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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Will The Earth End in 2012?
There has been a lot of interest lately in the theory that the world is going to end in the year 2012. The hollywood version of events is scheduled to be in theaters in November 2009 and has a lot of people talking. So, is this something that we need to be taking seriously? Is Earth in danger of being annihilated? Is the government hiding the facts from us?
Nibiru
Though there are many variations of the doomsday theory, the threat most often quoted is a collision with a planet (or possibly a brown dwarf) known as Nibiru in 2012. The result would be the virtual destruction of Earth and mankind.
According to the theory, the planet Nibiru orbits our Sun once every 3600 years, making it difficult to observe. Some claim its existence is supported by ancient Sumerian writings, some more than 2500 years old. The Sumerians wrote a great deal about astronomy and had a relatively advanced understanding of the heavens. However, scholars have revealed that no such references to this mysterious object exist.
Then, in the early 1980s the theory was given new life when an infrared experiment cataloged over 350,000 objects in the nights sky, many of which were “unidentified”. A rash of conspiracy theories evolved to claim that one of these unidentified objects was Nibiru and that the government is tracking it. However, subsequent studies carried out by other telescopes around the world quickly identified these objects, and none of them were planets at all. But could the government be lying to us about their results? Not a chance, considering they would need to conspire with tens of thousands of astronomers, both professional and amateur, around the globe to keep the secret.
Why 2012?
The ancient Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Many have taken this to mean that the Mayans believed that this date would bring the end of existence. However, this is not so. Like modern calendars, the Mayan calender is a way of keeping track of time. The Mayan calendar was never meant to be a predictor of the future any more than the calendar in my office is meant to.
The ending date of the Mayan calendar is not meant to represent the end of time, but rather the end of their calendar cycle. Just as our calender begins again on January 1, their calendar will begin a new cycle on December 22, 2012. Their calendar cycle is just much longer than our 365 day cycle.
Other 2012 Conspiracies
There are other events that are supposedly going to happen in 2012 that could spell disaster for planet Earth.
* Planetary Alignment: Some theories contend that a coming planetary alignment in 2012 will start a chain reaction that will cause strange weather and events on the Earth. The first problem with this is that there is not going to be any major alignments of planets, or other objects, in our solar system in the next several decades -- never mind in 2012. Secondly, even if there were a major alignment, there is no scientific reason to believe that this would have any impact on Earth.
* Alignment with the Galactic Center: There is also some worry about an alignment that will happen with the Sun and the center of our Galaxy. First, let me point out that this is very different than saying that our solar system will somehow be moved to the violent center of the Milky Way. That is impossible. We are nearly 30,000 light-years from the center of the Galaxy, making it impossible for us to somehow be “taken” there as some believe. However, it is possible for the Earth, Sun and Galactic Center to be temporarily aligned (where essentially the Sun would be blocking our “view” of the Galactic Center). Which brings me to the second point; this is nothing to fear. It actually happens every December with no consequence.
* Solar Magnetic Shift: Are the magnetic poles of the Sun are going to flip in the next few years? Yes, actually, but there is nothing to fear. It is a natural process known as the solar cycle. Roughly every 11 years the magnetic poles of the Sun flip. This coincides with what is referred to as the solar maximum, the time when there is the greatest appearance of Sun spots, solar flares, prominences and other solar activity. The next solar maximum, was roughly predicted for 2012, but may not happen until 2013 or later. On a related note, some believe that the next solar maximum will bring the largest "solar storm" in history, and that it will knock out our telecommunication systems, cause blackouts and other problems on Earth. This theory is fueled by a report released by the National Research Council on Heliophysics, which was predicting what would happen in the case of another such storm (a massive solar storm was recorded in 1859). It is true that communications and power could be disrupted, but certainly not like the doomsday events portrayed in fiction. Furthermore, there is no reason to even believe that such a storm will happen during the next solar maximum or any other time in the future.
* Earth’s Polar Shift: Just as the Sun undergoes regular magnetic pole shifts, so does the Earth, but on a longer time scale. The Earth’s magnetic cycle is roughly 400,000 years, though it has actually been longer since the Earth’s last flip. In spite of this, there is no evidence that one is coming in the next several thousand years, much less by 2012. Even if a shift did occur, it certainly would not cause the Earth to start spinning in the opposite direction or flip the whole Earth upside down -- which are both outcomes believed by some conspiracy theorists.
