| |
The History of the Bounce House
In 1959 a man named John Scurlock designed an inflatable cover for a tennis court, an idea that would eventually lead to one of the most popular party accessories available today. After watching his employees jumping around on his invention, Mr. Scurlock decided to make an inflatable mattress of sorts for a new form of fun. Eventually he expanded his idea to include larger models, and over the years the idea has transformed to become one of the coolest backyard party attractions ever. The business was known originally as the Space Walk and Mrs. Scurlock had the idea to make the inflatable fun obtainable by renting out the air filled structures. Today there are over one hundred rental facilities still sharing the fun for family parties everywhere.
The Bounce House, known by other names such as: the Moon Walk, Jolly Jumper or Astro Walk, has grown in popularity since its inception. Only rentals were available during the early years, but eventually these fun party inflatable structures have become affordable for most families to enjoy the fun in their very own backyards. Carnivals, churches and schools rent them and charge fees to raise monies. The Bounce House is a very versatile way to entertain or raise funds for events, and is a relatively safe way to make any occasion a hit.
Bounce Houses are constructed of a PVC or nylon and vinyl material which is sturdy and flexible at the same time. This material is also able to handle small punctures without damaging the Bounce House itself. Once just a mattress inflated with one or more fans, the Bounce House has become a structure with columns and a roof that is still inflated by fans. The difference in the construction is that the air has more area to move about, which takes less energy (one fan as opposed to two or more like earlier designs) and is nowhere near as hot in the summer months. Mesh is used to keep the participants from tumbling out, while also allowing parents the opportunity to watch while their children bounce around inside. And keep in mind, children aren't the only ones who enjoy Bounce Houses -- they are structurally supportive for adults to enjoy the fun as well!
There are many designs readily offered for renting or purchasing. Castles and animals are two of the most noted designs to attract attention. There are even inflatable slides for your swimming pool! Water parks are offering Bounce House structures complete with water slides as new attractions for visitors. With the internet it is easy to purchase a new or even used Bounce House of your very own. Since they are inflatable storage is a breeze, however if you don't have the space or the desire to own there are still many rental options available to you. Many rental facilities have trained staff to set up & take down the inflatable houses, as well as provide safety tips. Bounce Houses are available for any party you desire and certainly will make you the envy of the neighborhood!
How to rent an jumping castle
If you are renting an inflatable jumping castle, you need to make sure that the rental company will be responsible for the set up of the bouncy castle, the removal of the castle and for maintenance. The rental company needs to ensure that the bouncy castle is maintained in a way that is sanitary. Find out their methods for cleaning the castle. If the castle doesn't get a good disinfecting cleansing, you don't want your children to use it for obvious reasons. Make sure that the rental company repairs any rips and slits.
If you are buying an inflatable jumping castle, make sure that you can get a money back guarantee if you are unhappy. Make sure that you can buy your purchase from a company that will give you complete instructions on how to use and care for your bouncy castle.
Whether you rent, or purchase an inflatable jumping castle for your kids, you will be happy with your decision. Just make sure that the inflatable is safe, clean, and maintained well and your backyard parties or your parties in the park will be the event that all of your child's friends will want to attend.
Safety Measures For Inflatable Bouncers
Inflatable bouncers are a wonderful thing to have whenever there are occasions or family gatherings because children will surely have fun bouncing the whole day. Bouncers can be just rented or bought if you really want your kids to have their own bouncing space. As fun as these are but when these things are not properly used, it would lead to danger and injuries. It is really necessary to understand the safety measures of using these bouncers in order to prevent accident and to make it more enjoyable for the kids. Below are some safety guidelines to follow in order to ensure safety:
If you are heading for a family picnic, bringing inflatable bouncers can be a good idea but make sure that when you get there, you'll know how to install each part of the bouncer so that when kids decide to play, they will be out of harm. If you are just renting a bouncer, see to it that the company can provide a person who can do the proper set-up. When setting up, laid down a tap below it and check if it is already properly attach to the ground and it is not likely to fall or slide.
Before you let children play, test if everything is good and ask someone or keep an eye to the bouncer to make sure that children won't get hurt. Does the bouncer look like air have gone of it? Is the blower working efficiently? Do not allow children to play on it all together. An inflatable bouncer can't handle a lot of children and it will just create damage. The number of kids who will be using the bouncer will just depend on the size of the bouncer you have and the weight of the kids.
Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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.
Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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.
Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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.
Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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.
Arafat arrives in Moscow
MOSCOW - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat arrived in Moscow early Tuesday for talks with Russian officials on ways to seek a solution to months of violence between Israel and Palestinians.
