Sprouting Ideas

Sometimes you just wish things could magically appear when you need them to. Sometimes you wish things were simple, quick, efficient. As simple as pressing a button- or in this day in age, with just a simple touch on a screen and what you need appears. The iPhone is the first thing that pops into our head. It assists and entertains us more than we could have ever imagined. Now how about if it were to bring our transportation to us and even start the car? It's not a far fetched idea and as I most recently read in September's issue of Fortune magazine, the "Best New Idea" has zoomed in.

Zipcar is a shared form of transportation. As they call it, it's the "Netflix for cars." The company has about 325,000 members relying on this shared form of transportation that is not only financially smart but Eco conscious. The average savings per month is about $600 for those that give up their car to join Zipcar and surveys in Europe are saying CO2 emissions are being cut by up to 50% per user. Granted this may be too far fetched for those that prefer owning their own car no matter what, but in a challenging changing world ideas like these are more welcoming than ever especially in an Eco-minded urban lifestyle setting.

So how does it work?

Fairly simple.

You go online or use the iPhone application to make a reservation and the car's computer system grabs your information. Once with the car you wave the Zipcard to open it or with the iPhone app unlock it and enable it to start. You must be mindful of the rules in using Zipcar though: do not return it with an empty tank, keep the car clean, and announce if you will need a time extension with the car. These plus plenty more maintain the cleanliness and curtious kindness for all the users. You pay hourly or daily depending on location, car and day of the week, plus gas and insurance are attached.

According to Zipcar's CEO, Scott Griffith, car sharing is entering the mass market with the demographic becoming older and more reflective of the national average. Of what began with a younger smaller demographic, it is now gaining so much momentum that a variety of businesses are looking into this form of sharing and evolvement. A basic idea based on early taught manners: sharing. This makes me think twice about jotting down those random ideas throughout the day, who knows when they can sprout to be the next big idea.

http://www.zipcar.com/

Planning baby geat the "smart” way

The phone rings and I hear a voice on the other end say: “Hi prima, guess what? I’m pregnant!! I’m so excited; I can’t wait to go shopping for baby clothes!”

It brought flash backs from my first pregnancy, how I wanted just the best for my baby; and to me, the best meant new items! I went out of my way to get the best baby gear I could afford and recall turning down offers of hand-me-downs by using lame excuses…. Now I’m startled at how much I’ve changed from one child to the next as I now I know what it takes financially to get new gear. Also, some baby items appear as “must-have” at the beginning, end up practically unused! I can think of several baby items that never even saw the light of day and I passed unopened to other expecting moms.

So, if you’re a mom in the making with baby on the way, or you are thinking about kids, be smart and optimize your budget.
Don’t use BabiesRUs gear check list to decide what you need, instead research with your friends who actually have kids, use real mom blogs for brand research (versus brand blogs). You might think you need a bouncer, swing and baby play station but after talking to those moms you might discover one of those items can do the trick. By all means accept those hand-me-downs. I would probably not recommend accepting a crib or an infant car seat as regulations and safety features change regularly; items such as diaper bags, clothes, booster or high chairs, swings, bath tubs, strollers, can definitely save you a lot of money. You will be tempted to get all new items but hold off as you will probably get a great deal of items from relatives excited about your soon to arrive baby. Be smart and retain your shopaholic impulse. Now I not only take hand-me-downs but also hand down to others as well.

My advice to my “prima” and to all of you is to buy a cute little outfit and get the immediate urge to buy it all out. Talk to your friends with kids about gear, check out blogs to build your baby needs list and wait until your baby shower happens as this is when you’ll really know what you truly need to purchase.

I Love New York!

I love New York City! I have lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City, and currently Orange County but I love New York City the most!



San Diego is a gorgeous town with perfect weather, but I grew up in San Diego. So, I've gone to La Jolla, Balboa Park, Coronado, Del Mar and the Gaslamp hundreds of times. Not to mention the "World's Famous Zoo," and the "Home of Shamu"- I have all of the show's scripts memorized. Don't get me wrong, once you step outside of the tourist attractions culture is in the heart of San Diego. My friends and I decided we're tired of going to the same crowded, over-priced, non-entertaining spots. If you like boutiques, coffee shops, good food, dive bars, and art then I recommend checking out these areas in San Diego-North Park, South Park, Hillcrest, and Normal Heights.



