Wallace Spearmon Jr., finishes first in the men's 200 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Wallace Spearmon Jr., finishes first in the men's 200 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Wallace Spearmon Jr., finishes first in the men's 200 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Wallace Spearmon Jr., left, Isiah Young, second from left, and Maurice Mitchell, second from right, finish the men's 200 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. Spearmon finished first, Mitchell came in second and Young finished third. Jeremy Dodson is at right. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Lashinda Demus hugs her sons Dontay, right, and Duaine after finishing first in the women's 400 meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Lashinda Demus finishes first in the women's 400 meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) ? Wallace Spearmon took another step toward erasing the bad memories of his disqualification at the Beijing Olympics, overcoming a slow start to win the 200-meter final in 19.82 seconds.
"That's definitely something that's been on my mind since 2008," he said. "It's hard to make one Olympic team, go and make the final, step on the line when you thought you had a medal, do about 300 meters of the victory lap and have to live with that."
Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh can probably relate.
Spearmon's victory at Hayward Field on Sunday ? and his chance for redemption at the London Games after losing the bronze medal because of a lane violation in Beijing ? was overshadowed by the scheduled runoff between Felix and Tarmoh that was originally set for Monday afternoon.
That winner-take all race to settle a third-place tie in the 100 for the final spot on the U.S. Olympic team was put into limbo late Sunday when Tarmoh began having second thoughts about agreeing to the runoff.
Tarmoh's agent, Kimberly Holland, told The Associated Press she would not run. But USA Track and Field spokeswoman Jill Geer said Monday that Tarmoh had not officially informed the organization of a withdrawal.
Felix and Tarmoh finished in a dead heat in the 100 more than a week ago behind winner Carmelita Jeter and Tianna Madison, putting the team for the event in limbo. Track officials had no policy in place to resolve it but the next day devised a tiebreaker that included the options of a runoff or a coin flip.
The decision was put off eight days to allow Felix and Tarmoh to focus on the 200, which Felix handily won Saturday night. Tarmoh finished fifth.
On Sunday morning the athletes got together with track officials and decided on the runoff that Tarmoh is now reconsidering.
Wearing his sunglasses, Spearmon rebounded from his shaky start and finished the 200 well in front of runner-up Maurice Mitchell and Isiah Young.
"If I didn't make the team this year, that would've been on my mind the rest of my life ? the chance I could've had," Spearmon said. "Being able to go back and make my second Olympic team and have a chance at redemption, I don't take my second chances lightly. I'm going to go out there and leave it all on the track.'"
Spearmon was the obvious favorite in the field, which was somewhat diluted when sprinters Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay decided to pass after securing spots on the Olympic team in the 100. And reigning Olympic 200 bronze medalist Walter Dix didn't run because of a lingering hamstring injury that was apparent in the 100.
Dix's only option for making it to London will be as a member of the 400 relay team.
Shortly after Spearmon claimed his third U.S. title in the event, good friend Usain Bolt ran the 200 at the Jamaican trials, finishing second to Yohan Blake. The trio of Blake, Bolt and Spearmon instantly became the favorites going into London.
In other events Sunday, defending outdoor champion Lashinda Demus won the women's 400 hurdles in 53.98, joining runner-up Georganne Moline and third-place finisher T'Erea Brown on the Olympic team.
On the men's side, Michael Tinsley won the 400 hurdles in 48.33, beating reigning Olympic champion Angelo Taylor and defending Olympic silver medalist Kerron Clement. Bershawn Jackson, the defending Olympic bronze medalist, fell into the finish but finished fourth.
"Not many people make it to their fourth Olympic team, so this is something that I really wanted to do," Taylor said. "I knew the competition I was facing. My main goal was just to stay healthy, and goal No. 2 was just to make the team."
Leo Manzano won the men's 1,500 in 3 minutes, 35.75 seconds, followed by former Oregon Ducks teammates Matthew Centrowitz and Andrew Wheating.
