For Fiorina Golotta making jewellery was a passion, but unlike many
business owners, she never dared imagine the success her business could
achieve. Coming from a fashion background, Golotta had worked with
clothes designers and as a make-up artist, but it wasn't until she was
24 that she started taking private lessons in how to make jewellery.
Golotta
started out making jewellery from her kitchen table and selling her
creations at local markets. Before long she was being commissioned to
create pieces. Through word of mouth her brand, Fiorina Jewellery,
started to establish itself.
Golotta's fashion connections served
her well and before long she had started wholesaling her products. When
the business launched 15 years ago, she says it was a different retail
environment and "the more you had, the more you sold".
Golotta
ran the business through a wholesaling model "for a long time", but now
she owns a shop in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale and she employs
eight people. While the business now turns over $1 million annually and
she hopes to see further growth through the upcoming launch of her
online store, Golotta intends to maintain the "intimate environment" of
her small business.
Women's Agenda sister publication
SmartCompany spoke to Golotta about her transition into eCommerce, the
inspiration for her designs and an endless copyright battle.
Owning a now well-established business, Golotta is able to spend the majority of her time designing.
"As
the business has grown, I don't have to do everything anymore. Time is
what makes the business function and now I have that luxury of time I
get to design, although sometimes I get side-tracked when there are
practical things to do.
"For me it's a strange blessing that I
can be creative and still make money. To call yourself an artist is a
luxury and there is the notion that you have to be starving, but when
you're running a business you have to let that go," she says.
On the day of the interview, Golotta was preparing to go to Hong Kong the following day to source materials.
"I
do travel often to source materials, but it's an excuse. There is a big
world out there and it's inspiring. I love Turkey and Italy, I'm
Mediterranean so there is an immediate affiliation with their coins and
their culture."
Golotta's designs are inspired by her travels and she takes influences from a variety of other cultures, such as India.
"I love its aesthetic and its an opulence," she says.
Golotta's
original mentors were old jewellers and in her creations is the careful
precision and artistry taught to her by the "true craftsmen".
Golotta
is currently building an online store, although she says it's the
exclusivity of her creations which has allowed her to avoid the pressure
placed on retailers by the growth of online businesses.
"Thank
god what I do is not that accessible online, it's a specialty product,
it's bespoke and people are still responding to something handmade.
"The
designs are also not really seasonal fashion-based, I'm still making
pieces which have been in the range for 15 years," she says.
Golotta resisted the online push at the outset, but now says it's the way the industry is going.
"It's
a way of testing the water internationally. We are always getting
international enquiries and I post orders to America and to England
because there are a number of Aussies there.
Click on their website www.beralleshoes.com for more
information.
2013年6月30日星期日
2013年6月20日星期四
The robbers barged into the outlet shortly
Two unidentified youths fled on a motorbike after snatching the gold
jewellery of a 63-year-old woman. The incident took place early Thursday
morning when she was taking her morning walk. The victim is the
mother-in-law of Municipal Corporation councillor Gurbaksh Rawat.
Shakambri Rawat was on her way back home, in Sector 40, from her morning walk when a person, with his face covered, came from behind and grabbed her neck. "I resisted when he tried to choke me and snatch my chain. I retaliated and hit him with my elbow," said Rawat.
She added, "I managed to get hold of the chain but it broke into two pieces of which one remained in my hand and the other fell in the hands of the miscreant. He then tried to pull out my earrings. I shouted for help to another person standing next to a bike and wearing a helmet a few metres away. Little did I realise that the passerby was an accomplice of the snatcher. So that my screams are drowned, he started blowing the horn of his bike," added Rawat. The incident took place around 50 metres away from her house at 7.15 in the morning. According to Rawat, both of them were of medium height and physically well built.
Both then escaped on the bike after robbing Rawat of her valuables. According to her, the bike was blue in colour and the registration number plate was folded so that no one could read the number.
Rawat suffered minor bruises on her neck. Her family members immediately called the police who reached within five minutes to the site of the crime. "Our team immediately rushed to their house as soon as we got the call.
A group of six armed men brandishing parang hit a goldsmith outlet in Jalan Besar, Karak near here, escaping with nearly RM400,000 worth of jewellery.
The robbers barged into the outlet shortly before it was about to open for business at about 8.55am on Thursday.
One of the robbers threatened the owner, aged 52, with a parang, forcing him to empty at least 13 trays of jewellery kept in the strong room.
Police who were alerted of the robbery, conducted investigations and lifted some fingerprints from the site.
They also found an empty tray thrown on the ground, about 2km away, in Taman Karak Jaya.
OCPD Supt Mansor Mohd Nor said the robbers made their getaway in a car parked in front of the outlet.
He said all six robbers were wearing ski masks.
"So far, we have not make any arrest and are scrutinising images from the CCTV.
"The case is being classified under Section 395 of the Penal Code for gang-robbery," he said.
The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years in prison and whipping, upon conviction.
It is learnt the outlet has opened for business for 50 years and it was the first time it was robbed by armed robbers.
Previously, thieves posing as potential customers were captured pilfering small amount of jewellery in the pretext of viewing the items from their staff.
Supt Mansor urged pawnshops or members of the public who were offered jewellery at lower the market value to alert the authorities.
Read the full story at www.agesteeljewelry.com!
Shakambri Rawat was on her way back home, in Sector 40, from her morning walk when a person, with his face covered, came from behind and grabbed her neck. "I resisted when he tried to choke me and snatch my chain. I retaliated and hit him with my elbow," said Rawat.
She added, "I managed to get hold of the chain but it broke into two pieces of which one remained in my hand and the other fell in the hands of the miscreant. He then tried to pull out my earrings. I shouted for help to another person standing next to a bike and wearing a helmet a few metres away. Little did I realise that the passerby was an accomplice of the snatcher. So that my screams are drowned, he started blowing the horn of his bike," added Rawat. The incident took place around 50 metres away from her house at 7.15 in the morning. According to Rawat, both of them were of medium height and physically well built.
Both then escaped on the bike after robbing Rawat of her valuables. According to her, the bike was blue in colour and the registration number plate was folded so that no one could read the number.
Rawat suffered minor bruises on her neck. Her family members immediately called the police who reached within five minutes to the site of the crime. "Our team immediately rushed to their house as soon as we got the call.
A group of six armed men brandishing parang hit a goldsmith outlet in Jalan Besar, Karak near here, escaping with nearly RM400,000 worth of jewellery.
The robbers barged into the outlet shortly before it was about to open for business at about 8.55am on Thursday.
One of the robbers threatened the owner, aged 52, with a parang, forcing him to empty at least 13 trays of jewellery kept in the strong room.
Police who were alerted of the robbery, conducted investigations and lifted some fingerprints from the site.
They also found an empty tray thrown on the ground, about 2km away, in Taman Karak Jaya.
OCPD Supt Mansor Mohd Nor said the robbers made their getaway in a car parked in front of the outlet.
He said all six robbers were wearing ski masks.
"So far, we have not make any arrest and are scrutinising images from the CCTV.
"The case is being classified under Section 395 of the Penal Code for gang-robbery," he said.
The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years in prison and whipping, upon conviction.
It is learnt the outlet has opened for business for 50 years and it was the first time it was robbed by armed robbers.
Previously, thieves posing as potential customers were captured pilfering small amount of jewellery in the pretext of viewing the items from their staff.
Supt Mansor urged pawnshops or members of the public who were offered jewellery at lower the market value to alert the authorities.
Read the full story at www.agesteeljewelry.com!
2013年6月18日星期二
This reflects a cultural shift towards enjoying simple
We can relax - it’s official! It’s not just the big things that make us happy, like expensive holidays or luxury cars. Actually, the more attainable ‘everyday’ pleasures can bring the same levels of happiness, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Twinings.
Twinings spoke to 1000 New Zealand women and asked which items they used or what did they do regularly, that made them feel happy or special - with the vast majority choosing everyday items with a sentimental attachment.
Overwhelmingly, 64% of women surveyed said using a beautiful fragrance made them feel special or increased confidence, while 48% of women said they had a sentimental piece of jewellery they loved to wear, and 47% of women said a ‘special’ cup of tea gave them elevated feelings of contentment and happiness - enhanced further still by simply using a treasured or sentimental teacup. Interestingly, almost all items selected in the survey had a sentimental connection which conjured up special memories making women feel happier and more uplifted.
The women surveyed were keen to share their experiences with one woman saying "I have a special perfume given to me by a friend. It is worth a lot more than I would normally spend on a fragrance but I love to wear it every day and when people say ‘you smell lovely today’, I tell them how lucky I am to have such a great friend".
While another said her most treasured item was "A beautiful cup and saucer that was my Grandmother’s, filled with English Breakfast tea just like I used to share with her. It makes me remember my Grandma and the special times and stories we shared over tea - always in a pretty cup and saucer - it makes me feel warm and loved".
The concept of using their ‘special or best things regularly’ produced strong emotive responses, and the women surveyed were unanimous that those moments made them feel either positive, special, happy, relaxed, confident, calm or back in control.
"This reflects a cultural shift towards enjoying simple and sentimental things more regularly as our lives get busier. We’re leading faster and more complicated lives than ever before, so taking time out to enjoy life’s simple pleasures is important for our wellbeing. Using our ‘treasued’ things more regularly simply makes us feel better." said Michaela Dumper, Twinings NZ Marketing Director.
"Of course, ‘special’ things are very personal but almost everyone enjoys a cup of their favourite tea and it’s nice to know Twinings are creating moments of pleasure for Kiwi women across the country." said Michaela Dumper.
Other items that women treasured were beautiful lingerie (38%), a special dress (32%), nail polish (28%), scented candles (26%), designer shoes (21%) and a special handbag (21%).
"No matter what the personal interpretation of using ‘treasured things’ everyday’, it seems to strike an emotional chord with everyone and here at Twinings we are celebrating that." said Michaela.
Read the full story at www.agesteeljewelry.com!
Twinings spoke to 1000 New Zealand women and asked which items they used or what did they do regularly, that made them feel happy or special - with the vast majority choosing everyday items with a sentimental attachment.
Overwhelmingly, 64% of women surveyed said using a beautiful fragrance made them feel special or increased confidence, while 48% of women said they had a sentimental piece of jewellery they loved to wear, and 47% of women said a ‘special’ cup of tea gave them elevated feelings of contentment and happiness - enhanced further still by simply using a treasured or sentimental teacup. Interestingly, almost all items selected in the survey had a sentimental connection which conjured up special memories making women feel happier and more uplifted.
The women surveyed were keen to share their experiences with one woman saying "I have a special perfume given to me by a friend. It is worth a lot more than I would normally spend on a fragrance but I love to wear it every day and when people say ‘you smell lovely today’, I tell them how lucky I am to have such a great friend".
While another said her most treasured item was "A beautiful cup and saucer that was my Grandmother’s, filled with English Breakfast tea just like I used to share with her. It makes me remember my Grandma and the special times and stories we shared over tea - always in a pretty cup and saucer - it makes me feel warm and loved".
The concept of using their ‘special or best things regularly’ produced strong emotive responses, and the women surveyed were unanimous that those moments made them feel either positive, special, happy, relaxed, confident, calm or back in control.
"This reflects a cultural shift towards enjoying simple and sentimental things more regularly as our lives get busier. We’re leading faster and more complicated lives than ever before, so taking time out to enjoy life’s simple pleasures is important for our wellbeing. Using our ‘treasued’ things more regularly simply makes us feel better." said Michaela Dumper, Twinings NZ Marketing Director.
"Of course, ‘special’ things are very personal but almost everyone enjoys a cup of their favourite tea and it’s nice to know Twinings are creating moments of pleasure for Kiwi women across the country." said Michaela Dumper.
Other items that women treasured were beautiful lingerie (38%), a special dress (32%), nail polish (28%), scented candles (26%), designer shoes (21%) and a special handbag (21%).
