30-04-2012 10:50 New housing costs have you overwhelmed? Why not spruce up your existing home with help from the experts? With the proper skills, tools and experience, we specialize in a wide range of remodeling and renovation services. We work with you to create an exciting design, then our experienced and knowledgeable crews work quickly to complete the job to your satisfaction, while maintaining a high standard of excellence. Whether you want to remodel a single room or your entire home, call us today.

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Charlie's Handyman Services - Video

30-04-2012 10:50 New housing costs have you overwhelmed? Why not spruce up your existing home with help from the experts? With the proper skills, tools and experience, we specialize in a wide range of remodeling and renovation services. We work with you to create an exciting design, then our experienced and knowledgeable crews work quickly to complete the job to your satisfaction, while maintaining a high standard of excellence. Whether you want to remodel a single room or your entire home, call us today.

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Don Wojan Contracting - Video

You know youre getting older when you catch your adult kids walking around with a tape measure envisioning the remodel after youre dead. Actually, in our younger sons case, hes sort of hoping for the remodel before were dead.

You could really do something with this place, he enthuses hopefully when he and his wife and the kids and dog are down for the weekend. He envisions, at minimum, a second-story master suite angled to maximize what would be an unobstructable ocean view, a wrap-around front porch for waving to the neighbors in our family-friendly neighborhood, and reconverting the ill-considered 1955 garage remodel back into a garage (amen to that). Were very clear that his fantasies include a remodel to his specifications on our dime.

We couldnt agree more that this tiny house on a prime lot could be morphed into a really fantastic place. Its had a lot of interior upgrades over time, but it is still the original 1947 footprint. Its 1,600 square feet (including the nasty-wood-paneled converted garage) felt enormous when my ex and I bought it in 1973, much smaller when we added two kids, positively palatial when the kids departed, and now totally sardine-ish when both kids and families show up. We think it will make a wonderful remodel for someone. But were not those someones.

Ill confess that a part of me has always regretted that the timing was never right for that view remodel (divorce, college bills etc.). As weve explained to the kids, the house, the cars, and their educations are finally all paid off. Definitely not looking for more debt, except at tax time when we realize our deduction-less tax burden singlehandedly supports several branches of state and federal government.

Weve told our younger son that we think all of his remodel ideas are wonderful and that we will be happily looking down (or up) on them when the time comes. He actually owns his own house in L.A. so its not like he and his family dont have a very nice roof over their heads. But I think if you grow up in La Jolla, you never lose the draw to this place.

Of course, the other way you know youre getting old, besides the kids standing on the roof with a sketchpad, is you have to set up those nagging Living Will instructions. (Its pretty much all downhill once you wake up on your 50th birthday and find both an AARP card and an appointment for a routine colonoscopy in the mail.)

But one does have to decide at some point who will make decisions for ones healthcare once neither you nor your spouse are able to. Did we want to appoint our older son, the clinical social worker who runs programs for the homeless and has done hospice care? Or should we go for the younger son who has an MBA?

In our fantasies, the social worker kid is sitting by our bedside adjusting our blankets and patiently listening to our endless repetitious stories as he quietly strokes our hands. The MBA kid, we envision, is parked on the other side, iPod earbuds cranked up to 120 decibels to drown out the annoying stories, comforting us with one hand, and calculating the negative cash flow of long-term care on the estate on his Blackberry with the other. Next thing we know, Pffft! Someone accidentally trips over the plug and were buried in the backyard.

For the record, the MBA kid does not find this story funny at all, insisting that a business degree would hardly prevent him from making compassionate decisions about our care. And besides, he points out, theres barely enough room in the backyard for the two of us without having to replace the entire irrigation system. And wheres the economy in THAT?

Actually, said Olof, the tripping over the plug part, intentionally or not, didnt sound half bad. Put us out of our misery. Besides, for all we know, it was the social worker kid, driven cumulatively mad after the 500th repetition of the infamous possum incident, whose foot suddenly intersected with the power cord. And if it came right down to it, burying us in the backyard (despite being massively illegal) actually sounds kind of charming given our fondness for the place.

