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When we first spotted this lovely piece by Test Collective at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, we were quite taken with the streamlined form and minimalistic look. The unit is aptly named Volume, because of its generous size and because it considers the storage, display, and celebration of vinyl records - a unique sole-purpose for a piece of furniture which we found intriguing! While we certainly applaud the use of Corian and bamboo, we think it is equally important to point out that the concept behind the piece - collecting old LPs instead of purchasing new CDs - is just as sustainable as the materials, making Volume all the more appealing to green music-lovers.

Hanging out by the beach/lake/pool sans tune-age is no fun, but neither is accidentally drowning your hapless iPod. 

Instead, pack this clever water-/spill-/shatter-proof "Ego Ice" iPod Sound Case which also floats!  Fits the iPod Classic, iPod Photo, iPod Video & all iPod Nanos. Available at Otterbox.com.

The way food manufacturing works these days — with multiple ingredients coming from multiple sources and processors such that the company producing the final product might not know where all the ingredients in a product came from — makes it difficult both to ensure food safety and to track the source of any pathogens that are found.

As more outbreaks are happening more often and on a larger scale, some big food companies and industry groups like the Grocery Manufacturers Association are becoming more receptive to the idea of better tracking policies, such as a “passport” system for ingredients that would show where they had been during each step of the manufacturing process.

In the meantime the federal government has asked companies to provide customers with more detailed food safety instructions. But these notes are sometimes difficult to read and follow and in some cases wouldn’t ensure safety, anyway. Hungry-Man pot pies suggest cooking to a temperature 11 degrees below what’s considered safe for killing pathogens (the company says it was using an old industry standard that will be corrected).

But even when consumers want to do things right, it isn’t always easy. Trying to get a Banquet pot pie to 165 degrees proved impossible, with some parts registering at 140 while the crust was beginning to burn. After 18 minutes in an oven the pudding in a kids’ meal was still only 142 degrees.

And some food safety experts say it’s not fair to put the responsibility for food safety onto the customer at all, given that many are confused about the level of cooking meals need and don’t have the equipment needed to test the internal temperature of a meal.

American couturier Chado Ralph Rucci will receive the 2009 Pratt Institute Fashion Icon Award - the fourth such recipient of an award which recognizes a designer's positive influence within the industry and ability to inspire young would-be designers. 

The doors of The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai are now open, enabling guests to experience the glamour of the Golden Age of Old Shanghai in a unique Art Deco masterpiece. Each of the hotel’s 96 exquisite rooms and suites offers a personal sanctuary of comfort, distinguished by the opulence of Old Shanghai and the luxury of spacious surroundings. Yesterday’s charms are intermixed with 21st century amenities. Every guestroom and suite features broadband Internet and Wifi access, Internet Protocol Phones, iHome iPod docking station, DVD Player, 42” LCD TV in bedroom and 19” a LCD TV in a spacious marble bathroom as well as a generously sized business desk.

For the first two months, all guests staying at the hotel will be given the opportunity to get “Absolutely Shanghaied” with a beverage of their choice in the hotel’s glamorous bar as well as complimentary breakfast and broadband internet. Special opening room rates start at RMB1700.

We all need to get away from all the holiday stress. After working long hours trying to beat deadlines before the offices close for the holiday season, we need to be somewhere peaceful and quite to unwind. To help you unwind and relax this holiday season, consider spending your Christmas on board a private yacht rental and visit some of the most beautiful places around the Caribbean. A few days on a private yacht rental, frolicking on the beach and spending a lot of time under the sun should help you relax and renew your energies.

Is it wise to spend a lot of money on a private yacht charter in this time of economic crisis? Everyone deserves a treat during the holidays. Yes, a holiday on a private yacht rental will cost a good deal of money but since you are due for a vacation, you might as well spend that well earned vacation somewhere where you can truly relax and have some fun. Besides, what is the point of working so hard and earning a lot of money if you cannot enjoy the things that your money can buy?

