EDUCATION TREND:
TREND ‘SCHOOL’

You can now get an education...in trends! Trend schools are popping up everywhere. Trends are so important today to businesses that more than 1,500 business executives are going to classes to learn what’s hot. They know they need to gain awareness and get strategic vision to connect with young consumers.

The Intelligence Group now gives classes in New York and LA. It's a consumer insights company that finds the emerging trends in popular culture and translates that information for companies, brands and institutions. The trend classes show what's happening with young consumers and why they're acting and re-acting.

In January and February Trend Schools in LA and New York are offering classes in Digital Media and Technology. They will focus on the unpredictable force that is driving Gen Y's changing consumption. The class in New York takes place February 7.

If you're interested, check them out online:
http://www.intelg.com/

STYLE TREND:
VINTAGE SUNGLASSES FROM 1950's TO 1980's

There is an industry popping up for trendsetting celebs and fashionistas, 'vintage eyewear' - vintage sunglasses to be exact - and personal stylists just for your eyes! Personal eye wear consulting company called The Vintage Frames Company stocks up to 100,000 unique frames at any given time.

Based in Montreal, Canada, the frames sold come from the owner’s world wide travels and are hand picked by its fashion historian staff. They are original unworn 1950's to 1980's brand names. The staff works closely with artists to revive styles once popular in those times.

The Vintage Frames Company has worked with some of today’s largest celebrities from Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Kanye West and P.Diddy. Known for their own sunglass high style, the Olsen Twins, Rachel Zoe, Kate Moss and Nicole Richie are amongst the many adoring celebrities who are influencing today's sunglass trends.

The shopping experience at The Vintage Frames Company is unique, as clients get a personal stylist for their eyes as well as a history lesson helping them understand the background and craftsmanship of their chosen frame.

Brands include Dior, Cartier, Carrera, Persol, Ray-Ban, Porsche, Dunhill, Gucci, Laura Biagiotti, Balenciaga, Cazal, Gianfranco Ferre, Gucci, Nina Ricci, Persol, Ultra, Yves St-Laurent etc. They also provide services for designers from today’s top selling current brands with a historical look at eyewear's past. From this, many elements of past iconic styles are used as the basis of newly produced eyewear.

Corey Shapiro, CEO of The Vintage Frames Company, has a vast knowledge in fashion history so he and his team of skilled fashionistas travel worldwide to hand pick the most luxurious and rare frames often seen in magazines and music videos.

Much of the newly produced eyewear is in fact almost entirely influenced by past iconic styles. Head office is not open to the public, but they will do private appointments for eye-wear enthusiasts.

To check out the website visit:
www.vintageframescompany.com

To shop online visit:
www.vintageframesshop.com

To contact Corey Shapiro directly:
vintageframes@me.com

HOLLYWOOD WORK TREND:
MAILROOM JOBS IN DEMAND

A new work trend in Hollywood has young people clamoring when wanting to get jobs in mailrooms. It’s a big trend today as these workers hope to be promoted. Now mailroom employees are very educated, extremely professional and dressed to the 9's knowing full well what the job can lead to.

CAA’s got a mailroom program. Here you have to be on it: suit and tie for men, and business suits for women. Women are joining the mailroom equally to men now. Employees move up when they are ready, but not before. It's extremely competitive, as kids today know what this job could mean in Hollywood. Trainees must work for a year as an assistant before even starting the program.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
PICTURE OVERLOAD

With the popularity of smartphones with good quality cameras, it’s hard to hide from a picture these days. The trend: we are more and more comfortable with pictures, so much so, it is bordering on narcissistic. 20 years ago photographers hired at events had look around to capture candid moments, now people are jumping in front of the camera.

Ten years ago having your picture taken wasn’t an everyday occurrence like it is now. It was few that had a camera phone, and those that did only captured grainy, low-resolution pictures. Digital cameras did exist, but they weren’t taken everywhere with us like the cell phone is. Today, 79% of households own digital cameras and 85% use cell phones, most of which have a camera. We are getting used to it since we just can’t hide from the camera anymore. We have to make peace with the reality that everything we do is photographed.

People have even developed their own “photo face” which is an expression or pose that looks good on camera (before only used by celebrities and models.) Cameras are so much more available and affordable it has changed the way we react to pictures.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
‘PING PONG’

A lifestyle trend now gaining a lot of respect is the game of Ping Pong.  Ping Pong clubs are popping up everywhere. SPiN Galactic is an example where you could reserve a table and play with friends over snacks and cocktails. There is even a TV show on the way called Pong. It comes from the producer director who started over at the other NBC show Community. There was a bidding war for the show. It is based on the book Everything You Know is Pong by Roger Bennett and Eli Horowitz. It’s about a table tennis star living in the past – trying to cope with the real world.

LIFESTYLE:
‘SOCIAL GIFTING’ TREND

The Internet is making life easier for us in many ways. It is even facilitating our gift buying. Especially when you’re buying a gift as a group, things can get complicated. Many sites are popping up online to help.

First there is Social Gift (www.socialgift.com) This site provides different and original ideas for a gift you and your friends can split. It implements a voting system to simplify the decision-making process. They also have a loyalty program – where you earn points to buy gifts for yourself.

Let’s Gift It (http://letsgift.it) is a site that helps with the payments. People never like fronting the money or being the one collecting and this site resolves the issue. You share gifts via Facebook or Twitter, and the site splits the costs and uses e-commerce system to collect payments.

Then there’s Giftiki (www.giftiki.com) which collects little amounts from all your friends. Combined you can buy something you really want rather than receive a lot of random knick knacks.   

MARKETING TREND:
SPORTS RULE

The Olympics are a big money maker, more than ever before. The most valuable sporting event brand is still the Super Bowl of course, but The Olympics are next in line now. Last year’s Super Bowl brought in $425 million in revenue from media advertising ($210 million), licensing ($140 million), tickets ($60 million) and its halftime show ($15 million). As far as the Olympics, they're gaining ground because of competition for their broadcasting and digital rights.

The value of the Olympic Winter Games increased to $123 million from $93 million last year due to a 54% increase in media revenue from the 2006 Turin games to the 2010 games in Vancouver. As far as trendsetting teams and their brand value, among the top 10 teams this year, the New York Yankees surpassed Manchester United now as the most valuable brand. The New York Yankees name is worth $340 million and the team’s overall revenue is $427 million. Since 2007 the value of the New York Yankees brand has increased a whopping 57%! Manchester United’s brand value was hurt by the increase in value of the U.S. dollar relative to the British pound. For the New England Patriots, its brand value is big as well: $146 million. The Patriots have the highest local media revenue in the AFC and make lots of cash from non-NFL events at Gillette Stadium. The three-time Super Bowl champions replaced the New York METS, who fell off our list as their brand value fell to $144 million from $159 million last February. The METS just can't get enough attendance and are in debt.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
TRANSFORMATIONAL COACHES

There's a trend in Hollywood that is now going beyond life coaching - it's the transformational coach and they help with things such as belief work and goal planning. Transformational expert Doc Barham is one of those coaches. Based in LA, he works with celebrities, individuals, corporate leaders and organizations and says he helps them reach their goals with a strategic multi-point belief-changing plan.

People go to him with desires and wants, and Barham gives them what they need to experience the thing that they want. For example: A successful CEO of a big corporation may go in, and they want to be more successful. This may include things like a bigger salary, but oftentimes they are looking for better health, more time with their family, to be happier with themselves, less stressed and more effective. A transformational coach will help change your inner beliefs to make this happen.

When you’ve lived a whole life and had a certain belief for so long, it may seem like an impossibility to change it. Barham says it isn’t difficult at all, as long as you know what you’re doing. Most don’t know, and that’s why change for them is hard.  Essentially what you have is thoughts in your head, and those thoughts are actually thoughts you’re identified with – which are beliefs. That belief is always going to have something attached to it, which is called an emotion or a feeling. The reason you continue a behavior is because it’s rewarding in some way. As soon as that thing becomes painful enough, and something else in its place becomes more pleasurable, you will tend to change the belief, and you’ll replace it with another belief.

