(PRWEB) March 25, 2014

The Giroud Tree and Lawn bucket truck recently rolled into the parking lot at Glenside Library for Big Truck Day. Joining 8 other work trucks, Giroud volunteers, Joe Hock, Matt Giroud and Taylor Klein showed children how the bucket truck works and what kinds of tree service jobs Giroud Tree and Lawn does with it.

It was a great day, says Matt Giroud, Giroud Tree and Lawn Crew Leader. The kids were so excited to learn about the truck, see how it works and actually get a view from the drivers seat.

In addition to Giroud Tree and Lawns bucket truck, children were able to get hands-on tours of Cheltenham Townships recycling truck, backhoe and police SWAT vehicle, Glenside Volunteer Fire Companys truck, AAAs tow truck, JDM Materials cement mixer, Giant Foods Peapod truck, and the Montgomery-Norristown Librarys bookmobile.

This was our second year for Big Truck Day and it was a great success, says Stephanie Campbell, Head Librarian at Glenside Library in Glenside PA. Over 300 parents and kids enjoyed getting a close-up view of the trucks that do all sorts of important jobs.

About Giroud Tree and Lawn Giroud Tree and Lawn specializes in tree service, tree removal and lawn care programs that make customers love doing business with the company since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, the company offers professional tree and lawn evaluation, tree pruning, tree removal, insect and disease control, fertilizing, stump removal and traditional and 100% organic lawn programs to keep lawns healthy and green . Giroud Arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the knowledge and experience required to properly diagnose, treat and maintain trees and lawn health. The company has been awarded the Angie's List Super Service Award every year since 2005. The Giroud Treework for Charity program.

Visit link:
Giroud Tree and Lawn Shows Kids How a Bucket Truck Works as Part of Big Truck Day at Glenside Library

Saffron Saffron is used primarily as a spice to season numerous culinary dishes. Saffron is cultivated around the globe and is one of the most expensive spices around. The saffron flower is harvested for various healing purposes which include reducing menstrual pain to alleviating indigestion.

Sage Sage is a shrub like bush that is native to European countries. The woody branches of the herb bare fragrant flowers. Of course, sage is a favorite culinary spice and has many healing qualities enjoyed by numerous people over the years. Those that are bothered by too much mucous in the lungs or congestion in the chest should brew a cup of sage tea and drink a few times a day to ease the symptoms. Sage is also an excellent preparation for insect bites or any type of skin rash.

Sassafras The sassafras tree is native to North America and some parts of Asia. Sassafras tea is brewed and honey is added for a delightful drink. The bark of the sassafras tree is known to repel various bugs and insects. The roots of the tree are used to make molasses like syrup. Sassafras is considered a good treatment for skin rashes, wounds, and arthritic pain.

Savory Savory has a long history in the healing arts. Savory is also a welcome addition to culinary dishes. Summer savory is considered beneficial for the digestive system. Savory relieves gas symptoms and diarrhea. Savory tea is a treatment for coughs and has mild expectorant qualities.

Saw Palmetto Saw palmetto was a main ingredient in numerous medicinal preparations around the turn of the century. Recently, the herb enjoyed renewed popularity as a great herb to help regrow hair or cure male pattern baldness. Further studies suggest that this conclusion is inaccurate. However, traditional doctors are recommending the herb as an additional prostate treatment.

Seaweed Seaweed is also commonly referred to as bladder-wrack and commonly grows along the sea shores around the New England area in the United States. A soup preparation is made from the herb to treat glandular problems.

Online Sources Garden Stacker Planter + Indoor Culinary Herb Garden Kit- Great Gift Idea- Grow Cooking Herbs- Seeds

Medicinal Herb Garden Starter Kit- Start Growing Fresh Medicine Herbs

More Online Sources Herb Reference http://www.herbreference.com/

Herb Formulas http://www.emedicinal.com/herbal-formulas.php

The rest is here:
Amazing Herbs A to Z: S

By ULA ILNYTZKY Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - The domes and arched ceilings - each arrayed with tiles in herringbone and basket-weave patterns - are hidden in plain sight. Millions of people walk under them every day at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal, New York's St. John the Divine, the Boston Public Library, the San Diego Museum of Man and hundreds of other places.

But Rafael Guastavino and his son Rafael Jr., the makers of these sweeping tiled vaults that provide both decoration and structure, have mostly been forgotten, in part because credit went to the architects who commissioned them.

A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York tells the story of the master masons who, between the late 1800s and the time their company closed in 1962, created vaults, domes and other tile work in 1,000 buildings in 42 states.

"Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile" focuses on their 250 commissions in New York - the most of any other city where their work is found.

The Guastavinos arrived in New York from Barcelona in the late 19th century and patented a thin-tile vaulting technique based on a 500-year-old Spanish building method that was lightweight, extremely strong, self-supporting and fireproof. Fires were a great concern in the late 19th century as many buildings were made of wood.

Their method of interlocking and layering thin clay tiles with quick-drying mortar in decorative patterns revolutionized architectural design. It created grand palatial interiors, such as the delightful Elephant Room at the Bronx Zoo and New York's City Hall subway station, an ornate subterranean cathedral of glazed green, ivory and brown tiles now shuttered and only viewable through the window of a passing train.

Instead of using heavy stone, they used a particularly thin ceramic tile that is similar to brick that can be glazed in different colors, said John Ochsendorf, the exhibition's co-curator and a professor of architecture at MIT and author of "Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile."

"I think of them as Gothic master masons in the great Gothic tradition where it took a century to build a cathedral," except they worked on 100 buildings simultaneously since the light tiles allowed them to work at a quick pace, Ochsendorf said.

"At the simplest level they're builders. But they're also acting as architects, as engineers and interior decorators choosing patterns of tiles, color and schemes," added Ochsendorf. "The vault is ... their great contribution to American architecture. It is a fusion of art and technology that engineers still struggle to understand."

Read the original post:
Look up: Tile artists' work hidden in plain view - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

Islamic geometric artwork, tile work, parquetry and illumination are considered a very rare form of art nowadays. Its considered an old art haven used during the peak age of the Islamic Empire centuries ago when they studied the beauty of things and have since did all they could to study and perfect their handwork. Architects and artists alike studied math and geometry and explored that world and have thus created masterpieces found all over the Islamic world. The Caliphates have always been keen to educate pupils and help elaborate on the beauty of the Islamic religion, leading to creating masterpieces in mosques, palaces, gardens and others. Dana Awartani is a Saudi-Palestinian artist keen to revive this sacred old art and has found that right mix to reintroduce it into the modern world we live in today. It was a difficult road but she has persevered and pushed and introduced it into a new light that is finding wide acceptance in both Saudi and international societies. Arab News met with Dana and found out what she had to say about her fixation on her art and the reasons why she does what she does today.

Its my understanding that it takes a lot to do what you do, concentration, balance and mastering plenty of patience when creating one of your pieces whether it be with tiles or your pencil and paint brush. Tell us how you did you find that balance and patience? Did it take a lot out of you just to get to that level? My training in art was very schizophrenic, even the way I practice my art as well. I first started with conventional training at Central Saint Martins in London, training in fine arts, learning about the mental thinking of art, how to create a piece and how to critique it as an example. After graduating, I found that I craved to create art using my hands, I knew how to paint and draw since a young age but I wanted to do more after graduating. Having enrolled into The Princes School I found that I was learning things completely opposite of what I learned before. I was learning about the craft and handwork in high end art, I learned a craft every week and my interest grew and that helped me to teach myself other crafts such as Moroccan ceramic technique. Geometry was the core of the whole course and I thought Id struggle because Im really horrendous with math, but realized that geometry is more visual than numbers. I absolutely loved it. Yet I still found something missing, so I combined by previous intellectual education with the handwork type of education I was studying at the time and found that balance, that wanting to create something that can be hung and appreciated and that required perfection with the help of balance and patience combined.

How difficult is the process of creating your art? I think the process is more important that the end result. The way you create your art, whether it be geometry or illumination, I cant be in a bad mood or not centered. You need to be focused 100 percent and spiritually centered. Its so time consuming that there is a term when producing the art as a form of dhekir and every brush stroke is a form of dhekir and the things Im creating, sacred geometry and illuminations, are all a reflection of Allahs creations. Theres a quote from Rumi which is my favorite that says There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground, there are a thousand ways to go home again, this is another element that speaks to me personally, its my connection. Thats the beauty of it.

Why have you chosen geometric Islamic art specifically? As Arabs were raised around this fine art, were surrounded by it in every corner but were not aware of it. You can see geometry all around you like in mosques for example. I was looking for a track to follow and looking deep down inside I felt a yearning for it until Ive discovered it. There is an inner and outer beauty behind it telling a story behind every structured piece, there is no randomness when it comes to creating such pieces.

