I was a Windows using, Apple hating, Android Fanboy and I was proud of it.
But it all changed when I took a job in Graphic design and began using a Mac and bought a used white Macbook for my personal use to get familiar with OS X.
I fell In love and soon after bought a brand new Macbook Pro and later after that, sold my Android tablet and purchased an iPad.
There was just one more piece of the Apple puzzle I was missing… the iPhone.
This all changed when wholesale fashion shoes finally announced they would begin selling it.
I love T-Mobile’s service in Cincinnati and couldn’t leave it and also found myself pretty aligned with the Android ecosystem and operating system.
For almost 5 years, I resisted the urge of iPhone and purchased well over 15 Android devices, on my search for the perfect one.
As it turns out, the perfect device was the one I never considered: The iPhone 5.
I’ve been using it for about a week now and many rabid Android fanboys told me I’d be back to my Nexus 4 in a week.
But thats just not the case, in Fact, Just 2 days after owning the iPhone, I sold my Nexus 4 and my wife’s Galaxy Nexus in one fell swoop.
I was sad that I was selling an Android device without replacing it with a newer device like I did so many times in the last 5 years.
I’m not sad because I’ll miss the greatness of Android but rather just because I believed in the platform far longer than a lot of people did.
I remember trying to convince everyone that the T-Mobile G1 wasn’t ugly and that Android was functionally better than iOS, but looking back, the iPhone 3G was a far superior device.
So what made me change? Well its not about what Android lacks but rather what iOS has gained that really pushed me towards the platform.
It doesn’t hurt that I use a Mac at both home and work and my wife uses an iPad as her only computing device (outside of iPhone).
iOS has always been more appealing to my eyes than Android and while Android has continually gotten faster and smoother over time, it still lacks the polish of iOS.
3 or 4 years ago, I couldn’t even consider the iPhone. The Notification system was horrible.
The Gmail experience was sub par. The maps app lacked turn by turn and early on it lacked any type of copy and paste.
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
2013年8月18日星期日
2013年7月9日星期二
The most exciting prospect is probably the fact
Whether these smaller games are your thing or not is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. There are some great gaming experiences on offer, if you know what you’re looking for, and the OUYA’s “Discover” section does a reasonable – if repetitive – job of surfacing some of the better games. The fact that each section of recommended games, be they the platform’s “featured” or a guest “playlist”, contains pretty much the same list of games is testament to how limited the selection is just now. But it’s early days and, if the platform’s “every game must have a free version” mantra doesn’t ruin the chances of developers profiting, there’s plenty of time for expansion in the software catalogue.
Everything on the OUYA Play section is playable with the controller but it’s also relatively easy to side-load much of the Android library, if you can get your hands on the .apk files that install them. The legality of this is often a grey area – some developers will just give you their install files while some apps can only be found by grubbing around in the internet’s less salubrious regions and circumventing the publisher’s approved distribution methods. Anything you side-load will likely have different degrees of controller support, most of it having been made for the touch-screen hardware that Android traditionally powers.
The controller, though, is awful. It feels like something designed by someone who has a vested interest in increasing the occurrence of hand cramp in gamers. Ergonomic, it isn’t.
It’s also shoddily made. The D-pad manages to achieve something I thought impossible: it’s worse than the Xbox 360 D-pad. For the style of games that currently dominate the Play section on OUYA – largely precise, focussed games in a pseudo-retro style – that’s unworkable. The triggers feel cheap and flimsy, with far too much sideways wobble as they descend and the face buttons are similarly spongey and regularly stick down, caught under the casing. The almost smooth, convex analogue sticks seem designed to offer the best possible chance of thumb-slippage and the trackpad in the centre of the controller is laggy and unresponsive. This is the worst videogame controller I’ve used in quite some time.
Happily, the vast majority of OUYA games are also compatible with one of the best controllers available: the PlayStation 3’s DualShock 3. Pairing this superior controller is simple, too, just plug it in once with the USB cable and it’ll pair to the OUYA and work until you pair it with something else. You lose the touchpad on the OUYA controller but there are limited use-cases for that at the moment anyway. Bluetooth keyboards and mice can also be paired, and presumably headsets would also work, in case anyone ports a chat app to it or a developer puts voice chat in their OUYA game. Unlikely? Maybe, but the potential of the OUYA is its most interesting aspect.
The OUYA is certainly not alone in the Android-powered games console market, although it’s the most well-known and probably the best funded. Competitors like GameStick and different approaches like Unu hint at the emergence of a veritable plethora of options in this largely unexplored mobile-to-TV market. It seems that numerous companies are seeing the potential in putting cheap (relatively) hardware, ostensibly for gaming, under your TV.wholesale fashion shoes The most exciting prospect is probably the fact that these systems are so easy to break into. OUYA might have a limited store just now but developing for Android is relatively easy and cheap. It’s also a hotbed for the retro emulation crowd – something that the OUYA supports quite openly.
Emulators are another legal grey area and it’s futile for us to go too deep on the discussion of the legality or morality behind emulating older systems on newer hardware. In very simple terms, emulators are generally perfectly legal but the software they enable is potentially still owned by someone else and running it on an emulator contravenes licensing laws. But it’s available, it’s simple and it works on OUYA. If you stick to emulating the games that you still own, on a tape or cartridge in your attic for example, you shouldn’t be straying far enough from legal or moral safe ground, either.
Solely as a games console, OUYA falls short at the moment and it’s incredibly unlikely that it will ever offer anything to tempt console gamers that generally stick to their modern military shooters, sports and racing games. If you like the kind of focussed experience that mobile gaming is abundant with, or smaller-scale indie games that don’t need the most powerful hardware to run on, there’s ample potential in OUYA. Likewise, if you’re keen on emulation (and happy with the ambiguous legality), OUYA is an ideal platform for you.
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
Everything on the OUYA Play section is playable with the controller but it’s also relatively easy to side-load much of the Android library, if you can get your hands on the .apk files that install them. The legality of this is often a grey area – some developers will just give you their install files while some apps can only be found by grubbing around in the internet’s less salubrious regions and circumventing the publisher’s approved distribution methods. Anything you side-load will likely have different degrees of controller support, most of it having been made for the touch-screen hardware that Android traditionally powers.
The controller, though, is awful. It feels like something designed by someone who has a vested interest in increasing the occurrence of hand cramp in gamers. Ergonomic, it isn’t.
It’s also shoddily made. The D-pad manages to achieve something I thought impossible: it’s worse than the Xbox 360 D-pad. For the style of games that currently dominate the Play section on OUYA – largely precise, focussed games in a pseudo-retro style – that’s unworkable. The triggers feel cheap and flimsy, with far too much sideways wobble as they descend and the face buttons are similarly spongey and regularly stick down, caught under the casing. The almost smooth, convex analogue sticks seem designed to offer the best possible chance of thumb-slippage and the trackpad in the centre of the controller is laggy and unresponsive. This is the worst videogame controller I’ve used in quite some time.
Happily, the vast majority of OUYA games are also compatible with one of the best controllers available: the PlayStation 3’s DualShock 3. Pairing this superior controller is simple, too, just plug it in once with the USB cable and it’ll pair to the OUYA and work until you pair it with something else. You lose the touchpad on the OUYA controller but there are limited use-cases for that at the moment anyway. Bluetooth keyboards and mice can also be paired, and presumably headsets would also work, in case anyone ports a chat app to it or a developer puts voice chat in their OUYA game. Unlikely? Maybe, but the potential of the OUYA is its most interesting aspect.
The OUYA is certainly not alone in the Android-powered games console market, although it’s the most well-known and probably the best funded. Competitors like GameStick and different approaches like Unu hint at the emergence of a veritable plethora of options in this largely unexplored mobile-to-TV market. It seems that numerous companies are seeing the potential in putting cheap (relatively) hardware, ostensibly for gaming, under your TV.wholesale fashion shoes The most exciting prospect is probably the fact that these systems are so easy to break into. OUYA might have a limited store just now but developing for Android is relatively easy and cheap. It’s also a hotbed for the retro emulation crowd – something that the OUYA supports quite openly.
Emulators are another legal grey area and it’s futile for us to go too deep on the discussion of the legality or morality behind emulating older systems on newer hardware. In very simple terms, emulators are generally perfectly legal but the software they enable is potentially still owned by someone else and running it on an emulator contravenes licensing laws. But it’s available, it’s simple and it works on OUYA. If you stick to emulating the games that you still own, on a tape or cartridge in your attic for example, you shouldn’t be straying far enough from legal or moral safe ground, either.
Solely as a games console, OUYA falls short at the moment and it’s incredibly unlikely that it will ever offer anything to tempt console gamers that generally stick to their modern military shooters, sports and racing games. If you like the kind of focussed experience that mobile gaming is abundant with, or smaller-scale indie games that don’t need the most powerful hardware to run on, there’s ample potential in OUYA. Likewise, if you’re keen on emulation (and happy with the ambiguous legality), OUYA is an ideal platform for you.
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
2013年6月6日星期四
The Aasthana Heritage Collection holds all these values
This season Glasgow based designer Georgia Wiseman launches a new geometric inspired jewellery collection.
The collection, which has been split into three distinct ranges: Dark Star, Eclipse and Geo, could not be more on trend for SS13, where graphic prints took center stage at Marni, Richard Nicoll and Peter Pilotto to name a few. The modern, 3-dimensional collection perfectly showcases Wiseman’s love of geometric pattern and its use in modern culture.
To celebrate the launch, StyleNest have a Georgia Wiseman necklace and earring set from the Dark Star range to giveaway, worth a total of ￡240.
Using the vibrant hues of Swarovski crystals against the contrast of metal, the set characterises the Dark Star collection perfectly. A little bit dark, yet feminine and delicate the pieces are simple enough to work into your everyday wardrobe, yet statement enough to turn heads come evening.
The Dark Star collection is also a prime example of Wiseman’s passion for working with high quality materials and using high quality craftsmanship. All of her jewellery is made in Georgia’s personal workshop, adjacent to her Glasgow based home. Her dedication to using skilled manufactures and traditional jewellery makers also helps retain the heritage of British craftsmanship in the UK.
Abharan Jewellers, has launched a new collection of jewellery called Aasthana Heritage Collection, which narrates the different eras of history of India in its designs and motifs. Based in Udupi, the Abharan Jewellers holds repute for its creative designs that range from traditional to contemporary.
