About Air Purifiers

I've always been intrigued with the notion of air purifiers—especially as someone who suffers from asthma and allergies. However, I never quite believed all of the claims that air purifier companies made—claims like removes mold and bacteria from the air and makes it easier to breathe. That makes it sound like an oxygen tent or a clean room at a high-tech factory, not a tabletop device.

I don't know if I had been talking about this on Facebook or Twitter, but earlier in the year the PR people for Zon Personal Air Purifier reached out to me and asked if they could send me a unit to try out. Of course, they wanted me to eventually write about the unit—which I'm doing now—but I wouldn't be doing so if I didn't think there was something to share.

And that something is this: that Zon Personal Air Purifier turned my normally sneeze-prone teenage daughter into a sniffle-free person.

The Zon Personal Air Purifier sat in its original packaging for months. I just couldn't figure out how it might be useful, since we try to keep our home as allergen-free as possible. We have hardwood floors throughout, and a no-open-window policy, lest dust or pollen fly around the inside of our house. (Here are other ways you can improve indoor air quality.)

A few months ago my teenage daughter signed up for a two-week college theater course that required her to live in the un-air conditioned dorms of a nearby four-year college. And that would be during the summer when the mercury nudged towards 100 degrees for days on end.

When summer rolled around and we needed to pack her up, we decided to take the Zon Personal Air Purifier along with her box fan. This would be all she had to "cool" her dorm room.

Two weeks later, when we went to pick up her up, she raved about how the air purifier seemed to "change" the air while she was sleeping. She said it allowed her to wake up, in her dorm room each morning, with the windows having been open all night, without a stuffed nose or any allergy feelings.

Since then she's continued to keep the air purifier going 24/7 in her bedroom. This is the first summer in years that she hasn't complained about her allergies.

I mentioned this phenomenon to a Facebook friend recently. He commented that he, too, was never able to sleep with the windows open because of allergies. However, now that he has an air purifier next to his bed (he didn't mention the brand), he can enjoy cool summer evenings with the windows open, listening to the crickets as he's going to sleep, and wake up in the morning with a clear nose and clear head.

10 Belligerent Songs That Will Scare Children into Leaving You Alone

In Swann's Way, Marcel Proust spends roughly 5,000 words grousing about how calamitous insomnia can be. One can only imagine how much more monstrously prodigious and exhausting this rant would have been had the French novelist ever procreated.

There's nothing more vexing for a parent than a child who won't sleep. Adolescent sleeplessness can turn the most level-headed mom or dad into a complete aggro lunatic. I know; I've reached that point with my own little insomniacs.

Months of active bedtime resistance have left me desperate. I've heard of Old World grandmothers pacifying unruly babies with a few drops of the hard stuff, but I ultimately decided against such a course of action because I couldn't figure out if mine were single malt or blended malt kind of kids.

Getting my teeth cleaned recently, I blurted out to the dentist, "So if I wanted to borrow the ol' sleeping gas machine -- just for a week or so--how would I arrange that with you?" I've resorted to preposterous threats: I showed the kids James Mollison's engrossing book Where Children Sleep, which depicts adolescent bedrooms from around the world, and said, "See that poor kid in China who sleeps on a wafer-thin pallet on a dungy floor underneath a poster of Mao Zedong? That's what I'm going to turn your bedroom into if you don't hit the rack right now." I've even taken to reading them Proust at bedtime. Maybe I just need Samuel L. Jackson to pop by.

A number of major studies have shown that children get about an hour less sleep each night than they did three decades years ago. Earlier this year, Pediatrics published a study by University of Chicago investigators that said children who sleep less than their peers are four times more likely to have issues with obesity. Many sleep scientists also believe this lost hour can have a significant impact on a child's developing brain.

"We have an incendiary situation today," goes a recent quote from Dr. Matthew Walker, a professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of California Berkeley, "where the intensity of learning that kids are going through is so much greater, yet the amount of sleep they get to process that learning is so much less. If these linear trends continue, the rubber band will soon snap."

Yeah, either that or us parents.

Anyway, as I sat in my home office one night, plowing through a freelance assignment but having the creative process repeatedly dragged to a screeching halt because my kids are leaving their beds to inform me that they needed a glass of water, extra blankets, a twelfth kiss goodnight, the thermostat set to 71.3 degrees, two air purifiers, and rose petals scattered across their pillows, I thought I had stumbled upon a remedy. I cobbled together a playlist of soothing and somnolent music, songs that can provide the right environment to promote sleep -- Flying Saucer Attack's "Come and Close My Eyes"; Library Tapes' "And the Rain Did Fall; selections from Robert Rich's Drones and Trances, Loscil's Endless Falls, Japancakes' remake of Loveless, and Wendy Carlos' Sonic Seasonings; a little bit of Nicolas Jarr, recently praised at Pitchfork for making great putting-your-daughter-to-sleep music -- but then decided to turn the whole endeavor on its head.

An increasing trend

Nearly 13 percent of 600 respondents in the 2010 study said they battle asthma. In contrast, the rate of Texas residents with asthma is 6.5 percent, according to 2009 figures, the most recent period of available state data.

Asthma causes to airways narrow and swell, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. The most common symptoms are coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Asthma can’t be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled.

