Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Diamond Cuffs - just some of the luxury hip bling to go on display

Lord have mercy - is this a trade show that Pierce Mattians would actually enjoy attending? Oh come on! You and I both know that trade shows have hit rock bottom. The days of mass expo display are OVER. It's all about your niche beat and serving the buyer. And yes - a show on luxury bling has arrived in Los Angeles. Edy, Maryam and Pierce - well... we will see you there at L.A.'s Envy Expo, are you jealous?

The Envy Expo is billed as ‘The biggest show to hit L.A.’ A ‘one of a kind’ lifestyle showcase.

Celebrities from the worlds of film, TV, music and sport will be in attendance with ‘meet and greet’ autograph sessions, allowing the public to see their favourite stars amongst the spectacular multimillion dollar showcase areas of pimped out rides, jewelry, electronics, fashion, Playboy models and live music performances including the first live performance in Los Angeles this year by legendary rapper ‘The Game.’

Airing on MTV and ABC, the Envy Expo is being hosted by DJ Skee of L.A’s Hype Radio and includes live broadcasts from the show.

“Its gonna be crazy” said DJ Skee “Just stay tuned and rock with me. Its about to get real major”

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Multimillion dollar Jewelry Expo presented by Ballin’ magazine.
• Mister Cartoon will be there along with his personal collection of lowriders and luxury cars.
• DJ Ben Baller and the Air Macks Crew will shut down the event with a shoe collection beyond compare.
• Live celebrity appearances throughout the day.
• $160,000 Scarface Sand Rail
• Over $3 million dollars worth of vehicles including Phantoms, Bentleys, Lamborghini’s and more!
• Women’s Expo: See the latest in high-priced fashion and accessories.
• Much, much more…..

Tickets are available online for $20.00 and will also be available at the door for $30.00 the day of the show. The Envy Expo has been put together by Next Level Media – the innovators and originators of the world’s most intense productions.

***

Like many women, shopping is my cardio. I feel a personal connection to every item I purchase and a pain in my heart anytime I happen to pass by a boutique or shoe store that has closed its doors forever. That said, imagine the agony I felt this morning as reports of Shop, Etc.’s closing rolled in. Apparently, an adoring readership and praise in focus groups isn’t enough. Advertisers are the lifeblood of most publications, and a circulation of 675,000 simply wasn’t impressive enough to the advertisers that would have kept them afloat.

For me, this closing is a double-pronged stab. First, as a shopper and confessed shoe-holic, the pages of Shop, Etc. provided me with eye candy even when I couldn’t leave my desk to go on a shoe binge. Secondly, as a beauty publicist who has to compete with advertisers for page space, the more mag pages out there, the better. Every time a publication shuts its doors, it lessens the opportunities for placements. I know what you’re thinking… how dare I lament the loss of placement space when there are people losing office space and very likely gaining more empty space in their bank accounts? My response: the space I occupy in my office is directly related to the amount page space I am able to acquire. Plus, the staff at Shop is so talented that I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m calling and bugging all the beauty girls at some other publication.

I have been in Los Angeles now for one week interviewing PR candidates for our beauty and fashion division. Edy Eliza, our LA director and I have pretty much seen the gamut of publicists whether lifestyle or fashion, entertainment or personality based – LA has a vast mix of media beats, uniquely different from Manhattan.

We already use bacteria to inject under the skin to get rid of laff-lines. Why do we love these wrinkel creating viral videos so much? "Ugly" men get "hot chicks" when they have a good sense of humor. The message, subliminal or viral, does seem to go down easyer with humor as a chaser. Viral videos are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the swarm of links I get from friends, family and colleges. These free, interesting and sometimes amusing videos spread over the Internet in almost pandemic speed. I have to admit, I've been guilty of forwarding them on to others when the clip makes me giggle (like a school girl) or those I find clever enough. Not all videos are truly viral marketing. In fact, most clips are just creative expressions, which entertain. Obviosly where ever you have an audience and peer-to-peer networks your going to find marketers trying to relate and persuade and advertise.

Here are a few videos, can you spot which one is viral and which are just entertaining?

Treadmill Fitness Equiptment Viral Or Music Video?

Questions asked by Media Orchard:

Q: How do you think the the emergence of blogs has affected PR Week in terms of readership and revenues?

Q: PR Week is New York-centric in its coverage. Is this a valid complaint? If so, what are you doing to address it, and if not, where do you think this misperception comes from?