The natural beauty of India has always been an important part of India’s rich cultural heritage. Palace walls still speak to us in intricate detail about the Lotus Flower; a motif that is seen across the country in various forms. Taking inspiration from this era, The Aasthana Heritage Collection’s design represents the Lotus Flower carved in gemstones and set in 18k gold and diamonds. The designs imbibe the quest of Indian royalty to create the best of jewellery for their women. The rich Indian legacy of master craftsmanship combined with the design elements of the time have inspired an unforgettable collection.
Speaking about the launch, Mr. Subhas M. Kamath, Managing Director and CEO, Abharan, said “Abharan has always been associated with delicate designs, beauty and purity. The Aasthana Heritage Collection holds all these values and helps its customers experience true royalty.”
In view of expanding its presence in India, Abharan Jewellers announced plans to inaugurate a new showroom in Karkala, Karnataka, which will showcase Abharan’s range of jewellery over two floors covering 4500 sq ft area.
Beginning in 1935, Abharan Jewellers currently holds a strong presence in Udupi, Shimoga Mangalore. Abharan was the first in India to introduce the ‘Karatometer’an imported device used to check the Karatage/quality of the gold. It also received the ISO 9001: 2008 certification for its quality management systems. Abharan has also been in the forefront of using technology (wi-fi enabled tabs) to enable quicker and faster billing to customers.
Despite significant investment in the store’s interior last year to create additional showroom space on the first floor, the store was forced to close.
Nick Stanhope, Director of EW Payne said ” We have been massively affected by Bluewater as shoppers have been drawn away from traditional businesses that pride themselves on delivering great products and exceptional customer service. As a fourth-generation family member it is devastating news for me, my family and colleagues at EW Payne that we have to close after such a long history in Bromley. Over the years we have served many generations of our customers and their family members as they purchased pieces to celebrate special occasions or as gifts.”
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
The collection, which has been split into three distinct ranges: Dark Star, Eclipse and Geo, could not be more on trend for SS13, where graphic prints took center stage at Marni, Richard Nicoll and Peter Pilotto to name a few. The modern, 3-dimensional collection perfectly showcases Wiseman’s love of geometric pattern and its use in modern culture.
To celebrate the launch, StyleNest have a Georgia Wiseman necklace and earring set from the Dark Star range to giveaway, worth a total of ￡240.
Using the vibrant hues of Swarovski crystals against the contrast of metal, the set characterises the Dark Star collection perfectly. A little bit dark, yet feminine and delicate the pieces are simple enough to work into your everyday wardrobe, yet statement enough to turn heads come evening.
The Dark Star collection is also a prime example of Wiseman’s passion for working with high quality materials and using high quality craftsmanship. All of her jewellery is made in Georgia’s personal workshop, adjacent to her Glasgow based home. Her dedication to using skilled manufactures and traditional jewellery makers also helps retain the heritage of British craftsmanship in the UK.
Abharan Jewellers, has launched a new collection of jewellery called Aasthana Heritage Collection, which narrates the different eras of history of India in its designs and motifs. Based in Udupi, the Abharan Jewellers holds repute for its creative designs that range from traditional to contemporary.
The natural beauty of India has always been an important part of India’s rich cultural heritage. Palace walls still speak to us in intricate detail about the Lotus Flower; a motif that is seen across the country in various forms. Taking inspiration from this era, The Aasthana Heritage Collection’s design represents the Lotus Flower carved in gemstones and set in 18k gold and diamonds. The designs imbibe the quest of Indian royalty to create the best of jewellery for their women. The rich Indian legacy of master craftsmanship combined with the design elements of the time have inspired an unforgettable collection.
Speaking about the launch, Mr. Subhas M. Kamath, Managing Director and CEO, Abharan, said “Abharan has always been associated with delicate designs, beauty and purity. The Aasthana Heritage Collection holds all these values and helps its customers experience true royalty.”
In view of expanding its presence in India, Abharan Jewellers announced plans to inaugurate a new showroom in Karkala, Karnataka, which will showcase Abharan’s range of jewellery over two floors covering 4500 sq ft area.
Beginning in 1935, Abharan Jewellers currently holds a strong presence in Udupi, Shimoga Mangalore. Abharan was the first in India to introduce the ‘Karatometer’an imported device used to check the Karatage/quality of the gold. It also received the ISO 9001: 2008 certification for its quality management systems. Abharan has also been in the forefront of using technology (wi-fi enabled tabs) to enable quicker and faster billing to customers.
Despite significant investment in the store’s interior last year to create additional showroom space on the first floor, the store was forced to close.
Nick Stanhope, Director of EW Payne said ” We have been massively affected by Bluewater as shoppers have been drawn away from traditional businesses that pride themselves on delivering great products and exceptional customer service. As a fourth-generation family member it is devastating news for me, my family and colleagues at EW Payne that we have to close after such a long history in Bromley. Over the years we have served many generations of our customers and their family members as they purchased pieces to celebrate special occasions or as gifts.”
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
2013年6月4日星期二
Fritsch utilises traditional precious materials
Nestled in between Manchester Art Gallery's world renowned art collections, stretching from the historic to the contemporary and everything in between, is a jewellery exhibition like no other. Until 23 June, the gallery is playing host to the first UK solo exhibition from internationally acclaimed jewellery designer Karl Fritsch, whose unique and boundary pushing pieces of work are sought after for exhibitions and by collectors across the world.
The unusual (and sometimes quite bizarre) collection features handcrafted pieces of jewellery where every process, from the soldering to the setting, has been completed by Fritsch himself – making each individual piece truly unique, right down to his fingerprints leaving their mark within the metals as a design feature. His work doesn’t place importance on perfection, but rather on each piece having a different story to tell.
Fritsch utilises traditional precious materials that you would expect to find in fine jewellery, such as gold and gemstones, and uses processes such as oxidisation, where he purposefully tarnishes and distresses these materials and combines them with non-precious objects. Even rusty screws are used to create pieces that are both ornate and 'decayed' or 'neglected' at the same time. The once bright and polished gold and silver materials are unrecognisable, reduced from their former glistening glory to their dull and dark oxidised form. These oxidised bands, often intricate and delicate, are juxtaposed with beautifully cut glass stones and gemstones, often piled high on top of each other and within the designs of the manipulated metal.
Some pieces feature nails piercing through gemstones and holding them in place, cut cylinders of gemstones interlocking and protruding through mounds of black metal, and show-stopping miniature sculptures, including a jewel-encrusted bronze cow sitting proudly on top of a ring, which would be considered unwearable by most due to the sculpture's actual size and weight!
Fritsch's jewellery completely breaks the boundaries of jewellery design and shows that it is possible to work even non-precious materials into something exquisite. His designs are praised as wearable pieces of avant-garde art, with each piece exciting and intriguing. Over his career, he has never failed to surprise with his lavish, ornamental and often outrageous collections. A jewellery show of this calibre and exclusivity is rarely seen in the UK, and is a must-attend event for anyone interested in design – and many of Fritsch's pieces are also available to purchase, with prices starting from (a pretty reasonable) ￡100.
Long is a studio jeweller and says that by accessorising our outfits with pendants and other beautiful objects, we are all curators of art.
An array of hand-wrought pendants crafted by Long is now on display at the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre.
The Wearer as Curator is the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre’s first exhibition of jewellery.
“It’s 25 pendants and one sculpture,” Long said.
“The idea is all about making art more accessible.
“Often art’s a bit removed from the lives of every day people.
“A lot of people don’t realise that when they put on a pendent, almost every day, they’re curating their own art exhibition – that’s why its called Wearer as Creator.
“They make sure they wear the right neckline, the right colours – they’re curating.
“So it’s trying to make that point that art is part of our everyday lives, it’s not something that’s removed.”
Long said the exhibition also highlighted that jewellery was also art.
“This is not your fashion jewellery, this is art jewellery.
“I refer to myself as a studio jeweller, which means that I design and make all my own work.
“So I see it through from the conception, to making it and selling it.”
Long uses sterling silver as a base for most of his creations and adorns them with various items including Bakelite buttons.
The exhibition also includes a life-sized sculpture designed by Long and constructed by Ian Dell.
“Mankind has been making pendants from the earliest time,” Long said in his artist’s statement.
“Most of these have had specific and practical purposes, including to bring luck and good fortune, to ward off evil spirits, to identify with tribes and kinfolk, to denote status and so on.
“But as societies have evolved and become more sophisticated the practical has gradually become more subjugated to the decorative and ornamental.
“Of all the different types of jewellery, pendants have often been a critical accessory because of their prominent position on the body and their central position on a chain.”
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
The unusual (and sometimes quite bizarre) collection features handcrafted pieces of jewellery where every process, from the soldering to the setting, has been completed by Fritsch himself – making each individual piece truly unique, right down to his fingerprints leaving their mark within the metals as a design feature. His work doesn’t place importance on perfection, but rather on each piece having a different story to tell.
Fritsch utilises traditional precious materials that you would expect to find in fine jewellery, such as gold and gemstones, and uses processes such as oxidisation, where he purposefully tarnishes and distresses these materials and combines them with non-precious objects. Even rusty screws are used to create pieces that are both ornate and 'decayed' or 'neglected' at the same time. The once bright and polished gold and silver materials are unrecognisable, reduced from their former glistening glory to their dull and dark oxidised form. These oxidised bands, often intricate and delicate, are juxtaposed with beautifully cut glass stones and gemstones, often piled high on top of each other and within the designs of the manipulated metal.
Some pieces feature nails piercing through gemstones and holding them in place, cut cylinders of gemstones interlocking and protruding through mounds of black metal, and show-stopping miniature sculptures, including a jewel-encrusted bronze cow sitting proudly on top of a ring, which would be considered unwearable by most due to the sculpture's actual size and weight!
Fritsch's jewellery completely breaks the boundaries of jewellery design and shows that it is possible to work even non-precious materials into something exquisite. His designs are praised as wearable pieces of avant-garde art, with each piece exciting and intriguing. Over his career, he has never failed to surprise with his lavish, ornamental and often outrageous collections. A jewellery show of this calibre and exclusivity is rarely seen in the UK, and is a must-attend event for anyone interested in design – and many of Fritsch's pieces are also available to purchase, with prices starting from (a pretty reasonable) ￡100.
Long is a studio jeweller and says that by accessorising our outfits with pendants and other beautiful objects, we are all curators of art.
An array of hand-wrought pendants crafted by Long is now on display at the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre.
The Wearer as Curator is the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre’s first exhibition of jewellery.
“It’s 25 pendants and one sculpture,” Long said.
“The idea is all about making art more accessible.
“Often art’s a bit removed from the lives of every day people.
