Winter 2014 Giving Issue

WINTER ISSUE 2014

HOLIDAY GIVING ISSUE CHICAGO PLAYGROUND AMY MARIE COUTURE MAYBE SUNDAY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS-WINTER 2014

MUSIC MUSTS Music Box

IN EVERY ISSUE Editors Letter 4

Meet the Team 6

LOCAL OPTIONS

Custom Hair Lounge 30

Live to Support 36

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Top 10 Albums 44

Top 10 Concerts 46

DJ Cavem 48

THE SPOTLIGHT Donors Choose 52

Upwardly Global 58

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GROOMING Winter Must Haves 152

Winter Hair

FASHION & LIFESTYLE

156

Winterizing your Skin

Youtube Star: Bre Islar

158

A Strange Twist

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162

Wine Riot

THOUGHTS & OPINIONS

66

Looks for Less

Chicago Climate Action

68

166

Charity Water

Itshours.com 80

Twil ory Fashion with a heart 86

Brands that Give Back 92

Horoscopes for 2015 96

FEATURES

172

Chicago Street Style

EDITORS LAST LOOK Local Love

360YS Transitional Housing

Etnia Barcelona

Meet Marco Foster

Peace for Pits

100 128 138

Meet Mark Bustos

176

178

180

142

The Cheese Stands Alone 146

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Happy holidays readers! December arrived so quickly this year. I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on this past year and thank each of you readers, writers, photographers and contributors for your continued support. This publication wouldn’t be what it is without the backbone of amazing people behind it.

Now, this issue is dedicated to the idea of giving. Giving not just of gifts, but also of time, help, volunteering and of oneself to your craft and community. This issue I wanted to share the love with those who are doing

letter from the editor

some good for the world around them. The holidays arrive so quickly and often we fall into the same routine of mindless consumerism. I’m not going to knock retail, because without it we wouldn’t be here, but I want to showcase thoughtful consumerism. I also wanted to share stories of those working through and overcoming the struggle of poverty. You see this thread of an idea woven throughout the blanket of articles in this issue.

We are featuring some pretty cool brands doing pretty cool things. Not just making cool things, but also making a difference. The fashion feature this issue is highlighting three up and coming designers in Chicago: Chicago Playground, Maybe Sunday and Amy Marie Couture. Each of these young brands has a buzz about them and I am so excited to feature them in our issue this winter.

I am sure you will end up hearing more about them. The feature was shot on location in one of Chicago’s up and coming art’s district neighborhoods. It’s a hood I knew of long before it became the cool place to be. It was my second home away from Humboldt Park. I went there for the best Mexican food, amazing people watching and a wonderful community.

If you don’t know that it’s Pilsen, what rock have you been living under?

Pilsen has become the premier art’s district in Chicago and we used it as the inspiration for our street style inspired shoot. We highlighted many

JENNIFER M. LEZAN-VEGUILLA EDITOR IN CHIEF & FOUNDER

of the amazing murals found on 16th street and Halsted. It blows my mind to see the beauty we captured in a place where I created so many childhood memories.

This issue is also featuring brands with a mission to give back to the community. Liv shares fashion lines like Twillory and Etnia Barcelona, two

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online brands we had a chance to learn more about. Perry is bring-

them a forever home. All to often, we forget about our furry

ing us a roundup of local brands based in Chicago that give back.

friends and Pit bulls have even more at stake considering the

Teresa has her usual looks for less roundup and is sharing the latest

propaganda and false information shared about them.

on Chicago brand PRSVR of itshours.com.

There is this saying that “you can judge the character of a Thom shares some great features this issue, in particular, a high-

man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” This

light on Wisconsin based cheese brand Sartori who is doing more

holiday season give without expectation and love without

than just making cheese. They are a family owned business that

condition. Remember those less fortunate and find a way to

believes in doing good and putting their money where their

give from your core to those who can do nothing for you. I

mouth is. Last year they donated upwards of $42,000 to the Make-

may not have a lot of money to give, but I have my body, my

a-Wish Foundation.

health and can make time to volunteer. It has been this past year of volunteering that has opened my eyes and has ful-

I had the opportunity to meet with a local transitional housing pro-

filled my heart. It helps me to be a better person, to love more

gram through 360 Youth Services, a local non-profit I volunteer at. I

and to think more about my decisions. It has moved my soul

was able to meet some of those who have been affected by home-

and helps me to teach my young daughters about the power

lessness. I shed some startling statistics in this article and share the

of love and a helping hand. It’s this idea that inspired this

story of a young transgender individual starting life over again.

issue and I hope it inspires each of you this holiday season.

Cora highlights an Instagram star: Mark Bustos who is known for his haircuts for the homeless initiative. We also highlight one of Chicago’s very own altruists: Marco Foster. Marco is known for his battle with brain cancer and for his empowering charitable events.

You will find a slew of great winterizing grooming and beauty tips from Danielle as well as some great music features including our winter album roundups. We have spotlight on DJ Cavem known as the O.G Rapper (organic gardener) who is helping to lead change and educate youth about healthy eating in areas known as food deserts. Stella shares a heart to heart interview with YouTube sen-

Chicago Street Style Feature - pg. 100

sation and Lupus survivor: Bre Islar. Brittany, our health and fitness editor, is featuring Chicago’s own Live to Support organization.

Rob shares some insight on Chicago’s climate action initiatives and shares how the community is working to take a stand against climate change.

I close out this issue with a story on Peace for Pits a non-for-profit

JENNIFER M. LEZAN - EDITOR IN CHIEF

dedicated to saving Pit bulls from euthanasia in Illinois and finding

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jennifer lezan - veguilla

eic & creative dir. @halfstackmag

kate roth

mariana biagi

co-founder

co-founder

PHOTOGRAPHY

DIGITAL TEAM

dwight bejec

director of comm.

& social media strategy

P erry F ish lead photographer

cheyenne hendricks

blogger & writer

alluringchicago.com

aimee jeane elizabeth

lead photographer visual stimulus

HALFSTACK DIGITAL

meet the

teresa espinoza

fashion editor & blogger

cora vasseur

special features digital editor

team rob samuelson

special features digital editor

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thom olson

culture & lifestyle digital editor

KALI KOLLER Graphic Designer

SAMMY SITHIPONG Graphic Designer

JAMIE L. BREEDEN Graphic Designer

REGULO ALVARAD

Mens Fashion & Style Editor

DANIELLE PULAK Beauty & Lifestyle Editor

STELLA QUIMBY Fashion & Culture Editor

ANNABEL CARRILLO Graphic Designer TAREQ AL SAUD BRITTANY LOHMANN Astrology & Lifestyle Blogger Health & Fitness Blogger

OLIVIA LEMLEY Fashion & Style Blogger

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BLOGS TO READ

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE GREAT DIGITAL READS FOR FASHION STYLE, DESIGN & LIFESTYLE MUSTS

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BEAUTY IN THE CITY

WRITTEN BY: JENNIFER M. LEZAN

Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in Lincoln Park stands a stoic building that has stood the test of time, with a bit of a modern touch. Surrounded by historical buildings, it is almost as if you are lost in time within the confines of Chicago’s historical district. Once you step inside, you’re swept into a beautiful minimalistic yet rustic setting: White brick walls against beautifully aged and repurposed wood floors. The salon is filled to the brim with sustainable and recycled materials that are eco friendly and energy efficient.

Even the hair coloring, hair and trash get recycled. They use a private company: Green Circle Salons, whose mission is to make the North American salon industry sustainable by 2020. They are doing this in a way that is affordable and achievable and most importantly, impactful. Obviously, Custom Hair Lounge isn’t your typical Chicago Salon & Spa and Nevena Zee and Tania Gilbert aren’t your typical business partners. They are the epitome of girl power and truly have a Cinderella story. They’ve built a salon and team from the ground up that focuses on the customer and takes pride in having a staff of incredibly talented employees.

Nevena is from and studied in Bulgaria prior to making her way to the states. Both of her parents were architects, but when it came to her own career she wanted to go down a creative, interesting and fulfilling path. She started off in modeling, but after some time she yearned for the creative control she witnessed that belonged to the stylists. It was at this time she began beauty school and after 4 years of hard work she landed herself a spot on the National Team in Bulgaria. She went on to become an International All Star for

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American Crew, which is a coveted title at one of the industries fiercest competitions.

She eventually found her way to the states and continued to flourish in her field. It was here in Chicago that fate led her to her business partner Tania Gilbert. They both worked in a salon together on the North Side of Chicago while Tania was attending fashion school while Nevena was in school for business. Nevena was living in Naperville and was going through a divorce. At a time when life seemed to be most difficult she saw an opportunity and pursued it. She was searching for a new place to call home and she yearned for the urban setting she worked in daily, but she wanted to still be surrounded by history and meaning.

She landed in Lincoln Park. In a small space behind a storefront, she found home. This is where Nevena began her home-based salon.

She focused on creating a beautiful space that was inviting, suitable for business and didn’t leave such a huge carbon footprint on mother earth. She was seeing clients in her home, she’d hide her bed and created a lux minimalist feel and her following started to grow. She eventually partnered up with Tania and the duo jumped the gun and took a huge risk to launch a business and never looked back. Years later, they’re still partners and still friends. Nevena dubs Tania the yin to her yang. They complement one another in friendship as well as in business. Where one has a weakness, the other has a strength to build off of and they have helped each other to grow. Nevena always knew she didn’t want to do this alone and Tania was the perfect person to balance this dream for Nevena.

Their sisterly bond and the trust they have built over the years has helped them overcome many of the challenges they face as business partners. Nevena and Tania are both incredibly hard working. It’s inspiring

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there is also John a senior stylist who is a pro at extension, colors and cuts. Then there is Richard, a senior stylist they recruited from New York. His love for advanced coloring and precision hair cutting have built him a loyal clientele, many of whom travel all the way from New York to visit him in Chicago.

There is also probably the fact his vivacious personality keeps people coming back for more. Finally, there is the magical Milena – the salon & shampoo assistant. She has hands from God. This spunky young thing gives the most amazing deep scalp massages.

It was like receiving a spa service prior to getting a hair cut and style. She also is quite knowledgeable on the products she is using and takes the time to explain what each one is and how it will help ones hair.

What was most encouraging about Custom Hair Lounge is the variety of people walking through the doors; young and old alike sitting down for custom services and being treated with the utmost respect. When asked what she was most proud about her team, Nevena explained that she loved, “the fact that everyone is so creative and comes with a wide variety of skills and is able to pitch in from every angle of the job, but they still put the customer first and don’t get blinded by their personal vision.” Senior stylist, Richard, chimed in an explained that, “typically people come in with an idea of a style and we are here to help them realize whether or not that style can work for them and offer it to them in a way that is customizable to their personal needs.” Rather than focusing on their creative vision and pushing that on clients, they assess the client’s needs and find a way to make it work for them, which often times takes a lot of creativity in of itself. This is quite evident as last year the salon was voted as best hair coloring in Chicago 2013 by City Search and Google+!

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Yet, it is important to Nevena for her team to be able to creatively express themselves outside of the confines of the clients needs.

With this in mind, the team completes custom trend challenges throughout the year.

They concept out an idea for a photo shoot and style it, do hair and makeup and finalize it into a trend look book that they can share with their clients. This allows them to go outside of their comfort zone and push the limits. Nevena and the team are also constantly collaborating with local Chicago creatives and international talent than run the gamut from designers such as Borris Powell all the way to EDM musicians. She explains that, “supporting each other and our creativity is important to our growth and success.” This is such an important aspect of the Chicago industry in general. Rather than segmenting off, it’s the innovative business owners who connect and are able to grow from it. It’s this type of mentality that broadens the perspective of business owners and keeps them relevant. Nevena and Tania both understand the need to expand and grow. Tania put it best, “I get bored if I’m not doing something.

So, I have the skillset as an MUA and we saw a great opportunity to offer on location services for shoots and really grow our bridal side of the business.” This team isn’t putting all their eggs in one basket and has plenty of side projects in the works that compliment their salon.

When talking trends, Nevena shared some of the hottest in hair and some faux pas to stay away from this year. With Global experience, she has seen it all. She explains, “I’m a huge fan of the pastel colors, they can be classy and cool when they are done right, but when they are overly done or too flashy they look so tacky!” She’s also has a love of “natural looking styles, things that are complementing to the skin and style of the person because it can really make a huge difference.”

RICHARD

TANIA

NEVENA ALENA

MILENA

JENNIFER

SERGIO

The team consists of Nevena and Tania who act as Co-Artistic Directors, Ina their aesthetician who is consistently booked, Jennifer their senior stylist who specializes in modern cuts for women, Reanne a stylist who is a genius with keratin treatments, Alena another stylist who loves to stay up to date on runway trends and translate them into beautiful wearable looks. Angel is the 3rd stylist on staff who is incredibly versatile; when Halfstack visited he was working with a variety of clients that ranged from a 2 year old to hot 20 something’s. Juan is a senior stylist who is known for his natural feminine cuts,

ANGEL

This family feel is engrained in their staff.

Nevena states that, “the team is so well grounded, there’s not much of that typical drama you often hear of.” When you visit the salon, egos are checked at the door. It is a welcoming and inviting space and the people at once make you feel at home. There is no snooty receptionist looking at you like you don’t belong. Rather, there is Sergio, a sweet faced charmer who is ready to help at a moments noticed. Yet, he is not your typical service coordinator, he is a product expert who is there to not just upsell you, but provide you with products that will help ensure you can recreate your salon style at home. It is a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate about what they do.

MEET SOME

INA

to see two women working so diligently to make the American dream happen. Tania has found a way to balance being a business owner and mother to her 9 year old son that works for her and still allows her to follow her dreams. Nevena started with just a small apartment to work out of and now they own the building the salon is in outright. 7 years of hard work has truly paid off for these creative entrepreneurs.

OF THE TEAM

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Nevena also highlights that, “Long bobs are definitely the trend right now along with texture and beautiful velvety colors like burgundy and interesting shades of violet and red.”

With the guys, “you are very classic looks, beard and crew cuts that have a definite throwback feel, but it is important for guys to be able to maintain them!” These trends are really showcasing how people in the US are becoming less scared about experimenting with their hair. Coming from Europe, Nevena can see the challenge US clients pose when experimenting with hair, but over the years people have evolved their look; especially here in the Midwest.

When it comes to color the team steers away from the toxic chemicals typically used in salon settings by using top of the line, natural products. As stylists, the team makes it a point to try everything that is in the salon.

This way, they better understand the features and benefits of the product and can make much better suggestions to their clients.

Neuma is one of her favorites due to the sustainability factor. The brand was founded with beauty, health and sustainability at its heart – Their philosophy is simple. NEUMA believes that professional performance hair care, health and sustainability need not be mutually exclusive. For the guy clients, she always suggests American Crew, but explains that suggestions are always based on the needs of the clients.

is so important to people in the beauty industry as it is always in flux. Many young stylists do a lot of learning on the job as an apprentice, but they need to continue to gain knowledge year after year in order to stay relevant.

When asked for what kind of advice she would offer young people who are entering the field she had the following to say: “Be persistent. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Learn from everyone around you. Don’t give up. Try to be dedicated and try to be your best self. You also have to be willing to put pride aside sometimes. This is an industry based on people and you have to learn to understand those people and give a lot of yourself to those people. It’s a lifestyle; it’s not just a job or a way to make quick money. You won’t be successful if that’s the mindset you are in. Finally, be self-responsible. I think that is the most important thing. In a profession where we can go anywhere and be free, it requires a lot of responsibility on our part to take action and take charge of our consequences rather than blaming our faults on others. Self-disciple is crucial to get to where you want to be.”

You can learn more about the salon and book services at: www.customhairlounge.com

They differentiate themselves as a salon by offering each client a special plan that includes services and products that works for them. They’re not just about making the sale, but actually helping the client have the healthiest hair possible. Another way the salon sets itself apart is by focusing on specialty cuts and interior hair cutting. Basically, it helps give your hair extra body and weight without having to chop the hair on the outside. As a stylist, Nevena truly believes in continued education. Being a lifelong learner

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As the holidays approach many businesses and organizations add to their everyday activities by promoting charitable events and the health and wellness industry are no different. There are food drives, coat donations, and wish lists to fill at many local gyms and studios. However, there is one local Chicago organization that promotes health and wellness as well as charitable acts all year long – Live to Support.

ABOUT LIVE TO SUPPORT Live to Support [LTS], founded in 2010, is a Chicago-based organization that seeks to raise awareness and funds for local charities through sports and social events.

The organization was founded on the idea that young professionals are key to building a better city and that a better Chicago can be built around an active lifestyle, particularly sporting and social events.

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LTS uses sports as a means to create a sense of community, one that brings individuals from different ethnicities, genders, backgrounds together to participate for a common goal; however, where LTS differs from regular sports teams is that each individual community works together to achieve much more than a win on the playing field – each team plays to create awareness and raise money for the cause of their choice.

WHO THEY ARE & THE STORY It was July of 2010, Mark Biery and Chris DuCharme were following the World Cup. As tournament brought together men and women from across oceans, from different nationalities, and different ways of life, not only did the competition unfold but an idea as well – an idea to use competition and sport, not on a global scale

A Look at Live to Support

WRITTEN BY: BRITTANY LOHMANN

but rather a local one, to bring together the people of Chicago.

Little did they know how their idea would grow and expand in the coming years.

Biery and DuCharme co-founded Live to Support with the idea to bring young professionals together as a way to promote healthy living through competition as well as build a better community. The idea was to use participant registration fees as a way to create awareness and give to local charities rather than provide participants with another t-shirt or medal. While soccer may have been a part of the group’s inspiration, LTS has expanded its borders to include sports leagues including kickball, soccer, volleyball, dodgeball, softball, and flag football to draw in its participants.

In the past four years, LTS has had over 5,000 people, from all

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“

walks of life, participate in their events to create a better Chicago, and as the group moves forward into its fifth year, they are continuing to grow their organization as well as the opportunities they offer to the public. Opportunities include special tournaments such as the 5th Annual Coed 8 versus 8 Flag-Football Tournament and the 2014 Turkey Tourney, a 5 versus 5-person coed soccer tournament, as well as sports-related social events.

As a result of their growth, Biery and DuCharme’s organization has become more than a two-man team. The LTS group has become a partnership of eight different individuals that assist with everything from public relations to league management and charity partnership coordination to ensure that all registered participants are guaranteed a good time.

HOW IT WORKS As previously mentioned, Live to Support uses individual and team sign-up fees as a way to raise money and awareness for different non-profit organizations in Chicago. How it works is that upon registration, a list of local charities is provided. The registrant then chooses from the given list or is able to write in a charity of his or her choice, if the one desired is not provided.

The amount that is donated to each organization varies depending on the given league or event; it could range from as little to 5-100%, with 7% being the average donation percentage. However, whatever team wins the tournament and/ or league a minimum of $250 is given

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to the charity of the individual team’s choice. With multiple sports leagues running at a time and registration fees ranging anywhere from $250-650, the amount that goes towards charity quickly adds up. In fact, since 2010, Live to Support has raised $141,500.00 for local and national charities and hoping to reach their goal of $150,000 by the end of this year.

WHO THEY SUPPORT While all participants have the option to choose the charity of their choice, Live to Support has established a number of partnerships with 22 Chicagoland organizations, ranging from cancer awareness to childhood literacy to charter schools to youth sports. While each organization and cause is worthwhile in their own right, here are some examples of the diverse issues that Live to Support backs: •Access Living. Established in 1980, Access Living is dedicated to assisting disabled Chicagoland residents lead independent and full lives.

•Autism Speaks Chicago to Young Professionals [AS2YP] . This chapter of Autism Speaks creates awareness, raises funds and promotes active participation in the autistic community.

•Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is a mentoring program that matches adult volunteers (“Bigs”) with children (“Littles”) as a way of creating a meaningful, positive relationship for

at-risk youth.

•PAWS Chicago. PAWS [Pets Worth Saving] Chicago is a large no-kill humane organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals. The group works to educate the public on animal cruelty and care as well as find homes for dogs and cats through adoption.

•Renaissance Social Services, Inc. Dedicated to ending homelessness, the Renaissance Social Services uses education, prevention, housing, and other supportive services to assist the homeless in the Chicago area.

With 22 notable causes to choose from, as well as the option to enter the charity or non-profit organization of one’s choice, it is no wonder that Live to Support has continued to thrive and grow in the past four years.

GIVE BACK Live to Support provides young Chicago professionals with the opportunity to stay active, meet others, and give back to its community through its various sports leagues and events. It emphasizes and promotes the idea that philanthropy and creating awareness for a vast array of causes as something that is yearlong and never-ending rather than a seasonal event. The organization is a positive influence for all of those involved and has made a positive impact on Chicago and its residents.

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Little did they know how their idea would grow and expand in the coming years.

VISIT ONLINE! http://www.livetosupport.com 39

Midnight Movie Escapades

MUSIC BOX:

Photos & Written by: Rob Samuelson

My heart sinks as I approach the Music Box. The line is wrapped around the block. It’s populated by hundreds of people, but most visible are the scantily clad men, uncomfortable in their one-night-only costumes. There is a lot of fidgeting and even more visible breath escaping their mouths.

