.The medal winners can be found at www.sunflowergames.com throughthe 2008 Medalist Search. Athletes who received medals in the 2008Sunflower State Games qualify to compete in the State Games ofAmerica in 2009 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

.The Sunflower State Games is a non-profit organization based out ofTopeka, Kansas. The Games are held annually in July and its purposeis to promote physical fitness, personal health and well-being forKansans of all ages and skill levels.

.On Friday, California became the first to ban artificial trans fatsin food service and restuarants statewide.These moves make iteasier for restaurants nationwide to ban trans fats on their own asfood suppliers introduce trans-fat-free cooking fats and widespreaduse brings the costs within reach.Consumers benefit because the lowered amounts of trans fats putrestaurant fare in line with American Heart Associationrecommendations that personal trans fat intake not exceed 2 gramsper day.The notion that trans fat is unhealthy is a major turnaround fromthe time when processed trans fats were introduced as a healthieralternative to saturated animal fats such as lard and butter, saidDelaine Furst, associate professor of food and nutrition at IndianRiver State College .SButter comes from an animal source so it has cholesterol, saidFurst. SWe wanted to avoid cholesterol because it increases therisk of coronary heart disease.SBut we didn"t want to pour vegetable oil on our toast, so wefound a way to make unsaturated vegetable oil solid at roomtemperature and we created margarine, she said. Clinical researchsince 1990 has proved it was not quite so healthy an alternative.Like saturated fat, trans fat, or trans fatty acid, raisesSlow-down, lethal, lousy, low-density lipoprotein or LDL, Furstsaid. But trans fat also does something saturated fat doesn"t.SIt lowers happy, healthy, high density lipoprotein, HDL, thegood cholesterol in your bloodstream.SThe effect is  are you ready for this? It increases the riskof coronary heart disease. It causes plaque buildup in thearteries. And it increases the risk for Type II diabetes, saidFurst.Trans fat also disrupts the development of essential fatty acids inour bodies that are essential to health and vital to braindevelopment in babies, she said.Furst explained the chemistry behind trans fats. STrans fats aretransformed, she said. They apartially hydrogenated, whichmeans a hydrogen atom is added to the carbon chain in a liquid fat.The hydrogenation process flips the carbon chain, changing itschemistry so the fat is solid at room temperature, she said.Partially hydrogenated fats don"t break down or turn rancid asquickly as liquid oils, said Furst. That makes them much morecost-effective for commercial use such as in the restaurantindustry.SThe benefit of (fat) being solid is that it lasts longer andfries better, said chef Debbie Midkiff, director of the CulinaryInstitute at Indian River State College. A fat that is solid atroom temperature but which melts when heated may last for threedays through 50 uses, she said. A comparable liquid fat might lastonly one day through 25 batches. And they cost more.

