Four inch heels and liquor, fall down quicker

The recent sorority and fraternity rush seasons have led to a marked escalation in social events, which inevitably leads to a dramatic increase in the number of dressed up girls heading in the direction of Zimple street. We, the onlookers who have chosen not to be involved in Greek life, have been privy to the gaggles of girls leaving for their themed formals, rainbow parties or what have you.

Don’t get me wrong, this happens all year long, but it has been more noticeable as of late. Whether it be cowgirls, mermaids or wooly mammoths, there seems to be one thing that most have in common - the total lack of ability to walk in high-heeled shoes.

There is something very important to realize here: If you wear Rainbows, Havaianas or Ugg boots every single day of your life, and you think that you can slip on your $20 pair of stilettos and survive an entire night of drunken revelry, well, then you are totally, sadly, devastatingly wrong.

How do I know that you are incapable of walking in shoes that aren’t as flat as your chest (circa 1996)? Well, there are a few telltale signs: Your upper body weight is pitched forward at a precarious angle; your eyes are roving maniacally on the ground to watch for any upcoming hazards; you seem unable to straighten your legs all the way and are making movements similar to that of a burglar pussyfooting around a sleeping house.

Now let’s assume that somehow you’ve made it to your destination in one piece. What’s next? Drinks and dancing, of course. Here’s where another crucial factor comes into play: Things aren’t going to get any easier after you’ve had a few drinks. The general consensus among inexperienced heel wearers seems to be that if you get drunk, you will forget how much those shoes hurt you and the night will go perfectly. Sorry to burst your bubble: You’re wrong!

Drunkenly dancing and flailing around in your $20 heels will result in the development of agonizing blisters. Even if by some miracle of baby Jesus you manage to survive the night, you will have hell to pay for the next two weeks.

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Oxnard College offers free English classes for workers

Oxnard College is offering free English classes for workers at local businesses.The idea is to teach employees the English they need to do their jobs, said Christopher Jones, project director. So a hotel might request a class focusing on housekeeping terms. Or a hospital could offer a class on medical terms.

The college received a $399,000, two-year grant from the chancellor of the California Community College System to start the pilot program, which has 400 spaces available.

So far, two companies have signed up — Catalytic Solutions Inc. in Oxnard, which makes catalytic converters, and Deckers Outdoor Corp. in Camarillo and Ventura.

Deckers, which markets Ugg boots and Teva sandals as well as other products, has about 30 people in the classes, said Lou Flores, human resources manager.

The company signed up for the program because it wanted to improve communication between workers and managers, he said.

“Our manager likes to go out on the floor and talk to people directly,” Flores said. “We also wanted to give employees opportunities to take new positions. We look at it as an opportunity for both the employees and for us.”

Spring forward and fashion back

A few tips ont he new spring chic

Spring is finally here, girls. That means time for a rejuvenation of the mind, spirit and beauty icon inside us all.

DON’T buy jeans that are too small for you. It looks uncomfortable, it feels uncomfortable and nobody wants to see your underwear every time you sit down.

DON’T wear your Ugg boots with shorts. This is tacky. If it’s warm enough to wear shorts, it’s time to break away from the Uggs and get with the spring season.

DO opt for strappy sandals. These are flat shoes but are incredibly elongating to the legs. Right now, golden and black strappy sandals are the top style, some with a cute flower embroidery near the toe strap. Chunky wedges are also big right now, and can be found in every style and color.

DON’T wear a choker, what are you a dog? This look can work wonderfully at times during the cold winter months, but it’s too confining for spring.

DO try a bold necklace, an over-sized ring or a funky bracelet to pop out of any outfit making it fun and unique.

These are just a few pointers and tips about the fashion world right now. As college students our main focus is our education, but it doesn’t hurt to look cute while we work toward our degrees!

