Friday night amusement.

• went to Voelkers for beer and bowling. (e:theecarey) (moi), (e:imk2), (e:jenks), (e:ladycroft) and a few others..

• I hadn't been there before. It has a non conventional set up.. a few different rooms for bowling, pool and darts.. then the large circular bar area and a food area a few rooms away. Beer selection was minimal. I started with bottled Guinness draught then moved on to some draft something or other. Food did not look appetizing, although at 4am, I am sure it is delish.

• The "little guy" who pounced on me before I could even get in the door was slightly endearing. He wasn't necessarily little or young.. but somehow that moniker worked for him, and for the rest of us, as that was what he was called since. I give him credit for trying as hard as he did with all of us, not that he got anywhere.

• Apparently I came in just after the group declared they (we) were virgins about to enter the convent (Little guy was the catalyst for this declaration and I walked in and played right into it w/o knowing the story.. funny shite).. and this was our last night of freedom before resigning from the world. Somehow, if this were true, I would not be spending my time w/ a group of ladies :) ALthough, some of the pictures I would have to wonder..

(Ladycrofts picture post) [inlink]ladycroft,192[/inlink]

(Jenks picture post) [inlink]jenks,63[/inlink]


cheers!


We're gonna take them bitches, I mean pins down! die MF die!


I almost slide into a split before the pins do


Alex and moi!


troublemakers


Jen, Alex, Carey, Timika



Somehow I missed the memo on wearing a cleavage bearing shirt.

(e:strip)per innocence..


not so innocent..


I've got balls?!? .. who knew? haha, and my mutant fingers can't quite make it into gang symbols and sexual gestures.. I try!





Opium lounge had some killer beats.. just what I like..just what makes me happy.
oh and it smelled yummy in there :) Techno, house, trance..in the main room, and in the back/side room.. dark wave, industrial, goth core. Nice!







Alex made me grab her ass. Or maybe Timika made me grab Alex's ass. Whatever the *real* story, here's the picture:



(e:PMT) where were you?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??! It was so fun!



I was getting very hot in there..I kept taking off the layers..
good stuff: dancing, jumping, longing for glow sticks...








Well, that was a pretty quick post. Details will be kept to ourselves ;)

Off to read, watch tv and nibble on some pita and Zatter green. Yum.

Later, peeps :)
Carey

A message left on myspace:

"hey i like ur profile
add me to ur myspace buddy list

do u use yahoo whats ur screename

ur hot
ur pretty
ur sexy
ur adorable
ur sweet
ur a sexy angel in heaven
ur a beautiful centerfold
ur as pretty as a rose

hugs and kisses"

heh, I am no angel.


I had signed up and then abandoned the site.. then some people (friends) have been finding me. That's really cool, so I keep it for that; but once in awhile I get a message..usually from 18 year olds.. and some like that above.

Time to find some fun..

I think I am going bowlng.. atleast I am planning on it. I would do better to stay home and do school work.. but that wont happen.

Who wants to come out and play, later? 622-6639

later peeps :)

oy, 80's Madonna song stuck in my head.



What do you call a cow that shakes?

Beef Jerky.

I posted this as a comment in response to (e:jenks) post[inlink]jenks,62[/inlink] , which included a couple of laffy taffy jokes. Ha, its been awhile since I have had laffy taffy candy.. as bad as the jokes can be, some are really funny.

I completed my school work. I sat at Starbucks around the corner from my college and hammered them out. I could have used some internet connection, but I refuse to pay for Starbucks T mobile access. Its not all that great of a connection anyways. bah. Enjoyed my Venti Shaken iced green tea. Is it extra special because it is shaken?

Watched the movie Gung Ho in class. A seventies movie.. used as a point of reference to discuss cultural differences, business dealings etc. Funny movie, cheesy humor. It was hard to sit and pay attention to a movie for so long, in class. I prefer to be partly passed out on my couch when watching a movie.

I was a bit restless after the movie and after I got out of class. My class friends asked me if I was ok because I didn't seem like myself (whatever that is). I was more subdued in class.. but not for any reason. Asking me once is kinda nice.. but beyond that, I won't be ok anymore. Ever experience that?