They’re dedicated, I’ll give them that.

But they’re dedicated to the wrong thing. You see, these guys are in line, bearing the early November winds, wearing lingerie and platform heels, rouge and lipstick, waiting for the annual post-Halloween midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For all that effort, they get a movie, and a viewing experience, almost solely dedicated to making fun of something bad. “The Time Warp” is an okay song, but otherwise I don’t see how anyone gets any positive enjoyment out of it. It’s all about feeling superior to something, a way to feel smart while dressing silly.

Or maybe I’m just overreacting from the time I was talked into doing the Rocky Horror thing in college. It was a cold, miserable evening spent dealing with eyelash makeup getting stuck in my eye. And now a bunch of people are between me and buying my ticket for the Music Box’s other, vastly superior midnight offering, John Carpenter’s Halloween.

But I guess that’s what midnight moviegoing is: a bunch of off kilter peo-

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ple coming together to celebrate films that typically find themselves occupying a space beyond the classic critical constraints of “good” or “bad.” These are moments you must experience as a whole, like riding your first roller coaster or eating a jar of jalapeños on a dare – parts of it might not be so great, but as a whole it’s a pretty cool thing. These are the gatherings for people who love throwing spoons at the screen during showings of The Room, have their earlobes assaulted by Divine in Female Trouble, and take copious amounts of hallucinogens before watching the adventures of a cowboy and his naked son in El Topo. And it’s places like the Music Box that allow for these assemblies, providing a venue of incalculable value for people who want to let loose and get weird for a few hours late at night.

And tonight, these Rocky Horror people are pumped. There’s even a guy wandering the crowd doing his best hype man impression to help the queuing people get into even more of a tizzy. I ask him if there’s a separate line for Halloween,

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and being the shrewd businessman he is – he’s part of the hired Rocky Horror troupe, not a Music Box employee – he spreads disinformation about a competitor. In short, he yells at me and tells me I’m dumb for suggesting someone would want to do something that is not seeing Rocky Horror Picture Show. I see I will get nowhere with this guy, so I jump out of the line, push open the door and sheepishly ask the ticket taker if Halloween is indeed showing tonight, as per the website’s advertisement. Again I am looked at with confusion.

“Yes? Do you want to buy a ticket?” she says.

“Oh, yes, thank you very much,” I say, fumbling for my debit card.

She dispenses my ticket and I head back outside to listen in to the conversations of the excited people in drag. They’re buzzing, some are (badly) singing the movie’s songs, others are saving their energy for the show itself by talking about everyday life, including one dull explanation of a

restaurant’s menu. There are some real goofballs in the bunch, the type of film nerds I can appreciate. They are chomping at the bit for the experience of celluloid projected at 24 frames per second, no matter what tripe is being shown. And when the doors are opened, they eagerly stampede in with the rest of the crowd.

As I wander toward the smaller second theater, I’m a little bit sad – but not too sad – I’m missing out on such an exuberant film-going experience in exchange for a more staid, if still plenty appreciative, one with Halloween. And I can’t thank the Music Box enough for shepherding both experiences on the regular, letting nerds like me take in some weirdness at the witching hour, something I will never stop doing.

These are moments you must experience as a whole, like riding your first roller coaster or eating a jar of jalapeños on a dare – parts of it might not be so great, but as a whole it’s a pretty cool thing.

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Top 10 A AquAlung

10 Futures 1/19/2015 Following the four-year wait since his sixth studio album in 2010, Aqualung has announced up upcoming release of ‘10 Futures’, set to be released on the 19th January, 2015. Aqualung is best known for his song, ‘Strange and Beautiful’ which became a top 10 hit in the UK.

Belle & SeBAStiAn

Girls in Peacetime want to dance 1/20/2015 Belle and Sebastian have announced a new album called Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, which follows 2010’s Write About Love and last year’s rarities collection The Third Eye Centre.

ne-Yo

Non-Fiction 1/20/2015 The last time we heard from Ne-Yo was on Valentines Day when he released his 3-song EP 3 Simple Rules. Ever since then, the R&B crooner has flown quietly under the radar and been busy working on his 6th studio album titled Non Fiction.

So far it looks like the date will be sticking, fingers crossed!

the DecemBriStS

What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World 1/20/2015 What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World serves as The Decemberists’ seventh studio album and the follow-up to 2011′s The King Is Dead.

chArli XcX

Sucker 1/26/2015 Charli XCX has announced her new album, the follow up to last year’s True Romance. It’s called Sucker. Obviously, it’s about not giving a fuck.”

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ALBUMS DiAnA KrAll

Wallflower 2/3/2015 Multi-Grammy award winning singer Diana Krall will be releasing her new album Wallflower.

Wallflower includes her own reinterpretations of songs that have inspired her since the late 1960s in what is the first new studio recording from the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer since she released Glad Rag Doll in October 2012.

BADBADnotgooD & ghoStfAce KillAh

Sour Soul 2/17/2015 Toronto jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD have announced a new album called Sour Soul that features Ghostface Killah on every song. It’ll be out February 17

ScreAming femAleS

Rose Mountain 2/23/2015 Screaming Females will release their sixth studio album, Rose Mountain, on February 24th via Don Giovanni Records. Serving as the follow-up to 2012’s Ugly, as well as this year’s Live at the Hideout.

KiD rocK

First Kiss 2/24/2015 Kid Rock is plotting a big 2015, as he has just announced that his upcoming album, ‘First Kiss,’ is set to be released on Feb. 24, with an extensive summer tour to follow.

noel gAllAgher’S high flYing BirDS

Chasing Yesterday 3/2/2015 Noel Gallagher has announced his new solo album as High Flying Birds. Entitled Chasing Yesterday, it’s due out on March 2nd via Sour Mash Records and marks the first to be written as well as produced by the Oasis frontman.

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W I N T E R

Zeds Dead Aragon Ballroom Wednesday 12/31/2014 Prepare yourself for Zed’s Dead New Year’s Eve Run - They will be making their way to the Aaragon Ballroom, which makes for a perfect storm of college-aged people who are looking for a place to get wasted and jump around to the kind of music that their parents “don’t understand.” Don’t plan anything for the day after, a few hrs of dancing will take its toll.

Andrew W.K. Thalia Hall Wednesday 12/31/2014 Andrew W.K.’s New Year’s Eve concert is going to be the party of the year! Andrew and his band will ring in 2015 in Chicago by spreading feelings of pure joy, total love, endless freedom, and infinite possibility. It’s the perfect way to start the new year, wouldn’t you say?

Local H The Cubby Bear Wednesday 12/31/2014 Chicago band Local H is known for their face-melting, gut-quaking live shows and for creating a catalogue of consistently clever concept albums and compelling cover songs over the past two decades - Join Local H New Years Eve Show with Workout Music at the Cubby Bear!

Buddy Guy Buddy Guy’s Legends Friday 1/2/2015 Although a tourist trap, it’s ok because the food and music more than make up for it. Watch Buddy Guy at Buddy Guy’s Legends and enjoy the opportunity to see a living legend.

Pat Benatar United Center Wednesday 1/21/2015 Join Pat Benatar at the United Center this January 21st, and be ready to relive those childhood memories, or make new ones as you listen to this gifted siren belt out her hits!

Seether and Papa Roach Riviera Theatre Sunday 1/25/2015 Rock titans SEETHER and PAPA ROACH will be coming to the Riviera Theatre on Sunday January 25th. Prepare for an awesome show filled with some new music!

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C O N C E R T S

Cold War Kids Riviera Theatre Saturday 1/31/2015 Come to the Riviera Theatre on Saturday January 31st and join the Cold War Kids as they play some new music, and old music to quench that indie rock sound.

Billy Idol Riviera Theatre Saturday 2/7/2015 One of the most recognized names from the 1980′s new wave of rock will be coming to the Riviera Theatre February 7th! Join Billy Idol and rock the night out to old and new hits in what will most likely be a sold out show!

G.Love & Special Sauce House of Blues Friday 2/13/2015 G. Love & Special Sauce brings his bluesy,hip hop fair to the House of Blues on Friday February 13th - Definitely not a show to miss!

Fleetwood Mac Allstate Arena Saturday 2/14/2015 Be ready to be taken to paradise, as a Fully intact Fleetwood Mac will be coming to the Allstate Arena on February 14th!

10,000 Maniacs City Winery Saturday 2/14/2015 One of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last three decades, will be coming to City Winery on Saturday February 14th - A Great Valentine’s Day treat!

Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull Allstate Arena Friday 2/20/2015 One of the biggest tours of the year -- headlined by Latin pop crooner Enrique Iglesias and rapper Pitbull will be coming to Allstate Arena Friday February 20th - Don’t miss out on this!

Big Head Todd & The Monsters House of Blues Friday 2/27/2015 Big Head Todd & The Monsters will be at the House of Blues Friday February 27th.

Prepare yourself for a forceful live versions of familiar tunes, songs laced with plaintive vocals and driving guitar solos that made the band a favorite of college radio stations in the jam-band heyday of the 1990s

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C

Hustlin’ for Green Juice: DJ Cavem Uses Hip Hop to Reach Youth WRITTEN BY: CORA VASSEUR

Middle school students are rapt with attention. At the front of the classroom is a young man with a boom box … and a blender. This is Ietef Vita, better known as DJ Cavem. He’s an O.G., an organic gardener, there with some fresh beats (and beets) for the kids so they can change their lives. They talk about heady stuff for middle schoolers; not just the need for green jobs and installing solar panels, but the need to redesign food, geothermal energy, and environmental auditing. He reaches them through hip hop.

“You need a little swagger with these kids,” he says. “This genre creates lots of gangstas; why not gardeners?”

Hailing from the Five Points Denver area, Cavem is a Green for All Fellow, an award-winning activist, and founder of the Brown Suga Youth Festival. A vegan since he was 15, he has “harvested” three albums: Deep Rokc, The Teacher’s Lounge, and The Produce Section. He has performed locally, nationally, and internationally, and with artists including Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Les Nubians, K’naan, and Gil Scott-Heron.

When DJ Cavem saw obesity and diabetes taking over his community, he turned his art and passion into activism.

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“Kids have to take care of themselves to be fresh and fly,” he said. “I hope they see food as medicine.”

Cavem’s community and health consciousness started at a young age.

When he was four, he planted his first crop—two apricot trees. He comes from a family of share croppers. His grandfather worked on a plantation, was involved in the Black Panther Party, and was active in the arts and jazz community. Cavem’s mother, Ashana Ekundayo, is a poet and community activist. He attributes first learning to be “hip, fly, and jazzy” from her as well as being connected to his roots.

His father was a photographer and musician and would try to make Cavem laugh to ease the pain and tension of poverty. He continues the technique with his two daughters.

“My daughters are like, ‘Daddy, I’m hungry.’ I’m like, ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Itef.’

My dad used to do that. We’d be standing at the bus stop, and he would try to make us laugh about it. But, like, you know what I’m saying, that ain’t funny, man.” But as the late Joan Rivers said, “Life is very tough. If you don’t laugh, it’s tough.”

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“

Attendees of his workshops are planting their own food, visiting farmers markets, and making green smoothies.

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It was a challenging road to become the artist he is today.

“Growing up, you forgot who you are as a young person, not really having access. I remember the first case I ever got; I stole some shoes from Mervyns, man,” he said. “Stole some shoes, because I had holes in my shoes. Being from the east side, living with that poverty, that’s real, man.”

He went through several transformations which took him through several styles of music, including punk and Rasta. While his journey may have bounced him around, he has arrived on his path and his journey only makes him more relatable and accessible to his audience. He shows lifestyle is a choice. He now has a laser-focused singular vision some around him have described as evangelical.

On top of rapping, producing, and performing, DJ Cavem teaches “Going Green, Going Bling”, a series of holistic health workshops explaining the importance of green jobs and sustainability. He gets kids involved through hip hop culture and teaches them the true acronym for hip hop, which is: Higher Inner Peace, Helping Other People. He tells the students we as a people need to heal our minds so we can provide for each other.

break dancing to defeat obesity, writing lyrics and creating graffiti to start conversations. If you want to communicate with people, you need to use their language and something that will resonate with them. DJ Cavem’s methods are working.

In an interview for Green for All, a young woman explains she likes his class because they’re not lectures. She can understand what he’s talking about and how it affects her. One former student is selling the vegetables they grow.

Attendees of his workshops are planting their own food, visiting farmers markets, and making green smoothies.

“Making the juice themselves takes away the ‘gross’ factor,” he says. “They end up writing down the recipe.”

The theatre adage goes, “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” Or use hip hop delivered by an impassioned rapper who believes the music is the message and the message is the music.

DJ Cavem is about art activism, using art as a means to get the message across. He encourages

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DONORS CHOO

By: Cora Vasseur Charles Best was a history teacher in Bronx, New York. He wanted his students to read Little House on the Prairie for a project, but couldn’t afford the books.

He Xeroxed off chapters of the book at 5 am. In the teachers’ lounge, he heard other teachers discuss books they wanted their kids to read, projects that would help them understand a point so much better, but they were unable to do this because the budget didn’t allow it.

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OSE “combines the efficiency of data mining with the intimacy of a neighborhood. You know exactly who you’re helping and how. It’s the friendliest site on the web.” -Stephen Colbert

In 2000, Best created DonorsChoose.com, a website where teachers can post project requests and anyone can help fund them. Having success funding projects for classroom supplies, he contacted journalists, foundations and philanthropists. Most hung up on him. He kept going and proved you need one yes to create an avalanche. According to Fast Company, Best now receives over five hundred thank you notes a day. What started as crowd funding for teachers is instigating change in public school systems.

Data is one of the website’s greatest strengths.

Best prides his website on its transparency, very willing to show figures because it will lead to a change in the system. Numbers also appeal to donors, investors and advocates like Stephen Colbert who says the website “combines the efficiency of data mining with the intimacy of a neighborhood. You know exactly who you’re helping and how. It’s the friendliest site on the web.”

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Illinois had

31,654 projects funded with

2,772 schools participating.

There are 40,808 projects to choose from.

The website estimates a teacher uses $458 of their own money for the classroom. Eighty one percent of schools are in high poverty areas.

You can donate any amount, but the average donation is $55. A project can be posted up to four months, but teachers can set deadlines to be reached earlier. On average it takes twenty seven days to meet a goal.

You can look up statistics by state, but not yet by city. Illinois had 31,654 projects funded with 2,772 schools participating. Donors can select projects by several factors including subject, location, and student age.

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Donors Choose takes these requests very seriously and vets each project. They ship directly to the school.

They request photos of the project being completed and request a cost report, spelling out how each dollar was used.

Perusing the projects on your own shows you the great range of requests and how they will be used, from additive “Wouldn’t this be great?” projects to bare essentials some schools do not have, but teachers are expected to forge ahead. Some ask for iPads and tablets because technology is the future and kids need to learn

how to use them. Some ask for iPads because they’re a special needs classroom and some of the students have communication challenges.

The state hasn’t provided help, the family cannot afford a voice pad, but the child needs to learn how to communicate with their peers, much less the world.

Some projects are fun, experience projects like “What was it like to write the Declaration of Independence?” and asking for quill pens and aged paper. Many schools are asking for paper and pencils, not for copiers or fun art projects, because they do not have these supplies. The families they work with cannot

afford to help. The teachers would like to teach the elementary students to write, but they need something for them to write on and write with.

Another classroom is asking for books to read.

Something had to give during budget cuts and books were it.

Best and Donors Choose shows a reality some people cannot understand or believe exists.

While many people have ideas how to reshape the public school system and education, Best told Fast Company he represents a third way to reform the system.

“We are going to create a platform that says

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very explicitly what it is that teachers experience in their classrooms,” said Best. “And donors from either side of the debate—or any part of the political spectrum—can decide whether they want to fund it or agitate to change the underlying conditions that created it.”

Best is creating the change he’d like to see in the world. What started small, helping local teacher receive school supplies, is now a national cause, exposing truths and creating conversations leading to solutions. He showed anyone can make a difference. A former teacher can fund a first year teacher. Bill and Melinda Gates donated 1.5 million dollars. You would think that would alleviate all the classroom needs, but projects are still up.

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Bill and Melinda Gates donated 1.5 million dollars.

HALFSTACK MAGAZINE

Now accepting submissions!

Send all brand pitches, literary submissions, article submissions, music submissions and products for review to halfstackmagazine@gmail.com. To submit a letter to the editor please email Jennifer@halfstackmag.com.

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Finding Yourself in a Upwardly Global World Written by: Thom Olson

Picture it: You are on your way to work. Walking out your front door, you step over a couple of dead bodies from the night before and you get in your car. You hang a right at the corner. Ooops! An explosion takes out the road and you make a left instead. After meandering around to get your original trajectory back, you get to work… but only after hearing the detonation of eight other car bombs. You get to work only to find the hospital where you work has been hit by a missile. Or the shop where you work is closed as it is in a combat zone. Perhaps the company you work for now has a hole ripped in the side of the building or maybe there is no building left at all. Are you playing a Transformers game on your Wii? Are you watching the latest installment of the Hunger Games movie? No. Unfortunately, this is reality. This is all real. You are not Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jennifer Lawrence is not your alter ego and you are not trying to save the world from destruction. You are trying to feed your family. You are trying to live or send your son/daughter to school. You are trying to have a life and not loose it all as you go to work. This is the reality of many and it hits closer to home than you think.

New thought. So, you are on the way to the mall. You hail a cab and you get in.

The guy in the front seat driving is noticeably tired. He has been working a 14hour shift for 5 days straight. He is personable and chatty as you are the kindest person he has met today. You start a conversation and you find out he is not from here. He has been here for six years from say…. India, Iraq, Serbia, Afganistan.

Pick a spot. They currently all have strife. In the conversation, you find he is from say… Bosnia and he was an electrical engineer or architect there, but now is driving a cab. Welcome to his reality.

It is the reality of many entering this country. While they may have come to the US legally, they are highly or even extremely educated and want to work and can speak English fluently, but they don’t know how to work the system. It is not unlike the housewife who took time off from work to have a family. She may be off for ten years to raise a family and now wants to start her career again. But what career? That career was a previous lifetime ago. For many coming to the US, they had a career with a lifestyle that was comfortable. They may have been doctors, lawyers or small business owners, but all of that previous life is a memory. That career has been overshadowed by war. These people were lucky to find refuge in

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the US, but changing countries isn’t just a matter of changing a physical location.

A colleague of mine worked in Australia. There she had a manufacturing company making women’s lingerie. She sold it and moved to the UK. There she knocked on the door of Vivienne Westwood… literally. Within a day, she was employed as a designer. When she relocated with her husband to the US, she was fish out of water. She needed a resume? What’s that? She needed a cover letter? She needed to network?

All of these ideas were concepts in establishing a life that were new. Welcome to living as a participant in a world of the Upwardly Global.

Upwardly Global is a non-profit organization

that helps work-authorized, skilled immigrants rebuild their lives and re-establish their careers in the US. They provide professional job searching skills and introduce them to employers. They help reduce the barriers that make it overwhelming for immigrants to get back to living a full life. Sometimes these barriers are small -- as little as an introduction or assistance in knowing the licensing requirements in a new country or state. Other times the barriers are nothing more than assisting with the “how” of job hunting and walking the new immigrant through the process of the job-hunt. Other times, the process is more involved and cultural issues need to be addressed. “So many cultures have cultural barriers that inhibit them from asking for connections. They see asking for a

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contact as asking for a handout or to ask someone for a reference or feedback after an interview as being demeaning.” Says Allie Levinsky, Program Manager at Chicago branch of Upwardly Global. She has seen it many times over. As an advocate that helps new immigrants find jobs, she sees how they shoot themselves in the foot without even knowing why.

She continues, “ For example: Eye contact. This is important during an interview. Many immigrants do not look someone in the eye during an interview because this is the custom in their home country. They actively don’t seek eye contact. In the US, eye contact is essential in an interview.” Or better yet, there are other cultural differences, she explains. “In the US, we talk about ourselves, goals and achievements. That is not something that is done in other countries as it is seen as boastful or arrogant. In the US, we require interviewees to sell themselves into a job. That is not done in other countries. The US is really quite different from the rest of the world when it comes to job hunting. What is required here is a bit of self-understanding in knowing what one brings to a table with respect to a job. It is knowing how one’s capabilities align with an employer’s needs so the perfect fit is made.”

Sometimes it is easier than one thinks to find work. Other times, it is a struggle, as one has to know the ins and outs of licensing procedures.

Many times a career path can be restarted or there may be an interim step, but skills can be transitioned onto a career path so one does not struggle as badly. This story is about rebuilding not starting from scratch. Many enter this country with something to offer, they just don’t know how to sell it or find the need for what they do.

One job at a time.

