Soccer unites Iranian, German women in documentary

Colorful Belt The green-colored bra which has the capacity to generate enough power to charge a cell phone or an iPod, incorporates a solar panel which produces electricity and is in turned wired to a mini electric bulletin board for displaying messages. And the benefits don’t end there. Water or vodka can be stored in the Solar Brasserie’s padding, and to sip the drink, simply insert a straw into the brasserie cup. The bra includes a solar panel that can be worn around the stomach.Organic cloth, which is made through cotton that is grown sans any fertilizers and pesticides, is the material used in the brasserie.The novel Solar Brasserie from Triumph was unveiled before the 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyoko Summit that will deal with environmental issues.As of now there is no information on the bra’s commercial availability. Alas, you can’t gift it to your eco-friendly girlfriend anytime soon.

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Colorful Belt The green-colored bra which has the capacity to generate enough power to charge a cell phone or an iPod, incorporates a solar panel which produces electricity and is in turned wired to a mini electric bulletin board for displaying messages. And the benefits don’t end there. Water or vodka can be stored in the Solar Brasserie’s padding, and to sip the drink, simply insert a straw into the brasserie cup. The bra includes a solar panel that can be worn around the stomach.Organic cloth, which is made through cotton that is grown sans any fertilizers and pesticides, is the material used in the brasserie.The novel Solar Brasserie from Triumph was unveiled before the 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyoko Summit that will deal with environmental issues.As of now there is no information on the bra’s commercial availability. Alas, you can’t gift it to your eco-friendly girlfriend anytime soon.

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PU Leather For Shoe This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Foamed Plastics (Polyurethane) in Thousands of Metric Tons. The specific end-use segments discussed are Furniture/Bedding, Automotive, Construction, Electrical Appliances, Recreational Equipment, Packaging, and Miscellaneous. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Rest of World. Annual forecasts are provided for each region for the period of 2001 through 2015. A ten-year historic analysis is also provided for these markets with annual market analytics. The report profiles 40 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as BASF AG, Baxenden Chemicals, Bayer AG, British Vita Plc, The Dow Chemical Company, Foamex International, Inc., Huntsman Polyurethanes, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Recticel, and Woodbridge Foam Corporation. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.

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Suede Gloves Practical and rugged, Indiana Jones' signature safari style is now a legendary look, and on the release day of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there's no doubt many men would like to spend a day in Indy's shoes.You can order a pair at the Jackson store Great Scott. Operations manager Wright Scott said the Massachusetts-based Alden Shoe Company made some of the boots worn by Indiana Jones."It is Alden model 405 worn by Harrison Ford during his early days as a carpenter," Scott said. "Alden is known for its quality craftsmanship. We don't have a lasso or whip, but we can always order custom boots." The Alden model typically retails for around $300.Great Scott carries Alden shoes and clothing by Ermenegildo Zegna, a company that produces a goat suede safari jacket."They are about a $3,100 piece," he said, adding that one was featured in the April addition of Esquire.Scott also recommends a pair of khakis, a leather belt and a Colonel Littleton straw hat. But those who want the real beaver felt fedora that Indy sports in the film can find it in Columbus.Mississippi native Steve Delk creates and sells authentic Indiana Jones hats through his Adventurebilt Hat Company. Delk actually made the hat you'll see atop Indy's head in the latest film. According to Adventurebilthats.com, they cost $350.Henry Torrence, owner of Henry Torrence Men's Clothing in Jackson, said if someone came to his store hoping to steal Indy's style, he'd suggest a canvas jacket."There's a certain style of chino pants that would fit that idea as well," he said. "In the movie, it's all functional clothing."From his leather jacket to the World War II-style bag in which he carried the glowing diamonds from the temple of doom, there are many online stores like Indygear.com that sell Indy-style clothing for diehard fans and those who just admire Indy's archaeology attire.Undergear.com sells a Survivor straw hat for $25, and some sites recommend substitutes for the authentic gear, like L.L. Bean dress chinos and cotton poplin field shirts.To finish the look, you might add a black necktie, leather work gloves and the essential Indy rescue tool - a bullwhip. You can get one for $34.95 at the Meridian-based company Hollywood Prop Supply.Mark Sullivan and Nancy Sullivan, both retired Marines, own the business that supplies props to film companies and sells many on eBay.In 1999, they purchased a truckload of items from Ellis Props & Graphics, one of the largest and oldest prop houses in California. HollywoodPropSupply.com now specializes in supplying western memorabilia, military props and weapons for films."We advertise in all the major Hollywood business publications for the film industry," he said. "And we sell a tremendous amount of merchandise on eBay. We monitor what we sell, and the khaki World War II-style pouch (Indiana Jones) wears is hot now."Sullivan said he understands why the character is an icon whose style others want to emulate."I think he epitomizes what we all wanted to be as kids," he said. "He's a man of mystery. He travels all over the world. He always gets the pretty girl at the end. He's a professor, and all the young girls swoon over him in the classroom."He is so many things that any young American man would want to be. He's also got a great sense of humor. Who wouldn't want to be like him?"

