which could have gone the way of Jessops and Blockbuster

It turns out that we are an anachronism; an increasing majority of people no longer
do such things.

Thank-you letters have gone the way of pomanders, mangles and writing cheques.

My children will be delighted. But me? I’m left with a melancholy space where such gracious gestures used to reside.

The blunt, bland typography of an email, in Arial or Times Roman, doesn’t begin to touch the swirling calligraphy of a real, inky signature (they’re dying out, too), the comforting tactility of a proper notecard, the generosity of spirit you exert in finding an address, sticking on a stamp and walking to the pillar box.

Does anyone call them pillar boxes any more?
Many once commonplace things are disappearing fast, like frost from a field in the first days of spring.

A survey recently totted up the actions and artifacts that are dying out, and it makes for sober reading – not because these things made life easier (the internet is always easier), but because they made life fun.

Am I alone in enjoying the simple pleasure of alphabetical order, of flicking through a big old book that smells, faintly, of crinolines and pipe tobacco?

Encyclopedias, too: how you could go looking for continental drift and come away knowing so much more about the Aztecs.

And the art – yes, the art – of reading a map. I adore maps. I love the creases, even the struggle to fold one back again while sitting in the passenger seat of a very small car.

I love the fact that you can collect them, line them up on a shelf and let your eye roam over the Dales, around that lake in Cumbria, recall a picnic lunch on the banks of the Severn.

Maps are the physical manifestation of memories. As, of course, are photographs.

These days, most of my photos reside on an iPhone, never made material, only ever digital and therefore, somehow, less important, less vivid.

Few people put together photo albums now, but I love leafing through the ones from my childhood. Those terrible flares we wore on the holiday in Wales!

The pudding-bowl haircuts, the sideburns on your dad!

Polaroid – one of those companies which could have gone the way of Jessops and Blockbuster, throttled by the knotweed of the internet – has come up with the canny ruse of opening shops where you can have your digital photos made immediately real.

You just pop in and come away with a coaster or a jigsaw or an album full of shots of your cat doing cartwheels. But, hey, I used to love old-school Polaroids – didn’t you?

How you could write a note on the bottom, in felt-tip pen.

We don’t send postcards any more either. For this, I have to admit, I am secretly grateful; writing postcards to your gran always felt like having to do homework while you were on holiday, which seemed ludicrous to me. I still make my children do it, though. It just feels right.

Polite. But last year I simply didn’t have time to send Christmas cards.

The idea of spending two evenings parked at the kitchen table with the Rolodex was just too great a commitment.

Lots of my friends clearly had the same problem: we received around 50 Christmas cards in 2012, compared to a haul of 400 or more a few years back.

I remember we counted them all then, and felt very loved.

The passport model is being used in cycling

Passports are an essential item for globetrotting tennis professionals. A biological passport could become an added carrying card.

Stuart Miller, who oversees tennis' anti-doping program for the International Tennis Federation, said Saturday such a program was "being considered seriously."

The so-called biological passport is a method of collecting and comparing biological data from athletes so that variances from normal biological levels or "markers" can be detected. Identifying those irregularities helps spot doping.

The passport model is being used in cycling and track and field.

"Our aim would be to implement it, but implementation is reasonably complex," Miller said by phone from London.

He characterized discussions within the ITF as "ongoing" rather than advanced but said it could be "fully operational in the order of 12 months" once it was underway.

Miller did not rule out implementation as early as 2014.

Consideration of the passport program coincides with a growing unease and outspokenness in the wake of Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong admitted to using EPO, testosterone and blood doping to fuel his record seven Tour de France wins.

Players from Serena Williams to Roger Federer said they were surprised and dismayed.

None was harsher than two-time defending men's champion Novak Djokovic.

"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this," the No. 1 Serb said of Armstrong. "He cheated the sport. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story. ... I think he should suffer for his lies all these years."

Others expressed concern about the efficacy of tennis' current program, especially the amount of blood testing it conducts away from competition.

According to the ITF's posted figures for 2011, there were only 21 out-of-competition blood tests.

At the ATP World Tour Championship in London, Federer and Scotland's Andy Murray called for more blood testing in the sport.

