Foot Locker lance Nike HYPERFUSE, the innovative sneaker seamless worn by elite athletes and is now celebrated for the street style.
Three layers of which is dedicated to stabilityOne at breathability and the third durability fused together through heat and pressure characterize this sneaker.
In design it has inspired us carbon fiber used for the Formula 1 car industry. This approach has allowed designers to go beyond the limits both for color both the finish. The design of precision is a hallmark of this sneaker, precision unobtainable with the traditional cut and paste method.
The shape of the Nike HYPERFUSE is based on the older models such as Nike Air Force One, Air Max One, Dunk Hi and Nike Air Max 90.
Colors ranging from touches of pink to brilliant blue up for the nuances Silver. The line male includes two hooded sweatshirts, track pants and T-Shirts characterized by bright colors and bright, bold colors to celebrate HYPERFUSE. Women can show their sports-street-style with the model Nike Dunk Hi SKNY HYPERFUSE and the'Air Max 90 HYPERFUSE.
The collection is worn by the most famous names in the sport as a Aikiness-Aryeetey Harry and Jodie Williams, The jumping French Renaud Lavillenie and the National Italian basketball player and NBA Marco Belinelli.
2011年7月26日星期二
No shoes, but all business: Can Rich Cordray save new consumer bureau?
Answer: The man President Barack Obama hopes can magically overcome the partisan divide in Washington D.C.
Question: Who is Rich Cordray?
It's a question millions of Americans are about to ask themselves, if they haven't already. Their three-year romance with consumer zealot and media star Elizabeth Warren just ended badly, as Warren was not picked to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Cordray is her surprise replacement. Apart from being a former “Jeopardy” champion -- a piece of trivia many already seem to know -- who is Rich Cordray?
Warren -- a Harvard professor, best-selling author, and darling of TV programs like The Daily Show -- was the chief architect and driving force behind creation of the new consumer agency, which is the most visible part of the administration's financial reform efforts. But Warren's high-profile disdain for banks and Wall Street made her too divisive for Obama's taste, and she was ultimately passed over to run the agency.
Cordray, a relative unknown on the national stage, was named last week instead, but his selection can hardly be cast as a "compromise candidate." Cordray, Ohio attorney general from 2009 through early 2011, was the face of government action against mortgage companies during the height of the financial collapse; his office sued AIG, Bank of America, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and several other lenders for investment fraud related to the mortgage crisis. He earned more than $2 billion in settlements from those firms.
The soft-spoken Midwesterner stands in contrast to Warren, the Harvard bankruptcy expert. He often shuns shoes and walks around his office in socks, and he never strides into a room with the air of a powerful man. His boyish looks could easily trick an unfamiliar visitor into thinking he's a law clerk; he's been favorably compared to the “30 Rock” TV show intern "Kenneth." But friends and former staff members say his powerful intellect, inherent reasonableness and dogged work ethic quickly replace those first impressions with the image of a man who relentlessly fights for consumers – and usually wins.
"He is as authentic as you can get. He's the same person when the cameras are on or when he's with his family," said Kimberly Kowalski, a former press aide for Cordray. "Sometimes it works to his detriment. He would just say what was in his heart, even if I'd prepared remarks for him ... but Rich is all for that man on the street. If he meets someone and they tell him a problem, he remembers it, and he acts on it, and three months later, he'll check to make sure it got fixed. Things never fall off his radar."
That's true even if that means Cordray must write follow-up e-mails at 4 a.m., which Kowalski said was common.
“I'm sure many people have said this: Rich is a machine,” she said. “It's amazing to sit back and watch him work.”
It's hard to imagine Cordray will make it through the confirmation process unscathed, if at all: in a political environment poisoned by debt ceiling negotiations, a renewed fight over the new consumer agency is sure to be bitter. But friends say the mild-mannered, persuasive Cordray, who has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, may yet have something to say about that.
Question: Who is Rich Cordray?
It's a question millions of Americans are about to ask themselves, if they haven't already. Their three-year romance with consumer zealot and media star Elizabeth Warren just ended badly, as Warren was not picked to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Cordray is her surprise replacement. Apart from being a former “Jeopardy” champion -- a piece of trivia many already seem to know -- who is Rich Cordray?
Warren -- a Harvard professor, best-selling author, and darling of TV programs like The Daily Show -- was the chief architect and driving force behind creation of the new consumer agency, which is the most visible part of the administration's financial reform efforts. But Warren's high-profile disdain for banks and Wall Street made her too divisive for Obama's taste, and she was ultimately passed over to run the agency.
