Anita Ekberg, on Her Jaguar, Late 1950s

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Anita Ekberg

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (born 29 September 1931 in Malmö, Skåne) is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita, which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.

Ekberg was born in 1931, the eldest girl and the sixth of eight children. In her teens, she worked as a fashion model. In 1950, Ekberg entered the Miss Malmö competition at her mother’s urging leading to the Miss Sweden contest which she won. She consequently went to the United States to compete for the Miss Universe title despite not speaking English.

Although she did not win Miss Universe, as one of six finalists she did earn a starlet’s contract with Universal Studios, as was the rule at the time.[1] In America, Ekberg met Howard Hughes, who at the time was producing films and wanted her to change her nose, teeth and name (Hughes said “Ekberg” was too difficult to pronounce). She refused to change her name, saying that if she became famous people would learn to pronounce it, and if she did not become famous it would not matter.

As a starlet at Universal, Ekberg received lessons in drama, elocution, dancing, horseriding and fencing. Ekberg skipped many of the lessons, restricting herself to horseriding in the Hollywood Hills. Ekberg later admitted that she was spoiled by the studio system and that she played instead of pursuing bigger film roles.

Using some simple rules and tools can help you save plenty over the long haul.

Break bad habits: The science of habit change

Does it really take just 21 days to change a habit? Experts say it’s not that simple. “Breaking bad habits successfully depends on your readiness to act,” says Heidi Beckman, clinical health psychologist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and speaker on financial behavior change.

John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com, agrees. “If it was easy, we’d all have big savings accounts, and none of us would have credit card debt,” he says.

Beckman says habits change more quickly when you’re in the action stage versus the ambivalence or preparation stages that come before. To catapult yourself into action, she recommends using this three-step approach daily.

1. Create a positive picture in your mind of the result you want, and act as if the bad habit is gone. Use a negative picture of the current stressful result of the bad habit to push yourself further toward action.

2. Identify and focus on your positive financial habits, as proof you can do things the right way.
3. Create simple rules to fall back on when tempted, such as: “Don’t browse shopping websites until all my bills are paid this month.”

Break bad habits: Resist impulse buying

“We’re wired for instant gratification,” says Ulzheimer. “But if you can’t afford to pay cash and whip out a credit card without thinking, then you’re on a downward spiral into debt and money mismanagement.”

Using credit cards to spend more than the cash you have while making only the minimum payments on the cards can build up their balances faster than you can pay them, he says. And if you pay late, penalty fees just add to the total. “You forgo the many benefits of the proper use of plastic, such as for reimbursable business traveling, establishing a good debt utilization percentage on your credit report… and for earning easy cash-back rewards,” says Ulzheimer.

Practice telling yourself “no” when tempted to spend, and try these tactics.

• Distract yourself by making a phone call or unwrapping a stick of gum until the “buy” urge passes.

• Make a rule to only charge for reimbursable business expenses or rewards and only when you have the cash to pay for it during the grace period before the date interest is charged. Double-check dates.

• If you must take drastic measures to curb spending, have your credit card company lower your limit and opt out of over-limit and overdraft spending so your card gets declined.

Break bad habits: Automate finances

Counting on willpower alone is not enough. “When you rely on willpower to meet your expenses, important financial obligations such as timely payments and depositing to an emergency cash or retirement fund are left up to your personal choice and can easily be mismanaged,” says David Bach, author of “The Automatic Millionaire.”

Ulzheimer warns that some use the excuse of not being organized or not having enough money, but paying late just means you pay more because many companies tack on a late fee (typically $39) and many also charge you interest on the unpaid balance as well.

Says Bach: “Make your important payments automatic so bills get paid on time, and important savings deposits that protect you and your family don’t get missed.”

Make payments automatic to avoid late fees.

• Set up shadow payment dates by subtracting seven days from the real due date.

• Make payments automatic using your bank’s or the payee’s online bill pay.

Break bad habits: Pay more than the minimum

Paying just the minimum is a good way to stretch out your debts for as long as you can. “When you only pay the minimum amount due on a credit card, you’re effectively rolling over approximately 97 percent of the balance and adding the interest applied,” says Ulzheimer. This is very profitable for mortgage companies and card issuers, but not you. “The only way to reduce your balance quickly is to pay more than the minimum, avoid fees and stop adding to balances,” advises Ulzheimer.

Pay more than the minimum with every payment.

• Set up automatic timely payments of a higher amount than the minimum.

• For fastest results, create a “debt snowball,” in which you pay as much as you can toward the lowest-balance card until it is paid off. Then you apply that same payment amount plus the new payment amount to the card with the next-smallest balance.
• Consider taking advantage of the automatic biweekly mortgage payment plan your lender may offer. For the one-time fee, the quicker pay-down is worth many thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

The Raven is set entirely in Baltimore, Maryland, a city built around one of the earliest ports in what would become the United States. A prosperous place both before and after the American Civil War, the city was devastated in 1904 when the Great Baltimore fire burned 70 blocks of the downtown area to the ground. Although the city was rebuilt, it was impossible for the filmmakers to replicate mid-19th-century Baltimore there. Ironically, they would have to go to Eastern Europe for the backdrops they needed.

“When I think Baltimore 1849, I don’t automatically think, let’s go to Serbia and Hungary,” says Ryder. “My initial plan was to shoot the movie in a city in North America that had an old-town section we could take advantage of, like New Orleans or Montreal. We quickly learned it would be cost-prohibitive. In addition, those sections of towns are relatively small. American cities have been so gentrified that it would be a real challenge to be able to find all of the exteriors we needed.”

Budapest and Belgrade provided the filmmakers with plenty of vintage buildings, cobblestone streets and vistas free of cell-phone towers. “It’s a part of the world that has been preserved from gentrification to some degree,” says Ryder. “When James and I came to scout locations, we toured all over. It became clear pretty quickly what the plan would be.”

Production designer Roger Ford and cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann collaborated with McTeigue to create a visual style for the film that is both of the period and completely contemporary. “I was going for a very specific look and they got me exactly what I wanted on the screen,” says McTeigue. “We took a bit of artistic license, but it’s not meant to be a slavish period piece. We tried to stay authentic, without letting that override the narrative or the characterizations. I wanted it to be dark, but not oppressively dark. It’s more like a graphic novel, where there’s lots of negative space in the image. You can read detail in the blacks.”

Director McTeigue provided a specific reference point for his director of photography, Danny Ruhlmann. “The whole idea was to create a dark-looking film with a lot of soul,” says Ruhlmann. “James often referred to a Van Gogh painting called The Potato Eaters. It was these very old, craggy, poor people seen in soft, but cool and slightly depressing light. I stayed away from bright sunlight and tried to find cool shadowy light, keeping it soft and diffuse. It was important at the same time not to have the eyes lost in that darker light. The audience needs to be able to see the character’s eyes to learn where he’s coming from and where he’s going. I also wanted to keep the characters looking quite beautiful even though it was dark. That was another reason for focusing on the eyes.”

Ruhlmann and McTeigue agreed that they wanted to make an old-fashioned film in a contemporary way. “We moved the camera in a very sophisticated way to create contemporary images within a period story,” says Ruhlmann. “We liked the idea of mixing a period film with modern filmmaking techniques and modern lighting equipment. As the pressure on Poe grows throughout the film, the lighting and the camera style grow a bit as well. We created a bit more contrast by going a bit hotter with the light and adding more camera movement just to create a slight sense of chaos.”

