Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Car dangles from retaining wall in Yonkers Car dangles from retaining wall in Yonkers

Updated: Friday, July 6 2012 9:27 AM EDT2012-07-06 13:27:11 GMT

A car nearly went overa retaining wall in Yonkers Friday morning. One person was rescued from the vehicle as it dangled fromArgyle Terrace at about 7:30 a.m.

A car nearly went overa retaining wall in Yonkers Friday morning. One person was rescued from the vehicle as it dangled fromArgyle Terrace at about 7:30 a.m. SkyFOXHD was over the scene as a tow truck tried to move the dangling car onto the ground.

Updated: Thursday, July 5 2012 4:47 PM EDT2012-07-05 20:47:17 GMT

An upstate woman was arrested on Wednesday on an animal cruelty charge after authorities found dead and malnourished animals in her home, according to New York State Police.

An upstate woman was arrested on Wednesday on an animal cruelty charge after authorities found dead and malnourished animals in her home, according to New York State Police.

The warnings about the Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website.

Despite repeated alerts, tens of thousands of Americans may still lose their Internet service Monday unless they do a quick check of their computers for malware that could have taken over their machines more than a year ago.

Updated: Wednesday, July 4 2012 3:32 PM EDT2012-07-04 19:32:21 GMT

Read more:
Car dangles from retaining wall in Yonkers

By Lori Kurtzman and Rita Price

Friday July 6, 2012 7:50 AM

NEWARK, Ohio As houses and businesses in most central Ohio neighborhoods regain power, those without electricity continue to crowd their porches and watch for utility trucks, hoping their homes are next. Some are growing used to nights in the dark and days in the oppressive heat. Others are getting angry.

Oh, its building, said Gabriel Burgoon, who spent another day without power in Newark. Meanwhile, the neon signs glowed at the drive-through beer store just down the road. Im mad.

Who are you mad at, Dad? asked his 16-year-old son, Bradley, sitting beside him on their porch.

Everybody, at the moment, Burgoon said.

Storms dont have to be lethal to pack an emotional wallop, experts say. When daily routines are knocked out of whack, when comforts slip maddeningly beyond reach and when danger lurks, many of us cant maintain an even keel.

Our anxiety level goes up, our irritability level goes up, our stress level goes up and we sort of lose our sense of predictability, said Dr. Alan Levy, a Columbus psychiatrist.

The fact that we know what to anticipate means a lot to our psyche.

Naturally, some people manage better than others, and Levy said that probably has a lot to do with basic personality.

Read the original:
Storm’s damage can be mental

Its a pretty safe bet that Barn Swallows have always had a place on the front and back porches of the Dinsmore Homestead in Boone County. Built in 1842 by patriarch James Dinsmore, family members and more recently, employees of the homestead have been cohabitating with the swallows for 170 years now.

The Barn Swallows were obviously special to the Dinsmores, said Cathy Callopy, education coordinator for the Dinsmore Homestead. Julia Dinsmore (daughter of James) loved nature and all of the girls spent a lot of time outdoors and paid attention to nature. The back porch, also referred to as the back gallery, was really just another room in the house.

The swallows were so meaningful to Julias niece Patty Flandrau, whom Julia raised, that Patty painted five of them on her bedroom wall. In a letter dated Nov. 14, 1882, Julia wrote Pattys sister Sally Flandrau: Patty has been trying her hand at decorative art there swoops a flight of swallows five in all and named for all of you children according to age. By lamplight they are very pretty. You and Patty are the only ones with the bill turned towards each other and though I dont believe swallows coo, it makes you look affectionate and glad to see each other. The swallows tell me life is short but love is long

Those same swallows, still that original artwork, adorn Pattys bedroom wall to this day at the Dinsmore Homestead.

Easily identified by their deeply forked tail feathers, Barn Swallows are the most widespread swallow species in the world. They breed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and winter across the Southern Hemisphere. Before man-made structures became common, they nested on cliff faces or in caves. Now however, they live hand in hand with humans, nesting in barns, stables, under bridges and, as at the Dinsmore Homestead, on porches small and large.

