“Play by the rules. But be ferocious.”

Starting The Business

Like Fred Smith and the origins of FedEx, Philip Knight’s first ideas of what would become Nike Inc. came to him while he was at

school. While working on his master’s at Stanford, Knight – an accomplished runner during his undergraduate days at the University

of Oregon – wrote an essay that outlined a plan to overcome the monopoly Adidas had on the running shoe market. He thought the way

to realize this was to employ cheap Japanese labour to make a shoe both better and cheaper.

The plan was put into action shortly after graduating in 1962. Knight went to Japan to meet with the executives of Onitsuka Tiger

Co., a manufacturer of imitation Adidas runners, claiming to be the head of a company called Blue Ribbon Sports (which did not

exist, except in his mind). Knight convinced Tiger to export their shoes to the States though Blue Ribbon and had them send samples

so his associates could inspect them.

Knight paid for the samples with money from his father. He sent a few pairs to Bill Bowerman, Knight’s track coach from his days at

the University of Oregon, who became interested in the venture. Knight and Bowerman became partners and put $500 each into the

purchase of 200 pairs of Tigers. Blue Ribbon Sports was formed, and Knight began going to high school track and field events

selling the shoes from the trunk of his car.

Sales were at $3 million dollars when Knight chose to dissolve the partnership with Tiger in the early 1970s. Blue Ribbon began

producing its own line and began selling its Nike line (named after the Greek goddess of victory) in 1972. These first Nike shoes

were adorned with the now-internationally recognizable swoosh logo – which Knight had commissioned for $35 – and had the

traction-improving “waffle soles”, conceived of by Bowerman while watching his wife using a waffle iron.

Building An Empire

Blue Ribbon’s success (renamed Nike in 1978) throughout the 1970s and into the ’80s can largely be attributed to Knight’s marketing

strategy. He thought it best not to push his Nike shoes though advertising, but rather to let expert athletes endorse his product.

Fortune smiled on Knight as his partner Bill Bowerman became the coach of the American Olympic team and many of the best performers

on the team decided to shod their feet with Nikes. Of course, when the runners performed well, the shoes they wore were

highlighted. Steve Prefontaine, a brash and unconventional American record-holder, became the first spokesperson for Nike shoes.

After the tennis player John McEnroe hurt his ankle, he began wearing a Nike three-quarter-top shoe, and sales of that particular

brand jumped from 10,000 pairs to over 1 million. As Knight had hoped, celebrity athlete’s endorsements brought success to the

company. Knight also capitalized on a jogging craze, and through clever marketing persuaded the consumer that they should only be

wearing the best the best in the world.

The Air Jordans helped the company continue to thrive into the 1980s. In their first year, the shoe made more than $100 million.

Knight realized his initial goal of replacing Adidas as the number the one shoe manufacturer globally in 1986. By then, total sales

had surpassed $1 billion. However, by neglecting the growing interest in aerobics shoes, Nike would have to face a few

difficulties.

Through Problems and Controversy

Sales dropped 18% between 1986 and 1987 as Reebok’s trendy, stylish aerobics shoes came to be in high demand. Knight had to

acknowledge that the technical achievements of the Nike shoe would not satisfy those who placed appearance above performance. The

Nike Air was Knight’s response to Reebok. It revived sales and put Nike back in the number one spot in 1990.

Corporate Monster that it had become, Nike was the object of public outrage in 1990 when stories of teenagers killed for their

Nikes began floating around. It was believed that Nike was promoting their shoes too forcefully.

That same year Jesse Jackson attacked Nike for not having any African-Americans on its board or among its vice-presidents, despite

the fact that its customer base was in large part black. Jackson’s Nike boycott lasted until a black board member was appointed.

There has also been a controversy around whether Knight’s use of Asian factory workers as cheap labour s exploitative.

Through all of the bad press that has been foisted on Nike through these events, Nike shoes have continued to sell well. And in

1993, The Sporting News voted Knight “the most powerful man in sports” though he was neither a player nor a manager. Knight’s

marketing mastery is to be lauded and regarded as a major factor in his impressive successes.

Probably the most famous psychic of our time was the ever popular Jean Dixon. On January 25, 1997, she passed away, but not before leaving a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten.