So I pretty much ran out of class when it was over. I was tempted to go home to bed.. yet, I wasn't quite ready to go home and I was curious to see if (e:kangarooboi) was still out.. (thanks again for the invite!!) and whoever else may be out at Mister Goodbar. I am glad that I decided to head out. We (Mike, Timika and his friend Susan) played darts and pool. I stopped at just one pint of Guinness. To drink more would have been bad. I knew I had to keep my visit short.. work/morning comes too early and it would be atleast midnight before I got home. Ugh, its already 1am. Thats ok 'cause it is officially FRIDAY!

I have got some sweet dart skills. Watch out. No really, watch out. haha

(this is your cue to post some pics, (e:kangarooboi). btw, I snuck a couple of pics on your camera, haha


Ooh, it began to snow on my way home.. big fat pretty flakes. yay

I just thought of one more joke..

What's exotic?
...being tickled by a feather.


Whats kinky?


... being tickled by the whole chicken.


Ok, off to bed!

I hate staring at an empty Word document. I know it will fill up with words, eventually. But when? It must be done by tomorrow afternoon..

Here I am, in the last minute rush to get my work done. I will be in a mode of panic tomorrow afternoon, when I realize that all of my procrastinating has left me scrambling to catch up and complete the school work that is due.

Sometimes I just need to have my brain shoved into action; and somehow, doing things last minute really helps. The thoughts are formulating in my mind. I know what I have read, I understand what I have researched, I have opinions and arguments, I am more than capable to take on whatever the task may be..but not yet. When? I don't know. It has to happen and it will.. but until then, I fret. The time ticks closer to the deadline.

I am also sleepy. Of course, I want to go to bed.. but because I can't, I really want to. That is how I work. *yawn*

ooh, come to me.. come on, come on, come ooooooooonnnnnnnnn.. words of wisdom, academic enlightenment, international business fairy, and whatever else I need to write two papers. A kick in the ass maybe?

Go ahead--kick me: *bends over*


k- back to my temporary mental block...



oh one more thing..
Who is doing what this weekend? 'cause I can't stay in an study *all* weekend :)

and one more thing.. I shouldn't complain, but I am in the mood for a blizzard. The kind that closes school (because I work in a school and go to school, get me?) yet everyone is safe and sound all snuggled inside sitting by the fire drinking scotch yumminess or playing outside; skiing, hiking, rolling around in the snow, doing donuts w/ your car.. whatever you prefer. But yeh, I am in the mood for that..

Mostly because Y-Town is still pretty much snowless.


now, I am back to my school work..

Have fun!

carey

As promised.. the silly-cute-funny-semi scandalous picture of (e:mike):






Whatcha holdin' in those big hands of yours?? ;)


Do you remember when this was taken?? haha
_____________________________________________________________





On another note.. some email has not been getting to me.. that freaks me out.
Is it Yahoo or is it Verizon? bah.

k.. study time :)
As promised.. the silly-cute-funny-semi scandalous picture of (e:mike):






Whatch holdin' in those big hands of yours?? ;)


Do you remember when this was taken?? haha
_____________________________________________________________





On another note.. some email has not been getting to me.. that freaks me out.
Is it Yahoo or is it Verizon? bah.

k.. study time :)

A friend of mine just returned from PA.. He won some money on the game. I'm not a fan of football, at all. Someone actually said to me, after hearing that I don't follow the game, "yeh, its probably too barbaric for you" HAHAHAHAHA.. "um, no.. just the opposite. Rugby is *my* game.. football has NOTHING on my beloved rugby" bah..too slow, too much stoppage, too much protective equipment. But I would go to a live game.. there is always something about being there.. for any game, that can be really exciting.

I'll also take hockey.. maybe some soccer.. and world combat championship

I guess there were post game celebration RIOTS. My friend has pictures and video footage. I watched cars turned over and torched! --In celebration!! I should see if I can get a copy of his videos. --or atleast some pictures. Freaky stuff!!

I am chilled to the bone. I can't seem to warm up. I just spent the last two hours walking through Youngstown and through Fort Niagara State park.. Icey snow pellets smashing into my face as I walked briskly down by the river and down to the lake.. "strolling along the beach" in the pitch dark (we left around 9:30?), tresspassing into the Fort.. listening to the waves crash violently.. otherwise silence through town. We hiked up and down hills.. I wiped out a couple of times (gracefully, I must say) as the hills and streets were slick from snow. We only covered about 7-8 miles, but since it was dark, cold, windy and snowing.. I thought that was pretty good.