Kate Middleton: man-pleaser

We all know it is wrong — however tempting — to speculate on whether Kate Middleton is the right woman for Prince William. How can any of us guess how they are as a couple when all we have to go on is photographs? Clearly it’s unfair to have misgivings about the heir to the throne’s girlfriend when she is the very model of appropriateness — and the fact that we do makes us feel a bit guilty. Which is why Kate’s comments, at a recent polo match, have come as a huge relief. What Kate said, to the writer Kathy Lette, is: “I have to pay attention to every second. I’ll be discussing the game in minute detail later on.” And there you have it. The throwaway line that sums up the problem we knew existed, but couldn’t quite put our finger on: KM is a professional man-pleaser.

It’s obvious now the cat is out of the bag — the carefully chosen outfits (a little flattering, a little demure, never an Ugg boots or man-scaring bit of fashion in sight). The diligent study of the prince’s hobbies (remember the shooting lessons), including careful observation of the nuances of polo, although she is allergic to horses. The girlie part-time job that evaporated altogether because Kate needs to be ready to leap into an Issa dress at a moment’s notice and scurry to HRH’s side.

All this would be fine, were it not for the fact that Prince William is surely a bloke looking for a woman to live up to (Laura Linney in John Adams, only younger and good at skiing). And it’s no good for any of us subjects to have a wannabe royal clone in the royal family whose idea of ringing the changes is wearing Spanish riding boots instead of Hunters. We want bright and feisty, a fresh perspective, a sense of humour. Instead, in KM, we have the girl that Country Casuals might hire for its pastel cashmere campaign. A young woman on a mission, who takes her responsibilities too seriously and who has undoubtedly contributed to making William seem ever so slightly short on surprises.

This explains why some of us have been mysteriously despondent since Chelsy and Harry’s break-up. Honestly, I am going to miss Chelsy. That cheeky gap-toothed laugh. Those incongruous blonde locks and bling striding out in the driving Leeds rain. I don’t care if she’s orange. At least she has a personality and sex appeal and her own life and — most important — she was never in any doubt about who was pleasing who in that relationship. Harry had to stay on his toes, and when he fell short of her standards (when he failed to meet her off a flight and left her beating off paparazzi, for example), she let him have it. You wouldn’t catch Chelsy getting shooting lessons to impress her man on the range — she didn’t need to.

Harry may be sad now, but at least he knows he had a girlfriend who cared about him, not playing the good princess. Can William really say the same?

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GOOD OLD DAYS:A business model that survives time

Driving by the worn, wood-paneled Old West-style facade of the Grant Boys gun, outdoor supply and clothing shop on Newport Boulevard, it’s hard to imagine that the family-owned business — which has become a Costa Mesa icon — has not gone away by now.

When Edward “Buddy” Grant came down from Los Angeles to start the business 60 years ago, Costa Mesa was a one-horse town with less than 4,000 people — far from the upper-middle class suburb of more than 100,000 that it is today. The business started as Grant’s War Surplus in 1949, selling a motley assortment of goods that the military would get rid of at rock-bottom prices (World War II had just ended and there was a lot of excess stuff).

“The original store has very little in common with what the store sells today,” recalls Mike Grant, Buddy’s oldest son, in a short retrospective he recently started to write. “People would buy surplus parachutes to cover their cars. We would cut the lines off them and sell them as nylon rope. We sold a lot of paint, garden hose, work boots, but no Levi’s.”

It’s precisely the store’s ability to change with the times, while staying solidly grounded in its identity, that has allowed the business to survive and prosper in a market filled with chain camping and outdoor sports stores. Over the years, the Grant family has capitalized on countless opportunities.

Buddy didn’t care for guns or hunting at all, according to Randy Garell, who took over the store in the ’70s with his wife, Alexa, Buddy’s daughter. Before opening the Grant Boys, Buddy had a ladies dress shop in Los Angeles in the 1930s.

