text:
Time is on their side – how authoritarian rulers love tinkering with clocks and calendars
On August 15th 2015 North Korea went back in time. The government decreed that the clocks be turned by half an hour. So now North Korea has its own time zone, but what is the point of all this fuss? It has to be said that the Pyongyang regime has form in this area. It already had its own calendar – the Juche calendar, whose years are counted from 1912, which was the year in which its founder and "eternal president", Kim Il-sung, was born. 1912 in the Gregorian calendar became Juche 1 in the new calendar, and we are now in Juche 106. The calendar began to be used on 9 September 1997, which is the day on which the Republic came into being. Curiously there are no pre-Juche years and the years before the Glorious Leader came into the world are based the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar around the world.
I just want to on a quick digression about the Gregorian calendar. It takes its name from Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582. Britain maintained the Julian calendar, which was 11 days behind for another 180 years. The Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 introduced the Gregorian calendar to the British Empire, bringing Britain into line with the majority of Western Europe. The introduction was not straightforward; 1751 was a short year, lasting just 282 days from 25th March, New Year in the Julian calendar to 31st December. The year 1752 then began on 1 January, but it was necessary to synchronise the calendar in Britain with that of Europe. It was necessary to correct it by those eleven days. It was decided that Wednesday 2nd September 1752 would be followed by Thursday 14th September 1752. This led to civil unrest with rioters demanding "Give us our eleven days".
As we shall see such temporal megalomania is not new. There is long historical tradition of rulers adjusting clocks and calendars as a way of demonstrating political power. King Canute is said to have wanted to turn back the tide. That was impossible, but surely there is no better way for a leader to leave his imprint on the world by altering what is such a fundamental aspect of our daily lives. This is controlling time itself.
The French revolution upended many ideas and it certainly had a significant impact on time: the years, the months and the days of the week were all reformed. Year I, written in Roman numerals began on 22 September 1792, the beginning of the "Republican Era". The twelve months were each divided into three ten-day weeks called Décades, with the tenth day, décadi, replacing Sunday as the day of rest. That makes 360 days, so five or six extra days, known as complimentary days had to be added at the end of each year. The Republican calendar had the following twelve months, whose names were based on nature, especially the typical weather in and around Paris.
Autumn:
Vendémiaire in French (from French vendange, derived from Latin vindemia, "grape harvest")
Brumaire (from French brume, "mist")
Frimaire (From French frimas, "frost")
Winter:
Nivôse (from Latin nivosus, "snowy")
Pluviôse (from French pluvieux, derived from Latin pluvius, "rainy")
Ventôse (from French venteux, derived from Latin ventosus, "windy")
Germinal (from French germination)
Floréal (from French fleur, derived from Latin flos, "flower")
Prairial (from French prairie, "meadow")
Messidor (from Latin messis, "harvest")
Thermidor (or Fervidor) (from Greek thermon, "summer heat"), starting 19 or 20 July
Fructidor (from Latin fructus, "fruit")
The title of Émile Zola's novel Germinal comes from the revolutionary calendar and the seafood dish lobster thermidor may well have been named after the 1891 play Thermidor, set during the Revolution.
The ten days had more prosaic names:
primidi (first day)
duodi (second day)
tridi (third day)
quartidi (fourth day)
quintidi (fifth day)
sextidi (sixth day)
septidi (seventh day)
octidi (eighth day)
nonidi (ninth day)
décadi (tenth day)
The Décades were abandoned in Floréal 1802.
The Soviet reform of the Gregorian calendar was very different from the French Revolution's reforms. They did not do away with the Gregorian calendar. This was probably a good thing as the Gregorian calendar had only been introduced after the revolution. This is why the October Revolution actually took place in November. A lag of 13 days had now accumulated in the Julian calendar. On 24 January 1918 the Council of People's Commissars issued a Decree that Wednesday, 31 January 1918, was to be followed by Thursday, 14 February 1918. I don't know if there were any riots, but I suppose they had more important things to worry about. Although if there had been any protests, I am sure Trotsky would have had them all shot.
In May of 1929, Yuri M. Larin proposed a radical change to the week. He eventually got Stalin's support. On August 26, 1929, the Council of People's Commissars (CPC) decreed that all productive enterprises were to transition from the traditional work week interrupted by a weekend, to a continuous production week. The idea was simple divide all workers into shifts. The uninterrupted week, the nepreryvka, would apply not only to factory workers, but to retail and government employees too. With factories and stores open and producing 24 hours a day, every day of the week, productivity was bound to soar. Alas with so much in this planned economy, it didn't turn out that way, and On June 26, 1940, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet restored the seven-day week.
On 16 March 1940 World War Two was in the phoney war stage. In Spain General Franco had been in charge of the whole country for less than a year. On this day at 23:00 Spain changed from Greenwich Mean Time to 00:00 Central European Time. Two years later the change of time zone was made permanent so as to be in line with what had become Nazi-occupied Europe. So thanks to the Generalissimo's affinity with Nazi Germany Spain has been in the wrong time zone for seven decades. It is the farthest West of all countries on CET, a time which they share with countries as far east as Poland and Hungary. This has created the Galicia problem. For example one day in mid-December the official sunrise time is 8.56am, which means that children begin their school day in complete darkness. Curiously, Spain's Iberian neighbour Portugal adopted CET under the Cavaco Silva government in 1992. It was a fiasco with negative effects on academic performance, sleep habits and insurance companies reported a rise in the number of accidents. To add insult to injury, there were not even any savings on energy. In 1996 the experiment was abandoned.
India and China have something unusual in common. Despite their size, the each has a single time zone. In comparison, the United States, a country of similar geographical area to China, has four major time zones, each separated by an hour. What I understand is that people just have different schedules. After independence in 1947, the Indian government established IST (India Standard Time), which is five and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). GMT is now considered another time zone, whereas UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for time zones worldwide. No country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.
For nine years Venezuela enjoyed Chavez time. In 2007 the darling of the left, Hugo Chavez turned the clocks back by half an hour in 2007 to move Venezuela into its own time zone. According to the Economist it was to allow a "fairer distribution of the sunrise" but also ensured that the socialist republic did not have to share a time zone with its great foe, the United States. Like North Korea, Iran Afghanistan and Burma have their own time zones.
And then we have Turkmenistan. On August 10, 2002, the government of the central Asian country passed a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week. The names come from a number of Turkmen national symbols. These are described in the Ruhnama, the Book of the Soul, a bizarre mixture of autobiography, self-help and dodgy history. The names were chosen according to, as described, a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's first president for life. Wikipedia has a handy summary: The months include
Türkmenbaşy (January) Meaning: "The Leader of Turkmen", the adopted name of Saparmurat Niyazov, president of Turkmenistan
Baýdak (February) Flag – the Turkmenistan flag day is celebrated in February on Niyazov's birthday
Gurbansoltan (April)– The name of Niyazov's mother.
Ruhnama (September) Niyazov's book, defined as a spiritual guide for the Turkmen nation.
Niyazov also changed the days of the week, but he died in 2006. and two years later the cabinet of Turkmenistan restored the old names of the months and days of week.
This is the end of my brief tour of how autocrats have sought to leave their mark on time. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back on 18 Floréal CCXXV or Dynçgün the 7th of Magtymguly if you prefer.
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SYSML16 — Can a SysML Full Port be typed by a ValueType?
Several users at JPL have been asking me about this particular combination.
I can't find anything in the 1.4 spec precluding typing a full port by a value type.


How many years have you had to buy one gluten-free version of your favorite foods AND buy a second gluten-full version for the rest of your family? How many times has that gluten-free version actually tasted good? We were so tired of having to compromise our standards in order to simply have "the same thing" everyone else was having. Not to mention the fact that no one else wanted to have our "special version". That's why we spent nearly a decade testing, tasting, and perfecting a gluten-free pizza the whole family would love.
This isn't just a gluten-free pizza, it's just a really good pizza.
Our pizza is real pizza, made in the traditional way - the same way as those made in artisanal pizzerias. Our dough has outstanding flavor and texture just like traditional dough.
Who doesn't want a better tasting and better-for-you pizza? Hello!
Our crust is not just a "carrier" for toppings. It's not an alternative, bland cracker-like crust. It's not an alternative crust made with cauliflower - you know, that vegetable you never liked as a kid. Our crust is beyond delicious, better-for-you and well, just simply fantastic.
Our fresh dough rises as it bakes to create that light and crisp, yet soft and chewy texture everyone associates with "real gluten-full pizza". With the benefit of being gluten-free for those with a food intolerance, but also great tasting it can be the one frozen pizza you serve on family pizza night as your first choice, not just an alternative. With nutrient-packed and simple to pronounce ingredients, you can feel good about what you're feeding your family.
Et Alia is Latin for "and others". When we went to work crafting the best frozen gluten-free pizza, we knew it had to be something everyone in the family wanted (even if they don't eat a gluten-free diet). However, most gluten-free frozen pizzas are really small - like 6 - 8". Not exactly a family-size pizza! We believe this is because they taste like cardboard, or at the very least, aren't that great and certainly don't taste like authentic pizza. No one but the gluten-free eater will eat them, so best to keep them small. The gluten-free eater doesn't really want to eat them either, but they have no choice...until now. Our pizza is a full 13" - definitely enough for people to share.
Our pizza is big and meant to be shared. Once people taste it, they want more. Both gluten-free and gluten-full folks say, "This is delicious pizza. Are you sure it's gluten-free?" All that's left is to agree on the toppings.
Simply put, we've got the absolute best frozen pizza on the market. And yup, it's gluten-free.


