Friday, December 28, 2012

Home Remodeling Cost And Budget Setting Without Monster-Sized ...

A home remodeling cost and budget setting are important leading steps to take because they help keep you and your funds in shape. As a moneymaking activity, home remodeling is a popular way to boost property value if done correctly backed by a solid research.

As it takes some time and care, projecting your home remodeling cost from start to finish will likely be both exciting and stressful. Possibly, it?ll be less so than having to build a new house and move into an unfamiliar neighborhood.

When you begin to think of remodeling or home improvement, the first thoughts that come to your mind might be ??maaan, it?ll cost a fortune!? Venture out and ask about home remodeling grants that may be available in your area. A real estate office or your town hall officers may be able to help you with that.
And since not all home improvements are created equal, begin asking about your housing market.

If you?d like to remodel your home, or even a part of it, make sure that it is still worth the money and efforts. In other words, will your remodeling efforts pay you back the money you?ve put in?

Asking for a professional cost estimate on your home remodeling plan is the key move to make. It may fall between 15% ? 20% of the home value. From there, about 40% of an expert remodeling cost is labor. It?s this part of the total budget you can decrease by picking the jobs that are right for you.

However, a general remodeling cost estimate consists of more than just the cost of labor and materials. There are many other reasons to consider before projecting a clear path on your expenses. Contractor?s pay, interest charges, legal fees, permits, extra shipping charges, unexpected specialized trades services, final clean up fees, and delay charges are all examples of such reasons. Be sure to include them in your cost estimate.

Most home renovations, especially improvements like bathrooms and kitchens, have great long-term returns in the areas of quality of life, improved resale value, and lower energy expenses. Depending on your housing market?s economic activity, it may just simply make sense to borrow money for remodeling projects without having to dip deep into your savings. Just know that you can get a good return on investment by doing so.

Bear in mind that a sluggish housing economy may allow to recoup only a portion of your remodeling investment while a booming one may make you smile all the way to the bank.

In some housing markets, it?s common to remodel for a single reason alone ? and that is making your property look and feel more attractive to potential buyers. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling alone are the most popular and effective to consider first.

As we can all think of ways to save money on these projects by ?doing it yourself?, it is often a misunderstood part. A hasty decision may run the overall cost through the roof.
The reasons that stand out and in the way are overestimating one?s abilities, unavailable specialized tools, installations that must be done by licensed trades, and free time we?d have to devote to finishing what we?ve started. Facing problems like these in the middle of the project may indeed run the costs higher than getting professional help first.

Why face it? You can either postpone your remodeling till it makes more sense, or offer to work alongside a professional during your days off to cut costs down.

How about getting extra insurance during your remodeling? Discuss it with your insurance agent if he or she suggests there be one in your case. If it helps you sleep better, so be it.

A well-designed home remodeling plan can save you hoards of time, money, and most of all disappointments and heartache. Feeling strapped emotionally and financially is the last straw anybody wants while home remodeling cost keeps climbing. Use the suggestions above. Consider them all and brainstorm for more. Avoid the common pitfalls and turn your home remodeling into a huge success.

Source: http://www.wichita-remodeling.com/90-home-remodeling-cost-and-budget-setting-without-monster-sized-nightmares.html

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The Mind of a Chef: Go Inside the Delicious Brain of David Chang

I hate myself for suggesting this to you guys. Not because I want to be super secretive and hoit the toit all to myself so I can act like my taste buds have better delicious detectors than yours. No. I hate to suggest this food series that focuses on David Chang of Momofuku because it's no longer available to stream online. Which means, you won't be able to see ramen get slurped so deliciously that you realize you don't love anything as much as Chang loves noodles. He loves noodles more than a kid loves bubbles, man. It's impossible not to crave ramen after seeing him eat it. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PebGeuzPqgA/the-mind-of-a-chef-go-inside-the-delicious-brain-of-david-chang

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Cycloramic: An App That Automatically Rotates Your iPhone 5 to Make 360-Degree Videos

Whoa, this is the coolest thing we've seen an app do in a while. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xz4ETd9ep2E/cycloramic-an-app-that-automatically-rotates-your-iphone-5-to-make-360+degree-videos

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Patrick Dempsey Attempts To Buy Tully's Coffee To Save Jobs

LOS ANGELES ? Patrick Dempsey says he wants to rescue a coffee house chain and more than 500 jobs.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star said Wednesday he's leading a group attempting to buy Tully's Coffee. The Seattle-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.

Dempsey said he's excited about the chance to help hundreds of workers and give back to Seattle.

The actor has a strong TV tie to the city: He plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on "Grey's Anatomy," the ABC drama set at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital.

Tully's has 47 company-run stores in Washington and California, as well as five franchised stores and 58 licensed locations in the U.S.

