Vijay Begraj and Amardeep : Dalit vs Jat

I couldn't believe this stupid things still happen in this world. Hey people, all humans are equal! Caste system must be eliminated.

 

Indian couple who lost their law firm jobs at centre of first caste discrimination tribunal | Mail Online

It is a love that crosses class boundaries and a religious divide but it was India's ancient caste system that allegedly cost a British couple their jobs, pride and prospects.

In the first case of its kind in the UK, Vijay Begraj, 32, and his wife Amardeep, 33, are claiming unfair constructive dismissal on the grounds their bosses at Coventry-based solicitors Heer Manak discriminated against them because they are from different ends of the social spectrum.

The former law firm practice manager is from the Dalits or 'Untouchables', India's the lowest caste, while his wife, a solicitor, is from a higher caste called the 'Jats'.

But a Birmingham employment tribunal was told yesterday that Mrs Begraj's health and career had suffered at the hands of the Midlands solicitors ever since they became a couple.

Mr Begraj was sacked after seven years of service in 2010 and his wife resigned in January this year.

 

Gary Locke : Egalitarianism vs Feodalism

As many Asians, Chinese must have been shocked to see an ambassador who is so casual. Based on my travel to some countries around the world, I found that It is common prominent people from western countries dress humbly. Also, they do everything by themseIves.

I remember when I was in Australia, I got shocked when my professor did a copy and printing by himself. Even he copied some for me. It suprised me because in my country most prof want their bag carried by office boy or any person whom they can ask for an errand. They will not copy or doing a printing for you. We need to do it by ourselves or asing the office boys to do so.

Therefore, I  think Asians should learn from these humble people from developed countries. I like to be egalitarian. We are all human and have the same rights. I will respect all people whoever they are, whether he is president or a cleaner. Unfortunately, feodalism has been part of some people culture here. WE need to eliminate such bad practice....

well..that's all from me. Good nite :)

Photo of bag-carrying ambassador charms China - Yahoo! News

 

A photo of the new U.S. ambassador to China carrying his own backpack and ordering his own coffee at an airport has charmed Chinese citizens not used to such frugality from their officials.

ZhaoHui Tang, a businessman from Bellevue, Washington, snapped the photo Friday on his iPhone when he spotted Gary Locke at the counter of an airport Starbucks. Locke is the first Chinese-American ambassador to China and a former governor of Washington state.

Tang uploaded the photo to the Chinese social media network Sina Weibo because he thought it was cool to run into the new ambassador at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

He didn't expect it to generate 40,000 reposts and thousands of comments.

"This is something unbelievable in China," said Tang, a Chinese-American citizen. "Even for low-ranking officials, we don't do things for ourselves. Someone goes to buy the coffee for them. Someone carries their bags for them."

Locke tried to use a coupon or voucher for the coffee, but the barista rejected it, Tang said. The ambassador then paid with a credit card, he said.

Tang, chief executive of an Internet advertising firm called adSage, was flying from Seattle to Silicon Valley. Locke was leaving for China from the next gate over.

Tang introduced himself to Locke when he took the picture and wished him luck in the new job.

 

How Rick Perry aggressively pursued federal aid he now decries

How Rick Perry aggressively pursued federal aid he now decries - Yahoo! News

In his campaign kickoff last Saturday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry burnished his conservative credentials by attacking the idea of deficit stimulus spending. "Washington's insatiable desire to spend our children's inheritance on failed stimulus plans and other misguided economic theories have given us record debt and left us with far too many unemployed," he said.

 

But it was not always so for Perry. Back in 2003, lobbyists under Perry's direction went to Capitol Hill to lobby the Republican Congress for more than a billion dollars in federal deficit spending on "stimulus." And they won. A 2005 report (pdf) by the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations boasted of "$1.2 billion in temporary state fiscal relief to Texas" through Medicaid that Perry's lobbying operation had secured. (Watch TIME's video "Rick Perry Is Ready to Run for President.")

And that was just the beginning. The same report details millions more that flowed from the federal treasury into Texas as a result of the official state lobbying campaign, which was overseen by Perry, a Republican Lt. Governor and the Republican speaker of the state house between 2003 and 2005. In several cases, the Texas lobbying campaign won funds for programs that Perry now says he opposes as fiscally irresponsible intrusions on state responsibilities.

In the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill, for instance, Texas lobbyists successfully pushed to include an additional $47.5 million a year for four years, to help reimburse the cost of health care for undocumented immigrants. In 2005, the lobbyists fought to restore $200 million in funding for No Child Left Behind that had been cut by the Senate. About $14.5 million of that money was directed to Texas for "innovation programs." The Texas lobbying operation also supported several earmarks, including direct funds for maintenance dredging in the Matagorda shipping channel, and money to study the feasibility of a desalination project in Freeport.

Mark Miner, a spokesman for the Perry campaign, said Perry's record of fiscal responsibility is clear from his state record. "Americans send billions of dollars to Washington, D.C., every year and continue to be frustrated by a federal government that is irresponsible with taxpayer dollars," he said. "The Governor has signed six balanced budgets, in a large and diverse state. You have to prioritize and make tough decisions and that is not what we are seeing from the Obama Administration."

Miner added that much of the federal money that flowed to Texas under Perry served a federal purpose. "Many of the issues Texas and other states have to deal with, like border security, are the result of a federal government that has failed in its responsibility," he said.

Among other efforts, the Perry lobbying operation was involved in one of the most storied legislative maneuvers of the last decade. In 2005, at the tail end of the conference committee process on a massive federal $14 billion energy bill, members of Congress from Texas inserted a $1.5 billion program under the subtitle, "Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources." Much of the money in this provision was directed to an unnamed consortium, which seemed to describe a private-sector partnership operating in the offices of the Texas Energy Center, a Perry-funded project in Sugar Land, Texas. (See "Texan to the Core: Rick Perry’s Life and Career in Politics.")

At the time, Democrats were outraged by the last-minute addition to the bill. "The subtitle appears to steer the administration of 75% of the $1.5 billion fund to a private consortium located in the district of Majority Leader Tom DeLay," wrote Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., after the law passed. That consortium later won the account.

