck to them! We love them.

What are your thoughts on Victoria Beckham’s style?

KP: Sometimes, I do think that she tries too hard. I would actually like to see her in a tracksuit, and ugg boots going to the shop buying newspaper – smiling.

What are your thoughts and feelings on fellow UK reality star Jade Goody's battle with cancer?

KP: Oh, it is awful. But I think that it is so brave and I am just gutted for her. We talk about her day and night. I would love to be by her side just the whole way, you know.

PA: It’s really put everything into perspective for us. We are living the American dream but what does it all mean when you think back to someone who can’t see their children after a certain period of time. She will never see them again.

Have the both of you reached out to her?

KP: I’m supporting her.

PA: We’ve sent her some messages, and we have sent her some flowers.

KP: I do say that they need to do a Jade charity, and I would love to be a part of that. I said that next year, I would run the marathon to raise money for that.

PA: Well, I was actually thinking of writing her name across my forehead when I do the London marathon. Buy cheap ugg boots.

MCC members guide on how to dress
The exclusive social club has sent members a two-page illustrated guide of its strict dress code.

Bare midriffs, torn jeans and thongs are banned from the Member's Reserve.

Men will be refused entry to the Long Room or Member's Dining Room if they have no tie or wear a zippered jacket and women will be turned away in leggings, denim jackets or three-quarter pants.

In case members don't know what tracksuit pants and ugg boots look like, the MCC had models pose in the unacceptable clothes.

The latest MCC membership letter warns members they will not be admitted unless they can pass the fashion police.

"To avoid any embarrassment at the turnstiles, please ensure that your attire, and that of your guests, is appropriate."

MCC chief Stephen Gough said the guide was necessary to inform members, who will this year pay up to $726 in fees.

"It's come about because we have so many occasions when members might bring guests that are unaware of the requirements," he said.

"Sometimes members themselves don't know what is expected of them.

"So we've done this because it can be embarrassing for people to get knocked back and a major inconvenience."

But MCC members said the dress guide was a step too far.

Country member Brendan Carrick said the MCC was pointing out the obvious.

"If you're a member, you know what you're expected to wear," he said.

"You don't need a two-page guide to remind you to wear a collar or to remind your guest that they have to wear a tie."

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Footwear and Foot Problems
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 43.1 million Americans (one in six people) have foot problems. Women are nine times more at risk than men because females are more likely to wear tight or poorly-fitted shoes.

During an average day of walking, the feet bear the equivalent weight of several tons. When combined with poorly-fitting shoes, those forces can lead to a number of painful conditions. Two common foot problems associated with shoe fit are bunions and hammertoes.

A bunion is an enlargement of the joint at the base of the big toe (the metatarsophalangeal joint). It occurs when the big toe is misaligned, with the tip angling inward toward the other toes. This pushes the base of the joint outward. The skin over the protruding joint can become red, swollen and painful. The joint can become stiff and swollen, causing pain while wearing shoes or walking.

Hammertoe is a condition in which one or more of the toes is bent upward at the middle joint, causing the affected toe(s) to look like a hammer. A callus can also develop on top of the toe. It most commonly affects the second toe. Initially, the joint is still moveable and can be straightened. But if the condition isn’t treated, the joint can become stiff and rigid.

The Need for Support

Philadelphia Podiatrist Edward Chairman, D.P.M., says adult feet need support to bear the weight of standing and walking. Shoes without support increase the risk for foot problems, like bunions and hammertoes.

One popular line of footwear is UGG®. Chairman says some women are wearing ugg boots because they are soft, comfortable and wide enough to relieve pressure on the toes. So, even patients with bunions and hammertoes find them to be more comfortable than some shoes and boots. However, over time, women tend to develop more pain and discomfort. Chairman says that’s because boots like the UGGs have no support. The extra pressure on the feet eventually causes alignment problems in the toes to worsen. Although bunions and hammertoes are typically more common in middle-aged and older women, Chairman is seeing the early signs of the problems in teenagers who “live” in their uggs.

