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Women of different faiths joined together at Christ Church Cathedral downtown Thursday night to shatter negative stereotypes of Muslim women and to observe the traditions of the Ramadan iftar.

The sold-out event drew 200 women who were there to teach or learn about Muslims, the pillars of their faith and how they recognize Ramadan, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar, which is a time marked by fasting, prayer and repentance. The evening included t

A woman accused of stealing a substantial amount of money from an elderly family member was sentenced to 90 days in jail Thursday.

Deana L. Watkins, 45, of Reubens, entered an Alford plea in Asotin County Superior Court for first-degree theft,bangles, a class-B felony. An Alford plea means that while not admitting guilt, Watkins feels a jury would find her guilty if pres

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

   DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 22,

This catalogue for a Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition provides a sumptuous survey of precious objects sold to the fabulously rich by Fabergé, Lalique, Tiffany & Co., Lewis Comfort Tiffany, and other highstatus vendors around 1900. Costly jewelry of nearly every imaginable sort predominates, augmented by a dazzling array of (mostly) small, very expensive objects, including parasol handles, vases, opera glasses, clocks and watches, tea/beverage sets, inkwells, toilet sets, combs, fans, perfume bottles, candlesticks, cigarette boxes, and the famous Fabergé eggs. They are drawn from over 60 institutions/collections around the world. The text describes the international luxury market and strategies these firms adopted to promote sales – exhibiting at worlds fairs, exploiting the appeal of exclusivity, cultivating patrons, seeking high exposure, and stressing their goods’ “museum quality.” Readers looking for nuanced analysis and critique of the material world of the rich or detailed descriptions of individual objects will find neither in the derivative, repetitive, and occasionally confusing text, where small essays (perhaps once exhibition sidebars?) unaccountably appear within large ones. Although it offers little new to specialists and advanced students, Artistic Luxury is an impressive pictorial resource and an informative peek into the beautiful lives of the privileged few. Summing Up: Highly recommended, “kick Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. – K. L. Ames, Bard Graduate Center

Authorities a year ago started putting ankle bracelets tiffany jewelry on chronic drunken drivers to tell if they have had a drink.

Now the initial results are in, and the experiment has worked better than judges and anti-DWI advocates expected.

“We’ve gotten much better results than we dreamed,” said Buffalo City Judge Patrick M. Carney, who oversees the Erie County cases.

None of the 61 offenders was arrested again for drunken driving during the program’s first year in Buffalo and Niagara Falls courtrooms. Only a handful tampered with the monitoring device or were caught consuming alcohol, according to a preliminary report.

The report found that offenders:

–Tampered with the bracelets or failed to show up in court six times.

–Failed four drug tests out of 215 given.

–Fully passed unannounced breath tests during probation home visits.

–Showed up at 95 percent of 1,007 scheduled individual treatment visits and pendants 2,420 group counseling sessions.

–Attended 3,330 support group meetings sponsored by Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or some other group.

More cities are in line for the program next year.

The program is scheduled to expand into Lackawanna, Tonawanda and Lockport by early next year. And by the end of 2009, the program should be running in Jamestown, Dunkirk and Batavia, said Jeffrey D. Smith, the principal court analyst for the 8th Judicial District.

Smith, working with others, secured the grants that made the local courts the first in New York State to use the devices.

All of the offenders have been convicted of a felony DWI. Wearing the ankle bracelet doesn’t reduce their charges, but gives them a chance to stay out of prison.

“We’re making a bigger impact on community safety” than if the felony offenders were simply sent to prison, said Niagara Falls Chief City Judge Mark A. Violante, who handles more than a dozen Niagara County cases.

The judges, as well as others involved in the program, credit the intense supervision that accompanies the ankle monitors.

In Buffalo, offenders show up to court two or three times a week to be tested, and they appear before Carney at least once a week.

They’re required to see a therapist and attend group self-help sessions several times a earrings week, in addition to meeting with their probation officers.

The Erie County offenders appear before Carney on Wednesday afternoons.

During a recent session, the judge encouraged some offenders.

“Don’t get down on yourself. You can get through this,” he told a man who was days away from entering an in-patient treatment center.

Another offender was about to have his ankle bracelet removed because he completed six months without any problems.

But unlike Drug Court, another specialty court, there is less sentiment or emotional outpouring in Carney’s DWI Court.

“We don’t hug. We don’t clap. We just say congratulations,” he said to the offender.

The device, called a secure continuous remote alcohol monitor, or SCRAM, is the key component of Carney and Violante’s DWI courts.

The monitor, about the size of a pack of cigarettes, measures alcohol use through the skin.

The device takes a reading at least once every hour, and as often as once every 20 minutes. key rings It vibrates when the reading is taken, providing offenders a regular reminder they’re being monitored.

Once a day, the person wearing the monitor must be near a phone modem so that this data can be uploaded to the computer network that operates the program.