Humans have always thought highly of Barn Swallows. They are voracious insectivores and a joy to watch. Famed naturalist and artist John James Audubon wrote, In the spring the Barn Swallow is welcomed by all and is looked upon as the harbinger of summer. As she never commits depredations on anything that men consider as their own, everybody loves her, and, as the child was taught by his parents, so the man teaches his offspring, to cherish her.

Gayle Pille is a Burlington resident. Visit the Dinsmore Homestead to see Barn Swallows inside the homestead and outside. The homestead is open every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. with tours hourly through 4 p.m.

View original post here:
Column: Barn Swallows part of Dinsmore Homestead

For those who can afford it, granite has been the top choice in countertops for years, but studies point to the growing supremacy of quartz in the marketplace. Some 54 percent of designers in a 2011 National Kitchen and Bath Association survey said their clients had requested quartz instead of granite.

There are several reasons that quartz a hard, nonporous, engineered stone is becoming a popular choice in countertops.

Because its nonporous, the chance of staining quartz is almost non-existent, said Eric Ashby, a kitchen and bath designer at Southside Lumber in Herrin.

Quartz also doesnt have to be sealed regularly to keep it protected, as has to be done for natural, porous stone like granite.

With quartz, if you get a scratch, you can buff it out, and it holds up well to heat.

For people who like a more consistent design and color in countertops, quartz is also tops.

Because quartz countertops are partially manmade, it allows more consistency in pattern and color, said Cathy Creed, an interior designer with F-W-S Countertops in Carbondale. There are two kinds of countertop people: Those who like a consistent color and pattern, and those who like the uniqueness of natural stone. With natural stone, each piece is different. Quartz works well for the first group.

The look of quartz is improving, too.

Quartz has always had a kind of dot look, said Creed. What were seeing now are the next steps in Quartz. Some of it has a river effect, with swirled, more natural patterns, like natural stone.

Manufacturers are simulating the look of granite, marble, travertine or limestone.

Original post:
Quartz is scratch- and stain-resistant choice in countertops

RESTON, Va., July 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has honored outstanding design incorporating genuine clay brick for both aesthetics and sustainability. Offering architects an increasingly wide palette of colors, textures and shapes for exterior and interior expression, the 2012 Brick in Architecture Award winning projects span 28 states and include commercial, educational, health care, houses of worship, municipal/government, paving and landscape architecture, multifamily and single family residential. Photo Gallery

"As a versatile building material made in America made from abundant natural resources, there is no substitute for genuine clay brick," said BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, P.E. "Unlike manufactured masonry products, brick fired from genuine clay offers permanent, through-body color, proven performance and natural beauty that imitation products just can't match," he said.

In addition to competitive benefits over other exteriors, brick offers great freedom to match the architect's imagination and desires as well as an essential element of sustainable design.

Atlantic Wharf, Boston, Mass., the Best in Class commercial category winner, used a combination of existing and new brick types for both the residences and offices. The 1,200,000 s.f. mixed-use complex is also Boston's first LEED Certified Platinum high-rise.

"Integrating old and new brick was important to maintain the historic character of the area," said Associate Principal Philip Casey, AIA, LEED AP, CBT Architects, Boston. "A lot of effort went into matching mortar to maintain the historic context," he said. "Brick was also an integral part of our objective to achieve LEED Platinum in the Building Reuse category."

The North Carolina State University chancellor's residence, named The Point, won Best in Class in the residential single family category. The 5,400-s.f. residence (comprising 3,100 s.f. of living quarters) was designed by North Carolina Statue University led by Marvin Malecha, FAIA, dean of the NC State University College of Design and president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Genuine clay brick was part of the sustainable materials selected, including solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling.

Malecha said that the residence was designed to represent NC State and North Carolina as a "mini stimulus" to help boost the state's jobs and materials. "We wanted it to not only be beautiful and adaptable to the ways it will be used, but also be build using sustainable practices," said Malecha in an NC State article.

The 2012 Best in Class winners include:

COMMERCIAL Atlantic Wharf - Boston, Mass. Architect: CBT Architects Builder: John Ordinary& Associates, Inc. Mason Contractor: A. Jandris & Sons, Inc.

EDUCATIONAL The Ogden International School of Chicago Chicago, Ill. Architect: Nagle Hartray Architecture Landscape Architect: Terry Guen Design Associates Associate Architect: Schroeder Murchie Niemiec Gazda-Auskalnis Architects, Ltd. Builder: Turner Construction Company Mason Contractor: Illinois Masonry Corporation

Go here to see the original:
BIA Honors the Best in Brick Design

As many as 100 flood-weary residents of Sicamous, B.C., are on alert once again as the Shuswap region town braces for another emergency.

Officials are taking no chances after levels of Sicamous Creek suddenly dropped this morning, suggesting it may be blocked by trees in the hills above the neighbourhood of Two Mile.

Thats the same area inundated by flash-flooding when a torrent of debris was unleashed June 23, causing extensive damage to homes in Two Mile and nearby Swansea Point.

Highway 97A, about four kilometres south of Sicamous, has been closed about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver because of potential flooding.

RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinat says the highway closure and door-to-door warning in Two Mile are precautionary while an aerial inspection of Sicamous Creek is conducted.

Meanwhile, officials in southeastern B.C. say improving weather is speeding progress as crews work to drain an old tailings pond near the communities of Nelson and Salmo after the earthen dam around the pond began to crumble following recent heavy rains.

Meanwhile in Prince George, the provincial government will pick up most of the tab for flood costs racked up when the Fraser and Nechako rivers began rising last month.

City officials say 100 per cent of preparation and response costs can be recovered through Emergency Management BC.

To date, the city has spent just over a quarter of a million dollars, but crews are still waiting to assess damage to a trail system and piping along the Nechako, because that area is still under water.

Once those costs are added up, Prince George expects to recover 80 per cent of the repair bills.

See more here:
Flood Watch B.C.: Concerns ease over Nelson retaining wall; drinking water, swimming advisory in Shuswap; dams spill ...

Clearing the decks for conducting counselling for transfer of teachers, a division bench of the A.P. High Court comprising Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice Krishna Mohana Reddy on Thursday stayed the operation of the A.P. Administrative Tribunals (APAT) orders pertaining to the ongoing counselling process.

The interim orders will clear hindrances in the counselling process. The bench was dealing with a writ petition filed by the State government challenging the APATs orders that make it mandatory for teachers, who work in a place for two years, eligible for seeking transfer through counselling.

The APAT gave the orders when some teachers approached it seeking permission to attend the counselling. They contended that the two-year period should be calculated on the basis of various factors, including the period which was lost due to joining. The APAT directed the government to permit these teachers to participate in the counselling.

The government informed the High Court that when the rule mandates two years service at one place, the APAT could not interpret it to defeat the spirit behind the rule. The bench suspended the operation of Tribunals order.

Read the rest here:
Decks cleared for teachers’ transfers

The Philipsburg-Osceola Summer Band marches through Osceola Mills during the Columbia Fire Company's annual Fourth of July parade. Lori Falce

Osceola Mills dripped with patriotism and tradition on Wednesday.

The porches, the children, the firetrucks, even the folding chairs looked like they had been hosed down with red, white and blue for the annual Columbia Fire Company Fire-mens Parade, a Fourth of July celebration 90 years in the making. Todd Jeffries, of Philipsburg, has been pulling up a chair for the festivities for 60 years.

Its a wholesome fun time for the whole community, he said. And family is always a part of that, as he pulled up chairs beside three generations of his clan.

The Calon family, of State College, found its way back to an old holiday haunt. Megan and Paul and their kids, Natalie, 10, Hannah, 8, Blake, 5, and Abbey, 6 months, had never been to the festivities, but Megans mother, Kathy Cady, of Chester Hill, has been coming all her life. Mother, daughter and grandkids gathered on Lingle Street to relive old memories and make new ones.

