Large and luxurious homes selling fast

With just four superb quality homes yet to be sold, discerning homebuyers looking for a property in one of Sheffield’s most sought-after locations should act now to avoid disappointment.

Situated in Ringinglow Road within the highly desirable S11 postcode, Ringinglow Gardens is an exclusive and intimate development of only 11 premium quality homes.

To showcase the high specification of the homes, award-winning Redrow has opened the doors to a five-bedroom Buckingham style house to complement the professionally styled and fully furnished Highgrove show home.

Patsy Aicken, sales director for Redrow Homes , explains: “At Redrow we take pride in all we do – from choosing the locations in which we build, to the high standard of craftsmanship invested in our homes and our commitment to customer service. Ringinglow Gardens has been popular since its launch, proving that there is a demand for superb quality homes in the right setting. We recently sold three of these high value homes in just two weeks which shows just how popular they are.”

An urgent visit to the Buckingham view home at Ringinglow Gardens is a must for discerning homebuyers.

All five bedrooms are doubles and, as well as the family bathroom, the Buckingham boasts four en-suites; all of them equipped with elegant sanitaryware, ceramic floor and wall tiles and high quality fixtures and fittings.

The combined kitchen, breakfast area and family room at the heart of the home is ideal for those who love to entertain. The kitchen area boasts silestone work surfaces as standard, plus integrated top brand name appliances, including oven, microwave and fridge freezer; while floor to ceiling cabinets and extra wide drawers offer plenty of storage space.

There’s also a separate dining room for more formal entertaining, plus a spacious lounge, a utility room and a generous double garage that can be accessed from within the house.

The Buckingham is on the market at 799,999.

The remaining homes at Ringinglow Gardens are all five-bedroom properties, priced from 649,999.

“The size of our homes and the level of investment they represent means that many potential customers will have homes of their own to sell. The availability of part exchange at Ringinglow Gardens means moving day doesn’t have to be a dim and distant diary date,” Patsy added.

“Instead, we may be able to accept a customer’s current home as part payment for one of our final four fabulous homes and speed up the whole process.”

Ringinglow Gardens is close to the popular shops and restaurants of Ecclesall Road, whilst heading out of Sheffield towards the equally popular Ringinglow village and, beyond that, the beautiful countryside of the Peak District National Park.

The semi-rural setting means residents have the potential to enjoy stunning views of the surrounding countryside and easy access to the wider outdoors; while also benefitting from the convenience of having a wealth of amenities nearby and easy access to the M1 for commuting.

Xaar Brings Inkjet Technology to Latin America Ceramics Decoration Market

From March 6-9, 2012 at the 10th edition of EXPO REVESTIR in Sao Paulo, visitors to the Xaar stand #190 will have the opportunity to see why the Xaar 1001 industrial inkjet printhead is transforming the decoration of ceramic tiles. Xaar's revolutionary printhead which incorporates TF Technology can be found in a number of digital inkjet ceramic tile printers throughout the show floor.

Xaar's booth will feature a display of printheads and related products, as well as a number of 3D animations explaining Xaar's technology, viewed using Augmented Reality. In addition, a range of the creative and high quality effects that can be printed on tiles using the Xaar 1001 printhead will be on display.

Technical staff will be in attendance to answer questions for OEMs about how to best implement Xaar printheads into their machines. They are also available to explain the benefits of using digital inkjet to print ceramic tiles. Xaar will also distribute Portuguese editions of its popular 'Guide to Industrial Inkjet.'

Digital inkjet decoration of ceramic tiles is a powerful manufacturing method, allowing creativity even with small quantities of customized or personalized designs. It also offers huge potential savings in inventory and distribution costs. Scope to vary the pattern is significantly increased and even the edges of the tile can be printed, including life-like patterns such as marble and wood effects. Inkjet printing also lets manufacturers print on textured and embossed surfaces. This extends the advantages that ceramic tiles can offer over competing cladding materials, such as stone, glass or metal - and at a far lower cost per square meter.

"The adoption of digital inkjet print techniques is transforming the economic viability of small batch production as well as the cost and time involved in ceramic tile printing. Break-even production runs are very short with digital printing," explains Edsel Lonza, Xaar Sales Manager for Latin America. "Sample tiles, identical to final production with batch-to-batch reliability, can be delivered through the distribution network. They can be printed in very small quantities as they are ordered by the consumer; perhaps with customized designs. This reduces inventory, raw stock, distribution costs and waste. These cost savings lead to an excellent return on investment for tile printers."

Xaar printheads are found in more than 50% of the world's digital inkjet ceramic tile printers, from manufacturers such as Technoferrari, Cretaprint, SITI - B&T, Sacmi, Kerajet, and others. The Xaar 1001 printhead ensures the most reliable operation with minimal maintenance because it uses Xaar's unique revolutionary TF Technology and Hybrid Side Shooter printhead architecture. This technology enables higher pigment-loaded ceramic inks to flow directly past the back of the nozzles, keeping them continuously primed - resulting in maximum printer uptime for exceptional production output. The printhead can run for hours in production without maintenance depending on design and quantity printed, enabling digital to seamlessly integrate into a manufacturing line alongside traditional printing methods.

Tile producers want the flexibility to produce both fine detail and strong colors. The Xaar 1001's ability to jet variable-sized drops allows tile manufacturers to select small dots for smooth tones and sharp lines. Larger dots are selected to provide high ink coverage to intensify color density and saturation.  The result is a stunning replication of natural materials. In addition, the digital process means that patterns can be reproduced consistently from one run to the next, and on-demand.

Some of the world's foremost ceramic ink companies have designed their inks and certified them for optimum performance in use with Xaar digital inkjet printheads. Examples are Chimigraf, Colorobbia, Esmalglass-Itaca Group, and Ferro.

"Xaar is an authority in industrial digital inkjet and owns numerous patents. In fact, many inkjet manufacturers license Xaar technology for their own printheads. Xaar's local sales and support office has helped Brazilian industry adopt industrial digital inkjet technology since 2005. We are also a sponsor for the Graphics University, helping to train graphics technicians in digital inkjet technology," adds Lonza. "Xaar is ready to support the ceramics industry as it adopts digital printing and inkjet technology. We look forward to sharing our knowledge with visitors at REVESTIR."

Planning for Profit

If you operate serviced offices, you do so for one very good reason: to make a profit. The greater occupant density you can achieve, the better. But it's not all about cramming people in like a 1950s typing pool. You have to make people want to work there too.

Let's look at the 'density' factor first. If you can comfortably accommodate 100 people on a floor rather than 80, that's more bottoms on seats, which reduces risk, and brings more cash through the door. With a little planning that should be possible.

If you are lucky enough to be starting from scratch there are more options open to you. Firstly, consider the positioning of the partition walls and the access corridors. These should be located to create the optimum space in the working areas. The space should consider the size of the furniture, the area that is really needed at a workstation for a comfortable environment, and the availability of light, natural or otherwise. Getting this wrong can have a serious detrimental effect on the practicality of the floor area.

Door positioning is critical too. Put the door in the corner, the obvious place perhaps and certainly the preferred choice of many builders, and you immediately lose the space on the adjacent wall. Put the door in the middle of the wall, where there would probably have been a walkway anyway, and that space is released for profitable workstations. Even if you are moving into an existing building it might be worth the modest expense of moving the door position to create a more usable space.

The choice of desk size should be made before locating partition walls and door access. Everyone likes the idea of a large, sweeping desk to make them feel like the managing director but, in practice, a few centimetres here and there makes little difference. By simply using a slightly smaller desk (that won't affect the practicality of the work station at all), and planning the dimensions of the room accordingly, you can easily achieve 10% or 20% greater density without significantly affecting the aesthetics of the room.

The image of the place is important too if you are to attract people into your business centre both today and in the future. Being a little creative with the floor layout can create an airy, welcoming feel to the office without any loss of density. Careful use of natural light too is important to help provide an environment that people will look forward to using.

