Agence France Presse

Lisbon, June 5:

John Lennon’s invitation to a well-heeled audience to ‘rattle your jewelry’ by way of applause would never go down in Portugal’s Caixa Geral de Depositos bank. Portugal’s largest bank is sending its employees to learn, among other things, not to blow on their soup, chew with their mouth open or wear clanky jewels, long necklaces and more than two rings. According to weekly Expresso magazine, more than 400 employees have attended a two-day long course at which men are instructed not to wear loud ties and women not to wear short skirts or high heels. The women should always wear makeup. Without citing the source, a manual prepared for the course says that women who wear makeup earn up to 15 per cent more than those who go to work unblushed.