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27Mar2011
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27Mar2011
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27Mar2011
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Call me a sucker for romance, one who enjoyes PDA (Public Display of Affection), a champion for love...I am all of the above and more when it comes to love. And yes, I’ll admit at this time in my life I am missing that sharing of my life with someone that I care deeply about who feels the same same for me. So, when I see two people who are so obviously in love, it brings tears to my eyes, warms my heart and shows me once again that a love like that is possible.
And doesn’t Michelle Obama look simply stunning with her new stylish bangs, donning her Jason Wu dress and Jimmy Choo’s! President Obama isn’t bad on the eyes either. :)
Talk about being present and in the moment. I watched with joy as I saw President Obama turn around and take a moment – just for himself. To see him take it all in…taking a moment to take one more look.
This moment brought tears to my eyes too because we all have moments like this that we don’t want to forget…moments where we’ve done something amazing or are recognized for something incredible that we’ve accomplished…or simply just taking a look knowing that you will never be in that exact position again, and the importance of where you are now.
And like the challenging times that we struggle to get through – we want the moment to pass, these moments of grandness we want to capture and grasp for just a moment more…because as in both moments we must also acknowledge that “this too will pass.”
Readers: What were some of your fave moments from yesterday’s Presidential Inauguration? Blog me.
I just want to end with “Welcome back Al!” I’ll check in with the rest of you tomorrow.
Peace & Love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog.If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
When I meet with a client for the first time I always ask them if they have any style icons. Brought up more often than others, Barack and Michelle Obama are mentioned. It always brings a smile to my face because I think they both have killer style. They both exude feeling so good and comfortable in their skin. And together they are a stunning couple. Here’s one of my faves:
But looks aren’t everything, and Michelle Obama as we all know has so much more to offer than just eye candy. She is truly an iconic FLOTUS in so many ways. Her strength, and character, intelligence, and warm sensibilities continually shines and graces us.
I was perusing the Huff Po front page and decided check in on the Women’s section. And there I discovered today is the First Lady’s 49th birthday. Perfect. I was questioning what I wanted to blog today, and when I clicked over to the women’s section, there was my answer.
We’ve followed her every fashionable move over the past four years and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to do it again as she embarks on her next term as Commander-in-Chic.
But let’s take a moment to look back at Michelle’s path to stealing our hearts and rise to style icon. Being the social media savvy folks that we are, it only seemed right to dedicate a #TBT (aka Throwback Thursday) post to our lovely FLOTUS.
So, in celebration of Michelle’s 49th birthday, we’ve handpicked our favorite images from before she stepped foot in the White House–further proof that she definitely had the style, grace and so much more to be our First Lady. Enjoy!
********
Ugh…I can’t seem to post the video. Click on the title if you would like to see it as well as a slideshow of Michelle Obama’s fashion over the years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE OBAMA!!
Readers: I just had to borrow that term “Commander-in-Chic” for my blog title from the author. Love it. And for you fashionistas, if you didn’t click over to the write, I suggest you do. The author Mikki Taylor taps a great write, and in my opinion as a stylist, nails it on Michelle Obama’s style, as well as her great style tips. Kudos to Taylor.
Howie, Zen Lill: Seeing only just the both of you in the comments section makes me feel a bit nostalgic – like the old days when I first started blogging. :) Howie, thanks for continuing the chronicles of FDR (fascinating), and for your two.
Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog.If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:
Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129
I realize it is a bit late for gift shopping but I also know that there are many people who wait till the last minute. If you are one of those and you want to give something different to your friends and family, I have a fews fave sites that want to share with you.
We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works.
Since Kiva was founded in 2005:
861,519 Kiva lenders
$387,553,500in loans
99.01% Repayment rate
We work with:
179 Field Partners
450 volunteers around the world
67 different countries
I love this site. With as little as a one time payment of $25 you can help someone in another part of the world grow their business. Peruse through the list and choose which business sounds interesting to you. This is a great site if you want to help women in business, let’s say in Kenya or Bolivia.
The site constantly changes depending on who needs loans at the particular time that you are looking. Once you invest in a business you can track how their funding is going. Once they are fully funded you can track how their payback. And then once the loan is fully pad back you have access to your money to reinvest in another business.
