Oh boy. Time to take a look at your Lulus.

The Vancouver based yoga clothing retailer is set to lose millions of dollars (some are predicting up to $20 million in losses) this week with a recall of up to one fifth of their inventory over, um, an issue.

The company released a statement saying: “We have determined that certain shipments of product received from our factories and available in store from March 1, 2013 do not meet our technical specifications. The items affected are certain styles of women’s bottoms in our signature black Luon fabric. The ingredients, weight and longevity qualities of the pants remain the same but the coverage does not, resulting in a level of sheerness in some of our women’s black Luon bottoms that falls short of our very high standards.”

So these yoga pants were essentially see-through.

Lululemon yoga pants have long been a gym favourite and, let’s face it, people wear them even when they aren’t at the gym too. They usually fit just right and show off your assets. Unfortunately, if you’re one of the people who purchased them this March, they could be showing off a bit too much of your ass-ets. Yikes.

Let us know what you think on Twitter and Facebook. Will you stay true to your Lulus? Will you be a little extra careful about your coverage in yoga pants from here on out?

Action star actor, metal band rocker, and all around celebrity super-mom Jada Pinkett Smith has sounded off on how she feels young men and women in the entertainment industry are torn apart by the media, making references to the current spat of troubles for Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Taylor Swift, not to mention the off colour joke made by The Onion at the expense of 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quevenzhané Wallis.

Read her full statement below:

“It is as if we have forgotten what it means to be young or even how to behave like good ol’ grown folk. Do we feel as though we can say and do what we please without demonstrating any responsibility simply because they are famous? Is it okay to continually attack and criticize a famous 19 year old who is simply trying to build a life, exercise his talents while figuring out what manhood and fame is all about as he carries the weight of supporting his family as well as providing the paychecks to others who depend on him to work so they can feed their families as well? Does that render being called a c*** by an adult male photographer as you try to return to your hotel after leaving the hospital?

Or what about our nine year old beautiful Oscar nominee who was referred to as a c*** as well? Or what about being a young woman in her early twenties, exploring the intricacies of love and power on the world stage? And should we shame a young woman for displaying a sense of innocence as she navigates through the murky waters of love, heartbreak, and fame? Are these young people not allowed to be young, make mistakes, grow, and eventually transform a million times before our eyes?”

Supportive, understanding, beautiful… Can you be our mom?

Join the conversation below and by tweeting us @womenspost or liking us on facebook.com/womenspost to let us know what you think. Is the media being too cruel to our young female and male stars?

How could I forget my first steps into a newsroom? Granted, it wasn’t anything spectacular — the community newspaper’s basement office had more funky smells than it did natural light — but it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. The hustle bustle of reporters on the go, the phone ringing off the hook, the sound of the printer spitting out copy; this was where I was meant to be.

I remember submitting my first story and being called aside by my editor. Was I about to be commended for a job well done? Accolades on my first story? Am I the best young reporter she’s ever seen?

Nope. I was awful.

Thankfully that editor had a clear vision of what needed to be fixed and the patience to explain it to me in a learning environment.

My next article was a little better, and the next one a little better than that. Between each attempt at journalistic excellence there was a whole lot of listening, shadowing and note taking. Each day was a new lesson in what needed to be done and what mistakes to avoid, and I am thankful to have had the experience.

Today in my working life I apply more things that I learned from that group of reporters than I do anything I learned out of a $300 university textbook.

I’ve come a long way since that conversation over my first story. I’ve been around the block and back and keep a copy of CP Style on my nightstand. I’m in a position now where I could possibly be the one teaching some kid a thing or two.

I recently set about putting together an internship program and was surprised to learn that there is some distrust around the idea of internships. While I viewed my editors as teachers and the newsroom as a classroom, some young and inexperienced people hoping to break into their industries view internships as exploitative.

Blogger Andrew Langille believes in the value of internships for young people.

“Internships are an important tool in the school-to-labour market transition,” Langille toldWP, although he numbers among those who believe that unpaid internships are about exploiting free work from young people rather than skill building and educational experience.

The difference between my hopes for an educational internship program and the views of exploitation set out by detractors may lie, it seems, in how faithfully businesses follow the spirit of the educational internship.