"No matter what the personal interpretation of using ‘treasured things’ everyday’, it seems to strike an emotional chord with everyone and here at Twinings we are celebrating that." said Michaela.
Read the full story at www.agesteeljewelry.com!
2013年5月22日星期三
What you have seen is beyond human imagination
Muslim leaders from across the globe knelt in prayer for the Holocaust dead at the Auschwitz's notorious Wall of Death on Wednesday, in an emotional visit to the Nazi German death camp in southern Poland.
Imams from Bosnia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States offered traditional Muslim "salat" prayers facing south towards their holy city of Mecca, shoes removed, during a Holocaust awareness visit to the site.
Thousands of Auschwitz prisoners perished at the wall, which is grey and still riddled with bullet holes. It is a stone's throw from the infamous wrought iron "Arbeit macht frei" (Work makes you free) gate at the camp's entrance.
"What can you say? You're speechless. What you have seen is beyond human imagination," a visibly moved Imam Mohamed Magid, President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), told AFP after prayers and viewing the camp's infamous gas chamber and crematoria. "Whether in Europe today or in the Muslim world, my call to humanity: End racism, for God's sake, end anti-Semitism, for God's sake, end Islamophobia for God's sake, end sexism for God's sake... Enough is enough," he said.
"When I saw what happened for the people here, I tried to prevent my tears from my eyes because it’s very difficult to see how many people were killed without any reason," Palestinian Imam Barakat Hasan from Ramallah said.
"I am from Palestine and my people are suffering now since 65 years until now, so of course I feel for others who have suffering," he added.
The visit was part of a Holocaust awareness and anti-genocide programme organised in part by the US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom. Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II, a million were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, mostly in its notorious gas chambers, along with tens of thousands of others including Poles, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.
Part of an exhibition displaying outfits and photographs of Marilyn Monroe was stolen while being transported to the Czech Republic from Italy, the event's curator said on Wednesday.
The exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her death, was created by the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence last year.
Ferragamo was the actress' favorite shoemaker and she owned a dozen pairs of his hand-made shoes.
Curator Jan Trestik said a truck carrying mannequins and photographs was raided in an apparently coordinated attack in the central Czech Republic on trucks carrying luxury goods from Italy.
David Sebek, spokesman for Prague Castle, which is due to host the show, said most of the exhibits, including her dresses, had already arrived intact.
Imams from Bosnia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States offered traditional Muslim "salat" prayers facing south towards their holy city of Mecca, shoes removed, during a Holocaust awareness visit to the site.
Thousands of Auschwitz prisoners perished at the wall, which is grey and still riddled with bullet holes. It is a stone's throw from the infamous wrought iron "Arbeit macht frei" (Work makes you free) gate at the camp's entrance.
"What can you say? You're speechless. What you have seen is beyond human imagination," a visibly moved Imam Mohamed Magid, President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), told AFP after prayers and viewing the camp's infamous gas chamber and crematoria. "Whether in Europe today or in the Muslim world, my call to humanity: End racism, for God's sake, end anti-Semitism, for God's sake, end Islamophobia for God's sake, end sexism for God's sake... Enough is enough," he said.
"When I saw what happened for the people here, I tried to prevent my tears from my eyes because it’s very difficult to see how many people were killed without any reason," Palestinian Imam Barakat Hasan from Ramallah said.
"I am from Palestine and my people are suffering now since 65 years until now, so of course I feel for others who have suffering," he added.
The visit was part of a Holocaust awareness and anti-genocide programme organised in part by the US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom. Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II, a million were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, mostly in its notorious gas chambers, along with tens of thousands of others including Poles, Roma and Soviet prisoners of war.
Part of an exhibition displaying outfits and photographs of Marilyn Monroe was stolen while being transported to the Czech Republic from Italy, the event's curator said on Wednesday.
The exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her death, was created by the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence last year.
Ferragamo was the actress' favorite shoemaker and she owned a dozen pairs of his hand-made shoes.
Curator Jan Trestik said a truck carrying mannequins and photographs was raided in an apparently coordinated attack in the central Czech Republic on trucks carrying luxury goods from Italy.
David Sebek, spokesman for Prague Castle, which is due to host the show, said most of the exhibits, including her dresses, had already arrived intact.
2013年5月13日星期一
Jewellers expect Akshaya Tritiya to reap gold
A month after gold slumped to its lowest in over 15 months, jewellers are expecting a rise of 15 to 30 percent in sales during the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya May 13 - given the plethora of offers to woo customers.
Jewellers - online as well as those selling through brick-and-mortar stores - hope for brisk business around the Hindu festival when purchase of gold or other valuables is considered to bring good fortune. It is also said to be one of the most auspicious days for Hindu marriages.
"Last year we saw 25 to 30 transactions on this day. This year we are offering huge discounts and promotions and expect the sales to go up by at least 25 to 30 percent,"told agency.
The perennial appetite of customers for gold pushes up sales of the yellow metal by 10 to 15 percent on Akshaya Tritiya, said Suvankar Sen, executive director of Kolkata-based jewellery retailer Senco Gold Ltd.
"The demand is high for both gold jewellery and coins even a day before Akshaya Tritiya. So, gold sales this year will definitely be higher than last year, around 18 to 20 tonnes. We believe business will be good for the industry. I think sales will be high in terms of value and also volume," Sen said.
Economically, the day is productive for marketers as they cash in on the festivity to boost their sales.
"Marketers indulge in high voltage advertisement campaigns, especially the jewellery stores. Sales on Akshaya Tritiya day usually increase four to five times compared to normal days," added Sen.
Lightweight jewellery is always an option, but gold coins almost top the list of offerings and purchases.
Websites like 21Diamonds have special offers - buy a 20 gram gold coin and get a 10 gram Lakshmi silver coin, gift box, ladies watch, key chain and a pen free. Or, buy an 8 or 10 gram gold coin and get a five gram Lakshmi silver coin, gift box, ladies watch, key chain and a pen free.
There are more such promotional offers to lure customers across online platforms.
"Five, eight or 10 gram gold coins see the most sales since people mostly buy in small quantities on Akshaya Tritiya. Also, gold coins are bought as an investment product and require no particular selection; so people prefer to buy conveniently at the click of a mouse rather than rush to the shops in the sweltering heat," said Issar.
But how comfortable is the Indian consumer about purchasing gold online?
It very well is, if prices continue to be low. Last month, the yellow metal touched Rs.27,600 per 10 gram from an alltime high of Rs.32,500 last September.
"Usually the months of March and April are considered to be low on sales, but this dip in prices, though it was temporary, has brought cheer on the faces of vendors. If these prices remain low, it will be double the sales from last year during Akshaya Tritiya," Issar said.
The country's largest jewellery retail chain Tanishq, part of Titan Industries, hopes to lure customers by offering a free gold coin on purchase of Titan Nebula watches in 18- karat gold. The offer is valid in select stores across the country.
"We understand the emotion and sentiment linked with gold and Akshaya Trithiya and it is our aim to provide an opportunity for our consumers to own exclusive Tanishq jewellery at better rates along with a free gold coin on every jewellery purchase," Tanishq vice president Sandeep Kulhalli told reporter.
Jewellers - online as well as those selling through brick-and-mortar stores - hope for brisk business around the Hindu festival when purchase of gold or other valuables is considered to bring good fortune. It is also said to be one of the most auspicious days for Hindu marriages.
"Last year we saw 25 to 30 transactions on this day. This year we are offering huge discounts and promotions and expect the sales to go up by at least 25 to 30 percent,"told agency.
The perennial appetite of customers for gold pushes up sales of the yellow metal by 10 to 15 percent on Akshaya Tritiya, said Suvankar Sen, executive director of Kolkata-based jewellery retailer Senco Gold Ltd.
"The demand is high for both gold jewellery and coins even a day before Akshaya Tritiya. So, gold sales this year will definitely be higher than last year, around 18 to 20 tonnes. We believe business will be good for the industry. I think sales will be high in terms of value and also volume," Sen said.
Economically, the day is productive for marketers as they cash in on the festivity to boost their sales.
"Marketers indulge in high voltage advertisement campaigns, especially the jewellery stores. Sales on Akshaya Tritiya day usually increase four to five times compared to normal days," added Sen.
Lightweight jewellery is always an option, but gold coins almost top the list of offerings and purchases.
Websites like 21Diamonds have special offers - buy a 20 gram gold coin and get a 10 gram Lakshmi silver coin, gift box, ladies watch, key chain and a pen free. Or, buy an 8 or 10 gram gold coin and get a five gram Lakshmi silver coin, gift box, ladies watch, key chain and a pen free.
There are more such promotional offers to lure customers across online platforms.
"Five, eight or 10 gram gold coins see the most sales since people mostly buy in small quantities on Akshaya Tritiya. Also, gold coins are bought as an investment product and require no particular selection; so people prefer to buy conveniently at the click of a mouse rather than rush to the shops in the sweltering heat," said Issar.
But how comfortable is the Indian consumer about purchasing gold online?
It very well is, if prices continue to be low. Last month, the yellow metal touched Rs.27,600 per 10 gram from an alltime high of Rs.32,500 last September.
"Usually the months of March and April are considered to be low on sales, but this dip in prices, though it was temporary, has brought cheer on the faces of vendors. If these prices remain low, it will be double the sales from last year during Akshaya Tritiya," Issar said.
The country's largest jewellery retail chain Tanishq, part of Titan Industries, hopes to lure customers by offering a free gold coin on purchase of Titan Nebula watches in 18- karat gold. The offer is valid in select stores across the country.
"We understand the emotion and sentiment linked with gold and Akshaya Trithiya and it is our aim to provide an opportunity for our consumers to own exclusive Tanishq jewellery at better rates along with a free gold coin on every jewellery purchase," Tanishq vice president Sandeep Kulhalli told reporter.
2013年4月26日星期五
who could have been an accountant or a bus driver
The 704th Military Intelligence Brigade recognized National Denim Day, April 24, in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness month. Soldiers and civilians wore denim jeans as their duty uniform for the day in support of survivors of sexual assault. Who would have ever thought that females wearing jeans 13 years ago would be so significant, that we now recognize National Denim Day.
"Today we pause for a few minutes as a unit to raise awareness and to acknowledge this issue in our society, said Col. Anthony R. Hale, 704th Military Intelligence Brigade commander.
Denim Day came about as a result of a rape that occurred in Italy. An 18-year-old woman hired a driving instructor who drove her to an isolated area in the country, and then attacked her.
He wrestled with her until he got one of her legs out of her jeans, raped her, and then forced her to drive back to town. The case made it to Italy’s Supreme Court where the judge concluded that because the victim had on tight jeans, she must have helped the perpetrator take her pants off and therefore it was not rape, it was consensual sex. The case was thrown out of court.
“Sexual Assault awareness is pertinent to our mission” said Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Hill, 704th Military Intelligence Brigade victim advocate. “It is important for our soldiers to know that if an issue arises, the 704th Military Intelligence Brigade Sexual Assault Prevention Team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist.”
The recognition of victims of sexual assault didn't stop with just wearing denim jeans. The brigade held a formation at the post parade field to further stress the significance of preventing sexual assault.
Following Hale’s opening remarks the soldiers and civilians walked one lap around the parade field to symbolize walking a mile in the shoes of a victim of sexual assault.
The theme for this year’s Denim Day was "Let’s talk about it." Upon completing the one mile walk around the parade field that's exactly what the 704th did. In a horseshoe formation, Hale anonymously recognized 12 soldiers that were victims of sexual assault at Fort Meade this year. The soldiers were symbolized by a pair of combat boots being placed on the sole survivor table in the center of the formation.
The ceremony concluded with the brigade forming a human ribbon to symbolize we’re all in this together. The brigade raised nearly $400 to contribute to Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
I’m just antique enough to remember when Jonathan first hit. Or at least for me. It was the Jack Paar “Tonight Show” and no one had ever seen anything remotely like it.
