Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Moviestore Collection/Rex/REX USA

This story first appeared in the May 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Bob Hoskins was the quintessential character actor who became a star. He'd had a career playing every bald, round-faced historical figure of note, from Pope John XXIII to Winston Churchill to Benito Mussolini, but it was as Harold Shand, the bullet-shaped Brit gangster with the guttural Cockney accent in 1980's The Long Good Friday, that he first was noticed in a film role.

PHOTOS:Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014

"The dynamism of Hoskins' performance is one of the film's magnetic attractions," wrote The Hollywood Reporter. Born in Suffolk, England, Hoskins never had taken an acting class. He'd been a window cleaner and merchant seaman and had studied to be an accountant. He claimed to have fallen into acting in 1969, when he was waiting in a bar for a friend's theater audition. He was handed a script, told he was next and got the part. "When Bob came on the scene, no one had seen the likes of him," Pierce Brosnan, who had a small role in Good Friday as an IRA hitman, tells THR.

A best actor Oscar nominee for 1986's Mona Lisa, Hoskins, who'd been married twice and had four children, died April 29 in London from pneumonia. He was 71.

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Throwback Thursday: When Bob Hoskins Left Window Cleaning for Acting

TEMPLE The grassroots green movement Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative is moving forward with its first home solar installation next month.

Were moving forward in a new direction and were very excited about it, said Bev Edwards, coordinator for Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative (MERI).

The group was formed two years ago by members of several Monadnock region town energy committees.

The Monadnock Energy Resources Initiatives mission is to help people rely less on fossil fuels and reduce their overall carbon footprint, Edwards said. The group accomplishes this through renewable energy installations and low-cost or no-cost weatherization opportunities and training, she said.

Were trying to cut costs for people so they are able to switch from burning so much fuel, especially fossil fuels, Edwards said.

Since forming, the group has already held two hot water heating barn raising installations.

These are community building events in which volunteers help install a solar hot water heater and the home owner provides lunch and a promise to pay it forward through MERI volunteer work in the future.

The one-day project requires a group of volunteers and a licensed plumber. After rebates and tax incentives, the project costs the homeowner about $3,000.

Edwards credits the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative for inspiring and training MERI members.

They started it with neighbors helping neighbors, Edwards said.

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Monadnock green group plans home solar installation

Includes More Places Of Assembly

The carbon monoxide (CO) detector requirement in its building code was expanded through legislation signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last Friday, Apr. 25.

Intro. No. 11, which passed the City Council unanimously in an Apr. 10 vote, mandates the installation of CO detector systems in new buildings with assembly places and that feature a fire alarm system. Existing structures are grandfathered in, but owners will be required to install CO detectors if and when fire alarm systems are replaced.

The current building code requires that property owners install the detectors in dwelling units served by any kind of appliances (such as a stove or hot water heater) that may produce carbon monoxidea colorless, odorless gas that is fatal to anyone exposed to excessive amounts in a short period of time.

This important bill amends the New York City building code to increase the number of life-saving carbon monoxide detectors in our city, de Blasio said before signing the bill last Friday. East year, about 200 people are hospitalized because of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and people are dying needlessly.

The law de Blasio signed requires CO detectors in places of assembly such as restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, bars, catering halls, movie theaters, houses of worship and other venues where large numbers of people gather.

The Department of Buildings will adopt rules and standards for the installation of CO detector systems. Provisions of the law take effect on Oct. 1.

Local sponsors of the legislation include City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and City Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm, Rafael Espinal, Julissa Ferreras, Karen Koslowitz, Antonio Reynoso, Donovan Richards, Eric Ulrich and Ruben Wills.

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Mayor Expands City CO Detector Rules

The drought is drying up many city-owned decorative water fountains and kids' splash areas in parks this year in the San Ramon and Tri-Valley areas.

As Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton and part of San Ramon prepare for some of the harshest water shortages in the Bay Area, cities are turning off or limiting hours of fountains and splash features. Officials note that reducing water for recreation or decorative purposes leaves more for people to drink and for cooking and bathing.

Pleasanton this year will not turn on splash water features for youngsters at Val Vista Park and the Tennis and Community Park. The splash runoff in those two parks is not recirculated, so it goes down a drain. About May during normal years, Pleasanton activates the water features, allowing users to push a button to start the spray.

"We have to do everything we can to save water," said Jackie Cordes, a Pleasanton water efficiency technician. "It's too bad for the kids who like to play in the splash areas, but the bottom line is we have a serious water shortage."

Dublin has shut down all city-owned decorative fountains, including ones at the Dublin Civic Center, the senior center, Shannon Park and Emerald Glen park, the city announced in a written statement.

