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Personalized Father's Day Gift Under $10: SnapBox Framed Photo

SnapBox turns photos into personalized Father's Day gifts, complete with a frame and ready for gift giving. The SnapBox (www.snapboxez.com) service, from JONDO-USA, enables consumers to transform any photo from their smartphone or computer into a framed work of art. A SnapBox 5x5 stretched gallery-wrapped canvas print starts at less than $10, and shipping is free for home delivery via ground services from now until Father's Day.

"Whether it is a favorite photo of Dad with his kids, or just a photo you'd like to share with Dad, SnapBox makes it easy to create a high quality framed canvas print that makes a perfect Father's Day gift -and that fits into any budget," said John Doe, CEO of JONDO-USA.

The SnapBox print is a unique gallery-wrapped canvas photo, ready for desktop or wall display, complete with a high-quality black wood frame. SnapBox prints can be ordered in just minutes by emailing photos to snapboxez@snapbox.com or uploading them to snapboxez.com.

Available in five sizes, including 5x5, 5x7, 8x10, 9x9, and10x13 (with the 5x5 and 9x9 square SnapBox prints ideal for Instagram photos), SnapBox prints range in price from $9.97 to $27.74. SnapBox framed prints optimize smartphone photos for the best quality images and are printed on stretched canvas -- a high-quality poly cotton blend made exclusively for JONDO-USA.

To make it even more convenient, SnapBox framed prints can be shipped to Dad, making gift-giving easy. SnapBox orders are completed and delivered in just a few days from one of JONDO's state-of-the-art production facilities in Anaheim, Seattle, or Albany.

About JONDO-USA

With decades of experience in fine art reproduction, proprietary digital workflow, and ongoing investments in lean manufacturing practices, JONDO-USA is a market leader in providing both superior product quality and exceptional price value. JONDO began in 1989 as Harvest Productions, utilizing state of the art IRIS technology to reproduce artists' watercolor paintings. The business grew, based on innovations in print technology, and the company is recognized as an early developer of high resolution input, edit, and output workflows. JONDO-USA is extending its product offerings to consumers with the goal of enhancing the consumer experience through unique and affordable photo décor products, easy online access, and quick regional manufacturing/fulfillment centers.

Source  http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/personalized-fathers-day-gift-under-10-snapbox-framed-photo-1798172.htm

East Lyme Garden Club 57th Annual May Mart Plant Sale

The East Lyme Garden Club's 57th annual May Mart Sale will be held Saturday, May 11. It will again be held at the East Lyme Town Hall Pavilion on Pennslyvania Avenue, Niantic, from 8:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m., rain or shine.

Member perennials will include echinacea, columbine, ornamental grasses, campanula, Siberian Iris, lupine, Shasta Daisy, bleeding heart, peonies, Hosta "Royal Standard" and "minute man", Lambs ear, Ferns, Coreopsis, Lemon Thyme, coral bells and hops vine. Shrubs and trees include Kousa dogwood, lilac, weigelia, butterfly bush, cotoneaster and leucothoe.

The club will again offer patio tomatoes, vegetables and herbs for sale. A huge variety of annual flowers as well as herbs. Beautiful hanging baskets in a variety of sizes and choices in time for Mother's Day gifts.

Proceeds from this annual sale enable the East Lyme Garden Club to maintain the beautiful garden in front of the library and behind the senior center. The club also provides three $1000. dollar annual scholarships to graduating East Lyme High School seniors. In addition the members make festive floral arrangements for "Meals on Wheels" trays that are distributed twice a year - in May and again in December.

The clube hosts several educational programs during the year at meetings held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., at the Police Station in downtown Niantic. New members are always welcome. Contact the club at elgc@gmail.com. for more informtion.

Source  http://www.theday.com/article/20130413/USR04/130419809

Ignatian spirituality may guide Pope Francis

As the first Jesuit Pope, Pope Francis’ Ignatian spirituality can help him discern God’s will and reveal the Gospel in a new way, says fellow Jesuit Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, SJ, in Ottawa.

“He, in a way, embodies the best of what our tradition is about,” he said.

The spiritual disciplines of the Society of Jesus’ founder St. Ignatius of Loyola helps one determine “what God is calling me to do in this particular circumstance at this particular time,” said Archbishop Prendergast.

“As a Society, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us in a way that is unique to each one of us,” he said. Though Ignatius might not have used the same terms, the archbishop said, “the way God speaks to me is unique to me, as distinct as my fingerprints, my DNA, and the iris of my eyes.”

When Pope Francis was Jesuit provincial in Argentina during the 1970s, he insisted on Ignatian spirituality as opposed to the popular Liberation Theology that sees the Gospel through a Marxist lens. Jesuits have been on the forefront of Liberation Theology in South America.

Prendergast said it is natural for Jesuits to be concerned about the plight of the poor. “Social inequalities had to be addressed” in South America, and “Jesuits went there to use their intellect and their passion for the poor to bring that passion together with the Gospel.”

He pointed out how Pope John Paul II referred to America as one continent including both North and South, “a way of saying the rich North must be responsible for the needs of the poorer South.” But at the same time, both John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were critical of Liberation Theology, he noted.

“Some can emphasize social justice to the point that they lose their faith,” said Archbishop Prendergast. Others can stress the faith so much they do nothing for the poor, he added.

The approach then Father Jorge Bergoglio would have taken is “to always keep the love of the poor coupled with the Gospel,” and not go to Marxism, “which sets up class warfare,” and “division, not what the Gospel calls for.”

“He insisted everything must be aligned with what the Gospel says,” Archbishop Prendergast said. Jesuits were interested in how far they could go if they were really concerned about the poor.

During the 1970s, Argentina was in the midst of its so-called “dirty war” in which a repressive military regime cracked down on leftists, including many priests who were working with the poor. There have been accusations Father Bergoglio did not do enough to speak out against the regime, or worse, that he may have betrayed some of his priests. Archbishop Prendergast said as Jesuit provincial Father Bergoglio “there may have been some conflict on where people would work in the social justice arena.”

This would have involved a rethinking of the Jesuit charism to prevent the promotion of social justice to the extreme or the promotion of faith to the extreme, he said. “He insisted Marxism was not compatible with the service of faith. Faith and justice go together.”

“He was probably caught at that particular time,” he said. “He probably really tried to listen to them.”

The archbishop admitted Jesuits often come up for criticism. Pope Clement XIV even suppressed the Society from 1773 to 1814, prompting one cardinal to joke to Pope Francis he should take the name Clement XV to get revenge.

When Cardinal Bergoglio stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Archbishop Prendergast was in Toronto with a group of young Jesuits. He was “surprised,” and “stunned.”

“That the cardinals would have chosen one of us—we were speechless,” he said.

“Jesuits are called to be on the cutting edge between faith and unbelief,” Archbishop Prendergast said, noting the role Jesuits have played in science, in running universities, in running the Vatican Observatory and so on. “When you are on the cutting edge, some people think you go too far and others think you don’t go far enough.”

The archbishop sees Pope Francis as neither a conservative nor a progressive. All bishops must be conservative in the sense that they preserve the Gospel, but while preserving the teaching they must find innovative ways to “present it in a way that meets the needs of the people today.

One way the new Pope showed a spirit of innovation as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires was in how he invited poor families to baptize their children. Cardinal Bergoglio noticed many families were not bringing their babies in to be baptized because they could not afford to throw a big party as Argentinian society expected, Archbishop Prendergast said. So, Bergoglio had the church throw the party so the baptisms could take place and the families would experience no shame.

