Coffee Counter~Week of May 22nd

karenc

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Coffee Counter~Week of May 22nd

« on: May 22, 2011, 5:52 PM »

COFFEE COUNTER
for week of
May 22nd

Today In History

May 22, 1967~ Belgian department store burns

A fire at the L'Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, kills 322 people on this day in 1967. Poor preparation and safety features were responsible for the high death toll.

At L'Innovation, it was the first day of a heavily promoted American fortnight exhibition, a salute to American fashion. There were many United States flags displayed through the store as part of the promotion and hundreds of clerks were on hand for the expected crowds on opening day.

There were approximately 2,500 people shopping in the store during their lunch hours when fire broke out in the furniture department on the fourth floor, just after noon. However, virtually no one in the store was aware of the fire because no fire alarm went off, nor were there any sprinklers. The fire spread quickly because there were only a few handheld extinguishers on hand and some reported that the many flags on display helped fuel the flames. In addition, firefighters were slow to arrive because the store was located in a crowded area of the city with narrow streets.

Panic set in when the shoppers realized what was happening. Many suffered trampling injuries after getting caught in the stampede of people trying to leave the store. At the same time, looters added to the general chaos. Then, several explosions were set off as the fire hit some butane gas canisters in the camping area of the store. Not too long after that, one side of the store collapsed on to some fire engines parked outside. Many people made it to the roof seeking an escape route; at least three died jumping from the building. One firefighter, Jacques Mesmans, jumped from the second floor with a woman whom he was trying to save and broke both of his legs. Most of the 322 fatalities were from smoke inhalation.

Despite speculation that the fire was a deliberate anti-U.S. action, most of the available evidence pointed to an electrical fire.

more~

Quote Of The Day

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."

Herman Melville

Today's Trivia

Can You See A Real Pink Elephant?

In regions of India where the soil is red, elephants take on a permanent pink tinge because they regularly spray dust over their bodies to protect themselves against insects.

Why Was The Cash Register Invented?

James J. Ritty, owner of a tavern in Dayton, Ohio, invented the cash register in 1879 to stop his patrons from pilfering house profits.

From Our Forums

See who is being featured in PHOTO PARADE
View a selection of photos by Juju by clicking here

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CLIFF'S FOTOFUN #79,

Many thanks to BigAl who won our last Fotofun challenge and who has kindly provided us with this new image to work on, enjoy, I know you all will .

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Welcome to our Mini Challenge #51
here at the Photography Cafe

"LINES"

This is our latest
mini challenge here at the

WE ARE NOW VOTING ON THIS CHALLENGE!!!

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Welcome to our HDR Challenge #5
here at the Photography Cafe

"Multiple Exposure"

This is our latest HDR
challenge here at the.... HDR Challenge #5 – – Multiple Exposure (Open subject)

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Welcome to our Cafe Book Nook
here at the Photography Cafe

Photo Locations, Tutorials on Digital Techniques, Photo Techniques and Equipment.

Click Here

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See who is appearing on Centre Stage this week

Here is our latest Centre Stage highlighting one of our members here on the Cafe! Please read the interview and then feel free to ask your own questions of our Harry!

Harry

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH
APRIL 2011

"Hexham,Northumberland"
by branny Thumb Up

CONGRATULATIONS BRANNY!

Click on the photo to go to branny's album and leave a comment.
We all love comments!

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The Judges of the Cafe Choice Award are pleased to announce the presentation of this highly rated award:

is awarded to member

BRANNY

for his image

"CUDDY'S CRAG"

From the Judges:

"Branny’s image shows us the rugged terrain of Hadrian’s Wall, a bleak landscape and an area seen by many but not in the light of a frosty morning in mid-winter.

The composition provides excellent foreground interest from the frosty grass on those stones and the contours of the wall lead us through the image from the warm sunlight on the wall into the bleakness of the misty fields and valleys in the distance. It's this change from front to back that makes the image special. The presence of two walkers in the middle distance provides the scale we need to comprehend the scene.

Congratulations, Danny!"

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Today's Chuckles

Trying A New Recipe

I have a reputation for not being a fantastic cook. One evening I worked particularly hard on a new recipe and, once again, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.

My son, always sweet and conscious of my feelings, chose his words carefully after the meal. "Mom," he said, "that dinner was so good I thought someone else made it."

Worker Ants

The teacher was giving her class of seven-year-olds a natural history lesson. "Worker ants," she told them, "can carry pieces of food five times their own weight. What do you conclude from that?"

One child was ready with the answer: "They don't have a union."

Quick Quotes

"Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes. "
~Hugh Prather
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"There are two ways of spreading light - to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
~Edith Warton
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"Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls."
~David Thomas
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More Chuckles

Chasing Dogs

An exhausted looking man dragged himself in to the Doctor's office. "Doctor, there are dogs all over my neighborhood. They bark all day and all night, and I can't get a wink of sleep."

"I have good news for you," the doctor answered, rummaging through a drawer full of sample medications. "Here are some new sleeping pills that work like a dream. A few of these and your trouble will be over."

"Great," the man answered, "I'll try anything. Let's give it a shot."

A few weeks later the man returned, looking worse than ever. "Doc, your plan is no good. I'm more tired than before!"

"I don't understand how that could be, said the doctor, shaking his head. "Those are the strongest pills on the market!"

"That may be true," answered the man wearily, "but I'm up all night chasing those dogs, and when I finally catch one it's heck getting him to swallow the pill!"

A VERY BIG WELCOME TO ALL OUR NEW MEMBERS


	Logged

Noggin the Nog was here xxx And me 2!!! xxx

karenc

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Mrs P is back...

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