The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of
truth, bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and
birthstone for the month of September, is in fact the same stone
as the ruby, the mineral corundum.
The blue corundum, ranging in color from the lightest blue to
deep blue and black, is the same stone as the ruby, the only
difference being in the color. The choicest color is the soft
velvety blue, approaching the cornflower in shade and exhibiting
that color vividly by artificial as well as by natural light.
The deeper-colored stones are known as male, and the
light-colored ones as female sapphires. Although choice
sapphires are rare, a much greater quantity of good and large
stones are to be had than of rubies, and therefore the price of
a large sapphire does not advance in the same proportion as the
price of a large ruby.
The word “sapphire” which means blue is of the same form in
nearly all the early tongues, thus showing that they were in use
by the ancients. Sapphires are found in many parts of the world
and are usually found in the same locality as the ruby. The
largest number and finest quality of these stones come from
Thailand and India, and are found and recovered in much the same
way as the ruby.
The sapphire is next to the diamond in hardness and it is this
quality that makes it impervious to wear and insures its sharp
edges and corners against years of use. Like the ruby the value
of the sapphire is determined by its color. The finest stones
are a deep blue and the deeper the color the more highly it is
prized if its translucency is not impaired. Although the
sapphire with its many shades of blue is considered the most
desirable stone, it is also found in other colors such as red,
green, yellow and pink.
The Oriental emerald or green sapphire does not approach the
beryl or true emerald in depth of color, but because of its
superior hardness and brilliancy, added to its extreme rarity,
it is the most valuable of green gems. The Oriental amethyst or
purple sapphire sometimes reflects a red color by artificial
light, and is valued highly as a gem stone; the common amethyst
is softer, less brilliant, and loses by artificial light. The
various other colored sapphires, such as yellow or Oriental
topaz, light green or Oriental aquamarine, greenish-yellow or
Oriental chrysolite, and aurora red or Oriental hyacinth, are
all valuable as gem stones when they are pure, well cut, and
have pronounced colorsin fact, the name Oriental is given to
distinguish the corundums from the less valuable minerals of the
same colors which they resemble, but which they greatly surpass
in beauty and value because of their brilliancy and superior
hardness.
Asterias or star stones are corundums of three different colors;
the star sapphire proper is a grayish blue, the star ruby red,
and the star topaz yellow. These stones are usually cut cabochon
or convex, and display under the rays of the sun, or when
exposed to one candle or other artificial light, a beautiful
star with six points. This star is produced by foreign
substances in the corundum, and the lapidary brings about the
regular effect by cutting a pointed carbuncle so that the center
of the star begins at the apex, and the six bright stripes
radiate to the base of the stone. The bright lines of the star
following the light move over the surface of the stone and
produce a remarkable effect. These stones are amongst the most
wonderful of mineral productions, and good specimens are very
valuable. The corundum cat’s-eye, called Oriental girasol or
sunstone, has a bluish, reddish, or yellowish reflection of
light of a lighter shade than the stone itself, and which moves
on the convex surface of the stone like the lines of a star
stone.
To this day, sapphire is one of the most important members of
the family of gems and is certainly one of the most favored by
jewelry artisans worldwide. Consequently, there is more
“hanky-panky” with treatments, alteration of color and various
other techniques to disguise or improve flaws etc., than almost
any other precious stone. Buyer beware of bargains that look
“too good to be true”. Deal with reputable jewelers both online
and offline. The sapphire is the birthstone for September.
After Toyota’s introduction of the Prius, the first hybrid vehicle, in 1997 which was followed by the debut of Honda Insight two years later in America, General Motors adopted the Hybrid technology to their vehicle with the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid. The introduction the Escape Hybrid is the first entry of any American vehicle in the market. As to Ford’s pioneering model, the Escape is produced on a limited number. 2004 brought only 3000-4000 units of Ford Escape which began its production in late July. About 16,000 to 17,000 units are scheduled to be on the production line in 2005 but with the demand increasingly high, the number might increase.
As the law of supply and demand applies to the Escape, buyers will not get any discounts and rebates for this high-priced SUV ranging from $26,970 for Front Wheel Drive which can reach up to $33,000 for a fully optioned vehicle to $28,595 for the All-Wheel Drive. They have to settle to the idea that they are one of the few owners of this first of its kind SUV.
