Our family is big on celebrations. Heck, I even wrote about a book it: Fashion + Food: Entertaining at Home in Style
We often celebrate at home with a meal combining home cooked favorites and store bought choices. It was my Aryanna?s 17th birthday last week and we did something special and different.
So instead of our fine china, we raided a party place and bought paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, napkins and other birthday paraphernalia for that fun birthday party feel! Birthday girl and I bumped into a party store in Powerplant Mall called Celebrations Party Central in Powerplant Mall, Rockwell and we thought it a good idea to celebrate with a kiddie-themed family dinner before her coming of age 18th birthday next year!
The birthday girl
Adorbs party set-up
Pretty pails
Blow and sip in style
For the stylish celebrants: chevron and polka dot printed paper loot bags
Aryanna and I wanted to buy a pi?ata but decided against it as Tom might use the bat to hit us instead of the pi?ata because of our crazy idea! Kidding!
Super kyooooot paper napkins!
Kid and drunken adult-friendly plates and stemware
Colorful cutlery and cups
Party favors
Always the joker
One happy shoppingera!
On the menu: our own recipes of sweet spaghetti (with carrots, fresh tomatoes and bell pepper, click here for the recipe) and one of Aryanna?s favorite desserts homemade apple pie along with some of her favorites: Aling Nene?s BBQ and Mc Donald?s French Fries
Tom and I baked a pie the night before Aryanna's birthday. We surprised her in the morning with her favorite pie and some gifts! It was a success!
Add to cart:
Check out what Aryanna and I bought at Celebrations!
We bought paper plates, plastic cutlery and cups in gold, some napkins and boxes in pink and paper bags in printed black, white and pink. We also got different party cups and plastic Margarita stems from Celebrations, 3L Powerplant Mall, Rockwell.
The set-up:
Partying kiddie style? for my baby?s last year before adulthood (*cries*)! Every reason to celebrate!
Eto na ang plato-platuhan na walang hugas-hugasan!
Tip: For a grown-up kiddie party themed table setting, choose paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery in gold color for a glam look.
Tip: Use party loot boxes as your sweet spaghetti container
Tip: Party paper bags can be used to hold the french fries. You can add powder flavorings and guests can shake the bags to flavor their fries.
I can?t believe Tom and I have a 17-year old teenager! It just seemed like it was yesterday when she was a toddler like our son Dylan, running around the studio, talking to models, showing off her fairy wings, doodling everyone she meets and just being a kid. She still does some of those things and more ? she still asks me to put her to bed, she enjoys playing games with her brother, she likes going on dad and daughter adventures with Tom, she still watches cartoons, she hasn?t out-grown her love for Barbie, she still prefers to stay home than party with friends and she still expects a special birthday dinner at home with her family. We?re glad that she is not in a rush to grow up fast.
Happy birthday, sweetheart! You have grown-up to be an intelligent, beautiful, sweet, talented, caring, kind-hearted and smart young lady! You make us so proud and we can?t wait for you to achieve all your dreams! Remember that you deserve the best in life and love. Our birthday wish for you is to have a happy and healthy life. We love you, Aryanna!
May all your wishes come true!
Watch and subscribe to Aryanna?s show PepperDraws!
If you liked this post, please vote for me as Blogger Phenom of the Year for the Tatt Awards. To vote, click here. Thanks!
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is in "Tapped," the latest movie to try to profit off of capture the beauty of MMA. The trailer shows Lyoto Machida and Krysztof Soszynski are in it, too. What the trailer does not show is what the movie is about, except for maybe punching bags and getting choked out by Silva?
A disgruntled teenager, sent to do community service at a rundown Karate school, enters an MMA tournament to face the man who killed his parents.
Obviously. Here's the other part we learn from IMDB: It stars Martin Kove. If you don't recognize the name, perhaps you remember John Kreese, the terrifying sensei of Cobra Kai? The guy who ordered Daniel-San's leg swept at the All-Valley Karate Tournament? Yes, Silva got to work with the villain from "The Karate Kid."
In the past, Silva has worked with Steven Seagal. The movie star was even cageside for Silva's fights and took credit for teaching him the kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort. But with this movie and work with Kreese mean we'll be hearing Silva yell, "Cobra Kai, never die!" at UFC 162?
Published: 10:47AM Wednesday June 26, 2013 Source: Fairfax
Dominion Finance's Richard "Rick" Bettle
The last of the Dominion Finance directors facing court action pleaded guilty to Financial Markets Authority (FMA) charges against them, at the High Court in Auckland this morning.
