Gifts For Women

latissimus muscle, latissimus dorsi

2007-10-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Women with breast cancer often seek immediate breast reconstruction after a mastectomy to help them regain a semblance of their body and for their psychological peace of mind.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is re-airing its webcast on one of the most often performed breast reconstruction surgical procedures, using muscle tissue from a patient's back.

The webcast, featuring Jefferson breast cancer surgeons performing immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy, can be seen at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, on www.OR-Live.com

The 60-minute webcast will not only include a pre-taped surgical reconstruction, but breast surgeon Anne Rosenberg, M.D., clinical professor of Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and plastic reconstructive surgeon Steven Copit, M.D., clinical assistant professor of Surgery, Jefferson, will be on hand live to answer questions online from viewers.

"Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportune time to again make women aware of the latest and best options for diagnosing and treating breast cancer," said Dr. Rosenberg. "This webcast will demonstrate simply and clearly what a patient can expect if she is diagnosed with breast cancer."

During the webcast, the Jefferson surgeons will demonstrate latissimus dorsi flap surgery, in which tissue, sometimes including underlying fat and muscle, is taken from the back and tunneled to create a breast mound to reconstruct the breast.

"So when the patient wakes up from surgery, there is a breast mound already in place and the patient is spared the experience of seeing herself with no breast at all," said Dr. Copit. "It looks better [to the patient] and offers them a psychological advantage."

Once the shell is in place, the plastic surgeon uses an expander, a balloon-like object, underneath the chest muscles. The expander is inflated to maintain the new breast's shape until an implant -- a silicone or saline filled implant -- can be put in about three months later, Dr. Copit said.

The patient is typically under general anesthesia for a total of four hours during both the mastectomy and reconstruction procedures.

Three months following the implant procedure, another procedure is performed to recreate the breast's nipple, said Dr Copit. The surgeon reconstructs the nipple and areola with tissue from the reconstructed breast. Tattooing is added to complete the nipple and areola reconstruction.

Dr. Copit said that not every patient is a good candidate for breast reconstruction using back tissue; it depends, for one thing, on the amount of tissue available to recreate the breast.

The patient may be in the hospital for three to six days after surgery, and it may take three to four weeks for her to heal completely.

The 22 Worst Place Names in the World

2007-10-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

The 22 Worst Place Names in the World
(c) by Jane Copland
http://www.drivl.com/posts/view/851
Published on 24/5/07 in Culture

We looked at a map of Britain and realised that their towns' names read like an erotic novel. So we went looking for more certifiably retarded place names.

22. Cockburn, Western Australia
Although this name is often pronounced "Coburn" by those who stand to lose from its awfulness, who actually reads that when they see this word? Oh, how it burns.

21. Twatt, Orkney, Shetland Islands, Scotland
The Shetland Islands, pronounced "Shitland Islands" if you have an accent like mine, make up a happy little area north of Scotland where it's too cold for trees to grow. I am related to approximately half the population of the Shetland Islands, share a last name with a quarter of them, and can probably trace my ancestry back to Twatt if I try hard enough. The pride!

20. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, New Zealand
Locals call this hill in Hawke's Bay "Taumata" because... Well. Just because.

19. Muff, Ireland
We here at Drivl love puerile humour. They have a town called Muff. Har har har.

18. Looneyville, Texas, United States
Little Looneyville was named for storekeeper John Looney in the early 1870s. But who gives a shit. This is a hilarious name for a town in the state that brought us Dallas, the Bush Twins and Waco. How awkward must that be when you go to college? "Hey guys, my name's Sue and I'm from Looneyville!"

17. Titty Hill, Sussex, England
Falling squarely into the extensive Stupid Place Names From England category, Titty Hill is probably located just north of...

16. Thong, Kent, England
Which actually is south-east of...

15. Gravesend, Kent, England
Oh, come on, England. Graves End? What a nasty, depressing little name. You could have at least gone all the way with this one and called it Corpse Feet.

14. Wetwang, Yorkshire... yep! England again!
Okay, so I'll cut England some slack. It's an old country. You know, if the United States is Google, then England is IBM. Their country is older than fucking dirt. They can't be blamed for having names that sound funny in 2007. But this is kind of ridiculous. Wetwang? I'm surprised they don't have towns called Squishy Vagina or Infected Scrotum.

13. Spread Eagle, Wisconsin
If I were mayor of Spread Eagle, I'd be making diplomatic advances towards the city leaders over in Wetwang to form a Sister-City relationship. Or maybe more of a Platonic-Friends-City relationship. After that, we'd just take thing slow and see what happened.

12. Bald Knob, Arkansas, United States
Well, I guess it's better than Hairy Knob. I assume England already has that one covered.

11. Cockup, Cumbria, England
Cumbria is a county in the very north-west of England. What the backwoods of Alabama are to America is what Cumbria is to Britain. They talk funny up there. Thus, it isn't thoroughly surprising that they have a town called Cockup. What do you call someone from this place? A Cockupper? Cockupeleite? Cockuppian? Cockupican? I suppose it's mildly better than Wetwangger.

10. Whiskey Dick Mountain, Washington State, United States
As hard as America tries, it can't compete with Britain's high standards. This was a good effort, though. Well done, Washington.

9. Hookersville, West Virginia
Undoubtedly named before "hooker" meant "prostitute who picks men up on street corners," Hookersville combines two crimes of place-naming. One, a dirty sounding adjective (they couldn't have chosen "Pleasant"? "Sunny"? "Happy"?) And two, they added "ville" to the end of the town's name. Affixing "ville" to the end of a town's name is like dressing your silly little dog in a cardigan and letting him carry his leash around in his mouth. It just makes the poor animal look fucking stupid.

8. Hell, Michigan, United States
The people in this town at least seem to have a good sense of humour about their home's unfortunate name. Although, I'm sure there's some midwestern idiots in Hell who get all offended and defensive when the town shows up on lists like this. I'm looking forward to reading their insightful emails and comments.

7. Toad Suck, Arkansas, United States
So that's what they do down in the big AR.

6. Middelfart, Denmark
I guess it's not so funny to them, but how do we know that "Seattle" doesn't mean "Big Fat Stinking Turd" in Danish? That's right, we don't. And it probably does.

