Kids won't be the only miserable people during these waning days of summer, when the first day of school lurks like a dour detention officer. The retailers selling students back-to-school clothing, supplies and gadgets will be pretty sad souls too. According the National Retail Federation, the average family with K-12 students will spend $548.72 on school merchandise, a 7.7% decline from 2008. Britt Beemer, founder and chairman of America's Research Group, a retail consulting firm, predicts spending will drop ...

Scores of protesters gathered outside a Sudanese courtroom Tuesday as the trial of a woman who faces 40 lashes for wearing clothes deemed indecent was postponed. Lubna al-Hussein, who says she was arrested for wearing pants that were too tight, faces a new trial date of September 7, her attorney Nadil Adib said. The delay was to allow the judge to consult Sudan's Foreign Ministry on whether al-Hussein is immune from the charges because she was formerly a U.N. employee, ...

The little number on the tag on a pair of pants that indicates size can mean a lot to a person, and retailers know it. That's why, in recent years, as the American population has become generally more overweight, brands from the luxury names to the mass retail chains have scaled down the size labels on their clothing. "You may actually be a size 14 and, according to whatever particular store you're in, you come out a size ...

My son does not own any Transformer dolls. I'm sorry, make that Transformer action figures. But if he did, upon my return from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I would have taken these Hasbro toys outside, placed them under the wheels of the car and driven back and forth across them until they were ground into dust. My motivation would not be revenge for the lost hours I've now devoted to the Transformers . No, if this sequel taught ...

If Rihanna takes the stand at Chris Brown's preliminary hearing Monday, it will be her first time publicly talking about what happened the night her boyfriend allegedly attacked her. The singer could face questioning by Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos, about her argument with Brown inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street last February. Geragos has said he hoped to avoid the spectacle of public testimony, but plea-deal talks failed and California's Supreme Court last week rejected his request to ...

Iran is preparing for a potentially violent confrontation between the government and supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi on Saturday. While messages on Twitter and other social networking sites indicate much concern about safety, many opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insist they will attend the rally called by Mousavi. Several drew inspiration from a protest march on Thursday, an account of which TIME received on Friday morning. The author has requested anonymity. The crowd pushes in. We are all arms, legs, ...

Although you probably use it every day, here's some interesting trivia you may not know about deodorant. 1. Be thankful for your foul body odor. According to anthropologist Louis Leakey, it might be responsible for early man's survival. Leakey's theory claims that most predators avoided feasting on humans because our body odor was "too repugnant." 2. Not only did the ancient Egyptians give us pyramids and flush toilets, they also pioneered the field of deodorants. Egyptians were the first to ...

How much has Michelle Obama shaken up the fashion world? Well, name one other woman whose dress receives a birthday tribute. In January, the clothing retailer White House Black Market set up a swag suite at the Sundance Film Festival. The company dressed a mannequin with a black-and-white leaf print dress like the one Obama once wore on The View. Mo'Nique, the comedian and actress, recognized the outfit. And since it happened to be the First Lady's birthday, of course it was Mo'Nique's duty to ...

Thai army soldiers fired a volley of gunshots on Monday on the streets of Bangkok as they advanced toward anti-government protesters demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down. It was not immediately known whether the troops fired rubber bullets or live gunshots. Demonstrators commandeered at least two buses, rigged the steering wheels and sent them toward police officers -- who fired at the vehicles in response. Other buses were seen burning. Earlier in the day, protesters hurled gasoline bombs, ...

Hundreds of anti-government protesters amassed outside a hotel hosting a major Asian summit as they continued their demand Friday for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down. Some of the protesters and police engaged in shoving and shouting matches outside the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel in the beach resort city of Pattaya. But the demonstrations have been without incident otherwise. The hotel is the site of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The demonstrators have said ...