The visit began in the wake of calls Monday by Russia's foreign minister for a multinational meeting to persuade the two sides to pearl jewelry end hostilities and resume negotiations.
Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to resume talks on security cooperation following a round of shuttle diplomacy by U.S. envoy William Burns, but it wasn't clear whether the talks would also include political discussions on ending eight months of violence.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Monday that shuttle diplomacy seemed to be bringing few results.
"It is rather difficult for anybody to achieve it alone," Ivanov told a news conference. "So we are calling for holding an international meeting."
Still, Russia plans to continue its bilateral efforts, he said.
Russia co-sponsors the Mideast peace process along with the United States, but has played a far smaller role. It has developed friendly ties with Israel following decades of animosity, but largely lost its clout with the Palestinians and other Soviet-era allies in the Arab world it once armed against Israel.
Arafat was scheduled to cultured freshwater pearl meet Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, other officials, and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II, Russian news agencies reported, citing Palestinian diplomats in Moscow.
Alexy's church is engaged in disputes with the New York-based Russian Orthodox Church Abroad over church properties in the West Bank. Clergy from the Church Abroad, which broke with the Moscow church in the 1920s over its support for the atheist Soviet government, have accused Arafat's officials of favoring the Moscow church in the disputes.
Appeals court cuts Tobin's sentence
MOSCOW - A court in southern Russia on Thursday cut the prison sentence of a U.S. Fulbright scholar jailed on a drug conviction from 37 months to one year, his lawyer's office said.
The regional court in Voronezh was conducting a procedural review of the conviction of John Tobin of Ridgefield, Connecticut, on charges of illegally obtaining, possessing and distributing marijuana.
He has insisted on his innocence.
Court officials could not immediately be reached. A secretary in the office of Tobin's attorney, Maxim Bayev, said coin pearl that the court had made the decision to reduce the sentence. She spoke on condition of anonymity.
Tobin was doing political research at a university in Voronezh, about 300 miles south of Moscow, when he was arrested outside a local nightclub in January.
The case attracted wider attention after the Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, alleged that Tobin had connections with U.S. intelligence. Tobin, a graduate of Middlebury College, had studied at the elite Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.
No espionage charges were filed, and Tobin said in e-mails to friends and the Fulbright program that he was framed because he refused to become a spy for Russia.
His case has been raised with Russian officials by Secretary of State Colin Powell, and his representative in the U.S. Congress, James Maloney, has traveled to pearl jewelry wholesale Russia twice to press for his release.
APEC leaders issue joint statement on terrorism
CABO SAN LUCAS - Calling terrorism a direct threat to free trade, Pacific Rim leaders agreed Sunday to draw closer in their fight against it with "a series of concrete steps" that will protect and streamline the movement of goods, people and data.
In a separate statement, they called on North Korea to wholesale pearl jewelry immediately stop building nuclear weapons.
Top officials from the 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum issued a series of joint declarations - a blueprint on conducting more efficient trade in a world of disappearing economic borders and on making physical borders safer.
"We commit to taking a series of concrete steps that will protect and make more efficient the flows of trade, finance and information," said Mexican President Vicente Fox, who as host of the summit presented the declaration.
"We condemn in the strongest terms recent terrorist acts in the APEC region, and reaffirm our determination to enhance cooperation in countering and responding to terrorism."
The leaders also endorsed a U.S.-crafted proposal to overhaul the Pacific Rim's tradeways, tightening security on millions of shipping containers, fortifying cockpit doors in airliners and strengthening customs cooperation.
APEC members had widely supported the proposal, though some developing nations worried they couldn't afford to implement it so quickly. The declaration said such common standards would be put into place by 2005 "whenever possible."
The leaders also called on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to conduct assessments of countries' efforts to stop the flow of money to terrorists.
The declarations came after APEC foreign ministers and, later, heads of state, spent days discussing the impact of terrorist acts on their individual economies and their efforts to open trade borders in a new age of security.
"We agreed on the importance of fighting terrorism, which poses a profound threat to our vision," said the main declaration, released minutes after Fox's announcement.
But Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien cautioned that strong condemnation of terrorism at last year's APEC meeting in Shanghai, China - which came only weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - did not end terrorist activity.
"It's not because we have a declaration in Shanghai that terrorism is going to disappear," he said, adding: "Now it's coming from anywhere. It's completely unpredictable."
The declaration called for the abolition of agricultural subsidies that protect individual nations' farmers from the pressures of the international market. Many nations, including Mexico, have criticized the United States, European countries and Japan for such protectionism.
North Korea's nuclear-weapons program and U.S. threats of war against Iraq also dominated the weekend summit of the 21-member group, created in 1989 mainly to pearl jewelry wholesale promote free trade among economies of the Pacific Rim.
