Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

InsideClimateNews.org I entered the Amazon on the wings of a military-trained cowboy from San Antonio, Texas. Below, the Araguaia River flowed reddish-brown along a meandering path that extends some 1,600 miles before flushing into the Atlantic Ocean alongside the Amazon. Peering down from the cockpit, John Carter reminisced about life before bulldozers, fires and guns forced a tactical retreat.

"When we lived here, this was all my backyard," he says. "During the dry season, this water is crystal clear. I used to go spear-fishing."

The forest was so vast when Carter and his Brazilian wife Kika moved here in 1996 that he recorded clear cuts whenever he flew, in case the engine on his plane ever gave out. But soon enough the land rush was on, and the forests went up in flames set by people clearing land. When the carnage arrived at their doorstep, Carter consulted with his wife and they chose to fight, for their cattle ranch, their forest and the frontier he grew to love. Outspoken and seemingly fearless, he became something of a legend.

Below us, flat plains extended beyond the river, dark pools of water gleaming in the morning sun. Individual trees popped out of the barren earth at oddly regular intervals, each perched atop its own termite mound where it would remain safe during the annual floods. We continued north into the state of Mato Grosso"thick forest"and the flood plains gave way to a patchwork of ever-larger agricultural fields.

Although Carter eventually moved his family back to the United States due to a steady stream of death threatsand one attempt at sabotage on his planehe has been quietly building what he calls an "insurgency" in the Amazon through the grassroots operation he founded, dubbed the Aliana da Terra, or Earth Alliance. Set up in 2004, the Alliance consists of more than 700 landowners large and small who have committed to a core set of principles, including legal and sustainable agricultural methods as well as fair labor practices. Currently funded in large part by the Norwegian government, its territory covers an area that is more than twice the size of Connecticut. Carter has been slowly selling off his own assetscattle includedto make it all work.

On this particular day, Carter is flying a plane he co-owns with Jim Cable, an American businessman based in Brazil, and our first stop was the Xavante Mariwatsd indigenous community. I watched tribal members wave from below as Carter set the single-engine propeller plane down on a dirt runway. Inside a concrete building on an open plaza, he paid his respects and then got down to business.

The Alliance has helped the tribe drill a well, put up fences and start a cattle herd. Now it is working with them to expand a joint program to fight increasingly severe fires. Most are agricultural fires that have jumped the line, although Carter suspects fire is also being used as a tool and a weapon now that the authorities are keeping a closer eye on deforestation.

Carter told the tribe that the Alliance was ready to continue training its members in firefighting and work with them to expand operations so long as the tribe adopted a plan to support the program in the long run with sales from its cattle herd.

"I just need to see if you are in agreement," he said. "Who is going to coordinate this is you, not us."

The Xavante chief, Damio Paridzan, listened at a school desk in the middle of the room. Dressed in black pants with a black button-up shirt, complete with a feathered headdress and classic Brazilian Havaiana flip-flops, he spoke of the governments decision to relocate the tribe in the 1960s and its subsequent struggle to regain its land. After praising Carter for his help, he raised his voice and asked the question: "Should we close the deal?" The room erupted in cheers.

More here:
An American Cowboy Fights for the Amazon

David Mazlin - Interior Designer
David Mazlin - A talented furniture designer with the experience of 20 years in the furniture designing industry gained notable recognition of his designing.

By: David Mazlin

Read the original:
David Mazlin - Interior Designer - Video

ALCANTARA Extraordinary Lifestyle @ CarDesignNight Beijing 2014 by Fashion Channel
ALCANTARA Extraordinary Lifestyle @ CarDesignNight Beijing 2014 by Fashion Channel As the automotive world looks forward to Beijing, and what promises to be one of the most significant auto...

By: Fashion Channel

Link:
ALCANTARA Extraordinary Lifestyle @ CarDesignNight Beijing 2014 by Fashion Channel - Video

Interior Design Throw Back Thursday 🙂
This Interior Design, Interior Decorating project by Interior Designer Rebecca Robeson was posted on TDN last year but now for the first time ever seen on YouTube. Interior Designer Rebecca...

By: Robeson Design

Continued here:
Interior Design Throw Back Thursday 🙂 - Video

Friday, May 23, 2014, by Lily di Costanzo

Photo via Remodelista

Tucked away on the island of Tinos in Greecenot far from the more famous Mykonosthis traditional whitewashed beach villa makes for one very appealing little summer rental. Currently available for 385 a night, or $524 a night, the property actually comes with two houses connected by a second-story veranda. Built for Greek Interior Designer Marilyn Katsaris by Zege Architects, the curving, all-white interior walls and bleached wood floors are meant to "look like a sculpture totally in harmony with the story and the landscape of Tinos." While the decor offers a few surprising pops of pastelincluding a sky-blue ceiling and some sweet pistachio-colored kitchen appliancesthe stylish furnishing is otherwise almost monastically simple. Scrolling through the listing photos alone feels like a mini-vacation, so do have a look:

Here is the original post:
Globe Trotting: Book a Stay in This Interior Designer's Dreamy Island Villa

3 hours ago May. 23, 2014 - 12:59 PM PDT

While there is a ton of excitement around the connected home, its still very much a distant proposition for the mainstream consumer. I believe that by next year a majority of consumers will have one or more connected device in their homes, although I suspect it will be a single-use device like a connected thermostat or lights.

So this week, when I stopped by the OReilly Solid conference to check out the connected devices I kept my eyes peeled for the latest innovations aimed at the home. A few I had already covered, such as the Birdi air quality monitoring system that is expected in October or the Zuli bluetooth plugs that offer presence detection, which should also ship in the fall time frame (there are a lot of fall ship dates, yall.)

The founders of Birdi and their connected air quality monitor.

But I also ran into three new startups that were worth a second look. The first, Xandem, is currently making a presence sensor that uses wireless signals to understand where in the house a person is. Its currently sold commercially as a more accurate motion detector (it works in the dark, when an infrared motion detector can be fooled). But Dustin Maas, the CTO and I discussed how it might be used for detecting presence in the home for people who arent currently carrying or wearing a bluetooth device. One challenge will be interference from other networks, Maas, says it works with Wi-Fi, but running four or five different networks might make it a bit less effective. I like it because it helps solve the problem of detecting kids or other people in the house that arent carrying smart phones or Bluetooth devices.

Xandems CTO Dustin Maas (left) and CEO Joey Wilson (right) showing of their sensing technology.

For others who want to ditch their smart phones, but dont mind wearing a Bluetooth enabled bracelet, Playtabase has built a system of a bracelet and receivers that you can plug into your lamps, TVs or other appliances and then use the bracelet as a gesture-based controller. So wave your arm and twist your wrist to turn things on, adjust volume or even start and stop video playback. The system is called Reemo, and the wearable is designed to work as both a home controlling device and a mouse worn on the wrist. This is to entice you to wear it all the time. The device should be available in the fall and should cost about $200 for a wristband and three receivers.

Also in the home space, were a set of six sensors and a hub that cost $299 but are pretty good deal when compared to the cost of buying those sensors individually. The Wally systems point of differentiation is that the sensors will last for 10 years on one coin cell battery and that instead of using a radio for communications, they actually gain their power efficiencies by instead sending their information via the electrical wiring system in your home. The sensors use a radio to reach the homes wiring, and then transmit the information to the hub, which is plugged into the wall. The software then lets you set thresholds for moisture and temperature so you can get alerts when something is amiss.

A Wally sensor that will last 10 years on one battery.

Continued here:
3 startups with a new twist on the smart home

742 W GREEN TREE Drive, San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
http://oneyrhmwarrantyincld.AgentMarketing.com?rs=youtube For more info and pics, Text "493199" to 79564 Single Family - Detached - San Tan Valley, AZ Complete info: http://742wgreentreedrive.Agent...

By: Agent Marketing videos

Read this article:
742 W GREEN TREE Drive, San Tan Valley, AZ 85143 - Video

Conroe Home Security Pros (936) 213-0130
http://homesecurityconroe.net Call (936) 213-0130 for all your home security needs. The Conroe Home Security Pros provides professional burglar alarm install...

By: Conroe Home Security

Read this article:
Conroe Home Security Pros (936) 213-0130 - Video

Best HVAC Service Sherman Oaks 800) 215-8151 Climate Control
http://www.climatecontrolla.com/air-conditioning-heating-and-hvac-services/ (800) 215-8151 Best HVAC Service Sherman Oaks Cooling and Heating Repair in Sherman Oaks When you live in Southern...

By: Michael E. Mueller

Read the original post:
Best HVAC Service Sherman Oaks 800) 215-8151 Climate Control - Video

PHOTO emerges of Jack Brabham's 1961 visit with his prized Cooper Climax in Albury.

Clem Gabriel holds a photograph of Jack Brabham's racing car, a Cooper Climax, pictured outside his business, Clem Gabriel Motors, Albury, when Brabham raced at the Hume Weir Circuit in 1961. Picture: MATTHEW SMITHWICK

A GLIMPSE into the Border visit of Formula 1 world champion Jack Brabham in 1961 has emerged with this photograph of his prized Cooper Climax in North Albury.

It shows the racing car outside Clem Gabriel Motors, a petrol station and auto repair workshop that was on the corner of Mate and North streets, where Albury-Wodonga Heating and Cooling is located.

Mr Gabriel, 92, contacted The Border Mail in the wake of Brabhams death on Monday, saying the F1 dynamo was bankrolled by his fuel suppliers and he housed the Cooper Climax at his garage during races at Hume Weir in March 1961.

He was sponsored by Atlantic or Esso then and he raced on Esso oils and any time he was in the area he would deal off me, Mr Gabriel said.

Thats how it came about that he would fill up there and have the car there.

Sir Jack Brabhams Cooper Climax outside Clem Gabriels garage on the corner of Mate and North streets in 1961. Mr Gabriel is third from the left. The others are, from left, Bill Eddington (fuel company representative), Brabhams mechanic, service station attendant Doug Phelps and Brabhams driver.

Mr Gabriel said the racing car was accompanied by a mechanic and a driver who steered the FC Holden station wagon towing the trailer.

On one night during the Hume Weir meeting, Mr Gabriel said his mechanic and Brabhams repairman worked into the dark to change the gearbox set-up of the Cooper Climax to suit the small Border circuit.

See the original post here:
A brush with Brabham