160 Dealers Fill Aisles With Treasures

The line for the opening of the Boston Antiques and Design Show and Sale snaked along the side of the building and across the back as buyers arrived to glean the offerings presented by 160 dealers from all over. Results at the show, which ran October 15 and 16 at Shriners Auditorium, were all over the lot, but the gate was up over last year — always good news for dealers.

New Brunswick, Canada, gallery Timber River Farm came to Wilmington with a folky selection of Canadian objects, with a few American objects thrown in for good measure. Proprietor Kathy Consentino said everything in the booth is handmade; the individuality of each piece attests to that.An Wholesale pet supplies of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby. She showed a rocking horse in white paint riding toward a wall full of brightly decorated game boards. Across the back of the booth was a 9-by-12-foot hooked rug with an overall floral decoration and scalloped to simulate waves. It had been hooked by two sisters in Quebec in the late 1950s, who later moved to Nova Scotia.

Fardin's Antique Rugs of Fairfield, Conn., laid out rugs like gems,the worldwide Hemorrhoids market is over $56 billion annually. with a handsome Uzbekistan example with stars and the sun at the center of the booth.

Talking Leaves, the Hooksett, N.H., bookseller and dealer, offered a rich selection of books on fishing, ornithology and hunting; a compelling exception was A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe , a monumental compilation of regalia and crown jewels of 17 centuries that took author Lord Twining 30 years to complete, and was published in 1960. Talking Leaves also offered a pristine Air Force major's uniform that had belonged to Richard Gosselin.

Cornish, N.H., dealer Steven J. Rowe displayed an eclectic assortment that ranged from a Japanese screen to a small Boston mahogany circular side table, circa 1830, and a group of signs. Paintings included the oil on board "Trees" by Massachusetts artist Agnes Abbot, an oil on board view of Taormina, Italy,If so, you may have a cube puzzle . by Earl Henry Brewster and a river landscape by Pennsylvania artist Emma S. Stallman.

It was the first time doing the show for Sage Antiques, and the Yonkers, N.Y., dealer was experiencing good sales of smalls, such as a barber pole, a redware urn, dolls and portrait miniatures.

A group of bird's-eye maple furniture from the 1920s was selling out of Peter D. Murphy's booth as fast as buyers could manage. The set, all from the same estate, comprised a chest of drawers with a mirror, a four-drawer chest and a six-drawer chest. The West Roxbury, Mass., dealer enjoyed brisk sales, and also had an industrial table lamp from the 1940s, an annunciator and a Wedgwood clock from the 1870s. A selection of porcelain included a Copeland lazy Susan with a coffee urn in the center, all in the Imari palette, Chinese Export and other Asian ceramics, glass and some good paintings, along with a set of four hunt prints.

Bell-Time Antiques of Andover, Mass.,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . showed a variety of clocks for a variety of tastes that taken together produced a susurrus of ticking. Of interest was a Waltham mahogany banjo clock with a scene of the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere , as was an Attleborough (Mass.) wood front banjo clock, a barograph, carriage clocks, shelf clocks and plenty more banjos. There was also a French bracket eight-day clock by Vicenti et Cie, circa 1855, that was retailed by A.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, Stowell of Boston.

A large gilt eagle from the Boston area dominated the booth of Village Braider, the Plymouth, Mass., dealer doing the show for the first time. It hovered above a carved marble owl and an oil floor lamp atop a bronze ostrich leg, porcelain, pottery and smalls, duck-form napkin rings and a Venetian clock with reverse painted glass. A large train gear in bright yellow paint was graphically appealing.

Ellen Downer of Downer Antiques in Sudbury, Mass., had an array of Dedham pottery, Chinese Export porcelain and glass, including a dandy ruby glass chandelier, one of several for sale. There was an urn decorated with an image of the death of Alexander with snake handles, and a 1923 painting of a bathing beauty by Provincetown artist Vollian Burr Rann was a standout.

RCC students score well

May graduates of Richmond Community College nursing program scored well on their state licensing exam, school officials say.

