2013年1月12日 星期六

Antique Oriental Rugs

These are the largest antique Oriental rug dealers, importers, providers, online galleries and companies available in the United States.

Krikor Markarian antique rug and carpet gallery (markarianantiquerugs.com): Located in New York City, Krikor Markarian specializes in collectible antique tribal rugs and other woven artefacts from the main Near Eastern and Asian weaving areas. It features 19th century Caucasian rugs, 19th century Persian tribal and village rugs, antique Central Asian weavings and antique Anatolian rugs.

Nalbandian Inc. (/antiques/antiques.htm): is a floor covering company that includes antique Oriental rugs, tapestries and textiles in its collection since 1826. The business started in Ceasaria, (kaisery) Turkey, extending to Erevan, Tehran, Beirut, Paris, Monte Carlo, Aix En Provence, Marseille, Zurich, Boston and Los Angeles. Services also include Restoration and Conservation.

Oriental Rug Mart (demanesrug.com): An Oriental rug company which has been buying, selling, cleaning and repairing Oriental rugs in central Illinois since 1919, in the name of James Demanes & Sons. Their rug emporium is located in the Demanes Galleries building in Peoria, Illinois. Services include Hand wash, repair, restoration, and appraisal.

Pasargad (pasargadcarpets.com): Pasargad is an importer of hand-woven oriental rugs, featuring an extensive line of hand-woven Chinese, Persian-design, and Indian masterpieces in vegetable-dyed wool. It is a family owned business established in 1904, well-known for its in-house restoration and cleaning facilities, with showrooms in New York and Washington D.C.

Antiqueorientalrugs.com: is an online shopping gallery of an Oriental rug business started by Robert T. Mosby since 1969, who deals strictly in handmade, antique oriental rugs and not in mass produced program rugs. The website has a link to Ebay, where a selection of antique rugs is showcased, changing on a weekly basis. The business is located in Sarasota, Florida.

Abraham Moheban & Son Inc. (moheban.com): The Company offers trade, designers and retail clients a choice of antique Persian, Indian, Turkish and European rugs and carpets. Located in New York City, it has an extensive collection of 18th to early 20th century pieces. Services include hand washing, conservation, restoration and insurance valuation.

A.E. Runge Oriental Rugs (rungerugs.com): Located in Yarmouth, Maine, Runge Rugs was started in the 1880s by Edward Runge. Its large inventory of handmade Orientals has been purchased almost entirely from estates and private individuals in New England and Europe dated between date between 1900 and the 1930s. All the products in the store is claimed to be authentic oriental rugs.

Antique Rug Gallery, Inc. (antiqueruggallery.com): This is an online gallery only, which operates in Massachusetts. The Antique Rug Gallery Inc. offers exclusively antique oriental carpets and tribal rugs, and accepts dealers as well as retail customers at wholesale prices. Services include written appraisals, wash and repair.

Antique Textile Gallery (frankames.com): The Company, buyer and seller of antique oriental carpets, Turkmen trappings, tribal rugs, decorative textiles and Kashmir shawls, was founded in Paris 25 years ago and moved to Manhattan's Upper West Side in 1986. The gallery is also a consultant and appraiser of antique, ancient and decorative textiles. Business is conducted by appointment only.



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2013年1月11日 星期五

Haiti Earthquake: Lessons Learned for Reducing Risks in the United States

The Earthquake

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation of Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, the most powerful earthquake to hit Haiti in almost 200 years. The epicenter was 15 miles southwest of the countrys capital, Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 6.2 miles below the ground surface. The event occurred on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system in southern Haiti which is an east-west trending left-lateral strike slip fault. This fault system has not generated a major earthquake in recent decades although it may be the likely source of historical large earthquakes in 1860, 1770, 1761, 1751, 1684, 1673, and 1618. The earthquake was felt throughout Haiti, the Dominican Republic, southeastern Cuba, eastern Jamaica, and in parts of Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. However, because the earthquake source was shallow, the intensity of shaking was stronger and more localized at the region along the fault.

Casualties

There is no way of knowing the death toll or causalities (injuries and fatalities) after few days of such a catastrophic earthquake. However, the death toll could rise well above 100,000 according to Haitis prime minister speaking to the CNN. One third of the Haitis 9 million people could need emergency aid according to the International Federation of the Red Cross. Many hundred thousands are expected to be homeless and sleeping in the streets. If true, this would put Haiti earthquake as one of the deadliest quakes in the last four decades. The latest of such catastrophic quakes was the May 12, 2008 magnitude 7.9 Sichuan earthquake in China which is considered to be the third deadliest quake. According to the US Geological Survey on Sichuan earthquake; at least 69,195 people killed, 374,177 injured and 18,392 missing and presumed dead. More than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces and regions were affected. At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and mor e than 5 million were left homeless.