A small organization – Upwardly Global has branches in four cities; Chicago, New York, San Francisco and just recently Detroit. They work

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to jumpstart a career path for those that had one. It is not so much about starting out fresh, as it is about taking what you have and making it available to the world. This way you can show others the beauty in what you bring to the table. Working with Upwardly Global involves three steps. The first is a simple pre-training meeting that allows individuals to learn more about the organization and register for training.

For a person to work with Upwardly Global, they have to meet a few simple requirements.

First, they must have a green card or have refugee/asylee status. This is not about finding illegal aliens a job. This is about finding professional individuals who have newly arrived and are legal an opportunity to work in the in the US. Thus, pushing them a step in the right direction.

They must have a bachelor’s degree or higher and have worked at least two years outside the US. In other words, they need to have worked.

This is also not about finding students work who have just come here. Or tooling up recent exchange students as a way to stay here. The new immigrant needs to possess computer skills and have an intermediate language skills set in English. They need to be highly motivated and able to participate with the one-on-one or on-line training. They need to have lived in the US for less than 5 years and not worked in their field here. This is key in terms of how things work in the US. I will explain this later.

The second part is the training. During this process, immigrants gain the tools of resume writing, composing a cover letter that is effective in introducing their skills in the US style format. They learn skills on how to network and interview. This second phase is more of the nuts and bolts part of the training. This part has an online component so it can be done anywhere. Here at the Chicago location, classes are now held online so people can incorporate it more on their own schedule and don’t have to come to a location for classes.

Upon completing the second component, the real work begins. This is the post training and coaching. This is more hands-on and one-onone. There are a series of mock interviewers.

These can be part of an intensive 3-hour workshop on interviews. The goal is to make the job seeker not only comfortable, but also confident in selling themselves and their skills. People in the program get a mentor to help them facilitate introductions and build contacts. These mentors are the coaches. Sometimes the mentoring is directly and at other times by phone.

They talk the person through interview questions and help to breed confidence.

They get the individuals to sell themselves and not be shy about how to navigate the system.

This is like a coach in a football game. The person must be able to complete the pass to win.

Sometimes they kick the ball over the goal post at the first attempt, other times, it is a bit more arduous. It can take a lot more coaching to get the right answer out of the person. When they get it, they have internalized it and truly believe it. It is genuine as it is coming from within.

Upwardly Global is not a placement agency nor do they guarantee job placement. They rely on supportive funders and sponsors that provide them grants and donations. This allows them to offer their services to potential job seekers for free. In return, they expect full commitment when the individual decides to enter the program. Success in the program relies on the dedication of the individual and their motivation. In short, they have to want it. Upwardly Global is small and grass roots. It started in 2000 by Jane Leu in San Francisco.

The story is simple and small. As an Assistant Director in the refugee resettlement field, Jane Leu toured a New York poultry production plant that was considered a model employer for refugees. The owner introduced Jane to two of his best employees: a former engineer from

Iraq and a surgeon from Bosnia. Disheartened by this waste of human potential, Jane launched Upwardly Global in 1999 from her kitchen table and began equipping skilled immigrants and refugees with the tools they needed to rebuild their professional careers and contribute their talents to U.S. employers. In 2002, she received her first grant from the Three Guineas Fund (then the Draper Richards Foundation).

This was a fund that was set up to promote social equality by expanding access to economic opportunity for women and girls. Catherine Muther, a former senior marketing officer of Cisco, invested some seed cash into Upwardly Global and they were really off and running.

In 2006, Upwardly Global opened an office in New York’s metropolitan area. In 2009, at the worst possible time in the job scenario world, they opened their doors in Chicago. “When the Chicago office opened, we were able to help find placement for about 25 people that year. It was tough going.” In 2010 and 2011, they were able to help over 560 people nation wide in the three cities. This year upcoming, they project to help over 250 in the Chicago office alone. Keep in mind – this is a voluntary organization.

Three Scenarios or Possibilities.

So, what are the scenarios for new folks that come to the US? The thought is that once one gets here, it should be smooth sailing. Right?

Ahem... No. Many times, the outlook can be a bit grim. Here is what typically happens to refugees who come into our borders. They typically fall into one of three buckets right from the start. Keep in mind, you are on a time clock just like in a Transformers game. The longer they are here and not in their chosen profession, the harder it is to get into their field. The walls start to close in on you and you are trapped.

Job-hunting is a lot like dating. It’s easier when you are younger, but much harder to accomplish the same task if you are older. If you are over 50, the task of job hunting is much like finding the ideal mate. Good luck with that task when you are no longer young and cute. In the

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US, we are much more of a youth oriented culture. It feels almost impossible on many levels.

So lets take a closer look.

Scenario 1 The first scenario that new immigrants fall into is falling prey to bad advice. Many think they can’t transition their skill set to a new work environment. This is not always the case. They may need some licensing assistance or perhaps they need to take the plunge at a transitional job while they work to establish licensing in the US, but it is something in their field. An example would be someone who is a medical practitioner who works in a medical office while they take follow-up classes to reestablish a career in their field.

Other times they are told they may need to start from scratch again. They fall victim to college recruiters who sign them up for programs to get a new degree. This causes two problems. It delays their work world entry for what ever time it takes to finish the degree (if they finish) and it saddles these new immigrants with school debt. The US is a country that does not put a value on education being affordable to all. Many countries offer education at much reduced costs or free (even college) while the US keeps that cost extremely high. For profit schools look for people to fill seats as a means of making money. A typical four-year education in the US can be $20K per year without room and board. Keep this cost in the back of your mind, as one is older. Will the return on investment pay when one considers the length of time one is in the workforce?

Older immigrants have a tough time trying to make use of a new education or retraining pay depending on the cost. Young college grads know the meaning of this statement very clearly. Will that entry level job offset the cost of the new education?

Scenario 2 Many fall victim to low wage, low skill jobs just to survive. It becomes a vicious cycle of working long hours for no money. They often work

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two or more jobs, particularly, if they live alone or are the head of a family. These are the engineers and architects that are now driving cabs or being security guards. They are the college professors that are now working in restaurants or as cashiers at the local Seven Eleven. Perhaps they are even working as a nanny. What makes this so difficult, is that the time out of the field grows tremendously as they work odd jobs to make ends meet. It becomes harder to find a job in the field the longer they are out of it. Think of someone in the IT field; technology changes rapidly. A person in IT needs to stay in their field or get in quickly to have their skills remain relevant. The same applies to the medical professional. Besides taking them away from practicing their skills, it is also demoralizing and demotivating.

Now, the fight doesn’t become one about not having the right skill set as it is about finding the mental energy to tackle a job hunt after working 14 hours a day for six or seven days a week for more than 5 years. It becomes a completely different struggle. If there are health issues involved or an accident happens, that struggle becomes amplified. Finding a job after working a long day is not something that can be accomplished easily. The motivation and energy needs to be up and positive to sell one’s skills effectively. It is part of Sales 101.

Scenario 3.

In this setting, they do make it out of the work treadmill OK. Had they received some assistance at the beginning, they would have made their goal of getting back into their career much faster. The average timeframe for those with the assistance of Upwardly Global is a lot faster than most, the starting salaries are more than a $35K increase over what they were making a short time prior. After completing the training, it is not about survival at that point as it is about following the path to happiness and contentment. It is not about being on the poverty roster at that point, it is about moving forward.

Currently there are 1.8 million skilled, col-

lege-educated immigrants in the US who are underemployed or unemployed. A survey of 1300 employers across the US identified the 10 hardest jobs to fill in 2012. This included engineers, IT, finance staff and nursing staff. Based on the profiles of Upwardly Global placements, 63% are within the acknowledged shortage areas with the average individual having over 7 years of professional experience. 50% have master’s degrees and have over 10 years of work experience in their focus area. Upwardly Global helps to push them forward. UG works as an advocate for the immigrant professional. It is easier to have help than try to go it alone.

A Global Impact The impact on the individual is astounding. The Upwardly Global benefits means the individual on a five-year average will have generated an additional $175,000 in income over a five-year period. For the employer of this individual, the retention rate is over 90% with 85% being bilingual or multilingual. The benefit to families is significant with 85% of these job seekers providing financial supports to three or more family members. With regard to civic identity, the transition is equally important. Those immigrants who make less than $20,000 are much less likely to apply for citizenship or become integrated into the US’ diverse culture. They fall under the radar after a while or give up. These are the individuals that stay in the shadows or community ghettos. Those making average salaries of $45,000 are much more likely to become full-fledged citizens with the abilities to vote, run for office and become integrated into a community. But the biggest impact of Upwardly Global, 71% of the individual assisted were unemployed and relied on their savings or the government assistance to survive. Within one year of them being in the program, this 71% stepped out of poverty where they were formerly struggling and they did so becoming, at times, middle class or better.

Here’s the pitch Make an impact – and make it Global. Consider this. Volunteer. Help mentor. Help provide

assistance with network building. Sit in on a mock interview and give real feedback to someone who needs help and wants to know how to improve. Know how to sell? Show someone how to sell himself or herself and put their best foot out there. Help them to help themselves and make a difference. Consider making a financial donation. You will find the offices are small and staffed by volunteers. There is not a lot of fluff in their budget and the return on the investment is enormous. If you are lonely, maybe consider being a mentor and a friend.

Meet individuals who just came here looking for the same thing everyone wants… a chance to be free, an opportunity to work and contribute their skills to the community around them.

They want to be Upwardly Global.

THE GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT Mushtaq, an Iraqi with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Baghdad, worked for the Iraqi government before the war in 2002.

After the war he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a project manager to help rebuild his country, until it became too risky to work for the U.S. government or even to remain in Iraq – after being kidnapped and having shots fired at him. He came to the U.S. to “start a new life and be safe with my family,” settling in a suburb of Chicago. Once there, he realized he had no idea how to go about looking for employment in his field. He took several jobs to pay the bills – packing boxes and working as a machine operator. At Upwardly Global, he not only learned how to apply for a job, but also how the interview process works in the U.S. He was surprised by the questions: Unlike in Iraq, where employers asked what you knew or what tasks you could perform, here they asked behavioral questions that had as much to do with personality as with job skills. Ultimately he was successful in obtaining a job as a mechanical. As he’s smilingly puts it, “I have my identity back.

I’ve come back to my career – the one I’ve been devoted to my entire adult life.”

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New Industry Rising Stars “Fashion & Beauty/Advocate”

Bre Islar Entrepreneur/Beauty Blogger/YouTube Phenomena/Lupus Advocate Written by: Stella Estrella-Quimby Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

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ou all might know Bre Islar from her popular YouTube Blog series BreezynFAB (channel is EZ Breezyn Fabulous), but what you might not have known is the fact that she has an autoimmune disorder, Lupus. She recently attended the Lupus walk with Alliance for Lupus Research. Bre has had Lupus since her sophomore year of high school, has been in remission now for 3 years and is ready to share her story.

In May of 2002, when Bre was in high school, she went to the doctor because she wasn’t feeling well. She would complain to her mom that she was swollen; her joints hurt and for weeks would wake up like that. She had unexplainable aches and pains and while her mom tried to alleviate the pain, it just wasn’t working. She went to the doctor that May and took a series of test. It took 8-9 months of testing, which was very vigorous, and it wasn’t until November 2002, that she was diagnosed with Lupus.

During that timeframe, there wasn’t very much research done on autoimmune disorders such as Lupus, but there is a much different story being told today. There are about 1.5 million Americans and about 5 million people worldwide that have Lupus (Lupus Foundation of America). There is more attention put into this disease and there have been more studies conducted to learn more about this disorder. Also, according to the Lupus Foundation of America, 90% of all individuals diagnosed with a form of Lupus are women and usually they develop it between the ages of 15-44, like Bre did.

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Although Bre has been in remission for 3 years now, she felt the need to participate in her first year of doing the lupus walk. Prior to this year, she was afraid of attending due to the fact that she was very empathetic towards others and was afraid of seeing others sick especially when she herself is feeling better. “I felt the need to be there,”Bre stated. She attests her current condition to working out 3-5 times a week. It was this lifestyle change that has helped her out during this remission period and also thanks God. She is a fighter and understands her health is imperative to not only her life, but also the lives of her family members. Her family has been her backbone and now today, it is them she is helping care for along with her sister who also suffers from an autoimmune disorder.

Thankful that she is in remission, Bre has dedicated the last 3 months of her YouTube channel to talking about managing pain, something that she encountered many times while first being diagnosed with Lupus. Many people have reached out to her saying that she has inspired them. It was this type of communication that inspired her to be more public about her challenges with Lupus and to start attending the walks!!

So, what has this inspiring beauty blogger been up to? She is traveling to the East Coast and Southern states, meeting supporters/subscribers and building up her brand and showing other’s makeup tricks (what made her popular). The Lupus walk she participated in Washington DC has past, but the inner fire has been sparked. Now, she is ready to participate in more Lupus events and working with the Alliance for Lupus Research. There is also another big walk she is planning on attending in April for Lupus awareness. Yet, she explains that the most important goal for her is to, “Draw more awareness to this disease and my personal struggles with Lupus,”.

Let’s help her do this and make sure to check out her YouTube Channel, EZ Breezyn Fabulous. While Lupus is a widespread disease, awareness of the disease is still way behind many other illnesses. Bre is ready to tackle that challenge.

To learn more about Bre, visit her YouTube Channel, EZ Breezyn Fabulous and to learn more about Lupus, please visit lupus.org.

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CULTURE SPOTLIGHT

Co-Creators of Wine Riot, Tyler Balliet & Morgan First (photo from Second Glass Website)

WINE RIOT by Second Glass Written by: Stella Estrella-Quimby Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

t’s not every day that one considers a wine fest to be a cultural event in a city, but Wine Riot is not just any wine fest; it is the wine fest that all fests strive to be like. So, what makes Wine Riot stand out from all the rest? Well, first it’s the fact that over 250 wines from across the globe are unleashed under one roof. Wowed yet? Second, Wine Riot has crash courses on wine, temporary tattoos parlor, a photo booth and much more! So, how did this genius idea come about? It is the brainchild of two young geniuses, Tyler Balliet and Morgan First! We had the opportunity to chat with Tyler about his background, how Wine Riot came about and more about wine!!

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Tyler is a fellow Midwesterner, growing up in Wisconsin he had no former wine training that prepared him for this current life endeavor. His biggest immersion in wine training was the fact that he wrote a wine column while living in Boston.

So, how did this idea of Wine Riot come about? “The idea hit me when I was living in Boston and working in a Wine store.” Tyler mentioned that many younger people, the Millennials between the ages of 23-33, were very interested in learning about the wines that were available and trying different types of wine. That’s when it hit him, “This generation is interested in learning about the wines they are drinking and also want to try different wines available, unlike the generations before them who stuck with the brands they knew.” Tyler started with a few small events inside different wine stores and joined forced with co-partner Morgan. They both maxed out their credit cards, borrowed money and Second Glass was born in Boston in 2009.

Tyler wasn’t a newbie when it came to event planning. At the tender age of 16, he had found a passion in music and was already organiz-

ing 600 person music events!

So, his event planning career was already advanced by the time Wine Riot came about. To this day, there has been over 28 Wine Riot events in 6 years.

They have even expanded and now have a Night of Bubbles for all the bubbly wines (ones that I’m crazy about) for those fanatics out there in Chicago, Boston and New York City! You can catch a local Wine Riot in cities such as Washington DC, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York City and a few more have more than 1 Wine Riot event such as here in Chicago!!! Second Glass is

Photo from Second Glass Website

still a smaller company, with a few full time employees, but indeed it is growing as the word spreads about Wine Riot and their other expanding events. Tyler isn’t a novice towards wine anymore either.

For over three years now, he is being flown around the world to try different types of wines and learn about their influences. He also participates in conferences where he speaks about the influential Millennial generation.

When asked about any plans for the expansion of Wine Riot to other countries, Tyler had the following to say “We are talking to a few places in London and Italy, but many countries will not allow it.” “Gosh many states in the U.S won’t allow it” he stated as I literally was left speechless.

Lucky for us here in Chicago, our great city does allow a spectacular event such as Wine Riot to take place. So, for all of you that haven’t tried the awesomeness of Wine Riot, check out their website for upcoming events at secondglass.com and make sure to stop by a local event near you. Tyler attends all the events. So, make sure to say hi to him too!!! Wine, out!

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LOOKS FOR LESS: WINTER 2014 BY: Teresa Espinoza, Fashion & Style Editor

Andy Williams once sang, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”! And he was right! Holiday parties, spending time with family and friends and of course the inevitable first snow fall! Winter trends are also in full force come December. Personally, I love all the layering and versatility that the winter season gives you. There are endless options for styling during the winter. On the women’s end, the warm and cozy blanket cape a la Burberry made my top trends for winter along with many other transition pieces you can still wear into spring. On the men’s side, outerwear is king, more specifically the puffer jacket and even shearling coats. So if you’re fretting over what to gift your family and friends or just what to put on your own shopping list this season, check out these designer looks for less.

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Burberry F/W 2014 RTW

The Blanket Cape

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Blame Burberry and Cara Delevingne for this trend! Once it was spotted on the Burberry runway, it became the “it” piece for the fall/ winter season. Cozy, warm and chic, it’s absolutely perfect for the holiday season!

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1. Contrast Color Basic Poncho Coat, $46.99 @ Choies.com 2. Multi-Stripe Cape, $68.00; @Topshop 3. Two-Tone Poncho, $59.90 @ Zara 4. Blanket Stitch Cape, $68.00 @ Topshop

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Valentino F/W 2014 RTW

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Holiday Red What would the holiday season be without a little red? Red is so luxurious and is an attention grabber! If you’re going to a holiday party, a simple red shift dress is perfect. Want to go for something more unique and unexpected?

Try out a red jumper like the one I found from Zara at only a fraction of the designer price!

1. ASOS Midi Skirt in Scuba with Exposed Elastic, $66.33 @ ASOS.com 2. Jumpsuit with Bow at the Back, $99.90 @ Zara

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3. Elise Ryan Wrap Front Bandeau Dress, $85.28 @ ASOS.com 4. Pointed Toe Two Piece Runway Mule, $79.90 @ Express.com

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Tom Ford F/W 2014 RTW

Sporting It

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Athletic wear as daywear has been a trend that has lingered since the spring and it’s still holding strong. Sweatpants are no longer just gym apparel; they can become extremely chic when paired with a polished jacket. My favorite athletic inspired piece is the sweatshirt. I wear mine with a jersey bodycon skirt and some booties to offset the casual nature of the sweatshirt.

1. Jewel Collar Sweater, $49.90 @ Zara 2. Drawstring Neck Sweatshirt, $49.90 @ Zara 3. Sporty Trousers, $49.90 @ Zara 4. Adidas Originals Track Top with All Over Typo Print, $113.70 @ ASOS.com

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3.1 Phillip Lim F/W 2014 RTW

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Through my Window Pane

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The windowpane print is the close relative of plaid. However, the windowpane print is much cleaner and less fussy.This trend can be worn well through the winter and into the spring season as well. A windowpane coat is a great way to wear the trend during the winter season!

1. Windowpane Print Shift Dress, $19.80 @ Forever21.com 2. Applique Collar Checked Wool Blazer, $99.90 @ Zara

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3. Check Print Jersey Coat, $150.00 @ Topshop 4. Black Check Twist Wrap Blouse, $68.00 @ RiverIsland.com

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Alexander Wang Bucket Bag

Bucket Bags

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The bucket bag has become a classic. It’s beautiful in both design and functionality. I absolutely love mine! While the Alexander Wang version will cost you upwards of $800, my versions can be purchased for as little as $30!

1. Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Wythe Bucket Bag, $190.00 @ Urban Outfitters 2. Faux Leather Bucket bag, $29.90 @ Forever 21 3. Zipped Bucket Bag, $69.90 @ Zara 4. Downing Bucket Bag, $138.00 @ J.Crew

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Givenchy F/W 2014 Menswear

The Statement Sweater

Being a huge fan of sweatshirts, it makes me so excited to have so many options available for men this season. Don’t go for the basic sweatshirt. Instead opt for a sweatshirt that has a little something extra.

A little secret for you all: I shop a lot of my sweatshirts in the men’s section because you guys simply have so many more options available to you! Whether that is a hint of leather or a crazy print, make a statement while still being ultra-comfortable this winter.

1. Zippered Slub Knit Sweatshirt, $19.80 @ Forever 21 2. Soft Denim Sweatshirt, $59.90 @ Zara 3. Feathers Colorblock Pullover Hooded Sweatshirt, $59.00 @ Urban Outfitters 4. Commerce Cross-Neck Pullover Hooded Sweater, $74.00 @ Urban Outfitters

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Puffer While women buy countless new jackets and coats for every occasion, men tend to stick with just a couple, or even one new piece a season. If you’re looking for a new one this season, try a puffer jacket. They were a designer favorite on the menswear runways.

