What is too much to spend on a suit?
The question weighed on Barry Schwarz as he scanned the racks at Boyds men’s store in Philadelphia, which were laden with $3,000 Brioni suits. “Their prices were just out of the world,” recalls Mr. Schwarz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College.
We’ve all been there: A window display or a recommendation lures us into a store — and we face unexpectedly astronomical price tags. It seems to happen more often these days as many luxury brands — selling everything from $14,000 Ralph Lauren handbags to $899 Bugaboo baby strollers and $6,900 Beefeater barbecue grills — push their top price points higher than they’ve ever gone before. What’s priced below falls into that ever-expanding category: “affordable luxury.”
Full Article : online.wsj.com
Nowadays, every politician who wants to enhance his image, hold on to power or find a way to come to power, mounts a crusade of some kind that he hopes would work magic for him. In George Bush’s case, he has convinced most governments in the world that his war against global terrorism, which can be translated to a war against “Islamists” or “Jihadists”-is THE war to end all wars. In other words, if we rid the world of the bearded mullahs who preach hell and damnation against Western societies and their values, or lack thereof, we’d make Mother Earth the peaceful paradise God intended it to be.
On August 1, 2007, we celebrate two hundred years since the European slave trade was abolished. This is a cause for great celebration. May we never forget the trials and tribulations that our ancestors suffered when they were transported across the African continent as cattle and brought to these islands to serve the needs of colonialist-capitalist exploiters. However, 2007 is not 1807. Much has changed since then in these very small islands of the Caribbean. Today, we must give serious thought about how we transcend the limitations of slavery and colonialism and function in a globalized society as purposeful agents who have shed the baggage of restrictive or coercive practices. In 2007 we should seek to deepen our freedom in the land that has been bequeathed to us.
DEVANT MAHARAJ, a senior employee of the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) has won another court battle relating to his job.
Congress of the People (COP) political leader Winston Dookeran urged residents of Laventille and Morvant to “rise beyond the narrow politics of the past” and usher in a COP regime at the next General Election.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning has spoken of the deleterious effects gambling has on individuals, families and ultimately the society as a whole. Like him, I have heard some chilling stories about casino gambling. If the PM was astounded by the amounts of money his friends throw away at crap (or whatever) tables at these establishments, he’d be horrified to learn that some people are so addicted to gambling that they sometimes spend sleepless days and nights trying to beat “the house”. Worse, casinos are not averse to ensnaring such fools in debt traps that could ultimately lead to strong-arm measures to recover what is owed, or to gamblers losing their worldly possessions as a result of their greed.
‘It means that former MPs, such as Ralph Maraj and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, would receive, at age 55, a gratuity of 10 percent of their gross salary.’