Q: How has PR Week changed over the past couple of years -- both in its print and online editions -- and what if any of these changes can be attributed to blogs and Web 2.0?

Q: Some blog commentators have suggested that blogs will ultimately make the traditional trade media -- across virtually all industries -- obsolete. What do you think of this point of view?

Q: How does PR Week set itself apart from other trades such as O'Dwyer's, the Holmes Report, the Bulldog Reporter, and the rest? Have your points of differentiation evolved at all over time?

This past week, the Los Angeles Pierce Mattie office moved to Hollywood. The new office is spacious and bright and walking distance to the Mann's Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Kodak Theatre, and countless night clubs. Even though team members from the New York office graciously came out to Los Angeles to help with the move, the packing and unpacking has been demanding. You never realize how much stuff you have until you are forced to pack it up in boxes. I tried to throw away as much as I could, but it is hard to let go of things, even if they are of little value. Every time I move, I vow to never move again so that I can avoid the frustrating process and this time was no different.

Something about these projects (I've seen a few over the years) that always grabs me. I know, many people think it's lame. Perhaps it's the voyeur in me. Here is your unique advertising opportunity Baxter Of California! How about a travel site? I want to see him on a beach, or visiting famous places around the world, it’s a little melancholy that all his recorded images are inside- he needs a tan, (product placement opportunity) how about some new threads? He obviously gets around as a photographer. I can see the big budget version of this. A big name beauty product. Ten year time laps and the female talent actually looks better at the end, because of the product of course! Would work best for a mid-sized privately owned cosmetic line like Jane Iredale. That way the owner could do the real time laps "herself". Definitely a back burner concept.

The Simulated Lifestyle Game Is Almoste Here! Desperate Housewives, hitting stores October 5th (Nationwide), players can take on the role of the newest housewife and cheat, spy, sneak, and flirt their way through Wisteria Lane's seemingly perfect neighborhood.

"Unlike other "Sims Style" games -this game is compleatly different"

The Sims meets every woman's "guilty pleasure" in what looks to be a promising title.

For more on screen action view our Desperate Housewives Playlist with clips about how it is different from other SIMulation games and get a sneak peak about the new games shocking ending!

The game will give players control over their in-game persona and early reports suggest the title will resemble the hugely popular Sims series of games.

As another desperate housewife, players will be able to expose or engage in the domestic scandals that are the show's signature.

"You can be as nice or as mean as you'd like to be," said Mary Schuyler, lead producer for the game.

Buena Vista Games, which will distribute the title, said it was negotiating with other members over their appearance in the game.

The company said it hoped the game would prove popular with fans of the TV show and convert some of them into regular players.

The game is being made by Liquid Entertainment which is better known for its real-time fantasy strategy titles.

It's been a few weeks since Good magazine launched. For those who are not in the know, Good magazine encourages and inspires conscious global citizens to band together and "give a damn." I was following up on the LA and NY launch parties via posts on GOOD magazines own blog (the site is integrated into a blog) and ran head first into a truckload of published spam comments.

I'm not talking about Astroturfing, or shameless plugs that help the cause. The really offensive stuff! It's like nobody has been on watch at Good for the last 15 days, and that isn't so Good after all. On September 25th Good's blog spambot sold out to the bankers, sex industry and drug companies! They all should make a large contibution todoy.

The Goods on Good Magazine: Clean website design, nice magazine layout. Both are easy to navigate/read –stimulating mix of content that will reach several demographics. Good Magazine Departments:

Cover, an arresting visual and verbal statement that presents insight and/or commentary on a current focal point of our culture.

Graphic Statement, a visual interpretation of the issue theme

Look, A bold visual tour of creative ideas around the world

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

It seems these days that celebs across all industries are teaming up for a good cause. Whether they’re simply donating massive amounts of excess income or using their celebrity status to draw attention to a cause, a large number of celebrities are reaching out to the public in hopes of making a difference. Recently, some have even gone so far as to adopt children in incredibly impoverished countries (Madonna in Malawi, Angelina in Cambodia and Ethiopia).

In recent news, two of the biggest household names have teamed up to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. Bono, the U2 frontman and ultimate philanthropist (it seems like his name is somehow connected to every charity in this country), and Oprah, the talk show host we all know and love, have combined forces to promote the Product Red campaign. As part of the effort, proceeds from products sold at various retailers, including The Gap, Apple, Converse, Armani, and Motorola, will go to The Global Fund, an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The Gap will be debuting their Red Line of clothing this week, where half of the profits will go to The Global Fund. Apple has created a new red-colored iPod nano, and will donate $10 from the sale of each item to the cause. The effort has attracted the attention of many other celebrities (several of them posing in Gap ads) hoping to make a difference, including Kanye West and Penelope Cruz.