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Snap Buttons If you're like most farmers market shoppers, sugar-snap peas and strawberries take top priority this time of year. After all, summer will arrive all too soon - and its heat will yank these delicacies away from us.But it's worth your while to devote some attention to flowers. For just like strawberries and sugar-snap peas, the best season for edible flowers is before summer hits."Right now is the best because there's more abundance now than later," says Sharlyn Pasquale of Il Giardino Organico, a farm that sells its edible flowers and produce at the Vineyard farmers market in Fresno, Calif.Last week, Il Giardino picked broccoletti, chive and thyme flowers. K.M.K. Farms, another vendor at the market, sold cucumber-flavored borage flowers; peppery arugula flowers; and flowering thyme, sage and chamomile.At Flower Garden of Madera's stand, John Warner brought in a plate of his edible flowers. Along with spicy nasturtiums, sweet pansies and pea flowers that taste just like peas, there were flowers that lend more color than flavor: calendulas, hollyhocks and bachelor's buttons. Much of his selection goes to Nueva Frontera Produce, the stand next to his. Maria Abuelas of Nueva Frontera mixes Warner's flowers with her own in a bagged salad mix.Add these to the ubiquitous squash blossoms, and it's no wonder that chefs such as Karsten Hart of Erna's Elderberry House get excited about edible flowers."I come up with ideas based on the market," Hart says. "It instigates ideas and forces you to look at things differently."At Erna's in Oakhurst, Calif., arugula, borage, chamomile, thyme and rosemary flowers adorn salads. Hart tucks flowers into terrines. He steeps chamomile in fish broth."The chamomile gives this a really nice nose to it," he says.Hart is thinking of infusing iced tea with sage blossoms, but he's not a fan of battering and frying flowers - a common technique."It's appropriate if the flower is bruised," he says. "But if it's perfect, you want to show it off."For that reason, it's best to use edible flowers immediately, Hart says. But some of them will keep for up to a week if handled properly. Hart recommends loosely wrapping flowers in a moist paper towel and storing them in a plastic container.Before folks start experimenting with edible flowers, however, there are a few rules they should follow.Ask experts such as Warner if your flowers are edible. "Sweet peas are poisonous," he says as an example. "But the flowers from sugar-snap peas are edible."Warner advises folks to consult reputable catalogs, such as Johnny's Selected Seeds. Johnny's uses a knife-and-fork icon to indicate whether or not a flower is edible.Sharon Matson, a Fresno County Master Gardener, offers another way to determine the safety of a flower."There are common names for flowers that might fit more than one variety," she says. "You should know the botanical name and compare it."An example is the marigold. "Some are edible and some are not," she says.Also be sure the flowers haven't been sprayed with chemicals."Unless you get it from an organic source," Matson says, "the nursery is going to use herbicides and insecticides that would be in the plant."Likewise, avoid flowers that grow near roads, Cathy Wilkinson Barash writes in "Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate," (Fulcrum Publishing, $24.95). "They are contaminated from car emissions."When you do identify an edible flower, taste it before using it, Matson says. "Even from one year to the next, the flower might have a different taste."If you're cutting roses, you'll want to smell the flowers. "They tend to be more flavorful when they have fragrance," she says.When harvesting flowers, Matson follows the advice of "Edible Flowers." She heads into her garden in the early morning after the dew has evaporated and clips the flowers that are at their peak.In some cases, such as pansies, it's appropriate to eat the whole flower, Matson says. But for most flowers, it's best to use just the petals."You want to cut the white part of the base of the petal," Matson says. "It can be very bitter."She also points out some of the other rules listed in Barash's book: "Introduce flowers into your diet the way you would new foods to a baby one at a time in small quantities." And, "If you have hay fever, asthma or allergies, do not eat flowers."Matson's experiments indicate a wide range of uses for edible flowers. They include daylily pancakes with flower syrup, rose-petal tea, sugarcoated lilacs, dried marigolds, hot potatoes with calendula petals and an appetizer of crackers and cream cheese topped with a variety of flowers.Cooks can consult authors such as Barash and Frances Bissell for inspiration. In "The Book of Food: A Cook's Guide to Over 1,000 Exotic and Everyday Ingredients" (Henry Holt & Co., $40), Bissell describes how to infuse butter with flowers, make flower-flavored sugars and use marigolds and nasturtiums in savory dishes."Wrap a piece of fresh, unsalted butter in cheesecloth, bury it in a bowl of flower petals, cover and leave it in a cool place for about 12 hours," she writes. "Then unwrap the butter, which is delicious on toast or scones."Flavored sugars for ice creams, sorbets and custards can be made by grinding one part clean, dry petals to two to four times their volume of sugar. The proportion depends on the strength of the flower's scent. Lavender will take plenty of sugar, violets and mimosa will take less."As for nasturtiums and marigolds, "they are particularly good finely chopped, with one or two of their leaves, and added to cream cheese, omelets, souffles, or vegetable terrines."The flavor of the flowers should dictate their use, Matson says. "If using a flower for a dessert, then you're going to want to use the sweet-tasting flowers," she says. "The more vegetable flavor, you would tend to use those more with vegetables or meat dishes."And just because a flower is edible doesn't mean you should eat it. "Like snapdragons," Warner says. "They're safe to eat, but they just taste horrible."

