An interesting story out of the LA Times about American "heritage" clothing brands like Red Wing and Filson and how they are back in style again. These traditional styles and the new, hipster brands that are copying them are extremely popular, but not only in the US. Japan, for whatever reason, seems obsessed with American trends, from preppy traditions like Brooks Brothers and J. Press to classic workwear like Levi's (the Japanese obsession with classic American denim is unbelievable). I've been aware of the return to fashion of these brands, but it never struck me as a mainstream thing until I saw the Times article.
In another interesting fashion related story, its being reported that Saville Row designer Richard James used Mauritius laborers to do the dirty work, then having the suits sent back to the UK to be "finished" in England and allowing them to be labeled "Made in England." This is the dirty little secret of the fashion world. Despite clothing, shoes, and accessories that are labeled "Made in England" or "Made in Italy", the majority of the work is often done in a developing country, with China often being the favorite choice.
Should this matter? It depends on your outlook. Those in the yes column argue that they are being overcharged. While they understand paying a lot for English or Italian craftsmen who, because of wage laws and experience, must be paid more, if in reality the majority of the work was done by a 18 year old Chinese or African girl being paid peanuts, there is no justification for the high price. The other side who argue that it shouldn't matter claim that as long as the quality is in keeping with what one expects from the brand, then it shouldn't really matter to the consumer if 60% of the work was done elsewhere and the product was only "finished" in England or Italy.
What are your thoughts? Also, any US "heritage" brands that you love or would like to see brought back?
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
2008/12/02
Happy Hockey Day
This is something that was started by Paul Kukla of Kukla's Korner to promote the game that unfortunately only some of us love to play and watch. We have three regular hockey players who are a part of this blog, one who grew up playing on the frozen ponds of Harbin, another who played more organized hockey from a young age in Southern California (of all places), and one from Northern Virginia who might have made it big if not for an injury.
For me, the game has always been something that I've shared with my dad and brothers, if not for hockey, we'd often have few things to talk about. We were lucky in that my father would often get NHL tickets and take us into Maryland to the old Capital Centre in Landover. At first, I was too young to go as there were only 4 tickets, but when my older brother went off to college, I was finally in the loop. I remember many a night watching guys like Rod Langway, Mike Gartner, and Mike Luet. There were lots of bad season, a few tragic losses (like the '87 playoffs defeat against the Isles), the Stanly Cup run in '98, and many very bad seasons after that, though now things are finally turning around with a new era of stars like Ovie, Semin, and Mike Green.
The Cap Centre is no more, replaced by the "Phonebooth" in Chinatown, and I'm a lot older and further away from northern Virginia, but I still try to catch parts of every Caps game online (thank god the NHL has kept their broadcasts free!), though it was hard getting excited during the playoffs last year for games that would sometimes start at 5 or 6 am.
My father and one of my brothers are still in the DC area, still attending games and for me, despite the distance, hockey, especially the Caps, is still a common topic of conversation for us. It's something I wish I can pass along to my kid, perhaps not the love of Caps hockey, but just hockey in general (though it wasn't the Caps, the NHL has come to Japan).
No matter how long its been since we last talked, no matter how strained things are, I know I can call or email my siblings and start talking hockey and it will be just like old times, breaking down the barriers that we sometimes put up when mad or frustrated. That is truly why sports, and specifically hockey, are great and why I love hockey.
For me, the game has always been something that I've shared with my dad and brothers, if not for hockey, we'd often have few things to talk about. We were lucky in that my father would often get NHL tickets and take us into Maryland to the old Capital Centre in Landover. At first, I was too young to go as there were only 4 tickets, but when my older brother went off to college, I was finally in the loop. I remember many a night watching guys like Rod Langway, Mike Gartner, and Mike Luet. There were lots of bad season, a few tragic losses (like the '87 playoffs defeat against the Isles), the Stanly Cup run in '98, and many very bad seasons after that, though now things are finally turning around with a new era of stars like Ovie, Semin, and Mike Green.
The Cap Centre is no more, replaced by the "Phonebooth" in Chinatown, and I'm a lot older and further away from northern Virginia, but I still try to catch parts of every Caps game online (thank god the NHL has kept their broadcasts free!), though it was hard getting excited during the playoffs last year for games that would sometimes start at 5 or 6 am.
