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"I think we checked off a lot of boxes in terms of what we wanted to accomplish," president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "We felt like for us to take that next step, we needed to improve. And we wanted to add a starter. We wanted to add a bat, an upgraded bat, which we haven't done yet. But we were able to improve our lineup with the addition of Dee Gordon and inject some speed."

Gordon, the All-Star second baseman, is heading to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal with the Dodgers.

The Marlins capped their stay in Southern California by making two more trades on Thursday. Right-hander Mat Latos was acquired from the Reds. A lower-profile move brought in right-hander Andre Rienzo, the only Brazilian-born player ever to reach the Majors.

Michael Hill discusses the Marlins' acquisitions

Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill talks about landing Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Dee Gordon at the Winter Meetings

The additions and subtractions have reshaped the roster, and created some questions. Here's five things to watch for moving forward.

Power bat A strong push was made for Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau, but the asking price was too high. Even though talks fizzled in San Diego, there is a chance they could rekindle before the end of the month. Free agent Michael Morse is a definite possibility, and so is Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez. It's highly doubtful the D-backs will trade Mark Trumbo.

Overstocked rotation An area of need filled up quickly in 24 hours in San Diego. Two separate deals landed Latos and Dan Haren. Now, there is the question of whether Haren will join the club or retire to be with his family on the West Coast. If Haren reports, Miami will have Latos, Haren, Henderson Alvarez, Nathan Eovaldi, Jarred Cosart, Tom Koehler and Brad Hand competing for five spots. And, oh by the way, Jose Fernandez, should be recovered from his Tommy John surgery to join the group around the All-Star break. The logjam will make it extremely difficult for prospect Justin Nicolino, a standout at Double-A Jacksonville, to open the season with the club. Having too many isn't necessarily a bad thing. A year ago, the Marlins used 13 different starters.

Trade chips Haren's decision may impact Eovaldi's future. The team may be less willing to trade a power arm without the assurance of a proven veteran to fill the void. Hand is in an interesting spot because he is out of options, so he has to make the team. Hand can be used out of the bullpen, but he is more comfortable starting. He's also the lone lefty starting candidate now that Andrew Heaney's been traded. If a power-hitting first baseman is added, first baseman Garrett Jones will be seriously shopped.

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Marlins turning attention to further moves

The Marlins last had a winning season in 2009, and they haven't been to the postseason since claiming the 2003 World Series title. They will deal with playoff talk once again when Spring Training begins in February.

Miami was a surprise team in 2014, finishing 77-85 after a disastrous 100-loss campaign in '13.

"[In 2014], from anybody outside of the clubhouse, expectations were minimal, if there were any," McGehee said. "We did a good job of exceeding what people on the outside probably thought we could do. Now, [in 2015], it's a different story.

"We're not sneaking up on anybody. It's a little different ballgame when you're expected to win. Hopefully that doesn't affect anybody in a negative way."

Miami has enjoyed one of its most productive offseasons in years, addressing its major needs before Christmas.

The offseason directive started when owner Jeffrey Loria agreed to do whatever it took to sign two-time All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term deal.

Gordon discusses being traded to Marlins

Dee Gordon talks about being dealt by the Dodgers to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal

President of baseball operations Michael Hill and general manager Dan Jennings executed the plan and convinced Stanton the organization was committed to winning. Stanton bought in and signed a benchmark 13-year, $325 million contract on Nov. 19.

Since Thanksgiving, the team has completed four trades, and they've added a power bat in Morse, a proven starter in Latos and an All-Star second baseman in Gordon, who paced the Majors with 64 stolen bases last year.

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McGehee: Miami ready to face high expectations

His dad Scott Villwock, stricken with Huntington's disease, has used a wheelchair for the past two years. The family loves hockey, both its pace and teamwork. It gives them a way to embrace winter. Cade, now 11, has been playing hockey since he was 4 years old. His sister, Quin, 12, also plays pond hockey. The sport has been an important element of the family's life for years.

The recent upgrades to the sports center were focused on improving the experience for those who are disabled. An elevator now provides access to the warm second floor. Gary Villwock, Scott's dad, said they have their own favorite spot overlooking the Gold Medal Arena, settling Scott's wheelchair in the viewing area. Down below, hockey players flew across the ice during drills.

"It's amazing," Kristi Villwock said of the difference for her husband. "Before with the boards as high as they are, he couldn't see over the boards."

Gary Villwock would lift his adult son and prop him up so he could see the action on the ice. They'd wear snowmobile suits to stay warm. As a family, they've been rink regulars for eight years. Scott attends practices, home and away games. Lola Villwock, Scott's mother, said when her son sees Cade skate, it puts a sparkle in his eyes.

It was difficult to keep track of Cade with the action at eye-level. Previously, the only way to access the second story was a long flight of steps. An elevator was installed to make the second floor wheelchair accessible. Upstairs a ramp provides easy viewing of the Gold Medal Arena. The elevated vantage point, in a warm spot, allows Scott to see his young son on the ice and keep up with the action. "He can be in either arena and see that and be warm," Kristi Villwock said. "He couldn't even get up here before at all. ... it's huge."

She said the wheelchair access isn't something people think about until they need it.

"I think this is the perfect place for people who are handicapped," Quin Villwock said.

Shawn Sundquist, Brainerd Amateur Hockey Association Board of Directors president, said it means Scott Villwock is able to see his child grow up doing something he loves to do. Cade said he doesn't even mind getting up at 6 a.m. during the school year or 7 a.m. in the summer to spend time on the ice.

"I just like skating," Cade said, adding he's pleased with the changes to the sports center. "It makes me happy because my dad could hardly see where I was. Now he can actually see where I am and what I'm doing so he can actually give me tips and stuff."

For players and fans, updates to the sports center are making for a better experience from an updated locker room with a now functioning restroom to more warm viewing areas. The second floor now has a full kitchen. Concession stand windows are now wheelchair accessible. Bathrooms on the second floor were expanded and redone to be American with Disabilities Act compliant. The upstairs women's bathroom went from two stalls to six. Overall, the bathroom facilities nearly doubled. A changing table was added for those with young children.

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Essentia Health Sports Center renovations provide increased access for disabled

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SARANAC LAKE - The town of Harrietstown is trading one Tichenor for another as its assessor.

The town board voted unanimously Thursday to hire Marten Tichenor to replace his father, Doug Tichenor, who's retiring as the town's sole assessor.

Marten Tichenor was appointed to a six-year term at an annual salary of $32,500. If he completes a six-month probationary period, his pay would increase to $35,000.

Marten Tichenor currently works as a data collector for the town of Malone's assessment office. He's also the assessor for the town of Bangor, a position town officials said he'll continue to hold while also working for Harrietstown.

Harrietstown Supervisor Mike Kilroy said several board members had interviewed Tichenor earlier in the day and were impressed with him.

"It was like we were dealing with our present assessor," he said. "He even talks like him."

"He's very enthusiastic about it," said town Councilman Ed Goetz. "I wouldn't hesitate in offering him the position."

"He answered all of the questions really straight-up," said Councilman Ron Keough. "He seems to have a more than workable grasp of what his duties and responsibilities are. He seems to have a good understanding of the computer requirements that go with that and the processing. I thought he fit the bill very well."

Town officials said Marten Tichenor was the only person who applied for the job. He's expected to start around Jan. 1.

Doug Tichenor, who will officially retire at the end of January, has been the town's assessor since 2007. He's also retiring as the assessor for several other Franklin County towns he's served, including Franklin, Brighton and Santa Clara, although he's said he plans to continue to work for Santa Clara and Franklin on a part-time basis. An assessor since 1986, he's also worked in the past for the Franklin County towns of Brandon, Bellmont, Duane, Malone, Dickinson and Moira.

