Luxury Webblog Spot

Commemorating the momentous 90th birthday of international human rights icon Nelson Mandela, global luxury brand Montblanc proudly announced that it will support sales in the U.S. of the 46664 bangle, a bracelet introduced during the 46664 star-studded concert series hosted in London in late June. Distributed in platinum, gold, and silver, the bangles bear Mandela’s Robben Island five digit prison cell number, 46664, along with a 3D imprint of his hand and have already been met with an overwhelming reception (see also <http://www.newsrx.com/library/topics/Montblanc.html> Montblanc).

"Already, bangle sales have exceeded our expectations," says Robert Coutts,cuff Links, CEO of Coutts Inc., and social justice entrepreneur behind the bangle initiative which aims to significantly contribute to the eradication of HIV/AIDS in South Africa by pumping up to 48 percent of the bangle sales proceeds into 46664, the Foundation’s initiative for the campaign for the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

46664 has already become a powerful international symbol and brand for social justice in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Projected to sell 250,thanksgiving bracelets,000 bangles a year through 2010,bangles, each wearer who purchases this special bracelet will be able to track online how the funds will be used in alleviating HIV/AIDS through a unique serial number imprinted on the bangle.

"We have had to take necessary steps to boost production to meet the astounding demand from the international public," said Coutts. "Scale is critical to the success of this project as the goal is to raise sufficient funds to sustain HIV/AIDS prevention projects for the next 16 years for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

"Montblanc North America is very honored to be a part of this major international initiative," said Montblanc North America President and CEO, Jan-Patrick Schmitz. "Our brand is one that takes as much pride in promoting worthwhile causes around the globe as we do in creating our hand-crafted watch and jewelry collections. The 46664 initiative and the impact that a leader such as Nelson Mandela has had in society is important to helping create a stronger,thanksgiving gifts, healthier world."

Produced using "fair trade" precious metals from South Africa suppliers and with workmanship accomplished by local craftsmen, many of whom are living with HIV, the 46664 bangle will be available in the U.S. at select Montblanc boutiques in New York, Las Vegas,tiffany Pendants clearance, Miami, San Francisco, and Costa Mesa.

"This project is far more than creating the latest fashion statement," said Coutts. "Becoming the owner and wearer of a 46664 bangle is an affirmation of responsibility. As Madiba himself has instructed us: ‘The future is now in our hands,’ these bangles represent a commitment to bringing about a future for South Africa that is true to the vision of the man whose prison number they bear."

Achmat Dangor, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said that they "welcomed the innovative social business model of the 46664 Bangle Initiative that ensures that local artisans and workers benefit" and added that, "the

Initiative also has the potential to raise significant revenues for the 46664 campaign."

During its decade-long run, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project has become the kind of ambitious, multicultural ensemble and free-ranging idea that speaks to the master cellist’s searching intellect, relentless curiosity and impatience with musical categories.

Inspired by the East-West exchange of culture, art and music that took place along ancient trading routes between Europe and Asia, Ma’s ensemble showcases newly composed and traditional music from Silk Road cultures and destinations,discount tiffany cuff Links, from China to Iran, Azerbaijan and Korea. Music from the Americas has also seeped into the concept, including new works by the Argentine-born Osvaldo Golijov. The ensemble employs a revolving cast of musicians and 15 players are scheduled to appear in Detroit on instruments that range from traditional violin and viola to the Chinese pipa, Galician bagpipe and all manner of percussion.

At the center of it all is Ma, the self-effacing ringleader, sharing the spotlight generously with his colleagues and teaching by example that music is about the communication of inspired emotions,tiffany, the quest for new modes of expression and authoritative mastery over the fundamentals of the idiom. And with the Silk Road Project, he has found a vehicle that manages to celebrate equally our differences and our commonalities.

7 p.m. Sunday, Orchestra Hall, Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111. detroitsympony.com. $25-$75.

JAZZ

Pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who turned 70 earlier this year, is one of the great jazz musicians on the planet. When he is in good company and in the mood to honor his straight-ahead roots, the inspired brilliance of his improvisations can stop the world.

Of course, Hancock has always had a populist side to his personality too, and the Big-To-Do in his landmark 70th year is the recent release of "The Imagine Project," an earnest crossover CD with a global-peace theme and starry guest list including, among others, Dave Matthews, Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Beck, John Legend,cheap tiffany jewellery, Chaka Khan, Seal, Wayne Shorter and Juanes. As a jazz critic, I’m not the target audience for the album, and found it mostly mundane, lacking the sublime melodic expression, surprise and texture of "River: The Joni Letters," Hancock’s Grammy-winning marriage of jazz and adult-pop interpretations of Joni Mitchell’s music.

Hancock’s road band that arrives in Detroit next week is built to champion "The Imagine Project," with Hancock joined by guitarist Lionel Loueke, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and vocalist Kristina Train. Hancock will surely mix in a few of his classic compositions; even in crossover mode, jazz and the spark of improvisation percolate through his conception. But don’t expect state-of-the-art post-bop from this group. (Some material calls the concert a tribute to Donald Byrd, the Detroit-bred trumpeter who gave Hancock his first big break in 1960, but at press time it remained unclear whether any specific tribute programming was planned.)

8 p.m. Wednesday,buy tiffany cuff Links, Chene Park Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater, Detroit. 313-393-7128. cheneparkdetroit.com. $22-$55.

Contact MARK STRYKER: 313-222-6459 or stryker@freepress.com

MORE CLASSICAL PERFORMANCES

Jack Wright and Bob Marsh: With the Saturnian Chamber Ensemble, 8 p.m. Fri. Kerrytown Concert House,bangles, 415 N. Fourth, Ann Arbor. 734-769-2999. $5-$25.

A local youth football league does not have to register a child who was denied entry because of previous conflicts between the boy’s father and league officials, a judge ruled Thursday.

Tulsa County District Judge Rebecca Nightingale denied a temporary injunction sought by 12-year-old Brayden Mathis’ mother, whose request to enroll her son in sixth-grade football with the Indian Nations Football Conference was denied late last month.

The boy’s father sued the conference three years ago when it denied a request for the then-third-grade Brayden to transfer to a team in the Jenks school district. The family lived in the Union district at the time.

A different judge ruled then that Brayden should be allowed to play in Jenks,pendants, although further complications arose when the family did not move into the Jenks district in accordance with the agreement.

The family did eventually move and has lived in Jenks since late 2007.

Brayden played in a different conference — which his father created — during the fourth and fifth grade, but he requested to play with Jenks in the Indian Nations Football Conference during the sixth grade.

The boy, who kept his head down during most of the hearing and cried as he took the stand, said he wanted to play with his friends.

"I want to play football with my friends from school, and I want to wear a jersey with my school’s name on it on Friday," Brayden said.

Tom Askew, an attorney for the conference, said the organization

must have rules to avoid chaos and was in keeping with its regulations when it denied the Mathises’ most recent request.

Conference officials acknowledged that the punishment was rare and harsh but said it was the only way to proceed because experience showed that the boy’s father, Tony Mathis, would not honor any agreements with the conference and would not abide by its rules.

Tony Mathis was banned from all conference events in 2007, but he still attended two games that year and had to be escorted out,bangles, conference officials said.

All the witnesses at Thursday’s hearing said Brayden had broken no rules and that they had heard nothing but good things about him.

Dana Mathis testified that she brought the suit this year to avoid bad blood between her husband and the league.

She was not familiar with many details of the previous court events and said her husband handled most of Brayden’s involvement with football.

"I’m the wife,Charm bracelet," she said. "I don’t know."

League officials said none of the Mathises asked about registering with the conference until several days after the July 22 deadline.

Nightingale ruled that the Mathises had not shown irreparable harm from the conference’s decision and had not proven that the conference had acted outside of its rule book.

One of the league’s commissioners testified that Brayden could play in other leagues during sixth grade and thus had options beyond Jenks.

After the judge read her ruling,necklaces, Brayden cried and huddled with his mother. His father was not present in the courtroom.

"Often the rights of the many have to prevail over the rights of one for an organization the size of the INFC to operate," Nightingale said.

The conference has registered about 10,000 children for the 2010 football season,tiffany, which lasts about 10 weeks.

The Mathises’ attorney, Steve Hjelm, said he was disappointed with the decision but doesn’t plan to appeal.

"It’s unfortunate they went to such great lengths to keep a sixth-grader from playing football," he said.

Shannon Muchmore 581-8378

Diageo is launching a three-month campaign with Mail Online on a cost-per-engagement basis, featuring content from Blinkbox, mFlow and JustEat to promote its premix ranges.

A branded content hub based around the theme of evenings in will launch on the publisher’s network. Users can watch movies for free,key rings, including Invictus and The Descent 2, and create their own music playlists.

They can also create their own TV guides,bangles, while a JustEat search tool shows them their nearest outlets.

The site will have a range of recipe feeds, and competitions with prizes including Blu-ray players and home cinema systems.

Each premix ad will be associated with relevant films. So Smirnoff Cranberry drink will be advertised around romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, while Morgan’s Cola will feature alongside The Descent 2.

Cost per engagement is an online ad model where advertisers pay a site publisher when users interact with their ad. It has been gaining a higher profile over the last year.

In this instance, Mail Online will be paid more when users take additional actions after viewing a Diageo ad, such as watching a movie, creating a playlist or entering a competition.

Melanie Scott, Mail Online’s digital director, said CPE is becoming more popular with brands and that Mail Online is running half a dozen CPE-based campaigns across verticals including drinks, automotive and FMCG, adding, "We get a brief a week."

Scott said, "We know how our users engage with our content and we have the advantage of being part of a wider network, which we’ll use to serve the ads across."

Mail Online is working with Carat on the Diageo campaign. Erfan Djazmi, digital account manager at the agency, said CPE campaigns are ROI focused and justify "pound for pound" why brands should invest in digital.

"The sooner brands realise they should be paying on performance metrics and engagement rather than just a lump sum, the better," Djazmi said.

However, there’s still debate within the online industry whether CPE will become a key online metric.

Matt Simpson, chair of the IPA Digital Media Group and head of digital at OMD,Charm pendant, said the CPE model won’t "revolutionise the industry" because it’s interpretation is ambiguous.

"It still very much depends on how ‘engagement’ is defined," he said.

Jack Wallington, the IAB’s head of industry programmes, said, "There are different ways of defining engagement and always will be. It’s important that it’s not over-hyped."

CPE deals provide a "safety net" for advertisers and agencies, he said, but added,Bead bracelet, "It won’t replace CPM."

Mikhail Basman, head of search and digital products at MPG Media Contacts, said the CPE model works best for FMCG brands and non-commerce sites – "those brands that have soft KPIs rather than hard measures such as cost-per-sale and cost-per-click. CPE KPIs are about engagement, involvement, trust, participation and attention."

However, he said for CPE to mature the industry needs to create best-practice standards.

Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

The results of a monthslong investigation into the apparent suicide of his 25-year-old girlfriend inside his Henrico County apartment reached Wyatt Ward Hollar while he prepared to ship out with his National Guard unit in Mississippi.

It was July 24, 2007, and Hollar sat down to talk with veteran Henrico homicide detective Thomas Holsinger and Kevin Harver,rings, a forensics specialist who had collected much of the evidence surrounding Danielle Wilson’s death.

They had traveled to Mississippi, they said, because they wanted to be honest with the young soldier and Virginia Military Institute graduate who had been shot multiple times in Iraq; he had spent four years there working under a private contractor training police. He saw a lot of friends die,bangles, good people.

But he chuckled that he guessed some of the men who had attacked him and his fellow instructors and trainees had been recent graduates.

The conversation, which had been recorded and was played yesterday at Hollar’s second trial, grew a bit more tense.

"You’re not under arrest," Holsinger promised. "There’s no warrant or anything. But some of the results have come back that aren’t really explaining your side of the story."

Hollar listened patiently, and then Holsinger lowered the boom.

"There is no way she shot herself," Holsinger said of Wilson,key rings, who had graduated from James Madison University and planned to go to graduate school in business. "Based on my investigation and everything that I’ve learned, you did not tell us the truth. Of course, that’s not unusual in my line of work."

Holsinger pushed, speaking of VMI’s tradition of honor and truthfulness. He said scientific evidence, months of testing and test fires of a gun that Hollar said Wilson used all showed that the gunshot was fired from as far away as 3 feet, an impossible distance for the woman to have executed a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her chest.

There was gunshot residue on both of Hollar’s hands and on one of Wilson’s hands, Holsinger said.

Hollar didn’t budge under the gentle prodding of Holsinger, whose soft but urgent voice belied a dogged determination.

"I’ve told you the truth," Hollar replied. "I can’t explain what your reports say. What I told you is what happened."

He pleaded his case again and again, even when Holsinger said he should expect to be arrested on a murder charge after investigators and prosecutors took their case to a grand jury.

Hollar, then 28, was indicted and arrested in February 2008, almost a year to the day after Wilson’s death.

Yesterday, the second day of his second trial, Hollar showed the same unshakeable confidence he expressed in Mississippi almost three years ago, as a rapt jury listened to the hourlong conversation with Holsinger and an earlier voluntary discussion with the detective the morning of Wilson’s death.

Now 30, Hollar won a new trial after being convicted in October 2008 of second-degree murder and being sentenced the same night to 15 years in prison. He was taken in handcuffs from a courtroom in front of his weeping family.

But the decision was overturned when Hollar’s legal team, Cary Bowen and Susan Parrish, discovered that jurors had listened to portions of the first interrogation that weren’t played in court.

The same legal team is now counting on new forensic findings that state experts had been wrong to conclude that Wilson could not have shot herself. Prosecutors, however,cuff Links, have a new expert who is expected to say the original findings by the state were correct.

The trial continues this morning in Henrico Circuit Court and is expected to last through Friday.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or bmckelway@timesdispatch.com.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved an extension of energy rate discounts to help retain, expand, and attract California businesses served by Southern California Edison (SCE).

The program offers a discount to companies who, without the discount,bangles, would shut down or relocate outside California due to high operating costs. Qualifying businesses may receive up to a 12 percent discount on their electricity rate for a five-year period, subject to specifications in the applicable tariff.

The rate discount is available to businesses with 200 kilowatts or more of electrical "demand" (the amount of energy needed at a point in time). Applicants must document that their electricity usage would not be retained,cuff Links, added or located within California without the availability of the discounted rate.

SCE proposed the discount in order to help address the drop in manufacturing employment within California. State labor statistics show California lost more than 190,000 jobs – or one-eighth of the total manufacturing jobs – since July 2007.

"Retaining and attracting businesses means more jobs for the communities we serve," said Lisa Cagnolatti,Charm pendant, vice president of SCE’s Business Customer Division. "That’s good for our customers and for Southern California."

Customers wishing to find out if they qualify for the rate discount program, or wanting to begin the application process, can contact SCE’s Economic Development Services team at (909) 357-6504 or economicdevelopment@sce.com.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities,rings, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

There are three William Longs in the big city of Hutchinson.

And, over the past few decades, the three men have sold suits, men’s clothes and other items at their separate downtown Hutchinson businesses,key rings, which, coincidently, are across the street from each other.

However, William D. Long says, his Long’s store, 110 N. Main St., is still in business, just like it has been since 1946.

William D. Long received several calls since The News ran an article that state agents had seized the assets of Mainstreet Menswear on Wednesday morning for nonpayment of taxes.

William C. Long Sr. and Jr. — no relation to William D. Long — own that business.

Confused? Well, so are some of William D.’s customers, he said.

William D. Long said he knew there would be a problem when someone left condolences on his home answering machine Wednesday. His customers also are calling the store asking what will happen to their orders.

Nothing, of course, he said.

"Primarily,cuff Links, it hasn’t been a problem,rings," he said of having multiple William Longs with businesses, noting that if someone called asking for junior or senior, he and his employees knew to redirect them.

"It’s a little more of a problem now," he added.

Long’s is open seven days a week, he said, and will continue to offer men’s and women’s clothing, as well as boots, Western wear,bangles, suits and tuxedo rentals.

Credit: The Hutchinson News, Kan.

A statewide conference on "Explosion of Youth Problems–Crisis and Solutions" Wednesday,Charm pendant, July 28,Charm bracelet, at Westminster College in Salt Lake City will feature an 11:00 AM news conference with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Four-Star General/former U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey, the Chairman of the nation’s largest behavioral treatment provider, CRC Health Group, Dr. Barry Karlin, and a special Introduction by Utah First Lady Jeanette Herbert. A parent and student will also speak. The public is invited at no charge (see also <http://www.newsrx.com/library/topics/Mental-Health.html> Mental Health).

Four-Star Gen. McCaffrey, former National Drug Policy Director, said, "This is a national crisis. More than 5 million teenagers have serious behavioral disorder issues according to the Surgeon General. At least one in five youth have a mental health disorder – 46,000 young people in Utah alone. Mental health issues can manifest into a host of behaviors including drug and alcohol abuse which is growing at an alarming rate. Utah’s treatment gap for drug and alcohol abuse among all ages is 178,000; only 15,000 receive treatment. Almost 100,necklaces,000 Utah youth 12-25 need but do not receive treatment."

Dr. Barry Karlin, the Chairman and CEO of CRC Health Group, the country’s largest behavioral treatment organization with 145 facilities, including nine in Utah specializing in helping troubled youth, said, "The conference will create greater awareness of the explosion of problems facing young people today. We’re bringing together clinical experts, providers, parents,bangles, families, local government, safety leaders, and the public to discuss the range of co-occurring issues affecting youth including drugs, depression, bullying, runaways, unemployment, finances, and behavior and thoughts threatening health and life. We want more people aware of the importance of treatment and prevention."

Attorney General Shurtleff has had personal family experience with serious youth problems and the benefits of treatment and family involvement, and the First Lady has been an advocate and leader of many effective programs assisting troubled youth.

>From 10-11 AM, there will be a display, also open to the media, of ways to deal with problems, and solutions and programs that can be utilized. Following the 11 AM news conference, media is invited to join the experts and attendees at an informal lunch at noon.

The conference is organized by CRC Health Group and its subsidiary Aspen Education Group which specializes in treatment of troubled youth. Other behavioral leaders participating include Dr. Rick Meeves, Executive Director, Outback Therapeutic Expeditions; Liz Zentner, Utah PTA Health Commissioner; and the Utah Department of Human Services; the Addiction Recovery Program and Health Support Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and many other experts and leaders.

Cupid’s arrow is providing a timely economic shot for some area restaurants.

Several establishments, especially those known for their romantic atmosphere, are booked or nearly booked for Valentine’s Day, still more than a week away.

The American Restaurant, for example, sold out for Valentine’s Day on Jan. 29 — more than two weeks before the big date.

The Crown Center restaurant, which boasts a heart-within-a-heart ceiling design and has been a Valentine’s Day gift lovers’ rendezvous since it opened on Valentine’s Day in 1974, isn’t seeing the same enthusiasm for the dreaded Friday the 13th.

But Thursday the 12th is nearly sold out.

Maybe diners are eager to splurge a bit after months of cutting back. Or maybe the primary driver is that Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, traditionally the most popular day of the week to dine out.

No matter — Jim Beemer of Blue Springs saw this coming. He made his Feb. 14 reservations at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza right after New Year’s, but even then could only make a 5:45 p.m. reservation or something much later.

“I didn’t want to be aced out. I knew from prior experience,” said Beemer, who celebrated at McCormick & Schmick’s on his wedding and his fifth anniversary.

Eating out has long been a popular Valentine’s Day choice — in fact, it is the second most popular day of the year for dining out.

“It seems like we are filling up much faster than last year,” said Andrew Sloan, co-owner of Room valentines jewelry 39 in Leawood. “Maybe they have been saving up for a special occasion.”

Reservations for Room 39 started in earnest last weekend, he said, with 130 seats booked for the 75-seat restaurant by Tuesday and only a few openings for late night on Feb. 14.

The new Fogo de Chao as of Wednesday only had openings from 2 to 4:30 p.m. or after 9:30 p.m.

“I think they are taking advantage of the holiday to come check us out,” said Sidiclei Demartini, a manager of the Brazilian steakhouse on the Plaza.

Still, consumers aren’t so smitten that they aren’t looking for deals, according to the National Restaurant Association.

“People still want to celebrate the special day, but they might do so on a budget,” said Maureen Ryan, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based association.

The Drop at 409 E. 31st St. has been expanding its dinner menu and also is becoming more “event-driven.” So this Valentine’s Day it will serve a special four-course menu with appetizer, salad, red snapper or petite filet, dessert and champagne toast for $80.

Farther south, McCormick & Schmick’s is offering a three-course steak and lobster, salad and dessert Valentine’s special for $29.95 from Thursday through Sunday.

“It was booked way faster than last year,” said Carey Grider, general manager of the Plaza restaurant. “People are saying, ‘What do you mean there’s no reservations after 3:30?’ But I think people wanted to get the best slots.”

——

Valentine’s Day dining

–Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day of the year to dine out, after Mother’s Day, with more bangles than one-third of Americans visiting a restaurant.

–Of those who dine out, 80 percent spend less than $100 on their meals, with an average spending of $62, based on 2006 data.

To reach Joyce Smith, call 816-234-4692 or send e-mail to jsmith@kcstar.com. Source: National Restaurant Association

Valentine’s Day has become hugely popular here and in other Indian cities thanks to the mindless opposition to the harmless event by activists of Hindutva outfits in recent years.

But when Pramod Mutalik, a publicity-seeking functionary of the little-known saffron outfit, Valentine’s Day gift Sri Rama Sene (SRS), sent his hooligans to attack women in a pub in Mangalore — even inviting television crews to cover it — last month, he struck a raw nerve in cities, enraging millions of young, educated and liberal Indians.

Thanks to the power of television, the mass media and the internet, Valentine’s Day this year will be celebrated in a grand manner in cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The overwhelming response from young, urban educated Indians to the ‘anti-Talebanisation’ campaign being launched by individuals, activists and NGOs has come as a bolt from the blue to Hindutva outfits.

In Mumbai, for instance, the Shiv Sena, which has for years been opposing Valentine’s Day celebrations, has maintained an unusual silence on the issue. In fact, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is assiduously wooing the urban youth in Mumbai, has openly come out in support of Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Jitendra Avhad, a leader of the NCP, has set up a stall outside the busy Thane station, selling V-day cards. Thane is a traditional Shiv Sena/Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) stronghold. Gift shops, hotels and restaurants, jewellery retailers and others are also openly advertising special V-Day promotions in newspapers, on television and in the outdoors.

In fact, even retailers in Sena bastions like central Mumbai report a huge demand for greeting cards,bangles gifts and accessories. An emerging lower-middle, consuming class, comprising young collegians, has taken to Valentine’s Day in a big way, surprising parties like the Shiv Sena, the MNS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

And with general elections due in just a few weeks — to be followed later by state assembly elections — political parties including the saffron ones are reluctant to alienate any section of the electorate.

The anti-SRS agitation gained momentum after a group of young women netizens launched the ‘Consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women,’ on social networking site Facebook; they are busy collecting ‘pink chaddis’ (panties) to be sent to Mutalik and his cohorts on Valentine’s Day.

Members of Hindutva outfits are usually dubbed ‘chaddi-wallahs’ for the ‘khaki’ shorts worn by cadres of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent body of saffron organisations.

About 25,000 women have signed up for the ‘pinky chaddi’ campaign of the Consortium.

Even the Mumbai Press Club is hosting a Women for Excellence (WE) bash on Friday, urging women rings journalists to “don some pink, turn up for the bash and let the Ram Sene turn red.”

nithin@khaleejtimes.com