Calsilica - Myth or Reality

Some twenty years ago, calsilica started appearing in jewelry shows and gem and mineral exhibitions around the world. The specimens shown had bright and vivid colors that spanned the spectrum of the rainbow! Quite naturally, jewelry designers and fashion jewelry fans became enamored with this beautiful gemstone. Over the next several years, there was a steady increase in the demand for calsilica for jewelry designs, and soon calsilica earrings, silver pendants, rings, and other items began to appear on the market. Online and traditional jewelry stores could barely keep up with demand and the price for this stone increased steadily.

Once the initial euphoria of a new and beautiful gemstone in the world of jewelry died down, gemologists and some well-informed jewelry fans started to ask questions about the origin of this stone. In most cases, these questions arose from natural curiosity, while in other cases the questions were borne from suspicions concerning the authenticity of calsilica. At first, suppliers staunchly claimed that calsilica was a natural stone that was discovered in a mine in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. They claimed that mining of the stone continued to present day and even provided a few photographs of the mining operations. The photographic evidence was inconclusive and the doubts about the origin of calsilica persisted. Gemologists and geologists requested permission to visit the mine and visually inspect and confirm the deposits in Chihuahua. All these requests were denied on the grounds of proprietary information. Suppliers persisted with the claim that calsilica was a natural material – a natural form of microcrystalline calcite, that was found in the veins or seams of the volcanic rhyolite rock formation. The claim was that the binding agent in the stone was a mix of natural clay minerals that hardened under high pressure and temperatures, rendering the stone in the form that we now see it today. This did little to quiet rumors that calsilica was indeed a man-made material and not a naturally occurring stone as was originally claimed. In fact, new rumors of a spectacular deposit of natural calsilica in China started to spread in the world of gems and gemology. The specimens supposedly obtained from the mine in China were quite beautiful and their colors and patterns rivaled those of the specimens from the original mine in Mexico.

To quell these rumors and answer the many questions surrounding this gemstone the Swiss Gemological Institute (SSEF) undertook a laboratory investigation of calsilica in 2002, and published their findings in one of their newsletters in 2003. To begin their investigation, SSEF purchased two calsilica specimens at a gem and mineral show in France in 2002. The seller of course claimed that the stones were natural and even produced photographs of the mine in Mexico. To further bolster their claim, they even had a letter of authentication from a laboratory in the United States stating that the stones were not man-made. SSEF performed microscopic examinations and laboratory tests on the specimens, and found that the base materials were indeed a natural form of calcite. They also discovered however, that the colored streaks in the stone contained man-made coloring pigments. They also found that the binding agent was a transparent soft, plastic-like material very similar to paraffin wax, and not natural clay minerals as was originally claimed. This investigation proved once and for all that calsilica is a man-made stone.

ChipIn Simplifies Collecting Cash For Group Giving

For some gift-giving occasions, it's more fun to get together with a group and kick in for one big gift to someone. Trouble is, collecting all the money is a big pain. ChipIn can help.

ChipIn is a free, web-based service that tells people you're collecting cash for an event or occasion and gives them a way to contribute to your fund via Paypal and track how much the group is accumulating.

It's super easy to set up an account at ChipIn—all the service needs is the Paypal address (but no login information) of where you want the money sent. Contributors can tell at a glance how much money has already been given, and how close the group is to meeting its goal (if you specified one). ChipIn also keeps track of who's kicked in money already and who hasn't, so you'll know who to thank when the event is over. There are no fees to use ChipIn, but Paypal might charge withdrawal or deposit fees to the account holder, so be sure to check out the details before you start accepting money.

ChipIn is a more transparent way to collect money from groups instead of asking folks to just blindly send money to someone's Paypal account. On the other hand, there's really no way to prevent someone from running off with collected funds, and ChipIn won't help you out if it happens. That said, ChipIn makes a lot of sense for families or connected groups to collect money without a lot of hassle.