My father and one of my brothers are still in the DC area, still attending games and for me, despite the distance, hockey, especially the Caps, is still a common topic of conversation for us. It's something I wish I can pass along to my kid, perhaps not the love of Caps hockey, but just hockey in general (though it wasn't the Caps, the NHL has come to Japan).
No matter how long its been since we last talked, no matter how strained things are, I know I can call or email my siblings and start talking hockey and it will be just like old times, breaking down the barriers that we sometimes put up when mad or frustrated. That is truly why sports, and specifically hockey, are great and why I love hockey.
2008/11/21
Are You Serious, Clark?*
I was thinking about blogging the insanity of the Big Three CEOs taking separate private jets to DC when they went to Congress to beg for a bail out, but decided against it originally. Today, I saw this post on Ted Leonsis' blog (Ted's the big guy behind the NHL Capitals and AOL):
*If you don't know what movie this is from, go immediately and rent (do people still rent movies?) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and enjoy, a great way to get you into the holiday spirit...
My family uses AIG as an insurance company on our homes and personalAll I can say is, "are you serious, Clark?" Don't these companies have PR teams or do they just not care?
effects.
We received in the mail today a huge Tiffany box with two champagne
glasses within as a thank you for our business and for good cheer this holiday
season.
*If you don't know what movie this is from, go immediately and rent (do people still rent movies?) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and enjoy, a great way to get you into the holiday spirit...
2008/11/17
More US Students to China, a Trend that Surprises Anybody?
The New York Times is reporting that while American college students are still heading to England, France, Italy, and Spain in large numbers, China is now number 5 on the list and the number of students traveling there is rising incredibly fast, 25% over the previous year.
While that shouldn't surprise anybody, especially regular readers of this blog, equally interesting is that the number of Chinese students at US universities has also risen by 20%, most likely due to visa policies allowing more students to easily obtain visas.
One of the purposes of this blog and our work in general is to help promote understanding between the two countries, with this ever growing trend, it will certainly make our job easier.
While that shouldn't surprise anybody, especially regular readers of this blog, equally interesting is that the number of Chinese students at US universities has also risen by 20%, most likely due to visa policies allowing more students to easily obtain visas.
One of the purposes of this blog and our work in general is to help promote understanding between the two countries, with this ever growing trend, it will certainly make our job easier.
2008/11/16
Am I Missing Something?
Over the weekend huge crowds came out around the country to protest against California's passing of Proposition 8, banning gay marriage. In my home state of Illinois, around 2,000 people were out in full voice despite the cold temperatures to protest, but was anyone listening? And why protest a California law when Illinois forbids gay marriage itself? Why not rally against Illinois law?
To be honest, there are a number of issues that I'm concerned about and focused on, I have no time to pay attention to every issue, and gay marriage is one that gets lost in the void to me. I can understand both sides of the argument and to call the side who doesn't want to allow gays to marry "racist" is really misunderstanding the issue. To me, if gay people want to get married, it has nothing to do with me and is none of my business, nor is it the government's business so they shouldn't legislate against it.
However, it wasn't the government who legislated against it in the California situation, the voters of the state of California voted in favor of not allowing gay people to marry. Perez Hilton's voyaging into politics just makes me laugh, but it annoys me that a "Conservative" like Andrew Sullivan is dedicating so much time to this issue. Those who were against the Proposition could have, should have, and in many cases probably did vote against it, but the majority of people in the state voted for it, since when are we against letting the voters speak?
Okay, okay, I know the feelings of the anti-Prop 8 side feel that it is akin to allowing people in say Arkansas circa 1960 to vote to banish all the black people from the state, but most people don't view the issue like that.
Further, as I said above, what motivates someone in well, the majority of states in our Union to come out and protest against Prop 8 when their own states don't allow for gay marriage and the people of California have already spoken?
I simply don't get it.
To be honest, there are a number of issues that I'm concerned about and focused on, I have no time to pay attention to every issue, and gay marriage is one that gets lost in the void to me. I can understand both sides of the argument and to call the side who doesn't want to allow gays to marry "racist" is really misunderstanding the issue. To me, if gay people want to get married, it has nothing to do with me and is none of my business, nor is it the government's business so they shouldn't legislate against it.
