'See You Tomorrow, Pedophile Friends'

There's a theory that you can't trust any message conveyed by a person's most public expressions and gestures. Instead, the theory runs, you have to study the fleeting look, the involuntary movement. The micro-expression that lasts a second or two, before the welcome smile is fixed in place.

That theory sounds good to me -- plausible enough that I wonder if you can apply it more broadly: If, for example, you can look at the unscripted remarks of politicians and deduce the real truth. I'll give the theory a run in the United States when the election campaign heats up, but for now let's give it a practice outing in France -- just days before that country goes to the polls.

First up, some background. France is slap-bang in the middle of the Eurozone crisis. Its government deficit isn't appalling -- or at least, not appalling by U.At Blow mouldengineering we specialize in conceptual prototype design.S. or Spanish standards, which admittedly doesn't set the bar too high. On the other hand, France's debt-to-GDP ratio is a scary 86 percent. If you add on all its other undeclared liabilities (pensions, EU obligations, and so on), the ratio is way over 150 percent. And France has run a budget deficit for more than 30 years.

France also has some big international banks. Those banks are active in Spain (where the financial prospects are awful), Italy (no better) and indeed the emerging economies of Eastern Europe. If and when one of those institutions hits a major stone in the road, the French government will have the choice between watching a massive lender fail or putting its own financial solvency on the line. Either way, the fiscal impact will be horrendous.

So: scary times. Scary enough that you'd want and expect some somber honesty from politicians. But no.Aeroscout rtls provides a complete solution for wireless asset tracking. Nothing of the sort. The man most likely to win, Francois Hollande, has come up with a brew of policies -- lowered pension age, new public sector hires, a tax on the rich that may touch 90 percent or more -- that collectively have the feel of some retro 1970s-themed party, all disco balls and facial hair.

That policy cocktail didn't work in the '70s. It brought rocketing inflation, stagnant growth, collapsing exchange rates and public protest. And these days,Where to buy or purchase plasticmoulds for precast and wetcast concrete? the climate is far less propitious than it was. There's more trade, China is fiercely competitive, the bond markets more open and less deferential and rampaging technological change (notably the Internet) has utterly altered the interconnectedness of markets. Meantime, France has lost control of its own currency. It can't even print its way out of trouble.

So what does our study of the unscripted remarks of politicians tell us? Well, we may as well note straight away that it's going to tell us more than a study of their scripted ones. Back when Sarkozy first ran for the presidency, he spoke it like he was for real. "Merit and labor should be rewarded more and more," he said. "Globalization requires us to reinvent everything." He spoke of a "rupture" with the past. He sounded like a French Thatcher.

Since he hasn't, even remotely, governed that way, we may as well study the unscripted. And we start with a little room for optimism. Asked by journalists if Italy could repay its debts, he laughed out loud. Not as in a "of course it can, don't be silly" way, but in an "Are you joking? It's Italy!" way. That's truthful, if hardly diplomatic.

But Sarkozy's tendency to honesty doesn't seem to extend as far as an appetite for debate. Given a hard ride by some journalists in relation to a major current corruption scandal -- hardly a topic that journalists ought to avoid -- Sarkozy raged at them. Turning to one journalist, he said, "And you! I've no evidence against you. But it would seem you're a pedophile. Who told me? I have an absolute conviction." His diatribe lasted for 10 minutes, during which time he kept returning to his ugly analogy -- then stormed off saying, "See you tomorrow, pedophile friends." Nor is it just journalists he treats with disdain. He once told David Cameron, the British prime minister, that he had "lost a good opportunity to shut up."

Voters get the same treatment. When a man refused a handshake at a French agricultural fair, Sarkozy snapped, "Casse-toi,The beddinges sofa bed slipcover is a good ， alors pauvre con."

Worse still,There are 240 distinct solutions of the Soma cubepuzzle, the man's basic untruthfulness pertains even when it comes to the financial crisis -- the issue which is (or should be) dominating French politics. Asked repeatedly by Spanish journalists about the effect of S&P's downgrading of the French credit rating, Sarkozy twice refused to answer at all before stating abruptly that it "changes nothing."

Yet the financial math says otherwise. The winds of crisis starting to blow once again round France's nearest neighbors says otherwise. The slow ticking up of French bond yields says otherwise.