Richardson said there is little the Health Department can do to address the asthma problem.

“We don’t have funding for chronic disease prevention,” he said, adding that his department operates on a $2.3-million budget.

There are usually four factors that trigger asthma: genetics, allergies, respiratory infections or environmental factors, such as pollution, Richardson said. While conceding that the causes for Amarillo’s cases need more research, the city’s asthma problem appears to be mostly tied to genetics and allergies, he said.

Meganne Walsh, a pediatrician who runs a clinic in the 700 block of North Polk Street, said the majority of her asthma patients suffer seasonal asthma. She said they usually show symptoms during the spring or fall, when the allergen count is highest.

“About 20 to 25 percent of my patients have asthma,” Walsh said, adding that she has between 3,000 and 4,000 patients. “Some have it bad, where they have to take (treatment) every day. Others, have it when they do extreme activities such as sports.”

Nabarun Ghosh, a biology professor at West Texas A&M University, said Amarillo’s high asthma rate is probably due to a combination of factors, including wind-driven pollen, crop farming and the worldwide increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

One type of mold considered a major trigger of asthma is alternaria, Ghosh said. The Texas Panhandle has a large farming community and a source of mold is dying crops, he said. “Of the mold growing on the surface of plants when dying off, 90 percent is alternaria,” Ghosh said.

Since 2000, Ghosh has collected allergens and air particles by using a machine called the Burkard Spore Trap. The machine has a green fan-like blade and sits on WT’s agriculture and natural sciences building.

Ghosh said his work has shown there has been an overall increase in molds the past few years. His data shows there were 800 to 900 alternaria per cubic meter Wednesday. On Aug. 15, 2008, the alternaria count was 500 to 600 per cubic meter.

The mold count is generally the same throughout an entire season, Ghosh said.

Ghosh said one well-known place that has registered an increase in pollens is Palo Duro Canyon State Park. He said the canyon has a 20- to 30-mile trail of ragweed, which is known to produce a great deal of allergens. The ragweed trail he’s seen is shaped like a funnel, he said.

“About three years ago, there were simple patches (of ragweed), not that continuous trail,” Ghosh said. “Now it’s continuous.”

Strong winds carry pollens from border states, Ghosh said. Pollen from a species of highly allergenic conifer trees in Oklahoma have been found in the Panhandle, he said.

Ghosh said he’s been working on projects to help asthma and frequent allergy sufferers.

One of Ghosh’s projects, a collaboration with a Las Vegas company, is an air purifier that uses no filter. He said the purifier uses ultraviolet light to attack air allergens and floating bacteria. He said the purifier combats indoor allergens.

Sharp plans aggressive expansion

Nepali electronics market is flooded with Korean products. To provide customers with additional choices, SG Global has introduced Sharp, a Japanese brand in the market.

With plans to have dealers and showrooms in 35 different cities of Nepal in four months, SG Global, is looking to ensure its footprint all over the nation within this year.

"Nepali people value Japanese brands and we are providing them," said Raju Bhetwal Chhetri, vice-president of SG Global. The company claimed to be receiving overwhelming response from customers since its launch a couple of days ago. "The response we are receiving is better than what we had anticipated in the current market situation," said Chettri.

SG Global inaugurated the Sharp outlet named Sharp World at Naxal on Thursday.

Sharp World will showcase its vast range of products including LCD TV, LED TV, refrigerator, microwave oven, washing machine, DVD player, home theatre, air purifier, vacuum cleaner, generator and many more items. Sharp LCD TV with Quattron technology has RGB+Y feature to take the visual experience to a new level, claims Sharp world.

Similarly, Sharp microwave oven with its salt and fat reduction technology is one of the healthier technologies of its kind. Air purifier, another product, is one of the unique products and it not only freshens up the air but also kills the airborne viruses of the atmosphere and makes the ambience fresh and healthy.

Similarly, every Sharp product is equipped with unique and user-friendly features. Due to unmatched features and high quality of Sharp products, SG Global is confident that the Nepali market will receive the Sharp products well.

"SG Global is also planning to open a showroom in Jwalakhel in about six months apart from expansions outside the Kathmandu Valley. We believe we are going to establish ourselves firmly in the market within a year," said Chettri.

High-tech tool helps Calgary drivers find parking

Drivers may now be able to save time finding a parking space downtown with the click of a mouse.

The Calgary Parking Authority has launched a system that keeps a realtime tally of available stalls in all seven of its parkades so drivers know before they head downtown what the chances of finding a spot are.

“It’s added convenience,” said general manager Troy McLeod.

“I think it might provide additional comfort for those coming downtown, especially those who don’t come downtown often.”

The CPA has a parking guidance system (PGS) to count available spots using devices at the entries and exits of parkades and sensors in the stalls.

The information is kept up to date in the operations control centre, and the CPA realized it could share the information with the public fairly easily and at essentially no extra cost, said McLeod.

Updates will be made approximately every 30 seconds, he said.

The service also allows Calgarians to receive automatic updates on computers or phones that are equipped with Internet Explorer 7 of higher.

They can subscribe to the feed with a Really Simply Syndication (RSS) reader, but with Alberta’s new distracted driving legislation to launch in a week, motorists are reminded not to check updates while they are driving.

