Posts made in March 2021

Allen Iverson × Reebok

Leave a reply

WHY NOT US? REEBOK AND ALLEN IVERSON DARE ATHLETES TO EMBRACE UNWAVERING MANTRA AND DEFY EXPECTATIONS IN ALL-NEW ANIMATED FILM

Reebok and basketball icon, Allen Iverson, are proud to debut an all-new animated film honoring young athletes who continue to defy societal expectations through their passion for the sport. The film, titled, “Why Not Us,” is the celebration of that mantra, a creed and an assertion of power that Allen Iverson has brought to every aspect of his life, culminating in the official bring back of Reebok’s Question Mid ‘Why Not Us’ silhouette on March 19, 2021.

“Why not us” was the question posed by Iverson and his team twenty years ago in one of the greatest comebacks in all-star history, and the new campaign prompts young athletes to continue living through that lens. The “Why not us” mentality drove Iverson to become one of the sport’s most legendary figures. Often seen as an underdog at the time, it was during that game that Iverson questioned the status quo and proceeded to take home MVP honors by scoring 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as he weaved through the West’s much larger lineup.

“Everybody was saying we couldn’t win because of our size,” said Iverson. “It’s about the size of your heart… Coming into the fourth quarter, we were all sitting on the sideline saying ‘Why not us? Why can’t we be the ones to come back from a 19-point deficit in an All-Star game?’”

The film, narrated by Allen Iverson, tells the story of grit, determination, and the conquering of inner doubt. Illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka, the film takes us on a journey of color and emotion, detailing that very moment in 2001. The voiceover then transitions to the greater impact the ‘Why Not Us’ mentality has on culture today, highlighting many voices of Benny’s Club, an all-inclusive surf collective based in New York City, who have had to overcome adversity to succeed in their sport.

Ending with a series of silhouettes referencing various figures and pivotal moments throughout his life, the red thread remains, ‘Why Not Us’, offering viewers the chance to position themselves in his shoes, begging the question once more.

To honor athletes living up to the ‘Why Not Us’ mantra, Reebok designed bespoke jerseys aiming to lift the underdog beyond expectations. The jerseys will be given to the Drew Charter Boys Golf Program, the first all-Black high school golf team, and the first public school in Atlanta, Georgia, to win the state golf championship. Two teen ballerinas who recently went viral and started work on a new mentorship program for girls, Kennedy George and Ava Holloway, will also receive the exclusive jerseys, and Benny’s Club. These individuals and teams will be able to wear the jerseys proudly while practicing their passion and overcoming the question of ‘Why Not Us’.

A bring back of the black-toe model issued by the brand in 2006, the Question Mid ‘Why Not Us’ sneaker was most notably worn five years earlier by Allen Iverson during the historic 2001 east-west exhibition in which he earned MVP accolades after leading his team to an improbable comeback victory. Today, the Question Mid “Why Not Us?” (GX5260) returns with its original high-contrast black toe box, the “Reebok” wordmark and Vector logos running up the ghillie lacing system and embroidered “3” and “Question” logos at the heel, all brought together by a classic all-white leather upper seated atop its translucent black outsole. The sneaker is also made available for up-and-comers creating their own “Why Not Us?” story with grade school (GW5229), preschool (GW5208) and toddler (GW5227) offerings.

The Question Mid “Why Not Us?” ($140) is available globally, in full-family sizing, from reebok.com and select local retailers beginning March 19, 2021.

Nike Announces New Soccer Camp

Leave a reply

Coaching the newest Nike Soccer Camp at Settlers Park will be Rocky Mountain High School’s Donal Kaehler and his staff.

Located just outside of Boise at the Settlers Park soccer fields in Meridian, Idaho, these two weeks of camp will offer players the opportunity to fine-tune their techniques, develop new skills, compete in games, improve their soccer IQ and have a lot of fun.

Coach Donal Kaehler has been recognized as Wisconsin High School Coach of the Year, Idaho High School Soccer Coach of the Year three times, and Northwest Region Coach of the Year. Coach Kaehler holds the USSF D and C Licenses and the USCAA/USC National Diploma. He also serves on the board and is the president of the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association and is a founding member and president of the Idaho High School Soccer Coaches Association.