Any sale would have to be approved by a judge. A bankruptcy court hearing is set for Jan. 11 in Seattle.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/patrick-dempsey-tullys-coffee_n_2366893.html

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NY fire ambush survivors: We're 'humbled'

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News

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Two firefighters who survived an ambush in upstate New York that killed two of their colleagues said Thursday they were "humbled and a bit overwhelmed" by well wishes in the wake of the tragedy as more details emerged of the deadly attack.

West Webster volunteer firefighters Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, who had been in guarded condition, were upgraded to satisfactory condition on Wednesday at Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital.

As authorities continued their investigation into the assault that William Spengler, 62, carried out on the volunteers responding to a blaze in Webster early Monday,?the hospital released a statement from the survivors.

The pair said their "thoughts and prayers" were with the families of their colleagues Michael Chiapperini, 43, and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, who were shot dead at the scene. They were also "humbled and a bit overwhelmed by the outpouring of well wishes for us and our families," the statement said.?

Chiapperini was killed by a single gunshot wound, while Kaczowka died as a result of two gunshot injuries, according to autopsy results released by New York State Police on Thursday afternoon.

Spengler, who was convicted of killing his?grandmother in 1980, died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, police said in a statement. He shot himself as seven houses burned around him.

'Multiple firemen down'
"We are being shot at," an unidentified voice told a 911 dispatcher in a recording aired Wednesday on NBC's TODAY. "Multiple firemen down. Multiple firemen are shot. I am shot. I think he is using an assault rifle."

Hofstetter and Scardino were shot during the chaos. One was struck by a bullet in the pelvis and the other in the chest and knee,?NBCNewYork.com reported.?

Police?said Spengler left a three-page typewritten note saying he wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people."

?He was equipped to go to war, kill innocent people," Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering told reporters Tuesday.

The?Rochester Democrat and Chronicle said Wednesday?that the funeral for Chiapperini, who was a 20-year veteran of the Webster Police Department, will be Sunday, while a funeral Mass for Kaczowka, who graduated from high school last year, will be held in Rochester at 10 a.m. ET Monday.

John Ritter, a police officer with the nearby Greece, N.Y., police department, came across the fire while on his way to work early Monday. He stopped, waiting to see if the firefighters would direct him around the scene, when he suddenly heard a large blast and then discovered a hole in his windshield, The Rochester newspaper reported. His vehicle was struck a second time.

?At that point I didn?t know what it was. I didn?t know if it was shrapnel from the fire. I sat there, I checked my body to see if I was injured -- I wasn?t -- and then I heard multiple rounds going off,? he said late Wednesday at a press conference.

He made his way over to where firefighters were trying to put out the blaze and warned them that someone was shooting. He told the newspaper his main goals were to take cover, get out of the ?kill zone? and keep people from that area. Though he called his role ?peripheral,? police have said he helped to protect others.

?There?s no way to defend an ambush,? said the nearly 24-year veteran of the Greece police force, who did not open fire. ?I am driving to work ... I don?t have any tools of my trade with me. I don?t have body armor, I don?t have long range weapons, I don?t have my radio, I don?t have anything, and I am in a situation where someone is actively engaging me.?

Ritter said words couldn?t describe his feelings, which included survivor?s guilt. ?I don?t know why I?m still here, other than there was some type of divine intervention that kept that round from penetrating through my car and hitting something else.?

Spengler had lived in the house with his sister and his mother, Arline, who died in October at 91. Arline Spengler's obituary asked that memorial donations be made to the West Webster Fireman's Association.

Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com

A former neighbor told The Associated Press that Spengler "loved his mama to death" and that he "couldn't stand" his sister. The neighbor said he thought Spengler "went crazy" after his mother died.

Spengler, the gunman,?was convicted of manslaughter in 1981 after the death of his grandmother, Rose Spengler, 92, and was paroled in 1998. He remained under parole supervision until 2006, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. Before Monday's shooting, Webster police hadn't had any run-ins with Spengler since he was paroled, they said.

Police investigating the killings said Tuesday that they had found what appeared to be human remains at the gunman's home. Authorities said they believed those were of Spengler?s 67-year-old sister, Cheryl, who lived with him.

Although Spengler couldn't legally own firearms as a convicted felon, police said he was armed with a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, a 12-gauge pump shotgun and a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle, the same kind used in the Newtown, Conn., school massacre in mid-December.?Authorities are tracing the history of the weapons and how Spengler obtained them, state police said.

At least 33 people were displaced by the fire, which engulfed at least seven homes and a motor vehicle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16185113-firefighters-who-survived-deadly-ny-ambush-humbled-by-well-wishes-as-more-details-emerge?lite

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What's Cooking on 1060: Great Food, Wine, and Liquor in South ...

(Christopher Lee, outside his "Sophia's" restaurant on Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.  Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

(Christopher Lee, outside his ?Sophia?s? restaurant on Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

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By Hadas Kuznits

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ? Sophia?s, at 1623 East Passyunk Avenue, opens to the public on Friday, December 28th.

?Our first-level dining is more of a lounge-bar, so it?s going to be more sharable, fun, whimsical bar dishes,? says chef-owner Christopher Lee (top photo).? ?The upstairs is going to be a classic dining room, which is going to be our apps, entr?es, and desserts.?

