U.S. construction employment is stuck at well below pre-recession levels in all but eight of 337 metropolitan areas, according to the Association of General Contractors of America.

The Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale area in Arizona had the steepest decline, losing 93,600 jobs, a 53% drop since December 2006, the Arlington, Va., trade group reported today.

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area showed the second worst performance, shedding 73,700 jobs, a 57% plunge since December 2005.

Since December 2006, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale area lost 56,700 jobs, a 36% decline, while the Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine area lost 38,900, a 37% drop. The San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos area lost 38,400 jobs, a 42% fall since December 2005.

Most of the few areas that had more people working in construction than before the recession were enjoying energy related economic upturns. Bismarck, N.D., posted an 11% increase in jobs since December 2010, while Lawton, Okla., had a 5% rise and Longview, Texas, a 4% increase over the same period, the association said.

The stagnation doesn't need to continue, said Stephen E. Sandherr, the group's chief executive.

"What makes these job losses even more frustrating is the fact that many of them could have been avoided," he said. "Thousands more construction workers would be employed today if Congress wasn't years late in passing measures like the highway and transit bill."

Construction jobs won't return to peak levels or higher until Congress funds large-scale and badly needed infrastructure spending, Sandherr said.

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Construction employment below pre-recession peak in most areas

Linda Thomas, of Wainuiomata, commandeered her brother-in-law's truck for three trips to Christchurch once to deliver supplies and twice to help people move.

Linda Thomas wishes she had done more to help the people of Christchurch after the February earthquake, but she did more than most.

The 53-year-old, from Wainuiomata, who works at the Interislander ferry terminal in Wellington, gathered a truckload of supplies from her neighbourhood and drove south to deliver aid to the stricken city days after the killer shake.

"I was on my rostered days off, I had four of them in a row and I didn't really want to sit at home for four days watching everything on television," she said. "I wanted to do something."

She spent a day and a half knocking on doors in her neighbourhood, asking for donations and gathering a mountain of tinned food.

She collected water containers from her work, to be filled with water for washing, then she filled more containers with 1000 litres of Petone's artesian water.

She picked up 40 loaves of bread donated by Quality Bakers, 50 one-litre containers of long-life milk, and 1000 plastic bags from Waiwhetu Distributors.

When contacted by The Dominion Post this week, an emotional Ms Thomas said she wouldn't hesitate to do it all again.

"Now and again when I think back, it still brings a tear to my eye to see the people in the situation that they were in," she said.

"I don't like to see people in hardship. I don't like to see anyone suffering."

She remembered vividly the elderly Aranui residents she visited, who were struggling to cope without power, food or water. "When I saw the devastation down there, I just wished I had a bigger truck.

"They were shocked ... that the first person to come to help them was someone from Wellington and not from Christchurch.

"The most touching part was seeing the gratitude in people's eyes. It was just amazing. They were just so thankful that someone thought of them. I'll never forget it. It was a real eye-opener."

She thanked everyone who gave and helped her deliver aid. "My neighbours were really generous."

Civil Defence boss regrets shortcomings in services

Civil Defence director John Hamilton, who was given sweeping powers to manage the response to the earthquake, says he has been determined to implement lessons learned from the tragedy.

He was Civil Defence's national controller from February 23 till April 30, when the response was handed over to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

The Wellington-based Mr Hamilton, 58, was educated in Christchurch and said he now felt a deeper emotional connection with the city.

"There was sort of an overwhelming sadness for the situation that the Christchurch residents found themselves in."

Mr Hamilton believes the initial response was successful overall, though he has frustrations in hindsight. "There are quite a large number of issues and lessons which we can draw from the experience. It is overwhelming. The scale of the thing is so big that it kind of overpowers you.

"I'm frustrated with our inability to plan and deliver some of the services that the community were crying out for. We were probably a bit short in having the community more deeply involved in the response operations."