5. Horneytown, North Carolina, United States
Its proximity to Hookersville, West Virginia is no coincidence. I also assume that, like Hookersville, the naming of Horneytown took place before "horney" meant "aching for a hot piece of ass" with an extra "e". But I'm starting to wonder why, pride and tradition aside, the townspeople in these little places never saw it fit to change their homes' names? Do they enjoy being ridiculed by the entire English-speaking world?

4. Shitterton, Dorset, England
I wonder if they bleep out the first part of Shitterton's name if it's mentioned on TV in America?

3. Disappointment, Kentucky, United States
Le sigh. Never mind. You live in a small town in Kentucky. At least it was appropriately named.

2. Fucking, Austria
The idiots who live in Fucking, Austria had a vote in 2004 to determine whether or not they should change the town's name, and you know what they did? They voted against it, preferring instead to put up with international ridicule, numerous stolen road-signs and horrific Google results.

But the hands-down winner, again from New Zealand is:

1. Whakapapa
Why is this the worst place name in the world? In Maori, the native language of New Zealand, the "wh" sound is pronounced "f". Say it aloud in your office and see what happens.

The war on Burma's women, License To Rape

2007-10-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

CHARM TONG
The war on Burma's women

By Charm Tong | June 28, 2005

IT HAS BEEN three years since the report ''License to Rape" exposed to the world how troops of the Burmese military regime have been committing systematic sexual violence against women in Shan state, one of the ethnic regions of Burma where civil war has been continuing for more than four decades. The report, by the Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women's Action Network, documented the rape of more than 600 women by Burmese troops.

Regrettably, despite increased international awareness of the problem of state-sponsored sexual violence in Burma following the report, the suffering of women in the wartorn ethnic areas of Burma is continuing. The Burmese regime is still using rape as a weapon of war to terrorize, demoralize, and control local communities. Hundreds more women have been raped during the last few years.

Burmese military personnel, including high-ranking officers, are raping with impunity. Women who are seven months pregnant are being gang raped. Girls are being kept for forced labor during the day and raped at night for periods of months. Mothers and daughters are being raped together. Girls as young as 4 are being raped.

Some stories are hard for many of us today to imagine. A woman, now insane, weeps over the photo of her 14-year-old daughter, who was raped and burned alive by Burmese troops.

Another woman tells how a commander dragged her to a bed in a hut, raped her, then beat her unconscious. She awoke to find herself lying naked and her sister's dead body outside the hut.

The sexual violence is happening not only in Shan state but in other ethnic areas. Last year, the Karen Women's Organization released a report detailing 125 incidents of rape by the regime's troops in Karen state. The Women's League of Burma, an umbrella organization of 12 women's groups, also released a report entitled ''System of Impunity" exposing a nationwide pattern of sexual violence by the regime's troops.

Women and girls throughout the country are increasingly at risk from military sexual violence, whether they are in civil war zones, cease-fire areas, or ''nonconflict" areas.

The recent rape and murder of the young daughter of a Burmese Army soldier by a fellow officer in April 2005 has shown that even families of the regime's army are now suffering the consequences of the ''License to Rape" policy.

The countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations and other neighboring states bordering Burma continue to disregard human rights abuses in their dealings with Burma. There have been constant calls by women of Burma, particularly ethnic women, to condemn the regime and push for genuine political reform in Burma. This is the only way to end the regime's rape policies.

Some ASEAN countries have properly felt compelled to debate in public whether the junta should assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006. The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus, composed of members of parliament from throughout the region, is calling for political reform. If the ASEAN legislators want a real change in Burma they must not ignore sexual violence authorized by the military junta.

Political repression in Burma has intensified in recent months. Last February, Hkun Htun Oo, chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, and other Shan state leaders were arrested by the junta and remain imprisoned. Ethnic resistance leaders who had made cease-fire agreements with the regime are now being forced to disarm and surrender. Fierce military offensives along the Thai-Burmese border are causing increased numbers of internally displaced persons and unabated flows of refugees into Thailand.

But does this mean we will surrender to this regime, with its battalions of rapists? The answer is no. We owe this to the women who have dared speak out about the sexual violence committed against them. Women who relate their stories say that each time they talk about rape it is like they are being raped again. Yet they have been brave enough to speak out in order that one day the violence can end.

Rape survivors say that all they want is to return home and to live in peace, without fear of the regime's troops. Last week we marked the 60th birthday of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest in Burma's capital. Let us be inspired to continue the struggle to restore democracy and peace in Burma, and to fulfill the wishes of these brave women.

Charm Tong is an advocacy team member of the Shan Women's Action Network and recipient of the 2005 Reebok Human Rights Award.
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

Woman marries dolphin

2007-09-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sharon Tendler met Cindy 15 years ago. She said it was love at first sight. This week she finally took the plunge and proposed. The lucky "guy" plunged right back.

In a modest ceremony at Dolphin Reef in the southern Israeli port of Eilat, Tendler, a 41-year-old British citizen, apparently became the world's first person to "marry" a dolphin.

Dressed in a white dress, a veil and pink flowers in her hair, Tendler got down on one knee on the dock and gave Cindy a kiss. And a piece of herring.

"It's not a perverted thing. I do love this dolphin. He's the love of my life," she said Saturday, upon her return to London.

Tendler, who said she imports clothes and promotes rock bands in England, has visited Israel several times a year since first meeting the dolphin.

When asked in the past if she had a boyfriend, she would always reply, "No. I'm going to end up with Cindy." On Wednesday, she made it official, sort of. While she acknowledged the "wedding" had no legal bearing she did say it reflected her deep feelings toward the bottlenosed, 35-year-old object of her affection.

"It's not a bad thing. It just something that we did because I love him, but not in the way that you love a man. It's just a pure love that I have for this animal," she said.

While she still kept open the option of "marrying human" at some stage, she said for now she was strictly a "one-dolphin woman".

She's hardly the jealous type, though.

"He will still play with all the other girls there," she said, of their prenuptial agreement. "I hope he has a lot of baby dolphins with the other dolphins. The more dolphins the better."

DA Refuses to Prosecute Rape Case, Despite Eye Witnesses, DNA

2007-09-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Taken from this source:
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/05/4482_das_office_refu.html

DA Refuses to Prosecute Rape Case, Despite Eye Witnesses, DNA

What's the penalty for the alleged gangrape of a drunk, 17-year-old girl at a party with 10 of your buddies? Bupkus, said the Santa Clara, California District Attorney's office yesterday.

