Excellence and Diligence

“Helen Chang, wow, we did it! From book jail to book hell to book heaven, all in a few months. Thank you for all your hard work, countless hours, and all-nighters with this project. Your work ethic is unbelievable. You are a woman of excellence and
diligence. This project would not exist without you. I enjoyed working with you, and I love your heart for people.”

- Dani Johnson, First Steps to Wealth, Acknowledgments chapter

San Diego’s population is growing in seniors and foreigners.

In the last 15 years, the region has actually seen a decline in people ages 25 to 35, young people who would be starting careers and families in San Diego. Instead, they are moving to Riverside, Imperial Valley and Mexico, where housing costs are more affordable. “They’re still accessing the (SD) job markets,” said Cox. “They’re just not in the county boundaries.”

Meanwhile, people ages 35 to 65 have increased in numbers. This means industries such as healthcare will keep growing, said Gin. At the same time, more foreigners have moved to San Diego, mostly from Mexico and Latin America.

While the region had huge population inflows in the late 90s, that growth has slowed in recent years. San Diego’s population growth, according to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce:

• 2002: 51,542
• 2006: 26,200
• 2007: 25,000 projected
• Total population projected in 2007: 3.12 million

EMPLOYMENT

San Diego will have fewer new jobs in 2007, economists said, but unemployment rates will remain stable.

In the last couple of years, the county has added 20,00 new jobs a year. In 2007, Cox expects this to dip to 18,000 new jobs. Gin is more conservative, placing that number at 15,000 new jobs in 2007.

In the past, about 35% of new jobs were in the construction industry. As the housing industry weakens, those jobs will evaporate. But the strong number of visitor industry jobs will ease this decline, said Cox.

Are all the new jobs in low-paying service industries? No. VC and grant money pouring into the region contributes to more middle-income jobs, said Cox. Also, the large number of down-sized employees who start new businesses creates a hidden employment that economists currently cannot account for.

The region’s unemployment rate is expected to remain stable, at about four percent. (Full unemployment is five to 5.5 percent. “We’re way below the state and nation,” said Cox.)

GAS PRICES

Gas prices also hurt or help the economy. More money at the pump means less money for other things. It also affects consumer confidence.

Gin estimates that every 10-cent raise in gas prices costs San Diego $7 million in the overall economy – each month. “People would be spending that money on gasoline when they could have been spending it on other things,” he said.

Despite the recent reprieve in gas prices, get ready for more sticker shock, said Gin. “In 2007, I think we will see a spike up again, due to economic factors, due to developments in the Middle East and worldwide demand for oil.”

This article is part of a comprehensive economic outlook. See related stories:

• The Housing Market
• 2007’s Strongest Industries
• Population Changes & Employment

Follow Helen on Twitter @helenchang.

See the original story on AboutFreelanceWriting.com

During the new year or the start of a business, we are often filled with lofty dreams of what we can accomplish in the coming year. A solid business plan helps. Visionboards and mind maps are also excellent tools for visualizing long-term and medium-term goals.

But how do you translate those dreams into short-term goals? How do large goals become measurable results you can accomplish?

By breaking them down into specific tasks and marking those tasks in your calendar.

Putting goals into your monthly and weekly schedule turns your vision into measurable steps with a deadline. This enables you to take daily action towards your dreams.

Short-term goals
I use my calendar to write down monthly targets, drawn as mind maps. I like to list a combination of personal and business goals, because that keeps me balanced.

I use a paper calendar, because the act of drawing taps into my creativity. But you can just as easily use an online or software calendar. One software program I like is www.goalscape.com, an intuitive program that allows you to create goals, with milestones and deadlines.

To truly work towards my dreams, I review my long-term and medium-term goals, then determine what short-term goals I want to accomplish during a month. But I don’t always do that. In fact, I usually only review my long- and short-term goals once every six months. I feel more facile that way. Either way, the point is to think about your monthly goals at the start of each month.

Calendar
In my monthly calendar, I draw mind maps on the right, and mark the calendar on the left. The mind maps show different topics, in priority from top to bottom for that month. Each mind map then lists tasks in that area I want to accomplish that month. For example, in January last year, spirituality was my first priority, so it appeared at the top. Next was my writing business and health. And so on.

