British Fashion Awards

The British Fashion Awards were a brilliant success and left every onlooker in awe and amazement. The event took place in the same venue as last year the Art Deco Rhs Lawrence hall. The venue was a glittering, gilt ballroom, sponsored by Swarovski for the celebration of the night.

 The who’s who of the fashion industry was present to attend this do. Almost 500 guests attended the event with fashion icons like Twiggy Lawson to Mick Jagger , actress Rosamund Pike and the new rebel-tactic, holey fishnet wearing Alice Dellal, and smartly dressed in a tight fitted  black dress Claudia Schiffer to count a few.

The event kick started with the gorgeous Mariella Frostrup hosting the evening who was sporting a figure hugging yet sophisticated gown by L’wrenScott.  The designer of the year award was given to Luella Bartley who had showcased three smash hit collections last year at the London Fashion Week, making it a well deserved award for her.

Among other winners were Milliner Stephen Jones who received the Outstanding Achievement award from his muse and friend, Eric O ‘Connor. Rupert Sanderson was named the Accessories Designer of the year while, Mathew Williamson took home the trophy of the red carpet designer of the year category.

The Designer Brand of the year was chosen as the classic Jimmy Choo which was an accepted delight for everyone. Model of the year award was given to a new entrant Jourdan Dunn who was sporting a white Stella Mc Cartney dress and gold Anya Hindmarch clutch bag.

Jourdan was so excited on receiving the award that in her acceptance speech she forgot what she was saying and ended up calling herself a ‘dumb model’, but later she thanked her mum.

The celebration later ended in Jalouse – a known location for fashionistas. And everyone enjoyed drinks and danced the beautiful night away.

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Bettie Page R.I.P.

Bettie Page, the pin-up queen of the 1950s, died yesterday at the age of 85 in a Los Angeles hospital.

“I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society,” Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told The Associated Press.

Her brunet fringe, her arched brows and cherry-red lips were a trademark and the sensual photographs of her were pin up icons.

She created a style, a tune that went far beyond fashion and is still ruling in pop iconology.

In 1955 she was in the centrefold of newly-launched Playboy, which named her “the model of the century.”

She never regained consciousness after suffering

a heart attack last week, said her agent, Mark Roesler.

Her life has been so full and complicated that the biographies hardly match.

Model career

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1923, after taking a Bachelor of Arts and trying to become a teacher, she started her career as a model in 1950.

It happened in New York, she was working as a secretary and willing to find work as an actress.

Taking a walk on the shore of Coney Island she met the amateur photographer Jerry Tibbs, that put together her first portfolio.

By this time she had already married and divorced, spent some time in San Francisco, Miami and Haiti.

Page entered the field of glamour photography and her lack of inhibition in posing made her a hit.

From 1952 through 1957 she posed for photographer Irving Klaw with pin-up, bondage or sadomasochistic themes, making her the first famous bondage model.

She then successed in becoming an actress taking roles on stage in off-Broadway productions, playing in burlesque films, and made some apparitions on TV.

Although being an icon she stopped modelling in 1957, due to many reasons, one of which was her conversion to Christianity, and by 1958 Bettie Page vanished from public view.

Out of sight

She married and divorced twice more, attempted to become a missionary in Africa, moved from Oregon to Florida to California working for Christian organisations.

In 1979 she had a mental breakdown and started struggling with mental illness going in and out from hospitals in California.

During the 1990s, she occasionally granted interviews but refused to allow her picture to be taken.

“I don’t want to be photographed in my old age,” she told an interviewer in 1998. “I feel the same way with old movie stars.

It makes me sad. We want to remember them when they were young.”

And she was right. The following generations kept referring to her pin up style just as she made it, and still she has many fans.

She became the subject of songs, biographies, websites, comic books, movies and documentaries.

Gretchen Mol recently portrayed her in the 2005 film The Notorious Bettie Page, directed by Mary Harron.

Looking back on her career, she told Playboy in 1998: “I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It’s just that it was much better than pounding a typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous.”

related background feature: Playboy

Euthanasia in UK — background to “controversial suicide documentary broadcasted on Sky”

    (Youtube – Death debate: Should euthanasia be legalised?)