“A lot of people don’t realise that when they put on a pendent, almost every day, they’re curating their own art exhibition – that’s why its called Wearer as Creator.
“They make sure they wear the right neckline, the right colours – they’re curating.
“So it’s trying to make that point that art is part of our everyday lives, it’s not something that’s removed.”
Long said the exhibition also highlighted that jewellery was also art.
“This is not your fashion jewellery, this is art jewellery.
“I refer to myself as a studio jeweller, which means that I design and make all my own work.
“So I see it through from the conception, to making it and selling it.”
Long uses sterling silver as a base for most of his creations and adorns them with various items including Bakelite buttons.
The exhibition also includes a life-sized sculpture designed by Long and constructed by Ian Dell.
“Mankind has been making pendants from the earliest time,” Long said in his artist’s statement.
“Most of these have had specific and practical purposes, including to bring luck and good fortune, to ward off evil spirits, to identify with tribes and kinfolk, to denote status and so on.
“But as societies have evolved and become more sophisticated the practical has gradually become more subjugated to the decorative and ornamental.
“Of all the different types of jewellery, pendants have often been a critical accessory because of their prominent position on the body and their central position on a chain.”
Read the full story at wwww.beralleshoes.com!
2013年5月28日星期二
This will not require Deacon Yanga to establish
DEACON Ladu Yanga, from Banyo's Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary, is
praying for a miraculous unravelling of government red tape so his
mother can fly from Sudan to attend his ordination to the priesthood
this month.
He's tried once with the help of immigration lawyer Peter Lee to get his mother Kolorina Martin to Australia in time for the June 29 ordination.
Deacon Yanga attempted to get his mother here from newly independent South Sudan on a "Visitor visa - Sponsored Family stream".
Seminary vice-rector Fr Frank Devoy, along with Peter Lee's office, is spearheading a new attempt to get the Sudanese-born deacon's mother here on a "Visitor visa - Tourist stream".
This will not require Deacon Yanga to establish his relationship to Mrs Martin.
A letter has been despatched to Wayne Swan, Federal MP for the electorate to which the Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary belongs, in the hope a complex visa approval process can be sped up.
The letter, signed by all the seminary's staff and seminarians, outlined the urgency of the situation.
"It stated that Deacon Ladu is known to us all as a remarkable and dedicated person who wishes to use his gifts in a lifetime of service in the Church in Australia and the community at large," Fr Devoy said.
"The seminary offers a financial guarantee that Mrs Martin will return home to Sudan after her son's ordination.
"We appeal for the issue of this visa so all at the seminary may have the joy of her presence at this memorable and holy event in her son's life."
But, as Fr Devoy explained, "time is of the essence in what is a very complex process".
The process was carried out in the failed attempt to get Mrs Martin on a "Visitor visa - Sponsored Family stream".
"First we had to scan the relevant form and get it to Mrs Martin who lives about 80 kilometres from the South Sudanese capital Juba," Fr Devoy said.
"Mrs Martin then had to get the document to Juba where she signed it with a thumb print in front of government officials.
"The form then came back to us to be packaged with other forms and sent to the Immigration Department at which time the application was refused."
Fr Devoy said this whole process had taken nearly five weeks.
"Now we're back at the start of a new application process with Mrs Martin having to sign the new visa application," he said.
"And at this stage we haven't received Mrs Martin's newly signed document back from South Sudan yet.
"Once this is verified, the Immigration Department will send the documentation on to the Immigration Office at the Australian High Commission in Nairobi.
"This is the office which will issue the relevant visa to allow Mrs Martin to come to Australia for her son's ordination.
"With the ordination so close, time is of the essence which is why we've contacted Wayne Swan in the hope the process can be somehow expedited."
Deacon Yanga was accepted as a refugee to Australia in 2001, more than a decade after being separated from his family and escaping to Kenya as a teenager.
He said he listed Mrs Martin's name as his mother on his refugee application.
The deacon sponsored three brothers to migrate to Australia in 2006 but his mother chose to return to a newly independent South Sudan to look after her other children after years in exile in neighbouring Uganda.
Mrs Martin has more than a dozen grandchildren in the country.
Deacon Yanga said he was not happy about the situation.
"But at the end of the day, what can I do," he said.
"We're trying every possible means but we're running out of time.
"It is so important to have my own mother with me for this memorable and holy event in my life.
"I'm still hopeful, but these processes take at least four weeks even when things are working well.
He's tried once with the help of immigration lawyer Peter Lee to get his mother Kolorina Martin to Australia in time for the June 29 ordination.
Deacon Yanga attempted to get his mother here from newly independent South Sudan on a "Visitor visa - Sponsored Family stream".
Seminary vice-rector Fr Frank Devoy, along with Peter Lee's office, is spearheading a new attempt to get the Sudanese-born deacon's mother here on a "Visitor visa - Tourist stream".
This will not require Deacon Yanga to establish his relationship to Mrs Martin.
A letter has been despatched to Wayne Swan, Federal MP for the electorate to which the Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary belongs, in the hope a complex visa approval process can be sped up.
The letter, signed by all the seminary's staff and seminarians, outlined the urgency of the situation.
"It stated that Deacon Ladu is known to us all as a remarkable and dedicated person who wishes to use his gifts in a lifetime of service in the Church in Australia and the community at large," Fr Devoy said.
"The seminary offers a financial guarantee that Mrs Martin will return home to Sudan after her son's ordination.
"We appeal for the issue of this visa so all at the seminary may have the joy of her presence at this memorable and holy event in her son's life."
But, as Fr Devoy explained, "time is of the essence in what is a very complex process".
The process was carried out in the failed attempt to get Mrs Martin on a "Visitor visa - Sponsored Family stream".
"First we had to scan the relevant form and get it to Mrs Martin who lives about 80 kilometres from the South Sudanese capital Juba," Fr Devoy said.
"Mrs Martin then had to get the document to Juba where she signed it with a thumb print in front of government officials.
"The form then came back to us to be packaged with other forms and sent to the Immigration Department at which time the application was refused."
Fr Devoy said this whole process had taken nearly five weeks.
"Now we're back at the start of a new application process with Mrs Martin having to sign the new visa application," he said.
"And at this stage we haven't received Mrs Martin's newly signed document back from South Sudan yet.
"Once this is verified, the Immigration Department will send the documentation on to the Immigration Office at the Australian High Commission in Nairobi.
"This is the office which will issue the relevant visa to allow Mrs Martin to come to Australia for her son's ordination.
"With the ordination so close, time is of the essence which is why we've contacted Wayne Swan in the hope the process can be somehow expedited."
Deacon Yanga was accepted as a refugee to Australia in 2001, more than a decade after being separated from his family and escaping to Kenya as a teenager.
He said he listed Mrs Martin's name as his mother on his refugee application.
The deacon sponsored three brothers to migrate to Australia in 2006 but his mother chose to return to a newly independent South Sudan to look after her other children after years in exile in neighbouring Uganda.
Mrs Martin has more than a dozen grandchildren in the country.
Deacon Yanga said he was not happy about the situation.
"But at the end of the day, what can I do," he said.
"We're trying every possible means but we're running out of time.
"It is so important to have my own mother with me for this memorable and holy event in my life.
"I'm still hopeful, but these processes take at least four weeks even when things are working well.
Rivera also seemed to appreciate the gifts
Jimmy Crupi and John Colombo have been working the security detail in the Mets visitors bullpen for more than 20 years, so that means they were on duty the first time Mariano Rivera showed up for work at Shea Stadium on June 26, 1998, the night he would earn his first save in Queens.
For the next 15 years the two men, especially Crupi, developed a bond with Rivera, a player they both consider to be the finest gentleman, and among the most good-natured pranksters, they have encountered in their work.
Rivera has forged relationships with various bullpen security guards from New York to Anaheim, but he seemed to hold a special affinity for Crupi.
Rivera, the Yankees 43-year-old closer who has said he will retire after the season, noted Tuesday at a news conference held by the Mets to honor him that Citi Field if full of familiar faces, including Crupi’s.
“I have a lot of good friends, actually, here at the stadium,” he said. “I have one in the bullpen, Jimmy. Jimmy is my man, there.”
Colombo confirmed the special affinity that Rivera holds for Crupi, even in enemy territory.
“Mo loves him,” Colombo said. “You should see, when he sees Jimmy, he just lights up. Jimmy’s been his guy for years.”
Crupi first started working at Shea in 1980 when Rivera was a schoolboy in Panama. He moved into the bullpen a few years later and has been there since the inception of the Subway Series at Shea in 1998. He called Rivera, “a hell of a nice guy,” who always asks about his family and jokes around with him. He said he never once saw Rivera refuse an autograph request from a fan and always treated everyone around him with respect.
“He was never a guy with his nose up in the air,” Crupi said. “He’s a lot of fun to be around.”
Crupi and Colombo seemed especially taken with Rivera’s sense of humor and willingness to include the guards in his pranks.
One time Colombo said he had an encounter with a fan that could have escalated into an incident. He said the fan was throwing peanuts at him and they kept hitting him. After the first one Colombo looked up into the stands and issued the fan a warning to stop. He got hit a second time and in a more stern tone told the fan that if it happened again, he would have to come into the stands and deal with it directly.
By the time the third peanut hit him, Colombo noticed Rivera, sitting nearby, doubled over and laughing hysterically. Rivera had been the culprit all along, stealthily flicking the peanuts at Colombo while pretending to be looking at the field.
But Rivera also enjoyed being on the other end of lighthearted jokes. Crupi and Colombo recalled the story of the grounds crew worker, who was also friendly with Rivera during his time at Shea and Citi Field.
One day the worker asked Rivera if he would sign a baseball for him, and Rivera quickly agreed. In the back hallways where Rivera could not see, he assembled several dozen empty boxes of balls (each one holds nine balls), enough to have taken hours to sign. He piled the empty boxes on a cart and wheeled them into the bullpen when Rivera was not looking.
The worker then approached Rivera, standing in front of the boxes so that Rivera could not see, and handed the closer one pearly white baseball. Rivera signed it. He thanked him and then told Rivera he had a few more for him to sign, stepping aside to reveal the cart with the stack of boxes. Rivera’s jaw dropped at first before he realized the boxes were empty.
“He laughed and laughed for like 10 minutes,” Colombo said. “He thought it was great.”
Rivera also seemed to appreciate the gifts the Mets gave him Tuesday to commemorate what was expected to be his final game at Citi Field, a start delayed more than an hour by rain. Being called the greatest fireman of all time, Rivera was given a mounted nozzle from a New York City Fire Department fire hose, presented by Jeff Wilpon, the Mets chief operating officer; and a mounted fire call box, presented by New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.
