The Buffalo News : Life

Lifestyle News

Social Notes

Updated: 11/20/08 6:13 AM

Variety Club Women of Tent 7 will have its Thanksgiving luncheon at 11:30 a. m. Saturday in the American Legion Post 35, West Seneca. Food collected in the annual food drive will be donated to Loaves and Fishes Kitchen.

Best Bets /Tips for family fun

By Jane Kwiatkowski

News Staff Reporter

Updated: 11/20/08 2:29 PM

1. Talk about training grounds. Visit the Hamburg Fairgrounds this weekend for miles of model train track. That’s right, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Sunday, the Western New York Railway Historical Society presents its holiday Train and Toy Show.

HIDE & SEEK

By Paula Voell

NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Updated: 11/18/08 11:43 AM

Chad Adams has a secret. He has dozens of them, in fact. They come in the form of hidden boxes, planted throughout Western New York.

Honor Roll

Updated: 11/16/08 5:28 AM

James R. De Santis, who earned an undergraduate degree from Canisius College and a master’s degree from the University at Buffalo, has been named national executive director of the nonprofit National Italian American Foundation. His appointment was confirmed at the foundation’s board of directors meeting last month during its annual convention weekend in Washington, D. C. De Santis succeeds John Salamone, who served the foundation for a quarter-century. “We’re excited to have Jim serve as the fourth national executive director,” said attorney Joseph V. Del Raso, foundation executive vice president and search committee chairman, adding that De Santis’ expertise “coupled with the love of his Italian heritage suits him perfectly.” De Santis has been affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at the Kennedy Space Center and the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Events for people with disabilities

Updated: 11/16/08 5:28 AM

Parent Network and EPIC will offer free “Parenting Today” workshops, “Surviving the Stress of the Holiday Season,” from 6 to 8 p. m. Tuesday and “Making Ends Meet,” from 10 a. m. to noon Thursday in the Wilson National Center for Parenting and Character Education, 1000 Main St. To register, or for more information, call 332-4170 or visit www.parentnetworkwny.org or www.epicforchildren.org . ••• The Individual Services Environment program at Community Services for the Developmentally Disabled provides support to individuals with developmental disabilities who have moved out on their own. Assistance with meal preparation, housekeeping and budgeting is available. Senior services are also available. For information, call Michele Wiler at 883-8888, Ext. 144.

Class Act

Updated: 11/16/08 5:28 AM

Amanda Winkelsas, a 2003 summa cum laude graduate of Canisius College, recently won a MetLife Fellowship toward her Ph. D.

A SPACE AGE WALKER

By Yuri Kageyama

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated: 11/16/08 4:23 AM

TOKYO –Imagine a bicycle seat connected by mechanical frames to a pair of shoes for an idea of how the new wearable assisted-walking gadget from Honda works. The experimental device is designed to support bodyweight, reduce stress on the knees and help people get up steps and stay in crouching positions.

Debunking mythic beliefs about the common cold

Updated: 11/16/08 4:23 AM

In a recent issue of “New Scientist,” writer Debora MacKenzie offered answers to eight mythic beliefs about the common cold. Briefly, they are:

Science Notes

– Los Angeles Times

Updated: 11/16/08 4:23 AM

Early TV switch to save birds

Majolica pottery is still in demand

Updated: 11/15/08 6:58 AM

Majolica was made in many countries, the United States, England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Sweden. The word majolica has two meanings to collectors. The first of the tin-glazed pottery known as majolica was made in Spain, then Italy in the 15th century. That type of pottery was popular until the 18th century. Today it can be seen in museums. In 1851, Minton made a slightly different kind of tin-glazed pottery, or majolica, that they displayed at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. It became popular almost immediately. The earlier majolica had designs that looked as if they had been painted on; the new majolica was more three dimensional. Dishes were shaped like realistic leaves, food-serving dishes with raised strawberries or bunches of asparagus looked real, oyster plates had molded oyster shells to hold the crustaceans, sardine boxes featured lifelike sardines on the cover, and even large pedestals were covered with molded designs of flowers and birds, or resembled tree trunks surrounded by storks. The majolica of Sweden made by the Gustavsberg and Rorstrand factories was never quite as flamboyant. They made large exhibition- type pieces, like pedestals topped by vases, but the decorations were more like those found on porcelains. English and American majolica went out of style by the 1950s. It was considered too exuberant and colorful for the modern styles. But by the 1980s it was back, favored by designers as “decorator pieces.” Big, colorful and imaginative was the best. Impressive pieces sell for high prices today. Pedestals and vases can sell for thousands of dollars.

Drawing attention to Alzheimer’s disease

Updated: 11/15/08 6:58 AM

Health is one of the prime problems facing families throughout the world today. Prevention of diseases as well as taking care of those infected is not only time consuming but expensive.

Rousso sizes up an opponent at the table

Chicago Tribune

Updated: 11/15/08 6:58 AM

The style of opponent you’re facing can have a big effect on the types of hands you elect to play.

Chess

By Shelby Lyman

Updated: 11/15/08 6:58 AM

Past performances are often a poor guide to future events. Witness the recent match for the world chess championship in Bonn, Germany, between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik.

Religion Notes / News of area faith groups

Updated: 11/15/08 6:58 AM

Marino to be ordained

Undoing the whims of an earlier you

By Jane Kwiatkowski

News Staff Reporter

Updated: 11/15/08 8:14 AM

Changing your anatomy with piercings, tattoos or breast implants need not be a lifelong commitment. With today’s laser technology, the healing powers of the human body and a skilled cosmetic surgeon — one need not wait ‘til death to part with unwanted body art.

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