Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sip Espresso In a Coffee Shop That Looks Like a Secret Fort [Design]

In the middle of a park in the north of Amsterdam is a building that looks abandoned. But actually, it's the Noorderparkbar; a quaint coffee shop built entirely from of secondhand materials. More »


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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Date Idea: Float Away to Paradise | Cupid's Pulse: Celebrity Gossip ...


Photo: Stockbyte/Getty

Photo: Stockbyte/Getty

By Amanda Martin

Take advantage of the warm weather by spending time with your partner on the open seas this weekend.? Whether you?re looking for excitement or just relaxation, enjoying the water together gives you something to look forward to as the work week winds down.

Research your local area to find romantic dinner cruises nearby and see what packages are offered for couples.? Once you?ve embarked, the waves will whisk you away on a romantic evening.? Look for specialty boat tours such as a city lights, a fireworks show or a party cruise with a DJ and a full bar that both you and your honey can enjoy.

For more adventurous couples, navigate your own excursion.? Visit a nearby lake and rent a canoe or kayak.? Pack a picnic lunch with easy to eat foods, such as small turkey sandwiches and grapes, to enjoy when you?re not rowing.

If you want to explore deeper waters, try scuba diving.? The less experienced diver can start with a lesson and then plunge into the real thing.? If you don?t think you?re ready to fully submerge yourself in the deep seas, snorkeling is a good alternative, and it?s less expensive.? Either way, you?ll be exploring new territory with your significant other.

What?s your favorite way to explore the open seas with your partner? ?Let us know in the comments below.


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Refacing Kitchen Cabinets | Home - The Differences between ...











Kitchens are the central hub of a home. It is the place where families and friends gather to share meals and socialize. One way to dramatically improve the look and feel of your kitchen is to update your cabinets. You can install new cabinets or reface your existing cabinetry. There are several reasons why you should consider refacing kitchen cabinets.

New cabinets are more expensive because the installation process requires more materials and labor. The contractor must order the new materials, remove the old cabinetry, prepare the walls and install the cabinet frames. It may take several weeks to install the new cabinetry. You may need to install new cabinets if you require additional space or your cabinets are not structurally sound.

Refacing kitchen cabinets is a great option if your cabinetry is in good shape and storage space isn't an issue. A professional contractor can leave your existing cabinet frames in place. The cabinet frames will receive a new face, doors, drawer fronts and hardware.

This method significantly reduces the material and time required to complete the renovation project. A professional contractor can reface your cabinets in less than one week and save you 40 to 60 percent on the cost of the makeover. Refacing kitchen cabinets is less stressful because it enables you to leave your dishes in the cabinets. You don't have to pack and store your kitchen implements in boxes during the renovation. Refacing kitchen cabinets is more eco-friendly than installing new cabinetry. It reduces the demand for new cabinets and the burden on landfills.

There are a wide assortment of premium refacing materials and designs. You can customize your cabinets with a design that complements your home's architectural style. Cherry, oak or maple will impart warmth and provide a classic backdrop for this interior space. The wood veneer is available finished or unfinished. This enables you to match the tone of other furnishings in the room.

Plastic laminate is a resilient cabinet refacing material that resists dents and dings. It resembles wood but is less expensive. This material is available in a range of colors and wood patterns for a contemporary d?cor.

Rigid thermofoil (RTF) is the latest innovation in cabinet refacing materials. It is more flexible than plastic laminates. This enables you to have more decorative options, such as arches and raised panels. RTF is also available in a wide array of stylistic patterns and motifs. You can select a leather design that matches your upholstery or a stone pattern that complements your flooring or countertops.

Refacing kitchen cabinets is an ideal way to save money, add value and enhance the look of your home.

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95% Moonrise Kingdom

All Critics (96) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (91) | Rotten (5) | DVD (1)

Like all Wes Anderson movies, it is na?ve, mannered, pretentious and incomprehensible.

Wes Anderson's mind must be an exciting place for a story idea to be born.

Wes Anderson's most intimate film since Bottle Rocket (1996) and maybe his most deeply felt overall.

Hayward and Gilman are newcomers who are asked to carry much of the film and pull it off with lovely understatement and extraordinary believability.

Its moments of transporting beauty and visual brilliance overcame my growing aversion to Wes Anderson's brand of ultra-stylized archness.

We may look back on Anderson's works as we do on the boxes of Joseph Cornell -- formal troves of frippery, studded with nostalgic private jokes, that lodge inexplicably in the heart. In Moonrise Kingdom, that lodging is already under way.

A gossamer fable of adolescent romance, played out with the cheekily whimsical, visually delicious style for which Anderson is famous.

Wes Anderson's most sartorially significant film yet.

At once funny and melancholic, whimsical and poignantly true.

