TREND.i.e - Prepping Up Olympic Athletes with Polo Ralph Lauren

To improve the image of America and their athletes, Polo Ralph Lauren has been selected to be the official "outfitter" of the US team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, consisting of 1,500 athletes. The previous "outfitter," Canadian apparel company Roots Ltd. appeared too casual for official representation of United States, so they're upping the ante with preppy polos and vest sweaters.

The Wall Street Journal says that "The preppy styles Polo is making for the athletes to wear in the Opening and Closing ceremonies and in the Olympic Village will mark a departure from sporty outfits that the American team has worn in recent years, such as retro ski jackets inspired by vintage Ducati motorcycle ads that were worn in Turin, Italy, in 2006."

If it does prove successful and have a high revenue return, this initiative will be applied to the "Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010, the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, and beyond."

via WSJ

NEWS.i.e Red Bull and Coke = Party!

Got a tip that Red Bull will be launching a line of Red Bull Colas in June for $1.49 a can. It will be debuted in Vegas, made available in bars, clubs, restaurants and stores and claims to be the purest carbonated drink out there.

"Unlike Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Red Bull Cola will be 100% natural and command a premium price. Its formula will consist of kola nut and coca leaf." - Brandweek

via PaperMag

TREND.i.e - Kooba Sale

Girls, don't miss this opportunity. Kooba is discounting their collection of handbags, shoulder bags and clutches. Being that this is my favorite line of bags, I'm so upset that it's during work hours and in mid-town. Try not to miss this sale if you can.

What: Kooba - Discounts on handbags, shoulder bags and clutches
When: Tuesday, April 8th through Friday, April 11th from 10am—6pm.
Where: 261 W 36th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves, second floor

via racked

Thoughts on Stop-Loss

Call it a breach of contract, involuntary servitude, or a backdoor draft, whatever way you look at it, soldiers are forced to put their lives in danger against their will. The movie Stop-Loss, had failed at the box office, attracting only vets to relive the frightful memories. But it succeeded at telling a real-life story of not only hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were stop-lossed, but of millions suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) as a result of this horrendous and pointless war.

Stop-Loss, a term applied to contracts across many fields. But in military terms, it means:

“Orders that authorize the military to suspend nearly all discharges, transfers, and retirements, and to retain soldiers at Army’s disposal. As troop strength is strained by activity in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of active-duty soldiers and reservists are forced to remain in uniform after fulfilling the terms of their contracts. Many could be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for second or third tours of combat.” – Boston Globe

Three days after September 11th, and 11 times since, President Bush charged numerous troops back to duty, to avoid an unpopular draft. Either way, Bush is damned if he did, damned that he didn’t.

“The stop-loss policy is wrong; it runs contrary to the concept of the volunteer military set up in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.” – NYTimes

Voice of America (VoA) states that “during the Vietnam War, a soldier only had to do one tour of duty. Soldiers today are sometimes sent back for three or four tours. So they're subjected to multiple threats to their livelihood.”

Something that the movie describes all too well, is the state of the soldiers returning from deployment, adjusting to civilian life, starting life from scratch because their services don’t translate well to cubicle environment. Some continue to sleep with their fan on, as they did in the bunkers to muffle the noise of bombs and helicopters, some react as drastically as they were taught, kill or be killed, and some lose perception of reality altogether.

VoA also adds that as a result of PTSD we’ll “see an explosion of domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse, because there are no resources to take care of these soldiers when they come home. It's just not there."

Anyway, check out the movie Stop-Loss and see if you agree with the reviews:

Rolling Stone
Here's the first major movie of the new year that touches greatness, and damn if there isn't a curse hanging over it.

TIME Magazine
As a nation, we owe them more than they owe us -- as this painfully necessary and heartfelt movie makes abundantly clear.

Detroit News
There's a keen and ugly sense of anguish to Stop-Loss, a caged sense of powerlessness beyond political outrage that makes this film far and away the most effective effort yet at capturing the frustration of the war in Iraq.