Perry had played a key role in setting up the Texas Energy Center in 2003, by giving a $3.6 million grant from an "enterprise fund" he controlled. "This commitment of enterprise fund money not only will lead to the creation of new, high-paying jobs in Texas but also will help expand Texas' reputation as a leader in the development of new and cleaner energy technologies and resources," Perry said at the time.

Shortly afterwards, the Texas Energy Center hired Drew Maloney, a former DeLay chief of staff, to lobby the U.S. Congress on its behalf. Maloney was also working at the time as a lobbyist for the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, which Perry oversaw. The office reported in 2005 that it had also lobbied Congress for appropriations on behalf of the Texas Energy Center.

Today, Perry's speaks of Washington as an alien land, inhabited by irresponsible politicians. In his most recent book, Fed Up!, Perry criticizes President George W. Bush for giving free rein to "spendthrift congressional Republicans." "Ultimately, the record is fairly unforgiving for Republicans - particularly in Congress - who have been in power in Washington over the last decade or so," Perry wrote in 2010. "They haven't just spent our money wildly - they have blatantly ignored our core founding principles."

This is the same message that Perry has brought to the campaign trail since announcing his bid for the presidency. It is not the same message lobbyists that Perry oversaw brought to Congress just a few years ago.

 

Google-Motorola Deal

‘What the Google-Motorola Deal Means for You - Yahoo! News

 

The tech world is abuzz with the news: Google's trying to buy Motorola Mobility, the division that makes smartphone handsets powered by Google's open-source Android operating system. If the deal goes through, this will be even more momentous than the Microsoft/Nokia partnership; Nokia may be helmed by a former Microsoft exec right now, but it's remaining a separate company. Motorola Mobility won't.

 

So, yeah, stockholders and investors will move money around based on this deal. But what does it mean for you as an electronics buyer?

 

Motorola handsets may have just gotten more attractive

 

Let's review the facts. Motorola makes crazy-powerful hardware, like many of the Droid series of smartphones and the Triumph for Virgin Mobile. But at the same time, it usually saddles its creations with UI "skins" like MotoBLUR, which work differently from other Android handsets and tend to get in the way of things.

 

Meanwhile, Google hasn't traditionally made hardware at all. Everything Google's wanted to make, from smartphone handsets to "Chromebook" laptops, it's done through its hardware partners. And it's always had a vision for what these gadgets should look like, a pure and uncluttered experience that Google showcases in the Nexus phones made by its most favored partners. But aside from those Nexii, its vision keeps getting diluted by manufacturers.

 

Will this change once the deal goes through? Probably. One of the world's biggest software companies just bought one of the world's biggest smartphone manufacturers. And while HTC, Samsung et al are publicly feigning excitement, you know that they know their competitor just got handed a whopping advantage.

 

Google TV may make a comeback

 

Google got all excited about its "Google TV" idea awhile back, which was basically an Android-powered TiVo. But it's faced a ton of opposition from networks, and ended up as a lot more complicated to use than Google perhaps intended.

 

Well, Motorola makes "home devices and video solutions," as Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry of Business Insider points out. So does that mean Google TV is making a comeback? We're about to find out.

 

The Android world just fractured

 

And that, again, is a little abstract, so let's put this in simpler terms. You know how you can go into a store and ask for an "Android" smartphone, and they'll give you something like a Droid, maybe?

 

It's not going to work that way anymore. Maybe not tomorrow, and maybe not for a little while after the deal goes through (which could be as late as "early 2012"). But instead of a flood of undifferentiated Android handsets, you're going to see the Google / Motorola brand distinguish itself in some way, through some exclusive features that only they have.

 

Likewise, HTC's going to go all-in on developing HTC Sense and its stylus interface, while Amazon's skunkworks tablet project is going to come to fruition, creating an "Android" device that may bear more resemblance to the Nook Color than to the Xoom. Why not? They can't depend on Google, not when it's picked its new BFF. So they're going to have to do this on their own.

 

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

 

Anything

 

Here are some issues which could be a blunder for Rick Perry's candidacy

How Republicans will attack Rick Perry’s candidacy | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

 

Indeed, as Perry nears his official entrance into the race, rival campaigns are sure to unleash mountains of opposition research on the governor. Here's a quick primer on some of the key issues they'll likely attack:

Secession talk: In 2009, Perry appeared at a tea party anti-tax rally in Texas where supporters advocated seceding from the United States to protest Obama's spending policies. Perry didn't specifically endorse the idea--but he later said Texas would be within its rights to secede if it wanted to. "There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said, per the Austin American Statesman. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot." Perry has since said that it's "nonsense" to think he really wanted Texas to leave the union, but his rivals have since unearthed other comments Perry made about secession, implying his comments were more than a joke.

Reversals on immigration: Not unlike his onetime political mentor, George W. Bush, Perry began his Texas governorship with a moderate stance on immigration. In 2001, he pressed for looser border restrictions, to promote a better relationship with Mexico. And he advocated what was then a groundbreaking new law that would offer the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition at state universities. The law was a precursor to the federal DREAM Act, which sought to offer a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the United States by their parents. Perry, who has moved to the right on immigration in recent years, says he opposes the federal DREAM Act, but continues to defend his own law. "To punish these young Texans for their parents' actions is not what America has always been about," Perry told the New Hampshire Union Leader last month.

The governor's mansion: In 2007, Perry moved out of the governor's mansion into a lavish rental home in fancy gated community in the hills overlooking Austin. It was meant to be a temporary move, but in 2008, the governor's mansion was largely destroyed in a fire that was later found to be arson. Since then, taxpayers have shelled out more than $600,000 in rent and other costs for Perry's housing, according to an Associated Press accounting in 2010. Among other things, the state paid for $1,000 in "window coverings" from Neiman Marcus, $1,000 for repair to the home's "filterized" ice machine and at least $8,400 to maintain the governor's heated swimming pool. The revelations came at the height of a state budget crisis, but have since been floated around again by many of Perry's rivals, who cite the spending as a sign he's not a true fiscal conservative.

