The 34th annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions kicks off Friday with a free community event that includes an exhibition and silent auction of custom skate decks and surfboards embellished by local tattoo artists.

Presented by Quiksilvers new 585 Boardriders concept store, the second annual Surf & Skate Auction event will includelive music, refreshments and meet-and-greets with various artists.

Attendees will also have the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind creations designed from used, recycled and re-created skate decks and custom-shaped and tatted surfboards by more than 70 artists, including surfboard shapers Jeffrey Sudzin, Dan Cobley and Jose Barahona; surfboard tattoo artists (we honestly didn't know this even existed) Charly Reynoso, Big Boy, Juan "Ente" Gollaz, Show, Justin Jakus and Tyoni Aragon; Quiksilver surfboard artist Kristi McKnight; DC Shoes skate designer Mark Winn and DC Shoes photographer and video producer Tobin Yelland.

And don't feel bad opening your wallet for that one-of-a-kind skate or tatted board, the event raises funds for the Venice Family Clinic (as the Venice Art Walk has done for more than three decades), which provides free medical care to approximately 25,000low-income men, women, children, teens, and seniors who lack private health insurance.

Venice Art Walk & Auctions' kickoff Surf & Skate Auction to benefit the Venice Family Clinic, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday at 2525 Michigan Ave., Bldg. C1, Santa Monica.

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Launch date: New SoCal trade show set for July 2012

Quiksilver's custom boardshort program taps heritage, technical expertise

Photo ops: Street fashion at the downtown Los Angeles Art Walk

-- Adam Tschorn

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Charity Surf & Skate Auction kicks off Venice Art Walk on Friday

With spring in the air, building a deck might be on your mind. Building a deck is not as hard as you might think, and if you follow some basic guidelines it can be a great DIY project.

Bit of Advice #1: Build Your DIY Deck Level

Decks are built to add living space to a home and every one of them should be built nice and level. For some home sites this is pretty easy, as many back yards or areas around the home are relatively flat. Here in Colorado, flat is rare my deck starts at ground level near the front door of my home, while the far side of my deck is about 15 feet off the ground.

Bit of Advice #2: Get a Permit before Attempting to Build Your Own Deck

Most municipalities require that decks be approved by the local building dept. Low free-standing decks may not require full permitting, while 2 story complex decks may require fully engineered plans. It is always best to check with your local permit office before you get started.

Bit of Advice #3: Build Your DIY Deck on a Firm Foundation

Over the years I have seen some great deck designs which I would be proud to call my own. But more often than not, many of the deck repairs I do as a Denver-area contractor are due to shortcuts the original builder used during the initial construction. I have done demo on some decks where the decks support columns were simply set on the dirt. Others had been set on rocks, blocks and some wimpy poured footers.

Like with most home builds a sturdy foundation results in a sturdy project. The key to a good start is a solid foundation. The most common base I use is a poured footer in a Sonotube. For this type, a hole is dug to frost depth and a cardboard tube form is installed. Concrete is mixed and then poured into the tube, and then an anchor bolt is then inserted in to the wet concrete. After the concrete has set the form is removed and the hole is back filled and a post bracket is mounted. The anchor bolt/post base provides both compressive and uplift resistance. This is repeated for each of the deck's support columns. Does this sound intimidating? You could always hire a concrete contractor to pour your foundation, even if you are choosing to build the deck yourself.

Bit of Advice #4: Choose the Right Framing Material

The framing of a deck is what the decking is mounted to and it provides the skeleton of the design. Some types of decking can span long distances while others require a tighter spacing of the joists. Your local climate will also dictate some of these parameters. Snow and wind loads vary from place to place and the material choices will also affect the design. I like to use pressure treated wood for all of my framing, as in my experience it provides the best long-term durability.

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Build Your Own Deck

MORGANTOWN -

Monongalia County's Clean Indoor regulations have caused many bars and restaurants to use outdoor decks as a way to accommodate patrons who smoke.

