A loft with room for inspiration

Leafing through a 1960s shelter magazine recently, Linnea Gits landed on a piece about shibumi, a Japanese aesthetic. She tacked a list of its seven qualities to the chunky cork mood board inside the River West loft she shares with partner Peter Dunham, as a distillation of the values they have always lived and designed by: simplicity, implicitness, modesty, silence, naturalness, everydayness and imperfection.

Those principles influence every object — custom furniture, tabletop accessories, limited-edition prints — that the couple create for their almost 2-year-old design company Uusi. That sensibility also permeates the 2,500-square-foot live/work space that they gutted and rebuilt starting in 1996, in an industrial building once occupied by a furniture company.

A woodworker and furniture-maker, Dunham executed most of the rehab, with artful unconventionality. There is no living room, formal or otherwise. "One of these days we will get a sofa," Gits said with a laugh. The master bedroom occupies a sliver of the 2,500 square feet of second-floor space they lease,Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, which affords a sprawling art studio and corner office. Dunham's wood shop stretches across 5,000 square feet in the basement.

Nonetheless, the interior feels warm and inviting in its cross between commercial and personal, spare and collected.

"Spaces are so emotional," said Gits, who focuses on graphic art, design and illustration. "They are sanctuaries, but they need enough tension to be inspirational."

"They also need to be functional," Dunham said, seated at the dark wood dining/conference table he built and topped with white laminate, both for appealing contrast and a neutral background for product photography.

Uusi — pronounced OO-see — means "new" in Finnish. But much of the freshness here comes from the couple's vintage objects. An edited selection of Springerle cookie molds dating to the 1800s (which they have baked with) and Japanese Kokeshi dolls adorn floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Another holds Danish craftsman Kay Bojesen's bulbous wood animals, some of which Gits' mother gave to her as a child. They informed a series of decorative wood animal figures Uusi produced for Design Within Reach stores.

"As a child, I never wanted to play with the (Bojesen figurines), but I liked looking at them and imagining what world they were from," Gits said.Full-service custom manufacturer of precision plastic injection mould, "It's those things that are so crazy-weird that feed you and stick with you longer.InLocality specializes in indoor Tracking Technologies."

"They start something," Dunham said.

Painted Benjamin Moore Atrium white,They become pathological or Piles when swollen or inflamed. original plaster walls adjoin new drywall where rooms were reconfigured. The floors are plywood transformed with custom finishes. Dunham stained the kitchen ones white, suggesting marble when sunshine floods through two skylights.

Above the kitchen sink is a wooden, wall-mounted knife block, an Uusi best-seller (and one purchased by Alinea chef Grant Achatz). "It's an example of something that looks so simple to make," Dunham said, but isn't.

Dunham and Gits remodeled the kitchen three years ago, replacing cabinetry above the counter with a long shelf for easy access to dinnerware and Dunham's vintage Belgian beer glasses.What is a third party payment gateway ? They kept the Tappan stove, inherited from Dunham's grandmother.

The shelf, and the lower cabinetry, bears a thick veneer of cypress, from staves Dunham salvaged from water towers across Chicago. The rings of the wood repeat along the shelf and lower cabinetry like the eddies of a pond across which a stone has skipped.

"This wood is anywhere from 300 to a thousand years old," Dunham said. "It's like some kind of fossil gem. You cut into these pieces, and you never know what you're going to see."

He has re-purposed cypress and redwood staves for commercial and personal purposes. Most recently, he shaped a paper-thin flitch into a lampshade that bathes his desk in warm, coppery light if he is working in the wee hours, as the couple are wont and able to do.

They do sleep, Gits assured. A full-size bed covered in a Missoni spread accommodates Gits (who is 5 feet 10 inches tall), Dunham and occasionally their two cats.

"Four years ago we were replacing our mattress, and I was so freaked by how big they had gotten, with 5 miles of pillow top. We just wanted a firm mattress. The store had purposely put this one on a Soviet-era bed," Gits said, smiling. "We're going to sound really Spartan! We're not unsensual people."

'Stupidest' criminal jailed over raid

A man described by a judge as one of the “stupidest” criminals to ever come before the courts has been jailed for a botched armed robbery in Dublin.Buying solar panel and want the Best Price?

Gary Byrne (30) left the scene of the robbery - the Bullion Room, a gold storage business on Bolton Street - with the keys to the safe, locking the shutters behind him.