Newly introduced native fern into the hobby by FNF, Please refer the picture against measuring scale for approximate size of rhizome and leaves. Name/Scientific name of the fern is still not known. The pictures are of actual rhizomes that we stock.


text:
Big growth forecast for smartwatch banking
By Reporter
The number of banking apps accessed via smartwatches will reach 10 million in 2017, and will rise to more than 100 million by 2020.
However, research by mobile and digital technology analyst firm Juniper Research noted that while wearable-based banking information services have emerged as a key trend, it is perceived by many as a gimmick at present.
Juniper said that while wearables, including smartwatches and glasses, are not suited for conducting complicated financial instructions, wrist-based wearables will become a key device for multi-factor authentication for banking transaction approvals in the future.
"Digital banking has experienced a substantial progression towards personalised computing," research author Nitin Bhas said.
"We do believe that, keeping pace with technology evolution, wearable banking will witness a faster adoption rate than mobile banking, especially amongst Millennials."
The research also found that while banks have introduced a number of innovative new services in the space, such as augmented reality banking apps and cashless money boxes, these generally have a short life span with consumers.
Furthermore, SMS-based push banking services are on the decline, with banks noticing a number of messages sent to mobile banking users.
Juniper said banks and financial institutions will need to offer customers more targeted services, aimed at specific user needs.
"This will be enabled through customer analytics and big data management platforms from vendors such as Oracle, Infosys, Fiserv and SAP," the firm said.
[Related: CBA to continue innovating 'at the edge']

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The largest ship in Travelmar's five ship fleet, the Urugano 90 has a capacity of 348 passengers. You can take in the stunning sites of the Amalfi coast from the seats on the decking areas or from the inside seating area. The ferry reaches speeds of up to 18 knots.
Please Note: Whilst we have taken great care in making our Uragano 90 guide as accurate as possible, onboard facilities, services and entertainment may vary depending on the date and time of year that you travel, facilities mentioned may change without notification and ferry companies reserve the right to operate vessels other than those mentioned at time of booking without prior notification.


