Landov; Getty (2)

Paris Fashion Week may represent the finest handiwork in couture design, but Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest offering didn’t leave one bereaved father in stitches.

“The family was upset to see those pictures,” Mitch Winehouse told The Sun of Gaultier’s show, which commemorated the late singer. “We’re still grieving for her loss, and we’ve had a difficult week with the six-month anniversary of Amy’s death.

“It portrays a view of Amy when she was not at her best, and glamorizes some of the more upsetting times in her life,” he continues. (The collection heavily references Winehouse’s disheveled aesthetic, reckless attitude and penchant for smoking.)

But Gaultier stands by his intentions: “She was an icon of fashion and truly, the sense of how she mixed the clothes — it was great,” he said after Wednesday’s show. “It is very joyous.”

And though Style.com diplomatically critiques the collection (perhaps neither to incense the veteran designer nor the late chanteuse), they too dubbed the presentation, and all it represented, “So sad.” Tell us: Do you find Jean Paul Gaultier’s presentation insensitive?

–Justine Harman

TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE STAR’S AMAZING LIFE: ‘AMY WINEHOUSE: IN HAPPIER TIMES’

By msnbc.com staff and wire

U.S. economic growth picked up speed in the final three months of 2011, expanding at the fastest pace in 1-1/2 years, according to new data released Friday.

The latest U.S. gross domestic product data show the economy expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the October-December quarter, the Commerce Department said — a sharp acceleration from the 1.8 percent clip of the prior three months and the quickest pace since the second quarter of 2010.

It was, however, a touch below economists’ expectations for a 3.0 percent rate. Also, businesses aggressively restocking their shelves and weak spending on capital goods hinted at slower growth in early 2012.

“The economy ended 2011 on a fairly positive note, but the composition of growth in the last quarter is not favorable for growth early this year,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Sweet made the comments before the report was released. For the whole of 2011, the economy grew 1.7 percent after expanding 3 percent the prior year.

Growth in the fourth quarter got a temporary boost from the rebuilding of business inventories, which was the fastest since the third quarter of 2010, after they declined in the third-quarter for the first time since late 2009.

Inventories increased $56.0 billion, adding 1.94 percentage points to GDP growth. Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a tepid 0.8 percent rate, a sharp step-down from the prior period’s 3.2 percent pace.

The robust stock accumulation suggests the recovery will lose a step in early 2012.

Also pointing to slower growth, business spending on capital goods was the slowest since 2009, a sign the debt crisis in Europe was starting to take its toll.

Vote: Will the economy continue to accelerate?

Expectations of soft growth led the Federal Reserve on Wednesday to say it expected to keep interest rates at rock bottom levels at least through late 2014.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank, which forecast growth this year in a 2.2 percent to 2.7 percent range, was mulling further asset purchases to speed up the recovery.

The Fed warned the economy still faced big risks, a suggestion the euro zone debt crisis could still hit hard.

“The Fed is attempting to shield the economy from a potentially more severe recession in Europe,” said Sweet. “Even though the economy improved last quarter there are a number of headwinds and a lot of uncertainty surrounding Europe, emerging markets and also U.S. fiscal policy.”

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the World Economic Forum in Davos the U.S. economy still faced big challenges.

“We’re still repairing the damage done by the financial crisis. On top of that we face a more challenging world. We have a lot of challenges ahead in the United States,” Geithner said.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, stepped to a 2 percent rate from the third-quarter’s 1.7 percent pace — largely driven by pent-up demand for motor vehicles.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami had disrupted supplies early in the year, leaving showrooms bereft of popular models.
Spending was also lifted by moderate inflation.

A price index for personal spending rose at a 0.7 percent rate in the fourth-quarter, the slowest increase in 1-1/2 years, after rising at a 2.3 percent pace in the July-September period.

A core inflation measure, which strips out food and energy costs, increased at a 1.1 percent rate after rising 2.1 percent in the third quarter.

The increase last quarter was the smallest in a year and put this measure well below the Fed’s 2 percent target.

Reuters contributed to this report.

BANGKOK — A new taste for eating elephant meat — everything from trunks to sex organs — has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species.

Wildlife officials told The Associated Press that they were alerted to the practice after finding two elephants slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand.

“The poachers took away the elephants’ sex organs and trunks … for human consumption,” Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand’s wildlife agency, said in a telephone interview. Some meat was to be consumed without cooking, like “elephant sashimi,” he said.

Poachers typically just remove tusks, which are most commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to killing of the wider elephant population, Damrong said.

“If you keep hunting elephants for this, then they’ll become extinct,” he said.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals’ reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess.

Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country’s south. It wasn’t clear if the diners were foreigners.

The accusation drew a quick rebuttal from Phuket Governor Tri Akradecha, who told Thai media that he had never heard of such restaurants but ordered officials to look into the matter.

Poachers seek ‘big money’
Poaching elephants is banned, and trafficking or possessing poached animal parts also is illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached to be trained for talent shows.

“The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct,” Damrong said.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. NBC/WSJ poll: Gingrich leads Romney, but badly trails Obama
   2. Romney revising disclosures for overseas accounts
   3. No, President Obama isn’t actually proposing to cut defense spending

   4. Whirlwind weeks for formerly homeless student

   5. Banks may not like new mortgage task force

   6. Jerry Brown aims for California comeback

   7. Sorry I’m late, boss, my cat had the hiccups

The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said a full grown pair of tusks could be sold from 1 million to 2 million baht ($31,600 to $63,300), while the estimated value of an elephant’s penis is more than 30,000 baht ($950).

“There’s only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there’s demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money,” she cautioned.

Thailand has fewer than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The pachyderms were a mainstay of the logging industry in the northern and western parts of the country until logging contracts were revoked in the late 1980s.

Domesticated animals today are used mainly for heavy lifting and entertainment.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

His active Twitter page has gone silent about Demi Moore and he’s been partying in Brazil, but a source insists that Ashton Kutcher’s actions – and inactions – are not what they may seem.

“Ashton is deeply concerned for Demi,” says the source, noting Kutcher was in Brazil to work on an ad campaign when he heard about Moore’s hospitalization. “He still cares about her and wants the best for her. But their marriage is ending and they are both moving on with their lives.”

Kutcher, 33, and Moore, 49, announced in November that they were divorcing after six years of marriage, and friends of the actress have since worried about her signs of mounting stress and declining health.

During Moore’s recent crisis, Kutcher was in the South American country to shoot a catalog for the Brazilian fashion brand Colcci. He also attended a show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week and stepped out with Brazilian celebrities.

The Two and a Half Men star has continued to update his Twitter page, but has mentioned nothing about Moore. Instead, on Monday – the night paramedics responded to a 911 call at Moore’s home after she suffered an apparent seizure – he Tweeted a picture of himself “surfing the streets of Sao Paulo” in the rain.

The source says that Kutcher is now on his way back to Los Angeles and will be back at work on the set on Monday.

Related Links:

http://www.facebook.com/nbcnightlynews

Top of page

Many Australians will celebrate that typically national trait – bludging – by taking not just Thursday off but Friday too, parlaying Australia Day into an epic four-day bender.

Bosses around the country are recognising the inconvenience of a Friday hangover and hedging their bets by encouraging staff to take annual leave and report to work on Monday.

One company in Sydney is branding its four-day weekend as “the Australian thing to do”. Many fans of news.com.au on Facebook said today they had been told to take the day off too.

But for those workers less fortunate be warned – there could be consequences for showing up under the weather or worse yet – not showing up at all.

Stephen Cartwright, the CEO for the New South Wales Business Chamber, says we shouldn’t over-do it on Australia’s national day of barbecues and Triple J.

“You need to be prepared for a typical working Friday or you should speak to your employer now about making alternative arrangements if there is going to be an issue.”

“While Thursday will be a day off for many Australians to celebrate their national holiday, Friday is a normal working day, and employees will be expected to show up to the workplace bright eyed and bushy tailed,” Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright said.

And unless your mate is a doctor who’s willing to write you a fraudulent note, you’d better get your affairs in order because you won’t be fooling anyone come Friday.

“Anybody who takes a sickie on the Friday after Australia Day is not going to go unnoticed by their employer or their colleagues,” Mr Cartwright said.

Chamber spokesperson Damian Kelly said sick notes were a must if you don’t have a four-day party planned and you phone it in on Friday morning.

“If you don’t turn up to work and you don’t have [documentation] that impacts on your professional reputation,” he told news.com.au.

“It’s safe to say it (taking a sickie) has an impact on productivity.”

Sydney-based equipment company GJS Machinery have embraced the spirit, announcing they will take Friday off after Australia Day.

“It seemed like the Australian thing to do ” the company’s website announced to customers.

A spokesperson for Perth’s Fringe World Festival, which is opening to a “four-day weekend” on Australia Day, expects many locals to give Friday the flick.

“Having a public holiday on a Thursday – I know a lot of people are keen for that to go into over into the weekend and not go back to work on a Friday,” she said.

*In the interests of full disclosure, this writer is taking Thursday and Friday off.