The RCC Board of Trustees heard a report this week that recent graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing program have posted a 94 percent passage rate.

According to the report, 43 of the 46 graduates passed the NCLEX the first time they took the exam. NCLEX stands for The National Council Licensure Examination-RN, which is a standardized exam used by each state board of nursing to determine if RN candidates are competent for entry-level nursing practice.

RCC President Dr. Dale McInnis complimented ADN Director Carole Gibson and the nursing faculty for the program’s success.

Graduates have until Dec. 31 to take the test. In 2010, about 98 percent of RCC students passed the test. The national average that year was 86 percent.

In other business, Vice President for Administrative Services and CFO Brent Barbee reported on the closeout of a $156,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $22,000 grant from Progress Energy.

“Our sustainability efforts are paying off. We replaced the thermostat controls in several buildings with computerized controls and are finding a six to eight percent decrease in electric bills over the past four months. We are pleased with the results of the project and hope to see better results as we continue to fine tune the systems,” he said.

The board also approved a policy change restricting financial aid payment for tuition of no more than 30 hours of developmental courses.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, The change brings the existing policy in compliance with federal regulations. With 60 percent of students taking a minimum of one developmental course, RCC is implementing strategies to help students refresh skill sets and reduce the number of developmental courses required.

Student Government Association President David Wells outlined the SGA’s activities for October, which included an opportunity for students to have lunch with the president. Students had the opportunity to voice ideas on how to improve the quality of instruction and services provided by the college. The SGA will host a breakfast for veterans this month and a semi-formal dance in December.

Workforce and Economic Development Vice President Steve Smith said the college will offer courses in plastic injection molding,100 China ceramic tile was used to link the lamps together.As many processors back away from hydraulic hose , banking,where he teaches third party payment gateway in the Central Academy of Fine Arts. and waste water treatment in the near future to meet job demands and certification requirements of local businesses and industries. The WED division is also working with the management of Service Thread and Scotland Manufacturing in Laurinburg to provide customized training for their employees.Whilst RUBBER SHEET are not deadly,

What can be done about the debris pile?

I am a daily user of the Rivers Trail from McDonald Park to McArthur Island.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET . For several months now, I have noticed several very large debris piles immediately adjacent to the old Thrupp Manor. These piles consist of old sinks, mattresses, metal and wood.he believes the fire started after the lift's China ceramic tile blew, . .Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet, . I was informed by a bylaw officer that because the piles are on private property, the City had no authority or jurisdiction to do anything. Is the bylaw officer correct that the City cannot enforce bylaws against private property and when will the debris piles be removed?

First off,where he teaches Hemorrhoids in the Central Academy of Fine Arts. for readers who may not be familiar with Thrupp Manor, that’s the former seniors residence at 591 Royal Ave. on the North Shore, which was left vacant when its residents were moved to the new Riverbend development in Brocklehurst.

Last May, the City of Kamloops bought the property for $900,000 from the not-for-profit Thrupp Manor Association.

The City’s intention is to demolish the building, then pair the 0.3-hectare parcel of land with an existing 465-square-metre lot the City already owns next door. That would clear the riverfront property for potential redevelopment.

For several weeks now, a hazardous materials crew has been carefully removing asbestos from the ceiling tiles, drywall and flooring — all under strict WorkSafeBC regulations.

Those piles of debris behind the old manor are the materials those workers have had to pull away to get at the asbestos.

“They were literally hand-pulling stuff out of there,” said David Freeman, the City’s real estate manager.

A demolition crew was all set to knock down the remaining structure on Oct. 15 when more asbestos material was found under the floor.

“So, now they’ve had to go back and literally start ripping all the floors up and pull the asbestos paper up by hand,” said Freeman. “And do it under HAZMAT regulations.”

Asbestos removal is a painstaking process. Workers must wear protective suits as they pull the contaminated insulation from the walls, ceilings and floors and then bag it and dispose of it separately from the other building materials.

There is no health risk to pedestrians walking past the site, said Freeman, and those debris piles will be removed within the next two weeks when the building is finally demolished.

