Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

From The Kiplinger Letter, May 23, 2014

Another promising source of energy: Recycled plastic.

Among producers making a play on oil from plastic

Count on states to become more creative in trying to attract movie projects. With 39 states offering tax breaks and other incentives, competition is stiff. But the payoff can be huge for states chosen as locations for film and TV projects. The biggest winner: Production companies. Most states are trying to take business from the biggies: California, New York and Florida. And those states are sweetening the pot to prevent defections. California, for instance, has added new tax credits for feature films.

Among the states auditioning for a leading role: Nevada, which offers breaks in return for filming at least 60% of a project and spending $500,000 on services such as transportation, housing, studio rental there. Alabama is serving up generous incentives to projects that hire state residents during production. Georgia, which sweetens its deal by cutting taxes even more if productions embed an animated state logo in the film. And Alaska, with its tax breaks for TV commercials and video projects produced there.

Good odds of the MERS virus ebbing this summer. The respiratory bug, which first appeared in Saudi Arabia, has spread to 17 other countries, including the U.S. So far...632 cases worldwide and an alarming 30% mortality rate.

But it will return early next year. The virus is thought to have originated in camels. Its uptick this year was tied to the animals spring birthing season. If thats the case, MERS may be tough to eradicate. Camels are vital in the Mideast.

Meanwhile, no travel curbs to the Middle East. Human-to-human infection requires close contact, so frequent hand washing goes a long way to limit its spread.

A vaccine for humans is years away. One for camels will be finished first. Theres a lower safety threshold for animal drugs, allowing for speedier development.

No chance of a tax holiday for repatriated corporate profits anytime soon. GOP lawmakers will squawk even louder about needing it, however, in light of the potential loss of Pfizer, with net income of $22 billion in 2013, to Britain. Even if the NYC-based drug maker fails to win rival AstraZenecas hand, its plan to move to the brides lower-tax U.K. neighborhood will spur fears about corporations opting to emigrate. Pfizer, for example, makes no secret of its aim to escape U.S. taxes.

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New Energy Hope: Turning Used Plastic into Oil

Published: Friday, May 30, 2014, 7:00p.m. Updated 6 hours ago

The concrete countertops in Eleanor Zuckerman's San Francisco kitchen are hand-crafted works of art.

Custom-designed by Fu-Tun Cheng of the Berkeley, California-based Cheng Concrete, they feature colors like brick, flowing lines and pictures of nautilus shells.

With concrete, there is a lot of room for creativity, to say nothing of color, says Zuckerman, a retired psychologist. It gives you flexibility.

Homeowners looking to spice up their kitchens can install a variety of countertops that go beyond the traditional laminate and tile. Today's options include concrete and butcher-block-style wood, and a range of custom-designed colors and shapes. IceStone countertops use recycled glass from broken bottles.

So many different materials are used in countertops these days, says Tony Izzo, Curtis Lumber's corporate kitchen and bath manager in Albany, New York. Until about 25 years ago, he says, roughly 90 percent of countertops in U.S. homes were laminate, and the rest tile.

Then DuPont's Corian hit the market, followed by granite and quartz, which are current favorites, he says. Today, just half of countertops are laminate, Izzo says.

The burgeoning interest in alternative countertops is the natural extension of that trend. And they are becoming more affordable.

Slowly, over the years, the market has really grown, says Mike Heidebrink, president of Cheng Concrete. When the company opened in 2002, it catered mostly to well-heeled dot-commers willing to spend more to bring an artisan's touch to their kitchens.

Today, Heidebrink says, Cheng also serves a growing number of skilled do-it-yourselfers who want to shape, mold and install countertops themselves. They can choose the color and lines of their countertops, he says. Once installed and sealed, he says, concrete countertops are as durable as limestone and marble.

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Countertops run gamut from concrete to glass and wood

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An otherwise healthy man died of an incurable lung disease after breathing in fine particles while making Corian countertops for almost two decades, doctors report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The 64-year-old man, Leroy Eckardt of Mount Vernon, Wash., spent about 16 years working on Corian at his mom-and-pop countertop business, inhaling dust as he ground, machined, drilled and sanded the material, said Dr. Ganesh Raghu. He is a professor at the University of Washington and director of the Center for Interstitial Lung Disease at UW Medicine.

Raghu believes that the inhaled Corian dust caused Eckardt to develop pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that scars the tissue of the lungs and makes it increasingly difficult for patients to breathe.

