On October 4, 1957, the world’s first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched into the cosmos. Greta, who was 17 at the time, got home from school on the tram and in her imagination leafed through a magazine of do-it-yourself sewing patterns. She had peeked at the magazine earlier, over the knees of her classmate Dasha (despite Greta’s importuning, Dasha had refused to lend her the magazine, even for one night). In the kiosk next to the tram stop, a Komsomol member of about 50 grew obsolete. She wore a red beret and was using a sharp pencil to solve a crossword puzzle for experts.
Greta placed two coins on the counter and received in return toffee with the taste of soap, and an orange postage stamp illustrated with a satellite. The stamp, which had been distributed throughout the country, perpetuated the gap between the Soviet Union and the United States in the space race. Greta returned home following her shopping, to an apartment that had been nationalized d ue to the housing shortage. Its three flats had been divided among three families who insisted on not getting along with each other. The stairwell was inhabited by a drunk who was always about to die. Greta smiled at the drunk like a girl who has a future and gave him her toffee. She put the glossy stamp in a small envelope next to a ring from the czarist period, which she had received as an inheritance from her grandmother, and slid it under her goose-down pillow.
On the agenda was an argument about the best way to pickle cucumbers and cabbage leaves. From there the way was short to personal jibes. Yulia Andreiva scolded Nadia Yaruslavna for it being inconceivable that Gennady, Nadia’s husband, did not clean the toilet bowl after he, pardon the expression, took a crap. Before Nadia could fire back at Yulia and tell everyone exactly what her husband did while she went to the market, the radio announcer declared in a faint voice the good news from Moscow: a live passenger was capable of surviving a launch into orbit and enduring weightlessness. Everyone applauded and Greta felt embarrassed for having received the national holiday in a checked yellow robe and messy hair. Afterward she paused to think and decided that the honorable thing to do would be to buy another stamp, this time with a likeness of Laika’s profile. Greta placed the new acquisition in the drawer of her desk at school and decided that it would be her amulet for getting good marks, so that when the time came she would be admitted to medical school.
Owing to a shortage of connections with members of the socialist party, Greta managed only to get admitted to evening studies in economics and commerce. Parallel to her studies, she started to work as a salary accountant in a screw factory. Married engineers, who had striped hankies in their pants pockets, invited Greta for black tea and a dry cake in the cafeteria. Greta did not want to fall in love with any of them. She preferred to remain free and not expand the pile of laundry in her tub, which she did by hand. Her only dress, a brown dress made of cheap material, and her underwear, by now gray with age, were immersed in the tub’s murky water every week. Through the thin walls in her room Greta had learned how couples make love. She herself had undergone the experience only once, when she was 12, with a stuffy-nosed urchin from a parallel street. In exchange she got a loaf of dry bread.
2012年4月27日星期五
2012年4月26日星期四
CEMENCO Erects US$20M New Plant Answers Vision 2030 Delegates' Pollution Concerns
Without the slightest idea that Vision 2030 delegates, concerned about the health hazard CEMENCO brings, would call for its relocation from Monrovia to Bensonville, the local cement giant disclosed yesterday evening that it was erecting a new US$20 million "state-of-the-art" cement manufacturing plant.
The new plant, according to Counselor James Doe Gibson, is due to be completed and ready for operations by December this year. It will answer all the pollution concerns anybody in the area may have about cement fumes polluting the densely populated surrounding areas, including Jamaica Road, New Georgia, Freeport community, etc.
The Daily Observer personnel had just left the closing session of a two-day National Visioning Consultation in New Georgia, in Montserrado County's District 13, where delegates had raised the alarm about the cement fumes emitting hourly from CEMENCO's plant, causing a great health hazard to the people of the surrounding area. The delegates called for CEMENCO's immediate re-location to some distant place within Montserrado. They named Bensonville, ancestral home of the Tolbert and other Montserrado families.
The delegates complained that the cement fumes were affecting the eyes of many local residents, and causing people to contract cataracts. The delegates said the best solution was the relocation of the plant to a place where there would be enough space and not too many people, and Bensonville or some other rural community in Montserrado would be best suited for the move.
One delegate, addressing the Consultation in the Gabriel Kpoleh Public School in New Georgia, cautioned his colleagues that CEMENCO provided a lot of jobs and income for the community and a re-location of the company could lead to economic disaster for the area.
Another delegate wondered whether an alternative solution could not be found, so that the plant would remain in its present location, but with the pollution "minimized."
Delegates said if that were possible, then that could be a solution to the problem.
En route from the Consultation, Daily Observer personnel called CEMENCO's Accounts Manager, Ms. Waito Davis, a Tigress from the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), and informed her of the Vision 2030 delegates' concerns about the company's pollution problem.
It was at that point that Mrs. Davis quickly informed the Daily Observer that there was absolutely no need to worry. She then disclosed that the company was erecting the brand new plant that would definitely take care of the pollution problem.
"We ourselves who work here are at risk, and the company knows that," she told the Daily Observer. "So the company is building this new plant that will take care of all the pollution problems," she added. She then suggested the newspaper contact the company's Administrative Manager, Counselor James Doe Gibson, for further clarification.
It was Cllr. Gibson that told the newspaper of the cost of the new factory, US$20 million, which he described as a "state of the art" plant. It would, he said, "eliminate all the pollution we currently experience from the old plant currently in use." That plant, he told the newspaper, "is over 40 years old and causing us a lot of money. The fumes you see in the air during operations, is nothing else but cement. Each speck of the fumes is cement that we are losing. The new plant would cut out those losses completely, save us money and maintain a clean environment," Counselor Gibson asserted.
He added, the new plant is being constructed very near our cafeteria. If it were not pollution-free we would not be placing it there," he said.
As to the Vision 2030 delegate's suggestion that the plant be re-located to Bensonville, Cllr. Gibson such a move would make a bag of cement "very costly. You're talking about a price escalation of over US$25 per bag," he said. "That would be too costly for anybody."
Counselor Gibson then told the newspaper that cement factories throughout West Africa are situated around ports. The reason: it is far cheaper to move your clinker and other materials from a nearby port than from elsewhere.
"It costs us US$33 per truck to transport our clinker, the main ingredient for cement manufacture, from the Free Port of Monrovia. If we had to bring it from Brewerville, the cost per bag of cement would be US$20. That would be prohibitive. It would be even costlier transporting it to a further distance, such as Bensonville," he added.
Counselor Gibson assured the Vision 2030 delegates and the entire Liberian public that CEMENCO is well aware of the pollution problem, a problem which, he emphasized, would soon be a thing of the past.
The Vision 2030 District 13 delegates had one more major pollution concern. The Daily Observer will bring this and other concerns to the public in subsequent stories beginning tomorrow.
The new plant, according to Counselor James Doe Gibson, is due to be completed and ready for operations by December this year. It will answer all the pollution concerns anybody in the area may have about cement fumes polluting the densely populated surrounding areas, including Jamaica Road, New Georgia, Freeport community, etc.
The Daily Observer personnel had just left the closing session of a two-day National Visioning Consultation in New Georgia, in Montserrado County's District 13, where delegates had raised the alarm about the cement fumes emitting hourly from CEMENCO's plant, causing a great health hazard to the people of the surrounding area. The delegates called for CEMENCO's immediate re-location to some distant place within Montserrado. They named Bensonville, ancestral home of the Tolbert and other Montserrado families.
