2013年8月6日星期二
Licensing SEPs on FRAND terms is an important
"This decision is based on my review of the various policy considerations ... as they relate to the effect on competitive conditions in the US economy and the effect on US consumers," Froman said in his letter.
The ITC ruled that Apple had infringed on a standard-essential patent owned by Samsung for '3G' wireless technology. Froman said that the decision by the Obama administration to disapprove of the sales ban order on certain Apple device models did not signal any view on the ITC's findings in relation to infringement and said it was open to Samsung to "continue to pursue its rights through the courts".
Standards are agreed technical specifications to ensure that a single technology is used across an industry, often with the goal of achieving interoperability of products regardless of the manufacturer. Companies can opt to send experts to help develop standards but, in return, most standards setting organisations insist that companies agree to license any intellectual property they own that is essential to implementation of that standard on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
Froman said that concerns both in the relation to the possibility of SEP holders asserting their rights to 'hold-up' the launch of rival products to market and with the practice of SEP users refusing to enter into negotiations for a FRAND licence or pay a pre-determined FRAND royalty had been considered before the decision to overturn the ITC's sales ban was made. He called on the ITC to review "thoroughly and carefully on its own initiative" whether potential remedies to SEP-infringement cases are in the public interest in future cases.
"The Administration is committed to promoting innovation and economic progress, including through providing adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights," Froman said. "Relief available to the owners of intellectual property rights [under US law] is an important facet of achieving that objective. At the same time, standards, and particularly voluntary consensus-bases standards set by SDOs, have come to play an increasingly important role in the US economy."
"Important policy considerations arise in the enforcement of those patents incorporated into technical standards without which such standards cannot be implemented as designed,ladies shoes wholesale,when the patent holder has made a voluntary commitment to offer to license these SEPs on FRAND terms. Licensing SEPs on FRAND terms is an important element of the Administration's policy of promoting innovation and economic progress and reflects the positive linkages between patent rights and standards setting," the Ambassador added.
The Defense Department may be a small player in the global mobile device market, but its clout with companies like Google and Apple is rising.
Not because these companies are driven by the promise of big federal business. Rather, by meeting DoD security standards, companies see an opportunity to expand their business into other security-conscious sectors.
“If they can get to our level of security, then they can market out to the corporate world for health, banking [and] financial, ... and you’re starting to see that,” said Greg Youst, mobility lead for the Defense Information Systems Agency, at a cybersecurity event last month.
“The drivers for these devices ... is the commercial market,” Youst said. “We’re a drop in the bucket.” But “the market is listening to us,” he said. “Industry is coming to us.”
In sit-down meetings with Defense officials, these companies are asking how they can build devices and operating systems that meet department standards. DoD began talks with Samsung more than a year ago and gave the company guidelines for developing its Android-based Samsung KNOX, Youst said. Samsung KNOX devices were approved for department use in May.
Android-based smartphones make up 80 percent of the global market share, according to data released last week by research firm Strategy Analytics.
But that business is largely driven by consumers not large organizations like federal agencies, banks and hospitals. In a recent overview document about its KNOX product, Samsung cited a 2012 Gartner survey that found less than 10 percent of organizations planned on buying Android devices in the following year because of a “perceived lack of security.”
Samsung is playing up the fact that it submitted KNOX to the government for a compliance review “to enable its use in government and other highly regulated enterprise environments” like health care and finance.
KNOX includes security features developed by the National Security Agency that can separate data and apps on the phone into different domains to contain damage caused by a malicious or flawed app.
Youst said he was contacted by Google and given a week to create a wish list of DoD’s mobile security needs; he has had similar discussions with Apple about security.
“I went nuts,” he said of the Google conversation. He worked with the military services to develop a wish list, which included security requirements for verifying a user’s identity before the user can access a device. “How do we make sure that you are who you are?” he said.
Apple also has taken steps to meet federal security standards. Apple’s iOS 6 operating system meets National Institute of Standards and Technology standards required to encrypt data on mobile devices used in government. This is often referred to as Federal Information Processing Standards certification.
“In many ways, security is migrating from a post-award cost to a competitive advantage,” for companies, said George Holland, a vice president at Juniper Networks.
While DoD is reaping the benefits of security features being built into mobile devices, these upgrades haven’t solved all of the department’s mobile problems.
One of DoD’s main challenges today is that the only way to verify the identity of its mobile users is with a Common Access Card and an additional device that can hold the CAC card in place, connect the card to the device and allow users to access the device. DoD is exploring options for storing the digital identities found on CAC cards inside smartphones on a Subscriber Identity Module card or microSD card or other secure locations that vary depending on the mobile device, said Ben Andreas, vice president of sales for security software company Intercede. Companies like Intercede are working with DoD to explore secure and standard ways of doing this.
2013年6月12日星期三
In the guise of helping them remove the gold
Making a mockery of the claims of increased security in the wake of the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts, thieves are striking at will all across the city; that too posing as cops. In the last fortnight, pseudo cops struck eight times and escaped with property worth Rs 11 lakh.
The modus operandi of the gangs is simple, although they improvise from case to case. Posing as cops, they approach a passerby wearing gold jewellery and tell him/her that a serious crime has taken place in the area. While at times they say a murder has taken place, at other times they use the ruse of chain-snatching. The 'cops' then reprimand the victim for wearing gold in such unsafe circumstances and tell them to remove the jewelley and keep it in a newspaper or polythene bag for safety. In the guise of helping them remove the gold, they slyly exchange the packet containing the gold with another containing fake ornaments. Sometimes, in order to gain the confidence of the intended victim, the gang enacts the same process with one of their team members on the road.
In this manner, pseudo cops struck at eight places, including Marredpally, Rikabgunj, Lalaguda, Amberpet, Abids and Barkatpura during the past fortnight and escaped with gold ornaments worth Rs 11 lakh. Police suspect that the gangs could be either from Bidar area of Karnataka or from Bihar. A special team of north zone police even went to Bihar but failed to find any useful leads.
"In one of the incidents, we found an abandoned bike belonging to the offenders. But the registration number turned out to be fake and the chassis number too had been erased. We suspect that a certain Irani gang, whose members are staying in Parli & Bhiwandi of Maharashtra and Zaheerabad and Guntakal of AP, could be behind the thefts. Our teams are trying their best to nab the offenders," additional CP (crimes) Sandeep Shandilya told TOI.
Even as the cops scramble to crack the case, they are also left red-faced by a series of attempts to break open ATM machines in the city. In the last two weeks, there were five incidents of gangs trying to break open ATMs of various banks in Shaikpet, Manikonda, Trimulgherry and Barkatpura. Despite having the images of the culprits, police have not been able to make a single arrest.
This year's awards ceremony will be hosted by the Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore and the awards' founder Dr Tessa Hartmann.
Jewellery nominee Georgia Wiseman said of the awards: "I am delighted to be part of this year’s Scottish Fashion Awards. For the first time the ceremony is being held in London and I’m so excited to be part of the Scottish invasion alongside some of Scotland's best-known names in fashion.
"To be nominated for Accessory/Jewellery Designer of the Year is a fantastic honour, I launched my first ever luxury fashion jewellery collection earlier this year and this is the ultimate compliment”.
Designer Jane Gowans has also been nominated for this year's awards. She showcased at work during London Fashion Week in February and has also won Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh as a stockist. She said she was thrilled at the announcement.
Designer Catherine Zoraida has also made this year's list of nominees. Her work recently joined the line-up of jewellers selling through Fortnum & Mason's jewellery room, while her jewellery has been worn by the likes of Kate Middleton and Laura Whitmore.
Click on their website www.beralleshoes.com for more information.
The modus operandi of the gangs is simple, although they improvise from case to case. Posing as cops, they approach a passerby wearing gold jewellery and tell him/her that a serious crime has taken place in the area. While at times they say a murder has taken place, at other times they use the ruse of chain-snatching. The 'cops' then reprimand the victim for wearing gold in such unsafe circumstances and tell them to remove the jewelley and keep it in a newspaper or polythene bag for safety. In the guise of helping them remove the gold, they slyly exchange the packet containing the gold with another containing fake ornaments. Sometimes, in order to gain the confidence of the intended victim, the gang enacts the same process with one of their team members on the road.
In this manner, pseudo cops struck at eight places, including Marredpally, Rikabgunj, Lalaguda, Amberpet, Abids and Barkatpura during the past fortnight and escaped with gold ornaments worth Rs 11 lakh. Police suspect that the gangs could be either from Bidar area of Karnataka or from Bihar. A special team of north zone police even went to Bihar but failed to find any useful leads.
"In one of the incidents, we found an abandoned bike belonging to the offenders. But the registration number turned out to be fake and the chassis number too had been erased. We suspect that a certain Irani gang, whose members are staying in Parli & Bhiwandi of Maharashtra and Zaheerabad and Guntakal of AP, could be behind the thefts. Our teams are trying their best to nab the offenders," additional CP (crimes) Sandeep Shandilya told TOI.
Even as the cops scramble to crack the case, they are also left red-faced by a series of attempts to break open ATM machines in the city. In the last two weeks, there were five incidents of gangs trying to break open ATMs of various banks in Shaikpet, Manikonda, Trimulgherry and Barkatpura. Despite having the images of the culprits, police have not been able to make a single arrest.
This year's awards ceremony will be hosted by the Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore and the awards' founder Dr Tessa Hartmann.
Jewellery nominee Georgia Wiseman said of the awards: "I am delighted to be part of this year’s Scottish Fashion Awards. For the first time the ceremony is being held in London and I’m so excited to be part of the Scottish invasion alongside some of Scotland's best-known names in fashion.
"To be nominated for Accessory/Jewellery Designer of the Year is a fantastic honour, I launched my first ever luxury fashion jewellery collection earlier this year and this is the ultimate compliment”.
Designer Jane Gowans has also been nominated for this year's awards. She showcased at work during London Fashion Week in February and has also won Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh as a stockist. She said she was thrilled at the announcement.
Designer Catherine Zoraida has also made this year's list of nominees. Her work recently joined the line-up of jewellers selling through Fortnum & Mason's jewellery room, while her jewellery has been worn by the likes of Kate Middleton and Laura Whitmore.
Click on their website www.beralleshoes.com for more information.
2013年4月26日星期五
The Telekis moved into a converted stable with no running water
What most of them did not know was that their colleague, the quiet market analyst with the Italian name and the Hungarian accent, had been born a countess and grew up in a castle. They had no idea that Ilona DeVito, as they knew her, had had little formal education before arriving on Wall Street, or that she and her family had fled to New York with no more than few small suitcases to escape the Romanian Communist government.
The death of Ilona DeVito di Porriasa last week, at 73, went largely unnoticed beyond her family and friends. But if nothing else, her story, as recounted by surviving relatives, peels back the hard shell of the city, proving, perhaps, that even the most anonymous apartment dweller can be a countess in exile.
Born in 1939 in a Transylvanian Baroque-style castle given to her parents as a wedding present by her grandmother, Countess Ilona Teleki de Szek spent the first years of her life surrounded by nannies, maids and cooks. Her mother was a baroness, her father a count who served as Transylvania’s representative to Hungary; one of his cousins, Pal Teleki served as prime minister of Hungary on two occasions and was said to have been responsible for the passage of a number of anti-Semitic measures.
Pal Teleki was said to have fatally shot himself when Hitler’s troops crossed the Hungarian border heading to Yugoslavia; the Hungarian Army joined in the invasion. Winston Churchill called Teleki’s suicide “a sacrifice to absolve himself and his people from guilt in the German attack on Yugoslavia.”
Ilona’s daughter, Elisa DeVito, said this week that her mother had not expressed embarrassment about her relative’s place in Hungarian history, believing, as other members of her family had, that he had not been anti-Semitic and might not have committed suicide.
But the family was vulnerable in the waning months of World War II, when the Soviets took control of Hungary and Romania, to which Transylvania then belonged. As recounted by Ilona’s daughter this week, the government imprisoned Ilona’s father, whom she would not see for another 20 years, seized the Telekis’ properties and eventually pushed her, her siblings and her mother out of their castle. (It is now a clinic and botanical garden.)
The Telekis moved into a converted stable with no running water. The baroness took in laundry and sewing; Ilona worked in a shoe factory, her brother Paul on a farm. Ilona wore shoes made out of her grandfather’s old bedroom slippers, and her older sister’s dresses were made of old curtains.
At one point, Ilona lived with her grandparents in a library her family had founded. It was so overrun by rats, she would later recall to her daughter, that they would sling wooden planks over the bookshelves at night to sleep.
As anti-Hungarian sentiment rose in Romania, the government repeatedly pulled the Teleki children out of school and opened the family’s mail. Count Teleki finally escaped and sought asylum in the United States. His family joined him in 1964 after the count had bribed the Romanian authorities to allow them to leave. Ilona spoke no English, but she took a series of jobs — first at a hosiery factory in the Bronx, eventually as a teletypist at a financial firm. And though her father continued to advocate for Hungarian people across Central Europe, she rarely mentioned her past.
