what his brother was doing on the ice

There was his grandmother, or “nonna” to those of Italian heritage, giving the diminutive centre a big hug and a big plate of pasta back home.

After all, when you’re 5-foot-9 and your weight varies from 166 to 170 pounds, and you need to add 10 pounds of muscle this summer, carbs can be as important as a personal trainer in advance of the NHL draft on June 30 in Newark, N.J.

Projected as a late-first-round or early-second-round pick, Petan was in Calgary on June 11 for a second round of meetings and testing with the Flames, who own the sixth, 22nd and 26th picks. They may not keep them all, and recently acquired University of North Dakota star centre Corban Knight in a trade with the Florida Panthers.

“For me, family is most important,” says the 18-year-old centre. “I visit my grandma and she’s the best cook, and as much as I can get there, she’s willing to cook for me.”

It shouldn’t be surprising that Petan places an emphasis on family, because the mighty mite’s work ethic and level of respect were honed in the restaurant owned by his father Frank. He learned his way around the kitchen long before learning to navigate the ice.

He piled up 46 goals and 74 assists this past season, and 28 more points in 21 postseason games as the Winterhawks came within a victory of a Memorial Cup championship.

And if Petan needed another motivational nudge, his mother Rosanna works in a hair salon and can log long hours.

“When your parents own their own businesses and just watching them, when you turn 13 or 14, you get yourself in that work-ethic zone,” says Petan. “After workouts, you work for seven or eight hours in the kitchen and you get your little pay. So, it’s nice to be rewarded for your hard work.”

That will be the case at the draft, although the jury is out on whether all those points are a result of playing with linemates Ty Rattie and Brendan Leipsic. Rattie is a second-round 2011 St. Louis Blues pick and had 48 goals and 62 assists this season. Leipsic is a third-round 2012 pick of the Nashville Predators and had 49 goals and 71 assists to tie Petan for the WHL scoring crown.

But 81 of Petan’s points were at even strength and the fact he looks for his linemates first, and shoots second, says something about still managing 46 goals.

But putting pucks exactly where his linemates want them, with no break in stride and the optimum and quick release, have become Petan’s calling card.

“It’s what I’ve done my whole life and I don’t think that will change,” he says. “My passing ability and the way I use my vision is my No. 1 thing.

“The game has changed a little bit, with smaller guys getting into the league. You see Brendan Gallagher. The reason I look up to him and watched him growing up is because of his skill, his compete and his drive. He’s not scared of anybody.

“You’ve got to have that extra drive and compete to outwork a guy like Zdeno Chara, and Gallagher plays a more grittier game, but I think I’m on the right track.”

Petan’s brother Alex played for the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL and the undrafted winger had 34 points (15-19) this season as a rookie at Michigan Tech. Even smaller than his younger brother, his ascension turned the soccer-playing Nicolas into a hockey-pursuing playmaker.

He went from idolizing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the soccer pitch, to Markus Naslund on the ice, and wears the winger’s No. 19.

Part of that had to do with trying to beat what his brother was doing on the ice, loving to compete and learning how to conduct himself on and off the ice. Alex taught him all that, but Nicolas had to make the commitment.

“It’s kind of weird,” he says. “I grew up playing high-level soccer and my dad was always my coach and I was playing up a level. But I had to make a decision at 11 or 12, between soccer and hockey, and went with what I love more. I’m happy I made the choice, but you kind of wonder what would have happened if I played soccer.”

Choosing hockey meant choosing the North Shore Winter Club and demanding coach Todd Harkins, and learning what it would take to get him to the next level.

“He taught me about passion and hard work,” says Petan. “Spring and winter hockey, and I can’t thank him enough for all those bag skates.

“It took a while to figure it out, but once you gather your skills together with your work ethic — which I did this year — and learn how to play in all areas, that’s the key.”

The WHL levied a series of sanctions against the Winterhawks in late November. Cited for a series of player-benefit violations over the previous four seasons, the club was suspended from the first five rounds of the bantam draft last month and must forfeit first-round picks the next four years. The Winterhawks were also fined $200,000 and general manager/coach Mike Johnston was suspended for the balance of the season.

With Travis Green elevated into a head-coaching role, Portland could have packed it in, but chose to press on.