Under the writing business, the goals I wanted to achieve for that month were: clear my space and get organized, set intentions for the year, and clarify contracts. I broke down the monthly goals further into weekly goals. For the week of January 17 last year, my goals included: set up desktop computer and finalize contract with client X. These specific tasks stemmed from the monthly goals of organization and contracts.

You can also break down weekly goals into daily to-do lists. For some reason, I got tired of doing daily to-do lists. Too much organization, I think. Weekly goals are good enough for me. But do what works for you.

As I accomplish each task, I check them off. First weekly, then monthly. If I don’t accomplish something, I re-evaluate or push it to another week or month. Then I create new goals.

No Goals
Not every goal is achieved. Not every task gets done. In fact, some months I don’t put anything in the calendar, because I didn’t finish everything from the previous month. Or I’m just plain tired. In October 2010, for example, instead of mind maps, I wrote down a lamb shank recipe I found in a book at a bookstore.

Sometimes I just have to give myself time to catch up or renew myself. The week of June 13, I had the goal: “Nurture and love self.” The week of September 26, I wrote: “Have fun snorkeling!”

Flexibility
Goals can change. Something I may have wanted at the beginning of the year may be impractical or irrelevant later. Or I may decide that some goals are more important to complete than others at a certain time. For example, finishing a client’s book can be more important than updating my website in some months. It helps to be flexible.

Grieve and Release
I also give myself permission to grieve unattained goals. During the financial crisis, my income dropped in half. I let myself grieve that year’s financial goal. Sure, it was justified, but it was still a loss.

This past year, I did not achieve a particular goal for a personal writing project. That’s ok. I still made a lot of progress, and I achieved other big goals. I released that particular goal, so I can set new ones for that project next year.

Celebrate
It’s important to celebrate achieving your goals. This gives you energy to create new ones.

I treat myself to nice lunch dates, go for long swims and spend afternoons at the beach.

The rewards makes the goals worthwhile. That’s when I feel like I am living the life of my dreams.

What do you do to turn goals into tasks? How do you let go of goals you do not reach? How do you celebrate goals you do achieve?

Helen Kaiao Chang is a ghostwriter, editor and journalist. She can be reached at www.ghostwriter-needed.com.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang

See the original story on AboutFreelanceWriting.com

The new year brings new goals and new promises.

It’s the time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished over the past year, release regret or disappointment over goals not achieved, and start to dream again for the coming year.

One way I review and create goals is by creating visionboards and mind maps. As a writer, you can use visionboards and mind maps to create long-term dreams, short-term goals, inner qualities and concrete results. You can use them for your writing, entrepreneurial and personal goals.

Visionboards are visual collages of what you would like to manifest in the world. Also known as treasure maps and dream boards, they were popularized by the movie, “The Secret.” But I had been doing them for years before the movie, and I can honestly say they work. I like to use them for long-term intentions.

A variation of visionboards is mind maps, invented by Tony Buzan. They provide visual reminders that also work very well. I draw mind maps as a way to set medium-term goals every six months to a year.

Long-term goals

A visionboard i s made up of images usually cut from magazine pages. I like to use these for long-term dreams and goals. One visionboard, shows a woman wearin g a straw hat and sarong stretched in front of a laptop computer. In the background is a beautiful beach, ocean and sky. She is surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. Above her is a check written to my name, with a monthly dollar amount.

This board hangs on my wall behind my desk. Now, when I go to the beach in San Diego or Hawaii with my laptop and earn money writing, I think of how I am fulfilling this vision.

Another visionboard I created consists solely of dollar bills and deposit slips. The brightly-colored bills are from various sources inard is excellent for reinforcing my beliefs about being a wealthy writer entrepreneur.

I put this one up on another wall in my office. Within four months, I did in fact receive a contract for the smallest amount listed. In the last few years, have continued to sign contracts in other amounts and anticipate more in the future. But given my progress and new business direction, I plan to update this one, with new projects and new amounts.

Medium-term goals

I use mind maps for medium-term goals – six months to one year. Mind map drawings are based on the way the mind works – a main concept in the center that radiates outward. They look sort of like brain cells, with nuclei and tentacles. They provide a quick way to visualize main goals and subgoals.

I usually use children’s drawing pads and colored pens to create these mind maps. The act of drawing unleashes my creative juices, while the colors help imprint the goals in my mind. I use one page for each type of goal.

