Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Theodore Waddy Francisco, who founded Lakeside Appliance in 1954 and whose family ran the company until they sold it in 2003, had a purpose for each day he lived.

"I don't think he ever had a day without a plan, whether it was an errand or a project or, later, volunteer work that he did. He just never sat around," said a son, Jeffrey W. Francisco of Henrico County.

The elder Francisco, who died March 21 at age 84 at his residence at Westminster Canterbury-Richmond, started what the family thinks was the largest independent appliance retailer in central Virginia in a 1,500-square-foot space across the street from what in the early 1970s would become his store at 5418 Lakeside Ave.

In 1979, he opened a West Broad Street branch, which he closed in 1984 and reopened in a tobacco warehouse at 1611 Rhoadmiller St., which became the company headquarters and distribution center. In 1985, he opened a Bon Air branch on Buford Road, followed by a short-lived store in Mechanicsville in 1987. A store he opened in 1988 on Ridge Road was consolidated in 1995 with the Broad Street store.

"He was the kind of businessman who would see a need in the company and find somebody that needed a job," his son said. He recruited family members, friends and church members to work for him "who went on to bigger and better things. I can't tell you how many of his children's friends he hired for the company.

"In a way, he was very, very generous, but he had the highest expectations and an unyielding concern for getting the job right. He had the highest concern that the customer would get what he had paid for," his son said.

During the time leading up to Mr. Francisco's funeral last Saturday at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, his son said he heard many comments that began with "your father taught me how to fill in the blank. How to organize, how to handle a customer, a complaint."

Mr. Francisco led "not so much by an active role but by example," his son said.

Born at home in Frederick Hall in Louisa County, he was one of eight children of a couple who lived on wooded acreage that included a general store, which they ran.

They later moved to Beaverdam. Mr. Francisco went into the Navy when he was 18 years old and was on his way to participate in the planned invasion of Japan when World War II ended.

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Lakeside Appliance founder dies at 84

NEPTUNE CITY, N.J., March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cowleys Termite & Pest Services, which has been proudly serving the pest control needs of central New Jersey for two decades, is now a certified installer of TAP Pest Control Insulation. The latest in multi-purpose insulating technology for homes and businesses, TAP is a cellulose fiber insulation that is treated to produce insulation that is fire-retardant, environmentally friendly (87% recycled newsprint), and that provides an effective pest control barrier. TAP Pest Control insulation is the first product in the building materials market that augments the proven benefits of stabilized cellulose insulation with a unique pest control component.

TAP insulation can be used in both new construction and retro-fit applications. If your existing insulation is not damaged, TAP can be installed right on top of your existing fiberglass or cellulose insulation giving an added layer of protection as well as to block convection loops associated with fiberglass insulation. "We are so excited about adding this new service to our business offerings and to be able to help customers reduce pests in their attic as well as save money on energy bills," said owner Bill Cowley.

TAP offers three benefits of insulation in one new, safe, and effective product: Thermal Benefits (T); Acoustic Benefits (A); and Pest Control Benefits (P). The fundamental job of any insulating product is to keep the warmth in during winter and the cool in during the summer. Often, the insulation pays for itself within a year or two from reduced monthly utility costs. Your heating and air conditioning systems become super-efficient with the right insulation. TAP also offers significant acoustic benefits, dampening outside noise.

But the benefit that makes TAP insulation unique on the market today is pest control. TAP provides a solid shield of treated insulation that is a deadly poison to many insects including cockroaches, termites, and wood-boring insects. The active ingredient in TAP is boric acid, which was first registered as an insecticide in 1948 so its safety has been established for more than half a century. Boric acid kills many insects on the spot, but is harmless to humans and pets. Since it is non-organic, it won't fade and will remain permanently deadly to insects coming into contact with the insulation.

Cowleys Termite & Pest Services is a certified installer of TAP Insulation throughout New Jersey. For more information or to receive a free attic inspection, contact Cowleys at 866-9-COWLEY. Cowleys Termite and Pest Services, founded in 1991, has been helping New Jersey homes and businesses resolve a full range of pest infestation and dangerous moisture issues. Cowleys also offers nuisance wildlife removal and crawlspace encapsulation in NJ and Bird Control Services throughout the mid-Atlantic. For more information, visit http://www.cowleys.com.

Photo: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Cowleys-TAP.jpg

For more information, contact:

Bill Cowley Cowleys Pest Services 38 West Sylvania Avenue Neptune City, NJ 07753-6733 732-897-9553

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

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Cowleys Termite & Pest Services Is Now a Certified Installer of TAP Pest Control Insulation

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Council waives patio fees

About business

Thai govt roadshow attracts investment from line-up of Korea's top companies & SMEs: electronics, electrical appliances, even solar power & electricity from garbage.

Photo above of PM Yingluck Shinawatra wearing a Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress worn on special occasions.