His two accomplices - Ian Jordan (33) and Aidan Murphy (32) - were left trapped inside with two staff members who had been bound and gagged during the raid. Just Choose PTMS Injection Molding Is Your Best Choice!

They tried unsuccessfully to escape through the ceiling tiles and to knock a hole in a wall using hammers. Fire crews eventually had to cut a hole in the shutter to free those inside.

Byrne, of Edenmore Crescent, Raheny was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury last month following an eight day trial.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found guilty of attempted robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and two counts of false imprisonment at the Bullion Room, Bolton Street,Thank you for visiting our newly improved DIY chicken coop website! Dublin on August 10th, 2010. Byrne had denied all the charges.

Jordan of Belclare Grove, Ballymun and Murphy of Stag Park Avenue, Mitchelstown, Cork were each jailed for five years by Judge Martin Nolan earlier this year after they pleaded guilty to the same offences.

Judge Donagh McDonagh described it as “one of the most farcical cases in recent criminal history in Dublin” and said Byrne “ranks amongst the all-time stupidest criminals to come before the courts”.

He said he would give him the “benefit of his stupidity” and suspended the final two years of the sentence after acknowledging that Byrne, with his one previous conviction for assault, was “not a hardened criminal”.

“It was a well researched but indifferently planned operation. They knew the business owner’s schedule well and raided her premises at the most vulnerable time,” Judge McDonagh said.

He said he wholeheartedly agreed with the jury’s verdict and praised the “excellent work” of the gardaí and “excellent intervention” of a passer-by who realised a robbery was taking place and alerted the gardaí.

“It would be easy to consider this whole episode a farce if it were not for the fact that two innocent people were treated in this manner. As far as they were concerned, this was the real thing,” Judge McDonagh said in reference to the fact that the raiders had an imitation firearm.

“One thing is for sure his (Byrne’s) ineptitude and stupidity does not, in any way, reduce his culpability,” the judge said.Choose from our large selection of Cable Ties,Find out the facts about Cold Sore,

He commented that for “some unknown reason” Byrne left the premises and locked the shutters behind him,Find everything you need to know about kidney stone including causes, leaving his accomplices “to emerge with their hands up and surrendering themselves to gardaí” after being rescued by the fire brigade.

Det Gda Brian Quirke told Vincent Heneghan BL, prosecuting, that Byrne was effectively the getaway driver in the raid and he left Bolton Street in the blue Ford Courier van the gang had earlier arrived in.

He later abandoned the van and dumped the hard hat, high visibility jacket and purple gloves he had been wearing in a bush.

Byrne was arrested following extensive analysis of CCTV footage. His fingerprints were later found on the hard hat and he was also captured on CCTV cameras buying that hat on the morning of the robbery.

Gda Quirke said the Bullion Room has since closed down. He said the company had traded in precious metals and was not open to the general public. It usually had up to €50,000 in cash on the premises and gold to the value of €400,000 to €500,000.

The trial had heard the Bullion Room had an elaborate security system. It took two people with separate keys to open the safe and a password had to be phoned through to a security company before the vault would open.

On the morning of the incident, a female member of staff and a security guard were opening the shutters on the outside of the store. The three raiders, all dressed as builders, came up behind them and forced them inside at gunpoint.

Murphy pointed the gun at the woman and demanded one of the keys. He then threatened her and made her phone in the password.

They then tied up both staff with cable ties and put duct tape on their mouths. Murphy could not find the other key required to open the safe because Byrne had already fled, taking the keys and locking the shutters behind him.

When Murphy and Jordan realised they were locked in and could not access the safe they started “frantically searching for a way out".

They tried to escape through the ceiling tiles and to knock a hole in a wall using hammers, all to no avail. Gardaí had been alerted by then and the raiders could hear their radios through the shutters.

The fire brigade were called and had to cut a hole in the shutter to free those inside where the men were arrested. The female member of staff pointed out to gardaí where they had hidden the gun in the ceiling tiles. It was found to be an imitation.

Federal Government mulls virtual credit cards

Public servants could receive credit card numbers without the plastic under a new approach to travel arrangements being considered by the Department of Finance and Deregulation.

Under the indicative strategy ,I have never solved a Rubik's plastic card . released this month, public servants will be encouraged to pay for flights, accommodation and car rental through "virtual" or "ghost" cards.