Planning Your Vacation

If you want to spend some quality time on board a private yacht rental, you need to plan your trip well. First, you need to know where you are going and what you are going to do during your trip. Take out a map and plot your course. If you are not so familiar with the routes around the Caribbean, you should do some research. Find out which places offer some excitement during the holiday season. You may want to dock in these areas during your trip. Second, you need to know the weather forecast. You need to know what kind of weather you are up against. As much as possible, you need to stir away from areas that have very variable weathers. You don't really want to be caught in a storm on Christmas Eve. Fighting for your life out at sea is not really a good way to spend your Christmas Eve.

The third thing that you need to do before you set out sail in a private yacht rental is to see to it that you are well equipped for the trip. Check your gears and your gadgets. No, you do not need your laptop computer with you during the trip but you may need to bring along some of those entertainment gadgets with you. On the other hand, if you are planning to do some diving during your trip, you need to bring your own diving gear with you on board the private yacht rental.

Not everyone likes to take big risks in life. Sure, some people do – like stuntmen, and tightrope walkers in a circus. They thrive on the adrenaline – the chemistry in their brain gets used to having the adrenaline and they seek to regain that "high." Most of the rest of us are more cautious, choosing to live our lives within the realm of the familiar and comfortable – except for when we don't. Sometimes we choose to have an experience that may terrify us – and that's where tandem skydiving comes in!

What Is It, Anyhow?

Everyone probably knows what skydiving is – it's strapping on a parachute and jumping out of a "perfectly good airplane" as someone used to say. But doing that takes a lot of training and time. You don't just decide one morning to go jumping out of an airplane and with no worries. Instead, you can try tandem skydiving. With tandem skydiving, you will be attached to an experienced jumper, someone who can help you feel more at ease and help you know when to pull the cord to make the parachute release. They don't take that fun away from you, but instead, help you be able to enjoy it more without the panicky feeling that would be normal falling from thousands of feet in the air.

How Can I Do That?

In order to go tandem skydiving, you need to find a place that offers it. You might have to travel a ways to get to a place, but many places have one nearby. Check online or in the newspaper for companies that offer skydiving. They operate out of an airport, so you can also check with a local small (usually a private one) airport to see if they have this service.

Once you find a company, you will need to know the price and what all it includes. There are many options. There is the "bare bones" type of jump, the cheapest of all. It will only give you the training and one jump. Or you can pay more, and get multiple jumps or a video memorial of your jump. Once you see what the tandem skydiving company offers, you can choose which fits your budget and interest level best.

What About Training?

To go tandem skydiving, you will need to be trained. Just like other extreme sport, there is safety information for tandem skydiving. You will learn how to buckle in, pull the cord, and what to do if there's any problem. Once you've got that learned, it's up into the airplane, steady your nerves, and jump!

As you're contemplating going skydiving, you will have to choose whether you will go for a solo jump or a tandem jump. Skydiving is not just a simple experience – jumping out of an airplane, free falling, and then drifting safely to ground takes some training, and so the experiences of solo or tandem jumping are very different from each other.

A solo jump is appealing in many ways. Jumping alone gives many people more of an adrenaline rush – which some people like. Also, you can brag to your friends that you did a solo jump. But most first time skydiving novices have a tandem jump first. Why would this be?

Tandem First? Why You Should Plan For That

First of all, you must work within the limits of the company you are jumping with. For many companies, they require your first skydiving jump to be tandem. After you've had a few of those, you can learn the added skills to be allowed to jump solo. Why do they have rules like this? Solo skydiving takes many additional skills and experience, and many companies protect themselves by enforcing this rule.

Taking a tandem jump for your first skydive requires much less training than doing a solo jump. As it is, ground school can take up to six hours or more – and that's time spent before you get into the airplane, learning how to buckle, unbuckle, load the 'chute and pull the rip cord. They'll also teach you how to push out of the plane and how to land as you finish your ride. If you are doing a solo jump, everything that happens is up to you – whereas with a tandem partner, you can expect them to handle part of the challenging aspects.

Hand in hand with less training is the fact that a tandem skydiving jump is much less expensive than a solo jump. Solo jumps are of greater liability, and thus cost the company more money. They past this cost along to you, the customer after the thrill.

If you have a tandem skydiving partner for your jump, knowing they will handle the "heavy lifting" of the jump can give you some peace of mind. Skydiving will still be a thrilling adventure, but for most people, they appreciate being able to trust someone else with remembering all the details of how to have a successful jump. There are enough details without having to do it all yourself!

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