However, it wasn't the government who legislated against it in the California situation, the voters of the state of California voted in favor of not allowing gay people to marry. Perez Hilton's voyaging into politics just makes me laugh, but it annoys me that a "Conservative" like Andrew Sullivan is dedicating so much time to this issue. Those who were against the Proposition could have, should have, and in many cases probably did vote against it, but the majority of people in the state voted for it, since when are we against letting the voters speak?
Okay, okay, I know the feelings of the anti-Prop 8 side feel that it is akin to allowing people in say Arkansas circa 1960 to vote to banish all the black people from the state, but most people don't view the issue like that.
Further, as I said above, what motivates someone in well, the majority of states in our Union to come out and protest against Prop 8 when their own states don't allow for gay marriage and the people of California have already spoken?
I simply don't get it.
2008/11/12
Golden Oldies
Over the course of the past week, a lot has been said about the changes to American society over the past 50 years. The other day when I picked up the new Vanity Fair, it was brought home once again how different things are now.
When talking about 60s music, there are many great names you can throw out, but one word will touch a nerve with everyone, Motown. The music that came out of the Motor City, to be more specific, out of Barry Gordy's little studio there, touched the world, it brought together both white and black at a time that the nation was very divided and it lives on today as new generations love it and are influenced by it just as much as their parents and grandparents. Its amazing music and an amazing story and Gordy and others offered up an excellent oral history in VF, as well as classic photos of the players by THE American photographer, Annie Liebovitz
When talking about 60s music, there are many great names you can throw out, but one word will touch a nerve with everyone, Motown. The music that came out of the Motor City, to be more specific, out of Barry Gordy's little studio there, touched the world, it brought together both white and black at a time that the nation was very divided and it lives on today as new generations love it and are influenced by it just as much as their parents and grandparents. Its amazing music and an amazing story and Gordy and others offered up an excellent oral history in VF, as well as classic photos of the players by THE American photographer, Annie Liebovitz
2008/11/11
Rebirth of Cool
Look at the 2 above photos. Let the image set in, a smiling President Obama and his equally happy (and tall) wife next to that funny looking monkey and his drab (and crazy) wife. Despite the economic difficulties the country faces, there are signs already the country is in for a new era of Camelot, and already hip Chicago is going to get even hipper.The election of Obama is bound to benefit Chicago in one major way, its 2016 Olympics bid surely just got strengthened and now the city is bound to be a front runner for the Games. Obama and his Chicago gang of staffers will make regular trips back and restaurants are sure to gain a lot of hype from it, especially Rahm's favorite, Manny's.
But beyond that, just look at the 2nd photo, of the Obamas coming out of Chicago's Gold Coast institution for high end Italian, Spiaggia. The very chic Michelle, the very cool, relaxed and a little detached Barack, long strides and hands in his pocket. I have no idea how Obama will do as President. It's important to remember that he's only 4 years removed from being a STATE Senator.
At the same time, looking at the above, its hard not to feel hope about what comes next for America. It's such a departure from what we've seen and what the alternative was that you can't help but be excited. President Obama, he's cool like dat.
2008/11/05
Waking Up From a Nightmare, Walking Into a Dream
It's a new day in America. The end of the error that was George W. Bush has come, the Democrats are in power and it seems like the entire nation, the entire world, is celebrating this truly historic moment.I've not slept very much and am not ashamed to admit still being a bit hung over (the only reason I got out of bed was to attend a celebratory lunch, which was heavy on celebrating and light on lunch), followed by a similar dinner I've just returned from.
I thought about writing this after I got home from Grant Park at nearly 5 am, but decided against it. At the time I was thinking how I'd spent 2 previous nights getting home at this hour, but both times licking wounds after the crushing disappointment of Kerry in '04 and then equally tough to take Congressional races in '06. This time the body was feeling equally weary and the head was pounding (too much noise, too much alcohol, too little sleep), but mentally I was flying, we did it (and I'm not one to throw around "we").
