http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com SpoonyLife fr-FR http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/parents-might-not-notice-kids-huffing-2519.html Tag: Air Spray Freshener More activities that are fun may be key to keeping teens from experimenting with something dangerous, according to one local teen.Madison Hayes, 18, said there are multiple reasons kids may try something like "huffing," or inhaling chemical fumes."Muskogee is a small town; there's not a lot kids can do," she said. "Some of them just drink and smoke pot. They get to do the bragging, and they get to talk about their weekend. I think that more activities would be a positive thing to do."Hayes said she knows one person who tried huffing and then regretted it."One source told me he tried it because he thought he would just get high, but it turned out to be one of the scariest things he's ever done," she said. "He said it was crazy and dumb, and the aftermath was so awful that he would never do it again."I don't think he knew about the danger at the time, or he would not have done it."Whether information about the danger of huffing comes from adults or peers may not matter, Hayes said."You never know what person is going to react to what information," she said.Huffing may have slipped underneath the radar.Inhaling fumes is now as popular as smoking marijuana, according to Valerie Grober, a pharmacist for Wagoner Community Hospital."Abuse of inhalants by middle school children has increased up to 44 percent over a two-year period," she said. "The products used in huffing are readily available and for sale legally."By the eighth grade, nearly one in five kids has abused inhalants. More than 1,000 products can be abused.Even worse, inhaling fumes carries with it the possibility of instant death."It's like playing Russian roulette," Grober said. "Anytime someone uses an inhalant, it can be fatal."Some dangerous chemicals abused by huffers include air conditioning refrigerant, hair spray, nail polish, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, cooking spray and even the canned "air" used to clean computers. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:27:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/florida-s-stefel-labs-acquires-2518.html ABR CORAL GABLES, FL-Stiefel Laboratories Inc., the world's largest independent pharmaceutical company specializing in dermatology, has acquired ABR Invent and ABR Development, developers of the dermal filler Atlean. Stiefel will acquire all shares of ABR Invent and ABR Development through a definitive stock purchase agreement. Both ABR Invent and ABR Development are legal entities based in France. Atlean dermal filler is currently commercialized in France and Italy and distribution and manufacturing agreements for the product will remain in place throughout Europe. Atlean dermal filler uses a combination of tricalcium phosphate particles suspended in a hyaluronic acid gel. The injectable product is recommended for sculpting and remodelling the face. Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in skin tissue, transporting and delivering water to the skin, and contributing to its elasticity. As key ingredients in Atlean dermal filler, hyaluronic acid facilitates an immediate and temporary volumizing effect. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:25:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/vialuxe-previews-the-2008-clerc-odyssey-2517.html Tag: Titanium White BIOGRAPHY: Gerald Clerc is a man seemingly destined for substantial achievements in the world of fine watchmaking, being a descendant of a long line of watchmakers and jewelers who date back to the late 19th century. The Clerc family has long been involved in the creation of timepieces, having partnered with such illustrious houses as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Rolex over the years. Yet, Gerald Clerc desired more--he sought to create his own brand using the Clerc name, producing watches with a unique and boldly expressive design. After finding success in the American market with more than 40 high-end stores to his credit, Clerc returned to Switzerland, determined to conquer a broader market with prestigious complications and horological specialties. The Clerc Odyssey watch collection is the result of Gerald Clerc's passion for creativity and world recognition. Inspired by space exploration and research, the Odyssey collection daringly combines numerous exotic or precious materials--titanium, palladium 950, ceramic, and gold among them---to elaborate upon the successful design of the original Clerc Titanium White. The Odyssey line showcases many original and remarkable details, from the patented sliding crown protector, to an intricate caseback that features a protective grill. Elements of the complex mechanics appear through open-worked dials, whose futuristic details and intricate craftsmanship produce true thrills for the connoisseur. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:24:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/polymerupdate-global-plastics-pricing-briefs-2516.html Tag: PP Sheet Spot regional prices for linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) across Asia firmed by between $10/tonne to $20/tonne, according to Polymerupdate.com. In acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Asian prices had also firmed, with the lowest offers between $1800/tonne to $1820/tonne while some sellers pegged offers at $1850/tonne CFR Asia. General-purpose grades of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) are also up in Asia with contracts at $1800/tonne CFR China, with LDPE sales to South East Asia at $1820/tonne CFR. Polymerupdate also believes polypropylene (PP Sheet) prices could be moving up, with one producer telling them it plans to lift PP Sheet by between $10/tonne to $30/tonne, with April prices at the $1550/tonne CFR China Main Port basis. PP Sheet block copolymer, which has been sold to China at $1570/tonne, will be hiked by at least $30/tonne. Bottle-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) producers defended recent increases, with FOB Korea prices at $1450/tonne for May.In Asian and Middle East plant news, Oman Polypropylene is likely to commence operations in the first week of May, with a capacity of 340,000 tonnes/yr. The new site was affected by disruptions in propylene feedstock, including an unplanned outage at a residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) at Oman's Sohar refinery. Also in Oman, Octal Holding and Co. plans to expand PET production capacity by 500,000 tonnes/yr, from the current output capacity of 300,000 tonnes/yr. Integrated with an APET sheet facility, the operation is located in Salalah, with production introduced in two stages: the first 250,000 tonnes/yr expansion completed by March 2010 while the second-phase expansion of 250,000 tonnes/yr completed by May of 2010.Japan's V-Tech Corp. will shutter one of its three polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plants. The 115,000 tonnes/yr PVC facility in Mizushima, Japan will be demolished at a later date. In European plant news, Italy's Polimeri was forced to take an LDPE plant in Ragusa, Italy offstream. Since then, normal production runs have commenced at Polimeri sites in Ragusa and Gela, Italy. The Gela plant has production capacity of nearly 165,000 tonnes/yr, with 160,000 tonnes/yr at Ragusa. In European pricing news, April contract prices for suspension-grade PVC were flat at euro 1035/tonne FD North West Europe. In ABS, general-purpose and natural-grade prices were firmer at euro 1710/tonne FD North West Europe. PP Sheet prices were lower in contract and spot markets, with homopolymer PP Sheet at euro 1100/tonne FD North West Europe, while PP Sheet copolymer spot prices were assessed at euro 1140/tonne FD North West Europe. Polystyrene (PS) contract prices also diPP Sheeted, with general purpose at euro 1405/tonne FD North West Europe, down euro 10/tonne. High-impact polystyrene (HIPS) contract prices were at euro 1460/tonne FD North West Europe while expandable polystyrene (EPS) contract prices were assessed at euro 1435/tonne FD North West Europe.High-density polyethylene (HDPE) contract prices were also lower, with HD injection molding grade contract rates at euro 1290/tonne FD North West Europe, while blowmolding grades were priced at euro 1370/tonne FD North West Europe. Film grades were down to euro 1340/tonne FD North West Europe.In LLDPE, spot prices were assessed up at euro 1205/tonne FD North West Europe. Butene-grade LLDPE contract prices were at euro 1285/tonne FD, with producers interested in a euro 15/tonne to euro 20 /tonne increase. General-purpose LDPE grades were assessed at euro 1240/tonne FD North West Europe. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:23:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/rei-removes-bottles-with-plastic-additive-chemical-2515.html Tag: Plastic Additive The outdoor store REI has pulled all bottles containing a potentially harmful but common chemical found in plastic off its shelves, and Gander Mountain is phasing them out as well.REI's decision was made on the heels of an announcement by the bottle company Nalgene to replace its "outdoor" line of containers with alternatives free of bisphenol A.According to Scott Livingston, REI's assistant store manager in Brookfield, the store removed the products from shelves nearly two weeks ago.He said the decision had come from REI's corporate level, but looking at trends in his own store, it made perfect sense.He said customers have increasingly been choosing bottles that don't contain bisphenol A, such as Sigg aluminum bottles and Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottles.Bisphenol A is a key ingredient in polycarbonate. The chemical is associated with miscarriage, prostate problems and cancers in laboratory animals.In the last couple of weeks, the U.S. and Canada have called for concern regarding the plastic chemical. The U.S. National Toxicology Program said the chemical posed some concern for fetuses, infants and children, and the Canadian government is considering a ban on all baby products containing bisphenol A.David Ewald, a spokesman for Gander Mountain, said the company still has some plastic bottles containing bisphenol A on its store shelves, but the company will not order any more.Other outdoor retailers in the area also are changing their practice.Although Laacke et Joy's stores still have the products on their shelves, management is having discussions about whether or not to remove them, said Beth Kyte, marketing manager.Wheel and Sprocket, a specialty bicycle store, was ahead of the curve. It stocks CamelBak products, which do not contain bisphenol A. According to Jesse Kuester, the manager of Wheel and Sprocket in Fox Point, the store was carrying only non-bisphenol A bottles long before the government reports were released.Cabela's officials could not be reached for comment. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:21:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/degradable-eating-utensils-made-from-corn-sugar-2514.html Tag: Plasticware SEBRING Nanette Hommerding was surprised to learn that the spoon and container her daughter was eating ice cream from were made with corn.Three -year-old Sophia Faber didn't know she was helping the environment by decreasing the impact on landfills, as she ate a bowl of wild orange ice cream at the Hammock Inn in Highlands Hammock State Park on Friday.By introducing renewable cutlery, plates, bags, containers and even drinking straws, Hammock Inn restaurant owner/operator Nancy Davis went "Green" just in time for Saturday's Earth Day celebration at the state park.The plasticware is 100 percent biodegradable, made from corn, and is nearly identical to conventional plasticware, with no taste difference.In as little as 100 days, spoons, forks and knives biodegrade into compost and then eventaullyturn into black, rich soil. Extracted sugar cane fiber for cups and bowls composts in 45 days or less.Each week the restaurant regularly produces 18-48 gallon bags that are destined for the dump."Just to know that I'm not contributing to piles and piles of garbage," said Davis about the change. "In good conscience, I couldn't continue to cart that amount of garbage out of here. I'm not filling the landfill up with junk."Until Thursday, the restaurant used 100 percent disposable products made from previously traditional recycled materials.Rather than continuing to use products made by trees that mature within 30 years, but still fill landfills, sugar cane takes 90 days to mature, while corn takes only a year to reach maturity. Raw stalk pulp is extracted from sugar cane stalks, which are typically burned."We still used trees or paper," said Davis. "It was not an environmentally efficient way to go."Davis said she is most excited to introduce "Bio Bags" to the inventory at the Hammock Inn. These plastic bags were produced by Eco-Products, which distributes the full line of eating utensils and packaging used at the park.These cutting edge technology bags are nearly identical to those distributed in supermarkets and department stores. If corn-made plastic products replaced those petroleum produced bags, there would be few bags blowing across roadways or stuck to fences, said Davis.Davis noted that this year's Earth Day slogan is "Earth Day is Every Day.""It's not just one day a year that you do something," she said.Most of the new, biodegradable packaging and utensils products cost 50 to 100 percent more than recylables, though Davis is not passing on the cost to diners."If I can do it on a business level, I'm hoping that people might get the idea that they can do something to make less impact on the environment," said the restaurateur about business owners and residents. Wed, 21 May 2008 09:20:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/the-galleries-brave-bleak-or-maybe-just-beige-1986.html Tag: Polyester Plain Fabric Food for philosophical discussion or bright vivid display, this week's offerings raise all sorts of questions about art. Work, of a kind admired in certain quarters for what is considered profundity of thought, is The Estate of L. Budd, an exhibition at the Michael Lett Gallery until May 17. L. Budd was one of the personas adopted by an artist who prefers to be nameless or to be part of the collective known as et al. The works in this show are not concerned with the obsequies of L. Budd but the legacy left behind by the eponymous artist. It is an odd legacy: grey, dirty, tatty and sad. Like many legacies, elements are in dispute. The show is an elaborate charade and the most approachable work, it is suggested, may not be by L. Budd at all. It is called disputed (et al)/ National Park (sorry)/ 2008 and is made of: wood, cork, tarpaulin, Perspex, paper, speaker, rock, amplifier, rubber, fabricated trolley, foam, a found image and acrylic paint. All these things are assembled as a glass case on a trolley. The found image is a long photographic panorama of a national park. Its length suggests the length of life. In front of the panorama is a stone of memory placed on plain blocks of foam that suggest a flat, dead life. The speaker gives out unintelligible messages like Big Brother or God. The case has tarpaulin on top as protection and, on the tray beneath the glass case, are cork sanding blocks which, in their own way, suggest how memories are rubbed out.The whole thing is covered with unlovely grey paint. It may represent the legacy of a life but, unlike the work of Joseph Beuys whose manner it emulates, it has no hint of human endeavour, comfort or wider vision. It's a sneer at life and art. Clearly attributed to L. Budd are two awnings. One is outside the gallery and the other, hidden at the back, has a grimy outer side with calculations that lead nowhere and an inner side where