Monday, October 31, 2011

SNOW

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. — Thousands of schoolchildren around the Northeast had one of the earliest snow days in memory Monday after a storm dumped as much as 30 inches of wet, heavy snow that snapped trees and power lines, caused widespread power failures and threatened to disrupt Halloween trick-or-treating.
Communities from Maryland to Maine that suffered through a tough winter last year followed by a series of floods and storms went into now-familiar emergency mode as shelters opened, inaccessible roads closed, regional transit was suspended or delayed, and local leaders urged caution.
The storm's lingering effects likely will outlast the snow. Temperatures are expected to begin rising Monday and the heavy, wet snow will start melting, the National Weather Service said.
The unseasonably early nor'easter had utility companies struggling to restore electricity to more than 3 million homes and businesses. By early Monday, the number of customers without power was still above 2 million but falling. But officials in some states warned it could be days or even a week before residents have power again, even though crews have been brought in from as far away as Michigan and Canada.
"We are in full restoration mode," said Marcy Reed, president of National Grid Massachusetts.

Trees, branches and power lines still littered roads and rail lines throughout the region, leading to a tough Monday morning commute for many. Some local officials canceled or postponed Halloween activities, fearful that young trick-or-treaters could wander into areas with downed power lines or trees ready to topple over.
"With so many wires down ... the sidewalks will not be safe for pedestrians (Monday) night," Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton told The Hartford Courant.
A weekend that should have brought activity no more strenuous than raking colorful autumn leaves left Northeasterners weather-weary.
"You had this storm, you had Hurricane Irene, you had the flooding last spring and you had the nasty storms last winter," Tom Jacobsen said Sunday while getting coffee at a convenience store in Hamilton Township, N.J. "I'm starting to think we really ticked off Mother Nature somehow because we've been getting spanked by her for about a year now."
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie declared the damage to utilities worse than that wrought by Irene, a deadly storm that blew through the state in August. Things were similar in Connecticut, where the power loss of 800,000 broke a record set by Irene. By early Monday, around 400,000 people lacked power in New Jersey and more than 750,000 in Connecticut.
The snowstorm smashed record snowfall totals for October and worsened as it moved north. Communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Snowfall totals topped 27 inches in Plainfield, and nearby Windsor got 26 inches. The snowstorm was blamed for at least 12 deaths, and states of emergency were declared in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and parts of New York.
"Look at this, look at all the damage," said Jennifer Burckson, 49, after she came outside Sunday morning in South Windsor to find a massive tree branch had smashed her car's back windshield. Trees in the neighborhood snapped in half, with others weighed down so much that the leaves brushed the snow.
Compounding the storm's impact were still-leafy trees, which gave the snow something to hang onto and that put tremendous weight on branches, said National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro. That led to limbs breaking off and contributed to the widespread power failures.
"This is not going to be a quick fix," said Peter Judge, a Massachusetts emergency management official.
The severity of the storm caught many by surprise, and it disrupted Halloween plans, too.
Sharon Martovich of Southbury, Conn., who was grocery shopping Sunday morning in nearby Newtown at one of the few businesses open for miles, said she's hoping the power will come back on in time for her husband's Halloween tradition of playing "Young Frankenstein" on a giant screen in front of their house.
"We would be really sad and it would disappoint a lot of people if we can't play `Young Frankenstein,'" she said. But no matter what, they will make sure the eight or so children who live in the neighborhood don't miss out on trick-or-treating.
"Either way we will get the giant flashlights and we will go," she said.
She was already making the best of the power failure. After the lights went out around 4 p.m. Saturday, she invited neighbors over for an impromptu Halloween party with wine and quesadillas in front of her propane fireplace.
Around Newtown, snow-laden branches were snapping off trees every few minutes, and roads that were plowed became impassible because the trees were falling so fast.
Along the coast and in such cities as Boston, the relatively warm ocean helped keep snowfall totals much lower. Washington received a trace of snow, tying a 1925 record for the date. New York City's Central Park set a record for both the date and for October with 1.3 inches.
But in New Hampshire's capital of Concord, more than 22 inches fell, weeks ahead of the usual first measurable snowfall. West Milford, N.J., about 45 miles northwest of New York City, had 19 inches by early Sunday.
Rail service was getting back up to speed across the region, though delays were expected. Amtrak had suspended service on several routes, and one train from Chicago to Boston got stuck overnight in Palmer, Mass. The 48 passengers had food and heat, a spokeswoman said, and were taken by bus Sunday to their destinations.
North of New York City, dozens of motorists were rescued by state troopers after spending up to 10 hours stranded on snow-covered highways in Dutchess and Putnam counties.
Deaths blamed on the storm included an 84-year-old Pennsylvania man killed by a tree that fell on his home, a person who died in a traffic accident in Colchester, Conn., and a 20-year-old man who was electrocuted in Springfield, Mass.
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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Noreen Gillespie in Newtown, Conn.; Mary Esch in Albany, N.Y.; Ron Todt in Philadelphia; David B. Caruso, Colleen Long and Deepti Hajela in New York; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; and Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, N.J.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Is Balayage Right For You?

Heard of balayage but not sure what it is exactly? Is it for you? What does it even mean? I will tell you!
Balayage is a French term that was developed in the 1970s that means “sweeping” or “to sweep.” It is essentially named after the way in which the color is applied to the hair. It is actually swept on or painted on by hand leaving a more natural looking highlight or lowlight. 
The technique was developed as a new way to add variation to the hair color with a more natural appearance and a more subtle grow out. The color can be applied for a more bold variation or slight depending on the client. Balayage isn’t just for lightening either. Many stylists will use it to add lowlights or a combination of the two.