.For many restaurants, that is cost-prohibitive, said Midkiff.It is difficult to create good baked goods without partiallyhydrogenated fats. But demand from an area as large as New YorkCity has caused suppliers to find alternatives to trans fat-ladensolid fats.Midkiff said Crisco has introduced several commercial shorteningsmade from combinations of vegetable oils that are not partiallyhydrogenated.Suppliers are finding ways to create and commercialize a number oftrans fat-free solid oils as market demand increases, said Midkiff.And now the prices are coming down, she said. SWhere everthe consumer goes, the supply chain follows.These new fats give restaurants across the country alternatives tobaking and cooking with trans fats.SWhen they passed the law in New York several years ago westarted changing our recipes, said Beth Novins, co-owner ofOsceola Cafe in Stuart. SWe changed all of our cookie recipes andwe started cooking with olive and canola oil.ecause of the restaurant"s emphasis on healthy foods, chef JohnErickson also started to find substitutes for sugar, sweeteningsome recipes with fresh fruit purees. SWe wanted to makeeverything more healthy, said Novins.We use olive oil and soy oil, no trans fats, echoed chef JonBompartito, co-owner of A Touch of Brooklyn pizza and pasta in FortPierce.Bompartito said they avoid using processed foods, which can be asource of trans fats and other unhealthy ingredients. SWe usenatural foods, he said. SAnd I make all of my own doughSamewith my sauces.It is almost hard to find restaurants that are still serving foodcooked with trans fat-laden oils, especially among chains that havestores in New York City.According to the nutrition circulars on their Web sites, DunkinDonutmenu is 100 percent trans fat-free. So is everything onthe menu at KFC except chicken pot pies, biscuits and KFC FamousBowlsAll but a handful of Subway items, such as the Double Meat & Cheesesub, are free of trans fats. Blimpie, McDonald"s, Arby"s andothers are trans fat-free.Burger King hopes to have all of its restaurants trans fat-free bythe end of this year. Wendy"s is mostly trans fat-free, with theexception of several SFrosty desserts and shakes and a fewburgers including the riple Everything.Demand from large chains like these  Subway alone has almost23,000 restaurants  has driven suppliers to come up with transfat-free oil formulations. It also has driven down prices for thesecooking oils.The reduced cost brings trans fat-free oils within reach of themom-and-pop restaurant.EATING OUTAlthough fried foods and baked goods were previously the mainsource of artificial trans fats, that no longer is a good rule ofthumb. You have to ask.Independent restaurants and small chains: Ask the server to findout if the foods are trans fat free. Do they fry or saute in liquidvegetable oil, olive oil or canola oil? Butter is trans-fat free,but high in saturated fats. According to BanTransFats.com, by 2007hundreds of thousands of restaurants had started to switch fromtrans fats..Chains: Check the nutritional menus from chain restaurants. Mostare available online.

health tips to improve the quality of your life.

The import of vegetable oils during November 07 -June 08 (oilyear) touched 35 million tonne as compared with 31 million tonne inthe comparable period last year. sunflower oil  According to the figures, import of edible oil increased to 30million tonne, a rise of 13 per cent from 27 million tonne, whileimport of non-edible oil was recorded at 470,567 tonne, a jump of5per cent from 450,185 tonne.The trade body, in a release, said the country's edible oil import,including that of vanaspati, grew by 7 per cent this oil year to 6million tonne from 5.59 million tonne in the corresponding periodlast year.In view of the lean crushing season, the import is likely tomaintain at around 550,000 to 600,000 tonne per month in next threeto four months till kharif oil seeds crop is available for crushingin November 2008, the SEA release said.The total import of edible oil is likely to be in the range of5.10-5.20 million tonne and non-edible import is estimated to bearound 650,000 tonne.The imports of vanaspati that registered the record 250,000 300,000 tonne through official and illegal imports through SriLanka last year, is likely to shrink this year to 50,000 tonne asimport duty on crude edible oil has been brought down to ""thereby, avoiding illegal imports.The total import of edible oil in June increased to 550,201 tonneas compared to 302,345 tonne in May and 309,629 tonne in April thisyear. Non-edible oil import, which was 59,219 tonne in May, isreported at 43,529 tonne in June.In the April-May period, the slowdown in imports resulted intopipelines drying up. Therefore, hemport in June this yearheavily increased and shot up to 593,730 tonne (590,552 tonne inJune 2007).In last two months, crude palm oil, RBD palmolein and sunflower oilprices declined 7-8 per cent because of record inventory of over2.0 million tonne with Malaysia towards June-end.The rates of crude palm oil are currently hovering around $1,160,crude soybean oil and crude sunflower oil at $1,460 and $1,655 atonne respectively.