Truth is, if you want the most telling micro-expression of all, you could do worse than consider Christine Lagarde, former French Finance Minister and current head of the IMF. At a talk in Davos she held up her capacious Louis Vuitton bag and said, "I am here, with my little bag, to collect a bit of money." It was a joke ... only not. Her remark comes too close to the truth to be funny.

Chef Laurent Baillon to appear at Chocolate Festival

The culinary students in chef Laurent Baillon’s chocolate class sit with rapt attention as he demonstrates how to pour liquid chocolate into a mold. Many are learning to cook with chocolate for the first time, some are brushing up their skills for an appearance at the first-ever Inland Empire Chocolate Festival on Saturday.

“The students will be making candies in front of everyone and will be creating a chocolate showpiece built around a real metate (Native America grinding stone),” said Baillon, who teaches a variety of cooking classes at the Art Institute’s San Bernardino campus.

The Ontario festival will showcase a host of local businesses from the confectionary world by providing samples and selling their products to the more than 2,500 people expected to attend, said Helen Denning of Plan Ahead Events in Rancho Cucamonga. The organization is coordinating the event, which will give proceeds to Back to School JAM, an annual event at which backpacks filled with school supplies are given to local children.

Ghiradelli, Godiva, Helen Grace Chocolates, Ciel Chocolatiers, Smiles Sweet Shop, Stoli vodka and D’Marie will all be represented at the show.

Baillon’s class will be the only participants demonstrating skills at the event.

“I’m excited to be helping with the production,” said first-quarter chocolate student Marlene Hernandez, 21, of Corona.Aeroscout rtls provides a complete solution for wireless asset tracking. A student in the school’s pastry program, she said she enjoys making truffles.

“Chocolate is always good to eat,” she added.

Baillon learned his chocolate-making skills in his native France, having grown up in a restaurant family in Normandy. He initially trained with his father, who ran a hotel and restaurant for 40 years. At age 16, he went to Paris for a three-year apprenticeship as a pastry chef.

After doing his military service with the United Nations forces in the Middle East,Our porcelaintiles are perfect for entryways or bigger spaces and can also be used outside, he came to America in 1985, carving out a career with Joachim Splichal, now head of the Patina Group and Jimmy’s restaurant in Beverly Hills.Offers Art Reproductions Fine Art oilpaintings Reproduction, Upon returning to France, he enrolled in culinary school in Paris, then worked at his parents’ restaurant.

After he returned to California in 1998, he served as chef for a private Marina del Rey yacht club and for the Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills Paul’s restaurant in Westlake Village.

He then settled in for a stint at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon, presiding over the pastry division for the casino’s many restaurant venues and has also served as executive chef for the Riverside Convention Center. He teaches culinary students in San Bernardino, Santa Monica and Santa Ana.

“Chocolate is my most passionate class,” said Baillon,Buy high quality bedding and bed linen from Yorkshire Linen. who counts among his friends and mentors French chocolatier Robert Linxe, author of the cookbook “La Maison du Chocolat.Dimensional Mailing magiccubes for Promotional Advertising,”

The Chocolate Festival will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Hilton Ontario Airport Hotel, 700 N. Haven Ave., Ontario.

With paid admission, attendees will receive sample tickets to redeem at the vendors of their choice. They will also have the opportunity to shop among gift vendors and enjoy entertainment and activities throughout the day.

Stray dog upsets birds at Montgomery Zoo

An unexpected, four-legged visitor created a brief fuss at the Montgomery Zoo on Saturday morning and set the birds all a-flutter in a self-defense alarm system.

The black dog that apparently had delivered a litter recently didn't bark, but the closer it got to the aviary, the louder the sounds from the blue and gold macaws flapping around inside their cage.

"They see the dog as a predator," said Ken Naugher, enrichment and conservation manager. "That's why they're making so much noise."

It took a few minutes, but Naugher and other personnel eventually got the dog under control and made sure it received attention outside the zoo.

Frigid temperatures earlier in the morning held down the crowd, but, as the sun warmed up the location, more families began to arrive to tour the 42-acre wildlife park.

Birds and monkeys always seem to attract the most attention just inside the front gate, and Naugher spent part of his morning answering questions about the animals.