The Nike Soccer Camps at Settlers Park in Meridian is a day camp program designed for boys and girls of all ability levels, ages 8-18, who are looking to take their soccer skills to the next level and have a lot of fun doing it. The camp will offer two weeks of instruction in July. The goal is to provide each camper with focused, intensive, position-specific training sessions essential to improvement. Nike Soccer Camps are committed to helping each camper become a better soccer player and hope all participants leave camp having established new friendships and more passion for the game.

Players, coaches, and parents interested in camps can visit Nike Soccer Camps or call 1-800-645-3226.

About US Sports Camps
US Sports Camps (USSC), headquartered in San Rafael, California, is the world’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. The company has offered summer camps since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high-quality sports education and skill enhancement.

BOBS from Skechers × Petco Foundation

Leave a reply

Now more than ever, social media is filled with posts from friends introducing their new furry family members while we’re all spending more time at home. Sadly, some of us aren’t able to adopt pets right now. However, BOBS from Skechers is making it easy for people to give back to shelter pets in need. Whether you’re allergic to dogs or cats, live in a tiny apartment or a building that doesn’t allow pets, or already have a full schedule balancing Zoom work calls with the kids’ calendars, you can still make a difference in pets’ lives by shopping the BOBS from Skechers collection. The BOBS from Skechers movement helps protect shelter animals by donating to the Petco Foundation through purchases of their diverse collection of sandals, sneakers, boots and slippers, including collaborations with icons like Doug the Pug and James Goldcrown. BOBS has also expanded beyond footwear to offer apparel and accessories, from pet beds to harnesses.

Skechers has just hit a tremendous milestone with this initiative, contributing more than $6.2 million, which has helped to save and support more than one million shelter dogs and cats in the United States and Canada through their BOBS from Skechers line and partnership with the Petco Foundation. More than $2.7 million of these contributions have benefited thousands of animal organizations through the Petco Foundation. For every BOBS item purchased in the United States and Canada, a donation is made to the Petco Foundation to help save and support shelter animals through their partnership with 4,000+ lifesaving animal welfare organizations across the nation.

“From its inception, BOBS from Skechers was about giving back—first to children in need with new footwear, and then in 2015 to animals in need. It’s incredible to see how we’ve raised over $6 million for animals, including over $2.7 million for Petco Foundation’s extensive animal shelter and support network in just two years,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “To see us reaching these milestones in a year this challenging speaks volumes about our consumers’ engagement and belief in the BOBS movement.”

“Many people in isolation have been finding comfort in the unconditional companionship of shelter pets due to the quarantine. Pets change our lives for the better—and the past year definitely served as a reminder that they make our world a better place,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Foundation. “Our partnership with BOBS from Skechers is essential as we continue to save pet lives through adoption, medical care and numerous other lifesaving initiatives throughout the nation.”

Through its partnership with Petco Foundation and animal welfare organizations, Skechers has donated more than $6.2 million to help to save and support over a million shelter dogs and cats in the United States and Canada, including Eggnog, adopted from Our Best Friends Rescue in Rockaway, NJ, and the many rescues at Two Chihuahuas foster-based rescue in Scottsdale, AZ.

Photo credits: @twochihuahuas

SF Ballet Performs GEORGE BALANCHINE’S JEWELS

Leave a reply

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S JEWELS SPARKLES ON SCREEN AT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET, APRIL 1–21

The 2021 Digital Season’s Jewels stream is dedicated
to the memory of Elyse Borne

Newly filmed Emeralds, captured at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco in January 2021, tops Balanchine’s dazzling, abstract triptych

San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) streams George Balanchine’s Jewels on Program 04, April 1–21 of the 2021 Digital Season, featuring a newly-captured Emeralds to accompany archival recordings of Rubies and Diamonds. Filmed on stage at the War Memorial Opera House in January of 2021, Emeralds was captured under strict safety protocols in compliance with the San Francisco Department of Public Health guidelines which protect artists, production crews, and the greater public. Tickets to the digital stream of Jewels begin at $29. Casting is available at this link.

