Things seem to be moving online

Why are they doing this? I have no idea - it makes no sense to me. Well, that isn't entirely true. I asked TVNZ why they had scheduled Orange so late; their reasoning was that it was part of a push toward on-demand content, which makes a little sense. Online viewing has become a big part of what TVNZ does, and the success of online shows like local comedy Auckland Daze and teen drama The Carrie Diaries has made it a much more viable distribution method.

A recent example would be Scandal, the Kerry Washington-led drama written by Shonda Rhimes (of Grey's Anatomy fame); TVNZ has been showing a new episode each week through their on-demand portal, while promoting it through traditional broadcast channels. As a result, it's the second-most-popular show on the site.

The focus on on-demand isn't a mere excuse either. TVNZ have poured money into developing mobile apps for Apple and Samsung devices. I actually watched the third and fourth episodes of Scandal on my phone. It was fun trying it out, though I don't know how often I might go back to my mobile phone for a telly fix. The screen is too small.

There is a danger, though, that TVNZ could just be alienating viewers by scheduling a show like Orange Is the New Black at the ungodly time of 11.40pm, or launching a critical darling like Scandal (which picked up an Emmy nomination for Washington) through online outlets.

Let's face it: faith in broadcast networks is at an all-time low. Online content might be more popular than ever, but the overwhelming majority of viewers are still watching channels through traditional methods (albeit time-shifted in many cases). Does it really make sense to annoy the overwhelming majority of your viewers by scheduling at such an unsuitable time a show that they've been reading about for months? Or holding back a show so it can sit on a website?

Heck, I'm technologically capable of finding shows, and even I'm annoyed that Scandal is sitting on a website. If TVNZ has the show, why wouldn't they just play the damn show on a channel somewhere? Why make us wait even longer?

This isn't just a TVNZ thing. Mediaworks had a play with online-only fast-tracking by playing the first ever episode of New Girl on the Four website for a week before it aired (a marketing ploy adopted from US network Fox), and some SoHo shows have been available online ahead of their launch date.

Things seem to be moving online more and more often; even Orange Is the New Black lives exclusively online in most parts of the world, thanks to the emergence of Netflix. I believe that, eventually, online will be the only place to find good television (if not all television).

But I also think it's a bit soon to be abandoning traditional viewers entirely. On-demand is a shiny new toy, but we're still in the early-adoption phase. A better wholesale fashion shoes between the old and the new needs to be found.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will meet US Trade Representative Michael Froman this week to discuss India’s concerns related to additional visa restrictions on IT professionals, increased cases of visa rejections and expiry of duty-free benefit scheme for its exporters.

While the US is likely to raise concerns over ‘lax’ implementation of India’s intellectual property laws, Sharma will be on a stronger wicket this time as the Obama administration is itself facing questions for overturning telecom giant Samsung’s patent rights recently.

Sharma and Froman are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Economic Community Council Meeting in Brunei beginning Monday.

“We have raised the issue of visa restrictions earlier. But things continue to be bad for our IT professionals. The Minister will discuss these in addition to problems related to expiry of the duty-free export scheme,” a Commerce Department official told Business Line.

The US has, over the past two years, made it difficult for Indian IT companies such as Wipro, Infosys and TCS to carry out its work in the US. Under tough visa norms, not only have fees been increased several-fold for companies that have more than 50 per cent non-American employees, the Immigration Bill being debated by the US Congress could also impose steep fines on US-based Indian IT companies.

“Although IT body Nasscom has received assurances from various quarters that the Bill is being diluted and harmful provisions targeting Indian companies would be deleted, the Minister would also like to get the same assurance from the USTR,” the official said.
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while not turning on the full processor

Take the Moto X. On paper, the specs are fairly mid-range. The 4.7-inch, 720p AMOLED display would have been high-end a year ago, but now it falls behind the 5-inch 1080p screens we've seen from others. But it does allow Motorola to offer a smaller phone, and many people like that. The 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro was similarly high-end a year ago, but has since been supplanted by more powerful processors, even within the Snapdragon family.  Motorola chose to supplement this in its "X8" chipset, which adds two digital signal processors (DSPs), one for "contextual processing" to handle sensors, and another for voice processing.

And rather than just offering the standard selection of two or three colors, Motorola introduced its Moto Maker program in which you can customize the colors of the front and back covers, choose an accent cover for buttons, and add a unique signature. It sounds like the difference between ordering a car and just driving one off from the showroom. For now, this will only be available on the AT&T version, but it's certainly different.

Perhaps more impressive are the software features, some of which take advantage of that new chipset.

To take a picture, you don't have to unlock the phone or even click a special button. Instead, you can just twist your phone in a particular way and the camera app opens. The rest of the phone remains locked so there isn't a security issue. When you pick up the phone, it shows a minimal display with the time and some basic information, while not turning on the full processor. 

It's also constantly listening, so you can say "OK Google Now" and the phone will immediately start processing your request, assuming, of course, it has Internet connectivity and can understand what you are asking for. Again, this is easier than unlocking the phone and looking for the app.

The LG G2 has much better specs. It has a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution and a dual-controller touch panel that allows the display to be thinner,women shoes manufacturer with a bezel that is only 0.1 inches (2.65mm) wide. It says the display uses lower power graphics RAM and has more subpixels than OLED displays, which typically use some form of Samsung's PenTile technology for subpixels, and thus it looks better close up. A 5.2-inch display with a small bezel gives it a width of 2.7 inches, which LG says is the largest a typical person can navigate with one hand.

The G2 has a battery that fits around the available space behind the screen in a new fashion, allowing more capacity in the same space. In both of these areas, it looks like LG is taking advantage of being part of a family of companies including one that makes displays (LG Display) and one that makes batteries (LG Chem), much the way that Samsung has used its expertise in OLED displays, memory, and in some cases processors to define its phones. In addition, this will be the first worldwide phone to use the latest Qualcomm processor, the 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800, which supports LTE-Advanced with channel aggregation. I'm sure that's going to be in many other devices but for now, LG gets bragging rights.

What really stood out was the emphasis on usability features. LG uses the slogan "Learning from you" and LG Mobile CEO Jong-seok Park stood up to say,  "technology without empathy can no longer be considered innovation."

The biggest change in the design is that all of the buttons have been removed from the side of the phone, replaced by a single rear key. This button sits about where you would normally place your index finger on the back of the phone and serves as a power button, volume control, and camera trigger. LG says removing the button from the side makes you less likely to drop the phone. It's a little change, but certainly interesting.
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Today Cleopatra still influences the range

Draped in stunning golden cloaks and impeccably made up with shimmering metallics, emerald greens, heavily-lined eyes and plaited hair, Taylor is forever synonymous with the young queen of Egypt.