This is our first time. Its great for families, said Megan Calon.

Families were everywhere. From proud grandmas like Betsy Mignot, of Osceola Mills, showing of her brood of patriotic beauties (Sian, 9, Jada, 8, and Sage, 5) at their usual spot in front of the United Methodist church, to indulgent parents willing to brave a household sugar high after their kids collected bags full of Tootsie Rolls and root beer barrels. Noah Anderson, 7, was quite clear that the candy was what brought him to the parade with sisters Leigha and Annabeth and dad Chris, of Smithmill, was just as clear: I want to see the look on their faces, he said.

For some, however, the passing marching bands and floats were incidental. The real tradition was sharing the good time with friends.

I drove 584 miles from Knoxville, Tenn., for this, said Michael Turner as he held court on Curtin Street. His old friends knew just where to find him, the same place hes been every year since he stopped marching in the parade in high school.

Continue reading here:
Holiday tradition runs deep in Osceola Mills

Mike Madel hasn't stopped moving since the grizzlies woke up. They're getting onto porches and into bird seed and cattle feed. The bears have been pushing east out of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem for years. But Madel, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' bear management specialist in Choteau, hasn't seen this many human-griz conflicts in more than two decades. "We're repeating the types of conflicts we experienced in the mid '80s," he says. "We had lots of sheep depredation and beehive damage early on. Now, it's porches, human food and livestock food."

Madel thinks the bears are showing up and getting in trouble at least in part due to a mild winter with a low level of livestock deaths along the Rocky Mountain Front. Without those early carcasses to feed on, he says, dispersing sub-adult males began traveling east much earlier. This spring, Madel captured a male preying on calves on the east side of the Continental Divide. The bear had become habituated to the food source; only after the agency euthanized it did they realize the bear had made his way over all the way from the Blackfoot River.

Even sows have proven unusually problematic this year. Last month, a four-year-old female griz caused the deaths of roughly 70 sheep on three Great Falls area ranches in a two-week span. FWP trapped the female, who was in poor shape, along with her cub and relocated the two to northwestern Montana in accordance with interagency grizzly management guidelines.

The sow was an extreme case, Madel says. She was one of the youngest sows with a cub on Montana record, and she was likely stressed as a result.

Females have been establishing home ranges beyond the mountains for years, infringing on agricultural land and teaching their offspring how to live outside state and federally owned tracts. In fact, grizzlies are spending much more time on the high plains these days as they begin to repopulate their native habitat. It's this development that has FWP and other agencies switching focus to areas outside the grizzlies' recovery zone, and working to strengthen the level of acceptance for bears they've been fostering along the Front for decades.

"The pulse this year is something we could see year after year after year now," Madel says. "And we may have to become more creative about how we handle grizzlies on private property."

Link:
Grizzly bears take to Montana's plains

05-07-2012 11:02 Walk through Kutná Hora with Honza, Dana and Niki on 5/20/2012. It was very windy, my Steadicam was useless and the video is a bit shaky. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Saint Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora (Bohemia) is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines. Construction began in 1388, but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905. The first architect was probably Johann Parler, son of Peter Parler, but studies say that Peter Parler had participated at least as a co-author of the draft design. Work on the building was interrupted for more than 60 years during the Hussite Wars and when work resumed in 1482, Mat?j Rejsek and Benedikt Rejt, two architects from Prague, assumed responsibility. The original design was for a much larger church, perhaps twice the size of the present building. Construction, however, depended on the prosperity of the town's silver mines, which became much less productive. So, in 1588, the incomplete structure was enclosed by a provisional wall until 1884 and the roof was unfinished until the 19th century. The outside appearance is fascinating. Originally there were eight radial chapels with trapezoidal interiors. Later on, the choir was constructed, supported by double-arched flying ...

View original post here:
3D Stereoscopic - Kutná Hora - Walk from the Train Station to St. Barbara's Church - Video