Currently there are a handful of rules set out by the Ministry of Labour, who regulate internships in Ontario, which aim to differentiate an intern from an employee. For example, interns can’t be doing work that a paid employee could be doing — a rule that seems obvious when you take into account that internships are meant to be for educational and training purposes, not free work. Businesses must also be careful not to offer interns any type of compensation as this can be seen as sub-par remuneration.

The Ministry sets out a pay standard for interns where they are either to be paid as employees or given nothing.

From my point of view the catch-22 is that if you take an intern in with the express purpose of teaching, detractors of the model feel that interns should be paid as employees because the learning takes place in a work environment. But if a business is paying someone as an employee, they expect the work and results of an employee, not the follies of a classroom setting.

The back and forth over the subject has led me to step away from the idea an internship program for the time being. I love the idea of creating a curriculum for an educational internship and helping to train a young mind, but unfortunately some current attitudes seem to be disparaging of the model in which I was trained. What will replace that model for young people in search of training and a foothold in their industry remains to be seen.

While I may not be a mentor in any official sense, one thing is for sure: in my own personal life I will continue to help young writers and journalists to hone their skills to better break into the industry as a friend.

Sarah Thomson’s allegations of sexual impropriety against Mayor Rob Ford have sparked a series of statements from conservative councillors and pundits attempting to discredit her version of events. Among the most vocal has been Councillor Carmine Perrelli, who claims nothing inappropriate went on at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee event Thursday night.

Sarah Thomson’s executive assistant, Sarah Patterson, was present at the event and says that her experience involved an intoxicated looking Rob Ford and an offfensive Carmine Pirelli.

I sat down with her to hear what she had to say.

On Thursday, March 7, you spent the evening with Sarah Thomson, what were you guys doing?

Last night was my first CJPAC Action event, and it was quite the memorable experience.  I met numerous people, members of the political community and city leaders.  I was attending with my new boss Mrs Sarah Thomson, Chair of the Toronto Transit Alliance.

How did the event begin for you two?

Sarah was a great sport and introduced me to everyone as she met up with old friends and former colleagues.  We mingled with the likes of Kathleen Wynne, Justin Trudeau, and Tim Hudak.  It was a surreal experience.

How did Sarah Thomson come to encounter Mayor Ford?

During the evening Mayor Rob Ford was in attendance.  He stood beside the entrance doors with his entourage, back in the corner, being surrounded by those wanting pictures and hand shakes.  Sarah noticed and went over to say hello as they were former opponents in the Mayoral Candidacy Race of 2010.  Sarah asked if I could get some pictures for her on her new iPhone, adding to the celebrity filled evening.

Sarah managed to squeeze her way through the crowd to greet Mayor Ford, while I was stuck behind other enthusiasts. All I could do to get pictures was to hold the phone high above my head, snap away, while standing on the tips of my toes.

This is where the now infamous photo of the two came from?

Apparently my photography skills are not the best and I managed to get a few shots of the wall, the back of some heads, and finally a somewhat in focus shot of Sarah and Mayor Ford. I left the swarm of people and met up with Sarah to give her back her iPhone. When she approached me, she had a look of shock on her face. She stated that Mayor Ford “had just grabbed [her] ass!” I was a little shocked, but had noticed that Mayor Ford was acting a little peculiar, I just assumed it was associated with open bar. He was ridiculously red in the face, sweating profusely, dime-eyed, and acting rather abrupt.

Would you say that Mayor Ford appeared to be very intoxicated?

Yeah.

What did you two do after this?

From this point we continued to mingle where the “ass grab” had become a comedic reference to the events of the night. I was able to meet numerous city councillors, one of which has since decided to throw myself and Sarah Thomson under the bus: Councillor Carmine Perrelli. He and I chatted and Sarah brought up the incident with Mayor Ford. Perrelli asked if we had a picture of this event, he believed it would have been amusing to see. Sarah being quite laidback, had stated that she didn’t have a picture of the incident , but was sure this wouldn’t be difficult to acquire considering the current state of Mayor Ford. We were curious if the “ass grab” was a one time occurrence or if this was occurring to other female attendees.

How was Mr. Perrelli behaving?

