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Looking at mens fashion (or seasonal) underwear, there are some noticeable differences. D&G fashion is muted, favouring flat colour to prints. Even their colours are more toned down, using a lot of khaki, burgundy and green. Emporio Armani mens fashion underwear is also quite subtle, staying away from bright colours and instead using subtle stripes and patterns.

Diesel mens underwear is completely taken up by exciting and youthful colours and prints. Ted Baker is quite similar to Diesel, except for their unique novelty mens underwear which features images of boys toys such as planes and cars.

It is difficult to summarise the difference in fit between the different underwear brands, because they all have varying styles with different fits. Having said that, there are some basic differences we can highlight. If we use Calvin Klein as a benchmark, D&G and Emporio Armani underwear is slightly tighter fitting (Italian styling) and sits lower on the waist.

In addition, D&G trunks have a shorter leg. Conversely, Ted Baker underwear sits higher up on the waist, and their trunks have a longer leg than the average. With regards pricing, Ted Baker, Diesel and Calvin Klein are approximately the same whilst D&G and Emporio Armani are slightly more expensive.

It is clear that there are differences between the major mens underwear brands, which are driven by the differences in the brands mission. Calvin Klein, a true lifestyle brand, has a large range of mens underwear with something to suit all ages and preferences. On the other hand Ted Baker and Diesel are youthful brands and hence their mens underwear is vibrant and bold. Emporio Armani is a refined brand, offering classic and high quality garments, and their mens underwear reflects this. D&G strive to create bold pieces of clothing that are sexy and sometimes outrageous. Their mens underwear is tight fitting and low rise, which creates a very sexy look in accordance with the brands vision.

David Cole is a qualified designer, and has worked in the mens fashion industry for 4 years since graduating. He has a particular interest in mens accessories, and runs a website called Herbert Jones Mens Accessories that offers mens underwear, socks, belts, bags and more from the leading designer brands.

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Choice in mens underwear has increased dramatically since the designer brands have released their own collections. In this article I will compare the designer brands based on the size of their range, their basic and fashion colours, the fit and price.

Designer mens underwear, pioneered by Calvin Klein, has proved a massive success since its inception in the mid 1980s. Many of the designer brands have followed suit, providing the consumer with a massive and overwhelming choice. Emporio Armani, D&G, Diesel, Ted Baker, Hugo Boss and many other premium brands now have a substantial mens underwear offering. In this article I will compare the different brands on the basis of; the size of their range, underwear basics, fashion underwear, fit and price.

Calvin Klein offers the largest range of mens underwear by some way, with an extensive collection of both basic designs (plain white, black, grey) and fashion (vivid colours and prints). They also offer the full set of styles; briefs, trunks, boxer briefs and boxer shorts. Calvin Klein is a true innovator when it comes to mens underwear and is always bringing out new styles such as the ergonomic Tech Active (for active lifestyles).

Following Calvin is D&G and Emporio Armani, who both have a strong basics range and a significant fashion range. Emporio Armani has a particularly strong branded waistband, their eagle logo extremely bold and identifiable. Diesel is a younger and more street brand and hence has an exciting range of vibrant briefs and trunks, but few basics (i.e. plain white, grey or black). Ted Baker is similar to Diesel in that it focuses more on the fun and colourful.

Looking at mens fashion (or seasonal) underwear, there are some noticeable differences. A large part of Calvin Kleins fashion underwear is taken up with prints (as opposed to plain colours), which includes stripes, florals, logos, abstract and retro patterns. A recurring theme from Calvin Klein is to use the branding repeatedly over the main area of fabric. For example, in their Spring Summer 09 range, Calvin Klein has released a style with graphiti branding all over the underwear.

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Why do roosters always crow in the morning? An interesting story told by Chinese Miao people explains this.

A long, long time ago, there were seven suns and seven moons in the sky that appeared by turns to bring people warmth and light. But one year, the seven suns and moon broke up their good relationship after a big fight. Every day and night, they came out together. The heat ruined almost everything. The plants withered, and the rivers dried up.

A man called Nuo Ya made a decision to help people out of this situation. He crafted a big bow and arrow with the branches and trunk of an old tree, then climbed to the top of the highest mountain to shoot the suns and moons. Soon, he shot down six suns and moons. Then Nuo Ya talked to himself: the sun is male, and the moon is female. I should keep each one of them for the world. So he stopped shooting and left.

It was cooler at once without the six suns. However a new problem appeared: the sun and moon feared to be shot, so they hid and dared not come out. Without the sun and moon, it was dark, freezing, and scary.

