Homes: Home Front

Home & Garden

Special report

Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope
Hubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. In this special report, you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are.
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Video report

For their own good
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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Multimedia report

Rays fan guide to the Trop
Here are some insider tips to Tropicana Field and area information.
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Home Front

Briefs and news of note.

By JUDY STARK
Published August 26, 2006

QUOTABLE

"People have such high expectations in terms of fabric performance. They say, 'I don't want it to show dirt.' But even if it doesn't show dirt, it's still dirty. . . . One thing I know for a fact - if there is a TV in a room, that furniture is going to get dirtier than in any other room. People eat when they're watching TV."

- Jacksonville interior designer Phoebe Howard, quoted in House Beautiful magazine

Get Doorganized

Hang the item at left over a doorknob to collect all the items you want to take next time you leave the house. The Doorganizer holds keys, eyeglasses, cell phones and palm devices, iPods. Envelopes and newspapers fit into a strip at the back. Made of canvaslike fabric, 5 inches by 12, it has three open pockets and a key clip on the front. It's $14.99 from the Container Store (www.containerstore.com or toll-free 1-888-266-8246).

A really big home show

Can you believe next weekend is Labor Day? That means it's time for Florida's Largest Home Show at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St. Exhibits include hurricane preparedness items, appliances, electronics for inside and out (look for the 60-inch poolside plasma TV). A feline adopt-a-thon will try to persuade you to go home with a cat or kitten from a shelter or rescue organization. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Sept. 2; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 3 and 4. Tickets: $8 adults, $7 age 55 and older; free for children under 12 with an adult.

Duct tape alternative

Why patch a tarp, tent or seat cover with multiple strips of tape when you can use Duct Sheetz, 8.5 by 11 inches or 4 by 4 inches? The manufacturer is IPG of Bradenton. For now, the sheets come only in silver-gray, but the company hopes to expand to colors to appeal to the crafts market. Duct Sheetz are available in independent hardware stores (call toll-free 1-800-474-8273 for locations), but watch for them at mass retailers and food and drugstores. They're $8.99 for a 10-pack of the large size, $4.99 for the small size.