Djokovic said this week that he had not had a blood test in six or seven months. Bob Bryan, the top seed in doubles with brother Mike Bryan, said he had never had an out-of-competition blood test.

ESPN commentator and coach Darren Cahill said on Twitter that the amount of blood testing was "inadequate" and had "gone backwards."

"It's a proactive thing, not a reactive thing," said Cahill Sunday, adding that he believes the sport is clean. "But more funding is needed."

Some players said they would welcome a passport program.

"I'd be definitely in favor of that," Bob Bryan said Sunday after a third-round win against Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot. "Anything to make it harder to cheat."

For some, however, the sport is not doing nearly enough.

Guy Forget, once a top-5 player and now France's Davis Cup captain, said he believed he competed against players who were doping - though he has no proof.

He called for individual tournaments to divert prize money and put it toward more testing.

He is also favors a passport program, harsher penalties and preservation of blood samples so they can be retested in later years with more sophisticated methods.

"Some sports like cycling are more exposed, but we know in our sport some players have been caught," Forget said. "It would be foolish to not be concerned by these problems especially since the game got more physical."

The ITF's Miller could not put a dollar figure on a passport program for tennis but said "cost is an issue across all of anti-doping."

The ITF's anti-doping program, which is funded by the ATP and WTA and four Grand Slams, has been reported to be around $1.6 million.

Besides funding and informing stakeholders in the sport, Miller said establishing a passport program would require a period of sample gathering and an expert panel to review results.

"It's not just go and collect samples," he said. "We have to get all the pieces together before we're fully operational."

For the time being, players will probably continue to look over their shoulders.

Asked if she thought the sport was clean Saturday, two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia wasn't sure.

I want to be able to keep full employmen

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

What was sold in the souks of Cairo in a month

In March 2011, as she had done every Friday afternoon for years, Jenny Poche Marrache held court at her 16th-century compound in the heart of Aleppo’s sprawling ancient market. Wearing a fur-lined leather coat to ward off the spring chill, the tiny 72-year-old regaled visitors with stories of this city’s cosmopolitan past. When her great-grandfather — a Bohemian crystal merchant — arrived here two centuries ago, Aleppo had already been a hub of East-West trade for half a millennium. Carpets from Persia, silks from China and high-quality local textiles filled the warehouses and stalls. Even at the height of the Crusades, Venetian agents exchanged timber and iron for Indian spices in the city’s souks.

In the midst of Syria’s civil war, more is being lost than lives. Aleppo may be the world’s oldest continuously occupied city, dating to the era of the pyramids, and at the height of the Ottoman Empire, it was the world’s largest metropolis after Istanbul and Cairo. That antiquity, wealth and diversity left behind magnificent mosques with Mameluke minarets, Ottoman-style bathhouses, and neoclassical columns and balustrades overlooking traditional courtyards tiled with marble and splashed by fountains. But Aleppo’s legacy extends beyond historic buildings. The city welcomed people of many faiths and traditions, while its old rival Damascus, a holy city and a gateway to Mecca, was long out of bounds for Westerners. Muslims, Christians and Jews created Syria’s commercial hub and one of the most tolerant, long-lasting and prosperous communities in the Middle East. “What was sold in the souks of Cairo in a month was sold in Aleppo in a day,” Madame Poche said, quoting a Syrian adage.

As we sipped coffee the week that the civil war began, this refined, prosperous world was already long in decline. “The situation is deplorable,” Madame Poche said in French-accented English, looking with disdain at the crates of cheap Chinese shoes filling the courtyard. Neighborhood merchants complained that the local textile mills had shut down, forcing them to replenish their stock with inferior cloth from Dubai. Despite Aleppo’s status as a World Heritage Site, many old buildings were in serious disrepair. And the once-vibrant Jewish community had vanished.

Since my first visit to Aleppo two decades ago, a coalition of entrepreneurs, city planners and foreign experts began the formidable task of rescuing and restoring one of the cultural and architectural jewels of the Middle East. Last year I walked along the new promenade surrounding the moated and massive ancient citadel. I stayed at one of the bed-and-breakfasts that had sprung up amid the warrens of covered markets to cater to foreign tourists, and I visited a recently uncovered 4,500-year-old temple. At an art gallery, I chatted with a photographer who helped organize an edgy international arts festival — an event unthinkable in dour Damascus.