Perhaps most eye-catching about Taylor’s Cleopatra was the vast array of decadent jewels she wore on and off screen, most of which were designed by exclusive Italian jewellery maker Bulgari.

During the three-year filming period Taylor famously fell head over heels in love with co-star Richard Burton and it was that love affair that was responsible for bringing the Bulgari brand and Taylor together. The lovers often visited the famous jewellery boutique in Rome and Burton showered Taylor with jewels, including an iconic emerald and diamond necklace.

Taylor’s adoration of the Bulgari brand helped form the sumptuous, affluent atmosphere evoked within the film after she used her extravagant gifts in her scenes, including a gold and turquoise Cleopatra mirror given to her by the film crew.

In 20ll Bulgari acquired some of the actress’s personal jewellery collection and it is now proudly showcased at their headquarters in Rome.

Today Cleopatra still influences the range, most notably as part of the Serpenti collection, an exquisite set of gold and jewelled snakes which wrap around wrists, arms and necks. It is the best-selling collection in store.

In the Sixties, amid excitement about the filming of Cleopatra, Bulgari was leading the way in innovative jewellery creations, moving from the traditional combinations of emeralds, sapphires and diamonds instead using violet, turquoise and greens.

It was these daring creations that attracted the attention of its most famous customer Elizabeth Taylor.

A stunning black and white photograph of her bedecked in jewels still hangs in the office where the Bulgari creative process begins.

The brand has long been a byword for glamour. In the Fifties stars such as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn delighted in visiting the boutique and today Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rachel Weisz are fans.

Clients in search of Hollywood-worthy jewels travel from Russia, China and the Middle East to be the first to see the company’s new pieces.

Perhaps they also secretly hope to capture the spirit of Elizabeth Taylor’s timeless Cleopatra-esque beauty.

What does Miller feel about being a master artist?

An artist who first worked as an architectural draftsman and now creates solely in black-and-white graphite will be the master artist featured in this year’s Birds in Artexhibition at Wausau’s Woodson Art Museum.

Terry Miller, 67, was born in Iowa and now lives in Maryland, and he has had his art displayed in the annual exhibition 21 times. One of his pieces first was chosen for Birds in Art in 1991, and his work has been a part of the show for every year since except 1997. His artwork also was featured in a solo exhibition at the Woodson in 2008. That exhibition, Unknown Bridges, featured the elements of bridges, with birds or other animals taking a secondary theme.

“Birds in Art” is a world-famous exhibition that draws hundreds of artist entries every year. More than 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works are part of the Sept. 7 to Nov. 10 show, and all must have been created during the preceding two years.

What does Miller feel about being a master artist? “Panic,” he said Wednesday afternoon in a telephone interview. “Having had 32 master artists coming before me, I have very large shoes to fill, I think. My medium is such a radical departure from what’s been chosen before.”

A master artist typically, but not always, is chosen with each Birds in Art exhibition. The choice is made with input from preceding master artists and staff and board members of the Woodson, said museum Director Kathy Foley.

“Terry Miller is the consummate artist — a keen observer, articulate spokesman and superb draftsman,” Foley said. “While he is differentiated by his medium, he has mastered it, yielding graphite works that are without equal.”

As a master artist, Miller will receive a medal, speak on the opening Saturday and be able to submit recent works for future Birds in Art shows without having to go through the usual jury selection process.

Miller graduated from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and as he attended college, his fine arts interests were in abstract, colorful paintings.

He left that genre behind as he worked as a architectural draftsman, and later as a teacher, he said. When he returned to fine art in 1990, he found drawing was his preferred genre, Miller said. He now uses the precision of architectural drawing, but it often blends with some of the abstract concepts he loved as a young man.

The shock retirement of legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson Wednesday sent the team's US-traded shares lower as analysts and fans awaited to see who would succeed as the team boss.

Earlier Wednesday, the Premier League champions shocked the sporting world when they announced that Ferguson will retire at the end of the season, ending the most successful managerial reign in English football.

Ferguson, 71, guided United to 13 Premier League titles and two European Champions League crowns in 26 years in charge at Old Trafford.

He will remain at United as a director and club ambassador, and said he was confident he was stepping down with the team in good shape.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time," Ferguson said in a statement.

United, owned by the family of US investor Malcolm Glazer, did not immediately name a replacement, but most speculation focused on Everton's David Moyes to fill Ferguson's seat.

Despite the fall, the shares were still trading more than 30 percent above the $14.00 initial public offering price last August.

"Sir Alex Ferguson's departure from Manchester United at the end of the season will leave a chasm, which the replacement may find impossible to fill," Richard Hunter of Hargreaves Lansdown said.

Even so, he said, "The Manchester United merchandising machine will not grind to a halt overnight, and there is little reason to suspect that the club will not build further on the impressive third quarter results announced last week."

Bette Midler gets to make fun of Hollywood

Appearing on Broadway for the first time in 30 years, Bette Midler doesn't stand up to greet her audience. She chooses to remain reclined.

"I'm not getting up," she says by way of warning. "It's my house, you get up. Only don't. I just had the carpet cleaned."

You mustn't take any offense. Midler is playing the wondrously snooty super talent agent Sue Mengers in a one-woman show that opened Wednesday at the Booth Theatre.

Even if you have no idea who Mengers is, an evening with Midler is always special and her apparent joy in playing this role makes it even more so. In "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers," Midler swears a blue streak, makes vicious fun of Hollywood and never has to stand up.

Set in 1981 and written by John Logan, the work is a straightforward biography of the rise of a chubby Jewish girl with a heavy German accent who grew up in New York and turned herself into a mover and shaker in Hollywood.

Her clients included Candice Bergen, Mike Nichols, Michael Caine, George Segal, Dyan Cannon, Bob Fosse, Sidney Lumet, Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O'Neal, Rod Steiger, Peter Bogdanovich and Gore Vidal, among others.

As she freely admits, Mengers, who died in 2011, landed clients by threats, deception, cajoling, promises, guilt and doggedness – anything, really.

"We're all headhunters in my business. Every star's a potential client and if I don't steal them, someone else will," she says. "I was persuasive, I was funny. Most of all, I was ferocious. To me `no' always meant `maybe.'"

Over 85 minutes, Midler – rarely letting a manicured foot hit her carpet – lies on her elegant couch – speaks to the audience, gossiping furiously as she waits for a call from Barbra Streisand.

Joe Mantello directs with something of a challenge: A seasoned pro in Midler and yet a character who doesn't really move off the couch. So he expertly paces the whole thing like an audience with a blousy, foul-mouthed queen.

Midler wears oversized, tinted glasses and constantly scrapes at her silky straight bob, colored a heavenly hue only the rich can get away with. She's wearing an aqua caftan with sparkly embellishments and alternates smoking a cigarette and a joint, sometimes having both lit at the same time.

