Marketing Malcolm X For merchants of trendy items, there's no doubt about what letter is going to spell profits
New York -- Put on your best X-wear, break open your bag of X-chips and get ready to get X-cited, because America's marketing machine has zeroed in on its newest target: Malcolm X, movie star.
In high gear to capitalize on tomorrow's release of director Spike Lee's film, "Malcolm X," the flow of X-stuff seems to know no limits. Caps, shirts, belts, calendars, automobile air fresheners and even potato chips are now graced by the simple letter "X" in hopes that the leader's surname, once synonymous with militancy, will now strike a chord with consumers.
Two New York locations have become the prime sellers of Malcolm X paraphernalia: Mr. Lee's pricey gift shop in Brooklyn featuring Malcolm X pins, necklaces, books and T-shirts; and the innumerable vendors around Times Square hawking unlicensed baseball caps and jerseys emblazoned with an X.
Mr. Lee and Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's widow, have said the products will help spark a greater interest in Malcolm X, who was born Malcolm Little in 1925 and was assassinated in 1965.
Ms. Shabazz, who declined comment, has hired Curtis Management Group, an Indianapolis company that manages scores of celebrities or their estates, to protect the name from being pirated. (The company also represents the estates of James Dean, Humphrey Bogart and Babe Ruth.) Curtis spokeswoman Stephanie Osha said at least five companies have been sued for using the X without Ms. Shabazz's permission. Another 40 companies with 160 products, including the air freshener, have been licensed.
"The control extends to X when it refers to Malcolm X. Somehow it's more than a letter -- it represents him. Of course, we're not going to sue Xavier College; we just want to protect his name," Ms. Osha said.
She declined to say how much money Ms. Shabazz would make from the licensed sales, but estates typically earn around 5 percent of sales. With about 80 percent of the projected $100 million in Malcolm X goods licensed, several million dollars will undoubtedly flow back to the family.
Malcolm X took the name X to represent the African surname lost to slavery. After a pilgrimage to Mecca he took the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
But because thousands of African-Americans took the surname X too, especially in the 1960s, some do not believe it right that Malcolm X's estate tries to monopolize the letter.Akilah Ali, a Philadelphia jeweler who makes a line of pins and pendants shaped like an X, said the name is part of African-Americans' shared history.
"Malcolm didn't own the X. It's true that the X is almost synonymous with him, but it's also other people's name too," Ms. Ali said.
Malcolm X's brother, Robert Little, said he finds it objectionable that his brother, who preached revolution and economic self-reliance for African-Americans, should be marketed by movie distributor Time Warner Inc., a major entertainment conglomerate with revenues last year of $11.5 billion, and sold by big retail stores.
"I would prefer seeing Malcolm's philosophy being put into practice than his face being portrayed on a shirt. He shouldn't be a fashion statement," said Mr. Little, who heads the New York City Child Welfare Administration.
Another prickly issue surrounding the marketing of Malcolm X is that many of the pirates selling his name are not African-American but Koreans, with whom New York's African-American community has had sometimes touchy relations.
Most of the baseball caps at Times Square, where an enormous X advertises the film, are made in Taiwan, Hong Kong or Korea. Korean fashion manufacturers also promoted clothing with an X logo at a recent fashion fair, saying they couldn't be expected to get caught short in the now-worldwide X-craze.
Even the Nation of Islam has been angry at Malcolm X's dilution and selling, although Malcolm X parted company with the Nation of Islam in 1964. The organization's newspaper said that "blacks again are witnessing the murder of Malcolm X, but this time it is the man's legacy the enemy is destroying; and they are doing it with the approval of black consumers."
But at Mr. Lee's store, Spike's Joint, a steady stream of customers recently flowed in asking for Malcolm X gear.
"People just want to be identified with what he stood for," said Phil, a customer from New Jersey. There's nothing wrong with that. People just like who he was."
The misunderstood 'rule of thumb' Misconception: Many feminists for years thought the phrase "rule of thumb" referred to British common law's tolerance of wife-beating.
Newarcc Petting Zoo | Big cat with appetite needs room to keep growing - tribunedigital-baltimoresun
Tiffany eats eight cans of chicken cat food a day and loves romping with a Welsh corgi named Pepper.
