Thursday, May 29, 2008

Laying Down the Law

An excellent interview from the April issue of The Sun magazine. Connie Rice (related to Condi Rice) talks about life working with the local community. Gives her view of why the gangs persist, and opportunities to neutralize them. She likes Ceasefire, but I guess she hasn't seen the audit that was done here in Illinois. She made me think harder about the issues of gangs and what to do about

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Latest Oil Update

Much is being made of the rapid rise, decline, and rise again of crude prices. Regardless of the why the increases are having an impact and most politicians are running for cover and band-aids, including our Presidential candidates.Debbie Cook, the Mayor of Huntington Beach, Ca., and a Congressional candidate, is able to articulate the impact on her community, and the resistance to dealing with

SUVs take the plunge

I wasn't being overly dramatic when I said that cars were going to become metal bricks with wheels, SUVs.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Living Room Design - Quick Tips for Using Modern Designs

By : Albert Lee

Next generation living room needs next generation designs. That is why the use of modern living room designs is apt for the contemporary style of houses today.

In order to create an impression of modernization, the designs should incorporate the appropriate living room accessories that will accentuate the look of the room. The idea is to come up with contemporary designs but still patterned to your taste and personality.

Here's how:

1. Focus

You really do not have to spend more on buying new items just to create that modern look. With simple designs, you can easily come up with modern living room designs.

For instance, you can use lighting accessories, such as vanity strips and ornament lights. These items will serve as accent lighting and will emphasize or draw attention to your furniture even if they are not brand new. The idea is to blend modern lighting and not-so modern furniture and demonstrate what modern living room designs are all about.

2. Accessorize

Coming up with modern living room interior designs does not necessarily mean buying updated, modern furniture. You can do away with modern home accessories and create that modern living room design. These items are much cheaper than the brand new fixtures and furniture.

The important thing is to create a look of the modern world. This would mean using accessories that are elegant, shiny, and patterned in subdued colors such as silver, grey, or black.

3. Color magic

The next step in incorporating modern living room designs is the color scheme. Modern homes are usually painted in sleek colors, such as black, white, and silver.

Hence, it is best to stick to basic colors so as to reflect contemporary look. Modern living room designs for paints are also focused on using matte or flat paint finish. Avoid the glossy or shiny paint finish.

For walls, you can stick with the white color and enhance them with modern accessories such as paintings or modern day murals.

4. Go abstract

Most modern designs today are patterned in abstract designs. Hence, incorporating these things in modern living room designs will definitely bring contemporary look in your area.

You can start by using clocks or paintings with abstract designs. Abstract designs provide a playful interpretation on the perception of different things.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/living-room-design-quick-tips-for-using-modern-designs-150604.html

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Commentary on 7315 Meeting

I don't know Rich Aronson or his company, Camelot Realty. He comes across as very passionate about what he believes in. However, his passion (and ego?) appeared to override his common sense as he lectured the audience on energy issues and the benefits of his proposal. Many weren't buying what he was selling and vocalized their skepticism without regard for the rest of the audience. There was

7315 N. Sheridan Meeting

The community meeting about the 7315 N. Sheridan parcel, while reasonably civil, nevertheless displayed the local community's deep concerns about the proposal, and its lack of trust in the developer. The meeting began at 7:20 PM and ended at 10:35 PM. 42 people spoke up, but twice that number appeared to be in attendance. Of the speakers, 24 were from the Sherwin/Chase/Sheridan block, the rest

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Community Meeting - Zoning Variance

Well the Sturm und Drang is over for now. Rich Aronson presented his proposal for the Sheridan parcel to a very large (70-100?) crowd in a meeting that ran from 7:20 - 10:35 PM. Consensus: parking is a huge issue and so is the possible precedent that could be set by upzoning the parcel. Chase on the Lake was represented and made it clear they will oppose any approvals. Per Joe the ZALUAC will

Monday, May 19, 2008

An Engineer's Approach to Cats

If you are owned by cats you will probably enjoy this short subject I found at YouTube. It was simply hilarious!

Sustainability Conference

Unfortunately I will be at a memorial service, otherwise I would be beating feet to this Peak Oil conference in Grand Rapids, MI.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

How to Breathe Life Into your Living Room

By : Sarika Kabra

As the name suggests, a living room is where you spend most part of your daily routine life. The most important functions in a home like dining, recreating, entertaining guests and watching television etc., are all, usually, hosted by the living room. Therefore, it becomes all the more imperative that you maintain your living room and make it as good as possible with ideal decoration. Now, decoration may take the shape of arranging, re-arranging or buying new furniture for your living room. It may also take the shape of entirely re-doing the architecture of the living room. But this is a slightly expensive and long-term plan that may or may not work.

For the sake of brevity, this article will focus on dabbling with your furniture in order to breathe some life into your living room. The kind of furniture used in the living room depends a great deal on the requirements of the family. For instance, a home with kids may have entirely different needs while those with mostly grown ups in the family will value the grace and looks of Amish made furniture.

Fortunately, you don’t have to start from scratch in order to make your living room a living entity. The furniture already placed in your living room, if seems ugly, can be refurbished or even re-arranged to give a brand new look to the room. Living room can be compartmentalized by some strategic measures that may include separation by cabinets, shelves or even clever flooring and different paint patterns for the walls. The idea is to have optimum utilization of space in the living room.

You can also experiment with different types of furniture for different requirements. For instance, Amish furniture could be used to show your sense of appreciation towards craftsmanship. Remember, your living room also doubles up as the place to entertain your guests and business delegates. And carefully crafted Amish Oak furniture might just land you a lucrative long-term contract! Wicker furniture may also be used to lend variety in the living room. Plastic furniture is easier to handle.

