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Entrepreneurs Franchise 500 is an annual ranking of the best franchises based on financial and statistical data listed in surveys completed by franchisors across the nation.

Mr. Appliance was ranked at 446 on the list. At Mr. Appliance, we are always striving to create a world class experience and making the Franchise 500 is affirmation of that mission, said Doug Rogers, President of Mr. Appliance.

The list honors franchisors that offer the best opportunities for success based on criteria such as financial strength, stability, growth rate and size of system. The rankings are decided based on data from 2014.

Mr. Appliance saw a successful year of growth in 2014. Mr. Appliance sold 38 new franchise units and expanded into 24 states. As well, 15 existing franchise units expanded their service territory.

In 2014, Mr. Appliance was also ranked as one of the top franchises for Veterans and Minorities by the world franchising network and USA Today for targeted franchise sales programs.

Mr. Appliance, a company under The Dwyer Group family of companies, is one of the eight companies franchised through The Dwyer Group that has ranked on the Franchise 500 consecutively for years. We are pleased that all of our brands have been ranked once again, said Mike Bidwell, CEO of The Dwyer Group. This continued success is evidence of our dedication to franchising, our franchisees, and their customers.

About Mr. Appliance: Mr. Appliance is North Americas appliance service leader, renowned for integrity and dependability. Established in 1996, its franchises provide full-service residential and light commercial appliance repair. Mr. Appliance has more than 190 locations in North America and is consistently ranked among the top home service franchises by Entrepreneur magazine and other industry experts. Mr. Appliance is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc., family of service franchises. For more information or to find the location nearest you, visit MrAppliancefranchise.com.

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Mr. Appliance Ranks among Franchise Times 500

During an appearance at the World Economic Forum, the Google exec painted a very different future for the Web.

There are plenty of dying markets: DVD rentals, newspaper publishing, appliance repair. And, according to Google's Eric Schmidt, the Internet.

During an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Google executive chairman argued that, one day, "the Internet will disappear."

But before you envision a connectivity-free future, Schmidt's comments suggest that the Google exec envisions a future where the Internet as we know it will evolve into a system that's just there and always on.

"There will be so many IP addresses so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with that you won't even sense it," he said, as published by The Hollywood Reporter. "It will be part of your presence all the time.

"Imagine you walk into a room, and the room is dynamic. And with your permission and all of that, you are interacting with the things going on in the room," he continued. "A highly personalized, highly interactive and very, very interesting world emerges."

On mobile, Schmidt is less certain. "All bets are off as to what the smartphone app infrastructure is going to look like," he said. "I view that as a completely open market at this point."

The panel, which included Schmidt, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Vodafone chief Vittorio Colao, was led by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who extolled the importance of an expanding global Web presence.

With 5 billion people around the world still without Internet access, "the only way this changes is if it gets cheaper," Sandberg said, as reported by The New York Times.

Facebook and Google are both taking steps to bring more people online: The social network continues to broaden its Internet.org service, while Google's Project Loon is moving into new locations.

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Eric Schmidt: 'The Internet Will Disappear'

EDGEWATER, N.J., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A fire that devastated a luxury apartment building was ruled to be an accidental result of construction repairs gone wrong.

The fire started when workers were doing plumbing repairs, and spark spread through the walls and the building. Questions surround why the fire was able to spread so quickly and do such severe damage. Gov. Chris Christie said there will be a review to see if the building was up to code. Avalon, the company that owns the complex, said it was built to code, which is focused on saving lives rather than the building.

"There was nothing suspicious about it, and we have complete verification, and there's no doubt about it," said Edgewater Police Chief William Skidmore. "It's just a tragic accident."

Five hundred people are homeless as a result. The fire started Wednesday evening and by Thursday morning 200 of the 408 units were up in smoke.

There are no missing persons but several pets are believed to have died.

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Luxury apartment fire that displaced hundreds sparked by plumbing repair

EDGEWATER, N.J. (WABC) --

"I don't think we've got much more time in here," said a firefighter over radio transmission.

For the first time, Eyewitness News has obtained the desperate radio transmissions as firefighters rushed to evacuate the Avalon at Edgewater.

They used a ladder to bash in apartment windows in a last ditch attempt to vent the building. And then, there was the blaring of air horns. The universal sign it's time for even the rescuers to run for safety.

Minutes later, the inferno would be ravaging nearly the entire complex, which then disintegrated piece by burning piece.

"Being homeless in a couple of hours, it's horrible. You can't imagine. You left everything inside and you don't know what's going to happen," said Uzeyir Karabiyik, a resident.

The images are seared on the minds of Uzeyir Karabiyik and his family. And they are the lucky ones. They still have a home in the so-called River building. It was the only part of the complex to emerge intact.

"We have started the process of allowing people to get their lives back together and turning towards normalcy as to what we can call normal," an official said during a press conference.

This is not normal.

Two neighbors from Scranton, Pennsylvania had their trucks stuffed with donations from friends and drove 120 miles there to drop it off.

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Hundreds displaced in New Jersey apartment building fire; ruled accidental

Londons affordable housing investment will pay for about 15 percent fewer properties than it would have three years ago because of soaring construction costs, consulting firm EC Harris LLP said.

The city government will spend 1.25 billion pounds ($1.89 billion) constructing 45,000 affordable homes in London through 2018. If it had been invested in 2012, when the construction market was at a low point, the money London is spending now would have built 6,300 extra homes and created 2,000 jobs a year, Mark Farmer, head of EC Harriss residential team, said in a report.