I hope your holidays were enjoyable, spent with friends and family. We had a busy holiday season at Heirlooms, but as we've now settled into January, we are in our quieter season. Time enough to write a new blog!
Today I want to revisit a subject which everyone loves, that being Roman glass jewelry. As the years go by, we are constantly amazed at how popular Roman glass remains after all this time. Believe it or not, we have now been featuring this for over ten years, and every year it is still our best seller! Broken shards of ancient bottles, goblets, and vases are collected from middens in Israel and refashioned into beautiful green and blue jewelry set in sterling silver. These pieces made from 2,000 year old glass never cease to amaze, with very affordable pricing from $48 to $225. They are lightweight, expertly crafted, and often remind people of the colors of the sea.
We have a large selection of Roman glass this winter, and we do have some seasonal discounts as well.
Come see us anytime, we are open all winter!
It has been a busy summer here in the Berkshires, and I hope your own summers have been pleasant and relaxing. We continue to see many visitors for Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, and all the great Berkshire destinations this time of year.
My blog today is about gold, that eternal metal that has fascinated folks for thousands of years and has been a consistent store of wealth as well as fashion for millennia. I am writing as the price of gold has come off almost 10% since earlier in the year. While still relatively expensive in jewelry as opposed to silver, the values are getting more compelling. From our end we have an excellent stock of beautiful gold pieces in the store, and we are pleased to offer any of our gold pieces for a 15% discount throughout the summer. Gorgeous rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, cameos, and more to tickle your fancy!
We are open every day in summer and hope to see you in Stockbridge this season. Meanwhile, it's back to work for me and I will touch base again soon!
Hello dear readers! Here's hoping you are all well and getting ready for another great Berkshire summer. Our calendar is filled with wonderful events at Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, at our terrific theaters, and at some fantastic museums like the Clark, Mass MOCA, and the Norman Rockwell that are sure to please. Here at Heirlooms, we are busily preparing for lots of folks who come our way every summer.
I am inspired by summer and warm weather, having grown up in the South. One of my main themes is always to use color in the designs I pick. Whether it's beautiful jewelry from Holly Yashi of California, a selection of exquisite silk scarves from Asia, gorgeous Roman glass pieces from Israel, or precious and semi-precious colored stones in fine gold or silver jewelry, color is always front and center at Heirlooms. I love color! Even in our costume pieces such as the well known Silver Forest, Adajio and DC Designs of Colorado we celebrate a riot of color in many of our pieces. Be sure to check us out and be inspired yourself.
And don't forget we always have birthstone pieces. May is of course emerald, and we have both natural emerald and many striking pieces in green with a huge variety of choices. Color is in!
I will write again soon, and wish all of you a great summer ahead!
Hello dear readers! Spring is finally on the way and it's not a moment too early. Winter was the real thing this year and we are all looking forward to some nice weather.
When spring arrives, so does April, and of course April's birthstone is the mother of all gems, the diamond. You might know we have a lovely collection of estate diamond pieces—Art Deco and Art Nouveau rings, mid-century cocktail rings from the 1940's, and some wonderful pendants, all very affordable and elegant. What you might not know is that we have some new diamond pieces as well—a selection of earrings, rings, and pendants, even some wedding pieces with Hebrew themes. Everyone loves diamonds, and we are proud to have a great selection at prices anyone would love.
And speaking of nice pieces, we are also featuring the very fine work of Heather Naventi of Masterpiece Studio. Based in New Lebanon, New York, Heather has been very busy in our area for over 18 years with her long established business of design, repair, and appraisal. We are pleased to partner with Heather and feature her platinum rings set with a panoply of colored stones in imaginative settings using mixed colors of yellow, rose, and white gold. Come check them out when you are in the store.
As usual also, our wonderful selection of Roman glass, Baltic amber, Firefly from Guatemala, Mary Frances bags, Zealandia jewelry inspired by nature, and unique artists such as Janet Schroeder continues to be our main calling card. Heirlooms has a wonderfully curated collection of pieces from around the world. Come see us in Stockbridge!
Hello dear readers, and let me start by wishing all of you a very Happy New Year with much good fortune and health for the year ahead. I am very pleased to tell you that once again, Heirlooms had its best year ever in 2017, a trend which is fortunately happening every year for us. Thank you all for your loyal and kind support over these many years! It means a lot when people come back over and over again, not to mention the many new customers who find us every year.
But since it is now January and cold outside, today I want to talk about a couple of the winter birthstone colors found in jewelry. According to Wikipedia, garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives, and amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and owes its violet color to irradiation, iron impurities (in some cases in conjunction with transition element impurities), and the presence of trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. Sounds like a mouthful!
However, we all know garnet as the January birthstone and amethyst as the February one. These brightly colored stones are both affordable, come in many shades and colors, and are sure to light up any outfit with a vibrancy and sparkle that clear stones just don't have. Both garnet and amethyst are found widely around the world, and not only that, they are found in large carat sizes which can make some outstanding pieces of jewelry. We currently have a great supply of both stones, but especially amethyst in that beautiful royal purple color everyone loves. These pieces are set in both gold and silver, hence a very wide price range and something for every budget.
I am open all winter long, though sometimes closed on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. If you like these blogs or the things we post, please like our Facebook page and follow it! But we are always here for you, as you have always been here for us. My blessings to all of you for a wonderful year!
Hello dear readers! I hope my blog today finds you getting ready for the wonderful holidays ahead. We've had a very busy autumn, in fact 2017 has just been a continuation of the good years we have had recently. I can not thank you all enough for your loyalty and patronage!
As we are getting closer to Christmas and Hanukkah, today's blog will focus on some of our fine jewelry. What's in the shop these days? How about sapphire, diamond, blue zircon, garnet, as well as other precious and semi-precious stones in some great settings? Did you know that at Heirlooms, we work closely with one of our area's finest bench jewelers, Heather Naventi of Masterpiece Studio in New Lebanon, NY? Heather has honed her practice for over 18 years, and we enjoy our professional relationship as well as her terrific pieces.
Recently, we commissioned Heather to create a series of diamond stud earrings and solitaire pendants in 14kt white gold, along with some amazing colored stones in a series of wonderful, durable platinum ladies rings. We are pleased to say that we have them in the shop just waiting for that right buyer for this holiday season. As you know, we specialize in affordability, and this fine jewelry is no exception with most of these valued under $1000. Check out the photos and attachments below to learn more, and please come in the store to see these great pieces for yourself!
We are open every day until year end, and please remember that we always offer free layaway. See you in Stockbridge sometime soon!
Hello dear readers! I hope this finds you well. My, my, didn't summer hurry through! Needless to say, we were extremely busy in our shop in Stockbridge in July and August. We are having a banner year, thanks to all of you wonderful folks! So many of you come back over and over, especially in summer. My family and I are truly grateful for your kindness. Thank you for your unending loyalty!
But just because summer is ending doesn't mean we don't have some great things to share with you as always. My subject today is amber, that timeless fossilized ancient pine resin that makes such beautiful jewelry. With the coming of the fall come the colors of the fall, which can not be more magically expressed than in the warm earth tones of Baltic amber. You may know we have been specialists in this prized jewelry from Northern Europe for over 16 years. Orangey ochers, radiant reds, yummy yellows…honey, lemon, butterscotch, green, and all the colors in between. Always in sterling silver and always very affordable. Our pieces start at $20!
This year I am pleased to say that I was able to find some really exceptional pieces of the larger, more difficult to source amber that is prized the world over. We have some great "chunky" necklaces in gorgeous sterling silver. These are large pendants with myriad inclusions and fantastic, three-dimensional patterns, and amazing color varieties all in one piece. You have to come in the store to see some of these, but I am going to put some on our Facebook page to give you a little quick peek!
We are still open every day, come on in to Stockbridge, pay us a visit, and check out this wonderful amber in spectacular fall colors!
Hello dear readers! I hope this finds you enjoying a great summer with lots of fun outdoor activities and time with friends and family. While we have been dodging the rain this season, everything here in the Berkshires is really green and lush. This has given me our theme for this month's blog, which is the idea of nature and how important a motif that is in jewelry design.
Since ancient times, animals, plants, and other designs from nature have played a major part in the history of jewelry making. Think Egyptian cartouches and scarab bracelets, dragonflies and gorgeous Art Nouveau brooches and pendants, or beautiful seasonal designs with maple leaves and palm trees!
Many of our pieces pick up this theme, from the Silver Forest jewelry of Bellows Falls, Vermont, to the wonderful new Zealandia line that is the handiwork and genius of Jenny Byrne, an award winning designer from New Zealand whose pieces we now have prominently displayed in the shop. Nature and all its glory are very much a part of our lives here in the Berkshires, but we carry this many steps further by exploring these ideas in a wide variety of nature-inspired designs.
We are open every day this summer, and hope to see you in our beautiful store in Stockbridge. Tanglewood, the theater and dance, our fantastic museums all beckon, in the midst of some of the most glorious scenery in all of New England. See you soon!
Hello dear readers! I have been very busy here in Stockbridge as we get into another incredible and wonderful Berkshires summer. Our community comes alive with the finest music, art, dance, theater, and museum exhibitions anywhere in the Northeast. In fact, the Berkshires are becoming a major, world-class destination for the arts in general. Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, Mass MOCA, the Clark Art Institute, Norman Rockwell Museum, Shakespeare and Company, not to mention many others, are destinations in themselves that bring folks from all over the world to our bucolic corner of Western Massachusetts.
All of this leads me to my theme in this blog, which is that Heirlooms is really a mirror of the Berkshires. Over the past 46 years, thousands of our customers have flocked to the store for the amazing selection of pieces that are inspired by art, music, nature, history, animal life, and myriad themes that reflect what the Berkshires are all about. I am pleased to say that 18 of those 46 years have been mine, and I am still loving every minute! I thank all of you for being so supportive and continuing to come in year after year. We always have beautiful, affordable, and unique pieces. And by the way, we have some great scarves and of course those fantastic Mary Frances bags when you are looking for something besides jewelry!
We are open every day this summer, and hope to see you here! Follow us on Facebook too, I post interesting things on there regularly!
Hello from the beautiful Berkshires! I hope you are beginning to think about our wonderful summer out here, and all the great music, art, theater, and weather we have to offer.
At Heirlooms I am happy to tell you that we have some really neat new lines and pieces in the shop this spring, but I am very excited about the wonderful Roman glass collection that we have been featuring for eight years. Every year this is always our best seller, and I am pleased to say we have a tremendous selection of this amazing and historic jewelry.
Crafted 2000 years ago in what is now Israel, this glassware is magically colored in a delightful pastiche of pale blues and greens. Shards of broken glass are legally excavated, then brought to the premier and original makers of Roman glass jewelry, who have been making these great pieces for over forty years now. Nearly 100 full time employees of the Roman Glass Company are engaged in all aspects of the design, craftsmanship, and silversmithing of these awesome pieces, expertly done in .925 sterling silver. Heirlooms is pleased to be the largest retailer of Roman glass jewelry in New England! We have over 125 pieces in stock with some great new designs to add to our already well known collection.
Here on our website (Roman Glass Jewelry) you will find a nice selection of some of the standard and stock items that we currently feature. But to really see these, come on out, come on up, come on in! We are open every day throughout the spring and summer!
As I sit here on the snowiest day of the year, I am reminded that spring is not far behind and of course with that comes that fabulous diamond month—April! Yes, you April babies do have the benefit of the world's most precious and collectible jewel as your birthstone!
Heirlooms has been operating as an antique and estate jewelry store in the heart of Stockbridge for over four decades, and I am proud to say that in my eighteen years I have continued our tradition of finding and offering exquisite older diamond pieces. True to our roots and philosophy, we look for affordability, elegance, classic design, and fantastic workmanship, with a constant focus on Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Retro pieces. Of course we have both yellow and white gold, platinum, and even some great silver pieces to complement the selection. Our motto has always been to offer pieces that are well priced. As we are not gemologists, we tend to have jewelry with stones that are half a carat and under, keeping prices in a realm that many folks find comfortable. You'd be amazed at our selection in diamond that is under $500!
We are always happy to shoot an email or two out to our customers with a few photos of these pieces. Let us hear from you, it just takes a few minutes. Also please always remember that even though the original wearers tended to be smaller women with smaller ring sizes, it is both easy and inexpensive to size most rings from these eras. If you are looking for that great estate piece for that very lucky April hand of yours, or just want to see what we have available, we are open every day but Tuesdays in March and every day starting in April. Come see us in Stockbridge!
I hope you are well and enjoying the quiet and white beauty that winter brings. At least here in the Berkshires, winter has paid us a visit this year as I look out on a huge blanket of freshly fallen snow at our home!
One of the design features that I love the most about jewelry from this period is the use of animal and nature themes, especially dragonfly and butterfly. I recently bought a lovely selection of these pieces that are a delightful combination of the new and the old. While they are cast in Holland and are newly made, they are indeed cast from hundred year old molds that were the original molds for these pieces back in the day. Finely crafted to exacting precision in wonderful sterling silver, these are timeless pieces and I am sure you would love them!
We always have a selection of genuine Art Nouveau jewelry as well, from rings to earrings, cool pendants and brooches in a variety of precious and semi-precious metals. I am always inspired by historic design and vintage pieces. I hope you will be, too!
Hello dear readers and Happy New Year to you all! 2016 was a really great year for us at Heirlooms, and we can't thank you enough for helping us make it a real success. I am back with some wonderful blogging ideas for 2017, and I thought I would start with one of my all time favorite things—pearls! All kinds of pearls, too—from the finest cultured pearls to the terrific selection of fresh water pearls available from many eras. Pearls have been valued as gemstones, items of adornment, and statements of elegance for thousands of years.
Of course I am partial to antique and estate pieces, where we always carry a wide selection, but did you know we carry many new designs in silver and multiple varieties of stranded necklaces and bracelets? Pearls can be graded on something called the Tahitian scale, up to the very highest quality, nearly flawless examples known as AAA pearls, down to what are called a grade D which are still very nice pearls, but with certain imperfections. Pearls can be further separated into what are known as saltwater or freshwater pearls, both of which are cultured or grown but can vary by type of mollusk, water content, etc. Very rarely a natural pearl occurs randomly in nature, but these are quite exceptional. And pearls are not always round or white—they come in many shapes and forms including what are called baroque pearls that come in very asymmetrical and unusual shapes. China and Asia are the largest producers of pearls.
We have a terrific selection of pieces for any occasion—wedding, prom, graduation, or just something to wear that is timeless and goes with any outfit and any color. Pieces go for as little as $20 so don't let price be a concern. Please stop by to see our great collection! We are open all year with a few days off on Tuesdays in winter and spring. Hope to see you!
Hello dear readers! So nice to be getting into the spirit of the holidays. Our Stockbridge Chamber event this past weekend was a huge success with the largest attendance ever! Many of you stopped by, scooping up the Christmas bargains and enjoying the ambience of the season.
For many people, the Christmas and Chanukah holidays are the major events in their "shopping calendar". At Heirlooms, we are having a very busy year which looks like our best year ever. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the amazing support and love of the store you embody! I can't tell you how often people come back over and over, to our little town of Stockbridge, MA, and into our shop. I am very grateful for all of the support. We must be doing something right, so thank you!
While I love a lot of different things, and we have many themes in the store, I am still totally committed to antique and estate jewelry! This has been one of our main focuses ever since the shop was first opened in 1971 (I am the third owner!). We still love those great old pieces, made in a style and with techniques that cannot be replaced today. Recently we bought some really great jewelry in Florida and up here in Massachusetts at great prices—very affordable pieces in gold, platinum, silver, gold filled, etc. Our main case is bulging with our largest inventory ever, and we are happy to say everything in the main case is 20% off until year end! Delicate filigree bracelets, neat Art Nouveau lavaliers, cool retro rings, some really neat true antique pieces from the Victorian era, and on and on! Every woman's favorite store in the Berkshires!
Stop by anytime, we are open every day this month. All my best dear readers!
Hello Dear Readers! What a busy summer it's been and I have to say it was great seeing so many of you in our store in Stockbridge. We have had many repeat visitors but it is really wonderful to meet all of you newcomers and welcome you to our store, Facebook page, or website.
Today I would like to talk about the exquisite Firefly jewelry from Guatemala that we have been featuring since last year. Well, this year, it has really taken off and we are proud to say we are already one of the leading Firefly retailers in the country! With over 100 pieces in stock, we have a tremendous selection of this elegant, colorful, and affordable jewelry that is sure to brighten your day as well as your look!
Firefly is expertly handcrafted from Swarovski crystal and Czech glass, set in easy-to-maintain, non-tarnishing antique silver. The Guatemalan workshop where it is created and produced to the highest possible standards is a "fair trade" workshop where many of the workers have been lifted from poverty and become successful, contributing members of society. And as you know, the Guatemalan culture is one that is characterized by the use of bright colors that are representative of the Spanish and Mayan origins of the people there. This jewelry is really breathtaking!
I will be posting some photos of some of the new pieces we have and of course as always, sometimes we sell them very quickly and may not have them for very long. Please check with us and we can update you on our current stock. And always as usual, we are happy to offer discounts if you purchase a set (2 or more matching pieces)…and free shipping on orders over $200! How does it get any better than that!
I'll blog again soon and thank you dear readers for your loyalty and interest in my blog!
Dear Readers: Summer is in full swing here in the Berkshires and we have been getting busier each week. Tanglewood and all of our wonderful cultural venues are up and running. Be sure to stop in the shop in Stockbridge if you are out in beautiful Western Massachusetts! We are open every day this summer.
Today I want to write a little bit about sterling silver jewelry, and the great value it represents in the market. All of you know that gold is quite expensive these past few years, and this week's cost of $1321 per Troy ounce is a figure that causes many people to say "ouch"! But did you know that silver is a tremendous bargain and has not tracked higher with the cost of gold? Today's price of $18.36 per ounce is 72 times less expensive than gold. No wonder sterling silver jewelry is a terrific bargain right now!
Our summer inventory comprises great silver pieces from all over the world, from here in America of course, but would you believe Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, Holland and many other places have some awesome designers who are creating beautiful, affordable jewelry in sterling silver for as little as $20? What's even better, these designers are using a huge range of semi-precious colored stones such as amethyst, topaz, green quartz, and opal, as well as amber from the Baltic, our signature Roman Glass from Israel, Mexican Mata Ortiz pottery, and more! You don't have to spend a fortune to find some amazing pieces at our shop.
Never before have we had so many interesting and unusual pieces from all over the world that are truly affordable. I've always said that Heirlooms is every woman's favorite store in the Berkshires, come in soon and you will be a believer, too!
Hello dear readers from the beautiful town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts! We are very busy getting out new merchandise and looking forward to seeing you all this year.
Coming up of course is April, and my thoughts as always turn to diamond, which is April's birthstone. You April babies out there are very lucky indeed! For the past couple of years we have seen a gradual decline in the price of many diamonds, as well as a leveling off of gold and precious metals prices. What this means for you as a consumer is that really great jewelry can be had for better pricing than a few years back. It is a wonderful time to look for quality diamond jewelry, both estate and new.
I have some unique pieces to show you, with classic designs featuring a variety of diamonds of different sizes and qualities. Many items are under $500…..you would be amazed at what you can get in that price range! Our selection of Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Retro, and Modern styles is exceptional, and of course of the fine quality that we have been known for, going on 17 years now. In particular, we have some great rings in white and yellow gold as well as platinum. These are complemented by a number of really sweet Art Nouveau lavaliers in both white and yellow gold at very affordable prices. Finally, I would be remiss not to mention a few pairs of nice diamond studs and some beautiful vintage drop earrings that are just waiting for that special buyer!
Hope to see you soon in Stockbridge and Happy Spring!
Hello dear readers! Nice to be back in touch with you as we are nearly saying goodbye to what has been a very easy winter here. Let me thank all of you who have been in the shop this winter, you've made our "off season" busier than ever. Great weather doesn't hurt!
I do have some exciting news to share in my blog this month. We have joined the Berkshire Wedding Collective, which is an organization of wedding oriented businesses such as Heirlooms. We are pleased to be in the company of a very distinguished group of facilities such as the Mount, Blantyre, Wheatleigh and Gedney Farm, as well as some really fine photographers, caterers, floral arrangers, and the whole gamut of wedding related services. The wedding business is absolutely booming here as the Berkshires are becoming a real destination wedding location. We are partnered with Tara Consolati who coordinates the Collective and manages her terrific website www.berkshireweddingcollective.com. Check it out and see what I am talking about!
For the Collective, we are also partnering up with old friend Heather Naventi of Masterpiece Jewelry Studio over the hill in New Lebanon, NY. We are going to be able to feature some awesome engagement and wedding rings in fabulous antique settings going back to the 1700's and 1800's, with diamonds of ¾ of a carat and up...as well as a complete array of wedding jewelry for that very special day—pearls, cameos, bracelets, gorgeous necklaces, bridesmaids pieces, etc. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to really spread our wings, yet still keep our focus on what "Heirlooms" has always meant—outstanding quality, connection to history and the past, and classic styling.