Since then, the store has gone through countless phases. In the early 1950s, men working on the construction of the 5 Freeway and Disneyland all wore jeans and Georgia steel-toed boots, so Grant’s started carrying them and business boomed. At one point the shop was among the top 10 Levi’s dealers in the country, according to Mike.

Then in the early ’60s, when surf culture blew up in the area, Grant’s started carrying Hang Ten T-shirts, which, in the height of their popularity, were often plucked straight off the delivery truck before they ever made it into the store.

“We carved out a niche business for ourselves, and we can turn on a dime,” Randy said.

Even in the last decade, Alexa saw the Ugg boots craze coming. The store stocked up in 2000 and this past December, the shop sold one pair of the fur-lined, leather shoes every 12 minutes. Exceedingly popular in ladies fashion, the boots are not exactly what you would expect to find in a store specializing in guns and hunting equipment, yet they have become a staple of the company’s business.

“The average Newport Beach housewife is not ordinarily going to walk into what she thinks is a gun store,” Randy said, but now they are part of Grants’ demographic.

Randy says gun sales have also increased because of fears brought about by the Y2K scare, the crashing economy and the election of President Obama, who some gun enthusiasts fear will crack down on the industry.

“Business is better than ever,” Alexa said.

Even as the store morphs to meet the demands of an ever-changing population, it retains its homely character. Randy and Alexa have worked there since they were teenagers, and they’re not the only ones who have stuck with the store for decades.

Jack Carver, who joined the staff in his teens emptying garbage cans more than 40 years ago, is now in charge of buying the store’s guns and hunting and fishing equipment.

So while the Grant Boys might look odd among square-framed strip malls and impeccably clean mega chains of Costa Mesa, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine the store still being around 60 years from now, with its hokey Western-themed building that will be just as out of place as it was the day it went up.

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Columbia Sportswear , Deckers Drop; Sector Gains

NEW YORK - Retail shares opened higher Friday while Columbia Sportswear Co. and Deckers Outdoor Corp. both declined after their outlooks fell short of Wall Street expectations. The S&P Retail Index rose 0.6% to 331.17. Columbia Sportswear shares declined 9.2%. Deckers, which sells Ugg boots, fell 3.8%.

Mary O’Rourke rode to the defence of her Fianna Fáil sister

Mary O’Rourke rode to the defence of her Fianna Fáil sister. “To taunt and say silly things across the chamber – calling people Marie Antoinette, for example – is puerile and infantile . . . To think anybody would approach with delight saying to people that a Christmas bonus will not be paid would mean that person is very sadistic.”

Mary Hantoinette nodded in agreement from her ministerial chair.

Then Mammy O’Rourke made an interesting observation, which suggests that the Government may yet be contemplating pulling a nice little stroke for Christmas by restoring the Santy bonus in the nick of time.

“The Minister opened a chink in the argument last night . . . and indicated that if there was a chance of giving this Christmas bonus, she would grasp the opportunity and encourage the Minister for Finance to do so as well . . . I add my voice to this and will continue to do so.

“As the months go by and Christmas approaches, we hope there will be some avenue which could be further explored for the partial or whole payment of this Christmas bonus.”

Again, Mary Hantoinette nodded her agreement.

Let us hope this is the case, if only to cheer up Labour’s Ciarán Lynch, who waxed Dickensian during his contribution, which he began by quoting the opening line of A Christmas Carol.

He painted a heart-rending picture of aged grannies without as much as a turkey leg to chew on over the festive season, unable to buy Ugg boots for their ragged grandchildren and bottles of whiskey for their rat-arsed neighbours.

But, like Scrooge, Mary Hantoinette might still see the light. A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption, sniffed Ciarán, moist of eye.

There wasn’t dry seat in the House by the time he finished.

Student hurt during bad weather

In spite of hourly checks last week of the campus status information page as well as my eden mail for a possible note from my professor, I realized there was, in fact, class. I decided, in spite of my better judgment, to head out to my 7:40 p.m. “Sociology of Deviant Behavior” class in Murray 221. I had my trusty snow boots with the all-terrain grip soles and I thought nothing could possibly happen in the two blocks between my close apartment and Murray. The University had surely cleared the paths.

