Whether a fiscal cliff deal is reached, before or after the deadline, many expect to pay more in taxes.
Michael Blossom, owner of two Loop boutiques, is eager to get past the contention of the fiscal cliff.
"If we ran the business the way Congress runs the government we would be long out of business," said Blossom, who owns Florodora and Florodora Shoes. He is watching to see if the payroll tax cut is maintained for employers.
"I want to be able to keep full employment, but the more expensive the payroll gets overall, the more I have to look at cutting back on how many hours we have available to give to our employees," said Blossom.
Negotiations in Washington are ongoing to avert a year-end deadline that would implement tax increases and spending cuts.
News of the ongoing debate is causing some to seek professional advice. Jeff Bronswick has been getting calls. He is a certified public accountant in Buffalo Grove with Bronswick Reicin Pollack. Bronswick says while some wealthy clients have be advised to move funds, many clients are advised to not make big moves and simply plan for tax increases.
"If they don't, that's great, and if they do, at least they're somewhat prepared. They're not happy about it," said Bronswick.
By some estimates, households with income between $40,000 and $50,000 could see taxes increase $1,700 if tax cuts expire January 1st. Households with incomes between $75,000 and $100,000 could see a tax increase of $3,600.
"I do believe that it will lead to us paying more taxes, but I think it's a diversion from other issues that are more important," said Arlene Koszyk.
"To expect to get something for nothing is not what I was taught as a child and it's not what i teach my children. You have to pay your fair share," said Curt Bolden.
Tax codes often change from year to year, but this year's uncertainty is making it challenging for some individuals and business owners to prepare their budgets.
Congress and the president have four more days to find an agreement and to allow Americans to plan for the year ahead.
2012年12月28日星期五
2012年12月26日星期三
why we sell shoes to give to children in need
Toms Shoes has opened its first retail store and community space, in Venice, Calif., barely an alpargata’s toss from the apartment living room where Blake Mycoskie started building his buy-one-give-one, commerce-meets-cause shoe empire six years ago.
Inhabiting a Craftsman-style cottage on Abbot Kinney, the 2,200-square-foot indoor-outdoor space feels like a college coffee house in all the right ways.
Created in collaboration with L.A.’s Commune Design, it boasts rough-hewn wooden walls and floors inside. Outside, there’s a back porch enclosed by a hodgepodge of corrugated roofing, canvas tenting and repurposed wood-frame windows. There’s a counter selling coffee by Caffecito, juice drinks from Pressed Juicery and kabocha squash loaf and other nibbles from Valerie Confections, all three L.A.-based purveyors. The backyard with artificial turf, benches and a free-standing fire pit is available for use by nonprofit groups. And a book exchange, free Wi-Fi and board games encourage hanging out. Of course, the full range of Toms products is available, including men’s, women’s and children’s shoes and boots, sunglasses, T-shirts and sweat shirts, and leather-bound Toms journals, modeled after Mycoskie’s own travel logs.
“We wanted to give something back to the community,” Mycoskie said. “As Toms has grown, I’ve been thinking about our mission. It’s about giving and one-for-one, which is why we sell shoes to give to children in need and sell eyewear to give cataract surgery to give sight. But more than that, I believe business can be used to improve people’s lives. And the only reason it makes sense to get into retail is to create community spaces to improve people’s lives.
“Starbucks took the college coffee shop and provided it to the masses,” said Mycoskie, 36, who gives speeches around the world and hobnobs with the likes of former President Clinton and retired Anglican Archbishop of South Africa Desmond Tutu.
“They provided a third place that was not home or the office. My concern with what has happened, and this is no knock on Starbucks, is that they have become workplaces and don’t have as much of a community feel anymore. I’m trying to create a third place in Venice for people to have community engagement.”
Mycoskie points to a newsstand holding copies of GQ, Green Parent and other publications.
“I wanted to have those,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll sell any, but there isn’t even any place on this whole street to buy a newspaper or magazine.”
The vibe is boho clubhouse. Everywhere you look, there are mementos from Mycoskie’s travels — an Ethiopian broom sits in one corner, a hand-carved Guatemalan bird perches on a nearby shelf, a string of Tibetan prayer flags flutters across the eaves, and children’s drawings are tacked everywhere. A large map on the wall charts the company’s progress, with pins in the 54 countries where Toms has organized “shoe drops” to donate footwear. The youthful and lighthearted company culture is reflected in the bulletin board ephemera, which includes photos of employees at the annual Movember party, inside jokes (including a Lionel Richie “Have you seen me?” poster) and fabric swatches from the design team.
No doubt, Mycoskie would like to have a Toms store on every cool street in America. If this first one works, he hopes to open more of these kinds of community spaces and fund them through the sale of Toms products, coffee and snacks.
Stand-alone retail is just the latest development for the company, which has seen tremendous growth since it was founded in 2006. Last spring, Toms launched eyewear, signaling that it would no longer be just a shoe company but a multiproduct company based on the one-for-one giving model. Mycoskie expects to launch a new product category in the next 12 to 24 months. He’s also working on pilot projects featuring manufacturing in Africa, to be announced in the spring. “We’ve heard loud and clear from our customers that they want more in-country production and more in-country job creation,” he said. “If we’re giving in these countries, we also need to be creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurs.”
The other big news in Mycoskie’s life? He and girlfriend Heather Lang tied the knot three months ago at the Sundance Resort in Utah, then embarked on a honeymoon that included visits to Thailand, Bali and India. “They were all places that neither of us had ever been,” he said. “It was fun to do some traveling that was not for work.”
Inhabiting a Craftsman-style cottage on Abbot Kinney, the 2,200-square-foot indoor-outdoor space feels like a college coffee house in all the right ways.
Created in collaboration with L.A.’s Commune Design, it boasts rough-hewn wooden walls and floors inside. Outside, there’s a back porch enclosed by a hodgepodge of corrugated roofing, canvas tenting and repurposed wood-frame windows. There’s a counter selling coffee by Caffecito, juice drinks from Pressed Juicery and kabocha squash loaf and other nibbles from Valerie Confections, all three L.A.-based purveyors. The backyard with artificial turf, benches and a free-standing fire pit is available for use by nonprofit groups. And a book exchange, free Wi-Fi and board games encourage hanging out. Of course, the full range of Toms products is available, including men’s, women’s and children’s shoes and boots, sunglasses, T-shirts and sweat shirts, and leather-bound Toms journals, modeled after Mycoskie’s own travel logs.
“We wanted to give something back to the community,” Mycoskie said. “As Toms has grown, I’ve been thinking about our mission. It’s about giving and one-for-one, which is why we sell shoes to give to children in need and sell eyewear to give cataract surgery to give sight. But more than that, I believe business can be used to improve people’s lives. And the only reason it makes sense to get into retail is to create community spaces to improve people’s lives.
“Starbucks took the college coffee shop and provided it to the masses,” said Mycoskie, 36, who gives speeches around the world and hobnobs with the likes of former President Clinton and retired Anglican Archbishop of South Africa Desmond Tutu.
“They provided a third place that was not home or the office. My concern with what has happened, and this is no knock on Starbucks, is that they have become workplaces and don’t have as much of a community feel anymore. I’m trying to create a third place in Venice for people to have community engagement.”
Mycoskie points to a newsstand holding copies of GQ, Green Parent and other publications.
“I wanted to have those,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll sell any, but there isn’t even any place on this whole street to buy a newspaper or magazine.”
The vibe is boho clubhouse. Everywhere you look, there are mementos from Mycoskie’s travels — an Ethiopian broom sits in one corner, a hand-carved Guatemalan bird perches on a nearby shelf, a string of Tibetan prayer flags flutters across the eaves, and children’s drawings are tacked everywhere. A large map on the wall charts the company’s progress, with pins in the 54 countries where Toms has organized “shoe drops” to donate footwear. The youthful and lighthearted company culture is reflected in the bulletin board ephemera, which includes photos of employees at the annual Movember party, inside jokes (including a Lionel Richie “Have you seen me?” poster) and fabric swatches from the design team.
No doubt, Mycoskie would like to have a Toms store on every cool street in America. If this first one works, he hopes to open more of these kinds of community spaces and fund them through the sale of Toms products, coffee and snacks.
Stand-alone retail is just the latest development for the company, which has seen tremendous growth since it was founded in 2006. Last spring, Toms launched eyewear, signaling that it would no longer be just a shoe company but a multiproduct company based on the one-for-one giving model. Mycoskie expects to launch a new product category in the next 12 to 24 months. He’s also working on pilot projects featuring manufacturing in Africa, to be announced in the spring. “We’ve heard loud and clear from our customers that they want more in-country production and more in-country job creation,” he said. “If we’re giving in these countries, we also need to be creating jobs and supporting entrepreneurs.”
The other big news in Mycoskie’s life? He and girlfriend Heather Lang tied the knot three months ago at the Sundance Resort in Utah, then embarked on a honeymoon that included visits to Thailand, Bali and India. “They were all places that neither of us had ever been,” he said. “It was fun to do some traveling that was not for work.”
2012年12月17日星期一
Children receive new shoes through local project
All God's Children Shall Have Shoes has outfitted more than 600 children with new sturdy shoes and a package of warm socks for the winter.
The 30-year-old grass-roots project is run entirely by volunteers in partnership with Payless Shoe Source and Famous Footwear stores in Alton Square Mall.
Recently, seven busloads of preschoolers showed up to choose shoes and socks for their feet. Becky and Butch Chapel were among more than a dozen volunteers on hand to greet them, measure their feet, and personally help them pick out and fit a pair of shoes. After making their choice, the children were given a package of new socks and were able to choose a plush toy.
"We've been volunteering for this project for a long time," Butch Chapel said. "It's a very worthy cause."
Becky Chapel agreed. She said the children always are so grateful, and the organizers run an efficient operation.
The project's roots started in Springfield, Ill., said Pat Kramer of Godfrey. Her husband, Jack Kramer, and his friend, Jack Bailey, were linemen for Illinois Bell, now AT&T, in 1978 when they heard a story that became a call to action.
She quoted her husband, who said, "No child should have to stay home (from school) because they don't have shoes."
Kramer and Bailey learned that linemen on the job in Springfield were raising donations and working with school nurses to identify children in need of a better pair of shoes. School districts provided bus transportation to the shoe store.
The project, called All Children Shall Have Shoes, was started in the early 1960s by a former Illinois Bell plant technician and his co-workers, according to the AT&T Pioneers website.
Pioneers is a volunteer network established in 1911.
Kramer and Bailey led their local Pioneers group in carrying on the cause in Alton, knowing that there was a need in their own community.
Since then, Ford and Colleen Green and their daughter, Ellen Huber, kept the torch lit and expanded their fund-raising from the Pioneer group to the community at large.
Ten years ago, they got Jon Wooden involved. Today, they are the primary organizers.
"I think God has really put him there," Pat Kramer said.
Wooden was a student of Ellen Huber's, daughter of the Greens. She offered extra credit to anyone who volunteered for the project. Wooden took the offer and was hooked.
"What I got hooked on is seeing a child with a sock on one foot and not on the other, or they are dirty or have holes," Wooden said. "They're innocent children."
Ford Green explained that they want to do more but don't have the funds. Wooden immediately went to his friend, Patrick "Doc" Halliday, who he calls the "Fund-raiser King," and got him involved.
Together, they reached out to local businesses for support and have increased the number of shoes that they are able to buy each year. This fall, they held a fund-raiser at their business and raised $10,000 for the project. This, combined with donations from businesses such as Freer Auto Body, support the cause, which has no overhead, thanks to volunteers.
Today, the project serves Illinois students in school districts throughout northern Madison County and in Jerseyville, with plans to expand into Granite City and Venice through Riverbend Head Start and Family Services. The nonprofit serves nearly 450 vulnerable children age 5 and younger in that area.
Halliday and Wooden said they hope to expand the project and provide more shoes, as well as coats and outerwear accessories. Donations can be sent to Halliday at Atlantis Pools in Alton.
Poised to take on such an expansion are Wooden's daughters, Bethany, 29, and Chelsey, 26. They manage the donations, coordinate volunteers, plan fund-raisers and communicate needs through the Atlantis Pools Facebook page. They claim that word-of-mouth is the best method for raising support.
"It's a family mission," Chelsey said.
Bethany explained that they were happy to step up and help the Greens continue this tradition.
"This gift amazed us," said Gene Howell, operations director for Riverbend Head Start, a nonprofit preparing at-risk children for kindergarten through education, social and health services.
"Even though these kids are so young, they still feel great pride when they have a new pair of shoes and socks to wear out in the world," Howell said. "You can see it on their face; they feel good. And when you feel good, you do well in school and life."
Tawnya Hooper, a volunteer for All God's Children Shall Have Shoes through the Junior League of Greater Alton, is also an investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She knows firsthand the benefits of the project on children with great needs.
"It helps them feel better about themselves," Hooper said. "It helps alleviate the parent's stress over trying to find the money to buy a new pair of shoes. They feel better going to school with a new pair of shoes and clean socks."
The 30-year-old grass-roots project is run entirely by volunteers in partnership with Payless Shoe Source and Famous Footwear stores in Alton Square Mall.
Recently, seven busloads of preschoolers showed up to choose shoes and socks for their feet. Becky and Butch Chapel were among more than a dozen volunteers on hand to greet them, measure their feet, and personally help them pick out and fit a pair of shoes. After making their choice, the children were given a package of new socks and were able to choose a plush toy.
"We've been volunteering for this project for a long time," Butch Chapel said. "It's a very worthy cause."
Becky Chapel agreed. She said the children always are so grateful, and the organizers run an efficient operation.
The project's roots started in Springfield, Ill., said Pat Kramer of Godfrey. Her husband, Jack Kramer, and his friend, Jack Bailey, were linemen for Illinois Bell, now AT&T, in 1978 when they heard a story that became a call to action.
She quoted her husband, who said, "No child should have to stay home (from school) because they don't have shoes."
Kramer and Bailey learned that linemen on the job in Springfield were raising donations and working with school nurses to identify children in need of a better pair of shoes. School districts provided bus transportation to the shoe store.
The project, called All Children Shall Have Shoes, was started in the early 1960s by a former Illinois Bell plant technician and his co-workers, according to the AT&T Pioneers website.
Pioneers is a volunteer network established in 1911.
Kramer and Bailey led their local Pioneers group in carrying on the cause in Alton, knowing that there was a need in their own community.
Since then, Ford and Colleen Green and their daughter, Ellen Huber, kept the torch lit and expanded their fund-raising from the Pioneer group to the community at large.
Ten years ago, they got Jon Wooden involved. Today, they are the primary organizers.
"I think God has really put him there," Pat Kramer said.
Wooden was a student of Ellen Huber's, daughter of the Greens. She offered extra credit to anyone who volunteered for the project. Wooden took the offer and was hooked.
"What I got hooked on is seeing a child with a sock on one foot and not on the other, or they are dirty or have holes," Wooden said. "They're innocent children."
Ford Green explained that they want to do more but don't have the funds. Wooden immediately went to his friend, Patrick "Doc" Halliday, who he calls the "Fund-raiser King," and got him involved.
Together, they reached out to local businesses for support and have increased the number of shoes that they are able to buy each year. This fall, they held a fund-raiser at their business and raised $10,000 for the project. This, combined with donations from businesses such as Freer Auto Body, support the cause, which has no overhead, thanks to volunteers.
Today, the project serves Illinois students in school districts throughout northern Madison County and in Jerseyville, with plans to expand into Granite City and Venice through Riverbend Head Start and Family Services. The nonprofit serves nearly 450 vulnerable children age 5 and younger in that area.
Halliday and Wooden said they hope to expand the project and provide more shoes, as well as coats and outerwear accessories. Donations can be sent to Halliday at Atlantis Pools in Alton.
Poised to take on such an expansion are Wooden's daughters, Bethany, 29, and Chelsey, 26. They manage the donations, coordinate volunteers, plan fund-raisers and communicate needs through the Atlantis Pools Facebook page. They claim that word-of-mouth is the best method for raising support.
"It's a family mission," Chelsey said.
Bethany explained that they were happy to step up and help the Greens continue this tradition.
"This gift amazed us," said Gene Howell, operations director for Riverbend Head Start, a nonprofit preparing at-risk children for kindergarten through education, social and health services.
"Even though these kids are so young, they still feel great pride when they have a new pair of shoes and socks to wear out in the world," Howell said. "You can see it on their face; they feel good. And when you feel good, you do well in school and life."
Tawnya Hooper, a volunteer for All God's Children Shall Have Shoes through the Junior League of Greater Alton, is also an investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She knows firsthand the benefits of the project on children with great needs.
"It helps them feel better about themselves," Hooper said. "It helps alleviate the parent's stress over trying to find the money to buy a new pair of shoes. They feel better going to school with a new pair of shoes and clean socks."
2012年12月13日星期四
These days the chances are very good
The modern point-of-sale (POS) system is a tightly integrated computer that almost certainly knows all about your buying history, how often you shop online and what you're likely to buy next week.
It is also able to communicate along the entire length of the store's supply chain right back to the factory if necessary.
Not bad for a device that has its origins in the late 1800s and was used primarily for producing a simple receipt - one copy for the merchant and one for the costumer.
I think our customers are very aware of privacy and information but are working side by side with consumers”
"The first POS devices were wooden boxes, made by carpenters out of rosewood," he says.
"They were very mechanical, beautiful pieces of technology - some made with brass, some made with nickel."
NCR is the company that pioneered the early POS systems and is still at the forefront of their development.
That development has become faster since the 1990s.
A transaction was once seen as something that started and ended in the store. Shops knew very little if anything about the customer. In-store coupons and offers were "broadcast" for the benefit of everyone and anyone.
Now, it's all about narrowcasting. These days the chances are very good that the shop knows a lot about you long before you have entered its premises. Loyalty cards for instance hold a treasure trove of information about their owners.
Computers can work out if you are sick and how often, the number of people you live with, if you have pets and can even make an educated guess as to your pregnancy status.
"A consumer can choose to opt out or opt in, so a consumer may say, 'I agree to give up some privacy to get an offer tailored to me based on my presence and preference - but don't blast me.' So I think our customers are very aware of privacy and information but are working side-by-side with consumers."