“It was a shocker,” says Petan. “Right away we took it pretty well and used our term and got a lot closer as a team. We knew we had to face some challenges, but Travis stepped in and it was the same system.”
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The JNA Awards provides an invaluable

The judging panel consists of five industry experts namely Albert Cheng, Managing Director of the World Gold Council -- Far East (WGC); James Courage, Chief Executive of Platinum Guild International (PGI); Lin Qiang, President and Managing Director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE); Nirupa Bhatt, Managing Director of GIA in India and the Middle East; and Vichian Veerasaksri, Director of the World Jewellery Federation (CIBJO) and Advisor to the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association (TGJTA).

This year, close to 90 highly qualified entries were received from 13 countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates.

"We are very proud to announce the JNA Awards 2013 Honourees. Our list of Honourees serves as a testament to the fact that Asia's jewellery industry is full of thriving and innovative businesses and individuals with diverse talents. The quality of the entries has been outstanding, and it is an honour for UBM Asia to work closely with them to further develop the jewellery industry and market in Asia. We are delighted to extend our congratulations to them all," says Wolfram Diener, Senior Vice President of UBM Asia.

Letitia Chow, Chair of the JNA Awards 2013 Judging Panel, who is the Founder of JNA and Director of Business Development -- Jewellery Group of UBM Asia, adds, "The JNA Awards provides an invaluable platform to recognise and celebrate the outstanding performance and achievements of enterprises and individuals in the jewellery industry. Due to the exceptionally high quality of entries in 2013, the judges found the process to establish a short list of Honourees both exciting and challenging.  It was certainly a lot of hard work for the five judges. I am really very grateful to them for their efforts and contributions."

"We are delighted with the entries to the 2013 JNA Awards, a reflection of the global appeal of this important industry initiative. Rio Tinto congratulates this year's Honourees, and we look forward to the Awards ceremony in September," says Rita Maltez, Manager of the Greater China Representative Office, Diamonds Sales and Marketing, at Rio Tinto Diamonds.

Kent Wong, Managing Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, says, "Chow Tai Fook is proud to be a headline partner of the JNA Awards for the second year in a row. These awards highlight the importance of innovative designs, successful branding campaigns, sustainability, and international competitiveness. We believe the Awards will motivate Asian jewellery practitioners to adopt world class practices for the long term development of the jewellery industry. We're happy to see the growing number of entries this year and commend the finalists for their achievements."

Rio Tinto Diamonds and Chow Tai Fook are Headline Partners of the Awards for the second consecutive year.

WGC's Albert Cheng, a member of the judging panel for the second year, says, "This year, we see more entrants and participants coming from different countries, bringing a more diverse background with them. Within each category, there is also an increase in the number of participants, which is very encouraging, particularly from China."

PGI's James Courage, who also served on the judging panel last year, adds, "It is good to see a mix of small and large enterprises joining the JNA Awards 2013, and they are in general of very high standard.  Having more award categories this year also allows greater focus in new areas. I also noticed that there is a strong emphasis on social responsibilities and looking after employees' interest among the entries."

"It is very exciting for me to join the judging panel for the first time. The JNA Awards helps companies raise their standards and make continuous improvements. By organising the JNA Awards, UBM is helping industry participants realise this objective, and this is the only way to grow the industry," comments GIA's Nirupa Bhatt.

Vichian Veerasaksri of CIBJO adds, "This marks the first time that I have played a part in the JNA Awards, and I find it interesting and exciting to serve as a judge for such an important and prestigious event. I am looking forward to contributing to the JNA Awards in the years to come."
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The company manufactures its engagement rings

The company has signed leases for premises in the Trinity Leeds and Monument Mall in Newcastle with both sites expected to be up and running in October.

That adds to its stores in current Glasgow's Argyll Arcade, Silverburn, Braehead, Aberdeen's Union Square and at the Assembly Rooms on George Street in Edinburgh.

Its central distribution hub which services all its locations is also in Glasgow.

Around 20 jobs will be created across the new sites with the Leeds shop also the first to feature only the company's Rox branded jewellery and designs.

Managing director and co-founder Kyron Keogh, who is jetting out to a jewellery trade fair in Hong Kong this week, said the business would typically only open one store a year but both sites were too good to turn down.

He said: "We have had our eye on getting down south for quite some time but you need to find the right location.

"We have built a business that is scalable and the plan is to keep adding stores to it.

"It is a pretty good tenants market at the moment and we were able to strike some pretty good deals to help with our expansion."

Both stores will have a champagne bar but the Newcastle outlet is almost double the size of Leeds at 3000 square feet.