Of course, fashions change. What is attractive and desirable today, becomes dated a few years later. Again, it is possible to take precautions to, in effect, future-proof your serviced office for when the fashion for pinks and purples gives way to greys and black. Choosing a steel-framed desk with a replaceable top, for example, means you can easily refurbish your space to reflect fashion preferences without spending a fortune. Similarly, the clever use of carpet tiles will allow you to replace worn walkways, with complementary-coloured flooring, at little expense.

Rio Designs is one of the UK's leading designers of office environments specialising in helping its customers make the most of their serviced offices. The company provides its expert design services free to its serviced office customers and supplies a wide range of leading-brand furniture and office accessories throughout the UK.

Last call for Watertown's Orchard Park Grill?

The Orchard Park Grill will be closing for three days on Feb. 28, Feb. 29, and March 1 for repeated health code violations, and it may not be long until it closes its doors for good.

Owner John Stathakis said he is currently looking for buyers to sell the business he opened in 2005. Since that time, the Orchard Park Grill has received numerous Board of Health violations, including but not limited to soiled food contact surfaces, rodent droppings, uncovered food products, raw food stored above ready to eat food, dish and bar soap machines not working, soiled drink dispensers and rusty beer taps.

Before coming to Watertown, the Belmont native and Waltham resident operated a deli in Waltham. The son of a “good cook,” Stathakis said serving food came naturally. His father, Demos, learned to cook from line chefs in a Canadian restaurant where he worked as a busboy after emigrating from Sparta, Greece.

When Demos Stathakis came to the United States, he switched industries and opened a laundromat in Belmont. John Stathakis worked there through high school and after graduation until he saw a vacant storefront up for rent in Waltham.

“I was coaching high school football and while I was driving home, I saw this little place for rent,” Stathakis said. “It just seemed like a great place to put a deli.”

Patronized mostly by a neighboring computer-hardware company and the Waltham Police Department, Stathakis said business was good. Then the 100-employee company relocated, Stathakis said, and it was time to move on.

“My buddy knew a guy who owned (the site of Orchard Park Grill), and we took over in September, 2006,” Stathakis said. “I wanted to keep it simple.”

Stathakis said he put roughly $15,000 worth of work bringing the bar up to code. He added televisions, replaced the flooring, bought new stools, painted the outside, replaced the indoor lighting, replaced the ceiling tiles, and put in new kitchen equipment. The old place was nothing “like it is now,” Stathakis said.

“It needed some real updating,” he said. “I have no idea how it ever passed inspection before.”

It wasn’t long until the Board of Health served Stathakis his first status hearing in January 2006 for health code violations, including not posting permits, soiled food contact surfaces, potentially hazardous food kept at an unsafe temperature, rodent droppings, uncovered food products, a malfunctioning bar dish machine sanitizer, soiled ash trays, and an incomplete consumer advisory.

While the items were corrected in the short term, a 2007 inspection found two of the violations repeated. One inspection in 2008 revealed five of the violations repeated, and a second inspection revealed nine violations, some repeated and some new.

Stathakis said he has always been accommodating to inspectors and the requests from the Board of Health to bring the establishment up to code. When the dish machine wasn’t working properly, he’d call the company to fix it. Sometimes they took longer than the Board of Health might have liked, Stathakis said.

“I lease to own the machines,” Stathakis said. “If something breaks down, I call the company up and have them come in to fix it, but if they tell me it’s going to be a week, what can I do?”

When a Board of Health inspector found expired seasonings, Stathakis said he threw them out. When they discovered beer residue buildup inside the taps, he called the beer company to replace the lines.

But a review of the establishment’s history reveals a total of 59 critical violations and 51 non-critical violations in the restaurant’s six years of operation. As a matter of policy, the Board of Health inspects food establishments twice each year, and in some cases they will return if recurring violations give them cause to keep a more vigilant eye. Since April 2008, the Board of Health has found both critical and non-critical violations every time they inspected the restaurant.

Still, Stathakis said he “runs a pretty good kitchen.” The violations appear worse than they are, he said. Stathakis also said he has been unfairly singled out.

“I try to keep the restaurant and the kitchen clean and do everything they ask me to,” Stathakis said. “I’m just trying to make a living.”

The father of three kids, and football coach at Watertown Middle School, Stathakis said he’s worked hard to be a good neighbor and give back to the community. For the past three years, the restaurant has sponsored a “Toys for Tots” drive that is distributed to children in Watertown, he said.

After six years in Watertown however, Stathakis said he’s had enough.

In recent months, Stathakis said he has not been able to pay the electricity bill, causing power outages that in turn, create more health code violations. He was also called to come before the Licensing Board for failure to show proof of workers compensation insurance. The hearing was continued until next month.

“They’re forcing my hand and they’re winning,” Stathakis said. “We’ve had a good run here.”

Stathakis said he didn’t want to announce a new buyer until the deal is complete, nor did he want to say when the restaurant would change hands. Stathakis did say he has “a couple things in mind,” for when that day comes, but it won’t be owning a restaurant in Watertown.

“Behind the Beautiful Forevers” by Katherine Boo

Behind the Beautiful Forevers unfolds in a slum on the western edge of Mumbai ringed by luxury hotels and a gleaming international airport. Annawadi is a community of 3,000 squatters living in, or among, 350 shacks on the edge of a sewage lake. The town’s main industry is garbage. Every day, thousands of waste pickers fan out to from the undercity to harvest the trash of the overcity.

The author, Katherine Boo, is one of the foremost writers on poverty in the United States. Behind the Beautiful Forevers is her first book, based on years of field research corroborated with thousands of public records.

The title comes from a billboard ad for Italianate tiles, which promises a floor that will be “beautiful forever.” Floor tiles are a big deal in Annawadi. To replace a filthy concrete floor with tile is a status symbol.

Annawadi was settled in 1991, just as the Indian government began a program of social and economic liberalization. “Seventeen years later, almost no one in the slum was considered poor by official Indian benchmarks,” Boo writes. On paper, the Annawadians are counted among the 100 million Indians who are said to have been liberated from poverty by globalization.

“The Annawadians were thus part of one of the most stirring success narratives in the modern history of global market capitalism, a narrative still unfolding,” Boo writes wryly. It’s not clear how the Indian government measures poverty. Evidently, jobs, housing, running water, healthcare, sanitation, education, and police protection are beside the point.

Many Annawadians are significantly better off than they were before the Indian economic boom, but it is absurd to say they've been lifted out of poverty. Moreover, based on Boo's description, it is difficult to imagine how they could rise much higher.

Boo doesn’t say it in so many words, but the implication is clear. As far as Annawadi is concerned, the supposed neoliberal economic miracle is as much a fraud as the phony coroners’ reports that chalk up the bleeding corpses of teenage scrap metal thieves dumped on the airport’s manicured grounds to tuberculosis.

Everyone in the book is desperately poor, but, relatively speaking, the main characters come from the upper crust of Annawadi society.

Asha is the human face of corruption. Hers is a Horatio Alger story with less moral uplift and more realpolitik. Asha lifted herself out of grinding rural poverty, despite having been married off to a hopeless drunk. For her, as for many slum-dwellers, Annawadi represents opportunity compared to what they left back home.

Asha is proof that you can get ahead in Annawadi, provided you work hard and never play by the rules. When you think about how miserable Asha and her children would have been otherwise, it's hard to begrudge her success, even though she hurts a lot of people. Then again, it becomes clear that she's upholding the system that makes it impossible for anyone else to succeed on the straight and narrow.

The 40-year-old mother of three is nominally a kindergarten teacher, but that’s just a patronage appointment from her allies in the anti-Muslim Shiv Sena party. Asha’s teenage daughter Manju insists on teaching the neighborhood children, to her mother’s chagrin. The gig was supposed to be a sinecure, like a lot of public school teaching jobs in India. The children of Annawadi could go to free public elementary schools, but the schools are so bad that ambitious families scrimp to send their brightest kid to private school.

Asha dreams of becoming Annawadi’s first female slum lord. As the story begins in early 2008, she sees an opening: the current slumlord is distracted with his new business, which involves painting zebra stripes on horses and renting them out for birthday parties.

