HAITI QUAKE MARCH

SECOND ANNUAL HAITI SOLIDARITY VIRTUAL MARCH, ENTITLED “ONE12,” TO KICK OFF ON TWITTER.

Last year, thousands of tweeters followed @CLOAKINC on twitter as they tweeted their love and support for Haiti using hashtag: #iLoveHaiti. The virtual march symbolized the solidarity people have for the nation that endured one of the most epic earthquakes in history. Community leaders and activists from around the country participated by tweeting their thoughts using the event hashtag at designated times throughout the day. The CLOAK INC moderated event garnered a huge following and even made the trending list on twitter for the day.

This year, CLOAK will continue the annual Haiti Solidarity Virtual March on twitter. The virtual event kicks off on the historic anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake, January 12, 2012 at exactly 4:53pm, the recorded time of the earthquake.

“It is important for us to continue our efforts to keep Haiti in our hearts and minds. We will not forget the nation that continues to need our support in so many ways, says CLOAK CEO, Ebonie Mukasa.” “We still maintain our position as a fashion company on a mission to promote hope and inspiration to all.”

CLOAK has really found a creative and unique way to bring hope and inspiration through fashion. The company has been at it since 2008 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Please follow @cloakinc on twitter now.
See the many ways you can be involved at: neverforgettheday.com/get-involved/ Partner and sponsorship information can be found at neverforgettheday.com/sponsorship/ or by calling 305-654-0035.

FANCY FACE... A MUST FOLLOW FOR THE MAKEUP-ISTAS OUT THERE!

We stumbled on this amazing blog!

The face behind the "Fancy Face" is Tina, an electrical engineer by day and beautylicious genius by night. She has a passion for the art of make up and she uses herself as the canvas for her gorgeous creations. The best part about her blog is her disclosing what she used and how to achieve the amazing looks on display. For you aspiring make-up artists out there... take out your notebook and pay attention...class is in session at Fancy Face University.

Check out her blog here: http://thefancyface.blogspot.com/search/label/LOOKS

Legacy Of Student Killed In Haiti Quake

BOCA RATON (CBS4) – Just days after officials confirmed Britney Gengel died in the devastating earthquake in Haiti her parents started a foundation called Be Like Brit.

In 16 months they have created what was once their daughter’s dream.

“She had the courage to do something that she wanted to do in her heart,” said Britney’s father Len Gengel.

Britney was part of a group of 14 students and professors from Lynn University in Boca Raton who were volunteering in Haiti when the deadly quake hit in 2010.

The young college student was one of six people who perished in the earthquake. Hours before the devastating tremor she sent her parents a text message that said she wanted to start an orphanage in Haiti.
Now her parents are full filling that dream.

“It’s the greatest business challenge of my life,” said Len Gengel. “To actually build a 90,000 square foot building in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.”

Len Gengel, a construction company owner, is overseeing the entire creation of the orphanage that will house 66 Haitian children. Construction has been underway for months, but right now crews are pouring concrete –a monumental step for the Be Like Brit Organization.

“We hope to be coming out of the ground in September,” said Gengel.

The orphanage should open sometime in 2012. In the mean time, The Be Like Brit Organization is looking for volunteers or what they are call “Britsionaries” to serve to in Haiti.

Britney’s former classmate PJ Tyska was on the mission trip with Britney when she died. He is serving as “Britsionary” on the construction sight and spending quality time with Haitian children.

“It’s about the whole experience of getting to know the people who live here,” said Tyska.

The family hopes creating a legacy will change and impact the lives of young Haitians.

“She gave us that gift, said Len Gengel. “That is a blessings that my wife and I will treasure.”

For more information on how you can become a volunteer for Be Like Brit organization- log onto: http://belikebrit.org

This story was sourced from CBS Miami (http://miami.cbslocal.com).

GO FROM BOYS TO MEN

(click on the image to make larger)

In honor of father's day... which we're extending through the end of the month, we thought it would be nice to write an article just for the fellas. Read & enjoy!
It seems like the fashion industry is predominantly geared to serving the needs of women. When it comes to style, fashion and etiquette, men are too often neglected. This is an article for our guys out there that want to step things up a bit. We have just a few pointers to inspire men in their style and even their swag.

1. FIT IS EVERYTHING. You don't have to have a lot, but everything you do have should FIT! The days of over sized tees & sloppy pants sagging (although certain types of sagging is actually good). Your pieces don't have to be expensive to look haute. Getting your clothes taken in and hemmed (yes even your jeans) can make a man look like he just stepped out of a GQ mag.

2. ALWAYS ADD A LITTLE UNEXPECTED & COOL SOMETHING TO YOUR LOOK. Watches and funky kicks are great opportunities for guys to take any look from just ok to HAWT! Choose pieces with a little pop of color, unusual shapes & angles, and embellished with bold hardware. Caution: Don't go overboard... Being "extra" is never a good look! If your shoes are bold, then your outfit should be simmered down. You don't want everything you have on to be screaming at the same time.

3. JACKETS GO A LONG WAY. A well-dressed man should have timeless leather jacket, several different well-fitting blazers, sporty track jackets a denim jacket. Those pieces can make something as simple as jeans and a t-shirt look ultra stylish and very cool.