Vance Arkinstall and Richard Bettle pleaded guilty to five FMA charges each, and Paul Forsyth pleaded guilty to seven of the Securities Act charges brought by the FMA.
The men had originally pleaded not guilty and were set to go to trial next week.
The charges of misleading investors were laid by the FMA against all directors of Dominion Finance after it collapsed into receivership in 2008 owing more than 5900 public debenture investors $176.9 million.
North South Finance, a subsidiary company that operated under the same directors, was placed in receivership in 2010 owing $31 million to 3900 investors.
Earlier in the month former Dominion bosses Ann Butler and Robert Barry Whale were sentenced to home detention for their part in the company's collapse.
Butler's husband, Terry, was due to face the same charges but died of cancer this year.
Terry Butler also faced charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) before his death, on which Dominion Finance chief executive Paul Cropp was found guilty of in April.
Justice Lang found Cropp guilty of knowingly breaching the trust deed of Dominion Finance and its subsidiary North South Finance, which said the company was not able to make loans to related parties.
Last month Cropp was sentenced to two years and seven months jail on the four Crimes Act charges of theft.
The maximum possible sentence was five years' jail or a fine of up to $300,000 on each charge, but finance company directors in similar circumstances have been sentenced to home detention.
Copyright ? 2013, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand
We'd love to tell you that the researchers at North Carolina State University aren't monsters who implant circuits on living things so that those living things do their bidding, but we'd be lying. They totally do that, roaches are their primary victim, and now they're using Microsoft's Kinect to help them control the insects. Sure, why not!
As Dr. Alper Bozkurt of NCSU says in today's new release, "Our goal is to be able to guide these roaches as efficiently as possible, and our work with Kinect is helping us do that." Apparently the researchers are employing Kinect for data collection as well, determining how effectively the cyborg survivors respond to electrical impulse-motivated control. They say the end goal is to use the partially mechanized arthropods to, "explore and map disaster sites." For now, there's some very weird stuff happening in North Carolina. Head below for a video of the roaches in action.
June 24, 2013 ? Robotic animals can help to improve the quality of life for people with dementia, according to new research.
A study has found that interacting with a therapeutic robot companion made people with mid- to late-stage dementia less anxious and also had a positive influence on their quality of life.
The pilot study, a collaboration led by Professor Wendy Moyle from Griffith University, Australia and involving Northumbria University's Professor Glenda Cook and researchers from institutions in Germany, investigated the effect of interacting with PARO -- a robotic harp seal -- compared with participation in a reading group. The study built on Professor Cook's previous ethnographic work carried out in care homes in North East England.
PARO is fitted with artificial intelligence software and tactile sensors that allow it to respond to touch and sound. It can show emotions such as surprise, happiness and anger, can learn its own name and learns to respond to words that its owner uses frequently.
Eighteen participants, living in a residential aged care facility in Queensland, Australia, took part in activities with PARO for five weeks and also participated in a control reading group activity for the same period. Following both trial periods the impact was assessed, using recognised clinical dementia measurements, for how the activities had influenced the participants' quality of life, tendency to wander, level of apathy, levels of depression and anxiety ratings.
The findings indicated that the robots had a positive, clinically meaningful influence on quality of life, increased levels of pleasure and also reduced displays of anxiety.
Research has already shown that interaction with animals can have a beneficial effect on older adults, increasing their social behaviour and verbal interaction and decreasing feelings of loneliness. However, the presence of animals in residential care home settings can place residents at risk of infection or injury and create additional duties for nursing staff.
This latest study suggests that PARO companions elicit a similar response and could potentially be used in residential settings to help reduce some of the symptoms -- such as agitation, aggression, isolation and loneliness -- of dementia.
Prof Cook, Professor of Nursing at Northumbria University, said: "Our study provides important preliminary support for the idea that robots may present a supplement to activities currently in use and could enhance the life of older adults as therapeutic companions and, in particular, for those with moderate or severe cognitive impairment.
"There is a need for further research, with a larger sample size, and an argument for investing in interventions such as PARO robots which may reduce dementia-related behaviours that make the provision of care challenging as well as costly due to increased use of staff resources and pharmaceutical treatment."
The researchers of the pilot study have identified the need to undertake a larger trial in order to increase the data available. Future studies will also compare the effect of the robot companions with live animals.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. SNOWDEN TRAVELS THE WORLD FOR ASYLUM
The NSA leaker flew from Hong Kong to Moscow with the help of Wikileaks, and has sought asylum in Ecuador.
