Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Published books and auspicious trinkets for good luck.

THE study of Feng Shui is no easy feat. It takes skills, determination and passion of the craft to fully comprehend the art.

Marites Allen is one such expert of Feng Shui. So much so that she is the first and only Filipina to be awarded the title Master in Feng Shui. Making it her lifes pursuit, she trained extensively in different schools from different countries before earning the prestigious title. After which, her name has become synonymous with everything related to the study.

Stemming from a string of unfortunate incidents that took place in her life years ago, it pushed her to study Geomancy and since then has been determined to share the benefits of Feng Shui. She has actively been imparting her knowledge in so many ways such as offering public and private consultations, publishing books, being a guest on television or radio programs and among other activities, even reached out to a wide audience through several websites gaining her over a million followers worldwide.

On Feb. 12, avid fans of Cebu had the opportunity for a meet and greet with Marites. It was in the Northwing at SM City Cebu that the international Feng Shui master had the chance to discuss and advise her loyal followers on whats in store this year which is the year of the wood sheep and creating abundance at that. Part of the Feng Shui forecast included her emphasizing the importance of Feng Shui on how it is beneficial not just for ones self but also for the home and office. Apart from that was a background of the wood sheep, the two sets of allies and friends of the wood sheep and the fate of the other signs for this year.

Fans also got the chance to view her books and fashion line called Frigga which is a brand built in the concept of living a stylish life with glamorous and auspicious clothing that will embody great luck in ones life.

This year promises new triumphs, challenges and the unknown. And with Marites Allens guiding hand, Feng Shui practitioners as well as newcomers are in good hands.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 26, 2015.

Read more from the original source:
Yuppie Central: Feng Shui: As told by Marites

Many Clouds will school over fences tomorrow as he gears up for a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 13.

Unbeaten in three starts this season and as short as 7-1 for the blue riband, Oliver Sherwoods eight-year-old gelding was an impressive winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

He proved that to be no fluke when beating the likes of Smad Place, Dynaste and The Giant Bolster in the BetBright Cup Chase, formerly known as the Argento, at Cheltenham in January.

Sherwood is hoping the ground remains on the easy side of good for his date with destiny.

Sherwood said: He did his first piece of semi-serious work (on Tuesday morning) and I plan to pop him over a few fences on Thursday.

His latest success at Cheltenham was impressive and I just hope the forecast remains bad in the next couple of weeks.

Yesterday Puffin Billy restored some much-needed confidence with a measured success at Leicester but Sherwood has ruled out a potential tilt at the JLT Novices Chase at Cheltenham next month.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old has endured a somewhat stop-start season and disappointed when he was pulled up in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las last month.

However, connections found him a real opening reverting to fences at the Midlands track and he was back to something like the form which saw him win at Ascot in November.

The 4-9 favourite was made to work hard by Tinker Time in the three-runner Rutland Water Novices Chase but was three lengths to the good at the line in the hands of Leighton Aspell.

Here is the original post:
Oliver Sherwood hoping rain continues to pour for Many Clouds

Remember "Ocean's Eleven,"where George Clooney's character Danny Oceanmasterminds an elaborate heist of the posh Bellagio casino in Las Vegas?

Mr. Ocean and his accomplices used social engineering, technical smarts, and strategically placed insiders to penetrate the Bellagios comprehensive, state-of-the-art security system and abscond with $160 million.In"Oceans Eleven" even the best defenses could not immunize the organization against penetration by concerted adversaries.

Itis in this regard that"Ocean's Eleven"should serve as a cautionary tale to cybersecurity policymakers.

For more than a decade, US cybersecurity policy has focused on defense using stronger locks and taller fences to protect government and corporate crown jewels from cyberintruders. A great deal of time and money has been spent beefing up cyberdefenses to prevent network intrusions.Andthere's reason to believe that certain defensive actions significantly enhance network security.