But the 9-month-old orange striped cat is not just a playful tabby with a big appetite. She is a 300-pound Siberian tiger and one of the star attractions at the NEWARCC Petting Farm in Davidsonville.
The cub, raised by Steve and Debbie Collison since she was only 5 weeks old, has outgrown their house and now her small fenced yard.
NEWARCC, the National Endangered Wild Animal Research and Conservation Center, is holding a fund-raiser Sunday for a new home for Tiffany.
The Collisons, owners of NEWARCC, wish to create a quarter-acre exhibit with an exercise area, pool and new shelter for the rare tiger.
They do not yet know how much the new facility will cost or how many fund-raisers they will need to pay for it. They hope to begin construction this summer.
The couple began raising wild animals 15 years ago when they acquired two cougars. Four years ago, in order to help pay for their operation and to educate children about the animals, they opened the petting zoo.
In addition to big cats, NEWARCC has ostrich-like birds called rheas, rare sheep and exotic waterfowl. The Collisons hope to add wallabies and perhaps a monkey in the future.
In addition to the wild and exotic species, the farm also has the usual assortment of petting zoo animals.
The children who visit the farm off Governor's Bridge Road can feed apple slices to Bubba and Buster, the potbellied pigs; give carrots to King, a white pony; rub Willie the lama; and pet $H Handsel the miniature donkey. But as Mrs. Collison leads children through the farm, she warns them that only she can touch the tiger cub, cougars, cockatoos and rheas.
The facility is licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is a nonprofit organization. Local businesses have donated fencing, cement and lumber. Admissions help pay the cost of maintaining the zoo.
Tiffany, for example, now eats 7 pounds of meat a day in addition to the canned cat food. When she is grown she will eat 20 pounds of meat a day, and it will cost about $4,000 a year just to feed her.
Mrs. Collison said she always wanted a tiger, but it took several years to find one. They acquired Tiffany from a private zoo in Ohio as part of a breeding program.
Only a few hundred Siberian tigers remain in the wild, despite laws to protect them. Mrs. Collison said she believes that within a few years, the animals will no longer exist outside of zoos, circuses and breeding farms. But she said maintaining tigers in captivity preserves the gene pool for attempts to reintroduce the animals into the wild.
The fund-raiser will be held Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $7 for children under 12. There will be hayrides, tours of the farm and a picnic catered by Adam's the Place for Ribs.
The state senator accused of bribery is set to make his first appearance in federal court at a hearing Sept. 17. Sen. Ulysses Currie, a Prince George's County Democrat, is expected to plead not guilty.
The senator was indicted last week for allegedly accepting $245,000 in payments from Shoppers Food Warehouse in exchange for his help removing state bureaucratic hurdles. He stepped down from his position as chair of the senate's Budget and Taxation Committee to focus on his defense.
Currie's attorney, Dale Kelberman, describes the arrangement as a consulting position and says it is similar to the outside employment many of the state's legislators hold during the nine months that the General Assembly does not meet. Shoppers is headquartered in his Prince George's County district.
Two former executives from the chain were also indicted and one of them, former president William White, is also scheduled to appear Sept. 17. The other, former vice president for real estate R. Kevin Small, does not yet have a court date set.
The West Virginia Lottery Commission gave permission Wednesday to Charles Town Races & Slots to add another 1,500 slot machines. Read the full story in Thursday's Herald-Mail newspapers.
HANCOCK - Before St. Peter's parishioners had the brick walls of its church within which to congregate, they met in each other's houses for Mass, said Richard Carrington, corresponding secretary for the church's pastoral council.
The church's history shows priests from Hagerstown and Winchester, Va., coming to large homes in Hancock in the early 1800s to 1820s to say Mass, he said.
St. Peter Catholic Church is one of two churches on East High Street celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. The other is St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish Church.
It was in 1835 that the Catholic church at 16 E. High St. opened its doors to parishioners, said Carrington, who also is corresponding secretary for the anniversary committee. The church was built by Irish Catholic immigrants who were building the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, Carrington said.