1. Feathers Blocked Puffer Jacket, $149.00 @ Urban Outfitters 2. Herringbone Denim Padded Jacket, 149.00 @ Zara 3. Alpine Goosedown Puffer Jacket, $168.00 @ J.Crew 4. Quilted Jacket, $119.00 @ Zara

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Bottega Veneta F/W 2014 Menswear

Earthly Tones

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The hottest color palette for menswear this winter is based on earth tones. Everything from taupes, browns, greens and khaki were the goto colors in menswear. The best part is that you can combine almost all these colors for a really polished look.

1. Gingham Shirt with Contrasting Details, $59.90 @ Zara 2. Publish Legacy Jogger Pant, $90.00 @ Urban Outfitters 3. Lambswool Three-Pocket Cardigan, $148.00 @ J.Crew

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4. Jacket with Fur Collar, $169.00 @ Zara

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Agi & Same F/W 2014 Menswear

Showing your Stripes

Stripes have always been a classic in menswear.

The trend works both on the casual end as well as the more polished and formal end. That’s what’s so great about stripe prints-- the versatility aspect. If you want to make a strong statement, go for more bold stripes. On the opposite end of the spectrum for a more classic look, go for smaller stripes.

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1. Two-Tone Striped Sweater, $45.90 @ Zara 2. Cotton Knit Tie in Thin Stripe, $59.50 @ J.Crew 3. Stripe Cotton Shawl Cardigan, $128.00 @ J.Crew 4. Vintage Oxford Shirt in Heather Grey Stripe, $79.50 @ J.Crew

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2 Rag & Bone F/W 2014 Menswear

Shear Style

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The hottest color palette for menswear this winter is based on earth tones. Everything from taupes, browns, greens and khaki were the goto colors in menswear. The best part is that you can combine almost all these colors for a really polished look.

1. Your Neighbors B3 Faux Shearling Bomber Jacket, $139.00 @ Urban Outfitters 2. Black Leather Look Shearling Biker Jacket, $160.00 @ RiverIsland.com 3. Faux Shearling Applique Jacket, $159.99 @ Mango.com

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4. Navy Tokyo Laundry Shearling Coat, $140.00 @ RiverIsland.com

WWW.PEACEFORPITS.ORG a Chicago area based registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which functions as a rescue that focuses on finding loving, caring homes for “bully” breeds in need of help. Many of these dogs come from “high kill” facilities across Illinois, arriving there as a stray or unfathomably being surrendered by their so called “owners.” Some of these dogs arrive with severe injuries and other health problems due to neglect and or trauma. Our mission is to save as many of these dogs from euthanasia as possible. We are a 100% volunteer run organization, with every dog living in a wonderful foster home from the day it becomes a part of our rescue until the day they get adopted into an amazing forever home. We do all of this to make sure each dog lives a life of PEACE. 79

It’s Hours

By Teresa Espinoza, Fashion & Style Editor Layout Design By Kate Roth

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nes sense of style is always based on the individual and their lifestyle. But it’s also true that style is influenced by your location. If you live on the West Coast, there’s a better chance that you have an easy going and laid back sense of style. If you live on the East Coast you may have a more sophisticated and all American style. But what about those us in Chicago?

What is Chicago’s signature style?

If there were a boutique that epitomized Chicago’s style it would be one place, Hours.

Hours is edgy, unique, tough and most of all diverse!

Located in the Pilsen neighborhood near Chicago’s South Loop, Hours adds a spark of character to their boutique with their unique “Dream Closet” inspiration.

Hours was brought to our city by the creators of PRSVR, Brandon and Margaret Williamson.

After gaining a big following of celebrity clientele, Brandon and Margaret decided to make Chicago the permanent

home for both Hours and PRSVR. The diversity and tough luxury attitude of Hours makes it the perfect place to Hours is an elevated lifestyle boutique shop in Chicago. Stop by their boutique or their online shop at itshours.com that brings together unique apparel, accessories and luggage for both men for some of the top winter looks this season! and women. They’re the tough end of luxury clothing. Much like Chicago,

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“Hours is an elevated lifestyle boutique that brings together unique apparel, accessories and luggage for both men and women.�

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STATE OF DRESS, STATE OF MIND:

TWILLORY, A BRAND THAT GIVES BACK Written by: Olivia Lemley

Checklist: 1.) Buy a shirt perfect to your style and needs.

2.) Enjoy the philanthropy.

That’s how simple donating can be.

And there’s nothing better than fashion that gives back. Twillory is the latest menswear e-tailor brand of dress shirts. Not only is this new company providing everyday outfits for business men, but they have also joined forces with CareerGear. This partnership began their campaign, RE:PURPOSE.

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This luxury menswear company provides online ordering.

Every Twillory shirt bought online comes with a pre-paid mailer bag upon delivery. The buyer can then send any old dress shirts they would like to donate to CareerGear.

This system is absolutely hassle free. There are no extra shipping and handling costs for the donator to send back a shirt. This process is easy while also leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

CareerGear is committed to helping underprivileged men find jobs. Every donated shirt goes to the homeless, jobless, disaster stricken men out there. Providing professional clothing helps their interview by not only improving their appearance, but also confidence. To assist further, mentoring and life-skills are available to increase their chances of finding gainful employment. This partnership looks to be set for the long-run. Hundreds of shirts have already been donated, and this is only the start.

The founder of Twillory, Asher Weinberger, comes from a non-profit background. He gave a statement that really imprinted in my mind.

“We thought long and hard about our charitable initiative.

We wanted to galvanize our community, and have our customers actively engage in the giving process. It’s one thing when the company donates on your behalf. It’s another when the responsibility is passed along to the purchaser. When two people interact, something good should happen for a third person. That’s what Re:Purpose is all about. It’s so much more meaningful for the Twillory man to pick out an old shirt hanging in the back of his closet that he will never wear again, and know that it is going to a man in need.”

The passion of the company is blatantly shown in this quote. Helping those less fortunate is beautiful and can be done simply.

A refreshing feature has been used. In contrast to other menswear companies, Twillory designs and crafts their very own fabrics. Doing so brings premium quality to the

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brand name while still providing great prices.

Most other clothing companies get their fabric from the few major fabric mills.

For all the men out there, Twillory is a store where you cannot go wrong. There will be no look of disgust when you come home to the special women in your life to show them your latest purchase.

Your fiancĂŠ will not be tempted to run out the door. Your sister will not be afraid to be seen with you. Your mother will not think she raised a crazy man with no sense of style. Twillory contains the loved classics and top styles that are to be shown off. There is a plentiful variety to fit the events of your busy schedules.

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Local Give

Back Wriiten by: Perry Fish Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

As the saying goes, it is better to give than to receive. You’ll definitely be in the spirit of the season when gifting these Chicago-found presents that gift not once, but twice!

From fair-trade to locally made, these six items give back to communities and help fund great causes. Bring on the good cheer!

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Located in Pilsen at 2434 Western Ave., Working Bikes is an organization dedicated to refurbishing vintage and used bicycles. Run mostly by volunteers, Working Bikes strives to be a sustainable company, actively working towards redistributing discarded and unused bicycles to those in need locally and globally. By gifting a bicycle from Working Bikes, you’ll not only be making one person’s holiday, but many people’s lives brighter.

No matter what we say, every girl really does love the gift of jewelry! This Lou Brass Scallop Wing necklace is a perfect combination of modern and classic. Available at Greenheart Shop, 1714 N. Wells St. , this necklace was handmade in Kenya and supplied by Greenola. Greenola is a Fair Trade company that focuses on creating a greater sense of community by standing in solidarity with women around the world.

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True to its name, Chicagood is a creative studio that has adopted the mission of “Love Chicago.

Do Good.” Through community projects and creative solutions, Chicagood is changing the way we take on “doing good” in our city! This unique T-shirt is a design from their aWEARness and positiviTEE clothing line, dedicated to raising funds and awareness for a variety of charities.

Any Chicagoan would be happy to receive and don this thoughtful gift!

Started in the farmlands of North Milwaukee, Growing Power is an organization that invests in teens that are in need of work by providing them jobs with local farms. This urban honey will taste that much sweeter knowing that it was harvested and sold to benefit these young lives. Only available to ship from Chicago, this honey and other goods are available through their Etsy store, www.etsy.com/shop/GrowingPowerChicago.

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Recyclable, generous and wonderfully fragrant; You’ll want to buy one of these Dreambean soy candles for everyone on your list and for yourself! Supplied by Bright Endeavors, these candles help fund their mission of coaching adolescent mothers in entrepreneurial practices. Funds from each purchase will go towards ending poverty and empowering women.

Looking for the best gift for that “crazy cat lady” in your life? (It’s ok if it’s you) This holiday cat 12-pack from PAWS Chicago, 1997 N Clybourn St., couldn’t be more perfect!

Even better, your purchase will support their No-kill community and help end the overpopulation of homeless animals in Chicago. No grumpy cats here! Each card highlights one of four PAWS felines.

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Horoscopes December - March 2015

Written by: Tareq Al saud Layout by: Annabel Carrillo At the end of the year, people around the world look to their horoscope’s predictions for insight on the upcoming year — is next year going to be a diamond year or lump of coal? They want to know what problems are hiding there for them in work or money, what joys will happen in love and also what they should avoid. Perhaps, they are trying to figure what, if any problems they might face in the coming year. The year 2014 was a troublesome one for the world. The tumultuous ups and downs of wars and disasters surrounding many this year brought hardships and fears. It was a year that brought loss for humanity. The aspects of the planets during 2014 brought a bloody mood for people in the Middle East and in Africa, the dangerous Ebola virus threatened many. With the changing of the year in 2015, will we will feel much better or see improvement on any level?

Let us briefly see what is hiding for us in the last month of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015.

Aries

In December 2014, you can truly sum up your experience and realize what you have done wrong and what was your best effort.

Understanding and rethinking your past is the base for a progressive future.

With the beginning of 2015, you will feel the need to buy a new car, a home or to make a big change in your life style. During February and March, married couples who may want to have a baby will be blessed by the angels. Students will see results from their hard work and find out

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about their beautiful chances of making good money. You will need to put in some good effort and positive emotional energy around your wish and it will be fulfilled. This is a great time to get a good start with projects that need to be accomplished, as Aries can be very productive during this time.

Taurus

In December 2014, you may boldly take on the most complicated projects.

You may offer your management and colleagues the boldest of your initiatives and you

may bravely dive into battle with the strongest forces of your competitors. In each of these directions, you will definitely succeed at your goals and will reach what you desire.

In January 2015, you will not only accomplish your tasks well, but also will receive the honor and respect along with appreciation. In addition to this, you may face lack of compatibility in your personal life. Expect some bumps here.

In February, you might need to buy some domestic appliances like washing machine, fridge, etc. So plan ahead and start saving. With March, there will be a lot of interviews, phone calls and new job opportunities. It will be a good period to fall in love.

Gemini

In December 2014, it will be a chance to abandon undesired problems.

You should be able to avoid any more in the first half of the month. Try not to sign any contracts, as this is a time for contemplation. This time will protect you from ambiguity. Use the time for reflection and don’t jump in unless you are 100% sure it is a winning deal.

With the beginning of 2015, you will have strong chances of getting your name recognized, fame, wealth or something that you have been longing for. February, if you are working with a firm and planning for a change, there are beautiful opportunities for something better coming your way. Reflection time is over. Don’t miss any new opportunities — just grab them!

March will bring you a very important period of making decisions. Don’t be afraid of working hard.

Cancer

In December 2014, there will be great chances to change bad habits and to be a more organized person. Good news about work, money and family will make their way to you in the second half of December.

With the beginning of 2015, you will feel the need to relax, escape or get out of the cold and go on a vacation by the beach. In February, you may have to travel due to work. Think about travel insurance should you have to change your travel plans due to work. It’s a small annoyance, but better than unemployment. Your finances seem to be in better health in the first week of March. If you are single, wedding bells are all set to ring. The home needs changes and a facelift, so why you are hesitating about it?

Leo

In the last month of 2014, just be yourself and do what you think you must. Do not disregard your plans. Of course, the stars have their own fundamental influence on each of our lives, but they are not capable of going against our decisions.

Relax and be you. Go with the flow. If you have enough determination and will, things can work to your advantage.

In January 2015, you feel a lot of energy pushing you to work on your delayed projects.

Now is the time to fly high with your ambitions and know no limits. February however, you will know your limits — surprise. You will get a good hold over the difficult situations with your intelligent planning. Success will be on your side through March with a lot of opportunities

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for jobs, studies and many interviews… OK — lots of interviews. There will be chances to travel for work or for long distant interviews.

Virgo

December 2014 is the month of letting go for you.

Do not even think of lying to anyone!

OMG – this will most likely cause a terrible situation. The smallest lie in the most insignificant deal may lead an avalanche of unlucky situations. Finish what you were working on through the year and then take time to relax. January 2015, will bring good support from your family and you will feel much more positive and successful. You never know how much or how many surprises are awaiting you on February. Family members will cherish the time with you. March is asking you to work with patience and mindfulness. You will see people you haven’t seen in years and it will elevate and lighten your mind with a lot of new opportunities with them.

Libra

In December 2014, great chances to set a family meeting and discuss any misunderstandings or situations. You should NOT do that before the 15th. Stall for some time until later in the month. It will put in you a better frame of mind.

You are looking forward finishing 2014 with all the challenges it brought along. January 2015 will be a fresh start and a new page will turn you away from your past. You are going to do something special in your work this month and you look like you have got some new-found energy. February will bring you challenges dealing with family and home in retards to your

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partners and children. Be patient — try. There will be new opportunities to make changes on the work front and at home in March. Take a look to your budget before tax time… sorry.

Scorpio

December 2014 will be great to influence the development of your company.

Even if you are a low-level employee, do not hesitate to bring new ideas to the management’s attention when needed. It will elevate you in their eyes. January is the month to start listing all of the things you need to shop for. These are not gifts, rather things you were planning to get a long time ago and did not have the opportunity to pick up. Use a checklist to keep you on budget. February and March are the months to set and achieve big projects, interviews, work travels, selling or buying properties. So good luck! Remember to be assertive.

Sagittarius

With the last month of 2014, you may become close buddies even with those people who have hated and despised you for years. Yeah — it’s a strange thing.

You also will have a good chance to create new acquaintances that you could not have even dreamed of before. This brings in new energy.

In January 2015, you will need to work hard and be patient in dealing with any sort of problem that causes you to feel awkward in dealing with the behaviors of your family members — a hold-over of some strange holiday energy. In February, many of your current wishes will start

coming true. Total bliss will again start flowing in your life. Good karma is coming your way.

Chances for new job or going back to school will be great too. March tells you that financial matters need to be handled cautiously. Hello IRS. But, you need not panic managing all this cause March knows how much generous you are.

Capricorn

In December 2014, do not be shy of telling people the truth to their faces.

Truth hurts, but they respect you for telling them the truth. It is the end of the year and you feel the need to turn the page — especially from those who kept hurting your feelings throughout 2014.

January is asking you to look quite brainy.

Everything will be positive at work. Looks like this time could be a celebration time for you. In February, the financial situation will be satisfactory and you will make your desirable list of many things to buy. March will be the judge, so you need to be cautious in general, not just in spending. Don’t worry, this is the perfect time to judge your abilities of standing still under the heavy dark clouds. Yes — there will be some dark clouds. Along with this, it will be better if you think twice before investing anywhere. Hold tight and hold your cards.

Aquarius

In December 2014, do not worry that some things fall out of your hands.

Be attentive and then you can turn any mistakes into something positive later. Play the hand you are dealt as best you can. At a minimum, you will be able to neutralize the potential harm.

With January 2015, you may stay stressed due to the health of a family member but this is nothing to be worried about. It is however scary.

Married life will be very blissful. Cupid seems quite happy with you and love takes an upswing and may happen in February 2015. March promises an opportunity with a great period of increasing your money and making changes in your life style.

Pisces

Do not become a fanatic and do not fall into radical reasoning. Avoid taking someone’s side in December 2014. Be like Switzerland and be neutral in all things.

Act only if you considered all of the relevant factors.

With the first week of January 2015, life is going to begin beautifully for you. An auspicious ceremony may take place at home. It is a time to cherish this celebration at home and spend a wonderful amount of time with family and close friends. For the rest of January, you will need to ignore any kind of rude behavior of some family members, friends and co-workers.

February 2015 promises a better job that might increase the need to work hard and increases responsibilities. March 2015 seems to be a teacher and promises a good chance for an education on some level. You will feel more relaxed in the second half of March as the education process can be stressful at first.

Wishing you all the best in 2015. As always, remember to keep calm and read horoscopes.

“Millionaires don’t use astrology, billionaires do.”

— JP Morgan, America’s first billionaire

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CHICAGO STREET STYLE

FEATURING: CHICAGO PLAYGROUND MAYBE SUNDAY & AMY MARIE COUTURE SHOT ON LOCATION: 16TH ST.- PILSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY:

AIMEE Jeane elizabeth (VISUAL STIMULUS)

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ART DIRECTION: JENNIFER LEZAN ASST. STYLIST: YARITZA RAMOCKI HAIR/MAKEUP: AMY FENDERSON

models: patrice walden - brian parker - Michael Yurevich

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The Designer Trifecta

YOUNG HUNGRY & CREATIVE

How 3 Chicago Street Style brands shine Bright this Winter Written by: Jennifer Veguilla-Lezan

Chicago designers are continuing to make waves in the fashion industry.

One by one, local brands are quietly popping up and leaving their distinctive mark in our ever-evolving city. The young millennials continue to thrive despite economic difficulties due to their scrappy hustles, ingenious use of social media and putting the Internet to work to get their names out there.

Anna Hovet, a Chicago based designer explains in her TED Talk that,”limited career prospects due to the recession have cultivated highly creative, resourceful, tech-savvy innovators within the Millennial generation.” These characteristics don’t and never will fall in line with the rigid structure set by many a corporation of business past. Yet, what traditionalists may see as a weakness is actually seen as a strength in the younger generation. Anna leaves us with an intriguing thought, “by identifying and encouraging these traits we have an opportunity to breed a new generation of entrepreneurs.”

This new generation of business owners creates to make a statement, creates to make a difference and creates in hopes of forging out on their own path without having to turn back.

This issue we are showcasing three local brands that are forging their own path to success: Chicago Playground, Maybe Sunday and Amy Marie Couture. Each of these brands is run by a young and hungry team with a creative vision; They took time out of their hectic schedules to answer interview questions to help you readers learn more about themselves and their lines.

Chicago Playground – Behind the origin of the brand, there was an old college jacket and sweatshirt that were

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rich in history and the symbol of many important values of achievements and honor. Chicago Playground is a lifestyle brand that combines street edge with a refreshing hint of retro cool. A brand that is inspired by the community that surrounds it and gives back while it builds its roots.

Can you tell us more about yourself, the inspiration behind your brand and what led you to launch your line and being an entrepreneur?

I launched this line after seeing how garments can create moods within people. Therefore, innovating the traditional style of varsity jackets, I wanted to create a brand that carried substance and a sense of longevity.

What is your creative process like when designing?

The inspiration behind Chicago Playground has always been to create a brand that one can relate to that speaks on a level of excellence. I wanted to create a brand that was formulated amongst individual talents of Art that brought about Unity. History to date explains that the significance in the Letterman style jackets. They ultimately spoke of Honor and Achievements. Therefore, within building this brand, I wanted to make sure that I innovated upon some of those traditional styles, but add a modern street style twist.

My creative process consists of the visual aspect as it relates to the market, campaign vision and the season. I like to create the collection built around the message and style that we may be introducing. Being a creative director, I act as a curator of style. I try to let many of the visual concepts of color and style truly shine amongst the garments that I design.

Have you faced any obstacles as you followed your dream? If so, how have you managed to overcome?

Obstacles faced on this journey thus far, have definitely been seen in the balancing of scheduling between Chicago Playground and family. It is always hard trying to put my heart and soul into a business, but also give that heart and soul to my loved ones.

I am working hard and putting in a great amount of time and energy into creating and the elevating the Chicago Playground brand. Yet, family is a priority in my life.

I’ve managed to overcome those obstacles by communicating and continuing to prove that on this journey there is a purpose. The purpose of creating something that stands for more than just jackets, but more or less creating an opportunity, not just for myself, but for my family as well!

What has been your biggest success to date?

My biggest success to date is the fact that Chicago Playground is gaining respect within the industry as a staple brand in specialized varsity jackets. And on a more personal level of success, I like to mark the date that I met one of my favorite rappers: Wale, who left me with motivating words of encouragement and advice.

Can you tell us more about how you are trying to make an impact on your local creative community?

I plan to make an impact within the communities with the introduction of our “Student-Brand Ambassador program”. This program will allow students to enhance their skills of art by utilizing Chicago Playground as a platform through internship programs and skill building opportunities.

dress: amy marie couture/t-shirt: maybe sunday

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Chicago Playground is a lifestyle brand that combines street edge with a refreshing hint of retro cool

jacket: chicago playground/t-shirt: maybe sunday

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With a unique take on fashion, Maybe Sunday is a bright spot in the Chicago Market

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hoodie/jersey: chicago playground

jacket/cardi: chicago playground - dress: amy marie cou

What kind of advice would you give Can you tell us more about yourself, to young creatives looking to launch the inspiration behind your brand and what led you to launch your line their own line? and being an entrepreneur?

