Michelle Kwan Forum - Latest News And Information

Server extremely slow

2008-02-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Not sure why. I'm trying to look into the webhost right now, but it seems like everything from FTP-ing, accessing the Webhost Manager is just really slow. It's odd that the main page has no issues.

I am wondering if there might be an MySQL error. I apologize for all the inconvenience.

NBC Broadcast of 2008 Nationals; Trivia

2008-01-29T09:19:00.000-08:00

Michelle appeared on a fluff piece with Caroline Zhang, where she was sitting next to Caroline, helping her skate. She looked beautiful, was smiling and laughing with Caroline. You can read and discuss more on the forum here.

Be sure to take a part of the continuation of the Trivia Challenge that started last year. Here are the rules, and you can take the questions that appear bi-weekly in the Join in the fun at MKF! section of the forum.

Thanks!

In case you might not have known.. MK posted!

2008-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Michelle has again wished us a happy holiday and posted a wonderful message to all of us at MKF. She did this on December 24, 2007. How lucky are we? She is healthy and doing well.

Post your well wishes here:
Happy Holidays MKF!! xoxo

Michelle awarded Billie Jean King Contribution award

2007-10-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Michelle was awarded earlier this month by the Women's Sports Foundation for her contribution in developing women's sports.

Quote:
for helping the development of women's sports. Kwan is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, winning five world titles, nine U.S. titles and two Olympic medals. Kwan was named the first U.S. public diplomacy envoy in 2006 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a post that takes her around the world to meet with youth about social and educational issues.

Reference: Ochoa, Kwan among those honored by sports foundation, USA Today

Michelle on ESPN's "My Wish" on Wed, June 27

2007-06-27T02:41:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, June 27, Michelle will take part during ESPN's "My Wish" series, which airs during SportsCenter. The first airing is during the 6-7p broadcast of SportsCenter, but the piece will air on other SportsCenter airings throughout the night. Don't miss it!

For more info, check out the "My Wish" thread:
http://www.mkforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18504

Restarted MKF; Expect S/W Upgrade Maintenance this weekend

2007-06-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

MKF has started to act funny again. The "quick" fix is to always perform a reboot, which I just performed. Will take a while for board to run properly again.

I'm not sure why the board keeps on having such weird problems. We didn't have any problems when we were on a dedicated server. Ever since I downgraded (due to their not being as much activity when Michelle was skating) to a virtual private server, we've had these intermittent problems which are frustrating to all of us, I know.

The visibility into the problems are hard to debug, but I will certainly try. Thanks for everyone's patience

Watch for Michelle on NBC May 28, 2007!

2007-05-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Michelle will be a judge for Miss Universes 2007 on May 28, 2007

"Celebrity judges this year include NBC's "Heroes" James Kyson Lee, NBC's "Deal or No Deal" briefcase model Lindsay Clubine, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, rocker Dave Navarro, World and Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan, celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves, fashion designer Marc Bouwer, "Project Runway" judge and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia, and former Miss Universe (1993) Dayanara Torres."

Experiencing Server / Forum Problems

2007-02-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

Update: All is well now in MKF land : ) Sorry about the board being down. I think things are running more smoothly too.

As I was trying to upgrade to 3.6.4, the latest version of vbulletin, it looks like the code in the latest s/w is disliked even more by what is installed by default with ASO. A program called Eaccelerator is making all the pages crash. Just letting all of you know that I'm aware of the problem. Please be patient.

Michelle's visit to China as Public Diplomacy Envoy

2007-01-20T01:26:00.000-08:00

Michelle is in China for her first oversees trip as the US Public Diplomacy Envoy! She will be in Beijing from January 17-21, in Guangzhou from January 21-23, and in Hong Kong from January 23-25.

Check out pictures of Michelle's trip (continually updated as the pictures come in)

Come join the discussion about the trip: OFFICIAL thread - MK visit to China as US Envoy!

Michelle has posted on the forum!

2006-12-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Michelle has just posted on the forum wishing everyone at the forum a Merry Christmas. Come read!

Merry Christmas xoxox Michelle Kwan

Michelle to be named a U.S. public diplomacy ambassador!

2006-11-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

From the AP report:

Michelle Kwan, the American figure skater who owns nine national championships and five world titles, is about to become a nonsalaried U.S. diplomat.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to name the 26-year-old Californian and daughter of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong as a public diplomacy ambassador, said a senior U.S. official who spoke anonymously pending the formal announcement.

Kwan, the biggest star in her sport for a decade, will represent American values especially to young people and sports enthusiasts and is expected to travel widely, the official said.

The announcement will be made Thurs, Nov 9, at 4pm. Come join the discussion about the appointment: Condoleezza Rice to Announce Michelle as nonsalaried U.S. diplomat

New Section At The Forum! : )

2006-10-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Come join.. you know want to come join in the fun! :)

Join in the fun at MKF!

You can see it under MK Chat titled "Join in the fun at MKF!". I've set it so only moderators can start threads but anyone can respond to them; this is mainly just to keep it organized and uncluttered. So report us if we start spamming that forum =P

If you have any other ideas for what other uses that this section could be (like what other activities) we'd be happy to hear them! Right now there is two polls going on, and Bonnie just started with her first assignment of discussing "Romanza". The idea was thanks to a wonderful member here, and we decided to call this "Trip Down Memory Lane". If you have any questions or comments, please comment to this post or in Forum Feedback.

Vote: Skaters Subforum?

2006-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

VOTE!
Right now we're having a poll at the forum to decide whether or not we should have a Skaters Subforum. Make sure you make your input here:
Would you like to see a Skaters Subforum?

Other Changes to the Forum
We've added a spoiler tag! Learn how to use it:
New Spoiler Tag!

More small changes will be coming in the future, so be sure to look for them :D

Downgrading Dedicated Server at 5pm EST

2006-09-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

We're downgrading from a dedicated server to a VPS tonight. I may close it starting 15 min before 5PM EST. One might experience a few problems later, which might be due to this server, but it should normalize itself within a couple of days. The move shouldn't take long, you may or may not observe the change. Thanks so much for everyone's patience.

We will be downgrading to a Virtual Private Server in the next week

2006-09-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Due to Michelle's announcement of not competing in the coming year, in addition to the lower number of people visiting the forum in the past few months, we have decided to save costs by moving from a dedicated server to a VPS (what we started off with). I am positive this will be able to accommodate the users, and should hopefully be able to cope when Michelle skates at some of the exhibitions. We will be doing this move in the next couple of weeks.

This will also free up some reserves to renew our vbulletin license to upgrade to 3.6.1 (which includes bug fixes for 3.6.0). I have yet to put in our google ads again.

If anyone has suggestions what the forum could do to liven up the atmosphere, comments would be greatly welcomed.

Michelle to skip 2006-07 season and attend college

2006-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Read all about this news here (Associated Press)

Discuss it at MKF at this thread.

Forum will be down starting 10 PM Pacific

2006-08-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

I will be upgrading the forum from vbulletin version 3.5.0 to 3.6.0 and due to this, will have to close down the forum for I hope at most a couple hours. For the improvements to be seen in 3.6.0, please look at the post below. Thanks :)

Banner Change & Upgrading to vBulletin 3.6.0

2006-08-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Many have probably noticed the change in the banner when you enter MKF. All of you probably know that summer is over. I actually wanted to create this banner a long time ago, but only was able to start it a few weeks ago and finally get it up. So yes, I realize summer is almost over, but I still wanted a happy summer theme, so even if it only lasts until mid September, it will still have been up!

Also, I'm taking this opportunity to notify everyone that we are going to upgrade to vbulletin 3.6.0 in the next couple of weeks (starting next week). There are MANY changes in the new release (as noted below), some which are of great improvement. However, there may be a few glitches here and there, so please be patient during this time. Many thanks!

Part of an e-mail received from vbulletin:

---------------- WHAT'S NEW IN 3.6.0? ----------------

Many customers have been keeping track of the new features that have been added to 3.6 via the vBulletin Community Forums, but for those who have not, this is a brief summary of what's new:

* Multi-Quote
* Linked Quotes
* Mark Forums Read With AJAX
* New Buddy / Ignore List Editor
* Options Backup And Restore
* Private Message Preview In Notification Emails
* Auto-Resize Oversized Image Attachments
* 'Reason For Editing' On Quick Edit
* Unique Unsubscribe Link In Emails
* Plugin Manager Sorted By Product
* Save Search Preferences With AJAX
* Infraction System (Warning system)
* Default Sorting Option Per Forum
* Rate Threads With AJAX
* IP Resolution With AJAX
* Improved Proxy Support In Session Handling
* More AJAX Auto-Completion
* Paid Subscription Permissions
* Show Threads Or Posts From Quick Search Popup
* Phrase Types Identified By Field Name Only
* LastPostID Column In User, Thread And Forum Tables
* Extensive Signature Permissions
* Uploadable Signature Image System
* Improved Image Verification (Captcha)
* Enforced Required Profile Fields
* 'Find Updated Phrases' System
* Pop-Up List Of Attachments In A Thread
* Validation Of Admin Options
* Product Dependencies Support
* Paid Subscription Logging And Statistics
* APC Support For Datastore
* Description Field For Scheduled Tasks
* RSS Poster Robot allows import of RSS feeds into forums
* Latest version check and product URL for products
* Receive private messages from Buddies only option
* Show private forum option per forum
* Give reputation using AJAX
* Error prevention in upgrades
* Option to disable scheduled tasks
* Parsed signature storage for performance boost
* CRON tasks, profile fields, subs, holidays now phrased
* Option to sort forums by thread creation time
* Super moderator permissions
* Welcome private message at registration
* WYSIWYG front-end editing for announcements
* Plugin execution order control
* Flexible username validation
* Private message quota warning system
* Private message admin quota override ability
* Plain-text BBcode parser
* Cache of syndication data (external.php) for improved speed
* Email logging for diagnostics
* Improved performance in datastore failure handling
* Instant view of deleted / ignored posts using AJAX
* Centralized area to view posts awaiting moderation / deleted
* Admin help, scheduled tasks, FAQ now include product support
* CCBill support for paid subscriptions
* Attachment permissions per usergroup
* List posts / threads selected for inline moderation
* Full BCC support in private messages
* Podcasting support
* Atomic flood checking
* Image verification (Captcha) for guest posting
* Thumbnail display options - border / dimensions etc.
* Copy posts using inline moderation
* Announcements show when viewing new posts
* New built-in option types
* Resume paused attachment downloads
* Better webserver logging for POST requests
* Automatically remove thread redirects after set time
* Announcement DataManager
* Persistent D.O.B cookie for COPPA
* Improved master / slave database support
* Improved RSS syndication system
__________________

