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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The construction of Interstate 69 from Bloomington to Martinsville appears to be on track after weeks of uncertainty.
The deadline when I-69 Development Partners LLC could've moved to end its contract with Isolux Corsan passed Oct. 3, the Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/2dLI9c1 ) reported.
Isolux Corsan submitted new plans to the I-69 Development group showing the construction can be completed on the 22-mile stretch of road, called Section 5, by October 2017 in order for Isolux Corsan to stay on as lead contractor.
"We're cautiously optimistic at this point," Mary Catherine Carmichael, communications director for the city of Bloomington, said.
In September, the Indiana Finance Authority threatened I-69 Development with a breach of contract, and subcontractors walked off the job after not getting paid. Isolux Corsan officials said a lack of permitting had slowed them down and interrupted payment.
A Marion County judge stepped in and allowed I-69 Development to access a $24 million line of credit from Isolux Corsan to pay the workers.
"We're ready for it to be done," Carmichael said.
The Indiana Department of Transportation has already chosen Indiana 37 for Section 6. However, a construction time frame or cost for the project has not been released.
Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com


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The group crafted its final recommendation to better align Knapp's compensation with many of Wilsonville's neighbors. Still, group members made clear the city operated well under leaders who devoted a lot of time to the position, deciding a cut to the mayor's salary would send an opposite message.
"It may be higher than some of those of these other cities, but then that doesn't mean they're right" said Mary Furrow, a task force member who also chairs the West Linn-Wilsonville school board. "I think it would be the wrong message to peel it back."
Instead, Furrow and the committee's three other members chose to keep Knapp's current monthly wages untouched at $1,327, amounting to $15,924 every year. The mayor has earned that amount since October, months after the city's budget committee approved a $750 monthly raise.
Wilsonville's entire mayoral compensation package, which stands now at $26,863, rings in at least $10,000 higher than those offered by five of the city's next door neighbors, shows a salary survey collected by the city. Perhaps the only southwest metro town that pays its mayor more is Tigard, where Craig Dirksen earned just more than $60,000.
Task force member Chris Moore said the dedication of Knapp and former mayor Charlotte Lehan made Wilsonville unique from other nearby cities. "I go through a lot of these towns around here, and Wilsonville has a brighter future," said Moore, a member of the city's budget committee. "Will we be looking like Oregon City in 10 years if we pushed the pendulum in the other direction?"
Yet task force members found other ways to cut mayor's office costs. Eric Postma mentioned Wilsonville remains the only community to offer a car allowance, instead of mileage reimbursements. Throughout the night, Postma and other committee members cited a spreadsheet that outlined mayoral pay throughout the metro area. The task force unanimously agreed to recommend scratching the $400 car allowance and begin tracking city miles.
In addition, they suggested removing health insurance coverage for the mayor, which costs the city more than $6,000 annually. They also removed a laptop from equipment perks, leaving just a cell phone or other mobile device.
In all, it took the task force little more than two hours to approve its recommendations.
"It's one of the most efficient processes I've been involved in the last few years, and it turned out great," said Steve Hurst, the city councilor who chaired the committee.
If adopted, the proposals could cut more than $10,000 from the mayor's base compensation package. The actual cuts wouldn't be as drastic, however, because the city would continue to pay mileage costs instead of a set allowance.
City councilors decided to convene the committee in January to review the mayor's compensation and determine whether it was in line with his current duties. Hurst reminded the group it wasn't its role to redefine the mayor's responsibilities.
Still, task force members said they would recommend city councilors fully review the duties soon. Hurst said this year's council may be up for the task. "In the past, there (was) a seemingly active mayor with a seemingly more subservient council," Hurst said. "Now you've got a council that is definitely not subservient, and a council that perceives the body as a five-person body."
The full city council will likely review the task force's salary proposal April 18, in time for budget meetings set to begin April 26.

subset: commoncrawl


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Beaumont Hospitals wants to build a new $193 million North Pavilion at its Royal Oak campus.
Beaumont filed a Letter of Intent for the construction and renovation project with the Michigan Department of Community Health Certificate of Need Commission in February.
This request comes while more than $1.7 billion in health care construction projects are under way in Oakland County, including new hospitals by Henry Ford Health System in West Bloomfield and St. John Health System in Novi.
Beaumont is in the midst of spending $650 million on six different projects, including $420 million in additions and renovations at its Troy campus.
The proposed project involves the replacement of hospital beds, operating rooms and the emergency center into a newly constructed North Pavilion that will be attached to the Main hospital.
Hospital officials would not comment on the application or proposed project.
The request says current semi-private rooms would be converted into private rooms and relocated into the new space. In addition, four new operating rooms lost due to construction would be replaced in the new pavilion and a new emergency room would be added.
"Remember, the emergency room is the door that a lot of patients come into the hospital, and you do see a lot of activity in refurbishing and expanding the emergency rooms," said Alwyn Cassil, spokeswoman for Washington D.C.-based Center for Studying Health System Change. "Peoples' impression of a hospital is often driven by the emergency room. And the move toward private rooms - there is research that indicates private rooms are better for patients, cutting down on infections, better recovery time."
In its application, Beaumont lists $114.4 million for construction, $2.1 million for renovation, $20.4 million for engineering, $24 million for contingencies, $22 million for movable equipment, $8 million for site preparation and $7.4 million for permits, zoning, utility and mock rooms.
Beaumont has one year to file a full application, and the CON Commission has 120 days after receipt for review and approval.