I would say for when creating, have Broadly speaking, Maybe Sunday is a keen vision as to the substance in your craft and The most important part inspired by Internet culture. Several things aligned that drove us to create of networking, is connecting with the Maybe Sunday at this moment. “like-minds”.

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ourselves allows us the greatest possibility to be creative and do something new for culture. We spent the spring in preparation, and following our graduation in May, went into full production mode.

Chicago fashion has a history of following trends that originate elsewhere...

New York, LA, Paris. Our goal is to put Chicago fashion on the map. It’s a big Young designers, focus and study your Today’s world is image-centric, with photo and video sharing being a prima- place full of rich cultural diversity, and craft. Find yourselves a mentor that we want the world to know how great can help guide you in a direction that’s ry mode of self-expression, identification and connection. At Maybe Sunday, it is. beneficial towards your dream. Find we love photographs for this reason, your niche and be relevant!

So far, we find Pilsen to be a great so we select images for the leisurely, upbeat, and sometimes humorous feel- place to first open our doors. We supMaybe Sunday – Quirky with a side ings they evoke in hopes of connecting port Podmajersky’s vision for Pilsen as of street cred perfectly describes this a center for the arts in Chicago, and creative duo. Maybe Sunday is run by and sharing with people from all over the world. we are grateful for the warm welcome the ultimate creative couple: Jason & we’ve received from our neighbors. It’s McKenzie. Fresh grads straight out of SAIC, McKenzie Thompson and Jason Jason and I began this project in early affordable, the spaces are cheerful and 2014 during our last semester at the uncanny, and we anticipate exciting Guo have set up a street style shop School of the Art Institute of Chicago. things for this area in the near future. that is taking Pilsen by storm. With a unique take on fashion, Maybe Sunday We both have a strong desire to innoWhat is your creative process like is a bright spot in the Chicago Market. vate, and we believe that working for when designing?

uture

These days we don’t find much time to sit down and design the traditional way.

Our ideas often arise spontaneously out of our daily lives - we have to always be ready and willing to envision our what our next product can be.

Jason and I regularly sit down with our talented assistant, Janis To, to present and explore design concepts and talk about how we can improve upon our existing work. We ask for critique from our trusted friends, do the math, and head for production.

Have you faced any obstacles as you followed your dream? / 5. If so, how have you managed to overcome?

Everyday is riddled with challenges, and we know that as entrepreneurs, it is up to us to it figure it out and make it happen. Whether we’re sourcing fabric, applying for permits, or figuring out how to finance ourselves, we come together as teammates, bringing our research and know-how to make

t-shirt: maybe sunday

the best decisions for Maybe Sunday.

When we’re dealing with something totally new? Google it.

What has been your biggest success to date?

For as long as Maybe Sunday exists, our biggest success will always be one that is simple: we’re doin’ it. Ultimately, all our achievements, big and small, amount to that. We make a sale, we renovate the store, we strengthen our partnership, we participate in a fashion show - if we are able to sustain and continue to grow and expand our creative vision, that’s our success.

Can you tell us more about how you are trying to make an impact on your local creative community?

We believe that Maybe Sunday has the potential to make a positive impact in East Pilsen, aka. the Chicago Art District.

Second Friday Gallery Night Along with our neighboring shop owners and gallerists, Maybe Sunday participates in Pilsen’s Second Friday Gallery Night. For Friday, December 12, we will proudly exhibit a solo exhibition of new works by Jeffly Gabriela Molina entitled The Moth and The Light (jefflyart.com). On Friday, January 9, we will crank up the heat and have a Vitamin D Party, complete with “happy lights” and vitamin-filled libations.

Still Sane Maybe Sunday recently joined Elee Mosanary Gallery (located at 18th and Ruble) for #r_ustillsane, a pop-up shop that brings Chicago’s best new streetwear brands together for twoday events complete with great eats, drinks, and hip-hop performances. We will be popping up there again around the new year, so check your IGs for that :) As for apparel collaborations, we hope to be working with other designers soon!

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cardi: chicago playground - leggings/top: isle by melis kozan

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Her tailoring abilities and keen eye for unique fits and drapes puts her into a category all her own

dress:112 amy marie couture - tights: hanes

If you could go back and give your 18 year old self one bit of advice, what would it be?

It’s about working smart, not working hard. Be patient and remember that everything doesn’t happen in one day.

What kind of advice would you give to young creatives looking to launch their own line?

We think it is important to learn to balance being creative and being pragmatic.

What are your goals for this next year?

Our goal is to continue to grow our collection, to be prolific; to be innovative, and to produce clothing that pushes boundaries.

Amy Marie Couture – Although young, Amy Fenderson’s talent and skill is that of a seasoned professional.

Her tailoring abilities and keen eye for unique fits and drapes puts her into a category all her own. Although her line of ready to wear has a distinctive vintage class to it, the designs have a raw Japanese street style influence to them.

Can you tell us more about yourself and what led you to launch your line and being an entrepreneur?

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. I have always lived in Carol Stream. In high school, I took a Home Economics class on the basics of sewing so I could learn how to sew a cosplay costume for a comic convention. I found out then that I really enjoyed sewing. I just started sewing fabric together and making clothes for myself. I had created 3 skirts and 3 tops before the class finished their first project. That was when I had my epiphany moment and realized I wanted to be a fashion designer.

I attended College of DuPage and received my Associates Degree in Arts, and then transferred to Columbia

College where I completed my Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design in 2009.

As a student, I had the opportunity to show my collections during Fashion Focus Week Chicago in the runway show, Dress Code. I was also recognized by the Driehaus Foundation for Fashion Excellence. I always knew I wanted to have my own clothing line.

I applied to the Chicago Fashion Incubator’s Designer in Residency program 3 times and I was never selected. I was, however, selected to participate in their Associate Designer program for two years. It was a struggle to find work after college. Of the jobs that I had, I realized I could never truly be happy working for someone else, no matter what I did or whom I worked for.

I came to the realization that true happiness for me is having my own design business and following my dream.

Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your brand?

I have always loved vintage clothing.

I find that I am very influenced by the classic styles of the 40’s and 50’s. I love the silhouettes. Also, I find that some of my designs have some lingerie elements as well, and I think that comes from all the years I worked in lingerie sales. Recently, I’ve become very interested in Japanese fashion, especially Lolita. Lolita is very different for me from what I’ve designed in the past, but it still has similar influences.

Victorian-era clothing influences much of it, which is something that is also very inspiring to me.

What is your creative process like when designing?

If something inspires me, I will draw a few rough sketches of what it is I have in mind. Then I will start draping.

Once I have a muslin, I might make a few changes to the original design. At that point, I will probably flat pattern what changes I want to make. I really don’t waste too much time sketching and illustrating. I just started designing original fabric prints. I design the fabric

print first, and then let the print inspire the dress.

Have you faced any obstacles as you followed your dream?

The obstacles are everyday. It’s seems the more you want something in life, the harder you have to work for it. I’ve often struggled with obtaining the finances for my business. I work a full time job during the day, and then I spend most of my evenings and weekends designing and sewing. Almost all of the money I make from my day job goes into my business. I’ve fully funded everything on my own.

This business doesn’t leave a lot of money for much else. It’s certainly not easy, having your own fashion label.

No one in my family has done this before. I never had the luxury of wealth.

There’s only so much school can teach you. I just have to figure it out as I go.

I’ve spent a lot of time just trying to figure out how to do things, making a lot of mistakes. It’s a tough industry to break into and be successful at.

I really thought I was going to get the residency program with the Chicago Fashion Incubator and have that guidance, so the rejection was another obstacle for me to overcome. It’s really pushed me to work harder and prove others wrong. That I really do have what it takes.

I often wonder where else I would be in life if I had not invested so much of my time and money into following my dream. But really, I would have it no other way.

How have you managed to overcome?

I have to stay focused and remain positive. I can’t get discouraged and let myself get upset when something doesn’t work out for me. In the past, I’ve let myself get upset over things and it never helps the creative process, it only makes it worse. I need to remember to believe in myself and what I’m capable of, no matter what.

What has been your biggest success to date?

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jacket: chicago playground

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scarf: maybe sunday

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I’ve had several mini successes.

“Dress Code” and “Driehaus” were huge accomplishments for me as a student. I participated in a runway show that was a benefit for Kenya Refugees where I was challenged to design a dress from a hand dyed scarf.

I competed against several well-known Chicago Designers, and I can proudly say that the dress I designed was the first to sell and raised the most money for the event. That was an inspiring moment for me. Even though I wasn’t well known like some of the other designers, I was recognized as being one of the most talented designers in the show.

I most recently participated in a private runway show in which I showcased a collection of Lolita specific garments I designed. I sold every dress from that show. It’s reassuring to know that I’m designing something people want; that I have something to offer as a designer. Among all these mini successes, I still feel like I’m waiting on that one major success that changes everything.

Can you tell us more about how you are trying to make an impact on your local creative community?

I think one of the greatest things you can do, as a new designer is to reach out to the local creative community.

There is so much talent out there, and almost everyone is interested in working together and helping each other out to get themselves noticed. As a fashion designer, you need someone for nearly everything, whether it’s a photographer or a graphic designer or a seamstress. We’re all starving artists looking for our big break. I don’t think I would have ever come as far as I have without the help of others.

I’ve began collaborating with other artists, as well. My dress with the kittens on it was a recent collaboration with a graphic artist who’s name is Elianna Malmin. She designs the cutest prints!

I’m currently working on another fabric print for a new collection of dresses.

This time with an extremely talented story book artist.

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If you could go back and give your 18 year old self one bit of advice, what would it be?

I think at that age you think you’ve got it all figured out. At least, I thought I did. I thought I was going to become some world famous fashion designer, like Vera Wang. Heck, I still do! I think I would give my 18 yr old self a reality check, though. There is always an opportunity to learn something new, and you never have it all figured out.

Also, take a few business classes in college if you think you are going to have your own business! I never realized the importance of that until now.

What kind of advice would you give to young creatives looking to launch their own line?

I would not suggest this endeavor to just anyone. You have to want this because you love it. You can’t do it for any other reason. The work isn’t typically glamorous, or necessarily profitable. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to launch a line and be a success... And launching a line and being successful are two different things! It takes long hours and late nights. If you’re like me, then you’re going to be doing a lot of sewing and pattern making on your own in the beginning. I believe in a formal education, there is only so much that can be self taught. Out of school, your teacher isn’t right there to hold your hand or show you how it’s done. That’s important to remember, too. I would say it’s absolutely vital to understand how to properly sew and make a pattern... and you have to like it. Even if you’re going to find some one to do it for you, you have to understand fit and quality of construction. That’s how you’re going to sell your line. It helps to know a thing or two about how to run a business as well.

What are your goals for this next

year?

I’m really excited about a new collection of gothic style dresses I’m designing. I’m going to have another original fabric print design that will feature original storybook art inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe. It will be much darker than anything I’ve designed before. My goal is to have that collection completed around January for a show in the Spring. Also, I really want to work on expanding my business with manufacturing and finding ways to make my line more readily available. I think that’s a very necessary next step for me. I need to be able to catch up with the demands of my customers.

At the end of next year, I want to look back on this year and be proud of how far I’ve come. I still feel like I’m trying to chase my dream. Maybe in 2015 I’ll catch it.

dresses: amy marie couture

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cardi: chicago playground

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cardi: chicago playground - leggings/top: isle by melis kozan - t-shirt/scarf: maybe

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FOR SCUMBAGS AND MILLIONAIRES

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www.cpg1963.com

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Painting a picture of Hope

Highlighting 360 Youth Services Transitional Housing Program

WRITTEN BY: JENNIFER M. LEZAN

Desolate, lost and alone with no place to call home. Many of us could never understand the idea of not having access to the basic needs of life such as food and shelter. A roof over our head, a warm home to live in and a fridge filled with sustenance is what gets us through even the toughest of days.

Imagine a life filled with uncertainty, misguidance and the feeling that you have nowhere to turn. Being homeless is not always a choice. People do not choose to be homeless, especially young people.

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According to fortytonone.org, “The choice is made for them or is an alternative to abuse and neglect [. . . ] Youth homelessness is a national crisis.

Each year, between 500,000 and 1.6 million youth in the U.S. are homeless or runaways. The statistics for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender homeless youth are even more shocking, as this group represents 20-40% of all homeless young people.”

Then there are those who suffer mental illness. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “20 to 25% of the homeless population

in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness.” The National Homeless Coalition explains that, “Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management. Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others’ guidance and react irrationally. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.”

When one looks at the statistics, the numbers dealing with the LGBTQ youth becomes even more alarming. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth represent an estimated 3-5% of the total youth population. The fact that this group represents 20-40% of all homeless young people truly shows that these numbers are disproportionately high. The reality that many LGBTQ youth face is scary. At an age when they are most vulnerable the LGBTQ youth are, “more than 7 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence

than straight homeless youth�. At a time, when all they need is a helping hand and an act of kindness, the reality of the situation can be dark and sinister.

Yet, even dark circumstances can have a silver lining. There are many, not enough, but many organizations throughout the United States that have been created specifically to help these young people in need. 360 Youth Services developed a Transitional Housing Program in 2000, after seeing a need in the community, to help homeless youth in Dupage and the surrounding counties.

There are also so many survivors who have overcome the hardships of being homeless due to these types of organizations. One in particular, Kaileb-Colton Nunez, who is a resident at the Transitional Housing Program, shared a story of survival and strength with us.

The program is currently run by Debbie Carr, a woman on a mission to make a difference in the community around her.

Deb started her career in the grocery industry, but after an eye opening injury, she found herself in the health industry and back in school working towards

a career that was meaningful. At nearly 30 she made a tremendous move, but one that led her to the career she has found most fulfilling. She is the Residential Programs Director with an MS and is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She took an opportunity at 360 Youth Services and what started as a clinical program in their original group home, has evolved into so much more over the last 14 years.

It was a dream come true for her to work on and help the organization implement the foundation to be approved for the funding from 129

DHS. What started with 4 youths has organically expanded to include a transitional housing program catering to young people 18-24, cornerstone group home for boys and a transitional housing program specifically developed for the LGBTQ homeless youth.

The youth homeless population is often seen as a hidden population, especially among the confines of the average suburban life. It’s not like you see many of these young people living under the bridge down the street from your home. That would make this reality much easier to fathom. Rather, many of these young people are “couch surfing” from one friend’s home to another. Yet, the economy has caused an alarming increase in the stats of youth that can’t even stay with a friend over the last five years. Family’s budgets have become strained and more and more kids have to take to the streets.

Many of the youth who are coming into these

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transitional programs are facing struggles on all fronts. It’s not just home drama, possible addictions, but even educational difficulties.

Whether it be low reading comprehension or having dropped out of school, facing the world is even more difficult when you don’t have the basic life skills or education necessary to see success.

This is where 360’s THP comes into play. Not only is the organization helping to provide the basic needs necessary to live, but they are also preparing these young people with the life skills necessary to get them on the right track. The organization helps them learn to budget, obtain vital records, deal with court issues, gets them back in school, helps them with their GED and trains them on all things necessary to get jobs. Whether it be computer training, learning how to fill out a job application or putting together a resume, 360 offers these kids an opportunity to take life into their own hands and be held accountable for

their future. 360 also works hand in hand with local organizations such as Loaves and Fishes (a local food bank based in Naperville, IL) to offer internships to transitional housing participants that help volunteers develop the soft skills and experience necessary in the work force.

The program also integrates mental health, a 7 challenges program and highlights a “harm reduction model” for a very specialized service that is geared towards adolescents. The staff is trained in a very specific curriculum that came about after the organization noticed a struggle with the more common 12-step programs. This curriculum is centered on finding a solution rather than just eliminating the underlying problem. It explores the root of the issue and helps young people find ways to deal with these problems head on and find alternative solutions to make it through.

Kaileb is one of those young people who are just trying to make it

through. Yet, surrounding Kaileb is this resonating air of strength.

You can see Kaileb isn’t just a victim anymore.

Rather, he’s a transgender youth who is a survivor and who is working to take life back into his own hands. When he opened up to us about his journey, he held back a bit, but the reality of his journey was evident in his bright eyes.

The pain of acceptance shone through as well as the pride he has in his heart for the direction that he is taking his life in.

When asked what

brought him into the program, he quietly described an experience that one too many teenagers face, a visit to the hospital due to suicidal thoughts. Yet, he explained that he now realizes asking for help was the best decision he could have made. Taking the steps towards realizing his reality and knowing he couldn’t handle it by himself brought him into the program. He was struggling, going back and forth between his mother’s home and his father’s home, not being accepted for who he was due to differences

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in opinions on how he should lead his life. He often took on the adult role, playing the parent to his younger siblings. He grew up fast, a tale that is all too typical of the young Latinos in the area. These experiences landed him without a place to call home. This is quite common among the LGBTQ youth that the program works with.

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Kristen Cumbo, Program Manager, explains that this is the type of experience they must keep in mind. The team is, “looking outside of the box to be a different program and do away with traditional ideals that don’t work with the group. We don’t want to mimic systems that oppress the residents.” Rather they are all about creating a community of accountability that helps to create open lines of communication among

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“

The team is looking outside of the box to be a different program and do away with traditional ideals that don’t work with the group. We don’t want to mimic systems that oppress the residents.

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”

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Carolyn Waltskog

the staff and residents.

With past work experience in welfare offices and a Masters in social work, Kristen understands oppression all too well. Which is why she is working so hard alongside Carolyn Waltskog to ensure that the program is developed with this in mind and constantly requests feedback from the residents. It’s because of the program management that the program is developing in a way that ensures its residents are being heard. Carolyn started her career at 360 Youth Services in the girls transitional housing program and has always yearned to work in a career that helped others. It is only

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Kaileb-Colton Nunez

fitting that she helps manage a program that is giving young people a second chance. They help them learn to overcome obstacles they may face each day with grace.

Whether it be learning to deal with curfews, going to therapy, being accountable for finances or mediating problems with roommates, the team helps these young people learn that they can do anything if they put their mind to it.

Today, life is painted beautiful shades of opportunity for Kaileb. He is going back to school in January, working for a local gas station and working on life skills that will help him to see continued

success. He credits 360 Youth Services’ transitional housing program for giving him role models to look up to, an opportunity to be independent and pushing him outside of his comfort zone when it comes to learning new things. When asked what kind of advice he would offer to someone who is facing similar life difficulties as he did in the past he explains that it is so important to learn to, “express your feelings to someone. Don’t keep it in.

Ask for help because you can get so much farther than if you didn’t.”

Kristen Cumbo

Kaileb paints beautiful landscapes today to help express and channel his emotions. They truly showcase the raw emotions that are deep within his heart. Vibrant colors showcase a variety of feelings. Yet, most importantly they depict a picture of hope for young people like him in programs like 360’s transitional housing.

“

Kaileb paints beautiful landscapes today to help express and channel his emotions.

”

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Marco Foster Chicago’s Own Altruist INTERVIEW BY: JENNIFER LEZAN-VEGUILLA

“Taking advantage of every minute life gives me and living without regrets” is the mantra of self-proclaimed computer geek by day, event planner by night Marco Foster. After an eye opening experience battling brain cancer, this Chicagoan is living life to its fullest while managing to help others along the way. This year marked the fourth year of his The Grinch That Gave Back Christmas event, an amazing evening on December 12th, mixing seasonal style and charity, benefitting the Brain Injury Association of Illinois. He is Chicago’s own altruist and took some time out of his busy schedule to share his journey in this latest issue of Halfstack. Read on to be inspired.

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and how you got your start in your career?

I have always had a great passion for giving back, as I have experienced so much in my life and consider myself extremely blessed. My foray into planning philanthropic events began in 2009, and actually started out as my own birthday party! I had just gone through a life changing event, having been diagnosed with a malignant brain

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tumor, and it really opened my eyes to helping others. I teamed up with the amazing organization, One Hope United, which benefits foster children and ensures each child has a safe and loving home. I was actually a foster child myself, so I knew that this charity was something that I could really get behind.

In lieu of gifts, I asked all of my guests to make a donation to One Hope United. The evening, which has now become my annual White Party, was so special and it inspired me to begin planning even more charitable events. From there, I got really involved in executing these events and working with organizations that are close to my heart, such as the Brain Injury Association of Illinois, which is the feature charity for my annual The Grinch Who Gave Back Christmas event on December 12th!

How has your battle and defeat of a brain tumor changed your outlook on life, work and your connection with the community?

It really put everything into perspective for me. Getting through that ordeal had a profound effect on me, and I knew immediately that I beat that tumor for

a reason. Throughout my life, I have experienced immense support and kindness, and I felt that I needed to put this positivity back into the community. Not everyone has the happy ending that I had, and it is extremely important that I do all that I can to help those struggling with the many difficulties that I have faced myself.

What was the hardest challenge you had to overcome when facing your battle?