This warning appears on the curtain as the audience files in: "This play contains profanity, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and gossip." Here's another warning: Know who Michael Ovitz is.

Logan and Midler have tried to re-create the essence of Mengers and that means a familiarity with distant celebs like James Coco and agents like Ovitz is mandatory. Gossip isn't gossip unless you know the players, darling.

Logan, a Tony winner for "Red," has woven his monologue well and the transitions are seamless. Stories about Ali MacGraw and Gene Hackman take up larger sections, with the obligatory detour into Mengers' childhood tucked in.

The script works best when Midler is lecturing us about how the business of show really works, particularly her "Five Golden Rules," including Never Blow a Deal on Money.

who is about to start a job as musical

However, it’s not a familiar face they are seeing reciting the words. Not even someone harbouring dreams of making it in Hollywood or London’s West End.

No, the actress under the bright spotlight has managed to fit in the many hours of practice around the focus of her day-to-day routine, saving lives.

For many, amateur dramatic companies may seem a thing of the past – your grandparents taking part in the annual play in the village hall, with everyone turning out to see who’s been cast in the lead roles.

However, in these modern times of instant entertainment at your fingertips, community theatre is still going strong as an outlet for those who want to perform to more than just a camera phone.

Emily Goad, 23, currently teaches piano and singing and is a member of Edinburgh Music Theatre, a company who is putting the finishing touches to their latest production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

For Emily, who is about to start a job as musical director of a new Edinburgh choir, being part of the community theatre group has given her the chance to see the unexpected people who are part of the thespian community.

"Everyone is completely different and they’re there for all sorts of different reasons. It’s a wonderful mix of vets, doctors, lawyers and it’s a hobby for them," she said.

"There’re a few community theatre groups knocking around in Edinburgh. I’d been quite blind to it as I had been swept up in university societies, but there’s a great community theatre vibe in the city.

"They’ll come and see us perform and we go and see them so we’re all really supportive of each other."

Even with her musical background, Emily, who is one of eight principal cast members in the production, says going along to her first session with Edinburgh Music Theatre (EMT) was still daunting.

The Edinburgh University graduate said: "This is my first year with EMT.

"I’m a bit of a classical music bunny but I knew people who’d done it before and said it was really good.

"Amazingly, it’s been great, even though I was a bit nervous.

"Everyone’s open and friendly and they chat away."

And while Emily may be one of the newest faces to the company, she is joining a part of Edinburgh’s theatre history dating back more than 30 years.

The company was formed in 1982 to perform large-scale musicals in the city’s theatres. During its 31 years, as well as giving the city’s residents the chance to unleash their inner actor or actress, it’s also seen some of its stars move on to roles in the West End and on the international stage.

"The great thing about EMT is that before opening night you’re fully prepared in advance," she said.

"It’s a brilliant stepping stone for people like me who want to go into performance. You get to learn how it all works in a relaxed environment.

"Our latest play is funny - very funny. Set in the late 50s early 60s, it’s about a young man who is a window washer and it’s the story is about how he rises up in the business world."

She starts to giggle as she says: "There’s a love interest too – that’s me."

And being involved in the show has given all the cast members – musicians, vets and lawyers alike – the chance to learn a new skill.

And while some may brush off amateur theatre as a small way to cling onto the community spirit of old, for Emily, it’s also given her a chance to see how much times have changed since her grandparents and the grandparents of many others took to their village hall stages to perform the annual recital.

when a piece of the boat fell off

Police and firefighters are hailing Marco Island teenager Logan Gross as a hero after saving the life of his best friend, who had in turn jumped into the lake at Mackle Park to try to save a middle-aged man from drowning.

It was all the more courageous because Gross is wearing a medical support boot after injuring a leg in a soccer game.

Gross, 14, attributes SCUBA and free diving training to the successful rescue of his young friend.

The older man, according to Gross, had entered the chilly water of the lake to retrieve a section of a radio controlled boat he was operating that had come loose. He was later found by rescue personnel and airlifted out of the area after apparently not surfacing for about an hour.

Gross and his friend Tyler Melton, both 7th Grade students at Marco Island Charter Middle School, were hanging out at the lake Monday afternoon after school.

“We were playing on a Kindle Fire and my iPhone,” Gross said after the incident. “We then went down to the lake and were watching a (family) friend of Tyler testing out a remote controlled boat.”

Gross said when a piece of the boat fell off, the man said he wanted to find the piece, so he emptied his pockets, took off his shirt and shoes, and entered the water.

“I asked Tyler if he (the man) was a good swimmer,” Gross said, and Melton said yes, he was, and that he swims all the time.”

After a while, Gross noticed the man’s head “flopping a bit” in the water, and became worried he was drowning. He told Melton what he thought.

“Tyler went in, and was maybe 20 feet from him, but then he started turning pale, and asked me for help.

"I pulled my boot off, and and just ran and dived in,” Gross said. “I told Tyler ‘go on your back, go on your back.’ This was from my SCUBA experience. I turned him on his back and crossed his arms across his chest, and then began to swim back with him.”

Gross said all the time, he was thinking about is training.

“I didn’t even feel my leg,” he said.

After the ordeal, Gross spoke with police officers and firefighters. Later, Officer Matt Gordon of the Marco Police Department pulled him aside, told him what a great job he had done, and suggested that he go home to his family and try to relax.

Gross’ buddy Tyler Melton said simply of his friend: “I owe him, big time.”

In the meantime, the condition of the airlifted man remains unknown.

mater pulled off The Play in the Big Game

What most people now call a Hail Mary, the Falcons in those days called a Big Ben. Bartkowski, the NFL's No. 1 draft pick in 1975, launched a pass down the left side to about the 5-yard line. It was deflected and fell into the arms of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson.

Johnson cut to the middle of the field, then tried to snake his way into the end zone. Though it appeared the 49ers had tackled him at least a foot shy of the goal line, the officials ruled it a touchdown.

Nearly 30 years later, what does Bartkowski recall about one of the most disputed plays in league history?

"I just remember about how the people in the Bay Area bellyached about the call," Bartkowski said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Of course, he quickly added: "You know, they had a point: There's no way Billy scored, but we got credit for the touchdown."

Bartkowski played 11 seasons (1975-85) for the Falcons. In the first six (before the 49ers won their first Super Bowl title), Atlanta went 9-3 against San Francisco. In the final five seasons, the 49ers won six of the nine meetings.

That made the Big Ben finish even sweeter for Bartkowski and his teammates.

"We're glad to be sort of a thorn in the side of that franchise that had basically turned the tables on us. When I first came into the league, we used to take care of them pretty well. I looked forward to coming home to play the 49ers, but then when the Bill Walsh era kicked in, they were the kings of the NFC West.

"Having to play them twice a year was pretty tough, so it was good to have a little bit of payback on that given evening."

By early evening in Atlanta on Sunday, either the 49ers or the Falcons will have become NFC champions. Bartkowski, now 60, still lives in the Atlanta area. He works for DPR Construction (which is based in Redwood City) and is a member of the Falcons' board of directors.

Bartkowski said he and quarterback Matt Ryan are "pretty close."

Said Bartkowski of Ryan: "Our guy has been special from Day 1. He came into the league mature beyond his years. He's incredibly competitive, can make all the throws.

"Let me just say it like this: There's nobody in the league that I'd rather have quarterbacking our franchise than Matt Ryan."

Bartkowski quarterbacked Cal for three seasons (1972-74). He returned to Memorial Stadium for the Bears' game against Washington on Nov. 2 as the school honored him for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

As for his days as a student in Berkeley, Bartkowski said, "I was surrounded by too many smart people - other than that, it was a great experience, one that I treasure to this day.

"I loved my time there at Cal and if I had to do it all over again, I'd pick the same school."

You might wonder if Bartkowski would pick the same sport, though. People forget he was a good enough baseball player as a corner infielder and catcher to be drafted by the Royals after his senior year at Santa Clara's Buchser High in 1971 and by the Orioles after his junior year at Cal in '74.

His dad pitched in the Cubs' organization in the late 1940s and early '50s. "Even to this day, it's still my favorite sport," Bartkowski said of baseball, "no question about it."

Bob Milano spent 22 seasons (1978-99) as Cal's head baseball coach. He was an assistant coach when Bartkowski played.

Milano said Bartkowski "had the talent" to make it to the majors, probably as a catcher, if he had focused solely on baseball, but "he loved playing both sports."

Said Bartkowski: "I might have my own natural knees instead of artificial ones now had I gone the baseball route. (It's) too late to turn back."

On Nov. 20, 1983, Bartkowski and the Falcons turned back the 49ers on the final play of the game. If Atlanta holds off San Francisco on Sunday, few people will savor the Falcons' victory more than Bartkowski - Big Ben or no Big Ben.

while his new teammates trained on Tuesday

Roar coach Mike Mulvey on Tuesday told 2011 grand final hero Paartalu he must train with the club's National Youth League ranks until his future is decided.

Paartalu appears to have played his last game for the Roar.

The towering defensive midfielder - who has started 85 straight games for the Roar since his 2010 arrival - is expected to announce a lucrative two-year Chinese Super League deal this week.

Mulvey's call came days after maintaining his faith in Nick Fitzgerald despite the exciting winger signing a two-year deal with the Central Coast starting next season.

Paartalu's absence almost overshadowed the presence of North who underwent a fitness test while his new teammates trained on Tuesday.

North has been injected into a Roar side that sits one point clear of dead-last Wellington on the A-League ladder due to nine losses in 16 games.

A question mark over Paartalu's future only adds to the pressure ahead of the Roar's tough home game against in-form Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday.

North - whose most recent club stint was in December for Japanese outfit Consadole Sapporo - hoped to be the catalyst Brisbane needed to turn their season around.

"Hopefully I bring something different to the team. If it is a bit stale hopefully I can freshen things up a bit by just having a different personality around the training room or on the pitch," North said.

"(And) players come and go, it's part of football - we are all professional.

"Everything they need is here. They have won back to back (titles). They just need to grab it by the scruff of the neck and show who the true champions are."

North - who started his career at NSL club Brisbane Strikers aged 16 - believed the Roar's slump under new coach Mulvey came down to confidence.

"I don't think they are struggling," he said.

"I have kept close tabs on the A-League in Japan and Brisbane have been dominating games but they have been unlucky in front of goal.

"The right make-up is there. They just need to get the confidence back in the group."

North hoped to be available for the Roar on Sunday.

"I've come out of the J-League season, I've been on holidays, so I need to do whatever I can as fast as I can to get myself fit," he said.

"I'm always ready to get back on the park. But you can't be silly and try to come back when you're not 100 per cent condition-wise.

These streets would benefit from the more resources

When it was revealed last month that the old Copp’s Shoes location in Downtown would soon be home to a wedding shop—albeit a relocated one—many shook their heads.

It’s a great historic building, it was an iconic shop. It would have been great to see something there that added value to the Columbia Street strip. If only the landlord had held out, seen the bigger picture in the Downtown, and waited for something better.

As Jonathan Cote (aka the city councillor) points out in his SFU  Urban Studies paper, Reviving New Westminster’s Main Streets, a good mix of retail is one of the secrets of success.

And it’s no secret that most of our retail streets are flagging.

Oh, we’ve got some wonderful shops, and a few spots with retail energy, like the Sixth and Sixth area of Uptown.

But most of us wish our main streets were better, with a stronger mix of shops, more people on the sidewalks, and maybe just a little more beautiful.

Cote acknowledges that most of our spending dollars are going to the big-box retailers, as we seek convenience and value. But he says a growing group is eager for a more community-friendly atmosphere and energy that only successful main streets can provide.

His stats are interesting , comparing New West’s four main streets (12th, Columbia, East Columbia and Sixth) with Vancouver’s Robson and Denman streets.

By most measures, Sixth Street is this city’s most successful retail strip. It boasts only a slightly higher vacancy rate than Columbia (8.7% vs. 6.4%); the highest ‘Food/Drink Index,’ comparable to Robson and considered an indicator of a lively street; the lowest concentration of non-retail (12.6%); and the highest lease rates, between $12 and $60 a square foot, according to Coté.

And perhaps understandably, it’s this combination of factors that gives Sixth Street (between Fourth and Eighth avenues) the highest concentration of chain stores, at 25%. Chains, he points out, do extensive market research and know where shoppers are and what they want. The downside—too many makes a street bland.

To help our streets along, he makes a number of recommendations.

The list includes more market research, for a more detailed picture of how the demographics and projected growth in our city affects—and will affect—residents’ needs for goods and services. More marketing of the existing retail would also help, he says, and even helping merchants do a better job of decorating their windows (I’d like to see that conversation).

And he has a number of suggestions about targeting growth around the strips, keeping retail focused there (to avoid dilution), and working to beautify the streets through better sidewalks, and “more public squares, pocket parks, parallel parks and plazas…”

And the Business Improvement Association — currently serving just the Downtown — should expand to include all the city’s retail main streets.

The city’s currently got small business groups in Sapperton, 12th Street and Uptown but they are volunteer run and are limited in scope. These streets would benefit from the more resources a BIA could provide. Problem is, it’s doubtful landlords would vote to pay the levy.

The city’s economic development manager departed recently at the end of his contract. If the city hires someone new, their mandate should be to help build retail from the ground up.

Work with property owners, let them know what businesses are missing from a street when they’re seeking to lease out space.

Explain how this will help them in the long run. Appeal to their civic pride, appeal to their wallets. Whatever.

Some won’t listen. Many aren’t residents, many just care about making the mortgage payments and one day cash in.

The exam will hopefully give a clearer

Robert Griffin III, also known as RG3 injured tore his ACL in college.  The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) runs through the center of the joint and it critical to stabilize front and back motion.

Eric Wisotzky, M.D., of MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital says the fact that RG3 tore his ACL in college makes his latest injury even more of a delicate situation.

RG3 also suffered a sprain to the lateral collateral ligament, the LCL, earlier in this season.

Dr. Wisotzky says, "Anytime there is an old injury it confuses the picture, it makes things more complicated.  It's an interesting situation here because we've become more reliant on technology and this is an example where the MRI may not be exactly clear and his doctor, Dr. Andrews, wants to use our old fashioned methods which is doing a physical exam."

The exam will hopefully give a clearer picture of the condition of RG3's knee.  Dr. Wisotzky says the true extent of the injury isn't 100 percent clear until the player is in the operating room.

He describes these guys as "super-human" in their ability to heal and return to peak performance a lot faster than most individuals.

Dr. Wisotzky says, "It's highly variable, we're not talking about your average weekend warriors, we are talking about your superheros of the NFL here.  Some of them do seem to heal more quickly than we would imagine, such as Adrian Peterson of the Vikings came back from an ACL injury very, very quickly this year so it is hard to say."

Still, as many second-guess why the franchise player was still in the game after clearly struggling, Dr. Wisotzky says it's an agonizing decision under pressure.

Dr. Wisotzky says, "I wouldn't necessarily want to be in their shoes, i'm sure it's a challenging situation for everyone involved.  But the bottom line is that it's very complicated, if you come into my office with an injury, it's not very complicated.  We work through and get you back to your function."

Dr. Wisotzky adds, "For these athletes, there's millions of dollars at stake.  Everyone in the world is watching, the player wants to play, the coach wants to win.  The medical staff is caught somewhere in between so it can get very, very complicated and make these decisions very difficult.

Lawmakers are gearing up for the next legislative session.

Three strikes you're out is the idea behind a bill that would target workers' compensation attorneys filing bogus claims instead of the injured employee.

"My family has been in the boot making business for generations," said Senator Kyle Loveless.

The trade taught Senator Kyle Loveless to always sew up the loose ends.

Although the company Loveless Shoes established safety standards for its employees, Sen. Loveless says the company suffered from a bogus workers' comp claim.

The judge ruled against the employee, but Loveless says it cost the company $30,000 in legal fees. It's why Loveless is now working to fight frivolous lawsuits.

I would rather give a monetary gift to those

They spent the summers collecting and canning many jars of food for the winter. We had cows for milk and butter, meat for the table, and chickens for eggs. Kind of self-sufficient. My folks came from Germany with their clothes on their back and couldn't speak the language — yet they made it.

We got no food stamps, or welfare, and there were no government hand outs. So, our Christmases were unlike today. For presents we kids got gloves, a stocking cap, shoes or a warm coat, and we were thrilled to get them.

Unlike today, toys were pretty well out of the question. I am amazed at the expensive toys the kids of today get and I don't think they are appreciated as much as we were with our meager gifts. Go to a home today with kids a few days or week after Christmas, and see broken toys scattered all over the house, in the yard, and often covered with snow until spring.

I buy few if any gifts. I would rather give a monetary gift to those who are less fortunate than I am. Instead, I enjoy making my own Christmas cards from pictures I take on the farm. I them take them to the store for processing. I make 150 for my many friends and relatives.

My cards all say, "Merry Christmas," no season greetings, or happy holidays. I believe in keeping "Christ" in Christmas — after all, Jesus is the reason for the season. People call me and say they kept all the cards I ever made over the last 20 years or so.

The Christmas Eve service is special to us at Trinity Lutheran of Glen Savage. The little kids sing, "Away in the Manger" and other songs, then each has a recitation followed by a skit in costumes. Then there is the adult choir, singing carols, after that our Pastor Paul Yanke has the Christmas message. He teaches the word of God in its truth and purity. We Missouri Lutherans sometimes are called the "strict" Lutherans. We do not go along with churches that support abortion, same sex marriage, or the ordination of gay clergy, all which is clearly defined in the Bible. Pastor Paul may step on a few toes in these matters, but so be it. Bless you Pastor Paul!

Kids' styles were almost like adults'. The most popular designer of that era was Uncle Sam. We went directly from patched blue jeans and high-top, black tennis shoes to army-style cargo-pants and black combat boots with buckles on the top. The winter coats were wool, and scarves, ear muffs and army-green wool gloves plus knit-tassel caps with a yarn ball on the top were all the rage.

I'll admit that I had a few affectations in those days, nothing like I do today. For example, I wanted my blue jeans to have noticeably ironed creases in the front, and I loved to wear button-down-collar shirts. It was not unusual for me to wear long underwear, but these cotton long johns were always white, and I really hated when they showed in the space between my socks and my pants cuffs or rolled up blue jeans. So, I remember spending a lot of time pulling down on my pants or pulling up on my socks.

A few weeks before Christmas, my dad always managed to buy the craziest looking Christmas tree on the lot. It was usually a long-needled Scotch pine tree that always lost half of its needles by the third day of its inside existence. We had shiny, bright, very fragile glass ornaments, and boxes of lead-based icicles that we placed on the branches one-by-one, by hand, until they produced a delicate icy look. Mom and dad were responsible for stringing the lights and supervising the hanging of the balls and controlling the meticulous stringing of the icicles. Some hand-strung popcorn, and an outsized white angel topped off the decorations along with a fluffy cotton, snow-like tree skirt casually wrapped around the trunk.

Our wish lists were relatively modest with requests for things like Lincoln Logs or Block City (a precursor to Legos), a Winky Dink and You with Magic Kit (plastic screen/crayons/eraser), and a truck or some plastic toy soldiers. Of course grandmothers came through with a little cash and underwear, and aunts always provided at least one or two pairs of argyle socks.

My paper route customers gave me some handkerchiefs, a 50-cent piece here or there and plenty of hot chocolate. Expectations were carefully managed by my mom who would say, "Nicky, don't expect much from Mrs. Musser or Mrs. Coter because they are living on their Social Security checks just like your grandmothers."

I'm not sure how much Social Security checks were in those days, but if I got a $5 bill from my Italian grandparents, it was an enormous gift. My English/Scot- Irish grandmother was even more frugal with gifts that came from her change purse because she had so many grandkids, but it was the thought that counted, and even as little kids we knew not to expect much in the way of cash from our elders.

who complain about all the vacations

Great news! The outgoing Congress has passed the fewest number of laws since any Congress in the last 70 years. The Founding Fathers would be proud, and as a conservative I am pretty impressed. Instead of raising our taxes, increasing regulations, making life more difficult for citizens and businesses everywhere, the current Congress has done its part by sitting on its collective hands and passing as few laws as possible, specifically 196 at last count. This is great — let freedom ring!

