My Place: Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home has the classic hallmarks

The house incorporates most of the familiar Wright features: a carport rather than a garage, an open living plan with the dining area flowing into the living room, indirect lighting, built-in cabinets and bookshelves, small bedrooms and baths. The house has modular cast-concrete tile walls, inside and out, above-ground 4-by-4-foot-square concrete slab floors, embedded with hot water pipes that produce radiant heat. Much of the furniture is built in to fit the house, and wide windows offer views of the landscape.

The roof is suspended over interior walls by clerestory windows. Corner windows are mitered glass, and the ceiling continues in an unbroken line from the inside of the house to the exterior.

Wright made some design concessions for the Browns. He designed the living room to accommodate Ann Brown's two small grand pianos; Ann taught piano, and used one piano for herself and one for her students.

The 19-foot-long galley-type kitchen is larger than most in Wright homes. Wright gave Ann a choice of having kitchen windows or more cabinets, and Ann chose cabinets. She also wanted space for a washer and dryer in the kitchen area.

Lengthening his usual compact Usonian design to 130 feet, the architect also added a bedroom and bath for Ann's father on the end opposite the carport. The room's elaborately designed ceiling has a chapel-like quality, perhaps intentional because Ann's father was a minister.

When Wright added the father's room and bath, he also added a maid's room and tiny half-bath. The Browns used the maid's room as quarters for a college student, who provided baby-sitting and household help in exchange for room and supper. Curtis and Kathy use it now as a small guest room.

The maid's room is the only one in the house with a flat roof. It also is the only room that does not look out over the lake.

Wright designed one spacious room for the Browns' three sons to use for sleeping, playing and studying instead of the three small bedrooms he originally planned. Two sets of bunk beds were installed in one corner of the room, which the Browns called the playroom. The Curtis-Smiths stored the beds, and Curtis uses this space as his office.

Curtis and Kathy brought a china cabinet, antique marbletop table, Javanese table and a grand piano into the house. Most of the other furniture — including the dining room table, coffee table, modular couches and hassocks — was designed by Wright and came with the house.

The couple was delighted with the house and its spaciousness, but there was work to be done. The house was 50 years old and little had changed.

Major renovations included a new roof, furnace and boiler. Lighting was upgraded throughout. They installed a skylight in the kitchen and LED lights above the kitchen counter and brought in a new refrigerator, double-drawer dishwasher, four-burner gas stove, microwave oven and washer and dryer.

"Yes, the remodeling and appliances were expensive, and there were unique challenges, but that's par for the course for Wright houses. And we think it is worth it," Kathy said.

An 86-foot-long hallway with 48 feet of closets along the walls is one unique feature of the house. Curtis pointed out piano hinges on doors and other cupboards throughout the house.

LED backlight competition hots up

Full revenue for backlight and lighting applications hit $7.2 billion in 2010, but should reach $12.7 billion in 2014. Suppliers have realised there is top dollar to be had and have pushed up capacity.

There should be, according to DisplaySearch, global capacity of 180 billion units for this year, up to 227 billion by 2013.

Penetration of LED backlights in LCD monitors and LCD TVs is still growing, while LED packages per set decrease. Backlight demand will be 45.9 billion this year overall. LED-backlit LCD TVs account for half of total backlight demand, but will reach its top level in 2012, when it will slightly drop after 2013 because of an LED decrease per unit.

Regionally, Japan holds the highest market share for this year at 63 percent. It will drop to 40 percent in 2014, thanks to bulb growth in China, North America and Europe.

Korean companies have so far carried the torch for LED supply, but Taiwan plans to usurp it when the year is through. The biggest suppliers in the second quarter this year, looking at 500x500 chip size, were S-LED, LGIT and Epistar, says DisplaySearch. As Taiwan increases output, China too has realised this is a lucrative market. The analysts describe it as a "wild card" thanks to all the investment.

Competition is set to increase heavily this year and onwards thanks to a stock surplus - meaning big price drops for 2011. In turn, we can expect higher LED adoption rates.

