When: 9-11 October 2007
What: Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2008 Collections
Where: Sydney (yay!)
Who: Invitation Only - but apparently most of the big names won't be showing and many fashion editors won't be there either, since it's so soon after the European shows.
I think it's nice to keep an eye on things locally though, because while the fashion overseas is great, YOU LIVE HERE. And if you started transposing ideas from overseas here, you'd be, well, a little out-of-place. It's all about the now, not the future (and in Australia's case, for some reason this happens to be three or four months in the future, a rather long time in fashion-speak) - because by the time it's the future, no one will remember anymore.
Anyway, keep an eye out for this fellow, Daniel Avakian. His designs are hot, and you never know - he might end up like sass & bide, and in a few years, his clothes will be ricocheting off the walls because they'll be too hot to handle.
Daniel Avakian and one of his designs - don't tell me it's not hot.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Watch out for: Transeasonal Collections
Thursday, October 4, 2007
News Feed: Nigeria readies for Pfizer battle
THIS you have to read.
It's disgusting - intellectually, physically and ethically.
It's about an American drug (ok, pharmaceutical) company who went in and tested their drug on poverty-stricken African children, who are now mentally disabled as a result, or so say their mothers. Within the article, there is no "other side to the story" because the drug company did not wish to speak to Al Jazeera, so forgive me for being biased.
But still. It's great that people are protesting against animal testing, but what about testing on humans?? Is there too much money at stake??
Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege speaks to residents of Kano in Nigeria who claim a vaccine, manufactured and adminstered by US pharmaceutical giant Prizer, was responsible for the deaths of local children, as hearings resume in a Nigerian lawsuit against the firm.
Photo: Firdausi became mentally handicapped, her mother
claims, after she was used to test a meningitis drug
Thirteen-year-old Firdausi Abdullahi is severely mentally handicapped, suffering from a condition her mother claims is a result of scientific negligence.
Zainab Abdullahi says Firdausi was used along with 200 other children as "guinea pigs" to test a meningitis drug.
That is the central allegation in a criminal case pitting the state government of Kano in Nigeria against the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer.
Hearings resume in the case on Wednesday with the government alleging Pfizer deceived patients and caused the deaths of 11 of them in 1996 when performing clinical trials for a new meningitis vaccine, Trovan.
Full article at Al Jazeera
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
News Feed: Australia hints at action against Burma
Australia hints at action against Burma
Australia is flagging further action against Burma pending the outcome of a meeting between the UN's special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the country's military leader Than Shwe.
Mr Gambari had been waiting since the weekend to see the reclusive general to express global outrage after security forces put down protests led by Buddhist monks, leaving at least 13 dead and hundreds - possibly thousands - behind bars.
Australian officials believe at least 30 people were killed and 1,400 arrested during last week's crackdown in Burma's biggest city, Rangoon.
Canberra has already tightened financial sanctions against members of Burma's military junta and foreign affairs officials last week called in Burma's most senior representative in Australia to protest developments in the isolated nation.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer indicated Australia would consider further measures if Mr Gambari's meeting was less than successful in alleviating the situation.
"I hope that Mr Gambari has some success," he told reporters.
"But if not, well then we will be talking with a number of other countries about anything further we might be able to do."
The government revealed that earlier this year it had rejected Burma's nomination for its ambassador in Canberra, Brigadier-General Thura U Thet Oo Maung.
Mr Downer admitted it was a very unusual decision but said Australia would never accept anyone from the brutal Burmese military regime as an ambassador.
"It almost never happens that Australia or any other country refuses to accept the ambassador proposed by the sending country," he said.
"In this case, Burma has a very brutal military regime and I refuse to accept a general from that regime who has had command in a couple of provinces in Burma over the years.
"I refuse to accept a general as an ambassador and told the Burmese authorities that they should send a civilian to fulfil that role, and a professional diplomat."
Australian Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja, co-convenor of Australian Parliamentarians for Democracy in Burma, welcomed the government's tough stand on the ambassador.
She urged the government not to lose focus on the situation in Burma.
"There is a danger that the world's attention will shift elsewhere now that the military junta is using force to discourage mass protests by the Burmese people," she said in a statement.
"We must not let this happen.
"Australia and the world must keep up its pressure on the Burmese regime.:
© 2007 AAP