But here’s the rub: If you want to avoid grievous injury, you need a helmet, and that’s still the weak link in the stylish gal’s cycling ensemble. If you’re a skillful enough cyclist, you can bike in most heels, and if you’re willing to endure catcalls from truckers, a floaty skirt works just fine. But the helmet, oy. Leave aside the insult to the daily hairdo—the options currently on the market in and of themselves are, for the most part, ugly. Fashion ought to rise to the challenge of making the bike helmet a sought-after accessory, much in the way it has risen to the challenge of creating desirable laptop bags and iPad cases. It’s good business, for one thing.

Over fashion week, as I was cycling back and forth to shows, I threw this challenge out to the jewelry designers Wade Jensen and Moire Conroy, of Jensen-Conroy. I dropped off a matte black helmet at their studio, and they returned a helmet knit over in silvery-blue, in the vein of the knit-wrapped jewelry they create. I’m so pleased with the results, I’m tempted to drop off more helmets with other designers, so I can coordinate with various outfits. Unless, of course, labels begin to get the hint and start doing it for me. Designers everywhere, please: Get on board with the non-bogus bike trend and make some cool helmets. Collaborate with a helmet-maker, like Bell. To you street-style bloggers who love to photograph girls on bikes: For crying out loud, starting photographing them in helmets, before you initiate a trend of major brain injuries. Truckers: Shut up. And everyone else: Stay out of my lane.

—Maya Singer

Photo: Steven Torres

Royal weddings are “a real hat moment,” according to Treacy, and he knows a thing or two about them. He won’t be attending the Wills/Kate nuptials on the 29th, but, he says, “my hats will be! I did go to the last royal wedding—Charles and Camilla’s, in 2005—and it was the most interesting day of my life. I watched Princess Diana’s wedding as a boy, so to see the future Queen of England coming round the corner towards me in one of my hats was just amazing.” He won’t say who’s wearing his creations this time around—though the clients coming to him are accessorizing Chanel Couture,wholesale Billabong, Valentino Couture, and Gaultier Couture, for a start. “I’m designing hats for queens, princesses, and celebrities; you definitely won’t miss them on the big day.”

Even though he has designed hats for everyone from Lady Gaga to Sarah Jessica Parker and Grace Jones, Treacy knows that royals are among his most loyal customers. “I design for royalty throughout the world because royals actually wear hats,” he explains. “They are the true hat-wearers of the twenty-first century, the ultimate influencers who keep the millinery business going. And England is the home of hats because of the customers here. I design for some very conservative women who think that my hats are normal. Many, like the Duchess of Devonshire, would never wear unusual clothes but when it comes to hats, they see what I make simply as something ’smart.’ “

Hats, he says, are “the ultimate twenty-first-century personal expression.” (He’s also recently called them “a cheaper form of cosmetic surgery.”) “Every hat I make is particular to every customer, to the way they look, their personality, so you really get to know that person well. They are giving you their heads and I have to give them something they will be comfortable with, even if I push things a little.” Push or not, the world is banging at his door. “One day it will be Pamela Anderson, the next a queen,” Treacy says of his London atelier. “My assistant says it’s like stepping into Alice in Wonderland.” The Mad Hatter jokes make themselves.

—David Hayes

Photo: Patrick McMullan / PatrickMcMullan.com

Here is what they said, according to the Florida GOP debate transcript provided by the Council on Foreign Relations:

* Rick Santorum: “There were several of us in the United States Senate back in 2005 and 2006 who saw the problem with Freddie and Fannie, and tried to move forth with a bill. We voted a bill out of committee to try … to constrain Fannie and Freddie, and there were a lot of people out there fighting that, including Harry Reid and his minions. I signed a letter … that said … if we don`t constrain these two behemoths from continuing to underwrite this subprime mortgage problem, then we`re going to have a collapse. The problem now is, what are you going to do about it? And what I’ve said is … let capitalism work. Allow these banks to realize their losses. And create an opportunity for folks who have houses to realize their losses and at least help them out.”

* Ron Paul: “Everybody now admits in Washington interest rates were kept too low, too long. … They kept interest rates especially low with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and there was a line of credit there, and it was a guarantee. As a matter of fact, I had introduced legislation 10 years before the bubble burst to eliminate that line of credit. But then the Community Reinvestment Act added more fuel to it, forcing banks to make loans that are risky loans. … The consequences were anticipated. It was all government manufactured. … The best thing you can do is get out of the way, because you want the prices to come down so that people will start buying them again, but politicians can’t allow that to happen. Our policies in Washington still has been to try to stimulate houses and keep prices up.”