What are your thoughts on services like ChipIn? Do you think they're safe to use, or do you rely on other means to collect money from groups? Let us know in the comments.
ChipIn

Game Rush: Mobclix And PlayHaven Predict Record iPhone Game Downloads During The Holidays

Between the presents, family time and the eggnog, iPhone users will be hitting their device for competitive entertainment, says gaming community platform PlayHaven and mobile ad exchange Mobclix. According to data released today, the two companies predict that iPhone game usage is likely to set record in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, called a “Game Rush,” with usage 28 times greater than the same weekly period last year.

PlayHaven says as the number of games on the App Store increases (there are currently more than 15,000 games available), consumers can turn to their iPhone for entertainment vs. consoles. PlayHaven also predicted that in the coming year, discovery of games and applications is increasingly going to originate outside the App Store. By the end of 2010, PlayHaven’s founder and CEO, Raymond Lau, said up to 25 percent of iPhone app purchases may originate at some location other than iTunes or the App Store as companies like PlayHaven seek to capitalize on the increasing complexity of app discovery in a universe of more than 125,000 titles.

Lau may be right. More and more app directories have emerged to help users make sense of the 100,000 plus Apps on the App store. Appolicious, mPlayit, Chorus, Sidebar, and many others not only provide customized recommendations for your application tastes and interests, but also lead users directly to the App Store to purchase and or download the apps. Many of these directories also allow you to share your apps on Twitter and Facebook.

Mobclix and PlayHaven’s “Game Rush” forecast is based on analysis from Mobclix’s mobile ad exchange. Mobclix used historical app download data and calculated a projection based on the increased number of Apple mobile devices sold during the year.

Meaning and Origins of the Star of David

The Star of David, Jewish Star, or Magen David means Shield of David. It is one of the most popular Jewish symbols that has been in use at least since Babylonian times.

As popular knowledge, it is said that the young Israelite lad, David, who would later become King David, used a shield in this shape when he went to battle.

Use of Star of David in Kabbalah

In Kabbalah, the Star of David symbolizes the six spaces of space plus the center; Up, Down, East, West, South, North and Center.

These are also reflected in the seven spiritual building blocks (Sefirot) with which God created the world: Chesed (Kindness), Gevurah (Severity), Tiferet (Harmony), Netzach (Perseverance), Hod (Splendor), Yesod (Foundation) and Malchut (Royalty).

Another kabbalistic meaning is stated in the Zohar:

There are three knots connecting one to another, The Holy One, blessed be He, Torah and Israel. One triangle represents this 3 sided connection on an inner dimension, and the second triangle refers to an external demonsion. The essence of the soul connects with Gods essence through the study of Torah and Kabbalah. The external connection to God is through practical application of these studies.

The number seven has multiple significance in Judaism for example;

Another idea is that a six pointed star receives form and substance from its solid center. This inner core represents the spiritual dimension, surrounded by the six universal directions.

According to G.S. Oegema -

"Isaac Luria provided the Shield of David with a further mystical meaning. In his book Etz Chayim he teaches that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram: above the three sefirot "Crown", "Wisdom", and "Insight", below the other seven". [5]

Similarly, M. Costa wrote that M. Gudemann and other researchers in the 1920s claimed that Isaac Luria was influential in turning the Star of David into a national Jewish emblem by teaching that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram, but Gershom Scholem proved that Isaac Luria talked about parallel triangles one beneath the other and not about the hexagram. [6] The Star of David at first was only known remotely and would not be considered 'official'. At the time the nearest thing to an Islamic symbol would be a menorah.

The six days of Creation and the seventh day of rest.

In the 17th century, it became a popular practice to put Star of Davids on the outside of synagogues, to identify them as Jewish houses of worship in much the same way that a cross identified a Christian house of worship.

During the Holocaust, the Nazis forced the Jews to wear a yellow Star of David as a method of identification.
Today, in the State of Israel, the Magen David Adom (red Star of David) symbols official emergency medical ambulance service. It is an official member of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Wearing Star of David Pendants is a popular way of expressing identification with Judaism.