Buildings Damage

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere with more than 80% of its population lives below the poverty line. The earthquake caused severe damage and destruction in the Port-au-Prince area which is densely populated. Haiti's President issued a desperate appeal for international aid following the earthquake stating that the tremor was catastrophic and is unimaginable, and that the Parliament, the tax office, schools, and hospitals have collapsed. Other collapsed or severely damaged buildings include the UN peacekeeping mission, the presidential palace, the national cathedral, and the main prison. Haiti most likely does not have a building code where substandard design, inadequate materials, and shoddy construction practices contributed to the collapse of buildings. Even newer construction has been developed to withstand the vertical loads of hurricanes but not the lateral loads of earthquakes. The load path, and the engineering design and connection detailing co ncepts for hurricanes and earthquakes are completely different. Many buildings collapsed just like pancakes as builders put the reinforced concrete roof on top of low-grade bricks, construction blocks, or thin columns. Other nonductile reinforced concrete buildings collapsed because builders or owners were trying to cut costs by skimping on cement, adding excessive water, and reducing the amount of reinforcing steel.

Lessons Learned

The situation would definitely be different if a similar earthquake hits the United States where structural engineers design buildings to resist earthquake lateral forces according to the current stringent building design codes. In the meantime, the local governments enforce good construction practices. However, there are still many lessons that can be learned from Haiti earthquake, the most important are:

Earthquake awareness should be in everyone's mind. Haitians did not experience a large earthquake since 1860 and it seems they did not even know that they live on or close to a historically active fault system. In the United States, raising public earthquake awareness in the Central and Eastern United States shall be encouraged for many active seismic regions that experienced large historical earthquakes and has the potential to develop moderate-to-large future earthquakes. Those regions include, but not limited to:

Building performance in Haiti earthquake was very poor including unreinforced masonry and nonductile reinforced concrete buildings. Although those two types of construction are no longer allowed to be built in California, however, many of these buildings still exist and are not retrofitted. In addition, buildings constructed, remodeled, or retrofitted before the 1980s in active seismic regions of the United States are more likely to suffer earthquake damage because they do not have adequate reinforcement in the concrete walls or masonry walls, or were not constructed according to modern building codes. Other issues may exist such as unbraced soft story, unbraced basement or crawl space, or inadequate foundations anchorage.

Earthquake preparedness seems absent in Haiti earthquake either from the government side which may only be concerned with hurricanes or from individuals who cannot afford even buying and maintaining emergency supplies because of the level of poverty. During the second annual Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill, Californians were reminded to prepare a personal survival kit for each family member and a household emergency kit, and to stockpile emergency food and water for 1-2 weeks to be prepared for the next inevitable earthquake. In fact, anyone who lives in an active seismic region in the United States and around the globe should have an earthquake preparedness plan.

How can Individuals Reduce Earthquake Risks?

If your home is constructed before the 1980s, you probably need to retrofit it, especially if it is close to an active fault (15 miles or less). Seismic retrofitting measures ensure the structural integrity of your home to withstand earthquakes with little structural damage. Retrofitting is your own decision at your own risk according to your financial situation as it may be costly. However, it may be addressed one step at a time. The best return on the investment of retrofitting efforts is to initially address the foundations issues followed by bracing the cripple walls, then bracing the soft story, and ending with bracing or anchoring the masonry chimney.

You should mitigate the contents of your home whether you retrofit it or not. Earthquake mitigation measures are simple techniques taken to secure non-structural elements and contents of your home to the studs of the interior walls, in order to reduce the risk to lives and investments, using inexpensive hardware tools and materials found in hardware stores and home centers. Items in the garage should also be secured to reduce damage to vehicles. Self-mitigation techniques can be undertaken by homeowners as they are simple to explain and require no special expertise, materials or tools to implement.

Concluding Remarks

Earthquake awareness and preparedness are key elements for anyone who lives in an earthquake country. The US Geological Survey websiteis a great source of earthquake-related information by Country/Region. Haiti earthquake serves as a reminder for people to review, update, or develop their own earthquake preparedness plan. Emergency food and water for 1-2 weeks shall be maintained at any time along with personal survival kits and a household emergency kit. The benefits of seismic retrofitting and mitigation go well beyond being simply reducing financial losses. It will make your home safer and help in returning your family much more quickly back to their normal life style.