The alleged rape occurred March 3 at a wild, off-campus party hosted by a member of the DeAnza College men's baseball team in San Jose, California. Three partygoers, members of the school's women's soccer team, said they saw a young girl on a mattress on the floor, clothes around her ankles and vomit on her face, with one man on top of her and approximately 10 more looking on in a dark bedroom. Feeling "something wasn't right," the girls pushed their way into the room and rushed the victim the the hospital.

In the months since the contested rape, a grand jury has taken testimony in the case, DNA samples from some partygoers have been obtained, but an assistant district attorney cited "insufficient evidence" as the reason the DA would not prosecute. The men will not be charged with a crime, not even statutory rape. The only consequences so far have been that eight baseball players were suspended, resulting in the cancellation of three games. At least one of the players brought in by the grand jury thinks justice has been served: "From the beginning, I kind of felt like it was a witch hunt and the De Anza players were victims, and not really this girl," pitcher Chris Knopf told the San Jose Mercury News.

One of the infamous Duke lacrosse players made a similar statement just last month when prosecutors dropped all charges in that case, saying that “this entire experience has opened my eyes up to a tragic world of injustice." He was talking about himself, not the African American stripper hired for the players' party.

Undoubtedly, the Duke case and its rush to judgment is in the minds of those at the Santa Clara DA's office when they say they don't have confidence the case could be proved without a doubt. The District Attorney in the Duke case, Michael Nifong, was removed from the case and now faces ethics complaints from the North Carolina state bar related to the year-long investigation. The Santa Clara DA office may be looking to avoid a similar debacle. But there are essential differences in the two situations: this girl was underage, and three eyewitnesses have come forward.

Granted, eyewitness accounts are not always what they seem, something the media often glosses over, but the Santa Clara sheriff's office says it's not yet done investigating the case. Two of the witnesses have gone to the media to draw attention to the case. "What we saw was rape. It was a crime," one told told a local television station. The other said the lack of charges "makes us think that no girl is ever going to want to come forward and say they were violated as this girl was, because they're going to think it doesn't even matter...But it does."

—Jen Phillips

Five Shocking Stats About Men and Sex

2007-09-24T02:58:00.000-07:00

(c) http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-20070604-000001&page=1
By:Jay Dixit

Sex researchers are peculiar beasts. Armed with their tape measures, clipboards, surveys, and hidden cameras, they seek to provide a peephole from which to scrutinize that most private of spheres, human sexuality. What's most surprising is that we let them in—we're more than happy to unzip our pants and bare our private lives. Why do we do it? Maybe it's precisely because sex is so private that we're compelled to share. We know that without sex researchers to disseminate data about our sex lives, we'd be forced to rely upon furtive glances in the men's room, never sure of what to add or subtract to account for the angle; upon locker room stories, never sure how many grains of skeptical salt to apply; upon porn that only leaves us feeling depressed about ourselves. So cheer up, because most of what you think you know is probably wrong. Today, sex researchers step out from behind the curtain and share the real numbers on five areas of men's sexual health. The answers may surprise you.

Sex on the Brain

The idea that men think about sex every seven seconds, like the claim that we only use 10 percent of our brains, is often repeated but rarely sourced. The number doesn't bear up against scrutiny. According to the Kinsey Report (Sexual Behavior in the Human Male), 54 percent of men think about sex every day or several times a day, 43 percent a few times a week or a few times a month, and 4 percent less than once a month. Even though the Kinsey Report relies on men to self-report on how often they think about sex, it's still eye opening to find that just under half of men aren't even thinking about sex once a day. Clearly, the seven-second rule may be a tad hyperbolic.

Not Tonight, Honey

The stereotype about the sex-starved man and the disinterested woman may be more than just a cliche. As it turns out, the instant a woman enters a secure relationship, her sex drive begins to plummet. Four years in, a German study found, fewer than half of women wanted regular sex. And after 20 years, only 20 percent did.

Among men, libido held steady no matter how long they'd been in the relationship. Researchers provide an evolutionary explanation—women's sex drive is initially high to facilitate pair bonding. Meanwhile, desire for tenderness showed the opposite trend. Ninety percent of women craved tenderness, but of men who'd been in relationships for ten years, only 25 percent said they hoped for the same from their partner.

Measuring Up

For as long as there's been such thing as a ruler, men have been putting wood to, um, wood and wondering how they measure up. "There's nothing wrong with you. You look at yourself from above and you look foreshortened," Hemingway reassured a panicking F. Scott Fizgerald. "It is basically not a question of the size in repose. It is the size that it becomes. It is also a question of angle."

The trouble is that most of the actual surveys of penis size are unscientific and unreliable. The Kinsey survey relied on men to report their own numbers honestly and accurately—never a good idea. (Curiously, that survey found that gay men reported having longer penises than straight men—a finding never since replicated.)

Since then, there have been numerous attempts to settle on a number: from various Web surveys to the condom company that did a survey in Cancun during spring break ("Excuse me, could you step into my office, I need to check something"). But the most rigorous studies to date found similar results—the Journal of Urology put the average penis size at 5.08 inches, and the International Journal of Impotence Research put it at 5.35 inches.

The Spread of HIV

In Africa alone, AIDS kills some 6,000 people every day. While treatment must be made available for all who need it, some elements of the AIDS epidemic are likely exaggerated. Remember when Surgeon General C. Everett Koop called AIDS "the biggest threat to health this nation has ever faced." (Presumably bigger than cancer, heart disease, obesity, and smoking.) And when Oprah told her viewers: "Research studies now project that one in five heterosexuals could be dead from AIDS..." It seemed as if no one was safe, not even non-drug users, straight men, or housewives.

But the truth is that HIV isn't nearly as easy to spread through heterosexual sex as many people think. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, men almost never get HIV from women. A healthy man who has unprotected sex with a non drug-using woman has a one in 5 million chance of getting HIV. If he wears a condom, the odds drop to one in 50 million. And though it's easier for men to infect women, the odds that an HIV-positive man will transmit the virus to a woman through sex are less than one in 1,000.