The growing recognition of Aleppo’s importance in Middle Eastern history and culture makes the burning of the old city all the more tragic. In recent online videos, flames crackle in the closely packed alleys of the covered bazaar, smoke billows from a medieval caravansary, and an armed fighter gestures at the collapsed dome of a 19th-century mosque. Reportedly, more than 500 shops in the 71 / 2 miles of streets within the region’s largest marketplace have been damaged. The minaret of a 14th-century school is now only a stump. The entrance of the medieval citadel is cratered, and the fortress’s huge wooden gates are gone. A car bomb last week blew out the windows of the Aleppo Museum, one of the world’s best collections of Near Eastern artifacts.

Alternate uniforms make bold statement

When Mark Daniels and his team of designers at Adidas America laid out a number of alternate uniform options for Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne, they discovered something that seems fitting after Osborne’s retirement announcement.

“He can very quickly assess what he likes and doesn’t,” said Daniels, the director of football for Adidas. “And he gets his point across. He can yell in a whisper.”

They discovered something else: Osborne didn’t opt for the safest choice. Not the boldest one, either — the design of which Daniels, with a chuckle, declined to disclose. But considering the black helmet, black accents and all-red uniform, Osborne’s pick went far beyond vanilla.

“If 10 was phenomenally aggressive and one was phenomenally conservative, this was a seven,” Daniels said. “It’s a bold use of color and a bold use of the logo.”

And it’ll be on national TV — along with Wisconsin’s all-white alternate look in the new Adidas “Unrivaled” uniform game. NU-UW — dubbed “The Quick and The Red” — is the first in the series, and Adidas will be bringing a number of reps from its Portland, Ore.-based headquarters for the game.

If Nike grabbed the early alternate uniform spotlight with its guinea pig at Oregon, Adidas — which outfits NU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and UCLA, among other schools — has taken some of the attention with its own spin on the alternate look. The Adidas “Techfit” uniforms — which Daniels said are 30 percent lighter than regular uniforms and offer 17 percent better range of motion — provide the substance behind the style.

The design emphasis: Building on traditional school logos and concepts with bold color, accents and special accessories, like the new Smoke gloves and shoes that Nebraska and Wisconsin players will wear Saturday. Daniels said a specific department with more than 50 designers, marketing experts and administrators manages the handful of alternate looks each year.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Daniels said.

When the Wolverines showed off their futuristic throwbacks vs. Notre Dame last September — the first night game in Michigan history — Daniels thought Adidas had “nailed it” in concept and design. The centered school logo. The number on the shoulder pad. Bright. Identifiable on TV.

Daniels said that not long after that game Adidas America pinpointed the Nebraska-Wisconsin matchup as an opportunity to build on Michigan’s look. The plan solidified by the end of the last season, and Adidas started showing Osborne design concepts. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, Daniels said, wanted to make sure players and high school prospects would like it.

“Bo asked a lot about athlete feedback,” Daniels said.

Although Adidas didn’t specifically survey Husker players, Adidas reps occasionally attend practice and pose questions about look and fit in that environment. Osborne rejected a few ideas, approved the current look and the final version was uploaded to YouTube in late July, while Nebraska attended Big Ten media days.

Of all the 2012 YouTube videos featuring alternate uniforms — by Adidas, Nike, any brand — Nebraska’s look remains No. 1 in viewers, Daniels said. Maryland, outfitted by Under Armour, is No. 2. Notre Dame, which is ditching its classic all-gold helmet for a two-tone look in its “Shamrock Series” game vs. Miami, is No. 3. Oregon is fourth.

Games need to stop telling us where to go

If you’re playing Resident Evil 6, BioShock, or any Modern Warfare title, stop and pause the game for a second.

Do you feel someone holding your hand? Does it seem like that person is pushing you toward your goal?

Hit start and return to the game. Take a look around as you battle your way to your objective.

