http://perfect.spoonylife.com SpoonyLife fr-FR http://sonic.spoonylife.com/morgan-oates-ties-up-the-asian-market-1782.html Stripe Scarf UK. The cashmere scarf specialist Morgan et Oates will introduce its Autumn/Winter 08 collection of 100% cashmere scarves at TFWA Asia Pacific (Stand G5).The new collection, which is mainly targeted at the Asian market, is described as a ‘fashionable new twist to a classic design that will appeal to both men and women'.It includes a collection of antique Tartans that are designed to avoid the dilution of pigment caused by weathering or passage of time. The travel retail price of these scarves will be about US$110. Many new cashmere/merino mix pashmina designs, including a collection of animal prints and new fine stripe colours will also be presented.Morgan et Oates has identified the Asia Pacific region as an important market and is looking to target ground shops in addition to its inflight business.Worldwide Sales Director Kevin Galbraith said: "Our main market is still Japan and we do excellent business with ANA; however, we continue to work actively with Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia."Morgan et Oates won a new listing onboard ANA's international flights for its 100% cashmere stole in Ice Blue on 1 March and recently started selling its collection in mainland China, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport T2, at the end of last month.Galbraith adds: "This new listing, plus our new business in Pudong, is a great start to the year in Asia and we very much look forward to developing distribution further through contacts we make at TFWA Asia Pacific this year." Sat, 17 May 2008 18:08:00 GMT http://sonic.spoonylife.com/brazilian-confederation-of-soccer-prohibits-sales-of-alcohol-in-stadia-1781.html Soccer Products BRASILIA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Confederation of Soccer (CBF) announced on Saturday that they will impose a dry law on the sales of alcoholic beverages during games when the Brazilian national team plays throughout the country.The declaration was made in order to limit incidents of violence within the stadium. The Brazilian national soccer team will be playing in front of its home crowd during eliminatory games for the 2010 World Cup.Despite the inhibition of sales, the advertisement of beer will remain inside the stadiums. The million dollar sponsorship of Ambev, owner of products such as Brahma, Antarctica and Skol beer, will be permitted to display its advertisement, although the sales of its products will be restricted.The CBF claims that de decision was made with the objective of giving fans more security. Additionally, the CBF affirmed that the prohibition inside stadiums throughout Brazil for games played by the national team has nothing to do with the relationship with Ambev. The company did not make any statements regarding the issue.Apart from the restriction of alcoholic beverages, the CBF stated that it will aim to perfect conditions of security and hygiene within stadiums throughout Brazil. Such improvements will be registered by the Public Ministry and will be inspected before games take place. According to the president of the CBF, Ricardo Teixeira, the new security and health measures will enter into practice immediately. National teams that do not comply with the new measures will be punished. The decree comes before the opener of the Cup of Brazil.The vice-president of the Flamengo soccer club, Kleber Leite, added his support to the new rules mentioning that, The mixture of alcohol and emotion is very complicated. Sat, 17 May 2008 18:06:00 GMT http://sonic.spoonylife.com/cleaning-alternatives-for-a-greener-environment-1780.html Lemon Freshener Jinnifer Gibbsof Michigan State University Extension Ottawa County branch said she is seeing people make a more conscientious choice in becoming earth-friendly. "It's becoming a more mainstream focus," she said. "Just from the inquiries I've received and from what I've seen nationally, I do think we're seeing a new shift. More people are becoming more sensitive to what they're using and how it effects their families and the environment. We're seeing the ramifications in the choices we make and how it can be beneficial or not beneficial." Gibbs explained that common food and baking staples found in your pantry can serve as a greener alternative to the store-bought cleaning agents which might contain pollutant chemicals. "First, it's a cost savings for your home comprising of things in your pantry," she said. "Second, it'll have an impact on society with water runoffs, it'll eliminate something that's going into a system that's going out into our environment." In an effort to a greener alternative, Gibbs said many people are confused by product labels, especially those marked "toxic," but are safe to use, and "non-toxic." "When in doubt, call the manufacturer," she said. "If you question whether it's safe, go to the source." An example of a "toxic, but safe" product is an air freshener. "Air fresheners truly do not freshen the air, they mask the odor," Gibbs said. A safe and all-natural alternative to air fresheners would be to boil cinnamon and cloves on the stove, which will disperse a scent through the air, killing the odor, according to Gibbs. "It's non-evasive and safe," she said of the alternative. Another cleaning agent combination that can be found in your pantry vinegar and water also works great for cleaning windows. Common store-bought cleaning products, such as Clorox, are also being re-vamped, offering a "greener" alternative for the consumer. Clorox Green Works is a line of cleaning supplies from toilet bowl cleaners to glass and all-purpose cleaners made from natural ingredients. According to its Web site, greenworkscleaners.com, the new cleaning line is made from plants and minerals, including a coconut-based cleaning agent, lemon oils, corn-based ethanol, filtered water and biodegradable preservatives. None of the Lemon Freshener products contain any phosphorus or bleach, according to the company. "The ingredients must come from renewable resources, be biodegradable and free of petrochemicals," the Web site states. "Green Works cleaners are at least 99 percent natural." Four of the five Green Works products are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment Program. Those products, and others made from natural ingredients, will have a DfE world label on its packaging. Sat, 17 May 2008 18:05:00 GMT http://sonic.spoonylife.com/hapa-set-to-impress-1779.html flexo printer Hapa AG, the Zurich-based supplier of online pack printing technologies for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and healthcare sectors, will showcase new additions to its flexographic and digital printer ranges, reinforcing the company's status as the leading solutions provider in its field. The company will also introduce a hybrid flexo/digital system to deliver optimum quality, flexibility and cost-effectiveness in applications such as unit dose coding, randomisation and serialisation. Hapa flexo printers remain the online printing technology of choice on pharmaceutical blister lines worldwide, over four decades on from launch. Fast and straightforward to set-up, the Hapa 200 series machines produce high-quality print via solvent-free UV inks. Their popularity is further enhanced by the use of a flexographic printing plate, which makes for straightforward validation and compliance with pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice. While printing on blister lidding foil is one of the better-known applications for the Hapa 200, the technology can be applied to a diverse range of reel-fed substrates, as will be demonstrated by products debuting at interpack. The Hapa 210 is a narrow web printer designed for integration with conventional labelling machines to partially or fully print pre-cut self-adhesive labels in up to five colours at speeds up to 30 metres per minute. Each printing unit is fitted with a sensor to monitor label edges so that highly accurate registration is maintained throughout. The machine is also available in an offline roll-to-roll version that can be used to supply a number of labelling machines. A particular advantage of the Hapa 210 is that no special label stock is required: thanks to instantaneous UV curing of print, the system can print onto virtually any material - coated or uncoated paper, PVC and security labels. The unit is compact and easily accommodated on any packaging line. Also new is the Hapa 260, which boasts the widest web width in the range and has been developed in co-operation with a leading medical care company. The Hapa 260 prints onto intravenous infusion bag material as an integral part of the production process. Again UV curing is key, ensuring that there is no possibility of the inks migrating through the substrate and particular attention has been paid to material handling, to avoid any mechanical stress on the web. All Hapa 200 systems are format-free, with a pilgrim step system accommodating different print lengths. Features contributing to operator acceptance include clear, menu-driven operation via a colour touchscreen interface, simple and accurate print mat mounting by means of locator pins and easy to handle, quick change inking devices. Launched last year, the Hapa 807 BlisterJet digital UV Drop On Demand inkjet system has been introduced to help pharmaceutical manufacturers achieve greater productivity and higher levels of Overall Equipment Effectiveness in their blister packaging operations. The first commercially-available system for late stage customisation of pre-cut pharmaceutical blisters, the Hapa 807 allows producers to make the shift from the traditional 'make to batch' philosophy operations to a more efficient 'make to stock' model. Its capabilities will be demonstrated at interpack on a complete late stage customisation line, operating in conjunction with an automated blister feeding system and a cartoner. Based on the success of the Hapa 807 BlisterJet, Hapa has announced a significant strengthening of the Hapa 800 range with the launch of two new models - the CartonJet and LabelJet - enabling pharmaceutical manufacturers faced with handling many small batches of product to benefit from greater flexibility and productivity, as well as improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness across their packaging operations. The CartonJet handles pre-folded and glued cartons, while the LabelJet is available in reel-to-reel or inline executions. Each standard system is a complete unit incorporating printer modules combined with a customised product handling and transport system, offering a full digital four colour (CMYK) approach. The LabelJet includes the intelligence to complete the current print cycle during line stoppages, thereby ensuring that there is no impact on print quality or packaging line efficiency. The Hapa 800 series is built around UV Drop On Demand, digital printing technology. This produces extremely high quality print thanks to sophisticated drop placement, with the capacity to print at full blister, carton or label web width. The printheads operate with high specification UV inks, which are extremely resistant to both smudging and scuffing. A unique hybrid system integrating the Hapa 237 flexo foil printer with a DOD printhead will be presented as a highly inventive solution for pharmaceutical manufacturers needing to comply with forthcoming legislation on traceability of medicines, which in some cases will mean that each pocket of each blister will be required to carry a unique code. This will facilitate tracking and tracing of product from manufacturer to dispensary and in some cases even to the point of administration, to ensure patient safety and as a weapon against the growing threat of counterfeit products entering the supply chain. Cost-effective, high quality and easy to validate flexographic print is used to produce the text and artwork that remains constant, while DOD technology provides the flexibility to deliver unique information at dose or pack level. Also on show will be products from the Hapa 500 series, a range of digital laser engravers for fast turnaround of flexographic plates for all Hapa 200 series printers and the Hapa 700 series, a unique printing system based on a digital process but which utilises a composite screen master to ensure ease of validation and highest quality print for small batch sizes. Sat, 17 May 2008 18:03:00 GMT http://sonic.spoonylife.com/wannabe-celebs-provide-the-silver-on-screen-1778.html Scarf Material Ask a big-name rag trade retailer to name a rival they admire and the response is almost always none. Insist they name one and the response is almost always the same: Asos.com.Nick Robertson, the 40-year-old who has built the online fashion business from scratch, is pleased as punch that a business he dreamed up for selling products that shoppers saw on TV is so highly rated. So are shareholders in the Aim-listed company. Four years ago the shares were changing hands at 5p. Today they are nudging 282p, valuing the business at ￡206m and Robertson's stake at ￡28m - not bad for a business with an annual turnover of ￡80m.David Jeary, an analyst at the broker Investec, expects the heady growth rate to continue and has set a 12-month target price for the stock at 355p.Asos, for those with their fashion heads stuck in the sand, was founded in 2000 and built on showing young shoppers how to emulate the designer looks of celebrity magazine favourites such as Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Lopez for a fraction of the cost.The site still links looks to faces. Customers can click on their favourite celeb/wag/pop star and view clothes that look a bit like things they have been pictured in. Want to look like Coleen McLoughlin, Wayne Rooney's intended? Well a "cupped satin corset in the style of Coleen McLoughlin" may be one way. Maybe you prefer the style of Kate Moss? The cheapest way is not to buy her signature range at Topshop but to choose a ￡6 Asos Lurex vest "in the style of" the Croydon supermodel.Today, however, the site, and the business, have morphed into something far more aspirational. Though 70% of sales are still own label, the site is also selling some 250 brands, including luxury labels such as Balenciaga and YSL.Robertson makes no apologies for its celebrity bias: "We are not doing anything different to what women's magazines have been doing since the beginning of time. We are presenting fashion in the way it has always been presented and the way people like to see it presented - with pictures of people wearing stuff."To prove his point he scoots off to find the latest copies of Vogue and Grazia. Turning the pages, he says: "Ooh look, there is a picture of a celebrity wearing something. There's Kylie. There's Victoria ... and there's Kate Moss ... and there's Kate again."The target audience is women aged 18 to 34 and Asos has 1.7 million registered users. Some 180,000 potential customers browse the site each day. It receives 200,000 orders a month, averaging ￡60 a time. Menswear makes up 15% of sales; beauty and cosmetics ranges account for another 3%.Constant shootsAsos HQ, with 200 staff, is a former tobacco factory in Camden. It is one of those trendy "workspaces" beloved of dotcom companies. Robertson and the senior team