A slumlord is an unofficial of liaison between the authorities and the neighborhood. Amongst other things, Asha helps the police extort bribes from her neighbors in exchange for a piece of the action.

Asha has already done well for herself. She has a tile floor, a cell phone, and the first television set in Annawadi. But most remarkable of all, she is sending her daughter, Manju, to college. The girl is poised to become the first female college grad in Annawadi history.

Manju is a sweet and gentle young woman who is mortified by her mother’s crassness and corruption. “Manju was always relieved to hear of local scandals in which her mother played no pivotal role,” Boo writes.

Chowrasta and the traditional marketplace

THERE is a quiet back lane behind the throbbing Chowrasta marketplace of George Town where hidden from public gaze is a curious old signboard. Bent and worn by the elements, it reads "Piccadilly Bazaar".

Unlike the crowded busy square in London it is named after, the little space the board refers to has only 20-odd idle shops. A few tailors, some curio and antique sellers, and textile retailers lie in perpetual wait for customers in a musty cast-iron building roofed with clay tiles and ageing timber beams.

Piccadilly was once a popular shopping venue for Penang folk before the Japanese invasion in the 1940s. Today, it is a pale shadow of its former commercial glory.

In fact, there was a time in George Town when anyone looking for some good bargains and colourful shopping experience would invariably think of Chowrasta. Located in the heart of the city, the century-old collection of small bazaars and shops has today also lost much of its draw.

The fading appeal of Chowrasta and its neighbourhood is in no small part due to the proliferation of shopping malls and hypermarkets.

Unlike its heyday, Chowrasta and other traditional markets suffer from dwindling interest from local communities. Just ask the traders in Chowrasta's "Jual Murah" enclave.

Despite their colourful assortment of wares - sarong, batek fabrics, songkok, lush Persian-style rugs, scarves and so on – demand has declined tremendously, with shoppers now preferring hypermarkets and shopping centres.

The plight of Chowrasta is reflective of the state of similar markets, especially in this new era of consumerism where large retail corporations siphon the masses with their bulk discounts, entertainment and other services.

One may say the traditional marketplaces face a big challenge in adapting to the times, or in somehow bringing back the charm and appeal that attracted people in the olden days.

Roughly translated from Hindi and Urdu, Chowrasta means "four cross-roads". Indeed, the famous shopping venue is at a crossroads after more than a century in existence.

For it was announced earlier this week that the Penang Island Municipal Council is to undertake a RM12 million refurbishing exercise to rejuvenate Chowrasta by the end of the year. The upgrading, to incorporate eco-friendly features while preserving the heritage identity of the site, is the first since the market's last facelift in 1961.

Records show that the original wet market was built sometime in the 1870s. A front portion was added in 1920 and the whole building was torn down and rebuilt as seen today in 1961.

Traditionally, the century-old marketplace has had a distinctly singular character, very different from its namesake in India, the touristy Chowrasta square of Darjeeling.

Swarming the wet markets, the thrift bazaars, the antique shops and the roadside hawkers, people haggle over a motley of things mundane and eccentric – preserved nutmeg, Shakespeare books, straw hats, fresh green broccolis, imitation designer sunglasses, antique watches, T-shirts, caps and undergarments.

There is even a corner where an old sewing machine from the 1940s still spins and whirrs away in the hands of a tailor stitching traditional dresses, scarves and headgear in good old-fashioned Malay style.

During the years when Penang was a duty-free port before the late sixties, the cheap Jual Murah items attracted Malay customers from as far away as South Thailand and Kedah, as well as workers and migrants from Sumatra who lived in George Town.

Many British people also came here to celebrate. A huge rusted signboard of the Broadway Café still looms high near the entrance of the Jual Murah. A Chinese herbal shop now occupies the first floor area where the westerners had famous bar fights.

City halls are getting fancier

The Vista Civic Center, completed in 2010 for more than $50 million, is adorned with cream and beige travertine marble tiles. On the inside, deep-cherry walls complement the bronze city seal embedded in the floor.

The building cost $530 a square foot, in today’s dollars.

That makes it the second most expensive in the county out of 18 built since 1958, according to a review by The Watchdog. The survey shows a jagged upward trend over time for more architecturally and visually ornate — and more expensive — city halls.

Vista’s Civic Center was approved during headier times, and its financing structure is now projected to come up short.

Voters approved the project in 2006 as part of Proposition L, a $100 million building campaign. The half-percent sales tax, which expires in 2037, was supposed to cover the cost of the money borrowed for the building.

Because of flagging sales-tax revenue, the city now estimates that by 2016 it will have to start taking money from its general fund — which pays for basic city services – to meet bond obligations.

Vista has already had to make cuts from its operating budget in the form of layoffs, reduced park hours and recreation programs and reduced City Hall hours. The city even considered switching off streetlights to save money.

In the past decade, city halls have opened in Coronado, Poway, Chula Vista and Vista, all costing more than $400 a square foot.

Vista’s cost of $530 a square foot also happens to be the same rate that San Diego is proposing with its dormant proposal for a new city hall.

Over the years, officials have expanded civic centers to include more than just government buildings. Vista’s includes a two-story community center and a walking park. Three-fourths of Coronado’s 2004 project was a community center that included two swimming pools, a gym, a community playhouse, a rock-climbing wall and fitness rooms.

Additionally, officials said, increased regulations such as earthquake codes — which weren’t as stringent in older buildings — have driven up costs.

In some cases, like Oceanside and Escondido, the centers were catalysts of development in flagging downtown districts. Escondido’s City Hall was part of a civic-center project that the community felt was vital to keep downtown from becoming a ghost town after the North County Fair opened in the city’s southern edge.

Oceanside officials point out that the civic center’s completion in 1990 started a surge in development in downtown that includes an adjacent movie theater, 250 homes and condominium units, restaurants and a time-share resort.

“Downtown has been transformed since the completion of the civic center,” economic development analyst Maryanne Bruce said.

Two of the cities that have had the lowest cost per square foot for opening a new city hall were Carlsbad and Santee. Both purchased existing buildings and came in at less than $200 per square foot.

Carlsbad spent $10 million to first lease, and then buy an office building on Faraday Avenue that houses the majority of its city functions. Santee spent $3 million to purchase a commercial center on Magnolia Avenue.

One government expert said that it is important for cities to have space to centralize their services and it can be visually pleasing. Those needs, however, should be balanced with the cost to taxpayers, said Glen Sparrow, a retired professor at San Diego State University’s School of Public Affairs.

With redevelopment’s end taking away an effective tool for officials to finance civic expansion and the economy still stagnant, Sparrow said he doesn’t think many more large scale civic centers will be on the horizon.

“At this time voters really have a lot of pressure on their elected officials,” Sparrow said. “There is not going to be building anything sensational anymore, especially with redevelopment on its way out.”

Seven Norton Democratic Delegates Elected at Caucus

Fifteen registered Norton Democrats filled Norton High School’s colorfully decorated library on Thursday night to hold a caucus. Amidst inspirationally painted ceiling tiles created by artistically inclined high school students, Norton’s active democrats proceeded to elect seven delegates to contribute to the representation of the Bristol and Norfolk Senatorial District at the Senatorial Convention this upcoming fall. 

At 6:45 p.m., attendees began to file into Norton High’s Library for the caucus.  Those interested in being elected were permitted to invite friends and neighbors to attend and lend them their vote, provided they had been registered democrats since at least the 31st of December.  However, a lack of interest in political involvement within the community prevents this from occurring, said caucus chair Martha J. Mitchell.

“We expect 11 or 12 people to show up,” said Mitchell, when asked before the event about anticipated attendance.  “We expect four to eight registered democrats to be willing [to be elected as delegates]. We are allotted seven delegates and three alternates, but we rarely get enough people to show up.”

Though more people attended than were expected, the total outturn was less than desired.

“I’d like to see a minimum of 25 to 30 people attending.  It is hard to get people motivated, although they do vote,” said Kenneth Cabral, a delegate for seven years.

Mitchell believes that a lack of understanding of the importance of involvement in politics, even on a local level, is to blame for the less-than-desired turnout at most caucuses.