The CPA has 5,327 stalls between its seven parkades, approximately 23% of which are open for hourly or daily parking.

Parkade availability updating is the first step in a larger plan to provide Calgarians’ access to parking information.

The CPA is working with a city agency to develop an iPhone application — expected to debut this fall — that would include the stall counts, but also other features including the ability to a make parking payments.

As well, historical parking data for on-street parking will be uploaded daily on the parking authority’s website starting this fall.

McLeod said the CPA does not have realtime information for its 2,300 on-street spots downtown, but can provide drivers with an idea of which areas tend to be busiest at which time of day.

Crews at fire-damaged Swiftwater school wipe down everything

Spraying, sweeping, wiping and scrubbing, an army of workers continued Wednesday to clean up fire damage at Swiftwater Elementary Center in a bid to get the school open by next week.

"We'd of course love to have the building open by Monday, but we won't open it until we can be sure it's healthy for our students and staff," said Pocono Mountain School District spokeswoman Wendy Frable.

About 125 workers from the emergency cleanup company Servpro sprayed nearly every item inside certain classrooms with a special solution to remove dust and any particles of soot that may have trickled down from the roof.

They arrived Monday, a day after a lightning strike ignited a fire on the school's roof.

Removing soot is usually of chief importance when it comes to cleaning up fire damage because soot is a carcinogen. But parents of Swiftwater Elementary Center students can rest assured, Frable and Servpro workers said, because a metal firewall beneath the roof's shingles essentially caught almost all the debris and soot and prevented it from reaching the rest of the school. Frable said the school's ventilation system was off when the fire started.

Still, workers took pains to wipe down walls and lockers with special sponges. Workers also removed the thousands of corkboard tiles that compose the ceilings above many classrooms. Corkboard is a porous material, and cleanup crews believed it wise to replace the tiles because hazardous particles might collect in them.

Servpro was most concerned with water damage that the building had sustained, but workers suctioned the big puddles left behind by firefighters putting out the blaze.

Many industrial-strength air purifiers were working to remove particles and a faint burnt scent from the air. Frable said school officials will have air quality test results this week.

The cost of the fire damage still hasn't been figured out, she said. A roofing company will eventually rebuild the roof, but the status of the roof will have no bearing on whether officials decide to open next Monday. It's the cleanup inside the schools halls and classes that counts.

That Bird Dust To A Minimum; Do All Birds Have Dust?

If you are a bird owner, you know that bird dust can be a very big problem if you live with a powder-down bird. If not dealt with, it can cause health problems for you and your bird.

So, what is bird dust? It is a white powder( or usually white), that specific birds produce to keep their feathers soft and their skin properly moisturized. The bird will make this dust as long as he lives and must do this or he can suffer from many health issues. You will just have to find ways to cut down on the dust in the bird`s room and around the rest of the house.

What is the difference between bird dust and bird dander? Dander is microscopic and can`t be seen with the naked eye. Dander is the natural process of replenishing old skin with new skin, which will be better able to protect the bird and ward off infection and disease. This is also a life time process and a powder-down bird produces dust AND dander.

All birds don`t produce a powder dust, but the 3 types of parrots that are most well known for producing powder down are Cockatiels, Cockatoos and African Greys. All members of the Parrot family are powder-down birds.

You can reduce the amount of dust the bird spreads by gently misting your bird with water, by using a spray bottle and this is very effective in reducing the amount of dust that goes airborne. You should always mist early enough in the day, so that the bird will go through the night with dry feathers as they will be less likely to get a chill as the temperature drops at night.  as per  www.articlealley.com

Your very best way to reduce all that airborne dust is by using a filtering system. Your heating/cooling system may have filters on them but they cannot keep up with the amount of dust the bird produces. You will need to use a portable air filter with a HEPA, or High Efficiency  Particle Arresting Filter.

This HEPA filter plus an air cleaner that has multiple pre-filters and a filter of military carbon cloth will give your bird and you daily relief from the particle, dust-filled air. Keeping the air clean will keep your bird(and you) healthy and less susceptible to respiratory diseases.  where they carry the Austin Air Allergy Machine HEPA Air Purifier for Bird Dust, for $518.99.

Air cleaner helps asthmatic kids living with smokers

The devices are no cure-all and parents of children with asthma should always strive for a smoke-free home, researchers stress. But in cases where that's not yet a reality, they say, air cleaners may lessen the ill effects of secondhand smoke.

The study looked at the effects of HEPA air cleaners among 115 inner-city Baltimore children who had asthma and lived with a smoker. The researchers gave one-third of the families an air cleaner for their living room and one for the child's bedroom. Another third received the devices plus education sessions with a nurse on the dangers of secondhand smoke. The final third served as the "control" group, with families receiving air cleaners after the study was over.

Over six months, the study found, children in the air-cleaner groups showed improvements in wheezing, coughing and other symptoms, based on surveys of their parents. The benefit would translate into an extra 33 symptom-free days per year, the researchers estimate.

"They'd actually have an extra month free of symptoms. That's significant," said lead researcher Arlene M. Butz, an asthma specialist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. However, she told Reuters Health, an air purifier is no substitute for a smoke-free home. Her study found that while HEPA cleaners did lower levels of airborne particles in families' homes, it did not give them the kind of air quality found in a smoke-free home.

