Christian University in Oregon Closes for Day so 1,800 Students, Staff Can Serve Communities

For a 12th straight year, George Fox University will close its doors for one day to allow students and employees to assist nonprofits, public agencies, churches, retirement homes and individual citizens during a day of service on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

About 1,550 students and 300 employees are expected to participate in the 12th annual Serve Day. Teams will do a variety of projects – including construction, painting, weeding and cleaning – for 75 sites in Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas and Yamhill counties. Stops will include the Oregon Zoo and the Portland Rescue Mission in Portland; the YMCA and Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood; the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn; Medical Teams International in Tigard; and the McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity.

New sites to be visited this year include Innercity Sports Ministries of Portland, Women of Purpose of Newberg, the United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley, Marquis Care of Newberg and the Beaverton School District Clothes Closet.

Other locations to be served include churches and nonprofits in Tigard, Sherwood, McMinnville, Dayton and Beaverton.

Volunteers will meet on the Newberg campus quad at 8:20 a.m. and depart for a record number of sites at 9 a.m. The groups will return to campus by 4 p.m. The day concludes with a volunteer fair, church fair and campus-wide celebration with a rock 'n roll theme.

The theme of the event is "In Word and Deed" and is based on Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord."

"The volunteers from George Fox are life savers," said Kathleen Ris from the De Paul Treatment Center of Portland, a recipient of Serve Day last year. "Like other nonprofits, De Paul is always short on staff and funding. Having a group of this magnitude not only accomplishes a great deal of work, but it helps remind our staff the importance of community."

George Fox began its Serve Day tradition in 1999. According to Campus Compact, a national coalition that promotes community service in higher education, it was the first instance of an entire university shutting down for a day of such activity.

"I had the privilege of weeding a garden for Allie (the lady we served)," said Gavin Bennett, a first-year student who served at Love INC of Newberg last fall. "This garden meant the world to her as the plants came from her deceased father's garden, but it was completely overgrown with weeds. Telling us about it she started crying, so the two guys I worked with and I knew this job was special."

In 11 years, more than 11,500 students and employees have volunteered about 120,000 hours for Serve Day projects, and nearly 200 organizations or churches have been assisted, according to Brad Lau, vice president for Student Life.

"This special day has become a deeply rooted tradition in the life of the George Fox University community as we seek to show the love of Christ by serving Newberg, Portland, Salem, and the surrounding area," Lau said. "Our hope is that Serve Day will challenge those inside and outside George Fox to make a difference in their communities by serving others as a way of life."

George Fox University is ranked by Forbes as the top Christian college in the Pacific Northwest and among the highest Christian colleges in the country. George Fox is the only Christian university in the Pacific Nort fashion coats hwest classified by U.S. News & World Report as a national university. More than 3,300 students attend classes on the university's campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem, and Redmond, Ore., and Boise, Idaho. George Fox offers bachelor's degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, five seminary degrees, and 12 master's and doctoral degrees.

Contact:
Kendra Phillips & Rachel Lee
Serve Day Coordinators
503-554-2326

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Onlineshoes.com Partners with Network Global Logistics

Seattle-based Onlineshoes.com is excited to announce a partnership with Network Global Logistics (NGL), whose Columbus, Ohio distribution center now handles the majority of Onlineshoes.com's fulfillment operations.

Since being established as the first company to sell shoes on the internet in 1996, Onlineshoes.com has enjoyed a history of steady growth. Still privately held, the company started out in a 10' x 10' room at the back of a Seattle shoe store, selling five brands of footwear to online customers. Today, over 250 brands of shoes, clothing and accessories are featured at Onlineshoes.com, and 10 additional brands will be launched before the end of the year. Onlineshoes.com employs 170 at their downtown Seattle corporate office.

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, NGL was founded in 1971 and has grown to be the preferred third party logistics provider for clients in a wide range of industries, including medical, life science, technology, financial and retail. They boast eight distribution centers across the United States and a network of facilities strategically located around the globe. Other clients include Georgia Pacific, Eastman Kodak and children's educational toy company Leapfrog.

Says Onlineshoes.com founder and owner Daniel Gerler, "NGL has been handling our fulfillment for just over three months, and we have a great relationship with them. Our staff and theirs coordinated the inventory transfer from our former warehouse in Mukilteo, Washington to Columbus in a very short timeframe with little disruption to our customers."

Onlineshoes.com prides itself on being focused on customer satisfaction, for which it consistently receives the highest marks. It was recently named a winner in the 11th annual Bizrate Circle of Excellence Awards, an honor recognizing a select group of online retailers that provide outstanding customer experiences as rated by their own customers. Additionally, in March 2010, STELLAService released the results of an objective survey assessing the value consumers place on excellent service. Out of the 150 largest e-commerce sites, Onlineshoes.com ranked in the top 10%, along with such heavy-hitters as Amazon.com, Netflix.com, Apple.com and Zappos.com.

"By putting our warehouse operations in the capable hands of NGL, we're providing our customers with significantly faster delivery, an improvement that's been acknowledged in our already high customer service ratings," continues Gerler. "We anticipate that this mutually beneficial relationship will help fuel the growth of Onlineshoes.com, and we look forward to providing even more jobs in the Columbus area in the future."

Network Global Logistics presently has 48 full-time employees working on the Onlineshoes.com account.

About Onlineshoes.com: Established in 1996, Onlineshoes.com is the nation's first online shoe retailer. With a history that began decades ago in a family-owned corner shoe store, the company is committed to delivering exceptional value and service. Onlineshoes.com offers the latest high-quality footwear for men, women and kids with more than 240,000 shoe and clothing choices from fashion jackets online more than 250 name brands, as well as a wide selection of bags and accessories. Customers are entitled to a 110-percent price guarantee, a 365-day return policy, and free shipping and exchanges on most orders. For more information, visit http://www.onlineshoes.com.

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Debenhams Reports Snow and Recession Create Earliest Ever Start for Christmas

Debenhams has reported the earliest start to the festive season ever, with Christmas decorations goin women's jackets g up in homes all over Britain already.

Early snow and cold weather combined with the gloom of recession has encouraged thousands of people to reach for the tinsel and fairy lights to brighten up their days, sales figures have revealed.?

Sales figures for Christmas decorations (http://www.debenhams.com/christmas/christmas-decorations-cards-wrap/christmas-decorations ) started soaring at Debenhams on November 22, over two weeks earlier than normal.

However, the trend is bound to outrage traditionalists who believe that Christmas is already spreading well beyond the traditional twelve day celebration period.

Debenhams spokeswoman Ruth Attridge said: "It's clear that thousands of people are putting more faith in Santa Claus than the IMF or politicians to bring joy into their lives this year.

"The bad weather has made it feel like Christmas, and so everyone is saying, 'Forget tradition, and seasonal dates. It's been a tough year, we need a break, so let's get stuck in."

The news means that Christmas celebrations in the UK are set to last for an incredible six weeks this year.

Already Debenhams' sales of tinsel, Christmas trees, fairy lights and other decorations have reached a record high. Demand for Christmas trees has leapt by 1,658 per cent, crackers are up 2,374 per cent, Christmas stockings by 190 per cent, cards and gift wrap by 412 per cent and table decorations by 980 per cent.

Among the big sellers are traditional Christmas tree decorations (http://www.debenhams.com/christmas/christmas-decorations-cards-wrap/christmas-decorations/christmas-tree-decorations ) such as silver metal stars for the top of the tree, which are up 680 per cent, and sales of gold wreaths for the front door which have risen by 489 per cent.

'Ladette to Lady' Social & Etiquette Expert, Liz Brewer said:?"Decorating your home for Christmas is one of life's great pleasures and should be done with all the family to mark the start of the festive season.
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"The second week in December is seen as the appropriate time to dress your house, giving you enough time to check the lights are still working and to update your tree decorations whilst maintaining a sense of tradition and saving on the electricity bill.
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"However, I'm not surprised that Britons are opting to deck the halls before December. A little Christmas magic bucks the spirit and brightens the days before the holidays begin."

Until now, sales of Christmas decorations have followed a totally predictable path, year in year out, with demand starting at the start of the second week in December.?

Debenhams Ruth Attridge added: "These figures show that everyone in the UK is desperate to have a something to look forward to this year.?

"Seeing Christmas decorations gives everyone a sense of excitement. It's a reminder of their own childhood when, magically, all of the things they hoped for did come true."

About Debenhams:
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a strong presence in key product categories such as women's fashion - including velvet dresses (http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigate?ps=default&storeId=10001&sfn=Style&lid=%2F%2Fproductsuniverse%2Fen_GB%2Fproduct_online%3DY%2Fcategories%3C%2Fcategories%3C%2Fcategories%3C%2Ffunction%3E&catalogId=10001&sfv=Velvet+dresses ) - menswear, kid's clothing, home, Christmas gifts (http://www.debenhams.com/christmas ) and health and beauty.

Debenhams is the second largest department store chain in the UK.

Debenhams operates 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark, comprising 154 full department stores and 13 Desire by Debenhams stores, which is a small store concept featuring an edited product range. Debenhams also has 60 international franchise stores in 23 countries.

Debenhams online store can be found at Debenhams.com, where shoppers can find out all about the latest products to reach Debenhams's via Debenhams TV.

PR Contact:
Ruth Attridge
PR Manager - Menswear,?Beauty, International & Retail Services
Debenhams
33 Wigmore Street
London
W1U 1QX
0207 529 0172
http://www.debenhams.com

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Laura Ashley PVC Cloth Perfect for Transforming Dinner Tables

With recent research showing that a staggering 25% of British employees work all day without taking a break there's never been a better time to ensure that the family all sits down together to a proper dinner, or to gather friends around the table for a weekend get-together.

Old-fashioned values of home cooked meals using locally sourced, fresh produce are gathering force in the UK with people taking conversation over television, slow-cooke women's coats d casseroles over ready meals and veg boxes over air miles. So it's fitting that there's a trend towards home accessories that come with a traditional feel and a contemporary twist. Large tables laden with food and surrounded by laughter are best spread with a vintage-inspired cloth, but one with a PVC-coating that requires little in the way of cleaning after a fabulous meal - just shake and wipe down. The enduring popularity of polka dots needs no explaining - perky, pretty, clean and unobtrusive, they allow what's on the table to take centre stage without themselves fading into obscurity.

The Laura Ashley range of PVC coated cotton fabrics are available in candy-sweet shades of delphinium, eau de nil, pink and duck egg, all designed to create a fresh, crisp look that will be as well suited to covering dining tables as to providing the backdrop to a children's party feast. Designs featuring cupcakes and teacups will also perfectly create an attractive covering for kitchen tables, combining cosy informality with the appeal of low-maintenance.

And if creating a full meal seems like a little too much effort, anyone can indulge that yen for the type of sociability and companionship that is reminiscent of a gentler, more civilized time with an afternoon tea. Having made a comeback in the last few years, the appeal of tea served from a pot, wafer-thin sandwiches, melt-in-the-mouth cakes and homely scones dripping with jam is as strong as ever. Keying into this trend, Laura Ashley's pretty tiered cake stands come in appealing combinations of spots and stripes, or featuring dainty florals or scalloped edges. One lump or two? Either way, relaxing afternoons spent in the company of friends, family and delicious, soul-warming food make skipping a workday lunch seem worthwhile.

For more information please contact:
Laura Ashley PR Team
0207 880 5100

About Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley is one of the UK's leading retailers, with over 225 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland, plus an expanding international business offering stylish, high quality, great value women's clothing and home furnishings. In the last financial year Laura Ashley sales were ?268.4 million.

As a much-loved British heritage brand Laura Ashley founded in 1953 provides a source of design-led items, good-quality yet accessible fabrics, wallpaper, furniture, lighting and home accessories and women's fashion.

The company also offers an excellent level of services including an array of bespoke options for the home, including made to order upholstery in a choice of over 100 fabric options, made to measure curtains & blinds and a comprehensive Design service.

Laura Ashley has growing franchise operations all over the world, including the Far East, Australia, Scandinavia and South America, as well as increasing numbers of licensing projects for products including carpets, eyewear, scarves and bedlinen.

In addition to an increasing portfolio of store Laura Ashley also offers a mail order service and internet sales at http://www.lauraashley.com.

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Independent Voices for Unique Events & Travel Experiences for Discerning Travelers, Foodies & Culture Fanatics

A global travel blog network made up of independent voices from around the world, the new travel magazine will add in-depth coverage of cultural events, including festivals.?

Geographically, We Blog the World has coverage on every continent in the world, including the best U.S. travel destinations, the top U.S. cities to travel to, the top European destinations, the best places to go in Asia, where to go in Australia and the Pacific, tips on traveling to South America, top things to do in Canada, hot spots in the Caribbean and where to go in Central America, Africa and the Middle East.
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Focused on the human side of travel and storytelling, We Blog the World has added four new sections: Travel Products, LIFE, Style and Spas & Retreats, and has expanded its coverage of Hotels & Resorts in its Lodging Section.?
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"The new site focused on global travel and culture, will capture ideas from untold and told travel stories for the discerning and well-traveled globetrotter who has already been to many of the most popular destinations in the world.
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Events and Festivals:
While there are sites that list cultural events for a particular region, We Blog the World covers events on every continent. The expanded focus on Events and Festivals will include topics We Blog the World readers value, such as Arts, Culture, Music, Food & Wine, Entertainment, Green, Technology, Style and Women.
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"Coverage of international events and festivals from a global perspective is fragmented and limited," said Renee Blodgett, founder of the site. "We provide comprehensive and in-depth coverage of unique global cultural events, as well as other things important to a successful travel experience."
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Products:
The Products section will cover in-depth reviews as short pieces on products writers discover that will help travelers on and off-the-road. Travel products can range from clothing, bags and shoes to camera equipment, mobile devices and mobile apps, net books, laptops and social media apps that focus on food and wine or help travelers navigate their way to and around a new destination.
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LIFE:
We Blog the World explores the human side of travel, from storytelling, human interest stories and unique experiences that shape the world today. Inspirational and life-changing stories will be told in the LIFE section through feature stories and a Q&A format.
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The site incorporates a community of independent voices from around the world who discover remarkable people and experiences and then share their unique perspective with readers. ?
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Food & Wine:
For foodies and wine lovers, We Blog the World will continue to run fun and creative stories about food and wine, including events and festivals. Content will come in the form of restaurant reviews, farm-to-table experiences, interviews with chefs, unique recipes and food photography.
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Lodging and Spas/Retreats:
The new We Blog the World will expand its global coverage of hotels, lodging, and resorts and has added a new section dedicated to retreats and Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) spas. Independent voices will bring a human side to travel accommodation which may include an inside peak at the people who own the hotel or resort or those who make it tick.
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Style:
The Fashion section has been merged with the new Style section, which will not only include creative and interesting fashion from different cultures around the world, but also style, which includes great design of products, places and things.
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Women:
The Women section will feature women who are leading projects and building products and services for positive social change.
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"It's no secret that women are doing remarkable things and working in important initiatives across the world and so we want to highlight them – the untold unknown stories and some of the known ones," added Blodgett. "As a woman entrepreneur and founder, I think it's important to support other women who are spearheading projects and trying to get groundbreaking projects off the ground."

This year, We Blog the World was a media partner of GigaOm's Mobilize, Idea Festival, Tech4Africa, Mobile Loco, and the DEMO Conference. We Blog the World is also now hosting their site with Rackspace, a leader in enterprise-level hosting services for businesses of all sizes and kinds around the world. A very special thanks and kudos to the support, creativity and technical wizardry of those who helped with the relaunch of the site and kept things smoothly running along the way: Sky Schuyler, David Yip, Sonya Gey, Kelli Mutchler and Nathan Miller.

About We Blog the World
We Blog the World, the Globe Voice for Travel and Events, is an online culture and travel magazine focused on unique cultural events and travel experiences for the discerning, well-traveled globetrotter. Dedicated to the human side of travel, We Blog the World captures stories, experiences and visual highlights from every continent in the world through a community of independent voices.? For more insights, stories and tips on global travel and international culture, follow We Blog the World on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/weblogtheworld, Twitter @weblogtheworld, on YouTube and on Pinterest at: http://www.pinterest.com/weblogtheworld.

Hollywood Bodies Are The Tabloid Topic Of The Week –

Bodies seem to be the topic of the week – who has one, who doesn't, who wants one and more diets than we care to know about. In other words, none of the tabs have any NEWS for us this week. Except for the ENQUIRER.

Well, maybe not news but it sure as hell is better than the body bits you'll hear about later.

The ENQUIRER blasts TOM & KATIE SPLIT OVER LIES ABOUT BABY … THE TRUTH ABOUT THEIR LIFE INSIDE TOM'S MANSION. Obviously, the story is about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and the tabloid-fueled rumors about 'what ever happened to baby Suri?

In case you've been living atop a mountain in Tibet, the tabloid world has gone agog because Tom hasn't shown them baby Suri. That's right, no photos, no holding the kid up in the air for everyone to see – nothing. The tabs are all lathered up because they think they – and you – have a right to see the baby. Well, here's a news flash straight from Tabloid Tuesday World Headquarters – they don't and neither do you. The screams of 'prove to us there really is a baby' are resonating on deaf ears. Tom and Katie are not under any obligation to show the baby to any of the tabs, news organizations, private detectives or even people like you who are curious what the baby looks like. Is it a bit strange? By Hollywood and Tom Cruise standards, not even close. Sure, most normal folks would take pride in showing off their new bundle of joy, but remember who we're talking about here…. So all the tabs are in a feeding frenzy, raising ridiculous questions and making incredible demands for Tom and Katie to prove to them the baby exists. Get a life!

Let's move on to the bodies. Listen, if you enjoy looking at photos of young Hollywood stars and starlets in bikinis, short dresses, tight fitting clothes, lots of skin and hair – then you're going to LOVE this week's issue of STAR Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) , US WEEKLY and IN TOUCH because that's all there is. No news, no really juicy gossip, just a lot of photos of the same men and women we've all seen countless times.

IN TOUCH tries a new pitch with BODY CONFESSIONS … LINDSAY, BOOB JOB CONTROVERSY …. KEIRA, ANOREXIA RUNS IN HER FAMILY … ASHLEE, RESPONS TO SURGERY RUMORS… KATE, TALKS ABOUT HER WEIGHT STRUGGLE.

Now make sure you know who these tragic, suffering, deformed women are – Lindsay Lohan, Keira Knightley, Ashlee Simpson, Kate Hudson. Is there any ONE of them that you think has a body to be ashamed of? Didn't think so.

Ashlee Simpson – who's 21 (wonder what they'll say when she's 30?) – according to IN TOUCH owes her new look to cosmetic surgery! Want to know what part turned her into a 'blond bombshell' according to the tab? She had a nose job! Yup, that's all it took – from cute as a button to a hot tamale because, according to the story, she had a 'nose reshaping surgery.' Never mind the fact that she's 21, works out, is 21, watches what she eats, is 21, takes care of herself and, did we mention, she's 21!

IN TOUCH next turns to Keira Knightley. In the story, Keira is quoted as saying her grandmother and great-grandmother battled anorexia, but in the next sentence she lets the world know that she's not anorexic. Even an expert quoted in the story says that someone can be as naturally thin as Kiera and not be anorexic. But that doesn't stop the weight-watchers at IN TOUCH. Nope. Here's how they handle the denial: "But Keira's certainly looking slimmer than she was in 2003's Love Actually, and it could be because she's simply not taking care of herself.'

Get the point of how it's going with INTOUCH? Kate Hudson put on some weight when she was pregnant and lost it in about three months, but that wasn't fast enough for FAT POLICE at INTOUCH. Nope. According to the article "The star opens up about her battle to lose post-baby weight."

US WEEKLY focuses on diets with EXTREME DIETS … INSIDE HOLLYWOOD'S DANGEROUS OBSESSION WITH BEING THIN… and of course the poster girls are Kiera Knightley and Kate Bosworth. Same photos we've seen before, same words, same conjectures about 'have they gone too far.' Nothing new here.

And then there's the Star… hot pink and all. By the way, the photo on the cover of Carmen Electra beats any photos that IN TOUCH or US WEEKLY has on theirs this week. But as they taught Tabloid Tuesday in Journalism story – the story is the thing.

Star's headlines announce     THE NEW LIPO … NEW PROCEDURE MELTS FAT & TIGHTENS SKIN IN MINUTES! - & IT'S AFFORDABLE!... +12 SEXY CELEB DIETS THAT WORK!

Here we go, page 56 – THE NEW LIPO: MIRACLE FAT ZAPPER… hmm, only $3,000 - $4,000 per area (that's "affordable"?) Before and after photos of The Rock, Howard Stern, Kathy Griffin… but where's Carmen Electra? Nowhere in the story, that's where… she's on the cover, part of the "New Lipo" pitch – but as usual, what you see isn't what you get. You gotta admit – when you're expecting Carmen Electra and Kathy Griffin shows up, it's a real let-down.

THE MEN.COM WORST OF THE WEEK: THERE'S A 3 WAY TIE – US WEEKLY, IN TOUCH and STAR. Nothing of substance, nothing of interest, not even close to reality. And after reading them, you still don't know any more than you did just a few minutes ago.

THE MEN.COM BESTOF THE WEEK: NONE

Save your money. Go buy yourself an ice cream – you don't want to wind up looking like Carmen Electra, do you?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: According to the folks at IN TOUCH, Cameron Diaz said: "I need to have a cheeseburger now and again!" No wonder she didn't make it on the cover of the tabs this week. Keep up the good work!

Tabloid Tuesday is syndicated every week by Men.Com and provides a review and analysis of the front page stories from the tabloids.

? 2006 Men.Com. All Rights Reserved.

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International Timepiece Expert Meehna Goldsmith Launches Women’s Luxury Watches Blog

Internationally renowned haute timepiece expert, consultant and stylist, Meehna Goldsmith, today announced the launch of a new blog that focuses entirely on women's luxury watches and the women's haute timepiece market. Visitors to the blog will find informative posts on women's luxury timepiece design and mechanics, reviews of new and exclusive women's watches, and tips on sourcing and buying women's haute horlogerie.

"Until recently, women have been virtually ignored by luxury watchmaking brands. The prevailing attitude has been that all a woman needed or wanted was a beautiful piece of jewelry that told time," says Meehna. "Many haute horlogerie brands are now designing mechanical watches with women in mind. In my new blog, I will be covering the news and trends of this rapidly growing market of very savvy and sophisticated buyers."

Meehna is a regular contributor to leading trade publications such as Robb Report, Watch Journal, Cronos and HH Magazine. Her popular articles include market commentary, timepiece reviews and editorials, as well as in-depth interviews with celebrity watch enthusiasts. Meehna's personal relationships with the CEO's of major luxury brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Parmigiani, Montblanc, IWC, Piaget, Audemars Piguet, an Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) d Nubeo, keep her on the forefront of design innovations and emerging trends. As a luxury timepiece consultant and stylist, Meehna gives her clients unique access to the most exciting timepieces available, from the rare and unusual, to the extremely exclusive.

"A woman redefines herself in fashion every season, spending thousands of dollars on new clothing, handbags and shoes. The timepiece she wears is her most powerful accessory. It is the ultimate couture accent that makes a definitive personal statement of lifestyle and point of view," says Meehna.

About Meehna Goldsmith

Meehna Goldsmith is an internationally renowned luxury timepiece expert, consultant and stylist. She is recognized worldwide by the CEOs of major watch brands, as well as luxury timepiece buyers and sellers, for her in-depth knowledge and keen understanding of the haute horlogerie market and its emerging trends. Meehna is a regular contributor to the industry's leading watch publications and a popular speaker at luxury timepiece conferences and events. She is also an avid blogger, covering watch news and trends for both the men's http://bit.ly/Mens_Luxury_Watches and women's luxury timepiece markets.

For additional information contact:    
Meehna Goldsmith
310-210-8226

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