The most reoccurring problem: most people are mentally maxed out with so much information coming at them all the time in the form of phone calls, emails and text messages. In addition, they are maxed out in terms of stress, and the vast majority of their stress isn’t physical, but emotional stress. Also, a lot of people tend to have harsh and negative inner voices.

Here’s a tip for when you feel stressed. When you’re really, really stressed out, you are literally way too high in your mind that you’re not grounded in your body. One of the things you can do is stop what you’re doing, and drop your awareness and attention on the spot right below your belly button. In Chinese medicine it is a famous spot called the dantian. Western medicine knows it’s the source of the enteric nervous system, it’s your gut brain. By shifting your awareness right there, what happens is that your whole body slows down, your brain activity slows down, your blood pressure drops, your breathing rate slows down and everything in your body changes. You stop producing the stress hormone called cortisol and you begin to feel more peaceful and more relaxed.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
LAYOFF GREETING CARDS

As the economy struggles to gain traction, there is now a new series of cards to send to people who have lost their job. Hallmark has rolled out a new line of layoff cards. They are calling it recession humor, offering words of support and encouragement. The company says people called in asking for the cards. Some say if people lost their job – they won’t want a reminder!

Hallmark takes pride in helping people through hard times and reflecting pop culture. The job-loss cards are doing just that – helping people help their family and friends through a difficult time.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
‘RESISTANCE’ IS GOOD FOR YOU

If you’re looking to grow either personally, professionally or in a relationship – one thing you’re going to need to become very comfortable with is resistance. Resistance is a natural human reaction when change and growth are there. Recognize it is there when it comes – and face it. Resisting resistance is to resist growth. Growth without resistance does not exist.

Here’s what to do:

Move away from easy work: Easy work will give you less resistance. With easy work you have less opportunities to face resistance, so less opportunities for growth. Find something that challenges you.

Have a Plan B: Moving away from easy work and gravitating towards hard work means you may not win all the time. You might fall flat on your face. Sometimes you win, if you don’t, you learn. Have a plan B to go to if the need arises.

STYLE TRENDS:
SOCKS AND STOCKING SALES WAY UP

Fall 2011 is the season of the sock and the sexy stocking - a huge trend in fashion now includes fishnets and knee highs - all worn with high heels. The sock and stocking business has boomed in the last year that finding ankle, quarter top, crew, over-the-calf, knee-hi, over-the knee and thigh hi socks is now easier than ever before.

The biggest part of the trend for fall? The layering of the stockings with the thigh high socks for a sexy naughty school girl look.

The world’s greatest sock store, The Los Angeles Sock Market is the absolute best place to find all these items and more. It has all hosiery and footwear needs and this store is amazing with a dizzying array of stockings and leggings!

There are also stores in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Socks of every color, style, size and description - from booties for babies to dress socks for nine-to-fivers and the staff is so knowledgeable and seem to really like their jobs. They are truly “The World’s Greatest Sock Store” as the logo states. 

The stores high energy and pounding music make for a dynamic experience the moment you enter one of the shops, as you scan the thousands of pieces, as if you were at the Smithsonian taking in each exhibit in awe. Seriously, who knew there were so many socks and stockings and all things in between?

The San Francisco Sock Market was the first one, founded in 1986 on Pier 39. It has proven to be one of the longest lasting and most profitable stores on Pier 39, which boasts some of the highest visitor attendance and money per square foot figures in the country.

The store is set up like a “stock market”.

The sales associates wear shirts reminiscent of brokers on the floor of a stock market, and signage around the store point to, “over-the-counter socks, blue chip socks, and preferred socks”.

For little ones they sell “new issues” and during the holidays and they offer “Sock Certificates” instead of gift certificates! So creative and fun when it comes to gift giving!

Unlike a traditional sock store, or a sock section of a department store, they sell socks and stockings you have never seen. It’s a candy store of fashion! I could have spent hours in there! Everything from high fashion to gift items for professionals, such as doctor socks, lawyer socks, for dentists, mechanics, carpenters, pilots, etc and there are toe socks, hiking, biking, running, golfing, tennis, and walking socks.

The sock market also has hundreds of animal socks; birds, reptiles, mammals, and insect socks in addition to 72 breeds of dogs and cats. It also has flower socks, patterned socks, pop art and old master socks! If you are a baseball, basketball, football, hockey or soccer fan, they have your team logo sock.

The Los Angeles Sock Market opened in November of 2004 on Citywalk at Universal Studios, in Los Angeles. It has done over $1.2 million dollars each year since then. The store chains outdoor sign at Universal won a national award for retail signage and visually and physically stops traffic. Owners Ted Hersh and Bruce Dobkin are men full of life, thus one can understand their excitement for their stores and the enveloping good feeling you get when you enter!

Like the Las Vegas Sock Market at the Shoppes at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, both their present locations are festival marketplaces, targeting the constant flow of tourists passing through the shopping center. They get a lot of foot traffic and people just dropping in, taken by the excitement of the store and the owners find many of their clients end up being impulse buys from tourists who buy for themselves and as gifts.

The store is the ultimate category killer. Everybody wears socks and no other store in the world carries the selection they do, or shows it in such a unique way.

Los Angeles Sock Market 1000 Universal Center Drive, Universal City, California, California 91608 (818) 509.1340

URBAN TREND:
'ROOFTOP FARMING'

A new urban trend that is taking hold is ‘rooftop farming.’ It is exactly what the name implies: urbanites using the roof of buildings to grow produce. There is a big push in the food community to be local. Even some five-star hotels are following the trend by growing their own vegetables and herbs to use in the kitchen. Not only does it lower the cost for hotels, it gives us guests fresher, tastier, healthier produce. Also being produced on rooftops is honey. Literally, there are bees producing fresh honey that is sold directly to the customer or used in the restaurants. That means no shipping, packaging or conserving. The food comes directly to us let us benefit from the nutrients and minerals you can't get otherwise. They are not being picked ahead of time and ripened on a shelf, they are ripening on the plant. It gives the produce a lot more quality.

The world's first commercial-scale rooftop greenhouse has been built in Canada. Lufa Farms, is a new Montreal business that grows vegetables and greens year-round on a Montreal office rooftop. It delivers fresh produce directly to local consumers.

Lufa founder Mohamed Hage says his plan is based on the widespread consumer concern over the impact of conventional agriculture on the environment and on food safety. They spent four years developing a platform for the urban farm that integrates on rooftops. It recovers air water for irrigation and grows a variety of crops without the use of any pesticides or herbicides. It uses natural pollination and natural controls.

He sees the business as a logical extension to the popular trend favoring fresh, high-quality produce from local farms. The company believes that food should be grown responsibly and delivered to the consumer without compromising taste or nutritional value.

The greenhouse is 31,000-square-feet.It is the first of several greenhouses the company plans to build in other cities.Its controlled-environment agriculture, can get as much produce as a conventional farm ten times its size. The greenhouse will also collect rain water and will filter and re-circulate water used in crop irrigation. Humidity, light levels, vents, shades and irrigation are all controlled by a computer system that is automated. This level of sophistication is needed in order to grow 50 varieties in the same greenhouse – as they do.

Lufa grows tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers lettuce, herbs, arugola and bok choy. They have many different varieties of eat. For example, they grow 16 varieties of tomatoes, eight kinds of basil and 12 different kinds of peppers.

Weekly deliveries of Lufa Farms produce and local organic vegetables are available by subscription, and customers may choose from various assortments. Many Montreal families and individuals have pre-registered to retrieve deliveries from Lufa Farms at drop-off points around the city.