Q+A-How will Thailand's election affect listed companies?

Thailand holds a general election on July 3 and, given the political turbulence over the past five years, foreign investors have been selling stocks this month to limit risk, offloading $682 million in the past seven sessions.

However, elections have tended to push up the stock market in the past, and the retail sector outperformed around the seven polls from 1992 to 2007.

Here is a look at shares that may win or lose this time.

WILL RETAIL, MEDIA BENEFIT?

Retail and media stocks are seen as the best plays since consumer spending should rise as political parties and state agencies spend on election campaigns.

The state planning agency is reported as saying election activities could lead to spending of up to 30 billion baht ($1 billion), higher than in the previous poll in 2007.

Top convenience store chain CP All is among the top picks in the retail sector. Its shares hit a record high on May 25 after it told Reuters it expected a strong second quarter because of election spending. .

Among other stocks singled out by analysts are motorcycle-loan provider Thitikorn Pcl and top mobile phone firm Advanced Info Service (AIS) .

Advertising spending, which rose 12 percent in April from a year before, should also post strong growth in the second quarter. This is positive for broadcasters BEC World and MCOT , cinema chain Major Cineplex and television programme producer Workpoint Entertainment .

About 1 billion baht of spending is expected to flow into the printing industry, which should benefit printer T.K.S. Technology .

WHICH COMPANIES ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR POLITICAL LINKS?

The telecoms sector is highly linked to politics because of the regulatory system, under which companies pay concession fees to state firms TOT and CAT Telecom for the right to operate.

Thailand is in the process of setting up a new telecoms regulator, now expected in the third quarter of 2011. Political turbulence and frequent changes of government have delayed reform, in particular stalling the introduction of 3G telephony.

True Corp , the country's largest integrated telecoms provider, appears to have done well under the current Democrat-led government.

After the collapse of a tender for new 3G bandwidth amid regulatory wrangling, True signed deals with CAT Telecom that effectively extended its concession by 15 years and enabled it to be the first to launch nationwide third-generation services on an existing network.

True is part of unlisted food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, which is among the big donors to the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra made his fortune in the telecoms sector with Shin Corp . His family sold a controlling stake in Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings in 2006, which triggered events that led to his ouster by the military in September of that year.

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled Thaksin had concealed ownership of shares in Shin and tailored government policies to benefit Shin and its satellite arm Thaicom when in office.

The Shin group, including affiliates top mobile firm AIS and Thaicom, denies any connection with politics and says a recent rise in its share price reflects the performance of the two units. Even so, some investors seem to think it might benefit under a government that backs Thaksin.

Also in the spotlight is SC Asset Corp , the property arm of the Shinawatra family. Its shares hit a seven-year high in May just before its president, Yingluck Shinawatra, was selected as Puea Thai's candidate to be prime minister.

Yingluck is Thaksin's sister. Although she will cease to be the president of the company before the election, some investors feel SC Asset will benefit if she leads the next government.

Her husband is Anusorn Amornchat, president of handset distributor M-Link Asia Corp . M-Link was founded by Thaksin's other two sisters.

Green" products and free market conflicts

"Green" products and free market conflicts
In recent years the move toward green products and technologies has gone into overdrive. Everything from the expansion of windmills and solar technologies to the hard rush toward passenger vehicles that run on alternative fuels is in the media. Few people disagree that America needs to continue to develop more efficient and cost-effective products. However, what has been a bone of contention with many consumers is the way in which many within the "green" movement have gone about attempting to integrate these new technologies into the market.

The primary problem with the green movement is that it is often inhospitable to the mechanisms of the free market. Many of these green products cost more than they are worth. Then there is the strong-arming. As soon as one hears of the wonders of a new green technology, it is not long before government intervention follows with either manipulating buyers with rebates, which come straight from the tax payers' pockets, or penalties for those that fail to comply with new green mandates. What is completely missing from this picture? It is the freedom of choice that comes with the free market.