Her most famous prediction, and probably the one that got psychics in general the most attention, was when she predicted that President John F. Kennedy would die in office. As it turned out, Kennedy was assassinated while in Dallas Texas. Her actual prediction was that a democratic president elected in 1960, a tall young man with blue eyes and brown hair, would die in office. According to Dixon when interviewed she said that she told reporters that the president would be assassinated but they refused to print that part.

While she was alive, Dixon was an advisor to many famous celebreties including Ronald and Nancy Reagan. As a matter of fact, Nancy Reagan was constantly hounded by the press for her reliance on astrologers and psychics to set the president’s schedule. Jean Dixon was one of the people she relied on the most until one day she decided that Dixon had lost her powers and decided instead to align herself with Dixon’s rival, Joan Quigley.

Dixon was also the author of seven books. She wrote her autobiography as well as horoscopes for dogs, astrological cookbooks and several books on psychic phenomena. Dixon was one of the leading believers in ESP and was a well known influential Washington socialite.

After Kennedy was killed in 1963 the notoriety that hit Dixon because of it drove political columnist Ruth Montgomery to write a book called “A Gift Of Prophecy: the Phenomenal Jean Dixon.” This book told of hundreds of accurate predictions Dixon made throughout the years. The book was published in 1965 and sold more than three million copies. The publishing of this book turned Dixon into an overnight celebrity and made her much in demand to do lectures, and eventually prompted her to start her own syndicated horoscope column, which was printed in newspapers all over the world.

For some reason though Jean Dixon was the psychic that everybody loved to hate. Year after year were reports by countless people that Dixon’s predictions were bogus and that she had never made one that actually came true, including the one about Kennedy’s death. The woman was under constant attack in tabloids all over the country. A respected Mathematician by the name of John Allen Paulos coined what was known as the “Jean Dixon Effect” where people come up with a few accurate predictions but conveniently overlook the hundreds of false predictions that never come true.

The truth is, not all of Jean Dixon’s predictions came true. She predicted that World War III would start in 1958 over some offshore Chinese Islands and that labor leader Walter Reuther would run for president in 1964 and that the Russians would land the first man on the moon.

Jean Dixon may not have always been accurate with her predictions but she will always remain one of the most colorful and well know psychics in history.

French painter Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) was a truly dynamic artist from the twentieth century. His art style kept shifting between the triangular creative zone formed of ‘Orphism,’ ‘Abstraction,’ and ‘Cubism.’ Robert’s ‘The Eiffel Tower Series’ consisted of the most powerful works of his life. The Tower, the very icon of urbanization, always fascinated Delaunay. Being a radio tower, the Tower represented boundless communication and its unique construction was symbolic of the evolving machine age. Robert created around 30 works (sketches, window paintings, and oil paintings) using Eiffel Tower as the subject, during his self-termed ‘destructive phase.’ All these paintings depict the tower surrounded by tall buildings, from different angles and viewpoints. Three oil paintings from the ‘Eiffel Tower Series,’ created between 1909 and 1912, are considered Delaunay’s true art masterpieces.

The three famous oil paintings from Robert’s Tower Series were:

o Tower with Trees (49 ¾” x 36 ½” canvas)

o Tower (Tour Eiffel) – Measuring 79 ½” x 54 1/2″ canvas, this painting shows the tower emerging from the drape of skyscrapers around.

o The Red Tower (63 ¼” x 50 5/8″ canvas)

The ‘Eiffel Tower Series’ by Robert Delaunay epitomizes ‘Modernism.’ All the paintings are dramatic portrayals, pulsating with energy and present an elusive visual. A vibrant flow of vivid colors, form a pool of interesting abstracts. All three paintings present an angular view of the Tower. Robert has used a bright but narrow color palette, such as red, orange, brown, gray, white, black, and the shades of blue, in his ‘Tower Series.’ His innovative approach in the series was free from all the then set creative norms, ‘Impressionist’ landscapes to be precise.