“Maybe when I get there, it’ll be canceled. I just can’t imagine the University not canceling class in this weather, as there is more than 6 inches of fresh snow.” These were the thoughts in my head as I crossed George Street and headed toward Murray across Vorhees Quad. The ground was deceptively slick, as the earlier snow had frozen to a sheet of ice topped by seemingly innocent fresh powder. As I rounded the corner after passing Scott Hall I slipped for the first time, a victim of the slight downgrade. Mostly just embarrassed, I thanked the good Samaritans who had stopped to check that I was OK and brushed myself off.

Another 20 feet or so down the central path that leads right up to Murray Hall, I was feeling good. Slippery, yes, but I was walking slowly and carefully. All of a sudden, the uneven pavement got me again. Boom! Busted my butt again… this time less gracefully, and I landed rather hard on my left wrist. One of the same good Samaritans asked, “Where are you going? Do you need help?” I assured him I would be fine to make it to Murray — which I was, as it was only about ten feet away.

Finally reaching the inside of the building, I shook off the cold and realized, holy mother of God, my wrist hurt! Looking down, I noticed my wrist was about the size of a baseball and rather lumpy. Having come this far, I walked upstairs and told my professor that I was afraid I had hurt myself and would like to go get checked out. He, very graciously, let me leave class. I crossed the quad without incident this time, noticing that the University had finally decided to do something about the snow; there was a pickup truck plowing the walk. No salt, just plow. I then walked to the hospital in a great deal of pain.

It is now two hours later and I have just arrived home from Robert Wood Johnson ER, where the nice orthopedic doctors took my x-rays and were kind enough to diagnose me with a fractured wrist — all because the University was too cavalier with their weather preparations. Who needs salt when you can plow? Sand? Pfft! We laugh at your amateur desire for traction. I cannot fathom that I am the only person who had an issue with this Wednesday, given the predilection of the female student body for fashionable yet wholly unsafe Ugg boots.

So thank you, Rutgers. I got a whole slew of new experiences today. I fell trying to go to class. I became an ER patient. I broke my first bone! Just thought I’d share how much your preparation meant to me!

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What about those Uggs?

NEW YORK It’s probably safe to retire - or at least put to rest for a long winter snooze - your skinny-leg pants. Once the first signs of spring start to stir, the favored silhouette will be loose.

“Wide pants - if you invested in the dramatic floppy-leg pant that just skims the ankle, you are in luck. These are still a big trend,” said Avril Graham, executive fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar.

That’s the thing about fashion: Almost every look comes back, even if it’s slightly tweaked.

Take Uggs, for example. Constance White, eBay style director, said the cozy, furry boot is already a must-have item again for many women - and it’s a trend driven by consumers.

“The fashion gods forgive me: I will not throw out a pair of Ugg boots. . . . They dipped - came off the radar and weren’t ‘it’ anymore - but they’ve had the huge rise in popularity again, White said.

Some other likely top (and not) looks of 2009:

·  Sandy neutrals and tropical colors are likely to make a splash, but there might be a changing of the guard for regal purple, which has reigned for a few years. Painterly prints had a shorter run, but Graham said they too are on their way out. “Best to look for sweet florals,” she advised.

·  Safari styles, whether they’re vintage Yves Saint Laurent or new Banana Republic, are enjoying a high point on their arc of popularity. That’s good news, said Graham, because it’s an easy look for most women to wear.

·  The 1980s continue to inspire and haunt fashion, but if you ever wore harem pants and highlighter colors the first time, you might consider giving only a wink to the decade with a bangle bracelet or fluorescent accessories.

·  A low-platform heel is a shoe that takes you through every season and most occasions, said eBay’s White. Extreme platforms can get tossed, but hold on to all your peep-toe shoes, she advised. The popular gladiator-style sandal will triumph again this summer, but it’ll be even more aggressive looking with higher heels.

