Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

Aereo picks up TV signals broadcast from the tower atop the Empire State Building in New York.

In 2014, Apple, Aereo and big telecom mergers will generate headlines, along with important legal rulings about net neutrality and U.S. surveillance, oversight and transparency. Upstart companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Square will enjoy dramatic growth, and some will announce plans to go public. Smartphones and tablets will continue to spread worldwide as cities and countries race to boost broadband speeds. Here are six tech stories to watch in 2014.

1. Apple will sell more than 30 million iPhones on China Mobile, at the high-end of Wall Street expectations. Its hard to overstate what a coup Apples recently announced pact with China Mobile to sell the iPhone is for CEO Tim Cook. Without question, this is the biggest business deal of Cooks two-and-a-half year tenure, and the consummation of years of negotiations overseen by his late mentor, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.China Mobile is the worlds largest wireless carrier with 760 million subscribers.

After years of meteoric gains fueled by category-busting product launches like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apples revenue growth has slowed.Apples stock price was essentially flat for 2013, although the shares soared 33% in the second half of the year, reversing steep losses in the first six months. Some Apple analysts and shareholders have expressed concern about Apples vaunted innovation machine, but those fears are overblown. The latest iPhone and iPad models are huge hits, and Apple will soon report the highest quarterly sales in the companys 30-year history. New international markets will help re-accelerate Apples growth and theres no bigger emerging consumer technology market than China.

(MORE:Apples China Mobile Pact Opens Massive New iPhone Market)

2.The United States Open Internet Rules will suffer a serious defeat in federal court early this year. Telecom giant Verizon hassuedthe Federal Communications Commission, arguing the agency lacks the authority to enforce the principle of net neutrality which is designed to prevent Internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T from favoring their own services in order to disadvantage rivals. In practice, that means that the broadband providers are prohibited from blocking or slowing down services like Skype or Netflix on their wired networks.

A losing verdict in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will be a setback for the Obama administrations technology policy, and will present a thorny challenge for new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. If the court rules the FCC lacks the authority to enforce the Open Internet Rules, Wheeler could move to reclassify broadband service under existing telecommunications law, restoring the agencys regulatory authority. That, however, would trigger a major showdown between the FCC and broadband giants like AT&T and Verizon, which are extremely powerful on Capitol Hill. More likely: the court asks the FCC to change its rules and reach an agreement with the industry.

(MORE:Landmark Verizon Net Neutrality Case Tests Open Internet Rules)

3.The U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear the major TV broadcasterscaseagainst Aereo,the upstart online video company that has been giving ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX fits. This prediction is a very close call, because the Supreme Court declines to grantcertiorariin most cases. However, given that the broadcasters and Aereo haveboth askedthe high court to hear the case, I believe that will tip the scale, along with the fact that there is a looming U.S. circuitsplit, where federal courts in different jurisdictions disagree on the legality of Aereos technology.

Original post:
The 6 Most Important Tech Bombshells Coming This year

Matt Blashaw, host of DIY Networks Yard Crashers, wants to give a racing-themed backyard makeover to an area fan and homeowner.

Blashaw, a licensed landscape contractor, and crew will meet with fans from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, 400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Homeowners must bring a picture of their current backyard and be ready to convince Blashaw why they are the worthy fan to receive a free backyard makeover.

Blashaw will select the yard, which will appear in a future episode of Yard Crashers, which will be filmed in early 2014.

There is no charge to participate in the casting call, parking is available in the halls Brevard Street garage for $3 for the first 30 minutes, $1 for each additional 30 minutes, up to $15 maximum. Details: twitter.com/nascarhall.

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'Yard Crashers' casting call Sunday at NASCAR Hall of Fame

January might be the most important month in the garden calendar; it is the time when we can stop fussing and start thinking.

Perhaps you have just moved to a place where the garden is nonexistent or old and tired, and in either case needs a fresh start. Perhaps you have a part of the yard that needs redoing, or you are simply pondering how you set about crafting a garden.

From the safe tether of a soft chair, you can soar to the heady heights of landscape design, which is the most important but least considered aspect of garden-making.

Plants bring life, sculpture, texture, color and more to the garden, but they need a framework. I've known plant geeks whose entire yards are random collections of favored flora. They are places that are wholly enthralling to their creators, but to no one else.

Every garden needs a coherent structure. Design is pragmatic it creates safe steps instead of muddy slopes but it also drives scale, sets the mood and establishes a spirit of the place.