There were no labor costs because the workers built the church in their free time, Carrington said. The canal's contractor, Philip Fitzgerald, and five families - the Ryans, Baxters, Broidricks, Mc-Avoys and Littles - were principal donors for supplies to build the church, he said.
St. Peter's mission church in Little Orleans, Md., St. Patrick Catholic Mission, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Carrington said.
Parishioners who attend either church are considered parishioners of both churches and the Rev. John J. Lombardi officiates at both, Carrington said. A typical Sunday service at St. Peter's attracts 250 to 300 people, while Saturday Mass at St. Patrick's attracts 50 to 75, depending on the time of year, he said. During the summer, some campers along the C&O and Potomac River come to the Mass.
Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, of the Baltimore archdiocese, will conduct the anniversary Mass at St. Peter on April 25, Carrington said.
"It is an honor for a parish to have its archbishop visit," he said. O'Brien was in the area in February to recruit priests.
On Oct. 16, Bishop Mitchell Rozanski will conduct the Saturday Mass at St. Patrick, Carrington said. Rozanski is the Seton vicar. The office of the Seton vicariate serves seven counties, including Washington and Allegany counties, according to the archdiocese's Web site.
To celebrate the churches' anniversaries, both are planning a family day together in August at Cowans Gap State Park in Fulton County, Pa., Carrington said.
Five parishioners made a quilt for each church - St. Peter's and St. Patrick's - that will hang in their respective churches when they are not on display with church memorabilia in a storefront downtown next to Phillips Fashions on West Main Street, Carrington said.
With the departure of columnist Scott Ostler, and the regular use of color art (such as it is) in The Times sports section, would it be fair to say that the only special feature remaining in the Monday Special is the italic typeface on photo captions?
Wildflowers and blooming cacti aren't the only reason to head for the desert in spring. One high-desert destination that the whole family might enjoy is Calico Ghost Town. On a hillside off of I-15, about 10 minutes north of Barstow, the once-abandoned mining camp has been rejuvenated as a tourist attraction.
A tram takes visitors up the steep side of the hill to the little town above, where there are remnants of the old mining settlement, as well as newly built shops and restaurants that match the Old West decor. About a third of the structures in town are original buildings.
Calico flourished as a silver mining camp and during the late 1800s more than 2,000 people lived and worked there. It's still possible to take a self-guided walking tour through the quarter-mile of shafts and tunnels of old Maggie's Mine.
If Calico seems vaguely familiar even to newcomers, it may be because it was the model for Knott's Berry Farm's old west section. Walter Knott operated the old town until 1966, when it was donated to San Bernardino County.
Unlike the amusement park's ghost town, which has been updated over the years, the mining camp has retained much of its early rustic charm. It's a great place for a lunch break during a day of desert exploration, as well as a pleasant diversion while heading east to Las Vegas and points beyond.
Tiger Woods will miss the Masters after undergoing surgery for a pinched nerve that has been hurting him for months.
The top-ranked golfer made the announcement on his website Tuesday morning, explaining he will need several weeks of rehabilitation.
"After attempting to get ready for the Masters, and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided, in consultation with my doctors, to have this procedure done," he said.
The microdiscectomy was performed Monday in Park City, Utah. Woods said the back surgery was successful and that, after beginning intensive physical therapy in coming days, he could be chipping and putting by the end of the month.
"I'd like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters," he said. "It's a week that's very special to me."
Back spasms have pestered Woods since last summer and forced him to withdraw from the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational.
"It's tough right now, but I'm absolutely optimistic about the future," he said. "There are a couple [of] records by two outstanding individuals and players that I hope one day to break. As I've said many times, Sam and Jack reached their milestones over an entire career. I plan to have a lot of years left in mine."
It's the law. Police across Pennsylvania officially start enforcing seat- belt use today, following a 120-day warning period since Nov. 23.
It's a law most would agree is long overdue. The 30th state to enact such a law, Pennsylvania joins a group that can expect to have 10 percent fewer traffic fatalities and injuries.
According to Juli McGreevy, executive director of the Keystone Safety Belt Network, this means about 120 more people alive every year, and 730 fewer people injured.