For production designer Roger Ford, the jumping-off point was a book of images presented to him by McTeigue at their first meeting. “He had stills from other films, as well as illustrations from references on Baltimore and Poe, down to the kind of lighting and the frames and the composition. He went back to Nosferatu, the famous early vampire film made in 1922.”

With locations and sets in two countries, as well a complex script and only seven weeks in which to shoot, the designer had his work cut out for him. “There are between 40 and 50 locations in the movie,” he says. “We were never on any set or location for more than a day. We were very fortunate to have excellent crews in both Budapest and Serbia. To pull off a movie like this, there were plenty of challenges. Our greatest asset was the crew.”

Ford likes to say the only similarity between Baltimore, Belgrade and Budapest is that they all begin with a B. “Most of the architecture dates back to about 1880-1890, whereas our period is 1840-1850,” he adds. “But the look is very successful for the film. James wanted a stylized look that immediately took it a bit away from the period. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that telling the story is more important than slavishly following period detail, as long as the atmosphere is right. Architectural purists might pick up something here or there that’s not strictly period, but we never intended to make a full-on authentic period movie. We wanted to make a good thriller.”

Ford shaped a dark and mysterious environment out of the disparate elements available to him, says Evans. “Roger’s got a great track record of creating worlds of his own for movies. We couldn’t replicate the look of Baltimore in 1849 exactly, but we didn’t need to because we’re watching this story unfold through Poe’s eyes. That gave Roger a great deal of freedom to mix and match elements and create a palette of locations in Budapest and Serbia.”

The designer was able to build quite a few sets for the film’s more unusual scenes, including the site of a grisly murder inspired by “The Pit and the Pendulum.” “I really like the ‘Pit and the Pendulum’ set,” says McTeigue. “He found a huge attic space above a school in Belgrade, then retrofitted it and put the gigantic working pendulum in there.”

The pendulum setup was tricky, says Ford. “It’s massive with all these cogs and gears, and the thing drops a little lower every few seconds. We looked long and hard for a location. You can tell when a location’s going to work and when it’s not. Everybody walked into the space and said, ‘Wow, this is fantastic.’ The special effects department put together a big set of cogs and wheels and the thing went backwards and forwards. It’s very impressive.”

Other scenes were shot in a studio on sets constructed for the film. “We saw a lot of interiors along the way that we thought we might use as locations,” says Ford. “But for a variety of reasons, we decided to build a set. If you look really carefully, you might see similarities between the newspaper offices and the police precinct room. In fact, it is the same set basically, turned around, repainted and redressed so it looks different.”

Ford says he was relieved to move into the studio. “Everybody breathes a sigh of relief, because at last we’ve got control of the lighting and the sound and the space. I get a chance to truly influence the look, rather than trying to adapt a location that’s not quite right.”

He was also able use the studio to expand on practical locations to make them more versatile. “We filmed in some underground fortification tunnels in a castle in Novi Sad, two hours away from Belgrade,” says Ford. “They are defensive fortification tunnels made of brick tunnels that go for miles. We recreated them in the studio by taking molds of the brickwork in those tunnels, bringing those to the studio and reproducing them to perfectly match the real tunnels.”

In fact, Luke Evans was the only actor to shoot in the actual tunnels and he says it’s impossible to tell them apart onscreen. “They’re brilliant,” he says. “In Novi Sad, there were about 18 kilometers of tunnels around the fortress. The replicas set the mood perfectly. They’re quite eerie.”

Carlo Poggioli, whose spectacular costume designs have been seen in films that range from the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Season of the Witch, Dangerous Beauty) to post-Civil War America (Cold Mountain) and fantasy fairytale worlds (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Brothers Grimm), was brought in to create the hundreds of costumes fabricated for the film. “Carlo Poggioli is a superstar,” says Mark Evans. “We were very fortunate to get him. Carlo really understood the movie conceptually. That doesn’t always happen.”

The designer began his research for The Raven in New York City. “I went there because there are such wonderful book stores,” he says. “I found the perfect book with pictures of the accessories and everything I could want that dated back to 1840-1850. So I started from there.”

The costumes he created for Alice Eve’s character, Emily, started with real-life silhouettes, to which he added a touch of fantasy to set Emily apart. “Alice was a joy to work with because she was so enthusiastic about the clothes,” says the designer. “Emily is an educated girl, an independent girl and the daughter of an important person in Baltimore. We dressed her in wonderful colors, very strong colors for that time. We deliberately made her costumes a little different from the other women’s clothing in the film. I was thinking that her father owns a shipping company, so he’s bringing in fabrics that others don’t have access to.”

Eve had an additional challenge because of the period corset she had to wear. “I’m not sure she’d ever worked in one before,” says Poggioli. “They make sitting and standing very difficult if you are not used to them, but the corset also helped her move in a way that is not modern. In, the end she loved it.”

Poggioli also developed a signature look for Poe that combined period and contemporary. John Cusack took a strong hand in the process, insisting that Poe should be dressed in black. “James and I were initially thinking very dark greens and blues, but John’s vision was black and we accommodated him,” says the designer. “He’s a romantic poet and so everything that he’s wearing has softer shapes and fabrics, like light wool and cottons.”

Poggioli had a chance to truly shine, as well as a monumental task to fulfill, when designing the biggest scene in the film, the masked ball that Hamilton hosts to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. With more than 300 extras in lavish period costumes, vintage masks and elaborate head pieces, the scene is an extravagant, over-the-top spectacle that took seven teams of costumers to execute.

“We wanted it to be unique,” says Poggioli. “James and I decided to use the ocean as a theme to make it a really unusual world that borders on fantasy. We used a lot of blues and greens. When Poe arrives, we see the scene through his eyes and it’s a little surreal as he encounters a giant octopus, some mermaids and some really strange masks.”

Historically accurate or not, The Raven is a well-crafted story peppered with intrigue, suspense, history, spectacle and excitement, and the film’s imaginative version of Edgar Allan Poe’s last days shines a new light on the legendary American writer. “I want people to be super entertained,” says Shakespeare. “It’s really a psychological thriller and the audience is along for the ride. We show writing as an admirable profession that takes a lot of courage. Poe was not just a drunk who was hallucinating and wrote down some things about a bird. He was a man of passion and heart and empathy.”

Edgar Allan Poe’s masterpieces of the macabre are the first taste many high school students get of classic American literature. During his short lifetime, Poe became an international celebrity, a fixture in the saloons of New York City and a guest at the White House. The creator of the detective genre and the godfather of gothic literature, Poe was a pioneer who created a fantastical mixture of beauty and horror, innocence and destruction that found unprecedented popularity with the general public.

During their research, screenwriters Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare uncovered a much fuller, richer picture of their subject than they ever expected and incorporated many of their discoveries into the film. The Raven is packed with references to his life and work, including images of ravens, hearts and casks of sherry.

Some of the acclaimed stories and poems that can be found peppered throughout the film include “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “A Descent into the Maelstrom in the Bar,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Mask of the Red Death,” “Premature Burial,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus,” “Annabel Lee” and, of course, “The Raven.”

Poe fans will be delighted as they decipher the clues and references hidden in plain sight:

. Just before he died, Poe was ranting about someone named Reynolds, which became the starting point for the film’s story.