The north east of England shop will be across two levels and feature a private lounge similar to its so-called thrill rooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Glasgow based Graven Images, which worked on the Rox shops in Edinburgh and Argyll Arcade, has won the contract to do the interior design.

Mr Keogh said the business had received good support from its bankers HSBC and indicated the launch of a Rox only brand store could make it easier to roll out further sites across England.

Mr Keogh also hopes the venture will aid in the development of Rox as a luxury brand in its own right.

He said: "We have been given the confidence over the last year as we have seen our own brand really take off and we believe the next step is to try a store.

"If we can have Rox only stores then [for example] we could open in Manchester Trafford centre without having to get the support of the brands that are already located there.

"Stock investment is also lower as well and the return on investment is actually much higher."

The company manufactures its engagement rings in the UK with all the design work on its jewellery collections being done here.

Mr Keogh said Rox has been working with a number of designers in the past two years who have had experience with upmarket firms such as Boodles and Asprey.

The Rox brand silver is said to be outselling lines by brands such as Thomas Sabo and Links of London.

The business began manufacturing some of its ranges in Scotland earlier this year and Mr Keogh is keen for Rox to eventually have its own in-house designer but admitted finding the right person has so far been difficult.

He said: "We have put the word out that we are looking for someone but so many people in our industry end up in London."

Mr Keogh believes the move into England is also likely to give a boost to online sales.

He added: "We have full Scottish coverage and strong multi-channel coverage.

"To keep growing we hope to take market share and by moving down to Leeds and Newcastle we hope we can merge our online and retail activities like we have in Scotland.

"For jewellery people do like to handle it so I think you need to have visibility on the high street and project the right image."
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Military museum will remain open this year

To those visitors who hadn't called in advance or checked the web site, the big "Open" flag in front of the Military Museum of Southern New England on Sunday was a welcome sight.

It will stay there, at least until December, said Samuel Johnson, the museum's executive director.

Members of the board of directors, still stunned by the sudden death of the facility's founder and primary benefactor, John Valluzzo, voted Friday to keep the Park Avenue museum open for business through the end of this season, Johnson said.

The hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, will remain unchanged.

After looking over the books, board members realized that admission fees would provide sufficient revenue "to keep the lights on," Johnson said.

What will happen afterward to the museum, home to the largest private collection of military vehicles and tanks in the Northeast, as well displays and artifacts from every major United States conflict from World War I to the present, has yet to be determined.

The museum closed for two weeks after the death of the 75-year-old Valluzzo just before Memorial Day. Valluzzo was shot to death after he failed to drop his gun when ordered to do so by a Ridgefield police officer who responded to a domestic disturbance at Valluzzo's home on Ridgebury Road.

The shooting remains under investigation by Connecticut State Police.

"We just felt there was no reason not to reopen it," musuem board member Paul Mangiafico, of Newtown, said. "We're open for business. It's a great museum and it's in a great location. John put his heart and soul into it."

Jim Crossen, a former Marine from Wilton, was one of its visitors Sunday, along with his wife, Kerry, and their two sons, Caiden, 4 and Jack, 6.

"I always saw the signs and the tanks parked in front when I drove by, and I always wanted to check it out," Crossen said.

He said he checked the web site to make sure the museum was open before leaving home.

"The kids love the models," Kerry Crossen said, referring to the numerous, highly detailed dioramas featuring scale models of some of the full-size exhibits that are on display throughout the museum.

"That's what they play with at home," she said.

Johnson said the museum, which opened in 1995, attracts more than 8,000 visitors from April though December. It operates a reduced schedule, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the rest of the year.

Attendance always goes up during the monthly "open turret" days, when visitors, especially children, get the opportunity to step inside many of the armored vehicles. The next turret event is scheduled for June 29-30.

Between the admission fees and the stepped-up efforts of many of the museum's 50 active volunteers, "We'll see how long we can go," Johnson said.

In addition to financing, Valluzzo was closely involved in planning displays and other special projects.

Because of his death, an exhibit on atomic warfare, intended to coincide with the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, had to be shelved, and the museum's long-term financial outlook is uncertain, Johnson said.

Historically, the museum has not been successful in obtaining grants, with the money received usually being offset by the costs of applying for them, Johnson said. The last state funding the museum received was in 1995, and that was just a portion of what was promised.

"We've filled the gap with sweat," he said, referring to the efforts of volunteers.