    

 

The controversial suicide documentary broadcasted on Sky TV last week arouses a new round debate on the legalization of euthanasia in UK.

 

This is just two months after the rugby player Daniel James’s assisted death. Both cases happened in Swiss assisted suicide clinic.

 

According to the explanation on BBC Ethics, “euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that person.”

 

“In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it, but there are cases called euthanasia where a person can’t make such a request.”

 

 It’s illegal in UK

 

Since the 19th Century, euthanasia has sparked intermittent debates in North America and Europe. But nowadays it’s still illegal in Britain.

 

Switzerland is the only country that allows foreigners to die using assisted suicide methods. So more and more foreigners choose to travel to Switzerland and end their miserable life.

 

Assisting suicide is a criminal offence which faces the potential risk of punishment up to 14 years in prison. While many terminally ill British people have travelled to Switzerland to end their lives, their friends and family who took them there and assist their death risk prosecution.

 

But there have been no prosecutions so far of relatives of more than 100 UK citizens who have gone to the Dignitas clinic.

 

The danger of breaking the law

 

One of the hottest topics about euthanasia is the recent investigation on the death of 23-year-old rugby player Daniel James in September. Paralyzed from the chest down when a scrum collapsed on him in March 2007, the young boy tried to kill him several times, and finally he persuaded his parents to take him to a Swiss clinic to end his life.

 

His family issued a heartfelt statement. “His death was an extremely sad loss for his family, friends and all those that care for him, but no doubt a welcome relief from the ‘prison’ he felt his body had become.”

 

Prosecutors finally decided they would not charge his parents for having travelled with him to the Swiss suicide clinic last Tuesday.

 

 Right to die

 

This is the name of the suicide documentary, which reflects the core reason of those who supported the legalization of euthanasia.

 

However, the anti-euthanasia groups always ask, do people have to right to die, and is it ever right for another person to end the life of a terminally ill patient?

 

Some people think that euthanasia should not be allowed even if it was morally right, because it would be abused and used as a cover for murder.

 

As time goes by, this issue will still be controversial and the debate on it is still going to continue.

 

 

Click here to the news story

 

BACKGROUND PIECE TO ‘RIDERS ON THE STORM’: WE NEED EDUCATION

By Sunil Kumar

Click here for link to main article

The global financial meltdown has resulted in loss of jobs around the world from New York to Tokyo. Some of the reasons cited for the crisis include reckless spending in the United States, increased global integration and speculation in stock markets worldwide.

According to sources, MBAs in top management posts are held partially accountable for the global financial crisis. A Kaplan admissions consultant however claims that this has not decreased interest in management education.

An international MBA education site states that average salary for MBAs in the UK is £64,000 with 12 percent earning over £100,000 and the same number on less than £30,000.

In the short-term, jobs are set to decrease with lower bonuses, smaller raises and slower promotions. How are students affected?

The global market for education is not expected to go down anytime soon. A University World News Article cites a report by researchers at IDP education that by 2025, 300,000 Indian students and 645,000 Chinese students are expected to study abroad.

EDUCATE MY MIND
According to Prof. Priya Angle, ICFAI Business School, Pune, the reason students pursue an MBA in India as this qualification guarantees a job

Navi Radjou, vice president at Forrester Research points out the dichotomy in India’s education system.

Quoting McKinsey research, he says that by 2020, India is expected to account for a fourth of the world’s total skilled workforce. In addition, he also quotes Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, India on the level of primary education being abysmally low.

S.Richard, Director of the Full Time MBA program at Cranfield School of Management states that British MBAs are among the best in the world as British teachers are typically approachable, have a keen sense of humour and are very professional.

According to him, British MBA students have several years of business experience and view it as a value-add rather than a post-graduate qualification.

Nigel Bannister, CEO, Manchester Business School Worldwide adds that due to a global recession there has been a shift from specific program modules such as banking and financial management to more traditional modules such as leadership and international business strategy.

In the final analysis, a consensus from students and staff alike is that interest in business courses has not waned despite an ongoing global economic recession.