2. NELSON MANDELA'S HEALTH TURNS FOR WORSE
South Africa's president says the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader became critically ill in the past 24 hours.
3. OPENING STATEMENTS IN GEORGE ZIMMERMAN TRIAL
Florida prosecutors will argue today in the racially charged trial that Zimmerman is a vigilante who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. Zimmerman says he was defending himself.
4. WHO HELPED SANDY SURVIVORS THE MOST
An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that friends and neighbors, not the government, were the most helpful sources of support.
5. LEBANON CLASHES LEAVE 12 DEAD
Military forces target a mosque where followers of a Sunni cleric are taking cover in some of the country's worst violence related to bordering Syria.
6. DAREDEVIL CROSSES GORGE ON TIGHTROPE
Nik Wallenda got across a river near the Grand Canyon in 22 minutes on a 2-inch thick steel cable, 1,500 feet high.
7. WHAT SNOWDEN DID IN HONG KONG
Lawmaker Albert Ho says the NSA leaker stayed in a private location, switched places a couple of times and slipped out a few times at night.
8. RULING FAVORS 6-YEAR-OLD TRANSGENDER CHILD
Colorado officials are holding a news conference today explaining the decision to let Coy Mathis, who identifies as a girl, use the girls' bathroom at school.
9. GANDOLFINI FUNERAL PLANS SET
The "Sopranos" star will be remembered at an upper Manhattan cathedral on Thursday, after his body was flown from Italy to his home state of New Jersey.
10. SUPERMOON SHINES
The biggest and brightest full moon of the year cast its light around the world Sunday when it came within 222,000 miles of Earth.
NREL drives toward the future with fuel cell EVsPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Glickson david.glickson@nrel.gov 303-275-4097 DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Efforts currently underway at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are contributing to rapid progress in the research, development and testing of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Building from more than 10 years of support from the Department's Fuel Cell Technologies Office on these topics, NREL has received four Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles Advanced (FCHV-adv) on loan from Toyota. These vehicles will help NREL enhance its research capabilities related to hydrogen fueling infrastructure, renewable hydrogen production, and vehicle performance.
Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Vehicles are Rapidly Evolving
The Toyota vehicle represents another step toward the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Hydrogen fuel is most often produced using domestic resources and can also be produced using clean renewable energy technologies. When hydrogen is used to power an FCEV, the vehicle has zero tail pipe emissions.
The fuel cells in the Highlander FCHV-adv are representative of the FCEV designs being demonstrated today by automobile companies around the world, making this design an excellent platform for NREL's research activities. Toyota also plans to introduce an FCEV sedan to the U.S. commercial market in 2015.
The zero-emission FCHV-adv, based on a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) platform, has an expected driving range of 325 miles and a fuel economy estimated at 60 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE). GGE is a method for measuring the fuel economy of alternative fuels compared to gasoline and represents the amount of an alternative fuel equal to the energy in one liquid gallon of gasoline.
The vehicle is powered by a fuel cell system with light weight, high-pressure hydrogen tanks, an electric motor, a nickel hydride battery, and a power-control unit that determines the split of power from the battery or fuel cell stack to power the vehicle.
NREL to Explore Wide Research Platform
A man stands in front of the open hood of the vehicle. A group is gathered around him looking at the components of the vehicle under the hood. Enlarge image
Refuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies Laboratory Program Manager Keith Wipke, (in red) explains what's under the hood of the Toyota Highlander fuel cell hybrid vehicle at the NREL Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Ride and Drive Event. These vehicles will help the lab enhance its research capabilities related to hydrogen infrastructure, renewable hydrogen production, and vehicle performance.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
The four FCEVs, on a two-year loan from Toyota as part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NREL, will be put through a wide platform of testing and analysis at the lab. The vehicles were originally deployed in California in 2009 and have been redeployed to NREL as part of this CRADA.
"We're looking at the whole system from renewable hydrogen production and vehicle fueling equipment to the impact of driving patterns and behavior on vehicle performance," said Keith Wipke, NREL Laboratory Program Manager for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies. "Because the vehicles will be four or five years old by the time our loan period ends, we will be able to observe extended durability and reliability, which are critical to the commercial success of these types of vehicles."