"He rarely wore a mask while working on the Corian," Raghu said. "He didn't think anything of it, because he didn't think this was causing any problems."

Eckardt's health steadily deteriorated, and he died of respiratory failure seven years after his diagnosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis affects about 140,000 Americans, and is most common in people between people the ages of 50 and 75, according to the American Lung Association. There's no cure, and many people live only three to five years past diagnosis.

Made by DuPont Co., Corian is a material composed of acrylic polymer and aluminum trihydrate.

Doctors found aluminum trihydroxide particles in the diseased tissue of the man's lungs during a biopsy at the time of his diagnosis. Raghu said the particles in Eckardt's lungs appeared to match Corian dust samples that the patient supplied from his workshop.

Raghu said this is the only case he knows of in which Corian has been associated with pulmonary fibrosis, but added that one of his co-authors has heard of other cases. They report on the case in a letter in the May 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Man Dies of Lung Disease After Working With Countertops, Doctors Report

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Maya Angelou, shown speaking at SUNY New Paltz in 2003, twice had lunch with Kingston's Haynes Llewellyn. Angelou died Wednesday.Times Herald-Record file

Published: 2:00 AM - 05/30/14 Last updated: 8:14 AM - 05/30/14

KINGSTON Haynes Llewelyn was a freshman in college when he first had lunch with Maya Angelou.

It was, he said, a delightful experience, one that only was magnified a half dozen years later when he had met her again.

Angelou, who died Wednesday, already was a well-known poet and author in 1984. That was when Llewelyn, now a Kingston interior decorator, was assigned to read her most famous book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," as part of a summer reading list before he began attending Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham, Ala., in 1984.

She came to the school and gave a reading. There were about 300 people in the audience.

"She had a beautiful voice. She read, and nobody moved."

Afterward, Llewellyn and some other students were invited to join Angelou for lunch.

"She was terribly nice. She'd been raised by a strong grandmother. We had that in common, we spoke about it."

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Recalling lunch with Maya Angelou

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Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 30, 2014

Dallas Flooring Warehouse announces the immediate availability of Elite Luxury, a new, private label heavyweight speckled heavyweight trackless frieze carpet. Elite Luxury speckled heavyweight frieze carpet features a premium PET fiber system, a 15-year warranty,10-year texture warranty, and anti static technology, lifetime stain warranty and a 100% continuous filament fiber that will not shed or fuzz. Elite Luxury is available in three popular fashion colors which are all in stock now at Dallas Flooring Warehouse for immediate cash and carry or next day installation. This heavyweight trackless textured frieze carpet sells for $2.49 per square foot cash and carry or $2.99 per square foot installed with pad.

Elite Luxury carpet is a huge value. Because Dallas Flooring Warehouse buys this luxury heavyweight speckled trackless frieze carpeting OEM from one of the largest carpet mills in the country it can be sold at a price that is half of what is charges elsewhere. There are only 3 colors available, but they are the most popular and desirable colors! Visit Dallas Flooring Warehouse 8717 Directors Row in Dallas, TX 75247 or call them at 214-850-4373 and one of our carpet professionals will assist you. Our quality private label carpeting is manufactured by the leading U.S. carpet Mills. Why pay more at some fancy retail store? says Johnny Carpet, spokesman Dallas Flooring Warehouse.

Dallas Flooring Warehouse is a wholesale carpet and flooring outlet in Dallas, TX specializing in wholesale direct pricing to homeowners, contractors and builders in the Dallas Fort Worth area. They are located at Dallas Flooring Warehouse 8717 Directors Row Dallas, TX 75247. Their Dallas wholesale flooring hotline is (214) 850-4373. For more information about Dallas Flooring Warehouse or wholesale flooring in Dallas visit their website at dallasflooringwarehouse.com.

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Dallas Flooring Warehouse Announces New Private Label Heavyweight Speckled Trackless Frieze Carpeting

Construction is under way on Fort Belvoirs new Staybridge Suites hotel across from Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and Knadle Hall on South Post. Knadle Hall will open as a Holiday Inn Express late this summer.

Staybridge Suites

The Staybridge Suites is scheduled for completion in August 2015, and slated to open in early fall 2015, said Will Radford, senior development manager for Lend Lease (U.S.) Public Partnerships, the developer for the PAL portfolio.

