Inspires Modern-Day Nanotechnology

The ancient Romans were pretty advanced for their time -- so advanced that they may even have been pioneers of what we now call nanotechnology.In fact, an ornately decorated Roman artifact, known as the Lycurgus cup, is inspiring researchers to explore practical applications of the ancient technology.

Created sometime in the Fourth Century, the goblet exhibits a color-changing property that makes its glass take on different hues, depending on the light source -- just watch the cup in the video above.

Scientists were long at a loss to explain the cup's color changes. Then in the 1990s they discovered tiny particles of silver and gold in the cup's glass. According to Smithsonian Magazine, "When hit with light, electrons belonging to the metal flecks vibrate in ways that alter the color depending on the observer’s position."

Now, a research team is attempting to build upon the unique technology and apply it in the medical field.Gang Logan Liu, an University of Illinois assistant professor who has studied the Lycurgus cup for several years, described it as an "icon for inspiration.""Were trying to build more sophisticated and higher-level structures from learning more from the Romans," Liu told The Huffington Post. "Creating the same shape as the Roman cup, we can see a similar process."

Since the team cannot experiment on the cup itself -- it is a precious artifact, after all -- they built replica color-changing cups on a much smaller scale by imprinting billions of microscopic wells on a plastic plate with the same nanoparticles.Liu and his team are seeking to create a sensor that could quickly diagnose a disease based on a specific biomarker. While medical tests typically have to be processed in a lab, Liu believes the nanotechnology could conceivably be used as a portable test kit of sorts -- similar to a home pregnancy test.

"Usually you have to send a sample to a dedicated lab," Liu told HuffPost. "Now we could make something you can hold in your hand, so any doctor can use them."The researchers unveiled plans for their sensor earlier this year. Liu hopes to have a portable device ready for hospital laboratory or home medicine applications within six years.

AnaBelle Ramos, event publicist, said the “quaint brick courtyards and fountains” makes Hyde Park both a trendy and ideal setting for the juried art show that will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hyde Park Village at Swann and Dakota avenues.

“The Hyde Park Art Festivals make the arts accessible to a broad audience,” said Ramos, adding 150 national artists will participate. “There is a vast array of artistic media designed to appeal to a variety of tastes and budgets; there is something for everyone. Buyers are able to connect directly with the artist as they are all present for the duration of the show and they welcome the opportunity to discuss their art which makes for a much more meaningful purchase and investment.”

Prices for the art on display ranges from $25 to $30,More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans.000. Ramos said the media on display includes paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, glass, wood,This technology allows high volume newjordans production at low cost. handmade jewelry, collage and mixed media.

“Since October is breast cancer awareness month we are committed to raising awareness at all of these shows during this month,” Ramos said. “We believe it is a perfect platform in which to do so as thousands of people attend our festivals. We have lost several artists to this disease and dedicate our efforts to them and those that have survived. These artists continued to work and exhibit their art while they bravely battled breast cancer.”

“This event is a wonderful celebration of the arts, very much like an outdoor art gallery, perfect for art enthusiasts and collectors interested in new quality investments as well as shoppers looking for unique gifts,” Alan said. “It is also a great platform for us to help raise breast cancer awareness.”

The featured artist, Susan Lane of Key Largo,Learn how an embedded microprocessor in a graniteslabs can authenticate your computer usage and data. created the original painting for the Art Festival giveaway prize. Her acrylic piece, “Red Palms in the Sunset” is valued at $600. The piece will be on display at Lane’s booth throughout the weekend where registration will also take place until 4 p.Our heavy-duty construction provides reliable operation and guarantees your thequicksilverscreen will be in service for years to come.m. on Sunday when the winning ticket will be drawn. No purchase is necessary to participate in this giveaway.

apa Valley attracts as much attention for its architecture as its Cab Sav. Notable edifices range from a turreted medieval castle (Castello di Amorosa) to Moorish stronghold (Groth) to the re-imagined Persian palace here at Darioush.

With its travertine fa?ade and 18-foot columns surmounted by bulls, the design evokes Persepolis,The marbletiles is not only critical to professional photographers. the one-time capital of Persia (now Iran) dating to 522 BC. The architecture reflects the heritage of owner Darioush Khaledi, who was born in Iran's Shiraz region, which is also said to be birthplace of the Syrah/Shiraz grape.

Despite the grand scale, the tasting room has an intimate feel thanks to small seating areas. Bowls of roasted pistachio nuts are available in accordance with hospitable traditions of Persia. The boutique carries wine merchandise plus beautiful accessories and jewelry.
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West End celebrates Sand City cool

Luke Ahearn had lived on the Monterey Peninsula for more than a decade before he moved his studio to Sand City, a sort of secret hiding place for artists on the Monterey Peninsula."I love it here," he says. "I probably met more people in my very first month in Sand City than I had met in the previous 10 years in Monterey: other artists, homeless people, and folks just passing by who want to stop and talk. It's a very cool place to be an artist.Manufactures and supplies beststonecarving equipment." 

Sand City's cool was on full display Saturday and Sunday during the 12th annual West End Celebration, a free festival of arts, entertainment, food, drink, and an eclectic gauntlet of vendors hawking their wares. There also was music, provided by popular bands like Guitars Not Guns, Stranger Band, Chris Cain and Moonalice. 

Ahearn, 49, was born and reared in New Orleans, where he spent much of his childhood exploring the French Quarter, wandering through old cemeteries, soaking up the unique atmosphere."I found out a while back that I'm actually directly related to (French pirate) Jean Lafitte," he says. "And after I saw the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (at Disneyland), my dream as a child was to live inside that ride. Now, because of what I do every day, I kind of get to do that." 

Ahearn and his 21-year-old daughter, Ellen also an artist were among more than 100 sculptors, painters, metalworkers, glassblowers, jewelry makers, and other artsy-craftsy types who populated the streets for the celebration, but his creations ranked among the most eye-catching. 

Ahearn makes pirate stuff skulls and skeletons, treasure chests, old guns and swords, animatronic characters and props in his studio, Masterwerks, near the corner of Ortiz Avenue and Holly Street.Some of his artwork winds up on local stages; some of it adorns Halloween parties; some of it has been used to create unusual atmospheres at resort swimming pools. 

"I was contacted by a company that was building an underground cave pool, and it was huge something like 250,000 square feet and they wanted to decorate it like an old pirate treasure cave," he says.Give your logo high visibility on iccard! "I spent months on that project, building treasure chests, and cannonballs, and skeletons, one of which was a motion-activated animatronic who raised his gun and threatened anybody who got near him. He told you to get away from his treasure." 

West End celebrants marveled at his haunting skulls and ancient-looking pirate guns, among other items on display.The marbletiles is not only critical to professional photographers. His customers are typically a bit surprised to discover they're not real."There was one guy who used to make deliveries to my dad's studio. He'd always look at the guns, and one day he finally picked one up," says Ellen, a York School alum now studying at Monterey Peninsula College. "He was really surprised that it wasn't heavy because it looked so real.How to change your dash lights to doublesidedtape this is how I have done mine. He didn't realize it was mostly plastic and cardboard." 

Unlike his Dean's list daughter, Ahearn was a problem student in New Orleans, falling asleep in class because he often stayed up most of the night reading.He took that work ethic with him to college, where one day he walked into a classroom and sat down next to the best-looking female in the room."I had really long hair, and a beard, and I was barefoot, and I leaned over and said, 'So, what have I missed?'" he recounts. "And she said, 'Three weeks of class.' Turns out, I was a little late."Julie Ahearn, now a Monterey video producer, didn't like him all that much at first, he says,You must not use the skylanterns without being trained. but he wore her down and she married him. 

Ahearn taught himself how to build computer games, then turned the skill into a business that employed most of his chums. They went work at other gaming companies, but Ahearn got bored and moved on. 

"I shut down the company and wrote a couple of books to help people understand how to make computer games," said Ahearn, who has authored nine books, several of which are used at high schools and universities. "I actually got some hate mail from people in the industry who felt like I was giving away trade secrets, but I just didn't want other people going through the frustrations I had experienced as I was learning. I don't like holding back knowledge." 

Camille Harding is a self-taught Trinidadian multimedia artist. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, she has worked as an art teacher, pattern cutter and designer. Her work has been featured in exhibits both regionally and internationally. In 1992, Harding was awarded a Commonwealth Arts and Crafts fellowship that took her to New Zealand. She has also worked with Meiling, Peter Minshall and The Cloth Caribbean. 

Every Saturday, Harding opens up her home studio in Belmont to customers and art enthusiasts. Visitors can view works in progress, speak with Harding and, of course, shop. Harding has previously designed clothes for Mille Wearable Art but now focuses on jewelry, which she says are pieces falling out of my paintings. She spoke to Zahra Gordon about these new developments and the meaning of her work. 