SF Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson dedicates the 2021 Digital Season’s Jewels stream to the memory of Elyse Borne, a leading Balanchine répétiteur who staged dozens of ballets for the Company, beginning in 1996 with Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco. Borne passed away in December of 2019, shortly after rehearsing Jewels with SF Ballet to prepare for live performance in the 2020 Season. “While recording Emeralds on stage this year we all thought fondly of Elyse,” says Tomasson. “She and I met while dancing for New York City Ballet in the 1970s and 80s. We were both aware of how fortunate we were to be a part of that last generation of dancers who worked directly with Balanchine. She joined us as ballet master in 1997 after working with companies all over the world, and over the following six years, she guided and supported the dancers here with expertise, grace, and humor. She will always be a long-remembered colleague and dear friend.” Alongside Borne and the George Balanchine Trust, Tomasson has remained committed to documenting and preserving the choreographer’s work for future generations, programming at least one Balanchine ballet each year of his leadership of SF Ballet.

Called “a perfect introduction to ballet” (The New York Times) and inspired by the designs of jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, Jewels was last seen in full at SF Ballet in 2009. Jewels premiered in full in 1967 at New York City Ballet and consists of three one-act ballets that span the musical and balletic traditions of France (Emeralds), the United States (Rubies), and Russia (Diamonds), with costumes designed by Barbara Karinska to fit each act. Emeralds alludes to the 19th-century dances of French romantics and is set to excerpts from Gabriel Faure’s Pelléas et Mélisande (1898) and Shylock (1889). Rubies is a feat of athleticism, set to the irregular, modernist, jazz-inspired Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra by Igor Stravinsky. Diamonds invokes memories of Imperial Russia in a grand and formal display of classical ballet and is set to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D major. SF Ballet Orchestra performs in each ballet, with newly recorded music for Emeralds captured using approved safety protocols at Skywalker Studios and the SF Conservatory of Music, produced and engineered by Leslie Ann Jones.

Tickets to Jewels are available now as single stream tickets for $29, or within the Premium Plus Digital Package, which offers unlimited viewing of the remaining programs in the 2021 Digital Season, in addition to exclusive bonus content, for $289. Tickets and packages may be purchased online. For more information, call Ticket Services at 415-865-2000, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Click here to view digital viewing tips.

Celebrating Jewels

SF Ballet hosts Celebrating Jewels on April 20 from 1 to 2:30 p.m., online via Zoom. The event unites former New York City Ballet principal dancers Kay Mazzo, Mimi Paul, and Edward Villella, alongside Helgi Tomasson, to discuss their memories and insight into Balanchine’s iconic ballet. General admission tickets to Celebrating Jewels are $20, donors and subscribers receive access to the program for a reduced rate or for free.

San Francisco Ballet Pop-Up Shop

San Francisco Ballet hosts a pop-up shop open to the public on April 2 and 3 from 10 to 3 p.m., observing COVID-19 regulations as suggested by the City of San Francisco. In celebration of Jewels, the pop-up is offering a 25% discount on all jewelry. The pop-up shop is held at 2400 Cesar Chavez, San Francisco, 94124. Parking is free. Donors and subscribers can access the sale early on Thursday, April 1 from 10 to 3 p.m. Contact their website with questions.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Jewels
A Ballet in Three Parts

Composers: Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Staged by: Elyse Borne, Judith Fugate, Sandra Jennings
Additional Coaching by: Helgi Tomasson

World Premiere: April 13, 1967—New York City Ballet, New York State Theater; New York, New York

San Francisco Ballet Premiere: March 12, 2002—War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California

Emeralds
Captured on January 28, 2021

Composer: Gabriel Fauré
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Staged by: Elyse Borne and Sandra Jennings
Additional Décor for Emeralds: Susan Touhy
Costume Design: Karinska, Recreated by Haydee Morales
Rehearsal Assistants: Ricardo Bustamante, Tina LeBlanc

Rubies
Captured on February 2, 2016

Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Staged by: Elyse Borne
Costume Design: Karinska
Original “Rubies” Lighting Design: Ronald Bates
Rehearsal Assistant: Tina LeBlanc

San Francisco Ballet Premiere: January 30, 1987—War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California

Diamonds
Captured on March 12, 2017

Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: George Balanchine
Staged by: Judith Fugate
Costume Design: Karinska
Rehearsal Assistants: Felipe Diaz, Betsy Erickson

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic “firsts” since its founding in 1933, including performing the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first 20th-century American Coppélia. SF Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States and currently presents more than 100 performances annually, both locally and internationally. The mission of SF Ballet is to share its joy of dance with the widest possible audience—in its community and worldwide—and to provide the highest caliber of dance training in its School. Under the direction of Helgi Tomasson, the Company has achieved an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world.

