Why Egyptian Cotton Is Still King

Egyptian cotton has become wildly popular for bedding in recent years. Why exactly? Does it really matter?

It was thought for ages that cotton was cotton and thread count was king when choosing quality sheets. That is no longer true. Consumer guidelines for buying bedding suggest that cotton from Egypt is superior to other cotton. Is this true and, if so, what is the big difference?

Egyptian cottons are used to create bedding of all types from sheets to pillowcases to comforters. The long staple or long fiber of Egyptian-grown cotton means that there is more continuous fiber to use when creating threads or yarns. This yarn is smaller in diameter yet stronger than other cottons. Smaller yarn means that more threads per square inch can be use to create stronger fabric which is light in weight yet breathes well.

More threads per inch mean that the thread count on the bedding label will be higher. Many buyers think that choosing high thread count sheets is the only gauge of quality. This is not true, but in the case of cotton grown in Egypt, the higher thread count means the fabric will be incredibly strong and will last for years and years. If cared for properly, Egyptian produced cotton fabric used for creating bedding products can last for decades.

The hand or feel of the sheets created from Egyptian grown cotton is a bit harder than other cottons when the bedding is new. However, with every single laundering, the cotton sheets from Egyptian fibers become softer and softer. Like a fine wine, age improves the Egyptian fiber cotton bedding and, unlike many products, you will prize your Egyptian fiber sheets of cotton more and more as they age and become soft and cuddly.

Cotton grown in the Egyptian fields will also produce less lint and therefore will not pill after repeated washings as some materials may do. At one time, the only way to obtain Egyptian fiber cotton sheets was to shop in high-end expensive stores. This is no longer true and most department stores and online bedding stores carry a selection of Egyptian produced cotton sheets and other bedding items for the buyer seeking this quality product.

King Cotton was once the name for the cotton grown in the Deep South of the United States. This cotton has much shorter fibers or staple than the Egyptian produced cotton. Egyptian fiber is now considered the king of all cottons for its durability and luxurious feel. After all, we spend almost one-third of our lives in our beds and our bedding should be comfortable and durable. Choosing the right sheets made from the king of cotton, Egyptian produced fibers, you will experience a bed that is comfortable and cozy.

A word of caution regarding bedding labels: if the package says "cotton rich" the actual amount of cotton, whether Egyptian or other cotton, is not stated and can be a very small amount. It is better to select products that state 100% cotton or, if choosing a blend fabric, that clearly state the exact proportion of cotton in the bedding. This will ensure your product composition is one that you will be pleased with.

If the package says "percale", this means that the thread count is at least 180 count. Many people believe that percale is a fabric type in its own right. This isn't the case at all; it simply means the thread count is 180 or more. Percale can be 100% cotton or a blend of cotton and other fibers!

Sferra Brothers always has a special eye for quality and their Celeste linens in 100% cotton from Egypt is no exception. These mix and match fine quality linens are created with 406 thread count. The linens are cool and crisp yet soft for luxurious comfort. White plus 10 solid colors are available. You simply can't go wrong with these machine washable luxury linens.

Matouk Classics collection includes the Lowell design. These Egyptian long fiber cotton sheets are 600 thread count for true luxury. Available in white with one inch sateen tape accents around edges of pillow cases and on sheet hem. Select choice of five solid colors for the accent. These linens are elegant enough for the finest bedrooms.

Frette's 600 thread count Royalty sheet sets come in a shade called "money green" which is actually a deep olive green. Other colors are also available. The linens are accented with a square jacquard weave around the edges for a very distinctive, classic look. If you want beauty beyond compare, these linens from Frette are for you.

Egyptian remains King of the cotton world today and will retain that crown for many years into the future.

You'll find this long staple cotton used in sheets by many different designers and can enjoy this Egyptian luxury, suitable for the kings and pharaohs in your very own home!