 The structure started going up this week on the 3,700-square-footEuropean estate-inspired home. The 4-bedroom, 4-bath home, whenfinished early next year, is to feature bamboo flooring, structuralinsulated panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, recycledglass countertops and organic compound paint.The home, situated on an acre lot surrounded by mature trees in anestablished neighborhood, is to have an asking price of $1.3million, said Woody Gontina, co-owner of Gontina Building & Design.The home would be only the third in Michigan with the platinumcertification. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign) green-building rating system from the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil is the national standard for the design, construction andoperation of green buildings.Building to these standards results in a healthier and moreefficient home. It is estimated that 40% to 50% of homes built in2010 will use green standards, according to the NationalAssociation of Home Builders.There is growing interest in green homes as the housing market hassputtered, according to a 2007 McGraw-Hill report. Green homes wereless than 1% of the construction market -- worth nearly $2 billion-- at the building peak in 2005. But, despite the current slowdown,the green home market is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2010,according to the report. To view the report, go to www.greenhomeguide.org/news_and_events/news_item_1.html'Thefuture of homebuilding'"Many builders realize this is going to be the future ofhomebuilding," Gontina said. "Some just incorporateenergy-efficient windows and try to pass it off as green building.We take a full-scale approach from design to building."Gontina cites a list of energy- and water-saving features fromtimed bathroom exhaust fans to dual flush toilets in the home.Rainwater will be harvested from roof runoff to irrigatelandscaping.The energy-efficient building methods and environmentallyresponsible construction don't mean the homeowner will live withoutluxury. The home also features a heated tile floor and jetted tubin the master bath, custom cabinetry in the kitchen, hardwoodfloors, a three-car garage and pre-wired telephone and cable TV.

Payback in the savingsGreen homes do not cost that much more than those built withtraditionalconstruction methods, Gontina said. The premium isabout 3% over regularly built homes, but the payback comes in lowerutility bills to operate.For example, while a geothermal heating and cooling system has thelargest upfront costs, the payback is usually within five years atcurrent energy costs, Gontina said. Solar panels can take 15 to 25years to pay back."This is the only way we like to build homes. We do recognize it asthe future of construction," Gontina said.

Gontina's goal is to build green homes in the $300,000 to $500,000range.Gontina graduated from Michigan State University with aconstruction management degree and went to California, where he wasexposed to green building. He returned to the area in 2004 andstarted the company with co-owner Timothy Risk, an architect with amaster's degree from the University of Michigan.Gontina received his certified green professional designation fromthe National Association of Home Builders earlier this year. AndRisk is a member of Ferndale's Environmental SustainabilityCommission, which advises the City Council on its environmentalpolicies."The home has a lot of traditional style," Risk said. "We haveoriented the house so it looks nice from the street, but there areview access points throughout the house so you can see certaintrees or aspects of the landscape."The Bloomfield Township home should be complete by early 2009 andmay be the first platinum LEED-rated home in the township. Thecompany plans to build a similar home across the street beginningin September, Gontina said.Another home being built a few miles away by a husband and wifealso is vying for the honor.Contact

