Biz Buzz: Handmade bags crafted in Laos go to LA gala guests, via Iowan
Guests at Saturday's Beastly Ball for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association received Nature Bags imported from remote villages in Laos by Iowan Bill Newbrough.
Actress Betty White, who is the zoo association's new chairman, presided at the L.A. fundraiser where the focus was on a new Elephants of Asia exhibit. The annual ball is touted as one of L.A.'s biggest and most popular events. Tickets are $1,000 each, and last year, the ball raised more than $1.2 million.
The organic Nature Bags were a premium for guests that tied in nicely with the Asian theme of this year's ball, Newbrough said.
The bags are handmade by the Khmu people in northern Laos from the roots of local vines that are a tropical form of kudzu. Newbrough began working with the Khmu to develop a market for the bag in 2006 after he discovered the bags during a visit in 2004.
His goal is to create a source of income for the rural Khmu people. Newbrough has spent the past few years working with the Khmu to create color and size standards for the bags, which traditionally varied depending on the needs and artistic inclination of the people who weave them.
"The Khmu harvest the thin white ribbon inside the stems of the jungle vines and use their hands and feet to spin it into cord that is amazingly strong," Newbrough said. "Because the jungle vine fiber grows naturally and prolifically in northern Laos and the Khmu make the bags from their homes, no agriculture, no manufacturing, no chemicals, no petroleum and no irrigation is involved," he said.
Newbrough sells the bags online at NatureBag.org and at selected retail outlets, including several stores in the Des Moines area that are listed on the website.
Much of Nature Bag's marketing has been though word of mouth and social media.
Newbrough was pleasantly surprised early this year when he received an unsolicited inquiry from the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. He had no idea how the group found out about the bag, but he wound up sending 700 bags to the Beastly Ball.
The bags range in price from about $15 to about $30, with some specialized bags costing more, Newbrough said.
Look-alikes: West Des Moines Water Works director Jerry Stevens was installed last week as the new president of the American Water Works Association.
He's the first Iowan to lead the group since 1954, when Dale Maffitt did.
Home Alone The Movie - News
It begins with a childhood picture that resembles Macaulay Culkin, star of the 1990 movie "Home Alone." To make sure no one misses the connection, they included the "Home Alone" promotional photo of Culkin grabbing his cheeks and saying, "Oh, my,
Nelson said the filming of a movie alone brings in considerable revenue to an area. "When you have 150 or so people staying in hotels for three, four or five months, it has a major economic impact on a locality," Nelson said. But a movie doesn't need
Jane takes along her new intern Stacy whose knowledge and obsession with movie stars actually help Jane plead her case. Klein says he's innocent, he has an alibi he was home alone the night of the accident and his car was stolen but with no way to
It is one thing to watch an old movie at home that you have already seen before, but it is a completely different experience to see it up on the big screen and with an audience like it was intended. The theater-going experience adds a completely
(Or leaving them home alone, for that matter.) What would you do if your son turned out to be a serial killer? That's the question Kate (Maria Bello) and Bill (Michael Sheen) must find a way to answer over the course of the genuinely harrowing film
Home Alone | www.keymovieguide.com - Movie Guide Online
When you are planning a film night for you and your children, why not show them the best family movies. If you are looking for a motion picture that never ceases to bring out a good laugh no matter how many times you have watched it, the answer is “Home Alone”. The 1st, 2nd, and 4th part of the film series tell about the adventures of Kevin McCallister while the 3rd sequel focuses on Alex Pruitt.
SynopsisThe first movie is mainly a coming-of-age comedy story about an eight-year old boy, who usually gets “picked on”. He is left behind when his family left for France to spend their Christmas holiday there. He feels excited about the idea and does all sorts of things, from eating junk food to watching banned films and raiding the stuff of his brothers. The most amazing thing he has accomplished is preventing two burglars from robbing his home.
On the other hand, the second flick is focuses on Kevin’s adventures in New York City, when he gets separated from his family again.
The third film features Alex Pruitt, who is forced to stay at home because of his chickenpox. The story revolves around his strategies on driving away burglars, who are hired by a North Korean terrorist group.
The last installment carries a new storyline, wherein Kevin’s parents are divorced. He is living with his mom but decides to spend Christmas at his dad’s house, where he deals again with his old enemy.
Cast Home Alone 1 & 2 Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister Daniel Stern as Marv Merchants Joe Pesci as Harry Lyme Catherine O’Hara as Kate McCallister John Heard as Peter McCallister Home Alone 3 Alex D. Linz as Alex Pruitt Olek Krupa as Peter Beaupre Rya Kihlstedt as Alice Ribbons Lenny von Dohlen as Burton Jernigan David Thornton as Earl Unger Marian Seldes as Mrs.
you need to buy it. RT : The house from the movie Home Alone is on sale for $2.4 million. 
Home alone.....maybe its the perfect time to watch the movie! LOL...hmu, I'm bored
Annoyed so my plans for the night are: going to tesco for ice cream and waffles then back home to watch a movie! Alone! :)
RT : my dad walked in my room & saw my JAGK poster of you & Kevin & said: "is that the new home alone movie?"
my dad walked in my room & saw my JAGK poster of you & Kevin & said: "is that the new home alone movie?"Home Alone The Movie - Bookshelf
Home alone
New York Magazine
.Robin Williams saves Aladdin from possible embarrassment, Home Alone 2 is boring until Culkin begins playing tricks. . ." I THINK EVEN CHILDREN MAY SENSE ...New York Magazine
Hughes, so smitten by Mack's brand of angelic brattiness, wrote a script for the boy: Home Alone. The movie cost $18.2 million, and was released on November ...Daily Journal #1
... Still finishing 'HOME ALONe' an starting on: 'HOME ALONe 2' 11:55-12:55 ... ALONe 2' 2:15-2:30 Recess 2:30-3:15 Wrapping up the movie: 'HOME ALONe 2 ...Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide
Followed by two sequels and a made-for-TV movie. [PG]T#| Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) C-120m. ** D: Chris Columbus. Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, ...Check Information Directory
Home Alone (1990) - IMDb
Cast overview and links for the blockbuster comedy Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern.
Home Alone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ... Home Alone is a series of four films that was based on the adventures of a boy named Kevin McCallister ...
Home Alone (1990) - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies
Home Alone (1990): A young boy learns to fend for himself after his family accidentally leaves him at home while they go off on their vacation in France for Christmas.
Home Alone (1990) - Movie connections
Home Alone on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more... It's mentioned that "the kid from Home Alone" could play Ricky Lapinski if they made a movie about the restaurant massacre. ...
Home Alone 3 Movie Trailer and Video - Watch Home Alone 3 ...
Watch Home Alone 3 Movie Clips for free online! VideoSurf brings you the Home Alone 3 trailer, interviews with the cast and clips from the movie all in one place.