. The last words Poe uttered were “Lord help my poor soul.”

. Some speculate that Poe’s sudden death was caused by rabies, which inspired the writers to create Carl, his pet raccoon (an animal known to carry the disease).

. As in the film, Poe was discovered near death on a park bench by a friend of his uncle.

. The character that falls victim to the pendulum is Rufus Wilmot Griswold, who in real life was Poe’s literary nemesis. Griswold wrote the obituary that cemented Poe’s posthumous (and many scholars say, false) reputation as a perverse, drug- and alcohol-addled dilettante.

. The costume ball and masked rider were inspired by the climactic scene in “The Mask of the Red Death.”

. Emily’s interment was taken from “Premature Burial.”

. The poem Poe presents to the Chesapeake Bay Ladies’ Poetry Society in the film is “The Raven,” for which he enjoyed enormous recognition during his lifetime.

. The lines Emily quotes to him are from his well-known poem “Annabel Lee.”

. Poe’s discovery of the dead cat in the alley is taken from “A Descent into the Maelstrom at the Bar.”

Read full production notes for The Raven >>

Starring Guy Pearce (Memento, Prometheus) and Maggie Grace (Taken, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) and set in the near future, Lockout follows a falsely convicted ex-government agent (Pearce), whose one chance at obtaining freedom lies in the dangerous mission of rescuing the President’s daughter (Grace) from rioting convicts at an outer space maximum-security prison. Lockout was directed by Stephen St. Leger and James Mather from their script, co-written with Luc Besson, who is also a producer. Peter Stormare co-stars.

James Mather and Stephen St. Leger met at film school in Dublin and started working as a team. In the last twenty years, they have shot numerous commercials and shorts. “Generally, James is behind the camera and I direct,” says Stephen St Leger. Producer Marc Libert explains, “James is responsible for the photography and lighting while Steve takes care of the writing and editing.” The directorial duo soon became experts in use of the green screen, obtaining spectacular results for their short films. It was their 15-minute short, PREY ALONE, which convinced EuropaCorp. “We were all very impressed,” says Libert. “It shows a fighter plane chasing a car into a tunnel. It’s astonishing that they shot it on a shoestring budget of 60,000 euros from the Irish government.” Producer Leila Smith adds, “after we saw it, we showed a DVD to Luc, who insisted on meeting the directors.” “I’m a fan of lots of Luc’s films, such as LE GRAND BLEU and SUBWAY, says St. Leger. “And there are several shots in PREY ALONE that are close to THE PROFESSIONAL. Maybe Luc was receptive to the themes of our short or the fact that we oversaw all the special effects ourselves.” The M.S. ONE adventure could begin.

When Stephen St. Leger and James Mather met Luc Besson, they had already written two features and wanted to direct a wisecracking action movie. The maker of THE FIFTH ELEMENT had the perfect project for them: 500 of the world’s most dangerous criminals are locked up in a prison in space and maintained in a state of stasis. “Suddenly, the inmates wake up,” recounts Leila Smith. “Rioting breaks out in the prison and a guy is sent up there to restore order.” The two Irish directors enthusiastically accepted EuropaCorp’s proposal and met regularly with Luc Besson to work on the script. “The two boys met with Luc for 2-3 hours at a time to put together the structure of the movie with the main narrative blocks and the elements of plot that needed to be integrated,” comments Marc Libert. “Back in Ireland, St. Leger and Mather wrote the dialogue, even taking liberties with the structure to express their style. After the first draft, the second took us another four-five months. Luc’s reaction to it was very positive.”

Leila Smith in particular appreciated the close collaboration between EuropaCorp and the two directors, whose willingness to communicate she emphasizes: “There were no great debates between Luc and the guys. Their script meetings functioned a bit like a master class. Luc gave them explanations about various scenes and advised them not to develop others because he sensed they’d be cut in editing.” Luc Besson’s directorial experience proved crucial. Leila Smith adds, “When the directors disagreed with Luc, he just said to them, ‘Convince me.’ They defended the choices they had made and the coherence of the development of characters they really cared about. Most often, Luc was happy to be convinced.”

While LOCKOUT is first and foremost a futuristic thriller, the film has its comic moments. It’s a difficult balance to achieve, as Stephen St. Leger explains, because comedy is a very subjective genre, “Everybody has their own conception of humor. A scene that’s meant to be funny has a good chance of falling flat on its face. For me, the master is Billy Wilder- deadpan humor that never becomes heavy-handed or a gag for the sake of a gag. You sense that he’s never trying to be funny at all costs. We tried to take a leaf out of his book.” Similarly, the director is happy to accept the movie’s 1980s dimension: I love the DIE HARD series or ROMANCING THE STONE and it shows in the humor in this film.”

For the two directors, the characters were a central preoccupation. They didn’t make things easy for themselves by making the hero so cynical and dispassionate that he can be hard to like at first. But he is very funny with a great line in deadpan humor. “He reminds me of the characters played by William Holden in Billy Wilder’s movies,” agrees Stephen St. Leger. “A sarcastic guy with a scathing sense of humor. The relationship between Emilie and Snow brings to mind Bogart and Hepburn in AFRICAN QUEEN. In other words, two polar opposites who are forced to get along.”

At first, Emilie seems like a naïve, privileged young woman who may be concerned about other people but has actually had to stand up for them. The directors ensured that she evolved in the course of the movie. “Gradually, she becomes her own woman and shows real strength of character,” comments Stephen St. Leger. Leila Smith adds, “being around Snow changes her, even physically. Her way of speaking changes, she loses her prejudices and becomes spunkier.” The directors also made sure Snow’s appreciation of her developed. “While Snow thinks that most people are weak and can’t defend themselves,” explains Stephen St. Leger, “he realizes that Emilie is not like them when she fights back and refuses to cut him loose.”

The Lucky One

Hicks directed “The Lucky One” from a screenplay by Will Fetters, adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. The producers are Denise Di Novi, whose previous collaborations with Sparks include the films “A Walk To Remember,” “Nights In Rodanthe” and “Message in a Bottle,” and Kevin McCormick. Ravi Mehta, Alison Greenspan and Bruce Berman served as executive producers, and Kerry Heysen as co-producer.

Beth: You think life has a plan for you?

Logan: If so, it hasn’t shared it with me yet.

Is there really such a thing as destiny? Is Fate shadowing our movements, stacking the deck, or are all our moments—ordinary and extraordinary—random? The age-old question of whether things happen by accident is at the core of Nicholas Sparks’ The Lucky One.

Director Scott Hicks offers, “That premise immediately drew me in: the notion that a chance event—finding a photo in the middle of nowhere—could change not only one man’s life, but the lives of everyone he comes into contact with, really hooked me at the outset. The idea of destiny is quite central, and I liked that it’s treated in a very realistic fashion.”

Sparks reveals that a very real item was the basis for his story. “This is the first book I’ve ever written that was inspired by a single image: that of a soldier finding a picture half-buried in the sand and pulling it out. I became obsessed with what happens when he begins to view this photo as his lucky charm.”

In “The Lucky One,” the photo becomes more than a good luck charm; it serves as the catalyst for a journey of discovery and healing.