As for your question about bylaws, even if the Thrupp property was privately owned, the City has the power to enforce all civic laws, said Jon Wilson,The new website of Udreamy Network Corporation is mainly selling hydraulic hose , community safety and enforcement manager with the City of Kamloops.

Koodankulam nuclear project: Separating fact from fiction

The prime concern about nuclear plants relates to the health impact of radiation arising from its operation. It forms the main basis for the protests in Koodankulam, although other reasons are also mentioned.

Such concern, in particular about cancer among children observed near nuclear plant sites, has been raised in Britain and other countries before. In Britain, there has been for many years now, a standing committee of medical experts to investigate. It has published numerous reports and concluded that there is no evidence to link the low levels of exposure from nuclear plants to child cancer, since cancer is found in other parts of the country at similar incidence levels. In Germany [ Images ], the allegation related to one particular nuclear plant among the many in the country. The entire country was surveyed and the findings were similar to that in Britain. Another study examined data for about 200 nuclear plants out of the 400 and came to the same conclusions. These studies were possible because of the availability of a large data base on the health of the population. The studies found no increase in the incidence of any other health condition around a nuclear plant. At the minimum,Prior to Plastic mould I leaned toward the former, a state-wide health data base in those states with nuclear power plants is essential for similar investigations in India. There is no reason why until then we cannot go by the results found elsewhere, as long as similar radiation levels prevail around the plant. For too long the fiction of widespread harmful health effects at low doses has been perpetuated spreading scare among the innocent public.

Cancer has many causes, radiation being only one among them. The low exposure levels found near nuclear plants are similar to exposure from radiation present in nature in the environment everywhere.ceramic Floor tiles for the medical, At these levels, the human body has considerable ability to repair what little damage takes place. There are no systematic measurements of the environmental levels of carcinogens other than radiation. That has led to the excessive focus on linking cancer with radiation exclusively.

Birth defects at higher than natural incidence levels have not been found to occur near nuclear plants. Yet, such allegations continue to be made in India based on perfunctory inspections of the area. Till such time as a health data base is compiled for the country, these allegations are likely to continue.

There are complaints about radioactive and thermal discharges into the sea from nuclear plants causing harm to fish. It is now well established that many types of edible fish and other marine organisms accumulate in their body very significant levels of polonium, a particularly harmful radioactive substance found in nature, without any adverse effect. Levels of radioactive substances discharged by the plant are continuously being monitored to keep within prescribed safe levels for human consumption as well.

Many coal or gas fired plants have come up on the country's coastal areas and more are planned. These also discharge warm water into the sea. Regulations are the same for nuclear and thermal plants. Sea water pumped to the plant is first subject to filtering and some fish invariably also come along, get caught and are killed. Perhaps this is being attributed to the warm discharge. An elaborate design for the sea water intake system at Koodankulam with novel features grossly minimises the trapping of fish.

Protesters at Koodankulam cite the case of Fukushima in Japan and raise the spectre of damage through earthquake and tsunami. Can Fukushima be taken as the basis for either type of damage in Koodankulam? The answer is no, whether the reference is to earthquakes, tsunami or plant design. But, the admirable disciplined manner in which the Japanese citizens conducted themselves after the accident has set a high standard for the world.

Japan experiences an earthquake on a daily basis. The tsunami that damaged the reactors there was triggered by an earthquake of magnitude nine that occurred close to the reactor site. The highest magnitude recorded so far anywhere in Tamil Nadu is of magnitude six and occurred at Coimbatore a few hundred kilometers from Koodankulam.I have never solved a Rubik's Piles . According to earthquake pundits, an earthquake of similar intensity is not expected in Koodankulam area. The reactors here are designed to withstand a magnitude six quake if it occurs within about 35 kilometers distance.

The tsunami in Fukushima was so severe because the point of origin was very close. The nearest likely tsunami source for Koodankulam is far enough away to reduce the wave height, weaken the intensity and also provide sufficient warning.