"You want to eliminate the source of the smoke," Butz said. "When a child has asthma, there shouldn't be a smoker in the home."

Levels of nicotine in the household's air and nicotine breakdown products in the children's urine did not change with the air filters. Ideally, parents should quit smoking. But until that happens, they should limit all smoking to outside the home, according to Butz.

The issue of indoor air quality is particularly important for inner-city children, Butz said. Not only do they have higher rates of asthma than other U.S. kids, but they also have heavy exposure to secondhand smoke.

Studies have found that between 40 percent and two-thirds of inner-city children with asthma live with a smoker, Butz noted. Another issue in inner-cities is that many families live in apartment buildings, and even if parents ban smoking from their home, their next-door neighbors may be lighting up.

"We know that in multi-unit buildings, smoke does leak into other rooms," Butz said. So she recommended having a HEPA cleaner even in non-smoking apartments. If families can afford it, Butz said two devices -- one for the living area and one for the child's bedroom -- would be best. HEPA devices vary in price; the ones used in this study cost between $100 and $150, according to Butz. Then there's the cost of replacement filters and the energy used to run the machine -- which can consume about as much power as a standard light bulb.

India Infoline News on Twitter

He ‘Ramky BIG Green Ganesha’ will be installed at Prasads Imax on 1st September, 2011 on the day of Ganesha Chaturthi.

Done across 14 Cities, where Ganesha festival is celebrated, namely Mumbai, Surat, Baroda, Rajkot, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Sholapur, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Vizag, Chennai and Mysore, the Ramky BIG Green Ganesha Enviro Engineers Ltd is arguably the biggest initiative of this nature. As a socially responsible organization 92.7 BIG FM continuously introduces such environmental friendly initiatives in association with its partners who shares the same commitment on saving the environment.

Commenting on the launch, Gautham Reddy, MD- Ramky Group and Mr. Raman Nanda, Managing Director- Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd said “This is the fourth consecutive year for Green Ganesha and last year’s Ramky Big Green Ganesha received lot of accolades at the national level beside giving us another opportunity to bring together regulators, our customer and other stake-holders together. India’s largest Environment company, RAMKY this year too will be celebrating this with a message to save the environment. And we are proud to be associated with Big FM in carrying out a nationwide campaign of Green Ganesha, covering 14 cities with on ground activities and other 7 cities on Air”.

Commenting on BIG’s campaign 92.7 BIG FM’s RJ Shekar, said, “This is the 4th Year of BIG Green Ganesha. It brings us great pleasure to celebrate the festival of Ganpati in an eco-friendly way that will contribute to a cleaner and greener environment. Through this offering, we want to connect with the entire city and bring them together to make a difference through a simple act of paper contribution...”

3 days after frying fish, the smell is gone

I vowed a long time ago never to fry fish in the house because of the stink. It's been so long that I cooked fish at home that I forgot my own rule. Last weekend I browned some halibut steaks on the stovetop for 4 minutes before taking them outside on the grill.



The smell from four minutes of browning took about 72 hours to vacate the premises, even after leaving windows open and running the exhaust fan hood. The halibut steaks were delicious, but if there is ever a next time, I need some tips to keep the smell at bay.

Being a Nebraska boy who didn't eat a lot of fish growing up, I need help from Minnesotans who fry, broil, parbroil or cook fish more often. Surely you've got this Fish-B-Gone thing down pat. Here are some tips from Chowhound, but I'm curious what you think works best.

+Soak the fish in milk for a few hours before you cook it.

+Put out a small bowl of vinegar for a day after. (One wiseguy then asked how to get rid of the vinegar smell.)

+Create a masking odor such as making coffee or chocolate chip cookies. Others suggest burning a citrus-secented candle.

+ Try a Lampe Berger burner, but they're expensive. The burners start at $40, the scents about $15. Sold locally at Stone Crop in Maple Grove and also on eBay.

+ Lavender oil. Put a  few drops on a cloth and wipe affected areas with it.

+Try to prevent the odor by using a splatter screen, a vent fan and an....air purifier. Run the exhaust fan for an hour after cooking fish. If you can remove the exhaust filter, wash it.

+ Febreze (Another wiseacre commented that if her house smelled like Febreze or cheap, scented candles, she would fry fish to get rid of it.)

+Take a whole clove (the prickly thing you stick in a ham) and simmer it a little water.

+ Stick a fan in the kitchen window while cooking fish and leave it on for a while afterwards.

That's nine tips. What say you, oh natives of the Land of 10,000 Lakes? 

Here's one more tip from me: Cook fish on the day before the garbage truck arrives. I made the mistake of cooking fish the day after garbage day. I endured a dead smell in my garage (where my association make us put our garbage cans) for almost a week.  

Quatre voleur pour une potion magique

The month of June 1720 marks the start of the last plague epidemic in France. In Marseille, it will gain Provence, Languedoc and the Venaissin County. In the medical paraphernalia, for the preservation of contagion, was said to be a sponge of the "4 thieves vinegar". According to legend, a century earlier, during the epidemic that ravaged the city of Toulouse, that this remedy was used for the first time ... by four robbers. Strip caught the plague, the looters have confessed to the judges surprised by their good health, they had a secret remedy the preserving of contagion: they drank and smeared hands, face and other body parts of a macerate of vinegar. Other stories are the same scenario in the episode of plague in Marseilles.

