Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Published September 04, 2014

Architect Frank Gehry is revising the design for a memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower near the National Mall after objections delayed the project.

On Thursday, Gehry's Los Angeles-based team will propose eliminating metal tapestries on the sides of the memorial square, along with some columns. The designers are trying to win approval from the National Capital Planning Commission. The federal panel rejected a previous design in April.

Three stainless steel tapestries depicting the Kansas landscape of Ike's boyhood home were part of Gehry's original design. With two removed, one long tapestry would remain as a backdrop for a memorial park. The site also includes statues of Eisenhower as president and World War II general.

Eisenhower Memorial Commission spokeswoman Chris Kelley Cimko said the group hopes the changes help move the project forward.

Eisenhower's family has opposed the large-scale columns and the inclusion of metal tapestries, calling instead for a smaller-scale approach. The concept has received mixed reviews from civic art and planning experts who must approve the design before the project can move forward.

One concern has been preserving views of the nearby U.S. Capitol between the memorial's massive columns. The view corridor is wider under the revised design with fewer columns, the memorial group said.

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Architect Frank Gehry revises design for Eisenhower Memorial in DC

Photo by: The News-Gazette

Champaign will take yard waste collection in-house for a trial period.

CHAMPAIGN City officials hope bringing yard waste pickup in-house will help them to provide better customer service to residents who use the program.

And if their cost estimates are right, they could save a bit of money by picking up residents' yard waste themselves, too. The service until now has been contracted out to private haulers.

City council members this week signed off on the one-year trial that will require the city to hire two temporary employees and rent a garbage truck. Beginning in October, they'll start making their rounds to pick up residents' leaves, branches and other fall yard waste.

It's a service that a lot of Champaign residents use, city officials said as they were considering the changes this summer. It started with a leaf collection and Christmas tree pickup in 1986 and evolved over time into today's program, for which the city has paid haulers to bring yard waste from residents' curbs to the landscape recycling center in Urbana.

"It is a program that they're very attuned to, and I think at this point have become very dependent on it," said public works operations manager Ernesto Salinas.

Except for one year when Illini Recycling won the bid, the contract has gone to what is now Republic Services for the past 13 years, according to city documents. Last year, the deal cost the city $166,900 for 14 weeks' worth of work in the spring and fall.

There have been service issues, though. City officials say complaints can get caught in an infinite loop between the contractor and the public works department and are not efficiently addressed. And the contract itself does not provide for much flexibility when bags are missed or the weather does not cooperate.

"It's always been difficult to predict the weather in the late fall and when the leaves will fall and when people will have a clear day to rake their yards," council member Tom Bruno said on Tuesday. "And it's caused disruption, and we've gotten less than great service from the private contractors to whom we have let out bids in the past."

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Champaign tries taking yard-waste collection in-house

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) September 03, 2014

The Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) Career Institute, the industrys premier pool, spa, and hot tub training provider, announces certification courses for pool and spa builders, designers, and hot tub and service providers at the 2014 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, being held Nov. 2-7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Four courses will be offered: The Pool & Spa Construction Course (PSCC), Certified Service Technician Course (CST), Certified Hot Tub Technician Course (CHTT) and the Train the Trainer Course (TTT).

The economy is heating up and this is the time for pool and hot tub professionals to differentiate themselves with APSP training and certification, said APSP CEO and President Rich Gottwald. With the largest group of pool, hot tub, spa and patio industry suppliers and manufacturers, retailers, builders, service professionals and landscape architects from around the globe in attendance at Expo, were pleased to offer diverse training that meets the attendees expectations and needs, he added.

The Pool & Spa Construction Course, Nov. 2-4, is for novice and experienced builders who need to know more about building quality pools and spas; and for experienced pool contractors who want to enhance their technical expertise and build more challenging pools. The three-day course guides the participant through the APSP Builders Manual, gives key information to conform to industry standards and fully prepares them for the APSP CBP Certified Building Professional exam held Nov. 5 (separate application required). Attendees who successfully complete the course receive 24 continuing education hours, which can be used toward APSP certifications and recertification.