The 2005 Ford Escape runs on a 4-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric drive system to deliver the performance of a V-6. It is typically an electric car that uses electric power engine to operate. Unlike other hybrid vehicles like Honda Accord which uses IMA or the integrated motor assist which always at the gas mode and kick to electric for additional power when needed, the Ford Escape use electric as long as possible then switch to gas when needed. The electric motor can reach the peak of up to 70 kilowatts for an additional of 93hp.
The American hybrid requires no plug. The battery is a sealed nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rated at 330 volts, which automatically recharges during long stops or when the gas-engine is running. Its battery performance is like the typical V-6 in terms of speed and acceleration. It uses the electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (eCVT), which harnesses internal combustion and electric power sources to drive the wheels. Fuel economy increases by 75% in city driving, consuming at about, 36 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway, better than what Ford expected.
For more information about the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, or to its purchase parts, visit http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/FORD. You can also check out other Ford models like the Ford Aerostar, Aspire, Bronco, Club, Contour, Country, Courier, Clestline, Escort, Expedition, F-series, and other ford vehicles.
Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock in the liveliness of the written word.
One way of getting that liveliness into our writing, he said, is to use the personal pronouns: you, me, I, we, us, he, she, him, her, and they.
When we use personal pronouns, several important things happen. For starters, we personalize our writing, and that makes it easier for readers to relate to the subject.
For example, which of the following two sentences would be more effective?
(1) The use of personal pronouns personalizes written communication.
(2) When we use personal pronouns, we personalize our writing.
I think you would agree that sentence 2, with several personal pronouns, is more lively and more likely to be understood. That sentence allows readers and listeners to relate to the words; in other words, there’s a personal connection. On the other hand, the first sentence is a collection of abstract concepts.
In using personal pronouns, we also make our writing more like our spoken communication. Listen to almost any conversation and you’ll notice frequent use of ‘I’, ‘you’, and ‘we’. It’s quite natural to speak that way.
One more point: When we use personal pronouns, we’re more likely to use active verbs and less likely to use passive verbs. By passive, I mean the ‘to be’ verbs, including ‘is,’ ‘are,’ and ‘be.’ When we replace these verbs with verbs that do something, we increase readability.
Try personal pronouns yourself. Take a document that you want others to read and rewrite it to include more of them. In the process of doing that, you’re bound to make it more readable. What’s more, you’ll also make your words more effective.
About The Author
Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. If you subscribe, you will receive, at no charge, communication tips that help you lead or manage more effectively. Click here for more information: http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com
abbottr@managersguide.com
Contrary to popular belief, the addition of a center island to your kitchen does not have to be permanent or a huge investment. By using portable kitchen carts or kitchen islands, you can achieve the sophisticated look that is associated with a center island without having to do a major remodel or take out a loan.
In kitchens of yesterday, the kitchen table served as the center of activity in the kitchen. This is where people prepared the evening meal, socialized and dined. Today that trend has shifted to the use of a kitchen cart or kitchen island.
In addition to providing extra workspace, today’s kitchen carts and islands offer practical solutions to storage and design issues. They can be either small or large, and can range in design from simple to elaborate. Use them to prepare foods, serve buffet style dinners, or to provide extra cupboard space. Need extra counter space? Kitchen carts are available in a wide range of sizes to give you that added space you need.
The design options associated with portable kitchen carts and center kitchen islands are endless, which means that kitchen carts can be incorporated into any style of kitchen. Whether your style is contemporary, country or formal, you can find the perfect kitchen cart to complement your particular sense of style.
Even if you are looking to capture the look of a specific decorating style, you will most likely find that those styles have been incorporated into kitchen islands and kitchen carts. Take for instance the Tuscan, Provence and cottage styles, these are just a few of the styles that you can choose from when selecting your kitchen cart or island. Some of these styles even feature elaborate pieces that have been adorned with intricate hand painted or hand carved designs, which will serve to make your new addition not only a very practical one, but a very beautiful one as well.
Kitchen carts and islands come in wide array of finishes that can be handpicked to look as if they were custom made for your kitchen. There is also a large variety of work surfaces to choose from including wood, stainless steel, granite and butchers block.
