By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 10:58 EST, 15 June 2014 | Updated: 12:42 EST, 15 June 2014

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Never mind fast cars and enormous mansion-style homes, it's swimming pools that are creating shockwaves with the super-wealthy working to make stand-out statements among friends and clients alike.

Jay Dweck, a former head of equities strategies for Goldman Sachs, said innovating brings him happiness.

Money was no object for his $1 million pool, inspired by a Stradivarius he once owned. No detail is overlooked with a hot tub acting as the violin's chin rest along with two thin koi ponds shaped like a bow.

How do you fancy diving into a $1million Stradivarius pool? A former banker for Goldman Sachs in New York has had a custom-built pool constructed shaped liked a violin.

Award winning: The over-the-top Bedford pool in the shape of a violin has won a prestigious gold award from the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals

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Banker builds swimming pool shaped like a violin

A BUCKET list is not complete without exploring prehistoric monuments and ancient cities such as Nara or Sigiriya or photographing the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou. But where do you stay when embarking on such journeys?

Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) of the World can help check off some serious Unesco World Heritage Sites in style. With an impressive worldwide portfolio, many of Asia-Pacifics Unesco World Heritage Sites are just a hop, skip and a jump away from many beautiful SLH hotels. Many of these hotels offer unique experiences to help the guest really appreciate the beauty of the site as they explore. Here is a list to get you started. For more information, visit http://www.slh.com.

JAPAN Yakushima Located in the interior of Yaku Island, at the meeting point of the Palaearctic and Oriental biotic regions, Yakushima exhibits a rich flora, with some 1,900 species and subspecies, including ancient specimens of sugi (Japanese cedar). It also contains a remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest that is exceptional in this region.

Where to stay? Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima Set between the mountains, cedar forests and the sea, Sankara Hotel & Spa is located on Yakushima Island. The hotel offers guests the chance to trek through the Unesco-listed mountains from the doorstep of their room, enjoy relaxing herbal spa treatments, and sample fine local and French cuisine.

Tip: Visit some of the islands hidden treasures such as the Sasuga Otoshi waterfall.

SRI LANKA Ancient City of Sigiriya

The ruins of the capital, built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (47795) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 180m high this is the Lions Rock, which dominates the jungle from all sides. A series of galleries and staircases emerge from the mouth of a gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster, which provide access to this stunning site.

Where to stay? Jetwing Vil Uyana A nature-inspired, eco-friendly resort in the shadow of the historic rock fortress of Sigiriya, Jetwing Vil Uyana is a peaceful retreat with a lake attracting local wildlife, an Ayurvedic spa, and creative regional cuisine, all in the heart of Sri Lankas Cultural Triangle.

Tip: Having viewed the rock fortress of Sigiriya from the villa at Vil Uyana, attempt the climb up hundreds of steps to the summit and discover its fascinating, ancient cave frescoes en route.

LAOS Luang Prabang Luang Prabang is a town in Laos that superbly combines both Laotian urban structures with French provincial architecture from the 19th and 20th century. Guests will enjoy the wonderful smell of the frangipani flowers and remarkable temples that dot the diverse landscape. The colours are intoxicating and ensure this magical town tops many must see lists.

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#Leisure* Boutique holidays

RELAY FOR LIFE ORGANIZERS HOLDING KICKOFF THURSDAY

Organizers of the upcoming Dana Point Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society will present a kickoff party from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at The Surfin Cowboy, 34235 Doheny Park Road, Capistrano Beach. Admission is free.

You can learn how to get involved in the annual Relay for Life, in which teams participate in a 24-hour walk for donations. Its set for Sept. 20-21 at Lantern Bay Park.

The kickoff event will include complimentary hors doeuvres and happy-hour specials, plus live entertainment and a prize drawing.

To save a spot, email donna.rosanellibarnhoorn@gmail.com.

For more information about the Relay for Life, visit relayforlife.org/danapointCA.

Rob Vardon

A free workshop on California-friendly landscaping is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Dana Hills Tennis Center, 24911 Calle de Tenis, Dana Point.

Topics will include designing your site, building healthy soil, selecting the right water-wise plants, using rainwater as a resource, using proper irrigation techniques and reducing runoff.

Reservations are required. Call 949-499-4555 or email

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Around Dana Point: Relay for Life party, landscape workshop, more

By Robert Hagstrom For Main Line Times

The Natures Sanctuary section of this cemetery in Bala Cynwyd is kept completely natural and aims to be highly sustainable to minimize detrimental environmental effects.

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In keeping with eco-friendly practices, we chose our furry friends to eliminate invasives, which can cause the natural site to be unsustainable, said Director of Sales, Marketing, and Family Services Deborah Cassidy in a press release.