* An Asteroid Will Collide With Earth: This is a fear popularized by several disaster movies in the last couple decades. The fact is that, yes, a large asteroid or comet could someday collide with Earth. In truth, meteorites fall to Earth everyday, they are just too small to do any damage. The good news is that an object large enough to do any real damage would be easy to see. And NASA does a great job of cataloging and monitoring the large objects in our solar system. The likelihood that one of these objects would sneak up on us is slim to none. We would likely know it was coming years before it actually arrived, so we would have time to hopefully prevent the collision.
Nibiru
Though there are many variations of the doomsday theory, the threat most often quoted is a collision with a planet (or possibly a brown dwarf) known as Nibiru in 2012. The result would be the virtual destruction of Earth and mankind.
According to the theory, the planet Nibiru orbits our Sun once every 3600 years, making it difficult to observe. Some claim its existence is supported by ancient Sumerian writings, some more than 2500 years old. The Sumerians wrote a great deal about astronomy and had a relatively advanced understanding of the heavens. However, scholars have revealed that no such references to this mysterious object exist.
Then, in the early 1980s the theory was given new life when an infrared experiment cataloged over 350,000 objects in the nights sky, many of which were “unidentified”. A rash of conspiracy theories evolved to claim that one of these unidentified objects was Nibiru and that the government is tracking it. However, subsequent studies carried out by other telescopes around the world quickly identified these objects, and none of them were planets at all. But could the government be lying to us about their results? Not a chance, considering they would need to conspire with tens of thousands of astronomers, both professional and amateur, around the globe to keep the secret.
Why 2012?
The ancient Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Many have taken this to mean that the Mayans believed that this date would bring the end of existence. However, this is not so. Like modern calendars, the Mayan calender is a way of keeping track of time. The Mayan calendar was never meant to be a predictor of the future any more than the calendar in my office is meant to.
The ending date of the Mayan calendar is not meant to represent the end of time, but rather the end of their calendar cycle. Just as our calender begins again on January 1, their calendar will begin a new cycle on December 22, 2012. Their calendar cycle is just much longer than our 365 day cycle.
Other 2012 Conspiracies
There are other events that are supposedly going to happen in 2012 that could spell disaster for planet Earth.
* Planetary Alignment: Some theories contend that a coming planetary alignment in 2012 will start a chain reaction that will cause strange weather and events on the Earth. The first problem with this is that there is not going to be any major alignments of planets, or other objects, in our solar system in the next several decades -- never mind in 2012. Secondly, even if there were a major alignment, there is no scientific reason to believe that this would have any impact on Earth.
* Alignment with the Galactic Center: There is also some worry about an alignment that will happen with the Sun and the center of our Galaxy. First, let me point out that this is very different than saying that our solar system will somehow be moved to the violent center of the Milky Way. That is impossible. We are nearly 30,000 light-years from the center of the Galaxy, making it impossible for us to somehow be “taken” there as some believe. However, it is possible for the Earth, Sun and Galactic Center to be temporarily aligned (where essentially the Sun would be blocking our “view” of the Galactic Center). Which brings me to the second point; this is nothing to fear. It actually happens every December with no consequence.
* Solar Magnetic Shift: Are the magnetic poles of the Sun are going to flip in the next few years? Yes, actually, but there is nothing to fear. It is a natural process known as the solar cycle. Roughly every 11 years the magnetic poles of the Sun flip. This coincides with what is referred to as the solar maximum, the time when there is the greatest appearance of Sun spots, solar flares, prominences and other solar activity. The next solar maximum, was roughly predicted for 2012, but may not happen until 2013 or later. On a related note, some believe that the next solar maximum will bring the largest "solar storm" in history, and that it will knock out our telecommunication systems, cause blackouts and other problems on Earth. This theory is fueled by a report released by the National Research Council on Heliophysics, which was predicting what would happen in the case of another such storm (a massive solar storm was recorded in 1859). It is true that communications and power could be disrupted, but certainly not like the doomsday events portrayed in fiction. Furthermore, there is no reason to even believe that such a storm will happen during the next solar maximum or any other time in the future.
* Earth’s Polar Shift: Just as the Sun undergoes regular magnetic pole shifts, so does the Earth, but on a longer time scale. The Earth’s magnetic cycle is roughly 400,000 years, though it has actually been longer since the Earth’s last flip. In spite of this, there is no evidence that one is coming in the next several thousand years, much less by 2012. Even if a shift did occur, it certainly would not cause the Earth to start spinning in the opposite direction or flip the whole Earth upside down -- which are both outcomes believed by some conspiracy theorists.