Chairman recommends that women who want to use footwear that doesn’t have adequate support get custom-made orthotics, or shoe inserts. The orthotics are designed to minimize force on the feet and improve foot function. For UGGs and similar boots, he recommends sports orthotics, which are a little bulkier and longer than orthotics designed for dress shoes. cheap ugg boots.

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Location: Iraq, Sulaimaniya
It's been 29 days and 3 hours since I landed in Sulaimaniya. It's official. This is the longest time I have ever been away from the UK. A time during which I learnt to be an editor, a journalist, a communicator, in both Arabic and English (the Arabic part is debatable), mud puddles survivor, a taxi fare haggler and a Barclays bank plc hater. Home sweet home(s).

My favourite part of the day, and sometimes not, is getting in the taxi to go down town Sulaimaniya. It is my only chance to have a direct genuine conversation with people. 'I am Iraqi speak no Arabi,' mocked one of the drivers. 'I am Iraqi speak no Kurdi,' I replied. We both laughed.

I learnt that it is considered inappropriate to strike a conversation with people you do not know and that smiling would be an invitation to flirt. But the adorable way Kurds try to communicate in Arabic is irresistible, especially if they are old men who like to reminisce about Iraq's good days and Baghdad. Could they be talking about the early 70s? The only time Iraq has ever seen some kind of prosperity and not many had to suffer, although peace never prevailed. Not the Monarchy or the British occupation surely. Neither could it be Saddam's reign. Perhaps they are just ordinary people who just enjoyed being them and living their lives despite the hardships they were subjected to. What I heard and read in newspapers on Kurds and Arabs have almost been non-existent in Sulaimaniya during the past 4 weeks. True, there are more Kurds than Arabs here, but not one so far seemed to consider themselves anything but Iraqi, and sometimes the word Kurdish preceded the word Iraqi. Were they being nice to me because I am a customer? Or perhaps when they realize I had no hand in the gassing of Kurds, and instead talked to them in a civil manner, they react accordingly. Perhaps I am making progress already. Perhaps through me, they believe we are one. Perhaps they will regain their patriotism to Iraq as a whole. Perhaps it's the politician's game that makes things look ugly. Or perhaps I am being unrealistic and naive. Who knows!

Sulaimaniya is a modern, up and coming city that has a limited choice of entertainment but a vast history and a beautiful nature. The mountains surrounding it are breathtaking, while trekking the way up to the tips of them is surreal. What attracts me to it mainly is the endless long road it was built around. Salem Street is prefect for people like me who easily get lost. Modern cafes dotted along the street have become my home for the past 4 weeks. I eat, write, make phone calls, shop, edit the magazine and work till dawn while drinking tons of lemon and pomegranate juices. My day is made when Kathem Alsaher, my favourite Iraqi singer, comes on one of the plasma screen TVs in the cafe. Only then I feel I am in Iraq.

I often drift into thoughts about my life in the UK when I see the pen I received as a gift for graduating from university, now the pen I use during interviews. A key ring that became the one for my first home in Iraq. A notebook; my travels' official diary. My lucky charm necklaces that I alternate everyday. My business card holder that will be effective from tomorrow. My watch, of course, to keep track of time, and yet another one sitting on my desk amongst lots and lots of cards scattered on my messy desk; a reminder that I am loved.

It is quite common to be sitting with a client discussing the latest issues in Iraq, or be having dinner with a friend in the evening, when a power cut occurs. Everyone pauses their activities for a few minutes till power resumes, and they carry on going about their business as normal. Like someone has paused a movie for a few minutes, or seconds sometimes. This happens several times a day.

I noticed that I yawn much more often and my hair needs more regular washing. My chocolate ugg boots have now become yellowy cream. It never stopped raining since I arrived and the days get much colder at night. Mud puddles became my worst enemy as the city is going under wide construction and development and workmen are everywhere. The only problem is that in Iraq, workmen take eternity to finish a job.

I moved into a block of apartments in a secluded village just outside of Sulaimaniya. Thankfully, Sulaimaniya isn't a large city so I am able to reach Salem Street in just under half an hour, if a taxi passes by that is. Leaving me stranded on top of the hill for the dust to settle right behind my contact lenses. Taxi drivers often think I am crying.