Families' hopes a tug at the heart

For Jim Stuart-Black, the hardest part of leading the search and rescue effort after the quake was facing up to the families of those who lost their lives.

As the Fire Service's director of special operations, Mr Stuart-Black, who lives in Wellington, was based in Christchurch's Latimer Square and became the face of the Urban Search and Rescue effort as he led more than 300 team members from more than seven countries.

He stayed in Christchurch until his help was needed in Japan after its magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11. There he led a 52-strong team searching for survivors in coastal towns.

Mr Stuart-Black, 37, said he was proud of the work of his team in Christchurch, though facing up to the expectations of those hoping their loved ones would be found alive was a low point.

"I met with the families most days and I'm really pleased as an organisation we were able to ... but it was very, very tough. There is an expectation on all the families' faces and unfortunately so often we were dealing with bad news.

"We have all got families and many of us have children and it is hard not to put yourself in the shoes of the families."

Over the past year, the quake has never been far from his mind. "I still continue to do my job and my private life continues. I'm very fortunate in that sense, it's just one of those things that drifts in and out of your consciousness.

"When I'm in Christchurch for work or in a personal capacity, I'm very aware of what happened down there. It is seldom far from the forefront of your thinking."

The moment that has stuck with him most is the two-minute silence held on the one-week anniversary of the earthquake. "I was by the art gallery at the time and there was the karakia and the two-minute silence ... that was a powerful moment."

Copyright © 2012, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

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Christchurch mercy dash woman: I wish I'd done more

21-02-2012 03:33 Interior Design Brisbane - from design concept,detailed preparation of plans, project managment and fitout. Furniture selection, art selection. Commercial and residential design.

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Interior Design Brisbane - Video

22-02-2012 10:34 http://www.divinehome.ca Mississauga Interior Decorator hink of return on investment. A qualified interior decorator knows how to stretch a budget and work with you to create your decorating vision. Divine Home brings years of experience and access to industry suppliers to bring maximum results with a minimum budget.Your home is your biggest investment. Whether you are selling or staying, an investment in renovating and interior home decorating will help maintain and increase your home's value.Home Interior Decorating by Divine Home Staging and Décor. Why settle for "Home Sweet Home" when you can make your home Divine!

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Mississauga Interior Decorator - Video

PILLOW TALK: Having scoured the land for the right pillows for the right price in the right size, I can relate to Laura at Houzz and thank her for the pillow reconnaissance:
"Pillows are often the perfect finishing touch in a room, but it can be frustrating to track down just the right one. This month, I have rounded up my top ten sources for pillows to complement any space, whether you prefer fancy decorator fabrics, shabby chic or soulful '70s style."

OBJECT OPENS IN SEATTLE: News from New York is there's news in Seattle:
"Charlie Schuck, a photographer, opened Object in Seattle last year after hosting pop-up stores in his studio loft to sell the work of local designers. "My idea was to create a Northwest-centered design store without overtly saying, 'This is the Northwest,' " Mr. Schuck, 34, explained."

ORGANIZE IT: I, too, got a kick out of de-cluttering Oprah's BFF Gayle King's closet in the latest issue of "O." From Atlanta blogger, Becky, at Design Public:  
"Because we've been chatting about de-cluttering and getting organized in the new year, I want to tell you to pick up the March 2012 issue of O magazine. Publishing the clutter-clearing issue arrive in March is wise; everyone else is doing it in January, and we've all run out of steam, given up or forgotten about it by March."
When you're done reading it, get organized!

KITCHEN KING: This might be the most elegant and yet quite user-friendly kitchen ever. From Atticmag:
"In this home in suburban Connecticut, a personal vision based on travels to France combined with a love for European furniture inspired a blockbuster kitchen with its own language of ideas and surfaces and – happily -- a budget sufficient to transform the dream into reality. Chief among the many striking features is a complex steel and glass ceiling that resembles a greenhouse, an imposing black La Cornue range with hood to match, and an island styled like antique English furniture that houses a stainless steel prep sink and features a teak-wood top with tiered glass and polished nickel bistro shelves in the center."