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Sports Garments I picked it out from under the mountain of clothes, the slippery red thong between thumb and forefinger. The smell of old garments, the height of the pile, it was all just too much. Within the next few weeks, it would have to be sorted, boxed, hung and priced ready for the school fete. The G-string was to become the symbol of my despair."I should be more involved in the school community," pestered a guilty internal voice when the notice calling for fete volunteers had arrived. No matter that I still had a youngster at home, a paid job and very little time in between. Down went my details for the clothes stall.A little hillock of bags materialised outside the school office as the date approached. I started taking these home, eager to harness the support of the family - a bit of bonding over an old Bonds or two.The kids helped by claiming garments as their own, somersaulting over my neat piles and dressing their dollies. The room full of clothes became fertile ground for their boundless imagination.It soon became clear that I would need helpers of a more mature calibre. "Fine coffee, refreshments, good company", read my cute little flier. I shoved this under the noses of mums waiting like sitting ducks in the school line-up. The bit about sorting through mounds of old clothes was in the fine print.Over our kitchen table we spread out old pyjamas, frayed T-shirts and a curious physiotherapy aid designed to help women pull up their stockings. Hot orange floral shirts screamed out "tourist sucker" from their plastic packets. From sorting through firemen's outfits for toddlers, to frocks with flounces and shoulders pads, we were working well into the afternoon.A good effort, we agreed as my helpers departed with boot loads of bags for the op shop. A musty odour pervaded the house but at least we'd made a dent.At the next session, I ditched our homely environs in favour of the Dickensian-like space under the school hall. There wasn't a decent cup of coffee to be seen, not a single pastry to distract us. Women weaved their way between dusty piles of sports equipment sorting clothes and supervising toddlers.But the pile continued to grow, like a cancer of cloth and dust. By night, the smell of moth balls infiltrated my angst-ridden dreams. By day, the burden of my responsibility to the school, and of my own stupidity, followed me around like a guilty conscience. But it was too late to run now.I called for helpers in the school newsletter, I rang people at home, I spoke to them at the kindergarten and in the schoolyard. I saw myself morph from mild-mannered mother and competent professional, to desperate tyrant who railroaded every conversation back to the fete.And women came to help in droves. They sorted as babies in prams looked on. They came with children who delighted in foraging through the toy stall boxes. They came during school hours and on Saturdays. "So this is what stay-at-home mums do," I marvelled to myself. Except that most weren't stay-at-home mums; they were working day shifts and night shifts. And they still managed to have kids at swimming lessons by four, dinner on the table at six and two loads of washing dry by the day's end.This moth-ridden experience taught me something about how hard it is to make a buck for schools. Something about community spirit. And something about the tenacity of women. Funny that it took a slippery little G-string to bring everything into focus.

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Soccer Wear A DOGGED desire for equality and freedom - at least for 90 minutes - is at the heart of a documentary about a football match between the Iranian women's soccer team and a Berlin girls' squad in Tehran in 2006.'Football Under Cover', shown at the Berlin Film Festival in February, chronicles a year of work by the two sides to overcome numerous bureaucratic hurdles in Iran and fulfil their shared dream to play the unprecedented match.The teams, both wearing headscarves, long smocks and tracksuit trousers to avoid breaking Iran's strict dress code, finally run out onto a muddy pitch with torn goal nets six months late.But the players' passion and the enthusiasm of an empowered all-female crowd offers a positive message.'Let's try for freedom is the main message of the film, let's give it a go,' said director David Assmann, who also helped organise the match.The film shows ecstatic Iranian women, not usually allowed into a football stadium even as spectators, jumping up and down on the stands, cheering and whistling, while a voice orders them through a tannoy to be more dignified.The electric atmosphere among the women contrasts with frustration among men - for once not allowed inside the stadum - who have to peer in through cracks in the fence.SENSITIVE SUBJECTIt was difficult filming in Tehran, particularly given the sensitive subject matter, Assmann said, although it helped that the documentary film and match were a joint project.'I think without the film, the match would not have taken place,' he said, arguing it put pressure on the Iranian authorities not to cancel the fixture altogether.The obstacles faced by the German team included losing their sponsorship, failing to get the right paperwork and even having trouble finding long-sleeved tops and tracksuit bottoms for the players to wear at the match.The film, which dwells mostly on the Berlin team's frustrating preparations and its players' reservations about going, has a humorous side.The German players - strapping young women who look almost comical in their bright white headscarves - frequently descend into infectious fits of giggles.But it is an Iranian player who steals the show.Niloofar, who has dressed as a boy to train without a headscarf, has posters of British footballer David Beckham plastered over her bedroom and even dreams about him.'Luckily, he spoke Farsi in my dream,' she giggles.The young woman who rarely stops smiling is utimately forbidden from playing the game, for reasons that are unclear.The film, which ends with a 2-2 draw, will not be publicly shown in Iran.

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