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H'town hires assessor's son as replacement

Westlife star Shane Filan has come to the aid of a dad who threw his girlfriends treasured CD out of the car window during an argument.

Kevin McCann, 30, was banished from the bedroom by 28-year-old girlfriend Jennifer Macnamara after he hurled her copy of the band's You and Me album from the car.

And when Jennifer burst into tears and explained that not only was the CD signed but it was also a gift from friends, Kevin set to work to get a new CD by posting a message on the stars Facebook page with the hashtag #helpabrotherout.

He even enlisted the help of his four-year-old daughter Mirren, who posted a video to Shane.

After hearing about Kevin's predicament, Shane was only too happy to lend a hand and send a replacement CD to the couple.

Shane sent Kevin a tweet saying: Got you covered Kevin! Youll be off the couch soon! Signed Album on the way to you. Merry Christmas Jennifer.

So Kevin, an account manager from Hamilton, will no longer have to spend Christmas on the couch.

The Daily Record had reported how the couple had rowed during a journey on the M74 after Kevin broke wind.

Jennifer opened the window, causing Kevin to lose his temper and throw the CD out the window.

Describing his predicament after the incident, he said: I will need to sort out new digs if Shane does not help me out.

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Westlife star Shane Filan comes to rescue of dad who threw girlfriend's treasured CD out of car window

Even though prices are way down, oil cant catch a break from homeowners who remain willing to spend thousands of dollars converting their heating systems to natural gas.

Heating oil has been losing market share to natural gas, electricity and other heat sources for years. Only 6% of U.S. homes used oil heat in 2012, government data show. But in the chilly Northeastern states, oil warms about 25% of all homes.

The price of a gallon of No. 2 heating oil a highly refined, cleaner-burning fuel used in single-family homes is down 26% this year, from a high of $4.242 on Feb. 24 to $3.142 on Dec. 15, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Oil industry leaders believe the price drop and the $5,000 to $19,000 expense of installing gas lines, furnaces and other equipment ought to make homeowners think twice about switching from oil to gas. Theres a large capital cost to making this kind of switch, said Richard Sweetser, president of Exergy Partners, which consults for the oil industry.

But theres no sign the price plunge has slowed the pace of oil-to-gas conversions.

Data from Con Edison, one of New York Citys gas utilities, says big buildings are switching from oil to gas at a faster pace than in 2013.

Through October, 1,249 large buildings in Con Eds New York City territory switched from oil to gas, a pace of 125 conversions per month. In all of 2013, Con Ed won 1,293 new big-building gas customers, or 108 per month. Some building owners are being pushed to change to gas becasue of city anti-pollution rules requiring a phase-out of dirtier, less refined No. 4 and No. 6 heating oil.

Con Edison has no data on single-family home conversions, but says they seem to be running at about the same pace as last year.

Cheap oil has probably kept a few people from switching over to gas, said Ryan Williams, general manager of 128 Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Wakefield, Mass.

But Williams says customers who have changed to natural gas are still happy despite cheaper oil prices. The technology behind the gas equipment is far superior to any oil equipment, he said. Nobody would ever put oil in their house unless there was no gas on their street.

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Home hearing oil is now cheap, but natural gas is even cheaper

Deloitte's new corporate headquarters in Amsterdam has been certified as the most sustainable office building in the world by BREEAM. The Edge was awarded an "Outstanding" rating with the highest ever BREEAM score of 98.36 percent. It takes the title from One Embankment Place in London.

BREEAM (short for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) is an approach for assessing and rating the sustainability of buildings. It is licensed for use by independent assessors around the world and is claimed to be "the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings." Among the criteria considered during a building's assessment are energy and water use, transport links, materials used, waste and management processes.

According to the building's designers PLP Architecture, The Edge is the second largest building to ever achieve BREEAM's Outstanding certification. The building covers 40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft), and features a mix of passive temperature control and energy-efficient design, and generates its own electricity, too.