Cassil said with interest rates being lowered dramatically by the Federal Reserve, right now might be a good time to lock in rates for future projects.
Contact Gary Gosselin at (248) 374-4914 or email@example.com.


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Author and Page information
- This page: http://www.globalissues.org/article/144/china-and-human-rights.
- To print all information e.g. expanded side notes, shows alternative links, use the print version:
This web page has the following sub-sections:
- China's lack of political freedoms
- Opinion towards China brings mixed agendas
- Tibet crackdown, 2008
- China and Africa; concerns over rights and exploitation
- More information
China's lack of political freedoms
Since the Communist Party gained power in China and established the People's Republic of China in 1949, authoritarian rule has been the norm.
Around the late 1970s, as the first generation of Communist Party leaders were replaced by a second, some reforms provided a foundation of rapid economic development (it is now an economic superpower). The political reforms away from authoritarian rule has remained elusive.
For example, the government continues to exert its absolute control over politics, and is often looks to eradicate domestic "threats" to stability of the country through excessive use of force and authority.
Imprisonment of political opponents and journalists critical of the government has been common. The press is tightly regulated as is religion. Suppression of independence/secessionist movements is often heavy-handed, to say the least.
For example, months of campaigning by students and others for more democratic rights and freedom of speech culminated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a violent crackdown by the Chinese military with 15 days of martial law. The after-effects also resulted in government crackdown of sympathizers. For example, foreign media were banned for a while, local media were strictly monitored and controlled, and Communist Party members who sympathized with the protesters were placed under house arrest.
Opinion towards China brings mixed agendas
Interestingly, around the time of that massacre, Western opinion turned against China and has had an effect to this day when it comes to discussions of China's human rights situation.
In summary, up to the end of the 1980s, China was seen as a reforming country moving towards market economics and an ally of the West to counter the then-Soviet Union, which China also feared despite being Communist as well.
The collapse of the Soviet Union around the same time, as well as this Tiananmen massacre, changed that view; China's political value to the West lessened due to the demise of the Soviet Union and political critique of China could therefore become more pronounced.
There is tremendous commercial interest by outsiders with China, and some of that may explain the economic-friendly-but-politically-neutral-or-weak front that many Western countries and their businesses have with China.
To this day, many raise concerns in the political, commercial, social, and environmental concerns. Some are happy to point out problems in China, while overlooking problems in their own countries (or not realizing how large their own may be), for example.
Others may be afraid of the rise of China and see it as a threat to their jobs.
Leaders of some nations such as the US, UK and Australia, also hint that populous countries such as China and India may be more to blame for climate change than themselves, even though that is often spin or diverting attention from their own contributions that have gone on for much longer.
These things can all combine in various ways. In economic downturns, these factors can sometimes combine and result in racist attitudes towards Chinese (and other ethnic minorities).
This is certainly an oversimplification as there are issues ranging from the economic, to political to environmental and social that all attract differing views from outsiders towards China from China-bashing to China-supporting, and is not in the scope of this particular article here.
Tibet crackdown, 2008
Tibet, which China considers part of its territory, has also seen problems.
Demonstrations marking the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule resulted in the killing of numerous demonstrators. Chinese authorities claimed a low number of deaths, while Tibetans and international media, a higher number.
The Chinese government crackdown has included closing off the country to the outside world and shutting out or controlling most media, including Internet media and sites used to show video footage of what happened. The military and police presence has also swelled.
There have been protests in the past in Tibet, such as in 1987 and 1989, but these were only in the capital, Lhasa, and involved mostly monks, intellectuals, and students. In contrast, the 2008 riots have spread to other parts of Tibet and included peasants and workers.
China's poor attempt to deflect attention
The Chinese government has been keen to show in their own video footage that Tibetans have turned against Chinese people living in Tibet. As with so many conflicts, while propaganda strategies try to highlight issues such as race and ethnicity, the root causes are often economic and political in nature and are typically less discussed.
The Chinese government, already under increasing scrutiny as the Beijing Olympics draws closer, has opted for strength and force, instead of dialog. The influential spiritual leader of Buddhists and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, exiled from Tibet since 1959, the Dalai Lama has been blamed by the Chinese government for being behind the recent riots, which the Dalai Lama has denied and suggested that there should be an international investigation of this claim.
Resentment of Chinese economic policy not benefiting locals
The Chinese government believes Tibet is backward and needs modernizing. China has therefore attempted a policy of rapid economic development in Tibet.
However, without any political reforms to accompany this process, the social tensions have increased as local Tibetans see little of the prosperity and growth, while ethnic Chinese, who have also been encouraged to emigrate there, have seen their wealth generally increase.
What may fundamentally be economic problems (of participation and benefits from the policies, etc), a political problem has manifested (issues of political freedoms, repression, and autonomy or independence—discussed further below). Certainly, Western mainstream media's reporting typically concentrates on the harsh crackdown by the Chinese authorities.
Inter Press Service captures both the importance of the Dalai Lama in this, as well as the underlying economic causes:
Wang Lixiong, a Beijing-based writer whose research works on Tibet have been circulated within the communist party, says the current crisis should serve as a "wake up" call for Chinese leaders that their rapid economic development policy in Tibet is a failure.
… Wang reflected that Beijing's politically-motivated investment in Tibet is fueling economic growth that widens social inequality and creates discontent.