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Why was Popeye on Google home page?

A while ago I saw that Popeye's likeness was on google's home page, why? my curiosity was stated as soon as I hovered my mouse over the image to discover a tool tip that explained to me that it was infactE.C. Segar's birthday. Born some 115 years ago.

For those that don't knowE.C. Segar was the creator of the much loved character.

Elzie Crisler Segarborn in Illinois, US, on 8 December 1894 might not be a household name, but thecreator has become the most recent person to be honoured with his ownGoogle Doodle.

Segar was a newspaper cartoonist, Popeye was first seen in Segars comic strip Thimble Theater, starring the sailor, his unhealthily thin girlfriend Olive Oyl, her brother Castor Oyl, and, eventually, their hamburger-loving friend Wimpy, and Popeyes rival for Olive, the larger than life Bluto.

Spinach is the source of Popeye's muscular energy when he would eat it, his biceps immediately swell to three times their normal size.due to an 1870 German study which claimed it contained the same amount of iron as red meat. Theproperties were later revised after it was found a miss-placed decimal point had led researchers to believe the vegetable contained ten times its actual iron content.

If Popeye was around today you would more than likely see him tucking into a Vindaloo. Curry powder contains 58 mg of iron per serving. If you make a meat dish with curry powder, you will get an iron-rich meal.

Most people remember theseries of cartoons of the 1930's that were made by the great animator Dave Fleischer. Some folks might also remaember The film adaptation which starred Robin Williams as the Spinach consumingplucky sailor.

Google also recently celebrated Ghandi as well as the anniversary of Sesame Street. to find more of Google's special event logos. They have a permanent posting of them here

(Source:doodle4google )

Google doodles, the drawings that are designed on, around and through the Google logo on our home page, are the creation of 30-year-old Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang. Since Dennis began celebrating and marking worldwide events and holidays with his doodles in 2000, his work has been seen by millions and reached cult status, with fans waiting with bated breath to see his next creation, and even websites and blogs devoted to his work. We spoke to Dennis about his doodles and how he got his ideal job:

Most people have to choose only one of their interests to pursue. How did you get such a cool job that meshes computers and art?I had an internship with Google in college. I was given the task of helping with maintenance of the website and I soon became an assistant webmaster. Before I joined Google, the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were already thinking about holiday logos...and when I joined, they knew I was studying art and suggested I should give it a shot. I've been doing it since then as my 20% project."Are you constantly trying to keep up with current events and holidays?How far I work in advance depends. Sometimes, we react really quickly to current events. When the Mars Rover landed, I created a logo in less than 24 hours. For all of the international countries, if there's a special day and we think it's in line with the Google brand, we want to commemorate it."Do you get suggestions from Google users?I get quite a lot of suggestions from users. We're reall y open to user feedback and having ideas sent to us because our users are really creative. For example, a French astronomer had emailed us about the Venus Transit, in which Venus casts a shadow on the sun every 122 years. During the transit, you'll see a black dot moves across the sun, sohere is what I drew."How do you decide on the design of the drawings?First, I do a lot of brainstorming, search for images on Google, and absorb all the imagery. Then I apply a design that interacts with letters. I find that a bit more interesting."Do you have favorite doodles?I have several favorites. Usually, artists' birthdays are the ones I spend the most effort on, like Monet's birthday."How difficult is it to reinvent recurring holidays?It's definitely a challenge, but it's one I look forward to. I've been doing this for quite a while and need to come up with fresh ideas every year. There's only so many ways to draw a turkey or a pumpkin!"



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Day Tipper

WHAT IS DAYTIPPER ?

Every one of us is an expert on something. Chances are, through trial and error, hard work, or blind luck, you have learned something practical. Something that has helped make your life a little easier. It saved you time. It saved you money. Maybe it saved your marriage; maybe your life.

What you discovered is too helpful to keep to yourself. You want to share it. You think, "Others should benefit from this."

Now you can help others help themselves.

Welcome to Daytipper . Every day, content is added to this site that has helped someone before. The content here can help you. The editorial staff at Daytipper does not create the content found on this site. People like you do.

If you have a tip that is insightful, helpful, and original, we will publish it. You write the content. We share it with the world.

WHO IS DAYTIPPER ?

Daytipper was established in 2005 by colleagues that share a common goal: develop a service that allows the global community to submit and share tips, information, advice, and ideas. Founded by experienced veterans of the Internet and publishing industries, our mission is two-fold: assemble a popular and useful collection of tips, and allow everyone to contribute.