"I knew I needed to stay calm, stay smooth," Manzano said after becoming a two-time Olympian. "There were some times I kind of got caught up, but I just needed to stay calm, bring it back around and just shoot for home."
Morgan Uceny won the women's 1,500 in 4:04.59, earning a place on the team with runner-up Shannon Rowbury and third-place finisher Jenny Simpson. Simpson has the American record in the 3,000 steeplechase, but switched to the 1,500 and is the reigning world champion in the event.
"The hardest thing about the trials that separates it from any other race you run in your life is that your emotions can slip away from you," Simpson said. "On final stretch, I just felt this overwhelming relief. I didn't even care my time or my place. I was just so happy the three of us were going to make it."
Brittney Reese won her fifth straight U.S. title in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches. The two-time world champion will be joined in London by runner-up Chelsea Hayes and Janay DeLoach.
Brittany Borman won the javelin with a throw of 201-9. Kara Patterson was second at 196-2, but third-place finisher Kimberly Hamilton did not have the Olympic "A'' standard needed to qualify for the games and the third spot on the U.S. team went to fourth-place finisher Rachel Yurkovich.
Maria Michta won the 20,000-meter race walk in 1:34:53.33 for the lone spot on the team because no one had the "A'' standard.
Avon helps lift African women out of povertyPublic release date: 2-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Danielle Moore-Chick danielle.moore-chick@esrc.ac.uk 44-179-341-3122 Economic & Social Research Council
Becoming an Avon cosmetics Sales Representative is helping some poor South African women escape poverty as well as inspiring many with self-confidence and hope. South Africa's growing band of 'Avon Ladies' are benefiting from economic empowerment, a sustainable income, raised social status and greater personal confidence, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
The research team conducted two large surveys - one with 300 black Avon Representatives working in South Africa and one with 77 of their consumers - as well as interviews and focus groups with Avon management, Sales Representatives and consumers. They also attended meetings and training sessions and accompanied Representatives on delivery rounds.
The research found that, on average, the Avon Representatives earned enough to cover their typical household expenditures for food and non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and shoes, as well as healthcare. "Although the amount earned is very small, particularly from a UK point of view, this income, by itself, would put Avon Representatives in the top half of black females in their community and bring them in line with what a black man earns," points out researcher Professor Linda Scott of Sad Business School, University of Oxford.
The study also shows that women who relied on Avon for their primary income (and had worked as Avon Representative for 16 months or more) had earnings which placed them in the top 10 per cent of self-employed black women in South Africa. Women who had been working with Avon seven months or less and for whom Avon was their primary source of income earned considerably less (approximately 560ZAR (43 GBP) per month compared with the 1,400ZAR (108 GBP) per month earned by the longer term Representatives.
Nearly three-quarters of the Avon Representatives surveyed stated that Avon had given them financial autonomy. The researchers found that 92 per cent had their own bank account, as compared to only 38 per cent of black South African women having any bank account.
But, the benefits of becoming an Avon Representative were more than financial. Some 89 per cent of respondents said they had received job training that could be used to get other employment and 88 per cent of those surveyed said that their experience with Avon had made them more self-confident. Many interviewees claimed that their Avon work had transformed them into a role model for their children and allowed them to 'fulfil their dreams' of self-sufficiency.
"Working as an Avon Sales Representative provides some impoverished South African women with an opportunity to make money when they had previously thought this impossible," Professor Scott argues. "More than that, we were struck by how enthusiastic these women were about their work and how empowered they felt by it."
Researchers believe that the Avon model stands as a potential template for interventions on behalf of poor women elsewhere in the world, as currently many such interventions fail. Greater attention, researchers suggest, should be paid to the factors which underpin the success of Avon in South Africa.
First, Avon offers a tried and tested system of training, recognition, reward and support which encourages women who are otherwise often very discouraged, to persevere and achieve.
Second, the Avon model is based on a wide variety of small, repeat purchase goods for sale, rather than one 'big-ticket' item.
