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The French Wine Industry Is Fuming Over Certain American Labels

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bordeaux wine bottlesBRUSSELS (AP) — Drinking a Bordeaux wine from a "chateau" is as French as swigging Kentucky bourbon is American.

But now tempers are flaring across the vineyards of France. The United States wants to sell some of its wines in the European Union with — sacrilege — a "chateau" or "clos" label.

Is that cheating? Misappropriation? Whatever it is, the issue has the Bordelais turning claret with anger.

"What is at stake is the respect for tradition and quality," Laurent Gapenne of Chateau de Laville and president of the Federation des Grand Vins de Bordeaux told The Associated Press.

For American vintners, it's a question of selling more wine in their top export market, unshackled by historic language or restrictive terms in the world of 21st century globalization.

"People use words in different ways," WineAmerica chief operation officer Cary Greene told the AP, arguing there should be no ban on U.S. bottles carrying the word "chateau."

But the French argue that hundreds of years of craft are at stake. They're worried that the cachet a mention of "chateau" or "clos" — which shows the origin of the wine — carries is diluted if other winemakers started to stick it on their bottles in Europe.

On Tuesday, EU experts from the different member states were supposed to vote on the issue, but that was postponed following talks Monday between the EU and French Farm Minister Stephane Le Foll .

"I asked my services to clarify all of these matters," EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos said late Monday, effectively ruling out an immediate decision.

It's the latest skirmish in a trans-Atlantic wine war that has seen the United States grow from an upstart to an increasingly confident competitor on world markets.

U.S. founding father Thomas Jefferson was enamored with French wines and the French held dominance over world wine traffic until well after World War II. Then came the 1976 "Judgment of Paris," when, to French astonishment, California won a major blind taste test over French wines.

To this day, that event is considered the "tasting that changed the wine world." That never sat well with the French, and since then wine relations have often had an edge.

So when the European Commission decided to act on a U.S. request to regain permission to export 'chateau' and 'clos'-labeled wines to Europe — including France — the anger was palpable.

"The European Commission is bartering our heritage and our economic clout at the expense of globalization," said Gapenne. "I cannot understand that they would yield on this."

For the U.S., the benefits of tapping the European market are clear. Even though it is declining, the 27-nation European Union still accounts for 57 percent of the global wine consumption.

Last year, 34 percent of U.S. wine exports by value went to the EU, accounting for $478 million. And the industry is counting on removing trade barriers worldwide to push exports even more.

In comparison, the EU said its exports to the United States stood at €2.2 billion ($2.86 billion) last year, boosted by many of the top-edge chateau and clos vintages that have come to define the continent's best wines. The global turnover of France's Bordeaux wines stood at €4.2 billion and 55,000 jobs while the Burgundy region added €1 billion and 20,000 jobs last year.

While the Americans feel they are unfairly locked out of a market, the French feel that centuries of careful cultivation is being thrown up for grabs.

"There would not be a level playing field," Gapenne said.

While French chateau bottles find their origins in wines made at the estate from grapes belonging to the chateau, the U.S. definition for export would use less stringent conditions on provenance. It could include grapes from "vines that have been traditionally used by this wine producer or producer group."

"We think the definition we presented is fair and reasonable," said Greene of the U.S. "The definitions we put forward, we believe accurately reflect what we think the market place can stand and what consumers can understand."

For the French, the very francophone origins of the "chateau" name argue differently.

"The Americans could create 'chateau' wines from grapes from all over and prices would of course be much lower," Gapenne said. "The consumer would be buying a 'chateau' wine with the idea of quality that represents our definition" while in fact it doesn't, he argued.

Several dozen premium wineries in the United States have already used the 'chateau' and 'clos' designation in the past. They were allowed to export wines bearing such labels for three years in the wake of a 2006 trans-Atlantic wine agreement, but that loophole was closed in 2009.

Names and denominations of origins have often created trade friction, affecting everything from Greek feta cheese to Lebanese hummus. In the 2006 agreement, for example, the EU said it was able to contain the use of such terms like Champagne and Port in the United States.

Any dilution of the typical French winery terms would undermine their standing in the world, said Gapenne.

And once the United States breaks the French hold on the term in Europe, it would set a precedent.

"It would become extremely difficult to stop other producing countries" from using the term, Gapenne's FGVB said in a statement. "The notion would be totally discredited and empty of any meaning."

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An Early Look Inside Macy's $400 Million Revamp Of Its Massive Flagship Store

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Macy's flagship store in Herald Square is getting a $400 million facelift, scheduled for completion in 2015.

The overhaul of the landmark department store, which was built in 1902, will add some 100,000 square feet of space and give the shopping mecca a sleek new look, according to a recent AP article.

Some parts of the renovation have already been completed. Macy's recently debuted its revamped shoe section, dubbed "The World's Largest Shoe Floor," which includes a cafe space that serves Starbucks coffee, Moet & Chandon champagne, and hand-made chocolates from Vosges Haut Chocolate.

And the store plans to debut its new main floor in time for the upcoming holiday season. It will feature a trio of luxury shops from Burberry, Longchamps, and Gucci that will be "second only in scale to each brand's own flagship location," according to Macy's.

Macy's shared a few photos of its new shoe department and a rendering of the new main floor with us.

