The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has announced the top ten finalists of their summer-long search for the 2010 Best Dad on Wheels.
The online contest began in June with individuals nominating a biological, adoptive, or foster father living with paralysis that has proven being a great dad is more about heart, and not about how you get around.
All the nominations were compassionate and spirited, making the decision extremely difficult to narrow down to just ten. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on a 200-word essay and photo submitted at ChristopherReeve.org.
Eight-year-old Jack Gulick writes, "My dad is fun. He plays the Wii with me, and we play computer games together. He gives me advice about playing baseball because he used to play when he was little. He was catcher, so I think I would be good at that too. My dad comes to all my games and even helps coach. He takes care of me when I'm sick and knows how to help me if I'm scared. My favorite thing about my dad is that he's still alive after his accident. "
Currently, the top ten finalists, their stories and photos are featured on the Reeve Foundation website, ChristopherReeve.org. From now through September 24, 2010 the public can vote on which dad they believe demonstrates dedicated and supportive women's jackets qualities. The winner will be announced around the date of what would have been Christopher Reeve's 58th birthday (September 25).
In Nothing Is Impossible, Christopher Reeve wrote, "I became acutely aware that virtually everything that parents say and do has a powerful effect on our children."
The winning dad will also receive a $500 gift card from vineyard vines.
Go to http://www.ChristopherReeve.org/bestdad to read the entries for the finalists and then vote.
About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. For more information please visit our website at http://www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.
About vineyard vines
vineyard vines, a company best known for its whimsical neckties and smiling pink whale logo, was founded in 1998 on Martha's Vineyard when brothers Shep and Ian Murray cut their ties with corporate America to start making ties that represented The Good Life. In addition to signature neckwear, vineyard vines offers a variety of clothing and accessories for men, women and children. Products are sold in over 600 specialty and department stores worldwide, through a seasonal catalog at 1.800.892.4982, online at vineyardvines.com and at ten free-standing stores in Boston, MA; Edgartown, MA; Greenwich, CT; Mashpee, MA; Memphis, TN; Nantucket, MA; The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, FL; Southampton, NY; Washington, DC; and Westport, CT.
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Clarks and Onlineshoes.com are teaming up to spread the word about Clarks' latest comfort innovations by giving away two pairs of free Clarks shoes so customers can experience how comfortable they are for themselves. (Read on to find out more about Clarks shoes and how to enter the contest at the Onlineshoes.com blog between Tuesday, November 2 and Monday, November 8, 2010.)
A pioneer in the concept of comfort footwear that dates back to 1825, Clarks is now further improving on comfort technology by delivering two breakthrough technologies throughout their Clarks men's shoes and Clarks shoes for women: Clarks Wave and Clarks Unstructured. It's comfort designed for people on the go, whether looking for the perfect walking shoe or just a casual style that can keep up with any long day.
Clarks Wave technology was created to enhance the natural walking motion by creating a uniquely curved sole to propel the foot forward with every step. It starts with a heel kicker that begins a smooth forward motion. From there, a concave heel absorbs shock to put less stress on joints while the rocker sole rocks forward to conserve energy and reduce fatigue. Finally, the toe-off in front guides the foot for effortless walking.
This revolutionary technology can be found in shoes such as the new Clarks Wave.tread sneaker , part of the men's Wave collection, featuring an incredibly flexible sole to deliver comfort in a purely relaxed style. But don't forget the women. The Clarks Wave.crest , from the women's Wave collection, delivers casual style in a convenient slip-on to keep her moving throughout the day.
But for comfort focused from the inside out, the Clarks Unstructured collection is the way to go. In addition to a flexible sole, the unstructured line features an amazing Air Circulation System?. This climate control technology allows warm, moist air inside the shoe to escape and replace it with ambient outside air. The result is a cool, fresh and comfortable all-day feeling for feet.
This technology provides a comfort that can be felt throughout the Clarks Un.sheridan slip-on, part of the men's Unstructured collection, that blends the Air Circulation System? together with classic styling for cool comfort while on the job. Or even through the Clarks Un.believable slip-on from the women's Unstructured collection, delivering casual comfort for her entire weekend.