Every person chosen to be Pope “will be conservative and innovative,” he said.

Among the disciplines of Ignatian spirituality is to do an examination of conscience twice a day, to get a sense of one’s faults and failures and to “acknowledge where the Lord has been present, where I have acknowledged Him and where I have failed to see Him,” Archbishop Prendergast said.

There are particular examinations when one is trying to correct a fault or work on developing a virtue. “Somebody who is proud might do humble things; someone who is a doormat might work on becoming assertive,” he said.

The goal of the disciplines is “to find equilibrium and balance,” Archbishop Prendergast said. “When I am in balance, I can see the movement of spirit and discern whether it is from God or from the enemy of our nature, what Ignatius would call the devil.”

“Ignatius himself would try to find God in all things, to find God in the present moment and respond,” he said.

Some of the gestures of humility—like Pope Francis’ decision to wear the simple white cassock without the ermine-lined red cape, paying his own hotel bill, and the simple pectoral cross he wore as a bishop and not the pontifical cross offered him may be signs of the different way he hears God’s message and how he wants to proclaim it, Archbishop Prendergast said. “How successful he will be will depend on his stamina and his stick-to-itiveness.”

His riding on the subways in Buenos Aires and living in a simple apartment may also have been decisions made at a certain stage out of his Jesuit spirituality, he said.

One makes decisions and continues to live out of them or one might examine them later one and ask “has my living arrangement helped me to grow,” Archbishop Prendergast said.

While Pope Francis’ humility has been a focus of media attention, some reports have also drawn attention to what has been described as his strict demand for obedience as Jesuit provincial.

Archbishop Prendergast explained how the Jesuit vow of obedience can be misunderstood. “What I understand about (Pope Francis) is that he’s a listener. That’s what a provincial is called to do,” he said.

The obedience called for is not a “blind obedience” but an interplay of discernment between the superior and the priests, he said. “It’s only at the end of the process where I person says, ‘I don’t want to do that;' and the provincial says, ‘Well, that’s what I think God wants you to do,'” that “Jesuit obedience” means “in the end, I do what I’m told.”

But the process can take a long time, he said. A provincial needs to listen well to know the thoughts, desires, faults, illnesses, and gifts of those under him to “assign them to the best use of their talents for the Kingdom of God and society,” Archbishop Prendergast said. A provincial might make a proposal to a priest and find the reaction is, “Oh, no, that would kill me!”

“You place yourself in the position of trusting your superior, but he needs to hear you,” said Archbishop Prendergast.

So far he has not heard his fellow Jesuits react negatively to the appointment of Pope Francis.

Though the Jesuits are called the Society of Jesus in English, he likes the French and Spanish terms that mean Company or Companions of Jesus, the “band of brothers, the people who share bread together, who share their life together and come out from a common base to serve the world.”

Source  http://bcc.rcav.org/canadian/2530-ignatian-spirituality-may-guide-pope-francis

Fingleton used special account for politically sensitive loans

Irish Nationwide had a special bank account called the 'No. 3 account' which was used to immediately disburse funds when required for sensitive situations.

The account was jointly controlled by Michael Fingleton, the building society's boss, and just one other member of staff between 2002 and 2008. It could make payments without formal limits and was used for purposes including granting loans to politically sensitive figures or for the settlement of disputes.

The existence of this unorthodox bank account was one of many unusual practices identified by forensic accountants from Ernst & Young, who were asked to trawl through the society by the State, post the bank guarantee.

Ernst & Young also identified issues relating to individual borrowers that it considered unusual, including loans to some of the society's biggest borrowers.

These and many other issues are revealed in a new book called Fingers, by Tom Lyons and Richard Curran, which is to be published by Gill & McMillan next week.

This book identifies a range of unusual deals, including a payment of €435,000 to a firm which the society's records say has an address on Madison Avenue, New York.

Ernst & Young was unable to find any evidence of this company at that address and concludes that the beneficiary of this payment is a Luxembourg bank account.

It also identifies multimillion sums being paid out for "consultancy services" to entities related to some of the society's borrowers. It also lists a range of other payments sanctioned by Fingleton that Ernst & Young found required further questioning.

The book reports on other shortcomings of the society, identified in April 2009 by consultants Deloitte. These include the fact that not all commercial loans were subject to review by the credit risk department; adherence to the credit committee's terms of reference were not always met and the society stopped producing quarterly reporting packs on credit-risk management in September 2007.

Source  http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/fingleton-used-special-account-for-politically-sensitive-loans-29090497.html

CDC: Quick Health and Safety Tips For Families

The following text was compiled from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tip sheets:

"Being healthy and safe takes commitment, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming," says the CDC. "Most things are so simple and take so little time, that you’ll wonder why you’ve been avoiding them."

According to the CDC, we have 1,440 minutes in the day. Here are some quick tips that will only take away 1 to 5 of those minutes:

Source  http://dedham.patch.com/articles/cdc-quick-health-and-safety-tips-for-families-7a726aa4

Pakistan should legitimize Kashmiris as third party

Stating that there is a notion across the world that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Tuesday said the amalgam will urge Pakistan for “legal sanctity” for role of Kashmiris’ as a third party in the settlement of Kashmir issue so that it is recognized as a tripartite issue at the global level.

Addressing the second phase of the feedback session with civil society members of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts at Hurriyat headquarters here, Mirwaiz said that ahead of their Pakistan visit, the Hurriyat leadership  wanted to listen to intellectuals, traders, civil society activists and other sections of the society so that constructive suggestions could crop up.

“These suggestions will help us frame good policies,” the Hurriyat (M) Chairman said at the outset of the session. “Keeping in view the situation at the world level and at the sub-continental level, an impression continues to remain in place that Kashmir is a bilateral issue. This is happening despite the fact that Kashmiris have offered countless sacrifices,” Mirwaiz said. “We have been of the belief that Kashmir is a tripartite issue with people of Kashmir as its real stakeholders. But the fact remains that there is no legal sanctity to the people being the main party to the issue.”

The Hurriyat (M) Chairman said the amalgam will work out a “legal sanctity” with the Pakistan leadership so that the notion of Kashmir being a bilateral issue ends. “The move will also help give Kashmiri people a right to speak and also project Kashmir as a tripartite issue,” he said.

He said Kashmir issue has many dimensions like social, economic and political. “Besides talking about the resolution of Kashmir issue, we need to talk about the plundering of our water resources, power and other things,” Mirwaiz said. He also said it was not like that the Hurriyat (M) leadership would bring resolution from Pakistan. “But a beginning is must. Many confusions will get cleared during our visit,” he said.

During the feedback session, many participants highlighted the historic perspective of the Kashmir issue as to how the erstwhile princely State of Jammu and Kashmir was sold by the British ‘and then by Maharaja Hari Singh.’ “This State had been sold for peanuts first and then through accords. We must see where do we stand and where we have to go,” said a participant from Kupwara district. “Hurriyat must devise a strategy to clear the confusion. We as a nation are totally confused as to where from we have to start. We have offered priceless sacrifices over the past 65 years. There is a need for a vision and direction,” he said.

Another elderly participant from the apple town of Sopore said Pakistan had been claiming Kashmir as its “jugular vein” and at the same time India maintains “Kashmir is its integral part.” “The fact remains that Kashmir remains sandwiched between the two countries. But we haven’t lost hope and believe a day will come soon when we will achieve our goal,” he said.

