Star Mountain Art

TOKYO A jumbo black watermelon auctioned in Japan on Friday fetched a record $6,100, making it one of the most expensive watermelons ever sold in the country. In a society where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon's hefty price tag followed another jaw-dropping auction last month. At that auction, a pair of "Yubari" cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500. The 17-pound, black-skinned "Densuke" watermelon, a variety grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased Friday by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency. The price was the highest on record for a Densuke watermelon, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Most retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest $188 to $283, Ohira said. And what makes a watermelon worth $200, much less $6,000 Ohira says it's the unusual black skin and unparalleled taste. "It's a watermelon, but it's not the same," he said.

Rare earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnet currently made. They are amazingly powerful for their size and have innumerable uses. These disc magnets are 0.250 inch (6.4mm) diameter and 0.100 inch (2.5mm) thick. They are magnetized through the thickness. They are composed of grade 40 neodymium iron boron magnetic material and are plated in nickel-copper-nickel for a shiny corrosion resistant finish. Their individual pull force is approximately 2 lbs. Maximum working temperature is 176 F (80 C). Magnets may chip and crack if allowed to snap together

Magcraft rare earth disc magnets are neodymium iron boron (ndfeb). They are 1/4-inch by 1/10-inch, grade - N40 and their dimensional tolerance is - +/-0.005 inches. The plating is nickel-copper-nickel and their maximum working temperature is 176-degrees fahrenheit (80- celsius).

90 days. Cucumis melo. Plant produces heavy yields of 1 lb melons. The melons are yellow with brilliant fire-red, zigzag stripes golden color flesh melons. Very fragrant. The flesh is white and is very sweet and tastes like a cantaloupe. This heirloom variety does well in dry conditions.

The majority of this music has never been reissued on CD, or in any other form (most tracks were originally released on regional independent labels). Most post-WWII compilations of African-American gospel music naturally concentrate on the astounding quartet and solo vocalist sounds made during the music's Golden Age. Fire In My Bones attempts to address and collect more neglected sounds from that era (and on to the present day). Dozens of traditions are represented. Some go back hundreds of years while others seem to have been arrived at as soon as the tape began to roll. Field recordings and studio tracks are all mashed together, with solo performances next to congregational recordings, hellfire sermons next to afterlife laments. Leon Pinson, Elder & Sister Brinson & the Brinson Brothers, Grant & Ella, Straight Street Holiness Group, Theotis Taylor, Brother & Sister W B Grate -- these artists will now be just a little less obscure.Fire In My Bones provides a small peek at the incredible diversity and power of post-war black gospel. Much of this music is raw, distorted and might sound a bit strange. But it is not presented as a novelty freak show or as "outsider music." This is gospel - which we must always remember translates as "the good news" - as it has been sung and performed in tiny churches and large programs, from rural Georgia to urban Los Angeles. It is clearly among the most vibrant, playful, beautiful and emotionally charged music in the world.Produced by Mike McGonigal. Package design by Grammy-winner Susan Archie.

Bob Dylan has always been incredibly prolific, only releasing a fraction of what he records. Such a policy has made him a prime target for bootleggers over the years, finally prompting this sanctioned 1991 triple-disc dive into the Dylan vaults. It consists of rare tracks, unreleased outtakes, early versions of classics ("Times They Are a-Changin'," "Like a Rolling Stone," "I Shall Be Released"), and alternate versions that sometimes cut the originals ("Idiot Wind"). A measure of Dylan's depth is his list of discarded songs ("She's Your Lover Now," "Blind Willie McTell," "Series of Dreams") that would be the crown jewels of most catalogs. These 58 tracks serve as a shadow history of one of our most important artists. --Ben Edmonds