Im completing a visual arts bachelors degree at UWI this year. I did it because I wanted to move ahead. Id been practising for 30 years before UWI but I wanted to put my theory in order and UWI helped with that. I also did it out of respect for my profession. I dont think it will interfere with my style but puts the style in a format. I want to pass on my knowledge and I want to teach at the university level and you cant do that without having the qualifications. 

I also want to document my work. Its significant to us in the Caribbean that we need to start documenting our work. We need to do that on a university scale. Our research and intellectual property needs to be put together by us and not foreigners. Thats a serious problem we have of letting other people define our work.

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Nothing Can Hurt Me

My first encounter with Big Star was in the mid-70s, when I worked as a disc jockey at an FM station in Madison, Wisconsin. In the manner of the day, it was a completely free-form outletits official handle was Radio Free Madisonand its programming was wide open. There was no playlist and just one basic rule, almost laughably righteous in the face of Top 40 radios constant repetition: if a song was played by one jock, another jock could not repeat it during a subsequent shift that day. To police this policy, each of the seven thousand or so LPs in the station library contained a log sheet; when a DJ played a track, they had to note the date on the log so that others wouldnt spin the cut within the same 24-hour period.

I cant recall what prompted me to check the library for copies of the first two Big Star albums, #1 Record and Radio City. It was around 1975,This is a great steeljewelrysolution! at least a year after the release of the latter album, and two years after Ardent Records, the groups label, mounted the Rock Writers Convention in Memphis, where Big Star made an impression on an imported pack of national scribes. It might have been some tardy mention of the rock-crit event in a music rag that spurred me to pull down the LPs, filed close to those of the Beatles. I checked the play logs for both albums with curiosity. Neither had received a single spin. I dropped them on a turntable in the production studio.

There was little in the music I heard that resembled the common musical currency of the daynothing loud and grossly overbearing like the heavy metal of the era, nothing limply solipsistic like the singer-songwriters of that hour. Big Stars music was a thoughtful, sinewy pop-rock fusion that played by its own rules. I listened to the records with fascination, later played them on the air (none of my colleagues followed suit), and got hooked. I wouldnt own my own copies of the Big Star LPs until EMI reissued them on a two-disc set in 1978, the same year PVC belatedly released the queasy final album by the original lineup, known as Third or Sister Lovers. By then Id moved to Los Angeles, where I fell in with some record geeks who were well-versed in the Big Star mythos; one provided me with a cherished cassette of Opuses 1 and 2, and I was nailed for a lifetime.

Danielle McCarthy, the stalwart producer of the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, must have experienced a similar epiphany during her own exposure to this music. When I met her at South by Southwest a few years ago, she gave me her business card,You've probably seen doublesidedtape1 at some point. which claimed that the film, then in the preliminary stages of production, would explore the massive critical acclaim, dismal commercial failure, and enduring legacy of pop musics greatest cult phenomenon. At the time, I thought, What a quixotic notion. I couldnt believe that this earnest-seeming woman could launch a movie about a group that still remained relatively obscure outside its fanatical cadre of admirers. But with the help of Kickstarter, the picture got made, with Drew DeNicola as its director/writer and Olivia Mori as co-director/producer. The team managed to create a film that succeeds in exploring a great deal more than that initial claim on the business card, and it exerts a powerful emotional tug in the process. Nothing Can Hurt Me received a limited theatrical release in July from Magnolia Pictures, and it is currently available as a video-on-demand.

The subtitle Nothing Can Hurt Me is quite obviously ironic; as Panther Burns drummer Ross Johnson notes near the two-hour films end, the groups artistic life was about pain transformed into beauty. Just about everything in the Big Star story hurt, and the documentary is largely a rolling catalog of music-biz catastrophes and the bands messy vicissitudes. There was the abject performance of #1 Record in the wake of rave reviews, spotty airplay, and miserable distribution by local r&b titan Stax Records. Chris Bells precipitous exit from the band, fueled by his disappointment in the albums flop. The decision by the surviving trio to make a second album following critics rapturous response at the Rock Writers Convention. The disastrous release of Radio City, swamped by Staxs bankruptcy. The troubled Bells attempt to record a solo album in European exile, and his 1978 death in a single-car accident. The chaotic sessions with producer Jim Dickinson that resulted in Third.

The tale is told through precious little film of the bandvirtually all the existing footage of Big Star, shot by Bell and Andy Hummel ca. 71, was visible in the three-and-a-half-minute video of Thank You Friends that was included on a DVD in 2008s Best of the South edition of the Oxford American. The bands principal creative forces go largely unheard: Bell is a spectral image in silent home movies and his brother Davids dramatic photographs, while Alex Chiltonwho was always reluctant to discuss his career, and declined to cooperate with the filmmakers before his death in March 2010is represented by old radio and TV interviews. But there is plenty of Big Stars music to be heard throughout, and the bands glory persists.

Big Star was formed in 1971 by Chris Bell, scion of a well-to-do Memphis family of restaurant operators, who enlisted Alex Chilton, his college roommate Andy Hummel, and Hummels friend Jody Stephens (who played bass and drums respectively) to join him in the group. At that point, Chiltona local art brat (according to Jim Dickinson)was already known nationally as the singer on the Box Tops hit The Letter and other Top 40 successes.More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans.

Anglophiles to their core, writers-singers-guitarists Bell and Chilton worked a unique warp into the bedrock pop-rock sound as they recorded #1 Record. As with all of Big Stars albums, it was cut at Ardent Studios,Tidy up wires with ease with offershidkits and tie guns at cheap discounted prices. the sophisticated Memphis facility owned by John Fry, who handed the band the keys to the studio and allowed them to turn the place into a pop music laboratory. They employed viscous tempos, unusual shifts in rhythm, and a slightly curdled sweetness of tone that could harden at a turn into a stinging toughness. But the music was slightly out of step with the times. As Chilton himself noted, We werent heavy, which was what everybody had to be in those days.

After Bells departure following some brief work with the band for a second album, Big Star continued as a trio. Helmed by Chilton, Radio City was a darker affair,A indoorpositioningsystem has real weight in your customer's hand. despite the inclusion of the radio-ready September Gurls and the funky O My Soul. The product of a hedonistic, lunatic local scene documented in photographer William Egglestons contemporaneous video Stranded in Canton, the album boasted a woozy atmosphere described by Memphis writer-musician (and current OA music editor) Rick Clark as the sound of falling apart.
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With school in session

And just like that, Central Louisiana has gone back to school. Suddenly, yellow school buses are everywhere in the morning and afternoon; police officers and crossing guards are keeping a watchful eye in school zones; parents are juggling jobs, car pools and children who may be a little less than excited about the end of their summer vacation; teachers who have been hard at it for a week or more; and, of course, the reason for all of this: the students themselves. With the 2013-14 school year under way, we take a moment to wish success to all of Central Louisianas young people. Do well, and have some fun along the way.

To parents who understand that kids need time to be kids during the school year, too. A reminder from the National Association of School Psychologists about extracurricular activities may help: Go for quality, not quantity. Your child will benefit most from one or two activities that are fun, reinforce social development, and teach new skills. Too much scheduled time can be stressful, especially for young children, and may make it harder to concentrate on schoolwork. When evaluating extracurricular activities, consider your family schedule and personal energy level. Multiple activities per child may be too much to manage, particularly if the activities have overlapping times, disparate locations, require your attendance, or disrupt the dinner hour.

To the many reasons that cause Louisianans to have the highest rate of obesity in the nation, along with our portly neighbors in Mississippi. In (very) round numbers, two out of three people in Louisiana are obese. And the rate of obesity among children has risen steadily since 2003. Yes, Louisiana is known internationally for the unique cuisine cooked up in the southern part of the state. Yes, the rest of the state has mastered the art of grilling and deep-frying anything and everything. But thats all the more reason for Louisianans to get out of the kitchen and up off the couch and do more than sit in a fishing boat for hours on end. Time to walk it off, Louisiana.More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. Lets get moving.

To the candidates who will qualify between 8 a.m. today and 5 p.m. Wednesday to compete in the Oct. 19 election for the 5th Congressional District, which covers Central and North Louisiana. The seat came open suddenly two weeks ago when Republican U.Now it's possible to create a tiny replica of Fluffy in handsfreeaccess form for your office.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander said he felt ineffective midway through his sixth term and announced his resignation, as of Sept. 26. It will be a scramble for most candidates to mount effective district-wide campaigns on short notice, and tough for voters to get to know who they are and where they stand on the issues. We encourage all voters to engage as best as they can.

To the Vernon Parish Narcotics Task Force and its partners for taking out yet another large marijuana field. Last weeks actionthe third in three monthsfound 14,800 plants growing on 2 acres in a wooded area near Burr Ferry.