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Remodeling our estate plan

CHICAGO, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Opal Enterprises, a Naperville roofing company, was recently named as a 'Best Pick' contractor for the third year in a row for its exterior remodeling services, including windows in Naperville and Wheaton doors.

To be named as a Best Pick, contractors must have received more than 100 positive customer reviews from customers. The research committee conducts interviews to determine the performance of contractors and only the best are named as a Best Pick and published in Best Pick Reports.

"When Best Pick Reports came to the Chicagoland market, we knew we wanted to get certified and qualified. It is a lot of work to gather all the customer information required to be a Best Pick. They ask nearly all of our customers about our service. Then they call our manufacturers to verify our certifications. It's a long process, but one that we think is well worth it," said Tara D. Opalski, Marketing Manager for Opal Enterprises (http://www.opalenterprises.net/).

Opal Enterprises can provide customers with siding in St. Charles, among other exterior remodeling services. The company holds some of the most advanced certifications in the industry and works hard to provide customers with personalized products and services in every project it completes.

"Over time, I have found that homeowners with an 'elite mindset' utilize Best Pick Reports because they themselves do not have the time to filter through contractors. We are pleased and honored to have been chosen again in 2012!" said Opalski.

About Opal Enterprises: Opal Enterprises (http://www.opalenterprises.net/) is a remodeling company that is family owned and operated. They have been installing windows, siding, and roofs for over 10 years. Located in Naperville, they are proud to serve the western suburbs of Chicago. Their niche is specific to better serve the homeowner in the needs of replacements and improvements of roofing, windows, doors, gutters and house siding in Lisle. Their focus is for their customers to have a pleasant experience while they tend to the end result of energy efficient beauty.

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Naperville Roofing Contractor, Opal Enterprises, Chosen As an EBSCO Research Best Pick™ For 3rd Year

PEABODY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ: BECN - News) (Beacon or the Company) announced it has promoted Kent Gardner to Executive Vice President-West Division. The Companys West Division is currently comprised of three regions: Shelter Distribution-Midwest, Shelter Distribution-Southwest and Pacific Supply.

Mr. Gardner started his career after serving in the United States Army and graduating from the University of Missouri. He joined Beacon in 2005 and was promoted to Vice President in March 2007 and to Senior Vice President in January 2011.

Paul Isabella, the Companys President & CEO, stated: Mr. Gardners leadership skills have been key to many of the important changes that we have implemented in several acquired companies over the years. In addition, the results for the regions he has overseen have improved significantly under his direction. Kents work ethic and team-building skills will continue to serve Beacon well in the coming years.

About Beacon Roofing Supply Inc.:

Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. is a leading distributor of roofing materials and complementary building products, operating 193 branches in 38 states in the United States and across Canada.

Forward-Looking Statements:This release contains information about management's view of the Company's future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's latest Form 10-K. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so other than as required by federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

BECN-F

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Beacon Roofing Supply Promotes Kent Gardner to Executive Vice President

May 1, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods) Wisconsin Woodchucks (Wausau) - This weeks roster additions look to bolster the Woodchucks depth in both the infield and the outfield. Jacob Jelmini (College of the Canyons) and Eric Filia-Snyder (UCLA) will add to the already deep talent pool on the "Chucks roster.

Jelmini, a sophomore first baseman, will be transferring to the University of Oregon this fall. So far this season at the College of Canyons, Jelmini leads the team, by a large margin, with a blistering .430 batting average. He also leads the team with 9 doubles and 24 RBI, and is second with 4 home runs.

Outfielder Eric Filiia-Snyder is a freshman at UCLA this season. Before coming to the Bruins, Filia-Snyder player for the Wenatchee Apple Sox of the West Coast Collegiate League. He hit .294 with 2 home runs and 15 RBI in 34 games, and was selected to play in the leagues all-star game. Prior to playing for the Sox, Filia-Snyder was a decorated player for Edison High School. He earned league MVP honors his junior and senior year. Never hit lower that .350 all four years, including his freshman year where he hit .500, tying Jeff Kent for the single season school record in batting average, while also setting the school record in hits.

Make sure to stay tuned to Woodchucks.com, as well as Facebook and Twitter, for player updates, ticket information and much more. The Woodchucks look forward to seeing you on Opening Night, June 1st, presented by Delta Dental of Wisconsin.