Cassidy said that the idea of the Natures Sanctuary section of the cemetery started back in 2008 to offer a newer burial experience that will help preserve the environment.

Beginning June 9 and lasting for about a week there were between 30 to 40 goats eating away at intrusive plant species in this section to keep up the grounds without using any machinery. Any uneaten grass and shrubbery will be cut by hand, Cassidy added.

The Natures Sanctuary section of West Laurel Hill has turned into a weedy mess of invasive species, said landscape architect Adam Supplee of the KMS Design Group, which partnered with the cemetery last year to help finalize the green section.

When a person decides to be buried in the Natures Sanctuary, Supplee said, they are placed in the next available plot. The reason for this, he said, is because meadows, flowers, and grasses grow in the section first. Then shrubs and larger trees start to come in and make way for even bigger trees to grow throughout the area.

Supplee referred to this process as assisted ecological restoration or helping the green section of the graveyard sustain itself independently.

People in this section are either placed in a wooden box-like casket without any fabric or metal hinges or are wrapped in a biodegradable shroud material at least two feet underground. Continued...

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Eco-friendly graveyard a growing preference at West Laurel Hill Cemetery

CALGARY - Sears Canada Inc. announced Monday it has entered into a binding agreement with Concord Pacific Group of Companies to pursue the development of the 12-acre Sears site at the North Hill Shopping Centre in Calgary.

Closing under the agreement is conditional upon satisfaction of conditions such as site investigations and obtaining the approval from the City of Calgary for the project, which are expected to take some time, said Sears in a news release.

It said the vision of the redevelopment is an infill project consisting of residential highrises, with a potential retail component. Last year, Concord entered into a similar agreement with Sears regarding the retailers land adjacent to its store at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, B.C.

Sears has been part of the Calgary landscape since 1958 and we are excited about the possibilities for the North Hill site as conceptualized by Concord and Sears, said Doug Campbell, president and chief executive of Sears Canada, in a news release.

We plan to continue operating our store at North Hill as we have for almost six decades and seeing this new development adding positively to the landscape and economy of Calgary. We look forward to working together with Concord and moving the project forward.

Sears said the arrangement contemplates the sale of a 50 per cent interest in the site for a value of about $15 million, subject to adjustments, and the retention of Concord on customary terms to manage most facets of the development. Following the transfer of the 50 per cent interest, the parties would enter into a co-ownership joint arrangement. If third party debt financing cannot be obtained, Concord, and not Sears, will be responsible for providing debt financing to develop the project, it said.

Sears reminds the public that, given the very early stage the project is in today, there has been no determination as to capital or other expenditure required, if any. In addition, it is too early to tell whether or not the project will be completed given a multitude of potential factors, both internal and external, such as the economic value to the Company, obtaining approval of the project from the City of Calgary, shifts in the Canadian economy, and the condition of the real estate market now or in the future, during this multi-year endeavour, it said.

Sears Canada has 176 corporate stores, 229 Hometown stores, over 1,400 catalogue and online merchandise pick-up locations, 96 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network.

The location (for the residential development) fits very well into the future demand curve in the city, said Don Campbell, senior analyst with the Real Estate Investment Network. As Calgary continues to grow and at the same time attract a younger than average cohort from across the country, the style and location of properties will continue to shift.

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Residential highrises planned for Sears site at North Hill mall

Standing before the gates of Tel Aviv is a 60-meter-tall (200-foot-tall), flat-topped hill with a churning, fermenting interior.

For decades, garbage from throughout Israel was piled here. Finally, the land could take no more: The smell became intolerable, and the risk too high that winter floods could sweep the poisonous brew into water supplies.

Hiryia, as the dump was called, was closed.

But the mountain of trash stayed behind - like a monument.

From toxic estate to tropical paradise

Now the smell is gone, and the trash heap is in the midst of a metamorphosis that will turn it into the brand-new Ariel Sharon nature park.

The view of Tel Aviv from "Belvedere" in the Ariel Sharon Park

Nearly a decade ago, Israel's government issued an international invitation to help revitalize the area. Landscape architect Peter Latz' vision impressed the jury: a Mediterranean landscape atop the plateau, a floral terrace cut into the hillside, all surrounded by a naturally untouched riverbed as well as orchards and fields.

Latz, a pioneer in the field, has been working since the 1980s to convert industrial wastelands into "new paradises," as he described it.

Citizens in the highly-populated area can use the roughly 800-hectare-square (3-mile-square) space to bicycle, walk, listen to concerts or play in the water. Species native to Israel - like palms, olives, oaks, carob trees, bushes and herbs like rosemary and thyme - will grow there.