Consider, for example, the so-called Australian Top 4."Those are the four defensive measures the Australian Signals Directorate says could prevent at least 85 percent of the targeted cyberintrusions to which it responds.TheTop 4 requires, among other things, patching high-risk vulnerabilities within 48 hours and minimizing administrative privileges. Sure, defensive measurescan prevent some cyberintrusions.

But eventhe best cyberdefenses are no match for certain intrudersnation-states such asChina, Russia, Iran, and North Korea and other concerted adversaries willing to go to almost any expense to penetrate specific networks of value to them.

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Imagine, for example, a group of Chinese government-backed hackersaretargeting a specific US defense contractors data. The hackers will not give up and move on to a different target simply because the defense contractor hardens its networks.More than a decade has passed since the discovery of Operation Moonlight Maze (1998), Byzantine Hades (2002), Operation Titan Rain (2003), and other cyberespionage operations allegedly orchestrated by China. Yet,despite ever increasing government and private sector investments in network defenseswe dont appear to have made much headway on the nation-state sponsored cyberespionage problem.

Recent media reports allege that a number of foreign hacking groups Dragonfly, Newscaster, Axiom, and Unit 61398 to name just a few are engaged in sophisticated, multiyear cyberespionage campaigns against a variety of US military and commercial targets.

Reports from US cybersecurity firms have offered a rare glimpse into the activity of these hacking groups. We have learned, for example, that Dragonfly (a.k.a. Energetic Bear) is a well-resourced, likely Russian government-backed, group of hackers engaged in a multiyear cyberespionage campaign that targeted defense and aviation firms before turning its attention to the energy sector in 2013.

More:
Opinion: What cybersecurity pros can learn from 'Ocean's Eleven'

Drunk Rowing Championship revellers abused residents, smashed bottles and were "like rats coming over fences" trying to get into a Twizel bar that eventually had to be shut down.

Police had to shut down a party of 200 revellers on Tekapo Drive in the early hours of Sunday morning after complaints from neighbours who had been abused.

One person was arrested for disorderly behaviour.

Other residents were also unhappy about some rowers and supporters' behaviour after bottles were smashed around the town. One elderly couple had gnomes in their garden broken and were abused when they confronted those responsible.

The rental property where the party was held was damaged.

Earlier in the evening the Top Hut bar was forced to close at 1am.

Top Hut Bar and Bistro owner Darrin Burgess said two thirds of those who tried to get into the bar had preloaded and were extremely intoxicated, which was a colossal number.

"We refused them them entry, but they were like rats coming over fences and trying to sneak in elsewhere."

Many were abusive, he said.

Burgess said he was disappointed by their antics.

More:
Rowdy rowers trash Twizel after regatta

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) Painting and wallpapering are popular DIY home improvement projects, but they can quickly become complicated if your walls are not in good shape. For most homes, that means your drywall needs to be a flat and even canvas that will easily accept your new paint or wallpaper.

"DIY projects can be a lot of fun but, honestly, drywall is a lot harder than it looks. It's heavy material, takes lots of tools. It's really best left to the professionals," Angie Hicks of Angies List said.

Even small drywall repair jobs can get messy and complicated but those jobs can be done yourself, especially if you are handy. But finishing a basement or other room with no drywall in place or installing new drywall to repair damaged walls is another story.

"The reason why it's not a good DIY job is that if you don't know what you are doing it's going to look pretty bad in the end product. A professional knows how to install it especially in a whole house. If you go to try to do a whole house, a whole basement, it could take you days. Professional could do a house this size in a day, him and a couple of other guys," drywall contractor Robert Morrison said.

Hanging the drywall, which can weigh 80 pounds and generally takes a three person crew, is just step one of a four step process. Next comes mudding, taping, and sanding. All very detailed and necessary to provide that flat, even canvas.

"For a 12x14 room it will take a professional about 3 or 4 hours to hang a room that size and a few days to finish it and get it ready for paint, drywall contractor Andy Ferguson said. "For a 12x14 room a DIY project it could probably turn into 2 weeks if not a month pretty quickly."