Calling the visible signs of development in Tibet a "pretense of modernization", Wang describes how the dramatic rise in living standards among the Tibetan elite is in a stark contrast with the impoverishment of the overwhelming majority of Tibetans who remain rural, illiterate and poor.
"If the current leadership doesn't reconsider its Tibet policy, in ten or twenty years time, the Tibetan fight will become even uglier," he reckons. "They must now recognize that imposed economic prosperity would not erase the significance of the Dalai Lama in Tibetan hearts. The Dalai Lama is the key to the Tibetan problem because he is their ultimate spiritual leader and also an international symbol of the Tibetan identity."
— Antoaneta Bezlova, CHINA: Under Pressure to Rethink Tibet Policy, Inter Press Service, March 21, 2008
Pema Gyalpo, official representative of the Dalai Lama in Japan from 1975 to 1990, in an interview with Inter Press Service notes that "The Chinese are putting money into Tibet, but it's … only being used to bring in more Chinese. Even the railroad was built to transport these settlers.… Bringing in more Chinese is a tool to exploit the Tibetan economy. Unless the Chinese change their past policies there will no solution to the Tibet problem."
What is a "Free" Tibet?
To different people, a free Tibet means different things. Most assume that the majority of Tibetans are for independence away from China.
Even the Chinese government has accused the Dalai Lama of leading a separatist movement/agenda.
Yet, the Dalai Lama has long insisted that he is for autonomy, not independence, as noted in this excerpt from an interview by Amanda Bower in 2006:
- Amanda Bower:
Two weeks ago, the Chinese government said it would allow you to visit your homeland, which you fled in 1959, if you abandoned your pursuit of independence for Tibet. But haven't you long said that you want autonomy, not independence, for Tibet?
- Dalai Lama:
Oh yes. The world knows the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence. The world knows. Still the Chinese do not know. [Laughs]
- Amanda Bower:
Do you have any heaviness of heart about giving up hope for Tibetan independence?
- Dalai Lama:
No. It's not necessary.… today, the common interest is more important than each individual nation's sovereignty. Tibet is a landlocked country, a large area, small population, very, very backward. We Tibetans want modernization. Therefore, in order to develop Tibet materially as a modern nation, Tibet must remain within the People's Republic of China. Provided Chinese give us a full guarantee of preservation of Tibetan culture, Tibetan environment, Tibetan spirituality, then it is of mutual benefit. [Besides] foreign affairs [and] defense [are] all the things which Tibetans can manage by themselves. Tibetans should have the full autonomy.
— Dalai Lama: Tibet Wants Autonomy, Not Independence, Interview by By Amanda Bower, Time Magazine, 16 April 2006
(More recently, reflecting the March 2008 violence, the official web site for the Dalai Lama also notes the media has misquoted him a few times and clarifies that "On the issue of independence, [The Dalai Lama] reiterated that what he is seeking is meaningful autonomy for the Tibetan people.")
Lack of international unity, despite statements by media and world leaders
On the surface, there is near-unanimous condemnation of the way the Chinese government has handled the situation. Yet, as Inter Press Service notes, in reality, the impasse at the United Nations Security Council shows that nations have their own interests that affect their judgment on whether or not to penalize China in some way for its heavy-handedness:
The killings and human rights transgressions in several of the world's trouble spots — including Palestine, Burma (Myanmar), Sudan, Chechnya and now Tibet — have failed to trigger any punitive action or mandatory sanctions against any of the governments or miscreants.
The United States, Britain and France have continued to protect Israel (against the Palestinians) while Russia and China are currently protective of the beleaguered governments in Sudan and Burma.
All five countries continue to manipulate the 15-member Security Council to their advantage primarily because of their veto powers.
— Thalif Deen, Tibet Bypasses Security Council Scrutiny, Inter Press Service, March 18, 2008
Thalif Deen continues, noting that "Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Asian diplomat said that the Security Council is being run on a politically selfish principle: 'You scratch my back, I will scratch yours.'"
Deen referred to the example of Palestine where Israel's recent use of disproportionate force there killed many more civilians than that believed to have been killed here in Tibet, and yet, because the US backs Israel, China — usually a supporter of the Palestinian cause — did not want to antagonize Washington. Washington, for its part, Deen added, did not even mention China in the US State Department's recent annual human rights report.
China's actions fuels the very thing it says it tries to fight
The policies of China, of trying to modernize Tibet, but excluding Tibetans in the process, is undermining the situation. At the moment, it seems most people are angry and frustrated because they are not receiving the benefits of economic growth while their cultural, personal and religious freedoms are restricted, as the Dalai Lama feels:
Whether it was intended or not, I believe that a form of cultural genocide has taken place in Tibet.… Tibetans have been reduced to an insignificant minority … as a result of the huge transfer of non-Tibetans into Tibet. The distinctive Tibetan cultural heritage … is fading away.
… In reality, there is no religious freedom in Tibet. Even to call for a little more freedom is to risk being labeled a separatist. Nor is there any real autonomy in Tibet, even though these basic freedoms are guaranteed by the Chinese constitution.
I believe the demonstrations and protests taking place in Tibet are a spontaneous outburst of public resentment built up by years of repression in defiance of authorities that are oblivious to the sentiments of the local populace. They mistakenly believe that further repressive measures are the way to achieve their declared aim of long-term unity and stability.
— Dalai Lama, Press Release, March 18, 2008
There will also be all sorts of organizations around the world supporting the cause of the Tibetans. Some will be encouraging complete freedom/independence from China for whatever reason (anti-China reasons, legitimate belief in independence of Tibet from China, etc).