Los Angeles is my favorite West Coast "material" city, but we can all agree traffic is annoying. I don't even know how many hours of my life I spent in traffic listening to the same songs over and over but one thing that LA knows how to do is shop. My favorite places to shop in LA are Abbot Kenny Blvd, Main St in Santa Monica, and the Promenade, oh you have to check out the Farmers Market. A drive down Sunset Blvd filled with expensive cars says "city of dreams." A hike to the the top of Griffith Park is breathtaking. Many young people move to LA every year in hopes of becoming a star and many settle because they find LA offers them something that they didn't have before like great food from China Town, an abundance of fabrics from The Fashion District, the opportunity to network in Hollywood. LA offers a little bit of everything for everyone.



Orange County is the perfect little city. Everything matches from the colors of buildings to dogs with matching outfits. It's absolutely stunning and beautiful but has very little culture.



I love New York City! In the city you meet people from all over the world. Next time you're in the city strike up a conversation with a NYer you might be surprised what you may have in common and you may actually learn something. I like New York because the people are smart. Time is precious and laying on the beach isn't an option. New York really goes by "play hard and work harder." A walk around the Met, reading on the subway, or a picnic in the park is a sense of relaxation. When you're in NY, stand stiil, slowly turn your body to a full 360 degrees, look around, everything is beautiful-the people walking, the high-rise buildings, the sun peaking in, the architecture, the history. Then close your eyes and listen to the conversations, the cabs, the wind. Smell the food, and depending on what time of year it is smell the rain, the flowers blooming, or the smell of autumn. I like New York because ideas are developed in basements, warehouses are turned into art galleries, concerts are played in theaters, advertising masters Times Square, and most of all, I believe the best in people comes out when we are forced to interact with each other on a continuous basis and experience so many backgrounds in doing so. It's almost like traveling the world in one central hub. I <3 NY is an iconic brand, people travel to NY everyday looking for this brand, an I <3 NY t-shirt gives them a piece of NY to take with them and besides who doesn't love NY?



Note: When I refer to culture I'm talking about what makes a particular city different from others, basically what is the cities culture as a whole and not necessarily independent cultures.

Monica Camacho, Strategic Planner

Oliver Rios, "The Next Big Thing"

Last week I’d planned on writing about this artist I came across on Face book, Mr. Oliver Rios. Native New Yorker Oliver, Rios was born and raised in Spanish Harlem. He has been creatively designing and photographing for about 20 years. The urban art form of graffiti helped the artist to strive in the everyday life of El Barrio. Painting murals and airbrushing in the late ‘80s and ‘90s gave Rios the opportunity to expose his artistic talents. Rios now focuses his energy designing posters for charities like breast cancer awareness, with the use of digital photography and graphic design. Raices (Roots) - with the use of digital photography and graphic design this exhibit is a beautiful example of Puerto Rico’s traditions and lifestyle in which he loves and embraces.

I feel Oliver to be a very positive influence within our society today. Through his expression of his passions and talent in his imagery we are able to see his way of viewing the issues we face today. In this post you will see samples of his work. He has worked with names such as, Sony Music, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Latino Magazine, El Diario, La Prensa, American Latino TV, Latination and many more. He explained to me that playing with his father’s Canon when he was younger helped spark his interest in photography and his true passion for collage. Also, through graffiti art he learned, “To get respect, you have to give respect”.

For more information on Oliver Rios’ work please visit http://www.oriosdesigns.com/ or email info@oriosdesigns.com

Flash Mobs

This past weekend in Mexico City on Michael Jackson's birthday, August 29Th, 13,000 people celebrated by simultaneously recreating his video "Thriller" breaking the Guinness Book world record. The event was significant in that it broke a world record, but Flash Mobs, as the assembly of people in public for a brief time to perform an act are called, are occurring commonly around the world. In fact on the same day as the tribute to Michael Jackson was happening one similar was going on in London.

Bill Wasick a senior editor at Harper's magazine is largely credited with creating Flash Mobs in 2003 with an email sent that was similar to this one:

Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 17:46:01 -0700 (PDT)

From: The Mob Project themobproject@yahoo.com

Subject: MOB #1
To: themobproject@yahoo.com

You are invited to take part in MOB, the project that creates an inexplicable mob of people in New York City for 10 minutes or less. Please forward this to other people you know who might like to join . . .