Cordray, a relative unknown on the national stage, was named last week instead, but his selection can hardly be cast as a "compromise candidate." Cordray, Ohio attorney general from 2009 through early 2011, was the face of government action against mortgage companies during the height of the financial collapse; his office sued AIG, Bank of America, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and several other lenders for investment fraud related to the mortgage crisis. He earned more than $2 billion in settlements from those firms.
The soft-spoken Midwesterner stands in contrast to Warren, the Harvard bankruptcy expert. He often shuns shoes and walks around his office in socks, and he never strides into a room with the air of a powerful man. His boyish looks could easily trick an unfamiliar visitor into thinking he's a law clerk; he's been favorably compared to the “30 Rock” TV show intern "Kenneth." But friends and former staff members say his powerful intellect, inherent reasonableness and dogged work ethic quickly replace those first impressions with the image of a man who relentlessly fights for consumers – and usually wins.
"He is as authentic as you can get. He's the same person when the cameras are on or when he's with his family," said Kimberly Kowalski, a former press aide for Cordray. "Sometimes it works to his detriment. He would just say what was in his heart, even if I'd prepared remarks for him ... but Rich is all for that man on the street. If he meets someone and they tell him a problem, he remembers it, and he acts on it, and three months later, he'll check to make sure it got fixed. Things never fall off his radar."
That's true even if that means Cordray must write follow-up e-mails at 4 a.m., which Kowalski said was common.
“I'm sure many people have said this: Rich is a machine,” she said. “It's amazing to sit back and watch him work.”
It's hard to imagine Cordray will make it through the confirmation process unscathed, if at all: in a political environment poisoned by debt ceiling negotiations, a renewed fight over the new consumer agency is sure to be bitter. But friends say the mild-mannered, persuasive Cordray, who has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, may yet have something to say about that.
2011年7月24日星期日
Merger of storms helped form May 22 tornado
Amanda Kent manages the Payless Shoe Store in Pittsburg, Kan., but on the weekend of May 22 she switched jobs to manage the Payless store at 1502 S. Range Line Road.
As she watched the weather turn for the worse that Sunday, she got a call from her husband, Jason Kent, who works for the Jasper County Sheriff's Department.
"It's 5:43 p.m. He calls me and tells me to take cover now — a tornado is coming your way. He's heard this on his police radio," she said.
She and a co-worker take cover under a three-sided desk in an office at the rear of the store. She thinks that a tornado, if one does come, will probably be small.
"I'm hoping it's a skinny little thing that will shift away from us and miss us all together," she said.
What this 29-year-old mother of one was not expecting was an EF-5 tornado with wind speeds of 205 mph that would be three-quarters of a mile wide.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service forecast office in Springfield and at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., also were thinking that, should a tornado form near Joplin, it would be small. Weather conditions that day did not favor the production of a massive tornado. Nothing in their crystal ball suggested that. If one did form, it might be an EF-2, maybe an EF-3.
But what happened that day in the skies west of Joplin was totally unexpected. Two storm cells, a large one from Southeast Kansas and a smaller one from Northeast Oklahoma, would merge and, in a matter of minutes, produce a monster.
"We grabbed some shipment boxes and scooted those in front of the desk we were under," Kent said. "It wasn't 10 seconds later that things started shaking, rattling and falling. This is what I thought would happen."
What happened next is what she was not expecting.
"The desk was lifted up and the boxes were blown away. We were exposed on the ground a second or two. I was lifted into the air. My eyeglasses were blown off. I'm blind as a bat without them.
"I was then upside down in the air. I was swirling around. My feet were above my head and my ballet flats were flying off my feet," she said. "It was a slow-motion deal. I was thinking: 'Oh my shoes!' It seemed like a long time, but it probably happened in two seconds.
"I'm thinking to myself and praying: 'God, please don't take me away.' I lost my mom at 21. I have a son who is 1 1/2 years old. I'm thinking: 'Don't let my son not have a mother.' It's way too early for him. He would not even remember me."
Kent, though pelted by debris and wood, survived. She pulled a piece of wood from her foot. She had another piece of wood pierce her side. Her right collarbone was fractured. Her co-worker, protected by debris that covered her, walked away with minor injuries.
Thirteen minutes after the phone call from her husband, Kent was in a pickup truck on her way to Freeman Hospital West. A teenage boy whose name she does not know stopped at the demolished store and gave her a ride. After receiving initial care at Freeman, she spent 19 days in recovery at Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg. She is still being treated for the injury to her left foot.
Meteorologists still are trying to learn more about how a normal spring storm became a killer. They know that storm mergers occurred about 15 minutes before the tornado developed and that the mergers intensified the supercell that would produce the deadliest tornado since modern record keeping began in 1950.