Wilpon noted that Rivera usually throws the last pitch in games, but asked him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday’s game. Rivera said he would be honored. He pitched to John Franco, and the scoreboard read, “Congratulations on a Hall of Fame Career.”
“Mariano, we’ve watched you for so many years,” Wilpon said. “It’s a great honor to have you here for the last time. I wish we could see you in the World Series, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
The Mets were 10 games under .500 going into Tuesday’s game, but Rivera politely said, “You never know.”
Wilpon shrugged and said: “We could get on a run. The fact is it’s been great to watch you. We just really want to celebrate your last year.”
When Crupi heard that Rivera had mentioned him in front of about four members of the news media, he was humbled, but not surprised; nor was Colombo.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Colombo said, “and I can say without hesitation he’s the best man I’ve ever met in baseball.”
For the next 15 years the two men, especially Crupi, developed a bond with Rivera, a player they both consider to be the finest gentleman, and among the most good-natured pranksters, they have encountered in their work.
Rivera has forged relationships with various bullpen security guards from New York to Anaheim, but he seemed to hold a special affinity for Crupi.
Rivera, the Yankees 43-year-old closer who has said he will retire after the season, noted Tuesday at a news conference held by the Mets to honor him that Citi Field if full of familiar faces, including Crupi’s.
“I have a lot of good friends, actually, here at the stadium,” he said. “I have one in the bullpen, Jimmy. Jimmy is my man, there.”
Colombo confirmed the special affinity that Rivera holds for Crupi, even in enemy territory.
“Mo loves him,” Colombo said. “You should see, when he sees Jimmy, he just lights up. Jimmy’s been his guy for years.”
Crupi first started working at Shea in 1980 when Rivera was a schoolboy in Panama. He moved into the bullpen a few years later and has been there since the inception of the Subway Series at Shea in 1998. He called Rivera, “a hell of a nice guy,” who always asks about his family and jokes around with him. He said he never once saw Rivera refuse an autograph request from a fan and always treated everyone around him with respect.
“He was never a guy with his nose up in the air,” Crupi said. “He’s a lot of fun to be around.”
Crupi and Colombo seemed especially taken with Rivera’s sense of humor and willingness to include the guards in his pranks.
One time Colombo said he had an encounter with a fan that could have escalated into an incident. He said the fan was throwing peanuts at him and they kept hitting him. After the first one Colombo looked up into the stands and issued the fan a warning to stop. He got hit a second time and in a more stern tone told the fan that if it happened again, he would have to come into the stands and deal with it directly.
By the time the third peanut hit him, Colombo noticed Rivera, sitting nearby, doubled over and laughing hysterically. Rivera had been the culprit all along, stealthily flicking the peanuts at Colombo while pretending to be looking at the field.
But Rivera also enjoyed being on the other end of lighthearted jokes. Crupi and Colombo recalled the story of the grounds crew worker, who was also friendly with Rivera during his time at Shea and Citi Field.
One day the worker asked Rivera if he would sign a baseball for him, and Rivera quickly agreed. In the back hallways where Rivera could not see, he assembled several dozen empty boxes of balls (each one holds nine balls), enough to have taken hours to sign. He piled the empty boxes on a cart and wheeled them into the bullpen when Rivera was not looking.
The worker then approached Rivera, standing in front of the boxes so that Rivera could not see, and handed the closer one pearly white baseball. Rivera signed it. He thanked him and then told Rivera he had a few more for him to sign, stepping aside to reveal the cart with the stack of boxes. Rivera’s jaw dropped at first before he realized the boxes were empty.
“He laughed and laughed for like 10 minutes,” Colombo said. “He thought it was great.”
Rivera also seemed to appreciate the gifts the Mets gave him Tuesday to commemorate what was expected to be his final game at Citi Field, a start delayed more than an hour by rain. Being called the greatest fireman of all time, Rivera was given a mounted nozzle from a New York City Fire Department fire hose, presented by Jeff Wilpon, the Mets chief operating officer; and a mounted fire call box, presented by New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.
Wilpon noted that Rivera usually throws the last pitch in games, but asked him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday’s game. Rivera said he would be honored. He pitched to John Franco, and the scoreboard read, “Congratulations on a Hall of Fame Career.”
“Mariano, we’ve watched you for so many years,” Wilpon said. “It’s a great honor to have you here for the last time. I wish we could see you in the World Series, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
The Mets were 10 games under .500 going into Tuesday’s game, but Rivera politely said, “You never know.”
Wilpon shrugged and said: “We could get on a run. The fact is it’s been great to watch you. We just really want to celebrate your last year.”
When Crupi heard that Rivera had mentioned him in front of about four members of the news media, he was humbled, but not surprised; nor was Colombo.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Colombo said, “and I can say without hesitation he’s the best man I’ve ever met in baseball.”
2012年12月13日星期四
Boxing makes a bullish return to network TV
There is a generation of boxing fans that never had the chance to plop down in a recliner on a Saturday afternoon, channel hop (when you actually had to get up to change the channel) and catch boxing on network TV.
It’s probably inconceivable to today’s fans that the most popular heavyweight champion of the 20th Century, Muhammad Ali, fought Jimmy Young, Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks and other contenders on network TV. These days a fan may shell out $59.95 to see a pair of fighters that can’t even sniff the bottom of the “The Greatest’s” shoes.
But something quite seismic will occur on consecutive weekends this month – for the first time in many years live boxing will be featured on network TV, starting with CBS’s broadcast bantamweight beltholder Leo Santa Cruz defending his IBF title against fellow unbeaten Alberto Guevara at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday.
But what happened to boxing on network TV in the first place? It was a Saturday afternoon staple throughout the 1980s and into the early-1990s. Then it slowly withered.
“I think network boxing disappeared because the promoters, and quite honestly, the fighters, were more concerned about a payday than growing their fighters and growing the sport,” said Jon Miller, the president of programming for NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network. “Boxing just migrated to cable from there, then eventually to pay cable, choking off any kind of development for a good, young fighter to build a fanbase.
Though ratings were solid, boxing became a tough sell to advertisers. It wasn’t a dependable sports property at the time, because promoters weren’t willing to put their name fighters in against comparable competition. Consequently, the result was a lopsided fight.
“The problem was the tomato can would go down after one round and then you’d be stuck with 90 minutes of programming that you couldn’t fill with live boxing, so the advertisers would under deliver,” Miller said.
Advertisers needed to go some place where they knew they’d get value, so they plunged their resources into college football and college basketball. Programming they knew was dependable, that was going to endure and be competitive throughout the time window.
“Eventually, we knew (we were) not getting good matchups and the fighters we were interested in had migrated to pay cable, so there were other options that came down the pike. Boxing did a terrible job of managing their future,” Miller said.
Boxing trail-off for NBC occurred in the mid-1990s and by 1998-‘99 the network was out completely, dabbling a little into the sport in 2004.
“The ratings were fine,” Miller said. “There was no problem with the delivery. In fact, the ratings were better than a lot of other programming out there, but at end of the day, if a network can’t sell advertising and the affiliates aren’t supportive, it becomes a losing proposition.”
What changed NBC’s thought process toward boxing has been the success of Fight Night, which debuted in January of this year on the NBC Sports Network, owned by powerful Comcast. Gary Quinn, the senior director of programming for NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network, oversaw the network’s new foray into boxing. He put together a template, along with Main Events’ Kathy Duva and Hall of Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, which received strong feedback.
“We didn’t originally plan to get back into boxing on the network side until we saw how well Fight Night went,” Miller admitted. “It’s been successful because of the concept of putting together good, even-matched compelling fighters, with good stories who understand the value of being on linear television, getting their names out there and growing their brands. When the guys came to the table and we saw how successful it was, we jumped on it.”
NBC is looking at six-to-eight Fight Night shows in 2013 and possibly a few that could make the network.
“And I’ll never say never about primetime if the right fight comes up on a Saturday night, but right now, we’re slotted for weekend afternoons,” Miller said. “I’m not ruling out the possibility that something could be prime time, but the financials of that could make it difficult to pull off.”
As for CBS, their plan is more nebulous. Santa Cruz-Guevara, in what promises to be an action fight, is more of a lead into Showtime’s Kahn-Molina broadcast.
Still, Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza is excited about the prospect of being part of something that hasn’t been shown on CBS in over a decade. Espinoza grew up watching boxing on Saturday afternoons on network TV, and witnessed the sport’s subsequent exodus the sport made to cable.
“I think the pendulum is swinging back the other way,” he said. “I think boxing has been more active and more vibrant in the last 18 months to two years than probably any point in a couple of decades.
“I’m very bullish on the sport and the future of it on network TV. If this works well, I would love to see more shows on network TV. I can’t imagine any other way for fighters to get more exposure. I won’t rule out a possibility that there could be more shows on network TV. Right now, we want to take our best foot forward and be grateful to CBS for giving us this opportunity on a one-time basis.”
It’s probably inconceivable to today’s fans that the most popular heavyweight champion of the 20th Century, Muhammad Ali, fought Jimmy Young, Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks and other contenders on network TV. These days a fan may shell out $59.95 to see a pair of fighters that can’t even sniff the bottom of the “The Greatest’s” shoes.
But something quite seismic will occur on consecutive weekends this month – for the first time in many years live boxing will be featured on network TV, starting with CBS’s broadcast bantamweight beltholder Leo Santa Cruz defending his IBF title against fellow unbeaten Alberto Guevara at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday.
But what happened to boxing on network TV in the first place? It was a Saturday afternoon staple throughout the 1980s and into the early-1990s. Then it slowly withered.
“I think network boxing disappeared because the promoters, and quite honestly, the fighters, were more concerned about a payday than growing their fighters and growing the sport,” said Jon Miller, the president of programming for NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network. “Boxing just migrated to cable from there, then eventually to pay cable, choking off any kind of development for a good, young fighter to build a fanbase.
Though ratings were solid, boxing became a tough sell to advertisers. It wasn’t a dependable sports property at the time, because promoters weren’t willing to put their name fighters in against comparable competition. Consequently, the result was a lopsided fight.
“The problem was the tomato can would go down after one round and then you’d be stuck with 90 minutes of programming that you couldn’t fill with live boxing, so the advertisers would under deliver,” Miller said.
Advertisers needed to go some place where they knew they’d get value, so they plunged their resources into college football and college basketball. Programming they knew was dependable, that was going to endure and be competitive throughout the time window.