The hardest challenge for me to overcome during my battle, was that I had to accept my fate. What was going to happen was going to happen, so I think facing that reality was tough for me. Luckily, my fate was to overcome this challenge, which has kept me here to help others that aren’t so fortunate.

What do you feel has been your greatest success so far?

Although I am extremely proud of the events that I have produced and the awareness and funds raised for the charities I work with, I don’t think that I have a greatest success so far, because it is really an ongoing mission. I’m always trying to think of ways to make my next

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project more successful than the last, so I’m constantly looking forward to what’s next!

Injury Association of Illinois. From becoming a member themselves to sponsoring a child to help them attend special summer camp Have you always been involved programs, any donation, large or in charitable works with your small, makes an impact. community or was it after your journey that you started your People have this inherent need mission? to connect with and to help one another, but it seems so often I have always given back through that we feel we do not have the giving my time to charitable ormeans to do so. What are some ganizations, however it was after ways that you feel people can my journey that I began my larger get involved in making a differmission. By bringing the comence in their community and munity together through events the lives of the people within that combine style and altruism, their community?

I realized that I could make a big difference. Although my main goal Although it is amazing to donate in planning these events was orig- funds, it is just as important to inally raising money, I have also donate your time and efforts to been able to bring these causes charitable organizations. It can to the forefront of so many minds, be as simple as mentoring a which to me is truly priceless. child, which I love to do through One Hope United, or even just Can you tell us more about spreading awareness for a certhe Brain Injury Association of tain cause. The greatest thing Illinois and how others can get about charity is that it stems from involved with it? goodwill and no matter what you give, your contribution will make a The Brain Injury Association of difference in someone’s life.

Illinois is wonderful not-for-profit statewide organizations which Can you tell us more about the connects those affected by events that you organized and brain injuries while also spreadhow they benefit the charitable ing awareness and education. organization you work with?

Whether it is a family member, or someone who is suffering themThroughout the year, I plan mulselves, the organization aims tiple events that benefit organito bring people together and zations that are personally very create support systems, which meaningful. From my annual The is so important to anyone going Grinch Who Gave Back Christthrough a tough time. There are mas event which fundraises for many ways that Chicagoans can the Brain Injury Association of become involved with the Brain Illinois, to the yearly White Party

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which partners with One Hope United, to the Red, White, and Blue Fundraiser which benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, my events are planned around each organization. Funds are collected through ticket sales and great raffles, but even more knowledge for each charity is raised through the events themselves!

Can you offer any advice for those interested in pursuing a professional career in charitable work or event planning?

Event planning is hard work, and planning charitable events is no exception. Make sure that you are prepared for a big challenge and that you are fully committed to your causes. Although it takes a lot of effort, nothing is more fulfilling that executing a successful event that raises funds and awareness for an organization that is close to your heart.

Do you have any thoughts or words of encouragement for those facing a hard battle (whether it be health, mental or personal) that you could share?

My biggest advice is to tap into your support system. Whether it’s your family or your friends, going through a tough time is scary, and it helps so much to be surrounded by the people you love. Being alone is always tough, especially if you are facing a battle, so I am extremely thankful that I was constantly surrounded by the

love and support of my amazing friends and family.

If you could go back and tell your 20 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Give back every day. I would never be where I am today without the goodwill of others. Because of my many blessings, I was be able to find a way to give back to those in need and the great city of Chicago, and at 20, I never guessed that I would be able to plan annual events that benefit these causes. I am very lucky to be able to successfully execute these events yearly, and am very thankful that I’ve been able to make them bigger and better each year.

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MARK BUSTOS By:Cora Vasseur Click through Instagram and you’ll see many different profiles. People having fun with friends, pictures of their food or a newly decorated room. One account shows this young tattooed man crouching on a curb with someone holding their hand written cardboard sign or the young man standing behind a bench, someone sitting in front of him wrapped in a sleeping bag. What keeps you there is this young man is cutting their hair and with as much laser focus as he gives his high profile clients.

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At Three Squares Studio in New York, hair stylist Mark Bustos works on glamour shoots and caters to an array of high profile clients from models to NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon. Designer Phillip Lim visits him every five days for a trim. Every Sunday, his only day off, Bustos gives free haircuts to the homeless.

The endeavor started in May 2012 after he visited family in the Philippines. He rented a chair from a local barbershop and gave haircuts to impoverished children.

“The feeling was so rewarding, I decided to bring the positive energy back to NYC,” Bustos told The Huffington Post.

Bustos cuts their hair in open, welltraveled areas hoping people will be inspired to do their own good deed.

He’s never said this as I’ve found, but I think it also alleviates the invisible pariah stigma so many of us have given to people who have fallen on hard times. So many of us walk down the street, careful not to make eye contact with them, pretend not to hear their voices or the change rattle in a cup. It doesn’t have to be that way.

“Even a smile goes a long way,” Bustos says.

He puts the pictures on Instagram to bring awareness and continue to inspire people to perform acts of kindness. The pictures speak He’ll ask clients in the studio if they’ve for themselves. Some of the seen anyone in their neighborhood. transformations are incredible, not Otherwise he roams all over New York only with the hair, but the inner glow City with his tools. He’ll approach that returns. someone saying, “I’d like to do something nice for you today.”

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“We’re all human,” he said. “We all deserve a second chance.”

He cuts as many as six people in a day. He told today.com people with a proper, professional haircut receive more respect than those who do not.

It gives the person more confidence.

Most don’t know when their next hair cut will be so they ask him to buzz off all the hair. On Instagram he says, “Until we meet again.”

He also asks what they would like to eat.

“One response we’ve gotten is, ‘Nobody ever asks me what I actually want. I usually just get leftovers and scraps,’” Bustos told the Huffington Post.

He has not only done this in New York but California, Costa, Rica and Jamaica as well. In Jamaica, a reggae singer serenaded Bustos after his haircut with an original song.

feel after a trim no matter where you go. Invigorated. Renewed. Full of a different energy, and aware of possibilities. Think of what that means to someone who is ignored. It’s a small mentality shift, but an important one.

Of all the haircuts, one recipient stands out for Bustos.

“Jemar Banks -- I’ll never forget the name,” Bustos has said. “After offering him a haircut and whatever food he wanted to eat, he didn’t have much to say throughout the whole process, until after I showed him what he looked like when I was done ... The first thing he said to me was, ‘Do you know anyone that’s hiring?’”

He encourages people to live his hashtag #BeAwesomeToSomebody. I’d like to invite Bustos to Chicago. There are some people I’d like him to meet.

For those of you thinking, “So what?

It’s a haircut. They’re still on the street,” think of what that little act means to them. Think of how you

“Even a smile goes a long way,”

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THE cheese STANDS ALONE WRITTEN BY: THOM OLSON

Fall means new grape crops.

It also means new wines coming onto the market.

When I think of wine, I then think of Cheese.

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So at a recent wine tasting, I sampled some over the top, stellar cheese. OK... yeah I also tried some less than fabulous wine... which is how this came about. After having a mouthful of liquid dreck, I needed something to get the taste out of my mouth.

The sushi at the event was divine, but the cheese made me stand up and take notice. Cheese is one of those things that can be boring or eyebrow raising. It is a wonderful compliment to wine.

When the cheese stands alone and outshines the wine, I took notice. That is where this story begins.

The cheese that caught my attention was Sartori. I sampled quite a few but my favorite was the BellaVitano

Gold. It was creamy with a nutty flavor that lingered. As it turned out, it was an award winner from the American Cheese Society in 2010. I then saw the list of awards this company has gotten for cheese. It is rather astounding - almost 2 dozen awards in three years. This is artisanal cheese. It is made with milk from cows that are not treated with enormous amounts of hormones, thus happy cows. It is a family

operation starting back to 1939.

A good start 1939 was an interesting year by most standards.

It was the year Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were made. It was also the year the US declared neutrality in the WWII. Many people were fleeing Europe at the start of the war as it was not the place to be. It was the end of the Spanish Civil War and it was also the year that Paolo Sartori started making cheese. The immigrant Paolo came to the US on the ship Finlandia from his home in Valdastico, Italy. As luck would have it, he made connections to an Italian Count who invited him to work in his cheese factory. While at the cheese factory he learned his craft and met his friend Louie Rossini.

They started the S & R Cheese Company with the goal of making really good cheese.

Antigo is a small town in the middle of the state.

The area is known as the Antigo Flats. The area has good growing conditions and an ideal place for producing dairy. The milk has a high component value with extra protein and butterfat. These qualities make the cheese richer

and more distinctive. Most of the milk for Sartori cheese comes from very small family herds. Usually a family has an average herd of about 75 cows or so. Some herds are only 50 cows. These are very local farms; usually within a 50 mile radius of the factory.

Therefore, there isn’t a lot of transportation involved.

The milk is very fresh and is all farmer-certified to be rBST free - meaning there are no strange growth hormones forcing the cows to extract more milk. Most people know Wisconsin is the place for cheese - one only has to go to a Packer game to see people wearing their “cheddar” proudly. I, myself would rather eat the cheese than wear it, but these are Wisconsinites. They take their cheese very seriously.

It is one of the few places on earth where one can learn the art of cheese making and become a “Master Cheesemaker”.

garnered a plethora of national and international cheese awards.

This year Sartori swept away with 14 medals from prestigious World Cheese Awards held in London. In total, Sartori walked away with 3 Gold medals, and a “Super Gold” and placing in the final top-16 out of nearly 2,600 competitors in the world.

“We’re very humbled to have Sartori cheese place in the top-16 in each of the past four years. We’re competing against the best from all across the world,” stated Sartori President, Jeff Schwager. “Last year we received two Super Gold medals, and in 2011 our Cognac BellaVitano was honored as the 3rd

This distinction takes almost 15 years to accomplish and one has to be making cheese 10 years before you can even start getting the designation. It is very similar to becoming a sommelier.

There are only 58 master cheese makers in the world.

To again compare that to sommeliers, there are only 140 master Sommeliers in the US and 220 in the world.

Sartori has 4 master cheesemakers on their team. As a result, Sartori cheese has

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best cheese in the world, the highest finish ever for a US cheese.

It’s all on the label To give you how complex the flavors are in his cheese, you really only have to look at the label. There is a ship on the label. There is the boat on the label that represents the Finlandia. It was the original Sartoni dream to come to the US and have a new beginning and he put the boat on the label. He came here to start a new life and as a result he got much more —the company is a family operation. Four generations later, it is still a family operation so a symbol of a crown is also on his label representing family. Family is king.

Four stars represent each of the generations over the. An image of the state of Wisconsin, from where the cheese if produced, also graces the label. Two cows on the label represent the closeness of this product is to the table.

It’s a whole lot of stuff to cram into a tiny little spot on a logo especially when you compare it to the Nike Swoosh, but it works, just like the cheese.

There are a lot flavor combinations going on in each bite of the cheese and they have a large variety of cheeses to pick from. They have over 2-dozen cheeses to pick from.

They create the typical Par-

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mesan, Romano, Fontina and Asiago. They also showcase their talents in specialty type products such as an amazing extra aged Goat Cheese that is delightful. These are the bread and butter of the company. They make a superior everyday cheese that make an excellent choice to cook with. Your friends will love you if you make Mac N Cheese with any of these.

They also do some really unusual things with cheese.

Their “break through” cheese is the BellaVitano; a celebrated award winner unto itself, this became their mix cheese that they would later pair with other flavor combinations.

Some of these combinations are a result of extra ingredients like rubs and other times it is the result of extra steps in the cheese making process.

“In 2011, our Cognac BellaVitano was honored as the 3rd best cheese in the world, the highest finish ever for a US cheese. stated Sartori President, Jeff Schwager.

This cheese had been mixed and complimented with other ingredients or steps to come up with some fantastically award winning flavors. An example of this is a BellaVitano that is aged 12 months and also steeped in Remy Martin Cognac. The result is amazing and gives you the “WOW” response.

“Creating different treat-

ments - whether it’s a wheel hand rubbed with coarsely ground black pepper, or a wheel soaked in a spectacular merlot wine - is fun, yet quite challenging because there are many variations to experiment with,” stated Sartori Master Cheesemaker, Mike Matucheski. Other “WOW” response cheeses include: Expresso BellaVitano BellaVitano cheese that is rubbed with roasted expresso.

Raspberry BellaVitano - the cheese is soaked in raspberry that results in a brown butter and hazelnut flavor with fruity notes Balsamic BellaVitano bathed in Modena Balsamic Vinegar, this is a wonderful cheese that got an International cheese award Chai Bellavitano - a more unusual pairing, this has a slight spiciness that is appealing.

Merlot Bellavitano - similar to a port cheese, this is a nice combo with walnuts, prosciutto and melon. This cheese received a silver award in London.

Santori Asiago cheese also provided a base from which to leap. This award winner can come rubbed with Basil and Olive Oil, or Rosemary and Olive Oil. Both of these

varieties received international cheese awards. They also do a Salsa Asiago that is infused with sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic and Ancho peppers.

This year, they produced a limited edition cheese for the holidays - Cheese with Cinnamon. This I have yet to try but it is on the list. Cannella BellaVitano is steeped in cinnamon liqueur. It is only available online or in select cheese shops.

The old man had values…

Some of the core values expressed at Sartori circle around the idea of remembering your roots.

• We are a family of people who care about each other and work for a common cause.

• Our commitment is demonstrated every day through hard work, dedication and a strong investment in continuous improvement.

• Everything we’ve done— everything we are—is rooted in tradition, quality and authenticity.

• “Always do the right thing.” We practice integrity in all things through honesty, reliability and accountability.

The old man and founder took integrity. Early on, Paolo gave money to the village in Italy where he came from to establish senior housing. He wanted to take care of his village and his people. The company still does that — internally and externally. Maybe it’s an Italian thing - they always seem to have family on the brain.

So when you are involved with the family, you become part of it. This family ideal extends to the community around them. It is an area where they are really making a difference. Sartori is very benevolent when it comes to giving back to society. It is not all about making cheese and happy cows. It is also about recognizing that there is a world beyond the walls of business. The culture of family is passed down from generation to generation.

This company seems to have the family ethos nailed down.

When you are in Sartori, you are really part of the family.

So, it was not a surprise for Sartori to honor 7 children of the company with college scholarships. Sartori Company has named seven students as the recipients of their annual scholarship program.

The students are children or grandchildren of Sartori Team Members and Patron Dairy Farmers. While there were many qualified applicants these seven students showed personal excellence through a combination of academic

achievement, extracurricular involvement, and personal integrity. Sartori, CEO, adds, “A strong, supportive community is crucial in the development for these young adults. All of the chosen recipients have been involved in their community for many years. It’s great to see how much hard work they are completing to attain their future goals.”

This is the fourth year Sartoni has partnered with Mason Crosby and the Packers Radio Network to support the Wisconsin Make-A-Wish Foundation. To date, Sartori has donated over $100,000 to Make-A-Wish Foundation in Wisconsin. For every field goal Crosby makes during the 2014 football season, Sartori will donate $1,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Wisconsin. Last year, Sartori Company ponied up a contribution of $42,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the Packers had a good year.

“It’s fun to watch how Mason does each week during the football game. We’re always rooting for him to convert a few more field goals so we can increase our contribution,” states Sartori CEO, Jim Sartori. “Each year we’re looking to increase the contribution amount. We have faith in Crosby that he’ll once again have a standout year,” I guess that is a reason to root for the Packers... at least when they

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are not playing the Bears, of course. Make-A-Wish is a foundation that supports children with life-threatening medical conditions.

As a sports oriented company, Sartori announced that they plan to partner with the Milwaukee Admirals hockey organization to help support the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund. For each Admiral’s Power Play this season, Sartori will make a charitable donation to the organization and the Admirals will match the final donation amount. The MACC Fund is an amazing non-profit organization that is successfully increasing the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer. It is dedicated to funding research into pediatric cancer and related blood disorders. The Sartori fundraising efforts align with MACC in that they are based on the concept of “a good time for a good cause.” Money raised from special events, like Sartori’s partnership with the Milwaukee Admirals, comprises about 75% of the MACC Fund’s annual income. Since the inception of the MACC Fund in 1976, the overall cure rate for childhood cancer has risen from 20% to 80% thanks to skilled researchers, caregivers and the collaborative generosity.

The MACC Fund to date has contributed $52 million to childhood cancer and related blood disorder research.

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Guilt-less pleasure for both men and women So you like cheese, but think of it as eating fat or contributing to the expansion of your waistline. Perish that thought.

Each year, Men’s Health Magazine publishes their 125 Best Foods List that focuses on low calorie, high protein and rich in fiber foods. Sartori’s SarVecchio Parmesan, “Best All-Purpose Cheese,” made the cut. It has more protein than red meat per ounce and less than 10 calories. Even those with lactose intolerance can enjoy this cheese. Due to its extra-aging of at least 20 months, the cheese is near-lactose free cheese. The parmesan provides exceptional health benefits grates or shreds nicely on salads, pastas, pizzas or burgers. Eat and enjoy.

Sartori announced their Limited Edition Peppermint BellaVitano cheese will be released in October in support of breast cancer awareness.

Sartori will donate a portion of all proceeds from this cheese to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. This unique artisan cheese is hand-rubbing with crushed Peppermint candy to make the sweet, minty notes from the candies mixed with a crumbly texture and tangy bite of the cheese. Their efforts last year for breast cancer awareness allowed them to raise and make a contribution of $10,857.

It is great to see a company make the efforts to give, while still turning out a good product. I would make an effort to buy it on taste alone, but knowing it does good in the process adds so much more value to the brand. It’s a “good” cheese. I would not have known about their effort had I not opened my mouth.

During the holidays, think about what cheese you are serving to your guests and consider adding this to the grocery list. As I mentioned, cheese is a wonderful accompaniment to wine — and we are all about wine during the holidays. So, why not do some good, while enjoying something good!

Sartori is very benevolent when it comes to giving back to society. It is not all about making cheese and happy cows.

It is also about recognizing that there is a world beyond the walls of business.

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WINTER BEAUTY

MUST HAVES Written By: Danielle Hazekamp Layout By: Kali Koller

1

Mad Hippie Face Cream madhippie.com $25.99 When it comes to the winter it is important in finding a face cream that is going to work instantly and that is exactly what this product does. Containing over 12 natural ingredients this face cream not only acts as a moisturizer it also protects and heals.

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Environ Intensive Hydrating Oil Capsules conceptskincare.com $90.00 Sometimes moisturizer isn’t enough and when you feel like you skin is at the point. I highly recommend trying this product. With a single capsule your skin with instantly be hydrated and silky smooth.

3

iS Warming Honey Cleanser innovativeskincare.com $38.00 Hands down this is the best smelling cleanser I have ever tried, I seriously wanted to eat it. What I also loved about this cleanser is how it warms up after application and how nice my skin felt after using it.

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4

Bio-Oil 2oz ulta.com $11.99 This oil pretty much does it all and who doesn’t love a product that is affordable and has multi uses. Some uses for this product are reducing the appearance of stretch marks and scars, improves blotchiness and uneven skin tone as well as softening dry, cracked.

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Miracle Skin Transformer ulta.com $28.00 This is product for anyone who wants to have instant illuminating skin. The moment that you put this on your face has an instant glow and can be used under your foundation.

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Le Mieux Moisture Infusion Mask myskincarebox.com $25.00 It is important to use a facemask once a week to help improve your skin. This mask not only makes my skin feel nice and smooth it also feels firmer.

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7

Freeman Pink Grapefruit Exfoliating Facial Scrub reemanbeauty.com $3.99 One thing that is very important to do during the winter is exfoliate. Using an exfoliator is going to help remove all of that dead dry skin. This exfoliator is great! It isn’t harsh as some other exfoliators I have use and I felt it worked well removing my dry skin.

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Glow-ology Hand Balm-Smile glowologyskincare.com $12.00 Chapped hands come with the winter season so it is very important that you use a good hand lotion or in this case balm. I love this hand balm! First off it smells amazing and then once I get it all rubbed in my hands were nice and soft.

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Uberlube 50ml uberlube.com $18.00 I don’t know about you but my hair gets so staticky in the winter. This product will keep it all in place. However there is other use for this product it is recommended to be used when running on places that have harsh rubbing areas to prevent discomfort.

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10

Amala Aroma Apothecary Peppermint Roll On amalabeauty.com $20.00 I am really not a morning person and will do whatever I have to wake myself up. This peppermint roll on is great for waking up your senses. Plus I have heard that peppermint oils is good for headaches and muscle pain perfect if one should get a cold this winter.

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Marula Pure Facial Oil marula.com $78.00 Unlike other face oils, this face oil penetrates immediately into your skin leaving nice and hydrated. It is perfect for anyone who have dry skin and wants something that isn’t too oily.

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Sebamed Liquid Face & Body Wash target.com $12.99 Whether you know or not it is important to get your skin’s PH level balanced and this body wash does just that while gently cleanses you skin as well as moisturizing.

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Sulwhasoo Essential Finisher neimanmarcus.com $90.00 I have never used a product like this before. It actually get applied after your moisturizer and provides a really nice radiant finish. It left my skin feeling great and it kept my makeup in place.

