View of the Tulsa Main Arena, site of the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships

On March 15-17, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the National Obedience Championship (formerly known as the National Obedience Invitational) will move from its usual calendar date in December to run in conjunction with the National Agility Championship.  A new AKC Rally® National Competition will be held on the Friday of that weekend. After 2013, the combined "Extravaganza" will rotate to different locations around the country. "Thanks to the vision of retired Companion Events AVP Curt Curtis and his staff, this new `Companion Events Extravaganza' will allow us to showcase the best competitors in the country, rotate venues and teach responsible dog ownership to the public through demonstrations, seminars and other companion dog related activities," said Doug Ljungren, Vice President of Companion and Performance Events. The 2012 National Obedience Invitational and National Juniors Obedience Competition will be held as usual in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship this December in Orlando, Florida. Beginning in December 2013, a new obedience competition - the AKC Obedience Classic - will be held in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando. The new competition will crown the top dogs for the year in the Novice, Open and Utility classes.  The National Juniors Obedience Competition will continue to be held with these events in December. For information about qualifying for these events and additional competition details, stay tuned to http://www.akc.org/events/obedience/ NOTE FROM VIEW FROM 4 INCH: This post is a press release originally distributed by the American Kennel Club on May 4, 2012.

This spring, the West Side Highway’s typical advertising fare also includes a political message that seems aimed at teachers unions.

 

A billboard advertising Kenneth Cole — the clothing company owned by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s brother-in-law — puns to southbound commuters, ”Shouldn’t Everyone Be Well Red?” In smaller lettering, the billboard says, “Teachers’ Rights Vs. Students’ Rights …”

The second line evokes a tension drawn out repeatedly by some critics of teachers unions, including Cuomo, who say that unions’ support for teachers’ job protections can stand in the way of students’ education.

The billboard also invites viewers to visit WhereDoYouStand.com, a website maintained by the city-based company, to weigh in on “Issue in the News.” This spring, one of the issues is “Should underperforming teachers be protected?” 

That question attracted the company’s attention this winter, as media attention turned to efforts underway across the country to toughen teacher evaluations. Locally, a breakdown in negotiations over evaluations late last year and the controversial public release of reports on teacher performance in February were both accompanied by criticism of teachers unions, including from Cuomo.

“We heard people talking about it in the news,” said an official in Kenneth Cole’s public affairs department who declined to give her name but said she worked on the ad campaign.

“It’s something in the news and being debated, and we wanted to provide a forum where people could discuss it as well,” said the spokeswoman, who added that the billboard is meant to tap into ongoing public discussions, not to attack unions. The ad went up March 14 and is the only one advertising Kenneth Cole in the city, she said.

Education policy positions are hardly common fodder for clothing ads. But Kenneth Cole Productions is known for its advocacy campaigns about pollution, homelessness, and other social concerns, and sometimes the messages address timely political issues. Last year the same Manhattan billboard featured a pro-same-sex marriage message, coinciding with its legalization in New York State.

Kenneth Cole’s three daughters attended private schools; his youngest is currently a senior at a Westchester County private school. The designer is married to Maria Cuomo, whose brother is Gov. Cuomo.