Testing will include observing how the vehicles interact with fueling infrastructure and fueling stations that operate at different pressures. While most hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas, at NREL, the vehicles will be fueled with renewable hydrogen made from wind and solar energy as part of the Wind-to-Hydrogen project at the lab's National Wind Technology Center. This project uses wind turbines and solar arrays to power electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
"These vehicles are emission free, but in most scenarios you still have emissions during the hydrogen production," Wipke said. "If you can make the hydrogen using renewable resources you have the potential for this to be a truly zero-emission fuel source. We're pleased to have the opportunity to further investigate this potential."
Other tests will investigate how drivers interact with the vehicles and influence performance over the test period. Researchers will look at the effects of environment and driving patterns on the vehicles' energy storage and propulsion systems, and demonstrate the vehicles operational capability in real-world activities.
On behalf of the Energy Department, NREL is also planning public outreach and education efforts to better prepare the market for the deployment of these types of vehicles. NREL will offer first-hand exposure to hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle technologies to a variety of audiences, including the general public, academia, and the automotive industry.
Getting Ready for Our Transportation Future
A white Toyota sport utility vehicle is parked in a parking lot. Two people are standing in the parking lot looking at the vehicle. Enlarge image
NREL employees investigate a Toyota Highlander fuel cell hybrid vehicle at the lab's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Ride and Drive Event.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
FCEVs use hydrogen, stored in high-pressure tanks made of carbon fiber resin, which is fed to the fuel cell stack where it combines with oxygen from the air. The electricity produced by this chemical reaction is used to power the electric motor and charge the battery.
"For someone like myself who is not an electrochemist, it's truly a fascinating technology," Wipke said. "Hydrogen atoms interact with a membrane coated with small amounts of platinum, which splits the hydrogen into protons and electrons. The protons pass through the membrane, and the electrons go around a different path and do the useful electrical work. Eventually, they meet on the other side with oxygen from the air, and form water, which along with a little heat is the only byproduct of the process."
Fuel cell technologies and the use of hydrogen as a transportation fuel are becoming more visible as automotive manufacturers move these concepts closer to market.
But while these fuel cell technologies are proven and effective, there are still challenges in deploying them, particularly in terms of reducing cost and increasing durability. NREL's long-term durability testing for FCEVs will provide important data toward solutions to these two interrelated challenges.
Another significant issue with deploying these technologies is the need to develop infrastructure around hydrogen production, delivery, and fueling stations.
"We need a lot of infrastructure in place for FCEVs to have widespread consumer acceptance," Wipke said. "Most hydrogen fueling stations use delivered hydrogen instead of on-site production. That is the most economical pathway right now, but with our capabilities here at NREL we are able to fully explore the opportunities for on-site production."
Despite the challenges, Wipke sees a strong future for the FCEV technology.
"Most automakers are committing to get to market with these vehicles before this decade is out. That is encouraging," Wipke said. "The biggest reasons that they are so excited about this option for the future is that range and refueling time are not a concern compared to other new transportation technologies. This makes it a potentially very consumer-friendly transportation technology, one that will function much like what drivers use today."
"It's an exciting opportunity to help move these technologies forward, and we're pleased to have an important role here at NREL."
###
Learn more about NREL's hydrogen research.
David Glickson
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NREL drives toward the future with fuel cell EVsPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Glickson david.glickson@nrel.gov 303-275-4097 DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Efforts currently underway at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are contributing to rapid progress in the research, development and testing of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Building from more than 10 years of support from the Department's Fuel Cell Technologies Office on these topics, NREL has received four Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles Advanced (FCHV-adv) on loan from Toyota. These vehicles will help NREL enhance its research capabilities related to hydrogen fueling infrastructure, renewable hydrogen production, and vehicle performance.
Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Vehicles are Rapidly Evolving
The Toyota vehicle represents another step toward the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Hydrogen fuel is most often produced using domestic resources and can also be produced using clean renewable energy technologies. When hydrogen is used to power an FCEV, the vehicle has zero tail pipe emissions.
The fuel cells in the Highlander FCHV-adv are representative of the FCEV designs being demonstrated today by automobile companies around the world, making this design an excellent platform for NREL's research activities. Toyota also plans to introduce an FCEV sedan to the U.S. commercial market in 2015.
The zero-emission FCHV-adv, based on a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) platform, has an expected driving range of 325 miles and a fuel economy estimated at 60 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE). GGE is a method for measuring the fuel economy of alternative fuels compared to gasoline and represents the amount of an alternative fuel equal to the energy in one liquid gallon of gasoline.