The Lucky One marks the fourth of Sparks’ novels that producer Denise Di Novi has brought to the big screen. She relates, “I’ve been in love with Nicholas’ books since I first read The Notebook. Every one of his stories renews your faith in love and in the power of love, and this one is no exception. I think everybody wants to believe that love can conquer all, despite the odds.”

In the film’s central role, Zac Efron stars as Logan, a Marine who has seemingly defied the odds during three tours of duty in Iraq. The actor responded to the story’s interconnecting ideas of luck, love and destiny. “That’s what you hope love is, destiny,” he remarks. “You want it to be meant to be. It often feels like it is. Why can’t it be? And that’s what’s so intriguing about the story.”

Producer Kevin McCormick agrees. “Nick Sparks beautifully entwined the two themes of love and Fate, and Scott Hicks delivered that in a way that creates feelings of both surprise and inevitability.”

Will Fetters, who was responsible for adapting Sparks’ novel for the film, notes, “I can’t say enough about how collaborative Scott was and how much his input helped me.” The screenwriter adds that the author had given him the best possible foundation. “Before I even picked up the book, I was caught by the idea of this soldier trying to piece together why he’s still here, which brings up the question of whether or not things happen for a reason. The question remains unanswered, but it was woven through the subtext of the script.”

Taylor Schilling plays the woman in the photograph, who becomes a talisman for a man she doesn’t even know exists. “I got a feel for the character right off the page. They’re both living with a duality of tremendous loss and potential joy. Whether it’s their destiny or not, it’s incredibly romantic.”

“I think most people have, at some point in their life, a lucky charm and, whether we truly believe in it or not, there’s something hopeful about it,” says Di Novi.

Zac Efron stars with Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner in the romantic drama “The Lucky One,” directed by Academy Award-nominated writer / director Scott Hicks (“Shine”), based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestseller The Lucky One.

Exotic Forest Dream, 1910

Henri Rousseau

Giclee Print

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California Beaches – Woody on Beach

Premium Poster

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Vogue Cover – January 1950

Erwin Blumenfeld

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“Girl at the Mirror”, March 6,1954

Norman Rockwell

Giclee Print

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It may seem counterintuitive, but going on breaks helps you accomplish more.

While your co-workers start every day enjoying a cup of coffee together in the break room, you’re barely able to find time to call your doctor. While they’re taking lunches, you’re rushing through another meal at your desk. Sound familiar? Here’s the good news: This apparent discrepancy may not mean you’ve got a bigger workload or that you’re a harder worker. Instead, it may mean that they’ve mastered certain time-saving skills and habits that you haven’t-until now. From prioritizing your workload to learning which projects don’t need to be perfect, read on to discover eight workplace habits that’ll boost your productivity and lower your stress levels.

They make it a point to take breaks.

Americans seem to think that constantly working is synonymous with being productive, but unless your brain is functioning at its maximum level, you may not be getting as much work done as you think. “[Taking breaks] is like hitting the reset button. It helps you empty out your ‘brain cache’ so you have room to refill it,” says Christine Hohlbaum, author of The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World. First and foremost, she recommends taking lunch every day-and leaving your desk to do it. “When you have a ‘working lunch,’ it’s just not very efficient. At some point you’re going to lose attention,” she says. Ultimately, eating while you work will cause you to suffer on two fronts: you won’t be able to pay attention to your food-a surefire way to overeat-and you won’t be giving your work the proper attention it deserves. In addition to a “real” lunch break, Hohlbaum suggests allotting time for other breaks as well. She recommends taking five minutes in the morning, before starting work, and at least a 10- to 15-minute break in the afternoon. Whether you take a short walk, read a book or stare out of the window with a cup of tea, it’ll help you recharge and improve your overall productivity. “It’s really important to take time off because otherwise your brain will reach a saturation point,” Hohlbaum says, explaining that when this happens, it becomes hard to focus on even the simplest task. “At that point, you need to push away from your computer and take a break.”

They start their day off on the right foot.

According to a recent study at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University, if an employee is in a bad mood when they arrive at work-whether because of familial problems or a stressful commute-it can decrease their productivity by as much as 10% that day. So unless you come in to the office every day in a great mood (and who does?), start your day with 5 to 10 minutes of time dedicated to decompressing. “Create a ritual. Maybe it’s meeting in the coffee break room or going around the office to greet everyone. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you foster a sense of connection [with your coworkers],” Says Holhbaum. “Swinging by to say ‘hi’ to your colleagues when you walk in gives you a sense of focus. When you feel you’re part of a bigger effort, you feel more connected to why you’re there and that can make all the difference in the world.” Re-focusing your mind at the beginning of the day will also create a sense of calm, helping you to disregard outside stressors and zero in on your daily tasks. “If we’re actually able to start the day centered, then we’ll have a longer tolerance period before we get off track,” Holhbaum says.

They keep a flexible to-do list.

Making a daily list of to-dos is a great way to stay on top of your work. However, there is one pitfall-it can make you inflexible. “A lot of people feel their day’s been wrecked if they have to change their plan, but the most effective people understand that’s part of the job,” says Vicki Milazzo, author of Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman. “I always start my day with a plan, but by 9 a.m. I’ve busted that plan.” However, according to Paula Rizzo, a master list-maker and founder of ListProducer.com, it’s important to keep some form of a to-do list, no matter how much your day changes. For example, Rizzo begins her days with a master list, which she continually updates throughout the course of the day to note the items that haven’t been done or to add tasks as they crop up. Before leaving work, Rizzo will make a fresh list for the next day. The key, she says, is referencing the changing list throughout the day to keep herself on course. “Just putting a little extra work into it will keep you on track.”

They use technology with intent.

In today’s 24/7 all-access world, it’s hard to get a handle on technology use. While it’s impossible to avoid it altogether, you can be disciplined about how much time you spend perusing the Web. Set aside a specific time, say 15 minutes after lunch, to scroll through your social networking sites or other favorite websites-and stick to it. Or try something like Google Chrome’s website blocker, which allows you to set restrictions to your online time by either totally blocking your favorite websites or just restricting the timeframes within which you are allowed to check them. In addition to surfing the Internet, it’s important to watch your email habits. Whether you give yourself 15 to 30 minutes at a set time each day to check your personal email, or you allow yourself brief intervals between tasks, Holhbaum says the key is to be very mindful of the time you’re spending checking your non-work inbox. “Have a very clear distinction between what’s personal and what’s work. If that’s a part of your ‘OK I need to zone out for a little bit’ time, that’s fine. But you need to be clear and be mindful of what you’re doing.” Even work-related emails can become a distraction if not properly managed. Ask yourself if email is the best method of communication, or if you’re better off calling the person. “Sending 100 emails isn’t [always] going to be the most productive thing. And as we know, emails beget emails. They’re like little rabbits,” Hohlbaum jokes.

They put perfectionism in its place.

While turning in perfect work has been encouraged since kindergarten, that attitude can be counterproductive if it’s not managed. It’s important to pick your battles. “Women, by nature, are somewhat perfectionist,” says Milazzo. “So we need to distinguish what requires perfectionism,” she says. Of course you want to put your best foot forward in all situations, but if you’re strapped for time, prioritize. If, for example, you’re writing an informal memo or email to a co-worker, give it a quick look and spell-check it, but resist the urge to re-read it three times over. If, on the other hand, you’re creating a brochure for your company or preparing an important presentation, then that’s the time to put all of your perfectionist tendencies to good use.

