Long ago, my Uncle Cary bought this new and totally cool ’67 Thunderbird. He was cool himself. The car was silver with a black top, and in the back it had the so-called suicide doors hinged on the rear.
It obviously was a Batmobile, so we used it to play Batman whenever he — my uncle, not Batman — drove it to my grandmother’s house. We’d run around sing-screaming the television show’s signature anthem: Dadadadadadadada — Batman!
I saw an identical T-Bird the other day, during something Mississippi Gulf Coast promoters call Cruisin’ the Coast. They bill it as America’s Largest Block Party — and longest, I might add. The extravaganza lasts an entire week. And that week adds about $20 million to the local economy, drawing old-car enthusiasts from 40 states and Canada.
My uncle’s T-Bird didn’t go through Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the one I saw at Cruisin’ did. Its new owner bought it with that grim knowledge, fixed it up and now drives it every day. It’s not so much a show car as a showy car that he uses.
I saw only one of the official Cruisin’ events, but you can’t miss the old cars parading up and down, up and down, old U.S. Highway 90 by the ocean. It was like visiting Cuba, or what I imagine it would be like if our politicians would let so-called free citizens visit there, where frugal citizens keep old American cars running with spit and spare parts.
The Mississippi Sound was gleaming like a ditch full of diamonds on one side; the eager businesses on the other were enticing Cruisers with free gifts, food and libations. So royal and retro was the welcome, I wondered if the car owners felt like Fonzie and Pinky Tuscadero. One local bank had old 45-rpm records swinging from pink and black ribbons in its trees. Festive, truly.
I kept expecting to hear an “American Graffiti” soundtrack, or see Richard Dreyfus’ elusive dream girl in her ’55 Thunderbird. Every third car or so on 90 was an antique, which doesn’t exclude lots of Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs. There was a parking lot full of those. Around 6,000 restored cars in all, the registrars reported, from Model T’s to Studebakers.
Men and women stood around comparing notes on gleaming automotive specimens. Now, I don’t know an alternator from an astronaut, but I do know the feel of driving certain cars. I can outline my life by my car choices.
My first was a VW bug; it cost about what you now pay for a pair of good shoes. The Pinto years were lean, indeed, though I always thought that car got a bad rap so far as dependability goes.
My MG-B convertible made me feel like a goddess if only it had stayed out of the shop for two weeks running. The used Alpha Romeo sedan that replaced it wasn’t much better.
Those frivolous forays into foreign resulted in two decades of Fords — Mustangs, Explorers, a van and a couple of pickups. Fords made me feel sensible and got me where I was going.
I’ll have to admit, though, my all-time favorite car is the one I’m driving now. Perhaps it signals a second childhood.
My Mini-Cooper lets me pretend I’m in Paris, even when I’m tooling the streets of Iuka, Miss. I wouldn’t have traded my Mini for any duded-up car on the coast, except maybe that silver and black T-Bird worthy of Batman.
2012年10月21日星期日
2012年10月18日星期四
Fire took heavy toll on Monessen landmark business
And the blaze that sparked the alarm was the focus of a note from a reader in Monessen who asked:
“Do you remember the fire that destroyed the Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company? I think it was in the late 1960s or early 1970s.”
According to a story in The Valley Independent on Jan. 5, 1970, the landmark business at Second Street and Donner Avenue was destroyed by the fie.
William Merritt, president of the corporation, told the newspaper that the building was “a total loss” but he could not estimate how much the damage would run.
Municipal Fire Chief Roy McShaffrey said the entire building was ablaze when they arrived and it took almost an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning.
About 50 firefighters from both Monessen companies responded to the alarm and six trucks were used. Nearly a dozen firefighters from Rostraver Central and Webster companies assisted and the companies acted as standby.
McShaffrey said it could not be determined how or where the blaze started as the entire building was in flames when firefighters arrived.
According to Merritt, some maintenance work was being done in the building on Sunday morning but he emphasized that nothing was amiss when he left around noon and when one of his workers left shortly after.
McShaffrey said there was some damage to an apartment and bar next door to the laundry. He did not know the name of the owner of that building but said no one was in the building at the time of the fire.
Merritt told The Valley Independent he could not estimate the cost of garments in the cleaning plant, but he said it would not be as bad as it would have been if the fire had occurred during the week when the bulk of the cleaning is done. Because of the weekend, he said, most of the garments had been picked up by customers. There were garments brought into the plant for cleaning but Merritt said most people “wait until the beginning of the week” to bring in their cleaning.
He also was not able at that time to estimate how much damage there was to the delivery trucks parked in the basement of the building because they were covered with debris.
The newspaper reported that 23 persons were employed at the cleaning establishment located in a one-story 100-by-100-foot brick building.
The business had been located there since 1909, the newspaper said. Merritt had been operating it for the past five or six years.
Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company garnered considerable media coverage over the years and was a major advertiser in the first Industrial Edition (Illustrated) of The Daily Independent on Friday, Jan. 8, 1915. That special section was a forerunner of what eventually became known as the Progress edition and is now featured as the annual Pride publication of The Valley Independent. As an introduction to the informative edition, The Daily Independent proclaimed:
“More than eight-thousand people find employment in the different mills, factories, workshops, stores, banks and other institutions within the corporate limits of the Borough of Monessen. We are constantly enlarging, broadening out and moving forward and are continually sending out calls for more workmen. This is a productive field for the laborer, mechanic and professional man because of its diversified industries. Capital and labor meet on common grounds, the mill man and the merchant work hand in hand for a greater and better day. The official Census Department count of 1910 gave us a population of 11,775, the census of 1914 gave us over 18,000 souls. We are still growing. At this rate of increase where will be in 1920?”