Perry's Democratic past: Perry wasn't always a Republican. As the Texas Tribune's Jay Root notes, the governor spent the first six years of his political career as a Democrat—though he was primarily known as a fiscal conservative, "blue dog" Democrat. Still, he did chair Al Gore's 1988 campaign--which Perry's rivals have gone out of their way to point out in recent weeks. It's likely to come up again and again throughout the primary.

Social issues: In view of Perry's starring role presiding over "The Response" last weekend's high-profile politcally themed prayer rally, the Texas governor is clearly aiming to position himself as a strong social conservative in the race. But it's not just Santorum who is questioning Perry's credentials. As The Ticket previously reported, some other high-profile Republicans have questioned Perry's "come to Jesus" moment. In an email to his supporters a few weeks ago, Mike Huckabee trashed Perry. "For all his new found commitment to hyper-conservatism, he'll get to explain why he supported pro-abortion, pro-same sex marriage Rudy Giuliani last time," Huckabee wrote.

 

Why religion will matter in 2012

Why religion will matter in 2012 - Figuring Faith - The Washington Post

 

By Robert P. Jones

After the release of our poll last week showing the impact of perceptions of religious differences on support for President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I’ve been answering a lot of questions about why religion will matter in the 2012 elections.  There is both a particular and a general answer to this question.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks in the warehouse at Screen Machine Industries during a campaign stop in Pataskala, Ohio in July 2011. (Jay LaPrete - AP)

The 2012 presidential election is more than 15 months away, but Republican presidential hopefuls are already simultaneously burnishing their religious credentials and trying to address potentially problematic religious connections. Although only four-in-ten Americans currently know Mitt Romney is Mormon, as his campaign proceeds, he will need to negotiate negative perceptions of his Mormon faith, particularly among white evangelical Protestants who make up a sizeable portion of the Republican base.  Michele Bachmann has faced criticisms that her former long-time church holds anti-Catholics views and that her husband’s Christian counseling practice offers discredited ex-gay “reparative therapy.” Texas Governor Rick Perry is holding an all-day Christian prayer event this weekend on August 6 in Houston, an event that many see as a de facto presidential campaign launch.  And on the Democratic side, President Obama continues to have his own problems with perceptions of his faith: only four-in-ten Americans correctly identify his religion as Christian, and 18 percent of Americans continue to wrongly believe he is Muslim. 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry addresses the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on Friday, July 29, 2011. (Ed Andrieski - AP) In addition to the specifics of the 2012 horse race, there is a second, simpler answer to why religion will matter in the 2012 election: Americans are generally highly religious, and it is at least one important lens influencing Americans’ views of political candidates.

Sociologists have long noticed that Americans registered much higher levels of religiosity than most industrialized nations. G.K. Chesterton called America “the nation with the soul of a church,” and Max Weber, de Tocqueville, and other prominent observers of America all saw the peculiarly strong religious character of American culture as a mark of its uniqueness.

These earlier observations stand up today in scientific surveys. Gallup found that Americans register higher religiosity scores—as measured by self-reported worship attendance, salience of religion in their personal lives, and confidence in religious institutions—than other residents of North America and every western European country except Ireland. 

Consider these findings from the 2010 American Values Survey, conducted by Public Religion Research Institute:

·         Nearly six-in-ten (57 percent) Americans say religion is very important or the most important thing in their lives.

·         A majority (51 percent) of Americans report attending religious services at least a few times per month.

·         Nine-in-ten Americans report that they believe in God. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) believe that God is a person with whom one can have a relationship.

·         Nearly seven-in-ten (69 percent) Americans believe that the Bible is the word of God, and nearly half of this group (33 percent) believe that the Bible should also be taken literally, word for word.

Moreover, religion is not only a personal matter for many Americans, but it is also something they see as important in evaluating political leaders.

·         A July 2011 PRRI survey found that a majority (56 percent) of Americans say it is very or somewhat important for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs, regardless of whether those beliefs are the same as their own.  Majorities of both Democrats (51 percent) and Republicans (71 percent) agree with this statement.

·         A 2010 survey by Pew Research Center found that approximately six-in-ten (61 percent) Americans agree that it is important that members of Congress have strong religious beliefs, including 55 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans.

While it is too soon to say for certain what will happen in 2012, understanding the religious forces in American culture will be sure to help make sense not only of the twists and turns of the campaigns but of the final tallies at the ballot box. 

 

Five myths about Muslims in America - The Washington Post

By Feisal Abdul Rauf, Published: April 2

I founded the multi-faith Cordoba Initiative to fight the misunderstandings that broaden the divide between Islam and the West — each perceived as harmful by the other. Millions of American Muslims, who see no contradiction between being American and being Muslim, are working hard to bridge this gap. It is therefore not surprising that they have become the target of attacks by those who would rather burn bridges than build them, and the subject of recent congressional hearings exploring their “radicalization.”

What myths are behind the entrenched beliefs that Muslims simply do not belong in the United States and that they threaten its security?

1. American Muslims are foreigners.

Islam was in America even before there was a United States. But Muslims didn’t peaceably emigrate — slave-traders brought them here. Historians estimate that up to 30 percent of enslaved blacks were Muslims. West African prince Abdul Rahman, freed by President John Quincy Adams in 1828 after 40 years in captivity, was only one of many African Muslims kidnapped and sold into servitude in the New World. In early America, Muslim names could be found in reports of runaway slaves as well as among rosters of soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Muslims fought to preserve American independence in the War of 1812 and for the Union in the Civil War. And more than a century later, thousands of African Americans, including Cassius Clay and Malcolm Little, converted to Islam.

Currently, there are two Muslim members of Congress and thousands of Muslims on active duty in the armed forces. Sure, some Muslim soldiers may have been born elsewhere, but if you wear the uniform of the United States and are willing to die for this country, can you be really be considered a foreigner?

 

2. American Muslims are ethnically, culturally and politically monolithic.

In fact, the American Muslim community is the most diverse Muslim community in the world.