Some will want to exploit the current problems for a broader goal than that of the Dalai Lama. Researcher Michael Barker, for example, fears that some organizations supporting Tibetan's have questionable pasts.
Whatever it may be, it is perhaps also ironic that China's fears of separatist movements comes about because it might be fueling it.
China and Africa; concerns over rights and exploitation
More information
Detailing the various human rights issues and violations in China is a gargantuan task, and not in the scope of this web site. Here are some organizations that have done just that:
- The Human Rights in China (HRIC) web site. With the 10 year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, on June 4, 1999 the HRIC compiled a new list of evidence detailing the crimes committed in 1989.
- Amnesty International reports
- Human Rights Watch reports
Where next?
This article is part of the following collection:
- Human Rights In Various Regions
Link to this page from your site/blog
… to produce this:
Anup Shah, China and Human Rights, Global Issues, Updated: May 12, 2010
Alternatively, copy/paste the following MLA citation format for this page:
Shah, Anup. "China and Human Rights." Global Issues. 12 May. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2016. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/144/china-and-human-rights>.
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Find this page/site useful?
Author and Page Information
- Created: Monday, July 20, 1998
- Last Updated: Wednesday, May 12, 2010


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UPDATE at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, March 15: Holyoke police records now include information about a woman charged in connection with this incident. Records faxed to The Republican newsroom at 2:40 a.m. Thursday did not include any arrest information for the woman.
HOLYOKE –: Police here have identified the woman driver of a pickup truck that struck and seriously injured a pedestrian on Northampton Street late Wednesday night as Theresa I. Justice, a 46-year-old Holyoke resident charged with drunken driving following an incident that was witnessed by local TV stations.
Crews from both abc40 and 22News were present at the time of the 10:21 p.m. incident, according to the media outlets. Abc40 reported that the driver of the pickup truck that struck the pedestrian was taken into custody, but it was not immediately clear if she was charged.
Police have since indicated that Justice, of 15 Peltiah St., is charged with a marked lanes violation and operating under the influence of alcohol resulting in a "serious injury." She is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court.
Police said the incident occurred near the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home at 2049 Northampton St., prompting officers to close a stretch of roadway between Laurel Street and Washington Avenue.
The victim has been identified as an 18-year-old male, whose name has not been publicly released. He is reportedly in the intensive care unit at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. An update on his condition was unavailable.
"Our 22News photographer was standing on Northampton Street when the pedestrian was hit," the Chicopee-based TV station reports on its website.
Abc40 said the driver, later identified as Justice, was loaded into the back of a police cruiser after taking an apparent field-sobriety test. Holyoke police records sent to The Republican early this morning indicated that the city's latest arrest occurred at 6:39 p.m. Wednesday. Those records have since been updated.
More information will be posted on MassLive as it becomes available.
THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate site where a male pedestrian crossing Northampton Street was struck by a pickup truck driven by a woman:


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When you fall madly in love with a denim brand, you just can't help but be loyal! Perhaps that's the story behind Fidelity Denim's name. They stay true to the blue with their fabric, fit, and finish. They have an endless variety of basics with unique seaming, dual stitch color, and aged hardware for both men and women that give a distinct character to their line, making it very hard to cheat on (sorry, we can't help ourselves from making fidelity puns!). Read on to hear what designer Jason Trotzuk had to tell us…
Denim Therapy: Lets start from the beginning. How did you know you wanted to be a designer?
Fidelity: I started with hand painting blue jeans in my parents basement. Selling them on Robson St in Vancouver at a few hundred dollars a piece. It eventually led me to my love affair with denim and I started up my first company. I founded Fidelity in January of 2005 and the rest is history!
DT: Are there other denim brands you consider your immediate competition? How do you differentiate yourself from the hundreds of popular denim brands afloat right now?
Fidelity: NO immediate competition to speak of, we feel that our fit and quality is high above the rest. We have an incredibly loyal following which I believe is a true result of our amazing product.
DT: Do you have any pre-designing rituals?
Fidelity: MUSIC…a pre design ritual is getting a heavy dose of get all fired up and kick the shit out of the fashion norm…. My always dependable go to favs are AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen…newer stuff that gets me going are the Black Eyed Peas, Arcade Fire, Keisha…anything that gets your heart pumping
I always like to sit down and review the past few seasons of Fidelity's fits and washes. From there I review current trends and runway fashions while continuously thinking about culture and lifestyle of our customer.
DT: Describe the person who represents your ideal target customer—the customer you have in mind when you're planning a collection.
Fidelity: I would say that our mission is to design premium product that incorporates style, fashion and quality.
DT: Can you give us hint about what's next?
Fidelity: Our current Spring line is heavily influenced by the 70s, the Summer line goes with a relaxed, classic beach house esthetic and Fall will round us off by going back to basics with seductive silhouettes and a darker colour palate.
DT: What would be your dream collaboration? Any plans of that in the future?
Fidelity: I would have to say that Chanel would be the ultimate dream collaboration. Chanel has an incredible history and defines high end. Everything they do is perfection…timeless perfection.
DT: What are the most popular washes/fits in the line? What are your favorites, and how would you style them?
Fidelity: Currently the Scoop (low rise skinny) and Sequoia (low rise skinny boot) are huge hits. The great thing about these styles is that they can easily be dressed up or down. For Spring the Aloe (wide leg) has been gaining some press coverage as it is perfect for the 70s vibe this spring season.