We are also just back from the New York Now show at the Javits Center, and let me tell you we have some really interesting pieces coming in this spring. I can't wait to show you all the great new Roman Glass, amber, and silver jewelry we bought! We've also bought a great estate with dozens of neat pieces from right here in Lenox, as well as the entire back catalogue of Liberty Workshop, also from right here in the Berkshires. Shopping local is the word! But more on those later, thanks dear readers, see you in Stockbridge!
Hello dear readers! We have been enjoying an unseasonably warm spell but that has meant lots of you coming to Stockbridge and visiting us in the store. We've been quite busy this year. Before I get any further, let me send to all of you a hearty thank you for all of your patronage and support. This year we introduced Firefly from Guatemala with great fanfare and found many immediate converts! We also expanded our highly successful Roman Glass collection, and really put the store into the best shape it's ever been. It's been a great year all around.
Today I just want to tell you that we do have some changes coming up as well regarding our website www.heirloomsjewelry.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomsJewelry/. Our website has drawn a very good amount of traffic, and we know many of you like to shop with us during the offseason. It's been working well. What we've found, though, is that we usually end up shipping things that we don't have posted on the site! We have a lot more in the store than we have time or space to put on the website. We have decided to make our site more general and not so much a "live" site. The Roman Glass section will still contain many pieces that we keep in stock along with pricing. However, for other parts of the site, the photos will be more general and not necessarily reflective of what we have at any given moment. Please contact us by phone, email, or message and we will be very pleased to send photos of some of the pieces we do have on hand.
I have finally caught my breath after a very busy October. As usual, the Berkshires were filled with glorious fall colors and many visitors from all over the world. We met Australians, Canadians, British, French, Brazilian, German, Dutch, and many other foreign visitors, and of course tons of Americans from nearly every state. Everyone loves the Berkshires!
But as it is autumn, my thoughts turn to amber, with its warm and tawny hues that always remind me of this time of year. Amber is fossilized pine resin, formed 40-60 million years ago in the dense forests near the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. Rich in color variation, amber usually has inclusions of either natural substances such as leaf or animal parts, or little areas where air pockets and other distortions occur. This gives amber its "texture" and depth, making every piece different. Most amber is quite affordable, but as the pieces get larger, the cost goes up quite a bit. It is getting more difficult to find those really great "statement" pieces in amber, but we do have some in the store along with a huge variety of earrings, pendants, brooches, bracelets, musical instruments, and even some really cute little amber "trees"! Prices are $20 and up—you don't have to spend a fortune to get a really great piece or pair of earrings in amber.
Amber is almost always set in sterling silver, much of it made in Southern Poland in Cracow which has long been known as a silvermaking center of Europe. Our suppliers speak the language and source the very finest pieces from dozens of studios and designers, and we are known here in the Northeast as one of the largest, best known retailers of Baltic amber.
Stop by the shop in Stockbridge soon to see our great fall collection!
So busy these days, but don't fret, here is a new blog and of course this month is October so "opal" is my theme! Opal, or "oh pal" as it is sometimes called, is a soft, amorphous stone often associated with Australia where much of it is mined. Coming in an almost infinite variety of colors, opal has been used in jewelry making for a very long time. Shakespeare mentions it but it really came into its own for fine jewelry when Australia was settled and vast mines were discovered there in the 1800's.
Typically associated with blues, aquas, and whites, opals run the gamut from fairly common to quite rare, including the famous "black" opals which have a unique, somewhat darker hue, though they are not black at all! Opals are notoriously soft, finicky to work with, and delicate. This is due to the water content within the mineral itself, but it requires opals to always be cut in a cabochon or round shape. They can't be faceted as other stones are. We always advise our customers to treat your opal jewelry with care.
At Heirlooms, we have always treasured both antique and estate opal jewelry which is found in white or yellow gold. We have some great earrings, a beautiful pendant, and a number of very interesting rings in the shop, which we recently bought from some estates here in Massachusetts and in Florida. Very lovely, please come check them out!
For those on a budget, please also remember that we have a terrific collection of what is called "manmade" opal, which is set in sterling silver. This is actually bits of real opal put together in a composite that is both beautiful and extremely hard. Opal stud earrings can be had for as little as $24 in the store, with a huge variety of earrings, pendants, rings, and bracelets all set in sparkling sterling silver and all very affordable.
Come to the store dear readers, and please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomsJewelry.
Now that the long winter has passed and our busy summer in the Berkshires is here, I want to say hi to everyone and welcome back to many of you who have come into the shop already!
Today I am inspired to talk a little about the great Art Deco period in jewelry design, dating from about the years 1920 until the Second World War. Art Deco first appeared in France and it was a major reaction to the prevailing organic, flowery, highly ornamented styles that predated it—Art Nouveau and Victorian. Art Deco design in general, but jewelry in particular, is described variously as geometrical, clean lined and using diamond and colored gemstones. Art Deco jewelry designers often employed finely filigreed settings, and combined modern, machine-age technology in settings that were noted for the use of platinum, white gold, and occasionally sterling silver.
At Heirlooms, I have always focused heavily on finding the best of these pieces at affordable prices and in the finest condition. Rings and bracelets in particular are my specialty. Currently I have a large variety of beautiful rings in diamond, sapphire, and emerald, as well as a great sterling silver bracelet that is very affordably priced. I'll be looking out for more of these, too!
I'll post some of these on my Facebook page. Come in and see our great inventory of Art Deco pieces or check our website. Happy summer to all!
Hello all and welcome back to my blog. Spring is definitely here and people are emerging from the great winter of 2014-2015. Get out and enjoy the mild weather that spring always brings! Today I am going to talk about emerald, May's birthstone, which almost anyone knows about, and green quartz, which is quite the opposite.
Emerald is of course one of the classic stones used in fine jewelry design for centuries. Its use in decorating earlobes, wrists, and fingers of elegant women dates back at least to Egyptian times! Emerald is a beryl, considered one of the finest gemstones when colors are deep and verdant green, and inclusions are few. Colombia in South America and Zambia in Africa are the two largest producers of emerald, but it can be found in other locations as well. The very well known emerald cut in rectangular form is the classic shape of these pieces, though many cuts are used in a variety of settings. Emerald looks great in both yellow and white gold or platinum settings. Color is the number one determinant of the quality of an emerald, with clarity or lack of inclusions a close second. I'll be posting some of our great emerald pieces on Facebook this month. I hope you'll have a look.
Did you know that green quartz exhibits many of the desirable qualities of emerald at a small fraction of the cost? Far more common that emerald, green quartz is a little known stone that mimics the deep green colors of emerald and can be cut in a variety of different ways, often in large carat stones as well. It's also very clear typically and because of its affordability is set in sterling silver. It's a beautiful stone that is sure to please any green lover!
At Heirlooms we have a wide variety of both fine emerald pieces as well as a large selection of green quartz in beautifully crafted Indonesian, hand-made sterling silver. Check out the shop and our website for some of these great pieces!
Dear Readers: Well, here we are approaching spring and we are truly excited not only about better weather, but seeing all of our friends and customers back in the shop in Stockbridge. Everyone wants to get out of the house this year!
Today I want to tell you about Swarovski crystals. You might ask, why this subject? For the simple reason that so much of our highest quality fashion jewelry is now being made from the amazing collection of colored, cut crystals from this world-famous company based in Austria. Swarovski goes back to the 1800's and is a major supplier of cut crystals to many jewelry makers around the world. Sure, Swarovski is known for its own line of jewelry, glass figurines, home décor, fashion accessories, commemorative pieces, and the like, but did you know that Firefly, Mariana, Liz Palacios and other makers of the great fashion jewelry that we have in the shop, make their pieces exclusively from the tremendous variety of Swarovski crystals that are available? I mentioned Firefly in my last blog, and now that it's in, the store seems just lit up with a riotous and vivid color display, seemingly of every hue. We also have our usual great selections of Euro wire earrings and posts using these fantastic designs in every color of the rainbow.
Come see us soon, you'll be delighted at what you see in the shop!
Dear All: So nice to be back in touch with you. I know we are all hoping that spring will be happening soon. I know I am! But dear readers, we are indeed open on our Thursday-Monday winter schedule where you are always welcome to just come and say hello. We are getting ready for another busy year and are very excited to be offering the much beloved Firefly line of Guatemalan jewelry made from Swarovski crystal.
If you know Firefly already, these pieces will be in soon and I know you will be thrilled to be able to get these at Heirlooms. Firefly often sells out quickly but we've made a large purchase and will have 50 to 100 pieces in stock, a great selection. This stunning jewelry is designed by a fantastic Guatemalan designer named Juan Carlos Chavajay Vasquez, in conjunction with Edward Rudnicki, the owner of Firefly. These beautiful pieces feature great explosions of color in a style that might be called mosaic. Using Swarovski crystals, the world's finest, and Swarovski elements in many precision cuts, these designs are simply amazing. Settings, backs, wires, etc., are very high quality sterling silver, gold filled, antique brass and surgical steel. You will be blown away by the outstanding quality, incredible beauty, and easy affordability of these pieces. I am posting a few pictures just to whet your appetite!
We welcome Firefly and look forward to seeing you in the store very soon!
Hello again dear readers! Wow, we have had a real winter this year, but I have it on good word that spring will be here shortly! Meanwhile, we have been shopping at the New York Now/Gift Show, as well as stocking up for another busy year. We are very pleased to announce that Heirlooms will be the only regional retailer that will carry the exciting Firefly line from Guatemala, featuring brightly colored Swarovski crystal jewelry. Watch for it around April. But since this is February, here are a few tidbits about amethyst, the February birthstone.
Known since ancient Greek and Anglo/Saxon times as a gemstone, amethyst is a member of the quartz family and considered a semi-precious stone. The most desirable pieces feature the deep, rich purples amethyst is known for. Russian amethyst is considered amongst the world's best, but it is mined in many areas around the world. Amethyst is not costly, and carat weight is not as meaningful in determining value as is color. Amethyst can often be found in large, emerald cut stones in either gold or silver settings.
We have some outstanding amethyst pieces, both antique/estate and new….a very wide variety. Check out our site or come in the shop and see what's new. We will continue our Thursday-Monday winter schedule with the exception of President's Week—we'll be open all seven days.
Hope to see you around Stockbridge and in Heirlooms soon!
Hello again all, and I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year! The winter brings a more relaxed pace, giving us a little time to review both the past year and what we are planning for 2015. Let me thank all of you for contributing to our most successful year in our 16-year history!
As I look at the calendar, I know it's January and that's garnet month. I love garnets—great colors with wide variation, suitable for both silver and gold settings, and always very affordable. Deep reds and orange/reds are the most favored colors. We have some beautiful pieces in garnet on our website www.heirloomsjewelry.com and in the store in Stockbridge, including some in the Madagascar garnet that is highly prized. Some of the Indonesian jewelry from Bali that has come in lately is in garnet as well—this is beautiful hand made silver jewelry done in very traditional methods dating back for many years. Garnet can also be found in larger carat sizes at very reasonable prices. It's a terrific substitute for ruby at a fraction of the cost.
Just a quick update on the Mata Ortiz to you shard jewelry I talked about previously. We just added a whole new section on our website featuring these fantastic pieces in .950 silver made by Agustin Torres Beltran, a master silversmith from Taxco, Mexico. We posted 55 pieces sorted by rings, bracelets, earrings, pendants, and even cufflinks. Check it out!
We are open all winter, though closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We do also go to shows in the winter and will be absent on Monday February 2. Hope to see you all again soon!
Greetings to all, and it's nice to be back to writing again! This year has seen a significant decline in the price of gold and silver which is good news for our customers. Lower prices keep pieces reasonable and allow many more people to purchase and wear beautiful jewelry. This month I want to talk briefly about sterling silver from Bali in Indonesia. Some folks may know Bali as an exotic Asian destination filled with temples and spirits, but you may not know that some of the world's best hand made and individually crafted sterling silver jewelry comes from there. There are families in Bali who still make gorgeous pieces by hand, with tools and techniques that in many ways are what they have been using for centuries.
At Heirlooms we have made a large commitment to Balinese silver jewelry this year. Featuring affordable and colorful semi-precious stones such as topaz, amethyst, garnet, and quartz, we have a fantastic selection of pieces ranging from light and delicate earrings under $30 to some really exciting pendants and bracelets that are priced under $200. Your Christmas can be very merry!
We're open every day this month. Don't forget to check the Facebook page and website to see what's new. Hope to see you all in the shop, and wishing you the very best for the holidays!
Hello again dear readers, and I hope you have had as wonderful an autumn as we had here in the Berkshires! Simply awesome colors in the leaves this year inspired me to write about topaz, the November birthstone and one that comes in a wide variety of colors that evoke the yellows, browns, and oranges of fall. Not only that, but this semiprecious stone can be heat treated, irradiated, or coated to create the marvelous deep London blue topaz, and the purple/green of the more recent and very popular mystic topaz. It also comes colorless or nearly colorless and is sometimes used as a diamond substitute in less expensive jewelry.
Known since ancient times as a desirable stone for jewelry, topaz is considered versatile, workable, affordable, and of course beautiful! Large multi-carat stones are available and quite reasonable in price, particularly when set into silver. Found in a number of places around the world, topaz can also be set in gold. At Heirlooms we have a large selection of topaz in both metals and at many price levels. Check out our Birthstone jewelry section where we have a whole section devoted to November birthstone jewelry…or better yet, come into the shop as we are open every day until though the end of the year!
Hello all and welcome back to my blog! We have been extremely busy this summer. Today's topic is Taxco silver from Mexico. Known since the 1920's when American William Spratling settled in Taxco and established his workshop there, this lovely town in the mountains of Guerrero state is widely known as one of the prime silver jewelry making places in the world. Pieces from Taxco are highly prized for their craftsmanship, durability, and beauty and are often set with stones such as malachite, onyx, and fire opal, or pottery from Mexico.
Collectors avidly seek pieces from the 1940's and 1950's, yet a whole modern set of craftspeople are making fantastic jewelry pieces there. Artists such as Agustin Torres Beltran are creating magnificent bracelets, earrings, and pendants by coupling beautiful shards of Paquime inspired pottery with some of the best silverwork available anywhere. We are now very pleased to feature Mata Ortiz To You jewelry created by Agustin. No two pieces are the same but each is striking and totally unique, and pricing is moderate from $125 to $375. The pictures below are just some recent samples of these beautiful creations. Come in the shop in Stockbridge (we're open all year) or email us for some photos of what we have available now from Mata Ortiz!
Hi again all: Spring is finally here and people are coming around to the beautiful Berkshires to take in all that this great part of the country has to offer. At Heirlooms we have some terrific new pieces for spring that are sure to please you!
My blog this month is about something I love very much! It's pearl, one of June's birthstones, and we have a large selection of both high quality, hand-knotted pearl necklaces as well as bracelets, pins, earrings, and pendants—some in gold and some in silver. Most pearls are what are called "cultured" or "freshwater" pearls. These pearls are of very good quality and result from the implantation by professional pearl growers of a bead or other substance into the body of an oyster or mussel. These are grown commercially throughout Asia, with China being one of the largest growers in the world. Natural pearls that occur in the wild are both rare and expensive, while cultured pearls are both affordable and beautiful.
Pearls come in a variety of shapes besides the typical round, and colors run from bright white through beiges, pinks, and blacks. The clasp on a pearl necklace is a clue to the quality of the pearls as well. If there is a fine gold clasp, or one accented with diamonds, the odds are that the pearls are of very high quality. Every woman deserves fine pearl jewelry! Stop by the shop in Stockbridge, browse our website, or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HeirloomsJewelry.
Hi everyone and I hope you made it through the long winter and have emerged into spring ready as we are for a great year! We have been preparing for another busy summer and fall in Stockbridge, with a large selection of new inventory. Over the winter we have purchased some fantastic new pieces in amber so I want to take a minute and tell you a little bit about it!
Amber is fossilized pine resin that's essentially between 40 and 60 million years old. The world's best amber comes from submerged ancient forests along the Baltic Sea. The resin undergoes various chemical changes depending on its exposure to sea water, soil, air, etc. and results in a large variety of colors from the familiar browns to yellows, deep "cherry", and greens. Set in fine sterling silver by world quality Polish craftsman and exported around the world, these pieces come in an amazing variety of styles, settings, and prices.
Women with darker complexions and hair often look great in the browns and reds, while others who are fairer do well with the lighter yellows and greens. We have a tremendous selection both on our website and in the shop in Stockbridge. Come see us soon!
Hi Friends and Customers: I hope you all have made it through the "Winter of 2014" as we all will remember it around here! Despite the weather, we've had a good season with Roman Glass jewelry so I thought I would take a minute and tell you a little bit about this very unusual, yet beautiful remnant of the past.
2000 years ago when the Romans ruled large swaths of Europe and the Middle East, they developed advanced techniques for heating silicon derived from sand and creating very functional and sturdy glass that was shaped into everyday objects such, as plates, vases, urns, and drinking glasses. A good amount of this was made, and in modern day Israel where much of the manufacturing occurred, a supply can be found in archeological digs, waste areas, and in known places where the glass was made.
Today fantastic jewelry designs in bright sterling silver are made by a number of artisans and companies, using the reclaimed and recycled pieces of ancient glass in an amazing array of styles and shapes. Blues, greens, and multi-hued colors abound in these designs. We feature the very best at Heirlooms and you will find many of these great pieces at affordable prices both in our store in Stockbridge and here on our website. Come visit us soon!
What is the history and composition of white gold? How is it different from traditional yellow gold? These are questions that are often asked of me by customers. White gold is generally presumed to have come into use in the early 1900's as it was created as an alternative to platinum which had been popular since the late 1800's. Most white gold is also plated with rhodium which gives it the bright "whitish" color that it is known for.
White gold can be of many varieties, all of which are alloys of yellow gold mixed with other metals either for color, hardness, durability, or type of setting. Common elements of the alloys are silver, copper, manganese, nickel, zinc, platinum, and palladium. Each of these can be blended with yellow gold to create slightly different final looks. White gold is measured by karat weight just like yellow gold—10kt, 14kt, and 18kt being the most common. It is no more costly than yellow gold, simply a matter of taste.
In the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, white gold reached a prominence that still imparts a look of beauty and luxury to many of the pieces that come from that era and which can be found in our shop. We feature a very large selection of white gold rings, pendants, pins, and bracelets from the early 1900's up to modern times. Check out our website, visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HeirloomsJewelry, or come into the shop which is open year round!
What are the differences between antique, estate, and vintage jewelry? I get asked this question often and while there are no cut and dry answers, there are some basic differences that exist.
Technically, to be considered truly antique, an item must be 100 years old or more. That means pieces from the Art Nouveau and Edwardian eras could be considered true antiques. Any Victorian piece would also qualify as Queen Victoria died in 1901. However, many people call jewelry from before World War 2 "antique", and yet others distinguish antique jewelry by being made of finer materials (gold, diamond, sapphire, etc.) from this prewar period. But to be 100% safe, a piece should be from 1914 or earlier to be a bona fide antique. These pieces are getting harder to find, and many have been "melted" in the gold rush of the past five years. Antique jewelry is a tremendously fascinating hobby and is truly worth collecting. Besides the fact that the fabulous styling of the past has never been duplicated, surviving pieces are usually made with the very finest materials and workmanship that have stood the test of time.
Vintage jewelry is normally defined as representing a bygone era of some sort, and again age can vary quite a lot. Quality can run the gamut from costume to fine jewelry, but examples of these pieces would be things like Retro and Old Mexican Silver. Within this category would be found many interesting pieces in all price ranges—Monet pins and earrings from the 50's and 60's, Georg Jensen silver from Denmark, or Art Deco style filigree rings in platinum or white gold as examples.
Estate jewelry basically means anything that is pre-owned. It can be antique, vintage, or modern. It does not imply that it is purchased from an estate or at an estate sale. Rather it is secondhand. Estate jewelry of any sort can be highly collectible, and even better, is usually priced at a discount to new jewelry. You get the same intrinsic value of carat, stone quality, precious metal content, etc., but at lower prices than new pieces.
Today's blog is about gold, how it is weighed and what "karat" means. Gold is measured in a system called the "Troy" ounce scale. A Troy ounce is a little different from what most people know as a standard ounce of weight. While there are about 28 grams in a standard ounce, it takes about 31 grams to make up a Troy ounce. Sometimes gold is also quoted in something called "pennyweights" which is a very old measuring system, but that is usually figured for the purpose of bulk buying or selling, not for marking of individual items per se.
"Karat" is a measurement from 1 to 24 that denotes the purity of gold. If something is 14 karat gold it is 14/24ths pure or about 58% gold. If it is 18 karat gold it is 18/24ths pure or 75% gold. The remaining metals are different alloys that add strength and bulk to the piece. Occasionally gold is marked by percentage but almost always it is marked either 9k, 10k, 14k, 18k, or 22k. In America the standards are 14k and 18k. Sometimes gold is not marked, and it is easily tested by most jewelers.
Some pieces are also called "gold filled" which is basically a plating of gold that is not expensive but is gold on the surface. Many older and Victorian pieces are gold filled and gold plating is used to this day over base metals or silver in jewelry.