Retailers are pushing harder to gather and use "big data" to refine their operations. This is especially important when it comes to the supply chain, because in an ideal world as soon as a product is taken off the shelves and paid for, a new one is instantly manufactured or shipped to replace it.
So whereas a few decades ago POS manufacturers would only be interested in designing a machine that suited the needs of the retailer, now they have to take into account the supply warehouse and the point of manufacture.
If a retailer is big enough and powerful enough, it can often dictate that new technology be used along the supply chain to work seamlessly with its own cutting-edge POS system.
It is also able to communicate along the entire length of the store's supply chain right back to the factory if necessary.
Not bad for a device that has its origins in the late 1800s and was used primarily for producing a simple receipt - one copy for the merchant and one for the costumer.
I think our customers are very aware of privacy and information but are working side by side with consumers”
"The first POS devices were wooden boxes, made by carpenters out of rosewood," he says.
"They were very mechanical, beautiful pieces of technology - some made with brass, some made with nickel."
NCR is the company that pioneered the early POS systems and is still at the forefront of their development.
That development has become faster since the 1990s.
A transaction was once seen as something that started and ended in the store. Shops knew very little if anything about the customer. In-store coupons and offers were "broadcast" for the benefit of everyone and anyone.
Now, it's all about narrowcasting. These days the chances are very good that the shop knows a lot about you long before you have entered its premises. Loyalty cards for instance hold a treasure trove of information about their owners.
Computers can work out if you are sick and how often, the number of people you live with, if you have pets and can even make an educated guess as to your pregnancy status.
"A consumer can choose to opt out or opt in, so a consumer may say, 'I agree to give up some privacy to get an offer tailored to me based on my presence and preference - but don't blast me.' So I think our customers are very aware of privacy and information but are working side-by-side with consumers."
Retailers are pushing harder to gather and use "big data" to refine their operations. This is especially important when it comes to the supply chain, because in an ideal world as soon as a product is taken off the shelves and paid for, a new one is instantly manufactured or shipped to replace it.
So whereas a few decades ago POS manufacturers would only be interested in designing a machine that suited the needs of the retailer, now they have to take into account the supply warehouse and the point of manufacture.
If a retailer is big enough and powerful enough, it can often dictate that new technology be used along the supply chain to work seamlessly with its own cutting-edge POS system.
2012年12月11日星期二
I think it helps gay people to have respectable
Interesting piece in Buzzfeed about the Republicans starting to wake up to the fact that they need to start appearing on other news outlets – real news outlets – than just Fox News.
The thing is, going before real journalists can be hazardous to your health. Not often. But it’s certainly more risky than having Hannity brown-nose you for ten minutes.
The argument some conservatives are giving is that they’re only preaching to the choir when they go on Fox. Yes, but.
It’s a complicated question as to when its useful to go on a show that might as you tough questions. For the left, there really isn’t an alternative kind of show. Only lately MSNBC has been trying to fill Fox’s shoes – and MSNBC does it with fewer lies and less party loyalty. But before then it was either go on CNN and the other networks, and face tough questions, or go on Fox and be treated like a subhuman.
The interesting thing is that on gay rights issues, it was useful going on the Fox in the past. I went on the O’Reilly Factor a lot in the late 90s and early 2000s. He liked me. And it got us a better spin on the story. To wit: After a series appearances on O’Reilly’s shows in 2000, about our boycott of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s new TV show, O’Reilly ended up agreeing with me that Schlessinger brought all the trouble on to herself because of her inappropriate language.
We couldn’t have asked for anything more than the left and Bill O’Reilly saying Dr. Laura had crossed the line.
But there came a time when Fox became just so hateful, just so anti-gay – not that they were ever neutral – that I stopped going on. It’s a trade off. At some point, you’re validating bad people, fake journalism, by continuing to go on their shows. But still, that’s not to say that it can’t help your cause. I think it helps gay people to have respectable representatives go on Fox and show the world that we’re “normal” even if they disagree with us. Same with transgender people. There’s always a risk.
Of course, for Republicans going on CNN, it’s an entirely other matter. When I went on Fox, I was already used to answering questions about whether gays were pedophiles, posed to me on other networks. But Republicans who are have been in exile on Fox, aren’t used to actually having to defend their lies in the light of day. It’s why CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is such a breath of fresh air, and so confounds Republicans who simply can’t believe someone who calls herself a journalist would ask a hard question, and then ask it again when you refuse to answer.
Finally, there’s the question of the value of “preaching the choir.” Buzzfeed argues that you don’t get much mileage by preaching to the choir. And sometimes that’s true. But not always, and I’d argue not often. One of the strengths of the liberal blogosphere has been our ability to find stories and help them go mainstream. Now, it’s certainly possible that the right has had less success doing the same. Mostly because they’re a little nuttier than we are. Not all of them. But on par, far too many of the top folks, yeah. Republicans are learning the hard way that it’s harder to sell BS than it is the truth, at least when you’re not on Fox.
The thing is, going before real journalists can be hazardous to your health. Not often. But it’s certainly more risky than having Hannity brown-nose you for ten minutes.
The argument some conservatives are giving is that they’re only preaching to the choir when they go on Fox. Yes, but.
It’s a complicated question as to when its useful to go on a show that might as you tough questions. For the left, there really isn’t an alternative kind of show. Only lately MSNBC has been trying to fill Fox’s shoes – and MSNBC does it with fewer lies and less party loyalty. But before then it was either go on CNN and the other networks, and face tough questions, or go on Fox and be treated like a subhuman.
The interesting thing is that on gay rights issues, it was useful going on the Fox in the past. I went on the O’Reilly Factor a lot in the late 90s and early 2000s. He liked me. And it got us a better spin on the story. To wit: After a series appearances on O’Reilly’s shows in 2000, about our boycott of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s new TV show, O’Reilly ended up agreeing with me that Schlessinger brought all the trouble on to herself because of her inappropriate language.
We couldn’t have asked for anything more than the left and Bill O’Reilly saying Dr. Laura had crossed the line.
But there came a time when Fox became just so hateful, just so anti-gay – not that they were ever neutral – that I stopped going on. It’s a trade off. At some point, you’re validating bad people, fake journalism, by continuing to go on their shows. But still, that’s not to say that it can’t help your cause. I think it helps gay people to have respectable representatives go on Fox and show the world that we’re “normal” even if they disagree with us. Same with transgender people. There’s always a risk.
Of course, for Republicans going on CNN, it’s an entirely other matter. When I went on Fox, I was already used to answering questions about whether gays were pedophiles, posed to me on other networks. But Republicans who are have been in exile on Fox, aren’t used to actually having to defend their lies in the light of day. It’s why CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is such a breath of fresh air, and so confounds Republicans who simply can’t believe someone who calls herself a journalist would ask a hard question, and then ask it again when you refuse to answer.
Finally, there’s the question of the value of “preaching the choir.” Buzzfeed argues that you don’t get much mileage by preaching to the choir. And sometimes that’s true. But not always, and I’d argue not often. One of the strengths of the liberal blogosphere has been our ability to find stories and help them go mainstream. Now, it’s certainly possible that the right has had less success doing the same. Mostly because they’re a little nuttier than we are. Not all of them. But on par, far too many of the top folks, yeah. Republicans are learning the hard way that it’s harder to sell BS than it is the truth, at least when you’re not on Fox.
2012年12月9日星期日
Charities work to help children and families
Most children will wake to dozens of boxes under a lighted tree this Christmas, but for some local kids, were not for the hard work of many, Christmas may be as joyful.
It is during the holiday season that most charitable giving is done, but one type of giving that is special this time of year is the toy drive. Each year, millions of toys are donated to hundreds of different toy drives to make sure than no child goes through the season without having a gift.
One annual event in Perry County has been going on since 1954 and is going strong to this day. The Light a Child’s Christmas giveaway lets hundreds of children pick gifts, both new and used, from donated items at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Hazard.
The veterans and the ladies’ auxiliary raise funds and collect donations for months to be able to provide gifts to children in the area. According to Mary Shanks with the ladies’ auxiliary, they serve around 200 to 300 children during the one-day event. “They all get to see Santa Claus, they all get a treat bag, and they all get a new toy, and a used toy,” said Shanks.
Children are sent through the event in groups of 10 so they can all be given a fair chances at the toys. When children have to wait, they are given a coloring book and items to play with. The new toys are all wrapped, and used toys are unwrapped so children can pick one out.
While the ladies’ auxiliary has been hard at work collecting items and donations, they are still accepting more and will continue to accept donations through Dec. 14. The Light a Child’s Christmas will be held Dec. 16.
Anyone looking to lend a hand or a toy still can. Donations can be taken to the VFW post on North Main Street in Hazard. Volunteers are welcome to help pack goodie bags on Dec. 13 at the VFW following the ladies auxiliary meeting, or come to Light a Child’s Christmas on the 16th. Any toys left over are taken to needy families at their or given out at the Masonic Lodge in Hardburly.
Another group working to make Christmas brighter for local children is the Lotts Creek Community School in Cordia. According to the school director Alice Whitaker, the students and community are involved in several giving efforts.
One man has taken it upon himself to help the people of the Cordia community to have a good Christmas for the past few years. Gino Montrone has brought truckloads of goods to the small school that have then been given to the families of the students and the community.
Montrone, a resident of New Jersey, retired and was looking for a way to give back. He saw a documentary about Eastern Kentucky and decided to start investigating ways to help the children of the region. “He called someone in Frankfort, and it just so happened that the person they got was from here,” said Whitaker.
Montrone has formed several connections with schools and individuals in New Jersey, and this year they were able to donate three truckloads of goods.
Lotts Creek Community School has also received a grant that is making the school a healthier place. This grant has helped the school start a gym, replace unhealthy snacks and foods with healthy ones, and all but eliminate soda. This grant also helped the school to give away 100 turkey dinner boxes to both students and community. The boxes contained a healthy option for Thanksgiving meals.
The school is also involved in giving out food through their food pantry. Every month they open their doors to the people of the area to receive much needed food. This month the pantry will be opened on Dec. 20.
It is during the holiday season that most charitable giving is done, but one type of giving that is special this time of year is the toy drive. Each year, millions of toys are donated to hundreds of different toy drives to make sure than no child goes through the season without having a gift.
One annual event in Perry County has been going on since 1954 and is going strong to this day. The Light a Child’s Christmas giveaway lets hundreds of children pick gifts, both new and used, from donated items at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Hazard.
The veterans and the ladies’ auxiliary raise funds and collect donations for months to be able to provide gifts to children in the area. According to Mary Shanks with the ladies’ auxiliary, they serve around 200 to 300 children during the one-day event. “They all get to see Santa Claus, they all get a treat bag, and they all get a new toy, and a used toy,” said Shanks.
Children are sent through the event in groups of 10 so they can all be given a fair chances at the toys. When children have to wait, they are given a coloring book and items to play with. The new toys are all wrapped, and used toys are unwrapped so children can pick one out.
While the ladies’ auxiliary has been hard at work collecting items and donations, they are still accepting more and will continue to accept donations through Dec. 14. The Light a Child’s Christmas will be held Dec. 16.
Anyone looking to lend a hand or a toy still can. Donations can be taken to the VFW post on North Main Street in Hazard. Volunteers are welcome to help pack goodie bags on Dec. 13 at the VFW following the ladies auxiliary meeting, or come to Light a Child’s Christmas on the 16th. Any toys left over are taken to needy families at their or given out at the Masonic Lodge in Hardburly.
Another group working to make Christmas brighter for local children is the Lotts Creek Community School in Cordia. According to the school director Alice Whitaker, the students and community are involved in several giving efforts.
One man has taken it upon himself to help the people of the Cordia community to have a good Christmas for the past few years. Gino Montrone has brought truckloads of goods to the small school that have then been given to the families of the students and the community.
Montrone, a resident of New Jersey, retired and was looking for a way to give back. He saw a documentary about Eastern Kentucky and decided to start investigating ways to help the children of the region. “He called someone in Frankfort, and it just so happened that the person they got was from here,” said Whitaker.
Montrone has formed several connections with schools and individuals in New Jersey, and this year they were able to donate three truckloads of goods.
Lotts Creek Community School has also received a grant that is making the school a healthier place. This grant has helped the school start a gym, replace unhealthy snacks and foods with healthy ones, and all but eliminate soda. This grant also helped the school to give away 100 turkey dinner boxes to both students and community. The boxes contained a healthy option for Thanksgiving meals.
The school is also involved in giving out food through their food pantry. Every month they open their doors to the people of the area to receive much needed food. This month the pantry will be opened on Dec. 20.
2012年12月5日星期三
Fernie girl continues her fight with cancer
Almost one year after she was diagnosed with cancer, Brooke Malakoff is staying strong and still smiling.
Brooke is back home in Fernie following a long stint at B.C. Children’s Hospital. She’s getting ready to continue her treatment in Cranbrook, and is hoping to be home for the holidays this year.
Between her original diagnosis just before Christmas of 2011, an emergency surgery, and spending months at a time in Vancouver for chemo, Brooke’s last year of high school, and what was meant to be her first year of college, didn’t exactly go as planned.
“Two days into winter break I was told I had a giant mass, three quarters the size of my lung, on my lung,” said Brooke. “After that it was about 10 days of scans, tests, being flown down to Vancouver, and going right into surgery.
“For me it was really blurry because they kept me pretty sedated through the whole thing. But through all of the ups and downs, it was still a lot to take in. Especially being 17 you’re like wait, this doesn’t happen to people like me, but apparently it does.”
Brooke lost her left lung during surgery, however the operation was successful. She returned home to finish the school year, but just a few short months later, Brooke learned that her cancer had returned.
With the exception of coming back to graduate, and a couple of weeks in Fernie here and there, Brooke has spent the majority of the last six months in Vancouver at Children’s Hospital.
“I’ve been doing a lot of chemo, lots and lots of chemo, and getting pretty sick,” admitted Brooke. “There was one stretch that I was in the hospital for 12 days because the chemo made me so sick.
“That was the loneliest time I think. I was in isolation so there was no contact and no food for 48 hours.”
Brooke was undergoing a round of chemo every 21 days. She explained, “It’s usually a week of chemo, then for the next two weeks I’m down. I’m tired, can’t really do anything, and I just don’t feel good.
“There’s about three or four days when I’m up again and I’m starting to feel better, and then they hit me with another round of chemo.”
While her mother Rochelle stayed with Brooke full time in Vancouver, her stepfather George remained in Fernie for work, and to stay with her brother Wes, who goes to Fernie Secondary School.
Well known around town for her time working as a cashier at Overwaitea and volunteering at Ghostriders games, Fernie residents began to come together to help out Brooke and her family. With everything from penny drives and hot dog sales, to concerts and hockey uniform auctions, the entire community got involved.
“It’s hard being in this situation, and it’s also hard to accept people’s help because we don’t want to feel like we need help, but we do,” expressed Brooke. “We’re just thankful for the people who have stepped up.”
She went on to say, “It’s flattering first of all to think that many people want to help and it’s so amazing what people can do these days. I just can’t wait until somebody else is in my shoes and I can help them.”
Brooke celebrated her eighteenth birthday on November 27 and is looking towards the future. She’s been accepted to Selkirk College in Castlegar for 2013 and is planning on studying psychology.
“I think maybe somehow I was supposed to be put in this situation,” remarked Brooke. “Somehow, somewhere, fate decided, she needs to have cancer because she needs to meet these certain people, and I’m getting real experience in the field of psychology.”
Now with the one year mark of her diagnosis approaching, Brooke remains optimistic.
“It’s all mind over matter,” she asserted. “When I think about it, it’s do you want to go through this and be miserable the whole time, or do you want to try and feel good about yourself?” she commented. “You want to feel good, so you just have to keep smiling and thinking one day this will be over. Always looking at the end, but still not getting your hopes up too high, because we’ve had a couple of bad PET scans.
“You have to think there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel, we may not see it now, but it’s going to be there eventually.”
Brooke is back home in Fernie following a long stint at B.C. Children’s Hospital. She’s getting ready to continue her treatment in Cranbrook, and is hoping to be home for the holidays this year.
Between her original diagnosis just before Christmas of 2011, an emergency surgery, and spending months at a time in Vancouver for chemo, Brooke’s last year of high school, and what was meant to be her first year of college, didn’t exactly go as planned.
“Two days into winter break I was told I had a giant mass, three quarters the size of my lung, on my lung,” said Brooke. “After that it was about 10 days of scans, tests, being flown down to Vancouver, and going right into surgery.
“For me it was really blurry because they kept me pretty sedated through the whole thing. But through all of the ups and downs, it was still a lot to take in. Especially being 17 you’re like wait, this doesn’t happen to people like me, but apparently it does.”
Brooke lost her left lung during surgery, however the operation was successful. She returned home to finish the school year, but just a few short months later, Brooke learned that her cancer had returned.
With the exception of coming back to graduate, and a couple of weeks in Fernie here and there, Brooke has spent the majority of the last six months in Vancouver at Children’s Hospital.
“I’ve been doing a lot of chemo, lots and lots of chemo, and getting pretty sick,” admitted Brooke. “There was one stretch that I was in the hospital for 12 days because the chemo made me so sick.
“That was the loneliest time I think. I was in isolation so there was no contact and no food for 48 hours.”
Brooke was undergoing a round of chemo every 21 days. She explained, “It’s usually a week of chemo, then for the next two weeks I’m down. I’m tired, can’t really do anything, and I just don’t feel good.
“There’s about three or four days when I’m up again and I’m starting to feel better, and then they hit me with another round of chemo.”
While her mother Rochelle stayed with Brooke full time in Vancouver, her stepfather George remained in Fernie for work, and to stay with her brother Wes, who goes to Fernie Secondary School.
Well known around town for her time working as a cashier at Overwaitea and volunteering at Ghostriders games, Fernie residents began to come together to help out Brooke and her family. With everything from penny drives and hot dog sales, to concerts and hockey uniform auctions, the entire community got involved.
“It’s hard being in this situation, and it’s also hard to accept people’s help because we don’t want to feel like we need help, but we do,” expressed Brooke. “We’re just thankful for the people who have stepped up.”
She went on to say, “It’s flattering first of all to think that many people want to help and it’s so amazing what people can do these days. I just can’t wait until somebody else is in my shoes and I can help them.”
