Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Ralph Fiennes has played Prince Hamlet and Lord Voldemort. He has been a Hollywood leading man (albeit briefly) and a collaborator with filmmakers ranging from Steven Spielberg to David Cronenberg. He may be the most acclaimed Shakespearean stage actor of his generation, and has been twice nominated for an Oscar (first for Schindlers List and then for The English Patient). What almost no one has noticed is that hes turned into an exceptional director as well.

Twice in the last three years, Fiennes has directed one of the years most intriguing, muscular and uncompromising films only to see it swamped by showier, higher-profile holiday releases. His 2011 Coriolanus is one of the most striking Shakespeare adaptations of recent years, a fearsome and imaginative reinvention of perhaps the Bards most impenetrable tragedy. With The Invisible Woman, Fiennes tackles another titan of English lit, Charles Dickens, playing the author of Great Expectations as an intensely conflicted and in some ways hard-hearted man, who dumps his wife for a much younger woman.

Dont make the mistake of assuming that The Invisible Woman is some sort of polite, actorly costume drama, driven by gowns, sets and showboating. And dont assume its a vanity project for Fiennes, who does not play the most important part and isnt the films real star. As we discussed when I met him in New York a few weeks ago, Dickens is a supporting character in the remarkable story of his mistress Nelly Ternan, played by Felicity Jones in what should be a breakthrough performance (if anyone sees it). Fiennes and screenwriter Abi Morgan adapted Claire Tomalins book about Nelly into a thoroughly unsentimental fable about a young woman navigating the profound sexism of Victorian society, and ultimately defeating it.

In this movie, and quite likely in real life, Nellys relationship with Dickens was essentially brokered by her mother (the reliably terrific Kristin Scott Thomas), an actress and theatrical impresario who understood that a famous writer offered her daughter a promise of security she would otherwise never find. Fiennes Dickens treats his wife, Catherine (Joanna Scanlan), with indefensible cruelty while pursuing Nelly, who isnt at all sure she wants the hypocritical and secretive life of being a celebritys kept woman. Much later, after Dickens death, Nelly successfully reinvented herself as a respectable middle-class wife, even passing herself off as 12 years younger than her real age. Meticulously crafted and full of brilliant, hard-edged performances, The Invisible Woman is a quietly subversive and yes, feminist portrait of Victorian society as the ancestor of our own time.

I was surprised when Fiennes brought up Istvn Szabs great 1985 drama Colonel Redl (set in the Austro-Hungarian Empire before World War I) as a model for this film, but perhaps I should not have been. Its obvious that Fiennes has been watching movies and thinking about them all his life. Sooner or later, hell make one that cannot be ignored.

I understand you had some reluctance about playing Dickens at first.

Well, only because I found it such a handful to direct and act at the same time, doing Coriolanus. The script was sent to me with the offer to direct and they said, If you would like to play Dickens we would like that, this is BBC and Headline pictures. And I didnt know much about Dickens at all. I had almost deliberately moved away from reading Dickens. I had read a little and liked it but hadnt chosen to read more. So reading this early draft of the script and then Claire Tomalins book that completely got inside me and I was fascinated by everything about it.

I mean, he is extraordinary as a character, as a person. But it was also her and her story and her background. What moved me was the story of how she went on and shes this woman holding this past who hasnt had any kind of closure. Thats when it moved beyond just a biopic-y thing. Because it was about interior life, about a person needing some kind of resolution, some closure, some understanding within herself. That moved me a lot. Initially I could see the attraction for Dickens as a role. In Abi Morgans first draft, even then she had great scenes and things. But I kept being haunted by the memory of being under pressure and what it was like trying to hold a film in your head and suddenly go and start acting.

Then, in a weird way, I started rehearsing it without the intention of playing it, because I worked a lot with Abi who was a very generous collaborator. She and I wanted to rearrange and reemphasize things and we did a lot of rewriting, together. I would test bits of dialogue and read all the parts but with her to see how they felt, and I enjoyed reading Dickens. I guess in that process I felt like Id like to do this. And everyone, Claire Tomalin included, said, I just think that you should play Dickens. She was very disappointed that I wasnt going to. So eventually I said to everyone involved, the producers, OK, look, I did approach one other actor, I did approach someone else. But that didnt go anywhere so in the end I did it.