Who is balayage right for? Balayage is a technique that is great for anyone who appreciates a little versatility in their color but who doesn’t have time for a lot of maintenance.
 It also works well for the client who likes a more sunkissed or natural look. It is a great technique for shoulder length and longer hair. 
Balayage is the perfect color technique for summer, as it offers the same benefits as someone who would be spending a lot of time outdoors. 
I wouldn’t recommend it for someone with a lot of grey or shorter, finer textured hair.


The technique, that is becoming more and more popular, definitely offers many advantages. It is a foil free color application in which your stylist hand paints your highlights. 
Picking up layers and “sweeping” the color on different sections of the hair allows the stylist to move more quickly and efficiently while picking the proper placement for the color. 

It focuses more on the base of the hair shaft rather than concentrating on the root area. Thicker sections will lead to a more bold highlight while smaller will do the opposite.
Come see our balayage expert here at Salon Heavan!
TO BOOK YOUR APPT, CALL 312-753-5444 TO ASK FOR MEGAN!

3 Ways to Add Volume to Your Hair

Volume can be a hard thing to achieve for those who don’t come by it naturally. I love volume and here are a few tips to getting some extra “oomph” in your do.
The first step to volume can be as simple as the products you are using. Products are some of your best friends! 

Using an Kevin Murphy Anit.Gravity, an oil-free volumizing agent is a great first step! 
Volume can be a hard thing to achieve for those who don’t come by it naturally. I love volume and here are a few tips to getting some extra “oomph” in your do.
You can also combine it with other products like Maroccan Oil to add more body

The Kevin Murphy Powder puff is also great to use as a finishing product and to add definition to the texture of the hair.

Blowdrying can help you as well. Volume is mostly created at the root of the strand. When you blowdry your hair, dry it the opposite way you want it to fall. For instance, when you want more volume and you pull your hair back normally, blowdry it forward. the resistance you create will create volume when 
you pull it back for styling.



Another great way to add extra volume is called back brushing (also known as back combing). This technique requires you to take a comb or brush to a section of hair and comb/brush the hair from ends to scalp. You can then lightly brush over the sections to smooth out the top layer and hide the back combing.
Use these tips and tricks to never leave the house with flat hair again!

Friday, October 14, 2011

The hair cut style for each face



The haircut and the face shape of each client is very personal. These notions of art and capillary aesthetics are very important to perform the procedure.
For round faces the ideal is to have a long hair, but when the hair is not thick, it can be short. Always choose a style that leaves the hair smooth and loose and with side fringes to soften the facial shape. The use of fringes is a great option for the oval faces. Short hair or long are possible.


Square faces match with hairstyles that lead loose curls, voluminous and natural. Therefore, the cut must show this characteristic. The hint is to raise the hair, leaving it in layers and full. The triangular faces are perfect for shorter cuts and with movement. If the idea is to mitigate the facial shape, use side fringes.

And remember that the hair grows about 1 cm per month, so to maintain the appearance you need to cut every two months, if it’s possible.


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Hyatt workers go on strike

[CHICAGO] Hyatt workers in Chicago join thousands of Hyatt hotel workers on Thursday in launching week-long strikes in cities nationwide, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Workers from the Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Hyatt McCormick are participating in local strikes.  By striking, workers are standing up for decent jobs for themselves and their families, but they are also fighting for the right to take a stand against an abusive employer that is destroying good jobs in their North American hotels.
“Two years ago, the Hyatt Regency renovated the hotel and brought in larger, heavier beds. It makes my job much more difficult. I can't lift the mattress because my left arm feels like it's coming out of the socket,” says Angela Martinez, a housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency with 23 years of service. “We are hard-working women, not machines.  I'm on strike because I want the right to stand up to Hyatt wherever it is abusing housekeepers.”
Hyatt workers have called for boycotts at 17 Hyatt properties and have led dozens of public demonstrations all across North America. Already, Hyatt has lost over $20 million in hotel business. 
“Hyatt is one of the most abusive hotels in their treatment of housekeepers and has the worst record on subcontracting,” says Henry Tamarin, the President of UNITE HERE Local 1. “They refuse to budge on these important issues, and workers want the right to take on Hyatt wherever these abuses occur.”

UNITE HERE Local 1 represents approximately 1000 workers at the Hyatt Regency and the Hyatt McCormick Place. Contracts for area Hyatt workers expired on August 31, 2009. This week of Hyatt strikes follows other work stoppages at Hyatt properties in Chicago, including  a strike at the Park Hyatt on July 21, 2011, a strike at the Hyatt Regency on June 20, 2011, and a one-day strike at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont in September 20101.  In May 2010, Hyatt Regency workers—led by more than 100 housekeepers—walked off the job, protesting worsening working conditions in housekeeping after a major hotel renovation.

Workers in each striking city have reached agreements with other major hotel employers, like Hilton and Starwood. This week’s strike affects approximately 3,000 unionized hotel workers at six hotel properties across North America, including the largest Hyatt property in the world—the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
UNITE HERE represents over 250,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada who work in the hospitality, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, laundry, and airport industries. VisitHotelWorkersRising.org for more info.