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contentC o l l i e rS a r a s o t a

C h a r l o t t eL e e

53 Hidden Benefits of Exercise54 Tips56 Stages of Breast Cancer 58 Play61 Cars, Castles, Dinosaurs & More!76 Performance Cruising 81 Worth Investing in Designer Fashion

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22 Talk Dirty 24 Passion-filled Marriage28 Sweet Things to Say32 Staying Sane this Holiday Season36 Survive the Season of Giving43 Style & Color Secrets46 Make Sure You’re Better Off…

content

http://www.thebreakfastproject.com

Publisher: Focus Magazine of SWFLCover: Courtesy Carrera y Carrera

Cover Model: Olivia PalermoContributors:

JaCob Johnson, Juliette siegfried, ryan spenCer, dr. riCh niCastro, MiChael brady, lina lasalle, dave ballis, sCott blaCk, Jennifer tiedMann, Julian bern, andrea Marton, saMantha raMos, dorothy Mannfolk, raChel Murray, sarah loMas, tony WilliaM, Mai yoMioto, dan MyriCks, harry yadav, alley JaMes, ginny griMsley, Marla toMazin, terry profetto, riCkie

sMith, susan heyMan

Focus Magazine of SWFL is published Bimonthly. Articles do not necessarily reflect Focus Magazine of SWFL policy. © 2010 Focus magazine of SWFL, All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without permission is prohibited. Postmaster: Send all remittances and correspondences about subscriptions, undeliv-ered copies and address changes to: Focus Magazine of SWFL at 105 Triple Diamond Blvd, Suite 101, Venice, FL 34275. Editorial, publishing and advertising offices.

M a g a z i n eFOCus

[email protected]

www.focusofswfl.com

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contentC o l l i e rS a r a s o t a

C h a r l o t t eL e e

Marissa intuitively navigates the

fashion landscape, forecasting

precisely what her clients want and

need to reflect their unique lifestyles.

She encourages clients to shop

their closets first, and demonstrates

how standout jewelry accents can

make the clothing they already own

come alive.

MEET MARISSA

ARUNASHIDIAMOND OPAL SAPPHIRE AND

TANZANITE CUFF

TAMARA COMOLLIMANDARIN GARNET

RING

FEDERICA RETTOREBOULDER OPAL AND

ZEBU HORN CUFF

JORDAN ALEXANDERBAROQUE PEARL ANDDIAMOND NECKLACE

BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

“THE RIGHT JEWELRYSHOULD REFLECT YOURINDIVIDUAL lifestyle AND

PERSONALIZE YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE.”

YOSSI HARARISLICED RUBY

EARRINGS

IRENE NEUWIRTHLABRADORITE

AND DIAMONDEARRINGS

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

Staggeringly stylish boutique MARISSA

COLLECTIONS has made a name for itself

among the world’s most discerning shoppers,

presenting a highly edited selection featuring

the boutique’s signature, nuanced styling.

Enhancing the mix is an unprecedented blend

of handpicked jewelry designers. Here, Marissa

Hartington reveals what’s on her style radar.

SEASONLESS

Style

1167 Third Street South Old Naples | 877-263-4333 | www.MarissaCollections.com

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92

A r t i s t GAllery

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141

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Photography by KAISER Erika

News & Info44 SABAG - Bridal Fashion Designer 145 Inspiration to Your Doorstep 147 All-Inclusive Adventurous Excursions

113 Sweet & Sassy 116 Lavish Elegance 118 Inspirational Photography 120 Redefining Luxury 122 Windows For Your Home 130 Communication 135 Upset Partner138 Coffee Drinking 144 Getting Naked148 Benefits of Dark Chocolate

126

mailto:[email protected]

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FOCusMarissa intuitively navigates the

fashion landscape, forecasting

precisely what her clients want and

need to reflect their unique lifestyles.

She encourages clients to shop

their closets first, and demonstrates

how standout jewelry accents can

make the clothing they already own

come alive.

MEET MARISSA

ARUNASHIDIAMOND OPAL SAPPHIRE AND

TANZANITE CUFF

TAMARA COMOLLIMANDARIN GARNET

RING

FEDERICA RETTOREBOULDER OPAL AND

ZEBU HORN CUFF

JORDAN ALEXANDERBAROQUE PEARL ANDDIAMOND NECKLACE

BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

“THE RIGHT JEWELRYSHOULD REFLECT YOURINDIVIDUAL lifestyle AND

PERSONALIZE YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE.”

YOSSI HARARISLICED RUBY

EARRINGS

IRENE NEUWIRTHLABRADORITE

AND DIAMONDEARRINGS

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

Staggeringly stylish boutique MARISSA

COLLECTIONS has made a name for itself

among the world’s most discerning shoppers,

presenting a highly edited selection featuring

the boutique’s signature, nuanced styling.

Enhancing the mix is an unprecedented blend

of handpicked jewelry designers. Here, Marissa

Hartington reveals what’s on her style radar.

SEASONLESS

Style

1167 Third Street South Old Naples | 877-263-4333 | www.MarissaCollections.com

Photography by Dimitri Daniloff

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Dirty talk is a type of pillow talk. You use vivid words to augment sexual enjoyment before and during the lovemaking.

Talking dirty to your guy can be anything from giving him vivid images using slang words, to whispering curse expressions to your guy's ear. If you feel timid about it, don't be; only the two of you will be aware of it.

The more you let go, the better you will be. Your intimate life should be hot and wild. It's a form of "sense of adventure" that you are giving to your guy.

You might say that you are a "good girl" and you don't do those things. Well here is my take on this; if you have preferences in bed, and your spouse is giving enough to fulfill them, maybe I can do my part.

Some guys find it makes them hornier. You can harvest the re-wards from this lover's game. It makes you feel sexier because you are seeing your man enjoy himself due to your influence. You are providing your guy more excitement.

Lovemaking is at its best when you let go; abandon yourself to the other person is a joyful experience. Some women use this not only in the bedroom, but in their husband's e-mail or work's voice mail. Your guy gets excited to get home and gives you a nice "reward"... what do you have to lose?

What is the top thing to say when talking dirty to men?1. Tell him what you're wearing under your clothing.2. Put on sexy lingerie and give him a tiny peek when he first sees you. It'll drive him mad to want to see more of your outfit all night...Until you allow him to see more.3. Leave him a voice message when he is away4. At a gathering5. At your parent's house when you go by him 6. Right before parting for work7. Email him some sassy notes8. Fax it to him9. Throw hot little texts on his cell phone while is at a sports game with his buddies

It will heat up if you are talking dirty to men at unusual places like:1. Your parent's house 2. At the food store3. At church?...OK...oK...After church

When is the most excellent timing for this during lovemaking?

From the mid to the end.

You start by telling a physical move that he has made to you and that you had enjoyed. Don't worry about feeling embar-rassed; he will be more paying attention in the images that you are creating in his imagination.

Are you concerned that you won't be excellent at this?

Guys are not hard to light up. It doesn't take a great deal for them to get turned on.

If you feel uncomfortable, get some help with a glass or two of wine... Just to break the ice. But please! Don't develop a drink-ing problem!

Having trouble "getting it up"? Talking dirty to men might be able to help.

Use this once in a while; they can get too enthusiastic to this. In addition, some men can be a bit turned off or uncomfortable with you unexpectedly starting to talk dirty to them.

You can propose to him to do the alike and it will balance the dynamics.

You can get swear words at the Urban dictionary. It is a slang dictionary. You'll be able to get different variations of a slang word.

For instance, let's find a variation of breast; there is boobie, nipples, boobs, funbags, just to show a few. Use it, and your imagination. Have fun!

Talk Dirtyto your m

an

By Susan Heyman


Passion-filled MarriageIf you were to ask couples what's the best way for maintaining a passion-filled mar-riage it comes as no surprise to find that a lot them believe that passion alone is the answer. They seem not to understand the need to balance out the emotional as-pect of a marriage with the physical as-pect of it. You can't expect any spouse to have passion for his mate all the time, however, if couples focus on the way they feel about each other in general it will be much easier to maintain the passion.

Many people think of marriage as being a state where two people who fall in love, care about each other, and will live out their lives together until death do them part. This is the ideal situation of course but there are some marriages where the couple has gotten married for other rea-sons, and sometimes the wrong reasons. In these types of marriages there is often very little contact and sincere commu-nication between the couple. This often results in a sexless marriage. The key to maintaining a passion-filled marriage is totally honest with each other. Most couples will find that the desire for sex will comes and go but in order to be suc-cessful they must consider the things that

they do both in and out of the bedroom.

Men and women must accept the fact that relationships change over time as our children take center stage in our lives and daily household responsibilities overwhelm us. In many cases romance will give way to irritation and arguments. Here are some of the common reasons passion is lost in a marriage:

- couples stop listening to each other- they begin acting like roommates in-stead of lovers and partners- each spouse complain about stress at work and home instead of positive things- couples stop seeing and commenting on what they appreciate about their spouse - One or the other has given up their in-terests and passions so their lives become all work and therefore no fun

When it comes to maintaining a passion-filled marriage, you will find that there are so many things that you can do to rekin-dle and maintain that passion. One of the things you can do is to set a date night where you take the time to pay attention to each other. The best way for a couple to turn a sexless marriage into a fulfilling

marriage is to consistently work on ways to be alone with each other. During these times both spouses must learn to relax and leave the day's stresses behind.

Here are some other things each spouse can do to start turning things around:

- Remind yourself of why you fell in love and married your mate- Stop feeling the need to argue and de-fend yourself- Identify at least one thing a day to com-plement your spouse on- touch your spouse everyday...start with their hand or back and shoulder- bring the humor back into your relation-ship, learn to laugh at yourself

Some marriage counselors will view differ-ences in spouses as insurmountable, how-ever, each partner in the marriage must believe that people and relationships can and do change for the better. Your mar-riage is worth working on and you must be willing to do everything that you can to maintain your passion-filled marriage. Keep your relationship open and honest so that you both can trust each other and lean on each other for support.

By Rickie Smith

ELEGANCE, MAJESTY, AND FUSION

Creativity, luxury, and elegance are just some of the characteristics of Concierto, the Fine Jewelry line from Carrera y Carrera.

These jewels of tremendous impact become true works of art through the exquisite craftsmanship that embodies all of the savoir-faire of the company’s master goldsmiths.

The Concierto line includes earrings in white gold, diamonds, and onyx; the white gold evokes the color of scoring sheets and the onyx recalls the black ink of musical notes. The simple elegance of white gold and diamonds combines with all the verticality of onyx, bringing movement and mo-dernity to its rounded shape.

The ring is also presented in white gold, diamonds, and onyx. An elegant and light maxi jewel whose magnificence is clearly visible in different designs on each side that bring originality to the piece.

The pendant, in white gold and diamonds, bears two chains that unite to form two treble clefs, add-ing trendiness to the design.

Finally, the most high-end and luxurious piece, a necklace crafted in white gold and completely set with diamonds. A true masterpiece, dazzling thanks to the extraordinary and detailed work with which the master goldsmiths from Carrera y Carrera create this breathtaking jewel.


To Say

Having a tough time thinking of sweet things to say to your boy-friend? If you try searching online for sweet words to say, majority of the results you get are often in favor of men. However, guys do like to hear nice things from their partners.

Guys are always expected to say nice things to girls, but why not make a change? Do your share of the intimacy in your relationship. Speak up and make your man appreciate you more by doing so yourself. Some of the sweet things to say to your boyfriend are actually the simplest. This will surely add zest and color to the bond you share.

Words may come as plain re-marks, although to some these are powerful expressions of devotion and love, depending on how they are said. Here are some scenarios that you might want to take note of.

1) Men may seem tough and impassive at times, but they do have that soft side. They want their women to comfort them in words and in presence.

So always be ready with sweet things to say to your boyfriend, even if it's as simple as "Thank you for always being there for me" or "I love you." Take time to appreciate everything he's done for you.

2) Women hate it when guys are late in their agreed time. Instead of making a scene, say this in-stead, "Are you ok? Is everything alright?"

Try to listen to his reason before bursting out. It will be best if you listen first before mouthing un-called for comments.

3) Men do not like naggers. This is the reason why so many rela-tionships fail because men could not take the agony of hearing women keeping on at them. In-stead of being so negative all the time, always have some sweet things to say to your boyfriend.

4) After long hours of work, it would be nice of you to ask him, "Have you eaten already? Can I offer you something?"

By doing so, your boyfriend would be pleased to know that he is im-portant to you and that you truly care. But try not to barrage him with so many questions because these may aggravate him.

5) Compliment your boyfriend with such statements as "You re-ally look good tonight/today."

Give him an earnest flattering remark. Make him feel confident about himself by praising and uttering nice words about his appearance, or even his attitude and skills. Be careful in choosing your words. As much as possible, be honest about it.

When making remarks or having sweet things to say to your boy-friend, remember to say them at the right time and place. Timing is crucial. It could make or break a compliment. Do not just blurt out in the open because you want to do so. Pick the right moment to say those sweet words to your man.

ThingsSweet

By Terry Profetto

Photography Ron Chapple

A feminine woman radiating character, naturally chic and possessing her own

unique style.

Inspired by beauty, purity, strength and rhythm are fused together in the new collection from Carrera y Carrera. Its collections are true masterpieces capable of arousing deep and powerful feelings, jewelry with a life of its own.

An innovative collection designed to evoke the senses. Inspired by romanticism that makes any woman wearing these exquisite pieces feel alive. Each piece is characterized by a unique style and meticulous craftsmanship makes for excep-tional jewelry, where gold and precious stones come to life.

It is passion for gold and enthusiasm for the best craftsmanship, which transforms a jewel into a work of art. The entire creative and development process of each jewelry piece takes place wholly in the Madrid workshop. Each step in the creation of a piece is influenced by the Spanish character that has become one of the fundamental pillars in the evolution of the company’s excellent trajectory throughout its history.

An entire set of feelings and perceptions is transmitted through each piece, created as if they were melodies. Passion transformed into jewelry; the art of carving gold yields breathtaking sculptures in each unique piece.

Carrera y Carrera authentic designs of art have been created for a passionate, modern, authentic, feminine and daring woman. Who reinterprets emotion into extraordinary moments.

&

FOCUS of SWFL 2012 31www.carreraycarrera.com

StyleSEDUCTION

By Mai Yomioto

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1. Danza Maxi Ring in yellow gold with diamonds 2. Círculos de Fuego bracelet in yellow gold with brown diamonds copia 3. Melodía Ring in yellow gold and white gold with diamonds 4. Melodía Pendant in yellow gold with diamonds 5. Alegrías Earrings in white gold and black and white diamonds copia 6. Concierto Ring in white gold, diamonds and onyx 7. Melodía Ring in white gold with diamonds Page Photo. Danza Necklace in yellow gold with diamonds and smokey quartz

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Without a doubt, the holidays are a crazy time of year (as well as “the most wonderful”!). From the end of November to the beginning of January, most of us rush around nonstop, trying to fit in dozens of events, activities, and responsibilities. And even though most of us look forward to this special season all year long, it’s still easy to stretch yourself too thin in the midst of all the festivities. According to Marla Tomazin, that’s why it’s very important to take care of yourself as well as taking care of everyone else.

“Most of us don’t realize just how demanding the holiday scramble can be until we’re exhausted, over-whelmed, or even sick,” points out Tomazin, who has been an image consultant for twenty years after earlier experience in the fashion industry. “The good news is, with a little prior planning and prioritizing, you can enjoy and cherish the things that are most important to you without having to run on fumes to make it through New Year’s Eve!”

Tomazin promises that when you decide to have your-self a merry little Christmas, you’ll make more memo-ries to cherish, you’ll be a more valuable help to your family, and you’ll be in a good position to enter the New Year already on a roll. Read on for her top take-care-of-you tips:

Make a list and check it twice. Realistically, you can focus only on one or two big goals at a time, no mat-ter how adept you are at multitasking. That’s why Tomazin recommends sitting down (right now!), de-ciding what is most important to you this holiday sea-son, and prioritizing those things. If spending time with your family is at the top of your list, for example, put them first and consciously make sure that other things remain on the back burner. Or if eating well and maintaining your health is a primary goal, plan out a strategy beforehand so that you won’t be blindsided by buffet-table bounty. Most importantly, remember that you can’t do it all.

“I’ll never forget the year I specifically set aside time to spend with my mother,” Tomazin recalls. “She taught me to make the Italian cookies that she and her family had always enjoyed at this time of year. I couldn’t possibly put a price on learning to carry on this tradition, and the memories my mother and I made are certainly better than if we had gone shop-ping in one more store!”

Give yourself the gift of health. When you’re this busy and stressed, it’s easy to become run down and spread yourself too thin. And on top of the strain that the holiday bustle can bring, it’s also cold and flu season…so make sure to take care of your physical needs. Tomazin recommends getting in some light ex-ercise, even if you can work in only a short walk a few days a week. Also, be sure to drink lots of water, eat healthy foods, and avoid gorging on treats at every opportunity. Lastly, make a point to get enough sleep (DVR that late-night holiday special if you have to)! Tomazin promises that if you do all of these things, you’ll enter the New Year on a healthy foot. And that means that you won’t have to start all over on January 2nd and make a brand new set of “lose weight and live healthier” resolutions.

Go on a date…with yourself. We tend to be more or less constantly surrounded by other people during the holidays; after all, it’s a season devoted to being with the ones you love! However, even when it comes to family and friends, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. To make sure you don’t become socially drained mid-season; make a point to do something by yourself every now and then. Maybe it’s sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee in the middle of Christmas shopping, or going to see a romantic comedy without your kids. (A dinner with just your spouse can also serve this function if you’d rather not fly solo.) When you unwind and take a breather, Tomazin promises, your perspective will stay clear and your stress won’t become too overwhelming.

Staying SaneThis Holiday

Season by Marla Tomazin

Plan ahead. Everyone talks about how the holidays “catch them by surprise” every year. In order to keep from being overwhelmed and overbooked in the com-ing weeks, Tomazin says that you need to look at your calendar right now. Start scheduling social engage-ments as soon as you become aware of them, and give yourself plenty of time to fulfill your own respon-sibilities so that you aren’t frantically gluing tinsel onto your daughter’s pageant costume at 2:00 a.m. the day before her big stage debut. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy seasonal events instead of just getting through them.

Let yourself off the hook, and be okay with that. Un-less you’re Martha Stewart, you’ll never have a pic-ture-perfect holiday season. (Truthfully, most of us can identify more with Clark Griswold’s mishaps in Na-tional Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as the beloved character tries to create a “good old-fashioned fam-ily Christmas.”) To save your sanity, realize ahead of time that you might forget to buy a gift for Great-Aunt Maude, that the dog might break a few low-hanging Christmas ornaments, and that you might not be able to make all eight dozen cookie recipes you’ve col-lected. That’s normal, Tomazin assures, so don’t beat yourself up. Keep your focus on what’s really impor-tant and you’ll be less tense and harried—as well as more resilient! Say no. Many of us have trouble saying no for a vari-ety of reasons: We don’t want to let others down, we don’t want to be seen as weak, we’re afraid to refuse, etc. However, Tomazin points out that until you learn to say no when you need to, you’ll never be in the driver’s seat of your own life. She’s adamant that you don’t have to do it all—nor should you. You don’t have to chair every event, host every party, and buy every gift on your kids’ lists. Again, Tomazin re-minds, decide ahead of time what’s most important to you and priori-tize those things. Then you can feel okay about saying no to some of the rest.