You see it? That big arrow? That target?

Yeah, it’s that reoccurring and seemingly in-demand destination pointer.

I’ve seen them in in the Call of Duty franchise. And that was OK. I didn’t mind being told where the goal was. The games presented straightforward campaigns.

BioShock featured something similar. The arrow, working like a compass, helped me figure out where to go next, but at the same time, it didn’t help me get past the threats that plagued me along the way.

Recently, I took a stab at the Resident Evil 6 public demo. And once again, this GPS thingy was lurking around in Capcom’s latest survival-horror adventure.

Resident Evil is all about making it on your own. You have to figure out its puzzles and endure its hellish counterpoints. You find hints along the way, but without an arrow swinging around your radar, the experience feels more realistic. You don't have a big, bright icon indicating where to escape from an army of zombies. You have to find out yourself.

A majority of current-generation games are more forgiving. They hold your hand no matter the consequences. The game’s difficulty doesn’t count. You see, when I grew up, video games kicked our asses. The only alternative (or nice pedestrian who helped us cross the road) was the third-party Game Genie add-on. And that was more than a pointer. It was what I like to call “El Cheapo.” Think of it as the equivalent of hacking at its finest.

Titles were less complex and more straightforward back then, but you didn’t see this absurdly big arrow in role-playing games or platformers. It was more like, “Have fun and good luck. Call Nintendo Power’s Counselors’ Corner if you need help."

I also believe that modern-day navigation takes away fun, and it slaps our general logic in the face.

If you’re going to point where to go, you might as well point to the secrets and off-trail scenery I’ll probably miss out on. Why? Because you’re telling me where to go, stripping me away from what I should be doing: questing off as the hero I’m supposed to be.

Games are meant for enjoyment, and a large portion of that fun (for certain genres) is exploring. We are diving into another dimension. We want to put ourselves into the shoes of the hero or heroine while navigating into the vibrant world so many digital offerings provide.

Marines sure as hell don’t have a target icon to follow during a real-life war, so maybe if developers want to be accurate, they should make experiences more lonesome and not remind me that I’m playing a game.

In-game navigation seems to be mandatory now. Sure, technology has changed tremendously. We all have trackers on our iPhones and carry our GPS devices while traveling. But I still cringe at the idea of current adventures providing these helping hands.

I mean, why make your game so complex if it’s not worth the time to scour all of its pixelated environment?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is great, and it is how long-enduring RPGs should be. But please, give us the opportunity to delve into its complexity without any help.

Super-Rich With One-Of-A-Kind Shoes And Bags

Louis Vuitton is courting China's wealthy with one-of-a-kind shoes and bags it is branding as unique works of art to reclaim its exclusive cachet in the luxury market.

The French luxury brand, a unit of LVMH, is set to open its largest China store in Shanghai on Saturday, complete with a gilded spiral staircase and an invitation-only private floor where big spenders can get their hair done while dreaming up designs for custom bags.

"The made-to-order concept is the ultimate luxury," Louis Vuitton Chief Executive Yves Carcelle told Reuters during a tour of the store, which the company calls a "maison".

"It's the same with art. If you are interested in art, the ultimate is to commission an artist rather than buy a piece that is already done," Carcelle said.

Louis Vuitton routinely ranks among the most admired brands in surveys of Chinese consumers. But ultra-luxury names such as Hermes are making inroads, and some top-tier consumers now look down on Louis Vuitton as too common.

The company hopes to cement its exclusive luxury status with the new Shanghai store, which boasts steel sculptures and carries a wide array of goods ranging from chic coats and hats to brightly colored bags made from python or alligator skin.

It also sells carrying cases for tiles used to play the Chinese game mahjong and made-to-order trunks for tea sets.

China is the world's third biggest market for personal luxury goods, worth at least 160 billion yuan ($25 billion). In the next three years, it is expected to leapfrog over Japan and the United States to take the top spot, with the luxury segment expanding to 180 billion yuan ($28 billion).

BAD TIMING?

The Louis Vuitton maison, one of 16 similar boutiques in the world, is located in Shanghai's address for luxury goods: the swanky Plaza 66 mall, where rival brands such as Chanel and Prada also have stores.

