Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/268463534?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Outrigger Phuket Beach Resort open to bookings - Breaking Travel ...
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Asia-Pacific is now taking reservations for its new absolute beach front property in Thailand, the Outrigger Phuket Beach Resort.
It will be the only property in the Laguna Phuket destination resort to have a dedicated club lounge for guests looking for additional personal service and privacy.
Club services will include check-in at a private reception desk, privileges at the club dining room and lounge, access to special guest rooms and amenities, and on-demand help from a club concierge.
Located on the northwest coast of Phuket, right alongside the white sands of Bang Tao beach, the Outrigger Phuket Beach Resort is currently undergoing a major renovation of all of its rooms and public areas.
The 255-key Outrigger Phuket Beach Resort will have many leisure amenities for guests to enjoy, including extensive water features and slides, a resort pool, a fully equipped gym, tennis, badminton and squash courts, a kids? club, meeting and conference rooms.
Guests will also have signing privileges at over 30 food, beverage and spa outlets in the surrounding Laguna Phuket destination resort and Laguna Phuket golf club.
The Outrigger Phuket Beach Resort is a 30-minute drive from Phuket International Airport, Patong Beach, and Phuket town.
The resort opens March 15th 2013.
Recommended
Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/outrigger-phuket-beach-resort-open-to-bookings/
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Arch Construction Management Wins Gold Key Award | Chicago ...
Chicago Real Estate Forum and Marketing RELEVANCE congratulate Arch Construction Management for winning a Gold Key Award in Excellence in High Performance (Green) Construction for Special Project Arch Construction Management, Inc. 15 Spinning Wheel Rd. #404 Hinsdale, IL 60521 Private Residence- Burr Ridge 2012
Hall Bath Remodel
- Green / Sustainable ConstructionPriorities:
-Upgrade a 1960s pink hall bath
-Cost/value was an issue
-Could it be done sustainable/green
Solutions:Homeowners chose to finally remodel a heavily used hall bath as the last project to be upgraded in the home. They wondered if it could be done without moving any plumbing to save money. We gutted the bath and found one inch thick walls and two inch thick floors which required some change in materials and layout. We insulated the walls with cellulose and had R-32 added to the existing fiberglass in the attic and had the attic access weatherstripped and insulated. We found a double bowl vanity in a over supply warehouse which had never been used along with a cabinet for over the toilet.
We also discovered we could not install double sinks with the plumbing situation so we repurposed the vanity cabinet into a single bowl one and had the carpenter make the dummy top drawers to useful ones. And we cut the backs of the center drawers to accommodate the plumbing. We ended up with a cabinet with a lot of storage and a granite top found in a warehouse.
In the daylighting area the existing sun tunnel had lost its effectiveness so we had that rebuilt, which provides enough daylight that you don?t need lights on during the day in this interior space. We moved around the existing recessed cans and only added two more, all with either LED or CFL bulbs.
Additionally, we swapped out the existing bath fan for a new Panasonic Whisper Green fan with motion sensor and delay timer and then re-vented the new fan to the outside instead of the attic. The medicine cabinet was recessed and we made oak trim stained to match the flooring.
In the area of plumbing fixtures we re-used the low flow toilet. We used Moen low flow fixtures for the faucet and shower head, along with other Moen bath accessories. The most unique thing we did was to install the Moen ioDigital thermostatic valve and digital readout for the tub and shower valve. It proved to be a water saver because it quickly reaches a certain temperature without a lot of extra water flowing down the drain.
The owners wanted a wood look floor and we found a 4-by-24 porcelain tile from Dal-Tile that replicates a hardwood floor. Along with that we used another porcelain Dal-Tile that mimics antique travertine stone on the walls. Because the owners did not want this stone everywhere, we suggested an accent wall with a wood look. But we had to find a product that could with stand the humidity in a bath. In our search we found a very green product called Resysta. It is basically solid strips of five 5mm woodlike substance that is 60 percent rice husk, 20 percent salt and 18 percent mineral oil and is impervious to any moisture or rotting.