He kept a close eye on the birds to make sure none appeared to have suffered from the cold. Temperatures at one point dipped to below freezing. By 10 a.m., however, it had jumped into the high 40s.

Naugher said two concrete boxes inside the macaw aviary serve as a heater for the birds. He called it a "nest box" and said it amounts to a "good insulator during cold weather."

"Body heat warms up the whole box," he said. "We do all we can to make sure that the birds don't wind up with frozen toes. That can happen if it gets too cold."

Not far away from the bird cages was a glass-enclosed exhibit area occupied by a sloth bear. Cloaked in a heavy black fur coat, it appeared to be dozing as spectators peered through the glass to look for some sign of movement.

Naugher said the Montgomery Zoo has more than 500 species ranging from giraffes to snakes.

Within a few months, the zoo is expected to have its newest attraction, a sky lift that will transport visitors about 35 feet or more over the facility, offering a birds-eye view of the exhibits.

"It's something that everyone should enjoy," said Naugher, who indicated that details will be worked out soon as to price and how long the trip will last.

Shellac and the Female Lac Bug

This forum is usually about high-tech wood coatings.

But from time to time, I will discuss something that is tried and true and, perhaps, not so high tech. Shellac is definitely a low-tech product. It is the secretion of the female Lac bug (Kerrialacca) found in India and Thailand. It takes approximately 100,000 bugs to create 500 grams of shellac flakes.

There must be a lot of these little ladies doing their thing because shellac is still a widely used product. It functions as a primer, tannin sealer, odor sealer, insulator, and a clear wood finish. Though not terribly robust as a clear finish, none the less, it is not dissolved by anything other than ethyl alcohol.Beware of manufacturing dates when found in liquid form.Liquid shellac has a shelf life. That’s why it is so often sold in dry flakes.Liquid versions only lasts about a year. Thereafter, it remains tacky. Also, look for the 100% de-waxed version.

Let’s change gears for a moment and talk about water-borne clear finishes.

The facts of life about water-borne technology include some things that are different from solvent-borne clear coatings. Finishers are well aware that water-bornes “wet the wood” differently.

The “look” is not the same and, in some cases, inferior to what a solvent lacquer will give.

Also, some water-bornes have a bluish-white appearance even when totally cured. Thirdly, tannins are an issue with water-borne technology since they are miscible in water and tend to migrate up through the coating…even after drying. Usually this is not an issue with a clear but it certainly can be with a pigmented coating. Tannins can show up days later.

I had the opportunity to do an experiment with some Sapele.

A customer wanted some help with a door he was submitting for approval and I agreed to spray it for him. I wanted to check out what shellac would do to enhance wetted color so I grabbed a piece of Sapele and sprayed a coat on half the sample. (see the attached photo) I was really surprised at what the shellac did to the color of the wood. It was as though I had stained the board. The richness was significantly increased.

On the other hand, when my client brought in his door to be sprayed, his was of highly ribboned Sapele. Much lighter in color than my sample, his did not change as dramatically. Therefore, this effect may be selective and will require you to experiment. It may be that shellac adds something to darker woods only. But the effect was really appealing! The board in the picture has 3 coats of pre-cat clear over the shellac. The total dry mils of pre-cat is approximately 5.

Change gears again. M.L. Campbell makes a tannin-blocking primer for use under its pigmented coatings. It is a wonderful product. It sands like a dream. Its secret sauce is a high-tech resin that bonds with the tannins and holds onto them. It is not a shellac-based primer.

My grandpa always said that you could definitely trust a guy who wore both a belt and suspenders. He’d never let you down, he used to say.

Here’s my point. If you are making a paint-grade project out of a wood with a known reputation for tannin bleed, I’d heed his advice and spray one coat of shellac, scuff, then use the MLC primer. Then, you’re as sure as you can be not to lose your pants on that job.

As I said, tannin bleed often doesn’t show up for several days. By then, some of us will have the project installed. This is a call-back that you definitely don’t want to have! The fix for tannin bleed is NOT fun!

Felled coconut tree cuts power in South

A felled coconut tree caused a five-hour power outage in General Santos City and Sarangani province on Sunday, an official of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said yesterday.