U.S. Muslims believe different things and honor their faith in different ways. When it comes to politics, a 2007 Pew study found that 63 percent of Muslim Americans “lean Democratic,” 11 percent “lean Republican” and 26 percent “lean independent.” Ethnically, despite the popular misperception, the majority of Muslims in the United States (and in the world, for that matter) are not Arabs — about 88 percent check a different box on their U.S. census form. At least one-quarter, for example, are African American. Anyone who thinks otherwise need look no further than the July 30, 2007, cover of Newsweek magazine, which featured a multicultural portrait of Islam in America.

Muslim Americans are also diverse in their sectarian affiliation. And whether they are Sunni or Shiite, their attendance at religious services varies. According to the State Department publication “Muslims in America — A Statistical Portrait,” Muslim Americans range from highly conservative to moderate to secular in their religious devotion, just like members of other faith communities.

With above-average median household incomes, they are also an indispensable part of the U.S. economy. Sixty-six percent of American Muslim households earn more than $50,000 per year — more than the average U.S. household.

According to a 2009 study by Gallup, Muslim American women are not only more educated than Muslim women in Western Europe, but are also more educated than the average American. U.S. Muslim women report incomes closer to their male counterparts than American women of any other religion. They are at the helm of many key religious and civic organizations, such as the Arab-American Family Support Center, Azizah magazine, Karamah, Turning Point, the Islamic Networks Group and the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Of course, challenges to gender justice remain worldwide. In the World Economic Forum's 2009 Gender Gap Index, which ranks women's participation in society, 18 of the 25 lowest-ranking countries have Muslim majorities. However, as documented by the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality , Muslim women are leading the struggle for change through their scholarship, civic engagement, education, advocacy and activism in the United States and across the world.

4. American Muslims often become "homegrown" terrorists.

According to the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, more non-Muslims than Muslims were involved in terrorist plots on U.S. soil in 2010. In a country in the grip of Islamophobia — where Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) can convene hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims — this has been overlooked. In 2010, the Triangle Center also found, the largest single source of initial information on planned terrorist attacks by Muslims in the United States was the Muslim American community.

As an American Muslim leader who worked with FBI agents on countering extremism right after Sept. 11, 2001, I fear that identifying Islam with terrorism threatens to erode American Muslims' civil liberties and fuels the dangerous perception that the United States is at war with Islam. Policymakers must recognize that, more often than not, the terrorists the world should fear are motived by political and socioeconomic — not religious — concerns.

5. American Muslims want to bring sharia law to the United States.

In Islam, sharia is the divine ideal of justice and compassion, similar to the concept of natural law in the Western tradition. Though radicals exist on the fringes of Islam, as in every religion, most Muslim jurists agree on the principal objectives of sharia: the protection and promotion of life, religion, intellect, property, family and dignity. None of this includes turning the United States into a caliphate.

For centuries, most Islamic scholars around the world have agreed that Muslims must follow the laws of the land in which they live. This principle was established by the prophet Muhammad in A.D. 614-615, when he sent some of his followers to be protected by the Christian king of Abyssinia, where they co-existed peacefully. Not only do American Muslims have no scriptural, historical or political grounds to oppose the U.S. Constitution, but the U.S. Constitution is in line with the objectives and ideals of sharia. Muslims already practice sharia in the United States when they worship freely and follow U.S. laws.

In his 1776 publication "Thoughts on Government," John Adams praised Muhammad as a "sober inquirer after truth." And the Supreme Court building contains a likeness of the prophet, whose vision of justice is cited as an important precedent to the U.S. Constitution.

Feisal Abdul Rauf is the founder of the Cordoba Initiative.

 

What is Iowa straw poll?

The Fast Fix: The race begins! | The Fast Fix - Yahoo! News

The Iowa straw poll will kick off the Republican presidential race Saturday. Losing can put a candidate out of the running, but winning doesn't guarantee anything.

 

The first major test of the 2012 presidential race will be Saturday in the unlikeliest of places -- Ames, Iowa.

Every four years, the Ames Straw poll serves as the official kickoff of the Republican presidential race. Winning can mean newfound frontrunner status. Losing can mean you are out of the race.

Ames is part carnival and part exercise in democracy. Candidates pay to bus in their supporters and spend the day wooing undecided voters with entertainment, food and the occasional bouncy room.

Nine candidates for president will be on the Ames ballot with Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann seen as the favorite going into Saturday's vote.

The candidate with the most riding on the Ames result is former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty has struggled to get people excited about his candidacy and if he flops at Ames, he could face calls to leave the race.

Winning the Ames Straw Poll though isn't necessarily a predictor of winning either the Iowa caucuses or the nomination.  Mitt Romney won it in 2007 but lost Iowa to Mike Huckabee in 2008. But both Bob Dole in 1995 and George W. Bush in 1999 won Ames and went on to win the Hawkeye State caucuses the following year.

To become the nominee, you have to start winning somewhere. Ames is as good a place as any to get off on the right foot.

 

Ron Paul's anti-big government stance

Why Ron Paul Placed Second in Iowa Straw Poll - Yahoo! News

 

Ron Paul is a maverick. He is a businessman who is the anti-politician. So I'm not surprised he came in second in Iowa. Winner Michele Bachmann beat the congressman by only a slim margin and outspent him by a mile. What I like about Ron Paul is the fact he wants to get rid of the Federal Reserve and let the people control the money supply.

 

That view must come across as extreme to the other candidates. Even though they might have poo pooed him as a serious contender before, they have to be taking him seriously now. I used to think this country wasn't ready for anyone as forward-thinking as Congressman Ron Paul, but now with Iowans clearly in his corner, maybe his time is now.

Sure, Michele Bachmann won, but does she have the moxie to go up against charismatic Gov. Rick Perry who just entered the race? Honestly, lack of charisma could eventually be Paul's undoing. Let's face it. The guy isn't all that flashy on camera. And to me, that's a good thing. Because in my opinion, charm got Barack Obama into the White House, not substance. So finding a polar opposite to the white teeth and movie star looks is a refreshing change. But can you win a campaign without a little camera presence? I'm not sure.

Perry is pro-business, but he's not the businessman Paul personifies. Still, you can't overlook what the governor's done in Texas as far as balancing the budget and creating jobs. I know, opponents claim he had nothing to do with it. Texas is an energy-rich state. Sure, but there are plenty of other highly productive states that still can't seem to balance their budgets. It will be interesting to see how these two Texans battle it out in the coming months.