"What we really need is someone with a passion for military history or a philanthropist at heart," Johnson said. "This is the place, this is the time."
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In the guise of helping them remove the gold

Making a mockery of the claims of increased security in the wake of the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts, thieves are striking at will all across the city; that too posing as cops. In the last fortnight, pseudo cops struck eight times and escaped with property worth Rs 11 lakh.

The modus operandi of the gangs is simple, although they improvise from case to case. Posing as cops, they approach a passerby wearing gold jewellery and tell him/her that a serious crime has taken place in the area. While at times they say a murder has taken place, at other times they use the ruse of chain-snatching. The 'cops' then reprimand the victim for wearing gold in such unsafe circumstances and tell them to remove the jewelley and keep it in a newspaper or polythene bag for safety. In the guise of helping them remove the gold, they slyly exchange the packet containing the gold with another containing fake ornaments. Sometimes, in order to gain the confidence of the intended victim, the gang enacts the same process with one of their team members on the road.

In this manner, pseudo cops struck at eight places, including Marredpally, Rikabgunj, Lalaguda, Amberpet, Abids and Barkatpura during the past fortnight and escaped with gold ornaments worth Rs 11 lakh. Police suspect that the gangs could be either from Bidar area of Karnataka or from Bihar. A special team of north zone police even went to Bihar but failed to find any useful leads.

"In one of the incidents, we found an abandoned bike belonging to the offenders. But the registration number turned out to be fake and the chassis number too had been erased. We suspect that a certain Irani gang, whose members are staying in Parli & Bhiwandi of Maharashtra and Zaheerabad and Guntakal of AP, could be behind the thefts. Our teams are trying their best to nab the offenders," additional CP (crimes) Sandeep Shandilya told TOI.

Even as the cops scramble to crack the case, they are also left red-faced by a series of attempts to break open ATM machines in the city. In the last two weeks, there were five incidents of gangs trying to break open ATMs of various banks in Shaikpet, Manikonda, Trimulgherry and Barkatpura. Despite having the images of the culprits, police have not been able to make a single arrest.

This year's awards ceremony will be hosted by the Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore and the awards' founder Dr Tessa Hartmann.

Jewellery nominee Georgia Wiseman said of the awards: "I am delighted to be part of this year’s Scottish Fashion Awards. For the first time the ceremony is being held in London and I’m so excited to be part of the Scottish invasion alongside some of Scotland's best-known names in fashion.

"To be nominated for Accessory/Jewellery Designer of the Year is a fantastic honour, I launched my first ever luxury fashion jewellery collection earlier this year and this is the ultimate compliment”.

Designer Jane Gowans has also been nominated for this year's awards. She showcased at work during London Fashion Week in February and has also won Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh as a stockist. She said she was thrilled at the announcement.

Designer Catherine Zoraida has also made this year's list of nominees. Her work recently joined the line-up of jewellers selling through Fortnum & Mason's jewellery room, while her jewellery has been worn by the likes of Kate Middleton and Laura Whitmore.
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what I could bring to the program

The Wyoming prospect camp, technically, was over. UW head coach Dave Christensen had talked to the group of about 100 high school prospects, thanking them for coming and urging them to return for games in the fall. Recruiting coordinator Matt Rahl made it official, standing in front of the group and saying, “You are dismissed.”

But while most players flooded out the doors of Wyoming’s indoor practice facility, meeting with parents who had watched the camp’s drills from along the sidelines, Fort remained.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Gillette quarterback went through a private workout with the coaches, throwing all kinds of routes as Christensen watched attentively from behind.

For Wyoming, Fort’s athleticism was never the issue. They knew he could run, and Fort’s 4.7-second 40-yard-dash on Saturday confirmed that. They knew he had size, an obvious fact as his head consistently poked above the crowd.

The question was, and still is, his accuracy.

Earlier, Fort had thrown twice on the run, once rolling out right and the other rolling out left. Each ball hit the ground with a thud, skipping into the feet of his intended receiver.

He had better results in the after-hours workout, setting his feet and delivering the ball accurately on deep fades, crossing patterns and outs. Occasionally, though, a ball would sail high or wide, causing Fort to slap his hands in frustration.

His audition here, he knew, could make the difference between getting an offer to play at Wyoming or heading out of state to pursue his gridiron dreams.

He's generally considered the state's second-best football prospect in the 2014 class behind Natrona County lineman Taven Bryan, who already holds an offer from UW. The state's incoming senior class is considered one of Wyoming's best in recent memory.