“She didn’t really want people to know, because people think of nobility as having something, and my mother really had nothing when she came here,” her daughter said.
Once on Wall Street, she showed enough aptitude that despite having no college degree, she was promoted to market analyst, studying trends and making investment recommendations. She joined Merrill’s securities research department in the early 1970s and stayed until retiring in 2005, developing a reputation for quick calculations and prescient recommendations — as well as a certain reserve.
“She worked very hard at it, and she didn’t suffer fools,” said Robert Farrell, one of her managers. “She had no trouble disagreeing about what was going to happen or voicing her own opinion.”
But she never acknowledged her background to most colleagues until they read her mother’s obituary in the 1990s. Some did not find out until her death.
“In all the time I talked to her every day, we talked about Hungary and everything, but she never said a word about her being royalty,” said Tom Webster, a Merrill Lynch broker.
In 1975, she married Lino DeVito di Porriasa, who came from an Italian noble family.
Mr. DeVito died in 2008, a few months after his wife learned she had breast cancer. Even while ill, she loved to follow the stock market, even making a profit after the 2008 financial crisis, her brother said.
She died on April 15.
Elisa DeVito remembered hearing stories from her grandmother about the family’s past and lavish lifestyle. But her mother usually dismissed such talk, saying, “That’s ancient history. We never need to talk about that anymore.”
As her cancer metastasized, however, the former countess changed her mind. To her daughter’s surprise, she asked to have her title engraved on her gravestone.
“The last few years,” Ms. DeVito said, “she started to remember good things, not just bad things — where she came from, and what she became.”
The death of Ilona DeVito di Porriasa last week, at 73, went largely unnoticed beyond her family and friends. But if nothing else, her story, as recounted by surviving relatives, peels back the hard shell of the city, proving, perhaps, that even the most anonymous apartment dweller can be a countess in exile.
Born in 1939 in a Transylvanian Baroque-style castle given to her parents as a wedding present by her grandmother, Countess Ilona Teleki de Szek spent the first years of her life surrounded by nannies, maids and cooks. Her mother was a baroness, her father a count who served as Transylvania’s representative to Hungary; one of his cousins, Pal Teleki served as prime minister of Hungary on two occasions and was said to have been responsible for the passage of a number of anti-Semitic measures.
Pal Teleki was said to have fatally shot himself when Hitler’s troops crossed the Hungarian border heading to Yugoslavia; the Hungarian Army joined in the invasion. Winston Churchill called Teleki’s suicide “a sacrifice to absolve himself and his people from guilt in the German attack on Yugoslavia.”
Ilona’s daughter, Elisa DeVito, said this week that her mother had not expressed embarrassment about her relative’s place in Hungarian history, believing, as other members of her family had, that he had not been anti-Semitic and might not have committed suicide.
But the family was vulnerable in the waning months of World War II, when the Soviets took control of Hungary and Romania, to which Transylvania then belonged. As recounted by Ilona’s daughter this week, the government imprisoned Ilona’s father, whom she would not see for another 20 years, seized the Telekis’ properties and eventually pushed her, her siblings and her mother out of their castle. (It is now a clinic and botanical garden.)
The Telekis moved into a converted stable with no running water. The baroness took in laundry and sewing; Ilona worked in a shoe factory, her brother Paul on a farm. Ilona wore shoes made out of her grandfather’s old bedroom slippers, and her older sister’s dresses were made of old curtains.
At one point, Ilona lived with her grandparents in a library her family had founded. It was so overrun by rats, she would later recall to her daughter, that they would sling wooden planks over the bookshelves at night to sleep.
As anti-Hungarian sentiment rose in Romania, the government repeatedly pulled the Teleki children out of school and opened the family’s mail. Count Teleki finally escaped and sought asylum in the United States. His family joined him in 1964 after the count had bribed the Romanian authorities to allow them to leave. Ilona spoke no English, but she took a series of jobs — first at a hosiery factory in the Bronx, eventually as a teletypist at a financial firm. And though her father continued to advocate for Hungarian people across Central Europe, she rarely mentioned her past.
“She didn’t really want people to know, because people think of nobility as having something, and my mother really had nothing when she came here,” her daughter said.
Once on Wall Street, she showed enough aptitude that despite having no college degree, she was promoted to market analyst, studying trends and making investment recommendations. She joined Merrill’s securities research department in the early 1970s and stayed until retiring in 2005, developing a reputation for quick calculations and prescient recommendations — as well as a certain reserve.
“She worked very hard at it, and she didn’t suffer fools,” said Robert Farrell, one of her managers. “She had no trouble disagreeing about what was going to happen or voicing her own opinion.”
But she never acknowledged her background to most colleagues until they read her mother’s obituary in the 1990s. Some did not find out until her death.
“In all the time I talked to her every day, we talked about Hungary and everything, but she never said a word about her being royalty,” said Tom Webster, a Merrill Lynch broker.
In 1975, she married Lino DeVito di Porriasa, who came from an Italian noble family.
Mr. DeVito died in 2008, a few months after his wife learned she had breast cancer. Even while ill, she loved to follow the stock market, even making a profit after the 2008 financial crisis, her brother said.
She died on April 15.
Elisa DeVito remembered hearing stories from her grandmother about the family’s past and lavish lifestyle. But her mother usually dismissed such talk, saying, “That’s ancient history. We never need to talk about that anymore.”
As her cancer metastasized, however, the former countess changed her mind. To her daughter’s surprise, she asked to have her title engraved on her gravestone.
“The last few years,” Ms. DeVito said, “she started to remember good things, not just bad things — where she came from, and what she became.”
2013年4月11日星期四
who stole Wags’ jewellery was benefit cheat
A TRUSTED cleaner who stole more than ￡20,000 worth of jewellery from
footballers’ wives was committing benefit fraud at the time of the
thefts, a court heard.
Christine French pocketed more than ￡25,000 in benefits that she was not entitled to while working as a cleaner for former Sunderland striker David Healy and Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper.
The 57-year-old visibly trembled in the dock as the court was told that she had fraudulently claimed between ￡100 and ￡120 a week while cleaning the plush family homes in Ponteland’s Darras Hall estate - a favourite among footballers.
Susan Hirst, defending, told the court that French was “really robbing Peter to try and pay Paul” after her husband of 30 years suddenly left her in a state of financial chaos.
French owed a crippling ￡10,000 in loans and a further ￡5,000 in finance.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that when French initially began claiming income support and council tax benefit in September 2003, she was entitled to the payments.
However, after starting work as a cleaner on August 1, 2005, she continued to claim the money, which she was no longer entitled to, until she was sacked after the thefts were noticed in late 2010.
James Adkin, prosecuting, said French had fraudulently claimed a total of ￡25,895.08 while working as a cleaner and offering an ironing service.
Miss Hirst said French currently has ￡10.80 a week deducted from her benefits to re-pay that amount.
She said: “All the offences rose from the financial mess she was in. Her husband of 30 years left her suddenly with a huge amount of debt.
“Life has been a real struggle for her over the last seven to eight years.
“She has been struggling with depression since her husband left her. This really has ruined her life.”
French, of Stephenson Way, Winlaton, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to three counts of benefit fraud.
Sentencing her to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, Judge John Evans said “she would have faced immediate custody if the matters had come to light at the same time” as the thefts.
She was also given a supervision requirement for six months.
In May 2011 Judge Richard Lowden sentenced French to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with supervision for 12 months, after she pleaded guilty to three charges of theft relating to ￡20,000 of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
At the hearing for the first offence, the court was told French had fallen prey to the temptation of the “wealth she was surrounded by” and pocketed precious gems belonging to the wives of Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper and former Sunderland striker David Healy.
The self employed cleaner - who was paid around ￡30 per week for her services - sold or pawned the stolen items to help pay off her colossal debts.
The court heard French was not only trusted to clean the homes of the families, but would also babysit the Harper’s children.
It was Lynsey Harper who first grew suspicious after a gold and diamond bangle of hers went missing and French claimed to have found again when she was asked about it.
Some weeks later Mrs Harper, who had just got back from a break in Las Vegas, noticed a 19ct gold ring and an 18ct gold chain were missing.
When she spoke to Emma Healy and a third woman, Mrs Varley, about it the women told her they had noticed pieces of jewellery missing from their homes too.
French was confronted and admitted what she had done.
Because she owned up so quickly ￡14,000 worth of jewellery was recovered from pawn shops and jewellers where she had taken them.
Judge Richard Lowden told her at the time: “These were valuable items of jewellery you stole.
“You stole from people who trusted you and in circumstances where you were allowed to get on with what you were doing because they trusted you.
“You had access to these people’s homes and their property. You felt temptation and took what was theirs because you were short of money at the time and they appeared not to be.
“You weren’t guilty of using your ill-gotten gains to finance a lavish lifestyle and because when all this came to light you came clean and accepted immediately what you had done fortunately a lot of this jewellery was able to be recovered and returned to these householders.
“The trouble with jewellery is it is often not the value of the jewellery but the sentimental value to its owner, rich people have sentiments just as poor people have sentiments.”
Christine French pocketed more than ￡25,000 in benefits that she was not entitled to while working as a cleaner for former Sunderland striker David Healy and Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper.
The 57-year-old visibly trembled in the dock as the court was told that she had fraudulently claimed between ￡100 and ￡120 a week while cleaning the plush family homes in Ponteland’s Darras Hall estate - a favourite among footballers.
Susan Hirst, defending, told the court that French was “really robbing Peter to try and pay Paul” after her husband of 30 years suddenly left her in a state of financial chaos.
French owed a crippling ￡10,000 in loans and a further ￡5,000 in finance.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that when French initially began claiming income support and council tax benefit in September 2003, she was entitled to the payments.
However, after starting work as a cleaner on August 1, 2005, she continued to claim the money, which she was no longer entitled to, until she was sacked after the thefts were noticed in late 2010.
James Adkin, prosecuting, said French had fraudulently claimed a total of ￡25,895.08 while working as a cleaner and offering an ironing service.
Miss Hirst said French currently has ￡10.80 a week deducted from her benefits to re-pay that amount.
She said: “All the offences rose from the financial mess she was in. Her husband of 30 years left her suddenly with a huge amount of debt.
“Life has been a real struggle for her over the last seven to eight years.
“She has been struggling with depression since her husband left her. This really has ruined her life.”
French, of Stephenson Way, Winlaton, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to three counts of benefit fraud.
Sentencing her to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, Judge John Evans said “she would have faced immediate custody if the matters had come to light at the same time” as the thefts.
She was also given a supervision requirement for six months.
In May 2011 Judge Richard Lowden sentenced French to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with supervision for 12 months, after she pleaded guilty to three charges of theft relating to ￡20,000 of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
At the hearing for the first offence, the court was told French had fallen prey to the temptation of the “wealth she was surrounded by” and pocketed precious gems belonging to the wives of Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper and former Sunderland striker David Healy.
The self employed cleaner - who was paid around ￡30 per week for her services - sold or pawned the stolen items to help pay off her colossal debts.
The court heard French was not only trusted to clean the homes of the families, but would also babysit the Harper’s children.
It was Lynsey Harper who first grew suspicious after a gold and diamond bangle of hers went missing and French claimed to have found again when she was asked about it.
Some weeks later Mrs Harper, who had just got back from a break in Las Vegas, noticed a 19ct gold ring and an 18ct gold chain were missing.
When she spoke to Emma Healy and a third woman, Mrs Varley, about it the women told her they had noticed pieces of jewellery missing from their homes too.
French was confronted and admitted what she had done.
Because she owned up so quickly ￡14,000 worth of jewellery was recovered from pawn shops and jewellers where she had taken them.
Judge Richard Lowden told her at the time: “These were valuable items of jewellery you stole.
“You stole from people who trusted you and in circumstances where you were allowed to get on with what you were doing because they trusted you.
“You had access to these people’s homes and their property. You felt temptation and took what was theirs because you were short of money at the time and they appeared not to be.
“You weren’t guilty of using your ill-gotten gains to finance a lavish lifestyle and because when all this came to light you came clean and accepted immediately what you had done fortunately a lot of this jewellery was able to be recovered and returned to these householders.
“The trouble with jewellery is it is often not the value of the jewellery but the sentimental value to its owner, rich people have sentiments just as poor people have sentiments.”
2013年4月9日星期二
Customers come here looking for pictures of their families
There’s a shop on Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street that sells numerous unusual and interesting items. Anything from an old camera to an antique radio or an old bottle of Pepsi made in Qatar can be found there. Banknotes, coins and letters are also part of this collection put together by Ali Darwishi.
This Iranian entrepreneur opened Champs Elysee Palace about eight years ago. But he began collecting stamps at the age of 12. Then came coins and banknotes, and then antiques.
He has been in Doha for more than 45 years and buys most of the items he sells in his shop from collectors who don’t want to continue collecting. He has many Qatari clients, and film-makers rent the products for a few days.