In explaining the idea of getting consumers involved, Bono posted on his blog: “‘Product Red’ is the consumer battalion gathering in the shopping malls. You buy the jeans, phones, iPods, shoes, sunglasses, and someone - somebody's mother, father, daughter or son - will live instead of dying in the poorest part of the world. It's a different kind of fashion statement.” Good job, Bono- the Product Red Campaign began last spring in the UK and has already raised more than $12 million for African AIDS programs.

Beauty Bloggers are welcome, space is limited! Bloggers outside of of the NYC area can register for advanced media kit to be sent day after the event.

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, Jane Iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431

Pop!Tech’s mission is to inspire people everywhere to change the world by fostering visionary conversations about science, technology and the future of ideas. Held annually since 1997 in the seaside village of Camden, Maine, the Pop!Tech conference unites the world's most prominent thought leaders to network, share ideas, and discuss the effects of technology on society. The conference's roster of speakers and its unique format have earned international acclaim. For more information, visit http://www.poptech.org.

It's always hard when a client leaves your agency, especially ones that have been with you for a very long time. For those of you who have felt the hit this year as budgets get crunched in the fourth quarter, keep in mind that nothing - and I mean nothing is as bad as having a client of 20 years say "good-bye" - especially if that client is Wal-Mart and your name is Omnicom. I do wonder though with all of the changes going on at the low cost leader - if PR is something that they are tossing around? Not just any kind of PR, I am talking market placement editorial PR. Could they also be on the search for a new PR firm? Rumors that Metro 7 - their new fashion line was being cutand its distribution dropped have sent Wal-Mart watchers into a state of 'what's next?'

Did they really think the 'get skinny pant' would sell to their customers? I doubt the Barney's customer can barely fit into them. Seriously though, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is severing ties with another longtime ad agency as it struggles to communicate its new image of being both a trend purveyor and a low-price operator.

We all hear about the richest and most powerful people in the country, but one of them always seems to stand out. Not only is Oprah Winfrey one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry, but she’s also one of the most generous. Always finding a way to share her wealth with others, she has just given away over $300,000 to her audience in what she calls her “favorite giveaway ever.”

Every year around Christmas, Oprah does a “favorite things” show in which she gives her lucky audience members hundreds of dollars worth of items that she’s fond of at the moment- goodies from last year’s show included Burberry coats and purses, iPods, UGG boots, Ralph Lauren sweaters, watches, and blackberries, as well as her favorite croissants, popcorn and cookie dough. In other shows, Oprah has given away cars, homes, vacations, eliminated debt, and paid medical bills for those who are less fortunate.

However, this most recent giveaway is unlike anything she’s done before. On Monday’s show, Oprah gave more than 300 audience members $1,000 debit cards sponsored by Bank of America for them to donate to a charitable cause of their choice. The surprised recipients have the choice of either giving the entire sum to one person (relatives not included) or splitting the money amongst several charitable causes.

On the show, Oprah said “You're going to open your hearts, you're going to be really creative, and you're going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person. Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000”. What a great message to spread, Oprah- using your wealth and influence to help others in need is one of the kindest things you can do.

I have been in the beauty industry for about 12 years and doing beauty pr for about 7 years. And in all of my years of experience with press releases especially those that that go out on the wire I have never ever seen one as damaging as the one that Russ Fons PR in Las Vegas ran today about their client; National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF) and their opinion on Clarins Cosmetics. You can view the horrific release here.

In this release the NTEF states in great detail on the extensive damage and misleading labels of the Clarins brand, so they claim.

What’s odd though is that John Sheppard the director of the foundation states that you are putting your health at risk if you use these products. I don’t know about you but I see a huge lawsuit taking place from Clarins. I am sure executives at Clairns are beyond miffed about this release. What’s even odder is that all of the ingredients used by Clarins are found in most other top selling brands. One would assume that NTEF is crucifying Clarins based on a personal agenda and not on logic.

However was John Sheppard not aware that Clarins recently acquired Kibio an organic skin care manufacture who has gone into negotiations on creating new products together? I posted about this on my other blog a few weeks back. You can view that post here.