The Certified Service Technician Course, Nov. 2-4, is for individuals with at least two years of experience in pools and spa service and repair. Participants will explore key concepts and best practices outlined in the APSP Service Tech Manual with a focus on hydraulics, water quality, and troubleshooting and repair. Attendees interested in becoming certified will be eligible to participate in the Certified Service Technician (CST) exam on Nov. 5; registration for this exam is included in the course fee. This course is also highly recommended for those individuals interested in a comprehensive learning experience that will prepare them to take the Certified Service Professional Exam, Nov. 5 if they meet the requirements (separate application required). Attendees who successfully complete the course receive 24 continuing education hours, which can be used toward APSP certifications and recertification.

The Certified Hot Tub Technician Course, Nov. 3-4, focuses on the specialized and unique needs of technicians who service and repair different makes and models of portable hot tubs. The course is taught by experienced technicians who can explain key content in the APSP Hot Tub Technician Manual (including hot tub installation, structures and finishes, service and maintenance, water chemistry, seasonal care and troubleshooting), field your questions, and spark discussion among program participants. Attendees interested in becoming certified will be eligible to participate in the Certified Hot Tub Technician (CHTT) exam on Nov. 5; registration for this exam is included in the course fee. Attendees who successfully complete the course receive 16 continuing education hours, which can be used toward APSP certifications and recertification.

New to the Expo lineup is the Train the Trainer Course, Nov. 3. This new program is designed to train subject matter experts to teach APSP Certification courses in their workplace and in venues across the world. Upon successful completion of the program, participants may be eligible to earn an honorarium for their instruction hours. Course requisite is a Certified Building Professional or Certified Service Professional designation. Attendees who successfully complete the course receive 6 continuing education hours, which can be used toward APSP certifications and recertification.

Registration for the 2014 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo is open now. All educational seminars are ticketed events and require registration, and some APSP courses require prerequisites for participation. For more information about APSP programs offered at Expo, please contact the Career Institute at CI(at)APSP(dot)org or call 703-838-0083 ext. 274.

About the Career Institute APSPs Career Institute is the countrys premier pool, spa and hot tub education provider. Offered in classrooms around the country, as self-study programs, and in an on-line format, the Career Institutes courses are all based upon the nationally recognized ANSI/APSP/ICC pool and spa standards. This means participants are learning building techniques and service and repair methods that are based on current technologies and sound research. APSP Certified professionals use state-of-the-art technology to deliver and service quality pools, spas and hot tubs. To see complete course and certification offerings, as well as webinars, visit APSP.org/CareerInstitute.

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APSP Career Institute Announces Upcoming Certification Course at 2014 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo

By Ramdas S CRN, Sep 4, 2014

Storage virtualization could potentially change the enterprise storage landscape as software-defined storage takes center-stage

Storage virtualization has been around for a long time, in fact for more than a decade. However, its real impact started just a few quarters back. With servers being optimized through server virtualization, there have been a number of attempts to virtualize both networks and storage components in the data center.

Many customers are adopting storage virtualization to have a central pool of the storage and centrally manage their storage resources. It enables them to centrally allocate the required storage to various applications, says Sandip Sarkar, Director, Sales, Sterling Infoways, Gurgaon.

Neeraj Matiyani, Country Manager, Storage Solutions, Dell India, explains, There are three major benefits which storage virtualization brings to the table. You can easily create virtual disks, assign and re-create them. You can migrate data non-disruptively, and finally orchestrate everything through software APIs.

What the industry is yet to agree on is the right mode of implementation. Vendors such as NetApp, EMC and IBM have long looked at either bundling software along with their storage boxes or even shipping specialized appliances which could control existing SAN and NAS hardware and allocate storage for virtual storage disks. Hitachi Data Systems has taken a different approachthe vendor has embedded a virtualization stack inside a SAN controller.

Matiyani agrees that the choices are plenty. Dell itself is exploring every possible way to offer storage virtualization. Apart from built-in functionality inside its own boxes it has partnerships with software vendors such as Nutanix and Nexenta to offer their software-defined storage. There is also a strong OpenStack practice.

With storage virtualization you can create virtual disks, assign and re-create them; migrate data non-disruptively, and orchestrate everything through software APIs

Neeraj Matiyani, Country Manager, Storage Solutions, Dell India

Software-defined VMware, which has invested close to $1.6 billion in the past three years in various acquisitions around network and storage virtualization, is threatening to change the landscape. VMwares pitch is clear: it is offering CIOs a single-pane view of the entire infrastructure as a bunch of software components which can be used to not just allocate virtual disks but even offer network ports. Explains Raghu Raghuram, EVP, Cloud Infrastructure Management, VMware, Our vision is to bring the software defined model to every aspect of maintaining and managing the data center. We intend to virtualize networking and storage components, and our value proposition has attracted 150+ customers so far.