His collection includes medals, stamps, books, photos, ornaments, plates, vases, watches and musical instruments, among other curiosities.
The oldest items are from the 1950’s and, in the owner’s words: “They tell the short story of Qatar.”
“I have many local clients that keep coming back to the store until they finish their collection. They specially like to buy books about the country, stamps, banknotes and even soda bottles,” Darwishi said.
The shopkeeper added that it was common for Qatari families to have a corner in their home dedicated to memorabilia and antiques. “I have sold bottles of Coca Cola or Pepsi made here for QR4,000. Also, old banknotes that were used for Qatar and Dubai for QR100,000.”
Darwishi’s books about the country and the Gulf are also very valuable, just like the hundreds of photos that tell the story of the country.
“Customers come here looking for pictures of their families to show their children. They also like buying old toys to let their kids know how they played before, with traditional craft toys and not electronics,” stated the owner of Champs Elysee Palace.
Youth visit the shop to learn about Qatar and find special items like a telephone used by the troops in World War II, a vintage iron or the traditional china used during Ramadan by locals.
Spread over two floors, the store also sells records from Indian artists and singers from the region as well as boxes of matches — which sell for up to QR1,000 — and tobacco.
“Collectors continue coming until they have all the items they want. For instance, they like having a camera or telephone from every year. I also get calls from people who are tired of collecting and want to sell me all their things.”
The shop also sells old fans, some furniture, including cupboards, as well as pots made in the Czech Republic and Slovenia which are very popular among Qatari clients.
Four people work at the store, which will soon feature an area on the second floor dedicated to books.
“They keep everything in order, but they don’t need to clean because the dust makes the items even more special,” joked the owner.
Other curious items can be found at the store, like typewriters. Barwashi also sells apparently invaluable things like imitation watches, catchpenny jewellery or empty and broken soda cans.
The most unexpected item, like a broken bottle, can be exactly what the client is looking for to complete his collection and, just because it is made in Qatar, he will pay thousands of riyals for it.
This Iranian entrepreneur opened Champs Elysee Palace about eight years ago. But he began collecting stamps at the age of 12. Then came coins and banknotes, and then antiques.
He has been in Doha for more than 45 years and buys most of the items he sells in his shop from collectors who don’t want to continue collecting. He has many Qatari clients, and film-makers rent the products for a few days.
His collection includes medals, stamps, books, photos, ornaments, plates, vases, watches and musical instruments, among other curiosities.
The oldest items are from the 1950’s and, in the owner’s words: “They tell the short story of Qatar.”
“I have many local clients that keep coming back to the store until they finish their collection. They specially like to buy books about the country, stamps, banknotes and even soda bottles,” Darwishi said.
The shopkeeper added that it was common for Qatari families to have a corner in their home dedicated to memorabilia and antiques. “I have sold bottles of Coca Cola or Pepsi made here for QR4,000. Also, old banknotes that were used for Qatar and Dubai for QR100,000.”
Darwishi’s books about the country and the Gulf are also very valuable, just like the hundreds of photos that tell the story of the country.
“Customers come here looking for pictures of their families to show their children. They also like buying old toys to let their kids know how they played before, with traditional craft toys and not electronics,” stated the owner of Champs Elysee Palace.
Youth visit the shop to learn about Qatar and find special items like a telephone used by the troops in World War II, a vintage iron or the traditional china used during Ramadan by locals.
Spread over two floors, the store also sells records from Indian artists and singers from the region as well as boxes of matches — which sell for up to QR1,000 — and tobacco.
“Collectors continue coming until they have all the items they want. For instance, they like having a camera or telephone from every year. I also get calls from people who are tired of collecting and want to sell me all their things.”
The shop also sells old fans, some furniture, including cupboards, as well as pots made in the Czech Republic and Slovenia which are very popular among Qatari clients.
Four people work at the store, which will soon feature an area on the second floor dedicated to books.
“They keep everything in order, but they don’t need to clean because the dust makes the items even more special,” joked the owner.
Other curious items can be found at the store, like typewriters. Barwashi also sells apparently invaluable things like imitation watches, catchpenny jewellery or empty and broken soda cans.
The most unexpected item, like a broken bottle, can be exactly what the client is looking for to complete his collection and, just because it is made in Qatar, he will pay thousands of riyals for it.
2013年3月24日星期日
Defending champion Sam Horgan out sprinted national triathlon
Cyclists from Australia, Canada, Germany Britain, and all over New Zealand, faced off in a gruelling 100-kilometre race from Christchurch to Akaroa on Saturday, but it was one of Christchurch's own who took the top spot.
Michael Vink, 21, was first to cross the finishline in a time of 2hr 31min.
Vink, a talented road racing and track cyclist, leaves for Belgium tomorrow for an overseas campaign with the BikeNZ men's track squad.
On the road, Vink has won the national under-23 time trial three times in the past four years and has been the under-20 road champion twice. He won the elite road race outright in 2012 and was runner-up in the under-23 category earlier this month and seventh overall in a quality field.
It was the second time Vink has won the Le Race - he also won in 2010.
James Early, who finished second, gave Vink a good run for his money. "At the bottom of the Hill Top climb things split up," Vink said.
"I rode quite hard and James and I got away and then I attacked over the top. I was going for the KOM [King of the Mountain] points but that's also the place I normally feel the best as I know there's a big downhill to recover afterwards."
Vink was pleased with the win but said the racing he would face in Europe, including the under-23 Tour of Flanders in two weeks, would be "very different".
"It's a flat race with lots of cobbles and it is certainly different to Le Race. But good form is good form and I'm really happy I'm in good shape."
Early said the racing was fast from the start, but once Vink applied the pressure in the last quarterhe couldn't match his climbing speed.
"He was strong and when he went I just couldn't stay with him, it was an impressive ride," Earl said.
Defending champion Sam Horgan out sprinted national triathlon representative Tom Davison to claim third with 16-year-old Daniel Whitehouse finishing fifth.
Sharlotte Lucas won the women's event in 3hr 2min, over four minutes clear of Laura Fairweather from Southland.
Fairweather won gold on the track and smashed the world record in the tandem pursuit as a pilot for Phillipa Grey at the London Paralympics, but said the hills "got to her" in the end.
Michael Vink, 21, was first to cross the finishline in a time of 2hr 31min.
Vink, a talented road racing and track cyclist, leaves for Belgium tomorrow for an overseas campaign with the BikeNZ men's track squad.
On the road, Vink has won the national under-23 time trial three times in the past four years and has been the under-20 road champion twice. He won the elite road race outright in 2012 and was runner-up in the under-23 category earlier this month and seventh overall in a quality field.
It was the second time Vink has won the Le Race - he also won in 2010.
James Early, who finished second, gave Vink a good run for his money. "At the bottom of the Hill Top climb things split up," Vink said.
"I rode quite hard and James and I got away and then I attacked over the top. I was going for the KOM [King of the Mountain] points but that's also the place I normally feel the best as I know there's a big downhill to recover afterwards."
Vink was pleased with the win but said the racing he would face in Europe, including the under-23 Tour of Flanders in two weeks, would be "very different".
"It's a flat race with lots of cobbles and it is certainly different to Le Race. But good form is good form and I'm really happy I'm in good shape."
Early said the racing was fast from the start, but once Vink applied the pressure in the last quarterhe couldn't match his climbing speed.
"He was strong and when he went I just couldn't stay with him, it was an impressive ride," Earl said.
Defending champion Sam Horgan out sprinted national triathlon representative Tom Davison to claim third with 16-year-old Daniel Whitehouse finishing fifth.
Sharlotte Lucas won the women's event in 3hr 2min, over four minutes clear of Laura Fairweather from Southland.
Fairweather won gold on the track and smashed the world record in the tandem pursuit as a pilot for Phillipa Grey at the London Paralympics, but said the hills "got to her" in the end.
2013年3月17日星期日
The trial opened last week as a contest
Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were
sentenced to at least a year in juvenile jail, capping a case that came
to light via a barrage of morning-after text messages, social media
posts and online photos and video.
Mays was sentenced to an additional year in jail on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, to be served after his rape sentence is completed.
The two teens broke down in tears after the verdict was read and later apologized to the victim and to the community. Both were emotional as they spoke, and Richmond struggled at times to talk through his sobs. Richmond's father, Nathaniel, also asked that the victim's family "forgive Malik and Trent for the pain they put you through."
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were charged with digitally penetrating the West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after an alcohol-fueled party on Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house.
The case roiled the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged - accusations that Ohio's attorney general pledged to look into - and led to questions from a much wider audience online about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community of 18,000 that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.
Protesters who sought guilty verdicts stood outside the courthouse Sunday morning, their arms linked, some wearing masks. Later, prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter criticized the efforts by the hacker collective Anonymous to publicize the case, saying the extra attention led to a chilling effect on those willing to testify.
The trial opened last week as a contest between prosecutors determined to show the girl was so drunk she couldn't have been a willing participant that night, and defense attorneys soliciting testimony from witnesses that would indicate that the girl, though drunk, knew what she was doing.
The teenage girl testified Saturday that she could not recall what happened the night of the attack but remembered waking up naked in a strange house after drinking at a party. The girl said she recalled drinking, leaving the party holding hands with Mays and throwing up later. When she woke up, she said she discovered her phone, earrings, shoes and underwear were missing, she testified.
The girl said she believed she was assaulted when she later read text messages among friends and saw a photo of herself taken that night, along with a video that made fun of her and the alleged attack. She said she suspected she had been drugged because she couldn't explain being as intoxicated as defense witnesses have said she was.
Evidence introduced at the trial included graphic text messages sent by numerous students after the night of the party, including by the accuser, containing provocative descriptions of sex acts and obscene language. Lawyers noted during the trial how texts have seemed to replace talking on the phone for contemporary teens. A computer forensic expert called by the state documented tens of thousands of texts found on 17 phones seized during the investigation.
In sentencing the boys, Judge Thomas Lipps urged everyone who had witnessed what happened in the case, including parents, "to have discussions about how you talk to your friends, how you record things on the social media so prevalent today and how you conduct yourself when drinking is put upon you by your friends."
The girl herself recalled being in a car later with Mays and Richmond and asking them what happened.
In questioning her account, defense attorneys went after her character and credibility. Two former friends of the girl testified that the accuser she was drinking heavily that night, had a history of doing so and was known to lie.
"The reality is, she drank, she has a reputation for telling lies," said lawyer Walter Madison, representing Richmond.
The accuser said that she does not remember being photographed as she was carried by Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond, an image that stirred up outrage, first locally, then globally, as it spread online. Others testified the photo was a joke and the girl was conscious when it was taken.
After the trial, the accuser's mother rebuked the boys for "lack of any moral code."
"You were your own accuser, through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal conduct on," she said.
The photograph led to allegations that three other boys, two of them members of Steubenville High's celebrated Big Red team, saw something happening that night and didn't try to stop it but instead recorded it themselves.
Mays was sentenced to an additional year in jail on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, to be served after his rape sentence is completed.
The two teens broke down in tears after the verdict was read and later apologized to the victim and to the community. Both were emotional as they spoke, and Richmond struggled at times to talk through his sobs. Richmond's father, Nathaniel, also asked that the victim's family "forgive Malik and Trent for the pain they put you through."
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were charged with digitally penetrating the West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after an alcohol-fueled party on Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house.
The case roiled the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged - accusations that Ohio's attorney general pledged to look into - and led to questions from a much wider audience online about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community of 18,000 that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.
Protesters who sought guilty verdicts stood outside the courthouse Sunday morning, their arms linked, some wearing masks. Later, prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter criticized the efforts by the hacker collective Anonymous to publicize the case, saying the extra attention led to a chilling effect on those willing to testify.
The trial opened last week as a contest between prosecutors determined to show the girl was so drunk she couldn't have been a willing participant that night, and defense attorneys soliciting testimony from witnesses that would indicate that the girl, though drunk, knew what she was doing.
The teenage girl testified Saturday that she could not recall what happened the night of the attack but remembered waking up naked in a strange house after drinking at a party. The girl said she recalled drinking, leaving the party holding hands with Mays and throwing up later. When she woke up, she said she discovered her phone, earrings, shoes and underwear were missing, she testified.
The girl said she believed she was assaulted when she later read text messages among friends and saw a photo of herself taken that night, along with a video that made fun of her and the alleged attack. She said she suspected she had been drugged because she couldn't explain being as intoxicated as defense witnesses have said she was.
Evidence introduced at the trial included graphic text messages sent by numerous students after the night of the party, including by the accuser, containing provocative descriptions of sex acts and obscene language. Lawyers noted during the trial how texts have seemed to replace talking on the phone for contemporary teens. A computer forensic expert called by the state documented tens of thousands of texts found on 17 phones seized during the investigation.
In sentencing the boys, Judge Thomas Lipps urged everyone who had witnessed what happened in the case, including parents, "to have discussions about how you talk to your friends, how you record things on the social media so prevalent today and how you conduct yourself when drinking is put upon you by your friends."