I am also working on my "winter fluff" -- no longer welcome. Go away, now, please.

This quiet town is just gorgeous...any season, any time of day or night. The snow pellets, the lights.. the absolute silence.. it all does good stuff for my brain.

For some reason.. even though I walk through this area a few times a week, I suddenly found myself longing for Level Regatta- the sail boat races that occur every July in Youngstown. Good memories with that event.So many people, a lot of partying, pop up tents, street parties, food, beer, boats, etc. Been going since I was 14 years old. Not sure where I was at or what I was doing, but I missed it last year.. And I totally live withing stumbling distance..

oh, wait.. I recall (e:ladycroft) and I had taken an extensive bike ride that weekend...rode through a swarm of people and traffic.. and we hung out by the water.. but didn't watch the races. Or go out and party in town. We probably downed a bunch of Corona (extra lime), listened to Moby (Hotel) and sat outside under the canapy.. chillin.

I now insert a plug for LL Bean cold weather attire. My jacket kept me warm tonight.. It kept out the wind, rain and snow. This jacket, combined with a hat, scarf gloves and a couple of other layers.. I was overall toasty warm. I walk fast.. so I am sure to have built up some good body heat.

But now that I am home.. I am cold. I am also tired. It is way past my bedtime. I shall grab my kitties and crawl under my wonderful mound of blankets and pillows.

Good night..

Carey

Damn private parties. I was looking forward to hanging out at Coles. But chillin' and drinking at Mister Goodbar turned out just fine. A good amount of (e:peeps) and satellite friends showed up. We must do this more often. For me, it isn't a matter of where, or how much, but with who.. and with the right company, a good time is guaranteed.

(e:kangarooboi) It was truly a pleasure to meet you! I had so much fun making our way to the bar, multiple times to acquire our beloved SoCo and Lime. Yum!Yum! Yum! We must do that again :)
[inlink]kangarooboi,11[/inlink]

Who else? My friend, Mike (who I believe is the first guy I ever saw naked) joined us. We go way way back. I know we were chillin back at the age of two (hence, first guy I saw naked). I think clothes were optional at that time. What did we know? I thought it was perfectly fine to run around without a shirt. Boy, was I disappointed when I was told that I had to wear one. You mean there are difference between boys and girls? Well, I don't want to be a girl! *pouts, stomps foot*. Since then, things have changed. But all of my best buddies growing up were guys. Then came (e:pyrcedgrrl) in the second grade, then (e:ladycroft) in the sixth. BTW, (e:paul), (e:pyrcedgrrl) walked in not a minute after you left!!
Who else.. well the absolutely lovely (e:jenks), hehe, she was "that girl", passed out on the couch. [inlink]jenks,61[/inlink] But she was well protected by Mike and Timika. Although I encouraged Mike to look down her sweater, haha. I have pictorial evidence :)

A pleasant surprise, (e:pyrcedgrrl) came in after work, and ofcourse, (e:ladycroft) was there with her super special supergirl underoos. Next time I dare you to kiss someone, make sure it is a cute stranger. It just can't be someone you know.. it doesn't work out that way! I was many Guinness pints and SoCo (w/Lime!) shots into the evening, so what do I know?

I had some funny looks and comments when I ordered Guinness.

I am glad to have had the chance to meet and chat with (e:decoyisryan). I think I have a picture somewhere. At some point I was just snapping pictures randomly, not sure who ended up in them. I was "caught" taking a picture of (e:matthews) butt. A guy laughs and says, "I saw that". Honestly, I wasn't aiming.. I was squatting, so of course my face was at everyone's ass level. Funny all the same.. I'll look to see what I actually took a picture of.

Well, (e:terry) was quite the stud last night. He had all the girls kissing up on him. Wooo!

