November 25th, 2019 by DWM Magazine

A report on wood millwork in the U.S. recently released from Freedonia Focus Reports predicts that demand will increase 2.4% annually in nominal terms through 2023.

Gains will be driven by rising building construction activity, the aesthetically pleasing properties of wood, and the perception of wood as an environmentally friendly material according to the report. However, it suggests that further growth will be limited by negative characteristics of wood such as susceptibility to cracking and decay. The report also predicts that intensifying competition from plastics and other alternative materials offering similar aesthetics, including woodgrain patterning, will restrain additional gains.

Wood moulding and trim sales are expected to remain the leading product segment. Demand is expected to be supported by the rising new housing construction activity.

This report forecasts to 2023 U.S. wood millwork demand in nominal U.S. dollars at the manufacturer level. Total demand is segmented by product in terms of:

Total demand, various product segments and trade are provided in annual series from 2008 to 2018 to illustrate historical trends.

Product segment demand is further broken out by market for 2018 as follows:

Millwork is defined in the report as fabricated wood millwork, including products covered with materials such as metal and plastic. Excluded from the scope of the report are cut stock, dimension lumber and other wood products manufactured from logs and bolts, millwork fabricated at construction sites, and finished furniture parts and frames. Also excluded from the scope of the report are wood doors, windows, moulding and trim, and flooring utilized in applications other than residential and nonresidential buildings (such as transport equipment). Re-exports of wood millwork are excluded from demand and trade figures.

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Report Predicts US Wood Millwork Demand Will Rise 2.4% Yearly - DWM Magazine

NEXT YEAR'S iPhones look set to get an upgrade in the RAM department, according toanalysts at Barclays.

The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will pack 6GB RAM, the analysts told MacRumours,up from the 4GB RAM currentlypacked inside the iPhone 11 models. The lesser-spec iPhone 12 will likely stick with the current 4GB RAM, according to Barclays.

The analysts alsoexpectthe higher-end iPhone 12 modelstofeature rear-facing 3D sensingand mmWave support for higher-performance 5G.

Barclays also threw out some predictions about the long-rumoured iPhone SE 2, claiming that production of the device will begin in February ahead of its likely release the following month.

21/11/19: A notorious tipsterhas shared a render of what we can expect the so-called iPhone 12 to look like.

The render (below) which is based on leaked information, shows that the iPhone 12 will borrow some design elements from both the iPhone 4 and iPad Pro with its industrial chassis and slimmed-down bezels.

The notch looks set to remain, though. While Geskin also shared an image of what a notch-less iPhone 12 would look like, his follow-up tweet suggests the cutout will remain for at least another year.

The image, though not official, also suggests that the iPhone 12 could be the first to sport a quad-camera setup; recent rumours suggested Apple could equip next year's handsets with a depth-sensing Time of Flight sensor.

3/11/19: The iPhone 12 lineupcould be Apple's most expensive yet due to its added 5G components andnew metal frame.

So says analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, who in a research note seen by Apple Insider claims a new, larger motherboard - necessary to accommodate the circuitryfor connecting the new 5G antenna - could come with a 35 per cent increase in cost.

Additionally, the iPhone 12's redesigned iPhone 4-alike chassis will be 50 to 60 per cent more expensive to construct, while its glass looks set to be 40 to50 per cent pricier than that found on the iPhone 11.

If Apple was to pass these extra costs onto consumers, the iPhone 12 will likely start around 1,100, compared to the iPhone 11's 729 price tag.

28/10/19: Apple's 2020iPhones will reportedly be the first to ship with a 5nm processor.

So says Nikkei, which reports that Apple will release three iPhones with 5G connectivity next yearthat will utiliseQualcomm's X55 5G modem. This will come paired with the company's first chipset to be built using a 5-nanometer process, according to the report, which will likely arrive as the A14 Bionic.

As well as support for 5G connectivity and an all-new 5nm chip, Nikkei reports that next year's iPhones could debut Apple's first major redesign since 2017. It's heard from its sources that the iPhone 12's "leading-edge screens"could be the first to adopt under-display fingerprint scanners.

According to previous rumours, the handsets could also adopt an all-new chassis with ametal frame structure reminiscent of theiPhone 4.

28/10/19: Next year'siPhonescould double the refresh rate ofApple's current handsets with 120Hz ProMotion displays.

So says hit-and-miss rumour-peddler Digitimes, which claims the iPhone 12will follow in the footsteps of Apple'sProMotion iPad Pros with a Pixel 4-rivalling 120Hz screen, a significant upgrade over the iPhones' current 60Hz displays.

The iPhone will sport a high refresh rate OLED panel, according to Digitimes, unlike the iPad Pro's LCD offering.

Apple launched its first120Hz screens in 2017 with the 10.5in iPad Pro and 12.9in iPad Pro.Bringing such a screen to its next-gen iPhones willundoubtedly improve the overall iOS experience on its smaller-screened devices, bringing increased responsiveness and more fluid scrolling and swiping.

24/10/19: Apple is reportedlyplotting some major design changes for next year's iPhones and one of them could be the removal of the notch.

That's according to Twitter tipster Benjamin Geskin, who claims Apple is testing new Face ID prototypes with new optics, some of which are "smaller in width" and some which "fit in the top bezel."

While by no means confirmation - Geskin doesn't have a faultless track record - this suggestsApple iseither looking to reduce the size of the notch or eliminate the cutout it completely.

Geskin also claims that the iPhone 12 lineupwillsport wider antennas on the top, bottom (below) which will be made from a new material - eitherglass, ceramic or sapphire. This is no doubt to make them to compatible with5Gnetworks, with all iPhone 12 models tipped to support the next-gen connectivity.

And finally, the loose-lipped tipster says that in the long-term, Apple plans to get rid of the Lightning port. While next year's iPhones are expected to switch to USB-C, Geskin notes that, ultimately, iPhones will rely solely on wireless charging. However, this change is unlikely to be made until 2023 at the earliest.

"Apple long-term plan is to get rid of the Lightning port for the wireless charging and data transfer (UWD technology - 480Mbps (USB 3.0) speed at 3 meters, 110Mbps at 10 meters)," Geskin notes.

18/10/19:O2 has dropped the biggest hint yet than next year's iPhones will support 5G.

O2, which this week switched on its 5G network,has detailed a trade-in offer for 100 off an as-yet-unannounced iPhone. The deal, which is listed under the not-so-subtle heading "5Guarantee", will give buyers of an iPhone 11, 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max on a 90GB, 120GB or Unlimited 4G tariff100 off the "the New Apple Smartphone" in 2020.

While this doesn't confirm that next year's iPhone will offer 5G, it's a pretty big hint given it's the only non-5G device mentioned in O2's 5G-focused press release.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also long-peddled the rumour that next year's iPhones will be the first to support 5G networks; he claims two "premium" Apple handsets will be 5G-ready at launch next year thanks to the inclusion ofa Qualcomm modem and homegrownRF antenna designs.

25/9/19: Apple may have just released its iPhone 11 lineup, but renowned analyst Ming Chi-Kuo is already spouting rumours about next years handsets.

According to his latest research note, seen by MacRumours, Apple's 2020 iPhones will sport a "significant" new design complete with metal frame structure reminiscent of the, er, iPhone 4. Additionally, the redesigned chassis will feature "a more complex segmentation design, new trenching and injection moulding procedures, and sapphire or glass cover assembly to protect the trench injection moulding structure," Kuo notes.

"We predict that the new 2H20 iPhone design will change significantly [...] The metal frame and the front and rear 2/2.5D glass are still used, but the metal frame surface will be changed to a similar design to the iPhone 4, replacing the current surface design," the research note reads.

