This week I’m enjoying a five-day break from work. Well that’s not entirely true. I’m enjoying five days away from work with the paper, but have found plenty to keep me employed around the house. Living on my own and not inclined to spend my hard-earned wages on a butler or maid, work around the Burgess abode tends to build up.
I was away camping a couple of weekends back which meant a double dose of washing. I was fortunate our summer fell on Saturday, so the washing machine was put into overtime mode and the clothes line filled thrice. And thanks to the sunshine and a light breeze, that left three piles of dried washing gazing up at me from the settee. Sunday’s weather wasn’t so good, so out came the iron.
Strangely, I don’t mind ironing. With a good offering of political chit-chat on the telly or wireless, I can whiz through it without really noticing the time on a Sunday morning. If the telly isn’t that good, I can let my mind wander and put the world to rights. Perhaps some of those rowdy House of Commons debates – Holyrood, I have to say, is a bit more civilised – would be better conducted and more productive if they took place over an ironing board. Just a thought.
So the first few days of my break were spent working on the domestic front. I’ve done a bit of dusting, put a dozen or so books that I’d had out for reference back in their proper places in the bookcase; cleaned the loo and vacuumed the rooms. I looked at cleaning the windows but as I could see through them, decided that no further action was needed in this respect at the moment. So, that’s the chores done. It’s 3.30 on Tuesday afternoon and I now feel ready to enjoy what’s left of my break.
My latest check of the weather forecast reveals a reasonable indication of fine weather for the next few days. So that will probably mean a couple of nights in my trusty tent. It did me proud at Copshaw the other weekend when the heavens truly opened and I remained dry.
I have always enjoyed camping. My tent is just the right size for me, my sleeping bag, a couple of changes of clothes and a torch. And if you make a guddle in a tent it doesn’t take much to make it tidy again. I don’t do proper camp sites. They are too organised for me. I like to go wild. Sadly, the weather over the past couple of years has meant the tent has had fewer airings than I would have liked. So, fingers crossed for this year.
I don’t like David Cameron or his politics. But I had some sympathy for him this week when he was criticised for sticking to his holiday plans despite the horror that was the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby outside his barracks at Woolwich in London. It shocked every decent-minded person in the country.
This was a terror killing. And terror is all about disrupting people’s lives. Putting folk on edge, forcing changes to our daily pattern of lives. Making things awkward. That’s terrorism.
Operate and monitor washing, dry cleaning, and drying machinery, including adding chemicals and cleaning lint traps. Identify stained or damaged items and determine status for repair, spot treatment, rewash, or discard. Inspect cleanliness of articles removed from the washer, dryer, or dry cleaning machines and place in clean linen carts. Set dryers to designated times and temperatures based on fabrics contained in load. Remove lint and debris from dryer screens, dry cleaning filters, and drain trap after each load. Fold cleaned articles into designated size, either by hand or using folding machine. Maintain accurate records of items laundered.
Click on their website www.aulaundry.com for more information.
2013年5月30日 星期四
2013年5月29日 星期三
Backup sewage floods Davenport alderman's home
Davenport 7th Ward Alderman Barney Barnhill mopped up and yanked out wood paneling Wednesday after a foot of sewage from the weekend's heavy storms backed up into his basement.
He said sewer water flowed out of the toilet like "Old Faithful" and from the floor drain in the laundry dryer early Monday after a 24-hour pelting dumped 3.32 inches of rain on Davenport and overloaded the city's old sewer system.
Barnhill described the "slushy brown" water he saw creeping up a couple of basement steps Monday that has since receded. He pointed to the water stains on a Queen Anne-style love seat and bed frame in a basement bedroom that still had water and sewage on the floor.
Wearing a face mask and heavy boots, Barnhill said he had spent the past several days cleaning up and going over what's been lost, including artwork, books and old bottles of wine in a rack that was submerged in sewer water. A John Bloom piece was among the works of art that were damaged.
He said that with the city's old sewer system, any rainfall of more than 2 inches is like "rolling the dice" as far as in which neighborhoods sewers will back up. The last time Barnhill, who lives in the 3000 block of Grand Avenue, had a sewage backup was after the record flood of 1993, and it took him all summer and $13,000 to clean it up and renovate the basement, he said.
"I'll have to rip it all out and start over," he said of the waist-high wood paneling on the walls. "This happened 20 years ago. It's like deja vu. I never thought I'd get sewer backup again."
The scene is not unlike dozens being repeated among his constituents in the 7th Ward, including residents on Garfield Street who have had their basements flooded by sewage backup in heavy storms this spring.
The Quad-City Times tried to contact Barnhill on Monday for comment on the flooding issues in his ward and could not reach him. For the record, Barnhill said Wednesday that the weekend storm knocked out his telephone service, so he could not make or receive calls for two days.
Sewer water also damaged a power strip in his basement that knocked out service to three TV sets in his house. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans Wednesday, he said he hasn't been able to do laundry for days while waiting to see whether sewer water would fill his washing machine tub. Luckily, it didn't, so he's also keeping busy doing laundry for himself and his wife.
Even his doorbell didn't work, but he's not sure whether that is flood-related.
Outside, a neighbor's sump pump was flushing every few minutes. Barnhill said multiple homes on his block were flooded.
The alderman said parts of his ward, including the 500 block of West Garfield Street, are among the worst in the city when it comes to sewer backups. Although the ward is scheduled for repairs in 2016, Barnhill said he wants to move that up for the Garfield residents but added that he will need the support of his City Council colleagues.
He said sewer water flowed out of the toilet like "Old Faithful" and from the floor drain in the laundry dryer early Monday after a 24-hour pelting dumped 3.32 inches of rain on Davenport and overloaded the city's old sewer system.
Barnhill described the "slushy brown" water he saw creeping up a couple of basement steps Monday that has since receded. He pointed to the water stains on a Queen Anne-style love seat and bed frame in a basement bedroom that still had water and sewage on the floor.
Wearing a face mask and heavy boots, Barnhill said he had spent the past several days cleaning up and going over what's been lost, including artwork, books and old bottles of wine in a rack that was submerged in sewer water. A John Bloom piece was among the works of art that were damaged.
He said that with the city's old sewer system, any rainfall of more than 2 inches is like "rolling the dice" as far as in which neighborhoods sewers will back up. The last time Barnhill, who lives in the 3000 block of Grand Avenue, had a sewage backup was after the record flood of 1993, and it took him all summer and $13,000 to clean it up and renovate the basement, he said.
"I'll have to rip it all out and start over," he said of the waist-high wood paneling on the walls. "This happened 20 years ago. It's like deja vu. I never thought I'd get sewer backup again."
The scene is not unlike dozens being repeated among his constituents in the 7th Ward, including residents on Garfield Street who have had their basements flooded by sewage backup in heavy storms this spring.
The Quad-City Times tried to contact Barnhill on Monday for comment on the flooding issues in his ward and could not reach him. For the record, Barnhill said Wednesday that the weekend storm knocked out his telephone service, so he could not make or receive calls for two days.
Sewer water also damaged a power strip in his basement that knocked out service to three TV sets in his house. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans Wednesday, he said he hasn't been able to do laundry for days while waiting to see whether sewer water would fill his washing machine tub. Luckily, it didn't, so he's also keeping busy doing laundry for himself and his wife.