the canvas is fresher and brighter. It works on the old theme of youth and age but even the youthful side has ragged holes.It is all part of an elaborate game about legacies in art and life but has little visual interest and is close to ridiculous in its sheer banality. Another exhibition that makes use of found materials and sits somewhere between art and nature is the work of Tim Hawkinson who comes to us from the United States where he is prominent enough to have had a retrospective exhibition at the Whitney in New York. His show Scout is at the Gow Langsford Gallery until May 16.There are four main pieces in the show and, like the work of many artists this century, they show no uniformity in style. Most impressive is Foot Quilt, a huge piece of silver polyester fabric elaborately stitched to show the whorls on the sole of a gigantic foot. Mon, 19 May 2008 07:46:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/natural-color-gets-popular-in-home-decor-1985.html Tag: Plain Peach When spring arrives, many people find the spirit to decorate their homes. Well, what's the new trend in home decoration? The answer: Clean and simple colors.Color can effect moods in many ways. Orange adds vibrancy: Plain Peach is lively: green stands for peace; mild blue - deep serenity. Using simple colors in your home seems to simplify life, and creates an ambiance that feels comfortable and cheerful.Orange is widely used in this season's home decor. It goes well with the earthy colors of the furniture and lifts their spirits. Orange is used in dinner cloths in a stripe design. It stands in contrast with the plain, simple plates, creating a natural look. Matching orange with apple green, gives the feeling of a sunny day. Plain Peach mixed with apple green, brings out the vitality of the flowers and plants. Mon, 19 May 2008 07:44:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/residents-bring-treasures-to-library-for-appraisal-1984.html DELPHOS Approximately a dozen people hauled out family heirlooms and brought them to the Delphos Public Library Saturday afternoon for appraisal by professional dealer Ann Stratton.Stratton pointed out that antique items are classified as 100 years or older but there is also a market for vintage and collectible items. As a professional appraiser for 48 years, she noted the unpredictability of the changing market."Prices for furniture are down while jewelry is marked way up. Items also sell better in different areas of the country," she said.Very collectible at the moment are real fountain pens with the old-fashioned bladder and logo cigarette lighters. Lighters given away years ago with the purchase of Winston or Salem cigarettes carrying the logo in red or green are worth $18 on today's market.Perhaps the biggest bang-for-the-buck item brought in Saturday by Lisa Menke was a "yard long" seascape watercolor, which she purchased for 50 cents at a garage sale. Stratton appraised it at $275.Several nice pieces of carnival glass were appraised, most in the marigold color. Stratton told the history of carnival glass, which pre-dated county fairs. The glassware was given away at carnivals as prizes at competition booths. A lot of the glassware was made but a lot was simply thrown away by young men. Glassware that did make it home to mom or grandma faced the same disposition in the garbage. True carnival glassware is dry to the touch on the inside compared to the greasy feel of modern replica carnival glass.A 1912 Ohio Jim Bottle brought in for appraisal only fetched a $12 value as Stratton advised the market has fallen for that category.Two handmade crocks were valued in the $60-$70 category if sold in this area. Stratton advised the same item might fetch $100 -$150 if sold in the southern United States.Stratton cautioned those with silver and silver-plated items to not use commercial dips and cleaners to "shine" them. Using a simple baking soda mix or white toothpaste is much less abrasive.Above all, she encouraged everyone to enjoy their family heirlooms."Don't leave it in boxes and closets. Put that lace tablecloth out and use the china and stemware. Wear that nice jewelry. You're only here once, so enjoy it," she said. Mon, 19 May 2008 07:43:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/bigeni-s-new-range-cut-from-same-cloth-1980.html Tag: Silk Jersey After four seasons designing for Goot, one of Australian fashion's biggest names, Gary Bigeni, yesterday unveiled a collection uncomfortably similar to the 2007 spring summer one he designed for Goot.For the past three years, Bigeni, 27, has toiled behind the scenes, designing and overseeing pattern making and cutting for Goot, who has regular shows in New York.Bigeni's debut solo show on the final day of Australian Fashion Week in Sydney yesterday incorporated the hallmark stretch jersey tank dresses, colour-blocked panels, capes and bat-wing details from Goot's 2007 spring summer range into Bigeni's new range.The designer even gave his models Goot's signature slicked-back ponytails for the show, which drew on the bold colour palette of Goot's 2007 show.Inspired by climate change, the collection featured draped and twisted silk jersey to represent hurricanes, wind and other changing weather patterns in a palette of black, cool grey, cobalt and coral.Bigeni admitted his eponymous range shared some similarities with the 2007 collection he designed for Goot."Probably a bit of the capework and maybe a bit of the necklines and underarm cuts, which I wanted to keep simple,'' Bigeni said yesterday."But I was more inspired by twisting and the draping. It was more about ease and not so figure hugging (as Goot's body-conscious designs).''Faces in the front row lit up when Mira Vukovic presented an exquisitely uplifting collection from her label Mad Cortes: ultra-feminine, colourful party dresses, billowing blouses, ruffled skirts and shifts.Models swapped their trademark scowls for smiles as they sauntered down the runway adorned with cute fabric covered balls in their hair and on their shoes.Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements said: "It's the most beautiful collection she's ever done. It was fresh, feminine and highly wearable. It was on trend but also very original.''Vukovic said her range was "all about mixing different textures and colours, like when you're making a melody and it comes together in the end''.The euphoric mood continued at Therese Rawsthorne, who delivered on her promise as a young designer to watch. Fans of the Sydney designer will revel in her latest offering of loosely tailored separates and trademark rough-hemmed dresses in gun-metal grey, white and hot pink.Rawsthorne sampled Linda Jackson's 1985 Waratah Print for the range, incorporating it into 80s-style leather jackets and a standout ultra-short leather mini.Earlier, Jayson Brunsdon masterminded an exercise in elegant restraint when he showed just 16 looks - all in ivory - in AFW's VIP wine bar.Gone were last year's extravagant sequined column gowns; in their place a concise collection of impeccable draping and tailoring that played with shape and volume. Mon, 19 May 2008 07:40:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/shower-products-and-bathroom-accessories-from-ramtaps-1976.html Tag: Shower Towel Ramtaps is an Australian manufacturer of a wide range of tapware, bathroom accessories and waste outlets. Ramtaps sells its range of products under the brand Ram Tapware and Harbic. These products are available from major plumbing and building suppliers across Australia.Ramtaps provides a range of bathroom products including basins, bath tubs, bidette, showers, remote, spa, stop taps and toilets. The other bathroom products include Aurora Accessories, Dorset, easy clean, Merino, Merino accessories, Park accessories, Ram Slimline, Ran Softamix and Waratah Slimline.Ramtaps offers a range of shower products such as hand showers, shower heads, ceiling showers, wall mounted showers and shower arms. Shower heads are available in round and rectangular shapes. The round shaped shower heads and rectangular shaped shower heads manufactured by Ramtaps are available in two models each, namely Rain shower head and Evolve shower head. The water efficiency rating of all these shower heads from Ramtaps is 9.0 litres per minute. Wall mounted type and ceiling dropper are the shower arms available from Ramtaps.A range of Park bathroom accessories are available from Ramtaps such as guest towel holder, robe hooks, soap dish, double towel rail, towel ladder, single towel rail, shelf with rail, towel ladder and towel rack and rail. Ramtaps also provides Ram Slimline wall mixer and Ram Slimline wall diverter mixer. Both these single lever mixers are available with temperature and flow limit cartridge. Mon, 19 May 2008 07:38:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/survivors-stories-make-fabric-of-shoah-quilt-1974.html Tag: Printed Quilt Twelve months after her concentration camp was liberated, Ann Spicer, newly married, was leaving Germany for good. It was May 21, 1946. Her husband's little brother was the first to board the train in Stuttgart that would take the makeshift family to the first ship out of Hamburg headed toward America.Philip, 13, flashed a grin as he climbed into the wooden car, on whose side someone had stuck a paper sign: "America, here we come." Spicer's husband snapped a photograph."We didn't even know where we were going," Spicer recalled recently. "We knew we were going to America. It was the first time I was on a ship, going to a land that I didn't know anything about."Spicer's experience is not unique among the more than 100,000 Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States after the war. But she has chosen to share her memories this year in a unique way -- by contributing this photograph to a "Shoah Quilt" project put together by Mount Sinai Memorial Parks in honor of Yom HaShoah.Mount Sinai's staff last year asked members of the L.A. Jewish community to create personalized squares for a quilt that would memorialize the Holocaust, its victims and its survivors."We wanted to do a quilt, similar to the AIDS Quilt, to commemorate the Shoah on the 60th anniversary of Israel," said Len Lawrence, general manager of Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries. "It would be a quilt of hope, looking forward, not of misery."They sent out blank pieces of fabric to those who answered a series of ads soliciting contributions, with few guiding instructions."We said, 'Commemorate who you want, the way you want,'" Lawrence said. "It's a very personal commemoration of people, places or things. It was