Published: Friday, March 23, 2012 at 10:20 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, March 23, 2012 at 10:20 p.m.

A design for Houma's planned youth-education center on wetland-science and coastal-restoration issues should be complete by this summer.

Organizers with the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center say they hope to use the design to launch a fundraising campaign.

We're looking forward to taking the next step, said Martha Thibodeaux, president of the center's foundation. We want to prepare something visual and concrete to wage our capital campaign.

The center aims to teach middle- and high-school-age children about wetlands issues. It will be built on land behind the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center and will also have exhibits to attract visitors.

Board members selected the Perez architectural firm of New Orleans to design the buildings. Audubon Studios, a design staff at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, will design the museum themes, habitats and exhibits.

Spackman, Mossop + Michaels, a group with experience designing for zoos, educational facilities and botanical gardens, will serve as landscape designer.

The group will pay Perez $54,910 for the design, which will be ready by June, said Jonathan Foret, the center's development director.

The group hopes to raise about $1.2 million to build the main building. It will continue to raise money to expand the center from there, which will cost about $4.5 million total, Foret said.

The center will have to renegotiate a deal with the Terrebonne Parish Council that set aside land for the center. The council agreed to set aside the land for five years to give organizers time to raise money; that deal expires later this year.

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Architects hired for Houma's Wetlands Discovery Center

GARNER OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids completed nearly three days of discussion in Garner on Wednesday about what renovations citizens would like to see in their library.

The design which received the most support on Wednesday was extending the building by a total of about 3,000 square feet from the back of the facility.

The building at 416 State St. now measures 6,166 square feet. Plans include new heating and cooling systems, roof and replacement of several interior walls with columns, according to OPN architect Brad Brown.

We want to give you a nice, open flexible space, Brown said.

The plan also includes a large skylight to allow natural light into the building.

Among the other ideas were a separate childrens area with a large space for storytime and other activities, a teen space with bean bag chairs and an adult space with comfortable chairs and a fireplace.

Library director Ellen Petty said the library was built in 1978.

Most of the stuff in it is original to the building, Petty said.

The architects will return to Garner in about a month with drawings of the exterior facade, interior spaces and cost estimates.

We have Wi-Fi but we dont have places for people to sit and use it because thats not how the building was configured 34 years ago, Petty said.

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Architects gather ideas for Garner library update

By Nico Saieh (Click here for original article)

The exhibition and retail pavilion inside the Postojna cave is the first underground post office building in the world. The aim of the project was the renovation of a pavilion in the Concert Hall deemed inappropriate functionally and material-wise. The design would as well replace previously inappropriate visitor sanitary facilities located at the platform with new ones within the structure and connect them to a new biological treatment plant. The entire construction was possible only within the maximum dimensions of the partly demolished existing structure, while the specifics of construction in an underground cave required the use of inorganic construction materials appropriate for such conditions, adjusted to simple transport by the cave train and appropriate for manual fitting.

The entire construction and fitting of construction elements observed nature protection requirements for the smallest impact on the value of nature possible. The concept of sustainability is also reflected in the heating system and ventilation and, last but not least, the first underground biological treatment plant in Slovenia.

The exhibition and retail pavilion is designed in two parts. The pavilion part is a transparent, passable area with four entrances/exits, designed within a longitudinal volume in the form of the letter S, thus reflecting the wall of the underground hall. The volume is structured in a manner that directs the flow of visitors and points to entrances and exits.

In the renovated service part of the structure, service areas and new sanitary facilities for the visitors of the postojna cave were provided as well as connected to the treatment plant on the level of the platform. The interior of the structure functions as a uniform, flexible space with installed floor plugs for plug-in exhibits and movable equipment. The volume of the exhibition and retail area is transparent throughout the entire interior height, functioning as an extension of the concert hall.

The exhibition and retail area is flexible, as it is equipped with floor plugs prepared for plug-in equipment elements or exhibits. Other equipment elements in the exhibition niche can also be plugged in as desired to wall holders according to required exhibition or retail purposes.