There are so many reasons why this race is incredibly significant and could stand as a national turning point. Race is such a huge issue in the United States and yet we became the first G7 power to elect a minority. This doesn't solve America's original sin, but it goes a long way to healing it. There is also the nature of the Obama victory. In a country that spent 8 years harshly divided by the new language of "red" and "blue", we now look more like one. This was a call for the nation to be brought together, and the people have confidence in President Obama to do that. There is still reason to be concerned: exhibit a-the behavior of McCain's supporters, exhibit b-that it doesn't appear Plain is going away. However, despite those issues, reconciliation is achievable, President Obama appears ready to take the first step.
The election also brings to an end what, if it wasn't overwhelmingly obvious already, was the reign of the worst president in American history. President Obama is sure to be an improvement, but now its time to get to work and start the long hard process to delivering on those election promises.
Last night was about "yes we can", but soon it will be about making good and turning "can" to "did". President Obama, after 8 years of embarrassment, you've made us proud to be Americans again, now don't let us down!
I thought about writing this after I got home from Grant Park at nearly 5 am, but decided against it. At the time I was thinking how I'd spent 2 previous nights getting home at this hour, but both times licking wounds after the crushing disappointment of Kerry in '04 and then equally tough to take Congressional races in '06. This time the body was feeling equally weary and the head was pounding (too much noise, too much alcohol, too little sleep), but mentally I was flying, we did it (and I'm not one to throw around "we").
There are so many reasons why this race is incredibly significant and could stand as a national turning point. Race is such a huge issue in the United States and yet we became the first G7 power to elect a minority. This doesn't solve America's original sin, but it goes a long way to healing it. There is also the nature of the Obama victory. In a country that spent 8 years harshly divided by the new language of "red" and "blue", we now look more like one. This was a call for the nation to be brought together, and the people have confidence in President Obama to do that. There is still reason to be concerned: exhibit a-the behavior of McCain's supporters, exhibit b-that it doesn't appear Plain is going away. However, despite those issues, reconciliation is achievable, President Obama appears ready to take the first step.
The election also brings to an end what, if it wasn't overwhelmingly obvious already, was the reign of the worst president in American history. President Obama is sure to be an improvement, but now its time to get to work and start the long hard process to delivering on those election promises.
Last night was about "yes we can", but soon it will be about making good and turning "can" to "did". President Obama, after 8 years of embarrassment, you've made us proud to be Americans again, now don't let us down!
2008/09/21
The Insanity of the Palin Pick, Redux
From the Editors:
When an entry on Sarah Palin, McCain's VP pick, was originally proposed, we figured "what the hell", we'll go with it. We are all varying degrees of liberal here and none of us like Palin, so despite this blog generally being focused on China, we figured it was time to join in on the Palin pile-on.
The "correspondent" who wrote the entry may not have been wholly clear in what she said, but we still support the gist of her argument. The Palin pick feels like a bad reality TV show, "Who Wants to Be America's Next Vice President." What makes it even scarier is the fact that John McCain's health is what you'd expect of a septuagenarian, that is to say, it's day to day. If elected, one wonders if his health will keep him in good enough shape to make it through four years in the White House, making his Vice Presidential choice absolutely important.
We respect and appreciate everyone who comments and emails us, both in support of an entry and opposing the views of an entry. The "Insanity of the Palin Pick" entry has caused a bit of an uproar, perhaps mainly due to the writer not being clear enough.
We have nothing against people from small towns, people who attended community/junior colleges, mediocrity, graduates of the University of Idaho, or hockey moms (we definitely have nothing against hockey moms, one of us is a proud product of a great hockey moms and hockey families sacrifice a lot for their children). We don't even have anything against people who'd name their kids Track, Piper, and Trig.
Sarah Palin was mayor of a tiny town in Alaska for 6 years and has been Governor of Alaska for less than 2 years. This, to us, is not enough experience for someone who would literally be a heartbeat away from sitting in the Oval Office. Her previous career was as a sports reporter for a TV station. Is this the person you want staring down Putin or Hu Jintao? Is this the person you want in charge of a nuclear arsenal? While Obama doesn't have overwhelming "experience", he has spent many years being a servant of his community, in one way or another. Yes, Joe Biden is from Delaware, hardly considered an important state, but his career in public service has lasted almost as long as Palin has been on this earth.