They know how to say “no.”

It’s easy to get distracted or overwhelmed at work. But one of the secrets of highly productive people is that they learn when and how to say “no.” For starters, say “no” to whiners, complainers and distracting people. One way to do that, according to Rizzo, is by wearing headphones. “That sends the message that you’re busy and it drowns out the noise as well,” she says. When it comes time to say “no” to the boss, tread lightly but firmly. You don’t have to spell out n-o per se; rather, ask her to prioritize what’s most important given what’s on your plate. “When an employee does that, the boss usually comes to their senses and they get it,” Milazzo says. “You don’t want to make your boss the enemy; you want your boss to know you’re there for the company, and that you’re there for them. If they know that, they’re more likely to listen to what you say.”

The Spyker C12 Zagato is the second production car from the Dutch automobile manufacturer Spyker. The C12 Zagato is an all-aluminium, mid-engine/rear-drive exotic luxury sportscar.

The Milanese design house Zagato co-designed the model. The C12 Zagato featured all-new design elements inspired by Formula 1. Though the exterior styling is somewhat of a departure from the C8, retained features include: scissor doors, interior styling, and general aviation theme. The C12 Zagato is powered by a 6.0 L W12 engine sourced from VW Group (the same engine as featured in the Audi A8 and Volkswagen Phaeton).

For the C12 Zagato, Spyker Cars have tuned the W12 to produce 500-bhp. The engine is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Although the nomenclature suggests otherwise, the C12 Zagato is not based upon the C12 LaTurbie prototype. The Spyker C12 Zagato is priced at EUR 495,000 (approximately USD $740,000 or £450,000), and Spyker plan to produce only 24 copies.

The C12 Zagato develops 368 kW (493 hp) and 610 N•m (450 lb•ft) from the specially-tuned W12 engine. With a KERB weight of 1,480 kg (3,263 lb), the Spyker will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and then on to a top speed of 195 mph. Braking is accomplished by steel ventilated discs and features anti-lock braking. The automatic five-speed gearbox features a torque-converter in lieu of a clutch. Spyker say the move from manual gearboxes as seen in the Spyker C8 is as per customer request, and the new Aileron model will feature a ZF automatic gearbox similar to that of the C12 Zagato.

The boutique Slovenian car manufacturer Tushek Supercars has revealed their latest, the Tushek Renovatio T500. This sharp, aggressively-styled sports car can achieve speeds of up to 193mph and will hit 60mph in 3.7 seconds from a standing start.

Thanks to a carbon and composite body, the Renovatio T500 gets plenty of speed out of the 444hp Audi V8 that powers it. The inside is lined in leather and alcantara with carbon fiber accents, providing a bit of luxury in a vehicle that is otherwise “all business”.

The Tushek Renovatio T500 may not stand far out from its class, as the design is attractive but largely forgettable. Yet any offering from a boutique super car manufacturer is a welcome sight. The feeling of driving something so close to unique is one that we can certainly respect.

Puredistance Master Perfumes are among the most exclusive perfumes in the world. Elegant fragrances made by Master Perfumers in London & New York. Timeless & Truly Exclusive.

Puredistance is an independent company that offers a truly exclusive collection of Master Perfumes created in London & New York by renowned Master Perfumers. Customers can choose between three elegant and timelessly beautiful fragrances (Pure Perfume Extrait) and various accessories that harmoniously combine classic & modern design. Exclusivity is at the heart of the company. Worldwide Puredistance is only available at a limited amount of luxury stores and perfumeries.

Puredistance I is the first creation of the Puredistance company settled in the heart of Vienna (Austria). Only Vienna seamlessly fits the philosophy of the Puredistance concept. Vienna is the city of elegance and pureness, it also has for many centuries been a center of art, notably the world famous Wiener Werkstätte (Wiener Werkstätte was a production community of visual artists, it was founded in 1903. by the artists Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser). The Wiener Werkstätte style is characterized by pure lines and minimal decoration.

The concept of a perfume spray hidden inside a pure Crystal Column was envisioned by Sender Sinot. Puredistance I was created by Annie Buzantian from Firmenich, NY. She considers it her favorite perfume and personal Masterpiece. The composition is sophisticated floriental with the fresh opening, warm floral heart and the soft base.

The perfume opens as top note with a fresh, ozone-tangerine blossom blend with a hint of cassis, complemented with neroli bigarade and crisp watery nuances. The heart of the fragrance warms to a sophisticated, modern blend of magnolia, rose wardia & jasmine; parmenthia & natural mimosa, before finally settling softly into the rich classical notes of sweet amber, vetiver and white musk.

The perfume extract contains 32 % perfume oil.

This limited edition Crystal Masterpiece is available as:

A Crystal & 24 carat Gold version – 2048 pieces (2750 Euro retail)

A Crystal & high-grade Steel version – 4824 pieces (1750 Euro retail)

The separately available refill, a 17.5 ml. perfume spray (165 Euro)

Please read more in the article “Puredistance – idea of absolute beauty”

The troubled star shares a photo of herself looking similar to an iconic Taylor image.

Looks like LiLo is set for a comeback: Lifetime has confirmed that Lindsay Lohan will be taking on the role of Elizabeth Taylor in the biopic “Liz and Dick,” a TV movie that will focus on the star’s on-again, off-again romance with Richard Burton.

Lifetime has referred to Lohan, 25, who starred in “Mean Girls” and “The Parent Trap” and who is off probation, as “perfect” for the part. In an interview with E! News, producer Larry Thompson said, “We could hire actresses that would be great and people would watch it, but I think that Lindsay brings to Elizabeth Taylor and to our project that sparkle of magic, that sparkle of today.”

While the silver-screen legend and the fallen actress may seem to have little in common at first glance, a closer look shows Lohan could have what it takes. First, when she rocks black hair, Lohan bears a striking resemblance to Taylor. In fact, Lohan’s profile on Twitter has changed to a photo that appears to show the star channeling the raven-haired beauty; she could be Taylor’s twin. (See how she compares to the glamorous Taylor, pictured above in the 1959 movie “Suddenly Last Summer.”)

Along with sharing good looks, both stars wrestled with addiction in the past, with each of them spending time at the Betty Ford Center. In a statement to Us Weekly, Lohan said, “I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role.”

The young star steps out at Coachella in a graphic two-piece swimsuit and a lacy mesh top.

Actress Emma Roberts steps out of her usual chic, good-girl wardrobe to don a see-through white mesh dress and just a bikini during the 2012 Coachella Music Festival. Less was more in the over 100-degree weather, and the 21-year-old Roberts took the opportunity to show her edgier side with the revealing, form-fitting ensemble.

Artists, celebrities, and tens of thousands of fans come from across the globe to attend the ultimate music crash course that is the Coachella Music Festival. Check out photos from this year’s massive, double weekend event to see the bands that played and the who’s who of concertgoers. Be sure to check back often for updates as the sonic insanity progresses.

Reminiscent of her seductive-yet-psycho character in “To Die For” (1995), Nicole Kidman is taking on another twisted-sex-pot role. And yes, in this one she also dons bleach blonde hair.

Kidman, 44, has love scenes with Zac Efron, 24, in “The Paperboy,” a sexual thriller due for release later this year. And while Efron described the scenes as “the highlight of my life,” he is not the only one Kidman’s character gets intimate with: She plays a woman who writes letters to death row inmates. Kidman’s character Charlotte Bless also begins communicating with a murder suspect, played by John Cuscack.