For my personal life, my goals include spirituality, family, relationships, health, wealth, education and fun. Some years, I add community, money, travel, or adventure, depending on my priorities.

For my writing business, I have goals in areas such as clients, revenue, sales, marketing, systems, technology and professional training. For journalism, I might list specific publications or types of stories I’d like to write.

In addition to action goals, I sometimes also write down inner qualities I want to cultivate, such as “trust” my life process or “cherish” my clients. Internal qualities can be just as important as external action. Both are types of goals.

I use a calendar to turn these long- and medium-term goals into short-terms goals. These then become specific daily tasks that support my vision.

Review Your Goals

In order for goals to manifest, it’s important to review them regularly. Some change. Some are no longer relevant. And some require more patience and intention.

But visionboards and mind maps are a great way to keep your targets fresh in your mind. The best part is when you accomplish those goals. You can tick them off and smile. Job well done.

How do you track your goals? Do you find that your goals happen more quickly when you write them down?

Helen Kaiao Chang is a ghostwriter, editor and journalist. She can be reached at www.ghostwriter-needed.com.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang

See original story on SDNN

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Adam Lambert, the “American Idol” finalist, knew during his days as a student at Mt. Carmel High School that he would be working in the entertainment business.

As one of the three finalists in the competition – after Allison Iraheta was booted off Wednesday night – Adam is a strong contender for the top honor. Like the other two remaining contestants – Danny Gokey and Kris Allen – Lambert is visiting his hometown Friday. The “American Idol” producers organize the hometown visits, which are filmed and aired on the semifinal show.

Lambert’s visit to San Diego will include a Fox5 TV appearance, two radio interviews on 93.3 and 94.1, and a visit to his high school alma mater. Following a Mt. Carmel High School parade in his honor, Lambert is expected to sing two songs at the Sundevil Stadium, which seats 4,000 people.

During his freshman through senior years at the Rancho Peñasquitos school, Lambert participated in the drama, choir and business clubs. Looking through the photos, he grew from an ordinary, pudgy freshman to a stylish, handsome senior.

In his senior year, Lambert and classmate Kristi Gill sang the national anthem at the homecoming game. Other photos showed him performing as “Bottom” in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in which he commented: “This was to make an Ass of me! Thank you for all the laughter.”

That year, he sported dirty blonde hair with platinum blonde highlights.

In the 1999 yearbook, his junior year, Lambert was in the choir and performed in “The Secret Garden.” He was also an officer in DECA, a club that prepares students for a business career. His hair was a natural dirty blonde.

In 1998 and 1997, his sophomore and freshman years, Lambert also participated in the choir. He looked like a cherubic teen back then.

In the Sundevils’ 2000 yearbook, when Lambert graduated, he wrote the following:

“Who knows what I’ll be doing in the future? I’m pretty convinced that I’ll be doing something in the arts, since that is what has pre-occupied my every waking moment for the last four years, or at least those I have been awake for. Speaking of which, I plan to get more sleep and get a job that does not require me to be awake at too early of an hour.”

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.

See original story on SDNN

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Mara Fortin and Judy Shuta of San Diego traveled to Los Angeles on Tuesday to watch Adam Lambert sing in the final showdown of “American Idol.”

Lambert performed against Kris Allen of Conway, Ark., in the last competition at downtown L.A.’s Nokia Theater.

More than 88 million people voted after last week’s episode, with “only” a million votes separating the top two singers, Lambert and Allen. This Tuesday night, the two will sang their final numbers, before the audience votes. The winner will be announced Wednesday night in the show’s season finale.

Mara, 36, and her mother Judy, 61, have been following Lambert since the season began. Mara, a business woman, is also a graduate of Mt. Carmel High. Judy, an assistant to the principal at Mt. Carmel High School, has known Lambert since he attended school there.

They both met Lambert two weeks ago, when he visited his alma mater for a student meet-and-greet and sang for the students and the public.

They got complimentary tickets to attend Tuesday’s show, from a friend from Star 94.1.

Mara and Judy sent SDNN updates throughout the day, before they entered the Nokia Theatre, and after they came out. Follow them here.

“It’s very personal to me, since I knew Adam,” said Judy. “It’s fun to see one of our own on ‘American Idol’ and possibly win the title.”

“It’s the ‘American Idol’ journey,” said Mara. “We’re just here to have a good time and support Adam. He deserves to win.”