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Storage Virtualization Is A Potential Game Changer

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Adam Wazny

Posted: 09/3/2014 1:01 PM | Comments:

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Kids will be frolicking at revamped beaches at Birds Hill Park next summer. The beach expansion project is part of a five-year, $22-million commitment the provincial government made to Manitobas busiest park in 2012.

The beaches at Birds Hill Park might be closed for the season but that doesnt mean there isnt any action at the popular watering hole.

Construction crews are well into their work expanding the West Beach area at the provincial park, with excavation on a new swimming lake starting to take shape.

The expansion of the beach area, which will eventually see the existing East Beach and West Beach ponds connect to a newer lake/beach further west of the original configuration, is expected to be completed by the end of October (weather permitting), with minor vegetation and landscape work completed before the start of the May 2015 long weekend.

The East Beach and West Beach closed for the season on Labour Day.

Minister of Conservation and Water Stewardship Gord Mackintosh said the expansion is necessary given the increasing popularity of the park, which is just north of Winnipeg on Highway 59.

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Birds Hill beaches shaping up nicely

This is a glimpse of how Rochdales skyline could look if plans to build 50 more wind turbines are approved.

Proposals to double the size of Scout Moor windfarm and build a total of 24 turbines on Rooley Moor and Crook Hill are in the pipeline.

And this artists impression from windfarm developer Coronation Power, which shows the proposed Crook Hill windfarm near Watergrove Reservoir to the right and the expanded Scout Moor/Rooley Moor farm on the horizon in the centre, gives a fascinating insight into the affect the plans may have on the towns landscape.

The picture is included in a planning application from Coronation Power to build a dozen 410ft high turbines at Rooley Moor.

The London-based firm say, if approved, the windfarm will generate enough energy to power 20,000 homes in the north west, while its construction will create 20 jobs and boost the local economy by 3M. But campaigners say the turbines are unsightly and fear the move will damage the environment and destroy vital wildlife habitats.

Coronation Power say the number of turbines was reduced from 17 to 12 following extensive technical and environmental studies carried out over the past eight months and consultation with members of the local community, horse riders, runners and walkers.

Project manager Edward Romaine said: Our applications have taken account of expert opinion and the views of local people, as well as local planning policy and the governments energy objectives.

Rooley Moor is an ideal site for a wind farm and will bring considerable benefit to the area if it is permitted and built.

Rochdale and Rossendale councils will now consider our application, which will be open for further public comment before they reach a decision.

If the scheme is approved by the councils, a community fund of 2M will be made available to the local community and there is an option for one or both of the councils and the local community to invest in the project with the guarantee of a fixed income for a period of up to 25 years.

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Artist's impression shows how Rochdale skyline could look if plans to build another 50 wind turbines are approved

New Road in Madaka, land clearing - Sierra Leone
SMHC - Saint Mary #39;s Home of Charity New road from Madaka to Songo.

By: SMHC - St. Mary #39;s Home of Charity - SIERRA LEONE

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New Road in Madaka, land clearing - Sierra Leone - Video

Fort Myers Kitchen Remodeling | Tropical Kitchens
With over 40 years experience, family owned and operated Tropical Kitchens, utilizes old world craftsmanship with 21st century technology, making all custom ...

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Fort Myers Kitchen Remodeling | Tropical Kitchens - Video

Good Karma Designs TV interview (Full Show) - Lisa McCourt Sherry Kane Aug. 19th, 2014
Jan Rothenberg, interior designer, host of Good Karma Designs TV on WRPBiTV.com interviews Lisa McCourt, author of "Juicy Joy" and Sherry Kane founder of I a...

By: Jan Rothenberg

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Good Karma Designs TV interview (Full Show) - Lisa McCourt & Sherry Kane Aug. 19th, 2014 - Video

It #39;s Movie time Sept 5, #39;14 The Congress
John DeSando is host of It #39;s Movie Time and co-host of Cinema Classics on WCBE 90.5 FM, Columbus, Ohio. Linda Baas McClelland, a frequent contributor to IMT, is an interior designer.

By: John DeSando

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It's Movie time Sept 5, '14 The Congress - Video