While it might seem bizarre that Apple would recycle the aesthetic of a 10-year old smartphone, particularly one that suffered signal issues caused by its "defective" design, the firm's most recent iPad Pro tablets feature a more blocky,industrial design that's somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 4.

Kuo also reiterates his earlier predictions that next year's iPhones will be the first to offer 5G support, noting that the inclusion of next-gen connectivity will increase Apple's smartphone shipments to 85 million units in 2020, compared to 75 million new iPhone shipments in 2019.

And ifhis guesswork is on the money,you can alsoexpect next year's iPhones lineup to comprise 5.4in and 6.7in OLED variants and a 6.1in LCD variant, with the higher-spec models set to boast a rear-facing time-of-flight 3D camera that will support augmented reality

11/9/19: AnalystMing-Chi Kuo expects Apple to release three 5G-capable iPhones in 2020.

Kuo originally predicted that just two 5G iPhones would launch next year, in the form of Apple's premium 5.4in and 6.7in handsets. However, in anew research note seen by MacRumours, he claims all three of next year's iPhones will be 5G-ready as Apple looks to better compete with lower-cost 5G Android handsets.

The analyst's change of heart follows Apple's $1bn acquisition of Intel's smartphone modem business, which has seen it scoop up 2,200 of the chipmaker's employees, along with its 5G-relatedintellectual property, equipment and leases.

Apple's 2020 iPhones will likely still make use of Qualcomm's chips, though. While the company is working on its own modem chips, these are unlikely to be ready until 2021.

According to Kuo, the5G-ready iPhones will support both mmWave and Sub-6GHz spectrum to meet the requirements of the US market but notes that it's not yet but it is not clear if Apple will launch alower-cost 5G iPhonethat only supports Sub-6GHz.

22/7/19: Apple's looks setto equip next year's iPhones with 120Hz ProMotion displays.

Whilesuch high refresh rates aretypically reserved for gaming-focused handsets like the Razer Phone 2 and newly-announced RoG Phone 2, tipster Ice Universe claims that Apple's 2020 iPhones will double their current 60Hz refresh rates to 120Hz.

According to the tweet (above), Apple is "considering a switchable 60Hz/120Hz refresh rate screen on the iPhone in 2020", and iscurrently in talks with OLED display suppliers Samsung and LG.

If the rumour is legit, Apple's 2020 iPhones won't be its first devices to boast 120Hz screens - the 10.5in and 12.9in iPad Pros have boasted the super-fast refresh rates since 2017, with the tablets boasting LED Retina ProMotion displays.

11/7/19: AnalystMing-Chi Kuo has been at the speculation sauce again and has spat out some rumours about Apple's 2020 iPhones.

Though Android OEMs are ditching the notch in favour of punch-hole cutouts and, er, rotating cameras, it doesn't look like Apple is planning to get rid of the screen cutout any time soon.

Kuo, via Apple Insider, expects next year's iPhones will adopt a smaller front-facing camera lens - and in turn a sized-down TrueDepth camera array - that will allow the firm to shrink the size of the notch.

The camera on the back will also get a re-jig; the analyst says the 2020 rear-facing camera will boast an all-new seven-piece lens system.

Apple could also debut a new iPhone design next year, with Kuo predicting a switch away from the current design, which was first debuted on the iPhone X and continued by the current-gen iPhone XS and XR. There are no details as to how the design will change exactly, though.

Kuo has also spouted some predictions about Apple's 2021 iPhones, which he claims will adopt full-screen fingerprint recognition technology and an under-screen TrueDepth camera.

18/6/19: Apple will releasetwo 5G iPhones in 2020, reckons trustworthy analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

This isn't the first time we've heard this rumour, but Apple's first 5G iPhone was originally slated to use an Intel radio chip. Since, however, Intel has canned its 5G modem biz after Apple and Qualcomm settled their differences.

In a research note seen by 9to5Mac, Kuo says that Apple's first-generation 5G iPhones - 5.4in and 6.7in OLED models - will heavily rely on Qualcomm when they arrive in 2020, though notes that Apple will use its own power amplifier and RF antenna designs.

"We believe that the content of Apple and Qualcomm's previous settlement includes Qualcomm's release of partly 5G baseband chip source code to Apple for Apple's development of own 5G PA/FEM," Kuo says.

The 5G compatibility in the 2020 iPhone would apparently support both leading standards; sub-6GHz and mmWave technology.

They might be more than a year away, but Kuo has some more details on the 2020 iPhones. Along with 5.4in and 6.7in models - which would suggest the XS is getting smaller and the XS Max bigger - Apple will release a "low-end" 6.1in OLED iPhone, ditching the LCD screen currently found on the iPhone XR.

Kuonotes that all new iPhones will support 5G starting in 2021, and believes that Apple willhave its own 5G modem readyby 2022or 2023, which should reduce its dependence on Qualcomm.

17/4/19: Apple is said to be plottinga 4.7in iPhone for 2020 that'll arrive as an upgraded iPhone 8.

So says a report atEconomic Daily News, which citingsources from Taiwan-based Fubon Securities Investment Trust claims that Apple's revisediPhone 8willmake its debut in March 2020.

The pint-sized smartphone will reportedly featurethe same 4.7in LCD display as the iPhone 8 but will feature souped-up internals including an A13 processor and 128GB of base storage. The device, which could arrive as the iPhone XE, will also retain a single-lens rear camera and asimilar design to the iPhone 8, according to the report, complete with a home button and chunky bezels.

This is likely to keep the price of the device low, the EDNsuggesting it'll feature an "aggressive" price tag of around $649 (around 500).

4/4/19: Apple will reportedly release three OLED iPhones in 2020 that will feature different screen sizes to its current crop of handsets.

While Apple is expected to stick with the same screen sizes for 2019's iPhones, a new report from Digitimes suggests that it'll shake things up in 2020.

Citing sources in Taiwan's supply chain, Digitimes claims that Apple's 2020 iPhone lineup will comprise of 5.42in, 6.06in and 6.67in models; currently, the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max sport 5.8in, 6.1in and 6.5in screens, respectively.

Further, backing up previous rumours, the report claims that all of next year's iPhones will adopt OLED screen technology, with Apple ridding of the LCD display on its cheapest model.

It notes that Samsung will remain Apple's main OLED panel supplier for Apple next year, adding that the smallest model coming in 2020 will include Samsung or LG touchscreen tech that will allow Apple to make the display thinner than on previous handsets.

"The 5.42in model to be released in 2020 may come with either Samsung Display's Y-Octa or LG Display's TOE touch technology, indicated the sources, noting that both touch solutions promise to trim down the display cost,"Digitimes reports.

"Y-Octa is an advanced flexible AMOLED display technology that removes the film substrate and allows the touch circuit to be directly patterned on the film's encapsulation layer, making the display thinner, indicated the sources."

22/2/19: Apple's 2020 iPhones will reportedly ship with a 5-nanometer (5nm) chip manufactured by TSMC.

Digitimes, just weeks after claiming that TSMC will be the sole supplier of 7nm chips for this year's iPhones, reports that the chipmaker "is expected to secure the first 5nm chip orders from Apple for the 2020 iPhones".

Further details are scant, but it looks like Apple could be one of the first to use the 5nm chip, which looks set to advanced AR and AI applications and offer a significant boost to battery life.

6/11/18: Does your iPhone XSalready bore you? Good news: as sure as night follows day, new iPhones are always just around the corner, and the latest report suggests that the 2020 model will be the first company handset to pack 5G in.