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WINTER HAIR SURVIVAL WRITTEN BY: DANIELLE HAZEKAMP LAYOUT BY: KALI KOLLER

Winters can be really harsh on you hair therefore it is extremely important to take certain measures to ensure that you hair stays healthy and shiny during the winter. Whether it is changing your pillowcases to using the right hair products it is very simple to keeping your hair healthy and shiny during the winter. Keep the below tips in mind during the winter and I guarantee you will have healthy hair during the winter.

• Reduce the use of heated tools. I know that it isn’t good to walk out the door with a wet head that is why I will wash my hair at night. I hate blow drying my hair and I like to think that by not blow drying my hair everyday it has helped keep my hair healthy and strong.

If you must wash your hair in the morning then be sure that you are using a ionic hair dryer and heat protectant products. Also when using a straightener or curling iron, try to go with tools that are ceramic and be sure you use a heat protect spray.

• Using the right hair products. This is the most important tip out there. If you are suffering with dry hair it is important that you use the right shampoo and conditioner. If you have dry hair please make sure to use a shampoo and conditioner that is labeled for dry hair such as Weleda’s Oat Replenishing Shampoo and Conditioner. Made mostly with organic ingredients, this shampoo and conditioner contains ingreTips to Keep Your Hair Healthy During the Winter dients such as oat extract, jojoba seed oil, and sage leaf extract. All of which work together to strengthen • Avoid washing your hair everyday. Yes, I know I know hair, reduce breakage, revitalizes and protect hair from I feel like I have the same fear of not washing my hair. damage. Also it is very important to use a conditioning However I have found with the help dry shampoo I can treatment. Depending on how dry your hair is, you can get by with washing my hair every other day. do these 1-2 times a week. I love EVO’s The Great Hydrator Moisture Mask, it provides instant results • Invest in silk pillow cases. Silk pillowcases helps main- and is easy to include in your routine. Styling products tain your hair style, as well as control your hair’s oils are just as important. Whether you have long straight so that you can skip a day or two of washing. (If you hair, crazy curls or a cute pixie a leave in conditioner is don’t want to invest in silk pillowcases a silk scarf important if you have dry hair. I suggest trying Evo’s wrapped around you hair is just as effective and less Day of Grace Leave-In Conditioner. I really liked money). how it didn’t make my hair oily or greasy looking on how some of the other leave in conditioners can make • Keep your head warm. Yes I know I hate wearing your hair. Still want more shine after using all of these hats in the winter because I don’t want to ruin my products, try Evo’s Love Perpetua Shine Drops. hair. However keeping your head warm will keep the These drops provides instant shine the moment you blood flowing in your scalp and it will protect it from rube this onto your hair. Just be sure you don’t apply the winter elements. If you don’t want to wear a hair to much to your roots as you don’t want your hair to invest in wrapper your head in a scarf or wear a jacket look oily. with a hood.

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WELEDA OAT SHAMPOO

WELEDA OAT CONDITIONER

www.usa.weleda.com $11.00

www.usa.weleda.com $11.00

EVO: HYDRATOR

www.evohair.com $29.95

EVO: LEAVE IN CONDITIONER

www.evohair.com $29.95

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WINTERIZING YOUR SKIN When it comes to winter most people

have one thing on their mind and that is the holiday season. One thing I know that I love about the holidays is all of the holiday parties that I go to. Not only do I love celebrating the season with the people that I love, I can’t help but get excited with getting ready! I love getting all glitz and glammed up and trying new makeup looks. Thanks to Tricia Campbell, Director of Education for jane iredale – The Skin Care Makeup®, we all can try out new makeup looks this winter.

1. What are the key makeup products one

should be using for the winter?

There are no rules when it comes to makeup – It’s all about finding a look that makes you feel beautiful inside and out, and that’s different for every person.

In winter, I suggest using a romantic color that complements your skin, and brings life to the complexion on dull, winter days. You can find your romantic color by looking at the undertone of your skin. You want colors to complement your skin tone. So if you have a warm skin tone; warm colors like gold or bronze shimmer will complement and give you a soft romantic glow if applied to the tops of the cheeks. jane iredale Quad Bronzer in Moonglow is perfect for warm skin tones. Also choose warmer colors for your eyes, cheeks and lips. If you have cooler tone colors such

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as soft pink champagne, like the pink shades in jane iredale Quad Bronzer in Rose Dawn. For your eyes, cheeks and lips you would want to stay with cool tone colors as well.

Another key product everyone can use during the winter is mascara! Bold, beautiful lashes are an easy way to make a statement.

For women who want a soft, romantic look that still brings volume and definition, try a lash primer and conditioner like jane iredale PureLash Extender & Conditioner. This treatment mimics results of lash extensions naturally, and the formula promotes healthy lash growth. Layer jane iredale Longest Lash Thickening & Lengthening Mascara over top for long, thick, luxurious lashes. For more intensity, add additional layers of mascara until you reach your desired thickness.

2. What are some key makeup tips for the

winter?

I love using shimmer powder to create alluring New Year’s Eve and holiday looks. The look is all about fresh, healthy skin that glows from within, like a golden goddess. It’s simple yet noticeable, beautiful but not overdone. Think shimmering highlights and candlelight!

Here are some tips to get this look in different ways: - To give your face a nice golden glow, mix a

warm skin tones. b. If you have cooler undertones, choose shimmer powders in cool tone colors such silver or soft pink champagne. jane iredale 24 Karat Gold Dust in Silver is an ideal choice. Carry the same colors over to your eyes, cheeks and lips. You can use these same products all over!

3. What do you think are some great

makeup trends for the winter?

Blurred lips done without lip liners will be fading away. More defined lips are coming back into style. The “It” color for lips now, as shown during Fashion Week in New York and Milan, is a wine stained lip. Wine stained lips are a sultry alternative to classic red.

Here’s one way to get the look: - Exfoliate your lips with a sugar scrub like jane iredale Sugar&Butter Lip Exfoliator/ Plumper to remove any dead or flaking skin and provide a smooth surface for application.

Blot to remove any remaining crystals.

- Apply a plum lip liner, like jane iredale Lip Definer in Plum, to your natural lip line. like jane iredale 24 Karat Gold Dust with your liquid foundation. Keep in mind that you only need a very small amount of the dust to create the glowing effect. Apply to the entire face with a blending brush for an airbrush finish.

- To give skin a glowing touch, you can also add a little gold shimmer to your body lotion and apply to your shoulders, décolleté and legs. You can even brush it onto your nails and cover with a topcoat.

- Not sure what color of shimmer to use? Find your most romantic color by looking at the undertone of your skin. Is it warm (with gold, yellow or bronze undertones) or cool (with pinkish undertones)? (with pinkish undertones)? a. If you have a warm skin undertone, warm colors like gold or bronze shimmer will complement your features and give you a soft romantic glow if applied to the tops of the cheeks. Jane Iredale 24 Karat Gold Dust in Gold is perfect for

- Layer and fill lips with a merlot lipstick, like jane iredale PureMoist Lipstick in Katerina.

- Seal in color and add subtle shine by applying a black cherry gloss, like jane iredale PureGloss Lip Gloss in Black Cherry, just to the center of your lower lip.

- Keep eyes and skin very minimal and fresh, using jane iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation to create an all-over silky, semimatte complexion.

- Finish the look with a bold, well-groomed brow. Fill in with a pencil if needed, and comb through with a colored gel like jane iredale PureBrow Gel to tint and tame your arches. It also disguises grey hairs!

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Just like the seasons changes so does your skin. Therefore it is important for you to alter your skin care routine to reflect the changes in your skin. Also it is very important that you take care of your skin properly and using the right products. Thanks to Dr. Craig Kraffert, board certified dermatologist and president of Amarte (www.AmarteSkinCare.com) you will now know what you need to do to take care of your skin this winter.

1. What are some key tips one should know when it comes to caring for your skin in the winter?

Winter weather presents unique skin health challenges. Still, the basic tenets of good skin care still apply, just in a slightly different fashion.

Whether it’s winter or summer, mild but thorough exfoliation is essential for optimizing skin’s health and beauty. The dry scaly outermost surface of the skin must be gently lifted in order for topically applied skin care treatments to absorb well and exert their intended effects. Exfoliation is perhaps more important in the winter as the skin has a tendency to dry and flake more and this dry flaky surface is what exfoliation specifically addresses. The key here is that exfoliation must be thorough but mild. Alpha Hydroxy Acid based exfoliants are particularly prone to causing irritation on already dry and compromised winter skin.

Mild physical exfoliants are generally better tolerated. Amarte’s Daily ExfoliPowder, for example, actually calms the skin as it exfoliates, leaving a soothed and polished smooth surface ready to soak up nutrients and moisture.

Attention to facial moisturization is more important in winter months. Because skin is drier, richer products, product layering and more frequent application are strategies that can be successfully used to keep skin moisture just right despite cold and dry environmental

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For example, while BB cream alone or over a serum may work well in the summer, during winter months a moisturizing cream under the BB cream may perform better. Amarte Wonder Cream is a very nourishing treatment for winter, but absorbs cleanly into skin, so it can be used at night and during the day under makeup.

Even though it may be cold and dry during the winter, sunlight shines year-round. Damage to skin integrity and beauty is very much dependent on cumulative sun exposure over the years. So it’s important to use a sun protective product (sunscreen, BB cream, or protective foundation) even in winter months.

Amarte’s Natural Finish BB Cream is a great moisturizing Broad Spectrum SPF 36 beauty balm. Remember also to supplement with Vitamin D to make up for decreased natural production in the winter and with sun avoidance.

Extra attention may be required for the rest of the body as well. Dry, itchy and even rashy skin may result if winter weather and bathing habits dry out skin too much on the torso and extremities. To help prevent these problems, consider a moisturizing soap like Dove and try to keep showers warm and short. Don’t forget that the whole skin surface may need more moisture in the winter. Moisturizing creams tend to perform better than lotions and, for some really dry skinned people, twice daily body moisturization is essential.

2. What key products should one be using during the winter?

This question is addressed in the above tips, along with a few product recommendations for consideration. :)

3. What should a typical person’s skin care

routine look like for the winter?

Taking in the above tips, one’s typical regimen would look like this:

AM Routine -Exfoliating Cleanser You gain quite a lot from cleansing as opposed to just splashing water on your face in the mornings, and any time you cleanse your face, there is a component or degree of exfoliation -Toner Stay away from too much alcohol content in your toner, above 15% is BAD (not dangerous just irritating) -Hydration Serum (technically optional, but highly recommended to restore moisture to skin in dry winter months) -Face Lotion or Cream You want your lotion or moisturizing cream to have some brightening or retinol properties.

-Eye Cream -SPF Products (Sunscreen, BB Cream, SPF Foundation)

PM Routines -Exfoliating Cleanser -Toner -Prescription retinol or acne products, if you have them If you’re treating acne, you want to apply this product first so that it is clos est to your skin, right after washing/ exfoliating your face.

-Non-prescription Retinol Cream Pure retinol is unstable, so it needs to be converted within the skin, with a cream that can penetrate deep in to the skin to activate it. A moisturizing cream with 0.6 – 1% retinol will offer brighten ing, anti-aging and clarifying benefits.

-No acne or anti-aging issues?

Then just use your hydration serum followed by a heavier moisturizing cream at night.

-Last step – Eye cream

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A STRANGE TWIST ON HAIR CARE WRITTEN BY: THOM OLSON

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New products enter the market daily, but not many enter with such a strange twist.

Think Bupropion (sold as Wellbutrin), it came onto the market as a solution for depression. Then it was marketed as Zyban for smoking cessation. It was also given to counter to help with libido problems. This is very much the story of a product like that… something used in a general way but THAT has multiple uses… wink wink.

It is the brain child of Stephen Magnusen and Franz Zwergel. High school buds from Evanston. The two were known for being pranksters and doing strange things in high school – crafting strange science projects that would normally get one expelled. Exceedingly close, they stayed friends after high school and after college. Zwergel did modeling assignments, casting and production work for Art + Science – a hair care group out of Evanston. He did freelance work for American Crew, also owned by Art + Science (now spun off to Revlon).

His work as hair model made him pretty comfortable and connected around the hair care world. He did some work for fashion and runway shows. Magnusen was working and selling for a high-tech company and doing quite well for himself. The two somewhere along the line developed the entrepreneurial bug and wanted do their own thing.

This is where it gets a little strange.

A hair care product being developed from these two would not be so difficult to imagine. Using the same product as a… ahem… sexual aide and anti-chafe cream is a bit of a bit stretch to the imagination or is it really? Its primary base is silicon.

Silicon was designed to be natural to the human touch and skin. It is slick without being greasy. By design is reduces damage caused from friction. So, it is a natural in hair care and is found in many products.

Brushing hair, teasing hair and processing

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hair can be quite damaging to the follicle.

Reducing that friction is a way to give the hair shine as the cuticle is relaxed.

What else could this product good for?

RUNNERS CHAFE! If you have ever ran a 5K in shorts that don’t fit correctly or in a t-shirt that gets abrasive with sweat, you are familiar with the problem. Fabric wicking solutions have taken fiber technology to new levels. Runners chafe hurts, so does chafing from any other sport. Another angle to the solving the problem is to make the skin slicker. Reducing the friction on the skin means less burns from fabrics or skin on skin. Hmmmm. Skin on skin… how else is this product used? Rug burns?

So, how do ya get rug burn? Let me think about this… Ya see where this is going?

Introducing uberlube.

Ok – the idea of putting lube on one’s head is a little…ok… disgusting. However, ask yourself how many hair care products now use silicon? It is hard to go down the hair care aisle and not find a hair-finishing product that doesn’t incorporate it. Utilizing this type of product for multi purpose use, kind of like an off-script use has made people rise up and take notice – pardon the pun.

Uberlube is not marketing itself like other lubes. It is pretty discrete. You won’t find it coming in flavors or in black bottles adorned with body parts. If anything, it is packaged to look more natural. The bottle is clear with white type. It is almost invisible on store shelves. Bottled water has more packaging. Unlike other lubes, or hair care products, this product uses glass instead of plastic. It feels different. It has weight to it and feels gutzy.

The product does shield the cuticles from ambient moisture, helps the hair to relax and lay flat and requires less styling. Like silicon is designed to be, it will work as

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long as it’s being manipulated. When you stop, it evaporates and dissipates. Some silicon products feel a little greasy with all the additional chemicals. They may leave a residue. This one does not. It feels smooth to the touch as it reduces the friction, but it does not feel like you need to bathe. It is not about feeling slippery as it is about feeling natural. Thus it works on hair… and other things.

Engineered and formulated to be natural, it does make hair feel smooth. You actually want to run your hands through it. It’s a little hot and unlike other hair products on the market. Though, unlike the cost efficient Aqua Net designed to make any head into a football helmet, this product is a tad pricey — usually running around $30 for a large bottle (that looks deceptively small).

Unlike other lubes or hair care products where there is so much alcohol in the base so that it will evaporate, Uberlube doesn’t require a lot. A push from the plunger dispenses an amount about the size of a dime. You use more Brylcreem or Dax or any of other the other products.

The name… well, that was the inspiration of a fun night with friends. Some one happened to use the words “uber” and “lube” in the same sentence — my guess, much like words cracker jack. “Uber” – a German adjective that means “superior” seemed to stick. Innovation comes from an idea. Magnusen’s father, a chemist at Northwestern was able to point them in a scientific direction towards making the formulation.

Colleagues at Art + Science helped them understand what needed to be done to make it useful to hair.

A basement summer at home and a copy of Harry’s Cosmeticology became the starting point. This was the beginning of a giant brain fart that has taken hair care to new levels. After months of trial and error,

formulation that had the right properties was perfected. The final product was focus grouped amongst two other formulations to pick the perfect winner. This formulation had a 90% approval rating.

The qualities? First — a no-tack sensation.

You want to feel the person you are with… not the lube. Eeeeewww. No foam. No bubbles. There should be a sensation of slickness but with a combination of feeling vs. slide. The product should dissipate when it is not in use. There should be no residue. Like all things simple, they can be very hard to perfect. This product only has four ingredients which is unlike many other hair care products or personal lubes.

There isn’t any alcohol to dry things out, nor is there any glycerin, parabens or any unusual oils that are found in many other products on the market. It doesn’t have any flashy scents – in fact, it has no smell at all. So as far as hair care goes, it is pretty unusual. As far as a lube goes, it is a far cry from others as well.

So how does it stack up?

On hair, it does what is says. It does a really nice job on the hair. One gets a good shine without having to use a lot. It feels great to the touch and hair color looks great as the cuticle is tamed. I can’t say I have compared it to other lubes on my hair, however when I stack it against other hair care silicon products, it does do a superior job. Like the name implies — uber.

For runners chafe, it also works quite nicely, but I am not exactly a runner. The last time, I did a 3K run, I took cab faire just in case. The glass bottle isn’t as convenient as some of stick formulations that are available on the market. I also tend to slam my workout bag around. So, carrying a glass bottle in it makes me a little nervous. It is heavy glass, so I don’t think it would break easily, but wow, what a mess if it did. As far

a massage oil goes, it is quite lovely and not greasy. As a lube, I asked an expert who knows lube. I spoke with the sales clerk at Cupid’s Treasures Leathers & Sports Shop. They have sample bottles for people to try, just like the Clinique counter.

I learned a lot — like the fact that Purell Hand Sanitizer gets nasty lube off your hands.

I also learned that not all flavored lubes taste great and after a while your tongue goes numb. It’s not a pleasant feeling. In comparison, most flavored lubes are water based lubes. They get gummy and yes, the flavors are not always as wonderful as they sound. Cherry Bomb will make you hurl.

Watermelon is not too horrible. Massage oils have nicer scents but they get really slick and oily. They work well for a massage, but you really want to wash them off afterward. Silicon lubes are definitely more expensive than water bases — on average I found them to be about double or more.

Some come in enormous bottles that make you wonder how much sex is a person going to have before using the industrial size bottle? Some of them however do require you to use more.

“This is our best quality lube. People seem to really like it, but it is expensive.” Mentioned the clerk. “You don’t need as much of this as the others and it does come in travel sizes.”

Yes, it is much smaller than sticking a bottle of hair spray in your bag, but it also screams one night stand. In comparison to other lubes, it is much lighter. It has a noticeably different feel. It holds up longer without feeling like the texture is changing.

It doesn’t feel sticky if you leave it on. Your shorts are not going to stick to your junk.

I think lubes, however, fall into personal opinion areas like cologne or perfume.

These are areas where people’s opinions matter. With that, I’ll let you be the judge for yourself. It truly does give new meaning to the words “bed head“.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHICAGO:

FPO

CITY DWELLERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS DOING THEIR PART TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY: ROB SAMUELSON

The smell of freshly poured asphalt is not pleasant. Nor is the process of pouring it. There are jackhammers pounding away at my early morning sanity, orange cones closing already clogged street lanes, people in neon safety gear telling me to stop when there’s a green light. It’s all a sign of change, and change is irritating. This is what it was like for my neighborhood through most of the early autumn. I live on Chicago’s far north side, nowhere near the prime real estate and commuting corridors that typically receive the City’s attention for infrastructure improvement.

But the City is doing a lot of it lately, even touching my little corner, and in the long run, it’s a good thing from economic, safety, health, and especially environmental standpoints. And infrastructure isn’t even the whole story of how this city is changing. There is a burgeoning, all-hands-on-deck movement, with local government, business leaders, and organizations pushing to create a more efficient and healthy civic space for everyone here.

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This is why I’m grudgingly okay with the annoyances of construction in my neck of the woods. The stretch of Sheridan Road from Howard to Pratt badly needed to be resurfaced. Potholes were everywhere after the miserable 2013-2014 winter. The “bike lane” I had been riding for the last year and a half was really a strip of craggy, bumpy concrete beside the parked cars. It’s difficult to pay attention to the uneven riding surface and to the drivers exiting their resting vehicles – a door waiting to happen. This is why my heart fluttered with possibilities when I saw the building crews arrive. I was finally going to get my safe, protected bike lane, safely separated from the moving car traffic.

Turns out that wasn’t their plan. Sheridan is smoother, sure, but no painting has yet been done to create a legitimate lane for cyclists. For now, weaving in and out of traffic, close calls, and angry honking remain on the agenda.

But Lesley Tweedie, co-owner of Roscoe Village Bikes, says the emphasis in the preceding sentence should be on the “for now.” Taking an immediate look at the state of bicycling in Chicago can make you tug nervously at your collar.

“Only one out of 20 miles of Chicago roads has a bike lane,” she said recently at the “Midwest Business, Extreme Weather and Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities” event in West Town.

Luckily, though, Tweedie knows the present is not everything. In her speech, she said the City of Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have committed to doubling the amount of cycling and walking from the 2011 baseline of Emanuel’s election. The Chicago Department of Transportation’s Chicago Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 is projecting a “645-mile network of biking facilities” by decade’s end, which would far more than double what we had before the mayor’s inauguration. Imagine the headaches!

