NATION

NATION
2002 products are convenient, fruity
NEW YORK -- Soy foods that taste better, dental kits to go and designer makeup are among the products that could surface on retail and grocery shelves in the new year, according to Mintel, a British consumer market research company.
Other possibilities include convenience foods such as a baby milk sold in prepackaged disposable bottles and tea and coffee that heat themselves. Mintel predicted grapefruit will emerge as the flavor of the year, showing up in foods and beverages besides juice.
Perfect gift givingfor the wealthy
NEW YORK -- Ultra-wealthy consumers whose finances are unscathed by the slumping economy and happen to be at a loss for the perfect gift might want to consult the Robb Report.
The affluent lifestyle magazine, whose readers make an average $1.3 million a year, recommends the Archduke's Diamond, a 76.45-carat, flawless gem once owned by Archduke Joseph August, a Hungarian prince who belonged to the Hapsburg dynasty. However, the stone will set you back $25 million.
But if you want to go all out, consider the Evergreen, a 302-foot megayacht, the ninth largest in the world. Built in Japan in 1997, the $70 million craft has 15 staterooms with private baths and 14 cabins that accommodate a 21-person crew.
Associated Press