The girl herself recalled being in a car later with Mays and Richmond and asking them what happened.
In questioning her account, defense attorneys went after her character and credibility. Two former friends of the girl testified that the accuser she was drinking heavily that night, had a history of doing so and was known to lie.
"The reality is, she drank, she has a reputation for telling lies," said lawyer Walter Madison, representing Richmond.
The accuser said that she does not remember being photographed as she was carried by Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond, an image that stirred up outrage, first locally, then globally, as it spread online. Others testified the photo was a joke and the girl was conscious when it was taken.
After the trial, the accuser's mother rebuked the boys for "lack of any moral code."
"You were your own accuser, through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal conduct on," she said.
The photograph led to allegations that three other boys, two of them members of Steubenville High's celebrated Big Red team, saw something happening that night and didn't try to stop it but instead recorded it themselves.
2013年2月26日星期二
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower
Stacy Harper, head of customer contact at Leeds-based Sky Betting and Gaming, on her passion for cycling.
I STARTED cycling in January 2011 when myself and a few colleagues put our names down for the chance to cycle the ninth stage of the Tour de France, the Central Massif stage, with the support of Sky Cycling.
I had never taken on a cycling challenge before, let alone a stage in the world-famous Tour de France, so I was terrified when I received news that I’d been successful in gaining a place on the programme.
I thought I would never be able to achieve the level of fitness required to complete a 130-mile ride through tough terrain.
While I was training there were a lot of tough moments, including being overtaken by a man on a mountain bike in a Hawaiian shirt and cycling into the back of a Jeep!
I had some very nice bruises and scars from falling off several times but it was all worth it.
In the run-up to the race I completed a total of 22 weeks’ training and in the weeks before the event I was cycling for about 14 hours a week. I was definitely the fittest I’ve ever been.
Unfortunately, the Central Massif stage of the Tour de France didn’t go to plan.
The weather on the day was unseasonably horrendous, but everyone was wearing their summer cycling gear.
I, along with many other riders, was ill-equipped to deal with harsh weather conditions so I was only able to complete half the ride.
There were tales of riders being wrapped in silver foil blankets at the top of one of the main hills, and in the end the officials decided to close the route for safety reasons.
I was disappointed with how things had turned out at the Tour de France but had been bitten by the cycling bug and continued riding and taking part in various cycling events. I got back in the saddle for a Sky Ride event in Ireland in August 2011, riding 80 miles on closed roads with some stunning scenery to help me along.
Last year I completed the London to Paris Bike Ride, which involves cycling 300 miles over three days.
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower with an amazing group of people was fantastic, as was watching Bradley Wiggins’ triumph in the Tour de France from ‘Brit Corner’ on the Champs Elysee the following day. Through some of the cycling events I’ve participated in I’ve had some unforgettable experiences and have even been lucky enough to get snapped with some of Britain’s cycling stars, including Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton.
I can honestly say I think I will always love being on the bike and I’ve already signed up to be a Tour Maker for the Tour de France 2014. The Sky Cycling programme for this year is now out so I’m just working on what the challenge will be for 2013!
I STARTED cycling in January 2011 when myself and a few colleagues put our names down for the chance to cycle the ninth stage of the Tour de France, the Central Massif stage, with the support of Sky Cycling.
I had never taken on a cycling challenge before, let alone a stage in the world-famous Tour de France, so I was terrified when I received news that I’d been successful in gaining a place on the programme.
I thought I would never be able to achieve the level of fitness required to complete a 130-mile ride through tough terrain.
While I was training there were a lot of tough moments, including being overtaken by a man on a mountain bike in a Hawaiian shirt and cycling into the back of a Jeep!
I had some very nice bruises and scars from falling off several times but it was all worth it.
In the run-up to the race I completed a total of 22 weeks’ training and in the weeks before the event I was cycling for about 14 hours a week. I was definitely the fittest I’ve ever been.
Unfortunately, the Central Massif stage of the Tour de France didn’t go to plan.
The weather on the day was unseasonably horrendous, but everyone was wearing their summer cycling gear.
I, along with many other riders, was ill-equipped to deal with harsh weather conditions so I was only able to complete half the ride.
There were tales of riders being wrapped in silver foil blankets at the top of one of the main hills, and in the end the officials decided to close the route for safety reasons.
I was disappointed with how things had turned out at the Tour de France but had been bitten by the cycling bug and continued riding and taking part in various cycling events. I got back in the saddle for a Sky Ride event in Ireland in August 2011, riding 80 miles on closed roads with some stunning scenery to help me along.
Last year I completed the London to Paris Bike Ride, which involves cycling 300 miles over three days.
Riding to the finish line next to the Eiffel Tower with an amazing group of people was fantastic, as was watching Bradley Wiggins’ triumph in the Tour de France from ‘Brit Corner’ on the Champs Elysee the following day. Through some of the cycling events I’ve participated in I’ve had some unforgettable experiences and have even been lucky enough to get snapped with some of Britain’s cycling stars, including Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton.
I can honestly say I think I will always love being on the bike and I’ve already signed up to be a Tour Maker for the Tour de France 2014. The Sky Cycling programme for this year is now out so I’m just working on what the challenge will be for 2013!
2012年12月24日星期一
The use of child labor has been rising around the world
TODAY millions of American children will be opening gifts left under Christmas trees. Sadly, many of those trees are decorated with ornaments produced by involuntary child labor.
Just this month, an advocacy network, the Global March Against Child Labor, led a surprise raid of a sweatshop in New Delhi. Fourteen children, ages 8 to 14, were rescued. They were working in small, unventilated spaces for up to 15 hours a day, forced, under the constant threat of violence, to make Christmas decorations and seasonal gifts to be sold in America and Europe.
These were just 14 children of the six million who, according to the United Nations, are trafficked into labor under the threat of physical harm or physical restraint each year. Forced labor is part of an even bigger problem: recent estimates indicate that there are 215 million laborers under the age of 18 worldwide, over half of whom are working in hazardous conditions. The United States Department of Labor publishes a “list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor,” which mentions 134 goods — including decorations, clothing, electronics, shoes, jewelry, fashion accessories and toys — produced in 74 countries.
During the holiday season, heightened consumer demand in the West for these goods leads to a shortage of labor. To cope with this, teenagers and children are often recruited or, as in the New Delhi case, trafficked into forced labor. Poor parents are often tricked into selling their children to middlemen for a few dollars, after being told that their children will receive care and a free education, and that their wages will be sent back to the family.
Last Christmas, an investigation of toy factories in China, where 85 percent of the toys on the American market are produced, revealed that about 300 youth workers were drafted to help with the holiday demand. Another undercover investigation of a Chinese factory last year revealed that children as young as 14 were making Disney’s best-selling Cars toys in preparation for the 2011 holiday season.
The use of child labor has been rising around the world since the financial crisis in 2008. A recent study by the risk-assessment company Maplecroft revealed that manufacturing supply chains in 76 countries were at “extreme risk” of involving child labor at some stage, up from 68 countries last year. Among these countries are key American trading partners: China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines. Bangladesh, where a recent garment factory fire killed 112 workers, is also a major offender. Many of the dead were young women, some as young as 12.
America’s own history of addressing domestic child labor in the early 20th century points the way to a global solution to the current problem. Just as today, toys and trinkets then were often made by poor children in factories and tenements — but in America itself. In 1912, Lewis Hine photographed New York City tenement children sewing dolls and displayed the images alongside photographs of middle-class children playing with the same dolls in Central Park. The photographs prompted the State Legislature the next year to prohibit the making of dolls and children’s clothing, among other items, in tenement houses.
Child-labor opponents in the early 20th century drew attention to child labor at Christmastime to stir a complacent American public. Life magazine captured the irony in a 1913 cartoon that contrasted a child laborer, making a stuffed toy, with a privileged child who would later play with it. And in a popular book from 1914 called “Children in Bondage,” one reformer wrote that tenement children were “wasting their bodies and souls to make a little joy for the rest.”
Child advocates also promoted boycotts on the products of child labor. Florence Kelley introduced the “White Label,” which was given to businesses that refused to sell the products of child labor. During the Christmas season, child advocates told consumers to shop only at White Label stores. The movement raised consumer awareness and helped spur the effective abolition of most industrial child labor in the United States in 1938.
Just this month, an advocacy network, the Global March Against Child Labor, led a surprise raid of a sweatshop in New Delhi. Fourteen children, ages 8 to 14, were rescued. They were working in small, unventilated spaces for up to 15 hours a day, forced, under the constant threat of violence, to make Christmas decorations and seasonal gifts to be sold in America and Europe.
These were just 14 children of the six million who, according to the United Nations, are trafficked into labor under the threat of physical harm or physical restraint each year. Forced labor is part of an even bigger problem: recent estimates indicate that there are 215 million laborers under the age of 18 worldwide, over half of whom are working in hazardous conditions. The United States Department of Labor publishes a “list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor,” which mentions 134 goods — including decorations, clothing, electronics, shoes, jewelry, fashion accessories and toys — produced in 74 countries.
During the holiday season, heightened consumer demand in the West for these goods leads to a shortage of labor. To cope with this, teenagers and children are often recruited or, as in the New Delhi case, trafficked into forced labor. Poor parents are often tricked into selling their children to middlemen for a few dollars, after being told that their children will receive care and a free education, and that their wages will be sent back to the family.
Last Christmas, an investigation of toy factories in China, where 85 percent of the toys on the American market are produced, revealed that about 300 youth workers were drafted to help with the holiday demand. Another undercover investigation of a Chinese factory last year revealed that children as young as 14 were making Disney’s best-selling Cars toys in preparation for the 2011 holiday season.
The use of child labor has been rising around the world since the financial crisis in 2008. A recent study by the risk-assessment company Maplecroft revealed that manufacturing supply chains in 76 countries were at “extreme risk” of involving child labor at some stage, up from 68 countries last year. Among these countries are key American trading partners: China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines. Bangladesh, where a recent garment factory fire killed 112 workers, is also a major offender. Many of the dead were young women, some as young as 12.
America’s own history of addressing domestic child labor in the early 20th century points the way to a global solution to the current problem. Just as today, toys and trinkets then were often made by poor children in factories and tenements — but in America itself. In 1912, Lewis Hine photographed New York City tenement children sewing dolls and displayed the images alongside photographs of middle-class children playing with the same dolls in Central Park. The photographs prompted the State Legislature the next year to prohibit the making of dolls and children’s clothing, among other items, in tenement houses.
Child-labor opponents in the early 20th century drew attention to child labor at Christmastime to stir a complacent American public. Life magazine captured the irony in a 1913 cartoon that contrasted a child laborer, making a stuffed toy, with a privileged child who would later play with it. And in a popular book from 1914 called “Children in Bondage,” one reformer wrote that tenement children were “wasting their bodies and souls to make a little joy for the rest.”
Child advocates also promoted boycotts on the products of child labor. Florence Kelley introduced the “White Label,” which was given to businesses that refused to sell the products of child labor. During the Christmas season, child advocates told consumers to shop only at White Label stores. The movement raised consumer awareness and helped spur the effective abolition of most industrial child labor in the United States in 1938.
2012年10月22日星期一
Justin Kittredge of Reebok helped spearhead
He said they feel “like a cushion inside.”
The cushion is actually memory foam in the sole of the shoe.
A team of 10 Reebok designers used laser technology and molds to custom make three pairs of size 24 shoes.
“Now that I’ve seen them, I’m overwhelmed,” Igor said.
Each pair is personalized with his name, his exact height – seven feet, eight and-one-third inches — and his own logo: a symbol of where he is from.
“The top of it is a national Ukrainian symbol,” Igor said.
The last time Igor fit into a pair of Reebok’s, he was in third grade.
“I never thought I’d have a pair of shoes that looks like something that comes off the shelf,” he said. “To have all of these things personalized specifically to me, it goes above and beyond anything I had hoped for.”
For him, this gift is much bigger than shoes.
“It’s an enormous opportunity now to start doing things I haven’t been able to do.”
Numerous painful foot ailments and surgeries, compounded by his size, have kept Igor from leaving his home many times.
“Walking two blocks, I’m out of breath. I hope this is the road to recovery,” he said.
Justin Kittredge of Reebok helped spearhead the effort to get Igor new shoes. He came to Rochester to personally do the fitting on Thursday.
“From the reaction today, I think we’re definitely on the road to helping Igor to a much more healthier lifestyle.”
Igor says he’ll surely be sporting his new Timberwolves-inspired tennis shoes to a basketball game soon.
For the first time in a long time, Igor says, he’ll be comfortable and proud to walk around in his new shoes.
“Now I’m hoping that instead of my height drawing attention, my shoes are going to be drawing attention,” he said.
Igor initially raised nearly $40,000 from donations on Facebook to pay for the shoes. Reebok since stepped in and said it would cover the entire cost.
Igor says he’ll use the money to buy winter shoes, a pair of sandals, and tuck the rest away to buy shoes in the future. He also said he’s incredibly grateful for the supportive messages and donations he received from people across the country.
The cushion is actually memory foam in the sole of the shoe.
A team of 10 Reebok designers used laser technology and molds to custom make three pairs of size 24 shoes.
“Now that I’ve seen them, I’m overwhelmed,” Igor said.
Each pair is personalized with his name, his exact height – seven feet, eight and-one-third inches — and his own logo: a symbol of where he is from.
“The top of it is a national Ukrainian symbol,” Igor said.
The last time Igor fit into a pair of Reebok’s, he was in third grade.
“I never thought I’d have a pair of shoes that looks like something that comes off the shelf,” he said. “To have all of these things personalized specifically to me, it goes above and beyond anything I had hoped for.”
For him, this gift is much bigger than shoes.
“It’s an enormous opportunity now to start doing things I haven’t been able to do.”
Numerous painful foot ailments and surgeries, compounded by his size, have kept Igor from leaving his home many times.
“Walking two blocks, I’m out of breath. I hope this is the road to recovery,” he said.
Justin Kittredge of Reebok helped spearhead the effort to get Igor new shoes. He came to Rochester to personally do the fitting on Thursday.
“From the reaction today, I think we’re definitely on the road to helping Igor to a much more healthier lifestyle.”
Igor says he’ll surely be sporting his new Timberwolves-inspired tennis shoes to a basketball game soon.
For the first time in a long time, Igor says, he’ll be comfortable and proud to walk around in his new shoes.
“Now I’m hoping that instead of my height drawing attention, my shoes are going to be drawing attention,” he said.
Igor initially raised nearly $40,000 from donations on Facebook to pay for the shoes. Reebok since stepped in and said it would cover the entire cost.
Igor says he’ll use the money to buy winter shoes, a pair of sandals, and tuck the rest away to buy shoes in the future. He also said he’s incredibly grateful for the supportive messages and donations he received from people across the country.
2012年10月18日星期四
Big-man Tuinei has big shoes to fill for Als
In some ways, Lavasier Tuinei has been preparing for this moment his entire life -- from the days he followed his father around NFL stadiums, to another stage at the University of Oregon and, finally, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Tuinei has played before 100,000 spectators. Presumably, he won't be fazed by the 30,000 that will cram into Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon.
"I'm excited. I'm not as nervous as I should be. I'm more prepared and have confidence in myself," the 6-foot-5, 216-pound receiver said on Thursday, following the Alouettes' final practice this week at Stade Hébert in Saint-Léonard. "I want to show the team I can step up after the injuries. I have big shoes to fill ... but I'm prepared and ready."
Only 22, and on Montreal's practice roster for only three weeks, Tuinei is preparing for his pro debut against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And he's part of a new-look offence, following injuries to receiver Brandon London and tailback Victor Anderson. London is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery this week, while Anderson suffered a concussion last Sunday, against Toronto, and will be replaced by Chris Jennings.
And the Als are already missing receiver S.J. Green, creating another opening on offence for tailback, receiver and kick-returner Noel Devine, who comes off the nine-game injured list.
"We have to enjoy the process of getting to know the team," head coach Marc Trestman said. "We have a lot of new pieces, and it'll be this way the rest of the way. Some players will have to be more productive. We can't rely on one or two.
"We'll have to grow and continue finding ourselves as we move forward," he added. "I think we can do it and have success as a team. It's going to take a collective effort and it's going to be different. We won't sit back and wait for things to happen."
Tuinei realizes he would still be a prospect, sitting on the practice roster, had London not sustained his injury. That's the way things work in pro sports, an injury creating a potential opening that must be seized by the newcomer.
"Sometimes you have to wait and be patient," said the native of Arcadia, Ind. "People get hurt and you step up ... show off your ability. This is my chance. I'm the next person (on the depth chart) and I won't lag. I want to help the team. That's what I'm here for."
It's not like Tuinei comes to Montreal without credentials and an impressive pedigree. He already has the blood-line; his father, Van, is a former defensive end who played 45 NFL games with San Diego, Indianapolis and Chicago.
As for the receiver, he spent three seasons with the Oregon Ducks, following a year at Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach, Calif., catching 108 passes for 1,212 yards over 37 games, while scoring 12 touchdowns.
He was the team's leading receiver as a senior, with 48 receptions and 10 TDs, and second in yards, with 599. But Tuinei saved the best for his final collegiate game, being named the Rose Bowl's offensive player of the game. He had a career-high eight catches for 158 yards, scoring twice, in the Ducks' win over Wisconsin.
Tuinei has played before 100,000 spectators. Presumably, he won't be fazed by the 30,000 that will cram into Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon.
"I'm excited. I'm not as nervous as I should be. I'm more prepared and have confidence in myself," the 6-foot-5, 216-pound receiver said on Thursday, following the Alouettes' final practice this week at Stade Hébert in Saint-Léonard. "I want to show the team I can step up after the injuries. I have big shoes to fill ... but I'm prepared and ready."
Only 22, and on Montreal's practice roster for only three weeks, Tuinei is preparing for his pro debut against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And he's part of a new-look offence, following injuries to receiver Brandon London and tailback Victor Anderson. London is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery this week, while Anderson suffered a concussion last Sunday, against Toronto, and will be replaced by Chris Jennings.
And the Als are already missing receiver S.J. Green, creating another opening on offence for tailback, receiver and kick-returner Noel Devine, who comes off the nine-game injured list.
"We have to enjoy the process of getting to know the team," head coach Marc Trestman said. "We have a lot of new pieces, and it'll be this way the rest of the way. Some players will have to be more productive. We can't rely on one or two.
"We'll have to grow and continue finding ourselves as we move forward," he added. "I think we can do it and have success as a team. It's going to take a collective effort and it's going to be different. We won't sit back and wait for things to happen."
Tuinei realizes he would still be a prospect, sitting on the practice roster, had London not sustained his injury. That's the way things work in pro sports, an injury creating a potential opening that must be seized by the newcomer.
"Sometimes you have to wait and be patient," said the native of Arcadia, Ind. "People get hurt and you step up ... show off your ability. This is my chance. I'm the next person (on the depth chart) and I won't lag. I want to help the team. That's what I'm here for."
It's not like Tuinei comes to Montreal without credentials and an impressive pedigree. He already has the blood-line; his father, Van, is a former defensive end who played 45 NFL games with San Diego, Indianapolis and Chicago.
As for the receiver, he spent three seasons with the Oregon Ducks, following a year at Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach, Calif., catching 108 passes for 1,212 yards over 37 games, while scoring 12 touchdowns.
He was the team's leading receiver as a senior, with 48 receptions and 10 TDs, and second in yards, with 599. But Tuinei saved the best for his final collegiate game, being named the Rose Bowl's offensive player of the game. He had a career-high eight catches for 158 yards, scoring twice, in the Ducks' win over Wisconsin.
2012年10月17日星期三
while staying with the family of Bob Rosen
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
It seems that Amherst always has been known as “a running town.”
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
It seems that Amherst always has been known as “a running town.”
Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.
Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.
Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.
No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.
For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.
The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.
As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”
It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.
2012年9月23日星期日
My first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas
It's mid-morning on Thursday,as I head south from Palomas, Mexico, with Esperanza Lozoya, the founder of the humanitarian program, La Luz de la Esperanza, her granddaughter and her assistant, Maria Dolores Campos.
Our goal is to take beans, medicine and shoes to two rural towns, Colonia Modelo and Guadalupe Victoria. The beans were purchased by Esperanza from Diaz Farms in Deming, N.M. The shoes were donated by Nina Houle, the very supportive owner of a shoe store named On Your Feet in Santa Fe.
This is my first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas and my first meeting with Esperanza. On June 21, however, I observed her summer lunch program in Palomas.
In the space of about an hour, her daughter Sofia and an assistant distributed 600 lunch boxes to needy children there, an extraordinary feat that they continued every weekday all summer.
They also run a midday meal program for the elderly in a building that used to be a rehab center.
Esperanza is originally from Chicago, but she and her family have a long history of community leadership in both Palomas and Columbus, N.M., a few miles to the north. The recreation center in Columbus is named after her father, Andrew Sanchez, for all his contributions.
Her sister, Lupita Otero, manages several food banks in Columbus and was given a “Community Health Leader” award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2003.
They typify the many heroic people who hold these impoverished communities together in the absence of government services.
We drive about a half hour straight south, then turn off at Modelo, which is just a collection of houses by the road. For safety reasons and as a woman who travels extensively in rural Chihuahua, Esperanza doesn’t announce where she is going in advance so there is no one waiting for us.
We then continue on a few miles to El Entronque, a community built where the Palomas road intersects the highway from Juárez to Chihuahua. There at the Tortería 3 Caminos, we find El Commandante, the officer in charge of that area.
A cheerful man in dark glasses, a white shirt and suspenders, he poses for photos with Esperanza, his unsmiling assistant and his wife. Then he calls on his cell phone and tells another officer to meet us by the town plaza in Modelo.
He also mentions two recent murders. I had assumed that this area was much safer. Esperanza smiles and says that I’m seeing, “The calm before the storm.”
She knows about violence; one of her strongest supporters, the former mayor of Palomas, Tanys Garcia, was murdered in 2009.
A crowd, mostly women, gathers. We open white sacks of beans and Esperanza ladles out five big cups into each woman’s plastic bag. The men are working in the fields, although with the extremely dry weather, there is much less work than usual.
Esperanza has been doing this for nine years. Over the past two and a half, she has distributed some 160,000 pounds of food in the Palomas area. This is in addition to shoes, medicine, basic first aid kits and school supplies. Her job is, if anything, more difficult now, because the Mexican government is limiting the quantity of beans that can be brought across the border. Why, no one knows.
Our second stop is in a farm town named Guadalupe Victoria located some 12 kilometers to the west of the Palomas-El Entronque road. Esperanza and Maria Dolores are both trained as promotoras and can handle basic medical problems.
Their goal here is to provide medicine for the children of migrant farm worker families who have parasites. A longer-term goal is to train local women as promotoras, so that they can deal with basic medical issues like checking blood pressure. The two biggest health problems are high blood pressure and diabetes.
We find the migrant camp, which consists of a long, low, three-sided cinder block building partitioned into a series of living quarters. Outside each doorway is a large metal pan for cooking, a row of chilis, some farm tools, old shoes or clothing and maybe a broom.
Clothing is hung up to dry in a crisscross of wire clotheslines. In the center is a pile of firewood, and the ground is muddy with foul-looking pools of water. It’s a scene from hell, especially when compared to the semi-mansions of the farm owners only a few blocks away.
The women and children we meet are Mixteca Indians from the state of Guerrero way to the south. Many don’t appear to speak Spanish. They line up for the medicine and for what beans remain and are fitted for the shoes I brought from Santa Fe.
I ask several to pose with photos with their new shoes and they agree, but it’s a cheerless place. It’s hard to imagine why government officials haven’t made the farm owners provide cleaner water or better housing, or why these ragged kids aren’t in school. The families have been coming here to work for years; this isn’t a new problem.
We then stop at the local health clinic, are given more medicine by a curt young woman who is the local “doctor,” administers it and return to Palomas.
“I love what I do,” she says as we say goodbye. When I ask about her safety, she adds, “ I have my angel with me.”
Our goal is to take beans, medicine and shoes to two rural towns, Colonia Modelo and Guadalupe Victoria. The beans were purchased by Esperanza from Diaz Farms in Deming, N.M. The shoes were donated by Nina Houle, the very supportive owner of a shoe store named On Your Feet in Santa Fe.
This is my first trip into the rural areas south of Palomas and my first meeting with Esperanza. On June 21, however, I observed her summer lunch program in Palomas.
In the space of about an hour, her daughter Sofia and an assistant distributed 600 lunch boxes to needy children there, an extraordinary feat that they continued every weekday all summer.
They also run a midday meal program for the elderly in a building that used to be a rehab center.
Esperanza is originally from Chicago, but she and her family have a long history of community leadership in both Palomas and Columbus, N.M., a few miles to the north. The recreation center in Columbus is named after her father, Andrew Sanchez, for all his contributions.
Her sister, Lupita Otero, manages several food banks in Columbus and was given a “Community Health Leader” award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2003.
They typify the many heroic people who hold these impoverished communities together in the absence of government services.
We drive about a half hour straight south, then turn off at Modelo, which is just a collection of houses by the road. For safety reasons and as a woman who travels extensively in rural Chihuahua, Esperanza doesn’t announce where she is going in advance so there is no one waiting for us.
We then continue on a few miles to El Entronque, a community built where the Palomas road intersects the highway from Juárez to Chihuahua. There at the Tortería 3 Caminos, we find El Commandante, the officer in charge of that area.
A cheerful man in dark glasses, a white shirt and suspenders, he poses for photos with Esperanza, his unsmiling assistant and his wife. Then he calls on his cell phone and tells another officer to meet us by the town plaza in Modelo.
He also mentions two recent murders. I had assumed that this area was much safer. Esperanza smiles and says that I’m seeing, “The calm before the storm.”
She knows about violence; one of her strongest supporters, the former mayor of Palomas, Tanys Garcia, was murdered in 2009.
A crowd, mostly women, gathers. We open white sacks of beans and Esperanza ladles out five big cups into each woman’s plastic bag. The men are working in the fields, although with the extremely dry weather, there is much less work than usual.
Esperanza has been doing this for nine years. Over the past two and a half, she has distributed some 160,000 pounds of food in the Palomas area. This is in addition to shoes, medicine, basic first aid kits and school supplies. Her job is, if anything, more difficult now, because the Mexican government is limiting the quantity of beans that can be brought across the border. Why, no one knows.
Our second stop is in a farm town named Guadalupe Victoria located some 12 kilometers to the west of the Palomas-El Entronque road. Esperanza and Maria Dolores are both trained as promotoras and can handle basic medical problems.
Their goal here is to provide medicine for the children of migrant farm worker families who have parasites. A longer-term goal is to train local women as promotoras, so that they can deal with basic medical issues like checking blood pressure. The two biggest health problems are high blood pressure and diabetes.
We find the migrant camp, which consists of a long, low, three-sided cinder block building partitioned into a series of living quarters. Outside each doorway is a large metal pan for cooking, a row of chilis, some farm tools, old shoes or clothing and maybe a broom.
Clothing is hung up to dry in a crisscross of wire clotheslines. In the center is a pile of firewood, and the ground is muddy with foul-looking pools of water. It’s a scene from hell, especially when compared to the semi-mansions of the farm owners only a few blocks away.
The women and children we meet are Mixteca Indians from the state of Guerrero way to the south. Many don’t appear to speak Spanish. They line up for the medicine and for what beans remain and are fitted for the shoes I brought from Santa Fe.
I ask several to pose with photos with their new shoes and they agree, but it’s a cheerless place. It’s hard to imagine why government officials haven’t made the farm owners provide cleaner water or better housing, or why these ragged kids aren’t in school. The families have been coming here to work for years; this isn’t a new problem.
We then stop at the local health clinic, are given more medicine by a curt young woman who is the local “doctor,” administers it and return to Palomas.
“I love what I do,” she says as we say goodbye. When I ask about her safety, she adds, “ I have my angel with me.”
2012年9月19日星期三
The Competition Bureau’s big shoes to fill
Ms. Aitken addresses the Canadian Bar Association’s annual competition law conference in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday for the last time as head of the Competition Bureau, the second last day of her tenure. She announced her surprise decision to step aside in June, two years before her term ends.
Her whirlwind leadership saw the bureau become a fixation for Bay Street, as the regulator scrutinized corporate mergers that could hurt competition and tackled high-profile false advertising and price-fixing cases. Consumer advocates have praised her, but competition lawyers who advise corporate clients grumbled that the bureau had become too adversarial.
Few in the small world of competition law appear to have any idea who Ms. Aitken‘s successor might be. But several lawyers who spoke to the The Globe on Wednesday expect the federal government to eventually select a candidate from outside the bureau, perhaps a senior lawyer or a civil servant from another department. The announcement could be months away, although some expect the bureau to name an interim commissioner.
Even Ms. Aitken’s critics praise her for bringing a much higher profile to the bureau – which was granted sweeping new powers in 2009 – and for taking on more and tougher cases.
But several members of the competition bar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say they expect that Ms. Aitken’s successor will be less combative toward the businesses the bureau regulates.
Even in her final week in office, Ms. Aitken refuses to go quietly. She said the bureau could block Bell’s massive takeover of Astral Media and launched a court case against the country’s mobile phone giants for “hidden fees.”
One competition lawyer, speaking anonymously, said even if the government wanted to continue Ms. Aitken’s approach, it may be hard to find a candidate with the same ability to grab headlines. “Frankly, not everybody is comfortable giving an interview to The National.”
Whoever replaces her may be unable to completely take the foot off the accelerator, however. Internationally, competition and antitrust enforcement has been on the uptick, and Canada has been co-ordinating more closely with regulators in other countries, particularly in the U.S.
One challenge for finding a senior competition lawyer to take on the role is that most of the competition bar is in Toronto, and many are reluctant to relocate to Ottawa and take a salary cut. Some suggest that candidates from Alberta or Quebec might have an edge as Ottawa looks for Ms. Aitken’s replacement.
Subrata Bhattacharjee, a competition lawyer with Heenan Blaikie LLP in Toronto, praised Ms. Aitken for making the agency more relevant and for bringing more cases forward. He said even if her successor takes a different approach or focuses on different kinds of cases, he or she will still have to lead an agency with a much higher profile.
“The current commissioner has done a great job in increasing the bureau’s profile and visibility,” he said. “And whoever follows her is going to have to run an agency that many now look at as being more active in protecting markets than ever before.”
Her whirlwind leadership saw the bureau become a fixation for Bay Street, as the regulator scrutinized corporate mergers that could hurt competition and tackled high-profile false advertising and price-fixing cases. Consumer advocates have praised her, but competition lawyers who advise corporate clients grumbled that the bureau had become too adversarial.
Few in the small world of competition law appear to have any idea who Ms. Aitken‘s successor might be. But several lawyers who spoke to the The Globe on Wednesday expect the federal government to eventually select a candidate from outside the bureau, perhaps a senior lawyer or a civil servant from another department. The announcement could be months away, although some expect the bureau to name an interim commissioner.
Even Ms. Aitken’s critics praise her for bringing a much higher profile to the bureau – which was granted sweeping new powers in 2009 – and for taking on more and tougher cases.
But several members of the competition bar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say they expect that Ms. Aitken’s successor will be less combative toward the businesses the bureau regulates.
Even in her final week in office, Ms. Aitken refuses to go quietly. She said the bureau could block Bell’s massive takeover of Astral Media and launched a court case against the country’s mobile phone giants for “hidden fees.”
One competition lawyer, speaking anonymously, said even if the government wanted to continue Ms. Aitken’s approach, it may be hard to find a candidate with the same ability to grab headlines. “Frankly, not everybody is comfortable giving an interview to The National.”
Whoever replaces her may be unable to completely take the foot off the accelerator, however. Internationally, competition and antitrust enforcement has been on the uptick, and Canada has been co-ordinating more closely with regulators in other countries, particularly in the U.S.
One challenge for finding a senior competition lawyer to take on the role is that most of the competition bar is in Toronto, and many are reluctant to relocate to Ottawa and take a salary cut. Some suggest that candidates from Alberta or Quebec might have an edge as Ottawa looks for Ms. Aitken’s replacement.
Subrata Bhattacharjee, a competition lawyer with Heenan Blaikie LLP in Toronto, praised Ms. Aitken for making the agency more relevant and for bringing more cases forward. He said even if her successor takes a different approach or focuses on different kinds of cases, he or she will still have to lead an agency with a much higher profile.
“The current commissioner has done a great job in increasing the bureau’s profile and visibility,” he said. “And whoever follows her is going to have to run an agency that many now look at as being more active in protecting markets than ever before.”
2012年8月20日星期一
Nike's LeBron Sneakers to Test
The price increases, from a company whose trendy footwear sometimes generates long lines of avid buyers, may test even the most dedicated Nike fans.
"Prices are getting crazy excessive and as long as we continue to buy sneakers, Nike is going to keep increasing the prices," said Donell Brown, 30, who owns a cleaning services company in Dearborn, Mich.
Mr. Brown said he and his friends have been posting messages on Twitter and YouTube, urging other longtime sneaker fans not to buy the pricier LeBron shoes and to forgo waiting in line for new sneaker releases.
Nike's price increases are also being felt at the lower end: The venerable Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneaker now costs $50 compared with $45 a year ago.
Nike isn't the only sneaker maker asking customers to pay more. Adidas's signature three-striped Superstar shoes now cost $70, nearly 8% more than a year ago. Overall basketball shoe prices were up 9.4% compared with a year before as of June, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc., while soccer cleats jumped 15.5% and running shoes climbed 5.5%.
Nike's basketball and soccer shoes make up about half its North American business, according to analysts.
Some families are already noting sticker shock as they start back-to-school shopping.
"Sneaker prices have definitely shot up this year," said Lucy Rangel, 37 years old, who was shopping for sneakers with her two teenage daughters at a Foot Locker store in Dallas.
Ms. Rangel said she paid $114 for a new pair of pink and purple Nike sneakers for her 12-year-old daughter, up from $69.99 she paid last year for a similar pair.
While many retailers try to attract budget-conscious consumers by touting price cuts, analysts say shoppers are willing to spend more on products with newer technology and fresher styles. Footwear companies are strategically testing price increases, typically raising them only when they come out with updated products.
Nike is known for some pricey shoes, going back to its first pair of Air Jordans. A new version of the Air Jordan is expected in December at $185, up from its original 1985 price of $64.99 (or $138.38 in today's dollars), a 33% increase when adjusted for inflation.
Nike is "not arbitrarily taking up prices," said spokeswoman Mary Remuzzi. "We are constantly looking at ways to enhance the product line with new innovation and product attributes."
The coming $315 LeBron X Nike Plus, due in the fall, is expected to come embedded with motion sensors that can measure how high players jump. The LeBron 9 PS Elite basketball shoes, which currently retail for $250, feature Nike's signature swoosh in metallic gold.
Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., says it is passing along price increases because many of key materials, such as cotton, have risen in price over the past 18 months. Prices did moderate somewhat in the past quarter.
Nike also faces rising labor costs in China, where it manufactures a third of its products.
The company's shares, which have soared since the recession as it continued to report solid growth, plunged 10% in June after it reported profit dropped nearly 8% from a year earlier to $549 million, or $1.17 a share. Shares closed at $95.77 on Monday and are now flat for the year after hitting an all-time high of $114.81 on May 3.
Adidas is struggling with similar pressures: It said last month it is closing its only company-owned apparel factory in China to "improve efficiency." Adidas's increased labor and materials costs drove gross profit margins down to 48.2% from 49.2%.
"We are trying to mitigate the costs by manufacturing our products more efficiently," said Katja Schreiber, an Adidas spokeswoman. "In some instances we look to increase price, usually in areas where we launch new, innovative products."
"Prices are getting crazy excessive and as long as we continue to buy sneakers, Nike is going to keep increasing the prices," said Donell Brown, 30, who owns a cleaning services company in Dearborn, Mich.
Mr. Brown said he and his friends have been posting messages on Twitter and YouTube, urging other longtime sneaker fans not to buy the pricier LeBron shoes and to forgo waiting in line for new sneaker releases.
Nike's price increases are also being felt at the lower end: The venerable Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneaker now costs $50 compared with $45 a year ago.
Nike isn't the only sneaker maker asking customers to pay more. Adidas's signature three-striped Superstar shoes now cost $70, nearly 8% more than a year ago. Overall basketball shoe prices were up 9.4% compared with a year before as of June, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc., while soccer cleats jumped 15.5% and running shoes climbed 5.5%.
Nike's basketball and soccer shoes make up about half its North American business, according to analysts.
Some families are already noting sticker shock as they start back-to-school shopping.
"Sneaker prices have definitely shot up this year," said Lucy Rangel, 37 years old, who was shopping for sneakers with her two teenage daughters at a Foot Locker store in Dallas.
Ms. Rangel said she paid $114 for a new pair of pink and purple Nike sneakers for her 12-year-old daughter, up from $69.99 she paid last year for a similar pair.
While many retailers try to attract budget-conscious consumers by touting price cuts, analysts say shoppers are willing to spend more on products with newer technology and fresher styles. Footwear companies are strategically testing price increases, typically raising them only when they come out with updated products.
Nike is known for some pricey shoes, going back to its first pair of Air Jordans. A new version of the Air Jordan is expected in December at $185, up from its original 1985 price of $64.99 (or $138.38 in today's dollars), a 33% increase when adjusted for inflation.
Nike is "not arbitrarily taking up prices," said spokeswoman Mary Remuzzi. "We are constantly looking at ways to enhance the product line with new innovation and product attributes."
The coming $315 LeBron X Nike Plus, due in the fall, is expected to come embedded with motion sensors that can measure how high players jump. The LeBron 9 PS Elite basketball shoes, which currently retail for $250, feature Nike's signature swoosh in metallic gold.
Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., says it is passing along price increases because many of key materials, such as cotton, have risen in price over the past 18 months. Prices did moderate somewhat in the past quarter.
Nike also faces rising labor costs in China, where it manufactures a third of its products.
The company's shares, which have soared since the recession as it continued to report solid growth, plunged 10% in June after it reported profit dropped nearly 8% from a year earlier to $549 million, or $1.17 a share. Shares closed at $95.77 on Monday and are now flat for the year after hitting an all-time high of $114.81 on May 3.
Adidas is struggling with similar pressures: It said last month it is closing its only company-owned apparel factory in China to "improve efficiency." Adidas's increased labor and materials costs drove gross profit margins down to 48.2% from 49.2%.
