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HEY, THESE LOOK FAMILIAR

You might think he'd be insulted, but one of the world's leading fashion designers took it in stride when a TV interviewer presented him with an unusual gift in Moscow last weekend: cheap knockoffs of some of his own creations. Giorgio Armani was there to show off his latest collection when the reporter handed him a pair of jeans and sunglasses bought from a local peddler. Said the man who has dressed such celebrities as Jodie Foster, Russell Crowe, and Robert De Niro: "Actually, I'm very glad people can buy Armani, even if it's a fake. I like [being] so popular around the world."

Speaking of creative designs, jewelry store owners and the police in Paris are worried about a new trend. Thieves on motorcycles have been roaring up to stores, smashing their windows, helping themselves to the items on display, and making their getaways – all within seconds. How? By sucking up the gems with a battery-powered vacuum cleaner.

The latest recession, from which the US still is emerging, did not stop employers from transferring valued staff people between branch offices around the nation or hiring new workers from distant places. But it did help drive affected families to seek more economical ways – such as do-it-yourself rental trucks – of moving their household goods between destinations. Based on more than 1.7 million such transactions in calendar year 2001, industry leader U-Haul Co. recently released its annual list of leading destination cities for people moving more than 50 miles. The top 10:

1. Atlanta
2. Dallas
3. Houston
4. New York
5. Las Vegas
6. San Diego
7. Phoenix
8. Los Angeles
9. Sacramento, Calif.
10. Nashville, Tenn.
– PRNewswire