STRANGE WORLD
Even Armani has a fake Armani watch and says imitation is
flattering
HONG KONG (AP) - Imitation is flattering, says designer Giorgio Armani, who has a fake Armani watch to prove it.
Armani said he bought the watch for $22 US in Shanghai. "It was an identical copy of an Emporio Armani watch," he said at a news conference Monday. The real timepiece costs many timesas much. "I know I have some stores in China - Giorgio Armani, Armani Fiori, Emporio Armani - that have nothing to do with me," said the designer, who was in China over the weekend to announce the opening of a store on Shanghai's trendy Bund. Armani said the imitations can cause "confusion" among consumers. "On the other hand, it's flattering to be copied. If you are copied, you are doing the right thing," he said with a smile.
Anti-Bush group organizes bake sales across the U.S.A. to raise money
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Raising money to unseat President George W. Bush was a cakewalk Saturday, when a liberal advocacy group said it organized at least 1,000 bake sales across the United States to raise money for the effort. The MoveOn political action committee, the political branch of MoveOn.org, co-ordinated bake sales from Maine to Hawaii that offered such treats as Beat Bush Brownies and No C.A.R.B. (Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Bush) Meringues. Early estimates Saturday placed the national tally for the bake sales at about $250,000. "We wanted to do a fund-raiser but we wanted to do it fresher and with a twist," said Adam Ruben, field director of MoveOn PAC. "This is a great way to engage a lot of people who have signed a petition online but haven't done anything in their neighbourhood." Ruben said a single e-mail to the MoveOn.org list was all it took to recruit 10,000 volunteers for Bake Back the White House in less than a week. In San Francisco's Dolores Park, Maitreya Badami, a 35-year-old criminal defence lawyer, served Bush Im'peach'ment Pie, cupcakes emblazoned with pink peace symbols and Karamels for Kerry, for Democratic contender John Kerry. By 2 p.m. she had collected about $500. "I have a strong desire to see George Bush defeated," said Badami, who organized one of the 27 bake sales in the city. "I have a strong desire to show him that there are a lot of people who are willing to do something and make something to be involved in democracy." MoveOn.org was founded by computer entrepreneurs Wes Boyd and Joan Blades and boasts some 2.3 million members. It has used more than bake sales to raise money: MoveOn reported Thursday its partisan soft-money arm has raised $17 million since October, including about $7 million from January through March.
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