Brooke celebrated her eighteenth birthday on November 27 and is looking towards the future. She’s been accepted to Selkirk College in Castlegar for 2013 and is planning on studying psychology.
“I think maybe somehow I was supposed to be put in this situation,” remarked Brooke. “Somehow, somewhere, fate decided, she needs to have cancer because she needs to meet these certain people, and I’m getting real experience in the field of psychology.”
Now with the one year mark of her diagnosis approaching, Brooke remains optimistic.
“It’s all mind over matter,” she asserted. “When I think about it, it’s do you want to go through this and be miserable the whole time, or do you want to try and feel good about yourself?” she commented. “You want to feel good, so you just have to keep smiling and thinking one day this will be over. Always looking at the end, but still not getting your hopes up too high, because we’ve had a couple of bad PET scans.
“You have to think there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel, we may not see it now, but it’s going to be there eventually.”
2012年12月3日星期一
Tippecanoe senior wins national cross country title
Last year, it was a chat with the stars from the "Twilight" franchise. This year, it's a meeting with Tiger Woods and a role in his popular golf video game.
Life keeps getting more surreal for American teenager Lexi Thompson, who is in the United Arab Emirates to defend her title at the Dubai Ladies Masters, which begins Wednesday. She won the tournament in 2011 at 16 to become the youngest winner on the LPGA and European Tour. She then lost her LPGA record to Lydia Ko, a 15-year-old amateur from New Zealand who won the Canadian Women's Open in August.
Thompson hasn't won a tournament this year, but with four top-five finishes on the LPGA Tour, her star keeps rising. With that come the perks of celebrity. She got to meet the 14-time major winner Woods this summer at the Notah Begay Challenge in August.
"It was amazing, just meeting a role model. I've always looked up to him so it was great to meet him and talk to him," Thompson said. "And he said I'll play golf with you any time, and that means a lot coming from a person at that level."
Just as "amazing" was being invited to play a role in the video game, "Tiger Woods PGA 14." She grew up with the game and played Woods with her golf-playing brothers. Now Thompson looks forward to playing herself. It should be much like the real Thompson — she strapped on sensors on her body, head and shoes to ensure the game was as realistic as possible.
"It's an honor to be in the video game," Thompson said. "I've seen some of the pictures of my animation and it looks so real. ... It will be interesting to play me in the video game. It will be pretty weird but it will be awesome."
Being a national high school cross country champion is beginning to sink in for Sam Wharton.
The senior at Tippecanoe High School won the Nike Nationals on Saturday in Portland, Ore., over a field of 195 other runners who qualified through regional meets around the country.
“After about 300 meters when you hit the mud you knew it was going to be a rough ride,” Wharton said. “There wasn’t much grass. The course was half mud and half goose (waste). Everyone was slipping and guys were losing their shoes.
“It wasn’t the kind of course you could move up in the pack. So I got up among the leaders early and stayed there. Their course favored my running style because I’m not a speed runner. I got the lead with about 800 meters to go and hoped I could keep my footing until the finish line.”
Wharton usually shows no emotion when winning big races, such as the state Division I cross country title he won in November. But when he hit the finish line, he held up his arms in victory.
“That was out of character for me, but it was built-up emotion coming out. It’s been a long season with one more race to go.”
Wharton took winning the race in stride in Portland. But when he got off the plane in Dayton on Sunday, the Tipp cross country team and a host of well-wishers were waiting.
“It kind of hit me then what a big achievement this was,” he said. “Everyone wanted to look at the trophy and take pictures. Then (Monday) I got congratulations from everyone at school and in town. Everyone was calling my parents, and I was getting text messages and tweets. It’s all pretty cool.”
The Nike is one of two big national post-season cross country races. The other is the Footlocker Nationals this Saturday in San Diego. Wharton will be one of 40 runners in the field who qualified through regional race.
“Winning the Nike nationals was tough because the conditions took a lot out of me,” said Wharton. “But I’m going to go out there and do my best.”
Life keeps getting more surreal for American teenager Lexi Thompson, who is in the United Arab Emirates to defend her title at the Dubai Ladies Masters, which begins Wednesday. She won the tournament in 2011 at 16 to become the youngest winner on the LPGA and European Tour. She then lost her LPGA record to Lydia Ko, a 15-year-old amateur from New Zealand who won the Canadian Women's Open in August.
Thompson hasn't won a tournament this year, but with four top-five finishes on the LPGA Tour, her star keeps rising. With that come the perks of celebrity. She got to meet the 14-time major winner Woods this summer at the Notah Begay Challenge in August.
"It was amazing, just meeting a role model. I've always looked up to him so it was great to meet him and talk to him," Thompson said. "And he said I'll play golf with you any time, and that means a lot coming from a person at that level."
Just as "amazing" was being invited to play a role in the video game, "Tiger Woods PGA 14." She grew up with the game and played Woods with her golf-playing brothers. Now Thompson looks forward to playing herself. It should be much like the real Thompson — she strapped on sensors on her body, head and shoes to ensure the game was as realistic as possible.
"It's an honor to be in the video game," Thompson said. "I've seen some of the pictures of my animation and it looks so real. ... It will be interesting to play me in the video game. It will be pretty weird but it will be awesome."
Being a national high school cross country champion is beginning to sink in for Sam Wharton.
The senior at Tippecanoe High School won the Nike Nationals on Saturday in Portland, Ore., over a field of 195 other runners who qualified through regional meets around the country.
“After about 300 meters when you hit the mud you knew it was going to be a rough ride,” Wharton said. “There wasn’t much grass. The course was half mud and half goose (waste). Everyone was slipping and guys were losing their shoes.
“It wasn’t the kind of course you could move up in the pack. So I got up among the leaders early and stayed there. Their course favored my running style because I’m not a speed runner. I got the lead with about 800 meters to go and hoped I could keep my footing until the finish line.”
Wharton usually shows no emotion when winning big races, such as the state Division I cross country title he won in November. But when he hit the finish line, he held up his arms in victory.
“That was out of character for me, but it was built-up emotion coming out. It’s been a long season with one more race to go.”
Wharton took winning the race in stride in Portland. But when he got off the plane in Dayton on Sunday, the Tipp cross country team and a host of well-wishers were waiting.
“It kind of hit me then what a big achievement this was,” he said. “Everyone wanted to look at the trophy and take pictures. Then (Monday) I got congratulations from everyone at school and in town. Everyone was calling my parents, and I was getting text messages and tweets. It’s all pretty cool.”
The Nike is one of two big national post-season cross country races. The other is the Footlocker Nationals this Saturday in San Diego. Wharton will be one of 40 runners in the field who qualified through regional race.
“Winning the Nike nationals was tough because the conditions took a lot out of me,” said Wharton. “But I’m going to go out there and do my best.”
2012年11月29日星期四
when Morsi gave himself near absolute powers by neutralizing t
Islamists on Thursday rushed to approve a draft constitution for Egypt without the participation of liberal and Christian members, aiming to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel and further inflaming the clash between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.
The move advances a charter with an Islamist bent that rights experts say could give Muslim clerics oversight over legislation and bring restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.
The assembly that has been working on the constitution for months raced to pass it in a single marathon session that continued past midnight, with members voting article-by-article on the more than 230-article draft. The lack of inclusion was on display in the nationally televised gathering _ of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives.
For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100-member panel, have been withdrawing to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.
The sudden rush to finish came as the latest twist in a week-long crisis pitting Morsi and his Islamist supporters against a mostly secular and liberal opposition and the powerful judiciary. Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel.
To come into effect, the draft must be passed in a nationwide referendum, which Morsi said Thursday will be held "very soon."
"It is trying to impose a constitution monopolized by one trend and is the furthest from national consensus, produced in a farcical way," the National Salvation Front said in a statement, read by Waheed Abdel-Meguid, one of the assembly members who withdrew.
Thursday's vote escalates the already bruising confrontation sparked last week when Morsi gave himself near absolute powers by neutralizing the judiciary, the last branch of the state not in his hands. Morsi banned the courts from dissolving the constitutional assembly or the upper house of parliament and from reviewing his own decisions.
Speaking in an interview on state TV aired late Thursday, Morsi defended his edicts, saying they were a necessary "delicate surgery" needed to get Egypt through a transitional period and end instability he blamed on the lack of a constitution.
"The most important thing of this period is that we finish the constitution, so that we have a parliament under the constitution, elected properly, an independent judiciary, and a president who executes the law," Morsi said.
Street clashes have already erupted between the two camps the past week, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds wounded. And more violence is possible.
The opposition plans another large protest for Friday, and the Brotherhood has called a similar massive rally for the following day, though they decided to move it from Tahrir to avoid frictions. Bands of youths have been daily battling police on a road leading off the square and close to the U.S. Embassy.
At least three independent daily newspapers are threatening not to issue editions on Tuesday in protest against Morsi's edicts and the rushed constitutional vote, according to the National Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Express, which called for the move.
The Constitutional Court's announcement that it would rule on the legitimacy of the assembly was a direct defiance of Morsi's edicts. It will also rule Sunday on whether to dissolve the upper house of parliament, which is overwhelmingly held by Islamists. Most of the nation's judges are on indefinite strike to protest the edicts.
It is not clear what would happen to the approved draft if the court dissolves the assembly. The crisis could move out of the realm of legal questions and even more into the more volatile street, to be decided by which side can bring the most support.
The opposition is considering whether to call for a boycott of any referendum on the constitution or to try to rally a "no" vote, said Hamdeen Sabahi, a National Salvation Front leader who ran in this year's presidential race and came in a surprisingly strong third.
"The people should not be made to choose between a dictatorial declaration or a constitution that doesn't represent all the people," he told independent ONTV, referring to Morsi's decrees. "He is pushing Egypt to more division and confronation."
During Thursday's session, assembly head Hossam al-Ghiryani doggedly pushed the members to finish. When one article received 16 objections, he pointed out that would require postponing the vote 48 hours under the body's rules. "Now I'm taking the vote again," he said, and all but four members dropped their objections.
The move advances a charter with an Islamist bent that rights experts say could give Muslim clerics oversight over legislation and bring restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.
The assembly that has been working on the constitution for months raced to pass it in a single marathon session that continued past midnight, with members voting article-by-article on the more than 230-article draft. The lack of inclusion was on display in the nationally televised gathering _ of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives.
For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100-member panel, have been withdrawing to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.
The sudden rush to finish came as the latest twist in a week-long crisis pitting Morsi and his Islamist supporters against a mostly secular and liberal opposition and the powerful judiciary. Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel.
To come into effect, the draft must be passed in a nationwide referendum, which Morsi said Thursday will be held "very soon."
"It is trying to impose a constitution monopolized by one trend and is the furthest from national consensus, produced in a farcical way," the National Salvation Front said in a statement, read by Waheed Abdel-Meguid, one of the assembly members who withdrew.
Thursday's vote escalates the already bruising confrontation sparked last week when Morsi gave himself near absolute powers by neutralizing the judiciary, the last branch of the state not in his hands. Morsi banned the courts from dissolving the constitutional assembly or the upper house of parliament and from reviewing his own decisions.
Speaking in an interview on state TV aired late Thursday, Morsi defended his edicts, saying they were a necessary "delicate surgery" needed to get Egypt through a transitional period and end instability he blamed on the lack of a constitution.
"The most important thing of this period is that we finish the constitution, so that we have a parliament under the constitution, elected properly, an independent judiciary, and a president who executes the law," Morsi said.
Street clashes have already erupted between the two camps the past week, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds wounded. And more violence is possible.
The opposition plans another large protest for Friday, and the Brotherhood has called a similar massive rally for the following day, though they decided to move it from Tahrir to avoid frictions. Bands of youths have been daily battling police on a road leading off the square and close to the U.S. Embassy.
At least three independent daily newspapers are threatening not to issue editions on Tuesday in protest against Morsi's edicts and the rushed constitutional vote, according to the National Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Express, which called for the move.
The Constitutional Court's announcement that it would rule on the legitimacy of the assembly was a direct defiance of Morsi's edicts. It will also rule Sunday on whether to dissolve the upper house of parliament, which is overwhelmingly held by Islamists. Most of the nation's judges are on indefinite strike to protest the edicts.
It is not clear what would happen to the approved draft if the court dissolves the assembly. The crisis could move out of the realm of legal questions and even more into the more volatile street, to be decided by which side can bring the most support.
The opposition is considering whether to call for a boycott of any referendum on the constitution or to try to rally a "no" vote, said Hamdeen Sabahi, a National Salvation Front leader who ran in this year's presidential race and came in a surprisingly strong third.
"The people should not be made to choose between a dictatorial declaration or a constitution that doesn't represent all the people," he told independent ONTV, referring to Morsi's decrees. "He is pushing Egypt to more division and confronation."
During Thursday's session, assembly head Hossam al-Ghiryani doggedly pushed the members to finish. When one article received 16 objections, he pointed out that would require postponing the vote 48 hours under the body's rules. "Now I'm taking the vote again," he said, and all but four members dropped their objections.
2012年11月20日星期二
Cobblers Share Secrets to a Long Shoe Life
When the two men who operate Alex Shoe Repair on First Avenue tell you to steer clear of dog droppings and salt on the sidewalk this winter, you would be wise to listen up.
With five generations of combined cobbling experience, Shalom Dekhkanov and Mario Emmanuel know a thing or two about how to keep shoes in shape during the harsh winter months.
"It is killing the leather," said Dekhkanov, who works in the store with his cousin Emmanuel, of the perils facing pedestrians trying to navigate things like dog poop and salt spread out on the sidewalk to melt snow and ice. "They destroy it."
Dekhkanov's father was a cobbler, and Emmanuel followed both his father and his grandfather into the business.
The Lower East Side and East Village are dotted with numerous shoe-repair shops that draw on generations of cobbling knowledge, skill and passion for their craft. As shoe styles shift from summer to winter — aided by a struggling economy, in which customers choose to fix their shoes rather than buy new ones — cobblers are in the midst of busiest time of the year as they ready footwear for winter.
"People walk. In Manhattan, they walk more and they don't drive much," noted Erik Koynoe, of Erik Shoe Repair on Grand Street, giving a simple reason as to why the city goes through more shoes than any other. "Different cities, they drive more and don't walk as much."
Koynoe works from his hole-in-the-wall storefront, near Essex Street, which is packed with shoes on the mend, products and equipment — such as his manually-operated Singer sewing machine from 1929.
A combination of wet weather, concrete and sidewalk salt can create a tough environment for the city's shoes, he explained.
"If you see some salt stains, you can use some white vinegar to wash them out," he said, offering an inexpensive home remedy for blemished leather.
All three cobblers agreed that shoring up shoes as soon as they are purchased is ideal for surviving the winter.
"If you have a leather bottom, put on a rubber protector," said Koynoe, of the approximately $25, which will extend the life of any pair of shoes.
He also has plenty of advice for Gotham's shoe-crazed ladies.
"You have to build it up to protect it," he said, noting that he can add tips to the pointy ends of a woman’s heels to protect it against collisions with concrete and cobblestone streets, which are always treacherous for any stiletto-wearer.
Galoshes, a rubber overshoe that was popular in previous decades, are still being sold to customers of all ages, Dekhkanov added.
Starting with a quality brand is also another recommendation from Koynoe. He singled out Aldo, Florsheim, Allen Edmonds and Mephisto as value for money brands that had both superior leather and craftsmanship.
"You pay more for the name, but it looks good," said Koynoe, of expensive and high-end brands such as Prada and Chanel.
Dekhkanov suggested looking at a shoe's country of origin to indicate a well-made pair, mentioning Spain, Brazil, America and Romania as some of the best.
As for Dekhkanov and Koynoe, they attribute their shoe skills to their Russian heritage.
"[Russians] didn't have all the machines, but they do a beautiful job by hand — everything," said Dekhkanov, of how he leaned the craft in his home country while it was still a part Soviet Union. "Everything by hand is a beautiful thing — it lasts longer, it's stronger.
"In that time, maybe it was an art form," added Dekhkanov, who came to the United States in 1991.
He said he still enjoyed working with his hands, recalling one pair of shoes he took in that was mauled by a dog three separate times.
"The dog chewed the whole back of the shoe and the heel. There was nothing left," he said, noting he had to match new leather to the shoe and completely rebuild the heel — three times over.
"I said, ‘God bless your dog, lady," he joked of the returning business.
For Dekhkanov, given the knowledge and experience passed on from his father, his passion for shoe repair is irreplaceable.
With five generations of combined cobbling experience, Shalom Dekhkanov and Mario Emmanuel know a thing or two about how to keep shoes in shape during the harsh winter months.
"It is killing the leather," said Dekhkanov, who works in the store with his cousin Emmanuel, of the perils facing pedestrians trying to navigate things like dog poop and salt spread out on the sidewalk to melt snow and ice. "They destroy it."
Dekhkanov's father was a cobbler, and Emmanuel followed both his father and his grandfather into the business.
The Lower East Side and East Village are dotted with numerous shoe-repair shops that draw on generations of cobbling knowledge, skill and passion for their craft. As shoe styles shift from summer to winter — aided by a struggling economy, in which customers choose to fix their shoes rather than buy new ones — cobblers are in the midst of busiest time of the year as they ready footwear for winter.
"People walk. In Manhattan, they walk more and they don't drive much," noted Erik Koynoe, of Erik Shoe Repair on Grand Street, giving a simple reason as to why the city goes through more shoes than any other. "Different cities, they drive more and don't walk as much."
Koynoe works from his hole-in-the-wall storefront, near Essex Street, which is packed with shoes on the mend, products and equipment — such as his manually-operated Singer sewing machine from 1929.
A combination of wet weather, concrete and sidewalk salt can create a tough environment for the city's shoes, he explained.
"If you see some salt stains, you can use some white vinegar to wash them out," he said, offering an inexpensive home remedy for blemished leather.
All three cobblers agreed that shoring up shoes as soon as they are purchased is ideal for surviving the winter.
"If you have a leather bottom, put on a rubber protector," said Koynoe, of the approximately $25, which will extend the life of any pair of shoes.
He also has plenty of advice for Gotham's shoe-crazed ladies.
"You have to build it up to protect it," he said, noting that he can add tips to the pointy ends of a woman’s heels to protect it against collisions with concrete and cobblestone streets, which are always treacherous for any stiletto-wearer.
