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Children's Toys, Clothing and Quilts
Provide a Glimpse Into Amish Life

Made By Loving Hands: Amish Children's Clothing, Toys and Quilts from the Thomas and Marsha French Collection will be on display from April 26 - July 8, 2001, at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery. Organized by the Kent State University Museum and curated by Jean Druesedow, Made By Loving Hands features Amish children's articles made from 1870 to 1960. Included in the exhibition are dolls, stuffed animals, toy furniture, quilts, sewing accessories and boys and girls clothing including shirts, trousers, dresses, pinafores, bonnets and stockings.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 26, from 5-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The Riffe Gallery will present two special events in conjunction with this exhibition.

May 6 at 2 p.m. there will be a lecture by Dr. Wayne Weaver, a Holmes County physician raised in Amish country. Weaver will provide insight into the Amish lifestyle and discuss his memoirs, Dust Between My Toes: An Amish Boy's Journey.

Family Day will be held on May 20, from 2-4 p.m. Activities for kids and families include traditional Amish crafts and samples of Amish food. The event is free and open to the public.

At a time when people seek to rediscover the value of family and community within the context of contemporary life, it is helpful to examine the ways of the Amish as they strive to protect a simple way of living. This exhibition helps the viewer to understand Amish children as they explore a world free of technology but full of color, free of material wealth but full of imagination, a world defined by the strict discipline of faith tempered by love.

All aspects of Amish life reflect their belief in a simple and humble life. Clothing, their most immediate visual symbol of a life apart from Western urban culture, is functional and modest. Colors are subdued, but brighter colors are sometimes used in private circumstances.

Escalator Safety
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants you and your family to be safe when riding escalators. The CPSC estimates that there were 7,300 hospital emergency room-treated injuries from escalators in 1994. Seventy-five percent of these injuries were due to falls, another 20 percent occurred when hands, feet or shoes were trapped in escalators.

Here are some steps you can take to help prevent escalator injuries, especially injuries to young children:

    * Be aware that loose shoe laces, drawstrings, scarves, and mittens can get trapped in escalators. In the past year, CPSC reached an agreement with a number of children's clothing manufacturers to remove drawstrings from the necks and hoods of children's garments. If your child's clothing still has drawstrings, remove them.

    * Always hold children's hands on escalators and do not permit children to sit or play on the steps.

    * Do not bring children onto escalators in strollers, walkers, or carts.

    * Always face forward and hold the handrail.

    * Avoid the edges of steps where entrapment can occur.

    * Learn where the emergency shutoff buttons are in case you need to stop the escalator.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers/American National Standards Institute Escalator Committee set a voluntary standard for escalators. The standard requires:

    * That the emergency shutoff buttons be at the top and bottom of each escalator. The button should be on the right side of the escalator when facing the stairs.

    * That sidewalls be made of low-friction material so soft-soled shoes cannot get caught easily.

    * That "skirt obstruction devices" (which sense the presence of a foreign object and automatically shut off the escalator) be at the top and bottom of the escalator.

    * That side clearance at the edges of steps be no more than 3/16 inch

    * That warning signs be placed on escalators reminding parents to hold children's hands and face forward.

    * That each step have painted foot prints or brightly colored borders.

   
Prince William Forest Park
Camping
   
   
   
   

Prince William Forest Park has 3 frontcountry and 1 backcountry campgrounds and 5 cabin camps.

Frontcountry Camping
Oak Ridge Campground (tents & RVs) is a 100-site campground with bathrooms, grills and picnic tables, and drive-up campsites. Leashed pets are welcome. Both tents and RVs are welcome in Oak Ridge Campground, though there are no hook-ups for RVs and length restrictions exist.

Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground (tents only) is a 6-site campground with bathrooms (no showers), grills and picnic tables. Sites hold from 25 to 40 people and parking is readily available. Alcohol is prohibited at Turkey Run Ridge Group Campground.

Travel Trailer Village (RVs only) is a concessionaire-run campground with full hook-ups for RVs, a pool, and laundry facility.

Backcountry Camping
Chopawamsic Backcountry Area (tents only) is an 8-site, hike-in/hike-out, backcountry campground. Each campsite holds only 2 tents and no campfires are allowed. Pets are also prohibited.

Cabin Camps
Cabin Camps 1 through 5 host groups of 70 to 200 people for group camping. Cabin Camp 3 allows individuals and families to rent single cabins. 4 of our 5 cabin camps are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Comparison of three residential mosquito traps against riceland mosquitoes in southeast Arkansas.

Abstract

Field trials were conducted at 3 locations in Arkansas County, AR, to compare the effectiveness of 3 residential mosquito traps, the Stinger Mosquito Vacuum, the Mosquito Magnet Defender, and the Mosquito Deleto 2500 Active System, against riceland mosquitoes, specifically Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Psorophora columbiae. Both the Stinger Mosquito Vacuum and the Mosquito Deleto captured significantly more An. quadrimaculatus and total mosquitoes than did the Mosquito Magnet Defender. The Mosquito Deleto captured significantly more Ps. columbiae than did either of the other 2 traps.

Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC) System: Improve indoor air quality with best practice installation of ducts and equipment to minimize condensation problems, whole-house and spot ventilation to help dilute and exhaust indoor pollutants, and air filtration to remove airborne particulates.
Combustion-Venting Systems: Protect residents from potential exposure to combustion gases by installing direct-vented or power-vented gas- and oil-fired equipment, properly vented fireplaces, garages fully sealed from living spaces and equipped with a continuously operated exhaust fan, and carbon monoxide alarms in each sleeping area.

Public Playground Safety Checklist

   1. Make sure surfaces around playground equipment have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or are mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

   2. Check that protective surfacing extends at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment. For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.

   3. Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least 9 feet apart.

   4. Check for dangerous hardware, like open "S" hooks or protruding bolt ends.

   5. Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.

   6. Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.

   7. Look out for tripping hazards, like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.

   8. Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.

   9. Check playgrounds regularly to see that equipment and surfacing are in good condition.

  10. Carefully supervise children on playgrounds to make sure they're safe.

AMERICA

Le Meridien Sunny Isles Beach, Miami (Opened May 12, 2005 --210 units) - This new 25-storey hotel comprised of one and two bedroom suites with state-of-the-art kitchens, is located just north of Miami in Sunny Isles Beach. Combining a beachfront resort experience with sophisticated European style, the hotel features chic contemporary design, a 6,300 square foot spa and fitness centre, beach cabanas, infinity-edge swimming pool and the newest BiCE restaurant, known for fine Italian cuisine.