Of course, you would never know of this great accomplishment by reading the NBC News First Read website. Bemoaning the low congressional approval rates, Kyle Inskeep of NBC News recently wrote that the current Congress is the “least productive Congress since the 1940’s” because it has passed so few laws. We can’t have that. The next-least productive Congress, which lasted from 1995-1996, enacted a mere 333 laws.

According to Inskeepf, an active Congress passing as many laws as possible is a good Congress. Even out-going Republican Senator Olympia Snowe got into the act, complaining that “I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies have become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.”

I hope no one on our side is falling for this. When Congress makes laws, money is taken away from someone, business is made more difficult, the fiscal hole our country is in gets dug even deeper. And when fewer laws are made, less of our freedoms are taken away and less money is blown. A Beltway reporter like Inskeep or a politician like Senator Snowe might not see it this way, but people outside of Washington DC are better off when fewer laws are passed.

Kind of reminds me of some conservatives who complain about all the vacations taken by the Obama family, or the fact that President Obama plays so much golf. A few days after the election there was a blog entry at Weekly Standard, reporting with disgust that right after the election President Obama headed to the golf course. In the past, President Obama has also been sneeringly referred to as the “Golfer in Chief.”

People, let’s be clear: the more President Obama plays golf, the less damage he can do from the Oval Office. Yes, our country is much better off when President Obama is on the golf course. For a few precious hours, we can know that things will not get worse.

Take for example President Obama’s trip to a global nuclear summit last March in South Korea. President Obama was actually caught on an open microphone telling the Russians that “after the election I will have more flexibility,” then he looked around guiltily, hoping no one else had heard what he just said.

At that point there were a number of smaller countries that were put on notice: you may be invaded by the Russians just like ex-Soviet Georgia was in 2008. Would American or NATO soldiers rush onto a battlefield because the Russians invaded some friend of ours? Possibly.

But the point is, wouldn’t we all have rather President Obama spent a nice, relaxing weekend on a golf course somewhere instead of going to South Korea that weekend? And this is just in foreign affairs. Instead of passing Dodd-Frank, Obamacare or the $800 billion stimulus, wouldn’t it have been preferable to have President Obama spend some time golfing?

As far as I am concerned we should sign up President Obama for the PGA Tour. The more time he spends on the golf course the less time he will be in the Oval Office doing damage to our country. Or maybe we can all pass around the hat and buy President Obama a membership at Pebble Beach.

Here’s an idea: let President Obama endorse golf stuff. Where is it written that a sitting president cannot endorse golf balls, shoes or clothing? In fact, “the Barry Putter” has a nice ring to it. (Well, let’s face it, a wedge might be more appropriate.) And who knows? Rush Limbaugh might even be willing to interview President Obama on his show to promote the new Obama putter.

A few years ago it was the liberals who complained whenever President George W. Bush went to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, to clear brush with his chainsaw.

And chainsaws are dangerous. With all the best-selling books, movies, plays and liberal comedians waxing so eloquently about President Bush dying or somehow getting assassinated, you would think that liberals would want President Bush out of the Oval Office and on his ranch, wrestling with his chainsaw. He could have been seriously injured by that chainsaw. But no, the liberals who hated President Bush so much actually complained when he went to his ranch in Texas! It made no sense at all.

We conservatives need to be consistent here, and we need to keep our eyes on the prize: it is a good thing when Congress passes very few laws, and it is a very good thing when President Obama takes the afternoon off to go to the golf course. In fact, President Obama needs to stay on the golf course as much as possible.

most evocative performance of the most famous

MANILA, Philippines – A lot of biopics have either hinted or explicitly suggested that Andres Bonifacio was the “more deserving” national hero than Dr. Jose Rizal. But if there’s one film that makes a good case for such an argument, it would be the Richard Somes-helmed “Supremo.”

Like his role in the late Mario O’Hara’s “Ang Paglilitis Kay Andres Bonifacio,” actor-politician Alfred Vargas, one of the few mainstream actors in “Supremo,” has big shoes to fill in this flick. But, thanks to his glowing adulation for the hero, Alfred rose to the challenge and delivered a most evocative performance of the most famous Katipunero to date.

Out of the countless biopics done in honor of Bonifacio, “Supremo” depicts the subject as person; more human and less like an unrelatable, overly patriotic war hero. That despite his great love for the country, he has had his moments of weaknesses and doubts.

Set in old Manila circa 1800s, the film traced what lighted Andres’ fire to fight for freedom against the Spanish regime; how the Philippine version of the league of extraordinary gentlemen aka as KKK (Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) was formed; and even about the treachery he suffered in the hands of his own “Katipunero” brothers.

All these were showcased in sepia toned frames, underscored by breathtaking dusk and silhouette scenes set against vast meadows and rice paddies, which the old Manila was best known for.

For a biopic shot in just 15 days,  “Supremo’s” production team sure took the time to make the best of what they have. From the hefty props and costumes of the actors, to the apt locations, and the vivid fight scenes down to the music used for the scoring, everything spelled class and creativity rolled into one.

But with students as the film’s obvious target audience, perhaps it would be wise for "Supremo" to be cut shorter than it’s original two-and-a-half-hour run? More, it needs some polishing on the transition sequences. The abrupt scene changes tend to be confusing in that one isn't sure if Andres was having flashbacks or if he was in present time.

Alfred did justice to Andres’ controversial yet courageous life. But it was theater actor Nicco Manalo, the son of comedian Jose Manalo, who was a revelation in the film as he breathed so much vigor into the character of young soldier Emilio Jacinto. Unfortunately though, Macario Sakay’s (Mon Confiado) character was overshadowed by the two, probably because he wasn’t given much lines or maybe even because his wig was in disarray the entire time.

Produced and starred by Alfred Vargas, “Supremo” opens on Dec. 5 exclusively in SM Cinemas nationwide.

I had no intention of staying as long as I

It's the end of an era for the city of Odessa. After more than a decade, Larry Melton will step down as the city's longest serving Mayor and a new leader will take the reins.

For the last 11 years, Mayor Larry Melton has dedicated his time to the city he loves.

But come Tuesday night, Melton will be hanging up his hat as Odessa Mayor for good.

"We have mixed emotions," Melton said. "My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving. We think we have been a part of some good things for Odessa."

NewsWest 9 caught up with Melton while he was busy preparing his 864th speech since taking office. He's the longest serving Mayor in Odessa's history.

Melton was sworn in after the death of then-mayor Billy Hext.

"I stepped into his shoes and I had no intention of staying as long as I did," Melton said.

He said his time in office was filled with many highs. One of his prouder moments was being able to work a change in the contract with the Colorado River Municipal Water District.