I will be in Baghdad soon to interview people regarding the magazine cover story as well as a few other stories. I will once again, after many years, visit places in Baghdad I had not been to for almost two decades. Once Zainab the quiet struggling school girl carrying her books to school while adjusting her glasses, now Zainab the editor, the writer, with her dictaphone, pen and notebook, and of course a laptop bag that doesn't fit my laptop in it properly which often makes me look clumsy.

So here I am, grumbling about mud, dust, rain and uggs. Having just been scared the devil out of as all lights in my apartment went out whilst in the shower. To crawl my way out and hope someone would call me so my mobile would light the way. Nothing like a power cut during a shower in a secluded home in the mountains of Iraq.

I apologize for the long absence as settling in has not been easy. With no internet at home, I am truly lost.

I am here. I live here. I work here. I am pursuing my dreams here. This is where I want to be and these are only the beginnings of what I want to do.

Emu Australia recruits VF Corp MD
Emu Australia, the sheepskin footwear company, has named Andy Knowles as CEO Europe with a remit to oversee all European marketing from the brand.

Knowles was most recently VF Jeanswear managing director where he oversaw the Lee and Wrangler brands. He has also held senior positions at Nestlé and Cadbury Schweppes.

Emu Australia entered the UK market in 2006 and has just opened a European head office and sales showroom in London. The company was founded in 1994 and positions itself as a luxury brand with the strapline “naturally Australian”.

The privately owned company is a rival to ugg boots and has just shot the 2009 autumn/winter campaign at a heritage-listed historical sheep station.

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Levity and catharsis bring fashion festival to a close
SOME things remain constant, even in hard financial times. A fashion festival will attract a certain cast: preening, glossy haired princesses with vacant stares and glistening lips; ageing madams eyeing off the flawless catwalk colts with pursed-lip longing; flashy spectators who have piled on every fashion trend at once — sequinned cape, ruched shiny leggings, trilby hat. Less is more anyone? And, of course, where would any fashion festival be without some multinational exploiting the target audience and spruiking a 97 per cent fat-free product. Skinny Cow anyone? (It's an ice cream.)

Thank goodness for moments of levity and catharsis — and there were some as the Melbourne Fashion Festival drew to a close at the Docklands yesterday. The festival's final show, staged by budget department store Target, bristled with the sheer joyousness of acrobatics, dance and youth. If there was a lesson to be had, it was that in the end it's not so much the clothes that maketh the man (or woman) but his (or her) dance moves. One young break dancer, Aron, busted some show-stealing moves, wearing nothing too directional, a baggy T-shirt, baggy jeans.

The two Target catwalks shows were a mish-mash of styles and influences plucked from bygone eras, and reprising recent trends: '70s peasant, paisley blouses teamed with denim shorts; shiny leggings with disco-style off-the-shoulder tops; bottom-skimming micro-mini dresses with vivid tights; skinny jeans teamed with tasselled boots and check flannel shirts; ugg boots and trackie-dacks; sexy secretarial looks with pencil skirts and cinched waists; a muted palette of grey and black set off with vibrant accessories.

"The thing with fashion at the moment is diversity, there are so many things happening, so if you're into all black linear, you've got it, if you want bright pop bold you've got it, so there are all these counter trends," festival director Karen Webster said. "But … I've noticed most of the week is that fashion is dressing up again. I think this is one of the things that have come out with this whole current economic position, is that people are wanting to feel good and look good." I like uggs.

Aussie made products vanishing from shops
"THIS is Australian," says the salesgirl. "See here on the label? It says 'Designed in Australia'."

She is holding a leather handbag and letting me see only the top half of the label. The bottom half is obscured by her red-nail-polished thumbnail.

I look at her. Her thumb moves.

"Made in China,'' says the label.

She laughs. I can't tell if it's a guilty or an embarrassed laugh.

"All our stuff's made in Australia, to an extent,'' she says. "I mean, most of it's made in China - but we're a wholly Australian company.

"It's all designed here.''

We're in Pitt St Mall in Sydney at 2.45pm and I'm conducting a little experiment: If I wanted to spend my $900 stimulus payment locally, could I find Australian-made goods worth buying?