They also know that observant radar operators in Springfield, without much evidence of a classic tornado hook on radar, detected rotation inside the storm and noticed that the main storm appeared to be making a gradual right turn. These important observations proved crucial for the 24-minute advance warning that Joplin received.
As she watched the weather turn for the worse that Sunday, she got a call from her husband, Jason Kent, who works for the Jasper County Sheriff's Department.
"It's 5:43 p.m. He calls me and tells me to take cover now — a tornado is coming your way. He's heard this on his police radio," she said.
She and a co-worker take cover under a three-sided desk in an office at the rear of the store. She thinks that a tornado, if one does come, will probably be small.
"I'm hoping it's a skinny little thing that will shift away from us and miss us all together," she said.
What this 29-year-old mother of one was not expecting was an EF-5 tornado with wind speeds of 205 mph that would be three-quarters of a mile wide.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service forecast office in Springfield and at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., also were thinking that, should a tornado form near Joplin, it would be small. Weather conditions that day did not favor the production of a massive tornado. Nothing in their crystal ball suggested that. If one did form, it might be an EF-2, maybe an EF-3.
But what happened that day in the skies west of Joplin was totally unexpected. Two storm cells, a large one from Southeast Kansas and a smaller one from Northeast Oklahoma, would merge and, in a matter of minutes, produce a monster.
"We grabbed some shipment boxes and scooted those in front of the desk we were under," Kent said. "It wasn't 10 seconds later that things started shaking, rattling and falling. This is what I thought would happen."
What happened next is what she was not expecting.
"The desk was lifted up and the boxes were blown away. We were exposed on the ground a second or two. I was lifted into the air. My eyeglasses were blown off. I'm blind as a bat without them.
"I was then upside down in the air. I was swirling around. My feet were above my head and my ballet flats were flying off my feet," she said. "It was a slow-motion deal. I was thinking: 'Oh my shoes!' It seemed like a long time, but it probably happened in two seconds.
"I'm thinking to myself and praying: 'God, please don't take me away.' I lost my mom at 21. I have a son who is 1 1/2 years old. I'm thinking: 'Don't let my son not have a mother.' It's way too early for him. He would not even remember me."
Kent, though pelted by debris and wood, survived. She pulled a piece of wood from her foot. She had another piece of wood pierce her side. Her right collarbone was fractured. Her co-worker, protected by debris that covered her, walked away with minor injuries.
Thirteen minutes after the phone call from her husband, Kent was in a pickup truck on her way to Freeman Hospital West. A teenage boy whose name she does not know stopped at the demolished store and gave her a ride. After receiving initial care at Freeman, she spent 19 days in recovery at Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg. She is still being treated for the injury to her left foot.
Meteorologists still are trying to learn more about how a normal spring storm became a killer. They know that storm mergers occurred about 15 minutes before the tornado developed and that the mergers intensified the supercell that would produce the deadliest tornado since modern record keeping began in 1950.
They also know that observant radar operators in Springfield, without much evidence of a classic tornado hook on radar, detected rotation inside the storm and noticed that the main storm appeared to be making a gradual right turn. These important observations proved crucial for the 24-minute advance warning that Joplin received.
2011年7月20日星期三
Jim Beal Jr.: Multiband shoes fill days ahead
This weekend and beyond, there's rock mania with several multiband bills plus cinematic electronic pop on the radio. Get moving.
Rock, rock, rock
Several stage-stretching shows spread out over the next few days offer something from the rock side for almost anyone whose tastes run to the hard edged and the alternative.
The All Stars Tour will take over Backstage Live, 1305 E. Houston St., Saturday with two dozen bands. The all-ages show will feature an indoor stage and an outdoor stage. Doors open at 1 p.m.
The lineup is set to include Emmure, For Today, Born of Osiris, Iwrestledabearonce, After the Burial, The Ghost Inside, Chelsea Grin, Attila, For All Those Sleeping, Alesana, Bless the Fall, In This Moment, Motionless in White, Sleeping With Sirens, Norma Jean, Sleeping Giant, The Chariot, War of Ages, Close Your Eyes, Texas in July, I the Breather, As Hell Retreats, The Great Commission and Sovereign Strength.
With that bill, attendees will be able to experience a bit of everything from thundering metal to rock that's only slightly less thundering. Tickets cost $28.50 in advance at Texas Trash Clothing Exchange, 2100 McCullough Ave., $32.45 from frontgatetickets.com.
For tastes that run more to the alt/art side of rock, White Rabbit, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., Saturday will welcome a Deadbeat Hero/Drunkenmonkey Promotions all-ages ArtSlam!, this one with a “Pixels vs. Panels” theme during which superheroes and arcade games will meet and mingle. There'll be music from Lost Project, Mega Man, id, Silent Minority, Mega Fauna, Muchos Backflips and DJ Doc J.