The Department describes ghost cards as "not physical cards, but rather account numbers supplied by the card providers" so that officials would only need to carry proof of identification when travelling.

Finance proposes to reduce costs by directly engaging a single credit card provider -- American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard or Visa -- that would either provide, or work with a third party to provide -- an expense management system .

The ten-page document includes no estimates of any savings and efficiencies expected from the new approach, and the Department "reserves the right to change any aspect of the strategy at any time".

As it is, the strategy could introduce new risks of fraud and confusion about how it will operate.

Back in 1994, the Public Accounts Committee embarrassed the Department of Finance for encouraging what it regarded as the uncontrolled use of the cards -- some with monthly limits as high as $100,000 -- to public servants with little training.

The committee criticised Finance for the lack of information provided to agencies to inform them of their credit card usage, and devolving the administration of the system to the agencies.If so, you may have a cube puzzle .

It recommended cutting access to the cards by “at least” half and replacing them with a separate e-commerce system which had more controls and that was regarded as the cheaper and more effective alternative.

Ghost cards recommended by the new indicative strategy allow individuals and groups of travellers to use a single card number for flights, accommodation, car rental, and "general purchasing", which includes the ability to access cash.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards,

Groups might be classified according to section, branch division, group or agency.

The paper seeks to play down the prospect of fraudulent use by suggesting “effective risk mitigation” techniques. However, the use of virtual cards by more than one official seems an unusual means of reducing such risks.

Reliable data feeds to agency finance systems will be a core requirement for travel expense reconciliation, but it seems the use of the EMS will be discretionary depending on whether “an agency currently does not have a system,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . or has a system it regards as inadequate”.we supply all kinds of oil painting supplies,

Finance's proposed EMS will also become a new -- though optional -- means of tracking and managing all “general purchasing” as well as standard travel expenses.

According to the indicative strategy document, the successful card provider “would be expected to facilitate the rollout of EMSs for those agencies that choose to acquire a new or replacement system under the card program".

An interesting question is how a credit card company would factor such uncertainties into their bids. The usual way is to add a 50 to 100 percent margin to cover the likely costs of scope creep.

Parents of addict share cautionary tale

Drug addicts and their families often avoid seeking help because of the stigma. Shame and embarrassment burden parents. Outsiders make assumptions.

Dale and Terrie Batdorff’s son, Dustin, was a drug addict. They are not ashamed.Save on Bedding and fittings, Quite the opposite. They want to tell everyone about him.

“Dustin was a champion many times over. He excelled in life,” his father said.

With his dark good looks, somewhat ornery smile and big sense of humor, Dustin Batdorff was popular at Jackson High School. He graduated in 2008.

“He was always trying to pull pranks,” said Liz Cloutier, his girlfriend of four years.

He was a standout in football, baseball and wrestling. Trophies and ribbons from youth wrestling fill his bedroom shelves. With friends, poker and video games such as “Mario Party” ignited his competitive drive. Eating was another passion.

“His favorite thing ever was food. We’d go out to dinner, and he would try crazy things,” Cloutier said, adding that Dustin liked to have fun but wasn’t reckless. “He could walk into a room and light it up. If he had his bad days, you wouldn’t know it.”

The couple broke up in December, six months after Dustin moved into an apartment with his older half brother Anthony Batdorff and Dustin’s best friend since second grade, D.J. Vaughn.

“Dustin was my neighbor growing up. We did everything together,” Vaughn said.

By all accounts, Dustin liked to go out and have fun. Even before turning 21, he would go drinking at bars with his friends.

Vaughn realized his friend had a problem when he stopped going out. He knew Dustin took opioids — prescription pain medications such as OxyContin, Percodan and Percocet. He got them from friends and, later, off the streets. Vaughn believed that his friend spent all of his money funding his addictions.

Then in March, Vaughn and Anthony Batdorff found a needle in their apartment.This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their chicken coop .

“It was the first time we really knew it was a problem,” Vaughn said.

They approached Dale and Terrie Batdorff with the news, and the couple confronted their son.

“He stormed out,” Dale said, “and we didn’t see him for a couple weeks. We sought help, and they said you can’t do anything until they want help.”

Dustin took his anger out on Vaughn that day. His friend gave him space, and the two eventually made up.