really up to the individuals."As submissions began to pour in, Mount Sinai employees realized the project addressed a widespread need for a venue in which to honor names and faces that might otherwise go unknown. Word of mouth carried news of the project across the country. Contributions also came from Canada, Israel and England. So many squares were submitted -- an "overwhelming" total of 156, Lawrence said -- that they had to assemble three quilts.Contributor Wendy Brogin of Sherman Oaks said she was thankful for the chance to tell the story of how the Holocaust affected her life.Both her father's and mother's families were decimated in concentration camps, but they each found a way to survive, she said. Her father was able to escape Germany through an arrangement to teach tailoring on the Isle of Man."The Holocaust almost toppled our whole family, but we survived," said Brogin, who translated that notion into an embroidered family tree with a chop mark at the base. She, her husband and their three children all helped sew their relatives' names onto the tree."This was an opportunity to make a statement," Brogin said of the Shoah Quilt. "My biggest concern is are my children going to know about it? Are their children going to know about it? I wanted to spread the message that this happened and that it must never happen again, so it's not repeated and it's not refuted."Preserving the legacy of the Holocaust ensures that future generations of Jews will know the value of their heritage, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple told a packed Kamenir Chapel at Mount Sinai Simi Valley on May 4, before unveiling the quilts to a crowd of contributors, their families and guests. But simply recalling the names of those who perished is also a "holy act" in itself, he said."Because we remember them as people who died, we often forget that they were people who lived. Even if we remember only a name, that is a powerful tribute."Wolpe encouraged attendees to read aloud the names printed on the panels of fabric, stitched in thread, written in marker and surrounded uniquely in each piece by buttons, sequins, tallit strings, a crocheted piece of lace or a Star of David made of popsicle sticks. One square features a burning candle; another, train tracks; one has a dove with an olive branch; and near the blue silk border of the third quilt, a photo transfer of Ann Spicer and her husband, Edward, with the caption: "From martyrdom to freedom."Spicer was born in Radom, Poland, and was a teenager when the Nazis came to her town. She watched her family of six unravel through a series of ghettos and concentration camps in Poland and Germany."They took away everything from us -- the light, the food, the way of being with families," she recalled. "There were horrors that happened overnight."After surviving hard labor, hunger and disease at Auschwitz, separated from her parents and siblings, Spicer was put on a train to a camp in northern Germany where she was liberated in 1945.She was liberated by four young American soldiers. Ironically, the first thing they asked her for was soap so they could wash up. "I looked at them, and I became hysterical, because I hadn't seen soap in six years," she said. "You suddenly become free, and you don't know what to do with that freedom. I had no money, no clothing, and nobody left. But somehow, we managed."Spicer met her husband in Stuttgart, where she had stayed on to work for UNRRA (the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency). They were married in December, and with her little brother-in-law the following May, they sailed to the U.S. to build a new life."When I heard about this project, I thought it was a beautiful idea," said Spicer, a Westwood resident who in the 1960s helped found the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. "Our time is very short. I try to pack in as much information as I can that will stay with somebody, and they will say, 'I knew this person.' That's the essence -- that somebody can live on to tell the story."Assembling the vast collection of memories was no easy task, said Marlene Alonge, who designed the quilts.Alonge, whose husband, Joel, is director of sales for Mount Sinai's Hollywood Hills site, said she appreciated the chance to learn more about the Holocaust through other peoples' lives."Doing this project, I felt privileged. I felt like I was on the front line, getting all these stories told," she said. "When you see someone pouring out their emotions in an art form like this, it's really remarkable."Lawrence said he hopes the Shoah Quilt project can become a teaching tool for children across the city, and he wants to take the quilts on a national tour to spread the message further."Take a 15-, 16-year-old today -- how much contact do they have with survivors, unless one happens to be in their family?" he asked.Erin Zucker, 15, said she feels lucky to have that connection.The high school sophomore at the Center for Early Jewish Education in Thousand Oaks made a quilt square featuring a candle and a flame, and the word, "Remember."The subject is "so important to me; it's part of my life," Zucker said.Her inspiration to take part in the project was her grandfather, Michael Mark, a survivor who told Zucker stories of his experiences during the Holocaust."Everything