A slightly chubby, amiable, Midwesternly looking man who could have been an accountant or a bus driver, nicely dressed in dark suit and tie, stepped out, a bit timorously, from behind the curtain and, on the spot and before our eyes, created a whole mad little world.
There were sudden, instant changes of character, gender and manner, each with a new face, a different voice, even different physique, it seemed.
Make that lightning character changes, switching in less than an eye wink from an old person to a juvenile, from tough drill sergeant to mincing hairdresser, from adult human to feisty feline, from bumpkin to society type to rube to sophisticate; from iron-jawed right winger to gelatinous liberal, from adult to child to repellently cute baby; each change so fast and total it was as if frames had been cut from a film.
Here was originality personified. And unprecedented.
Never had a comic done anything remotely like this. Jonathan was born full-blown from the head of no one. He was in no known comic tradition. No familiar style. No pre-existing category of humor. He stood on no predecessors’ shoulders.
Here, suddenly, was a comedian who never told a joke.
Into the world of humor a new planet had been born.
Later, when working for Paar, I loved watching Jonathan backstage at the show, near airtime and still trying to decide what he was going to come on as that night: A drunken kitty cat? The queen of the Vikings? A doorknob?
One night, probing in the costume room, he had found a sort of wraparound turban-shaped piece of headgear, helmet-size and seemingly made of dark, fresh earth with twigs and sprigs of little plants protruding. Jack didn’t know what was about to hit him.
Jonathan daintily flounced into the chair beside an astonished Jack and announced, giggling and crinkling up his eyes, “I’m the Spirit of Spring!”
"Today we pause for a few minutes as a unit to raise awareness and to acknowledge this issue in our society, said Col. Anthony R. Hale, 704th Military Intelligence Brigade commander.
Denim Day came about as a result of a rape that occurred in Italy. An 18-year-old woman hired a driving instructor who drove her to an isolated area in the country, and then attacked her.
He wrestled with her until he got one of her legs out of her jeans, raped her, and then forced her to drive back to town. The case made it to Italy’s Supreme Court where the judge concluded that because the victim had on tight jeans, she must have helped the perpetrator take her pants off and therefore it was not rape, it was consensual sex. The case was thrown out of court.
“Sexual Assault awareness is pertinent to our mission” said Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Hill, 704th Military Intelligence Brigade victim advocate. “It is important for our soldiers to know that if an issue arises, the 704th Military Intelligence Brigade Sexual Assault Prevention Team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist.”
The recognition of victims of sexual assault didn't stop with just wearing denim jeans. The brigade held a formation at the post parade field to further stress the significance of preventing sexual assault.
Following Hale’s opening remarks the soldiers and civilians walked one lap around the parade field to symbolize walking a mile in the shoes of a victim of sexual assault.
The theme for this year’s Denim Day was "Let’s talk about it." Upon completing the one mile walk around the parade field that's exactly what the 704th did. In a horseshoe formation, Hale anonymously recognized 12 soldiers that were victims of sexual assault at Fort Meade this year. The soldiers were symbolized by a pair of combat boots being placed on the sole survivor table in the center of the formation.
The ceremony concluded with the brigade forming a human ribbon to symbolize we’re all in this together. The brigade raised nearly $400 to contribute to Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
I’m just antique enough to remember when Jonathan first hit. Or at least for me. It was the Jack Paar “Tonight Show” and no one had ever seen anything remotely like it.
A slightly chubby, amiable, Midwesternly looking man who could have been an accountant or a bus driver, nicely dressed in dark suit and tie, stepped out, a bit timorously, from behind the curtain and, on the spot and before our eyes, created a whole mad little world.
There were sudden, instant changes of character, gender and manner, each with a new face, a different voice, even different physique, it seemed.
Make that lightning character changes, switching in less than an eye wink from an old person to a juvenile, from tough drill sergeant to mincing hairdresser, from adult human to feisty feline, from bumpkin to society type to rube to sophisticate; from iron-jawed right winger to gelatinous liberal, from adult to child to repellently cute baby; each change so fast and total it was as if frames had been cut from a film.
Here was originality personified. And unprecedented.
Never had a comic done anything remotely like this. Jonathan was born full-blown from the head of no one. He was in no known comic tradition. No familiar style. No pre-existing category of humor. He stood on no predecessors’ shoulders.
Here, suddenly, was a comedian who never told a joke.
Into the world of humor a new planet had been born.
Later, when working for Paar, I loved watching Jonathan backstage at the show, near airtime and still trying to decide what he was going to come on as that night: A drunken kitty cat? The queen of the Vikings? A doorknob?
One night, probing in the costume room, he had found a sort of wraparound turban-shaped piece of headgear, helmet-size and seemingly made of dark, fresh earth with twigs and sprigs of little plants protruding. Jack didn’t know what was about to hit him.
Jonathan daintily flounced into the chair beside an astonished Jack and announced, giggling and crinkling up his eyes, “I’m the Spirit of Spring!”
2013年4月22日星期一
The practice was huge in the UK last Christmas
Suddenly physical is fashionable. Where not so long ago, pundits were predicting the death of bricks and mortar retail, now it’s de rigueur to have a physical retail presence.
Many online retailers are talking about setting up shop.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, said in a C-Net interview late last year that he would “love to” open retail stores, but only if he can find a uniquely Amazon way of doing it. Earlier this year the Wall Street Journal reported that Google too is working on launching its own shops.
There are numerous other examples. US men’s online apparel store Bonobos has set up a number of ‘guideshops’ that allow customers to try the gear on, but not take it home then and there. The idea is that you book an appointment in store with a personal guide, who helps you select outfits that work for you. If you’re happy with your choices, you order from the website and Bonobos ships free.
In Australia, we’ve seen customised footwear e-tailer, Shoes of Prey, launch its first physical store inside David Jones in Sydney. As Shoes of Prey CEO, Michael Fox, told Inside Retail, “while the brand has experienced strong growth over the last three years online, two key opportunities identified were allowing customers to see, touch and try on our shoes.”
How about that? Brilliant! Suddenly, the most innovative thing happening in digital is to allow shoppers to experience the goods physically.
One of the reasons for the sudden interest in bricks and mortar stores by online retailers is increased conversion rates. Way back in 2011, I wrote that physical stores are far more successful at turning traffic into sales.
As I noted then, “depending upon the research source, the conversion rate for bricks and mortar stores is a minimum 20 per cent (much, much higher in the grocery category), while online is a maximum three to five per cent (and some quote far lower numbers).”
Sure ‘nuff, shoppers like to get their hands on the merchandise. And they love the social experience of shopping.
Customers also crave the immediacy of getting the goods now (that “gotta have it” feeling), rather than waiting for delivery.
That last point is a factor behind the growth of click and collect – order online and pick up in store. The practice was huge in the UK last Christmas, which is often considered to be the leading online retail nation.
One case in point stood out for me. As gathered from various media sources, about 25 per cent of UK department store John Lewis’ Christmas sales were online. And around 35 per cent of those sales were click and collect.
The trend is growing. An UK online commentator told me that up to half of many British physical retailers’ digital sales are fulfilled in a physical store. So everything old is new again. That three dimensional space filled with warm bodies and real product called a store is actually not as antiquated as we once figured.
Yes, that space might change in form and function, and it will be amplified by digital technology (to quote Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn), but as our online friends have found, bricks can beat clicks.
Many online retailers are talking about setting up shop.
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, said in a C-Net interview late last year that he would “love to” open retail stores, but only if he can find a uniquely Amazon way of doing it. Earlier this year the Wall Street Journal reported that Google too is working on launching its own shops.
There are numerous other examples. US men’s online apparel store Bonobos has set up a number of ‘guideshops’ that allow customers to try the gear on, but not take it home then and there. The idea is that you book an appointment in store with a personal guide, who helps you select outfits that work for you. If you’re happy with your choices, you order from the website and Bonobos ships free.
In Australia, we’ve seen customised footwear e-tailer, Shoes of Prey, launch its first physical store inside David Jones in Sydney. As Shoes of Prey CEO, Michael Fox, told Inside Retail, “while the brand has experienced strong growth over the last three years online, two key opportunities identified were allowing customers to see, touch and try on our shoes.”
How about that? Brilliant! Suddenly, the most innovative thing happening in digital is to allow shoppers to experience the goods physically.
One of the reasons for the sudden interest in bricks and mortar stores by online retailers is increased conversion rates. Way back in 2011, I wrote that physical stores are far more successful at turning traffic into sales.
As I noted then, “depending upon the research source, the conversion rate for bricks and mortar stores is a minimum 20 per cent (much, much higher in the grocery category), while online is a maximum three to five per cent (and some quote far lower numbers).”
Sure ‘nuff, shoppers like to get their hands on the merchandise. And they love the social experience of shopping.
Customers also crave the immediacy of getting the goods now (that “gotta have it” feeling), rather than waiting for delivery.
That last point is a factor behind the growth of click and collect – order online and pick up in store. The practice was huge in the UK last Christmas, which is often considered to be the leading online retail nation.
One case in point stood out for me. As gathered from various media sources, about 25 per cent of UK department store John Lewis’ Christmas sales were online. And around 35 per cent of those sales were click and collect.
The trend is growing. An UK online commentator told me that up to half of many British physical retailers’ digital sales are fulfilled in a physical store. So everything old is new again. That three dimensional space filled with warm bodies and real product called a store is actually not as antiquated as we once figured.
Yes, that space might change in form and function, and it will be amplified by digital technology (to quote Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn), but as our online friends have found, bricks can beat clicks.
2013年4月15日星期一
In the past three years Elwan has continued to build
Jewellery design and production has been part of Egyptian culture for as long as anyone can remember. In the last few years a lot of new designers have started to sell their pieces through social media and exhibitions, with many designs featuring traditional Arabic calligraphy.
Young designer Adam Elwan is different; he has designed a collection that is fresh, clean-lined and very beautiful, using sterling silver or 18ct gold and precious and semi-precious stones and wood. His shop, Adam Elwan Bespoke Jewellery Designs, is tucked away in a leafy Maadi street and the displays are filled with the very affordable and beautifully designed pieces.
Elwan grew up around jewellery. “My father is in the jewellery trade, he started a long time ago with a small shop on one of the boats in Aswan and now he has several shops in Sharm El-Sheikh,” he explained. Instead of simply following in his father’s footsteps Elwan spent time in Europe to learn the craft of design properly: “I studied for three years in Florence at Le Arti Orafe where I learned jewellery design and silversmithing.”
When he returned to Egypt it took him a little time to figure out what the next step would be, but once he was ready to develop his own line of jewellery he went straight to the source of craftsmanship in Cairo: the Khan El-Khalili. “I was lucky because my father had a lot of contacts with the craftsmen in the Khan,” Elwan said. “I was welcomed with open arms and the generosity they showed me was overwhelming.”
For the first two years Elwan designed bespoke jewellery for family or friends. “I enjoyed it and it gave me the opportunity to find the people I wanted to work with,” he said. “I work with the craftsmen of two families in the Khan and they are the best at what they do. It is a shame to see how little work there is with the decline in tourism. Families have worked in their crafts for generations yet these days the younger members are leaving to find work elsewhere.”
In the past three years Elwan has continued to build his collection and work closely with the craftsmen in the Khan. “I hope that in the future I will be able to expand and distribute abroad. Or maybe interest people from outside the country in having their designs produced here,” he said. “There is a wealth of craftsmanship here that is going to waste, also production costs in Egypt are very low compared to Europe.”
Elwan’s jewellery stands out with its clean lines and inventive use of material and colours. “I design all the pieces. I love colours and I love to combine them with silver and gold,” Elwan said. One of the materials he uses a lot in his designs is mother of pearl, experimenting with the variety of colours it comes in. “At the moment it is difficult to find, but I am told this is normal, it just is not the right season,” he said. “I source all materials locally and do not use anything synthetic; I admire honesty and I do not want to use dishonest materials.”
