Archive for January 11th, 2007
The truth about spirit quartz crystals
They are also known as faerie quartz crystals, porcupine crystals, cactus quartz crystals and who knows what else. The most correct
name for these awesome crystals is “Spirit Quartz Crystals”..so named by the locals who mine them because they are often found in a deep purple colour that resembles Methylated Spirits. When Melody was first shown these crystals she endorsed the name “Spirit crystals” and it has been “official” ever since Regardless of what you choose to call them, they cannot be called Magaliesburg crystals!
These crystals are mined in an area called Boekenhouthoek – North of Pretoria in South Africa..NOWHERE NEAR MAGALIESBURG. When these crystals were first mined a few years back, a couple of greedy mineral dealers tried to keep the source a secret so that they could exploit it. As part of the plan they constructed a huge misinformation campaign, leading people to believe that these crystals were from an area called Maliesburg.
Unfortuanetly, many people still mistakenly call Magaliesburg crystals of believe they come from somewhere near Magaliesburg which is simply not the case.
cactus, crystals, deep purple, exploit, faerie, locals, misinformation campaign, porcupine, pretoria, purple colour, quartz, quartz crystals, spirit
Add comment January 11, 2007
A wonderful quartz from China
One of the great joys of collecting quartz is observing the extraordinary diversity of forms in which this mineral chooses to present itself. Unchallenged as the most ubiquitous of minerals, it should not be surprising that quartz is capable of crystallizing under an amazing array of conditions–from the hottest igneous melts to temperatures and pressures not far removed from those in which most life thrives. Subtle changes in growth conditions can trigger profound variations in habit. The greatest frustration is that by not having been there during their growth, except for the production of synthetics, we can only speculate on what sorts of environmental fluctuations precipitated the habit, color, and form changes that we see.
So it is with the specimen from Guangdong Province in China illustrated here. It is immediately obvious that this is anything but a simple group of quartz crystals. In nature it is not unusual with quartz to find what are referred to as two generations of crystal growth on a single specimen. This is usually manifested by the attachment of many small crystals randomly dispersed over the surface of a larger one. The order of crystallization is obvious–the larger crystal had to have been present before the smaller ones.
In this case, all is not quite that obvious. A close look will reveal that there are four generations of quartz growth on this 8 x 6-cm specimen. The largest crystals, we will call a, are 1-2 cm in length and were the first to grow. This is evident because all subsequent generations grew on a crystals. These are, in turn, encrusted with a fine grayish film of what appears to be chalcedonic quartz but may actually be an extremely microscopic druse that we will call b. Attached to the terminations of the a crystals are tiny faceted-appearing little gems of perfectly transparent quartz, most with a triangular shape, which appear only on every other face of the termination, the positive rhombohedron r; let’s call these c. These tend to be included by buff-colored filaments and spheres of an unknown material that appears to be claylike. Finally, sprinkled randomly around the specimen in little sparkling clusters and trails are even smaller sugary-appearing drusy quartz crystals, representing another growth episode, which we will call d.
Some of the history of this piece–the order of crystallization–is clear. The largest crystals, a, grew first, and the tiny sugary ones, d, were the last to form. However, it took magnification to determine the order of the other two episodes, b and c. Because it is obvious that the grayish crust, b, does not cover the oriented gemlike crystals, c, as it does the surfaces of the a crystals, it is tempting to conclude that the b crystals were second in the sequence and the c crystals third. However, if this were so, why then is there an absence of the grayish crust beneath the c crystals where they sit upon a crystals? You can see right through them, and there is no crust separating them from the larger crystal to which they are attached. So, just the opposite is the case: The c crystals are actually the second generation, and the crust, b, is the third. This conclusion is supported by the fact that under the microscope it can be readily seen that the grayish crust actually extends part way up the sides of the oriented gemlike c crystals. Thus, they must have been attached to the a crystals before the crust was precipitated. What is puzzling about this is why the c crystals remained uncoated over most of their surfaces. I have no answer.
The sequence of crystallization, therefore, had to have been a, c, b, and finally d. What is particularly interesting is that the individual crystal size comprising each stage of crystallization is quite uniform. That is, the crystals that grew within each stage are all more or less the same size. It is apparent that the conditions in which these crystals grew–be it concentration, temperature, or something else–changed during the development of this piece, mostly in the same direction. If it was temperature, for example, the environment of growth was probably a cooling one, but a brief upsurge may have been responsible for the delicate crystals sprinkled over much of the surface.