·  The big-statement necklace popular last year is still a trend, but it’s one you can cut back on. “If you’ve accumulated three or four, part with two of them,” White said. “Instead hold on to any bracelets - cuffs or stacking bracelets, especially. They’re fresher, new and they’re going to be hot right through spring and summer.”

·  Logos are out and subtlety is in. “It’s not the right time for flash,” Graham said. Cheap ugg boots .

Virginia man charged in scheme to cheat broker-dealers

Scott Matasar, a partner in Calfee, Halter & Griswold’s litigation department who represented McDonald Investments in its arbitration to retrieve the money, said he turned over his findings to the government in November 2006 after realizing that Mr. Daly had a pattern of bilking brokers of their funds.

“He’s a con artist,” Mr. Matasar said. “He’s done the exact same thing to other firms. This guy is a bad apple, and he shook down a lot of financial institutions.”

Mr. Matasar said he was “delighted” to learn that charges were filed. He said Mr. Daly had had a good relationship with the firm for several years, having positioned himself as an investment advisor to high net-worth individuals who wanted to remain anonymous, before the problem with Decker Outdoor Corp., the maker of Ugg boots.

No contact information for Mr. Daly in Orange, Va. — his home, according to the government charges — could be found.

‘Ladyboys’ roused to devour the gods of our imaginations

In an ideal world, you’d think Saturday would mark the decommissioning of cliche. You’d hope it would deposit a stark, bailiff’s squiggle under the little, satirical jibes we so enjoy at Leinster’s expense.

After all, they roughed up just about everything we mistook for knowledge in Croke Park. It was like seeing Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen cut loose with a chainsaw.

See, we still can’t really help ourselves.

As evening bled into night across Dublin, it was quite something to sweep down towards O’Connell Street, this strange blue army tramping in a blur of Chinos and dockers and Ugg boots.

Odd, plummy voices pierced the air with cries of revolution, people who wouldn’t ordinarily get vexed in the presence of a burglar now marching with chests expanded like great bay windows.

“I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams,” says Andy Dufresne in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. Now Leinster know it is, Andy. First time you see it, it’s bluer than a field of cornflowers.

What did Saturday tell us? Maybe that even the most lampooned and put-upon creature eventually locates a temper. The much derided ‘ladyboys‘ devoured a side we had, in our imaginations, put up somewhere with the gods.

In our understanding, Munster, you see, stood for everything that was real and identifiably heroic in rugby. Leinster amounted to a grandiose conceit. We just gathered to watch nature do its cull.

The Ugg Boots

Dry the ugg boots

Stuff your boots with recycled paper towels to allow your uggboots to keep their shape, and leave them to dry in a clean, warm place.

How Not to Dry Sheepskin Boots

Avoid direct heat sources like a fireplace, radiator, or blazing sun here, which can cause the sheepskin to pucker or crack.

How to Deodorize ugg boot

Now, what if you got a bad case of the ol‘ smelly dogs? Well, there’s hope here, too. Once your ugg boot are dry, sprinkling a couple tablespoons of baking soda inside then giving them a shake and letting them sit, should kill any funky odors overnight. Be sure to gently brush the outsides of your cheap ugg boots with a suede brush to restore the pile, and you’re good to go. So just stay on top of ‘em from here on out, and these boots can last you nearly a lifetime.