Was Perry smart to avoid the Iowa straw poll? Absolutely. He took the wind out of the sails of all the candidates tromping around the fairgrounds. Mitt Romney may still be the front-runner, but you have to admit Paul grabbed the momentum and I'm hoping ... won't let go. And just maybe the other candidates will learn; and chime in on Paul's anti-big government stance, instead of reverting back to typical mainstream responses.

 

Bachmann on Gays

Bachmann says she isn’t running to judge gays | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

One day after winning the Iowa straw poll, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann hedged on NBC's "Meet the Press" when host David Gregory asked about her past criticism of homosexuality.

 

Gregory played a 2004 clip of Bachmann addressing the National Education Conference when she stated that being gay is "a very sad life."

"It's part of Satan, I think, to say that this is 'gay.' It's anything but 'gay.'" She also stated that the gay lifestyle is "bondage" that leads to "personal enslavement of individuals" and is "dangerous." But she also encouraged compassion for those dealing with what she identifies as a "sexual dysfunction."

Gregory asked if these would be Bachmann's views on gays were she to win the presidency. But she dodged the question, saying "Well, I am running for the presidency of the United States. I am not running to be anyone's judge."

 Gregory pressed Bachmann, suggesting that she has, in fact, judged gays. But the congresswoman defended herself, saying of gays "I don't judge them," and adding that she accords "honor and dignity" to every person.

She also avoided Gregory's questions regarding how she believes gay Americans will react to statements such as the ones she made in 2004 to the National Education Conference. She did not offer a direct answer when Gregory asked if she would appoint someone who is openly gay to her administration, cabinet or as a federal judge, saying her litmus test for appointees would be an assessment of their constitutional principles.

Bachmann stressed her opposition to gay marriage during the interview but would not offer an opinion of a family with two gay parents.

 

Apartment Size Around The World [Infographic] | View photo - Yahoo! News

average floor space newly built homes in Indonesia (big cities sucj as Jakarta and Bandung) is 36 meter square...:(

Rick Perry and Mitt Romney

Despite Bachmann’s success, the real GOP race is now Perry vs. Romney | Exclusive - Yahoo! News

 

Until now, the biggest question looming over the 2012 Republican primary was who would emerge as the leading alternative to the nominal front-runner, Mitt Romney.

We now know the answer to that question: Rick Perry.

Sure, Perry jumped into the race only one day ago and needs to prove he's worthy of the national stage. Yes, Michele Bachmann is the one who boxed Tim Pawlenty out of the race with her triumph in the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday.

But it is the governor of the great big state of Texas, not the Minnesota congresswoman, who poses the biggest threat to Romney from here on out. That's because Perry boasts that killer combination of assets: the power to grab hold of voters -- which Bachmann shares -- plus a concrete record of creating jobs. It's the rhetoric plus the results, the inspiration layered on top of the perspiration.

(RELATED: Governor Pawlenty vs. Candidate Pawlenty)

The void in Bachmann's resume was laid bare in Thursday's Fox News debate, when she cited the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act'' as one of her biggest accomplishments. In an interview on Sunday with CNN's Candy Crowley, all she could point to was her education reform agenda as a state lawmaker in Minnesota.

"The Republican nominee and the next president of the United States is going to be Rick Perry or Mitt Romney,'' said Fred Malek, a top Republican money man who ran George H.W. Bush's 1992 campaign. "Michele Bachmann has struck a real chord on the issues important to conservatives, but what we need is a governor with proven record of job creation, deficit reduction, and other accomplishments.''

A member of the House has not been crowned a party nominee since James Garfield in 1880. Bachmann's victory in a mock, Midwestern election dominated by the fringes of the Republican Party only served to highlight her narrow appeal. In contrast, both Perry and Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, have won statewide elections with Democratic and independent votes.

(RELATED: Obama's economy—or not?)

Mounting anger with President Obama over the economy's woes makes it unlikely that voters will take another chance on a crowd-rousing lawmaker who lacks executive experience.

"Republicans feel that if we lose the election, we lose the country,'' said Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist for George W. Bush who advised Romney's 2008 campaign. "We are not going to nominate somebody who has no chance of winning enough votes to defeat Barack Obama.''

The Romney-Perry showdown seemed unlikely months ago, but came to the fore in recent weeks as Pawlenty continued to fizzle and Perry lined up donors and strategists. Pawlenty's exit on Sunday and Perry's announcement on Saturday just made the two-man race official.

Bachmann defeated Pawlenty because she managed to make him look weak, a feat she is unlikely to engineer with the swaggering three-term governor of Texas.

(RELATED: President Obama's path to reelection narrows)

As for the rest of the field, few people outside of Jon Huntsman's campaign can envision his path to the nomination. Ron Paul is a cult figure, not a party standard-bearer. Rick Santorum beat expectations in the straw poll, but his main role in the race has been to needle the other candidates.

The next potential watershed in the rapidly changing race will be the debate sponsored by NBC News and Politico in Simi Valley, Calif., the first time Perry will be lined up next to his rivals on national television. Two more debates in two weeks, both in Florida, will keep the candidates on their toes.

"The real question for Perry is how he adjusts to being an official presidential candidate, because it's unlike anything else,'' said Republican strategist Jim Dyke. "It exposes candidates in ways they couldn't have fathomed or trained for. It's something you can't teach.''

Romney has already started pivoting toward Perry in recent days, emphasizing his success as a corporate executive above all else. Perry can't point to experience in the private sector. While Romney would never have wished for a challenger as potentially formidable as Perry, he will be a much tougher nominee in the general election if he is able to defeat Perry, just as Obama was strengthened by his epic primary battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008.

 

Rick Perry and Mitt Romney

Despite Bachmann’s success, the real GOP race is now Perry vs. Romney | Exclusive - Yahoo! News

 

Until now, the biggest question looming over the 2012 Republican primary was who would emerge as the leading alternative to the nominal front-runner, Mitt Romney.

We now know the answer to that question: Rick Perry.

Sure, Perry jumped into the race only one day ago and needs to prove he's worthy of the national stage. Yes, Michele Bachmann is the one who boxed Tim Pawlenty out of the race with her triumph in the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday.