Life Clever (tips fro design & life) by Chanpory Rith: 5 Writing Tips That Don't Suck (via) Copyblogger

A PR Guru's Musings: Q&A on innovations in public relations

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing "Longs for a good publicity stunt"

BusinessWeek.com: Wal-Mart: A "Reputation Crises" The giant retailer has been trying hard to improve its image and reignite sales

Idea Grove: Introducing Spin Thicket: Media Orchard "Easier way to keep up with the news"

Eric Eggertson:
Mutually Inclusive PR and Strumpette: Backlash Against Crayon's Second Life Launch

For a long while celebrities have been pretty vocal about their political beliefs. They are not strangers to being used by both political parties to taunt their positions or to help in raising money for their party through their celebrity clout.

Some say that celebrities and politics don’t mix. After reading a recent article by Jeff Davidson on TMZ.com, 90% of me agrees. Many celebrities put their faces in commercials or join a campaign to tell people to vote. Yet, one celebrity in the 2004 Vote or Die campaign turned out to be all lip service. Or there are those who threaten leaving the country if a political figure is re-elected; remember Alec Baldwin? That is what bothers me the most. Celebrities who talk and talk and won’t shut up (and then make money off of their chattering) or those who take a punch during a concert, but quite honestly don’t do a darn thing to help foster change. Am I alone in this annoyance?

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

I know this isn't exactly breaking news for everyone. However, for those who have lives and don't live and shop online exclusively, this may be news to you, it was to me. Many "recommendation" sites are popping up all over the Internet, yesterday a Fashion blogger referred me to one that is getting kudos in the New York Times; ThisNext.com. I was impressed just how organized this site was and even more impressed to find fashion and beauty bloggers I know doing Shopcasts there, such as Kristopher Dukes, The Jewelry Weblog, and Lola is Beauty.

What's a Shopcast? It's basically shopping and broadcasting combined. It's a playlist of products you recommend and you run them on a badge on your site and they also run on the ThisNext site, as well. You can create wishlists and also make recommendations by downloading a few buttons for your browser.

There are some really great recommendations just waiting for you to discover them, or if you feel so inclined, for you to make them at ThisNext.com

Two years ago, by chance, I came across Elke von Freudenberg on a group that we both happened to be apart of. Without knowing too much about her, beyond her love for cosmetics, we began a friendship. One that I cherish deeply.

So when Elke told me she was asked to be the Makeup Artist for Harper's Bazaar China, I knew that when the November edition came out, I wanted to be the first to proudly boast about it to the world.

Today I had the chance to briefly interview Elke:

• Communication Arts: This year’s interactive design winners were selected by our distinguished jury from a group of entries including Web sites, Kiosks, CD-ROM projects and PDA's.

• Strategic Public Relations: PR Industry: Improve Your Writing -Kevin Dugan

• Salon.com: Fake News, Fake Reporter: Why was a partisan hack, using an alias and with no journalism background, given repeated access to daily White House press briefings? -By Eric Boehlert

• Online Media Daily: Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Puts Edelman Public Relations on probation for creating fake Blogs (flogs) for client Walmart

• Customer Listening Blog: WOMMA Ethical Blogger Contact Guidelines: 10 Principles

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

Funny when I was in Las Vegas this week for the ISPA show the taxi driver that picked me up was complaining on how the town was blowing things up. Little did I realize that it was the famous Stardust. The home of my favorite cheesy movie; Showgirls! As most hotels turn into resorts and expand their spas like Caesars Palace did this month with their new spa tower, the old players cannot keep up.

The Stardust, the neon-wrapped casino with a mobbed-up past whose 1,065 rooms once set the standard for size on the Las Vegas Strip, witnessed its last roll of the dice Wednesday.

Wistful longtime employees and loyal gamblers gathered for a last farewell to the iconic 48-year-old institution, which is to be razed early next year to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s planned $4 billion Echelon Place resort.

The Stardust opened July 2, 1958, as the world's largest hotel and catered to middle America with $6-a-night rooms and low-minimum stakes gambling.

But as bigger, classier casinos sprung up around it in the late 1980s and '90s and patrons began shelling out more for rooms, food and drinks, its luster began to fade.

"I'm really going to miss this place," said Jimmy Kunihiro, a 60-year-old Honolulu resident, as he took a last pass at the craps table. "It's a home away from home."

MenEssentials President, James Whittall has some helpful advice for hairy men who want to be smooth all over and shave like a man: This may surprise you, but at least one-sixth of the search engine referrals we receive each month are for men — ordinary guys, like you and me — who want information on how to shave their privates.

