Italy

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have been found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to twenty months jail time following a three hour jury room meeting today in Italy. The verdict of the case that dates back to 2010 was originally dropped due to a lack of evidence has already seen Dolce & Gabbana pay…The post Dolce & Gabbana Sentenced for Tax Evasion appeared first on SLAMXHYPE.

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So if you haven’t heard about the amazing amazing book that is When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney, let me tell you all about it! IT IS AMAZING (also, just check out my review, which went up today as well). About When You Were Here: Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity. Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see. Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore. When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died. Now here is your chance to win not one, but one of  THREE copies of the book – how cool is that? Entering is super simply as well – all your have to do is share ONE of six photos somewhere with the caption of “I can’t wait to read WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney”  How simple is that? Here are the 6 photos (Each link will take you to the photo. I didn’t post all 6 here, since that would make the post extremely long): Tea at the Tea Ceremony Shoto Cafe Sponge Cake Crepes Dogs in Matching Sweaters Harajuku Imperial Gardens So there is a rafflecopter for you to turn in your entries – You can share it anywhere. I have the options of Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest in the rafflecopter and you can share each one once a day. If you decide to share another place besides those 4, just plug the link in to one of the entries – it really doesn’t matter. Just make sure you use the caption above!  Any questions, comment or tweet me or whatever :) Also, totally not required, but I would love if you commented answering the question of WHY you want to read When You Were Here, just for funsies. Happy sharing guys :) Oh and it is US only and ends July 5! a Rafflecopter giveaway Related posts: The Rivals by Daisy Whitney Book Review The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney Waiting on Wednesday (127) – The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

A judge handed down the ruling this afternoon in Milan, the culmination of a controversial tax-evasion trial brought against the fashion house. Via: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images Today's sentencing of Dolce & Gabbana designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana to 20 months in jail brings to a close — for now — a long and contentious trial over the fashion house's alleged tax evasion, which is said to total nearly $550 million. Italian tax authorities first brought charges against the fashion company over five years ago, following the 2004 sale of the house's brands — both Dolce & Gabbana and the now-shuttered D&G — to Gado Srl, a Luxembourg-based company owned by the designers themselves. This, the taxmen argued, was a move designed to avoid high taxes levied on Italian corporations. (That's the case brought by Milanese prosecutors Gaetano Ruta and Laura Pedio at trial. They also argued the brands were sold at well below their true value to avoid further taxes still.)A judge threw the case out back in 2011 — in alignment with the defendants' lawyers, who both then and in this year's trial asked for a full dismissal of any legal proceedings. Following an appeal filed by Laura Pedio for the prosecution, however, Italy's Supreme Court ruled a court case for tax evasion was warranted after all. Trial proceedings thus began again last December. Ruling today after months of legal back-and-forth, Judge Antonella Brambilla sided with Ruta and Pedio for the prosecution. She handed down jail sentences to five of the six defendants — including the designers themselves, their finance manager, their accountant, and Dolce's brother Alfonso Dolce. Due to a lack of evidence, the case against a sixth defendant was acquitted. Brambilla's prescribed prison terms fell a little short of those requested by the prosecution, though. While they had asked that the designers be locked up for two-and-a-half years, Dolce and Gabbana themselves are, in her ruling, to serve a jail sentence of one year and eight months.Both designers — along with the three other high-ranking employees who also received jail sentences in the judge's ruling — are expected to appeal. Reuters notes that the length and complexity of this appeals process means it's "unlikely" they'll actually spend any time imprisoned. (Two appeals against judgements made for the prosecution are allowed before even the Supreme Court weighs in again.) No Dolce & Gabbana representatives were present at the sentencing this afternoon, nor has anyone from the fashion house made a statement. Gabbana has, however, been busy Instagramming some pretty, close-up photos of flowers in bloom. Perhaps his way of saying everything will come up roses in the end after all? Via: instagram.com Update 6/19: Dolce & Gabbana representatives released a forthright (if slightly confusing) statement, once again refuting the charges and confirming a forthcoming appeal. View Entire List ›

Does anyone really need an iced tea recipe? Probably not. You soak tea in water. You can soak it in hot water if you want to make it quickly, then pour it over ice. If you are a stickler for purity of taste, you can cold brew it for a few hours in cold water. Do not let this simplicity trick you into thinking iced tea recipes are boring, though. Need proof? Oh, we are on it.While we love our hot weather adult beverages around here (beer, cocktails, beer cocktails), you've got to have some non-alcoholic summer drinks in your repertoire for those who don't indulge. Or for morning (whatever, guys). The incredibly refreshing iced tea recipes we've pulled together for you today range from fruity to floral to spicy. We can't wait to make some for our next brunch party. Yes fine, there will be mimosas, too.More...

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We don't have to tell you that the summers are hot -- everyone knows this. But what you might not know is that the best way to keep cool is by eating popsicles. Lots of them. And another important tidbit to keep in mind is that homemade popsicle recipes put store-bought pops to shame. So, you should make your own popsicles. Definitely.Just to make your summer a little better, we put together the best popsicle recipes you can find on the web. Some of them are boozy, others are fruity, and all of them are downright refreshing.More...