The main declaration mentioned neither Iraq nor North Korea in particular. However, in a separate statement, the leaders called on North Korea to "visibly honor its commitment to give up nuclear weapons programs."
They did not directly condemn North Korea for trying to build a nuclear bomb - something the United States had wanted. Even so, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said that in diplomatic language, "it doesn't get much stronger than what they did."
After a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Bush also failed to win harsh words from his allies for North Korea. The three leaders' statement merely called upon Pyongyang to "dismantle this program in a prompt and verifiable manner," and Tokyo said it would continue talks with North Korea on establishing diplomatic relations.
Bush also failed to sway any U.N. Security Council members on his proposal to threaten Iraq with war if it doesn't disarm.
This year's APEC summit came weeks after a devastating terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali and unfolded while Chechen separatists held hundreds hostage in a Moscow theater.
The leaders' statement also commended Russia, Indonesia and the Philippines for their "prompt and decisive efforts to find and bring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of ... terrorist acts to freshwater pearl jewlelry justice."
The APEC leaders - including Bush and Jiang Zemin, presidents of the world's largest developed and developing economies - issued the declaration after a retreat Sunday.
In keeping with APEC tradition of a dress code set by the host country, the men wore white, long-sleeved guayabera shirts; the alliance's three female leaders wore colorfully embroidered blouses called huipiles.
While such political talk among industrialized nations was the loudest voice at APEC, developing nations quietly spoke about claiming their share of prosperity, saying that the increasingly globalized world is helping little to bridge the gap between rich and poor.
They said reducing poverty will go far toward reducing terrorism.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called for "a level playing field" in trade, joining other leaders in criticizing agricultural subsidies and trade barriers in the United States, Japan and the European Union that have hindered exports from developing nations.
Such subsidies are expected to be a major sticking point in the World Trade Organization meetings next year. The APEC leaders said they supported efforts by Russia and Vietnam to pearl necklace join the WTO.
APEC backs Russia’s WTO bid
BANGKOK - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders ended their two-day annual summit in Bangkok with a joint statement.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the meeting's host, read aloud the document, which expresses support for WTO membership for Russia and Vietnam, the only two APEC members not already in the world trade body.
The declaration also calls for the peaceful settlement of North Korea’s nuclear problem and for the resumption of talks on the issue, involving North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, the United States and Russia. In addition, APEC nations stressed the necessity to further liberalize the market and to combat the SARS virus, Rossiya (Russia) television reports.
APEC leaders supported Washington’s idea to turquoise necklace set up an anti-terrorist fund, affiliated with the Asian Development Bank. According to Thaksin Shinawatra, APEC nations realized the necessity of setting up this fund to support measures to ensure security and stability in the region. The US said it was ready to allocate $5.4m to the fund.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the APEC summit in Bangkok, is scheduled to pay a state visit to Thailand on October 21-22, at the invitation of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej. During the visit, Mr. Putin will meet with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The development of bilateral relations and cooperation in international affairs will be discussed at the meeting.
Apartment houses-blasts defendants sentenced to life imprisonment
MOSCOW - Adam Dekkushev and Yusuf Crymshamhalov, two defendants in the criminal case into apartment blasts that killed about 240 people and aimed hundred others in Moscow and Volgodonsk in southern Russia in 1999, have been sentenced to life term each in a special-regime colony.
They will also have to pay compensations for material and moral damages suffered by their victims during the blasts. According to akoya pearl necklace investigation results both were members of Achemez Gochiyaev’s gang, which was responsible for the blast, according to the court order.
Dekkushev, 42 and Crymshamhalov, 37 had also faced other capital charges, including terrorism, torturous killing, participation in illegal armed gang, explosive production, its transportation and storage as well as illegal border-crossing. Both convicts were arrested by joint efforts of the Russian and Georgian special forces. Dekkushev was extradited to Russia on April 14, 2002, while Crymshamhalov on Dec. 7, following a special military operation in the Pankisi Gorge.
Investigators have named Arab mercenaries Hattab and Abu Umar, reportedly killed later in Chechnya with three other suspects, as the main organizers of the blasts. Two more suspects, including Gochiyaev, are now under international search warrant.
The court hearing, which started last October, was closed to public. Both defendants have pleaded guilty only to pearl necklace some of the charges. For instance, Dekkushev acknowledged that he knew the explosives he transported were to be used for an act of terror, but noted that he was not aware that ordinary citizens would suffer.
FREE Blog at Beeplog.com
Responsible for the content of the member blogs are our members, not the provider, Beepworld GmbH
|
|
|