In Three Minutes Flat

Judging from the average porn flick, romance novel, or locker room conversation, a Martian landing on Earth would probably assume that intercourse would last somewhere in the vicinity of 40 minutes. But if that Martian were to actually enter into a relationship, he might be in for a big disappointment. Such marathon sessions are the exception to the rule; surveys find that the average sex session lasts from three to ten minutes. Not that any of this should be so surprising—the average hotel porn viewer watches for just 12 minutes.

Who Will Be The Presidential FrontRunner in 2008? Vote and receive a visa gift card!

2007-09-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

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The 25 Most Powerful Women By Forbes

2007-09-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

1 Angela Merkel - Chancellor (Germany)

2 Wu Yi - Vice premier (China)

3 Ho Ching - Chief executive, Temasek Holdings (Singapore)

4 Condoleezza Rice - Secretary of State (U.S.)

5 Indra K. Nooyi - Chairman, chief executive, PepsiCo (U.S.)

6 Sonia Gandhi - President, Congress Party (India)

7 Cynthia Carroll - Chief executive, Anglo American (U.K.)

8 Patricia A. Woertz - Chairman, Archer Daniels Midland (U.S.)

9 Irene Rosenfeld - Chairman, chief executive, Kraft Foods (U.S.)

10 Patricia Russo - Chief executive, Alcatel-Lucent (U.S.)

11 Michèle Alliot-Marie - Minister for the Interior and overseas territories (France)

12 Christine Lagarde - Minister of economy,finance and employment (France)

13 Anne M. Mulcahy - Chairman, chief executive, Xerox (U.S.)

14 Anne Lauvergeon - Chief executive, Areva (France)

15 Mary Sammons - Chairman, chief executive, president, Rite Aid Corp. (U.S.)

16 Angela Braly - Chief executive, president, WellPoint (U.S.)

17 Marjorie Scardino - Chief executive, Pearson PLC (U.K.)

18 Wu Xiaoling - Deputy governor, People's Bank of China (China)

19 Brenda Barnes - Chairman, chief executive, Sara Lee Corp. (U.S.)

20 Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Supreme court justice (U.S.)

21 Oprah Winfrey - Chairman, Harpo (U.S.)

22 Margaret Whitman - Chief executive, president, Ebay (U.S.)

23 Queen Elizabeth II - Queen (U.K.)

24 Melinda Gates - Cofounder, cochairman, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (U.S.)

25 Hillary Rodham Clinton - U.S. senator, New York (U.S.)

If you want to persuade a woman, look straight at her

2007-09-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

Original material is here:
http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2007/04/if_you_want_to_persuade_a_woma.php

There is a considerable body of research showing that eye contact is a key component of social interaction. Not only are people more aroused when they are looked at directly, but if you consistently look at the person you speak to, you will have much more social influence over that person than you would if you averted your gaze.

The problem arises when you address a group of people. How do you pick who to engage visually? Most public speakers are encouraged to look around the room, alternating eye contact with individuals in the audience. But there's no way to look at everyone at once -- so some of your potential social influence will by necessity be lost.

Now, a team led by Jeremy Bailenson has figured out a way to get around that limitation. In a virtual reality environment, there is no need for the representations of other people to be consistent. Since each individual's virtual experience is generated separately, in a "room" full of people, each person could experience the phenomenon of everyone else looking at them. Everyone can be the center of attention, all at the same time!

In the figure, person A believes that both B and C are looking at her. But in C's virtual world, both A and B could be shown as looking at her instead.

Bailenson's team wanted to see if they could use this method to allow one person to increase his or her influence over more than one other person simultaneously, by programming her "avatar" -- the virtual representation of herself -- to be looking directly at each of the others.

They studied volunteers in groups of two, along with a "presenter" who was actually trained by the experimenters. All three were equipped with virtual reality headsets that recorded their head orientation and displayed a corresponding visual image of the room. The presenter read 20-second persuasive scripts (advocating early prisoner release), then discussed the issues with the volunteers for 90 seconds. This process was repeated four times, for a total of about 8 minutes of interaction with each pair of volunteers. There were three different study groups, illustrated by the figure below:

In the "reduced" condition, the presenter looked down at a computer screen. In the "natural" condition, the presenter established eye contact with each of the participants as the context of the presentation demanded. In the "augmented" condition, the computer created separate simulations for each volunteer, so that the virtual presenter was always looking at them, regardless of the actual direction the real presenter was looking. This meant, for example, that person A in our figure above would see B looking at her even when B was speaking directly to C. It must have made for a rather surreal experience!

After the presentation, all the volunteers were asked how often they thought the presenter was looking at them. Only in the augmented condition did they believe the presenter looked at them more often than the other participant. But none of them believed there was any computerized trickery going on. So was the augmented avatar any more persuasive? It depends on the gender of the observer:

After the presentation, all the participants rated the presenter on a scale indicating whether or not they agreed with the presentation. While men weren't persuaded significantly more in any of the conditions, there was a large increase in persuasion for women when the avatar of the presenter looked at them for the entire course of the experiment, despite the fact that this meant the presenter's gaze behavior was often socially inappropriate.

So why are women more affected by the presenter's gaze than men? Bailenson et al. suggest it might be due to the specific content of the presentation in this study -- perhaps women are more afraid of crime than men. But more probably, the women were more focused on the presenter's head movements while the men were more focused on the language. In support of this argument, the men did have a higher recall of the content of the presentation than the women.

As virtual environments such as Second Life become more prevalent, persuasive strategies such as this may also be employed more often, and users of these environments should probably take note.

[we've reported on other research by Bailenson here]

Bailenson, J.N., Beall, A.C., Loomis, J., Blascovich, J., & Turk, M. (2005). Transformed social action, augmented gaze, and social influence in immersive virtual environments. Human Communication Research, 31(4), 511-537.

Man jailed for Halloween shooting

2007-09-22T22:31:00.001-07:00

A man was jailed for firing an air rifle at partygoers he threw out of his daughter's Halloween party.

Jamie Armstrong, 37, from Ascot, Berkshire, was jailed for three and a half years after Reading Crown Court was told he shot one girl in the leg .

He also held the gun to the head of another guest and fired pellets out of the window following an argument.

Trouble started when Armstrong's partner attacked a guest because she was from a travelling family.

'Angels and Devils'

Armstrong pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm with intent and ABH.

The "angels and devils" theme party was held at the couple's five-bedroom home in Sandhurst in October 2005 with around 30 people attending.

The court was told Armstrong's partner, Tracey Blowfield, 41, was angered by the fact that Lisa Black, 21, had attended the party.

Blowfield, from Sandhurst, was jailed for a year after admitting assault occasioning ABH and perverting the course of justice.

Judge Zoe Smith told her: "I have no doubt you did call her (Miss Black) a 'pikey' and there was then a fight in which that young woman was injured."

Judge Smith said that Blowfield had asked some of the young people at the party to lie on her behalf and they were subsequently arrested.

Floor-fitter Armstrong, who served in the Territorial Army, and Blowfield have since split up.

Miss Black's mother Christine said after the case that both her son Tom, who was 19 at the time, and her daughter were invited to the fancy dress party but were turned away when Blowfield realised they were travellers.

Preparing to Halloween! :)

2007-09-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Amazing Grace - Sharing the Vanity Fair pages with Madonna and Courtney

2007-09-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

Amazing Grace

August 30, 2007

By YVONNE DALEY

Several years ago, Grace Paley and her husband, the writer Robert Nichols, shared the pages of Vanity Fair magazine with Madonna and Courtney Love. While Madonna, Love and a bevy of other beauties bared bodies and flashed pearly whites, Paley and Nichols were photographed in their humble Thetford Hills cabin, sitting on either side of a round, wooden table beneath a shelf adorned with canning jars.

Although you couldn't see it in the photo, soup was undoubtedly bubbling on Paley's stove alongside a chunk of dark bread hard enough to serve as a doorstop.

In contrast to the bare midriffs and bleached coifs of Madonna and Love, there were Paley and Nichols with their halos of wild, white hair, boots upon feet, sweaters and wool pants covering their bodies.

Vanity Fair called Paley "the angelic-looking grandmother with revolution in her blood" and said her work was required reading for all contemporary writers and thinkers. Paley chose to say simply, "I'm kind of lucky to be old at a time when it's getting a better name."

The article had been prompted by the publication of "Just as I Thought," an assemblage of speeches, essays and odds and ends of writing that might have been completed on the way to a demonstration against nuclear proliferation or after she had baked a pie for her grandchildren. Paley might have published more if she'd paid less attention to her family, her friends, her students and the greater world and more to her career.

But she lived her life exactly as she wanted.

The former Vermont poet laureate and one of the nation's most celebrated short story writers died Aug. 23 at home. For those who loved her — and I count myself among the legions — there's some comfort in knowing that she was there with her family in that house where she juggled the demands and blessings of her life with such — there's no better word — grace.

As I write these words, I have an image of her ladling soup and carving away at that stubborn chunk of bread. It could stand in as a symbol for that mix of generosity and frugality that characterized both her life and her work. Once, when she received a big award for her writing at Stanford University, she showed up in a wool dress that looked as if it had been washed rather than dry-cleaned and wearing ugly no-nonsense shoes upon her feet. She wasn't about to purchase some fancy outfit for the award presentation — nor did she need one. She was naturally beautiful, inside and out.

Diminutive in stature, Paley strode to the Stanford stage like a truck driver. Then, peering left and right around the podium that was just about as tall as she was, she yelled, "Turn on the lights out there. If you're telling people stories, you ought to be able to see your audience." Before long she was down with the audience, asking others about their writing and their lives rather than taking praise for her own. She liked people, ordinary people, and she wanted their stories.

It's hard to imagine some security officer or military person bashing her over the head but nonetheless that's what happened more than once as Paley put in days and weeks sitting on tarmac in heat and cold or being arrested and jailed as she protested war after war, segregation and a whole host of injustices. You'd think that she'd have given up or lost her sense of humor, but Paley always maintained her good nature and a belief in the intrinsic goodness in each man and woman.

Like so many people far and wide who knew Paley and now mourn her death with an ache that's hard to express in words, I imagine her now, hushing me, saying, "Don't give me so much credit. Life goes on with or without us."

Of course, you're right, Grace. It does. But still, how sad to know you're not over there with Bob in your house full of books, making poems and pies, writing our stories, living yours.

Yvonne Daley, a former reporter for the Herald, teaches journalism at San Francisco State University. She is the author of "Vermont Writers: A State of Mind."

US Reaches Women's Football World Cup Quarterfinals

2007-09-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

US Reaches Women's Football World Cup Quarterfinals
By Jim Stevenson
Shanghai, China
18 September 2007

The United States has defeated Nigeria, 1-0, to reach the quarterfinal round of the Women's World Cup football tournament in China. VOA's Jim Stevenson was at the game in Shanghai, where the Americans dominated in a soggy and sparsely filled stadium.

Lori Chalupny, center, celebrates after scoring a goal in the first half during the third round robin Group B match of the 2007 FIFA World Cup, 18 Sept. 2007
Lori Chalupny, center, celebrates after scoring a goal in the first half during the third round robin Group B match of the 2007 FIFA World Cup, 18 Sept. 2007
As bands of rain periodically drenched the field from the approach of typhoon Wipha, the U.S. women stormed to a quick lead against Nigeria in the opening minute. Midfielder Lori Chalupny easily chipped in a loose ball in front of the goal.

For the rest of the game, the U.S. women worked to preserve the lead. While the tactic was successful, U.S. coach Greg Ryan felt his team could have performed at a higher level.

"We could have played better possession tonight," he said "I felt like we gave the ball away too easily. We played passes too strong in the wet conditions, [the ball went] too far in front of players in the first half. I thought [in the] second half, maybe we settled down and played a little bit better together."

Because of heavy rain, both teams had to run amid chunks of loose sod. And the weather kept attendance low, as 6,100 fans - including many vocal Americans - braved the rain.

In the other Group-B game in Tianjin, Charlotta Schelin gave Sweden an early lead over North Korea in the fourth minute. Ri Un Suk equalized the game in the 22nd minute before Schelin's 54th minute score gave the Swedes a 2-1 victory. But with identical records, North Korea advanced on goal differential.

The result means the United States wins Group-B with two wins and one draw. The Americans will face Group-A runner-up England in Tianjin on Saturday. North Korea placed second in Group-B and next plays defending champion Germany in Wuhan, also Saturday.

Meanwhile, the approaching typhoon has prompted world football officials to move a Group-C game. Norway and Ghana will now play on Thursday in Hangzhou. The final Group-D match between Brazil and Denmark will be pushed back one day, and become the second game Thursday in Hangzhou.

The other Group-C and D matches, Australia-Canada and China-New Zealand respectively, will be held as scheduled Wednesday. The change creates an unusual advantage for the teams playing Thursday, as they will know before they step onto the field what result they need to reach the next round.

The 16-nation Women's World Cup concludes September 30 in Shanghai.

taken from: http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-09-18-voa61.cfm

Burundians Say Peace Must Include Tough Rape Laws

2007-09-18T01:07:00.000-07:00

Run Date: 09/13/07
By Anna S. Sussman
WeNews correspondent

As postwar Burundi prepares for a reconciliation process based on South Africa's, women's rights advocates say the first step must be bringing the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. Second in a series on African women and the rule of law.

Patricia Ntahorubuze

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (WOMENSENEWS)--At a small rape clinic run by Doctors Without Borders in Bujumbura, the capital of the small East African nation of Burundi, young rape victims line up for antiretroviral medication to treat HIV.

Although the war has ended, the rape crisis continues.

Luk Van Baeren, a field officer at the clinic, says it sees about 10 victims of sexual violence each day, and says he thinks that's only the tip of the iceberg.

His patients suffer enormous shame and alienation in a country that still heavily stigmatizes rape.

The family of 15-year-old Nadege Mininani, for instance, expelled her from her home after her rape resulted in pregnancy and told her she had brought shame upon them.

She said she would never prosecute; she would be too embarrassed and, besides, wouldn't even know how.

Van Baeren says only about 1 percent of his patients follow through with judicial recourse.

"There are no laws for rape," he says. "There is a lack of rule of law in general."

After 13 years of civil war, 27 years of dictator rule and violence between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, much of Burundi's infrastructure is suffering. The long war resulted in a lawless police and army force, and a judicial system in shambles unprepared to process the huge number of legal battles piling up at its doors.
Peace-Building Commission

The government, aided by the international community, is attempting to rebuild the nation. The World Bank has pledged more than $130 million in aid to finance education and community development. The United Nations has switched tactics in Burundi from peacekeeping to peace-building, with the establishment of one of the first U.N. peace-building commissions.

As part of its reconstruction effort, the country is hoping to stage tribunals for war criminals and a truth and reconciliation commission, but no date has been set. The truth commission will be modeled on that of South Africa, which was hailed for its ability to help heal a divided country through the simple use of organized, public confession and forgiveness.

But as Burundi struggles to maintain a delicate peace, women's rights advocates are calling for nationwide legal and social reforms to address the countless crimes of sexual violence committed during the war and to reform the country's legal treatment of rape.

Eugene Nindorera, Burundian activist and former human rights minister, says the new, post-war government must make substantial changes to its legal system if it really wants to protect the rights of women, something it has yet to do.

"We didn't change how to respect human rights, how to have a rule of law. Rule of law is something that is very fundamental for good governance."

He says the current government seems to favor ignoring the perpetrators of human rights abuses, in part because many government officials fear prosecution themselves for crimes committed during the war.

"We can't accept the impunity that has been acceptable for all these years, so we have to struggle against impunity," Nindorera says. "We have to put in jail all these people who are responsible. To strengthen human rights and the justice is very important, but it's not seen as very important, according to the resources that are accorded to these different sections. It's frustrating."
Justice Key to Reconciliation

Nindorera and other activists say Burundi cannot enjoy a lasting peace until the women of the country see justice for the violence they have endured. That means any reconciliation effort must prioritize the criminalization of sexual violence.

"It is important for those who have committed these crimes to be punished. It is in the interest of the Burundi citizens," said Patricia Ntahorubuze of the Bujumbura-based Association of Women Lawyers, Burundi. "All of the violence that was committed against women must be addressed first."

In Rwanda, the prosecution of crimes of sexual violence committed during the genocide was deemed so serious and sensitive that sex crimes were removed from the dockets of the local 'Gacaca' genocide courts and placed firmly in the jurisdiction of the national courts so as to publicly acknowledge the gravity of rape crimes, explained Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, executive secretary of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions in Kigali, Rwanda.

The biggest obstacle on the road to justice lies in Burundi's historic laxity toward rape. The rape laws on the books are vague, outdated and insufficient, says Ntahorubuze. As of today, there is really no law specifically criminalizing rape.

"There has to be a separate specific law for crimes of sexual violence. Right now, the law is obscure. Under the reforms of the penal code, the government must create a specific law which will promote prevention," she said.
Strengthening Rape Laws

Her organization, along with others, is petitioning the government to revise and strengthen the laws around sexual violence and is advising a special judicial review committee convened by concerned activists. She says that rape was so endemic during the war that the peace process will be useless if it fails to properly address the issue.

"The government needs to harmonize the laws so as to make them more applicable to the events of today and make them consistent with the new constitution, the peace accords and the International Criminal Court."

In Burundi, as in much of the African Great Lakes region, women's bodies have served as a battleground for ethnic violence and political warfare. Official statistics are scarce, but the United Nations and New York-based Human Rights Watch report that government soldiers and rebels raped Burundian women and girls in epidemic proportions during the war.

On a recent visit to the region, U.N. Human Rights Chief Louise Arbour called the number of victims of sexual crimes in the region appalling.

"In Burundi, there is also a lot of deficit in the capacity or willingness of the justice system to address these issues," she said at a press briefing in June.

Ntahorubuze says criminals convicted of petty theft typically serve longer prison sentences than those convicted of rape.

"It is a problem because there is a tendency to treat these incidents as lesser crimes. This is a sin because many who are brought to court on rape charges are immediately released," she said. Many victims don't bother seeking prosecution because they know nothing will be done.

Often, crimes of sexual violence are resolved in what is locally called the "friendship way," with an exchange of cows or cash, according the Bujumbura-based human rights group League Iteka.

Anna S. Sussman is a print and radio journalist. She currently lives in Uganda.

This series is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Women's eNews welcomes your comments. E-mail us at editors@womensenews.org.

The Psychology of the $14,000 Handbag

2007-09-17T02:42:00.000-07:00

ON STYLE
By CHRISTINA BINKLEY

Related links: Coach handbags

The Psychology of the $14,000 Handbag
How Luxury Brands Alter
Shoppers' Price Perceptions;
Buying a Keychain Instead
August 9, 2007; Page D8

What is too much to spend on a suit?

The question weighed on Barry Schwarz as he scanned the racks at Boyds men's store in Philadelphia, which were laden with $3,000 Brioni suits. "Their prices were just out of the world," recalls Mr. Schwarz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College.

We've all been there: A window display or a recommendation lures us into a store -- and we face unexpectedly astronomical price tags. It seems to happen more often these days as many luxury brands -- selling everything from $14,000 Ralph Lauren handbags to $899 Bugaboo baby strollers and $6,900 Beefeater barbecue grills -- push their top price points higher than they've ever gone before. What's priced below falls into that ever-expanding category: "affordable luxury."

Some people cut and run when confronted with prices that seem crazy. But many of us experience a sudden emotional-mathematical transformation. We set a new ceiling for a "reasonable" price. Disinclined to go all the way to buy the trophy, we instead settle for a consolation prize. Mr. Schwarz, a jeans-wearing type, walked out of Boyds with a suit that cost merely $800 -- the most he'd ever spent on an item of clothing.

"If you're in that world long enough, $800 stops even feeling like a lot of money," Mr. Schwarz says.

This concept is one of the reasons for the proliferation of $300 designer sunglasses these days. The fact that Ralph Lauren is charging $14,000 or so for an alligator "Ricky" handbag makes it easier for a consumer to justify in her mind paying $300 for a rather simple sweater. Many Chanel sunglass owners are actually would-be owners of Chanel suits. Something similar has happened to many owners of Tiffany keychains, Prada legwarmers, Coach wallets, and Frette tea towels.

When shoppers are confronted with prices they can't afford, a smart retailer will "move you right along to where you can salvage your pride," says Dan Hill, president of Sensory Logic, a Minneapolis consulting company that helps companies explore their sensory and emotional connections with customers.

Pride, Mr. Hill points out, "is a mixture of anger and happiness." That pretty much describes the whole shopping experience at those moments when we're outpriced (anger), then soothe ourselves with a smaller splurge (happiness).

In Mr. Hill's case, this played itself out in the purchase of a sweater when what he actually wanted was a certain pair of Jesus Jeans. A friend of mine remains sheepish about a smashing pair of high-waisted black Prada pants that seemed sensibly priced at $500 only after she had spent an hour eyeballing more expensive versions with the encouragement of a salesman at Barneys.

And yes, it's time to concede to my husband that I spent $87 on that T-shirt at Lost & Found in Los Angeles because I couldn't bring myself to spend $395 on a certain dress.

Given that accessories like sunglasses, fragrances, and logoed belts drive the sales of companies like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, such consolation prizes account for a very sizable chunk of the luxury business these days.

Indeed, this ploy is the soul of Las Vegas -- a town built on people who roll in on Southwest Airlines expecting to play $2 blackjack until they see the high rollers at the $200 tables. Next thing you know, they wake up in the baccarat lounge with their own private casino host and a stack of IOUs. After a while, it just doesn't seem like real money.

As for Prof. Schwarz, with his $800 suit, "I got sucked in. And I knew what was happening," he says. Mr. Schwarz has since written and spoken about this phenomenon to roughly 75 industry groups with audiences of as many as 8,000 over the past three years. He has found eager apostles in Microsoft, Google, the National Restaurant Association, General Electric, the Marines, Time Warner, the Dutch government, several health insurers, and Lehman Brothers.

Mr. Schwarz calls the top-priced goods "anchors." Anchors, he says, set the ceilings on prices of objects that don't have a clear value.

That is just about everything in luxury goods and fashion. In fact, that's one reason why some in the luxury fashion industry are irritated with retailers like Target and Zara: They're seen as setting the ceilings too low.

Retail-consulting guru Paco Underhill says, "This has been a strategy that goes back to the 17th century. You sold one thing to the king, but everyone in court had to have a lesser one." Today, we have Hermès, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci. "There's the $500 bag in the window, and what you walk away with is the T-shirt," says Mr. Underhill. "It's the same strategy as putting the sports car in the window to sell the sedan in the back."

Still, luxury brands today have fine-tuned the strategy. The folks at Coach are masters of this. Look for a notably expensive bag in one of the company's flagship stores. Only one or two of them are available for sale, a company spokeswoman pointed out to me. But scores of similar, smaller, less-elaborate bags are nearby, primed to walk out the door. And if you can't even go that far, try the wallet or the keychain.

As convenient as it might be to accuse these manufacturers of gouging when they set prices so high on their top goods, there's nothing nefarious going on here. Clothing is one of the most democratic marketplaces around. There's always another store, another pair of pants to turn to.
• Email Christina.Binkley@wsj.com

Revlon Colorstay Free Samples

2007-09-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

Horoscope for all with a chance to receive a gift

2007-09-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

Leather Coach Handbag

2007-09-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

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Free 250$ flowers gift card

2007-09-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

This bonus program requires only your valid e-mail address. Then you can receive your card and use it for your pleasure. :)

Vote and Get your shampoo for free ;)

2007-08-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

The top 25 face products

2007-08-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

In the first of our four-part series on the top 100 beauty products of 2007, we name ultra-rich moisturisers, toners and serums to keep skin looking great

Leaf & Rusher Night Formula,
£125 (spacenk.com)
An ultra-rich luxury moisturiser that deeply nourishes, rehydrates and repairs skin overnight.

Sisley All Day All Year,
£165 (020-7591 6380)
An easily absorbed hydrating cream designed for those who want to protect their skin from premature ageing.

Murad oil-free sunblock SPF 30,
£19.50 (0800 0352682)
Delivers high SPF protection and intense hydration with an oil-free matte finish.

Dr Brandt Poreless Purifying Mask,
£30 (spacenk.com)
A deep-cleansing mask that draws hidden impurities from the skin to promote a refined complexion.

Olay Everyday Sunshine Fluid,
£7.99 available nationwide
The facial tanning cream gives a perfect colour, creating a natural and healthy-looking glow that is ideal for the summer months.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream,
£75 (01278 727830)
A very lightweight, nourishing antiageing cream. The skin takes on a smoother, more youthful appearance.

