Luxury firms step out cautiously into virtual world

PARIS - Buying diamond watches or designer labels on the Internet might seem anathema for those able to jet across the world for a shopping spree, yet luxury firms are slowly but surely investing in e-trade.

Two high-end French labels, Lacoste and Mauboussin, have just opened Internet boutiques while British luxury Internet site net-a-porter has been bought out by luxury Swiss group, Richemont, owners notably of Cartier and Chloe.

The luxury sector long thumbed its nose at the virtual world on grounds that "surfing on the Internet was far removed from the experience of a brush with luxury," said Joelle de Montgolfier, head of the Europe luxury sector for consultants Bain & Company.

A telling example is Louis Vuitton, part of leading luxury group LVMH. It opened a site as early as 1999 but launched sales only in 2005.

Paris luxury house Hermes this week estimated its Internet sales at five percent of its total.

In a sector where exclusivity touches as well on distribution and price control, the cultural revolution has been slow in coming.

In 2009, worldwide luxury sales on the Internet totalled 3.5 billion euros, a fraction of total sales amounting to 153 billion euros, Bain & Company said. But while the share of sales on the Internet remains tiny "it rises 35 percent each year, including in times of economic crisis," De Montgolfier told AFP.

Consultants Precepta believe Internet sales in the luxury sector could double to seven billion euros in 2011.

Luxury web boutiques offer identical packaging to boutiques and ensure shipments are controlled.

"Not being present on the Internet amounts to losing sales in real stores," said Eric Bascle, who heads strategy and development for Devanlay, the textile arm of Lacoste, which has just opened its first web-shop in France.

"In the sector of premium labels, one out of two customers who buys in a boutique has consulted the web beforehand for the same product," he told AFP.

Lacoste, which hopes by 2014 to generate 100 million euros in turnover via web sales, is also banking the move will rejuvenate its image.

French jewellers Mauboussin, who have just launched e-trade in France, expects to see Internet sales of six to eight million euros, "equivalent to a Paris boutique."

In the jewellery sector, Boucheron, part of the Gucci Group owned by PPR, were the first to open an Internet boutique in 2007. As for Italy's Gucci, its web turnover "increased 50 percent in 2009 worldwide," a spokeswoman said.

In the United States, where e-trade has taken on, "it allows us to serve customers in smaller towns where labels are not present," said Gucci Group.

Faced with the boom in e-trading and the change in customer habits, the luxury sector has had to give in and follow suit to avoid subsidiary sites grabbing a slice of the pie, such as multibrand stores like Neimann Marcus or specialized Internet boutiques such as net-a-porter.

But many high-end brands, such as Louis Vuitton or Hermes, only offer a selection of their goods.

Jewellery firms such as De Beers in the United States, a joint-venture of De Beers-LVMH, or Tiffany for example choose to offer engagement rings on the net rather than more expensive sets.

"There's no hurry", said Philippe Pascal, who heads LVMH's watch and jewellery division. "After sales service has to be perfect to ensure customers are entirely happy with a purchase."

Food critic who changed British habits dies

LONDON - Egon Ronay, the food critic credited with transforming eating habits in Britain with his ground-breaking restaurant guides, died Saturday aged 94, a close friend said.

The Hungarian emigree published his first guide in 1957 and over the next few decades became a British institution, dubbed the "godfather of gastronomy" by The Times newspaper, as well as one of the world's most famous reviewers.

His criticisms helped raise restaurant standards throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s -- and by transforming people's expectations, they were credited with causing a revolution in British eating habits.

Ronay had been ill for a number of weeks and died early Saturday at his home in Berkshire, southeast England, close friend and broadcaster Nick Ross said. His wife Barbara and daughters Edina and Esther were by his side.

"Right up until his death, even young chefs regarded him as the monarch," said Ross, who said he had known the critic for about 15 or 20 years.

"He was a tiny man but had no airs and graces about him and yet he was almost fawned upon by restaurateurs right up until his last illness."

Ronay was the son of a prominent restauranteur in Budapest but the business collapsed in World War II and he fled communist Hungary for London, arriving here penniless in 1946. He never saw his father again and his mother only once.

Using his family connections, he found work managing restaurants and finally set up his own place in the upmarket London district of Knightsbridge.

Amid despair over the state of catering in post-war Britain -- in one interview he recalled the memory of a communal teaspoon attached to string in the tea-room of a London station -- he began his mission to change its ways.

Ronay was never afraid of holding back his views and enraged the French several years ago by suggesting that British "gastropubs" were now at least equal or even better than the finest French bistros.