The produce baskets are ordered from the company's website at www.lufa.com

LIFESTYLE TREND:
RETRO-SEXUAL MEN

There is a new word making headlines these days. No longer are the metro-sexual men the ones in demand. Now women are calling for the old-fashioned real guy’s guy: the retro-sexual. Remember these guys? They had hair on their body, they didn’t preen that much, never used a blow dryer and actually enjoyed eating meat. Women are complaining to me about the state of the modern man. Modern men know nothing about the legendary brand of rugged, alcoholic masculinity. GQ Magazine's Glenn O'Brien has written a book called: How to be a Man

He says being a man is all about etiquette, politeness, fashion and manners. In case that wasn't enough guidance, a recent Esquire magazine article lists the attributes that are apparently required to be a real man. They include the following: real men should always carry cash, be able to cook eggs, rebuild things, not point out that they did the dishes and never drink Sauvignon Blanc.

PSYCHOLOGY:
‘WHY TIME FLIES WHEN WE’RE HAVING FUN’

New findings are out on why time seems to fly when you’re having fun. Research in the Journal of Experimental Psychology finds that people judge the duration of a period of time from memory differently than they judge the duration of a time period as it is going on. The busier you are during a time interval, the faster that time will feel like it passed. When you are cognitively busy, you are focused on each task you're doing so you don’t notice the passage of time.

As a result, the interval feels like it passes quickly. When you're bored, there isn’t much to occupy you, and you’re much more likely to keep thinking about the time and check your watch. However, when you look back on time periods, things reverse. How can you decide how long a time period was in retrospect? You have to retrieve events from memory in order to judge durations. When you think back on an interesting time that had lots of new experiences, you are able to retrieve a lot of events from memory. So, interesting time periods feel like they have taken a long time. A trip to a foreign country that felt like it flew by when you were on it feels like a long full experience when you look back on it later. In contrast, boring time periods do not add much new information to your memory. A day spent in the hospital has few interesting landmarks in memory. Mostly, you're waiting. When you think back on those boring or routine periods of your life, they will feel like they flew by, even though they were so slow at the time.

PSYCHOLOGY:
REGRET & HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU

Regret is something we’ve all had experience with. The most common regrets deal with romance (18%) lost loves or unfulfilled relationships, family regrets (16%) with people still feeling badly about being mean to their siblings in childhood, career (13%), education (12%), money (10%) and parenting (9%). A person's life circumstances, accomplishments, shortcomings, place in life are what determine regrets. More women (44%) than men (19%) have regrets about love and family.More men (34%) than women (27%) to cite work-related regrets, wishing they'd chosen a different career path.

How can we overcome regrets and make them work for us? Turn your attention to new activities, strategies, and pursuits. Get Closure. Regret disappears faster if it involves a situation that is closed down, or finished. Make it work for you. Regret can help preserve relationships if you feel deeply that you made a mistake, you should make amends but that is if the others will forgive you. Regret kicks our thinking processes into a higher gear.

SOCIAL TREND:
STUDY, WE LIKE HARD TO GET THINGS

We all knew it but now science is showing it: we like things and people that are hard to get -like the beautiful mysterious woman across the floor or the perfect birthday gift for a friend that’s only available out of the city. A study asked heterosexual men to describe themselves as “smooth talkers” or “shy gawkers.”They were then showed images of a potential date they were either clean images or blurred slightly by 15%.The shy gawkers said the dates were more attractive when the photos were clear. The “smooth talkers” said the dates were more attractive when the photos were blurry. The reason: They felt a sense of effort when evaluating the blurred images. So, subconsciously, they think the date must be a catch.

Also, those who identified themselves as smart shoppers like thingsmore when they had to drive far to get it. It’s the same concept,the effort is worth it for a hard-to-get item.

MEDIA TREND:
RADIO INCREASES HAPPINESS

The big trend in media today is radio – we’re moving away from internet and TV. New studies show radio might just be the future media because it appears that listening to the radio makes people happier than watching TV or surfing the web. Happiness and energy scores increased the most when media consumption was radio over all other forms of media. People don't realize how important radio is in their lives until they go without it.It is with you as you go about your day.They found that what’s good about radio is that - it’s a consistent environment with a theme and a shape. TV has always been seen as the ultimate in escapism but it’s common to experience a low after watching TV as it’s real life that kicks in right after.If you compare it to radio, radio only improves peoples’ daily activities like getting ready, working or driving.

PETS:
ARE FEMALE OR MALE DOGS SMARTER?

Are female dogs smarter than male dogs? Scientists at the University of Vienna tested 50 pet dogs to try and determine whether the pooches would notice a ball that inexplicably grew or shrank. Researchers would roll a ball behind a screen, wait a moment, and then roll a larger ball out on the other side.

Though the researchers weren't testing for different reactions between the sexes they did notice that female dogs tended to pause and stare after a larger ball emerge, indicating that they recognized a change. Male dogs, however, carried on as if nothing was amiss.
The researchers couldn't say for sure if the male dogs didn't react because they didn't notice the difference or because they didn't actually care about the size difference. Given what we know of the human male brain and its general preoccupation with size, had the male dogs had the capacity to recognize the difference, they definitely would have cared.

CANON PHOTO CONTEST:
‘PROJECT IMAGIN8TION’

Trendsetting company Canon is creating opportunities for photographers and Ron Howard’s actress daughter Bryce Dallas Howard will direct the project in a film based on it called Project Imagin8ion. Project Imagin8ion is the first Hollywood film in history based on eight independently contributed photographs, produced in collaboration with Canon. It’s the first user-generated photo contest to serve as the foundation for a Hollywood short film. Project Imagin8ion encourages photographers of all levels to submit photos based on a series of movie themes: setting, time, character, mood, relationship, goal, obstacle and the unknown. Dallas sees it as a fun project and not a commercial endeavor. Of all of the submissions, they chose eight photos and they are piecing together a story based on those pictures. “It is an honor for me to take part in Canon’s ‘Project Imagin8ion,’ partnering with a brand that is empowering young filmmakers and is at the forefront of technology,” said Howard. “It’s an absolutely inspired concept and I’m over the moon to not only direct this film but to work with my father, a true mentor and my personal hero. My hope is that this film will honor the creativity, passion, and artistic integrity that so many people have put into their photographs.”

The contest brought in over 8,500 photo submissions on the first day alone and aims to foster dialogue between Canon and a community of photography enthusiasts, inspiring everyone to achieve new levels of creativity. Production is taking place during the summer and fall, a busy time for the actress/producer who will star on screen this August as Hilly in The Help and as Rachael opposite Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the September release of 50/50. Also in September of this year, Howard produces Restless, a film directed by Gus Van Sant.

A website

A “Long Live Imagination” website was created and was designed as an interactive and engaging community for Canon users and photography enthusiasts (www.youtube.com/imagination). It aims at creating dialogue within the community and the entusiasts and to speak directly with Canon.

The Project Imagin8tion short film will premiere later this year in New York City, with the contest winners in town for a red carpet event where they will have the opportunity to meet the famous father-daughter pair.

PET TREND:
PET INSURANCE

The biggest trend when it comes to pets is pet insurance. Vets are saying it's well worth it as so much is now being done for pets that you are not even aware of when it comes to their medical recovery. Few pet owners imagine they will ever have to spend more than $1,000 for treatment of a single pet health incident or condition. Unfortunately, data from Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance in North America, says that $1,000 veterinary bills may be more common than expected. In 2010, VPI policyholders submitted nearly 14,000 claims with an average treatment cost exceeding $1,000. Dr. Bernadine Cruz is one of the most respected veterinarians in California and a national television pet expert. HTR sat down with her and she explained that if your pet has arthritis or cardiac issues, you can take their own stem cells from their fat, have a laboratory work on it to concentrate the stem cells then they’re injected into a joint. This is extremely high tech – they aren’t even doing it for humans yet. People want the best for their pets, but the best often comes with a price tag.