The major opposition to a seat-belt law in Pennsylvania, said McGreevy, came from people who felt the law was an invasion of their personal freedom.
They were unable to convince legislators, who knew that 84 percent of people submitting claims to the CAT Fund for medical bills between $100,000 and $1 million had not been wearing seat belts.
"Your body becomes a projectile when a vehicle comes to a sudden stop, and you are ejected one way or another." Injuries, he said, could include a cut aorta, massive crushing injuries to the chest, bruises or cuts to the heart, or major trauma caused by a head hitting a windshield.
"All reason why you should wear a seat belt," he said. "And contrary to what some people think, low-speed accidents without seat-belt use can become very deadly. I have witnessed that time, after time, after time.
"Absolutely, people should wear them. I would rather not have to go to a family and tell them a loved one has died, if the death could have been avoided by the wearing of a seat belt."
Bethlehem Police Commissioner Thomas Murphy yesterday confirmed two off- duty Bethlehem police officers, Leonard and Cindy Jordan, were not wearing seat belts when their car was hit head-on. They both died.
But enforcement of the law may have some rough spots, and police across the Lehigh Valley yesterday discussed the nuts and bolts of how to cite, whom to cite and when to cite.
Since failure to buckle up is a secondary violation, motorists must be cited for another offense before they can be cited for failure to wear a seat belt.
Capt. Paul Woodring, executive officer to the Pennsylvania state police deputy commissioner, cited an example of a motorist receiving two citations, one for speeding and then one for failure to be wearing a seat belt.
But, he said, if the speeding charge were to be dismissed by a district justice, the seat belt violation also would have to be dismissed.
A seat-belt citation would be very difficult to issue to a passenger, said Woodring, because it is secondary. There are very few motor code violations a non-driver can be cited for - littering is one. In most cases, he said, the passenger would be warned.
"There is the argument that you can cite a driver for permitting a violation on behalf of his passenger," said Daniel Polansky, Northampton County assistant district attorney. "But a non-operator being charged with a vehicle code violation is different form the run-of-the-mill type traffic violation you see.
"I assume this all will be worked out eventually," said Polansky, "once some interpretations from the appellate courts are written." But as of today, he said, not wearing a seat belt is illegal, "whatever the enforcement problems."
Berks County District Attorney George C. Yatron also said he didn't foresee any major difficulties with the enforcement of the summary violation.
To encourage compliance, South Whitehall Township police are preparing certificates that will be mailed to motorists, identified by registration plate numbers, observed to be using their seat belts.
South Whitehall's police Chief Donald MacConnell said, "I think that the seat-belt law is definitely a beginning for the state, but I think the legislature has to make it stiffer, and improved, so police can enforce it more effectively."
"We've been trying to get into the habit ourselves as police officers," said Walnutport Chief Russell Fye. "So we have a new rule and regulation pertaining to it: All officers while in their patrol car must wear their seat belts."
The officers complained there might be some problem getting out of a car quickly enough to apprehend a suspect, said Fye, but they have been complying.
In Allentown, Police Chief Wayne T. Stephens said police are ready to make sure each motorist stopped is wearing a seat belt. "We believe seat belts save lives," he said. "We've even had officers involved in accidents, and because they wore a seat belt, avoided serious injury."
State Rep. Paul McHale, a major proponent of the law, said yesterday he would have been more satisfied with a stronger piece of legislation than the one adopted last year.
About nine months before the current law was passed, McHale was advocating a law that could have been enforced by itself, and not in conjunction with any other violation, mandating a $20 fine. But the vote failed, he said.
The current law will save lives, he said, although not as many lives as another version of the law might have achieved. But the overriding issue is not one of legality, but safety: Wearing seat belts saves lives, he said.
"We have to review the law as it was written, improve it and enact the very best law that we can," said McHale.
So, motorists entering the commonwealth can expect to be greeted with a large sign, erected by the Department of Transportation, informing them that seat-belt use is the law in Pennsylvania.
The White Supremacist Next Door Neighbors First Knew Mark Thomas As The Man With The Anti-tax Signs. Then His Message Turned From Criticizing Government To Attacking Jews And Blacks.