The delegates complained that the cement fumes were affecting the eyes of many local residents, and causing people to contract cataracts. The delegates said the best solution was the relocation of the plant to a place where there would be enough space and not too many people, and Bensonville or some other rural community in Montserrado would be best suited for the move.
One delegate, addressing the Consultation in the Gabriel Kpoleh Public School in New Georgia, cautioned his colleagues that CEMENCO provided a lot of jobs and income for the community and a re-location of the company could lead to economic disaster for the area.
Another delegate wondered whether an alternative solution could not be found, so that the plant would remain in its present location, but with the pollution "minimized."
Delegates said if that were possible, then that could be a solution to the problem.
En route from the Consultation, Daily Observer personnel called CEMENCO's Accounts Manager, Ms. Waito Davis, a Tigress from the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), and informed her of the Vision 2030 delegates' concerns about the company's pollution problem.
It was at that point that Mrs. Davis quickly informed the Daily Observer that there was absolutely no need to worry. She then disclosed that the company was erecting the brand new plant that would definitely take care of the pollution problem.
"We ourselves who work here are at risk, and the company knows that," she told the Daily Observer. "So the company is building this new plant that will take care of all the pollution problems," she added. She then suggested the newspaper contact the company's Administrative Manager, Counselor James Doe Gibson, for further clarification.
It was Cllr. Gibson that told the newspaper of the cost of the new factory, US$20 million, which he described as a "state of the art" plant. It would, he said, "eliminate all the pollution we currently experience from the old plant currently in use." That plant, he told the newspaper, "is over 40 years old and causing us a lot of money. The fumes you see in the air during operations, is nothing else but cement. Each speck of the fumes is cement that we are losing. The new plant would cut out those losses completely, save us money and maintain a clean environment," Counselor Gibson asserted.
He added, the new plant is being constructed very near our cafeteria. If it were not pollution-free we would not be placing it there," he said.
As to the Vision 2030 delegate's suggestion that the plant be re-located to Bensonville, Cllr. Gibson such a move would make a bag of cement "very costly. You're talking about a price escalation of over US$25 per bag," he said. "That would be too costly for anybody."
Counselor Gibson then told the newspaper that cement factories throughout West Africa are situated around ports. The reason: it is far cheaper to move your clinker and other materials from a nearby port than from elsewhere.
"It costs us US$33 per truck to transport our clinker, the main ingredient for cement manufacture, from the Free Port of Monrovia. If we had to bring it from Brewerville, the cost per bag of cement would be US$20. That would be prohibitive. It would be even costlier transporting it to a further distance, such as Bensonville," he added.
Counselor Gibson assured the Vision 2030 delegates and the entire Liberian public that CEMENCO is well aware of the pollution problem, a problem which, he emphasized, would soon be a thing of the past.
The Vision 2030 District 13 delegates had one more major pollution concern. The Daily Observer will bring this and other concerns to the public in subsequent stories beginning tomorrow.
2012年4月25日星期三
Corri McFadden On House Of Consignment Episode 9: Warehouse Sales And Ta Ta's Closet
Episode nine featured the warehouse sale for charity, I wish this episode was longer because I could have watched this forever, it was so fun to see how fast-paced that day was.
I know, that episode needed to be like three hours. Actually, it could have been forty-five minutes long because that's how long it took to sell out.
How did that even come to be?
We get a lot of items that either didn't sell or people say "Just donate it for me," and we started getting a lot. So I got a warehouse and we would just box it all up with the intention of doing some kind of sale, but we didn't know what. I had been saving all these items for a year, and when the show came about, I thought it was perfect. We'll pull it all out, we'll do a charity sale, and my boyfriend had just built the Greek Hellenic Museum, it hadn't even opened yet when we had the sale, and it was the perfect venue for it. I wanted to do a bag sale because I didn't want people shopping for items, I just wanted the stuff gone and we just wanted to raise money for charity. There were 15,000-plus pieces and I was like, what are we going to do with all the leftovers after the sale? The last thing I want to do is box it all up again and move it back into storage. At the end, there was one single glove left on a table at the end. We did a morning news piece the day before the sale and they showed off what we had, Armani, Chanel, just things that didn't sell, and the next owning I got a call from the police at about 7:30 to tell me I had a line over the freeway.
How many people actually got in?
I would say probably about seven hundred. We raised over $12,000 in forty five minutes. That money went to the Primo Center, which is a group that benefits underprivileged women and children in the city. The day before the sale, a group of women came in and we styled them and outfitted them with new wardrobes, so that in itself was rewarding, those women were glowing. It was awesome.
Do you wish you raised the price so you could have earned more money?
No, I don't think so. At the end of the day it was about raising what we could and clearing out merchandise that had no home. We're going to make it an annual event now.
Let's talk about Nicole, because things start to get a little tense with her this week.
She was negative the whole time we were planning the event. She was convinced it was going to be a failure, she thought we'd have to truck people in and that no one would come to the sale.
Did you know she felt that way and was saying things behind your back?
I didn't. She wasn't voicing any of that to me. I had several complaints that she wasn't helping and that I should send her home, we were all working hard, but she was off doing her own thing. The only time anything clicked for me what the one time I put on the headphones and was listening to her film a scene that day, that was the only time I ever did this all season, and I heard her tell Jena "We need to clean up that table…You know how Corri is," and I was like, Oh my God, you're undermining me and you don't even believe in this event. You need to be on board!
Let's talk about LaToiya's closet clean.
LaToiya lived in a very small house and she has stuff from high school — HIGH SCHOOL — she had so much stuff. And she had her alter ego Ta Ta. She was so much fun. She was great, we confirmed for her that some handbags that an ex had given her were fake.
What's the general reaction when someone finds out their stuff is fake, does that happen a lot?
It's a mixed bag. For instance, yesterday we did a closet clean in someone's home and all the bags were fake. But when the client called, they told us they had all this Gucci and Louis and we got there and it was all fake. And we don't want to offend anyone but you have to explain this to the client. And we also don't want them taking it to another outlet to get rid of it. It shouldn't be sold. And she's claiming Neiman Marcus ripped her off. I'm like, what Neiman Marcus are you going to? So you get a lot of that, and then you get people who had no idea. When your husband gives you something, you're not running off with a diamond tester, you assume it's real, so no one wants to hear that their items are fake, but a lot of people know. If you knew the back end of counterfeiting, it's really dirty, but luckily the government is taking a harder stance on it. But we have to check every single piece that comes through. Authenticity is something we harp on and are working on every day.
I know, that episode needed to be like three hours. Actually, it could have been forty-five minutes long because that's how long it took to sell out.
How did that even come to be?
We get a lot of items that either didn't sell or people say "Just donate it for me," and we started getting a lot. So I got a warehouse and we would just box it all up with the intention of doing some kind of sale, but we didn't know what. I had been saving all these items for a year, and when the show came about, I thought it was perfect. We'll pull it all out, we'll do a charity sale, and my boyfriend had just built the Greek Hellenic Museum, it hadn't even opened yet when we had the sale, and it was the perfect venue for it. I wanted to do a bag sale because I didn't want people shopping for items, I just wanted the stuff gone and we just wanted to raise money for charity. There were 15,000-plus pieces and I was like, what are we going to do with all the leftovers after the sale? The last thing I want to do is box it all up again and move it back into storage. At the end, there was one single glove left on a table at the end. We did a morning news piece the day before the sale and they showed off what we had, Armani, Chanel, just things that didn't sell, and the next owning I got a call from the police at about 7:30 to tell me I had a line over the freeway.
