SOS: Save Our Shopping, or Save our Savings

This morning I read an editorial by the editorial board of the Muncie Star Press, my local paper:

It’s up to us consumers to save the day by shopping our way out of this recession as we have shopped our way out of many recent economic downturns. And, by shopping wisely and taking advantage of the terrific bargains out there, you’ll at least have something to show for it.

And then I went to my office and read an exact opposite Op-Ed piece in the NY Times by Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley:

A decade of excess consumption pushed consumer spending in the United States up to 72 percent of gross domestic product in 2007, a record for any large economy in the modern history of the world. With…

Read More >
 
7 comments

Cambodia industry referred to as "once vibrant"

Things aren’t looking too bright in Cambodia.

This story from Alibaba.com is filled with unpromising phrases such as : “…the once vibrant garment industry” and “appealed to workers to call off their strikes to tackle the crisis which was snowballing out of control.”

An excerpt:

The Prime Minister Mr. Sen appealed to the labour unions to call off all the strikes as this was not the right time to strike but to ensure that their kitchen hearths were kept warm and helped companies tackle the crisis and cautioned them by saying that these strikes would lead to a loss of orders and result in possible closure of units they were working at.

The Chairman of the forums Industrial Relation’s Sub-Committee, Mr Sothy said that till date in the current year there have…

Read More >
 
5 comments

ONE common worldview

As a member of the ONE Campaign to end poverty, I received a pretty awesome email today from space.

Dear ONE Member,

My name is Lt. Colonel Shane Kimbrough and I am on the International Space Station orbiting 200 miles above the earth.
During the 90 minutes it takes us to circle the earth, we do not see borders or boundaries. From up here, the task of solving the world’s biggest problems seems less daunting. But when our shuttle lands next Sunday, we will return to a world where border disputes and financial crises lead the nightly news. Those challenges define our world and their solutions will define our future.

A few years back when I attended a local writer’s conference, a small publisher that was in attendance encouraged attendee’s to make a…

Read More >
 
Add a comment

Bangladesh bracing for our economic crises

The U.S. accounts for 25% of Bangladesh’s garment exports. Their industry is bracing for the effects of our economic crisis, which will likely have a big impact on the country, the industry, and worker’s rights. Any time a company who already only pays its employees $25 per month talks about reducing costs, it ain’t good.

Fibre2Fashion recently interviewed a major player in the Bangladeshi industry. Here’s what he had to say:

“The effect will be very high in Bangladesh, because after the current orders in hand are completed and we try to get new orders we will have to face big problems of pricing etc. So the coming months are going to be very crucial for the industry at large.”

“… the whole industry has put on their…

Read More >
 
3 comments

WAIW? Now Hiring

President-elect Obama isn’t the only one making selections these days. I’ve recently made my first as a newly-appointed assistant author. (Note: Oreo is the head author. All appointments are made with her approval.)

Today, I would like to announce the selection of long-time WAIW? reader and real-life friend, Melissa, to the position of WAIW? Special Ambassador to Purdue University.

Basically, I asked Melissa if she knew anyone at Purdue that would be interested in doing an author’s event or two. And apparently she knows everyone at Purdue. So – with Oreo’s permission – I brought her on board.

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be a WAIW? Special Ambassador? All you need to do is setup an event with a university, organization, book…

Read More >
 
6 comments
Read More >
 
1 comment
Read More >
 
Add a comment

Living the globalized life

Vietnamese-American leaves California for Ho Chi Minh City, gets job selling Versace in Vietnam. From the LA Times story:

After less than a year, Nguyen jumped into the fashion industry, becoming the chief operating officer of one of Vietnam’s leading fashion retailers, Maison Co., which imports brands including Mango and Versace. She is considered a ranking corporate executive and travels frequently, from showrooms in Milan and Barcelona, and manages 250 employees. Such an opportunity, she said, would probably have been out of reach in the United States.

Read More >
 
Add a comment

More WAIW? sightings

A report from NYC:

I’ve been seeing the book in bookstores (BN and Borders are giving it special placement here in NY)… The book looks spectacular and I don’t even have to place it facing outwards on the shelves; the bookstores are doing it for me.

Read More >
 
Add a comment

The book has dropped

Well, today is the official release date of Where Am I Wearing? Unofficially, it’s been out for nearly two weeks.

As of yet there have been no reports of people camping outside of bookstores waiting to get their hands on a copy. What’s with that?

Although, my college roommate Matt reported the following:

By the way, I bought my copies from Bookstar in Phoenix (Barnes and Noble owns it). Anyway, I went in after work and asked for it by author name and they said it had just come in on the truck that morning so it wasn’t on the shelves yet. So, some pink haired girl went into the back and brought it out for me. Keep in mind I told both of them that I…

Read More >
 
3 comments