Thursday, March 26, 2015

Equinox Serviced Apartment

Serving as a home away from home for international business travelers, Equinox Mercury is a contemporary development nestled in the tranquil Tin Hau district. Featuring 69 tastefully furbished studios, two-bedroom apartments offer a picturesque harbor view. Residents can reach the nearby Tin Hau MTR Station in a mere 5-minute walk, while the bustling commercial districts of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai are in proximity. The CBD in Central is also a short MTR journey away on the Island Line.

Minimalistic and elegant, each home is decorated by a soothing neutral palette and features a vast array of home appliances and in-room entertainment amenities. Residents can also enjoy the convenient 24-hour concierge, security services, bi-weekly maid service and weekly linen change.

JCS Offices

For those who are seeking a one- stop solution for long- and short-term office spaces, JCS offers a myriad of services and facilities to maximize your productivity while minimizing excessive administrative expenditures. While tenants can enjoy versatile space and length of stay as their business plan unfolds, JCS serviced offices also provide a plethora of facilities ranging from office furniture, internet access to pantry facilities.

Apart from the supply of premium office and IT

Neich Tower

Located in the thriving Wan Chai district, Neich Tower's well appointed address provides residents convenient access to various iconic sites including the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Boasting seamless links to the rest of the city, the property is a mere 8-minute walk away from the Wan Chai MTR station, while other transportation such as ferry pier, bus stops and taxi stands are available nearby.

The 27-storey building features a wide range of office spaces ranging from 642 sq. ft. to 4, 798 sq. ft. The airy open spaces maximize the options for various office layouts and subdivisions. While all offices are blessed by the abundance of natural lighting, some of them enjoy the panoramic views of Victoria Harbor. Tenants can also enjoy the convenience of central air- conditioning service as well as car parking spaces.

See the original post here:
The one stop solution for home comforts and premium workplaces

Abalderas Landscaping
Landscaping is an important part of an establishment #39;s visual impression. We believe it ought to be beautiful, thoughtful, and well done. Always. Also we offered Mulch, Lawn Care, Lawn Care...

By: 29P Fulfillment

Read this article:
Abalderas Landscaping - Video

Landscape architect Nathan Burkett has won the gold medal at the Melbourne international Flower and garden show. 25th March 2015. The Age Fairfaxmedia News Picture by JOE ARMAO Photo: Joe Armao

A local landscape architect has won gold at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Nathan Burkett, of Wonga Park, took out one of four top awards for landscape and floral design at the 20th annual show on Wednesday for his entry, "Equilibrium". He also walked away with the Mark Bence Construction Award.

Burkett's unique garden features dramatic Ficus Hillii hedging, a custom-designed fire pit and a cantilevered arbor that wraps around the perimeter.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show event director Greg Hooton said Burkett's winning design was a standout entry. "Nathan's use of plants, his finish from a construction point of view was exceptional, and it just all came together in a really great presentation of an outdoor living area," he said.

Advertisement

Equilibrium is centred around two "living pergolas" - five-year-old deciduous Plane Trees grown horizontally to mimic an organic roof. Burkett said the specially grown trees were symbolic of the overall design, which celebrates a "return to using greenery and plantings as the true hero of the space".

"We have used an abundance of greenery and plantings in the garden to create structure and symmetry, which in turn allows us to deliver an architectural aesthetic in a soft, welcoming setting," he said."This garden has a lot of subtlety in the finer detail, you almost have to first step back to take it all in and then step forward to appreciate the smaller touches."

The design awards marked the first day of the five-day international garden show that is expected to draw more than 110,000 horticultural enthusiasts to Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

Event manager Kathleen Rushford said the standard of entries this year was outstanding. "We are so impressed with the calibre of designs in both the Great Hall of Flowers and Show Garden Avenue this year," she said.

Visit link:
Local designer takes out top honour at flower show

The public can get a look at changes proposed for the Royal Poinciana Plaza at 2 p.m. April 7.

On that date, Samantha David, head of plaza manager Up Markets, architect Daniel Kahan and landscape architect Keith Williams will informally present the plan in the lecture hall of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, 311 Peruvian Ave.

In an application for Landmarks Preservation Commission review filed Friday, Kahan and Peter Papadopoulos, his Smith and Moore Architects colleague, described the proposal for the 12-acre plaza. It would restore all existing stucco trim, decorative transom grilles and metal work; replace all windows with aluminum impact-resistant ones; add new patios and gathering areas in the central courtyards; add new driveways; and enhance the landscaping by adding seasonal flower trees and citrus trees to the parking lots and courtyards, among other changes.