Give yourself a gift (or two). Chanc-es are, you’ve already started shop-ping for some of the items on your gift list. As you’re choosing the per-fect presents for your spouse, kids, friends, and more, Tomazin reminds you not to forget yourself! Whether it’s an afternoon pedicure or a plush new robe to wear around the house during the chilly months, remember that it’s both okay and healthy to invest in yourself. This might even be the perfect opportunity to buy that fabulous dress you’ve been eyeing—after all, you can wear it to your and your spouse’s company

parties or cocktail hours. Spending a few dollars or minutes on yourself might seem like a relatively small thing, but Tomazin promises that it can make a huge difference.

“Ultimately, you don’t have to completely overhaul the way you approach the holidays to savor the up-coming season instead of feeling stressed by it,” Tomazin concludes. “By putting some prior thought into what you find most meaningful and important, and by acknowledging the importance of your own health and sanity, you’ll find that this is once again ‘the most wonderful time of the year’!”

www.marlatomazin.com

About Marla Tomazin:From a successful career in the fashion industry, Marla gained expertise in retail buying, merchandising, sales, and marketing. She began with May Company in Denver after earning a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Denver. Marla moved to New York where she worked with several well-known Seventh Avenue design firms. As she developed her business skills, Marla made a serendipitous discovery—an innate sense of style and facility for working with fabrics and colors to maximum advantage.

The progression to Certified Image Consultant was a natural transition. Marla utilizes her abilities in evaluating body shape, movement, and color-ing as well as synthesizing optimal cuts, lines, colors, and textures. This results in balance and proportion that accentuate attributes and conceal flaws. Her clients include women, men, and corporations seeking external revitalization that mirrors their internal development.

FOCUS of SWFL 2012 33

http://www.savethemanatee.org

Tis’ the season to be stylish, and we have the leading looks for the holidays. Inspired by popular runway fashions, these

outfits are sure to turn heads. Fill your closet with dark and romantic fashions, frosty pastel pieces and signature holiday

dresses for the perfectly balanced winter wardrobe. Worried about breaking the bank? Don’t be. With winter lines from

stores like Dots, you don’t have to sacrifice style for savings. You can love the looks and love the prices.

Your Guide to the Top Trends of the 2012 Holiday

Frosted PastelsLight, fresh pastel colors aren’t just for summer. As temperatures get a little cooler, pastels pair well with embellished knit tops and cozy boots. Keep your winter wardrobe bright and feminine with

new dazzling tops and floral prints.

1) This sequin-finished top adds holiday sparkle to seafoam green denim. Toss on some boots to complete a laid-back,

fashion-forward look.

Sequin Front Top | $16.80

Sparkle Pastel Skinny Jeans | $22.80

2) Winter is in full bloom with these brightly patterned bottoms. Couple them with a scarf and pastel top for a guaranteed holiday hit. Try a knitted scarf and a new pair of boots for a versatile look that can

be worn any day of the week.

Cropped Velour Top | $14.80

Pastel Tank | $6

Pastel Watercolor Jeans | $25

1 2

darK roMaNCeDeep colors and romantic holiday pieces are the ideal contrast to the

shimmery pastels offered in the Dots winter trend line. Perfect for holiday parties, nights out celebrating the season or a day at the office,

these dark romance looks are versatile, feminine and affordable.

1) Deep hues dominate this winter. Dots’ oxblood blazer – matched with a metallic skirt and tights – creates a classic outfit that works for any holiday occasion. Top it all off with sparkling heels and bangles.

Blazer | $19.80

Metallic Mini Skirt | $18.00

Sequin Heels | $24.80

2) These burgundy, patterned skinny jeans are a must-have for winter and the most popular color in the romance collection.

Pair them with a flowing solid top for contrast. Leather booties complete the simple style.

Long-Sleeved Top | $16.80

Polka Dot Jeans | $22.80

1 2

tHe HolIdaY dressNo holiday season is complete without a statement dress. Now, you can stand out at

any celebration and stay within your budget. Dots recommends these stylish dresses that are sure to turn heads.

1)Every woman knows that a “little black dress” is both timeless and elegant. This holiday version is a flawless option for women of

any shape. You’ll get noticed when you walk in the room wearing this signature look, paired with sequined heels for some added sparkle.

Peplum Cutout Back Dress | $19.80

Sequined Heels | $24.80

1 2

2) If you want a less-revealing style, we’ve got you covered. This neutral dress is conservative enough for the workplace and trendy enough for any nighttime event, making it ideal for those busy days that leave little time for wardrobe change. Black tights

and heels create a classy look.

Colorblocked Cutout Dress | $22.80

The season of style:To get these looks and many more,Uvisit www.dots.com


For the comfort seeker:For family members and friends who like to unwind and relax

over the holidays, these gifts are sure to keep them comfy.

For the fashionista:If you’re buying for women who know their fashion and

love bold looks, try one of our stylish tops.

For the shoe lover:A perfect pair of shoes can melt the heart of any footwear fan.

Ballerina fl ats are a signature piece for any collection.

This holiday season, don’t choose between savings and style. At Dots, you can get the latest looks for everyone on your list – including yourself – without blowing your budget.

From makeup must-haves to fashionable footwear, Dots, the women’s specialty retailer, has clothes, shoes and accessories sure to satisfy even the pickiest person you’re buying for.

Check out our holiday gift guide – just the right amount of inspiration to get you in the shopping sprit!

With Ideas From Dots.Survive the Season of Giving

Don’t let the pressure of gift-giving get you down. At Dots, you can get gifts they’ll love at an affordable price – all while fi nding trendy options for yourself, too!

For the makeup enthusiast: Makeup is a go-to for holiday gifts. Try one of these affordable

makeup must-haves that are sure to impress.

12 Eye Shadow Palette | $2.80

Jeweled Brush Set | $6.80

For the accessory addict: These items make fantastic stocking stuffers for

any women in your life.

Crystal Heart Necklace | $9.80

Metallic Scarves | $10.00

For the hard-to-buy-for: Don’t know the recipient that well or just have a hard time buying

for her? Try these general gifts that are sure to be a hit with anyone.

Metallic Belt Trio | $8.00

Cell Phone Case | $8.00

Gifts under $10These perfectly priced giftables are great for a gift exchange or any little present of appreciation. Celebrate the season by

giving (and getting your own!) glitzy accessories and makeup that add even more sparkle to holidays.

UGifts under $25

Brighten the holiday of anyone on your list with sequinfootwear and comfy apparel. Share a little joy and shimmer

with these seasonal pieces–and don’t forget about your own wish list!

U

Cap Toe Ballet Flat | $13.00

Sequin Ballet Flat Lace | $14.80

To get these great gifts and more, visit us at www.dots.com

Sequin Shoulder Tunic | $22.00

Sparkle Cardigan | $21.80

Velour Zip-Up Hoodie and

Active Pant | $14.80 each

Cozy Boots | $19.80

For more information please visit www.beoplay.com or call 888 625 3414 for your closest Bang & Olufsen showroom.

LET YOUR iPhone EXPERIENCETHE SOUND OF 2012

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Buy the Perfect

Wedding Dress By Jacob Johnson


Although planning and preparing for a fabulous wed-ding, the sort that has everyone talking about for at least two generations, requires a lot of meticu-lous planning, the thought of not finding the perfect bridal dress is harder still and gets every bride-to-be shifting nervously in their places.

While it is a long standing truth that the early bird does catch the worm, the proverb does not quite apply to your wedding dress hunt. If your wedding is more than six months away we advise you to check the stores out for prospective options, but refrain yourself from buying. As your wedding draws near-er, chances are that you soon might get bored of your dress and the thought of wearing it may not quite cheer you up as it might have cheered you six months back. Also, it is quite possible that you run into another breathtakingly beautiful dress which captures your heart so that you might end up hav-ing two dresses for D day.

Every girl dreams about looking perfect on the most special occasion of her life. Many

girls even spend months in evaluating the best wed-ding dresses to look perfect while walking down the aisle. Some people prefer buying the dress special-ly made to complement their choice. At the same time, the girls also choose wedding dresses off the rack, when they are not able to find time to browse through various stores.

However, the online dress stores and designer out-lets have made it much more convenient for the modern girls to choose the perfect wedding dress, without putting any extra time and efforts. But you must concentrate on some key points, if you are planning to buy the wedding dress on a budget. Dresses from Sarasota Brides & Formalwear


Before going shopping the wedding dress, research some magazines, internet, newspapers about the variety of wedding dress designs. Find dresses from different designers and look for various types. Pick the type of design that most attracts you and con-tinue shopping. Avoid going dress shopping when you are in your unusually grumpy avatar because your menstrual cycle is playing tricks on you. Chanc-es are that you would hate every single dress you try on and more than exhausting you physically, it would be an activity equally taxing even mentally.

As you are selecting dress for the most special occa-sion of your life, it becomes essential to spend some time in gathering relevant information and data. You can browse through the fashion websites and maga-zines to understand the recent trends in wedding fashion. Also, you can refer to some of the celebrity wedding dresses to look distinct and more stylish on the big day. If you are confused about the various wedding dress designs available in the market, you can always request your friends or family members to help you in choosing the best wedding dress.

It is of utmost importance that you know your color, body type and also the kind of silhouette that would look flattering on you. Also avoid choosing dresses that would rather highlight your imperfection than your beauty. Similar to other dresses, the wedding dress must be selected based on the figure of the bride. When you choose the wedding dress to suit your figure, you can get the most elegant look for the wedding photographs. Your close friends and relatives can further share their honest opinion and suggest you the perfect wedding dress to flat-ter your figure. If you are planning to visit the lo-cal cloth store, you can try each design of wedding dress to decide their suitability for your figure.

While choosing the wedding dress, it is also very much important to keep in mind the nature and theme of the wedding. For instance, you have to opt for the floor-length dress in white, ivory, cream or champagne color, if you have planned a formal eve-ning wedding. On the other hand, you can choose the long or short dresses or two-piece dresses for an informal or less formal wedding ceremony. Also, you have to select the wedding dress to suit the wed-ding theme and venue.

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When you are planning to buy an elegant wedding dress, it is better to spend some time browsing through some of the local boutiques as well as on-line stores. Get suggestions from your mother, sis-ter, and trusted friends when finding the wedding dress. It is preferred to get along with 3 to 4 hon-est people, who understand your likes and dislikes when searching for the dress. By doing it this way you can trim down your search time and see more dresses of your interest before finalizing. Be sure that the person only gives suggestions based on your idea and should not compel you to accept the dress of their wish.

Spend the time checking several boutiques, it will be easier to choose the perfect bridal dress if you have a predetermined budget set. Comparing the prices does not always work out due to material, designer and quality of wedding dresses; still you may find some boutiques offer wedding dresses at a discounted price. Do not shy away from asking them for alteration. It is your wedding after all and you would not be doing this again. So, only the best shall do.

I have mentioned shopping several times at bou-tiques, this is most important as your day gets closer. So everything is clear and all involved get a complete understanding of what your final wedding dress design will be for your special day.

Last but not the least, it is your wedding and you should enjoy this wonderful experience fully until it lasts. The whole fuss over the bridal dress although a bit intimidating and exhausting, is an experience that every journey to the altar is incomplete with-out. So, without much further ado, let’s shop sister!


www.sarasotabrides.com


Suzie Bird Anna Cleveland Mia Rosing

The Zac Posen Spring 2013 collection evokes whimsical ele-gance. With flowery prints and delicate chiffon, the innovative collection puts a fanciful touch on Spring.

For his Spring 2013 collection, Zac Posen envisioned rich, vibrant hair color to make the runway looks truly pop. John Frieda® International Creative Consultant Harry Josh brought this vision to life, using John Frieda® Precision Foam Colour to enhance models’ shades with saturated colour and shine that complemented Zac Posen’s spring pieces. An essential part of the runway look, the hair colour brought vibrancy and brightness to Posen’s singular designs. Harry Josh chose Pre-cision Foam Colour for its salon-quality coverage and expert colourist-selected shades, using tones that closely matched the models’ own hair colours, serving to enrich their shades rather than completely change them.

In order to enhance the richness of the colour, John Frieda® Global Creative Consultant Luigi Murenu melded two looks into one – creating a graphic style in the front and a soft wave in the back. Drawing inspiration from polished wood, Murenu channeled screen sirens from old Hollywood and described the look as “chic, elegant and timeless.”

Harry’s Backstage Tip: “The moment before the show begins is filled with nervous energy – then the music starts, the lights beam down and all eyes are on the first model. The last thing anyone wants to see is dull, washed-out colour. Apply Preci-sion Foam Colour 24 hours before your big debut to get salon-quality richness and shine that will make you the center of attention.”

Luigi’s Backstage Tip: “Frizz-Ease® Hair Serum Original For-mula is a Fashion Week essential. Not only do I use it on damp hair to tame frizz, but I also use it right before models walk the runway. This added touch keeps styles smooth and extra shiny and makes the model’s hair colour look radiant,” Murenu reveals.

To create the style seen on the runway, Luigi Murenu used the following steps:

• Step 1: To keep the crown frizz-free, apply a dime-sized amount of Frizz-Ease® Hair Serum Original For-mula, smoothing hair downward from the top of the head to below the ear. • Step 2: Next apply Frizz-Ease® Curl Reviver Styling Mousse evenly through hair and brush to uniformly dis-tribute product. • Step 3: Create a severe middle part and blow dry com-pletely, brushing hair back and away from the face to make the hair at the crown flat and smooth. • Step 4: With a 1” curling iron, create a wave by wrap-ping small sections of hair twice around the barrel. Make sure to stop before reaching the nape of the neck in or-der to keep the crown flat. Brush hair out to create one uniform wave.• Step 5: Follow with Frizz-Ease® Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray to keep style in place.

STYLE & COLOUR SECRETS

Inspired by a woman's natural physique and accen-tuating the femininity of one's silhouette, designer Karen Sabag has incorporated a collection of avant-garde bridal fashions for all body types: the corset. Sabag describes the blueprint for any bridal gown is a well-constructed corset.

Traditionally, Karen Sabag Couture creates one-of-a-kind designs to assist with accentuating one's fa-vorite body parts and concealing areas of the body per the client's desire – creating a proportioned sil-houette that brings out the bride's natural beauty.

Custom designs are created with Sabag and her team of designers who's experience stems from Val-entino and an exclusive bridal salon in Isreal.

All gowns are constructed of a plethora of import-ed fabrics from France including mocado silk, silk organza, chiffon, lace and tulle. Sabag finds great pleasure in the textures of fabrics, thus intermin-gling lightweight and heavy fabrics results in ec-centric gowns. Adornments including beading are sourced from India; the beading is hand-sewn to each bodice with the utmost attention to detail from factories in India.

The color palette embraces traditional wedding shades including stark whites and eggshell, along with pastel hues for bridal party dresses. Silhou-ettes are influenced by the client's body type; in-cluding voluminous and A-line gowns to short, cocktail-inspired dresses that takes an unorthodox approach to bridal design.

SAbAg - brIdAl fAShIon dESIgnEr

www.karensabagcouture.com

Photography Joe Laronga

http://www.feedthepig.org

SAbAg - brIdAl fAShIon dESIgnEr

Make Sure You’re Better Off ... four Years from now

The anxiety swirling around the upcoming election is almost palpable. People are agonizing over what the results might mean for job creation, Social Security, healthcare, college tu-ition, and other hot-button issues. Given the shaky state of the economy, some angst is surely understandable. But Greg Downing says it’s absurd to think that whoever occupies the White House for the next four years will seal your fate and make or break your future. “They” can’t save you. Only you can save you.

“Never has the phrase ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’ been more appropriate,” asserts Downing, author of Entrepreneur Un-leashed: Wealth to Stand the Test of Time (Legacy Unleashed Press, 2012, ISBN: 978-1-938047-06-0, $29.95,) as well as an upcoming book on providing a financial legacy for kids. “The blunt truth is that no American can afford to wait on salvation from any politician—or, for that matter, any employer or any teacher in any traditional school.

“The old formula that allowed people to build a comfy middle-class life is gone,” he adds. “Instead of obsessing over what you can’t control—like who’s in the Oval Office, for instance—it’s time to focus on what you can control. It’s time to make an about-face and learn how to think about work and wealth in a whole new way.”

Downing is referring to entrepreneurship. He knows firsthand how dramatically it can transform your life. Once a car dealer-ship manager working grueling 80-hour weeks, he is now a millionaire many times over who takes four months of vacation a year. He made his wealth as a real estate investment busi-ness owner and motivational speaker, and he says regardless of the field you choose, entrepreneurship is the only logical path to financial freedom in a global economy where half of all college grads are moving back home jobless and saddled with debt.

First, let’s be clear: The entrepreneurship he espouses is NOT the “open your own restaurant and bust your butt working there seven days a week” variety. Rather, it centers on gener-ating multiple streams of income (earned, passive, and port-folio) so that the money you make is not directly connected to the time you spend. (“Time is more valuable than money” is one of Downing’s favorite mantras.)

“A single paycheck, even two paychecks added together, is no longer enough to allow a family to live comfortably and pro-vide for the future,” he states. “If you’re lucky enough to get a good job—and that’s a big if—you might be able to scrape by, but you’ll work yourself into an early grave. And, of course, if

By Terry Profetto


the job goes away, the money stops. It’s no way to live—and it’s no way to teach your children to live.”

Anyone can make the leap to entrepreneurship, and, subse-quently, financial freedom, insists Downing. Sure, you may have to learn new practical skills—but mostly it’s a matter of changing your mindset. Once you break free of what he calls “middle-class programming,” half the battle is won. Here are some of his insights on how to do it:

Commit to changing your life—and don’t break that commitment. Most of us do keep our word to others, or at least try to. And of course being trustworthy is critical to your success. (How else will we find investors and get return customers and referrals?) But what about the promises and pacts you make with yourself? Downing says most people are far more likely to break agreements with themselves than they are with others. Yet since becoming an entrepreneur requires a dramatic change in both mindset and habits, you won’t get far if you keep letting yourself off the hook.

“It’s easy to justify breaking an agreement with yourself be-cause no one will ever know,” he points out. “Sometimes we even do it unconsciously. But make no mistake: Your private decision has consequences for both your future and your fam-ily’s future.

“Breaking any kind of commitment—even those that may seem insignifi-cant—hurts us because our subcon-scious gets accustomed to our ‘crying wolf,’” he adds. “Then, when we want to make a big change in our lives, our subconscious simply doesn’t believe us. It will actually work against our suc-cess. So when you don’t do what you say you are going to do, you are actu-ally giving yourself permission to falter, to quit, and to fail.”

Take action now. Don’t wait. I’d like to build my wealth. I want to start my own business. It would be great to be in firm control of my financial future. These are nice, positive thoughts, but when they’re not paired with action, they are nothing but daydreams. Only action—not plans, not goals, and not ambition—gets results. Every day that you don’t take a concrete step forward is another day of the status quo, an-other day of accepting a mediocre, hum-drum life.

