Since 1541, watch making has become synonymous with Switzerland, even more so than chocolate, cow bells and fabulous beer.  Reforms implemented by Jean Calvin during this time banned people from wearing jewellery, so Swiss jewellers turned their attentions instead to the craft of watch making.

What has developed over the past five hundred years or so has been nothing short of amazing.  Swiss time pieces are now closely associated with the very best in form and function, and there are a number of different manufacturers which uphold this grand tradition of watch making brilliantly.

Raymond Weil was established in 1976 in Geneva by Raymond Weil, now chairman of the company. One of the last independent watch companies in the Swiss watch making industry and bearing the motto “independence is a state of mind”, the Raymond Weil style of watch is characterized by the innovative use of both materials and technology whilst retaining a great degree of respect for classic design and Swiss watch making heritage.  The brand has a number of claims to fame, too -1983 saw the premier of the film Amadeus by Milos Forman.  A collection of watches from the company based on the film was brought out in that year.

Tissot, another Swiss brand name linked with classic form, style and function, was founder in 1853 by Charles-Emile Tissot and Charles-Félicien Tissot.  From its headquarters in Le Locle, Switzerland where the company has been based since its beginning, Tissot has now expanded to reach one hundred and fifty countries and is now part of the largest watch distributor in the world.  The Tissot Omega line of watches from the 1980s continues to be one of the most sought after collections the company has produced and in the brand has many famous followers including Elvis Presley, James Stewart and Angelina Jolie.

Guccio Gucci set up his luggage and leather goods store in Florence Italy, in 1921.  The company, which had already established itself as one of the major fashion houses in the industry grew to encompass time pieces –Gucci watches– which reflected the classic Gucci look.  Gucci watches incorporated much of the many familiar design features shown in the collections on the catwalk with all the sleekness and sophistication combined with the best in Swiss watch making technology.  One of the most famous and highly sought-after Gucci watches comes with the letter G as its main feature –a slightly smaller G for the women’s watch.

Swiss timepieces are often associated with the best in technology, form, function and a long held respect for traditional Swiss craftsmanship.  Perhaps this is unsurprising; it is after all a skill which Swiss watchmakers have been so carefully developing for over five hundred years, and it is one which continues to develop, with each new innovation in design and technology.

Share this page:

Midea, Gree Electric Appliances, Sichuan Changhong, deep
Konka
Four semi-annual report yesterday, household electrical appliance enterprises in 2009 focused on appearance. Internationally
Financial
Crisis due to falling demand and other factors, four home appliance giant, income has declined during the first half, but the net profit performance is not the same,
Black
(Referring to TV) white (referring to air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines) once again showed different market situation.

Gree Electric appliances in the first half net profit of U.S. were up 29.18 percent year on year and 18.63%; and Sichuan Changhong net decrease of 22.56% year on year, Shenzhen Konka A meager 0.3% year on year net profit, “two happy Both worry. “

Home appliance giant, mid-year performance profiles of four

Click here to view all news photos

Hi

White giant, eye-catching performance

Midea said in the first half of the international financial crisis and global economic downturn, the situation, though still serious, but the domestic economy gradually recovering and the series active policies to promote economic growth, effectively promoting the growth of domestic consumption appliances.

Semiannual reports show that U.S. appliance 1 to 6 months operating income of 24.901 billion yuan, though decreased 11.33% year on year, although raw material costs as a greater decline than the previous year, the company created in the first half net profit of 1.146 billion yuan, an increase of 18.63%. Air-conditioning and parts of which 18.487 billion yuan in revenue. Aspects of the United States, said after the company into the season, “to stock” of efforts to increase and improve profitability, increase cash flow is the main reason.

At the same time, another industry giant white Gree performance of the same eye-catching. Gree first half revenue 19.99 billion yuan, up 19.89% reduction of net profit 1.231 billion yuan, up 29.18 percent. Said, in the air conditioning market as a whole is weak, the company continues to increase market share, industry leading position further strengthened.

Good news in the performance, while under the influence of the financial crisis, the two companies a serious decline in overseas business. The two companies are also the main reason for reduced revenues. Midea overseas markets where revenue fell 20.58%, Gree decreased by 48.38%.

Securities of that person, in the first half Gree, Midea two listed companies to adjust product structure, the main business to the gross margin of energy-efficient air conditioning tilt higher, gross margins increased, but this year end market prices generally higher than air-conditioning low, the resulting decline in operating income, net profit rising trend. He said the current position, Gree, Midea’s performance has improved over the beginning, great bottoming trend.

Worry
Poor performance of black loss

Compared with white business, Sichuan Changhong, Konka two traditional black performance of the business is not optimistic.