Part the fur between the shoulder blades to make the skin visible.
Open the pipette squeeze out the entire content on the skin without touching the hair.
For large and extra large dogs, apply at 3 to 4 spots on the back starting from neck to the base of the tail.
Administer according to dog's weight.
Treat all pets within the household.
Expert Tips 523 Do not allow your dog get immediately after treatment. At least wait for 24 hours for high efficacy. For high effectiveness, ensure the pet takes complete dose.
What Veterinarian Says 524 It's quite a popular product and vet's #1 choice due to its effectiveness. The potent combination of adulticide and insect growth regulator makes it work against not only adult fleas and ticks but also flea life cycle. In 99.9 cases, re-infestation is under control when Frontline Plus is used monthly without any breaks. It is usually recommended to use this product even in winters to protect against flea and tick infestation during the onset of summers. With many pet owners not feasible of using topical treatments to control fleas, Nexgard has turned out as the better option. The oral chew is easy for pet owners to administer and there have been no known side effects seen until now. This new product is loved by dogs because of their soft, beef flavored chewable.
Caution 526 N/A For use in dogs only. Do not use in cats.
Human Safety 527 N/A Keep out of reach of children.


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Rodents of Unusual Size (2017) – Movie Review
Produced & Directed by Quinn Costello, Jeff Metzler & Jeff Springer
Narrated by Wendell Pierce
So I'm going to admit something to you. If you've been hanging around this site for any length of time, though, it's not exactly a shock revelation. I have a fondness for When Animals Attack films. I especially enjoy the When Giant Animals Attack sub-genre. If a week goes by where I can't make a Food of the Gods reference, I feel like something's spiritually wrong. Night of the Lepus is a staple of annual Halloween viewing. So when I heard there was a film about giant rodents eating Louisiana, I expected it to be ATOMIC giant rodents or stop-motion giant rodents or…something. But it was a documentary. Oh yes.
Enter…the nutria. I know it sounds like I'm about to launch into a sales pitch for a new smoothie diet mix, but no…nutria are basically what would happen if naked mole rats got sick and tired of being picked on, so they overdosed on Rogaine and steroids. These things are as big as beavers and have orange teeth. See? Orange teeth. That's weird. They should be atomic, glowing orange teeth but no, it's something apparently normal having to do with the enamel.
I won't rehash the story of how the nutria came to Louisiana, because that's part of the docu Rodents of Unusual Size. And the animated sequence towards the beginning in which Wendell Pierce (Treme, Jack Ryan) tells you the story does a much better job than I could. Suffice it to say the nutria were brought in with the best of intentions, they got loose, they were fruitful and multiplied, and now they eat vegetation which helps hold the ground together. And with the ground compromised, it has a tendency to just…wash away.
The docu gives us a focus we return to often with Thomas Gonzales, an elder stateman of the Louisiana wetlands who isn't going anywhere, regardless of hurricanes, nutria, grey aliens, heat death of the universe…whatever. If there's a zombie apocalypse, he's going to be just fine, I'm betting. We start off with people boating around and shooting nutria, because there's millions of the damn things and somebody needs to. There's a new bounty system in place to encourage the wholesale slaughter of the buggers. And seriously, these guys are so out of control, not even Brian May would say a damn thing about this cull.
This…is Thomas Gonzales. Fast forward to the end of the world and you will find Keith Richards, Betty White…and him.
I must say: for a while there, at the beginning, I thought we were being presented with a marathon of a pilot for a TV show–Nutria Hunters–or something. But I'm familiar with co-producers/co-directors Metzler and Springer (from their work on the stellar Everyday Sunshine docu), so I knew something else had to be in store. And it is.
The story turns out not to be just about the nutria and how they need Marjoe Gortner to come in and fight them, but how people adapt to even seemingly insane scenarios like "Giant rats are going to eat the land out from under you." Some, like Gonzales, just do their thing and I wouldn't dream of getting in his way. Some use the nutria to bring back the fur trade. Some feed them and are nice to them because they're rich and if their land goes they'll just buy some more. (Methinks they have issues.) Some make them sports mascots–so, yeah, people cope in all kinds of weird ways. And so this odd relationship between the people and an insatiable army of rodents becomes the focus, which makes the entire thing fascinating. Odd as hell, just like humanity is, but fascinating, just like humanity is.
Recommended. Does in seventy minutes what a History Channel docu couldn't do in seven hundred. Double feature it with Willard (1971) for extra points. You can find it available to stream on Amazon. Check out the official site here.
The trio of filmmakers who traipsed into the swamps to seek out giant rodents. Yeah. They obviously haven't seen enough horror movies.
The Endurance (2001) – Movie Review The Sparks Brothers – Movie Review Lake Placid (1999) – Movie Review
documentaries Louisiana When Animals Attack!
Doomsday Hound Russian Imperial Stout – Review
Headsup: World War II, the Wild West, and High School