One is at times reminded of AE Housman.

Moonrise Kingdom is a delight... stuffed full of the quirky details and gags that are Anderson's trademarks, but it also possesses an emotional undertow that will tug at those viewers in tune with its singular sensibility.

Capturing our inner children

If the deadpan sensibility of the film ultimately leaves it feeling a tad lightweight, that isn't to say that Moonrise Kingdom isn't a funny, witty and well-crafted film.

Typically quirky Wes Anderson dramedy has lots of heart.

A bittersweet and evocative period piece that's both a visual and narrative delight.

No one has an eye or sensibility like Anderson's, but this is a chilly disappointment. The unaffecting kids are meant to be the emotional center, yet the adults steal the film.

I really wanted to like this film. I respect Wes Anderson and his distinctive voice as a writer-director ('Rushmore' is one of my favorite films of the 1990s), but this latest endeavor is so precious and self-aware that it nearly smothers itself.

Those who find the director's work flawed by preciousness, however, may grow impatient well before the movie reaches the 90-minute mark.

Anderson has imagined the '60s on the East Coast as if from an Eddie Bauer catalog and Boys' Life, with the sensibility of The New Yorker.

More Critic Reviews

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Friday, June 1, 2012

Gloomy?jobs report hints at global downturn

Damian Dovarganes / AP

In this Thursday, May 31, 2012, job seekers gather for employment opportunities at the 11th annual Skid Row Career Fair at the Los Angeles Mission in Los Angeles.

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

The gears of the global economy are all slowing in unison.

The latest evidence came with Friday?s startling employment report from the Labor Department: Job growth slowed in May to just 69,000 and was much weaker in April than initially reported. The news followed?a string of reports from Europe to China?showing that growth in world's major economies is fading away.

"Wow, this is ugly,? said Malcolm Polley, president of Stewart Capital Advisors, in response to Friday?s jobs data. ?Some had believed that we had decoupled from China slowing and all the problems in Europe, but that seems to be shortsighted. We're slowing alongside the rest of the world."

There was little good news to be found in Friday?s numbers. After adding more than 200,000 jobs a month in the first quarter, the pace of hiring slowed sharply, to an average of just 73,000 per month in April and May. Analysts say the economy needs to create roughly 125,000 jobs a month just to keep the unemployment rate steady.

The hiring slowdown last month sent the unemployment rate up to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent, reversing a steady decline that began last summer. Overall, total employment remains about five million jobs lower than the level seen in December 2007, at the start of the latest recession.

The weak hiring complicates President Barack Obama's fight to win re-election, offering his Republican rival Mitt Romney a powerful issue.

"Today's weak jobs report is devastating news for American workers and American families," Romney said in a statement.

The White House called on?Congress to do more to help the economy create jobs.

"Congress has to take some action because while we see the unemployment rate where it is, it's not acceptable,"?Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said on?CNBC.

Hiring was weak across the board in May.?The private sector added just 82,000 new jobs. Governments continued to cut payrolls, slashing another 13,000 positions, as cities and states struggle to balance their budgets.

After unseasonably warm weather boosted hiring earlier this year, construction employment shrank by 28,000 in May, the fourth straight decline. Manufacturing, which has been enjoying a revival in the U.S. this year, added only 12,000 jobs.

Those with jobs saw their hours trimmed and their paychecks lose ground to inflation. Gains in average weekly earnings fell from a recent high of 3.1 percent to just 1.7 percent. Consumer prices were 2.3 percent higher in April than a year earlier.?

?Slicing the lifeblood of spending nearly in half accomplishes only one thing: It slows spending,? said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets.

Consumers are getting a break at the gas pump as prices slide from a peak of almost?$4 a gallon reached in April. But their paychecks still aren?t covering the bills: A?separate report Friday showed that as personal spending continues to outpace incomes, consumers are borrowing or tapping savings to make up the difference. The savings rate continued to decline in May, falling a tenth of a point to 3.4 percent, to the lowest level in more than four years.

As consumer confidence fades and demand slows, businesses are also pulling back. Investment in machinery and computers has fallen in the last two months, and some regional surveys are showing slower growth in factory activity.

There?s reason for caution. As Europe's financial crisis widens, businesses face bigger uncertainty closer to home with the looming impact of higher taxes and deeper government spending cuts. As the November election approaches, Congress is all but ignoring the year-end deadline to avert the so-called ?fiscal cliff? that economists estimate could shave as much as half a percent from U.S. gross domestic product, which expanded at a tepid 1.9 percent in the first quarter.

As the U.S. has slowed, Europe?s economy has come to a dead stop, with weak growth in Germany offsetting deepening recessions in Greece, Spain and Italy.