Galoshes, a rubber overshoe that was popular in previous decades, are still being sold to customers of all ages, Dekhkanov added.
Starting with a quality brand is also another recommendation from Koynoe. He singled out Aldo, Florsheim, Allen Edmonds and Mephisto as value for money brands that had both superior leather and craftsmanship.
"You pay more for the name, but it looks good," said Koynoe, of expensive and high-end brands such as Prada and Chanel.
Dekhkanov suggested looking at a shoe's country of origin to indicate a well-made pair, mentioning Spain, Brazil, America and Romania as some of the best.
As for Dekhkanov and Koynoe, they attribute their shoe skills to their Russian heritage.
"[Russians] didn't have all the machines, but they do a beautiful job by hand — everything," said Dekhkanov, of how he leaned the craft in his home country while it was still a part Soviet Union. "Everything by hand is a beautiful thing — it lasts longer, it's stronger.
"In that time, maybe it was an art form," added Dekhkanov, who came to the United States in 1991.
He said he still enjoyed working with his hands, recalling one pair of shoes he took in that was mauled by a dog three separate times.
"The dog chewed the whole back of the shoe and the heel. There was nothing left," he said, noting he had to match new leather to the shoe and completely rebuild the heel — three times over.
"I said, ‘God bless your dog, lady," he joked of the returning business.
For Dekhkanov, given the knowledge and experience passed on from his father, his passion for shoe repair is irreplaceable.
2012年11月12日星期一
who avoids shopping in mainstream retail stores
With the increased tuition; financial aid delays; and surge in book, gas and Metro pass costs, fashion-forward Valley College students may find it difficult to stay stylish in this economy. But, thrifty students know a secret.
These in-the-know students hit budget-friendly thrift stores to remain fashionable, purchasing
designer clothes for bargain prices, exchanging old clothing for the new and discovering outstanding vintage pieces.
Student Morghan Carter’s mother introduced her to thrift
shopping at age 8. Buying secondhand has saved Carter money for college fees, she said.
“You have to go to school every day of the week. You have to pay
for books … bus passes … what you eat on a daily basis,” Carter said. “To be able to go to the thrift store on the weekend [and] spend a very small amount for a couple of different items is comforting.”
Instead of throwing unwanted clothes in the trash, fashionistas can explore creative ways to save bank by recycling clothes, exchanging old garments for new threads at secondhand stores, such as Buffalo Exchange and Cross Roads Trading Co.
For students who like to stay on trend, these two chic, recycled clothing shops are a way to stay trendy and not go broke.
“I took a bunch of my old clothes to Buffalo Exchange on Ventura Boulevard,” said communications major Monica Diaz. “I got about $20 for a shirt and some pants, then I used money for gas and a Nine West bag for school.”
Cinema major Jahsaudi Perkins, a student who avoids shopping in mainstream retail stores, enjoys local recycled clothing store THRIFTnoho in North Hollywood.
THRIFTnoho’s prices range from $1 to $10 for most items. The store has major deals on a variety of clothing, from women’s and men’s apparel to brand-name shoes, dresses, jeans, snapback hats and much more.
On random days, THRIFTnoho delights customers with 50-percent off the entire store. The owners of the thrift store also alter and customize articles of clothing customers bring in, producing a new, original piece.
“I recently gave THRIFTnoho a drawn out sketch of what I envisioned would be a great design,” said Perkins, 20. “The owners design it in no time. I was amazed
by the craftsmanship.”
Those searching for something unique or vintage, such as sociology major Chryz Ortega, look to Goodwill for jewelry, clothing and house supplies from different eras.
While prices at this donation chain are already cheap, on Saturdays,
Goodwill chooses a tag color to be on sale throughout the week.
“Unique and vintage is what I love about it,” said 20-year-old Ortega. “It saves me a lot instead
of buying $200 worth of clothing. I can save a lot and use the money for books and gas. I feel less guilty, too.”
Thrift shopping can help ease the burden of college finances, and by becoming a “thrifter,” a student can seek new styles without burning a hole in their pockets.
Rev. David L. Boyle Sr. was known for his positive ministry, descriptive sermons, love of education and encouraging spirit, which manifested in daily conversations when he bestowed on everyone the divine title of "Saint."
"He called me Saint Win," recalled Rev. Eric Winston, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church on South Parkway in Memphis. "He would call everybody saint. Even though we weren't saintly in our actions, he would say to us, 'That's where you're going to be.' It's as if he were speaking our future in the midst of our mess."
Rev. Boyle, a Memphis native and well-known pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Whiteville, Tenn., died on Nov. 5. He was 60.
Winston described his longtime friend as a "Prince of Preachers," who held several advanced degrees and loved to read. He'd often leave the bookstore with five copies of the same book to pass out to friends so they could discuss it.
These in-the-know students hit budget-friendly thrift stores to remain fashionable, purchasing
designer clothes for bargain prices, exchanging old clothing for the new and discovering outstanding vintage pieces.
Student Morghan Carter’s mother introduced her to thrift
shopping at age 8. Buying secondhand has saved Carter money for college fees, she said.
“You have to go to school every day of the week. You have to pay
for books … bus passes … what you eat on a daily basis,” Carter said. “To be able to go to the thrift store on the weekend [and] spend a very small amount for a couple of different items is comforting.”
Instead of throwing unwanted clothes in the trash, fashionistas can explore creative ways to save bank by recycling clothes, exchanging old garments for new threads at secondhand stores, such as Buffalo Exchange and Cross Roads Trading Co.
For students who like to stay on trend, these two chic, recycled clothing shops are a way to stay trendy and not go broke.
“I took a bunch of my old clothes to Buffalo Exchange on Ventura Boulevard,” said communications major Monica Diaz. “I got about $20 for a shirt and some pants, then I used money for gas and a Nine West bag for school.”
Cinema major Jahsaudi Perkins, a student who avoids shopping in mainstream retail stores, enjoys local recycled clothing store THRIFTnoho in North Hollywood.
THRIFTnoho’s prices range from $1 to $10 for most items. The store has major deals on a variety of clothing, from women’s and men’s apparel to brand-name shoes, dresses, jeans, snapback hats and much more.
On random days, THRIFTnoho delights customers with 50-percent off the entire store. The owners of the thrift store also alter and customize articles of clothing customers bring in, producing a new, original piece.
“I recently gave THRIFTnoho a drawn out sketch of what I envisioned would be a great design,” said Perkins, 20. “The owners design it in no time. I was amazed
by the craftsmanship.”
Those searching for something unique or vintage, such as sociology major Chryz Ortega, look to Goodwill for jewelry, clothing and house supplies from different eras.
While prices at this donation chain are already cheap, on Saturdays,
Goodwill chooses a tag color to be on sale throughout the week.
“Unique and vintage is what I love about it,” said 20-year-old Ortega. “It saves me a lot instead
of buying $200 worth of clothing. I can save a lot and use the money for books and gas. I feel less guilty, too.”
Thrift shopping can help ease the burden of college finances, and by becoming a “thrifter,” a student can seek new styles without burning a hole in their pockets.
Rev. David L. Boyle Sr. was known for his positive ministry, descriptive sermons, love of education and encouraging spirit, which manifested in daily conversations when he bestowed on everyone the divine title of "Saint."
"He called me Saint Win," recalled Rev. Eric Winston, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church on South Parkway in Memphis. "He would call everybody saint. Even though we weren't saintly in our actions, he would say to us, 'That's where you're going to be.' It's as if he were speaking our future in the midst of our mess."
Rev. Boyle, a Memphis native and well-known pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Whiteville, Tenn., died on Nov. 5. He was 60.
Winston described his longtime friend as a "Prince of Preachers," who held several advanced degrees and loved to read. He'd often leave the bookstore with five copies of the same book to pass out to friends so they could discuss it.
2012年11月8日星期四
To see the voters that made up that coalition
John Lewis was encouraging voters in Ohio to re-elect President Barack Obama, he heard words that took him back 47 years.
It was a time when African-Americans like Lewis weren’t guaranteed the right to vote, when they organized, marched, sang and bled for that right. Lewis himself was beaten unconscious by baton-wielding Alabama state troopers on a bridge in Selma in March 1965.
At an early voting site in downtown Cincinnati on a dreary morning this fall, “one young lady said to me, ‘Congressman, I started to get out of this line, but I thought about the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and I said I have to stand here,’ ” Lewis said.
Lewis, a legend of the civil rights movement who got his start as a college student in Nashville, was back in the city Thursday, two days after Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, won a second term.
The congressman from Atlanta said he didn’t cry this time, as he had when Obama made history in 2008. But he still found the president’s victory stirring.
“I was very moved,” he said in an interview after honoring his old friend, Tennessean Chairman Emeritus John Seigenthaler, at a luncheon.
“To see the voters that made up that coalition, it represents another major step down a very long road to create a more perfect union, to create a truly multiracial, democratic society.”
He said the right to vote was something he and many others fought for, culminating in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. In his memoir, Walking with the Wind, Lewis recalls Johnson telling him at the White House that day, “Now John, you’ve got to go back and get all those folks registered.”
That was why he “took it so personally” when he saw many states, including Tennessee, implementing laws that he says make it harder to vote by imposing photo ID requirements.
“It’s sort of sad, almost painful to see people wanting to revert back to another period,” he said. “We’ve made too much progress to go back, so we have to continue to push forward.”
Supporters of voter ID laws say they discourage fraud at the ballot box.
Seigenthaler’s wife, son and daughter-in-law held a $250-per-person fund-raiser Thursday evening for Lewis, who was elected Tuesday to his 14th term in Congress.
Lewis praised Seigenthaler, a friend for more than 50 years, at Thursday’s luncheon, where Seigenthaler received the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Seigenthaler returned the favor, saying Lewis had done more to “change the moral fiber of this community” than anyone.
“When you look at John Lewis standing here, you don’t see the John Lewis I saw as a young reporter,” he said. “The blood he and others shed during those days has long since faded from those sidewalks. But I will tell you, it was their courage, it was their vision, it was their commitment to nonviolence, it was their determination to make this a more livable city that helped us understand who we are today.“
While Obama has been criticized by some people for not doing enough for African-Americans during his first term, Lewis said he doesn’t agree.
“He’s the president of all Americans,” the congressman said. “He’s going to reach out during the next four years and try to create a better country, a more just society for all Americans.”
He said the country is already a much better place than it was when he was a student at American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, a Freedom Rider, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and a speaker during the March on Washington.
“It is so amazing, out of the ordinary, to see the distance we’ve come and the progress we’ve made,” Lewis said. “Some people say, ‘Well, you haven’t come that far, you haven’t made enough progress.’ The only thing I say is, ‘Come and walk in my shoes.’
“It’s a different world. To look out and see black men and women, white men and women, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans standing together, crying together as a result of the election.”
He paused amid the sound of plates clinking together as the catering crew cleared tables nearby.
It was a time when African-Americans like Lewis weren’t guaranteed the right to vote, when they organized, marched, sang and bled for that right. Lewis himself was beaten unconscious by baton-wielding Alabama state troopers on a bridge in Selma in March 1965.
At an early voting site in downtown Cincinnati on a dreary morning this fall, “one young lady said to me, ‘Congressman, I started to get out of this line, but I thought about the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and I said I have to stand here,’ ” Lewis said.
Lewis, a legend of the civil rights movement who got his start as a college student in Nashville, was back in the city Thursday, two days after Obama, the nation’s first African-American president, won a second term.
The congressman from Atlanta said he didn’t cry this time, as he had when Obama made history in 2008. But he still found the president’s victory stirring.
“I was very moved,” he said in an interview after honoring his old friend, Tennessean Chairman Emeritus John Seigenthaler, at a luncheon.
“To see the voters that made up that coalition, it represents another major step down a very long road to create a more perfect union, to create a truly multiracial, democratic society.”
He said the right to vote was something he and many others fought for, culminating in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. In his memoir, Walking with the Wind, Lewis recalls Johnson telling him at the White House that day, “Now John, you’ve got to go back and get all those folks registered.”
That was why he “took it so personally” when he saw many states, including Tennessee, implementing laws that he says make it harder to vote by imposing photo ID requirements.
“It’s sort of sad, almost painful to see people wanting to revert back to another period,” he said. “We’ve made too much progress to go back, so we have to continue to push forward.”
Supporters of voter ID laws say they discourage fraud at the ballot box.
Seigenthaler’s wife, son and daughter-in-law held a $250-per-person fund-raiser Thursday evening for Lewis, who was elected Tuesday to his 14th term in Congress.
Lewis praised Seigenthaler, a friend for more than 50 years, at Thursday’s luncheon, where Seigenthaler received the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Seigenthaler returned the favor, saying Lewis had done more to “change the moral fiber of this community” than anyone.
“When you look at John Lewis standing here, you don’t see the John Lewis I saw as a young reporter,” he said. “The blood he and others shed during those days has long since faded from those sidewalks. But I will tell you, it was their courage, it was their vision, it was their commitment to nonviolence, it was their determination to make this a more livable city that helped us understand who we are today.“
While Obama has been criticized by some people for not doing enough for African-Americans during his first term, Lewis said he doesn’t agree.
“He’s the president of all Americans,” the congressman said. “He’s going to reach out during the next four years and try to create a better country, a more just society for all Americans.”
He said the country is already a much better place than it was when he was a student at American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, a Freedom Rider, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and a speaker during the March on Washington.
“It is so amazing, out of the ordinary, to see the distance we’ve come and the progress we’ve made,” Lewis said. “Some people say, ‘Well, you haven’t come that far, you haven’t made enough progress.’ The only thing I say is, ‘Come and walk in my shoes.’
“It’s a different world. To look out and see black men and women, white men and women, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans standing together, crying together as a result of the election.”
He paused amid the sound of plates clinking together as the catering crew cleared tables nearby.
2012年11月6日星期二
We break the business into definable subsets
Nike, the apparel and footwear giant, is aiming to reflect the "culture of sports" in everything from its management style to innovation, and thus more successfully engage consumers.
Mark Parker, the firm's CEO, told Fast Company in an interview: "Our management approach hasn't come from studying and reading business books. It's more intuitive, from the culture of sports. We're constantly looking for ways to improve."
From conducting scientific research with athletes to examining emerging trends by understanding fields like street art, Nike has sought to gain in-depth knowledge of its core customer.
"We're a big global brand, we have great resources. We break the business into definable subsets based on different consumer cultures and go deep, to be meaningful and relevant to them," Parker said.
In evidence of the rigorous approach being pursued, Parker has adopted a model he calls "edit and amplify", or focusing on core goals and criteria. For example, Nike reduced the number of R&D schemes it was working on from 350 to just 50 earlier this year.
"The ability to edit and amplify is so critical," he said. "There's a real discipline to this. It's going to sound bureaucratic, but it's not. There's a difference between discipline and bureaucracy ... At Nike, we have incredibly strong people. They know what to do."
In demonstration of its flexibility, Nike has created a new method of making its shoes, known as FlyKnit, via which they are sewn from thread rather than cut from fabric.
"If we said, okay, we have the formula for design and manufacturing footwear – that's a myopic and short-term view," Parker said. “One of the challenges of innovation is challenging a set model."
Moreover, Nike Air, which has a visible air cushion, and the company's range of Free footwear mimicking the effect of running barefoot, both began as "side projects" that went on to be major hits.
“You don't need to be here four or five years to have great ideas heard," Parker said. "In many cases, things that happened off the grid have become a massive success.
"Ideas may come from the bottom up but the direction and support can go top-down ... That ratio, top-down to bubble-up, will shift based on situations. I'm a big believer that there's no one single approach."
The rise of digital tools are also providing new possibilities for the company when it comes to R&D, as they connect diverse groups of employees from different departments and geographies.
"The biggest sources of opportunity are collaboration and partnership," Parker said. "And today, with digital communication, there is more of that everywhere. We need to expose ourselves to that as a matter of doing business."
HISTORY was created at Albury Racing Club yesterday when Victoria Shaw became the first female to call a meeting at the track.
The late Ted Ryder and Geoff O’Brien spent many years in the role, but no female had graced the caller’s booth high above the grandstand until yesterday.
Shaw was a last minute call-up for the Albury meeting on the biggest racing day of the year.
But her short career to date has seen her call at Rosehill, Newcastle, Mount Gambier, Darwin and even King Island.
She made her debut at Hanging Rock in 1998 and last Sunday was behind the microphone at Kilmore.
“I have ridden horses, but not very well I must say,” she said.
“I was lucky enough to have a former racehorse as a pet, which I rode as a hack.
“I like live radio as a medium so much. There is no opportunity for take two.”
Shaw’s determination to break into the largely male domain of race calling came after a stint at Gippsland radio station, 3TR, in the early 1990s.
She discovered legendary racecaller, Bill Collins, began his career at the station and was inspired to follow his lead.
Mark Parker, the firm's CEO, told Fast Company in an interview: "Our management approach hasn't come from studying and reading business books. It's more intuitive, from the culture of sports. We're constantly looking for ways to improve."
From conducting scientific research with athletes to examining emerging trends by understanding fields like street art, Nike has sought to gain in-depth knowledge of its core customer.
"We're a big global brand, we have great resources. We break the business into definable subsets based on different consumer cultures and go deep, to be meaningful and relevant to them," Parker said.
In evidence of the rigorous approach being pursued, Parker has adopted a model he calls "edit and amplify", or focusing on core goals and criteria. For example, Nike reduced the number of R&D schemes it was working on from 350 to just 50 earlier this year.
"The ability to edit and amplify is so critical," he said. "There's a real discipline to this. It's going to sound bureaucratic, but it's not. There's a difference between discipline and bureaucracy ... At Nike, we have incredibly strong people. They know what to do."
In demonstration of its flexibility, Nike has created a new method of making its shoes, known as FlyKnit, via which they are sewn from thread rather than cut from fabric.
"If we said, okay, we have the formula for design and manufacturing footwear – that's a myopic and short-term view," Parker said. “One of the challenges of innovation is challenging a set model."
Moreover, Nike Air, which has a visible air cushion, and the company's range of Free footwear mimicking the effect of running barefoot, both began as "side projects" that went on to be major hits.
“You don't need to be here four or five years to have great ideas heard," Parker said. "In many cases, things that happened off the grid have become a massive success.