I received this as a gift from my brother years ago and I am still working my gift. My gift inspired me to gift this to others as well. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
The Holidays are for giving. This season give the gift of joy to a loved one while helping families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant. Whether it’s for your husband or wife, children, grandparents, coworker or even a Secret Santa present, a gift from Heifer keeps on giving this holiday season.
I love this site too, and have given this gift as well. With as little as $10 you can share in gifting a goat for a family in need of daily milk for their children or for $100 share a gift in giving a young girl an education or gifting women by empowering them through training and assistance. Another gift that keeps on giving.
Gun Buyback
How about doing our country a favor and giving up your gun? Over the past week since the Sandy Hook massacre, people have been bringing their guns, no questions asked, to places that will buy them back. These events are happening all over the county, so why not make a contribution to your community.
Last weekend Oakland-San Francisco hosted a big gun buyback, which took more than 600 firearms off the streets. Check out your area for event near you, and help make the holidays…and every day more safer in your neighborhood. I love this idea. And hey, with the money you get back you can give a gift of love…whatever that means for you.
…this came in my e-mail this morning and I thought this was fantastic. One of my fave fashion sites, Joyus is donating 100% of all their profits from all purchases today on their site to the United Way to support those affected by the tragedy in Newtown/Sand Hook. So…you can gift that great fashion item to your BFF and help people through this horrific tragedy.
That is it for my suggestions. And no, I am not benefitting from these gift suggestions, except for the fact that I get great joy from sharing them with you. :) Any you want to share? I would love to hear. Blog me.
Happy Gifting! Happy Holiday!
Peace & Love…this season…live it & GIVE it!
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog.If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:
Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129
After being in the garment industry and working with factories overseas myself, reading about the recent tragedy of the deaths of over 112 garment factory workers in Bangladesh, is one that hit me hard. There is no excuse for any factory to lack safety standards that protect their workers, just so they can meet the demands of their bottom line, at the expense of the workers’ safety.
But the blame doesn’t stop there. We, as a society are also to blame. In my opinion, if you buy clothing at stores such as the Wal-Mart brand stores, you are contributing to the lack of safety for workers, as well as their deaths. People who shop at those stores to get the cheapest price…people who demand a cheap garment, are encouraging retailers and manufacturers to look the other way when it comes to protecting the factory workers because they need to meet their bottom line.
It is a vicious cycle. The more we demand to get a better price, the more the stores demand cheap labor to meet those prices, and the more the factories cut their costs to meet their bottom line…the more the workers, from factory to salespeople, suffer.
The factory workers died in a fire in Bangladesh because there were no emergency exits to escape the fire. And just like the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, workers jumped out the windows to their deaths. And now just this past Black Friday, Walmart workers were striking for better conditions and pay. When they suffer because they can’t make a living…they can’t afford to buy anything, the fight for lower prices continue, and so does the cycle.
And yet many other people keep shopping there with no regard or accountability for their actions, and their affect on their fellow humans’ livelihood.
Walmart’s saying, “Save money. Live better” is a lie. Just how low are they willing to go at the expense of a decent quality of life, not to mention, human life itself?
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Fire raced up the floors of a Bangladeshi garment factory with no emergency exits, killing at least 112 people, some of whom jumped from the eight-story building where they made clothes for major global retailers.
The factory outside the capital, Dhaka, is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape, Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
“Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower,” Mahbub said.
Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed. The cause of the blaze that began late Saturday was not immediately clear, and authorities ordered an investigation.
Army soldiers and border guards were helping keep order as thousands of onlookers and anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered, Mahbub said.
Relatives of the workers frantically looked for their loved ones. Sabina Yasmine said she saw the body of her daughter-in-law, but had seen no trace of her son, who also worked there.
“Oh, Allah, where’s my soul? Where’s my son?” wailed Yasmine, who works at another factory in the area. “I want the factory owner to be hanged. For him, many have died, many have gone.”
Tazreen was given a “high risk” safety rating after a May 16, 2011, audit conducted by an “ethical sourcing” assessor for Wal-Mart, according to a document posted on the Tuba Group’s website. It did not specify what led to the rating.
Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said online documents indicating an orange or “high risk” assessment after the May 2011 inspection and a yellow or “medium risk” report after an inspection in August 2011 appeared to pertain to the factory. The August 2011 letter said Wal-Mart would conduct another inspection within one year.
Gardner said it was not clear if that inspection had been conducted or whether the factory was still making products for Wal-Mart.
