| Aussie military planes provide flood aid
AUSTRALIAN defence force planes have joined a critical aid mission for thousands of flood victims in Papua New Guinea, as looting broke out in hard-hit Oro province. Last week's floods left thousands homeless, and officials fear the death toll of about 160 could rise dramatically unless food and clean water supplies quickly reach survivors. There are security fears in Oro province, north of the capital Port Moresby, after looters made off with a rice shipment and local MPs were accused of commandeering relief supplies for their own villages. Australia today sent in two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and two smaller Caribous to start distributing AusAID supplies, including water purification tablets, emergency shelters, blankets and generators.
Home sellers warp time Foreclosure bus tours take potential buyers to ...
Sometime this weekend, while you're shuttling the kids to soccer tournaments or picking up milk at the grocery store, several dozen of your neighbors will go back in time nearly 10 years. There, they'll see a 3,128-square-foot Christopher Homes house in Summerlin's upscale Country Rose Estates on sale for its circa 2000 price of $370,000. So how, you want to know, will people revisit this past era? Through a time machine? Virtual reality? A tear in the fabric of a parallel universe? Nope, no fancy physics here: They'll simply hop a ride on a foreclosure bus tour led by Barbara and Marshall Zucker of Prudential Americana Group, Realtors. Such tours have been hot since the fall in distressed housing markets in California, Florida, Michigan and Georgia.
The Savvy Shopper
Plus, it's better than any catwalk in Paris or Milan because it's the clothes real people actually wear. But my version of reality television practically turned to the sci-fi channel's horror night. I actually saw a grown woman swaddled in a full-size fleece blanket. She wasn't the only atrocity. I should have been passing out those funny black bars fashion magazines use when they take a snapshot of a real person on the street that's a dreaded "fashion don't." (One of my fears in life is to open one of those magazines and see the black bar over my eyes. I'm fortunate my life allows these trivial concerns.) I realize comfort is a concern when we're all packed in planes like bargain basement bins. But, really. Must we literally roll out of bed? Here's where this savvy shopper can help. Comfort does not equal giving up style. Let's start with your feet. This spring flats are everywhere. You don't have to smoosh your foot into a pointed toe shoe (though that's what this savvy shopper will be wearing). Ballet flats are big. If you can't imagine hoofing through the airport in those shoes, there are stylish sneakers on the market. Please don't bring your dirty, smelly old basketball shoes. No one wants to watch you take them off when you it's time to go through security. Comfy pants are essential. Pajamas are not pants. Sweatpants don't count. Actual pants. Even a pair of nice jeans get a thumbs up from this frequent flyer. Plan for the changing temperatures. Your plane may actually feel like your destination the sweaty beaches of the Caribbean or the snowy mountains of Colorado. Pair a top with a blazer or jacket for a pulled together look that will help you no matter what the climate. Why does this matter? It's no secret people who look nice and, above all, act nice get better treatment. Maybe that means getting bumped up to first class. Who doesn't want to fly through life with extra leg room? Don't forget to let me know when you see a killer deal pass them along! I'll give them to all my new friends (aka you!) My e-mail is beth.wilkin@wtkr.com.
Filling Dontrelle's shoes _ Marlins' Miller will try
The Florida Marlins' never-ending, attendance-deflating cycle of purging payroll and revamping the roster reaps an occasional gem, and Andrew Miller could be one. The 6-foot-6 left-hander looks impressive merely throwing bullpen sessions this week at spring training. He delivers a darting fastball with a fluid motion, which makes him quite a contrast to herky-jerky Dontrelle Willis, the pitcher Miller will try to replace in the rotation. "I've got a great opportunity," the 22-year-old Miller said. "I'm going to try and take it." He was one of six players acquired by Florida in the December trade that sent Willis and slugger Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers. The Marlins made the deal hoping Miller is ready for a starting role less than two years after he was taken by the Tigers as the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft.
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