blog

providing fitness wear for women including plus size sports bras, plus size fitness apparel, and maternity fitness clothing.

providing a vast choice of clothing for the family including toddler and mens pajamas.

Your oldest daughter may never forgive you.  You got some discount tent at a pawn shop for her wedding, and when it rained everyone underneath got soaked.  You still have a chance with your younger daughter, though.  Sort through all of the finest quality party tents, camping tents, storage tents, outdoor tents, and pop-up tents around.  As for the discount, you'll just have to look harder than the pawn shop.  Save your family, and get a high-tent for your next event today.

A new online presentation of baseball guides from the game's early days is now available on the Library of Congress Web site in "Spalding Base Ball Guides, 1889-1939" at memory.loc.gov/ammem/spaldinghtml/. The presentation, part of the American Memory Web site, comprises a historic selection of "Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide" and the "Official Indoor Base Ball Guide." The collection reproduces 35 of the guides, which were published by the Spalding Athletic Co. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide" was perhaps the premier baseball publication of its day. It featured editorials from baseball writers on the state of the game, statistics, photographs and analyses of the previous season for all the major league teams and for many of the so-called minor leagues across the nation. The user of "Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide" will find well-known stars of the game, such as Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Goose Goslin, Christy Mathewson and John McGraw, as well as players who never gained the fame these players did. Team photographs are available for almost every team from the turn of the 20th century forward. The 15 "Spalding's Official Base Ball Guides" included in this online collection were published between 1889 and 1939. The "Official Indoor Base Ball Guide" covers a game that may be unfamiliar to most contemporary baseball fans, but it is actually the origin of the game we now know as softball. These guides, too, offer rules and "how-tos" of the game, information on the game's founding fathers, photographs of teams and players from across the land and game statistics. The 20 "Official Indoor Base Ball Guides" included in this collection were published between 1903 and 1926. During his more than 21 years' involvement with baseball's major leagues, A.G. (Albert Goodwill) Spalding (1850-1915) was a baseball player, manager and executive. With his brother, he began the sporting-goods manufacturing and retail business that still bears his name and is known to millions. He also founded a publishing house, the American Sports Publishing Co. American Sports issued works that can be classified into three general categories. The first were instructional manuals, such as "How to Play Second Base," "How to Bowl" and "How to Play American Hand Ball." The second category was rule books for many sports. The third category, and the one most widely used by researchers and sports historians, comprises the annuals that both narratively and statistically summarized the previous year's history, accomplishments and records for a specific sport. A few of the sports covered are baseball, women's basketball, golf, college football and track and field athletics. Collectively, these are known as Spalding Guides. In addition to the text, all guides included an advertising section for the Spalding sporting-goods empire that provides a fascinating history of the development of sporting goods ranging from baseball gloves, tennis rackets and ice skates to golf clubs and football cleats. The Library of Congress has more than 1,000 of these guides, believed to be the largest collection held by any institution. A small sample is offered in "Spalding Baseball Guides, 1889-1939." American Memory is a project of the Library of Congress. Its more than 120 collections, which range from the papers of U.S. presidents, Civil War photographs and early films of Thomas Edison to papers documenting the women's suffrage and civil rights movements, Jazz Age photographs and the first baseball cards, include more than 8.5 million items from the Library of Congress and other major repositories. The monthly Wise Guide www.loc.gov/wiseguide/, features some of the online collections on the Library's Web site and demonstrates that "It's Fun to Know History."

Afghan Inspirations: Rug Renaissance, Coveted Traditions

January 28–February 1, 2008

Las Vegas, Nevada

A delegation of 10 Afghan rug businesses will be showing their products at this winter’s Las Vegas Market at the World Center Market in Las Vegas, Nevada. The market is a semiannual event devoted to furniture, decorative accessories, lighting, area rugs, and home textiles.

    (Story continues below.)

Afghan rug

The Afghan delegation will participate in a special exhibit at the show, “Afghan Inspirations: Rug Renaissance, Coveted Traditions.” The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Afghanistan Investment and Reconstruction Task Force, in conjunction with the Afghan Ministry of Commerce’s Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan; the Afghan Embassy in Washington, D.C.; and the U.S. Agency for International Development, created the special exhibit.

Afghanistan was long recognized as a global leader in the production of hand-woven carpets, using centuries-old weaving techniques passed down through generations. The country’s resources, including its domestic supply of wool and natural dyes, helped to make the Afghan hand-woven rug a national treasure.

Afghanistan is now reasserting its revered carpet industry, which is proving to be a key element in the country’s economic reconstruction. Under the Generalized System of Preferences trade program, Afghan rugs can be imported into the United States duty free.

This show will be the third U.S. visit for Afghan rug producers that has been sponsored by the Afghanistan Investment and Reconstruction Task Force. One previous visit was to the AmericasMart in Atlanta, Georgia, in January 2007, and the other was a multicity tour in July 2006. Formed in 2003, the task force is an interagency body that promotes concrete initiatives to strengthen bilateral business ties between the United States and Afghanistan.