Also, don't forget, single game tickets are now on sale!! Check out Woodchucks.com for all the details.

Discuss this story on the Northwoods League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Woodchucks Announce Two More Players

The story so far: Mario Beauregard published a very silly article in Salon, claiming that Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) were proof of life after death, a claim that he attempted to support with a couple of feeble anecdotes. I replied, pointing out that NDEs are delusions, and his anecdotal evidence was not evidence at all. Now Salon has given Beauregard another shot at it, and he has replied with a "rebuttal" to my refutation. You will not be surprised to learn that he has no evidence to add, and his response is simply a predictable rehashing of the same flawed reasoning he has exercised throughout.

In his previous sally, he cited the story of Maria's Shoe, a tall tale that has been circulating in the New Age community for decades, always growing in the telling. This story is the claim that a woman with a heart condition was hospitalized, and while unconscious with a heart attack, her spirit floated out of the coronary care unit to observe a shoe on a third-floor ledge. As has been shown, she described nothing that could not be learned by mundane observation, no supernatural events required, and further, that the story is peculiarly unverifiable: "Maria" cannot be found, not even in the hospital records, and no one has been found who even knew this woman. The entire story is hearsay with no independent evidence whatsoever.

Beauregard attempts to salvage the story by layering on more detail. The description of the shoe was very specific, he says, right down to the placement of the laces and the pattern of wear, and she could not possibly have learned this by overhearing staff talking about it because "it would have been difficult for Maria to understand the location of the shoe in the hospital and the details of its appearance because she spoke very little English." This is a curious observation; the claim is that she could not understand a description of the shoe, but she was able to describe the shoe herself to a woman, Kimberly Clark Sharp, who did not understand Spanish.

"When I got to the critical-care unit, Maria was lying slightly elevated in bed, eyes wild, arms flailing, and speaking Spanish excitedly," recounts Sharp. "I had no idea what she was saying, but I went to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. Our faces were inches apart, our eyes locked together, and I could see she had something important to tell me."

The question isn't whether a seriously ill woman with poor command of English could see the shoe; it's whether a healthy, ambulatory, English-speaking woman who has made a career out of the myth of NDEs could see the shoe. Beauregard's additions to the anecdote do not increase its credibility at all.

Beauregard adds another anecdote to the litany, the story of another cardiac patient who was resuscitated and later recounted seeing a particular nurse while his brain was not functional. Seriously more anecdotes don't help his case. He threatens to have even more of these stories in a book he's in the process of publishing, but there's no point. He could recite a thousand vague rumors and poorly documented examples with ambiguous interpretations, and it wouldn't salvage his thesis.

This new anecdote is more of the same. The patient is comatose and with no heart rhythm when brought into the hospital; over a week later, he claims to recognize a particular nurse as having been present during his crisis, and mentions that she put his dentures in a drawer.

I am underwhelmed. I must introduce Beauregard to two very common terms that are well understood in the neuroscience community.

The first is confabulation. This is an extremely common psychological process in which we fill in gaps in our memory with fabrications. I described this in my previous response, but Beauregard chose to disregard it. The patient above has a large gap in his memory, but he knows that he existed in that period, and something must have happened; he knows that he was resuscitated in a hospital, so can imagine a scene in which he was surrounded by doctors and nurses; he knows that his dentures are missing, so he suspects that someone put them somewhere, likely one of the people surrounding him during the emergency. So his brain fills in the gap with a plausible narrative. This whole process is routine and unsurprising, and far more likely than that his mind went wandering away from his brain.

The second term is confirmation bias. Only positive responses that confirm Beauregard's expectations are noted. The patient guessed that a nurse he met during his routine care was also present during his episode of unconsciousness, and he was correct. What if he'd guessed wrongly? That event would be unexceptional, nobody would have made note of it, and Beauregard would not now be trotting out this incident as a vindication of his hypothesis. This is one of the problems of building a case on anecdotes; without knowledge of the range and likelihood of various results, one can't distinguish the selective presentation of chance events from a measurable phenomenon.

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Near-death, rehashed [Pharyngula]

May 1, 2012 - American Association (AA) Wichita Wingnuts WICHITA, KS- The Wichita Wingnuts made three major additions to their roster on Monday, signing outfielder David Peralta, as well as pitchers Edgar Martinez and Luis Chirinos.