The bottom line is: no matter what your style is or how much space you have to work with, you can find the perfect kitchen cart or island to customize your space without having to hire a contractor or invest in expensive cabinetry.
And they are very affordable. The pricing for kitchen carts and islands starts at a couple of hundred dollars. Of course, the price goes up from there and can get a high as $1,000 or more. It really just depends on what you choose. For example: A high-end kitchen cart may have intricate hand carved woodwork, plenty of work and storage space, a wine rack and a granite work surface. Whereas a lower-end kitchen cart may consist of simple elegant lines, a cabinet or two, and a wooden work surface.
So before you go all out for a kitchen remodel, why not take some time to see how a portable kitchen cart or island would complement your space.
Jennifer Akre is a successful business owner of numerous furniture websites such as http://www.GourmetDecorStore.com. Her websites offer product and information about kitchen carts and kitchen islands, bakers racks and other decor and furniture for your home or garden.
Botox treatment is useful widely for wrinkles ,frown
lines,migraine headaches crow’s feets and others alike. Your
doctor will decide if you can have cosmetic treatment with
botox. Before starting treatment, tell your doctor if you have
any disorders that affect your nerves and muscles, if you are
breastfeeding, or if you are planning to become pregnant soon.
Possible side-effects of Botox - headache - flu-like symptoms -
temporary eyelid droop - nausea - squint/double vision -
twitching of the eye - facial pain - redness at the injection
site - muscle weakness Cautions/contra-indications Do not have
botox treatment if you: - have an infection where botox will be
injected - are allergic to any of the ingredients - are pregnant
or think you might be pregnant - have a neurological disorder
(eg. Myasthenia Gravis) There are also a number of medicines
that may interact with botox (eg. quinidine, some antibiotics).
It is important to tell your doctor if you are taking any
medication.
When you hear the word “organic”, the first thing to come to
mind is gardening and farming. While these are large aspects of
an organic lifestyle, organic today reaches much further to the
clothes we wear and the things we use in our homes. The
interesting thing is that prior to the 20th century, the foods
grown and animals raised were done so essentially without
chemicals. However, agricultural and livestock practices began
to change, which wrecked havoc not just on the foods being eaten
but also the soil and water supply. If you look around, you will
see people everyday walking around miserable, feeling tired,
nervous, exhausted, dealing with aches and pains, disease, and
looking prematurely old - maybe you are even one of them.
The thing is that many of these people could live vibrant,
healthy lives simply by changing the way they live. The key is
to choose organic foods that will not clog or obstruct your
arteries; to choose furniture, fabrics, and even apparel that do
not emit chemicals; and to stop polluting the air you breathe
through inorganic cleaners.
Start to create your very own garden that is filled with
wonderful, fresh foods that are completely void of pesticides
and other harmful chemicals - you’ll be amazed at how much
better you and your family feel after you start eating your own
homegrown vegetables.
Find the five components of organic farming and how each
component contributes to producing a healthy finished product -
you may be very surprised to see what steps are taken to ensure
the quality of organic food.
Before starting living a organic lifestyle you have to know how
to determine if meat and dairy farms are “100% organic” - not
all organic foods are equal, find out how to separate the true
healthy products from the scams.
As you begin transforming your life to include only organic, you
will find the levels of toxic poisons diminishing while the
healing begins. Soon, you will have:
More energy, Be free from headaches, Notice fewer wrinkles, And
overall feel like a brand new person.
You will also notice that:
Your eyes are brighter, Your skin softer, And your muscle tone
firmer! I know because I was once in that very situation. But
now I have never felt better!
For further information go to The Ultimate Organic
Lifestyle
For those with a mind for fashion and music, the Nokia 2310 phone offers a compact design matched with an equally outstanding array of color covers. A dedicated short-cut key activates the built-in FM radio which features “sound visualization” -graphics that move in sync with your music. The Nokia 2310 also offers polyphonic and MP3-grade ringtones.
The 2310 is very similar looking to the 2610, but maybe more targeted towards everyday use and the younger generation. The Nokia 2310 will be available in Europe, Middle East and Africa in the third quarter of this year. The estimated retail price, before subsidies or taxes, is expected to be 65 euros.
