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Market Talk

Photograph by Brian Hammonds, National Geographic Your Shot

While at the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul, South Korea, Your Shot member Brian Hammonds was drawn to the contrast of the blues in the displays and the reds and pinks worn by the women seen here. An elevated walkway at the front of the market allowed Hammond to capture the scene from above.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community. Check out the new book Getting Your Shot for more photos, plus tips and creative insights from Nat Geo experts.

One of the first sportswear brands to enjoy the sudden revival in casual sandals, Teva join United Arrows label BEAUTY & YOUTH for a fresh summer release. The second time the two have collaborated, their first meeting featured a limited release in honor of Teva’s 30th anniversary last year. This time round they work with the chunky “Hurricane” silhouette fitted with a contoured drop-in EVA footbed designed for comfort and durability. The main draw with the sports sandal has to be the multiple straps, turning an often uncomfortable style into a shoe perfect for all-day wear. The “Hurricane” keeps you securely fastened across the heel, ankle and foot with Teva’s patented universal strapping system, making them the perfect choice for outdoor activities or just general lounging. Available in all-white or our personal favourite, navy.

The post Teva for BEAUTY & YOUTH “Hurricane” Sports Sandal appeared first on Selectism.

14% Service Reduction Without Public Process as Ridership Grows 11% in Two Years

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer wrote to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman John Degnan to urge the organization to reverse the recent PATH service cuts for Hoboken that were implemented on April 26, 2015 with no public process. The City of Hoboken learned about the issue due to complaints from residents who noticed the change in service.

“It won’t surprise anyone who has tried to squeeze onto a rush hour PATH train to learn that ridership at Hoboken has grown 11 percent in the last two years – more than at any other station in the State,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “We should be talking about adding more capacity, yet the Port Authority cut rush hour service by 14 percent overnight with no public input. It defies all logic. In Hoboken, we have created a walk-friendly, transit-friendly, mixed-use community, but our residents and our economy are completely undermined by this action. Enough with the service cuts, enough with the short-sightedness. Let’s invest in a 21st century transportation system that will truly support our growing region.”

The service change reduces peak service on the Hoboken to 33rd Street line by 14%. Between 7:30am and 9:30am, service from Hoboken to 33rd Street has been cut from 19 trains to 16 trains. From 4:30pm to 6:45pm, service from 33rd Street to Hoboken was reduced from 24 trains to 21 trains. Late evening service from 9pm to midnight was reduced from 11 trains to 9 trains.

“I would invite any of these decision makers to come along for a ride on the PATH during the morning commute from Hoboken and provide their honest assessment as to whether or not the system needs more or fewer trains,” said Hoboken Council President Ravinder Bhalla. “Residents who keep their cars off the road and use public transit are repeatedly being punished with fare hikes, overcrowded trains, and threats to their primary mode of transportation. I fail to comprehend how an increase in ridership leads to a decrease in services. I find it unacceptable that while the Port Authority spends billions on other projects, they are penny-pinching in Hoboken, punishing their most loyal customers. I hope the Port Authority will reverse this decision and invest in a transportation system that rewards riders.”

Ridership at the Hoboken PATH station has increased by 11 percent since 2012. According to publicly available Port Authority data, the Hoboken PATH station had an average of 19,890 passengers per day in 2012 and 22,078 passengers per day in 2014.

Mayor Zimmer’s letter to the Port Authority can be found at: www.hobokennj.org/docs/mayor/5-18-15-Letter-Zimmer-Degnan.pdf

PATH Service Schedules
February 8, 2015
April 26, 2015

PATH Ridership Reports
2012
2013
2014

Spring Powered

Photograph by Mike Frosberg

A powerful spring pushes up through the ice of a Platte River backwater in Nebraska. Photographer Mike Frosbergs project, the Platte Basin Timelapse," attempts to capture a watershed in motion from the mountains to the plains.

See more of Frosbergs photography on Proof.

As part of the City of Hoboken’s street resurfacing program which will include more than 50 blocks of roadway in 2015, milling work will take place on the following dates:

Wednesday, May 13, 2015:
– Jackson St from Newark Ave. to 6th St.

Thursday, May 14, 2015:
– Monroe St. from Paterson Ave. to 3rd St.
– 4th St. from Monroe St. to Jackson St.
– 5th St. from Jackson St. to Madison St.

Additional updates will be provided in the days ahead.

Here’s the moment when I knew the 2015 Women’s World Cup was going to be awesome: We were in the tunnel at Busch Stadium last month waiting to go out for warm-ups against New Zealand. It was just a friendly. St. Louis doesn’t even have an MLS team. I didn’t know what kind of atmosphere to expect, especially in a giant baseball stadium.

Then we walked out into the sunshine and I saw 35,000 people. And they weren’t just there for a day in the sun. They were rocking. The American Outlaws supporters’ group was bouncing up and down, singing “I Believe That We Will Win.” People were wearing Captain America costumes and waving giant flags. It was a massive sea of red, white and blue — all for an exhibition match months before the World Cup.

I ran out thinking, Holy crap. What’s it going to be like when we invade Canada?

We have a World Cup right in our own backyard, and I have a feeling that things are going to pop off. Football is about to take over this country again. Here’s what you need to know about the tournament.