Dermalogica Special Clearing Booster,
£31.80 (0800 591818)
Speeds the clearance of blemishes, while simultaneously calming irritated skin.

Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Eye Crème,
£32 (esteelauder.co.uk)
Combats diminishing skin suppleness and sagging.

Alex Soveral spot cream,
£18 (020-7266 3577)
Tackles pimples and spots with its active ingredient, lemongrass, which has a powerful effect on skin eruptions.

Natura Bissé Sensitive Toner,
£25 (020-7629 9161)
Gently removes surface debris and impurities, while soothing herbal extracts of chamomile, elderflower and green tea extracts refresh and hydrate.

No 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum,
£16.75 (0845 0708090)
A nationwide sell-out, this serum is scientifically proven to repair skin aged by sunlight, in just four weeks.

Neal’s Yard Honey and Orange Scrub,
£9 (0845 2623145)
An enriching organic scrub infused with orange and neroli oils. Ground rice and kaolin clay provide the exfoliating action.

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel,
£42.50 (08707 700980)
A lightweight botanical gel for day and night that firms, tone and brightens all types of skin.

Skin Ceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel,
£55 (020-8997 8541)
A lightweight, oil-free moisture-enhancing gel that works in tandem with any moisturiser to maximise hydration.

Lancôme eye make-up remover,
£17, available nationwide
Gently and thoroughly removes all types of eye make-up, even waterproof products.

Ren Omega 3 Overnight lipid renewal serum,
£32 (0845 2255600)
Provides the necessary nutrients to stimulate the skin’s natural renewal process and protect against moisture loss.

The Organic Pharmacy Rose Plus Antiageing Face Cream,
£105 (theorganicpharmacy.com , 020-7351 2232)
Protects the skin’s elastin and collagen fibres and promotes cellular regeneration for a youthful effect.

ESPA skin brightener,
£38 (01252 352230)
This rejuvenating cream refreshes dull and tired-looking skin.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate,
£35 (01983 813913)
An oil that helps to nourish and balance skin. It is perfect for tired conplexions or for balancing combination skin.

By Terry Color Skin Enhancer,
£48 (spacenk.com)
This rich cream reflects the light to create a healthy glow.

Bharti Vyas face and neck polisher,
£21.99 (020-7935 5312)
This exfoliator brings out shine and radiance as well as protecting your skin.

ROC 3 in 1 Cleanser,
£6.95 (0845 6004477)
Cleanses, tones and moisturises to leave skin supple, soft and hydrated.

Simple purifying cleansing lotion,
£2.47 (0121 7126523)
Great for drier skin, this creamy lotion gives a gentle, thorough cleanse and can be used around the delicate eye area.

Spiezia Organic Facial Cleanser,
£24 (0870 8508851)
This handmade, organic cleanser contains a blend of herbs and oils that moisturise and soothe the skin.

Guinot Age Logic Cellulaire,
£113.75 (0800 590094)
Formulated specifically for women with mature skin, this day cream ‘boosts’ cell activity.

Staying power

2007-08-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

Thousands of products jostle for prime position in the saturated beauty market, but only a privileged few survive. Our correspondent celebrates the cult classics and future favourites

Cults are funny things. You think you’re dabbling in a little harmless adoration, then you find yourself living in a pair of tie-dyed knickers, worshipping a polymorphic deity who knits his own nose hair. It’s the same with beauty products. What starts as a contained crush often spreads like wildfire. I know all about this: the first time I tried Ren Monoi Moisturising Body Rinse, I’d have happily signed away half my earnings – and my allegiance to chocolate – in veneration of its existence.

Cult beauty products exert an unrivalled hold over us, and in a saturated cosmetics market, it’s little wonder that women should stick to the assured high-achievers.

Compared with the latest products, which often arrive accompanied by lots of media hype, true cult cosmetics are ones that have stood the test of time. They’re used long after the latest “miracle” cream has come and gone into the bin; they are also products that create new categories within the beauty industry, inspiring rival brands to create copies; and they’re the things you never knew you needed until they were invented – John Frieda Frizz-Ease, Lancôme Juicy Tubes and Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, for example.

But how does a product achieve cult status? And how does it hold on to the top spot in an industry that bombards us with new products every time we blink? “A cult product earns its reputation through performance; it’s not marketing-driven,” says Nicky Kinnaird, the founder of Space NK. “It needs to be truly original, effective and best in class.”

And in a mark of democracy, cult cosmetics don’t always come with a high price tag. They are more a celebration of an original – and well-executed – idea. So, alongside Chanel Rouge Noir nail and lip colours, you might find Olay beauty fluid or the catwalk hairstylist’s pick, Elnett hairspray. “Cult products retain their status by consumers consistently repeat-purchasing,” says Karen Wells, the head of beauty at Selfridges. “An initial sellout doesn’t mean that the item will continue to hold this status in the eye of the consumer. Slow-burners can have sales longevity.”

Check the consistent top sellers in stores across the globe to get a true picture of what really works. “We’ve sold up to 50,000 units of a beauty product in one day,” says Fay Douglas, the head of buying, fashion and beauty at QVC, “but what makes something a bestseller is its ability to sustain decent sales volumes for years after its launch.”

If a product is genuinely revolutionary, a crop of imitations will soon hit the shelves, but nothing will knock the original off its perch. These formulas cannot be improved upon (note: antiageing creams are never cult, as they are constantly being upgraded). Cult products are the ones you can rely on, the ones you turn to time and again, which stand the passing of the years and the whims of fancy. If only everything in life were so dependable.

TIPPED FOR THE TOP

1 Nude Cleansing Facial Oil When it launched, Nude outsold many big brands. This 100% natural cleanser is a beauty editor’s favourite. £28; 0800 634 4366

2 Philips Sonicare toothbrush Voted one of CNN’s ‘five inventions to change your life’ it whitens teeth and cleans like nothing you’ve ever experienced. From £70, from Boots

3 By Terry Light Expert Everything a beauty product should be, this complexion corrector transforms the face with minimal effort. Think Photoshop in a brush. £38; www.spacenk.com

4 Trilogy Everything Balm This lush healing and repairing balm sold out across the UK on launch and remains in high demand. £18.95; www.hqhair.com

5 Max Factor Miracle Touch This foolproof, all-in-one formula has the coverage of a solid foundation but the lightness of a liquid. £11.95