The vehicle is powered by a fuel cell system with light weight, high-pressure hydrogen tanks, an electric motor, a nickel hydride battery, and a power-control unit that determines the split of power from the battery or fuel cell stack to power the vehicle.
NREL to Explore Wide Research Platform
A man stands in front of the open hood of the vehicle. A group is gathered around him looking at the components of the vehicle under the hood. Enlarge image
Refuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies Laboratory Program Manager Keith Wipke, (in red) explains what's under the hood of the Toyota Highlander fuel cell hybrid vehicle at the NREL Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Ride and Drive Event. These vehicles will help the lab enhance its research capabilities related to hydrogen infrastructure, renewable hydrogen production, and vehicle performance.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
The four FCEVs, on a two-year loan from Toyota as part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NREL, will be put through a wide platform of testing and analysis at the lab. The vehicles were originally deployed in California in 2009 and have been redeployed to NREL as part of this CRADA.
"We're looking at the whole system from renewable hydrogen production and vehicle fueling equipment to the impact of driving patterns and behavior on vehicle performance," said Keith Wipke, NREL Laboratory Program Manager for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies. "Because the vehicles will be four or five years old by the time our loan period ends, we will be able to observe extended durability and reliability, which are critical to the commercial success of these types of vehicles."
Testing will include observing how the vehicles interact with fueling infrastructure and fueling stations that operate at different pressures. While most hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas, at NREL, the vehicles will be fueled with renewable hydrogen made from wind and solar energy as part of the Wind-to-Hydrogen project at the lab's National Wind Technology Center. This project uses wind turbines and solar arrays to power electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
"These vehicles are emission free, but in most scenarios you still have emissions during the hydrogen production," Wipke said. "If you can make the hydrogen using renewable resources you have the potential for this to be a truly zero-emission fuel source. We're pleased to have the opportunity to further investigate this potential."
Other tests will investigate how drivers interact with the vehicles and influence performance over the test period. Researchers will look at the effects of environment and driving patterns on the vehicles' energy storage and propulsion systems, and demonstrate the vehicles operational capability in real-world activities.
On behalf of the Energy Department, NREL is also planning public outreach and education efforts to better prepare the market for the deployment of these types of vehicles. NREL will offer first-hand exposure to hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle technologies to a variety of audiences, including the general public, academia, and the automotive industry.
Getting Ready for Our Transportation Future
A white Toyota sport utility vehicle is parked in a parking lot. Two people are standing in the parking lot looking at the vehicle. Enlarge image
NREL employees investigate a Toyota Highlander fuel cell hybrid vehicle at the lab's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle Ride and Drive Event.
Credit: Dennis Schroeder
FCEVs use hydrogen, stored in high-pressure tanks made of carbon fiber resin, which is fed to the fuel cell stack where it combines with oxygen from the air. The electricity produced by this chemical reaction is used to power the electric motor and charge the battery.
"For someone like myself who is not an electrochemist, it's truly a fascinating technology," Wipke said. "Hydrogen atoms interact with a membrane coated with small amounts of platinum, which splits the hydrogen into protons and electrons. The protons pass through the membrane, and the electrons go around a different path and do the useful electrical work. Eventually, they meet on the other side with oxygen from the air, and form water, which along with a little heat is the only byproduct of the process."
Fuel cell technologies and the use of hydrogen as a transportation fuel are becoming more visible as automotive manufacturers move these concepts closer to market.
But while these fuel cell technologies are proven and effective, there are still challenges in deploying them, particularly in terms of reducing cost and increasing durability. NREL's long-term durability testing for FCEVs will provide important data toward solutions to these two interrelated challenges.
Another significant issue with deploying these technologies is the need to develop infrastructure around hydrogen production, delivery, and fueling stations.
"We need a lot of infrastructure in place for FCEVs to have widespread consumer acceptance," Wipke said. "Most hydrogen fueling stations use delivered hydrogen instead of on-site production. That is the most economical pathway right now, but with our capabilities here at NREL we are able to fully explore the opportunities for on-site production."
Despite the challenges, Wipke sees a strong future for the FCEV technology.
"Most automakers are committing to get to market with these vehicles before this decade is out. That is encouraging," Wipke said. "The biggest reasons that they are so excited about this option for the future is that range and refueling time are not a concern compared to other new transportation technologies. This makes it a potentially very consumer-friendly transportation technology, one that will function much like what drivers use today."
"It's an exciting opportunity to help move these technologies forward, and we're pleased to have an important role here at NREL."
###
Learn more about NREL's hydrogen research.
David Glickson
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
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