Click button to listen to Korea Investment in Thailand to download

INVESTMENT

Manufacturers assured no repeat of 2011 crisis 27/03/2012 Chatrudee Theparat

SEOUL : South Korean investors are determined to pour at least 12 billion baht into Thailand over the next two years.

Investments will be for both new and expansion projects in the electronics, electrical appliances, metal parts and agro-processing sectors.

Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Svasti said DAS Tech Co, a manufacturer of solar cell panels, is seeking Board of Investment (BoI) approval for an expansion project.. Another project comes from Daerim, a partner of Hyundai Heavy Industry, to generate power from garbage with an investment of 1 billion baht. That project has already won BoI privileges, and the factory may be located in Phetchaburi province.

Original post:
Korean Investment: 12 billion baht

Lonnie Wong FOX40 News

6:17 p.m. PDT, March 26, 2012

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento County Water Officials are preparing residents in the county's delta area for a building ban brought on by the decertification of levees by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

That's because there are so many variables that assessing the safety of the levees surrounding Hood, Courtland and Walnut Grove would be a guessing game. Construction permits will be hard to come by.

"There will be no permits issued for room additions, new homes, new commercial or industrial properties, even a grain storage bin," said George Booth, a civil engineer for Sacramento Counties Water Resources Agency.

While a garage or a barn might be possible, a warehouse or a shop is likely to be built. It's similar to the building ban in Sacramento's Natomas neighborhood where any federally backed loan will not be approved.

The exception is if you build at flood level anywhere from 10 to 20 feet above the ground. In Natomas that's proved so expensive and so impractical that no one has done it.

And while the Natomas ban will be lifted once levee repairs are complete, Sacramento County's delta area won't be getting such relief. Rural reclamation districts can't afford to make major levee repairs and can't afford the detailed engineering analysis that can prove existing levees are safe.

Other variables like levee vegetation and global warming are impossible to quantify, making FEMA unable to assess the chances of flooding.

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Building Ban Result of FEMA's Levee Decertification

Formosa Epitaxy to expand MOCVD capacity in 2012

Siu Han, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES[Tuesday 27 March 2012]

Taiwan-based LED chip maker Formosa Epitaxy, in view of increasing demand for LED chips used in backlight units of LCD TV panels and lighting products, will expand its production capacity through adding six MOCVD sets at its domestic factory in the third quarter of 2012 and 12 sets at the factory of Canyang Optoelectronics, its subsidiary maker in eastern China, beginning in April.

Formosa Epitaxy has obtained increasing orders for LED chips from South Korea-based vendors of LCD TVs and additional orders from China-based LCD TV vendors. Consequently, Formosa Epitaxy has had utilization of its production capacity rising from 80% in January 2012 to 90% currently.

In addition to backlights for TV panels, Formosa Epitaxy has obtained orders from a China-based vendor of LED lighting products. Because its domestic production capacity is not enough to meet increased demand, Formosa Epitaxy has shifted portion of orders to Canyang and therefore will expand the subsidiary's production capacity by adding 12 MOCVD sets to 37 in total.

For its LED chips of small, medium and large sizes for use in indoor lighting, Formosa Epitaxy has attained a level of 110-130lm/W for starting volume production. In addition, Formosa Epitaxy has been cooperating with the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute to promote applications of LED lighting to agricultural production and fish farming.

Formosa Epitaxy gearing up for LED lighting applications Photo: Siu Han, Digitimes, March 2012

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Formosa Epitaxy to expand MOCVD capacity in 2012

By Carolyn Bandel - Tue Mar 27 10:01:44 GMT 2012

Natalie Behring/Bloomberg

Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron created the Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics.

Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron created the Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics. Photographer: Natalie Behring/Bloomberg

March 27 (Source: Bloomberg) -- Swiss architect Peter Maerkli discusses his approach to construction and the challenges specific to building in Switzerland. He spoke Feb. 8 with Bloomberg's Carolyn Bandel in Zurich. (This report is in Swiss German. Source: Bloomberg)

Tate Press Office via Bloomberg

The Swiss have proven that architectural prowess needs no translation, with Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron creating the Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics and converting a London power plant into the Tate Modern Museum, seen here.

The Swiss have proven that architectural prowess needs no translation, with Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron creating the Birds Nest for the Beijing Olympics and converting a London power plant into the Tate Modern Museum, seen here. Source: Tate Press Office via Bloomberg

Gerry Ebner/Serpentine Gallery via Bloomberg

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Swiss Designers of Spas, Tate Modern Follow Le Corbusier

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/864adcaa/visual_notes_for_a) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Visual Notes for Architects and Designers, 2nd Edition" to their offering.