The artificial turf will have many implications
I’m not going to dwell on this, but I’m also not going to drop it, because it needs to be said. This will be the first global football tournament played entirely on artificial turf. FIFA made a $338 million profit on the 2014 Men’s World Cup. To say that it’s not logistically possible to install real grass at all the stadiums is not acceptable, in my opinion. We have played on grass all our lives. Now we’re going to compete at the highest level on a different surface. I think it has a lot of implications.

Some people have said that all the teams have to play on it, so it negates any advantage either way, but I don’t feel that way. I think the more technical, possession-oriented teams will have a harder time adjusting to turf. Teams that play a run-and-gun, disruptive style will have an easier time on turf. The ball bounces differently — it tends to skip off the surface instead of settling down. It also feels different when you run. And that’s the crucial point: I think the turf will be a lot harder on our bodies. You’re going to see the physical toll add up as the tournament goes on. Seven games on turf is a lot, especially when you’re flying thousands of miles across Canada to different venues for the matches. The wear and tear is going to make the depth of teams very important. The level of football and the style of football that everyone wants to see will suffer a little bit, and that’s a shame.

The good news is that because women from across the sport came together to protest FIFA’s decision, I really believe that they’ll never have another Women’s World Cup on turf again. So we can at least take that positive out of it.

Expect world-class quality
Here’s some more good news: The 2015 World Cup will be the first tournament where the majority of players on the top teams are training every single day in professional leagues. That’s a significant change. As little as five or six years ago, most players were working part-time or going to school on the side and only practicing three times per week, then playing a game on the weekend.

After the last World Cup, the exposure for women’s football really blew up, and the domestic leagues all over Europe and the U.S. really grew because of it. Sweden, Germany and France all have quality leagues that offer good salaries. We have our league up and running in the U.S. now. To see how much effort and money is being put into women’s football on the club level is encouraging. Now, even if you’re not a full professional, you’re probably working part-time for the team or working for a sponsor of the club. In my experience, the teams work around your schedule so that you can train every single day.

Even though salaries in domestic leagues are small and most players need supplemental income, there’s an opportunity now for women to make football their life, and you’re going to notice that translate into a difference in quality at this World Cup.

There’s a lot of dark horses
Because of the professionalization of women’s football, the number of quality teams is different than in the past. The traditional powerhouses like Germany, France, Japan and the U.S. will be strong, but there’s a good number of sleeper teams who will make the group stage interesting.

We just played Switzerland and I feel like they could go on a run. The Swiss like to put the ball on the ground and knock it. They play a possession style out of the back that’s fun to watch. Two players in particular to watch out for are Lara Dickenmann, who I played with at Lyon and is one of the best players in the world, and Ramona Bachmann. I think Lara is going to control the game in midfield and Ramona is going to be a dangerous striker down the middle.

Spain is another entertaining team that could make a run. Are they going to get into the semifinals? Maybe not, but I think they have a handful of really quality players, especially midfielder Verónica Boquete. Their game is similar to the Spanish men’s side — the intricate, tiki-taka style. They’re not the most athletically dominant team, but they’re very technical and have great grasp of how to tactically break teams down.

Nigeria is really solid but they’re in our group, so best of luck to them. For the last five or six years they’ve performed very well in youth tournaments. That generation is now going to get a chance on the World Cup stage, and I’m interested to see how they handle the nerves. We won’t be taking them lightly. Speaking of youth …

The U.S. team is full of young talent
Sometimes I look at our roster and I see birth years in the 1990s and I’m like, Wait, seriously? I don’t always immediately comprehend the terms they use, but other than that, I love the raw energy that they bring to the team.

Two breakout players that you should familiarize yourself with are Christen Press and Julie Johnston. This will be the first time that Press is getting significant minutes at a major tournament and I think she is going to be a breakout star, because she’s coming in to the tournament super in-form and scoring a bunch of goals.

On the defensive end, Julie Johnston is a young one — just 23 years old. But she got a chance to start because of injury and has been phenomenal. She’s proven that she can be a reliable presence at the back who can also score goals. That’s a rare combination. Those two are going to be exciting to watch, even if I don’t understand their hashtags.

Blame Canada
So, Canada doesn’t like us very much. The U.S. Men’s National Team has Mexico. We have Canada. Personally, I don’t hate them, but I can understand why they’re still mad about the “delay of game” call on their keeper that sparked our crazy comeback win in the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics. They thought the penalty was B.S., and looking back, maybe it wasn’t the most deserved penalty. But it wasn’t like the game was 1-0. We scored three other goals, including the goal in extra time. Still, I can understand why they feel hard-done by the call.

The tension of the rivalry has been building since that game, and I feel like it’s fueling them going into the World Cup. Tactically, when they play us, their mentality is, “We’re going to do whatever we have to do to win. The gloves are off.”

Christine Sinclair is their leader and all-around best player. She’s going to have to be massive for them. Her style is comparable a bit to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (and I mean that as a purely on-field comparison. Personality-wise, I would never compare anyone to Zlatan. There is only one Zlatan). Sinclair is a technically exceptional center forward who can change the game in an instant, much like Zlatan does for Sweden and Paris Saint-Germain. If she plays well, Canada plays well.

Being on their home turf, Canada will be fired up. I hope they do well. I honestly do. It will build the buzz for the World Cup, which is what we all want. It’s ironic that FIFA’s hardline stance on the artificial turf issue sparked a controversy in the run-up to the tournament, because it created a bit of a false public perception about the strength of our game. The reality is that the women’s game is healthier and more exciting than ever.

It’s going to pop off. We’re coming, Canada.