If that news leaves you feeling sad that Apple seems to be dragging its feet, it's probably worth reflecting on the fact that having 5G in your phone in 2019 will likely be an entirely pointless endeavour in future proofing. Like ensuring your new shoes will be great for the office and the first Martian colony.

Yes, a bunch of Android phones will have 5G modems in the next year, but the opportunity to use that speed will be almost pointlessly limited - and that's before you even get into the likely bugginess and huge battery drain that the smartphone vanity plates will have. Those points withstanding, do you really want to give Apple an excuse to raise their prices further?

With that in mind, even 2020 may feel a tad optimistic, but FastCompany reckons that Apple has already planned Intel as its modem supplier. The report suggests that Apple is using Intel's 8160 chip for testing, but hopes that the 10nm 8161 will provide faster speeds and greater efficiency for the finished product.

Indeed, sources report that the current 8060 model is having problems with heat dissipation, which isn't ideal for something that spends much of its life in your pocket, perilously close to your sensitive regions.

As a backup, the report says, Apple will turn to MediaTek. Of course, Qualcomm also has its own X50 modem for 5G, but given the escalating legal battles between the chip giant and Apple, you would imagine that a deal will only be struck there once Hell freezes over. Which, helpfully, may well occur before 5G actually delivers on its promise.

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iPhone 12 Pro will pack 6GB RAM and mmWave 5G, analyst claims - The INQUIRER

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

Whatever other criticisms people may direct his way, Brian Sims is no shrinking violet. The outspoken Pennsylvania state representative from the City of Brotherly Love is assured of his opinions when it comes to the political and social issues of the day.

Im very comfortable and confident in both the morality of my ideology, but also in the breadth of it, he says. And I know that a majority of Americans agree with me, a majority of my constituents agree with me, and I believe a majority of my colleagues do.

Sims became the first openly gay legislator elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2012, and is currently one of two out LGBTQ legislators in the body. Upon his first election, the historic nature of his win assisted by his football player build, neatly trimmed beard, and piercing blue eyes instantly propelled him to celebrity status. It also gave the freshman Democrat a national platform that would not be afforded to most other state representatives, regardless of the length of their service.

Its a platform that the 41-year-old is mindful to use for moral causes: promoting social justice, advocating for equality for historically disenfranchised groups, and asking others to use their relative privilege to donate, volunteer, or vote.

There was a Latinx out gay man who ran for city council in Philadelphia last year, says Sims. He used to often say, Dont give a voice to the voiceless. Give them a microphone. I value that immensely.

Sims is also not content to stand on decorum or censor himself for the sake of civility, if it means compromising principles. If he believes something ardently, hell voice his sentiments. Take a viral photo last year of Sims sticking up his middle finger to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to Philadelphia for a political fundraiser. Sims was criticized by some, but his message to Pence and the Trump administration overall was clear. Were a City of soaring diversity, he wrote in a Facebook post accompanying the photo. We believe in the power of all people to live and to contribute: Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Atheist, Immigrant, we want you and well respect you.

Sims has directed his harshest criticisms at Republican leaders in Harrisburg whom he sees as illegitimate, given the gerrymandered nature of Pennsylvanias legislative districts for pushing bills to restrict abortion, hinder police accountability, and end assistance programs for needy residents, and for killing progressive legislation calling for LGBTQ equality, a higher minimum wage, environmental protections, and gun reform measures.

A self-described Army brat raised by two lieutenant colonels, Sims moved around a lot as a child before his parents retired in Southeast Pennsylvania. The experience instilled a love of adventure in Sims, who was never shy to embrace new experiences.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

After graduating from Bloomsburg University where he was an all-conference defensive lineman for the football team Sims pursued a law degree at the Michigan State University College of Law. Following graduation, he worked as counsel for the Philadelphia Bar Association, a senior law clerk for the Environmental Protection Agency, and as a civil rights attorney. During that time, he also served as president of the board of directors of Equality Pennsylvania and chair of GALLOP, the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia.

Appropriately enough, one of Sims heroes is Benjamin Franklin, the quintessential Philadelphian, whose First District in the Pennsylvania Assembly overlaps Sims current House district. Hes such a Franklin fan that he even has a tattoo of one of the Founding Fathers quotes on his arm.

When I was a little kid, I had a lawn mowing service. And my parents had told me that I needed to have a business card. My mom helped me take a brown paper bag and cut it up into little business card sized pieces of paper. On one side I put my name, my parents address, and their telephone number. And on the other side, they told me I needed to put the name of my business or a quote.

We had an Encyclopedia Britannica at the time, and I pulled it out, dug through, and found this great Ben Franklin quote. Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, enemy to none. That quote has followed me my entire life. It wasnt until after I got sworn in that our house parliamentarian came up and told me, You know, youre in the old Franklin seat. It was one of those complete kismet, full-circle moments of my life.

Brian Sims Ben Franklin tattoo Photo: Todd Franson

Unapologetically liberal, Sims says his fellow Democratic party members would do well to embrace and stand firm on progressive principles.

I dont think we serve ourselves well as Democrats by watering down the best of our ideologies. We should always be staunchly pro-choice. We should always be staunchly pro-equality. We should always recognize the power, the influence of immigrants. Those are things that I dont think that we should ever be quiet on, that we should ever back off on. Frankly, the Democratic party is the only party thats ever occupied the White House and balanced the budget. We should be loud and proud about those things.

He also bemoans the fact that legislatures often dont look like the constituents they represent, and wants to encourage other ordinary people to run for office if they seek to change things, as he did.

Im a civil rights attorney that got mad at my government and got mad at the people who were making bad decisions and ran for office, he says. Being an elected official was not the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me.

I tried for a couple of cycles to elect an out person to our legislature, and it just wasnt happening, and my friend sat me down and said, Maybe youre the person. And its not that they had to convince me. Its that I thought, All right. Can I do this better? I think I can.'

METRO WEEKLY: Lets start with your upbringing.

BRIAN SIMS: I come from a military family. My siblings and I are all Army brats, as are my parents. My mom and dad met during the Vietnam War. My mom enlisted and my dad was drafted. Both served in the Army. And after getting married right after the war, stayed active duty military for the remainder of my young life. I have an older brother, a twin brother, and a younger sister. And my family, as all Army families or military families do, moved around quite a bit. I was born in Washington, D.C. at Walter Reed, but moved states about every two or three years until I got to high school. I lived in places like Kansas and Alaska. I lived at West Point, New York, the Military Academy, a little bit of everywhere, and really loved it.

I ended up going to Bloomsburg University, which is a state school, in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, up in the Poconos. I went there to play football, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was the captain of the team my senior year. That was the year that I came out of the closet.

I got the benefit of both having a really strong family and really strong friends when it came to my coming out. I didnt have to turn to the other because I lost one or the other. My family was very supportive of me and my team was very supportive of me when I came out.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

MW: You came out in college, but when did you first know that you were gay?

SIMS: I knew that I wasnt straight long before I knew that I was gay. And I know that sounds like splitting hairs to some people, but I think it was clear to me in measuring the differences between how I was interacting with girls when I was a young teenager and how my friends, my male counterparts, my brother, how they were interacting with girls. Anybody who knows me will tell you that I have a beyond healthy respect for women. Im just not sexually attracted to women.

I dont know when I actually finally figured out that that meant I was gay. I was probably 16 or 17 when it occurred to me that I definitely wasnt straight or bisexual; that I was a gay man. It would be another four years before I came out of the closet, but I didnt have one of those experiences, Im very proud to say or lucky to say that I didnt have a really haunting closeted experience.

Football was a huge part of my life, as were academics, and I was able to bury myself in those things, which is something I hear from a lot of people about their lives before they came out of the closet. And it was true for me.

I dont remember having years where I hated myself or I hated my sexuality. I remember being very confused about it at times, but I dont ever remember any moments of self-hatred, or self-loathing, or really being fearful in the closet.

MW: After college you went to law school. Was that always the plan?

SIMS: When I was 21 years old, I got accepted to law school. My parents sent me a plaque, and on it is this quote by Lyndon Johnson on the scales of justice. Its this quote about law giving man mastery over himself. The quote itself is good, but not all that particularly interesting. What was so interesting for me was on the back of it was a note my parents wrote for me when I was in my early teens, about knowing that I wanted to become a lawyer.

When I was a little kid, when I was 10, 11, and 12, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I was going to tell you I was going to be a feminist lawyer. That was my line. As a little kid, I remember distinctly. And my friends like to razz me about this because its something they remember as well. I used to tell people I was going to be a feminist lawyer. As I got older, I knew that that meant womens and reproductive rights, but for most of my teens, thats just what I thought I was going to be for a couple of different reasons. And as I look back on those reasons now, I dont know if they were as solid in my mind as they are now, but I grew up in a household that had one of the highest-ranking women officers on any base that I was ever living in. That was my mom.

Most of my friends, their fathers were soldiers or officers, and their moms were homemakers or maybe teachers. I consider my parents relatively alpha people. They went on to become lieutenant colonels. But never, ever do I remember my parents treating each other or treating anybody else differently because of their gender. Nor do I ever remember the power dynamics of male and female power differences in this patriarchal world ever seeping into my own household. And so, it was around my early teens when I started really seeing how differently the girls in my class were treated, how differently women in general were treated, how my friends moms were treated differently.

So, I knew what I wanted to do. All through high school and college, everybody that I interacted with knew what I was going to do with myself. I took my LSATs I think the first time when I was 16 years old. So when I went off to law school, it was much more of a fulfillment of a lifelong dream than, say, getting elected to office was.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

MW: Are you in a relationship right now?

SIMS: I got out of a long-term relationship about a year ago, and now Im dating.

MW: Are there any other relationships in your life that are particularly meaningful to you?

SIMS: Yeah. I have a group of three women that Im extremely close with. A lesbian woman who is the former LGBTQ liaison to Philadelphia and a trans woman who is the highest LGBTQ vote-getter in Philadelphia history. She ran for City Council last year, and although she didnt win, she is perhaps one of the most notable LGBTQ activists in my city. The third is a straight cis woman who lives in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, who was one of the lead organizers of the Womens March on Philly.

Whats so unique about them is, in my life and in their lives, we all interact with people just like us all the time. I interact with advocates and activists, and they interact with elected officials, and we all interact with organizers. But the four of us have formed this very tight-knit group. Theres not a day that goes by that were not talking about each others jobs, talking about each others interactions, professionally and personally. And I have found it to be a group of advisors in my life that have had a tremendously positive impact on me.

MW: Is there anyone in politics that youre close with? Or is it different in Harrisburg because people have sharp elbows?

SIMS: Id say its a lot like it is in almost all workplaces. People will find themselves in a particular business unit, where they kind of have to get along with all their co-workers, but within that group therell be people they like more, and people they like less, and theyll probably have a couple of close work friends, and theyll probably develop a friend or two out of that group that is more than a work friend. And thats been the case for me. I have a couple of colleagues that I consider authentic, true friends that I will have long beyond my time in office. I have a whole bunch of colleagues that were cordial because we work together and we have common goals, and then of course I have colleagues I dont get along with.

Whats different about my workplace is that us not getting along often has to do exactly with the issues that were talking about at work. While there are certainly personality differences, I also work with people who think that I should be a second-class citizen or that I dont deserve civil rights. And so, its one thing to not like the food that somebody is microwaving at lunch, or not like how often theyre stepping out for a smoke break and leaving the door open. Its another to work alongside somebody who is actively trying to promote discrimination towards you.

MW: Youve infamously clashed with Rep. Daryl Metcalfe.

SIMS: Yeah. Chairman Daryl Metcalfe. He is without a doubt, in my now-going on eight years in office, the most racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic bigot that has served in government in Pennsylvania. And I dont say those things lightly.

When I joined the legislature, I knew who he was, although everything I say about him is based on my personal experiences with him. I knew who he was at the time, and I knew that he was all of those things, but I was uncomfortable using those words, in part because I was afraid about how it would reflect on the General Assembly, how it would reflect on me as a legislator.

But I dont ever want to let decorum get in the way of substance. And I think people like him, bigots like him, get a pass because of decorum. And I think he counts on getting that pass to get his message across, and I dont want to be one of those people that buys into that. The word racist has definitions, and I think hes a racist because of his public statements and the legislation that hes put forward. Being a xenophobic bigot isnt subjective. I think it is based on who he is and what he has said and done, and I think those things are important to talk about.

MW: Pennsylvania House lawmakers were brought up by Democratic and Republican leaders, saying We need to be more civil, and using you and Rep. Borowicz and Rep. Ellis as examples of bad behavior. Do you ever worry about offending people so much that they cant work with you?

SIMS: Of course I do. Yes. And I wouldnt be doing my job if I didnt. Its one thing to be politically minded. Its one thing to have strong values and to know how to use your voice. All of those things are great. And I work with activists and advocates like that every day. Im also a legislator. I have a job. I have a duty to move forward these things that we share values about. While I think its really important that people who have values loudly share them if they can do so with respect, I think its equally important that we dont pretend that these things are two sides of the same coin.

Stephanie Borowicz standing up in front of the first African-American Muslim woman being sworn into the house in front of her imam and talking about how theres only one true God in front of her, thats very different than me standing up and saying, Enough of the hypocrisy. Enough denying people equality. I want to make sure that I push back against this sentiment that were just talking about: Its the same kind of rationale, just on the left, as some on the right. Thats not whats going on here.

Conservative members of my legislature have gerrymandered the legislature more than any in America. Its illegal, and its unconstitutional, and it hasnt stopped yet. And it will soon, as evidenced by the [redistricting] ruling from our federal courts. But until then, theyre trying to do everything they can to undermine equality. Equality of opportunity, equality for LGBTQ people, equality for African-American people, equality for women, equality for immigrants, equality for all people. Thats a far cry from loudly demanding equality for all people.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

MW: Some people have criticized you for being more show horse than workhorse. How do you feel when you hear those criticisms directed towards you?

SIMS: First of all, Ive introduced 17 major pieces of legislation. I serve on four separate committees in the state house. I also serve on the policy committee. Im the chair of the LGBT Caucus. Im the co-chair of the State System of Higher Education Caucus, and I hold a town hall roughly every 45 days or so. Im a workhorse. As for a show horse, I dont know what that means. What I do know is that my colleagues view power in three different ways: the ability to get votes, which we can only do every couple of years; the ability to raise money, which most of us only have to do every couple of years; and the ability to get your message heard. And I have a disproportionate ability to get my messages heard.

I have a platform unlike any other state legislator in the country. And it was a part of this platform that I brought to the campaign trail and said, This is among the things that I can offer. Im not just going to sit here and be a freshman, sophomore, or junior member that sits in my office or sits in the Capitol and hopes for change. Im going to do everything with the power I have to make that change. I have a very unique ability to draw attention to issues. And as someone who is in the minority party in a gerrymandered state, from the least-liked city in my state by Republicans, having this platform is an antidote to their unethical, immoral, and I believe unconstitutional control of my legislature.

MW: You were involved in a recent controversy where you filmed a video of yourself confronting protesters outside a Planned Parenthood Clinic, leading to a backlash from pro-life groups. Republicans brought a censure resolution against you, although they have since withdrawn it. Did you learn anything from that incident?

SIMS: Ive lived across from that Planned Parenthood almost my entire time in Philadelphia, and it is perhaps the most heavily protested Planned Parenthood in America. It was the Planned Parenthood that took a U.S. Supreme Court case that decided the trimester system back in the 80s. It is what I consider to be one of the most racist corners in my district. And what I mean by that is, on any given day, you can go there and youll see a couple of people lined up, or just one person, making sure that every person of color that goes in and out of that Planned Parenthood for health care hears about why its shameful, or hears a bible verse yelled at them, or gets handed a small, black plastic fetus that they hand out there.

The horrendousness of it is something that will impact the rest of my life. I will never unsee or unknow the things that I saw living next to that Planned Parenthood. As a patient escort there for seven years, I had to stand there and really see it all firsthand. But I am also extremely well-trained in why not to interact with them in the way that I did. I had watched them harass two young girls of color, I had walked away, and I got very mad at myself for doing it.

I spend so much of my day and my time and my life trying to ask people who have privileges that I dont have to do something with that privilege. Were always asking men to be better allies to women and actually defend women. And what I thought I was doing was using my white privilege, my male privilege, to voice up and defend people who were not being defended at the time. And I know better now.

There are hundreds of better ways to use that energy, that ideology, and while I do believe that bullies need to be pushed back against, and thats not going to change and while I do believe that driving into inner city Planned Parenthoods so that you can harass young girls who are seeking health care, young girls of color especially, is heinous and wicked I also know that sometimes when youre a fighter, everything looks like a fight, and thats not the case. And in this case, I was wrong.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

MW: You did apologize, not only to the protesters, but to Planned Parenthood because it prompted anti-abortion protesters to hold a rally outside the clinic.

SIMS: Absolutely. Planned Parenthood is perhaps the organization, other than The Victory Fund in this country, that I most closely align myself with. I feel like I know virtually every single person that works at that Planned Parenthood. I certainly know every volunteer that had to show up that day and put on a yellow jacket and stand out there and protect patients that were coming and going because of something that I did. I know them very well, and I am very, very sorry to them for how this played out. And it was something I shouldve foreseen and would never do again.

MW: Were you ever worried about having a civil suit brought against you?

SIMS: No. Im a lawyer, and I know better.

MW: Youve spoken before about having received death threats or having people call you a fag. Does your sexual orientation still rankle the average person in the way that it did when you were first elected?

SIMS: A little bit more. Actually, Im not going to lie. Not a little bit more a lot more.

MW: Why do you think that is, especially since youve been around for a while?

SIMS: I think thats the reason why. It didnt make me go away when I started. Seven years ago, getting my first round of death threats at my office was scary. It was scary for my staff, it was scary for my family, and I moved, and I moved offices. And as it continued to happen, I learned more about it. The police around me learned more. My staff learned more. And I learned how to approach it. Here I am, now in my fourth term in office, running for a fifth term, and I think that there are more people with whom my messages are resonating. And I think theres more people realizing that Im not somebody that gets bullied or that takes well to it.

Im here to do a job, and one of the side effects of having to do this job in this era, in this time period, is that I have to do deal with an inordinate amount of hate. You probably dont know anybody that gets called a faggot as much as I do. You probably dont know anybody, and youve probably not spoken to anybody that actually gets as many death threats as I do. Thats not something I take any pride in whatsoever, but I will tell you that its not because Im sitting on my ass and doing nothing.

Brian Sims Photo: Todd Franson

MW: Two things that come up when others talk about your personality is that you get very excited and passionate about what youre dealing with or talking about, and the other is something you said back when you first ran for the legislature, which is you have a mouth like atruckdriver.

SIMS: By the way, I used to say that all the time, but when you say it to a gay crowd, it always sounds different. [Laughs.]

MW: That definitely has a different connotation. On that point, though, have either of those traits been a help or a hindrance to you?

SIMS: Maybe theyre a hindrance. Theres no question that there are certain audiences that Im in front of that hear me say Oh, fuck who dont want to hear that. But by and large, Ill tell you why I think its helpful. Maybe I should spend more time thinking about this and have a better answer, but I dont think theres anybody who walks away from meeting me, or hearing me speak in front of an audience, who doesnt think, That guy believes in the things that hes doing. He cares deeply about making sure that those things happen in this world, and Im a lot more like him than I would think that I am.

Yeah, I curse sometimes, but you know what? Most people curse sometimes. Ill tell a crowd: I want you all to run for office, or, Look around, and if its not you, you know somebody that should. I cant tell you the number of people who will come up to me afterward and say, I really would love to run for office, or, My friend really should run for office, except that they arent a lawyer, or they dropped out of college, or theyre a single mother, or they have a history of addiction, or theyre in recovery.

All of these things that somehow people think are negatives, I know, both in real life and statistically, make people more relatable. Nobody reads a list of your accomplishments and thinks, Im just like that person. They do feel that when they hear about your struggles, your foibles, the things that youve had to overcome.

I talk a mile a minute. Ive got kind of a foul mouth sometimes. But I dont think anybody thinks Im anything other than who I say I am and if nothing else, thats a bit refreshing in politics these days.

Follow Brian Sims on Twitter and Instagram. Learn more at http://www.sims4pa.com.

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Brian Sims has dedicated his life to achieving equality and he wont stop until it happens - Metro Weekly

Herds of bison milling through Yellowstone National Park may seem aimless to the average visitor, but a new study reveals the animals are hard at work engineering their ecosystem. By rigorously mowing and fertilizing their own patches of grassland, the big herbivores essentially delay spring until late summer.

Researchers suggest that most ungulates in the western United States, including elk, mule deer and pronghorn, migrate during the spring following the green wave, when plants and grasses awake from their winter sleep and sprout up. This allows the animals to have a constant supply of newly emerged vegetation, which is often the most nutritious. Mule deer can migrate up to 200 miles in the spring as they surf the wave, following the greener grass into higher elevations and higher latitudes.

For the new study on bison in the journal PNAS, researchers wanted to follow bison as they surfed the green wave in Yellowstone National Park. Scientists began tracking the herds movements using GPS collars in the mid-2000s. But researchers noticed something odd about the 4,500 bison in Yellowstone: tracking data showed that while other ungulates moved with the wave to higher elevations, the bison lingered behind, reports Tom Bauer at the Missoulian.

They surf the green wave early in the spring, co-author Jerod Merkle, a migration ecologist at the University of Wyoming says, but at some point, they stopped. [M]any bison did not reach their highest summer ranges until well after the green wave had passed.

Even more surprising, when researchers analyzed the bison dung, they found that the animals experienced no nutritional deficits when letting the green wave wash by them. It threw us for a complete loop, study co-author Chris Geremia, a National Park Service scientist, tells Ed Yong at The Atlantic. How can they fall behind but still have an incredibly high-quality diet?

For the new study, researchers analyzed 13 years of GPS data, measured the plants the bison ate and inspected the bisons dung. They found that when bison stop chasing spring, they actually create their own "green wave." By constantly mowing down the emerging vegetation and fertilizing it with their dung and urine, they ensure a steady stream of young, nutritious shoots growing through May, June and into July, reports The Associated Press.

We knew that bison migrated, we figured they followed the green wave, but we didn't know that their influence on the landscape could affect the entire way that spring moves through the mountains and valleys of Yellowstone, Merkle says in a press release. They are not just moving to find the best food; they are creating the best food. This happens because bison are aggregate grazers that graze in groups of hundreds, or more than a thousand animals.

Yong reports that bison herds massive size that can number in the thousands are what make the endless spring possible. Other grazers, like mule deer, simply dont gather in large enough numbers to have the nibbling power to prolong spring time growth.

While it might seem like getting constantly nibbled would weaken the grasses the bison graze over time, thats not the case. The team set up exclosures, or areas where the bison were not allowed to graze, and compared the vegetation to the area that was heavily impacted by the bison. The mowed-down forage had higher ratios of nitrogen to carbon, a standard measure of nutritional quality, says co-author Matthew Kauffman of the U.S. Geological Survey based at the University of Wyoming.

When the bison do finally move into the higher elevations in August, their grazing lawn is allowed to enter a belated spring. The study shows that by the end of the summer those heavily grazed plants contain 50 to 90 percent more nutrients than the grasses allowed to grow untouched. They also survive longer into the fall.

Yong reports that this has long-term impacts; when the green wave returns the following year, the heavily grazed areas have a more intense spring that lasts longer than in other areas. According to the press release, the effect is so pronounced that researchers can see the difference between heavily grazed and lightly grazed grasslands on satellite maps.

The impact of the bison herd is so profound, it raises questions about how grassland ecosystems worked in pre-settlement times. At one point, its estimated 30 to 60 million bison roamed between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. By 1884, unrestricted hunting reduced that number to just 325 wild animals, including 25 in the Yellowstone region.

It makes us think a lot about how this grassland system worked at continental scales, when we had tens of millions of bison roaming around, co-author Mark Hebblewhite, an ecologist at the University of Montana, tells Bauer.

Hopefully, people will be able to see some of the landscape-wide effects bison can have over the next few decades. Hannah Osborne at Newsweek reports that there are currently half a million bison in the United States, though less than 15,000 are free-ranging.

Thats starting to change, with bison reintroduction projects happening across North America. Just last month, Badlands National Park opened 22,000 new acres to bison. In 2017, Banff National Park returned bison to the area after a 130-year absence. In 2016, the Blackfeet Nation re-introduced the descendents of the last wild bison in Montana, which were sold to the Canadian government in the 1870s.

Today there is growing effort to restore bison to habitats they once roamed, Geremia tells Osborne. As we seek to reestablish bison, this study shows us what large bison herds are capable of when they are allowed to seek out the best forage and move freely across large landscapes.

Continue reading here:
Yellowstone Bison Engineer an Endless Spring to Suit Their Grazing Needs - Smithsonian.com

THE best of business in the region was celebrated at The Press Business Awards 2019.

More than 300 people attended a glittering black tie ceremony at York Racecourse where plant, tree and shrub supplier Johnsons of Whixley Ltd won the coveted title of The Press Business of the Year.

They were the big winners on a night when 11 awards were handed out at the event, which was sponsored by TalkTalks York Ultra Fibre Optic project.

Don't miss The Press on Wednesday for a 12-page souvenir supplement on the awards ceremony.

Read more about the awards night here>>

The Press Business Awards 2019 roll of honour

Small Business of the Year (sponsored by Hethertons Solicitors)

Winner ISF

Finalists Netsells, RotaCloud

New Business of the Year (sponsored by Make It York)

Winner

ilke Homes Ltd

Finalists Angela Bare, York Gin

Socially Responsible Business of the Year (sponsored by York St John University)

Winner Benenden Health

Finalists Torque Law LLP, Choc Affair

Employer of the Year (sponsored by Langleys Solicitors)

Winner Benenden Health

Finalists Home Instead Senior Care, ilke Homes Ltd

Large Business of the Year (sponsored by LOCALiQ)

Winner The Skills Network

Finalists Soanes Poultry, Johnsons of Whixley Ltd

Business Personality of the Year (sponsored by York Racecourse)

Winner Tricia Sheriff

Finalists Graham Usher, Tarnia Hudson

Business Innovation of the Year (sponsored by the University of York)

Winner Netsells

Finalists Tancream, Roche Legal

Family Business of the Year (sponsored by Shepherd Group)

Winner Johnsons of Whixley Ltd

Finalists Playscheme, Glencor Golf Holidays

Retail, Tourism and Leisure Business of the Year (sponsored by Synergy Commercial Finance)

Winner Spirit of Yorkshire

Finalists Jorvik Viking Centre, Humble Bee Leisure

Exporter of the Year (sponsored by The Press)

Winner Maxwell-Scott

Finalists Maximise PM Ltd, Wold Top Brewery

The Press Business of the Year (sponsored by Talk Talk)

Johnsons of Whixley Ltd

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GALLERY: 74 pictures from The Press Business Awards 2019 - York Press

Carleton Varney was, of all things, a teacher before he became an interior decorator. But his first career didnt last long. After landing a job working for Dorothy Draper (he eventually took over her firm), Varney was off and running, bringing his bright, joyous palette to a client list that includes everyone from Jimmy Carter to Joan Crawford. To say nothing of his 37 books, newspaper columns, TV shows, product lines and a project hes been working on forwait for it53 years: The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia.

In this episode of the Business of Home podcast (sponsored by Chairish and Google), Varney shares stories of working with some of his most famous clients, his philosophy on color, and why, at 82, hes as busy as hes ever been. (Clint Eastwood is 88, Varney points out with a laugh.)

Listen, and check out a few takeaways below. If you like what you hear, subscribe to the podcast (free of charge!) on Apple Podcasts, and every week a new show will be delivered to your smartphone.

ADVICE FROM JOANThough hes had more than a few iconic clients, one of Varneys most famous was Joan Crawford. She also gave him one of the best pieces of advice he ever received. Joan told me one thing Ill always remember and was the key to a lot of things I did in my career, says Varney. She said: Look at me, Carleton I wanna tell you one thing: I invented me, and you can do the same. I always remembered that. The challenge was to concentrate. Im not a person who ever wasted time. If Im on an airplane, I dont watch movies, I work on my new book or my newspaper column.

BRING BACK THE RAINBOWVarney generally sees the good in everythingbut he draws a line at greige. I look at some of the design magazines, they show so much white and beige and colorless rooms, that Im afraid that the next generation will do even less color, he says. When you walk through a pretty garden that has colorful flowers: yellows, greens, pinks and blues, everybody loves it. Then they turn around and walk back inside and forget that exists, and go back into neutral.

LIFE GOES ONVarney is a huge admirer of legendary Architectural Digest editor in chief Paige Rense, and was an early supporter when she took over the magazine in the 1970s. The fact that he published a project in House Beautiful, leading to his banishment from AD (Rense famously wanted designers to stay exclusive to her publication), didnt cause any hard feelings. Nothing in this world is dependent on only one person, says Varney. Sure, it was a blow, but, it wasnt the only magazine.

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Carleton Varney reflects on a colorful career - Business of Home

TRAVEL

An article on Nov. 10 about ancient Puebloan civilization in the American Southwest misspelled part of the name of a mission church in New Mexico. It is San Estevan del Rey Mission Church, not San Estaban del Rey Mission Church.

The cover story last Sunday, about recreating a home interior for the TV show Almost Family, incorrectly described Susan Ogus role on the set. She is the set decorator, not the set director.

The Whats Selling Now article last Sunday, using incorrect information provided by a real estate broker, misidentified the listing broker for 68 Mountain Road, in Irvington, N.Y. The listing broker is Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, not Houlihan Lawrence.

An essay on Nov. 3 about Edith Whartons novel The Age of Innocence misstated the given name of one character. He is Julius Beaufort, not Julian.

The War Stories column on Nov. 10 misstated Ash Carters place among President Barack Obamas defense secretaries. He was the fourth defense secretary to serve under Obama, not the third.

