New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Interest Rates Down to 1.5% Posted: 08 Jan 2009 07:22 AM CST UK Interest Rates At Historic Low The Bank of England has cut the UK base rate of interest by half a percent to 1.5%, a rate that is the lowest interest rate in the country since the Bank of England was founded in 1694. Rates have been cut each month since October 2008 when the rate was 5%, and the hope is that lower interest rates will help stimulate the economy and start people spending money again. Whether this will work is open to debate, and opinion seems to break down party lines. There is scope for more cuts in interest rates, and there other measures, such as printing more money, or issuing gilts. The question now is whether the banks will pass this cut on to savers and those with mortgages. Related Posts The UK’s Biggest Ever “Sickie”? Sales of Pie and Pasties Soar in Britain World’s First Credit Crunch Traced back to 88 BC Interest Rates Slashed to 1955 Level Another Labour MP Can’t Count

Do You Want Fries With Your Apprentice? Posted: 08 Jan 2009 04:08 AM CST McDonalds to recieve Government Funding to take on Workers How would you like to become proficient in "multi-skilled hospitality" that’s equivalent to five GCSE’s at grade C or above? Thought so. Unfortunately you won’t get the opportunity to go large and have seven GCSE’s. McDonalds will be one of the largest companies taking part in the scheme, which will see the labour Government (assuming it is in power in 2010) funding apprentice programs around the country to "strengthen the country’s competitiveness and help beat the downturn" The Government plans to finance 35,000 apprentices next year by offering companies support to take on and train people in relevant skills. The fast food chain will be taking on 10,000 of them in 2010. I’m not knocking McDonalds here, but surely the money would be better spent on jobs that require huge amounts of learning, over many years, such as plumber, builders and mechanics, rather than one in eight of their employees on a production line that has a strict procedure for every element laid down by Management? (Hat tip to Burning our Money). Related Posts A McDonalds Christmas Dinner MP’s Go Online and Attend Tweetminster Avoid Irish Pork Nigella, Launches Christmas Cookbook, Prefers Chips! Sales of Pie and Pasties Soar in Britain

Who Turned Out The Lights? Posted: 08 Jan 2009 03:16 AM CST 100 watt lightbulbs are being fazed out and the UK public, as ever, is panic stockpiling Some retailers have stopped restocking conventional bulbs as the Government looks to energy-efficient alternatives in its drive to lower carbon emissions.  The bulbs that are fazed out first are the 100 Watt variety. Hundreds of leading supermarkets and DIY chains across the country – including Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Homebase – have reportedly sold their last bulbs after panic buying. John Lewis has said by the end of the month it will stop replacing all 150w, 100w and 75w bulbs, and by January 2010 will no longer replace 60w traditional light bulbs. The Migraine Action Association called on the Government to provide a choice over light bulbs, claiming people with the condition could suffer attacks because of a flicker in fluorescent bulbs. “We are saying the new bulbs should not be used in reading lights, or where people eat. They can be used in areas of low traffic, such as hallways, and people must be given a choice over which type of bulbs to buy,” said the association’s director, Lee Tomkins. There is some good news though, Thelightbulb.co.uk, which supplies businesses as well as selling direct to customers, has seen its sales for last January almost matched in the first three days of January.  Every cloud.. Related Posts They’re Here….A UFO Strikes A Wind Turbine Top Recent Eurovision Classics From The UK Girls Aloud Climb On Top Paris Hilton Set For UK Stay

Where Do Z List Celebs Go To Find A New Date? Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:55 AM CST Ben Adams told Lucy Pinder yesterday that his last three girlfriends were found on a social networking site Ben, 27,  admitted he found his last three girlfriends on social networking site Facebook and that he hates dating girls who order expensive drinks and food.  He told Lucy this, shown on last night’s Celebrity Big Brother highlights show. He said: "When I go for dinner, I look at the prices on the meals and I go like: “I’ll have the fish and chips, because it’s £11." He continued: "I took this girl out and she sat there and she picked a starter. "That was, like, £15. Then she went for a £56 steak. The wine that she picked was £60 quid. Then two mojitos at £12 each." That may not be the way to get a new girlfriend Ben, still at least you didn’t say it on National TV.. Related Posts Celebrity Big Brother - Full Line Up Revealed Celebrity Big Brother Live - Ben Is Saved By Housemates Is Someone Coming Or Going Tonight On Big Brother? Next Up For Eviction - The Least Talented In The House Three To Watch Tonight - Celebrity Big Brother