Skeuomorphism in Online Casinos

Leave a reply

Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It borrows from emotion, from necessity and availability, and ties to societal and cultural context. Existing as one of those avenues, skeuomorphism is an element that many of us take for granted or at least gloss over. It’s a cornerstone component of design that seems obvious once pointed out, but can otherwise go unappreciated.

Understanding this reality, taking a look at skeuomorphism can reveal the depths of an object’s history. Using the concept of online slot games as a base, we want to explore the intricacies of the skeuomorphism idea, and why it’s so heavily leveraged. Just be aware that, as with the FedEx arrow, you might not be able to unsee what comes next.

What is Skeuomorphism?

The term skeuomorphism refers to when a derivative object retains ornamental elements of an older design, when not strictly necessary. In other words, skeuomorphism is when a new object keeps superfluous components that were included in older incarnations.

The most common illustration of this that you’ve likely experienced today comes from the digital world. In most document processing tools such MSWord, this would appear in the form of the save icon. This icon, in the shape of a 3 1⁄2-inch floppy disk, is something that younger users might not recognize at all.

With a grand total of 1.44 megabytes of storage, a floppy disk is utterly obsolete today. For context, Windows 3.1 was originally available over six of these disks for a total install. With the Windows 10 install ISO at around 3.5 gigabytes, maintaining this method today would require 2,431 disks. Storage has changed shape multiple times since the floppy disk, so why do we keep it?

Much of this is due to inherited momentum, and no reasonably viable replacement. The disk was once used every day, so we grew familiar with it. Even as it was phased out, we knew what it was, and saving still needed a recognizable icon, so it stayed. A decade later, when floppy drives have gone the way of the dodo, the icon persists as a legacy to the path once traveled. It doesn’t matter that newcomers don’t understand the legacy through direct contact, the symbol has been absorbed by osmosis into our worldwide zeitgeist.

Skeuomorphism in Online Casinos

Online casinos, also tied to digital evolution, are similarly intertwined with skeuomorphic representations. For a direct example of this, consider any of the best online slots in Canada. Existing far beyond the capabilities of their hardware ancestors, these games like Bompers and Greedy Dragon still lean on traditional slot iconography that is outdated by online standards.

These are usually spread over a few different slot concepts, such as coins, cards, and fruit. Each of these has a strong historical basis in physical slots, which has been maintained ever since the first machines arrived in the late 1800s. Coins, as the standout, are standard in physical machines, yet they’re only used as an abstract in the digital realm. In online casinos, it is even possible to divide coins into fractions not feasible in brick-and-mortar establishments, but this discrepancy doesn’t matter. We know what coins are, we know what they represent, and, because of this, they make perfect fits for modern online slot games.

The same could even be said for the reels themselves. There’s nothing in physical software that makes vertically rotating barrels a necessity, yet they’re still standard for almost every online slot. Again, this is skeuomorphism in action, serving an important purpose in relating modern slots back to their ancestors.

Developing Skeuomorphism Possibilities

As an industry entirely reliant on technological evolution, it’s only natural that online casinos will continuously evolve. From major leaps in accessibility as we saw with mobile phones to the gradual increase in processing power, each new year brings new possibilities. Within these new possibilities, the potential for skeuomorphism continues to grow.

One of the most profound new developments in online casinos has been the push towards live forms of gaming. This means streaming dealers into the home of players, essentially combining at-home convenience with the realism of physical casino play. Turning to skeuomorphism, these dealers are given outfits appropriate to those which were and are worn in brick-and-mortar establishments.

This is standard practice, even though such outfits are outdated by modern electronic standards. Workers like croupiers could dress in any professional attire in theory, but by dressing in a way that relates to classic sensibilities, they’re afforded more attention than they’d get otherwise. Again, it’s superfluous on the surface, but the advantages run much deeper than a simple glance might make us believe.

Going a step further, these dealers also include physical chips when live games are played. Originally designed for easily keeping track of the score, digital means are infinitely more efficient. Considering live games have to translate physical chips through a digital interface, the addition of chips is undeniably inconvenient. It also sells the experience as a professional operation, and so the inclusion of chips in the live casino space will be here to stay, no matter how casinos unfold.