One thing is certain, in 1748, "the Acetum copositum antisepticum", nicknamed "4 thieves vinegar" is recorded in the Codex of the pharmacopoeia in the French section of vinegars medicinal compounds. The formula mentioned gathers a dozen plants, dry buds large and petite wormwood, rosemary, sage, mint, rue gardens, lavender flowers, aromaticus Calamus root, cinnamon bark, clove, nutmeg and garlic. After removing and pressed plants, camphor dissolved in acetic acid is added a few hours before filtration. The author recommends using the vinegar of good quality and to keep this remedy in a cool place. This official recognition of its medicinal value brought to the "4 thieves vinegar" to be long marketed as an antiseptic.
Little fleche2 Cooking Up

Today, the formula of this natural remedy, again up to date, may differ depending on the brand that market, but there is a herbal and spice. This "magic potion" can make home by following a simple recipe. It is enough to obtain 20 g of each of the following plants - rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, mint, wormwood, marjoram - and add spices with 3 g of cinnamon, clove 3 g, 3 g of nutmeg and 2 cloves of garlic. Marjoram is sometimes replaced with savory or sweet wormwood. All are steamed for 15 days in 2 liters of cider vinegar. Eventually, 5 g of camphor (optional), filtered and poured into bottles, which sealed, can be stored away from light.
Little fleche2 Beautiful and healthy ...
Beautiful and healthy ...

Wine vinegar now combines the virtues cosmetic recognized its medicinal properties for many years. In hair care, it is advisable to clean the scalp (oily hair, dandruff), to restore the hair to swell and to prevent or eliminate lice and nits. Skin side down, it is recommended dilution for cleaning sensitive skin. In body lotion, tonic effect would provide a pleasant feeling of well being and freshness. In after-shave, pure or diluted, it is deemed to soothe irritations. Its antiseptic qualities make it an ally for disinfecting wounds and to relieve mouth ulcers and inflammation of the throat and to calm insect bites. It is also used to purify the air (by evaporation) and water (a tablespoon in a quart of water). It is used in friction on the temples, forehead and wrists, in case of headaches and fainting. Finally its anti-inflammatory drugs are used in compresses to relieve and relax in case of cramps, rheumatism and joint pain.

AMWAY pays respect to martyrs with blood donation camp

The Amway Opportunity Foundation, AOF today in collaboration with the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, paid tribute to the martyrs of the Anglo Manipur War of 1891 and organized a blood donation camp at the RIMS blood bank.

The donation camp was organized with the objective to save lives with safe transfusion of blood. The aim behind the blood donation is also to make people aware of the umpteen health benefits of blood donation.

At a formal function, Prof A. Meina Singh, Head of the Department, Department of Immunohaematology & Blood Transfusion, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS Hospital, Imphal) inaugurated the Blood Donation Camp today at the premise of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences. The camp witnessed around 220 donors comprising of Amway Distributors and Amway employees in Imphal.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sideline of the camp, Sarbani Bhattacharya said that Amway Opportunity Foundation organized this blood donation camp highlighting health benefits of blood donation. While the most obvious health benefit of donating blood is the wonderful feeling derived from giving something vital to someone who needs it, the benefits of donating blood may extend far beyond this to having a positive impact on the donor’s health. Blood donation removes some of the excess iron which can cause free radical formation in the body. In fact, studies have shown that men who donate blood on a regular basis have a lower risk of heart disease. Donating blood also helps donors to burn calories and to enhance production of new red blood cells.

“Donating blood is one of the most noble and significant contribution that a person can make to the society. Every year many people die during surgery only because of not getting enough supply of blood in time. By donating blood we indirectly save many lives” said William S Pinckney, Chairman – Amway Opportunity Foundation.

Amway Opportunity Foundation and Amway Distributors have held in excess 400 blood donation camps over the past four years. Over 40,000 units of blood have been donated at these blood donation camps. The largest ever Blood Donation Camp was held in Orissa with 830 donors.

In Manipur, Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF) has adopted an orphanage MEETEI PHURUP under Project Sunrise and undertaken developmental activities in education, health and access to safe drinking water. AOF had rolled out Project Sunrise in Imphal in 2009 and announced its partnership with Meetei Phurup in Imphal. To mark the beginning, AOF had donated computers, installed water purifiers and also provided infrastructural support.

“Project Sunrise is supported by Amway’s Global CSR initiative – One by One, and will extend to 64 orphanages across the country. This Project is primarily supported by Amway’s 50th year anniversary funds, where AOF will engage partnerships with NGOs to support on-going education, healthcare (with focus on access to safe drinking water) and nutrition,” said Diptarag Bhattacharjee, Vice President – East, Amway, also a volunteer of AOF. Interestingly, Amway considers all its employees and distributors, as AOF volunteers.

A Painting That Winston Churchill Did For Franklin Roosevelt Is On Sale For $3 Million

Among his many talents, it turns out that Sir Winston Churchill was also a pretty gifted artist.

A New Orleans antiques shop is selling an oil painting done by the onetime Prime Minister, which he gave to his friend President Franklin Roosevelt following the 1943 Casablanca Conference (via eXtravaganzi).

The painting, which depicts the Tower of Katoubia Mosque in Marrakesh and is the only painting Churchill is believed to have done during the war years, is being sold for $2.95 million by M.S. Rau Antiques.

It had a storied past before winding up in the auctioneer's halls.

According to eXtravaganzi:

The painting was passed from President Roosevelt to his son, Elliot, who sold it in 1950 to George W. Woodward, a Nebraska collector.

Woodward later sold it to author, movie producer, financier and art collector Norman G. Hickman, who served as associate producer of the Churchill-themed film, The Finest Hours in 1964. While in his possession, The Tower of Katoubia Mosque was exhibited at the New York Daily News building in January, 1965 and later at the Churchill Memorial in Fulton, Missouri during the Summer of 1970.

Upon Hickman’s death, it was passed to his second wife and then to her daughter, where it was stored in a closet for the past 15 years.

Suit aimed at Suarez grant is dismissed

A lawsuit attempting to block a grant program North Canton officials developed for Suarez Corp. Industries has been dismissed.

Andy Martin, a New York resident who is a longtime critic of Ben Suarez, and Richard E. Bierie, a North Canton resident, filed the suit in June after North Canton Council approved an occupancy grant for SCI and two partners. The lawsuit argued that council improperly passed the ordinance as an emergency action.

The occupancy grant is based on the amount of income tax paid by employees hired by SCI, Patriot Enterprises and LT Enterprises. The companies will make EdenPURE products in an old Hoover Co. warehouse at 334 Orchard St. NE.

SCI hopes to have the operation running within a month. Plans are to employ 300 people who will assemble EdenPURE space heaters, air purifiers, vacuums and other products. Suarez said he is moving the jobs from China back to the United States.

Council passed an ordinance for the occupancy grant at its June 6 meeting. The plan had been discussed at meetings in May, but was passed as an emergency.

After Martin and Bierie filed the lawsuit, council passed a new ordinance — minus an emergency clause — over the course of three meetings.

Because the new ordinance negated the lawsuit, Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge Charles E. Brown granted the dismissal.

Q2/2011 GROSS PROFIT MARGIN

Second quarter revenue was $45.1 million, an increase of $10.7 million or 31% from $34.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Approximately 65% of the sales in the second quarter were generated from China's domestic markets while approximately 35% were from export markets. The increase in revenues was a result of our expansion of sales in the China domestic market. We were also able to raise the average selling prices of our products during the quarter and maintained healthy profit margins across our product lines.

Our gross profit margin was approximately 29% for the three months ended June 30, 2011, which reflects blended profit margins between our higher margin China domestic sales and generally lower margins from export sales. Our gross profit margin is higher in the China domestic markets than export markets because products are generally sold at much higher prices on both the retail and wholesale levels in our industry in China. In addition, we continue to improve manufacturing efficiency through in-house production of key components of our products, thereby benefiting further from economies of scale as we also capture manufacture margins.

Q2/2011 OPERATING EXPENSES

SG&A expenses for the quarter were approximately $3.9 million, an increase of $1 million or 36% from $2.9 million for the same period of 2010, as expected, due to the hiring of additional direct sales staff and in-store product promoters to further our revenue growth in China. Our advertising costs remained minimal during the second quarter of 2011, as expected, because we use factory representatives and in-store promoters to promote our products directly to consumers at retail locations, which is a standard marketing practice in the small household appliances industry in China. The in-store promotion approach is highly effective in marketing products directly to consumers in the unique Chinese retail environment as compared to traditional mass media advertising channels that may incur significant advertising expenses without enhancing sales. According to a survey in the 2010 China Small Electronics Market Research Report, approximately 60% of Chinese consumers surveyed purchased small household appliances as a result of direct product introduction from in-store product promoters. Like other established domestic brands in China, our in-store promoters market our products exclusively and directly to in-store customer traffic.

Sharp(R) Solar Powers Duke Energy Convention Center With 101kW Array

Sharp Electronics Corporation's Solar Energy Solutions Group, and its customer, Third Sun Solar, completed the largest downtown Cincinnati solar project to date -- a 101kW installation powering the Duke Energy Convention Center (DECC). The project is part of an aggressive conservation strategy by both the City of Cincinnati and the venue designed to make the 750,000 square-foot convention center a more attractive destination for environmentally conscious groups. The project was completed in time to power GovEnergy 2011, August 7-10 at the DECC.

The DECC, managed by Global Spectrum, was chosen by the City for its spacious rooftop to collect ample sunlight. A total of 324 220-watt Sharp ND-224UC1 and 105 235-watt Sharp NU-U240fl modules were combined with 42kW Sunny Tower inverters in a 429-panel array. The Sharp modules are popular for commercial applications such as the DECC because of their balance of size and weight to power and performance, as well as their 25-year warranty.