* Mitt Romney: “Mr. Speaker … you said you were paid $300,000 by Freddie Mac as an historian. They don`t pay people $25,wholesale Abercrombie jackets,000 a month for six years as historians. … This contract proves that you were not an historian. You were a consultant. … And you were hired by the chief lobbyist of Freddie Mac, not the CEO, not the head of public affairs. You also spoke publicly in favor of these government-sponsored entities at a very time when Freddie Mac was getting America in a position where we would have had a massive housing collapse. … You could have spoken out in a way to say these guys are wrong, this needs to end. But instead, you were being paid by them. You were making over $1 million at the same time people in Florida were being hurt by millions of dollars.”

* Newt Gingrich: “I have never done any lobbying. Congressman J.C. Watts, who for seven years was the head of the Freddie Mac Watch Committee, said flatly he has never been approached by me. The fact is that Congressman Rick Lazio, who is chairman of the Housing Subcommittee, said he has never been approached by me. And the only report in the newspaper was “The New York Times” in July of 2008, which said I told the House Republicans they should vote no, not give Freddie Mac any money, because it needed to be reformed.”

At least 11 Tibetans in their late teens and 20s have self-immolated since March in protest of Chinese rule, and five have died of their injuries. Many Tibetans consider the Dalai Lama as their rightful leader.

Hong said “a solemn representation” has been made to Mongolia, a landlocked nation squeezed between Russia and China whose people traditionally follow the Tibetan school of Buddhism.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the protest was in keeping with China’s consistent opposition to any country that gives a platform to the Dalai Lama. Beijing says the Dalai Lama is focused on splitting Tibet from China, a charge the Peace Prize laureate denies.

When the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia in 2002, China held up trains at the border. There were no reports of that on Tuesday.

His visit comes at time of renewed unrest in Tibetan areas in China, where 11 people have set themselves on fire to protest what they say are restrictive government policies against Tibetans.

“China is always opposed to any country providing a platform for the Dalai Lama’s anti-China splittist activities,” Hong said.

The Dalai Lama fled the Himalayan region in 1959 amid an abortive anti-Beijing uprising and is reviled by China’s communist government.

“This is a purely religious visit made at the request of Mongolian Buddhist lay-believers and monks,” said Choijamts Demberel, head of Mongolian Buddhist center and head abbot of Ganden Thekchen Choeling monastery.

The Dalai Lama, who has visited Mongolia at least half a dozen times, was making what was described as a religious visit. He is scheduled to give a lecture and meet Mongolian Buddhists before leaving Thursday.

China is Mongolia’s biggest trading partner. The two signed a strategic partnership deal in June during a visit by Premier Wen Jiabao.

The Dalai Lama says China’s “ruthless policy” was behind the self-immolations. China accuses the Dalai Lama and his supporters of stirring up trouble in ethnic Tibetan areas and encouraging followers to set themselves on fire.

Marshall’s memoir will be available as a hardcover and an e-book. Strone told The Associated Press that several publishers bid, but that Amazon “won the auction.” He declined to offer financial details, but said that Amazon’s offer was “a lot” and that it also agreed as it usually does to a much higher royalty on e-books than the 25 percent traditionally given by publishers.

Amazon Publishing editorial director Julia Cheiffetz said she regarded Marshall as a “trailblazer” in show business and that she hoped to find “new and innovative” ways for Marshall to reach readers. Amazon has angered stores by signing deals with authors that make the online retailer the exclusive seller, but Cheiffetz said that Amazon intended “to make this book available to any retailer that would like to carry it in physical or digital format.”

Marshall’s agent, Dan Strone, announced Tuesday that the online retailer would release Marshall’s memoir “My Mother Was Nuts” in Fall 2012. Marshall is still remembered fondly for co-starring in the 1970s sitcom “Laverne and Shirley” and she is among the few women directors to have major commercial success in Hollywood, her big screen hits including “Big” and “A League of Their Own.” According to Strone, Marshall will also write about ex-husband Rob Reiner, her friendship with John Belushi and her fight against lung and brain cancer in 2009.

Amazon, which has been steadily expanding its publishing operations, recently signed a deal with best-selling self-help author Timothy Ferris and on Tuesday announced that it had started an imprint for science fiction, fantasy and horror. Publishers and booksellers have been worried about Amazon’s dual roles as client and competitor and rival stores have expressed strong reservations about selling books released by Amazon.

“It was a decision whether to go with old school or new school,” said Strone, CEO of Trident Media Group. He added that he had a history of working with the head of Amazon Publishing, Laurence J. Kirshbaum, who as CEO of Warner Books published another Strone client, Jon Stewart.

NEW YORK Filmmaker-actress Penny Marshall has a book deal with a fresh twist: The publisher is Amazon.com.

Haggard, 74, entered the Macon hospital on Tuesday night after he canceled a show in that Georgia city seven minutes before he was to take the stage because he was too ill to perform, said Frank Mull, his tour manager and close friend.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Haggard is best known for songs including “Mama Tried,” “Okie from Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me.”

Haggard had been scheduled to perform again on Wednesday night in Columbus, Georgia, but that show and the rest of the January slate will be rescheduled for April, according to Haggard’s Los Angeles-based publicist Tresa Redburn.

Redburn said the singer was receiving fluids intravenously. She said she spoke with Haggard by telephone “and he sounded pretty good.”

Haggard will take time off to recover and resume his tour in February, Redburn said. Haggard lives in Northern California.

The singer was unwell when he left his California home to begin the tour, but did not want to disappoint his fans, Mull said. “He thought he was well enough to work and he did work three dates, and he got progressively worse,” Mull said.

With influences ranging from Lefty Frizzell to Bob Wills to Jimmie Rodgers, Haggard is an architect of country music’s “Bakersfield Sound.”

(Editing by Paul Thomasch and Will Dunham)

Xiang Junbo, the chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission said assets in the industry totaled 5.9 trillion yuan, without giving a year-ago comparison,Replica Bulzeye, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.

In a speech at the end of a key financial conference, Xiang, who took on the job last October, said many insurance companies have not kept up with “the profound changes in the external environment.”

“A number of insurance companies do not attach importance to strengthening internal management and innovating their products and services, leading to the deterioration of their abilities to compete in the industry,” he said. “Some companies even flout the law, with no regard for cost effectiveness, in blind pursuit of…market share.”

At the same conference, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao urged the country to reduce risks stemming from local government debt and called for better regulation to manage the risks, although he described the debt situation as “still under control.”

Previous such conferences have led to significant policy changes, such as the reform of the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, and the establishment of the CIRC, the CBRC and the China Investment Corporation, the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee)

“For years, public officials regularly accepted what amounted to bribes in exchange for their votes on multimillion-dollar construction projects. The corruption was nothing short of systematic,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. A contractor also faces felony counts stemming from the probe of the urban Sweetwater Union High School District.

Authorities said that between 2008 and last year, district officials racked up hundreds of dollars in food and drinks on contractors’ tabs, and were given tickets to the Los Angeles Lakers playoffs, Rose Bowl and to concerts and theater. They did not report the gifts.

Administrators and trustees solicited cash for the children’s beauty pageants or field trips, authorities said. They received Southwest Airlines tickets and a trip to Napa Valley. Shortly after board members received financial favors, contractors were awarded projects from a $644 million voter-approved bond offering, authorities said.

Former Superintendent Jesus Gandara and board member Greg Sandoval face eight counts of perjury and filing false statements. School board members Pearl Quinones and Arlie Ricasa face four felony counts on the same charges.

Henry Amigable, a construction company executive who worked for Sweetwater and Southwestern College, was charged with bribery and improperly influencing elected officials.

They face between four and seven years in state prison if convicted, the district attorney’s office said.

Dumanis said additional charges and defendants were possible,wholesale Ed hardy scarves, according to U-T San Diego. Based on search warrants served last month, investigators also focused on Southwestern College. The newspaper’s reporting sparked the investigation.

Gandara was terminated in June but received a payout of more than $400,000, according to U-T San Diego. His attorney noted that none of the public officials were charged with accepting a bribe and many of the gifts were reimbursed.

Amigable’s attorney, Dan Greene, said his activities were sanctioned by his supervisors, the newspaper reported. Quinones attorney, Marc Carlos, said the board member relied on advice from the school district’s lawyers.

Ricasa didn’t respond to U-T San Diego’s requests for comment and Sandoval referred calls to his attorney, who did not respond.

Since June, Walgreen and Express Scripts have said they were preparing to stop doing business when the three-year contract expires at the end of 2011. Walgreen gets $5.3 billion in annual revenue from Express Scripts, but the Deerfield, Ill., company has said it would rather give that up than continue filling unprofitable prescriptions.

President and CEO Greg Wasson said the company made one last attempt last week to come to terms with Express Scripts, but the two sides were unable to resolve their differences.

Walgreen remains open to another offer, Wasson said.

Unless the companies strike a last-minute deal, most people whose prescription drug benefits are handled by Express Scripts won’t be able to fill their prescriptions at Walgreen stores, starting in January. Express Scripts clients include WellPoint Inc., which is the largest U.S. health insurer based on membership, and TriCare, the health plan that serves military members and their families.

Walgreen is the biggest drugstore chain in the U.S. with 7,812 locations.