GRETA GUEST at 313-223-4192 or gguest@freepress.com

Being where we are, we're so close to the hustle and bustle of itall, yet we're also in our own little world. Our home is on abeautiful, gated street, where all the neighbours know each other.It feels like you're living in the middle of the countryside. Inthe daytime, Nicola plays outside in the front garden, where I tryto teach him the different smells and names of the herbs we grow,from mint to rosemary.Originally, I come from Turin, a small town in the north of Italy,as does my friend (and the wife of Nicolas Sarkozy), Carla Bruni.It's known as the Small Paris, which might explain why we have bothended up living here. I've been in Paris 20 years now, and it'svery different to Turin in many ways, such as the scale ofeverything here and the sense of freedom you have in the city, butthere are similarities, too. The baroque architecture, thegreenery: small things remind me of growing up in the countryside.Our street is very calm, there's no access for cars and most of ourneighbours are other families and young couples. It means we don'thave the constant fear that can come with living in a big city,which makes this place very special.My husband and I immediately fell in love with the house when wefound it, just one year ago. Although, it has taken until now toget it into shape. When we first arrived, it seemed no one had madeany repairs since it was built in the early 1900s. There was somuch to do and to organise that my husband left me to it, thoughI'd always ask him, "What do you think?" – once the job wasdone. The most important thing was making a home for our family,somewhere that we could live without constantly worrying aboutbreaking things or making a mess. It's very much like an Englishcountry house in many ways, with a big fireplace and rusticfeatures.Inside, the style feels similar to the house I grew up in. Mygrandmother was Hungarian, so we had all sorts of differentinfluences going on, with bits and pieces from different periodsscattered everywhere. You have that same sense here. Walking intomy house is a bit like passing through different stages of time.There was no set "look" we had in mind, but I knew we had to createsomewhere that had a sense of history. I need my house to feel likea home; ultimately it's a collection of my past and my present, andthat of my husband.We have three floors. The lower floor is very much the family area,and then my son has his own section and we have ours. Our floor isbasically an apartment in itself, with a large master bedroom. Onthe wall hangs a beautiful Art Deco Nisha Crossland tapestrydepicting Japanese flowers. It's neither masculine nor feminine,which is important in a shared space.I love mirrors, particularly Venetian ones, and have an original1940s piece on my bedside table. My friend, the interior designerMichaela Curetti, created the nut-coloured leather bed-headespecially for this room. We maximise space by storing all ourclothes separately in the next room, hidden behind floor-to-ceilingmirrors. This room leads to our en-suite bathroom, where weinstalled a fabulous free-standing bath.One of the best features in the house is a bespoke, black-and-goldTom Dixon light feature, which runs through the middle of aspiralling wooden staircase. It releases a stunning cascade ofcolours. Another favourite piece is the hand-painted silk tapestryin the main hallway, depicting a Japanese bamboo forest.Of course, we want our house to look lovely, but it isn't a gallery– it must also be practical. We laid wooden floors throughoutso we don't have to wear shoes, and the kitchen, from the Italianbrand Boffi, has sleek black marble surfaces, meaning you don'thave to worry about chopping boards or stains. It's taken an entireyear to get this house just right; I've even managed to plant sometomatoes and lettuce in the garden! Now that it's complete, I cansafely say there's no chance of us moving from here in a hurry.After all this building work, I don't ever want to see anybodyfixing anything again!Gabriella Cortese, 43, is the founder of Antik Batik, a label whosefans include Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani. Cortese lives with herhusband, the actor Marc Rioufol, and their 18 month-old son,Nicola, on Avenue Frochot in Paris, where Jean-Paul Gaultier andHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec have both lived.

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There is a new material touting itself as a structural element inthe construction industry: bamboo.? It has been used for bamboo flooring years inAsian countries, and is now making its way to the western world.?In fact, it has been certified by the ICC Evaluation Service to bea legitimate structural element.Bamboo can be used in wall, roof, and floor trusses, or asindividual studs.? The poles generally range in size from to in diameter and 10 to 14 feet long, so they will easilyfit into standard western construction.? According to the ICCreport, they can be used in Type V non-fire-resistance ratedresidential and commercial construction.? In commercialconstruction use is limited to one story and a maximum floor areaof 2000 square feet.Bamboo makes an excellent substitute for traditional wood framingbecause of its rapid growth cycle.? The largest species, timberbamboo, grows to a whopping 120 feet with a 13 inch diameter injust three years.? The stalks can be cut, then left to grow againwithout replanting.? Growing bamboo is good for the soil as well,as it deposits minerals into the ground, and serves to preventerosion.The down side of this new product is the cost of transportation.?Currently the only bamboo certified for structural use comes fromVietnam and must be treated with borate.? Bamboo can be grown inalmost any climate, so costs could be reduced as more is grown inthe U.S.? Locally grown bamboo would also help sales of otherbamboo products such as wood flooring and veneer.To see a building in Mexico City build from?structural bamboo,visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic_Museum.More on bamboo products: www.bambooliving.comMore information on structural bamboo: http://www.toolbase.org/Construction-Methods/Wood-Framing/structural-bambooTo see the ICC Evaluation Service report, visit http://www.icc-es.org/

Bamboo — used for thousands of years in Asia as "the poorman's timber" — is proving to be a valuable commodity here. Asan alternative to traditional hardwoods, it's found in everythingfrom bowls to bed sheets. Chicago companies are moving in on themarket, estimated at $7 billion a year and expected to hit $20billion a year by 2017.Why? Bamboo grows quickly and doesn't require harmful fertilizersor chemicals. It also soaks up more carbon dioxide than trees,which helps reduce global warming. And most of the stuff comes fromlow-cost producers in China, Vietnam and India.Crate & Barrel offers bamboo housewares and furniture as part ofits "environmental initiatives." These eco-friendly productsinclude bamboo bookcases constructed with low-emission adhesives,naturally antimicrobial bamboo cutting boards and eco-consciousmedia consoles made without nails or screws. "They're beautiful,they're functional and they have good value," says a representativefor the Northbrook-based retailer.It would be ideal to manufacture bamboo products in the UnitedStates, says Ori Sivan, president of Greenmaker, a Chicago supplierof environmentally friendly building materials. But it makes moresense to source them from China, where the plant is native, themanufacturing facilities already exist and, of course, costs arelower, he says.Greenmaker used to buy bamboo flooring from a domestic dealer andsold it for $7 to $10 per square foot. But since May 2007, when thecompany began sourcing directly from a factory near Shanghai, ithas cut costs by 50%. Now it sells the flooring for as little as$3.25 per square foot.2008 by Crain Communications Inc.