The caucus began as Mitchell read a letter from Chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, John Walsh, providing words of encouragement and outlining the goals for the event.  In accordance with the laws for electing delegates, an equal amount of men and women had to be elected to represent the district.  Four men and four women (including Mitchell, whose spot as a delegate is included in her responsibilities as chairwoman) ran unopposed for their positions.  Darlene Boroviak, Susan Hindersmann and Caroline Weil were elected to fill the women’s spots, while Brandt Henderson, Ken Cabral, Robert Keating and Peter Whalen were elected for the men’s spots.

After the caucus, Mitchell received an email from a member of the the state rules committee that explains that the three people that were elected as alternates, Evan Smith, Samuel Henderson and Cynthia Gouveia, were not eligible because they did not notify the chair of their interest in running beforehand.

Also present were members of the community who were running for political office. After the caucus officially closed, the floor was opened for speeches.  First to speak was Keith Carreiro, running for General Court House Seat for the 4th Bristol District. Carreiro stressed a desire to bring together those he works with. Central to Carreiro’s speech was the strong belief that concerted efforts will contribute to positive changes within the community.

“As the Chair of the School Committee, I have seen everyone working together instead of bickering,” he said.  “As a result, we have saved 432 metric tons of carbon in just five months. I want to take this spirit and apply it throughout the district.”

Congressional candidate Paul Heroux delivered a speech outlining his qualifications for his desired position as well as his future plans, if elected.  A self-made man with negotiating skills cultivated through his impressive resume, Heroux hopes his genuine disposition and middle-class background will enable him to relate to his voters on a personal level, ultimately leading him to be chosen over his well-known opponent, Joe Kennedy. Heroux’s adamantly hands-on approach to politics is best embodied in his personal, door-to-door endeavors to get his name on the ballot.

“I’m personally collecting my 2,000 signatures,” he stated. To questions about his lack of political experience, Heroux put the situation in perspective. “Not a single elective candidate [in this race] has any electoral experience,” he said. “Not one.  But my philosophy on that is ‘If you have nothing, you can do anything.’”

The general attitude amongst the attendees was an experienced yet still passionate strive towards change.

“You don’t think this is what it’s like in Iowa, do you?”  joked one of the attendees as the delegates were voted to their positions, to which the rest of the group laughed. Though youths were conspicuously absent from the meeting, the library itself lent it a youthful, forward-moving energy. This spark of underlying excitement spoke to what the seasoned group of attendees already knew: that participation, no matter how large or small, can lead to the actualization of ideas and hopes for this country.

Wunderlich Nullarbor roof tiles help create imposing roofline

Almost 6000 tiles from Monier Wunderlich were used on the roof of a newly built school facility in Wahroonga, NSW.

Established in 1924, Knox Grammar School, situated in Sydney's leafy north shore has long been regarded as one of the state's leading and most respected independent schools. 

The new Great Hall and Aquatic Centre at the Knox Grammar School was built as part of a Master Plan by the School Council, which included a comprehensive building program that would see the school construct new amenities, upgrade existing buildings and modernise a range of facilities to meet the expectations of an increasingly sophisticated student population, and the broader school community. 

It was important for any new development at Knox Grammar to reflect the school’s core values, traditions and most importantly its architectural heritage, a key consideration adopted by Jones Sonter Architects when designing the school’s new 'Great Hall and Aquatic Centre'. 

Gonzalo Gonzalez, head architect on the project describes the overriding architectural style of the campus as Scottish Baronial, dating back to the 14th century. The challenge for the architects was to interpret and integrate this historical architectural style into a modern commercial structure that would house a multipurpose 2,500 seat auditorium, 50-metre competition swimming pool, a purpose-built ‘Learn to Swim’ pool and a weights room/gymnasium. 

The design merged the expansive auditorium and pool area to a 'Grand Entrance Foyer and Portico' to provide a sympathetic connection to the architectural style of the existing structures on the site, and allow the various building products used in the construction to demonstrate their versatility. 

A key structural and design element of the building was the imposing roofline covering the entire entrance foyer, an area of over 430m that extended the full length of the building. Pitched at 44 degrees, the roof balances perfectly above the glass, brick and sandstone facade, providing a visual cue that links the past to the present. 

Building contractor ADCO engaged CSR Roofing's construction division to coordinate the installation of almost 6,000 roof tiles in slate grey from the Wunderlich Nullarbor range, laid over a period of just 3 days, which also included the installation of insulation batts and sarking underlay. It was also decided to 'storm clip' every tile to ensure the roof’s longevity regardless of the weather conditions. 

Completed in September 2011, the Great Hall and Aquatic Centre fulfils the architect’s design objectives and meets the School Council’s expectations to provide a state-of-art facility that would be utilised and enjoyed by the entire school community for decades to come.

Former President Bush draws a crowd at Central Valley's World Ag Expo

Nearly 3,000 people, some paying thousands of dollars a ticket, came to hear former President George W. Bush speak at a charity event Wednesday night.

Bush was the keynote speaker at the Ag Warriors Gala, an event to benefit a newly formed program training military veterans for careers in agriculture.

"For those who contributed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart," Bush said.

The event was nearly a sellout with ticket prices ranging from $50 to more than $25,000 for a table of 10. The priciest tickets included a complete dinner, a meet-and-greet with Bush and an autographed copy of his book "Decision Points."

Bush spoke about his transition from public life to a private life, calling it liberating. His wife, Laura, asked him soon after leaving Washington, D.C., how he was feeling and he said: "Free at last."

She also said that since he felt so free, now he could do the dishes.

"She said, 'It is your new domestic policy agenda,' " Bush said, as the audience laughed.

Bush also made a wisecrack about the condition of the roads in Tulare. He told Mayor Wayne Ross he had one bit of advice for him: "Fix the potholes."

Although Bush was expected to speak for about half an hour and answer questions from the crowd, the media was allowed to listen to only the first three minutes of his speech.

Those attending said they came to support the program and hear the former president speak.

Bill Ray of Bakersfield couldn't afford the expensive tickets. He opted for the $50 tickets and paid $15 for a pulled pork sandwich, chips and a beer.

"It was worth it. Besides, I wanted to come to hear a real president speak," said Ray, who owns a ceramic tile business.

Hanford dairy operator, Dino Giacomazzi, who also sat in the $50 seats, said he came to support the Ag Warriors program.

Ag Warriors is patterned after similar efforts across the country that provide veterans training, guidance and other assistance necessary to employ them in agriculture-related jobs.

Giacomazzi said the program will help agriculture tap a valuable workforce.

"One thing our society lacks is vocational education, and these kids who go into the military get a vocation," he said. "And now we have the opportunity to hire people who have the skills, the discipline and the desire to achieve something."

Ag Warriors officials said the program will work with California State University, Fresno; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and College of the Sequoias in Visalia to provide veterans with the training they may need to work in agriculture.

Participants will be given classwork, fieldwork, exam preparation, testing, mentorship and internships in the agriculture industry.

Although the program does not expect to be up and running until June, it already is getting inquiries from vets.

"This is generating lots of interest locally and throughout the nation," said Stacey Beachy, director of corporate partnerships for the International Agri-Center.

Veteran advocates say veterans' military training and commitment to getting a job done make them well-suited for jobs in agriculture.

Also appearing at the gala was New York City's singing policeman, Daniel Rodriguez, and country music artist Michael Peterson. Peterson, who served as master of ceremonies, has done nine tours of Iraq and Afghanistan entertaining the troops.

Home Owners Take Advantage Of Floor and Decor's Expansion In Houston

Floor and Decor has quickly become the number one go-to spot for Houston flooring in the area. The company has expanded to 3 locations in the Houston metro area. The growth experienced by Floor & Decor has been tremendous as reflected in markets such as Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta where the company has expanded to multiple store locations. More and more customers are flocking to the superstore to view their expansive selection of flooring types and styles. Their prices are also another big draw for Houston homeowners looking for to update their kitchen and bath floors.