One of his favourite designs to date is a pendant in the shape of a light bulb. “I designed it at the request of a friend who wanted to give his girlfriend, Nour [meaning ‘light’], something special,” he said. It has become a favourite amongst customers as has the Kef, a simple and beautifully designed stylistic hand that stands for protection and blessing.
Besides the designs in the collection Elwan is happy to customise his work to customers’ specifications, and to create unique pieces on request.
Young designer Adam Elwan is different; he has designed a collection that is fresh, clean-lined and very beautiful, using sterling silver or 18ct gold and precious and semi-precious stones and wood. His shop, Adam Elwan Bespoke Jewellery Designs, is tucked away in a leafy Maadi street and the displays are filled with the very affordable and beautifully designed pieces.
Elwan grew up around jewellery. “My father is in the jewellery trade, he started a long time ago with a small shop on one of the boats in Aswan and now he has several shops in Sharm El-Sheikh,” he explained. Instead of simply following in his father’s footsteps Elwan spent time in Europe to learn the craft of design properly: “I studied for three years in Florence at Le Arti Orafe where I learned jewellery design and silversmithing.”
When he returned to Egypt it took him a little time to figure out what the next step would be, but once he was ready to develop his own line of jewellery he went straight to the source of craftsmanship in Cairo: the Khan El-Khalili. “I was lucky because my father had a lot of contacts with the craftsmen in the Khan,” Elwan said. “I was welcomed with open arms and the generosity they showed me was overwhelming.”
For the first two years Elwan designed bespoke jewellery for family or friends. “I enjoyed it and it gave me the opportunity to find the people I wanted to work with,” he said. “I work with the craftsmen of two families in the Khan and they are the best at what they do. It is a shame to see how little work there is with the decline in tourism. Families have worked in their crafts for generations yet these days the younger members are leaving to find work elsewhere.”
In the past three years Elwan has continued to build his collection and work closely with the craftsmen in the Khan. “I hope that in the future I will be able to expand and distribute abroad. Or maybe interest people from outside the country in having their designs produced here,” he said. “There is a wealth of craftsmanship here that is going to waste, also production costs in Egypt are very low compared to Europe.”
Elwan’s jewellery stands out with its clean lines and inventive use of material and colours. “I design all the pieces. I love colours and I love to combine them with silver and gold,” Elwan said. One of the materials he uses a lot in his designs is mother of pearl, experimenting with the variety of colours it comes in. “At the moment it is difficult to find, but I am told this is normal, it just is not the right season,” he said. “I source all materials locally and do not use anything synthetic; I admire honesty and I do not want to use dishonest materials.”
One of his favourite designs to date is a pendant in the shape of a light bulb. “I designed it at the request of a friend who wanted to give his girlfriend, Nour [meaning ‘light’], something special,” he said. It has become a favourite amongst customers as has the Kef, a simple and beautifully designed stylistic hand that stands for protection and blessing.
Besides the designs in the collection Elwan is happy to customise his work to customers’ specifications, and to create unique pieces on request.
Jewellery stocks down on falling bullion prices
The share price of jewellery manufacturers and retailers declined up to 6% on Monday amid concerns of drastic erosion in the value of inventory due to falling bullion prices in the last few days.
Goldiam International’s share ended on Monday with a decline of 5.71% at Rs 19.80.
The Industry leaders including Shree Ganesh Jewellery, C Mahendra Exports, Shrenuj & Co, Gitanjali Gems and Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri also witnessed a drastic decline in their respective share prices following falling gold and silver prices in global as well as domestic markets.
Gold price plunged 4.77% on Monday in Mumbai’s benchmark Zaveri Bazaar as stockists and retail buyers remained sideways from fresh purchase.
Standard gold closed, therefore, with a decline of Rs 1,330 at Rs 26,550 per 10 grams on Monday as against Rs 27,880 per 10 grams on Saturday. Similarly, silver fell by 7.14% or Rs 3,615 to close on Monday at Rs 46,990 a kg as against Rs 50,604 a kg on Saturday.
Stabilising rupee movement against the greenback helped gold’s repeat of global trend in India.
“While hedgers would not be impacted, small traders with unhedged quantity of gold and silver will be immensely hit with a drastic erosion in their inventory value,” said Ketan Shroff, Director of Penta Gold, a Mumbai-based bullion dealer.
Jewellers hold stocks equivalent to three months of their sales for selling through various points of sales (POS) running thereby their value in hundreds of crores. But, falling prices of gold and silver have raised fears of proportionate erosion in the value of their inventory.
Gold and silver prices declined around 6% and 9% respectively on Monday. In the last three days, however, the bullion prices fell a drastic 16% resulting into similar impact on the value of stocks jewellers hold. The trend may support diamond jewellery sales, though.
The panic selling continued in futures market as well with the near month contract on the Multi Commodity Exchange was traded with over 5% decline at Rs 26,601 per 10 grams following the similar trend in London where the yellow metal hit the near month support level of $1,385 an oz before recovering a bit to $1,407 in early afternoon trade. Near month silver contract also followed suit and fell over 8% to Rs 45,561 a kg on the MCX.
The fall in the bullion price, however, encouraged a handful of larges stockists to place fresh orders. But, unfortunately, banks and nominated agencies went out of bullion holding. According to Shroff, banks have placed new orders to suppliers with the new quantity is set to hit Indian markets in two-three days.
With the new class of buyers may be interested in entering into the market, the bullion price would normalize in India. The fall is good for a resurgence in demand ahead of Akshaya Tritiya, this year falling on May 13.
According to Gnanasekar Thiagarajan, Director, Commtrendz Research, gold broke the medium term target of $1385 on Monday setting the next support level at $1,300 an oz which is possible very soon. The sentiment has changed completely from bullish to bearish within no time. After 12 continuous year of upsurge, weakness of a year or two was imminent. The market continues to remain in panic selling mode as traders exited together on hearsay.
The confidence in gold has been severely dented given the magnitude and the forcefulness of the recent fall. Fears of a Cyprus’ 14 tonnes of gold sale and other debt ridden euro zone nations to follow the similar trend, long liquidations in ETF’s and unwinding of long positions by institutions in the international markets have contributed to the downfall, said Kishore Narne, Head of Commodities, Motilal Oswal Securities.
Goldiam International’s share ended on Monday with a decline of 5.71% at Rs 19.80.
The Industry leaders including Shree Ganesh Jewellery, C Mahendra Exports, Shrenuj & Co, Gitanjali Gems and Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri also witnessed a drastic decline in their respective share prices following falling gold and silver prices in global as well as domestic markets.
Gold price plunged 4.77% on Monday in Mumbai’s benchmark Zaveri Bazaar as stockists and retail buyers remained sideways from fresh purchase.
Standard gold closed, therefore, with a decline of Rs 1,330 at Rs 26,550 per 10 grams on Monday as against Rs 27,880 per 10 grams on Saturday. Similarly, silver fell by 7.14% or Rs 3,615 to close on Monday at Rs 46,990 a kg as against Rs 50,604 a kg on Saturday.
Stabilising rupee movement against the greenback helped gold’s repeat of global trend in India.
“While hedgers would not be impacted, small traders with unhedged quantity of gold and silver will be immensely hit with a drastic erosion in their inventory value,” said Ketan Shroff, Director of Penta Gold, a Mumbai-based bullion dealer.
Jewellers hold stocks equivalent to three months of their sales for selling through various points of sales (POS) running thereby their value in hundreds of crores. But, falling prices of gold and silver have raised fears of proportionate erosion in the value of their inventory.
Gold and silver prices declined around 6% and 9% respectively on Monday. In the last three days, however, the bullion prices fell a drastic 16% resulting into similar impact on the value of stocks jewellers hold. The trend may support diamond jewellery sales, though.
The panic selling continued in futures market as well with the near month contract on the Multi Commodity Exchange was traded with over 5% decline at Rs 26,601 per 10 grams following the similar trend in London where the yellow metal hit the near month support level of $1,385 an oz before recovering a bit to $1,407 in early afternoon trade. Near month silver contract also followed suit and fell over 8% to Rs 45,561 a kg on the MCX.
The fall in the bullion price, however, encouraged a handful of larges stockists to place fresh orders. But, unfortunately, banks and nominated agencies went out of bullion holding. According to Shroff, banks have placed new orders to suppliers with the new quantity is set to hit Indian markets in two-three days.
With the new class of buyers may be interested in entering into the market, the bullion price would normalize in India. The fall is good for a resurgence in demand ahead of Akshaya Tritiya, this year falling on May 13.
According to Gnanasekar Thiagarajan, Director, Commtrendz Research, gold broke the medium term target of $1385 on Monday setting the next support level at $1,300 an oz which is possible very soon. The sentiment has changed completely from bullish to bearish within no time. After 12 continuous year of upsurge, weakness of a year or two was imminent. The market continues to remain in panic selling mode as traders exited together on hearsay.
The confidence in gold has been severely dented given the magnitude and the forcefulness of the recent fall. Fears of a Cyprus’ 14 tonnes of gold sale and other debt ridden euro zone nations to follow the similar trend, long liquidations in ETF’s and unwinding of long positions by institutions in the international markets have contributed to the downfall, said Kishore Narne, Head of Commodities, Motilal Oswal Securities.
2013年3月24日星期日
where I tried on its extensive range
She made the nylon backpack fashionable in the early Nineties and sent an entire collection made from lace down the catwalk in 2008, sparking a trend which is still filling rails on the High Street today.
And now Miuccia Prada, creative head of the brand that is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, has given us the strangest trend of all: the flatform.
This very high shoe looks like a building block, something as big and solid as Ayers Rock.
If someone threw you into the Thames wearing a pair of these babies, you would undoubtedly sink to the bottom.
The flatform is not to be confused with the wedge, which has an incline, tipping the foot at a slight angle, or the platform, which generally has a stubby toe and a high heel.
No, as its name suggests flatforms are very flat — like Norfolk — and are also very, very high.
These shoes were first seen on the catwalk at Prada last September: towering Japanese geisha-girl platforms worn with colourful soft leather Tabi socks (the leather sock effect was also seen at Victoria Beckham).
These monoliths cost ￡830, are covered in daisies, and were featured in Vogue last month as the last word in edgy shoes-as-art form.
But, of course, even Ms Prada got the idea for these shoes from somewhere else: undoubtedly in this case from David Bowie, who wore a pair of red patent flatforms as long ago as 1973 (in fact, these flatforms can be seen in the excellent exhibition, David Bowie Is, at the V&A museum).
So, we understand that they are fashionable. We understand they make the wearer extremely tall. But the key question is, can you walk in them?
Unlike summer’s alternative hot shoe, the pointy, feminine high stiletto, best executed in white or sugary pink, these shoes are very heavy, which gives the wearer a rather ungainly gait, with knees that are permanently bent.
Because of the weight and rigidity of the flatform, the foot has to land flat on the ground, not heel or toe first, which means you will walk and sound like an elephant.
The biggest problem comes when you encounter uneven ground, which means the whole foot can go over, like a domino, significantly increasing your risk of twisting your ankle.
All in all, the whole experience is a strain on the old knee joints, although the ball of the foot does not feel the pain you get after a day in high heels.
After a day in my Prada flatforms, my shins felt very painful, too, due to the weight and the strange, creeping gait I developed. Imagine comedian Dick Emery after a very long, hard day, and that was me.
I think the flatform is a shoe exclusively for the young (the Prada Daisy flatforms were worn by 14-year-old movie actress Elle Fanning at the premiere of Breaking Dawn last November).
But if you must wear a flatform, avoid an over-long trouser or skirt, because you will look as though you are on castors. Instead, flatforms look best with a mini skirt, shorts, or at least a cropped cigarette pant.
At Topshop last week, where I tried on its extensive range, young shoppers told me the reason they love the shoes is they make their legs look ultra, ultra thin.
‘Like Olive Oyl?’ I ventured, to be met by blank stares. These girls are too young to have heard of Popeye.