If the music is not enough, more than 40 local artists will have work on display and for sale, there'll be classic video game stations, and comics and toys, uh, collectibles, will be for sale. Cover charge is $5; $8 for minors.
Thursday night, artist management company Artery Foundation will bring its tour into White Rabbit with a herd of client bands, In Fear and Faith, Vanna, A Loss for Words, Close to Home, Ten After Two, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk and Adestria.
But wait, there's more. White Rabbit on Tuesday will feature the '11 edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Scream It Like You Mean It tour. This time around the Scream It tour features San Antonio favorites Breathe Carolina and Chiodos along with I See Stars, The Color Morale, Tek-One and The Air I Breathe. Tickets cost $16 in advance at White Rabbit Pizzeria and frontgatetickets.com, $19 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Hyperbubble goes radio
Hyperbubble, the wife/husband electronica/pop duo of Jess and Jeff DeCuir, is celebrating the release of its new CD, “Drastic Cinematic” (Bubble Gum), not with a live gig but with an appearance Saturday at 8 p.m. on Brian Parrish's “The Casbah” radio show on KSYM, 90.1 FM/ksym.org. The CD, set up like a movie, features the duo along with an international cast making cameo appearances. Hyperbubble will perform “Drastic Cinematic” in its entirety on KSYM. Dancing in your living room is encouraged.
Rock, rock, rock
Several stage-stretching shows spread out over the next few days offer something from the rock side for almost anyone whose tastes run to the hard edged and the alternative.
The All Stars Tour will take over Backstage Live, 1305 E. Houston St., Saturday with two dozen bands. The all-ages show will feature an indoor stage and an outdoor stage. Doors open at 1 p.m.
The lineup is set to include Emmure, For Today, Born of Osiris, Iwrestledabearonce, After the Burial, The Ghost Inside, Chelsea Grin, Attila, For All Those Sleeping, Alesana, Bless the Fall, In This Moment, Motionless in White, Sleeping With Sirens, Norma Jean, Sleeping Giant, The Chariot, War of Ages, Close Your Eyes, Texas in July, I the Breather, As Hell Retreats, The Great Commission and Sovereign Strength.
With that bill, attendees will be able to experience a bit of everything from thundering metal to rock that's only slightly less thundering. Tickets cost $28.50 in advance at Texas Trash Clothing Exchange, 2100 McCullough Ave., $32.45 from frontgatetickets.com.
For tastes that run more to the alt/art side of rock, White Rabbit, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., Saturday will welcome a Deadbeat Hero/Drunkenmonkey Promotions all-ages ArtSlam!, this one with a “Pixels vs. Panels” theme during which superheroes and arcade games will meet and mingle. There'll be music from Lost Project, Mega Man, id, Silent Minority, Mega Fauna, Muchos Backflips and DJ Doc J.
If the music is not enough, more than 40 local artists will have work on display and for sale, there'll be classic video game stations, and comics and toys, uh, collectibles, will be for sale. Cover charge is $5; $8 for minors.
Thursday night, artist management company Artery Foundation will bring its tour into White Rabbit with a herd of client bands, In Fear and Faith, Vanna, A Loss for Words, Close to Home, Ten After Two, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk and Adestria.
But wait, there's more. White Rabbit on Tuesday will feature the '11 edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Scream It Like You Mean It tour. This time around the Scream It tour features San Antonio favorites Breathe Carolina and Chiodos along with I See Stars, The Color Morale, Tek-One and The Air I Breathe. Tickets cost $16 in advance at White Rabbit Pizzeria and frontgatetickets.com, $19 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Hyperbubble goes radio
Hyperbubble, the wife/husband electronica/pop duo of Jess and Jeff DeCuir, is celebrating the release of its new CD, “Drastic Cinematic” (Bubble Gum), not with a live gig but with an appearance Saturday at 8 p.m. on Brian Parrish's “The Casbah” radio show on KSYM, 90.1 FM/ksym.org. The CD, set up like a movie, features the duo along with an international cast making cameo appearances. Hyperbubble will perform “Drastic Cinematic” in its entirety on KSYM. Dancing in your living room is encouraged.
2011年7月18日星期一
Kate Gosselin Walks in Other Women's Shoes on 'Twist of Kate'
Kate Gosselin hasn't given up on her new reality show Twist of Kate, and she claims TLC hasn't either. But how will Twist of Kate (if the show does air) differ from Kate Plus Eight?