Here's what the luxury shops will look like when they're completed in December 2012

macy's rendering

Macy's new shoe department opened earlier this month on the second floor

macy's shoe department

 The department offers 280,000 pairs of shoes, according to the AP.

macy's shoe department

The new department is sleek and white, and designers are given top billing.

macy's shoe department

macy's shoe department

Now tour Dubai Mall, the biggest shopping mall on the planet >

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How To Behave On A Plane

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airplane stewardess

JUDITH MARTIN, a.k.a. "Miss Manners", weighed in this week on a topic close to Gulliver's heart: bad manners in the airport and on the plane. It seems the only thing needed to pitch normally civilised people into barbarism is a trip to the airport, where people begin jumping queues, pushing and shoving, and generally behaving in all sorts of nasty ways. In any case, witness the righteousness of Miss Manners's fury:

Miss Manners would not have thought that sitting next to one's travelling companions, reclining, being able to lower one's tray, storing hand luggage, dozing and going to the bathroom were outrageous expectations. But since aeroplanes have been refitting the interiors to make these things difficult, and selling marginal improvements, the passengers are at one another's mercy.

A pleasant travelling experience depends on the kindness and good manners of everyone involved. When you're on a 747, that can be quite a lot of people. Obviously airline staff can try to enforce social norms, but there's only so much they can do short of kicking a passenger off a plane. That means it's up to us. Here are a few suggestions that I'm sure nobody will follow:

  1. Only stand up and wait to board the plane once your zone number is called. This will prevent the usual chaos at the boarding line.
  2. Know the size of your suitcase and don't put it in the overhead bin sideways when it can go in wheels- or handle-first.
  3. Step out of the aisle as quickly as possible to expedite boarding and let other people through.
  4. On full flights, don't put your coat, jacket, or small suitcase in the overhead bin until everyone has boarded. If you don't follow this rule, you're going to end up delaying the whole plane while the flight attendants roam the aisle looking for extra space for rolling bags—and you'll probably end up with your jacket in your lap anyway.
  5. If you're not going to lean on the window or someone you know while you sleep, lean forward onto the tray table. Don't fall asleep in a position where you risk ending up in your neighbour's lap.
  6. Please don't push and shove.
  7. Don't shout or speak loudly—but don't stare at or shame the parents who can't keep their baby quiet. It's hard work. Bring headphones or earplugs.
  8. Treat flight attendants and other airline employees with respect. They've had long days, too.

This is all basic stuff, but too often it gets neglected. In fact there's scope for Miss Manners to write about aeroplane etiquette every week.

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It's Not Easy Being A Billionaire Heiress Lingerie Model

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tamara ecclestoneWith her £1 million bathtub and 100 (and counting) pairs of shoes, Tamara Ecclestone seems to want for nothing – well, nothing except the love of an honest man. Nigel Farndale meets an heiress in search of her happy-ever-after.

Before I meet Tamara Ecclestone, I meet her dog, a small and, as it turns out, territorial long-haired chihuahua.

He has tracked me down to her upstairs sitting-room in Chelsea and is yapping at me in a determined yet unintimidating fashion.

I am waiting here while Ecclestone is downstairs finishing our photo-shoot. There are jars of sweets and novels on the shelves that are decidedly more chick than lit: Louise Bagshawe, Jodi Picoult and so on.

On the coffee table are piles of Hello! magazine and Grazia. And taking up the whole of one wall, more or less, is a giant television.

All this evidence of an unserious life is fair enough, because she is only 28, and she did drop out of university, twice.

There are also dozens of framed photographs, mostly of Tamara with her mother, Slavica, and sister, Petra; Tamara with her father, Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One mogul; and Tamara with her boyfriend, a stockbroker called Omar (I know, I know, he’s not her boyfriend anymore. But the first part of this interview happens before all that business with him).

Some are just of Tamara – which may or may not be odd, I can’t decide. After all, she does do a bit of modelling – push-up bras mostly – so perhaps such apparent vanity is not so unusual.

A swimming-pool runs along one side of the room separated by a glass wall, which, compared with the £1 million crystal bath and the bowling alley she is having installed in her new £45 million house in Kensington Palace Gardens, doesn’t seem so decadent.

When I head downstairs past some of her art collection – which includes pieces by Sam Taylor-Wood, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst – I find her in a long room next to her cinema.

She is wearing jeans, has a Chelsea blow-dry and is friendly, polite and open. She is also slightly breathless and punctuates her sentences with a short clipped laugh, which could indicate a certain nervousness.

She has that Sloaney 'like, totally’ way of talking and she raises her intonation at the end of statements to make them sound like questions? She is a little insecure, I find myself suspecting.

Her father wasn’t wild about her reality show, Billion $$ Girl, on Channel 5 last year. At one point our heroine was rushed to hospital because she had a pimple.

Was that self-parody? 'People don’t get my sense of humour. I knew it wasn’t a medical emergency, but the flip side of that is that I had bad skin growing up, and when one surfaces I’m, like, s—!

'There was a time in my life where I didn’t even want to look at people because, like, I’d think that was all they could see. I didn’t feel confident and that’s not a nice feeling.’

None the less, '[My father] told me that I would never change people’s perceptions of me. Somewhat annoyingly, he knew best. At the end of the day I’m not a bad person; I don’t hurt anyone. It didn’t reflect my personality.’

Talk me through this personality then, I say. How would she describe herself?

'I think I’m a very loyal friend, I think I’m honest and down to earth, I’m very true to my star sign because I’m a Cancerian and I’m a home body. My sister would say I’m a feeder because I like cooking for people. Sometimes I couldn’t be happier than with Chinese [food] in front of The X Factor.’