Ive had a couple of people say to me that Dickens seems like a stretch for you. One friend put it that Dickens overlaps, at least in the popular imagination, with Santa Claus. And although I might enjoy the film in which you play Santa, I suppose youre not the obvious choice.

Read this article:
Ralph Fiennes: Dickens “was fueled by a kind of fury”

New year, same challenges; how do you make your garden better? Start with some simple winter tasks (including a few for indoors):

Get a calendar or start a journal. If you dont already do it, start keeping track of your garden activity and observations, especially any additions (you will plant something in 2014) or subtractions (tree removal, dead shrubs, summer annuals, etc.) plus seasonal chores such as pruning and spraying. This will help in future planning and decision making. The squares on a large new 2014 calendar are enough space for many garden notes. Hang the calendar in a handy spot (such as a shed or garage door) where youre sure to see it often. You also can post reminders (feed the lawn, spray the fruit trees, etc.). A journal (which can be digital) allows for photos and more notes.

Need a calendar? Local master gardeners offer great calendars/garden guides with loads of useful tips. Look for them at area nurseries or contact your local UC Cooperative Extension office.

Let yourself dream. Allow time to browse garden catalogs (in print or online) for seeds and supplies. For a Burpee catalog, go to http://www.burpee.com and follow the request a catalog link. Or call 800-888-1447.

Prune, prune, prune! This is rose-pruning season. Trim back bushes. Need advice? Attend a local rose society event (see Garden Activities or Garden Calendar).

Clean up leaves and debris around fruit trees and rose bushes to prevent the spread of disease.

Apply oil to fruit trees soon after a rain to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective. Dont apply on foggy days.

Spray a copper-based oil on peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl.

In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.

Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.

Read more:
Start new year with a garden-minded calendar

In the Newtown Square Fire Companys announcement of the winners of the 2013 Holiday Lighting Contest, the local volunteers and Fire Company Award Committee also stated they were appreciative of the many homes and businesses that vied for this years recognitions.

In this Second Annual Holiday Lighting Contest, there were four residential classes, one for local businesses, and two additional categories, Best Decorated Street and The Peoples Choice.

Winners in the categories established for individual residences included the following:

The Clark W Griswold Theme award (criteria: excessive use of outdoor lights and decorations) was won by Jeffrey King, 27 Pine Street.

The Nostalgic Theme award (criteria: most old-fashioned decorated house; best reminds viewers of a display from their childhood) was won by the Carden family, 324 Echo Valley Lane.

The Religious Theme award (criteria: best display with a religious theme) The Goodwin family, 4233 Florida Avenue.

The Inside Out Theme award (criteria: the best indoor display of decorations and lights which are visible from the outside of the home) Lucetta Burke, 4263 Florida Avenue.

There were two additional residential awards that were again presented this year.

The Best Decorated Street award was earned by the 4200 Block of Florida Avenue. The Peoples Choice award -- the winner was selected by ballots submitted by the general public via the Newtown Square Fire Company web page -- is the Bruno family, 116 Stoney Brook Blvd.

The winner of the 2013 Best Decorated Business was Top Cuts, 3716 West Chester Pike. Continued...

Read more:
Holiday Lighting Contest winners announced

Information privacy: the architects #39; perception
This talk by Dr. Irit Hadar from the University of Haifa was presented at the IBM Research - Haifa full-day seminar on information privacy on Monday, October...

By: IBMResearchHaifa

Continue reading here:
Information privacy: the architects' perception - Video

MT. VERNON Organizers say the ongoing construction work at Times Square Mall is on schedule and crews have experienced no major difficulties so far.

The work is intended to prepare the mall site for three new retail stores Hobby Lobby, Big Lots and a third tenant that has yet to be named publicly. The third store is being referred to as Retail B.

Since mid-November, crews with Poettker Construction have been installing new entrances at the site for these retailers, as well as completing demolition work inside the mall.

Crews are also building two demising walls between the retail sites in the interior. Also, in the next few weeks, workers hope to begin the steel work for the entrances.

Having the mall open while this work is going on has presented a challenge for work crews, said Eric Kues, project superintendent for Poettker Construction.

Even so, Poettker is on schedule to finish the Hobby Lobby preparation in February, Kues said. Poettker Construction, based out of Breese, is the general contractor on the project.

The Hobby Lobby is pretty well on schedule and Retail B and Big Lots isnt scheduled to be finished until May, Kues said. To keep the mall up and running, theres some challenges there with trying to work around the holidays and all the people, so that was a little bit of a struggle there. It was busy.

Once Poettker has completed its work for Hobby Lobby in February, store crews will be sent in to do finishing work, Kues said. The finishing work should take two to three months.

Hobby Lobby comes in afterwards and they do the finishes, Kues said. So basically all that we leave them is (whats called) a warm gray shell.

The new Hobby Lobby store will be located in the 53,000 square-foot building formerly occupied by Sears. It is projected to open in Mt. Vernon during the second quarter of this year, and will bring about 35 to 50 jobs to the community.

See the rest here:
Mall construction on time

Welcome to Kerridge Architecture + Construction, a Northern Michigan premier design build company. At Kerridge Architecture + Construction, we strive to design and build architecturally beautiful homes and distinctive commercial facilities throughout Northern Michigan with one goal in mind - to exceed our client's expectations not only in quality but in satisfying their timeline, budget and design requirement.

Kerridge Architecture + Construction provides a variety of professional services for our clients unique project needs. We are a multifaceted design build company using state of the art design and construction techniques. From Design Build to Architecture, General Contracting to Construction Management, we tailor our service approach to meet your design and building project needs. It is the power of the PLUS +. Kerridge Architecture + Construction.

As an established Traverse City design build firm, we are able to tailor our services to your particular project needs. Whether you're building a professional medical facility or a fine custom home, we can integrate architectural services and construction expertise in the tradition of the Master Builder.

As architects who build, we have great knowledge of building costs and what drives expense. By our involvement in following a project from design through completion and from the overall picture to the smallest detail, we will create unique, beautiful, and functional spaces for you - from start to finish. Because we recognize our responsibility to sustainable design and construction, we advocate the utilization of green build principles in all aspects of our building practice.

We welcome the opportunity for collaboration with other architects in developing and constructing projects. This professional collaboration can range from providing general contracting services to partnering in a design build approach. Whether you choose us as your single source design build partner, or we combine our design abilities with other design professionals, we are confident that you will receive the highest quality architectural design services and construction services available in northern Michigan.

With years of experience in managing multi-million dollar commercial building projects, we are an experienced team partner capable of guiding substantial projects from Fast Track commercial facilities to high-end custom homes. As a team leader, we focus on working collaboratively with many trade professionals to make your unique project work efficiently and to your complete satisfaction.

If you're seeking to build a beautifully designed and well-constructed residence or quality commercial facility, please review the many projects we have completed and the many services we offer to see if we can be of service to you. If you would like to provide us with information about your project to better understand your needs, please complete the information on the Contact Us page or give us a call or send us an email to discuss your ideas and goals for your project. We'd love to hear from you.

Read the original:
Luxury Home Builder: Architectural Design Services

By DAVID SHARP/Associated Press/January 4, 2014

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Hundreds of utility line crew workers and tree trimmers left the state when they finished their work for Central Maine Power instead of staying after the Christmas week ice storm because Bangor Hydro Electric Co. waved off the extra help even as hundreds of customers remained in the dark for four to five more days.

But the Maine Public Utilities Commission consumer assistance division received only 10 to 20 calls from people who were concerned about the length of time they were without lights and heat.

Bangor Hydro had already called in reinforcements and couldnt provide logistics for extra workers as the utility raced to finish its own power restoration in eastern Maine, said spokesman Bob Potts.

By the time we got additional crews, got them briefed, got housing, by the time all that happened, we felt we'd have people in those areas and have power restored. Theres a lot of logistics of getting them up here, Potts said, noting that all hotel rooms in the Ellsworth area were already booked.

The ice storm began on the weekend before Christmas, and by Dec. 23, utilities were beginning to see power outages increase as the ice accumulated on power lines and tree limbs.

Before it was over, more than 160,000 homes and businesses were in the dark for some time. Some customers, especially around Ellsworth, lost power for eight to 10 days. Highs were in the 20s and 30s that week.

George Elias, owner of Rooster Brother, an Ellsworth store that sells kitchen items, cookware, wine, cheese and baked goods, said it was a bad time to lose electricity.

This was a really a hard one for a lot of people. People had no heat or power for days. They had family coming. They had to cancel all their family gatherings, he said.

Central Maine Power called in an additional 370 utility crews and 320 tree-trimming crews, some from as far away as Pennsylvania, bringing the total number of line crews to 455 and tree-trimming crews to 450, said spokesman John Carroll.

See the article here:
Line workers sent home as Mainers remained in dark

PONTIAC The recent cold weather isnt doing much to help volunteers restoring the Strevell House, but the president of the Livingston County Historical Society said work on the home that once hosted Abraham Lincoln will resume full scale in the spring.

A lot of our volunteers head to warmer climates for the winter, Bob Sear said. It gives us a chance to focus on some other aspects such as fundraising.

The outside restoration is complete, Sear said. It includes a new roof, restoration of doors and windows and the replacement of ornamental fretwork. The foundation has been repaired, and the exterior has been painted in a historically accurate scheme.

It looks really good when you drive past it, Sear said. We still have some yard work and things like that to do, but it looks much better than it did.

Now, the focus has switched to the interior of the home at 401 W. Livingston St., which had been an apartment building in recent years.

There is still a lot of work to do there, said Ellie Alexander, director of Pontiac Tourism. A lot of progress has been made, but its going to take a lot of work and a lot of time.

The Historical Society acquired the property in 2009, and about $60,000 has been spent so far on the project, Sear said. Most of that money has been spent on the exterior, but the interior restoration and repair will be even more expensive, he said.

Sear said several businesses and volunteers have contributed labor and, sometimes, supplies.

The inside is pretty much gutted out, he said. We have some electrical and plumbing work to do, but things have slowed down a lot and will remain that way until the weather gets warmer.

The 1850s home of Jason Strevell is the last existing structure in Livingston County known to have hosted Lincoln.

Excerpt from:
Restoration of historic Pontiac house to pick up in spring

If You Need Cabinet Doors, Call the Replacement Experts at Reborn Cabinets, Proudly Serving Southern California Homeowners

Its hard to trust just anyone with your homes cabinet doors. Replacement of any part of your cabinetry can greatly change the look and functionality of a room, and even replacing your cabinet doors should not be a project thats taken lightly. At Reborn Cabinets, we have been manufacturing new cabinets, refacing cabinets, installing cabinetry, and replacing cabinet doors in southern California since 1983. Along the way, we have perfected our craft and transformed thousands upon thousands of kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and home offices in Orange County and throughout Southern California.

At Reborn Cabinets, we offer not just one, but two options for cabinet doors replacement, which are:

The Ultimate Remodeling Experience is what we strive to provide for each of our clients for cabinet doors replacement projects. To us, this means exceeding your expectations. We are extremely confident in the quality of our craftsmanship and installation, which is why we back our cabinetry services with a 25-year warranty, but that is not enough for us. We want you to be satisfied with every aspect of your relationship with us. As a family-owned and -operated company, we understand the value of friendly service and open communication. We treat each project as if it were for our own home and each client with genuine sincerity and respect. And when you combine our elite products and installation with our unparalleled service, what you get from Reborn Cabinets is a cabinet doors replacement experience unlike any other.

For more information about the cabinet doors replacement services from Reborn Cabinets, please visit us at our 40,000-square-foot Anaheim showroom and manufacturing facility or call us at 1-877-371-4943 today. We proudly provide all sorts of cabinetry design, manufacturing, and installation services to homeowners in Los Angeles, Brea, Yorba Linda, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Placentia, and other nearby southern California communities.

Read more from the original source:
Cabinet Doors Replacement Anaheim | Orange County | Los Angeles

Roofing Contractors Ottawa - FREE Estimates | Call Us NOW
Roofing Contractors Ottawa - (647) 557 - 6665 - CALL NOW - FREE Estimates http://www.roofingcontractorsottawa.ca/ Our team of Roofing professionals understan...

By: George Warren

Read the original here:
Roofing Contractors Ottawa - FREE Estimates | Call Us NOW - Video