Third, unlike many other initiatives aimed at developing countries, Avon is not based on microfinance. Rather, Avon provides working capital on the basis of inventory, liquidates the credit each month, and does not charge interest. Avon carefully manages the credit exposure for itself and for the women in the system. A complete credit check is undertaken for every agent who applies, but the requirements have been adapted to the circumstances which black South African women face. For example, since many new recruits have no formal credit or income, Avon has devised a rating system that is sensitive to small indices of permanence and responsibility, like a mobile phone number or a formal address. Using this information, Avon determines whether a woman can be extended a small amount of inventory on consignment.
Finally, Avon has vast experience managing female Sales Representatives across the world and the company's pro-woman principle offers a supportive, collaborative network and protective umbrella under which its Sales Representatives can achieve economic empowerment and greater confidence. In comparison, the researchers suggest, the entrepreneurship training programs often instigated by governments and well-meaning companies seem somewhat superficial.
"In the past," concludes co-researcher Dr Catherine Dolan, also from Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford, "many have viewed the global marketplace as hostile to women's interests, but the example of Avon in South Africa shows this need not be the case. We must allow the possibility that the marketplace contains mechanisms, such as entrepreneurship, that can be harnessed for feminist purposes. The important question we should now ask is: how can we make better use of the marketplace in ways which benefit women?"
###
For further information contact:
ESRC Press Office:
Danielle Moore-Chick
Email: danielle.moore-chick@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone + 44 (0)1793 413122
Sad Business School Press Office::
Josie Powell
Email: josie.powell@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: + 44 (0)1865 288403
Notes for editors
This release is based on the findings from a project led by Professor Linda Scott and Dr Catherine Dolan of the Sad Business School, University of Oxford, on 'Avon in Africa: reducing poverty through global exchange' funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
The study was conducted in South Africa over a three-year period (2007-2010) using multiple methods: focus groups, interviews, surveys, home visits, and participant observation. Key members of the Avon management were interviewed and the remaining research was all conducted among Avon representatives and their customers. Research was conducted in four areas: Soweto (a large urban township), Polokwane (a middle-sized city in a rural region), Vosloorus (a poor suburb of Johannesburg), and a selection of rural villages in the Limpopo region.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is 205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. More at www.esrc.ac.uk
Established in 1996 the Sad Business School is one of Europe's youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education and research. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The School is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. In the Financial Times European Business School ranking (Dec 2011) Sad is ranked 10th. It is ranked number one in the UK (11th worldwide) in the FT's combined ranking of Executive Education programmes (May 2011) and 20th in the world in the FT ranking of MBA programmes (Jan 2012). The Oxford MSc in Financial Economics is ranked 4th in the world in the 2011 FT ranking of Masters in Finance programmes (June 2011). In the UK university league tables it is ranked first of all UK universities for undergraduate business and management in The Guardian (May 2011) and has ranked first in eight of the last nine years in The Times. For more information, see www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/
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Avon helps lift African women out of povertyPublic release date: 2-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Danielle Moore-Chick danielle.moore-chick@esrc.ac.uk 44-179-341-3122 Economic & Social Research Council
Becoming an Avon cosmetics Sales Representative is helping some poor South African women escape poverty as well as inspiring many with self-confidence and hope. South Africa's growing band of 'Avon Ladies' are benefiting from economic empowerment, a sustainable income, raised social status and greater personal confidence, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
The research team conducted two large surveys - one with 300 black Avon Representatives working in South Africa and one with 77 of their consumers - as well as interviews and focus groups with Avon management, Sales Representatives and consumers. They also attended meetings and training sessions and accompanied Representatives on delivery rounds.
The research found that, on average, the Avon Representatives earned enough to cover their typical household expenditures for food and non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and shoes, as well as healthcare. "Although the amount earned is very small, particularly from a UK point of view, this income, by itself, would put Avon Representatives in the top half of black females in their community and bring them in line with what a black man earns," points out researcher Professor Linda Scott of Sad Business School, University of Oxford.