Downing teaches his students to take action to-ward their dreams each and every day. Even if

it’s an imperfect action—even if it’s later revealed to be an out-and-out mistake—it’s still better than letting fear keep you stuck in an unsatisfying life.

“Life rewards action,” he asserts. “And yet, most people just keep going through their daily motions, procrastinating, think-ing their ideas to death, and never moving forward on them. Every morning, ask yourself, What action can I take today to move toward my dream of financial independence and self-reliance? Then do it, for your own sake and for the sake of

your family. Otherwise, one day you’ll look back at your life and realize that while you had good intentions, you did not create results.”

Remove all unconscious, negative, and scarcity-based programming. Downing says the middle class has been “pro-grammed” with belief systems that weren’t designed to help us attain wealth and that, indeed, barely work at all anymore. But because everyone around us is buying into the formula, we assume it’s the “right” way. We all have an inner “sheep” that is afraid to go against the herd, that fears it will be pun-ished if it goes against cultural norms. And that’s a shame, because while we’re staring at the hindquarters of the sheep in front of us, we’re ignoring a huge world filled with riches for the taking.

“Today and every day, consciously evaluate and reconsider what works for you as you strive toward a life of wealth and abundance,” instructs Downing. “First, think critically about risk and reward, and determine how to effectively balance the two. This involves looking closely at your emotions, your will-ingness to take action, and your desire to move forward when an opportunity to build wealth arises.

“Often, you’ll find that fear, not a rational reason, is holding you back,” he adds. “Through this process of evaluation, you’ll

gradually reprogram your beliefs about the fear of investing, the availability of money, and the lack-mentality that is so common in our society. And as you begin to experience greater rewards, you’ll confirm the beliefs and actions that create wealth.”

Assume 100 percent responsibility for the results in your life. It’s easy to blame disappointments and failures on everything other than ourselves. For

instance: “I could be a lot wealthier if the economy hadn’t tanked.” Or, “How was I supposed to know that there would be a storm and I’d have to clean out my savings to replace my roof?” While it’s true that you can’t always foresee or control what happens in your life, you can choose how you respond to those circumstances.

“I get it—life has a way of kicking in the door and derailing your plans,” admits Downing. “There are bills to pay, problems to solve, and circumstances that need attention. You need to deal with these issues, but you cannot allow them to stop you. Every day, you must make time to move toward the life of your dreams, no matter how small that step is. If you aren’t taking steps to change your reality, you forfeit the right to complain about it.”

Invest in a financial education program. For decades, American schools have taught (and are still teaching) students that they’ll need to give the best years of their lives to employ-ers so that they can retire on 40 percent of their working sal-ary. (That’s assuming they can get a good job at all in today’s economy, of course.) It stands to reason that if you want more out of life, you’ll need to seek some non-traditional education that will help you cultivate the skills that will enable you to generate multiple streams of income.

Downing acknowledges that some of these tips may seem deceptively simple. But it’s their very simplicity that

gives them their power.

continued on page 48...



Make Sure

You’re Better Off ... What those skills are specifically, of

course, depends on the field you want to play on. Most likely they’ll have to do with acquiring cred-

it, using debt wisely, seeking (and persuading) investors, and marketing your products or services to buyers. Downing’s main point is that you shouldn’t be afraid to pay for the ex-pertise you need.

“Building wealth takes work, dedication, commitment, and an increased level of knowledge,” confirms Downing. “Unless you win the lottery, there is no such thing as getting rich quickly, without any effort, and without spending any money. This doesn’t mean getting your MBA. It does mean investing in a real-world education from others who have succeeded in do-ing what you want to do.”

Remain coachable. The annals of history are filled with the tragic downfalls of leaders who got “too big for their britches,” refused to consider the advice and expertise of others, and ran their organizations and empires into the ground. Entre-preneurs, by nature, are go-against-the-grain types. It’s easy for them to assume they know best and disregard good advice from those who’ve been there. Don’t fall into this trap. Not only should you carefully consider advice, you should actively seek it out.

“The greatest athletes in the world have coaches, and the president of the United States has advisors,” points out Down-ing. “Why would you or I be any different? Other people have done what you want to do and know things you probably haven’t even considered. If you seek those individuals out and actively learn from them, you’ll minimize mistakes while grow-ing your business as effectively as possible.

“Keep in mind, though, that a true mentor won’t just tell you what you want to hear—he or she will tell you what you need to hear,” he adds. “Sometimes it’ll be uncomfortable, and you’ll be tempted to disregard the advice. Don’t. Leave your pride at the door and always remain open to learning new ways to approach business problems.”

Stop doing minimum wage activities. Our culture puts hard work on a pedestal. From sayings like “If you want the job done right, do it yourself” to the belief that the longer you stay at the office, the better employee you are, it’s clear that Americans think that spilling one’s blood, sweat, and tears is a noble calling. Not so, counters Downing. If you don’t separate yourself from the mundane and the nitty-gritty, you might just micromanage your business away from success.

“You must stop telling yourself to work harder, and learn to work smarter,” he says. “It’s crucial to understand that the work of an entrepreneur is the work of the mind: thinking, planning, creating, leading, and providing oversight. If you want to reach the highest level possible, you have to leave tasks that can be accomplished by others to those with the knowledge and skills to do them.”

Remember that time is more valuable than money. Chances are, you grew up being taught that the way to sup-port yourself and to get ahead in life was to trade your time for money. In other words, if you spend 40 or more hours a

week doing what your employer wants, you’ll be paid for 40 or more hours. But once those 40 hours are gone, they’re gone forever. You’ll never get back the time you could have spent playing with your kids or hiking in the woods or volunteering for your favorite charity.

Linking time and earning potential is middle-class thinking, asserts Downing. Of course, you probably can’t quit your job tomorrow. You will have to put in some long hours up-front. But eventually you’ll have systems set up that allow you to profit from time put in by others and to reinvest your earnings so that you can generate even more income.

“A true entrepreneur understands time is a precious commod-ity and must be used wisely and efficiently,” he explains. “You can and must devote your time to creating wealth, planning and building business systems, and leading your team. Once you have this foundation firmly in place, you’ll find you’re free of the obligation to work nine to five.”

Maintain a credit score of 760 or higher. Your credit score is the gate standing between you and the success you dream of. That’s because lenders use credit score ratings to control the amount of money in the marketplace. If they want to in-crease the flow, they lower qualifying scores. And if they want to decrease the flow, they raise those scores. As an entrepre-neur, it’s crucial for you to be able to borrow money whenever you need it—regardless of what the market is doing.

“In 2011, the scoring for ‘A’ credit was raised to 730,” shares Downing. “Therefore, you should choose to have A+ credit with a score of 760 or higher. Not only will this score allow you to borrow money any time, it also means that you’ll qualify for lower interest rates. Overall, make it a priority to become a master at understanding, evaluating, and controlling your credit score and credit availability so that you’ll never find the gate to the resources you need closed and locked.”

Stop viewing debt as negative. We’ve all heard the horror stories: families so sunk in consumer debt they were forced to declare bankruptcy and individuals whose educational debt haunted them for the rest of their lives. In part because of these cautionary tales, we’ve been programmed to believe the only route to financial freedom is becoming debt-free. Down-ing says it’s time to reprogram that belief.

“It’s not that debt itself is bad—it’s that the way the average American uses it is destructive,” he clarifies. “From this day forward, commit to using debt to invest and build your wealth. Yes, debt can be financial quicksand. But used wisely, it can also give you leverage and make you rich.”

Seek to fulfill the unmet needs of others. You may love French pastries and open up a bakery, but if no one in your area craves croissants, your shop will flop. Yes, it’s a simplistic example, but the principle behind it holds true: If your busi-ness doesn’t address and fulfill an unmet need, it’s not go-ing to be successful. Period. And in today’s highly competitive world with a business on every corner, it’s critical to identify what others aren’t doing (or aren’t willing to do!) so that you can compete and win customers.



“Unmet needs aren’t always readily ap-parent or visible,” points out Downing. “To

identify them, you need to ask yourself questions like, What problems are keeping my potential customers

awake at night? What do they want that they aren’t getting? What would make their lives easier? When you have some an-swers, work on creating a unique approach to delivering that product or service.”

Become a master at creating systems and processes. This is all about building a business that runs—and can contin-ue to run—effectively and efficiently. Why? Because you don’t want to have to spend your oh-so-valuable time reinventing the wheel and micromanaging others.

“Becoming a master at creating duplicable systems and pro-cesses means that you’ll need to understand the steps that lead to success, clearly define them, write them down, and explain them to your team,” says Downing. “But once you’ve done all this work up-front, you’ll no longer have to run your day-to-day operations. You’ll be free!”

Build the right relationships with the right power team members. If you’re truly working toward creating wealth, you’re not going to be building one small business that you personally operate and run. Instead, you’ll be creating mul-tiple, duplicable small businesses that are constantly creating new streams of income for you. You’ll need to be able to hand off tasks and duties to others. And that means you’ll need a strong team of the right people doing the hard work for you.

“Your power team is the power behind your skill as an entre-preneur,” explains Downing. “That’s why it’s critical to evaluate these people personally and make sure they’re right for the job.

“This is also why it’s so important to be respectful and help-ful to everyone you meet,” he adds. “You never know when you’ll be making a connection that can benefit you next week, or next month, or next year. They may become power team members and they may also refer customers your way.”

Make it a family affair. As you’re transforming yourself into an entrepreneur, be sure to instill the same mindset and skills in your kids. This is actually not as hard as you might think. Not only can you narrate what it means to own a business—talking through issues like finding opportunity, understanding revenue and profits, differentiating yourself from competitors, and so forth—your kids can also learn from the best teacher: experience.

“I always advise parents to help their children take typical ‘kid jobs’ to the next level,” explains Downing. “Instead of just being a babysitter or a tutor, for example, kids might start a franchise where they hire out jobs to a database of subcon-tractors. Or they might invest in some gumball machines. The idea is to let them cut their teeth on critical business principles and see firsthand how they can make money that isn’t directly connected to their time.

“Teaching your kids to think about wealth-building in this way is the greatest gift you can give them,” he notes. “I believe

entrepreneurship is the best way to live. But even if your kids grow up to work for someone else or enter a profession, em-ployers will expect them to work and think like entrepreneurs. It’s just the way the world is headed.”

“Life is really just a series of choices,” he says. “We decide whether to watch TV after work or spend an hour on our ac-tion plan, whether to take the class or not take the class, whether to hold the cards or place the bet. Most people take the path of least resistance and go with the herd. Those who don’t are the ones who will create rich, full lives that are truly worth living.”

Make Sure

You’re Better Off ...

www.GregoryDowning.com

About Gregory S. Downing:He has dedicated his life to teaching his students that every family can truly control its financial future and create a generational legacy with profound, yet straightforward advice and guidance. As a nationally and highly respected author, speaker, family expert, and organizational consultant, his advice has been sought and put into practice by thou-sands of people from all walks of life. With over 20 years of experience in management, leadership, training, and business ownership, he has proven that his principles of legacy parenting, business promotion, en-trepreneurship, and real estate investing both work and create bonds of relationship that go beyond the ordinary.

About the Book:Entrepreneur Unleashed: Wealth to Stand the Test of Time (Legacy Un-leashed Press, 2012, ISBN: 978-1-938047-06-0, $29.95, is available at bookstores nationwide and from all major online booksellers.

http://www.bookpeopleunite.org


She adds four more hidden benefits of a good workout:

• Natural “feel-good” chemicals: Exercise releases endorphins, the brain chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel happy, as well as relieve stress, and enhance your self-esteem and self-confidence. Exercise has also been shown to increase neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which gives us a natural high and allows us to sleep better.

• Constipation prevention: Exercise increases the contractions of the wall of the intestine, helping to move things along through the intestinal tract more easily, and decreasing the time it takes to pass through the large intestine. But wait an hour or two after eating before exerting yourself: Exercising too soon after a meal can divert blood flow away from the gut and toward the muscles, weakening peristaltic contractions (and slowing down the digestion process). • Prevents brittle bones: Walking, jogging, dancing, weight training and yoga are all weight-bearing exercises that help strengthen bones. Swimming and bicycling are exercises that are considered non-weight bearing. During weight-bearing exercises, bones adapt to the impact of the weight and the pull of muscles by building more bone cells, increas-ing strength and density and decreasing the risk of fractures, osteopenia and osteoporosis.

• Enhanced immunity: Physical exertion increases the rate at which antibodies flow through the blood stream, re-sulting in better immunity against sickness. The increased temperature generated during moderate exercise makes it difficult for certain infectious organisms to survive.

Don’t overdo your exercise, or you won’t see all of these benefits, Harry says.

“Check with a physician who can advise you on the right activities and intensity level for your individual needs,” she says.

“For all the benefits of exercise, there are down sides if you go at it too vigorously for your physical condition. For in-stance, you can actually increase stress hormones, which can make you more vulnerable to illness, rather than building your immunity.”

With more than a third of Americans classified as obese, ev-eryone from first lady Michelle Obama to TV news anchor Katie Couric is advocating exercise to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s great, says Dr. Eudene Harry, author of “Live Younger in 8 Simple Steps,” but the benefits of exercise go far beyond fitting into those skinny jeans.

For one, it will give you younger looking, more blemish-free skin.

“The increase in circulation and perspiration that occurs with exercise delivers more nutrients to your skin while allowing im-purities and waste to be removed,” says Harry, who combines years of emergency-room experience with holistic medicine in her private practice. “The result? A healthier complexion!”

hiddenbenefits of

ExerciseBy Ginny Grimsley

About Eudene Harry, M.D.Dr. Eudene Harry holds a bachelor’s in biology from New York University and completed both her medical degree and residency training at Thomas Jefferson University. Cur-rently the medical director for the integrative and holistic Oasis Wellness and Rejuvenation Center, she has practiced medicine for nearly 20 years, is board certified in both emergency and holistic medicine, and for more than a decade practiced emergency medicine as an attending physician in Level II trauma centers. In 2005 she opened Oasis for Optimal Health, a private practice focused on integrative, holistic wellness and empowering and educating the patient.

www.LivingHealthyLookingYounger.com


Hospitals can be scary places: They’re brimming with bacteria, viruses and fungi -- the last things sick and in-jured people should be around.

In fact, hospital-acquired infections are the most com-mon complication of a hospital stay, affecting nearly 2 million Americans a year and killing nearly 100,000, ac-cording to the Centers for Disease Control.

“There are a number of public and private initiatives un-der way to bring those numbers down. Life-threatening MRSA (antibiotic-resistant staph) infections have actually been declining since 2005,” says Dr. Marc Stevens, an AMA Physician Recognition Award recipient and formula-tor of Rapid Recovery, a beverage mix of nutrients that help tissue heal quickly after surgery or injury.

“The other good news is that there are steps patients can take to reduce the risk of being infected – and bolster their ability to fight infection. As a surgeon, I make it a priority to educate my patients and the public at large about what they should be doing before and during a hospital stay to protect themselves.”

Stevens says patients should always take responsibility for doing what they can to avoid infection and bolster their immune system.

“Young people, elderly people and those with chronic ill-nesses – particularly diabetes – are most at risk for being overwhelmed by infection,” he says.

He suggests:

• Hand washing: This is the No. 1 precaution recom-mended by the CDC, Stevens says. “Wash your hands, ask visitors to wash theirs, and don’t be shy about asking hospital personnel, including doctors and nurses, to wash up before treating or examining you.”

• Monitor your bandages: Alert a nurse if you notice your bandage is not clean, dry or completely attached to the skin surrounding a wound.

• Get in the best health possible before a sched-uled hospital stay: People in their best possible men-tal, nutritional and physical health are better able to ward off infection and their wounds heal more quickly, closing portals to infection, Stevens says. “Whether it’s physical therapy you need, or vitamin supplements – there are 13 with a demonstrated role in healing – patients should do what’s necessary to prepare before going to the hospital, particularly, before a scheduled surgery.”

• After discharge, watch for signs of infection: Symptoms that can indicate an infection include unex-pected pain, chills, fever, drainage or increased redness around a surgical wound. If you have any of these symp-toms, you should immediately contact your doctor.

for Warding Off InfectionTips

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About Dr. Marc StevensDr. Marc Stevens is an award-winning orthopedic surgeon certified by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons. He has been recognized as one of America’s Top Orthopedic Surgeons and a World Leading Physician (International Association of Orthopedic Surgeons.) Dr. Stevens has found optimal nutrition – particularly the 13 vitamins known to promote tissue healing – dramatically speeds surgical patients’ recovery. His flavored Rapid Recovery mix of these vitamins offers convenience and better absorption.

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Human health is all the time fighting against different dis-eases since birth till death. To live a healthy life throughout the years has become a challenge in current era. As diseas-es are with human life, to great extent prevention against them is also in your hands. Some of these diseases are not only easy to treat but there are 100% chances of survivals after being treated. Yet there are a few diseases which are not only difficult to treat but there are less survival chances after treatment.

Breast cancer is also a disease which becomes incurable if detected at most advance stage. Curability of breast cancer is linked with early detection. The women diagnosed earlier and treated well have about 90% five years survival rate.

At early stage breast cancer is curable but as patient moves to late stages, the survival chances start decreasing. That is why breast cancer is divided into different stages. Division of stages is made in order to categorize the treat-ment methods according to the sternness of each stage. Stages of this cancer are;

It involves use of medicines to treat hormone receptor positive breast cancers. In this treatment either the estro-gen levels are lowered or action of estrogen to fuel growth of breast cancer cells is stopped.

A number of options for breast cancer treatments are avail-able but they can be more effective if cancer is diagnosed earlier, so early detection should be ensured to increase survival rates.

Stage One It is the very beginning of breast cancer tumor in which tumor is present in breasts tissues but not comes out from its originat-ing place. In this stage cancer is nit more than 2 cm. treatment employed for this stage is removal of tumor by surgery. Then after surgery to kill cancer cells radiation therapy is used.

Stage Two Once cancer tumor is developed and is not treated in stage one it will further progressed and will get a bit more advanced in stage two. Although tumor gets larger in mass but it is not yet spread to other parts. In this stage treatment used to remove cancer can either be a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy. Hormone therapy or chemotherapy can be recommended by the doc-tors to prevent ovaries from making estrogen which causes breast cancer tumors to grow.

Stage ThreeStage three is considered to be more advanced as cancer has spread in breasts although not to other organs. The cancer can be larger than 5cm. This stage is dangerous in the sense that tumor can easily invade other organs if not treated. Women who have hormone receptor positive tumors will receive hormonal therapy. Stage FourThis stage is the most dangerous stage of breast cancer in which tumor has spread beyond the breast to other body organs like liver, brain, kidneys etc. treatment of this stage is objective to treat symptoms not tumor.

Once the stage of breast cancer is detected, then with available treatment options your doctor decides which treatment option is going to be employed. Here are the treatments available for breast cancer patients.

Surgery Surgery is the first option used to treat this cancer. Using surgery either lumpectomy in which selective portion where tumor is present is removed or mastectomy a complete removal of breasts is used. Furthermore reconstruction of breasts can also be done using surgery.

ChemotherapyUnder chemotherapy medicine is used to destroy cancerous cells.

Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy can be called as targeted therapy which destroys cancer cells using a high energy beam. Hormonal Therapy.

