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| Monday, 16-Jan-2012 08:06 |
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Adventure Bounce House
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You can also choose our bounce house with obstacle combos to give your kids extra fun with lots of challenges. Our Adventure Bounce House is an obstacle combo. Children can play various competitive games in this bounce house as it has two bouncing areas. Children can enter through a tunnel into a bounce area, climb up and over a wall into another bounce area, and exit out the other end.
The adventure bounce house with obstacle combo provides a safe and secure environment for children. It is equipped with special security features and is constructed with strong heavy-duty puncture-proof materials and has large pillars all around for a strong bounce structure. We at bounceland specialize in providing superior grade inflatable units and are experts in the field. To experience the ultimate fun, purchase a bounce house that meets the entertainment needs of your kids and keeps them happy and smiling.
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| Monday, 15-Nov-2010 06:14 |
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Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.
That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.
It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.
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| Monday, 15-Nov-2010 06:10 |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Saturday, 6-Nov-2010 03:04 |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 01:49 |
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Culture of leadership development
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The party said Zuma's remarks about Malema were "historically correct" in keeping with a culture of leadership development within the party.
"Malema... like any other member of freshwater perl jewelry the ANC, who has been schooled in the politics of the organisation, can assume any leadership position within the ANC if elected."
Citing the example of ANC leaders such as Anton Lembede, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, and AP Mda, the ANC said its youth division had long produced "leaders of distinction".
The party said more recently, Peter Mokaba, Malusi Gigaba and Fikile Mbalula had all become members of pearl earrings the party's national executive committee.
"We have no doubt in our minds that Comrade Julius Malema can follow in the footsteps of such leaders."
The Youth League's Shivambu said Malema did "not pay lip service" to caring for the "poor and downtrodden".
"He has contributed to the studies of many poor children, built houses for poor families, helped orphanages with basic needs, and wish pearl provided teaching and learning support materials to many schools across the country."
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| Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 01:48 |
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DA criticism
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Zuma's comments were criticised by the DA's Youth League, which said endorsing Malema as worthy of "inheriting the ANC" was like saying "Goebbels was a romantic poet", referring to Joseph Goebbels, who pearl earrings was German dictator Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister.
The Christian Democratic Alliance called on Zuma to retract his remarks, saying "crowning Malema as crown prince, will do incredible harm to South Africa's international image".
However, on pearl bracelet Tuesday, the ANCYL shot back saying it "totally agree[d]" with Zuma's praise of Malema.
"President Julius Malema is a true, capable and caring leader of the youth of South Africa and no one will stop us from appreciating his capable leadership."
On Tuesday, the ANC said the DA's youth league criticism was "ill-informed" and gemstone jewelrysmacked of "political opportunism".
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| Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 01:48 |
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ANCYL 'best in the world'
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Johannesburg - The ANC Youth League on Tuesday declared itself the best such organisation in the world, adding that critics of gemstone jewelry it are just jealous.
"There is no other youth political organisation in the world, which has as much influence on development, justice and redress as the ANC Youth League," ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said.
"Opposition parties will of course be jealous and wish pearl object to compliments on the ANC Youth League president because they do not have vibrant youth formations," he said.
His explanation came in the wake of an article in The Star newspaper which reported that President Jacob Zuma described leader Julius Malema at the weekend as a "leader in the making" and worthy of "inheriting the freshwater perl jewelry ANC".
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| Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 01:46 |
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Visa ban
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Also on Tuesday, the European Union announced visa bans against 42 members of the military junta for their alleged roles in the massacre. Unions in the West African country called for a nationwide strike on Wednesday to gemstone jewelry remember the victims.
"We, the women of Guinea, are wounded in our souls and humiliated by the events of September 28," said activist Diaraye Haidara. "A day of remembrance will certainly make us feel better but it will never heal our open wounds from these rapes."
Camara was a junior officer largely unknown outside the army when he seized power in a coup last December after the death of Lansana Conte, the former strongman who had ruled the nation of 10 million for a quarter century. Camara promised to crack down on corruption and drug trafficking and to quickly hand over power to civilians following nationwide elections but later hinted he planned to wish pearl run in the election.
When the stadium protest against Camara's presumed candidacy was announced, Camara personally tried to have it stopped, Human Rights Watch said.
The conclusion that the rapes were premeditated is a shocking revelation in Guinea, which has endured numerous dictatorships and army-led attacks on opposition rallies. Never before have there been systematic, army-led rapes in broad daylight.
One opposition leader said that as freshwater perl jewelry he was being led out of the stadium by Lieutenant Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite, the commander of the presidential guard and Camara's aide-de-camp, they passed at least a dozen women being raped by Diakite's own men.
"There were three or four red berets on top of her and one had pushed his rifle into her [vagina]. She was screaming so loudly in pain we had to look and see it ... Lieutenant Toumba was right next to us and saw it all - but he didn't do anything to stop the rapes," said the unnamed opposition politician, according to the report.
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| Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 01:45 |
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Crushed to death
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Many were crushed to death, Human Rights Watch said, corroborating claims by the junta that many died from being crushed. Others were gunned down as they tried to scale the stadium's 2m walls, said the report, which disputed the government's claim that only 57 people died.
Minutes later, the rapes began. Soldiers, often china pearl jewelry acting in twos and threes, grabbed women, tore off their clothes and gang raped them on the stadium grass, the report found.
Corinne Dufka, the group's senior Africa researcher, said the rapes appeared to have been planned because they occurred simultaneously in different places: on the turf, in the stadium's bathrooms, in an annex and in nearby basketball courts. Some women later died.
"The level, frequency and brutality of sexual violence that took place at and after the protests strongly suggests that it was part of pearl earrings a systematic attempt to terrorise and humiliate the opposition, not just random acts by rogue soldiers," the report said.
A 35-year-old teacher told the rights group she was dragged to the stadium ground by a group of red berets who sliced off her clothes with a knife then yelled at her that if she didn't do as they pleased they would kill her.
"And I believed them," she is quoted saying. "About 3 m away another woman was being raped, and after they finished, one of freshwater perl jewelry them took out his bayonet and stuck her in the vagina, and then licked the blood from his knife. I saw this - just next to me," she said.
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