Will I end up with nine pairs of ugg boots? I hate uggs.

In every shop, I ask if there are any Australian-made goods.

On every occasion I'm greeted with some degree of awkward throat-clearing or defensiveness.

"Oh, yeah, I know what you're saying, says one saleswoman. "I like to spend my money here too.

Staff tell me there's no Australian content in Hype, Witchery, Nine West, Esprit, Just Jeans, Oroton, Emporio and Strandbags. At Surf Dive 'n' Ski, they're selling green-and-gold thongs bearing the names Surfers Paradise, Bondi, Cottesloe, Maroubra.

All made in Brazil.

How about the flower stall?

"Ah, these ones are Singapore orchids - from Thailand,'' says the florist, holding up flowers so blue they're almost neon.

Laughing with an apologetic air, she adds: "Some of the others are from Africa.''

In the 19 stores I visit, only seven have any Australian-made content - that's 36 per cent. Only one, Jurlique, is all-Australian.

A shop named Glue has an Australian-made Backstage dress for $119.99.

Portmans has a healthy stack of local clothes and at Soul Pattinson pharmacy, there's Le Tan, Sukin skin care and Nude by Nature makeup.

At Sussan, everything's made in Asia except the nail polish and the lip gloss.

Then I get to Borders and it seems a gleaming ray of hope.

Of 28 books on the new-release shelves by the door, only five are printed overseas.

It's an array of Australian-made words. Even the latest books by British authors Jeffrey Archer and Alexander McCall Smith are printed here. I'm delighted to discover such a beacon of localism, right here in the American chain store that locals love to revile.

Borders can't be that bad, if even the foreign books are Australian-made, can it?

But that situation exists only because of protectionism: a long-enduring ban on the parallel importing of books, which the Government is now considering axing because it keeps prices artificially high.

So in this little shopping strip we have a perfect encapsulation of the Australian economy.

There's a bit of manufacturing, a bit of protectionism, a fair amount of free trade - and an awful lot of embarrassment.

"We used to make it here but it's just too expensive now, one young salesman informs me. "It's all Australian ideas, though.

And that's the crux. It's just the reality of our modern economy, right? Australia is no longer really about making things. Manufacturing is 9.2 per cent of our gross domestic product. Mining is 10 per cent.

Agriculture is 2.6 per cent.

We're a services-dominated nation: retail, finance, law, tourism, education, transport, construction, hospitality.

The Pitt St shop girls are the economy, even when selling Singapore orchids from Thailand.

So why all the bashfulness?

Well, here's one reason: The shop girls know as well as I do that it's very hard to be sure about the conditions in those Chinese factories or Thai hot-houses. Are they as good as in Australian factories?

Do the workers get holidays? Are they paid fairly?

AussieBum underwear founder Sean Ashby is still horrified to recall the time he visited a Chinese manufacturer who wanted his business.

The showcase factory was clean, brightly lit and staffed by apple-cheeked employees taking regular tea-breaks.

Then he saw the real factory out the back: dirty, dark and stacked with bunk-beds.

That's one of the reasons it's cheaper to manufacture offshore. That's why Ashby keeps his production in Sydney.

And that should be the issue that concerns us. I don't care if products are made in Bangladesh or Bankstown as long as they're made by people treated decently.

We can't make everything here, or stand alone against the tide of globalisation. Protectionism won't protect us forever.

But we can be inquisitive about what we're importing. We can look beyond the embarrassment and think about how things are made.

We can read labels and ask questions in shops.

I haven't spent my $900 handout yet. Turns out half the ugg boots are made in China anyway. What a relief.

She’s going to be extremely busy over the next few days
On Tuesday we secured our place in the World Cup Final by beating the West Indies by 146 runs. It will be the first time we have been in a World Cup Final since 1993 and is a massive achievement for all the girls.

For me this meant an unrelenting list of interview requests which is phenomenal and showed that all the hundreds of people I have contacted over the past four years have been taking notice and are cottoning on to how good these players are.