“I just wanted to show what I could bring to the program and try to prove myself as a quarterback. That’s all I’m trying to do,” Fort said after the workout. “They know me and I know them, and they just need to see me perform.”

Regardless of Fort’s performance on Saturday, the strong-armed quarterback certainly has other options. He plans to camp at Colorado in Boulder on Sunday, confirming that he has received interest from CU. Fort says he has also been talking to coaches at Colorado State and plans to attend a camp in Fort Collins in late July.

After the season Fort had with Gillette in 2012, the Division I interest isn’t unexpected. Fort threw for 2,137 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, leading his team to the Wyoming State High School Class 4A Football Championship. The Star-Tribune Super 25 member also ran for 735 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season after transferring from Orlando., Fla, to Wyoming in January 2012.

Fourteen touchdowns through the air. Ten touchdowns on the ground. As Gillette coach Vic Wilkerson confirmed, that’s a true dual threat.

“One of his biggest strengths is his size and speed. He’s a 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback that runs well, so we use that dual threat in the run and the pass game,” Wilkerson said. “He’s got the speed where when he gets into the open field, he can create plays.”

That athleticism was on display Saturday at UW's Indoor Practice Facility. In a broad jump drill, Fort easily outdistanced the players around him.

He finished the drill first by a wide margin, turning around and politely waiting while the rest eventually met him on the other end.
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The Aasthana Heritage Collection holds all these values

This season Glasgow based designer Georgia Wiseman launches a new geometric inspired jewellery collection.

The collection, which has been split into three distinct ranges: Dark Star, Eclipse and Geo, could not be more on trend for SS13, where graphic prints took center stage at Marni, Richard Nicoll and Peter Pilotto to name a few. The modern, 3-dimensional collection perfectly showcases Wiseman’s love of geometric pattern and its use in modern culture.

To celebrate the launch, StyleNest have a Georgia Wiseman necklace and earring set from the Dark Star range to giveaway, worth a total of ￡240.

Using the vibrant hues of Swarovski crystals against the contrast of metal, the set characterises the Dark Star collection perfectly. A little bit dark, yet feminine and delicate the pieces are simple enough to work into your everyday wardrobe, yet statement enough to turn heads come evening.

The Dark Star collection is also a prime example of Wiseman’s passion for working with high quality materials and using high quality craftsmanship. All of her jewellery is made in Georgia’s personal workshop, adjacent to her Glasgow based home. Her dedication to using skilled manufactures and traditional jewellery makers also helps retain the heritage of British craftsmanship in the UK.

Abharan Jewellers, has launched a new collection of jewellery called Aasthana Heritage Collection, which narrates the different eras of history of India in its designs and motifs. Based in Udupi, the Abharan Jewellers holds repute for its creative designs that range from traditional to contemporary.

The natural beauty of India has always been an important part of India’s rich cultural heritage. Palace walls still speak to us in intricate detail about the Lotus Flower; a motif that is seen across the country in various forms. Taking inspiration from this era, The Aasthana Heritage Collection’s design represents the Lotus Flower carved in gemstones and set in 18k gold and diamonds. The designs imbibe the quest of Indian royalty to create the best of jewellery for their women. The rich Indian legacy of master craftsmanship combined with the design elements of the time have inspired an unforgettable collection.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Subhas M. Kamath, Managing Director and CEO, Abharan, said “Abharan has always been associated with delicate designs, beauty and purity. The Aasthana Heritage Collection holds all these values and helps its customers experience true royalty.”

In view of expanding its presence in India, Abharan Jewellers announced plans to inaugurate a new showroom in Karkala, Karnataka, which will showcase Abharan’s range of jewellery over two floors covering 4500 sq ft area.

Beginning in 1935, Abharan Jewellers currently holds a strong presence in Udupi, Shimoga Mangalore. Abharan was the first in India to introduce the ‘Karatometer’an imported device used to check the Karatage/quality of the gold. It also received the ISO 9001: 2008 certification for its quality management systems. Abharan has also been in the forefront of using technology (wi-fi enabled tabs) to enable quicker and faster billing to customers.

Despite significant investment in the store’s interior last year to create additional showroom space on the first floor, the store was forced to close.