How many people actually got in?
I would say probably about seven hundred. We raised over $12,000 in forty five minutes. That money went to the Primo Center, which is a group that benefits underprivileged women and children in the city. The day before the sale, a group of women came in and we styled them and outfitted them with new wardrobes, so that in itself was rewarding, those women were glowing. It was awesome.
Do you wish you raised the price so you could have earned more money?
No, I don't think so. At the end of the day it was about raising what we could and clearing out merchandise that had no home. We're going to make it an annual event now.
Let's talk about Nicole, because things start to get a little tense with her this week.
She was negative the whole time we were planning the event. She was convinced it was going to be a failure, she thought we'd have to truck people in and that no one would come to the sale.
Did you know she felt that way and was saying things behind your back?
I didn't. She wasn't voicing any of that to me. I had several complaints that she wasn't helping and that I should send her home, we were all working hard, but she was off doing her own thing. The only time anything clicked for me what the one time I put on the headphones and was listening to her film a scene that day, that was the only time I ever did this all season, and I heard her tell Jena "We need to clean up that table…You know how Corri is," and I was like, Oh my God, you're undermining me and you don't even believe in this event. You need to be on board!
Let's talk about LaToiya's closet clean.
LaToiya lived in a very small house and she has stuff from high school — HIGH SCHOOL — she had so much stuff. And she had her alter ego Ta Ta. She was so much fun. She was great, we confirmed for her that some handbags that an ex had given her were fake.
What's the general reaction when someone finds out their stuff is fake, does that happen a lot?
It's a mixed bag. For instance, yesterday we did a closet clean in someone's home and all the bags were fake. But when the client called, they told us they had all this Gucci and Louis and we got there and it was all fake. And we don't want to offend anyone but you have to explain this to the client. And we also don't want them taking it to another outlet to get rid of it. It shouldn't be sold. And she's claiming Neiman Marcus ripped her off. I'm like, what Neiman Marcus are you going to? So you get a lot of that, and then you get people who had no idea. When your husband gives you something, you're not running off with a diamond tester, you assume it's real, so no one wants to hear that their items are fake, but a lot of people know. If you knew the back end of counterfeiting, it's really dirty, but luckily the government is taking a harder stance on it. But we have to check every single piece that comes through. Authenticity is something we harp on and are working on every day.
2012年4月19日星期四
Gucci Returns to Shanghai with Fashion Show and New Campaign
Gucci's Creative Director, Frida Giannini, is taking the iconic fashion house back to China on April 21 with three exclusive events.
In the morning, Giannini will host a cocktail reception at the Wai Tan Yuan, during which Gucci's new campaign—starring Li Bing Bing—will be revealed. The campaign is dedicated to the brand's handbags, jewelry and watches, and features both classic accessories as well as new styles.
In the evening, Wai Tan Yuan will play host to Giannini's first fashion show in China. She will present the Fall/Winter 2012-2012 collection to 600 specially invited guests. Notable attendees will include Hilary Swank, Lapo Elkann, Bryan Ferry, Li Bing Bing, Yang Mi, Huo Si Yan, Chen Kun, Feng Shao Feng, Peng Yu Yan and Wu Zun.
Following the fashion show will be a private party at a location designed exclusively for the event. The Gucci Club will span three floors and feature Gucci Premiere evening gowns from the Florentine archive, including the couture dress Hilary Swank wore to the 2011 Oscars. Bryan Ferry will take the stage for an exclusive performance, followed by a DJ set by Isaac Ferry.
In the morning, Giannini will host a cocktail reception at the Wai Tan Yuan, during which Gucci's new campaign—starring Li Bing Bing—will be revealed. The campaign is dedicated to the brand's handbags, jewelry and watches, and features both classic accessories as well as new styles.
In the evening, Wai Tan Yuan will play host to Giannini's first fashion show in China. She will present the Fall/Winter 2012-2012 collection to 600 specially invited guests. Notable attendees will include Hilary Swank, Lapo Elkann, Bryan Ferry, Li Bing Bing, Yang Mi, Huo Si Yan, Chen Kun, Feng Shao Feng, Peng Yu Yan and Wu Zun.
Following the fashion show will be a private party at a location designed exclusively for the event. The Gucci Club will span three floors and feature Gucci Premiere evening gowns from the Florentine archive, including the couture dress Hilary Swank wore to the 2011 Oscars. Bryan Ferry will take the stage for an exclusive performance, followed by a DJ set by Isaac Ferry.
2012年4月18日星期三
D11 Responds To Gang, Gun Rumors Out of Wasson High School
Wasson High School officials conducted a random bag check after a school fight caused rumors about gang violence and weapons at school.
The fight happened Thursday, and district officials said only a small number of students were involved.
Some parents told KRDO Newschannel13 they were upset about the checks and not being informed about the possible gang and weapons activity.
District 11 officials say the bag checks were done at random, and that after Wasson's investigations the rumors were determined to have no validity.
"It is not our intention to cause any kind of uncomfortable atmosphere. We wanted students, parents and staff to feel safe," said Devra Ashby, the district's spokesperson.
Students were also gathered in an assembly and reminded by administration that there is a "no tolerance" policy for weapons in school.
Also, district officials said that each school has the right to conduct random bag check of students is safety is deemed to be an issue.
The fight happened Thursday, and district officials said only a small number of students were involved.
Some parents told KRDO Newschannel13 they were upset about the checks and not being informed about the possible gang and weapons activity.
District 11 officials say the bag checks were done at random, and that after Wasson's investigations the rumors were determined to have no validity.
"It is not our intention to cause any kind of uncomfortable atmosphere. We wanted students, parents and staff to feel safe," said Devra Ashby, the district's spokesperson.
Students were also gathered in an assembly and reminded by administration that there is a "no tolerance" policy for weapons in school.
Also, district officials said that each school has the right to conduct random bag check of students is safety is deemed to be an issue.
2012年4月17日星期二
Takashi Murakami on Junk Food, Warhol, Napping
Takashi Murakami does things in a big way.
For an exhibition in Doha, Qatar, he designed a Gulliver-sized inflatable replica of himself, its giant, calloused hand extended to greet entering museumgoers.
"Children, adults, families — I want to bring everyone into my world," Mr. Murakami says.
For the last 24 years, he has strived for that. The 50-year-old artist and entrepreneur draws freely from Japanese pop culture to create work that is both critically and commercially successful. His handbag designs for Louis Vuitton resulted in a now-ubiquitous best-seller. For Kanye West's 2007 album "Graduation," he designed an anime-inspired cover. His work has shown at Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art, France's Chateau de Versailles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
His Doha show, "Murakami-Ego," revisits many of his best-known themes, including otaku, or geek, culture, and his own "Superflat" aesthetic that merges high and low culture. Kaikai and Kiki, two cartoonish, grinning characters that are well-known to Murakami fans, make an appearance, but one highlight is new: a 100-meter panel with Buddhist monks, drawn in the traditional nihonga style Mr. Murakami was trained in.
"Murakami-Ego" also critiques Japan's response to last year's nuclear crisis and what Mr. Murakami considers the country's sour mood. "Right now, Japanese people are very low," he says.