Delaunay adapted a distinctive style, which appears ‘Cubist’ in nature with a touch of ‘Fauvism’ (due to the use of vibrant color). He invented the non- imitative form of art, where color, instead of an object-inspired form, plays a key role in the painting. The fragmented layers of color form the fascinating patterns of fractured spaces, left to be perceived by the viewers mind. The genius of these very futuristic illustrations tends to provoke the inner physic and elevate one to a different level of self-awareness.

Robert Delaunay’s unique conceptualization in ‘The Eiffel Tower Series,’ established his name as a pioneer in ‘Abstract Art.’ Clement Greenburg once said about Robert Delaunay, “He was an enterprising painter whose influence to the art world was much greater than his art.” The paintings “Eiffel Tower with Trees” and “Eiffel Tower” currently rest at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, while “The Red Tower” is at the Arts Institute of Chicago.

“Cynicism” is actually an ancient Greek philosophy. Using this definition of cynicism, the most famous cynic would be the 4th century philosopher Antisthenes. (But then again, how famous could he be? I’ve never heard of him, and I even took three philosophy classes in college.) This classic version of cynicism repudiated conventional style. The classic cynics were interested in goodness and simplicity in all aspects of their lives. Cynicism, in this sense, is an early example of asceticism.

My favorite thing that Antisthenes said? “I’d rather be mad than feel pleasure.”

That’s some hardcore philosophy right there.

Modern Famous Cynics

The classical definition of cynicism is only used by philosophers these days. In contemporary usage, cynicism is just the attitude that people are self-interested. One of the most common adjectives used to describe a modern-day cynic is “jaded.” When you describe someone as cynical, you’re usually referring to their eagerness to believe the worst in others.

When I think of cynics in the contemporary usage, I think of people like Howard Stern, Donald Trump, and George Carlin. Other famous cynics include Richard Nixon, Gordon Gekko, and Snake Plissken.

One of the more recent statements from Howard Stern demonstrates his cynicism: “Just the mere mention of Jay Leno’s name makes me want to vomit.”

It’s hard to imagine a more innocuous person in entertainment than Jay Leno, but Howard Stern, in his cynical mode, sees through that seemingly charming persona. He sees Jay Leno as a guy who sabotaged Conan O’Brien and who pushed Carson off The Tonight Show in a merciless way.

Coming up with a famous cynical quote from Gordon Gekko doesn’t take long. “Greed is good.” What more needs to be said?

George Carlin managed to be cynical, funny, and whimsical all at the same time, which is no small feat. My favorite cynical George Carlin quote? “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of them are even stupider than that.”

Richard Nixon said, “Any change is resisted because bureaucrats have a vested interest in the chaos in which they exist.” Nixon, cynical? Nah.

But is cynicism an appropriate approach to life? Will it make you happier? Will cynicism increase the quality of anyone’s life?

Some cynics might argue that cynicism is just a matter of being realistic, and that being realistic can and will improve the lives of yourself and others. I wonder of Mother Teresa, a notable non-cynic, would agree with that viewpoint.

The Stage Deli, an institution in New York City, was famous for its sandwiches named after celebrities. Sadly, those mile-high sandwiches have disappeared along with the closing of the Deli. But for a lucky few, whose memory lives on in the form of famous dishes, here are some of the more popular, familiar to all.

Beef Wellington: Who put the beef in Wellington? Controversy abounds. The Duke of Wellington, a war hero who clobbered Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, frequently dined on steak, pate and mushrooms, so after he emerged from his military duties, this rich dish was purportedly created in his honor (what Napoleon dined on is unknown, quite possibly crow). However, some historians pooh pooh that story and insist meat wrapped in pastry dough had been around for centuries, unlike the Duke. (Yes, but did it also include mushrooms and pate?). A possible connection to Wellington, New Zealand also shares the credit.

Oysters Rockefeller: This one is easy. Created by the son of famous New Orleans restaurateur Antoine’s, it was named after John D. Rockefeller, who at the time (1889) was the richest man in America (and the oysters were pretty rich themselves). The original recipe was never shared, hence all future chefs have had to wing it. No one knows if it was a popular item on John D’s dinner table, but we’ll just assume it was.