Even his doorbell didn't work, but he's not sure whether that is flood-related.
Outside, a neighbor's sump pump was flushing every few minutes. Barnhill said multiple homes on his block were flooded.
The alderman said parts of his ward, including the 500 block of West Garfield Street, are among the worst in the city when it comes to sewer backups. Although the ward is scheduled for repairs in 2016, Barnhill said he wants to move that up for the Garfield residents but added that he will need the support of his City Council colleagues.
2013年5月28日 星期二
Custom-built home is perfect for families
The exceptional custom-built home located at 4 Audley Divide in Bow offers fine construction and attention to detail. Perfect for families searching for charm, character and plenty of space, it features three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and two half bathrooms.
Tucked away in one of Bow’s most desirable neighborhoods, the home is surrounded by the peace and quiet of natural beauty. It was designed with entertaining in mind, so there are lots of great places for friends and family to enjoy a visit, and there’s plenty of outdoor space to relax and unwind.
Wooded landscaping, a spacious three-car garage and an elegant portico greet residents and guests and signal that this home is one-of-a-kind.
The large, sunny living room features a striking masonry fireplace with a handcrafted mantle and beautiful built-in bookcases, while the family room fireplace features a custom granite mantle and hearth. The family room also opens to both the oversized patio and formal dining room, providing an ideal spot for summer parties or holiday gatherings.
The eat-in kitchen features gorgeous stainless steel appliances, including double Viking wall ovens, an LG refrigerator, Fisher-Paekel two-drawer dishwasher, a Jenn-Air electric countertop range and an abundance of storage space.
A stunning first floor master bedroom suite boasts cathedral ceilings, French doors that lead to the terrace, a massive walk-in closet and a glorious master bathroom with a jetted tub and steam shower.
There are two additional bedrooms that share a bathroom, a fantastic second-floor bonus room and a first-floor laundry room complete with a brand new LG washer and dryer.
The home also has a spectacular finished basement that gives a new meaning to the phrase man cave. There is an impressive 22-foot wet bar with fridge, space for an entertainment center, a 26-by-18-foot billiard room, and even a spot for table tennis or a foosball table. There is also a walk-in cedar closet, great for storing those winter clothes and blankets.
Additionally, the home has underground utilities, a nine-zone heating system, a built-in security system and has been hard-wired for smoke detectors, an intercom and two generators.
Just a short walk to the end of the street offers the most breathtaking 180-
degree views found in Bow. With the luxury of country living and the convenience of being a quick drive to Interstate 93 and the shops and dining of Concord and Manchester, 4 Audley Divide has it all. It’s definitely a must see!
Tucked away in one of Bow’s most desirable neighborhoods, the home is surrounded by the peace and quiet of natural beauty. It was designed with entertaining in mind, so there are lots of great places for friends and family to enjoy a visit, and there’s plenty of outdoor space to relax and unwind.
Wooded landscaping, a spacious three-car garage and an elegant portico greet residents and guests and signal that this home is one-of-a-kind.
The large, sunny living room features a striking masonry fireplace with a handcrafted mantle and beautiful built-in bookcases, while the family room fireplace features a custom granite mantle and hearth. The family room also opens to both the oversized patio and formal dining room, providing an ideal spot for summer parties or holiday gatherings.
The eat-in kitchen features gorgeous stainless steel appliances, including double Viking wall ovens, an LG refrigerator, Fisher-Paekel two-drawer dishwasher, a Jenn-Air electric countertop range and an abundance of storage space.
A stunning first floor master bedroom suite boasts cathedral ceilings, French doors that lead to the terrace, a massive walk-in closet and a glorious master bathroom with a jetted tub and steam shower.
There are two additional bedrooms that share a bathroom, a fantastic second-floor bonus room and a first-floor laundry room complete with a brand new LG washer and dryer.
The home also has a spectacular finished basement that gives a new meaning to the phrase man cave. There is an impressive 22-foot wet bar with fridge, space for an entertainment center, a 26-by-18-foot billiard room, and even a spot for table tennis or a foosball table. There is also a walk-in cedar closet, great for storing those winter clothes and blankets.
Additionally, the home has underground utilities, a nine-zone heating system, a built-in security system and has been hard-wired for smoke detectors, an intercom and two generators.
Just a short walk to the end of the street offers the most breathtaking 180-
degree views found in Bow. With the luxury of country living and the convenience of being a quick drive to Interstate 93 and the shops and dining of Concord and Manchester, 4 Audley Divide has it all. It’s definitely a must see!
2013年5月27日 星期一
Nathan Adelson Hospice
You’ve received the job offer and are reviewing the benefits package. You find that all of the things that you were expecting are there.
But what about the benefits and perks that may tip you in favor of accepting the position? That can often be the deal-maker or deal-breaker for companies when they are recruiting prospective employees.
“Our overall philosophy is that we know our employees are looking for more than just a paycheck,” said Rosamari McNulty, senior director of human resources and volunteer services at Nathan Adelson Hospice. “We want to offer so much more to them for being great employees.”
In a small sampling of Las Vegas companies, some extraordinary benefits quickly become apparent. Those range from pet insurance, the ability to purchase major household appliances interest-free through payroll deduction, Weight Watchers and smoking cessation programs, and even an on-site lactation room for new mothers who are breastfeeding.
The hospice care facility was recognized as a Top 100 Best Places to Work by Modern Health Care magazine in 2010 and 2011. McNulty believes that’s because the company listens to its employees.
“We do a lot of internal employee surveys,” she said. “We truly want to know and care what the employees are thinking.”
Some of its perks include on-site car washes for employees, an option for pet insurance, dry cleaning pickup and drop-off twice per week, an employee purchasing program, discounts on work shoes and free flu shots, plus occasional seminars on financial planning and nutrition.
McNulty said the purchasing program has been a big hit. Employees can purchase things online from a website such as household furniture, computers, washers and dryers, and then pay for them interest-free through payroll deduction.
The company pays 100 percent of coverage for medical, pharmaceutical and dental premiums, plus it subsidizes 25 percent of dependent and domestic partner care. It also provides life insurance and long-term disability coverage at no cost to the employee.
The company pays for all certification classes and renewals that employees need.“Anything that is required for them to do their job, we pay for,” McNulty said.
Weight Watchers classes also are offered, and employees who lose 5 percent of their body weight and maintain it are reimbursed, McNulty said.
Another area where Nathan Adelson Hospice is particularly diligent is counseling for its employees.
“Our staff deals with a lot of emotions on an everyday basis,” McNulty said. “We have a compassion fatigue support group and counselors are always available. We also have a program where an employee can go off site to talk to someone, as well.
“Our employees can get attached to their patients,” she said. “Some even attend funerals sometimes of the patients they cared for.”
But what about the benefits and perks that may tip you in favor of accepting the position? That can often be the deal-maker or deal-breaker for companies when they are recruiting prospective employees.
“Our overall philosophy is that we know our employees are looking for more than just a paycheck,” said Rosamari McNulty, senior director of human resources and volunteer services at Nathan Adelson Hospice. “We want to offer so much more to them for being great employees.”