If you do want to do this project yourself, Angie suggests you evaluate whether you have the time and the tools to do it right. The average homeowner may not have some of the tools needed to get the job done right and may not need them again after the job is done.

"Do you have a hawk? Do you have a mud pan? Do you have a putty knife laying around your house? I know I don't. Those are all different types of tools you are going to use even for a small drywall job. If you are drywalling an entire room, it's going to be even more materials. That's why this is a job when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, is really probably best priced out by a professional," Hicks said.

According to Angie's List, the cost of a professional drywall installation job for a 12-by-14 room starts at about $200, with extra costs coming in for those follow-up steps.

The rest is here:
Angie's List: Drywall Repair

SHOREWOOD The much-delayed construction project at the Shorewood-Troy Public Library has progressed to the installation of glass windows Tuesday.

Contractors have installed most of the glass for the window-wall, which has remained under construction the past six months.

"Yes, I'm relieved it's moving forward," Library Director Jennie Mills said.

Construction has picked up since the library fired a previous contractor that officials said delayed the project multiple times, and hired RoMAAS, Inc. to handle it.

RoMAAS owner Alex Mihailescu resumed the project last week, and expects the remaining work, including drywall, inspections, brickwork and wall painting, to be finished within three weeks.

"Most of the framing and glass is in, just the triangle at the top that is left," Mihailescu said. "There were absolutely no issues with subcontractors."

Mills said the library expects to make the estimated March 20 completion date. But the work may be finished sooner.

The window-wall project is one of the biggest capital projects the library has faced. The existing window-wall was so in need of repair it would bend at a finger's touch.

The library was shut down for several days while the window-wall was demolished in August.

Continental Construction, Inc. was hired as the main contractor for the project, and an original completion date of Oct. 12 last year was not reached.

Originally posted here:
Shorewood-Troy library window project nears completion

Significant repairs are in order at the City Hall Annex.

During a routine monthly facility inspection, water damage in a janitors closet was discovered and after digging deeper, a significant amount of structural damage and water damage was discovered.

A further full building assessment showed significant water levels inside the interior walls in several locations in the city council chamber. Tests revealed that the exterior stucco walls have been absorbing water for years, resulting in wood rot and water damage.

During their Feb. 17 city council meeting, city leaders gave City Manager Greg Kisela the green light to enter into a contract with Disaster Response Team to perform repairs at the Annex for an amount up to $70,000. The city will also enter into a contract with Capstone, Inc., for environmental inspection and certification in the amount of $3,000.

Kisela told the council they wouldnt know the full extent of the damages until they peel the building.

The repairs will be done in four phases.

The first phase calls for the collection and removal of all damaged interior items that cannot be cleaned. Phase two involves stucco removal (approximately 4 feet up from the ground) and the installation of new stucco.

Phase three will see a thorough cleaning of the council chambers, which includes the HVAC system, carpet, walls, ceiling, kitchen and all other affected areas. The final phase will be repairs to drywall, wood, texture and paint.

City staff will perform as much of the interior work as possible to save money, Kisela told his colleagues.

Were anticipating a six week repair time, he said.

Read the original here:
A four-phased plan: Water-logged City Hall Annex to see repairs

Controlled demolition of ACS/Xerox in Dallas on Feb 1, 2015 (bonus footage)
A controlled demolition of the building located at 3988 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, Texas formally occupied by ACS/Xerox on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at approximately 8:00am.

By: Carl Bennett

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Controlled demolition of ACS/Xerox in Dallas on Feb 1, 2015 (bonus footage) - Video

Bug you: GTA VICE CITY: Glitched Cutscene (Demolition man)
Some random cheat test, while watching this cutscene. I used some tool to spam this "Kill cars" cheat.

By: gonaone

More here:
Bug you: GTA VICE CITY: Glitched Cutscene (Demolition man) - Video

Demolition Derby | Broughy Island
A 30 man demolition derby on Broughy Island.

By: vxwk

Excerpt from:
Demolition Derby | Broughy Island - Video