First up were rights holders Sky Sports followed by Sky Sports News and then Sky News. We also fitted in BBC, various national newspapers as well as the Loughborough Echo, the Leicestershire Mercury and other regional press. I’m always keen to continue to provide for the regional press as they cover us year in, year out, so it’s great to reward them when things are going well.

By 9.30pm the interviews were just about finished and England had just woken up. Cue 52 more interview requests for the players. This was brilliant even if it did mean a 2am finish for me - a 20-hour day no less! We have managed to fulfil every single one of those requests so hopefully the players and the game are now getting the profile they deserve.

Over the past few days I have had so many messages of good luck to pass onto the squad which has been just brilliant. It’s great to see that people back home are taking an interest and really getting behind us before Sunday. Lots of my friends (who know I’m here, but don’t really follow the cricket) have heard the scores and are emailing, texting and Facebooking me to let me know and wish us well, which is awesome. Even my Dad, who’s in Siberia, has been keeping up to date with how it’s all going and has been sending pep talks via text! All greatly received!

On Wednesday night after training we had a team meeting and Clare Connor and I gave a brief media session to the players in preparation for what could be the biggest week of their lives.

This was made slightly amusing by the fact that Caroline Atkins and I had swapped clothes for the evening as people keep getting us mixed up! I think I’ve got the better end of the deal there - an opening international bat vs a media manager?! While I dressed Shaggy, as she’s affectionately known, in a lovely joules skirt with a white vest top, cardi and white flip-flops, she dressed me in her baggy jeans, a salmon pink polo shirt (salmon is not my colour!) and my running trainers! Needless to say she got the best straw in the clothing stakes!

When the players all saw me there was a deathly silence as they were all too polite to say anything, until one of them started laughing and then they all did with huge sighs of relief that it wasn’t real. This is no slight whatsoever on Shaggy’s clothes as everyone kept telling me - they just look a lot better on her! Caroline, on the other hand, got a lot of compliments and even managed to get served at the bar first that evening!

The win over the West Indies and the fact that India had beaten Australia meant that our game against the hosts on Thursday had no relevance on our place in the final. However, we wanted to win. After winning the toss and batting we were all out for 161 and they knocked off the runs in 34 overs. This was so disappointing but, as Lottie keeps saying, we’re in a World Cup Final so we have regrouped and are now looking ahead to the most important game on Sunday.

Despite the loss, the good luck messages still roll in and everyone is still very much behind us which means so much to everyone here.

Today was a rare day off and after my 1am finish this morning I managed a lie-in until 8am. After a quick visit to the gym I started my first round of interviews with Isa Guha and the BBC. That was swiftly followed by Katherine Brunt with various journalists and then I returned to my computer to reply to the emails that had come in overnight.

Whilst here I am still trying to keep up to speed with things back home like our PR and media plans for this year’s Friends Provident Trophy, the ICC World Twenty20, and anything else that needs doing.

Anya and I then headed out to George Street to find some ugg boots. Mine were for myself and my boyfriend’s sister while Annie’s were for her sister and her brother’s girlfriend.

We eventually found a shop that sold original uggs after traipsing round hundreds of shops, much to Annie’s annoyance! We rewarded ourselves with pizza for lunch and then a quick stop back to the hotel to catch up on a few more emails and phone calls. This afternoon we headed down to the Aquarium at Darling Harbour following a recommendation after bumping into my colleague Gill Harris in Circular Quay earlier!

It was then a quick dinner before returning to the hotel to do an hour’s worth of interviews with Lottie. Another late night with training tomorrow and then the pre-final press conference and photo shoot at the SCG with Lottie again.

She’s going to be extremely busy over the next few days!

Heroes lift our spirits higher than Paul O'Connell in lineout
HOORAY FOR panic and pleasure and sweet palpitations! Oh, but it did the heart good to feel the heart flutter and skip a beat and almost stop, before the triumphant roar of those brave enough to look made it race again and nearly burst with joy.

At long last – a chance to celebrate.

Good news, for once. Great news. News to put a smile on your face, and make you sing and cheer and do silly dances.

The sort of headline news that has nothing to do with budgets and pay cuts, unemployment figures and politicians’ expenses.