The Bush years brought the nation down to a new low, it showed that we would accept mediocrity in the White House if it was packaged right. We don't think the qualities we listed above (ie being from a small town, being a hockey mom, even being a graduate of the University of Idaho) disqualify anyone from being Vice President (or even President). As we said, one of our mothers was a wonderful hockey mom, but that doesn't make us think she'd be a good pick for VP. Looking at Sarah Palin and her pitiful credentials for the job, it makes it obvious there is one reason John McCain picked her, because she is a woman. It seems Palin was one of the few, if not the only, young female Republicans around, and so McCain, weary of picking a Libby Dole or Kay Bailey and thus being identified as the AARP ticket, chose the only young female, even though she was completely unqualified.
When an entry on Sarah Palin, McCain's VP pick, was originally proposed, we figured "what the hell", we'll go with it. We are all varying degrees of liberal here and none of us like Palin, so despite this blog generally being focused on China, we figured it was time to join in on the Palin pile-on.
The "correspondent" who wrote the entry may not have been wholly clear in what she said, but we still support the gist of her argument. The Palin pick feels like a bad reality TV show, "Who Wants to Be America's Next Vice President." What makes it even scarier is the fact that John McCain's health is what you'd expect of a septuagenarian, that is to say, it's day to day. If elected, one wonders if his health will keep him in good enough shape to make it through four years in the White House, making his Vice Presidential choice absolutely important.
We respect and appreciate everyone who comments and emails us, both in support of an entry and opposing the views of an entry. The "Insanity of the Palin Pick" entry has caused a bit of an uproar, perhaps mainly due to the writer not being clear enough.
We have nothing against people from small towns, people who attended community/junior colleges, mediocrity, graduates of the University of Idaho, or hockey moms (we definitely have nothing against hockey moms, one of us is a proud product of a great hockey moms and hockey families sacrifice a lot for their children). We don't even have anything against people who'd name their kids Track, Piper, and Trig.
Sarah Palin was mayor of a tiny town in Alaska for 6 years and has been Governor of Alaska for less than 2 years. This, to us, is not enough experience for someone who would literally be a heartbeat away from sitting in the Oval Office. Her previous career was as a sports reporter for a TV station. Is this the person you want staring down Putin or Hu Jintao? Is this the person you want in charge of a nuclear arsenal? While Obama doesn't have overwhelming "experience", he has spent many years being a servant of his community, in one way or another. Yes, Joe Biden is from Delaware, hardly considered an important state, but his career in public service has lasted almost as long as Palin has been on this earth.
The Bush years brought the nation down to a new low, it showed that we would accept mediocrity in the White House if it was packaged right. We don't think the qualities we listed above (ie being from a small town, being a hockey mom, even being a graduate of the University of Idaho) disqualify anyone from being Vice President (or even President). As we said, one of our mothers was a wonderful hockey mom, but that doesn't make us think she'd be a good pick for VP. Looking at Sarah Palin and her pitiful credentials for the job, it makes it obvious there is one reason John McCain picked her, because she is a woman. It seems Palin was one of the few, if not the only, young female Republicans around, and so McCain, weary of picking a Libby Dole or Kay Bailey and thus being identified as the AARP ticket, chose the only young female, even though she was completely unqualified.
2008/09/19
The Insanity of the Palin Pick
Two weeks have passed since John McCain made his wacky choice for the Vice Presidential candidacy and I still feel the same as I did when I first heard about it. Sarah Palin, the former mayor of a tiny town of Alaska and current governor of that state, is so totally unqualified for the position of Vice President that it's almost laughable, if not for the fact it could become a reality.
I think its safe to say that the lads at A Modern Lei Feng are bigtime Obama fans and have showed it through our time and our money (one of our former editors even gave up working overseas to return to the US for a campaign staff position). However, McCain is highly respected in these parts for his "straight talk", his common sense approach to policy, and for his generally moderate (and definitely not religiously influenced) beliefs. His views on Iraq differ with mine (and the others), but he's a soldier himself and wouldn't mindlessly risk American lives like the current President. I would never vote for John McCain, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him become President, until that is, I found out who his VP pick was.