Prior to founding Daytipper, Nathan worked as a project manager for a variety of pioneering Internet dot com's in San Francisco (Bigstep) and Santa Barbara (SupplySolution, DigitalMed). Leading teams, providing direction, and ensuring client satisfaction were his primary tasks.

Nathan started Daytipper because he believes that many people have personal anecdotes that they are willing to share, but lack an easy method to do so.

Nathan is a graduate of Creighton University and the University of Nebraska and holds degrees in psychology, management of information systems, and planning.

Tyler brings nearly 10 years experience as an art director to Daytipper. As a partner, he is responsible for all aspects of branding and design for the company, and led the design of the Daytipper brand and corporate website. He is also an active marketing and product planning voice for the company.

Tyler also operates the San Francisco-based design and branding firm munsonDesign. munsonDesign provides a variety of print and online services to companies including Gap, Oracle, Palm and music producer Paul Oakenfold.

Tylers work has led to the award of a patent, with others pending, and he has received recognition by Newsweek as an early web innovator. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois, with a B.S. in Advertising and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design.

How can I learn from the tips published at Daytipper?

There are three major ways to find helpful tips at Daytipper. On the home page, the most recently published tips are right there waiting. Or, find tips grouped by subject on the column to the left. Below that, there is a search box where you can search by content, too. Simply enter the terms you are looking for, and click Submit, and the matching results will show up.

I see a lot of great content here. Can I create my own collection of favorite tips at Daytipper?

Yes. You will need to register with a valid email address and password. After registering, you can mark each tip you find helpful for later reference. These tips are then stored within the My Favorites page.

How do I share these useful tips with family and friends?

Daytipper makes it easy to share our tips. See a tip that you think someone would enjoy? Click on the Forward to a Friend button at the bottom-right corner of all tips, and complete the quick form. The tip will then be promptly delivered to your friends inbox.

Dont worry about submitting your own or anyone elses email to us. We keep all email address entered on Daytipper to ourselves. We promise.

Who submits these tips?

Users just like you have submitted great tips for readers to benefit from. They have experienced things in all facets of life and you are the beneficiary. We have found that everyone has something of value to teach. Harnessing the resource of others has provided you with great content.

Does EVERY tip submitted get published?

We have a professional editorial staff that looks at each and every tip submitted. For it to be published, it must meet relevance and originality criteria, as well as other usability parameters deemed by Daytipper.

You seem to have a lot of subjects covered. Is there content I WONT find here?

Daytipper strives to be a site that is 100% safe for the entire family. You will not find any content of an adult nature, nor will you find anything that is patently dangerous to any person or unlawful to any local, state, or federal regulations found in the United States. There is also no content that aids or abets criminal or unlawful activity in any way.

Whats this I hear about monthly cash prizes?

At the end of every month, Daytipper offers cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 to the top three tip authors with the most popular and useful tips in a given month.

How do I get paid? Does the Tip Fairy leave it under my pillow?

Good one! While we cannot confirm nor deny the existence of winged sprites that nocturnally delivery money, we do offer different payment options. You can have the money emailed to your PayPal account or have Daytipper donate it to your favorite charity on your behalf.

Do I get credit for my accepted and published tips?

You may choose to have your name and town displayed with your tip, or you can choose total and complete anonymity.

Definitions

Submitted Tip:

A Submitted Tip is any content entered into the Tip Description box that passes the following requirements. There is a 500-character limit, so most tips will easily fit in the Tip Submission box. Each tip must have a title (50 character limit), and the appropriate category chosen.

An Important Reminder: A SUBMITTED tip does NOT mean it has been ACCEPTED FOR PAYMENT.

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2013年1月10日 星期四

Mc Donald's Corporation Recalls Shrek Movie Glasses

After recent reports stating the designs on the new "Shrek Forever After 3D" movie theme classes contain cadmium, McDonalds has submitted a recall notice for all Shrek character movie theme classes. All four designs of the 16 ounce glasses are included in the recall notice. The drinking glasses were sold for $2 at most McDonald restaurants. Though no injures have been reported, long term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects in individuals.

The sole distributor of the glasses is the McDonald's Corporation, located in Oakbrook, Illinois. The glasses were manufactured by ARC International of Millville, New Jersey and about 12 million glasses have been sold since the product was first introduced to the public. Each glass has an image printed on it of one of the main characters of the movie: Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and Puss-n-Boots. They have been available for purchase from May 2010 through June 2010.