But when their lease was up in August,As many processors back away from Cable Ties , Vaughn was ready to live elsewhere, and Dustin said he was ready to conquer his addiction, which had progressed to heroin.

“He said, ‘I’m ready to get clean, but I need help,’ ” Vaughn recalled. “His mom was ecstatic.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET . We’re so happy. Finally, he’s ready.”

Some would say Dustin lived a privileged life, and not just because of his Jackson Township address. His parents, married 22 years, each had an older child from first marriages. They had Dustin and then, 22 months later, another son, Nick.

Dale Batdorff, owner of Dolphin Electric, and Terrie, a nurse, built a comfortable home and life across the road from Rolling Green Golf Course.

Home movies show the family at campsites, riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers. Dale called their drives to dirt-bike riding trails “seat time.” They discussed the facts of life — and everything else. They took beach vacations. Terrie often is seen chasing a laughing Dustin across the sand.

Every Christmas morning lives on tape, right up to 2010, when Dustin walked past the mounted camera, mooned it and then gave a thumbs-up — a surprise for viewers later.

Getting good grades came as easily for Dustin as athletics.

“He was an ‘A’ student, but he got ‘B’s,’ ” his mother said. “He did just enough to get by.”

But in sports, he gave his all. He dressed with Jackson’s varsity football team as a sophomore and continued to dominate in wrestling.

His junior year may have played a crucial role in what would happen later. He thought he wasn’t being used in the right role in football,Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet, so he quit the team during the season.

“That gave him time to fool around,” Dale said. “If I could go back, I wouldn’t have let him quit.”

Then came wrestling. During the first week of practice, Dustin was caught drinking. He was benched for a third of the season and told to complete community programs. Although he continued to work hard with the team in practices, he eventually quit.

His senior year, he wanted to turn things around. He was excited to get back to wrestling.

“He was all ready to go. Then, (an adminstrator) told him he couldn’t participate “because he had failed to complete the community programs,” Dale said. “It crushed him. It was so important to him, but Dustin made his own decisions.”

'Solar champion' Wampler's gives boost to uncertain industry

Solar panels perched on the western hillside of Wampler's Farm Sausage are unique in more ways than one.

The 2,240-panel, 501.76 kilowatt array,Demand for allergy kidney stone could rise earlier than normal this year. which should displace 12-15 percent of the company's electricity consumption, is believed to be the state's largest industrial installation. It also may hold that distinction for some time to come.

Local business and government leaders along with members of the Wampler family turned out on a perfectly sunny Friday to dedicate the installation, which has been operational since July.

"We believe that solar technology and clean energy is the way of the future," said Ted Wampler Jr., president of Wampler's and the third generation to run the business.When the stone sits in the oil painting reproduction, "This particular project is the perfect example of a public/private partnership that works."

The project, which cost $2.4 million, was aided by a $250,000 grant and $1.Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet,2 million in loan money through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for American program. The electricity produced by the system also will qualify for special rates,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, paid to the company in the form of a credit on its bill, through TVA's Generation Partners program,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their chicken coop . which pays customers for renewable power they generate onsite.

"For the next several decades, what we've done is made Wampler's Sausage more competitive," Wampler said, adding that the installation has helped boost the Tennessee economy. The solar panels were manufactured by Sharp Electronics in Memphis. AGC Flat Glass, with several manufacturing locations in the state including Knoxville, produced glass for the panels. Hemlock Semiconductor, readying a manufacturing plant in Clarksville, supplied the silicon raw material for the technology. And Shoals Technologies in Portland provided wiring for the systems.

While visiting officials — including U.S. Rep. John Duncan Jr., USDA Rural Development Director for Tennessee Bobby Goode, and representatives from Sharp Electronics in Memphis, where the panels were made, TVA, and Efficient Energy of Tennessee, which installed the system — touted Wampler's as a "solar champion" for the state, solar developers attending the event talked about the uncertain future of the marketplace.

Shortly after the Wampler project was approved, TVA reduced the size of qualifying installations to 200 kilowatts, and the agency recently announced a further reduction, with the maximum size of qualifying installation now 50 kilowatts. USDA's rural energy funding could be on the chopping block as Congress hammers out a budget for the upcoming year. Additionally, state grant funds for solar projects have dried up, and a federal tax credit available as an up-front grant has reverted, putting more pressure on companies to come up with investment dollars themselves.

