Who can keep up with teen fashionistas who rock from one trend to another as fast as you can sing Rihanna's latest, "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)"?

Dreaming up clothes for these contemporary young people seems to come easy for designer Michele Bohbot, who grew up in Fez, Morocco, and studied in Paris at the Sorbonne.

While in Paris, Bohbot opened several retail stores, and in 1989 launched her line of inspired by Parisian street fashion called Bisou Bisou (French slang meaning "a little kiss"). This February, Bohbot, who now calls Los Angeles home, is launching a junior line, Miss Bisou at J.C. Penney.

The first time Pierre-Henri Raphanel settled into the driver's seat of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, it was to be for a brief test with an engineer. He stayed for seven hours.

"I did not want to get out," says Raphanel, who has some experience with endurance and speed.

Not only has he put 9,000 miles on one Veyron - there are just two of the French sports cars in the United States - Raphanel raced at Le Mans and Grand Prix, then raced sports cars in Europe and Japan.

No one can yet say whether 2006 will be the year of the flu pandemic, whether a particularly virulent strain will mutate sufficiently to easily infect and kill tens of thousands of people, possibly millions.

But there is cause for concern. Recent outbreaks of a strain of avian flu called H5N1 in Asia suggest the virus may have already made the biological leap from bird host to human victim. In China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Turkey, at least 149 human cases of H5N1 infection have been reported, with 80 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Bird versions of H5N1 have spread beyond Asia, perhaps transported by wild migratory birds, to portions of eastern Europe, Russia, Kuwait and Canada. More human cases seem inevitable. President Bush has launched a $7.1 billion plan to prepare for a global flu epidemic.

Critics might say the Cadillac DTS is the same old hay being pitched with a new pitchfork. Others will see it as an ideal makeover for a flagship Caddy.

The DTS is the big sedan with a new skin and new interior, top-line safety features and a hunk of an engine, the Northstar V-8.

But before I continue, a moment, please, to honor the loss of a great nameplate: DeVille.

Q: Everyone seems to be putting on great room additions. We have an old house on a small lot with no room to expand - except down or up.

My husband believes that basement "rec rooms" are a thing of the past, that no one goes "underground for fun," as he puts it, these days. That leaves the attic as a possible family room, but it's three flights up and has tiny windows. What's your advice: shall we rehab the attic, the basement, or just move?

I am pleased to report that studio efforts to halt the bootlegging of movies are finally succeeding. I have in my hands a copy of the sometimes charming chick-flick comedy "In Her Shoes" (2 1/2 stars for women, 1 star for men) that cannot be copied.

I had my doubts about its security. (Doubts about security are a very good thing to have these days.) The DVD arrived without the usual skin-tight cellophane wrap and three adhesive security strips along the edges - standard anti-consumer wrapping on the most basic DVD in a store.

With cold weather still wrapped around most of us, it's nice to cuddle up in front of the fire in our flannel PJs and dream of breezy white dresses, linen jackets, patent leather sandals and huge straw hats - perhaps all lined up on the beach runways of our winter-weary minds, sipping icy drinks and basking in the sun.

Not falling for all this tropical daydreaming just yet?

Well, fashion designers have always had to fast-forward the seasons and look ahead to warm days when it was cold and cool days when it was sweltering to put together their next collections. Now, as they are readying their fall '06 collections for the runways, here's what a few of them predicted will be must-haves for the season right around the corner, in spring '06:

The hottest new Porsche isn't the most expensive in the lineup, and it's likely to extend an olive branch to diehard 911 Carrera owners.

Essentially, the Cayman S coupe is a third sports car for the brand, but it's built from the Boxster roadster.

For price and performance, Cayman fits just below the high and mighty 911 Carrera and just above the playful and forgiving Boxster S.

If you're interested in improving the quality of your diet, adding small amounts of flaxseed to your favorite foods is a quick and tasty way to accomplish your goal.

The flax plant is the source of fiber from which linen is woven, and it also yields edible seeds and oil. Flax has been part of the human diet for thousands of years, and for just as long, it has been valued for its health-promoting properties.