New Yorker
Stop-Loss is not a great movie, but it’s forceful, effective, and alive, with the raw, mixed-up emotions produced by an endless war -- a time when the patriotism of military families is in danger of being exploited beyond endurance.

NEWS.i.e Bloom Offered Another Trilogy - Prince of Persia

If you didn't get enough of Orlando Bloom in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, you're in luck. He has just been offered $40Million to play the lead role in Disney's adaptation of the popular computer game, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, stretched out into a trilogy. The first of the series will be directed by Jerry Bruckheimer starting this July in Morocco.


via contactmusic

NEWS.i.e. Starbucks Brewing a Surprise for April 8th

TREND.i.e. - Gossip Girl Sale

What: Lorick - Wholesale prices on the chic dresses and separates made famous by TV show Gossip Girl
When: Saturday, April 5th from noon—6pm.
Where: 676 Broadway between Bond and Great Jones Sts, second floor (212-529-1407)

image via instyle
via racked

American Idol Cast-off

Poor Ramiele Malubay went home this week, and rightfully so. Personally, she didn't listen to the judges, had poor song selections, lost her oomph after Hollywood week, and impressed NO ONE. However, whatever KLC - Kristy Leigh Cook is doing is unfortunately working. But I guess we'll see just how far middle America will take her. My bets are on Michael Johns, David Cook and Carly Smithson. That's when it'll be hard to see them go one by one...

NEWS.i.e. Let there be cellphones - Cuba

To everyone's surprise, Raul Castro of Cuba, is not as harsh as he was presumed to be. He's so cool, that he's letting his citizens to have the right to have a cellphone, if they can afford it. Not only that, but now you're allowed to have a microwave, DVD player, computers, and the right to stay at tourist hotels on the island. On a salary that averages $20 a month, I'm not sure how it's possible to afford such necessary products. However, it's the first step of loosening the tight restrictions, that makes people see the light at the end of the tunnel and welcome the change. It will take a whole lot more to fix Cuba, then a lift on a microwave.

"Cuba's government had previously forbidden the sale of consumer products under the argument that they consumed too much electricity." -CNN

Here are the opinions on this subject from major commentators:

The Miami Herald - Carlos Alberto Montaner

“Raúl understands the importance of material incentives” to make people work harder. But he will still “fail as a leader.” Brother Fidel just exercised his “permanent veto” over a “minor” proposal to facilitate Cuban travel abroad, and he will use it on other “sensible” reforms, too. The larger problem, though, is that Cuba’s economic system is “intrinsically unproductive.”

Investor’s Business Daily

Cellphones and toasters aren’t going to give Cubans what they really need. They need “real economic freedom.” Even poor people in India and Indonesia have access to “consumer technology,” because they have the “economic liberty” to earn real cash. Dangling generally unaffordable “consumer offerings” before the people is merely the act of “a new dictator seeking to win some popularity.”

The Atlantic - Matthew Yglesias

Allowing cellphones and other goods is "hardly the last word in fixing Cuba’s screwed-up economic system,” said . But it’s “certainly a step in the right direction.” In order to “alleviate the sorry conditions of the Cuban people,” however, the U.S. will have to “take a step in the right direction of our own” and lift at least part of our “draconian” embargo.

via TheWeek

American Idol Thoughts

As promised, I'm putting my two cents in on last night's episode of American Idol. Your views may differ, as this is not a scored competition but a popularity contest. But what bothers me most is how Paula is still on the show racking in the money. She has nothing to say, when in our hopes that she finishes one of the 5 sentences she starts to phrase, and then fails yet again, sticking with yet another "you look beautiful" to save her grace. Perhaps that's what America wants to hear, to be praised for mediocrity! And then there's Simon, who holds the show's talent credibility solely in his hands, and voices his harsh remarks like old school Europe, whipping it like a belt. It's when he unwillingly praises someone, that America knows to make extra votes for their Idol. I just hate when he gives fashion commentary, especially last night's awful and un-called-for remark on who's dressing Carly. That kind of talk will get the best singer on the show kicked off for what she wears... and he says it shouldn't be a popularity contest. Hypocritical in my opinion...

April 9th will be the Dead Duet with Mariah Carey and Marvin Gaye, performing “What’s Going On” during the Idol Gives Back special.

My bets are on Ramiele to go home... Even though it should be Kristy Leigh Cook.

NEWS.i.e. Esquire's 6 Steps to Better Sleep

If you get less than six hours of sleep a night, you're in trouble. You need sleep more than you need food. When you're always tired, you actually age faster than you should. Here is your new nightly routine. Sleep tight:

1. * Dim the lights an hour before bedtime. This mimics sunset. Smack in the middle of your brain is something called the pineal gland. It releases melatonin, the hormone that readies the mind and body for sleep in response to lowered light levels.
2. * If you've got things on your mind -- tomorrow's meetings, errands, that kind of thing -- write them down fifteen minutes before bed. This sweeps them out of your mind.
3. * If you're still awake after fifteen minutes, get up and do something quiet, like reading a book. No Internet, no TV, no exercise. You have to let your body and mind slow down to be able to slip into sleep. If you just lie there thinking about how you're not sleeping, you'll never sleep.
4. * Wake up at the same time every day. An hour extra on weekends is fine, but if you wake up at seven every morning during the week, then sleep until ten on weekends, you're effectively giving yourself jet lag. Monday morning, you'll feel like you just got off the red-eye from three time zones away.
5. * A little chemical helps once in a while is fine. Not alcohol -- it actually interferes with the normal sleep cycle. But Benadryl or one of the combination OTC painkillers or sleep drugs can give you that little nudge into natural sleep. Just describe your symptoms in detail: From a pharmaceutical perspective, "can't fall asleep" isn't the same as "wake up in the middle of the night."
6. * Sex.

via Esquire
image via Robyn's Nest

TREND.i.e - Elie Tahari Sale - up to 80% off

Anyone who has a 9-5 job can benefit from this amazing sale. Their corporate design is very classy, yet not too harsh, and extends between the entry level to CEO. So go ahead and don't feel guilty about loading up at this sale, look at it as an investment for your career, an advancing stepping point, or as as if it all can be expensed.

What: Up to 80% off corporate casual...
When: Tuesday, April 1st through Saturday, April 5th
Where: 510 Fifth Ave @ 43rd st. (212-398-2622)

via racked

DIRT.i.e. Modern Day Mother Theresa

Such a humanitarian. Don't be fooled by this photo-op, it's a true publicity stunt Paris Hilton is so good at crafting. She just may come back saying that she plans to adopt one or ten of these babies and start a day-care center, where these orphans can play with the hundreds of animals she's adopted over the years. The world loves to hear the musings that come out of her mouth, such as:

“I love Africa in general - South Africa and West Africa, they are both great countries.” - Paris Hilton

photo via ayyy

quote via icydk

T.P. lines the walls of the Subway

Maybe because it's so smelly in the subway, Cottonelle's advertising has branched out to line the walls of the subways. As a commuter myself, I vouch for the fact that subway advertising is one things you tend to look at, just to avoid the angry and exhausted morning faces of other commuters. According to the photographer of the advertising campaign, Will Femia, "This car on the S train was done entirely, walls and all, to look like it was lined with toilet paper. Ick." I only hope no one actually takes it literally and tries to test it out...

via racked

Late Night Munchy Delivery

Remember the late night studying in college and wishing for a munchy delivery service? Well, some smart guys from UPenn made that concept into a franchise business, and now we can receive deliveries all day and night in this huge campus we call NYC. If you're itching to become an entrepreneur during those late night inspirations, invest in the late night cookie man...

Insomnia Cookies
877 63-COOKIE to order