When I ask her if she enjoys being photographed she says, 'I do enjoy it, but I am impatient with all the hair and make-up. I’m the sort of person who takes a camera to dinner or a nightclub because I enjoy taking pictures of people. I tweet all my pictures, which is bad.’

Is she relaxed about others tweeting photographs of her? 'It is bizarre when it happens, like when we were on holiday in the Maldives and these photos appeared online of me on the beach bending over in my bikini. You feel a bit violated.’

She doesn’t seem to mind being photographed in her underwear for modelling assignments, though. 'Well, when I pose for those I’ve always been on a diet and in the gym. And you are in control of those pictures. You can say, “Stop, I don’t feel comfortable with that.”’

Well, at least there hasn’t been a sex tape of her going viral on the internet, à la Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton.

'No. There will be no sex tape,’ she says. 'I don’t think it could happen to me because I trust the people I am with. I trust my boyfriend implicitly. If you are famous you must take extra precautions and not put yourself in a situation.’

A few days after my interview Tamara Ecclestone is summoned to her father’s office where he shows her a video of her boyfriend in a 'sordid sex act’.

Omar maintains that it was a one-off event at a stag do before they knew each other but Ecclestone insists she can see the two £30,000 Cartier love bangles she’d bought him on his wrist.

She breaks up with him. Tweets about how she has broken up with him. Changes the locks on their gated house in Chelsea. Heads off to LA to stay with her sister, Petra.

I’m sorry to hear about Omar, I say when I call her.

'It was a really grim time. I’ve been mortified for my parents. They were both there and we looked on a laptop. I think it was better to find out now rather than a few years down the road when we had children.’

A lucky escape. 'I suppose. I spent three and half years with someone and feel like I hardly knew him at all.’

At our original meeting she said, 'If you burn me once, that’s it. I don’t believe in going back and giving people second chances, because I put so much into my relationship and friendships.’

Her first boyfriend sold a story to the papers when she was 17. Has all this left her cynical about men?

'I still believe there is someone out there. I do believe in happy-ever-after.’

So she’s a romantic? 'Yes, even with my parents divorced, they were so happy for many years, and my sister recently got married and had a beautiful wedding, so I do believe in happy-ever-after.’

She has a number of dogs. In her reality show she took them to be pampered at Harrods. Is it true the new house will have a dog spa?

'No, and they haven’t been back to Harrods since. They were so unruly.’

But, she says, 'they don’t require much in return for their love, apart from a bit of chicken.’ Pause. 'I need to cut Duke’s balls off [he’s the chihuahua I met]. But you can now get fake balls for dogs, cosmetic ones, so I’m going to get him those so he doesn’t feel emasculated.’

So now that she no longer goes to the dog spa, what does her typical day entail?

'Since January a lot of my time has been spent organising the Great Ormond Street party that has just been. And I’m launching my hair care [range] in November. So it’s charity and hair care this year.’

And there’s her website, tamaragivesback.com, on which she auctions three items of clothing for Great Ormond Street every 10 days. She seems to have a lot of spare stuff. 'Girls love to shop!’

Indeed. How many shoes are we on at the moment? 'I don’t know, over a hundred, I guess, which is absurd, according to my mum.’

Does she get tired of being labelled an heiress first, I say, rather than a charity organiser or a model.

'Yes, and it really bothered me for the longest time. I wanted to change it and be my own person but now I’m OK with it. I could be lying around doing nothing all day but that’s not me.

'For a while I was, like, “Why do people always want to judge me and put me in a box?” But I’m over that.’

Presumably she is talking about the time an Australian politician called her 'pointless and stupid’ (he was lashing out about the cost to taxpayers of the Melbourne Grand Prix).

'Yeah, that was bizarre. He used this word I’d never heard before, “bogan.” What’s a bogan? That seemed a low blow and really unnecessary. Why the hell was he watching my show?’

She got good A-levels and a place at university, but then, well, 'I dropped out because I never really wanted to go anyway. I did a year reading psychology at UCL but it was all about statistics, which I didn’t like.

'My parents said I couldn’t bum around so I went to work at Armani and then I started a social policy and sociology degree at the LSE, but I was, like, so desperate to leave. I did a year at both.’

Hmm, psychology. Has she ever been to a therapist?

'Yes, when my parents got divorced, but it wasn’t for me. They didn’t say anything; they just listened.’

That’s what they are supposed to do! 'Yes, but I could have been talking to one of my dogs and saving myself the money. I'm a talker. I talk to everyone. But I wanted answers. I could find the answers myself in the bath, or running round the park.’

She wouldn’t describe herself as contemplative, then? 'Sometimes it’s best not to be. Sometimes it’s good not to over-think things.’

It has been reported that her father is worth about £2.5 billion. Is that about right? 'I don’t know. I don’t think so.’ So is it more or less? 'I don’t know. I don’t really like talking about money.’

Is she a reader? 'I’ve just finished reading the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.’

Shame on her! 'I know, but it was great. I don’t know what to do with myself now. It made my life sound so dull. I thought: really? This is what other people’s relationships are like?’

And as to her own happy-ever-after? You wouldn’t imagine that a lingerie model who drives a Ferrari, is smart enough to be offered a place at the LSE and lives in a house worth £45 million would struggle to find a new suitor.

But perhaps that is me being cynical. Ecclestone seems to have a kind and guileless nature and is surprisingly unaffected by her wealth, all things considered.

And just because you are rich it doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt. I hope she does find the right man and lives happily ever after, like one of the heroines in those novels she likes to read.