Stages of breast Cancer

by Alley James

By Harry Yadav

There are certain benefits that child get after playing. These benefits are given below:

1. Reduces fear, anxiety, stress, irritability

2. Creates joy, intimacy, self-esteem and mastery not based on other's loss of esteem

3. Improves emotional flexibility and openness

4. Increases calmness, resilience and adaptability and ability to deal with surprise and change

5. Decreases tactile defensiveness

6. Healing process for hurts

7. Enhances feelings of acceptance of difference

8. Increases empathy, compassion, and sharing

9. Creates options and choices

10. Models relationships based on inclusion rather than exclusion

11. Alternative to aggressor-victim model of relationships

12. Decreases revenge and need for self defense

13. Improves touch and nonverbal socialization skills

14. Increases attention and attachment capacities

15. Positive emotions increase the efficiency of immune, endo-crine, and cardiovascular systems

16. Decreases stress, fatigue, injury, and depression

17. Integrates sensor motor, kinesthetic and emotional responses

It’s true that education is like a building block for a child’s future. All parents dream for a better career for their child’s life. Everybody wants their child to be doctor, engineer and wants to see them in high posts. In this cut throat competition children get pressurize with their activities to the extent that they don’t get spare time for their own entertainment. Teachers also keep the child busy during the holi-days by giving them assignments and homework. Earlier children used to play with their siblings. So, the children easily got a play environment at the home. However, now the time spent by children in playing was very less as compared to the past two decades. Parents should understand that play is an important activity and they should not deprive their child from this opportunity.

Group games allow children to learn the values of team spirit. It also teaches them to cooperate with other members of the team and develop self disci-pline. This also enables them to face negative situ-ation in life and make them strong when they get defeated. Many studies have proved that children playing games which have lots of violence are likely to be more short tempered and aggressive.

It is the duty of the parents to find out whether the child knows the difference between fantasy and re-ality. When this problem is not uprooted in the initial

stages then it can take very ugly turn in child’s life and they will start presuming that real life is also like the games which they play. It will have a nega-tive impact on children mind because inappropri-ate games will impart wrong set of values in them. Through play children develop essential life skills; they also learn how to interact with their peers and adults. It is through play that children develop es-sential life skills; they learn how to interact with their peers and with adults.

In conclusion every child should be allowed to play as they learn so many skills from playing, and from defeating. Play is essential for every child’s devel-opment as it make them well balanced grown up and prepare with all the essential life skills needed.

Play


in a Child's Life


TM

TM

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50 51

Hi there! You l� k a bit

mysterious!

Yeah, I know. It’s an image thing. I never remove my visor.

That’s o� . Okay. Anyway...what kind of car is that?

This is top-secret technology, but come m t my friend Ace of Spades. (We ca�

him that because he se� s shovels.) He can show you how to build his Ace of Spades Truck. Maybe you’� learn a trick or two

that wi� help you build my car.

Ace, can you break things

down for Megs?

Sure. Here we go!

21

3 4

Hot Rods and Cool Rides

Ace of Spades

Are J. Heiseldal

Nickname: L@go

Profession: TV Journalist

Nationality: Norwegian

Website: www.fl ickr.com/photos/ legolago/

The LEGO Adventure Book© 2013, Megan Rothrock

The LEGO Adventure Book© 2013, Megan Rothrock

Cars, Castles,Dinosaurs & More!

The beauty of LEGO building is that you can make almost anything. But every builder needs a bit of inspiration from time to time. For those of us who need a little help, the first volume of The LEGO Adventure Book series promises to get those creative juices flowing.

The LEGO Adventure Book by Megan Rothrock is an unof-ficial tour through the world of the best LEGO builders. Readers journey through time and place as their guide, Megs, introduces them to nearly 200 innovative models ranging from armor-plated dinosaurs to futuristic steam-punk contraptions. And they'll find more than just pic-tures of models—Rothrock also includes 25 brick-by-brick breakdowns of some of the most interesting models so that readers can learn each builder's technique and try their hand at building the models themselves.

"LEGO building is a lot more than making a simple car or a house with a chimney," according to Bill Pollock, pub-lisher of No Starch Press (the source of best-selling LEGO books like The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide and The Cult of LEGO). "The LEGO Adventure Book is ideal for LEGO fans who want to step outside the box and make something totally new."

The LEGO Adventure Book includes contributions from over a dozen expert LEGO builders, with models like:

• Flying machines, from vintage propeller planes to futuristic starfighters • A medieval village featuring an outdoor market, butcher shop, and fortified castle • Dinosaur favorites like the Stegosaurus and T. Rex, complete with articulated tail and jaw • A modern city full of shops, garages, vehicles, and even cable cars • A realistic British locomotive with working brakes • A huge selection of hot rods and racecars

Designed for fans of all ages and ability levels, The LEGO Adventure Book is a window into the exciting world of LEGO building.

The LEGO Adventure BookPublisher: No Starch PressBy Megan RothrockISBN: 9781593274429, $24.95 November 2012, 200 pp.

www.oreilly.com


Porsche is presenting its next generation hybrid Panamera Sport Turismo concept car, “e-hybrid” stands for plug-in hybrid tech-nology from Porsche that allows for greener more resourceful driving. Set to be to an amazingly intelligent and efficient vehicle with drive technology that combines Porsche performance with everyday practicality.

The body concept of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow: The overhangs are short, and the boot lid is large – both sporty and functional. The concept car combines the dimensions of a premium vehicle with the interior comfort of the luxury class.

Its direction indicators and sidelights are integrated in C-shaped lighting units – known as C-Blades – mounted in the large air inlets at the front end. Together with four-point LED headlights in an innovative design, they define the front end appearance of the concept car.

The smooth and taut exterior skin is not interrupted by add-on parts – there are no conventional exterior mirrors. In their place, the Sport Turismo has two cameras mounted in the side air out-lets whose images are shown on the displays in the cockpit.

The rear body has been completely reshaped, yet it retains all of the characteristics of a Porsche. The rear lights in LED technolo-gy and the tail-light panel with the “Porsche” badge are sculpted

in three dimensions, and the brake light is positioned between the four-point LED rear lights. Forming the roof termination is an adaptive carbon rear spoiler that produces improved down force.

The new Liquid Metal Blue color gives the concept car a surface that resembles liquid metal and highlights its contours and de-sign lines more distinctly. The wheels in dual-spoke design have a bi-color look, and the brake calipers are painted Acid Green. The hub locks of the wheels recall the origins of every Porsche – which is motorsport.

“e-hybrid” badges on the sides refer to the car’s drive concept, while the name “Sport Turismo” at the rear, framed in the same Acid Green color, emphasizes the car’s concept character. The milled aluminum battery housing is mounted under the boot floor, which is made of electro chromatic glass and reveals a view of the energy source illuminated in Acid Green at the press of a button.

The drive system of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an advanced development of the parallel full hybrid that Porsche already im-plements today in the Panamera S Hybrid and Cayenne S Hybrid. The new electric motor produces about 70 kW (95 hp), which is around twice as much as in today’s Porsche hybrid drive, while the supercharged three-litre V6 engine still produces 245 kW (333 hp) here. In their interplay, they accelerate the concept car from zero to 60mph in less than six seconds.

By Dan Myricks

= evolutionarye

The drive technology of the Panamera Sport Turismo completes the next development step towards the plug-in hybrid, symbol-ized by the “e-hybrid” badge on the front wings. The car’s new ability to be charged from the electrical power grid has been combined with even higher performance components. The con-cept vehicle with its 416 hp (306 kW) of peak system power is designed to be driven in pure electric mode up to a speed of 81mph and can cover distances of over 19 miles at that speed, more at lower speeds. The battery can be charged externally in 2.5 hours using a wall-mounted charger.

The electric power pack of the Sport Turismo e-hybrid consists of a lithium-ion battery whose performance is several times that of the nickel-hydride battery currently used in production, although it has practically the same dimensions. Its 9.4 Kilowatt hours of energy storage capacity and high peak power enable faster ac-celeration, longer electric driving range and higher speeds when driving without the internal combustion engine.

The default operating mode of the e-hybrid prioritizes all-electric driving, but the driver may deactivate this by pressing a special button on the steering wheel. In addition, when the car is being operated in hybrid mode the driver can select the e-charge mode by pressing the steering wheel button to intentionally intensify charging of the high-voltage battery. This is especially useful when one section of the driving route on a motorway is followed by a section through a city that should be driven in pure elec-tric mode without local emissions. In the e-charge mode; the internal combustion engine charges the battery by load point shifting, while satisfying rational energy management criteria.

As a plug-in hybrid, the fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery is not only charged while driving; it can also be externally charged within 2.5 hours (depending on the power supply) via a charging interface on the vehicle. Porsche systematically thought through all aspects of the concept car’s plug-in system; it utilizes a uni-versal charger (AC) that is wall-mounted in a home garage and has a standardized charging plug.

The interior of the Sport Turismo is a forward-looking interpre-tation of purist sports car thinking: as little as possible and as much as necessary. Instead of classic instruments, a large cen-tral TFT color display is positioned in front of the driver; it is used to call up and display any vehicle information as needed – from the tachometer to driving data or navigation. Two moni-tors, one to the left and one to the right of this display, show im-ages from the “exterior mirror” cameras. Two additional displays in tube form provide information on the hybrid-specific driving

states, e.g. pure electric driving, as well as other functions. The power meter in the instrument panel illuminates in Acid Green and shows the combined system power of the two drives.

A press on the touch-sensitive color display starts the e-hybrid. Naturally, on the side that is typical of a Porsche: the left side. A completely new type of touch display in the ascending centre console incorporates additional controls; this is the control cen-tre for the e-hybrid and all other functions that is implemented in black panel technology. It offers the driver the option of in-fluencing the hybrid drive via smart keys to choose maximum driving fun, maximum performance or maximum efficiency.

All driving indicators and control functions are also intuitively operated by multi-touch functionality, such as automatic climate control, seat adjustment, lights, reversing camera and the func-tions of Porsche Communication Management (PCM). The Pana-mera Sport Turismo offers exceptional hybrid performance and its styling is divisive. Porsche is set to deliver a luxury sedan that’s a veritable Jack of all trades, and this may not be the first automaker that comes to mind when you’re looking for a 4-door hatchback. However, many critics remain impressed with the Sport Turismo hybrid technology and versatility. Porsche unites the next generation hybrid drive with new ideas for an evolution-ary, sporty body design concept of tomorrow.


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T


aking inspiration from one of the defining movements of the 20th century, Rolls-Royce Motor cars proudly presents a selection of Ghost and Phantom family cars that celebrate the Art Deco era.

the highly bespoke Phantom Saloon, Phantom Drophead coupé and Ghost models were unveiled, in homage to the 1925 Paris exhibition or exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that gave the movement its name.

TBy Mai Yomioto


Art Deco was arguably the most glamorous and exciting design movement of the 20th century. Loosely spanning the period 1920 to 1940, the name Art Deco was not ap-plied until the 1960s, when the movement was aligned with the Paris Exhibition of 1925 or Exposition Interna-tionale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.

It’s a testament to its enduring appeal that many people with little interest in either art or design can identify an Art Deco inspired object or building today, even though they may not be clear what makes it so.

The movement was certainly sensational. Refreshing, different and beautiful in its own right, its roots were embedded in early twentieth century avant-garde paint-ing styles, then moved into a global design aesthetic embraced by disciplines such as architecture, automo-tive design, marketing, ceramics and furniture making.

Art Deco embraced the cultural enthusiasm of the mo-ment, employing futuristic crystallised motifs referenc-ing Greek classicism and recently discovered Egyptian relics mixed with the dynamic of the age of the machine and streamlined automotive liberation.

Art Deco could be likened to light out of darkness, complementing an epoch characterised by the rapid development of technology and innovative use of new materials. Geometric shapes, recurring motifs and styl-ised images featured heavily across Art Deco design. Simplicity in form, sweeping lines and streamlining gave the movement an appeal that shocked convention, but delighted high society to the soundtrack of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

But while the 1920s and 30s are held to embrace the Art Deco era, there was no definitive starting point, nor end. Art Deco influences were to be found well before this period and today Art Deco colours contemporary design.

The famous Rolls-Royce mascot ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ is one example that might be described as a prequel to the

movement. Born in 1911, the graceful little Goddess has now adorned the prow of Rolls-Royce motor cars for more than a century.

The influence of this genuine icon can be seen in famous Art Deco designs several decades later. Marcel Bouraine’s (1928) Papillion, a winged-figurine in translucent green glass created in the powered glass pâte-de-crystal tech-nique, hints at the original Rolls-Royce design.

The Spirit’s influence can also be seen in the glassware of Rene Lalique, creator of 29 car mascots of the period, such as the Spirit of the Wind in 1928. Also, his beauti-ful statuette Suzanne au Bain (1930), a nude revelling in fluttering draperies, a pose not dissimilar to that ad-opted by the muse said to have inspired the Spirit of Ecstasy’s designer Charles Sykes twenty years earlier.


Watch making is just like the cinema, it hides a precise mechanism which must

then generate emotion. The world of ROGER DUBUIS, the arrival of its collec-

tions, like spaces of freedom, perfectly matches my principles. You need to

take chances in life. And always push yourself.

"

"Gerard Butler

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The Spirit of Ecstasy’s flowing lines pre-empted the Art Deco movement. And the beautiful Phantom I, II and III models of the 1920s/1930s, wearing fine bespoke coachwork, certainly embody some of the high points in Rolls-Royce design of the last century.

Art Deco inspired those with the courage and conviction not to merely follow. It introduced a sense of flow and dynamism. In the movement’s most opulent creations, Art Deco complemented the reputation Rolls-Royce had already established at the pinnacle of the burgeoning automotive sector, embracing the finest designs and revelling in the most glamorous of objects.

High Art Deco (as it was sometimes described) also em-braced the sheer luxury of natural materials, the use of the exotic and experimental and celebrated the march of technology. The clean lines of aluminium – a mate-rial used to such success in bringing to life the original Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost - cool stainless steel and the luxurious feel of lacquer; all were to feature prominently in Art Deco design.

Though Rolls-Royce cars hold a timeless quality, the vi-sual history of the marquee illustrates that something can always be traced of the era in which the cars were designed. In creating a Rolls-Royce for the 21st Cen-tury, designers rose to the challenge of expressing the marquee’s heritage and language of one of the most cel-ebrated aesthetics in automotive history without stray-ing into pastiche.

This balance was achieved by elegantly incorporating Rolls-Royce design and engineering tenets that have stood for nearly a century, into a contemporary motor car that quickly established a pinnacle position in the modern automotive era.

Features referencing the marquee’s heritage such as the Pantheon grille adorned with Spirit of Ecstasy, wheels proportionally half the height of the car and interior

furnished with classic detailing including eyeball vents operated by organ-stop controls, found their home in a thoroughly modern masterpiece.

The spirit of movements such as Art Deco can be seen in every modern Rolls-Royce. The evolutionary updates to the pinnacle Phantom Series II family are an elegant example. It is a car built in the context of the world we live in today that retains the true essence of what has gone before.

Detailed interior touches in Phantom include quarter mirrors behind the c-pillar that reflect ambient light. Finished in green-frosted glass, these are reminiscent of the pâte-de-crystal pieces so prevalent in Art Deco glassware classics.

Today, echoes of Art Deco can be found in Ghost too. Its overarching design theme - the power of simplicity – reveals clean sweeping lines and proportions evoking the understated grandeur of the period.

The employment of only the finest materials and hand-craftsmanship pays homage to the design and manufac-turing excellence that typified the best of the Art Deco era. Cashmere and luxurious leather interiors give an air of sumptuous indulgence.


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The form and section of hand-crafted, lacquered and highly polished wood veneers for example evoke the structure of fine furniture. Rolls-Royce veneers are cho-sen for their richness, iridescence and complexity of grain, often enhanced by inlays adorned with silver or mother of pearl and cross banding, so reminiscent of fine cabinet making in the Art Deco era.

The Phantom Saloon for example includes a black and arctic white interior featuring a stainless steel inlay in the telephone drawer, door capping and in rear picnic table backs. These feature a geometric pattern first used by Rolls-Royce in early 20th century motor show stand designs.

Phantom Saloon’s black and arctic white interior hints at the visual language of the movement while a suite of Art Deco-inspired interior detailing points to the creativ-ity, skill and attention to detail employed by Rolls-Royce craftspeople.

Hand-fashioned stainless steel inlays in telephone draw-er, door cappings and rear picnic table backs subtly evoke the decorative style of the period. An echo of the rich heritage of the marque also lies in the Art Deco-style geometric coachline pattern – a design conceived and used by Rolls-Royce on a show stand at Olympia in the early 20th century.

The elegant simplicity of Ghost is presented in two-tone, jubilee silver atop cobalto blue, whilst the interior fea-tures intricately designed and crafted marquetry in front and rear. A Phantom Drophead Coupé furnished in re-splendent mother of pearl onlays gracefully completes the show line-up.

“These Art Deco-inspired motor cars stand as a testa-ment to the breadth of the Rolls-Royce bespoke offering, reinforcing the marque’s position as the world’s leading manufacturer of luxury goods,” said Torsten Müller-Öt-vös, Chief Executive Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.


An exclusive collection of Bespoke Phan-tom Saloon and Ghost family cars, in-spired by the Art Deco cars at Paris, will be made available to Rolls-Royce clients.

For Phantom customers, exterior colors will be offered in infinity black, Arabian blue, powder blue or Arctic white, and feature a bespoke, twin coach line with an Art Deco motif. An illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy, hinting at ornamental glass-ware of the day, completes the exterior detailing. Inside Phantom’s coach doors, touches like Art Deco headrest embroidery, bespoke inlays on piano black veneer and tread plates sporting Art Deco motif further reference the style of the period.

Ghost Art Deco collection cars are finished in either infinity black or arctic white with dual bespoke coach line and illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy. Interior styling in-cludes handcrafted Art Deco inlays, as well as Olympia-inspired motif on tread plates and headrest embroidery. A black and white interior scheme featuring a choice of four seat piping colors takes inspiration from the color palette of the era.

“For over a century a Rolls-Royce motor car has taken inspiration from the prevailing style of its time whilst retaining the marque’s unique design aesthetic,” added Giles Taylor, Design Director Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Art Deco was defined by theatre, glamour and a sense of ex-citement. Working to create contemporary in-terpretations of these classic themes has been enormously rewarding for everyone in my be-spoke design team.”

Akin to the artisans of what is sometimes called high Art Deco, only the very finest materials are employed and painstakingly crafted in ev-ery model leaving the home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England. Exquisite cashmere and finest leather combine to create an interior ambience that cossets passenger and driver in hallmark Rolls-Royce luxury.

Specially sourced wood veneers, selected for richness and complexity of grain, are adorned with mother of pearl or silver inlays - the form and structure of the pieces reminiscent of the fine cabinet making so preva-lent in the Art Deco period.

In early 20th Century design, Rolls-Royce cues provided inspiration for Art Deco’s leading designers in fields be-yond automobile manufacturing. The Spirit of Ecstasy, the mascot that has graced the prow of every Rolls-Royce motor car for 101 years for example, influenced Marcel Bouraine’s Papillon. His 1928 figurine in glass featuring flowing lines and outstretched wings helped define the decorative elegance of the era.