"Clarks have consistently been one of the most comfortable brands we carry, from their iconic Clarks Originals to the lates women's coats t Clarks boots for fall. Since we've started carrying the Unstructured and Wave collection, I'm pretty sure they just shot to the top of that comfort list," said Onlineshoes.com senior buyer Michelle Juno.
About the Contest
Onlineshoes.com and Clarks are giving away two pairs of shoes from the Clarks family of brands. The contest winners will get to choose from Clarks, Privo, Bostonian, and Indigo by Clarks styles currently available at Onlineshoes.com. To enter the contest, visit the Onlineshoes.com blog Get in Gear Clarks Giveaway contest and post an answer to the following question: "What uncomfortable situation would you wear new boots in to make it more comfortable?" Answers must be left in the comment section and consist of 100 words or less. Two winners will be selected from the qualifying entries at random. All entries will be accepted from Tuesday, November 2 to Monday, November 8. 2010. Two winners will receive a free pair of Clarks family shoes in the size and color of their choice. See the complete contest rules and regulations for more information. Good luck!
About Onlineshoes.com
Established in 1996, Onlineshoes.com is the nation's first online shoe retailer. With a history that began decades ago in a family-owned corner shoe store, the company is committed to delivering exceptional value and service. Onlineshoes.com offers the latest high-quality footwear for men, women and kids with more than 240,000 shoe and clothing choices from more than 250 name brands, as well as a wide selection of bags and accessories. Customers are entitled to a 110-percent price guarantee, a 365-day return policy, and free shipping and exchanges on most orders. For more information, visit http://www.onlineshoes.com.
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MiscellaneousWorld.com, a blog about the history of common household items and other miscellaneous topics, has been updated with new blog posts entitled "No More Wire Hangers," "Smiley Face Icon," and "Tupperware Parties."
The blog post "No More Wire Hangers" from MiscellaneousWorld.com describes the author's experiences with wire hangers as a youth. The title of the post references the Joan Crawford film Mommie Dearest, which the post quotes and has a link to a short clip from the movie. While discussing the history of the coat hanger, the author asserts that the modern wire hanger was invented by Albert J. Parkhouse, but his boss, John B. Timberlake, stole the concept and claimed the patent for himself.
"Smiley Face Icon" discusses the invention and rise in popularity of the smiley face. MiscellaneousWorld.com explains that the yellow smiley face was first adopted by Richard Ball in 1963 to improve company morale at a PR firm. Later, the icon was popularized by its placement on hippie clothing and novelties in the 1970s, the post states. The women's jackets post also mentions that the smiley face icon can now be found on the internet and in emails.
"Bonnie Wise in the early 1950s came up with the idea of having parties to see the product," begins the blog post "Tupperware Parties" from MiscellaneousWorld.com. This blog post focuses on how Tupperware rose to popularity through its sales during parties. It also comments on how sales of this product by women, specifically housewives, empowered post World War II generations of women by providing a source of income. The post concludes with statements on the decline of Tupperware parties, and the brand's current availability at Target stores.
About MiscellaneousWorld.com:
MiscellaneousWorld.com was launched in October of 2010 with articles about cotton picking and road trips. Website Business is responsible for designing and maintaining the site structure of MiscellaneousWorld.com.
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On the heels of Monday's announcement that award winning fashion designer, Maria Pinto, has joined them as creative director for women's fashions, retailer Mark Shale has awarded its digital, branding, print and PR duties to Chicago agency, Tom, Dick & Harry.
A multi-agency competition late last year was winnowed to two finalists. TDH was awarded the business after "demonstrating a keen understanding of our brand as well as what is needed to leverage our new relationship with Maria Pinto," said Scott Baskin, Mark Shale's CEO.
Initial duties include a complete web site revamp to reflect the new brand direction for the largest, Chicago-based luxury men's and women's fashion retailer.
TDH Creative Partner, David Yang, said "We are honored to be working for a brand with such a substantial Chicago history but also with such a forward looking mission. We will try to capture that notion in everything we do."
"TDH demonstrated the creative sensitivity that we feel is necessary to adequately communicate what Mark Shale will be all about," said Ms. Pinto who sees her role as curator of a Mark Shale look.