Morgantown Code Enforcement Officer Mike Stone reminded businesses and residents that permits must be obtained before constructing a deck.

Many bars have not followed that procedure, Stone said. For that, they could face a $500 fine.

Businesses who wish to have a deck must have it engineered and submit four copies of the plans to have reviewed, signed and stamped.

Residents who would like to build a deck onto a house need to submit two copies of their plans for review to gain a permit. If they're using a contractor, they should check to make sure they're licensed to operate in the city.

Questions can be directed to the Code Enforcement office Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents and businesses can also call 304-284-7401.

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Code Enforcement Officer Reminds About Deck Permits

STUART Waterfront homeowners would be allowed to install structures like wood decks and tiki huts in their backyards within 25 feet of a hardened shoreline under a proposal that received initial approval Tuesday from the Martin County Commission.

The proposed amendment to the Shoreline Protection Zone rules in the county growth plan still faces review by the state Department of Economic Opportunity and a second vote by the county commissioners.

One of the requirements of the proposed amendment would be for a property owner who places a pervious structure near the shoreline to show it doesn't send more polluted runoff into the waterway, said Clyde Dulin, a county planner.

Commissioners Ed Fielding and Sarah Heard, who dissented on the 3-2 vote, argued the initiative would reduce shoreline protections, harm water quality and set a bad precedent.

Fielding said the growth plan amendment seems to be a favor to Shaun Plymale, a Republican Party activist, who received a notice of code violation last year for allegedly building a wooden retaining wall too close to the shoreline in the backyard of his Lighthouse Point home.

"It's not that our rules are inappropriate, it's that our rules have been broken," Fielding said. "What we're trying to do now is try to justify the violation."

But Plymale argued the retaining wall reduced the flow of polluted runoff into a canal that leads to the St. Lucie River and hundreds of owners of older waterfront homes could do likewise.

"This is a problem in those neighborhoods ... because when those neighborhoods were designed, they were small lots and they were designed to drain into the river as fast as humanly possible and that's not good," Plymale said. "We need regulations like this that allow homeowners like me to take matters into our own hands and improve stormwater runoff. "

Commissioners Doug Smith and Patrick Hayes argued the initiative would allow waterfront homeowners to simultaneously improve their properties and reduce the amount of polluted runoff flowing into the county's waterways.

Many of the county's waterfront homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s before the adoption of the county's growth plan and its strict environmental regulations, Smith and Hayes said. The runoff from some waterfront properties drains straight into the waterways.

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Martin County Commission set to allow structures in Shoreline Protection Zones

Survivors Of Marine Disaster Confined To Those On Carpathia. (Err)ant Liner Steaming at Rate of Eighteen Knots an Hour When She Struck Mountain of Ice That Sent Her to the Bottom--Shock of Impact Almost Demolishes Vessel. Decks Ripped Open and Torn and Sides and Bulkheads Split and Shattered From Bow to Almost Amidshipsin Mounting Jagged Ice Spur and Sliding Back From Her Position, the Ship Had Many Hull Plates Torn Out. Compartments Forward Speedily Flooded

St. Johns, N. F., April 16.From the steamship Bruce, bound for Sydney, the first detailed reports to-night of the sinking of the Titanic and the (chi)lling scenes attending her end.

The Bruce obtained her story of the disaster from wireless messages picked from several of the ships which had been in closest touch with the last (?)s of the mammoth White Star steamship, and which were afterward in zone of communication with the Bruces apparatus.

When the Titanic struck the mountain or ice that sent her to the bottom in four hours after the impact, she was steaming at the rate of eighteen (knot)s an hour. The shock almost demolished the proud vessel, which her (buil)ders and her captain had believed nothing could master.

Hitting the impenetrable ice mass fairly with her towering bows, the ship (was) almost rent asunder at the first blow. Her decks were ripped and torn, (?)sides and bulkheads were split and shattered as with the hammer of some (?)n from the bow to a point almost amidships.

MOUNTS JAGGED ICE; THEN SLIDES.