Being as young as you are and getting to where you are now, how hard was it to get there? Ive had to fight a lot of inner battles. The Princes School was an amazing experience for me but they make you abandon all types of contemporary thinking of art and when graduating I had a tunnel vision and created extremely traditional art pieces and illuminations. I then thought to myself that I didnt want to be just another traditional artist. I tried my best to elevate that to another level and it took me a very long time to get to where I am. I slowly had to go exploring for new methods of expression through the Islamic arts. Having been in Al Athr Gallery has also helped inspire me by getting me back into that contemporary art.

Did you have a mentor guiding you through the process? No, not really, I had much support from my teachers in my old work but the artists that are there with me in the gallery are somewhat my support system, they nurture my inspiration and give me that extra push with respect to my limits knowing that my art is different from them.

What is your take on Islamic art, how would you define it? You need to understand that Islamic art now and Islamic art in history are very different, that was the only form known to them at the time. They were conscious about what they were doing, in geometry to be specific there is a lot of symbolism like the use of the number eight for example. Its directly with regard to an important Islamic figure. All shapes and numbers were used with the highest regard. Islamic art was more sacred and was practiced with spiritual rituals and preparedness

Tell us about your campaign to revive the traditional Islamic art in our society? Im incredibly surprised to see so many people interested in it. When viewing my pieces at an exhibit they are very positive especially the younger generation, they are craving to know more about what this art technique is. I found that the teachings of the technique is mainly from books and using a canvas to draw something connected to Islam or something, and this is not the real form of teaching of the trait, its more complex than that. I found that the West cares more for it than our own society and I want to help change that.

Seeing how intricate and delicate your work is, are you a perfectionist? Yes I am a perfectionist. I work very hard to create my pieces and not many see Islamic art as high end because they think its too traditional and that is simply not true. I find satisfaction doing what I do and I prefer to create a piece that one can buy, hang up, appreciate its details, its what i worked hard for. Danas art work is currently on display at Jeddah Arts 21,39 and were displayed at the Dubai Art Fair. You can also view her work at the Athr Gallery in Jeddah.

Email: [emailprotected]

Here is the original post:
Dana Awartani: Decoding Islamic art

NEW YORK, N.Y. The domes and arched ceilings each arrayed with tiles in herringbone and basket-weave patterns are hidden in plain sight. Millions of people walk under them every day at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal, New Yorks St. John the Divine, the Boston Public Library, the San Diego Museum of Man and hundreds of other places.

But Rafael Guastavino and his son Rafael Jr., the makers of these sweeping tiled vaults that provide both decoration and structure, have mostly been forgotten, in part because credit went to the architects who commissioned them.

A new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York tells the story of the master masons who, between the late 1800s and the time their company closed in 1962, created vaults, domes and other tile work in 1,000 buildings in 42 states.

Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile focuses on their 250 commissions in New York the most of any other city where their work is found.

The Guastavinos arrived in New York from Barcelona in the late 19th century and patented a thin-tile vaulting technique based on a 500-year-old Spanish building method that was lightweight, extremely strong, self-supporting and fireproof. Fires were a great concern in the late 19th century as many buildings were made of wood.

Their method of interlocking and layering thin clay tiles with quick-drying mortar in decorative patterns revolutionized architectural design. It created grand palatial interiors, such as the delightful Elephant Room at the Bronx Zoo and New Yorks City Hall subway station, an ornate subterranean cathedral of glazed green, ivory and brown tiles now shuttered and only viewable through the window of a passing train.

Instead of using heavy stone, they used a particularly thin ceramic tile that is similar to brick that can be glazed in different colours, said John Ochsendorf, the exhibitions co-curator and a professor of architecture at MIT and author of Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile.

I think of them as Gothic master masons in the great Gothic tradition where it took a century to build a cathedral, except they worked on 100 buildings simultaneously since the light tiles allowed them to work at a quick pace, Ochsendorf said.

At the simplest level theyre builders. But theyre also acting as architects, as engineers and interior decorators choosing patterns of tiles, colour and schemes, added Ochsendorf. The vault is their great contribution to American architecture. It is a fusion of art and technology that engineers still struggle to understand.

A replica in the show built by some of Ochsendorfs students is our best guess at how they would have built a vault like this.