There are many reasons to shop at Floor and Decor. The company provides customers not only the option of going to one of their three physical locations in the Houston area, but customers can also shop for their flooring needs right from the comfort of their own home. Every type of tile Houston residents are looking for, and all wood floors Houston homeowners want are all available online. Customers can purchase and have their flooring shipped to their home, or have it shipped to the store for free.

If actually seeing and feeling floors are what customers want, then they can visit one of three physical locations in Houston. There, customers will find largest selection of hardwood, laminate and tile flooring on the market, all at the lowest prices anywhere. That means the most styles, including ceramic tile Houston residents adore, and the best quality available.

In addition to offering a wide selection of flooring needs, Floor and Decor takes customer service a step further. They offer free design classes every day of the week and how-to clinics on Saturdays so that customers can learn how to pick and install flooring for their kitchen or bath. With delivery and storage options, Floor and Decor has thought of it all.

Vayu Media is assisting Floor and Decor to raise their web presence in the Houston market. Please visit the seo company to learn about the most effective social, seo, and mobile strategies in the market.

What is Floor & Decor about? Unmatched selection. Unheard of prices. Unrivaled service. Floor & Decor provides more choices than the big-box, retail mega-stores. And we offer it for less than what you would find at a designer showroom. It's the perfect choice for all of your hard flooring needs.

Officially launched in 2001 with a single outlet in Atlanta, the company has grown to more than 24 retail locations across the nation. Since its inception, Floor & Decor has literally created a new market within the home improvement category. In the process, we've improved the way our customers buy hard flooring products for the home.

It's a more convenient shopping experience. A more inspiring shopping experience. And a more rewarding shopping experience. That's the goal of each of our locations. And it will be the goal of our future locations as well. So come by a Floor & Decor near you today, and experience the difference for yourself.

Watching Pennies Pays Off

Home improvement experts say the key to laying down flooring is to take extra care with the first few rows of tile. If those first tiles are even a tiny bit out of place, the floor will seem completely crooked at the end. It’s all about taking care of the little things first—a good model for governments spending our money.

B.C. Finance Minister Kevin Falcon was the latest leader to forget this important lesson. As public and media criticism swirled around the Government Employment Recognition Cupboard, a $1.5 million program which allows bureaucrats to send taxpayer-funded gifts to one another, Falcon defended the cupboard, noting that it was a tiny percentage of the province’s budget.

He’s not wrong on the numbers—the cupboard is small compared to what the government spends overall. For Falcon, who is busy putting the finishing touches on what will likely be a $43 billion budget, $1.5 million may seem like peanuts. But for B.C. taxpayers, it’s another sign of disconnect between government and the people.

Taxpayers want to know that every nickel they send to government is being spent properly. We look at the little things and our comfort level (or lack thereof) creates an overarching feeling toward the government as a whole.

A culture is created when little things are allowed to slide. A million dollars of waste becomes two, then ten, fifty and more. It’s a slippery slope that governments must continually guard against.

Small decisions begin to add up: $8,960 for a year-end YouTube video from Premier Christy Clark that unnecessarily duplicated several year-end media interviews. Another $130,000-plus job in the Premier’s office. Almost $125,000 spent on lawyer bills to keep government contracts secret from the public.

Last fall, after spending a whopping $563 million on refurbishing B.C. Place Stadium, the provincial government kicked in an extra $550,000 for the Grey Cup Festival. Weren’t a half-billion dollar capital expenditure and a hometown win by the B.C. Lions enough to make the game a success?

These little things cultivate an environment where bigger problems grow.

The Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT) is a $19.4 million program that is essentially corporate welfare under the guise of greenwashing. Government agencies, school districts, health authorities spent your tax dollars to buy “carbon credits.” That money went to big companies to pay for offsets, a practice that even irritates environmentalists.

The PCT wasn’t the only place where tax dollars were disappearing in the name of fighting climate change. B.C. put $17 million into a program to give rebates to electric car buyers. Shouldn’t that decision be a personal one? Why waste tax dollars on this, when electric car drivers will already benefit by avoiding 50 cents per litre in gas taxes?

Then there’s the Children’s Education Fund, where government is putting aside $1,000 for every post-secondary student who starts school after 2025. Punishing today’s taxpayers for tomorrow’s spending is just as flawed as creating massive debts and penalizing tomorrow’s taxpayers for today’s mistakes. This gimmick should go the way of its creator—Premier Gordon Campbell.

It gets worse. Over the past two years, the provincial government has seen a 22 per cent increase in the number of public sector employees making more than $100,000 a year. Wages are the single largest cost driver in government. That’s almost four times the median income in B.C., and puts them in the top four per cent of provincial income earners.

When you build a floor, it’s critical the first row of tile goes on perfectly straight, or the work will become more and more askew and need to be redone. Likewise, government needs to take care of the little things, the nickels and dimes, because they add up all too quickly into big problems.

50 Years of Mets Memories

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mets existence.

That milestone has caused me to reflect back on the countless games I have watched, the heartbreaks and the highlights.

I became a Met fan in 1964, at the age of six years old, because my father was a fan (I was too young to remember the Polo Grounds days).  I will never forget the first time we went to Shea Stadium in 1964.  The moment when I first saw the green grass is embedded forever in my memory.  The field was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and the enormity of the scoreboard was awe-inspiring.

I remember rooting for an extra inning game because I never wanted to leave.  That first trip to Shea hooked me and I have been a diehard fan ever since.

Prior to 1969, it was easy to be a Mets fan.  The team rarely exceeded the low expectations we all had ... but it didn't matter.  They were an expansion team in the days before free agency, so everyone knew it would be a while before they would be competitive.

The miracle year of 1969 changed everything.  It was the first year where legitimate excitement surrounded the team.  That season was loaded with highlights and memories that remain so clear, it feels like they happened yesterday. 

Seaver's near perfect game on July 9th was thrilling, particularly because it came against the Cubs and provided a statement that this young team was not going to wilt under the pressure.  Jimmy Qualls had 31 total hits in his major league career but his one out single in the ninth to break up Seaver's perfect game assured that his name will live forever in Mets history.

There were two other remarkable feats during that season that occurred a week apart.  On September 12, Don Cardwell and Jerry Koosman were the starting pitchers in a doubleheader against the Pirates.  Both pitchers pitched shutouts and the Mets won both ends of the doubleheader by the same score, 1-0.  That is quite a feat in and of itself ... but what made that day most memorable is the pitchers drove in the only run in each game!

A week later, Steve Carlton set a major league record by striking out 19 Mets in a game.  But the Mets won the game thanks to two 2-run homers off the bat of Ron Swoboda.

The miracle Mets seemed to perform a new miracle every day down the stretch that season.

After the Mets won the World Series in 1969, I remember my father saying it will never be the same to be a Mets fan.  He said, losing will no longer be so easily tolerated.  His words were prophetic.

Advancing to the World Series in 1973 was even more miraculous than what happened in 1969.  The Mets were 38-50 in mid-July.  Nothing was going right and Tug McGraw, their closer, struggled mightily that year.  Manager Yogi Berra then made a move you would NEVER see in this day and age.  He started Tug McGraw in a game against the Braves on July 17.

Yogi's reasoning was the Mets were going nowhere if McGraw didn't straighten himself out.  Berra didn't care if the Mets lost that game, he wanted McGraw to work out his problems on the mound.  In 6 innings of work, McGraw gave up 7 runs on 3 homers.  The Mets trailed 7-1 in the ninth and rallied for seven runs, capped off by a Willie Mays two run single (his last significant contribution as a major league player), to win the game 8-7.

McGraw pitched extremely well in relief the remainder of the season and shortly after that game he made "Ya Gotta Believe" the slogan for the season. 

FashionSmart is Armstrong's Single-Source Flooring Solution

FashionSmart, a builder oriented program bundling Armstrong hard surface flooring and Beaulieu of America soft surfaces under the powerful Armstrong brand, offers a coordinated, six-tiered system to help builders easily sell the flooring’s features and benefits and show the trade-up story in their showrooms.