Their adventure will be updated with the most recent posted first:

9:13 p.m. Mara and Judy drive back to San Diego.

“We’re dead tired, our feet hurt, and we can’t wait to get home,” said Judy.

8:54 p.m. Mara and Judy recall other parts of the show

“Adam and Kris are very close,” said Mara. “After each set, one would leave the stage and the other would come to set up, and they would hug each other.”

The two singers had done a coin toss, to see who would sing first. Allen won, and he chose to go second. By doing so, the audience would end the evening on his song and the judge’s comments for him.

Carrie Underwood sang the final song. She had a leg injury and limped onto the stage, said Mara, but when the cameras rolled, she belted it out and the audience couldn’t tell she was injured. When she was done, “she was limping off the stage,” said Mara.

Mara had the opportunity to see Lambert up close, because he chatted several times with the woman standing next to her — Kristi Gill, who performed in several high school musicals with Lambert.

Judy got to go to the front row and see Lambert’s father, Eber.

Judy said that the theater was actually very noise, with people and cameras moving around. “There was noise everywhere,” she said. “The performance we could hear pretty well, as long as people weren’t screaming. It’s much clearer to watch on TV.”

After the show, they mingled with the audience and took photos with Lambert’s dad, Eber.

7:35 p.m. Mara and Judy recall the show

Mara said: “I was in the front, right in the middle. I was closer to the stage than the judges. If I wanted to, I could reach out and touch them (the singers).”

Mara was in the moshpit, where fans stand the whole show.

“When you’re standing in that pit, it’s all about the arms, big movements. The producer told us to ‘Move your arms, everything is exaggerated.’ You have to get your arms up in the air to look like there’s anything going on there,” said Mara.

Lambert and Allen sang three songs: one that they sang previously in the show. One that Idol producer Simon Fuller chose. And another that Kara DioGuardi co-wrote.

The first song was something each did well with early in the season, though Mara and Judy could not remember any of the songs. Simon Cowell gave the first round to Allen.

[For the first song, Lambert sang, "Mad World." Jackson called it an "A+" performance; DioGuardi called him an "extraordinary singer and incredible artist." But Cowell called it "over theatrical," like something from Phantom of the Opera.

[Allen's first song was "Ain't No Sunshine." The judges raved about his artistic style. Cowell said that Allen won round one.]

The second song, said Mara, Cowell said “Adam won by a million miles, it was way over the top, Adam nailed it.”

[For the second song, chosen by Fuller, Lambert sang "Change is Gonna Come." Jackson called it "unbelievable," DioGuardi called it the "best interpretation" of songs, Abdul called him a "superstar" and "iconic." Cowell said Lambert was "back in the game."

[Allen's second song, also chosen by Fuller, was "What's Going On." Jackson said: "Its a little light for this big ole room." DioGuardi praised his ability to "uplift people, make think, make them feel." Cowell said: "You did not grab hold of it and make it your own." He gave round two to Lambert.]

“When Adam sang his second song,” said Mara, “he did such a fabulous job, everyone went wild.” But with Allen, “it didn’t catch us, and we didn’t get as excited. During the commercial, the producer came over and told us, ‘Can you please get more excited? Wave your hands as much as possible.’”

[For the third, Lambert and Allen sang the same song, "No Boundaries." Cowell called Lambert "one of the best, most original contestants we've ever had on the show." Cowell told Allen, "You thoroughly, thoroughly deserve to be standing on this stage tonight." ]

“None of (the judges) predicted that Adam would be the winner, but the way they were congratulating them, it was clear that Adam would be the winner,” said Mara.

“With Kris, they kept saying, you deserve to be here. You should be proud, almost like a consolation. Simon said, ‘By the look on your parents’ faces, you should be proud,’” said Mara.

“With Adam, their comments were, ‘You’re so powerful, you have this amazing voice, you’re one of the most talented singers to be on this stage,’” said Mara.

“They felt that if America voted properly, Adam Lambert would be the American Idol for season eight,” said Mara.

Judy sat in the audience area, about eight rows back. She was amazed by the stars she saw at the show, including: Anthony Hopkins and Katie Holmes and her daughter.

She was also impressed by all the Idol finalists who were at the show. In all, the theater held some 7,000 to 8,000 audience members, she said.

