NWPosh

Panthera August 16, 2009

Two of NWPosh’s favorite interests are fashion and wild cats, specifically wild cat conservation.  In an ideal world, the two shall never meet (think fur coats).  However, I recently came across the Helping Animals One Search at a Time Contest offered by Engineworks, a Portland, Oregon Search Engine Marketing Company.  EngineWorks is providing a free three month professional Search Engine Optimization campaign to a non-profit animal advocacy organization.  Panthera would be an excellent recipient of this opportunity.  The conservation of all wild animals is important but not all conservation groups are as well established and organized as Panthera. The site is a hotbed of knowledge.    

Panthera is an impressive organization founded by the top minds in wild cat conservation.  Panthera’s President and CEO (and one of my favorite authors), Alan Rabinowitz, is the cream of the crop when it comes to wild cat research and conservation.  He not only created the worlds’ first jaguar preserve but has also wrote several books, including Chasing the Dragon’s Tail: The Struggle to Save Thailand’s Wild Cats and Beyond the Last Village.   Rabinowitz embodies what makes Panthera such a great organization, he recognizes the importance of balancing the scientific mind with in situ research.  

Panthera develops and supports several groundbreaking concepts in wild cat conservation like the Tiger Corridor Initiative which establishes safe passage ways through human landscapes ”potentially connecting tiger populations from Nepal into Bhutan and Northern India through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and ending in Malaysia” to the Global Felid Genetics Program which creates a standard for the collection of felid bio-materials to facilitate long term conservation of wild cats through genetic research.  Panthera also offers research grants as well as graduate awards to nurture and develop the next generation of researchers and biologists.  

EngineWorks understands the importance of using the internet to raise awareness.  Together, EngineWorks and Panthera can promote wild cat conservation to a wider audience.  

2008 Winter Storm Watch vs. Brazil Fashion Cruise December 14, 2008

As the 2008 winter blast hits Portland, you may be wishing to return to the normal drizzle or you may be excited that our green landscape has turned into winter wonderland (even if just for a little while).  For those of you prefer the balmy heat and wish to escape the rain and/or snow, an exciting, fashionable escape awaits you. 

The Brazil Fashion Cruise is the ultimate fashion meets vacation experience.  Arrive in Santos (near Sao Paulo which seems to produce a model every thirty seconds) and hit the seas for a seven night, eight day cruise aboard a virtual floating fashion show, stopping at beautiful spots, Búzios, Salvador, Maceió, and Ilhéus.  Prices for the chic trip range from $1100-$1500 which includes five meals and fashion shows from eight Brazilian designers!  Visit www.fashioncruise.com.br for more details. 

Dear NWPosh, July 10, 2008

Dear NWPosh,

You must help me! It started out innocently enough, I treated myself to a very expensive pair of Louboutins. They were the best shoes ever. So I decided I needed another pair. One pair has turned into 75 pairs over the last six months. I am addicted to really, really nice shoes. I can’t seem to stop buying them. And I can’t stop thinking about shoes. After I buy a pair, I immediately find another pair to lust after. What is wrong with me? What do I do? I have to stop. I spend whole pay checks on shoes. Help!

Sincerely,

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes…

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Oh, Lacava…Get in Ma Casa… January 1, 2008

Lacava is a Chicago based bathroom furnishing company by way of Italy. Modern designs are mixed with European luxury to create unique, sleek alternatives to standard bathroom counters, sinks, faucets and cabinets. One look at their products and you will realize what a bathroom is supposed to look like.

Give Oregon a New Newspaper December 29, 2007

For those of you who have had the unfortunate pleasure of reading Oregon’s “major” paper, the Oregonian, you deserve an apology and a new newspaper.   Over the past five years, there have been a few times when I have been so flabbergasted by the content, that I have emailed a response to the Editor.  And of course, my responses have never been published.  Friday’s front page news capitalizing on the recent Tiger attack at The San Francisco Zoo was another loosely strewn article masquerading as news that sounded more fictional than fact.

The Oregonian has sunk to a new low.  ‘Decades later, still in the lion’s den’ is the sensationalized ramblings of old druggie about an incident that he and his friends brought upon themselves in 1970.  The “eyes filled with tears” and the “Good Bye Kenny” lines are ridiculous attempts to pull at the heart strings of its readers and, in general, it demonstrates poor journalistic skills.   I am doubtful of the alleged chain of events that occurred that night.  Bowers was admittedly under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, although Hoover Barnett simply writes Bowers was “partying.”  Since no one from the zoo provided an alternative account, the article is dubiously one sided and it lacks documentation that should be necessary in a front page article.  In addition, the fact that this obviously disturbed man came back into the zoo and killed those animals is outrageous and the writer seems to justify this behavior by saying, “he did not want the lions to suffer.”  What did the writer hope to accomplish by this article?  One should take responsibility for the the choices that one makes and blame should not be placed on outside parties, whether they be alcohol, heroin, zoo keepers or lions.

With Love, Williams Sonoma

The new Williams Sonoma catalog is filled with page after page of delectable baking and home items. Top Picks are a Yellow Lemon Wreath that is bright and fragrant with golden yarrow, sphagnum moss and fresh bay leaves, a Meyer Lemon tree and sweet, personalized Valentine treats.

Fly, Fly Away… December 28, 2007

Lladro was founded in 1953 by Juan, Jose and Vincente Lladro. Their experimental creations using a Moorish furnace and favoring a 17th century style, created a phenomenon that changed the porcelain world forever.
Their latest chandelier is nothing short of a porcelain miracle. Lladro’s new Niagra chandelier is absolutely breathtaking. At first glance, the chandelier appears to be hundreds of suspended butterflies but upon closer look, the winged creatures are fairies.

Paint It Green December 25, 2007

The holidays might prompt you to re-think how “homey” your home is. The more time you get to spend around your house, you might discover you don’t like that China Mist you painted your kitchen. The easiest thing to change about your home’s appearance is a fresh coat of paint. Authentic Home Custom Paint can assist you in your quest for the perfect color and without the pesky paint smell. And…it contains ZERO VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and is solvent free. So paint green, even if you don’t paint it green.

Ode to Make Up, Part One November 18, 2007

I absolutely love make up. My love affair with make up began around the age of eleven. My father remarried around that time. My step-mother was quite a bit younger than my father. She introduced me to Vogue, Elle and make-up. My step-mother used Chanel and Yves St. Laurent makeup and consequently, my own make-up “bar” was set high. I never used the typical teen or pre-teen brands like Bonnie Bell or Wet and Wild. In fact, growing up I never used any drug store brands and the lost price point line I used was Clinique. Without coming across as a make up snob, as I will quickly admit I am, it was more so that even at a young age I recognized the power of make up and the importance of branding.

Like most connoisseurs, above all else, the quality of the product was extremely important to me. If the company spent money on its packaging and branding, then it was logical to think that the same, if not more, attention was given to the product itself. Packaging or branding is the very pretense of make up. The product in its self is a sort of branding of the wearer. The brand of make up we choose to purchase in many ways reflects how we want the world to see us. It is our own packaging. The classic, sleek black Chanel compacts, the clean, clinical packaging of Clinique and the embellished, shapely vials and baubles of Estee Lauder all to some degree embody how we want to be seen but also how we see or hope to see ourselves.