"We can look for our own water," Melton said. "We're not totally dependent on an outside source any more. We'd been operating under the same contract for 60 years now. That's a major accomplishment for the future of Odessa."

But there were also some lows for the city leader.

"I think the worst night I ever spent in my life was the night we had our three police officers murdered," Melton said. "We went to that area and to watch the efforts of the other first responders trying to get their peers out was very heartbreaking."

Melton said his favorite part as Mayor was representing the community.

"Doing things with every segment of the community," he said. "We've attended, I can't tell you how many different functions."

It's something he'll miss but now he'll focus on family, his job. He said he'll be around to offer Mayor-Elect David Turner any advice he needs.

Deals abound for people who want to walk through a virtual mall on Cyber Monday, in search of holiday season gifts. Just don't forget about that important report your boss is interested in.

Electronic goods top the nation's wish list, says Louis Ramirez, senior features writer, a bargain-focused website that tracks the shopping frenzy. But from clothing to vacation packages, many other items are available at enticing prices.

"There's definitely more deals this year than last year," Mr. Ramirez says. And for many items, the deals will continue past Monday as retailers try to make sure that their crucial season has big sales volume.

"Don't buy toys on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They'll be a lot cheaper in the two weeks before Christmas," Mr. Ramirez says. The caveat to remember: If there's a particular must-have toy, you need to weigh the prospect that prices may fall against the risk that the toy may sell out.

For tablet computers, by contrast, he says some hot deals have already passed by. The chance to get Apple's older iPad tablet (version three) at lower prices has evaporated, so shoppers hankering for Apple's signature tablet are looking at starting prices of $499 (fourth-generation iPad without cellular access). Similarly, don't expect to find the Google Nexus 7 tablet in stock, in its 16-gigabyte version.

"For TV's, the availability is great," Ramirez says, with retailers moving quickly to match discounts by competitors.

Sanchez also was ripped by unnamed teammates

Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow have talked since the spring about what a terrific relationship they have, despite being the focal points of the Jets' non-stop quarterback drama.

So here's the bright side to Wednesday's events: They now have yet another shared experience to help them bond.

Tebow was his usual upbeat self for the most part in his regular media session, despite the fact that the backup quarterback was ripped anonymously by teammates in a Daily News story that appeared Wednesday.

In the story, various unnamed sources in the organization, including players and team officials, said Tebow has not improved as a quarterback and is not a viable option to replace the embattled Sanchez as the starter for the Jets (3-6), who visit St. Louis on Sunday. Tebow was acquired in a trade with Denver in March.

"I've been in those shoes," Sanchez said. "So, if anybody knows what it feels like, it's me."

Sanchez also was ripped by unnamed teammates and members of the Jets' organization in a story in January, which portrayed him as pampered and coddled by the organization, and a player who is not a leader.

Tebow "is mentally tough enough to handle that, I know it," Sanchez said of the anonymous criticism. "He's smart, he's strong mentally and physically, and it really won't bother him. That's all you do in that situation: keep working hard, keep trusting the guys around you [and] keep playing."

In the story, one anonymous Jet said Tebow was "terrible" and another said "We don't look at him as a quarterback" but as a "Wildcat guy."

"I'm proud to be a Jet," said Tebow, who called his teammates "awesome dudes" and "great guys."

"You try to be stronger from it," added Tebow, who said he hadn't read the story but had been told about it.

"It doesn't really make me worry," Tebow said. "Negative things being said about you always can be a little frustrating or saddening, but at the same time you're always motivated to go out there and keep working. I've had to deal with a lot of negative comments and criticism in my football career, so it motivates me and pushes me to try and get better."

Earlier in the day, coach Rex Ryan was in major damage-control mode at his news conference, although for a change, the struggling Sanchez was not the subject. Ryan contended there is no fracturing on his team, which had serious chemistry issues down the stretch last season that contributed to a season-ending, three-game losing streak.

"I did address it" to the team, he said of the anonymous quotes. "It's a cowardly thing. ... If you put your name to it, people will respect you a lot more."

The one player who put his name on his comments was left guard Matt Slauson, who said the quarterback competition is "not even close. All the other quarterbacks know it. I have all the confidence in Mark. We don't really have a choice."

He also referred to Tebow as an "athlete."

Slauson said those comments weren't recent.

"It could have been Week 1," he said Wednesday. "It could have been training camp."

Still, he added, "I feel Mark is our quarterback. That's how I feel."

Tebow and Slauson said they talked and that they had no problems with one another.

Slauson "is an awesome guy and we have a great relationship," Tebow said. "He's someone you love having on your football team."

Ryan said he didn't agree with all of Slauson's comments, but added, "I have no problem with Matt Slauson because he put his name on it."

As for the chemistry of the 2012 locker room going forward, Ryan said, "This team, in my opinion, is not going to be pulled apart by outside people."

But the anonymous quotes came from within the team. Still, Ryan added, "I think this team is coming together."

Ryan also said he was on the board with the Tebow acquisition. People such as NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci have said Ryan didn't want Tebow and that is demonstrated by Tebow not being utilized very often.

"I absolutely wanted Tim here," Ryan said. "I was very honest from Day One [about that], and I've never gotten off that."

Brain cancer patient dresses as clown for treatment

Cancer has been trying to break Patricia Baker’s spirits for nine years, but it should be obvious by now that this is one fight the disease cannot win.

On Tuesday, the Clark County woman strolled down the halls of the Springfield Regional Cancer Center in floppy shoes and a rainbow wig, chatting with other patients who may have been surprised to see a clown getting treatment for brain cancer. But Baker, who has already fought off colon and breast cancer in recent years, said it was her way of cheering up other patients who are facing a similar fight.

“I almost called here and asked them if it was OK,” Baker said of the cancer center’s staff. “And I thought, no, I’m not asking. I’m just going to do it because that’s what I’m going to do.”

Brenda Lambers, a nurse at the center, has known Baker for several years.

“To see her walking in here in a clown suit for Halloween is adorable, but not terribly surprising because that’s the way she is,” Lambers said.

Baker’s fight with the disease began almost 10 years ago when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Her mother had died of the same disease, and a different form of cancer also claimed the life of Baker’s father. Her sister, Lorette Rayburn, also died of cancer within the last year. Initially, Baker saw the diagnoses as a death sentence, but her doctor convinced her she would live.

“He said, ‘No you’re not. You’re not your mother,’ ” Baker said. “That knocked something in my brain and made me look at things a whole lot different.”

Since then, Baker said decided she would never let the disease dictate her attitude again. She said her faith in God has helped her stay strong.

“You’ve got to be happy because if you’re not happy, then you put everyone else down,” Baker said. “And I didn’t want to put anybody down. You’ve got to deal with what you have.”