Armstrong – a brand that consumers know, trust and prefer – gives builders a single product portfolio encompassing all flooring needs, from premium flooring to price- fighter options. FashionSmart includes Armstrong’s quality offerings in vinyl sheet, luxury vinyl tile and plank, laminate and hardwood, together with a rich assortment of over 60 carpet collections made by Beaulieu of America. All products are organized by a color-coded system, making trade-ups easy to understand and easy to sell.

“It helps homebuyers streamline product selection. Builders get an efficient and effective sales process that can contribute to selling more upgrades,” said Dawn McElfresh, Builder Channel Marketing Manager, Armstrong.

In new product news, Alterna Premium Tile Flooring by Armstrong is an innovative flooring choice. Alterna is a warmer, softer, more versatile alternative to ceramic and stone tiles. It’s so realistic that people are referring to this new luxury vinyl collection as ‘super-naturals’. The look of natural stone continues to be a design favorite that brings elegance and style to any space. Now, this natural beauty can be enjoyed without any of the drawbacks of stone – no more hard, cold flooring underfoot, cracked tiles or unforgiving surfaces. The traditional Alterna collection is designed to capture the timeless look of natural stone while providing a comfortable surface for everyday living. Less tile-to-tile variation creates a more subtle, refined floor. New Alterna Reserve builds on that success with new designs featuring dramatic stone patterns; dramatic realism through greater tile-to-tile variation. Super-tough Alterna is especially great for families with allergies, pets or children. It’s quiet and forgiving surface more readily tolerates spills and drops. It is highly wear-water-and-stain resistant, and also is easy to clean.

Hardwood continues to be the top flooring choice for new home buyers and those ready to remodel. Additionally it offers a better resale value down the road. People want confidence that their hardwood floors will stay beautiful for many years to come, and Armstrong’s new Performance Plus delivers on that promise. A patented acrylic-infusion process makes these floors up to 2.5x times harder and a new Nano Alum-Oxide coating provides superior scratch and stain resistance. Performance Plus is offered in a wide color palette (over 25 colors) in six species of wood (Birch, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Oak and Walnut). According to Milton Goodwin, vice president, Hardwood Product Management, “Hardwood floors are not meant just for show. “People want beautiful looks with the peace of mind provided by true ‘high performance’,” he said. “These floors withstand the demanding lifestyles of modern families; they’re perfect for active homes with kids and pets.” Performance Plus is the only wood floor product to combine all these consumer-hot-button features with the ease of three install options – glue, staple or Lock N’ Fold – at a great price point.

Stylish in Boston is not the same look as stylish in Tucson. That’s why the new Handscraped Hardwood collection encompasses a range of looks – and the offering can be tailored to an exact fit for every builder’s market preferences. There are four distinct collections, ranging from value to designer price points in both solid and engineered structures, and five species, including Acacia.

On the carpet side, Armstrong’s carpet solutions allow the builder to trade their customers up with the looks and features they want for their new home. “A cleaner, healthier home is on the mind of virtually every female consumer. That’s why Armstrong added ‘Silver Release Technology’ anti-microbial to its carpet and ‘Magic Fresh’ technology that removes pet, cooking, and even smoke odors from the home, to give customers the cleanest, freshest indoor environment possible,” said McElfresh.

Builders can not only count on FashionSmart products to have the benefits of Armstrong’s well-known quality, but they also can trust that the Armstrong brand will help home buyers recognize the builder’s product as being a high quality offering.

Prospective home buyers report that their perception of the quality of a new home is most strongly influenced by the quality of the floors, and they recognize well known, trusted brand names. Builders committed to winning the competition for new home sales are more and more eager to differentiate themselves by ensuring that prospects know they use Armstrong brand flooring. Simply put, Armstrong helps to sell homes.“Builders have an opportunity to leverage a quality brand consumers know and trust to attract home buyers,” said McElfresh. “FashionSmart means our builder partners have the assurance that they have the best program possible to offer their prospects and that they can meet the needs of every home buyer.”

Westport home perfect for large family

 "Traditional" and "gorgeous" could be used to describe the colonial at 1 Freedom Court.

A great family home, it has four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms including a master suite. It has an eat-in kitchen, a finished basement, a huge deck, and a wooded backyard.

The house is located off Sanford Road on a quiet, rural street. It’s about two miles from the many businesses and restaurants on Route 6.

At seven years young, the house needs absolutely nothing to move in. It’s been well maintained and has loads of space.

The natural wood shingle exterior fit in well with the home’s surroundings. There is off-street parking for two vehicles. The 10x20 wood framed shed is fully wired for sound and electricity.

Through the front door, an elegant foyer is topped by a pretty chandelier. Eye-catching cherry stained hardwood floors gleam throughout the house.

The home has a formal and casual living room separated by elegant pocket doors inset with paned glass. It also has a formal dining room. The rooms are bright and airy with off-white walls to make decorating a breeze.

The woodwork and mouldings are bright white and contrast nicely with the dark floors. The home flows nicely from one room to another.

The eat-in kitchen is lovely with cherry cabinets that match the hardwood floors. The counters and island top are in neutral shades. Recessed lighting is great for cooking. Pendant lights hang over the island.

Doors lead out to a 44-by-22 mahogany deck where the family can dine under mature shade trees.

There is a half bathroom off the hall on the main level. It has a marble topped vanity and ceramic tile floor. The laundry room is conveniently located across from the bathroom and is a neat space. Between the two rooms is a side door that goes out to the yard.

The bedrooms are up the attractive wooden staircase.

The master bedroom is large and has three windows. It has a huge walk-in closet. The attached bathroom has a cherry wood vanity and a ceramic tile floor.

Each of the other three bedrooms vary in size and each has a double closet. If not all are needed as sleeping quarters, office or den spaces are a possibility.

There is another full bathroom off the hall.

The home has a large, full basement. It is nearly finished with knotty pine walls and Pergo wood-look floors. All that is needed is to finish the ceiling. The space is bright and could become a second family room or work room.

The home has hot water baseboard oil heat and 200 amp electricity. It has a Kinetico high-end water filtration system.

An open house is scheduled for Sunday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Those interested in viewing the house are invited to attend.

At-a-glance

Picture the school as it is right now, the students’ attitudes, the classes and the way the school itself is set up. Now that you’re thinking about this, go back to when teachers were students, and imagine what Mattoon High School would have been like then.

One gym, no ceiling tiles and a courtyard where the cafeteria is would be what you would have seen at MHS when Economics teacher Vinny Walk was a student.

According to Walk, MHS hasn’t changed all that much, other than how the school’s layout. Students’ attitudes specifically haven’t changed, though they were more involved in sports and activities.

“Students have more input now; no one used to ask for students’ opinions,” said Alumni and English teacher Malia Smith.

Within the past years, MHS has gone from having a small amount of electives to choose from to having so many that it’s hard to choose what classes to take.

“There was no journalism, just a newspaper club,” said Walk. “The variety of classes has increased.”
 “A lot of classes have gone away. Technology upped the expectations of the students,” said Smith.

While technology has made advancements, rivalries have remained common among MHS and surrounding schools.
Some people seem to think that the rivalry between Mattoon and Charleston is bad now, but according to Walk, at games between the two towns, it was almost impossible to get into the gym. But at games now, you can almost always find a seat, even if you arrive after the game has started.

Another commonality at MHS back then and still relevant now is senor pranks. Unlike today, Smith’s senior prank didn’t take place on the school grounds.

“There was a bright green toilet that was placed on a senior’s front lawn. You would have to call senior guys to come pick it up, and then it was placed on another person’s yard,” said Smith.

But, this wasn’t just a prank that was played on the last day of school.

“It was decorated for different holidays. But on the last day of school, it was placed on the front lawn of the school,” said Smith.

Senor pranks are different from back then, but clothing trends are coming back. According to Smith, the style that was in at her time is coming back.

“We wore grunge clothes, which consisted of flannel shirts, baggy jeans, and Doc Martin’s. Long hair was in, for both girls and boys. Some also had dread locks, which were awful,” said Smith.
However, Walk had a different perspective.

“Clothes weren’t too different. Bibs, parachute pants, rolled up jeans, and popped collars were in. We dressed nicer, we didn’t have holes in our jeans, we dressed more church-like,” said Walk.