Nick Stanhope, Director of EW Payne said ” We have been massively affected by Bluewater as shoppers have been drawn away from traditional businesses that pride themselves on delivering great products and exceptional customer service. As a fourth-generation family member it is devastating news for me, my family and colleagues at EW Payne that we have to close after such a long history in Bromley. Over the years we have served many generations of our customers and their family members as they purchased pieces to celebrate special occasions or as gifts.”
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Fritsch utilises traditional precious materials

Nestled in between Manchester Art Gallery's world renowned art collections, stretching from the historic to the contemporary and everything in between, is a jewellery exhibition like no other. Until 23 June, the gallery is playing host to the first UK solo exhibition from internationally acclaimed jewellery designer Karl Fritsch, whose unique and boundary pushing pieces of work are sought after for exhibitions and by collectors across the world.

The unusual (and sometimes quite bizarre) collection features handcrafted pieces of jewellery where every process, from the soldering to the setting, has been completed by Fritsch himself – making each individual piece truly unique, right down to his fingerprints leaving their mark within the metals as a design feature. His work doesn’t place importance on perfection, but rather on each piece having a different story to tell.

Fritsch utilises traditional precious materials that you would expect to find in fine jewellery, such as gold and gemstones, and uses processes such as oxidisation, where he purposefully tarnishes and distresses these materials and combines them with non-precious objects. Even rusty screws are used to create pieces that are both ornate and 'decayed' or 'neglected' at the same time. The once bright and polished gold and silver materials are unrecognisable, reduced from their former glistening glory to their dull and dark oxidised form. These oxidised bands, often intricate and delicate, are juxtaposed with beautifully cut glass stones and gemstones, often piled high on top of each other and within the designs of the manipulated metal.

Some pieces feature nails piercing through gemstones and holding them in place, cut cylinders of gemstones interlocking and protruding through mounds of black metal, and show-stopping miniature sculptures, including a jewel-encrusted bronze cow sitting proudly on top of a ring, which would be considered unwearable by most due to the sculpture's actual size and weight!

Fritsch's jewellery completely breaks the boundaries of jewellery design and shows that it is possible to work even non-precious materials into something exquisite. His designs are praised as wearable pieces of avant-garde art, with each piece exciting and intriguing. Over his career, he has never failed to surprise with his lavish, ornamental and often outrageous collections. A jewellery show of this calibre and exclusivity is rarely seen in the UK, and is a must-attend event for anyone interested in design – and many of Fritsch's pieces are also available to purchase, with prices starting from (a pretty reasonable) ￡100.

Long is a studio jeweller and says that by accessorising our outfits with pendants and other beautiful objects, we are all curators of art.

An array of hand-wrought pendants crafted by Long is now on display at the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre.

The Wearer as Curator is the La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre’s first exhibition of jewellery.

“It’s 25 pendants and one sculpture,” Long said.

“The idea is all about making art more accessible.

“Often art’s a bit removed from the lives of every day people.

“A lot of people don’t realise that when they put on a pendent, almost every day, they’re curating their own art exhibition – that’s why its called Wearer as Creator.

“They make sure they wear the right neckline, the right colours – they’re curating.

“So it’s trying to make that point that art is part of our everyday lives, it’s not something that’s removed.”

Long said the exhibition also highlighted that jewellery was also art.

“This is not your fashion jewellery, this is art jewellery.

“I refer to myself as a studio jeweller, which means that I design and make all my own work.

“So I see it through from the conception, to making it and selling it.”

Long uses sterling silver as a base for most of his creations and adorns them with various items including Bakelite buttons.

The exhibition also includes a life-sized sculpture designed by Long and constructed by Ian Dell.

“Mankind has been making pendants from the earliest time,” Long said in his artist’s statement.

“Most of these have had specific and practical purposes, including to bring luck and good fortune, to ward off evil spirits, to identify with tribes and kinfolk, to denote status and so on.

“But as societies have evolved and become more sophisticated the practical has gradually become more subjugated to the decorative and ornamental.

“Of all the different types of jewellery, pendants have often been a critical accessory because of their prominent position on the body and their central position on a chain.”
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The clan offered their only available

In the corner, a pair of dinosaurs print keychains. And if that weren't strange enough, the keychains are graphs.

In eight cities, analysts, developers and interested others gathered to vie for glory and prize money in the nation's largest ''hackathon''.

Paul Taylor from science education provider Quantum Victoria and his partner Kim Tinson, who works in childcare, used a 3D printer to create keychains and rings graphing asylum seeker boat arrivals to Australia since 1976. ''We decided we wanted to make data fun, meaningful and engaging to the general public. We want people to enjoy data,'' Mr Taylor said.