American buyers welcome innovation and creativity. The expansion of green technologies would be no exception if they were presented fairly within the market place. That is, new technologies such as hybrid cars can and will do well if they can be designed to be cost-effective and equal in quality to their current competition. If not, they will and should fail and no government rebate will change that. When the government attempts to subvert the free market, products that should have been colossal marketing failures are wrongly saved and kept from their deserved and natural extinction. Let us illuminate a conflict between the pushers of green products and the free market.

Light bulbs — they are a major part of American life. No one will argue that a traditional light bulb has too short of a lifespan. Everyone who reads this article, who is honest, will admit to doing the "light bulb shuffle." That is, taking a working light bulb to different rooms within the home when there is a shortage of working bulbs but still the need for light. There is no shame here, just the realization that the technology could be improved. Here is a bright example where the green industry could work to fill a very needed and practical niche in American life. The criterion for success here is simply creating a better product for a competitive price.

Unfortunately, those pushing this green technology fail to embrace the free market and turn to the government to create buyer appeal. Despite the reasonable argument against energy waste when comparing new bulbs to traditional incandescent ones, the government decides to strong-arm the American consumer with an upcoming ban on 100-watt incandescent light bulbs even though the nearest LED alternative light bulb is reported to come in at a cost of $50 apiece. This is ridiculous. The "green" compact fluorescent light bulb brought about by the current environmental push is even worse. Why? They are not only expensive, they are dangerous!

According to the Environmental Protection Agency's website, breaking a CFL light bulb is the equivalent of creating a hazardous material spill. Due to the poisonous mercury powder and vapor released when a green CFL is broken in common household settings, the EPA recommends that all humans and animals evacuate the room. Windows should be opened and the room should be aired out for five to ten minutes. Heating and air conditioning units should be shut down to limit contamination spread. Remains of the broken CFL should be placed in a glass jar with a metal lid and taken to a disposal location. Vacuuming the location of the CFL break incident is reported by the EPA to potentially spread mercury powder or vapor. In other words, if your new environmental friendly "green" light bulb doesn't kill your pocketbook, it might kill you personally. What were they thinking?

Daytona Beach, Volusia County modifying turtle lighting rules

Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit
Antec celebrates its quarter century of existence by introducing the soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit, targeting the enthusiast DIY market for gaming nuts as well as PC upgrade fans. The name of this DIY kit is pretty much self-explanatory, but just in case you do not get what it is all about, we are here to help. The Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit will come across as an affordable option for folks who want to outfit PC monitors with professional-grade backlighting.

Just what is the whole point of such backlights? Well, the main idea would be to reduce eye fatigue while increasing image clarity whenever you indulge in long gaming sessions and similar periods of extended computer use. This is not a new idea at all, as it has been demonstrated by Philips and their Ambilight equipped TVs in the past, but for computer users, it is unchartered territory.

The bias lighting illumination technique will make a ring of white backlight appear behind PC monitors, hence reducing eyestrain that is caused by differences in picture brightness from scene changes in movies, TV shows and video games. Apart from that, the soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit’s USB-powered LED strip that measures 14.6” in length can be attached to the back of the monitor, ensuring it complements any PC monitor as long as it does not venture beyond the 24” screen size.

Both the color and brightness of the LEDs are carefully calibrated, where it will go great lengths to help increase a monitor’s perceived contrast ratio, hence enhancing perceived black levels, vibrant colors and picture detail by enabling dark adapted viewing.

Antec will offer a 2-year limited warranty for their Antec soundscience halo 6 LED bias lighting kit, and at the relatively low, low price of $12.95 a pop, it might just turn more than a few heads when you have this installed on your home machine. Perhaps it is a good way of dropping a hint to your boss that you are being overworked, and your eyes doth protest looking into the computer screen for too long?