Spanning four levels and with more than 100 staff, the store is currently the only one in China that offers custom bags and shoes. The company declined to say how much it spent on the boutique.

"Being in this made-to-order market needs sophisticated customers who know what they are talking about and own several bags, if not dozens of bags," Carcelle said.

"That's why the haute maroquinerie and made-to-order-shoes... are important to demonstrate in China," he said, using the French word for luxury leather crafts.

"As long as we didn't have this space to show them to our clients, in a world that is changing fast, we were missing our weapons," he said.

Louis Vuitton's timing, however, may be less than ideal.

Luxury spending is softening in China as the economy weakens. Economic growth slowed to its lowest level in three years last quarter. Britain's Burberry said last week its sales had been hit by the slowdown in China.

Carcelle declined to comment on the state of the Chinese economy or its impact on luxury spending, but said he sees more "maisons" opening up in the capital Beijing and Hangzhou, a thriving trade hub in eastern China.

He said Chinese consumers had rapidly matured into luxury connoisseurs, and the company needed to cater to both first-time buyers and sophisticated shoppers.

Road rage case: Jury to consider verdict

The case of the high-flying market analyst accused of a road rage incident in Auckland comes down to whether or not he took a reasonable risk when he drove off, a court has heard.

Guy Hallwright, who works for investment banking company Forsyth Barr, has pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard.

Judge Raoul Neave summed the case up to the jury at Auckland District Court this morning before they retired to consider their verdict.

"The question will be: 'What was the nature of the risk?"'

Judge Neave told the jurors they will need to put themselves in the shoes of Hallwright as he drove off.

The court has heard how Hallwright and another motorist - Sung Jin Kim - were waiting at the busy intersection of Symonds St and Mt Eden Rd in September 2010.

Hallwright said yesterday that Mr Kim tooted at him before Hallwright turned down Mt Eden Rd and pulled over to find a park.

He said Mr Kim followed him, kept tooting and also pulled over.

Hallwright told the court that he got out of his car, opened Mr Kim's door and asked him in a loud voice "What is your problem?"

Mr Kim then approached Hallwright's car. Hallwright said he had his daughter in the car with him and was concerned about what Mr Kim was going to do.

But the Crown said Hallwright could have sat in his car and did not need to drive off. Prosecutor Ross Burns said in his closing yesterday that Hallwright must have seen Mr Kim and must have known there was a serious risk to Mr Kim's safety when he drove off.

Mr Kim was left with two broken legs and has told the court he needed eight lots of surgery.

Judge Neave said the case came down to what risk Hallwright thought there was in driving off.

He told the jurors to put any feelings of sympathy and prejudice out of their minds for Mr Kim's injuries or the predicament that Hallwright is in.

Topshop heiress Chloe Green enlists Alexandra Burke for CJG shoe launch

Former Made In Chelsea star Chloe Green traded in gal pal Kate Moss for the likes of Alexandra Burke and the girls from TOWIE to celebrate the launch of her new Topshop shoe collection CJG.

The Topshop heiress presumably dressed head to toe in black to accentuate the towering heels she was wearing fresh from her collection.

All the CJG (Chloe Jade Green) designs feature a turquoise green sole which Chloe openly admits is a nod to celebrity favourite Christian Louboutin, whose shoes famously feature a red sole.

TOWIE girls Lauren Pope, Frankie Essex and Chloe Sims also put in an appearance at the flagship store in Oxford Circus, as did Chloe's former MIC castmates Gabriella Ellis and Rosie Fortescue.

And if there was any doubt that Chloe wasn't quite able to muster the A-listers you would expect at the launch last night, a little message of support from Nicole Scherzinger reinforced her social standing.

A forgiving, and very generous, Chloe replied: NicoleScherzy Sorry you couldn't make it to the launch! But some Soles are on the way to U! Hope u love them. Big kiss.'

But with all the guests tottering home with bags of goodies, the event seemed to go well for Chloe.

She confirmed in a tweet afterwards: 'The best shoe launch ever feel on top of the world!JG can't wait for thursday!