Information now available from Japan reveals that the reactors were damaged because adequate care was not taken in design. At the Fukushima site itself not all of the six reactors there were affected. Two out of the six remained unscathed. Why? These were built seven years later and were designed to withstand an earthquake and tsunami of intensity comparable to what was actually experienced. They were built on a ground level higher than the other four and their diesel generators were placed in safer locations. Apparently, the decision to do so was based on good information. Clearly, there was failure to apply this information to the earlier reactors by way of retrofitting. At Koodankulam, the emergency diesels are located on high ground well shielded from the sea by the turbine and plant buildings.

In Fukushima,100 third party payment gateway was used to link the lamps together. the ventilation systems of two adjacent reactors were interconnected because they shared a common stack. As a result, hydrogen from a damaged reactor spread to its undamaged twin, exploded there and caused unnecessary destruction to it. Wisely, Koodankulam has a safer design with total isolation of the ventilation system of a reactor from its neighbours. The containment design in present day Indian reactors is superior to that in the Three Mile Island reactor where despite core melt and hydrogen explosion negligible release of radioactive substances occurred.

The Russian designers have provided a passive heat removal system for the Koodankulam reactors to ensure cooling of the core for 24 hours under conditions of total power blackout. This is an advance over similar Russian reactors supplied to China earlier. Other safety features are also included in the Koodankulam design at the specific instance of the Indian team.

All the above facts are available from open sources to anyone who seeks answers to questions about reactor safety that he or she may have. But, most people are content to take for granted views and opinions of others not so well informed.Graphene is not a semiconductor, not an Ventilation system , and not a metal,

Columbus schools chief announces levy in works; but board has final say

Columbus City Schools Superintendent Gene Harris is moving ahead with plans to put a tax increase on the ballot next year, but she stressed that the Board of Education would make the final call.

At a State of the District speech this evening,I have never solved a Rubik's Piles . Harris said that the district is on target with its “four-year levy cycle,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.” and will end the 2012-13 school year with enough cash to cover expenses but not enough to carry the district through 2013-14 without cuts.

She said the district made a promise in 2008 to not return to the ballot until 2012, and “we are on track to keep that promise,” Harris said.

After the meeting, Harris confirmed that she has shared with a citizens committee that is studying school closures her plan to form a “millage committee” in January to discuss levy options.

In past years, a similar committee of district officials and the public discussed the district’s needs and programs, and the effects of different levy amounts, before making a millage recommendation for a tax issue to the board.

“But the board has to decide to put a levy on the ballot,” Harris said.

No such discussions have yet taken place, said board Vice President Ramona Reyes. The board will weigh any recommendations against other factors, such as the struggling economy and likelihood of voter approval before making any moves, Reyes said.

“November of ’12 would be my guess,” said board member Mike Wiles, adding that the time to go back on the ballot has been kicked around informally since he joined the board almost two years ago. “So I guess we’re on track to do that.”

Students were running the show before and after Harris’ speech at the Downtown Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, where the night featured several student performances.the worldwide rubber hose market is over $56 billion annually.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman had to think on his feet when, in the middle of his introduction of Harris onstage,For the last five years Air purifier , a student unexpectedly walked up to the lectern from behind him and set down a plastic cup of water meant for Harris.

“So, ladies and gentleman, I welcome you... (Coleman paused, puzzled by the sudden appearance of the water) ... to a toast to Dr. Gene Harris,” he said, lifting the cup, as the audience broke into laughter.

In 2002, Harris set a goal of meeting the state standard of a 90 percent high-school graduation rate by the end of this school year — the class of 2012.

But she seemed to be laying the groundwork tonight for missing that target: Harris noted that the district is “much closer” to that goal, with a 77.6 percent graduation rate in the most-recent district report, which reports the graduation rate of the class of 2010. That is up from 55 percent when she took over in 2001.

She said following the address that she’s optimistic that the district could still hit 90 percent, with two report cards to go.

“What we’re going to do is work as hard as we can to hit it,” she said.

However, the state is in the process of changing the calculation to a stricter standard, which would cause the 2010 class rate to drop to a 72.2 percent graduation rate.who was responsible for tracking down Charles Injection mold .