work out in the open-plan office. The buying department, as always, resembles a jumble sale. The catwalk and studio are used in videoing and photographing every item of clothing - and there are 8,300 on the site. The stock is turned - replaced - every nine weeks, so there are a serious number of snaps to take.It is the range that the internet can provide that Robertson wants to underline. There are 354 full-price dresses available on Asos. There are also 53 from premium-brand ranges and another 214 on the virtual clearance rails. "The Topshop site," he says, "has got 64."Not that he intends to disparage Topshop. "I love it," he says - several times. And despite its much larger range, Asos is still smaller, in terms of turnover, than Topshop's flagship Oxford Street store. "We are tiny really ... but we have an enormous opportunity."Robertson's background is in advertising, but there is retailing in the family genes as his great-grandfather founded the Austin Reed menswear chain.The Asos chief executive left school after A-levels and worked as a media buyer until 1996, when he set up a business called Entertainment Marketing to place products in films and TV programmes. By 2000 he was running a website detailing which products were used in movies and on TV. The business was called AsSeenOnScreen, and it was fashion that proved the biggest success. The product-placement operation was finally ditched last year.Other fashion retailers are having a tough time as debt-laden shoppers rein back spending: Next has warned sales may fall 7% in the coming months and MetS says the downturn could go on for two years. Ethel Austin went into administration this week - a path trod by several other fashion chains this year including Elvi, Base, Select and Dolcis. Robertson, however, reckons Asos will sail through largely unscathed."We are not seeing any signs of a downturn. There are a lot of reasons - things are changing at Asos very quickly and there's so much stuff to look at and buy." He quotes research that suggests "30% growth is guaranteed online" and the fact that "pundits are saying 10% of all clothes will be bought online by 2010 - compared to 3% now".Robertson is full of ideas for the future. "It can be what we make it," he says. The Asos range may already be large, but he wants it to be bigger, stocking the entire ranges of high-street chains and turning Asos into an online fashion mall. "High-street shoppers go to seven to 10 shops, but internet shoppers go to just two or three websites, with bigger ranges."High-street chains, he says, like to put their product on Asos because "it looks better than it does on their own website because they don't have the catwalk".Different hatsThere have been mutterings in the trade that Asos is trimming its margins by selling so many brands. Robertson says critics just don't get it. "Take the traditional retail hat off," he says. "In traditional retail, margin is everything but it is not the be all and end all of this business because we don't have stores."He does, however, have big ideas. He is keen to show off the Asos magazine, a handbag-sized publication - 100 pages with plans for 200 - with an audited circulation of 360,000. "By the end of this year we will be doing 700,000 and it will be the biggest fashion monthly."Does he ever envisage having any shops? "Categorically no ... well, if I could have the Topshop Oxford Circus site, then yes. It's not that I want a shop, it's because of the marketing benefit. But it is not going to happen in the next five years and it would a shop, not shopssss."Making a rather more rapid appearance, he says, will be a new intelligent website, like Amazon, which recognises individual shoppers and only shows them relevant products. "So when my wife visits Asos she sees a different shop to the girl in the office."Then will come Asos marketplace, a cross between eBay and Asos, so customers can run their own mini-boutiques, selling their own clothes online alongside a selection of Asos goods. Asos will then pay a commission or offer a discount.Another project, codenamed Asos Red, will see the site offering designer end-of-lines at knockdown prices .The father of a five-month-old daughter, Robertson is also toying with a childrenswear business. "But we would not do it under the Asos name. We don't think kids and fashion go together."Asos's growth has not been without hiccups - in 2005 the Buncefield oil depot explosion blew the roof off its new Hertfordshire warehouse. Sir Philip Green, says Robertson, was one of the first people to offer help. "He rang up and suggested we use his loss assessor. He was very helpful."So does he think the acquisitive billionaire would be interested in adding Asos to his portfolio? "No," says Robertson, "he doesn't buy premium-rated businesses at the top of their game."So, to return to the original question - which retailer does Robertson admire? "HetM, Zara, River Island," he offers. "But I just love Topshop." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:59:00 GMT http://sonic.spoonylife.com/cason-at-loss-for-words-not-much-else-1777.html Round Collar Antoine Cason's voice said that he was "at a loss for words" and "speechless."His smile, packaged with an unflinching gaze, a charming cadence, the unquestionably certain way he stood, said he had it all under control.If the cornerback out of Arizona is as smooth on the field in the NFL as he was on his first day as a professional player, the Chargers made a fantastic first-round pick and their pass defense will benefit greatly for years to come.Every draft pick attempts to impress in his first public appearance after being drafted. Some fail; others are simply transparent. Cason nailed it.Based on yesterday's noon gathering and widespread accounts of who he is, he is clearly all the Chargers purported him to be when they took him Saturday, explaining he was a "leader" and a "character guy."First off, the kid can play. There is every reason to expect he will be the Chargers' third cornerback come September.He made 15 interceptions in four college seasons, third-most by an Arizona player. Of those, 10 were off quarterbacks who are in the NFL or were drafted this weekend.New teammate Jacob Hester, the Chargers' second pick in this year's draft, remembers this of the game in 2006 when Arizona played LSU, then quarterbacked by eventual No. 1 draft choice JaMarcus Russell."He intercepted a pass against us," Hester said.Were the Chargers to oppose Green Bay, new Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would remember the two picks Cason had against him when Rodgers played for Cal.Not that genetics alone makes a first-round talent, but Cason was accompanied to Chargers Park yesterday by his father, Wendell, who played three years in the NFL in the 1980s. Antoine Cason came to a Chargers game this past December to see his cousin Aevion play for the Detroit Lions. Another cousin, Ken-yon Rambo, played four years in the league. At a dinner party for Cason on Saturday in his hometown of Long Beach, more than a dozen Cason kin with Division I football experience celebrated with him.Blessed for sure, blood alone is not what got him here.What his dad did in an NFL career that ended a year after Antoine was born seemingly pales next to the intervening 20 years of Antoine's life. Wendell and his brother run a trucking business. The family is tight-knit and blue-collar."We do it the old-fashioned way," Wendell said yesterday. "Things don't come set on the table for you. You've got to get the food."Antoine Cason originally planned to take six units over the Internet this semester as he lived in Florida training for the NFL Combine and other predraft workouts. He took just one class."With all I had going on this spring, I didn't want to be in something and not pass it," he said.He now needs one class a three-unit elective to graduate. It's a good bet he'll do it, since he went back to school for his senior season despite the fact he might have been a first-round pick last year."You graduate college," he said. "The sound of 'I graduated,' that just sounds right. I've conquered whatever I've done. I start something, I want to finish it." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:56:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/increasing-access-to-dental-care-1776.html Cosmetic Vessel To reach his goal of collecting 10,000 aluminum cans by the end of the school year, Rigby Wall keeps his eyes peeled to the ground.And sometimes up a tree."One time I found a can in a tree, and there were two inch worms and a spider bigger than a wolf spider in it," said Rigby, a third-grader at Cannons Elementary School. "So I dropped a big rock on it."Under the direction of conservation-minded art teacher Doris Turner, more than 100 students at Cannons have been picking up cans off the roads, from the trash bins and out of the occasional tree in the school's collective quest to make the earth and cleaner and greener place."Ms. Turner encouraged them to clean up the earth," said Susie Wall, Rigby's grandmother and a Cannons recycling volunteer. "Rigby loves to get outside, and he wanted to do what Ms. Turner wants them to do. Last fall, his goal was collecting 2,000 cans. Then it was 5,000. Now it's 10,000."As of mid-April, Rigby was just 1,700 cans shy of that goal, and collectively, the entire school had scooped up more than 25,000 cans.Rigby's efforts have not gone unnoticed by his classmates, either."When I see Rigby picking up cans and bringing them in, I think I can do that, too, and help the earth," said Leah Foster, 9, who's collected about 2,400 cans.As an incentive, students collecting at least 100 cans receive a recycled teddy bear. Turner finds teddy bears at yard sales, flea markets, etc. and cleans them up, sews them up or does whatever needs to be done to make them almost as good as new. Because the Earthcare Project at Cannons has been so successful, she is constantly in need of teddy bears to give her students. (To donate a teddy bear, call Cannons Elementary at 579-8020.) By the way, Rigby has 11 bears. When he reached the 5,000 mark, Rigby won an ice cream party for him and his classmates. He has also been nominated for the Kohl's Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.Can-collecting students who reach the teddy bear level are featured on the in-house TV news program on Thursdays, as well as a special bulletin board recognizing their efforts.The recycled cans have netted the school about $750 this year, and the most of the money goes to maintain the Earth Quilt Garden and to purchase energy-saving light bulbs. The light bulbs are presented to families who, at the beginning of the school year, pledged "to take plastics, paper and other recyclables to the Recycle Center."Turner has expanded the Earthcare Project to include the collection of plastic bottles, and the school has collected more than 7,000 of them. Rigby has brought in about 2,200 bottles. This is a good time of year to find empty soda bottles strewn among the bleachers at local little league games, Rigby said.Both Rigby and Leah collect the tabs off the cans they collect. Susie Wall figures he's collected about 25 pounds of tabs, which were taken to a local kidney dialysis office and now to the local Ronald McDonald House.And both of them enlist the help of family and friends to increase their tallies."Rigby's got everyone in the family involved. People from church bring him bags of cans on Sundays," Susie Wall said. "There's not a day that goes by that he's not collecting cans."Besides avoiding the critters that sometimes take up residence in the discarded cans, picking up cans can be a dirty job. But Leah has one trick to make it more pleasant."When we find beer cans, we spray air freshener on them," she said. Buzz up!The first time the now 12-year-old from Knoxville went to the dentist, "he bit the guy pretty bad," said his dad, Jody Hegwood.But that's not the main problem in finding Josh dental care. Josh has Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes medical and developmental conditions, including mild to moderate mental retardation or learning difficulties, a distinctive facial appearance and heart or blood vessel problems.He had open heart surgery when he was only 1 year old, Jody Hegwood said."(Josh) has a hard time getting a regular dentist to see him because of his heart condition," his father said.So the Hegwoods bring Josh to the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development for his dental care through a statewide program called Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities. The program, started in 1983, is administered by the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the UI College of Dentistry, the UI Center for Disabilities and Development and the Iowa Department of Public Health.Since its inception -- it was started by Dr. Arthur Nowak, a former pediatric dentistry professor at the University of Iowa -- the program has served more than 3,000 children and young adults."It's a program to meet the needs of families who would fall through the cracks," said Gayle Gilbaugh, program associate and Cosmetic Vessel in pediatric dentistry. Gilbaugh also works in the dental clinic in the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development.Participant requirements are that the person needs to be an Iowa resident younger than 21 from a low-income family. The program defines low income as those who are at 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline or less. That means for a family of four, they would earn less than $40,000 a year.Gilbaugh said there are some families who participate in the program where both parents are employed, even some who receive medical insurance but no dental insurance. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:41:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/tackle-your-toughest-loads-of-laundry-with-ease-1775.html Shoe Sponge Have you turned more than a fair share of your white socks pink? Do you struggle to keep your couch cushions clean? If either of these statements describes you, then you're in luck. Katie Brown of PBS's "Keep it Simple" has a rule of thumb for every room of the house and possible laundry mishap.Kitchen tipsWash oven mitts and ironing board covers in cold water in your washer and dry on low, as these items can shrink easily. For sponges, wash them in your dishwasher, then while still wet, pop into the microwave on high for 1 minute to kill any lurking germs.The cloth part of your mop can be washed in the machine if there is no hard metal or plastic attached, but remember to air dry. Plastic dish gloves can be washed in the dishwasher or in the washer on gentle for a short cycle in warm water and then air dried.Bedroom tipsWhen it comes to pillows, invest in a pillow protector to go under your regular pillowcase. Down pillows can be machine washed. Fill the washer halfway with water, and then submerge the pillow to get out all the air. Let the water fill the machine and wash for 8-10 minutes, taking care to set the machine on delicate cycle. Open the lid occasionally to press out air and balance the load if necessary. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:39:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/prom-flowers-tips-and-trends-1774.html Satin Bias Don't make ordering your flowers for prom the last thing on your list, advises Amy Wiest, floral designer at Wildflowers in Palos Heights. Plan ahead and follow Amy's tips has some tips for picking the perfect blooms.Color Cues:The color of the girl's dress is one of the main ingredients when selecting personal flowers for both her and him. Since most of the time we (the floral designers) get this information third or fourth hand, it is imperative that you use very descriptive color terms: there are a thousand shades of pink and a rainbow of intensities within each shade. We don't want to over complicate the matter, but the closer we get to knowing the actual color, the better able we are to guide you in what would flatter it best. When designing for dresses whose colors don't match natural flowers, select colors that will compliment the color of the dress or intensities that are the same as the value of the dress; i.e. a watery shade of turquoise would look great with mixed garden flowers in shades of warm yellow, medium pinks, lavenders and soft blues.Style Cues: Although color is the main determining factor for flowers, dress style is just slightly less important. A Cinderella-style ball gown requires different treatment than a bias-cut slip dress even if the color is exactly the same for both. Keep the flowers more traditional for a more youthful dress and more unusual for a contemporary dress. As for the boys, the color and print of their vest et tie should be the guides. The Recipient:When the dress color and style don't offer enough guidance, consider the person wearing the dress. We often use school clubs and athletic associations as well as favorite stores to help us get to know the person better. Her personal flowers should compliment both her personality and her outfit.Some Things to remember!Size does matter! Simple elegance is best achieved with a bouquet that is petite. There is plenty of time for carrying a bridal bouquet later in life. The same goes for boutonnières, young men do not want to wear anything too large or fussy.NO Accents like satin ribbons, glittered and spray painted flowers and lace bouquet collars. They may have been in style when your parents went to prom, but they aren't anymore.This doesn't have to be Mom's job! The selection of your date's flowers is a personal choice, which is best made by the person who knows your date the best. We are there to help you make the best choice and get the biggest impact for your budget.Budget, budget, budget! Flower cost can vary as much as dress cost. Be upfront with your florist but don't be unrealistic. The designer should have some pricing guidelines posted within the store. Keep in mind that more unusual flowers or a design that requires a lot of labor to accomplish will be more expensive.Nosegay or corsage? Although corsages are usually reserved for less formal dances like homecoming or Junior prom, you should select the flowers that will suit your date best. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:37:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/mountainsmith-cross-country-backpack-1773.html Elastic Webbing Belt The multi-day backpacking pack, the Cross Country 3.0 features our load dispersion technology suspension, front and top access, a fully equipped removable day pack for quick trips from base camp, protective features for those inclement weather days and canted water bottle holders for easy access on the trail. * Large rain cover fits this pack * Load Dispersion Technology Suspension * Independently adjustable shoulder straps with dual density foam * Elastic sternum strap and bite valve catch * Safety Whistle * Molded foam back panel * Pivoting waist belt with dual density foam and a HDPE sheet * 4 load adjusters for load dispersion * Detachable lid * Water resistant clear map case * Collared storm shield with draw cord closure 4 compression straps with quick-release hardware * Detachable day pack that is hydration compatible * Zippered vertical front pocket with elastic rigging * Fleece lined eyewear pocket * Key clip * Internal organizer pockets * U-shaped zippered access into the main compartment * Dual ice axe loops with daisy chain rigging points * Separate sleeping bag compartment with internal divider * Sleeping pad compression straps with quick release hardware * 2 canted water bottle pockets that accommodate 32 oz water bottles * Hydration compatible with dual exit ports * Trekking pole mountsConstruction * 100% Recycled PET webbing and binding * Twin T6 1" 6061 concave aluminum stays * Bar tack reinforcements * 150d Recycled PET rip stop lining * 840d Recycled PET reinforcements * 450d Recycled PET body fabric Sat, 17 May 2008 17:34:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/curtain-tapes-and-elastic-products-from-narrowtex-australia-1772.html src_product/" target="_blank">Elastic Webbing Narrowtex Australia offers a wide range of products that includes narrostrap, cable pulling tape, curtain tape, elastic products, restraint webbing, polypropylene webbings, superior lifting solutions, cargo restraint solutions, military webbing, safety harness webbing, sports and leisure products, home décor, fashion trims, military and safety products, packaging and branding and arresta access ropes.Narrowtex Australia offers a wide range of curtain tapes that varies from simple, cost-effective to up-market luxurious tapes. Narrowtex Australia employs knowledgeable and skilled sales staff to assist the customers to choose the tape best suiting their requirements and needs.The curtain tape range offered by Narrowtex Australia include deep pleat, smock pleat, multi pleat, trident pleat, mini pleat, tridis tape, Regis pleat, voil tape, buckram tape and many more. Narrowtex Australia uses only high quality polypropylene and polyester yarns in the construction of tapes, ensuring reliable and consistent product. All the products offered by Narrowtex Australia are manufactured in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system.Narrowtex Australia manufactures a wide range of woven and knitted elastic for home textiles, clothing and other sectors. The various elastic products offered by Narrowtex Australia include buttonhole elastic, draw cord elastic, waistband tape, pico zigzag elastic and gusset elastic. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:32:00 GMT http://uebueb3.spoonylife.com/eight-year-old-rigby-wall-has-a-can-do-attitude-1771.html Spray Air Freshener To reach his goal of collecting 10,000 aluminum cans by the end of the school year, Rigby Wall keeps his eyes peeled to the ground.And sometimes up a tree."One time I found a can in a tree, and there were two inch worms and a spider bigger than a wolf spider in it," said Rigby, a third-grader at Cannons Elementary School. "So I dropped a big rock on it."Under the direction of conservation-minded art teacher Doris Turner, more than 100 students at Cannons have been picking up cans off the roads, from the trash bins and out of the occasional tree in the school's collective quest to make the earth and cleaner and greener place."Ms. Turner encouraged them to clean up the earth," said Susie Wall, Rigby's grandmother and a Cannons recycling volunteer. "Rigby loves to get outside, and he wanted to do what Ms. Turner wants them to do. Last fall, his goal was collecting 2,000 cans. Then it was 5,000. Now it's 10,000."As of mid-April, Rigby was just 1,700 cans shy of that goal, and collectively, the entire school had scooped up more than 25,000 cans.Rigby's efforts have not gone unnoticed by his classmates, either."When I see Rigby picking up cans and bringing them in, I think I can do that, too, and help the earth," said Leah Foster, 9, who's collected about 2,400 cans.As an incentive, students collecting at least 100 cans receive a recycled teddy bear. Turner finds teddy bears at yard sales, flea markets, etc. and cleans them up, sews them up or does whatever needs to be done to make them almost as good as new. Because the Earthcare Project at Cannons has been so successful, she is constantly in need of teddy bears to give her students. (To donate a teddy bear, call Cannons Elementary at 579-8020.) By the way, Rigby has 11 bears. When he reached the 5,000 mark, Rigby won an ice cream party for him and his classmates. He has also been nominated for the Kohl's Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.Can-collecting students who reach the teddy bear level are featured on the in-house TV news program on Thursdays, as well as a special bulletin board recognizing their efforts.The recycled cans have netted the school about $750 this year, and the most of the money goes to maintain the Earth Quilt Garden and to purchase energy-saving light bulbs. The light bulbs are presented to families who, at the beginning of the school year, pledged "to take plastics, paper and other recyclables to the Recycle Center."Turner has expanded the Earthcare Project to include the collection of plastic bottles, and the school has collected more than 7,000 of them. Rigby has brought in about 2,200 bottles. This is a good time of year to find empty soda bottles strewn among the bleachers at local little league games, Rigby said.Both Rigby and Leah collect the tabs off the cans they collect. Susie Wall figures he's collected about 25 pounds of tabs, which were taken to a local kidney dialysis office and now to the local Ronald McDonald House.And both of them enlist the help of family and friends to increase their tallies."Rigby's got everyone in the family involved. People from church bring him bags of cans on Sundays," Susie Wall said. "There's not a day that goes by that he's not collecting cans."Besides avoiding the critters that sometimes take up residence in the discarded cans, picking up cans can be a dirty job. But Leah has one trick to make it more pleasant."When we find beer cans, we spray air freshener on them," she said. Buzz up! Sat, 17 May 2008 17:30:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/morgan-oates-ties-up-the-asian-market-1770.html Stripe Scarf UK. The cashmere scarf specialist Morgan et Oates will introduce its Autumn/Winter 08 collection of 100% cashmere scarves at TFWA Asia Pacific (Stand G5).The new collection, which is mainly targeted at the Asian market, is described as a ‘fashionable new twist to a classic design that will appeal to both men and women'.It includes a collection of antique Tartans that are designed to avoid the dilution of pigment caused by weathering or passage of time. The travel retail price of these scarves will be about US$110. Many new cashmere/merino mix pashmina designs, including a collection of animal prints and new fine stripe colours will also be presented.Morgan et Oates has identified the Asia Pacific region as an important market and is looking to target ground shops in addition to its inflight business.Worldwide Sales Director Kevin Galbraith said: "Our main market is still Japan and we do excellent business with ANA; however, we continue to work actively with Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia."Morgan et Oates won a new listing onboard ANA's international flights for its 100% cashmere stole in Ice Blue on 1 March and recently started selling its collection in mainland China, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport T2, at the end of last month.Galbraith adds: "This new listing, plus our new business in Pudong, is a great start to the year in Asia and we very much look forward to developing distribution further through contacts we make at TFWA Asia Pacific this year." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:26:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/brazilian-confederation-of-soccer-prohibits-sales-of-alcohol-in-stadia-1769.html Soccer Products BRASILIA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Confederation of Soccer (CBF) announced on Saturday that they will impose a dry law on the sales of alcoholic beverages during games when the Brazilian national team plays throughout the country.The declaration was made in order to limit incidents of violence within the stadium. The Brazilian national soccer team will be playing in front of its home crowd during eliminatory games for the 2010 World Cup.Despite the inhibition of sales, the advertisement of beer will remain inside the stadiums. The million dollar sponsorship of Ambev, owner of products such as Brahma, Antarctica and Skol beer, will be permitted to display its advertisement, although the sales of its products will be restricted.The CBF claims that de decision was made with the objective of giving fans more security. Additionally, the CBF affirmed that the prohibition inside stadiums throughout Brazil for games played by the national team has nothing to do with the relationship with Ambev. The company did not make any statements regarding the issue.Apart from the restriction of alcoholic beverages, the CBF stated that it will aim to perfect conditions of security and hygiene within stadiums throughout Brazil. Such improvements will be registered by the Public Ministry and will be inspected before games take place. According to the president of the CBF, Ricardo Teixeira, the new security and health measures will enter into practice immediately. National teams that do not comply with the new measures will be punished. The decree comes before the opener of the Cup of Brazil.The vice-president of the Flamengo soccer club, Kleber Leite, added his support to the new rules mentioning that, The mixture of alcohol and emotion is very complicated. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:24:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/cleaning-alternatives-for-a-greener-environment-1768.html Lemon Freshener Jinnifer Gibbsof Michigan State University Extension Ottawa County branch said she is seeing people make a more conscientious choice in becoming earth-friendly. "It's becoming a more mainstream focus," she said. "Just from the inquiries I've received and from what I've seen nationally, I do think we're seeing a new shift. More people are becoming more sensitive to what they're using and how it effects their families and the environment. We're seeing the ramifications in the choices we make and how it can be beneficial or not beneficial." Gibbs explained that common food and baking staples found in your pantry can serve as a greener alternative to the store-bought cleaning agents which might contain pollutant chemicals. "First, it's a cost savings for your home comprising of things in your pantry," she said. "Second, it'll have an impact on society with water runoffs, it'll eliminate something that's going into a system that's going out into our environment." In an effort to a greener alternative, Gibbs said many people are confused by product labels, especially those marked "toxic," but are safe to use, and "non-toxic." "When in doubt, call the manufacturer," she said. "If you question whether it's safe, go to the source." An example of a "toxic, but safe" product is an air freshener. "Air fresheners truly do not freshen the air, they mask the odor," Gibbs said. A safe and all-natural alternative to air fresheners would be to boil cinnamon and cloves on the stove, which will disperse a scent through the air, killing the odor, according to Gibbs. "It's non-evasive and safe," she said of the alternative. Another cleaning agent combination that can be found in your pantry vinegar and water also works great for cleaning windows. Common store-bought cleaning products, such as Clorox, are also being re-vamped, offering a "greener" alternative for the consumer. Clorox Green Works is a line of cleaning supplies from toilet bowl cleaners to glass and all-purpose cleaners made from natural ingredients. According to its Web site, greenworkscleaners.com, the new cleaning line is made from plants and minerals, including a coconut-based cleaning agent, lemon oils, corn-based ethanol, filtered water and biodegradable preservatives. None of the Lemon Freshener products contain any phosphorus or bleach, according to the company. "The ingredients must come from renewable resources, be biodegradable and free of petrochemicals," the Web site states. "Green Works cleaners are at least 99 percent natural." Four of the five Green Works products are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment Program. Those products, and others made from natural ingredients, will have a DfE world label on its packaging. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/somali-pirates-find-booming-business-1767.html sail outboard motors The spoils of a career as a pirate off Somalia's high seas were simply too good for Abdi Muse to pass up. He bought two Land Cruisers and a new home, then married two women in one passionate week. "I was giving away money to everyone I met," said Muse, 38, who said he made $90,000 hijacking ships. "After two months, I had no money left. Can you believe it?" For years, Somali pirates like Muse have found lucrative work stalking the country's lawless coast, seizing boats and negotiating ransoms. But these brazen assailants could soon face more force as the United States and France muster international support for taking them on. "This is a very important and serious signal that the nations of the world take (piracy) seriously," said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy. The United States has been leading international patrols to combat piracy along Somalia's unruly 1,880-mile coast, the longest in Africa and near key shipping routes. Now, the U.S. and France are drafting a U.N. resolution that would allow countries to chase and arrest pirates after a spate of recent attacks, including a Spanish tuna boat hijacked this week by pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and a Dubai- flagged cargo ship seized while carrying food to the desperately poor country. The cargo ship was rescued Tuesday by Somali forces, who arrested seven pirates, but the Spanish boat and its crew remain in the hands of hijackers. French officials say they are pushing for a resolution that would make it easier for armies to swoop into other countries' waters and nab pirates. The push comes after French commandos freed hostages on a French tourist yacht seized earlier this month off the coast of Somalia, and then chased the pirates on land and arrested them. "The international community must respond and set up a rotating mechanism to control and keep watch with our naval forces so as to guarantee the security and protection of all those who fish or sail through that zone," Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said as his country awaited word on its hijacked tuna boat. Many Somali pirates are trained fighters linked to politically powerful clans that have carved the country into armed fiefdoms; others are young thugs enlisted to do the dirty work for older, more powerful criminals, who turn a profit by taking a cut of the ransom money and selling the ship's cargo. Pirates often dress in military fatigues, using speedboats equipped with satellite phones and Global Positioning System equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades, according to the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia. Somalia's already overstretched government welcomed the initiative to involve international forces in patrolling its pirate-infested coastal waters. Wracked by more than a decade of violence and anarchy, Somalia does not have a navy, and the transitional government formed in 2004 with U.N. help has struggled to contain a deadly insurgency. "These forces could come inside the country if it is needed," said government spokesman Abdi Hagi Gobdon. To some pirates, however, the prospect of international force is not particularly daunting. "We are not scared of the U.S. troops or any other troops stationed off our waters. Why should we be scared?" asked Siyad, a Somali pirate who asked that his full name not be used for fear of reprisals. "They have weapons, but so do we. And we are the ones with the human shields," he said, noting that troops are loath to use force because it risks harming hostages. The International Maritime Bureau says piracy worldwide is on the rise, with seafarers suffering 49 attacks between January and March up 20 percent from the same period last year. Nigeria ranked as the No. 1 trouble spot. India and the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's northern coast tied for second, with each reporting five incidents. Somalia had 31 attacks involving pirates in 2007 alone, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Noel Choong, head of the agency's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, said simple economics can explain much of Somalia's burgeoning piracy. "At the end of the day, you hijack a ship, you get paid ransom," Choong said. "These pirates aren't frightened because the returns are so big." The pirates frequently travel in open skiffs with outboard motors, often working with larger mother ships that tow them far out to sea. With an intimate knowledge of local waters, they clamber aboard commercial vessels with ladders and grappling hooks. The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday. Shipping companies and foreign governments rarely acknowledge paying ransom, but recent demands have soared into the millions of dollars. "Our motivation is money, so it is not our plan to harm the hostages we take," Siyad said. "We never agree to release the hostages or the ship before the ransom is paid in cash." Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya -based Seafarers Assistance Program estimates that Somali pirates have received more than $3 million in ransom this year alone, an astronomical sum even considering it would be split among dozens or even hundreds of criminals. International terrorism, always a concern in the volatile Horn of Africa, and particularly in lawless Somalia, does not appear to have a role in the country's piracy, according to several observers. "I don't know that there has been a tie. We're not necessarily looking for one," said Robertson, the U.S. Navy spokeswoman. Ali Abdi Aware, the foreign affairs minister in Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region, where many of the attacks take place, said he does not know of any links between piracy and foreign terrorists. But, he added, the pirates' disregard for law and order in general "may encourage terrorism." Siyad said his decision to become a pirate was a matter of survival. Impoverished and with no job prospects, he saw two options: risk his life by fleeing Somalia in a leaky boat to the more prosperous countries across the Gulf of Aden, or join up with pirates who were flush with cash. Now, $35,000 richer after hijacking two vessels, including a Japanese tanker seized in December, Siyad said the best, most profitable choice was clear. He plans to use his spoils to try to escape the poverty and instability of Somalia. "I want to go abroad using a safe route, using my money," he said. But Muse the pirate who spent all his money in one go had second thoughts a few years ago, blaming the easy money for the loss of his wives and other personal misfortunes. "I had to sell the house and the cars," Muse said. "I divorced my wives. I stopped this job after thinking about how it affects our Islamic religion and our Somali culture." "Now I work at a private company, I am no longer a pirate," he said. "I am happy to get a small monthly salary." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:20:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/hapa-set-to-impress-1766.html flexo printer Hapa AG, the Zurich-based supplier of online pack printing technologies for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and healthcare sectors, will showcase new additions to its flexographic and digital printer ranges, reinforcing the company's status as the leading solutions provider in its field. The company will also introduce a hybrid flexo/digital system to deliver optimum quality, flexibility and cost-effectiveness in applications such as unit dose coding, randomisation and serialisation. Hapa flexo printers remain the online printing technology of choice on pharmaceutical blister lines worldwide, over four decades on from launch. Fast and straightforward to set-up, the Hapa 200 series machines produce high-quality print via solvent-free UV inks. Their popularity is further enhanced by the use of a flexographic printing plate, which makes for straightforward validation and compliance with pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice. While printing on blister lidding foil is one of the better-known applications for the Hapa 200, the technology can be applied to a diverse range of reel-fed substrates, as will be demonstrated by products debuting at interpack. The Hapa 210 is a narrow web printer designed for integration with conventional labelling machines to partially or fully print pre-cut self-adhesive labels in up to five colours at speeds up to 30 metres per minute. Each printing unit is fitted with a sensor to monitor label edges so that highly accurate registration is maintained throughout. The machine is also available in an offline roll-to-roll version that can be used to supply a number of labelling machines. A particular advantage of the Hapa 210 is that no special label stock is required: thanks to instantaneous UV curing of print, the system can print onto virtually any material - coated or uncoated paper, PVC and security labels. The unit is compact and easily accommodated on any packaging line. Also new is the Hapa 260, which boasts the widest web width in the range and has been developed in co-operation with a leading medical care company. The Hapa 260 prints onto intravenous infusion bag material as an integral part of the production process. Again UV curing is key, ensuring that there is no possibility of the inks migrating through the substrate and particular attention has been paid to material handling, to avoid any mechanical stress on the web. All Hapa 200 systems are format-free, with a pilgrim step system accommodating different print lengths. Features contributing to operator acceptance include clear, menu-driven operation via a colour touchscreen interface, simple and accurate print mat mounting by means of locator pins and easy to handle, quick change inking devices. Launched last year, the Hapa 807 BlisterJet digital UV Drop On Demand inkjet system has been introduced to help pharmaceutical manufacturers achieve greater productivity and higher levels of Overall Equipment Effectiveness in their blister packaging operations. The first commercially-available system for late stage customisation of pre-cut pharmaceutical blisters, the Hapa 807 allows producers to make the shift from the traditional 'make to batch' philosophy operations to a more efficient 'make to stock' model. Its capabilities will be demonstrated at interpack on a complete late stage customisation line, operating in conjunction with an automated blister feeding system and a cartoner. Based on the success of the Hapa 807 BlisterJet, Hapa has announced a significant strengthening of the Hapa 800 range with the launch of two new models - the CartonJet and LabelJet - enabling pharmaceutical manufacturers faced with handling many small batches of product to benefit from greater flexibility and productivity, as well as improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness across their packaging operations. The CartonJet handles pre-folded and glued cartons, while the LabelJet is available in reel-to-reel or inline executions. Each standard system is a complete unit incorporating printer modules combined with a customised product handling and transport system, offering a full digital four colour (CMYK) approach. The LabelJet includes the intelligence to complete the current print cycle during line stoppages, thereby ensuring that there is no impact on print quality or packaging line efficiency. The Hapa 800 series is built around UV Drop On Demand, digital printing technology. This produces extremely high quality print thanks to sophisticated drop placement, with the capacity to print at full blister, carton or label web width. The printheads operate with high specification UV inks, which are extremely resistant to both smudging and scuffing. A unique hybrid system integrating the Hapa 237 flexo foil printer with a DOD printhead will be presented as a highly inventive solution for pharmaceutical manufacturers needing to comply with forthcoming legislation on traceability of medicines, which in some cases will mean that each pocket of each blister will be required to carry a unique code. This will facilitate tracking and tracing of product from manufacturer to dispensary and in some cases even to the point of administration, to ensure patient safety and as a weapon against the growing threat of counterfeit products entering the supply chain. Cost-effective, high quality and easy to validate flexographic print is used to produce the text and artwork that remains constant, while DOD technology provides the flexibility to deliver unique information at dose or pack level. Also on show will be products from the Hapa 500 series, a range of digital laser engravers for fast turnaround of flexographic plates for all Hapa 200 series printers and the Hapa 700 series, a unique printing system based on a digital process but which utilises a composite screen master to ensure ease of validation and highest quality print for small batch sizes. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:16:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/clean-a-wood-deck-before-winter-debris-turns-it-ugly-1765.html Brightener The weather is getting too good to stay indoors, but the deck is a mess. Control yourself. Spring is a very dangerous time of year for decks. If you have a wood deck, it has had a winter's worth of freeze and thaw cycles. Melting snow and spring rains have inundated it with so much water that it is in a very weakened condition. Many of the composite decks are made with wood fiber, which makes them just as -- or maybe even more absorbent -- than natural wood. As the decking swells, the gap between decking boards is reduced. According to Fiber Composites, the maker of Fiberon (www.fiberon decking.com), any time the gap between decking boards is less than 3/16 -inch, the deck becomes clogged and the mixture of water and organic debris such as leaf litter, seeds and fertilizer overspray, create a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. The deck needs immediate attention, but keep your hands off the pressure washer. Fiber Composites recommends cleaning with Behr Multi Surface Deck Prep Cleaner and Mildew Stain Remover, www.behr.com. Armor All E-Z Deck Wash and Olympic Deck Wash are available at many hardware stores. Other good bets are Thompson's Water Seal Deck Wash, www.thompsonswater seal.com; and Pittsburgh Paint Ultra Deck Wash, www.ppg.com. The makers of Correct Deck, www.correct deck.com; TimberTech, www.timbertech.com; and Trex, www.trex.com, recommend Corte-Clean, www.corteclean.com. TimberTech also recommends Zinsser Jomax, www.zinsser.com. Whatever cleaner you choose, read the label carefully. I would recommend that you not choose any product that contains sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach). Bleach-based products are dangerous for plants and animals and not good for the environment. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:15:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/wannabe-celebs-provide-the-silver-on-screen-1764.html Scarf Material Ask a big-name rag trade retailer to name a rival they admire and the response is almost always none. Insist they name one and the response is almost always the same: Asos.com.Nick Robertson, the 40-year-old who has built the online fashion business from scratch, is pleased as punch that a business he dreamed up for selling products that shoppers saw on TV is so highly rated. So are shareholders in the Aim-listed company. Four years ago the shares were changing hands at 5p. Today they are nudging 282p, valuing the business at ￡206m and Robertson's stake at ￡28m - not bad for a business with an annual turnover of ￡80m.David Jeary, an analyst at the broker Investec, expects the heady growth rate to continue and has set a 12-month target price for the stock at 355p.Asos, for those with their fashion heads stuck in the sand, was founded in 2000 and built on showing young shoppers how to emulate the designer looks of celebrity magazine favourites such as Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Lopez for a fraction of the cost.The site still links looks to faces. Customers can click on their favourite celeb/wag/pop star and view clothes that look a bit like things they have been pictured in. Want to look like Coleen McLoughlin, Wayne Rooney's intended? Well a "cupped satin corset in the style of Coleen McLoughlin" may be one way. Maybe you prefer the style of Kate Moss? The cheapest way is not to buy her signature range at Topshop but to choose a ￡6 Asos Lurex vest "in the style of" the Croydon supermodel.Today, however, the site, and the business, have morphed into something far more aspirational. Though 70% of sales are still own label, the site is also selling some 250 brands, including luxury labels such as Balenciaga and YSL.Robertson makes no apologies for its celebrity bias: "We are not doing anything different to what women's magazines have been doing since the beginning of time. We are presenting fashion in the way it has always been presented and the way people like to see it presented - with pictures of people wearing stuff."To prove his point he scoots off to find the latest copies of Vogue and Grazia. Turning the pages, he says: "Ooh look, there is a picture of a celebrity wearing something. There's Kylie. There's Victoria ... and there's Kate Moss ... and there's Kate again."The target audience is women aged 18 to 34 and Asos has 1.7 million registered users. Some 180,000 potential customers browse the site each day. It receives 200,000 orders a month, averaging ￡60 a time. Menswear makes up 15% of sales; beauty and cosmetics ranges account for another 3%.Constant shootsAsos HQ, with 200 staff, is a former tobacco factory in Camden. It is one of those trendy "workspaces" beloved of dotcom companies. Robertson and the senior team work out in the open-plan office. The buying department, as always, resembles a jumble sale. The catwalk and studio are used in videoing and photographing every item of clothing - and there are 8,300 on the site. The stock is turned - replaced - every nine weeks, so there are a serious number of snaps to take.It is the range that the internet can provide that Robertson wants to underline. There are 354 full-price dresses available on Asos. There are also 53 from premium-brand ranges and another 214 on the virtual clearance rails. "The Topshop site," he says, "has got 64."Not that he intends to disparage Topshop. "I love it," he says - several times. And despite its much larger range, Asos is still smaller, in terms of turnover, than Topshop's flagship Oxford Street store. "We are tiny really ... but we have an enormous opportunity."Robertson's background is in advertising, but there is retailing in the family genes as his great-grandfather founded the Austin Reed menswear chain.The Asos chief executive left school after A-levels and worked as a media buyer until 1996, when he set up a business called Entertainment Marketing to place products in films and TV programmes. By 2000 he was running a website detailing which products were used in movies and on TV. The business was called AsSeenOnScreen, and it was fashion that proved the biggest success. The product-placement operation was finally ditched last year.Other fashion retailers are having a tough time as debt-laden shoppers rein back spending: Next has warned sales may fall 7% in the coming months and MetS says the downturn could go on for two years. Ethel Austin went into administration this week - a path trod by several other fashion chains this year including Elvi, Base, Select and Dolcis. Robertson, however, reckons Asos will sail through largely unscathed."We are not seeing any signs of a downturn. There are a lot of reasons - things are changing at Asos very quickly and there's so much stuff to look at and buy." He quotes research that suggests "30% growth is guaranteed online" and the fact that "pundits are saying 10% of all clothes will be bought online by 2010 - compared to 3% now".Robertson is full of ideas for the future. "It can be what we make it," he says. The Asos range may already be large, but he wants it to be bigger, stocking the entire ranges of high-street chains and turning Asos into an online fashion mall. "High-street shoppers go to seven to 10 shops, but internet shoppers go to just two or three websites, with bigger ranges."High-street chains, he says, like to put their product on Asos because "it looks better than it does on their own website because they don't have the catwalk".Different hatsThere have been mutterings in the trade that Asos is trimming its margins by selling so many brands. Robertson says critics just don't get it. "Take the traditional retail hat off," he says. "In traditional retail, margin is everything but it is not the be all and end all of this business because we don't have stores."He does, however, have big ideas. He is keen to show off the Asos magazine, a handbag-sized publication - 100 pages with plans for 200 - with an audited circulation of 360,000. "By the end of this year we will be doing 700,000 and it will be the biggest fashion monthly."Does he ever envisage having any shops? "Categorically no ... well, if I could have the Topshop Oxford Circus site, then yes. It's not that I want a shop, it's because of the marketing benefit. But it is not going to happen in the next five years and it would a shop, not shopssss."Making a rather more rapid appearance, he says, will be a new intelligent website, like Amazon, which recognises individual shoppers and only shows them relevant products. "So when my wife visits Asos she sees a different shop to the girl in the office."Then will come Asos marketplace, a cross between eBay and Asos, so customers can run their own mini-boutiques, selling their own clothes online alongside a selection of Asos goods. Asos will then pay a commission or offer a discount.Another project, codenamed Asos Red, will see the site offering designer end-of-lines at knockdown prices .The father of a five-month-old daughter, Robertson is also toying with a childrenswear business. "But we would not do it under the Asos name. We don't think kids and fashion go together."Asos's growth has not been without hiccups - in 2005 the Buncefield oil depot explosion blew the roof off its new Hertfordshire warehouse. Sir Philip Green, says Robertson, was one of the first people to offer help. "He rang up and suggested we use his loss assessor. He was very helpful."So does he think the acquisitive billionaire would be interested in adding Asos to his portfolio? "No," says Robertson, "he doesn't buy premium-rated businesses at the top of their game."So, to return to the original question - which retailer does Robertson admire? "HetM, Zara, River Island," he offers. "But I just love Topshop." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:12:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/firehouse-center-mixing-it-up-with-a-string-of-concerts-1763.html Lace String By The LookoutSonya VartabedianClassical music, a step-dancing fiddler and a female pop quartet take the stage in the coming week at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport's Market Square.Here's a look at what's planned:The Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra's Honors Chamber Ensembles tackle works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn and others in a classical concert on Sunday at 2 p.m.The group's membership includes 275 young musicians, ages 6 to 18, from the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire.The Firehouse performance is part of the arts center's commitment to foster an interest in the arts in young audiences, while giving young artists the experience of performing on a concert stage.Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Visit www.nysorchestra.org or call 978-685-7844 for more.Champion Canadian fiddler, singer and step dancer April Verch returns to the Firehouse on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Although her musical roots lie deep in the fiddling of her native Ottawa Valley, her repertoire also features tunes ranging in source and inspiration from Quebecois to the Appalachians, and from bluegrass to Brazilian..The Rounder Records artist and her acoustic band have toured the world with their music.Tickets are $25, $22 for Firehouse members.The Lascivious Biddies, an all-female cocktail pop quartet based in New York City, treats listeners to a blend of jazz, pop and cabaret with four-part harmonies on Thursday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m.The quartet's discography includes its most recent album, "Love You Mean It," which features several favorites, including a modern take on "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend."The Firehouse hosts a "Biddie Party" for ticket-holders before the performance, from 6:45 to 7:20 p.m., with complimentary wine and cheese and lobby entertainment featuring Newburyport jazz saxophonist Danny Harrington. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers, $28 for Firehouse members.For reservations or more information on any of the shows, call the Firehouse at 978-462-7336 or visit www.firehouse.org.Early Greek music with Ensemble TridentEnsemble Trident presents "Graecia Magna," a compilation of early Greek sacred and secular songs, on Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, corner of Park and Harris streets, Newburyport.The program will cover music from the classical era to the fall of Constantinople with considerable emphasis on the Byzantine era. Featured performers are soprano Maria Georgakarakou, baritone Panayotis Terzakis and Rich Maloney on lute.A reception with light refreshments will follow in Nicholson Hall. Tickets are $10, available at Lynch's Pharmacy on High Street, by calling 978-462-3084 or at the door.Literary brunch with local authorsBest-selling author and teacher Andre Dubus III of Newbury and Brunonia Barry, whose self-published novel led to a lucrative publishing contract, will share stories during a literary brunch on Saturday morning, April 12, hosted by the Friends of the Georgetown Peabody Library and the area branch of the American Association of University Women.Dubus, who gained national attention with "The House of Sand and Fog," is awaiting publication of his new novel, "The Garden of Last Days," due out in June. The story is told from several viewpoints: a 3- year-old girl, a 71-year-old woman, and several young men, including one who has traveled from Saudi Arabia intent on harm.Barry is the author of "The Lace Reader," whose heroine is a young woman who returns to Salem from California following the death of her aunt under mysterious circumstances. She finds some of the answers she seeks in the intricate patterns of Ipswich lace. After self-publishing it, the novel netted a seven-figure contract with a major publisher.The authors' presentations will follow a 10:30 a.m. brunch in the meeting room of the Georgetown Library, Lincoln Park at Maple Street, Georgetown. Tickets are $20.Proceeds will benefit the American Association of University Women's Educational Foundation, which awards grants to women for higher education and community betterment, and enable the library friends group to buy museum passes and support children's programs.Space is limited. For reservations, call Mary Paganelli, friends president, at 978-352-2587 or Pat Gorton, AAUW branch president, at 978-352- 8931.'Victorian Lady' celebrates Civil War in RowleyTravel back to the Civil War era when Kandie Carle aka the Victorian Lady shares her insight and vision of the period in a one-woman show on Saturday night, April 12, at Rowley Town Hall, Main Street (Route 1A), Rowley.Carle will portray a woman from the 1860s as she takes her audience on a journey of historical discovery by using vintage mid-1800s clothing and accessories from her own extensive collection as teaching tools.The Connecticut performer will touch on the history of men, women and children's fashions, etiquette, public temperament, customs, anecdotes, stories and a bit of "myth busting" of the Civil War era.The program is presented by the Rowley Historical Society. It runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 7. A light snack and dessert buffet will follow Carle's presentation.Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door; $15 for seniors 65 and up, and $12 for children under 12. For tickets, call Cathy Cousins at 978-948-2746, Shirley Todd at 978-948-2070 or Amber Hovey at 978-948-3340.Great Marsh Symposium highlights coastal treasuresThe history of Plum Island Airport, striped bass research and archaeology are among the topics for the second annual Great Marsh Symposium set for Saturday, April 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport.A lineup of experts will talk about the airport's history, continuing research on striped bass, photography of the Great Marsh, the seasons on a salt marsh farm, ecological mysteries, archaeology and more.Optional field trips to Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Plum Island Airport or the workshop/gallery of local artist Geoff Walker are planned from 3 to 4 p.m.The Great Marsh Coalition supports a coordinated approach to promote the preservation, restoration and stewardship of the Great Marsh.Admission is $12. Registration is required. For a complete schedule or to sign up, call Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center at 978-462-9998 or download the registration form at www.greatmarsh.org.A dramatic read- through for 'Ice's Crossing'The North Shore Readers Theatre Collaborative presents a new play by Newburyport's Ron Pullins titled "Ice's Crossing" on Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m. at The Actors Studio in the Tannery, 50 Water St., Newburyport.The reading is directed by Maureen Daly and features Terry Blanchard, Maria (Sam) Boyd, Jessica Brown, Jesiah Hammond, Juliet Nelson, Jack Redmond and Mary Shapiro. A talk-back led by Marc Clopton will follow the reading.Admission is $7.Richard Thompson concert postponedIf you have tickets for the Richard Thompson show at the Rupert A. Nock Middle School in Newburyport on Saturday night, hold onto them because the sold-out concert has been postponed until October.According to Dave McLaughlin of Heptunes, the production company putting on the show, singer-songwriter Thompson was stung by a scorpion while on vacation in Mexico recently.The show was rescheduled to Saturday, Oct. 18. For more information, go to www.mktix.com/heptunes or call 978-462-9630. Refunds will be honored at the point of purchase, according to McLaughlin. However, because the show is sold out, McLaughlin said it's unlikely ticket-holders who give up their seats will be able to acquire new ones at a later date.'Dance the Night Away' with concert bandThe Merrimack Valley Concert Band gets ready to "Dance the Night Away" on Saturday, April 12, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Georgetown Club.The 40-member group will function as a live dance band for the evening, performing a variety of music from swing, rock and ballads.to cha-cha, mambo and samba. To inspire guests to hit the dance floor, there will be dance demonstrations by Kim Michitson of Priscilla McNally School of Dance in Haverhill.The fundraiser will also include a buffet dinner, a silent auction featuring several Red Sox items including a book signed by David Ortiz; and a cash bar.Tickets are $35, and must be purchased in advance. They are available at The Book Rack, 52 State St., Newburyport, and through the band's Web site, www.mvcband.org/dinnerdance. For more, call 978-352-7625.Spotlight on Newburyport students' artworkNewburyport High School art students take center stage for an art show this spring as part of The Provident Bank's Lobby for the Arts.Titled "Banking on Art: Newburyport High School Student Art Show," the exhibit runs through May 9 at the Newburyport bank branches at 66 Storey Ave. and One Merrimac Landing.A reception is planned for Thursday, April 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Storey Avenue branch. Call Mark Wright at The Provident Bank at 978-225-1401 for more.Bridge Gallery goes wild for spring showIt's "Raining Cats, Dogs, and Other Animals" at the Bridge Gallery in Newburyport. The front windows of the 113 Merrimac St. gallery are featuring paintings with animal themes beginning today.Michael Doran, a retired architect from New York and Virginia who lives in North Andover, is this month's featured artist. An award-winning watercolorist, Doran's pieces highlight architectural as well as more fanciful subjects..An artist's reception for Doran,.with music and refreshments, takes place Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.On Sunday, Bridge Gallery continues its "Second Sundays at the Gallery" series. Gallery artist Anne Recchia, who received an artist's residency in France in 2006, will discuss her monthlong experience at 2 p.m.Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Historical novelist turning pages in PortNewburyport author Anne Easter Smith provides some insight into her historical fiction, "A Rose for The Crown" and "Daughter of York," during a reading and book-signing on Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. at The Book Rack, 52 State St., Newburyport.A native of England, Smith developed a love of English history as a child. Her first book, "A Rose for the Crown," was inspired by her fascination with Richard III. She is under contract for two more novels with Touchstone Books, a division of Simon et Schuster.Call 978-462-8615 or visit www.bookrackbookstore.com.Buddhist teacher answering 'The Big Questions'Lama Surya Das reads from his latest book, "The Big Questions: How to Find Your Own Answers to Life's Essential Mysteries," Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at Jabberwocky Bookshop in the Tannery, 50 Water St., Newburyport.The best-selling author explores 14 philosophical questions inspired by his own life experiences. His writing also explores and explains Buddhist perspectives and universal teachings to allow readers to develop their own essential questions.Raised in New York, Surya Das is a leading Western Buddhist meditation teacher and scholar, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a spokesman for the emerging American Buddhism. The founder of the Dzogchen Meditation Centers, he is the author of the trilogy "Awakening the Buddha Within," "Awakening to the Sacred" and "Awakening the Buddhist Heart."The program is free. For more, call Jabberwocky at 978-465 -9359 or visit http://jabberwocky.booksense.com.'Aladdin Jr.' sings its way onto local stageVisit Agrabah, City of Enchantment, with Moonlight Productions as it presents Disney's "Aladdin Jr." Thursday, April 10, through Saturday, April 12, at First Congregational Church, 7 Andover St., Georgetown.The cast features Erika Santosuosso of Georgetown as Jasmine, Will Barrett of Georgetown as The Prince formerly known as The Artist, Rob Stahley of Groveland as the sultan, Toney Brown of West Newbury as Iago, and Jenny Donovan of Georgetown as one of the narrators. Other local performers include Kelly Gillian, Meg Flaherty, Gunner Lekborg and Katie Hopkins, all of Georgetown; and Meaghan Thomassen, Erin Thomassen and Katrina Shelbourne, all of Rowley.Performances are tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $15 for reserved seats and $10 for children 12 and under and seniors.. For reservations or information, visit www.moonlightproductions.org or call 888-414-8055.Port performers spin through North Shore museumYo-Yo champions Rebecca and John Higby of Newburyport dazzle with tricks using Hula Hoops, yo-yos and a lot of humor in a show on Sunday, April 13, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Wenham Museum, 132 Main St., Wenham.The performers will dig up some old yo-yo tricks, like "Walk the Dog" and "Rock the Baby," and introduce some new ones, like "Boingy Boingy" and "Iron Whip."Admission is $15 general; $10 for museum members. Visitors are invited to arrive early and learn the history of yo- yos, Hula Hoops and other classic toys in the museum's special exhibit, "Look What I Got! 100 Years of Timeless Toys."Call 978-468-2377 or visit www.wenhammuseum.org.Faces of Salisbury Beach on displayMarla Sweeney has fond memories of childhood days spent at Salisbury Beach, enjoying the surf and amusement park. When she returned in 2003, she found much had changed. The carnival was stripped of its festiveness and entertainment; the big wheel and Dodge 'em cars were out of sight.Sweeney, who is on the faculty of Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, instead focused her camera on the people at the beach, creating "a street-level narrative about everyday life in this part of American society.""Salisbury," a series of Sweeney's pictures taken over the past several summers at New England beaches, with an emphasis on Salisbury Beach, is on display at the Atelier Gallery (formerly the Emerging Artist Gallery) of the Griffin Museum in Winchester.The exhibit runs through May 18. An opening reception takes place tonight from 7 to 8:30. Visit www.griffinmuseum.org for more.Local youth in 'Year with Frog and Toad'Rowley's Brendan Leonard is joining an 18-member cast in a Youth Performance Academy production of "A Year with Frog and Toad" at North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly.The show, based on the award-winning books by Arnold Lobel, takes the stage Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 and $15. Call 978-232-7200 or visit www.nsmt.org.Spring chamber music concert at NECCThe Essex Chamber Music Players will perform an eclectic mix of music from the classics of Haydn to Russian- and Argentinean- influenced pieces to the politically motivated in its spring concert Sunday, April 1 at Northern Essex Community College, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill."Music for the 21st Century, Music Treasures of the Past, New Works" will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the college's Technology Center. Flutist Michael Finegold, cellist Emmanuel Feldman and pianist David Pihl will present the program.Admission is $10 general; $5 for students, and free for NECC students. Tickets are available in advance at www.mvarts.info. For more, call 978-470-1584 or visit www.essexchambermusicplayers.orgBoston Antiques Weekend draws localsTwo local faces will be among the crowd of presenters and dealers at this weekend's Boston Antiques Weekend. The event is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.Jane Niebling of Paper Art and Scott Nason of Scott Nason Historic America will join the 250 dealers participating in the three shows under one roof the Boston Antiques Show, the Boston Antiquarian Book and Ephemera Show, and the Boston Antique Textile and Vintage Fashion Show.Visit www.bostonantiquesweekend.com or call 781- 862-4039.Photographers salute Essex National Heritage Area.The works of local photographers are among the award-winning images from the 2007 Essex Heritage Photography Contest featured in an exhibit this spring in the National Park Service Regional Visitors Center in Salem.The exhibit is a collaboration of the Essex National Heritage Commission and National Park Service.Photographers Matthew Shelter of Byfield and Trish McGregor of Rowley join Daniel Terry and Zachary Peterson, both of Ipswich; Kathryn Prybylski of Boston, and Marion J. Bayly and Jean Mackay, both of new York, as the featured artists.The award-winning photographs may also be viewed on the Essex Heritage Web site at http://essexheritage.org/photocontest/.The deadline for submissions for the 2008 Essex Heritage Photography is Oct. 1. Contest details are also available on the Essex Heritage Web site.Powow River Poets monthly reading seriesBoston University faculty member Marcia Karp and Deborah Warren of Andover, both of whom have won both the New Criterion Poetry Prize and Richard Wilbur Award, are the featured readers at this month's Powow River Poets reading on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Newburyport Art Association, 65 Water St., Newburyport.Karp's poetry and translations have appeared in a variety of publications, and was invited to read.her poems at Balliol College in Oxford..A. resident of Newton, she has advanced degrees in literary criticism and literary history from Boston University, where she is an assistant professor of rhetoric.A longtime member of the Powow River Poets, Warren is the author of two poetry collections: "The Size of Happiness" and "Zero Meridian," which received the 2003 New Criterion Poetry Prize. A new book, "Dream With Flowers and Bowl of Fruit," which won the 2008 Richard Wilbur Award,.is due out later this year.The reading is free. An open mike will follow the featured readers. Visit www.newburyportart.org or e-mail contactmcantor@prodigy.net for more.Program puts nuclear energy up for debateChris Nord, vice president of Citizens Awareness Network and board member of C-10 (formerly Citizens Within a 10-Mile Radius), presents "Nuclear Energy: Sustainable and Secure?" on Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center, 1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport.Nord will lead a discussion on nuclear power today, climate change and energy security. He will address such questions as whether nuclear energy should be considered as a future energy choice and how it compares in terms of economics to energy conservation and efficiency and to renewable sources. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:12:00 GMT http://uebueb2.spoonylife.com/cason-at-loss-for-words-not-much-else-1762.html Round Collar Antoine Cason's voice said that he was "at a loss for words" and "speechless."His smile, packaged with an unflinching gaze, a charming cadence, the unquestionably certain way he stood, said he had it all under control.If the cornerback out of Arizona is as smooth on the field in the NFL as he was on his first day as a professional player, the Chargers made a fantastic first-round pick and their pass defense will benefit greatly for years to come.Every draft pick attempts to impress in his first public appearance after being drafted. Some fail; others are simply transparent. Cason nailed it.Based on yesterday's noon gathering and widespread accounts of who he is, he is clearly all the Chargers purported him to be when they took him Saturday, explaining he was a "leader" and a "character guy."First off, the kid can play. There is every reason to expect he will be the Chargers' third cornerback come September.He made 15 interceptions in four college seasons, third-most by an Arizona player. Of those, 10 were off quarterbacks who are in the NFL or were drafted this weekend.New teammate Jacob Hester, the Chargers' second pick in this year's draft, remembers this of the game in 2006 when Arizona played LSU, then quarterbacked by eventual No. 1 draft choice JaMarcus Russell."He intercepted a pass against us," Hester said.Were the Chargers to oppose Green Bay, new Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would remember the two picks Cason had against him when Rodgers played for Cal.Not that genetics alone makes a first-round talent, but Cason was accompanied to Chargers Park yesterday by his father, Wendell, who played three years in the NFL in the 1980s. Antoine Cason came to a Chargers game this past December to see his cousin Aevion play for the Detroit Lions. Another cousin, Ken-yon Rambo, played four years in the league. At a dinner party for Cason on Saturday in his hometown of Long Beach, more than a dozen Cason kin with Division I football experience celebrated with him.Blessed for sure, blood alone is not what got him here.What his dad did in an NFL career that ended a year after Antoine was born seemingly pales next to the intervening 20 years of Antoine's life. Wendell and his brother run a trucking business. The family is tight-knit and blue-collar."We do it the old-fashioned way," Wendell said yesterday. "Things don't come set on the table for you. You've got to get the food."Antoine Cason originally planned to take six units over the Internet this semester as he lived in Florida training for the NFL Combine and other predraft workouts. He took just one class."With all I had going on this spring, I didn't want to be in something and not pass it," he said.He now needs one class a three-unit elective to graduate. It's a good bet he'll do it, since he went back to school for his senior season despite the fact he might have been a first-round pick last year."You graduate college," he said. "The sound of 'I graduated,' that just sounds right. I've conquered whatever I've done. I start something, I want to finish it." Sat, 17 May 2008 17:09:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/black-and-white-just-right-for-bakery-1761.html While living in New York City eight years ago, Joshua Auerbach came up with an idea to open a black and white cookie bakery. He created and registered a Web site, blackandwhitecookies.com, but it took four years before he was able to begin producing his cookies, Auerbach said. Auerbach, president and chief executive officer of The Black et White Cookie Co., started his business in a Binghamton church in 2004 and looked at a few sites before leasing his current space on Griswold Street and setting up his baking facility there in July 2006. Production started a month later, Auerbach said. The move from New York City to Binghamton four years ago was dictated by financing, he said, as the local area had relatively inexpensive real estate costs compared with other locations throughout the state. Having the cookies made in New York was necessary because that's the state where they were born, Auerbach said. "The cookie has to have New York on the box," he said. To produce the cookies, Auerbach purchased a used rotary oven and had it shipped from Louisville, Ky. The oven can bake up to 1,000 cookies at a time, though it typically bakes smaller amounts, Auerbach said. The company's custom-made metal cooling and icing racks came from local business Endicott Precision Inc., he said. Auerbach said his investment in the business -- $400,000 so far -- has helped generate cookie sales to customers throughout the United States, Canada and even Iraq. "Except for the Dakotas, we've sold to every state," he said. Auerbach said he and his five employees bake an average of 1,000 cookies every week, depending on orders. Virtually all of his company's orders come from the Web site, Auerbach said. "We do everything made to order," he said. Auerbach's prices on his cookies put him in a high-end category, with a dozen cookies costing $40 to purchase. "We're gourmet so we have the high prices to go with it," he said. The cookies can come in the traditional circle shape with black and white icing, but dozens of shapes and colors are also available, Auerbach said. Cookies geared toward specific holidays and those for corporate gatherings and weddings are also popular, he said. Images can be placed on the cookies or on the cookie's individual packaging, Auerbach said. The future is about franchising and Auerbach is seeking venture capital to hire additional staff and increase production, he said. The company is looking to open its first store in Corning, which will have coffee drinks, ice cream and, of course, black and white cookies, Auerbach said. A site in Ithaca is another possibility, he said. All regional stores will receive their cookies from the Binghamton-based facilities, Auerbach said. "Down the road we'll have regional production," he said. There has been interest from others for stores in several states and overseas, Auerbach said. "We actually have interest in Japan," he said. Sat, 17 May 2008 17:05:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/vital-taking-fashion-in-your-stride..-1760.html Ladies Singlet Look Great While On The Run With Our Top TipsIN the Seventies and Eighties runners faced a fashion black hole with high-leg flappy shorts and one-size-fits-all vests.Even worse were dull colour schemes, shiny nylon fabrics and a male-only bias.The Nineties began to see a widening of styles and more imaginative shades. But it has been the 21st century that has heralded a revolution in fitness clothing.Now brands are offering fabulous colours and trend-setting outfits. Running kit also comes in a wide range of sizes, including flattering female-fit.And the use of hi-tech fabrics means niggles of the past, such as sweat soaked tops, rashes and rubs, are pretty much eliminated.Pamela Andrews, assistant manager of Glasgow-based Run 4 It sports shop, agrees there has been a huge change in the fitness clothing market. She said: "Manufacturers and designers of running and walking clothing are becoming more adventurous and consumers seem to appreciate this."Women especially like the brighter colours and feminine fit."Many female keep-fit fans also prefer the slimming effect of black on the bottom and colours on top.Christine MacDonald, of Achilles Heel, another specialist running store, said: "The most popular combination of jogging or walking clothes is black tights or looser-fit pants jazzed up with abright, figure-hugging top."The latest collections of fitness clothing brands such as Gore, Ron Hill, New Balance, and Nike, include hues of red, bright blue, baby pink and raspberry purple. Swiss company Oldo has also introduced a flowery design.Running accessories and gadgets are also worthy of a place on the fashion catwalk. Water bottles, watches and even socks are not only useful but look good too."Attention to detail and accessorising is all part of the running fashion trend too," said Pamela."People are keen to have cool looking kit, and because of this manufacturers are producing far more items such as heart rate monitors in appealing colours and styles."Many are women-specific too."So ladies, just because you run - or power walk - it doesn't mean you have to leave your fashion sense at home.JOGGERS:INTO THE BLUETOP to toe in cool aqua blue, our running model Nicole Treacy is not only dressed for action, but looks stylish, too.The running tights, vest and jacket offer the ideal mix-and-match outfit, while the essential trainers and socks offer added detailing.FEET FIRST: Trainers are a runner's most important piece of kit and it's vital that you have them fitted by an expert.While you should never choose footwear based on colour or style, these days the chances are the right shoe for you will look good, too. Bright blue is bang on-trend, ensuring the Asics Nimbus 9 trainers co-ordinate perfectly with the rest of the outfit. Available in sizes 3 to 9, price ￡100.LEGGINGS: Three-quarter lengths are very in and also very flattering, as they make legs appear longer.These Odlo Active tights are made from innovative Lycra micro material, which helps to shape and support your legs in all the right places.While everyone loves to wear flattering black on the bottom, these tights have added interest thanks to pretty aqua blue detailing.On the practical side, the fabric is super stretchy and the tights come with a handy, zipped key pocket. Sizes 8 to 16, price ￡35.VEST: Ditch the baggy T-shirt and choose a top that is cut to fit the feminine shape. This Odlo singlet hugs and moves in all the right places.An added attraction for the fashion conscious is the funky flower detail. On the practical side, the top also offers extra bust support thanks to an inner bra.Sizes 8 to 16, price ￡35.JACKET: Slender, feminine- fit is nice but you have to be able to move easily, too. Most running jackets are made to give you free movement, especially under the arms and around the elbows, while also keeping you warm.With the summer just around the corner, you won't always need a waterproof jacket so go for a softer material that is breathable and is also wind- resistant. Sizes 8 to 16, price ￡70.SOCKS: Try a pair of breathable, well-fitting running socks and you'll never look back.Most specialist sports shops have an entire wall covered in socks and this twin-skinned, anti-blister pair from Hilly is one of the best.What adds to their attraction is the female specific fit and the pastel blue detailing. Hilly Twin Skin in sizes 3 to 8.5, price ￡9.WATCH: Runners don't just want to know the time.So a fitness-specific watch with stopwatch, lap recorder and heart rate monitor offers the ideal practical accessory.Knowing your watch co-ordinates perfectly with the rest of your outfit's colour scheme is a must for the fashion conscious. The Timex CAT 30 lap women's watch costs ￡80.ALARM: No one is going to demand that a personal alarm looks good, they'll simply ask that it's comfortable to wear and offers an effective deterrent.Surprisingly, this Doberman Jogger Alarm manages to look funky, while also providing a very loud (115 decibel) alarm and flashing light in an emergency. Price ￡15.WALKERS: PRETTY IN PINKCOMFORT clothing is essential for a power walking work out.But instead of pulling on an old pair of joggers and a tatty sweat top, take some pride in how you look while pounding the streets. This black and pink outfit is both pretty and practical.TRAINERS: When it comes to fitness clothing, pink is definitely one of the most popular colours.These walking-specific, female-fit New Balance 847 trainers fit the bill in the looks department - and offer great performance when out on jointstressing pavements.Sizes 3 to 10, and in widths B and D, price ￡60.TROUSERS: Bottomhugging Lycra is definitely not for everyone, which is why Gore sells the highly flattering, looser-fit Classic Ladies Pant in trendy three-quarter length.Just because they are stylish doesn't mean they're not practical too.The Gore pants come with front pockets, a ventilated mesh back for when the going gets hot and flatlock seams so nothing rubs.Sizes XS to XL, price ￡45.T-SHIRT: T-shirts never used to look this good - and certainly didn't feel as comfortable.The Ron Hill Aspiration Powerlite Tee comes in trendy baby pink with figure- flattering black detail, which co-ordinates nicely with the black walking pants.On the practical side, the Tee has an inner bust liner for extra support and is made from a flexible, stretchy material that doesn't inhibit movement.Sizes 8 to 18, price ￡28.Jacket: Even on summer days it can feel cool when you start to exercise, so a jacket is an essential piece of kit.Obviously, the fashion conscious power walker will want to look good as well as staying warm.This Ron Hill Shape Powerlite jacket is cut to suit the feminine frame, has a stylish, deep waistband and is made from a soft, lightweight material.Thankfully it also matches the rest of the walking ensemble.Sizes 8 to 18, price ￡40.Socks: Foot comfort is just as important for the walker as for the runner.But this time you'll be keen to have a little pink detail on your socks.Go for Hilly twinskin socks in size 3 to 8.5, price ￡9.MUSIC ARM BAND: You've bought an on-trend iPod Nano so why compromise on style by carrying it in your hand as you exercise?Instead you'll also want to buy a Nike iPod Nano Sport Armband, with silver reflective detail.The armband is fully adjustable and holds your MP3 player neatly in place.For safety, make sure you keep the sound down low or use it only in a traffic-free environment. Price ￡20.WATER BOTTLE: No one is going to argue that a practical water bottle can't look lovely too, when they clock this baby pink Nike hydration system.The one-way valve, rubber contour grip and dishwasher safe credentials only add to the appeal. Price ￡6Thanks to our model, Nicole Treacy, who runs for Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club and also works in Run 4 It, Bothwell Street, GlasgowCONTACTS:Run 4 It, in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. See www.run-4-it.com for details. The store at Tiso Outdoor Experience, 50 Couper Street, Townhead, Glasgow (0141 559 5450) will be holding a fashion show for runners and joggers on April 22, at 6.30pm. Entry is free and the event will feature lots of great running fashion tips, as well as expert sports advice.Achilles Heel, Glasgow. See www.achillesheel.co.ukRun and Become, Edinburgh.See www.runandbecome.comShe Active at www.sheactive.co.uk'Attention to detail and accessorising is all part of the trend' Sat, 17 May 2008 17:01:00 GMT http://tootooueb.spoonylife.com/brooks-bros.-black-fleece-debuts-spring-collection-1759.html jacket suit Brooks Brothers just made their high-end, high-style Black Fleece collection for Spring / Summer '08 available online, and it's certainly stimulating, if perhaps not to everyone's taste. The line, designed by controversial but undeniably au courant designer Thom Browne, features twisted takes on preppy classics with eyebrow-raising pricetags.Highlights of the men's looks include a "Fun" red, green, yellow and blue patchwork seersucker jacket for $1,900 with matching pants for an additional $700; a suit of cotton madras plaid (jacket $1,500, pants $600); a $2,500 morning coat with grosgrain tipping meant to be worn with a top hat; and an Irish linen trench coat with grosgrain tipping for $2,000. For women, there's a patchwork seersucker shorts suit to match the men's model (jacket $1,900, pants $500) and a cotton piqué patch pocket jacket with grosgrain tipping and sterling silver buttons for $2,100.While the classic influences are obvious, this isn't exactly the kind of thing one associates with the traditional wares of Brooks -- but that's exactly the point of Black Fleece. Whether you can a) afford it, and b) pull it off is another matter entirely. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:57:00 GMT http://uebueb1.spoonylife.com/increasing-access-to-dental-care-1758.html Cosmetic Vessel To reach his goal of collecting 10,000 aluminum cans by the end of the school year, Rigby Wall keeps his eyes peeled to the ground.And sometimes up a tree."One time I found a can in a tree, and there were two inch worms and a spider bigger than a wolf spider in it," said Rigby, a third-grader at Cannons Elementary School. "So I dropped a big rock on it."Under the direction of conservation-minded art teacher Doris Turner, more than 100 students at Cannons have been picking up cans off the roads, from the trash bins and out of the occasional tree in the school's collective quest to make the earth and cleaner and greener place."Ms. Turner encouraged them to clean up the earth," said Susie Wall, Rigby's grandmother and a Cannons recycling volunteer. "Rigby loves to get outside, and he wanted to do what Ms. Turner wants them to do. Last fall, his goal was collecting 2,000 cans. Then it was 5,000. Now it's 10,000."As of mid-April, Rigby was just 1,700 cans shy of that goal, and collectively, the entire school had scooped up more than 25,000 cans.Rigby's efforts have not gone unnoticed by his classmates, either."When I see Rigby picking up cans and bringing them in, I think I can do that, too, and help the earth," said Leah Foster, 9, who's collected about 2,400 cans.As an incentive, students collecting at least 100 cans receive a recycled teddy bear. Turner finds teddy bears at yard sales, flea markets, etc. and cleans them up, sews them up or does whatever needs to be done to make them almost as good as new. Because the Earthcare Project at Cannons has been so successful, she is constantly in need of teddy bears to give her students. (To donate a teddy bear, call Cannons Elementary at 579-8020.) By the way, Rigby has 11 bears. When he reached the 5,000 mark, Rigby won an ice cream party for him and his classmates. He has also been nominated for the Kohl's Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship.Can-collecting students who reach the teddy bear level are featured on the in-house TV news program on Thursdays, as well as a special bulletin board recognizing their efforts.The recycled cans have netted the school about $750 this year, and the most of the money goes to maintain the Earth Quilt Garden and to purchase energy-saving light bulbs. The light bulbs are presented to families who, at the beginning of the school year, pledged "to take plastics, paper and other recyclables to the Recycle Center."Turner has expanded the Earthcare Project to include the collection of plastic bottles, and the school has collected more than 7,000 of them. Rigby has brought in about 2,200 bottles. This is a good time of year to find empty soda bottles strewn among the bleachers at local little league games, Rigby said.Both Rigby and Leah collect the tabs off the cans they collect. Susie Wall figures he's collected about 25 pounds of tabs, which were taken to a local kidney dialysis office and now to the local Ronald McDonald House.And both of them enlist the help of family and friends to increase their tallies."Rigby's got everyone in the family involved. People from church bring him bags of cans on Sundays," Susie Wall said. "There's not a day that goes by that he's not collecting cans."Besides avoiding the critters that sometimes take up residence in the discarded cans, picking up cans can be a dirty job. But Leah has one trick to make it more pleasant."When we find beer cans, we spray air freshener on them," she said. Buzz up!The first time the now 12-year-old from Knoxville went to the dentist, "he bit the guy pretty bad," said his dad, Jody Hegwood.But that's not the main problem in finding Josh dental care. Josh has Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes medical and developmental conditions, including mild to moderate mental retardation or learning difficulties, a distinctive facial appearance and heart or blood vessel problems.He had open heart surgery when he was only 1 year old, Jody Hegwood said."