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From landfill to landscape in Tel Aviv

A sign on Collins Hill Road in Lawrenceville informs drivers that a new bridge will open Friday to take traffic over Ga. Highway 316. (Staff photo: Camie Young)

Crews are expected to open the Collins Hill Road bridge over Ga. Highway 316 in Lawrenceville Friday, as part of a milestone in the Ga. 316/Ga. 20 interchange project. Georgia DOT spokeswoman Teri Pope explains the milestone.

Reaching a major milestone in the Ga. Highway 316/Ga. Highway 20 project, crews expect to open the Collins Hill Road bridge over Ga. 316 overnight Friday.

The commute to college will get a little smoother this weekend with a new bridge opening to carry Collins Hill Road traffic over Ga. Highway 316.

Construction crews will open the bridge overnight Friday, a milestone in the three-year construction program to unclog Ga. 316s busiest intersections, including Ga. Highway 20.

We built it one piece at a time and open each section as it is ready. As we finish a new piece of the interchange, we open it to traffic and then can work in the area traffic was previously using, said Harold Mull, a district construction engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation. We are opening one lane of the new bridge in each direction this weekend so motorists can get accustomed to the change outside of the peak travel times.

The bridge which opens about six weeks after crews opened a bridge to take Ga. 20 traffic over Ga. 316 is 361 feet long and 94 feet wide with two lanes in each direction. As a major route to Georgia Gwinnett College, officials also designed the bridge with sidewalks and bike lanes to allow students to walk or bike to classes.

We appreciate the work of the Georgia Department of Transportation in making these transportation improvements, said Renee Byrd-Lewis, Georgia Gwinnett Colleges vice president for advancement. With the colleges continued growth, we are focused on ensuring better access to services and activities in the area. We look forward to the improved traffic flow around the campus.

While Ga. 316s exit ramps to Collins Hill will also open Friday, crews will have additional work to complete the entrance ramps, meaning drivers will have to take a detour to get on to Ga. 316 from that location.

See the article here:
Collins Hill bridge to open this weekend

PHOENIX -- In honor of the upcoming one-year anniversary of the deadly Yarnell Hill Fire, photos taken in the aftermath are on display at Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix.

Photographer George Berke won a Pulitzer Prize chronicling neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Last year, he took hundreds of photos in Yarnell just days after the community returned to scorched earth where 19 firefighters were lost on June 30.

"I was there to follow five residents who had returned home," he said.

He was working for the Arizona Republic at the time when he said he took one of this favorite photos.

"[It] shows a completely scorched landscape, but a patch of green plants coming up through the scorched earth,"

Berke found it remarkable just 25 days after the fire.

"To me, it symbolizes some kind of hope," he said.

He captured many other remarkable images, and not necessarily what you might imagine.

"What struck me was just how fabulously beautiful Yarnell was," he recalled. "I'd never been there before and had no idea that it was this wonderful place."

Berke's exhibit, "The Yarnell Hill Fire: 25 Days Later," is on display through Aug. 12.

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Images of Yarnell Hill days after wildfire on display at Valley library

SINGAPORES OFFER OF HAZE ASSISTANCE PACKAGES TO INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA

Singapore has offered assistance to Indonesia and Malaysia to combat possible land and forest fires in the run-up to the traditional dry season, to prevent another episode of severe transboundary haze from affecting the region.

2 Transboundary smoke haze from land and forest fires during the traditional dry season from June to October has been a perennial problem in the southern ASEAN region in the past decades. Illegal land clearing and slash and burn agricultural practices in Indonesia, particularly Sumatra and Kalimantan, have been identified as the main cause of the fire that results in transboundary haze pollution in the region. Singapore saw its worst haze episode in 2013 when the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit an unprecedented high of 246 on 20 June 2013, far exceeding the levels in 1997 (138) and 2006 (128). Given that there is a possibility of the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting our region this year, smoke haze pollution in the region could reach worse levels this year if fires are not promptly stemmed at source.

Assistance to Indonesia

3 In past years, Singapore has consistently offered assistance packages to Indonesia to help suppress fires. In the run up to the upcoming dry season, the Singapore Government has offered the Indonesian Government assistance to help combat possible land and forest fires. We hope this will help to prevent another episode of severe haze in the region.

4 The assistance package offered by Singapore this year is same as that offered in previous years, and comprises:

Link:
:: 10, Jun 2014 :: SINGAPORES OFFER OF HAZE ASSISTANCE PACKAGES TO INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA

Sacramento Interior Designer Examples
Professional Sacramento interior design examples. Call 916-239-4211 or visit http://sacramentointeriordesigner.com for quality Sacramento interior design.

By: Jon Jones

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Sacramento Interior Designer Examples - Video