For an exhibition in Doha, Qatar, he designed a Gulliver-sized inflatable replica of himself, its giant, calloused hand extended to greet entering museumgoers.
"Children, adults, families — I want to bring everyone into my world," Mr. Murakami says.
For the last 24 years, he has strived for that. The 50-year-old artist and entrepreneur draws freely from Japanese pop culture to create work that is both critically and commercially successful. His handbag designs for Louis Vuitton resulted in a now-ubiquitous best-seller. For Kanye West's 2007 album "Graduation," he designed an anime-inspired cover. His work has shown at Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art, France's Chateau de Versailles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
His Doha show, "Murakami-Ego," revisits many of his best-known themes, including otaku, or geek, culture, and his own "Superflat" aesthetic that merges high and low culture. Kaikai and Kiki, two cartoonish, grinning characters that are well-known to Murakami fans, make an appearance, but one highlight is new: a 100-meter panel with Buddhist monks, drawn in the traditional nihonga style Mr. Murakami was trained in.
"Murakami-Ego" also critiques Japan's response to last year's nuclear crisis and what Mr. Murakami considers the country's sour mood. "Right now, Japanese people are very low," he says.
2012年4月16日星期一
Thailand hosts the world's biggest water-fight - the Songkran Festival
On April 13, 14 and 15 each year, Thailand celebrates its New Year with Songkran, a traditional festival that falls in the hottest time of the year and involves the throwing of water.
Unlike many of the most prominent supposedly religious traditions celebrated in western society, (Easter eggs evolved from a Pagan ritual to become the hallmark of a Christian celebration and Father Christmas is modeled on a character in an old Coca Cola commercial) Songkran has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years and has always involved the throwing of water.
It's a much-loved local tradition, and all of Thailand's 60 million inhabitants get involved, plus a few million "farangs" who fly in for the fun. If you've neglected nurturing your inner child, there's nothing quite like a water fight to bring junior to the fore.
Believe it or not, these images were captured in one of the less crazy parts of Songkran in Bangkok - they were taken from the safety of the Australia Bar in Soi 11 Sukhumvit and I didn't stray much outside the bar for fear of what would happen to my gear.
Ice cold water is an entirely different matter though, and you will remember getting doused with close-to-freezing water.
The action gets going around midday, though it's entirely possible to find yourself on the wrong end of a bucket of water at any time during the three days of the festival, regardless of the hour of day.
I was amazed that my cameras didn't get soaked, but as I became more immersed in the spirit of the festival and a little braver, I realized that some sanity actually does prevail and from time-to-time, when someone caught me outside the confines of my safe haven, they were quite considerate about the cameras - though there was no mercy for the body or my clothes.
In such circumstance, it's best to just hold the cameras above your head and "cop it." If you look through the images you'll see women holding their Gucci handbags above their head while they are drenched.
I saw several people spared a thorough dousing during the three days - one was on crutches with a leg in plaster, one was an elderly woman, and another was in a wheelchair.
With the sudden rise in popularity of smartphones over the last two years, many of the casualties of last year's Songkran apparently involved dead Android and iOS devices. I came prepared with a spacial bag I'd purchased in a camping store overseas - it cost me US$50.
Entrepreneurialism is alive and well and living in any Asian country though, and this year there were dozens of vendors walking the street selling high quality (with ziplock and fold) plastic bags which were very similar to the one I'd brought with me, though at 30 baht (US$1.00), somewhat cheaper.
Unlike many of the most prominent supposedly religious traditions celebrated in western society, (Easter eggs evolved from a Pagan ritual to become the hallmark of a Christian celebration and Father Christmas is modeled on a character in an old Coca Cola commercial) Songkran has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years and has always involved the throwing of water.
It's a much-loved local tradition, and all of Thailand's 60 million inhabitants get involved, plus a few million "farangs" who fly in for the fun. If you've neglected nurturing your inner child, there's nothing quite like a water fight to bring junior to the fore.
Believe it or not, these images were captured in one of the less crazy parts of Songkran in Bangkok - they were taken from the safety of the Australia Bar in Soi 11 Sukhumvit and I didn't stray much outside the bar for fear of what would happen to my gear.
Ice cold water is an entirely different matter though, and you will remember getting doused with close-to-freezing water.
The action gets going around midday, though it's entirely possible to find yourself on the wrong end of a bucket of water at any time during the three days of the festival, regardless of the hour of day.
I was amazed that my cameras didn't get soaked, but as I became more immersed in the spirit of the festival and a little braver, I realized that some sanity actually does prevail and from time-to-time, when someone caught me outside the confines of my safe haven, they were quite considerate about the cameras - though there was no mercy for the body or my clothes.
In such circumstance, it's best to just hold the cameras above your head and "cop it." If you look through the images you'll see women holding their Gucci handbags above their head while they are drenched.
I saw several people spared a thorough dousing during the three days - one was on crutches with a leg in plaster, one was an elderly woman, and another was in a wheelchair.
With the sudden rise in popularity of smartphones over the last two years, many of the casualties of last year's Songkran apparently involved dead Android and iOS devices. I came prepared with a spacial bag I'd purchased in a camping store overseas - it cost me US$50.
Entrepreneurialism is alive and well and living in any Asian country though, and this year there were dozens of vendors walking the street selling high quality (with ziplock and fold) plastic bags which were very similar to the one I'd brought with me, though at 30 baht (US$1.00), somewhat cheaper.
2012年4月15日星期日
Ron Dzwonkowski: Helping hands never leave shopping trips empty-handed
"So," he says, the planned yard work washed out by weather, "you want me to go grocery shopping with you?"
She rolls her eyes, not having budgeted for this. But knowing he will carry the bags and return the bottles, she says, "Sure."
Decades ago, when first they met, he worked in a grocery store and, while conventional suitors brought candy and flowers, he would often surprise her with frozen shrimp or jumbo eggs. But in the years since, she has wisely assumed responsibility for food and preparation of same, sending him to the store only in emergencies -- and with a specific list.
This trip, her concern begins when he parks at the north end of the lot, meaning they will enter the north door of the big-box store and must traverse acres of hardware, auto parts and team apparel to get to the groceries at the south end, where she always starts -- and finishes.
Not a frequent shopper, he notices for the first time that every item no longer has a price.
"You," she says, "wrote a column that it was OK for Snyder to sign that bill."
He drops a multi-head socket wrench with a built-in flashlight into the cart. And batteries.
"You're always going to need these," he says.
In fact, for him, this store is full of such things -- batteries of all sizes, paper towels, light bulbs, candles, tarpaulins and Spam -- that will be essential in the event of nuclear war and "might as well get while we're here."
She is "here" every week and knows that "here" is 10 minutes from home and open 24/7.
Filling up the cart
And so begins the dance -- he flips things into the cart, she waits until he is distracted by yet another shiny object and takes things out. He is especially enamored of paper towels, for they have strong manly names -- Bounty, Brawny -- and can be thrown like a football, two steps right, pump fake to Mr. Clean, then zip it into the cart for the game-winner in the Ty-D-Bol! As he raises his hands to signal six points, she slips the pickled okra back onto the shelf.
With little concept of the resources required to actually prepare the meals he consumes, he is drawn to food that looks new and interesting, or that he can't remember not liking.
She remembers, and in between selecting what's needed for her careful, balanced meal plan, she murmurs, "You tried that and didn't finish it. ... You swore you'd never eat that again" as he surveys varieties of sardines, obscure foreign delicacies and pickled anything. The ice cream freezer, which she cannot avoid passing on the way to frozen peas, is for him a land of wonderment.
"When did they start making this flavor? That's a Michigan brand; we have to support the state. ... What about for company? There's room in the freezer," and, finally, "It doesn't go bad."
At least she knows that the ordeal is almost over, for ice cream melts and must be hastened home. He pushes the cart behind her on the way to the checkout, adding creamed herring, a few kiwis and newfangled potato snacks of sea-salt/mustard flavor. He also recaptures the pickled okra and adds pickled Brussels sprouts.
The clandestine goods
At the cashier, he occupies her with sleazy magazine covers as the clandestine goods move along the conveyor. As she pays the bill, a good $40 more than usual, he is already headed briskly to the north exit, for it is at least a mile walk to the car.
Back at the home front, he does indeed unload the bags. But he cannot be much help with the putting away, for he has no idea where most of it goes. He takes the paper towels to the basement, where eight other rolls fill a shelf next to batteries of all sizes. "Hah!" he thinks, "Let the Russians come!"
Upstairs, she struggles to close the freezer door, blocked by a brick of cherry vanilla. And with a sigh she puts the pickled okra in the pantry, next to the jar he bought the last time she let him come along.
She rolls her eyes, not having budgeted for this. But knowing he will carry the bags and return the bottles, she says, "Sure."
Decades ago, when first they met, he worked in a grocery store and, while conventional suitors brought candy and flowers, he would often surprise her with frozen shrimp or jumbo eggs. But in the years since, she has wisely assumed responsibility for food and preparation of same, sending him to the store only in emergencies -- and with a specific list.
This trip, her concern begins when he parks at the north end of the lot, meaning they will enter the north door of the big-box store and must traverse acres of hardware, auto parts and team apparel to get to the groceries at the south end, where she always starts -- and finishes.
Not a frequent shopper, he notices for the first time that every item no longer has a price.
"You," she says, "wrote a column that it was OK for Snyder to sign that bill."
He drops a multi-head socket wrench with a built-in flashlight into the cart. And batteries.
"You're always going to need these," he says.
In fact, for him, this store is full of such things -- batteries of all sizes, paper towels, light bulbs, candles, tarpaulins and Spam -- that will be essential in the event of nuclear war and "might as well get while we're here."
She is "here" every week and knows that "here" is 10 minutes from home and open 24/7.
Filling up the cart
And so begins the dance -- he flips things into the cart, she waits until he is distracted by yet another shiny object and takes things out. He is especially enamored of paper towels, for they have strong manly names -- Bounty, Brawny -- and can be thrown like a football, two steps right, pump fake to Mr. Clean, then zip it into the cart for the game-winner in the Ty-D-Bol! As he raises his hands to signal six points, she slips the pickled okra back onto the shelf.
With little concept of the resources required to actually prepare the meals he consumes, he is drawn to food that looks new and interesting, or that he can't remember not liking.
She remembers, and in between selecting what's needed for her careful, balanced meal plan, she murmurs, "You tried that and didn't finish it. ... You swore you'd never eat that again" as he surveys varieties of sardines, obscure foreign delicacies and pickled anything. The ice cream freezer, which she cannot avoid passing on the way to frozen peas, is for him a land of wonderment.
"When did they start making this flavor? That's a Michigan brand; we have to support the state. ... What about for company? There's room in the freezer," and, finally, "It doesn't go bad."
At least she knows that the ordeal is almost over, for ice cream melts and must be hastened home. He pushes the cart behind her on the way to the checkout, adding creamed herring, a few kiwis and newfangled potato snacks of sea-salt/mustard flavor. He also recaptures the pickled okra and adds pickled Brussels sprouts.
The clandestine goods
At the cashier, he occupies her with sleazy magazine covers as the clandestine goods move along the conveyor. As she pays the bill, a good $40 more than usual, he is already headed briskly to the north exit, for it is at least a mile walk to the car.
Back at the home front, he does indeed unload the bags. But he cannot be much help with the putting away, for he has no idea where most of it goes. He takes the paper towels to the basement, where eight other rolls fill a shelf next to batteries of all sizes. "Hah!" he thinks, "Let the Russians come!"
Upstairs, she struggles to close the freezer door, blocked by a brick of cherry vanilla. And with a sigh she puts the pickled okra in the pantry, next to the jar he bought the last time she let him come along.
2012年4月12日星期四
Mary J. Blige Gifts Fan With $2,500 Shopping Spree on Rodeo Drive
After a Burger King commercial starring Mary J. Blige made headlines due to the chanteuse singing soulfully about crispy chicken, many of the "Mr. Wrong" performer's supporters felt she let them down by falling victim to stereotypes. However, one fan put all of that aside during a recent trip to Hollywood, where the singer gifted her with a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive.
Candis Linen of Cleveland, Ohio, an avid listener of hometown station 93.1 WZAK, won an all expenses paid trip to Hollywood thanks to the station, in addition to a $2,500 shopping spree and lunch with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul last week.
Blige and Linen sat down for a meal of lobster, shrimp and filet mignon at Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills. As they ate, both engaged in a discussion centered on faith, removing negative energy and allowing good things to come into one's life -- all hot topics that the R&B singer proudly details in her lyrics.
Food for thought that was, but hitting the strip was the highlight. Blige suggested stopping at the Gucci store on Rodeo Drive to take full advantage of her 50 percent off friends and family discount. The Grammy-winning artist chose a tan Gucci bag for Linen, who was floored she was able to walk out of the designer hot spot with that, two huge shopping bags and an unforgettable experience.
Candis Linen of Cleveland, Ohio, an avid listener of hometown station 93.1 WZAK, won an all expenses paid trip to Hollywood thanks to the station, in addition to a $2,500 shopping spree and lunch with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul last week.
Blige and Linen sat down for a meal of lobster, shrimp and filet mignon at Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills. As they ate, both engaged in a discussion centered on faith, removing negative energy and allowing good things to come into one's life -- all hot topics that the R&B singer proudly details in her lyrics.
Food for thought that was, but hitting the strip was the highlight. Blige suggested stopping at the Gucci store on Rodeo Drive to take full advantage of her 50 percent off friends and family discount. The Grammy-winning artist chose a tan Gucci bag for Linen, who was floored she was able to walk out of the designer hot spot with that, two huge shopping bags and an unforgettable experience.
2012年4月11日星期三
Featured: Carry that style
Don't let a dowdy travel bag interfere with your vibrant summer travel style. Sheetal Anand gets experts to help you pick up a travel bag as pretty and unique as the outfits you wear
Travel hassle-free
Jayesh Mehta, CEO, Esbeda says, "Travelling light is the key to comfortable and stress-free travel because lugging less weight means you move with more comfort and freedom." Esbeda offers its summer collection of fashionable striped bags, colourful satchels and totes. Trendy, light and convenient, with different compartments and segregators, these bags fit almost all the requirements for your summer sojourn. "Perfect for travelling in style." adds Jayesh.
Travel colour-plus
Fun, funky and on trend with this season's latest styles, the bags should be a jaunty salute to the holiday mood. Malini Agarwalla of Malaga says, "Keeping in mind the fun element, I have added bright blocks of colour to this new collection of bags." The classic shapes and leather trimmings add sophistication; make her bags perfect for various activities. Designed using resilient materials, these will keep you perennially stylish and your belongings blissfully dry.