A review on Nov. 10 about the picture book The Perfect Seat misspelled the authors surname. He is Minh Le, not Li.

A review on Nov. 10 about the graphic novel White Bird, by R.J. Palacio, misidentified a character who has polio. He is Julien, not Vincent (Juliens antagonist).

Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.

To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, complaints or other comments about our coverage, please email nytnews@nytimes.com or call 1-844-NYT-NEWS (1-844-698-6397).

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Corrections: Nov. 24, 2019 - The New York Times

Don't try this at home.

Heres a quick tip for anyone trying to finish up a DIY project quickly:

Step One: Open up your wallet.

Congratulations! Youre finished.

On television and social media, DIY projects look so easy. And they are, if youre an expert. However, unless your last name is Gaines, or youreBen Uyeda, the best-case scenario for most DIY projects is loss of money and time. The worst is a trip to the hospital.

For the most part, people are entirely unrealistic when it comes to all aspects of DIY. A major kitchen renovation cannot be completed in a weekend or two. Refinishing a flea market find is not as easy as baking a cake from a box. So, really what are we all trying to prove here?

Putting The Ramshackle In Ramshackle Glam

As the creator of Ramshackle Glam, Jordan Reid has felt the pressure to present Instagram perfect DIY projects. Many years ago, she was asked by a prominent crafting company to make a piece of jewelry and along with a step-by-step tutorial.

There was just one big problem. The sum total of my experience making jewelry was the string friendship bracelets I'd sold in the lobby of my parents' building for two dollars a pop when I was eight, she tells me.

But Reid made it work. I whipped up a passably cute multi-strand leather-and-silver bracelet, photographed it, and posted the how-to on my site anyway, figuring hey, this is clearly anif I can do it, anyone can, moment.

But despite the pressure of social media, Reid stresses that shes always tried to present herself as, a person who's kind of okay at stuff like cooking, decor, and DIY, and who's up for trying new projects, even if those projects fail.

However, when she begins to compare herself to the rest of social media, like most people, Reid doesnt end up feeling good about herself. Whenever I've done that, I've immediately noticed everything I'm doing wrong from the fact that I don't wander around with perfectly beach-waved hair to the fact that my photographic skills are only meh.

Reid has ultimately learned to make peace with her DIY skills or lack thereof, My projects usually look like normal-person projects, which is extremely not the norm these days, she says.

Trying to remain true to herself and her audience is more important than creating that perfect aesthetic. Its important for me to resist the pull to be something other than what I am because if I try to be one of these women, I think I'd lose the whole point of what I'm trying to say.

So the blogger chooses projects she can complete semi from scratch. This is probably the most realistic approach for everyone, but sometimes these lessons must be learned the hard way.

Even Simple Projects Can Go Horribly Wrong

Hanging curtains is easy, right? Not exactly. WhenLatasha Jameswanted to jazz up her apartments boring blinds, she thought installing curtains would be a great idea. I looked up some DIYs online and decided to buy brackets, tape, and a curtain rod to attach the curtains onto my concrete ceiling, she says.

James even documented what she thought at the time was a DIY success story onYouTube. For a few days, her apartment looked great, until she came home to her partner frantically running around with paper towels. I looked up and noticed bright red wine spilling all over our floor. We had a little bar cart that sat right below the curtains. The curtains fell downbrackets and all, knocking wine bottles down and breaking them.

Luckily her flooring was laminate so they were able to clean up the mess before there were any negative consequences. But not everyone is so lucky.

Leave Cleaning To The Experts

Philadelphia publicist Allison Weiss Brady is never shy about hiring help, but sometimes help is unavailable. When her daughters had a sleepover, one of their guests left a red popsicle on the white carpet overnight.

It was a Saturday and the carpet cleaner didnt open until Monday, so I tried sparkling water, soap, and then pondered the suggestion that I trim the carpet fibers to get rid of the stain. I didnt cut it.

Her efforts didnt cut it either. When the carpet cleaner arrived the following Monday, it was too late because the stain was already set it. So now a gymnastics tumbling mat sits on top of that red stain. We figure well re-carpet it when we become empty nesters, she says.

Perhaps she should have found a professional with better availability.

The Wrong Siding

Art therapist Elyse Adelberg-Miller and her husband Steve are homeowners on Long Island, New York. A decade ago, they noticed a small number of shingles (approximately half a walls worth) needed replacing. The project seemed easy enough, so they went to a big box store for supplies and some direction.

As we were stapling the black paper we heard a ton of buzzing, Adelberg-Miller shares. We had bees in the wall. Needless to say, I ran, screamed and we had to hire an exterminator and contractor. I would not go into my backyard for weeks. I wanted to move!

But the incident turned out to be a timely break. Apparently because the shingles were from the 1940s, pieces broke off and the bees found their way in. They were carpenter bees. The exterminator said it was lucky we found them because they could have made their way through the interior wall and into the house.

So, when it came time to re-side the entire home several years ago, the Millers hired professionals. But I stayed very clear of the house when it was done. The kids and I stayed at my parents for a few days, she says.

Everyone Has Limits

There are plenty of people who are skilled when it comes to DIY, they're called contractors, craftspeople and artisans. But while Mike Smith (whose name has been changed) is far handier than most people, he has a desk job. So when his master bathroom needed some upgrades, he naturally went the DIY route. Most aspects of the project went incredibly well. He installed a new tub, marble tiles and fixtures perfectly. All of the work truly looked professional.

Then Smith hit a snag when attempting some minor demolition that was just above his skill level. He ended up exposing a pipe in the wall that was covered in white insulation, which may or may not have been hazardous. While nothing bad happened, it could have ended in disaster for someone with a heavier hand.

DI Why?

Want to burn through cash on your home renovation projects quickly? Its easy to do yourself. According to a survey of more than 1000 homeowners conducted byClovered, 85.2% went the DIY route to save money.

There are times when this is a logical choice. For example, the same survey showed the DIY price of unclogging a toilet drain is $5. A professional can charge anywhere from $85-$520. Most people can figure out how to use a plunger or snake a drain with minimal risk.

But for the most part, DIY is a lose-lose situation. According to the same data, installing a kitchen sink yourself can cost approximately $200. But a professional installation runs just $99. The best-case scenario here is losing $100. The worst-case is flooding your entire home.

Then theres the risk of hurting yourself. The survey revealed the most common DIY injuries are accidentally cutting the skin with a tool, hitting yourself with a hammer, and tripping over materials. None of these is an ideal way to end a productive afternoon.

Furthermore, according to theCDC, more than half a million people are treated for ladder-related injuries every year. Clearly, there's a reason why they've established March asNational Ladder Safty Month. While not all of these injuries are due to DIY projects, it's a startling statistic to keep in mind.

Finding Balance

Logic is key. If youre putting your home on the market and youve never painted before, its probably not the ideal time to learn. But you dont need to consult a professional to choose the paint or buy supplies. Your local paint store should suffice.

Then use a service such asThumbtackto find quotes from local professionals. Thumbtack verifies licensing (which is a must for electrical, plumbing and demolition projects) as well as provides ranking, reviews, availability, etc. You can also request a quote. They have professionals for every type of home improvement project from electricians, to tile installation, gardening, plumbing and more.

The key is to find a happy medium. While many people feel intimidated to ask for help, streamlining the process with some assistance can prevent major problems and stress.

You can also use professionals to help with particular aspects of a DIY project. For example, if you find a great dining table at a local flea market youd love to re-paint, its probably best to leave the sanding to someone who knows how to use a power tool. When ready to show it off to your guests or on social media, you can still be proud of your semi-DIY project. You will have saved cash, time and potentially a trip to the ER. Youll be the only person who knows the difference.