Tweedie says it’s taken a lot of work to get the City to implement these plans, and it’s just as frustrating to ensure they follow through.

“I work with my alderman’s office and the Department of Transportation if I note a specific problem like a need for a bike rack or an obstruction in the road,” she says. “We also receive free bike maps from the city to distribute at our shop.”

“I’ve found the City to be responsive to these sort of requests,” she says.

Tweedie notes that these improvements and Chicago’s cycling trajectory have earned it the distinction of being America’s second best city for cycling, according to Bicycling Magazine. Trajectories are all well and good, but they’re not the same as on-the-ground realities.

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“I think Chicago is doing a great job in adding bike lanes, but there are a lot of intersections that are not safe for pedestrians or cyclists,” she says, mentioning streets like Damen, Elston, and Fullerton specifically. “It takes time and money to redesign and install infrastructure, and it can’t be done overnight, but I’d like to see improvements made more quickly.”

With the move away from gas stations and into people-powered transit, the way we fuel our traveling obviously needs to change, too. Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks, a grocery delivery service based in Skokie, is getting in on the game. Irv Cernauskas, co-owner with his wife, also spoke at the “Risks and Opportunities” event, where he talked about how the way we eat can be about more than just nourishing ourselves. We can do it much better for ourselves and our planet.

“Even though climate change seems like such a huge challenge, it is important for each individual to be thoughtful about the impact of their day to day actions,” he says. “Simply being mindful about the choices we make when buying food gives us daily opportunities to make a difference by opting for local organic food that has a lighter carbon footprint.”

But people typically would rather not inconvenience themselves with changing their habits. Cernauskas and his wife recognized this innate bit of human silliness, and they set out to create a way to help others lighten their contributions to carbon emissions. The way Fresh Picks works is threefold. The food they get is all locally grown in Illinois and neighboring states, which drastically cuts transportation emissions because the produce isn’t coming from, say, Florida.

While they aren’t a vegetarian business, they focus less on meat products that require a lot of water to serve the animals, which in turn emit their own greenhouse gases by simply digesting – for some reason, though, people seem reticent to make a Smokey the Bear-style ad campaign to warn us of cow flatulence. Cernauskas and his wife also deliver the food to their customers’ doors, decreasing overall driving to supermarkets and increasing convenience for those who order, making that habit change much more palatable. It can’t get much simpler than not even having to leave your house to buy your food.

Cernauskas says we are strengthening ourselves and other regions by focusing on the foods grown in our backyard.

“We have some of the most fertile agricultural land on earth right here in the Midwest, and plenty of water,” he says. “All types of vegetables, grains, dairy products and meats are produced here, and we get great fruit from Michigan.”

“Wisconsin has more organic farms than any state other than California,” he says. “With an extended drought in California, and depleted aquifers that farms

there have relied on for irrigation, the upper Midwest is well positioned to make up for reduced vegetable production from the West that is likely to become the new normal.”

The new normal Cernauskas mentions is driven in part by a changing climate, and he says increasingly more adaptation, in all aspects of how we deal with food, will be required as we see more cumulative warming. Stupid circumstances making us do stuff we’d rather push off.

“In order to increase farm production, farmers will need to focus more on production and will have less time for transportation, marketing, and sales,” he says. “Distribution and retail businesses like ours are necessary partners for farmers who want to grow more food.”

The work being done by Tweedie and the Cernauskas family is intensive and creating a lot of change around Chicago, but as usual for our warming planet, solutions need to be more complex and multifaceted.

Riding bikes and eating locally produced food are part of a whole, but our energy needs must be addressed somehow. Whether we like it or not, advanced technology is part of our lives, and to utilize it, we need a lot of electricity, much of which is currently created through the burning of coal. That will slowly change as solar and wind power grow, but there are ways to squeeze more juice out of Santa’s favorite bad kid punishment.

This is where Sustainable Solutions LED comes in.

in power. Henry Henderson, the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Midwest Director, deals with policymakers constantly as part of NRDC’s advocacy for climate action. He recently participated in a panel of climate change activists at the Organizing for Action headquarters following the midterm election, which saw Republican Bruce Rauner win the Illinois gubernatorial race.

It was a dour crowd filled with people who are skeptical of the prospects for climate action under a Republican, a party that has often adopted a position

The Chicago-based distributor is helping to make the blue-hued LED technology the standard for our lighting needs. Senior Account Executive Ellen Wesley says LEDs are the most efficient form of lighting around, and can and should be implemented rapidly due to their competitive cost and more economical brightness, the kind you may recognize from being blinded by the high beams of a high-end SUV. “Efficiency needs as much attention as renewables,” she says, and that lighting is the biggest part of that equation.

Wesley says, based on current Department of Energy projections, that by 2027, LEDs could be saving us as much energy as is currently produced and that they could reduce our electrical consumption at least 50 percent.

That would mean “60 to 90 percent savings on [our] lighting bill,” she says.

That’s a lot of numbers in a row, but basically there are a lot of pennies to be saved and earned in the next couple decades, plus you don’t have to worry about mercury poisoning like with the former efficiency darlings, the spiral-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs.

Of course, these things can only grow so much on their own. Usually, to reach near-universal acceptance and use, these businesses and organizations often must partner with all levels of government at various stages.

That can be a volatile situation when the electorate has a mood swing every two years, putting new people

of denying the existence of anthropogenic global warming in recent years. But Henderson struck a different, almost excited tone regarding our Governorelect, comparing him to Michigan governor Rick Snyder, another Republican bucking convention and pleasantly confusing people. “[Snyder] is really leading the way in the Midwest on efficiency and renewables,” he says. “They are making major progress on the clean energy economy.”

“Before the election, [Snyder] was talking about how Michigan has the capacity, need, and interest in

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moving even faster and further,” he says. “I have every reason to believe that Governor-elect Rauner will be of the same opinion,” he says.

Those efforts, along with things like retrofitting buildings across the city for more efficiency, are opening new economic doors.

Henderson says that, along with Rauner’s education – he spent time in college as an environmental studies student – and his wife, Diana, being an NRDC board member point to good things ahead for climate action.

There’s another fact about the pro-business Rauner that gives Henderson hope.

“This creates jobs, reduces waste, puts more money in building owners’ pockets and homeowners’ pockets,” he says. “It’s a way of employing the job base in Chicago.”

“As a private citizen, he invested in renewable energy and earned from it,” he says. And when a businessman strikes big on something that works financially, chances are he’s not going to stop doing it. This is why we saw a nearly 70-year-old Indiana Jones discovering aliens.

But, this being Illinois, the governor doesn’t always (ever?) matter as much as Chicago’s political ruling class. And Henderson says there are some encouraging signs that the City is modernizing its miserably outdated infrastructure, going a little deeper – and ickier – than the streets and bike lanes.

“We’re sitting very near the Chicago River, where a whole lot of untreated sewage dumps into it regularly,” he says. “When it rains a little bit, we’ve got massive amounts of untreated sewage in there – it’s a threat to the city.”

“We have a sewer system, some of which goes back to pre-Civil War,” and he says Chicago is finally getting around to updating the 150-plus-year-old pipes, some of which are made out of long rotted wood. Yes, some of the pipes below you are made out of old, likely diseased wood, and people knew about it.

“Those are a disaster,” he says. “They’re being replaced.” Phew.

Since the City is so far behind the curve in this, and other, areas, Henderson says they have a long way to go to be a truly modern metropolis, but these things are all pointing in the right direction.

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“What we need to be doing is building for the new climate regime and putting in green infrastructure,” he says. “The kind of green roofs” – actually painted white to reflect, rather than absorb, sunlight – “that we see happening in Chicago are an essential part of that.”

“You don’t pick up a building like this that we’re standing in, send it to China to get retrofitted,” he says. “It’s Chicago businessmen, Chicago laborers, and Chicago supply chains that all make this building operate more efficiently and waste less money.”

Oh yeah, all those loud noises, delays, and frustrations support people’s livelihoods.

So what’s the road forward? Henderson echoes what everyone above mentioned by essentially saying more of the same – no backsliding, please – sounds about right.

“Energy efficiency remains the most immediate, most cost effective, and most affordable way to move forward,” he says. “There’s also the cost curves on solar [that] are rapidly changing, and that is, within the next five years, that is a very, very advancing thing with regard to energy generation.”

“So you’ve got both the reduction of need, which is a major job creator, plus what is coming in terms of generating capacity through renewables that is highly, highly promising.”

It looks like we Chicagoans have decades to look forward to of getting new, non-crumbling infrastructure, avoiding traffic jams by pedaling around them, having the grocery store come to us, avoiding the ugly-inducing qualities of fluorescent lights, and pushing our policymakers to perpetually improve things further. How annoying.

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Charity: Water- A Help or Hindrance?

An opinion piece on the realities behind giving Written by: Cheyenne Hendricks Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

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was recently introduced to a widely known organization which provides clean water to areas in developing nations around the world, Charity: Water. This particular non profit is known for its transparency and forthcomingness.

They thrive on donations, social media presence, and simple solutions. People are often dazzled by the fresh approach used by Charity:Water to not only send all donations directly to the field, but keep their donors informed on the company’s success, so they instantly feel compelled to donate. They rarely question any further, since the organization is so flamboyant about its alleged transparency. The website is sleek and eye catching, their many YouTube videos are always a touching mixture of powerful and cheerful, and they are very communicative with anyone involved or wanting to know more about their organization. However, their brand of transparency seems to be used in the place of accuracy.

The company does not clearly depict exactly what your donation does. They claim that just $30 can provide access to clean water to a person, but just what kind of “access” is your contribution actually providing? To begin with, consider all of the things for which water is a necessity: drinking, cooking, hand washing,

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bathing, laundry, etc. Now take in to account the approximately 500 to a 1000 people in each poor community all needing water to fulfill their daily needs. Each member has to travel anywhere from ten minutes to two hours just to reach the water source (then of course, they must make a two hour trek back home home carrying the water) All of these people are traveling to one single clean water hand pump and waiting in

line, as long as three hours, to fill their 5 gallon water containers. Once they’ve reached the first place in line and have the chance to pump their water, it’s a gamble as to whether or not the pump will work. Less than 5% of companies provide long term monitoring and maintenance of their projects! Hence, functionality is not a guarantee. So, the term “access” is clearly used loosely in their marketing department. In the last

eight years, Charity: Water has funded 13,641 water projects in 22 different countries, yet -even with their over $27 million dollar budget- they still don’t have the resources to alert them when a pump is malfunctioning.

So, while 100% of your donation will be siphoned directly into the field, it may not be providing the sustainable source of clean water

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a falsehood implying that other organizations who don’t institute a “100% model” are being dishonest. In actuality, other organizations, such as the one I work with, don’t have private sponsors, investors, and big name donors to rely on for the overhead costs- which allow them to expand, work efficiently, and ultimately complete their missions-.

you thought it was. Also, let’s not ignore that “100% Model” guaranteeing that 100% of all public donations will go towards projects in the field. That is flat out gratuitous, irresponsible, and inconsiderate. Charity: Water has implemented the “100% Model” under the rouse that it’s an improved, more advantageous use of your money. As an employee for a non profit organization, I assure you, it isn’t. Charity: Water has the luxury of private donors and sponsors to support their overhead costs; thus, allowing them to use the “100% model” without raising many eyebrows. However, by so aggressively marketing this flimsy campaign, they are actually damaging other charities. They are advertising that anything less than a 100% is wasteful; when in reality, you cannot fund the work done by a non-profit without also funding overhead and administrative expenses. (see Joe Garecht’s “Why Charity: Water’s 100% Model is bad for Non Profits and Donors alike”) It is unethical to propagate such

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“If people believe that they should be looking for organizations who will promise to use 100% of their donations on programs (with nothing going towards overhead) Charity: Water wins, because it is one of the few non-profits which claims to allow donors to do just that.That belief feeds the “overhead myth” and it leaves other nonprofits in a precarious position. They can either launch their own “100% Model,” effectively lying to their donors by acting like these donations aren’t fungible with the “overhead”

donations, or they can tell the truth, risking losing donations as a result. Remember – this isn’t a theoretical exercise. Every day, non-profits face questions from donors about their overhead expenses. These donors want to know why they are spending 11% on overhead instead of 10%, or whether they spend too much on paid fundraisers. Charity: Water’s aggressive marketing of the 100% model fuels this problem.

And as a result, homeless shelters, addiction recovery centers, schools, hospitals and other non-profits that are doing good work have trouble recruiting new and larger donors.” says Joe Garecht in his article about Charity: Water’s flagrant use of this ludicrous marketing ploy.

I seriously question the integrity of a company who is willing to compromise other non profit organizations for its own financial gain. Plus, they still use the trite “Just 30 can bring a person clean water” tactic which is outrageously misleading. That $30 will not provide a reliable,

sustainable, and functional water source to every person. Ultimately, if we are truly going to help these impoverished communities, we need to put our efforts into giving them water sources that fulfill their daily needs and allow long term functionality. Although this company, on the surface, has many admirable qualities, I would recommend doing a little more research before donating.

Gestures toward transparency may keep critics at bay, yet what remains unclear is exactly how many more people have reliable access to clean drinking water now than did six years ago.

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EDITORS Last LOOK

A little local love for brands and products made right here in Chicago! By picking up products such as the below you are helping to support local small business in our area which in turns helps our local economy.

Anna Hovet Chicago based fashion brand.

Dottie’s Delights Chicago based vintage inspired lingerie brand.

Pinch Provisions Chicago based personal care brand.

local love

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Right: Bucketfeet Chicago based shoe brand that works with artists from around the world to create products that stand out and tell a story.

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Brand Highlight Written by: Jennifer M. Lezan Layout by: Annabel Carrillo o often, during the holiday season, people can get caught up in the retail madness. The holidays can add a new dimension to “giving” when it comes from a place of goodness. While you are out shopping, why not make a purchase with a purpose?

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Etnia Barcelona is the ultimate business brainchild of young hip creatives who care about good design and have a passion for doing some good in the world around them. Etnia is the latest in designer eye ware that has made quite the splash in the industry. With strikingly beautiful designs, top-notch technology and curated collections inspired and developed by top notch talent, Etnia Barcelona ain’t your Grammies bifocals.

Cutting edge technology create lenses that are made with toughened natural crystal, that respond to light intensity and eliminates ultraviolet radiation by changing lens intensity from clear to dark depending on the environment. They also are said to provide 70 times better vision.

The Etnia team also understands that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, they work with a select group of artists to create innovative, bright and modern frames. Artists such as

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Nobuyoshi Araki have helped the brand blur the lines between art and design. Yves Klein inspired the brand to explore how color can create an impact. Steve Mccurry added a deeply touching human element to their most recent collection.

Mccurry is well known around the world because of his photograph “Afghan Girl”, which appeared in the National Geographic magazine in 1985.

His career in photography began with the war in Afghanistan (1978-1992) and with his past experience in mind; the Wild love collection was born.

Inspired by Africa, gorgeous prints and natural fibers, the latest collection is more than just a pretty set of glasses to look at. It has a deeply seeded conscious that is inspired by social responsibility.

More than just a pair of pretty glasses, this collection is contributing to the world. In this most recent project, Etnia is collaborating with the NGO Africa Rising Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Ndaba and Kweku Mandela in late 2009 to contribute to the development of Africa. Companies like Etnia, make shopping an easy way to give back. As consumers, we can do our part by looking at the products we purchase and really thinking about how the item impacts the world around us. Is it for the better or for the worse? Make comparisons, shop and invest in brands that invest in the world. If you’re going to do it anyway, might as well do it in a way that leaves a positive mark on the world.

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Kindness is Greatness Written by: Jennifer M. Lezan

In a recent article published by Esquire Magazine writer Tom Junod revealed some startling information on Pit bulls – a breed he dubbed “The American Dog”. According to statistics, “Every year, American shelters have to kill about 1.2 million dogs. Yet, both pro- and anti-pit-bull organizations estimate that of these, anywhere from 800,000 to nearly 1 million are pit bulls. We kill anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 pit bulls a day.

They are rising simultaneously in popularity and disposability, becoming something truly American, a popular dog forever poised on the brink of extermination.”

He raised some interesting questions about why and how, we as a nation, have profiled these dogs. As an owner of a pittie rescue, this article moved me to my core. As I was about to close out this issue, I realized that I showcased organizations doing great things for people in their communities, but I didn’t showcase enough organizations doing things for beings that couldn’t do much for themselves; beings such as animals. Just as we have human rights, we have to keep in mind the rights of our animals. Too often animals are seen as disposable. Too often people

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choose to give up or give away a family pet rather than fight for a way to keep them.

Yet, we can’t discriminate against those who relinquish their dogs, they are taking a responsible route to ensure their animal can be rehomed. Then there are also those who abandon their animals with no looking back.

It’s a travesty that animals that provide such innocent and unconditional love (even to those who hurt and maim them) can be left behind so readily.

When it comes to the Pit Bull, the stakes are even higher. It’s a dog with a history, much like many stereotyped and racially profiled citizens of our world. It’s a dog that people make assumptions about without regard to the true nature of the animal. The reality is that the assumptions a majority of people make about Pit Bulls is just false information pushed by the media. As a local media outlet, I won’t feed into the hype. Rather, I want to uplift organizations that are trying to make a difference. The crucified Pit Bull has a special place in my heart. I understand its pain, I have faced that discrimination, that doubt, but just like many of the Pit bulls that are rescued, I too have overcome. That is the beauty behind this animal. They take the good with the bad and overcome. My rescue Ellie, her parents and siblings are prime examples of these animals overcoming a stereotype and coming out on the other side better than before. Yet, it takes a community to save these animals. It’s takes a community to educate the public and it takes strong, kind hearted individuals to help rehabilitate animals that come from heart wrenching circumstances. Chicago is lucky to have a community in the volunteers that work for the Peace for Pits Organization.

Peace for Pits is a Chicago area based rescue that focuses on finding loving, caring homes for “bully” breeds in need of help.

Many of these dogs come from “high kill” facilities across Illinois, arriving there as a stray or unfathomably being surrendered by their so-called “owners.” Some of these dogs arrive with severe injuries and other health problems due to neglect and or trauma.

Their mission is to save as many of these dogs from euthanasia as possible.

Everything this organization does is to ensure that each dog they rescue lives a life of peace. They are a 100% volunteer run organization, with every dog living in a wonderful foster home from the day it becomes a part of our rescue until the day they get adopted into an amazing forever home. All of their dogs get neutered or spayed, are given all state mandated vaccinations, are micro-chipped, and if needed, receive other major veterinary care such as surgery or treatments for diseases and infections. It’s amazing the amount of love and energy the staff of volunteers puts into this organization.

The dedication the organization puts into making a difference ensures that the rescued pits are placed into loving and healthy homes. The application process for adoptees is rigorous. Intensive background checks, home checks and home trials are completed to ensure the adoption is a good fit. I can remember the process Dwight and I went through this past spring when adopting Ellie, our beautiful 1 year old pittie. It was intense, but it is meant to be. She needed a loving home with strong parents who could lead her down the right path and lucky for us we became her forever home. What touched me

most about our adoption was the love and attachment her foster mom had for her. She, like so many of the other volunteer/fosters who are a part of Peace for Pits, worked to train, love and guide Ellie. For that Tamara, I am eternally grateful. Her hard work created a loving animal, eager to please and willing to learn.

Pit Bulls are a breed of dog that is scrutinized. It’s a reality that, as a pit owner, I have to be on guard. Not on guard because of my dog, but on guard because of the discrimination she will face. Pits are a type of dog that makes so many Americans uncomfortable.

Strangers come from two camps. The camp that sees this dog for what it is: a loving animal and the camp who thinks they are just vicious killers. I can remember going on a hike this past summer with Ellie, Dwight and our youngest daughter Sophia (2). Going about our business, a couple sped up to pass us.

Ellie noticed and went to sniff the woman and her reaction was one I will never forget.

She screamed bloody murder and jumped.

You would have thought I was threatening her with a gun, but all my dog did was sniff her. Of course the scream scared Ellie, she barked to alert us and then backed off. Yet, what was moist poignant about the encounter was the woman’s parting words after I explained that all Ellie was doing was sniffing to greet, “Well, you know what they say about pit bulls!” We left her with this parting thought, “Yea, we hear about that kind of discrimination all the time, but as a nation that has come so far, we shouldn’t judge people the color of their skin and people like you shouldn’t judge a breed by false information they see on the news and read on the web.”

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Organizations like Peace for Pits are game changers for America’s dog. They are giving them a second chance. They are saving lives. They are peeling back the layers of false information to showcase an animal so ready to love if given the chance. If you are looking for an organization to help this season of giving or wanting to rescue a pittie of your own please consider Peace for Pits.

Check them out online at: www.peaceforpits.org LEFT: CURRENT ADOPTABLES TO APPLY TO ADOPT OR VOLUNTEER TO BE A FOSTER VIST: http://peaceforpits.org/adoptionfoster-application/

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