I don't care for it at all. This morning there was a report on Olympic security and our team has been told they should avoid wearing anything that identifies them as American when they leave the games' venues. Then they showed a photo of 8 models wearing the sweaters. I just can't image the image os seeing our entire Olympic team walking together in those sweaters - talk about a kaleidoscope!

I've been wanting to see a change in the US uniforms for a long time but most of what I saw was, well, pastel pajamas. I'd say, follow the snowboarders' lead. They looked good to me. But at least none of them had their "pants on the ground"! Everyone I saw, albeit limited, they nonetheless represented the country with dignity and I applaud them for it.

I think that "busy" is a negative way of looking at it, vs calling it a granite with movement or pattern. The granite that you chose has a nice variation and colors that will help pull your kitchen together but it isn't heavily patterned. Flat on counters instead of viewed vertically as a full slab, it is going to look fairly uniform from a distance with the pattern coming out more as you get closer. We have 60 to 70 square feet of counter (depending on whether I subtract out the sinks and rangetop cutouts plus over 20 sq ft of backsplash. Our quartzite is one with lots of movement and color. We don't find it overwhelming. We recently used it on the fireplace surround across the room too. Up close: From these and the pictures that boxerpups posted, you can see how the colors blend together in the more distant view especially on the horizontal surfaces because you are seeing them sort of edge on. As you get closer, the pattern is more visible but you are only seeing part of it at a time.

Still with furs. I lived for a year in Canada (Ottawa) a cold country and very chilly city and someone gave me their very old fur coat. It was extremely heavy and rather moth eaten, probably less mouton and more dead cat. One day I walked into the city library and, though it was snowing as I left home, it was raining by the time I got there . . . and my goodness did that soggy coat pong. All eyes and noses followed me round the shelves until, in sheer embarrassment, I had to take it off and hide it behind a distant radiator where it steamed-off noxious vapours. When I returned to the UK the coat stayed behind. BTW Queen Elizabeth, was never Princess of Wales, just Duchess of York, as George VI went straight from D of Y to King. When Diana became Princess of Wales it was noted that the title hadn't been used since the time of the marriage of George V in 1890 something to Mary of Teck, always know as Old Queen Mary when I was a child. Also a fact I only became aware of recently, the title of Queen Mother was specially created for Queen Elizabeth on the death of George VI . . . probably much more than you (true US republicans all) needed to know. ;-)