There are a few less vertiginous flatforms around, such as the ones seen here (right) from Asos.
And a less skyscraperish design comes from Louboutin, featuring an ankle strap and fashioned from raffia and studded leather for ￡395 — as the shoe is flat, though, no one will see your trademark red leather sole, which is a shame, but that’s a price you have to pay to be up-to-the-minute.
I love, too, the flatform from Celine: it’s not too high, has a faux furry lining, and is as comfy as a pair of slides or Birkenstocks.
Add a pair of shocking pink leather socks with a separate compartment for your big toe, and people will think you are wearing Prada — if you care about such things.
And now Miuccia Prada, creative head of the brand that is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, has given us the strangest trend of all: the flatform.
This very high shoe looks like a building block, something as big and solid as Ayers Rock.
If someone threw you into the Thames wearing a pair of these babies, you would undoubtedly sink to the bottom.
The flatform is not to be confused with the wedge, which has an incline, tipping the foot at a slight angle, or the platform, which generally has a stubby toe and a high heel.
No, as its name suggests flatforms are very flat — like Norfolk — and are also very, very high.
These shoes were first seen on the catwalk at Prada last September: towering Japanese geisha-girl platforms worn with colourful soft leather Tabi socks (the leather sock effect was also seen at Victoria Beckham).
These monoliths cost ￡830, are covered in daisies, and were featured in Vogue last month as the last word in edgy shoes-as-art form.
But, of course, even Ms Prada got the idea for these shoes from somewhere else: undoubtedly in this case from David Bowie, who wore a pair of red patent flatforms as long ago as 1973 (in fact, these flatforms can be seen in the excellent exhibition, David Bowie Is, at the V&A museum).
So, we understand that they are fashionable. We understand they make the wearer extremely tall. But the key question is, can you walk in them?
Unlike summer’s alternative hot shoe, the pointy, feminine high stiletto, best executed in white or sugary pink, these shoes are very heavy, which gives the wearer a rather ungainly gait, with knees that are permanently bent.
Because of the weight and rigidity of the flatform, the foot has to land flat on the ground, not heel or toe first, which means you will walk and sound like an elephant.
The biggest problem comes when you encounter uneven ground, which means the whole foot can go over, like a domino, significantly increasing your risk of twisting your ankle.
All in all, the whole experience is a strain on the old knee joints, although the ball of the foot does not feel the pain you get after a day in high heels.
After a day in my Prada flatforms, my shins felt very painful, too, due to the weight and the strange, creeping gait I developed. Imagine comedian Dick Emery after a very long, hard day, and that was me.
I think the flatform is a shoe exclusively for the young (the Prada Daisy flatforms were worn by 14-year-old movie actress Elle Fanning at the premiere of Breaking Dawn last November).
But if you must wear a flatform, avoid an over-long trouser or skirt, because you will look as though you are on castors. Instead, flatforms look best with a mini skirt, shorts, or at least a cropped cigarette pant.
At Topshop last week, where I tried on its extensive range, young shoppers told me the reason they love the shoes is they make their legs look ultra, ultra thin.
‘Like Olive Oyl?’ I ventured, to be met by blank stares. These girls are too young to have heard of Popeye.
There are a few less vertiginous flatforms around, such as the ones seen here (right) from Asos.
And a less skyscraperish design comes from Louboutin, featuring an ankle strap and fashioned from raffia and studded leather for ￡395 — as the shoe is flat, though, no one will see your trademark red leather sole, which is a shame, but that’s a price you have to pay to be up-to-the-minute.
I love, too, the flatform from Celine: it’s not too high, has a faux furry lining, and is as comfy as a pair of slides or Birkenstocks.
Add a pair of shocking pink leather socks with a separate compartment for your big toe, and people will think you are wearing Prada — if you care about such things.
2013年3月11日星期一
There are definitely good routes in portions of Vancouver
“We’d definitely like the profile raised somewhat and people to start to really talk about it and start to realize the benefits and the potential of cycling, of improving it for all people in British Columbia,” B.C. Cycling Coalition president Richard Campbell told the Straight by phone.
“In large cities it’s a great way to get around to avoid congestion and busy streets. In small communities where they’re not large enough to have a good transit service it’s really the only other option that people have to get around besides driving,” Campbell said.
The nonprofit B.C. Cycling Coalition is calling on the province to take a series of steps to improve the experience for cyclists across the province. A key recommendation is for the province to invest $300 million over four years to upgrade roads and bridges and to help local governments pay for cycling projects.
In its 2013 budget speech, the B.C. government pledged to invest $9 million in cycling infrastructure as part of spending over the next three years on major transportation projects.
“There are definitely good routes in portions of Vancouver and the region. [But] there are a lot of missing links,” Campbell said. “It’s not the case where people can just hop on a bike and go from anywhere to anywhere and expect a safe, quick, convenient route, and especially if they want to cycle around with their children.”
The coalition's other recommendations include updating legislation to make roads safer, improving access to the ferry system, and granting authorities such as TransLink more power to raise funds for cycling projects through measures like a gas tax or tolling. They also call on the province to invest $10 million a year on marketing and promotion of cycling, as well as skills and safety education programs.
The B.C. Cycling Coalition argues the investment in cycling is justified because it will help improve people’s health, boost tourism, reduce air pollution, and provide affordable transportation options.
Erin O’Melinn, executive director of the Metro Vancouver group HUB: Your Cycling Connection, also called on the B.C. government to do more. She highlighted the need for cycling infrastructure improvements across the region.
O’Melinn said, for example, the shared sidewalk on the Second Narrows Bridge needs to be widened and the Central Valley Greenway route through the suburbs needs to be better connected.
“The province needs to step up and realize cycling is a huge solution that’s very cost-effective and can solve a lot of their problems,” O’Melinn told the Straight by phone.
HUB is a member of the B.C. Cycling Coalition, a provincial umbrella organization for local and regional cycling groups.
“In large cities it’s a great way to get around to avoid congestion and busy streets. In small communities where they’re not large enough to have a good transit service it’s really the only other option that people have to get around besides driving,” Campbell said.
The nonprofit B.C. Cycling Coalition is calling on the province to take a series of steps to improve the experience for cyclists across the province. A key recommendation is for the province to invest $300 million over four years to upgrade roads and bridges and to help local governments pay for cycling projects.
In its 2013 budget speech, the B.C. government pledged to invest $9 million in cycling infrastructure as part of spending over the next three years on major transportation projects.
“There are definitely good routes in portions of Vancouver and the region. [But] there are a lot of missing links,” Campbell said. “It’s not the case where people can just hop on a bike and go from anywhere to anywhere and expect a safe, quick, convenient route, and especially if they want to cycle around with their children.”
The coalition's other recommendations include updating legislation to make roads safer, improving access to the ferry system, and granting authorities such as TransLink more power to raise funds for cycling projects through measures like a gas tax or tolling. They also call on the province to invest $10 million a year on marketing and promotion of cycling, as well as skills and safety education programs.
The B.C. Cycling Coalition argues the investment in cycling is justified because it will help improve people’s health, boost tourism, reduce air pollution, and provide affordable transportation options.
Erin O’Melinn, executive director of the Metro Vancouver group HUB: Your Cycling Connection, also called on the B.C. government to do more. She highlighted the need for cycling infrastructure improvements across the region.
O’Melinn said, for example, the shared sidewalk on the Second Narrows Bridge needs to be widened and the Central Valley Greenway route through the suburbs needs to be better connected.
“The province needs to step up and realize cycling is a huge solution that’s very cost-effective and can solve a lot of their problems,” O’Melinn told the Straight by phone.
HUB is a member of the B.C. Cycling Coalition, a provincial umbrella organization for local and regional cycling groups.
2013年3月7日星期四
Michelle has just about the best set of triceps
Michelle Obama has legions of slavish fans and followers and for many good reasons. As First lady, she’s crafted a campaign to reduce and fight childhood obesity that’s affecting remarkable progress.
In Mississippi, a state with some of the highest rates of childhood obesity, there has been a 13 percent drop in those numbers since she began the effort to get kids moving and eating healthier. Along the way, she is having a considerable effect on the food industry with giants such as Walmart trumpeting reductions it’s made in sugar and salt content in foods found in its grocery aisles. Schools across the country are now offering healthy options for lunch instead of so many fried and processed foods along with choices lacking any redeemable nutritional value. Michelle has made exercise and eating right cool.
She’s also championed the case for veterans and their families, pressing the issues of homelessness and joblessness among veterans and building support for families and health care for wounded veterans. Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is her partner in this campaign.
She’s making a difference in many ways that make the lives of many in this country better, but she is certainly not without her critics. Many of these have taken issue with her self-described "mid-life crisis" decision to change her hairstyle with a bang cut.
Her televised appearance as the final presenter at the recent Academy Awards angered some who saw it as unseemly for a first lady and a self-aggrandizing moment for Mrs. Obama. I don’t recall that Laura Bush received similar criticism for her appearance one year. I find most of the criticism of Mrs. Obama to be trivial compared to the good she tries to do.
But here I go with a personal, OK trivial, beef I can’t stifle any longer. It’s the thing about the arms. No doubt Michelle has just about the best set of triceps ever seen on a female — or a first lady, for sure. And she works on it. Both she and the president are known to maintain rigorous physical training regimens.
Her arms are long, lean and well-shaped, and she’s not one to hide one of her best features. I can’t exactly blame her for that. But, here goes — I’ve grown tired of those arms and her wardrobe full of sleeveless dresses and blouses that have reshaped the fashion industry. Sleeveless attire has become the norm, and options are limited whether you’re shopping retail or ordering online. We’re used to government cover-ups, and I’m hereby calling for one in the White House. It’s not too late to salvage this administration.
More particularly, I’d like to see a cover-up imposed on the ranks of television on-air personalities, newsreaders and reporters who are wearing the requisite sleeveless garb, even in the dead of winter. Turn on any morning show and take a gander at the garden party sundresses the anchors wear to work, while out the window the snow is falling and the wind is whipsawing the crowds in Times Square. I clutch my warmest robe around me and try — unsuccessfully — to rationalize what I’m seeing. Clearly, these young — and even not so young — women obviously work on their arms with their personal trainers, but it is winter, ladies, so put on some appropriate clothes! What we are witnessing is a crime against nature.
Local trainer Pam Stillerman notwithstanding, there’s a point when good-looking bare arms just aren’t sustainable for most of us. It is a cruel fate, despite our best efforts. Even if the muscle tone is good, the skin turns crepe-y. The not-so-funny joke is our arms will continue to wave long after we’ve stopped waving our hands. Come summer’s heat, sleeveless dresses and tops become a matter of survival, but until then, I’m all for a ban on summer clothes worn when it’s freezing outdoors.
And while I’m beefing over trivial matters, let’s talk about peep-toe shoes, all the rage for several years now. I’m a pushover when it comes to shoes to begin with, so I’ve tried a few pairs.
But the truth is that one’s toes will push right through those peep-toe openings, unmooring your heels from their secure placement and before you know it, you’ve stumbled out of your shoes and strained or sprained an ankle in trying to right yourself and hoping to avoid major embarrassment. Good luck with that. Now bring me a sweater!
In Mississippi, a state with some of the highest rates of childhood obesity, there has been a 13 percent drop in those numbers since she began the effort to get kids moving and eating healthier. Along the way, she is having a considerable effect on the food industry with giants such as Walmart trumpeting reductions it’s made in sugar and salt content in foods found in its grocery aisles. Schools across the country are now offering healthy options for lunch instead of so many fried and processed foods along with choices lacking any redeemable nutritional value. Michelle has made exercise and eating right cool.
She’s also championed the case for veterans and their families, pressing the issues of homelessness and joblessness among veterans and building support for families and health care for wounded veterans. Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is her partner in this campaign.