Now meet the hottest billionaire offspring >

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The 10 Best Suburbs In America

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ho-ho-kus

The suburbs conjure up images of white picket fences, Little League games and a peaceful refuge from the bustling city. But with so many suburbs cropped up around big cities around the U.S., it can be difficult to determine which suburbs are the best.

Coldwell Banker recently released their list of the Best Places to Live for Suburbanites, as part of its "Best Places to Live" series.

They studied trends in more than 11,000 suburbs across the U.S. and looked at a variety of factors, including access to amenities like grocery stores and banks, proximity to good schools, commuting distance and community safety.

Their study revealed some interesting insights into life in the suburbs, where about 75% of people own their homes, 92% drive to work, and most people tend to eat meals at home.

Coldwell Banker also found that the best suburb in the country is Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, where nearly 100% of the people own their own homes and the commutes to nearby Denver average about 20 minutes.

#10 Huntington Woods, Mich. (Suburb of Detroit-Warren-Livonia)

Score: 961.65

This Detroit suburb was modeled after Huntington, England, and is filled with historic homes.

The town, which is home to the Rackham Golf Course and the Detroit Zoo, fosters a sense of community with its many clubs, like the Boy Scouts and the Garden Club.



#9 Rossmoor, Calif. (Suburb of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana)

Score: 962.03

Orange County's Rossmoor is only a short drive from L.A., but it feels like it's a world away with its laid-back lifestyle and quiet suburban feel.

There are nice community facilities, like the Rossmoor Park Community Center and Rossmoor Shopping Village.



#8 East Grand Rapids, Mich. (Suburb of Grand Rapids)

Score: 963.28

Founded in the 1830s, East Grand Rapids is the quintessential American small town, home to former President Gerald Ford and author Chris Van Allsburg, who wrote The Polar Express and Jumanji.

The peaceful town wraps around Reeds Lake and offers ample opportunity for swimming and boating in the lake.



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Why Chinese Hate Being On The 'Rich List'

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yuan renminbi

EACH year around this time, the Hurun Report, a Shanghai-based luxury publishing and events group, releases its compiled list of China’s wealthiest people. The report not only satisfies the prurient interest of those fascinated with the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but also reflects important trends underlying success and failure in the world of Chinese business.

The latest edition, “China’s Rich List 2012”, released September 24th, was no exception. It revealed that a drinks tycoon, Zong Qinghong of the Wahaha Group, regained the top spot he had occupied in 2010 but lost last year. With wealth reported to be equal in value to $12.6 billion this year, Mr Zong finished well ahead of his closest rival, Wang Jianlin of the Dalian Wanda Group, a property developer and operator of cinemas. Mr Wang, poor chap, is worth a mere $10.3 billion.

With its elaborate itemisations and cross-referenced information, the report includes a wide range of intriguing titbits, beyond the crude headline figures. Perhaps most significant is the fact that manufacturing has usurped the property sector as the leading source of wealth for the 1,000 people listed. Most surprising might be that, for the first time since 2005, the number of dollar-billionaires in China has declined, dropping by 20 in the past year, to a total of 251. Nearly half the people who made the list this time round did so despite losing wealth in the past year—including 37 who saw their wealth cut in half.

Some of the trivia are eye-catching too. Observe that a media entrepreneur, Yang Lan, and Pan Shiyi, a property developer, are the most popular microbloggers on the list, with more than 10m followers each. Or that seven of the list’s members have been named as delegates to the upcoming 18th Communist Party Congress. Or that there were significant differentials correlated to different birth signs in the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the rabbit accounted for 12.8% of the list’s members. With only 6% representation, those born in the year of the ox finished last. According to Hurun, rabbits have dominated the list almost every year since its inception in 1999. Jump for joy if you were born in any of the Chinese years that began in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 itself, or even last year, for that matter.

It may be a blessing to have the kind of money it takes to make the grade. But some also consider it a curse. This is not a new idea. In a 2009 novel, “The Curse of Forbes”, Wang Gang described the problems likely to befall anyone in China who ends up on the China Forbes List, a competitor to Hurun’s. These include extra scrutiny not just from tax collectors but also from anti-corruption regulators and from the public at large. “If you get onto the Forbes list, you’ll be dead meat in no time,” his protagonist predicts.

A new academic study provides a more methodological look at the same issue, and comes to a similar conclusion, albeit in more measured language. In “The Price of Being a Billionaire in China: Evidence Based on Hurun Rich List”, several scholars, Oliver Rui, Xianjie He and Xiao Tusheng, found that among the listed companies that are controlled by entrepreneurs whose names appear on the Hurun list, share values dropped significantly within three years.

Basing their analysis on the 1999-2007 editions of the Hurun list, the authors observed that both the individuals and the companies they controlled came in for greater governmental scrutiny. Government subsidies to companies affiliated with the people on the Hurun list declined. The companies also had a higher tendency to engage in negative earnings management, to conceal their profits.

“Investors in China,” the authors concluded, “regard entrepreneurs being included on the Rich List as bad news.”

There is worse news still for the entrepreneurs themselves. According to the these scholars, the proportion of those who are charged, investigated or arrested after appearing on the Rich List stands at 16.95%, compared to only 6.84% of other, non-Rich-Listed entrepreneurs, over the same period.

Now see who made this year's China 'Rich List' >

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Meet The 11 Wealthiest People In China

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Zong Qinghou

It was a rough year for China's richest individuals, who collectively saw their wealth shrink in a year when the Shanghai Stock Exchange fell 23 percent.