Milfrance Q. Capulong, NGCP Mindanao regional corporate communications officer, said the power outage started at 3 p.m. with the tripping of the Matanao-GenSan 138-kilovolt line.

“A coconut tree fell in between tower numbers 38-39... Clearing works were completed and power restored at 8:20 p.m.,” she said in a text message.

The affected line is in Barangay San Pedro, Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur. Ms. Capulong did not say why the tree fell on the transmission line.

At the weekend, Davao Light and Power Co. also explained an electrocuted bird broke the line suspension insulator that resulted in an outage in a major section of Davao City’s downtown on Friday.

“Customers connected to its Gaisano substation had experienced an unscheduled power interruption , which occurred between 7:34 a.m. to 9:06 a.m.,” a company statement said, referring to DLPC.

Customers include businesses covering at least one square kilometer at the city’s central business district.

Meanwhile, Cynthia Perez-Alabanza, NGCP spokesperson, explained late last week that the recent “red alerts” in the Mindanao grid were due to a generation deficiency caused by the scheduled maintenance of some power plants, and the unexpected shutdown or reduced capacity of others.

During periods of generation deficiency, NGCP implements Mindanao grid-wide power load curtailment to maintain the power grid’s security and reliability.

“It is NGCP’s obligation under the law and its franchise to ensure that the grid operates at an optimum level with due consideration for safety, security and reliability,” Ms. Alabanza said.

Based on NGCP’s power outlook as of yesterday, the system capacity of the Mindanao grid stood at 1,276 megawatts (MW), with a peak load of 1,067 MW, or a reserve of 209 MW equivalent to roughly 20% of the island’s expected demand during the day.

Summer Can Be Tough on Cars

The dog days of summer can be tough on vehicles as high temperatures can destroy batteries and stress the cooling system and tires. As a precaution, these vehicle components should be checked periodically during summer to help avoid breakdowns and car problems, according to the Car Care Council.

Excessive heat and overcharging shorten the life of a battery. Heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, which then damages the internal structure of the battery. A malfunctioning component in the charging system, usually the voltage regulator, allows too high a charging rate, which will eventually destroy a battery.

To get the most life out of a battery, the council recommends having the electrical system checked to make sure it is charging at the correct rate. If your car’s battery is the type that needs to be topped off, check it often, especially in hot weather and add distilled water if necessary. Keep the top of the battery clean. Dirt can become a conductor, which drains battery power. If corrosion accumulates on battery terminals, it becomes an insulator and inhibits the current flow.

The cooling system also works harder during hot temperatures to prevent overheating of the engine. To keep the cooling system working effectively, the coolant and distilled water mixture for a vehicle’s radiator should be 50:50. As a reminder, never open a hot radiator cap when checking the coolant level in the reservoir. 

As a rule of thumb, the coolant should be changed annually on most vehicles. This will keep the cooling system fresh and clean inside, which helps prevent corrosion and assures that the coolant has the proper boiling point and protection. A pressure test, thermostat test, a cooling fan test and a visual inspection for leaks and corrosion should also be done annually. Hoses and drive belts should be checked for cracks, bulges or frayed edges.

The radiator should be kept clean by periodically using a garden hose and a soft brush to carefully remove bugs, dirt and debris.

Tires also need special care in warmer weather as high temperatures put added stress on them. To maximize tire life and safety, check the tire condition and inflation pressure monthly, and have the tires rotated every 6,000 miles. Summer heat will cause the pressure within a tire to rise, therefore, it’s important to check the pressure when tires are cold. The owner’s manual includes the recommended air pressure for your vehicle’s tires.

“It takes very little time and money to make sure your car runs properly during summer, and although breakdowns happen, they can definitely be minimized by taking a few extra preventive maintenance steps,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council.

The council reminds motorists that the vehicle’s exterior also can be damaged by sunlight, UV radiation, acid rain, salt, dirt and air pollution. To protect the paint and finish, vehicles should be washed weekly and waxed every six months.

Cold, hard cash

During 19th-century Lancaster County winters, farmers could sometimes be found plowing the Susquehanna River.

That's right. Plowing the river.

Ice was the dominant crop in January, when Lancaster County's fertile fields lay fallow and the farmers had idle time.