Squirm all you like. There's an immense subculture of eroticists who claim a bald bag makes for better sex. Indeed, when I went online to research this subject, I counted no less than a dozen serious human sexuality web sites with entire sections devoted to the art of sensual shaving.

Unfortunately, few of these resources offers tips on how to safely and hygienically perform this most delicate of procedures. Never one to shrink (pun intended) from the outrageous, I hereby offer my thoughts on the subject.

A Disclaimer
Personally, I think genital shaving is ill advised. A botched job can lead to intense irritation or, worse, permanent falsetto. Don't say I didn't warn you.

And a Warning
If you have sensitive skin that ordinarily reacts to shave creams or gels, then do not ever shave your pubic area or testicles. This region is much more sensitive than your face. Your allergic reaction could be spectacular.

What is Beauty? Many great visionaries, writers, poets, philosophers, and artists have tried to express in words or in images the meaning of beauty. These thoughts are rich in the wisdom they express and they resonate with each of us differently.

Man makes holy what he believes, as he makes beautiful what he loves. -Ernest Renan

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched ... but are felt in the heart. -Helen Keller

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. -John Keats

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. -Khalil Gibran

Beauty is not real. Beauty only exists in perception. -Unknown

Working in the beauty industry, our attention can be so focused on making the external beautiful - skin creams, lotions, lipsticks, mascara, hair extensions, serums, masks, gels, and the list can go on and on. These are products that help us feel beautiful, improve our looks, accentuate the positive, and give us confidence.

Women frequently struggle with how to integrate their external and internal beauty, and with all of the mass market imaging and airbrushed celebrity role models, it hasn’t been easy. But the times they are a changin’ and one of the foremost trends today is beauty integration. What does this mean? It means that women are more comfortable than ever with themselves and their looks. It means that when they purchase beauty products, they want them to look, taste, sound, and smell good - and the products must feel great on both the outside and the inside. External beauty has become experiential, it has become customized, it has become inclusive, and it has become multi-dimensional.

Being that as a nation we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving, a truly national holiday, meant for everyone, also integrative and inclusive, I suggest that we be thankful for how the meaning of beauty is growing to include what makes us feel good on the inside. Internal and authentic beauty will always remain rooted in our hearts, in our spirits, and in our ability to share ourselves with others unselfishly. Happy Holidays!

• Personal Care Appliances - Global Strategic Business Report : This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Personal Care Appliances in Thousands of Units.

• Spinduggery, The Flack: Peter Himler posts about Jeff Jarvis' snarky comment insinuating PR professionals have dishonesty in their DNA. Jeff Jarvis, being the 'spin'-ster he is, should love the quote "you can’t polish a turd."

• KFC Logo Relaunch - From Space, Near Area 51: I know all of you are saying "I thought of that months ago." Ever since Google launched satellite imagery on its maps, I've wanted to pitch this idea to a client. While not the first, KFC is doing it on a grand scale; a nice publicity stunt. For those of you who know my New York address, you can see me on the roof of my apartment building with my dogs, frozen in time from space.

• Loyalty VS. Advocacy CRM Lowdown: Most companies think that their job is done when they manage to convert a regular customer into a loyal customer. They tend to forget the guy because now ‘he can take care of himself.' Wrong! Once you’ve converted a customer, your job becomes even more difficult.

• Link Karma From The Copyblogger: 21 Surefire tips for a successful blog launch, 10 things to consider when choosing a site meter, and the five W's of great content.

• Hotels offer lots of freebies during winter (just not in New York City), The Mercury News: Winter travelers can take advantage of a number of hotel deals. Properties are offering free nights, free gift cards, special rates and other perks.

• How To Stop Comment Spam Without Lifting a Finger, Tubetorial: If you're a wordpress user, you have to visit tubetorial. Quick, easy-to-understand flash video - enjoy.

• The European Newspaper Design & Concept Awards Europe‘s most innovative newspaper 2006: Look and learn. This year, Europe’s best designed newspapers come from Belgium, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Spain. 287 newspapers from 26 countries participated in the eighth European Newspaper Award.

We'll return to posting about luxury, lifestyle and wellness on Friday. Enjoy the cartoon and whether it's a extra long walk around the park with your dogs, raking leaves, a jog, turkey-ball in the backyard or shopping – physical activity over the holiday need not be strenuous to be good for you. Remember that short bursts of activity, three times a day, can pave the way to better health.