HOT FOOD AND DRINK TREND:
BACON (YES! BACON)

The big trend in drinks remains bacon and the Bacontini is the drink. It’s made of Bacon Vodka. You can also have today a Bacon Mary. There is also a drink called the Waffle Shot - one part Bacon Vodka, one part Pineapple Whipped Vodka. As far as food, the trend is a burger with bacon, jam and cheese. The jam has a consistency somewhere between stone ground mustard and olive tapenade, and the cheese provides the perfect flavor balance. There is also bacon ice cream and bacon potato chips.

TREND:
MARKETER PRODUCED MAGAZINES

Red Bull is very trendsetting these days it's now launched the Red Bull magazine called The Red Bulletin. We're entering a new age of media in terms of what consumers of content want and expect.

The Red Bulletin is 100 pages of sport, science, food, music, and travel. The Red Bulletin is a global magazine that brings to life the creative and adventurous world of Red Bull. Published by the Red Bull Media House North America, Inc., The Red Bulletin is designed to surprise and deliver the unexpected: to go beyond the ordinary.
Red Bulletin is starting out with 75,000 copies on newsstands in 20,000 locations, including Barnes & Noble, Target, Walgreens, Kmart, Borders and Safeway, with a cover price of $4.99 USD; a free iPad edition; and subscriptions offered at an introductory rate of $12. But the bigger splash will come on Sunday, when Red Bull sends out 1.2 million copies of the 100-page June issue in newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald and the Houston Chronicle. Subsequent issues will appear in the newspapers every month.

Red Bulletin joins other marketers' efforts to build their own media products, such as Procter & Gamble's quarterly Rouge magazine, Johnson & Johnson's Babycenter website and the Kraft Big Fork, Little Fork app for the iPad. They appeal to marketers because they offer relationships with consumers and control over the environment that regular consumer media doesn't.
Marketers have long paid custom publishers to produce branded magazines for their customers, but Red Bull publishes Red Bulletin through its Red Bull Media House unit.

SOCIAL TREND:
MORE FREE TIME

A new survey shows that we are getting more free time in our lives but using it for leisure. This means we are working less, sleeping more and doing other things. On average, those 15 or older spend about three hours and 58 minutes working on weekdays. That is six minutes less than in 2009 and 26 minutes less than 2007. The extra time has not been used to help the community, hone new skills, or keep order at home; it's going towards playing computer games, napping, and whatever else you do to relax. There is a gender gap. The survey shows women spend five fewer hours per week on leisure than men do. 

LIFESTYLE TREND:
CULTURED PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER

Now some trendsetting news when it comes to your happiness...


Cultured people are happier people.

A new study over 50 thousand adults shows that people who go to museums and concerts or create art or play an instrument are more satisfied with their lives, regardless of how educated or rich they are.

Published in the British Medical Association's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health the study shows that this is different for men and women.


For men, passive activities such as taking in "a concert" or seeing "museum exhibit" are associated with an upbeat mood and better health.

Advertisement: Story continues below but For women, the link is BEING ACTIVE Women were less likely to feel anxious, depressed or feel unwell - if they played music or created art.

Those who were studied were asked detailed questions about their leisure habits and how they perceived their own state of health, satisfaction with life and levels of depression and anxiety.

The results were unexpected:
men feel "better" when they are spectators while women prefer"doing" rather than watching to feel better. Even more surprising was that wealth and education were not an issue.

The study concluded that the use of cultural activities in health promotion and healthcare may be justified.

but the question remains I ask:

are people healthier and happier because they are cultured or do they seek out more culture because they feel good to begin with?

TRENDSPOTTING:
TEEN MONEY SURVEY

Now turning to how the recession changed young peoples attitudes about money:

The recently released Charles Schwab 2011 Teens & Money Survey suggests that, in some small way, the recession may have instilled an attitude about money in young people 80% of teens surveyed did not feel that the recession was over.

An online survey was conducted of over 1,132 teens between the ages of 16-18:

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the generation that was raised on the self-esteem movement has unrealistically high expectations for their careers.

The average teen expects to earn a starting salary of a whopping $73,000.

And only 35% know how to balance a checkbook or check the accuracy of a bank statement or how to manage a credit card; only 31% understand how credit card interest and fees work or what a credit score is; and only 22% know how income taxes work.

TECH TREND:
"MOBILE PAYMENT MOVEMENT"

The mobile payment movement trend means paying your credit card with your smartphone. Register to pay for your groceries. The concept of waving your smartphone at a cash ticket at a movie theater is now inching closer to reality. A road test of a mobile payment app this year called Google Wallet, beginning in New York and San Francisco.

A pilot program begins next year in 2012.

A lot of companies have made commitments and investments.

There are some big-picture factors pushing this technology forward.

We have more smartphones and it grows daily.

Financial institutions - now offer apps, and they view mobile payments as a potential revenue stream.

and people love these new toys.

The usage of mobile banking is continuing to grow,

What you’re seeing is, over time, people are becoming more comfortable using a variety of applications on their phones but on the other hand, I say what about security and ownership — who will own our valuable data?

Banks? Mobile carriers? or the Tech companies?

What you'll see is a growing number of retailers experimenting with mobile tools and trying to get you used to tapping on your phones while in a store, while still arguing with carriers about who owns the data.

Meantime....

Starbucks IS setting a trend thought in this area...with coffee. It converts existing prepaid account cards into a digital format:

Customers enter their Starbucks card number into a mobile app, which produces an image of the bar code that’s on the back of their physical card.

The cashier scans the phone barcode and the purchase amount is deducted from the account.

This kind of software-based mobile payment is where analysts say we’ll see the most activity at first, because it doesn’t require merchants or the companies that manufacture card-swipe terminals to invest in new hardware.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
WHAT CITY HAS THE MOST BILLIONAIRES?

What city has the most billionaires? Surprisingly it’s Moscow.

New York and LA are on the top 10 list too. In Moscow, there are 79 billionaires. That's an increase of 21 per cent in one year. New York is #2 with 59 billionaires. London is #3 with 41.

TECH TRENDS:
MAGAZINE APPS NEW APPROACH

Conde Nast recently released the New Yorker app and it became "the top-grossing app for most of the week.” Then we just had the digital versions of four more magazines, with an additional three to be added within weeks. Allure, Glamour, Golf Digest and Vanity Fair - all now available for an annual digital subscription price of $19.99, GQ and SELF are on the way.

According to Business Insider:

Conde Nast will continue to release magazines that it has for the iPad. “They're not all doing all that well, so why rush to get them all on there?" said one Conde publisher. iTunes doesn’t even have a dedicated ‘magazine section.' A problem with iPad magazines is that ad buyers aren't super thrilled. iPad magazine apps still aren't popular enough and still don't deliver the right kind of metrics to gauge if the ads are working.

ANN’S BEST MOVIE PICK:
‘I AM’

There is a movie that Oprah, Rosie and Ellen all say is a must see...and I agree. This film is transformational. It is trendsetting like no other this year.

I AM is a documentary from acclaimed director Tom Shadyac that will make you look at your life and make you think like you have never done before.

So memorable for me, parts of it come into my head daily and seem to teach me daily.

I really connected with the message and two questions posed: What is wrong with our world and what can we do about it? Share kindness. Give and take only what you need.

It's about real life and our journey through it.

The ultra-grounded Shadyac interviewed a variety of significant thinkers and doers – from the worlds of science, philosophy, academia, and faith – including such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and David Suzuki.

He interviewed and asked about what we can do to make our world a better place - thus finding more happiness.

Oprah did an entire show on Tom, its millionaire director who has now sold most of his possessions since he realized money did ‘not’ buy happiness.