Previously the event was held only in Canberra and Sydney, but this year it expanded to Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Tasmania.

About 150 people attended the Melbourne event, which was held at Fairfax Media's Melbourne headquarters.

Data analyst Andrew Grealy and his team devised a tool to download NSW crime data going back 17 years and turn it into an interactive dashboard allowing people to track offences by area.

He said the biggest issue his team faced was the way the data was presented, as they had to spend a lot of time converting the information into a form that they could analyse.

Other projects at GovHack Melbourne included visualisations of census data, an app for discovering the native flora and fauna in an area, and a tool for translating government data websites into other languages.

Organiser Pia Waugh said about 150 teams from across the country had entered GovHack in the hope of competing for a slice of $170,000 in prizes.

''GovHack is all about trying to bring together government people along with industry, academia and developers - the fairly awesome technical community we have in Australia - to do some pretty cool stuff,'' she said. ''It's about getting better transparency,'' she said.

As a child in rural Bangladesh, Orola Dalbot, 30, enjoyed growing up around her stepfather, Noten. Her father died when she was small, and her mother remarried soon after. Noten was handsome and energetic, with curly dark hair and a broad smile. "I thought my mother was lucky," Orola says when we meet in the dusty, sun-baked courtyard of her family home in the central forest region of Modhupur. "I hoped I'd find a husband like him one day." When she reached puberty, however, Orola learned the truth she least expected: she was already Noten's wife.

Her wedding had taken place when she was three years old in a joint ceremony with her mother. Following tradition in the matrilineal Mandi tribe, an ethnic group of about two million people spread across hill regions of Bangladesh and India, mother and daughter had married the same man. "I wanted to escape when I found out," says Orola. "I was shaking with disbelief."

Disbelief was more or less my reaction a few days earlier when, by chance, I'd first heard about this marriage custom. I was visiting the remote Modhupur region to report a story about Mandi women fighting deforestation. My travelling companion was an eminent Bangladeshi environmentalist called Philip Gain, who had been studying the area for more than 20 years. As we drove through the khaki- coloured hills, we talked generally about how Mandi women were the property-owning heads of their households. Gain, 50, a professorial man in a suit jacket and tie who runs the Dhaka-based activist organisation Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD), told me how they shared power with men and had far more independence than women in the majority Bengali population.

Then Gain mentioned the mother-daughter joint marriages. He explained that among the Mandi, widows who wish to remarry must choose a man from the same clan as their dead husband to preserve the clan alliance. The only available single men, however, are often much younger men in their late teens. So the custom evolved: a widow would offer one of her daughters as a second bride to take over her marital duties – including sex and child-bearing – when the girl came of age. "It's not common these days," said Gain. "But it still exists among a few Mandi families."

Bangladesh is a deltaic country where most of the 160 million people are Bengali Muslims. It is better known for its flood plains and typhoon-lashed coasts, but its southeastern and central hills are home to ethnic minorities who mainly practised animism until Catholic missionaries arrived in the late 19th century. The Mandi, who number 25,000 in the Modhupur region, live a six-hour drive and a world away from the frenetic capital Dhaka.

Orola is cooking rice and lentils for breakfast on an open fire when we arrive at her hamlet, a cluster of mud houses flanked by scrubby fields. Her family members are all there: her 51-year-old mother Mittamoni, her stepfather and husband Noten, 42, her maternal grandmother and an assortment of children ranging from babies to teenagers, fathered by Noten with both his wives. Everyone is doing household chores in the weak morning sunlight.

The family's marital arrangement is an open secret in this small Modhupur community, but nobody, Orola says, ever mentions it. "For years I wanted to talk to someone about it because I was lonely. But people think it's un-Christian, so they ignore it." Missionaries have converted the majority of the tribe's local population. Traditional rituals, such as sacrificing goats to restore a sick person's health, are frowned on by the clergy and have waned. "Bridegroom kidnapping", another rare custom in which Mandi women abducted potential suitors and held them hostage until their wedding day, has also died out. A handful of mother-daughter joint marriages have most likely survived because, like most unions worldwide involving multiple spouses, they serve an economic purpose.