Sarah Palin is a running joke. The governor of the least important state in the Union and a politician that nobody ever heard of. She has family issues that would be suitable for an episode of Jerry Springer and to steal a line from Tommy Boy:
Tommy: "a lot of peole take 7 years to graduate college"
Richard: "yeah, moron, they're called doctors"
Not to mention the fact that a number of those years were spent at community colleges. McCain has a degree from the Naval Academy, Obama was editor of Harvard's Law Journal and Biden also has a law degree. Palin? She has a degree from the University of Idaho. Oh yeah, there's also her current ethical problems and her "I was for it before I was against it" stance on the bridge to nowhere.
Palin would like us to leave her family out of it, McCain is going to incredible lengths to push the media to stop talking ab out her pregnant daughter yet Palin is more than happy to trot out her handicapped son or the fact her oldest is shipping off to Iraq.
There is nothing wrong with the family issues that Palin is dealing with or her education or the fact that she is just so absolutely average. She is the nation's first ever White Trash VP choice. She's more suited for a white trailer park than the White House. It seems obvious that the sole factor that influenced McCain's decision is the fact she is a woman (though Kay Bailey Hutchinson is a woman and a hell of a lot more impressive) and really the only GOP woman kicking. Perhaps it is elitist of me and exactly what would be expected of us "liberal Democrats", but Palin's commonness is what scares me the most. She is truly a hockey mom who looks, acts, and talks like she was plucked out of the stands. She isn't intelligent, she doesn't have any legitimate experience, and she definitely isn't the one I want to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, especially when considering McCain's age and health. This isn't "America's Next Top Vice President", not everyone should be (or should have the opportunity) to be so, so close to being leader of the free world. Hopefully, the American people will recognize this and McCain will get crushed in November.
I think its safe to say that the lads at A Modern Lei Feng are bigtime Obama fans and have showed it through our time and our money (one of our former editors even gave up working overseas to return to the US for a campaign staff position). However, McCain is highly respected in these parts for his "straight talk", his common sense approach to policy, and for his generally moderate (and definitely not religiously influenced) beliefs. His views on Iraq differ with mine (and the others), but he's a soldier himself and wouldn't mindlessly risk American lives like the current President. I would never vote for John McCain, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him become President, until that is, I found out who his VP pick was.
Sarah Palin is a running joke. The governor of the least important state in the Union and a politician that nobody ever heard of. She has family issues that would be suitable for an episode of Jerry Springer and to steal a line from Tommy Boy:
Tommy: "a lot of peole take 7 years to graduate college"
Richard: "yeah, moron, they're called doctors"
Not to mention the fact that a number of those years were spent at community colleges. McCain has a degree from the Naval Academy, Obama was editor of Harvard's Law Journal and Biden also has a law degree. Palin? She has a degree from the University of Idaho. Oh yeah, there's also her current ethical problems and her "I was for it before I was against it" stance on the bridge to nowhere.
Palin would like us to leave her family out of it, McCain is going to incredible lengths to push the media to stop talking ab out her pregnant daughter yet Palin is more than happy to trot out her handicapped son or the fact her oldest is shipping off to Iraq.
There is nothing wrong with the family issues that Palin is dealing with or her education or the fact that she is just so absolutely average. She is the nation's first ever White Trash VP choice. She's more suited for a white trailer park than the White House. It seems obvious that the sole factor that influenced McCain's decision is the fact she is a woman (though Kay Bailey Hutchinson is a woman and a hell of a lot more impressive) and really the only GOP woman kicking. Perhaps it is elitist of me and exactly what would be expected of us "liberal Democrats", but Palin's commonness is what scares me the most. She is truly a hockey mom who looks, acts, and talks like she was plucked out of the stands. She isn't intelligent, she doesn't have any legitimate experience, and she definitely isn't the one I want to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, especially when considering McCain's age and health. This isn't "America's Next Top Vice President", not everyone should be (or should have the opportunity) to be so, so close to being leader of the free world. Hopefully, the American people will recognize this and McCain will get crushed in November.
2008/07/24
How Bad Are Things in the US?
There's always a lot of talk about changing things to make the American education system stronger and to get test scores up in areas like math and science. I've heard about how bad the US economy is getting, but never imagined how bad it actually is. Starbucks is closing outlets around the US, taxes are being hiked, everything's being affected by oil prices, and then I saw this: Schools Eye Four Day Week to Cut Fuel Costs. The article stated "about 100 schools in as many as 16 states have already moved to a four-day school week, many to save money on transportation, heating and cooling."