Many young participants stressed that Hurriyat leadership should keep the sacrifices of people in mind before meeting the Pakistan leadership.

“Keep in mind that our daughters and mothers lost chastity for Kashmir solution. Our youth spilled hot blood for the cause,” said a youth from Baramulla. He was seconded by another from Sopore, who further added, “Hurriyat leaders should seek suggestions and advice from the family members of martyrs as well before leaving for Pakistan.”

Mirwaiz welcomed the suggestions put forth by the participants and said the feedback sessions would continue and the next meeting will be held with the people from South Kashmir. Many senior Hurriyat (M) leaders were present in the session which included Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, Shahid-ul-Islam, Syed Saleem Geelani and Zaffar Akbar Bhat.

Source  http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Nov/28/-pakistan-should-legitimize-kashmiris-as-third-party--79.asp

Civil society in Pakistan holds key to peaceful future

Less than two years after the Pakistani military drew down its counter-insurgency operations in the picturesque Swat valley, Pakistan’s frontier region is once again being rocked by suicide attacks and targeted killings. While the country may appear to be locked in an entrenched conflict, Pakistan’s civil society could hold the key for a sustainable, peaceful future.

The World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE), a non-profit, educational organisation aiming to enhaance communication and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, recently completed a year-long study to understand the capacity of Pakistan’s civil society for resolving conflict within its borders. The WORDE team travelled to over 35 cities and villages – from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to interior Sindh – to interview over 100 organisations countering radical narratives and fostering social harmony.

Our research indicates that Pakistan’s civil society has the capacity to promote peace and regional stability through five powerful mechanisms.

First, activists are leading bold public awareness initiatives to educate the population about the threat of radicalisation. Public rallies, such as “Save Pakistan Conventions”, have galvanised the population and forged unity against terrorism. In 2009, for example, conservative Muslim parties teamed up with the Christian Progressive Movement of Pakistan to hold a 25,000-man National Flag Day march in Islamabad to demonstrate national solidarity against violent extremism.

Following examples from the Arab Spring, Pakistani youth are also using new media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote peace – often at great personal risk. Just last month, Malala Yousafzai, a female teenage blogger and girls’ education activist, was shot by militants in the Swat valley for speaking out against the Taliban.

Second, concerted efforts are underway across the country to empower youth with alternatives to militancy. For example, schools such as the Dar ul Uloom Okara in Southern Punjab organise intensive two-week seminars on Qur’anic principles of peace and conflict resolution. Others, like the Dar ul Uloom Bhera, conduct individually tailored interventions for at-risk youth that refute the idea of violence in the name of Islam. Where possible, large schools are also offering advanced courses in English, sciences, mathematics and vocational training to prepare students for professional careers after graduation.

Third, public statements are also a powerful mechanism to counter violent ideologies. Since 9/11, dozens of fatwas, or non-binding opinions by Islamic scholars, in Urdu and local languages have been issued to denounce terrorism at the theological level. Given the high number of targeted killings in Pakistan, however, many scholars are hesitant to address the issue of extremism directly. Instead, they often embed their anti-terror messages within speeches on broader social issues.

Fourth, religious scholars are organising public lectures and debates to deconstruct radical interpretations of Islam using the Qur’an, stories of the Prophets and historical examples. In regions like southern Punjab, where robust civil society networks exist, public debates and lectures are held on a weekly basis. Those featuring prominent speakers such as Syed Arshad Kazmi are televised or posted on YouTube.

Fifth, Pakistani faith-based organisations are using their social networks to distribute humanitarian assistance to impoverished communities at risk of militancy. For example, the Jamia Subhaniyya Rizvia, a school bordering the tribal regions, recently teamed up with the military and social welfare organisations to distribute emergency kits and over 30 tons of goods to internally displaced peoples in terrorism-affected regions.

In short, there are many examples of Pakistani civil society’s constructive efforts to create change, and Pakistan’s future hinges on replicating and expanding these efforts across the country. However, security and a lack of funding and resources prevent activists from creating a sustained national movement.

Today, with the public outcry following the attack on Malala Yousafzai and other peace activists, the international community – especially the Pakistani diaspora – has been presented with a window of opportunity to provide training in capacity-building, technical assistance and material support to strengthen Pakistan’s civil society.

Source  http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/11/17/civil-society-pakistan-peaceful-future/

Farewell reception for Italian envoy

One of the final farewell parties for the Defence Attache of Italy, Col. Gaetano di Lorenzo was hosted by the ‘new’ ambassador of Italy, Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani and attended by a few guests, each representing a different section of Pakistani society — business; armed forces and civil society.

This made for a cosy affair — although it was a formal one — where any discussion involved all the guests — except of course during the sit down dinner where people speak to those nearest to them! The new Italian Defence Attache Lt. Col. Emilio Sen was also present.

The host decided to make his farewell speech before the delicious Italian meal was served. He thanked his guests for accepting his invitation and said that in the couple of months or so since he had been here he had learned a lot from his guest of honour about ‘how things worked’ in Pakistan. He went on to speak of the good work that had been carried out by the officer in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the collaboration between the armed forces and how this would go a long way to strengthen the bonds of friendship which already exist. He also said a few words about the cooperation in business which is going in the right direction; announced the visit of high level officials in the near future and concluded by welcoming Lt Col Sen and hoping he would have a successful tenure and wishing Col Lorenzo a successful career and happy life in the future.

In his response the guest of honour — who has been very popular both with his colleagues and civilians from all walks of life — thanked the ambassador for his gesture of hosting a dinner in his honour and said he was sad to leave Pakistan but happy that he had made many good friends and been successful in accomplishing some major goals which he had set for himself. He thanked his close friends who were present for their friendship and hospitality, saying a few words about each of them and their connection with Italy; wished his successor a happy and successful tenure; said he hoped to visit Pakistan whenever the opportunity arose and concluded by raising a toast to the friendship between Pakistan and Italy.

Maria Sultan spoke on behalf of the Pakistanis, thanking the ambassador for his invitation and voiced words of praise for the guest of honour who had done much to strengthen ties between the two friendly countries. She also welcomed Lt. Col. Sen and concluded with the hope that Pakistan-Italy ties would continue for the mutual benefit of both countries.

Here it is pertinent to mention that the Italian Defence office initiated an ongoing health project in Khuspur a few years ago for the benefit of the local community, where free of cost medical facilities are provided with funds raised by them with help from some members of the business community involved in bilateral co-operation.

Source  http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-135552-Farewell-reception-for-Italian-envoy

Secrets of the deep: How the mass of organisms living in undersea volcanoes and rocks could out-weigh all of the animals on the surface

Scientists say a third of Earth's organisms live in our planet's rocks and sediments - and the amount could even be greater than what we find on the surface.

This week, microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst along with colleagues shone a light on this dark work, reporting on the first detailed data on methane-exhaling microbes that live deep in the cracks of hot undersea volcanoes.

Just as biologists studied the habitats and life requirements of giraffes and penguins when they were new to science, Holden says, 'for the first time we're studying these subsurface microorganisms, defining their habitat requirements and determining how they differ among species.'

A hydrothermal vent field at Axial Volcano seen through the porthole of the submersible Alvin

The submersible Alvin extends its mechanical arm to a high-temperature black smoker at Endeavor Segment

'Evidence has built that there's an incredible amount of biomass in the Earth's subsurface, in the crust and marine sediments, perhaps as much as all the plants and animals on the surface,' says Holden.