text:
PROTECTION FOR 'CHILDREN' INCLUDES UNBORN: Court opines, 'Our Creator, not government,' gives natural rights
"We're winning!" - Tom Hoefling
Bob Unruh
"Our Creator, not government, gives to all people 'unalienable' natural rights," the opinion asserts, arguing that state laws protecting children after birth also cover the unborn.
The concurrent opinion by Chief Justice Roy Moore, who once fought the state over the display of the Ten Commandments, says: "As stated by James Wilson, one of the first justices on the United States Supreme Court: 'Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine.'"
Moore noted the "first right listed in the Declaration as among our unalienable rights is the right to 'Life.'"
"Blackstone wrote that '[l]ife is the immediate gift of God, a right inherent by nature in every individual; and it begins in contemplation of law as soon as an infant is able to stir in the mother's womb,'" he wrote.
The case at hand dealt with a woman, Sarah Janie Hicks, who was charged after her newborn tested positive for drugs. She had pleaded guilty to a count of violating Alabama's chemical-endangerment statute. Her conviction was affirmed.
"We … hold that the use of the word 'child' in the chemical-endangerment statute includes all children, born and unborn, and furthers Alabama's policy of protecting life from the earliest stages of development," the majority opinion said.
The non-profit Liberty Counsel, which represents pro-life organizations, submitted a brief in the case.
"In an age where some judges do not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, or do not even care, finally the Alabama Supreme Court springs forth with a ray of light," said Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel.
Staver said the opinions by Chief Justice Roy Moore and Justice Tom Parker "are well-reasoned, grounded in history and natural law, and completely demolish the fallacies of the U.S. Supreme Court's abortion decisions."
"One day soon the United States Supreme Court's abortion opinions will come toppling down like a house of cards," he said. 'Then we will look back at history like we now do with Nazi Germany and wonder why our generation was so blind to the personhood of the preborn child."
The 8-1 decision affirmed the position adopted by the court a year ago. In that case, Ankrom v. State, the court ruled the term "child" includes the "unborn child."
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/04/protection-for-children-includes-unborn/#MUqKKDDz5dg0DGIj.99