Read the original here:
Why DIY Home Improvement Projects Are A Bad Idea - Forbes

CHICAGO, Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Rainscreen Cladding Marketby Material (Composite Materials, Metal, Fiber Cement, HPL), Construction (New Construction and Renovation), End-Use Sector (Non-residential and Residential), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024", published by MarketsandMarkets,the Rainscreen Cladding Market is projected to grow from USD 10.1 billion in 2019 to USD 14.3 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2019 to 2024.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Rainscreen Cladding Market"147 Tables 32 Figures 134 Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here:

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Rainscreen cladding market is expected to grow in accordance with the growth of the construction industry across the globe. Factors such as increase in the residential and non-residential construction and innovation as well as remodeling activities, along with the demand for durability of rainscreen cladding with the ability to withstand various weathering actions and resist chemical attacks & deterioration are expected to support market growth during the forecast period.

In terms of value and volume, the new construction segment is estimated to lead the rainscreen cladding market in 2019.

The new construction segment held the largest market share among all the construction of rainscreen cladding as it is affordable and is installed in regions having extreme weather conditions. It is a traditional glue-down cladding material which inherits several properties such as durability, flexibility, ease installation, and budget-friendly. The demand for the new construction segment is driving due to its properties, making it a preferred constructional type of rainscreen cladding for the residential as well as commercial application. The renovation segment is considered suitable for almost all applications such as builder, multi-family, residential, and commercial.

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In terms of volume, the non- residential segment leads the rainscreen cladding market in 2019.

Rainscreen cladding enhance the aesthetic appeal of a building, along with properties such as durability, comfort, and protection from extreme weathering has also driven the residential sector. Also, the rise in housing renovation and maintenance will further drive the demand for rainscreen cladding in the residential sector. The use of rainscreen cladding in residential buildings enhances the aesthetic appeal and provides durability and comfort. Rainscreen cladding is a non-structural, aesthetic layer or thin panel applied on the outer skin of the building that protects everything inside it from the external weather elements.

Europe region is projected to account for the largest share in the rainscreen cladding market during the forecast period

The Europe region is expected to lead the rainscreen cladding market in terms of both value and volume, from 2019 to 2024. Factors such as the increasing number of new housing units and huge investments in the infrastructural sector is expected to drive the rainscreen cladding market growth in the European region. Also, countries such as UK, Germany, France, Russia are considered to be developed markets in the construction sector as compared to the emerging markets such as Italy due to the tremendous growth of the construction opportunities in these countries has also driven the demand for rainscreen cladding .

Kingspan Insulation (UK), Sika (Switzerland), Rockwool International A/S (Denmark), Everest Industries Limited (Denmark), and Sotech Architectural Facade (UK) are key players operating in the Rainscreen Cladding Market. Expansions, acquisitions, partnerships, and new product developments are some of the significant strategies adopted by these key players to enhance their position in the rainscreen cladding market.

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Browse Adjacent Markets: Building and Construction Market ResearchReports & ConsultingRelated Reports :Cladding Systems Marketby Material (Ceramic, Wood, Brick & Stone, Vinyl, Stucco & EIFS, Metal, Fiber Cement), Use (Walls, Roofs), Application (Residential, Non-Residential), and Region - Global Forecast To 2023.

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Rainscreen Cladding Market Worth $14.3 Billion by 2024 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets - Yahoo Finance

If youre a fan of modern farmhouse style, or simply watch a lot of decorating shows on TV, youre undoubtedly familiar with the comeback of wall paneling. Unlike the dark and dreary look of the 1960s and 70sbig sheets of plywood with a laminate surfacetodays twist is often painted white and typically real wood or at least a wood veneer for far more realistic appeal. Whats more, the current take is usually is oriented horizontally, instead of the floor-to-ceiling vertical paneling so ubiquitous way back when.

Despite a tendency to refer to all wood paneling as shiplap, theres actually a host of paneling styles, including beadboard, board and batten, wainscoting, and tongue and groove in addition to shiplap. The latter two varieties are fairly popular right now, and while they share many similarities, each has distinct characteristics. So read on to learn what separates shiplap from tongue and groove to help you pick the paneling thats perfect for your home.

RELATED: 10 Wall Paneling Ideas That Dont Look Dated

Once installed, shiplap and tongue and groove look very similar. But before installation, check out the edges of planks cut for each style of paneling, and youll spot the biggest difference between them right away.

Each side of a shiplap plank has a small L-shaped notch running down its full length. The notch on one side of the plank will be on the upper edge, while the other side of the plank is notched on the lower edge. During installation, these notches fit together like little steps, so the shiplap planks very slightly overlap, in what is called a rabbet joint. Often, shiplap planks also have a gentle bevel along the lengthwise edges, which gives the appearance of a slight valley between planks in the finished paneling.

Tongue and groove planks, however, have a small projection sticking out of the center of one sides edge, while the other side has a corresponding small indentation. During installation, the tongue of one plank fits into the groove of its neighbor. Although tongue and groove planks are sometimes beveled along the lengthwise edge like shiplap, more often these planks are unbeveled, giving the finished results a somewhat tighter appearance than with shiplap.

As a general rule, its a little easier to install shiplap paneling than tongue and groove paneling, because you neednt fit the planks together. Instead, you simply match the notches on neighboring boards and then pound a nail straight through the overlap. Installing tongue and groove requires more precise nailing, as youll need to hammer the nail right through the planks tongues for secure results.

Most shiplap and tongue and groove planks are wood. If you plan on painting the finished paneling, as is most common in todays decorating styles, youll save money by using inexpensive pine planks. If youre really on a tight budget, you can even use plywood. But if you plan on leaving the paneling unpainted, you may be happier with a more attractive type of wood, such as cedar.

Youll find shiplap and tongue and groove planks made from fiber cement, vinyl, and even metal, although all of these are most often used for exterior siding, rather than for decorative indoor use.

While you can use either shiplap or tongue and groove on the exterior of your house, backyard shed, or garage, a few climate conditions to take into account before selecting one for the outdoors. As a general rule, shiplap is the better choice for a very rainy climate, as its overlapping planks shed water quite well. Tongue and groove, on the other hand, can deteriorate in wet climates due to trapped water inside the interlocking connections.

Shiplap is also the superior choice if you live in a high-heat, low-humidity climate, where the dry air tends to encourage slight shrinkage of wood. This can lead to gaps in the tongue and groove fitting but isnt likely to show in shiplaps overlapping connections. But if cold weather is an issue where you live, note that tongue and groove has slightly better insulating ability than shiplap.

When it comes to interiors, both types of paneling are currently trending decorative accents, especially in modern farmhouse, cottage, coastal, and rustic schemes. The most common use for both tongue and groove and shiplap is to panel entire walls, particularly in the kitchen or bathroom. But you can also use both styles to create just one accent wall, or even as a backsplash or fireplace surround. Another option is paneling only the lower portion of the wall, as with wainscoting. If you really love the modern farmhouse or coastal decorating styles, you might even choose to use shiplap or tongue and groove on the ceiling.

The cost of installing either shiplap or tongue and groove varies greatly depending on the material, room size, the area you live in, and whether or not you plan on doing the job yourself. Even so, you can typically expect to pay more for tongue and groove paneling than for shiplap. As a rough estimate, DIY shiplap in a 200 sq. ft.room will cost between $500 and $1,200, and from $1,000 to $1,700 if you have it professionally installed. For tongue and groove, expect to pay up to 50 percent more.

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Shiplap vs. Tongue and Groove: Which Wall Paneling is Best? - BobVila.com