The trio played together with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings last season, helping the club reach the North American League Championship Series.

In his first season as a position player, Peralta hit a remarkable .392 to capture the North American League batting title. Peralta also hit 17 home runs, and ranked fourth in the NABL with 81 RBI in just 85 games played. A left-handed hitter and fielder, Peralta scored 76 runs, slugged 30 doubles, and finished third in the league with a .661 slugging percentage. Peralta had at least one hit in 68 of his 85 games, and collected multiple safeties in 44 of them. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Peralta opened the season with a 14-game hitting streak in which he was 25 for 55 (.455), and went back-to-back games without a hit just four times all year. At the end of the season, Peralta earned North American League All-Star honors and added six more RBI for Rio Grande Valley in four playoff games.

"David will more than likely be our Opening Night right fielder," said Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper. He is a great baseball story who is coming off of a tremendous season. He was a pitcher in the past and only started hitting professionally last year, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. He is very valuable to us as a rookie who can contribute on a day-to-day basis. I'm really looking forward to watching him play."

Peralta originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 as an international free agent. The Carabodo, Venezuela native made his stateside debut in 2006 with the Appalachian League's Johnson City Cardinals where he was 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in two starts and one relief outing. The 24-year-old returned to Johnson City the following season and posted a 1-5 record with a 5.81 ERA in eight starts and seven relief appearances. Peralta has 64 strikeouts in 62.2 professional innings pitched.

Martinez led the NABL with 20 saves and was named Relief Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander had a 2.48 ERA in 31 appearances totaling 32.2 innings. Martinez struck out 60 batters--an average of 16.5 per nine innings--against a mere six walks, and did not allow an earned run in 26 of his 31 outings. The Valencia, Venezuela native held a 0.00 ERA through his first 14 games, and strung together nine more appearances without allowing an earned run from July 16th-August 17th.

"Edgar is a guy that will add a lot of experience to our bullpen," said Hooper. He has an outstanding resume and will give us another great option at the tail end of ballgames. He has significant time in Triple-A and was also a member of Boston's 40-man roster, which speaks to his ability. I'm excited to see what he can bring to the table for us."

Like Peralta, Martinez changed positions earlier in his career. The 30-year old signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 1998, and started his professional career as a catcher. Martinez demonstrated his arm strength for six seasons behind the plate (he owns a 37% caught stealing rate in 291 games at catcher) before completing his transition to the mound in late-2004.

Now in his 13th pro season, Martinez has a career 3.75 ERA with 43 saves in 235 appearances. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Martinez has logged 417.1 innings with 371 strikeouts and only 356 hits allowed. Martinez reached Double-A in just his second year as a pitcher, and spent all of 2007 and 2008 with Triple-A Pawtucket. Martinez participated for the World team in the 2006 Futures Game, and was on the Red Sox' 40-man roster from 2005-2007.

Chirinos was one of the top starting pitchers in the NABL last year. Another right-hander, Chirinos was 4-2 in 18 total games and ranked fourth in the league with a 3.95 ERA. Chirinos also finished fifth with 93 strikeouts and allowed just 75 hits in 82.0 innings of work. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, Chirinos pitched at least 5.0 innings in eight of his 11 starts, and racked up at least five strikeouts in nine of them. From June 4th-16th, Chirinos made three consecutive starts in which he did not allow an earned run, and went on to finish the season by not allowing an earned run in three playoff games.

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Wingnuts Sign Talented Ex-Teammates

LONDON The Genesis Professionals clinched their second straight basketball title in London after winning the 2012 Kapisanan ng mga Manlalarong Pilipino sa Inglatera (KAMPI) West winter league title against rival squad Stunners, 82-74.

The game between the Genesis and the Stunners last April 22 in Northolt, London was an eagerly anticipated rematch between last years KAMPI West summer league finalists.

Genesis were favorites going into the game despite having parted ways with the majority of their championship winning side in the off-season.

Experienced stalwarts such as former PBA veterans Mike Mustre and Ruel Bravo were replaced by some of the most talented players from both KAMPI East and West leagues.