Consumers should stop using the movie theme glasses immediately and return them to the store for a refund or visit the McDonald's company website for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund. All collectors should be made aware that it is illegal to sell a recalled product once the product has been placed on the recall list. The recall notice was distributed through the office of Congress woman Jackie Speier from the state of California.

For additional information, contact the McDonald's toll free number at 800-244-6227, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Central Standard Time. To see a picture of the recalled product, you can go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

Article Resources

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Choose The Right Logo Designer

To meet these criteria is very difficult to achieve, you need a professional designer to save time and get the best results in the front. But the choice of really good designers use a lot of time.

Any look at the website reveals a wide range of designer logos. How can you make the best choice? We explore below some of the things you should look for and can be used to find a good web design expert.

Search previous experience of the creator and to ensure that the design work is the kind of quality that go on your own. New designers are obviously very capable of producing good quality work, so consider all the other points just by looking at the portfolio of previous design.

Get a professional designer of the company can be a useful first step towards a meaningful relationship with customers. Your company logo will appear on the icon and the name of the company, it is important to choose the logo of the company the right to a design that offers.

Take a good look at the testimonials from previous customers and ensure they are positive rather than simply neutral. While watching the testimony to find the actual credentials - you can check the authenticity of a web address or e-mail?

Even if they comply with the planning process and how accurate is it? Good designers do not have logos like fast food - it takes time to design a professional and response time can be quick to publicize the work of poor quality. Your logo, if it is a good, lasts a long time to wait several days to a week or two to be properly designed.

In none of his published works on the Internet or a magazine or a book? His work is recognized and has won awards for his work at all? A designer is not normal, it will be quickly established his credentials, but any logo designer who has been around for some time and is good to have some presence in the industry.

What is the strength of your portfolio? Do you produce the logos of the companies in false, is not simply to improve their image? More goods and services tend to get what you pay for, so if the price seems a bargain, quality logo design is likely that in this regard. It is difficult to give advice on prices difficult because it depends heavily on customer needs. The price is likely to adapt to specific customer needs.

In most developed countries have national associations dedicated to the design and publication of its affiliates or? Determine if the designer is a member of these organizations or publications, as it gives you an idea of how they are involved in the field.

Attention to customer service. How long phone calls and emails responded to? One would expect the company a good customer service, then withdrew the original client after the logo was designed.

One can expect a good designer with a lot of implementation issues related to their goals and needs. The designer must design around your company's history, our target customer market, where competitors are, and so on.



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Types in Logo Design

Text-based Logo The most widely used of all types of logo, text design focuses on text and style but also by other factors. Text design is best suited for the business name is successful, what they do (TCS Couriers, Home phone) without graphics, you need to carry a message, a literal interpretation of words is often necessary to reach an agreement. (For example, we all know that Wal-Mart is a huge market, as its logo design, explains everything.)Text design is often text only with unique typographic behavior (such as Microsoft, Yahoo). Very often, however, the company of each other with simple graphic elements to create their own clean, simple, may include the establishment. Representation of speech, in fact, it seems, a representative of the economy.Do you prefer a text design when: means of communication are inadequate and need to be aware of the mind. Your name should be distinguished logically, but not (yet) a household word. You want products or subsidiaries with t he parent more clearly and directly relate to as a symbol permits.Charter mark logo on As with standard text is a brand design based on the letters to all the characters, initials or acronyms rule. Monograms and anagrams are Letter-based brand design. Presentation of the letter is a symbol of the company.Do you prefer brand-design based on the letters if: Your initials interpret graphically better than your real name. You must accept the child of the parent company, not just a name.

They can afford to disseminate to the public, which means that the symbols of letters.Brand-based Symbol Mark Simple graphic design, but strong, often abstract, an aspect of the business or service and symbolize a harmonious relationship with society. (From Nike or Apple, to fix the computer.)Brand Select a brand model is justified if: Need a logo for the product. Your name is too long, too often, and not to interpret the world, or has no properties. You need to link aid to their parents and can not simply change the name. You can afford to teach the public what the symbol means.Logo on badges icon-based logotypes are also referred to as combination marks. Icon-based trademark generally combines a brand based brand with a trademark on the word. The combination can be free or fixed. With a flexible combination of elements can be combined or used separately. Design a good logo, a symbol to communicate effectively reflects the society and individual transactions.Select t he icon-based design when: start-up companies or small with limited resources. Your name is very different, but not (yet) a household word. The need for the logo of the product, but want more than a symbol.Since logos, icon-based for better communication than other types of logo design, marketing under the logo to be effective. Consequently, logos, icons, based on the most lucrative type of logo design available and are ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses with limited marketing budget.



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