According to semiannual reports, Sichuan Changhong the first half of the total operating income of 13.277 billion yuan, down 6.76%. Among them, the domestic core business revenue dipped 2.58%, the foreign main business income of a substantial decrease of 27.28 percent year on year. Net income was 30,043,300 yuan, up 22.56% year on year greatly reduced.

Changhong said that as traditional TV production companies on domestic in
CRT
Mature industrial chain products, with strong competitiveness, but with the global consumer
Electronic
Upgrade, the company has been gradually weakened the traditional competitive advantages, the company will actively promote industrial upgrading. Industry analysts point out that the times into the flat, Sichuan Changhong has been betting that the plasma industry, 1 in July this year,
Changhong plasma
TV sales rose nearly 300%, but for LCD TV, Changhong’s response and action seemed to be somewhat slow, missed the rapid on the LCD TV market volume of its LCD TVs sales in the domestic market ranked No. 5.

Relative to the sharp drop in profits, Sichuan Changhong, Konka is only slightly deep loss. The first half of the total company operating income of 5.172 billion yuan, down 7.98%; operating profits down 18.30%. Net income was 80.302 million yuan, a decrease of 0.31% over the previous year.

Konka that caused the poor performance of the main reasons the company is
LCD panel
, Due to the shortage of liquid crystal module. In the first half of the financial crisis continued to influence, the LCD panel and module makers have been hard hit by cuts or even stop production, two products of domestic supply significantly, the domestic LCD TV makers are deeply tired. The deep Konka affected, in the first half sales fell 7.98%.

Previously, many companies have issued Pre-losing black warning, Cinda Securities analyst believes that white goods and
Small appliances
Plate in the middle of 2009 net profit will be warmer, and the black appliance industry will face a polarized situation.

More Marathon Articles

Share this page:

Do you try to achieve major goals overnight, or do you make them a reality one small step at a time, one day at a time? In my study of how to make and keep New Year Resolutions – as well as in my career and business – I have discovered that most major projects, goals, dreams, and New Year Resolutions transform from spark of an idea to concrete results over a period months and years, rather than days and weeks (i.e. overnight success). If you want to achieve wonderful dreams, or build new healthy habits to replace old unhealthy habits, typically you have to run a marathon rather than a sprint.

Sometimes, of course, a sprint does work. For instance, when I quit smoking 20 years ago, I stopped cold turkey and never looked back because cigarettes made me feel awful. I had serious allergies that worsened with each puff. Those allergies probably added years to my life because they forced me to eliminate an unhealthy habit. Some folks, however, can’t simply stop smoking overnight.

Success often arrives after multiple attempts, along with professional help and other remedies. Kicking the smoking habit often is a marathon. Most of my major dreams like earning college degrees, building a journalism/political career, as well as a small business, were (and continue to be) marathons. I truly enjoy the journey and each time I reach my destination, I strive to go beyond the original, planned end-point.

My primary 2009 resolution to take small daily steps for health and happiness is another good example of running a marathon rather than a sprint. Each day, I make a conscious effort to take small daily steps toward health and happiness. I exercise, work hard to eat healthy food, log long hours on beloved creative projects, and make time for loved ones to name just a few of my priorities.

All of those small steps add up over time like money earning compound interest in the bank. I am not striving for overnight results, or immediate success. Instead, each day I take small steps toward my dreams that pay huge dividends over time. Some days I am incredibly happy to rack up wins and I make a point to celebrate those victories. Other days, I don’t live up to my expectations, goals and dreams. Rather than beat myself up, I learn my lessons, vow to do better, and move forward with my head held high.

I recently discovered a Telegraph.Co.UK article about research that investigates how long it takes to form a habit that is being reported in the European Journal of Social Psychology. According to the July 18 Telegraph Article, by Roger Dobson, “. . .The research, the first to investigate how long it takes to form a habit, has significant implications for people who want to adopt a healthy lifestyle or stick to a diet. The same team has now been funded by the Medical Research Council for more research looking at how to use habit creation in weight loss. “What we found was that it takes 66 days on average for people in our study to acquire a habit,” says Professor Jane Wardle, of University College London, who carried out the study with Dr Phillippa Lally. “It varied between individuals, but the finding is that if you do something everyday in the same situation, it will become an automatic reaction in response to those situational cues, a habit. It is the first time this has been established.””

It is an interesting article well worth a read. If you are working to build some ‘healthy habits’ into your life – habits that will promote joy, happiness, fitness, good self esteem, confidence, and an array of other positive outcomes – September, October and November are wonderful months to launch an effort. Consider the momentum you will have by January 1, 2010! Here are 25 of my own favorite 2009 ‘Daily Resolves’ for health and happiness – try them on for size, or better yet, create some of your own!