According to a report from The Morning Call, there will be quite a few differences between the two reality TV shows. TLC chief Eileen O'Neill had the following to say about the premise of Twist of Kate.
"She will be in that person's shoes," she said. "And more often than not, it's not going to be terribly comfortable for her. She's game for things, but she also has limits and boundaries."
So what will all of this mean for Kate Gosselin? Will she be uncomfortable doing this new show if it does in fact materialize? And would it maybe be good for Kate to move out of her comfort zone for a while?
Twist of Kate will feature Gosselin going to other women's homes and jobs and assuming their actual roles for short periods of time. Do you see this potentially spelling disaster? Kate Gosselin is awfully set in her ways. To walk in another woman's shoes might just push her stress level right over the edge. Kate likes organization and constant neatness. What will she do if she winds up in some messy woman's house or in a job that is a bit too chaotic for her liking?
This would certainly be a far cry from Kate Plus Eight, where the cameras merely catch whatever the Gosselin crew is up to--whether it's grocery shopping or traveling half way around the world. And since there is no mention of the 'plus eight' in this new show, does this mean the children are excluded? Does this mean they would spend more time in the care of nannies than they already do?
It certainly sounds like Kate Gosselin has a lot to consider if Twist of Kate makes it on to the TLC lineup. How do you think she'll fare? Does she have what it takes to walk in another woman's shoes--possibly a lot of different women at that?
According to a report from The Morning Call, there will be quite a few differences between the two reality TV shows. TLC chief Eileen O'Neill had the following to say about the premise of Twist of Kate.
"She will be in that person's shoes," she said. "And more often than not, it's not going to be terribly comfortable for her. She's game for things, but she also has limits and boundaries."
So what will all of this mean for Kate Gosselin? Will she be uncomfortable doing this new show if it does in fact materialize? And would it maybe be good for Kate to move out of her comfort zone for a while?
Twist of Kate will feature Gosselin going to other women's homes and jobs and assuming their actual roles for short periods of time. Do you see this potentially spelling disaster? Kate Gosselin is awfully set in her ways. To walk in another woman's shoes might just push her stress level right over the edge. Kate likes organization and constant neatness. What will she do if she winds up in some messy woman's house or in a job that is a bit too chaotic for her liking?
This would certainly be a far cry from Kate Plus Eight, where the cameras merely catch whatever the Gosselin crew is up to--whether it's grocery shopping or traveling half way around the world. And since there is no mention of the 'plus eight' in this new show, does this mean the children are excluded? Does this mean they would spend more time in the care of nannies than they already do?
It certainly sounds like Kate Gosselin has a lot to consider if Twist of Kate makes it on to the TLC lineup. How do you think she'll fare? Does she have what it takes to walk in another woman's shoes--possibly a lot of different women at that?
2011年7月14日星期四
Corporation Culture Wars
When you buy a pair of shoes, a spicy chicken sandwich, or a gym membership, does that mean you endorse everything about the company -- including the CEO's religious beliefs?
It's a question that has long plagued socially conscious consumers, but sites like Change.org now mobilize grassroots campaigns against companies like Curves fitness centers, whose CEO donates millions to anti-abortion groups, and Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain that supports faith-based groups opposed to same-sex relationships.
While protests haven't stopped those corporate leaders from supporting conservative Christian agendas, the head of TOMS shoes has felt compelled to apologize for agreeing to a June 30 interview with Focus on the Family president Jim Daly.
Blake Mycoskie, 34, an evangelical Christian, founded TOMS in 2006, promising every pair would be made with fair labor and would provide a second pair for a needy child.
The for-profit California-based company, which has given away more than a million pairs of shoes, is popular on the West Coast, particularly with young adults attracted to no-frills fashions and social justice activities.
After gay-rights and feminist groups criticized Mycoskie and his customers threatened a boycott, the CEO apologized on Saturday (July 9).
Story continues below
"Had I known the full extent of Focus on the Family's beliefs, I would not have accepted the invitation to speak at their event," he wrote on his Start Something That Matters blog.
Comments on his blog and Facebook page doubted that Mycoskie was ignorant of Focus' activism against homosexuality, especially since some had warned him when the event was first advertised.
TOMS could opt to block the radio broadcast of the interview, but as of Wednesday, Focus still hopes to air the 45-minute program this fall, reaching up to 2.8 million listeners.
"We approached TOMS because Blake attracts a certain audience and because his story is inspirational," said Gary Schneeberger, a Focus spokesman. "The idea that out of his faith, as a Christian, he created this company, we thought this was inspiring and was something our listeners would like to hear."
Mycoskie has credited faith as inspiring his business, but the TOMS website proclaims the company is nonpolitical and nonreligious.