Monessen Laundry & Cleaning was listed as one of the top employers in Monessen at that time with 56 persons on its monthly payroll of $2,500. Others acknowledged by the Board of Trade as outstanding economic resources were:
The half-page ad also called attention to then-modern technology at the laundry in the form of “The only machine that molds a collar perfectly. Gives your collars that perfect fit and finish demanded by good dressers. The only machine that gives ample tie slide space. Have your collars molded on this machine.”
Another ad appeared in The Daily Independent on April 1, 1924, and offered a drawing of an obviously satisfied female customer displaying a dress. It carried this caption: “No! It Isn’t New. The Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company Has Cleaned It For Me. I can’t wait until Mrs. Rich’s tea tomorrow afternoon. All my friends will think I have a new gown. The silk is just as lustrous as it was when I bought it and it only cost me a trifle to have it cleaned.”
The company also emphasized that “Months of service, style and good appearance are what we put into last year’s garments when you bring them here.” Additional information was available by calling 223.
The Daily Independent called attention to Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company’s progress in a Page One story on Monday, Sept. 8, 1930, under this headline: Monessen Laundry Spends Thousands In Modern Equipment.
The newspaper reported that the company “recently installed in its plant here the latest, most modern and highly scientific mechanical appliances known to the laundry industry for the purpose of expanding the business and specializing in domestic washing.” It continued:
“A visit through this plant gives an idea of the successful operating and application of modern, scientific principles which do away with old-time methods that mean hard labor and injury to the clothes. This installation has been done at an added expense of many thousands of dollars, and the laundry is now conducting an extensive campaign for the purpose of selling to the people of this vicinity a service unexcelled by any modern laundry in the country.
“Do you remember the fire that destroyed the Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company? I think it was in the late 1960s or early 1970s.”
According to a story in The Valley Independent on Jan. 5, 1970, the landmark business at Second Street and Donner Avenue was destroyed by the fie.
William Merritt, president of the corporation, told the newspaper that the building was “a total loss” but he could not estimate how much the damage would run.
Municipal Fire Chief Roy McShaffrey said the entire building was ablaze when they arrived and it took almost an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters remained on the scene until about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning.
About 50 firefighters from both Monessen companies responded to the alarm and six trucks were used. Nearly a dozen firefighters from Rostraver Central and Webster companies assisted and the companies acted as standby.
McShaffrey said it could not be determined how or where the blaze started as the entire building was in flames when firefighters arrived.
According to Merritt, some maintenance work was being done in the building on Sunday morning but he emphasized that nothing was amiss when he left around noon and when one of his workers left shortly after.
McShaffrey said there was some damage to an apartment and bar next door to the laundry. He did not know the name of the owner of that building but said no one was in the building at the time of the fire.
Merritt told The Valley Independent he could not estimate the cost of garments in the cleaning plant, but he said it would not be as bad as it would have been if the fire had occurred during the week when the bulk of the cleaning is done. Because of the weekend, he said, most of the garments had been picked up by customers. There were garments brought into the plant for cleaning but Merritt said most people “wait until the beginning of the week” to bring in their cleaning.
He also was not able at that time to estimate how much damage there was to the delivery trucks parked in the basement of the building because they were covered with debris.
The newspaper reported that 23 persons were employed at the cleaning establishment located in a one-story 100-by-100-foot brick building.
The business had been located there since 1909, the newspaper said. Merritt had been operating it for the past five or six years.
Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company garnered considerable media coverage over the years and was a major advertiser in the first Industrial Edition (Illustrated) of The Daily Independent on Friday, Jan. 8, 1915. That special section was a forerunner of what eventually became known as the Progress edition and is now featured as the annual Pride publication of The Valley Independent. As an introduction to the informative edition, The Daily Independent proclaimed:
“More than eight-thousand people find employment in the different mills, factories, workshops, stores, banks and other institutions within the corporate limits of the Borough of Monessen. We are constantly enlarging, broadening out and moving forward and are continually sending out calls for more workmen. This is a productive field for the laborer, mechanic and professional man because of its diversified industries. Capital and labor meet on common grounds, the mill man and the merchant work hand in hand for a greater and better day. The official Census Department count of 1910 gave us a population of 11,775, the census of 1914 gave us over 18,000 souls. We are still growing. At this rate of increase where will be in 1920?”
Monessen Laundry & Cleaning was listed as one of the top employers in Monessen at that time with 56 persons on its monthly payroll of $2,500. Others acknowledged by the Board of Trade as outstanding economic resources were:
The half-page ad also called attention to then-modern technology at the laundry in the form of “The only machine that molds a collar perfectly. Gives your collars that perfect fit and finish demanded by good dressers. The only machine that gives ample tie slide space. Have your collars molded on this machine.”