"My mother couldn't manage her land and household by herself when my father died of fever," explains Orola. "She was still in her mid-20s, so she was entitled to claim a new husband as a replacement from my father's clan." The clan offered their only available bachelor at the time, Noten, who was then aged 17, on the condition he marry Orola, too. Since Mandi marriages represent the consolidation of wealth between two clans, the second, younger wife is a trade to ensure the birth of more children to add to the family's overall wealth and power.

"I was too young to remember the wedding. I didn't know it had taken place," Orola tells me while she stirs her pots. Although such an arrangement is not considered incest or even child abuse in Mandi culture, where early marriage is the norm, she was distraught to discover she was forced to share her mother's husband. "The last thing I wanted was to be married to Noten. I wanted a husband of my own."

The situation was doubly unjust for her, she says, because ethnic Mandi women traditionally choose their own partners. It is women who make the first romantic move, and also propose marriage. Property is passed down the female line, and men live in their wife's household when they marry. She watched her female friends embark merrily on their love lives and felt so isolated that she considered suicide. "I felt trapped, like an animal."

The Groovy Green Fair was the brainchild of parents

It was a lazy afternoon on April 18 and exhausted relatives of Dayanand, a resident of Dipalpur village in Haryana's Sonepat, were taking a nap. Just three days ago, the 60-year-old's eldest son, Sandeep (24), had got married to Gorar village (Sonepat) resident Sarita Rani (20) and festivities were yet to die down.

The lazy silence of the noon, however, was shattered by gunshots, followed by a woman's screams, emanating from Dayanand's house.

As the family rushed in, they found Sandeep and his mother Roshni Devi dead with bullet wounds while a critically wounded Parkashi — Sandeep's aunt — was pleading for help. Sandeep's three-day-old bride Sarita was nowhere to be found.

Sarita, it seems, had left the house, after having collected some jewellery and Rs 50,000 in cash, with her "lover" Basant — a suspended constable with the Chandigarh Police. Following the incident, Basant was held responsible for the mayhem in Dayanand's house and life.

More than a month-and-a-half later, the Haryana and Chandigarh Police are yet to trace Basant (21) and Sarita even after announcing Rs 1 lakh cash rewards each for information that could lead to their arrests.

Dayanand and his family members, including sons Rishi and Pradeep and daughter Anju, now curse the day they agreed to get Sandeep married to Sarita. "Ajit, a Sonepat resident known to us, approached us on April 5 with the marriage proposal for his niece Sarita. He claimed to have raised Sarita since she was two. We were never told that she eloped with Basant in February," said Sandeep's sister Anju, who works in the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

She added: "The wedding took place on April 15 and we brought the bride to our place. Our relatives were here and the post-marriage celebrations were on. On the afternoon of April 18, Basant and his friend came to our place and Basant introduced himself as Sarita's cousin. He entered our house, took out a gun and shot Sandeep and my mother, who were sleeping. The two had been drugged by Sarita who had given them something laced with an intoxicant."

 CHILDREN became entrepreneurs all in the name of the environment at Alstonville Public School's Groovy Green Fair on Saturday.

Hundreds of locals took advantage of great weather to browse more than 20 stalls, some held by kids, selling everything from fresh local produce to cakes, toys, books, jewellery, bric-a-brac, plants and clothes.

One stallholder, year five student Suzie Newman, took her unwanted toys, clothes, books and shoes to sell.

"We had all of this stuff at home downstairs and we wanted other kids to be able to use it rather than throw it away," she said.

The Groovy Green Fair was the brainchild of parents from the school's Green Team, to coincide with Wednesday's World Environment Day.

Fair-goers also enjoyed a performance by the school band, local musicians and the Frugal Fashion parade featuring models in Op Shop Chic clothes and recycled newspaper garments in the Read all about it category.

It took Angela McCormick eight hours to make her 10-year-old daughter Katie's newspaper dress.

"The hand-pleating took most of the time and news- paper wasn't an easy medium to work with," Mrs McCormick said.

Two Alstonville Fire Brigade tankers were a hit with children who got the chance to explore the trucks, use the fire hose and set off the sirens.

Principal Kate Moore said students got the opportunity to experience leadership roles in helping to organise stalls for the fair.

Mrs Moore said the Groovy Green Fair would not have been possible without the generous donations of plants to sell and prizes for raffles from the community.

She said Alstonville High School, Wollongbar Public, Teven-Tintenbar Public, Ballina Public and St Josephs Alstonville all helped by loaning items used at the fair.

"The fair offered the kids, parents and community members the opportunity to come together and either showcase their talents or sell their goods," she said.