Sarah and I left Councillor Perrelli because his actions and comments were starting to  border on the offensive line. I must point out that Perrelli was wearing sunglasses indoors, and when I asked him why he said it was to check out woman without getting caught. He also asked to see the length of Sarah’s hair and when she turned around he looked her up and down, then learned over to me and told me that he was really checking out her butt.  After this we left the conversation, Perrelli grab my arm and stated “Don’t worry, you have a nice ass too”.

You yourself got a photo with Mayor Ford, correct?

Later on in the evening. Sarah and I returned to the upper level of the event where Rob Ford was still in attendance. I took this opportunity to meet Rob Ford, get my picture taken and to see if he was in fact being inappropriately friendly with other female guests. I went up, introduced myself and shook his hand. We got our picture taken, smiles and all, and Mayor Ford was polite and friendly, and that was that.
How have you felt in the aftermath?

I wake up today to see the media abuzz with Sarah Thomson being “groped” by Mayor Ford.  My office phone is ringing off the hook, my inbox has been filled with reporters wanting to know what I saw, what I said, what I did, etc. The majority of the response from the media has been negative, claiming Sarah Thomson as a liar, and a schemer, and that we set up Mayor Ford.

What do you say to anyone who doubts the validity of Sarah Thomson’s accusation?

If someone can explain to me how we can set up an “ass grab” I would like to know.  The worst part of this experience is seeing how the boys club of politics stick together. Those that were commenting on my physique last night are calling me liar today. This being my first big political outing with my new boss at my new job has really taught me a lot.

Emma Watson in chains? It might soon be a reality. If the rumour mill is correct we might soon see the teenaged witch trade her wand in for whips.

While most of us remember her as a good natured if nerdy straight-A witch at Hogwarts the British actress may soon be breaking from her squeaky clean image to star as Anastasia Steele in the big screen adaptation of the runaway hit novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

Usually the kind of news that comes leaked from some unnamed Hollywood insider, this tidbit of information comes from the hacker collective Anonymous. Taking a break from their usual activities of bringing down the websites of online enemies such as Scientology, the loosely organised hack-tivist group broke into the files of the German movie studio Constantin and leaked the news.

Join the conversation. Do you think the young star would do a good job as the protagonist of the Fifty Shades movie? Let us know what you think by tweeting at us or commenting to our Facebook page.

Not that you read it. I mean, we didn’t either, of course. Ahem…

I love moving.

I promise I’m not just saying that. Even as a child, graduating and moving to new schools, making new friends, new experiences, new surroundings, it’s always been a thrill to me. To me, there’s nothing like organizing your kitchen just right for the first time, picking just the right shade of blue for the family room, and deciding whether your couch should sit against a wall or float in the centre of the room. These decisions give me life; they are exhilarating. I totally understand that I’m probably alone in my love for the mundane task of moving houses.

As a soon-to-be wife and the mother of a toddler who now insists that he’s a “big boy anda Lion,” I no longer have the luxury of changing my environment on a whim. Luckily, I happen to be in the business of moving, and helping my clients stay on task and get organized is one of my favourite parts of my job. I’ve also learned some tips along the way that have helped to avoid moving day catastrophes.

For one thing, I encourage my clients to get a head start. Pack one box a day in the weeks leading up to the move to help alleviate the stress of one big “moving weekend”. Decide on the logistics of the move ahead of time. Are you using friends are hiring movers? Across how many days do you plan on actually executing the move? Basically, if there’s anything that can be done ahead of time, do it.

Another thing I’ve learned is to keep movers in the loop, particularly if my clients are hiring movers. I cannot tell you how unnecessarily stressful it is to realize that moving the baby grand piano is going to cost an additional $150 that wasn’t accounted for in the original budget and require moving equipment that will now take an extra two hours to go pick up – on the client’s dime.

It is important to keep movers aware of anything outside of ordinary boxes and furniture that they will need to move so that they are not caught off guard and have all the equipment needed.

The great part about moving (at least for me) is that it gives me an opportunity to purge my environment of all of the things that I don’t really need and/or use anymore. Clothing can be donated to local charities and old magazines and papers can be discarded or shredded. I prefer doing this at point A rather than bringing the clutter into point B.

One of the most basic tips I offer to my clients is to label everything. I cannot stress this enough.  You may think you’ll remember that the box with the blue ink stain on the top right corner is the one holding the cutlery, but when you’re all of a sudden in a room surrounded by dozens of identical looking boxes, things can get a little tricky. Plus, it’s always easier to just place labeled boxes in the rooms where they’ll need to be unpacked to prevent having to move boxes after you’ve just moved them.

And of course, tying up loose ends after the move is just as important as the move itself. Calling your service providers to inform them of the change (phone, internet, cable, etc.) can save you from waiting weeks for service appointments when you’re in your new home, and informing the postal service of your address change guarantees you won’t miss important correspondence.

Even with these tips, you might not see moving as a grand old time, but I’m hoping you’ll at least not see it as a stressful ordeal. Organization is key; the rest is just memories waiting to happen. Happy moving.

Yesterday we discussed 10 pointers to keep you on your A game at work. These are the final 10 tips to ensure your work life is harmonious and successful.

11. Switch off post work. Treat it like a part of your life. Not your life. This works as a deadline – it will help you effectively manage time, prioritize and concentrate better on work.

12. Set realistic goals, and leave a margin for mistakes. You are only human. Do not let anyone else forget that either.

13. Do not push people, and do not let people push you. Deadlines are excellent to out-perform other colleagues but they are catalysts in burning you out.

14. Dress according to the work atmosphere. Exude a vibe of no-nonsense attitude. If you take yourself seriously, your colleagues will take you seriously. Worry not: there will always be occasions to wear that backless red dress.

15. Appreciate every person for the good qualities they have. Your colleagues will not only respond to you as a person on priority but also their overall performance will be better.

16. Restrict criticism, instead start ‘critically appreciating’ your own and others work.

17. Know your job well, but also the periphery. Multitasking is the key today, but do not let it become a habit. Do not be tempted to interfere in your colleague’s task; you may become bait for all the work someone else did not show up to do. Have the knowledge, apply it only during crises.

18. If you want a different persona at work, decide your ‘character’ in advance and stick to it. If you choose the ‘silent, strong kind’ over ‘friendly, chirpy kind’ then you must imbibe it. Often a fluctuating persona and mood swings confuse people.

19. God is definitely in the details, but never compromise on the bigger picture for the details. No one appreciates the skill of a nitpicker, not even you.

20. Finally, assess your goals like the company asses the KRA. Are you heading in the right direction? If not, return and revisit your challenges and restructure your approach.

If you agree with these corporate environment dos and don’ts, it is important that you start practicing them. Do it as an experiment: change your attitude and note the experiences that you encounter at work. Modify these practices accordingly and formulate your own little guidebook to corporate success.

Every crisply-dressed career woman will tell you that corporate competition is not only about delivering more than you promise, but also about beating your deadlines and maintaining an impeccable code of conduct. All of the above are mandatory, and you can rest assured that your competitor is already doing this and more. Over the next two days, I will lay out the top 20 pointers to keep you on your A game.

1. Be professional. Professionals are honest to the act (work) and not the person behind the act. In order to achieve this, build a level of clarity within your personality.

2. Do not judge. Use the oldest and the wisest trick in the book: Watch and learn.

3. Do not forgive nastiness or jealousy. Do not encourage others to do what you would think twice about. Do not make scapegoats of others or become one. You won’t climb higher if you are habituated to pulling people down.

4. Do not compare and contrast. You may take longer initially to rise, but use the time to build the ladder.

5. Reserve your opinions and suggestions for friends and family. Remember, everyone seeks an alternative opinion – only to reconfirm their own. However, do not ignore a genuine need.

6. Appeal to the mind and not just the heart. Remember that ‘A bad decision made for a good cause is still a bad decision.’ Logic goes a long way.

7. Do not shoulder responsibilities or a colleague’s crisis. Listen and support, but do not let their ‘words’ colour your mind and outlook.

8. Start by treating your colleagues with silent respect. Let time decide your friendship.

9. Stay away from a gossiping colleague. And farther away from a ‘friendly’ colleague who warns you against others. Remember, you are there to work, not to get caught up in group politics.

10. Personal growth fosters professional growth. Irrespective of how you feel towards the organization, if you go disillusioned to work, your skills will suffer, and you may never deliver your best.