Always leave some free space to allow your living room and other furniture to breathe and also not look cluttered. If you have lots of extra stuff and find it hard to store small items, the furniture items with storage units should be your first choice. Decorative items like lamps and photo-stand etc. must not occupy too much space. The motto is to beautify the room with as little articles as possible. The decorative items must be unique and not too many!

Leather sofas are always easy to maintain and also add the requisite gloss to the living room. The paint of the living room should not give out the feeling of gaudiness. Evergreen light colors should be used in the living room. All the experimentation should be done in other rooms of your home. Always keep your living room free from dirt by periodic cleaning and dusting. The stains on the furniture should be removed without delay. The stains may become permanent if not treated immediately. As far as possible, keep the kids away from the delicate items in your living room.

A living room is a window to your personality. It is up to you how your present your living room to the outside world and to your family members.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-breathe-life-into-your-living-room-89853.html

Thursday, May 15, 2008

For the Global Warming Skeptics

The Australians appear to be front and center on some topics, global warming being one of them. From Science Alert we get this article taking on a vocal skeptic. The comments to the article take issue with the perspective presented, and I suspect they haven't seen this piece about thawing permafrost, which I included in this post on April 23. Say what you want about CO2, we may be at greater

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Glacial Facts

I found this reasonably lucid piece about glaciers. Technology is a wonderful thing as it can help us understand our world, and what makes it tick. It explains pretty clearly why the break-up of the ice shelves in Antartica matters so much, and why glaciers behave the way they do.

The Inside View

The U.S. State Department has a blog, and a very interesting blog it is. The average taxpayer can comment on the blog postings. Might want to take a look. The Burma piece has garnered 23 comments so far.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Shale Oil

Robert Rapier has commented on his blog about Shell Oil's recent foray into water rights in Colorado. Apparently they are busy buying up water rights. Water will be a big part of the process in getting shale production online. Robert has concerns about the production of shale oil. I share those concerns. Given the situation with the tar sands in Canada, and the technology required to get the

The Establishment Candidate?

Much has been written about Obama and Wright, but not enough consideration has been given to the religious connections of McCain and Clinton. The New Republic published this article about Senator Clinton's connections. I had read about "The Family" before, but this is the first time I had seen an analysis that leaves me believing that she truly is the establishment candidate. McCain may be

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Strategic Petroleum Reserver (SPR)

There's been some talk about not filling the SPR. Robert Rapier explains the nuances that our politicians ignore. The SPR is not a panacea, any more than the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) or the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) are. But it sure makes for some good sound bites.

Crack Spreads

It's incredibly easy to hammer the oil companies regarding the price of gasoline, but when you take time to look at the full picture, you find out that there is more to the issue than the sound-bites allude to. We should be paying a lot more for gas than we are. Today, the price of regular gas is $3.99.99/gallon. It really should be higher. The International Oil Companies (IOC) are making

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Classic Style Living Room Furniture

By : John

This article will throw light in the various types of living room furniture available and also that which represents the classic style. This article will ensure that the information it gives to you is correct and up to date. Here you will see that there are many variants of living room furniture. With the aid of this article you will be having all the required knowledge to buy living room furniture. This write-up will guide you through the complicated process of selecting the right living room furniture and thereby buying it. Read on to make the most of this informative article.

There is a major difference between a house and a home. A house lacks the love we infuse into it. A home is a house wherein we have put our sincere efforts to make it look good, cozy and stylish. Imagine a house without any furniture, without any tables etc. won’t it look empty and incomplete? Well, that is why furniture holds so much importance in making a house a home. The living room, therefore, is also an important aspect of any house. We spend a lot of time in the living room. Whether it is about sharing a cup of tea with your wife or loved ones, or about watching television, the living room is host to a number of activities.

That is why it is of utmost importance to select the right kind of living room furniture. There are many types of couches, tables, sofas, chairs, coffee tables etc available in the market. However, not all tables and chairs can make it to your living rooms. You must select the right kind of living room furniture. With the availability of metals and alloys, living room furniture has seen a change that is major. Nowadays, living room furniture is also seen in variants of metal and their alloys. Gone are the days when living room furniture was synonymous with wooden furniture. That does not mean that wooden living room furniture has lost its sheen or value.

There are still many types of wooden couches and sofas that will mesmerize you. In general, Living room furniture set normally consists of sofas, coffee table, futon chairs, home theater system and perhaps display cabinets and dressers. Other living room furniture pieces include side tables, futon beds, bean bags and bean chairs etc. you must know the measurements of your living room before you are all set to purchase living room furniture. If we talk about sofas only, then still we have many options. There are many different materials used in making sofas. The conventional wood is of course still prevalent. However, leather and other things are also taken into use for making sofas. Sofas can easily be installed. Let us see some of the latest designs available.

There are three-seater leather sofas; these leather sofas have the beautiful feature of matching wood facings. Deep foam padding is given in these leather sofas so that comfort is not compromised upon. Moreover, you also have the option to buy 2-seater leather sofas. Sofa suites also include leather chairs, footstools and so on. Colours like dark brown, ivory gold, silver, cream, black, pink, white, off-white etc are available. Same is the case with coffee tables and chairs. Leather chairs, metal chairs, wooden chairs etc are easily available. There are many online shops which deal in classic style living room furniture

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/classic-style-living-room-furniture-120286.html

About the Author:
John Michel Resides in UK. He is skilled professional in Classic style living room furniture. He has a great analyzing power of various Classic style living room furniture. He gives you all details about Classic style living room furniture with the best satisfaction.