According to the brand new 2012 HuRun Rich List, 469 of China's 1,000 wealthiest people saw their wealth decrease, while just 291 saw their wealth increase. And there were just 251 billionaires (in U.S. dollars) on this year's list, 20 fewer than there were last year.

The average wealth of the 1,000 wealthiest people in China was $860 million, down 9 percent from the previous year. But to put that in perspective, the average wealth was still nearly double what it was in 2008.

For the first time in 13 years, manufacturing topped property as the key source of wealth.

And one other notable observation from HuRunpeople born in the Year of the Rabbit make the best entrepreneurs. A full 12.8 percent of people on this year's Rich List were born in the Year of the Rabbit, outnumbering people born in the Years of the Pig and Ox combined.

#11 Yang Huiyan is worth $5.2 billion

Change from 2011: -$.4 billion

How she made her fortune: Yang, one of the richest woman in China, is the majority shareholder in Country Garden Holdings, a property development firm based in Guangdong province. The value of the company dropped slightly in the past year, decreasing Yang's wealth.

She graduated Ohio State University in 2003.

Source: HuRun Report



#10 Chen Lihua is worth $5.4 billion

Change from 2011: n/a

How she made her fortune: The 71-year-old, a self-made millionaire, founded Fu Wah International group, a firm that owns commercial property in Beijing.

Source: HuRun Report



#9 Xu Jiayin is worth $5.5 billion

Change from 2011: -$1.7 billion

How he made his fortune: Jiayin, of Evergrande Property, fell four places on HuRun's rich list this year after a drop in his company's share price.

The company is one of the 10 largest developers in mainland China.

Source: HuRun Report



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Pranking Bullies Voted This Teen To Homecoming Court But Now The Whole Town Is Rallying Around Her

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whitney kropp

Whitney Kropp, a high school sophomore from Detroit, Michigan, was thrilled to learn she had been voted to the Homecoming Court. 

But Kropp later learned that bullies had plotted to get her on the court as a joke, local TV news station KDSK reported. Her mother said that she came home from school excited, but later began crying. 

In the interview, Kropp said the prank made her consider suicide. 

Since the prank, the community has rallied around Kropp, who decided to keep her place on the Homecoming Court. 

A local salon offered her a free makeover, while other local businesses are providing her dress, shoes and limo for the event. 

A Facebook group called "Support Whitney Kropp" has more than 41,000 likes in just a few days. According to the page, people are planning on selling shirts in orange, Whitney's favorite color, and wearing them to the football game. 

The group has become a forum for others to share their stories about bullying. 

In a few days, Whitney's outlook has changed. 

"High school immaturity is how I see it," she told the station. 

DON'T MISS: K-Pop Star Psy Will Get His Very Own Designer Clothing Line >

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Mel Gibson Finally Unloads His Malibu Estate For $9 Million

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gibson

After lingering on the market for two and a half years, Mel Gibson's Malibu compound has finally sold for $9.2 million, much less than the $14.5 million the actor initially hoped to get for it.

According to Curbed LA, the actor had relisted the home at lower price points several times, most recently for $11.25 million.

The house, called Lavender Hill Farm, is beautiful. It sits on three acres acres of land with orchards, gardens, three guest homes, a life-size chess game, a pool, and a private gym.

But it may still have bad karma. This is the home where Gibson allegedly punched ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva and then said the she deserved it.

Here's a view from above the property



Tropical landscaping



The estate has nine bedrooms



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10 Reasons Why You Should Take A Vacation To The Old South

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Natchez Trace Parkway Road

One day, while standing on a street corner in Vienna in the late summer, designer Natalie Chanin realized suddenly that August should really mean sunshine and fresh tomatoes.

The Alabama native was a successful, Paris-based stylist working on a film set in Austria at the time, living out of a suitcase and wondering if she had packed enough winter clothes.

That realization led to an overhaul and reconfiguration of her life, culminating several years later when she returned to her hometown of Florence, Alabama, to launch her sustainable-clothing label, Project Alabama.

Now in its second evolution as Alabama Chanin, the award-winning line is still based in a warehouse just north of Florence. What about the South pulled her back and continues to do so for others? We flew down to find out.

See the top 10 reasons to love the Old South >

The South of the northern imagination—that memorialized by William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Harper Lee and Robert Penn Warren—is afflicted by its past and lost in the present. Ironic, then, that much of this decade’s Southern renaissance is built on the foundations of old traditions: quilting, work clothes, garden kitchens, comfort food. We once mistook this elegant clarity for oversimplification. But in today’s hyper-communicative, superfast, deeply insecure culture, tradition has been reanimated into a new worldly form.

Florence, with a population of 39,000, sits on the Tennessee River in Alabama’s northwestern corner, a two-hour drive from any of the nearest three airports. It calls itself “Alabama’s Renaissance City” and has more clothing labels than restaurants. (Visit one of Alabama Chanin’s monthly retreats and take a tour of the studio.) To fill that void, we flew into Nashville first—an old metropolis of the New South—for the food alone. The longtime music capital has always been home to the creative and the cosmopolitan, but the new two-feet-on-the-ground sophistication of the cooking has attracted the attention of a much wider audience, and the city is having a moment.

Areas outside the city center, like 12th Avenue South and East Nashville, are being reengineered from the inside out. An old gas station has been converted into a store for tailored denim by the label Imogene + Willie; an 18th-century factory building houses City House, one of the best restaurants in town; and an old trailer is the mobile vintage-clothing store High Class Hillbilly.

We crave the locally made finds that have the simplicity of an heirloom tomato. And right now, it’s all about returning to roots—something the South most definitely provides. Here are ten of our favorite things.

More articles from Departures:

Designer Quiltmaking: Alabama Chanin

The Alabama Chanin warehouse is in a historic area of Florence, Alabama—a group of buildings that, back in the ’70s, was the T-shirt-making capital of the United States. Outside it is beige. Inside it is transformed, every surface coming alive with some small act of creativity: a small city of thimbles, a chair reupholstered in scrap fabric, antique quilts embroidered with the oral histories of quiltmakers and stitchers in the region (one clip reads, “It was said that the smell of bread baking in the kitchen brought magical powers to the quilt being sewn.").

The soft cotton jersey used for the clothing lines—the cotton is grown in Texas, spun in North Carolina, knit in South Carolina and dyed outside of Nashville—sits on one set of shelves, and complete pieces hang across a wall, embroidered, beaded and appliquéd as examples to help visitors as they choose designs. Once an order is placed, Chanin and her staff cut the fabric and assemble the materials.

A local seamstress completes the piece and sells it back to Chanin. On our visit, the endlessly generous Chanin gave us lessons in sewing and appliqué, describing the physics of each stitch. It’s as peaceful an experience as you can imagine. Workshops are available to all; materials, knowledge and delicious food is provided.

462 Lane Dr.

256-760-1090

alabamachanin.com



Unparalleled Peaches: Marché Artisan Foods

The peaches are more potent below the Mason-Dixon Line. Our first extraordinary fruit experience was at City House (1222 Fourth Ave. N.; 615-736-5838; cityhousenashville.com), considered Nashville’s second-finest dining establishment (more on the first later). Located in Germantown, in an 18th-century brick house that was expanded into a factory, the eatery features a pizza oven, a pared-down bar and several tabletops.

The fish and pizzas are delicious, but the peaches—peppered and served with smoky, house-cured spec—steal the show. For dessert, try the peach shortcake served on a buttery biscuit with buttermilk sherbet. The fruit reappeared at breakfast, this time at the relaxed restaurant/café Marché Artisan Foods (1000 Main St.; 615-262-1111; marcheartisanfoods.com), served simply with honey and ricotta on just-baked bread. The flavor lingers even as you make your way through a superb sweet-potato-and-goat-cheese crêpe with pesto.



Stone-Ground Artisan Chocolate: Olive and Sinclair

Perhaps one of the most delicious local delicacies in Nashville is the deeply flavorful stone-ground Southern artisan chocolate by Olive and Sinclair, which is nothing but a new big hit. Founded three years ago by classically trained chef Scott Witherow, Olive and Sinclair slow roasts its cacao beans and then grinds them with pure brown sugar more for taste than for sweetness.

The flavors are dark and strong, like those of good coffee. The Mexican-style bar with cinnamon is particularly delicious, though the sea-salt version is a close second. Consider stopping by the factory for a tour.

1404 McGavock Pike, Suite C

615-262-3007

oliveandsinclair.com



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Larry Ellison Just Bought This Fabulous Malibu House From An Ex-Yahoo CEO (ORCL)

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Larry Ellison Malibu House

Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison already owns a big chunk of Malibu's unofficial "Billionaire's Beach" but he just spent $37 million to buy a bigger chunk of it.

Former Yahoo CEO, Terry Semel, sold his home on Carbon Beach to Ellison, who already owns numerous homes along this stretch of coveted beachfront. At a sale price of $36,943,890, this is the most expensive real estate transaction so far this year in Malibu, reports the LA times. 

JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE PICTURES.

The home was originally listed for $50 million, according to Realtor.com.

It includes a three-quarter-acre lot and three structures:  the home, a lavish guest house and a barrel-ceiling screened room. All told, the property is nine bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and 10,317 square feet. It includes 151 feet of beach frontage.

Lord knows Ellison can afford it. Oracle, just gave him a massive raise. In its fiscal 2012, his total compensation came in at $96 million. He could pay for this house out of his one-year salary and still have most of it left over. He is the third richest man in America (after Bill Gates and Warren Buffett) with a net worth of $41 billion, according to Forbes.

Famous architect

The house was designed by Michael Graves.



The main-house kitchen

Naturally, it has a big, modern kitchen



A great view!

Floor-to-ceiling windows show off the ocean view from the main house living room.



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The 9 Neighborhoods With The Most Million-Dollar Listings

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law jollaIn the U.S., three markets tend to dominate the luxury real estate marketMiami, Los Angeles, and New York.

For the most part, the trend holds true, according to Coldwell Banker, which just released its 2012 luxury market report looking at cities and zip codes with the highest numbers of luxury listings and home sales.

In terms of places with the most $1 million+ homes for sale, California reigned supreme.

#9: PARADISE VALLEY, AZ (85253): 455 homes are on the market for $1 million or more.



#8: LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (90049): 469 homes are for sale for $1 million or more. Of those, 73 are listed for $5 million and up, and 41 of those are $10 million+. Last year, 10 homes in the neighborhood sold for $10 million or more.



#7: LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF. (95651): 488 homes are on the market for $1 million and up. Of those, 76 are $5 million or more, and 25 of those are listed for more than $10 million.



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This Couple Dropped Everything To Travel The World And Pursue Their Passions

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molly mazilu world trip DNU

Former CNBC field producer Molly Mazilu always thought she'd have the opportunity to travel for work. And she did, but found that there was little free time to explore with her busy schedule.