"We are trying to mitigate the costs by manufacturing our products more efficiently," said Katja Schreiber, an Adidas spokeswoman. "In some instances we look to increase price, usually in areas where we launch new, innovative products."
2012年8月19日星期日
Meet the Man Behind Nike's Neon-Shoe Ambush
You probably don't know Martin Lotti. But if you watched the Olympics, you are definitely familiar with his handiwork.
He's the man behind those shoes -- the beautifully crafted, incandescent kicks that whizzed by on the feet of 400 Olympic athletes, including USA's Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee, Great Britain's Mo Farah and France's Renaud Lavillenie, enabling Nike to capture the Olympic gold in ambush marketing.
Mr. Lotti, 37, is Nike's global creative director for the Olympics -- an interesting title, since Nike wasn't an official London 2012 sponsor. An industrial designer by education, he has been at Nike for 15 years, adding the "Olympic" aspect to his title just two years ago, while the brand's preparations for the London games were already underway. His role is to focus on the Nike products that 3,000 Olympic athletes wear on and off the field, from design to deployment.
Painting Nike's Flyknit shoe Volt, as that vivid neon-green-meets-highlighter-yellow color is called, was Mr. Lotti's way to create a kind of "Team Nike." Before London 2012, the brand matched the color of the shoe to the color of the individual athlete's uniforms. It looked pretty, but it blended in. This year, hundreds of athletes across different national federations wore the same color, what Mr. Lotti called "the easiest way" to make a splash.
The result was a wave of attention that could well end up in marketing textbooks for its simplicity and effectiveness. "Nike's move was really clever. They used marketing assets that belonged to them alone, and those assets gave them a pretty unique opportunity to take advantage of the Olympic rules," said Kent Grayson, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "The best marketing usually plays with the rules without quite going too far -- striking the right balance between the two is really hard and often risky but Nike got it perfectly this time."
So how did Nike achieve that? It started well before the Olympics, when focus groups of amateur, college and professional athletes were shown different colors of the shoe. "Across the board, everybody loved [the Volt]," said Mr. Lotti.
There's a scientific reason for that. "It's the most-visible color to the human eye," said Mr. Lotti. Even so, Nike left nothing to chance, testing the color against the myriad environments that the shoes would appear in during the games: the red of the track, the blue and white of the fencing stage, and the black and blue of the boxing ring.
He's the man behind those shoes -- the beautifully crafted, incandescent kicks that whizzed by on the feet of 400 Olympic athletes, including USA's Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee, Great Britain's Mo Farah and France's Renaud Lavillenie, enabling Nike to capture the Olympic gold in ambush marketing.
Mr. Lotti, 37, is Nike's global creative director for the Olympics -- an interesting title, since Nike wasn't an official London 2012 sponsor. An industrial designer by education, he has been at Nike for 15 years, adding the "Olympic" aspect to his title just two years ago, while the brand's preparations for the London games were already underway. His role is to focus on the Nike products that 3,000 Olympic athletes wear on and off the field, from design to deployment.
Painting Nike's Flyknit shoe Volt, as that vivid neon-green-meets-highlighter-yellow color is called, was Mr. Lotti's way to create a kind of "Team Nike." Before London 2012, the brand matched the color of the shoe to the color of the individual athlete's uniforms. It looked pretty, but it blended in. This year, hundreds of athletes across different national federations wore the same color, what Mr. Lotti called "the easiest way" to make a splash.
The result was a wave of attention that could well end up in marketing textbooks for its simplicity and effectiveness. "Nike's move was really clever. They used marketing assets that belonged to them alone, and those assets gave them a pretty unique opportunity to take advantage of the Olympic rules," said Kent Grayson, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "The best marketing usually plays with the rules without quite going too far -- striking the right balance between the two is really hard and often risky but Nike got it perfectly this time."
So how did Nike achieve that? It started well before the Olympics, when focus groups of amateur, college and professional athletes were shown different colors of the shoe. "Across the board, everybody loved [the Volt]," said Mr. Lotti.
There's a scientific reason for that. "It's the most-visible color to the human eye," said Mr. Lotti. Even so, Nike left nothing to chance, testing the color against the myriad environments that the shoes would appear in during the games: the red of the track, the blue and white of the fencing stage, and the black and blue of the boxing ring.
2012年8月7日星期二
It is taking this approach as retailers gear up for the important
The popular purveyor of clothing classics, is rolling out a broad new advertising campaign aimed at galvanizing its customers — some of whom call themselves “jcrewaholics” — and also making them smile.
The campaign ads use the line, “We know you are out there,” to appeal to its aficionados along with close-ups of fashion-forward artists, editors and others who, J. Crew says, wear its clothing not only in the ads but also in their daily lives.
“We are speaking to people who appreciate our style, quality and design, and the ads do so in a quirky and clever way,” said Diego Scotti, the company’s chief marketing officer.
One ad, for example, says, “You speak softly and carry a loud bag,” with a crouching young woman carrying a bright persimmon-colored purse and wearing a vividly patterned J. Crew silk blouse and capri pants. Another ad says, “You notice the lapel before the label,” and shows a young man lounging against a wall. He is clad in J. Crew’s ready-made Ludlow suit and wearing its navy suede Alden shoes (no socks).
The campaign will span major print outlets as well as digital and social media, and will be the first time the company, officially known as the J. Crew Group Inc., has embarked on such a wide multimedia marketing initiative.
It is taking this approach as retailers gear up for the important back-to-school season, which brings in the year’s second-largest revenue after the end-of-year and post-holiday sales. But some retailers are struggling as shoppers try to balance the need for new items for the fall and for school with what is in their pocketbooks.
With healthy sales, J. Crew is benefiting from its positioning as a brand that combines “style, fabrics and flattering imagery, and the need for appropriate office clothes,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, the market research firm.
At J. Crew, which has five Madison Avenue stores, store sales rose 26 percent, to $354 million, for the three months ending April 28. Last year, store sales dropped 3 percent in the same period. Direct sales rose 19 percent in the period this year, up from a 5 percent rise in the first quarter of 2011.
“Young adults between ages 25 and 34 are in the career-building stage,” said Mr. Cohen. “They can’t go to work too casually dressed any more. So it’s become more about ‘dress for success,’ which we haven’t seen since the 1980s.”
Yet, like all retailers, J. Crew knows it only takes an economic dip, or a style slip, for sales to decline.
“We are in a moment when we need to tell our story louder,” explained Mr. Scotti. “We are on a mission to elevate our product and customer demand. We have not done much advertising in the past, other than niche magazines.”
The company’s stepped-up effort will expand its presence in publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, Fast Company and the Sunday New York Times Magazine as well as in social media and online. There are no television commercials.
The company, which has 300 stores in North America, worked with the New York City creative firm, Partners & Spade, on the campaign concept. J. Crew’s in-house marketing team handled execution. The company does not use celebrities in its marketing, but it has basked in the fashion spotlight when its cardigans and other clothing have been worn by the first lady, Michelle Obama. There are also a number of blogs,where loyalists closely follow the company’s apparel and accessories.
The specialty retailer said its advertising budget doubled this year over 2011, but declined to provide a specific figure. Kantar Media, a unit of WPP, said that J. Crew’s outlay was $4.2 million for the three months ending April 28, a major uptick from $524,000 spent in the same period last year. Over all in 2011, according to Kantar figures, the company spent $6.7 million on advertising.
J. Crew still relies on the traditional staple, the paper catalog — now called the Style Guide — to reach customers. Last year, it sent out some 40 million copies.
Its catalogs, which began in 1983, showcased its popular classic clothing styles like the rollneck sweater, created by Emily Cinader Woods, a daughter of the company’s founder and the person most responsible for what became the J. Crew look. Six years later, the company opened its first retail store, at New York’s South Street Seaport. In 1996, it started its Web site and a year later the company was sold to the Texas Pacific Group.
J. Crew’s chief, Millard Drexler, took the company public again in 2006, introducing new lines like Crewcuts for children and the limited edition J. Crew Collection. Last year, the company was again acquired by TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners.
As its new campaign unfurls, J. Crew is continuing to expand its selection of handbags and shoes, emphasizing the quality and origin of the materials it uses. The Ludlow ad, for example, explains that the men’s suit is made from “worsted wool, woven in hand-selected yarn spun in Italy at the Lanificio di Tollegno Mill (est. 1862)” — details, Mr. Scotti said, that underscore the “authenticity and integrity” of J. Crew’s offerings.
The campaign ads use the line, “We know you are out there,” to appeal to its aficionados along with close-ups of fashion-forward artists, editors and others who, J. Crew says, wear its clothing not only in the ads but also in their daily lives.
“We are speaking to people who appreciate our style, quality and design, and the ads do so in a quirky and clever way,” said Diego Scotti, the company’s chief marketing officer.
One ad, for example, says, “You speak softly and carry a loud bag,” with a crouching young woman carrying a bright persimmon-colored purse and wearing a vividly patterned J. Crew silk blouse and capri pants. Another ad says, “You notice the lapel before the label,” and shows a young man lounging against a wall. He is clad in J. Crew’s ready-made Ludlow suit and wearing its navy suede Alden shoes (no socks).
The campaign will span major print outlets as well as digital and social media, and will be the first time the company, officially known as the J. Crew Group Inc., has embarked on such a wide multimedia marketing initiative.
It is taking this approach as retailers gear up for the important back-to-school season, which brings in the year’s second-largest revenue after the end-of-year and post-holiday sales. But some retailers are struggling as shoppers try to balance the need for new items for the fall and for school with what is in their pocketbooks.
With healthy sales, J. Crew is benefiting from its positioning as a brand that combines “style, fabrics and flattering imagery, and the need for appropriate office clothes,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, the market research firm.
At J. Crew, which has five Madison Avenue stores, store sales rose 26 percent, to $354 million, for the three months ending April 28. Last year, store sales dropped 3 percent in the same period. Direct sales rose 19 percent in the period this year, up from a 5 percent rise in the first quarter of 2011.
“Young adults between ages 25 and 34 are in the career-building stage,” said Mr. Cohen. “They can’t go to work too casually dressed any more. So it’s become more about ‘dress for success,’ which we haven’t seen since the 1980s.”
Yet, like all retailers, J. Crew knows it only takes an economic dip, or a style slip, for sales to decline.
“We are in a moment when we need to tell our story louder,” explained Mr. Scotti. “We are on a mission to elevate our product and customer demand. We have not done much advertising in the past, other than niche magazines.”
The company’s stepped-up effort will expand its presence in publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, Fast Company and the Sunday New York Times Magazine as well as in social media and online. There are no television commercials.
The company, which has 300 stores in North America, worked with the New York City creative firm, Partners & Spade, on the campaign concept. J. Crew’s in-house marketing team handled execution. The company does not use celebrities in its marketing, but it has basked in the fashion spotlight when its cardigans and other clothing have been worn by the first lady, Michelle Obama. There are also a number of blogs,where loyalists closely follow the company’s apparel and accessories.
The specialty retailer said its advertising budget doubled this year over 2011, but declined to provide a specific figure. Kantar Media, a unit of WPP, said that J. Crew’s outlay was $4.2 million for the three months ending April 28, a major uptick from $524,000 spent in the same period last year. Over all in 2011, according to Kantar figures, the company spent $6.7 million on advertising.
J. Crew still relies on the traditional staple, the paper catalog — now called the Style Guide — to reach customers. Last year, it sent out some 40 million copies.
Its catalogs, which began in 1983, showcased its popular classic clothing styles like the rollneck sweater, created by Emily Cinader Woods, a daughter of the company’s founder and the person most responsible for what became the J. Crew look. Six years later, the company opened its first retail store, at New York’s South Street Seaport. In 1996, it started its Web site and a year later the company was sold to the Texas Pacific Group.
J. Crew’s chief, Millard Drexler, took the company public again in 2006, introducing new lines like Crewcuts for children and the limited edition J. Crew Collection. Last year, the company was again acquired by TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners.
As its new campaign unfurls, J. Crew is continuing to expand its selection of handbags and shoes, emphasizing the quality and origin of the materials it uses. The Ludlow ad, for example, explains that the men’s suit is made from “worsted wool, woven in hand-selected yarn spun in Italy at the Lanificio di Tollegno Mill (est. 1862)” — details, Mr. Scotti said, that underscore the “authenticity and integrity” of J. Crew’s offerings.
2012年8月1日星期三
The Funky Zebras has some merchandise
Parents of schoolchildren aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the tax-free holiday Friday and Saturday in Iowa. Shoppers looking to save a few dollars on clothes and other eligible items will be heading to malls and stores in search of bargains.
Iowa drops its 6 percent sales tax (and local-option taxes, where they apply) for two days each year on clothing, shoes and other select items costing less than $100. That means consumers will save $6 on every $100 they spend. The Legislature approved the tax break in 2000 to help boost the economy and give consumers a break on school shopping.
Since then, a growing number of people are buying during the busy weekend. “Shoes and clothing that are less than $100 will be tax free. And it doesn’t matter if it’s back-to-school items or not,” said Victoria Daniels, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Revenue.
The tax-free holiday is held in August, as it is in most of the 16 other states that allow them, to target shoppers loading up on new clothing, shoes and accessories for children returning to classes. But those in households without students get the tax break, too.
“Who doesn’t like to save money?” Daniels said. Last year, retailers reported sales of $14.6 million during the two-day event. Shoppers saved an estimated $877,462 in sales tax during that time, according to revenue department reports.
Mahlon White’s extended family travels from a small farming community in central Nebraska to Des Moines to shop during the tax-free holiday for just that reason. The sales tax savings aren’t huge, but when combined with store sales, it’s enough of an incentive to bring White’s family to the local malls.
“It adds up,” said White, of Altoona. They shop for some back-to-school items but also look for other deals. “They don’t have an opportunity to shop like this” in Nebraska, he said.
Cheryl Hayes has advertised her women’s boutique, the Funky Zebras, as a destination during the tax-free weekend even though her Ankeny and Urbandale shops don’t sell what most parents would consider back-to-school items.
“You don’t have to have kids to get the tax break,” Hayes said. “I am just hoping that people will come in and see what we do have.”
The Funky Zebras has some merchandise that could be considered school wear for teenage girls, including jeans, tops and shoes that would be exempt from state sales tax Friday and Saturday. But mostly, Hayes is hoping other shoppers visit the store to stock up on clothes, jewelry and purses.
Daryl Dell’Anno, manager of the J.C. Penney store at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, said back-to-school shopping started a couple of weeks ago. He expects the store to be busy Friday and Saturday in part because of the tax break and also because Penney’s is offering free haircuts for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
“We’ll see people shopping for other things, but it will be mostly for kids like the jeans, casual tops and athletic shoes,” he said.
Iowa drops its 6 percent sales tax (and local-option taxes, where they apply) for two days each year on clothing, shoes and other select items costing less than $100. That means consumers will save $6 on every $100 they spend. The Legislature approved the tax break in 2000 to help boost the economy and give consumers a break on school shopping.
Since then, a growing number of people are buying during the busy weekend. “Shoes and clothing that are less than $100 will be tax free. And it doesn’t matter if it’s back-to-school items or not,” said Victoria Daniels, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Revenue.
The tax-free holiday is held in August, as it is in most of the 16 other states that allow them, to target shoppers loading up on new clothing, shoes and accessories for children returning to classes. But those in households without students get the tax break, too.
“Who doesn’t like to save money?” Daniels said. Last year, retailers reported sales of $14.6 million during the two-day event. Shoppers saved an estimated $877,462 in sales tax during that time, according to revenue department reports.
Mahlon White’s extended family travels from a small farming community in central Nebraska to Des Moines to shop during the tax-free holiday for just that reason. The sales tax savings aren’t huge, but when combined with store sales, it’s enough of an incentive to bring White’s family to the local malls.
“It adds up,” said White, of Altoona. They shop for some back-to-school items but also look for other deals. “They don’t have an opportunity to shop like this” in Nebraska, he said.
Cheryl Hayes has advertised her women’s boutique, the Funky Zebras, as a destination during the tax-free weekend even though her Ankeny and Urbandale shops don’t sell what most parents would consider back-to-school items.
“You don’t have to have kids to get the tax break,” Hayes said. “I am just hoping that people will come in and see what we do have.”
The Funky Zebras has some merchandise that could be considered school wear for teenage girls, including jeans, tops and shoes that would be exempt from state sales tax Friday and Saturday. But mostly, Hayes is hoping other shoppers visit the store to stock up on clothes, jewelry and purses.
Daryl Dell’Anno, manager of the J.C. Penney store at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, said back-to-school shopping started a couple of weeks ago. He expects the store to be busy Friday and Saturday in part because of the tax break and also because Penney’s is offering free haircuts for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
“We’ll see people shopping for other things, but it will be mostly for kids like the jeans, casual tops and athletic shoes,” he said.
2012年7月31日星期二
Northern Arizona biker is fashion on wheels
The first time the brakes went out in her trailer/store, Joey Wolffer ran a stoplight and worried what would happen to her high-end accessories inside. Two years later, she has a close relationship with a mechanic, knows the best spot to park in New York's Meatpacking district and has a devoted summer following in the Hamptons.
Wolffer transformed a greasy potato chip truck into a 1980s glam, bohemian den she named "Styleliner." It is stocked with limited-edition accessories, like a $430 crystal and fringe necklace, from her world travels.
Friends were always asking Wolffer where she got a piece of jewelry, and the former trend director for Jones Apparel Group said she was looking for a unique way to introduce some favorite designers to the U.S. market, along with some of her own creations. She bought the truck with money she inherited and set up shop.
Styleliner is among a handful of mobile retail stores in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and across the U.S that are hawking vintage accessories, sexy shoes and denim to die for in their haute wheels. Owners say they're taking cues from the food truck industry, which glamorized street cuisine, garnered a cult following and even spawned a hit TV show.
"I wanted relationships with customers. I wanted to get out there and work with people and meet new people all the time," said Wolffer, who made a profit her first summer in business in 2010.
The boutiques on wheels can only accommodate a few customers at a time, providing a more intimate shopping experience than a crowded department store. Styleliner can fit about five customers at a time.
"The old door-to-door salesman is too difficult in today's world but we're seeing an uptick in bringing the product to the consumers," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at New York-based NPD group.
It's also a cheaper way for startup companies to break into the business quickly.
When former fashion editor Sarah Ellison Lewis wanted to open a funky shoe boutique in Austin, Texas, she had sticker shock every time she saw the price for a store lease. So for a quarter of the price she bought a 30-foot trailer, decorated it with vintage wallpaper photography and reclaimed wooden benches and leased a parking spot between a chic hotel and popular brunch spot.
She declined to say how much she paid for the truck or her parking spot. Retail spots in hot Austin neighborhoods can be as high as $45 per square foot, according to Habitat Hunters Real Estate Services. Lewis does not pay property taxes, but many mobile retailers are required to pay permit fees, which vary by city.
The 36-year-old stylist specializes in smaller, hard-to-find designers of men's and women's shoes. Bootleg Austin's customers -- about 50 a weekend -- love to paw through her well curated collection that includes black ankle booties with gold buckles, polka dot flats and gold metallic lace-up sandals. The trailer was turning a profit in nine months, says Lewis, who predominantly sells from her leased space, but is about to embark on a 20-city tour this fall.
"This was about being an entrepreneur and doing it in a strange and audacious way and the trailer brings out all these great stories from people that I love," said Lewis. "I wanted to do something that was also really friendly and really warm. I'm really sick of retails being cold and stark and snotty."
Experts say traditional stores want to collaborate with mobile retailers, not compete with them. The trend comes as brick and mortar stores are struggling to get customers excited about shopping in a struggling economy.
"It's an opportunity to get (customers) into the parking lot and go to the mobile truck and we believe there's overflow traffic that goes right into the store from there," said Mike Gatti, a senior vice president of the National Retail Federation. "We're not hearing really any complaints about them."
Customers are also drawn to the novel experience and personal attention they get from mobile retailers.
Wolffer transformed a greasy potato chip truck into a 1980s glam, bohemian den she named "Styleliner." It is stocked with limited-edition accessories, like a $430 crystal and fringe necklace, from her world travels.
Friends were always asking Wolffer where she got a piece of jewelry, and the former trend director for Jones Apparel Group said she was looking for a unique way to introduce some favorite designers to the U.S. market, along with some of her own creations. She bought the truck with money she inherited and set up shop.
Styleliner is among a handful of mobile retail stores in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and across the U.S that are hawking vintage accessories, sexy shoes and denim to die for in their haute wheels. Owners say they're taking cues from the food truck industry, which glamorized street cuisine, garnered a cult following and even spawned a hit TV show.
"I wanted relationships with customers. I wanted to get out there and work with people and meet new people all the time," said Wolffer, who made a profit her first summer in business in 2010.
The boutiques on wheels can only accommodate a few customers at a time, providing a more intimate shopping experience than a crowded department store. Styleliner can fit about five customers at a time.
"The old door-to-door salesman is too difficult in today's world but we're seeing an uptick in bringing the product to the consumers," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at New York-based NPD group.
It's also a cheaper way for startup companies to break into the business quickly.
When former fashion editor Sarah Ellison Lewis wanted to open a funky shoe boutique in Austin, Texas, she had sticker shock every time she saw the price for a store lease. So for a quarter of the price she bought a 30-foot trailer, decorated it with vintage wallpaper photography and reclaimed wooden benches and leased a parking spot between a chic hotel and popular brunch spot.
She declined to say how much she paid for the truck or her parking spot. Retail spots in hot Austin neighborhoods can be as high as $45 per square foot, according to Habitat Hunters Real Estate Services. Lewis does not pay property taxes, but many mobile retailers are required to pay permit fees, which vary by city.
The 36-year-old stylist specializes in smaller, hard-to-find designers of men's and women's shoes. Bootleg Austin's customers -- about 50 a weekend -- love to paw through her well curated collection that includes black ankle booties with gold buckles, polka dot flats and gold metallic lace-up sandals. The trailer was turning a profit in nine months, says Lewis, who predominantly sells from her leased space, but is about to embark on a 20-city tour this fall.
"This was about being an entrepreneur and doing it in a strange and audacious way and the trailer brings out all these great stories from people that I love," said Lewis. "I wanted to do something that was also really friendly and really warm. I'm really sick of retails being cold and stark and snotty."
Experts say traditional stores want to collaborate with mobile retailers, not compete with them. The trend comes as brick and mortar stores are struggling to get customers excited about shopping in a struggling economy.
"It's an opportunity to get (customers) into the parking lot and go to the mobile truck and we believe there's overflow traffic that goes right into the store from there," said Mike Gatti, a senior vice president of the National Retail Federation. "We're not hearing really any complaints about them."
Customers are also drawn to the novel experience and personal attention they get from mobile retailers.
2012年7月29日星期日
Athletes showcase impressive high fashion
An Olympic athlete’s claim to fame is without a doubt his or her superior athletic ability. These super humans jump higher, run faster and hit harder than most average people. But like many individuals, there is more to these celebrities than meets the eye, and their impressive capabilities on the court, in the pool or at the beach should not be the only achievement for which they are known.
Although most Olympic competitors have a simple uniform they are required to wear while performing that their other team members also sport — whether it be a basketball jersey, a swimsuit or a leotard — they also have their own unique personal style that they show off in their everyday lives.
And just as some of these athletes perform better in their given sport than others, there also are those competitors who know how to dress better than the competition as well.
Despite the fact that he dons a basic swimsuit while speeding through water on his way to the top in the Olympics, 27-year-old Ryan Lochte, a swimmer for team USA, has a unique personal style when outside of the pool that has earned him a good deal of attention.
His hip-hop and surfer-inspired look might not be for everyone, but he sure does make an impression on some, myself included. With a sparkling grill made of diamonds and more than 100 pairs of colorful and stand-out shoes in his closet, Lochte is no stranger to style.
On the court, 25-year-old Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova typically can be seen wearing a comfortable yet stylish tank top and skirt. Off the court, her look is just as fashion-forward – if not more.
Sharapova has been known to incorporate trends, such as color blocking and ruffles into her sportswear garments, as well as her everyday looks. This style and sports icon has been seen in garments created by some of the industry’s top designers, such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.
Lochte and Sharapova are just a few of the 2012 Olympic competitors whose extraordinary athletic abilities in addition to their impeccable style earn them popularity and stardom among Olympic viewers throughout the world.
Although most Olympic competitors have a simple uniform they are required to wear while performing that their other team members also sport — whether it be a basketball jersey, a swimsuit or a leotard — they also have their own unique personal style that they show off in their everyday lives.
And just as some of these athletes perform better in their given sport than others, there also are those competitors who know how to dress better than the competition as well.
Despite the fact that he dons a basic swimsuit while speeding through water on his way to the top in the Olympics, 27-year-old Ryan Lochte, a swimmer for team USA, has a unique personal style when outside of the pool that has earned him a good deal of attention.
His hip-hop and surfer-inspired look might not be for everyone, but he sure does make an impression on some, myself included. With a sparkling grill made of diamonds and more than 100 pairs of colorful and stand-out shoes in his closet, Lochte is no stranger to style.
On the court, 25-year-old Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova typically can be seen wearing a comfortable yet stylish tank top and skirt. Off the court, her look is just as fashion-forward – if not more.
Sharapova has been known to incorporate trends, such as color blocking and ruffles into her sportswear garments, as well as her everyday looks. This style and sports icon has been seen in garments created by some of the industry’s top designers, such as Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.
Lochte and Sharapova are just a few of the 2012 Olympic competitors whose extraordinary athletic abilities in addition to their impeccable style earn them popularity and stardom among Olympic viewers throughout the world.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)