2310 Screen
The phone has a 65,536-color screen (CSTN = color passive matrix, 96 x 68 pixels) and an animated icon menu. You can personalize the phone with themes and wallpapers or use full size animated screensavers. The date and time can be displayed as your screensaver and the phone has as animated icon menu.
The 2310 weights 85 grams, has a talk time of up to 6 hours and a standby time of up to 16 days.
The Nokia 2310 also features the Nokia Prepaid Tracker, a network supported application which automatically updates your prepaid account balance after each call or message.
According to Informa Telecoms & Media over 70 percent of all cell phone users in new growth markets are prepaid customers so I guess the Prepaid Tracker is a handy feature. I must add that I listen more to the radio than speak with my phone. So a big Pro is the radio.
By Nicolas Fogelholm, http://www.nokiainfo.net/
“Off with her head” the queen shouted at Alice in the Lewis Carroll story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Now I’m not sure if Lewis had an interest in gardening but he could well have been giving us some horticultural instruction which will give us a longer flowering season. There is a technique known as dead-heading, it is a simple task which takes a few minutes however adds days and sometimes weeks to your flowering display.
How to dead-head
If you’ve never dead-headed before here’s how go about it…… Firstly keep a watchful eye on your flowering plants, paying close attention to blooms that are past their best. Once a flower has started to fade remove it from the plant with a quick snip from your secateurs, alternatively knip it off with your thumb and forefinger. When doing this try to remove just the spent flower leaving the new buds beneath intact.
The many benefits
Your beds and borders now look neater due to the lack of fading blooms but how else has this deadheading process helped us? Well by removing the spent flowers we have prevented the plant from setting seed which if it did would trigger the production of a hormone which causes flowering to shut down completely. So by our slight tinkering with Mother Nature we can often force the plant to put its energies into a second flush of flower production instead of seed production. Bear in mind that your planting should have a plentiful supply of nutrients to give a secondary flowering.
Plants that respond well to dead-heading
Dead-heading works particularly well on perennials and most annual bedding especially Antirrhinums (Snapdragons), Violas (Pansies) and Dianthus (Sweet Williams) although it can sometimes be impossible to carry out on very small flowers or on very large and floriferous shrubs. Shrubs which react well to dead-heading include Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Syringa (Lilac) and some Spireas. Roses of course are ideal candidates for this technique to ensure more blooms before the rose-hips form.
James Kilkelly runs a professional garden design service in Galway, Ireland. He has a regular gardening column in a Irish regional newspaper. Visit his website at www.gardenplansireland.com/ He also regularly posts his expert advice on www.gardenstew.com/
Article location: www.gardenplansireland.com/articles/article26.html
There is so much awful news and information out there about breast cancer. These days it seems that every magazine, newspaper, radio show, and piece of mail has a headline declaring that every woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is increasing. There is a numbing feeling of inevitability in all this information we hear and read that more and more women tend to think about breast cancer as a ‘when’ rather than an if.
There is so much frightening information about the disease out there. The stats available are horrible and this bring one major question to mind; ‘what can be done to prevent breast cancer?’ The bulk of medical advancement in the area of breast and indeed most cancers, involves what should be done after, and not essentially before, getting the disease. There is more to preventing breast cancer than the ritual yearly mammogram. Of course this may help detect the breast cancer at its early stage, but that is about the best it can do. It won’t prevent you from getting the disease. To prevent breast cancer, we need to be more proactive, we need to take individual and collective action.
The first step towards proactively preventing breast cancer is to understand the causes and risk factors of breast cancer and what decreases breast cancer risk. However, there are few conclusive answers to these queries, partly because most research focuses on eliminating breast cancer after - not before - it occurs. Medical research has validated so few risk factors for breast cancer that almost 70 percent of the women diagnosed with breast cancer are not associated with any clear cut risk factor.
To make matters worse, our sex, age, reproductive history, family history, exposure to radiation (such as fallout from above-ground atomic bomb tests), race, culture, and height are factors beyond our control. When we’re told that these factors play crucial roles in the cause of breast cancer, we can be left with feelings of hopelessness and panic. For instance, being a black woman or being from a family with history of breast cancer, puts you in the forefront of those at risk of breast cancer. These are things we don’t decide for ourselves.