he went through means a lot to me. Just by looking at him, you wouldn't think he would have the strength to pull through something like that," she said, describing her grandfather as a quiet, generous man who likes to tell jokes.Of the quilt, she said, "he's really happy that I did it." Mon, 19 May 2008 07:37:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/mitsubishi-jv-to-expand-presence-1481.html Tag: industrial cutting machine Mitsubishi Corporation, a global trading firm based in Japan, which recently formed a joint venture with the Coimbatore-based Rs 300 crore machine tool company, Craftsman Automation, to market and service its wide range of industrial machines in India, is looking at the northern and Western parts of the country for expansion. The new JV, MC Craftsman Machinery, in which Mitsubishi holds a 70 per cent stake, has opened branches in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. The company so far was focussing on South India. The JV, which commenced its operations in January this year, is looking at a turnover in excess of Rs 20 crore from the sale of 40 Electric Discharge Machines in the first year and double the sales in the second year of operations. In addition to this, the company is also aiming to sell around 10 laser-cutting machines. During the last two years, Mitsubishi has sold 55 machines in south India. Its major clients in India include NTTF, Mastercraft and GTTC. The first batch of fully-built machines are expected to arrive later this month from Nagoya, Japan. Said Ashwani K Datta, Vice President, of this JV, "We have just commenced our JV operations in India. We will continue to expand our service network here and depending on the market response, we will be setting up a manufacturing facility in India." The JV will offer industrial machinery Mitsubishi's range like electrical discharge machine, CNC wirecut machine, and Laser-cutting machine, made by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation along with machinery used in the field of die et mould, and sheet metal industry. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:22:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/zenith-awards-look-back-to-2005-1479.html Tag: hole cutter IN what is unarguably the highlight of the year for the process, automation and control community, the PACE Zenith Awards 2005 program reached its much-awaited culmination on 1 June when the winners in nine industrial categories [see below] were announced at a gala event in Melbourne. The wealth of outstanding achievement ranged from projects of great industrial value to highly individualistic solutions. Over 70 people, from all corners of Australia, attended the morning function, which was held at Flemington Racecourse. All the winners and those highly commended in the nine categories were awarded trophies and certificates of achievement. All finalists also received certificates of achievement. The ceremony was officially opened by Marian McLean, country and regional manager occupational health and safety, ABB Australia, who spoke on OHS challenges facing multinational companies. Representing each of the nine sponsors were: Paul Kerin, national manager industry, Schneider Electric (Australia); Daljinder Singh, senior sales engineer, Victoria, Endress + Hauser Australia; Dirk Kuiper, general manager, AMS Instrumentation et Calibration; Frank Schrever, managing director, Pilz Safe Automation; Stephen Russell, regional account manager, Victoria and Tasmania, Citect Aust; Phillip Ring, Melbourne branch manager, Samson Controls; John Gaskell, chief executive officer, ABB Australia; Nick Fondas, managing director, Itech Corporation; and Juergen Schneider, regional manager, Victoria, Siemens. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:21:00 GMT http://awaitseagerly.spoonylife.com/jer-envirotech-to-expand-to-south-carolina-1478.html Tag: twin screw extruder Wood-plastic composite (WPC) panel board extruder and compounded pellet supplier JER Envirotech International Corp. (Vancouver, BC) is scouting locations in the Greenville, SC area for a 2008 shift of its joint-venture operation in Malaysia to the U.S. Just before magazine close, Ed Trueman, JER's president, CEO, and director, told MPW he would go to the area in late April to evaluate greenfield and existing sites for relocation. "[JER] has an anchor piece of business that compels us to come to that location," Trueman said, "and we're going to build out there because logistically it's a very good place for us to be." In November 2007, JER announced a four-year supply agreement with Guardian Building Products Distribution Inc. (Greenville, SC) to supply that company with its proprietary WPC pellets. In addition to being a building material distributor, Guardian manufactures a line of light-density fiberglass-insulation products. Trueman said JER will wind down its Malaysian operation, shifting all its equipment to Greenville, including a twin-screw Entek compounding extruder that will act as the new site's initial capacity. They company also plans to add more capacity to the new site. In British Columbia, JER operates three custom lines from Entek Extruders for its panel-board product, with two dedicated to compounding WPC pellets. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:20:00 GMT