-- Bridget A. Otto

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Interior design news & notes: Pillow finder; new store in Seattle; and one fabulous kitchen

Q. Is there a relatively easy and positive repair for an annoying water hammer that occurs in the hot-water line to the master bedroom bathroom sink in our house? It’s been going on for years, and I’m concerned it may cause damage. This is a three-story townhouse; the bedroom is on the top floor.

Herndon

(Image Source/GETTY IMAGES)

A. Water hammer doesn’t usually damage plumbing, but it can certainly be annoying. Luckily, what needs to be fixed isn’t usually tucked inside walls that would need to be opened up to make the repair.

Most often, the problem is a failed gasket in the pressure-reducing valve where water comes into the house. Replacing this valve, including the part and labor, costs less than $300, according to Connie Hodges, operations manager at Wacker Plumbing & Remodeling in Sterling (703-450-5565, http://www.wackerplumbing.com).

There are other possible causes, ranging from things as simple as a loose washer to air trapped in piping. Like a skilled birder, an experienced plumber can listen to the noise and identify what the specific sound means. Irvin Schools, a plumber for 39 years and co-owner of H&S Plumbing and Heating in Herndon (703-437-6966), says it usually takes less than half an hour to diagnose the cause, because the sound is such a good clue.

“It depends on whether it’s a chatter or a steady thump,” Schools said. Chatter usually means a problematic washer or valve. A single thump often points to trapped air within the pipes. Fixing that can be as simple as turning off the water, draining the pipes and then refilling them.

Plumbers charge wildly different rates, but folks with the lowest prices sometimes know a lot less than those who charge more, so in the end you don’t always save by going with the lowest rate. H&S charges $120 for the first half-hour and $35 for each 25 minutes thereafter, plus parts.

I recently had my basement waterproofed and painted. Now I would like to put in shelving for box storage, but the shelving units I want are 18 to 24 inches deep, and that is too deep for a footing ledge that runs on two sides of the basement. Both the height and depth of the ledge are somewhat variable, but generally it’s about 6 inches high and 15 inches deep.

Is there shelving with adjustable legs so the front can be longer than the back and extend over the ledge? Or do I just need to hire a carpenter to build custom wood shelves?

Alexandria

Here are a few ideas:

Set the shelves you want on the ledge and add adjustable legs at the front to support the overhang.

Or shop for cabinets and shelves made for garage storage; these often include adjustable legs because garage floors usually slant toward the door. You might be able to omit the legs in the back and install legs that adjust to 6 or 7 inches in the front.

Or buy a wooden shelving system with adjustable shelf heights. Determine where to install the bottom shelf so it will be higher than the ledge, and simply cut off the legs in the back to match the ledge height at that spot.

Or bring in a carpenter and get shelves built exactly how you want them.

My rental apartment has vertical blinds. They make a lot of noise when I open the adjacent windows, and the pieces fall out. I’m tired of reassembling them and want to replace them, even if the landlady refuses to pay for the change. I’ve been thinking of putting in a sheer for light during daytime, with a heavier curtain for night. The total width of the window is about 12 feet. Any suggestions?

Hawaii

Two options are panel track blinds and vertical pleated shades.

Panel track blinds, also known as sliding window panels or panel tracks, resemble vertical blinds, but the panels are wider and less rigid, with a heft that’s more like the shade on a roller shade. Panels are available in styles that range from sheer to opaque. Comfortex and Bali are two manufacturers that offer this style.

Vertical pleated shades are made with a honeycomb material, as in standard pleated shades. However, the pleats run up and down, and the shades have side rails that you push or pull to open or close. Bali Verticell is one example.