DT: Do you have any favorite/least favorite denim trends right now?
Fidelity: Our new premium flex fabric from Japan (used for Ace) is going to become a favourite for everyone.
DT: Street style and style blogs are huge in the industry right now as a source of inspiration, influencing the high end labels rather than vice versa. How much does street style influence your designing?
Fidelity: Street style impacts our design because of the influence that these individuals and bloggers have on our customer. Street style is now a part of our culture and in turn has a large influence on the design aspect of the industry.
DT: How many pairs of denim do YOU own?
Fidelity: Funny thing- although I own more pairs then I can count, but I have 3 favourites, and I just wear those…you don't need lots of jeans…just the right ones…that's why people need to try Fidelity…its the only pair you'll need and want to wear…no kidding!!!!!
DT: Favorite celeb wearing your brand?
Fidelity: Ashley Greene has been spotted out and about multiple times rocking a pair of Fidelity's as well as other fabulous people such as Rihanna and Megan Fox!
Check out the lookbook below:
[nggallery id=152]
You can "Like" their facebook page to become a fan.
—Jackie Racer
Tags: AC/DC, arcade fire, Ashley Greene, Black Eyed Peas, Chanel, Fidelity Denim, jason trotzuk, keisha, led zeppelin, megan fox, rihanna, van halen, vancouver
From WWD ISSUE 10/07/2009
LOS ANGELES ??" Fashion week here, which now stretches for several weeks, is trying to overcome an identity crisis.
Many in the industry thought Los Angeles Fashion Week would implode with the exit of event producer IMG a year ago after a five-year run, but organizers have been able to return to the original goal ??" shows featuring local designers, timed with the city??™s two apparel markets, and staged in landmark venues in the garment district and in Hollywood.
Although sponsors are still scarce, the activity hints at optimism for the city??™s fashion scene.
???I have watched so many fashion weeks fail, so part of my mission is not just to be an exhibition space for designers, but also to support the industry??™s new talent,??? said Barbara Graff, a partner in the returning Downtown Fashion Week with Leanna Lewis and Juan Rodriguez. One of its shows featuring emerging designers is being sponsored by the city??™s Department of Cultural Affairs.
Other new players also see opportunity in the region with the biggest retail market and clothing production center in the U.S.
???People were disappointed with events in the past, but I see potential to build a fashion monster,??? said Nicole Purcell, a partner in New York-based Rock Media and Entertainment. The firm recently merged with Gen Art, which has staged biannual events in Los Angeles since 1997, to become RMGA LLC. Their new three-day event, Rock Fashion Week L.A., will open with Gen Art??™s Fresh Faces in Fashion show Oct. 29 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
???Our merger has given Los Angeles Fashion Week an important anchor,??? said Gen Art founder Ian Gerard. ???It??™s been flailing in the wind in terms of being a cohesive week, and everyone??™s looking to someone to organize it. Creating multiple days in a well-regarded location is the first step to getting other groups to rally around the same time frame.???
The IMG-produced Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City was criticized for subpar designers, lack of press, D-list celebrities and out-of-the-way location.
???That was a tough draw because it is an industrial area,??? said Mikey Koffman, who is producing a new event this season, L.A. Fashion Weekend, at Sunset Gower Studios. ???Not a lot of celebrities and buyers want to go [there] because it is off the beaten path, and it doesn??™t really have anything to do with fashion. By making the move to Hollywood, we are trying to give fashion week a Hollywood image.???
Koffman acknowledged the past few seasons without Smashbox Studios co-owners Dean and Davis Factor have been ???a little frustrating.??? Davis Factor has said he will return to fashion week when the economic climate improves, adding, ???I want to wait until I can do it right.???
Click here to read the full article
From WWD ISSUE 10/07/2009
Don??™t knock the rock.
Rock ??™n??™ roll merchandise ranging from graphic T-shirts ??" the hottest sellers at live shows ??" to hoodies, tote bags, bracelets, key chains and more, are showing staying power at concerts and gaining traction at major stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and J.C. Penney, said executives of Bravado, Live Nation Merchandise and The Thread Shop, key marketers of the artists and their products.
These purchases, with teens said to be the best customers, are translating into a business estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion worldwide annually at concert venues and in stores ??" half of it in the U.S.
The allure of rock, pop and hip-hop musicians, including the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Metallica, AC/DC, Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney, is sparking concertgoers to spend an average of $10 to $15 per head to mark their experience at a show staged by the hottest acts, whose products command the highest sales. Besides the cachet of the stars themselves, demand is stoked by a desire to show the world that an act has played one??™s town and the concertgoer was there by wearing a T-shirt bearing markers of the occasion: the tour??™s name, date and location.
???Bands can do hundreds of thousands of dollars a night, depending on how big they are,??? Michael Krassner, executive vice president of retail and licensing at Live Nation Merchandise, said of audience demand. ???The issue is: Are the tickets being sold, rather than are the merch numbers the same????
While many of these souvenirs are priced within a predictable range, say, T-shirts at $15 to $40, big draws can pull considerably more for an item: an AC/DC leather jacket for $250 and hockey jersey for $150, or a Paul McCartney hoodie embellished with peace fingers and ?????™09??? on the breast for $70 and an oversize program on heavy stock for his Summer Live ??™09 tour for $30.