And the result was something special:

On Tuesday, June 19, 2003, at precisely 7:27 p.m., approximately 150 individuals gathered in the rug department of Macy’s midtown location in Manhattan. In orderly fashion, they surrounded a $10,000 Persian-style carpet. The mob explained that they were together, lived in a communal warehouse in Long Island City, and were in the market for a Love Rug. At exactly 7:37 p.m. the mob dispersed — sans rug — and as they exited the department store, they went their separate ways. Completely flummoxed, the department’s chubby salesman in an off-the-In rack beige suit stood there, massaging his jowls and wondering: What the hell was that?

So How did Bill do it? In an interview from L.A. Weekly in 2004 He explain in practical terms?

Practically speaking, how did it start?

I created a Yahoo account —Â themobproject@yahoo.com — and worked up an e-mail message. The subject head was “MOB #1.” I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a MOB #2, but I figured it would make people more likely to come if they thought it was part of some ongoing project.
I was to be extremely specific about what people were supposed to do. You were supposed to synchronize your watch, because I realized that to make it work for less than 10 minutes, people would have to be on time or the whole thing would be messed up. I mean, people in New York can be 10 minutes late just on the basis of having their watches set differently. So I told everyone to synchronize their watches to a specific government time site.
I e-mailed the invitation to myself, then forwarded it from my own account to about 50 people. I also arranged with a couple of my friends who are performers to send it to their e-mail lists. I had no idea how many people would actually come.

The Michael Jackson Flash Mob could be considered a branded mob. Very organic because there was no sponsored advertising, but it shows how much attention brand advocates can make when they come together.

You are Cordially Invited.

So what is the hottest thing at the moment? To be more specific, what is the most used website, the newest application, the most searched out cyber place? I guess we can check off the social networking sites and music sites and email sites. This has become common knowledge in society and in business, that the strongest packs leading cyber world are the "social networking sites." But what the most interesting aspect about these sites is that they hold the launching pad to the freshest places- new sites. The site that can send you off to the newest, latest site is all the rage and it makes that connected site even better!

For example, you log on to your Facebook account and you automatically check your mail, chat to people, and read what people are posting. If a friend posts that they're digging the music from this up-and-coming DJ and they provide the link to the site, people are bound to check out what all the fuss is that this ONE person is announcing. Yes, this ONE person can cause a ripple effect in cyber world.

Twitter has actually cashed in on this concept and I think it's brilliant how natural it comes to us to click from site to site and feel the need to share with the world and know that we are making an impact. For those who enjoy making a ripple effect, think of the latest site you went on that if it wasn't for a recommendation you would have never have found it. I can think of a few.

http://soytuaire.labuat.com/
http://mashable.com/2009/08/31/free-music-monday-2/
http://www.popsugar.com/
http://www.minispace.com/en_us/
http://www.spanishnewsbites.com/

So since we're on the topic, can you also think of the last piece of information you received that wasn't somehow linked to the internet? For instance, my friend just told me about this music artist he's been listening to lately and provided me with a link to listen to his music (Murs). A few years ago he would have handed me a CD to listen to it and for those that can think further back, the radio and records were the only way to keep up with the latest music.

Let's admit that most of us cannot live without the internet.

Now I propose we make this forum a two-way deal. You check out the sites I provided and I (plus whoever else would like to) will have a chance to bounce off to a few new sites you provide.

I invite you to share.


Liz C

Could you have a recalled toy?

Lately we seem to have tons of information regarding recalled objects. This is great and gives us the opportunity to keep our kids away from dangerous objects and play things.

Since the 2007 Mattel major toy recall, toy manufacturers seem to be more aggressive about the quality of toys they put out in the market; nevertheless there are many toys that continue to be recalled that we’re not necessarily aware of.. In my case, with two toddlers, is very hard to take a breather, much less keep up with all recalls and new information out there!
So I’ve taken 10 minutes (really just 10) to register with major toy manufacturers who can e-mail me with the latest recalled toys so I don’t have to keep looking for the information myself. Some of then (like Melissa and Doug and Leap Frog, you have to navigate the site extensively before you can get there… but its doable.

Another good source is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission but these site includes all recalled objects and has an “español” tab for those who preferred this.

My favorite, although perhaps not the most extensive, is the ivillage.com website where a yearly list of the most recalled toys has been at the order of the day and it features some very popular toys. Check it out, you might find out that some of your kids “faves” happen to be a recalled toy!


image reference: Folding chair from build a bear (chair can pinch or even cut finger if your finger is caught in it) sold in Build a Bear stores from 2001-2008. For more details go to the company's website or ivillage.com

Ivillage: http://parenting.ivillage.com/slideshow/parenting/biggest_toy_recalls_of_2009/