I Resolve To Blog!
I Resolve To Save!
I Resolve To Be Me!
I Resolve To Be Nice!
I Resolve To Carpe Diem!
I Resolve To Banish Doubt!
I Resolve To Dare To Dream!
I Resolve To Eat A Rainbow!
I Resolve To Give More Hugs!
I Resolve To Live Consciously!
I Resolve To Walk For A Cause!
I Resolve To Stop Procrastinating!
I Resolve To Indulge In Moderation!
I Resolve To Drink Plenty Of Water!
I Resolve To Learn To Ask For Help!
I Resolve To Use Canvas Not Plastic!
I Resolve To Keep America Beautiful!
I Resolve To Walk For Health & Happiness!
I Resolve To Remember You Are What You Eat!
I Resolve To Appreciate The Simple Things In Life!
I Resolve To Smile At Strangers I Meet Along The Way!
I Resolve To Climb Every Mountain, One Small Step At A Time!
I Resolve To Get Out Of My Comfort Zone And Try New Things!
I Resolve To Schedule Exercise, Stretch, Hydrate, Take Breaks!
I Resolve To Follow My Dreams To Their Final Destination And Beyond!

Share this page:

It is thought that competition is often competitive and fierce. However, apart of competition, you also find the entertainment and joy in some races. This is true for marathon for pigs, bees, or brides. Let’s have a look at following collection of most bizarre competitions over the world.

A marathon for British brides

Speed race for pigs. Interestingly, above such pigs are dolls.

Wearing beautiful dresses is necessary rule in this competition.

Chasing a carrot-shaped car is the interesting and original competition

Who catch fish and bring it to finish first will be champion.

Wearing high heel shoes, these girls are really brave when participating in marathon.

In this race, participants will follow a piece of cheese which is rolling with its speed 100 kilometer per hour.

Riding donkey competition in Pakistan

Barrel pushing race on street in Montepulciano Bravio delle Botti, Tuscany, Italy

A marathon for working hard bees

The fog which arrives at finish line first will won in this race.

Which turtle will become the King of speed?

“Flying” on chair is a competition which is hold by Germany official employees.

Even ducks also become athletes in speed race.

Related Articles:

Most Dangerous Sports in the World
Strange Beauty Contests in the world
The Perfect Marathon Pacing Formula

Share this page:

On May 6, 2007 at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio one of those Mind over Matter stories unfolded.

Just one week prior to the Flying Pig Marathon four relatives were on a short fishing trip and two of the cousins were bantering with each other. Ryan Geers, a soon to be University of Cincinnati Emergency Medicine Resident, and Todd Geers his cousin, President of F James Geers & Company in Cincinnati were having a heated discussion about who was more physically fit.

Ryan told Todd that he, Ryan, would have no problem running a Marathon

without prior training. Todd found that to be an interesting statement and a little too braggadocious so he challenged Ryan to his words. Not to be outdone, Ryan assured Todd he could run the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon the following Sunday to prove his point. The challenge was on.

Instead of backing down Ryan did what most foolish young men would do and

said OK I’ll prove it. He knew he could run 2 – 3 mile stints because he did that periodically and two years before he had run a 5K in Chicago so what was the big deal with 26.2 miles.

For the next several days Ryan called anyone he knew that knew anything

about Marathons and listened to their advice. All accept for “You are crazy to try that.”

On Sunday morning May 6, 2007 at 6:30 AM with the crack of the Starting Gun the Marathon commenced. For the next four hours and forty-two minutes (4:42) Ryan travelled through the neighborhoods of Cincinnati with all the demons of “you can’t do this” on his shoulder. By mile 15 his leg muscles started to burn and the reality of what he was trying to do was sinking in. For the next 5 miles the demons got louder assuring him this was a foolish act and he should call it quits. Ryan would have nothing to do with them.

By mile 21 the demons could barely be heard and were replaced by the Mind

over Matter Crowd. He knew he could do it. This was no longer a

braggadocious statement but a reality of a belief in himself that has been with him all his life.

At mile 25 there was a freshness of spirit and a final kick to the finish line. There were no words of encouragement needed from me or anyone else

at that point. He had already finished the Marathon in his mind. This part was just for show.

As a father I watched all of this unfold from the fishing trip to the finish line and I am amazed at the strength of his inner spirit. Chalk this one up to Mind over Matter. Ryan Geers has a Flying Pig Marathon Metal to prove it.

Share this page: