Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

President-elect Joe Bidens selection of a running mate was front-page news with Kamala Harris becoming the first Black woman and first South Asian to hold the job. Her boss, Joe Biden, also gained stature when he was vice president for President Obama, with an unusually active role that far exceeded what was accomplished by previous vice presidents. In fact, the evolution of the vice presidency, in the Constitution and in practice, is one of the most fascinating, bizarre elements of the U.S. government.

On Dec. 19, 1793, Vice President John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, my Country has in its Wisdom contrived for me, the most insignificant Office that ever the Invention of Man contrived or his Imagination conceived. Most vice presidents in American history have agreed with Adams assessment of the No. 2 office in the country. Despite being a heartbeat away from the presidency, the office of the vice president has often been relegated to obsolescence.

The original Constitution mentioned the vice president three times. Article II, Section 1 specifies that the vice president shall hold a term of four years and the top two candidates will be elected president and vice president. The end of Section 1 states that the vice president takes over the responsibilities of the president should the president be removed from office by death or resignation. Finally, Article II, Section 4 states that the vice president can be removed from office by impeachment.

In 1789, the first federal Congress certified the votes of the first presidential election. George Washington received 69 votes, a unanimous vote from all electors. John Adams was the clear second choice with 34 votes. John Jay came in third with nine votes. But the Constitution was silent about the relationship between the president and the vice president.

President Washington initially solicited Adams advice, especially as Washington established a social calendar and customs. But Adams and Washington never had a particularly warm relationship and the president didnt invite the vice president to join a single Cabinet meeting, establishing a precedent that held for almost two centuries.

The relationship between the president and vice president didnt improve during the second administration. In 1796, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson competed in the presidential election. Adams won with 71 electoral votes to Jeffersons 68 electoral votes. Under the terms of Article II, Jeffersons second-place finish bagged him the vice presidency. As political rivals and opponents, Adams naturally didnt include Jefferson in his Cabinet meetings either.

This odd arrangement came to a head during the next election. Each party selected two candidates, one for president and one for vice president in theory, but they were all listed on the same ballot. In the election of 1800, President John Adams came in third with 65 votes, but Democratic-Republican candidates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied with 73 apiece. The election then went to the House of Representatives, and Jefferson fully expected Burr to step aside. When Burr eagerly competed for the presidency, the House cast 36 ballots before finally selecting Jefferson as the third president of the United States. Jefferson never trusted Burr again and replaced him after the first term.

Congress quickly realized that it needed a more predictable process for selecting presidential and vice presidential candidates to avoid the awkward electoral tie that had occurred between Burr and Jefferson. In December 1803, Congress passed the 12th Amendment, which specified that electors would cast separate votes for president and vice presidential candidates in elections going forward.

Despite the revisions contained in the 12th Amendment, there was still a pretty sizable hole in the vice presidential selection process. When Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, there was no established process to select Johnsons replacement, so the vice presidency was left vacant for three years and 323 days. A new vice president didnt fill the office until after the election of 1868.

The position was so inconsequential that Johnson was not the last president to serve without a vice president, nor was the vacancy the longest! On April 4, 1841, John Tyler took over the presidency when William Henry Harrison died unexpectedly in office. The vice president remained open for three years and 334 days, until the election of 1844. President John F. Kennedys death and Lyndon B. Johnsons assumption of the presidency again emphasized the need for a clear process to select a new vice president, as LBJ didnt have a vice president for one year and 59 days.

The 25th Amendment, passed by Congress in July 1965 and ratified in February 1967, finally addressed this situation by declaring that Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Even after the vice president received more constitutional definition, most presidents have kept their vice presidents at arms length. President Franklin D. Roosevelt shared so little information and responsibility with Harry S. Truman that Truman didnt learn of the existence of the atomic bomb until after Roosevelt died in 1945. In 1960, when reporters asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to list Vice President Richard Nixons major contributions, Eisenhower replied, Well, if you give me a week I might think of one.

Since the passage of the 12th Amendment, presidents mostly selected candidates that served an Electoral College purpose. Only recently have presidential candidates considered who might make the best governing partner. For example, Ronald Reagan selected Bush for electoral reasons, and while Bush proved to be an effective and persistent lieutenant, the relationship between the first and second families remained frosty. Reagan only offered a tepid endorsement of Bushs candidacy and then refused to be seen with the president when Bush was running for re-election. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore reportedly worked well together during Clintons first term, but the Monica Lewinsky scandal drove a wedge between the two.

Dick Cheney started a new chapter in vice presidential history by operating with more authority than any vice president before him. Bush selected Cheney as a veteran politician to provide seasoned, but blunt advice. They worked well together because Cheney had no plans to run for president himself and always deferred to the president. At the same time, he had more influence with the president than anyone else and was frequently characterized as the man behind the curtain pulling the strings. In Bushs second term, however, the relationship changed as Bush increasingly consulted with Condoleezza Rice and fired Donald Rumsfeld (Cheneys mentor). By the time they left office, they disagreed on more issues than they agreed.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden might be the first president and vice president that were actually friends. Before accepting the position, Biden demanded a more substantive role than the one most vice presidents had enjoyed. Obama promised that he would be the last person in the room and a partner on critical foreign policy and domestic issues. The president kept his word. Biden frequently traveled abroad on behalf of the administration and managed the economic reconstruction efforts in the wake of the 2008 recession. Their warm relationship inspired countless memes and articles about their bromance and by the end of Obamas term, they both referred to each other as family.

All evidence suggests that President-elect Bidens relationship with Obama served as one of the high-water marks of his decades-long public service career, and he seeks to emulate this relationship with his own vice president selection. He has promised Vice President-elect Harris the same access Obama provided to him she will be the last person in the room before every big decision. If so, she will inherit a vice presidency that has evolved significantly from the one created by the Constitution in 1787.

Excerpt from:
The Strange History of the Office of the Vice President - Governing

Published 10 December 2020

The Scottish Government has published a consultation intoproposed rules requiring zero emissions heating systems in all new build homes.

The New Build Heat Standardwould mean all new build homes must have heating that produces zero direct greenhouse gas emissions, helping to meet climate change targets.

The measures aim to ensure that heating systems in all new buildings given consent from 2024 are zero-emissions, in line with the recommendation from the UK Committee on Climate Change that this is achieved from 2025 at the latest.

The consultation sets out a range of outcomes for the standard to achieve, including ensuring new homes and non-residential buildings are affordable to heat, supporting the delivery of a continued supply of high quality homes, and offer opportunities for retraining and upskilling workers to install zero emissions heating systems.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: The pace of decarbonising Scotlands domestic and non-domestic buildings has to increase significantly to achieve our targets on climate change. The New Build Heat Standard will be an important contribution to this to ensure emissions from heating and cooling our buildings fall close to zero.

We want to combine the action we need to meet the challenge of the climate emergency with our ambition to provide affordable, warm homes. We are seeking views from stakeholders on the most effective way to introduce this Standard to ensure it is deliverable and fit for purpose.

To support the development of the New Build Heat Standard, an external working group was established to provide advice and expertise to the Scottish Government and this was instrumental during the drafting of the scoping consultation. The group, which features representation across a wide variety of interests and areas, is co-chaired by respected zero carbon buildings expert, Professor Lynne Sullivan OBE.

Professor Sullivan, chair of the Good Homes Alliance, said: We recognised the priority for new buildings to achieve higher efficiency and be ready for zero emissions heating sources, in line with Scotlands world-leading climate commitments.

We welcome the consultation on new homes, and believe the targets are achievable with existing technologies at scale. Delivery will unlock long-term economic benefits as well as future-proof Scottish homes.

The Scottish Greens said Scotland must show more urgency to catch up with many European countries when it comes to warm and efficient housing.

Housing spokesperson Andy Wightman said: The housing minister is right to say that the pace of decarbonising homes needs to increase, but the fact is that Scotland lags well behind many normal European nations on this. New homes should be required to meet passivhaus or other net-zero standards, and public funding should no longer be used to subsidise high-carbon heating systems.

Meanwhile, if we recognise the pace of change needed we have to also recognise that a quarter of homes in Scotland face fuel poverty every year. We need a target on all homes with a programme of deep-retrofits of fuel poor households and social housing, which would create thousands of jobs in the process.

Excerpt from:
New Build Heat Standard proposals open for consultation - Scottish Construction Now

December 9th, 2020 by Jennifer Sensiba

Today, Aptera hosted an online Q&A session, covering a variety of topics about the vehicle. In addition to its announcements from a few days ago, the company also now has a video giving us some much better views of the vehicle (more information below the video).

Pre-Orders Still Going

Pre-orders are still available, but the first versions of the vehicle are sold out. You can get yours here, and save $30 on the reservation fee. CleanTechnica gets a referral, and that helps us get a long-term independent test vehicle. International orders are being accepted (see more toward the bottom of this article).

Grid Charging

We finally got a lot more information about the vehicles charging. First off, Aptera is still selecting components and vendors for the onboard charger, DC fast charging, etc..

Weve seen images (including in the above video) depicting the vehicle with a Tesla plug. When I reached out to Aptera directly, they told me that which plug the vehicle will have is still an open question, so its possible that the Aptera will use Teslas technology and infrastructure. Its also possible that it will go with standard J1772 and/or CCS plugs. During the Q&A, Aptera did say that it may Supercharge, but they also mentioned a 50 kW rate, which is far below what a Tesla Supercharger would give us, so they may have been using that term generically. Either way, its safe to say that the question of Tesla tech is still not decided.

Its apparent that the vehicle is supposed to get about 10 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used from the battery pack. Thus, a 25 kWh pack can go 250 miles, a 40 kWh pack goes 400 miles, etc.. Its simple math to figure out the rest.

On a wall plug, Aptera said it could add about 150 miles of range overnight on a normal 120V wall plug. That works out to about 12 hours of charging, not accounting for losses. In 8 hours, and after charging losses of 10%, it works out to about 100 miles. For nearly all drivers, a wall plug will be enough even without solar charging.

Aptera said it also expects to have 3 kilowatt (kW) and 6 kW onboard chargers, which would give far more range added per hour. With the efficiency, a 6 kW charger would add 60 miles per hour, so even level 2 plugs that are available in more places than level 3 will be far more useful.

A 50 kW station (which is the minimum the company seems to be wanting, but it may have faster onboard chargers) would add 500 miles per hour. Thus, youd get way more range in a 20-30 minute charging session than you get with other vehicles charging at that rate. This makes road trips far more feasible and far less painful than other EVs, and thats with current charging infrastructure.

If Aptera supports faster chargers, this would be even greater for road trips, but we do need to consider that there will be tapering. We dont know what those tapering numbers will look like yet. However, given the efficiency and range, youll probably not need to charge the pack over 60-80% in most cases and will be able to spend more time at peak charging speeds on trips.

An educated guess is that on a 250 kW Supercharger with the 100 kWh pack, you could add 600 miles in 15 minutes or the whole 1000 in about 45 minutes. If you get peak speeds until 60%, that would take the car from almost dead to there in about 15 minutes, and then take another half hour to add the rest (assuming you even need that). A 350 kW charger (like at Electrify America) could probably do the 600 miles in 10 minutes and the whole pack in 35 minutes or so.

In reality, those speeds are probably overkill for this vehicle, but theyd sure be nice for road trips.

Solar Charging

Aptera told us today that with the solar cells covering the back hatch (thats optional), youd end up with a peak of 700 watts, but thats something you wont see much. The company did test the cells in a fake roof for a year before claiming that it adds 40 miles per day, but keep in mind that this testing happened in San Diego.

40 miles per day assumes the system adds 4 kWh of power to the pack. If you take that 700W of panels to places that see more clouds, get less direct sunlight (further north), etc., then you may get a lot less. At the peak of 700 watts, people living in sunny parts further south (especially the southwest), you may even get more than the 40 miles.

Either way, it would take almost a month of charging all day and no driving to fill a 100 kWh pack up. While that sounds very slow, its actually quite useful.

If you drive the car less than the solar cells can add, you can expect to almost never charge it. On good sunny days, youd accumulate rollover miles, while on bad sun days, youd eat into them a bit.

If you drive more than the solar can cover, then theyre still helpful. Youd just have to plug it in less often. Assuming you can park it out in the sun most days, you could watch the charge level, and maybe fill it back up when it gets to 50%, that way you always have some reserve in the tank for emergencies.

When it comes to the solar cells themselves, Aptera hasnt announced who is going to supply the cells yet. It did seem like the company probably has a supplier picked, though. Hopefully soon we can learn more about how efficient the cells are, etc..

Other cool things are that Aptera is aiming for a 10 to 20 year design life, and the system itself weighs very little. After all, theyre mounting the cells to the cars body and not to big glass panels like youd see on a house roof.

The Cooling System Has No Radiator

This one is actually quite cool. On older Aptera designs, they tried to mimic aircraft radiator systems to keep the drag low. That wasnt enough for them, so Aptera found a way to eliminate the radiators completely, which initially sounds absolutely insane for a liquid-cooled battery pack.

Aptera does have a plan to dissipate the heat, though. They told us today that the plan is to have small biologically-inspired channels throughout the cars skin that the coolant gets pumped through. This allows most of the cars exterior to serve as a radiator and allows the cooling system to produce zero drag and no wasted electricity on fans.

Another cool thing about the system is that when the cars exterior frosts, we are likely to see cool fractal patterns on the cars exterior where the heat melts the frost a bit.

How this would work in really hot places is probably an open question at this point, but with that much surface area to dissipate the heat, the cars body could be enough to dissipate heat.

Performance & Versatility

The cars efficiency doesnt mean it will be slow. The 3-motor version will have 150 kW of output, which is close to what the Chevy Bolt puts out. The difference is that the car is half the weight and has far less drag, so it will have much better acceleration. Every time we see numbers on a vehicle like the Aptera, we have to keep in mind that theyre not directly comparable to other manufacturers.

With all this in mind, one of the presenters (jokingly) said, It almost needs a weapons permit.

Another cool thing is that the vehicles design gives it a lot of clearance. Aptera wanted to take advantage of this, so it is also going to offer an off-roading package with sturdier wheel fairings and a higher suspension. One of the cool things about lifting an Aptera is that it is likely to incur little to no drag penalty from doing so. The only thing that may give an off-roading Aptera a range hit would be the extra drag from off-road tires.

Aptera also told us that the vehicle will have a subframe in the rear near the back tire for both towing and being towed. Tow hooks will be available for front and rear to pull you out of the mud or pull a malfunctioning Aptera onto a tow truck. The vehicle will be able to tow a small trailer, but expect a huge range hit unless its a small, light, and aerodynamic trailer.

Safety & Repairs

For crash safety, the vehicle also seems to be very good. Previous versions of the Aptera did undergo federal safety testing (FMVSS), and its improved since then with better materials and design. While very strong, the composites are also able to flex a bit. Even a sledgehammer cant get through, because the materials compress a bit and spring back to shape. In other words, you wont be riding in a cheap plastic egg that youd get smashed up in.

When asked about changing tires, they told us that removing the fender/fairing around a tire will be straightforward, and that once removed, youll get full access to the tire to change it yourself if you need to do so in a hurry.

Because the body has an ability to bounce back, most damage to the car will be skin-deep and can be repaired in pretty standard ways. However, if a wreck gives enough force to actually crack the shell, you can probably expect to replace the vehicle (as it would be totaled).

Infotainment System

Aptera told us today that the infotainment system is going to be powered by Crank Software, based in Canada. The biggest goal is to use the infotainment systems to drive vehicle efficiency, but that doesnt mean the company wants an unprofessional and/or unfriendly user experience. They want all information to be easily available, and to make sure surprises that users may face will be minimized.

While the usual information will be available up front, in-depth vehicle information including diagnostics, repair data, BMS details, etc., will all be available in the menus. The right to repair is a big deal to Aptera, so it is being transparent in ways nobody else is.

Its also worth noting that the infotainment systems will be on an isolated network to protect critical systems, like BMS and drive. The information will be available from those systems, but they wont be wide open to any hacker who gets into the vehicles infotainment system.

Life Support

While its clear that things are still up in the air supplier-wise, we do know that it is working to come up with the most efficient systems it can for heat and A/C, and that it will be an ongoing process even after the first vehicles are delivered.

Resistive heating may be part of the equation, and that could cost a lot of range, but the company is experimenting with heat pumps, directly heating/cooling the driver and passenger, integrating it with the battery cooling system, and various other things to maximize efficiency.

Aptera said that the first year may come with only resistive heating, but that its something it will continue to improve as much as possible.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is a big deal to Aptera. One thing it has done is work with Munro and Associates to make sure it isnt learning by making mistakes other automakers have already made. Design, manufacturing, supply chains, and a good mix of in-house/supplier work are all things Munro is helping it with.

The goal is to have some sub-assemblies ready to install from suppliers, and do the major assembly at its first plant in southern California. Apteras final plant wont be filled with large tooling and big robots like many other automakers. The largest components are all liftable by two people, and it plans on using a smart mix of automation and human labor to get things right. Many pieces are self-aligning with the piece they fit onto, which saves a lot of need for specialized alignment tools.

The bodys four large pieces are the pan, the roof (spider), and the two side panels. Theyre easily bonded together (this sounds like a glue-like process), and then other pre-built sub-assemblies. Between this and what Munro has helped it figure out, Aptera should be able to scale manufacturing relatively easily.

Miscellaneous Other Things

International orders can be made today. While orders coming from outside the US will take more time, the company encourages international customers to go ahead and put in preorders. (You can do that here and get $30 off, and help CleanTechnica get a long-term test vehicle). The company does point out that Polaris was able to get the Slingshot (a three-wheeler of similar size/weight) to most global markets, so it should also be able to do this in a reasonable time frame.

Front-wheel drive vehicles will be available from the beginning, while all-wheel drive (adding a motor to the rear wheel) will be available soon after. Aptera plans to offer the 400-mile version first, followed by the 600-mile version. Finally, it will offer the 250- and 1000-mile packs. They may be upgradeable later.

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Tags: Aptera, Never Charge, solar, Tesla

Jennifer Sensiba Jennifer Sensiba is a long time efficient vehicle enthusiast, writer, and photographer. She grew up around a transmission shop, and has been experimenting with vehicle efficiency since she was 16 and drove a Pontiac Fiero. She likes to explore the Southwest US with her partner, kids, and animals.Follow her on Twitter for her latest articles and other random things: https://twitter.com/JenniferSensibaDo you think I've been helpful in your understanding of Tesla, clean energy, etc? Feel free to use my Tesla referral code to get yourself (and me) some small perks and discounts on their cars and solar products. https://www.tesla.com/referral/jennifer90562

Read more:
We Learned A LOT About The Aptera Today - CleanTechnica

Opinion / Leila Molana-Allen

Yemen has been at war for 50 years, my guard Ahmad says, looking over his shoulder as our driver wrestles the pickup trucks front wheel out of yet another pothole. When is it our turn for some peace? In fact, the Shabwa region, linking the mountains of south-central Yemen to the Arabian Sea, has been a comparatively conflict-free spot in the war-torn Arab nation.

Since the civil war began in 2014 the province has in turn played host to government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, as well as al-Qaeda, armed southern separatists and Emirati-backed mercenaries. But since late 2019, when government forces regained control of Shabwa and its capital Ataq, locals have begun to hope that better security could lead to increased prosperity.

Almost everyone I meet during the week-long trip through the areas half-built streets and lush desert valleys speaks in hushed tones of new work opportunities and even the hope that foreign investment might return. New buildings are popping up and the resurrection of public services is planned if not quite under way yet. But those living close to the provinces borders fear as much as they hope. In neighbouring governorates to the north and west, the multi-front, multi-party war that has killed more than 120,000 people rages on and the prospect of the fighting creeping back south is never far away.

Indeed, later the same day we receive word that a car bomb has exploded on the sea road, bringing violence back to an area that had been calm for months. Ahmad might have to wait a little longer for peace sadly there are still plenty of potholes ahead.

Leila Molana-Allen is Monocles Beirut correspondent and reports from throughout the region.

Here is the original post:
Monday 7 December 2020 - The Monocle Minute - Monocle

SO PAULO, Brazil It is eerie to see Oscar Niemeyers whitewashed monolith in Ibirapuera Park stand so empty. The building traditionally hosts the So Paulo Biennial, now postponed to September 2021, due to the pandemic. In the meantime, a number of smaller shows take place, starting with the exhibition, Vento (Wind). As curators Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Paulo Miyada note, while they didnt originally envision this deathly aura the space is usually teeming with works and people its proved fortuitous. It reminds visitors that Brazilian modernisms claim to transparency, embodied in Brutalist architectures clean lines, obscured that movements entanglement with nationalist politics of its time, and the latters oppression of Black and Indigenous Brazilians. The exhibitions underlying impulse is to evoke these obscured histories and reclaim whats been repressed.

Vento takes its name from Joan Jonass video, Wind (1968), installed on the ground floor. In it, performers sway, buffeted by ghastly winds in a mesmeric dance of physical resistance. Its striking to see such bodily pliancy within these solid concrete walls. And yet, theres resonance: Niemeyers sinuous ramps testify that the modernists too conceived of organic forms. Picking up from Jonas, a spirit of resiliency blows through the show. It echoes the theme of obscurity, that which cant be easily absorbed into the hegemonic culture.

The Indigenous artist Jaider Esbells The War of Kanaims (2020) a series of eleven acrylic and pen paintings, composed mostly for the Biennial is a luminous example of such thematic confluence. In various Amerindian cultures, kanaims are complex dark forces. As Esbell pointed out in a Biennial talk, they are protective, albeit violent, spirits. Ebsells works blend dark and luminous qualities perfectly. Their vibrant colors stand out against the uniformly black backgrounds. Humans, spirits, and nature appear in dense configurations, whose minute patterns give them the luxurious feel of handwoven tapestries. While the animals are easily identifiable (e.g. snakes, a frog, birds), the representations are neither entirely figurative nor abstract. In one painting, a group of tribesmen, perhaps mounted by kanaims, with their red glowing eyes, crowd the works lower edge. The raised yellow spears echo in the forests green and purple vertical lines. The composition pulses with mesmerizing energy a bodys thrall in natures war/dance tug, evocative of the Jonas video, menacing yet sublime.

The ground floor also includes a sound installation by the Colombian artist Gala Porras-Kim, Whistling and Language Transfiguration (WaLT) (2012). The whistles are tonal translations of the Indigenous Zapotec language, historically used to evade the Spanish in what is now Southern Mexico. Such secret tonality also figures into Carla Zaccagninis From Bell To Fate (2017), a sound installation on the upper floor, with a bell from the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Homens Brancos (Our Lady of the Rosary of White Men) Chapel, in the colonial town of Ouro Preto. In the Biennials educational publication, Primeiros ensaios (First rehearsals), Zaccagnini discusses her belief that the tolling connects to the repressed tonal signals of enslaved Africans, though such a metaphoric leap somewhat occludes the historical resistance of the Catholic Church to racial inclusion in its ranks.

More direct is another installation: a sound loop of the Maxakali shamanic chants, which point back to the insistence of Indigenous tribes emphasized by both Esbell and Ailton Krenak, an Indigenous activist, writer, and founder of the ForestPeoplesAlliance, in his interview for Primeiros ensaios on memory being preserved not in things but beings, reinforcing the importance of sacral, tribal, familial continuity.

The oneiric quality of Jonass and Esbells works resonate in the paintings of the still little-known Brazilian modernist Eleonore Koch. Her exquisite renditions of Rio de Janeiro emptied squares and parks with rudimentary architectural forms la de Chirico posses an instinctual lyricism. Same goes for the light installations of Clara Iani, Education by Night (2020), in which geometric blocks are lit up to project transfigured shapes on the walls. Theres something about the way these spectral evocations which distort matter yet capture its essence that perfectly encapsulates the mythical power of Esbells entrancing fabulations.

Ventos insistence on centering the poetics of the repressed is a welcome gesture after the last biennial all but sidestepped urgency and historical perspective, in favor of often tepid formalism. And while its still too early to glean this editions full ambition, one would hope that after Vento it will prove more of a gale than a passing zephyr, potent enough to raise some dust in Niemeyers drafty halls.

Vento (Wind) continues through December 13 as part of the 34th So Paulo Biennial, Though its dark, still I sing (Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, Ibirapuera Park, So Paulo, Brazil). The exhibition is curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Paulo Miyada.

As arts communities around the world experience a time of challenge and change, accessible, independent reporting on these developments is more important than ever.

Please consider supporting our journalism, and help keep our independent reporting free and accessible to all.

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Read more:
Winds of Change at the So Paulo Biennial's Introductory Show - Hyperallergic

GREENWICH Greenwich Communities has completed a $1.6 million project to refurbish all the kitchens in 110 housing units at the Wilbur Peck Court apartment complex.

In any size home, no matter if its a multimillion-dollar home or its a public housing unit, what are people most proud of? Greenwich Communities Director Anthony Johnson said. Its the kitchen and how it looks. It sets the tone for the rest of the house. That was our thinking here.

The kitchens now all have stainless steel appliances, beautiful cabinetry and new microwaves and ventilation systems. This goes along with fresh paint and new bathrooms as well as stained wood flooring in the 110 apartment units.

Families spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and preparing meals, Johnson said. It has its own panache depending on how it looks. This is a good thing and needed.

The downtown housing complex was built in 1953, and the kitchens have not been collectively improved in 40 years, Johnson said.

This was something we had wanted to get done as part of the five-year plan, and we saved enough money to be able to do it, he said.

The project took a year to plan, and the work has been underway for several months, Johnson said. Only a few final touch-ups remain, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic delayed the work, because of slower delivery of the appliances from China, Johnson said. They are still waiting for the final few refrigerators, he said.

Greenwich Communities is the new name for the Housing Authority of the town of Greenwich, which oversees all the town-owned public housing. Renovations, improvements and new construction have been its priority in recent years.

It is important that our residents and their children live with dignity and feel like they fit in, Johnson said in a statement. We have worked diligently through fiscally responsible asset management of our resources and strong partnerships with state and local agencies to help strengthen family life, foster stable home environments, and promote self-sufficiency.

Greenwich Communities is part of the town government structure, but it operates independently and is responsible for financing all the projects.

Overall, Greenwich Communities oversees 837 units in town spread over 15 properties. It also assists 343 families through the Section 8 subsidized housing program. Through all its efforts, Greenwich Communities serves 2,574 residents.

With the five-year plan for Wilbur Peck Court nearly finished, the focus will move to Agnes Morley Heights, a downtown complex with 150 units for seniors, Johnson said. Plans are still under discussions, but they want to start off with new windows to improve energy efficiency.

Work is also continuing at Armstrong Court in Chickahominy. In June, Greenwich Communities cut the ribbon on 18 new townhouse units there. Next up, the old buildings will undergo a full rehabilitation, with one- and two-bedroom units combined into three-bedroom units, which are in high demand.

Johnson said Greenwich Communities hopes to begin the construction work in January.

Sam Romeo, chair of the Board of Commissioners, said in June that over the next five to seven years, Greenwich Communities would bring forward plans to build nearly 300 units to increase the towns housing stock.

This is an all-new Housing Authority for the 21st century. Stay tuned the best is yet to come, Romeo said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com

Excerpt from:
It sets the tone: New kitchens installed at Wilbur Peck Court in Greenwich - Greenwich Time

Waterville fire caused by improper installation of wood stove - CentralMaine.com

Posted December 7

Updated December 8

The fire at 37 Carey Lane Thursday in the city's South End started in a barn or garage where a wood stove had been improperly installed.

WATERVILLE The recent, improper installation of a wood stove caused a fire Thursday at 37 Carey Lane that destroyed the structure the stove was in and heavily damaged the adjacent house, according to fire officials.

A couple, ages 32 and 25, and their children, ages 7 and 2, lived in the house, and the father of one of the couple lived in an upstairs apartment, according to fire Battalion Chief John Gromek.

He said two other children lived in the house part-time, but were not there when the fire broke out. An aunt of one of the tenants owns the home, and the family had a contract to rent it, he said. The family members, whose names he did not know, were helped Thursday by the Red Cross, he said.

The barn or garage was a workshop used for the family construction business and all the construction tools inside were destroyed by the fire, according to Gromek. Asked if the house was destroyed, Gromek said he would say so, but that determination is up to the insurance company. The exteriors of two other nearby houses were damaged as well.

Houses are very close together on Carey Lane, and there is little frontage to the street itself. When firefighters arrived after the fire was reported at 12:20 a.m. Thursday, the 32-year-old tenant on the first floor was throwing Christmas presents out of the house and into the street, which made it difficult for firefighters to access the area, Gromek said.

When the on-duty crew got there, the downstairs tenant was trying his best to get as many Christmas gifts as he could he said. He was throwing stuff out the front door into the road.

Firefighters from several other towns helped fight the fire. Gromek said there was heavy fire damage to the back half of the house and smoke damage throughout the home.

The biggest thing is getting the message out on the proper installation (of wood stoves) and following manufacturer instructions thats the big message, especially this time of year, Gromek said.

He cautioned that many people are still without power from the weekend storm and are using older wood stoves, fireplaces or alternative heating systems. It is important that systems that have not been used in a long time be checked before use to make sure they are safe.

At Carey Lane on Thursday, former City Councilor Karen Rancourt-Thomas, who lives next door, said the fire department got to the scene very quickly. Most of the homes on the street were built around the same time, and her own house was built in 1850 by her great-great-grandfather, she said.

Rancourt-Thomas house is just a few feet from the one that burned, yet there appeared to be no damage to her house.

If the fire department hadnt gotten here as quick as possible, my house would have gone up, she said. Were very grateful.

Carey Lane is a short, one-way street off Water Street that loops in a sort of half-circle back to Water Street.

The Waterville Fire Department Facebook page says firefighters from Waterville, Winslow, Skowhegan, Fairfield, Oakland, Vassalboro, Clinton and Albion worked at the scene and Delta Ambulance and the Waterville Public Works Department also assisted.

No one was injured, but a family dog was found deceased at the scene and two cats are still unaccounted for, according to the post.

We urge the public to ensure all solid fuel-burning appliances be installed according to the manufacturers recommendations, the post says. Proper clearance of hot surfaces to combustible materials is critical to the safety of the device. As we approach the winter months it is also prudent to have chimneys inspected and cleaned by a reputable professional.

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Waterville fire caused by improper installation of wood stove - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

TAMPA Construction crews on Monday night installed the last concrete segment of the Selmon Extension, a 1.9-mile toll-lane connector that officials hope will open next summer.

The connectors two lanes of elevated roadway will link the Gandy Bridge to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway and Dale Mabry Highway. Construction started in January 2018 on the $230 million project, with completion planned for fall 2020. The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority now hopes to finish in six to eight months.

Joe Waggoner, chief executive of the authority, said the project has been 25 years in the making.

Like our community, we are eager to complete construction to improve travel commutes in Tampa Bay, Waggonner said in a statement.

The concrete segment installed earlier this week was the last of 744. Each weighs about 72 tons. They are propped up by 55 columns rising 30 feet in the air.

Now that all major construction items are completed, crews will shift their attention to details, such as electric lines, lights, drainage and paint.

The house is built, but now we have to put the floor in, the sinks in, those types of things, spokeswoman Sue Chrzan said.

The authority also needs to build the sides of the bridge lanes so motorists dont veer off.

Toll revenue and bonds are paying for the new lanes, which will cost drivers $1.19 to use. Those enrolled in SunPass will pay 94 cents. To drive the expressway end to end will cost $5.04 or $4.07 with Sunpass.

The Selmon Expressway carries about 100,000 vehicles a day and runs 14 miles now, from the corner of Town Center Boulevard and the Brandon Parkway to the corner of Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry.

Commuters heading to St. Petersburg now have to get off at Dale Mabry and drive Gandy to reach the bridge over Tampa Bay, adding to peak-time gridlock throughout South Tampa.

When the extension is complete, the Expressway Authority estimates the wait time at traffic signals on Gandy will drop by as much as half to two-thirds.

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Selmon Expressway extension scheduled to open in summer 2021 - Tampa Bay Times

LISTING OF THE DAY

Location: Potomac, Maryland

Price: $5.995 million

Built in 2002 for former NBA All-Star Buck Williams and his wife, Mimi, this six-bedroom, nine-bathroom house in Potomac, Maryland, takes its inspiration from Mount Pleasant, a landmarked circa-1761 Georgian mansion near Philadelphia.

After many visits to Pennsylvania, the couple commissioned architect David Jones of Washington, D.C.s Jones Versace to conceive a modern family home with Georgian flavor. They also worked closely with Mr. Jones on materials, finishes and layouts.

You can see the Georgian style in the homes symmetry and the choices of moldings that represent a certain period, said Marc Fleisher of The Fleisher Group, the listing agent. The result is understated and quite spectacular. This home would cost upward of $15 million if it were in the District of Columbia rather than Montgomery County.

More: Inside This Potomac, Maryland, House Are Plenty of Indulgences

Double front doors open to a bright double foyer whose sightlinesframed by classical porticosstretch to the back of the house. For its gleaming hardwood floors, the owners personally selected individual pine boards reclaimed from Pennsylvania barns. The same flooring runs throughout the house.

Behind a door off the foyer, a formal library boasts custom-milled, whitewashed paneled walls, built-in cabinetry, and a masonry fireplace with a gas starterone of six in the home. Intricate mouldings around the fireplace echo classical motifs the owners and architect researched; likewise, wallcoverings throughout the home evoke the period. A second door on the same side of the foyer leads nowhereits a dummy door, for symmetry, Mr. Fleisher said.

Opposite the library, off the foyer, the airy formal dining room boasts an elaborate chandelier and red damask window coverings. Any sale will include all of the lighting fixtures, window treatments, and wallcoverings, Mr. Fleisher said. The dining room features its own fireplace, with a marble facade.

More: Late Novelist Tom Clancys Baltimore Penthouse Hits the Auction Block

Deeper into the house, the foyer connects to a formal living room with two seating areas and glass-paned doors that access the homes back gardens. Built-in shelving maintains the whitewashed look that defines the main level. The shelves flank another fireplace.

The Williams family used a second living room as a family room and den. With a more casual feel, it features contemporary built-in bookshelves and its own fireplace. The two living rooms are linked.

An adjacent room, which the family called the Conservatory, boasts beamed white ceilings and a wall of glass-paned doors that open to the homes expansive backgrounds. Sunlit most of the day, the conservatory features its own wet bar and kitchenette.

More: An Iconic Mansion in Chevy Chase, Maryland

In the homes main kitchen, cherry-wood cabinetry offsets stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops. A ceiling-height cherry-wood hutch separates the kitchen from an eat-in area. The entire space gets plenty of light from a wall of glass-paned doors that open to the back grounds.

Clever design tucks two guest wings at opposite ends of the house. A short flight of stairs from the kitchen leads to a guest bedroom and bathroom. The guest room connects to its own library, paneled in mahogany. For symmetry, a small staircase also ascends from the conservatoryon the other side of the hometo a separate wing containing two guest bedrooms and two full bathrooms.