Shares of Walgreen fell as much as 8.1 percent in early trading, but later recovered and closed down 13 cents at $33.37 while the broader markets edged up less than 1 percent.

The decision to stop doing business with Express Scripts cost Walgreen a penny per share in sales at pharmacies open at least a year and a penny per share in expenses during the fiscal quarter.

The company also took a charge of 1 cent per share from the lack of a traditional cough, cold and flu season. Walgreen administered 5 million flu shots through Nov. 30 compared with 5.6 million a year ago.

Net income fell to $554 million, or 63 cents per share, from $580 million, or 62 cents per share, a year ago, when it had more shares outstanding. Revenue grew 4.7 percent to $18.16 billion, but selling, general and administrative expenses climbed 5 percent because of its acquisition of drugstore.com and other items.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected,Wholesale Juicy Couture jackets, on average, earnings of 67 cents per share and $18.24 billion in revenue.

In the wake of the Express Scripts stalemate, Walgreen is trying to hold on to as many prescriptions as possible by making its own arrangements with companies and health plans. Based on prescriptions Walgreen is filling in December and other trends, the company said it expects to keep between 97 percent and 99 percent of its 2011 prescription volume.

Barclays Capital analyst Meredith Adler said that projection suggests Walgreen will lose between 60 and 84 percent of the Express Scripts prescriptions. Competitor CVS Caremark Corp. said Tuesday that it believes it could pick up 17 million to 23 million prescriptions as a result of the dispute.

Analysts say the split will also hurt sales of other products, since fewer shoppers would be shopping at Walgreen stores.

Another potential issue for Walgreen is that Express Scripts is in the process of buying Medco Health Solutions Inc., another large pharmacy benefits manager. If that deal goes through, Walgreen may lose Medco’s clients over time.

Earlier this month, Walgreen said sales at stores open at least a year grew 2.5 percent during the quarter, but it said the Express Scripts fight reduced those sales by 1.1 percent. Sales at stores open at least a year are considered a key measurement of retailer health because they exclude results from stores that have opened or closed in the last year.

_____

Tom Murphy contributed to this story from Indianapolis.

Walgreen, the largest U.S. drugstore chain, has been battling with Express Scripts since June 21, when Walgreen said the companies could not agree on terms for a new contract.

Even before their old contract expires, Walgreen’s decision to part ways with Express Scripts cost it a penny per share in pharmacy sales in the first quarter, and another penny per share in expenses, the company said on Wednesday.

Those costs, along with lower reimbursement rates and margins, led to an unexpected drop in quarterly profit.

Now, Walgreen is “moving on” after it made what Chief Executive Greg Wasson called “another serious attempt” to reach a deal last week, days before the contract expires on December 31.

Its shares fell as much as 8 percent, then recovered a bit and were down about 1 percent at $33.31 in afternoon trading.

Walgreen, armed with fresh survey data, said that many Express Scripts clients want to keep filling prescriptions at its stores.

Walgreen and Express Scripts appear unlikely to reach a deal by the end of the year. Even if they make amends in early 2012, as some expect, patients will already be taking their prescriptions elsewhere, dragging potentially billions of dollars in revenue away from Walgreen and putting it in the hands of its competitors, such as Caremark Corp (CVS.N).

“We remain concerned that patients could develop new buying habits as they are forced to move away from (Walgreens) to other retailers if no deal is reached,” said Lazard Capital Markets analyst Tom Gallucci, who noted that once they take their prescriptions elsewhere, not all patients will come back to Walgreen even if they get the opportunity to do so.

Walgreen said it remains open to any fair and competitive offer from Express Scripts, which contends that it would only keep Walgreen in its network at rates and terms that it believes are right for its clients.

Walgreen, seeking to downplay the potential impact of the dispute on its business, has been trying to show the strength of its massive network of more than 7,810 pharmacies.

It said that more than 100 health plans,wholesale Ed hardy jeans, employers and various Express Scripts clients told it they either had changed PBMs or made sure patients would still have access to Walgreens pharmacies in 2012.

However, as health-care costs rise, employers and other contract managers are doing whatever they can to control spending.

“The market is moving in a direction that at this point is away from Walgreen’s core strengths,” said Scott Mushkin, an analyst at Jefferies & Co.

Meanwhile, CVS is showing that its decision to combine its thousands of drugstores with a pharmacy benefits management business in 2007 was expected to turn into a profitable success next year, as more companies choose its services.

While Walgreen has some partnerships, it cannot go out and negotiate prescription contracts like others such as CVS can, Mushkin said.

“Their strategic positioning appears to be a little bit off,” he said. “One solution would be to beef up their retail market share.”

Walgreen has used acquisitions to add to its store count before, most notably buying the Duane Reade chain in 2010.