(February 2013) Trade-Fair-Ideas: Kamien-Stone held in November in Poland’s city of Poznan had a „Design Emergency Service“, where interior design architects offered free advice to private visitors. Cersaie, held in September in Bologna had a similar offer by the name of „Cersaie designs your home“ (1, 2).

Sharpening Stones are a much discussed theme.   

In Cambodia’s Angkor Wat progress is being made by the World Monument Fund in restoring the Churning of the Sea of Milk Gallery. Work on the sandstone sculptures, which had been damaged by rain and salt, revealed a drainage system now once again made to function. It was originally built during the Khmer Empire and dates back to the early 11th century.   

Masses of dust are displaced from deserts into the atmosphere and redistributed around the globe before finally finding their way back to Earth and serving as mineral fertilizer for farmland and forests. Scientists have recently discovered a chemical mechanism, whereby the dust particles are responsible for the buildup of sulfuric acid, the cause of acid rain. The current global expansion of desert areas could thus have even further-reaching negative repercussions according to the US-Journal „Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS).

„Princesses of the Mediterranean“ is the title of an exhibit running until April 10th in Athens’ Museum of Cycladic Art, in Greece. The exhibit is all about women who played a significant role historically. The exhibit shows a number of stone works.   

A stone is the key figure in a scientific break-through of the last year as determined by Science magazine: The object is a meteorite by the name of Sutter’s Mill which fell to Earth in April 2012 in California. Its composition provided scientists with important information on the Universe’s early stages.     Meteorite above Russia (02.15.2013).   

Video of the month: New Zealand serves as an example of the action and reaction of two continental plates colliding and resulting in earthquakes.