The building's south faade is covered with solar panels on all surfaces that aren't windows. In order to generate enough electricity to meet its level of consumption, though, developers OVG partnered with the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences to install a further 4,100 sq m (44,100 sq ft) of solar panels on the rooftops of the schools.

The heating and cooling of the building is catered for in part by orienting it to benefit passively from the path of the sun and also by using an aquifer thermal energy storage system. Such systems use one well to provide heating during the cool periods and another to provide cooling during warm periods. When it is warm, water is extracted from one well, pumped through a heat exchange and pumped back into the well for storage until a cooler time when it can be used to heat the building. The second well is used in reverse to provide cooling when it is warm.

Among its other features, OVG says The Edge was the first building to make use of Philips Ethernet-powered LED connected lighting for offices, which we detailed back in July. As well as providing power to the lighting, the system is able to transmit data. As such, lights can be paired with sensors and used to monitor aspects like movement, light and temperature throughout the building, helping to inform energy management.

Elsewhere, rainwater is collected for use flushing the building's toilets and watering its green areas. There is good access to public transport links and the local cycle route network, with 500 bicycle parking spaces on-site.

The video below provides an overview of some of the innovative technologies used by The Edge.

Sources: BREEAM (in Dutch), OVG

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Deloitte's Amsterdam HQ becomes world's most sustainable office building

Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) December 18, 2014

Proposed Environmental Protection Agency (RPA) indoor air quality regulations address pollution and ventilation but not indoor humidity, according to fresh water advocate and radio host Sharon Kleyne.* Indoor humidity is especially important in winter because low indoor humidity, as a result of artificially heated air, can magnify the effects of exposure to other indoor pollutants that build up in winter such as radon gas, carbon monoxide, mold spores, ambient bacteria and particulates such as wood smoke, dust and carbon soot.

The syndicated Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio show, hosted by fresh water advocate Sharon Kleyne, is heard weekly on VoiceAmerica and Apple iTunes. The show is sponsored by Bio Logic Aqua Research, a global research and technology center founded by Kleyne and specializing in fresh water, the atmosphere and dehydration. Natures Tears EyeMist is the Research Centers signature product for dry and dehydrated eyes.

Kleyne will discuss indoor air quality in winter on her Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio broadcast of December 22, 2014 (Live show or podcast: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2207/the-sharon-kleyne-hour).

Kleyne is neutral on the question of whether the EPA should regulate indoor air quality in private residences. She does believe that the public needs to become educated on the health hazards of indoor winter air, including the increased health risk that can result from low atmospheric water vapor content (humidity). Low humidity is far more common in winter than summer.

Cooler air, Kleyne explains, cannot hold as much water as warmer air. The difference in water vapor holding potential between air at 80 degrees (f) and air at zero degrees (f) is huge. As a result, artificially heated indoor air in winter tends to be quite dry, often with a relative humidity below 10%.

When the humidity is high, the body absorbs moisture from the air. When the humidity is low, water at or just below the bodys surface in the eyes, skin, mouth and lungs - evaporates into the air, eventually causing body surfaces, and the body interior, to become dehydrated. Dehydrated body surfaces have less resistance to viral, bacterial and mold spore invasion. Atmospheric humidity is also important to breathing and oxygen transfer in the lungs.

The human immune system, like all other body processes, says Kleyne, requires water to function ideally. When the body is dehydrated, the skins ability to defend is compromised and the internal immune system is also compromised.

The ideal room humidity at 70 degrees (f) is 40 to 60 percent, says Kleyne.

Wind from heating ducts increase the rate of body surface evaporation, according to Kleyne. When water evaporates out of the surface of the skin, Kleyne explains, it forms a thin protective layer of warm moist air around the body. Any kind of wind warm or cold can blow away the moisture layer, replacing it with less humid, colder air that increases evaporative pressure on the skin (and eye) surface.

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Proposed indoor air quality law does not address winter humidity reports fresh water advocate

Everlast Construction - Testimonial Kitchen remodeling bathroom remodeling
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