Mrs. Minnie A. Hillegass, 95, formerly of Lesher Road, Palm, died Saturday in the Zohlman Nursing Home, Richlandtown. She was the widow of John K. Hillegass.
Surviving are a son Paul of Zionsville; a daughter Sarah of Palm; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Orlando returned from a 12-game road trip with the lowest batting average in the Southern League, and reliever Paul Gnacinski helped the O-Twins stay there with five innings of no-hit pitching to lead Greenville to a 7-3 victory Friday night in front of 615 fans at Tinker Field.
Gnacinski (3-0) had to face only 14 batters to get 15 outs. He came on with two on and none out in the bottom of the fifth inning and induced catcher Sam Sorce to hit into a double play. He struck out two and walked none the rest of the way to start Orlando's eight-game homestand on a sour note.
''He shut the door on us,'' Orlando Manager George Mitterwald said. ''We started out fast, but we couldn't get a big hit. A lot of times you can bury a team early if you can score a few runs. We've only done that once this year, though, and we've had some chances.''
Orlando loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but managed only one run. Greenville starter Pete Smith got Sorce to strike out looking to set the tone for the evening. The O-Twins stranded eight runners in the first five innings.
Greenville's Bob Tumpane and Inocencio Guerrero hit home runs on consecutive pitches from losing pitcher Mark Clemons (3-2) in the top of the second. Clemons gave up three more runs on four hits in the third as Greenville claimed a 6-1 lead.
Clemons, Orlando's only starter with a winning record, settled down after the third to allow only one run before being lifted in the ninth. But Gnacinski kept the O-Twins from mounting a rally.
''Once Clemons settled down, he pitched a pretty good game,'' Mitterwald said. ''He hasn't had a bad outing yet. I just hope Alan Sontag can get it going tomorrow. He is due to pitch a good game.''
Center fielder Greg Tubbs led Greenville with three hits and two runs scored. Guerrero and Dave Griffin, the Southern League's leading hitter, drove in two runs apiece.
Greg Morhardt was Orlando's only player with two hits. John Marquardt added a double to drive in two runs in the third inning, but that was the brunt of the O-Twins' five-hit attack.
NILES -- Michigan State Police are looking for a former Cass County sex offender who has failed to register with authorities since 2000. Police said Tuesday they hope the public can help them track down the whereabouts of Dwight James Hawkins, 22, formerly of Cassopolis. Hawkins is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes. Police said he also goes by the name DJ Hawkins. Hawkins' last known address was the 50000 block of Point Road in Cassopolis when he last registered with authorities Sept. 8, 2000, said 1st Lt. Michael Brown of the Niles Post. Hawkins is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 13 years old. Hawkins is wanted on a felony "uttering and publishing" charge and for a sex offender violation, police said. Brown said if anyone knows where Hawkins may be, the person should call the Niles Post at (269) 683-4411 or the Tri-County Sex Offender Registry Task Force hot line toll-free at (866) 501-SORT. Staff writer Carol Draeger: cdraeger@sbtinfo.com (269) 687-7005
BUCHANAN - Charles S. Nix, 56, of Buchanan died on November 10, 2008, in Rogers, AR of natural causes. He was born August 7, 1952 in South Bend, IN to the late Marvin L. and Betty Jane (Tucker) Nix. On November 12, 1980, in Toledo, OH he married Lynda Thornburgh. Surviving is wife, Lynda Nix, of Buchanan; a daughter, Sarah Nix of Buchanan; a son, Andrew Nix of Kalamazoo; and a brother, Richard Nix of Osceola, IN. Charles served in the United States Air Force. He went on to drive truck. He loved sports and was especially passionate about the Green Bay Packers. He enjoyed trivia and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Buchanan. As a member of the Buchanan Band Parents, he strongly believed in the importance of music and the great positive impact it has on lives. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 11 a.m. at the Swem Funeral Home, Buchanan. Pastor Pat Ramsden will officiate. Memorial contributions may be made to the Buchanan Band Boosters, 401 W. Chicago St., Buchanan, MI 49107. swemfuneralhome.com