A $301,170 grant — federal money funneled through the state — paid for 60 monitoring devices and the operation of Erie County’s new DWI Court.

A second grant of $290,000 paid monitoring fees and for more equipment, bringing the number of ankle bracelets to 70. Sixty-one are currently in use, all but a half-dozen or so worn by men, Smith said.

A third grant will help pay for expanding the program into other communities. The program will be self-sustaining after the grants as the courts pick up some costs and the DWI offenders pay monitoring costs, Smith said.

Offenders in the program today live in 19 cities and towns, with just under one-third from Buffalo.

The program is open to felony offenders who have been convicted of DWI, so long as they have not caused a death or injury in an accident, and who have no prior record of any violence, Smith said.

Nearly 100 have participated in the DWI Court program since it started last June.

In the past year, judges put a handful of offenders in jail for three to seven days for the tampering.

Judges admonished four others for missing treatment.

“We make it very clear and simple for them. If there’s alcohol in your system, you’re responsible necklaces for it. And you will be sanctioned,” Carney said.

The judges, however, won’t automatically boot from the program someone caught drinking.

Carney said he will put an offender in jail for three days if caught drinking or tampering with the device for the first time. A second violation will mean 10 days in jail and 28 days at an in-patient treatment center. Anyone caught a third time will be sent to prison to begin serving their sentence.

Not everyone was convinced that the program would work.

In fact, the Erie County Probation Department’s DWI Unit didn’t even know the court’s DWI staff existed, and that generated some early distrust.

However, after establishing communication, everyone began working together, said Nancy Lauria, a probation supervisor who oversees a case-load of some 425 high-risk DWI offenders.

Despite the rocky start, everyone is on the same page and working toward a common goal: holding defendants accountable and reducing the number of DWI arrests, she said.

“Most of the time they’re held accountable,” Lauria said of offenders. “That’s what we like. Judges don’t tiffany accessories put up with any nonsense. They’ll put them in jail for a day or two the first time and then the sanctions will increase with additional violations.”

John F. Sullivan, project coordinator for Erie County’s STOP-DWI program, also likes what he sees of the program.

Sullivan’s support is important, because his anti-DWI program has garnered statewide notice over the years for being ambitious and effective. He has also consistently urged prison terms for those who have repeatedly been arrested for drunken driving.

“My initial impression was it was simply another last chance for our worst offenders, an additional chance to stay out of jail, which I didn’t favor,” Sullivan said. “But it’s so intrusive, the program is able to look after them, even if they’re not in jail, in an effective way so they’re not drinking and driving.”

The report was prepared by Richard Washousky, associate vice president of academic affairs at Erie tffany keys Community College and president of Recovery Solutions Research and Develop — ment.

plakamp@buffnews.com

IN MARRIAGE AND MYTH, RINGS ARE the tiffany and co jewelry everyone is after. But for a growing number of African women, it’s O Bracelets that offer the keys to a better life. Since the magazine debuted them in May 2007, our partner, Fair Winds Trading, has trained 250 jewelrymakers in Rwanda, Zambia, and Kenya; the women earn up to 12 times the average daily wage, allowing them to put food on their tables and send their children to school. Orders for the previous O Bracelets (May 2008) not only paid the women of Umoja, Kenya, for their work but raised an extra $47,000 to help install a water system for eight villages.

This new African gemstone collection is made by Rwandans like Marie-Rose Mukambasabire, 26, who says, “If all the girls my age had as good a job as I do, the spread of HIV/AIDS would diminish. Most girls are infected because they fall into the trap of men who offer them material things.” And 10 percent of the price will go to Hope Shines, a mentoring program for orphaned girls. One supporter is Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, who notes that the Hutu and Tutsi, enemies during the 1994 genocide, are coming together tiffany necklaces to bead bracelets. “That’s where reconciliation takes place,” he says. “Then to see that things they make with their own hands can bring income, and to know they are linked to women in the U.S. who are interested in their products — the whole story is one of tremendous transformation in these women’s lives.”

[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPH BY BEN GOLDSTEIN STYLIST: CLAIRE TEDALDI FOR HALLEY RESOURCES

TO ORDER: Go to macys.com/obracelet, and get an ethical bang (and bangle) for your buck.

When Renee Greenstein decided to capture a rainbow of free-floating gemstones inside a tiffany jewelry sterling silver-encased glass pendant, the top designer at Attitudes by Renee(R) had no idea that her jewelry creation would catch lightning in a bottle.

An instant favorite of QVC viewers, the popular designer’s “Life is Half Full” Enhancer returns to the air Thursday, October 22nd at 10 p.m., this time with two fabulous companion accessory charms and bracelet.

“It thrills me that the message of my Life is Half Full collection has touched the hearts of stylish ladies at a time when our hearts need healing,” said Greenstein. Unsolicited comments from QVC views leave no doubt: The unique designs are more than beautiful baubles; they’ve become tiny symbols of hope.