Genesis rising talent Terence Mustre, son of Mike, was now joined by the likes of last seasons KAMPI West Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stanley Gitau, East MVP Bing Vidad, and a host of players from reigning East champions the Controllers.

Genesis lost only once in the eight-game regular season, dropping their game against Flight Club.

Meanwhile, former two-time champions Stunners were the underdogs, but had a consistent season and were not to be underestimated. Boosted by the addition of regular season MVP Jay Jahnke to their line-up, the finalists lost only once during the regular season against Genesis.

Apart from a few other additions, the main core of the Stunners team remained intact and were eager to get revenge against Genesis. Players like best forward Angel Ebilane, former MVP Jeff de Vera, George Pineda, Patrick Muyot and Lloyd Sambo all stayed to suit up for the black-and-red.

Tip off

Right from the tip-off, Genesis broke into an early lead and forced the Stunners into committing a series of turnovers, which Vidad eagerly took advantage off.

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Genesis win back-to-back West London titles

Another step toward deciding whether to renovate the current Frankfort Community High School building or to construct an entirely new school building was taken Monday night at Paschedag Auditorium.

The Frankfort Community Unit School District 168 board and Superintendent Greg Goins were joined by FGM Architects representatives Greg Brown and Todd Hanger in the second community forum to allow for input from local residents and, in turn, to inform them of several potential ideas for the future of the high school.

Goins and FCUSD 168 Board President Jerry Eader allowed Brown and Hanger to lay out four option plans that have been designed by FGM, ranging from a basic remodeling of FCHS, to a pair of varying renovation plans all the way to the construction of a new school, built in a separate, yet-to-be-determined location.

Option one, the least intrusive of the four, would be a basic remodeling project that would not involve moving of any walls of the building. Classes would continue to largely be departmentalized, while no square footage would added. The classrooms and cafeteria would stay their current size, meaning the campus would remain open during lunch period. The focus of option number one would largely be on aesthetics and bringing the building up to code. All the buildings that make up FCHSthe main three-story structure, the gymnasium, the fitness center and the vocational buildingwould remain in use. The first phase of option one would begin in 2015 and the fourth and final phase would begin in 2018.

"What we mean by a remodel is that we would be addressing the health, safety and welfare items, applicable code items, exterior walls, interior, finished upgrades, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades," explained Hanger.

The second option, renovation, would involve the demolition of walls and re-planning of the building while, again, keeping all the current buildings in play. Classroom size would be increased to closer to 750 square feet, with some some science rooms to around 1,000 square feet. Big changes in this option are the addition of a media center and increased cafeteria size, which would allow the campus to be closed during lunch, a point in which Goins has been directly in favor of throughout the forums. The construction schedule would be about the same.

"With the renovation option, now we are starting to tear down walls, trying to make classrooms the appropriate size, trying to make the cafeteria larger and trying to make those improvements that were identified," said Goins. "All the changes that would be made in both the remodel option and the renovation option are right here in this physical building."

Option three involves the renovations from option two, as well as additions to both the north side of the high school and Max Morris Gymnasium that total 14,000 square feet. The vocational building would still be used, but the fitness center (housed in the former Teen Town building) would be included in the addition to the gym along with a facility that could potentially house a room for the wrestling team. Brown said parking on the north side of the school would be eliminated to make room for the additions. This option would allow for separate rooms for band and vocal, which are currently housed in the same room on the first floor. Under option three classroom size would approach 775 square feet. Brown said this option could be completed in three phases beginning in 2015.

"This is what I would describe as a real "think outside of the box" concept," said Goins. "What we are talking about here with the renovation and addition is to build back (toward Popular Street) and build up to add more classroom space and have it meet our curriculum needs."

The fourth option is to reinvent FCHS as a totally new structure. The concept involves a a 140,000 square foot, single-story building that would house all of the current buildings that make up the school. The construction would be in a single complex. Vocational classes, parking and, potentially athletic fields and other areas would all be included in the new construction plan. Max Morris gym would remain in use, although practice facilities were included in the concept. A "cafetorium," a combination of a cafeteria and auditorium, would be included in the new building. Construction time is estimated at 16-18 months.

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Future FCHS plans mulled