Hear the full ?Sophia?s? interview in this CBS Philly podcast (runs 4:53)?

  • Sophia's Restaurant
  • Hadas Kuznits / Christopher Lee

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whats cooking border 375 Whats Cooking on 1060:  Great Food, Wine, and Liquor in South Philadelphia

Up the block, at 1908 East Passyunk Avenue, Joan Verrotti has opened her Pollyodd (brand of lemoncellos ? her spelling) store.? She?s a home brewer specializing in this certain type of fine liquor.

(Joan Verrotti holds a selection of her limoncello liqueurs.  Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

(Joan Verrotti holds a selection of her limoncello liqueurs. Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

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?I threw myself into lemoncello,? she tells KYW Newsradio.? ?It was an old family Italian recipe, which I tweaked because the European people like that little sour taste and us people here in America, we love our sweet!?

Hear the full ?Pollyodd? interview in this CBS Philly podcast (runs 4:06)?

  • Pollyodd Lemoncellos
  • Hadas Kuznits / Joan Verrotti

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whats cooking border 375 Whats Cooking on 1060:  Great Food, Wine, and Liquor in South Philadelphia

Of course we can?t approach New Year?s Eve without talking about champagne, and Jill Weber of Jet Wine Bar (1525 South Street) helps you choose a bottle.

(Jill Weber, owner of Jet Wine Bar.  Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

(Jill Weber, owner of Jet Wine Bar. Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

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?So what we have in champagne or sparkling wine is the mousse,? she explains, ?and that?s what you get on the top of the wine.? And that differs.? Some of them have very, very, very fine bubbles that kind of like pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-rocks in your mouth.? And some of them are big and they just go burst ? they?re like fireworks.? And (your choice) depends on what you want.?

Hear the full Jill Weber champagne interview in this CBS Philly podcast (runs 7:37)?

  • Champagne
  • Hadas Kuznits / Jill Weber

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And for this week, that?s ?What?s Cooking on 1060!?

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?What?s Cooking on 1060? main page

Follow Hadas Kuznits on Twitter!

Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/12/27/whats-cooking-on-1060-great-food-wine-and-liquor-in-south-philadelphia/

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Details From News Corp's Latest Ad Hacking ... - Business Insider

Although News Corp's latest hacking scandal doesn't involve breaking into the voicemails of deceased school girls or 9/11 victims' relatives, it does illuminate how the corporation allegedly used hacking to gain a marketing edge in 40,000 retail stores in the United States.

Courhouse News Service reports that Dial Soaps sued News Corporation, News America, News America Marketing FSI, and News America Marketing In-Store Service, alleging News Corp. gained an unfair monopoly over?in-store promotions in tens of thousands of retail stores and free-standing newspaper inserts.

This monopoly was allegedly done by hacking "customer lists and other marketing materials to solicit its accounts and lock them into News long-term and exclusive contracts."

The suit, excerpted from Courthouse News Service, begins:

"In two distinct relevant markets the multifaceted and pervasive exclusionary strategies of defendants ('News') over twenty years have violated the antitrust laws of the United States. News has suppressed competitive promotion of a massive number of consumer goods in forty thousand retail stores, and scores of newspapers nationwide, to acquire and maintain two unlawful monopolies and earn large monopoly profits at the expense of its purchasers."

A particularly colorful detail in the lawsuit depicts a board meeting in which top execs allegedly used Al Capone's ethically questionable sales tactics as a model. (Emphasis is ours):

Its unlawful purposes could not be more transparent. For example, in a sales meeting Paul Carlucci, then News America Inc.'s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Carlucci, illustrated News' desire for the ultimate in competitive suppression with a video from 'The Untouchables,' in which Al Capone serves as a sales role model as he cudgels a competitive enemy to death with a baseball bat. Mr. Carlucci has been equally blunt with the press as to News' exclusionary purposes, vowing to 'destroy' his competitors as a 'man who has to have it all.'

Mr. Carlucci threatened to fire any News employee ('concerned about doing the right thing') who did not support exclusive control by News of shelves in retail accounts.?

The lawsuit also accuses News Corp. of:

Using large cash guarantees unjustified by potential in-store promotional revenues to derail competitor contracts with retailers, a practice expressly designed to exclude competitors from these chains; ...?

Defacing competitors' in-store advertisements and then disparaging the quality of the defaced promotions to the retail chains.

Dial's lawsuit also cited News Corp's past cases of breaking competitors in "floor advertising (the late Floorgraphics' Floortalk) or shelf signs with brand price messaging (Insignia's POPSign)."

In 2009, before the British hacking scandal came to light, Floorgraphics alleged News America?"illegally accessed plaintiff?s computer system and obtained proprietary information? and ?disseminated false, misleading and malicious information about the plaintiff.? The case settled for $29.5 million.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/details-from-news-corps-latest-ad-hacking-scandal-alleges-execs-used-al-capone-as-a-role-model-2012-12

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