Fire

We build our homes — and fill them to the brim — through design. So, it only makes sense that we should save them, and salvage all of our beloved possessions, through good design as well. French company Fire Design has created a range of embellished fire extinguishers to make the most of a necessity that's long been hidden under the kitchen sink.Depending on your preferences, you can choose an extinguisher that will blend in with your decor, or one that will become a focal point — in a good way. Would you prefer stainless steel to match your new Viking kitchen appliances? A flower motif to lighten the mood? A cow pattern to give your guests a laugh? Or would a taxi-cab yellow I ♥ NY motif show your solidarity? It's up to you! Think of Fire Design as the SIGG bottle of the security apparatus industry. Get yours online here for $133.

If you live in a high-rent city, you may have played the role of architect before. Often, (illegal) partition walls are set up to create two rooms where there once was one.

Similar creativity caused two firefighters to become disoriented while fighting a fire in the Bronx. Prosecutors argued that the tenants were guilty of manslaughter, since the disorientation caused the two rescuers to jump from a window hoping to escape, instead falling their deaths.

The prosecutors argued that the illegal walls created a death trap for firefighters. The defendant blamed the deaths on faulty equipment and procedures. In the end the jury sided with tenants, acquitting them on all charges yesterday.

Assuming it could be proven, do you think tenants should be held criminally responsible when their building code violations put firefighters in danger?

Source

For those of you with a decorative mantelpiece, or just a nonfunctioning fireplace, you can still have a roaring fire without installing a chimney. Brand consultancy firm Partners & Spade has commissioned artist Ann Wood to create custom hearth paintings made to measure for your mantel with prices beginning at $1,500. Customers can specify the style of the andirons and mantel border, and even the color of the flames. Before you wait the estimated four to five weeks for completion, though, if you're in the NYC area, check out the real thing at the Partners & Spade outpost at 40 Great Jones Street. How 'bout that for throwing Wood on the fire?
To see a close-up of the painting, read more

A high school senior was in court yesterday on charges of arson and criminal mischief after he was charged with setting fire to a fellow student's turban.

Authorities say Garrett Green set a 16-year-old junior's turban alight with a cigarette lighter during a fire drill last week. The Sikh student suffered patches of burnt hair but was not seriously hurt.

The culturally insensitive act came with some big consequences. In addition to legal proceedings, school officials are banning the high school senior from campus and won't be allowed to attend prom or graduation at the school just east of Trenton. The district will give the 18-year-old home schooling instead.

The turban-wearing student was a Sikh. Sikhism calls for long hair on men who commonly wear turbans. Is this just an isolated incident of schoolyard mischief or dangerous religious intolerance? Though Turkey has banned and then reallowed the wearing of headscarves in schools, should schools have a more neutral dress code? Are articles like turbans detrimental to a learning environment?

Source

• China Quake Toll 12,000: The official death toll after the 7.8 earthquake in China yesterday now stands at 11,921, according to state media. The quake is China’s biggest natural disaster in three decades. Tens of thousands of people remain buried beneath rubble today and the authorities say more than 10,000 people are still unaccounted for in the city of Minzhu, and another 2,300 are missing following the collapse of a school and two factories in the town of Shifang. One aftershock rattled today with a magnitude of 6.1. The original quake leveled up to 80 percent of structures near its epicenter. As the battle to rescue survivors rages on, the authorities have mobilized 50,000 soldiers to help with the efforts.



• Florida Fires: Fires are raging along Florida's Atlantic coast as firefighters in the town of Palm Bay have spent more than 48 hours battling the state's biggest blaze, which has damaged about 70 homes and scorched about 5 1/2 square miles. A Palm Bay spokeswoman says of the scene, ''everytime I turn around another house is on fire. We don't have enough resources on our own to do a job like this." Just south of Palm Bay, another almost equally-sized blaze destroyed at least four homes in nearby Malabar. Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency. The cause of the fires might be arson according to authorities. A witness saw someone in a car drop something into an open field, with the fire starting shortly afterward.
• Military Meets Recruiting Goals: Four branches of the US Military met their recruiting goals last month. The Marine Corps bested their goal by the most, enlisting 2,233 people or 142 percent of its goal, according to the Pentagon. The Army recruited 5,681 people, meeting 101 percent of its goal, while The Navy and Air Force also met their goals with 2,905 sailors and 2,435 airmen. A Defense Department spokesman said that if the Marine Corps continued its recruiting success, it could reach its goal of growing to 202,000 people by the end of 2009, more than a year early.

• 30 Sentenced in Tibet: A Chinese court in Tibet has sentenced 30 people to prison for their roles in the deadly rioting last month. The sentences range from three years to life in prison. Those punished were accused of taking part in the protests, vandalism, and violence that began March 14 in the Tibetan capital. China blames the Dalai Lama for the conflict and the ensuing problems with the Olympic torch relay. A spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry says, “We hope the Dalai can cherish this opportunity, recognize the situation and change his position to take concrete measures to stop his criminal acts of violence, stop his sabotage of the Beijing Olympics and his separatist activities, so as to create conditions for the next step of talks.”



• Wildfires Rage: Firefighters enter their fourth day battling wildfires in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. The fires were 57 percent contained early Tuesday after less than a square mile and most of the more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes had been allowed to return. Fires outside of Reno are being fanned by up to 68 m.p.h. winds making containment difficult. The blaze has caused a major highway to close, threatened homes, and caused the evacuation of a school.
• Economy 0.6 % Growth: The US economy grew 0.6 percent during the first quarter of this year. The growth is equal to the last quarter of 2007. The 0.6 percent statistic doesn't meet the classic definition of a recession, which is a retraction of the economy, though the slim gains show struggle.