The study also shows that women who relied on Avon for their primary income (and had worked as Avon Representative for 16 months or more) had earnings which placed them in the top 10 per cent of self-employed black women in South Africa. Women who had been working with Avon seven months or less and for whom Avon was their primary source of income earned considerably less (approximately 560ZAR (43 GBP) per month compared with the 1,400ZAR (108 GBP) per month earned by the longer term Representatives.
Nearly three-quarters of the Avon Representatives surveyed stated that Avon had given them financial autonomy. The researchers found that 92 per cent had their own bank account, as compared to only 38 per cent of black South African women having any bank account.
But, the benefits of becoming an Avon Representative were more than financial. Some 89 per cent of respondents said they had received job training that could be used to get other employment and 88 per cent of those surveyed said that their experience with Avon had made them more self-confident. Many interviewees claimed that their Avon work had transformed them into a role model for their children and allowed them to 'fulfil their dreams' of self-sufficiency.
"Working as an Avon Sales Representative provides some impoverished South African women with an opportunity to make money when they had previously thought this impossible," Professor Scott argues. "More than that, we were struck by how enthusiastic these women were about their work and how empowered they felt by it."
Researchers believe that the Avon model stands as a potential template for interventions on behalf of poor women elsewhere in the world, as currently many such interventions fail. Greater attention, researchers suggest, should be paid to the factors which underpin the success of Avon in South Africa.
First, Avon offers a tried and tested system of training, recognition, reward and support which encourages women who are otherwise often very discouraged, to persevere and achieve.
Second, the Avon model is based on a wide variety of small, repeat purchase goods for sale, rather than one 'big-ticket' item.
Third, unlike many other initiatives aimed at developing countries, Avon is not based on microfinance. Rather, Avon provides working capital on the basis of inventory, liquidates the credit each month, and does not charge interest. Avon carefully manages the credit exposure for itself and for the women in the system. A complete credit check is undertaken for every agent who applies, but the requirements have been adapted to the circumstances which black South African women face. For example, since many new recruits have no formal credit or income, Avon has devised a rating system that is sensitive to small indices of permanence and responsibility, like a mobile phone number or a formal address. Using this information, Avon determines whether a woman can be extended a small amount of inventory on consignment.
Finally, Avon has vast experience managing female Sales Representatives across the world and the company's pro-woman principle offers a supportive, collaborative network and protective umbrella under which its Sales Representatives can achieve economic empowerment and greater confidence. In comparison, the researchers suggest, the entrepreneurship training programs often instigated by governments and well-meaning companies seem somewhat superficial.
"In the past," concludes co-researcher Dr Catherine Dolan, also from Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford, "many have viewed the global marketplace as hostile to women's interests, but the example of Avon in South Africa shows this need not be the case. We must allow the possibility that the marketplace contains mechanisms, such as entrepreneurship, that can be harnessed for feminist purposes. The important question we should now ask is: how can we make better use of the marketplace in ways which benefit women?"
###
For further information contact:
ESRC Press Office:
Danielle Moore-Chick
Email: danielle.moore-chick@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone + 44 (0)1793 413122
Sad Business School Press Office::
Josie Powell
Email: josie.powell@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: + 44 (0)1865 288403
Notes for editors
This release is based on the findings from a project led by Professor Linda Scott and Dr Catherine Dolan of the Sad Business School, University of Oxford, on 'Avon in Africa: reducing poverty through global exchange' funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
The study was conducted in South Africa over a three-year period (2007-2010) using multiple methods: focus groups, interviews, surveys, home visits, and participant observation. Key members of the Avon management were interviewed and the remaining research was all conducted among Avon representatives and their customers. Research was conducted in four areas: Soweto (a large urban township), Polokwane (a middle-sized city in a rural region), Vosloorus (a poor suburb of Johannesburg), and a selection of rural villages in the Limpopo region.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is 205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. More at www.esrc.ac.uk
Established in 1996 the Sad Business School is one of Europe's youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education and research. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The School is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. In the Financial Times European Business School ranking (Dec 2011) Sad is ranked 10th. It is ranked number one in the UK (11th worldwide) in the FT's combined ranking of Executive Education programmes (May 2011) and 20th in the world in the FT ranking of MBA programmes (Jan 2012). The Oxford MSc in Financial Economics is ranked 4th in the world in the 2011 FT ranking of Masters in Finance programmes (June 2011). In the UK university league tables it is ranked first of all UK universities for undergraduate business and management in The Guardian (May 2011) and has ranked first in eight of the last nine years in The Times. For more information, see www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ireland Baldwin, the groom's 16-year-old daughter with ex-wife Kim Basinger, was in attendance, along with stars such as Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey, Mariska Hargitay, Woody Allen and Alec's brothers Billy and Stephen.