Shadyac, is one of Hollywood’s leading comedic directors and the creative force behind blockbusters Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor, Patch Adams and Bruce Almighty and the list goes on and on…

His films have grossed nearly TWO BILLION dollars and afforded Tom the glamorous and extravagant
A-List lifestyle of a Hollywood blockbuster filmmaker - BUT - after all the acquiring and living the so-called ‘good life’ our culture tells us we have to have - Shadyac turned most of it in. Gave it up. Sold it and gave it to those who needed it more.

He kept just enough for him to live happily and simply.

In that simplicity, he found true happiness.

I sat down with Tom recently in his Malibu home, now a modest (and yet beautiful) 1000 square foot mobile unit perched on the Pacific Ocean.

The place was so relaxing, I could see why someone would prefer the life in the community of a nice Malibu mobile home unit rather than a mega house in the one-upmanship community of Beverly Hills where you do not connect with neighbors at a real level.

His home felt real and warm.

I liked that it felt unencumbered by “stuff.”
(as a result, I am planning a huge yard sale to get rid of most of my stuff now.
“’Stuff” does NOT a happy life make feels Tom.

It’s all about love.

I too believe there is a feeling of lightness and a sort of freedom when the superficial excess “stuff” is removed and not longer the pinnacle.

I could have spoken to Tom for days exchanging ideas and experiences. He captivated and moved me, as much, in person as in his Oprah appearance and with his movie. I have the screener and each time I view it I come away with more food for thought.

A few years ago, Tom had a cycling accident that left him incapacitated possibly for good. He had Post Concussion Syndrome, a condition where the symptoms of the original concussion don’t go away and that really got him to think, he said, “I want to do a movie that examines what’s wrong with our world these days.”

Symptoms of his ailment included intense and painful
reactions to light and sound, severe mood swings, and a constant ringing sound in the head.

He suffered months of isolation and pain and finally reached a point where he welcomed death as a release. I so related to this in my own life.

“I simply didn’t think I was going to make it,” he admitted but he finally recovered and came out with a new sense of purpose.

What Tom discovered was: the world he was living in was a “lie.”

Something wasn't right with his life – so he set out on a quest for enlightenment and to hare his findings.

He says he has never been happier.

For me and many others, I AM is the best film this year so far and will likely stay as my favorite documentary for years to come, that’s how much I enjoyed it.

(I have now seen it five times)

Since you're always writing me asking for movie recommendations – this is on the top of my 2011 list.

In the film, Tom examined the questions –

How much is enough and what do we need to live a purposeful life?

He wanted to investigate how he - and we - could improve the way we live in the world - that we "are" our brothers keeper - that selfishness is not going to make you happy and that we are all connected and should assist on another rather then having our culture enforce striving ahead of others on a fast unconscious-to-those-around-us course.

Tom found: the basis of nature is in co-operation and democracy.

Shadyac is very specific about what he was after, wanting I AM to identify the underlying cause of the world’s ills – “I didn’t want to hear the usual answers, like war, hunger, poverty, the environmental crisis, or even greed. These are not the problems. They are the symptoms of a larger endemic problem.”

He goes on to say, “In I AM, I wanted to talk about the root cause of the ills of the world, because if there is a common cause, and we can talk about it, air it out in a public forum, then we have a chance to solve it.”

Shadyac’s transformation remains a work in process. He still lives simply, is back on his bicycle and riding to work or as much as he can to keep a car off the road. He does still drive at times but it is always a very aware logical decision on his part.

Reflecting Shadyac’s philosophy is the economic structure of the film’s release:

ALL proceeds from I AM will go to ‘The Foundation’ for I AM, a non-profit established by Shadyac to fund various worthy causes and to educate the next generation about the issues and challenges explored in the film.

When he directs another Hollywood movie, the bulk of his usual eight-figure fee will be deposited into a charitable account, as well. I love this man!

Tom wraps up saying: “St. Augustine said, ‘determine what God has given you, and take from it what you need; the remainder is needed by others.’

That philosophy - Tom Shadyac now ‘happily’ lives by.

Tom, you’ve got it all right.

Thank you.

Ann

TECH TREND:
TOUCHSCREEN PC “TOUCH SMART”

There's a new PC called the Touch Smart, made by HP. It's all touchscreen, you can erase, has a wireless keyboard, no hard drive and really great for calendars and appointments butttttt it’s not as fast as a MAC and you know me and my MAC.

$899.00 US

ACCORDING TO CNET::

The good: Takes advantage of Windows Vista's touch screen capability with useful, easy-to-use software; combines with HP printers to become an at-home photo kiosk; contains all of the features you've come to expect from a modern digital media-oriented home PC.

The bad: Pokey performance for systems in its price range; fixed configuration; no HD optical drive option.

The bottom line: HP's new TouchSmart PC IQ770 is not as fast as Apple's iMac, nor does it have the same clean-lined elegance. It makes up for those problems with intuitive touch screen software you'll actually use and a comprehensive lineup of features. If you're looking for a home PC to organize your family's schedule, or serve up media in a kitchen or another small room, we know of no other system suited so well for the task.

If two days from this posting, Apple announces a touch screen iMac at its 2007 MacWorld event, we may have to reconsider this review. Until that happens, HP's new $1,779 TouchSmart PC IQ770 is our all-in-one family PC of choice. You probably wouldn't want to make it your main PC for doing serious work or playing games, so even with fewer features than the TouchSmart PC, the iMac is still more well rounded. But if you're looking for a desktop computer to act as a media hub that also has easy-to-use tools to organize your busy family, we know of no better system on the market.

In addition to its own unique design and features, the HP TouchSmart PC IQ770 has the distinction of being the first Windows Vista desktop we've reviewed. It uses Vista Home Premium, which means that it in addition to the core operating system, you also get the Windows Media Center interface, the touch screen capability (which HP uses to great effect), as well as the Aero Glass visual effects among other things. Rather than shoehorning an operating system review into a desktop story, (Vista will be getting plenty of its own coverage shortly, don't worry), we'll simply say that HP is doing Microsoft a great service with this system. The TouchSmart PC is a convincing showcase for the new features Vista brings to the table.

Not the first all-in-one HP is certainly not the first major vendor to offer an all-in-one desktop. Both Gateway and Sony (and arguably Dell) have all-in-ones, but as slick as some of them have been, none has approached the elegance of Apple's iMac. The same is true of the HP TouchSmart PC, but its display also has a more flexible range of motion than any current all-in-one. That makes more of a difference than you might think. When you position the glossy, 19-inch wide-screen LCD (1440x900 native resolution) at its lowest pivot point, the TouchSmart PC looks remarkably compact and unobtrusive. It's easy to imagine keeping it in a kitchen, an office or a den. But pull the screen out and tilt it upward, and it takes on the appearance of a futuristic terminal. In this position, the TouchSmart PC practically begs you to touch it, which is exactly the idea.

Touch screen capability is one of Windows Vista Home Premium's many new features, and we commend HP for taking advantage of it so quickly and implementing it in the TouchSmart PC in such an intuitive manner. You can use either your finger or an included stylus (which you store in a slot on the top of the screen) to drive the Windows cursor around the screen. HP includes a wireless mouse and keyboard, which work well enough, but once you pick the stylus up, it immediately feels comfortable. We suspect that many users will leave the keyboard stored in its slot beneath the display the majority of the time. Windows Vista includes configuration software for setting the touch screen sensitivity and customizing the double-click and drag-and-drop strokes, and using the basic PC functions this way is easy enough if not as quick as with a mouse. HP puts the touch screen to better use in its SmartCenter program, a custom application in which HP uses Vista's touch screen capability to make the TouchSmart PC shine as a family computer.