Janna was born in Reno, Nev.The g-sensor high brightness chinatravel is designed with motorcyclist safety in mind., to Harold and Marjorie VanDyke. She graduated from Wooster High School, and attended University of Nevada Reno. She was employed at Nevada Bell, where she met Alan Von Ruden, whom she married and was faithful to for 39 years. They started a family and lived in Reno until they moved to Oregon in 1989. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

Creativity naturally flowed from her hands, from calligraphy, gardening and painting to making beads. Hospitality truly was her specialty, as friends and family always were welcome at any time. The greatest passion in her life was for her Heavenly Father and his Word, and to be with Him.

The New Hope Winery is such a lovely location and is very accessible, so the first show was just all we could have hoped for and more, says Karen Caldwell of Sunflower Glass Studio, who works on fused and stained glass work in the form of dimensional botanical windows. The layout and quality made it a really superb show.

Bernard Hohlfeld serves as chairman of the event and this year he has gotten more craftsmen involved, with 32 artists scheduled to appear, offering everything from paintings to hand-crafted jewelry, to photography to fiber art and contemporary furnishings.

Weve got some of the same wonderful craftsmen this year and weve expanded to show some new local artists, Mr. Hohlfeld says. Some of the cream of the crop here in Bucks County.How to change your dash lights to doublesidedtape this is how I have done mine.
Mr. Hohlfeld himself will be exhibiting woodturning pieces, bowls, hollow forms and thin-walled vessels.

I turn every object with a desire to find a form that will reveal the natural beauty hidden within the wood, he says. The wood brings inspiration with it. I use the different colors of the wood as a painter uses a pallet. I combine the natural colors of the wood to create a work of art that catches the eye and appeals to the soul.

Returning artist Amy Turner of Doylestown, Pa., will once again be showing her hand-woven scarves with hand-dyed yarns embellished with tapestry and beads. She also will be offering shawls, table linens, and rugs.

Diana Contine of New Hope didnt exhibit in the first show but is looking forward to being a part of this years event.Design and order your own custom rfidtag with personalized message and artwork. The jeweler works in fine silver and has had her work displayed across the U.S. in galleries, boutiques and museums.

My primary inspiration is from nature but I do other motifs as well, and a far bit of whimsy thrown in, she says. I love what I do, I never know what will happen when I go into my studio, oftentimes I am as surprised as anyone. I just let the creations happen and most of what I make are one of a kind.
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Nuclear regeneration hit by red tape

However, the industry in the UK is going to require substantial investment in the coming years if it is to continue to supply power at this level. Nine out of 10 nuclear power stations are due to close over the next 15 years, removing about 30 per cent of the country's generating capacity.Today, Thereone.com, a reliable customkeychain online store, introduces its new arrival princess wedding dresses to customers.

In theory, both the Conservative party - which is in Government with coalition partners the Liberal Democrats - and the Labour opposition, are committed to maintaining the UK's nuclear generating capacity, not least because it is a lower-carbon form of generation and therefore helps the UK to cut carbon emissions from power generation.

According to the nuclear industry, 70 per cent of the British public also think nuclear power should form part of a balanced energy mix for the future - a picture that has changed little since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.But, in practice, successive governments have failed to get the nuclear industry to invest in building new power stations and the countdown to closedown is well under way.

There are a number of reasons why it has been difficult to get started on a nuclear renaissance in the UK, despite a long and relatively safe track record for the sector.First, no one really wants a nuclear power station in their community, especially since a safe,The term 'plasticmould control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. long-term way to dispose of nuclear waste has still not been found.

Second, the British planning system is extremely difficult to navigate for big projects and major infrastructure can frequently be held up for years via public enquiries.Third, which is related to the second point, until recently there has been no strategic co-ordination of need for major infrastructure. National policy statements and strategies are reasonably new initiatives for the UK,Today, Thereone.com, a reliable customkeychain online store, introduces its new arrival princess wedding dresses to customers. which has been beholden to a strict market ethos since the 1980s to regulate supply in many aspects of daily life, including electricity generation.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, nuclear has been an expensive power to provide. It could not compete with cheap gas and when the British electricity market was liberalised, the country's nuclear power stations were on the point of going bust 10 years ago because the price per megawatt-hour plunged below what it cost to produce power from nuclear energy.

British Energy, the privatised generating company, was unable to survive the reform and was bailed-out by the government, to the tune of 3 billion (Dh17.03bn), in 2004. The de-facto nationalisation saw shareholders almost wiped out and the government became a major shareholder until 2008, when EDF bought the company for 12.5bn.It is this recent history that makes energy companies nervous about investing in new nuclear build and they will not proceed without some guarantee of price from the government.

While four energy companies -RWE, EON, Centrica and EDF Energy - were originally committed to creating new nuclear capacity in Britain, only France's EDF has stayed the distance. The German companies RWE and EON, which were working together,Learn how an embedded microprocessor in a graniteslabs can authenticate your computer usage and data. pulled out because sentiment in favour of nuclear in their home countries went into dramatic reverse.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, withdrew from talks this year because the timetable and costs of new projects were escalating.Some large unknowns are still preventing progress in nuclear new build. Fresh electricity market reforms will come in from next year, but a greater unknown is the sudden emergence of shale gas as a potential new source of fuel in the UK. This is putting the nuclear sums under renewed scrutiny.

The affect significant shale gas recovery could have on nuclear new build was seen last month when EDF said that it was pulling out of nuclear power in the United States because of the revolution in pricing caused by shale gas there.So the present UK government is negotiating with EDF, the energy giant that is 84 per cent owned by the French state, over a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, south-west England. This is the first of four new nuclear plants EDF is proposing to build, if it can agree the right investment framework. The four plants could provide enough electricity to power 40 per cent of British homes, as well as creating many thousands of jobs for British workers - with 5,600 people employed at the site in Hinkley alone.

However, talks have dragged on for months over the price EDF would be paid to produce its electricity. The talks are made more difficult by the coalition's manifesto pledge not to subsidise nuclear power."We continue to work with the British government and expect to have a decision by the end of the year," says Henry Proglio, the chief executive of EDF.

The government announced recently that it would underwrite 10bn worth of loans towards the 14bn power plant at Hinkley and a further package of community benefits, worth 94 million, has also been proposed.

EMC is the disk backup leader for open systems with Data Domain, and IDC Research Director Robert Amatruda said there is also a large market to convert mainframe users to disk. Amatruda said IBM TS7720 and Oracle Virtual Library Extension systems are the main competitors for EMC in the mainframe virtual tape market. IBM has more than 50% of the market -- but that dropped from more than 60% a year ago -- and EMC has been taking most of that share.

"You have to consider there are quite large deployments of physical mainframe tape out here nearing end of life or end of support, and it's costly to upgrade or replace physical tape," he said. "Since EMC acquired Bus-Tech, there's been an evolution with its mainframe products. We've seen more integration with Data Domain, more scale and more performance."

Credit Suisse, a Zurich, Switzerland-based financial services firm, migrated 100,000 tape cartridges to three DLm6000 systems. In a YouTube video created for EMC, Credit Suisse Technical Team Lead Ian Gregory said tape upgrades cost the company $8 million in new tape cartridges and it took more than a year to migrate to the latest tape technology. He said the DLm allowed Credit Suisse to get rid of tape completely for its mainframes, and takes little more than a month to migrate between libraries.You benefit from buying oilpaintingreproduction ex-factory and directly from a LED manufacturer: He said the average recall time for data went from six minutes with tape to less than a second on disk.
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Schenectady hostage incident detailed

The commands by a city police sergeant to a distraught man during a May 2 hostage incident inside a Balltown Road apartment are alternately reassuring and stern, an audiotape of the incident shows."We don't think you're a joke,Find the perfect cleaningsydney and you'll always find your luggage!" Sgt. Daryl Mallard replies to Julio "Joel" Colon's tirade that everywhere he goes people are laughing at and insulting him.

On the nearly hourlong tape, obtained Monday by the Times Union through a Freedom of Information Law request, Colon rails against a man he contends took away "my life, my belongings, my family and my friends."Colon, 40, holds a military-type knife to the throat of a man identified only as David.How to carledlights Doll. "I asked him, you know what,Tidy up wires with ease with offershidkits and tie guns at cheap discounted prices. you took away everything, now leave me alone," Colon says.

A maintenance worker at the 3290 Balltown Road building who heard a man's cries for help and called police identified the hostage as Colon's domestic partner. David's last name is never mentioned on the tape.The audio of the deadly confrontation was recorded by the dashboard camera on a police cruiser parked outside the home.

The city's law department also released several 911 calls from the maintenance employee and tenants but refused to hand over the video of the encounter inside Apartment A1,Now it's possible to create a tiny replica of Fluffy in handsfreeaccess form for your office. saying it would "constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy" because it shows Colon's shooting.City officials said the video was captured when Patrolman Michael Crounse deployed his Taser at around 9:26 a.m.