Patricia Bowlin informs and entertains you as you shop for home bedding! Find out everything you need to know about chosing the perfect pillows, comforters, and bedding here now.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Egyptian-Cotton-Is-Still-King&id=114575

My Cousin Vinny

`My Cousin Vinn?" is ? movie t?at meanders ?long going now?ere in ?articular, and then lig?tning strik?s. I didn't get ?uch involved in it, and y?t indiv?dual moments and some of the pe?formances ?ere very funny. It'? th? kind of movie home v?deo w?s invent?d for: Not ?orth the tr?p to the theater, but ?lam it into the VCR and ?ou get you? rental's worth. T?e film st?rs J?e Pesci a? a New Yor?er w?o thinks ? black ?nit ?hirt und?r ? black leather jack?t, if set off by ? gold chain around the n?ck, is elegant courtroom attire. He might be right ?f he ?ere a defendant in th? Br?nx, b?t the movie ta?es place ?n Alabam?, and h?'s the defense attorney. His cou?in (Ra?ph Macchio) and ? friend (Mitchel? Whitfield), two inno?ent col?ege students on their wa? to school, h?ve been ch?rged with t?e murder of a convenience store o?ner. The circumstantial e?idence loo?s damning, but the w?rst th?ng they ?ave going against th?m ?s Pesci's sweeping la?k of legal experience.




Although the film is set in the Sout? and h?s an early shot of a sign that ?ays "Free Ho?se Manure," th?s i? not another ?ne of your Dixie-bashing movies. The judge (Fred Gw?nne, h?s fa?e longe? than ever) ?nd prosecutor (Lane Smith) are civili?ed m?n wh? aren't trying to r?ilroad anybod?. It's just that aft?r gunshots were hea?d, thr?e different witnesses ?ade a po?itive identification on the t?o s?spects, fleeing the store ?n a distinctive late-1960s Buick convertible.

Pesci, who i? the Macchio character's ?ousin V?nny, has fin?lly passed the bar on his s?xth attem?t. He h?s no court?oom ex?erience, and indeed n? experience ?t all except w?th ? few personal ?njury cases. H? arrives ?n town with hi? girlfriend, n?med Mona Lisa Vito and ?layed b? Marisa T?mei as ? wo?an who h?s ? certain legal potential trapped inside ? street-smart personality.

Pesci is so inexperienced ?e d?esn't even kn?w enoug? to stand wh?n the judg? enters the courtroom, and Whitfield, in desperation, hires an?ther law?er (Austin Pend?eton) ?ho thinks it a tri?mph if he can successfully complete a sentence. Th? movie saves most of its best ?aughs for the long ?oncluding courtroom sequence, in whi?h one witness after another hammers together the prosecution ca?e, and t?e innocent youths clea?ly see? headed for th? electric chair. Gwynne's dour work in th? co?rtroom scene? ?s especia?ly g?od; ?n t?e annals of Judge Reaction Shots, which are ? performance genr? a?l their own, his work ranks h?gh. But we never feel muc? for, ?r a?out, t?e t?o ?ccused prisoners. Macchio, wh? has be?n effe?tive in "The K?rate Kid" ?nd "Crossroads," is u?ed here es?entially as a foil. H? and Whitfield sit ?t the defense table and look wo?ried, and that's about t?at. Pesci and Tomei, on the other ?and, cre?te ? quirk? relationship t?at I liked. Neither on? is p?ayed as ? dummy. They're ?mart, ?n thei? own way?, b?t involved ?n a legal enter?rise th?y are c?mpletely unpr?pared for. Tomei's surprise app?arance as an expert witness is a h?gh point, and left ?e feeling I ?ould like to see t?is coup?e again. Maybe in a scr?enplay that ?as more focused.


http://www.bukisa.com/articles/61604_my-cousin-vinny

‘My Cousin Vinny’ is worth watching!

Being aired on TBS, My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 comedy film written by Dale Launer, and directed by Jonathan Lynn, starring Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio and Marisa Tomei, and featuring Fred Gwynne in his final role. The film deals with two New Yorkers traveling through rural Alabama who are wrongly accused of murder, and the comedic attempts of a cousin, Vinny Gambini, a newly minted lawyer, to defend them.