For more information on Arch Construction Management, please visit arch-cm.com or call 630-654-0537
The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago's KEY and SAMMY Awards celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2012. The awards began in 1972 and have grown throughout theyears to now feature more than 100 building, remodeling, marketing and personal achievement categories. The KEY and SAMMY awards are the premier awards of Chicagos residential building industry. To see more award winners, visit Chicago Real Estate Forum.
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The 5 best HDTVs you can buy (and some budget-friendly alternatives)
5 hrs.
This year has been an interesting one for new TVs. For the most part, picture quality stayed the same as last year, with the improvements coming in price, size and features. (In a few cases, we even saw ?picture quality decrease.)?But there were notable standouts, with some of the?best looking images we?ve ever seen.
Our first pick is definitely the overall best HDTV of 2012. The ones that follow are all excellent in their own right, but aren?t in any particular order. For those seeking a great picture but have a tighter budget, we've named some of?the best alternatives where possible.?
TV shoppers, bear in mind that prices shown are valid at the time this post and are subject to change.
And the winners are:
Panasonic TC-P65VT50 plasma -?The best of the best
Every year, Panasonic makes their top-of-the-line plasmas just a bit better. They?ve gotten so good that they?re now equal to, if not better than, the first few generations of Pioneer?s vaunted "Kuro" plasmas. The native contrast ratio and black levels of the VT50 series (image at top) are significantly better than anything else on the market today. It's a truly gorgeous television.
Feature-wise, it has all the great performance goodies, including 96Hz for judder free movies without the "soap opera effect" seen on LED LCDs with 120Hz or higher refresh. It?s also THX-certified for excellent image quality out of the box, without a lot of fine-tuning. This is also built-in software for Internet?streaming video, Skype video calling (with optional camera) and more. The VT50 is available in the 65-inch and 55-inch versions. We currently have a TC-P65VT50 in our test lab.
Price: TC-P65VT50 ($3,200), TC-P55VT50 ($2,200)
If the VT50 series is too pricy for you, the GT50 models offer black levels not quite as good as the VT50, and they lack 96Hz refresh, the Touch Pad Controller and the?ISF ccc calibration option.?The cheaper model uses the Infinite Black Pro screen filter in place of the VT50's Infinite Black Ultra, so the GT50 is not not quite as effective in cutting down room reflections in bright viewing environments.
The TC-P65ST50 is the next step down after that,?and it's a lot cheaper. It offers slightly less performance than the GT50, and drops the THX settings and a few other features, but makes up for it in pure value.?
Sharp?Elite PRO-70X5FD
We reviewed the Elite a few months ago, and we?re highly impressed. As one of the few local-dimming LED LCDs, the Elite combines excellent brightness with deep black levels. Its native contrast isn?t quite as good as the VT50, and off-axis performance is poor, but overall the image is nearly as good. Check out our review of the 60-inch PRO-60X5FD. The Elites are available in the 70-inch and 60-inch screen sizes.
Price: PRO-70X5FD ($8,000), PRO-60X5FD ($4,600)
Sony XBR-65HX950 LED LCD
As one of the only other local dimming LED LCDs, the HX950 series offers significantly better performance than edge-lit LED LCDs. It doesn?t have nearly as many zones as the Elite, so it doesn?t quite offer that level of picture quality, but it puts out an excellent, bright, punchy image for a lot less money. Check out our review of the 55-inch XBR-55HX950. Available in the 65-inch and 55-inch screen sizes.
Price: XBR-65HX950 ($5,000), XBR-55HX950 ($3,000)
If?you like what you see but your budget doesn't fit the 950, try the 55-inch?HX 850 series.?It lists for $1,000 less than its 950 counterpart. You will lose the full LED backlight, so the contrast won't be as amazing, but you'll keep all the other major features.