Nigel Clough Helps Beat Man Utd - Just Like Dad Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:39 AM CST Derby sensationally beat Manchester United last night in the Carling Cup Semi-Final Brian Clough ended his hugely successful Derby career as Manager with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1973.  Last night, the late Manager’s son, Nigel, (who officially takes over as Derby boss today) helped inspire them to another win over United with a score of, you guessed it, 1-0. Derby striker, Kris Commons, scored with a superb 25-yard shot on the half-hour, the goal proving enough for Derby to achieve another famous win over United. The Carling Cup final is not quite in the bag for Derby, in just two weeks, they will be playing the second leg at Old Trafford, expect a different scoreline unless, as hinted, Fergie sticks with the youngsters next time round.. Derby (4-4-2): Carroll; Connolly, Todd, Nyatanga, Camara; Sterjovski (Teale 57), Addison, Green, Davies; Hulse, Commons Man Utd (4-4-2) Kuszczak; Rafael, Evans, Vidic, O’Shea; Gibson, Anderson (Carrick 73), Scholes (Ronaldo), Nani; Welbeck (Rooney), Tevez Related Posts Burnley put a swift end to Arsenal’s revival Manchester United on top of the world Fergie - I Would Not Sell Real Madrid A Virus Cristiano Ronaldo not too fond of Manchester, almost joined Arsenal. Cristiano Ronaldo unsurprisingly claims Ballon d’Or

They’re Here….A UFO Strikes A Wind Turbine Posted: 08 Jan 2009 02:24 AM CST A wind turbine was wrecked yesterday by a UFO, leaving no trace of the missing blade Engineers from Ecotricity are frantically trying to establish how a 20m blade fell off a turbine at Conisholme wind farm in Lincs.  It is believed the a blade fell off the 89m turbine and another was left badly bent on Sunday January 4. Some people think this is simply not an isolated case and blame it on the extreme climate conditions.  Others, many many others, think it is to with a UFO. Residents in Conisholme and the surrounding villages have been saying they saw strange flashing tentacle shaped lights above the wind farm on the night before it happened. Mr John Harrison described how on Saturday night, January 3, he looked out of his landing window to see a ‘massive ball of light’ with “tentacles going right down to the ground”.. “It was huge” he said “At first I thought it must have been a hole where the moon was shining through but then I saw the tentacles – it looked just like an octopus.” UFO expert Russ Kellett, of Flying Saucer Review said: “Balls of light were seen in the sky and the MoD has no explanation. We are very, very excited about this." We are waiting on news as to whether David Icke and Robbie Williams are investigating.. Hat Tip - Louth Leader Related Posts Who Turned Out The Lights? Top Recent Eurovision Classics From The UK Is It Santa? A UFO? Or some Weird Science? Will Robbie Williams Rejoin Take That? Girls Aloud Climb On Top

Who’s Cleaned Up At The Bookies? Posted: 08 Jan 2009 12:01 AM CST Northampton time it right as Doctor Who Moves To Town Local boy Matt Smith’s appointment in the Tardis as the eleventh Doctor helped someone have the time of their life this weekend, reveals bookmaker Paddy Power. 10 residents of Smith’s home town made the Irish company pay out close to £5,000 on his new role. Who’d turn down a bet of £75 on Smith as the Doctor at 22-1? Of course we shouldn’t worry too much that this is going to break the bank – with the front runners of Chiwetel Eijofor and Patterson Joseph likely to have thousands of punters backing them, we here at The Daily Dust suspect that Saturday’s news was just what they wanted to hear. It’s unsure who the ten were, but Smith did admit in an extended BBC interview that he had to tell someone, and he told his Dad in advance. “He was rather flabbergasted and sort of laughed. He’s very proud because he loves the show.” (Hat tip to The Register). Related Posts Who is Matt Smith Is Who - Eleventh Doctor Announced Who’s Going To Be Who Tonight? Tennant’s replacement to be Announced Tomorrow Wanted: Time Lord to Steal Sach’s Answer Machine Review: Doctor Who At Christmas

Fry, Evans and Ferdinand On Ross Comeback Show Posted: 07 Jan 2009 09:35 AM CST Hot on the heels of our earlier news today regarding Jonathan Ross’ comeback dates, we can now reveal the first line-up @Wossy revealed on twitter he wanted to keep the line-up quiet: “was planning on being all mysterious about who was guesting on first show, then my office release it to the press. Bwah.” The first line up is to include Lee Evans, Franz Ferdinand and fellow twitter user Stephen Fry. To which wossy said: “will see if stephen wants to twitter on the show.” So, we’ll have to wait and see, the latest Stephen Fry has said on his twitter account is: A kakapo tried to shag the back of my leg. Mark was roughly shagged on the back of his neck. It’s mating time for kakapo: anyone’ll do x What that means is anyone’s guess! Friday Night with Jonathan Ross will return to its regular 10.40pm slot on BBC1 on 23 January Related Posts The Top Ten Famous British People On Twitter Ross Is Back On TV On January 23rd Wanted: Time Lord to Steal Sach’s Answer Machine BBC’s Moyles Suggests Polish Make Good Prostitutes Sachs to get role in Corrie