Huntsville’s Monday crime report

• Police who stopped a vehicle at University and Meadow drives confiscated a bag of marijuana and a .45-caliber Taurus handgun.
• A Remington .12-gauge shotgun and Ugg boots valued at $250 were stolen from a Chevrolet Sierra parked outside Shogun Japanese Steak & Sushi, 3991 University Drive.
• A convenience store customer in the 5000 block of N. Memorial Parkway tried to pass a counterfeit $50 bill.
• Three bowling machines valued at $4,500 were stolen from a business at 2000 Country Club Ave.
• Police confiscated a bag of marijuana and a partially smoked marijuana cigarette from a vehicle outside a Sparkman Drive business.
• One of two drivers involved in a wreck at Jordan and Shields roads left the scene. The accident damaged the bumper of a Ford Ranger driven by a 16-year-old boy. The report says the other driver may have been drinking.
• A 1995 Lexus was stolen outside a Pulaski Pike convenience store.
• A purse was stolen from a vehicle in a Jordan Lane parking lot; police later recovered it, along with $47.29.
• A 1995 Ford valued at $7,000 was stolen from an Argyle Road home.
• Someone was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession after police found a bag of pot and a partly-smoked marijuana cigarette on Meridian Street.
• Police investigated the death of a 76-year-old black female at a home at 503 Eastbrook Drive.
• During a stop at Garvin Road and Green Hill Drive, officers searched a vehicle and found eight rocks of crack cocaine and a set of scales. The owner was charged with felony cocaine possession.
• Two Sony digital cameras, $50 and miscellaneous clothes were stolen from a home in the 500 block of Bob Wade Lane.
• Police who stopped a pickup truck at Alabama 53 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard confiscated a Cobra .380-caliber handgun, seven .380-caliber bullets and 26 bullets for a 9mm handgun. The driver was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit.
• A 40-year-old black male was reported missing from his home on Forsythe Drive.

Kim Sterin hosts Research Symposium at University of Maryland

Kim Sterin, a graduate of Archmere Academy, The Independence School and longtime Delaware resident, recently produced the Honors Humanities’ 2nd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, College Park. The daylong conference was centered on the theme of “Re-imagining the Political Sphere: Critical Thought and Social Justice in Everyday Life” which aimed to engage participants in open dialogue about new approaches to politics with an investment in creating a more socially just world. The research presented reached beyond the traditional notion of politics by recognizing the political issues present in all facets of life from identity construction to popular culture. It featured 14 panel discussions and a keynote speaker, Dr. Diana Owen of Georgetown University. Kim also participated as a panelist and presented her two year long Keystone project, a requirement as a President’s scholar in the Honors Humanities program at Maryland. This subset of the Honors program is regarded as the premier program at the University and is limited to talented undergraduates with interests in the humanities and creative arts. The rigorous and specialized curriculum explores the dynamic history of the humanities, practical applications in the arts, and foundational issues in the disciplines of the humanities. Kimberly’s deans list performance in this program culminated with the book she published of original poetry along with critical essays about contemporary American culture. Entitled, “Busting through the Billboards with my UGG Boots” it creatively directs transformational thinking about American consumer culture and its effects on everyday life. She is the daughter of Jay and Maryann Sterin and will earn undergraduate degrees in both English and Spanish in 2011, along with a citation in Honors Humanities and the Jimenez-Porter Writer’s House.

Ed Killer: Want your own artificial reef? Try eBay

I love eBay.

Despite Craigslist and a soft global economy, the Internet’s wonderful, perpetual yard sale and auction house still is going strong.

Apparently, there always will be a market for used Iphones, slightly worn Ugg boots, a potato chip shaped like Jay Leno’s head or a jar of wind captured during Tropical Storm Fay.

In a move as creative and “outside-the-box” as it comes, the Martin County Artificial Reef Foundation — a 501c(3) organization — is hoping the cyberspace trading post will be an avenue to raise funds for the deployment of another artificial reef project this summer.

If the final details of the bidding contract can be worked out — possibly this week — eBay window shoppers will be able to place bids on having a reef named for their choosing.

The reef builders will need a bid upward of $20,000 to get the job done. That would buy a lot of waffles displaying the shape of the Virgin Mary.

