Staff art by Alfred Wood enlarge Since You Asked It is hard to talk about food in America these days without also talking about obesity. Excess weight is a problem in America, no doubt — a problem for little kids, a problem for professional adults, for home makers, and, believe it or not, for college kids. At our 20Below Web site recently, there was a lot of discussion about the debate surrounding selling soda in schools. The thought is it contributes to obesity in children. "I don't believe soda should be allowed at school at all," wrote one reader. "Soda has no nutritional value and causes more harm than good. This country is battling the issue of children being overweight and under-exercised leading to health problems." It made us think about what was once called the Freshman 10. They now call it the Freshman 15. And that number keeps climbing. Many parents are seeing their first-year college kids for the first time since they flew the nest, and there is a possibility they won't look the same. All this considered, we were inspired to write about the heavy issue of college weight gain. If you have a story you'd like written, contact us via e-mail or call Giselle Goodman at 791-6330 to leave a message. Please include your name and other contact information. To top of story

How to figure out if it's fake Here is some helpful advice, pulled together from the IACC, designers, "no fakes" Web sites, and those who have been scammed – to help determine if that handbag is legit. 1. Is the price too good to be true? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. "Sale" or "used" prices that are still too good to be true, are still probably too good to be true. 2. Where is the product usually sold? Authentic branded products, with the most extreme exceptions, are not available at flea markets, "purse parties," in kiosks in malls, in New York's Chinatown neighborhood or Santee Alley in Los Angeles. 3. When considering an online auction item, especially an expensive one, don't trust the "100 percent authentic, new with tags" claim. Ask the seller about the details, and request pictures of seams, buckles, stitching, materials, etc. if the answers aren't sufficient. Check feedback but also talk to other people who have bought from the seller. Go to the designer's Web site. Is the style one that the designer is currently offering? One that you could actually buy at Bloomingdales? No? Then beware, especially if the item is described as the latest thing. 4. If you really don't want to invite the possibility of carrying a fake, then buy only from a reputable, authorized dealer. Right here in Maine there are two Coach Factory outlets, one in Freeport, one in Kittery. There is also a Burberry and a Dooney and Bourke store in Freeport. Kate Spade is sold in Portland's Old Port at Stiletto, an authorized dealer. Any of the items at department stores like Macy's get a thumbs up. Also, consider a used bag. Real Fendis, Pradas, Louis Vuittons and even Hermes' can sometimes be found at upscale consignment shops. 5. Finally, if you have any question, call the designer's customer service, or one of the designer's stores. Skeptical that the Prada or Fendi bag at the wholesale club is the real deal? Call and ask if they are authorized to sell such a product. Here are five reasons why the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalitions says Americans should never fake it: 1. Counterfeiting is illegal and purchasing counterfeit products supports illegal activity. 2. Counterfeiters do not pay taxes meaning less money for your city's schools, hospitals, parks and other social programs. 3. Counterfeiters do not pay their employees fair wages or benefits, have poor working conditions and, often use forced child labor. 4. The profits from counterfeiting have been linked to funding organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorist activity. 5. When you purchase a fake, you become part of the cycle of counterfeiting and your money directly support these things you would never want to support. The cost of faking it: The counterfeiting business, whether it is bags, watches or clothes, is a muti-billion dollar business. Last year in November, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. released a report estimating that New York City is home to a $23 billion annual illegal counterfeiting industry which cost the city more than $1 billion in tax revenues each year. The entire report "Bootleg Billions: The Impact of the Counterfeit Goods Trade on New York City," can be found on the Website of the copy watchdog group the International Anticounterfeiting Coalition (IACC); www.iacc.org. To top of story

Make no mistake, the classic Louis Vuitton signature briefcase slung over Nicholas Clark's shoulder is the real deal.

"I don't think I could ever do a fake," said the 24-year-old student from Bangor. "The thing with buying a fake one is you're just buying into a logo. It's just about advertising a logo."