text:
function CBIG_MFMem_rfMRI_plot_corr_of_VonEconomo(save_dir_input)

%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
% CBIG_MFMem_rfMRI_plot_corr_of_VonEconomo()
%
% show the correlation of estimated W and I in Desikan68 parcellation with
% the Von Economo data.
% W and I are averaged across the right and left hemishpere to martch the
% Von Economo data.
%
% Written by Peng Wang and CBIG under MIT license: https://github.com/ThomasYeoLab/CBIG/blob/master/LICENSE.md
%--------------------------------------------------------------------------

%% input parameters
% save_dir_input: Output file directory

%% read data (model parameter)
main_dir = pwd;
data_dir = fullfile(main_dir,'data');

cd('..')
high_dir = pwd;
lib_dir = fullfile(high_dir, 'lib');
save_dir = save_dir_input;
addpath(lib_dir);
parameter_file_name = 'Example_Estimated_Parameter.mat';
SC_file_name = 'FCSC_Desikan68_Raphael_Wang.mat';
load ([data_dir '/' parameter_file_name],'Para_E');

%average cross right and left hemisphere
Wvector = Para_E(1:68);
Wvector34 = (Wvector(1:34)+Wvector(35:68))/2;
Ivector = Para_E(69:68*2);
Ivector34 = (Ivector(1:34)+Ivector(35:68))/2;
load([data_dir '/' SC_file_name],'SC_test');
SC = SC_test;
SCvector = sum(SC,2); %caculate all the incoming fibers (NOC: number of count)
SCvector34 = (SCvector(1:34)+SCvector(35:68))/2;

%% read von Economo data
load ([data_dir '/ECONOMO_data_Martijn.mat'])

Layer3_cellcontent = [layerIIItotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer3_cellsize = [layerIIItotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer3_thickness = [layerIIItotal_thickness_overall_aparc];
Layer5_cellsize = [layerVtotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer5_cellcontent = [layerVtotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer5_thickness = [layerVtotal_thickness_overall_aparc];
Layer1_cellsize = [layerItotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer1_cellcontent = [layerItotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer1_thickness = [layerItotal_thickness_overall_aparc];
Layer6_cellsize = [layerVItotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer6_cellcontent = [layerVItotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer6_thickness = [layerVItotal_thickness_overall_aparc];

Layer4_cellsize = [layerIVtotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer4_cellcontent = [layerIVtotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer4_thickness = [layerIVtotal_thickness_overall_aparc];
Layer4_nan_indx = isnan(Layer4_cellsize);
Layer4_cellsize(isnan(Layer4_cellsize)) = 0;  %"only region2,5,15,23,25"
Layer4_cellcontent(isnan(Layer4_cellcontent)) = 0;%"only region2,5,15,23,25"
Layer4_thickness(isnan(Layer4_thickness)) = 0;

Layer2_cellsize = [layerIItotal_cell_content_cellsize_aparc'];
Layer2_cellcontent = [layerIItotal_cell_content_mm3_aparc'];
Layer2_thickness = [layerIItotal_thickness_overall_aparc];
Layer2_nan_indx = isnan(Layer2_cellsize);
Layer2_cellsize(isnan(Layer2_cellsize)) = 0;  %"only region2"
Layer2_cellcontent(isnan(Layer2_cellcontent)) = 0; %"only regin2"
Layer2_thickness(isnan(Layer2_thickness)) = 0;

layernum = 6*ones(34,1);
layernum = layernum-Layer2_nan_indx-Layer4_nan_indx;
LayerT_cellsize = (Layer1_cellsize+Layer2_cellsize+Layer3_cellsize+Layer4_cellsize+Layer5_cellsize+Layer6_cellsize)./layernum;
LayerT_cellcontent = (Layer1_cellcontent+Layer2_cellcontent+Layer3_cellcontent+Layer4_cellcontent+Layer5_cellcontent+Layer6_cellcontent)./layernum;

%% computing correlation

disp('pearson')
disp('        W  I  SC')
disp(['layer1   1  8 15'; 'layer2   2  9 16'; 'layer3   3 10 17'; 'layer4   4 11 18'; 'layer5   5 12 19'; 'layer6   6 13 20'; 'layerT   7 14 21'])

corr_matrix_full = cell(15,7);
corr_matrix_full{1,1} = 'Desikan68 R+L';
corr_matrix_full{2,1} = 'Layer1_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{3,1} = 'Layer2_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{4,1} = 'Layer3_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{5,1} = 'Layer4_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{6,1} = 'Layer5_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{7,1} = 'Layer6_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{8,1} = 'LayerT_cellDensity';
corr_matrix_full{9,1} = 'Layer1_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{10,1} = 'Layer2_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{11,1} = 'Layer3_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{12,1} = 'Layer4_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{13,1} = 'Layer5_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{14,1} = 'Layer6_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{15,1} = 'LayerT_cellSize';
corr_matrix_full{1,2} = 'W';
corr_matrix_full{1,3} = 'P-value';
corr_matrix_full{1,4} = 'I';
corr_matrix_full{1,5} = 'P-value';
corr_matrix_full{1,6} = 'SC_NOS';
corr_matrix_full{1,7} = 'P-value';

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer1_cellcontent>0),Layer1_cellcontent(Layer1_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{2,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{2,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer2_cellcontent>0),Layer2_cellcontent(Layer2_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{3,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{3,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer3_cellcontent>0),Layer3_cellcontent(Layer3_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{4,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{4,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer4_cellcontent>0),Layer4_cellcontent(Layer4_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{5,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{5,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer5_cellcontent>0),Layer5_cellcontent(Layer5_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{6,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{6,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer6_cellcontent>0),Layer6_cellcontent(Layer6_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{7,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{7,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(LayerT_cellcontent>0),LayerT_cellcontent(LayerT_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{8,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{8,3} = p_value(1,2);

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer1_cellsize>0),Layer1_cellsize(Layer1_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{9,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{9,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer2_cellsize>0),Layer2_cellsize(Layer2_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{10,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{10,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer3_cellsize>0),Layer3_cellsize(Layer3_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{11,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{11,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer4_cellsize>0),Layer4_cellsize(Layer4_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{12,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{12,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer5_cellsize>0),Layer5_cellsize(Layer5_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{13,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{13,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(Layer6_cellsize>0),Layer6_cellsize(Layer6_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{14,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{14,3} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Wvector34(LayerT_cellsize>0),LayerT_cellsize(LayerT_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{15,2} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{15,3} = p_value(1,2);

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer1_cellcontent>0),Layer1_cellcontent(Layer1_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{2,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{2,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer2_cellcontent>0),Layer2_cellcontent(Layer2_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{3,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{3,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer3_cellcontent>0),Layer3_cellcontent(Layer3_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{4,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{4,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer4_cellcontent>0),Layer4_cellcontent(Layer4_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{5,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{5,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer5_cellcontent>0),Layer5_cellcontent(Layer5_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{6,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{6,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer6_cellcontent>0),Layer6_cellcontent(Layer6_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{7,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{7,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(LayerT_cellcontent>0),LayerT_cellcontent(LayerT_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{8,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{8,5} = p_value(1,2);

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer1_cellsize>0),Layer1_cellsize(Layer1_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{9,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{9,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer2_cellsize>0),Layer2_cellsize(Layer2_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{10,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{10,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer3_cellsize>0),Layer3_cellsize(Layer3_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{11,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{11,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer4_cellsize>0),Layer4_cellsize(Layer4_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{12,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{12,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer5_cellsize>0),Layer5_cellsize(Layer5_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{13,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{13,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(Layer6_cellsize>0),Layer6_cellsize(Layer6_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{14,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{14,5} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(Ivector34(LayerT_cellsize>0),LayerT_cellsize(LayerT_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{15,4} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{15,5} = p_value(1,2);

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer1_cellcontent>0),Layer1_cellcontent(Layer1_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{2,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{2,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer2_cellcontent>0),Layer2_cellcontent(Layer2_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{3,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{3,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer3_cellcontent>0),Layer3_cellcontent(Layer3_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{4,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{4,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer4_cellcontent>0),Layer4_cellcontent(Layer4_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{5,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{5,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer5_cellcontent>0),Layer5_cellcontent(Layer5_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{6,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{6,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer6_cellcontent>0),Layer6_cellcontent(Layer6_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{7,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{7,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(LayerT_cellcontent>0),LayerT_cellcontent(LayerT_cellcontent>0));
corr_matrix_full{8,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{8,7} = p_value(1,2);