"Obviously, French bistros and their staff could learn a very great deal from our gastropubs... your bill will be much smaller (and) the portions can be huge," he wrote in the foreword to his 2006 guide.

Sandra Bullock calls personal life an 'explosion'

LOS ANGELES – Sandra Bullock made her first public appearance since revelations of her husband's extramarital affairs, taking the stage at a Hollywood awards show on Saturday night and comparing her recent life to an "explosion."

Bullock, best actress Oscar winner for her role in the football film "The Blind Side," showed up at cable channel Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards to accept an entertainer of the year trophy.

"Let's be honest here, just for a moment. We're all going to be honest, right?" Bullock said onstage as she held the antler-shaped award.

"Did I win this for being entertainer of the year, or did I win this because of the spectacular I.E.D. (improvised explosive device) explosion that became my personal life?"

Bullock was wearing a close-fitting black dress and received a standing ovation, according to USA Today. She was surrounded by soldiers in uniform standing at attention, as she accepted the Troops Choice Award for Entertainer of the Year.

Bullock joked that she would sing for the troops but that they had "seen enough pain."

"I would like to do something I've always wanted to do in person, which is to thank you, to thank all the men and women that make it possible for me to wake up in the morning free," she said to the soldiers.

Bullock is expected to appear at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night to accept the Generation Award, according to a report on the MTV website.

The actress has filed for divorce from motorcycle maker and reality television star Jesse James, after he admitted to cheating on their marriage.

The disclosures of extramarital affairs by Bullock's husband of five years surfaced in the media soon after she won her first Oscar in March. The couple had just adopted a baby boy, whom Bullock is now raising on her own.

Spike TV is a male-oriented cable network, and its Guys Choice Awards is scheduled to air on June 20.

Al Gore-Loren Legarda 'love team' emerges on Twitter

MANILA, Philippines - He's on the heels of his separation from his wife, and she had her marriage annulled years ago. Both of them suffered defeat after seeking electoral posts, and have a strong passion for climate change and the environment.

But will they make a good pair?

It's the current hot topic in Twitter town -- users are waiting for the so-called romance between former United States Vice President Al Gore and vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda as the former is set to arrive in the Philippines for a leadership conference.

They christened the two as "LeGoreda," and were likened to Hollywood couples and local celebrity love teams. A video was even put up in YouTube to pay tribute to the so-called couple.

Mixed reactions

Just like any other love team, the LeGoreda tandem got its share of fans and critics.

Users tried to play cupid on Twitter, saying that a romantic relationship between Gore and Legarda will be good not only for the people, but also for Mother Earth given their green advocacies.

"Dear God, I want Al Gore and Loren Legarda to fall in love. Will entertain millions with few negative consequences. Please make it happen," said Twitter user ageofbrillig.

Twitter user heyessa added: "I can almost imagine it: Al Gore meets Loren Legarda on stage during Manila talk. Audience will collectively go, 'Yihee." Seeds planted.

The newly created romantic tandem, however, didn't sit well with some Twitter users. User ninaterol, for one, said: "Gore and Legarda" OMG, heaven forbid. Please spare Al from Loren. Let's give the guy some peace."

"I wonder how Al Gore will react when he arrives in Manila tomorrow and discovers he's in a love team with Loren Legarda," added Twitter user overlordtrainee.

Loren reacts

If most Twitter users found the LeGoreda tandem interesting, Legarda herself said it's "funny and embarrassing."

Quoting Legarda, "Pinoys are really creative on the Internet. The whole thing is amusing. Gore will not even see me because I will only be in the audience."

She admitted, however, that Gore is a "great man with a great passion for the environment and humanity."

Will the LeGoreda tandem continue to sizzle upon Gore's arrival in the Philippines? We'll soon find out.

Michelle Obama in new anti-obesity drive

WASHINGTON - US First Lady Michelle Obama on Friday challenged the maxim that too many cooks spoil the broth -- inviting 500 chefs to the White House to serve up a new initiative in her anti-obesity campaign.

It was a case of out of the kitchen and into the heat, as Obama gathered her guests in the blazing sunshine of the White House Rose Garden to launch a mentoring program which will see chefs adopt local schools.

Chefs will help parents and teachers educate kids about good nutrition and develop healthy menus that meet tight budgets for use in school kitchens.

"Chefs have tremendous power as leaders on this issue because of their deep knowledge of food and nutrition and their ability to deliver these messages in a fun and delicious way," Obama said.

"We can change the future for our children and for this nation," Obama said. "We want you all in every school in the nation."

Obama's program is designed to encourage US schools to improve the quality of school meals, offer more kids more physical activity and education on good nutrition and healthy eating.

"You all know the statistics when it comes to the health of our kids, and they're staggering," Obama said.

"Nearly one third of children in this country are now overweight or obese."

Obama said that parents, teachers and food manufacturers must accept their responsibility to help kids be more healthy -- and head off ailments later in life like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

"Let me tell you something, my mother didn't know how to cook broccoli, it was watery and mushy... and we thought you could eat it with a spoon," Obama said.

"I know a lot of parents out there are cooking broccoli like that --- it makes it hard to like broccoli if that is how you are cooking it."

A study by leading US health care provider Kaiser Permanente in March showed that more US children are becoming extremely obese at a younger age, putting them at risk of dying decades younger than normal-weight children.

Two retired generals warned the following month that increasing rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the military, with many potential recruits increasingly too fat to serve.

Earlier this month, Michelle Obama praised US food manufacturers for agreeing to cut 1.5 trillion calories from their products, in a boost for her campaign.

Her initiative aims to rally families, communities, schools, urban planners, politicians and the media to solve the scourge of childhood obesity in a generation.

She points to the urgency of taking action today, at a time when there are already three times more obese children in the United States than 30 years ago.

Pacquiao named Fighter of the Year

NEW YORK - Manny Pacquiao, boxing's pound-for-pound king and a newly elected legislator in the Philippines, accepted his third Fighter of the Year award Friday from the Boxing Writers Association of America.

"Tonight I overflow with joy and gratitude," Pacquiao said. "I am thankful that, just like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and other boxers, I decided to get into boxing."

After a 2009 that included a spectacular second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton and a punishing 12th-round stoppage of Miguel Cotto that gave Pacquiao titles in a record seven divisions, Pacquiao was the overwhelming winner in voting by the organization's members.

He was also named Fighter of the Decade.

"I confronted poverty by trusting God and dreaming big," Pacquiao said. "I was convinced I could succeed in boxing. The boxing ring could be the breeding ground for my dreams."

Pacquiao, who was accompanied by his wife, Jinkee, planned to stay in New York to see Cotto challenge junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman on Saturday night in the first fight at the new Yankee Stadium - more than 30 years after the last fight at the original Yankee Stadium.

After that he will travel to Washington to meet with US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, promoter Bob Arum said.

He'll take on his own new duties as a legislator when the Philippine Congress convenes in July.

Arum said that he would continue to try to put together a fight between Pacquiao and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Negotiations on a bout last year broke down over Mayweather's demand for stringent blood-test doping controls.

Pacquiao instead beat Joshua Clottey in front of 51,000 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, while Mayweather beat Shane Mosley in Las Vegas.

Pacquaio's trainer, Freddie Roach, accepted his fourth Trainer of the Year award - and said he wouldn't discuss a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather bout.

"I'm just going to stay out of this one," he said. "I'm tired of whining, guessing, hoping. Obviously we all hope to get the big fight, but if we don't, we'll fight somebody else."

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Will people quit Facebook today?

MANILA, Philippines - Days ago, creative web technologist Joseph Dee and systems designer Matthew Milan of Toronto, Canada asked Facebook users to dump the social networking service, citing privacy concerns.

They created a website, which declared May 31 as "Quit Facebook Day" and provided alternatives to the popular social networking site, such as Twitter or Flickr.

"If you agree that Facebook doesn't respect you, your personal data or the future of the web, you may want to join us," the website read.

A screenshot of the Facebook login page.

Facebook was recently hit for its so-called confusing system for setting privacy safeguards, which made it possible for unwanted users to gain a wealth of information about the social networking site's members. (Read full article here)

In response to this, chief executive Mark Zuckerburg promised to "roll out changes" over the coming weeks to prevent personal information from being accessed by others.

Quitting 'not easy'

Dee and Milan are out to convince the world that Facebook should no longer be patronized.

They admitted, however, that giving up the service will prove to be a difficult task.

"Facebook is engaging, enjoyable, and quite frankly, addictive. Quitting something like Facebook is like quitting smoking. It's hard to stay on the wagon long enough to actually change your habits," they said in the "Quit Facebook Day" website.

And they're right. The "Quit Facebook Day" website looms as a worldwide flop, with only 25,475 users vowing to deactivate their accounts as of 12:00 p.m. on May 31.

The figure is just over 0.006% of the social network's estimated 400 million members.

Just recently, data released by Google showed that Facebook is "king of Internet visits" with about 570 billion pages viewed monthly. This is more than 8 times as many pages viewed each month at Yahoo.com, Google said.

Some Pinoys won't give up Facebook

In the Philippines, it seems that Facebook is also a hard habit to break.

Abs-cbnNEWS.com posted the question "Would issues about Facebook's privacy policies make you quit Facebook?" in its official Facebook page on Monday morning, and to date, only 3 members (out of more than 20 users who gave their comments) said "yes."

Most of them said it's the Facebook user's responsibility to be careful about what they post, and to hide things that they don't want other people to see.

"No, the problem here is not Facebook. People should really pore over and go around to learn more about the privacy settings, madali lang naman (it's just easy)," said Famela Bayawa.

"No, because I do believe if you're wise enough, no matter how tight the security of Facebook is, you would not put important or very sensitive items in your account," added Danilo Cruz.

Still effective

Although it looks like Facebook is here to stay for a long time, Dee and Milan still have a reason to celebrate.

The "Quit Facebook Day" campaign, although it didn't rake in as much "quitters," was effective -- it made headlines and gave a wake-up call not only to Zuckerburg but also to creators of other social networking sites.

At the end of the day, the website was about making the web an "open, safe and human place."

And with Zuckerburg working double time to ensure that Facebook gets back on track, it looks like the "Quit Facebook Day" page has served its purpose.

For the love of food

The 'ultimate' foodie event

MANILA, Philippines - Some 50 suppliers provided bite-size portions of their products -- from pulutan (finger food) to pasta to desserts -- to over a thousand foodies in what is probably Manila's biggest gastronomic event this summer.

The Ultimate Taste Test, held at the NBC Tent early this month, allowed foodies to sample Manila's delights in exchange for an honest assessment of the suppliers' offerings. The fourth since 2009, the event is the brainchild of Anton Diaz, founder of the increasingly popular "Our Awesome Planet" (OAP) blog.

"It's good that we're able to help out a lot of food suppliers who want to be known to the foodie community. And of course, we're able to help out a lot of people, especially foodies, who want to sample the latest food offerings," Diaz said.

I was among the foodies who got to try out local and international treats in the Ultimate Taste Test, which is held 3 times a year. A lot of them were good, while a number of them failed to make a statement.

Here are some of the food items that managed to stand out (in no particular order):

Empanada Avenue's chicken empanada. This stuffed pastry is a cheap yet fulfilling treat that's perfect for people who are on the go. The chicken filling was tasty and unpretentious -- it reminded me a lot of home. Credit: Ian Layno

Boneless lechon from Pepita's Kitchen. Several foodies lined up for this boneless treat, it was gone in a few minutes. Instead of bones, the lechon is stuffed with flavorful rice which tasted a bit like paella. Credit: Ian Layno

Marty's baconette strips by Oishi. One of the simplest items in the bunch, yet the most satisfying -- addictive, even. The strips were crispy and tasted a lot like bacon, although they looked a lot like doggie treats. Credit: Ian Layno

Holly's chocolate milk by Real Fresh Dairy Farms. It has a light, elegant and silky taste, unlike most chocolate milk products that taste like a combination of sugar and melted chocolate. Credit: Ian Layno

Flavored milky ice flakes from Snowflakes Creamery. This cold treat is far from indulgent, and that's what makes it stand out. Its delicate taste is a refreshing take from most overly sweet ice cream variants. Credit: Ian Layno

Can't afford the iPad? Try China's 'iPed'

MANILA, Philippines - It wasn't only the iPad that went on sale outside the United States last May 28 -- a cheaper tablet computer was launched on the same day in China, and it was aptly called the "iPed."

PCMag.com reported that the iPed is priced at a cool $150, much cheaper than Apple's minimum asking price of $500 (Read full article here).

It is said to be manufactured in Shenzhen where Foxconn -- maker of the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone -- is located.

Japan News Network (JNN) covered the unveiling of China's iPed. Credit: Ozcarguide.com.

Although it looks fairly identical at first glance, the iPed is quite different from the iPad. PCMag.com said the much heavier device runs on version 1.5 of the Android OS, a close rival of Apple's own operating system.

It also has a screen resolution of only 800 by 400 pixels, lower compared to the iPad's 1,024 by 768-pixel screen.

Last week, one of Shanghai's top computer marts started selling the iRobot, another iPad clone. It costs $400, less than the starting price of the real iPad.

The iPad officially went global on Friday with launches in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.

The tablet computer is set to come in Hong Kong in June, but no date for China or the Philippines has been set yet