Architects: Studio Stratum Polona Filipic, Peter Senk, Marko Pretnar, Grega Tramte Location: Postojna, Slovenia Collaborators: Marko Senk, Peter Emil Groselj Client: Postojnska jama, d.d. Structure: Spit d.o.o. Services: Winky d.o.o., Arctur d.o.o. Biological Treatment Plant: Cid d.o.o. Project Year: 2011 Photographs: Miran Kambic

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Exhibition and Retail Pavillion in the Concert Hall in the Postojna Cave / Studio Stratum

Video Game Review: Mass Effect 3 by Eric Deters Published: March 23, 2012

The end has come. The Reapers have arrived en masse, and the cycle must begin anew. For fans of Biowares epic science fiction trilogy Mass Effect, the day the final installment in the trilogy was released was among the moments that they had anticipated from the very beginning. The series had been billed as a roleplaying experience where every choice the player made throughout each of the nearly 30-hour long games would carry significant weight in the final outcome of their story, as well as have incredible influence on various minor encounters throughout. Along with that hefty promise, the developers intended to improve on the third-person cover-based combat, making it even more visceral and smooth than in the second game, and put it to further use in a multiplayer mode reminiscent of the Horde mode in the Gears of War franchise. Thats obviously a whole lot to live up to, and considering the unimaginably lofty expectations that fans have for this sweeping conclusion to what has so far been a transcendent roleplaying experience, its pretty impressive that Bioware managed to meet the majority of their promises. That minority, however, does consist of some fairly important issues that really should have been addressed.

Following the end of the previous game in the series (as well as its final DLC pack, Arrival, which you should play to understand its impact on the introduction of the game, if not for the fact that its quite good), Mass Effect 3 sees Commander Shepard attempting to bring together the multitude of races in the galaxy to finally wipe out the Reapers, the race of sentient machines carrying out a cosmic cycle of development and destruction (hence why some fans choose to call them Mecha-Cthulhus) that have just invaded Earth by the beginning of the game. By the time the game begins, Shepard has managed to kill ONE of these monstrosities, and they invade Earth with a force clearly in the hundreds if not thousands. This kind of magnitude serves to emphasize the hopeless situation the galaxy is in; destroying a single Reaper takes entire fleets, and with the various races being as divided by petty conflicts as they are, getting enough firepower to take down a single Reaper is a serious challenge. However, the galaxy is given a chance thanks to blueprints for a Prothean super-weapon found on Mars (in the archives where humans first discovered Prothean technology) known as the Crucible, which is said to be the only way to truly defeat the Reapers once their invasion has begun. There are many other minor plot arcs that make up Shepards quest to win the war, such as resolving the Turian/Krogan/Salarian conflict, getting the Asari to join your cause, dealing with the Quarians and the Geth, and way too much concerning Cerberus, but they all feed in to the main arc of putting together the Crucible and uniting the galaxy to defeat the Reapers.

Among the my favorite elements of Mass Effect 3 is the way it weaves the myriad threads of the prior games by reacquainting you with former allies (for me, at least; some saw this string of coincidences to be a bit unrealistic). As you would expect, every party member from the first game, save the one you sacrificed on Virmire near the games conclusion, will make a rather major reappearance in this game; Garrus joins your party for the third time, making him the only character to do so in every game, Liara applies her knowledge of the Protheans to aid in the completion of the Crucible, and Wrex (if you didnt kill him on Virmire, and if you did, shame on you) is the galactic ambassador for the Krogans. Its like a big reunion of some of the best characters in games, period, and everyone feels important in regards to the plot. Well, with the exception of James Vega, that is (aside from a controversial DLC character, but well get to him later). Vega is the only new party member in the game (the character that makes me hesitant to say that would constitute a pretty big spoiler, along with one of my favorite moments in the game), and hes the typical meat-headed war buddy character common in more action-oriented games like Call of Duty or Battlefield. The thing is, hes not really filling a role that was left open after the other two games and he simply doesnt fit in this universe. His gimmick of calling Shepard Loco (which, if youre a Renegade or simply not in the mood, you can shoot down completely) is only slightly endearing, and he doesnt have the relevance to the plot that our buddy Garrus, who Id call the only one that comes close to his archetype, has in spades. Hes also not given enough depth to make him a worthwhile addition, and considering the fact that the game takes the squad size back down to the originals size of 6 (considering you have the aforementioned DLC, which were still not talking about yet) means that there are no truly great additions to the main cast, unlike in the prior games, where EVERY new character stood out in some way.