'We're interested in the microbes in the deep rock, and the best place to study them is at hydrothermal vents at undersea volcanoes. Warm water there brings the nutrient and energy sources these microbes need.'

The result will advance scientists' comprehension of biogeochemical cycles in the deep ocean, he and co-authors believe.

'Studies such as this add greatly to our understanding of microbial processes in the still poorly-known deep biosphere,' said David Garrison, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.

The project also addresses such questions as what metabolic processes may have looked like on Earth three billion years ago, and what alien microbial life might look like on other planets.

Because the study involves methanogens - microbes that inhale hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce methane as waste - it may also shed light on natural gas formation on Earth.

One major goal was to test results of predictive computer models and to establish the first environmental hydrogen threshold for hyperthermophilic (super-heat-loving), methanogenic (methane-producing) microbes in hydrothermal vent fluids.

Life at the bottom of the ocean: A smoking hydrothermal sulfide spire at Endeavor Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean

'Models have predicted the 'habitability' of the rocky environments we're most interested in, but we wanted to ground-truth these models and refine them,' Holden says.

In a two-liter bioreactor at UMass Amherst where the scientists could control hydrogen levels, they grew pure cultures of hyperthermophilic methanogens from their study site alongside a commercially available hyperthermophilic methanogen species.

The researchers found that growth measurements for the organisms were about the same. All grew at the same rate when given equal amounts of hydrogen and had the same minimum growth requirements.

Holden and Helene Ver Eecke at UMass Amherst used culturing techniques to look for organisms in nature and then study their growth in the lab.

Co-investigators Julie Huber at the Marine Biological Laboratory on Cape Cod provided molecular analyses of the microbes, while David Butterfield and Marvin Lilley at the University of Washington contributed geochemical fluid analyses.

Using the research submarine Alvin, they collected samples of hydrothermal fluids flowing from black smokers up to 350 degrees C (662 degrees F), and from ocean floor cracks with lower temperatures.

Samples were taken from Axial Volcano and the Endeavour Segment, both long-term observatory sites along an undersea mountain range about 200 miles off the coast of Washington and Oregon and more than a mile below the ocean's surface.

'We used specialised sampling instruments to measure both the chemical and microbial composition of hydrothermal fluids,' says Butterfield.

'This was an effort to understand the biological and chemical factors that determine microbial community structure and growth rates.'

A happy twist awaited the researchers as they pieced together a picture of how the methanogens live and work.

At the low-hydrogen Endeavour site, they found that a few hyperthermophilic methanogens eke out a living by feeding on the hydrogen waste produced by other hyperthermophiles.

'This was extremely exciting,' says Holden. 'We've described a methanogen ecosystem that includes a symbiotic relationship between microbes.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2184923/How-mass-Earths-organisms-living-rocks-sediments-weigh-animals-surface.html#ixzz22x4BRZpk

Killing the innocent is unacceptable in Islam

If anyone killed a person – unless it is for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. (Q5:32).

THIS expression is very instructive from the glorious Quran, which some misguided element in the country has jettisoned to pursue their devilish ideology that does not exist in Al- Islam.

The provocative killing of innocent souls, whatsoever, must be condemned by all, if we must live in this world in tandem with the teaching and practice of our religious belief that says that we must love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Anybody who feels that injustices have been perpetrated against him or her should find a civilised way of seeking redress in a competent court of law.

Nobody in this world has a monopoly of violence but men of ideas and responsibility have to exercise restraint not to aggravate the existing bestiality that we are witnessing in the Northern part of the country based on the fact that they do not want to rock the boat of a country that has potentials to be one of the best economies in the world.

The fact has to be reiterated to my brothers in this religion of Al Islam that we are allowing criminals to put us in defence on what our religion do not tolerate and we have to speak out en mass to condemn this callous activity of a tiny segment of the society. In the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that if there is ill in the society, if you cannot speak out to condemn it, use your hands and heart to correct it. There is no justification whatsoever for anybody to attack places of worship, not to talk of killing human souls. The scripture is clear of those who commit suicide and those who kill fellow human beings that they will never find the favour of the Almighty in the hereafter. Lack of correct education in our religion has created a room for all sorts of characters to indoctrinate and imbue worshippers with lies and fallacy which cannot be substantiated in the religion of Al Islam.

We should not allow 00.2 per cent of the population to gang us and create fear and anxiety in our system, which made us to be trembling in our abode. We have to stand up and say to their face that they are creating mischief in the country and they are not Muslims as prescribed by the glorious Quran 2:256 “let there be no compulsion in religion; truly the right has become clearly distinct from error …. And Allah is hearing, knowing” The effective application of wisdom, persuasive preaching and logical argumentation are scripturally prescribed rules of engagement and proselytisation (Da’wah) in Islam.

Imams in all mosques must continue to emphasise the sanctity of life as prescribed by the glorious Quran 5:32 and relate the story of Prophet Muhammad’s support to Christians during his time by vacating the mosque for them to worship (Ibn e Saad and Ibn Hisham). Islam encourages its adherents to strive for the enthronement of goodness and repulsion of evil in every circumstances and accommodate plurality of creeds, ideologies and philosophies, which in itself is a manifestation of divine will as expressed in Quran 10:99 “ And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers?”

The cowardly actions have put many innocent families in grief and paralysed human activities in some part of the country. This grievous destruction will continue to hurt this part of the country in future. Thousands have been rendered jobless because of their uninformed mind and madness, which cannot be substantiated in the scripture and teaching of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

I now agree with the analysis of experts that poverty breeds all sorts of behaviour, which is now manifesting in the society. The blame of this problem lies with past and present leaders of our country,  particularly Northern leaders, who had refused to encourage Western education alongside Islamic education, which many Muslims have embraced to put their wards in comfortable positions to reason logically and not to be swayed by  illiterate scholars parading themselves under the guise of salvation from both the hypocritical evangelical Christian clerics and lazy Mallams, who continue to ignore the fact  that religion is a private matter.

We have neglected history to our peril and continue to make the same mistakes not to allow our children to study history of religion development, could have might has placed them in good stead to know that worship is for the development of the society, and not the precarious evocation of sentiment to swell the number of members of a particular religion. The act of congregating was evolved to create companionship and co-operation for the mutual development, not the present penchant for wealth and material accumulation we are witnessing today.

This had led members of the society to be selfish, self centered and greedy, accumulating wealth the of the  commonwealth to the detriment of the have-nots. We have neglected the basic things of the society to pursue mundane things. We forget that it is the responsibility of the whole society to train and inculcate norms and values in the younger ones, so that they will be able to be conform to the cause of the society.

We have allowed religious activities to kill our creativity and ideas that would have been beneficial to the whole society. Instead of critical thinking to solve societal problems, we pursue spiritual solutions to individual problems by congregating in churches and mosques 18 hours of the day. How do we realise that things are going wrong within our vicinity?

We have to examine the way we worship God and do evangelism in order to find time to look critically at our way of life and how to improve productive sector that will enable us create jobs and wealth for the benefit of all. We must sieve sentiments in all ramifications from our interaction and decision making for the progress of the country.

Source  http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/opinion/43657-killing-the-innocent-is-unacceptable-in-islam

Huddersfield District news for use E&C Saturday, 8 Oct

The Village Hall Quiz Night was a success with plenty of supper. The quiz winners were The 4 Ps. Colum Sands will be performing on tonight, Saturday. Ring 606230 for details.