People were very dismayed, and they complained to Nuo Ya, We can’t live like this! Nuo Ya asked them, In this world, who makes the biggest sound? We will let him to invite the sun and moon out. The men answered, A tiger’s voice is the biggest. So a tiger came to roar to the sky like thunder, which only scared the sun and the moon even more.

Nuo Ya asked again to his people, In this world, whose voice is the most beautiful? The girls answered, A rooster sings the most beautiful songs. We can ask him to call out to the sun and the moon.

After a good sleep, the rooster got up and crowed loudly to the sky. The beautiful songs of the rooster woke up the sun and moon, who blinked their eyes and yawned. The rooster crowed loudly again. Gradually the sun climbed in the sky and appeared at the top of the mountain. The beautiful sunshine warmed everything. People were so happy and excited. They sang and danced around the proud rooster.

But the moon was still shy, and it only showed up in the evening.

Today, the Miao family always like to keep a rooster at home.

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In 1887, British missionary S. Pollard was sent to the mountainous areas of southwestern China to start his career. In 1904, when he visited a small Miao village, he was attracted by their unique culture and silver jewelry art. Finally he made a decision to stay there.

At that time, the Miao lived in extreme poverty and were enslaved by the local nobles. The first thing Pollard decided to do was set up a church and a school.

He went to visit a local noble to buy a piece of land to found the church and school. The noble asked him how much land he wanted. Pollard said he only needed a piece of land as big as a cowhide. The noble thought it was funny, and promised to give Pollard that piece of land for free. So they signed a contract.

Later Pollard used a chemical to make a cowhide into fine threads, and when they were all set out they measured one square kilometer!

Soon churches and schools were built up on this land. The local Miao people learned Chinese, English, science, math, and basic knowledge of hygiene at the schools for free. The oldest student was 46 years old, and the youngest was only 8.

Pollard often dressed him up with the ethnic Miao garment, and he was very interested in learning the Miao language from his disciples. The Miao didn’t have a written script at that time. So Pollard worked together with his disciples and created Miao letters based on English and Chinese characters. The Bible was translated and printed in this Miao language. More and more people became Christian, and they went to Pollard’s school to learn the Miao script. Even today, this form of writing is still used by the Miao people.

Pollard also built hospitals, swimming pools, and soccer fields on the land. Some of these historic sites are still kept today.

Pollard helped the local people repair roads, build house, and improve their spinning machines. A safe and environmental friendly stove invented by Pollard was widely used instead of the old one which consumed lots of wood. People called him LaMeng, which means King of the Miao.

On September 16, 1915, Pollard died of typhoid at the age of 51. Lots of local people attended his funeral.

But the education he brought changed the life of the Miao. Thousands of students finished their primary school education. About 200 finished high school. 30 students went to colleges in other areas of China, and one of them later became a doctor. In this remote village with so many illiterate people, Pollard created a wonder.

Today, Christianity still has an overwhelming influence among the Miao. If you examine their batik, silver jewelry, and embroidery art, you can find lots of patterns that come from the stories of the Bible.

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The Miao, or Hmong, are well known for both their silver jewelry and their migration history. About 200 years ago, thousands of Miao people moved from China to the mountainous areas of Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Some of them finally arrived to the US.

During the Vietnam War, the Miao who inhabited Laos fought against the Pathet Lao for the US. Their leader was general Bao Vang. But when the Pathet Lao controlled the country in 1975, the Miao were forced to leave their homeland to avoid being persecuted and killed.

Some Miao escaped from Laos to Thailand by plane or car, but most had to walk to the border. They walked across forests and mountains with elders and children for about 4 months. Many died on the way because of disease, starvation, and Pathet Lao soldiers. They had to feed their children opium to make them sleep, as they worried their crying might attract more soldiers. Sometimes, the children were over-fed and never woke up.

They finally arrived at the border four months later, and managed to cross the Mekong River with bamboo boats and rubber.

After the Miao arrived in Thailand, they were arranged in different refugee camps near to the border. In Ban Vinai, an area 15 kilometers south of the Mekong River, there were about 45,000 Miao refugees. Some people stayed there for only a few months, but others stayed for as long as ten years.

Volunteers from Thailand and other countries did lots of work to help the Miao refugees. They taught the children science, math, Chinese, and English. Some camps looked like markets, as you could see women were busy with selling their embroidery work to enhance their living conditions.

With the permission of the United Nations, the Miao refugees began to immigrate to America, Australia, and Europe in 1975. Most people followed their spiritual leader Bao Vang to America. In 1980 alone, about 27,000 Miao refugees moved to the US.

At first, the refugees were arranged to live in about 50 cities in America. Lots of people were separated with their friends and relatives once their plane landed in this country. But starting in 1982, more and more Miao people moved to cities where they had family members. As a result, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California have become the main states where the Miao live.