Okay, time to talk about From Ashes, the day one DLC containing a new ally and a single mission. This all costs $10, which means that it is WAY over priced (I got it through the Collectors Edition, so thats why I actually have it). The catch is that the ally you get is a Prothean. For non-fans, this means nothing, but for fans, this knowledge is astounding. This is the race whose technology gave humans the capability to travel through space and find the Citadel, and they were all supposedly wiped out by the Reapers. You may be starting to understand why this is a point of controversy among fans. The fact of the matter is that the Prothean companion, named Javik, should be in the game, and not because of the reason that fans pointed out (with EA and Bioware trying to get as much money out of fans as possible). He provides an incredible amount of insight regarding the conflict and various characters on the ship that feels vital to understanding the story as a whole. His position as a character you have to pay $10 for and play through a boring mission with a pretty boring adversary sours this deal a whole lot, and thats what makes this easy to say; you should have Javik in your party, but you shouldnt have to pay for him. Paradoxes are usually fun, but this one is just annoying.

I do have some minor problems with the story that were easy to get over in the long run. Cerberus, your employer from the second game, has a HUGE role to play in this game, and I dont like it, personally. It takes away from the main conflict with the world-ending Reapers (who have far more interesting combat units), even more so than doing odd jobs for the different races to bring them into your cause. In the first game, Cerberus is something you hear more about than you actually encounter. Theyre talked up as terrorists and war criminals, generally people you dont want to mess with. Then, in the second game, when they bring Shepard back to life, he has no choice but to work with them, though their methods dont seem as brutal or gratuitous as the various news stations made them out to be in the first game. The Illusive Man does put man lives at risk through his attempts to gather information on the Collectors, but it all made sense in the end; his ideas were logical and you could see that he had a clear, noble goal in mind. In this game, however, Cerberus is seemingly everywhere just to be a pain in your ass. Given the ending, it makes a tad bit more sense, but the Illusive Man and his right hand man Kai Leng show up at the worst moments doing things that wouldve been downright insane considering their mindset in the second game. Another enemy that I felt took the focus away from the Reapers was the Geth. I get the idea now that these factions were thrown against Shepard because everything WOULD go wrong in these circumstances and there needed to be some variety, but seriously, weve had enough of the Geth. They were amazing enemies in the first game, since they had an interesting backstory and were incredibly menacing due to their ruthlessness. But in the second game, Shepard meets Legion, a Geth that sees himself as against the heretics (this is getting into spoiler territory for Mass Effect 2, but seriously, if you havent played it, something is wrong with you for reading this review), or Geth that follow the Old Machines (the Reapers). Then, through his loyalty mission (which, by the way, are completely removed in Mass Effect 3, much to my chagrin), Shepard and Legion either a) destroy the heretic splinter group or b) rewrite them, effectively brainwashing them to follow Shepard. This is probably the best moral choice in the entire series, but thats beside the point. In Mass Effect 3, your decision didnt accomplish jack and the Quarians have instigated war on the Geth to reclaim their home planet, which results in the Geth rejoining the Old Machines (except for Legion, because hes cool like that). In a game about choice and consequence, this entire segment shouldve been removed. Shepard already solved their conflicts; it hadnt gotten the Quarian homeworld back to the people, but it was close enough. Whyd they have to screw the pooch and give Shepard more problems to solve?

For my last point on the story (I know this review is getting long, but gosh do I love talking about this game), theres the ending. I cant say much about it, but I will say that it does feel like Bioware has kind of cheated us players in some way. The development team promised a huge number of variables figuring into the very end of your game, resulting in a multitude of endings with vastly different outcomes. In the end, thats not the case at all. Your choice at the end is between (as some forum users so elegantly put it) three different colors and the effectiveness of your choice is determined by doing a lot of sidequests in this game only. Sure, factors from the first two games play a part in the story as a whole for this game (which, like I dont believe Ive truly stated yet, is fantastic for the most part), but in the very final cutscene that brings about the total conclusion of this trilogy, none of it really affects the outcome. Not to mention the fact that no real resolution is given to players, especially not for the fate of the galaxy following that devastating war or how it affected your team members or other people you met in your journeys. That is, however, only one of the ways to read that ending.