Another ad appeared in The Daily Independent on April 1, 1924, and offered a drawing of an obviously satisfied female customer displaying a dress. It carried this caption: “No! It Isn’t New. The Monessen Laundry & Cleaning Company Has Cleaned It For Me. I can’t wait until Mrs. Rich’s tea tomorrow afternoon. All my friends will think I have a new gown. The silk is just as lustrous as it was when I bought it and it only cost me a trifle to have it cleaned.”
The company also emphasized that “Months of service, style and good appearance are what we put into last year’s garments when you bring them here.” Additional information was available by calling 223.
The Daily Independent called attention to Monessen Laundry and Cleaning Company’s progress in a Page One story on Monday, Sept. 8, 1930, under this headline: Monessen Laundry Spends Thousands In Modern Equipment.
The newspaper reported that the company “recently installed in its plant here the latest, most modern and highly scientific mechanical appliances known to the laundry industry for the purpose of expanding the business and specializing in domestic washing.” It continued:
“A visit through this plant gives an idea of the successful operating and application of modern, scientific principles which do away with old-time methods that mean hard labor and injury to the clothes. This installation has been done at an added expense of many thousands of dollars, and the laundry is now conducting an extensive campaign for the purpose of selling to the people of this vicinity a service unexcelled by any modern laundry in the country.
2012年10月16日星期二
Auto lightweighting event slated
With lawmakers ratcheting up fuel-economy targets in the U.S. and other key markets, automakers and their suppliers find themselves challenged to meet these heightened standards without sacrificing vehicle performance or driving up costs. Some materials and processes can lighten the load but require unacceptable real-world tooling or production cost changes.
That’s why Plastics News next month is organizing its second annual Plastics in Lightweight Vehicles event in North America. Set for Nov. 6-7 in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, the conference will cover customer requirements and supplier strategies for achieving global fuel-economy standards, while focusing on product deliverability, quality and cost for all members of the supply chain.
PN is again partnering with the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Auto-motive Division, which will hold its annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition & Gala nearby on the evening of Nov. 7.
Addressing technical topics as well as market trends, PLV conference presenters will assess the role plastics can and will play in interiors, seating, structural powertrain and under-the-hood components, as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Consultant Kim Korth, president and owner of IRN Inc., will set the tone with the keynote address, looking at “Achievable Lightweighting Under Time and Cost Constraints.”
Others assessing materials and process advances will include executives from Plasan Carbon Composites, Johnson Controls Inc. and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. Altair Engineering Inc. will discuss its new Enlighten Award, designed to honor achievements in lightweighting.
Michael Omotoso, senior manager for global powertrain at LMC Automotive US Inc., will examine the broader business impacts of rising fuel-economy standards, while officials from automakers Lotus Engineering and Tata Technologies Ltd. will analyze, respectively, updated research related to lightweighting efforts, and how electric vehicles are likely to impact vehicle design and material choice.
Oliver Kuttner is founder and CEO of Edison2, the $5 million winner of the Mainstream Class of the Automotive X-Prize competition for its Very Light Car vehicle. Kuttner will describe his firm’s ambitious plans to move the VLC from a competition prototype toward a safe, comfortable, highly efficient car — and the lessons that others can learn and apply from those efforts.
Tier 1 suppliers Magna International Inc., IAC Group and Inteva Products LLC will discuss the latest developments in auto interiors, to include electronics and sound quality. A panel of experts from toolmaker and processor Proper Group International, injection press supplier KraussMaffei Corp., and materials/process provider Trexel Inc. will discuss successful examples of how microcellular injection foaming technology is taking weight — but not strength — out of current production vehicles.
That’s why Plastics News next month is organizing its second annual Plastics in Lightweight Vehicles event in North America. Set for Nov. 6-7 in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, the conference will cover customer requirements and supplier strategies for achieving global fuel-economy standards, while focusing on product deliverability, quality and cost for all members of the supply chain.
PN is again partnering with the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Auto-motive Division, which will hold its annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition & Gala nearby on the evening of Nov. 7.
Addressing technical topics as well as market trends, PLV conference presenters will assess the role plastics can and will play in interiors, seating, structural powertrain and under-the-hood components, as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Consultant Kim Korth, president and owner of IRN Inc., will set the tone with the keynote address, looking at “Achievable Lightweighting Under Time and Cost Constraints.”
Others assessing materials and process advances will include executives from Plasan Carbon Composites, Johnson Controls Inc. and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. Altair Engineering Inc. will discuss its new Enlighten Award, designed to honor achievements in lightweighting.
Michael Omotoso, senior manager for global powertrain at LMC Automotive US Inc., will examine the broader business impacts of rising fuel-economy standards, while officials from automakers Lotus Engineering and Tata Technologies Ltd. will analyze, respectively, updated research related to lightweighting efforts, and how electric vehicles are likely to impact vehicle design and material choice.
Oliver Kuttner is founder and CEO of Edison2, the $5 million winner of the Mainstream Class of the Automotive X-Prize competition for its Very Light Car vehicle. Kuttner will describe his firm’s ambitious plans to move the VLC from a competition prototype toward a safe, comfortable, highly efficient car — and the lessons that others can learn and apply from those efforts.
Tier 1 suppliers Magna International Inc., IAC Group and Inteva Products LLC will discuss the latest developments in auto interiors, to include electronics and sound quality. A panel of experts from toolmaker and processor Proper Group International, injection press supplier KraussMaffei Corp., and materials/process provider Trexel Inc. will discuss successful examples of how microcellular injection foaming technology is taking weight — but not strength — out of current production vehicles.