She’s making a difference in many ways that make the lives of many in this country better, but she is certainly not without her critics. Many of these have taken issue with her self-described "mid-life crisis" decision to change her hairstyle with a bang cut.
Her televised appearance as the final presenter at the recent Academy Awards angered some who saw it as unseemly for a first lady and a self-aggrandizing moment for Mrs. Obama. I don’t recall that Laura Bush received similar criticism for her appearance one year. I find most of the criticism of Mrs. Obama to be trivial compared to the good she tries to do.
But here I go with a personal, OK trivial, beef I can’t stifle any longer. It’s the thing about the arms. No doubt Michelle has just about the best set of triceps ever seen on a female — or a first lady, for sure. And she works on it. Both she and the president are known to maintain rigorous physical training regimens.
Her arms are long, lean and well-shaped, and she’s not one to hide one of her best features. I can’t exactly blame her for that. But, here goes — I’ve grown tired of those arms and her wardrobe full of sleeveless dresses and blouses that have reshaped the fashion industry. Sleeveless attire has become the norm, and options are limited whether you’re shopping retail or ordering online. We’re used to government cover-ups, and I’m hereby calling for one in the White House. It’s not too late to salvage this administration.
More particularly, I’d like to see a cover-up imposed on the ranks of television on-air personalities, newsreaders and reporters who are wearing the requisite sleeveless garb, even in the dead of winter. Turn on any morning show and take a gander at the garden party sundresses the anchors wear to work, while out the window the snow is falling and the wind is whipsawing the crowds in Times Square. I clutch my warmest robe around me and try — unsuccessfully — to rationalize what I’m seeing. Clearly, these young — and even not so young — women obviously work on their arms with their personal trainers, but it is winter, ladies, so put on some appropriate clothes! What we are witnessing is a crime against nature.
Local trainer Pam Stillerman notwithstanding, there’s a point when good-looking bare arms just aren’t sustainable for most of us. It is a cruel fate, despite our best efforts. Even if the muscle tone is good, the skin turns crepe-y. The not-so-funny joke is our arms will continue to wave long after we’ve stopped waving our hands. Come summer’s heat, sleeveless dresses and tops become a matter of survival, but until then, I’m all for a ban on summer clothes worn when it’s freezing outdoors.
And while I’m beefing over trivial matters, let’s talk about peep-toe shoes, all the rage for several years now. I’m a pushover when it comes to shoes to begin with, so I’ve tried a few pairs.
But the truth is that one’s toes will push right through those peep-toe openings, unmooring your heels from their secure placement and before you know it, you’ve stumbled out of your shoes and strained or sprained an ankle in trying to right yourself and hoping to avoid major embarrassment. Good luck with that. Now bring me a sweater!
2013年3月4日星期一
we went to a worship service with those precious
Members of First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock put the term "mission work" into action on a regular basis, but no more so than when they return to the Dominican Republic each year.
In an effort to improve living conditions for the less fortunate, especially in Haiti, the volunteers have made an ongoing commitment to bring hope and helping hands to the Haitian citizens they have come to know and love.
Providing necessities, such as clean water, food, clothing, shoes, school supplies and construction projects, are just a few of the many ways the group is reaching across the borders for positive change, said Rhonda Gailes, minister of families at First Baptist.
The mission team is anticipating a return trip to Haiti and its members and sponsors are working together to raise funds and community interest in the project.
Gailes said it started in March 2008, when a group of 14 students and adults landed in Santo Domingo and traveled for an hour in a bus to a place called San Pedro De Marcio.
From there, another 30-minute ride took them into a desolate, countryside Haitian village.
"What we saw there was nothing like any of us North Carolinians had ever experienced," Gailes said. "The village was nothing more than dirt and mud and make-shift shacks -- dirty water, livestock and malnourished children, with no clothes and shoes."
As they made their way to a missionary church and school in the village, they were met by a group of about 100 children and adults who welcomed them, with what Gailes described as "great excitement and anticipation."
The following week was life-changing, Gailes said, but not only for the people they served.
"We brought food and clean water. We played ball with the children and we shared the gospel with them," she said. "We brought clothes and shoes and did all we could to meet every need possible for that week -- but the trip was a huge blessing and a lesson learned for all of us."
"Each night, we went to a worship service with those precious Haitians and Dominicans. We were overwhelmed with their love for the Lord and their gratefulness for all they have -- which was basically nothing," she said. "We have it all and always want more."
At the end of that week, members of the mission team returned home with much more than they had taken, Gailes said.
"We also knew that it was just the beginning. We recognized that there was much work left to do and decided to make a difference that would last," she said.
Since the initial journey, Gailes said, the church has helped build a school in the village and has installed a clean-water filter system.
On a regular basis, the members continue to provide school supplies and food for school lunches, as well as clothing and shoes.
On April 5, the mission team will make its fourth trip to Haiti. They will be carrying supplies, providing meals and expanding a building project at the Sante Fe village school.
Because of the ministry, Gailes said, lives have been changed in Haiti -- and lives have also been changed in Blowing Rock.
"God is an awesome God and is at work all around the world," she said. "We are trying our best to be the hands and feet of Christ, by providing for the less fortunate and giving hope to the hopeless."
In an effort to improve living conditions for the less fortunate, especially in Haiti, the volunteers have made an ongoing commitment to bring hope and helping hands to the Haitian citizens they have come to know and love.
Providing necessities, such as clean water, food, clothing, shoes, school supplies and construction projects, are just a few of the many ways the group is reaching across the borders for positive change, said Rhonda Gailes, minister of families at First Baptist.
The mission team is anticipating a return trip to Haiti and its members and sponsors are working together to raise funds and community interest in the project.
Gailes said it started in March 2008, when a group of 14 students and adults landed in Santo Domingo and traveled for an hour in a bus to a place called San Pedro De Marcio.
From there, another 30-minute ride took them into a desolate, countryside Haitian village.
"What we saw there was nothing like any of us North Carolinians had ever experienced," Gailes said. "The village was nothing more than dirt and mud and make-shift shacks -- dirty water, livestock and malnourished children, with no clothes and shoes."
As they made their way to a missionary church and school in the village, they were met by a group of about 100 children and adults who welcomed them, with what Gailes described as "great excitement and anticipation."
The following week was life-changing, Gailes said, but not only for the people they served.
"We brought food and clean water. We played ball with the children and we shared the gospel with them," she said. "We brought clothes and shoes and did all we could to meet every need possible for that week -- but the trip was a huge blessing and a lesson learned for all of us."
"Each night, we went to a worship service with those precious Haitians and Dominicans. We were overwhelmed with their love for the Lord and their gratefulness for all they have -- which was basically nothing," she said. "We have it all and always want more."
At the end of that week, members of the mission team returned home with much more than they had taken, Gailes said.
"We also knew that it was just the beginning. We recognized that there was much work left to do and decided to make a difference that would last," she said.
Since the initial journey, Gailes said, the church has helped build a school in the village and has installed a clean-water filter system.
On a regular basis, the members continue to provide school supplies and food for school lunches, as well as clothing and shoes.
On April 5, the mission team will make its fourth trip to Haiti. They will be carrying supplies, providing meals and expanding a building project at the Sante Fe village school.
Because of the ministry, Gailes said, lives have been changed in Haiti -- and lives have also been changed in Blowing Rock.
"God is an awesome God and is at work all around the world," she said. "We are trying our best to be the hands and feet of Christ, by providing for the less fortunate and giving hope to the hopeless."
2012年12月20日星期四
That year Congress also passed Medicaid
The United States is fighting a messy war alongside an unreliable ally in Asia, residents are deeply divided between conservatives and liberals, a new health care law just took effect and the nation is struggling with racial and ethnic divisions.
What's happening in the United States in 2012 could just as easily describe the nation in the 1960s: President Lyndon Baines Johnson escalating the war in Vietnam, defeating conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, passing Medicare and pushing through landmark civil rights legislation.
An insider's look at how the Texan dealt with those challenges is on display at the newly remodeled LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the old 1970s-style exhibits now use 21st century technology to put visitors in Johnson's shoes. Mark Updegrove, the library's director, said the reopening comes as historians take a fresh look at Johnson's efforts to fight poverty and improve the health of the nation by creating a Great Society.
"The election of 2012 was a referendum on the Great Society programs put into place by President Johnson," he said. "If you look at what is happening in America today, the Great Society is so evident, in the Supreme Court taking a look at voting rights or racial quotas, and the Congress debating cuts to Medicare or PBS."
The new permanent exhibit takes advantage of the presidential archives, which includes 643 hours of recorded phone conversations between LBJ and dozens of people. At one station, a display resembling an old telephone booth plays key conversations about civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others. After a yearlong renovation, the library reopens Friday in honor of first lady Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.
The library also has a Vietnam "situation room" where an interactive display provides formerly secret documents and recordings of conversations with advisers such as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The display lets the visitor decide what they would do and then shows whether LBJ agreed. The computer screen then displays the consequences, with short videos of presidential historians explaining the significance of the decision.
LBJ's biggest accomplishments, though, are the Great Society programs that extended life expectancies, reduced poverty and banned discrimination. An exhibit shows how he used his years of experience in Congress to push through some of the most iconic laws in the nation's history, including Medicare.
"Every social issue we're dealing with now, Johnson tried to tackle it," said historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University in Houston. He added that "the season is right for a revisionist look" at Johnson, with a focus on his domestic achievements.
Updegrove, who this year authored "Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency," said that when LBJ took over after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. poverty rate was at about 20 percent. It plunged to 12 percent, by the time he left office. Poverty in the United States hit an all-time low of 11 percent just after LBJ left office, then went up to 15 percent under President Ronald Reagan, where it remains today.
Medicare was the Affordable Care Act of its time, providing federally administered health care to all people 65-years-old or older. Reagan, a young conservative at the time, called Medicare a socialized medicine scheme that would bring an end to freedom in America. More than 45 years later, the program is one of the most popular in the nation.
That year Congress also passed Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for the poor. President Barack Obama tried to expand Medicaid coverage through his health care overhaul, but a dozen Republican governors around the country have refused.
LBJ also passed major civil rights legislation that guaranteed people of all races the right to vote, access to public services and to equal opportunity. Yet LBJ's decision to expand the war in Vietnam remains his foremost legacy, something Updegrove believes is changing.
"We haven't properly honored Johnson's herculean domestic achievements," said Brinkley, the historian from Rice University. "It got overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Half a century later we can see that a lot of what Johnson did has stuck."
For now, though, Democrats rarely invoke LBJ's name, and Republicans use the phrase "Great Society" to ridicule social justice proposals. But Updegrove said politicians of all stripes could learn a lot from how Johnson forged consensus.
"The conversations are a primer in how to get things done in Washington," he said. "If you listen to those conversations you can hear how remarkably effective LBJ was at getting things done and they serve as an example of Washington can do."
What's happening in the United States in 2012 could just as easily describe the nation in the 1960s: President Lyndon Baines Johnson escalating the war in Vietnam, defeating conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, passing Medicare and pushing through landmark civil rights legislation.
An insider's look at how the Texan dealt with those challenges is on display at the newly remodeled LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the old 1970s-style exhibits now use 21st century technology to put visitors in Johnson's shoes. Mark Updegrove, the library's director, said the reopening comes as historians take a fresh look at Johnson's efforts to fight poverty and improve the health of the nation by creating a Great Society.
"The election of 2012 was a referendum on the Great Society programs put into place by President Johnson," he said. "If you look at what is happening in America today, the Great Society is so evident, in the Supreme Court taking a look at voting rights or racial quotas, and the Congress debating cuts to Medicare or PBS."
The new permanent exhibit takes advantage of the presidential archives, which includes 643 hours of recorded phone conversations between LBJ and dozens of people. At one station, a display resembling an old telephone booth plays key conversations about civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others. After a yearlong renovation, the library reopens Friday in honor of first lady Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.