The other way involves something called the Indoctrination Theory (I wont include a link here, but look it up if youve finished the game), which, if true, is among the most mind-blowingly meta things Ive ever experienced. However, even if it is true, the idea of resolution is missing. So, no matter how you look at it, whether optimistically or pessimistically, Bioware has shipped something of an unfinished story, and thats a shame.

I think its finally time to talk about the gameplay. I mentioned earlier that the gunplay had been made much smoother and quicker, which I believe makes for a far more enjoyable game to play, even from the vastly improved Mass Effect 2. Abilities have been added, such as Nova for the Vanguard (only class I played for the most part), which combines wonderfully with their Biotic Charge ability. These kinds of additions directly improve the flow of combat regarding each class unique abilities, and propagate the brutal, visceral nature of the games new combat system. The biggest addition comes with the weapon system, wherein any class can now use any weapon with efficiency. The weapons can also be modded with different damage, accuracy, or capacity upgrades. However, Shepard cannot wield all of the heaviest weapons he wants if he also wants to make the fullest use of his biotic and tech abilities. As you equip Shepard with weapons, his ability recharge percentage will go down, all the way to -200%. This reconciliation between armed combat and ability-based combat helps players craft their own experience to a great degree, and it allows for some excellent specialization. The designers sought to bring the impactful and exciting combat experience and the roleplaying roots of their science fiction franchise into harmony with one another, and theyve done it wonderfully in my opinion. The new multiplayer mode takes this improved combat experience and takes away much of the story and context in each situation, for better or for worse. It distills that side of the game for those who want it, along with the choice-based level up function (which takes the final stage of the abilities from Mass Effect 2 where you were given two radically different advances and implements them three times for each ability) and weapon system translate well to the challenge of a Horde mode in this series, and in the end, it wasnt a bad addition.

After the first level of Mass Effect 3, I was ready to say that the aesthetic representation hadnt improved much from the second game in the series. While the lighting and cinematic scale were astounding, the facial animation, which is one of the staples of the series and is paramount to selling the believability of the alien races that Shepard interacts with, was just off. However, as the game went on, I stopped noticing anything wrong with that (other than Jessica Chobots role in the game as Diana Allers, a newscaster that tries to get a room on the lower deck of the Normandy and the new Ashley Williams. Seriously, theyre hard to look at) and was simply more blown away with the amazing vistas of destruction and magnitude throughout the main story missions. The incredible score by Jack Wall has also returned, and alums of the original game Faunts have returned to compose this games final credits song, and its just as cool as their previous efforts. I shouldnt even have to mention it, but the voice acting in this game is the industry standard, with a number of both skilled specialists in this field as well as celebrity cameos (including Martin Sheen, Tricia Helfer, Keith David, Steve Blum, and Seth Green).

Originally posted here:
Video Game Review: Mass Effect 3

Published 5:54am Saturday, March 24, 2012

If there is a room more valuable to a home than the kitchen, Phil Anderson hasnt found it.

The owner of Cut Above Wood Designs in Niles has been remodeling kitchens with his company for the past 15 years.

It started as a one-man operation doing mostly kitchen refacing, but has since grown to five employees specializing in high-end kitchen redesigns.

Anderson also does entertainment centers, furniture, mantles, bookcases and countertops.

For Anderson, having a quality kitchen is very important.

Not only has the kitchen become a gathering spot for the family, its also a major factor in the resale value of a home, Anderson said.

Remodeling a kitchen can be an expensive undertaking. Anderson said his companys remodeling jobs average between $10,000 to $15,000, with moderate remodeling jobs falling between $10,000 and $12,000.

It can fluctuate a lot depending on several things, from what style you are looking for to the size of the kitchen, Anderson said.

There are several things to consider before remodeling a kitchen.

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Serving Niles since 1886

An office building Shelby County bought and is remodeling has several unexpected problems, which has added some to the costs.

The Northside Courthouse Building at 18 W. Polk St. is the former office of local lawyer Robert Marshall.