Ms. Pinto's designs have been worn by Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and many other prominent Chicagoans.
About Tom, Dick & Harry
Tom, Dick & Harry, (TDH) is an advertising, PR, digital and brand experience agency located in Chicago, Illinois. Just nine years old, the agency has quickly increased its visibility in the agency world, thanks to its winning work for clients such as Fox Sports' Big Ten TV Network, Stubb's Bar-BQ Sauce, RiceWorks Gourmet Rice Chips, Bally Total Fitness, Canyon Ranch, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Follett Book Sto fashion coats res, Discover Card, Shure Microphones, The National PTA and others.
About Mark Shale
Mark Shale is the largest luxury men's and women's fashion retailer headquartered in Chicago with a history that spans more than 80 years. In 1929 Al Baskin opened his first store in Joliet, Illinois. It was a business built on a simple promise: to bring together the best in men's and women's clothing from around the world, with a level of personal service that made his customers feel special. Since then, Mark Shale has emerged as the leader in luxury clothing retailing focusing not only on its clothes but also its people, beautiful stores and exceptional customer service. Currently, Mark Shale operates three stores in Chicago's most affluent shopping destinations; Oakbrook Center, Northbrook Court and its flagship store in Chicago at the 900 North Michigan Shops.
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e4d5.com beta, launched April 08, is an experience exchange, with a goal to provide an independent, unbiased, and unifying platform for user reviews and communities, for everybody in the world, for every product and service in the world, using technology that is user-friendly and innovative.
e4d5.com (beta) is also among the first and few websites, to remunerate users for user generated content. e4d5 is offering $2 per review for the first 3,000 reviews to begin with starting from April 08. Funds permitting, this is going to be an ongoing feature with the site. All e4d5 users in the US will also be randomly given random goodies ranging from candy to t-shirts from time to time. Just for being there. Please click on 'User Awards' on the home page http://www.e4d5.com/ for more on this.
The site launches with some 1300 reviews. All the reviews have been tagged extensively. There are close to 20,000 tags at the moment, and the number of tags are increasing with each review. e4d5 tags can be seen and searched alphabetically, or according to popularity. The user will find the tags as convenient as browsing through a dictionary or an encyclopedia, and looking up interesting things.
Reviews apart, other features of e4d5.com (beta) include individual pages for users, message boards, communities, private messaging, scrap books, user testimonials, user lists, and personal ads among other things. The site also has a sticky note functionality, which lets users write and stick customized notes anywhere on the site, visible to her only. Of course, she can access all her sticky notes at one place.
e4d5.com (beta) is primarily targeted for United States, though there are users and visitors from all over the world as the site goes live. India and United Kingdom versions of the site are expected to be live by the end of September 2008.
e4d5.com (beta) also promises sincerely helpful customer support. It promises its users that a real human being will answer their queries/feedback within 24 hours. All communication will be personal, and form letters will not be used.
e4d5.com (beta) has 15 categories to help users read/write reviews be Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) tter. The categories are Restaurant and Food, Movies and Cinema, Books and Magazines, Music and CDs, Cell phones and Electronics, Computer and Internet, Clothes and Fashion, Cameras and Photo, Sports and Fitness, Healthcare and Beauty, Kitchen and Home, Pets and Livestock, Cars and Automobiles, Travel and Hospitality, and Other Stuff.
About e4d5 LLC (the company behind e4d5.com)
e4d5 LLC is a one-person company. It works closely with a creative design solutions, branding strategies and development company in Bangalore, India, called Altered Black, that handles site development and maintenance. Altered Black has been an invaluable influence in the development of the website, and can boast of one of the best creative and development teams in the country.
The source of funding for e4d5.com is a small (really small) personal loan and credit card borrowing.
At some stage in the future, e4d5 LLC plans to provide interest-free microfinance to women entrepreneurs, to empower them to be what they want to be. e4d5.org is the name and direction given to this dream. It is not a registered entity, nor an organization. Primarily the company does not have the resources, yet.
Media Contacts:
Sudarshana Banerjee
Chief Executive Officer
e4d5 LLC
tel: +1.408.594.9272
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