[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer1_cellsize>0),Layer1_cellsize(Layer1_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{9,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{9,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer2_cellsize>0),Layer2_cellsize(Layer2_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{10,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{10,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer3_cellsize>0),Layer3_cellsize(Layer3_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{11,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{11,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer4_cellsize>0),Layer4_cellsize(Layer4_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{12,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{12,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer5_cellsize>0),Layer5_cellsize(Layer5_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{13,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{13,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(Layer6_cellsize>0),Layer6_cellsize(Layer6_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{14,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{14,7} = p_value(1,2);
[r_value,p_value] = corrcoef(SCvector34(LayerT_cellsize>0),LayerT_cellsize(LayerT_cellsize>0));
corr_matrix_full{15,6} = r_value(1,2);
corr_matrix_full{15,7} = p_value(1,2);

%% plot

%draw celldensity
writeSize = 12;

figure
x = Wvector34(LayerT_cellcontent>0);
y = LayerT_cellcontent(LayerT_cellcontent>0);
scatter(x,y,'filled')
title('W and layerT neuronal density')
xlabel('Self-recurrent W')
ylabel('neuronal density')
p = polyfit(x,y,1);
yfit = p(1)*x+p(2);
hold on
plot(x,yfit,'r--');
set(gca,'fontsize',writeSize,'fontname','arial','TickDir','out');
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/W_cellDensity'],'epsc')
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/W_cellDensity'],'png')

figure
x = Ivector34(LayerT_cellcontent>0);
y = LayerT_cellcontent(LayerT_cellcontent>0);
scatter(x,y,'filled')
title('I and layerT neuronal density')
xlabel('Subcortical input I')
ylabel('Neuronal density')
p = polyfit(x,y,1);
yfit = p(1)*x+p(2);
hold on
plot(x,yfit,'r--');
set(gca,'fontsize',writeSize,'fontname','arial','TickDir','out');
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/I_cellDensity'],'epsc')
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/I_cellDensity'],'png')

%draw cellsize

figure
x = Wvector34(LayerT_cellsize>0);
y = LayerT_cellsize(LayerT_cellsize>0);
scatter(x,y,'filled')
title('W and layerT neuronal size')
xlabel('Self-recurrent W')
ylabel('Neuronal size')
p = polyfit(x,y,1);
yfit = p(1)*x+p(2);
hold on
plot(x,yfit,'r--');
set(gca,'fontsize',writeSize,'fontname','arial','TickDir','out');
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/W_cellSize'],'epsc')
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/W_cellSize'],'png')

figure
x = Ivector34(LayerT_cellsize>0);
y = LayerT_cellsize(LayerT_cellsize>0);
scatter(x,y,'filled')
title('I and layerT neuronal size')
xlabel('Subcortical input I')
ylabel('Neuroanl size')
p = polyfit(x,y,1);
yfit = p(1)*x+p(2);
hold on
plot(x,yfit,'r--');
set(gca,'fontsize',writeSize,'fontname','arial','TickDir','out');
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/I_cellSize'],'epsc')
saveas(gca,[save_dir '/I_cellSize'],'png')

%% FDR test
%p-value inclusive SC
p_value_all = corr_matrix_full(2:15,[3 5 7]);
p_value_all = cell2mat(p_value_all);
p1 = p_value_all(:);
[significant_index_SC, final_threshold_SC] = FDR(p1, 0.05);
disp('inclusive Total layer:')
disp(['final threshold:' num2str(final_threshold_SC)]);
disp(['discovery count:' num2str(length(significant_index_SC))])
disp('discovery:')
significant_index_SC

%p-value exclusive SC
p2 = p_value_all(:,1:2);
[significant_index_noSC, final_threshold_noSC] = FDR(p2, 0.05);
disp('inclusive Total layer:')
disp('exclusive SC')
disp(['final threshold:' num2str(final_threshold_noSC)])
disp(['discovery count:' num2str(length(significant_index_noSC))])
disp('discovery:')
significant_index_noSC

%% save to xlsx file
wfilename = 'VonEconomo_correlation.xlsx';
xlswrite([save_dir '/' wfilename],corr_matrix_full,1,'A1');

wfilename = 'VonEconomo_correlation_desikan';
save([save_dir '/' wfilename],'corr_matrix_full','final_threshold_noSC','final_threshold_SC');
rmpath(lib_dir);
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When it comes to games as of a service title, there's usually a bigger focus in getting players to playing either by picking up additional expansions or other microtransactions. The latter can be quite controversial with aspects such as loot boxes becoming a topic as of this generation. For instance, some can easily argue that these loot boxes can be very much like gambling with players spending money in hopes to acquire a specific item. Anthem is one of the latest video game titles released within this new genre market and it's certainly has a few faults which we covered in our Before You Buy upload. However, one aspect that may have gamers a bit frustrated is the drop rate adjustment and it could potentially leave some gamers already tapping out.
Anthem is a new video game release and with any big title, there are bound to be a few new tweaks that needed to be made. However, one unexpected change most gamers may have found to be unwarranted is the drop rate adjustment that's making it harder to find some of that precious loot you're hunting for. Luckily, Anthem doesn't have loot boxes for players to go after which is a plus as we've heard some pretty horrible reports of gamers quickly becoming addicted to spending an outrageous amount of money in a gamble of getting a particular desired skin or gear piece.
In our Friday changes, one of the edits we made had the side effect of increasing certain drop chances. This was not intended. Once we identified the problem we changed it back to how it was before. That was about 11 hours later.
With that said, you will find that some of the rare loot you may have been farming for will become just a bit harder. In a recent Reddit comment by lead producer Ben Irving, BioWare had to make a tweak to the drop rate when the game launched. During the launch the drop rate was increased to a level they didn't originally intend and when it was spotted the developers made the fix. This apparently wasn't very long into the launch day before it was realized and fixed, but it's regardless a tweak that will make finding some gear harder.
Gamers can pick up Anthem right now on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms. Again, if you'd like to hear our thoughts on the game such as what we thought was good, bad along with a few personal opinions then take a look at the Before You Buy video upload above.


CONCORD—The Business Roundtable scheduled for June 1, 2015 with Republican candidate Senator Ted Cruz has been cancelled due to a change in his Washington schedule. A new date and time will be announced soon. For more information on this or future Business Roundtables, please contact Representative Sanborn at RepSanborn@gmail.com.


text:
Die Cucurbitella sind eine Gattung einzelliger, beschalter Amöben und gehört zur Familie der Difflugiidae. Die Gattung enthält dreizehn Arten, die in Gewässern leben.

Merkmale
Das Gehäuse der Vertreter der Cucurbitella  ist gleichmäßig eiförmig und dunkelgrau bis opak gefärbt, es besteht aus kleinen bis mittleren mineralischen Partikeln, diese liegen so dicht, dass der organische Kitt darunter kaum einmal sichtbar wird. Um die Mundöffnung liegt deutlich sichtbar ein Kranz, die Öffnung selbst weist 3 bis 12 Lappen auf, die aus kleinen mineralischen Partikeln aufgebaut sind. Die innere Mundöffnung ist eine kreisförmige oder gelappte Öffnung in einer Zwischenwand, die mit der eigentlichen Gehäusewand auf gleichem Niveau liegt.

Der Zellkern gehört zum vesikularen Typ, enthält also nur ein Kernkörperchen. Das Zytoplasma einiger Arten enthält Zoochlorellen.

Vorkommen
Cucurbitella sind Pflanzenfresser, sie finden sich an Süßwasserpflanzen und in Sedimenten.

Systematik
Die Gattung wurde 1902 von Eugène Penard erstbeschrieben, Typusart ist Cucurbitella mespiliformis. Cucurbitella umfasst dreizehn Arten, darunter:

 Cucurbitella mespiliformis
 Cucurbitella minutissima

Nachweise

Tubulinea
Tubulineen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As of Drill 1.12, Drill provides a storage plugin for Kafka. The Kafka storage plugin enables you to run SQL queries on Apache Kafka and perform interactive analysis on the data. When you install Drill, a preconfigured Kafka storage plugin is available on the Storage page in the Drill Web UI. Once you enable and configure the storage plugin, you can query Kafka from Drill.
The following sections provide information about the Kafka storage plugin, how to enable and configure the Kafka storage plugin in Drill, options that you can set at the system or session level, and example queries on a Kafka data source. You can refer to the README and Apache Kafka for additional information.
In Drill, each Kafka topic is mapped to an SQL table. When run a query on a table, the query scans all the messages from the earliest offset to the latest offset of that topic at that point in time. The Kafka storage plugin automatically discovers all the topics (tables), so you can perform analysis without executing DDL statements.
Pushing down filters to the Kafka data source reduces the number of messages that Drill scans and significantly decrease query time. Prior to Drill 1.14, Drill scanned all of the data in a topic before applying filters. Starting in Drill 1.14, Drill transforms the filter conditions on metadata fields to limit the range of offsets scanned from the topic.
This API is used to determine the startOffset for each partition in a topic. Note that the timestamps may not appear in increasing order when reading from a Kafka topic if you have defined the timestamp for a message. However, the API returns the first offset (from the beginning of a topic partition) where the timestamp is greater or equal to the timestamp requested. Therefore, Drill does not support pushdown on < or <= because an earlier timestamp may exist beyond endOffsetcomputed.
Enable the Kafka storage plugin on the Storage page of the Drill Web UI and then edit the configuration as needed.
The Kafka storage plugin configuration contains the kafkaConsumerProps property which supports typical Kafka consumer properties, as described in Kafka Consumer Configs.
In the Disabled Storage Plugins section, click Enable next to Kafka. Kafka moves to the Enabled Storage Plugins section. Click Update to see the default configuration. Modify the configuration, as needed, click Update again to save the changes. Click Back to return to the Storage page.
See Drill JSON Model and Drill system options configurations for more information.