In a small sampling of Las Vegas companies, some extraordinary benefits quickly become apparent. Those range from pet insurance, the ability to purchase major household appliances interest-free through payroll deduction, Weight Watchers and smoking cessation programs, and even an on-site lactation room for new mothers who are breastfeeding.
The hospice care facility was recognized as a Top 100 Best Places to Work by Modern Health Care magazine in 2010 and 2011. McNulty believes that’s because the company listens to its employees.
“We do a lot of internal employee surveys,” she said. “We truly want to know and care what the employees are thinking.”
Some of its perks include on-site car washes for employees, an option for pet insurance, dry cleaning pickup and drop-off twice per week, an employee purchasing program, discounts on work shoes and free flu shots, plus occasional seminars on financial planning and nutrition.
McNulty said the purchasing program has been a big hit. Employees can purchase things online from a website such as household furniture, computers, washers and dryers, and then pay for them interest-free through payroll deduction.
The company pays 100 percent of coverage for medical, pharmaceutical and dental premiums, plus it subsidizes 25 percent of dependent and domestic partner care. It also provides life insurance and long-term disability coverage at no cost to the employee.
The company pays for all certification classes and renewals that employees need.“Anything that is required for them to do their job, we pay for,” McNulty said.
Weight Watchers classes also are offered, and employees who lose 5 percent of their body weight and maintain it are reimbursed, McNulty said.
Another area where Nathan Adelson Hospice is particularly diligent is counseling for its employees.
“Our staff deals with a lot of emotions on an everyday basis,” McNulty said. “We have a compassion fatigue support group and counselors are always available. We also have a program where an employee can go off site to talk to someone, as well.
“Our employees can get attached to their patients,” she said. “Some even attend funerals sometimes of the patients they cared for.”
Wind farms keeping us fuel poor
The Tory MEP Struan Stevenson has calculated that the Duke of
Roxburghe could net 1.5 million a year, the Earl of Moray 2m and the
Earl of Glasgow more than 300,000 from wind farms on their land.
Mr Stevenson – of course – thinks the solution is to dump wind farms and the Scottish Tories back a one-year moratorium on new wind farms and a halving of wind subsidies.
And yet the Conservative environment spokesman, Jamie McGrigor, and Tory MSPs Alex Fergusson and John Scott are all set to benefit financially from wind turbine development. Double standards apart though – why is this a problem?
First, unlike Saudi Arabia, Scotland is a democracy where one would expect wealth – including the wealth that arises from natural assets – to be shared.
Second, fuel poverty causes hyperthermia and chronic ill health – so a cash share in the country’s wind earnings would be a quick way to cut bills and save lives.
Thirdly, high energy costs deter industry by turning energy-rich Scotland into an energy-expensive location for new business.
Finally, it could be otherwise, as the intriguing tale in yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday of the “wind crofter” demonstrated. Under the Energise Scotland scheme, smallholders, crofters and communities host small turbines and get free electricity while developers pay for the kit and sell excess energy to the grid.
There may be better schemes around – but “wind crofting” demonstrates the empowering potential of wind income split more evenly. A small turbine can reduce individual energy bills to zero and still make a profit for investors – as long as that individual owns land.
And there of course is the rub. Scotland may be a northern energy emirate, but ordinary Scots pay the highest electricity bills in Europe because 60 per cent of “our” land is owned by just 1,000 people – and the disappointing interim report by the Land Reform Review Group suggests this shameful picture is not about to change.
Now, admittedly land ownership and the possibility of free or discounted electricity have not featured strongly in the wind farm debate so far. Battle lines have been drawn instead over appearance, intermittency and cost – and though a vocal minority won a ban on new wind farms in “scenic areas”, they’ve failed to dent the consistent majority for wind energy in regular opinion polls.
Dig deeper in the data however and its clear wind energy is more popular in cities than country areas. Is that because of visual interference or financial unfairness? We’ll probably never know.
So what’s to be done? Struan Stevenson’s solution is to ditch “expensive and unreliable” wind energy. Yet if anything is “expensive and unreliable” it’s gas. Britain was just six hours from running out in March when energy regulator Ofgem reported, “higher gas prices have been the main driver of increasing energy bills over the last eight years”.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says “fossil fuel price volatility is a bigger driver of energy price variation than the impact of climate change policies,” and DECC figures show the Renewables Obligation was 1.1 billion compared to nuclear decommissioning costs of 2bn in 2009-10. Finally Bloomberg New Energy Finance has predicted onshore wind will be cost competitive with gas and coal generation by 2016.
Sticking with wind in a varied energy mix is worthwhile. Letting lairds trouser millions in wind cash is not. Neither is missing the opportunity to completely recast the energy debate in Scotland for the advent of renewables and the prospect of independence.
Currently Scotland’s economic model for renewables is oil. Big companies make big profits, the government gets tax revenues, the sector and the North East get jobs and everyone’s happy(ish) – though of course Alex Salmond would rather hold on to the oil revenues. So far, so centralised. Indeed, as Bill Jamieson pointed out in yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday, so dangerously centralised.
What cash benefit reaches the average inhabitant of this oil-rich nation? Next to none. And Chancellors are quite happy to keep it that way – on both sides of the border.
Somehow the public hoped and presumed the renewable energy bonanza would be different.
The industry does offer community benefit – a sum per megawatt of wind generated locally. But some communities have not spent their wind cash and few have performed land buyouts to become joint wind developers – even though Duke-sized hand-outs await. What are communities waiting for?
Mr Stevenson – of course – thinks the solution is to dump wind farms and the Scottish Tories back a one-year moratorium on new wind farms and a halving of wind subsidies.
And yet the Conservative environment spokesman, Jamie McGrigor, and Tory MSPs Alex Fergusson and John Scott are all set to benefit financially from wind turbine development. Double standards apart though – why is this a problem?
First, unlike Saudi Arabia, Scotland is a democracy where one would expect wealth – including the wealth that arises from natural assets – to be shared.
Second, fuel poverty causes hyperthermia and chronic ill health – so a cash share in the country’s wind earnings would be a quick way to cut bills and save lives.
Thirdly, high energy costs deter industry by turning energy-rich Scotland into an energy-expensive location for new business.
Finally, it could be otherwise, as the intriguing tale in yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday of the “wind crofter” demonstrated. Under the Energise Scotland scheme, smallholders, crofters and communities host small turbines and get free electricity while developers pay for the kit and sell excess energy to the grid.
There may be better schemes around – but “wind crofting” demonstrates the empowering potential of wind income split more evenly. A small turbine can reduce individual energy bills to zero and still make a profit for investors – as long as that individual owns land.
And there of course is the rub. Scotland may be a northern energy emirate, but ordinary Scots pay the highest electricity bills in Europe because 60 per cent of “our” land is owned by just 1,000 people – and the disappointing interim report by the Land Reform Review Group suggests this shameful picture is not about to change.
Now, admittedly land ownership and the possibility of free or discounted electricity have not featured strongly in the wind farm debate so far. Battle lines have been drawn instead over appearance, intermittency and cost – and though a vocal minority won a ban on new wind farms in “scenic areas”, they’ve failed to dent the consistent majority for wind energy in regular opinion polls.
Dig deeper in the data however and its clear wind energy is more popular in cities than country areas. Is that because of visual interference or financial unfairness? We’ll probably never know.
So what’s to be done? Struan Stevenson’s solution is to ditch “expensive and unreliable” wind energy. Yet if anything is “expensive and unreliable” it’s gas. Britain was just six hours from running out in March when energy regulator Ofgem reported, “higher gas prices have been the main driver of increasing energy bills over the last eight years”.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says “fossil fuel price volatility is a bigger driver of energy price variation than the impact of climate change policies,” and DECC figures show the Renewables Obligation was 1.1 billion compared to nuclear decommissioning costs of 2bn in 2009-10. Finally Bloomberg New Energy Finance has predicted onshore wind will be cost competitive with gas and coal generation by 2016.
Sticking with wind in a varied energy mix is worthwhile. Letting lairds trouser millions in wind cash is not. Neither is missing the opportunity to completely recast the energy debate in Scotland for the advent of renewables and the prospect of independence.
Currently Scotland’s economic model for renewables is oil. Big companies make big profits, the government gets tax revenues, the sector and the North East get jobs and everyone’s happy(ish) – though of course Alex Salmond would rather hold on to the oil revenues. So far, so centralised. Indeed, as Bill Jamieson pointed out in yesterday’s Scotland on Sunday, so dangerously centralised.
What cash benefit reaches the average inhabitant of this oil-rich nation? Next to none. And Chancellors are quite happy to keep it that way – on both sides of the border.
Somehow the public hoped and presumed the renewable energy bonanza would be different.
The industry does offer community benefit – a sum per megawatt of wind generated locally. But some communities have not spent their wind cash and few have performed land buyouts to become joint wind developers – even though Duke-sized hand-outs await. What are communities waiting for?
2013年5月22日 星期三
Laucala Island Fiji Offers Ultimate Honeymoon
Deciding on a honeymoon is an exciting task, and Laucala Island recognises the importance of this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Honeymoons are as unique and wide-ranging as the couples taking them, and this memorable occasion allows you to really ‘push the boat out’, whether you enjoy tranquil beach hide-aways, exhilarating sporting pursuits, fascinating cultural heritage, a boutique spa destination or just simply spending precious time together in the midst of this spectacular natural environment. Laucala Island can create a tailor-made itinerary that encompasses all your interests and passions, and at a pace that suits you.
Laucala Island is one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, and no other private island offers such a range of leisure facilities and the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the world. This elite private island has its very own airfield for private jet connections, and just 25 exquisite villas, all with their own pools. The island’s guest list has reputedly included Hollywood star Oprah Winfrey, amongst other notable personalities.
This kaleidoscopic destination boasts some of the most breathtaking exotic scenery in the South Pacific Islands, with an abundance of fauna and flora, and lush tropical diversity of forests and mangroves. There are acres of unspoilt sandy beaches and immense coral reefs begging to be explored.
On the west coast of the island, Tadra Beach, or fondly known as Dream Beach, is a secluded swathe of sand, only accessible by sea and available to exclusively one couple only at any given time. Guests arriving by boat, catamaran or jet-ski can enjoy romantic picnics under the shade of indigenous trees, take a romantic stroll along the deserted beach or delight in some of Laucala’s best snorkelling off Seagrass Bay.
The best honeymoon should incorporate everything you want and expect from one of the most important trips you will ever take, and at Laucala Island, couples can savour some sweet moments enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities including horse-riding, snorkelling, fishing, and cooking class with produce freshly picked from the island’s organic herb garden and farm.
The island also features five exclusive restaurants and bars, where top international chefs from Europe and Asia serve a superb and irresistible choice of Western, Asian and local cuisines, complemented by an impressive cellar of fine wines. Bespoke weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations which require special arrangements and premium items are all managed separately. For weddings, Laucala Island even has its very own chapel and priest and the team at the resort will be on hand to help you create the perfect fairytale wedding of your dreams.
Laucala Island brings a whole new meaning to the term “all-inclusive resort”, all food and beverage services are included as well as chauffeur services, nannies, housekeeping, concierge service, and laundry and dry cleaning machine. Sports and activities, golf, tennis, horseback riding, land and water packages and diving are all included within the all-inclusive residence price. Honeymooners can truly focus on immersing themselves into their daily activities and romantic getaways, without having to worry about carrying cash around with them.
Honeymoons are as unique and wide-ranging as the couples taking them, and this memorable occasion allows you to really ‘push the boat out’, whether you enjoy tranquil beach hide-aways, exhilarating sporting pursuits, fascinating cultural heritage, a boutique spa destination or just simply spending precious time together in the midst of this spectacular natural environment. Laucala Island can create a tailor-made itinerary that encompasses all your interests and passions, and at a pace that suits you.
Laucala Island is one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, and no other private island offers such a range of leisure facilities and the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the world. This elite private island has its very own airfield for private jet connections, and just 25 exquisite villas, all with their own pools. The island’s guest list has reputedly included Hollywood star Oprah Winfrey, amongst other notable personalities.
This kaleidoscopic destination boasts some of the most breathtaking exotic scenery in the South Pacific Islands, with an abundance of fauna and flora, and lush tropical diversity of forests and mangroves. There are acres of unspoilt sandy beaches and immense coral reefs begging to be explored.
On the west coast of the island, Tadra Beach, or fondly known as Dream Beach, is a secluded swathe of sand, only accessible by sea and available to exclusively one couple only at any given time. Guests arriving by boat, catamaran or jet-ski can enjoy romantic picnics under the shade of indigenous trees, take a romantic stroll along the deserted beach or delight in some of Laucala’s best snorkelling off Seagrass Bay.
The best honeymoon should incorporate everything you want and expect from one of the most important trips you will ever take, and at Laucala Island, couples can savour some sweet moments enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities including horse-riding, snorkelling, fishing, and cooking class with produce freshly picked from the island’s organic herb garden and farm.
The island also features five exclusive restaurants and bars, where top international chefs from Europe and Asia serve a superb and irresistible choice of Western, Asian and local cuisines, complemented by an impressive cellar of fine wines. Bespoke weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations which require special arrangements and premium items are all managed separately. For weddings, Laucala Island even has its very own chapel and priest and the team at the resort will be on hand to help you create the perfect fairytale wedding of your dreams.
Laucala Island brings a whole new meaning to the term “all-inclusive resort”, all food and beverage services are included as well as chauffeur services, nannies, housekeeping, concierge service, and laundry and dry cleaning machine. Sports and activities, golf, tennis, horseback riding, land and water packages and diving are all included within the all-inclusive residence price. Honeymooners can truly focus on immersing themselves into their daily activities and romantic getaways, without having to worry about carrying cash around with them.
2013年5月21日 星期二
Tax incentives may jump-start $300 million Siouxland wind farm
Nebraska lawmakers are closing in on passing a measure to pave the way for a $300 million wind farm project in Dixon County.
Lawmakers on Tuesday gave second-round approval to a bill by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop that would remove a barrier to the development and export of wind energy in Nebraska. It would offer tax incentives that could lead to Nebraska getting a wind farm project by TradeWind Energy, of Lenexa, Kan.
The project, called Rattlesnake Creek, is proposed on more than 10,000 acres of farmland between Allen, Emerson and Wakefield, southwest of Sioux City. More than 100 local landowners would receive lease payments of $10,000 to $15,000 per turbine.
TradeWind officials have said attracting customers is difficult because the state's lack of tax incentives means it would have to charge more for power than companies based in other states.
Sen. Ken Schilz, of Ogallala, previously proposed replacing Lathrop's measure with another, by Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, that would encourage more local ownership of renewable energy projects. It would allow a sales tax exemption on materials used in the projects, as long as 25 percent of gross revenues went to Nebraska businesses or individuals. Schilz eventually abandoned the effort.
Schilz said that because Nebraska is a public power state, Tradewind would be required to offer 10 percent of the power it generates to Nebraska utilities while shipping 90 percent out of state.
"If we incent all those export projects first … then in 20 years, what's left … for the people of the state of Nebraska?" Schilz asked. "We really do need to think about the future and what goes on. Whose wind is it? Who should get the benefit for it, and how long should that benefit last?"
Sen. Burke Harr, of Omaha, said it was wrong to oppose projects by companies outside of Nebraska.
"We are saying we're not open for business," Harr said. "We're saying, 'Gosh, we want your money, but we don't want you.'"
Nebraska lags in the production of wind energy. Iowa generates more than 13 times as much wind power as Nebraska -- 4,536 megawatts to 337. And Nebraska ranks last among its neighboring states.
MidAmerican Energy, which has nearly 1,300 wind turbines in Iowa, including several farms in western Iowa, recently announced plans to spend $1.9 billion to build another 656 wind turbines across the state. It's the largest economic development project in Iowa history.
Lathrop's bill would fall under the Nebraska Advantage Act, which took effect in 2006 and is meant to encourage companies to expand and create jobs by offering them tax incentives. About 320 companies have applied for Nebraska Advantage credits and created 20,500 new jobs.
"This is an economic development issue," Lathrop said. "The Advantage Act has always been about economic development. We know what the benefits are. It is a great tool for economic development."
The measure would provide a sales tax exemption for the purchase of turbines, towers and other wind-farm components, which Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma have used to create a wind-energy boom.
TradeWind Energy will decide soon whether it will build in Nebraska or elsewhere.
Gov. Dave Heineman, who has touted developing wind energy, says lawmakers should not pass bills giving new tax breaks until the Legislature does a proposed study to overhaul Nebraska's tax system.
Lawmakers on Tuesday gave second-round approval to a bill by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop that would remove a barrier to the development and export of wind energy in Nebraska. It would offer tax incentives that could lead to Nebraska getting a wind farm project by TradeWind Energy, of Lenexa, Kan.
The project, called Rattlesnake Creek, is proposed on more than 10,000 acres of farmland between Allen, Emerson and Wakefield, southwest of Sioux City. More than 100 local landowners would receive lease payments of $10,000 to $15,000 per turbine.
TradeWind officials have said attracting customers is difficult because the state's lack of tax incentives means it would have to charge more for power than companies based in other states.
Sen. Ken Schilz, of Ogallala, previously proposed replacing Lathrop's measure with another, by Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, that would encourage more local ownership of renewable energy projects. It would allow a sales tax exemption on materials used in the projects, as long as 25 percent of gross revenues went to Nebraska businesses or individuals. Schilz eventually abandoned the effort.
Schilz said that because Nebraska is a public power state, Tradewind would be required to offer 10 percent of the power it generates to Nebraska utilities while shipping 90 percent out of state.
"If we incent all those export projects first … then in 20 years, what's left … for the people of the state of Nebraska?" Schilz asked. "We really do need to think about the future and what goes on. Whose wind is it? Who should get the benefit for it, and how long should that benefit last?"
Sen. Burke Harr, of Omaha, said it was wrong to oppose projects by companies outside of Nebraska.
"We are saying we're not open for business," Harr said. "We're saying, 'Gosh, we want your money, but we don't want you.'"
Nebraska lags in the production of wind energy. Iowa generates more than 13 times as much wind power as Nebraska -- 4,536 megawatts to 337. And Nebraska ranks last among its neighboring states.
MidAmerican Energy, which has nearly 1,300 wind turbines in Iowa, including several farms in western Iowa, recently announced plans to spend $1.9 billion to build another 656 wind turbines across the state. It's the largest economic development project in Iowa history.
Lathrop's bill would fall under the Nebraska Advantage Act, which took effect in 2006 and is meant to encourage companies to expand and create jobs by offering them tax incentives. About 320 companies have applied for Nebraska Advantage credits and created 20,500 new jobs.
"This is an economic development issue," Lathrop said. "The Advantage Act has always been about economic development. We know what the benefits are. It is a great tool for economic development."
The measure would provide a sales tax exemption for the purchase of turbines, towers and other wind-farm components, which Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma have used to create a wind-energy boom.
TradeWind Energy will decide soon whether it will build in Nebraska or elsewhere.
Gov. Dave Heineman, who has touted developing wind energy, says lawmakers should not pass bills giving new tax breaks until the Legislature does a proposed study to overhaul Nebraska's tax system.
2013年5月20日 星期一
At end of long day
Maria Ford waited outside Fairfield's downtown railroad station for a shuttle bus to take her back to Westport on Monday afternoon.
The Pelham, N.Y., resident usually takes the train to her job in Fairfield, and was pleased to learn that full service is expected to be restored by Wednesday's morning commute, following much more dire predictions of service disruptions in the wake of Friday's collision between two Metro-North trains in Bridgeport.
"It's hard enough when there aren't any problems," Ford said, of the typical commute by rail. Having to hop on a bus in Westport to complete her journey to Fairfield added about an hour to her trip Monday, she said. She left early, though "and just made it to work. I was here by 9." Ford had left her home at 6:50 a.m.
Overall, though, Ford said the challenges of Monday's travel weren't as terrible as she thought.
Buses stopped at the Fairfield Metro and Fairfield Center stations (but not Southport) about every 20 minutes Monday, bringing passengers back and forth to Westport, the western-most point where there was limited train service to Grand Center Terminal.
But even with the good news that there was only more day of the "modified service," First Selectman Michael Tetreau urged commuters to do on Tuesday what they did Monday, which kept problems at a minimum. Traffic at the town's train stations was greatly reduced as commuters either stayed home or carpooled to stations farther south.
In addition to the buses at two Fairfield depots, buses also picked up train riders in Bridgeport, bringing them to Stamford. According to Metro-North, all of the buses carried about 1,200 riders during the morning peak travel hours and another 1,500 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Overall ridership on the New Haven line was down at least 20 percent Monday, railroad officials estimated.
"It went very smooth," Cecile Girard, a commuter of seven years, said Monday afternoon. The only problem Girard experienced was on the way back to Fairfield. "The driver didn't know where the train station was," she said, "and got off the highway and started driving to the wrong part of Fairfield."
A passenger helped get him pointed in the right direction. "Other than that, it was fine," Girard said, and she knows fine from not fine. In July 2011, Girard was on the Metro-North train that got stuck during a heat wave outside Westport because of an electrical malfunction before limping into the station. She refers to it as the "hot train." "I was on that car," she recalled.
On the New Haven-bound side of the downtown station, Anthony Davis, an employee of Fabricare, was sitting outside on a bench. He'd been on the New York side before 6 a.m. in case any commuters needed to drop off dry cleaning. "Just one person," he said. "On a Monday, it's usually very busy; it's been so dead."
The Pelham, N.Y., resident usually takes the train to her job in Fairfield, and was pleased to learn that full service is expected to be restored by Wednesday's morning commute, following much more dire predictions of service disruptions in the wake of Friday's collision between two Metro-North trains in Bridgeport.
"It's hard enough when there aren't any problems," Ford said, of the typical commute by rail. Having to hop on a bus in Westport to complete her journey to Fairfield added about an hour to her trip Monday, she said. She left early, though "and just made it to work. I was here by 9." Ford had left her home at 6:50 a.m.
Overall, though, Ford said the challenges of Monday's travel weren't as terrible as she thought.
Buses stopped at the Fairfield Metro and Fairfield Center stations (but not Southport) about every 20 minutes Monday, bringing passengers back and forth to Westport, the western-most point where there was limited train service to Grand Center Terminal.
But even with the good news that there was only more day of the "modified service," First Selectman Michael Tetreau urged commuters to do on Tuesday what they did Monday, which kept problems at a minimum. Traffic at the town's train stations was greatly reduced as commuters either stayed home or carpooled to stations farther south.
In addition to the buses at two Fairfield depots, buses also picked up train riders in Bridgeport, bringing them to Stamford. According to Metro-North, all of the buses carried about 1,200 riders during the morning peak travel hours and another 1,500 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Overall ridership on the New Haven line was down at least 20 percent Monday, railroad officials estimated.
"It went very smooth," Cecile Girard, a commuter of seven years, said Monday afternoon. The only problem Girard experienced was on the way back to Fairfield. "The driver didn't know where the train station was," she said, "and got off the highway and started driving to the wrong part of Fairfield."
A passenger helped get him pointed in the right direction. "Other than that, it was fine," Girard said, and she knows fine from not fine. In July 2011, Girard was on the Metro-North train that got stuck during a heat wave outside Westport because of an electrical malfunction before limping into the station. She refers to it as the "hot train." "I was on that car," she recalled.
On the New Haven-bound side of the downtown station, Anthony Davis, an employee of Fabricare, was sitting outside on a bench. He'd been on the New York side before 6 a.m. in case any commuters needed to drop off dry cleaning. "Just one person," he said. "On a Monday, it's usually very busy; it's been so dead."
2013年5月19日 星期日
Wind turbine debate leaves village in a spin
Campaigners have renewed their fight to stop wind turbines being put up in their village as more companies look to use the alternative energy source.
Last year Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting Ltd was awarded planning permission to put up two turbines on land at Church Farm, south of Gypsy Lane, in Woolley.
But after being challenged by people living near to the site, the decision by Wakefield Council has been quashed.
Now members of the Woolley Wind Turbine Action Group say two more companies are looking to erect another three turbines on fields close to the site between Haw Top and the Windhill Gate Farm complex at Staincross.
People fear the construction of the turbines will disrupt village life as well as causing noise issues once they are up.
Ruth Sheard, of New Road, Woolley, said she felt the council had ignored its “duty to co-operate” with neighbouring authorities such as Barnsley Council, whose objections to the last application were ignored.
And she felt more research should be done on the impact such developments will have on neighbours.
She said: “It is hardly surprising that the residents of both Woolley and Staincross are up in arms. They have a right to expect more detailed evaluations of cumulative noise effects, and more rigorous assessments of cumulative visual impacts by the case officers concerned, and better strategic planning.”
Resident’s association member Richard Dixon and Woolley parish councillor Carol Robson have warned that a decision to approve wind turbines could lead to a “flurry” of applications.
Ian Thomson, service director for planning at Wakefield Council, said: “Following a high court decision planning approval has been quashed and we are aware other companies are interested.
“We are bound by planning law to process any valid applications we may receive and will carry out appropriate public consultation before making a decision.”
However, this has provoked anger among the Uplawmoor community. Aileen Jackson, chair of the wind farm protest group in Uplawmoor, opposes the four 110 metre turbines.
She said: “Residents would appreciate some form of recompense for the existing turbines, as an offer to become a partner in the proposed extension would be seen as coercion and adds insult to injury.”
Mrs Jackson has already taken a petition to the Scottish public petitions committee, calling for future wind farm planning applications to notify residential properties if they fall within a distance of ten times the height of a turbine.
He told The Extra: “These turbines were to be barely visible from Uplawmoor but poor planning now means these towering machines are all you can see. ”
“Everyone hopes the project will be successful, but it doesn’t change Uplawmoor being blighted by wind farms that were meant to be in the background.”
Ms Sturgeon commented: “The Neilston community wind farm is a great example of community-led regeneration, which is why the Scottish government is supporting this 15.6 million development with a 250,000 investment as a pilot for the renewable energy investment.”
Last year Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting Ltd was awarded planning permission to put up two turbines on land at Church Farm, south of Gypsy Lane, in Woolley.
But after being challenged by people living near to the site, the decision by Wakefield Council has been quashed.
Now members of the Woolley Wind Turbine Action Group say two more companies are looking to erect another three turbines on fields close to the site between Haw Top and the Windhill Gate Farm complex at Staincross.
People fear the construction of the turbines will disrupt village life as well as causing noise issues once they are up.
Ruth Sheard, of New Road, Woolley, said she felt the council had ignored its “duty to co-operate” with neighbouring authorities such as Barnsley Council, whose objections to the last application were ignored.
And she felt more research should be done on the impact such developments will have on neighbours.
She said: “It is hardly surprising that the residents of both Woolley and Staincross are up in arms. They have a right to expect more detailed evaluations of cumulative noise effects, and more rigorous assessments of cumulative visual impacts by the case officers concerned, and better strategic planning.”
Resident’s association member Richard Dixon and Woolley parish councillor Carol Robson have warned that a decision to approve wind turbines could lead to a “flurry” of applications.
Ian Thomson, service director for planning at Wakefield Council, said: “Following a high court decision planning approval has been quashed and we are aware other companies are interested.
“We are bound by planning law to process any valid applications we may receive and will carry out appropriate public consultation before making a decision.”
However, this has provoked anger among the Uplawmoor community. Aileen Jackson, chair of the wind farm protest group in Uplawmoor, opposes the four 110 metre turbines.
She said: “Residents would appreciate some form of recompense for the existing turbines, as an offer to become a partner in the proposed extension would be seen as coercion and adds insult to injury.”
Mrs Jackson has already taken a petition to the Scottish public petitions committee, calling for future wind farm planning applications to notify residential properties if they fall within a distance of ten times the height of a turbine.
He told The Extra: “These turbines were to be barely visible from Uplawmoor but poor planning now means these towering machines are all you can see. ”
“Everyone hopes the project will be successful, but it doesn’t change Uplawmoor being blighted by wind farms that were meant to be in the background.”
Ms Sturgeon commented: “The Neilston community wind farm is a great example of community-led regeneration, which is why the Scottish government is supporting this 15.6 million development with a 250,000 investment as a pilot for the renewable energy investment.”