"Ideas may come from the bottom up but the direction and support can go top-down ... That ratio, top-down to bubble-up, will shift based on situations. I'm a big believer that there's no one single approach."
The rise of digital tools are also providing new possibilities for the company when it comes to R&D, as they connect diverse groups of employees from different departments and geographies.
"The biggest sources of opportunity are collaboration and partnership," Parker said. "And today, with digital communication, there is more of that everywhere. We need to expose ourselves to that as a matter of doing business."
HISTORY was created at Albury Racing Club yesterday when Victoria Shaw became the first female to call a meeting at the track.
The late Ted Ryder and Geoff O’Brien spent many years in the role, but no female had graced the caller’s booth high above the grandstand until yesterday.
Shaw was a last minute call-up for the Albury meeting on the biggest racing day of the year.
But her short career to date has seen her call at Rosehill, Newcastle, Mount Gambier, Darwin and even King Island.
She made her debut at Hanging Rock in 1998 and last Sunday was behind the microphone at Kilmore.
“I have ridden horses, but not very well I must say,” she said.
“I was lucky enough to have a former racehorse as a pet, which I rode as a hack.
“I like live radio as a medium so much. There is no opportunity for take two.”
Shaw’s determination to break into the largely male domain of race calling came after a stint at Gippsland radio station, 3TR, in the early 1990s.
She discovered legendary racecaller, Bill Collins, began his career at the station and was inspired to follow his lead.
2012年11月4日星期日
The car park has been divided into two sections
Organised by Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd (ASC) and the Malaysia-India Chamber of Commerce (MAICOM), the carnival is on until the eve of Deepavali at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex's open-air car park A, instead of the KL Sentral car park in Brickfields.
ASC director D. P. Ganaa said the need for more parking and traffic congestion are the main reasons for relocating the carnival site from Brickfields.
"We want our customers to enjoy hassle-free shopping.
"In previous years, we used to receive numerous complaints from our visitors, who said they had to spend more than an hour searching for parking because of the massive traffic jam in Brickfields.
"Now that we have moved our site to the sports complex, visitors from Seremban, Kajang, Rawang and other places can shop here with ease," he said.
Ganaa said the organisers have also requested RapidKL to increase the frequency of its bus trips to Bukit Jalil during the festival.
The exhibition opens from noon until 10pm daily.
The car park has been divided into two sections -- an air-conditioned canopy and warehouse covering 8,550 sq m and housing 230 shop lots -- giving visitors more shopping options.
Ganaa said 58 booths showcase products by traders from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with the rest featuring local products.
Ganaa said this year's carnival is targeting 700,000 to 800,000 visitors by offering a wide variety of products ranging from textiles, fashion accessories and shoes to home decorations and traditional Indian sweets.
He added that there will also be performances such as dance competitions, evening shows by local celebrities and food stalls.
"This year, we brought in the latest items to the fair, including handicrafts, jewellery, pearls and other wares from Kashmir, Orissa, Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
"The products are reasonably priced, except for the expensive jewellery.
"But what makes the fair appealing is the chance for shoppers to bargain with the traders," he said.
"Clothes such as jeans and children's clothes, toys, carpets and watches are also on sale at the carnival," said Ganaa.
There will also be stalls that provide services such as threading, henna tattoos and make-up consultations.
A trader from Delhi, India, Rajeev Chawla, who sells hand-painted art, said there are many interesting new items on sale this year.
He encouraged customers to take this opportunity to shop, as most of the products are affordable.
"The artworks that I am selling are painted on velvet sheets using colours from fruits, flowers and vegetables. The paintings are priced from RM70 to RM100," said Rajeev, who added that it takes about three to five days to complete a painting.
Manoj Mahadik, a trader from Mumbai, manufactures and exports organic skincare products.
He said his products, which include spa soaps, hair-care products, skin-treatment creams and facial kits, cater to different types of skin.
A visitor, Rita Menon from Seremban, said she got to know about the festival through the advertisements and the event's official website.
"We just made a quick stop here to see the latest items at the carnival.
"I will here return in two or three days with my family." she added.
ASC director D. P. Ganaa said the need for more parking and traffic congestion are the main reasons for relocating the carnival site from Brickfields.
"We want our customers to enjoy hassle-free shopping.
"In previous years, we used to receive numerous complaints from our visitors, who said they had to spend more than an hour searching for parking because of the massive traffic jam in Brickfields.
"Now that we have moved our site to the sports complex, visitors from Seremban, Kajang, Rawang and other places can shop here with ease," he said.
Ganaa said the organisers have also requested RapidKL to increase the frequency of its bus trips to Bukit Jalil during the festival.
The exhibition opens from noon until 10pm daily.
The car park has been divided into two sections -- an air-conditioned canopy and warehouse covering 8,550 sq m and housing 230 shop lots -- giving visitors more shopping options.
Ganaa said 58 booths showcase products by traders from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with the rest featuring local products.
Ganaa said this year's carnival is targeting 700,000 to 800,000 visitors by offering a wide variety of products ranging from textiles, fashion accessories and shoes to home decorations and traditional Indian sweets.
He added that there will also be performances such as dance competitions, evening shows by local celebrities and food stalls.
"This year, we brought in the latest items to the fair, including handicrafts, jewellery, pearls and other wares from Kashmir, Orissa, Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
"The products are reasonably priced, except for the expensive jewellery.
"But what makes the fair appealing is the chance for shoppers to bargain with the traders," he said.
"Clothes such as jeans and children's clothes, toys, carpets and watches are also on sale at the carnival," said Ganaa.
There will also be stalls that provide services such as threading, henna tattoos and make-up consultations.
A trader from Delhi, India, Rajeev Chawla, who sells hand-painted art, said there are many interesting new items on sale this year.
He encouraged customers to take this opportunity to shop, as most of the products are affordable.
"The artworks that I am selling are painted on velvet sheets using colours from fruits, flowers and vegetables. The paintings are priced from RM70 to RM100," said Rajeev, who added that it takes about three to five days to complete a painting.
Manoj Mahadik, a trader from Mumbai, manufactures and exports organic skincare products.
He said his products, which include spa soaps, hair-care products, skin-treatment creams and facial kits, cater to different types of skin.
A visitor, Rita Menon from Seremban, said she got to know about the festival through the advertisements and the event's official website.
"We just made a quick stop here to see the latest items at the carnival.
"I will here return in two or three days with my family." she added.
2012年10月31日星期三
we were trying to do during the preseason
Indiana Pacers small forward Sam Young spent the majority of the preseason working with the starters while Danny Granger nursed his injured left knee.
Granger’s out of the lineup indefinitely because of his knee and Young is out the starting lineup with Gerald Green stepping in.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel went with Young with the starters during the preseason because he wanted the second unit, which featured Green, to work together as much as possible to create continuity.
That notion went out the window when the Pacers announced Tuesday that Granger would be out.
“Gerald is higher than Sam on the depth chart,” Vogel said. “With Danny out, it changes everything that we were trying to do during the preseason. Gerald and Paul (George) will get the bulk of the minutes at the wing position(s).”
Vogel will continue to use a 10-man rotation, with Young backing up Green at small forward, but he plans to change up the minutes so that either Green or George is on the court as much as possible. That will keep a scoring threat on the wing.
“We will stagger the rotation so that the second unit doesn’t all of a sudden become Lance (Stephenson) and Sam Young out there,” Vogel said. “They may see some minutes together, but I’ll try to keep Paul or Gerald on the court at one time.”
Vogel emphasized that they can’t have just one player pick up the scoring slack in Granger’s absence. They have to continue to play with a team-first mindset.
“I told them loud and clear, this is not a one man got-to-step-and-fill the role,” Vogel said. “The strength of our team is that we’re a team, we play and share the basketball and we play as one. We don’t want anybody forcing anything because they feel like they have shoes to fill.”
Pacers rookie Miles Plumlee joined Granger on the inactive list Wednesday.
Vogel pointed out that Ben Hansbrough and Orlando Johnson didn’t do anything to earn an active spot on the roster over Plumlee; it was matter of health concerns.
Johnson gave the Pacers an extra wing with Granger out and Hansbrough was active because starting point guard George Hill isn’t completely healthy from his hip pointer, which caused him to miss most of the preseason.
Antonio Davis is joining ex-Pacers Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose and Chris Mullin as an analyst on television.
Davis, who spent six seasons with the Pacers, will be an NBA analyst on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” “NBA Coast to Coast” and “NBA Tonight.”
Granger’s out of the lineup indefinitely because of his knee and Young is out the starting lineup with Gerald Green stepping in.
Pacers coach Frank Vogel went with Young with the starters during the preseason because he wanted the second unit, which featured Green, to work together as much as possible to create continuity.
That notion went out the window when the Pacers announced Tuesday that Granger would be out.
“Gerald is higher than Sam on the depth chart,” Vogel said. “With Danny out, it changes everything that we were trying to do during the preseason. Gerald and Paul (George) will get the bulk of the minutes at the wing position(s).”
Vogel will continue to use a 10-man rotation, with Young backing up Green at small forward, but he plans to change up the minutes so that either Green or George is on the court as much as possible. That will keep a scoring threat on the wing.
“We will stagger the rotation so that the second unit doesn’t all of a sudden become Lance (Stephenson) and Sam Young out there,” Vogel said. “They may see some minutes together, but I’ll try to keep Paul or Gerald on the court at one time.”
Vogel emphasized that they can’t have just one player pick up the scoring slack in Granger’s absence. They have to continue to play with a team-first mindset.
“I told them loud and clear, this is not a one man got-to-step-and-fill the role,” Vogel said. “The strength of our team is that we’re a team, we play and share the basketball and we play as one. We don’t want anybody forcing anything because they feel like they have shoes to fill.”
Pacers rookie Miles Plumlee joined Granger on the inactive list Wednesday.
Vogel pointed out that Ben Hansbrough and Orlando Johnson didn’t do anything to earn an active spot on the roster over Plumlee; it was matter of health concerns.
Johnson gave the Pacers an extra wing with Granger out and Hansbrough was active because starting point guard George Hill isn’t completely healthy from his hip pointer, which caused him to miss most of the preseason.
Antonio Davis is joining ex-Pacers Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose and Chris Mullin as an analyst on television.
Davis, who spent six seasons with the Pacers, will be an NBA analyst on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” “NBA Coast to Coast” and “NBA Tonight.”
2012年10月29日星期一
Medal of Honor and I go way back
Warfighter, what am I going to do with you? I had such high hopes of the time we would spend together. Ever since I laid my hands upon you at E3 this year, I’ve been fluttering my eyelashes at you from afar.
But now that I’ve spent time alone with you, caressed you, tried to tease open your secrets, I just, I just don’t feel happy. I feel... I feel dirty. And unsatisfied.
Developer Danger Close’s second installment in the Medal of Honor reboot was supposed to be a step up from the first. It was supposed to bring gamers back to the realistic world of war, where the action was intense, and the fighting was fast.
It does none of those things. In fact, it does precisely the opposite. This game is a step backward. It is a mistaken blot of a title. It is so fist-clenchingly frustrating that it makes me angry. But my anger has quickly slunk into sadness, making me ponder whether I should give up on the entire franchise.
That’s a big call. Medal of Honor and I go way back. We grew up together. But if this is the best Danger Close have to offer, well, maybe its time to end the affair.
Warfighter’s biggest and most immediate problem is its complete lack of depth and narrative. You play in the shoes of a jarhead called “Preacher”. He might be from the first game, but I’m not sure. I really can’t remember. In any event the title makes no attempt to link the game to the background and history of its forebear. Preacher is chaperoned around various hotspots by “Mother”, the ubiquitous bearded special forces soldier with a cricket umpires cap and a Captain Price beard. As far as I could tell, that’s it. There is literally nothing new to see here.
Both Preacher and Mother appear to be dude-bros so tight, they think nothing of shacking up together in hot and heavy hotspots around the world — from Somalia to the Philippines. These environments look nice, and you can blow them to smithereens with lots of high-tech, and ultimately familiar weaponry. But you’d hardly know why — and that a good game does not make.
Throughout the confusion, Preacher and Mother have got each other’s back. Sure, theres lots of hoo-ah, roger-niner, check your six, and eyes on me, but as to what they are doing in all these places, and why you the player should care, I couldn’t tell you. Because the game never tells me.
Maybe it’s something to do with Islamic insurgents, train bombs, international terrorism, and tired racist stereotypes about Middle-Eastern otherness. Or I could be confusing its narrative set up with a thousand other military shooters pumped on the juiced-up high of American exceptionalism. Or, maybe there’s no need for conjecture. Because it's both of those things.
Sure, there are quieter moments. Moments where Danger Close has tried to show its soft side. But the cut scenes where Preacher wrestles with both his conscience and his loved ones only come across as forced and contrived. And they are as poorly animated as they are acted. Part of that’s down to empty writing. In an early scene Preacher’s wife intones “why won’t you let me in” before Preacher hangs the phone up on her. Let her in to what? His cliched war-ravaged psyche? His battles with post-traumatic stress disorder? The mind boggles. By keeping us out of that stultifying experience Preacher is probably doing us a favour.
But now that I’ve spent time alone with you, caressed you, tried to tease open your secrets, I just, I just don’t feel happy. I feel... I feel dirty. And unsatisfied.
Developer Danger Close’s second installment in the Medal of Honor reboot was supposed to be a step up from the first. It was supposed to bring gamers back to the realistic world of war, where the action was intense, and the fighting was fast.
It does none of those things. In fact, it does precisely the opposite. This game is a step backward. It is a mistaken blot of a title. It is so fist-clenchingly frustrating that it makes me angry. But my anger has quickly slunk into sadness, making me ponder whether I should give up on the entire franchise.
That’s a big call. Medal of Honor and I go way back. We grew up together. But if this is the best Danger Close have to offer, well, maybe its time to end the affair.
Warfighter’s biggest and most immediate problem is its complete lack of depth and narrative. You play in the shoes of a jarhead called “Preacher”. He might be from the first game, but I’m not sure. I really can’t remember. In any event the title makes no attempt to link the game to the background and history of its forebear. Preacher is chaperoned around various hotspots by “Mother”, the ubiquitous bearded special forces soldier with a cricket umpires cap and a Captain Price beard. As far as I could tell, that’s it. There is literally nothing new to see here.
Both Preacher and Mother appear to be dude-bros so tight, they think nothing of shacking up together in hot and heavy hotspots around the world — from Somalia to the Philippines. These environments look nice, and you can blow them to smithereens with lots of high-tech, and ultimately familiar weaponry. But you’d hardly know why — and that a good game does not make.
Throughout the confusion, Preacher and Mother have got each other’s back. Sure, theres lots of hoo-ah, roger-niner, check your six, and eyes on me, but as to what they are doing in all these places, and why you the player should care, I couldn’t tell you. Because the game never tells me.
Maybe it’s something to do with Islamic insurgents, train bombs, international terrorism, and tired racist stereotypes about Middle-Eastern otherness. Or I could be confusing its narrative set up with a thousand other military shooters pumped on the juiced-up high of American exceptionalism. Or, maybe there’s no need for conjecture. Because it's both of those things.
Sure, there are quieter moments. Moments where Danger Close has tried to show its soft side. But the cut scenes where Preacher wrestles with both his conscience and his loved ones only come across as forced and contrived. And they are as poorly animated as they are acted. Part of that’s down to empty writing. In an early scene Preacher’s wife intones “why won’t you let me in” before Preacher hangs the phone up on her. Let her in to what? His cliched war-ravaged psyche? His battles with post-traumatic stress disorder? The mind boggles. By keeping us out of that stultifying experience Preacher is probably doing us a favour.
2012年10月25日星期四
Super Saver-Saving on your trash bill
How much garbage do you throw away each week? Now that Grand Rapids has gone to a "Pay as you throw" program, many people are trying to cut back on the amount of garbage they produce to save money. In September, Grand Rapids installed its new program based on the size of the garbage receptacle you use and the frequency of it being picked-up. According to Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids, there are many things that you can recycle to save on your garbage and help give back to your community.
Nick Carlson is the Director of Environmental Sustainability of Goodwill Industries based in Grandville. "Since 2008 we've been able to cut our total volume of waste to landfill in half, by finding new markets. We're able to take a former waste source and turn it into a small revenue source." One example would be any broken household appliance, like maybe a toaster. Carlson explains it has a purpose with Goodwill. "Any appliances that we're unable to sell, we'll cut off the copper wire and re-sell it into the scrap metals market and get some decent value out of this."
Ripped or torn clothing is another example of something once thought to be garbage that Goodwill Industries is anxious to take off your hands. Jill Wallace, the Chief Marketing Officer of Goodwill Greater Grand Rapids explains. "The shirts that might have holes or the shoes that you may have somehow lost the pair, you have a mismatched shoe, it all has value to it." Goodwill is the largest recycler of textiles in the world. According to Carlson, the Grandville facility does about six million pounds of this material a year. Old belts are another clothing item that has value. "Any of these belts we couldn't sell through our regular retail model, we're now able to package and sell to brokers and this material is going to be shipped overseas," said Carlson.
Have some old board games headed for the garbage? Goodwill will take parts of that too. "This (game box) is a mixed paper grade, stuff you wouldn't necessarily think to send through your county recycling program. But when this game comes in and we lose some of the pieces we can recycle the cardboard as a mixed paper category which will go into making toilet paper and new paper towels," explains Carlson.
Some other recyclables are more obvious and offer more significant space saving to you. "We do a little over one millon pounds of just computers every year out of this plant and we do about a million pounds of televisions out of this plant here," according to Carlson. "We package that up and send it to one of five locations in the country where they disassemble this stuff."
Many random odds and ends that you might not think have any value to anyone else also are quite popular at Goodwill's Outlet Center in Grandville, the only one in the state. All the materials that don't sell at the store end up in large bins that get rotated about eight times per day. Most items in the bin sell for 60 cents per pound. Despite all these new options for recycling, Carlson wants to stress that Goodwill is not a place for people to drop off their garbage. "What I would say is anything that's gently used, anything that may be questionable you can still bring that and we will make the decision on it." Things like soiled mattresses or broken furniture would be items Goodwill does not want however. The main facility is located at 3035 Prairie Street in Grandville.