Much of the humor comes from the contrasting personalities of the Italian American Vinny and his fiancee Mona Lisa Vito, and the more somber Southern townspeople. Pesci gained strong praise for his comedic lead role while Tomei won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.(source)

Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful portrayal of Vinny's girlfriend. With a budget of $11,000,000, My Cousin Vinny was more successful than any had anticipated, grossing $52,929,168 domestically and $11,159,384 in the foreign markets, bringing its overall total to $64,088,552.


http://www.entertainmentandshowbiz.com/my-cousin-vinny-is-worth-watching-2009041114208

Waiting for the Captain’s Wife to Speak

We were among just a handful of press outside the Underhill, Vermont home of Captain Richard Phillips at 6:30 this morning. ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN weren't here, just one other satellite truck and camera crew providing a pool (shared) feed to the 3 broadcast nets, plus a reporter and photographer from the NY Post .

The home sits on a rural two lane road surrounded by fields of grass, thick stands of trees and mountains in every direction, including Vermont's tallest peak, Mount Mansfield. The town of Underhill has a population of just over 3000.

I spoke twice at length with Gina Coggio, a sister-in-law of the Captain, who told me the family was staying optimistic and positive and had reason to believe the situation would turn out well.

The family knew Richard had a dangerous job but he's "amazing at it", they weren't surprised he'd offer himself as hostage because "he's that kind of man" and it shouldn't be necessary to arm ships, "especially when they're carrying relief to people who desperately need it."

"It's a scary situation, a sad situation and a real situation" she said, and everyone is "doing the best they can to insure everyone's safe and it ends peacefully."

We thanked her for her time and promised not to bother her, instead waiting for the family to approach us when they had an update.

The media crowd grew slowly throughout the morning, then started to mushroom. Three large satellite trucks rolled in along with a total of nearly two dozen cars, lining the roads and field across the street.

A dozen cameras set up on tripods on the other side of the Phillips' weathered white picket fence.

The family asked the press to respect their privacy and stay off the yard and across the street but many weren't listening, running to the property whenever there was a sign of activity, like when friends used a yellow ribbon to tie flowers to a tree.

Finally, at 4 pm, family friend and neighbor Michael Willard approached a podium set up for Andrea Phillips and addressed the assembled mass of cameras, microphones and news people.

"I have a very brief statement from Mrs. Phillips. She has decided she does not want to make a statement now… until this is resolved, and would like you to respect her privacy. She has stated she would like you off of her premises and away from her house by tomorrow morning."

Since the Phillips family owns the property across the street too, this meant we wouldn't be able to speak to ANY family or friends coming or going to and from the house.

"Could you be more specific?" I asked. "You mean the entire area? She doesn't want any media anywhere near her house?"

"That's correct" he said. "She's… She's done very well under the circumstances and, uh, I think this is getting a little bit out of hand for her so…"

"She understands the world is concerned?" I asked.

"She's fully aware of that but you know, she's under enormous strain and she'd just like her privacy respected… Right now she's just overwhelmed and she just can't deal with this right now. She's upset enough about her husband and his situation and just needs her privacy."

He thanked us and left and we will of course do exactly as the family has asked.


http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/09/waiting-for-the-captains-wife-to-speak/

Waiting for Obama

By his visit to Turkey, US President Barack Obama has come as close to the seething Middle East scene as he possibly could without catching the heat. President Obama's first business in a tall order of priorities was to contain the massive damage wreaked by eight years of the Bush administration's policies on US-Turkish relations and on the wider Middle East region. While trying to repair the damage and re- establish ties with a key NATO ally and a symbolic gateway to the Muslim world, the US president was unlikely to get too close for comfort to substantive critical issues beyond broad policy statements. He has shown goodwill and put out feelers to gauge the problems of the Middle East from the perspective of an independent ally that straddles East and West. Obama is grooming Turkey, with its diverse regional relations, as a credible mediator for engaging partners in intractable Middle East problems.

Turkey is well positioned to play a positive role in the Middle East. It has many friends and virtually no enemies in the region. It opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and, by a vote of parliament, denied US and British troops access to Incirlik air base facilities for staging that invasion. This had shamed some Arab countries that gave land, air and sea passage to the invading Anglo-American troops. Now the US needs Turkish bases to facilitate the planned military withdrawal from Iraq. Turkey has also contributed some troops to NATO forces in Afghanistan, which is a focus issue for President Obama. Turkey is also the southernmost NATO outpost and an aspiring candidate for European Union membership. Should it play its hand successfully in Middle Eastern affairs, including the problems of terrorism, illegal immigration and the Arab-Israeli conflict, which are of keen interest to Europe, it could add invaluable credentials to its bid for EU membership. It could possibly override French President Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition that is based on religious-racial grounds. Above all, Obama sent a clear message to the estimated 1.5 billion Muslims throughout the world that the US "is not at war with Islam" -- a policy that the Bush administration did not seem to articulate in words nor formulate into action since the events of 11 September 2001.