The county is in the process of revamping it to take Shelby County Community Corrections out of the cramped, crumbling house it's in now and give the public defenders' office a more professional space.

The county bought the building in March 2011 for $207,500, and the cost to remodel is up to $457,000 and rising, all paid out of the county's racino fund.

"We felt like we could do it a lot cheaper than we could," County Commissioner President Tony Newton said. "It has turned into a more expensive project than anybody ever anticipated."

Costs rose as safety features and different materials were added into the mix. After being awarded the bid at $446,000, the contractor, Runnebohm Construction of Shelbyville, found that the building had several structural issues, including a missing support wall.

"The support system for the building had been removed over time," said Chris King, executive vice president at Runnebohm. "Once we got into the walls, we started finding a lot of unknown conditions."

Another problem was a time-consuming dig through several layers of floor, evidently built on top of each other, to get to a sewer main that had to be replaced.

King said Runnebohm has had success mitigating some of the unexpected costs by reducing costs elsewhere in the project. He said the company employed what they call value engineering to find ways to save money on the project, so that unexpected issues wouldn't derail the project. The fix for the structural projects was $30,000, but that was mitigated by $19,000 in cost savings, such as keeping parts of the sidewalk and modifying the reception desk instead of building new.

That places the cost at $457,000, plus $20,000 added Tuesday at the Shelby County Council meeting to install phone lines, fiber optics and other repairs, adding up to $477,000.

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Cost of office rehab rising

Process to begin from May 1; now candidates can exercise their choice by using Internet from anywhere

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Union Health Ministry to go ahead with online counselling from May 1 for filling postgraduate medical seats under the 50 per cent all-India quota in government colleges.

A Bench of Justices Deepak Verma and K.S. Radhakrishnan gave the nod for the Ministry's proposal after senior counsel Ashok Bhan explained the schedule. The entrance examination results were expected in a couple of days and personal counselling, which should commence on March 27 under the present system, could be dispensed with if online counselling was approved. If permitted, it could begin on May 1, counsel said.

A proposal for online counselling for undergraduate courses for 2012-13 would also be submitted to the court shortly.

Under the online system of seats allotment, candidates need not come to the counselling centre. He/she can exercise his/her choice by using Internet from anywhere. Even for the second and third counselling, he/she can follow the same procedure. The National Informatics Centre is making the online counselling process.

Under the online system, the college, subject and seats will be identified for the open category, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Other Backward Classes and the physically handicapped. Identification will be done by arranging seats alphabetically, State-wise, college-wise, degree subjects and then PG diploma subjects.

In its application, the Health Ministry said that since the number of seats available under the all-India quota in both PG and undergraduate courses had increased over the years, it was not possible to complete counselling by personal appearance within the prescribed time limit. Further, the online system would benefit candidates, including physically challenged persons, girl students and their parents, who were now required to undertake a long journey.

At present, there was provision for two rounds of counselling. Under online counselling, there would be three rounds, ensuring that most of the seats were filled.

The Ministry sought the following modifications: Candidates, five times the number of seats available for allotment to all qualified aspirants, will be given chance to participate in online counselling; candidates will have the right to choose from seats available in a particular category without any restriction on the number of choices of course and college; each candidate will be given 10 days' joining time; the allotment made will be final; candidates who do not register for online allotment process during the notified dates or who do not fill up their choice, online, for allotment or those who do not join the allotted course/college within the stipulated time will forfeit their claim for a seat under the all-India quota scheme.

At the end of the counselling period, the vacant seats will be surrendered to the respective States.

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Supreme Court clears decks for online counselling for PG medical seats

Nothing says summer like a dip in the pool, so you've decided to have an in-ground model installed. Here's what to consider before taking the plunge.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE AND KATHIE SMITH

Maltese Pools excavates and installs an in-ground, concrete swimming pool at the home of Mike and Kathie Smith, Maywood

Know Your Options

There are three types of in-ground pools: Vinyl, concrete and fiberglass. The first two are most popular in North Jersey.