By Scott Black


Pershing, a brand of the Ferretti Group, launches a newly modern designed performance yacht: the Pershing 82'; confirming the brand's great challenge to develop large-size vessels without sacrificing the sportiness and speed distinguishing every Pershing

yacht.

eleganceUnmistakable

Pershing 82', penciled by the yacht designer Fulvio De Si-moni in close collaboration with AYT (Advanced Yacht Tech-nology - the centre of naval research and design of the Ferretti Group) and the team of architects and designers of Centro Stile Ferrettigroup, features an external profile that is more sleek and aggressive than that of its predecessor, thanks to the shape of the wider lateral windows which can be opened, providing more interior brightness.

The elongated superstructure that enhances the new at-tractive lines and the introduction of a sun-deck while keep-ing the retractable hardtop above the main helm, makes the yacht look sharp and it stands out immediately.

After the success of Pershing 74', Pershing 82' returns with a sun-deck, that can be easily accessed from an automated hatch and a carbon fiber staircase, a little mechanical mas-terpiece created by AYT in close collaboration with Besen-zoni. The staircase is decentralized and drops automatically into the cockpit by electro-hydraulic control and automati-cally disappears upwards when closed, freeing the space in the cockpit.

The sun-deck is simple and functional: there is an (op-

tional) retractable helm, and two comfortable lateral chaise lounges next to the pilot's seat, in which a practical minibar has been placed. To complete the layout of the sun-deck, there are sunbeds with separate and folding backrests and for safety purposes there are two lateral handles and a pulpit which blend in completely with the aesthetics of the superstructure.

All the other stylistic features that have distinguished the Pershing models, contributing to its worldwide success, re-main the same: the large windows on the walls, the large retractable door that divides the cockpit from the saloon with electro-hydraulic control and the special system of fi-berglass vacuum molding.

Pershing 82' is 24.97 metres long and has a maximum width of 5.50m with 4 comfortable guest cabins (the mas-ter suite amidships, a VIP cabin forward and two cabins with twin beds at the bow) for the standard layout, or 3 guest cabins for the optional version, with a lounge-cinema room starboard, and two crew cabins with three beds.

Practicality, combined to design, reigns in the cockpit, where there is a sofa and a seat, which can electrically transform into a comfortable sunbathing area, a mobile bar


Our Guest Book says it all...

...to live, work and play in Greater Naples”Thank you! Helpful - got lots to read! Very helpful and friendly smiles! So pretty!

See you next year! Very visitor friendly and lovely scenery! Help is fantastic! Danke!Just moved into an older home so thanks for the info on services to my home! OMG!

Merci Beaucoup! Wonderfully warm and helpful individuals! Great service! I love Naples!Grazie! Our second visit here! Thanks for your valued advice! Excellent help from a local!Volunteer was a wonderful help! Awesome staff! We love it here! You’re great people!

Very good advice and ideas!Very good advice and ideas! We want to live here! We’ll be back! Beautiful Center!Excited to be here! One of the nicest and prettiest Visitor Centers we’ve seen on our trip!

I love Paradise! Fabulous place...wonderful people! Gracias! Wonderful information!Thanks for helping me find things to do for my grandchildren’s visit! Gorgeous!

239.262.6141www.napleschamber.org

Open Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Stop in to see us and sign our Guest Book too!

“Thank you! Helpful - got lots to read! Very helpful and friendly smiles! So pretty!See you next year! Very visitor friendly and lovely scenery! Help is fantastic! Danke!Just moved into an older home so thanks for the info on services to my home! OMG!

Merci Beaucoup! Wonderfully warm and helpful individuals! Great service! I love Naples!Grazie! Our second visit here! Thanks for your valued advice! Excellent help from a local!Volunteer was a wonderful help! Awesome staff! We love it here! You’re great people!

Very good advice and ideas!

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with BBQ and a fiberglass table, which is the same colour as the hull, providing all that is necessary for social on board living. As in other models of the range, even on Pershing 82' the sun-deck at the cockpit is completely independent from the opening of the large garage, which has a folding bottom to facilitate the movement of the jet ski and a ten-der. This comfort is completed a hidden passarella created by Besenzoni. The crew are able to enter their quarters from the cockpit or inside the salon.

The main guideline leading the stylistic choices for the large salon is maximum space flexibility with refined el-egance. As you enter, on the right, there is a big L-shaped sofa, while in the middle there is another sofa that can be joined to make u-shaped seating. The long-standing and prestigious partnership with Poltrona Frau, that designed the sofas of the saloon, inspired by the model Quadra, has been renewed on Pershing 82'. All the furnishings are made of pore oak while the flooring is made of oak covered in wengè.

On the sun-deck there is also a comfortable sunbathing area at the bow, with dinette and a table, providing complete privacy in an area that is entirely dedicated to relaxation.

Below deck, space is typical divided for a mega yacht, for example the galley is separate from the salon and it combines with the crew area to allow greater privacy for the guests and the ship owner. The galley, which is L-shaped and is completely separate from the sleeping area, has a dinette and a folding table, ensuring comfort and a decent life on board. The crew area, which is made of two cabins (one for the captain and one for two additional crew) as well as a laundry and a bathroom, can also be accessed from the kitchen.

The standard sleeping area, made of four cab-ins, is a model of comfort and design. In the master suite, amidships, we find the appreci-ated wide open-view windows, which marked the aesthetic course of the new Pershing range. The sinuous shape of the window draws in a generous passage of light that throws a pleasant play of lights onto the Poltrona Frau Leather furnishings.

The VIP cabin, at the bow, with an en-suite head, features an elegant central bed and two big lateral wardrobes, while the two guest cab-ins have a more traditional setting with two twin beds. All the guest cabins are finished with carpet as standard.

The wrap-round light system, which was al-ready used on Pershing 74', provide indirect lighting with the embedded LED lights, distrib-uted along the ducts on the concealed molding

emphasizing the homogeneously diffused lights and giving a modern style to the environment. Moreover, all the inter-nal steps have a LED light to illuminate the passageways.

Besides the innovative solutions designed for the external structure and for the design below deck, the new Persh-ing 82' was developed to ensure maximum performance at sea: two powerful MTU 16 V M93 of 2435 mhp (1792 kW) coupled with ZF Searex SR140S surface propellers that guarantee a maximum speed of 45 knots and a cruising speed of 40 knots with high levels of comfort and a range of more than 300 nautical miles. The Autotrim of ZF con-tributes to the high technological level of this vessel. It is a system that is capable of optimizing performance at any speed automatically making it very easy for newcomers to surface drive propulsion.

http://www.napleschamber.org

The new Riva 63' Virtus is the product of a close working relationship between Officina Italiana De-sign, the studio that exclusively designs all yachts in the Riva range, the AYT - Advanced Yacht Technol-ogy, the Ferretti Group's naval research and design centre, and the team of architects and designers at Centro Stile Ferrettigroup. The new model has been designed as a sporty yacht, created for owners wishing to experience the sea first hand.

Riva reinterprets the concept of an open yacht with a model featuring a typical Mediterranean style which maintains the unmistakable elegance of all the shipyard's models: class, refinement and clean lines. These are also found in and on the new Riva 63' Virtus, flagship of the Riva opens, a model de-signed to last. Created following the lines of the 63' Vertigo, a classical, highly successful Riva model, Virtus recaptures the strong character of the Rivale, another Riva open boat which has marked the ship-yard's history, but uses larger spaces which guaran-tee excellent liveability and total on-board comfort.

The exteriors feature spacious areas which enable owners to enjoy the yacht in the company of their guests, also thanks to two large sundecks, one at bow and one astern, under which the garage for the tender is located. This sociable aspect of the yacht is also extended to the helm area, where the driving seat consists of a three seater sofa, enabling own-ers to share the pleasure of driving the yacht with their guests. Moreover, it is protected by a large windshield with a double curve which ensures com-fort while cruising.

The cockpit is spacious, comfortable and equipped with a fridge, sink and - upon request - a grill. In the cockpit there are three sofas, one of which L-shaped, located on the port hand side, one astern and a third equipped with a system which slides and enables to move closer to the varnished teak table which has a flip up section. Moreover, the cockpit is covered with a large, electro-hydraulically operated bimini which can also be kept open whilst running.

Typical of Riva, the class and attention to fine detail is evident in the cleats and in the electric winch-es skilfully concealed to ensure aesthetic fluidity. Painstaking attention has also been paid to creat-ing the functional, well-designed instrument mast in line with the style of all Riva open models.

The interior fittings have been studied in such a way as to attain the very best availability in terms of space and comfort, with a large salon which makes it possible to place a wooden table, able to acco-modate up to six in this area, without having to re-duce the size of the galley. Riva 63' Virtus is a yacht featuring contrasts of colour and materials: the al-ternation between the light shades of the oak and darker ones of the leather, and between the opaque and polished lacquering create a style which gives the new Riva 63' Virtus a further touch of modern style without forgetting the traditional elegance of all Riva yachts.



By Tony William

PerformanceCruising

http://www.macys.com

The master cabin is located portside astern and set slightly lower than the other two, and has been enriched with a bed run around in leather stitching. The slightly lower position of the cabin makes it possible to use all the space available. The guest cabin, also located port-side midships, features bunk beds, set out in an L-shape which offer a pleasant panoramic view of the surface of the water. The master and VIP cabins, set at bow, both feature en-suite heads, whilst the day head is located opposite the guest cabin.

The harmonious profile and racy lines of the yacht are further emphasised by the large arrowshaped side win-dows, which have made so many other Riva models suc-cessful and guarantee excellent natural lighting below deck. The unusual features of the hull and teak of the deck and part of the cockpit, together with the many details in stainless steel, contribute to making the 63' Virtus both modern and sporty.

"Riva is an extraordinary brand, and always manages to innovate, creating unique, cuttingedge models, whilst still maintaining the charm and magic which have char-acterised it for over 160 years," said Norberto Ferretti, Chairman of the Group bearing the same name. "The 63' Virtus, with her strong, decisive character combined with the elegance and refined features which are typical to this brand, is the perfect addition to the Riva range."

The new Riva 63' Virtus is also on the cutting-edge for her on-board technological equipment. Featuring twin 1360mhp MAN 12V engines, 1000 kW at 2300 rpm/min, delivering excellent performance, with a top speed of 40 knots and a cruise speed of 35 thanks to the tried and tested hull equipped with tunnel propulsion. Her ease of handling and smoothness over the waves are excellent for this category.

"Sporty, sociable and a pleasure to drive. These are the concepts which guided the design of the new Riva open", asserted Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, founders of Officina Italiana Design. "With Riva 63' Virtus, we want-ed to create a long-lasting yacht, destined to become part of Riva's history and its great classics."

"We are pleased to present the Riva 63' Virtus, a sporty, racy yacht characterised by a style which has always distinguished the Riva brand", stated Alberto Perrone da Zara, Riva Brand Manager Sales Manager. "Virtus is a model able to fully satisfy the needs of Owners who want to drive their yachts easily, with spaces suitable for sharing comfortably with whoever they choose."

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

• LOA : 64 ft 2 in. • Length Hull : 62 ft 5 in. • Beam : 15 ft 9 in. • Draft : 5 ft 3 in. • Displacement: 71,209 lbs. • Fuel capacity : 845 US gals. • Water capacity : 174 US gals. • Cabins : 3 • Engine : 2 * MAN V12 1360mhp - std • Crew cabins : 1 • Bathrooms : 3


MAGGY LONDONMixed-print jersey sheath, polyester/spandex, green combo, $148. In Dresses and Petite Focus at Nordstrom.

dress shabbily and they remember the dress;

dress impeccably and they remember the

woman.""

Coco Chanel


When it comes to designer clothing there are two types of people…the first are women who simply think it’s not worth the money and the other is wom-en who adore designer fashion with many women just not able to afford spending so much money on one piece of clothing but others having the luxury of being able to splurge and wouldn’t be seen dead in high street clothing.

Despite these two opposites, more and more wom-en are having an increased amount of disposable income as they become more affluent and inde-pendent, and every now and then are able to treat themselves to something with a bigger price tag and believe they deserve to splash the cash when they feel the need.

As designer fashion is rather ex-pensive, most women can’t afford to have a wardrobe full of couture pieces but a sensible shopper can have a few key pieces in their ward-robe as long as they can justify the price spent on them. If you’re used to high street shopping and check-ing price tags then designer cloth-ing can be rather intimidating. The key to designer fashion shopping is to know what you’re looking for and when you should spend your mon-ey to get the most designer cloth-ing for your budget.

Timeless

This probably the most important thing to remem-ber with designer clothing; always buy with versatil-ity in mind. Make sure it’s a good addition to your wardrobe and won’t age easily; otherwise you won’t get much wear out of it.

Charity shops

If you love the idea of designer clothing but not the price tag why not check out charity shops? There are some amazing bargains to be found and some charities even have shops specifically for designer pieces, and what’s more is that you’ll also be giving to charity! It’s best head to a city to find the best bits though in areas where young and hip people hang out.

Accessories

It’s so easy to change your look with some fash-ion accessories like a bag, jewelry or a scarf. When buying designer accessories only choose an item that you’ve really fallen for and that will really make a different. Accessories are so cheap on the high street so make this one area that you really think about.

Little black dress

Every woman needs an LBD in her wardrobe; it’s so easy to wear for all occasions and will definitely be your fallback piece. This fashion classic is a good excuse to go designer because it’s one item that will never date and will always be needed. Go smart with it in the office and glam it up with some kill-er heels for a night on the town.

Signature pieces

If you’re thinking along the lines of getting the most for your money and the long term investment then it’s a good idea to buy a signature piece of designer clothing. Many design-ers produce key pieces and if you invest in one of these then you’ll be able to sell it on in the future. But

don’t buy something for the sake of it; you really need to like it as well.

So those are the items of designer pieces you should look out for and consider buying if you’re looking to add designer clothing to your wardrobe, but, as you would expect there are also lots of things you should avoid buying. It’s important not to get addicted to buying designer fashion and to always stick to your budget. Don’t buy fashion trends and fads from de-signer names, stick to the high street for this be-cause they’ll most likely have gone out of fashion within a few months and it’ll be a waste of money.

By Sarah Lomas

Worth Investing In designer fashion?

I.N.C available at Macy's and at macys.com

macys.com

HALOGENRaglan zip sweater, cotton/nylon/viscose, purple nectar/red rumba combo; also in other colors, $69. High-waisted pencil skirt, wool/polyester/acrylic, purple nectar bouclé; also in black bouclé, $78. Both in Point of View and Petite Focus at Nordstrom and nordstrom.com.

TAYLOR DRESSESLace sheath dress with grosgrain ribbon detail, purple, cotton/nylon, Misses and Petites, $148, Plus, $168. In Dresses, Petite Focus and Encore at Nordstrom and nordstrom.com

BAR IIIVest 69.00Top 39.00Skirt 59.00Available at select Macy's and at macys.com



macys.com

ALFANITop 59.00Skirt 59.00Available at select Macy's and at macys.com



macys.com

Women's Merino Cowl Neck Sweater Dress, $180Center Weave Belt, $70


http://www.landsend.com/

Women's 2 Button Double Knit Jacket, $100Women's Long Sleeve Fine Guage Supima Crew Cardigan, $49Women's 3 Quarter Sailor Tee, $30Women's Original Chino Slim Ankle, $60


http://www.landsend.com/


by Dorothy Mannfolk

Photography by Rachel Murray

the nineteenth century authors thoreau, emerson, and Whitman gave rise to the transcendental lit-erary and philosophical movement, which sought to reorder the relationship between the individual and nature. Proponents of transcendentalism be-lieved in the universal divine spirit pervading all of nature and that through reflection, intuition and communion with nature they could apprehend

spiritual and moral truths.

they saw the sublime and the divine made mani-fest in the natural world, from the morning frost, to the field of flowers, to a single blade of grass. their reverence for the wonder of the natural world in-spires Sue Wong's Spring transcendent collection. Gowns and cocktail dresses come alive in the lush greens, cerulean blue, frost white and soft pastels of spring adorned with organza petals, cascading vine embroideries and floral appliques, that invoke

the beauty and magic of the dawn of Spring.

Beauty - Magic - Transformation

Sue Wong

The always glamorous and effortlessly elegant fashion designer, Sue Wong, showcased an immersive sensory experience of her "Spring Transcendent" 2013 Col-lection to a packed-to-capacity audience. The highly anticipated runway show drew leading fashion, media and entertainment insiders along with some of young Hollywood's hottest actresses including Jadin Gould of Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," Meital Dohan of Show-time's "Weeds," Jen Lilley and Lindsey Morgan of ABC's "General Hospital," Kearran Giovanni of TNT's "Major Crimes," and Chloe Noelle of HBO's "True Blood." A-list actor Thomas Jane of HBO's "Hung" introduced the show, stating "Tonight, nature and design come alive in gowns…that invoke the beauty and magic of Spring's transcendent dawning."

Capturing that spirit with accessible designs of excep-tional glamour and beauty, Sue Wong has found a call-ing she revels in, as couturier to everywoman. "I tried to capture that fleeting beauty that exists in the very fibers of both fashion and nature," said designer Sue Wong, whose collection was inspired by ninetieth cen-tury Transcendentalist movement's reverence of the natural world. Ravishing dresses came down the run-way draped to move effortlessly with a woman's body. Sensuous in supple fabrics in the warm and vibrant hues of Spring and adorned with couture flourishes in-cluding embroidery, hand beadwork and applique, the collection reiterates Sue Wong's unmatched ability to create wearable elegance.



The entire event was filmed in 3D, in conjunction with the 5th 3DFF, 3D Film, Music and Interactive Festival, and as a subject of the forthcoming docu-mentary "Fashion and Culture in Los Angeles," di-rected by Catherine Bauknight. The film features Sue Wong as among the city's most iconic and influential creative innovators. "Fashion lives by progress and change. This is an exciting way of en-gaging modern women while celebrating the kind of Hollywood beauty, magic and transformation that has always been so integral to my designs," said the designer.

Sue Wong shown us romantic refined styles with clean aesthetics, which she tailored to perfection. Glamorous and feminine details in her dresses, pays homage to the transformation of every woman into a goddess. not only this magnificently detailed Ed-wardian styling, but to the film's theme of transfor-mation as well, which is a prevailing theme in the basic design philosophy of the designer. "I believe that clothing has the ability to empower and trans-form a woman into the fantasy of her choice," says Wong, whose motto, "Beauty. Magic. Transforma-tion." echoes the central theme of the film

The grandeur of the dresses was complemented by the sleek sophistication of the hair courtesy of Prive Salon and Laurent Dufourg, makeup by Na-poleon Perdis and Danielle Hawkes and jewelry by Vilaiwan.

www.suewong.com

Couture


Arttimea Hecendorfer creations, express feelings and characteristics of approach and opinion… Look at my fruits of fantasy!

Rich in its color yet delicate in its form, this admired bloom is full of life, incessantly evolving and changing in shape. A vibrant palette of flora in shades of fern, magnolia, rosebud, and willow are infused in the exquisite fabrics of silk linen, embroidered lace, and draped tulle. Her works are inspired by famous painting, romans, novels, statues. Hand painted brush strokes mirror the tulip’s unique petal markings; beading is sprinkled like dewdrops on a spring morning. Few flowers have fascinated and endured as powerfully as the tulip.