I was thinking about how I take a ton of pictures regularly. In the past couple of years I have taken more than I ever have. It correlates with my having a digital camera. Back in the day it was a 110 camera or a 35mm camera.. but then the expense of buying film and processing.. there would be no 100 picture taking events. Besides, it will be fun to look back on pictures many years from now. The "elder (e:strip)pers" will pass on their wisdom to the young peeps and will have pictures archived, ready for viewing. We are creating the quilt now. How neat it will be to look back, 20 plus years from now? (e:paul) and I were discussing that. We also entertained what sort of things we will write about. The geriatric (e:strip)pers will contribute to a blog forum on Bingo. Which brought us to the idea of going to bingo sometime. I have never been to bingo and I am not inclined to go with any serious intent, however, we could have some fun with it. So the more we talked about it, the more serious I became about getting a bunch of people to go. We will make a farce of it! We'lll alter our state of mind prior to the event, we'll gather all of our "good luck" gear and any other tacky bingo paraphernalia that we can find. Maybe create a bingo chant prayer.. We'll go all out and crazy. It will be funny. We will call it: EXTREMEbingo©

Any takers??

Now on to some pictures..


My SoCo buddy, (e:kangarooboi)


the girls- (e:ladycroft), (e:theecarey) and (e:jenks)


My friend Mike and (e:jenks). One of those random shots.


Gettin' some.. (e:terry) and (e:theecarey) haha


Aweee Alex and Carey


(e:terry) and (e:paul) -- scrumptious!


Paul and Carey "Future Elders" (but not for a long long time!)


Girls!


Terry Terry Terry.. such charisma!


Paul and Matthew


(e:decoyisryan) and (e:theecarey)


Terry, Thee Orbs and Matthew


Ooh, yeh, touch my lager.. uh, huh.. right there. .


Snapshot form the floor. Would that be Matthew's butt?


SCANDALOUS! who would take advantage of a drunk girl?


ahhh ladycroft would.. gotta watch out for her..


(e:pyrcedgrrl) (dana) and (e:theecarey)


hehe.. what can we do with the unsuspecting (e:jenks)??


"Mike, look down her sweater!" (this eventually awakens Sleeping Beauty)


"Alex, go back to sleep.. no laughing!" *she tries to keep a straight face* haha


My girly lip gloss. It seemed like a good idea to take a picture :)


Thats about it. I stumbled in about 7am and slept most of the day.

The weekends are over too quickly. Last night was fun... a few of you were missed.. maybe next time or even sometime in between.

Later, friends!
carey

BAH! I lost my post. The ONE time I choose not to write it or save it in Word first.

Maybe I can recap- -super duper edited version :(

A summary of My Friday:

• I had some stuff to do after work. I much prefer to go straight home, but occasionally I need to pick up a few things. I went to the bank, got my hair cut, stopped into the porn store and as I made my way back home, I realized I still needed to go to a discount store such as Walmart of Target.. but to go to either would require that I back track. Fortunately I saw K-Mart up ahead and decided to go there. The lot was relatively deserted as was the store. This made me happy. I liked that people weren't up my ass as I tried to shop for a few things. Just basic stuff.. but I hate shopping. WHen I do, I want people to leave me alone. Stop following ME!

• Back to the porn store. I experience the best customer service in those places. Is it really that rare that girls do a lil' shopping in there? The guy was very receptive to my questions and inquiries. I made my purchases and left. Afterwards, I noticed that the items purchased are labeled as "Marital Aids". kinda funny to me.

• Ordered pizza and wings. Partially because I have nothing edible and didn't want to go back out to go to the store to buy something then have to cook.. and partially because (e:leetee) posted about pizza. [inlink]leetee,126[/inlink]. WOW, there are a lot of comments to that post. We all lovin' the pizza 'round here :)

I ordered way too much, but it worked. 8 piece double dough pizza with mushrooms and sweet green and red peppers. Oh, and 20 mild wings. I got through 9 wings and 1.5 pieces of pizza. Having a slew of left overs is a splendid thing today. Furthermore, last night (e:ladycroft) and I ate a ton of junk food and that is carrying over to today. Hmm.. will my clothes fit this evening? Hehe.. bust out the sweat pants. That's HOT.

• snickers*, I will post pictures from last night, later.

• I received a phone call way too early this morning. I checked the caller ID and crammed my head under my pillows. I wasn't ready to wake up, even though I was excited by who called. I don't think I could have managed a croak to answer the phone anyways. As I was too excited, I got up, seriously sleep deprived. I called my friend back. I have known Angela since we were 10/12 years old. Her family was my family as I spent so much time with them.I even adopted her grandpa. He's so cute. Yeh, I am in the habit of adopting people. (hint hint, (e:jenks)). I last saw Angela over three years ago, the last time I spoke to her was just over two years ago. I have been thinking about her a lot lately. I didn't have her number, had no idea what her married name is, and I wasnâ??t sure how to find her. There are a few people that if I really think of them, they will contact me. It seems really odd.. and it is truly uncanny, but it works. She called me. Weâ??ll get together soon, yay! :)

Well that about wraps it up..