When we include risk factors that are considered “not well substantiated”, but which are clearly contributing to breast cancer incidence, including ingestion of and exposure to prescription hormones, hormone-mimicking organochlorines, prescription drugs, petrochemicals, and electromagnetic fields, as well as unwise lifestyle choices such as smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol immoderately, wearing tight bras, or not exercising, then we can find that there are indeed many ways we can reduce our chances of getting breast cancer and in essence preventing it.
Individually, we can prevent breast cancer by buying and eating organically grown food, filtering our water, building powerful immunity, living wisely and vigorously, being in touch with our breasts, using natural remedies for menopausal problems.
Try out the following tips:
- Aerobic exercise 3-4 times a week
- Maintaining a positive mental attitude
- Breathwork and deepening body-awareness
- Expressing your feelings to keep your energy flowing
- Eating healthy foods and taking the “right” supplements
- Avoiding toxicity
Try as much as you can to avoid the following and you will be as far from breast cancer as you humanly can:
Any medication containing acetaminophen
Products such as Tylenol, Sudafid, Bromo seltzer, vicodin, and many others which drive down the glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is an essential antioxidant and detoxifier.
Aspartame (not to be confused with aspertate) has been proven to cause cancer in rats. It is a common ingredient in many no-sugar products such as yogurt, ice cream, desserts and carbonated beverages. Splenda is also harmful.
Toxins. Use toxin-free, organic products. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly with soapy water to remove chemical residues. Better yet, buy only organic products and non-GMO (non-genetically modified) foods. Read labels (veggies and fruit will have an 9 to indicate organic and an 8 for non-GMO).
Active computer screens should be at least 18 inches away from your body. You need to be at least 36 inches from your active television screens.
It is obvious that several factors that are known to predispose someone to breast cancer are not completely within our control. It makes more sense therefore, to be very keen about your breast. This serves a dual function. Even when it does not completely protect you from cancer, it allows for early detection of the cancer when it does occur. No one knows your body as well as you do. That’s why it’s essential to examine your breasts at the same time every month - so you can detect any changes that might occur. When you do the self-examination, you are reassuring yourself that your body is still in great condition
Breast Self Exams still remain the number one method for detecting changes in breast health. Although, finding any symptoms does not really mean you have cancer but when you have it, early detection means your survival probability is very high. Very high! It also means you have a broad range of alternative and complementary treatment options.
When we talk about breast cancer, the second worst killer after lung cancer, knowledge is not just power, it is your life!
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Breast Cancer
Cary Grant grew up as “Archie Leach,” the son of a poor working class family in Bristol, England. Once bitten by the acting bug, young Archie seems to have done his level best to get kicked out of school (according to Nancy Nelson who probably wrote the best biographical volume on Cary Grant — “Evenings with Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him.” Highly recommended!)
Although an excellent student early on with a superior attendance record, he seems to have deliberately engineered his formal dismissal in order to devote all his time to stage arts.
Acting is not exactly the proper term for his early vocation since we see him leaving his house at age 14 to learn pantomime and acrobatics as a part of Bob Pender’s circus troupe.
We see him arrive in New York City in 1920 when he was just about 15 years old with Bob Pender’s troupe.
We are treated to some of the tricks he learned during those early years when he rewards us with a number of effortless cartwheels and somersaults in HOLIDAY (1938).
Did you know that the 15 year old Archie Leach crossed the Atlantic in the same boat with Douglas Fairbanks, who was then at the zenith of his fame and was returning home with his new bride Mary Pickford?
It is said that little Archie, yet-nameless Hollywood star of the future, had actually his photo taken on the deck of the ship while playing shuffle board with Douglas Fairbanks but I haven’t seen that picture yet at this time of writing.
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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation. He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years. In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI). You can reach him at writer111@gmail.com for a FREE consultation on all your copywriting needs. You are most welcomed to visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com for more information on his multidisciplinary background, writing career, and client testimonials. While at it, you might also want to check the latest book he has edited, PRIVATE TUTOR FOR SAT MATH SUCCESS 2006: http://www.lulu.com/content/263630 |