The Sunday service was taken by Tim Lee, one of the founders of Jigsaw Kids Ministries in the Philippines. The junior’s address was about it being better to build your house on rock rather than sand – with an improvised example – God’s word being the rock. The first reading was from Matthew 13 verses 31-35 – ‘the mustard seed’. As the mustard tree grew large from something very tiny so has Jigsaw grown, both with God’s help and from prayer, he said. In the eight years that it has been going there have been traumas including fire, floods and hurricanes. Whenever there have been problem times God has wrought a miracle to keep things going. There are now four centres, each with over 500 children, run mainly by local people. The second reading was Psalm 113 – Praise the Lord.

The Harvest service will be on Sunday when goods for CART will be collected. The annual Autumn Fair to raise money for continued building improvements will be on Saturday October 15 from 11am.

The 10th Anniversary Coffee Morning with lunches for the Hospice Support Group is to be held in the Village Hall from 11 am on Saturday October 22. The group is very pleased to have raised £868.45 in the third quarter. Many thanks go to everyone who has helped and supported the events, especially in the current economic situation. Much is being made from the generous contributions of fruit and vegetables from the very good growing season. Christmas cards are now available.

CLAYTON WEST

The Harvest Festival and Back to Church Sunday were celebrated together at All Saints’. The service was led by the Rev Joy Cousans who introduced the service by talking to the children about the reactions they might show when receiving a present. The gratitude anyone demonstrates is the same as the responses made to God for this time of year – the growth of a huge variety of foods which we harvest in the natural world. Readings were prepared by Trish Bond and Raymond Parker from Exodus 33 (verses 12-23) and the Gospel of Matthew 22 (verses15-22) respectively. Prayers for the wider world were written and delivered by Wynn Leake.During the distribution of communion the choir sang John Rutter’s arrangement of All Things Bright And Beautiful.Gifts of tinned foods and toiletries were received and will be directed to the Welcome Centre in Huddersfield for distribution within the area.Visitors and regulars at the service were fully appreciative of the imaginative widow displays on the theme of ‘We plough the fields and scatter’.Coffee for all after the service, was served by Gail Banks and Jean Newby. The service tomorrow, Sunday is a joint service with members from St Augustine’s Church, Scissett - and to which all are welcome. During the service there will be a celebration of the variety of talents which members of All Saints’ readily have displayed.

DENBY DALE

Robert Nuttall led the prayer and fellowship on Monday evening at Zion Wesleyan Reform Chapel. The members of the Friday club enjoyed an evening of outdoor games.

On Sunday morning the members of the Sunday School continued preparations for the Harvest Festival to be held on October 23. Robert Nuttall led Sunday evening worship when he spoke about the Fruits of the Spirit. The Bible was read by Cynthia Nuttall who also acted as the steward at The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.Howard Copley from Mexborough will be the visiting preacher for Connexional Sunday at 6pm.

EMLEY

On Wednesday afternoon children from Emley First School attended St Michael’s Church for a Harvest Thanksgiving Service. They had made a beautiful display of gifts. It was all hands on deck by church members on Saturday morning when additional decorations were added.

On Sunday morning the Harvest Thanksgiving Service was led by the Rev John Marsh. Gifts of produce were taken up to the altar during the singing of We Plough The Fields And Scatter. Fresh goods will be sent to Women’s Refuge and dried goods to CART and will be shipped to Africa. A new song – Everywhere Around I Can See The Hand Of God – was enjoyed by all. Oscar Smith asked questions about God’s gifts to us and how we can share them. Jesus helped people by turning their sorrow to joy, reaching out to people lives with help support and forgiveness. It is up to us to carry on his work, in today’ society, he said.. Gill Marsh led prayers and Malcolm Jessop played the organ. A light lunch followed and donations were sent to Water Aid. In the evening a service of Holy Communion was held. Tickets for the Yorkshire Evening on Friday October 14 at 7.30pm are still available.

KIRKBURTON

There were two services in All Hallows Parish Church last Sunday. Mrs Susan McPherson gave a warm welcome to the congregation when they attended the annual Church 4 All family service and celebration of the harvest festival. The church was decorated for the occasion with foliage and displays of garden produce together with the traditional harvest loaf. The service was led by the Rev Geoff Clay and the harvest gifts of dried and tinned foodstuffs – later donated to the Welcome Centre in Huddersfield – were received during the opening hymn. Mrs Lorraine Lockwood led the prayers of intercession and Mrs Karen McCann gave a reading from the third chapter of the letter of St Paul to the Philippians. During the service Mrs Katherine Metcalfe, speaking on behalf of Highburton Brownies, asked the worshippers if they would help them support the ‘Mary’s Wheels Backpack Project’. This charity, set-up to provide children in war-torn and famine afflicted countries with one meal a day in their schools, has now launched an appeal to provide them with backpacks containing basic educational materials, clothing and toiletries. Mr Clay gave the talk and took for his theme The Work of the Tear Fund. Mrs Pauline Pinder and Mrs Joy Elson, along with her grandchildren Joshua and Jessica, performed the duties of sidesmen and took up a collection of £224 for the Tear Fund. The music for the service, with a mixture of traditional harvest hymns and new songs, was provided by organist Mrs Doreen Barraclough and Mrs Jean Selby and the Church Music Group. The congregation enjoyed refreshments after the service served by Mrs Wendy Crooks and Mrs Pat Ellis. In the evening there was a celebration of Holy Communion. The leader and preacher was the Rev Robert Chambers who took for his theme Christ the Corner Stone. There was a meditation by churchwarden Mr Glyn Phillips. Mrs Pauline Pinder gave the reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians and Mrs Shirley Lingwood from the 21st chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew. Pastoral minister, Mrs Betty Cross assisted Mr Chambers at the distribution of the sacrament.

SHELLEY

Shelley Over 60s members held their weekly meeting last Thursday. The bingo line was won by Sylvia Deeley and the full house by Edna Glover. The prize for the first three numbers on one card went to Mary Hobson who received £1. The whist high of 90 was won by Malcolm Mills, and the low of 64 went to Kathleen Proctor from eight tables. Birthday greetings were sent to Wilma Peel, Ann Parton and Marleen Fairbank. The winner of this month’s minibus draw was no. 346. Raffle prizes were won by Joyce Tyas, Joan Horne, Jean Peck, Sheila Morris, Sheila Taylor and Dorothy Jessop.

SKELMANTHORPE

Mr Tony Hudson, of Huddersfield, was preacher on Sunday at the Wesleyan Reformed Church. Mr John Orton was the organist.

On Sunday last at Skelmanthorpe Methodist Church, the service was led by Stuart Merry. The theme of the service centred on the parable of the vineyard and the tenants, comparing and contrasting the principles and standards of living in this parable with current attitudes and behaviours, which also flout and reject the morality in Christian principles that mark out a civilised society. Rose Merry and Ailsa Horton read the Bible lessons. The music group accompanied two of the hymns and Frances Priestnall played the organ.

On Monday last the Wives Group were given an interesting presentation about Mercy Ships by Dr John Rhodes and Mrs Iris Rhodes. Mercy Ships is an International Christian charity which began in 1978 with the purchase of a retired ocean liner. Since then a fleet of Mercy Ships have served, by invitation, in more than 150 ports in developing nations around the world, bringing hope and healing to the poorest people, providing health care at no charge. Dedicated volunteers include trained health professionals and many others who devote their time to the work of Mercy Ships. Dr Rhodes showed the group some slides which demonstrated the types of surgery performed on the ships, for example, cleft lip and palate correction, tumour removal and cataracts removal. These showed the difference made to the people whose lives had been transformed. The charity is totally dependent on donations and the generosity of people. For more information and stories about the work of Mercy Ships visit the website: www.mercyships.org.uk A vote of thanks was proposed by the hosts: Frances Priestnall, Anne Wadsworth and Lorna Green, who provided refreshments afterwards.