On Friday, fresh data showed that eurozone unemployment has hit a record high. Job losses there are expected to continue to climb as the ongoing financial crisis forces businesses to pull back and compels debt-burdened governments to lay off workers.

Some 17.4 million people were out of work in the 17-nation bloc in April, or 11 percent of the working population, the highest level since records began in 1995, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Friday.

"This 11 percent level is going to continue edging up in the coming months and probably until the end of the year," said Francois Cabau, an economist at Barclays Capital who sees the eurozone's economy contracting 0.1 percent this year.

Despite efforts by Europe?s central bank to lower interest rates and revive growth, borrowing costs have risen and banks have tightened credit as they hoard cash to weather the crisis. Consumer and business confidence has been sapped by ongoing uncertainty about the financial fallout from Greece, which threatens to destabilize Europe?s banking system and plunge the eurozone deeper into recession.

Slowing demand from consumers and businesses in the developed world are creating headwinds for China?s economy, the last source of growth to support the global economy. Despite wage gains, Chinese consumers still make up a relatively small portion of the Chinese economy, so domestic spending is not strong enough to offset falling demand for exports.

?It is increasingly obvious that we are in the midst of a global economic slowdown,? said Porcelli.

The ominous economic data from around the world raises the prospect that central banks will act to try to revive growth. But it remains to be seen how effective those polices would be. The U.S. Federal Reserve has already undertaken two rounds of pump-priming with massive purchases of bonds to force rates to record low levels.

?(Fed Chairman Ben) Bernanke?s hat is pretty well out of rabbits,? said David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff.

Related story: First thoughts -- Ouch for Team Obama

"This is not just a soft patch, but we may actually roll over into a mild double dip recession," says Barton Biggs, Traxis Partners, responding to this morning's dismal jobs report and its impact on the economy.

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Oracle gets another setback in Google dispute

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Ex-Rutgers student set for jail in webcam spy case

Dharun Ravi, right, listens to his attorney, Joseph Benedict during a hearing in New Brunswick, N.J., Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to watch his roommate kiss another man days before the roommate killed himself, was sentenced May 21, 2012, to 30 days in jail and three years of probation. After apologizing for the first time Tuesday, May 29, Ravi gave up his right to remain free on Wednesday while New Jersey prosecutors appeal his 30-day jail sentence. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Dharun Ravi, right, listens to his attorney, Joseph Benedict during a hearing in New Brunswick, N.J., Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to watch his roommate kiss another man days before the roommate killed himself, was sentenced May 21, 2012, to 30 days in jail and three years of probation. After apologizing for the first time Tuesday, May 29, Ravi gave up his right to remain free on Wednesday while New Jersey prosecutors appeal his 30-day jail sentence. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Dharun Ravi swears on a bible to tell the truth as he stands between his attorneys, Joseph Benedict, left, and Philip Nettl, right, during a hearing in New Brunswick, N.J., Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student who used a webcam to watch his roommate kiss another man days before the roommate killed himself, was sentenced May 21, 2012, to 30 days in jail and three years of probation. After apologizing for the first time Tuesday, May 29, Ravi gave up his right to remain free on Wednesday while New Jersey prosecutors appeal his 30-day jail sentence. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) ? A former Rutgers University student convicted of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate is poised to start serving his 30-day jail sentence.

Dharun Ravi, 20, is scheduled to turn himself in Thursday at the Middlesex County Jail.

In March, a jury found Ravi guilty of 15 criminal charges, including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation. He used his webcam in September 2010 to stream ? and view ? seconds of live video of roommate Tyler Clementi and another man kissing, and told others they could watch another encounter two days later. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge just days after the ordeal began.

Ravi could have remained free while prosecutors appeal his sentence. But during a hearing Wednesday, he agreed to waive his protection from double jeopardy. He is now not allowed to argue that he's already served his time if prosecutors prevail on their appeal and he receives a longer sentence.

Ravi requested permission Tuesday to start serving his sentence as he apologized for the first time for his actions, which he described in a statement as "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish." In court Wednesday, Ravi answered questions from his lawyer and Berman but did not say any more about his apology.

Ravi's lawyer Joseph Benedict said he's still appealing the conviction altogether.

It's not clear whether Ravi will serve the full 30 days. In most cases, New Jersey county jail inmates with 30-day sentences automatically have them reduced by 10 days for good behavior. A warden at Middlesex County Jail was not immediately available Wednesday to say whether that would apply to Ravi.

His lawyer said Ravi would also begin working on his 300 hours of community service and start paying the more than $11,000 in fines and assessments that are part of his punishment.

Some gay rights activists have portrayed Clementi's story as a prime example of the consequences of bullying young gays. Ravi's defenders see him as a scapegoat for a death that they don't believe he was responsible for ? and was not charged with.

Associated Press

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