Home Builder Developer, Interior Renovation and Design

10 hours ago

Crops grown on "land-grabbed" areas in developing countries could have the potential to feed an extra 100 million people worldwide, a new study has shown.

The improved infrastructure brought about by foreign investment could increase the productivity of subsistence farmlands in countries such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and could mean these lands can feed at least 300 million people around the world. This is compared to about 190 million people that could be fed if the land was left tended to by the local population.

The findings have been published today, 27 June, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.

The large-scale acquisition of land by foreign governments and businessmore commonly known as land grabbingis a contentious issue, particularly in Africa where a large number of deals have taken place in regions facing food security problems and malnutrition.

Some argue that investment by foreign governments and business will drastically improve crop yields, generate new jobs and bring new knowledge and infrastructure to often deprived areas. Others highlight the fact that any food grown is often exported to other regions and argue that such deals can strip local communities of their land, water and natural resources, leaving them in a far worse state.

In their study, the researchers, from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and University of Virginia, US, quantified the maximum amount of food that could be produced from crops grown on acquired lands and the number of people that this could feed. They also compared the use of traditional farming techniques to industrialised agricultural methods, to come up with the yield gap.

To arrive at their results, the researchers used a unique dataset of all land deals, greater than 200 hectares, which had occurred after 2000. Each land deal included information regarding the spatial extent of the acquired land, the dominant crop, and whether a deal was concluded with a signed or oral contract, or just intended with an expression of interest.

The researchers calculated the potential maximum crop yield from each of these deals and then used the crop's food calories to determine the amount of people it could feed.

If all of the acquired lands were farmed to their full capacitya 100% closure of the yield gapthere would be a 308 per cent increase in rice production, a 280 per cent increase in maize production, a 148 per cent increase in sugar cane production, and a 130 per cent increase in oil palm production, the researchers calculated.

Ontario, Canada (PRWEB) June 26, 2014

Interior designer Andrew Pike is known for his innovative and contemporary designs and one-of-a-kind interiors that have been featured on HGTVs Design Rivals and Rooms that Rock. In addition to being featured on HGTV, Pike is also the expert designer on CTVs The Marilyn Denis Show and for several media publications. He is also the Senior Design Director of Andrew Pike Interiors. This next month, Pike will complete the design of the model home to launch an exclusive new collection of homes at the Estates of Wyndance. The model home, The Cavendish design is a two-storey, 4-bedroom home available in three elevation styles.

As a designer, I wanted to create calm, beautifully styled and well-appointed spaces that welcome you into each and every room, says Pike. My ultimate vision: a modern interior with a gracious nod to the traditional. Its elegantly sublime with a sophisticated twist.

It has been really exciting to work with Andrew Pike, who is renowned for his beautiful interiors as well as his work on HGTV, says Paul Golini Jr., executive vice president and co-founder of Empire Communities. Andrews creative use of colour and innovative approach to elegant, contemporary design with a touch of the traditional, have brought a new design standard to Wyndance.

During the collaboration and design process, Pike has been wearing a GoPro to give a first-person account of his design process, showing everything that goes into making a house a home from the selection of mirrors and paint colors to other functional and aesthetic touches. Pikes process will be live on Empire Communities Instagram (empire_living) and Twitter pages (@Empire_Living).

In addition to the spectacular interior design, the Estates of Wyndance offers the perfect combination of nature, family-living and one-of-a-kind luxury. The estate homes are located in the now protected Oak Ridges moraine with coveted greenspace, featuring a golf course, walking paths and private basketball and tennis courts. The personally-selected homesites start at 85 wide by 200 deep, with the collection being built to Energy Star standards The collection is scheduled to be released alongside the opening of the Andrew Pike-designed model home this summer. For more information about the Estates of Wyndance and to register for updates on the new release, please visit: EmpireWyndance.com

About Empire Communities Empire Communities is an award-winning homebuilder headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario. Recognized for its outstanding attention to detail and best-in-class customer service, the company designs and builds commercial, industrial, low-rise and high rise residential, luxury new homes, and affordable housing properties in the greater Toronto area. Over the past 20 years, Empire Communities has developed some of the most successful master-planned communities in the area, including over 5100 houses and 3200 condominium units. Its commitment to using energy-efficient amenities and appliances sets the standard for eco-friendly living to help promote a sustainable future.

For more information please visit http://www.empirecommunities.com/.

Follow this link:
Empire Communities Announces Andrew Pike as Interior Designer for The Estates of Wyndance - The Private, Gated ...

Neal Wagner, 40, has sold his paintings to Rhianna and Rebecca Romijn, and owns an interior design store with new husband Thomas Piscitello Dr Phil is an outspoken supporter of same-sax marriage

By Annabel Fenwick Elliott

Published: 14:51 EST, 26 June 2014 | Updated: 16:46 EST, 26 June 2014

Dr Phil has been spotted playing an honored role in a Californian same-sex wedding ceremony between a celebrity-artist and his interior designer partner.