Samsung PN64E8000 plasma
Though it doesn?t quite offer the picture quality of the VT50, that?s a lot like saying a Nissan GT-R is slower than a Ferrari. The E8000 has speech recognition, facial recognition, gesture control, a fantastic Smart TV suite, and oh right, really excellent picture quality.?Read our review?here.
Price: PN64E8000 ($2,900), PN60E8000 ($2,200), PN51E8000 ($1,200)?
For those of you on a budget, check out the 7000 series (51-, 60- and 64-inch screen sizes starting at $998) which offers near identical performance but lacks the the built-in camera and face, speech and gesture recognition.
LG 84LM9600 Ultra HD 4K LED LCD
The Era of Ultra HD ??aka 4K ? is upon us. Forget 1080p:?With its 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, the 84-inch 84LM9600 offers four times that "full HD" resolution.
Our review of the 84LM9600 is coming shortly, but we can say now that it blew us away. It produces the best 3-D image we've ever seen on a TV, and it had excellent upconverting, so regular HD looks good all the way up at 4K.
As we discussed in?our introduction to Ultra HD,?there are a couple of advantages to the higher resolution now, one of the biggest being passive 3-D at full vertical resolution. Yet?there currently is no Ultra HD standard and ??although many film directors now shoot in that resolution ??there?s basically no 4K content available to the general public.
Price: $16,999.99
Geoff Morrison can be followed on Twitter at?@TechWriterGeoff.?His novel, "Undersea," is?now in paperback.
More?on HD Guru:
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Monday, December 3, 2012
Meet Turntable?s Piki, The First Music App To Do Social Music Sharing Right
Turntable has introduced today Piki, a brand new service that the company has been working on for a year. It's a Pandora-like yet human-powered radio app combined with powerful Twitter-inspired social features. With Piki, the most impressive part is that Turntable is one of the first music startups to get social right.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fW7TPgsrGk4/
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INNOVATION BRINGS SUCCESS: BALANCE SCORE CARD - As a ...
The balanced scorecard has evolved from its early use as a simple performance measurement framework to a full strategic planning and management system. The ?new? balanced scorecard transforms an organization?s strategic plan from an attractive but passive document into the "marching orders" for the organization on a daily basis. It provides a framework that not only provides performance measurements, but helps planners identify what should be done and measured. It enables executives to truly execute their strategies.
This new approach to strategic management was first detailed in a series of articles and books by Drs. Kaplan and Norton. Recognizing some of the weaknesses and vagueness of previous management approaches, the balanced scorecard approach provides a clear prescription as to what companies should measure in order to 'balance' the financial perspective. The balanced scorecard is a management system (not only a measurement system) that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. It provides feedback around both the internal business processes and external outcomes in order to continuously improve strategic performance and results. When fully deployed, the balanced scorecard transforms strategic planning from an academic exercise into the nerve center of an enterprise.
Kaplan and Norton describe the innovation of the balanced scorecard as follows:
"The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation."
The balanced scorecard suggests that we view the organization from four perspectives, and to develop metrics, collect data and analyze it relative to each of these perspectives:The Learning & Growth Perspective
This perspective includes employee training and corporate cultural attitudes related to both individual and corporate self-improvement. In a knowledge-worker organization, people -- the only repository of knowledge -- are the main resource. In the current climate of rapid technological change, it is becoming necessary for knowledge workers to be in a continuous learning mode. Metrics can be put into place to guide managers in focusing training funds where they can help the most. In any case, learning and growth constitute the essential foundation for success of any knowledge-worker organization.
Kaplan and Norton emphasize that 'learning' is more than 'training'; it also includes things like mentors and tutors within the organization, as well as that ease of communication among workers that allows them to readily get help on a problem when it is needed. It also includes technological tools; what the Baldrige criteria call "high performance work systems."
The Business Process Perspective
This perspective refers to internal business processes. Metrics based on this perspective allow the managers to know how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to customer requirements (the mission). These metrics have to be carefully designed by those who know these processes most intimately; with our unique missions these are not something that can be developed by outside consultants.
The Customer Perspective
Recent management philosophy has shown an increasing realization of the importance of customer focus and customer satisfaction in any business. These are leading indicators: if customers are not satisfied, they will eventually find other suppliers that will meet their needs. Poor performance from this perspective is thus a leading indicator of future decline, even though the current financial picture may look good.
In developing metrics for satisfaction, customers should be analyzed in terms of kinds of customers and the kinds of processes for which we are providing a product or service to those customer groups.
The Financial Perspective
Kaplan and Norton do not disregard the traditional need for financial data. Timely and accurate funding data will always be a priority, and managers will do whatever necessary to provide it. In fact, often there is more than enough handling and processing of financial data. With the implementation of a corporate database, it is hoped that more of the processing can be centralized and automated. But the point is that the current emphasis on financials leads to the "unbalanced" situation with regard to other perspectives.? There is perhaps a need to include additional financial-related data, such as risk assessment and cost-benefit data, in this category.
Strategy maps are communication tools used to tell a story of how value is created for the organization.? They show a logical, step-by-step connection between strategic objectives (shown as ovals on the map) in the form of a cause-and-effect chain.? Generally speaking, improving performance in the objectives found in the Learning & Growth perspective (the bottom row) enables the organization to improve its Internal Process perspective Objectives (the next row up), which in turn enables the organization to create desirable results in the Customer and Financial perspectives (the top two rows).
Source: http://vikashchanddubey.blogspot.com/2012/12/balance-score-card-as-tool-for.html
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Self-Defense For Women! | Jackies Womens Interest Bazaar ...
Related eBooks
5:22 My home-remedy weapon. Non-lethal. No weapons. Just straight up womanhood. Share!
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In Self DefenseIn Self Defense is inspired by the true-life story of a martial arts legend who died at the hand of his own son. After fighting in the jungles of the South Pacific in World War II, Willy Wetzel and his family migrated from Indonesia to America in 1956. Willy opened one of the first martial arts schools in the United States in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He was a pioneer and became known worldwide for his mastery of many martial arts forms. The finest pupil Willy ever taught, was his second son, Roy Wetzel. The Wetzels all had their battle scars, some more visible than others. When Roy returned from Viet Nam with a Purple Heart, he hoped for a peaceful life at home. Instead Roy found himself in a fight with his father.One fateful night, their strained relationship finally came to a head. As Roy's young daughter lay asleep in the next room, a weapon-filled brutal fight between father and son ensued. The aftermath of Willy's last skirmish would leave Roy bloody and beaten and charged by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with Murder. This led to a controversial trial and the original court transcripts contained in the second half of this non-fiction novel give a compelling account of the prolonged legal contest that stirred up many debates. Following the lives of the Wetzels in intricate detail, In Self Defense will keep you turning the page till the very end.
The Psychology of Self-DefenseWhether you are a stay-at-home mom, a police officer, or an experienced Martial Artist, this book will open your mind to a new way of thinking. Real, effective self-defense begins with a mindset. Here is your guide to developing that mindset. Learn what it takes to OVERCOME conflict, and PROTECT yourself and those you care about. In this book you will discover: what real-life self-defense actually is - and how to survive in today's world; why self-defense training should be a priority for everyone; the difference between self-defense and martial arts; and that's just the beginning! The information in this book has empowered people from all walks of life to be stronger, more confident, and safer. When self-defense is a MUST - nothing else will do. This book is written by Chris Sutton is an experienced law enforcement officer, Martial Arts school owner, and creator of the C.O.B.R.A. Self Defense System. C.O.B.R.A. is an internationally licensed Self-Defense Program founded in 2001. The Psychology of Self-Defense has been read by S.W.A.T. officers, military personnel, business owners, students, and people from every walk of life. This book is based on the author's 20-plus years of training, research and experience. It's a MUST for all! Source: http://www.jackiesbazaar.com/womensinterests/self-defense/self-defense-for-women-3
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Source: http://apodacairvin.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/self-defense-for-women-jackies-womens-interest-bazaar.html
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