The blessed relief of sporting distraction.

It didn’t matter if you never set eyes upon an oval ball or knotted an old school tie. Whether you are into rugby, soccer, Gaelic, bog-snorkelling or tiddlywinks – it didn’t matter.

This was a nation responding, admittedly belatedly and in a different fashion, to their Finance Minister’s call to “patriotic duty”. Thanks to the outdoor exploits of a rugby team and the indoor exploits of a boxer, Ireland grabbed the chance to get out there and party.

On an exhilarating Saturday that stretched giddily into the early hours of Sunday, we broke through the pervading gloom of the last few months and fell happily into the glorious Green beyond. First, a rugby Grand Slam title after a wait of 61 years, and then, the heroic capture of a boxing world title by a courageous Dub with a great line in patter.

Gift. Absolutely gift.

We’re not the better of it yet, thank God.

Bernard Dunne, who was crowned the WBA World super-bantamweight champion in Dublin after a gutsy display of stamina and self-belief saw him knock out the highly rated title-holder, will be honoured by his native city next week.

Yesterday belonged to the rugby players.

Coach Declan Kidney’s team, led by captain Brian O’Driscoll, arrived home at lunchtime and were met by a huge, adoring crowd at Dublin airport. It was a foretaste of what was to come.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who has wisely kept out of the limelight during the celebrations, leaving the players to bask in the glory, called into the Mansion House from Government Buildings, where discussions on the economic crisis are ongoing.

The Taoiseach, who loves his sport, stood back and applauded with the rest of the guests as the players entered The Round Room. He met the players and looked on proudly as his youngest daughter Meadhbh had her photo taken with O’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara.

Social Welfare Minister Mary Hanafin, had she been in a line out, would have been penalised for barging as she elbowed her way through the throng to sit beside O’Driscoll and the trophy.

If O’Driscoll thought it was tough on the pitch, he didn’t reckon on the determination of Irish female politicians. He was sandwiched by Senator Ger Feeney and Cllr Deirdre Heeney, clinging to the trophy for dear life as the rhyming public servants smiled for the camera.

Outside, the crowd waved their green flags and waited for a glimpse of their heroes. Finally, the players emerged from the Mansion House to deafening roars of approval, walking a green carpet and a guard of honour of flagbearers and drummers.

Coach Declan Kidney, meanwhile, had a few words with Brian Cowen back inside. Was the Taoiseach asking him the secret of his success? Our IRFU man said that Kidney told his men at half-time that they had been doing everything right, and if they kept that up, the scores would come. “Keep doing what you are doing,” he told them.

Not, perhaps, the sort of advice to be giving to Brian Cowen.

Jerry Flannery’s mother, Jane, was waiting for the son to appear. “I was at the match — there were the Horans and myself and the Hayes. We stayed seated at the end and I swear to God, all the Welsh in front of us stood up. We couldn’t see a thing. Then we heard the roar. We thought it was the Welsh roaring, at first, then we realised Ireland had won. There were hugs and kisses and jigs all round.” Jerry is one of the many walking wounded on the team. “He has a big, big swollen eye. He needed five stitches,” Jane told us, as her son mounted the steps to the platform.

She looked on in delight, a proud Irish mother. “And his hair not even combed.”

Brian O’Driscoll’s girlfriend, actress Amy Huberman, held his nine-month-old niece Aoife in her arms. “I had her on my knee during the game and she hadn’t a clue what was happy. Thank God, she was a great distraction. When it was finally over, and I realised we won, I couldn’t stop crying for an hour.” Tommy Bowe sang a verse of The Black Velvet Band. At the first sighting of Brian O’Driscoll, the crowd burst into a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole.” There were high-pitched squeals from the sizable contingent of teenage girls in ugg boots whenever Ronan O’Gara said or did anything. Then the ticker-tape exploded out of machines at the base of the platform with great gusts of tinselly green. The wind caught the paper and it rained down on the crowd.

Sure, it was only a game. Just 80 minutes of diversion. But it was great, and it gladdened the heart and the next few weeks at least will be a little easier and the memories will remain forever. By jingo, isn’t patriotism great?