Wow! Americans are letting gas prices effect their children's education? They aren't willing to pay higher taxes? Or start to seriously explore other energy options? This is truly sad.
Wow! Americans are letting gas prices effect their children's education? They aren't willing to pay higher taxes? Or start to seriously explore other energy options? This is truly sad.
2008/06/23
The New "Dream Team"
Back in the day, the Olympics were supposed to be an event mainly for amateur athletes, but in basketball, the US always got screwed. Much like hockey in the winter Olympics before NHLers were allowed, when it came to basketball, the US squad would be made up of college players while the Soviet Union and other European squads always consisted of professionals. That all changed in 1989 when FIBA allowed NBA players to participate in the Olympics and in 1992, the first ever Dream Team was announced. That team cruised through the Olympics, embarrassing their opponents and having a lot of fun along the way, but it should have been kept to a one-off. It was amazing seeing Michael, Magic, Larry, Scottie, David Robinson, and Christian Laettner (what?!? yeah, he was on the team) playing together and doing so beautifully. Every time after that, the "Dream Team" idea was cheapened and in Athens, it was laughable, as the US went 5-3 in the preliminary rounds, even losing to Puerto Rico.
This year's team, announced yesterday, looks to be strong and should help re-establish the United States' basketball reputation. Kobe Bryant, the NBA MVP, will be playing in the Olympics for the first time alongside other NBA stars like Chris Paul, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Superman, Dwight Howard. The 12-man squad is rounded out with the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams. This squad is only outdone by the Atlanta team in '96 for returning Olympians (that side had 6 returnees), with 5 members of the team having played in previous Olympics (Anthony, Boozer, James, Kidd, Wade).
The US will begin training in Las Vegas in July. Their Olympics training will include 2 warmup matches in Shanghai against Russia and Australia on August 3rd and 5th. The real competition begins with a tough match that many people are excited about against hosts China on August 10, and continues with games against Angola (Aug. 12), Spain (Aug. 16), and two Qualifier teams that have yet to be determined (Aug. 14 and 18).
This year's team, announced yesterday, looks to be strong and should help re-establish the United States' basketball reputation. Kobe Bryant, the NBA MVP, will be playing in the Olympics for the first time alongside other NBA stars like Chris Paul, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Superman, Dwight Howard. The 12-man squad is rounded out with the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams. This squad is only outdone by the Atlanta team in '96 for returning Olympians (that side had 6 returnees), with 5 members of the team having played in previous Olympics (Anthony, Boozer, James, Kidd, Wade).
The US will begin training in Las Vegas in July. Their Olympics training will include 2 warmup matches in Shanghai against Russia and Australia on August 3rd and 5th. The real competition begins with a tough match that many people are excited about against hosts China on August 10, and continues with games against Angola (Aug. 12), Spain (Aug. 16), and two Qualifier teams that have yet to be determined (Aug. 14 and 18).
2008/06/06
Beida's Bar Dreams
A hat tip to Above the Law for including an article about Beijing University's (Beida) ambitions to set up a new School of Law that would receive ABA-accreditation, allowing students to take the US bar after graduation (and requiring them to take the LSAT for entry), and teaching all classes in English.
The school will be set up at Beida's campus in Shenzhen and its new dean, Jeffrey S. Lehman, shows how serious Beida is about this new school. Lehman previously worked as President of Columbia University and Dean of University of Michigan School of Law.
A little more from the article:
It's going to be an interesting experiment and if they do get ABA-accreditation, this could be huge. One can understand the desire for the experiment to begin in Shenzhen, but if its successful, I can't imagine it not moving to the school's main campus in Beijing. Beida already has a huge endowment and one can see how major international companies and organizations would be falling over themselves to help fund the school, as well as the many Beida (and particularly Beida law) grads who've gone on to success in China and around the world. With Lehman behind, ABA-accreditation, and money, one can see how this school could quickly take off and in 10-15 years (or even less), be a Tier 1 US law school.
What will the application requirements be? Will US students be allowed to apply? When could they (will they) get the ABA's blessing? It's going to be interesting to see what comes of this...
The school will be set up at Beida's campus in Shenzhen and its new dean, Jeffrey S. Lehman, shows how serious Beida is about this new school. Lehman previously worked as President of Columbia University and Dean of University of Michigan School of Law.