What Light Pollution Ordinances Could Mean for C-stores

What Light Pollution Ordinances Could Mean for C-stores
We all know that well lit c-stores attract more clientele at night. Folks, especially women feel safer in a well lit environment. Indeed, studies and surveys show that it is actually safer, and humans seem to inherently know this. Perhaps, the reasoning has to do with the basic “crime triangle” – that is to say for a crime to occur three things are needed:

A brightly lit convenience store tends to remove the opportunity due to risk/reward for the criminal in that they will most likely get caught, and witnesses will see them and turn them in, therefore they keep going and look for other opportunities, and safer locations to do their criminal activity. That’s why a well-lit facility works.

Now then, with high energy costs, which may, in fact, triple in the upcoming years due to more regulations on coal-fired plants and subsidized alternative energy – keeping a brightly lit facility may be a problem. Perhaps, that’s why more and more of us are going to LED lighting to save both energy and money, and collect some tax breaks to boot.

Nevertheless, there is an on-going battle running in many urban areas and big cities with regards to the proliferation of LED Billboards. The opponents of these billboards have shown that they are highly distracting to motorists and cause more pedestrian, bicycle, and multi-car accidents – the research appears to confirm this, although some of that could indeed be due to the increase of text-messaging while driving, compounded with the billboard distractions – time and more research will tell.

Indeed, there was a very interesting segment recently on KCET Los Angeles News titled “Bright Lights, Big City” by Reporter Judy Muller, Producer Karen Foshay and Editor Alberto Arce, which noted that in the long ongoing battle in Los Angeles’ Westside against LED Billboards there is a new challenge: human health. The segment started with this comment: “Light pollution may be a more serious concern than you think. New evidence suggests that a lack of darkness in our urban night skies contributes to air pollution, making it a matter of public health. Yet Los Angeles keeps rolling out bigger, brighter signs.”

Will local neighborhoods ask convenience stores to also curtail their brightness? Will local governments step in and create more regulations? If so, that will mean fewer sales in the evenings, thus, hurting business. Perhaps fewer patrons will wish to wonder very far from their cars when pumping fuel. Fewer trips into the c-store will mean fewer sales on high-profit impulse items.

Is this a future threat? It very well could be.

For those c-stores who have signed agreements with Billboard Companies sporting large LED Multi-media Billboards, that could cost a few bucks each month in rental or lease revenues from those Billboards in the future. Either way, this could be a future threat to the industry, albeit not a game changer, it might still slightly alter the dynamics and cost your c-store future revenue. I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Napping controllers spotlight shift work dangers

A wake-up call. That's one way to describe the recent spate of cases in which air led spotlight traffic controllers working the graveyard shift were caught napping on the job.

"Over the last few weeks we have seen examples of unprofessional conduct on the part of a few individuals that have rightly caused the traveling public to question our ability to ensure their safety," said FAA chief Randy Babbitt.


But the incidents - which led to the suspension of several controllers as well as the resignation of  the head of the agency's air traffic organization - may have more to do with human biology than with personnel problems.

It's not clear that the suspended controllers were experiencing this, but people who work nights or who rotate shifts often develop led spotlight sleep problems - insomnia or excessive sleepiness - along with headaches, difficulty concentrating, and other health problems, according to the Cleveland Clinic website.

Doctors have a name for this constellation of symptoms: shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).


The disorder can cause big problems, and not just for the people who have it. In addition to irritability and mood problems, SWSD can lead to work accidents. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine puts the problem in stark terms: "Those who work night shifts are likely to become very tired on the job. They may feel a strong urge to take a nap. They also may not think clearly because of a reduced level of alertness. They are more likely to make mistakes."


No aircraft went down and no injuries were reported in conjunction the spate of sleeping controller cases. But investigators said controller fatigue may have played a role in Kentucky plane crash led spotlight that occurred nearly five years ago. The crash claimed 49 lives.

Lack of sleep is believed to have played a role in other tragedies, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Challenger disaster, and the Chernobyl nuclear accident, according to CNN.

What's the remedy for shift work sleep disorder? Avoiding shift change and giving workers regular rest periods and exercise breaks can help, says the academy. In some cases, exposure to bright lights can be helpful.