“Eventually, we knew (we were) not getting good matchups and the fighters we were interested in had migrated to pay cable, so there were other options that came down the pike. Boxing did a terrible job of managing their future,” Miller said.
Boxing trail-off for NBC occurred in the mid-1990s and by 1998-‘99 the network was out completely, dabbling a little into the sport in 2004.
“The ratings were fine,” Miller said. “There was no problem with the delivery. In fact, the ratings were better than a lot of other programming out there, but at end of the day, if a network can’t sell advertising and the affiliates aren’t supportive, it becomes a losing proposition.”
What changed NBC’s thought process toward boxing has been the success of Fight Night, which debuted in January of this year on the NBC Sports Network, owned by powerful Comcast. Gary Quinn, the senior director of programming for NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network, oversaw the network’s new foray into boxing. He put together a template, along with Main Events’ Kathy Duva and Hall of Fame promoter J Russell Peltz, which received strong feedback.
“We didn’t originally plan to get back into boxing on the network side until we saw how well Fight Night went,” Miller admitted. “It’s been successful because of the concept of putting together good, even-matched compelling fighters, with good stories who understand the value of being on linear television, getting their names out there and growing their brands. When the guys came to the table and we saw how successful it was, we jumped on it.”
NBC is looking at six-to-eight Fight Night shows in 2013 and possibly a few that could make the network.
“And I’ll never say never about primetime if the right fight comes up on a Saturday night, but right now, we’re slotted for weekend afternoons,” Miller said. “I’m not ruling out the possibility that something could be prime time, but the financials of that could make it difficult to pull off.”
As for CBS, their plan is more nebulous. Santa Cruz-Guevara, in what promises to be an action fight, is more of a lead into Showtime’s Kahn-Molina broadcast.
Still, Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza is excited about the prospect of being part of something that hasn’t been shown on CBS in over a decade. Espinoza grew up watching boxing on Saturday afternoons on network TV, and witnessed the sport’s subsequent exodus the sport made to cable.
“I think the pendulum is swinging back the other way,” he said. “I think boxing has been more active and more vibrant in the last 18 months to two years than probably any point in a couple of decades.
“I’m very bullish on the sport and the future of it on network TV. If this works well, I would love to see more shows on network TV. I can’t imagine any other way for fighters to get more exposure. I won’t rule out a possibility that there could be more shows on network TV. Right now, we want to take our best foot forward and be grateful to CBS for giving us this opportunity on a one-time basis.”
2012年9月18日星期二
Woman on trial in child abuse case
Ebonee Bowers said in court Tuesday that she was in an abusive relationship and the only person who could have stomped on her child's face was her boyfriend, Dametrius Freeman.
Bowers, 25, is on trial on charges of child abuse and neglect, accused of slamming her then-17-month-old daughter's head into the floor and then stepping on Imani while wearing white Crocs shoes.
Bowers made the claims about Freeman, 24, while jurors were out of the courtroom, as Judge Lawton McIntosh and attorneys ran through Bowers' expected testimony in an effort to see if her accusations will be allowed to be made in front of the jurors when the trial continues today.
McIntosh dismissed the jury Tuesday afternoon to examine the legal implications of allowing or forbidding Bowers to accuse someone else of the crimes. Freeman faces the same charge of neglect but not the more severe abuse charge. He is on a list of potential witnesses but has not been called to the witness stand, even as prosecutors rested their case Tuesday.
Defense attorney Bruce Byrholdt said investigators neglected to look at Freeman after they had coerced Bowers into signing a confession.
Bowers signed two statements in early August 2010, shortly after Imani was injured and nearly died.
The first was in AnMed Health while her child was being prepared for a medical helicopter flight to Greenville and the second was at the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
In the first statement, Bowers told investigators Imani had fallen from a counter and a bathtub in the house on separate days. She said it was what Freeman had told her had happened while she was at work.
In the second statement, a confession, Bowers admitted stomping on her daughter's face and slamming Imani's head into the floor.
When jurors were gone, Bowers said on the witness stand that she did not injure Imani in any way.
She said that Freeman had physically harmed her and after Imani was injured she found out he was on probation and could get in trouble for having lived with her instead of his listed address.
Tuesday was the second day of Bowers' trial and began with lead investigator Todd Owens of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, who detailed how Bowers signed the confession.
Owens testified that he told Bowers she needed to tell the truth or risk 20 years going by without being with her children.
Byrholdt said it was a clear threat, made before she signed the confession.
"Twenty years she wasn't going to see her kids," Byrholdt said. "You don't think that's putting pressure on her?"
Judge McIntosh said jurors would be able to make up their minds but he interpreted Owens' comments as relaying to Bowers the factual penalties of such a crime.
Department of Social Services worker Megan Overton said she witnessed the confession process but her notes had been inadvertently destroyed. She could not recall Owens saying anything about 20 years to Bowers, but Overton told Byrholdt that if Owens had said something to that effect, it could be considered a threat.
Anderson County sheriff's detective Michele Hendrix also witnessed the confession process and she testified that, as sheriff's deputies, she and Owens had no control over the Department of Social Services, which had already taken Bowers' other two children, including Imani's twin, into protective custody.
Another social worker testified that Imani is recovering with grandparents in another state and she still walks with a leg brace while continuing work with physical, speech and occupational therapists.
Owens said he kept a calm demeanor as he begged Bowers to tell the truth in an interview room.
"Did Mr. Freeman do this? Did someone else do this? Did you do this?" Owens recalled asking Bowers.
He said she paused at the last question, as if she had something to get off her chest.
"She puts her head down a bit and turns, she stops sucking her thumb and she starts telling me what happened," Owens said.
Owens then took Bowers to his office to draft a typed confession.
Owens said he typically types out confessions for suspects, to keep the statements focused and factual, but he works with the suspects next to him and reads it as he goes to allow for corrections and changes.
Byrholdt said it was all too convenient.
"It sure would be easier for the jury if we had a video tape," he said.
Owens and Hendrix each said Anderson County Sheriff's Office policy calls for not recording any confessions.
"It makes it hard to challenge (a confession), doesn't it?" Byrholdt said.
Byrholdt said that no physical evidence ties Bowers to the abuse. Shoes taken from her apartment, including a pair of white Crocs, did not have any DNA or blood found after forensic tests, investigators said.
Owens said there may not have been blood because the injuries were internal, to Imani's brain.
Byrholdt said Owens should have asked Bowers if she was afraid of Freeman. The detective said he gave Bowers opportunities to say it was Freeman but he didn't push Bowers to see if she felt intimidated by her boyfriend.The trial continues Wednesday, with Bowers expected to return to the witness stand.
Bowers, 25, is on trial on charges of child abuse and neglect, accused of slamming her then-17-month-old daughter's head into the floor and then stepping on Imani while wearing white Crocs shoes.
Bowers made the claims about Freeman, 24, while jurors were out of the courtroom, as Judge Lawton McIntosh and attorneys ran through Bowers' expected testimony in an effort to see if her accusations will be allowed to be made in front of the jurors when the trial continues today.
McIntosh dismissed the jury Tuesday afternoon to examine the legal implications of allowing or forbidding Bowers to accuse someone else of the crimes. Freeman faces the same charge of neglect but not the more severe abuse charge. He is on a list of potential witnesses but has not been called to the witness stand, even as prosecutors rested their case Tuesday.
Defense attorney Bruce Byrholdt said investigators neglected to look at Freeman after they had coerced Bowers into signing a confession.
Bowers signed two statements in early August 2010, shortly after Imani was injured and nearly died.
The first was in AnMed Health while her child was being prepared for a medical helicopter flight to Greenville and the second was at the Anderson County Sheriff's Office.
In the first statement, Bowers told investigators Imani had fallen from a counter and a bathtub in the house on separate days. She said it was what Freeman had told her had happened while she was at work.
In the second statement, a confession, Bowers admitted stomping on her daughter's face and slamming Imani's head into the floor.
When jurors were gone, Bowers said on the witness stand that she did not injure Imani in any way.
She said that Freeman had physically harmed her and after Imani was injured she found out he was on probation and could get in trouble for having lived with her instead of his listed address.
Tuesday was the second day of Bowers' trial and began with lead investigator Todd Owens of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, who detailed how Bowers signed the confession.
Owens testified that he told Bowers she needed to tell the truth or risk 20 years going by without being with her children.
Byrholdt said it was a clear threat, made before she signed the confession.
"Twenty years she wasn't going to see her kids," Byrholdt said. "You don't think that's putting pressure on her?"
Judge McIntosh said jurors would be able to make up their minds but he interpreted Owens' comments as relaying to Bowers the factual penalties of such a crime.
Department of Social Services worker Megan Overton said she witnessed the confession process but her notes had been inadvertently destroyed. She could not recall Owens saying anything about 20 years to Bowers, but Overton told Byrholdt that if Owens had said something to that effect, it could be considered a threat.
Anderson County sheriff's detective Michele Hendrix also witnessed the confession process and she testified that, as sheriff's deputies, she and Owens had no control over the Department of Social Services, which had already taken Bowers' other two children, including Imani's twin, into protective custody.
Another social worker testified that Imani is recovering with grandparents in another state and she still walks with a leg brace while continuing work with physical, speech and occupational therapists.
Owens said he kept a calm demeanor as he begged Bowers to tell the truth in an interview room.
"Did Mr. Freeman do this? Did someone else do this? Did you do this?" Owens recalled asking Bowers.
He said she paused at the last question, as if she had something to get off her chest.
"She puts her head down a bit and turns, she stops sucking her thumb and she starts telling me what happened," Owens said.
Owens then took Bowers to his office to draft a typed confession.
Owens said he typically types out confessions for suspects, to keep the statements focused and factual, but he works with the suspects next to him and reads it as he goes to allow for corrections and changes.
Byrholdt said it was all too convenient.
"It sure would be easier for the jury if we had a video tape," he said.
Owens and Hendrix each said Anderson County Sheriff's Office policy calls for not recording any confessions.
"It makes it hard to challenge (a confession), doesn't it?" Byrholdt said.
Byrholdt said that no physical evidence ties Bowers to the abuse. Shoes taken from her apartment, including a pair of white Crocs, did not have any DNA or blood found after forensic tests, investigators said.
Owens said there may not have been blood because the injuries were internal, to Imani's brain.
Byrholdt said Owens should have asked Bowers if she was afraid of Freeman. The detective said he gave Bowers opportunities to say it was Freeman but he didn't push Bowers to see if she felt intimidated by her boyfriend.The trial continues Wednesday, with Bowers expected to return to the witness stand.