By Samantha Ramos

Photography by Andrea Marton

94 FOCUS of SWFL 2012 Photography by Andrea Marton


Photography by Andrea Marton


PANDORA’s collection of outstanding jewelry features raw, elegant designs inspired by rock style with a hint of vintage and a bit of attitude.

PANDORA bracelets give women the freedom to capture the unforgettable moments that make life ex-traordinary and the new charms of the fall season offer a twist on what has become the hallmark of the PANDORA brand. Two elegant sterling silver brace-lets are also new–one is designed to hold one tradi-tional or new decorative clip, the other as many as five. Mix, match and combine the clips and bracelets in any combination, creating pieces that are unique to your personal style. It’s an idea inspired by PAN-DORA’s popular charm bracelet.

Create and combine looks with other new additions to the PANDORA universe, including a line of 14k solid gold earrings, pendants and dangle charms with in-tricate lace details and diamonds; and large cock-tail rings, featuring amethyst or grey moonstone, that are perfect for stacking. Stunning earrings inspired by delicate lace patterns in 14K gold with freshwa-ter pearls and diamonds can be worn on their own, layered or combined with other pieces from the Com-pose collection. Rings in 14K gold, sterling and black oxidized silver have florally inspired designs with an unpredictable twist that is raw yet feminine.

Large cocktail rings in amethyst or grey moonstone are perfect for stacking with this season’s more deli-cate pieces. New LovePod rings in white, yellow and rose 18K gold with brilliant-cut diamonds or colorful gemstones work beautifully with other pieces of PAN-DORA jewelry and interlock when stacked together.

The spirit of nostalgic rock infuses the collection, es-pecially our new sterling silver decorative clips in raw, sculptural shapes. The other standouts include a star-shaped pendant and charm in black oxidized silver, an alluring finish that runs through the collection.

Photographer: Julian Bern (www.julianbern.com)Stylist: Belen ClaverMakep Up Artist: Carmen Belen Munoz photomaquillaje.comHairdressing: Veronica LopezPhoto Assistants: Daniel Roman & Luis CerdeiraVideophotography: Sarai PinedaDigital Retouch: Irene Cruz artx.es


Anight out

Model: Adina OrasteanuDress Roberto VerinoShoes Jorge VazquezBracelet Daniel Espinosa


Photographer: Julian BernModel: Yulia DemossDress Miguel PalacioShoes Miguel PalacioCollar Daniel Espinosa


Photographer: Julian BernModel: Adina OrasteanuDress Hannibal LagunaShoes Hannibal Laguna

Photographer: Julian BernModel: Yulia DemossDress Hannibal LagunaJacket Hannibal LagunaShoes Miguel Palacio


Photographer: Julian BernModel: Adina OrasteanuDress Hannibal LagunaShoes Hannibal Laguna



Born and raised in London and the english countryside Aloye Ad-ede was educated at St Mary's School Shaftesbury in Dorset, also attended by camilla Duchess of cornwall's daughter Laura Rose Lopes. After Aloye's BScHons degree in Business Management in Surrey, she moved to Italy to study Fashion communication and Styling at the prestigious design school Istituto europeo di Design and graduated with a Masters degree in 2007. on her return to London in 2008 she set up her eponymous womenswear label eyola which specializes in rich, intricate, exquisite and timeless Victorian inspired jackets and dresses that epitomize iconic British tailoring.

oneKindof a


Aloye Adede is the brainchild behind luxury women’s wear labels Eyola and Femme De

Rose both taking inspiration from a period in history that thoroughly fascinates and inspires her - the Vic-torian era. By drawing inspiration from this era Aloye adopted fundamental characteristics of Victorian fashion that included: exclusivity, bespoke dressmak-ing and artisanal handiwork which together created the most enchantingly feminine designs. Aloye's de-signs follow two further fundamental elements of the nineteenth century: luxurious materials and metic-ulous fit, epitomized by Victorian couturier Charles Frederick Worth. Her dedication, commitment and knowledge of sharp British tailoring, acquired dur-ing her time working at Alexander McQueen and other leading fashion houses, is integral to Eyola and Femme De Rose's saviour faire.

On Aloye’s return to London in 2008 she set up her eponymous label Eyola, using the Victorian-invented anagram game to rearrange the letters of her name. Victorian fashion, traditional British tailoring and craftsmanship are the source of inspiration main-tained throughout the brand’s style, expertise and culture.

In 2011 Eyola's sister label Femme De Rose was launched, a luxury online custom-made service giv-ing women the ability to design and purchase a per-sonalized jacket tailored to their exact size and taste. With over 12 million design options to choose from the choice for a one of a kind blazer is endless.

Currently women's sizes are based on standards cre-ated in the 1940s but a lot has changed and women come in a variety of shapes. Traditionally men buy personalized tailored jackets, in contrast women buy suits and jackets off the rack in dress sizes which rarely offer tailoring. The result is poorly fitted cloth-ing. Jackets ride up, do not provide enough support and become shapeless and flat. In contrast a tailored Femme De Rose blazer can enhance each woman’s best features, flattering all body types from making a boyish shape look more feminine to a curvy shape more hourglass.

The concept behind Eyola's Femme De Rose was developed during one of Aloye's countryside walks where she took inspiration from the breathtaking views and flower rich grasslands that surrounded her. Eyola's bespoke online service was influenced by Jean-Baptist Guillot and his discovery of 'La France'

http://www.americanapparel.net


www.eyola.com

the first hybrid tea rose that transformed the floral industry not just during the Victorian era but to this very day. In-spired by Guillot's rose cross-breading technique, Aloye created a concept of her own crossbreeding two hallmarks of the Eyola brand: timeless-ness and tailoring.

With strong British roots and heritage, taking inspira-tion from the Victorian era and British tailoring, Eyola's Femme De Rose endeavours to source all materials (includ-ing a selection of sustainable nature-friendly wool), fabrics and accessories from the UK. Aspiring to follow in the tradi-tion of bespoke British tailor-ing Eyola's Femme De Rose takes inspiration and follows in the footsteps of London Savile Row's craftsmanship. In an attempt to change the way women shop for clothes, Eyola's Femme De Rose en-courages and supports wom-en's freedom of expression by involving women in the de-sign process - satisfying their style needs and ensuring the perfect fit by requesting their bust, waist and hip measure-ments.

The lining of each blazer jack-et is decorated with pink vel-vet ribbon, symbolizing time-lessness and personality. The color also represents the rose flower, which forms an inte-gral part of Femme De Rose’s heritage and guarantees the high quality fabrics and tailor-ing. Each blazer is packaged in environmentally friendly acid-free tissue paper, a rose-print reusable 'Furoshiki' gift wrap and an eco-polythene mailing bag. From the infinitely desir-able and timeless blazer jack-et to the nature friendly pack-aging, Eyola's Femme De Rose aims at an experience that will remain close to each woman's heart.


All Dresses from H&M 2012 Limited EditionJewels: Fahoma MadridShoes: ZARAIdea & Photography: Julian Bern - www.julianbern.comModels: Maite Sanchez & Esther PastorMake Up: Ismael Rodriguez & Anabel CastellanoHairdressing: Raquel Blanco & Veronica LopezStyling: Yasmina Faden

Sweet & Sassy

Phot

ogra

pher

: Jul

ian

Bern



LavishEleganceAs we witness the latest fashion shows on the catwalks of New York, London and Milan, the picture of what is in for S/S 2013 begins to become clear. Though every designer draws on his or her own design language and techniques to grab your attention, we are surprised to find two common elements arise frequently in the core of this extravagant fashion party.

We see these two materials all over the runway. From eve-ning gowns to skirts, from tank tops to shirts, they are every-where. Some designers add lace as detailed features and others choose to combine these two ex-quisite fabrics together, but both for the same sole purpose: the ide-al illustration of female mystique.

Lace, as well known to all, is used to show the delicate side of femi-ninity and if matched with chiffon, we find this aura only amplifies. In addition, we see some design-ers put chiffon over the mini skirt. This is definitely a very fresh way of dressing. For those who are un-comfortable in a mini skirt, such style makes a mini more wearable.

No matter who the designer is or what material is mainly used, you can always sense a touch of ele-gance on every catwalk in recent fashion weeks, which once again makes us believe elegance never goes out of time! Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Philosophy, Vera Wang, Antonio Berardi, Er-dem, just to name a few. These collections once again blow our minds by elevating women's elegance to a new level. The surprising thing is, most elegant pieces on the runway can also be worn every hour of every day.

Aimer, as a leading lingerie brand, never loses sight of what is the hottest in lingerie fashion. So, besides fashion weeks,

we also attended several lingerie shows this year to take a sneak peek at next season's lingerie trends. Surprisingly, we find some interesting overlaps between the latest linge-rie trends and the 2013 S/S fashion trends.

First, we saw infinite varieties of lace. Some of them are very costly, worth hundreds of dollars per yard. One brand we saw in New York even used real gold foil lace. Second, elegance prevails. Embroideries are widely adopted to show

the elegance and delicacy of the female form. We can see that em-broideries are still a key element of any lingerie. Third, a new lingerie dressing style begins to surface. On the catwalks of both fashion weeks and lingerie shows, a com-bination of mesh, silk, chiffon and leather matched with lingerie ulti-mately leads us to a new look of lingerie as fashion.

Within the lingerie industry lace is a lasting theme. The Aimer lace bra is the staple all fine lingerie brands stand upon. So this line has always been one of our pri-mary design focuses. We adopt top Switzerland imported lace with excellent stretchability to provide a comfortable, highly breathable fit. This adds an irresistible elegance to our product. Aimer's Lace Series not only complements a woman's natural curves and shape, but also provides the sex appeal no other design can.

Making elegance as part of our brand's DNA. We believe ev-ery woman deserves her own style of elegance and fine lin-gerie can definitely add elegance to a woman's life. Inspired by this goal, we allocate substantive attention to find the perfect combination of material, color, print and embroi-dery. With Aimer's continuing efforts, elegance becomes an achievable experience.

www.aimeronline.com

By Jennifer Tiedmann

http://www.badgleymischka.com


One of Hollywood’s most renowned di-rectors, Ron Howard, has selected one local winner from Pinellas Park, Florida in Canon’s “Project Imaginat10n,” where five celebrity directors - Eva Longoria, Jamie Foxx, Georgina Chapman (de-signer and co-founder of Marchesa), James Murphy (founder of LCD Sound-system) and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter) will direct short films based on consumer submitted photographs.

In 2011, Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A. partnered for a similar creative endeav-or, “Project Imagin8ion.” Eight photos were selected and influenced an award-winning short film, “when you find me,” directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. For

year two of Canon’s “Long Live Imagina-tion” campaign and the next endeavor, “Project Imaginat10n,” Ron Howard will once again mentor the celebrity direc-tors as they begin the filmmaking pro-cess to prove that “we’re all creative.”

“I am so passionate about the integrity and user-generated process of ‘Project Imaginat10n’ where our celebrity direc-tors can be directly inspired by photog-raphers from all across the country,” said Ron Howard. “As we selected the photographs, I was blown away by the beauty, perspective and intrigue that they conveyed, and was thrilled that so many people wanted to once again take part in this exciting artistic experiment.”

Kimon Ballis from Pinellas Park has been chosen as a winner in the Setting Theme. The celebrity directors are now reviewing the photos and will select one from each of the 9 categories in addi-tion to Ron Howard’s pick for the 10th theme of “Discovery.” So Kimon Ballis could inspire Eva Longoria’s film!

A graduate from Florida Atlantic Uni-versity and Southwest Florida native for the past 14 years, Kimon Ballis known as “Dave”, is a fun loving father with twin daughters and his wonderful fiancé Robin. Being a active and creative dad, Dave explains how his relationship with

Inspirational Photographyby Scott Black

Photography by Dave Ballis


photography began.

As my kids got older I discovered that I liked taking pictures. My evolution was taking snapshots, to taking good snapshots , to creating images. At the end of 2008, I was seeking some professional train-ing. Given my left brain/engineering focus I was much more interested in learning about the tech-nical aspects of photography. The numbers, set-tings, electronic and mechanical mechanisms were fascinating. However the class I sought out was not available at the Morean. They asked if I was in-terested in a composition class. The class was 90% creative challenge and 10% technical, exactly the opposite of what I wanted but it turned out to be a passion igniting experience. My instructor was Beth Reynolds, who has since left the Morean. She was inspirational and she developed a creative base that I draw on today. In the class, my nice point and shoot was way outclassed by the DSLR’s of the oth-er classmates. So I saved and bought my own. My next instruction was provided by Chuck Vosburgh also at the Morean. Chuck taught an excellent, hand on class for lighting techniques. Chuck made the complex very simple and is a superb instructor.

By this time I was taking decent pictures, but my work still wasn’t outstanding. More practice I thought, so I was started looking for opportunities to shoot. Meetup.com was the place where I met many wonderful photographers, who through infor-mal training and show and tell I learned how to post process my images with the right software. There are so many great places in our area that I never would have explored without joining these

groups. Eventually, I ran a group, the West Coast Photography Group in 2011. A special shout out to Frank Lamica who founded and ran the group in 2010. Frank helped me early on to develop pro-cessing techniques; also the current leader, Jay Droggitis who encouraged me to submit to ‘Project Imaginat10n.’

I am not a professional photographer, but it’s clearly a passion of mine. Regarding my image in Project Imaginat10n…..Well I had some really good nature and landscape shots, but the St. Petersburg cityscape is special. We often shoot from the Pier as it’s so scenic. We are blessed with beautiful sunsets, water, skyline, city lighting, and a unique landmark. Furthermore with closure of the Pier, the perspective shown in “Tourist View” will be gone forever. So maybe there is some element of fate that caused this image to ”bubble to the top”. Tech-nically the photo is a wide angle, HDR shot, made to be photorealistic.

The celebrity directors are currently reviewing the winning photos to make their selections, craft their stories, develop their scripts and prepare to pro-duce their own short films with Canon’s Cinema EOS System and DSLR cameras. The films will be produced by Freestyle Picture Company, which also produced “when you find me” in 2011. All five films go into production between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 and will premiere at a special “Project Imagi-nat10n” Film Festival. The “10” in “Imaginat10n,” represents ten films that will ultimately be produced – five additional directors will be announced at a later date.

By Chip Krespach

Something very good is happening! We are watching the reawakening of the home sales market in SWFL and are witness to numerous new projects taking shape all over the area and the completion of others started some years ago. It is apparent the economic challenges of the past 5 years that had slowed area growth have also caused a re-definition of home design and community lifestyle to match the ever evolving expression of what people want. It is the power of the free market at work.

One example of this “re-definition” in Naples country club living is Talis Park featuring 461 acres of magnificently landscaped surround-ings and their acclaimed Norman & Dye golf course. Having now be-gun the building of their much-anticipated clubhouse, Vyne House, their vision is to reinterpret SWFL luxury for a new era with an intrigu-ing vision that aims to elevate the club experience. An approach to country club living that is more refined and relaxed and lacking in pretense and contrived airs. Vyne House, the social heart and soul of the master-planned community, embodies their forward thinking ap-proach and is reflective of a lifestyle in step with SWFL luxury living today.

Designed by the award-winning architectural firm Peacock + Lewis, the charming, multi-purpose village center will include a lively inter-play of breezy indoor and outdoor spaces from terraces to courtyards to outdoor living rooms. Vyne House will be home to a spa, racquet club, fitness center, and café with stone oven-baked pizza, wine and coffee. Its adjacent Great Lawn will offer the perfect, picturesque setting for any occasion, from wine festivals to concerts and movie screenings. This is not your father’s clubhouse! Offering an entirely new perspective on the active SWFL lifestyle, one that celebrates to-day’s active, health-conscious, socially-connected lifestyles and ren-ders irrelevant outdated rules and formalities; Talis Park is helping set a new direction in lifestyle living.

The community will introduce three new neighborhoods offering an inviting network of meandering trails and pathways leading to the vil-lage center. Overlooking the water or acclaimed Norman & Dye golf course, three refreshingly distinct home collections will be unveiled to embody the new spirit of the community, with free-flowing indoor/out-door living spaces, beautiful views, and prices ranging from $700,000 to $2 million plus. The homes will be built by some of the area’s top builders such as Sunwest Custom Homes, LLC. Having built high end luxury homes for over 30 years in Naples they are known for the high-est quality and functional spaces. Sunwest will offer numerous home models from 2,700 – 3,500 sq.ft. in the Talis Park enclave of Brightling featuring Caribbean, Italian and Spanish inspirations with prices rang-ing from $900k to $1.5 million.

One of the last luxury communities to be developed west of I-75 along Livingston Rd. it seems clear that Talis Park will emerge among the top luxury home communities and be worthy of careful consideration for the discerning home buyer.

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The way they are constructed, makes double hung win-dows very popular. Cleaning double hung windows are easier than windows based on a spiral or string system because they won't allow the sash to drop out when you are cleaning them. Double hung windows tilt in a way that uses a flush fitting tilt release which is more attractive than screwed in tilt release systems that are more commonly used. You may find that choosing a quality window is dif-ficult because of the overwhelming number of options. A solid warranty offered by a quality manufacturer as well as your budget should be important factors in the window decision you make. Windows are a large investment and if you pick wisely you can save money over the long run by improving your energy efficiency. In order to save money in the future you may be wise to spend a little more on your windows now..

Quality doors add to the curb appeal of a home and also enhance your home's security. Block the noise outside from entering your home with a well built door which will provide a sound barrier. Energy efficiency is the most important door feature to have. Well built doors provide tight, long-lasting barriers by using effective weather seals to improve energy efficiency. The function of door (patio, garage, front or interior door) will certainly be a factor in your decision. When you install a door ensure it is up to code and meets the safety features in your area. There are a number of de-sign options you can choose from when it comes to doors, such as whether you would like to use colored, textured or wrought iron glass. There are many types of materials that

hand formed bevels come in like black chrome, lead, brass, copper, zinc and antique black. Breaking a door by force in order to enter your home is more difficult when you have well built security plates in your door.

When installing doors and windows in your house don't for-get to factor in window coverings into the price. New tech-nology has improved the quality of shutters and blinds now available. The decision of using a shutter or blind will come down to personal preference because there are so many benefits to both. Blinds are sometimes preferred because of the flexibility they offer for installation and the variety of colors and types you can choose from. Common types of blinds include roman, roller, sheers, pleated shades or cellular shades. The fact that shutters offer home owners privacy, durability and versatility are key benefits. Shut-ters are designed to allow you to control the amount of privacy and light in your home. The features of light and privacy control offered by shutters makes them a popular choice. Shutters don't shrink, fade, peel or crack, which makes them a great investment for home owners. Shutters can be cleaned easily, making them a popular choice. The ability to easily remove shutters that have a hinge-release panel makes cleaning them very accessible. Whether you want to install shutters inside the window frame or not is up to you. If you find a reliable manufacturer they will usu-ally offer a solid warranty, perhaps even up to 25 years. The quality, type or size of window coverings you choose will impact the price.