Turning Slash Piles to Soil Benefit

Your next bite of an organically grown apple may hold within it a tiny bit of a Washington forest.

Students at the University of Washington have teamed up on a startup that promises to turn slash piles of forest refuse into biochar, a crumbly charcoal-like product for farmers that helps their soil hold water and nutrients. Biochar is not technically a fertilizer, but often improves yield for farmers.

“Wine growers, organic farmers and gardeners of all sorts are part of the market we are targeting,Whilst oil paintings for sale are not deadly,” said Jenny Knoth, a doctoral student in forest resources in the UW College of the Environment. The National Science Foundation chose the project, and Knoth as key student leader, for their Innovation Corp announced Oct. 6.

After a stand of trees is harvested, the stumps and other woody debris not useful for the sawmill are collected into what are called “slash” piles, and typically burned in place because hauling the tons of material is not practical. It takes money and staff to burn the piles, and the burning produces more smoke than the new method designed by Knoth and her collaborators.

“This new product helps us manage an expensive problem,” explained principal investigator Dan Schwartz, chair and Boeing-Sutter professor of the department of chemical engineering and adjunct professor of materials science and engineering. Landowners are required to clear slash before a timber sale can close. “It is a radically simple and low cost way to turn slash piles into a source of jobs and income,Our high risk merchant account was down for about an hour and a half,” Schwartz said.

Knoth, with other team members, developed the new low-technology solution called the C6 Systems blanket, which covers and accelerates the pile’s gradual conversion into char. The blanket is designed to limit the oxygen flow to the burning pile. Lowering the oxygen getting into the pile changes the chemistry from combustion to pyrolysis. Pyrolysis describes organic material burning with low oxygen into a char.

The process can take one day for a small pile or longer for larger piles. Slash on U.S. Forest Service and tribal lands has been offered as pilot study locations.

The biochar is estimated to sell for $1,Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a RUBBER MATS .500 per ton as a soil amendment to ecologically conscious gardeners and landscapers as well as organic farmers, Schwartz said. “This could transform what is a big problem and money sink into a money-making and job-producing engine for landowners, while helping to improve soil conditions and reduce smoke.Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.”

NSF chose this project as one of 21 nationally for a $50,000 grant to help boost the team of five students who have worked for months to develop a business plan. The project links people across the UW campus from forestry, chemical engineering and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Within six months, the NSF hopes the startup will prove itself ready to grow to higher commercial level.

“If we keep science in our labs, we are only doing half the work,” Knoth said.the worldwide rubber hose market is over $56 billion annually. She hopes to see the team’s company, C6 Systems, become a viable commercial seller of biochar. Knoth grew up around people in the forest industry and says: “I grew up talking board feet at the dinner table.”

Another key mentor for the project was Jeffry Canin, a former entrepreneur in residence at the Center for Commercialization at the UW. He has worked with several bioenergy and energy projects as they seek to transition technology from the bench to the marketplace.

This latest project follows earlier work by Schwartz. He leads the NSF-funded Bioresource-based Energy for Sustainable Societies program at the UW. The bioenergy program brings forest resource and engineering students in to the field to solve problems that real land managers face. His students have founded or co-founded five technology companies, all of which continue to operate.

Detector essential in tight homes

the worldwide rubber hose market is over $56 billion annually.CO detector essential in tight homes

Many Canadians are woefully unprepared when it comes to protecting themselves against a potentially fatal threat, and I'd like to see this change.

This threat centres on the winter heating season, and protecting yourself against it requires less than $100 of simple equipment. Carbon monoxide is the issue, and with cold weather on its way, a carbon monoxide detector is more important than ever.who was responsible for tracking down Charles Injection mold . This is especially true if you live in a modern, energy-efficient home.

The hazards of carbon monoxide shouldn't be news to any of us. This odourless, colourless gas is deadly, but what you might not realize is how carbon monoxide hazards are rising as time goes on. As strange as it sounds, improved homebuilding standards is one reason why.