* An Asteroid Will Collide With Earth: This is a fear popularized by several disaster movies in the last couple decades. The fact is that, yes, a large asteroid or comet could someday collide with Earth. In truth, meteorites fall to Earth everyday, they are just too small to do any damage. The good news is that an object large enough to do any real damage would be easy to see. And NASA does a great job of cataloging and monitoring the large objects in our solar system. The likelihood that one of these objects would sneak up on us is slim to none. We would likely know it was coming years before it actually arrived, so we would have time to hopefully prevent the collision.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
HOW TO MAKE A PHOTO BOX
I've noticed that a lot of people (in general)
could use this method.
ITEMS YOU NEED
12x12x12 box
14 x 10 piece of plexy glass or glass
a knife
background paper (scrapbooking paper is great from craft store)
wax paper
60-100 watt light
How to put it all together:
1) Take your 12x12x12 box and cut out one side. Keep the bottom of
your box intact.
2) (open side you just cut out) Measure 9 inches from the bottom and
make a slit all the way to the back of the box on both sides. Do not
cut the back of the box.
3) Slide your glass into the slits of the box
4) Take the wax paper and tape it over the light source. The
wax paper is used to defuse the light.
5) Aim the light towards the opening of your box.
6) Lay your background on the bottom of your box as your background.
7) Shine your light into to open area of the box. Take your photos from the
back of the box... with the light facing you.
Your camera should focus on the jewelry or small object. The
background will be fuzzy due to the distance of the background from
the object.
Monday, March 16, 2009
what does nickel free means
Many times nickel, another hard metal known also as Ni, is placed between the coating and the silver because it facilitates the adherence and luster of the plating to the metal. When used in silver jewelry, this can cause irritation to those who are sensitive to nickel or have nickel allergies. For that reason, there is nickel-free jewelry available. 95% of our sterling silver jewelry is nickel-free and all of our nickel-free jewelry is clearly marked on the site.
Nickel Allergies On The Rise
...Nickel is a metal often present in certain jewelry components. Nearly 15% of the US population suffers from an allergy to nickel. This figure is up from 10% in the 80’s, due, it is believed, to the increased popularity of body piercing.
Symptoms
...People suffering from allergies to nickel have symptoms ranging from slight itching and redness of the skin to blisters at the area of contact. Actually, it is the nickel salts formed when the metal comes in contact with perspiration that cause the allergy. Once an allergy to nickel has been acquired, it is usually lifelong.
Ban On Nickel
...This problem is so prevalent that, since January 2000, the European Union has imposed a nickel ban on all jewelry sold there. The European nickel free standard states that items labeled “nickel free” may contain no more than 0.05% nickel (no more than 1 part in 2000 that is nickel)
Surgical Steel
...Surgical steel, often used in earring wires and advertised as hypo-allergenic, is NOT nickel free, usually containing 8% nickel. People with a slight nickel allergy may tolerate surgical steel earrings for a few hours or maybe even all day. But they may be so sensitive that even the buttons of their jeans cannot touch their skin. Why chance it? Unless specifically stated otherwise,
Nickel Allergies On The Rise
...Nickel is a metal often present in certain jewelry components. Nearly 15% of the US population suffers from an allergy to nickel. This figure is up from 10% in the 80’s, due, it is believed, to the increased popularity of body piercing.
Symptoms
...People suffering from allergies to nickel have symptoms ranging from slight itching and redness of the skin to blisters at the area of contact. Actually, it is the nickel salts formed when the metal comes in contact with perspiration that cause the allergy. Once an allergy to nickel has been acquired, it is usually lifelong.
Ban On Nickel
...This problem is so prevalent that, since January 2000, the European Union has imposed a nickel ban on all jewelry sold there. The European nickel free standard states that items labeled “nickel free” may contain no more than 0.05% nickel (no more than 1 part in 2000 that is nickel)
Surgical Steel
...Surgical steel, often used in earring wires and advertised as hypo-allergenic, is NOT nickel free, usually containing 8% nickel. People with a slight nickel allergy may tolerate surgical steel earrings for a few hours or maybe even all day. But they may be so sensitive that even the buttons of their jeans cannot touch their skin. Why chance it? Unless specifically stated otherwise,
Sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.
Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with either copper or titanium to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish. These replacement metals include germanium, zinc and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives, including silicon and boron. A number of alloys have appeared in recent years, formulated to lessen firescale or to inhibit tarnish, and this has sparked heavy competition among the various manufacturers, who are rushing to make claims of having the best formulation. However, no one alloy has emerged to replace copper as the industry standard, and alloy development is a very active area.
Storing Sterling Silver Jewelry
Store your sterling silver jewelry in tarnish prevention cloths or bags. The treated cloth slows down the tarnishing process and keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that can scratch it. Try to to keep your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dry place.
Cleaning Your Sterling Silver Jewelry
Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive cleaner, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.
Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with either copper or titanium to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish. These replacement metals include germanium, zinc and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives, including silicon and boron. A number of alloys have appeared in recent years, formulated to lessen firescale or to inhibit tarnish, and this has sparked heavy competition among the various manufacturers, who are rushing to make claims of having the best formulation. However, no one alloy has emerged to replace copper as the industry standard, and alloy development is a very active area.
Storing Sterling Silver Jewelry
Store your sterling silver jewelry in tarnish prevention cloths or bags. The treated cloth slows down the tarnishing process and keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that can scratch it. Try to to keep your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dry place.
Cleaning Your Sterling Silver Jewelry
Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive cleaner, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Gemstone Fakes and Deceptions
Call them what you like: faux or fake gemstones, imitations, or simulated gems -- they all have one thing in common, they can look just like the real thing, but they do not have any of the physical characteristics of the natural or synthetic gemstone they are meant to represent.
Faux gems can be a very good option, because they give us an inexpensive way to wear colorful, lush-looking jewelry without the hefty price tag that comes with the real thing. There's no reason to avoid faux gems -- what you do want to avoid is paying too much for misrepresented merchandise.
Materials Used to Make Faux Gemstones
* Today's imitation stones are often made of glass or plastic. A jeweler can easily detect those materials, so have the jewelry inspected if you think you might have purchased a fake.
* A real gemstone can be mounted in a solid-back setting, with foil placed underneath the gem to make it look more brilliant or change its color.
Composite Gemstones
Composite gemstones are made from a small piece of a desirable, genuine stone that's combined with an inexpensive or imitation gemstone. Opal jewelry is often with composites.
Doublets are composite stones made with a large, inexpensive chunk of some kind that's topped by a thin slice of a desirable gemstone. The division usually isn't obvious until you look at the piece under magnification.
One type of doublet is assembled by sandwiching a colored bonding agent between two clear, inexpensive stones -- the added hue makes it look like a colored gemstone.
Triplets are composites that are assembled in three parts instead of two.
Creative Gemstone Names Can be a Signal
Descriptive terms are sometimes used before the name of a gemstone, like Oriental emerald (a green sapphire). An American ruby is a garnet. Australian jade is treated quartz. Question the authenticity of any gemstone that's advertised with an extra, descriptive name.
http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/a/misleading_name.htm
Faux gems can be a very good option, because they give us an inexpensive way to wear colorful, lush-looking jewelry without the hefty price tag that comes with the real thing. There's no reason to avoid faux gems -- what you do want to avoid is paying too much for misrepresented merchandise.
Materials Used to Make Faux Gemstones
* Today's imitation stones are often made of glass or plastic. A jeweler can easily detect those materials, so have the jewelry inspected if you think you might have purchased a fake.
* A real gemstone can be mounted in a solid-back setting, with foil placed underneath the gem to make it look more brilliant or change its color.
Composite Gemstones
Composite gemstones are made from a small piece of a desirable, genuine stone that's combined with an inexpensive or imitation gemstone. Opal jewelry is often with composites.
Doublets are composite stones made with a large, inexpensive chunk of some kind that's topped by a thin slice of a desirable gemstone. The division usually isn't obvious until you look at the piece under magnification.
One type of doublet is assembled by sandwiching a colored bonding agent between two clear, inexpensive stones -- the added hue makes it look like a colored gemstone.
Triplets are composites that are assembled in three parts instead of two.
Creative Gemstone Names Can be a Signal
Descriptive terms are sometimes used before the name of a gemstone, like Oriental emerald (a green sapphire). An American ruby is a garnet. Australian jade is treated quartz. Question the authenticity of any gemstone that's advertised with an extra, descriptive name.
http://jewelry.about.com/od/birthstonefactsandfolklore/a/misleading_name.htm
How to Avoid Buying a Fake Diamond
When purchasing a precious stone, your first line of defense against fraud is having the right information. Learn ways you can detect a fake diamond from a real one, and find out the most trusted places to buy diamond jewelry.