In the 1960s, Geoffrey Jellicoe, a giant of 20th-century landscape architecture, wrote a book with his wife, Susan, that described the two essential elements as "form" and "content."

Form "is the disposition of space," they wrote in "Modern Private Gardens." The photos in the book, of mid-century modern houses and gardens, are in black and white and not particularly flattering, but they reveal a real paucity of plantings that, to my eye, actually deflates the central argument. There is too much form and not enough content.

Since the 1960s, we have enjoyed a horticultural revolution; far more ornamental plants are at hand along with an accepted need to use them in more natural ways. But this surfeit requires a keener sense of restraint to avoid a formless jumble.

Jellicoe, for a while, had formed a design partnership with another great modernist, Russell Page. Whenever I want to be recharged, I read Page's classic "The Education of a Gardener" for his masterful insights and his gift of taking visual concepts and putting them into words.

Page's fundamental approach to garden design was forged when, as an art student, he was told: "Know what it is you want to say, then try and express it as simply as you can."

Read more:
The Gardener In January: A Blueprint For Green Dreams

Searching through our online gallery you can find some of the best pictures and ideas for pool landscaping in 2014. With every New Year come new design trends for both interior and exterior dcor, and landscaping around pools is no exception. Decorating the area around a swimming pool is a very important aspect of your backyard landscape because you will want to make the space as beautiful as possible. There are many outdoor pool decorating ideas that you can choose from to help you find the perfect design for your space. You can plant trees and bushes around your deck, have potted flowers, or design a colorful garden behind your pool. If you live in a tropical environment planting exotic poolside palm trees will make your backyard an outdoor oasis. No matter the size of your property, with the right landscaping you can create beautiful backyards with a pool inground to enjoy year round. Choosing between swimming pool landscaping plants may seem difficult, but there are many DIY home design ideas that we can help with to create your dream home.

There are many online resources to make you landscaping plans easier. You can find many photo galleries that can show you different nautical poolside dcor trends in both plants and patio furniture. You can also find luxury swimming pool ideas and pictures to make your backyard a look like a designer home. These trends include planting tropical vegetation such as palm trees or even installing premier pools with waterfalls in your yard. Looking through dream pool landscape photos can help you to plan a beautiful sanctuary for you to relax in during the warm months of the year. If you are in the market for a house and wish to have a place to swim, you can even find new home pool landscape pics online so that you choose the perfect place. The landscaping element of pool design is a very important feature. Choosing the proper plants for the area is vital so that you get the look you want. By looking through pictures of pools with landscaping you can find design inspiration to get an idea of where to place your plants as well as what types to have.

In addition to looking at pictures for ideas for you pool and landscape design, there are tools online that can help you diagram your plan. 3D software programs that allow you to design your own pool online complete with landscaping tools to get the full effect. With these tools you can create a blueprint of your entire backyard and then add different plants and trees to design your landscaping. A great idea for 2014 pool designs for small backyards is to build a fence out of bushes or hedges. Holly bushes or Green Giant trees are great to plant around your perimeter to build a natural privacy fence because they are fast growing and reach tall heights. When you have a swimming space in your yard you will want to have privacy from the rest of the neighborhood so you will want a fence. But instead of installing a wood or metal one you can use plants to create a privacy fence. You can search backyard pool landscaping photos to get ideas on how to build a natural fence around your swimming area.

The type of plants that you choose to have around your pool is important. Luxury pool enclosures can produce a lot of humidity that can harm plants, in addition to intense sunlight that can also damage your landscaping. Therefore you will want to choose vegetation that can withstand humidity sunlight, and the chemicals from pool water splashing on them. Adding ornamental grasses or some broad-leafed evergreens are great simple landscaping ideas for a pool area. Trees surrounding your pool can add beauty to your yard while also providing shade during the hot sunny summer months. If you live in a warm environment that does not have frost during the winter you can plant Banana trees around your small fiberglass pools to create a tropical feel. These have beautiful long broad leaves that can create the atmosphere of an island escape. Adding flowers to you landscaping are great colorful options for small pool ideas. One great flower is the Hibiscus; its a beautiful white and pink flowered plant that has a nice tropical feel to it.

Flowers can add a beautiful touch to any type of landscaping for traditional or modern pool shapes. Whether you are decorating above or semi inground pools, the key to flower arrangements is the placement. You want your pool to be the main focal point with the garden accenting it. Adding bouquets of Aeonium Rosettes to your pool landscape is a great option because not only does this plant add vibrant color, but it is also very low maintenance. This plant is drought-tolerant by storing water in its leaves and roots, it also requires very little grooming. The rosettes come in a variety of shapes and sizes making for great landscaping ideas for small yards. Colorful plants can also be a great accent to ceramic pool tile or lining in your pool. Popular colors for the insides of pools are blues, greys, and greens. So adding trees with deep greens or flowers with dark pinks or red tones to them can be great accents to your swimming pool tiles.