Fluidized-bed technology gaining ground

The new fluidized-bed furnaces for the heat treatment of wire, which Wire Krner presented for the first time at Wire 2010, have convinced wire producers: The first two plants of this kind will be operational before Wire 2012 opens its doors. These innovative furnaces, which have no distributor pipes or tiles, afford the benefit of lower energy consumption by up to 15 percent and low investment and maintenance costs. Additionally, premixing of the combustion gas outside the furnace guarantees uniform temperature distribution and reduced emissions.

The first two orders were placed right after Wire Krner had introduced the new fluidized-bed furnace at Wire in 2010. The first furnace is currently being commissioned at a customer”s site in Turkey. The second one is being installed in Ecuador. At Wire 2012, Wire Krner will present first reports on practical experience with this new technology.

The patent-pending furnaces dispense with distributor elements as typically used in conventional designs. This eliminates a number of components which used to be considered indispensible in the past, as, for example, the fairly complex and expensive distributor tiles, perforated distribution pipes or stand-by blowers.

Peter Kordt, Managing Owner of Wire Krner, expects significant cost reductions for his customers: “The simplicity of the design has obviously convinced our customers. The new technology saves up to 15 percent of energy compared to conventional furnaces. Also the savings on maintenance will be significant, because what does not exist does not need to be serviced or maintained.”

The absence of the distributor equipment markedly reduces flow resistance of the combustion gas inside the furnace. Hence the required blower capacity can be lower than that of competing designs by about 20 percent. Not only the smaller blower unit but also the overall simplified furnace design will markedly reduce capital costs. Additionally, the new design no longer requires a stand-by blower, which was necessary in the past to provide cooling air to cool the steel structures in the event of a power failure.

As the combustion gas is premixed outside the furnace, the new design achieves a uniform fuel-air mixing ratio throughout the fluidized bed and a homogeneous temperature distribution over the width and length. This results in higher combustion efficiency and lower emissions of unburned hydrocarbons.

Through carefully customized control algorithms, efficiency is maximized at all loads. This saves up to 15 percent energy. For a typically sized furnace, this means more than 7,000 euros per year saved on energy.

Wire Krner GmbH designs and manufactures plant and equipment for the complete process chain of wire and narrow strip heat treatment, from the drawn wire through to the finished end product. The range of heat treatment plants comprises bell-type, chamber and channel furnaces for patenting, annealing, galvanizing, hardening, tempering and chemical treatments. The company provides design, engineering, manufacture, erection, commissioning and after sales service. Wire Krner maintains a worldwide network of branches and licensees.

Wire Krner’s numerous quality and efficiency-enhancing innovations regularly attract the industry”s attention. For example, the recently developed wire patenting furnace with an innovative atmosphere control system achieves substantial energy savings, or the recuperative immersion burner for ceramic galvanizing furnaces has been designed for very long service lives, just to mention a few examples.

Wire Krner is a company of the Krner Group, which was established in 1928. Thus the company builds on more than 80 years of experience in industrial furnace technology and auxiliary equipment. Within the group, Zink Krner GmbH specializes in plants for piece galvanizing. TVT Kordt GmbH develops plants for thermal process technology, with a focus on industrial furnaces for the heat treatment of steels, special steels and non-ferrous metals.

Filmmaker Jon Foy seeks the source of the mysterious Toynbee tiles

THE TOYNBEE tiles are embedded within the very fabric of Philadelphia. Found in seemingly random spots throughout the city, the license-plate-size tiles are etched with a cryptic message: "TOYNBEE IDEAS IN KUbrick's 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER." The tiles also have been found up and down the East Coast and even in Chile and Argentina.

Many have investigated the mystery behind the tiles. Who placed them? What do they mean? But until the documentary "Resurrect Dead," the only person who knew the answers to those questions was the one placing the tiles.

The Philadelphia Film Society will host a screening and DVD release party for "Resurrect Dead" tonight at the Trocadero. The film debuted at last year's Sundance Film Festival. First-time director Jon Foy, who was working as a housecleaner while shooting and editing the film, won the best-directing award for a U.S. documentary at the venerable festival.

On the surface, "Resurrect Dead" is a simple search for a mysterious, apparent recluse. But the documentary smartly finds its main character in Justin Duerr, who has been searching for the Toynbee tiler since 1994 and is an admitted obsessive. With his sharp, birdlike features, copious tattoos and affable personality, he makes for a compelling central figure.

Duerr met fellow Toynbee fanatics Colin Smith and Steve Weinikas, who are also in the film, via the Internet and the trio set off to reveal the mystery behind the tiler - a journey that took them to the wilds of South Philly, through the work of world historian Arnold J. Toynbee and playwright David Mamet, and beyond.

While the mystery of the Toynbee tiles is enough to drive the narrative, the documentary is augmented by Foy's cinematic vision. Late-night Philadelphia becomes a noirish dreamscape. For some scenes, such as how they believe the Toynbee tiler places his work, Foy turned to animation.

"The real-life case was so bizarre, so we could make a movie that felt unreal," Foy said. "I wanted to use cinematic devices to create a sense of whimsy and magic. There was something really neat about finding this little unexplored corner of the world where you couldn't just go to Wikipedia and get answers. We had to actually hit the streets, and look at the microfiche."

Foy was only an aspiring filmmaker when he met Duerr in 2000. Foy found Duerr's obsession so fascinating, he decided to make a movie about it, though it would be five years before the camera started rolling.

"My memory is so fuzzy, but people who knew me back then say, 'All you would talk about is making this movie,' " Foy said.

Foy began filming without knowing whether anything would come of his passion project. As the movie notes, many others have sought the identity of the Toynbee tiler, and two documentary crews attempted to make their own films but failed.

"We started shooting in 2005 and we got into Sundance in 2010. What people don't realize is the year of success I had was preceded by 5 1/2 years of complete uncertainty," Foy said.

By the time "Resurrect Dead" wrapped in 2007, most, though not all, of the questions had been answered. The ending is left intentionally vague, allowing the movie to be about much more than its central mystery. By focusing on Duerr, "Resurrect Dead" becomes a film about the nature of obsession, empathy and letting go.

Duerr wasn't the only obsessive involved in the documentary. Foy was obsessed with telling this story. While he would sometimes want to throw everything out, Foy would always return to the stacks of tapes piled high on his desk. "That's the upside of doing things on the cheap and doing it DIY," Foy said. "You don't have to please anyone. It's one of those slow and steady processes. I couldn't give up because I couldn't quit my life."

During the day, Foy would clean houses and daydream about the mood of a particular scene or compose a piece of music in his head that would later form the score.

Foy now refers to himself as "a starving artist with a little bit of success." He's working with a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, Elia Petridis, on a feature version of "Resurrect Dead." Foy doesn't want to direct it; he's finished with the Toynbee tiles for now. But he sees narrative films in his future, especially of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. For now, though, Foy predicted, he'll follow up "Resurrect Dead" with another documentary, though he hasn't chosen a subject.

Fabric glue a godsend

One of my dogs decided to do a little redecorating last month after I rearranged some furniture.

I inadvertently repositioned our sofa so our very territorial dog Chase could easily see out a large window.

He does not take kindly to people walking their dogs on the road and entering his field of vision. Prior to my moving the sofa, he would simply go into a barking fit with hackles raised and paws on the windowsill. After the rearranging, he could be curled up on the sofa and detect invaders.

Chase has been known to redirect his angst, and the cushion attached to the arm of the sofa became his target.

His first attack happened while my husband was home, and it left only tooth-sized holes. The second attack a few days later happened sometime in the 1 hours between when my husband left for work and I returned home. That time there was a 4-inch slash and the cushion was pulled away from the arm.

Chase had been taken for a walk before my husband left that day. We were wondering if we needed to up his separation anxiety medicine.

The third attack looked the worst. Fiberfill was strewn across the living room and sofa and a sliver of microfiber dangled limply from the corner. My husband waited until I got home from work to tell me about that attack, which had happened while he was still sleeping in the morning.