For more information on the Las Vegas Market and the exhibit of Afghan rugs, contact Ms. Noor Alam by e-mail at noor.alam@mail.doc.gov or visit the Web site of the Afghanistan Investment and Reconstruction Task Force.

UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20436
In the Matter of
CERTAIN POOL CUES WITH
SELF-ALIGNING JOINT ASSEMBLIES
AND COMPONENTS THEREOF
Investigation No. 337-TA-536
NOTICE OF COMMISSION DECISION TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE
FOR DETERMINING WHETHER TO REVIEW
AN INITIAL DETERMINATION
AGENCY:
U.S. International Trade Commission.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has
determined to extend the deadline for determining whether to review the presiding administrative
law judge’s (“ALJ”) initial determination (“ID”) in the above-captioned investigation by 14
days, i.e., from Monday, October 3, 2005, until Monday, October 17, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael K. Haldenstein, Esq., Office of the
General Counsel, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20436, telephone (202) 205-3041. Copies of non-confidential documents filed in connection
with this investigation are or will be available for inspection during official business hours (8:45
a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20436, telephone (202) 205-2000. General information
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server
(http://www.usitc.gov). The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the
Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov. Hearing-impaired persons are
advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting the Commission’s TDD
terminal on (202) 205-1810.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission instituted the above-referenced
investigation under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 on April 4, 2005, based on a complaint
filed by J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Inc. (“Pechauer”) of Green Bay, Wisconsin. 70 Fed. Reg.
7112. The complaint alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,582,317 (the ‘317 patent), in the
importation, sale for importation, and sale within the United States after importation of certain
2
pool cues covered by all 29 claims of the ‘317 patent. The Commission named the following
companies as respondents in the investigation: Kaokao Industrial Co. LTD., aka Kaokao (Zhang
Zhou) Sports (“Kao Kao”) Equipment Co. Ltd. of Taiwan; CueStix International of Lafayette,
Colorado; Sterling Gaming of Matthews, North Carolina; CueSight of Matthews, North
Carolina; Imperial International of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey; Sigel’s Unlimited Cues &
Accessories of Winter Garden, Florida; Nick Varner Cues and Cases of Owensboro, Kentucky;
J-S Sales Co. Inc. of Elmsford, New York; and GLD Products of Muskego, Wisconsin.
On September 1, 2005, the ALJ issued an initial determination (“ID”) (Order No. 5)
granting Kao Kao’s motion for summary determination of noninfringement and finding that Kao
Kao’s accused pool cues do not satisfy two limitations in the two independent claims of the ‘317
patent. On September 7, 2005, complainant Pechauer filed a petition for review of the ALJ’s ID,
and on September 19, 2005, the Commission Investigative Attorney and Kao Kao filed
oppositions to Pechauer’s petition for review.
The Commission has determined to extend the 30-day deadline for determining whether
to review the final ID by 14 days, i.e., from Monday, October 3, 2005, until Monday, October
17, 2005.
The authority for the Commission’s determination is contained in section 337 of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. § 1337), and in section 210.42(h) of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 C.F.R. § 210.42(h)).
By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott
Secretary to the Commission
Issued: September 22, 2005

UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20436
In the Matter of
CERTAIN POOL CUES WITH
SELF-ALIGNING JOINT ASSEMBLIES
AND COMPONENTS THEREOF
Investigation No. 337-TA-536
NOTICE OF COMMISSION DECISION TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE
FOR DETERMINING WHETHER TO REVIEW
AN INITIAL DETERMINATION
AGENCY:
U.S. International Trade Commission.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has
determined to extend the deadline for determining whether to review the presiding administrative
law judge’s (“ALJ”) initial determination (“ID”) in the above-captioned investigation by 14
days, i.e., from Monday, October 3, 2005, until Monday, October 17, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael K. Haldenstein, Esq., Office of the
General Counsel, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20436, telephone (202) 205-3041. Copies of non-confidential documents filed in connection
with this investigation are or will be available for inspection during official business hours (8:45
a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20436, telephone (202) 205-2000. General information
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server
(http://www.usitc.gov). The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the
Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov. Hearing-impaired persons are
advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting the Commission’s TDD
terminal on (202) 205-1810.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission instituted the above-referenced
investigation under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 on April 4, 2005, based on a complaint
filed by J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Inc. (“Pechauer”) of Green Bay, Wisconsin. 70 Fed. Reg.
7112. The complaint alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,582,317 (the ‘317 patent), in the
importation, sale for importation, and sale within the United States after importation of certain
2
pool cues covered by all 29 claims of the ‘317 patent. The Commission named the following
companies as respondents in the investigation: Kaokao Industrial Co. LTD., aka Kaokao (Zhang
Zhou) Sports (“Kao Kao”) Equipment Co. Ltd. of Taiwan; CueStix International of Lafayette,
Colorado; Sterling Gaming of Matthews, North Carolina; CueSight of Matthews, North
Carolina; Imperial International of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey; Sigel’s Unlimited Cues &
Accessories of Winter Garden, Florida; Nick Varner Cues and Cases of Owensboro, Kentucky;
J-S Sales Co. Inc. of Elmsford, New York; and GLD Products of Muskego, Wisconsin.
On September 1, 2005, the ALJ issued an initial determination (“ID”) (Order No. 5)
granting Kao Kao’s motion for summary determination of noninfringement and finding that Kao
Kao’s accused pool cues do not satisfy two limitations in the two independent claims of the ‘317
patent. On September 7, 2005, complainant Pechauer filed a petition for review of the ALJ’s ID,
and on September 19, 2005, the Commission Investigative Attorney and Kao Kao filed
oppositions to Pechauer’s petition for review.
The Commission has determined to extend the 30-day deadline for determining whether
to review the final ID by 14 days, i.e., from Monday, October 3, 2005, until Monday, October
17, 2005.
The authority for the Commission’s determination is contained in section 337 of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. § 1337), and in section 210.42(h) of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 C.F.R. § 210.42(h)).
By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott
Secretary to the Commission
Issued: September 22, 2005