Her upper works and some of her boats were splintered, while a shower (of de)bris from her spars fell upon the decks like giant hail. Though the (ship) had struck the monster obstruction head on, as her bow rose clear of (the) water, smashed to an unrecognisable mass of bent and shivered steel, the (vess)el listed heavily to port and threatened to turn turtle before the recoil (?) of what was left of her proud form back to an even keel.

The Titanic had forced her giant bulk away up on a submerged spur of

iceberg, a phenomenon which is not infrequent in the, most disastrous (colli)sions with these ghostlike sentinels of the Banks. In mounting upon the (?)ed ice spur and in sliding back from her position the ship had torn out (man)y of her bulk plates from the amidships section forward to the bow.

COMPARTMENTS SPEEDILY FLOODED.

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'Only 868 Saved from the Titanic': New Orleans learns of the disaster

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HANDYMAN HINTS: Deck beginning

New Delhi, March 23:

The decks have been cleared for the dismantling of Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI) and transfer of its equity holdings in various companies to a new special purpose vehicle (SPV).

It is likely to be named National Assets Management Company.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Friday approved dismantling of SUUTI, created in 2002 after the erstwhile Unit Trust of India (UTI) was wound up. The specified undertaking was tasked to oversee the assured-return plans of UTI.

The undertaking has significant stake in three listed blue-chip companies ITC (11.54 per cent), Axis Bank (23.6 per cent) and Larsen & Toubro (8.3 per cent) together valued at about Rs 38,000 crore at current market prices.

It also holds over one per cent stake in 16 companies. Its significant holdings in unlisted firms include the 16.96 per cent stake in Stock Holding Corporation of India.

The Economic Affairs Secretary, Mr R. Gopalan, said that the new special vehicle would help the Government's disinvestment programme, as it can buy shares of the divesting companies even when the market conditions are not conducive for public offers.

The special vehicle can take loans from banks backed by its key holdings to buy the Government stake being divested. The funds could be borrowed through negative lien under which shares cannot be sold without permission of lenders and the Government.

However, certain quarters feel that banks may not be too willing to lend money to the special vehicle against pledging of such shares.

The Cabinet committee nod is only for transfer of SUUTI's holdings to a special vehicle. No decision has been taken on pledging the shares with banks, official sources said. The decision on pledging is likely to be left to the board of the proposed vehicle.

Continued here:
Cabinet nod for winding up UTI's specified undertaking

Stroll the boardwalk like a Norwegian? You bet! Launching in April 2013, Norwegian Breakaway will feature The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place two unique places for guests to relax and enjoy their experience at sea. These new spaces will include an oceanfront boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants and bars along with three flowing decks filled with dining, bars, entertainment areas, gaming, and more. The Waterfront is a large boardwalk at sea lined with a variety of seaside venues offering stunning ocean views. 678 Ocean Place fits in seamlessly, interconnecting three decks of entertainment and dining areas. These two new locations will include a total of 17 dining venues and 12 bars and lounges.

In addition to all of these exciting dining and entertainment areas, Norwegian Breakaway will have the biggest youth and teen facilities in the fleet. For the first time on any Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the new Splash Academy youth area will span across two decks located close to the ships family staterooms. The youth area will feature sections designed specifically for three age groups: Turtles for ages 3-5; Seals for ages 6-9; and Dolphins for ages 10-12. Splash Academy will also offer activities for Guppies tiny cruisers under the age of 3. Parents with young children under 3 can enjoy fun events with their child, including sensory play classes and Motion in the Ocean, a parent and tot mini workout session.

Splash Academy is located on Norwegian Breakaways Decks 12 and 13. On Deck 12, parents and kids will enter the reception area and register their children using Norwegians e-Youth tablet-based electronic registration system. Once inside, the 3-5 year olds will find their own colorful space willed with wall-mounted activities and child-sized furniture. In a separate area nearby, 6-9 year olds will find their place to play filled with building block activity centers, a dedicated space with popular video game stations, an interactive dance area, and much more.