The library also has a Vietnam "situation room" where an interactive display provides formerly secret documents and recordings of conversations with advisers such as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The display lets the visitor decide what they would do and then shows whether LBJ agreed. The computer screen then displays the consequences, with short videos of presidential historians explaining the significance of the decision.
LBJ's biggest accomplishments, though, are the Great Society programs that extended life expectancies, reduced poverty and banned discrimination. An exhibit shows how he used his years of experience in Congress to push through some of the most iconic laws in the nation's history, including Medicare.
"Every social issue we're dealing with now, Johnson tried to tackle it," said historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University in Houston. He added that "the season is right for a revisionist look" at Johnson, with a focus on his domestic achievements.
Updegrove, who this year authored "Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency," said that when LBJ took over after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. poverty rate was at about 20 percent. It plunged to 12 percent, by the time he left office. Poverty in the United States hit an all-time low of 11 percent just after LBJ left office, then went up to 15 percent under President Ronald Reagan, where it remains today.
Medicare was the Affordable Care Act of its time, providing federally administered health care to all people 65-years-old or older. Reagan, a young conservative at the time, called Medicare a socialized medicine scheme that would bring an end to freedom in America. More than 45 years later, the program is one of the most popular in the nation.
That year Congress also passed Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for the poor. President Barack Obama tried to expand Medicaid coverage through his health care overhaul, but a dozen Republican governors around the country have refused.
LBJ also passed major civil rights legislation that guaranteed people of all races the right to vote, access to public services and to equal opportunity. Yet LBJ's decision to expand the war in Vietnam remains his foremost legacy, something Updegrove believes is changing.
"We haven't properly honored Johnson's herculean domestic achievements," said Brinkley, the historian from Rice University. "It got overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Half a century later we can see that a lot of what Johnson did has stuck."
For now, though, Democrats rarely invoke LBJ's name, and Republicans use the phrase "Great Society" to ridicule social justice proposals. But Updegrove said politicians of all stripes could learn a lot from how Johnson forged consensus.
"The conversations are a primer in how to get things done in Washington," he said. "If you listen to those conversations you can hear how remarkably effective LBJ was at getting things done and they serve as an example of Washington can do."
2012年11月19日星期一
we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas
Nearly 2 million Carolinas residents will be on the go this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and authorities say they are doing everything possible to make it a smooth trip.
The weather and gasoline prices will add to the ease of Thanksgiving travel.
The AAA estimates about 43.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Similar numbers are forecast in the Carolinas, where about 1.24 million North Carolina residents and 611,000 from South Carolina traveled for Thanksgiving in 2011.
About 90 percent of the travel will happen on roadways, but about 100,000 people from the Carolinas will fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Mark Haught, federal security director in Charlotte for the Transportation Security Administration, says three changes in screening policy will make it easier for air travelers this year. He says the youngest and oldest passengers won’t need to take off their shoes at security checkpoints, and the start of a Pre-Check screening process will decrease the size of lines.
“And we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,” Haught adds.
Still, he adds, large crowds are expected Wednesday and again next Monday at Charlotte’s airport. Passengers are encouraged to arrive two hours before their scheduled departures.
Those driving to their destinations will find that highway construction projects in the Carolinas will be suspended over the weekend. The N.C. Highway Patrol says it will step up enforcement of seat-belt and other laws, in an effort to keep the roads safe.
Weather is expected to be dry and mild across most of the United States, except for the West Coast. And gasoline prices have dropped about 35 cents a gallon over the past month, leaving this year’s prices lower than for Thanksgiving 2011.
More than 1.8 million Carolinas residents are expected to drive 50 or more miles. The busiest travel times will be Wednesday, especially from noon to 8 p.m., and again Sunday. Heavy travel also is likely Saturday.
“We want everyone to make it home safely,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti says. That, he adds, is why police will have extra patrols throughout the weekend.
Average prices for a gallon of regular gasoline are $3.30 in North Carolina (down from $3.36 last Thanksgiving and $3.64 a month ago) and $3.11 in South Carolina (down from $3.16 last year and $3.43 a month ago).
Charlotte has some of the lowest prices in North Carolina, with the AAA reporting the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.26. That compares to $3.30 in Raleigh; $3.35 in Wilmington; and $3.40 in Asheville. As usual, South Carolina prices are lower – ranging from $3.05 in Myrtle Beach to $3.10 in Columbia and $3.18 in Charleston.
Once at the airport, the big challenge typically is dealing with security checkpoint lines. The new Checkpoint E gives Charlotte-Douglas International 20 security lanes at five checkpoints. A tip from the TSA’s Haught: “Use Checkpoint E. It’s in a more open area of the airport, and there are five (security) lines,” he says.
Haught says many travelers think they must use the checkpoint nearest their gate, but that is not the case. “If your flight is at Gate A or B, for example, you can still go through security at Checkpoint E, then walk to your gate,” he says.
The weather and gasoline prices will add to the ease of Thanksgiving travel.
The AAA estimates about 43.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Similar numbers are forecast in the Carolinas, where about 1.24 million North Carolina residents and 611,000 from South Carolina traveled for Thanksgiving in 2011.
About 90 percent of the travel will happen on roadways, but about 100,000 people from the Carolinas will fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Mark Haught, federal security director in Charlotte for the Transportation Security Administration, says three changes in screening policy will make it easier for air travelers this year. He says the youngest and oldest passengers won’t need to take off their shoes at security checkpoints, and the start of a Pre-Check screening process will decrease the size of lines.
“And we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,” Haught adds.
Still, he adds, large crowds are expected Wednesday and again next Monday at Charlotte’s airport. Passengers are encouraged to arrive two hours before their scheduled departures.
Those driving to their destinations will find that highway construction projects in the Carolinas will be suspended over the weekend. The N.C. Highway Patrol says it will step up enforcement of seat-belt and other laws, in an effort to keep the roads safe.
Weather is expected to be dry and mild across most of the United States, except for the West Coast. And gasoline prices have dropped about 35 cents a gallon over the past month, leaving this year’s prices lower than for Thanksgiving 2011.
More than 1.8 million Carolinas residents are expected to drive 50 or more miles. The busiest travel times will be Wednesday, especially from noon to 8 p.m., and again Sunday. Heavy travel also is likely Saturday.
“We want everyone to make it home safely,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti says. That, he adds, is why police will have extra patrols throughout the weekend.
Average prices for a gallon of regular gasoline are $3.30 in North Carolina (down from $3.36 last Thanksgiving and $3.64 a month ago) and $3.11 in South Carolina (down from $3.16 last year and $3.43 a month ago).
Charlotte has some of the lowest prices in North Carolina, with the AAA reporting the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.26. That compares to $3.30 in Raleigh; $3.35 in Wilmington; and $3.40 in Asheville. As usual, South Carolina prices are lower – ranging from $3.05 in Myrtle Beach to $3.10 in Columbia and $3.18 in Charleston.
Once at the airport, the big challenge typically is dealing with security checkpoint lines. The new Checkpoint E gives Charlotte-Douglas International 20 security lanes at five checkpoints. A tip from the TSA’s Haught: “Use Checkpoint E. It’s in a more open area of the airport, and there are five (security) lines,” he says.
Haught says many travelers think they must use the checkpoint nearest their gate, but that is not the case. “If your flight is at Gate A or B, for example, you can still go through security at Checkpoint E, then walk to your gate,” he says.
2012年10月28日星期日
Battle in the saddle on weekend
Participants in a stationary cycling challenge were putting a positive spin on the fight against cancer on the weekend.
The first Battle in the Saddle was held at Heritage Place Shopping Centre on Saturday. Three teams of 8-10 riders raised money for research into breast, ovarian and cervical cancer. More than $3,000 was raised from the event, which saw team members take turns riding stationary bikes for 10 hours straight.
For Karen Garvie of Owen Sound, the event was a chance to help the Canadian Cancer Society after it helped her.
Garvie was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2011. While receiving treatment in Kitchener she stayed at a lodge minutes away from the hospital.
She is also in a 10-year breast cancer study which has an aim of reducing the amount of radiation treatment people have to go through.
"You just have to give back when you have been helped," said Garvie. "Any money that goes into cancer can only help this community, to come up with a potential cure or treatment that is going to make people's lives a better quality."
Garvie has had surgery and radiation treatment and is now on cancer drugs for five years.
"The cancer drugs are good, but they can also give you side effects and so on," said Garvie. "I think any money that can go into research to come up with cures and treatments to help people are really good."
Garvie has been touched by the disease in many other ways. She also lost a brother to cancer last year, her mother has leukemia and her father had prostate cancer.
She said many others taking part in Saturday's event were taking part for personal reasons as well.
"I think it is one in eight women end up with breast cancer so it is a really big one," said Garvie.
Jennifer Wright, fundraising coordinator with the Bluewater Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society said the hope is to make the event an annual one. She said she was happy to have three teams at this year's event — Payless Shoes, Sportmakers and the Zonta Club of Owen Sound were entered — and hopes to grow bigger next year. Sportmakers supplied the stationary bikes for the day.
Wright said they decided on the Battle in the Saddle event because it was something different and it is a way to show people how they can reduce the risks of cancer by being healthy.
"We are trying to promote healthy eating and active living," said Wright. "This is a good, healthy event to be doing."
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Battle in the Saddle was one of many events planned for the month to raise awareness and money. On Friday there was a fashion show at the mall with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. There are coin boxes at businesses throughout the area where people can make a donation and get a pink ribbon to wear. The Cancer Society was also to hand out information at the Owen Sound Attack game on Sunday.
Wright said about $15,000 was raised last year during the month of October. This year she hopes to raise between $18,000 and $20,000 for the month, a goal she expects to reach.
The first Battle in the Saddle was held at Heritage Place Shopping Centre on Saturday. Three teams of 8-10 riders raised money for research into breast, ovarian and cervical cancer. More than $3,000 was raised from the event, which saw team members take turns riding stationary bikes for 10 hours straight.
For Karen Garvie of Owen Sound, the event was a chance to help the Canadian Cancer Society after it helped her.
Garvie was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2011. While receiving treatment in Kitchener she stayed at a lodge minutes away from the hospital.
She is also in a 10-year breast cancer study which has an aim of reducing the amount of radiation treatment people have to go through.
"You just have to give back when you have been helped," said Garvie. "Any money that goes into cancer can only help this community, to come up with a potential cure or treatment that is going to make people's lives a better quality."
Garvie has had surgery and radiation treatment and is now on cancer drugs for five years.
"The cancer drugs are good, but they can also give you side effects and so on," said Garvie. "I think any money that can go into research to come up with cures and treatments to help people are really good."
Garvie has been touched by the disease in many other ways. She also lost a brother to cancer last year, her mother has leukemia and her father had prostate cancer.
She said many others taking part in Saturday's event were taking part for personal reasons as well.
"I think it is one in eight women end up with breast cancer so it is a really big one," said Garvie.
Jennifer Wright, fundraising coordinator with the Bluewater Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society said the hope is to make the event an annual one. She said she was happy to have three teams at this year's event — Payless Shoes, Sportmakers and the Zonta Club of Owen Sound were entered — and hopes to grow bigger next year. Sportmakers supplied the stationary bikes for the day.
Wright said they decided on the Battle in the Saddle event because it was something different and it is a way to show people how they can reduce the risks of cancer by being healthy.
"We are trying to promote healthy eating and active living," said Wright. "This is a good, healthy event to be doing."
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Battle in the Saddle was one of many events planned for the month to raise awareness and money. On Friday there was a fashion show at the mall with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. There are coin boxes at businesses throughout the area where people can make a donation and get a pink ribbon to wear. The Cancer Society was also to hand out information at the Owen Sound Attack game on Sunday.
Wright said about $15,000 was raised last year during the month of October. This year she hopes to raise between $18,000 and $20,000 for the month, a goal she expects to reach.
2012年10月18日星期四
while staying with the family of Bob Rosen
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks
at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
It seems that Amherst always has been known as “a running town.”
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
It seems that Amherst always has been known as “a running town.”
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
2012年10月16日星期二
Land had called police on himself
Dominic Doyon was good and dead, and Toby Land had made a present of himself to police.
Land had called the cops on himself within hours of Doyon's death late on May 4, 2009, and he'd handed them a bag of his own bloody clothes and shoes, a court heard Monday.
Late afternoon the next day, Land sat slumped in a police interview room, convulsing in tears.
"I spoke to my lawyer and he told me not to speak to you guys," Land blurted out near the beginning of the interview tape, which was shown to the jury at his second-degree murder trial.
Doyon was found dead and bloodied in the living room of his apartment. The Crown alleges Land killed him with a sword and a hammer. Land has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Sitting at a right angle to the inconsolable man in the video, Det. Sean Gordon went to work.
"That's totally your right," he told Land. "(But) someone's dead."
Land hid his head in his hands.
"I can tell this is eating you up, there, brother." Gordon said. "If you didn't have a conscience, you wouldn't be here."
Gordon started searching for something — anything — to draw Land out of his apparent grief.
There was flattery, because Land had called police on himself.
"That doesn't happen every day," Gordon said. "That's the most stand-up thing I've ever seen."
There was raw emotion. "What's your mom gonna think?"
There was even sympathy, because an underage girl had been saved from her relationship with the 31-year-old Doyon.
"You and I both know what he did. What he's been doing. Which isn't right," Gordon said. "Don't you think she's not going to thank you someday? For getting this guy outta her life?
"In the grand scheme of things, there's nothing better you coulda done for her."
Land said little, but the jury has yet to see all of the interview footage.
Earlier in the day, the girl who Gordon said should've been grateful to Land spent the day in the witness stand trying to keep her stories straight.
Now 18, her identity protected by a publication ban, the woman clung to her tale that, a month before he died, Land threatened to kill Doyon if he didn't leave the teen alone.
The woman told cops the men were shouting but she told court they were whispering and couldn't even keep straight the number of people in the apartment when it happened.
Land had called the cops on himself within hours of Doyon's death late on May 4, 2009, and he'd handed them a bag of his own bloody clothes and shoes, a court heard Monday.
Late afternoon the next day, Land sat slumped in a police interview room, convulsing in tears.
"I spoke to my lawyer and he told me not to speak to you guys," Land blurted out near the beginning of the interview tape, which was shown to the jury at his second-degree murder trial.
Doyon was found dead and bloodied in the living room of his apartment. The Crown alleges Land killed him with a sword and a hammer. Land has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Sitting at a right angle to the inconsolable man in the video, Det. Sean Gordon went to work.
"That's totally your right," he told Land. "(But) someone's dead."
Land hid his head in his hands.
"I can tell this is eating you up, there, brother." Gordon said. "If you didn't have a conscience, you wouldn't be here."
Gordon started searching for something — anything — to draw Land out of his apparent grief.
There was flattery, because Land had called police on himself.
"That doesn't happen every day," Gordon said. "That's the most stand-up thing I've ever seen."
There was raw emotion. "What's your mom gonna think?"
There was even sympathy, because an underage girl had been saved from her relationship with the 31-year-old Doyon.
"You and I both know what he did. What he's been doing. Which isn't right," Gordon said. "Don't you think she's not going to thank you someday? For getting this guy outta her life?
"In the grand scheme of things, there's nothing better you coulda done for her."
Land said little, but the jury has yet to see all of the interview footage.
Earlier in the day, the girl who Gordon said should've been grateful to Land spent the day in the witness stand trying to keep her stories straight.
Now 18, her identity protected by a publication ban, the woman clung to her tale that, a month before he died, Land threatened to kill Doyon if he didn't leave the teen alone.
The woman told cops the men were shouting but she told court they were whispering and couldn't even keep straight the number of people in the apartment when it happened.
2012年9月24日星期一
My first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas
It's mid-morning on Thursday,as I head south from Palomas, Mexico, with Esperanza Lozoya, the founder of the humanitarian program, La Luz de la Esperanza, her granddaughter and her assistant, Maria Dolores Campos.
Our goal is to take beans, medicine and shoes to two rural towns, Colonia Modelo and Guadalupe Victoria. The beans were purchased by Esperanza from Diaz Farms in Deming, N.M. The shoes were donated by Nina Houle, the very supportive owner of a shoe store named On Your Feet in Santa Fe.
This is my first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas and my first meeting with Esperanza. On June 21, however, I observed her summer lunch program in Palomas.
In the space of about an hour, her daughter Sofia and an assistant distributed 600 lunch boxes to needy children there, an extraordinary feat that they continued every weekday all summer.
They also run a midday meal program for the elderly in a building that used to be a rehab center.
Esperanza is originally from Chicago, but she and her family have a long history of community leadership in both Palomas and Columbus, N.M., a few miles to the north. The recreation center in Columbus is named after her father, Andrew Sanchez, for all his contributions.
Her sister, Lupita Otero, manages several food banks in Columbus and was given a “Community Health Leader” award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2003.
They typify the many heroic people who hold these impoverished communities together in the absence of government services.
We drive about a half hour straight south, then turn off at Modelo, which is just a collection of houses by the road. For safety reasons and as a woman who travels extensively in rural Chihuahua, Esperanza doesn’t announce where she is going in advance so there is no one waiting for us.
We then continue on a few miles to El Entronque, a community built where the Palomas road intersects the highway from Juárez to Chihuahua. There at the Tortería 3 Caminos, we find El Commandante, the officer in charge of that area.
A cheerful man in dark glasses, a white shirt and suspenders, he poses for photos with Esperanza, his unsmiling assistant and his wife. Then he calls on his cell phone and tells another officer to meet us by the town plaza in Modelo.
He also mentions two recent murders. I had assumed that this area was much safer. Esperanza smiles and says that I’m seeing, “The calm before the storm.”
She knows about violence; one of her strongest supporters, the former mayor of Palomas, Tanys Garcia, was murdered in 2009.
A crowd, mostly women, gathers. We open white sacks of beans and Esperanza ladles out five big cups into each woman’s plastic bag. The men are working in the fields, although with the extremely dry weather, there is much less work than usual.
Esperanza has been doing this for nine years. Over the past two and a half, she has distributed some 160,000 pounds of food in the Palomas area. This is in addition to shoes, medicine, basic first aid kits and school supplies. Her job is, if anything, more difficult now, because the Mexican government is limiting the quantity of beans that can be brought across the border. Why, no one knows.
Our second stop is in a farm town named Guadalupe Victoria located some 12 kilometers to the west of the Palomas-El Entronque road. Esperanza and Maria Dolores are both trained as promotoras and can handle basic medical problems.
Their goal here is to provide medicine for the children of migrant farm worker families who have parasites. A longer-term goal is to train local women as promotoras, so that they can deal with basic medical issues like checking blood pressure. The two biggest health problems are high blood pressure and diabetes.
We find the migrant camp, which consists of a long, low, three-sided cinder block building partitioned into a series of living quarters. Outside each doorway is a large metal pan for cooking, a row of chilis, some farm tools, old shoes or clothing and maybe a broom.
Clothing is hung up to dry in a crisscross of wire clotheslines. In the center is a pile of firewood, and the ground is muddy with foul-looking pools of water. It’s a scene from hell, especially when compared to the semi-mansions of the farm owners only a few blocks away.
The women and children we meet are Mixteca Indians from the state of Guerrero way to the south. Many don’t appear to speak Spanish. They line up for the medicine and for what beans remain and are fitted for the shoes I brought from Santa Fe.
I ask several to pose with photos with their new shoes and they agree, but it’s a cheerless place. It’s hard to imagine why government officials haven’t made the farm owners provide cleaner water or better housing, or why these ragged kids aren’t in school. The families have been coming here to work for years; this isn’t a new problem.
We then stop at the local health clinic, are given more medicine by a curt young woman who is the local “doctor,” administers it and return to Palomas.
“I love what I do,” she says as we say goodbye. When I ask about her safety, she adds, “ I have my angel with me.”
Our goal is to take beans, medicine and shoes to two rural towns, Colonia Modelo and Guadalupe Victoria. The beans were purchased by Esperanza from Diaz Farms in Deming, N.M. The shoes were donated by Nina Houle, the very supportive owner of a shoe store named On Your Feet in Santa Fe.
This is my first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas and my first meeting with Esperanza. On June 21, however, I observed her summer lunch program in Palomas.
In the space of about an hour, her daughter Sofia and an assistant distributed 600 lunch boxes to needy children there, an extraordinary feat that they continued every weekday all summer.
They also run a midday meal program for the elderly in a building that used to be a rehab center.
Esperanza is originally from Chicago, but she and her family have a long history of community leadership in both Palomas and Columbus, N.M., a few miles to the north. The recreation center in Columbus is named after her father, Andrew Sanchez, for all his contributions.
Her sister, Lupita Otero, manages several food banks in Columbus and was given a “Community Health Leader” award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2003.
They typify the many heroic people who hold these impoverished communities together in the absence of government services.
We drive about a half hour straight south, then turn off at Modelo, which is just a collection of houses by the road. For safety reasons and as a woman who travels extensively in rural Chihuahua, Esperanza doesn’t announce where she is going in advance so there is no one waiting for us.
We then continue on a few miles to El Entronque, a community built where the Palomas road intersects the highway from Juárez to Chihuahua. There at the Tortería 3 Caminos, we find El Commandante, the officer in charge of that area.
A cheerful man in dark glasses, a white shirt and suspenders, he poses for photos with Esperanza, his unsmiling assistant and his wife. Then he calls on his cell phone and tells another officer to meet us by the town plaza in Modelo.
He also mentions two recent murders. I had assumed that this area was much safer. Esperanza smiles and says that I’m seeing, “The calm before the storm.”
She knows about violence; one of her strongest supporters, the former mayor of Palomas, Tanys Garcia, was murdered in 2009.
A crowd, mostly women, gathers. We open white sacks of beans and Esperanza ladles out five big cups into each woman’s plastic bag. The men are working in the fields, although with the extremely dry weather, there is much less work than usual.
Esperanza has been doing this for nine years. Over the past two and a half, she has distributed some 160,000 pounds of food in the Palomas area. This is in addition to shoes, medicine, basic first aid kits and school supplies. Her job is, if anything, more difficult now, because the Mexican government is limiting the quantity of beans that can be brought across the border. Why, no one knows.
Our second stop is in a farm town named Guadalupe Victoria located some 12 kilometers to the west of the Palomas-El Entronque road. Esperanza and Maria Dolores are both trained as promotoras and can handle basic medical problems.
Their goal here is to provide medicine for the children of migrant farm worker families who have parasites. A longer-term goal is to train local women as promotoras, so that they can deal with basic medical issues like checking blood pressure. The two biggest health problems are high blood pressure and diabetes.
We find the migrant camp, which consists of a long, low, three-sided cinder block building partitioned into a series of living quarters. Outside each doorway is a large metal pan for cooking, a row of chilis, some farm tools, old shoes or clothing and maybe a broom.
Clothing is hung up to dry in a crisscross of wire clotheslines. In the center is a pile of firewood, and the ground is muddy with foul-looking pools of water. It’s a scene from hell, especially when compared to the semi-mansions of the farm owners only a few blocks away.
The women and children we meet are Mixteca Indians from the state of Guerrero way to the south. Many don’t appear to speak Spanish. They line up for the medicine and for what beans remain and are fitted for the shoes I brought from Santa Fe.
I ask several to pose with photos with their new shoes and they agree, but it’s a cheerless place. It’s hard to imagine why government officials haven’t made the farm owners provide cleaner water or better housing, or why these ragged kids aren’t in school. The families have been coming here to work for years; this isn’t a new problem.
We then stop at the local health clinic, are given more medicine by a curt young woman who is the local “doctor,” administers it and return to Palomas.
“I love what I do,” she says as we say goodbye. When I ask about her safety, she adds, “ I have my angel with me.”
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