MK on Local Seattle Talk Show: Northwest Afternoon and VISA Company signing in Foster City

2006-08-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

July 28, 2006: Michelle made an appearance on the local Seattle Talk Show: Northwest Afternoon during Champions on Ice's stop in Seattle. She was interviewed by Elisa Jaffe. A few MKFers were lucky enough to meet her :)

You can follow the discussion, reports and pictures with this thread on MKF: MKF: 'Michelle to be on local talk show in Seattle'

August 3, 2006: A couple of lucky MKFers met Michelle at this VISA company signing event in Foster City, California. Michelle was gracious and always her shining self. The reports of zongwen and purplemkfan are a must-read, including the pictures included.

Read and discuss them here: MKF: '08/03: Reports of meeting Michelle at VISA in Foster City'

Michelle appeared on 'Colorado & Company' July 20, 2006

2006-07-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Michelle was interviewed July 20, 2006 on Denver's show "Colorado & Company", in support of Spencer Harrison's foundation "Teen With a Dream". She bought and signed skates to be auctioned off in which all the proceeds would go to supporting the foundation.

Pictures and Links to video can be found here.

Auction for the skates through Ebay: here

What has Michelle been up to since the Olympics?

2006-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

A few MKF members asked me to update this section to move past February. I will update this page more often with news now that I know what people are expecting to see on this page. Sorry that it has been left so stale for so long! If you have any comments or suggestions, please add a comment.

Summer Commercial: Michelle has recently collaborated with Kraft to be in a commercial this summer that you might have already seen:

"This campaign enables us to showcase multiple KRAFT products with a contemporary, creative approach," said Peter Nowlan, Vice President, Marketing, Kraft Foods. "We want to encourage our consumers to express their ingenuity in the kitchen by giving them inspirational food ideas to develop their own creations. Michelle and Savion (Glover) are known for their creativity and are ideal partners to motivate consumers to create simple, yet personalized, meals."

Kwan, a nine-time U.S. National Champion, five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist, is an inspired choice to grace a commercial where she taps into her creative side to invent a unique and tasty salad.

"I love salads, so I am thrilled to work with Kraft to encourage others to use their imagination and creativity in the kitchen," said Michelle Kwan. "Like so many others, I don't always have time to create elaborate meals. So I just open my refrigerator, grab a few items, and just like that, I've created my own, personalized salad."

- Press Release from Kraft Foods

Read and Discuss: MKF Link
Pictures: Screencaps
06/12/2006 Appearance: Michelle appeared at a Shoprite in Flemington, NJ on June 12, 2006 to promote Hunger Awareness as part of Shoprite's Caring Campaign.
Read and Discuss: MKF Link
Pictures: Signing at Shoprite
07/03/2006 Sports Illustrated: Michelle is in the latest July 3rd Sports Illustrated issue. She appears in the ad for the "got milk? Sammy Award 2006".
Read and Discuss: MKF Link
07/03/2006 Appearance: Michelle is to appear with other COI skaters at the Twins/Royals game at Kauffman Stadium on July 3, 2006. Bring your camera if you intend to go! :-)
Read and Discuss: MKF Link

Leave a message for Michelle

2006-02-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

If you wish to send a positive message to Michelle, please post it in this thread:
http://www.mkforum.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10779

We will be sending it to Michelle soon.

If you are not a registered MKF member yet, and cannot post in that thread, please leave your message here, and we will include it with the posts from the thread mentioned.

ETA, the messages in this thread have been printed out already, thanks everyone for the amazing response!!

Closing Registrations during the Olympics

2006-02-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

As we do during all major events, we have closed new registrations during the Olympics. Registrations will reopen after the Closing Ceremony.

Turned off "Last Post" Feature during Olympics

2006-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Due to the possibility of everyone accidentally getting spoiled during the Olympics, I have turned off the Last Post feature in the meantime.

Forum Slow; Load Heavy

2006-01-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

I apologize for whatever slowness people may be encountering with the forum currently. The load is fairly heavy and many people are creating connections to our database which causes the forum to slow down with many queries. (Which is why this page loads so much faster without all those SQL connections)

I am trying to find a way in making everything less server intensive. Please be patient in this very critical time. =) I will post news here the minute I receive it.