Excerpt from:
Soaring decorative vaults by largely unknown artists hidden in plain sight across America

Carpet tile manufacturer Interface is no stranger to thinking outside the box. It has journeyed beyond the typical design boundaries of carpet squares and planks. And its now breaking through to new levels of environmental and social responsibility, sustainability and the next wave in product design. A new modular carpet collection, Net Effect, is inspired both by the oceans life-giving power and its plight marine life and habitats that are endangered by discarded fishing nets, acidification, over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

The collection was born of Net-Works, an innovative global business and conservation partnership between Interface and the conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Net-Works was launched in the Danajon Bank area of the Philippines in 2012 to tackle two distinct issues: first, to address the growing environmental problem of discarded fishing nets in some of the worlds poorest coastal communities, and second, to help solve the problem of finding a viable waste stream to feed the company's ambitious post-consumer nylon recycling goals. Working closely with Aquafil, a key Interface supplier that has refined the technology to recycle nylon waste into new nylon carpet fibre, and NGO Project Seahorse Foundation for Marine Conservation Inc, Net-Works is advancing the companys goal of closed-loop manufacturing. End of life fishing nets recovered from the fishing industry supply chain represent some of the worlds cleanest and most abundant supply of post consumer nylon, the same raw material as carpet yarn. Developing a local reclamation system for these nets, Net-Works is improving residents livelihoods and providing the impetus for new community banking institutions that offer long-term solutions to poverty.

Interfaces business is built around inspiration, innovation and the pursuit of true sustainability economic, environmental and social, said Chip DeGrace, executive creative director for Interface. Products like Net Effect - and programmes like Net-Works demonstrate how creative thinking can change the way we do business and move us closer to the ultimate goal of being a restorative enterprise.

Sea Beauties The Net Effect product collection provides a subtle visual reminder of the sea on its surface, with a design reminiscent of swirling currents. Created by David Oakey, owner of David Oakey Designs, an exclusive designer for Interface, the collection of six modular carpet tile options embraces sustainability in construction and concept.

Aesthetically, we wanted Net Effect to capture the positivity of the Net-Works partnership and the beauty of the waters its so closely tied to, said Oakey. This collection connects people with the emotions and memories associated with the beach, but their enjoyment is its most superficial benefit. Whats beneath the surfaceincluding the products ties to the good work Net-Works is doingis what makes it extraordinary.

Net Effects three 50 cm square tiles comprising a neutral ground, transition tile and textural accentevoke the sea with a texture that references the moment when waves wash over land. The three tiles can be combined to create design elements including continuous transitions, borders and inset area rugs.

The square tiles organic forms pair beautifully with three 25 cm x 1 m skinny plank styles that capture the fluidity of water and convey the expanding and contracting rhythms of the tides with more linear patterns. The square and plank tiles shared coastal colour palette of two blues and six neutrals was drawn from the depths of the ocean, and the sun-and-salt-bleached wood and stone found on shore.

Product With a Purpose Reflecting Interfaces abiding Mission Zero promise to eliminate any negative impact it may have on the environment by 2020, Net Effect contains 100 percent recycled content yarn. The yarn is made from various sources including used carpet fluff harvested from Interfaces ReEntry programme, commercial fishing nets and, shortly, nets from the Net-Works project in the Philippines. Since 1995, ReEntry has processed more than 121,000 metric tonnes of used carpet tile and broadloom globally.

As for Net-Works, it provides significant economic benefits to the fishing communities involved, protects marine life and helps clear vulnerable beaches and endangered reefs, thereby providing environmental, economic and social benefits not usually synonymous with carpet tile manufacturing.

Interface will promote Net Effect through a social media engagement campaign that encourages its design audience to share examples of the impact their design and personal choices have on the world around them.

Excerpt from:
Net Effect from Interface: Theres beauty in sustainability

9326 Burnet Ave. North Hills, CA 91343 Listed by Philip Nastasi - 818.489.1960
Listed by Philip Nastasi - 818.489.1960 Offered at $443000 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 SQFT: 2110 Very Quiet Street and Neighborhood. This PUD (planned unit...

By: RodeoRealty

Here is the original post:
9326 Burnet Ave. North Hills, CA 91343 Listed by Philip Nastasi - 818.489.1960 - Video

Sprinkler System shut off valve
it was raining to bad to have my camera out there to show you the process but i installed my stop and waste valve and tired into my water main.

By: DIYguy11

The rest is here:
Sprinkler System shut off valve - Video

Sprinkler System Trenching
went to my local home depot and rented a trencher.

By: DIYguy11

Original post:
Sprinkler System Trenching - Video

Sprinkler System Pipe Laying and Gluing on fittings
short video of laying pipt and gluing in a fitting.

By: DIYguy11

Go here to see the original:
Sprinkler System Pipe Laying and Gluing on fittings - Video