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LED lighting from http://www.ledtronics.com improves sustainability and reduces light pollution

Torrance, CA Today, the LED lighting experts at LEDtronics, Inc., http://www.LEDtronics.com, announced that their LED Cobraheads Streetlight Fixtures helped NRG reduce energy consumption by over 72% and decrease light pollution in the local area.

LED Lights Reduce Energy Consumption by over 72%.

When the NRG power plant in El Segundo, CA was redesigned, two towers were demolished which caused extensive light from the plant to bother local neighbors. In an effort to get rid of this light pollution and update old, lighting fixtures at the same time, NRG turned to LEDtronics, Inc. for assistance.

"We faced an unexpected challenge when a large amount of new light was pouring into the homes of local residents after our demolition process," states Jason Luehsenhop, Morrow-Meadows Corporation Senior Project Manager for the NRG LED lighting updates. "LEDtronics supplied us with street lights that reduced the light pollution immediately. In addition, we reduced energy consumption when our old lights that consumed 300 watts were replaced with these energy-efficient LEDs using only 82 watts."

LED streetlights eliminate the unwanted glare, light trespass, energy waste, and sky glow that accompany traditional, incandescent street lamps.

"An estimated 30% of outdoor light generated in the U.S. goes into space, flooding the skies and creating electric haze that reduces stargazing," states Mark Jarel, LEDtronics Street and Outdoor Lighting Produces Sales Manager. "LED streetlights shine light in the direction where it is needed, at ground level, reducing the amount of light that is lost to the sky and improving overall nighttime viewing, making them dark sky friendly."

With this in mind, LEDtronics, the pioneers of solid-state, LED lighting design and manufacturing in the United States, provided NRG with eco-friendly, RoHS compliant, LED Street Lights (Cobrahead, Full Cutoff), Style M400 part number SLL002P-72X2W-XPW-004 fixtures.

With low power usage of only 82 watts, these solid-state LED lights:

Omit pure, white light with low, ultraviolet emissions that do not attract insects;

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LEDtronics LED Street Lights Reduce Energy Consumption by over 72% at NRG Power Station

By: Dennis Chong, Agence France-Presse | Grace Li, Reuters January 20, 2014 11:45 PM

Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih lies in a bed whilst being treated at a hospital in Sragen, Indonesia's Central Java province January 17, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

HONG KONG - Police at Hong Kong airport Monday arrested a woman who allegedly tortured two Indonesian domestic helpers, a day after thousands staged a march to call for better migrant worker rights in the city.

The woman, a 44-year-old housewife alleged to have beaten domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih and another maid, was arrested at the city's Chek Lap Kok airport as she attempted to board a flight to Thailand.

"At about 4 o'clock today, Hong Kong police arrested a housewife of age 44. She is believed to be (involved) in connection with Erwiana's case and another abuse on an Indonesian domestic helper in Hong Kong," police officer Chan Wai-man told reporters some five hours after police detained the woman surnamed Law.

"She was trying to leave Hong Kong for Thailand," he added.

Sulistyaningsih, 22, was reportedly abused over a period of eight months while employed by the woman. Media reports said she was unable to walk due to her injuries when she flew home from the southern Chinese city this month.

Her ordeal sparked an outcry among domestic helpers and many locals, renewing concerns about the treatment of maids in the city.

The arrest came as six officers from the city's police and labor bureau on Monday travelled to Indonesia to interview and collect evidence from Erwiana, who suffered extensive injuries from head to foot and is recovering at a hospital in Sragen, a city in central Java.

Continue reading here:
HK employer of 'tortured' Indonesian maid arrested while trying to leave for Thailand

In the 1880s, a student disciple of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted envisioned a giant figure "8" encircling Minneapolis and St. Paul, crisscrossing the two cities with a continuity of trails.

In time, Minneapolis embraced the idea, creating the bicycle-friendly Grand Rounds, Midtown Greenway and Chain of Lakes. St. Paul has been a slower study.

That could be about to change.

St. Paul planners on Tuesday plan to unveil a 20- to-30 year bike plan that would complete H.W.S. Cleveland's vision of Grand Rounds trails encircling the city. In addition, the plan adds a 1.7-mile trail loop, or square, within downtown St. Paul, one of the largest holes in the city's existing bike system. And it more than doubles the number of on-street, off-street and designated "bike boulevard" routes throughout St. Paul.