Upstairs on Deck 13, 10-12 year olds have their own place to hang out complete with dedicated gaming stations, a cool lounge area, multipurpose visual dance space with a touch screen jukebox, and an activity zone with tons of supplies for arts and crafts. Comfortable seating and vibrant colors will make this the in space for tweens to chill on their cruise.

Located separately on Deck 16, Entourage is designed to be a high energy zone exclusively for teens ages 13-17. This hot spot includes air hockey; foosball, and an arcade center with five separate areas equipped with large screens for playing the latest video games. At night, Entourage turns into a teens-only nightclub with a dance floor, video jukebox, and large screen television. Entourage is conveniently located near the video arcade and an outdoor eatery and refreshment area, perfect for teens who just want to stay and play.

Norwegian Breakaway will be based year-round in New York City. The ship will sail to Bermuda during the summer months and to The Bahamas & Florida and the Caribbean during the rest of the year. For more information, visit http://www.breakaway.ncl.com, contact your favorite travel agent, or call Norwegian Cruise Line at 1-800-327-7030.

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Norwegian Breakaway Debuts Innovative New Features

The majority of the 1,500 people who died when the RMS Titanic sank were 3rd class passengers and members of the crew. Many researchers attribute the disproportionate loss of life to the liners design, which imposed some restrictions on 3rd class passengers. However, further investigation showed that the causes were much more prosaic.

Some passengers were neglected

Third-class and crew cabins were located in the hold, while promenade areas were on lower decks and in the quarter. They were separated from the promenade decks for wealthier passengers by special partitions staircases leading to upper decks had metal gates, the keys to which were kept by stewards. Some sources claim that these partitions were required by American immigration laws at the time.

Some 3rd class cabins were located at or below the waterline. This is why 3rd class passengers were the first to feel the collision with the iceberg.

Water started flooding many cabins right after the crash. People rushed to the corridor, trying to get to higher ground, but the majority of them never made it.

After the collision the crew was busy saving 1st and 2nd class passengers, leaving people in the lower decks to their own devices.

This approach reflected the spirit of the times in the early 20th century it was considered inappropriate to conceal the differing attitudes to rich and poor. Considering that most 3rd class passengers were immigrants seeking jobs in America, it wouldnt have even occurred to the crew to act otherwise.

Locked or not?

The first inquiry into the cause of the Titanic crash was opened in Washington in the days after the tragedy. Investigators paid much attention to the fate of 3rd class passengers. The main question was whether exits from lower decks were locked or not.

All interrogated crew members insisted unanimously that there were no restrictions for 3rd class passengers, and that they were not barred from the boat-handling deck. However, some passengers contradicted this claim in their testimony.

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Majority of Titanic Dead Were 3rd Class: Ill Fate or Ill Will?

Thu, Mar 29, 2012

Garmin will begin offering AC-U-KWIK Airport Directory data for its glass flight decks, the company announced Tuesday. Pilots around the world depend on the AC-U-KWIK directories for up-to-date information on unfamiliar airports," said Carl Wolf, Garmins vice president of aviation sales and marketing. "The electronic extension of this data integrated right into Garmin flight decks adds a valuable resource that will take operators another step closer to a paperless cockpit.

The AC-U-KWIK data contains a directory of more than 7,800 airports globally, and contains hard-to-find information for pre-flight planning in North America, Europe, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Australia. Users have detailed information at their fingertips information like FBOs and handlers, fuel providers, customs information, ground transportation, charter companies, catering services and more.

AC-U-KWIK is available as an option for the G500, G600, G500H, G950, G900x, G3X and G300 flight display systems, as well as the G1000, G1000H, G2000, G3000 and G5000 integrated flight decks. Regional AC-U-KWIK data is available from flyGarmin.com for $49.95 for a single update and $195 for an annual subscription. Worldwide coverage is available for $74.95 for a single update and $299 for an annual subscription.

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Garmin Offers AC-U-KWIK Data For Glass Flight Decks