Matthew Hiltzik, a friend of the couple, announced the news on Twitter:
"Hilaria Thomas and Alec Baldwin were married this evening in New York City, sharing the occasion with family and friends inside the Cathedral, and Alec warmly receiving congratulations from well-wishing fans on his way into the service."
The bride wore a silk magnolia trumpet Amsale gown with cap sleeves and a keyhole back neckline. The 30 Rock star groom donned a tux from Tom Ford.
The bridesmaids wore eclectic miss-matched dresses, some in black, gray and turquoise, others in bold turquoise-and-purple tie-dyish prints.
The venue was decked out with bridal-white roses, hydrangeas and calla lilies.
Baldwin, 54, began dating Hilaria Thomas, 28, last summer and immediately seemed smitten. They announced their engagement earlier this spring.
The world is ending. However before it all goes down the drain Mother Nature has selected a few of the human race to keep her favorite species alive.
Owner:
Game Masters:
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The End of the Elements?. Anything posted here will also show up there.
Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup. "The End of the Elements"
Feel free to post whatever you like here. Suggestions, character ideas, or the like. I won't, and don't mind. I'm hoping to get this show on the road once we get all the elements filled!
Protection and power are overrated. I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love.
Uncle_Iroh
Member for 0 years
Could you reserve the Time/Space role for me? I'll come up with the character sheet soon. :)
TnevdaNai
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May I reserve for Dark/Light?
The people shouldn't be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of their people.
LuminousKing
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Awww this RP is a clear mirror of what's happening now! I wantto join this! Now....I think I'll be...Water!
TRUE-ASSASSIN
Member for 1 years
This reminds me of Clive Barker's 'Weaveworld'.
joness
Member for 0 years
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Egypt's President-elect Mohammed Morsi talks to his supporters at Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 29, 2012. In front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters, Egypt's first Islamist and civilian president-elect vowed that nobody can take away his authority and symbolically read an oath of office on the eve of his official inauguration. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)?(Amr Nabil)
CAIRO ? Islamist Mohammed Morsi is to be sworn in by Egypt's highest court as the country's first freely elected president, succeeding Hosni Mubarak who was ousted last year.
When he takes the oath of office Saturday before the Supreme Constitutional Court, Morsi will also be the Arab world's first freely elected Islamist leader and Egypt's fifth president since the overthrow of the monarchy some 60 years ago.
The court, housed in a Nile-side structure built to resemble an ancient Egyptian temple, stands next door to a military hospital to which Mubarak, 84, was transferred about two weeks ago after suffering a health scare in a nearby prison hospital.
Morsi took a symbolic oath on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, birthplace of last year's uprising, before tens of thousands of Islamist supporters.
Every Friday in May and June our?News10 Meteorologist broadcasted?the forecast LIVE from a community event in?the StreetCast segment during News10 at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Voting began Monday morning and ended Thursday at 5 p.m.
This week?Monica Woods?announced on Thursday's?5 p.m. newscast where?she?would be LIVE?on Friday's 5 and 6pm newscasts, weather permitting.
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Public release date: 2-Jul-2012
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