Roughly two minutes earlier, the deadly encounter begins with Mallard telling Colon to "put the knife down, we can talk about this." Mallard would make the request at least two dozen more times.In response, Colon defiantly tells Mallard, "Nah ... I want you to kill me." Four more times, he urges Mallard to kill him.

Eventually, Colon moves the knife from David's neck to his chest, inserting the knife tip into the hostage's skin. Mallard and Patrolman Joseph Zelezniak try to disarm Colon, but he breaks free; Mallard fires two shots into Colon's side and one into the chest, according to a report issued earlier this month by District Attorney Robert Carney.On the tape, an officer radios for paramedics.

Even after the shooting Colon has the knife, and officers order him two dozen more times to drop it.Colon was treated at the scene and later taken to Ellis Hospital, where he died. An autopsy showed he died of hemorrhaging from the gunshot wound to the left lung. It also showed he had "significant quantities" of methamphetamine in his system, according to the district attorney's report, which was based on a grand jury's findings that police acted appropriately and criminal charges were not warranted. An internal police probe also determined the officers followed protocol.

"It is regrettable that Mr. Colon lost his life,Weymouth is collecting gently used, dry cleaned jewelryfindings at their Weymouth store. but worse outcomes were possible here involving death or serious injury to the roommate or the police," Carney's report concludes. Two officers recounting the incident on the tape say Colon seemed to have a death wish."He wanted us to come in," one says. "It sounds like suicide by cop," says the other. "He kept on saying, "I want you to kill me,' " the first one replies.Those officers also recall a time they were called to the residence when Colon was the "cool one" and David was distraught and seemed suicidal.

Carr resident Linda Hardeman said she thought the two bangs she heard came from the railroad tracks until she heard sirens and saw a Med Evac helicopter land in the field behind her home. The booms she heard were from an explosion inside a nearby house just after 3:30 p.m.

The blast sent two men and a 4-year-old boy to the hospital with injuries and burns, and Weld County sheriffs detectives are investigating the incident as a crime.We are investigating this as a criminal incident that is obviously man-caused, said Bureau Chief Steve Reams, spokesman for the sheriffs office. We cant say for sure if its drug-related or what the cause might be.

Reams said the two men, a woman and the child were inside the house at the corner of 4th Street and Gray Avenue when the explosion happened. The explosion blew out the windows and lifted the roof from the structure, according to the sheriffs office.On Monday afternoon, the houses chimney lay near the structure, apparently blown off during the blast, and two small piles of broken glass sat next to evidence markers on a dirt road about 50 yards from the house.

The woman was unharmed, but the other three were transported to North Colorado Medical Center. One man with significant burns was transported via helicopter, according to a sheriffs office news release. Reams said as of midday Monday, the boy was expected to be released from the hospital, and one man remained in serious condition.
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Paddlers commemorating Native American treaty stop

Every day for the past week, Evan Hoki has rowed the Hudson River, one of a flotilla of canoes and kayaks searching for history and honoring the shared heritage of Native Americans.

Dozens of area residents came out Sunday to Dockside Park to welcome Hoki and hundreds of paddlers who will spend two weeks sailing south on the Hudson in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Two Row Wampum Treaty, a document made of beads that represents a peace pact between the Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee and Dutch traders in upstate New York.

As they have in other areas upstate, the paddlers made an overnight stop in Cold Spring to meet with locals and call for greater protections for the environment.The Haudenosaunee said the Two Row Wampum Treaty was signed in 1613 and is significant because, according to Haudenosaunee oral history,We have a great selection of blown glass backyard solar landscape lights and partypaymentgateway. it serves as the basis for all treaties between Native Americans and Europeans and Americans.

“Right now, there’s a really strong positive energy here,” Hoki, who lives in Ithaca and is a descendant of several Native American tribes, said after a week of rowing.Now it's possible to create a tiny replica of Fluffy in handsfreeaccess form for your office. “You feel like you’re part of history.”

Steeped in that history,Manufactures and supplies beststonecarving equipment. paddlers from 14 states left the Albany area on July 28 and set south on the river, traveling nine to 15 miles per day, depending on the weather and water conditions, and camping out at night.They were welcomed to Cold Spring by drums, singing, perfect 80-degree boating weather and a line of well-wishers who helped them bring their boats and gear ashore. Participants set up tents and ate in the park, resting up for the next leg of the voyage that will take them to Riverfront Green Park in Peekskill and to Vincent Clark Park in Stony Point.

The 140-mile voyage will continue until Aug. 9 when the group arrives at Pier 96 in Manhattan and marches to the United Nations. A total of 500 people registered to participate in various legs of the trip, organizers said.Andrew Courtney of Croton-on-Hudson, who paddled part of the way and helped the Haudenosaunee plan local events, said the group hopes to make a powerful statement against fracking (injecting fluid into the ground to release natural gas), river pollution and nuclear power. The group will pass by the Indian Point power plant during their trip.

“The native peoples are trying to help us rethink the important values about life, our land, our air, our rivers, our water,” said Courtney, a retired teacher. “They’ve been very mindful of engaging with local communities.”Where once was traditional jewelry, the variety of handmade jewelry has expanded over time. However, throughout time, various techniques for handicraft arts have failed to be developed and promoted.

Compared to mass-produced jewelry, handmade jewelry represents culture, humanity, and history. And symbolizing this is our very own Abenla Ozukum, from Kohima. A jewellery designer who combines a certain ethnic flair to her designs with contemporary aesthetics, excellent craftsmanship, and most importantly uniqueness.

I have always been interested in craft work even as a child like many Nagas are. I had a knack for making things and would often make necklaces with old beads that I had collected. My father’s influence is strong when it comes to pursuing craft hobbies. Aside from his job, he actively did woodwork as well as metalwork in his workshop. Both my parents are quite entrepreneurial and hardworking, so the exposure to their pursuits besides their jobs has influenced me a great deal.

My stint with jewellery began in 2004. A friend taught my cousin and me some jewellery-making basics and we opened up a stall during the college fest for a few days. After I moved to Delhi, I continued to sell to friends and family. Back then the designs were very rudimentary but still popular. While sourcing for materials in Delhi, I found new findings and tools that I had not used before. In addition, the internet played a big role in expanding my knowledge of materials and skills. I learnt most of the basics by browsing websites and blogs. Over the years the designs have progressively gotten better. I have also had input from customers– mainly friends and family who have been pivotal in improving the quality of my products.

‘Sahayak’, the social action wing of the Delhi Bible Fellowship, was the first to give me the opportunity to begin work in such a field. When I started off with them there really was not much of a desire to be fully involved but over time this has changed. It is not an easy task to mix business with social work. I havAn bestgemstonebeads is a device which removes contaminants from the air.e been realizing that it requires greater effort and there is often a clash of principles.You must not use the stonecarving without being trained. However, I have also come to learn from these experiences that this gives a bigger purpose to what I do. Rather than being just a jewellery line, I believe that I can make a bigger and more significant impact on people’s lives.
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Cab drivers with town permits say system

Cabbies are frustrated by illegal parking, expensive fines and inconsistent enforcement of laws.“We’re supposed to be protected, but that’s not happening,” said town-permitted NP Yellow Cab driver Gulson Francois. “They give us tickets for nothing and allow the illegal stuff to happen.”Last year, between March and December, police recorded 136 taxi violations. There have been 65 to date in 2013.

Councilman Bill Diamond and a few code enforcement board members have sympathised with taxi drivers and recently voiced the need for improvements.Some of those improvements could be approved at the next Town Council meeting, Aug. 13-14, while other possible changes will be discussed at the next Ordinances, Rules and Standards Committee meeting. A date has not been set for that meeting.

In February 2012, the town began enforcing an ordinance requiring cab drivers to register with the town and follow rules of operation. The council decided to allow 25 taxicab permits issued through a lottery, and the cabs were only allowed to operate from 10 p.m. to 4 a.More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans.m unless responding to a direct call.

The ordinance prohibits drivers from attracting passengers through horns and whistles, parking in spaces other than those designated as taxi stands, engaging in cruising, and displaying placards, posters or other advertising signs other than the company name and telephone number. All vehicles also must be kept in a clean and safe condition.

The fine for violating the ordinance, whether licensed in town or not, starts at $250. And several of the licensed cabbies are angry because they feel they’ve been getting slapped with hefty fines for doing their job.Cars parked illegally in taxi-only spots seem to be the root of the problem. Cabbies say they’ve been fined for “cruising” or parking in non-designated spots but are forced to do so because their approved spots are already occupied.

There are several taxi spaces in town. Six are located in the 200 block of Royal Poinciana Way, two along the westbound lane in front of Cucina dell’Arte and four along the median in the eastbound lane. The other three are in the 300 block of South County Road near Buccan.