The hotel is designed to ease the challenges that wounded warriors and their Families face, he said.

The Staybridge project was designed for Families who may have a longer stay, due to their servicemembers or other Family members who are staying in the hospital, he said.

Its the only hotel of its kind in the Army, according to Elizabeth Lloyd, senior vice president, asset management for Lend Lease.

Its actually the only Staybridge Suites out of the entire 39-installation portfolio, so it is unique, she said.

The hotel offers a host of amenities with wounded warriors and their Families in mind, Radford said.

It will offer 141 guest rooms, including private meeting spaces designed for patients and doctors, a childrens media room with multiple television and gaming stations, and a fitness gym, he said. The hotel will also have its own convenience store where guests can buy snacks and sundries.

An outdoor area will include a zero-entry pool with wheelchair access, a playground with a rubberized floor, covered tables and barbecue pavilions, he added.

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Privatized Army Lodging brings new hotels to Belvoir

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Displaying Indoor/Ourdoor Lighting Solutions as the Company Expands into Greater China

Taipei, Taiwan Leading LED manufacturer ADATA to showcase comprehensive lighting solutions including indoor and outdoor solutions at the 2014 Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition, the world's largest lighting and LED exhibition, from June 9 to 12. This is part of ADATA's push to integrate the brand resources of the ADATA group and target the Greater China region's enormous Lightning demands.

New Indoor Lighting Products with Ergonomic Designs ADATA will showcase a wide range of indoor lighting products, most notably including the omnidirectional wide-angle high-performance LED bulb, the LED work lamp with wireless charging, and the lightweight T8 LED tube.

The omnidirectional wide-angle high-performance LED bulb offers bright, 270-degree lighting, enough to replace a 60-watt traditional bulb while consuming only 10 watts of power. Its efficient aluminum cooling fins provide cooling and greatly reduce brightness decay, helping the bulb remain bright and energy-efficient even after long use.

The LED work lamp with wireless charging incorporates an aluminum alloy design with two arms and multiple pivots, allowing for a wide range of possible angles in use. A wireless charger is built into the lamp base, so any smartphone that supports WPC Qi charging standards may be placed on the base for quick charging.

The lightweight T8 LED tube is made entirely of plastic, unlike previous LED tubes which use a composite of plastic and aluminum. With its recessed mechanical design and high-efficiency chips, the T8 LED tube's advantages include 270-degree, wide-angle lighting, efficient cooling, low brightness decay, and a high performance-to-cost ratio.

Outdoor Lighting Modules Can Be Tailored to Any Need As for outdoor lighting, ADATA has devoted immense R&D and production resources into developing its outdoor UV/IR radiation-free, lead-free, and mercury-free LED modules that offer high reliability and durability thanks to their refined unibody. With a waterproof design (IP65), the ability to work in extreme temperatures (up to -50 to 50 C), and effective heat dissipation, these modules are ideal for outdoor LED applications, including streetlights, projection lights, high bay lights, gas station lamps, tunnel lights, and warning lights, and they may be customized for a variety of needs.

Smarter Control, Brighter Future Smart lighting control systems differ from traditional lighting systems in that they may be controlled through LCD panels, regular control knobs, IR remote controls, or mobile smart devices, such as smartphones or tablets. Lighting controls allow you to adjust the mood and atmosphere of your home or office, no matter where you are and when you want, and also save energy. ADATA Lighting is at the forefront of this the new trend in lighting. Its booth at the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition will feature five interactive experience areas, where visitors can try out different interfaces and experience the conveniences that smart lighting control systems can bring to their lives.

Energy-Saving Policies Drives Expansion into Greater China Market The Chinese government will ban the import and sale of 60-watt or higher incandescent bulbs starting this October. This will rapidly accelerate the adoption of LED lighting in the Chinese market. Research by the Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK) also shows that by 2016 China will become the biggest market in the world for LED lighting. In view of this, ADATA is aggressively expanding its presence in the Greater China market. The brand marketing of ADATA's Taipei headquarters, coupled with the professional R&D and production resources of its Suzhou factory, has won the trust of countless clients, contributing to ADATA's outstanding performance in the Chinese market.

About the ADATA Lighting booth at the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition Exhibition Date:: 2014.6.9~6.12 Booth Location: Hall 10.2 Booth Number: B30

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ADATA to Showcase Products at Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition