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| Monday, 16-Jan-2012 06:41 |
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What is an Inflatable Bounce House
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Inflatable bounce houses are large plastic structures that are filled with cold air and used for simple recreational fun. Much of the fun is due to the floor section of the bounce house, which is also filled with air and makes it possible to jump and bounce safely for hours on end. While the inflatable bounce house is normally considered a child’s recreational device, there are also bounce houses large enough to accommodate adults.
The origins of the Inflatable bounce houses are often traced to the latter part of the 1950’s, with the first examples of a combination of an inflatable platform and walls appearing in the late 1960’s. Since that time, the designs and safety features of bounce houses have continued to evolve. The end result is that the bounce houses of today are extremely easy to set up, inflate, and take down when not in use.
In construction, a modern Inflatable bounce houses has a shell composed of thick plastic materials. A vinyl and nylon combination is common, provided both durability and a smooth texture that is often appealing. The basic design normally calls for three walls that are either solid or outfitted with strong mesh in between sections of inflated beams. A fourth side usually features a point of entry and exit. Many countries require a padded area just outside the entryway as an added safety measure. A thick padded floor that is also inflated completes the basic design.
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| Monday, 15-Nov-2010 08:13 |
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Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.
That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.
It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.
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| Monday, 15-Nov-2010 08:11 |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Saturday, 6-Nov-2010 06:27 |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Tuesday, 10-Nov-2009 02:40 |
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Berlin Wall's fall: Four former East Germans assess changed live
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"The wall is gone, but there is still no unification, no equality between the two Germanies," argues Ms. Muehlmann, who is working on her doctoral dissertation. "A lot of the things that the GDR citizens built freshwater perl jewelry disappeared."
As the world marks two decades of German unification, four ex-Eastern Germany residents welcomed the day in a more subdued way, remembering what had represented home and thinking of gemstone jewelry forward step as well as all the hopes that haven't materialized.
Understanding the perspective of people like Muehlmann is a way for Germany to heal the "wounds of the unification process," says Johannes Moser, a professor of European ethnology at Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University.
"After the wall fell, a lot of people from the west came and told people in the East how bad everything had been there. Many residents of the GDR felt downgraded, as though their own lives, their own biographies had shell pearl strand come under attack," says Professor Moser. "But there's been a rethinking process. Everybody's looking at the different facets of unification now."
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| Tuesday, 10-Nov-2009 02:39 |
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Meanwhile Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
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The events of the last week have fueled German concerns. As German Chancellor Angela Merkel was flying back from Washington after meeting with Obama and giving a speech to US Congress, General Motors, whose board was appointed by the Obama administration, canceled a deal that shell pearl jewelry would have saved German automotive jobs. Ms. Merkel was stunned and angry. The White House didn’t comment.
Then Ms. Clinton, speaking last night at a dinner here, took what many perceive as a shot at Germany for failing to commit additional troops to the war effort in Afghanistan. The wall celebrations should be “should be a call to action, not just a commemoration of past actions,” she said. “’That call should spur us to continue our cooperation and look for new ways that we can meet the challenges that freedom faces now … We owe it to ourselves and to those who yearn for the same freedoms that are enjoyed and even taken for granted in freshwater perl jewelry Berlin today.”
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also found himself in bit of a political pickle following some claims he made about being in Berlin on Nov. 9, 1989. Soon after Mr. Sarkozy posted a picture that shows him picking at the wall with a hammer on what he claims is Nov. 9, journalists and former French officials immediately began questioning his story. This is hardly a scandal, but it drew attention away from a major diplomatic event. It also comes as Sarkozy is trying to build closer ties with Germany, despite Merkel’s resistance.
Meanwhile Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, representing the direct descendant of the defeated Soviet Union, has said and done all the right things. He praised the collapse of the wall and offered praise for wish pearl Germany’s advances in the past two decades.
Of course, Mr. Medvedev has reason be happy with Germany’s progress; Berlin and Moscow rely on one another as key economic partners. Who would have thought it 20 years ago?
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| Tuesday, 10-Nov-2009 02:38 |
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At Berlin Wall fall celebration, old allies ask where is Obama
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BERLIN – The celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall started off well enough – former President George H.W. Bush, ex-Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and former West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl gathered in front of nearly 2,000 dignitaries in wish pearl Berlin last week to celebrate their role in bringing about the end of the Cold War.
It was a happy affair, with Mr. Bush and Mr. Gorbachev exchanging laughs and smiles as they recalled Nov. 9, 1989, a freshwater perl jewelry day that all agreed advanced world freedom and ended the looming threat of the cold war.
But in the week since, as leaders have gathered here to mark the Mauerfall anniversary, agreement has been tough to come by and fractures between allies have shown themselves in what has been billed as an event to celebrate unity. One of these signs was the absence of US President Barack Obama as other heads of state gathered underneath the Brandenburg Gate Monday night to make a symbolic journey from the old East Berlin to West Berlin. They group then toppled a wall of dominoes along the path of the Berlin Wall.
But President Obama sent Secretary of pearl earrings State Hillary Clinton is his place, infuriating many Germans, as the US president is beloved here. Some in Berlin asked if this snub indicated that the alliance between the US and Germans is strained.
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| Tuesday, 10-Nov-2009 02:37 |
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Nokia charger recall: What you need to know
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Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone manufacturer, on Monday announced a recall of some 14 million faulty cellphone chargers. The problem? The plastic outer casing on the chargers can separate, exposing the pearl earrings internals (read: shocky parts).
How can you tell if your ringtone-spewing-candybar’s charger could jolt you? Nokia says three models made by an outside supplier are affected, and has posted instructions for determining if you’ve got one of them. These are Nokia-branded, but made by BYD, and may have come bundled with a new phone or been purchased separately. Other, third-party chargers aren’t affected (score one for the mall kiosk!)
Basically, check your Nokia’s charger to see if it’s got a model number of AC-3U, AC-3E, or AC-4U. If it’s one of these, head to chargerexchange.nokia.com and enter the details in the form provided, and Nokia will ship one off to freshwater perl jewelry you.
We all knew to stay away from spinach a while back and some peanuts were a no-go for a time there, as well as some Chinese drywall, and uh, lead-tainted toys. But how do you stay up on what’s been recently recalled? Head over to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, where you can search by type of product, brand name, and type of hazard.
Of course, for EU residents, all of this charger checking may soon be a thing of the past. A proposed universal cell phone charger would use the micro-USB standard, and is gaining traction – even with Apple. Tired of gemstone jewelry dealing with cellphone charger wires altogether? We profiled the Duracell MyGrid wireless charging mat and liked a lot about it – except its price.
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| Tuesday, 10-Nov-2009 02:35 |
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Sweden: Enough quaint picturesque homes – bring on the high-rise
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STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – When plans for a new high-rise development in downtown Stockholm were unveiled last month, the
pearl earrings critics predictably lined up to slam them. But there were also those who enthusiastically embraced the project, indicating a sea change in how Stockholm residents view their city.
The Swedish capital straddles more than a dozen islands on the edge of the Baltic Sea and is better known for picturesque waterscapes, unruly green areas, and quaint 18th-century buildings, than for its dynamic business district.
Yet Stockholm is one of the fastest growing urban areas in Northern Europe. Its 2 million inhabitants increased by 300,000 over the past decade.
The new development, Stockholm Waterfront, has come under fire from conservationists largely because of its height – twice the city average, and with a 25-story tower block. Following the controversial demolition of part of the downtown in the 1960s, public outrage forced a freeze on major building projects, which has only recently begun to thaw. The extensive urban makeover will radically raise the average height of city center buildings – and the population density. At freshwater perl jewelry least 80,000 new apartments are in the pipeline between now and 2030.
It’s progress being cheered by a group calling themselves YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard).
“We’re positive about the city growing – we’re happy to have new neighbors and more bars and restaurants and plazas,” says Anders Gardebring, cofounder of YIMBY, a pressure group promoting urbanism and citizen participation.
“Look at this area,” he adds, gesturing to a newly developed square juxtaposed with a glass- and steel-fronted hotel and pastel-colored 18th-century buildings. “No one used to walk around here until a few months ago, even though it’s right in the center. It was derelict, but now there’s plenty of life.”
Gustav Svärd, also of YIMBY, believes the shell pearl strand 4,000-strong group represents a silent majority who welcome change. “Politicians realize that Stockholmers want to live in a dynamic city, not in a town stuck in limbo.”
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