And, while New England boasted numerous lakes and ponds from which to draw its ice, Lancaster County's primary source was the Susquehanna — a major producer, so much so that it helped Pennsylvania rank third in the nation for ice production, behind Maine and New York.

Local historian Lynne Smoker will offer a free presentation on Lancaster County's ice farming tradition at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Elizabethtown Historical Society, 57 S. Poplar St.

Ice, Smoker said, was big business in the 1800s, and in Lancaster County "it was mostly farmers who did it. It was their off-season, and it gave them some work when things were slow."

It was a cold, laborious job, Smoker said, and a fair share of men and their specially cleated horses ended up in the chilly waters. Rescues, he said, were quick and  simple for teams accustomed to working on the ice.

Mid-January was the prime time for ice harvesting, Smoker said. Harvesting season often lasted only two or three weeks.

Unlike Maine, Lancaster County didn't have the luxury of waiting for floes to thicken to 10 or 12 inches, he said. Here, the winter deep freeze was short and uncertain.

"When ice reached a thickness of about 6 inches, they started to harvest," he said. "It's like making hay while the sun shines, because you never know — in a week, it could be down to nothing."

Farmers would use surveying tools to lay out a square or a rectangle on the ice, he said. They removed snow from the surface with a horse-drawn wooden plow, then criss-crossed the ice field, making a checkerboard pattern with an ice scorer.

"Then they'd plow over those lines, back and forth, back and forth, until they were down to within 2 or 3 inches of the bottom," Smoker said. "They'd use an ice saw to finish the job."

Some farmers cut small blocks, while others cut large sheets to be chopped down later. Either way, he said, they'd float the ice down the river, guiding the mini-bergs with special pikes to an icehouse for storage.

"There were a lot of icehouses at the time," Smoker said. "In Columbia alone, there were at least three. They dotted the river shores. ... Most of your communities up and down the river had an icehouse."

Icehouses preserved ice by packing blocks in sawdust, a natural insulator, he said. Well-insulated ice could last through the next November.

In good years, the ice would be exported south — or even overseas. In the 19th century, Smoker said, ice was the nation's second-biggest export, behind cotton.

"But some seasons were very grim," he said. "Sometimes, the ice didn't come at all. Other years, there was 3 or 4 inches and that was it."

That meant residents had to rely on suppliers from upriver, he said — which doubled, or sometimes tripled, the cost.

Ice, Smoker said, wasn't used much in those days to keep one's iced tea properly chilled.

"It was for keeping meats cold, for transporting beverages like beer and milk. It was spread out in market houses to keep the produce fresh," he said. "It was mostly for food preservation."

River ice, Smoker said, is naturally cloudy, and it was anyone's guess what contaminants might have come downriver with the flow.

"People didn't even think about it," he said.

At least, not until technology advanced to the point that allowed for pristine artificial ice, he said. "Crystal-clear ice was a big selling point."

The industry collapsed in the 1920s, when artificially made ice was on the upswing and in-house refrigerators were finally affordable, Smoker said.

Cargill plant to turn soy oil into electrical fluid

Cargill officially opened a new operation at its Wichita oil seeds production plant -- turning soybean oil into electrical insulation fluid.

The company will make Cooper Power Systems Envirotemp FR3 dielectric fluid, a nontoxic and biodegradable fluid used in energy line transformers, to increase the performance of transformers during peak energy use periods.

The primary customer is Cooper Power Systems, a global maker of medium- and high-voltage electrical equipment.

The company spent $2.6 million for equipment to remove some ingredients and add others to its soybean oil to make it a better electrical insulator, said Michael Hora, Commercialization Engineer for Cargill Industrial Oils and Lubricants.

The company also has a plant in Chicago that does this, he said.

"We are always searching for new ways to use plant derived materials in our work with industrial customers to improve their products," Dave Roesser, general manager of Cargill's Industrial Oils and Lubricants group, said in a statement.

The company collaborated with Cooper Power Systems to produce the fluid.

Cargill has operated its Dressing, Sauces and Oils business in Wichita since 1981. Cargill also has the headquarters of its Meat Solutions division and a Horizon Milling flour mill in Wichita. Cargill has approximately 1,100 Wichita-based employees.