The CJG collection - which is expected to retail between 80 to 200 - will be available to buy online and from Topshop in Oxford Circus as of May 17.

Indeed, several friends have found creative ways to maintain the independence they ostensibly sacrificed in the name of equality. One has a secret trove of prewedding savings she never mentioned to her husband so she can spend beyond the jointly agreed monthly spending allowance. "I like having a bit of a buffer," she says. Another tries to get away with the occasional shopping spree by buying her husband a new pair of shoes for every pair she buys herself.

But if the women spend the money, the guys control it.

Only one of the friends I interviewed is in charge of family finances (her husband once forgot to cancel his gym membership when he changed cities because he didn't check his bank statements for 18 months).

Half of the 36 women in my sample with joint mortgages did not know the interest rate they pay. Fourteen admitted not remembering the password to their joint bank account. Ten couldn't say how much money was currently in their accounts, and a handful didn't know how much they earn after tax.

A Conversation With Shoe Designer Rupert Sanderson

For Rupert Sanderson, designing a shoe is not about making a pair of ridiculously over-designed and stratospheric high heels that no woman can comfortably walk in. What he does is create shoes with the aim of flattering a woman's leg. "Shoes are meant to complement women. Not dominate them," he told me when I interviewed him before. "I design shoes for women to wear rather than design shoes that wear the women."

Below, Sanderson explains what it feels like when a great idea hits him and how the future looks like. At least to him.

When I wake up... I check the pistol is still under the pillow.

Before I go to bed... I check my children are in their respective beds.

A well-dressed man/woman... exudes self-confidence.

Women should always... that's not for any right thinking man to say.

Men should never... laugh during the sad bits.

The best thing that's been said about me... I'm a great tennis player.

The biggest misconception about me... I'm not really a very good tennis player.

If I weren't doing what I'm doing today... I'd have to ask someone to do it for me tomorrow.

Chrysler U.S. sales soar 20% in April, Ford declines 5%, GM down 8.2%

Sales of Chrysler vehicles increased 20% in April as the automaker recorded its 25th straight month of year-over-year increases, while Ford said its sales declined 5% for the month and GM sales fell 8.2% from a year ago.

Chrysler is expected to have gained market share in April while Ford and GM may have lost market share as Toyota rebounded and Volkswagen gained ground.

Sales for Toyota, which was struggling to recover from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami a year ago, increased 11.6%, coming within 2,300 of equaling Ford as the second-highest selling automaker during the month.

“Toyota is hitting its stride with a new Camry and an expanded Prius lineup which is appealing to fuel price conscious consumers,”

There were three fewer selling days in April 2012 than in April 2011, only the second time in the past 10 years that has occurred.

Several Chrysler models recorded their best April results ever or since 2008. They include the Fiat 500, Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan, Dodge Challenger muscle car and Jeep Wrangler SUV. Sales for the Dodge Avenger mid-size sedan increased 47%, its best month ever.

“This business is all about product and the quality and fuel efficiency of our current vehicle lineup has never been better, which is evident in our results,” Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for Chrysler, said in a statement.

Saturday walk in Casper 'pumps' awareness of victims

You might not want to wear your $9,950 Louis Vuitton Merry-go-round alligator pumps. And you might save your Christian Louboutin mandarin red python pumps with signature red soles that set you back $1,295. You absolutely might not want to loan them to your husband, brother, or male other.

But whether you wear sneakers or spikes, organizers of Saturday’s “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event just want men — and women and kids — to go and have fun.

Frank Baird created Walk a Mile in Her Shoes in 2001. What started as a small group of men daring to totter around a park is now a worldwide movement with thousands of people raising money for local rape crisis centers; domestic violence shelters; and other sexualized violence education, prevention and remediation programs. In 2007, Baird formed Venture Humanity, Inc., a nonprofit that develops peace, violence prevention and community projects. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a Venture Humanity project.

Casper’s walk will take place on the last day of national Victim Rights Week.

“All of the different offices in victim services got together, and we wanted to do a walk this year,” said Alana Ham of the Casper Police Department Victim Services. “We found this one and registered for it.”

The walk is trademarked as the “international men’s march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence.”