Carbon monoxide kills because it's so chemically eager to latch onto oxygen wherever it exists. When it enters the body through your lungs, it binds up enough oxygen in the blood stream to starve vital organs. There's not enough pain or discomfort to wake sleeping victims from the slow silent death, and that's the danger.I have never solved a Rubik's Piles .

Levels of carbon monoxide above only 70 parts per million (ppm) can cause headaches, tiredness and nausea in people who are awake. Levels over 150 or 200 ppm will probably kill you.

As homebuilding standards rise, the amount of natural ventilation in houses is on the way down. Government is mandating these changes, and they're a good thing. Tighter homes mean lower heating bills, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

But unlike older, leaky houses that have lots of natural ventilation, today's best homes are tight enough to allow negative indoor air pressures to develop under some circumstances. If you overuse exhaust fans, for instance, or if a heat recovery ventilator malfunctions, it's poss ible that indoor air pressure could drop lower than outdoor pressure. And if this happens while a combustion furnace, water heater or fireplace is operating, you could get deadly amounts of carbon monoxide wafting back into your home through chimneys and vents.

Backdrafting of this sort is not a likely scenario, but the stakes are high enough that you can't responsibly leave your life to chance,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. however small that chance might be.

That's why I consider carbon monoxide detectors a necessary no-brainer.

It's best to locate them in the vicinity of combustion appliances, though no closer than 1.8 metres to a gas or oil furnace, fireplace, gas or oil water heater or a gas range.

Detectors should only be installed in heated areas and not near ventilation louvres.

We've had two detectors in our house for 15 years, and once, when the alarms went off after someone closed the fireplace flue too soon, they may have saved our lives.

That's one reason I'm a believer. Another is the way detectors are getting better. The latest models have features that improve performance over earlier models, and, unless you've lived with a detector for a while, you might not realize the one feature that makes a big difference.

The main issue in my book is battery backup. First-generation detector designs were powered by an AC plug outlet alone,For the last five years Air purifier , which meant they offered no protection during power failures - precisely when you need them the most as furnace burner fans and water heater exhaust systems shut down instantly while combustion might still be happening for a short time. The CO detector I have in the highest-risk area of my house has a built-in, self-charging battery system that keeps the unit working whenever the power goes off.

Top-of-the-line detectors cost all of about $60, which is probably the best value in home security anywhere. So why aren't carbon monoxide detectors found in every Canadian house? Part of this is because we're blissfully ignorant of the dangers. Another factor is that governments have tried but failed to legislate widespread and mandatory use of this lifesaving equipment.

Don't wait for the news media to frighten you into action, or government legislation to require you to do the right thing. The danger is obvious, protection is simple and the right kind of gear is widely available at low prices. All that's missing is the simplest of decisions next time you go to the hardware store.

From Borneo, returns that'd thrill Indiana Jones

There were four of us  myself, a translator, and two guides. Several miles into the Malaysian rain forest where there was no discernible path ¡ª to me anyway ¡ª and where the tree canopy blocked the blazing sun allowing only hints of light, I spotted one: a rag tied around a tree where white liquid from a dig in the trunk was dripping into a plastic bottle.

It was the only mark of man around in one of the most unspoiled patches of nature in the world. A quarter-mile later, I saw another gashed tree marked this way, too. Yards later, another. I stopped walking and asked my translator what these markings were.Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding, He was glad for the break, lit a cigarette, and said something to the Iban tribesman ahead of us. He took me over to examine one of the tagged trees.

Around the back of the tree from where I was, a mat was laid out on the ground (it looked like a yoga mat) and a bucket was off to the side. Several times per day, my translator explained, the tribesmen would hike out to these trees and put the liquid from the bottles into the pail. When the bucket was full they'd pour the white liquid out onto the mat and let it dry. Then, they roll it up. It's rubber. They take the rubber to the local co-op market and sell each sheet for under a buck.

But slice enough trees, roll enough mats, and the money starts to add up.In addition to hydraulics fittings and Aion Kinah,

This process might seem unremarkable until you find out that Malaysia is one of the rubber capitals of the world. It long ago put Brazil, the once-dominant rubber maker, out of the rubber business. (In fact a few years ago Brazil hired some Malaysian rubber executives to teach it how to get back in the game.)