"As a city, we've struggled with how to accommodate bikes downtown for a number of years," said Reuben Collins, a sustainable-transportation engineer and planner within the St. Paul Department of Public Works.

The Grand Rounds improvements would add new cycling amenities along Pelham Boulevard, Raymond Avenue, Como Avenue, Wheelock and Johnson Parkways. A new off-street path for casual riders along Johnson Parkway would complement the existing on-street bike lanes, which typically draw faster riders.

Wheelock Parkway, which has no bike path, could gain both types of lanes as well. The already popular trails along Mississippi River Boulevard would be expanded. The net result is a giant trail ring around much of St. Paul.

The Grand Rounds concept, which spans 51 miles of hiking, biking and drivable trails in Minneapolis, "has been hugely popular," Collins said. Minneapolis neighborhood parks receive 5 million visits per year, and the city's regional parks receive 15.4 million visits, numbers that are no doubt buoyed by their accessibility and the trail connections between them.

Downtown St. Paul would also see changes. Modeled after the popular "Cultural Trail" in downtown Indianapolis, the plan recommends a 10-foot bike path at sidewalk elevation along St. Peter Street, 10th Street, Jackson Street and Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul, forming a rectangular loop. Curb, trees, plantings and marking would likely separate the 1.7 miles of biking paths from both pedestrian and street traffic.

Each side of the new bike square will lead off to an existing bicycle and pedestrian trail, such as the Sam Morgan Regional Trail, Gateway Trail, Bruce Vento Trail or Indian Mounds Regional Trail. Until now, city officials have wondered how to make those trails connect in ways that invite casual and not just hardcore cyclists.

Originally posted here:
St. Paul to unveil bike plan adding 244 bikeway miles

Columbia, Md. Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of the Japanese-language version of the Vectorworks 2014 line of design software, including: Vectorworks Designer, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals and Renderworks.

A&A Co., Ltd., the distributor of Vectorworks software in Japan, held a series of pre-launch events last month to introduce the new version of Vectorworks software to designers across the country and, beginning today through February 24, the company will hold several online product launch events, as well. More information about the online events can be found here: http://www.aanda.co.jp/seminar/web/Vw2014.html

The Vectorworks 2014 software contains more than 130 improvements, including new BIM tools for architects, increased site design capabilities for landscape architects and designers, as well as enhancements to lighting devices, documentation and graphic controls for entertainment designers. Visit http://www.vectorworks.net/2014 to learn more about all the new features in Vectorworks 2014 software.

The release of the Japanese localized version of Vectorworks 2014 continues the global rollout of the software. The English-language version was launched on Sept. 17, 2013; several localized versions were released across Europe in October and November of 2013; the Portuguese localized version was released in Brazil on Oct. 31, 2013; and the Spanish-language version was released on Nov. 26, 2013.

Please visit http://www.vectorworks.net/international to find a local distributor.

About Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is the developer of Vectorworks software, a line of industry-specific CAD and BIM solutions that allow designers to easily capture, develop and communicate their ideas with accuracy and efficiency. With more than 450,000 users around the world, Vectorworks software is a global leader in 3D design technologies for the AEC, landscape, and entertainment industries. Nemetschek Vectorworks was founded in 1985 and has been a part of The Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2000. For more information, visit http://www.vectorworks.net.

Lisa Lance Global Communications Manager Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. 7150 Riverwood Drive Columbia, MD 21046

T: 443-542-0719 E: llance@vectorworks.net http://www.vectorworks.net

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CAD Software is available with Japanese localization.

Winter offers a peaceful opportunity for bird watchers to take stock of their yards.

With fewer chores to tend, we can look over the landscape like a farmer and see what's working and what's not. This is the time to build nest boxes and make a plan for spring landscaping to make the yard more friendly to wildlife year around.

Collectively, homeowners have huge potential to boost habitat for birds. Putting out feeders is mostly for our own enjoyment. Birds rarely lack food as much as they lack habitat - the sum of effective cover available to birds for dealing with weather, escaping predators, nesting and finding a diversity of nutrition.

Providing habitat takes more commitment than providing food, as well as the often ignored necessity of year-round water.

A perfectly manicured yard, dominated by mowed grass, barked flower beds and low maintenance tam junipers can verge on being a biological desert for birds.

Find ways to "rough it up" a little and your yard is more likely to attract house wrens to hunt in the shrub beds. That's all it might take to fill your yard with one of the most beautiful songs in nature this spring when the season finally warms enough to open the windows.