"While we are happy to work with organizations from all religious and political backgrounds, we prohibit the giving of our shoes from being associated with any religious or political ideology," the website states. In its application materials, the company requires potential partners to agree they won't try to convert aid recipients or require them to participate in any kind of religious activity to receive shoes.
Companies and their leaders are free to support religious or political causes, but Chris MacDonald, a business ethicist affiliated with Duke University's Kenan Institute for Ethics, said consumers should take such actions into account.
"If you have a sense that your money is somehow, even indirectly, contributing to a cause that you find morally problematic, then it seems somewhere between reasonable and obligatory for you to vote with your dollars," he said. "Your individual purchasing decision isn't doing a lot to further the cause of the company's CEO -- maybe just a few pennies -- but there's also symbolic value, and you're responsible for that."
In the past, consumer complaints over gay issues were more likely to come from conservative Christian groups, with organizations like the American Family Association objecting to the corporate policies of companies like Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble.
It's one thing to put your money where your mouth is, but it's not practical for consumers to avoid doing business with any companies whose policies or leaders support opposing religious or political beliefs, MacDonald said.
"A lot of people like the idea of companies being socially involved in their community," he said, "but if you want big companies to get involved in social issues, what makes you think they're going to come down on your side?"
Gay rights petitions have achieved limited success in the past year: Apple pulled apps for conservative groups like Exodus International and the Manhattan Declaration from its iTunes store, and Chick-fil-A's president issued a statement that "while my family and I believe in the biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who
disagrees."
The quick, direct apology from TOMS is an anomaly, MacDonald said, speculating that the company's small size and social responsibility mission made it vulnerable to criticism from its core audience.
It's a question that has long plagued socially conscious consumers, but sites like Change.org now mobilize grassroots campaigns against companies like Curves fitness centers, whose CEO donates millions to anti-abortion groups, and Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain that supports faith-based groups opposed to same-sex relationships.
While protests haven't stopped those corporate leaders from supporting conservative Christian agendas, the head of TOMS shoes has felt compelled to apologize for agreeing to a June 30 interview with Focus on the Family president Jim Daly.
Blake Mycoskie, 34, an evangelical Christian, founded TOMS in 2006, promising every pair would be made with fair labor and would provide a second pair for a needy child.
The for-profit California-based company, which has given away more than a million pairs of shoes, is popular on the West Coast, particularly with young adults attracted to no-frills fashions and social justice activities.
After gay-rights and feminist groups criticized Mycoskie and his customers threatened a boycott, the CEO apologized on Saturday (July 9).
Story continues below
"Had I known the full extent of Focus on the Family's beliefs, I would not have accepted the invitation to speak at their event," he wrote on his Start Something That Matters blog.
Comments on his blog and Facebook page doubted that Mycoskie was ignorant of Focus' activism against homosexuality, especially since some had warned him when the event was first advertised.
TOMS could opt to block the radio broadcast of the interview, but as of Wednesday, Focus still hopes to air the 45-minute program this fall, reaching up to 2.8 million listeners.
"We approached TOMS because Blake attracts a certain audience and because his story is inspirational," said Gary Schneeberger, a Focus spokesman. "The idea that out of his faith, as a Christian, he created this company, we thought this was inspiring and was something our listeners would like to hear."
Mycoskie has credited faith as inspiring his business, but the TOMS website proclaims the company is nonpolitical and nonreligious.
"While we are happy to work with organizations from all religious and political backgrounds, we prohibit the giving of our shoes from being associated with any religious or political ideology," the website states. In its application materials, the company requires potential partners to agree they won't try to convert aid recipients or require them to participate in any kind of religious activity to receive shoes.
Companies and their leaders are free to support religious or political causes, but Chris MacDonald, a business ethicist affiliated with Duke University's Kenan Institute for Ethics, said consumers should take such actions into account.
"If you have a sense that your money is somehow, even indirectly, contributing to a cause that you find morally problematic, then it seems somewhere between reasonable and obligatory for you to vote with your dollars," he said. "Your individual purchasing decision isn't doing a lot to further the cause of the company's CEO -- maybe just a few pennies -- but there's also symbolic value, and you're responsible for that."
In the past, consumer complaints over gay issues were more likely to come from conservative Christian groups, with organizations like the American Family Association objecting to the corporate policies of companies like Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble.
It's one thing to put your money where your mouth is, but it's not practical for consumers to avoid doing business with any companies whose policies or leaders support opposing religious or political beliefs, MacDonald said.
"A lot of people like the idea of companies being socially involved in their community," he said, "but if you want big companies to get involved in social issues, what makes you think they're going to come down on your side?"