Travel hands-free
When on a trip, you have so many activities lined up and so many things to carry, including cash and valuables. That's why a safe, hands-free storage option is one that you just cannot "forget in a taxi ride." Backpacks, cross-bodies, hip-bags are just what you need to maximise your holiday enjoyment. Not only are they loaded with numerous compartments, pockets, and zippers, these bags offer complete comfort to adventure enthusiasts and long distance travellers.
Travel well-wheeled
Today, even a small luggage accessory such as a tote or duffel bag can be found in a wheeled version, making travel and business a breeze. Now, just wheel your possessions along in style and comfort.
Travel hassle-free
Jayesh Mehta, CEO, Esbeda says, "Travelling light is the key to comfortable and stress-free travel because lugging less weight means you move with more comfort and freedom." Esbeda offers its summer collection of fashionable striped bags, colourful satchels and totes. Trendy, light and convenient, with different compartments and segregators, these bags fit almost all the requirements for your summer sojourn. "Perfect for travelling in style." adds Jayesh.
Travel colour-plus
Fun, funky and on trend with this season's latest styles, the bags should be a jaunty salute to the holiday mood. Malini Agarwalla of Malaga says, "Keeping in mind the fun element, I have added bright blocks of colour to this new collection of bags." The classic shapes and leather trimmings add sophistication; make her bags perfect for various activities. Designed using resilient materials, these will keep you perennially stylish and your belongings blissfully dry.
Travel hands-free
When on a trip, you have so many activities lined up and so many things to carry, including cash and valuables. That's why a safe, hands-free storage option is one that you just cannot "forget in a taxi ride." Backpacks, cross-bodies, hip-bags are just what you need to maximise your holiday enjoyment. Not only are they loaded with numerous compartments, pockets, and zippers, these bags offer complete comfort to adventure enthusiasts and long distance travellers.
Travel well-wheeled
Today, even a small luggage accessory such as a tote or duffel bag can be found in a wheeled version, making travel and business a breeze. Now, just wheel your possessions along in style and comfort.
2012年4月10日星期二
Rhino horn more expensive than coke
Nguyen Huong Giang loves to party but loathes hangovers, so she ends her whiskey benders by tossing back shots of rhino horn ground with water on a special ceramic plate.
Her father gave her the 4-inch (10-centimetre) brown horn as a gift, claiming it cures everything from headaches to cancer. Vietnam has become so obsessed with the fingernail-like substance it now sells for more than cocaine.
"I don't know how much it costs," said Giang, 24, after showing off the horn in her high-rise apartment overlooking the capital, Hanoi. "I only know it's expensive."
Experts say Vietnam's surging demand is threatening to wipe out the world's remaining rhinoceros populations, which recovered from the brink of extinction after the 1970s thanks to conservation campaigns. Illegal killings in Africa hit the highest recorded level in 2011 and are expected to worsen this year.
This week South Africa called for renewed cooperation with Vietnam after a "shocking number" of rhinos have already been reported dead this year.
China has long valued rhino horn for its purported - though unproven -medicinal properties, but US officials and international wildlife experts now say Vietnam's recent intense craving, blamed partly on a widespread rumour that rhino horn cures cancer, is putting unprecedented pressure on the world's estimated 28,000 remaining animals, mainly in South Africa.
"It's a very dire situation," US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said by telephone. "We have very little cushion for these populations in the wild."
Although data on the global rhino horn trade is scarce, poaching in Africa has soared in the past two years, with American officials saying China and Vietnam are driving the trade that has no "significant" end market in the United States.
Wildlife advocates say that over the last decade, rhino horn has become a must-have luxury item for some Vietnamese nouveau riche, alongside Gucci bags and expensive Maybach cars.
Between 2006 and 2008, three diplomats at the Vietnamese Embassy in Pretoria were linked to embarrassing rhino trafficking scandals -including one caught on tape. In February, US agents busted an alleged interstate rhino horn trafficking syndicate with Vietnamese-American ringleaders.
According to a court affidavit obtained by The Associated Press, Felix Kha, one of the alleged traffickers arrested in the recent US bust, allegedly travelled to China 12 times between 2004 and 2011 and to Vietnam five times last year.
"There are still horns going into China but Vietnam is driving the increase in poaching for horns," said Chris R. Shepherd, deputy regional director for Southeast Asia at the wildlife advocacy group TRAFFIC. "Vietnamese authorities really need to step up their efforts to find out who is behind horn trafficking ... and put them out of business."
The rhino horn craze offers bigger payoffs than other exotic wildlife products such as bear bile or tiger bone paste. American officials say the crushed powder fetches up to $55,000 per kilogram in Asia ($25,000 per pound) - a price that can top the US street value of cocaine, making the hoof-like substance literally as valuable as gold.
The drive is so great, thieves are now pinching rhino horns from European museums and taxidermy shops, sometimes smashing them off with sledgehammers before fleeing. According to Europol, the European law enforcement agency, 72 rhino horns were stolen from 15 European countries in 2011, the first year such data was recorded.
Her father gave her the 4-inch (10-centimetre) brown horn as a gift, claiming it cures everything from headaches to cancer. Vietnam has become so obsessed with the fingernail-like substance it now sells for more than cocaine.
"I don't know how much it costs," said Giang, 24, after showing off the horn in her high-rise apartment overlooking the capital, Hanoi. "I only know it's expensive."
Experts say Vietnam's surging demand is threatening to wipe out the world's remaining rhinoceros populations, which recovered from the brink of extinction after the 1970s thanks to conservation campaigns. Illegal killings in Africa hit the highest recorded level in 2011 and are expected to worsen this year.
This week South Africa called for renewed cooperation with Vietnam after a "shocking number" of rhinos have already been reported dead this year.
China has long valued rhino horn for its purported - though unproven -medicinal properties, but US officials and international wildlife experts now say Vietnam's recent intense craving, blamed partly on a widespread rumour that rhino horn cures cancer, is putting unprecedented pressure on the world's estimated 28,000 remaining animals, mainly in South Africa.
"It's a very dire situation," US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said by telephone. "We have very little cushion for these populations in the wild."
Although data on the global rhino horn trade is scarce, poaching in Africa has soared in the past two years, with American officials saying China and Vietnam are driving the trade that has no "significant" end market in the United States.
Wildlife advocates say that over the last decade, rhino horn has become a must-have luxury item for some Vietnamese nouveau riche, alongside Gucci bags and expensive Maybach cars.
Between 2006 and 2008, three diplomats at the Vietnamese Embassy in Pretoria were linked to embarrassing rhino trafficking scandals -including one caught on tape. In February, US agents busted an alleged interstate rhino horn trafficking syndicate with Vietnamese-American ringleaders.
According to a court affidavit obtained by The Associated Press, Felix Kha, one of the alleged traffickers arrested in the recent US bust, allegedly travelled to China 12 times between 2004 and 2011 and to Vietnam five times last year.
"There are still horns going into China but Vietnam is driving the increase in poaching for horns," said Chris R. Shepherd, deputy regional director for Southeast Asia at the wildlife advocacy group TRAFFIC. "Vietnamese authorities really need to step up their efforts to find out who is behind horn trafficking ... and put them out of business."
The rhino horn craze offers bigger payoffs than other exotic wildlife products such as bear bile or tiger bone paste. American officials say the crushed powder fetches up to $55,000 per kilogram in Asia ($25,000 per pound) - a price that can top the US street value of cocaine, making the hoof-like substance literally as valuable as gold.
The drive is so great, thieves are now pinching rhino horns from European museums and taxidermy shops, sometimes smashing them off with sledgehammers before fleeing. According to Europol, the European law enforcement agency, 72 rhino horns were stolen from 15 European countries in 2011, the first year such data was recorded.
2012年4月9日星期一
Living the DREAM: Undocumented Youth Build Lives in America
The story of Raul Garcia, a good-looking young man who's quick to smile and extraordinarily easy to talk to, is much more typical. When he was two years old, Raul's mother carried him over the U.S. border on her back. Unlike Lorella, Raul grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood in Hartford and got caught up with the wrong crew. In middle school, he started dealing drugs, carrying a freezer bag of cocaine and ecstasy wherever he went.
After graduating from high school, Raul stopped dealing and enrolled at a local community college using a fake social security number and much of the family's savings. He graduated with honors in communications in May of 2010, but the most meaningful part of his college experience was co-founding a program dedicated to tutoring high schoolers from Hartford's poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Raul's face lights up when he talks about this -- in an ideal world, he would devote his time to tutoring and mentoring at-risk teenagers.
Instead of turning his passion for mentoring teenagers into a career, Raul stands by himself in front of a 12-foot long printing machine for nine hours each day. A giant roll of paper spans the length of the machine, and onto it, Raul prints applications for things he can't apply for. "I have a lot of time to daydream," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. "In my head, I plan all these things I want to do. These fundraisers, these programs I want to start."
The printing factory was the only employer Raul could find willing to risk breaking a federal law by overlooking his status. Raul is slowly working towards a BA at the University of Connecticut, but because he can't apply for financial aid, he can only take one class at a time. He's wanted to marry Andrea, an American citizen and the mother of his two-year-old son, for years, but because he didn't come to the country with a visa to begin with, he would have to leave the country first and then prove that Andrea faces "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" without him there.
Perhaps more depressing than all this is the fact that Raul may be paying for his mistakes for a long time. Because he didn't know to leave the social security number blank on his community college application, for example, he may have unknowingly created legal barriers to his eligibility for the DREAM Act if the act ever passes. Because his parents have no savings, and because he spent his high school years befriending drug dealers and not, like some C4Ders, befriending Americans who could help him pay for college, he pays for his college education alone. And because he now works, takes classes, and cares for his family, Raul hasn't made time to inform himself about opportunities for undocumented students.
When I ask Raul how he manages to stay positive while living with so many barriers to his success, his usual charismatic smile gives way to a tired, dejected look. "I have to put up a front," he says quietly, "But it's like a psychological prison."
Realistically, Raul may already be a lost cause -- in fact, he is seriously considering leaving Andrea and his son to make a life for himself in South America. But his situation is still better than it was 10 years ago because he is part of a community of students who are getting sick, as Lorella puts it, of "viviendo en las sombras" -- of living in the shadows. The budding movement's literature circulates among friends, and every two weeks, new people crowd into C4D's office for meetings. Its members drive long distances without licenses to speak at workshops in the hopes of motivating just a few high schoolers to envision lives beyond rock-bottom wages and the overbearing fear of deportation.
After graduating from high school, Raul stopped dealing and enrolled at a local community college using a fake social security number and much of the family's savings. He graduated with honors in communications in May of 2010, but the most meaningful part of his college experience was co-founding a program dedicated to tutoring high schoolers from Hartford's poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Raul's face lights up when he talks about this -- in an ideal world, he would devote his time to tutoring and mentoring at-risk teenagers.
Instead of turning his passion for mentoring teenagers into a career, Raul stands by himself in front of a 12-foot long printing machine for nine hours each day. A giant roll of paper spans the length of the machine, and onto it, Raul prints applications for things he can't apply for. "I have a lot of time to daydream," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. "In my head, I plan all these things I want to do. These fundraisers, these programs I want to start."
The printing factory was the only employer Raul could find willing to risk breaking a federal law by overlooking his status. Raul is slowly working towards a BA at the University of Connecticut, but because he can't apply for financial aid, he can only take one class at a time. He's wanted to marry Andrea, an American citizen and the mother of his two-year-old son, for years, but because he didn't come to the country with a visa to begin with, he would have to leave the country first and then prove that Andrea faces "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" without him there.
Perhaps more depressing than all this is the fact that Raul may be paying for his mistakes for a long time. Because he didn't know to leave the social security number blank on his community college application, for example, he may have unknowingly created legal barriers to his eligibility for the DREAM Act if the act ever passes. Because his parents have no savings, and because he spent his high school years befriending drug dealers and not, like some C4Ders, befriending Americans who could help him pay for college, he pays for his college education alone. And because he now works, takes classes, and cares for his family, Raul hasn't made time to inform himself about opportunities for undocumented students.
When I ask Raul how he manages to stay positive while living with so many barriers to his success, his usual charismatic smile gives way to a tired, dejected look. "I have to put up a front," he says quietly, "But it's like a psychological prison."
Realistically, Raul may already be a lost cause -- in fact, he is seriously considering leaving Andrea and his son to make a life for himself in South America. But his situation is still better than it was 10 years ago because he is part of a community of students who are getting sick, as Lorella puts it, of "viviendo en las sombras" -- of living in the shadows. The budding movement's literature circulates among friends, and every two weeks, new people crowd into C4D's office for meetings. Its members drive long distances without licenses to speak at workshops in the hopes of motivating just a few high schoolers to envision lives beyond rock-bottom wages and the overbearing fear of deportation.
2012年4月8日星期日
Say No to Plastic Bags in the Produce Aisle!
More and more of us make sure to bring reusable shopping bags to pack up our groceries at the supermarket. But what about when you're in the produce aisle and buying a dozen apples, a bunch of asparagus or kale — how many single use grocery bags do you pull out, only to discard them once home?
Writing on Good, Sarah Lawkow notes that a movement to stop using single-use plastic bags for produce is in its infancy. But all those filmy plastic bags add to the more than 31 million tons of plastic waste the U.S. produces in a year, according to the EPA. In 2010, only 12 percent of plastic bags, sacks and wraps was recycled: We can do better.
Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Co-op has called on customers to stop using the bags while some farmers' markets offer biodegradable single-use bags. In most places, customers are on their own to forego produce-aisle plastics. There are many options: Laskow lists quite a few (many via Etsy including several made from mesh), as well as some retailers that offer produce bags. Some bags are made from cotton and others from starch from plant sources so they can be composted (noted by Green-Mary). Rodale also suggests turning “retired bed linens, thin tea towels, and mismatched cloth napkins” as well as old t-shirts into reusable produce bags.
There is also the simple option of just putting produce into your reusable grocery bag. After all, the produce needs to be washed once you've unpacked it in your kitchen (as does the reusable grocery bag itself).
Plastic bags were only introduced in the 1970s. In 2008, Americans used some 102 billion according to the United States International Trade Commission (a small improvement: in 2006, some 109.8 billion bags were used). But I still remember a time when no store clerk ever asked “paper or plastic” in the checkout lane because paper was the only option. In just about three decades, we've gone from using just a few plastic bags to billions. Surely we can find other ways to bring the vegetables home, as generations before us once did.
Writing on Good, Sarah Lawkow notes that a movement to stop using single-use plastic bags for produce is in its infancy. But all those filmy plastic bags add to the more than 31 million tons of plastic waste the U.S. produces in a year, according to the EPA. In 2010, only 12 percent of plastic bags, sacks and wraps was recycled: We can do better.
Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Co-op has called on customers to stop using the bags while some farmers' markets offer biodegradable single-use bags. In most places, customers are on their own to forego produce-aisle plastics. There are many options: Laskow lists quite a few (many via Etsy including several made from mesh), as well as some retailers that offer produce bags. Some bags are made from cotton and others from starch from plant sources so they can be composted (noted by Green-Mary). Rodale also suggests turning “retired bed linens, thin tea towels, and mismatched cloth napkins” as well as old t-shirts into reusable produce bags.
There is also the simple option of just putting produce into your reusable grocery bag. After all, the produce needs to be washed once you've unpacked it in your kitchen (as does the reusable grocery bag itself).
Plastic bags were only introduced in the 1970s. In 2008, Americans used some 102 billion according to the United States International Trade Commission (a small improvement: in 2006, some 109.8 billion bags were used). But I still remember a time when no store clerk ever asked “paper or plastic” in the checkout lane because paper was the only option. In just about three decades, we've gone from using just a few plastic bags to billions. Surely we can find other ways to bring the vegetables home, as generations before us once did.
2012年4月5日星期四
Coccinelle bags Spring / Summer 2012
The Coccinelle handbags are beautiful and affordable , perfect accessories for all girls who love to take care of your look without necessarily to focus on brands that "cost" as an entire month's salary. The Coccinelle bags are stylish, trendy and are made ??with quality materials, they last for many years and will accompany you in your most special moments. Let's find out all the news of the new collection.
The Celeste bag now we know all too well , is the new it bag of the brand Coccinelle, bright sun and a bag perfect for all women. The Celeste bag is available in both the maxi clutch handbag that is declined in several colors so that each can find the perfect one for your style .
Coccinelle Bags: Esprit bag
The Esprit bag is a very nice model that Coccinelle offers us for our life every day, a tote simple and minimal made ??of metallic leather and available in various colors.
Coccinelle Bags: perforated patterns and logoed
Coccinelle offers us many models made ??of perforated leather , laser, a very nice style and refined in the summer is always very popular and every year always comes to the fore, the brand offers us both whites and blacks that other models colored in orange and green. Even back in the spring logoed bags , bags in which the logo acts as a pattern, just as they have Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Coccinelle presents various logoed bags, we have those classic tones but also models in sparkling yellow, red and turquoise.
After admiring the capsule collection by Barbara Hulanicki (Biba designer of the famous brand), and one designed with German Kostas Murkudis , now it's up to the Russian designer Alexander Terekhov create a collection for the brand Coccinelle. "It is a brilliant and talented designer, who has already achieved a great success but at the same time has a great future ahead of him," say the leaders of Ladybugs and we can not but agree. The collection was created for the Russian market but is distributed throughout the world, is inspired by an imaginary trip to Morocco . The bags are made ??of nappa leather inserts in the canvas and prints are inspired by the culture of African folk music and are in orange and turquoise , the collection includes a tote, a clutch and a shoulder bag.
The Celeste bag now we know all too well , is the new it bag of the brand Coccinelle, bright sun and a bag perfect for all women. The Celeste bag is available in both the maxi clutch handbag that is declined in several colors so that each can find the perfect one for your style .
Coccinelle Bags: Esprit bag
The Esprit bag is a very nice model that Coccinelle offers us for our life every day, a tote simple and minimal made ??of metallic leather and available in various colors.
Coccinelle Bags: perforated patterns and logoed
Coccinelle offers us many models made ??of perforated leather , laser, a very nice style and refined in the summer is always very popular and every year always comes to the fore, the brand offers us both whites and blacks that other models colored in orange and green. Even back in the spring logoed bags , bags in which the logo acts as a pattern, just as they have Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Coccinelle presents various logoed bags, we have those classic tones but also models in sparkling yellow, red and turquoise.
After admiring the capsule collection by Barbara Hulanicki (Biba designer of the famous brand), and one designed with German Kostas Murkudis , now it's up to the Russian designer Alexander Terekhov create a collection for the brand Coccinelle. "It is a brilliant and talented designer, who has already achieved a great success but at the same time has a great future ahead of him," say the leaders of Ladybugs and we can not but agree. The collection was created for the Russian market but is distributed throughout the world, is inspired by an imaginary trip to Morocco . The bags are made ??of nappa leather inserts in the canvas and prints are inspired by the culture of African folk music and are in orange and turquoise , the collection includes a tote, a clutch and a shoulder bag.
2012年4月4日星期三
Designer Creates A Bag That Charges Your Mobile Devices On-The-Go
As part of London Fashion Week's Autumn/Winter 2012 Showcase, Vodafone has teamed up with British designer Richard Nicoll—who freelanced for Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton before starting his eponymous label—to create a bag that is capable of charging mobile devices.
For tech-savvy fashionistas, the revolutionary handbag allows its users to plug in and power up their Blackberries, iPhones, iPads and Android phones on the go, via a cable on the inner pocket of the purse.
According to The Telegraph, this solves one's "nomophobic woes"—which stands for "no-mobile-phone-phobia".
The recharging tote bag itself must be first charged, via a magnetic induction cable that magnetically attaches to the outside of the bag.
But once the handbag's battery is fully charged, it can charge handheld devices for at least two full days.
Additionally, when its users receive a call or message, a Bluetooth-activated LED 'accessory' on the outside of the bag illuminates to notify you.
"This is the second season that we've partnered with Vodafone and we wanted to create a collaborative product that fused technology and fashion, and that was relevant for both of us—so we came up with the idea of doing a charging bag that charges your mobile device on the go, which is especially relevant for my collection this season, because it's all about the notion of work and all its facets in modern times," Nicoll told The Telegraph.
The tote bag was created as part of Nicoll's 'Modern Times' line, and was developed in association with leather goods company Tusting.
And because we live in a technologically-advanced world, where everyone is always on their phones, such a bag is in demand—and it will be on sale by the end of spring. In anticipation…
For tech-savvy fashionistas, the revolutionary handbag allows its users to plug in and power up their Blackberries, iPhones, iPads and Android phones on the go, via a cable on the inner pocket of the purse.
According to The Telegraph, this solves one's "nomophobic woes"—which stands for "no-mobile-phone-phobia".
The recharging tote bag itself must be first charged, via a magnetic induction cable that magnetically attaches to the outside of the bag.
But once the handbag's battery is fully charged, it can charge handheld devices for at least two full days.
Additionally, when its users receive a call or message, a Bluetooth-activated LED 'accessory' on the outside of the bag illuminates to notify you.
"This is the second season that we've partnered with Vodafone and we wanted to create a collaborative product that fused technology and fashion, and that was relevant for both of us—so we came up with the idea of doing a charging bag that charges your mobile device on the go, which is especially relevant for my collection this season, because it's all about the notion of work and all its facets in modern times," Nicoll told The Telegraph.
The tote bag was created as part of Nicoll's 'Modern Times' line, and was developed in association with leather goods company Tusting.
And because we live in a technologically-advanced world, where everyone is always on their phones, such a bag is in demand—and it will be on sale by the end of spring. In anticipation…
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