Kilt makers turn to Eskimos

Scottish sporran industry rescued by ESKIMOS after lawyers find loophole in EU sealskin ban

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:53 AM on 20th September 2010

Kiltmakers are turning to Eskimos to beat a Brussels threat to sporrans.

The EU last month banned products made from sealskin - the traditional source of leather for the Highland kit.

But kilt firms found a legal loophole that could allow them to use hides supplied by the Arctic's Yupik and Inuit people.

Kilt saviour: A Canadian Inuit hunter in a kayak throws a harpoon at a seal

They are exempted from the import ban because seal-hunting is part of their culture.

Ian Chisholm of the Scottish Kiltmakers' Association said: ‘We may be able to use skins if they have been hunted as part of traditional culture.’

He said if the deal is approved it will be a ‘lifesaver’ for the industry.

Sporrans have been made from sealskin since the 18th century.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313562/Eskimos-rescue-Scottish-sporran-industry-EU-bans-sealskin.html#ixzz1056RMf1O

Tigers found at 13,000 feet.

Escape from extinction: Tigers found thriving 13,000ft above sea level in the Himalayas

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:46 PM on 20th September 2010

Less than a week after the shocking estimate that there are less than 3,500 tigers left in the wild, there is fresh hope for the beautiful beasts.

A few seconds of film showing tigers roaming wild in the foothills of the Himalayas could provide the 'missing link' to an ambitious plan to try to save the endangered species from extinction.

According to the latest conservation reports there are only 1,000 females of breeding age remaining on the planet - and they could become extinct within 15 years.

The film is the first real evidence that tigers can thrive - and breed - in the hills which are more than 13,000 feet above sea level.

Secret cameras: A male Bengal tiger captured on film for the documentary, Lost Land of the Tiger

It offers hope to conservationists who have developed an ambitious plan to link up isolated tiger populations across Asia with a 'corridor' where they are safe from humans.

A team from the BBC Natural History Unit captured the images using hidden cameras wedged into gullies and trees over six weeks during an expedition to Bhutan.

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan said he was reduced to tears the first time he saw the footage.

He said: 'It was beyond words, pretty overwhelming.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313571/Hope-tigers-How-new-footage-Himalayas-raises-hopes-survival-species.html#ixzz1054DRKzT

Venice buildings are offended.

Behind Venice’s Ads, the Restoration of Its Heritage

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO

Published: September 18, 2010

VENICE — Legend has it that the Bridge of Sighs, which connects the Palazzo Ducale here to an ancient prison, got its name because it gave convicts on the way to serve their sentences a last glimpse of the limpid lagoon.

Elisabetta Povoledo for The International Herald Tribune

Billboards went up this summer in the historic and touristic heart of Venice, angering many Venetians. The structures the advertisements are on are also the beneficiaries of the signs’ revenue.

The view today, however, is more likely to be a gargantuan billboard on a blue sky of tarpaulin touting Bulgari or Coca-Cola.

Behind the cloud-studded blue are the facades of fragile monuments under restoration; those structures are also the beneficiaries of the advertising revenue.

But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings that abut the Piazza San Marco — the historic and, perhaps more to the point, touristic, heart of Venice — there was an explosion from outraged Venetians.

“We couldn’t stay quiet,” said Maria Camilla Bianchini d’Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association. “Too much is too much.” Her organization, the Fondo Ambiente Italiano, denounced the intrusiveness of the ads, setting off the public debate.

“What’s missing is a set of criteria that makes the advertising compatible with the environment so that the buildings are not offended, and so that they are still visible,” she said.

Woman jailed for low-riding shorts

A New Orleans woman was jailed for ten days after she went to court in low-riding shorts which revealed her underwear.

Kimberly Senette, 23, had only gone to court to urge her brother Lawrence Senette, 18, to accept a plea deal.

But Judge Steve Windhorst took a dim view of her revealing outfit and locked her up for contempt of court, reports the Times-Picayune newspaper.

Miss Senette was wearing knee-length shorts which revealed her pants and the top of her buttocks, according to a witness.

When Judge Windhorst questioned her appearance, she said she had to remove her belt when going through a security checkpoint at the courtroom entrance.

She ended up being handcuffed and seated a row behind her brother as he eventually accepted a 12-year prison sentence in exchange for his guilty plea to carjacking and battery charges.