4. THERE IS A TIME & PLACE. Always be properly dressed for any occasion. A first date is about making a great first impression... put away the basketball shorts and think about what you're putting on. If you're going to a nice dinner, pull out the blazer and the leather boots or cool kicks. When in doubt ask a female someone to cosign on your look for the date. Dressing for work is about looking POLISHED, PROFESSIONAL and SMART. Some jobs allow you to be casual while others have uniforms or require full business attire. Whatever the requirement, always look clean and polished when going to work. Keep your nails clean & trimmed, wear a belt and iron your clothes. Your mother knew what she was talking about when she told you these things!

***BONUS: SWAG TIPS***

5. KEEP YOUR B.O. IN CHECK. by B.O. we mean Body Odor & Breath Odor. Here are a few ways to do the B.O. check.
Step 1: Look down your shirt and then stick your face in it.
Step 2: Take a deep breath through your nose.
Step 3: If you smell anything else besides body wash, deodorant, or cologne chances are... you need to freshen up.
Step 4: Handle that.
Now for the Breath check
Step 5: Cup your hands over your mouth and nose.
Step 6: Take a deep breath with your nose keeping your mouth open.
Get a second opinion from one of your REAL friends.
Step 7: If you smell anything else besides minty goodness... you need to freshen up. Step 8: Handle that.
Step 9: Repeat steps 1-8 every 2 hours or more frequently just to be sure.

6. FACE ON. We were surprised to learn that men typically do not really take care of their skin. Now we're not suggesting avocado mud masks or full on facials. We're just saying... wash your face in the morning and before you go to bed... and not with regular bar soap! Get a good facial wash like Anthony's, Mario Badescu or even Neutrogena (or what ever else works). We promise that your manhood will not be questioned. All you need is a cleanser and a moisturizer. There is no point in stepping up your style if your skin is... well... gross.

These are just a few things to get you looking your best! There is nothing hotter than a well-swagged man with a good heart. These tips will help with the "well-swagged" part... tune in next time for the "good heart" part.

For the ladies reading this: if you have more tips for the fellas, please chime in. PLEASE BE NICE. We're here to help not hurt.

Check out our store on Facebook for our latest men's pieces. (click here) or copy and paste this link in your browser: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CLOAK-inc/94508785616?sk=app_135607783795



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PROM DRESS GIVEAWAY

If you need a prom dress, a Miami Community Organization is giving them away to girls for their proms. Any student is eligible. Contact Sharon Marbury at: 786 251 1170

Prom Dress Giveaway

480 NW 11 Street
Miami Community Police Benevolent Assoc.
The members of the M.C.P.B.A. has started an
initiative to collect new and barely worn dresses (dry
cleaned) and make them available for any
underprivileged students to attend the prom.

What: Prom Dress Giveaway
When: May 8-13, 2011
Where: 480 NW 11 Street
Time: Please call
Other: Must show school ID to attend.
Contact: Traci Sloan 786-306-8779,
Sharon Marbury 786-251-1170,
Melissa Stuckey 786-231-7776, or
Cherise Gause 786-246- 0265

LED Technology Takes Fashion

Recently, Katy Perry was spotted in an LED gown at the Met Gala in New York.

That got us thinking of how this LED fashion trends may really start blowing up in the next few years. Katy Perry is certainly not the first to rock this LED trend.

Rhianna took the stage in a red LED creation in 2010 and Swarovski crystals were paired with LED lasers to create a dazzling effect the year before. Several years ago I attended an event at Luminaire Lab in Miami's Design District where an LED fashion show took place. Models strutted down the runway in LED dress designs.

Here are some highlights in LED fashion (pun totally intended):

Soomi Park has created what we think is probably one of the most innovative LED creations... LED LASHES!

Creative Recreation really turned it out last year with their version of LED kicks.

At first we thought... WOW!!! That's so new and fresh and then we remembered LA LIGHTS!!! They were so ahead of their time. Anyways, we still give props to the Creative Rec design which is far more advanced and stylish. We could totally see a slim and sexy high (Louboutin-esque) pointy high heel covered in LED lights in a similar look as the gorgeous spiked Louboutin heels.

Rodarte Glowing Heels 2010

Not really digging the bag design but we do love

the idea of having an LED built into my maze of a purse.

So you can expect more and more LED creations to start popping up on fashion pages, runways and racks over the next several years. Who knows... an LED CLOAK Apparel™ tee may light up the scene sooner than you think...

Look out for our next review on new trends and fashion.

A CHANGING WORLD

Just read this and thought it would be great to share with our readers... enjoy!

THE WORLD WILL SEE MORE CHANGES IN THE NEXT 25 YEARS THAN IT HAS IN THE PAST 200. JUST THINK ABOUT THE CHANGES FROM 1940 -- 1990

Coming Changes

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them but, ready or not, here they come!

1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man.
As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book and think of the convenience once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalog items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time
shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The "Things." That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard
drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system.

So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?"
Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that
24/7 "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again. All we will have that can't be changed are Memories.