In his statement to the Turkish parliament, Obama lauded Turkey as "a strong, vibrant, secular democracy -- a republic that commands the respect of the US and the rest of the world". He could not have made these statements so openly in any other Middle Eastern country without having his hosts secretly squirming in their seats. By holding up Turkey as a model partner, Obama was sending out a strong signal to other Middle East countries which are ruled by either theocratic or autocratic regimes. While affirming the positive, Obama is not unaware of the difficulties that complicate the Middle East situation. For his reiterated strong commitment to a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, US Middle East policy faces a radical right-wing Israeli government, a divided Arab world with narrow-minded leaders, a Palestinian movement in conflict, a hard-healing Iraq, an adamant Iran that is suspicious of US invitations for engagement and medieval ruling regimes that choke the Arab people. Even Turkey itself is not free of some lurking problems. Whether it is the threat of the terrorist wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party or the conspiring military of which 86 members are on trial for planning a military coup against the elected government of the Justice and Development Party. Indeed, Turkey is not fully "the stable democracy" that the US president praised. On another front, President Obama skilfully skirted the Armenian genocide issue by establishing a discreet parallel between dark events in the history of the US -- the slavery era -- and the Armenian legacy of the Ottoman Empire.

Obama conceded that he came to Turkey, the last leg of his European tour, with a message of conciliation towards the Islamic world. It was a message well-delivered and well-received but, as usual, the devil is in the detail. The anti-Muslim hostility reared by the ugly legacy of George W Bush needs to be reversed, primarily within the US itself and in the conduct of policy with Muslim nations. Turkey could help soften up the tone and substance between the two sides. Building bridges of mutual trust could help ease confrontational attitudes. But whatever initiative Turkey could undertake would require US leverage. Turkey's mediation between Syria and Israel for a settlement of the occupied Golan Heights issue seems to have reached a dead-end with the rise of the new Israeli government that has excluded, in the words of its fundamentalist foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territory. Obama may have well been directing his remarks to that government when he declared his strong support for the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel. The Netanyahu government does not foresee a two state solution but rather an "economic solution" for the Palestinians -- a way to wiggle out of a political settlement that recognises the rights of the Palestinians to statehood. At the time President Obama is recommitting US policy to a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict, a new Israeli government is bent on pushing the peace process back into a bottomless abyss.

Another key issue that Obama shares with Turkey, his European allies and the rest of the world is how to combat terrorism -- a worldwide scourge. However, to combat terrorism it has to be put in the proper perspective. Israel confused the issue of the anti- occupation struggle of the Palestinians, lumped it together with terrorism and sold it to a mediocre George Bush. The fact is that Muslims do not get out of the wrong side of the bed every day thinking who they are going to blow up next. Obama and his White House team will have to analyse the root-causes of terrorism; not to find justifications, but to better understand the phenomenon and thus help reverse it. There is no military solution to violence, whether in Palestine, Pakistan or Afghanistan. It does not help either to support state terrorism by Israel -- with an overkill response -- on the pretext that "it has the right to defend itself."

Obama's most serious challenge, perhaps, is pressuring autocratic regimes of the region that use chameleonic tactics to perpetuate themselves in power and resist overwhelming popular demand for change. In a region where the urge for change is pushing against a wall of iron-fist dictatorships, the confrontation is explosive and could spill over into large-scale violence. The environment provides fertile ground for sowing the seeds of hatred and terrorism. The Bush administration either turned a blind eye or endorsed false pretences of reform that went nowhere. The region is volatile and the sectarian politics the US invasion introduced in Iraq has recently begun to bear poisonous fruit.

In a world that is still smarting from the global financial crisis that has left no nation untouched, it is refreshing to have a different president like Barack Obama reaching out to the Muslim "enemies" of George W Bush. His message to the new Ottomans of the Middle East that it is "business unusual" is worth pursuing with action. For, unlike Waiting for Godot, Obama does come.


http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/942/op2.htm