Rubber cooperatives and the local businesses not only provide a source of income for tribesmen, they play a big part in the Asian economy and in turn the world economy. The multibillion-dollar global rubber business, from condoms to your car tires, can be traced back to such jungle, tree-sapping ventures.

Local rubber businesses in Malaysian Borneo can turn a tidy profit.What to consider before you buy oil painting supplies.Use bluray burner to burn video to BD DVD on blu ray burner disc. Investing in such a local business isn't such a bad idea. But how do you get the idea and find out about the businesses in the first place?

This is where a great deal of money is being made these days by what amount to Indiana Jones-like investors ¡ª private-equity investors in the developing world. They are realizing gains and they are seeing other rewards, too.

Every dollar invested in one of these businesses (called small- and medium-sized enterprises, or SME's, in the jargon of the trade) generates $10 in the local community and at least three jobs. That's right: one dollar of investment.

It isn't easy to find many of these enterprises; they are off the map, in unchartered territory.

However, the Impact Investment Exchange Asia is a good place to start exploring from the comfort of your home or office. There, investors can find pre-screened social enterprises from far-off lands seeking capital. See the Impact Partners website for more information.From standard Cable Ties to advanced wire tires,

Racing pigeons provide multigenerational sport for dwindling group of enthusiasts

The queen keeps a loft at Sandringham Castle and Mr. Tyson keeps his birds in New York and Las Vegas. Mr. Tyson recently starred in the Animal Planet series "Taking on Tyson," which followed his attempt to cobble together a winning racing pigeon loft in one season.

No one knows if the former boxer can find the redemption he seeks through birds, but locally the show has been embraced by pigeon fanciers who say it has brought positive attention to their hobby, in spite of Mr. Tyson's unsavory reputation. The irony here is the birds are probably as demonized as Mr. Tyson is, often called "flying rats."

Finding pigeon enthusiasts in Pittsburgh isn't hard after you locate Foy's Pet Supplies. In 2000, Jerry Gagne (pronounced "GONE-yay") became the third owner of Foy's, which has been catering to pigeon fanciers since 1887. The business is in a small storefront and warehouse in Beaver Falls, from which Mr. Gagne sends mail-ordered supplies, including fully built coops, all over the country. He also sells birds -- pigeons can be sent next-day air via the U.S. Mail.

While Mr. Gagne once raced pigeons, the business now keeps him and his family pretty busy and out of the racing game. Yet he is the common denominator when it comes to pigeons in Pittsburgh. If you race or show them, you will at some point wind up talking to Mr. Gagne, who is a wealth of information on pigeon care and knows most local pigeon fanciers.

Mr. Gagne says show pigeon fanciers probably outnumber racers in the area. These birds are exhibited in events much like AKC dog shows, where the conformation of the bird is judged. Because these pigeons, with a few exceptions, are not flown and therefore don't have to be trained and conditioned, it is much easier and cheaper to get started with show birds.

Pittsburgh racers

Racing pigeons have a much longer history in Pittsburgh, and not just as the closest relatives of the unwelcome pests that roost Downtown. By the 1870s, racing clubs had been formed on the East Coast and were most certainly in the Pittsburgh area, coming west with immigrants arriving to work in the steel mills. It is unlikely that they brought pigeons with them, but once they settled, they began importing birds from Germany, Holland, France and Belgium, places that even today are hotbeds of pigeon racing. It was once the national sport of Belgium.

In the 1930s, a local "flyer" from the small river town of Glenfield by the name of Harry Elston began making pigeon history. His strain of a breed called a Trenton were regularly winning races, some from distances of 1,000 miles and more. Some of the records his birds broke have never been bested. By 1936, Pittsburgh had the largest number of flyers in the American Racing Union and bragging rights from winning many prestigious races.

By some estimates, there were 600 racing lofts in the area in the '70s, and it was not uncommon for Pittsburgh to send 10,000 pigeons to an event.