What a great and charming little specimen! How often does one see a small group of crystals with such complexity? I should add that I found perhaps a half-dozen of these in 2002 with one dealer from China, and I have not seen any since. No further details as to the specific locality were available.
JOHN S. WHITE
P.O. Box 332
Stewartstown, Pennsylvania 17363
john@jwkustos.com
John S. White, a consulting editor of Rocks & Minerals, operates Kustos, a museum/collector consulting and mineral/ gem sales business. He is also the columnist for Let’s Get It Right.
Add comment January 11, 2007
Buying a bonded diamond is possibly the best diamond you can buy
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| Buying a bonded diamond from bonded jewelers does cost a little more, but there are several advantages that fully offset the extra cost. |
Before you start shopping for diamonds, consider dealing with a bonded jeweler. Bonded jewelers sell bonded diamonds, and there are very few bonded jewelers in the world. In fact, out of all of the jeweler’s in the world, only about 5% of them are bonded. Buying a bonded diamond will cost more than buying a non-bonded diamond, but when you look at what you get with the bonded option, you will see that it is well worth the extra expense.
One advantage of a bonded diamond is a guarantee that you can return the diamond to the jewelers from which you bought it and your purchase price will be fully refunded.
First, bonded diamonds have a buy back policy for the life of the diamond. No matter how long you have had the diamond, you can take it back to the bonded jeweler and sell it back to him or her, for a 100% refund. If a jeweler does not offer a 100% buy back guarantee, for the life of the diamond, then you should take a closer look at the diamond to see what is wrong with it.
Bonded diamonds also have a breakage policy. If the stone breaks or chips, the bonded jeweler will replace it with a new one one time. No jeweler would ever offer such a policy on any stone that was not 100% natural, so just the offer of such a policy should give you piece of mind concerning the quality of the diamond. Bonded diamonds are natural and untreated.
Buying a bonded diamond is essentially risk-free. The guarantee provided by sellers of bonded diamonds (i.e., bonded jewelers) virtually guarantees the authenticity of your diamond.
Bonded diamonds increase in value, with a fixed appreciation rate that is designed to keep up with inflation. This means that a diamond that is worth a certain amount of money today will be worth more in the future, as the price of diamonds continues to rise. This generally does not apply to buy backs, however. It typically applies to trade-ins. Alternately, by purchasing a bonded diamond, you are protected against the possibility of a market crash. If a market crash occurs, the value of diamonds will drop. However, the bonded jeweler guarantees to refund you the difference between what the diamond is now worth and what you paid for it before the market crash.
It may be difficult to find a bonded jeweler in your area, but if you can, this is who you want to deal with, as opposed to dealing with an un-bonded jeweler. Specifically tell the jeweler that you are only interested in bonded diamonds. You can find a bonded jeweler in your area by using various online resources, or by calling the local jewelry stores.
Add comment January 11, 2007
Shiloh “Oh What a Beautiful Accident”
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Angelina Jolie has revealed that, despite her love of motherhood, she did not intend to conceive a child with Brad Pitt. “I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant,” she said, before joking: “I’m the one that got knocked up.”
Speaking in an interview with UK Elle magazine, the mum-of-three explained that at the time her new beau was more intent on having a child than she was. “Some men have kids when they’re not ready and some men know they want to take it seriously and wait until they’re absolutely ready,” she said. “You could say Brad changed me.”
The 31-year-old went on to say she loved her two adopted youngsters Maddox and Zahara just as much as her new baby. Angelina confessed that the difficult start her first two children had in life made her feel a special sympathy for them.”I think I feel so much more for Madd and Zee because they’re survivors, they came through so much,” she said. “Shiloh seemed so privileged from the moment she was born. I’m conscious that I have to make sure I don’t ignore her needs, just because I think the others are more vulnerable.”
And it would seem the Hollywood couple are intent on making sure their young charges have plenty of brothers and sisters. “We definitely want a very big family,” she said. “It might seem crazy to build it so quickly, but if we’re going to have ten kids, we’d like to raise them while we’re young.”
And Brad appears equally as happy to aim for a large brood. “I have three kids now and next year I’ll have six then nine,” he said recently. “We’re looking for a soccer team – I want to compete in the next World Cup!” [Hello!]
Labels: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Maddoxx, Shiloh, Zahara
posted by Miz Monica Monroe @ 2:14:00 PM,
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Paris Hilton Pleads Not Guilty
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Paris Hilton plead not guilty to DUI charges Tuesday in a Los Angeles court. Her attorney made an appearance on her behalf.