???Apparel is the biggest driver in this business,??? said Mathew Vlasic, vice president of merchandising at The Thread Shop, a Sony Music venture Vlasic started about two years ago, which he said has grown into a ???multimillion-dollar business??? through its wholesale unit and online boutique. In the U.S., T-shirts typically generate 80 to 85 percent of concert sales, versus 70 percent in the U.K. and 40 percent in Japan, said Dell Furano, chief executive officer of Live Nation Merchandise.
???The Brits and the Japanese love their programs and books,??? Furano added of the two nationalities that spend 30 percent and 60 percent, respectively, of their outlays during live music events on such items.
At performances of artists considered a notch below megastars in their power to build audiences and sell product, like Lady Gaga, concertgoers are spending $5 to $10 per head, said Tom Bennett, chief executive officer at Bravado, a unit of Universal Music, whose sales of rock merchandise account for one-third of the sector??™s business.
Among the artists whose live shows are resulting in top-performing merchandise sales this year, entertainment executives said, are Coldplay, Pink, Kings of Leon, Madonna and Iron Maiden. Big numbers are anticipated for U2, now on a tour that kicked off Sept. 12 in Chicago; Kiss, which hit the road Sept. 25 in Detroit, and Depeche Mode, which resumed concerts Oct. 1 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Beyond the sheer popularity of bands, cravings for collectibles ??" and simply to have something tangible in hand ??" during a time of music and movie downloads is keeping demand for rock memorabilia growing at a low-single-digit rate.
???There??™s a need or a want for stuff,??? said Tom Cording, vice president of media relations at Sony Music-Legacy Recordings. ???Even though we download music to our iPods and our cell phones, there??™s nothing that??™s going to replace buying a T-shirt at a concert. Everybody??™s very merchandised. There??™s everything but floor wax, at this point.???
Click here to read the full article
From WWD ISSUE 10/07/2009
WAIT, THERE??™S MORE: Changes at Cond?© Nast continued Tuesday morning: Steven Deluca, publisher of Details since April 2008, was pushed out as the men??™s title was moved under the purview of senior vice president and publishing director Bill Wackermann. Lucy Kriz will remain as Details??™ associate publisher and will report to Wackermann. Deluca was notified late Monday afternoon he was being let go.
The move should put to rest rumors that Details would be closed after Cond?© Nast folded four unprofitable magazines Monday: Gourmet, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and Cookie. Speculation over Details??™ future, as well as that of other Cond?© Nast titles, flourished as McKinsey & Co. was hired to advise on how to prune the firm??™s unprofitable magazines and position it for growth. Details has seen its fashion and luxury advertising base decline during the crippling ad recession. Through October, ad pages fell 34 percent, to 627, while its larger sibling, GQ, saw a 32 percent drop in ad pages to 886. Details??™ circulation has remained flat over several years at about 425,000, or about half that of GQ??™s. Details now publishes 10 times annually after the magazine stopped producing an additional holiday issue last year.
However, Wackermann was positive about Details??™ future, saying the title has a place at the company given its younger audience and edgier editorial voice. He also said editor in chief Dan Peres was the right man to steer the magazine into 2010. ???I am honored to be involved with Details again, and the opportunity to work with Dan Peres. The market needs Details??™ edgy and smart edit. There is nothing else like it,??? said Wackermann.
And more changes at Cond?© Nast lie ahead. While 180 employees are exiting the building this week after the closures Monday, more are expected to follow suit as the remaining magazines finalize their 2010 budgets. Editors and publishers are charged with cutting their spending by as much as 25 percent by whatever means they choose ??" including job cuts, some of which could happen as soon as this week. ??" Stephanie D. Smith
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From WWD ISSUE 10/07/2009
BRIT FEST: Joan Burstein, founder of London??™s Browns boutique, feted British designers in Paris on Monday night, inviting Gareth Pugh, Henry Holland, Jonathan Saunders and Charlotte Dellal to a sumptuous apartment with a view of the Tuileries. Dellal graciously twirled on demand, purring, ???It??™s my mother??™s vintage Lacroix.??? Meanwhile, Alexandra Lanvin (wife of Hubert Lanvin, a direct descendent of Jeanne Lanvin), said she had just tapped Turkish-born, Berlin-based designer Burak Uyan to launch a new shoe line called Aperla??, which is being unveiled in Paris this week.
–Nikki Cho Russo
Tags: AC/DC, Bravado, Bruce Springsteen, J.C. Penney, Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Kiss, L.A. Fashion Week, Live Nation Merchandise, Metallica, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Target, The Rolling Stones, The Thread Shop, Wal-Mart


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Blues is a genre where life experience matters, and Watermelon Slim has lived a life of nothing but experience.
During a recent interview via cell phone, Slim was driving for his band, The Workers. Their truck will arrive in time for their set at 8:35 p.m. Friday for this year's Kalamazoo Blues Festival, which runs through Saturday at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place, downtown.
"I'm in Hannibal, Mo., home of Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain," said Slim, with his combined East Coast (grew up in Massachusetts and North Carolina) and Oklahoma (where he's lived in latter decades) accent. "We're just passing through. We're havin' the hammer down, and high-ballin' up to Des Moines up from St. Louis. ... Due to a clerical error, I'm having to go a little bit quicker than I'd ordinarily want to go. But I'm the man to do it."
He does his own driving?
"Oh yeah."