But most all, Judy loved watching Lambert sing. “It was an absolutely thrilling performance.”

2:35 p.m., 3:50 p.m., 4:23 p.m.: Phones turned off.

“American Idol” audience participants must hand in their cell phones, cameras and other equipment when they enter the theater, said Mara, who has been to a show before.

Mara said earlier she would probably only take in a stick of lip gloss.

1:53 p.m.: Arrive in L.A.

Judy and Mara arrived in L.A. and parked at Staples Center.

“The L.A. traffic wasn’t exciting at all,” said Judy. “It’s quite a mess. It makes me glad I live in San Diego.”

Judy and Mara touch up their make-up. “We can’t bring that in,” said Judy. “We’re doing that in the car.”

Judy saw a lot of people walking down the street, forming a line.

Mara got on the phone to check where they were supposed to meet the other San Diego fans — the flag pole.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.

See original story on SDNN

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Oh my god, Adam Lambert will be in San Diego on Friday!

You know, Adam, the “American Idol” contestant who might actually win this season’s crazy-wild show.

The one with the slate-chopped hair, black-painted fingernails, nasty green eyes and marathon banshee screams.

The one who grew up in Rancho Penasquitos, went to Mt. Carmel High School, and performed in local children’s theater.

Adam Lambert, the “rock God,” as “Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi called him, will be visiting the homeboys this week. Lambert is slated to do an interview with Jeff and Jer on Star 94.1, and perform a free concert at his old high school Friday at 10 a.m.

Aahhhhhhhhhhh!

At Mt. Carmel, some of Adam’s biggest fans are doing their all to make sure he wins.

Allyson Jacyln Ruiz, 14, text messaged 500 times to vote for him on Tuesday night. “Literally 500 times, I was like 500 outboxes,” she said. “I loved his performance, I loved the song he sang…I really want to see him win.”

Kira Compana, 16, Stephanie Valdez, 17 and their friends Sarah, 16, and Ashley, 16, are making posters and T-shirts with Lambert’s photos in preparation for the concert.

Compana, who works on the high school yearbook, said they plan to give Lambert a tour of the school if time allows. Valdez said Lambert was going to tour the theater, with all the drama students.

Compana said that when she found out Lambert would be there, “I ran up… screaming, because he’s my favorite on ‘American Idol.’”

Students in the drama school see him as a role model. “It encourages me to do more,” said Carribean Parnell, 14. “When you look at how far he went, it makes me want to go further.”

Kimi Nothduret, 15, a drama student, said that when she heard him sing one particular song, “I almost cried.”

Even though a lot of people think Lambert is gay, no one cares. Photos have been floating around the Internet showing Lambert kissing other men and Lambert has told “Access Hollywood”: “I have nothing to hide. I am who I am.”

“What does it matter?” asked Hannah Gillespie, 14. “It’s a personal choice, whatever.”

The girls think Lambert’s hot. “He’s a bomb,” said Parnell. And he’s got style. “He’s OG,” said Gillespie, meaning “orginal gangster,” which means he’s an original singer.

Even the school staff is rooting for their former student. Judy Shuta, administrative assistant to the principal knew him when Lambert performed in high school musicals, including “Big River” and “The Secret Garden.” She recalled his talent, while flipping through old yearbooks that showed Lambert’s photos.

Shuta and other staff have been emailing district teachers and staff, encouraging them to vote.

Especially after Lambert ranked in the bottom three the previous week, Shuta cranked up the heat, voting for two hours straight Tuesday night. “We’re doing our part to keep Adam running,” she said, “because we think he’s the best.”

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.

See original story on SDNN

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Kayla Powell, 13, dropped her jaws.

Diane Rohrbach, 53, held her hands to her chest.

Christina Burton, 9, said later she would cry.

When Kris Allen was declared the “American Idol” winner Wednesday, hundreds of Adam Lambert fans watching at San Diego’s Copley Symphony Hall fell silent in shock.

They were among the 250 or so fans who packed the hall for the season finale of the singing competition, which shot San Diego native Adam Lambert into the national limelight. Lambert was one of two final contestants in the show from a field of tens of thousands nationwide.

After a two-hour, star-studded blowout show, host Ryan Seacrest announced the winner: Kris Allen.

In all, nearly 100 million votes were counted, said Seacrest, handing the title to the stripped-down, folk-balladsy Christian from the small southern town.