But it is the governor of the great big state of Texas, not the Minnesota congresswoman, who poses the biggest threat to Romney from here on out. That's because Perry boasts that killer combination of assets: the power to grab hold of voters -- which Bachmann shares -- plus a concrete record of creating jobs. It's the rhetoric plus the results, the inspiration layered on top of the perspiration.

(RELATED: Governor Pawlenty vs. Candidate Pawlenty)

The void in Bachmann's resume was laid bare in Thursday's Fox News debate, when she cited the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act'' as one of her biggest accomplishments. In an interview on Sunday with CNN's Candy Crowley, all she could point to was her education reform agenda as a state lawmaker in Minnesota.

"The Republican nominee and the next president of the United States is going to be Rick Perry or Mitt Romney,'' said Fred Malek, a top Republican money man who ran George H.W. Bush's 1992 campaign. "Michele Bachmann has struck a real chord on the issues important to conservatives, but what we need is a governor with proven record of job creation, deficit reduction, and other accomplishments.''

A member of the House has not been crowned a party nominee since James Garfield in 1880. Bachmann's victory in a mock, Midwestern election dominated by the fringes of the Republican Party only served to highlight her narrow appeal. In contrast, both Perry and Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, have won statewide elections with Democratic and independent votes.

(RELATED: Obama's economy—or not?)

Mounting anger with President Obama over the economy's woes makes it unlikely that voters will take another chance on a crowd-rousing lawmaker who lacks executive experience.

"Republicans feel that if we lose the election, we lose the country,'' said Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist for George W. Bush who advised Romney's 2008 campaign. "We are not going to nominate somebody who has no chance of winning enough votes to defeat Barack Obama.''

The Romney-Perry showdown seemed unlikely months ago, but came to the fore in recent weeks as Pawlenty continued to fizzle and Perry lined up donors and strategists. Pawlenty's exit on Sunday and Perry's announcement on Saturday just made the two-man race official.

Bachmann defeated Pawlenty because she managed to make him look weak, a feat she is unlikely to engineer with the swaggering three-term governor of Texas.

(RELATED: President Obama's path to reelection narrows)

As for the rest of the field, few people outside of Jon Huntsman's campaign can envision his path to the nomination. Ron Paul is a cult figure, not a party standard-bearer. Rick Santorum beat expectations in the straw poll, but his main role in the race has been to needle the other candidates.

The next potential watershed in the rapidly changing race will be the debate sponsored by NBC News and Politico in Simi Valley, Calif., the first time Perry will be lined up next to his rivals on national television. Two more debates in two weeks, both in Florida, will keep the candidates on their toes.

"The real question for Perry is how he adjusts to being an official presidential candidate, because it's unlike anything else,'' said Republican strategist Jim Dyke. "It exposes candidates in ways they couldn't have fathomed or trained for. It's something you can't teach.''

Romney has already started pivoting toward Perry in recent days, emphasizing his success as a corporate executive above all else. Perry can't point to experience in the private sector. While Romney would never have wished for a challenger as potentially formidable as Perry, he will be a much tougher nominee in the general election if he is able to defeat Perry, just as Obama was strengthened by his epic primary battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008.

 

Modern society doesn't encourage us to speak to each other face to face

 | Mail Online

 

they want a friendship service because they can no longer make friends in the traditional ways.'

She added: 'Without realising it, our society no longer provides one of the basic functions that keeps it working. The everyday contact, courtesies and kindnesses which turn into friendship and knit us together have been allowed to disappear in favour of efficiency.

'Modern society doesn't encourage us to speak to each other face to face and as a result, loneliness levels are soaring to crisis point and set to get even worse.

'Personal service in banks and shops is practically a thing of the past... even the listening ear of the supermarket checkout person is being replaced by a do-it-yourself machine.

'Technology is forcing people to live in their own little isolated bubbles. The young, hunched over the virtual world of their computers are often as lonely as the older generation sat in front of their TVs, if not more so.

'Never before have people had so little human contact. The "Friends" generation depicted by the TV series is a fallacy.'

Evenings and weekends can be particularly bleak. Three-quarters of over-50s say their main source of company in the evening is the TV - 86 per cent of those who live alone - followed by the phone (28 per cent).

Even half of young people say their main source of company in the evenings is their TV rather than going out and having fun with friends.

 

Waitress scams bad tippers

| Bankrate.com

 

Three people have been arrested as part of an investigation into allegations of credit card skimming at a local restaurant in New Port Richey, Fla.

According to a press statement, the Pasco County sheriff's office has charged a waitress at a Mugs 'N Jugs with criminal use of personal identification information, and charged several of the waitress' known associates with scheming to defraud, possession of a card scanning device and fraudulent use of credit cards.

The waitress allegedly used a hand-sized electronic skimming device to scan customers' credit cards without their knowledge or consent. She then, according to the allegations, gave the information to an associate, who allegedly obtained additional personal financial information and account numbers and manufactured fake credit cards. Other associates then allegedly used the fake cards to make purchases at local retailers. The goods were later sold for cash, according to local news reports.

The alleged scam appears to have been relatively prosaic and petty, at least in the colloquial sense, as so far only nine people have reported losses totaling just $5,753. That's not to suggest that hundred- or thousand-dollar losses are insignificant to the victims, but rather that major financial crimes can involve millions of dollars or more.

Still, the small scam is noteworthy for one peculiar aspect: According to news reports, the waitress allegedly targeted customers who made her work too hard at the restaurant or who, in her opinion, didn't tip generously enough. That's a cautionary tale for restaurant diners and a good reminder to practice safe credit card habits:

• Try to use credit and debit cards only at reputable merchants.
• If in doubt, pay cash.
• Watch out for red flags, such as a credit card that's taken out of your sight for a too-long period of time.
• Monitor your credit card statement for fraudulent transactions.
• Report any unauthorized use of a credit card to the card issuer as soon as possible.

 

Five keys to the Republican debate in Iowa

Factbox: - Yahoo! News

 

Eight Republican presidential hopefuls will debate in Iowa Thursday, hoping to generate momentum two days before a closely watched straw poll that will test their campaigns' strength.