Now's the time to clean out nesting boxes built and put up to make up for the loss of decaying trees and other natural homes for cavity nesters. The bug-eating swallows and bluebirds will be showing up sooner than we might expect. And many birds, such as nuthatches, hang around all year. In the onslaught of bitter weather, they may take refuge in a nest box to sit out the storm.

If you're putting out feeders this winter for year-round resident birds, keep them clean and move them occasionally to reduce the chance of exposing ground feeders to disease from the molding leftovers that fall to the earth.

Always be mindful of placing feeders where they don't provide easy ambush points for free-running cats.

In addition to the seed feeders, put out suet feeders for the woodpeckers. Smear peanut butter occasionally in the bark of a pine tree trunk and watch the nuthatches and chickadees run the bark for the treat.

Link:
Beyond feeding: Birdwatchers create habitat in yards

Q. Could you tell me something about hardscape in the garden, and give me some suggestions for my small Somerville plot of land? Shelby A.S., Somerville

A. Hardscape is a term that refers to the permanent in-organic structures of a landscape such as walkways, patios, retaining walls, arbors, fences, or raised garden beds that are made with hard materials such as bricks, pavers, stone, cement or wood. The Softscape parts of the landscape are the living materials such as plants, grass, shrubs and trees.

Hardscaping helps to define the space. It adds interest, solid form, structure and contrasting texture. It also adds winter interest to the garden. Hardscapes like fountains, birdbaths, statues, benches or large rocks can be used as a focal point in the garden, giving ones eye a place to rest.

For any sized garden, particularly in an urban setting that has so much paved area already, you need to plan very carefully:

Consider the landscaping. Will you be hardscaping the entire area of your yard or just a part of it?

Research draining issues. Consider how the drainage will be affected with hardscape in place. Design the water runoff so it can be captured and used on site.

If you have children that will play in the yard, plan your hardscape with them in mind to keep them engaged in the landscape. Put in a small pond (not too deep) with fish, position large flat rocks or sections of a felled tree in the garden for hopping and climbing.

Create a focal point that your eye will travel to, such as a fountain, small weeping tree, or sculpture.

Q. What can we do in the Boston area that is garden related to help us feed our winter non-gardening woes? Todd & Phil, Belmont

Continued here:
Garden Q&A: Hardscapes and winter events

The history of the Vijayanagar empire, ruins of which now house Hampi, is dotted with several interesting episodes, some of which were dwelt upon by renowned architect-academic George Michell during a session at the Jaipur Literature festival on Monday.

Dr. Michell, an expert on Central Asian and Indian-especially Deccan-architecture, was introduced by historian-author William Dalrymple for a session titled Vijayanagar: the city of victory.

Dr. Michell received his training in architecture at Melbourne University and then went on to do a Ph.D in Indian Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

He has undertaken research projects at different archaeological sites across India, including over two decades of intensive field work at Hampi. His recent publications include Vijayanagara: Splendour in Ruins, The Great Temple at Thanjavur and Mughal Architecture and Gardens, among several other books.

Dr. Michell said Vijayanagar was among the earliest and perhaps the most complete examples of magnificent imperial cities and one of the very few Indian cities that were abandoned.

Not unlike Pompeii (the ancient Roman city) which came to a sudden cataclysmic end in 78 AD, Vijayanagar came to a cataclysmic end in 1565...This was a city that was abandonedand there are not many Indian cities like that, said Dr. Michell.

The most amazing thing about the place, he said, was the landscape.

It is one of the most extraordinary landscapes to be found anywhere in Asia, not just in Indiaincredible granitic landscape... one question that most people ask us is what the hell is a big imperial city of one of the greatest Hindu empires in southern India doing here? Why did they build it here?

There are several possible explanations-one, this type of landscape was a very good natural defence against empires that were at war with Vijayanagar; second, a great river, Tungabhadra, runs through this placeand it loses height ideal for taking off water channels and creating a very extensive hydraulic systemwhich permitted the cultivation of many types of crops, said Dr. Michell.

He said the earliest Vijayanagar emperors-the Sangama kings-were sort of local nobodies who seized the moment in a power vacuumwhen the Delhi Sultans abandoned control of this part of India...giving an opportunity to these local people to use the Muslim threat in a sort of ideological political wayto galvanise everyone together.

The rest is here:
George Michell showcases interesting episodes of Vijayanagar