Can someone please hit the switch?

Top 5 IBD 50 Tech Stocks By RS Rating Led By Sina

Top 5 IBD 50 Tech Stocks By RS Rating Led By Sina

The IBD 50 looks at many of the “main” factors, such as sales growth and profit growth, in determining the top 50 stocks each week. The list is ranked by what we call our Composite Rating, our most broad-based rating.

The items determining the CR include one of IBD’s key gauges, the Relative Price Strength Rating. The RS is a feature of our stock coverage, and subscribers can easily re-order the IBD 50 by RS (or by many other different ways.)

The RS rates stocks by how they’ve performed vs. all other stocks in the past 12 months, with extra weight given to the most recent three months. It’s showing you the strongest stocks.

In general, IBD advises that you focus on stocks with RS ratings of 80 or above. A stock with an 80 RS has performed in the top 20% of all stocks over the past 12 months. On the other side, you want to be careful with any stocks below 70 RS.

As it turns out, the lowest RS in the current IBD 50 is the No. 50 stock, Oracle (ORCL) , at a 72. All of the other 49 IBD 50 companies have an RS of 77 or higher.

The latest IBD 50 includes just two 99 RS stocks, and both are techs: Sina and Travelzoo. Three other techs have RS numbers of 97 or higher. Here are the top 5 IBD 50 tech stocks by RS ranking, listed by their IBD 50 ranking.

Breaking the Speed Limit

Last week it was the throwers. Next week it just might be the multi-eventers. But today, at the 25th Annual Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, it was the Cougar sprinters who took center stage and enjoyed their day in the spotlight.

Junior All-American Zachary Keene led the way for the Cougars speedsters, putting together arguably the best-ever regular-season meet in his collegiate career. Keene was the undisputed sprint champion of the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, winning both the 100- and 200-meter dashes with season-best times. In fact, his winning effort in the 200 – a 21.19 – was a personal-best and the seventh-best mark in Azusa Pacific history. Keene grabbed the early and as he came out of the turn he pulled away from the field, beating his nearest competitor by .43 of a second.

Earlier in the meet he won the 100 with a windy 10.58, holding off Jordan Taylor of Cal State Bakersfield who was second with a 10.70. For Keene, it was his first 100 of the season, and the effort bodes well for a man who is trying to become the third Cougar ever to win the NAIA 100- and 200-meter national championships later this year.

Keene opened the meet by anchoring the Cougars’ 4x100-meter relay to a season-best 41.86.

On the women’s side of the sprints, Cougar senior Mandy Ross, an All-American as well, finished second in both the 100- and 200-meters, and in keeping in line with her individual performances she anchored the Cougars’ 4x100 relay to a second-place showing with a 47.46, teaming with Anita Fung, Breanna Leslie and Tiffeny Parker to clock the fourth-fastest relay in Azusa Pacific history.

Ross recorded a very fine early-season 12.11 in her first 100 of the outdoor season. She then ran a 24.76 in the 200.

While Keene and Ross were clearly the stars of the meet, they weren’t the only Cougars to shine on the track. Sophomore Poppy Lawman completed a fantastic week of racing by narrowly finishing second in the women’s 800-meters with a season-best time of 2:10.63. Canadian high school phenom Jenna Westaway edged Lawman by .02 of a second. The day before Lawman ran a 4:30.22 in the 1500 meters at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee/Rafer Johnson Invitational at UCLA. In her first 1500 of the season, Lawman posted a time less than 2 seconds off her personal-best.

In the men’s 800 meters at Pomona, senior Montrail Brooks blazed a personal-best 1:53.67, finishing sixth in the 82-man field with a time just off the NAIA qualifying standard.

All-American Staphon Arnold led Azusa Pacific’s showing in the field events, finishing second in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 6’ 9 3/4”, easily qualifying for the NAIA outdoors in his first competition of the year.