It's hard to imagine two more talented hipsters than Floetry singer Marsha Ambrosius and emcee Natalie Stewart, a.k.a. the Songstress and Floacist. The U.K. duo's Floetic debut has it all--smooth R&B, soulful jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, supple ballads and a warmth that cradles the listener from beginning to end. In short, it's exquisitely, decidedly feminine. The pair occasional raise the roof with sizzling rhymes and beats, but they clearly place a premium on vibe, evident in Floetic's mostly chilled, after-dark feel. Jill Scott and Michael Jackson have already benefited from Floetry's deft songwriting; Jacko covered Floetry's "Butterflies" on his Invincible disc. A demo version of that song is included here, but that's the least of the bounty. "Hello" is pure honey with the women's silky voices braided in harmony while the dreamy, gently gurgling "Sunshine" is like a soundtrack to a daydream. Comparisons abound (Lauryn Hill-meets-Dionne Warwick as scored by a blunted De La Soul maybe?) but perhaps the best description of Floetic yet unearthed is "sass and soul." And, at almost 70 minutes long, it's a steal. --Kim Hughes

Get your kicks with The Avengers '66. This three-volume boxed set uncorks six sought-after episodes from this cult classic series' fourth season. Patrick Macnee, the umbrella-toting gentleman spy John Steed, and Diana Rigg, the ravishing Mrs. Emma Peel, investigate further extraordinary goings-on in the most ordinary of places, including a swank hotel ("Room Without a View" on volume 1) and a golf course and dance school ("The 13th Hole" and "The Quick-Quick-Slow Death," both on volume 3). Suitable for framing is "The Girl from Auntie" on volume 2, in which an art dealer, who supplies his clients "anything for a price" (including the Mona Lisa!), kidnaps Emma for auction to enemy agents. Perhaps members of Monty Python's Flying Circus got the inspiration for their "Hell's Grannies" sketch from this episode's quaint assassin, an elderly "lady" who does in her victims (including four chaps named John, Paul, George, and... Fred) with knitting needles. For new fans, the episodes found in The Avengers '65 sets are of a better vintage, and The Avengers '67 offerings give more of a campy, effervescent kick. But '66 was still a very good year, and Avengers aficionados will, of course, want to own every episode from the Mrs. Peel era. "What's so special about Mrs. Peel?" a woman asks in "Auntie." "You'd think she was Madame Curie and a half-dozen others all rolled into one." She is, to borrow a phrase, all that. Each episode is in black and white. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are also available for purchase separately. A second Avengers '66 boxed set is also available. --Donald Liebenson

Volume 1: Silent Dust/ Room Without a View Volume 2: Small Game For Big Hunters/ The Girl From Auntie Volume 3: The 13th Hole/ Quick-Quick-Slow Death

A very offbeat subject gives this Western its beefy flavor: English lady Maureen O'Hara brings a prize Hereford bull to the Wild West, where she plans to introduce its hardy bloodline into longhorn country. Cattle puncher James Stewart finds the idea suspect, but he likes this redhead, so he manages to tag along through stampede, gunfight, and blizzard. Director Andrew V. McLaglen generally steers a pleasing course, although the movie occasionally stumbles between brawling comedy and western drama. One stunt sequence, a run of longhorns through a desert canyon, qualifies as a hair-raiser. Brian Keith, wearing a gigantic red beard, does a Scots accent as a cattle baron, and veteran cowhands Ben Johnson and Jack Elam are around to lend atmosphere. The big bull's name is Vindicator, and he obeys whenever Juliet Mills whistles "God Save the Queen"--did we mention this is a very offbeat subject for a Western? --Robert Horton

Case-Mate iPhone Leather Flip Case Designed exclusively for the Apple iPhone! Handcrafted from the world's finest-grade Italian leather which is wrapped around an impact resistant molded shell, the Leather Flip Case from Case-mate is designed to give you ease while accessing your Apple iPhone. Its protective, flip-style design protects the iPhone from all angles yet makes accessing the phone's features a breeze. The generation 3G case comes with a fully removable 360-degree ratcheting belt clip. This brand new rare leather has only been used in high end cars (e.g. Techart Porsche) and very high end cell phones (Vertu). We at Case-mate worked closely with our tanneries to develop this very special leather for our customers. Our exclusive leather is wrapped around an impact resistant molded shell for the ultimate in protection and style. Impact resistant molded shell cradles your iPhone providing added protection Genuine Napa leather Fully removable 360-degree ratcheting belt clip Ratchet belt clip system allows full adjustability and comfort Will fit iPhone 3G Order include: Ptotective Italian Leather Case and Removable Clip System