Here are keys to the Republicans' debate in a state that in February will hold the first caucus of the primary season determining who will become the party's presidential nominee to run in November 2012 against Democratic President Barack Obama.

Will Michele Bachmann have staying power?

A staunch fiscal, social and religious conservative, the Minnesota congresswoman joined the upper tier of candidates after a strong performance in the Republicans' first major debate on June 13.

Despite the perception that many of her views are outside the mainstream -- her husband owns a counseling business that has sought to "cure" homosexuals -- Bachmann has scored political points by making sharp statements against Obama and staunchly opposing efforts to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

A Tea Party favorite, Bachmann may need to score points in Iowa in the debate as well as the Ames straw poll. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is also popular with Tea Party voters, is expected to make his plans for the White House clear during an appearance in South Carolina Saturday.

Who will want to repeat -- or eat -- their words?

A strong performance, or clever one-liners, could boost a candidate before the straw poll in Ames Saturday. But a weak performance or verbal gaffe could dim any hopeful's chances, and haunt them throughout the campaign.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the candidates with thinner support -- such as Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich -- are most likely to make statements designed to get noticed.

"Expect the wildest jabs and the most outrageous statements from them. They know the clock is ticking in the winnowing process. That's what Iowa's for: not to pick the eventual nominee but to narrow the field," he wrote in a debate preview.

Will Pawlenty get tough?

Pawlenty is mired at the bottom in opinion polls, and needs a strong performance in Iowa to resuscitate his campaign.

Strategists say the former Minnesota governor has come across as "too nice," especially during the June debate when he was slammed for failing to go after Mitt Romney, considered the Republican front-runner.

He has changed his tune of late by saying his "Minnesota nice" image does not mean he will not be a tough campaigner.

One sign of that toughness would be whether Pawlenty attempts to score points against his fellow Minnesotan Bachmann. He had expected the backing of the social conservatives who play a strong role in the Iowa caucuses, but Bachmann has emerged as their favorite due to her outspoken opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

How will the field attack "presidential" Romney?

Romney is participating in the debate but skipping the straw poll -- an unofficial mock election that gauges candidates' ability to gather, and pay for, supporters -- in an acknowledgment of his weakness with Iowa's core Republicans. They consider the former Massachusetts governor too moderate.

The fund-raising leader, Romney has been taking on the mantle of presumed nominee by issuing attacks on Obama and statements on national and international issues rather than attacking the other Republican candidates.

Thursday's debate gives the rest of the field a rare chance to have at Romney face-to-face, and observers will be watching closely to see what his fellow Republicans pick as Romney's weaknesses or whether they opt to lay off him, which could strengthen has position as field leader.

Will Huntsman gain traction?

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has failed to gain traction since he announced he was running in June. Huntsman, who was Obama's ambassador to China and considered a moderate among the Republican field, is not competing in Iowa, whose caucuses are dominated by the party's conservative branch.

A strong debate showing could translate into badly needed name recognition for him.

(Writing by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

 

Which Governor Has the Best Record ?

With Rick Perry in the Race, Which Governor Has the Best Record? - ABC News

Rick Perry's entrance to the presidential field means a fourth sitting or former governor has entered the field. The nine announced GOP presidential candidates run the gamut when it comes to their political backgrounds. Three served in the U.S. House, one served in the Senate, one has never held elected office.

Governors can tout their executive experience, which voters in recent years have responded well to. Recent presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton were governors before entering the White House.

The newest addition to the ever-expanding circle of presidential contenders is Texas Gov. Perry, the longest-serving governor in state history. For Perry, who will officially announce his presidential bid on Saturday, accomplishment No. 1 is job creation.

Over the past year, Texas' job growth was twice the national average. In fact, of all the jobs created since June 2009, 30 percent – about 295,000 jobs – were created in Texas, according to a report from the Dallas Federal Reserve which analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"It's a pretty large number no matter which way you look at it," said Mine Yucel, vice president and senior economist at the Dallas Federal Reserve. "Texas has added a disproportionate share of jobs and it has grown faster than the rest of the U.S."

 

Darren Carroll/Getty Images

Governor Rick Perry poses for a portrait at... View Full Size

Yucel said much of this job growth can be attributed to Texas' low tax rate – the state has no income tax -- few regulations and a law limiting tort litigation. Texas, according to Perry, is the "epicenter of growth."

But Lis Smith, spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association, said Texas's lower unemployment rates have less to do with Perry's policies and more to do with Texas's natural resources.

"Rick Perry has touted the Texas miracle, but it's more like the Texas tall tale," said Smith. "Just remember that the growth he talks about has been driven by factors he didn't control like rising oil prices and increased military spending."

The Texas unemployment rate has been below the national average for his entire decade-long tenure. The most recent jobs report showed that at 8.2 percent the Texas unemployment rate was 1 percentage point lower than the national average.

"Someone had put a report out that the first state that's coming out of the recession is going to be the state of Texas ... I said, 'We're in one?'" Perry said in September 2009.

Still, 25 states had a lower unemployment rate in June 2011 than Texas, including Pawlenty's state of Minnesota in which 6.7 percent of the population is unemployed.

And while Minnesota's unemployment has now dropped off from its peak of 8.3 percent in 2010, the state was plagued by budget struggles while Pawlenty was governor.

Pawlenty took office in 2003 when the state's budget was facing a $2 billion shortfall. Within his first year as governor Moody's rating agency downgraded Minnesota from a perfect AAA credit rating to AA1, one step lower, citing short-term fixes to long-term budget woes as the reason for the downgrade.

"Pawlenty came in with a structural deficit and he basically managed that structural deficit but never solved it," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota.

 

Damian Rzeszowska

Jersey: Six people stabbed to death inside St Helier house | Mail Online

Six people, including two children, have been stabbed to death during a domestic incident in Jersey.
The two children were killed alongside two men and a woman, while a sixth person died in hospital following an incident at a flat in Victoria Crescent, St Helier.
Police were called to the incident at the flat at around 3pm following reports of the multiple stabbing.
Eyewitness Andre Thorpe said he arrived in the street at about 3pm this afternoon.