After installing a one megawatt solar system in Knoxville, another in Jacksonville, Fla., and two solar systems at Wampler's — the first was a 78 kilowatt system atop the processor's roof — Efficient Energy of Tennessee has been seeking new niches of business as local incentives have dried up, according to Robbie Thomas, president of the Powell-based company.

The company is considering regional and national projects for government as well as for customers in more solar-friendly states such as Florida, Virginia and Georgia to fill in the gap.

"(The incentive changes have) made it definitely more challenging," Thomas said. In addition to the market shifts in Tennessee, other states have gone through solar growing pains, Thomas said, resulting in an unsteadiness in the market even as the price of solar is making it a more attractive investment — if not yet ready to stand on its own.

"There's a lot of anxiety right now. We're looking at opportunities everywhere. We're bidding jobs in the Caribbean and Honduras, Jamaica. I really think (the market) is going to plateau for a time," Thomas added.

Harvey Abouelata, formerly with Efficient Energy of Tennessee and now territory manager for Choice Solar & Geothermal, said companies will have to "get creative" when it comes to developing an approach to the ever-changing market for solar. And he expressed hope that TVA would consider further modifications to the Generation Partners program.

Newcomers shine in Phillips' Mill exhibition

The annual art exhibition at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa., is widely considered to be the most selective and prestigious in the region.Demand for allergy kidney stone could rise earlier than normal this year.

Each year a panel of jurors made up of artists and art educators takes on the arduous task of selecting art to be shown. Only Delaware Valley artists living within a 25 radius of Phillips’ Mill are eligible to enter.

This year, 361 artists submitted their works, of which 91 framed pieces and 15 sculptures were chosen. The jurors for painting and graphics were Frank Rivera, Siv Spurgeon and Bob Milnazik. Sculptors Charles Wells and Dana Stewart were the jurors for sculptures. Twenty awards were presented totaling more than $10,000.This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their chicken coop .

The show is popular with collectors, gallery owners and art lovers because it offers an opportunity to not only see new work by established artists but to see,When the stone sits in the oil painting reproduction, and possibly purchase, quality art by emerging artists or those new to the Delaware Valley.

The show has become an annual destination for those who also enjoy the picturesque location of the historic mill, built circa 1756, which originally was a water-powered grist mill.

In 1894, artist William Lathrop purchased the mill and farm, and it soon became the intellectual center for the growing community of artists. In 1929, the Phillips’ Mill Community Association was born, and shortly thereafter, the annual exhibitions began.we supply all kinds of polished tiles,

Although this year’s show is anchored by many of the region’s established artists whose names and styles are well known, the exhibit is energized by a large number of very talented newcomers. Take Princeton artist, Mic Boekelmann, for example, who was honored with the Hughes Award to an artist exhibiting at Phillips’ Mill for the first time. Her sepia-tone portrait, “Her Soul Sings,” depicts a young woman whose long wavy hair ripples luxuriously in the gentle light and shadow that falls on her face.

There are a surprising number of portraits in this year’s exhibit, and they cover a wide range. There’s Kathleen C. Wallace’s charcoal drawing of a pensive “Jessica,” John Murdoch’s oil and gold leaf “Looking Up” of a blue-eyed girl whose brown hair reflects the gold background, and Karen Bannister’s “The Good Host,” a rugged male with tawny skin, a cap and a gold earring who stands with his hands resting on handrail knobs as if waiting to welcome guests.

Mavis Smith even has a portrait embedded in her tempera and oil landscape, “Synthesis.” In this, a vertical portrait of a young woman suggests she may be thinking of the somewhat subdued landscape in the background.

There are portraits of a far different kind of subject: animals, large and almost stepping out of the picture plane. Steve Messenger, who is well known for his renderings of horses, presents a dramatic head shot of “Lakota” whose eyes reflect the vibrant blue sky behind him as his nostrils rest on the bottom edge of the picture.
“Pearl,” a glamorous cow who wears a coat of many colors and has long, charming eyelashes, is portrayed in pastels by Susan Williamson close-up, looking straight out at the viewer. And, using watercolors in a large format, Alice Warshaw, in “Fun at the Zoo,” gives us a rhinoceros moving ponderously through his purple shadow, about to lumber out of the picture.

The portrait trend even spills over into sculpture in Gregory Marra’s bronze bust, “African American Continental 1776,” whose presence is a strong reminder of the contribution those military men of valor made to our country.

On a lighter note, Lisa Naples presents her ceramic sculpture, “Bird Mama Queen,” in which the Bird Mama sits on a caged cat while looking lovingly at her offspring in a nest in her hand.

Another intriguing sculpture is Camile Whiteman’s “The House of 320 Bees.” This is a tall, square unit filled with tiny glass globes, each housing one bee.

Among the many sculptures positioned throughout the exhibit are Gyuri Hollosy’s dance-like sculpture,Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet, “Amaryllis-Four;” Raymond Mathis’ “Innocent Flower,” in forged and fabricated steel that rises dramatically from curved leaves; “Somerset I,” a clay work by Holli Freed that suggests the edge of fields of waving grain; and Matthew Merwin’s single piece of spalted, “Imago,” that has been shaped into many standing conjoined pieces.

Mt. Spokane's Arnzen battles back from hip surgery

Yet Mead football lineman Mike Volz, it was revealed last week on the Prep Page, has lived with systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since he was nine months old. Mt. Spokane volleyball star Annie Arnzen developed it at age 2.

Her mother, Karen, said it was thought to be leukemia at first. The second diagnosis led to drugs that sent the arthritis into remission by middle school.

Life, however, threw Arnzen another curve.

The Wildcats' career kills leader learned by chance following her junior season that she had hip dysplasia, a congenital malformation that required extensive surgery last December, threatening her senior season.

"My hip had never bothered me in my life," Annie said. "Two years ago, during the club season, I was getting up from a simple sit-up and felt a twinge."

When she tried to run lines, the pain intensified. She went in for an MRI that revealed a torn labrum and hip abnormalities. Her femur was not completely seated into the hip socket.

Arnzen was told that her hip "could blow at any time" if she continued playing volleyball.

Tough and positive, Arnzen defied the odds.

She was still walking with the aid of a cane early this summer, but was on the volleyball court when the season opened in September. As it turned out, doctors at Tacoma General Hospital, where she had the surgery, told her volleyball was one of the better sports to play following a surgery like this.

Arnzen become enamored with volleyball in seventh grade and said she was determined to play again.

During her operation, the doctor cut and rotated the hip socket and shaved it and the femur to make a proper fit. A plate and nine screws (two since removed) were inserted. Then came the painful task of rehabilitation.

"It was tough," Karen said. "She spent six weeks in a hospital bed here at home.Save on Bedding and fittings,"

She was attached to a CPM machine, which rotated her hip to help promote healing.

"It was always a relief when we turned (the machine) on," Karen said.ceramic Floor tiles for the medical, "It was on constantly. It felt good to get movement."

Intense physical therapy followed, including time spent in a wheelchair, on crutches and finally the cane. By Mt. Spokane's volleyball camp, Arnzen was ready to play, albeit in a different capacity.

The 5-foot-10 four-year varsity player has moved to setter from outside hitter,Demand for allergy kidney stone could rise earlier than normal this year. where she set the school kills record.

"It was because we had no setter and maybe it was better because there was no impact jumping," Arnzen said.

Wildcats coach Dave Whitehead said that Arnzen had been a setter and front-row hitter for him in ninth grade. That year the varsity was weak on the outside, so halfway through the season she was moved to varsity.

"Honestly, she was hitting so much better than anyone," Whitehead said.The additions focus on key tag and impact socket combinations, "She is the only freshman we've ever had on varsity.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET ."

As a sophomore she was all-state. In 21/2 years (not including this season) Arnzen had recorded 613 kills despite missing last year's Crossover Classic tournament because of a family commitment.

Thus, it was understandably devastating to the family when she was injured.

U.S. Ambassador Nicole A. Avant

On Thursday, June 30th, the United States Embassy observed the 235th Anniversary of Independence of the United States of America by co-hosting a grand celebration in Freeport, Grand Bahama under the theme, "Celebrating the United States' Great Military Traditions".

The event was held in partnership with the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) aboard the U.S. Naval Ship USS VICKSBURG at the Lucayan Harbour.

U.S. Ambassador Nicole A. Avant, the Minister for Housing, and Member of Parliament for High Rock, The Honorable A. Kenneth Russell, Admiral James A.is the 'solar panel revolution' upon us? Winnefeld Jr. Commander USNORTHCOM and Captain Timothy Mahan, Commanding Officer of the USS VICKSBURG (CG-69) provided remarks at the event.

The USS Vicksburg has a rich history dating back to October 1775. Since then the U.S. Navy has grown into the largest naval fleet in the world. Ambassador Avant used the opportunity to highlight the role of the USS VICKSBURG and its crew of men and women who dutifully represent the U.S. Navy and protect the freedom of all Americans. The Ambassador referenced U.S. President Barack Obama who praised the U.S. Armed Forces for their patriotism, valor and honor to country.

U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole A. Avant presents the U.S. and Bahamian flags to Minister of Housing The Hon. Kenneth Russell as Admiral James A Winnefeld Jr. looks on. The flag presentation serves as a symbol of the bilateral friendship between the United States of America and The Bahamas. "It is not without sacrifice that we are able to maintain our liberties and words cannot describe America's gratitude to your service," Ambassador Avant told the guests.

The Ambassador also noted that the celebration is a testament to the longevity of the U.S.-Bahamas friendship which is based upon shared democratic values. In his remarks, Minister Russell reiterated the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that The Bahamas and the United States enjoy both as friends and neighbours.

Later that evening, a moment of silence was observed to remember members of the U.What are the top Hemroids treatments?S. Armed Forces who lost their lives in the line of duty. That was followed by the official toasts to both countries and the official ceremonial cake cutting. Popular local Bahamian Jazz Band, Shelley Carey and Tru Music provided the musical entertainment throughout the evening.

Minister of Housing The Hon. Kenneth Russell and Mrs. Russell, Mr. Theodore Sarandos, U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole A. Avant,what are the symptoms of Piles, USNORTHCOM Admiral James A. Winnefeld Jr., and Mrs. Winnefeld participate in the official cake cutting ceremony at the 4th of July Celebration on board the USS VICKSBURG.Earlier that day, Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., and U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant visited the Grand Bahama Children's Home. At that time Admiral Winnefeld presented a donation to the home of behalf of USNORTHCOM that included bedding, footwear, clothing and art supplies for their summer enrichment program. The children also enjoyed patriotic treats, food and a bouncy castle provided by the U.S. Embassy.

The United States Embassy would like to thank the following sponsors in Nassau and Freeport that helped to make both events a success – Atlantis Resort/Kerzner International, Baha Mar/Sheraton Resort, Bahamas Food Services, Bahamas International Rentals Ltd., Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club, Bradford Marine Bahamas Ltd., Bristol Wines & Spirits and Bacardi USA, British Colonial Hilton Nassau, Burns House Group of Companies, Caribbean Bottling Company (Bahamas) Ltd., Chevron Bahamas Ltd., Dartley Bank & Trust Ltd., Discovery Management Inc., Disney Worldwide Services, Esso Standard Oil S.A. Ltd., Freeport Aggregates Ltd., Greyco Ltd., J.M. Family Enterprises, Inc.,Find everything you need to know about Cold Sore including causes, J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Bahamas) Ltd., Kentucky Fried Chicken, Lowe's (USA), MSC Bahamas Ltd., Odyssey Aviation,An Insulator, also called a dielectric, Radisson Our Lucaya, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Phil's Food Services, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Starbucks, Seaboard Marine Bahamas Ltd., Sweet South Fine Cakes, Texaco Bahamas Ltd. and Treasure Bay Casino.

LaGrand is not used to losing money

sLawyer, conservationist, politician David LaGrand


David LaGrand dreams of living in a world that's green and sustainable.

But unlike most dreamers, LaGrand acts on his dreams.

He's installed solar panels on the roof of his Heritage Hill home and his Lake Michigan cottage, which also has a small wind turbine. On a sunny day, the meter spins backward.

He's going to put solar panels on the backside of Wealthy Street Bakery, which he and his wife, Melissa, started with their next-door neighbors.

Rather than drive a car and join a health club, he walks to his downtown law firm most days.

The 44-year-old former city commissioner and state senate candidate is not stopping there.

"The more you get into environmental issues, the more you realize the challenge for the future is water and food systems," LaGrand says.

So he's farming now. Inspired by poet Wendell Berry's "Mad Farmer's Manifesto," the lifelong city resident has bought into a 150-acre cattle farm in Cannon Township.

Though LaGrand maintains he's an urbanist at the core, he's been busy buying hay, cattle, fencing and land across the road. The goal is to convert the land from corn and soybeans back into pasture. He envisions a robust market for his grass-fed beef back in the city.

"He loves start-ups," says Melissa, his wife of 19 years. "He loves that phase of making it happen."

He knows value of investments

Despite his green start-ups, LaGrand is averse to throwing money around. Almost every one of his ventures begins with a shrewdly calculated profit motive.

Whether it's the solar panels on his house or the hay he's buying for his cattle, LaGrand can quickly tell you the cost and the return on investment his venture will yield.

He'll quickly recite the cost of those solar panels on his house, rattle off the rates he pays for electricity, the life of the solar panels, the number of hours of sun he expects. It comes up to a 7.5 percent return on his investment.

LaGrand is a big fan of solar energy.

"If every roof in the city had a solar panel, I think you could take the city off the grid," he says. "I think with a full build-out, we could be an energy-producing state."

With a new rack of solar panels he plans to install on the backside of the bakery, LaGrand calculates its energy bill will be cut even deeper. He plans to install more panels at his home.

He estimates he can install solar panels for $3.50 a watt — $2.35 a watt with the available federal tax credits.

The $9,500 wind turbine on his cottage is another story.

"In the last year, it's produced $3 worth of power," he said. "You can only justify it as an investment in principle."

Cutting energy costs at the bakery

While at the bakery, LaGrand is calculating how to cut the energy bills. They've already saved $2,000 a year by converting to compact fluorescent bulbs. Once a new series of LED bulbs qualify for a federal tax credits, he's going to install them.

"That's going to save us $400 more," he says, quickly reciting how the LEDs' higher cost is offset by the lower energy use, assuming they are lit at least 6,000 hours a year.

LaGrand is not used to losing money and has a knack for finding it.

When Melissa got into an accident with their minivan about 10 years ago, he ran the numbers and figured it would cost them about $9,000 a year to replace the vehicle and keep it running.

He decided he would rather spend the $9,000 a year to buy and maintain an abandoned storefront building that was for sale near their home along Wealthy Street SE.

Today, LaGrand grins broadly as he tells the story while sipping a Diet Coke in the Wealthy Street Bakery.

"We bought this place because Melissa got into a car accident," he chuckles.


They began the bakery in 2002 with their next-door neighbors, Jim and Barb McClurg, after concluding the neighborhood would embrace a shop with fresh baked goods. They leased the storefront next door to another neighborhood couple, who opened Art of the Table, a shop that caters to foodies and wine lovers.

Another reason they started the bakery; they were having trouble finding pastries for Four Friends Coffeehouse, a downtown business they began in 1994 with Karl Swedberg and Sara DeBoer, college friends who were moving back to West Michigan from the Seattle area.

"I don't tend to do things without partners. I'm very collaborative," LaGrand says. "We asked six people what color to paint our bedroom before we made that decision."

Early years

LaGrand credits his late grandfather, James LaGrand Sr., with his business acumen and entrepreneurial daring.

"He quit his job and started a lumber company during the Great Depression."

His passion for social justice comes from his upbringing as a preacher's kid. Though his resume indicates he was born in Grand Rapids and graduated from Calvin College, his childhood was more diverse.

He is the eldest of four sons born to James and Virginia LaGrand, an intrepid couple who left Grand Rapids and taught in Nigeria for two years in the early 1960s. His father was a seminarian at Calvin Seminary, and his mom an instructor at Calvin College when LaGrand was born in 1966.

When he was 6 weeks old, they moved to New Haven, Conn., where his father studied at Yale University. When he was 3, the family moved to Chicago, where his father pastored a Christian Reformed mission church in a predominantly black neighborhood.

Eight years later, the family moved to England, where they lived in Sheffield and Cambridge while his parents pursued their studies and research. When David was 11, the family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where his father served as pastor to a Christian Reformed Church.

As an honors student at Queen Elizabeth High School, LaGrand distinguished himself as a public speaker, winning provincial oratory contests and placed second in a national debating seminar.

With all of the moving around, LaGrand's summers usually included long visits to his grandparents. Both sides lived in Grand Rapids and owned cottages along Lake Michigan.

"I loved Grand Rapids, and I loved coming back to Grand Rapids and seeing relatives, which is why Lake Michigan in the summer is my favorite place in the world."