Source http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/express-and-chronicle/2011/10/08/huddersfield-district-news-for-use-e-c-saturday-8-oct-86081-29553113/

There’s no ‘I’ in iris

Like a father with his children, Don Heyden is loath to use a superlative when referring to any of the hundreds of iris varieties he grows in three locations in the Gallatin Valley.

“People ask me if I have a favorite,” he said recently, standing amid a huge bed bursting with purple, yellow, white and rusty reddish blooms perched atop slender green stalks. “But when you have more than 500 varieties, you don’t have a favorite.”

But as Heyden walks around his Gallatin Gateway garden flooded with the flowers’ grape-like aroma, it becomes clear Heyden, 70, is more partial to some irises over others.

Like a hardworking father with too many kids — “I don’t want to count,” Heyden said — he can’t remember most of their names.

And with monikers like Magician’s Apprentice, Jamaican Sunset and Glitz ‘N’ Glitter, who can blame him?

That’s why he places numbered stakes in the ground where he plants them. The numbers correspond to the varieties’ names on a four-page spreadsheet that also describes each one’s colors, garden location and price.

Yes, price.

Though it’s his “summer, niceweather job,” Heyden makes no money selling the flowers at Bozeman’s Saturday farmers market. Instead, for more than a dozen years, he’s donated his gross sales to various charities — typically between $1,500 and $3,000.

This year he is donating the sales to the Mending in the Mountains program of the Cancer Support Community and to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital’s emergency room expansion. Each year Heyden also donates the “seeds” themselves to various charities to sell, auction or raffle off.

“I feel God gave me a gift of a green thumb, and I felt it was my way to give back without being cash out of my monthly check,” Heyden said. “I’m a giver. That’s how I was raised. It’s just who I am.”

Heyden, who grew up on a farm in northwestern New York, has been growing irises since his age was a single digit. But he’s only been growing them “seriously” for about 40 years, he said.

So seriously, in fact, that when he moved to Bozeman from California, he made a special trip back to the West Coast to fill up a pickup truck with the flowers and their progeny — roots called rhizomes from which the flowers regenerate annually.

“I just fell in love with the flower,” said Heyden, a retired electrical engineer who designed missile systems for the military. “I think it’s the prettiest flower out there and the fact that it has so many varieties. They’re so delicate. Sort of like orchids.”

Now Heyden is active with local garden clubs and the Montana State University Cooperative Extension. In addition to the Gallatin Gateway garden on a friend’s property, he also grows irises in another friend’s field west of Bozeman and in his own south Bozeman yard.

In a denim MSU shirt and cowboy boots, Heyden was reluctant to say how many hours he spends weekly weeding, planting, organizing and otherwise caring for the irises.

“It keeps me in trouble or out of trouble,” he joked, his blue eyes glinting from beneath a white cowboy hat. “In trouble with my wife because it takes so much of my time, but so much time it keeps me out of trouble.”

Source http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/lifestyles/article_85c8282a-b473-11e0-ad04-001cc4c03286.html

Spy thriller reads are good gifts for discriminating dads

Uh oh, Father's Day! What to get a guy to read?

It used to be easy: You bought Dad "Fatherhood" by Bill Cosby and called it a job well done.

But with the void in best-selling father's books, the task can get confusing and somewhat annoying. If you got up this morning and realized you need to give Dad something but you can't afford what he really wants — a 1080p HD big screen with a surround sound system and Blu-Ray disc player, Porterhouses on the grill, a Jaguar XKR-R convertible V-8 sitting in the driveway and no responsibilities for 24 hours — here are some book-related alternatives.

I'm a father, I know a lot of fathers, and there is one area of fiction that all Dads agree is of interest: spy thrillers. If you don't believe me, ask one.

This week's well-timed release of "Carte Blanche" by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster, $26.99) should fulfill the thriller-loving Dad in you family (as should the movie "Unknown" starring Liam Neeson, which comes out Tuesday on DVD, but that's a story for another section of the newspaper).

The novel is Deaver's updating of the James Bond series, something he undertook at the behest of the family of Ian Fleming. A British World War II veteran, Fleming invented Bond with the 1953 book "Casino Royale." He continued to write Bond books until his death in 1964 (he died young, just 56).

Almost 50 years later, it's estimated one in every five people on the planet have either seen a Bond film or read a Bond book.

Deaver, a thriller veteran with a well-known series of his own featuring Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme, faced the challenge of bringing Bond into the 21st century. He has pulled it off and provided a ripping story as well. First, the updating.

In this novel, readers see Bond in situations unlike any before. Bored on a date with a beautiful woman, for example. Dealing with office politics, for another — just imagine, James Bond in the office . It works, though, because Deaver portrays Bond as a rebel having to suffer at the hands of bureaucratic prigs, particularly MI5 agent Percy Osboune-Smith, something with which anyone who has spent any time in the corporate world can relate.

He also retains Bond's refinement and taste. There are long passages involving the secret agent's love of good food, fine wine and fast automobiles (Deaver waxes near poetic about the racing green E-Type Jaguar in Bond's garage). We see his flat in Chelsea (hardwood floors, sparsely decorated with items from his deceased parents' estate), his razor (double-bladed safety razor) and his knack for dressing just right (grey suit with no tie in Cape Town, South Africa; navy-blue Canali suit, white sea island shirt and burgundy grenadine tie for the office). He misses no tricks.

And what about that "shaken not stirred" martini business?

"American whiskey was Bond's favorite spirit but he believed vodka was medicinal, if not curative, when served bitingly cold. He now orders a double Stolichnaya martini, medium dry, and asked that it be shaken very well, which not only chilled the vodka better than stirring but bruised — aerated — it as well, improving the flavor considerably." Ah, we see.

And, of course, there are the toys of spy craft, which in this case includes an iQPhone that can do all manner of neat tricks, including setting up surveillance from a satellite and scanning an iris for identification purposes.

There's also the usual passages about highly trained observation skills saving the day at the last moment, including, in one instance, Bond noticing a slight change in the decibel levels of background noise that saves his life. Oh, come on, it's fun!

In other nods to the year 2011, there are references to the BBC show "Top Gear," Lehman Brothers' failure and even to modern male sensitivity: Bond passes on a romantic encounter with a workmate because she is recovering from a broken engagement. Hard to see Roger Moore playing that one, isn't it?

As for the thrills, they come early and often, starting with a train derailment in Serbia involving deadly chemicals. The story takes Bond to Dubai and South Africa. The villains, Severan Hydt and Niall Dunne, are memorable in horrible ways. Dunne's a cold-blooded killer, but Hydt, who runs an international waste-disposal company, is a particularly nasty piece of work. By the time the story reaches Dubai, the reader (and Bond) realize the extent of his obsession with death and decay, and his capacity for evil.

"Carte Blanche," by the way, refers to Bond's immunity from local laws (and his license to kill) when outside England, something he loses for part of the novel as the chase leads back to London. It's a fast read, I finished it in just a handful of sittings, and Deaver leaves enough loose ends for another book. He certainly has earned the right to be given a second installment.