Buy Diamonds From Established Jewelers
The most important first step in buying a diamond ring and to avoid buying a fake is to purchase from a jeweler that you know and trust. You should look for someone who has a long standing reputation in the community, who is an established jeweler and is often times a member of the American Gem Society. To be a member of the American Gem Society you need to withhold certain standards and need to have certain credentials.
Assess the Diamond Reflection
When you are looking at a diamond versus a synthetic stone you will notice that diamonds reflect light differently. And often times with a synthetic stone when moved at certain angles you will find spots that have dead areas that are not reflecting light in the same way - which may be a little hard to tell on camera but in person you will be able to tell the difference. A diamond has a brilliance like no other stone, so when you are looking at a cubic zirconia or another man made type diamond it will generally look quite a bit different in person.
Examine the Diamond Up Close
The next step in looking at a diamond would be under a jeweler’s looth or a microscope, and under magnification of about 10 times natural vision you should be able to see some imperfections in most diamonds. As you are moving the stone around look for small black spots or white imperfections, this will tell you that the stone is not a synthetic.
Buy Diamonds From Established Jewelers
The most important first step in buying a diamond ring and to avoid buying a fake is to purchase from a jeweler that you know and trust. You should look for someone who has a long standing reputation in the community, who is an established jeweler and is often times a member of the American Gem Society. To be a member of the American Gem Society you need to withhold certain standards and need to have certain credentials.
Assess the Diamond Reflection
When you are looking at a diamond versus a synthetic stone you will notice that diamonds reflect light differently. And often times with a synthetic stone when moved at certain angles you will find spots that have dead areas that are not reflecting light in the same way - which may be a little hard to tell on camera but in person you will be able to tell the difference. A diamond has a brilliance like no other stone, so when you are looking at a cubic zirconia or another man made type diamond it will generally look quite a bit different in person.
Examine the Diamond Up Close
The next step in looking at a diamond would be under a jeweler’s looth or a microscope, and under magnification of about 10 times natural vision you should be able to see some imperfections in most diamonds. As you are moving the stone around look for small black spots or white imperfections, this will tell you that the stone is not a synthetic.
Sapphire - The September Birthstone
Sapphires are members of the corundum family of minerals. They exist in nearly every color except red, because red corundum is always called ruby. One of the hardest minerals, sapphires are durable gemstones that have been in demand since ancient times.
Sapphire Hardness
* 9 on the Mohs' scale; compare to diamonds at 10 and turquoise at 5-6.
Sapphire Colors
* Cornflower blue is the most popular sapphire color, but all shades of blue are found
* Sapphires exist in many other colors, including yellow, colorless, black, white, orange, pink, and brown
* A variety of orangish-pink sapphire is called padparadsha, which means "lotus flower."
Sapphire Treatments
* Heat treatment is commonly used to deepen sapphire color and improve clarity
Where Sapphires Are Found
* Quality sapphires are found in Ceylon, Thailand, Australia, India, Burma, Africa, and Brazil.
Unusual Sapphires
* Some sapphires are cut into cabochons (smooth domes) and produce a star with six rays that stretch across the sapphire's surface.
Synthetic Sapphires
* Like many other popular gemstones, sapphires can be created in a laboratory. Some synthetic sapphires are difficult to distinguish from gemstones formed in nature.
Sapphire Hardness
* 9 on the Mohs' scale; compare to diamonds at 10 and turquoise at 5-6.
Sapphire Colors
* Cornflower blue is the most popular sapphire color, but all shades of blue are found
* Sapphires exist in many other colors, including yellow, colorless, black, white, orange, pink, and brown
* A variety of orangish-pink sapphire is called padparadsha, which means "lotus flower."
Sapphire Treatments
* Heat treatment is commonly used to deepen sapphire color and improve clarity
Where Sapphires Are Found
* Quality sapphires are found in Ceylon, Thailand, Australia, India, Burma, Africa, and Brazil.
Unusual Sapphires
* Some sapphires are cut into cabochons (smooth domes) and produce a star with six rays that stretch across the sapphire's surface.
Synthetic Sapphires
* Like many other popular gemstones, sapphires can be created in a laboratory. Some synthetic sapphires are difficult to distinguish from gemstones formed in nature.
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