LAS VEGAS, NV -- Neolith, a brand of all-natural, premium compact surfaces for kitchen and bathroom countertops, flooring, interior wall cladding applications and exterior facades, unveiled its new Classtone product line at the 2014 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). The product features a marble aesthetic imprinted on Neolith's reliable, high-performance brand of sintered compact surface, a new material category in the industry.

"Neolith is perfect for architects, interior designers and other industry professionals who really aim at impressing their clients with striking designs and high-performance spaces," said Mario Ramirez, sales representative, North American markets, TheSize, LLC. "Experts are able to add a touch of lasting extravagance to homes, knowing that their clients can depend on the product for years to come."

The Classtone line is the latest addition to the growing portfolio of the Neolith brand, manufactured by Spanish company, TheSize. In an effort to connect past and future, Classtone pulls from the sheer sophistication of marble and pairs it with the innovative design and technical features of Neolith's classic product. Utilizing Neolith Digital Design (NDD), the state of the art decoration technique to attain marble-like features, the result is simple, yet attention-grabbing: a revival of classicism able to compete in the modern age. The product comes in four warm and intense colors: Pulpis, Marfil, Estauario and Marquina. Available in a 1/2" thickness, Classtone is especially suited for countertops.

The Neolith brand is the outcome of the latest research and development processes in the industry. The product is 100 percent natural, composed of raw materials--clays, feldspar, silica and natural mineral oxides--and is recyclable. Neolith has near-zero porosity, making the product hygienic, stain resistant, easy to clean and impervious to chemicals. The product is also wear, scratch, heat resistant and its colors, because they are all-natural, do not vary when exposed to UV rays. Additionally, the product is lightweight and easy to install, making Neolith suitable for virtually every indoor and outdoor home surface.

For a location near you or to learn more, visit http://www.neolith.com.

Read the original post:
Neolith Introduces Classtone Compact Surface Product Line

WESTBROOK - In the proposed town government budget the selectmen adopted in a 2-1 vote last week, town spending would rise by 4.1 percent to $8,341,097 and annual town debt payments by $63,451 or 2.5 percent. The proposal also funds requested additions to some town staff members' hours and several new positions.

"People-town staff, chairs of town board and commissions-were all very much engaged in the entire budget process," said First Selectman Noel Bishop.

The combined budget of town government and debt service payments would rise to $10,921,149 from $10,525,423 in the current year, an overall town budget increase of $395,726 or 3.8 percent.

Had the original requests from town staff and board and commission chairs all been granted, it would have meant a 5.5 percent increase in non-personnel accounts. The Board of Selectmen (BOS) in a memo told these spending units that the non-personnel spending increase target was three percent and asked each unit to suggest 2.75 percent in specific cuts from their budgets.

"This year we used three-year trend line spending reports to guide our decision-making," said Bishop.

The reports allowed the selectmen to identify which town spending units didn't spend their appropriations fully over the past few years or whose spending fluctuated.

Selectman Chris Ehlert had a different view of the budget process that the Board of Selectmen followed to arrive at a final number this year.

"This was the most convoluted and haphazard budget process I've participated in as an elected town official," said Ehlert. "I couldn't support the budget because of the process by which the BOS arrived at the final budget number. It was misleading to town department heads and chairs of boards and commissions."

Ehlert, a Democrat, voted against the proposed town budget. Republicans Bishop and Selectman John Hall III voted to approve it.

"We're still not looking as selectmen at saving money in the budget by exploring shared services with the Board of Education, by bidding out our contracts for oil and electricity, or cutting the $75,000 town contingency account, which I view as a slush fund," said Ehlert. "I believe we could have gotten to a three percent increase without reducing town services."

See the article here:
Selectmen Send 4.1% Budget Request Forward

HOARDER: Nick with his beer cans.

COLLECTAHOLICS BBC2, 8pm

NICK has spent 38 years amassing an astonishing collection that most people would consider plain rubbish. Not the election manifestos of the Liberal Democrats, rather the 7,000 British beer cans that line his walls like modern art, all housed in a carefully-controlled setting, with the curtains closed and temperature maintained. Whether he's receiving medical attention is unclear.

Long-suffering wife Deborah has done her best to confine the cans to a single room, but Nick shows no sign of giving up his passion anytime soon. With no space left for new additions, can presenter Mel Giedroyc and antiques expert Mark Hill help the couple find a solution? And how much is skip hire these days?

Elsewhere, Stuart's love of all things railway has led to him building a lifesize 1950s railway station in his back garden to house his 1,000-piece collection of signs. We've all done it.

But Stuart's passion doesn't stop there. He has not one, but three huge collections. As well as his railway hoard, he has 'petroliana' (signs and equipment from petrol stations) in the garage, and an entire street of Victorian shops in his attic to house his 6,000 items of ancient packaging.

Read more from the original source:
The Sentinel published TV preview: Collectaholics

DEMAREST Security measures have been beefed up at five Demarest schools, thanks to a new emergency radio network.

The system has created a broad communication network that can be used by school and law enforcement to better manage emergencies in the borough and in schools, said Police Chief James Powderley.

The system allows police to communicate directly with school officials during a crisis. Users of the system also will be able to communicate with other schools that have the system.

Currently, five schools and two administrative buildings in the borough are equipped with the system. The network will be monitored by the County Communications Center in Mahwah, which is responsible for handling the dispatch of county support services. The radios, which cost roughly $1,800 each, are equipped with panic buttons and GPS tracking.

Demarest has not had a history of violent incidents in schools. But police as well as school officials were eager to take a proactive approach, particularly in light of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre and other tragic incidents in schools and public places in recent years.

The schools already are armed with cameras, security guards and monitors. But the radios offer quicker and more efficient assistance.

If a security guard or staff member spies a suspicious-looking person, they can call over the radio to dispatch and immediately report the incident to get help, said Powderley. The officers on route could even talk to school staff to find out where the person in question is. That is much quicker than calling 911, which puts the caller through to a call center, which might be several towns away. This brings us on the same page as the folks in the school building trying to manage the crisis, said Powderley. We can now communicate easier and react quicker.

The newly installed system proved itself Monday morning during a crisis at the Academy of Holy Angels, in which two students passed out in two separate areas of the building within moments of each other around 9:30 a.m.. Staff called in on the new radios, after the first student became unconscious and help was dispatched immediately. Another call was placed when the second student passed out.

Having these radios and being able to communicate directly with the school allowed us to quickly find the students, and determine it was a coincidence, Powderley said. We were able to eliminate the down time. The radio system eliminated much of the confusion that would have transpired had they called 911 twice about a student passing out, he said.

Jean Mullooly, dean of Students at the Academy of Holy Angels, added, They got here so quickly. An officer was right here within a few minutes. Had we needed to, we could have spoken to the officer while he was on his way. The girls were transported to area hospitals and were released several hours later to their families.

View post:
Montclair's first-ever Ladies Night Out this Friday

2 dead in NYC building explosion, 24 injured 2 dead in NYC building explosion, 24 injured

Updated: Wednesday, March 12 2014 4:57 PM EDT2014-03-12 20:57:03 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, March 12 2014 4:39 PM EDT2014-03-12 20:39:25 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, March 12 2014 4:33 PM EDT2014-03-12 20:33:40 GMT

Fire has destroyed an over 100-year-old home in Limestone County.

Piney Chapel and Owens volunteer firefighters responded to the call just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night. The house was located on Cross Key Road just west of Piney Chapel Road.

Upon arrival, firefighters said the house was fully involved. The owner of the home lives next door. He said he was remodeling the home, which is vacant, and was working in the home's attic a few hours before the fire.

The house is over 100 years old, but the fire was so large, firefighters could not save it, instead working just to contain the flames.

No one was hurt, but the home is a total loss.

Owens and Piney Chapel firefighters had to return to the scene later that morning after the fire rekindled.

Follow this link:
Fire destroys 100-year-old Limestone Co. home

Architects: Naysayer - Manchester, 07/03/14

By: TheBassExists .

Visit link:
Architects: Naysayer - Manchester, 07/03/14 - Video

Interview with Sam Carter Architects
It #39;s been almost four years since we last spoke to Sam Carter, lead singer of Architects. We spoke about their beast of a new album, Lost Forever // Lost Tog...

By: Music Box Unwinds

Read more:
Interview with Sam Carter Architects - Video

Setzer Yacht Architects NISI V1700 Yacht "Never On Sunday"
Sea trial of the Setzer-designed, NISI V1700 motoryacht "Never On Sunday." A high-performance, jet-powered sport cruiser, the 17-meter motoryacht features co...

By: Setzer Yachts

See the original post here:
Setzer Yacht Architects NISI V1700 Yacht "Never On Sunday" - Video

Lecture by Barry Bergdoll about three great architects of European architecture in the 19th Century
Barry Bergdoll: Henri Labrouste, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Heinrich Hbsch and Architectural Romanticism in the 19th Century Lecture, 26. 2. 2014, 7 pm Museum...

By: MuseumArchitecture

More here:
Lecture by Barry Bergdoll about three great architects of European architecture in the 19th Century - Video

Architects - Broken Cross Live YouTube | The Haunt, Brighton HD 1080p
Architects album release show stream; live at The Haunt in Brighton. This show was streamed via YouTube.

By: Luke Hogg

See the article here:
Architects - Broken Cross Live YouTube | The Haunt, Brighton HD 1080p - Video