2012年8月9日星期四
In a City Known for Its Shoes Water Up to Its Knees
Marikina is famed for its cobblers, whose handmade shoes are a source of local pride. Its Shoe Museum is home to a pair of shoes from each president of the Philippines, including 800 of the more than 3,000 pairs in the collection of Imelda R. Marcos. A barge in the Marikina River sports statues of two giant shoes, and what the city fathers claim is the world’s largest functional shoe — more than 15 feet long — is on display in a local mall.
During the dry season, visitors can stroll a river promenade. But at times like these, when it rains and rains until it seems it will never stop, Marikina becomes famous for its floods.
For days now, parts of Manila and surrounding provincial areas have been submerged after a series of storms intensified the usual strong monsoon rains. An estimated two million people have been affected by the flooding in the capital and 15 surrounding provincial areas. At least 72 people have been killed since the deluge began in late July.
Lying on the eastern edge of Manila, Marikina sits in a valley that is crisscrossed by a major river and several creeks, all of which makes it one of the most flood-prone areas in the region. Traveling on the commuter train that runs above the Marikina River, the scale of the inundation is clear.
The banks of the river have disappeared, and in many places any semblance of a river is gone. Where a clearly defined riverbed once zigzagged under the elevated train, now all that can be seen is a vast waterscape of churning, fast-flowing brown currents dotted with debris. In some areas, landmarks like the top of a basketball hoop give indications of what was previously dry land. In other areas, the waters have engulfed entire neighborhoods, which appear to have been built in the middle of a river.
A row of cobbler shops could be seen unattended, with about two feet of brown water covering their floors. The shoe barge sat in the middle of the river and, much like the city itself, was badly damaged and covered with mud. The river promenade was underwater and surrounded by evacuees receiving shelter in schools, churches and government buildings.
Not far from the swollen Marikina River, a police officer, Fernando Frayre, looked haggard on Thursday as he stood outside the Shoe Museum, where Mrs. Marcos’s shoes are displayed along one entire wall. Mr. Frayre said he and a few volunteers spent a nerve-racking evening watching the floodwater approach the museum. The water crested about 70 feet from the museum, but the officer said he had been prepared for the worst.
“We were ready to rescue the shoes,” Mr. Frayre said.
One of the roads leading to the Marikina River is now a waist-deep canal where an eerie line of slow-moving evacuees could be seen on Thursday afternoon making their way from a submerged neighborhood to higher ground. In one large, colorful inflatable beach raft sat a 12-year-old boy playing a PlayStation Portable as his 10-year-old sister carried an infant dressed in immaculate white footie pajamas.
Having been stranded for days on the second floor of their home near the river, their parents decided that it was time to move in with relatives until the water subsided. Surrounded by inundated shacks and grinding poverty, the clean, well-dressed children were completely dry in the large toy raft, which was pulled by six shirtless men with grim expressions. Beside them were neatly packed designer suitcases and backpacks.
Waiting at the edge of the water was their father, in a late-model Toyota Land Cruiser, to take them to their relatives’ home on higher ground. The father, who did not want to give his name, said he and a teenage son would continue to sleep on the second floor of the flooded house to guard it.
On Thursday, the sun was shining in Manila for the first time in nearly two weeks, and the water was subsiding in some parts of the city, though an estimated 300,000 people remained in hundreds of evacuation centers.
A senior government official on Wednesday echoed what many of the beleaguered evacuees — most of them victims as well of the floods of 2009 — have been saying: that cataclysmic flooding is becoming routine for Manila. In 2009, the typhoons Ketsana (called Ondoy locally) and Parma struck within a week, causing flooding that affected more than 9 million people and killed 929, according to the government disaster relief agency.
“The only way we can be prepared for the impact of climate change is to accept that these recent developments in our country like intense weather disturbances, heavy rainfall, as well as long dry season, are the ‘new normal’ ” said Ramon Paje, the environment and natural resources secretary.
For Eleanor Ropero and her family, whose home near the overflowing banks of the Marikina River is still under three feet of water, fleeing the floodwater has become an uncomfortable routine, she said. As she languished on Thursday in a sweltering evacuation center with her three children and two grandchildren, she said that they had all been evacuated before, in 2009, but that this time was worse — it was their second evacuation this week.
During the dry season, visitors can stroll a river promenade. But at times like these, when it rains and rains until it seems it will never stop, Marikina becomes famous for its floods.
For days now, parts of Manila and surrounding provincial areas have been submerged after a series of storms intensified the usual strong monsoon rains. An estimated two million people have been affected by the flooding in the capital and 15 surrounding provincial areas. At least 72 people have been killed since the deluge began in late July.
Lying on the eastern edge of Manila, Marikina sits in a valley that is crisscrossed by a major river and several creeks, all of which makes it one of the most flood-prone areas in the region. Traveling on the commuter train that runs above the Marikina River, the scale of the inundation is clear.
The banks of the river have disappeared, and in many places any semblance of a river is gone. Where a clearly defined riverbed once zigzagged under the elevated train, now all that can be seen is a vast waterscape of churning, fast-flowing brown currents dotted with debris. In some areas, landmarks like the top of a basketball hoop give indications of what was previously dry land. In other areas, the waters have engulfed entire neighborhoods, which appear to have been built in the middle of a river.
A row of cobbler shops could be seen unattended, with about two feet of brown water covering their floors. The shoe barge sat in the middle of the river and, much like the city itself, was badly damaged and covered with mud. The river promenade was underwater and surrounded by evacuees receiving shelter in schools, churches and government buildings.
Not far from the swollen Marikina River, a police officer, Fernando Frayre, looked haggard on Thursday as he stood outside the Shoe Museum, where Mrs. Marcos’s shoes are displayed along one entire wall. Mr. Frayre said he and a few volunteers spent a nerve-racking evening watching the floodwater approach the museum. The water crested about 70 feet from the museum, but the officer said he had been prepared for the worst.
“We were ready to rescue the shoes,” Mr. Frayre said.
One of the roads leading to the Marikina River is now a waist-deep canal where an eerie line of slow-moving evacuees could be seen on Thursday afternoon making their way from a submerged neighborhood to higher ground. In one large, colorful inflatable beach raft sat a 12-year-old boy playing a PlayStation Portable as his 10-year-old sister carried an infant dressed in immaculate white footie pajamas.
Having been stranded for days on the second floor of their home near the river, their parents decided that it was time to move in with relatives until the water subsided. Surrounded by inundated shacks and grinding poverty, the clean, well-dressed children were completely dry in the large toy raft, which was pulled by six shirtless men with grim expressions. Beside them were neatly packed designer suitcases and backpacks.
Waiting at the edge of the water was their father, in a late-model Toyota Land Cruiser, to take them to their relatives’ home on higher ground. The father, who did not want to give his name, said he and a teenage son would continue to sleep on the second floor of the flooded house to guard it.
On Thursday, the sun was shining in Manila for the first time in nearly two weeks, and the water was subsiding in some parts of the city, though an estimated 300,000 people remained in hundreds of evacuation centers.
A senior government official on Wednesday echoed what many of the beleaguered evacuees — most of them victims as well of the floods of 2009 — have been saying: that cataclysmic flooding is becoming routine for Manila. In 2009, the typhoons Ketsana (called Ondoy locally) and Parma struck within a week, causing flooding that affected more than 9 million people and killed 929, according to the government disaster relief agency.
“The only way we can be prepared for the impact of climate change is to accept that these recent developments in our country like intense weather disturbances, heavy rainfall, as well as long dry season, are the ‘new normal’ ” said Ramon Paje, the environment and natural resources secretary.
For Eleanor Ropero and her family, whose home near the overflowing banks of the Marikina River is still under three feet of water, fleeing the floodwater has become an uncomfortable routine, she said. As she languished on Thursday in a sweltering evacuation center with her three children and two grandchildren, she said that they had all been evacuated before, in 2009, but that this time was worse — it was their second evacuation this week.
2012年6月25日星期一
DC Shoes Unilite Trainer
Since action sports began rising more rapidly in popularity around the world, shoe company giant DC Shoes has ruled the streets. DC Shoe Co. has been around since 1994 and has been developing state-of-the-art shoes for all action sports enthusiasts relying on its athletes' opinions and expertise to help get them there.
Keeping up with and staying one step ahead of the competition [no pun intended] has always been crucial with DC Shoes, and that is why the addition of the Unilite Trainer shoe, a true athletic shoe, proves once again why DC Shoe Co. is a giant on the streets. The elite DC Shoes FMX team relies on Robbie Maddison, Nate Adams, Travis Pastrana and Andre Villa to represent its core innovative ideals.
WHAT IT IS:
Because going to the gym in your skate shoes to get in a good workout is a thing of the past [unless, of course that is your style] the new Unilite Trainer shoe embodies everything a true athletic cross-trainer shoe should be.
Made by an authentic action sports shoe company, the shoe has the stylish, sleek, functioning appeal needed to be approved by the ever-so-critical and cool-guy standards that have founded action sports. It's lightweight, comfortable and most of all breathable for those intense workouts.
The $85 shoe features a molded ortholite insole and EVA strobel board for exceptional step and comfort. It also has a seamless design for ultimate flexibility, built-in inner sock for those who prefer not to wear one and vented mesh for breathability. Down the underside it has faceted midsoles, embedded arches, strategically placed rubber grip designed for ultimate comfort and durability. Put simply this shoe rocks and has 100 percent functioning capabilities of a conventional cross-trainer shoe.
WHY IT RULES:
The Unilite Trainer shoe is the ultimate action sports trainer shoe out there on the market. With health and fitness becoming so popular in North America amongst everyone sports- and nonsports-wise -- it proves once again why DC is staying one step ahead of the competition.
And let's face it, action sports has been founded on the principles of being cool or different, independent. So from the time of its inception, wearing shoes that look cool but have no support ruled the streets. This shoe rules because it delivers the most ankle support while maintaining the cool-looking factor.
WHERE TO FIND IT:
The Unilite Trainer shoe and the entire DC Shoe line for that matter -- is making its way into the shoe market worldwide. Chances are your local skate shop or sporting goods store has them in stock or you can always find them by shopping online. For you Trey Canard and Travis Pastrana fans, they have their own signature shoe as well as standard colors in black, white, red and blue.