OOH WAIT!, one more very important thing:

• COLES tonight..Tears and Cheers Pity Party!!! Come out to play. 1104 Elmwood Avenue. Come drink beer, be happy and have fun! 8pm till whenever you feel like stumbling home :)

[inlink]ladycroft,182[/inlink]

Play nice.. see ya later!

Carey

Yes! I love this class I am taking. We were all over politics this evening. I was revved up and very happy to debate, discuss, analyze..

The class is going to challenge me. In everything from content to writing style. I look forward to having my performance challenged. It will be good for me.

Besides.. its politics! Domestic and foreign.. hmm.. lovely. It is so my thing!

I had been tempted to skip class. I felt grossly underprepared and ashamed of myself for not getting my work done. I thought if I skipped, then the problem would go away. Besides, i have missed only one class in the past year. One stinkin' class. I thought I could use a skip day.

But I didn't. I knew I wouldnt. Instead I worked my ass off for two and a half hours and cranked out some good stuff. I managed to get the work done and then some. I knew what I was doing without being aware of it. In class, I was all over the discussion. Funny, how I think I am not prepared yet I am. Why the concern?
I procrastinate, that is the problem.. yet I work so well under pressure. Things will just come to me in those moments. So, in some ways, I count on the craziness of doing things last minute.



ugh..I need an APA refresher. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Ok, its past my bedtime.. so hard to go to sleep after getting in from class.

woo.. Friday.

Good night.. sweet dreams.

~Carey

• I like the new theme, "Ontario", (e:paul) :) Ofcourse I am biased..[inlink]theecarey,91[/inlink]

• New class, International Management-Culture, Strategy and Behavior begins tomorrow. The text is a classic schoolbook, something I haven't seen since my undergraduate years. It will be just fine.. there are integrative cases at the end of each part. I have included one here for the business savvy and the curious. Its lengthy, but a good read. Well worth it.

Comments, questions, random thoughts.. all good.

• Not sure if I loved my dinner. I scrounged through the cupboards and found: diced tomatos, black eyed peas (beans?), green peas, turnip greens and tomato paste. Not sure where the canned turnip greens came from.. I have only eaten fresh. These had some seasoning in them as well. Anyway, I got out a pot, opened everything up, dumped it in the pot, added water and a few seasoning.. and voila! some random creation.. I ate it. It worked. I will bring leftovers to work tomorrow.

• I am looking forward to the weekend, as always. No exact plans, as of yet.. but I always manage to find something. I have a few ideas..

Whose going to Coles for Tears and Cheers ? :) And which one will you be?
How about after a few beers....?

• (e:pyrcedgrrl) is officially divorced. yay! congrats and all that good stuff. Not that she told ME.. haha.. Is the divorce party at peppermints? (not like we ever ever need an excuse!--but its always fun to come up with one-- "Sold the van? Lets go see strippers!") or are we just going to invite the boys over? -not Christian, though.. not since the "not entirely white tighty whiteys episode. But the others.. yeh..

• Work. hmm.. sometimes not chaotic enough. I love the craziness that other years brought. My Autistic kiddo that I work with has made amazing progress.. He used to literally kick my ass. Very dangerous to himself and others.. Not so much anymore. I really am not needed anymore. I did my job and worked myself out of a job in that regards. He is just amazing.. talking! eye contact! playfulness! affectionate! so many wonderful changes through time! However, through all of this, he is attatched to me. I love it...I mean, it is reinforcing on some level.. but overall, it isn't a good thing. I wont always be there..

• I need a day to catch up on everything. I will have a couple of days towards the end of the month, so thats when I will plan on it. Some stuff needs to be taken care of before all that. Ahhhhh! What I need to get done needs to be taken care of during regular business hours. Not helpful! It'll all work out.

• I had a bad dream last night. It bothered me all today, although I knew it was just a dream. It rehashed some feelings I thought I had gotten past. Silly me for thinking that. My fault.. I know where it stemmed from. yeesh. It isn't about me.

or was it. nah..