We’ll just have to add Kidman’s sexy scenes to a growing list she is knocking out lately—including her steamy on-screen play opposite Clive Owen in the HBO film “Hemingway & Gellhorn.”

Kidman recently told W Magazine how she feels about getting nude on set: “I don’t mind being naked. Maybe as I get older, and now having had a baby, it might be different, but I enjoy not letting my issues get in the way of a performance. Once I start putting all my little insecurities in my mind, I’m not actually acting. Then it’s about me — and it should never be about me. It should be about the character.”

The date-night movies “Think Like a Man” and “The Lucky One” finally have knocked “The Hunger Games” off its No. 1 box-office perch.

“Think Like a Man,” based on Steve Harvey’s dating-advice best-seller, debuted as the top weekend draw with $33 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s almost double what studio executives had expected for the Sony ScreenGems ensemble movie, which features Michael Ealy, Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union.

The Warner Bros. drama “The Lucky One,” starring Zac Efron in an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ romance novel, opened at No. 2 with $22.8 million. It also came in a bit above studio expectations going into the weekend.

“Think Like a Man” was produced for about $13 million and took in nearly that much on opening day Friday alone, with business getting even better on Saturday. Sony executives had figured the movie might pull in about $17 million for the whole weekend.

“It was a wild ride. It just got better and better as the night went on Friday. Then to be up so much on Saturday,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony.

Lionsgate’s blockbuster “The Hunger Games” took in $14.5 million, slipping to third-place after four weekends at No. 1. The film raised its domestic total to $356.9 million.

“The Hunger Games” added $13 million overseas, where its total now stands at $215.8 million, for a worldwide haul of $573 million. Disney’s nature documentary “Chimpanzee” opened at No. 4 with $10.2 million.

Despite some healthy newcomers, Hollywood’s overall revenues dipped for the second weekend in a row. Domestic receipts totaled $129 million, down 5 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Rio” led with $26.3 million.

Revenues likely will decline again next weekend, with no huge newcomers expected to come close to the $86.2 million debut of “Fast Five” over that same weekend last year.

But business should shoot back up after that as the superhero ensemble “The Avengers” launches one of Hollywood’s biggest summer lineups ever over the first weekend of May.

“‘Fast Five’ basically performed to summer box-office numbers in pre-summer last year,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “We’re not going to have a ‘Fast Five’ in late April this year, but that’s OK, because we’ve got ‘Avengers a week later, and that’ll more than make up for it.”

So far in 2012, domestic revenues are at $3.1 billion, up 16.6 percent from last year’s, according to Hollywood.com.

Paramount’s 3D version of James Cameron’s blockbuster “Titanic” added $5 million to bring its three-week domestic total to $52.8 million. The film’s lifetime domestic haul now stands at $653.6 million.

With $34.3 million more overseas, the 3-D version’s international total rose to $225 million, pushing the lifetime worldwide gross of “Titanic” to $2.1 billion.

The Magnificent Seven – 1960

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American western film directed by John Sturges. It is a western-style remake based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai. The film stars Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and Horst Buchholz who play a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits. The film’s musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein.

A Mexican village is periodically raided by bandits led by Calvera (Eli Wallach). As he and his men rode away from their latest visit, Calvera had promised to return for more booty and loot the village again. Desperate to prevent this, the leaders of the village travel to a town just inside the American border to buy weapons with which to defend themselves. While there, they approach a veteran gunslinger, Chris (Yul Brynner). He suggests that they hire more gunfighters for their defense instead, stating that such men would be cheaper than guns and ammunition. They ask him to lead them, but Chris turns this down, telling them that a single man is not enough. They keep asking him, and then he finally agrees. Chris recruits six other fighting men, even though the pay offered is not very much.

First to answer the call is the hotheaded, inexperienced Chico (Horst Buchholz), but he is rejected. Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), an old friend of Chris, joins because he believes Chris is looking for treasure. Vin (Steve McQueen) signs on after going broke from gambling. Other recruits include Bernardo O’Reilly (Charles Bronson), a gunfighter of Irish-Mexican heritage who is also broke, cowpuncher Britt (James Coburn), fast and deadly with his switchblade, and Lee (Robert Vaughn), who is on the run and needs someplace to lie low until things cool down. Chico trails the group as they ride south and is eventually allowed to join them.

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Sound of My Voice

Peter and Lorna, a young Silver Lake couple, delve into the underworld of a cult that meets in the San Fernando valley. At the center of the group is an enigmatic young woman named Maggie who never leaves her basement chamber. The members follow Maggie blindly, growing her food, obsessively sanitizing the house, giving her their own blood for transfusions. Peter and Lorna smuggle hidden cameras into Maggie’s basement, bent on exposing her as a charlatan and freeing the members from her spell. But when they themselves fall prey to Maggie’s mind games all bets are off.

Directed by: Zal Batmanglij
Starring: Brit Marling, Nicole Vicius, Christopher Denham
MPAA Rating: None.
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: April 27th, 2012

Take This Waltz

When Margot, 28, meets Daniell, their chemistry is intense and immediate. But Margot suppresses her sudden attraction; she is happily married to Lou , a cookbook writer. When Margot learns that Daniel lives across the street from them, the certainty about her domestic life shatters. She and Daniel steal moments throughout the steaming Toronto summer, their eroticism heightened by their restraint.

Directed by: Sarah Polley
Starring: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Luke Kirby, Diane D Aquila, Aaron Abrams
MPAA Rating: R (for language, some strong sexual content and graphic nudity)
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: June 29th, 2012

Mediha Didem Turemen as Eleni in Winds.

Born in Kusadasi, Turkey, in 1982. She received her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Istanbul University Faculty of Political Sciences and in 2006 she started her master degree in Cinema-TV from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. She attended many workshops in acting and took education from Akademi Istanbul, Turkish State Theatres Opera and Ballet Members’ Foundation, Nazim Hikmet Foundation of Culture and Art, Gonul Ulku & Gazanfer Ozcan Theatre. Participated to the AFIC (Audiovisual Financing & Commercialisation) seminar in 2008 which was held in Paris at the Sorbonne University.

She worked as production designer and was responsible from international relations of Selim Evci’s feature film “Two Lines” which was premiered in 65th Venice International Film Festival – Critics’ Week. She worked in all stages of production for “Two Lines” including pre-production, production, post-production and represented it in many international film festivals and film markets.

She played the leading role in the movie “Winds” and was also the art director. She is invited as actress by Theatre Sector of La Biennale di Venezia for “The Limits of Theatre” directed by Calixto Bieito and she is one of the performers of 41st International Contemporary Theatre Festival – Venice, 2011 in performance “Envidia”.

BeoVision 12 combines elegant design, superior sound and outstanding picture quality to create a cinematic experience to delight the entire family. Every detail of BeoVision 12 has been carefully and painstakingly developed to deliver superior performance. The result is that everyday activities like watching TV, listening to music, viewing a film, become entertainment events.

BeoVision 12 is a breathtaking, 65-inch television, with an ultra-slim plasma screen and 3D capabilities. The first thing you’ll notice about BeoVision 12 is that although it is impressive in size, it actually appears thinner than it is. This seeming weightlessness is achieved through a unique optical illusion. Notice how the two profiles of the television bend inward, forming a V-shape.

The section facing the viewer has a natural aluminium colour, while the section facing the wall is seen in anodised black. The result is that you see something more slender than reality. BeoVision 12 literally floats on the wall, quite a feat considering its significant size. And that’s just the beginning.

65 Inches of Discretion

Every detail on BeoVision 12 contributes to its discreet, slim appearance. From the frame itself, to the speakers and controls, we’ve left no stone unturned in our quest to make 65 inches as light as air.

Picture Perfection

BeoVision 12 incorporates the latest plasma technology in order to give you and your family an experience to remember, every time you turn it on.

Made for Surround Sound

Of course, there’s more to a television than a picture. A true cinematic experience engages all your senses, and offers spectacular sound to complement dazzling images.

Let walk far away from CES 2012 for a second! We need to refresh our mind with something different. How about this one, a gold edition of Apple iPad 2? I knew iPad 2 is no longer a hot thing to be discussed. Do not get wrong, maybe you are not an Apple fan boy, but it is from Amosu.

Every time someone hear about Amosu, it’s common feel so excited to talk it. It might be because everyone could not afford to buy their products. Anyway, this time Amosu reconstructed the Apple logo using pure silver and adding the 360 Swarovski stones on it. Surely, it dazzles the glamorous and luxurious into your eyes, more, it placed in middle of 24-carat gold casing. In short, Amosu has succeed in turning the original Apple iPad 2 64GB into something that could change every woman heart.

Amosu iPad 2 64GB Gold Edition with Swarovski Apple logo is available now in MSRP 2,800 GBP. Like always, Amosu could personalize the device with other option according to your request.

Moe, Larry & Curly earned $17.1 million in their big-screen revival, not enough to beat powerhouse The Hunger Games but easily coming in ahead of horror pic Cabin in the Woods.

Lionsgate’s Hunger Games grossed $21.5 million, becoming the first film since James Cameron’s Avatar to place at No. 1 for four consecutive weekends at the domestic box office and putting its total gross at $337.1 million. It has earned $531.1 globally, though its foreign run has been softer (similar to the first Twilight).

Cabin in the Woods, also from Lionsgate, opened third at the domestic box office with $14.9 million.

In a surprise upset overseas, the 3D rerelease of Cameron’s Titanic grossed a massive $88.2 million for the weekend — including a record-breaking $58 million bow in China — beating the $58 million debut of Universal’s high-profile summer tentpole Battleship.

Titantic 3D, from Paramount and Fox, came in No. 4 domestically, grossing $11.6 million and putting its worldwide total at a stellar $190.5 million in less than two weeks.

Battleship — which is rolling out five weeks early overeas — only debuted this weekend in 26 markets, while Titanic is playing in 69.

Both Cabin and the Farrelly Brothers’ The Three Stooges turned in good opening performances in North America, though it’s too early to say whether Stooges will launch a franchise for 20th Century Fox, which spent a modest $35 million to produce the slapstick comedy.

The actress and the daughter of a rock legend soak up the desert sunshine at Coachella.

Brits Lily Collins (daughter of Phil Collins) and Harry Potter alum Emma Watson soak up the desert sunshine in breezy printed dresses and essential summer accessories at Mulberry’s annual Coachella BBQ Pool Party at The Parker in Palm Springs near the festival.

Vintage Remington Typewriter Ad Poster

Vintage labels and advertising from around the world. Great gift idea for collectors! Check out our other products with this design. Tote bags, tees and mugs are available in many styles and colors.

Vintage Cuticura Shampoo Ad Canvas Print

Vintage perfume, soap and personal hygiene ads and labels from around the world on a variety of apparel and gift item. Great gift idea for collectors! Check out our other products with this design. Tote bags, tees and mugs are available in many styles and colors.

Vintage Winter Graphic Postage Stamp

Large, 2.5″ x 1.5″

Make each letter a special delivery! Put a personal touch on your mail, or share this useful gift with friends and family. Zazzle’s large custom stamps are especially perfect for standard letters and larger envelopes.

• Landscape: 2.5″ x 1.5″ (image: 1.7″ x 1.2″).
• Portrait: 1.5″ x 2.5″ (image: 1.2″ x 1.7″).
• Image aspect ratio: 5 x 7.
• 20 stamps per sheet.
• Choose from thirteen postage denominations:

$0.32: Post Card
$0.45: 1st Class Letter, 1 oz
$0.65: 1st Class Letter, 2 oz or 1 oz odd
$0.85: 1st Class Letter, 3 oz or 2 oz odd
$0.90: 1st Class Large Envelope, 1 oz
$1.05: 1st Class Letter, 3.5 oz or 3 oz odd
$1.10: 1st Class Large Envelope, 2 oz
$1.25: 1st Class Letter, 3.5 oz odd
$1.30: 1st Class Large Envelope, 3 oz
$1.50: 1st Class Large Envelope, 4 oz
$1.70: 1st Class Large Envelope, 5 oz
$1.90: 1st Class Large Envelope, 6 oz
$5.15: Priority (up to 16 oz)

The Kitsch Bitsch : Vintage Coffee Graphic Stamps

Large, 2.5″ x 1.5″

Make each letter a special delivery! Put a personal touch on your mail, or share this useful gift with friends and family. Zazzle’s large custom stamps are especially perfect for standard letters and larger envelopes.

• Landscape: 2.5″ x 1.5″ (image: 1.7″ x 1.2″).
• Portrait: 1.5″ x 2.5″ (image: 1.2″ x 1.7″).
• Image aspect ratio: 5 x 7.
• 20 stamps per sheet.
• Choose from thirteen postage denominations:

$0.32: Post Card
$0.45: 1st Class Letter, 1 oz
$0.65: 1st Class Letter, 2 oz or 1 oz odd
$0.85: 1st Class Letter, 3 oz or 2 oz odd
$0.90: 1st Class Large Envelope, 1 oz
$1.05: 1st Class Letter, 3.5 oz or 3 oz odd
$1.10: 1st Class Large Envelope, 2 oz
$1.25: 1st Class Letter, 3.5 oz odd
$1.30: 1st Class Large Envelope, 3 oz
$1.50: 1st Class Large Envelope, 4 oz
$1.70: 1st Class Large Envelope, 5 oz
$1.90: 1st Class Large Envelope, 6 oz
$5.15: Priority (up to 16 oz)

The Kitsch Bitsch: Retro Kitschen Cards

Keep in touch with Zazzle custom greeting cards. Customize all parts of this folded card – inside and out, front and back – for free!

• 5″ x 7″ (portrait) or 7″ x 5″ (landscape).
• Printed on ultra-heavyweight (120 lb.) card stock with a gloss finish.
• Each card comes with a white envelope.
• No minimum order.
• May be available on Note Card size
• Postage rate for this size card (up to 1 oz) is $0.45

Vintage Housewife Graphic Cards

Keep in touch with Zazzle custom greeting cards. Customize all parts of this folded card – inside and out, front and back – for free!

• 5″ x 7″ (portrait) or 7″ x 5″ (landscape).
• Printed on ultra-heavyweight (120 lb.) card stock with a gloss finish.
• Each card comes with a white envelope.
• No minimum order.
• May be available on Note Card size
• Postage rate for this size card (up to 1 oz) is $0.45

Ladies Petite T-Shirt

Tailored for women by Bella, this Tee will quickly become your favorite. Made from 5 oz, 100% super-soft cotton, baby jersey knit with a custom contoured fit. Has cover-stitched ¾” bottom hem and sleeve openings. NOTE: Sizes run extremely small. Order 1 to 2 sizes larger than normal. Imported.

Black & White Leopard Eyes by made_in_atlantis
Design Tshirts Online.

Basic American Apparel T-Shirt

Enjoy the feel of 100% fine jersey cotton against your skin. This unisex shirt, by American Apparel, is the softest, smoothest shirt we sell. It’s medium weight and made from combed cotton for your added comfort. Gives a flattering and stylish fit to virtually any body type. Made in the USA.

Leopard “Fur” Stylish Trendy Apple iPad Speckcase

Be the envy of all your fashionista friends! Show off your signature style with this trendy leopard “fur” very unique Speck® Fitted Hard Shell iPad Case. Combining luxury with uncompromised protection, this sleek hard plastic case is covered with an easy-to-grip fabric that feels rich and luxurious. The first of its kind to be offered anywhere, this lightweight and durable custom case allows optimal access to all sensors, ports, and controls on your iPad, while offering superior comfort in-hand.

Depth: 0.71 inches
Width: 7.7 inches
Height: 9.79 inches
Weight: 9.6 oz.

Speck® Fitted Hard Shell iPad Case

Show off your signature style with an ultra-tailored Speck Products® brand case for your iPad. Combining luxury with uncompromised protection, this sleek hard plastic case is covered with an easy-to-grip fabric that is richly printed with your favorite design. The first of its kind to be offered anywhere, this lightweight and durable custom case allows optimal access to all sensors, ports, and controls on your iPad, while offering superior comfort in-hand.

Depth: 0.71 inches
Width: 7.7 inches
Height: 9.79 inches
Weight: 9.6 oz.

If you’re the type that’s usually ahead of the curve, you might be well-suited for these professions.

Marketing Manager

If you have an eye for new trends, a career as a marketing manager is one option to consider. Whether it’s for developing new items or finding innovative ways to advertise existing products, as a marketing manager you could use your trendsetting skills to monitor new fads for promoting your company’s products or services.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, marketing managers usually work with a team of advertising and promotion managers, product development managers, and market research managers. They might play any number of roles in areas like market research, product development – even pricing and advertising.

Fashion Designer

Do you have a passion for fashion? Consider a career in fashion design where you could spot trends and predict the styles, colors, and fabrics that people might be drawn to next season.

By researching trends in the economy and society, fashion designers can create designs that appeal better to the public, says the U.S. Department of Labor. After sketching their designs, they generally work with textile designers and manufacturers to select fabrics, draw sketches, and create prototypes.

Foreign Correspondent

If you hope to explore the world and learn about different cultures, a career as a foreign correspondent might be right up your alley. In this type of career, you could have the opportunity to bring important world issues and trends into the spotlight by gathering information, creating stories, and delivering international news to viewers or readers back home, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Assigned to a country by a publication or station, foreign correspondents usually work under strict deadlines, says the Department of Labor. You might be asked to report the news from the location of a war zone or at the scene of a natural disaster.

Interior Designer

Do you enjoy decorating your home or office? As an interior designer, you could give decorating advice to clients and illustrate the latest interior design trends.

By listening to a client’s needs and wishes, interior designers can create a design that fulfills those requests, says the U.S. Department of Labor. And even though those designs will need to be created with building/safety codes – and budget – in mind, interior designers can still bring their creativity to the table and deliver something that makes the client say, “Wow!”

Chef

Do you love food and enjoy testing new recipes? As a chef, you could put your culinary creativity and trendsetting nature to use, finding new ways to suit the public’s palate by staying in touch with culinary trends, such as healthier alternatives or sustainable food sources.

In addition to overseeing the daily duties of a kitchen staff, chefs might play a role in preparing cost estimates for food and supplies, making work schedules, developing recipes, and planning menus, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

1. Don’t close credit card accounts to improve your credit score.

You might have a good reason to shutter your account — you don’t want to pay an annual fee, you’re concerned about identity fraud, or you want to reduce the temptation to overspend — but don’t do it for the sole purpose of raising your credit score.

One factor in your credit score is your utilization, which is the ratio of balances owed compared to the credit limits on revolving accounts such as credit cards. Utilization is calculated for each credit card you have and across all of your cards. The lower your utilization, the better for your credit score. Closing a credit card account that has a zero balance excludes that credit limit from the overall utilization calculation, which can make your utilization increase and in turn, lower your score.

For the same reason, it’s also a bad idea to ask for lower credit limits on your credit cards if your goal is to improve your score. Doing so can only push your utilization higher.

Tip: If you must close a credit card account but want to keep your score high, pay down balances on other accounts to mitigate the effect.

2. Paying in full doesn’t hide a high credit card balance from your credit score.

If you’re consistently charging near the credit limit on your credit card but pay the balance in full when each bill arrives, you might be hurting your credit score. That’s because your score considers the account balance shown on your credit report. Your credit report will reflect the account balance at the time the issuer supplied it to the credit reporting agency, which will typically be the balance as of your last statement date.

Tip: If you pay in full each month but need to bump your score higher for an upcoming credit check, charge less on your credit cards.

3. Light use of credit cards is best for your credit score.

Maxing out your credit cards can obviously have a negative impact on your score. Using the majority of your credit limit is not good, either. Light use of your cards is best. Using 10 percent of your credit limit will be better than using 30 percent, which in turn is better than 50 percent. A small balance is actually slightly better than a zero balance (though it doesn’t matter to the score if you actually carry a balance).

Tip: If you need to raise your credit score, look at your monthly billing statements to see how your balances compare to your credit limits. Consider increasing your payments, or if you pay in full, using your credit cards less often.

If you haven’t read the books, get the scoop on one of the year’s most anticipated films.

While the raunchy comedy has the right to remain the top money earner, the odds are not in its favor, seeing as one of the most talked-about movies of the year, “The Hunger Games,” opens on more than 4,000 screens this weekend. Because no one wants to compete with the blockbuster, it’s the only movie opening wide.

Expect big numbers from the movie based on Suzanne Collins’s best-selling novel, starting with these: 26 million copies of the book are in print in the U.S. alone; it spent over three consecutive years on the best-seller list; and the frenzied fan base has already broken the advanced ticket sales record with over 2,000 shows sold out. In case you’ve somehow avoided the hype, we boil down the movie and predict which fans might enjoy it.

What’s the Story?

Atop the ashes of what was the United States stands the nation of Panem, a country of 12 Districts ruled with an iron fist by the Capital. To remind the Districts that rebellion is futile, every year the Capital chooses 24 teenaged Tributes to battle one another in a televised fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a coal miner’s daughter and a skilled hunter, and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a strong-willed and able-bodied son of a baker, are this year’s reluctant Tributes from District 12. In order to have any chance of survival, Katniss and Peeta must learn to play the dangerous games, or be hunted down by well-trained career Tributes, and murdered on national television.

Who Will Dig It?

Fans of the book, high-concept sci-fi fantasy, action/adventure, and provocative story telling should get their fill from this long-awaited film.

Everything you want to know about The Hunger Games >>

Read full information in Turkish language >>