Did we even have to ask? Slim was a truck driver for about 20 years before he quit in 2004 to be a full-time bluesman. He has also been a member of Mensa (IQ around 140), has a masters in history from Oklahoma State University, was a watermelon farmer, worked in a sawmill and worked with John Kerry in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Going by his actual name of Bill Homans, he became the only Vietnam vet to make an album about the war as the war was still going on, 1973's "Merry Airbrakes." Slim is still political. He has a low opinion of Democrats, but a much lower opinion of President Bush, whom Slim called an "idiot" on stage at a festival in June, prompting a complaint from a fan on his Web site watermelonslim.com. This led to a civilized (for politics on the Web) discussion between Slim and the fan on the site.
When Slim does his new song, "Black Water," about the damaged Gulf Coast, on stage, "I ask people, well, 'If our government has two-point-something billion dollars a week to spend getting people killed in Iraq, then why don't we have two-point-something billion dollars a week to spend on the rehabilitation and restoration of the Gulf Coast of the United States?"
Politics is under "frustrated relationships," one of the three subjects of the blues Slim sticks with. Slim said the blues is also about work and "confrontation with your own mortality. ... Yup, that's it."
In 2002, he had a nearly fatal heart attack, which led him back to music. Did he ever face his own mortality, his own death, at other times?
"Oh, yeah, I faced death," Slim said.
What comes to his mind is how he ended up missing part of a finger. Working at a lumber mill, "I got a little too close to the 52-inch buzzsaw while taking a slab off the saw. ... Luckily, we had a good saw sharpener."
The saw sliced through his glove. If it hadn't had been sharp, it would've grabbed the glove, and the arm, and Slim.
"Death was touching me, but luckily it moved on," he said.
"Everybody tries to ignore it (death), nobody in the psychological mainstream wants to think about the possibility that there might be nothing at all after this physical body is dropped. You know that line from (Pink Floyd's) 'Dark Side of the Moon' there? 'All you touch and all you see is all that you will ever be.' We don't like to think about that. Christianity and religion in general is a human reaction to that bad, uneasy feeling. And, in fact, the blues is, too, the way I do it."
Slim then suddenly brought up the fact that he can still play guitar, if anyone was doubting.
"I broke my hand last year," he said. "My guitar playing hand, got smashed as I was being knocked to the ground by an automobile. But I've recovered completely, playing guitar as good as ever. Even bowling no worse than ever."
Slim was walking across a street last October, headed for a gig by the Oklahoma State University campus, when an SUV driven by an 18-year-old hit him . He told the police he was all right, told the driver he wasn't to blame, and went and did the gig.
"Not wanting to un-employ my boys, we did five more gigs the next week on the assumption that I had a sprained wrist instead of a smashed one," he said.
Pain forced him to see a doctor, "and he says, well, that looks like sliced bread." His wrist was "busted laterally" in four pieces.
"If it had been transverse, then the wrist wouldn't have held together at all," he said.
Slim and his drummer, Michael Newberry, were at the 2005 Kalamazoo Blues Festival as an acoustic duo. This year, the crowd will get "the whole Workers treatment," with Cliff Belcher on bass and Ronnie "Mack" McMullen Jr. on guitar.
"What you get is some of the hardest-working music in showbiz," Slim said. "As you know, I'm physical, I'm kind of aggressive and sweaty, and that's the way my music is, you know."
Slim will be playing harmonica and slide guitar and doing his "hollers." "The Wheel Man" (Northern Blues, 2007) has him and The Workers rocking. "But you'll get an absolutely full dose of traditionally grounded blues," Slim said. "At the same time, I'll also sing some kind of an a cappella thing. I recorded a sawmill holler on this most recent album. ... And I'll probably do a truck holler."
The blues scene has taken warmly to Slim. He and The Workers got six Blues Music Award (the blues world's Grammy) nominations for 2007.
Slim wanted to add that he returns the warmth, and, in road preacher fashion, said, "My Christian faith is stronger than ever. I've come out the end of the tunnel when the light's there. I'm a blessed man and we are a blessed band. Make sure everybody knows that. We've followed the old do-unto-others-as-they-do-unto-you, and our fans have reciprocated. It's been a mutual-admiration society between us and the fans."
|Ticket stub
|Watermelon Slim & The Workers, blues, 8:35 p.m. Friday, 14th annual Kalamazoo Blues Festival, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, downtown Kalamazoo.


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The Detroit Lions made quite a splash in the opening hours of the 2010 NFL free-agent signing period, agreeing to terms with former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson (5 years, $25 million) and former Tennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (4 years, $26 million).
It might not be Julius Peppers and Anquan Boldin, but the Lions definitely improved their roster.
Burleson is a huge upgrade over Bryant Johnson, a monumental free-agent bust last year, and Dennis Northcutt, a huge disappointment after he was acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to the start of the 2009 season.
He is a legitimate No. 2 wideout and a deep threat who might be able to command a double-team to open up occasional opportunities for teammate Calvin Johnson.
Vanden Bosch is a huge upgrade over what the Lions currently have
at defensive end -- even though he's 31 and coming off a so-so season
in Tennessee.
I ripped Lions general manager Martin Mayhew for signing pedestrian free agents such as Bryant Johnson and Grady Jackson last year. I recall handing him a failing grade for his initial plunge into the free-agent pool.
Follow Brian VanOchten at twitter.com/BrianVanOchten
So far, so good.
E-mail Brian VanOchten at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/BrianVanOchten


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Wu-Tang Clan releases new song 'Family Reunion'
In the off-chance you can make your way through Peter Rosenberg's sound effects and ad-libs, Wu-Tang Clan has a brand new song "Family Reunion."