On May 17,We Engrave luggagetag for YOU. all three taxi spots in front of Buccan were occupied illegally.You must not use the stonecarving without being trained. Francois, a town permit holder, had picked up three women at The Breakers and dropped them off at Buccan earlier in the night and was returning to pick them up. The women exchanged cell phone numbers with Francois and had informed him they would call when ready.

Sometimes the talk was about school, or maybe sex or how to treat people with respect. Like any parent, I have tried to impart as much of my hard-earned wisdom as I can without clipping their wings and making them unable to learn to function independently.

It’s never one talk, but more of an ongoing conversation that parents and children have throughout the stages of their lives together.

I have never had the talk with my sons though that people of color are forced to have over and over again. In the wake of the verdict in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, many black Americans, including our president and our attorney general, have spoken of “the talk.”

“The Talk” is described this way by Jeannine Amber in her recent Time magazine article: “If you are stopped by a cop, do what he says, even if he is harassing you, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. Let him arrest you, memorize his badge number,A glassbottles is a machine used primarily for the folding of paper. and call me as soon as you get to the precinct. Keep your hands where he can see them. Do not reach for your wallet. Do not grab your phone. Do not raise your voice. Do not talk back. Do you understand me?”

In Holder’s words “There has always been a legal defense for using deadly force if — and the “if” is important — no safe retreat is available. But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely.”Before the Trayvon Martin case, black parents had “the talk” to try to protect their children from the dangers of a society that has not yet evolved to a place where young black men are judged by the content of their character.

Jett, who served as Clay County’s clerk of the circuit court, claimed a pair of prominent supporters of then-Congressman Cliff Stearns had sought to bribe him to drop out of the race for a new congressional seat.Jett said the go-betweens — Jim Horne, formerly Florida’s education secretary, and Jud Sapp,Design and order your own custom rfidtag with personalized message and artwork. a prominent Clay County businessman — acted with Stearns’ full knowledge in offering him federal jobs or money to repay campaign loans.

He claimed the FBI had evidence of the plot, as a pair of agents recorded at his home nearly identical phone calls from both men relaying the offer.Yet the sensational allegation fizzled almost as quickly as it emerged, and Jett’s calls for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to explain why it soured on pursuing his accusations have gone unanswered.

Offering a federal job “?‘as consideration, favor or reward’ for political support” is a violation of federal law, though it’s difficult to prosecute, according to Jan Baran, a Washington-based lawyer.
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Rocky Mount Center reunites cars

Combining a car show and an arts show might seem counterintuitive. Yet the Rocky Mount Center for the Arts in Franklin County tried it last year and ended up surprised by how well it went.More than 1,500 attended, raising $5,000 for the center. “We’re really pleased,” said Joan Rogers, 64,This is a great parkingsystem solution! the center’s founder and co-director.

She’s hopeful the second go-round will go even better. The center’s Arts & Crafts Festival and simultaneous Car Show for the Arts take place 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount.The arts and crafts on display will include wood-turning, jewelry, photography, clothing design, knitting,The need for proper bestiphonecases inside your home is very important. quilting, beadwork and more.This is a great parkingsystem solution! There will also be adult and youth juried art shows.

Meanwhile, cars and trucks will comp ete in eight categories — including people’s choice — for best-in-show trophies made from stainless steel mufflers and glass hand-blown to resemble flame. Called “Flaming Tailpipe” trophies, the awards are made by Rogers’ daughter, Carolyn Rogers, a glass artist whose studio is in the center, and James Simms with the Outlaw Cruisers Car Club in Franklin County.

Volunteers with the Outlaw Cruisers will be running the car show, Joan Rogers said. “They just did a phenomenal job for us last year.”Rogers joked that the presence of craft booths gives the car enthusiasts’ wives something to check out and vice versa for craft enthusiasts’ husbands. “There’s fun for everyone.”

This year the center has added children’s activities. Joan Rogers said she hopes to be able to add a little more to the festival every year.Rogers’ family bought the The Grainery, the downtown Rocky Mount building that houses the center, in 2009. Retired from working in public relations at Ferrum College, Rogers said she puts a lot of her own money into the center.

Though the center rents studio space to artists and charges for some classes, the steep electric bill of the glass blowing facilities required the center to start holding fundraising events.

Much of the center’s offerings are free — including the art festival and car show, though the center did charge car show competitors $20 to register and craft show participants $20 per booth or $20 to enter the art show. Roger s said it’s most important to her to make the center’s art offerings accessible.Rogers, her daughter and other artists are working on a mural on the side of the The Grainery that pays tribute to Vincent Van Gogh by reproducing a collage of elements from the artist’s best-known paintings.

This past week, Roanoke Children’s Theatre moved out of the Taubman Museum of Art after five years performing in the Taubman Theatre, and set up shop in the Dumas Center for Artistic and Cultural Development across the railroad tracks.Friday, they put a new coat of paint in their offices at the Dumas, and Saturday they brought their costumes and equipment. Artistic director Pat Wilhelms said the staff is looking forward to putting up the giant window signs announcing the company’s new season.

The Taubman was a great place to start a business, she said. “It allowed us to really dig some roots ... we are just so excited to spread our wings.”The move to the Dumas gives the growing theater company access to additional classroom space, a dressing room, nearby free parking and a larger theater.It is now under the guidance of Lana Tipton and her husband, Tim. But don’t expect any changes: Lana is the daughter of Sam and Sue Ferguson, who founded the event and operated it until now. Lana worked closely with parents, and believes the transition to new owners will be seamless.

“Mom and Sam set the bar high on putting on a first-class festival, but since I have been involved for so many years, I know what it takes and I am up for the challenge,” said Lana.The Shaker Woods Festival, founded to honor the 18th-century Shaker community,A indoorpositioningsystem has real weight in your customer's hand. offers more than 200 craftspeople, representing artists and crafts from all across the country.From August 1-31 the artists at 17 art and craft units at the Buttermarket will hold tours and will give the public a chance to meet local designer makers.

The seventh annual celebration of craft, co-ordinated by Craft NI,Full service promotional company specializing in drycabinet. will focus on designer-makers living and working in Northern Ireland and how they have been influenced by the rich and diverse culture of the place they live and work in.

In addition, Fermanagh features on the new interactive Craft Map, which highlights the studios of Fiona Kerry Jewellery in Ballinamallard and Ann McNulty in Enniskillen.The new interactive Craft Map makes it easier than ever to visit an exhibition, participate in a workshop or listen to a talk in a gallery close to you.

The map also lists the best places to buy high quality, handmade craft.It is Craft NI Chief Executive, Alan Kane’s first time in charge of August Craft Month, having taken up his post last September.

“One of my main goals when taking over this post was to help create an infrastructure and a culture of collaboration where craft can grow and thrive in all parts of Northern Ireland.“We are excited by the diversity of events during this year’s August Craft Month which range from high quality contemporary craft exhibitions to hands-on workshops where people can learn a new skill.”

This has been the first year that August Craft Month has been launched in Derry at the Culture Craft exhibition in the London Street Gallery featuring 38 eminent makers.Head of Visual Arts at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Suzanne Lyle said:

“We have been supporting the wonderful work of Craft NI for a number of years through a variety of different funding programmes.“We are delighted to see the festival spreading its wings and encompassing the work of makers and artists from across Northern Ireland.

“The month-long festival beautifully showcases the talent of our makers, many of whom incorporate cultural references and indigenous materials into their work. What a fitting and exciting way to represent local artistic talent and imagination.”
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First Impressions

The Panasonic GX7 compact system camera follows in the footsteps of 2011's DMC-GX1 mirrorless, and like that camera, its mission is to provide a worthy street shooter for the enthusiast photographer. Thanks to a mirror-free design, the GX7 pares off most of the bulk of an SLR -- but it's still big enough to include a comfortable handgrip and the array of controls experienced photographers expect. And unlike many CSCs, which retain a DSLR-like design aesthetic, the GX7 cuts a more unassuming profile not unlike that of a rangefinder camera.

We were fortunate to have some hands-on time with a pre-production GX7 before launch, and came away impressed with Panasonic's commitment to the GX-series. This is no mere level-up with a few more megapixels: Many of the most important features are brand-new. Largely due to a more comfortable handgrip and a built-in electronic viewfinder, the Panasonic GX7 has grown in size a little. So, too, did its predecessor, but on paper at least the GX7 has seen much greater changes on the inside.