Other releases involving spies:

Penguin is releasing new paperback versions of the John Le Carre classics "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "The Honourable Schoolboy" and "Smiley's People," which together comprise Le Carre's "Karla Trilogy." Le Carre is rightly considered the master of the spy thriller and is a must-read for spy fans.

If your taste runs more to nonfiction, David Wise, who has written several books on the intelligence community, offers "Tiger Trap" (HMH, $28), which looks at the long spy war between China and America. Among the revelations: stories on how China was able to steal secrets on U.S. nuclear warheads and the neutron bomb, and this juicy bit: an FBI document that indicates President Richard Nixon was a "regular bedmate" of a Chinese operative posing as a Hong Kong bar hostess.

In a somewhat related work, there's also Mark Urban's "Task Force Black" (St. Martin's Press, $25.99) a nonfiction work about secret special forces missions in Iraq, which argues that the war was partially won because of the efforts of American and British intelligence and special operations units working together to target terrorist cells.

Happy reading. And Happy Father's Day.

Source http://www2.tbo.com/entertainment/books/2011/jun/19/VWBOOKO1-spy-thriller-reads-are-good-gifts-for-dis-ar-238121/

Ginty Sisters Honor Heritage With Popular Gift Shop

Ginty's Irish Gifts, in Morristown, was born after Kathleen Ginty Hyland returned from her first trip to Ireland 30 years ago. She jokingly mentioned to her husband that she'd like to own a gift shop that specialized in all the treasured items she'd grown up with.

"Our mother was born in Ireland and our father's parents were born there so products like wool and crystals were very much a part of our lives growing up," Hyland said. "My sister (Mary Ginty Parker) and I started talking about it and we did it and we've been in business for twenty-nine years.

"We started out right on DeHart Street. We shared a shop with Caswell-Massey and within a year we'd taken over the whole store. One thing led to another and we were very successful from the moment we opened the door. It's been fun just being around people."

No one is a stranger at Ginty's Irish Gifts. A trip to the shop is a bit like visiting charming relatives and bit like attending a comedy show. The clever banter between the sisters keeps the customers not only laughing but coming back.

The affable duo get their love of business and community from their father, John "Jack" Ginty, for whom a park and large sports complex on Woodland Avenue, the John W. Ginty Memorial Field, is named. "It's right near where we grew up," said Hyland, of Morris Township. "Mary lives right down the street in the house our father built in the 1940s."

"That's right," said Parker, showing her Irish wit, "they liked me best so I got it."

"Our father was very involved in community. He was a committee member from 1947 to 1971 and he served as mayor for four years in the 1950s," Hyland, who was mayor herself in 1993 and 1994, said. "He was also the first president of the Morris County Vocational School and then on the board there until he died and then I was on the board there for thirty years."

In addition to the enjoyment of building a business together, the continued success of the store has brought the sisters great joy, said Hyland, who previously had very limited retail experience. "I worked at Sears part-time while I was in high school but that was it. We had no real buying skills, but we made it work."

Hyland said while today's economy is not the best, she and her sister keep "plugging away." The entrepreneurs also run a seasonal shop in Long Beach Island, which enjoyed its 27th season last fall.

But no matter what the financial environment might be, one time of year that business is guaranteed to be booming at Ginty's Irish Gifts is St. Patrick's Day.

"We definitely see a boost around St. Patrick's Day," Hyland said. "We sell a lot of Irish sweaters and tweed caps for men. Celtic jewelry is popular and people come in for small items, parade items and Irish music."

Christmastime is the busiest season for the shop, Hyland said, and she and Parker often enlist the help of their sister, Margaret, a former high school English teacher, who also assists with Internet sales—a recent addition to Ginty's business.

The heart of Morristown is the perfect location for the shop because, as Hyland pointed out, many first-generation Irish families settled there while she was growing up.

"People have stayed around here for all those generations. I have three children and nine grandchildren and they all live in Morris Township. Jim Hennessey (owner of Hennessey's Washington Bar) was my partner in my sister's wedding," said Hyland, who regularly runs into childhood friends around town.

The good times don't end on St. Patrick's Day for the Irish sisters.

"We'll have an anniversary celebration probably the Saturday after the parade, the 19th, because there's just too much traffic the day of the parade," Hyland explained. "My granddaughter is an Irish step-dancer and my son-in-law plays the bagpipes, so we've got it all covered."

Source http://morristown.patch.com/articles/ginty-sisters-honor-heritage-with-popular-gift-shop-2

Lenton Rose often the earliest blooming perennial in area

Spiny leaves in a bright seafoam green push up through leftover patches of snow in the early spring garden, followed soon by several flowering stalks bursting with large, round flower buds. These are hellebores, often called Lenton Rose, as it traditionally blooms in the early spring garden just before Easter.

Hellebores, with their thick, waxy foliage and earth-toned blooms in steely blue, jade green, white, crimson and many shades of pink, are often the earliest blooming perennials in our area, bursting open even before most daffodils and tulips.

Prized as much for its evergreen foliage as for its early blossoms, the hellebore is a traditional cottage garden favorite. The plant does well in shade, as it blooms well before the trees have leafed out in May. Hellebores come in many sizes, from 6-inch miniatures to 3-foot tall giants. The leaves, thick and waxy, withstand winter's cold beneath the snow, remaining green all season long. New growth begins to push forth in February and March, with the first flowering stalks following soon after.

The foliage lasts all summer long, adding great texture to the garden. Hellebores can have deeply lobed, spiny leaves, smooth round leaves or anywhere in between. Some varieties resemble desert plants, with their large, jade green leaves covered in sharp spines. Other varieties have very dark leaves in blackish maroon or deep forest green. There are also hellebores with bright, blue-green leaves.

The flowers are large and round, bursting out of large, round buds anywhere from late February through April. Reaching 3 inches across, the waxy petals are extremely long-lasting, and many varieties will hold their blooms through summer. Even when the flowers fade, the large seed pods make for interesting structure throughout the growing season. Many varieties feature petals that gradually change color over several weeks in early spring. In fact, some plants may boast flowers in many different color stages all at once. White varieties normally turn to green over the course of a few months in spring, with intermediate shades of cream and rose making for a striking display. The large, dark blue blooms of some hellebores gradually fade to lavender, transforming through several stages of dark red and purple along the way.

Easy to plant and grow, hellebores make a stunning early spring addition to a woodland or shade garden. Once established, the plants spread slowly, so division is usually not required. It is best to leave the plant in one place because the roots do not like to be disturbed. Hellebores will self-sow and form colonies over time.

As hellebores waken in early spring, cut off the leftover, ragged foliage from last year to tidy up the plant and make room for the new buds.

Source http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110326/APC04/103260341/Garden-Talk-Lenton-Rose-often-earliest-blooming-perennial-area?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Robert Downey Jr Says 'Iron Man 3' Will Be Weird Without Jon Favreau

Robert Downey Jr thinks the Iron man 3 shoot will be weird without Jon Favreau.

Favreau starred and directed previous two Iron Man films, but won't be involved this time around, with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang's Shane Black taking on directorial duties.

Downey Jr told MTV News, "It is weird. I think there's always a closure to everything. This will all come to an end one day, and I think the thing is to just really enjoy it while you have it."

Downey Jr also said the pair were still very much on friendly terms, commenting, "He's up to great stuff with Cowboys & Aliens coming up. I just spoke with him a few weeks ago and we were quite friendly."

Iron Man 3 is expected to be released in 2013.