"The City of Cincinnati and Duke Energy Convention Center should be commended for their aggressive pursuit of clean energy with a clear understanding of the long-term economic and environmental benefits," said Eric Hafter, senior vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. "With nearly 50 years of experience in solar, we offer clients like Third Sun and the DECC peace of mind. Sharp stands behind our product and ensures our clients maximize their return on investment."

The installation is ideally positioned to receive 1,000 hours of sunlight annually, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 57.9 metric tons and save about $10,000 in annual utility costs. The installation is scalable and will enable future expansion.

As with all municipal energy projects, local and federal support were critical, including funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To receive ARRA funding, the solar modules had to be domestically manufactured -- a requirement satisfied by Sharp's Memphis, Tenn. production facility, which has been in operation since 2003 and has been expanded several times since opening. The energy services company Ameresco oversaw the project and worked collaboratively with all parties to bring the project to fruition.

"We look at a number of factors when we select solar modules for a project, including technical specifications, where modules are produced and the brand that stands behind them," said Gerald Kelley, communications director, Third Sun Solar. "Since Sharp's manufacturing facilities are right here in the United States, our clients were able to take advantage of federal funding, and we were able to work with a 'bankable' company that stands behind its product."

Third Sun Solar completed the installation of Sharp solar panels in an array area of 11,500 sq. ft. and a solar panel surface area of 7,500 sq. ft. despite unique challenges of this space. The DECC is booked year-round for events. At three stories tall, roof access is limited to a freight elevator and crane. The installation was further complicated by the start of the baseball season (the Cincinnati Reds play at the nearby Great American Ballpark). Third Sun Solar worked collaboratively with the facility management and City of Cincinnati to overcome these challenges and the process took just three weeks to completely power up.

"The Duke Energy Convention Center solar project is just the tip of the iceberg for our center's efforts with green initiatives," said DECC General Manager Ric Booth. "Our hope is to use this project to enhance our facility to national planners and to help 'grow' the solar panel site to double or triple the amount of panels in place on the roof of the center."

Flood Insurance and FEMA Leave a Local Woman Disheartened

Even those who were not directly affected by last year’s floods remember the images of the Warwick Mall besieged by a raging torrent, as well as the flood waters enveloping local streets and homes

The legacy of last year’s major deluge is still being keenly felt by many Rhode Islanders.

Kathy Zachirchuk of Cranston remembers it all too well. Her story is harrowing, but the damage done is more than to just material things.

On that Tuesday in late March, even though the temperature was in the mid-forties, the rain fell as though it were in the tropics. Both Zachirchuk and her elderly mother had been home sick that day when she noticed water seeping into her basement. She started her sump pump and nervously watched the rain fall. But the water in her basement rose swiftly, eventually taking the electricity and heat out, as well as the sump pump.

“I was getting really nervous, especially when I saw the water coming up my lawn,” Zachirchuk recounts. “It was rising around the cars in the driveway.”

She was able to move her car further up the lawn away from the approaching water, but by the time she was able to get to her mother’s car, it was already partially submerged and would not start.

“I called AAA,” Zachirchuk said, “but my street was already too badly flooded and they couldn’t even get close to me.” The car was totaled.

When she went back to check on the basement, she was horrified to find the water coming up the steps. Even if the sump pump had been working, it would not have been able to contend with the over six feet of water in her basement. The water eventually stopped rising at the third step from the first floor.

Zachirchuk and her mother were stuck inside the house for several days while the water receded. While the electricity was restored shortly after it was lost, the heat did not return for days.

The material loss was vast: hundreds of books, stored kitchenware and pottery, a washer and dryer, an oil burner and oil tank, the electrical wiring in the basement, and thousands of dollars worth of clothes that were stored in a recently finished cedar closet.

A FEMA inspector came to survey the loss. “The inspector was amazed by the damage, and said that we qualified for the highest possible claim,” Zachirchuk said.

FEMA later rejected her claim, stating that, because she had flood insurance, she could not "double-dip." They instructed her to finish consulting with her insurance company, and afterwards she could re-file her claim with them to be considered for either a grant or a loan.

Because the type of flood insurance she had was dwelling \insurance, and not content insurance, she was not eligible to receive compensation for much of her belongings.

Her insurance company partially reimbursed her for her central air conditioning unit, oil tank and oil burner, and electrical wiring in the basement. Nothing else was covered, and so she turned back to FEMA.

“FEMA was vague about whether I would get a grant or a loan. It was hours and hours of paperwork. It was very redundant and at the end of it I was so tired and disheartened,” Zachirchuk said.

Not too long after the paperwork was submitted, Zachirchuk’s mother took ill and was forced to go to the hospital. It was at that time that FEMA called Zachirchuk to request a re-inspection of the damage to her house.

“It was bad timing, considering how ill my mother was,” Zachirchuk said. She requested that they reschedule the inspection for another time. FEMA called her back shortly thereafter to reschedule again. Her mother was still slowly convalescing and Zachirchuk was still at the hospital with her. She asked once again to reschedule, and received a message on her cell phone from FEMA saying that they were dropping her claim.

“They left a message saying that they were canceling me because I didn’t meet with them,’” Zachirchuk said. “Even though I had explained to them twice that I would gladly meet with them once things had calmed down with my mother.”

FEMA stated that, if she wished to appeal, she would have to re-do all of the paperwork she had originally submitted. Exhausted emotionally and physically, she did not file the appeal.

