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Which is the world's most expensive suitcase

Which is the world's most expensive suitcase?Over the years, suitcases have become a style statement with new designs and techniques making them pricey and attractive. Take the Rediff Business Quiz and Hermes belt replica paris find out how much you know brown hermes belt replica about the latest in vogue.Biz Quiz is best viewed in Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape above version 6.0.1. Which is the world's most expensive suitcase?a) Givib) Delseyc) HenkWrong! Try again.Wrong! The correct answer is Henk.Priced at $20,000, Henk is the most expensive suitcase in the world. Henk van de Meene, who runs a real estate business, designed this suitcase initially for his personal use. Today, Henk manufactures about 3,000 suitcases annually. Made of carbon fibre, aluminium, fine wood and leather, it is huge in size but weighs only 11 pounds. Henk van de Meene, who runs a real estate business, designed this suitcase initially for his personal use. Today, Henk manufactures about 3,000 suitcases annually. Made of carbon fibre, aluminium, fine wood and leather, it is huge in size but weighs only 11 pounds. Even when it is fully loaded, it exerts only 25 grams of pressure on one's fingers! A whopping $10 million was spent on the research and development of this suitcase.2. Which foreign luggage company has a tie up with VIP?a) Samsoniteb) Carltonc) AntlerWrong! Try again.Wrong! The correct answer is Carlton.VIP Industries acquired the brand and luggage manufacturing equipment of UK's Carlton International in 2003. The deal covers the entire Carlton's ange of award winning designs. VIP Industries has a wholly owned subsidiary in London, Carlton Travel Goods, to sell both Carlton and VIP brands. Carlton International, established in 1976 is the largest supplier of luggage in the UK. Carlton is known for its unique and innovative range. The deal covers the entire Carlton's ange of award winning designs. VIP Industries has a wholly owned subsidiary in London, Carlton Travel Goods, to sell both Carlton and VIP brands. Carlton International, established imitation hermes belt on sale in 1976 is the largest supplier of luggage in the UK. Carlton is known for its unique and innovative range. Today, Carlton and VIP brands have a significant presence in Europe.3. Which luggage company in India has introduced a locking system approved by the US Travel Safety Advisory?a) Samsoniteb) US Luggagec) Atlantic luggageWrong! Try again.Wrong! The correct answer is Samsonite.Samsonite India's Silhouette 9 was launched in December 2004. The Silhouette 9 has a special locking system. This enables the US customs officials to open the luggage with master keys supplied to all the 1,400 customs entry points by the company. This will be beneficial to people travelling to the US. Silhouette 9 is available in India in six different sizes and three colours. The company has 143 exclusive outlets fake hermes belts whosale in the country and the number is likely to increase to 165 by the end of 2005.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
William Devin Howell kept body of woman in his murder mobile van for weeks and slept with it

Cellmate claims serial killer admitted slaughtering seven and slept holding corpse he called 'baby' for weeks in his 'murder mobile' van

William Devin Howell, 45, a drifter with a lengthy criminal record, charged with six additional killings and is already serving time for manslaughterThe bodies of all seven victims were found at separate intervals beginning in 2007 in a wooded area behind a strip mall in New Britain, ConnecticutVictims disappeared in 2003 when Howell was working odd jobs in stateHave been identified as: JoyvalineMartinez, 24, of East Hartford; Diane Cusack, 53, of New Britain; Mary Jane Menard, 40, of New Britain; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29, of Seymour; Marilyn Gonzalez, 26, of Waterbury; Danny replica Hermes belts france Lee Whistnant, 44, of New Britain; and Nilsa Arizmendi, 33, of WethersfieldHe sexually assaulted some of the women and sex tapes were found in vanIf convicted, Howell would become one of state's most prolific serial killersBy

A drifter accused of being a serial killer told fellow inmates he killed seven people in Connecticut in 2003, including a woman whose body he kept for two weeks in a van he called the 'murder mobile'.

William Devin Howell, 45, told a cellmate 'there was a monster inside of him Hermes replica belt paris that just came out' and called himself a 'sick ripper',according to an arrest warrant released in New Britain on Friday.

He said if he wasn't caught, he was going to go cross country and kill others, it said.

Scroll down for video

The document was released after Howell was arraigned in New Britain Superior Court on multiple murder charges related to six of the killings.

A judge set bail at $10million, but Howell already was serving a 15 year prison sentence for manslaughter for killing one of the seven victims.