So last spring, after saving money for three years, Molly and her husband Nellu left their jobs and apartment, and set off on a 396-day journey that took them to 30 countries from Brazil to Spain.

The pair made it work on a $75,000 budget, gradually learning to opt for cheaper accommodations so they could maximize their allowance for adventure. After nearly 400 days on the road, they are back at Molly's parents' home in Connecticut, looking for jobs.

In addition to sightseeing, the pair used their time abroad to pursue passion projects. For Molly, it was video production. For Nellu, it was photography. "One of the theories explored [in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers] is the idea that people become experts in a particular field by putting in 10,000 hours of practice. We wanted to use our trip to put a dent in our 10,000 hours," Molly wrote us. They also kept a detailed travel blog.

Molly and Nellu shared their videos and photosthe fruits of their laborswith us. Quoted captions are in Molly's own words.

"Our 'before' picture. My dad took this picture on April 3, 2011 before we drove to JFK for an overnight flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Our last couple days in the States were such a whirlwind: we moved out of our apartment on a Thursday, quit our jobs on a Friday and took off for Brazil on Sunday night. Next time, we'll give ourselves at least a week to transition."



BRAZIL: "We went to Rio's lovely beaches several times but there was a huge difference between a Wednesday afternoon and a Sunday afternoon [when this photo was taken at Ipanema]. Wednesday, the beach was full but not packed. On Sunday, all the locals go to the beach. You can see a dust cloud rising from the crowd in this picture."



And Ipanema on a Wednesday. It was much quieter.

Ipanema on a Wednesday from Molly Mazilu on Vimeo.



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Late Socialite Brooke Astor's Personal Treasures Blow Away Estimates At Auction

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brooke astorNEW YORK (AP) — The first day of an auction of the contents of philanthropist Brooke Astor's two homes brought in $8.7 million, Sotheby's said.

Sotheby's is offering the contents of both homes, 901 objects in all, including European and Asian furnishings, Old Masters, Qing Dynasty paintings, tea sets, silverware, jewelry, a porcelain menagerie, over 100 dog paintings — and even the uniforms of her domestic staff.

The two-day auction continues Tuesday.

Proceeds will go to institutions and charities, including the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, under a settlement negotiated by the state Attorney General's office.

The collection had expected to fetch just $6 million to $9 million.

The auction comes after a nasty family feud involving her only son, Anthony Marshall. The five-year dispute ended in March with a settlement that freed $100 million for her charities and cut by more than half the amount going to Marshall, who was convicted of taking advantage of his mother's dementia, partly by engineering changes to her will. He has appealed.

The dispute had threatened to deplete the entire estate.

Astor spent her life putting the fortune that her third husband, Vincent Astor, left to use where it would do the most to alleviate human misery. Her efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.

Astor died in 2007 at age 105.

Now see some of the auction highlights >

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The Secret To Booking Cheap Airfare Is Thinking Strategically

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Germany, airport, travel

The Flight Deal wants you to know that the way you've been booking your flights is all wrong. 

In the race to dodge airline fees, be it $30 to check a bag or $10 for in-flight meals, consumers have lost sight of what truly matters, and that's scoring free flights. 

"They look at flying on a transaction-by-transaction basis, hunting for the cheapest possible airfare," the experts told Business Insider.

"This is a trap. They should be thinking, 'OK, I am a United flyer and I travel between New York and San Francisco twice a year. That’s 10,000 miles. If I fly five times from New York to San Francisco, I will get a free domestic trip.' 

"In the long run, loyalty and miles will save more than just looking for the cheapest airfare. Miles are the best way to fly for free or for very little money." 

The seasoned travelers at Flight Deal, who avoid all fares that "don't credit 100% mileage to either American, Delta, United or US Airways," aren't alone in treating miles like free money. U.S. News reporter and frequent BI contributor, Daniel Bortz, agrees that frequent flier programs give travelers an edge

"If you're an elite member of the airline's frequent-flyer program or if you have a credit card that's tied to the airline, you automatically have a leg-up on other travelers," he wrote in April. 

The idea is that building a relationship with your favorite carrier helps travelers score perks like free upgrades and checked bags, while providing more opportunities to rack up those coveted miles. Loyal fliers not only hear about flight deals before everyone else, they're also more inclined to pounce on fares simply because they enjoy the airline. 

"We like American because their mileage program allows us to travel to some awesome destinations for next to nothing," said Flight Deal. "We used AA miles to fly Business Class to Bali with their partner Cathay Pacific for $80, and we’ve flown to Phuket and Hong Kong for $35 in First Class using AA miles with their partner Cathay Pacific." 

Beyond being loyal, Flight Deal said consumers should examine all sides of a fare, from its initial going rate to whether or not its price will rise over time. Bing Travel's price predictor is one way to do this, or customers can make a habit of checking the airline's site frequently, especially on Wednesday and in the morning when prices tend to drop. 

Finally, be proactive in deciding when to splurge and save miles. Some deals might seem too good to pass up, and others will be OK, but not worth the chance to earn extra miles. Plug your flight into Milewise just to be sure. 

DON'T MISS: 23 secrets to booking cheap flights > 

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20 Generous Billionaires Who Could Be The Next Bill Gates

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Top Emerging Philanthropists

Not every billionaire is a Scrooge—just think of Andrew Carnegie or Bill Gates.