• I also had a dream about a friend that died last year. I want to find his brother.. not sure where to start.. he grew up in Wilson, so maybe one of these days I will drive over to his parents house. Wouldn't know what to say..

Last week I had some strange dreams as well.. What is with these dreams??

• I received an email from one of the band members of Insanity Wave. I was totally tickled by his message. They saw that I had written about them in a post here. Fun music.. from Spain.. good stuff. Here is a peer review:

• oh, and, Clive Owen, if you are reading this.. drop me a line ;)

later peeps!
Carey
__________________________________________________________


Snagged from International Management-Culture, Strategy and Behavior 6th edition pgs 77-79 Brief Integrative Case 1 Colgateâ??s Distasteful Toothpaste 79 Mcgraw Hill publications.. and all that citation goodness:

Colgates Distasteful Toothpaste

Colgate is a well-known consumer products company
based in New York. Its present products are in the areas of
household and personal care, which include laundry detergents
such as Ajax and Fab, health care products manufactured
for home health care, and specialty products such as
Hill pet food. The household products segment represents
approximately 75 percent of company revenues, while the
specialty segment accounts for less than 7 percent. Colgateâ??s
value has been set in excess of $5.6 billion. Through
both recessionary and recovery periods in the United
States, Colgate has always been advocated by investment
analysts as a good long-term stock.

Colgates domestic market share has been lagging for
several years. In the 1970s, when diversification seemed to
be the tool to hedge against risk and sustain profits, Colgate
bought companies in various industries, including kosher
hot dogs, tennis and golf equipment, and jewelry. However,
such extreme diversification diverted the companyâ??s attention
away from its key moneymaking products: soap, laundry
detergents, toothpaste, and other household products.
The product diversification strategy ended in 1984 when
Reuben Mark became CEO. At the young age of 45, he ordered
the sale of parts of the organization that deviated too
far from Colgateâ??s core competency of personal and household
products. He followed consultant Tom Petersâ??s prescription
for excellence: â??Stick to the knitting.â??

Colgates International Presence:
Colgate traditionally has had a strong presence overseas.
The company has operations in Australia, Latin America,
Canada, France, and Germany. International sales presently
represent one-half of Colgateâ??s total revenue. In the past,
Colgate always made a detailed analysis of each international
market for demand. For instance, its entry into South
America required an analysis of the type of product that
would be most successful based on the dental hygiene
needs of South American consumers. Because of this commitment
to local cultural differences, the company has the
number-one brand of toothpaste worldwide, Total.

To gain a strong share of the Asian market without having
to build its own production plant, Colgate bought a 50 percent
partnership in the Hawley and Hazel group in August 1985
for $50 million. One stipulation of this agreement was that
Colgate had no management prerogatives: Hawley and Hazel
maintained the right to make the major decisions in the organization.
This partnership turned out to be very lucrative for
Colgate, with double-digit millions in annual sales.

Enter the Distasteful Toothpaste:
Hawley and Hazel is a chemical products company based
in Hong Kong. The company was formed in the early part
of the twentieth century, and its only product of note, believe
it or not, was called â??Darkieâ?? toothpaste. Over the
years, this had been one of the popular brands in Asia and
had a dominant presence in markets such as Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

â??Darkieâ?? toothpaste goes back to the 1920s. The
founder of this product, on a visit to the United States,
loved Al Jolson, then a very popular black-faced entertainer
(i.e., a white person with black makeup on his face). The
founder decided to re-create the spirit of this character in
the form of a trademark logo for his toothpaste because of
the characterâ??s big smile and white teeth. When the founder
returned to Asia, he copyrighted the name â??Darkieâ?? to go
along with the logo. Since the 1920s, there has been strong
brand loyalty among Asians for this product. One housewife
in Taipei whose family used the product for years
remarked, The toothpaste featuring a Black man with a
toothy smile is an excellent advertisement."