Back at UCLA on Friday, Lawman’s performance was one of just several excellent times posted by Azusa Pacific distance runners. NAIA champion Lauren Jimison recorded the second-fasted 5000-meter run in Azusa Pacific history with a 16:38.91, trailing event winner Danielle Tauro of Michigan by 6 seconds.

Senior Abednego Magut finished second in the men’s 1500-meters with an NAIA-qualifying 3:51.87.

Overall for the weekend, Azusa Pacific punched a dozen more entries for NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet later this spring in Marion, Ind.

Augusta steals Tiger’s spotlight in PGA Tour 12

Tiger Woods’ name may be on the cover of the latest iteration of Electronic Arts’ PGA Tour series, but the famously troubled golfer isn’t the game’s star. That honour goes to Augusta National, a course widely recognized as one of the finest clubs in the world and which plays host to the prestigious Masters tournament.

Indeed, the game all but revolves around both Augusta and the storied competition that has attracted the globe's best golfers annually since 1934. The primary career mode is organized as a journey through qualifying school and several tours with the grand goal of competing in the Masters. A secondary mode has players trying to recreate some of the tournament’s most memorable performances, such as Gary Player’s blistering final back nine that led him to his third championship in 1978.

The upshot is that you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time on Augusta’s renowned real estate, and you probably won’t be disappointed by what you see. The course is extraordinarily well captured, with famous holes like the short but devilish par three 12th and the round-making (or destroying) par five 15th looking—and playing—just as you’d imagine.

It’s also one of the most difficult courses that Electronic Arts has ever simulated—and not just because of its treacherous greens and sadistically placed hazards. The game automatically removes any clothing or equipment bonuses you may have added when you play in the Masters Moments mode, and when you finally arrive at the tournament proper in the career mode you’ll find yourself prohibited from using some of the game’s most frequently used special abilities, such as power boosts and real time spin control. The upshot is that each green hit is earned, each birdie a satisfying accomplishment.

But we’re not left to face Augusta completely disarmed. The other star of the game (sorry, Tiger, still not you) is a caddy who proudly wears your name on the back of his shirt.

Qatar in spotlight in absence of Arab heavies

DUBAI — The conflict in Libya has swept small but wealthy Qatar into the diplomatic and military spotlight in the absence of traditional Arab heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, analysts said on Wednesday.

Qatar last week became the first Arab state to take part in Western-led military operations against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

It has since scored another regional first by recognising the transitional council of the rebels battling Gaddafi as legitimate representatives of the Libyan people.

On Tuesday, leaders at an international conference held in London on the Libya crisis appointed gas-rich Qatar to host the first meeting of a follow-up Contact Group.

“This all confirms Qatar’s ambition to play a role as leader of the Arab world in the absence of the region’s traditional heavyweights such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” said London-based analyst Abdelwahad BadraKhan.

Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani said in the British capital that the conflict in Libya was an Arab affair in which regional states should become more involved.

Qatar’s high-profile role “shows the determination of its leaders to put their small country on the regional political map,” just like they are on the sporting calendar as host of the 2022 football World Cup, said BadraKhan.

“With a stable regime and reassured by a large US air base in Qatar”, the emir, Hamad bin Hamad Al-Thani, has been taking the initiative “in consultation with” Washington and Riyadh, according to BadraKhan.

And Egypt is only just emerging from the February revolution which toppled its longtime president Hosni Mubarak.

Eclipsed since independence by “big brother” Saudi Arabia, Qatar has turned into a player in its own right, with help from Doha-based news channel Al-Jazeera and its blanket coverage of the so-called “Arab spring” of revolts.

Doha has played the role of mediator in complex regional crises in Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan, with varying degrees of success.

Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy head of Brookings Doha Center, said a new order was being put in place.

“Qatar has a role to play in all this with its financial muscle, a moderate political vision and opening, and expertise it has gained from being involved in resolving regional crises,” he said.

Sharqieh pointed out the country has good ties with the United States and arch-foe Iran, and has had political contacts as well as trading with Israel.