HP's stylus-driven SmartCenter Designed to be driven entirely with the stylus (or your finger, if you don't mind greasing up the screen), SmartCenter combines a handful of day-to-day applications into an amazingly easy-to-use package. The default application set includes a calendar, a photo editing application, and a basic local weather display. The weather program delivers a very basic feed from Weather.com (almost too basic), but the SmartCalendar and Photosmart Touch image-editing software are both very useful, as well as easy to use. The calendar includes virtual Post-It-style notes that you can write on with the stylus. You can leave them on the main screen, or drag them to a specific date and time on the calendar. You can use the keyboard to type notes as well, and a virtual keyboard interface lets you poke out letters with the stylus directly on the calendar itself. HP also includes voice recording capability, and lets you attach a voice message to a note, and it couldn't be simpler to use. All you need to do is hit the record a message button, press the big record button that pops up on the screen, say your message, then press the button again to stop. We can easily imagine a busy family using the SmartCalendar as a organizational hub to keep track of various members' comings and goings.

The Photosmart Touch editing software is easy to master. Also a stylus-driven application, Photosmart Touch has basic cropping functions, as well as a red-eye remover. You can then print your images directly from the applicatoin. This is another reason why we like the TouchSmart PC, it can work like a photo kiosk. If you use it in conjunction with HP's Photosmart A510 and A610 printers, you can hide one of those printers behind the display, where it will sit atop the TouchSmart PC's base (which also houses the guts of the system). This space-saving design hides the printer except for its output slot, which lines up in the space below the screen. The effect is very much like having your own photo kiosk at home, and it puts the design of the system's chassis to very effective use.

All the trappings of a modern PC Otherwise, the TouchSmart PC works very much like a typical modern PC. It includes all of the amenities of a system in its price range, including a slot-loading, LightScribe-capable DVD burner (standard definition), an 8-in-1 media card reader, integrated 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a TV tuner, a Webcam and a microphone on the top edge of the LCD, as well as the usual assortment of video and audio connections. You won't find an HDMI port or an HD optical drive on the unit, but you do get digital audio out, as well as a set of integrated speakers that work well enough (just don't crank them too high, as the sound tends to break up at loud volumes). The 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive gives you plenty of room for digital media storage, and if that's not enough, HP also built a Pocket Media Drive bay into the side of the unit, in case you'd like to expand via one of HP's small, portable hard drives. You could, of course, connect any old external hard drive via one of the many USB 2.0 or FireWire 400 ports.

If we have a gripe about this PC, it's its performance. It's slower than an $1,800 PC should be. Its pokey performance relative to other systems in its price range could be due to the demands of Windows Vista. We'll be able to say for sure when we've tested Vista with more hardware configurations. As it stands, the combination of a dual-core AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 processor, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics chip gives you enough juice for day-to-day applications, as well as fancier Vista features like the translucent Flip 3D task switcher and the Aero Glass visual effects. We noticed occasional dropped frames in DVD movie playback, though, and its 47.7 frames per second on a forgiving Quake 4 setting isn't a heartening picture of its game performance. Still, the video image quality is outstanding thanks to the wide-aspect glossy screen, and you wouldn't use the TouchSmart PC for games anyway. Just be aware that you might get bogged down during intense digital media editing, otherwise, you shouldn't be disappointed in the TouchSmart PC's overall power. It's all you get for now, too, as this configuration is the only one that HP will offer when the TouchSmart PC goes on sale at the end of the month.

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/hp-touchsmart-iq770/4505-3118_7-32305738.html#ixzz1MuzFRPBf

TV TREND:
INFOMERICALS HOTTER THAN EVER

Potential customers are usually more affluent and educated. Although previously female customers outstripped the males, it is changing slowly but surely.

Infomercials tap into our emotional side.

Watching the product in its entirety, being explained all the aspects of the product, watching it in actual use – all these go a long way in building the viewer’s trust.

This is a special advantage for complex products like repair kits and multi-piece sets where the potential customer has the satisfaction of knowing exactly how to use the product in it’s totality before deciding to buy it.

Nothing is vague or left to the imagination. They promise a better and easier life. We want to buy into that dream.

Researchers say when a new product attracts us - we are excited with anticipation as our brain gets filled with the pleasure chemical dopamine.

The ads work by playing to our basic emotions: fear, need, greed, and sex. That’s what they are going after.

First - there is some kind of opening scene when there is a problem that you're facing. Once the problem is established it’s time to show you how to solve that problem with the demonstration and the benefits of the problem.

Transformations are what we love when we see the before and after. Marketing experts say - testimonials make our buying easier because other people think something is good and it becomes good in our minds.

To get you to buy - the infomercial then offers something else free to get you and then they do the but wait! and buy now! or the deals will be gone! They then say a limited offer makes you feel like its worth more.

Then there is the upsell: the extra product you buy and the shipping and handling is a big income earner for the companies.

Unlike traditional spots, the viewer is a part of the infomercial.

The presenter talks directly to the viewer which works sub-consciously at a near-personal level and persuades the viewer to call for more information or to even place an order.

Attractive buy-back policies, discounts and freebies add to the winning formula.

Surprisingly according to a survey, infomercial viewers are more likely to trust infomercials than government, used car salesmen and corporate executives!

LIFESTYLE TREND:
HAVING A ‘BUCKET LIST’

Having a ‘bucket list’ is a big trend in 2011. ‘Baby Boomers’ are traveling like never before, 65 is the new 45 and they are doing it in real ‘style.’

This age group is not doing the museum tour bus thing, rather wants adventure and wants to cross things off their ‘bucket list’ – just like the movie The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

There are over 80 million boomers in North America, people born between 1946 and 1964. This year, the oldest are turning 65.

and almost two-thirds of them -
61% plan to "increase" their travel.
84% feel the next five years will be "fulfilling".
70% believe they'll be actually "exciting".

Shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘The Amazing Race’ intrigue boomers these days. Boomers have large budgets and crave authentic cultural experiences when travelling.

They also like ‘family cruising’ - a sector now off the charts and they are still heavily interested in multi-generational travel - which is still going very strong.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
'NON-VERSATIONS'

There is a new lifestyle trend these days called
'non-versations'

More and more people are spending time talking so much less. They're texting, posting to Facebook, contacting people via email, ipods, ipads or iphones.

Conversations are short and superficial. There's no way to really know how someone is doing anymore. Think about it. How is someone truly feeling?

76% of 12-17 years olds now have cell phones. There are no lines between home, school and social life anymore.

Experts say what is desperately needed today is the creation of no-technology areas in home – or non-electronic times where you can do anything but be on a device. Look at people around you in a restaurant or at an event - very little actual conversation by those who had some kind of device such as a phone, laptop, iPad. Concentration is focused on the device. Tapping away while sitting across the table from one another and here’s what then happens - once people start communicating via the Internet or various devices and they go back to talking to someone in person, they find the person has changed quite a bit! Wow, that’s so interesting.

They find they have little in common anymore.

People don’t really have close friends anymore. Just superficial relationships where mostly meaningless texts go back and and forth. It makes me very upset. I really find it so sad. What happened to enjoying someone’s company and actually 'talking' and appreciating, making a b-b-q and watching Two and a Half Men? Ah the good ol’ years. Miss those days.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
ONLINE ‘INFLUENCE’

ONLINE INFLUENCE is now a new barometer to dictate how much overall influence you have in society. Can you believe this?

These days, one’s worth seems to be sadly measured by the number of “friends” or followers on social media sites. I know it's crazy but your online reputation is emerging as the new level of one’s social standing and your standing is important for consumers, brands and marketers.

Going forward, marketers will use "social scores" to find the right online influencers for their brands. One such way to know the intersection of online reputation and influence is Klout, a social scoring system that assigns individuals and some companies, a grade from one to 100 based on data points from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

According to the website MASHABLE, influence is defined as “implicit or explicit effect of one thing (or person) on another,” which online can be further simplified to “can someone’s words (and/or video) make you think or do something?” While this can be negative (think of Jim Jones or David Koresh), let’s focus on the positive. It becomes easier to understand influence when it’s broken down into its core components:

Brand, Expertise and Trust

While there is much debate around online branding, it is clear that personal branding is important to online influence.