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Africa News Today - U.S. Fashion’s One-Woman Bailout? (By GUY TREBAY) - On the campaign trail Michelle Obama signaled an interest in both looking stylish and advancing the cause of American fashion by mixing off-the-rack items from stores like J. Cre

U.S. Fashion's One-Woman Bailout?

From left: Darren McCollester/Getty Images; Ron Edmonds/Associated Press; Rick Wilking/Reuters/Corbis

SUITING HERSELF On the campaign trail Michelle Obama signaled an interest in both looking stylish and advancing the cause of American fashion by mixing off-the-rack items from stores like J. Crew with high-end pieces from designers like Thakoon

U.S. Fashion's One-Woman Bailout?

By GUY TREBAY

TO the laundry list of global woes the Obama administration is expected to set right, starting Jan. 20, one can probably add the quagmire of American fashion. True, it will have to wait in line behind the hemorrhaging economy and the situations in Gaza, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. True, too, it will scarcely be a top-of-mind concern for the president himself.

But the scope of responsibility in politics these days extends to family members, and the messes are now so numerous that by the time Barack Obama sets foot in the White House, everyone in his entourage will have to grab a mop.

That includes the first lady, who throughout the campaign demonstrated not just that she understood the power of clothes to transmit a message, but a readiness to adjust that message as the need arose.

Michelle Obama was not alone in that; Cindy McCain notably tweaked her image as the campaign ground along, softening her appearance to seem more populist and less like a member of the rules committee at an exclusive country club.

Yet Mrs. Obama did something bolder on the campaign trail and, in a sense, less expected. With flashcard clarity, she signaled an interest both in looking stylish and also in advancing the cause of American fashion and those who design and make it. She wore off-the-rack stuff from J. Crew and, at times controversially, designs by fashion darlings like Isabel Toledo, Thakoon Panichgul and Narciso Rodriguez. She brought to the campaign a sophisticated approach to high-low dressing, a determination to adapt designers' work to suit herself — adding jewelry or sweaters or wearing flat shoes with sheaths or even altering dressmaking details — as well as a forthright conviction that it is the woman who should wear the clothes and not the other way around.

Insignificant as this may seem in the larger scheme of things, it is less so when one considers the distressing state in which American fashion has found itself lately, with both chain and department stores shutting their doors, consumers confidence at its lowest level in decades and manufacturers struggling to remain afloat in what, as May Chen, the international vice president of the union group Unite Here, explained, "has always been a very credit-sensitive industry."

Hamish Bowles, the Vogue editor who was curator of "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years," a 2001 show of Kennedy's style at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, said of Mrs. Obama, "My perception is that she's already had an extremely potent effect" on the business.

"Just looking at the designers she's been drawn to, you can see she's shown astute sartorial judgment," Mr. Bowles said. What she has also made clear in her choices, he added, is "that thoughtful and intelligent American designers are perfectly capable of creating clothes that have an impact on the world stage."

The key word in that statement is "American," a fact not lost on the retailers burdened in recent years by the weakened purchasing power of the dollar in Europe, where most designer fashion originates, and by the decision American consumers seem to have made to shop in their closets as they wait out the recession.

"There is something timely about celebrating American fashion and American designers," said Stephanie Solomon, the fashion director of Bloomingdale's, although that "something" may be largely a function of the $5,000 price tag on a typical imported dress from Lanvin.

"Mrs. Obama is, first of all, very elegant and has wonderful taste," Ms. Solomon said. "But she also recognizes the value of beautiful dresses and not big prices. She dresses like taste doesn't necessarily have to do with brand or status, but with what looks well on your body and makes you look glamorous, bottom line." And that, she added, is "very refreshing and appropriate for this period."

American fashion, said Steven Kolb, the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, like the American automobile and banking industries, is "at a crossroads" in dire need of some kind of boost. Reviving a faltering homegrown industry may seem like a lot to expect of one woman, however highly placed. Yet, whether or not she likes it — or has any particular interest in fashion at all — the first lady has traditionally been expected to use her position to help promote American goods.