If a factory is rated “orange” three times in two years, Wal-Mart won’t place any orders for one year. The May 2011 report was the first orange rating for the factory.
Neither Tazreen’s owner nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for comment.
The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients also include Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its factories export garments to the U.S., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, among other countries. The Tazreen factory, which opened in 2009 and employed about 1,700 people, made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts.
Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the U.S. and Europe.
In its 2012 Global Responsibility report, Wal-Mart said that “fire safety continues to be a key focus for brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh.” Wal-Mart said it ceased working with 49 factories in Bangladesh in 2011 because of fire safety issues, and was working with its supplier factories to phase out production from buildings deemed high risk.
Mahbub said the fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors. Many workers who retreated to the roof were rescued, he said. But he said that with no emergency exits leading outside the building, many victims were trapped, and firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor alone.
“The factory had three staircases, and all of them were down through the ground floor,” Mahbub said. “So the workers could not come out when the fire engulfed the building.”
Many victims were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were laid out in rows at a school nearby. Many of them were handed over to families; unclaimed victims were taken to Dhaka Medical College for identification.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed shock at the loss of so many lives.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said it would stand by the victims’ families.
*******
My heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of their loved ones lost.
Thoughts? Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog.If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Well, since the holidays are here, and Black Friday is over, I guess I’ll start my shopping. :) I like to shop local and support the small stores as much as I can. And sometimes I find unique things on the net that aren’t from locals here but from locals somewhere else. In my mind, that’s okay too, as long as it is Made in the U.S.A., which as we all know is a challenge. But if you can find that label anywhere, it is going to be the smaller stores, not the big chain stores.
Anyway, while perusing the net this morning, with fashion and shopping on my mind, I came across an article about Obama’s Campaign Fashion Line. I read about it in the beginning of this year but didn’t give it much thought as I rarely have time to shop for myself these days. But I was intrigued so I clicked over. Little did I know how many designers were a part of this campaign, as well as some unknowns who submitted their designs. Plus, hey, they raised quite of bit of ca$h.
President Obama’s “Runway To Win” fashion line was roundly mocked by Republicans when it launched in the spring as a way to bolster the president’s reelection efforts. However, with the campaign over and fundraising totals in, Team Obama appears to be having the last laugh.
“That ended up bringing in just north of $40 million,” he said.
The line, which featured clothes and accessories designed by fashion powerhouses like Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu and Vera Wang, was the brainchild of Vogue editor and Obama bundler Anna Wintour.
“I think the designers are going way beyond the call of duty, turning out tonight when they really ought to be back in their showrooms working,” Wintour said of the line in February. “I think it shows how devoted they are to the president that they’re all here tonight.”
Republicans quickly pounced on the campaign’s couture collaboration, blasting the president as out-of-touch with the average American family. The Republican National Committee launched a web ad mocking the line’s launch parties, hosted by Wintour and actress Scarlett Johnansson.
“Watching the Obama Campaign host a ritzy New York City fashion show while 12 million Americans are out of work? Priceless,” the ad said.
According to the New York Times, Obama’s campaign raised a total of $637.3 million throughout the 2012 cycle, versus Mitt Romney’s $388.1 million.
*******
Oh, the GOP just wishes they had thought of this…but they didn’t. The big name designers sold out – no surprise. But the T-shirt designs from the Runway To Win challenge are still available.
Americans voted for their three favorites among the finalists. In addition to overall appeal, votes were based on: quality of workmanship, creativity, and how well the designs captured the spirit of the campaign.
Congratulations to the winning designers! To order a T-shirt featuring your favorite design, check out the official Runway to Win collection at the Obama 2012 store now.
Congratulations to the three winners of the Runway to Win Challenge: Phil Fung, Laurel Stender, and Lori Weitzner.
Phil Fung
Laurel Stender
Lori Weitzner
Readers: If you like what you see above and you’re interested in supporting these volunteer artists and designers from across the country who sent in their best designs inspired by President Obama, you can still purchase their T-shirts. Click on the T-shirts to buy. I thought these would be a great gift…and they are made in the U.S.A. What more of a reason do you need? Oh…and no I am not getting compensated for touting these tees. :)
Anna of Guam: How are you? I just have to say that after all these years it is still nice to see your name come up in the comments section. Thanks for sharing your Guam stories. I HOPE all is well with you and yours.
Happy Saturday Everyone!
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog.If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:
Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129