The Miao experienced a big culture shock when they first arrived in the US. A Miao man was allowed to have several wives at the same time in Laos. But once they were in America, they were asked to keep one wife and divorce the others.

In Laos, the Miao kept a tradition of abducting a girl then asking the girl’s family for agreement of marriage. When they tried to replant this custom to America, their neighbors called 911.

Thirty years elapsed. Today, the Miao have acclimatized themselves well to American society while still keeping some of their tradition. About 200,000 Miao people reside in America. They like to be called Hmong.

In St. Paul-Minneapolis, one the largest Miao communities, colorful Miao ethnic costumes and silver jewelry are easily found in malls and shops.

During the Miao New Year and other holidays, the Miao dress up with their colorful ethnic costumes and silver jewelry to get together with friends and family members. The Miao New Year celebration is usually held over a weekend in autumn. Sometimes it’s held on the same day as the American national holiday, July 4th.

The Miao are proud of their unique ethnic culture and work hard to protect it. People can learn their culture from their magazines and websites. Their radio stations broadcasting the Miao language are especially popular with the elderly people.

Many people like to send their children to special schools to learn Miao culture and history so they can grow and learn, no matter where they are. Some Miao people in the US even make elaborate silver jewelry like that found in China.

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Occuring only once every 13 years, the secret Guzang Festival is an exciting time for the Chinese Miao people to worship their ancestors. In the Chinese language, the word “Gu” means a bull, and “Zang” means innards of an animal. During the festival, a series of ceremonies like slaughtering bulls, beating drum are held.

One of the most important part of the festival is beating drums. A Miao drum is crafted with maple wood. People use cowhide to cover both ends of the drum. The Miao think the soul of their ancestors exists in this huge drum. So during the festival, they beat the drum very loudly to wake up their ancestors, who take part in their exciting worshiping ceremony.

Two different kinds of drums are used in the festival. One is the double drum, which includes two identical drums. All together they reach 170 cm in length and 30 cm in diameter. The double drums are usually put in a couple’s home, who has been married for a long time but doesn’t have a child. They worship the double drums to expect that the drums can give them children. On the day of festival, people take the double drums out for the ceremony.

The single drum is smaller than the double drums. The Miao make a new single drum for each GuZang festival. After the festival is over, the single drum is left in a cave until it rots.

In the August before a Guzang festival drawing near, people carry the old single drum out of the cave and perform a praying ceremony. Then they are ready to craft a new single drum.

Two years before the festival, people select an elderly and respectable man to be the leader, who presides over the worshiping ceremony. The man is responsible for choosing the sacred bulls. The sacred bulls are not allowed for farming, and they are fed carefully with good food until the ceremony.

The leader wears a special costume and is quite conspicuous during the festival. He wears violet clothes, with some dried fish bound around his head. This indicates their ancestors ever lived along the Yangtze river in east China and made a living on fishing.

On the first few days of the festival, people sing, dance, and hold numerous banquets to feast friends, neighbors, and relatives. Anyone who visits their village is warmly welcomed! They have meat and bean curd, but they can’t eat vegetables. The festival lasts 13 days.

There are a few more things you absolutely must know about the Miao GuZeng festival, so visit my website below!

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The Miao minority in southern China celebrates the all-important GuZang festival every 13 years. They wear literally pounds of silver jewelry and take part in activities that date back thousands of years!

During the festival, the Miao always use happy and cheerful words to avoid any unpleasant feelings. For slaughtering a pig, they say kiss the official; for bringing a butcher knife, they say send me the leaf; for heating a stove with the straw to cook the pork, they say let’s cover the official. After they finish eating and are full, they will say full of the warehouse.

On the 5th day of the GuZang festival, the sacred bulls are led around the village, with firecrackers exploding all around. The bulls are adorned with colorful decorations.

The bulls are slaughtered just before dawn the next day. Their heads are put together facing east, which suggests the ancestors of the Miao come from east China. A ceremony is then held to release souls of these bulls from purgatory. At last people sing the old sacrificial songs together.

When the ceremony is over, the Miao divide the meat of bulls into different pieces and distribute them to each family.

In the next few days, the Miao continue to revel in their festival. They sing and dance with the beautiful drum music echoing through the mountains.

Bullfighting is an exciting game held during the festival. Bullfighting means two bulls fighting with each other. The bull killed in the game is considered a hero and will be buried with a big funeral. On the gravestone, his battle story is recorded.

A very interesting story reveals the origin of this fascinating GuZang festival. Go to my website below to learn about it!

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