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Photos of Swimming Pool Landscaping Designs Ideas Plans

WHO BUT AN author would base the design of her garden on a poem? When J.A. Jance and her husband, Bill Schlib, bought a home in Bridle Trails nearly a decade ago, they consulted Alan Burke of Classic Nursery and Landscape Co. When Burke suggested using words in the garden, Jances first thought was Are you kidding? I write murder mysteries.

Then she remembered hearing Cecil Day-Lewis read his poem Baucis and Philemon, when she was a student at the University of Arizona. Jance kept that love poem, based on an ancient Greek myth, in her heart all these years. Now words from it are engraved here and there throughout the garden, creating both a literary atmosphere and also the feel of a treasure hunt.

I havent had the good fortune to work with as many writers as Id like, says Burke, who has used literature as a theme in his award-winning gardens at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. In Jances garden he was encouraged to use words as the cornerstone of the design.

Burke started out with a mess of a property that included the remains of an asphalt go-cart track, a leaky fish pond and broken waterfall. Over the years, hes worked with Jance and Schlib to transform the place into a mirror of their interests and tastes. The house is golden-colored stucco, and grandly scaled with generous porches and terraces. The outdoor kitchen and cabana are large enough to entertain the couples extended family. We can seat all 17 kids and grandkids for dinner, says Jance. This covered area by the pool is the spot-of-choice for rainy-day barbecues and marshmallow roasts with the grandchildren. The fountain, hot tub, swimming pool and warm desert colors remind Jance of her history and second home in Arizona.

In 2002, Schlib and Jance tried downsizing to a Seattle condo. That didnt work out very well, and they moved to the Eastside to be close to their daughter and grandchildren. Now Bella, their rescue dachshund, has the run of a full acre of gardens.

How does this prolific writer, with 20 million copies of her books in print, find a moment to get outdoors and enjoy her garden? She writes in a comfy chair overlooking the pool, sheltered by the homes extended roofline and warmed by a heat lamp. This is where she recently finished her 48th novel.

From Jances writing perch, she can look down a stone pathway and steps to the restored fish pond, which is all too often visited by heron in search of a snack. The fan palms, rhododendrons and azaleas around the pond were original to the garden. Burke brought in stone, laid terraces, installed a fountain that creates enough water sound to muffle traffic noise, and planted dark red Japanese maples, as well as ornamental grasses and perennials, around the swimming pool.

To flank the pond, he added gunnera, their vast leaves lending a tropical feel to the garden. Behind the pond is a stone circle with a linden tree and an oak, just as in the poem that inspired the garden. Over in a sunny corner are raised beds thick with herbs and vegetables. Bills the cook, says Jance, although she takes obvious pleasure in the kitchen garden.

When I came to Seattle from Phoenix in 1981, a refugee from a bad marriage and a worse divorce, driving a used car I hadnt paid for yet, I never envisioned this, says Jance of her word-filled paradise on a hilltop.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer. Check out her blog at http://www.valeaston.com. Mike Siegel is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

Original post:
Author J.A. Jance’s garden brims with beauty and thoughts that inspire

Thursdays snowfall closed schools around the area and postponed the vast majority of after school athletics activities for Friday night.

Heres a list of the games that have already been rescheduled from Friday night. If you know of a game that has been rescheduled and is not included in the list below, please e-mail hss@washpost.com with the schools, gender and new date and time.

Boys Basketball

Arundel at Annapolis postponed to Jan. 7, 6:45 p.m.

Atholton at Mount Hebron postponed to Jan. 7, 5:30 p.m.

Battlefield at Robinson postponed to Jan. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase at Richard Montgomery postponed to Jan. 4, 6:15 p.m.

Blake at Springbrook postponed to Jan. 4, 2 p.m.

Briar Woods at Kettle Run postponed to Jan. 17, 7 p.m.

Champe at Loudoun Valley postponed to Jan. 8, 7:15 p.m.

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Postponements and rescheduled basketball games from Friday, Jan. 3

Ethnic Kuoy villagers protest where resin trees were allegedly cleared in Preah Vihears Tbeng Meanchey district last year. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Dissident monk But Buntenh was arrested along with a fellow monk and three NGO workers who had attended a protest by ethnic Kouy villagers held yesterday against an alleged land grab by three plantation companies in Preah Vihears Tbeng Meanchey district.

Buntenh, president of the Independent Monks Network (IMN), was detained along with monk Nam Chanthen and Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) members Bo Pao, Em Sarom and Chhen Sambo, Sambo said yesterday.

Sambo said about 40 armed police and military officers detained them as they left the protest site, alleging they had trespassed on private property without permission.

I do not know whether we will be released or not, he said as police drove the group to the provincial police station yesterday evening.

Lor Chan, a coordinator of Adhoc in Preah Vihear, said that a crowd had gathered outside the district police station while the group was being questioned.

Hundreds of people are protesting there to demand their release, he said, adding that if the case was taken to court Adhoc would offer legal aid.

The Kouy protesters, representing 528 families in the district, say Chinese firms Lan Feng and Roy Feng and a local company, Ly Heng, began clearing their land of resin trees in 2012 and the dispute remains unresolved.

In 2011, Lan Feng was granted 9,015 hectares in the area for an economic land concession, and Roy Feng has the rights to 8,841 hectares, government records show.

Chann said that the companies had been clearing the land without measuring the boundaries of their concessions and studying the possible effects on local communities.

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Monk, NGO staff detained

Going Further with Anthony Prozzi, Ford Senior Interior Designer
Anthony Prozzi is more than a designer; he has the insight of a modern sociologist. "You really have to understand the psychology of people," he says. "What ...

By: fordvideo1

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Going Further with Anthony Prozzi, Ford Senior Interior Designer - Video

By: Dindo Flora, News5 January 2, 2014 11:05 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - A young architect was shot dead on New Year's eve in Marikina City in front of his parents over an alleged spat on Facebook.

The victim and his family were at their residence in the city's Barangay Concepcion Uno watching fireworks when four men riding on two motorcycles approached and, without warning, shot Jeffrey Rivera.

"Kitang kita ko biglang binaril yong anak ko. Kala ko laruan lang bigla na lang tumumba anak ko, walang nagawa," said the victims mother, Oli Rivera.

[I saw my son suddenly gunned down. He looked like a lifeless toy as he suddenly fell, helpless.]

One of the four assailants shot the victim again as he lay on the pavement.

"Binaril pa uli sa giliddumapa na lang ako. Siya talaga pinuntirya [He was shot at his sideI just ducked. He was really the one being targeted], said the victims father, Theody Rivera.

Jeffrey, who sustained five gunshot wounds, died before he reached the hospital.

The victim's parents said they did not know anyone who considered their son an enemy. They said Jeffrey had worked as an interior designer of a grocery store and often simply went out with his girlfriend.

View original post here:
VIDEO | On New Year's eve, interior designer shot dead in front of parents over alleged spat on FB

SAN MATEO -- Uatesoni and Anna Paasi spent the morning of Black Friday at Kmart buying a new oven. They needed it for a special occasion: a party following the ceremonial blessings of two infant grandchildren.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Mormon couple hosted more than 50 friends and relatives in their backyard, serving roast leg of pork and other Tongan specialties. They had held dozens of family gatherings since buying their York Avenue house in 2006. This may have been the last.

Three days later, Anna Paasi stood in the street in shock, watching flames consume their home in San Mateo's North Shoreview neighborhood. Despite the heat from the fire, she was shivering.

"It was not too cold," recalled Anna Paasi, 53, "but I was shaking."

No one was hurt in the fire, which began around 10 p.m. and burned into the early morning, but the Paasis lost most of their possessions, including a pickup truck that was parked in the driveway. The fire marshal has not determined the cause, but the Paasis say firefighters told them it may have been electrical wiring in the garage.

Their home is insured through their bank, they say, and they hope to rebuild. But they did not have insurance for their belongings. A friend of the family has begun an online fundraising drive to help them put their lives back together.

Blackened shell

On Thursday, Uatesoni and Anna Paasi drove to their charred two-bedroom house from a San Mateo homeless shelter where they are staying along with five family members, including two sons and a grandson, who lived with them.

The broken windows of the one-story building are boarded up. There is a pile of trash on the lawn. Inside the blackened, gutted house the carpet is still spongy from the water that put out the flames. The Paasis' prized oven is rust-colored, oxidized by the fire and heaped with insulation that fell down from the attic.

Anna Paasi picked through the ruins of her bedroom, looking for salvageable clothes. She and her husband were wearing outfits they bought with a $1,000 debit card from the Red Cross.

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Fundraiser supports San Mateo family who lost home in fire