Cherries Jubilee: Nobody was named Jubilee, but this special dessert was probably created by renowned chef Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dish for one of British Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations (she lived a long time), widely thought to be the Diamond Jubilee in 1887. When this flaming delicacy wasn’t setting the dining hall’s draperies on fire, it was savored by royalty in both England and Europe.

Eggs Benedict: Certainly not named after the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, there is a bit of competition concerning its origin. Well-known New York City restaurant Delmonico’s claims ownership way back in 1860, but a gentleman named Lemuel Benedict insists it was his creation after ordering a full plate of breakfast foods, topped off with hollandaise sauce at the Waldorf Hotel, 34 years later.

Caesar Salad: A San Diegan named Caesar Cardini owned a restaurant called Hotel Caesar in Tijuana during Prohibition, thus enabling him to serve alcohol during the 1920s. It was in his kitchen that this popular salad was created. Californians flocked there to munch on Romaine lettuce, anchovies and a special dressing; diners could also enjoy a cocktail or two. (author’s note: as a San Diego resident, I can assure readers that these days no one travels south of the Border for any kind of salad, trust me.)

Chicken à la King: Not named after Elvis, but once again, debates among historians and king-sized egos offer up several versions; a Philadelphia gentleman named William King insisted it was his creation in 1915; another American, James Keene, argued that he came up with it, but chicken a la Keene just didn’t quite cut it (maybe Keene Chicken would have worked). Then Keene’s son Foxhall (would I make that up?) backed up his father’s story in the 1890s; well-known hotel chef George Greenwald insisted he concocted it for wealthy hotel residents Mr. and Mrs. E. Clark King II at the Brighton Beach Hotel in New York. So there you have it. You decide, and if your last name is King, you could also get into the act.

Lobster Newberg: A Captain Ben Wenberg, who discovered a delightful seafood dish in his worldly travels, brought back the recipe and offered it to Delmonico’s, a thriving restaurant in New York City during the late 1800s. The chef happily recreated it for the Captain after tweaking the rich ingredients a bit, and named it in his honor. Fast forward several decades, when the two men had a falling out (perhaps too much or too little cream, no one knows) and the offended chef renamed it; there was no one named Newberg, it just sounded better. A first cousin to Lobster Thermidor, which we’ll give to the French, who named it after a popular play.

Beef Stroganoff: The first known recipe appeared in a Russian cookbook in 1871 Beef à la Stroganov, with mustard, the name was derived from a Russian diplomat and Minister of the Interior, Alexander Stroganov. It’s doubtful that the diplomat even tasted his namesake, but one would like to think he conjured it up one night while craving beef with sour cream. Many countries have similar variations, including China, all claiming origin, but it remains a mystery. We know for sure that neither explorer Marco Polo or foodie president Thomas Jefferson ever had the pleasure.

Noodles Romanoff: Originally appearing at Romanoff’s, a favorite restaurant back in the mid-1950s, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Years later giant Stouffer’s Foods popularized it at their now-defunct restaurants in Chicago, as well as a frozen version (also defunct). A top item on the menu, it featured a sharp Cheddar cheese sauce and sour cream, sinfully rich and delicious by any standards. Sadly, it has virtually disappeared and must be made from scratch for those who still crave it.

Brandy Alexander: Some sources recognize the Russian Tsar Alexander II as its namesake, but more likely it was named by Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector’s, a New York City restaurant. Seems he wanted to create a white drink for a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow, a fictitious character portrayed as a New York socialite who was a spokeswoman for a railway and always wore white (you figure it out). Regardless of the origin, it remains a delicious dessert drink made with creme de cocoa, cream and brandy, purported to have been legendary Beatle John Lennon’s favorite cocktail.

Chateaubriand: A tenderloin of beef named for a French ambassador and viscount in the early 1800s by his personal chef, the Viscount Chateaubrant hailed from a region in France bearing the same name; a large cut of prime steak, it’s usually served as a meal for two, accompanied by a rich sauce and potatoes, but apparently the Viscount had a hearty appetite and polished it off alone, leaving Mrs. Viscount to fend for herself.

These timeless dishes memorialize their namesakes in the history books and top foodies’ hit parades. But take heart. There is always room for more, so start cooking and you, too, could become a famous food for years to come.