But when it comes to designer handbags, that doesn't seem to be a problem for everybody. For some people, faking it is a fine way to go, even as the industry tries to discourage knockoffs.

We have the super rich to thank for making designer handbags must-have items. Fashion magazines are filled with photos of glamour models and movie stars toting around the latest bags that costs more than a small Chevrolet.

If one of these extraordinary signature handbags is on your Christmas list, then there are a couple things you are likely to do:

Take the legitimate route — drive south on Interstate 95 to Boston and to one one of the designer's stores there, or to another authorized dealer. Or take a questionable route — surf for bargains at online auction sites or visit resale shops, where the bags may or may not be real; or travel to Chinatown or Canal Street in New York City, where knockoffs, some nearly flawless, are available by the thousands.

"I'd just rather save money and buy something that is cheaper and is more than half the price of the real thing," said 20-year-old Renee Ippolito, who works in Gorham and has a fake Coach she bought at a flea market. "I'll tell (people) it's fake, if they ask me."

Angie Houston, though, doesn't think there's any alternative to buying the real thing. Houston runs a Web site from Los Angeles condemning fake Louis Vuitton products. She believes that those who want to carry the label that the rich and famous are carrying should pay the price.

"A lot of people want to feel they are a part of that lifestyle," she said. "Louis Vuitton is a status symbol. It means you can afford a bag that cost 'X' amount of dollars, and for women it is an extension of themselves.

"If you want to carry a replica bag, I suppose that's your choice, just be careful," Houston said. "My main concern is that people are not being misled into thinking something is real when it's not."

Many people who knowingly buy fake bags don't know much about the dark side of their purchase.

"Most people think its a victimless crime," said Michelle Moore, media spokeswoman for the IACC. "They think it's the big brand that suffers. The bigger problem is they don't see what they do as giving money to support something they would never give money to support."

Meaning, studies done by the IACC have tracked the money brought in by counterfeiters to drug rings, terrorism groups and sweat shops.

"It does seem like a Catch 22," she said. "There is such a demand, everybody wants (the latest handbag). But there's no reason why, as a society, that we need to value materialism over what is right."

There are also laws to consider. It is illegal to sell or make counterfeit goods in the United States.

In Paris, a fake handbag can land a person in jail, since it is illegal to possess, buy or carry one there. Back home in the United States, though, these activities are legal.

The laws don't seem to be affecting people who knowingly, or secretly, try to pass off a junk handbag as a gem.

Handbag fanatics would agree: There is nothing worse than paying hundreds of dollars online for a designer bag that turns out to be a fraud.

This is the risk people run when they buy a name brand purse online, experts said, and it happens a lot.

"It's probably not a real bag if the bag is going too cheap for a new bag or a very, very good condition bag," said Houston, the carrier of the Louis Vuitton torch. "Once you know what to look for in a real one, its easier to spot a fake. It's a matter of just training your eye to look for certain things."

Things, she said, like symmetry of the printed design, stitching in the lining, hardware, quality of leather or fabric, tags and serial numbers in the places where they should be.

Most watchdogs say if a bag is questionable, try to find its equal on the designer's Web site and compare. If it doesn't exist anywhere outside of the auction, it probably isn't a real bag — even if it was advertised as 100 percent authentic.

These are problems people like Clark, with his laptop-sized Louis Vuitton briefcase, need not worry about. He said he would never buy a bag like his without being able to see it in person. He buys directly from the designers or from a department store authorized to sell their wares.

Clark knows his bag is real because he paid $800 for it at a Louis Vuitton store in Florida. How did a college student foot the bill? He had money saved up from working summers and used that to pay for the bag. Why in the world would he pay that much for a book bag?

"I saw it and I wanted it, basically." he said. "The quality and history behind Louis Vuitton is why people want it. This is an investment. I'll have it forever and the thing is, like, Louis Vuitton maintains product integrity. It has a lifetime guarantee."

Staff Writer Giselle Goodman can be contacted at 791-6330 or at: ggoodman@pressherald.com