A little more from the article:
The freestanding school will operate independently of Peking’s existing,This fall will see the first incoming class of only 55 students begin their studies and the price (around US$10,000 puts it far above any other Chinese graduate school, but still far cheaper than a US law school).
Chinese-style law school. Like any American law school, the courses will be
taught in English, the cases will be from American law – and most of the
professors will be from American law schools. In order to simulate the course of
study of a typical American law student, the school currently requires that
applicants major in a subject other than law as undergraduates, a stipulation
that Lehman suggested could be counterproductive in the long run.
It's going to be an interesting experiment and if they do get ABA-accreditation, this could be huge. One can understand the desire for the experiment to begin in Shenzhen, but if its successful, I can't imagine it not moving to the school's main campus in Beijing. Beida already has a huge endowment and one can see how major international companies and organizations would be falling over themselves to help fund the school, as well as the many Beida (and particularly Beida law) grads who've gone on to success in China and around the world. With Lehman behind, ABA-accreditation, and money, one can see how this school could quickly take off and in 10-15 years (or even less), be a Tier 1 US law school.
What will the application requirements be? Will US students be allowed to apply? When could they (will they) get the ABA's blessing? It's going to be interesting to see what comes of this...
2008/05/09
Only in America, Where Brand Rule...
Last year I did a post on the many different Starbucks locations Beijing has to offer and the "personalities" of many of these shops. Well, I've recently found one that takes the cake!
Waiting to enter the US Embassy, I saw the familiar Starbucks mermaid logo peaking out at me through a window. At first, I thought it was only a reflection and so I turned around only to find the Bulgarian Embassy complex, not a Starbucks. Upon entering the grounds of the US Embassy, I quickly discovered that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, smack dab in the middle of the complex is that most famous of Seattle coffee shops.
It doesn't surprise me that diplomats want to drink coffee too, and they probably don't want to stand in line like everyone else at the nearby Xiushui or Yonganli locations. Still, there was something very weird about seeing that famous logo on the grounds of the Embassy. No, its not quite as bad as seeing the circular Starbucks sign in the Forbidden City, but its truly, uniquely American. Ahh yes, I feel so happy to be on US soil, where brands reign supreme, let me celebrate with a iced, tall latte. Come on, can you imagine a beer hall in the German Embassy? A wine bar in the French Embassy? Only in America...
Anyone have an even stranger Starbucks sighting?
Waiting to enter the US Embassy, I saw the familiar Starbucks mermaid logo peaking out at me through a window. At first, I thought it was only a reflection and so I turned around only to find the Bulgarian Embassy complex, not a Starbucks. Upon entering the grounds of the US Embassy, I quickly discovered that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, smack dab in the middle of the complex is that most famous of Seattle coffee shops.
It doesn't surprise me that diplomats want to drink coffee too, and they probably don't want to stand in line like everyone else at the nearby Xiushui or Yonganli locations. Still, there was something very weird about seeing that famous logo on the grounds of the Embassy. No, its not quite as bad as seeing the circular Starbucks sign in the Forbidden City, but its truly, uniquely American. Ahh yes, I feel so happy to be on US soil, where brands reign supreme, let me celebrate with a iced, tall latte. Come on, can you imagine a beer hall in the German Embassy? A wine bar in the French Embassy? Only in America...
Anyone have an even stranger Starbucks sighting?
2008/01/17
Fakes From China? Shocking!!!
News out of the US is that 3 Chinese nationals have been arrested recently as part of a conspiracy that sold millions in counterfeit goods in the US. The article stated:
No surprise that one of the individuals was arrested in Las Vegas. From a legal standpoint I sort of wonder about the jurisdiction issue, despite the 3 leaders of the ring all living in New York, the indictment was issued in Richmond, VA. This story is definitely one to watch.
Authorities call it one of the largest counterfeit operations ever discovered,
involving about 300,000 bags and wallets with names like Burberry, Gucci and
Coach.
No surprise that one of the individuals was arrested in Las Vegas. From a legal standpoint I sort of wonder about the jurisdiction issue, despite the 3 leaders of the ring all living in New York, the indictment was issued in Richmond, VA. This story is definitely one to watch.
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