2013年5月16日 星期四
County OKs Lompoc wind farm permit extension
The Lompoc Wind Energy Project will move forward after the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission on Wednesday granted a time extension for its permits and denied an appeal of a neighboring property owner.
The project, which will place 65 wind turbine generators along the hilltops southeast of Vandenberg Air Force Base, was originally approved in 2008.
The commission unanimously approved a two-year economic hardship time extension for the project and in doing so denied the appeal of George and Cheryl Bedford, who own and live on acreage adjacent to the project.
The Bedfords have opposed the project since it was first proposed five years ago. They appealed the commission’s initial approval to the Board of Supervisors in 2009. When the board denied their appeal, they took their case to Superior Court, where a judge ruled for the county. They eventually took their case to the state Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court verdict.
On Wednesday, attorney Richard Adam, representing the Bedfords, argued that time extension violated the plain language of both the original conditional use permit for the project and the Land Use Development Code.
Adam said the original conditional use permit “shall become null and void and automatically revoked” if the project is discontinued for more than one year. He said that more than a year had passed since Pacific Renewable Energy Generation LLC (PREG) had surveyed the area, and cut and graded service roads, when in their opinion work had stopped.
Quoting sections of the conditional use permit, Adam also said the Planning Commission could extend the permit “one time” for good cause.
The appeal also said the time extension violated the Land Use Development Code because it said the proposed project “would not be detrimental to the comfort, convenience, general welfare, health and safety of the neighborhood” and it would be compatible with the surrounding area.
Adam said the project, which will spread out over portions of approximately 2,950 acres off San Miguelito Road, is located on rural hillsides used mostly for cattle grazing and isn’t a compatible use.
Adam questioned the director’s authority to grant the permit and said the county shouldn’t “rubber stamp” time extensions.
Kevin Drude, supervising planner with the county, argued that the construction of the project approved by the permits hasn’t yet started, so it couldn’t have been discontinued for a year. He also said nothing in the project had changed since it had been approved, and that Planning and Development Director Glenn Russell had the authority to grant the time extension.
Jason Donajkowski, project manager for PREG, said the company sought the time extensions because of the economic downturn that began just as the project was approved. He said the company expects to complete engineering the project in 2014 and finish construction by 2015.
The project, which will place 65 wind turbine generators along the hilltops southeast of Vandenberg Air Force Base, was originally approved in 2008.
The commission unanimously approved a two-year economic hardship time extension for the project and in doing so denied the appeal of George and Cheryl Bedford, who own and live on acreage adjacent to the project.
The Bedfords have opposed the project since it was first proposed five years ago. They appealed the commission’s initial approval to the Board of Supervisors in 2009. When the board denied their appeal, they took their case to Superior Court, where a judge ruled for the county. They eventually took their case to the state Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court verdict.
On Wednesday, attorney Richard Adam, representing the Bedfords, argued that time extension violated the plain language of both the original conditional use permit for the project and the Land Use Development Code.
Adam said the original conditional use permit “shall become null and void and automatically revoked” if the project is discontinued for more than one year. He said that more than a year had passed since Pacific Renewable Energy Generation LLC (PREG) had surveyed the area, and cut and graded service roads, when in their opinion work had stopped.
Quoting sections of the conditional use permit, Adam also said the Planning Commission could extend the permit “one time” for good cause.
The appeal also said the time extension violated the Land Use Development Code because it said the proposed project “would not be detrimental to the comfort, convenience, general welfare, health and safety of the neighborhood” and it would be compatible with the surrounding area.
Adam said the project, which will spread out over portions of approximately 2,950 acres off San Miguelito Road, is located on rural hillsides used mostly for cattle grazing and isn’t a compatible use.
Adam questioned the director’s authority to grant the permit and said the county shouldn’t “rubber stamp” time extensions.
Kevin Drude, supervising planner with the county, argued that the construction of the project approved by the permits hasn’t yet started, so it couldn’t have been discontinued for a year. He also said nothing in the project had changed since it had been approved, and that Planning and Development Director Glenn Russell had the authority to grant the time extension.
Jason Donajkowski, project manager for PREG, said the company sought the time extensions because of the economic downturn that began just as the project was approved. He said the company expects to complete engineering the project in 2014 and finish construction by 2015.
2013年5月15日 星期三
Fire contract OKed with 8.5 percent raise
Other changes to the union contract include increasing the firefighters' co-pays for prescription drugs with the difference to be covered by a Health Reimbursement Account. Both the fire department and township will each save $12,500 annually because of this change.
"Everybody has to be on the same program," Spisz explained. "So, the township board and the township employees will also have to change to the same program."
Full-time firefighters who choose not to take health insurance through the department will be paid 50 percent of the $7,835 annual premium cost that the township would have paid to cover a single person. This represents an increase from the 40 percent payment under the previous contract.
What didn't change is the fact that full-time firefighters will continue to pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums and do so for the next three years. They've been paying 5 percent since Jan. 1. 2012.
Instead of being paid a $750 lump sum uniform allowance every January, beginning next year, the fire department will provide a uniform bank allowance of $750 per union firefighter and any unused portion of that annual allowance will be considered a savings for the department.
Effective this year, the township will begin providing dry cleaning machine services for all full-time firefighter uniforms.
The township also agreed to a one-time purchase of Class A dress uniforms for all firefighters with at least five years of full-time service to the department.
"(They give us) a more professional look when we go to events," said Balinski, who noted the dress uniform symbolizes they're "a part of that brotherhood" of firefighters.
"It's customary that Class A (dress) uniforms are given to firefighters," Curtis said. "They attend funerals and ceremonies to help build pride in the community and pay homage to fallen firefighters. It helps them represent our community with dignity."
"I equated it to my kid (who's in the U.S. Air Force)," he added. "They gave him a full set of uniforms – one for battle, one for dress and one for casual."
Curtis noted the savings from the prescription co-pay change and the new uniform bank allowance should cover the cost of the dress uniforms and dry cleaning services.
"Should is a good word," he said. "If the savings doesn't cover it, the fire department budget will be impacted."
"We went into it as a cost neutral (change)," Spisz said. "If (the fire union) wanted anything that was a cost increase to the township – that was outside of anything already approved by the board for themselves – it would have to be cost neutral."
In other words, there had to be a corresponding cost savings in one area in order to cover an increase in another area.
Supervisor Bill Dunn thanked the township's bargaining team for "spending all their time fighting these guys tooth-and-nail."
"I'd also like to thank the guys, our firefighters, for doing the same – acting in good faith and coming up with an agreement."
"Everybody has to be on the same program," Spisz explained. "So, the township board and the township employees will also have to change to the same program."
Full-time firefighters who choose not to take health insurance through the department will be paid 50 percent of the $7,835 annual premium cost that the township would have paid to cover a single person. This represents an increase from the 40 percent payment under the previous contract.
What didn't change is the fact that full-time firefighters will continue to pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums and do so for the next three years. They've been paying 5 percent since Jan. 1. 2012.
Instead of being paid a $750 lump sum uniform allowance every January, beginning next year, the fire department will provide a uniform bank allowance of $750 per union firefighter and any unused portion of that annual allowance will be considered a savings for the department.
Effective this year, the township will begin providing dry cleaning machine services for all full-time firefighter uniforms.