2012年10月14日星期日
Italian Pinocchio pleases
Call me film/culturally inept, but 30 minutes is the most I’ve lasted in front of a foreign language movie with English subtitles. What can I say? I like words. In a language I can follow.
So imagine my English-speaking jaw hitting the floor as I was put to shame by more than 200 children who didn’t just watch Enzo d’Alo’s Italian version of Pinocchio but were captivated by every rolling Italian ‘r’ that came their way.
The main showcase on Family Day at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Saturday, this latest interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s famous book is said to be as faithful to the original text as possible.
Italy’s most famous fictional character, the story of the wooden puppet is known the world over and is the European country’s most translated book.
The Naples-born director is confident and inspiring and was not surprised by the rapturous applause he received after a screening at Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall.
“This film has been more than 10 years in the making,” said the bubbly Italian. “I started back in 2000 and then took a break. I would lose direction a little.”
Picking up again after the death of his father, D’Alo was inspired in a new way by what he says was a previously unexplored relationship between Pinocchio and his own father, Geppetto the carpenter.
“While Geppetto carves Pinocchio, he sees himself in his face. He imagines what Pinocchio sees when he looks at him and he realises he’s becoming a father too. I wanted to focus on this relationship as more of a metaphor than has ever been illustrated before. He makes a wooden boy but it’s just as important when he’s wooden as when he’s alive. He moulds him, just as every father tries to do for his living son. In the child-puppet he sees his past and his lost expectations, as well. He becomes emotional and nostalgic for the choices he never made.”
The movie has a distinctly Italian feel with music composed by popular singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, who died in March. Dalla’s last compositions were for the production and he also did the voiceover for Il Pescatore Verde (The Green Fisherman) who attempts to eat Pinocchio.
“The Green Fisherman is a character which many movies, including the Disney version, leave out,” he said. “But I wanted to stay true to the book and he’s there so why wouldn’t we use him? I believe children are not as frightened as we think. They cope with things they see.”
One of the viewers was Aadita Gupta, 8, who was shocked she didn’t finish her popcorn. “The film was very funny and a bit scary so I put it down and I didn’t even finish it. Maybe I can take it home now,” she wondered. “I feel lucky to see this film and I like the bit when Pinocchio is eaten up,” she laughed.
D’Alo rewrote and worked the script more than 15 times before a final version was eventually decided.
Scripted by Umberto Marino, it features illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti and music by Lucio Dalla. The voice cast Gabriele Caprio, Rocco Papaleo, Paolo Ruffini, Micheli Maurizio and Pino Quartullo all do a fantastic job at adding the layers which keep the youngsters gripped.
While some critics believe the music is too overpowering, D’Alo disagrees – as do the children.
“The film has a pace of running. It’s about Pinocchio’s journey and it increases with speed throughout the entire film. I wanted music to represent this. I believe music is the one thing in this film which is totally universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everyone can interpret music the way they want. It has to work for everyone, to keep them inspired.”
Pinocchio, produced by Cometafilm, Iris Productions, Walking the Dog and 2D-3D Animation, was worked on between Italy, France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and has a very Italian feel.
Maricla Affatato, producer and the voice of the fox, said it would not have been possible without D’Alo.
“The biggest challenge when making a film in Italy is funding,” she said frankly. “Luckily we had a director who was so stubborn it was never going anywhere else. This makes it even more emotional for me. It’s a labour of love which is being loved by children everywhere.”
Alicia Manning, 11, from the UK has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years and watched the film with her cousin, William Trappnell, 12, visiting from England. “I think it was very good,” said Manning, who also wants to be a filmmaker. “I love the colours and the story. At first I thought it would be very hard to watch a film in Italian but it wasn’t. I wish I could speak Italian.”
Trappnell said his favourite bit was when Pinocchio’s nose grows. “I know it’s the bit everyone will say but I think it’s what you wait for. It’s what we know from the other films and it’s funny.”
Donald, 43, and Eliza Turner, 40, from Canada, brought their three children, Betty-May, 6, and twin boys Jonathon and Tristan, 12.
“It was a very interesting movie,” said the father-of-three as the children posed with director Enzo D’Alo. “It’s always interesting to see something with a little more substance than what Hollywood tends to throw out. I think it’s important for the children to know more of the history of these great stories rather than what an American studio wants them to buy into.”
So imagine my English-speaking jaw hitting the floor as I was put to shame by more than 200 children who didn’t just watch Enzo d’Alo’s Italian version of Pinocchio but were captivated by every rolling Italian ‘r’ that came their way.
The main showcase on Family Day at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Saturday, this latest interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s famous book is said to be as faithful to the original text as possible.
Italy’s most famous fictional character, the story of the wooden puppet is known the world over and is the European country’s most translated book.
The Naples-born director is confident and inspiring and was not surprised by the rapturous applause he received after a screening at Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall.
“This film has been more than 10 years in the making,” said the bubbly Italian. “I started back in 2000 and then took a break. I would lose direction a little.”
Picking up again after the death of his father, D’Alo was inspired in a new way by what he says was a previously unexplored relationship between Pinocchio and his own father, Geppetto the carpenter.
“While Geppetto carves Pinocchio, he sees himself in his face. He imagines what Pinocchio sees when he looks at him and he realises he’s becoming a father too. I wanted to focus on this relationship as more of a metaphor than has ever been illustrated before. He makes a wooden boy but it’s just as important when he’s wooden as when he’s alive. He moulds him, just as every father tries to do for his living son. In the child-puppet he sees his past and his lost expectations, as well. He becomes emotional and nostalgic for the choices he never made.”
The movie has a distinctly Italian feel with music composed by popular singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, who died in March. Dalla’s last compositions were for the production and he also did the voiceover for Il Pescatore Verde (The Green Fisherman) who attempts to eat Pinocchio.
“The Green Fisherman is a character which many movies, including the Disney version, leave out,” he said. “But I wanted to stay true to the book and he’s there so why wouldn’t we use him? I believe children are not as frightened as we think. They cope with things they see.”
One of the viewers was Aadita Gupta, 8, who was shocked she didn’t finish her popcorn. “The film was very funny and a bit scary so I put it down and I didn’t even finish it. Maybe I can take it home now,” she wondered. “I feel lucky to see this film and I like the bit when Pinocchio is eaten up,” she laughed.
D’Alo rewrote and worked the script more than 15 times before a final version was eventually decided.
Scripted by Umberto Marino, it features illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti and music by Lucio Dalla. The voice cast Gabriele Caprio, Rocco Papaleo, Paolo Ruffini, Micheli Maurizio and Pino Quartullo all do a fantastic job at adding the layers which keep the youngsters gripped.
While some critics believe the music is too overpowering, D’Alo disagrees – as do the children.
“The film has a pace of running. It’s about Pinocchio’s journey and it increases with speed throughout the entire film. I wanted music to represent this. I believe music is the one thing in this film which is totally universal. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everyone can interpret music the way they want. It has to work for everyone, to keep them inspired.”
Pinocchio, produced by Cometafilm, Iris Productions, Walking the Dog and 2D-3D Animation, was worked on between Italy, France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and has a very Italian feel.
Maricla Affatato, producer and the voice of the fox, said it would not have been possible without D’Alo.
“The biggest challenge when making a film in Italy is funding,” she said frankly. “Luckily we had a director who was so stubborn it was never going anywhere else. This makes it even more emotional for me. It’s a labour of love which is being loved by children everywhere.”
Alicia Manning, 11, from the UK has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years and watched the film with her cousin, William Trappnell, 12, visiting from England. “I think it was very good,” said Manning, who also wants to be a filmmaker. “I love the colours and the story. At first I thought it would be very hard to watch a film in Italian but it wasn’t. I wish I could speak Italian.”
Trappnell said his favourite bit was when Pinocchio’s nose grows. “I know it’s the bit everyone will say but I think it’s what you wait for. It’s what we know from the other films and it’s funny.”
Donald, 43, and Eliza Turner, 40, from Canada, brought their three children, Betty-May, 6, and twin boys Jonathon and Tristan, 12.
“It was a very interesting movie,” said the father-of-three as the children posed with director Enzo D’Alo. “It’s always interesting to see something with a little more substance than what Hollywood tends to throw out. I think it’s important for the children to know more of the history of these great stories rather than what an American studio wants them to buy into.”
2012年10月10日星期三
Homes With Fake Brick
Seeing is not always believing when it comes to today’s home construction. That’s because choices abound for homeowners who want the look of natural materials but not the huge costs and maintenance involved. Like the look of logs, stone or brick? There are faux stand-ins for each one. But fear not. Unlike the cringe-worthy products of yesterday, today’s fakes are truly easy on the eye.
“Once you get past the fact that something, such as stone, is artificial, you can really see its design potential,” says Shane Starkweather of Boulder Creek Stone Products. “A cinderblock wall covered in faux stone can look as if it was built by a skilled mason or craftsman. And because the stone is lightweight, a couple of do-it-yourselfers can often do the work on their own.”
As is the case with many of today’s faux products, manufactured stone owes a lot to advances in technology. Huge molds can turn out replicas of stone that are so realistic, you’d swear they were cut from a quarry, gathered at a riverbank, or pulled from a farmer’s field. Many of these products will last for decades, and not fade. “A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that’s fake,” says Starkweather. “But just because something isn’t real doesn’t mean it isn’t quality.”
For those interested in a coastal, New-England aesthetic, shingled exteriors provide almost-instant curb appeal. With their irregular edges, overlapping shadows, and hand-crafted finish, shingles offer texture, charm, and a sense of history. But caring for them can be a serious commitment. That’s why faux shingles, often made of cement or cement composite, can be an effective alternative. They go up in exactly the color you want. And they stay that color for years. In addition, they keep your home warmer and cooler as the season’s temperature’s change.
Another intriguing design option for homeowners–or those in the throes of building–is faux wrought iron. Made of a composite material, it weighs about one-tenth of the back-breaking material that inspires it. As a result, hoisting a decorative wrought iron window filligree onto, say, a circular third-floor window can be done with almost no effort. Plus, faux wrought iron isn’t wobbly like plastic, and it’s strong and substantial to the touch. Metal-like details can be added to exteriors to make it look more historic or authentic without hiring a specialty crew. And this means that basic Mediterranean-style home can be enhanced with faux iron gates or wall trellises at relatively low expense. But the most compelling feature of all? It won’t rust.