Vinyl pools are pre-formed, flexible sheaths that fit into the hole and are attached to reinforced walls of aluminum, steel or a polymer compound. The liners come in a variety of colors and patterns. Over the years, vinyl has remained the most popular choice in our area, according to Bob Maltese, owner of Maltese Pools, Wood-Ridge (maltesepools.com).

A vinyl liner can be pierced by pool tools, pet claws and other sharp objects, so check with your contractor about thicknesses.

Concrete pools can be any shape or size, because the concrete is sprayed or applied from a gun onto steel-reinforced walls. Once it cures, it can be smoothed and painted, finished with a textured surface or tiled.

A fiberglass pool is a factory-molded "bowl" placed by crane into an excavated area. The smooth finish is durable and non-porous. This discourages algae so fewer chemicals are needed for maintenance. However, there are fewer size and shape options, and delivery of an oversized, molded piece may present a problem with interstate transportation regulations.

Set a Budget

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Take the plunge with an in-ground pool

LADERA RANCH A Westminster man is out on bail Friday morning after being arrested for the second time in five months on suspicion of stealing parcels from people's front porches.

At 5:05 p.m. Monday, a man called police to say he was on Antonio Parkway in Ladera Ranch following someone in a green Toyota Camry who had just stolen a package off his porch.

Tien Kim Vu, 37, of Westminster.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT

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The man followed the suspect, described as an Asian male in his 30s with dark hair and glasses, as he turned onto Avendale Boulevard, Sklar Street and Ranunculus Street, which is a dead end.

The suspect turned around and made his way back to Antonio Parkway, and headed toward Crown Valley Parkway. Deputies had arrived by that time and pulled over the Camry into an Arco gas station parking lot.

Deputies found six UPS packages in the Camry, which was being driven by Tien Kim Vu. Deputies arrested Vu, 37, and he was charged with six misdemeanor counts of petty theft and one felony count of receiving stolen property.

Vu also faces an enhancement felony charge of committing a secondary offense while released from custody on another case. Vu was arrested last fall by Irvine Police, who found more than 150 packages in his home and car, according to an Irvine Police Department press release.

An officer had been tracking a series of thefts reported by residents in north Irvine, and twice the officer received information about a suspicious looking vehicle in the area near where the thefts occurred. On Oct. 27, the officer spotted the vehicle and saw Vu placing a package onto the passenger seat of the car, then getting in and driving away.

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Man arrested for second time in parcel thefts

Barbara Tabak actually gasped when I told her that my husband and I have a front porch.

This is a professional decorator, mind you. Shes seen and created interiors that would make magazine covers.

But when it comes to exteriors, the front porch is a rare breed.

The front porch is great, but the demise of the front porch really corresponds with the loss of neighborly interaction, Tabak said, hitting the nail on the head. Weve all moved to the back porch and lost that front porch feel.

Sigh. But hope is on the way. The National Association of Home Builders reports that by 2015, front porches will be standard in new homes. NAHBs Home of the Future uses resources efficiently and features a front porch, smaller square footage and a two-story design.

Hmmm. Sounds like the Home of the Future steals a few ideas from my home. You know the one built when William Howard Taft was president and a ship called the Titanic was just blueprints on a drafting table.

These last couple of weeks, we are all marveling at our sudden spring. Even without a bad winter behind us, were celebrating. Scarves and mittens go back into mothballs. T-shirts come out of storage. Women everywhere, afraid of cringing with embarrassment the first time they slip into sandals, are scrambling to schedule pedicures.

And were getting outside. Yards are getting cleaned of their winter debris. One photographer I know is planting lettuce already. When friends came over the other night, we had pre-dinner drinks on the front porch. Conversation seemed more sparkling from a porch swing, surrounded by warm evening air and the sight of tulips and daffodils pushing out of the ground in random but cheerful profusion.

Its no secret that outdoor living is integral to todays lifestyles, but Tabak, the decorator of Decorators Den in Susquehanna Twp., said that the industry is really catching up to those of us living in northern climes.

Outdoor furniture has greatly evolved from the folding vinyl strap pieces we had in the past, she said. Now we have teak, steel, rattan, wicker. It looks like outdoor furniture but for northeastern homes. Usually, outdoor living was confined to Florida and the south.

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Commentary: Porches make comeback as hot spots for homeowners