George Balabushka was born in Russia in 1912 and emigrated to the United States in 1924. His family, parents Anton and Natalie and younger sister Mary, settled in New York City. Although originally named Gregory, as is the case with so many, he was given a new first name, George, by emigration officials when he was processed through Ellis Island. He was known throughout his life as a quiet, reflective man.[1]

Balabushka’s first job was as a wooden toy designer and maker in Manhattan. He later graduated to building children's furniture for the Playtime Woodworking Company located in Greenwich Village. Unfortunately, Balabushka lost his middle finger in an electrical saw accident on the job, and made himself a replacement plastic finger from a wooden mold of such craftsmanship that even his friends did not realize his loss until long after the incident.[1]

It was while working in the Village that he met his wife Josephine, a neighborhood resident. They were married in 1941, and bought a home in Brooklyn several years later. Josephine and George had two sons, Gregory and George, both named after their father.[1]

[edit] Career

Although busy with work and family life, Balabushka was an avid billiards player, especially of the game of straight pool, taking part in competitions and spending time with the better known practitioners of the sport. In 1959 he purchased a pool hall with a partner, Frank McGown, which was located in Brooklyn at 50th Street and 5th Avenue. While running the room, he began repairing cues, and it was not long before the idea was sparked to build pool cues himself.[1]

By the end of 1959, Balabushka had made a number of cues, most of which were given to friends as Christmas gifts. As this practice went on, he began receiving orders for his cues. His first cues were conversions of the popular Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company manufactured “Titlist” cues. At the time, there were very few private cuemakers, the industry being dominated by large manufacturers.[1]

Between 1959 and 1962, Balabushka handcrafted between 20 and 30 cues per year on a part-time basis. Because of the relative dearth of private cuemakers and the excellence of his product, Balabushka’s name quickly became well known amongst professional players, and by the end of 1962, he was receiving far more orders for cues than he could fulfill. Balabushka soon sold his interest in the pool room, converted his garage into a carpentry shop, and by 1964 was building cues full time, all the while honing his cuemaking abilities.[1]

Unlike many of the large manufacturers of the day, Balabushka’s emphasis was on playing ability and fine craftsmanship, reflecting the values he had always held during his years in the woodworking business. He was also an innovator in cue construction, cue finishes and cue design. His cues were not the elaborately decorated attempts at building art that so dominate the cuemarket today. Rather, most Balabushka cues are relatively plain and without grand flourishes. Many of his trademark construction techniques have become standard in the industry, such as the use of Irish linen for wrap material and block style ringwork above a cue’s wrap which are eponymously named "Bushka rings."[1]

George Balabushka died in 1975 at the age of 63. He was posthumously honored as the first inductee into the American Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame in February, 1993.[2]. In 2004, he was inducted into the Meritorious Service category of the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.[3]

[edit] The legend continues to grow

It is estimated that Balabushka only produced between 1,000 and 1,200 cues during his lifetime. However, by the mid 1960s, forged Balabushka cues started circulating in the market, as he was already recognized as the premier cue maker of the era.[1]

Although already well known and valuable to collectors, Balabushka and his cues (respectively) became much more so after being prominently featured in Martin Scorsese’s 1986 film, The Color of Money (the sequel to the classic 1961 film The Hustler). In the film, Tom Cruise’s character, Vincent Lauria, is presented with a beautiful cue by Fast Eddie Felson, as played by Paul Newman. Vincent takes the cue, his reverence obvious, and is told by Eddie “it's a Balabushka.” After this, Balabushka's name became associated by the general public with highly-valued and rare cues. (The cue actually used in the film was, however, not a genuine Balabushka, but a Joss, custom-made to look like a Balabushka).[1]

Today, original Balabushka cues with verified provenance bring in tens of thousands of dollars at auction. However, there are literally thousands of fake Balabushka cues in existence (even a fake, if old and of good quality, is fairly valuable). Complicating matters, in the 1980s with the permission and license of his surviving family, a line of Balabushka replicas began to be manufactured in large quantities by the Adam Custom Cue Company, owned wholly by Jed Forman and Natalie Ross, majority share holders..[1]

George Balabushka was born in Russia in 1912 and emigrated to the United States in 1924. His family, parents Anton and Natalie and younger sister Mary, settled in New York City. Although originally named Gregory, as is the case with so many, he was given a new first name, George, by emigration officials when he was processed through Ellis Island. He was known throughout his life as a quiet, reflective man.[1]

Balabushka’s first job was as a wooden toy designer and maker in Manhattan. He later graduated to building children's furniture for the Playtime Woodworking Company located in Greenwich Village. Unfortunately, Balabushka lost his middle finger in an electrical saw accident on the job, and made himself a replacement plastic finger from a wooden mold of such craftsmanship that even his friends did not realize his loss until long after the incident.[1]

It was while working in the Village that he met his wife Josephine, a neighborhood resident. They were married in 1941, and bought a home in Brooklyn several years later. Josephine and George had two sons, Gregory and George, both named after their father.[1]

[edit] Career

Although busy with work and family life, Balabushka was an avid billiards player, especially of the game of straight pool, taking part in competitions and spending time with the better known practitioners of the sport. In 1959 he purchased a pool hall with a partner, Frank McGown, which was located in Brooklyn at 50th Street and 5th Avenue. While running the room, he began repairing cues, and it was not long before the idea was sparked to build pool cues himself.[1]

By the end of 1959, Balabushka had made a number of cues, most of which were given to friends as Christmas gifts. As this practice went on, he began receiving orders for his cues. His first cues were conversions of the popular Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company manufactured “Titlist” cues. At the time, there were very few private cuemakers, the industry being dominated by large manufacturers.[1]

Between 1959 and 1962, Balabushka handcrafted between 20 and 30 cues per year on a part-time basis. Because of the relative dearth of private cuemakers and the excellence of his product, Balabushka’s name quickly became well known amongst professional players, and by the end of 1962, he was receiving far more orders for cues than he could fulfill. Balabushka soon sold his interest in the pool room, converted his garage into a carpentry shop, and by 1964 was building cues full time, all the while honing his cuemaking abilities.[1]

Unlike many of the large manufacturers of the day, Balabushka’s emphasis was on playing ability and fine craftsmanship, reflecting the values he had always held during his years in the woodworking business. He was also an innovator in cue construction, cue finishes and cue design. His cues were not the elaborately decorated attempts at building art that so dominate the cuemarket today. Rather, most Balabushka cues are relatively plain and without grand flourishes. Many of his trademark construction techniques have become standard in the industry, such as the use of Irish linen for wrap material and block style ringwork above a cue’s wrap which are eponymously named "Bushka rings."[1]

George Balabushka died in 1975 at the age of 63. He was posthumously honored as the first inductee into the American Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame in February, 1993.[2]. In 2004, he was inducted into the Meritorious Service category of the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame.[3]

[edit] The legend continues to grow

It is estimated that Balabushka only produced between 1,000 and 1,200 cues during his lifetime. However, by the mid 1960s, forged Balabushka cues started circulating in the market, as he was already recognized as the premier cue maker of the era.[1]

Although already well known and valuable to collectors, Balabushka and his cues (respectively) became much more so after being prominently featured in Martin Scorsese’s 1986 film, The Color of Money (the sequel to the classic 1961 film The Hustler). In the film, Tom Cruise’s character, Vincent Lauria, is presented with a beautiful cue by Fast Eddie Felson, as played by Paul Newman. Vincent takes the cue, his reverence obvious, and is told by Eddie “it's a Balabushka.” After this, Balabushka's name became associated by the general public with highly-valued and rare cues. (The cue actually used in the film was, however, not a genuine Balabushka, but a Joss, custom-made to look like a Balabushka).[1]

Today, original Balabushka cues with verified provenance bring in tens of thousands of dollars at auction. However, there are literally thousands of fake Balabushka cues in existence (even a fake, if old and of good quality, is fairly valuable). Complicating matters, in the 1980s with the permission and license of his surviving family, a line of Balabushka replicas began to be manufactured in large quantities by the Adam Custom Cue Company, owned wholly by Jed Forman and Natalie Ross, majority share holders..[1]