The smiling talk show host, 63, walked his friend Neal Wagner, 40, down the aisle - in place of the groom's father who passed away - before he married Thomas Piscitello in a lavish service at the Vibiana church in downtown Los Angeles.

One guest likened the ceremony to the wedding scene between Sex and The City characters Stanford Blatch and Anthony Marantino, describing it as 'over the top but amazing,' according to TMZ.

Beaming groom: Talk show star Dr Phil (right) walked his friend, artist Neal Wagner (left), down the aisle as he married his partner Thomas Piscitello over the weekend

Lavish: The ceremony was held at the upscale Vibiana church in downtown Los Angeles (pictured) and was described by one guest as 'over the top but amazing'

Dr Phil is said to have attended the wedding with his wife Robin Jameson, 61, and his sons Jay, 35, and Jordan, 28, and is a friend and client of the couple; who run an interior design company together.

Read the rest here:
Dr Phil walks fatherless artist down the aisle at lavish same-sex wedding ceremony

MOCLIPS Friday was the three-year anniversary of a day that still brings tears to Jess Owens eyes.

The grandson of the longtime owner of the Ocean Crest Resort and Restaurant chokes up when he recalls how his aunt Shari Curtright suited up with the District 8 Fire Department that fateful day when the view restaurant its priceless artifacts and family heirlooms, its cherished collection of native baskets and renowned wine collection went up in flames, with no way to save the cedar building.

Part of the restaurant was the home where his grandmother, Barbara Topete, had once lived.

Last Friday, however, also was a day of tears of joy as Owen and his wife Sara were overseeing the finishing touches of a multimillion-dollar rebuild of the restaurant that features perhaps the most breath-taking view of the Pacific Coast in the state combined with what Jess vows will be the same culinary class that set the Ocean Crest apart from just about anything anywhere in the region.

Original artwork was being displayed with special care by Barbara Bennett Parsons, who was providing silkscreens and other pieces from her father, the late Grays Harbor artist Elton Bennett (1910-1974).

My dad did things for Ocean Crest that he wouldnt have done for anyone else, Bennett Parsons said.

Elton Bennetts work often ended up at Ocean Crest because of a longtime family friendship, she explained.

The charm of the family matron, and dad would do something for her once a year. It was supposed to be for my mother, and mother would put it up on the living room wall and Barbara (Topete) would come over, she said of the longtime tradition of Bennett art being showcased at the resort. Barbara always had the best eye.

Some of the pieces include Bennetts designs of early Ocean Crest folding brochures from the 1950s.

We had a colored-pencil drawing of his that he did on black construction paper in the old building that unfortunately got lost in the fire. That was beautiful, Jess Owen recalled. About 30 Bennett pieces were lost in the fire.

Visit link:
Finishing touches to rebuilt Ocean Crest restaurant

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was a poetic convergence of tech trends this week at the corner of Fourth and Howard streets`.

Over in Moscone Center West, Google was getting its Internet-of-things groove on at its developers conference, touting plans to tie digital devices together with products like TV sets inside our homes.

Meanwhile, across the street in Moscone North, thousands of the people who will actually be building these tech-savvy abodes -- developers, architects, manufacturers and contractors -- were having their annual powwow, giving each other a peek of what awaits us all just inside our front doors of tomorrow.

Carrie Drier holds up the latest fire sprinkler head made by Viking at the PCBC home show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on June 25, 2014. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)

All across the exhibitors floor at the annual builders trade show, amid the nontechy stalwarts like roof tiles and toilets, you could almost hear the mantra humming just below the surface: "When it comes to the home of the future, all ... is ... one."

"We put the backbone wiring inside the new home so that everything we use in that home is more connected," said Joey Hill, a market representative with Legrand, North America, a global rock star of switches and sockets. It's partnering with GE on cutting-edge home security and home entertainment technologies, the very stuff that the Googlers were crowing about nearby. "We provide the infrastructure that supports things like Netflix on your Apple TV," Hill said. "This is where the industry is going: You'll control your home lighting, security and audio, all from your smartphone or tablet."

While this trend has been picking up steam in the past year, Hill and others at the show painted a picture of an ever-rapid advancement in the digitally driven household. And borrowing a page from companies like Apple, where powerful computing is dressed up in sleek designs, Hill said, "It's not just cool gadgets around the house, but we'll be seeing much more of a focus on style."

And with that, Hill demonstrated a "pop-out outlet," a wall socket that's tucked into the wall and emerges -- abracadabra! -- with the push of a finger. "This technology has to be beautiful," he said, "if it's going inside your house."

Standing nearby, Shannon Stafford was nodding her head in agreement. "I've got that system installed in my own house," said the owner/president of Illuminations Lighting, an electrical equipment supplier in El Dorado Hills. "I can completely control my entire house with my phone."

Stafford sounded like a kid in a candy store, describing the magic-wand features coming soon to new homes across the country. "I can dim any of the lights down to 10 percent. I can customize every switch, outlet and night-light."

Link:
A peek inside the home of the future