The fans in the audience expressed shock and disappointment.

“It is horrible, I am so shocked,” said Sarah Edwards, 13, who had come with a sign saying “Adam is a sexy beast.”

“I felt devastated,” said Soloman Stovall-Ceja, 1o.”I really thought Adam should have won.”

“I’m gonna cry my tears out, I’m really sad,” said Burton, 9.

But they also saw the silver lining for Lambert’’s career.

“I guess it’s kinda good, because he won’t have to be on the Idol contract and he can do whatever he wants,” said Megan Edwards, 14.

“I think that Adam will still have a great career,” said Katie Silverstein, 13.

The San Diego event, which ran from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific standard time, took place during the live taping of the show in Los Angeles, which aired 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. East coast time. It is traditional for “American Idol” to feature live feeds of fans from the final contestants’ hometowns during the final show.

Just the night before, during the final singing competition, judge Simon Cowell said that if Adam Lambert did not win, it would be a “huge upset.” And it was.

“Adam should have come away as the American Idol,” said Rohrbach. “He was the best.”

People started waiting downtown at Copley as early as 11:30 a.m., forming a line outside the historic hall. According to Copley press officer Stephen Kougias, American Idol organizers had rented the hall, which featured gold vaulted ceilings and white-tuxedoed ushers, special for the event.

During the show, the audience was treated to knockout performances by guest singers, including Black-Eyes Peas, Queen Latifah, Keith Urban, Lionel Ritchie, Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, Queen, Rod Stewart and even Steve Martin on banjo. They were accompanied in turns by the top 13 Idol finalists.

In the last few minutes of the show, the winner was announced, and it was all over. Seacrest called Allen the “underdog.”

Cheers turned to silence and dropped jaws. Then, fans started chanting, “Adam! Adam! Adam!”

But the feed ended and the screen went blank. But for Lambert fans who had followed him all season, the memory will remain.

“Adam deserved it way more, and we’ll always support him,” said Edwards.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.

See original story on SDNN

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Despite San Diego’s sagging retail market, one lingerie store hopes to lift sales, while helping women lift their assets.

Intimacy, an Atlanta-based lingerie chain, opened its first West Coast store in the Fashion Valley shopping mall on Tuesday. The 3,300-square-foot boutique features luxury European brands, offered with personalized service.

“We felt that San Diego would be a really nice place for us to enter the West coast market – a little less formidable than L.A., a little more lifestyle oriented,” said Susan Nethero, company founder, who is also known as “the bra whisperer” in the Lifetime series “How to Look Good Naked.”

Nethero, who trained under the Queen of England’s Royal Bra Fitter, is helping women tuck in, lift their chests and reshape their figures, in the new store this week. The company’s main selling point is personalized service, with 30-minute consultations, 95 bra sizes, A to K cups – and no measuring tapes. The San Diego store alone has 12 staff who only do fittings with customers.

On the first day in San Diego, sales were the “highest of any store opening,” said Nethero. Intimacy stores typically do $3 million in annual revenue, or $2,500 per square foot, she said.

The retail sector is among the weakest in San Diego’s economy, but Nethero said her company is filling an unmet need in the market. When working with each customer, “We help her get the right bra for her body frame and size, then we work the cup depth to make sure she has sufficient cup depth and the underwire lays below the rib cage, so she doesn’t overflow or underfill the cup,” explained Nethero. A bra is “the most private product that you wear and the most technical product that you buy,” she said.

“Because of the economic environment, people are looking for basics and fashion,” said Jean Luc Tienturier, president, Curvexpo, a leading lingerie and swimwear trade show. “Lingerie is not a very high-end price point in the fashion world – it’s an affordable luxury accessory.”

People are buying fewer items or more basic colors – such as white, black and beige – said Tienturier, “but they still buy.”

The women’s underwear market was more than $14 billion in 2008, up nearly 15 percent since 2006, although growth rates are expected to slow in 2009, according to a report released by Mintel, a market research group. “Women’s underwear is big business and will grow despite (a) tough economy,” stated the report’s analysts.

Bras comprised $8.2 million or 59 percent of the market, while panties were $3.5 million, or 25 percent in 2008, the December 2008 report stated.

High-end lingerie particularly appeals to younger women, according to Mintel’s report. In addition, bra fit is a “top priority” for manufacturers, “because of the large percentage of women who say they have difficulty finding a bra that fits properly. ”

Victoria’s Secret is the nation’s biggest lingerie chain, with more than $4 billion in annual sales, 20 percent of the U.S. lingerie market and 1,000 stores nationwide, said Tienturier.

Curvexpo’s Tienturier believed that Intimacy will do well in San Diego, because the company is “very professional,” he said. “Before launching a new store, they study a market very carefully.”

San Diego is Intimacy’s seventh store location.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.

See original story on SDNN

Friday, April 10, 2009

Your Twitter account could be used for terrorism. Your cell phone could give away your bank account numbers. And your computer could lead to millions of dollars in lost business.

Cyber security is one of the biggest issues facing the country, businesses and families, according to experts who spoke at a forum organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

More than 100 people attended the event, held Friday at San Diego State University.

“Cyber security is going to be one of the biggest greatest concerns of the 21st century,” said Stephen Weber, president, SDSU. “San Diego has the opportunity to affect the nation in this area.”

Technology has become so mobile, criminals can hack into systems anywhere, through cell phones, gaming consoles, computers and software. This enables them to steal information, disable entire offices or prey on young children.

At the same time, the opportunity for businesses to enter or expand in the cyber security industry is great. The federal government allotted $7 billion to $12 billion to beef up the nation’s cyber security in the next several years, said Matthew Eggers, manager of U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Much of those funds will go to private technology companies working in the cyber security field. In San Diego, more than 100 companies worth “hundreds of millions of dollars” in contracts work in this area, said Michael Jones, president of The Security Network, a San Diego-based non-profit for the defense industry.

The exact figures are not available due to the classified nature of many contracts, he said. But San Diego’s strategic role in the U.S. Navy and concentration of high-tech companies makes it a heavy player in the cyber security industry. It is one of the industries expected to expand rapidly in the coming years, Jones said.

The experts said the areas of greatest threat are:

– cyber terrorism
– cyber spying
– cyber crimes.

International terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaeda, have been moving very aggressively in developing Internet weapons, said Matthew Bettenhausen, director of the California Office of Homeland Security.

Criminals along the Mexican-U.S border have also been using cell phones as computers, said Eric Frost, an associate professor SDSU.

“They are driven by technology that is dramatically ahead of us,” Frost said. Criminals also use cyber spying to steal information. Computer hackers break into systems and take information off databases.

Cyber crime is one of the fastest growing areas for law enforcement, said government directors attending the event. “Revenue from cyber crimes has surpassed revenue from drug crimes,” said Mark Weatherford, director of the California Office of Information security and Privacy Protection. “Criminals go where the money is.”

One of the biggest cases involved a criminal ring based in San Diego, which was prosecuted here, said Karen Hewitt, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. In the case involving TJX Companies, criminals stole 45 million customers’ credit card records to sell on the black market by tapping the company’s wireless network.

Heartland Payment Systems, the fifth-largest credit-card processing company, was also hit by malware that took information off their system. The company handled some 100 million credit card accounts per month. “Because of the malicious software, they had quite possibly the largest security breach ever in the U.S. history,” said Jeff Debrosse, research director, ESET, a security software company.

Child predators are also increasingly moving online, said William Lansdowne, police chief of City of San Diego. Many parents do not realize that criminals are befriending their children through computers, cell phones and even gaming consoles, so education is a key issue.

Criminal intent is the greatest threat of all, experts said. “The weakest link is the eighth layer – the human layer,” said ESET’s Debrosse, referring to the seven layers of network architecture.

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How to protect yourself from cyber crimes:

– Change your passwords and log-ins regularly.

– Back up everything.

– Use firewalls, anti-virus systems, and security technology.

– Beware of disgruntled employees, who can sabotage your systems.

– Create accountability on your networks.

– Track and analyze the flow of data.

– Educate your children about strangers on the Web.

Technology facts:

– The world has 1 billion computers.

– It has 4 billion cell phones, most of which serve as mini-computers.

– SDSU’s computers receive 300,000 attacks per hour.

– Protesters in Moldavia, Russia, used Twitter and Facebook to organize uprisings, aided by 10,000 followers on one Twitter account

– In one day, Facebook took down profiles of 90,000 users considered predators.

(Source: Eric Frost, associate professor, SDSU)
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Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.