And I think that was a great mistake I think people should havemeters on their showers telling how much water they are using, andI wish every material had a little stamp on it telling how far itcame and what the conditions were on how it was grown ormanufactured. I think that is the new frontier.It's easy to see that building green has many benefits in thelong run that make building eco-friendly a worthwhile added cost yet to become LEED certified there is a huge fee involved. Whydidn  you address that bureaucratic chink in the system withinyour film?Ellis: It is a huge bureaucracy. We had to cut hours and hours ofpaper shuffling and the mountain of paper certifying the buildingas Gold  it was all really kind of funny. As it was, theproblems with the bamboo flooring created a much more interestingway for us to show the system imperfections while still showinghow great it was.Story continues below

Joanne Sullivan decided to experiment with the unused scraps of bamboo flooring. She took home a slab of flooring and created acutting board. Impressed with the board's resilience and look, theSullivans decided to make about 20 cutting boards that year todistribute as Christmas gifts for their family, Joanne Sullivansaid.On a whim, they took a handful of bamboo cutting boards to anArizona craft fair to showcase alongside their specialty chairs.Joanne Sullivan was worried they would sell out of their plannedChristmas presents, so they slapped the cutting boards with a pricetag they assumed no one would pay – around $80 per board. Within two hours, all of the boards were gone. “This was way before green,” Tom Sullivan said,referring to the increase in eco-friendly products on the market.“We were on the crest of the wave. We're pretty good atmarket trends. Being in the craft fairs is being in the trenches.We went home with literally a shaking excitement. We knew we had atiger by the tail.”They purchased large quantities of commercial bamboo flooring andwent to work creating a line of cutting boards. Eventually, theytraveled to China to partner with a manufacturer who could producethe boards in larger quantities.Later, they branched out to design and create other products andnow have a line of about 200 bamboo products, from kitchenware tocountertops, sinks and chairs.Totally Bamboo products sell in Crate & Barrel; Bed, Bath &Beyond; Macy's; and Dillard's, Joanne Sullivan said. The cuttingboards are their best sellers.The Sullivans say they are proud of the fact that they design andtest their products in-house. “It's a quality issue,” Tom Sullivan said. “Wedidn't build to sell cheap. We're sticklers on quality.”

"Why is he changing the locks now?" wondered one Obamasupporter. "And what about the new machine gun installationsand the bars? What kind of message is Bush sending?"

The spokesman was referring to the recently installed machinegun/missile launching structures on the White House roof and theiron bars placed over all first floor windows. In her daily pressconference, White House Press Secretary Dana Parino dismissed theconcerns of the Obama camp.

"This is typical election year posturing on their part. Thesesecurity measures have been in the works for several years and justnow got the go ahead from congress. There is nothing more to itthan that."

When questioned about the funding for the so-called securitymeasures at the White House, senate majority leader Harry Reid saidDemocrats in congress were told the money was for groundsmaintenance and a new coat of paint.

 Companies are adjusting their manufacturing systems and techniquesto offer higher-quality models and reduce outlay.

Cost and pricing pressures are pushing mainland China and Taiwansuppliers of lever locks to introduce strategic production changes.Most of them are focusing on high-value models to shore up profitmargins and stimulate export growth.

In the mainland, sophisticated yet cost-efficient technologies arebeing adopted as part of the upscale shift. A growing number ofmakers there are penetrating the high-end residential segment tosidestep the price war, which has intensified with the expansion ofthe domestic supplier base. They are targeting North America andthe EU, offering visually appealing designs that provide optimumtheft protection.

One of the techniques gaining popularity among mainland suppliersis metal injection molding. In this forming process, fine metalpowder is combined with binders and transferred into a mold usingstandard plastic-injection machines, which some large companiessource from Japan or Europe.

Suitable for mass production, metal injection molding is beingtapped as a low-cost alternative to traditional machining, castingand stamping. It also allows makers to reuse excess materials andconsequently decrease wastage. Furthermore, parts formed throughthis method can feature complex geometries and are comparable instrength with those made of wrought metal.

To generate R&D savings, mainland suppliers are relying oncomputer-based solutions that help shorten the mold-manufacturingcycle to one day or even a couple of hours.

Among these is rapid prototyping, which creates samples from CADdata, resulting in fewer engineering changes after the mold iscompleted. High-speed cutting machines are being employed as wellto ensure precision and lower defect rates.

As the line is highly labor intensive, the latest production strategies inTaiwan aim to minimize worker-related outlay. Suppliers also hopeto soften the impact of the material cost upswing, which reached 20to 30 percent in past months.

Many companies are establishing factories in the mainland"ssoutheastern coastal provinces to take advantage of lower laborexpenses. Operations focus on the large-volume manufacture ofhome-use models. Some suppliers carry out the majority ofproduction there but retain domestic plants for critical processes.

ISO 9001-certified Je Tien Enterprise Co. Ltd, for example, has amainland facility for semifinished lever locks. But cylindermanufacture, and final assembly and QC are performed in its Taiwanfactory.

Suppliers that continue to produce lever locks in the island arereducing their reliance on manual labor by investing in CNCequipment. Output from these companies primarily consists ofupscale designs for public and business establishments.Concentrating on such applications enables them to escape thefierce price competition in the residential segment and, in turn,gain a differentiation advantage over mainland counterparts.

Steel Mark Enterprise Ltd has been gradually shifting to CNC cutting machines for itscommercial-use lever locks. Piece-by-piece testing is done to checkthe performance and appearance of finished products.

Top material choices

Boosting OBM exports

In addition, the San Dimas business also announced its support ofthis organization, which helps financially disadvantaged childrenwith hair loss due to medical conditions, by coming a Locks of LoveSupport Salon.

Platform Color Style Salon is located at 112 N. San Dimas Ave. inSan Dimas. For more information, call (909) 971-0271.

Port Elgin's Main Street was in lock down yesterday morning afterthe RCMP received a 911 call from an intoxicated and suicidal manwalking around the village with a handgun.

The 45-year-old Port Elgin man called 911 at 10 a.m., identifiedhimself and said he was armed and wanted to take his own life. Hewas on a cellphone and said he was walking in the direction of thefire department, which shares a building with the village office.He then hung up.

RCMP Cpl. Don Moore, of the Sackville detachment, said officerswere immediately dispatched from Shediac and Sackville to find thegunman. But it would take them a few minutes to get to Port Elginand police were worried about the danger posed to the public.

Moore and another officer immediately called the village office andvolunteer fire department and determined no one was inside thebuilding. They then started calling every other place on MainStreet they could think of, including the post office, a daycareand other businesses.

"Those are all places the public would be and we wanted to makesure everyone was safe," said Moore.

They told everyone they reached to lock their doors and stay out ofsight. Police called approximately 12 places and asked some of themto call other businesses, offices and residents in the immediatearea.

When police arrived, they cordoned off a large area. Codiac RCMP'sdog handler was brought to the scene and three negotiators wereready to talk to the man once he was found.

The dog caught a scent, but was unable to trace it to the suspect.Police started receiving information from the community that theman might be nearby, at the water front.

Officers headed to the beach and found the man heavily intoxicatedand passed out on the beach, near the wharf. He wasn't in muchshape to talk but told the officers he threw the firearm into thewaters of Baie Verte. Police divers will search for the weapon.

The man was arrested and could appear in court today, facingfirearm charges.

Shortly after 12:15 p.m. police notified local offices, businessesand residents there was no longer any danger.