Mohamed Mesfer, a university lecturer in Doha, said the low profile kept by Syria and Algeria was also serving to boost Qatar, which apart from the United Arab Emirates has been the only Arab state untouched by unrest popping up across the region since January.

On the domestic front, Qatar has lined up legislative elections without being forced to bow to street protests.

Libyan rebels say the Gulf state has signed a contract to market oil from the rebel-held east of the country, and it to host and help launch a rebel television station.

Coronial inquest puts rafting under spotlight

THE language barrier between two Greek tourists and their Australian kayaking guides may have led to a tragic drowning in a treacherous stretch of the Russell River, a coronial inquest has heard.

A police officer who investigated the 2008 death of Georgina Hatzidimitriadis, 50, has alleged the guides did not adequately gauge whether the woman and her nephew understood instructions before allowing them on the water.


The Cairns Coroner’s Court also heard paramedics were sent “nowhere near where the incident occurred” after receiving the emergency call from tour company Foaming Fury on July 30, 2008.


The inquest into Mrs Hatzidimitriadis’ drowning began yesterday and is the second of four to be held examining the deaths of five people on commercial white water rafting tours in the region between July, 2007 and February, 2009.


The court heard Mrs Hatzidimitriadis and her nephew Dimitrios Eremeidis pushed away from the shore out of turn, ignoring or not understanding instructions to wait for a whistle to sound.


Former Babinda police officer Sen-Sgt Kevin Mathieson said witnesses reported Mr Eremeidis became confused after the pair’s two-person kayak drifted off course and he began paddling the wrong way.

The court was told trip leader Dean Priest yelled instructions to Mr Eremeidis, but he continued to paddle backward while Mrs Hatzidimitriadis paddled forward, inhibiting the kayak’s ability to move away from the current.


After the kayak capsized, the force of the water trapped Mrs Hatzidimitriadis underneath the surface on the front of a large rock.


She was found seven to eight minutes later and pulled from the water.


Sen-Sgt Mathieson said paramedics were sent to the wrong section of the river after a “mix-up” with Foaming Fury, but he did not think it contributed to Mrs Hatzidimitriadis’ death.


He said he was more concerned there was no procedure to check tourists’ understanding of instructions given during demonstrations.


Sen-Sgt Mathieson said he did not think the dangers of the Russell River, in particular the section dubbed Three Ways where the tourists were kayaking, were properly explained and the rapids were no place for the inexperienced.


Foaming Fury general manager Alan Carrette told the court the company now had a more rigorous way of assessing tourists’ command of the English language.

Howard returns to spotlight for Butler as a changed player

Ask anyone on Butler about Matt Howard and you'll walk away thinking there was one small flaw with the way he corralled a crucial free-throw miss, drew attention to Nasir Robinson's reach-in and calmly sank the subsequent foul shot to beat No. 1 seed Pitt.

Howard did it all himself, creating a rare instance where the humble senior couldn't immediately credit someone else.

Unlike last Thursday, when frontcourt partner Andrew Smith helped create the mayhem that led to Howard's uncontested putback at the buzzer that took out Old Dominion, Saturday's three-part play was a solo act. It also cast a fitting spotlight on Howard, who two years after being the best player on a No. 9 seed Butler squad, has re-emerged as the program's unwitting star.

"Matt's been consistent his whole career. He's been a guy of few words, but he shows it a lot with his leadership through his actions," sophomore guard Chase Stigall said after Saturday's pulsating 71-70 win over the Panthers. "A lot of people think this was a great thing Matt did tonight, but he does it every day. He does it in practice, he does it in games."

That kind of constant, quiet leadership can get overlooked when what the public sees is a changing of the guard. Few recall that Howard was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 2009, leading a 26-5 Butler team into the NCAAs as the top scorer and rebounder. The more lasting image is last season's Howard, relegated to a distant third offensive option by the star turns of then-sophomores Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack as the Bulldogs fell inches short of a national title. Howard was memorable more for his general awkwardness, a reckless propensity for fouling and the concussion that left him a game-time decision for the title game against Duke.