Gay rights petitions have achieved limited success in the past year: Apple pulled apps for conservative groups like Exodus International and the Manhattan Declaration from its iTunes store, and Chick-fil-A's president issued a statement that "while my family and I believe in the biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who
disagrees."
The quick, direct apology from TOMS is an anomaly, MacDonald said, speculating that the company's small size and social responsibility mission made it vulnerable to criticism from its core audience.
2011年7月12日星期二
Once More Unto The Bleach: Debbie Harry Interviewed
Unusually for a bona fide pop icon, Debbie Harry was already 33 when Blondie released their UK breakthrough album Parallel Lines in 1978, and had even turned 34 when 'Heart Of Glass' was a colossal debut hit in the US a year later. In pop terms, the dynamic core of the group — Harry and her then boyfriend, the guitarist Chris Stein — were already neighing skittishly in the shadow of the glue factory when they hit paydirt. And this ascent to fame goes from being improbable to downright astonishing when you cast your eye over Harry's full CV. It seems unlikely that anyone attempting to tread in her footsteps would have any kind of life left to live by their mid-thirties.
Born on July 1, 1945 in Florida to parents who gave her up for adoption, Debbie Harry grew up in suburban Jersey, where she spent her time formulating plans of escape and daydreaming that Marilyn Monroe was her biological mother. In 1965 she moved to New York City, clicking naturally with the bohemian set, and joined the whimsical folk rock group The Wind In The Willows. Their one album on Capitol, released in 1968, was produced by Artie Kornfeld, who was determined to earn some of that hippy dollar. The year after the record flopped, he got his wish, becoming the musical booker for Woodstock. Harry, meanwhile, became a barmaid at Max's Kansas City in Manhattan where she met Andy Warhol and his retinue, served drinks to Janis Joplin and had sex with glam rocker Eric Emerson in a phone booth.
As the 60s began to sour, so did her experiences. She got hooked on heroin. She married a millionaire but left him a few months later. She became a Playboy Bunny. She moved into a Harlem drug den with a dealer and his armed gang. She eventually crawled out of New York, her life in shreds, only to get lured back by the advent of glam rock. Inspired by hanging out with the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center she ended up forming her own group, The Stilettos, in 1972. A year later Stein watched the group and was so impressed he ended up joining. Although they never made it, this band were essentially part of New York punk's first wave along with other CBGB's house acts Television, Suicide and Wayne County. In 1974 Harry and Stein quit to start afresh and what was originally Angel And The Snakes became Blondie; the nomenclature derived from the name that lascivious New York drivers yelled out of their car windows at her.
Born on July 1, 1945 in Florida to parents who gave her up for adoption, Debbie Harry grew up in suburban Jersey, where she spent her time formulating plans of escape and daydreaming that Marilyn Monroe was her biological mother. In 1965 she moved to New York City, clicking naturally with the bohemian set, and joined the whimsical folk rock group The Wind In The Willows. Their one album on Capitol, released in 1968, was produced by Artie Kornfeld, who was determined to earn some of that hippy dollar. The year after the record flopped, he got his wish, becoming the musical booker for Woodstock. Harry, meanwhile, became a barmaid at Max's Kansas City in Manhattan where she met Andy Warhol and his retinue, served drinks to Janis Joplin and had sex with glam rocker Eric Emerson in a phone booth.
As the 60s began to sour, so did her experiences. She got hooked on heroin. She married a millionaire but left him a few months later. She became a Playboy Bunny. She moved into a Harlem drug den with a dealer and his armed gang. She eventually crawled out of New York, her life in shreds, only to get lured back by the advent of glam rock. Inspired by hanging out with the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center she ended up forming her own group, The Stilettos, in 1972. A year later Stein watched the group and was so impressed he ended up joining. Although they never made it, this band were essentially part of New York punk's first wave along with other CBGB's house acts Television, Suicide and Wayne County. In 1974 Harry and Stein quit to start afresh and what was originally Angel And The Snakes became Blondie; the nomenclature derived from the name that lascivious New York drivers yelled out of their car windows at her.
2011年7月10日星期日
Discount Cheap Air Max 87 online store for sale
Nike is the most famous sport brand in the world. There are series of classic nike sport shoes in the market. Air Max 87 is the one of the model of Nike Air max series.cheap nike shoes Nike Air Max 87 offers top quality together with superb outside style, the style appeals to a range of Nike lovers all over the world. Cheap Air Max 87 use the gas role in design, which become the best protection system. That is the design.
Air Max 87 is one pair of super shoes. Air max 87 fulls of fashionable and modish elements. You can see thatcheap air maxIt makes full use of the most up-to-date Nike technology which provide you maximum comfort,support, and stability. Air cushion rubber was the important design for the shoes. So the material of the shoes is also a important factor.