There is no charge to attend but reservations are required.

For reservations, call 832-0731.

The landmarks board will get a formal look at the plan at its April 16 meeting. That meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. and takes place in council chambers at Town Hall.

View original post here:
Key players discuss plan for Royal Poinciana Plaza on April 7

By Eric Elwell Wednesday March 25, 2015 6:16 PM COLUMBUS, Ohio -

As temperatures begin to rise, the grass will soon be turning green. And soon, we'll be exchanging our snow blowers for lawn mowers.

Tim Morgret of Columbus is checking out the latest lawn care equipment at Anderson's General Store, because he expects to be working in the yard soon. "I think Mother Nature is taking a long time to wake up here for spring, but I think it's going to be a real quick turn, Morgret predicts.

After such a harsh winter, some may be considering hiring a lawn care service so you can spend more time enjoying the nice weather as opposed to working in it.

But, David Smith with Peabody Landscape Group says there are some great benefits to hiring out your lawn and garden care, including saving time. It's one of those things where you can go out and enjoy the landscape rather than work in it, Smith explains.

But having a landscape service isn't always cheap. Smith says mowing can cost anywhere between $30 to several hundred, depending on the size of the lawn.

If you decide to do the yard yourself, lawn mowers can be quite the investment. Electric mowers can cost about $150.

You can also go with the tractor and get your yard done in a short amount of time; just add the bagger and youre good-to-go. But be warned, some models could set you back almost $2,000.

Meanwhile, Smith says fertilizing costs about an average of $50 per treatment.

Next comes the mulch. You can chose from bags, bulk, and all different colors and types. Ron Frost with Ohio Mulch says there are even new specialty mulches that smell like chocolate* when they get wet! "A lot of people like the different types of mulches, like a cocoa shell. It's the cocoa bean that lasts a long time and has a great smell to it.

Link:
How To Get Your Lawn Prepared For The Warm Weather

E Mulch Land Clearing
E Mulch Land Clearing.

By: E-Mulch

The rest is here:
E Mulch Land Clearing - Video

Vegetation being dumped in one asset-protection zone. Photo: Stop the Chop

The Blue Mountains City Council has joined resident groups in Sydney to renew calls for the tightening of land-clearing laws that have enabled many home owners to clear nearby bushland without a permit.

The so-called 10/50 clearing code allows people living in bushfire-prone areas to fell trees within 10 metres of any house and clear other vegetation out to 50 metres to reduce fire hazards.

Bending to a public outcry that many trees were being cut merely to improve views or boost a property's re-sale value, the government in November narrowed the areas covered by the code and asked the Rural Fire Service to review the policy.

Clearing trees: eight large trees cut in East Killara. Photo: Stop the Chop

However, the Blue Mountains City Council this week voiced its concerns again, with the council members unanimously passing a "mayoral minute" that noted the impacts of the code were cumulative but "not readily measurable" since residents aren't required to give notice of their clearing.

Advertisement

"This was meant to be about bushfire protection," mayor Mark Greenhill said. "It was not meant to be a new way of land-clearing with no regulation around it."

The relaxing of land-clearing laws was prompted by the 2013 bushfires, which destroyed close to 200 homes in the Blue Mountains.

Vegetation being dumped in bushland. Photo: Stop the Chop

View original post here:
Blue Mountains council: call for 10/50 tree-clearing law to be tightened

While the new land acquisition law and ordinance are agitating the nation, the Supreme Court has been quietly clearing hundreds of cases relating to the issue in the past three months. The bench of the Chief Justice brought the records from the storeroom and disposed of them, as if to clear the way for litigation under the new law.

There are lessons for the future from these dog-eared files. Some of the acquisitions were two decades old, like Union of India vs Ram Lal (1989) or Patel Punajbhai vs N. Gujarat University (1987). The landowners trudge a long way to reach the apex court. They move the 'reference court' to begin with, then the high court and lastly, the Supreme Court. There are reviews in between and at the end. The longest pause is at the high court level, sometimes running to a decade. The Supreme Court takes five years on an average.