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How To: Repair water hammer in pipes

Researchers led by Robert Odze at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston report on their clinical and pathological analysis of Crohn's disease in Modern Pathology. The researchers compared patients with colonic Crohn's disease and those with colonic and ileal Crohn's disease. "Patients with isolated colonic Crohn's disease at initial presentation show distinct clinical and pathological features compared with the colon of patients who present with both ileal and colonic involvement," the authors write, adding that "further studies should be conducted to determine whether the histology of the colon in patients with colonic Crohn's disease is related to the development of malignancy, molecular phenotype, and specific outcome, on a prospective basis."

University of Minnesota Medical School's Youngki Kim and his colleagues describe their study of laminin isoform expression in diabetic neuropathy and other renal diseases in an advance, online Modern Pathology article. They found that ?5, ?2 and ?1 chains — which are part of the glomerular basement membrane — are over-expressed in diabetic nephropathy kidneys. "The alterations in basement membrane composition in various renal diseases seem to not only reflect the balance between synthesis and degradation of normal basement membrane constituents, but also the aberrant new expression of basement membrane molecules," Kim and his colleagues say. "Thus, tissue remodeling may incorporate both an increase of normal constituents and emergence of abnormal constituents during disease exemplified by diabetes."

Original post:
This Week in Modern Pathology

Acuity Brands Lighting
1 Lithonia Way
Conyers, GA, 30012
USA

Press release date: February 3, 2012

Award recognizes nLiGHT system as the top product in the lighting controls category.

ATLANTA - Acuity Brands, Inc., (NYSE: AYI; "Company"), a market leader in innovative energy efficient lighting and control solutions, is pleased to announce that its nLiGHT? Network Lighting Control System from Sensor Switch? recently received a 2011 Top Products Award for lighting controls from Building Operating Management, the most preferred publication among building owners and facilities executives.

The Top Products Awards from Building Operation Management recognize the best products from manufacturers and suppliers from the past year as determined by building and facility executives who participated in a national survey. Top Products were selected based on the criteria of innovation and usefulness to facility managers. Winners were selected from a field of more than 500 possible products.

"It is a real honor to be selected for this award," said Ben Hahn, Acuity Brands Lighting Vice President and Value Stream Leader for Sensor Switch. "What makes this award even more credible is that professionals in the industry voted on the winning products. It's very gratifying to know building operators, facility managers and design engineers chose nLiGHT as the top product in the lighting controls category. We are thrilled that nLiGHT is a valued solution for their lighting control needs."

First introduced in 2007, the nLiGHT system is a revolutionary digital architecture and networking technology that cost-effectively integrates time-based, daylight-based, sensor-based and manual lighting controls. Designed to function in an individual room or to be networked together across an entire facility or campus, the nLiGHT system is an easy-to-use and easy-to-install lighting control system. It significantly cuts energy consumption while enhancing user and occupant convenience. nLiGHT intelligence is also embedded in LED luminaires from Lithonia Lighting? - offering a complete and customizable lighting solution with integrated controls.

About Acuity Brands
Acuity Brands, Inc. is a North American market leader and one of the world's leading providers of lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoorapplications. With fiscal year 2011 net sales of $1.8 billion, Acuity Brands employs approximately 6,000 associates and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, and in Europe and Asia. The company's lighting solutions are sold under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting?, Holophane?, Peerless?, Gotham?, Mark Architectural Lighting(TM), Winona? Lighting, Healthcare Lighting?, Hydrel?, American Electric Lighting?, Carandini?, Antique Street Lamps(TM), Tersen?, Sunoptics?, Sensor Switch?, Lighting Control & Design(TM), Synergy? Lighting Controls, Pathway Connectivity(TM), Dark to Light?, ROAM?, RELOC? Wiring Solutions, and Acculamp?.

Read more here:
Sensor Switch nLiGHT® Network Lighting Control System Awarded 2011 Top Product ...

Summary: The installations have a dual agenda: save on electricity and promote U.S. green technology innovations.

The U.S. embassy in Madrid is undergoing a lighting retrofit, thanks to a joint program of the Alliance to Save Energy and the League of Green Embassies.