Dublin also is limiting hours of its splash features at Shannon and Emerald Glen parks. The splash areas will open only on afternoons when it's hotter than 90 degrees during the period from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day,

Livermore has turned off one of its six downtown fountains and cut in half the operating hours of the other ones to about four to five hours a day. Livermore city officials said they may consider further cuts of most fountains, but would not cut more hours of the Lizzie Fountain, a splash feature, because children seek it out to get relief from the heat.

Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore and the Dougherty Valley in San Ramon get their water from Zone 7 Water Agency, which is cutting back supplies 25 percent due to shortages in its state water supplies.

San Ramon is reducing operating hours for the Central Park fountain by three hours a day so it gets turned off at 6 p.m. on summer nights. San Ramon is located mostly within the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which is seeking a 10 percent voluntary water reduction but is not going to impose higher water rates in the drought.

"It's a very popular fountain, so reducing its water usage but still making it accessible is the goal," said Jeff Gault, San Ramon's operations division manager. "A lot of people who use it would complain if it were shut off completely, especially when they are cutting back at home, and they want to have somewhere they can go to."

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San Ramon, Tri-Valley areas: Drought dries up many fountains, park splash areas

Editor, The News:

Re: Residents object to closing dog park (The News, April 30).

As a dog owner, I am shocked to here that, as of June 10, the off-leash area of Volker Park will be closed.

So, basically, the person or persons in that neighbourhood who tried to poison and injure dogs has won.

Instead of catching the perpetrator on video, the district caught dog owners using the park after hours.

So rather than catch the criminals, lets just close the dog park.

One could walk down any street in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows and here dogs barking, children screaming, school bells going off, roofers hammering, sirens, loud music playing, spouses arguing, parents yelling at there children, meth labs and grow ops being operated. I could go on and on.

I wish that myself and fellow off-leash park users had more of a voice in the closure.

When the rash of vandalism and dog poisonings started in this off-leash area, I had to take my dog elsewhere. Then there were times when it was just me and my dog at the park. That is why I dont understand the closure.

The people who live on the outside of this park need to get over themselves and live with every day noise.

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Learn to live with everyday noise

Screengrab from http://www.megaworldcorp.com

MANILA, Philippines Megaworld Corp. is placing a bigger bet on Cebus tourism industry with P8 billion in fresh investments to build five new luxury hotels on Mactan Island.

This capital outlay will increase Megaworlds hotel portfolio by 2,000 rooms and will form part of the expansion of its 28.8-hectare mixed-use project, The Mactan Newtown, in Lapu Lapu City.

In a press statement on Thursday, Megaworld said the first two high-rise hotels Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and the Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown would rise on the townships Newtown Boulevard within five years.

Soon to rise will be two beachfront hotels in the area which was formerly Portofino Beach Resort. The company said this area offered relaxing views of the Hilutungan Channel and Olango Island, known for its bird sanctuaries and mangrove forests. Another luxury hotel of international brand is also expected to rise in the township.

With the influx of more tourists to Mactan Island year after year, we hope to be able to offer more exciting facilities that will help further boost tourism in the region. Aside from local tourists, we hope to cater to foreign guests and visitors to The Mactan Newtown as well, said Carmen Fernando, managing director of Prestige Hotels and Resorts Inc., which is the operator of Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown.

Megaworld is also constructing a three-level lifestyle mall, Plaza Magellan, which is envisioned to become a major landmark of The Mactan Newtown. The mall will have an iconic entrance plaza facing the Lapu Lapu Shrine, the site where the historic Battle of Mactan between Lapu Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan took place April 27, 1521.

The plazas main feature will be a life-sized replica of the Spanish galleon Victoria, the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe, and the Spanish Steps, which will lead visitors to the malls main entrance. The Victoria was the only one of Magelans five ships that survived the expedition and managed to return to spain, thus sailing around the globe.

Plaza Magellan will also feature a museum which will be dedicated to the life and expeditions of Magellan.

The malls design will be inspired by the hilltop towns of Portugal and Spain. The architecture will feature courtyards and arcaded walkways, ornately framed doors and windows as well as cupolas and towers.

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Megaworld building 5 luxury hotels on Mactan Island

Many times a single piece of crown moulding is not sufficient to fit the size of a room. This is an example where a built-up series of moulding profiles can make crown moulding profiles a more suitable size. Installing crown moulding profiles in your home also increases the value of your house when it comes time to move. Many people are confused when it comes to installing standard crown moulding profiles, let alone a built-up set of mouldings that create custom crown moulding profiles. In this article, we will learn how to make crown moulding profiles.