By the time the appeals reach the Supreme Court, some landowners might have bequeathed their cases to their heirs. It shows in the title of cases such as, Land Acquisition Officer vs Krishnayya (DEAD), which was lying in the Supreme Court since 2007. New acquisitions could also be caught in such debilitating litigation. The government, therefore, must realise the perils of neglecting legal infrastructure and underestimating the shrewdness of the legal profession.

Sitting through the hearings in the land acquisition appeals revealed the soft underbelly of the law. The rate of compensation was one of the bitter points of contention. The collector's estimate is invariably upset by the high courts, which hike the compensation. After a decade or so, the Supreme Court awards a still higher package, often as bequest to the legal representatives.

Assessment of the value is bedevilled by numerous vague norms. The size of the plot, its nearness to the developed areas, the rate at which the adjacent lands were sold to private parties, whether arid or fertile, the future value after development, purpose of the proposed project, the jump in price of land after the acquisition notification - these are only some of the criteria set by the Supreme Court to arrive at the correct amount of compensation. All these are lush ground for litigation, as could be seen in the past weeks in the Supreme Court.

As if these are not enough, the government bungles almost at every point. Notifications are allowed to lapse, the proposed project is confined to the limbo and a fresh notification is issued by a new government, starting a new round of litigation. Politics and vested interests interfere to prolong the harassment of the landowners. Environment impact assessment is a new factor. Often, that objection is bulldozed, as in the case of the new capital for Andhra Pradesh.

Then there are other irritants such as the lack of proper land records, an area neglected by state governments. There is a mind-boggling array of terms used to refer to units of land. In a recent judgment, Doongar Singh vs State of Punjab, the land acquired in 1992 for Guru Nanak thermal plant was measured in nehri, chahi and barani. Then there were gair mumkin lands. Somewhere during the decades of litigation, the measurements turned into kanals and marlas. From Bengal comes terms such as cottahs and chhitacks. The judges have to grapple with such curiosities from all parts of the country.

Those who observed land acquisition litigation would tend to think the new law would not be free from the same treatment at the hands of landowners, unless government action is fair and just - a tall order. The legal challenges could involve issues starting from vague definitions (see how 'public interest' and 'urgency' clauses spawned thousands of petitions), rate of compensation and arbitrariness of the authorities.

The constitutionality of the law itself is waiting to be challenged as soon as it comes into force. Interim orders and injunctions by civil courts could stall projects, unless the legal system itself is helped to deliver speedy justice. If the dysfunctional judicial machinery, long neglected by the government, stands in the way of development, it could only be called comeuppance.

Go here to read the rest:
M J Antony: Spring-cleaning of dusty files

25th March, 2015

By MARUTIN ANSIUNG

KENINGAU: Community leaders in three villages have strongly objected to a land application in Kg Ulu Keningau, Jalan Kimanis from an individual aiming to secure 50 acres in the village.

Native chief representative, Jassin Lumau, Samalang village head, Aliman Nulantan, Keningau village chief, Joanis Doimpin and Ulu Keningau village chief, Petrus Langkihang all expressed their objection to the application on the basis that the area applied for had been settled by local villagers since the 1980s.

The three settlements are Kg Samalang, Kg Keningau and Kg Ulu Keningau.

Aliman said former Senator, Datuk Robert Evans and former Bingkor assemblyman of the Berjaya era, Datuk Ayub Aman were both aware of the existence of the settlements in the 1980s.

They had applied for the land to the Department of Land and Survey in 1976 and again in the 80s but were denied because the Sabah Parks did not permit land in that area to be applied for settlement.

Nevertheless, the villagers decided to settle on the land which they regard as being their ancestral ground. However, a week ago we were shocked when we saw bulldozers had come into the area. When we tried to stop the men from doing clearing work, they told us that the land had been applied for and approved by the Department of Land and Survey, said Aliman.

According to him, the applicant Thien Swee Jin @ Annie Thien under land application 2012131415. He questioned how the application by Thien could have been approved when theirs was rejected twice by the department.

The community leaders therefore urge the government to intervene and resolve the land dispute.

View post:
Community leaders battling prospects of losing their villages

I Respond to Situations More Calmly, Thanks to Sudarshan Kriya! - Jaya
I am an Interior Designer by profession. I used to get annoyed at small things and was not even aware of it, but after practicing the Sudarshan Kriya I am more aware and respond to situations...

By: Sudarshan Kriya

Continue reading here:
I Respond to Situations More Calmly, Thanks to Sudarshan Kriya! - Jaya - Video