From this point, the question becomes what happens in other few decades. So far, online casinos are around 25 years old, having first appeared on PC in 1996. Their relating back to the ideas of physical casinos makes sense, as that’s where the entirety of their inspiration was born. The issue is that online casinos are growing substantially each year, increasingly taking a part of the formerly physical casino-exclusive pie.

So, what happens in the future when online casinos are built not off of the legacy of physical casinos, but from the success of earlier online systems? In this case, the games of the casinos could inherit a sort of skeuomorphism off of existing skeuomorphism’s, where the lines of what is appropriate and what is not are much more blurred.

It’s an interesting concept, and not one which can be easily predicted. As an idea that relies as much on contemporary understandings as it does history, the future of skeuomorphism in casino games is always in flux. While we can be sure there will be more efforts that fall back on older casinos, the growing influence of the digital market will always act as a serious confounding factor going forward.

5 Useful Tips When Hiring a Garage Door Repair Company

Leave a reply

When it comes to something as important as your home, you don’t want to get into the risk of hiring the wrong garage door repair company. The outcome can be costly and can pose a danger to your family too. Unfortunately, several garage door repair companies are not qualified to properly handle the job. With that in mind, it is therefore essential for you to know what to look for when hiring a garage door repair company.

Regardless of the kind of company you are dealing in, there will always be individuals or companies that will want to take advantage of the uninformed customer. This poses more risk when it comes to a more technical field, such as garage door repairs. Below are the tips to help you distinguish between a trusted and a manipulative company:

Tips for Choosing a Garage Repair Company

·       Look for Critical Information

·       Get different Bids

·       Seek Recommendation from Your Trusted people

·       Check the BBB ranging

·       Be Aware of Red Flags

1. Look for Critical Information

When considering having a garage door repair company, you always need to do enough research. You need to seek out and verify critical information. Some of the information you need to seek out about the hurricane garage doors include its physical address, online presence, and the company’s online reputation.

Any reputable company has got physical address listed down on their online platform. You need to verify its location provided is correct. Any great company should have an online presence. It doesn’t matter the website’s quality, but a company without a website should be of worry. Another thing is online reputation. Consider checking the online reviews of the given garage door repair company. It can be useful if you combine all of this information; it should provide you with a good idea of whether or not the company is good.

2. Get Different Bids

Any time you require a professional to do any work for you, getting many bids is significant. Having all this should provide you with a clue of the industry’s market value for any given task. It will also help you know whether or not you are signing up for a good deal. Ensure you compare the rate of various companies having similar features on their rates of payment. If they offer a warranty or they have 24hours service. Also, check if they use the sub-contracts or the technicians who the company employs. All this information is essential when comparing different offers. Don’t always go for services that are priced very cheap. This is because it may signify its low quality and shoddy work.

3. Seek Recommendations

The best way to get a reputable garage door repair company is by seeking recommendations from friends, family, and neighbors. There is a high chance that you are aware of someone who has had the kind of work done in the past. A referral or a positive warning can help you in your search for a reputable garage door repair company. The advantage of seeking recommendations from people you know is that there is no skin in the game. You will receive upfront and honest feedback. This is because they don’t want to damage their relationship with you by giving lousy directions. They also have no benefit from sending you to the company. Due to all this, there is no reason for them to provide you with erroneous information.

4. Check the BBB Ratings

The best way to find a reputable garage door repair company is by checking the rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Before you consider a company, you need to go to the BBB website and search for their name. You will be able to see through reviews and complaints about the company. Always go for a company that has been highly rated and accredited for a long time.

5. Be Aware of Red Flags

To avoid falling into the trap of an untrustworthy company, always take notice of the red flags, for instance, when a company excessively does advertising and multiple company names. Any garage door repair company needs to advertise, but doing excessively may be a cause for concern. There should be consistency in name in the area of advertising, website, and phone calls.

Finding the right company to do your garage door repair will be very easy when you master the above tips. You need to properly verify if hurricane garage doors properly qualify for the task. This is to help avoid the risk of incurring additional costs due to repletion or shoddy work.

Additional Resource: To learn about garage storage, click here.

Houseparty is Poppin!

Leave a reply

It’s award show season, and just because many are still social distancing it does not mean you can’t have a viewing party with friends and family! The show can still go on with Houseparty.