He said: 'For Jersey it was a major incident. Two ambulances turned up first because it was within a quarter of mile of the ambulance station. Then four or five police vehicles came.

'They were trying to access a private house in the crescent. It was an old Victorian terrace, a lot of them are split into flats.

'I saw police come running out with a child, it was a small child, I just saw the legs. They went off in an ambulance.

'When the paramedic came back her shirt was covered in blood.

Mr Thorpe also said he saw police taking a dog round various driveways.

He added that the area where the incident happened was quite secluded and not on a main road.

He said: 'You have to drive up a dead end to get in, you would not happen to be passing. I was in the area collecting a friend's car.

'I was first aware something was happening when I saw people looking out for the ambulances as I walked up the road.'

Why Rick Perry is headed to the White House - CNN.com

As a resident of Texas for 36 years, I keep wondering why the rest of the nation pays any attention to our political and cultural absurdities and yet still chooses Texans as presidents. Our most revered historical moment, the Alamo, was arguably a mass suicide. The slaughter in San Antonio was followed by a massacre at Goliad, the fall of the Confederacy to Union forces, and later by the Houston Astros. Texas has a legacy of losing.

None of this apparently matters, though, because America is beginning the process of electing another Texan to be president. Gigantic tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, a trumped up war and a ruined economy from the last Texan seem incapable of dissuading supporters of Rick Perry.

His Saturday speech in South Carolina will make clear that he is entering the race for the White House and will spawn the ugliest and most expensive presidential race in U.S. history, and he will win. A C and D student, who hates to govern, loves to campaign, and barely has a sixth grader's understanding of economics, will lead our nation into oblivion.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Politics: Rick Perry surges in poll

The big brains gathered east of the Hudson and Potomac Rivers believe that Mitt Romney is the candidate to beat. But they are unable to hear what Rick Perry is saying. The Christian prayer rally in Houston was a very loud proclamation to fundamentalists and Teavangelicals, which said, "I am not a Mormon." The far right and Christian fundamentalists have an inordinate amount of influence in the GOP primary process and, regardless of messages of inclusion, very few of them will vote for a Mormon.

"We think a them Mormons as bein' in kind of a cult," one of the Houston rally attendees told me. "I couldn't vote for one a them when we got a real Christian like Governor Perry runnin'."

Perry, of course, can't come right out and print bumper stickers that say, "Rick Perry -- 2012 -- Not a Mormon." But he doesn't have to. He's wearing his faith like a power tie while Romney stays quiet as a tabernacle mouse on the topic of religion. Romney has business experience and intellect that are not on Perry's resume' but he is from "Massatoositts," (Webster's Texas Edition, see also "Massachusetts"), and Texans love to kick their political boots into New Englanders' squishy parts. Perry is about to remind the tea partiers and fundamentalists that Romney created a state health care plan, (the horror, affordable health care for everyone), believes global warming is real, and has a troubling history for conservatives on the matters of abortion and gay marriage.

So much for Mitt.

Moore: Perry could get GOP nomination

Praying away the bad economy

The audacity of Sarah Palin

A C and D student, who hates to govern, loves to campaign, and barely has a sixth grader's understanding of economics, will lead our nation into oblivion.
--James Moore

Michele Bachmann, who is from Iowa, and is Perry in Prada, has the same appeal among Teavangelicals. Her husband's reparative gay therapy sessions, the Newsweek cover and a few speeches that were not reality based will, eventually, make even the GOP primary voters realize she is bound for the desert and not the Promised Land.

Bachman will run close to Perry in Iowa but will disappear into the snows of New Hampshire where religious fervor isn't exactly considered a positive attribute. In South Carolina, Perry's money, image and support will become overwhelming.

Romney and Bachmann are the only serious impediments to the Perry nomination. Ron Paul, who makes more sense than any crazy person to ever run for public office, has never been able to expand his cult to the mainstream.

Herman Cain is too brutally honest and lacking political experience, and Tim Pawlenty, what's-his-face-from-Minnesota, suffers from the heartbreak of ineffectuality.

Fueled only by speculation that he might announce, Perry became the putative front-runner (heard that word at a fancy Washington restaurant and thought it was cool). Because presidential politics tend to be more visceral than intellectual, Perry's coyote-killer good looks, $2,000 hand-tooled cowboy boots, supernova smile and Armani suits, combined with podium skills to embellish the mythology of Texas, all will create a product Americans will want to believe and buy.

After he wins the nomination, protocol will require Perry to have discussions with Bachmann about the vice presidential slot, but he will, eventually, turn to Sarah Palin. The general election will force the Texan back toward the middle and he will stop talking about faith and abortion and gay marriage; Perry will campaign on jobs and the economy.

Palin, who is loved by the tea party as much as Perry, will keep the Teavangelicals animated while he tries to talk to the adults to win the election on a single issue: the economy, stupiderest!!! (Forget about Rudy Giuliani; the GOP cannot win New York, don't need it to take the election and Giuliani is wrong on gay marriage for this ticket).

Bennett: Make-or-break time for GOP field

The general election will, quite literally, decide the fate of a nation. Every time Team Obama criticizes the Texas economy for its minimum wage job boom, the president will be accused of attacking the working men and women of America. (Texas has created a large share of the new jobs in the United States in the last decade but studies indicate many of them are at places like Wal-Mart and Carl's Jr.)

President Obama will also get beaten up for presiding over the first bond rating downgrade in U.S. history as well as high unemployment. When the cold rains fall in early November next year, unemployed voters in places like Ohio will step into the booth and dream of a minimum wage job in the Texas sun selling fishing rods at big box sporting goods stores or working in call centers; they will vote against Barack Obama.

And in the process, they will write the epitaph to set upon the tombstone of history's greatest democracy: Perry-Palin, 2012.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Moore.

 

Snaptu: Top 10 ethical fashion ideas

For a unique take on the world of fashion, sign up to the Guardian's fashion email and get all the latest news delivered straight to your inbox

Follow us on Twitter or befriend us on Facebook

FASHION DILEMMA

Can fashion be a force for good?

It…

Click here to read the full story

--
This email was sent to you from Snaptu mobile application.