General Motors Co. made a change in August 2009. It removed the “Mark of Excellence” logo from its vehicles. Doing that is meant to put less emphasis on GM and more emphasis on its 4 remaining brands. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC will have just their own logos. GM started putting its logo on all its North American vehicles in 2005, usually putting it on the lower door panel. Supposedly removing it will save GM only a nominal amount of money; but after all the bad publicity the company has received, maybe it will save face.
L.L. Bean, the iconic outdoor equipment and apparel company, has slowly adapted to the change in American lifestyles for 98 years. However, in 2009 L.L. Bean hired 40-year-old designer Alex Carleton to create an updated fit and style for the signature clothing line launching in 2010. Apparel, footwear and accessories will provide a new look for men and women that can be dressed up or down. From its humble beginnings in Maine as a small, mail order business for hunting shoes, L.L. Bean has grown to have annual sales of $1.5 billion. Obviously, if the shoe fits, wear it.
A study published in the leading, general medical journal, “The Lancet”, found that online therapy via instant messaging with a psychotherapist is a successful change in treating depression. Of the 113 people who had ten, 55-minute sessions of cognitive behavior therapy in addition to usual physician care, 42% recovered from depression – supposedly the same level of benefit as expected from traditional therapy. Although this type of therapy would be able to reach more people, there are questions about state laws, insurance coverage, video for viewing patients’ behavior and encryption for patients’ privacy. Before computer-based therapy is a practical alternative, everything has to compute.
Dolphin hunting season opened in Japan September 1st - but with a change No hunters from the small fishing village Taiji participated. This is attributed to the secretly-filmed documentary “The Cove”, which exposed Taiji’s dolphin hunt. During the 6-month season, thousands of dolphins are trapped in narrow caves. Those that aren’t captured to sell to aquariums and amusement parks are killed for meat. “The Cove” won a Sundance Film Festival award, creating a worldwide outcry against dolphin hunting. Activists applaud 2009’s change, but change requires change. Until the fishing village can change the livelihood it’s always known, it’s not off the hook.
L.L. Bean, the iconic outdoor equipment and apparel company, has slowly adapted to the change in American lifestyles for 98 years. However, in 2009 L.L. Bean hired 40-year-old designer Alex Carleton to create an updated fit and style for the signature clothing line launching in 2010. Apparel, footwear and accessories will provide a new look for men and women that can be dressed up or down. From its humble beginnings in Maine as a small, mail order business for hunting shoes, L.L. Bean has grown to have annual sales of $1.5 billion. Obviously, if the shoe fits, wear it.
A study published in the leading, general medical journal, “The Lancet”, found that online therapy via instant messaging with a psychotherapist is a successful change in treating depression. Of the 113 people who had ten, 55-minute sessions of cognitive behavior therapy in addition to usual physician care, 42% recovered from depression – supposedly the same level of benefit as expected from traditional therapy. Although this type of therapy would be able to reach more people, there are questions about state laws, insurance coverage, video for viewing patients’ behavior and encryption for patients’ privacy. Before computer-based therapy is a practical alternative, everything has to compute.
Dolphin hunting season opened in Japan September 1st - but with a change No hunters from the small fishing village Taiji participated. This is attributed to the secretly-filmed documentary “The Cove”, which exposed Taiji’s dolphin hunt. During the 6-month season, thousands of dolphins are trapped in narrow caves. Those that aren’t captured to sell to aquariums and amusement parks are killed for meat. “The Cove” won a Sundance Film Festival award, creating a worldwide outcry against dolphin hunting. Activists applaud 2009’s change, but change requires change. Until the fishing village can change the livelihood it’s always known, it’s not off the hook.
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