The art of planning

As a student, you may find yourself spending more time planning than doing anything else. A typical day may involve devising a study timetable; thinking that you really ought to ring your parents; emailing friends about where to go for a night out; writing an essay plan; deciding what to do with the rest of your life; going through the TV schedules; and planning to get out of bed.

One useful way to start is to buy a diary. Creative types worried that planning is for squares might like to buy different coloured pens for different activities. But resist the temptation to buy different diaries for different facets of your life. You will waste too much time trying to decide which bit of your life goes where and remembering where you put the right diary to note it down.

Then you need to think about goals.

If you make these too vague, such as wanting to be rich, or too ambitious, such as wanting to be prime minister, you will need to break them down into smaller, more precise goals, such as getting a part-time job or completing a politics assignment. Visualise yourself achieving the goal and then work backwards, visualising each likely step. Think about problems you might face and how to tackle them. Don’t be tempted to give up in favour of the TV schedules.

The next step is to draw up a to-do list. Actually, you may need several. One should focus on long-term goals - a list of things you need to do before you reach No 10, such as joining a political party, delivering leaflets, getting elected. Another could look at what you need to do that term, such as paying the electricity bill, finding out where the library is and cleaning the bathroom.

Then you should make daily to-do lists. Don’t make the list too detailed because the longer it is, the less likely you are to do it, and the more likely you are to feel a failure, and the bigger the chance of descending into despondent chaos.

Do put the most important things at the top, as you will need to tackle those first. And plan to do the bits first that you really don’t want to do.

Any kind of planning demands a similar approach. When it comes to drawing up a study programme, essay plan or night out, the first thing to do is define what you want to achieve, then think about how you are going to get there, then set yourself precise tasks.

For example: goal - attend night out in pub without spending entire termly budget, trashing new Ugg boots, texting your ex. Route - eat beforehand, avoid drinking spirits, decline offers to dance on tables. Precise task - put on pasta water, delete ex’s number from phone.

Keep reminding yourself of your plans. Don’t worry too much if you find yourself veering off course - it is important to be flexible, and your goals may change as your research, or evening, progresses. But do keep track of your achievements. The problem with planning is that it isn’t half as difficult as carrying out what you’ve planned.

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Robbie Savage back in shop window as Nigel Clough picks him to face Manchester United

Less than three months ago, Robbie Savage was spending time during his loan period at League One side Brighton and Hove Albion mulling over the possibility of a move to Lebanese club Al-Ansar in an attempt to prolong his career.

Fast forward to the present, and the midfielder is back at Derby County, with the opportunity of assisting the club to the Carling Cup final at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, after their astonishing 1-0 win at Pride Park nearly a fortnight ago.

But for the arrival of Nigel Clough as new manager of Derby County two weeks ago, Savage would probably have been shopping for a new pair of UGG boots in Manchester rather than making it into the stadium. As it is, Clough’s arrival has brought Savage back in from the cold, an experience he has likened to being pardoned from enforced exile in Siberia. It has saved him some money in the process, he jokes.

“The gaffer has saved me a lot of dough because I am usually in Manchester shopping, spending my money,” Savage said on Monday. “Under the previous manager I knew no matter how hard I trained I wasn’t going to play.

“I thought I would never play for Derby again and I wouldn’t have if [Paul] Jewell was still the manager – no matter how well I trained.

“I would be going out in the street and people were saying, ‘Who are you playing for now?’ I was made to feel that low on confidence and that bad a player that I was looking an any option possible. I went from Siberia to Beirut.”

What better opportunity for Savage to prove his worth this evening than against the club where he was a trainee, and against former team-mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who he describes as the “best two Premier League players ever”.

However, while the 34-year-old is restoring his own confidence under Clough, the rest of his team-mates seem to have stalled in their attempts to rebuild their own self-belief.

Their 2-0 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday was their third in a row in the league, and revealed “the deep-rooted” structural flaws that have caused the side to fall to fifth from bottom in the table, leaving their manager to accept his former side would have performed the basics better.