First of all, pull up different crown moulding profiles, baseboard as well as dental moulding profiles from a trim molding supplier online. Most websites provide PDF files of their moulding profiles that are to scale. You can make use of these to design your own custom-made crown moulding profiles. Sketch a straight line across the top of a piece of graph paper. Sketch a line 90 degrees to the last line in order to represent the wall of the graph paper. Cut out your moulding profiles that you downloaded from the internet.

Position the various moulding profiles on the graph paper with the aim to make customized crown moulding profiles, which will give you an idea of how the built-up crown moulding profiles will appear once it has been installed on the wall.

Pick up a sample of each one of the moulding profiles that you chose to use from the trim supplier. Secure them firmly together with the help of glue and nails in a way that you would want to assemble them onto the wall. Once it has dried thoroughly, place it up against the wall to confirm whether or not you like the moulding profiles.

Install the built-up crown moulding profile one piece at a time. Make use of the sample mock up of the moulding profile as a reference to demarcate a line where it will start on the wall. From the ceiling, measure the distance all the way to the bottom of the built-up crown moulding profiles. Transfer this distance to each end of one wall and mark the location there with the help of a pencil or marker. Use a chalk line to draw a straight chalk line along the wall, which will serve as a reference line to place the first piece of crown moulding profiles. Repeat the process for the remaining walls.

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Moulding Profiles - #1 Floor Trim And Moulding

Springdale, AR (PRWEB) May 07, 2014

As boating season gets underway this spring, dock and marina owners looking for durable, moisture-resistant decking will find the solution with MoistureShield composite decking. As the only water-resistant composite decking available in both 2x4 and 2x6 sizes, MoistureShield is both an affordable and attractive decking solution for any marina application including decks, docks and boardwalks. Its the only composite option that can withstand the rigors of harsh marina conditions. Made with a unique manufacturing process that protects each board to the core, MoistureShield is also the only composite decking durable enough to be installed on the ground, in the ground or underwater and still be protected by the industrys leading lifetime warranty.

Marinas from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico rely on our water-resistant composite decking as an alternative to wood, concrete and steel, said Brent Gwatney, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MoistureShield. Other manufacturers have tried to introduce composite boards for these applications, but the market continues to weed out products that dont hold up. Many of them have turned to capped composites that still arent moisture resistant, and are expensive. With our unique manufacturing process were able to offer marina owners an attractive, affordable and durable choice for their decking needs.

Notable marina applications of MoistureShield composite decking include:

MoistureShield decking and railings water resistance results from a one-of-a-kind manufacturing process that fully encapsulates wood fibers in polyethylene plastic. This protects each board to the core, and allows them to be cut, drilled and fastened without compromising their ability to stand up to water. MoistureShield products come in a variety of colors, and deck boards are available with grooves to accommodate hidden fastening systems.

For more information on MoistureShield products, visit http://www.moistureshield.com.

About Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (A.E.R.T.) Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc., (A.E.R.T.) is a microcap, entrepreneurial, publicly held manufacturing company. The development of new technologies and patents has enabled it to produce superior new products from recycled wood fiber and recycled polyethylene plastic for the building and construction markets. A.E.R.T. is the exclusive manufacturer of MoistureShield composite decking and MoistureShield trim and moulding.

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Dock and Marina Owners Find Smooth Sailing With Water-Resistant MoistureShield Composite Decking from A.E.R.T.

Goodyear Tree and Stump ... tree removal
time lapse with my Go Pro tree removal.

By: Mikemenn

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Goodyear Tree and Stump ... tree removal - Video

Tree removal is not a service we like to emphasize, but it is a very necessary part of arboriculture and one that Bartlett executes professionally and safely. Our goal is, and has always been, to provide services that keep trees healthy, but there are instances when removal is the best alternative for the landscape and homeowner.

Tree removals are performed to eliminate dead and dying trees as well as those that have become hazardous. Removals can also be useful in eliminating competition for light and space so that the remaining plants are better able to grow and thrive. In some cases, trees may also be removed to allow for new construction, home additions and to provide clearances with those structures.

Tree removal is the most hazardous aspect of arboriculture. Often, tree workers must remove trees growing in confined spaces near houses, utility lines and other sensitive areas. Tree removal requires considerable expertise to successfully perform this task.

At Bartlett Tree Experts, our arborists are highly trained to work safely and efficiently in all tree removals. We provide thorough clean up of debris and strive to minimize the impact to surrounding vegetation.

As part of the tree removal process, the stump will typically be left as close to the ground as possible. If needed, removal of the stump can be provided. Stump removal can be challenging and often special machinery is required, but it may be necessary if the stump is a hazard in the landscape or simply an eyesore. Stump grinding by a professional is the easiest and safest way to handle this work.

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Bartlett Tree Experts: Tree Removal (Felling and Stump ...