Nick Carlson is the Director of Environmental Sustainability of Goodwill Industries based in Grandville. "Since 2008 we've been able to cut our total volume of waste to landfill in half, by finding new markets. We're able to take a former waste source and turn it into a small revenue source." One example would be any broken household appliance, like maybe a toaster. Carlson explains it has a purpose with Goodwill. "Any appliances that we're unable to sell, we'll cut off the copper wire and re-sell it into the scrap metals market and get some decent value out of this."
Ripped or torn clothing is another example of something once thought to be garbage that Goodwill Industries is anxious to take off your hands. Jill Wallace, the Chief Marketing Officer of Goodwill Greater Grand Rapids explains. "The shirts that might have holes or the shoes that you may have somehow lost the pair, you have a mismatched shoe, it all has value to it." Goodwill is the largest recycler of textiles in the world. According to Carlson, the Grandville facility does about six million pounds of this material a year. Old belts are another clothing item that has value. "Any of these belts we couldn't sell through our regular retail model, we're now able to package and sell to brokers and this material is going to be shipped overseas," said Carlson.
Have some old board games headed for the garbage? Goodwill will take parts of that too. "This (game box) is a mixed paper grade, stuff you wouldn't necessarily think to send through your county recycling program. But when this game comes in and we lose some of the pieces we can recycle the cardboard as a mixed paper category which will go into making toilet paper and new paper towels," explains Carlson.
Some other recyclables are more obvious and offer more significant space saving to you. "We do a little over one millon pounds of just computers every year out of this plant and we do about a million pounds of televisions out of this plant here," according to Carlson. "We package that up and send it to one of five locations in the country where they disassemble this stuff."
Many random odds and ends that you might not think have any value to anyone else also are quite popular at Goodwill's Outlet Center in Grandville, the only one in the state. All the materials that don't sell at the store end up in large bins that get rotated about eight times per day. Most items in the bin sell for 60 cents per pound. Despite all these new options for recycling, Carlson wants to stress that Goodwill is not a place for people to drop off their garbage. "What I would say is anything that's gently used, anything that may be questionable you can still bring that and we will make the decision on it." Things like soiled mattresses or broken furniture would be items Goodwill does not want however. The main facility is located at 3035 Prairie Street in Grandville.
2012年10月24日星期三
How political scandals and economic uncertainty
Not so long ago, wealthy Chinese would keep the price tags dangling off their sunglasses, wear their ties back to front to display the designer label and celebrate every business deal with that showiest of French wines, Chateau Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux, sometimes mixed with Coca Cola. They also had a reputation for being daft with their money, buying highly leveraged structured derivatives from Hong Kong private banks that offered eye popping returns or unlimited losses. They were known as the bao fa hu which translates as “newly rich” or “upstart”
That image is so 2009. Today’s upmarket Chinese consumer is hiding his wealth—for now. The reason is partly political. China’s top leadership will change next year, and with it, a lot of people’s fortunes. Meanwhile, having lost heavily on derivatives during the autumn 2008 stock market crash, China’s wealthy elite are also taking a sensible approach to banking. And they are even experimenting with less obvious wine brands.
“Many Chinese business people got their money honestly, but now they do not want the scrutiny and attention that comes from displaying wealth,” says Sunny Wong Yat Ming, managing director of Trinity Holding International, a Hong Kong-listed company that owns the Cerruti 1881 and Gieves & Hawkes brands.
The super rich are going underground, as political power shifts in unknown directions. Since former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai was dramatically forced out of his post and expelled from the party, and because China’s top leadership is changing, it is no longer smart to show off wealth. China is run on so-called “guanxi”which means “relationship” and, for business leaders, means that if you are protected by the right powerful official you can flaunt your wealth and status. Now, not only are the tectonic plates of political power shifting, no one is quite sure what the results will be. The bao fa hu are, quite literally, in hiding.
This scandal over an ostensibly low-paid government official who was pictured wearing a range of designer watches has got people scared. Now Chinese public relations companies sell a service to scrub blog posts or photos from the internet, just in case the anti-corruption police start looking for evidence.
A joke often told by Hong Kong residents about rich mainland Chinese tourists goes along the lines of: “They must sell superglue in designer stores so these mainlanders can cover themselves in it and roll around the shop.” The joke conjures up a stereotypical image of a mainland Chinese man wearing one brand only, very visibly, from head to toe. But at the very top end of the income ladder, this joke is dated. Now it only applies to potato dumplings.
“One thing I’ve noticed recently in Shanghai is very wealthy people are increasingly wearing Brioni suits,” says David Lin, who is Taiwanese and runs Whitesun Equity Partners, a buyout house focusing on Chinese consumer industries with offices in Taipei and Shanghai. He is referring to the Italian designer Brioni, whose suits can cost tens of thousands of dollars yet, according to Lin, is still “not a brand that makes it obvious you are wearing their brand.”
That image is so 2009. Today’s upmarket Chinese consumer is hiding his wealth—for now. The reason is partly political. China’s top leadership will change next year, and with it, a lot of people’s fortunes. Meanwhile, having lost heavily on derivatives during the autumn 2008 stock market crash, China’s wealthy elite are also taking a sensible approach to banking. And they are even experimenting with less obvious wine brands.
“Many Chinese business people got their money honestly, but now they do not want the scrutiny and attention that comes from displaying wealth,” says Sunny Wong Yat Ming, managing director of Trinity Holding International, a Hong Kong-listed company that owns the Cerruti 1881 and Gieves & Hawkes brands.
The super rich are going underground, as political power shifts in unknown directions. Since former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai was dramatically forced out of his post and expelled from the party, and because China’s top leadership is changing, it is no longer smart to show off wealth. China is run on so-called “guanxi”which means “relationship” and, for business leaders, means that if you are protected by the right powerful official you can flaunt your wealth and status. Now, not only are the tectonic plates of political power shifting, no one is quite sure what the results will be. The bao fa hu are, quite literally, in hiding.
This scandal over an ostensibly low-paid government official who was pictured wearing a range of designer watches has got people scared. Now Chinese public relations companies sell a service to scrub blog posts or photos from the internet, just in case the anti-corruption police start looking for evidence.
A joke often told by Hong Kong residents about rich mainland Chinese tourists goes along the lines of: “They must sell superglue in designer stores so these mainlanders can cover themselves in it and roll around the shop.” The joke conjures up a stereotypical image of a mainland Chinese man wearing one brand only, very visibly, from head to toe. But at the very top end of the income ladder, this joke is dated. Now it only applies to potato dumplings.
“One thing I’ve noticed recently in Shanghai is very wealthy people are increasingly wearing Brioni suits,” says David Lin, who is Taiwanese and runs Whitesun Equity Partners, a buyout house focusing on Chinese consumer industries with offices in Taipei and Shanghai. He is referring to the Italian designer Brioni, whose suits can cost tens of thousands of dollars yet, according to Lin, is still “not a brand that makes it obvious you are wearing their brand.”
2012年10月23日星期二
Operation Christmas Child kicks off
Local volunteers are getting a head start on sharing holiday gifts with millions of children around the world.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, is launching its annual shoe box gift collection drive Nov. 12-19 with a goal to send more than 9 million shoes boxes to children in 130 countries this year.
The New River Baptist Association collection center, located at 2734 Commerce Road in Jacksonville, is one of 3,200 locations where donors can drop off shoe boxes packed with toys, school supplies and necessity items during National Collection Week. Residents participated in a kick off celebration at the Jacksonville center on Thursday to help reach a new goal to collect 7,500 shoes boxes this year by submitting donations are serving as volunteers for the annual drive.
Betty Jo Hensley has headed efforts as the Jacksonville-Onslow County coordinator for Operation Christmas Child since 2006. Hensley first heard of the organization while serving with her husband as foreign missionaries for 40 years before retiring and settling in Jacksonville.
“Before we retired, a big shipment of boxes came to Panama where we were living at the time, and we didn’t know anything about it then,” Hensley said. “The Panama Baptist Convention asked if we would help give out boxes — we were in a very poor area.”
The organization welcomes youth and adult volunteers from any organization or group to participate by donating toys, games, school supplies and more along with a letter or photo in a standard size plastic or cardboard shoe boxes. Gift wrapping is optional but highly encouraged.
“It’s not just Baptist, it’s any denomination, organization or individual and some of the schools have their honor societies do it,” Hensley said. “Last year we ended up with 5,695 shoes boxes here.”
Collection dates will be Nov. 12-17 from 1 to 5 p.m., Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. After the shoe box gifts are collected on Nov. 19, they are sent to be processed and prepared for hand-delivery to children worldwide using whatever means necessary — sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, elephants and dog sleds.
Chick-fil-A is partnering with the organization once again by accepting shoe boxes on Nov. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at its Western Boulevard Extension location near Target.
“If someone brings a box they get a coupon for a free sandwich,” Hensley said. “We had 958 boxes collected at Chick-fil-A in one night last year.”
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, is launching its annual shoe box gift collection drive Nov. 12-19 with a goal to send more than 9 million shoes boxes to children in 130 countries this year.
The New River Baptist Association collection center, located at 2734 Commerce Road in Jacksonville, is one of 3,200 locations where donors can drop off shoe boxes packed with toys, school supplies and necessity items during National Collection Week. Residents participated in a kick off celebration at the Jacksonville center on Thursday to help reach a new goal to collect 7,500 shoes boxes this year by submitting donations are serving as volunteers for the annual drive.
Betty Jo Hensley has headed efforts as the Jacksonville-Onslow County coordinator for Operation Christmas Child since 2006. Hensley first heard of the organization while serving with her husband as foreign missionaries for 40 years before retiring and settling in Jacksonville.
“Before we retired, a big shipment of boxes came to Panama where we were living at the time, and we didn’t know anything about it then,” Hensley said. “The Panama Baptist Convention asked if we would help give out boxes — we were in a very poor area.”
The organization welcomes youth and adult volunteers from any organization or group to participate by donating toys, games, school supplies and more along with a letter or photo in a standard size plastic or cardboard shoe boxes. Gift wrapping is optional but highly encouraged.
“It’s not just Baptist, it’s any denomination, organization or individual and some of the schools have their honor societies do it,” Hensley said. “Last year we ended up with 5,695 shoes boxes here.”
Collection dates will be Nov. 12-17 from 1 to 5 p.m., Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. After the shoe box gifts are collected on Nov. 19, they are sent to be processed and prepared for hand-delivery to children worldwide using whatever means necessary — sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, elephants and dog sleds.
Chick-fil-A is partnering with the organization once again by accepting shoe boxes on Nov. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at its Western Boulevard Extension location near Target.
“If someone brings a box they get a coupon for a free sandwich,” Hensley said. “We had 958 boxes collected at Chick-fil-A in one night last year.”
2012年10月22日星期一
Sowle cleaned them and disinfected them
Sowle began a charity to help bring shoes to Seattle's homeless people. Since Sowle was once homeless himself he knew firsthand the difference that a good pair of shoes could make to life on the street.
Sowle's 13 years living on the street were a constant struggle of trying to avoid the pain and bitter cold that his feet often felt. In an interview with KOMO News, Sowle described living under Seattle's Magnolia Street Bridge until he was able to find shelter.
"I struggled so bad that I wanted to jump off the Magnolia bridge just a day before going into the Union Gospel Mission shelter," he told KOMO News.
Even while at Union Gospel Mission, Sowle saw that the shoe shelves at the shelter were almost always bare, and he still wasn't able to find protection for his feet.
One day, however, Sowle had an idea.
He began sitting at a street corner with a sign, a box, and a bunch of fliers -- and asked people to give him their used shoes.
The movement instantly took off. People donated dozens of pairs of shoes. Sowle cleaned them and disinfected them. Then he sorted them, and took them to the streets.
Today, Sowle takes the shoes wherever they are needed: homeless shelters, food banks and the place where it all started -- the Mission. He is met with hugs, smiles and surprise.
"Sometimes they're shocked. Most of them are really happy," Sowle told KOMO News.
Eventually, Redeeming Soles was born.
Founded by Sowle, Redeeming Soles is a Seattle-based charity that organizes a footwear collection and distribution center for the benefit of local organizations and provides medical treatment for feet.
"It's like a gift from God," one recipient said. "He'll come up to you and he'll bless you with a pair of shoes."
"I took for so many years when I was on the street. I just.. always took. I was taking from services that were given to me, and I wasn't able to give back," Sowle said. "Today, I can give back. And that's huge for me."
Sowle's 13 years living on the street were a constant struggle of trying to avoid the pain and bitter cold that his feet often felt. In an interview with KOMO News, Sowle described living under Seattle's Magnolia Street Bridge until he was able to find shelter.
"I struggled so bad that I wanted to jump off the Magnolia bridge just a day before going into the Union Gospel Mission shelter," he told KOMO News.
Even while at Union Gospel Mission, Sowle saw that the shoe shelves at the shelter were almost always bare, and he still wasn't able to find protection for his feet.
One day, however, Sowle had an idea.
He began sitting at a street corner with a sign, a box, and a bunch of fliers -- and asked people to give him their used shoes.
The movement instantly took off. People donated dozens of pairs of shoes. Sowle cleaned them and disinfected them. Then he sorted them, and took them to the streets.
Today, Sowle takes the shoes wherever they are needed: homeless shelters, food banks and the place where it all started -- the Mission. He is met with hugs, smiles and surprise.
"Sometimes they're shocked. Most of them are really happy," Sowle told KOMO News.
Eventually, Redeeming Soles was born.
Founded by Sowle, Redeeming Soles is a Seattle-based charity that organizes a footwear collection and distribution center for the benefit of local organizations and provides medical treatment for feet.
"It's like a gift from God," one recipient said. "He'll come up to you and he'll bless you with a pair of shoes."
"I took for so many years when I was on the street. I just.. always took. I was taking from services that were given to me, and I wasn't able to give back," Sowle said. "Today, I can give back. And that's huge for me."
2012年10月21日星期日
Christian Louboutin signs his stylish shoes
What will people do for a signed shoe by Christian Louboutin, the high-end Parisian designer whose footwear customers include Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, the Olsen twins and Danielle Steel? In New Orleans, Jessica Alvendia headed the line at Saks 5th Avenue -- and she arrived at 9 a.m. Friday for a 3 p.m. appearance by the designer.
A few steps behind her a husband from Charleston, S.C., explained that he had driven 12 hours straight, purchased an $835 pair of shoes, and had hoped to surprise his wife. (He answered his cell phone and spoiled the surprise).
The staff at Saks was pretty excited, too: Louboutin only does about 20 signings a year in the United States.
It was the first-ever New Orleans appearance for the designer, who has come to command the top of the women’s market with shoes that always have a glossy red sole. For Louboutin’s signing, the store hired a New Orleans Police Department detail cop, engaged a jazz combo, and directed hovering journalists to a lounge that offered a nice view of the backstage scurrying that occurs when a big name is in the house.
Away from the hubbub, Louboutin was the picture of calm. A genial fellow with a trim, gray goatee, he was sequestered in a side room with two assistants, a selection of markers, and about 50 pairs of shoes that waiting customers had pre-purchased. He wore jeans and a golf shirt. He set his glasses high on his forehead, smiled easily, and generally looked like someone’s French uncle on vacation, except for the three-toned patent and suede lace-up shoes with the orange piping: an item from his men’s collection.
“When I look at the shoes these customers have selected, I can tell that New Orleans is different compared to other cities. Most of my American customers purchase plainer, more classic designs. Here they have selected shoes with vivid colors and lots of embellishments,” he said. “I also notice this: there seems to be a special interest in my highest heels: no flats for New Orleans.”
How high? Make that 7 inches, folks. And the materials are equally extravagant, with some styles featuring startling combinations: one shoe included suede and red velvet tops, heels covered with fuzzy cowhide in a cheetah pattern, and a constellation of gold studs. Every shoe has red soles: a trademarked element that was recently upheld in federal court, when the French fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent, tried to market shoes with a similar element.
“I think a lot about silhouettes and how to make an object that will look good in movement, but I have a tendency to celebrate detail and ornament. It’s comes through in everything I do, whether collecting furniture or looking at art when I travel.”
Louboutin, a native of Paris, gestured expansively as he discussed his shoes, including the spiked, red-patent pump that was just named the sexiest shoe of 2012 by Footwear News, a trade journal produced by Women’s Wear Daily. (At Saks, a pair was already signed for a New Orleans customer). When he overturned a glass of water, his assistants jumped to save the shoes, not the cell phones that sat on his signing desk. That’s what happens when some popular styles cost around $4,000.
A few steps behind her a husband from Charleston, S.C., explained that he had driven 12 hours straight, purchased an $835 pair of shoes, and had hoped to surprise his wife. (He answered his cell phone and spoiled the surprise).
The staff at Saks was pretty excited, too: Louboutin only does about 20 signings a year in the United States.
It was the first-ever New Orleans appearance for the designer, who has come to command the top of the women’s market with shoes that always have a glossy red sole. For Louboutin’s signing, the store hired a New Orleans Police Department detail cop, engaged a jazz combo, and directed hovering journalists to a lounge that offered a nice view of the backstage scurrying that occurs when a big name is in the house.
Away from the hubbub, Louboutin was the picture of calm. A genial fellow with a trim, gray goatee, he was sequestered in a side room with two assistants, a selection of markers, and about 50 pairs of shoes that waiting customers had pre-purchased. He wore jeans and a golf shirt. He set his glasses high on his forehead, smiled easily, and generally looked like someone’s French uncle on vacation, except for the three-toned patent and suede lace-up shoes with the orange piping: an item from his men’s collection.
“When I look at the shoes these customers have selected, I can tell that New Orleans is different compared to other cities. Most of my American customers purchase plainer, more classic designs. Here they have selected shoes with vivid colors and lots of embellishments,” he said. “I also notice this: there seems to be a special interest in my highest heels: no flats for New Orleans.”
How high? Make that 7 inches, folks. And the materials are equally extravagant, with some styles featuring startling combinations: one shoe included suede and red velvet tops, heels covered with fuzzy cowhide in a cheetah pattern, and a constellation of gold studs. Every shoe has red soles: a trademarked element that was recently upheld in federal court, when the French fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent, tried to market shoes with a similar element.
“I think a lot about silhouettes and how to make an object that will look good in movement, but I have a tendency to celebrate detail and ornament. It’s comes through in everything I do, whether collecting furniture or looking at art when I travel.”