"It certainly is not unheard of for a judge to hold a person in contempt for disruptive or disorderly dress in court," said Dane Ciolino, a Loyola University law professor

London Fashion Week....

London Fashion Week: Costelloe kicks off with a mini adventure

Karen Dacre
17.09.10

The Dublin-born designer focused on short dresses. Some of them, inspired by “the Twenties and a hint of rock and roll”, were detailed with shimmering metallic weaves; others featured oversized bows and quilted structured shoulders. Cute sundresses with cut-out panels were printed with florals and finished with metallic embroidery and brocade jackets and gilets had a distinctly biker feel. The palette also seemed to lend itself to a younger clientele, with peppermint and sugar pink on skirts and dresses and jackets in cream and gunmetal grey.Paul Costelloe's label is best known for dressing mothers-of-the bride — but he started off

 London Fashion Week today with a new collection that was very much for the young.

   

Costelloe described his customers as “slim, trim and intelligent” — in contrast with New York Fashion Week's celebration of the fuller figure.
However, the designer, now in his sixties, did not entirely forget his loyal fans who go to him for classic coats and serious suiting.

Cyclists to go electric

Cyclists to go electric with Olympics Boris bikes

Matthew Beard and Mark Prigg
17.09.10

The German car manufacturer aims to supply hundreds of electric bikes in addition to its £40 million sponsorship of the London Games. Mr Johnson is in talks to keep the bikes in a move to low-emission public transport.
The Mayor tested the prototype bike on a factfinding mission to Munich where it is being developed by BMW.Boris Johnson is giving London's cyclists even more encouragement with plans to introduce hundreds of electric bikes for the 2012 Olympics.

Discussions are expected to focus on the feasibility of docking stations around the city in a cut-price deal that would give BMW free advertising. It is not clear whether the cycles would use the Boris bike payment system.

Secrecy surrounds the design of the fold-up bike — described by insiders as the “gold standard of electric bikes” — which has a range of 25 kilometres before it needs re-charging.

Mr Johnson said: “By the time of the London Olympics I want to see more bikes on the streets of London — including electric bikes. It's a very exciting prospect.”

The Games will also trigger the second £81 million phase of the Boris bikes, aroundCanary Wharf and the Olympic Park.

BMW said: “We are very keen to bring the bikes to London but it is early days. We will have to see what happens after the Games as any deal to buy them up might be expensive.”

For richer or poorer...

The £199 wedding... Budget hotel chain offers UK's cheapest marriage package including bride and groom outfits and buffet reception

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:59 PM on 18th September 2010

Couples worried about forking out thousands on their wedding can now get married at a budget hotel - for just £199.

The wedding, thought to be the cheapest ever for an entire package, has gone on offer for couples unable to afford the average bill of £21,000 - and even includes a best man's speech template.

The bargain basement deal  - offered by hotel chain Premier Inn - also provides the bride's dress and groom's suit, confetti for the guests, a buffet reception for up to 20 guests and the wedding cake.

Cheap and cheerful: Couple's get a two-night stay included in the £199 wedding package

The newlyweds even get a two-night honeymoon at the venue, including dinner, bed and breakfast, sparkling wine, chocolates and the marital bed strewn with rose petals. 

WHAT YOU GET FOR £199

• Wedding dress and groom's suit from Asda
• Wedding cake from Asda
• Buffet reception for 20 people
• Pyjamas from Primark
• Confetti
• Best man's speech template
• Two-night honeymoon at the Premier Inn - including breakfast, sparkling wine, chocolates and rose petal strewn marital bed

And the happy couple do not even have to remember to bring their pyjamas as the hotel provides them nightwear from budget clothes shop Primark.

Guests at the reception will have to content themselves with just one alcoholic beverage over the course of the celebration, as will the bride and groom on each night of the honeymoon.

Just 10 couples will be able to take advantage of the offer, which is running at five hotels within the chain  - Warrington, Swansea, Sheffield, Wigan and Barnsley - from November 1 to December 23.

But a spokeswoman insisted the deal would be extended if the hotel received positive feedback from wedding guests.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313181/UKs-cheapest-wedding-package-goes-sale-199-budget-hotel-chain.html#ixzz0zyyVJZSZ