The design and color of the shoes is various, you can have many choice. The shoes is not only suitable for young people but also suitable for middle-aged people and aged people. We provide you cheap air max shoes with more than %50 discountcheap jordans for free shipping.
Air Max 87 is one pair of super shoes. Air max 87 fulls of fashionable and modish elements. You can see thatcheap air maxIt makes full use of the most up-to-date Nike technology which provide you maximum comfort,support, and stability. Air cushion rubber was the important design for the shoes. So the material of the shoes is also a important factor.
The design and color of the shoes is various, you can have many choice. The shoes is not only suitable for young people but also suitable for middle-aged people and aged people. We provide you cheap air max shoes with more than %50 discountcheap jordans for free shipping.
2011年7月4日星期一
China is one of VeriFone Systems Inc.'s fastest growing markets
Mr. Hayes says that in anticipation of rising labor costs, the company will likely ramp up automation efforts in its factories in China. For instance, UTC has replaced some workers at a smoke-detector assembly factory in Guangzhou with machines that place components on boards, says Mr. Hayes. The machines, while expensive, eliminate labor and drive productivity, he says. As labor rates increase, Mr. Hayes says, automation would help in reducing the size of its work force in China.
UTC is also looking at factories in Vietnam and Malaysia as China becomes less competitive on a cost basis, he says. But moving production to other countries can be costly, can expose UTC to currency fluctuations and is a lengthy process, says Mr. Hayes. "Unless we saw a dramatic increase on labor costs, it would be very difficult to move factories," he says.
Because of competitive pressure, UTC isn't considering price increases.
Harman International Industries Inc., an audio designer and manufacturer, buys about 25% of its parts from Chinese manufacturers. As contracts expire, the cost of such items will increase, so Harman is looking at suppliers elsewhere, and its research and development team is looking at ways to substitute some of the parts, says CEO Dinesh Paliwal.
Harman is also working with its Chinese suppliers to help relocate them to other parts of China where wage inflation isn't as severe. He's already persuaded some component manufacturers and magnet makers to move to Western parts of China where costs are lower.
Still, Harman is gearing up to expand in China, opening two additional factories this summer, adding 460,000 square feet of capacity and 1,100 more employees. While labor is more expensive than in years past, and rising under a stronger yuan, Mr. Paliwal says the opportunities for revenue in China outstrip the rising costs.
Indeed, an appreciating yuan may be a boon for China's growing middle class and the multinational companies selling products to them. U.S. exports to China totaled $92 billion in 2010, more than double the $41 billion exported in 2005, according to Department of Commerce data.
China is one of VeriFone Systems Inc.'s fastest growing markets as consumers build wealth and adopt credit cards, says Doug Bergeron, CEO of the electronic-payments company.
Still, Mr. Bergeron says he's willing to raise prices to offset an increase in export costs. "There's no question we'll pass it along to preserve margins," he says.
UTC is also looking at factories in Vietnam and Malaysia as China becomes less competitive on a cost basis, he says. But moving production to other countries can be costly, can expose UTC to currency fluctuations and is a lengthy process, says Mr. Hayes. "Unless we saw a dramatic increase on labor costs, it would be very difficult to move factories," he says.
Because of competitive pressure, UTC isn't considering price increases.
Harman International Industries Inc., an audio designer and manufacturer, buys about 25% of its parts from Chinese manufacturers. As contracts expire, the cost of such items will increase, so Harman is looking at suppliers elsewhere, and its research and development team is looking at ways to substitute some of the parts, says CEO Dinesh Paliwal.
Harman is also working with its Chinese suppliers to help relocate them to other parts of China where wage inflation isn't as severe. He's already persuaded some component manufacturers and magnet makers to move to Western parts of China where costs are lower.
Still, Harman is gearing up to expand in China, opening two additional factories this summer, adding 460,000 square feet of capacity and 1,100 more employees. While labor is more expensive than in years past, and rising under a stronger yuan, Mr. Paliwal says the opportunities for revenue in China outstrip the rising costs.
Indeed, an appreciating yuan may be a boon for China's growing middle class and the multinational companies selling products to them. U.S. exports to China totaled $92 billion in 2010, more than double the $41 billion exported in 2005, according to Department of Commerce data.
China is one of VeriFone Systems Inc.'s fastest growing markets as consumers build wealth and adopt credit cards, says Doug Bergeron, CEO of the electronic-payments company.
Still, Mr. Bergeron says he's willing to raise prices to offset an increase in export costs. "There's no question we'll pass it along to preserve margins," he says.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)