Houseparty is a synchronous face-to-face social network that enables group video communication through mobile and desktop applications. A user opens the app, and their friends get a push notification that they are “in the house” and ready to chat. The app allows users to come online and be present and see who their friends are talking to and join their conversations. On average, users spend 60 minutes per day in the app chatting with friends.

Get dressed up, pour yourself a drink, open the Houseparty app, and get your friends “in the house” to watch this year’s award shows – and make sure to check out the Trivia categories dedicated to movies! Click on the dice icon on the top right to play all the games available on Houseparty Heads Up! Tap a game and you’ll then be asked to add friends to play with you. Wait for them to connect, then it’s game on!

Fortnite Mode

Fortnite Mode lets you cast your party into Fortnite so you can bring your friends with you while you play. You opt into this feature by linking your Houseparty and Epic Games accounts on the Houseparty app.

Houseparty is a great resource for people right now and that they don’t need to miss out on gathering this award season. Houseparty is secure. There have been no data breaches and no exposure to customer data or third-party accounts. You can read their full statement on data safety to learn more.

Houseparty is available on iOS, Android, Mac, PC, and as a Google Chrome extension.

Follow along @houseparty.

Huawei Tops Share of 5G Devices

Leave a reply

Huawei tops share of active 5G-ready devices globally with Samsung, Apple lagging behind

Data analyzed by Finbold indicates that Chinese firm Huawei is leading in active 5G-ready devices with a share of 26.9% globally during Q4 2020. Samsung ranks second with a share of 25.1%, while Apple accounts for 19.5%. Vivo, another Chinese firm, controls a share of 11.8%, with Honor accounting for 6.9% of the active 5G-ready devices. The Finbold analysis also compared the share of 5G-ready devices between Samsung and Huawei from August 2020 to December 2020. The findings show that Samsung dominated the share for the four months before December.

In August, Samsung’s share was 45.2% against Huawei’s 10.2%. As of September, the South Korean manufacturer share increased to 48.1%, with Huawei accounting for 10.1%. The dominance continued in October, with Samsung taking a share of 48.6% while Huawei accounted for 9.5%. In November, both players saw their active 5G-ready devices share drop as Samsung accounted for 44.9% against Huawei’s 8.6%. As of December, Huawei flipped the status to rank top at 27%, with Samsung accounting for 25.1%.

Huawei leverages on pandemic to emerge top

The report explains circumstances that potentially contributed to Huawei emerging as a dominant force in active 5G-ready devices. According to the research report: “Like other industries, most of the manufacturers were impacted with Covid-19 disruption that affected global supply. However, Huawei appears to have sustained the downturn after China controlled the pandemic early, unlike competitors in the west which entered the pandemic’s second wave towards Q4.”

The growth of Huawei might soon be challenged since competitors are increasingly launching new 5G devices. For instance, Apple, with just one active 5G-ready device, ranked third.

Read the full story with statistics here.

Tea Drunk

Leave a reply

Tea Drunk is a Certified Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise in New York City and is known for being the most prestigious Chinese tea house in the North America. Founder and Tea Expert Shunan Teng travels to the historic tea mountains of China each spring to commission some of the rarest tea in the world to showcase their top terroir, superb craftsmanship, and true-to-origin varietals.

Shunan commissions and sources teas in the most conservative fashion to bring discerning connoisseurs the utmost traditional essence of historical teas. Teas that are meticulously curated like Gua Pian Green Tea (Melon Seed Tea) from Lu An. Lu An is one of the oldest tea-making regions in China with over 1000 years of tea-making history. This historically famous style of tea goes through a unique La Da Huo processing step that gives the tea a pleasantly toasty flavor that compliments its grassy umami taste, buttery mouthfeel and bold sugary undertone. We feel this flavor profile and mouthfeel rivals that of the hip Japanese Matcha. Gua Pian is being highlighted as the next trend in tea, with whole loose leaves, there is a lower extraction rate of caffeine, allowing your body to get all of the benefits of the complex compounds found in green tea (such as l-theanine and catechins) with a more body friendly level of caffeine.

Although many different flowers and herbs can be dried, steeped in hot water, and called “tea,” actual tea leaves come from the plant camellia sinensis. From just this one plant alone, humans discovered that through manipulation of heat, moisture, and physical disturbance of the tea leaves, this one plant can yield almost endless variations in taste and aroma. It’s a fragile ancient art form and through education and access, Tea Drunk aims to cultivate awareness in preserving it for years to come.