“The lads at Burton were better at doing certain things,” Clough confessed. “No player in the lower leagues would have made those basic mistakes on Saturday. I have been in a state of shock for the last 48 hours.”

Yet while he accepts that his side’s confidence is low, he does believe the fact that they have little pressure or expectations on them to win tonight will only help them.

“We were expected to beat QPR at home, and in the home match here [against United] we weren’t expected to get anything,” he said. “With the way the players are at the moment, that almost suits them. I think they would rather be going to Old Trafford than Blackpool or Barnsley.” Buy cheap ugg boots .

Apatow Examines Love and Bromance

Never has “bromance” seemed so sweet. “I Love You, Man” brings the love of two heterosexual men together… in a totally platonic way. And, no, it’s not just another Judd Apatow movie.

The film’s humor came mostly from witty little comments and the awkward nature of Rudd’s character. It’s quite entertaining to watch him squirm having the hardest time leaving a phone message to Sydney and saying things like, “Call me when you get a mo.” He makes up horrible nicknames like Jobin and continues to do imitations despite the fact that they all sound strangely similar to a leprechaun. Rudd pulled off the awkwardness well and really held up the starring role of the film. It’s about time, Hollywood. He should have had a part like this sooner.

Segel’s character was also a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect much from him since I wasn’t all that impressed with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” as so many seem to be. The film’s marketing made Sydney look a lot crazier than he actually turned out to be. He was eccentric, but believable. Crude, though less obvious than Segel’s role in “Marshall.”

Fife spews opinions on everything, wears Ugg boots on the beach and even has a puggle named Anwar Sadat- because he looks like him. According to IMDb.com, the dog is actually named Anwar Sadat. His motto of sorts also brought a bit of humor and a sort of explanation for why he is the way he is: “I’m a man; I have an ocean of testosterone flowing through my veins.”

The film really was, to me, a character movie. There are a lot of great small parts that really provide a lot of the film’s comedy. Some of my favorites were Jaime Pressly and Jon Favreau, who played Zooey’s best friend and her husband. Their little bickering and obviously miserable marriage (outside the bedroom) was actually really entertaining to watch.

Amend the Bylaws

I thought my legacy as a Sun columnist would be about something big. I thought it would be about God.

I eschewed the notion that there is order in the universe. I dismissed the idea that we have a larger purpose on this earth. I said I didn’t believe in God. And people were OK with it.

Two weeks later, I said I didn’t “believe” in sororities. Shit hit the fan.

If I was dreaming of apocalyptic fallout before, I found it here, in response to a column that, if anything, I feared was too trite and too insignificant to publish.

The very next day, a guest columnist wrote of my alleged “implication that sorority women sit around like perfect China dolls waiting for a potential husband to smack [them] around.”

Another columnist commended me, but misinterpreted my article to be an attack on sorority girls — on their supposed “dress-code” and penchant for “Ugg boots” — on their behavior as “a bunch of rich, catty girls counting calories and competing for husbands.”

Friends asked if these responses upset me. Not their presence in the paper, certainly. But what I found troubling was the absence of fruitful discussion.

Aha, I thought, when I heard that the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils were preparing responses. Here was where the real debate would happen. Here — on center stage, in front of the Cornell community — our Greek leaders would step out and take charge.

Police find one of two missing sisters

POLICE have found one of two sisters who went missing more than a week ago.

Nicole, aged 13, was found safe and well at an address in Stoke-on-Trent earlier today, but police are still looking for Bobbie-Jo.

 The 12-year-old is described as white, of slim build and about 5ft 2in tall.

She has shoulder length blonde hair and was last seen wearing black jeans, black Ugg boots, a black strap top and a black zip-up hooded jacket.

Sgt Dave Ingham from Stone Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) said: “The girls have links within the Stoke-on-Trent area as well as in Stafford.

“We are very pleased that Nicole has been found, however we’re still appealing to the public for help in locating twelve year-old Bobbie-Jo.