Belly casting can also be done at home. There are belly casting kits commercially available among online sellers priced from P800 to P1,800. This not only broadens the reach of the process but also makes it more convenient as expectant moms can do it in the comfort of their homes. Doing the belly cast in a studio with an artist is a bit pricier as the artist will charge for her services along with other fees.
Each of the six casts arrayed at the event last Saturday stood out. There was one painted with loud, vibrant colors in tribal pattern, another one had graffiti, while one came in pink adorned with ribbon, lace and gems.
Onlookers had different reactions to the exhibit. Jose Nucup, a father of three, seemed amused looking at the molds. “I just don’t know where to put my wife’s belly in the house if ever she did one,” he told GMA News Online.
Another guest, Mary An Gonzales, also a mom herself, shared it was “very interesting. If I knew about this, I would have tried it during my pregnancy.”
“Once you get past the fact that something, such as stone, is artificial, you can really see its design potential,” says Shane Starkweather of Boulder Creek Stone Products. “A cinderblock wall covered in faux stone can look as if it was built by a skilled mason or craftsman. And because the stone is lightweight, a couple of do-it-yourselfers can often do the work on their own.”
As is the case with many of today’s faux products, manufactured stone owes a lot to advances in technology. Huge molds can turn out replicas of stone that are so realistic, you’d swear they were cut from a quarry, gathered at a riverbank, or pulled from a farmer’s field. Many of these products will last for decades, and not fade. “A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that’s fake,” says Starkweather. “But just because something isn’t real doesn’t mean it isn’t quality.”
For those interested in a coastal, New-England aesthetic, shingled exteriors provide almost-instant curb appeal. With their irregular edges, overlapping shadows, and hand-crafted finish, shingles offer texture, charm, and a sense of history. But caring for them can be a serious commitment. That’s why faux shingles, often made of cement or cement composite, can be an effective alternative. They go up in exactly the color you want. And they stay that color for years. In addition, they keep your home warmer and cooler as the season’s temperature’s change.
Another intriguing design option for homeowners–or those in the throes of building–is faux wrought iron. Made of a composite material, it weighs about one-tenth of the back-breaking material that inspires it. As a result, hoisting a decorative wrought iron window filligree onto, say, a circular third-floor window can be done with almost no effort. Plus, faux wrought iron isn’t wobbly like plastic, and it’s strong and substantial to the touch. Metal-like details can be added to exteriors to make it look more historic or authentic without hiring a specialty crew. And this means that basic Mediterranean-style home can be enhanced with faux iron gates or wall trellises at relatively low expense. But the most compelling feature of all? It won’t rust.
Belly casting can also be done at home. There are belly casting kits commercially available among online sellers priced from P800 to P1,800. This not only broadens the reach of the process but also makes it more convenient as expectant moms can do it in the comfort of their homes. Doing the belly cast in a studio with an artist is a bit pricier as the artist will charge for her services along with other fees.
Each of the six casts arrayed at the event last Saturday stood out. There was one painted with loud, vibrant colors in tribal pattern, another one had graffiti, while one came in pink adorned with ribbon, lace and gems.
Onlookers had different reactions to the exhibit. Jose Nucup, a father of three, seemed amused looking at the molds. “I just don’t know where to put my wife’s belly in the house if ever she did one,” he told GMA News Online.
Another guest, Mary An Gonzales, also a mom herself, shared it was “very interesting. If I knew about this, I would have tried it during my pregnancy.”
2012年10月8日星期一
York and other chocolate moments
If, in a dry moment, you ever find yourself lusting after a Yorkie bar, you may recall the plaid-shirted lorry-driving “hunks” of the 1970s ads. The bar was named after its birthplace, the recently flooded northern city.
But York, still recovering from last month’s rain, now has something sweeter to celebrate. With high street brands such as Smarties, Aero and Kit Kat manufactured there, the city has conched and tempered its cacao resources to offer a bit more than the usual cream teas.
I was in York as part of a Chocolate Indulgence break, launched this week to coincide with National Chocolate Week (until 14 October), which combined a hotel stay with chocolate-themed activities.
The city’s history of Quakerism over the last 350 years originally encouraged abstemious tea-total families to cultivate chocolate houses in the city as an alternative to alcoholic taverns.
That’s part of why York’s illustrious chocolate families include not just Joseph Terry et al, of such classics as Terry’s Chocolate Orange, but Thomas and Mary Ann Craven of Craven’s humbugs and the Rowntrees of Kit Kat fame. In fact, the Terrys and Rowntrees were neighbours in York in the 1960s, apparently.
The York Chocolate Story is a fully interactive chocolate park in the city centre with excellent film footage (local chocolate factory girls singing eeeh bah gum etc), as well as being a repository of facts about the “food of the Gods”. For instance, did you know that the Kit Kat is so popular in Japan that its 47 flavours include wasabi, black squid ink and cherry blossom?
Having zoomed up from London with East Coast Train Lines in less than two hours, we hit a bottleneck at York train station where the line of taxis can only crawl off because of a snail’s pace one-way system. But York is small enough to walk around so we gaily wheeled our cases along the old Roman city walls to Dean Court Hotel which was hosting the chocolate break.