Howell told a cellmate the first person he killed was a woman he raped in his van, the warrant said.

Howell told the fellow inmate he kept the woman's body wrapped up in his van because it was too cold outside to bury her, the warrant Hermes belts replica paris said.

He also said fake hermes brown belt whosale he cut off the tips of her fingers, dismantled her bottom jaw and disposed of the body parts in Virginia, it said.

He told his cellmate he slept next to the woman's body in the van, calling her his 'baby', according to the warrant

Marilyn Gonzalez (left) of Waterbury, Connecticut, andDanny Lee Whistnan (right) were also victims of Howell

All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs in central Connecticut.

They were identified as: Joyvaline Martinez, 24, of East Hartford; Diane Cusack, 53, of New Britain; Mary Jane Menard, 40, of New Britain; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29, of Seymour; Marilyn Gonzalez, 26, of Waterbury; Danny Lee Whistnant, 44, of New Britain; and Nilsa Arizmendi, 33, of Wethersfield.

Police said in the arrest warrant that Howell sexually assaulted three of the women he killed.

Many relatives of the victims attended the proceeding, and several cried after Howell was brought into the courtroom in an orange prison jumpsuit, shackled on his arms and legs.

Howell did not speak or enter any pleas and the case was continued to October 28.

His lawyer urged the public to remember Howell is innocent until proved guilty.

Martinez's sister, Sandra Martinez, said: 'Today we had to face a monster.

'I didn't think this day would ever come, but thanks to all the hard work that was put into it they were able to catch him, and I hope he never gets out of jail and he rots,' she told WFSB TV.

The bodies of all seven victims were found in a wooded area behind a strip mall in New Britain.

'Let's remember each of these victims and their families,' police Chief James Wardwell said after the court hearing.

'Each victim was loved and cherished.

'They were people from our communities and in no way deserved the violence that ended their lives.'

The wooded area where the bodies were found is about 12 miles southwest of Hartford in Connecticut

If convicted of the killings, Howell would be one of the most prolific serial killers in Connecticut history.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
What we know so far about the charged Baltimore cops

Six Baltimore police officers were charged Friday in the death of Freddie Gray, the 25 year old black man who died while in police custody after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. All six officers were taken into custody on Friday and posted bond later that day, according to NBC Baltimore affiliate WBAL.

RELATED: Meet State Attorney Marilyn Mosby

Goodson, a 45 year old black man, drove the police van that carried Gray to a local booking facility. Gray was placed in the van head first and on his stomach, according to Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who provided a time line Friday of Gray April 12 arrest. Officers did not secure Gray with a seat belt in the van, which is against Baltimore police protocol, Mosby said. fashion cheap hermes handbags Gray suffered a "severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained" inside the police van, Mosby said. During the ride to booking, while Gray lay injured on the floor of the police van, Goodson made a stop to pick up another arrested individual, according to Mosby, who called that decision "grossly negligent."

Goodson faces the most severe charge of second degree depraved heart murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Goodson faces the following charges:

Second degree depraved heart murder (30 years)

(10 years)

Misconduct in officeCaesar R. Goodson Jr.

Lt. Brian Rice, hired Dec. 21, 1997. Gross pay: $83,846.38.

Rice, a 41 year old white man, was reportedly hospitalized in April 2012 for mental health issues and his guns were Hermes birkin bags fake confiscated, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. The AP also reported that Rice had been placed on administrative suspension at least twice.

According to Mosby timeline, Rice was the first officer to make eye contact with Gray, which prompted Gray to flee. A foot chase ensued before Gray was ultimately arrested.

Rice faces the following charges:

Assault in the second degree (10 years)

Assault in the second degree (10 years)

Misconduct in office

Misconduct in officeOfficer William G. Porter, hired July 23, 2012. Gross pay: $51,142.68

Officer Porter, a 25 year old black man, arrived at imitiaton hermes bag the police van transporting Gray after it had already been on the road, replica birkin handbags Mosby said. Along with Goodson, Porter checked on Gray, who told them he could not breathe. The officers asked Gray whether he needed medical attention, Mosby said, and Gray said more than once that he was in need of care. While Porter lifted Gray from the floor of the van to a bench, Mosby said Porter and Goodson did not restrain Gray nor call in a medic.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
What Sets A Home Based Business Franchise Apart

What Sets A Home Based Business Franchise Apart?

A lot of fancy words get thrown around whenever people talk about franchise businesses, and for even a seasoned businessperson, unfamiliar with exactly what every term means, things can get a little fuzzy. The term home based business could very well be one of those terms. When you start an Entech USA Vending franchise, your home computer, phone, and a vehicle for towing vending machines and energy drink stock around town is all you need.

No Stock

The average home based business has this going for it too. Sparky, allow franchisees the opportunity to expand the service to include multiple trucks and as many employees as desired. Generally, though, because a home based business is designed to be run entirely from home, they are not structured to require the use of other people. So while many franchises (particularly those with a storefront) need to worry about finding, hiring, paying, and maintaining fashion cheap hermes handbags a certain number of employees in order to properly function, work at home businesses do not.

Very Little Overhead

What no storefront, no stock, and no employees adds up to is a much less expensive business than most. There is no rent to pay, no paychecks, and no trouble of buying and returning merchandise all the time. A Creation Carpets Flooring of America franchisee, carrying nothing more than client paperwork and chip samples of flooring, has no overhead other than maybe fuel for the car that he drives to a client meeting. Likewise, all a 1 800 DryClean owner has as a regular expense is the upkeep of the company delivery van, and even that kind of expense is minute in comparison to the average franchise.

Freedom To Set Your Own Schedule

Not everyone works best from 9am to 5pm; for whatever reason, some of us do our best work between 6pm and 2am. Work from home franchises allow you the freedom to work whenever Hermes birkin bags fake is best for you, because along with not having to accommodate to a supervisor, you don have to accommodate to the waking hours of a public clientele like a retail franchise does. For instance, if you a Homes Land Magazines franchisee, there are times that you have to work within ordinary business hours so that you can make sales calls to find buyers for your real estate ad space, but any part of daily business that doesn involve contact with clients can be done whenever you see fit.

One Difficulty all the things that separate a home based business from other kinds of franchise businesses are perks, however. One difficulty specific to home business is the challenge of separating work from all other aspects of life. Since a PreQuence imitiaton hermes bag franchisee works in the same place that he lives, eats, plays, sleeps, and enjoys his family, it can often be hard to not mix those different things and wind up getting distracted from full engagement in any of them. Watching TV when you planned on working; working when you planned on playing with your kids; if you don have the self discipline to separate work from home, make sure to factor this into your decision. It takes a great degree of diligence to keep everything fake hermes bag in order when working from home.

In a nutshell, home based business is a completely different ballgame than any other kind of franchise business. For some, those differences may make it a great deal more appealing, but it isn for everyone. Before diving into any business opportunity, make sure that it gives what you looking for and will work well with your natural tendencies.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
VW TDI Performance

As with building up any vehicle for power, vw tdi performance starts with the basic modifications first. The vw tdi will get its biggest two gains out of a tdi chip or module and out of tdi injectors. Your average chip or module upgrade will give about a 20% power increase. A tdi injector upgrade usually yields about a 20% gain as well. If the right combination of tdi chip/module and injectors are used even more will be gained. (Van Aaken Smartbox Van Aaken Smart Power Nozzles) Those are the most basic vw hermes mens belt replica tdi performance upgrades. Another basic vw tdi performance modification is the tdi exhaust. If you are going to increase fueling you will in turn increase EGT s (exhaust gas temperatures). So to keep temperatures lower and to help increase performance of the vw tdi even more, one of two things can be done. One a mufflerectomy can be performed in which the muffler and resonator are removed and a straight pipe is put in their place. This opens things up a little and removes the baffling of the muffler so that the exhaust can flow more freely. The second tdi exhaust option is the aero turbine muffler. The inner design of the muffler works the same as a jet engine to increase the flow of Hermes belt replica exhaust even more than what a mufflerectomy does. The inner design splits the air via an air foil. The faster air moves through the center and the slower air moves around the outside of the air foil, the slower moving air then re enters the main air stream through inlets that go down the sides of the mufflers inner cylinder. This recombining creates a vortex that lowers the tone of the exhaust and dramatically reduces back pressure by increasing the flow of all the exhaust that moves through it. Increasing air flow into the engine will help more of the fuel to be combusted and to help extract more power out of hermes classic belt replica each molecule of fuel. Most cold air intakes have a large cone air filter that is able to move up to 300% more air than the stock air intake system. This makes the cold air intake an important part of any vw tdi performance package, sadly though cold air intakes are not currently made for all the vw tdi models. Another modification that helps with air intake and exhaust is water methanol injection. Water methanol injection is also known as chemical intercooling. It has a three fold effect on the diesel engine. It cools the intake charge which provides for more available air intake and the benefits of a higher positive pressure ratio (more power giving fuel can be utilized safely without high combustion temperatures). Two, the combustion of water also adds power and three; methanol is also a high octane fuel that adds more power. Water methanol injection typically lowers EGT s by about 200 to 250 degrees on bigger diesels and is slightly under that for the vw tdi. So in conclusion, to be able to build a real beast the modifications must be made from the ground up. Flowmaster The Exhaustive DebateAntique And Vintage Cars And Their AlureInject your Rig with Venom and Get Ready to Ride the SnakePerformance Parts Making you feel better about your rideHave a High Performance Vehicle You Can Be Proud Hermes replica belt paris OfRoof boxes: Make handy add ons to your car
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
Want to stay in Vancouver for

SubscriptionsGo to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your:My ProfileIt's not unusual to rent out your home as a vacation property, but when that home is a camper van parked on the streets of Vancouver, it becomes a little more interesting.Luna Mammon bought her 1980 Dodge Ram camper van earlier this summer after returning home to fake hermes mens belt Vancouver from extensive travel abroad.Airbnb offers $250 cash incentive to first time hosts in Metro VancouverVancouver wants province to tax Airbnb rentals like hotelsTwillingate tourism: Vacation off the grid with a 1979 camper imitation hermes mens belt vanLuna Mammon's camper van is parked on the streets of Vancouver. It is her home and is also available as a per night rental on Airbnb (Dillon Hodgin/CBC)Mammon lives in the van she lovingly calls "Moonbeam" full time, but recently decided to rent it by the night to travellers hermes belts Knockoff because she needed the money."The response has been overwhelming," she said."I've had to block some days on the internet as time for myself."The 'hippie van life'As vacation properties go, the van is on the sparse side. It has a double bed, a top imitation hermes belt sale bunk that Mammon uses mainly for storage because it is "a little bit squishy," a few shelves and not much else.At around $60 a night, a stay in the camper van is cheaper than other nearby listings on Airbnb in Vancouver. (Airbnb)There is electricity thanks to a battery and adapter, meaning Mammon can charge her devices and make smoothies.In her Airbnb listing she writes, "You wanted the hippie van life, this is it!"She then goes on to describe the most striking omission: there is no bathroom."There are coffee shops that are a two minute walk away, the community centre is really close by," Mammon said, then added with a smile that there is also a also 'pee jar' guests are welcome to use.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
Willie John McBride's '99' call

The Lions concluded that the Springboks dominated their opponents with replica birkin handbags physical aggression and intimidation and, led by the legendary Willie John McBride, decided to match fire with fire.

At that time there were no video cameras or citing officials to deal with violent play fashion cheap hermes handbags and so McBride's Lions decided to get their retaliation in first.

Should any one of the tourists be targeted by the South Africans for a bit of rough stuff, the Lions postulated that a South African referee would probably not send off all of the Lions if they retaliated en masse against what they perceived to be "blatant thuggery".

Famous video footage of the 'battle of Boet Erasmus' shows full back JPR Williams running over half the pitch and launching himself at imitiaton hermes bag Moaner van Heerden.

Later, when asked about the to stamp out the troublemakers as the late Gordon Brown called it, Williams said: yes, it was a one in, all in philosophy. It left the ref with a real problem. He couldn't send anyone off replica hermes handbags outlet because if he did, he'd then have to send off the lot of us.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
We answer the most Googled questions about UKIP

Nigel Farage is rarely out of the headlines andnow we can reveal exactly Hermes birkin bags fake what people want to know about the outspoken UKIP leader.

From his height to whether he has children, below are thequestions and answers to the most Googled queries about the beer loving politician.

Mr Farageis not part of the official Vote Leave campaign, but has been dictating the Brexit agenda with his relentless focus on cutting the hundreds of thousands of EU migrants who come to Britain each year.

Does Nigel Farage have children?

Mr Farage has four children from two marriages. His first wife, Irish nurse Grainne Hayes, gave birth to two boys, Samuel in1989and Thomas in1991.

And he has two daughters with his second wifeMehr. They arenamedVictoria (2000) and Isabelle (2005).

Mr Farage says his children have been bullied because of their association with him.

How much does Nigel Farage earn?

When you put together his salary from being an MEP with his wife's, the Farage household takes home 109,000 a year before tax, though he has claimed he is poor by politicians' standards.

He also reportedly claimed2m expenses between 1999 and 2009, and worked for twenty years on the London Metal Exchange straight out of school.

It has been claimed that he was blocked from replica hermes handbags outlet becoming a prefect after offending teachers with his far right views, though Farage called the accusations "utterly untrue".

After Dulwich heopted to go straight into the London Metal Exchange rather than attend university.

He broadened UKIP's appeal by expanding their policies to include preferences for tax cuts, immigration cuts and other socially conservative issues, but encouraging Britain to leave Europe is still the party's main priority.

When was Nigel Farage involved in a plane crash?

The UKIP leader crashed during an election stunt on polling day for the 2010 election, where he ran a failed campaignfor the Buckingham seat belonging to the Speaker, John Bercow.

He escaped with minor rib, chest and facial injuries, but the pilot had more serious leg and back injuries.

What are Nigel Farage's most memorable speeches?

A 2012 speech in the EuropeanParliament launched Mr Farage into the headlines.

He was fined 2,400 for saying to then EU President Herman van Rompuy "you have the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low grade bank clerk", before fashion cheap hermes handbags adding theatrically: "Who are you!?".

Is Nigel Farage racist?

No. UKIP have had issues with parliamentary candidates and councillors making racist comments in the imitiaton hermes bag past, but Farage has imposed a strict rule forbidding anyoneassociatedwiththe far right British Nationalist Party from joining UKIP, and sought to expand the diversity of his party prior to the 2015 General Election.
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
Washington Post breaks news on White House counsel

According to quotes in the first piece, pegged to the controversy over what she did and didn't tell the president about the IRS inspector general report, she is a "lawyer's lawyer," "very deliberate" and "one of the most cool headed people in the entire White House." There is also room in the first piece for Ruemmler's "legendary" shoe habit in 2006, she wore pink stilettos while prosecuting Enron! but two paragraphs were simply not enough. Hence the second story, dated five days later, devoted entirely to divulging that Ruemmler owns one pair of shoes characterized by "a jeweled paisley pattern; another is black and strappy." Guys, there is a regular Carrie Bradshaw in the White House.

But wait, you say. If Ruemmler didn't want the Washington Post to talk about her shoes while she's in the midst of White House "scandals," why did she wear them? A truly serious person would tiptoe through the West Wing barefoot. Could she arrange for some office appropriate sackcloth and ashes?

On my personal outrage scale, this ranks around the same place as the same paper describing congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema as "lecturing, hectoring, defensive, accusatory, pouty and curiously repetitive," and just below NPR recently scrubbing its incredulousness that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand could both have a voice and fight sexual assault in the military at the same time. It registers a lot below Vogue pressing Gillibrand again and again about how she lost weight. (The true highlight of Jonathan Van Meter's 2010 story was when he noted that the weight loss would help Gillibrand "no doubt remain attractive to her husband of nine years, who is two years younger than she is." Alternative headline: Sexy cougar gets back her beach body!) But it registers nonetheless. The Washington Post is still one of the country major papers, there are still far too few women in positions of power in the city it mainly covers, and at a time when Ruemmler is in the spotlight for whether she did her job right, the shoe chatter is simply undermining and trivializing.

A recent study conducted by Name It, Change It asked voters to assess hypothetical male and female candidates. Hearing descriptions of the female candidate appearance detrimental impacts on her candidacy even appearance coverage that purports to be neutral or complimentary damages the woman. It cost the male candidate nothing. That probably because the average American still has trouble believing that women can both participate in what Garance Franke Ruta termed system of beauty while working in system of power, such that a woman is more harshly judged for a leisure habit while a man extracurricular habits are brown hermes belt replica par for the course. There is nothing wrong with Ruemmler straying from the sparrow like business casual norm of Washington, to an extent that President Obama has apparently teased her about, but a description of a pair of shoes she wore seven years ago doesn belong in a national newspaper profile of her.

It was once, reluctantly, my professional responsibility to come up to Condoleezza Rice at a gala just after she ceased being secretary of state and ask her what she was wearing. But I worked for a fashion trade paper. Eilperin is the White House reporter, and as I write this, the shoe story is the third most read on the Washington Post's politics section. (How much of that is referrals from furious feminist tweets, one of which I issued, I cannot know.) Meanwhile, that shoe story, which Eilperin impressively carried on her own, is sadly undermined by the fact that the only photographic proof of Ruemmler's alleged fabulousness is her wearing muted beige heels.

There is something else that is interesting about that photograph: There are eight people in Hermes belt replica france the room, and Ruemmler is the only woman. Indeed, the first story notes that Ruemmler operates in a White House in which "some women complained that they felt marginalized" and that she is "one of the few women who has been able to imitation hermes mens belt break into the club." She has apparently imitation hermes belt sale done so on her own terms, professionally speaking, which can be easy. So here is a proposal for the politics reporters who want to add color and to their prose: How about we issue a moratorium until there more than one woman in the room, and see what happens?
Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
When your friends turn into salesmen

IT SEEMED an innocent enough invitation at first. A neighbour asked me round to discuss a new business she was involved with. Then she got to talking about enzymes and medical curatives, and did I realise that the nutritional industry was one of the largest growingin the world? She said that she had been wanting to get into that area for a long time but only recently had she found a product she thought was really worthwhile. All very interesting. At this point a very attractive woman in a very short dress who my neighbour said was also "involved" arrived and sat in on proceedings, beaming encouragingly.

Did I know, continued my neighbour, about this wonderful product called Juice Plus, which was "flash dried", powdered raw fruit and veg in capsules? Not a vitamin, not a dietary supplement, but the real thing. The company that made them was called NSA, and the amazing thing about all NSA's products was they are not available in the shops. How was it done? Had I heard of network marketing?

Her patter went on for about an hour before it dawned on me I was being baited to join a pyramid selling outfit. I should have walked out there and then, but I was too polite and her chat was too good. After I left I felt literally sick with stupidity athaving been duped so easily.

Network marketing is, its advocates claim, one of the few boom businesses of the Nineties. How it works sounds simple: you join a company, buy their products (your initial layout might be a few hundred pounds), and sell them on a part time basis to friends, family and colleagues. But the more important part of the business is to recruit people to join the structure below you, and then make roll on commissions from their sales. For example, you join and then recruit five people below you. All they need to do is recruit five each, making 25. Then if each of those recruits five, and so on, you soon have 625 people in your organisation, all selling things from which you take a cut. In a few years time you could be making, fake hermes belt price oh, about 18, 000 a month. Sound good?

The growing numbers involved in network marketing suggest that plenty of people think so. In the last four years of recession the larger network companies have particularly targeted middle class recruits with the promise of a lucrative part time income.

Most of the big companies are American: appropriately, the best known, Amway, is an acronym of "the American Way". Amway's main lines are household cleaning fluids, nutrition products and cosmetics. Other major players include NSA, specialising in Juice Plus, water filters and security devices, Herbalife (nutrition) and Cabouchon (jewellery and fashion accessories).

Unemployed graduates, freelancers and management victims of "company downsizing" are particularly likely to be tapped, as are married couples (which are seen as more efficient networking units). If it hasn't yet happened to you, it is likely that sometime this year, sooner rather than later, a colleague, an old friend, or someone you meet at a wedding will mention a "business opportunity you might be interested in". Over 442,000 people are now involved in the whole direct selling business in the UK.

Network marketing companies would like to be seen as part of the same tradition as the Tupperware and Avon ladies, but it is a cosy connection which is almost perniciously misleading. You can close the door on the Britannica man, and you know exactly what he is offering. But as I found out, the whole process of recruitment into network marketing is more insidious, exploiting social and family relationships to personal advantage.

Another journalist friend had a similar experience. "Some old family friends said: 'As a freelance you'll be interested in a business opportunity from a $4bn company.' I agreed to go to a meeting and dress smartly: they said someone was coming from a long way to talk to us. It turned out that I knew all the other people there hermes mens belt replica all of them were family friends. It was ridiculous and embarrassing."

Alistair, an hermes men belt replica administrator in the music business, and his wife recently met another young couple a friend's wedding. After they had been chatting and drinking for a while, Alistair admitted he felt that for someone in his mid thirties he was under achieving. The man said he knew of a business opportunity, and how about lunch at a hotel near Heathrow.

"I had the impression we were discussing a serious sideline proposition, but it turned out to be one step up from door to door, as it were," recalls Alistair. "As soon as I saw all these books under the coffee table about Success I began to have my doubts. But he was an excellent salesman and I left the hotel feeling 50/50 about it. Fortunately my wife snapped me out of it." Had she not, Alistair could have ended up joining Amway. "As soon as I thought it through I realised I was going to lose all my friends because you have to sell to them, and the products they were offering weren't even that great."

The products are in fact of secondary importance. As Alistair discovered, the recruitment process involves a lot of dream talk: where do you want to be in five years time, don't you want to walk the beaches of the world in retirement? "A lot of people are unsatisfied in their job and if a short cut is offered I can understand why they would want to do it," says Alistair. "A lot of people don't value their friends that highly, and the family is the only important thing. They think, well, if w e lose our friends we've still got each other." And indeed in the lobby of Amway's UK headquarters in Milton Keynes one wall is adorned with photographs of happy, smiling prosperous couples.

Peter and Gay Lewis, as youthful a pair in their early 50s as you are likely to come across, fit that description pretty well. They are top ranking distributors with Caura, one of the fastest growing network marketing companies, selling costume jewellery. "I really enjoy it," chirps Gay. "I love the product and it's great to run your own business, though you have to work hard." She concentrates on selling the wares while Peter looks after building the network, which already has 300 members. (Formerly they ran a small jewellery company of their own.) "Over the next three to five years this will become an international business of people we can work with as friends," beams Peter. "We are both Roman Catholics and I like to be doing a business that is ethical and where we can make friends some money." There have, however, been accusations of cultishness levelled at some network marketing companies. Leaders of Amway "groups" are known to organise huge, evangelical style rall ies to deliver their message ofpersonal fortune. My own experience with NSA, following my neighbour's initial sales pitch, raised questions about where super sales techniques become psychological manipulation.

About a week after she had approached me, I was invited to an NSA meeting to find out more, and as my journalistic hackles had been raised I decided to go along. It was held at the prestigious Institute of Directors. Everyone in the audience of about 40 people was very smart, the men in suits, the women power dressed.

A woman called Fatima Murray, evidently someone at or very near the top of a pyramid, gave a talk which used the classic techniques of both the salesman and the evangelist of repeating key phrases, gradually slipping from "I" to "we", and of posing questions only a fool would say no to. "The question that begs to be answered is: hermes classic belt replica is this business worth six years of part time effort for an income of approximately 19,000 per month? Do ask yourself that question." Then there was the cultish paranoia about the outside world's ignorance. After the meeting someone high up in NSA told me: "I would suggest you didn't talk about this too much to your friends because of course there is a negativity. It might spoil things for later."

When I told the same man that selling wasn't for me, he said selling had little to do with it. "What we are is messengers, we are creating a picture. That picture can be whatever you want it to be you know, people think they might pay the school fees or buy a holiday." The products were easy to move, they sold themselves.

Dan Shuster, general manager of Amway UK, also insisted: "We don't promote hard selling. We don't tell people to go door to door." When I asked how important it was to actually shift a large amount of products, he agreed that, "some people concentrate more on building the business than selling. And that's where the real money is."

This is the old problem with pyramids: the top glitters and the bottom struggles. The turnover of personnel in the network marketing business is 120 per cent a year. There is every indication that many drop it pretty quickly. It is plugged as a part timebusiness, but it seems it has to be more or less full time to make proper money.

Yet somewhere in all this there is a genuine business trend. Ten years ago, another direct purchase method, the mail order business, was negligible: now it is worth 5bn. There does appear to be more willingness among the British to shop at home and buy from friends, even in well to do circles. Caura, for example, is well established among the Chelsea set, and even the Princess of Wales is thought to have bought some of their trinkets. The managing director, Charles Owen, is aware of the uneasiness manyfeel buying from friends and is launching a direct order scheme soon.

"People know where they are with jewellery a harder sell is needed for washing up liquid," he says. "If you look at women speaking socially, they say, 'That's a lovely dress, where did you get it?' " Caura, he says, in 18 months has grossed 5m and has5,500 distributors.

It sounds harmless enough. But if my neighbour ever changes her line to jewellery, I wouldn't cross the road if she was giving it away.

6 An advice sheet on network marketing is available from the DTI, tel 071 215 3342

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Sep 21 '17 · 0 comments
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