And while some of the 1% still aren't prepared to part with chunks of their massive wealth, there is a growing rank of the richest people in the world who are.

Wealth-Xa wealth intelligence firm—has just released a list of billionaire philanthropists from around the globe who are bound to be the next legendary givers to rival even Carnegie or Gates.

These charitable tycoons come from all different industries, including oil, retail, manufacturing, banking, real estate, and pharmaceuticals. They also hail from all around the globe, and together have a net worth just shy of $70 billion.

#20 Indu Jain, India

Net worth: $2.2 billion

% annual income given to charity*: 0.13%

Jain is the current Chairperson of India's largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., which owns the Times of India and other large newspapers.

She is the founder and President of the Times Foundation, which gives primarily to educational causes.

*Annual average based on the last 3 1/2 years

Source: Wealth-X



#19 Philip Niarchos, Greece

Net worth: $2.6 billion

% annual income given to charity*: 0.30%

Philip Niarchos is the son of Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos.

He is the Co-President and member of the Board of Directors at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation; a member of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; and an International Council Member of London's Tate Gallery.

*Annual average based on the last 3 1/2 years

Source: Wealth-X



#18 Solomon Lew, Australia

Net worth: $1.2 billion

% annual income given to charity*: 0.32%

Lew is an Australian businessman who is the Chairman of Premier Investments, which primarily deals with importing apparel, toys, and other retail goods from China.

He donates largely to art and healthcare causes, and he and his wife are huge supporters of Opera Australia.

*Annual average based on the last 3 1/2 years

Source: Wealth-X



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The Fabulous Lives Of Malia And Sasha Obama

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Obama Family

During Barack Obama's first four years in office, his daughters, Malia and Sasha, have grown grown from babies into young adults before our very eyes.

This kind of publicity and attention can ruin people, but these girls don't appear to have been spoiled by the spotlight. 

Sasha, 11, and Malia, 14, are now entering their teen years and are becoming more visible. And if their dad wins a second term, their life in the spotlight will continue for at least another four years. 

When Obama was elected, Malia and Sasha became part of the "First Family", with Sasha becoming the youngest child to live in the White House since John F Kennedy Jr.



In Washington, they attend the prestigious Sidwell Friends School.

  



Sidwell, a Quaker private school in Washington, D.C., is described as "the Harvard of Washington's private schools." Joe Biden's grandchildren, Theodore Roosevelt's son, Richard Nixon's daughter, Bill Clinton's daughter, and Al Gore's son have all attended the school in the past.



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Defunct Military Planes Are Reborn As Amazing Works of Art

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bone yard project painted planes

For defunct military planes, the common resting place is a "boneyard," where retired aircraft are stored or used for scrap metal.

Looking at the old planes, gallery owner Eric Firestone envisioned a different sort of recycling, using the old planes not as sources of metal, but as unique canvases for unconventional artists, and the "Bone Yard Project" was born.

Curated by Firestone, Carlo McCormick, and Medvin Sobio, the exhibition Round Trip: Art From The Bone Yard Project featured planes painted by graffiti and street artists, who produced some amazing designs that evoke the nose art that marked many World War II planes.

Unfortunately the exhibition, in Tuscon, Ariz. ended earlier this year. But the gallery was able to share some awesome photos with us.

This DC3 was redecorated with ink and latex by Retna, an artist from Los Angeles.



This painted plane is titled "Warning Shot."



The artist duo Faile calls its version of a Beechcraft C45 "Naughty Angels."



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Take A Hike Around Richard Branson's Private Island

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necker hike, bali cliff

Sir Richard Branson bought Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands for 180,000 pounds, or about $320,000 dollars, in 1979.

Click here to start the tour >>

The government required that the new owner should build a resort within five years from the date of purchase or the island would revert back to the state.

Branson complied and built not only his home on the island but also one of the most exclusive, private retreats in the world.

The 74-acre island can host 16 to 28 guests all year-round for the price of $42,000 a night. Individual villas can also be rented to couples for $27,000 a week during several weeks out of the year.

We were invited to tour the island by Sir Richard, and his Virgin Limited Edition company, which manages his luxury resort properties around the world, flew us to Necker last week. We will be publishing posts about our trip in the upcoming days. You'll be able to find them all here.

The morning after our arrival, our videographer Robert Libetti and I went on a hike with other journalists staying on the island, and here is what we saw.

Disclosure: We were flown out to Necker Island, BVI by Virgin Limited Edition, which covered our travel and lodging expenses.

On our first morning on Necker, the staff organized a hike around the island. They had sneakers in various sizes, if you didn't bring your own. Under Armour is the unofficial sports apparel provider for Necker.



The obligatory basket with various protection products is always nearby. Sunscreen by Sun Bum for the day, and Johnson's OFF or natural mosquito repellents and after-bite lotions for the evenings.



Our guide Orwin Murray, a watersports manager, leads the way.



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SPOTTED: Someone Took This Italian Sports Car To A Cheap Motel

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Any top notch Italian sports car deserves to be parked by a valet at a swanky hotel. So it's unclear why someone decided to leave their Iso Grifo in front of this Monterey, California motel. Also unclear is why they did not take the time to give it a good cleaning.

The Iso Grifo was produced in the 1960s and early 1970s. This photo was posted on ExoticSpotter.com.

Have you spotted a rare or unusual way of getting around in your travels? Did you take a photo? Do you like sharing? Let me know via e-mail: adavies@businessinsider.com or on Twitter: @adavies47.

iso grifo exotic spotter

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