The hotel puts on a special four-course Chocolate Tasting Menu to kick off your stay. We started with pan-seared scallops with white chocolate and truffle-scented risotto before going on to the main of roast loin of Yorkshire-farmed venison rolled in five spice cocoa, baby poached pears, bitter chocolate jelly, vanilla pomme puree and chilli chocolate jus.
The scallops and venison were each very well cooked, both sharp enough to retain base flavour. However, chocolate with savory is a subjective affair and while my mate loved his scallops dabbed with white chocolate, I prefer to taste scallops as fish.
Again, the roast loin worked in its spicy, only slightly chocolately marinade. But vanilla pomme puree is a love it or hate it confection – I prefer spuds to deliver salty punches to the gums while the others at the table couldn’t get enough of the fondanty potato. You can finish with chocolate wine trifle, orange chocolate panna cotta and chocolate banana crumble if you’re not already pasted to the curtains from your sugar rush.
Terry’s descendent, Noel Goddard Terry, lived in the National Trust-owned Goddard House, a beautiful oak-paneled Arts & Crafts 1920s house with four acres of sculpted grounds backing onto York Race Course. The former regional offices of the National Trust only opened up to the public this year. A visit to the house forms part of the chocolate tour where you should get an insight into the domestic lives of the illustrious choc-tycoons.
Perhaps a future choc-tycoon is former events manager and now chocolatier Sophie Jewett, owner of York Cocoa House, launched November 2011. Jewett says that growing up on a farm, miles from the nearest shop, forced her to improvise when indulging her childhood passion of chocolate-making – no fancy gadgets and moulds for her. Today, her cocoa house not only serves deluxe hot chocolates and other foods laced with the brown stuff, she runs chocolate bar and truffle making workshops in which such things as hairdryers are used to temper chocolate.
But York, still recovering from last month’s rain, now has something sweeter to celebrate. With high street brands such as Smarties, Aero and Kit Kat manufactured there, the city has conched and tempered its cacao resources to offer a bit more than the usual cream teas.
I was in York as part of a Chocolate Indulgence break, launched this week to coincide with National Chocolate Week (until 14 October), which combined a hotel stay with chocolate-themed activities.
The city’s history of Quakerism over the last 350 years originally encouraged abstemious tea-total families to cultivate chocolate houses in the city as an alternative to alcoholic taverns.
That’s part of why York’s illustrious chocolate families include not just Joseph Terry et al, of such classics as Terry’s Chocolate Orange, but Thomas and Mary Ann Craven of Craven’s humbugs and the Rowntrees of Kit Kat fame. In fact, the Terrys and Rowntrees were neighbours in York in the 1960s, apparently.
The York Chocolate Story is a fully interactive chocolate park in the city centre with excellent film footage (local chocolate factory girls singing eeeh bah gum etc), as well as being a repository of facts about the “food of the Gods”. For instance, did you know that the Kit Kat is so popular in Japan that its 47 flavours include wasabi, black squid ink and cherry blossom?
Having zoomed up from London with East Coast Train Lines in less than two hours, we hit a bottleneck at York train station where the line of taxis can only crawl off because of a snail’s pace one-way system. But York is small enough to walk around so we gaily wheeled our cases along the old Roman city walls to Dean Court Hotel which was hosting the chocolate break.
The hotel puts on a special four-course Chocolate Tasting Menu to kick off your stay. We started with pan-seared scallops with white chocolate and truffle-scented risotto before going on to the main of roast loin of Yorkshire-farmed venison rolled in five spice cocoa, baby poached pears, bitter chocolate jelly, vanilla pomme puree and chilli chocolate jus.
The scallops and venison were each very well cooked, both sharp enough to retain base flavour. However, chocolate with savory is a subjective affair and while my mate loved his scallops dabbed with white chocolate, I prefer to taste scallops as fish.
Again, the roast loin worked in its spicy, only slightly chocolately marinade. But vanilla pomme puree is a love it or hate it confection – I prefer spuds to deliver salty punches to the gums while the others at the table couldn’t get enough of the fondanty potato. You can finish with chocolate wine trifle, orange chocolate panna cotta and chocolate banana crumble if you’re not already pasted to the curtains from your sugar rush.
Terry’s descendent, Noel Goddard Terry, lived in the National Trust-owned Goddard House, a beautiful oak-paneled Arts & Crafts 1920s house with four acres of sculpted grounds backing onto York Race Course. The former regional offices of the National Trust only opened up to the public this year. A visit to the house forms part of the chocolate tour where you should get an insight into the domestic lives of the illustrious choc-tycoons.
Perhaps a future choc-tycoon is former events manager and now chocolatier Sophie Jewett, owner of York Cocoa House, launched November 2011. Jewett says that growing up on a farm, miles from the nearest shop, forced her to improvise when indulging her childhood passion of chocolate-making – no fancy gadgets and moulds for her. Today, her cocoa house not only serves deluxe hot chocolates and other foods laced with the brown stuff, she runs chocolate bar and truffle making workshops in which such things as hairdryers are used to temper chocolate.
2012年10月7日星期日
It's Darth Vader v the Mona Lisa as Star Wars toys
Until March 17, Les Arts Decoratifs museum in a wing of the Louvre is hosting epic Jedi battles, stormtroopers on the hunt for droids and grooving aliens at the planet Tatooine's Mos Eisley Cantina.
It may seem an usual subject for a museum that also displays Art Nouveau furniture and Lalique glassware, but Dorothee Charles, the curator of its toy department, said there is a place for Star Wars toys in the annals of art.
"Star Wars was a revolution in the toy industry.... This is the story of the graphic evolution of how a universe is presented," she told AFP as gangs of excited children - and quite a few nostalgic adults - buzzed around the opening of the exhibit this week.
The key figure behind the exhibit is Arnaud Grunberg, a toy vendor and collector whose personal collection of thousands of Star Wars toys provided the more than 450 items on display.
An avid Star Wars fan since seeing the first film in 1977 at age 11, Mr Grunberg said he was thrilled to see his collection on display and a new generation of youngsters enjoying his toys.
"We wanted to present a panorama of the Star Wars saga," he said, noting that the collection ranges from some of the first action figures put out in 1978 to toys only just released.
"Star Wars really is a youth phenomenon, it's an expression of childhood, but the exhibit is for everyone," Mr Grunberg said.
A set of two trilogies - three films between 1977 and 1983 and three prequels between 1999 and 2005 - the series piloted by US filmmaker George Lucas has captivated audiences with its pulp storytelling, complex mythology and innovative special effects.
The films spawned a merchandising empire, with millions of action figures sold and the first toys now worth thousands of dollars to collectors.
The movies were an enormous success in France, where the first film was released as La Guerre des Etoiles and the early toys were sold by French toy firm Meccano under licence from US manufacturer Kenner.
The three-room exhibit traces the history of the toys, starting with the earliest prototypes, plastic moulds and design sketches and ending with examples of the finely sculpted action figures that are sold today.
Life-sized Yoda masks, plastic lightsabers and replica blasters are also on display, along with original film and advertising posters and examples of quirkier merchandise such as Chewbacca coffee mugs and a C-3PO tape dispenser.
Monitors run US television ads for the early toys and showcase the history of Star Wars video games, from early 1980s offerings on the Atari to the latest PC and console games.
But - based on the throngs of children surrounding them - the most exciting displays are glassed-in recreations of scenes from the films put together using action figures and toy vehicles.
The attack on the Death Star, Han Solo pointing a blaster at a bounty hunter, dozens of Jedi in an arena lightsaber battle and many more scenes are replicated in detail.
Looking out over one re-creation with two friends, 10-year-old George Sykes summed up the feeling of many youngsters at the show: "It's awesome! It's the best exhibit ever!"
George's mother Amanda Crider Sykes said she hoped the exhibit would act as a gateway for children into the culture of museums.
"It's the kind of subject matter that appeals to him," said Ms Sykes, an American designer living in Paris. "It's a great way to get my son interested in the museum."
It may seem an usual subject for a museum that also displays Art Nouveau furniture and Lalique glassware, but Dorothee Charles, the curator of its toy department, said there is a place for Star Wars toys in the annals of art.
"Star Wars was a revolution in the toy industry.... This is the story of the graphic evolution of how a universe is presented," she told AFP as gangs of excited children - and quite a few nostalgic adults - buzzed around the opening of the exhibit this week.
The key figure behind the exhibit is Arnaud Grunberg, a toy vendor and collector whose personal collection of thousands of Star Wars toys provided the more than 450 items on display.
An avid Star Wars fan since seeing the first film in 1977 at age 11, Mr Grunberg said he was thrilled to see his collection on display and a new generation of youngsters enjoying his toys.
"We wanted to present a panorama of the Star Wars saga," he said, noting that the collection ranges from some of the first action figures put out in 1978 to toys only just released.
"Star Wars really is a youth phenomenon, it's an expression of childhood, but the exhibit is for everyone," Mr Grunberg said.
A set of two trilogies - three films between 1977 and 1983 and three prequels between 1999 and 2005 - the series piloted by US filmmaker George Lucas has captivated audiences with its pulp storytelling, complex mythology and innovative special effects.
The films spawned a merchandising empire, with millions of action figures sold and the first toys now worth thousands of dollars to collectors.
The movies were an enormous success in France, where the first film was released as La Guerre des Etoiles and the early toys were sold by French toy firm Meccano under licence from US manufacturer Kenner.
The three-room exhibit traces the history of the toys, starting with the earliest prototypes, plastic moulds and design sketches and ending with examples of the finely sculpted action figures that are sold today.
Life-sized Yoda masks, plastic lightsabers and replica blasters are also on display, along with original film and advertising posters and examples of quirkier merchandise such as Chewbacca coffee mugs and a C-3PO tape dispenser.
Monitors run US television ads for the early toys and showcase the history of Star Wars video games, from early 1980s offerings on the Atari to the latest PC and console games.
But - based on the throngs of children surrounding them - the most exciting displays are glassed-in recreations of scenes from the films put together using action figures and toy vehicles.
The attack on the Death Star, Han Solo pointing a blaster at a bounty hunter, dozens of Jedi in an arena lightsaber battle and many more scenes are replicated in detail.
Looking out over one re-creation with two friends, 10-year-old George Sykes summed up the feeling of many youngsters at the show: "It's awesome! It's the best exhibit ever!"
George's mother Amanda Crider Sykes said she hoped the exhibit would act as a gateway for children into the culture of museums.
"It's the kind of subject matter that appeals to him," said Ms Sykes, an American designer living in Paris. "It's a great way to get my son interested in the museum."
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