Keeping up with and staying one step ahead of the competition [no pun intended] has always been crucial with DC Shoes, and that is why the addition of the Unilite Trainer shoe, a true athletic shoe, proves once again why DC Shoe Co. is a giant on the streets. The elite DC Shoes FMX team relies on Robbie Maddison, Nate Adams, Travis Pastrana and Andre Villa to represent its core innovative ideals.
WHAT IT IS:
Because going to the gym in your skate shoes to get in a good workout is a thing of the past [unless, of course that is your style] the new Unilite Trainer shoe embodies everything a true athletic cross-trainer shoe should be.
Made by an authentic action sports shoe company, the shoe has the stylish, sleek, functioning appeal needed to be approved by the ever-so-critical and cool-guy standards that have founded action sports. It's lightweight, comfortable and most of all breathable for those intense workouts.
The $85 shoe features a molded ortholite insole and EVA strobel board for exceptional step and comfort. It also has a seamless design for ultimate flexibility, built-in inner sock for those who prefer not to wear one and vented mesh for breathability. Down the underside it has faceted midsoles, embedded arches, strategically placed rubber grip designed for ultimate comfort and durability. Put simply this shoe rocks and has 100 percent functioning capabilities of a conventional cross-trainer shoe.
WHY IT RULES:
The Unilite Trainer shoe is the ultimate action sports trainer shoe out there on the market. With health and fitness becoming so popular in North America amongst everyone sports- and nonsports-wise -- it proves once again why DC is staying one step ahead of the competition.
And let's face it, action sports has been founded on the principles of being cool or different, independent. So from the time of its inception, wearing shoes that look cool but have no support ruled the streets. This shoe rules because it delivers the most ankle support while maintaining the cool-looking factor.
WHERE TO FIND IT:
The Unilite Trainer shoe and the entire DC Shoe line for that matter -- is making its way into the shoe market worldwide. Chances are your local skate shop or sporting goods store has them in stock or you can always find them by shopping online. For you Trey Canard and Travis Pastrana fans, they have their own signature shoe as well as standard colors in black, white, red and blue.
2012年6月24日星期日
The bottoms of her feet are like slabs of leather
DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa woman is running barefoot across the United States to raise money to provide shoes for needy children.
Rae Heim, 18, of Carroll, started her cross-country trek in Boston in April and hopes to reach Huntington Beach, Calif., in October.
The Des Moines Register caught up with her this week in Iowa as she crested a hill near Victor in 91-degree heat.
Heim stopped to talk but wasn't out of breath. She said she started running barefoot after breaking a toe last year and shedding her running shoes for comfort. Shoes now feel like dead weight to her, although she wore them through New Jersey, where broken glass and nails littered the highway, and dons them on gravel roads.
The bottoms of her feet are like slabs of leather. When they start burning in the heat, she puts on toe socks.
"We are born to run barefoot," Heim said.
She told the newspaper that she hated to run and even dreaded rounding the bases while playing softball.
"It was like a punishment," she said. But then Heim realized that people thought she couldn't run, and she set out to prove them wrong.
She entered road races and last summer met a middle-aged man who ran across America, which inspired her.
What started as a personal adventure has become a fundraiser for Soles4Souls, a charity that supplies shoes to needy kids.
"When I feel like quitting, I think of the $2,900 I have raised," Heim said. "That's 2,900 pairs of shoes."
There have been a few bumps during her trek.
After the first week of 40-plus mile days, she had a twisted ankle, painful Achilles tendon and sore knee. She sat on the side of the road, crying, and then called her mom.
"My parents taught us that you set your goals and don't give up," Heim said.
Now, she's averaging 20 miles a day. She carries her belongings in a backpack. Her mom watches her every move with a GPS and has friends set up along the route to check on her.
Heim said most of her journey has been pleasant.
"The kindness I've seen in people surprised me. You always hear all the wrong with the world," she said. "But I've seen nothing but good in the world."
Rae Heim, 18, of Carroll, started her cross-country trek in Boston in April and hopes to reach Huntington Beach, Calif., in October.
The Des Moines Register caught up with her this week in Iowa as she crested a hill near Victor in 91-degree heat.
Heim stopped to talk but wasn't out of breath. She said she started running barefoot after breaking a toe last year and shedding her running shoes for comfort. Shoes now feel like dead weight to her, although she wore them through New Jersey, where broken glass and nails littered the highway, and dons them on gravel roads.
The bottoms of her feet are like slabs of leather. When they start burning in the heat, she puts on toe socks.
"We are born to run barefoot," Heim said.
She told the newspaper that she hated to run and even dreaded rounding the bases while playing softball.
"It was like a punishment," she said. But then Heim realized that people thought she couldn't run, and she set out to prove them wrong.
She entered road races and last summer met a middle-aged man who ran across America, which inspired her.
What started as a personal adventure has become a fundraiser for Soles4Souls, a charity that supplies shoes to needy kids.
"When I feel like quitting, I think of the $2,900 I have raised," Heim said. "That's 2,900 pairs of shoes."
There have been a few bumps during her trek.
After the first week of 40-plus mile days, she had a twisted ankle, painful Achilles tendon and sore knee. She sat on the side of the road, crying, and then called her mom.
"My parents taught us that you set your goals and don't give up," Heim said.
Now, she's averaging 20 miles a day. She carries her belongings in a backpack. Her mom watches her every move with a GPS and has friends set up along the route to check on her.
Heim said most of her journey has been pleasant.
"The kindness I've seen in people surprised me. You always hear all the wrong with the world," she said. "But I've seen nothing but good in the world."
2012年6月18日星期一
Adidas’ new ‘shackle’ shoes stir controversy
LOS ANGELES — Adidas and eccentric Beverly Hills designer Jeremy Scott are under fire for a new shoe design that critics say calls up painful images of slavery.
The shoes come with a set of plastic shackles, and a tag line on Adidas’ Facebook page strikes a playful tone: “Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?”
But others aren’t laughing and have taken to social media to lament the design, due out in August.
“Our ancestors fought blood, sweat and tears just so fools can turn pain into an accessory?” went one post on the sneaker giant’s Facebook page. Another urged: “these should be taken off the market.”
And on Twitter: “any designer that’s nostalgic for slavery will Never have my support.”
Efforts to reach Scott were unsuccessful. But an Adidas representative defended the design in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: “The design ... is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery.”
Not everyone is offended by the design, part of a whimsical line that also features sneakers accented with teddy bears, butterfly wings and belt buckles.
“It’s fashion. Just shoes. That’s all it is. And they are dope,” one person wrote on Adidas’ Facebook wall.
The controversy follows on the “heels” of Nike’s Black & Tan controversy earlier this year.
David M. Carter, head of the University of Southern California Sports Business Institute, told the Times that this controversy could potentially block the release of the Adidas shoe.
“As offensive as the shoe may be to many, ultimately, ‘distaste’ is in the eye of the shareholder as they will weigh in — if not determine — the appropriateness of this product. Public sentiment, pressure from advocacy groups, and media coverage will also contribute heavily to management’s decision to continue to market or pull the product.”
The shoes come with a set of plastic shackles, and a tag line on Adidas’ Facebook page strikes a playful tone: “Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?”
But others aren’t laughing and have taken to social media to lament the design, due out in August.
“Our ancestors fought blood, sweat and tears just so fools can turn pain into an accessory?” went one post on the sneaker giant’s Facebook page. Another urged: “these should be taken off the market.”
And on Twitter: “any designer that’s nostalgic for slavery will Never have my support.”
Efforts to reach Scott were unsuccessful. But an Adidas representative defended the design in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: “The design ... is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery.”
Not everyone is offended by the design, part of a whimsical line that also features sneakers accented with teddy bears, butterfly wings and belt buckles.
“It’s fashion. Just shoes. That’s all it is. And they are dope,” one person wrote on Adidas’ Facebook wall.
The controversy follows on the “heels” of Nike’s Black & Tan controversy earlier this year.
David M. Carter, head of the University of Southern California Sports Business Institute, told the Times that this controversy could potentially block the release of the Adidas shoe.
“As offensive as the shoe may be to many, ultimately, ‘distaste’ is in the eye of the shareholder as they will weigh in — if not determine — the appropriateness of this product. Public sentiment, pressure from advocacy groups, and media coverage will also contribute heavily to management’s decision to continue to market or pull the product.”
2012年6月11日星期一
With regard to Duchess of Cambridge
The Duchess of Cambridge has found a staunch defender for her shoe selection and fashion in general, in the world-renowned shoe designer Christian Louboutin. He has gone so far as to praise Kate Middleton for her chic sense of style. Now that coming from the shoe maestro, as any fashion aficionado will aver, is high praise indeed.
Recently designer Nicholas Kirkwood criticized Duchess Kate for playing it safe in her fashion choices. Well, Kate Middleton can now rest assured as Louboutin, notorious for his candidness, has himself given the seal of approval. The shoe genius insists Prince William’s wife “doesn’t need advice” from the fashion elite.
While a string of celebrities from Jennifer Lopez to Coleen Rooney to Victoria Beckham swear by Louboutin’s red-soled shoes, Louboutin is clear, Duchess Kate does not really need high fashion to make her remarkable. Christian Louboutin told vogue.co.uk. “She has all the choice in the world She’s a very elegant young woman. I wouldn’t give her any adviceshe doesn’t need it, let her choose for herself. She’s a big girl now,” he opines.
Kate has garnered plaudits globally for her modern style and has even transformed hitherto unknown brands into household names. Due to Duchess Kate’s charisma nick-named ‘Duchess Effect’ the UK economy has got a stunning 2 billion boost with high street brands like Reiss, LK Bennett and Zara, with even a George at Asda having reaped the benefits of Catherine’s outfit choices.
Louboutin’s compliment comes against the backdrop of his recent blistering attack against women who find it difficult to carry off his skyscraper heels. Earlier, the designer had controversially told Grazia Magazine that it didn’t really matter to him if women were in pain when they wore his shoes but that they should look elegant. “If you can’t walk in them, then don’t wear them,” was his typically forthright advice.
Responding to that sensational quote of his, in his latest interview with Vogue, Louboutin defending himself says he has been misquoted as far as his designs were concerned. Clarifying his stand, the shoe-king says he does not go out of his way to create ''painful'' shoes; just that he values sexiness, design and beauty much above comfort.
“People say I am the king of painful shoes. I don’t want to create painful shoes, but it is not my job to create something comfortable. I try to make high heels as comfortable as they can be, but my priority is design, beauty and sexiness.” He goes on to add: “I’m not against them, but comfort is not my focus.”
This year, Christian Louboutin is celebrating his two decades in fashion. He is presently the subject of an extensive retrospective exhibition at London's Design Museum According to the designer, the highpoint of his career was creating the shoes which were worn at the finale of Yves Saint Laurent's final couture show. The only time the late designer ever collaborated with someone else.
With regard to Duchess of Cambridge, who has till date not worn his shoes, her admirers will surely love to see their ‘fashion icon’ wearing one of Louboutin creations in the near future. This is something the shoe maestro may be eagerly looking forward to, now that he has blessed her fashion choices.
Recently designer Nicholas Kirkwood criticized Duchess Kate for playing it safe in her fashion choices. Well, Kate Middleton can now rest assured as Louboutin, notorious for his candidness, has himself given the seal of approval. The shoe genius insists Prince William’s wife “doesn’t need advice” from the fashion elite.
While a string of celebrities from Jennifer Lopez to Coleen Rooney to Victoria Beckham swear by Louboutin’s red-soled shoes, Louboutin is clear, Duchess Kate does not really need high fashion to make her remarkable. Christian Louboutin told vogue.co.uk. “She has all the choice in the world She’s a very elegant young woman. I wouldn’t give her any adviceshe doesn’t need it, let her choose for herself. She’s a big girl now,” he opines.
Kate has garnered plaudits globally for her modern style and has even transformed hitherto unknown brands into household names. Due to Duchess Kate’s charisma nick-named ‘Duchess Effect’ the UK economy has got a stunning 2 billion boost with high street brands like Reiss, LK Bennett and Zara, with even a George at Asda having reaped the benefits of Catherine’s outfit choices.
Louboutin’s compliment comes against the backdrop of his recent blistering attack against women who find it difficult to carry off his skyscraper heels. Earlier, the designer had controversially told Grazia Magazine that it didn’t really matter to him if women were in pain when they wore his shoes but that they should look elegant. “If you can’t walk in them, then don’t wear them,” was his typically forthright advice.
Responding to that sensational quote of his, in his latest interview with Vogue, Louboutin defending himself says he has been misquoted as far as his designs were concerned. Clarifying his stand, the shoe-king says he does not go out of his way to create ''painful'' shoes; just that he values sexiness, design and beauty much above comfort.
“People say I am the king of painful shoes. I don’t want to create painful shoes, but it is not my job to create something comfortable. I try to make high heels as comfortable as they can be, but my priority is design, beauty and sexiness.” He goes on to add: “I’m not against them, but comfort is not my focus.”
This year, Christian Louboutin is celebrating his two decades in fashion. He is presently the subject of an extensive retrospective exhibition at London's Design Museum According to the designer, the highpoint of his career was creating the shoes which were worn at the finale of Yves Saint Laurent's final couture show. The only time the late designer ever collaborated with someone else.
With regard to Duchess of Cambridge, who has till date not worn his shoes, her admirers will surely love to see their ‘fashion icon’ wearing one of Louboutin creations in the near future. This is something the shoe maestro may be eagerly looking forward to, now that he has blessed her fashion choices.
2012年4月25日星期三
Hunting for Fashion's Copycats
A 25-year-old fashion blogger busted the 102-year-old house of Chanel.
When Julie Zerbo heard from two readers of her eight-month-old blog, the Fashion Law, last month saying a bracelet featured prominently in Chanel's recent Fall 2012 runway show seemed familiar, her antennae went up. She looked at the show images online.
"That's when it clicked to me 'oh my God, that's a Chanel bracelet, that's not a Pamela Love bracelet'," she says, referring to the small New York-based jewelry designer. Ms. Zerbo then banged out the blog item "Chanel's Crystal Bangles Look FAMILIAR!" about how the Chanel bangles bore a "striking resemblance" to cuffs in Ms. Love's Fall 2011 collection. She posted the item with side-by-side pictures.
Since the Fashion Law's following is small, Ms. Zerbo alerted the much-larger Fashionista blog, which linked to her post on a Monday. By Tuesday, Chanel issued a statement to Fashionista saying it decided not to offer the bracelets in question for sale "out of respect for the concerns raised."
It was a coup for Ms. Zerbo, a second-year law student at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. "To think that the Chanel Fall 2012 collection was somehow affected by me and the Fashion Law is mind-blowing," Ms. Zerbo said on a recent Friday in the lobby cafe of a Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. She typically spends Friday afternoons in the cafe working on her blog when she isn't studying or at her part-time job doing research for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet.
Ms. Zerbo is one of a breed of fashion bloggers scouring the Internet and stores for instances of similarities or outright copying. Fashionista even has a series called "Adventures in Copyright" devoted to outing alleged copycats. Last month, retailer Topshop removed a dress that looked similar to one by Yasmin Kianfar, a young British designer, after Susanna Lau, founder of the Style Bubble blog, lambasted the British fast-fashion retailer for "aping" the designer in a series of tweets. "Big thank you Susie x," the designer tweeted at Ms. Lau.
When Julie Zerbo heard from two readers of her eight-month-old blog, the Fashion Law, last month saying a bracelet featured prominently in Chanel's recent Fall 2012 runway show seemed familiar, her antennae went up. She looked at the show images online.
"That's when it clicked to me 'oh my God, that's a Chanel bracelet, that's not a Pamela Love bracelet'," she says, referring to the small New York-based jewelry designer. Ms. Zerbo then banged out the blog item "Chanel's Crystal Bangles Look FAMILIAR!" about how the Chanel bangles bore a "striking resemblance" to cuffs in Ms. Love's Fall 2011 collection. She posted the item with side-by-side pictures.
Since the Fashion Law's following is small, Ms. Zerbo alerted the much-larger Fashionista blog, which linked to her post on a Monday. By Tuesday, Chanel issued a statement to Fashionista saying it decided not to offer the bracelets in question for sale "out of respect for the concerns raised."
It was a coup for Ms. Zerbo, a second-year law student at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. "To think that the Chanel Fall 2012 collection was somehow affected by me and the Fashion Law is mind-blowing," Ms. Zerbo said on a recent Friday in the lobby cafe of a Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. She typically spends Friday afternoons in the cafe working on her blog when she isn't studying or at her part-time job doing research for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet.
Ms. Zerbo is one of a breed of fashion bloggers scouring the Internet and stores for instances of similarities or outright copying. Fashionista even has a series called "Adventures in Copyright" devoted to outing alleged copycats. Last month, retailer Topshop removed a dress that looked similar to one by Yasmin Kianfar, a young British designer, after Susanna Lau, founder of the Style Bubble blog, lambasted the British fast-fashion retailer for "aping" the designer in a series of tweets. "Big thank you Susie x," the designer tweeted at Ms. Lau.
2011年6月22日星期三
A Toy Story: 'Cars' merchandise ubiquitous
In the Pixar pantheon of animated films remarkable for their appeal to both adults and children, "Cars" is the most purely kiddie affair.
While critics prefer the heartfelt resonance of "Up" or the mortality ruminations of "Toy Story 3," toddlers have been far more amped by "Cars."
Since premiering in 2006, "Cars" has been a high-octane sensation among those whose feet still don't reach the gas pedal, and the "Cars 2" sequel opening Friday is already driving a similar response.
Take David W. Wright, a 40-year-old Floridian and the father of a 4-year-old "Cars" fanatic. Wright estimates he and his son have seen "Cars" "easily a couple hundred times."
"There was a little while after maybe the first 40 times where I was like, "Ah, I can't watch this again,' " said Wright, who blogs about parenthood at BloggerDad.com. "But eventually it comes full circle. I like it."
His son is rewarded for good behavior at pre-school with a new "Cars" toy car. That goes along with his "Cars" shoes, blankets and books.
The Wright family's experience is far from uncommon.
"Cars" has attached itself to kid culture more than any other Pixar film or even most children's movies. While the Pixar connoisseur can trumpet the artistry of "Ratatouille" or the galactic romance of "WALL-E," it's nothing compared to the kiddie-clamor for "Cars."
The film already has earned Walt Disney Co., which owns Pixar, more than $8 billion in retail sales. Disney estimates that merchandising for "Cars 2," which began rolling in May, will this year surpass the $2.4 billion "Toy Story 3" made from retail sales last year.
"It's a phenomenon," said Tony Lisanti, editor-in-chief for License! Global magazine. "It could very well be one of the biggest brand licensing and merchandising programs ever."
Consider that young "Cars" fans can wake up to their "Cars" clock radio, start the day with a "Cars" bubble bath, brush their teeth with a "Cars" toothbrush, spray themselves with some "Cars" cologne for kids, pop a few "Cars" vitamins, toss their "Cars" pajamas into a "Cars" clothes hamper, and snack on "Cars" cereal from a "Cars" ceramic bowl atop a "Cars" placemat.
While critics prefer the heartfelt resonance of "Up" or the mortality ruminations of "Toy Story 3," toddlers have been far more amped by "Cars."
Since premiering in 2006, "Cars" has been a high-octane sensation among those whose feet still don't reach the gas pedal, and the "Cars 2" sequel opening Friday is already driving a similar response.
Take David W. Wright, a 40-year-old Floridian and the father of a 4-year-old "Cars" fanatic. Wright estimates he and his son have seen "Cars" "easily a couple hundred times."
"There was a little while after maybe the first 40 times where I was like, "Ah, I can't watch this again,' " said Wright, who blogs about parenthood at BloggerDad.com. "But eventually it comes full circle. I like it."
His son is rewarded for good behavior at pre-school with a new "Cars" toy car. That goes along with his "Cars" shoes, blankets and books.
The Wright family's experience is far from uncommon.
"Cars" has attached itself to kid culture more than any other Pixar film or even most children's movies. While the Pixar connoisseur can trumpet the artistry of "Ratatouille" or the galactic romance of "WALL-E," it's nothing compared to the kiddie-clamor for "Cars."
The film already has earned Walt Disney Co., which owns Pixar, more than $8 billion in retail sales. Disney estimates that merchandising for "Cars 2," which began rolling in May, will this year surpass the $2.4 billion "Toy Story 3" made from retail sales last year.
"It's a phenomenon," said Tony Lisanti, editor-in-chief for License! Global magazine. "It could very well be one of the biggest brand licensing and merchandising programs ever."
Consider that young "Cars" fans can wake up to their "Cars" clock radio, start the day with a "Cars" bubble bath, brush their teeth with a "Cars" toothbrush, spray themselves with some "Cars" cologne for kids, pop a few "Cars" vitamins, toss their "Cars" pajamas into a "Cars" clothes hamper, and snack on "Cars" cereal from a "Cars" ceramic bowl atop a "Cars" placemat.
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