The main bedrooms occupy the homes second floor. A sweeping staircase, illuminated by a skylight atrium, leads upstairs from the rear foyer. The owners suite enjoys its own windowed sitting room, large enough for a sofa and chairs. The owners bedroom, windowed on three sides, features its own fireplace.

Along with heated marble floors, its spa-like en-suite bathroom boasts his-and-hers sinks, steam shower, and a standalone tub. A separate sitting area adjoins the other two bedrooms, which both boast their own en-suite bathrooms.

More: A Gilded Maryland Mansion Sells for $10 Million

Set on a three-acre lot, the home enjoys completely level grounds with sweeping south and west exposures, Mr. Fleisher said. Its one of the most beautiful lots in the area. A cabana next to the 50-foot swimming pool includes a kitchenette, bathroom, and changing rooms. One of the homes back terraces is paved in a herringbone brick motif. Mr. Fleisher noted that the homes foundation is all granite.

A pair of three-car garages bookend the housefor symmetry, again, Mr. Fleisher said.

Stats

With a total of 12,636 square feet of living space, the house has six bedrooms, two living rooms, two libraries, seven bathrooms, and two half-baths. The property sits on three acres.

More: Cal Ripken Jr.s Maryland Mansion Sells at Auction

Amenities

Under 10-foot ceilings, the homes lower level includes a billiard and game room, plush home theater, fully equipped gym, and a full bathroom. Clerestory windows illuminate the rooms during the day. The lower level includes the homes main laundry room; the owners installed a second, smaller laundry room on the second floor.

An elevator services all three levels of the home. Like much of the house, its discreet and paneled in white.

Neighborhood Notes

Located in an affluent Potomac pocket known as the Golden Triangle, the house sits on an expansive horseshoe-shaped plot of land that includes about 20 large estate homes on multi-acre lots, Mr. Fleisher said. Its an advantageous location less than five minutes to Potomac Village, 10 minutes to downtown Bethesda, 20 minutes to Georgetown, and half an hour to both of DCs international airports.

From Penta:Vacheron Constantin and The Louvre Team Up to Put a Masterpiece on Your Wrist

Agent: Marc Fleisher, The Fleisher Group

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This Georgian-Style Maryland Home Has Lots of Amenities, Including an Elevator - Mansion Global

One of the most active restaurant corners in Soulard will see new life in 2021. Early next month, Boo Coo restaurant will open in the former Oaked space, at 1031 Lynch St. (Prior to Oaked, Lynch Street Tavern occupied the buildingand before that Fleur de Lilies, Gustos 314, Sage Urban American Grill, and Lynch Street Bistro, which opened in 2007.)

Owner Nikki Westhoff, who lives and works nearby, saysshe'd been talking about opening her own restaurant for more than a year, but, ironically, it was the pandemic that brought the dream to fruition.

Working less, I had more time to think about it, she says, and the more my husband and I talked with the owners of Oaked, who own that building, the more sense it made," especially when staffers at next-door neighbor Anheuser-Busch return to their offices.

The name Boo Coo comes from the Cajun termfor beaucoup, the French term for "big" or "many." Westhoff plans to take a more informal approach than its predecessor. Soulard is a casual place," she says. "Our plan is to play more to the neighborhood. People need a place to relax, throw a few darts, play Golden Tee, and watch a game. Aself-confessed sports nut, Westhoffhas installed 16 TVs ("big ones," she says) and two projection TVs in the space.

That part of Soulard needed a little excitement, a little push, and the space is so large that people can spread outno matter how many seats were allowed to use, Westhoff says of the two-level space.

The second floor, which has its own bar and outside deck, will also be used for private events and to showcase local live music. The sprawling first-floor patio bar, made of brick with wrought-iron fencing, is typical of the Soulard area.

The menu at Boo Coo is predictable, but with some unusual flourishes, a few that lean toward New Orleans, one of Westhoffs favorite cities. Chicken wings, fried cheese sticks, and potato skins give way to taco wontons, a muffuletta, nachos served in a Caf du Monde coffee can, and a double smashed burger with cheddar and cream cheese topped with fried jalapeos. The signature item is the Boo Coo Ring, a croissant filled with chicken pot pie fixins.

Having worked for 22 years in the industry, Westhoff says she knows the bar scene welland has a theory regarding bar customers behavior. Bars help other bars, she says. Over the years, Ive watched how people would go from McGurks to Dukes to Mollys to 1860 [Saloon]. We need to recreate that same kind of action in our part of Soulardsouth Soulard. I'd like to see people move from 9th Street Deli to Ds Placeto [Big] Daddys and the Cats Meowto Boo Coo.

I live in the neighborhood, and I know the neighborhood, she adds. Im proud to say that I now own a business in the neighborhood.

Mahe is St. Louis Magazine's dining editor. Originally a finicky eater, he has owned or operated restaurants most of his life. He began reviewing them for SLM in 1991.

December 10, 2020

7:20 AM

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Boo Coo opening in Soulard in early January - St. Louis Magazine