Source http://www.muveez.com/news/1375/robert-downey-jr-says-iron-man-3-will-be-weird-without-jon-favreau

A bloomin' big statement: This Valentine's Day, shout it with flowers

Most of us are familiar with the florists' sentiment to "say it with flowers." But what if this Valentine's Day, we not only want to "say it," we want to shout out our love with an extravagant floral masterpiece.

Several area floral designers offered some ideas on how to make a Valentine's "bloomin' statement."

Angela Mueller of Wild Iris Gifts and Botanicals in Manitowoc said that even though roses are the traditional blossom of choice at Valentine's Day, their presentation — and numbers — needn't be.

"Roses are always the most popular at Valentine's Day," Mueller said. But for super-sized arrangements, just a dozen won't do.

"A dozen is pretty common. But I had a big one last year with five dozen roses, and (the customer) included a necklace, a balloon, a stuffed animal and chocolates," Mueller recalled.

While there may be strength in numbers, a dozen roses can still make a statement when arranged uniquely and creatively. For instance, Mueller has cut roses to different heights and "staggered" them in a display for a dramatic look.

"It's a dozen roses, but it's a different look," she said.

Obviously, saying "I love you" in a big way doesn't simply mean flowers. Mueller said her store also features handmade jewelry that can be added to the arrangement, as well as candy cakes. Singing and recordable balloons, stuffed animals and goodies of all types are welcomed additions to the Valentine's display.

While roses in red or related hues are the customary color of the season, Mueller said roses come in a variety of colors and can be arranged to order.

"We do have people coming in here who say 'her favorite color is orange,' so we do an orange arrangement. Blue roses are always dyed. There are multi-colored roses, up to five colors. They're awesome," she said.

Mueller said she and her staff enjoys "thinking outside the box" and designing unique — and elaborate — displays. "We try to go beyond the roses and baby's breath you can find anywhere — something more than the grocery store look," she said.

One way to do that is by using more exotic flowers.

"Calla lilies are very popular in many different colors. The traditional calla lily is white but the mini callas come in different colors," she said.

Orchids are another popular choice, as are hydrangeas.

"They almost have a Victorian look," Mueller added. Small rhinestones are sometimes put inside the petals to "kick up" nature's bounty.

And while most of her customers are men buying arrangements for their favorite lady, men can also be the recipient of a floral love note.

"Ninety percent of the arrangements ordered at Valentine's Day are from men to women," Mueller said. A more masculine arrangement usually centers on a theme, like hunting (think blaze orange roses) or a sports team (yellow and green Packers colors can fortunately be found in a variety of flowers and plants) or hobbies.

What has been her most elaborate or memorable Valentine's Day order?

"I had an order for a dozen different vases filled with many different things like flowers, chocolates and balloons and every couple of hours we would deliver an arrangement for her," Mueller recalled.

Flowers bring joy to Mueller as well as her customers.

"It's fun to customize things for people," Mueller said. "It's fun to see people in love. Some people are very romantic and some need a little help. We're here to help."

Floral designer Jennifer Entringer is one of Cupid's helpers at Caan Floral and Greenhouses in Sheboygan. She said that the classic Valentine's Day arrangement involves the rose, and usually the red rose.

"Roses are always the most popular, normally red. And if you want to go extravagant in the roses, you can go two dozen, three dozen. It's always impressive in a vase. If you want to stay with the classic romance of the roses, we can still do it extravagantly. The sky is the limit," she said, adding that different and impressive containers can add to the cache of a traditional rose arrangement.

However, Entringer said that if you want to add a little "heat" to your Valentine's arrangement, it might be wise to think tropical.

"Birds of paradise, protea, anthurium — anthuriums are actually a heart-shaped flower — and they're red. They also come in green, white and pink. They're tropical, something a little different, but with a Valentine's theme."

Entringer said requests for a tropical arrangement in the middle of a frosty Wisconsin winter don't come often, but she wishes they would. "It really 'spices' it up for us … it gets the creative juices flowing."

It would be Entringer's hope that an arrangement of tropical flowers might evoke warm thoughts, both romantically and weather-wise.

"It's still winter here for us, and people, if they've been to the tropics, they'll be familiar with flowers like bird of paradise and it's going to bring them a little bit of warm weather right along with some extravagant-looking flowers," she said.

Speaking of extravagance, Entringer recalled one arrangement from a Valentine's past that represented not only beauty, but opulence as well.

"A number of years ago, a customer bought a dozen of the standard calla lily in a vase, and those are expensive. It was in a huge vase … it was very impressive. And the flowers themselves can be 8 to 10 inches long. So you're talking big flowers, which makes a 'wow' presentation."

Finding a vessel for the "wow" runs the gamut from traditional vases to baskets to buckets to heart-shaped ceramic containers to glass cubes. "If the customer has something special they want to use, we'll be happy to accommodate them," Entringer said. "You name it, we can do it. It's really a lot of fun."

David Kucensky, owner/designer of the Flower Cart in Sheboygan, along with Kathy Pruitt, floral designer at the shop, shares in that fun. Kucensky said that while roses and orchids are the most popular flowers to give at Valentine's Day, there are a lot of different, beautiful accent pieces that can be included in the presentation.

"Instead of the typical baby's breath filler, there are all kinds of fun things out there, like misty blue statice, leucadendron and genestra, which has a wonderful, woodsy fragrance," Kucensky said. "It's more expensive than your typical baby's breath, but it's a lot more exciting and unexpected."

"You can bend some of these to make hearts as well," Pruitt said, adding that the genestra comes in the appropriate Valentine's colors of pink and white.

In keeping with the "super-size" theme, Pruitt suggested using really tall, pilsner-type vases, accented with interesting greenery, which in itself can make a dramatic floral statement.

"You can wrap the vase with leaves inside the vase," Kucensky said.

Kucensky said just by ordering flowers through a florist who makes the delivery gives a special "kick" to the gift.

"Part of the "super-size" idea comes, I think, from ordering from a florist versus going to the grocery store," he said. "We can deliver to their place of business and I think most people like the 'show.' They want all their friends to see this. They're loved and appreciated and can say, 'see, this is what I got."

Sometimes the message is very dramatic.

"We did do a vase of roses with the card message was an engagement," Kucensky said. And Pruitt recalled a time when she did an arrangement that spelled out the recipient's name in flowers.

Love apparently knows no monetary bounds. Even in a downsized economy, Pruitt remembers that last year's Valentines included a number of orders for multiple dozens of roses.

"We were really quite taken aback when we got several orders for two and three dozens of roses to be arranged," she said.

And if Cupid really wants to open his wallet, orchids and calla lilies exceed the cost of roses. But it doesn't have to be exotic or particularly expensive to be impressive. The tulip finds its way into many arrangements.

"Tulips are available all year round," Pruitt said. And a special type of tulip, the French tulip, makes a dramatic presentation. "If you want a little more show, French tulips have a really big head and long stems. They make a great big presence. They're very pretty and very springy and you can think about the fact that the grass will sometime be showing again."

Kucensky added, "If you want to make it unusual, you can wind the tulip inside the vase. We can put it inside a tall pilsner."

And like true love, French tulips have a wonderful characteristic: "They last a lot longer than a regular tulip," Kucensky said.

As will the fond memories the recipient gets when "I love you," is said in flowers.

Source http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20110208/SHE04/102080308/1097/A-bloomin--big-statement--This-Valentine-s-Day--shout-it-with-flowers