The completely updated step-by-step guide tocapturing experiences in sketch formatregardless of artistic ability

Recording your ideas and observations primarily in pictures instead of words can help you become more creative and constructive on the job, no matter what your level of artistic ability. Featuring completely new coverage of visual note-taking in a digital world, Visual Notes for Architects and Designers, Second Edition demonstrates how to make rapid, notational sketches that serve as visual records for future reference, as well as improve understanding and facilitate the development of ideas. It shows you how to expand your knowledge of a subject beyond what is gained through observation or verbal representation alone. You gain access to simple techniques for collecting, analyzing, and applying information. Crowe and Laseau examine the relationship between note-taking, visualization, and creativity. They give practical guidance on how to develop:

- Visual acuitythe ability to see more in what you experience

- Visual literacyexpressing yourself clearly and accurately with sketches

- Graphic analysisusing sketches to analyze observations

Numerous examples demonstrate some of the many uses of visual notes. They help you develop a keener awareness of environments, solve design problems, and even get more out of lectures and presentations. The authors also discuss types of notebooks suitable for taking visual notes. If you want to develop your perceptual and creative skills to their utmost, you will want to follow the strategies outlined in Visual Notes for Architects and Designers, Second Edition. It is a valuable guide for architects, landscape architects, designers, and anyone interested in recording experience in sketch form.

Author:

- Norman A. Crowe is Professor Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame's School of Architecture and author of Nature and the Idea of a Man-Made World.

- Paul Laseau is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Ball State University. He has twenty-five years' experience teaching freehand sketching and design drawing, and is author of several books related to visual communication.

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Research and Markets: Visual Notes for Architects and Designers, 2nd Edition

We wrote in January that the grim era for West 42nd Streets south blockfront between Sixth Avenue and Broadway was just about over. Now, subtract just about.

A midline-priced Hilton Garden Inn is under construction next door to the as yet unflagged, 4.5-star hotel at the former Knickerbocker site a crucial step in the ongoing transformation of the long-neglected blockfront.

The 282-room Hilton at 136 W. 42nd St. is being developed by a Highgate Holdings joint venture, which has a contract to sell the 37-story property to Diamond Rock Hospitality for $445,000 per key when its finished in early 2014.

After two years of silence over the new inns identity, Diamond Rock spilled the Hilton beans in a recent summary of its fourth-quarter 2011 results. (So did a recently mounted sign at the construction site.)

With all necessary permits in place, excavation is at last noisily underway.

Meanwhile, FelCorLodging Trust is set to turn the old Knickerbocker at the Broadway corner into 330 hotel rooms. FelCor recently bought the landmark structures 14 upper floors from a Highgate-led JV for $109 million.

FelCor CEO Richard Smith told investors on a conference call this month that what he termed the 4.5-star Knickerbocker, a k a 1466 Broadway, will be the companys flagship when it opens early next year.

Both developments are long overdue. The blocks north side office towers, the Durst Organizations One Bryant Park and 4 Times Square, stood in stark contrast to much of the south side.

The eyesores included the long-in-limbo Knickerbocker, the empty lot (once a flea market) where the Hilton is rising, seemingly permanent scaffolding on Bush Tower also landmarked and low-rise structures now being demolished for a retail glass box.

Both the Knickerbocker and the Hilton Garden site changed hands several times in the past few years, stalling redevelopment until recently. Now, the blockfront is in for a retail renaissance as well.

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Room for Hilton on 42nd St.

Allied Realty is building an $80 million apartment project in Denver's Jefferson Park neighborhood.

The 332-unit complex will sit on 4.5 acres just west of Interstate 25 on Speer Boulevard. It also will include 10,800 square feet of retail space facing Speer and two levels of underground parking.

The project's amenities will include an outdoor patio with grilling facilities; resort-style lap pool; a kitchen in the club room; a Bocce ball court; and fitness center. Apartments will include balconies; full-size washers and dryers; walk-in closets; and granite countertops.

Units will range in size from a 600-square-foot one bedroom, one-bath to a 1,300-square-foot two-bedroom, two bath apartment. Rents will range from $1,300 a month to $2,300 a month.

Demolition of the existing buildings on the site will begin next week, said Lauren Brockman, principal of Allied. The project is expcted to be completed in July 2014.

Amstar is Allied's equity partner. The project is being designed by Houston-based architect Meeks & Partners and built by Swinerton Builders Colorado.

Because its location is not in the middle of a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the project isn't likely to draw the opposition that a proposed147-unit project in the West Highland neighborhood has, Brockman said.

"The neighborhood has been supportive of this because it meets their comp(rehensive) plan," he said.

While there are a number of apartment projects under construction in the nearby Highland neighborhood, nothing suggests that the area is in danger of being overbuilt, said Ryan McMaken, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Housing.

The downtown vacancy rate is 4.4 percent and the vacancy rate for northwest Denver is 5.5 percent.

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Jefferson Park apartment project in Denver's Highland to include 332 units, retail space