You can also increase your level of tea savvy straight from the source with Tea Drunk. Experience teas such as Gua Pian right from the comfort of your home (or wherever you may be) with Tea Drunk’s Educational Tea Club. Their twice monthly expert led Zoom sessions allow you to travel deep into your cup and senses in a welcoming community of tea lovers. They have two tiers of sessions, a Sampler and a Reserve, with the Reserve specializing in the highest tier of rare teas. Each box is hand curated based on concepts such as vintage, location, or theme to help you develop your palate in comparative tastings. The tea club grants you unparalleled access to transparency and high-quality education while having a blast exploring teas with others virtually.

Shunan, is an avid educator on tea and has spoken at many prestigious institutions including: Yale University; Christie’s; Van Cleef & Arpels; World Tea Expo; and Stony Brook University. She has collaborated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to execute a temporary Chinese tea house in the museum and is the educator for TED Ed lesson – The History of Tea.

It’s truly an experience that goes well beyond any other tea subscription service on the market. You are able to deepen your personal tea knowledge alongside other like-minded individuals and grow together in community while connecting with this ancient art form of traditional tea processing. It’s an act people have been doing for tens of thousands of years, and today we get to do the same thing with people all over the world. With Tea Drunk, tea is not just a beverage; it’s an experience meant to be savored and shared.

Airlines Urged to Issue Refunds

Leave a reply

Consumer Reports & PIRG Urge Airlines to Provide Full Refunds for Flights Canceled During Pandemic as Voucher Expiration Dates Approach

Groups Call for Airlines to Extend Voucher Expiration Dates Through At Least End Of 2022

With the one-year anniversary of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown approaching, Consumer Reports and U.S. PIRG sent a letter to ten domestic airlines today calling on them to provide full refunds to consumers whose flights were canceled or affected by the pandemic. At the very least, the consumer groups are urging airlines to extend the expiration dates for vouchers they issued for canceled flights to the end of 2022 or longer.

“Millions of Americans who booked flights in good faith in 2020 were prevented from flying because of government lockdowns and safety concerns brought on by a once-in-a-century global pandemic,” said William J. McGee, Aviation Adviser to Consumer Reports. “The airline industry has received very generous support from taxpayers while stiff-arming its customers and treating their hard-earned dollars as interest-free loans. It’s time to provide consumers with the long-overdue refunds they rightfully deserve.”

The consumer groups’ letter notes that complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation about airline refunds have jumped dramatically over the past year. In 2019, consumers submitted a total of 1,574 complaints about refunds to the DOT. Last year, that number increased 57-fold to 89,518 refund complaints.

Consumer Reports has been contacted by numerous customers frustrated that they couldn’t get a refund during lockdowns and who are concerned that they might not be able to travel before vouchers expire. An analysis by TripAction, a travel management company for businesses, found that 55 percent of vouchers for unused tickets will expire in 2021, and 45 percent will expire in 2022.

Many passengers were prevented from flying because of government restrictions, public health notices, or serious medical conditions that made flying during the pandemic unsafe. Far too many of the trips they booked will never happen, due to the cancellation (not postponement) of conferences, conventions, weddings, graduations, and family reunions.

While passengers on flights canceled by airlines are entitled to a full refund under federal law, a congressional analysis found that some carriers offered vouchers as the default option, requiring passengers to take extra steps to get a cash refund. Many airlines waited until the last minute to cancel scheduled flights, prompting concerned passengers to cancel their tickets and forfeit their legal right to a refund.

“It’s insulting and unfair that airlines haven’t offered refunds to all customers affected by the pandemic,” said Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog Director for U.S. PIRG. “Consumers certainly couldn’t have foreseen a once-in-a-lifetime global crisis. Our research has shown that travelers whose plans got canceled have to wade through refund policies likely written by a team of lawyers. They’re faced with figuring out the difference between a flight credit or a trip credit or a travel voucher and similar offers the airlines make to avoid giving people easy-to-understand cash in their pocket.”

A Consumer Reports review of airline voucher policies found nine different policies among ten different airlines. Many of these policies are hard to find on airline websites, and the airlines’ descriptions of their policies can be quite confusing and at times contradictory, based on conflicting rules for various dates of booking, travel, and cancellation. The consumer groups’ letter was sent to the CEOs of the following scheduled airlines: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.