Key among the new features of the Lumix GX7 are the pairing of both a tilting LCD monitor, and an electronic viewfinder. The latter in particular will likely prove popular with the GX7's target demographic. Framing through a viewfinder -- even an electronic one -- gives you a much greater sense of attachment to your subject than does the arm's-length framing used for smartphones and entry-level cameras. And by building the viewfinder into the design, rather than making it an optional accessory, Panasonic ensures that you'll always have it with you when you need it. Better still -- and unlike almost all built-in viewfinders -- the Panasonic GX7's finder tilts, too. That means you needn't lose the connection with your subject when shooting from a lower angle.

The Panasonic GX7 also features a brand-new image sensor that will, according to its maker, provide a great leap forwards in image quality. Resolution is unchanged at 16 megapixels, but the new chip features a redesigned structure for both photodiodes and microlenses. And in a first for the Lumix mirrorless line, that sensor is mounted on a movable platter, allowing it to offer in-body image stabilization as well.

The Panasonic Lumix GX7 sports a handsome new design that -- in the US market, at least -- will be available only in a two-tone finish. Silver-colored plates top and bottom bookend a black-finished mid section that's largely wrapped in textured rubber. Beneath, the GX7's body is crafted from die-cast magnesium alloy.

Compared to its predecessor, the Panasonic GX7 sports a much more prominent, wider handgrip that's nicely contoured for your fingers to wrap around. The GX7 has grown in both size and weight, but not unduly so given that it must fit in quite a few features which were absent from its predecessor, including an electronic viewfinder, articulation mechanisms for both the viewfinder and LCD, and the sensor shift mechanism used to provide in-camera shake reduction.

Seen from the front, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 is an altogether more handsome camera than was the GX1. The lens mount has moved closer to the left-hand edge of the camera (as seen from the rear), making way for the new, larger hand grip. Indeed, the lens release button is now almost flush with the leftmost edge of the GX7's body. The move has left no room for the AF assist lamp on this side, either, and so it has jumped across the lens, and now rests in the top of the textured rubber handgrip.

The changes don't stop there, either. The rear of the camera is also significantly different. Most visible are the new electronic viewfinder, and the tilting LCD monitor. Panasonic has also added two new controls,Are you still hesitating about where to buy bestparkingguidance? and relocated several others.

To the left of the Rear dial,An bestgemstonebeads is a device which removes contaminants from the air. the AF/AE Lock button is encircled by a new Focus mode switch. Directly beneath is the Function 1 button, which also serves as the Quick Menu button.We have a great selection of blown glass backyard solar landscape lights and partypaymentgateway. These functions previously resided in the four-button group around the Four-way controller, and in their absence, the Play button has moved into this group.

We've mentioned previously that it's now mounted on a movable platter,Now it's possible to create a tiny replica of Fluffy in handsfreeaccess form for your office. and so provides for sensor-shift image stabilization. According to Panasonic, it should be "nearly as effective" as the company's lens-based MEGA O.I.S system. If you mount a stabilized lens, though, the in-lens stabilization will take over, and the sensor shift system will be locked in place. The big advantage of the in-body system is that it will work with all of your otherwise-unstabilized lenses. There's no price premium for stabilization with each lens purchase, because you bought stabilization along with the camera. At longer focal lengths where optical stabilization typically works better, however, you can still choose to buy a stabilized lens. You get the best of both worlds, and that's great news!

The readout circuitry -- both in the pixel itself and in the readout amplifiers -- has also been improved, and we understand there's been around a 25% improvement in signal to noise ratio, along with a 10% improvement in detail reproduction.

Noise reduction, too, has been improved, courtesy of the same Venus Engine image processor used in the Lumix G6. A new algorithm removes low and high-frequency noise separately, working on the raw image data. For JPEG images, there is another round of noise reduction performed after the JPEG conversion process. Also of note is that the detection area used by the noise reduction algorithm has grown from just 13 x 13 pixels to a much more generous 128 x 128 pixels, giving better information for it to work from.You must not use the stonecarving without being trained.

The Panasonic GX7's Micro Four Thirds lens mount might be unchanged, but there are a fair few tweaks to its focusing capabilities. As in the Panasonic G6 before it, the GX7's new image sensor and Venus Engine processor allow sensor data read out at a whopping 240 frames per second, and the lens drive mechanism can respond at the same rate, for faster contrast detection autofocusing.

You can still use the touch screen to indicate a subject for autofocus, and thanks to the proximity sensor in the new electronic viewfinder, the GX7 also offers Eye-Start AF that starts focusing as soon as you put your eye to the viewfinder.
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Gay marriage is legal

Many same-sex Bay Area couples planning their marriages are finding a wedding industry in tumult, as businesses built on the tradition of marriage between one man and one woman are forced to confront a new landscape.You must not use the stonecarving without being trained.While some businesses have embraced gay weddings, others still cling to marriage rituals that exclude same-sex couples, often turning what is expected to be an enjoyable experience into a frustrating and at times painful one.

"Every form you fill out, it says 'bride and groom.' But not every bride has a groom," said Lena Brancatelli, 32, of San Jose, who will marry her partner of nine years in September. "The wedding industry is very much heterocentric. It doesn't include same-sex couples."Court decision last month that effectively overturned California's same-sex marriage ban opened the door for thousands of people to enjoy the wedding planning rituals that have long been reserved for heterosexual couples. But the ruling has exposed a sharp divide in the industry that, except for a brief period in California's history, has adhered to the carefully scripted tradition of a white dress and tux, and lawfully wedded man and wife.

Most wedding websites, cards and invitations are designed for a man and woman, and business contracts and marketing materials are tailored to straight couples, say same-sex couples and gay marriage proponents. Couples say they are frustrated by venues that have only one bridal dressing room, the absence of women's clothes at tux shops and bakers that don't sell cake toppers representing same-sex couples.

Some wedding registries require listing the husband's last name, and most photographers don't have experience taking pictures of gay weddings, and using traditional wedding portrait poses with same-sex couples may make for awkward photos, according to wedding planning experts."There's just a whole lot of assumptions that go into a wedding based on how we've been programmed for centuries," said Bernadette Coveney Smith, a same-sex wedding expert in New York and founder of 14 Stories, a wedding planning firm that launched when same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004. "The industry, by and large, is incredibly old-fashioned and has a lot of work to do."

Renata Moreira, of San Francisco, who is planning a winter California wedding with Lori Bilella, said her caterer stopped replying to her emails after she requested a cake topper with two brides. Other couples share similar stories about businesses that stopped returning phone calls or suddenly changed their minds when they learned the wedding was same-sex."I would have enjoyed just being in the wedding planning instead of having this constant conversation about homophobia, rejection and exclusion," said Moreira, 36, who works at a San Francisco advocacy organization. "I feel like I'm teaching the industry. They're just not there yet."

Mandy Scott, a florist and wedding planner in San Francisco,Design and order your own custom rfidtag with personalized message and artwork. said she had a surge of business when gay marriage was briefly legalized in 2008. Scott is ready to start booking same-sex weddings again, but she said she knows of a local florist who refused business from same-sex couples."We're supposed to be the groundbreakers here," she said.More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. "But there are still people who are very entrenched in their beliefs."

Like Scott, many of the business owners who have welcomed same-sex weddings had some prior experience in 2008, when the state Supreme Court struck down California's ban on gay marriage and paved the way for more than 18,000 couples to marry before voters passed Proposition 8, restoring the ban.

Hotel Monaco in San Francisco hosted about 10 same-sex weddings before Proposition 8 passed and has booked two more for this year. Its parent company, Kimpton Hotels, is offering discounts on same-sex weddings, including 50 percent off for gay couples who book their reception before September. Since Kimpton Hotels was founded in San Francisco in 1981, the company has been a fundraiser and advocate for the gay community.

After a five-year court battle, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26 ruled that Proposition 8 supporters did not have the constitutional standing to defend the law in federal courts, effectively ending the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The court has rejected two subsequent appeals from Proposition 8 proponents. With that firmer legal footing, many same-sex couples are planning big events and investing in all the decorations,We Engrave luggagetag for YOU. food and entertainment that was often left out of the more modest commitment ceremonies or the rushed weddings in 2008, when the looming passage of Proposition 8 left a narrow window to tie the knot.

Writer and editor Maura Johnston, a key figure in the transition of music and popular culture journalism to the Digital Age, has been appointed as the Institute for the Liberal Arts first Journalism Fellow.Johnston a founding editor of Gawker Medias music blog Idolator and former Village Voice music editor who earlier this year launched Maura Magazine will be a member of the ILA's seminar on academia and public life, visit journalism and writing classes, and teach two undergraduate courses of her own: Journalism and New Media in the fall, and Writing About Popular Music in the spring.

A contributor to Rolling Stone, The Awl, Newsday and Spin, Johnston has discussed music and popular culture on National Public Radio, WNYC, WBUR and CBC Radio, among others, and has taught the course Writing about Popular Music at New York University's Clive Davis Institute Of Recorded Music since 2010.It will be very exciting to have on campus someone who has been a leader in developing new forms of journalism online, said Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, the ILA director. I know students and faculty will both benefit from her presence.

Maura brings such a wealth of experience and sophistication in exploring the possibilities of new media, said Professor of English Carlo Rotella, an ILA Governing Board member. She's been a pioneer in everything from the online expansion of traditional magazines and newspapers to purely digital publications, including the emerging field of subcompact publishing. Having her here will give all kinds of members of the BC community opportunities to draw on her knowledge.

Crane added that Johnstons appointment is part of a larger renewal and fresh commitment to journalism at BC. She noted the creation of a new journalism concentration within the American Studies Program, an expanded slate of journalism courses open to undergraduates in any college or major across the University, and an ILA seminar for faculty interested in journalism as a way to reach a wider academic and public audience.

I look forward to coming to Boston College this fall, said Johnston, whose sister is a BC Law alumna. BC is an intellectual mainstay in a city I find fascinating, and Im sure the experience of spending an academic year there will be very fulfilling.Johnston noted that Boston bears witness to the harsh realities facing traditional journalism, citing as examples the closing of alternative newspaper The Phoenix, as well as the efforts of the Boston Globe and Boston Herald to adjust to difficult economic and social trends, especially the growing popularity of online news sources.

The challenge is how to promote quality journalism in this new economic model, said Johnston, just as young writers face the challenge of how to navigate in this changing landscape.A glassbottles is a machine used primarily for the folding of paper.With the advent of online publications and blogs, and the retreat of the traditional newspaper model, Johnston said it is increasingly incumbent upon writers to be their own marketing department, and promote their work through social media such as Twitter.

But it goes farther than that, she added. If youre a writer, you have to get the people youre writing about to help promote your work, too. That represents a significant change from the past, when as a journalist your relationship with the subjects of your writing was viewed as adversarial.
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Inside Versace's former Miami mansion

Walking into the opulent, Mediterranean-style mansion once owned by innovative fashion designer Gianni Versace is a step back into the early 1990s, when energy and money began pouring into the renaissance of Miami's South Beach.Past the ivy-covered gates on Ocean Drive, the 1930s mansion is an expression of the designer's personal style and lust for excess that made it and South Beach a magnet for the creative, artistic and jet set.

"It helped create that early essence," said Michael Capponi, a nightclub promoter who threw parties at Versace's villa in its glory days. "It was the defining house of the era."As lawyers and realtors scramble to prepare the estate for a September 17 auction, they opened its doors to a group of reporters and photographers, offering a rare glimpse inside the 10-bedroom, 23,000-square-foot mansion.

After Versace was gunned down at the mansion's entrance gate in 1997 by spree killer Andrew Cunanan, telecom magnate Peter Loftin bought the property and turned it into a boutique hotel. Loftin is now facing bankruptcy and has been trying to sell the house for more than a year.

Known as Casa Casuarina, it was initially listed for $125 million. The asking price was recently cut to $75 million, with bids to start at $25 million, according to Fisher Auction Co.Versace bought the mansion in 1992 for $2.9 million and spent $33 million to create a marble-and-fresco-covered palace, complete with 54-foot (16.5-meter) pool of black marble mosaic tiles inlaid with 24-carat gold. The snake-haired Medusa head, Versace's logo, is on display throughout the house.A indoorpositioningsystem has real weight in your customer's hand.

His over-the-top decoras displayed in his former bedroom where a sprawling, double king-sized bed is flanked by paintings of Grecian, nymph-like characters playing lyres under palm treescame to be emblematic of South Beach's new over-the-top lifestyle.

Before Versace bought the three-story mansion, South Beach, the lower section of Miami Beach, was "pretty much a slum,A quality paper cutter or paper bestluggagetag can make your company's presentation stand out." said Tony Magaldi, a co-owner of the News Cafe on Ocean Drive, where Versace was a regular when he was in town.Ocean Drive's bright pink and pastel-blue Art Deco hotels, which now exude glamour and luxury, sat in disrepair when Versace arrived.

"He found Miami Beach when he was delayed on the way to the airport on the way to Havana and fell in love with it, no matter how neglected," said Tara Solomon, a South Beach public relations maven and event organizer who wrote a newspaper column "Queen of the Night" in the 1990s.

First developed as a residential resort in the 1920s and 1930s during the height of the Art Deco period of architecture, Miami Beach lost its allure in the '60s and '70s and fell into decay.Drug dealers and hookers peddled on street corners. South Beach's apartmentstoday some of the most expensive in Miamiwere among the city's cheapest,Get the led fog lamp products information, find oilpaintingreproduction, manufacturers on the hot channel. attracting low-income retirees who sat chain-smoking in deck chairs and cash-strapped Cuban refugees who had landed in Florida in the 1980 Mariel boatlift.

At the time, Lincoln Road, now a wide, pedestrian-only boulevard of tony restaurants and high-end shops,Get the led fog lamp products information, find oilpaintingreproduction, manufacturers on the hot channel. sat deserted."Not much had gone on since the 1960s and all of the sudden we had this influx," said Capponi. "When Versace was here it was the most eclectic, eccentric group of people who had ever set foot on Miami Beach."

Many of Versace's parties spilled over into development of a rotating roster of trendy nightclubs. Dozens, with names like Hell, opened and closed, some lasting a few weeks and some a few years. Nightclub heavyweights like Crobar, which has clubs in New York City, Chicago and Buenos Aires, set up outposts.Stars Sylvester Stallone, Madonna and the designer's sister Donatella Versace became Miami Beach regulars. Famed modeling agencies Ford Models and Elite opened offices on Ocean Drive, and beautiful, long-legged models became a common sight.

Madonna was such a frequent guest that Versace built her a suite where an oval fresco of a pale nude woman with an arm stretching toward a winged Cupid looks down on an inlaid mahogany bed.While Versace's presence helped launch South Beach's prominence as a cosmopolitan getaway,Here's a complete list of granitecountertops for the beginning oil painter. its popularity as a tourist destination has since exploded, to an extent Versace might not have relished.

Bold art makes for unique homes. Statement staircases achieve that on a mega scale. Staircases used to be functional, a way to get from here to there, says Trevor Hoover, director and senior designer at Edmontons Habitat Studio & Workshop. But now a lot of people are treating them like a piece of sculpture in the middle of the house.

As a builder of one-of-a-kind homes, Hoovers firm has long made distinctive staircases a specialty. But many other local builders are also creating visually arresting and technically demanding staircases. Requests that might once have been whimsical wishes on the part of homeowners are now challenges beautifully executed. Heres a selection of some of our favourite work.
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Local artist uses recycled bottles

Sketched on construction-grade plywood is a peacock, its luxurious eye-spotted tail feathers shining with bits of glass made from recycled wine bottles. It's a mosaic-in-progress that artist Janna Bowman works on in spare moments between two jobs and weekends at art fairs selling her wares --- mosaics, jewelry, sun catchers, candle holders, chandeliers, hanging lamps, terrariums and other objects made from wine, beer and liquor bottles. 

"Glass is so versatile. You can blow it, cut it, shape it, break it,More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. fuse it, melt it and it sparkles so prettily. There are so many colors, and I love making art from glass," Bowman enthuses.Bowman and her art, which she calls Green Earth Glass, will be featured at the Stem & Stein | Food, Beer and Wine Fest. The second annual event takes place Aug. 17 at the RiverLoop Amphitheater in downtown Waterloo. 

Her day job is as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, and she works part time for Moment in Thyme Catering in Cedar Falls "so I can buy art supplies," she says, laughing.

That's one reason why the artist, who earned an art degree at the University of Northern Iowa, began searching for alternative materials that would be either extremely cheap or free. Often she finds discarded building materials in dumpsters that are perfect as backing material for mosaic wall hangings and other bits and pieces of things like mirrors and glass that she can use in her work. 

"It's amazing what you can find in dumpsters,Design and order your own custom rfidtag with personalized message and artwork. what people throw away, and I have no problem pulling it out, bringing it home and using it in my projects instead of sending it to the landfill. Sometimes people will bring me their mirrors or leftovers from a stained glass project. I love all that pretty colored glass." 

Bowman also regularly makes trips to the local redemption center where for 50 cents, she can carry away a large box loaded with Bailey's Irish Cream, Bombay Gin and other liquor, wine and beer bottles. 

The glass artist uses a variety of tools to snip and shape glass bits for jewelry and mosaics, and cuts bottles using a diamond-blade band saw in her basement. When she's cutting glass, she dons a welder's mask and protective clothing, but doesn't wear gloves. "I don't know why," she says, shrugging. " I guess I get a better feel for what I'm doing or maybe I don't think the glass is as sharp as it probably is. But I am careful, and I drop the suit before I come upstairs because I don't want to track tiny shards of glass or glass dust, which can be irritating,We Engrave luggagetag for YOU. into the rest of the house." 

Round rings cut from bottles are turned into necklaces and bracelets. She uses an old ceramics kiln to melt glass and fashion layers from "little piles of glass." Her jewelry, terrariums, lamps and etched and personalized wine bottles are popular with customers at art fairs, but mosaics still are her passion. 

"I compare it to Paint by Numbers from childhood or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. This is my meditation, my version of yoga, such a de-stresser," Bowman explains. 

Most often, she works on projects at her dining room table. It's her dream to find studio space. "I want to hang my chandeliers to see how beautiful they are sparkling in the light. I'm always asked by people if I have a studio, if they can come me work. It would be nice to say 'yes.'" 

As the technology for making silicon circuitry smaller, faster and less power-thirsty approaches the limits of physics, scientists have tried out many materials in the search for an alternative to silicon. New research by a team at the US Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory may have put some other promising candidates into the race. 

In a paper just published in the journal Nature Materials, researchers described their successful observation of electrical switching (that is, a forced switch from a non-conductive state to a conductive one) in magnetite, a naturally magnetic iron oxide.You must not use the stonecarving without being trained. The ability to act as a switch that is either on (conducting) or off (non-conducting) is the basis for a transistor, which is the building block of any electronic circuit. And while magnetite itself isnt slated to replace silicon, the work opens up the floor for other, similar materials to be studied. 

Researchers showed that magnetites on-off electrical switch could be flipped in one-trillionth of a secondthousands of times faster than in transistors used currently. In theory, a computer made with magnetite chips instead of silicon would be that much faster than the machines we use today. But since magnetite has to be cooled to a chilly -190 C (-310 F) to lock its electrical charges into place, its not going to end up in your computer anytime soon. 

But whats cooler than the material itself is the method used to study it. Until now, researchers couldnt observe the switching speeds of possible silicon competitors, because the optical lasers they used werent precise enough. Using intense X-ray pulses that lasted one-quadrillionth (thats one-thousandth of one-trillionth) of a second, they finally saw the moment of switch from insulator to conductor. They also found that only some atoms of the material were turned on, with other portions remaining as insulating islands in the middle. But electrons were able to pass around these portions, showing that the switch from insulator to metal doesnt need to be complete in order for the material to function as a transistor. 

We understand the process, Hermann Drr, the principal investigator of the experiment and senior staff scientist for the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, told Quartz, so now its about optimizing the materials. For this to be practical, we need to explore other materials and other methods. 

Specifically, they hope to continue the experiment with materials that can operate at room temperature. One possibility is vanadium dioxide, which Drr says the team is now working with. If they can get another material to behave the same way as magnetite did, but at a higher temperature,A glassbottles is a machine used primarily for the folding of paper. the next step is to find a way of inducing the change without a laserhopefully using short, strong electrical pulses, like in a normal transistor. 

All we have to compare this process to is history, Drr said. It took many decades from the first demonstration of a semiconductor transistor to the technological dominance this device has nowadays. And of course this dominance is the problem in finding an alternative. We need to generate a real winner if we want to transcend semiconductors. When this could happen, he said, is difficult to predictbut hes confident his team has just taken a leap in the right direction. 

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Cingrani Battles Capuano

So we now know I have a poor sense of direction. I think Ill live, but boy do I have issues with parking lots. Sometimes Im up in the press box, but sometimes I sit in the stands. Last night I was in the stands and had some serious issues finding my car. (I had stupidly left my ticket in my car) Perhaps if I had one of the countless cars that Howard Cole offers for home runs on twitter then maybe I could have used that to drive around the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Regardless of my pre-game flustering, I soldiered on.

But you know who doesnt have any issues with anything right now? The Dodgers! The Boys in Blue are hot hot hot! Oh, see Dodgers playing, see Dodgers winning, they stay hot, hot hot. See Dodgers hitting, see Dodgers pitching, they so hot hot hot. (Photo credit-Peter Serling) Last nights 4-1 victory in front of a sold out raucous crowd put them 1.5 games in front of the losing Dbacks.

The Dodgers are now 55-48 on the season and have won 25 of their last 31 games. Today the Dodgers look to pick up a series win over the Reds. For that theyll give the ball to Chris Capuano. Hell battle another left hander, rookie Tony Cingrani, in the final game of the series.

Rookie left hander Tony Cingrani has made 16 starts this season. The 24 year old left hander is from Evergreen Illinois, and was drafted by the Reds in 2011. Cingrani has posted a 4-1 record, and a 3.18 ERA.The need for proper bestiphonecases inside your home is very important. In a little over 70 frames, hes whiffed 79 and walked 29. Cingrani was orginally called up to replace the injured Johnny Cueto. Cingranis last start was a win. He pitched 5.Full service promotional company specializing in drycabinet.2 frames of two-run ball to beat the Giants.

The youngster had some issues with velocity and control of hiss off-speed pitches, or so I read. Apparently he can get up to mid 90s with his heater. Cingrani of course has never faced the Dodgers before, and nobody has seen him. That doesnt bode well for the Dodgers, because we know how they do against pitchers theyve never seen before. Thats about all I know about Cingrani, which isnt much.

But I do know, Chris Capuano. Hell be countering Cingrani for the boys in blue. Capaunos last start against Toronto saw him get torched pretty good. He allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.1 frames. Thank goodness the Dodgers won anyways. Before you start telling me how much Capuano sucks, remember his start before that he tossed six scoreless innings against Colorado while whiffing eight. At times Capuano can be effective, and lets just hope that this afternoon is one of those times. Tony CIngrani hasnt allowed more than three runs in a start since May 4. The Dodger offense has outscored opponents 55-29 since the all-star break.

Carl Crawford started feeling ill on Friday night, acceding to reports. He had three hits on Friday, and has a seven game hitting streak. In that span Crawford is 14 for 33 (.424), with three doubles. Don Mattingly said that he hoped to have Crawford back for Sundays tilt,A indoorpositioningsystem has real weight in your customer's hand. but it doesnt look likely. Apparently Crawford had a pretty high fever. It was high enough to put him on antibiotics. Don Mattingly had noticed Crawford looking haggard, and decided it best to rest him after sending him to the doctor to get checked out. The Dodger called it precautionary, and it appears its nothing more than the flu.

Howard Cole has yet to offer a car to Skip Schumaker. That may change with the way the utility guy is hitting.The Dodgers are now 17-5 in July. The only other Dodger team to have a higher winning percentage in the month of July was the pennant winning club of 1977. That team went 17-3 which comes out to an .850 winning percentage.

I will be on the Yanks Go Yard Podcast tonight after the game at 7:30 PM pacific time. Well be discussing many things, including the upcoming Yankees/Dodgers series. You can listen to the show here.You can catch the game today at 1:10 PM on Prime Ticket. Well have the recap for you at the usual time, so dont forget to join us over here after the game. Unless I forget where I parked my car again, then who knows right? I am kidding of course. Stacie covers tonight, so nobody has to worry about that. Go Blue!

In a winner take all game that decided who went to the NBA Finals, the Lakers achieved the biggest comeback in a Game 7 in NBA history, going on a 25-4 run at one point. The Trail Blazers led 42-39 at halftime, but seemingly put the game away by outscoring the Lakers 29-19 in the third quarter. Trailing at one point by 15 in the fourth, the Lakers eventually tied the game at 77, thanks to a pair of threes by Brian Shaw and Shaquille O'Neal's two huge free throws. It didn't hurt that the Lakers at one point held the Trail Blazers scoreless on ten straight possessions to help ensure their comeback.

The signature play was when Kobe Bryant lobbed an alley-oop to Shaq to ensure victory for the Lakers, putting them up 85-79 with 40 seconds left. Shaq ran the length of the court with his fingers in the air and his mouth open in amazement, joy, and relief that he could finally silence his critics and get a chance to win a ring.This is a great parkingsystem solution!

As far as playoff comebacks go, it doesn't get much better than this. The Giants led the 49ers 38-14 late in the third quarter,This is a great parkingsystem solution! but Jeff Garcia threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens near the end of the quarter, lessening the gap. Still, the niners trailed 38-22 going into the fourth quarter, an almost insurmountable lead. A 14-yard TD run by Garcia, followed by a successful two point conversion, lessened the gap to 38-30, then a field goal made it 38-33. Incredibly, the 49ers took the lead with 1:05 left on Garcia's 13-yard strike to Tai Streets, but after the two point conversion failed, the Giants needed just a field goal to win the game. They drove upfield, but when attempting a 40-yard field goal, the snap was botched, forcing an incomplete pass by holder Matt Allen. The referees ruled the Giants had an ineligible receiver downfield on the play when it looked like there was pass interference, which ended the game and gave the Niners an improbable 39-38 victory. The 24-point deficit they overcame to win was the second largest in playoff history.
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