The soul sampling track features members Ghostface Killa, Method Man and Masta Killa, and was delivered into the hands of Hot 97 courtesy of RZA. The crew was present and accounted for at Hot 97's Summer Jam XX just this past weekend.
Wu-Tang also dropped fresh single "Execution in Autumn" last month on limited 7", and in drastically different style. Still, it's a good sign that the hip-hop vets are on track for a sixth full-length "A Better Tomorrow," a little celebration behind the 20th anniversary (!) of "36 Chambers." "A Better Tomorrow" is supposedly due in July.
The hip-hop tour Rock The Bells features Wu-Tang Clan as headliners for this summer, and the lineup will boast a "hologram" appearance (a la Tupac Shakur at Coachella) by the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard.


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From a Washington Times report on the revolving door between the news industry and the Obama administration:
"There are fewer journalism jobs and they don't pay as well," said Bryce Nelson, a journalism professor at the University of Southern California whose resume includes working as a Washington correspondent for The Los Angeles Times.
But there's another upside beyond financial considerations, he added.
"People take these government jobs not only because there is more stability and more money, but they can increase their power and influence in journalism," he said.
Mr. Nelson pointed to Bill Moyers, the former aide to President Johnson who went on to become publisher of Newsday. A more recent example is George Stephanopoulos, who was communications director in the Clinton administration and now works as chief political correspondent at ABC News.
The Times estimates that at least 23 journalists have worked or are continuing to work in the Obama administration. Most visible of them all: former Time magazine reporter Jay Carney, now White House press secretary.


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This is a 9:15 p.m. update of a story posted at 11:59 this morning.
By STEPHANIE BARRY
and JIM DANKO
Staff writers
Before his gruesome, fiery end, Lev Begilman was despondent and desperate for work, according to his former boss.
"He seemed very depressed. He kept calling me and wanted to come back and drive for me," said Fara Bahrehmand, owner of Yellow Cab in Springfield, referring to a phone call Begilman placed about a month ago. "He said he had finished a trade school, but there was no work ... I think he told me he was living in a hotel."
|Deadly car fire
Former neighbors in Agawam said Begilman exhibited bizarre and disturbing behavior before being evicted about five months ago from a one-bedroom efficiency apartment.
Begilman, 45, was identified as the man who dove out of his moving car engulfed by fire on Wednesday afternoon. His driverless, flaming Crown Victoria then hurtled down I-91, bouncing off a guardrail and across three lanes of traffic around 3:30.
It crashed into a concrete wall and then came to rest on the side of the highway and continued burning, witnesses said.
Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said investigators believe Begilman set the fire, but his motivation was unknown. State police investigators ruled out mechanical defects and said no one else is suspected in the fire.
Officials said the blaze was confined to the passenger side of the car. Investigators said initially that he suffered serious burns over 90 percent of his body. He died later Wednesday evening.
Begilman's neighbors at 33 Norman Terrace said he had rigged his car with plastic tubes that ran from under his hood and through his driver's side window.
"He thought somebody was trying to kill him. He thought somebody was trying to assassinate him," said Michael Arment, of 33 Norman Terrace, apartment 112. "He said people were out trying to poison him with fumes. I went into his apartment a few times. He said, 'You smell it? You smell it?'" Arment said.
Arment and another neighbor said Begilman often smoked a corn-cob pipe while driving, which they speculated could have led to the car fire. They do not believe he committed suicide.
Arment and Lynn A. Farrell, of 33 Norman Terrace, apartment 110, said Begilman virtually destroyed his unit, removing fixtures and appliances. They said he put the refrigerator outside against his door to keep people out.
He tore out the ceiling fans and removed the covers on the outlets and replaced them with tape, they said.
"He was asked to leave from the premises. He destroyed the apartment. He gutted it," Farrell said. "He treated his apartment like an army bunker. He wasn't a bad guy. ... It took them almost three months to get the apartment in rentable condition."
They said they believe he was living out of his car since leaving the apartment.
Despite his odd behavior, the neighbors said Begilman was a decent and quiet person.
"He was one of our quietest neighbors," Farrell said. "He never caused any trouble. He was just unusual. He needed help, and maybe a little bit of medication.
"Nobody deserved to die like that," Farrell said. "When I saw that on the news, my heart sank. I recognized the duffel bag. I said, oh, my God, that's Lev's stuff."
Bahrehmand said Begilman was something of a loner - a Russian immigrant with no friends that he knew of, who lived alone. He spoke little to the other cabbies during the two years he worked at the company.
The neighbors said Begilman had an ex-wife and teenage son living in Uzbekistan.
Begilman left about a year ago to learn a trade. At one point, Bahrehmand said Begilman owned his own apartment building, but had sold it.
"I think he wanted to improve himself and went to (heating and air-conditioning) classes," Bahrehmand said. "He didn't want to drive a taxi anymore."
But, Begilman stopped by Yellow Cab's offices weeks ago.
"He kept asking me and asking me for a job. But I told him to just be patient, I didn't have any openings," Bahrehmand said.
When police called Wednesday and left a message inquiring about Begilman, he was puzzled. Bahrehmand was shocked when a reporter told him his former employee was the one involved in the spectacle on Wednesday.
"Oh my God. I had no problems when he worked for me. Very nice, very quiet," Bahrehmand said.
Republican staff writer Pam Metaxas contributed to this report.
Stephanie Barry can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
Jim Danko can be reached at email@example.com
Pam Metaxas can be reached at email@example.com