Wikileaks puts Martinelli back in world spotlight .

Wikileaks puts Martinelli back in world spotlight .


Wikileaks has put Panama and President Ricardo Martinelli back in the world spotlight after reveations that he tried to create a bloc against supporters of  Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.


Wikileaks released a  message sent by the U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, to Washington talking of a  a brief dialogue during Martinellis nauguration on July 1, 2009 with the then President Oscar Arias Costa Rica and Colombia's Alvaro Uribe.

The secret conversation is part of more than 800  confidential cables provided to  The Nation . It noted that "a source who was present said  Martinelli spoke to Arias on the need for a  CPC (Colombia-Panama-Costa Rica) bloc against Chávez.''
Arias, who was president 2006-2010 period, had  had friction with President Chavez, but sought to calm the situation for fear of economic retaliation from the Venezuelan government that has an aluminum plant in Costa Rica.

San Jose was also looking to reap the benefits of PetroCaribe, a regional agreement to buy Venezuelan oil at a discount.  Uribe had also had  disgreements with the Venezuelan leader.
El Siglo commented: “This is not the first time the controversial Wikileaks website puts the spotlight  onbthe Panamanian leader. On December 25, 2010, the Spanish newspaper El Pais published a cable revealing that President Martinelli asked U.S.ambassador Barbara Stephenson for help in wiretapping political opponents.
“Martinelli’s message sent through his Blackberry said:  'I need help with wiretapping'.”
“The cable revealed that a secret intelligence report that Stephenson sent the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on August 22, 2009, about his request to use the Drug Enforecment Agency  (DEA), to combat insecurity and spy on rival politicians.
“One of the strong criticisms made by the diplomat against the Panamanian leader was:  'His tendency to harassment and blackmail may have led to stardom in the world of supermarkets, but has done  little for him as a statesman.
The director of the School of International Relations at the University of Panama, Fermín Gondola, said “The  President cannot be promoting,  creating blocs or goading Venezuela, just because he does not like the style of Chavez.”

The Wikipedia revelations come only a 48 hours  after Venezuela’s Vice President claimed that Colombia’s former head  of secret police, who was given refuge in Panama after she came under investigation, was meeting with Venezuelan exiles in Panama to plot destabilizing actions against the Chavez Government.

LED Spotlight - Decrease Your Electric Bill

You get the mail, you open the electric bill and it is rising every month. One solution to the cost is using LED spotlight bulbs that decrease the amount of energy required to light your home. While the older bulbs had to be changed frequently, you get the added benefit of changing the new ones only every few years.

It's no hassle to change a bulb on a lamp for example, but for those high stair landings, or ceiling fans, it is. Using one of the high quality spotlights is the perfect solution. Change is required every few years or even longer.

These new bulbs use only 3.75 watts of power for the 120 Volt bulb and 4.7 watts for the 12 Volt size. You make fewer trips to the store, and fewer trips up the ladder and when you make that dreaded trip to the mailbox, it won't alarm you half as much to see the bill. You win.

Ceiling fans, stair landings, over the front door bulbs can all be changed infrequently with these bulbs. Make sure you never install a 12 Volt bulb in a 120 Volt socket as it will damage the bulb. Choose correctly, enjoy the lighting and save time and money.

Going green is important to you and everyone on the planet. Use these bulbs that contain no mercury and no lead. You will help the ecological system at the same time you save your own hard earned money.

Transform your garden into a night time fairyland with these soft white or white LED bulbs. Show off your landscaping night and day. You get 50,000 hours of use from each outdoor bulb. Enjoy your home and also consider the protective factor light adds to your home.

How enjoyable to sit on the patio long after sundown and enjoy the flowers. Warm summer evenings can be extended as long as you wish. With one or more of the LED spotlight to warm the night, it will put you in a romantic mood. White, or soft white, both are lovely depending on your preference.