"What the first lady wears has a lot of effect on the industry, absolutely," said Arnold Scaasi, who began designing clothes for the wives of American presidents during the term of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The first lady, Mr. Scaasi said, "is seen every day in some form of media, and what she looks like is copied by other women."

Even Mamie Eisenhower managed to inspire followers with her goofy and pastel matron style. Although Mrs. Eisenhower probably never set off a shopping frenzy, as happened after Mrs. Obama wore a $148 dress from the label White House Black Market on "The View," she had an effect.

"Mamie wore bangs because she had a very high forehead," Mr. Scaasi explained. "But then hairdressers everywhere told me that women were saying, 'I want my hair just like Mamie's.' " When George H. W. Bush was president, he said, "Barbara Bush made a statement by having gray hair, and suddenly gray-haired grandmothers were chic."

When Mrs. Obama's husband takes office, she will be roughly two decades younger than Mrs. Bush was on the day her husband was sworn in. Three days before the inauguration, Mrs. Obama will turn 45. Yet like her husband she conveys a more youthful impression, and her vital appearance has a lot do with her particular appeal to the fashion industry.

"She's like 25 years younger than the last few first ladies, and her age opens her up to a more youthful approach," the designer Anna Sui said. "I loved her choice of Narciso," she added, referring to the designer Narciso Rodriguez, whose dress Mrs. Obama wore, in a version she adapted from the runway original and customized with a cardigan sweater, on election night. (That choice set off living room debates across the land over whether it flattered Mrs. Obama or not.)

"She could potentially do what Jackie Kennedy did, bring about a new awareness and a fresh outlook, just by not being so intentionally 'first lady,' by mixing designer things with off the rack," Ms. Sui said. "She can give a big boost to the American fashion industry — and we need all the help we can get."

If one thinks about it, said Thakoon Panichgul, a gifted industry favorite whose name entered the mainstream after Mrs. Obama wore one of his short-sleeved print dresses on the final night of the Democratic Convention, Mrs. Obama does not "dress so young, exactly, and yet it's young because it feels fresh."

He continued: "She'll wear a sheath with flats and not pumps. That's not, quote unquote, appropriate, and people perceive that first ladies should be appropriate. She has the chutzpah to put it out there regardless of what anybody says."

If in Mr. Panichgul's view it is Mrs. Obama's casual yet savvy approach to fashion that makes her compelling to watch, for other observers there is something deeper in play.

"Actually, her taste is very conservative, kind of jock-preppy, a version of a safe American WASP way of dressing," said Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "But what is truly compelling about her is her body. She has this athletic, commanding and confident presence that is very American." She may look great in a shift dress, he said, "but her body is so strong that I end up forgetting what she's wearing much of the time."

The potential effect Mrs. Obama's physical and intellectual confidence can have on fashion, the designer Diane Von Furstenberg, president of the council of fashion designers, said in an e-mail message from London, is to promote "individuality" at a time when fashion is casting about for ways to replace the designer cultism it so recently enshrined. It does not seem insignificant, either, that Mrs. Obama expresses her pleasure in following fashion without worrying that to do so automatically compromises her seriousness.

"The way Michelle Obama dresses is not her stimulus package to the fashion industry," said Mr. Kolb of the designers' council. "It's how she is. I think about my sister who lives in New Jersey and is a teacher, and about the women she works with, and how they can look at Michelle Obama and not have to pretend to be that woman, that working mother with kids who knows the big designer names but also shops at J. Crew and the Gap. She's who they are."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/fashion/08michelle.html?ref=fashion&pagewanted=print

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Africa News Today - Obama Digs In for His BlackBerry By JEFF ZELENY in nytimes.com

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has yet to relent, but he conceded that he might be losing the battle to keep his independent lifeline to the outside world.

"I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry," Mr. Obama said Wednesday. "They're going to pry it out of my hands."

Of all the fights facing Mr. Obama as he prepares for the White House, one of the most maddening for him is the prospect of losing the BlackBerry that has been attached to his belt for years. It is, he has vigorously argued, an essential link to keeping him apprised of events outside his ever-tightening cocoon.

"This is a concern, I should add, not just of Secret Service, but also lawyers," Mr. Obama said, speaking in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. "You know, this town's full of lawyers. I don't know if you've noticed."

Mr. Obama shared his agitation at the prospect of losing his last form of direct communication with friends and other advisers who sent him e-mail throughout the presidential campaign. But he, like President Bush before him, is being advised for security reasons and his own legal protection to refrain from sending e-mail during his presidency.

"I don't know that I'll win," Mr. Obama said. But, he added, "I'm still fighting it."

http://www.nytimes.com

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