Hilton, 25, was arrested on Sept. 7 just after midnight for driving erratically in her silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren in Hollywood.
She scored 0.08 on a Breathalyzer, the minimum blood alcohol level required for a DUI arrest in California.
After Hilton’s arrest, her rep, Elliot Mintz, told PEOPLE: “Paris regrets the entire event. It was personally humiliating for her; she is not taking it lightly or frivolously.”
Following her release from jail, Hilton called in to Ryan Seacrest’s L.A. radio show, explaining on-air that she hadn’t eaten anything all day and had worked for hours on the set of her new music video.
She drank one margarita at an event that evening, she said, and was on her way to a fast-food restaurant when she was pulled over.
Asked by Seacrest if she had been driving erratically, Hilton replied, “No, I was just really hungry and I wanted to have an In-N-Out burger!”
The heiress was subsequently charged with two misdemeanors: DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher.
Her next court date is slated for Jan. 23.
“At this point, I expect the L.A. city attorney will eventually offer her a plea bargain to a lesser charge in which she’ll do no jail time, no community service, and just pay a fine,” Lawrence Taylor, an L.A.-based attorney and DUI expert, tells PEOPLE. [People]
Labels: Paris Hilton
posted by Miz Monica Monroe @ 12:55:00 PM,
Add comment January 11, 2007
Virgin Shutters U.S. Music Subscription Service
by Eliot Van Buskirk and Sean Michaels
Friday, 5 January 2007
Virgin Shutters U.S. Music Subscription Service
Topic: News
Virgin Digital has had enough of trying to convince U.S. music fans to sign onto its music subscription service and has announced it is ceasing U.S. operation. The company contacted subscribers telling them to claim a free MP3 player and three free months of the Napster To Go subscription service (a $44.85 value), as an incentive to switch.
Both services use Microsoft’s PlaysForSure technology, so Virgin Digital subscribers who already own MP3 players will be able to continue to use them with Napster’s service, which has more features and content than Virgin’s service did anyway. To his credit, Branson had expressed apprehension about launching the service in the first place, since it was too hard to predict whether a large number of consumers were ready (or ever will be ready) for DRM-ed digital music subscriptions:
“‘Will subscription work? I don’t know,’ he says in an interview with the BBC News website [following the service's UK launch]. ‘The people who are music fanatics may be willing to do it. Those who aren’t may prefer the 79p method.’”
I guess he knows the answer to that question now. At the launch of the Virgin Digital service in San Francisco, I remember a sense of (possibly manufactured) excitement about the service in the room, and Branson was grinning ear-to-ear as he gave a short speech. It looked for a little while like his bargain basement approach to both hardware and the service (which started out cheaper than the rest) would stand a chance against Apple, or at least against the rest of the PlaysForSure ecosystem. But it’s entirely possible that Branson is even more excited to get out of this market than he was to get in.
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Ropeadope Label Goes 100% Digital
by Eliot Van Buskirk and Sean Michaels
Friday, 5 January 2007
Ropeadope Label Goes 100% Digital
Topic: News
Ropeadope, a seven-year-strong record label that has released albums from DJ Logic, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Medeski, Martin, & Wood, King Britt, Jazzanova, the Skerik’s Syncopated Taint Septet (my guess is that their sound is “neither here nor there”), and more, has announced that it is going 100% pure digital. Every release will be available on ropeadope.com in the MP3 format, as well as the major online music retailers.
In addition to online-only distribution, the label also plans on a simple/modernized approach to business dealings with its artists, who will retain the rights to their masters, which rules. Royalties will be based on a straight profit share, and there’s no advance to recoup. The program starts in February with digital releases from seven bands (Aunt Jessica, DJ Klock, Electric City, The Frequency, Skip Heller, Larval, and Reminder/Josh Abrams) with at least 18 more to come during the remainder of 2007.
I asked Ropeadope founder Andy Hurwitz why he’s taking his label digital, and what he expects the pluses and minuses to be.
“Why digital? It’s funny, I almost feel like this is what they asked Rykodisc back in the ’80’s when they started going exclusively with CDs over vinyl. [Digital is] not just the future, it’s the present, at least amongst our fans. We’ve seen our traditional sales plummet and our digital sales skyrocket. But on top of a purely economic decision, it’s an amazing opportunity for us to find and expose tons of great music and fantastic artists.
“Advantages? We now make money on every single project from record one. We don’t have to deal with returns and reserves, we can sign and release a new band in a matter of weeks, and it helps bring traffic to our website.
“Disadvantages? I’m really searching for some here. I guess the only disadvantage is the learning curve–folks are still trying to understand why we’re doing this and how it works. But once we’re up and running I think it will become obvious.”
Correction: Ropeadope still plans on releasing a very small number of albums on CD.
Add comment January 11, 2007
Breaking! Duke Rape Accuser Changes Story Again
For the 56,864,631,657 time the accuser in the Duke lacrosse rape case has changed her story. This is a major problem for the DA Mike Nifong. The accuser in his case has changed her story so many times with on of the more recent being that she didn’t remember if she was penetrated or not. This creates a huge credibility issue for the accuser. Add on things like no DNA from the three players, and that DNA from other men (yes, multiple men) was found on and in her. That the line was a complete sham.
In her latest statement to investigators, the accuser in the Duke lacrosse rape case changed her account again about when the alleged gang rape occurred, who attacked her and how.
Defense attorneys filed the statement in court today, arguing that it was more evidence that the woman is an unreliable witness.
The woman adjusted the timing of the assault to earlier in the evening, a time point preceding the well-documented alibi of one accused player, Reade Seligmann. The defense, however, introduced yet more alibi evidence for Seligmann: he was on the cell phone with his girlfriend during the height of the attack as the accuser now times it.
I tell ya this girl just can’t win. She changes her story so that the alibi of one of the defendants no longer holds, and then it turns out he was on the phone, which cell phone companies annoyingly document. Additionally, most experts in these matters hold that our memory doesn’t get better over time but worse. This simply paints the accuser out to be simply an outright liar.
In previous accounts, the woman said the gang-rape ended shortly before she left in the car driven by Kim Roberts, the second dancer. Roberts called 911 as she was driving away at 12:53 a.m., according to police records. This new account leaves 50 minutes unaccounted between the end of the rape and the departure from the party.
No, what most of us outside the legal profession would call is “making sh%t up”. See,
The new statement runs contrary to time stamped photos of the party, which show the two women dancing between 12:00 and 12:04 a.m. in the living room of the house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.
[snip]
The accuser has changed her description of Evans. On April 4, she viewed a photograph of Evans and said it looked like one of her assailants, except that the assailant had a moustache. In the Dec. 21 statement, the woman said the assailant had a five o’clock shadow, not a moustache. Evans has a visible five o’clock shadow in the photograph.
Hmmm…was Art Vadelay also one of the attackers?
Nifong could not be reached immediately for comment today.
No doubt. He was probably trying out another lame excuse to use in regards to his ethics violations where the N. Carolina Bar has accused Nifong of being fraudulent and deceitful.
Update: This news account has the accuser saying that Seligmann did not rape her, but merely watched.
The attacker identified as Reade Seligmann only watched, she told an investigator, the papers said. While he was repeatedly urged to take part in the alleged attack, she recalled, he said he could not participate because he was getting married.
“The accuser’s most recent recollection of events demonstrates clearly that she cannot accurately recall and describe her attackers and that any identification made by her is necessarily unreliable,” the defense filing said.
Okay, so now he was merely a witness. And it gets even better,
The new timeline would put the attack outside of the apparent alibi window established by Seligmann’s attorneys, based on records that include ATM receipts and cell phone records.
But the defense motion said the accuser’s cell phone records show that she was on her on the phone during part of the time she now says she was attacked. Records also show Seligmann made a call on his cell phone during that period, the defense said.
Time-stamped photos and records of a 911 call made by the second dancer also indicate the women did not leave the party until shortly before 1 a.m., nearly an hour after the alleged attack ended under the new timeline. In an April written statement, the accuser said she and the second dancer left the party immediately after the alleged assault.
So not only was the accuser being raped, she was on her cell phone chatting away. Sure. I believe that.
In a bizzare side note, which says alot considering this case, we have this gem from the article.
The filing comes a day after the judge overseeing the case ordered a paternity test to determine the father of a child born to the woman. Defense attorneys requested the test in December to eliminate any paternity question, although Nifong has said the pregnancy is almost certainly unrelated to the night of the team party.
That is very smart, of the defense attorneys, IMO. Getting caught on the hook for child support is not a good thing if the kid isn’t yours…and once you are on that hook, getting off is next to impossible, even with DNA tests. Do it right now, right away and put that one to rest right off the bat. Of course, this is Durham we are talking about, apparently a city where a large segement of the population is so stupid it elected Nifong…a guy who doesn’t let DNA evidence or the lack thereof hinder him in his witch-hunts…errr court cases.
Also see K.C. Johnson’s post on this stuff today. It is very big, but it highlights how this case has become a complete farce and Nifong has completely perverted the notion of justice in Durham, N.C. This part is good,
One critical point to remember: in dropping the rape charges but retaining those for sexual assault and kidnapping, Nifong treated the accuser’s latest version of events, laid out in this motion, as wholly credible.italics in the original
Basically, it shows that Nifong is willing to go to just about any lengths to stick some sort of charge on the defendants. But then we already knew that Nifong was a duplicitous snake.
Add comment January 11, 2007
Area rugs as a floor covering
How to choose the best area rug for a laminate or hardwood floor
Harwood and laminate floors do scratch and get wear spots over time. Especially if they are in high traffic areas like the front entrance way or between the living room and kitchen. One of the easiest ways to protect the finish is by placing a inexpensive area rug or carpet runner on the floor to catch any dirt or sand that may get tracked in.
If the rug is sliding on the laminate or hard wood floor you should place a rug mat underneath it. This will do a couple of things. First it will stop the rug from sliding around and preventing anyone from hurting themselves and the other is it will prolong the life of the area rug and provide a softer cushioning effect.
The average sized rug or carpet runner is normally around 2 feet by 7 feet. You can buy other lengths and widths up to 9 feet. If you need longer it would be a special order, but it can be done. One of my favorite places for these rugs are in the hallway and by the front door. With the designer brands you can go with floral prints or a ultra modern geometric shape. Southwestern or a tropical styles will add color to any room.
Prices in floor coverings and area mats, range from under a 100 dollars to thousands depending on how elaborate the design and what it’s made from or what part of the world it is imported from. The many styles allow you pick and choose from a vast assortment of styles that will enable you to choose just the right floor covering to match your home furniture, paint and wallpaper. Many of these designs like oriental area rugs, can be used as a tapestry or wall hanging for a unique decorative piece of artwork.
Firstly, we would recommend that you measure your space carefully. In some cases, the measurements of the room will help determine which one of the area cabin rug options that you pick. The other thing to consider is the color, unless you decide to work the décor around the rug, in which case it would not matter. Then there is the material. There are some great sisals or a flat braided rugs with classic styling that make beautiful floor coverings. You will want one that will last you a long time, but also that will wear well. You will also see that you can get them in all different shapes and sizes, large or square area rugs. The oval floor coverings look great in cabins, but again it will depend on the size of your room and the environment you are trying to create.
For more information go to here for choosing an area rug
3 comments January 11, 2007
A Word On Louis Vuitton and Coach
| 09.15.06 | |
Category: Miscellaneous
Louis Vuitton is virtually impossible to obtain wholesale. LV does not wholesale their merchandise…period. In fact, did you know that there is only one authorized store online that sells authentic Louis Vuitton handbags? That’s right. If you buy Louis Vuitton from any other online store, it is more than likely that you are buying a very high-quality knock-off. The only legitimate way to obtain LV is directly from LV, which requires that you own one of their boutiques.
Also, Coach is extremely hard to find wholesale, because of the strict guidelines this company places on who they wholesale their merchandise to (usually only established retailers).
Bottom Line: Be very leery of anyone selling Louis Vuitton that is not an authorized dealer.
What A Legitimate Authentic Designer Handbag Wholesaler Is
Now that you know what to avoid when looking for a designer handbag wholesaler, let me enlighten you on exactly what a legitimate designer handbag wholesaler is:
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler sells authentic designer handbags! Period. No knockoffs, etc (I hope this one was pretty obvious!). Also, authentic handbags should always come with their authenticity cards/tags and dust covers, as well.
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler wholesales handbags at 50-80% off retail, so you can make a profit!
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler will offer you a money-back guarantee on the authenticity of their handbags; after all, they should be able to make this guarantee, otherwise…what are they trying to hide?!
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler will not charge you an “account setup fee” — there should be no additional fee, other than the fee of the merchandise itself and the shipping costs.
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler will require you to purchase a minimum quantity (folks, this is wholesale, after all), which can be as low as 5 handbags, unless they drop-ship.
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler should not wholesale Louis Vuitton, as Louis Vuitton places very strict guidelines on who they wholesale their handbags to, which makes it impossible to purchase Louis Vuitton at wholesale.
A Legitimate Designer Handbag Wholesaler will provide you with their company’s complete contact information: address, telephone number (you should always be able to speak with someone before placing your order), e-mail, etc.. Their place of business should not be a secret!
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