What is personal branding? Corporate branding is the messaging effort by a company to make people feel positive about their products. Personal branding is the sum of your online activities and sets an expectation about who you are. Personal brand is truly an aggregated representation of online activity. Can you build a personal brand by interacting on only one social service? Sort of, but it’s incomplete. It’s impossible to gain a true picture of who you are simply by looking at your photos on Flickr, or just reading your blog. Trust grows by being able to view a person’s social content in aggregate. This is why life streaming applications like FriendFeed have grown so rapidly. In terms of measuring online influence, the stronger the personal brand, the more influence one wields online. The most important component of online influence is trust. Trust is defined as creating a consistent expectation that a person will always act in your best interest when given information.

Expertise is another core component of influence. One can gain knowledge on a specific topic, but expertise is a title that can only be given.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
BINGO IS HOT NOW

Bingo, the game once reserved to retirees is now puling in a younger audience. The game is really resurfacing with venues dedicated to it.

BINGO IS FOR THE LOVERS: The Bell House, a Brooklyn venue best known for it’s live dynamic performances, has now added BINGO to its roster. Tickets are five dollars and winners get free drinks, show tickets, or cash.

THE UNDERGROUND REBEL BINGO CLUB: A group of Londoners rented a church hall for a weekly party and play Bingo in the basement. It caught on. There are now events held across the UK, as well as in Madrid, New York, LA, and, Vegas.

And then there is something called SISSY BINGO: Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs is one of the hippest escapes in the area. They hold a Monday night Sissy Bingo event. The prizes include cookies, champagne and gift certificates.

HAIR JEWELRY:
'HAIRDREAMS' GORGEOUS CRYSTALS

Swarovski Crystals for your hair, jewelry strands dangling down, I love them. They sparkle and look so pretty and delicate. I put two strands in my hair and I just love them. Want more! The crystals hang as a strand of hair drapes normally and blend in beautifully. There are 7 crystals on each strand. Called Effects by HAIRDREAMS which makes the best hair extensions, these are a great addition to add life to your hair. From the extravagant up do with pearls and crystals to colorful locks, these are great permanent accessories, if you just need a change but are not ready to go platinum blonde!

MEDIA TREND:
HYPE OVER ROYAL WEDDING

The Royal Wedding is almost here. NBC news has an app, Royal Wedding, that’s a free download. It gives you hundreds of photos, more than 40 new and archival news reports, an interactive royal family tree and a countdown to the wedding. Over 2 billion people are expected to watch the Royal Wedding, with an amazing 450,000 people expected to line the streets of London and outside Buckingham Palace. There will allegedly be a fly pass at approximately 1:30pm by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which will be an outstanding sight.

LIFESTYLE TREND:
'FLEXI-SEXUALITY'

A new lifestyle trend that’s really taking hold, especially in Hollywood is something called: flexi-sexuality. What is it? Girls in Hollywood aren't labeling themselves anymore as gay, straight, or bisexual. They are flexible with their sexualities hence “flexi”-sexual.

Katy Perry sang about it in her song I Kissed a Girl and Lady Gaga’s Poker Face is about wanting to be with a woman. Megan Fox, Drew Barrymore and Angelina Jolie have spoken publicly about their attraction to both men and women.

Flexi-sexuals don’t want to play by the rules. It’s about doing what you want without being labeled.So what's the difference between a bisexual and a flexi-sexual ? A flexi-sexual will try to attract both sexes, but refuses to identify as bisexual. They will constantly alter which gender they are more attracted to.

FACEBOOK USE:
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN & WOMEN

A recent study showed that women use Facebook differently than men.

Here are four fun facts about the popular social networking site.

1. Women in their 30’s are extremely active. They make up half the activity on social network sites.

2. They tend to use Facebook to check up on their exes. 48% of single women and 43% of married women do it.

3. Women Facebook users tend to be insecure and narcissistic. Additionally, women who judge their self-worth by their looks tend to upload more photos to the site

4. They use Facebook and upload photos to compete for men and to get attention.

CELEBRITY TREND:
FOURTH CHILD STATUS SYMBOL

A huge trend with Hollywood celebrities is having a fourth child. There is no bigger status symbol today. Think the Beckhams, or the Pitts. The only couples with four or more kids these days aren’t really couples at all – they’re brands. They are the only ones who can afford not to worry about the expenses children bring, or the time investment they require. That is because they have the money (and lots of it) and the staff to help them. The ones with four children have enough money to buy themselves sleep. They have the nannies, the cooks, the drivers and are worry-free about the grocery bills or the school fees. On another note, even though having a lot of kids may look like an advertisement for a great relationship, it might actually mean that at least one of the two are too busy earning bonuses to be around at all.

STARBUCKS:
WINE AND CHEESE

Starbucks is transforming! Not just the look of it, but the entire concept.
Not only has it been re-branded to look more “neighborhood-y” and organic, but it will now be serving wine and beer along with cheese served off fine China. One will be opening in Seattle. This is they’re testing ground. If the concept does well, it might go widespread. Starbucks has introduced little changes here and there: asking baristas to slow down their grind, offering free Wi-Fi and allowing you to use your iPhone to pay for your coffee. All these new ideas will be coming together in one shop in Seattle.

COFFEE HOUSES:
IN VOGUE

Coffee has been in vogue for quite some time now, but how it consumed has involved.

It started off as a sit-down social thing, then became more an on-the-go fast-food item with the introduction of establishments like Starbucks in the 90's. Anthony Benda is owner of Café Myriad an extremely popular hot spot coffee house in Montreal. He participated in the Canadian National Barista Championship in 2009 where he placed second. He says the social aspect of coffee is bigger than ever before.

The idea of coffee went from being a sit down social experience to being something you have in your hand as you’re walking. Before walking down the street with a coffee in your hand would have been considered absurd. The fast-food, Starbucks style coffee is something that is relatively new from the late 80’s and 90’s. Now that concept still exists but it has shifted back to a coffee house mentality where people sit down together, enjoy their coffee and that’s partly because a return of focus on the quality of the coffee, but also the quality of the ambiance and the overall social experience.

In his book The Great Good Place author sociologist Ray Oldenburg describes coffee houses as being a popular "third place." Everybody has a third place - first place is home, second place is work, and the third place is where people spend the rest of their time.

Why is the trend so prevalent? According to Anthony, it boils down to the dollar! It is the cheapest commodity to buy if you’re going out for an experience. A dinner at a restaurant would cost you a lot more. At a café it’s a minimal investment of money and you get a maximum return on time that you’re allowed to spend in one place.

More and more people are gaining interest in where their coffee is coming from. Coffee is becoming the new wine. In the last 10-15 years there has been a shift of focus back to the quality of the drink. It’s going away from the logo on the cup in your hand to what’s in your cup, where it came from, and why it tastes the way it tastes. People are forming preferences and favorites – much like wine. Partly it has happened because of the transparency demanded through programs like fair trade and later on direct trade where people can see the chain of where the coffee is produced, processed, shipped, stored, and roasted before it even gets to their favorite café where they drink it. With all this information comes this discerning of quality, what they’re ordering, what they’re drinking, and it’s natural to demand the highest you can if you’re passionate about it. Like wine drinkers who don’t just want red or white or just Italy or France. They want it to come from a specific region.

Brewing by the cup is becoming a lot more fashionable. People want to move away from brewing large batches of coffee in favor of brewing just one cup at a time because it means the coffee is always fresh.

Make sure you know coffee house etiquette before visiting one!

1- Ordering: make sure you know what you're ordering before you get to the barista. Don't let people in line wait while you're contemplating.

2- Seating: Don't take up a four person table and fill it with books and a laptop if you're only one person. Occupy the appropriate amount of space.

3- Noise: Evaluate the level of noise before making any. Midday is usually quiet so don't make too much noise on your cell phone or when talking with other people. Headphones for your laptop are also a good thing in these situations.