Other patients, like Betty Schmitt, of Springfield, said Baker’s visit was a bright spot in the day.

“I was in the chair here when she came over and talked to me, and I was very surprised,” Schmitt said. “I think that’s really great.”

A positive attitude alone is not enough to beat cancer, Lambers said. But patients like Baker give Lambers hope.

“A lot of people ask me if working in oncology is depressing, and I see people going through the very worst times of their life with more dignity and grace than they ever thought they could muster,” Lambers said. “My patients amaze me every day.”

The storied shoes went neglected along with a trove of dresses

The shoes were the stuff of legend: pairs upon colorful pairs of pumps, flats and other footwear that evinced the lavish lifestyle of Imelda Marcos, the woman wed to deposed Philippines strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Thousands of showy shoes were found at the Manila presidential palace and another Marcos home decades ago, left behind in 1986 when the couple fled the country in the throes of a popular revolt.

The new government held up the high heels as the epitome of the ejected Marcoses’ extravagance as their nation was mired in barefoot poverty, an anti-Cinderella story warning of the dangers of autocracy. The leader who succeeded Marcos, Corazon Aquino, displayed the manifold footwear in the presidential palace. Hundreds of pairs were lent to a local shoe museum.

But in the decades since, the shoes that turned heads worldwide for all the wrong reasons have been boxed up. Some were damaged by termites, others deluged by monsoon waters or encrusted with mold, officials at the National Museum in Manila told the Associated Press and Filipino media this week.

The storied shoes went neglected along with a trove of dresses and accessories stored at the Malacanang Palace that was moved to museum offices two years ago, the museum said in a statement Monday. No plan was created for what to do with them, it explained.

Some of Marcos gowns could help create a fashion collection for the museum, “but this has yet to be even formally proposed given the as-yet politically sensitive nature of their provenance,” the museum said.
Though the Filipino government told reporters there was no historical significance to the boxed shoes and clothing, save for some clothing made by Filipino designers, it nonetheless promised to ensure they would be restored, local media reported. Filipinos lamented the damage on social media, saying that love Marcos or loathe her, the shoes were a reminder of the country's past that had been carelessly laid to waste.

Spoiling the shoes may have been not only an archival loss, but a financial one. The Philippines has tried to profit from the Imelda Marcos mystique in the past, seeking to sell off millions in seized and abandoned jewels, but court cases have stopped the auction, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported this month. A presidential commission has suggested displaying the gems to lure tourists.

Now widowed and back in the Philippines, Imelda Marcos sits in the House of Representatives, elected two years ago. The "Iron Butterfly" has defended herself against accusations of graft and corruption, seeking to reclaim her reputation. She remained cherished as a style icon -- and went on to promote her own fashion line.

And what of the shoes that made her name a global synonym for excess? The former first lady claimed they actually attested to her innocence.

“When they broke into the palace, they went into my closet looking for stolen loot,” Marcos said of her cumbersome collection, The Times reported six years ago. “And all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes.”

who all could face life in prison

An extremist Egyptian-born preacher entered a U.S. courtroom Saturday for the first time to face multiple terrorism charges, complaining that his prosthetic hooks, medication and special shoes were taken away from him. The preacher was one of five terrorism defendants rounded up in Britain and extradited overnight to the U.S.

Abu Hamza al-Masri was surrounded by several marshals in a Manhattan courtroom as he faced charges he conspired with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and helped abduct 16 hostages, two of them U.S. tourists, in Yemen in 1998.
Terror suspects from UK appear in NYC court

Al-Masri, 54, exposed both of his arms through his short-sleeved prison shirt. His court-appointed lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, asked that al-Masri, indicted under the name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, have his prosthetics immediately returned "so he can use his arms."

In the 1990s, al-Masri turned London's Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists, attracting followers, including Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.

Al-Masri — jailed since 2004 in Britain on separate charges — was flown overnight to New York from London along with four others accused of U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa and with helping terrorism operations in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

The five men, who all could face life in prison, have been battling extradition for between eight and 14 years.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the extraditions "a watershed moment in our nation's efforts to eradicate terrorism."

"As is charged, these are men who were at the nerve centers of al-Qaida's acts of terror, and they caused blood to be shed, lives to be lost, and families to be shattered."

In New York's federal court, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary entered not-guilty pleas to charges they participated in the bombings of embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. The attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. They were indicted in a case that also charged Osama bin Laden.

In New Haven, Conn., Syed Talha Ahsan, 33, and Babar Ahmad, 38, entered not-guilty pleas to charges they provided terrorists in Afghanistan and Chechnya with cash, recruits and equipment.

Al-Masri, a one-time nightclub bouncer, entered no plea, saying only "I do" when he was asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas whether he swears that his financial affidavit used to determine if he qualifies for a court-appointed lawyer was correct.

Shroff told Maas that al-Masri needed use of his arms. "Otherwise, he will not be able to function in a civilized manner."

She also asked for a dictating machine, saying he can't take notes, the return of his diabetes medication, and special shoes that prevent him from slipping. She said he will need a special diet and a full medical evaluation in prison.

Al-Masri peered through glasses as he consulted with Shroff and another court-appointed lawyer, Jerrod Thompson-Hicks, in a proceeding that lasted less than 15 minutes.

Al-Masri has one eye and claims to have lost his hands fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. His lawyers in England said he suffers from depression, chronic sleep deprivation, diabetes and other ailments.

Al-Masri faces 11 counts relating to the hostage taking in 1998, calling for holy war in Afghanistan in 2001 and participation in the failed 1999 effort by Seattle resident James Ujaama and others to create the terrorist-training camp on a Oregon ranch in Bly. Ujaama's testimony led to the indictments against al-Masri.

Shroff and Thompson-Hicks also represented al-Fawwaz, 50, a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Thompson-Hicks said he was concerned whether his client would be properly treated for hypertension and high blood pressure. Attorney Andrew Patel, representing Bary, 52, an Egyptian citizen, said his client needed asthma medicine and treatment for other medical conditions.

Patel, who declined to comment afterward, told Maas that Bary reserved the right to request bail in the future.

Four others who were tried in 2001 in the August 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania are serving life sentences.

Ahsan, 33, and Ahmad, 38, were kept detained while they await trial in Connecticut, where an Internet service provider was allegedly used to host a website. Their lawyers declined to comment.

Ahmad made efforts to secure GPS devices, Kevlar helmets, night-vision goggles, ballistic vests and camouflage uniforms, prosecutors said.

Al-Masri is not the first Egyptian-born preacher to be brought to Manhattan for trial. A blind sheik, Omar Abdel-Rahman, is serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 1995 in a plot to assassinate then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and in another to blow up New York landmarks, including the United Nations and two tunnels and a bridge linking New Jersey to Manhattan. Abdel-Rahman has various health problems, including heart trouble.

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.”