Louboutin, a native of Paris, gestured expansively as he discussed his shoes, including the spiked, red-patent pump that was just named the sexiest shoe of 2012 by Footwear News, a trade journal produced by Women’s Wear Daily. (At Saks, a pair was already signed for a New Orleans customer). When he overturned a glass of water, his assistants jumped to save the shoes, not the cell phones that sat on his signing desk. That’s what happens when some popular styles cost around $4,000.
2012年10月18日星期四
How Did Steroids Get Contaminated?
Was it some moldy ceiling tiles? The dusty shoes of a careless employee? Or did the contamination ride in on one of the ingredients?
There are lots of ways fungus could have gotten inside the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose steroid medication has been linked to a lethal outbreak of a rare fungal form of meningitis.
The outbreak has killed at least 15 people and sickened more than 200 others in 15 states. Nearly all the victims had received steroid injections for back pain.
Federal and state investigators have been tightlipped about any problems they may have seen at the New England Compounding Center or whether they have pinpointed the source of the contamination. They did disclose last week that they found fungus in more than 50 vials from the pharmacy.
Company spokesman Andrew Paven said by email that criminal investigators from the Food and Drug Administration were at the pharmacy in Framingham, Mass., on Tuesday. The visit was part of a broad federal and state investigation of the outbreak, FDA spokesman Steven Immergut said in an email.
New England Compounding has not commented on its production process or what might have gone wrong, so outside experts can only speculate. But the betting money seems to be on dirty conditions, faulty sterilizing equipment, tainted ingredients or sloppiness on the part of employees.
The drug at the center of the investigation is made without preservative, meaning there's no alcohol or other solution in it to kill germs such as a fungus. So it's very important that it be made under highly sterile conditions, experts said.
Compounding pharmacies aren't as tightly regulated as drug company plants, but they are supposed to follow certain rules: Clean the floors and other surfaces daily; monitor air in "clean rooms" where drugs are made; require employees to wear gloves and gowns; test samples from each lot.
The rules are in the U.S. Pharmacopeia, a kind of national standards book for compounding medicines that's written by a nonprofit scientific organization. Most inspections, though, are handled by state boards of pharmacy. Massachusetts last inspected New England Compounding in March in response to a complaint unrelated to the outbreak; the results have not been released.
High-volume production of the sort that went on at New England Compounding also raises the chances of contamination, experts said.
Traditionally, compounding pharmacies fill special orders placed by doctors for individual patients, turning out maybe five or six vials. But many medical practices and hospitals place large orders to have the medicines on hand for their patients. That's allowed in at least 40 states but not under Massachusetts regulations.
Last month, New England Compounding recalled three lots of steroids made since May that totaled 17,676 single-dose vials of medicine — roughly equivalent to 20 gallons.
"I don't see it as appropriate for a community pharmacy to do a batch of something preservative-free in numbers in the thousands" of doses, said Lou Diorio, a New Jersey-based consultant to compounding pharmacies. Diorio, who has no connection to the investigation or the company, said it is harder to keep everything sterile when working with large amounts.
To make the steroid, a chemical powder from a supplier is mixed with a liquid, sterilized through heating, then pumped into vials, according to Eric Kastango, another consultant from New Jersey who helps compounding pharmacies deal with contamination problems. He is not connected to the company either.
Perhaps the powder was contaminated, either at New England Compounding or another location. Maybe the fungus was in the liquid, some experts said.
Kastango offered additional possible scenarios, related to the large volume produced: Making thousands of doses at a time can take many hours or days. It's possible that a batch could sit for hours or even a day or so before being placed in vials, making it vulnerable to contamination, he said.
It's also likely a pharmacy worker would take a break to get a snack or cup of coffee, to go to the bathroom or to step outside for a smoke, Kastango explained. If the person hurried back and didn't properly wash up or put on new gowns, masks and other safety garb, that could introduce contamination.
Faulty or misused sterilizing equipment is also a possibility. After a 2002 fungal meningitis outbreak linked to a South Carolina compounding pharmacy, investigators discovered that a piece of sterilizing equipment called an autoclave had been improperly used by the staff.
The types of fungus in the latest outbreak are ubiquitous: The first to be identified was Aspergillus, commonly found indoors and outdoors. As more testing of patients was completed, it became clear that another fungus — a black mold called Exserohilum — caused most of the illnesses. Exserohilum is common in dirt and grasses.
Most people do not get sick from ordinary exposure to these kinds of fungus, but spinal injections can provide them a pathway into the brain. Doctors are generally leery of using spinal steroid injections that contain preservatives because of fears the preservatives themselves can cause side effects.
There are lots of ways fungus could have gotten inside the Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose steroid medication has been linked to a lethal outbreak of a rare fungal form of meningitis.
The outbreak has killed at least 15 people and sickened more than 200 others in 15 states. Nearly all the victims had received steroid injections for back pain.
Federal and state investigators have been tightlipped about any problems they may have seen at the New England Compounding Center or whether they have pinpointed the source of the contamination. They did disclose last week that they found fungus in more than 50 vials from the pharmacy.
Company spokesman Andrew Paven said by email that criminal investigators from the Food and Drug Administration were at the pharmacy in Framingham, Mass., on Tuesday. The visit was part of a broad federal and state investigation of the outbreak, FDA spokesman Steven Immergut said in an email.
New England Compounding has not commented on its production process or what might have gone wrong, so outside experts can only speculate. But the betting money seems to be on dirty conditions, faulty sterilizing equipment, tainted ingredients or sloppiness on the part of employees.
The drug at the center of the investigation is made without preservative, meaning there's no alcohol or other solution in it to kill germs such as a fungus. So it's very important that it be made under highly sterile conditions, experts said.
Compounding pharmacies aren't as tightly regulated as drug company plants, but they are supposed to follow certain rules: Clean the floors and other surfaces daily; monitor air in "clean rooms" where drugs are made; require employees to wear gloves and gowns; test samples from each lot.
The rules are in the U.S. Pharmacopeia, a kind of national standards book for compounding medicines that's written by a nonprofit scientific organization. Most inspections, though, are handled by state boards of pharmacy. Massachusetts last inspected New England Compounding in March in response to a complaint unrelated to the outbreak; the results have not been released.
High-volume production of the sort that went on at New England Compounding also raises the chances of contamination, experts said.
Traditionally, compounding pharmacies fill special orders placed by doctors for individual patients, turning out maybe five or six vials. But many medical practices and hospitals place large orders to have the medicines on hand for their patients. That's allowed in at least 40 states but not under Massachusetts regulations.
Last month, New England Compounding recalled three lots of steroids made since May that totaled 17,676 single-dose vials of medicine — roughly equivalent to 20 gallons.
"I don't see it as appropriate for a community pharmacy to do a batch of something preservative-free in numbers in the thousands" of doses, said Lou Diorio, a New Jersey-based consultant to compounding pharmacies. Diorio, who has no connection to the investigation or the company, said it is harder to keep everything sterile when working with large amounts.
To make the steroid, a chemical powder from a supplier is mixed with a liquid, sterilized through heating, then pumped into vials, according to Eric Kastango, another consultant from New Jersey who helps compounding pharmacies deal with contamination problems. He is not connected to the company either.
Perhaps the powder was contaminated, either at New England Compounding or another location. Maybe the fungus was in the liquid, some experts said.
Kastango offered additional possible scenarios, related to the large volume produced: Making thousands of doses at a time can take many hours or days. It's possible that a batch could sit for hours or even a day or so before being placed in vials, making it vulnerable to contamination, he said.
It's also likely a pharmacy worker would take a break to get a snack or cup of coffee, to go to the bathroom or to step outside for a smoke, Kastango explained. If the person hurried back and didn't properly wash up or put on new gowns, masks and other safety garb, that could introduce contamination.
Faulty or misused sterilizing equipment is also a possibility. After a 2002 fungal meningitis outbreak linked to a South Carolina compounding pharmacy, investigators discovered that a piece of sterilizing equipment called an autoclave had been improperly used by the staff.
The types of fungus in the latest outbreak are ubiquitous: The first to be identified was Aspergillus, commonly found indoors and outdoors. As more testing of patients was completed, it became clear that another fungus — a black mold called Exserohilum — caused most of the illnesses. Exserohilum is common in dirt and grasses.
Most people do not get sick from ordinary exposure to these kinds of fungus, but spinal injections can provide them a pathway into the brain. Doctors are generally leery of using spinal steroid injections that contain preservatives because of fears the preservatives themselves can cause side effects.
2012年10月17日星期三
others consider business and marketing factors in dropping Armstrong
Nike and Oakley stuck with Lance Armstrong through his battle with cancer in 1996, when much of the sporting world considered him damaged goods. But for companies like Nike and Trek Bicycles, the mountain evidence the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency amassed against the former world champion was too much, and according to one sports marketing expert, Armstrong’s fall from grace will be the sharpest decline in modern sports history.
On Wednesday, Nike terminated its contract and its 16-year relationship with Armstrong. The move comes as an abrupt about-face from Nike’s stance just six days prior, when the athletic apparel manufacturer issued a statement saying that, “Nike plans to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.” In dropping the former world champion, Nike led RadioShack, Giro, Trek, Honey Stinger and Anheuser-Busch in what is already a growing exodus of corporate partners away from the Armstrong name.
And a name, according to Evan Morgenstein, president and CEO of PMG Sports, is “the only thing [an athlete] can market in this world.”
Now, Morgenstein said, Nike “absolutely didn’t believe the story that they had heard previously. Then again, it could have been business factors also.”
Morgenstein, whose sports management group focuses on the brand management of Olympic athletes, told VeloNews on Wednesday that, “What you’re going to see is the greatest collapse by an American icon, sports or otherwise, in history.”
Brand managers at Nike, who produced the Livestrong apparel and whose logo had adorned Armstrong’s one-off cycling shoes, would have had “an absolute nightmare” dealing with the collapse of the Armstrong brand, Morgenstein said: “Just take it from a business perspective first, how much inventory are they going to have to liquidate now, or how much of it’s coming back to their warehouses from their retailers?”
These retailers, Morgenstein said, “with tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of merchandise, saying ‘we’re sending it back,’ because [the merchandise is] not moving,” must, like Nike, face the business consequences of the fact that “the public doesn’t believe [Armstrong] anymore.”
In addition to the business concerns, Morgenstein said, Nike — like Armstrong throughout his Tour-winning years, when he assured the sporting public that his victories were achieved drug-free — “probably had, at some level, reassured over and over again their retail partners that there’s smoke but no fire. And so now, these retailers… they have to deal with the public rebuke of someone, for all intents and purposes, that’s no different than (Olympic medalist and drug cheat) Marion Jones.”
Armstrong, however, “is so much bigger of a global icon, with so much more to risk,” he added. “All these companies (that) have spent money associated with him, probably add up to be about a billion dollars.”
Companies like Nike and Trek Bicycles continued to back Armstrong, despite serious personal red flags, according to Morgenstein, pointing to “the fact that [Armstrong] had multiple wives, they’ve overlooked a lot of things that maybe some other people would have been held to… This is a company that stuck with Kobe Bryant after what happened in Colorado (Bryant was accused of rape in 2003), Michael Vick going to jail (for illegally organizing and gambling on dog fighting), Tiger Woods in a global scandal (Woods admitted to being a serial cheater on his wife), and they stuck with those three. Lance Armstrong, they dumped.”
David Carter, a sports business professor at the University of Southern California and executive director of USC’s Sports Business Institute said Nike could no longer afford to stand by Armstrong as it had other disgraced icons.
“I think because his indiscretion cut to the very heart of competition in sport, if he lacks that kind of integrity there’s no way a company like Nike can tolerate that,” Carter said. “The other guys’ problems were off the field of play.”
As both an athlete and as a marketable brand, Morgenstein said, “How you remember Lance Armstrong was like Paul Bunion. And now, how you think of Lance Armstrong, is like Al Capone.”
Carter noted that a surprising number of disgraced athletes manage to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of fans and sponsors. Armstrong might be different, not only because he was already retired from top-flight cycling when he was banned, but also because he has never admitted any wrongdoing.
“The only way they come back is when they take personal responsibility and accountability for what they’ve done,” Carter said. “He has not taken responsibility.”
On Wednesday, Nike terminated its contract and its 16-year relationship with Armstrong. The move comes as an abrupt about-face from Nike’s stance just six days prior, when the athletic apparel manufacturer issued a statement saying that, “Nike plans to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.” In dropping the former world champion, Nike led RadioShack, Giro, Trek, Honey Stinger and Anheuser-Busch in what is already a growing exodus of corporate partners away from the Armstrong name.
And a name, according to Evan Morgenstein, president and CEO of PMG Sports, is “the only thing [an athlete] can market in this world.”
Now, Morgenstein said, Nike “absolutely didn’t believe the story that they had heard previously. Then again, it could have been business factors also.”
Morgenstein, whose sports management group focuses on the brand management of Olympic athletes, told VeloNews on Wednesday that, “What you’re going to see is the greatest collapse by an American icon, sports or otherwise, in history.”
Brand managers at Nike, who produced the Livestrong apparel and whose logo had adorned Armstrong’s one-off cycling shoes, would have had “an absolute nightmare” dealing with the collapse of the Armstrong brand, Morgenstein said: “Just take it from a business perspective first, how much inventory are they going to have to liquidate now, or how much of it’s coming back to their warehouses from their retailers?”
These retailers, Morgenstein said, “with tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of merchandise, saying ‘we’re sending it back,’ because [the merchandise is] not moving,” must, like Nike, face the business consequences of the fact that “the public doesn’t believe [Armstrong] anymore.”
In addition to the business concerns, Morgenstein said, Nike — like Armstrong throughout his Tour-winning years, when he assured the sporting public that his victories were achieved drug-free — “probably had, at some level, reassured over and over again their retail partners that there’s smoke but no fire. And so now, these retailers… they have to deal with the public rebuke of someone, for all intents and purposes, that’s no different than (Olympic medalist and drug cheat) Marion Jones.”
Armstrong, however, “is so much bigger of a global icon, with so much more to risk,” he added. “All these companies (that) have spent money associated with him, probably add up to be about a billion dollars.”
Companies like Nike and Trek Bicycles continued to back Armstrong, despite serious personal red flags, according to Morgenstein, pointing to “the fact that [Armstrong] had multiple wives, they’ve overlooked a lot of things that maybe some other people would have been held to… This is a company that stuck with Kobe Bryant after what happened in Colorado (Bryant was accused of rape in 2003), Michael Vick going to jail (for illegally organizing and gambling on dog fighting), Tiger Woods in a global scandal (Woods admitted to being a serial cheater on his wife), and they stuck with those three. Lance Armstrong, they dumped.”
David Carter, a sports business professor at the University of Southern California and executive director of USC’s Sports Business Institute said Nike could no longer afford to stand by Armstrong as it had other disgraced icons.
“I think because his indiscretion cut to the very heart of competition in sport, if he lacks that kind of integrity there’s no way a company like Nike can tolerate that,” Carter said. “The other guys’ problems were off the field of play.”
As both an athlete and as a marketable brand, Morgenstein said, “How you remember Lance Armstrong was like Paul Bunion. And now, how you think of Lance Armstrong, is like Al Capone.”
Carter noted that a surprising number of disgraced athletes manage to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of fans and sponsors. Armstrong might be different, not only because he was already retired from top-flight cycling when he was banned, but also because he has never admitted any wrongdoing.
“The only way they come back is when they take personal responsibility and accountability for what they’ve done,” Carter said. “He has not taken responsibility.”
2012年10月16日星期二
Seattle battle for postseason positioning
Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC clash on Wednesday at CenturyLink Field in a possible playoff preview, with both hoping to solidify postseason positioning in the Western Conference of MLS.
Real Salt Lake sits second in the standings, three points in front of Seattle, with the end of the regular season less than two weeks away.
Although RSL (17-11-4) and Seattle (14-7-10) have both clinched playoff spots, finishing in the top three will secure a bye in the first round of the second season.
And with the San Jose Earthquakes comfortably atop the table, Real and Seattle are focused on maintaining their spots with the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy still right on their heels in fourth place.
Real has put so much importance on the road match, a private jet will fly U.S. players Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando to Seattle on Tuesday night after the World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.
"We'll be flying them immediately from Kansas City to Seattle," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.
Beckerman and Rimando are not likely to play for the United States and will be fresh for the MLS match. Real will still likely be without Costa Rican forward Alvaro Saborio and Canadian defender Will Johnson.
With four wins in its last five games - including a 2-1 win at L.A. before the international break - RSL visits Seattle in great form. On top of that, RSL is unbeaten against Seattle this year with a road win and a home draw.
Real needs just two points from its final two matches to clinch a place in the top three and Kreis wanted the club to continue to improve its performances as the season comes to an end.
"We need to continue to try to improve," Kreis said. "I feel that we're going to need to be even better than that if we're going to have a realistic chance to win the championship."
RSL will assist Seattle as Sounders FC forward Eddie Johnson will hitch a ride with the Real players to reach Seattle in time for the match. But Johnson will start for the United States, and may not be able to play anyway.
"You have to believe they would do the same if hey were in our shoes." Kreis said about RSL flying Johnson to the match.
Seattle defeated the Portland Timbers, 3-0, in its last MLS match, and has one game in hand on its competitors in the West. Even a point will put Sounders FC in position to remain in the top three.
But in addition to the uncertainty around Johnson, who scored twice for the United States on Friday, Sounders FC will not have Swedish international Adam Johansson, and Leo Gonzalez and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado are questionable because of injuries.
Real Salt Lake sits second in the standings, three points in front of Seattle, with the end of the regular season less than two weeks away.
Although RSL (17-11-4) and Seattle (14-7-10) have both clinched playoff spots, finishing in the top three will secure a bye in the first round of the second season.
And with the San Jose Earthquakes comfortably atop the table, Real and Seattle are focused on maintaining their spots with the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy still right on their heels in fourth place.
Real has put so much importance on the road match, a private jet will fly U.S. players Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando to Seattle on Tuesday night after the World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.
"We'll be flying them immediately from Kansas City to Seattle," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.
Beckerman and Rimando are not likely to play for the United States and will be fresh for the MLS match. Real will still likely be without Costa Rican forward Alvaro Saborio and Canadian defender Will Johnson.