The enhancer and new charms can beautifully update a favorite necklace, chain or cord. A striking sterling silver bracelet, with Renee’s signature unity links carved throughout, is another way to wear the charms for a most up-to-date fashion look.

The Life is Half Full enhancer and matching charm feature genuine gemstones and are encased in glass Tiffany Accessories with a sterling silver scrolled frame and graced with eight and a half carats and one and one-third carats of dazzling gems

About Attitudes by Renee

Attitudes by Renee(TM) is a reflection of designer Renee Greenstein’s flair, serious playfulness and her amazing life experience.

After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Renee made her industry debut as a showroom model, which led to a stint as a fitting model. She learned from the ground up, literally, traveling across America to see what real women were really wearing. Wherever she went, Renee drew rave reviews on her own jewelry and clothing, most Tiffany Keys of which she had designed herself.

Eventually, Renee set off on a new path and began creating her own collections. Widowed with a teenage son when she was in her 30s, she learned to “shoot for the moon and the stars.” Through it all, her girlfriends proved to be the gems in her life. They always helped her see that the glass is half full. Renee’s gem-filled “Life is Half Full” necklace was created in their honor. Like all Attitudes by Renee(TM) designs, this best-selling enhancer is made with love, inspiration and attitude!

“My career has taken me to every corner of the world, affording me the opportunity to be with beautiful women from all tiffany bangles different walks of life,” Renee says. “Something we all have in common is that we have the little bit of ‘attitude’ that helps us stand out from the rest.”

Recent postal strikes have not deterred public from shopping online for presents tiffany jewellery. By Rosie Baker

Do you plan to do more or less of your Christmas shopping online this year?

Despite the recent postal strikes, online retailers should be relieved that people plan to do more online shopping this year than in previous years, according to a MarketingWeek.co.uk poll.

When asked if they planned to do more or less of their Christmas pendants shopping online this year, more than two-thirds (68.7%) said they intend to do more. Only 31.2% of respondents plan to do less Christmas shopping online.

Polling was carried out before the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) called off further strike action between now and Christmas.

Strikes in September and October and the threat of more to come, led many e-retailers including Amazon.co.uk, John Lewis and Argos, to switch mail carriers.

Last week a report by the Centre for Retail Research on behalf of online earrings comparison site Kelkoo predicted that internet retail sales would grow 24% this year to pound 8.9bn and account for a fifth of all shopping during the festive season.

Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

The study followed the harvest of natural willow from three wetlands using a silver jewellery prototype modified agricultural round baler nicknamed a Bio-Baler. The study reports fuel characteristics and combustion testing of biomass harvested from natural willow rings. Composition of native willow species in the harvested willow rings was determined. We specifically measured regrowth of the biomass and number of regenerated stems per stump 1 year after harvest to determine how different willow species responded to mechanical biomass cutting with the Bio-Baler. The results of combustion testing for the natural willow were essentially similar to those with “conventional” wood chips or planted willows. The ash content was approximately 1.65%, slightly lower than for bangles planted willow plantations. The calorific value of the natural willow was 19.6 MJ kg-1 (dry basis) similar to what is expected for wood and planted willow. Four Salix species (Salix bebbiana Sarg., Salix petiolaris Sm., Salix eriocephala Michx., and Salix discolor Muhl) were identified in the willow rings. Stem biomass increased for all species except S. bebbiana after willow was harvested with the Bio-Baler. Overall, willow regeneration was not affected by mechanical harvesting compared to hand cutting. Regenerated stem density was 93 stems per square meter for mechanically harvested stumps compared to 105 stems per square meter for hand-pruned stumps. Based on the results rings, biomass harvested from natural willow rings has acceptable fuel characteristics when compared to purpose-grown willows and mechanical harvest with a Bio-Baler does not have a negative effect on willow regeneration.

Port Arthur authorities confiscated Wednesday 80 Tiffany and co roosters believed to be used in local cock fights.

Anthony Mitchell, supervisor of Port Arthur Animal Control, said the roosters were found in a wooded area near Wilson Street.

The birds were brought to the city’s attention at a Tuesday night meeting town hall style meeting in the Montrose addition of Port Acres.

Mitchell said when he and local law enforcement arrived at the location about 10 a.m. Wednesday, they found the roosters in dozens of cages, as well as other birds wandering loose around the property.

There was no running water or other utilities Tiffany Accessories nearby.

Mitchell said he spoke with three Hispanic men at the site who agreed to turn the birds over to Animal Control.

Mitchell said he did not find a cockfighting ring or stage in the secluded area.

“The birds were hidden, we feel basically, for the purpose of doing illegal activity,” he said.

No charges have yet been filed.

Mitchell said that since cock fighting was banned last year in Tiffany Keys Louisiana — the last state to ban the practice — that a lot of such activity is “moving this way.”