After examining the carnage, I determined I did not possess the skills or tools to reattach the cushion to the couch via sewing.

We had recently purchased some glass glue and ceramic glue. (Our cat Potter felt the need to clear the countertop of a decorative tile I had yet to hang.) I thought I would look for some fabric glue to try to fix the sofa.

I picked up a tube of Loctite Vinyl, Fabric & Plastic Flexible Adhesive at a home store.

It's not quite as quick-setting as some super glues, which is a good thing in one respect and bad in another. When I got some on my fingers, I was able to pry them apart with no skin loss. To get the microfiber to stick to the sofa frame, however, I needed to hold it tightly in place for a few minutes.

The results are far from good as new, but the sofa has an arm cushion once again.

I did reposition the sofa, again, so Chase cannot stand on it and detect passersby. So far, so good.

Inviting terrace has been cherished and refurbished

H OME to James and Sylvia Pickerill for more than 30 years, this two bedroom terrace has been loved, cared for and recently modernised by the couple who say they are only moving because at their age they want to live in a bungalow.

The house at 10, Lynam Street, Penkhull, has only just gone on the market in the past couple of weeks and would make an ideal property either for someone who wants to be close to either the hospitals or Staffordshire University, or a landlord wanting it as an investment to take advantage of the demand for rented property in the area.

James, 79, a retired long distance lorry driver, says: "A lot of the houses around here have been bought by landlords because we are close to both the hospitals and Staffordshire University which is a few minutes away and the A500 too.''

As with so many properties in this area the house sits on a hill, and there are five steps up from the road to the front door – although some useful hand rails help ease the climb up.

The house has obviously been well maintained and indeed, the couple has spent quite a bit of money on it in recent years. In the past three years the roof has been renovated, a large walk-in shower has been installed in the downstairs bathroom, there has been a new fitted kitchen and a solid wood floor in the lounge, plus a laminated one in the front reception room, and around 1,000 has been spent on having a new brick wall built at the back of the courtyard behind the house and cobbles laid to make a really charming little garden.

With its position catching the afternoon sun it is ideal if you fancy growing plants or vegetables in pots or grow bags – there's even an outside water tap to make life easier for you.

It is a lovely feature of the house and appears money well spent.

It has double glazing throughout and even on the freezing cold day when I visited, the house is indeed as Sylvia says "very warm, quiet and cosy.''

D ownstairs are two reception rooms, the one at the front filled with light from the deep windows and the one behind used as the lounge which is really the heart of the home.

The solid oak floor and an electric fire in a feature surround make this a lovely room and there is a nice view of the courtyard behind.

A step up from the lounge leads to the kitchen which was only fitted last year and, as with the rest of the house, it is spick and span.

It has a built in electric oven and gas hob with an extractor hood, a ceramic tile floor and tiled splashbacks. Beyond this is a handy little storage cupboard and then the bathroom.

Following a fall James has decided that a large walk in shower is a safer option than a bath and the unit is virtually brand new.

Upstairs are the two bedrooms on either side of the stairwell and there is a large fitted wardrobe in the front one and a storage cubby hole in the back one.

James says: "We have lived here for 32 years and are only moving because I can't cope with the steps any longer and need to be in a bungalow.

"The house is in very good condition and we have spent quite a bit on it over the past few years, from having the roof done and the loft fully insulated to the kitchen, bathroom and the courtyard at the back which makes a nice little garden.

"It is in a very good location for the hospitals or university and the A500. We have loved living here because it is a good area and it's so quiet you don't know the neighbours are there. We have looked after it, modernised it where necessary and it is ready to be moved into.''

TPS project wraps up while springing leaks

Its main entrance is bathed in daylight through a tall glass ceiling even on cloudy mornings such as Friday's, one of the finer features of the first high school renovated last decade by Toledo Public Schools.

But nearby, water stains on office ceiling tiles tell the other side of the story on Toledo's massive public-school construction initiative. The Building for Success program, a nearly decade-long project with a $635 million price tag, will end this year. Students will occupy the rebuilt and replaced schools, and about two dozen old buildings will be demolished.

The program's scale is impressive, with dozens of buildings rebuilt or remolded. In essence, Toledo Public Schools overhauled almost its entire physical infrastructure since dignitaries in 2003 broke ground at the first site. Project leaders avoided major scandals common with plans so complicated and expansive.

Yet, despite the overall success, persistent problems remain, even as Building for Success nears completion. Two schools are so crowded that buildings scheduled for demolition still house students. And roofs leak at nearly two dozen new schools. The defects so infuriate Board of Education members that several recently urged administrators to sue those responsible.

"I don't care if we have to sue people or call bonds in," board member Larry Sykes said. "Make it clear that we are not going to be held liable for problems at these facilities."

Leaky roofs at Rogers High School are nothing new.

Despite re-opening in 2006, Rogers has faced consistent problems with leaks, especially when snow accumulates. A leak in the building's main office grew so serious that most of the ceiling tiles collapsed one weekend, an employee said, nearly blocking the office's entrance.

Now the employee said she has a leak in her office, with a hole cut into a tile so that water can drain into a waste bin.

The Building for Success program was a collaboration between Toledo Public Schools and the Ohio School Facilities Commission. The state commission covers 77 percent of the projects' costs, with the other 23 percent funded by voter-approved bonds sold in 2003 by the district.

To manage the program, the partners contracted with a construction management team of Lathrop Co., Barton Marlow, and R. Gant LLC. That team oversees much of the projects' day-to-day operations. Messages left with the group for this and other recent stories were not returned.

All told, the team will have built or renovated about 3.5 million square feet at 44 sites, and spent $635 million. Most involved agree the project has been largely a success, though there have been hitches along the way.

Communities got new schools, with technological upgrades that are more energy efficient. Beyond the schools built, Board of Education president Lisa Sobecki pointed to construction jobs the initiative sustained during a troubled time for that industry.

"Had we not had this," she said, "how many more people would have been out of jobs?"

Along the way, some decisions generated unforeseen consequences. Value engineering decisions helped cut costs in some places, TPS chief business manager Jim Gant said, but left results that are unacceptable.

"I don't care what we decided," TPS chief business manager Jim Gant said. "We didn't decide to have roof leaks."

State officials also initially opposed building commissioning. That opposition increased the likelihood the district received buildings with flaws. That policy was changed, Mr. Gant said, and many of the roof leaks were from those constructed before buildings were commissioned.

Meanwhile, another element of the project has left school board members with unexpected decisions. Both Marshall and Whittier elementary schools are overcrowded, partly because of the district's recent move to replace separate elementary and junior-high schools with K-8 buildings. Because the OSFC provides funding based on overall district enrollment, and not individual schools' size, new state funding for additions is unavailable.

So even when students enter the new Marshall -- one of the last schools to reopen -- the project may not be complete.

At the Board of Education last week, board members expressed frustration not just with the continued flaws, but also the district's apparent inability to get contractors to fix the problems. Some suggested increased scrutiny of buildings before the district takes ownership. Others endorsed aggressive acts to hold others to account.

Mr. Gant said both the construction management team and OSFC officials expressed a "full commitment" to address the problems, and the three now meet weekly for updates. A third party is assessing buildings, and the district will then address firms about the findings.

For instance, a Dec. 2 memo from Mr. Gant to board members addressed roof leaks at East Broadway Elementary, calling the school a "constant source of problems." Business staff intended to meet with legal staff to decide if legal action should be pursued against contractor Rudolph/Libbe or architect Munger & Munger.

"We have not been contacted about any recent issues," Gary Haas, Rudolph/Libbe's vice president of contracts administration, said in a statement. "There have been issues in the past, and we've been very attentive in addressing them."

Charles Moyer of Mosser Construction, which installed the roof at Rogers, said the company was never contacted about leaks, and said he was unaware of any problems at the school.

Mr. Sykes later questioned why the buildings' problems are only being addressed now, at the tail end of the Building for Success program, when many warranties are up. Ms. Sobecki, who has chaired a board committee charged with building project oversight, said she has raised concerns about building flaws repeatedly.