(Josh) has a hard time getting a regular dentist to see him because of his heart condition," his father said.So the Hegwoods bring Josh to the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development for his dental care through a statewide program called Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities. The program, started in 1983, is administered by the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the UI College of Dentistry, the UI Center for Disabilities and Development and the Iowa Department of Public Health.Since its inception -- it was started by Dr. Arthur Nowak, a former pediatric dentistry professor at the University of Iowa -- the program has served more than 3,000 children and young adults."It's a program to meet the needs of families who would fall through the cracks," said Gayle Gilbaugh, program associate and Cosmetic Vessel in pediatric dentistry. Gilbaugh also works in the dental clinic in the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development.Participant requirements are that the person needs to be an Iowa resident younger than 21 from a low-income family. The program defines low income as those who are at 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline or less. That means for a family of four, they would earn less than $40,000 a year.Gilbaugh said there are some families who participate in the program where both parents are employed, even some who receive medical insurance but no dental insurance. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:57:00 GMT http://tootooueb51.spoonylife.com/-green-products-not-always-what-they-profess-to-be-1757.html a href="http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/buy-Bowl_Cleaner/src_product/"Bowl_Cleaner/aLike a magpie to something shiny, I was recently drawn to a display of "green" cleaning products at the grocery store. Floor cleaner, all purpose cleaner, kitchen sanitizer, dishwasher detergent, toilet bowl cleaner, even the paper towels to sop up my filth all boasted their minimal impact on the earth. Greenness, it seemed, was now neck and neck with cleanliness in that race for godliness. So, intrigued, I reached for the floor cleaner. It was biodegradable, made of renewable resources, fragrance and dye-free. But there was no ingredient list to back it up. Ditto for any third-party certification of its eco-claims. I started to wonder how green this floor cleaner could be. Then I saw what made me lose complete faith. Made in Germany. So, I should feel good that the stuff I send down the drain after my cleaning binge won't muck up my local water system. But I should ignore the fact that this "green" cleaner required fossil fuels to travel thousands of kilometres - its mode of transport spewing tonnes of greenhouse gases en route - to get into my eco-conscious hands? I put the floor cleaner down, grabbed my groceries in their reusable shopping bag - purchased to spare the use of petrochemicals to make plastic bags, though I later discovered those petrochemicals were just used to ship my reusable bag from China - and headed home feeling badly for all of us well-intentioned consumers duped by masters of greenwashing. Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:52:00 GMT http://uebueb1.spoonylife.com/tackle-your-toughest-loads-of-laundry-with-ease-1756.html Shoe Sponge Have you turned more than a fair share of your white socks pink? Do you struggle to keep your couch cushions clean? If either of these statements describes you, then you're in luck. Katie Brown of PBS's "Keep it Simple" has a rule of thumb for every room of the house and possible laundry mishap.Kitchen tipsWash oven mitts and ironing board covers in cold water in your washer and dry on low, as these items can shrink easily. For sponges, wash them in your dishwasher, then while still wet, pop into the microwave on high for 1 minute to kill any lurking germs.The cloth part of your mop can be washed in the machine if there is no hard metal or plastic attached, but remember to air dry. Plastic dish gloves can be washed in the dishwasher or in the washer on gentle for a short cycle in warm water and then air dried.Bedroom tipsWhen it comes to pillows, invest in a pillow protector to go under your regular pillowcase. Down pillows can be machine washed. Fill the washer halfway with water, and then submerge the pillow to get out all the air. Let the water fill the machine and wash for 8-10 minutes, taking care to set the machine on delicate cycle. Open the lid occasionally to press out air and balance the load if necessary. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:51:00 GMT http://tootooueb51.spoonylife.com/drilling-for-energy-deep-in-the-earth-1755.html rock drill bits A steel drilling rig, with its white-and-blue scaffolding reaching 180 feet into the air, stands above the pine forest just west of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. With Paulina Peak visible several miles away, generators hummed, and parts like 17-inch-wide drill bits and pipes of various weights and sizes sat on the ground Wednesday afternoon. Workers with job titles such as "mud engineer" and "mud logger" were on site for their 12-hour shifts. All is set for Davenport Power and its contractors to grind a hole as deep as 10,000 feet into the ground, in search of the right combination of hot rocks and water to generate enough steam to help produce electricity. Davenport has drilling leases in hand and the go-ahead from the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to drill a series of wells to try to tap into geothermal resources. The process could take about a year, and if the company finds enough steam at a hot enough temperature, it plans to build a power plant that draws on several wells to generate as much as 120 megawatts of power, enough to provide electricity to about 100,000 homes. The drilling began this week on Davenport's first geothermal test well. But after burrowing 294 feet, the pipe had gotten stuck, so on Tuesday, workers blasted air and foam into the drill hole to try to free it. "Nine times out of 10, this kind of stuff works," said Kevin Stimson, a drilling supervisor for the project, of the foam, basically a high-end dish detergent. Workers pumped foam into the drill hole, and a mass of bubbles spilled back out of the top of the pipe, flecked with tiny bits of rock. By Thursday morning, the pipe was almost free. "Nervously optimistic" is how Doug Perry, the president of the Connecticut-based Davenport Power, described his feeling as the exploration phase of the Newberry Geothermal Project started. "That's a perfect phrase." Searching for steam Davenport has three different sites on the western flank of the Newberry volcano where it plans to drill a series of wells, perhaps during the span of about a year, to look for high temperatures and cracks in the rocks where hot water might be spotted. "There's three different (geologic) features we want to drill into to investigate to see if they have fractures on them," said Al Waibel, Davenport's corporate geologist. Based on what scientists find at this first spot, they'll determine where to place the next test well. And if the wells contain sufficient steam or hot water, Davenport could use several wells to power a geothermal power plant it already has an agreement with San Francisco-based Pacific Gas et Electric to sell the utility up to 120 megawatts of electricity, although the plant might be built in phases, Perry said. But first, the geologists, geophysicists and drillers have to find steam. When the drilling rig was operating recently, it could dig down at an average of about 70 feet per hour, Stimpson said. The grinding is done by a rotating drill bit, which is turned by a mud motor. The motor is at the bottom of the hollow drill pipe and is turned, as its name suggests, by mud that is pumped down through the pipe. Once it turns the motor, cooling and lubricating the bit in the process, the mud flows back up to the surface via the outside of the pipe. The mud also carries back to the surface the fragments of chewed up rock, which can give geologists clues about the surrounding geology. In a trailer next to the rig, Mike Krahmer, a mud logger with Epoch Well Services, keeps track of those clues. A microscope focuses on a petri dish filled with fragments of basalt and a scrap of paper labeled "290," which refers to the depth at which the bits of rock were found. The basalt shows that the layer where the pipe got stuck was part of a lava flow, he said. But deeper layers can reveal more helpful information as the appearance of quartz crystals or pyrite, for example, can signal the presence of hot water. "As it gets deeper, they get pretty neat," Krahmer said of the fragments. He also monitors things like changes in the temperature of the mud and the how fast the drill bit can grind through the rock. If the drill bit speeds up, or the temperature spikes, that might mean it has hit a fracture where steam could be found. He' ll take measurements every 10 feet, he said. And the exploration well can go as deep as 10,000 feet into the ground, which is about as far under the surface as Middle Sister is above sea level. It takes a lot of steel and time to drill that deep, said Perry, who said that each test well costs between $5 million and $7 million to drill. The geologists and geophysicists have studied the rock formations deep underground and have done surface- based tests to look for areas that could have geothermal potential. But, Perry said, "there are no guarantees." Geothermal past This isn't the first time that companies have searched at Newberry for the combination of hot rocks and water that can produce geothermal power. In the early 1980s, CalEnergy drilled wells inside the Newberry Crater, and after that was restricted, companies drilled wells outside of the crater as well, said Bob Houston, a petroleum and geothermal geologist with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. In all, about 20 test wells were drilled to look for hot water or check the temperatures of the surrounding rock, he said. And while many of the wells struck hot rocks, none found the water necessary to produce enough steam for power generation. "None of them found anything worthwhile," Houston said. But Waibel said what CalEnergy found is debatable, adding that a Bureau of Land Management employee took a picture of a vapor plume from U.S. Highway 97. Plus, there's a large area of high temperatures, and CalEnergy only tested one part of it. "It warrants further exploration, " Waibel said. There was a gap in the exploration, however, as companies stopped drilling to find power-producing geothermal resources in 1995, Houston said. But now, there's been a resurgence. "We've permitted 10 wells. This is just blowing us out of the water. There 's lots of activity," he said. In addition to Davenport's wells, other companies have permitted geothermal test wells in the Neal Hot Springs northwest of Vale as well as south of Klamath Falls, and the geology department is also expecting an additional application for a well on the Oregon Institute of Technology campus in Klamath Falls. The uptick could be because companies are finding people willing to buy the power, Houston said, and those who have done geothermal projects in other places such as Nevada are looking at Oregon again. "Maybe the prices for energy are up so high that geothermal is becoming an attractive source, whereas it wasn't so attractive before because there was a cheaper source of energy with oil or coal or something else," Houston said. "The economics of the whole thing has changed." Perry agreed, adding that geothermal is also a more attractive option as states, including Oregon and California, adopt regulations that require utilities to get more of their power from renewable resources. The Sierra Club has filed an appeal with the Bureau of Land Management's Board of Land Appeals to stop the project, said Asante Riverwind, an Eastern Oregon forest organizer with the state chapter of the Sierra Club. "We felt that the public wasn't properly notified and involved with the project," he said. From the drilling site, a visitor can see the ridge trail and Paulina Peak, he said, so if a power plant is built there, people from those spots would probably be able to see it. There are also concerns that a geothermal plant would release hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals that come up with the steam, Riverwind said. He talked with people visiting the Newberry monument last summer. Many of them didn't know about the project and were upset about it, he said. A previous company that drilled nearby had agreed to clean up after it was done but left a sludge pond that's still there more than a decade later, Riverwind said, adding that he was concerned Davenport would do the same. Those issues and others need to be more fully addressed, and the public needs to be involved in the process, he said. "When we look at the ecological importance of that area, the unique treasure that Newberry is, we're very wary," Riverwind said. "That may not be an acceptable location." But Perry said the company is supporting the BLM and the agency's environmental analysis that was completed, and added that Davenport is committed to cleaning up the area when operations are done. "That is certainly not the way we do business," he said, adding that other geothermal plants have been able to blend in with their surroundings. "They can be very low-impact neighbors," he said. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:50:00 GMT http://tootooueb51.spoonylife.com/drilling-for-energy-deep-in-the-earth-1754.html rock drill bits A steel drilling rig, with its white-and-blue scaffolding reaching 180 feet into the air, stands above the pine forest just west of Newberry National Volcanic