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Taubman Centers, Inc. and Benderson Development Company, LLC today announced the ground breaking on an 880,000-square-foot shopping center in Sarasota, Fla. The Mall at University Town Center will be a state-of-the-art, two-level, enclosed mall featuring an 80,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue, a 180,000-square-foot Dillard’s and a 160,000-square-foot Macy’s. The $315 million shopping center will include more than 100 spe-cialty stores and restaurants, ap-proximately half of which are an-ticipated to be new to the market. Located at I-75 and University Parkway, the area’s most heavily traveled interchange, The Mall at University Town Center will be the dominant fashion shopping des-tination in the growing Sarasota region. “Retailer response to The Mall at University Town Center has been tremendous,” said Taubman Chief Operating Officer William Taub-man. “We will feature many distinctive retailers not found any-where else in the local market. The shopping center will offer a distinctive collection of upscale fashion and lifestyle retailers as well as sit-down restaurants.” “The Mall at University Town Center solidifies the University area as the premier shopping destination in Southwest Florida,” said Randy Benderson, president of Benderson Development Compa-ny. “The shopping center, in conjunction with the Nathan Bend-erson Rowing Facility, will be a world-class destination and a tre-mendous community benefit for generations to come.”

“The Mall at University Town Center will be a legacy project for Sarasota County,” said Christine Robinson, Sarasota County Com-mission Chair. “It’s an economically diverse development offering new jobs and new job opportunities. The mall was created by a visionary public-private partnership and based on a sustainable

concept that will become a na-tional benchmark for combining a world-class rowing and recre-ational facility with a world-class commercial and residential cen-ter.” At the conclusion of the ground-breaking ceremony, William Taub-man presented a $10,000 check on behalf of the mall to the Edu-cation Foundation of Sarasota County, a non-profit organization dedicated to quality public educa-tion for all children. Through the generosity of a caring community, Education Foundation programs

and initiatives go beyond what tax dollars can provide and helps to elevate local public schools to the top of Florida’s education system. “The communities where we build our shopping centers are the key to our success,” said Taubman. “We believe it is important to reciprocate and support our local community as well.” The Mall at University Town Center will open on October 16, 2014.

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Community Officials join Taubman and Benderson Development for a ceremonial ground breaking of The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Fla. Pictured left to right: Sharon Hillstrom, Manatee Economic Development Corp.; Mark Huey, Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County; Christine Robinson, Chair of Sarasota County Commission; Congressman Vern Buchanan; Randy Benderson, Benderson Executive Director; Bill Taubman, Taubman Chief Operating Officer; Shaun Bender-son, Benderson Executive Vice President; John Chappie, Chairman Manatee County Commission, and Sarasota County Commissioners Nora Patterson and Joe Barbetta.

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You’ve wanted to remodel your kitchen for a while, and you can’t stop thinking about quartz counter-tops, tiled backsplashes, a built-in wall oven, custom-made cabinets, and more. And guess what? You’re not alone. For the first time since 2008, kitchens have overtaken bathrooms as the number one remodeling project for homeowners. According to Dan Fritschen, that’s good news, because it means that “luxury” is returning to what has been a tighter-budget, more “practical” remodeling market (think adding a new bathroom because of an expanding family’s needs).

However, Fritschen says, before you start ripping up your old linoleum and shopping for stainless steel appliances, it’s smart to think about why a kitchen remodel is considered a “luxury.”

“Redoing a kitchen is not something I’d advise do-ing on a whim,” shares Fritschen, founder of www.re-modelormove.com. “Not only do kitchens cost more than any other type of room to build or remodel, they also typically take the most time to complete and can totally disrupt a family’s sense of comfort and routines.”

Think about it: For weeks or even months, you might be without a sink, a range, a dishwasher, and more. You may have to move your refrigerator and micro-wave to another room, and use a bathroom or utility room sink to wash up. As a result, you’ll be eating out (a lot), or putting the backyard grill to heavy use. And all the while, your house will be full of workmen, and your bank account will definitely be taking a hit. “Now, I’m not trying to discourage you from re-modeling your kitchen, because the results can be more than worth the inconvenience,” says Fritschen. “And the inconvenience can definitely be minimized through good planning. I’m just suggesting that you carefully consider the project before pulling the trig-ger…then consider it again for good measure.”

Fortunately, you’re not alone when it comes to mak-ing the big decision.

“There are several new—and free—tools available online at my website,”shares Fritschen. “And they’re all designed to help you minimize stress and get the best results.”

remodelrecipeThings to Consider When Redoing Your Kitchen

By Lina LaSalle



If you’re in the consideration—or even early plan-ning—stage of a kitchen remodel, read on for more of Fritschen’s experience-tested advice:

First, decide if remodeling is right for you. If remodeling were as easy as daydreaming about your dream kitchen, every family would have a styl-ish, cutting-edge cooking space. In the real world, though, you have to consider a multitude of vari-ables: Can we comfortably pay for this remodel? Is my family emotionally ready to deal with the disrup-tion and construction? What changes do we want to make, exactly? And don’t forget: Would it be easier or less expensive to move to a new home instead?

“Any type of remodeling project can seem compli-cated, especially if you’ve never updated your home before,” points out Fritschen. “At Remodel or Move, we’ve tried to simplify your decision-making by de-veloping two free tools: The Should You Remodel? Calculator asks twenty questions that cover personal preference as well as hard numbers, then gener-ates a recommendation. Along the same lines, the Remodel or Move Calculator can help you figure out if remodeling or looking for a new house is a wiser option. And overall, the website can help you formu-late a well-organized game plan before you get your hands dirty, which can save you time and money in the long run.”

Next, get a cost estimate. Once you have deter-mined that remodeling your kitchen is something that you and your family want to do, it’s time to get a more accurate cost estimate for the project. Make sure not to neglect this step, because you don’t want to be stuck with a half-finished kitchen and no more money. It’s much better to put the project on hold for six months or a year while you pad your savings!

“It’s so important to start early,” advises Fritschen. “Not only do you want to allow yourself plenty of time to plan financially, you can also use the time to compare prices and look for sales on everything from appliances to countertops to cabinetry to make sure your kitchen remodel is as budget-friendly as possible.”

Make organization a top priority. If you’re the type to throw dirty laundry on the bedroom floor and let mail sit on the coffee table for months at a time, don’t let those tendencies carry over into plan-ning and overseeing your kitchen remodel! You’ll be dealing with a thousand tiny details, ranging from paint colors to cabinet door hinge model numbers to floor plans and more, and letting any one of them fall through the cracks could mean extra expense, delays, and/or dissatisfaction. Fortunately, says Frit-schen, Remodel or Move’s Search Tool and Idea File are there to make sure that doesn’t happen. continued on page 128...

“These systems allow you to search through millions of photos by, for instance, cabinet type, style, and even color on your search for inspiration,” he ex-plains. “When you find something you like, you can save it to your personal Idea File, along with notes, comments, and ratings. You can even take pictures with your Smartphone and upload them, so if you find the perfect sink while shopping alone, you can show it to your spouse without having to drag him or her back out to the store. Again, it’s best to get started on selecting ideas and designing your new kitchen as early as possible so that you can envision everything as a cohesive unit, and so that you have time to change your mind.”

Bring in the experts. Yes, the DIY movement is popular and thriving, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t provide your own labor for some aspects of your remodel…if you feel comfortable doing so. But chances are, you’ll also want some expert advice and help to make sure you’re completely satisfied with the finished product. (And unless you happen to be a plumber, electrician, or carpenter, you’ll proba-bly need to bring in the professionals at some point.)

“On the front end, you may find that talking about your options with a real estate agent, interior design-

er, architect, mortgage banker, contractor, etc. can help you understand the true costs and benefits of remodeling, and also help you plan efficiently,” Frit-schen says. “When it comes to actually hiring some of these individuals, I have some good news: Today’s low interest rates and relatively low demand means that remodeling is ‘on sale’ compared to prices five years ago. Keep in mind that the more organized your plan is, the more tempting you’ll be. The best of the best will want to work with you.”

“If you approach your kitchen remodel with an eye for cost-effectiveness and organization, not only will you have a gorgeous new space to cook in, you might even increase the value of your home,” Fritschen

concludes. “Again, take advantage of all of the tips and tools on www.remodelormove.com to minimize stress and put you in control throughout the whole remodeling process.”


About Dan Fritschen: Dan Fritschen is the author of Remodel or Move?TM Make the Right De-cision (ABCD Publishing LLC, 2005, ISBN: 978-1-9330076-9-4, $15.95), and creator of a homeowner support organization that helps homeown-ers become better informed so that they can make the right decision on whether to remodel or move. He started his company after twenty years of remodeling his own homes and helping others make “remodel or move” decisions for themselves. Because he is neither a realtor nor a remodeler, he is qualified to offer pragmatic, unbiased advice.

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Communication is a vital part of our lives: a typical day involves many interactions between ourselves, our work colleagues and clients, our children, our friends, our ex's, future relationships, etc. This interaction takes place where we live, work, relax, socialize and wherever we perform routine tasks.

Communication skills are critical for building healthy rela-tionships, especially when one realizes that one of the most common causes of relational breakdown is a lack of com-munication. Just as communication can be the most impor-tant part of a relationship; arguments can be the most de-structive aspect - the closer we are to someone, the more easily we can bruise or be bruised. There is very little truth in the saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." It's not what we say, but rather how we say it, that most often hurts another person.

Do you identify with any of these statements?

"He never listens to me when I talk!"

"She talks and talks, but never actually says anything!"

"It's like talking to a brick wall"

"I can't get through to you"

"We can't talk about anything important without getting into a fight"

"She's too emotional - she's either crying or shouting or complaining. It's easier to avoid her"

"He always gets defensive when I try to talk about issues"

Communication is a complex process; of which speaking only makes up for 10-20%. The other 80-90% is made up by facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc.

Communication is the art/ science of transferring a thought/ idea/ information from the mind of one complex human be-ing to the mind of one or more complex human being(s). For communication to be effective, it must be a two-way process.

Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication

1. Facts: are both people communicating about the same set of facts? Try to separate the facts from thoughts or feelings.

2. Interpretations, Thoughts or Perceptions: Each person interprets a fact differently based on their belief system, personality, values and experience.


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3. Feelings: how we are feeling, our current mood and frame of mind, etc can sub-consciously affect de-cisions and thoughts.

4. Intentions, Needs or Wants: hidden agendas; are we looking for comfort, clarification, information or simply a chance to interact? We judge ourselves on our intentions.

5. Actions: choice of words (is the intent to create harm?) + tone of voice + non-verbal speech = body language, posture, eye contact, facial expressions, etc.

"The medium is the message" the way the message is delivered is the message itself.

6. Self: The communication centre, which includes the issue, topic or conflict at hand, has been "filtered" by the facts, interpretations, thoughts, feelings, in-tentions, and choices of behaviour / actions.

Listening and Feedback

Did I say what I meant to say? - Invite feedback to clarify communication.

Someone who's not listening lets their mind drift and is already preparing the next argument or opposing thought; inaccurate feedback or limited eye contact.

Listening is an active, not a passive process. When two people argue, they only hear "what they want to hear", not what's actually said. This equates to the accusation of "not listening". Most couples start argu-ing and within 5 minutes are arguing about the way they are arguing.

Don't argue when you're angry - you will not be able to listen objectively. Give yourself time to cool down and then broach the subject when you are in a more reasonable frame of mind.

It's important to give feedback - checking and con-firming. Did I understand you correctly? Is this what you mean? I heard you say this: am I right? Feedback can be verbal/non-verbal e.g. a nod, smile, silence or a cold shoulder. No feedback is in itself a form of feedback.

If the words and actions contradict each other, it is better to believe the actions!

Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution can either be Constructive or De-structive.

Destructive Style - hinders or inhibits the conflict res-olution process:

When resolving conflicts, remember that their causes may run deep. Sweep-ing issues under the carpet isn’t going to work in the long term, as old bag-gage will be brought up each time an argument starts. Try to fully resolve each issue as it comes along. You may find the following method useful:

1. Ask the other person for their feelings. Your conflict probably isn’t about the issue that caused it to start in the first place. Don’t forget that your goal is sorting out the problem, not winning an argument!

2. Ask the other person to define the problem. Stick to solving one problem at a time, that way you can understand each problem as the other person sees it.

3. Express your own feelings. Be careful to word them carefully, for example use phrases such as “I feel…” rather than “I think you…”

4. Define the problem as you see it. As your feelings come out, the solution may become clearer. Remember that by you listening to the other person; you will have set the tone for them to listen to you.

5. Create multiple solutions. Don’t go back to your original agenda. Aim to find alternative or creative solutions that reduce emotions and tension.

6. Rate the possible solutions. Remember that no one can force an unac-ceptable solution on the other.

7. Combine and create a mutually acceptable solution. Create something ac-ceptable to both parties, if this doesn’t work – go back to step 1 and ensure both parties are being totally honest.

8. Be sure both parties agree to work towards resolving the issue.


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1. See communication as an opportunity to praise, build-up, affirm, heal, support and give positive reinforcement, rather than to cor-rect, criticize, tear down, hurt, wound, lash out at. Praise opens doors to further communication, while criticism shuts them down.

2. Remember that actions speak louder than words; non-verbal communication usually is more powerful than verbal communica-tion. Avoid double messages in which the verbal and the non-ver-bal messages convey something contradictory. (Credibility gap)

3. Define what is important and stress it; define what is unimport-ant and de-emphasize or ignore it. Avoid fault-finding.

4. Communicate in ways that show respect for the other person’s worth as a human being. “Avoid statements which begin with the words “You never …” or “I think you …”.

5. Be clear and specific in your communication. Avoid vagueness.

6. Be realistic and reasonable in your statements. Avoid exaggera-tion and sentences which begin with “You always …”

7. Test all your assumptions verbally by asking if they are accurate. Avoid acting until this is done.

8. Recognize that each event can be seen from different points of view. Avoid assuming that other people see things like you do. (Perception)

9. Recognize that your family members and close friends are ex-perts on you and your behaviour. Avoid the tendency to deny their observations about you – especially if you are not sure.

10. Recognize that disagreement can be a meaningful form of com-munication. Avoid destructive arguments.

11. Be honest and open about your feelings and viewpoints. Bring up all significant problems even if you are afraid that doing so will disturb another person. Speak the truth in love. Avoid sullen silences.

12. Do not put down and/or manipulate the other person with tactics such as ridicule, interrupting, name-calling, changing the subject, blaming, bugging, sarcasm, criticism, pouting, guilt-induc-ing, etc. Avoid the one-upmanship game.

13. Be more concerned about how your communication affects oth-ers than about what you intended. Avoid getting bitter if you are misunderstood.

14. Accept all feelings and try to understand why others feel and act as they do. Avoid the tendency to say, “you shouldn’t feel like that.”

15. Be tactful considerate and courteous. Avoid taking advantage of the other person’s feelings.

16. Ask questions and listen carefully. Avoid preaching or lecturing.

17. Do not use excuses. Avoid falling for the excuses of others.

18. Speak kindly politely and softly. Avoid nagging yelling or whin-ing.

19. Recognize the value of humor and seriousness. Avoid destruc-tive teasing.

Confrontational (win or lose, blaming)

Sabotage (focus on weak points, shaming)

Manipulation (blackmail, withdrawal)

Giving in (passive, submissive)

Avoidance (denial, withdrawal)

Constructive Style – trying to minimize the issues and avoiding the difficulties in resolving the problems:

Compromise (meet halfway, understanding)

Accommodate (open discussion, communication without confrontation)

Partnership (solutions, forgiveness, honesty)

When trying to resolve conflicts, try to clarify your goals, as you will probably share many of the same goals despite of your differences. Avoid bargaining, as this may lead to each party taking a rigid position which in turn can flare tempers.

Troubleshooting For Problems in Communication

Control or Power Issues: Effective communication cannot take place if one person has "control" over the other or where there is not mutual respect and equality of relation-ship. To stay in control leads to relational isolation as the underdog reacts in anger at being manipulated or belittled.

Triangulation: Do not bring in a third party to avoid di-rect confrontation. If you have a problem with someone, go directly to that person. Don't dump your accusations on mutual friends or your children in the hope of winning support to balance the scales in your favour - it leads to more substantial and long-lasting damage, especially when a child is used as a weapon between parents.

As you look ahead to new relationships, you need to be able to break old and faulty communication patterns to al-low for healthier interaction. The use of praise and positive reinforcement will reconstruct wounded and broken self-images and will build self-esteem, particularly in children. By becoming an effective communicator, you will also grow and become a better person which will positively enhance all your relationships.


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It is extremely distressing to feel as if your words and actions have no impact (or no longer matter) to your spouse/partner—to think that someone whom you love deeply is no longer engaged fully in the re-lationship or interested in what's important to you can be extremely painful.

When you feel like your spouse/partner is not being responsive to you (and to your needs), two out-comes become likely:

1. Initially, you may "up the ante" in order to have some kind of impact on your spouse/partner-- this might involve yelling, becoming more pro-vocative, elevating your emotional responses, acting in ways that are uncharacteristic for you (in attach-ment literature these types of re-actions are called "protest" behav-iors—your protests are a reflection of losing something extremely im-portant to you; this can be the love of your partner, the security of your relationship, or both).

Is it fair to say that at some point most of us would react negative-ly (protest) if we perceived our spouse/partner to be unavailable and unresponsive to our needs?

2. When you feel ignored for ex-tended periods of time, your sense of despair can turn into feelings of hopelessness—you give up on try-ing to engage your spouse/partner and begin to retreat (this is a self-protective behavior—in essence, you're cutting your loses). This may take the form of indifference, with-drawal behaviors, and disengag-ing from the relationship in general (and the responsibilities that are a part of the relationship).

Typically a protest reaction isn't random: Protest behaviors (getting really upset when your partner isn't responding in predictable ways that make you feel secure in the relationship) occur in a particular context; and the triggering event is usually feeling anxious about losing the security of your relationship.

Relationship Help: Let's break down this reaction:

An unresponsive/disengaged/unin-terested partner triggers increased anxiety and worry in the other partner, who then attempts to re-engage the unresponsive partner (for example, "We need to talk," or

"What's wrong?") and if the other partner is still not responsive, pro-test behaviors are triggered.

Your protest behaviors (whether your protest behaviors are per-ceived as nagging, pestering, yell-ing, or some kind of increased emotionality like anger) are in ef-fect attempts to try and correct the problem—ideally it's an attention-grabbing reaction that will let your spouse know that something is wrong that needs fixing.

Think of protest behaviors as an alarm sounding in an effort to grab your partner's attention to what needs to be addressed.

Marital/relationship problems can arise when these temporary reac-tions (feeling one's spouse/partner is unconcerned and unresponsive) are not addressed and become in-grained patterns.

I hope this sheds some light on why you seem to get so upset with your spouse (or why we all get upset with our spouse/partner at times). Whenever we allow a loved one special access to our hearts, feel-ing ignored by this person is going to feel like a major deal.

Partner?