4- Electricity: If you're going to a coffee house to work on your laptop top, use the electrical outlet until your laptop is charged then remove it. Give the chance to other people.

If you want a great cup of coffee, be sure to check out Café Myriad. It's really a great place, not only is the coffee to die for, but the staff really know and love their coffee. It’s such a pleasant environment to be in.
They are located Mackay St. between St. Catherine St. and De Maisonneuve Blvd.

You could also call them up for more information 514.677.5750

MOBILE TRENDS:
SOCIAL MEDIA LIFELINE

Mobile becomes a social media lifeline

With approximately 70 percent of organizations banning social networks and, simultaneously, sales of smartphones on the rise, it's likely that employees will seek to feed their social media addictions on their mobile devices. What used to be cigarette breaks could turn into "social media breaks" as long as there is a clear signal and IT isn't looking. As a result, we may see more and/or better mobile versions of our favorite social drug of choice.

LYING:
HOW TO CATCH SOMEONE

Now turning to the trend of lying.

It seems like more and more are considering lying an acceptable behavior.

Polygraph tests use sensors to pick up fluctuations in blood pressures, pulse, respiration and sweat but they work only about 80% of the time.

The experts can tell someone is lying at three stages of the questioning.

1. When he first hears the question
2. When he processes it
3. When he delivers an answer.

Wondering what to look for? Here are the signs.


Alignment: Truthful people are more likely to face questioners head on. Liars are likely to lack frontal alignment and will often sit with both their arms and legs crossed as if frozen.

More Pronouns: To psychologically distance themselves from the lie, deceptive people often pepper their tales with second and third-person pronouns like "you," "we," and "they."

Hand gestures: When people tell the truth, they often make hand gestures that coincide with the rhythm of their speech. Hands emphasize points or phrases - a natural and compelling technique when they actually believe the points they're making. People who are less certain don’t move as much.

Telephone lying: The phone tends to bring out the liar in people. After a recent study, 37% of the lies were told on phones, versus 27% during face-to-face exchanges and 14% via e-mail.

Need to Be Right: When honest people tell stories, they may realize they left out some details and backtrack to fill in holes. They also may realize a previous statement wasn't quite right, and go back and explain it further. Liars are worried that someone might catch them in a lie and are reluctant to admit to such ordinary imperfections.

Behavioral Blip: Some people always hesitate when they speak. If they speak without hesitation, that's a hot spot.

NEW TREND:
SERIAL SANITIZING


Now officially, there is a trend in the US and Canada is 'Serial Sanitizing'. It's now a normal activity because people are still trying to avoid H1N1 and MRSA and C-DIFF etc…Some of the dirtiest places are: door knobs, handles and poles on the subway. The germs are microscopic. You can't see them but they stick on the knob and then the next person comes in, touches the handle, then touches their face. The other bad spots: telephones, computer keyboards, and elevator buttons. The gym is also a bad place. The germs stick to non-porous surfaces like plastic, metal and wood. Flu bugs can last up to two days in certain environments but most last a few hours.

Here are some tips on how to avoid the bug:

1. Don't Touch the First Floor Elevator Button!
In an elevator, the first-floor button harbors the most germs because people touch it more than any other button.

2. Use the First Toilet
Research shows that most people use the middle stall in public bathrooms, so avoid those. More use means they're the dirtiest and have the most germs.

3. Office Coffee Pots Dripping With Disease
Your office coffee pot and mug may have been cleaned with a sponge dripping with germs (more on these later). Hang on to your own mug, and use a dishwasher when it's time to clean it. Another trick: Keep apple cider vinegar in the office and pour a water-cider solution through the coffee machine weekly. It will help kill bacteria.

A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida found that two minutes of microwaving on full power killed or inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge.

4. Your Desk Is Dirtier Than the Toilet
Get this: the typical office desk area has 400 times the amount of bacteria than the average toilet seat. Worst offenders: the office phone, the desk and the keyboard. Use a disinfectant wipe to clean the desktop, computer keyboard, and phone.

5. Scrub your hands!
Scrub with warm water and soap for at least 15 to 20 seconds after using the bathroom; eating, working, or playing outdoors; playing with pets; or coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Anything less than 15 seconds won't do the job.

Incredibly, 95 percent of people wash their hands after using the bathroom, but only 67 percent really do it. Worse, only 33 percent bother to use soap, and only 16 percent wash their hands long enough to remove germs.

INSIDER INFO:
HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE/BILLIONAIRE

So do you have what it takes to be a millionaire/billionaire? You're likely very interested in this story. According to Forbes lastest list, the richest man in the world is Brazilian telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu. So, What exactly does it take to amass that kind of wealth? Do you have it? There's common denominator of all of those who have gathered huge masses of money. People who are very successful have an incredible sense of optimism, unbounded optimism. They have an insatiable need to win. They don't have the sense of limitations that most people have. There's no limit to their capacity to achieve and keep going. Age and family commitments don't deter them. They say it takes serious guts to abandon the comforts of an office, a two-week paycheck and a decent health care package to start a small business, let alone build an empire. Billionaires have a confidence bordering on arrogance that checks their fear and doubt, even as the bets grow larger and more complicated. Put another way, they have an uncanny ability to shrug off failure. Highly successful entrepreneurs view failure as a way to gather data. That's how they learn. It's part of the process instead of being the end of road.

DRESSING ROOMS: GO HIGH TECH


They've been popping up all over Hollywood so get ready for them in your city. These dressing rooms of the future have interactive mirrors, 3D scanners and holographic sales assistants. Bloomingdales, for example, was one of the first retailers to test a social retailing system and a Japanese department store chain, began experimenting with an "intelligent fitting room".

It gives customers the opportunity to check available sizes and styles of the items they are trying from inside the fitting room. Prada began using the interactive mirrors in its Beverly Hills store last year. The better the retailer makes the trying on experience, the more likely the shopper will buy the item but retailers have largely ignored dressing rooms. The Internet has revolutionized the way catalog shopping is conducted and shoppers are avoiding fitting rooms altogether. One solution might be installing a responsive mirror in retailer's dressing rooms. Currently when you bring five or six items into the dressing room and try to narrow down your selection. It becomes difficult to remember how you looked in each outfit. The responsive mirror eliminates that by allowing you to simultaneously see pictures of yorself in all the items you try on to help you decide which they want to purchase. Through inventory tagging, the dressing room registers the items shoppers take in to try on and produces video and images of the merchandise. A touch screen gives shoppers the option to invite friends. Through their personal cellphone or key pad, they can then send an e-mail or text message to friends. By clicking on a url and logging on to a Web site, the friends can see the items being tried on and make comments. The site will also suggest other merchandise in the store. The shopper can then click on one of the recommendations, and make it appear in the mirror superimposed over his image, as though he were trying on the garment. Macy's and J.C. Penney are also exploring versions of the interactive dressing room. Retailers have started to add more realistic lighting that is closer to daylight and increase the size of the rooms to allow more movement and other people to join shoppers in the process and at the Gap and Banana Republic are revamping how shoppers receive service while in the dressing room by installing call buttons and delivery doors where sales assistants can bring items to shoppers.

BUSINESS TREND: HAVING THE RIGHT PRESTIGIOUS ADDRESS


Having a great address is a huge trend these days when it comes to your business. Here in Hollywood - you need that Beverly Hills address to make a mark. Tiffany and Harry Winston know the importance. They're on 5th Avenue between 56 and 58th Streets in Manhattan - the most coveted retail stretch in the world. Retailers looking to call this their home - can expect to spend $1,500 a square foot! Many shops there are around 20 thousand square feet. meaning a 30 thousand million bill. The New Bond Street in London and Ginza in Tokyo, the Bahnhofstrasse in Switzerland or the Champs Elysees in Paris are not showing signs of stress these days despite the rough times because the people who shop these stores - still can.