“I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I didn’t have it in me to go through it all again. It was just too painful.”

Over a year later, she is still fixing the house. She is using a home equity loan that she had from before the flood to help fix her house, paying for it as she uses it. FEMA did reimburse her for a dehumidifier, but only partially because it was the wrong type of dehumidifier, according to their policy. They also stated that she could be reimbursed for an air purifier to eliminate the mold and mildew growth, but after she bought it, they said that they do not reimburse for air purifiers.

“Reimbursement is not as easy as it sounds,” said Zachirchuk. “There are games and if you’re not careful, you’ll wind up paying for a lot of it yourself.”

“This was a once-in-a-200 year flood,” said Zachirchuk’s friend, George Trudell, who is helping her rebuild. His residence, Riverview Terrace on Fordson Avenue in Cranston, was also flooded out during that time. “There was really nothing we could have done. (Zachirchuk’s) sump pump would have failed even if the power hadn’t gone out. There would have still been the same amount of damage. It was a perfect storm.”

the IQAir HealthPro Plus includes a granular activated-carbon adsorption

The IQAir HealthPro® Plus air purifier has been named the Best Air Purifier Overall by ConsumerSearch.com, adding to an already long list of first-place awards for the world's most advanced air purifier.

ConsumerSearch.com based its award on the ability of the IQAir HealthPro Plus to provide high-performance air filtration for large rooms, for its superior odor and chemical removal and for effectively removing allergens.

The ConsumerSearch.com editors also rated the IQAir HealthPro Plus the best choice because, unlike many air purifiers, it does not emit ozone and is endorsed by medical groups.

“We take pride in being recognized again as the very best air purifier available,” said Glory Dolphin, CEO of IQAir North America. “This award continues to validate the simple idea that an air purifier should remove even the smallest airborne particles while doing no harm – such as adding ozone or ionization into the environment.”

The IQAir HealthPro Plus combines four advanced filtration technologies to effectively remove more than 99.5 percent of airborne particles, including especially harmful ultrafine particles down to 0.003 microns in diameter – the smallest particles that exist. Ultrafine particles are the easiest to inhale and are more quickly absorbed by the lungs than are larger particles. Studies have shown they increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and respiratory problems.

In addition, the IQAir HealthPro Plus includes a granular activated-carbon adsorption and pelletized chemisorption cell to remove odors and eliminate toxic chemicals, providing effective gas, chemical and odor control for people with chemical sensitivities.

This combination of advanced filtration makes the IQAir HealthPro Plus a true medical-grade air purification system that has been used around the world in hospitals. Combined with an ultra-quiet “fan-in-center” design, intuitive user controls and a built-in intelligent filter life, the IQAir HealthPro Plus is the leading choice in air purification. For more information about the IQAir HealthPro Plus, please visit IQAir HealthPro Plus.

Kent's new range of home appliances in market

Kathmandu: Navin Distributors — the authorised distributors of Whirlpool, Balterio laminate flooring, Khaitan home appliances and water pumps, Balta rugs and revolutionary Kent health care products in Nepal — brings three new Kent healthcare home equipments — Kent Tap Guard, Kent Ozone Air Purifier and Kent Vegetable and Fruit Purifier — in the market.

Kent tap guard is a water purifier that purifies the water directly from the tap. “It removes chemicals, odour, and other microscopic organisms and impurities easily from the water, as it is based on twin purification of granular activated carbon and multi layered hollow fiber UF membrane,” the company said, adding that it is not only purifies the water but makes it safe for all purposes.

Similarly, Kent Ozone air purifier helps to make indoor air clean, pure and healthy, releasing ozone, an environment friendly and highly reactive oxidant, the company claimed. “It helps to eradicate harmful germs as well as neutralises odour and can be easily mounted on wall.”

Kent vegetable and Fruit purifier is a

new addition to the kitchen, which cleans vegetables and fruits as well as meat products with the help of ozone flow, according to the company. “It has an exceptional power to kill microscopic organisms and oxidize the chemicals remaining on the surface. The sleek

and modern equipment is very easy to

use. It can be mounted in the kitchen wall and also is maintenance free.”

Spice brings Transformer

Kathmandu: Teletalk — the sole authorised distributor of Spice Mobile phone in Nepal — launched Transformer M5500 another new range of unique handset which performs both touch phone and bar phone’s function. It is called ‘Transformer’, as it performs like a touch screen and a bar phone with the same set.

“With M5500, own FM station can be created by selecting all time favourite music, making a playlist and broadcasting songs on the set frequency,” the company said, adding that it has FM radio, MP3 player to listen to music of your choice. “The Phone has 2.4 inch QVGA Touchscreen and is a Bar Phone weighing 86g only.”

The Spice M-5500 Transformer contains all the latest features like 1.3 MP Camera

capable of recording videos, stereo FM Radio, multi format Audio and Video Player, Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP, Soft touch Key and Java support, according to the company. “It has 950 mAh standards and superior resolution and incredible picture quality makes this product stand apart from rest of the phones. “The phone has 8GB expandable memory,”

it said, adding that the stereo bluetooth makes data transferring hassle free. It is available in the market for Rs 7,345.