Why Do I Get So

Upsetwith My

By Dr. Rich Nicastro

Portrait of a Friend - Jin Shangyi

Founders of Punta Gorda - by Charles PeckCity Hall Annex

Artist GAllery


After the Rain - by Celeste Borah

Self-Portrait - by Chuck Close

Submit request for submission to [email protected] of SWFL 2012 137

Garden Awakening - by Carl Schwartz

Kathy Loses Track of Time - by Michael Beauchemin

http://www.rafaelsorianofoundation.org

The history of coffee would not be complete – or coffee as good – without the contributions of Melitta Bentz, inventor, innovator, entrepreneur and mother. Millions of people owe her a moment of thanks each morn-ing. Without her idea and the resourcefulness to make it happen, coffee might not have become one of the world’s favorite beverages. She literally changed the world of coffee drinking, one cup at a time.

Coffee was first developed as a hot drink in the 11th century on the African continent, but it wasn’t until hun-dreds of years later that it made its way to Europe and hundreds of years more before it was brewed at home. At the dawn of the 20th century, the method of the day was to place coffee grounds into a cloth bag, tie it with string and submerge it in a pot of boiling water. The result was cloudy, bitter coffee with oily, mucky residue in every cup.

Nonetheless, Melitta Bentz, a German housewife, saw coffee’s beverage potential. Her premise was simple: cleaner coffee will taste better. Her innovation was equally simple, though revolutionary. She punctured a brass pot with several holes, took a piece of blot-ter paper from her son’s schoolbook and improvised a two-part filter system. And thus, the pour-over was born. After receiving a patent for both the filter and the filtration paper, she established the Melitta Bentz Com-pany in 1908. With that one goal – to make coffee taste better – she transformed coffee consumption. Her drip method of making coffee is still one of the most widely used brewing methods in the world.

For over 100 years, the Melitta brand has dedicated itself to providing the ultimate coffee experience with its gourmet coffees, filters and coffeemakers – everything needed to make a perfect cup of coffee.

www.melitta.com

Coffee Drinking

One Cup at a TimeBy Shannon Burton


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This holiday season Dannon Oikos has teamed up with Chef Richard Blais to get the word out about the hottest holiday cooking staple. With its creamy-thick texture and fresh taste, Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt is a perfect ingredient in so many decadent holiday dishes. From sauces and dips to marinades and stuffings, Dannon Oikos will add that special taste and texture that will have your guests begging for the recipe.

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FOCUS of SWFL 2012 141www.OikosYogurt.com

TASTY holIdAYTrAdITIonS

As a chef, it’s important for me to make sure my recipes taste great. I’m also always looking for ways to make dishes nutritious without sacrificing taste. What better time to have this mindset than the holidays. With its creamy, rich texture, fresh taste, and at least 80% less fat than regular mayonnaise, sour cream or cream cheese, Dannon® Oikos® Greek nonfat yogurt offers endless ways to shake up, lighten up and modernize some of our favorite traditional holiday foods.

Here are some of my tips on how to incorporate this tasty addition to your holiday traditions:

Chef Richard Blais’ Tips for Cooking with Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat Yogurt

• Swap out the dollop of regular sour cream on your mashed potatoes with Dannon Oikos® Greek nonfat yogurt for a nutritious and creamy-thick taste.

• Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt is a great addition to any casserole; the nonfat greek yogurt provides calcium that acts as a binder.

Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt can be used in dips and dressings as a substitute for regular mayonnaise or sour cream to provide a nutritious twist to your recipe

• Use Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt in marinades – it’s a great tenderizer!

• A holiday meal isn’t complete without dessert! Whether you’re making a spiced apple cake, or a creamy cheese cake, Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt is a great substitution for some holiday staple ingredients such as oil, butter, cream cheese or ricotta cheese.

• If incorporating yogurt when cooking, avoid using aluminum products – the acidity of yogurt can react negatively with aluminum.

Acorn Squash Soup

Instructions1. In a stockpot, cook the onion, bay leaf, garlic and celery in some olive oil until garlic releases aroma.2. Add the chopped acorn squash and then the chicken stock and simmer. When the acorn squash is cooked, swirl in Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt and remove from the heat.3. In a separate pan, cook the chorizo and paprika.4. When the squash is cooked thoroughly, purée the soup and pass through a sieve so it is smooth.5. Garnish with the crumbled chorizo, the cilan-tro, pomegranate seeds, a squirt of lime and cover with the whipped yogurt, or alternatively just add a dollop of Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt.Yield4-6 servings

Ingredients1 whole acorn squash¼ white onion, chopped1 bay leaf4 cloves garlic2 tbsp celery, chopped1 ½ quart chicken stock1/2 cup Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt1/2 cup whipped yogurt (page 2 for recipe) optional¼ cup chorizo, crumbled2 tbsp cranberry canned jelly3 leaves cilantro1 tsp smoked paprikaPomegranate seeds for garnishLime for garnish

142 FOCUS of SWFL 2012 142 FOCUS of SWFL 2012

Roast Holiday Turkey Glazed with Dannon® Oikos® Greek Nonfat Yogurt & Lemon Curd

By Richard Blais

Brine

1 turkey (approximately 8-10 lbs) 1 gallon chicken stock 1 gallon ice water 1 ¼ cup sea salt ¼ cup poultry seasoning ½ cup sugar

Instructions

1. Heat the salt, sugar, and spices to dissolve the salt and sugar. 2. Chill this and add the ice water. Submerge your bird in this brine overnight

or for at least 6 hours. Remove the bird and rinse under cold water. **To brine a turkey: use a large brining bag, a tall cooking pot, or even a clean plastic bucket, depending on the size of your turkey.

Marinade for Basting

3 cups Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt 2 cups lemon curd ½ cup dried oregano ¼ cup fresh sage, chopped ¼ cup fresh rosemary fresh, minced

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients. Place the bird on a rack, season with white pepper and cook at 400F to start browning the bird. After an hour, turn heat to 275F.

2. Collect the drippings and mix with the lemon curd, Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt and herbs. Brush this on the bird, really lather the tur-key up and finish roasting for 3-4 hours depending on the size of the bird.

3. When the bird is finished, glaze the bird with some of the remaining marinade, or alternatively save it for dipping and leftovers!

Yield

4-6 servings

Oikos® is a registered trademark of Stonyfield Farm, Inc. and used under license by The Dannon Company, Inc .

Baked Sweet Potato with Parmesan, Sorghum & Dannon® Oikos® Greek Nonfat Yogurt

By Richard Blais

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes 3 tbsp sorghum 3 tbsp parmesan 4 tbsp scallions, sliced 4 tbsp Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt 2 tbsp unsalted butter (optional) Sea salt, to taste Instructions

1. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and prick with a fork a few times. 2. Wrap them in foil and bake at 350F until tender, around an hour. 3. When cooked, remove foil, and halve the potato lengthwise. 4. Gently fork mash the potatoes. 5. Top each potato with a drizzle of sorghum, a grate of Parmesan, the

scallions, Dannon Oikos plain Greek nonfat yogurt and butter (optional). Light molasses or dark treacle may be used as substitutes for sorghum. Yield

4-6 servings


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Malted Dannon® Oikos® Greek Nonfat Yogurt Panna Cotta with Clementine & Chocolate Almonds

By Richard Blais

Ingredients

5 fluid oz. heavy cream 2/3 cup Dannon Oikos vanilla Greek nonfat yogurt ( or use a 5.3 oz. single serve container) 1 oz. sugar 1 oz. malted barley 1 gelatin sheet Instructions

1. Heat the heavy cream and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. 2. Remove the liquid from the heat and add the malted barley. Let this steep

for an hour. 3. Strain the mixture into a clean pot and stir the Dannon Oikos vanilla Greek

nonfat yogurt into the pot. 4. Bloom the gelatin in an ice bath. Meanwhile, bring the strained mixture to

a simmer. 5. Remove strained mixture from heat and add gelatin. 6. Pour the liquid into four small containers. Let this chill for 2 hours or until

the panna cottas have set. Per serving container, garnish with: A few slices of clementine A scattering of candied ginger Chocolate dusted almonds Yield

4 servings


Dannon® Oikos® Vanilla Greek Nonfat Yogurt Egg Nog By Richard Blais

Ingredients

4 cups low fat milk 1 vanilla bean, split 6 cloves ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp Saigon cinnamon 8 egg yolks whisked 1 quart Dannon Oikos vanilla Greek nonfat yogurt 2 cups bourbon (optional) 1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg Powdered vanilla to garnish Instructions

1. Heat mixture of low fat milk, vanilla bean, cloves, vanilla extract, and Sai-gon cinnamon; simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs; then whisk into the warm milk mixture. 3. Let this steep and cool, then strain. 4. Add remaining ingredients to this cool mixture. 5. Finish with a nice shaving of nutmeg, vanilla, and even more cinnamon if

you wish! Yield

4-6 servings

Oikos® is a registered trademark of Stonyfield Farm, Inc. and used under license by The Dannon Company, Inc.

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Over the years, I have put together some wonderful social gathering and this season, as always, I plan to throw some more. Thinking on what to include on this year’s list; a few bottles of wine and maybe create something new or bizarre. Well, I decided to go with something new, warm and clear; Naked Turtle White Rum. The bottle captured my eye with the look of a relaxed turtle, taking it easy in a hammock. Reminding me of how I like to relax during the weekend; taking in some sun and fun with my family and friends.

Naked Turtle White Rum is a new release in the United States, from the island of St. Croix; a wonderful island within the U.S. Virgin Islands. Located in a beautiful location that is all about what I’m into, stress-free living and fun with some good friends. Kicking back wherever you may be to enjoy the good things in life and leave your worries behind.

What I really liked about this rum was its crisp taste and how smooth it is, but the first thing you will notice when you pick up the bottle, is how well it fits in your hand. This is not the regular shape bottle that has an odd shape of some kind. It fits nicely and is easy to pour. But importantly is taste. Using a shot glass, I appreciated this rums smooth texture and a nice hint of vanilla, it has a natural flavor that is delicious and something to be experienced.

Being so clear and crisp I wondered how well it would mix with others, because it's not about how you drink your rum it's about how you mix it. About this time my wife is cooking up some shrimp and fresh mixed vegetables for this evening’s dinner. She asked, “What’s the deal with the turtle?”… I replied, “I’m getting Naked”, she giggled and looked over the bottle. I later explained how The Naked Turtle is a big fan of sea turtles and encourages awareness to help protect their homes. Naked Turtle mutually works with David Godfrey, the Executive Direc-tor at the Sea Turtle Conservancy, promoting the understanding of the health of the sea and turtles.

I began to look over what I can mix for tonight’s dinner. I was think-ing of a nice cool daiquiri to take in this evening’s wonderful weather, but decided on something quick. For me, a simple rum and coke with crushed ice. For her, fruit punch and rum with a twist of lime and the glass rim dipped in white sugar, also with crushed ice. The relatively clear flavor is why I found The Naked Turtle White Rum easy to like, easy to mix and easy to drink.

We discovered, looking at the sunset with its blue and orange hues, that this was truly a relaxing, kick back evening with the Naked Turtle, wonderfully smooth tasting rum. I can see why their motto is. “Don’t Worry. Drink Naked.” We both agreed to add The Naked Turtle White Rum to our list of spirits for many of our events, including our New Year’s party.

My wife closed off the evening with, “I’m getting Naked, too”.

nakedgetting

Please remember to drink responsibly

By Ryan Spencer


Inspired by the popularity of DIY how to’s, quirky themed parties and the desire to cele-brate all of life’s occasions, Celebrate Crate is an expertly sourced box of items delivered to your door every month. Each crate is bursting with creative items designed to inspire you to celebrate every day.

Each box differs from month to month, and the contents are a surprise, but one thing to always count on is a party. Filled with inspirational ideas and supplies; from party paraphernalia, to dessert décor, to gifting gear, you or a loved one will receive everything to help celebrate the big and little, holidays and every day.

Receive a box of fun each month and get the festivi-ties started. Party props? Yes, please! Creative crafts? Of course! We take our latest celebratory ob-sessions, wrap them up and send them right to you!

InSPIrATIon To YoUr doorSTEP

www.celebrations.com

Print - Video - Mobile - Social

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Regional information at your fingertips!

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where you l ive and work; i t is who you are.

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Le MacaronThe macaron, perfected in France, has a long history dating back centuries in Europe. Macarons are small round cakes that fit in the palm of your hand. They are lightly crisp on the outside, smooth and creamy in the center, filled with ganache (chocolate), rich cream, home-made fruit jams or other quality ingredients.

Each season and month, new flavors will be introduced to complement the collection. Dine in or take - out, gift boxes, favor boxes, and custom orders are available.

Like more information please contact: 941.552.8872.

www.lEMACAron-US.com382 St Armands Circle

Sarasota, fl

Audrey'sJamaican Cuisine

A simple way to indulge yourself!

4463-D Ashton RdSarasota, FL 34233

941-928-3309www.audreysrumcakes.com

http://www.audreysrumcakes.com


Founded in 2008, Endgame Adventures features four programs and a full-season summer expedition based on health and wellness, academics, service and surf and performance fitness.

Camp programs offer natural experiences and personal growth to restore mind, body and soul. All adventures are stationed in Costa Rica and as Biasotti explains, “Costa Rica is a location that gives our partici-pants that visceral awe of being. It was a natural choice, as it is in close proximity to the United States and of-fers a wealth of welcoming ecotourism, varied landscapes that provide infinite adventures and boasts beautiful na-tives, plants and wildlife.” Amenities include healthy meal plans, full access to beachfront surfspots, 24-hour chaperones and hosts, local guides and hosts for itinerary orientation, wellness training, immersion in the Spanish language, two 60-minute daily sessions of essay writing, revisions and editing, photographic opportunities, cul-tural immersion and exchange and exploring indigenous communities. Each adventure camp is held in one, two, three and four-week intervals and feature a plethora of activities cou-pled with new experiences of raw nature. Held in singular or group formats, guests can select from four programs: health and wellness, academic, service and surf or perfor-mance fitness:

• Endgame Adventure’s health and wellness camp pro-vides total fitness training on one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches. The format is programmed to make weight-loss feel like an adventure, not agony, by offer-ing a variety of activities to trigger motivation and pro-mote a healthy mindset. Coach Biasotti and his medical and nutritional team spent 9 consecutive weeks in Her-mosa Beach developing and perfecting aprogram where individuals seeking an effective, stress-free, weight-loss program are treated to blood screening to implement an effective plan, access to nurses and coaching for healthy habit changes. Physical activities ranging from two 90-minute exercise periods per day, mountain hiking, surfing, boogie boarding and biking to kickboxing and capoeira.

• The academic adventure camp focuses on college es-say and resume-building programs – breaking the mold of dated, pedagogical ideas of sitting in a classroom for endless hours. Endgame Adventures offers a unique op-portunity to work one-on-one with students to build a memorable, prominent college essay and resume. The serene yet active atmosphere lends the opportunity for students to reach a deeper, clearer opportunity for self-transformation and enrichment for their future. • Surf and service adventure camps allow individuals to partake in Costa Rica’s natural surf and assisting primary school students. From providing 21 hours per week of service in a Costa Rican Sea Turtle hatchery to servic-ing students to become more responsible, define future goals and build self-confidence, individuals are exposed to the synergy of service and the connection to the envi-ronment. Additional activities include daily Spanish and conversational classes and surfing classes.

• Push beyond your physical limits or reach peak physical conditions with the performance fitness camp. All aspects of performance are designed and led by Coach Biasotti and include strength, power, speed movement training and energy system development. Participants train twice a day and follow a prescribed nutritional program. Addi-tional activities include mountain hiking, waterfall tours, stand up paddle boarding, surfing, boogieboarding, cano-py tours, boxing, yoga and Capoeira. Endgame Adventures also provides travel options and ad-ventures including desert hikes in Havasu Falls, Arizona; snow shoeadventures in White Mountains, New Hamp-shire; surfing inJaco, Hermosa, and Santa Teresa, Costa Rica or Las Salina, Nicaragua and snow boarding in Fer-nie, British Columbia; bicycling in Death Valley, California. Weekly fitness camps are also available and offer par-ticipants with 10-session weekly fitness experience. Ac-tivities range from a fitness trail at a local park to beach bootcamp.

All-InClUSIvE AdvEnTUroUS ExCUrSIonS

www.endgameadventures.com


What's that you say? Chocolate, mentioned in an article on a health-conscious website, and touted as if it has actual benefits for one's health? Surely the Millennium is upon us.

It's true. Chocophiles (lovers of chocolate) have reason to re-joice. According to recent research, at least some forms of choc-olate (which we chocophiles consider the only "true" chocolate anyway) are actually good for you. One such study revealed that people who ate a small amount of dark chocolate daily were able to significantly reduce their blood pressure – by 5 points systolic pressure and 2 points diastolic pressure – while control groups who ate similar amounts of milk chocolate or white chocolate did not.

It's not magic... it only sounds like magic

Chocolate is, after all, a plant substance, related to and thus sharing the nutritional benefits of other dark vegetables. One of these benefits is the presence in dark chocolate (again, in dark or pure chocolate, not in milk chocolate or white chocolate) of

high amounts of flavonoids, in particular catechins, which are powerful antioxidants. We need antioxidants in our diet because they help us to fight the effects of aging. They do this by reducing the number of free radicals in the blood-stream, elements that increase oxidation, and thus contrib-ute to heart disease and other health problems. Catechins also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the brain chemicals that enable us to feel good and experience pleasure and a sense of well-being, and serotonin, which is the body's own natural antidepressant. So yes, all those stories you read about in the press that claim that popping a bite of chocolate can possibly do more for your sense of well-being than popping a Valium may be correct. The flavonoids in dark chocolate also help to absorb ultraviolet light, and thus protect the skin, increase the blood flow to it, and keep it hydrated.

Dark chocolate has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) levels by up to 10 percent. A recent British study showed that those who ate 7.5 grams of dark choco-late daily reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by 39%, compared to those who ate .7 grams. In this study, more chocolate was actually better. This article is sounding better by the minute, right?

Great. So I can binge on chocolate as much as I want, right?

Uh…no. Sorry. Chocolate is still full of calories, and eat-ing too much of it will still make you fat. In most of the research studies proving the benefits of dark chocolate, the amount of chocolate consumed by the test subjects per day was the size of one Hershey's Kiss.

So, as with many things that are good for us, when it comes to chocolate, there is a point of diminishing returns – more does not mean better. Remember that one 100 gram bar of chocolate contains about 500 calories, and eating that much would seriously impact most people's attempts to ei-ther lose weight or keep it at a sensible level. If you were to add a full bar of chocolate to your diet, you'd have to balance those 500 added calories by cutting out something else.

But this is still good news

And, as "health news" goes, refreshing. Instead of being told that something we love to eat or drink is bad for us, we learn that something we enjoy is good for us. If eaten in moderation.

If part of you still feels guilty over adding one small piece of dark chocolate to your diet, think of it as medicine, not a guilty plea-sure. Like other forms of medicine, a little goes a long way and produces beneficial results, and too much can produce detri-mental results. So rejoice that one of nature's sweet treats turns out to actually be good for us, but don't overdo it. Don't replace other foods in your already balanced diet with chocolate. Just add a little dark chocolate to that diet. Think of it as medicine that actually tastes good, gives you more energy and boosts your happiness levels, and that you can buy in almost any shop, as opposed to having to go to a pharmacy or health food store.

By Juliette Siegfried

Benefits of Dark Chocolate

http://www.erox.com

focus of swfl november

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