With four wins in its last five games - including a 2-1 win at L.A. before the international break - RSL visits Seattle in great form. On top of that, RSL is unbeaten against Seattle this year with a road win and a home draw.
Real needs just two points from its final two matches to clinch a place in the top three and Kreis wanted the club to continue to improve its performances as the season comes to an end.
"We need to continue to try to improve," Kreis said. "I feel that we're going to need to be even better than that if we're going to have a realistic chance to win the championship."
RSL will assist Seattle as Sounders FC forward Eddie Johnson will hitch a ride with the Real players to reach Seattle in time for the match. But Johnson will start for the United States, and may not be able to play anyway.
"You have to believe they would do the same if hey were in our shoes." Kreis said about RSL flying Johnson to the match.
Seattle defeated the Portland Timbers, 3-0, in its last MLS match, and has one game in hand on its competitors in the West. Even a point will put Sounders FC in position to remain in the top three.
But in addition to the uncertainty around Johnson, who scored twice for the United States on Friday, Sounders FC will not have Swedish international Adam Johansson, and Leo Gonzalez and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado are questionable because of injuries.
2012年10月15日星期一
Groovy Sandra ready to sizzle on the dance floor
German golfer Sandra Gal may not have set the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) on fire during the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia last week, but she’s hoping to bring some sizzle to the dance floor.
Gal, who carded a one-under 283 to finish joint 30th with Americans Lexi Thompson, Mina Harigae, Gerina Piller and South Korea’s Chella Choi, hopes to one day put on her dancing shoes and compete on the hit US dance show Dancing with the Stars.
“Yes, I would love to one day. Probably on the US version but the German version would be nice too, yeah,” said Gal.
The show, a dance competition in which celebrities are paired up with professional ballroom dancers, is currently in its 15th season – the All-Stars edition, in which 13 returning contestants get a second shot at winning the mirror ball trophy.
Born in Cologne, Germany, the 27-year-old who now resides in Orlando, Florida, tries to catch as many episodes of the show when she’s not busy travelling on the Tour.
“I think it’s a great challenge and it’s a lot of fun. I mean you get to dance with a professional and learn all these moves. I think I’d be good at it,” said the world No. 30.
Sports personalities have proven to be dancing revelations on the show with seven out of 14 previous champions being current or former athletes.
In fact, Olympians Apolo Anton Ohno (speed skating), Kristi Yamaguchi (figure skating), Shawn Johnson (gymnastics) as well as Indy 500’s Helio Castroneves and the NFL’s Hines Ward, Emmitt Smith and Donald Driver have all won it before.
And many have come close too, with the NFL’s Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Jason Taylor and figure skater Evan Lysacek taking second place in seasons two, seven and 10 respectively while boxer Laila Ali finished third in season four.
It’s high time a golfer features on the show and Gal would be the perfect candidate, having studied ballet for 15 years and taking up salsa lessons and swing dancing whilst studying at the University of Florida.
“I love to salsa. I really enjoy it and there’s so much variety to it. You can do so much. And it’s very sexy!” said the advertising graduate.
The six-foot tall Gal has already set her sights on three-time champion Derek Hough to partner her on the show.
“Yeah, I’d like to have Derek as my partner. He’s won a few times and, yeah, he’s really, really good but maybe I’ll be too tall from him though,” said leggy German.
Another pro, Maksim Chmerkovskiy may be a better match height-wise.
“Which one is he again?,” she asked quizzically.
“Oh yeah, the tall one! With the dark hair, right? Oh yeah, sure! I’ll take him too! Because I’ll probably need a taller partner,” she laughed.
Gal, who carded a one-under 283 to finish joint 30th with Americans Lexi Thompson, Mina Harigae, Gerina Piller and South Korea’s Chella Choi, hopes to one day put on her dancing shoes and compete on the hit US dance show Dancing with the Stars.
“Yes, I would love to one day. Probably on the US version but the German version would be nice too, yeah,” said Gal.
The show, a dance competition in which celebrities are paired up with professional ballroom dancers, is currently in its 15th season – the All-Stars edition, in which 13 returning contestants get a second shot at winning the mirror ball trophy.
Born in Cologne, Germany, the 27-year-old who now resides in Orlando, Florida, tries to catch as many episodes of the show when she’s not busy travelling on the Tour.
“I think it’s a great challenge and it’s a lot of fun. I mean you get to dance with a professional and learn all these moves. I think I’d be good at it,” said the world No. 30.
Sports personalities have proven to be dancing revelations on the show with seven out of 14 previous champions being current or former athletes.
In fact, Olympians Apolo Anton Ohno (speed skating), Kristi Yamaguchi (figure skating), Shawn Johnson (gymnastics) as well as Indy 500’s Helio Castroneves and the NFL’s Hines Ward, Emmitt Smith and Donald Driver have all won it before.
And many have come close too, with the NFL’s Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Jason Taylor and figure skater Evan Lysacek taking second place in seasons two, seven and 10 respectively while boxer Laila Ali finished third in season four.
It’s high time a golfer features on the show and Gal would be the perfect candidate, having studied ballet for 15 years and taking up salsa lessons and swing dancing whilst studying at the University of Florida.
“I love to salsa. I really enjoy it and there’s so much variety to it. You can do so much. And it’s very sexy!” said the advertising graduate.
The six-foot tall Gal has already set her sights on three-time champion Derek Hough to partner her on the show.
“Yeah, I’d like to have Derek as my partner. He’s won a few times and, yeah, he’s really, really good but maybe I’ll be too tall from him though,” said leggy German.
Another pro, Maksim Chmerkovskiy may be a better match height-wise.
“Which one is he again?,” she asked quizzically.
“Oh yeah, the tall one! With the dark hair, right? Oh yeah, sure! I’ll take him too! Because I’ll probably need a taller partner,” she laughed.
2012年10月14日星期日
what really triggered this trend?
There was a time, in the not-so distant past, when school children, both boys and girls, had to dress up in a certain manner before leaving for school. So while it was mandatory for girls to tie a ribbon on the hair, boys had to oil their hair to keep them from becoming unruly. But all that is passe. It is common to see little girls in the city tip-toeing with their mothers into swanky beauty parlours. And the boys aren't far behind their female counterparts. Most of them sport a funky look, thanks to so much exposure through different media.
Surprisingly, not just the kids but also their parents have become very conscious about their child's looks. As a result of this, even a three-year old kid can be seen perched self-assuredly in an upmarket salon, instructing the hair-stylist about the type of cut s/he'd like to go for.
"I like spikes," exclaimed four-year old Ayan, who was spotted at a famous parlour in the city with his father, Ajeet Mullick. Contrary to those times when fathers would see this as an extravagance, his father had no qualms about it. In fact, he said, "My son should look adorable all the time and so I don't hesitate in spending on his haircuts or clothes. Gone are the days when the only hairstyle for kids was bob cut. With so many programmes on the TV featuring impeccably dressed people including kids, and a plethora of advertisements featuring children, my son was getting conscious about his looks. So I felt it was better to give him the look he wants rather than make him feel embarrassed in front of his friends, all of whom have funky haircuts."
So one must be wondering as to what really triggered this trend? As hairstylist Nishant Mishra put it, "The craze of hairstyling among kids took off from the movie Taare Zameen Par where Amir Khan was seen styling the children's hair. Since then parents too started becoming conscious about the looks of their wards."
It is not hairstyle alone that children are particular about. They are also becoming increasingly conscious about the brand of clothes and shoes they wear. "My daughter refuses to wear any outfit that is not from her favourite store or brand. I too avoid buying stuff that is not branded, as the branded ones are always more fashionable," said Meenakshi Sharma, mother of a six-year old girl.
If hair and clothes have been taken care of, can the other goodies such as toys, bags, pencil boxes and lunch boxes be far behind? These have to be inspired from their favourite cartoon characters. Brands are making the most of this trend. So from Chota Bheem to Ben Ten and Pokemon, you'll find them all over children's stores with bags bearing their imprint and so on. Shopkeepers are sure laughing their way to the bank wit such goodies flying off their racks. "I love Ben Ten and so my father bought me a Ben Ten bag and a pencil box with wheels in it," said 11-year old Prateek.
Amit Kumar, a shopkeeper summed it up, "Children nowadays know what exactly they want and most of the time these things are related to their favourite cartoon characters. There has been a rise in the demand of various cartoon characters inspired school stuffs including bags, erasers, pens and pencil boxes."
Surprisingly, not just the kids but also their parents have become very conscious about their child's looks. As a result of this, even a three-year old kid can be seen perched self-assuredly in an upmarket salon, instructing the hair-stylist about the type of cut s/he'd like to go for.
"I like spikes," exclaimed four-year old Ayan, who was spotted at a famous parlour in the city with his father, Ajeet Mullick. Contrary to those times when fathers would see this as an extravagance, his father had no qualms about it. In fact, he said, "My son should look adorable all the time and so I don't hesitate in spending on his haircuts or clothes. Gone are the days when the only hairstyle for kids was bob cut. With so many programmes on the TV featuring impeccably dressed people including kids, and a plethora of advertisements featuring children, my son was getting conscious about his looks. So I felt it was better to give him the look he wants rather than make him feel embarrassed in front of his friends, all of whom have funky haircuts."
So one must be wondering as to what really triggered this trend? As hairstylist Nishant Mishra put it, "The craze of hairstyling among kids took off from the movie Taare Zameen Par where Amir Khan was seen styling the children's hair. Since then parents too started becoming conscious about the looks of their wards."
It is not hairstyle alone that children are particular about. They are also becoming increasingly conscious about the brand of clothes and shoes they wear. "My daughter refuses to wear any outfit that is not from her favourite store or brand. I too avoid buying stuff that is not branded, as the branded ones are always more fashionable," said Meenakshi Sharma, mother of a six-year old girl.
If hair and clothes have been taken care of, can the other goodies such as toys, bags, pencil boxes and lunch boxes be far behind? These have to be inspired from their favourite cartoon characters. Brands are making the most of this trend. So from Chota Bheem to Ben Ten and Pokemon, you'll find them all over children's stores with bags bearing their imprint and so on. Shopkeepers are sure laughing their way to the bank wit such goodies flying off their racks. "I love Ben Ten and so my father bought me a Ben Ten bag and a pencil box with wheels in it," said 11-year old Prateek.
Amit Kumar, a shopkeeper summed it up, "Children nowadays know what exactly they want and most of the time these things are related to their favourite cartoon characters. There has been a rise in the demand of various cartoon characters inspired school stuffs including bags, erasers, pens and pencil boxes."
2012年10月11日星期四
Academia Sanchez-Casal buys in to Naples
New momentum has engulfed the beleaguered facility most commonly known as the Naples Bath & Tennis Club. The multi-court complex on Airport-Pulling Road in Naples is now the official American hub of the Academia Sanchez-Casal Florida operation.
The 38-court academy has just opened its programs for juniors, ATP and WTA players, coaches and after‐school tennis for kids. It will follow the same successful structure that it has in Barcelona: a traditional club for families with numerous social activities and tennis programs for local kids.
The Academia Sanchez‐Casal Tennis Club opened for members on Oct. 1, with its official all-around opening scheduled for Nov. 1.
“We are the top academy in Europe, but if we want to be the best in the world we have to be in Florida,” said Emilio Sanchez Vicario, former top-10 ATP player and founder of Academia Sanchez‐Casal. “Naples looks like a perfect location, a beautiful and safe residential area easily accessible by car from the main cities and very well connected by air.”
In 2007, the academy — named for founders and champion doubles partners in the 1980s, Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Sergio Casal — hopped the Atlantic and opened a Naples branch on leased courts at Naples Bath & Tennis Club.
In July, Academia Sanchez-Casal purchased the club for $3.27 million.
Sanchez said he strongly believes that his training method will help Americans to develop their tennis game, and he moved to Florida with his family to launch this project.
Women second in flight at nationals: Playing with determination, the Pelican Bay Park women’s 3.0 squad finished in second place in its flight at this past week’s USTA team nationals in Palm Springs, Calif.
The locals finished with a team score of 2-1. They tied the first-place team with the same number of individual wins (6) and losses (3). To illustrate the strength of the Pelican Bay team, consider that it lost a total of seven sets, and just 63 games were lost in three matches.
Susanne Navarro and Lisa Giuttari won all three of their matches. Kathy Donohue and Laurie Rieks were 2-1. Barb Pikal and Marcy Korson won their match while Lore Bay and Roanna Handy were 0-2 in exciting matches that were well fought and went down to the wire.
“We enjoyed meeting players from all areas of the country,” team captain Sue Marco said. “It was a very rewarding experience. We would like to thank the Southwest Florida tennis community for their support. It was our pleasure to represent you in Palm Springs.”
The 38-court academy has just opened its programs for juniors, ATP and WTA players, coaches and after‐school tennis for kids. It will follow the same successful structure that it has in Barcelona: a traditional club for families with numerous social activities and tennis programs for local kids.
The Academia Sanchez‐Casal Tennis Club opened for members on Oct. 1, with its official all-around opening scheduled for Nov. 1.
“We are the top academy in Europe, but if we want to be the best in the world we have to be in Florida,” said Emilio Sanchez Vicario, former top-10 ATP player and founder of Academia Sanchez‐Casal. “Naples looks like a perfect location, a beautiful and safe residential area easily accessible by car from the main cities and very well connected by air.”
In 2007, the academy — named for founders and champion doubles partners in the 1980s, Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Sergio Casal — hopped the Atlantic and opened a Naples branch on leased courts at Naples Bath & Tennis Club.
In July, Academia Sanchez-Casal purchased the club for $3.27 million.
Sanchez said he strongly believes that his training method will help Americans to develop their tennis game, and he moved to Florida with his family to launch this project.
Women second in flight at nationals: Playing with determination, the Pelican Bay Park women’s 3.0 squad finished in second place in its flight at this past week’s USTA team nationals in Palm Springs, Calif.
The locals finished with a team score of 2-1. They tied the first-place team with the same number of individual wins (6) and losses (3). To illustrate the strength of the Pelican Bay team, consider that it lost a total of seven sets, and just 63 games were lost in three matches.
Susanne Navarro and Lisa Giuttari won all three of their matches. Kathy Donohue and Laurie Rieks were 2-1. Barb Pikal and Marcy Korson won their match while Lore Bay and Roanna Handy were 0-2 in exciting matches that were well fought and went down to the wire.
“We enjoyed meeting players from all areas of the country,” team captain Sue Marco said. “It was a very rewarding experience. We would like to thank the Southwest Florida tennis community for their support. It was our pleasure to represent you in Palm Springs.”
2012年10月10日星期三
she loves being among the wonderful people
My twin sister Maren has been a bit of a superstar ever since I was diagnosed. No, in fact she’s been pretty ace since the day we were both born.
We always have, and always will, love being twins and the bond that we possess is one that I can only imagine the rest of the world would be totally envious of.
Before you ask, we don’t hold any super twin powers and no she can’t feel the pain of the needles I have to endure every month – how annoying would it be if she did though?
But we have stood strong through thick and thin, with cancer and without.
But what I find baffling about her and her steadfast full-time commitment to CoppaFeel! is that she will not say NO to any half marathons that the charity takes part in.
Since 2009, she has taken part in ALL the 13.1 mile jaunts that the charity is enrolled in.
In fact, as I write this I can hear her yelping as she tries to get up the stairs because she’s just completed another one – I am also trying not to chuckle – hey, we are siblings after all.
It would be totally acceptable for her to hang up her running shoes now, and just stand with me on the cheering lines, but nope, it’s like she’s addicted!
And I guess there’s worse things she could be addicted to.
I think more than anything, she loves being among the wonderful people that have taken on the challenge to run and raise lots of money for CoppaFeel!
For some of them, the challenge is doing their very first half marathon. To each and every one of them I will be eternally grateful.
Last weekend, we had a small team take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon.
It’s probably the prettiest course to be doing a sweaty and painful few miles and the sun even put his hat on for us too.
The organisers let us step in at the very last minute to make sure our Hooters could take part.
But the fun never stops because Maren is now on a mighty mission to get 200 people signed up to be part of 200 Hooters Do a Half at the Bath Half Marathon in March next year.
We have made such a noise and caused such a stir over the past two years at this event, what with our patrons Dermot O’Leary and Fearne Cotton pleasing the crowds, and of course, the sight of our Hooters, that they chose CoppaFeel! as the lead charity in 2013.
So we want to go big. If you, yes you, who thought running wasn’t your thing but know you want to do something super special and save lives, want to join our crew and jog a few miles with the greatest team on earth, we would love to have you.
We always have, and always will, love being twins and the bond that we possess is one that I can only imagine the rest of the world would be totally envious of.
Before you ask, we don’t hold any super twin powers and no she can’t feel the pain of the needles I have to endure every month – how annoying would it be if she did though?
But we have stood strong through thick and thin, with cancer and without.
But what I find baffling about her and her steadfast full-time commitment to CoppaFeel! is that she will not say NO to any half marathons that the charity takes part in.
Since 2009, she has taken part in ALL the 13.1 mile jaunts that the charity is enrolled in.
In fact, as I write this I can hear her yelping as she tries to get up the stairs because she’s just completed another one – I am also trying not to chuckle – hey, we are siblings after all.
It would be totally acceptable for her to hang up her running shoes now, and just stand with me on the cheering lines, but nope, it’s like she’s addicted!
And I guess there’s worse things she could be addicted to.
I think more than anything, she loves being among the wonderful people that have taken on the challenge to run and raise lots of money for CoppaFeel!
For some of them, the challenge is doing their very first half marathon. To each and every one of them I will be eternally grateful.
Last weekend, we had a small team take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon.
It’s probably the prettiest course to be doing a sweaty and painful few miles and the sun even put his hat on for us too.
The organisers let us step in at the very last minute to make sure our Hooters could take part.
But the fun never stops because Maren is now on a mighty mission to get 200 people signed up to be part of 200 Hooters Do a Half at the Bath Half Marathon in March next year.
We have made such a noise and caused such a stir over the past two years at this event, what with our patrons Dermot O’Leary and Fearne Cotton pleasing the crowds, and of course, the sight of our Hooters, that they chose CoppaFeel! as the lead charity in 2013.
So we want to go big. If you, yes you, who thought running wasn’t your thing but know you want to do something super special and save lives, want to join our crew and jog a few miles with the greatest team on earth, we would love to have you.
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