The Backlash Against Colgate

"Darkie" toothpaste had been sold in Asia for about
65 years. After Colgate became partners with Hawley and
Hazel and its distasteful product, however, there was a
wave of dissatisfaction with the logo and name from U.S.
minorities and civil rights groups. There really has been no
definite source on how this issue was passed to U.S. action
groups and the media; however, a book entitled Soap
Opera: The Inside Story of Procter and Gamble places responsibility
in the hands of Procter & Gamble in an effort
to tarnish Colgateâ??s image and lower its market share.
The Americansâ?? irate response to â??Darkieâ?? was a surprise
to the Hawley and Hazel group. The product had always been
successful in their Asian markets, and there had been no complaints.
In fact, the success of â??Darkieâ?? had led the firm to
market a new product in Japan called â??Mouth Jazz,â?? which
had a similar logo. A spokesperson for Hawley and Hazel remarked,
â??There had been no problem before, you can tell by
the market share that it is quite well received in Asia.â??

ICCR, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility,
started the fight against Colgate about 10 years ago when it
received a package of â??Darkieâ?? toothpaste from a consumer
in Thailand. ICCR is composed of institutional investors
that influence corporations through stock ownership. At the
time the movement against Colgateâ??s racially offensive
product started, three members of ICCR already owned a
small amount of stock in the company, and they filed a
shareholder petition against Colgate requesting a change in
the logo and name.
In a letter to Colgate, the ICCR executive director summarized
the position against the distasteful toothpaste as
follows:

Darkie toothpaste is a 60-year-old product sold widely in
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and other places in the Far
East. Its packaging includes a top-hatted and gleamingtoothed
smiling likeness of Al Jolson under the words
â??Darkieâ?? toothpaste. As you know, the term â??Darkieâ?? is
deeply offensive. We would hope that in this new association
with the Hawley and Hazel Chemical Company, that
immediate action will be taken to stop this productâ??s name
so that a U.S. company will not be associated with promoting
racial stereotypes in the Third World.

In response to this letter, R. G. S. Anderson, Colgateâ??s
director of corporate development, replied, â??No plans exist
or are being contemplated that would extend marketing and
sales efforts for the product in Colgate subsidiaries elsewhere
or beyond this Far East area.â?? Anderson then went
on to explain that Darkieâ??s founder was imitating Al Jolson
and that in the Chinese view, imitation was the â??highest
form of flattery.â?? The ICCR then informed Colgate that if
the logo was not changed, the organization would create a
media frenzy and help various civil rights action groups in
a possible boycott.

Because Colgate still refused to remove the logo, ICCR
did form a coalition with civil rights groups such as the
NAACP and the National Urban League to start protest
campaigns. The protest took many forms, including lobbying
at the state and local levels. At one point, after heavy
lobbying by the ICCR, the House of Representatives in
Pennsylvania passed a resolution urging Colgate to change
the name and logo. Similar resolutions had been proposed
in the U.S. Congress.

The pressures at home placed Colgate in a difficult position,
especially as it had no management rights in its
agreement with Hawley and Hazel. In the Asian market,
neither Colgate nor Hawley and Hazel had any knowledge
of consumer dissatisfaction because of racial offensiveness,
despite the fact that the local Chinese name for â??Darkieâ??
(pronounced hak ye nga goh) can be translated as â??Black
Man Toothpaste.â?? The logo seemed to enhance brand loyalty.
One Asian customer stated, â??I buy it because of the
Black manâ??s white teeth.â??

The demographics of the Asian market may help to
explain the productâ??s apparent acceptance. There are a
relatively small number of Africans, Indians, Pakistanis,
and Bangladeshis in the region; therefore, the number of
people who might be offended by the logo is low. Also,
some people of color did not seem disturbed by the name.
For example, when asked about the implications of
â??Darkieâ?? toothpaste, the secretary of the Indian Chamber
of Commerce noted, â??It doesnâ??t offend me, and Iâ??m sort of
dark-skinned.â??

Initially, Colgate had no intentions of forcing Hawley and
Hazel to change the product. R. G. S. Anderson issued
another formal statement to the ICCR as follows: â??Our
position . . . would be different if the product were sold in the
United States or in any Western English-speaking country;
which, as I have stated several times, will not happen.â??
Hawley and Hazel concurred with the stance. The alliance
was very fearful of a loss of market share and did not believe
that the complaints were issues relevant to Pacific Rim countries.
A spokesperson for the alliance referred to the protest
campaign as â??a U.S. issue.â?? The trade-off for revamping a
successful product was deemed to be too risky and costly.

Colgates Change of Heart:
The issue did not go away. As U.S. leaders in Congress began
to learn about this very offensive logo and name, the
pressure on Colgate mounted. Interestingly, however, the
value of Colgateâ??s stock increased throughout this period of
controversy. Wall Street seemed oblivious to the charges
against Colgate, and this was another reason why Colgate
took no action. Colgate management believed that an issue
about overseas products should not have a negative effect
on the companyâ??s domestic image. However, pressures
continued from groups such as the Congressional Black
Caucus, a strong political force. Colgate finally began to
waver, but because of its agreement with Hawley and
Hazel, it felt helpless. As one Colgate executive remarked,
â??One hates to let exogenous things drive your business, but
you sometimes have to be aware of them.â??
Colgate CEO Reuben Mark eventually became very distressed
over the situation. He was adamantly against racism
of any kind and had taken actions to exhibit his beliefs.
For instance, he and his wife had received recognition for
their involvement in a special program for disadvantaged
teenagers. He commented publicly about the situation as
follows: â??Itâ??s just offensive. The morally right thing dictates
that we must change. What we have to do is find a
way to change that is least damaging to the economic interests
of our partners.â?? He also publicly stated that Colgate
had been trying to change the package since 1985, when it
bought into the partnership.

Colgateâ??s Plan of Action to Repair the Damage

The protest campaign initiated by ICCR and carried further
by others definitely caused Colgateâ??s image to be tarnished
badly in the eyes not only of African Americans but of
all Americans. To get action, some members of the Congressional
Black Caucus (including Rep. John Conyers,
D-Mich.) even bypassed Colgate and tried to negotiate directly
with Hawley and Hazel. To try to repair the damage,
two years after ICCRâ??s initial inquiry, Colgate, in cooperation
with Hawley and Hazel, finally developed a plan to
78 Part 1 Environmental Foundation
change the product. In a letter to ICCR, CEO Mark stated,
â??I and Colgate share your concern that the caricature of a
minstrel in black-face on the package and the name
â??Darkieâ?? itself could be considered racially offensive.â?? Colgate
and Hawley and Hazel then proposed some specific
changes for the name and logo. Names considered included
Darlie, Darbie, Hawley, and Dakkie. The logo options included
a dark, nondescript silhouette and a well-dressed
black man. The alliances decided to test-market the options
among their Asian consumers; however, they refused to
change the Chinese name (â??Black Man Toothpasteâ??),
which is more used by their customers.

They decided that changes would be implemented over
the course of a year to maintain brand loyalty and avoid
advertising confusion with their customers. There was the
risk that loyal customers would not know if the modified
name/logo was still the same toothpaste that had proven itself
through the years. Altogether, the process would take
approximately three years, test marketing included. Colgate
also decided to pay for the entire change process,
abandoning their initial suggestion that the change be paid
for by Hawley and Hazel.

Colgate and Hawley and Hazel then made a worldwide
apology to all insulted groups. Although Hawley and Hazel
was slow to agree with the plan, a spokesperson emphasized
that racial stereotyping was against its policy. It also helped
that Hawley and Hazel would pay no money to make the
needed changes. They felt that the product was too strong to
change quickly; thus, three years was not too long to implement
the new logo and name fully into all Asian markets.
Further, they insisted that as part of the marketing campaign,
the product advertising use the following statement
in Chinese, â??Only the English name is being changed.
Black Man Toothpaste is still Black Man Toothpaste.â??
placed a ban on Darlie toothpaste because of the productâ??s
violation of Chinaâ??s trademark laws. Although the English
name change was implemented across all markets, the retained
Chinese name and logo still were deemed derogatory
by the Chinese, and the government banned the
product. Also, Eric Molobi, an African National Congress
representative, was outraged at the toothpasteâ??s logo on a
recent visit to the Pacific Rim. When asked if Darlie toothpaste
would be marketed in his country, the South African
representative replied, â??If this company found itself in
South Africa it would not be used. There would be a permanent
boycott.â??

Today, the name of Colgate cannot be found anywhere
on the packaging of what is now called Darlie toothpaste.
In a strategic move, Colgate has distanced itself completely
away from the controversial product. In the Thailand and
Indonesia health-products markets, Colgate even competes
against Darlie toothpaste with its own brand.



What do you think Colgate should have done to
handle the situation?