It is surely a common-sense philosophy to maximize the expenditure of public money when you can get more bang for your buck, Farmer said. Some major infrastructure programs such as Crossrail have proceeded on this basis during the depths of the recession, but it would appear publicly funded or subsidized housing has not.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne cut spending on housing for the countrys poorest by 60 percent from 2011 through 2015 as he focused on reducing Britains budget deficit. The number of social and affordable homes completed in England fell by almost 30 percent in fiscal 2014 from three years earlier, according to government statistics.

Bricklayers stand on scaffolding as they work on the "Catford Green" residential apartment complex during construction in the Catford district of London. Much of the U.K.s low-cost housing is funded today by private developers through levies paid in return for having their projects approved. Close

Bricklayers stand on scaffolding as they work on the "Catford Green" residential... Read More

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Bricklayers stand on scaffolding as they work on the "Catford Green" residential apartment complex during construction in the Catford district of London. Much of the U.K.s low-cost housing is funded today by private developers through levies paid in return for having their projects approved.

Every pound spent on homebuilding results in a 2.75-pound benefit for the economy, meaning the government should spend more on housing when the economys weak, Farmer said.

Much of the U.K.s low-cost housing is funded today by private developers through levies paid in return for having their projects approved. That means affordable housing construction moves up and down with the private market, when it should be doing the opposite, Farmer said

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How U.K.s Austerity Cost London 6,300 Affordable Homes

Starline Kitchen Bath Gallery Beautiful Countertops
Starline Kitchen Bath Gallery provides design, delivery, and installation of granite, quartz, solid surface, marble, and laminate countertops. Visit 6189 W...

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Starline Kitchen & Bath Gallery Beautiful Countertops - Video

Vaginal Interior Decorator
Vaginal Interior Decorator David E. Williams 2015 Cthulhu - Germany (1996) Released on: 2010-01-13 Auto-generated by YouTube.

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Vaginal Interior Decorator - Video

CRYSTAL LAKE Plans to build a new public library will not come before Crystal Lake voters this spring.

Tuesday was the deadline for government boards to pass resolutions putting referenda on the April ballot.

All the pieces are not yet in place to present a plan to the public for consideration," Library Director Kathryn Martens said in an email Thursday.

Library officials are leaning toward constructing a new building on its current location, a project that would cost about $30 million depending on the direction the board heads, after considering 24 locations laid out in a 228-page site assessment report issued in 2013.

The report looked at rebuilding on the current site, renovating either the old Wal-Mart and Garden Fresh stores on Northwest Highway, building next to the Dole Mansion or being on the west side of Three Oaks Recreation Area near the lake.

The former Wal-Mart and Garden Fresh locations topped the report's recommendations but were ultimately "deemed to be fatally flawed" because they did not meet the criteria for the highest and best use of the land and would remove real estate from the commercial market and also remove the revenue opportunities," including sales and property taxes, Martens has said.

Mixed-use proposals for two locations along South Main Street also were eventually nixed, one because the site was too slow when the shoreline was taken into consideration and the other because a sale price couldn't be negotiated.

If the board does ultimately decide to stick with its current location, all options are on the table, Martens said. Its members are looking at a parking garage and purchasing additional property, whatever is the most cost-effective approach in terms of both construction and long-term operations.

The library has operated out of its current location since 1952, though the oldest part of the structure dates to 1965. Additions were constructed in 1984 and 1995.

While a 2007 space assessment and reconfiguration bought library officials more time, there are structural problems with the building, in particular the soil density underneath the eastern side of the building where the administrative offices are housed, Martens said. Many elements of the building are also at the end of their life.

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Crystal Lake library project not on April ballot

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS Indoor Outdoor Quality Test (1080p 60fps)
This is a video quality test for the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS 1080p60 camera at 60fps in both outdoor light and indoor lighting under various lighting condit...

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Canon PowerShot SX280 HS Indoor Outdoor Quality Test (1080p 60fps) - Video

Elgin, Illinois -- Thomas Research Products has introduced the ZenNet family of wireless lighting controls for OEMs. These self-powered devices are perfect for controlling retrofit lighting as well as new construction. Thomas Research Products is a leading manufacturer of SSL power solutions and accessories.

TRP's new ZenNet controls utilize solar cells and small kinetic energy-harvesting switches. Compact motion sensors and rocker switches pair easily and wirelessly with fixture control relay modules. The system provides OEMs and retrofitters a variety of control options to enhance their luminaire offerings. With no batteries and no wiring to worry about, the input devices can be placed anywhere.

ZenNet devices work with LED luminaires powered by TRP's LED drivers, including 0-10V dimming capability. The maintenance-free system is optimal for indoor applications, such as zero energy buildings. These relays, sensors and switches are perfect for stand-alone room-level set-up. They also network to building automation systems such as BACnet through standard gateways.

These new products communicate via ultra low power radio frequency, using technology from the EnOcean Alliance. Compliance with the ISO 14543-3-10 wireless standard makes them interoperable with a number of existing wireless control systems as well. It creates simple and easy-to-install energy savings as well as convenience.

Information is available on the TRP website now. Product will be available direct to OEMs and from Digi-Key early in 1Q2015.

About Thomas Research Products and Norlux Thomas Research Products (founded 1997) provides complete OEM component solutions for solid state lighting in indoor and outdoor applications. Products include high-performing LED drivers, LED light engines, surge protectors, and energy-saving lighting controls including occupancy/vacancy sensors and daylight harvesting controls. Norlux (founded 2000) provides electronics, optical and thermal design services and manufacturing for custom light engines and related products.

"SSL Solutions Faster Than The Speed Of Light" is a registered trademark.

Located at 1215-1225 Bowes Rd. IL 60123 USA TRP 847-515-3057 Norlux 630-784-7500 http://www.trpssl.com http://www.norluxcorp.com info@trpssl.com Thomas Research Products on Digi-Key: http://bit.ly/1rW3or1

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Wireless Lighting Controls feature self-powered design.