LED technology maker Cree is working with the Alliance to Save Energy and the League of Green Embassies to improve energy efficiency at U.S. embassies during 2012 in Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Madrid and Lisbon. Each of the installations is helping save between 45 percent and 76 percent of the energy needed for interior and exterior lighting at the facilities, according to Cree.

The lighting installations span a number of applications, depending on the location. Those include security lighting, indoor lighting, area lighting, walkway lighting, parking lot lighting and roadway lighting.

The projects serve two purposes: first, they are obviously meant to save the government a bit of money; second, they are meant to showcase U.S. in the green technology space.

The installations will be completed and rolled out during 2012.

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues.

Disclosure Heather Clancy

Writing publicly about what the high-tech industry is actually doing to help itself and the world get greener or more sustainable is one way I figure I can contribute more meaningfully to said effort. I am also a big OMG-kind-of-fan of smart leadership, which is why the goodly folks who publish this blog let me go on about this topic and why I am always on the hunt for forward-looking business management ideas.

My daily writing is focused on looking for topics for my blogs, GreenTech Pastures and Business Brains. I also write often about emerging technology trends such as mobile computing, unified communications and cloud computing. Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where a speaking engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as appropriate.

My corporate writing work usually consists of crafting research white papers about some aspect of technology. In the event that my commentary (in written, audio or video form) mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. However, there is no connection between these projects and the topics that I am covering in my blog.

Biography Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues. Her articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In a past corporate life, Heather was editor of Computer Reseller News, where she was a featured speaker about everything from software as a service to IT security to mobile computing.

Heather started her journalism life as a business writer with United Press International in New York. She holds a B.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has a thing for Lewis Carroll.

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Cree LEDs green up U.S. embassies across Europe

Photos courtesy of Appliance Art

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Today, the Ways 2 Save Home Renovation Week continues.

Yesterday I showed you my favorite granite alternative to create new life for your bathrooms, kitchens and countertops. Today, the message is don't replace, reface.

I've heard from countless viewers who, like me, were unhappy with their white appliances and not-so-exciting kitchens.

Today, I want to expose a renovation secret that will increase the appeal of your home.

When my fiancée and I settled on a place to live, there was no way to justify buying stainless steel appliances or upgrading our cabinetry since the dreary white dishwasher, fridge, microwave and stove were all brand new.

White... but new.

I'd heard about Appliance Art on the home design circuit. The highly creative company has attracted the attention of Rachael Ray, The Today Show, HGTV, Food Network and countless others, so I decided to put it through the Ways 2 Save ringer.

Here's how it works...

1. Measure your fridge or whatever appliance or cabinet you want to upgrade.

2. CLICK HERE and settle on a pattern or theme that you would like to replace whatever drab eyesore has you down. Prices to convert a fridge max out at $89. Dishwashers and cabinets are $29 to $49.

3. Whether your pick is stainless steel or hundreds of fantastic designs, you'll be able to nail down a magnetic cover, or one with an adhesive, to cover every inch of your home improvement project.

4. Appliance Art will ship the appliance covers to you (very cheap USPS shipping rates).

5. Refacing your appliances is no more than a 15-minute project. The adhesive or magnetic covers are easy to clean (Windex usually does the trick) and designed to withstand years and years of wear, or something that you can remove in an instant if you change your mind without damaging the original façade.

Appliance Art not only has an astounding selection, but the materials are high quality, more durable than I expected and extremely easy to apply. There are also instructional videos and other great design tips which you can find on today's website.

The fact that you can change your whole kitchen for 90% less than buying new counters makes me one ecstatic customer.

CLICK HERE to discover your new kitchen.

Looking for more savings tips? I'll be sending those out after the show via Twitter. CLICK HERE

We receive absolutely no financial compensation for mentioning any company, product, or deal. The purpose of this segment is to find great deals -- that's it.

WGRZ

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Upgrade Your Kitchen to Stainless Steel for $89