The township also agreed to a one-time purchase of Class A dress uniforms for all firefighters with at least five years of full-time service to the department.
"(They give us) a more professional look when we go to events," said Balinski, who noted the dress uniform symbolizes they're "a part of that brotherhood" of firefighters.
"It's customary that Class A (dress) uniforms are given to firefighters," Curtis said. "They attend funerals and ceremonies to help build pride in the community and pay homage to fallen firefighters. It helps them represent our community with dignity."
"I equated it to my kid (who's in the U.S. Air Force)," he added. "They gave him a full set of uniforms – one for battle, one for dress and one for casual."
Curtis noted the savings from the prescription co-pay change and the new uniform bank allowance should cover the cost of the dress uniforms and dry cleaning services.
"Should is a good word," he said. "If the savings doesn't cover it, the fire department budget will be impacted."
"We went into it as a cost neutral (change)," Spisz said. "If (the fire union) wanted anything that was a cost increase to the township – that was outside of anything already approved by the board for themselves – it would have to be cost neutral."
In other words, there had to be a corresponding cost savings in one area in order to cover an increase in another area.
Supervisor Bill Dunn thanked the township's bargaining team for "spending all their time fighting these guys tooth-and-nail."
"I'd also like to thank the guys, our firefighters, for doing the same – acting in good faith and coming up with an agreement."
2013年5月14日 星期二
Special counsel to fight proposed wind turbines
The Town Council may not have any legal cards left to play in its fight against two proposed wind turbines, but it will not walk away from the table.
The council voted unanimously Monday night to authorize Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz to hire a special counsel to represent the town at the May 21 Zoning Board of Review hearing at which Whalerock Renewable Energy LLC will seeking a special use permit to build the turbines on a site north of Route 1 between King’s Factory Road and East Quail Run. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Charlestown Elementary School.
The motion presented by council President Thomas Gentz allows the town to spend up to $50,000 to hire the special counsel and arrange for any appropriate experts to provide testimony at the hearing.
“We’ll start at 9 a.m.” today, Gentz said, adding that “it won’t be hard” to put together its case in time for the hearing.
The council discussed the move in executive session before Monday’s monthly meeting, then took the vote immediately after returning from deliberations. The move was prompted by a state Superior Court decision on April 10 that dismissed suits brought by the council and a group of residents living near the site who tried to slow or halt the regulatory process.
Gentz said the council was advised by Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero that the decision of Superior Court Associate Justice Kristin Rodgers eliminated any legal options the town had remaining. The ruling supported local developer Lawrence LeBlanc’s quest to build the wind energy project .
“It was really the judge that put the town against the wall. When she remanded back to the zoning board, she said the town could not appeal,” Gentz said.
“We felt a special counsel was necessary, and can bring a lot of testimony about the impacts of industrial turbines on the town.”
Neither Gentz, elected to the council in 2010, nor Ruggiero, solicitor the past eight years, could recall a previous instance of Charlestown hiring a special counsel. Ruggiero said he would still participate in the hearing on behalf of the town.
LeBlanc proposed the turbines in 2009 after failing to win approval for affordable housing at the site. He has been fighting the town since an anti-turbine majority was elected to the council in 2010 and imposed a moratorium on wind power plants. LeBlanc argued that his application to the zoning board was substantially completed, though an interim town planner ruled otherwise in 2010, and that his plans only needed an advisory opinion from the Planning Commission, not its outright approval.
Rodgers’ decision ruled that a previous appearance LeBlanc had made before the commission satisfied the advisory requirement, and that the council and the residents’ group had not offered substantial reason to deny him a hearing.
Under town ordinance, a wind turbine plant can only be granted under a special use permit, to be granted by the zoning board.
The council voted unanimously Monday night to authorize Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz to hire a special counsel to represent the town at the May 21 Zoning Board of Review hearing at which Whalerock Renewable Energy LLC will seeking a special use permit to build the turbines on a site north of Route 1 between King’s Factory Road and East Quail Run. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Charlestown Elementary School.
The motion presented by council President Thomas Gentz allows the town to spend up to $50,000 to hire the special counsel and arrange for any appropriate experts to provide testimony at the hearing.
“We’ll start at 9 a.m.” today, Gentz said, adding that “it won’t be hard” to put together its case in time for the hearing.
The council discussed the move in executive session before Monday’s monthly meeting, then took the vote immediately after returning from deliberations. The move was prompted by a state Superior Court decision on April 10 that dismissed suits brought by the council and a group of residents living near the site who tried to slow or halt the regulatory process.
Gentz said the council was advised by Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero that the decision of Superior Court Associate Justice Kristin Rodgers eliminated any legal options the town had remaining. The ruling supported local developer Lawrence LeBlanc’s quest to build the wind energy project .
“It was really the judge that put the town against the wall. When she remanded back to the zoning board, she said the town could not appeal,” Gentz said.
“We felt a special counsel was necessary, and can bring a lot of testimony about the impacts of industrial turbines on the town.”
Neither Gentz, elected to the council in 2010, nor Ruggiero, solicitor the past eight years, could recall a previous instance of Charlestown hiring a special counsel. Ruggiero said he would still participate in the hearing on behalf of the town.
LeBlanc proposed the turbines in 2009 after failing to win approval for affordable housing at the site. He has been fighting the town since an anti-turbine majority was elected to the council in 2010 and imposed a moratorium on wind power plants. LeBlanc argued that his application to the zoning board was substantially completed, though an interim town planner ruled otherwise in 2010, and that his plans only needed an advisory opinion from the Planning Commission, not its outright approval.
Rodgers’ decision ruled that a previous appearance LeBlanc had made before the commission satisfied the advisory requirement, and that the council and the residents’ group had not offered substantial reason to deny him a hearing.
Under town ordinance, a wind turbine plant can only be granted under a special use permit, to be granted by the zoning board.
2013年5月13日 星期一
Keep your lawn green while saving water with simple steps
Against a backdrop of tighter water restrictions and lake levels that seem to fall by the day, the Texas Water Smart coalition wants residents to know that limiting sprinkler use won’t leave their yards a desert wasteland, but will actually create stronger, healthier landscapes.
“People still really want to have a nice outdoor environment, but they want to plant things they feel will be hardy and good for them,” said Johnette Taylor of Roundtree Landscaping in Dallas, who is state landscape director for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. “It’s a big switch from a few years ago. Now, they want a nice yard, but they want to be water-conscious, too.”
Still, it’s easy enough to find someone in almost any neighborhood around Dallas who runs their sprinklers three, four, even seven days a week, dousing streets and sidewalks along with their lawns. And when water utilities have to impose tough limits on landscape irrigation, those lush landscapes take the biggest hit.
“But since most of us are watering twice a week, even going back to once a week shouldn’t hurt the plants too badly,” said Taylor, a member of the Water Smart coalition.
“Watch your irrigation system run, and see how long it takes for the water to puddle up on you or run off onto the sidewalks or driveway,” she said. “That’s usually about three, four, five, six minutes. You want to set the sprinklers to run to that point and then let that area sit for an hour or two.
“If you have six or seven [sprinkler] zones in your yard, let it run through, then let it sit for half an hour before you start the next cycle,” Taylor said. “If you do that cycle-and-soak two or even three times, you’ll be pushing water deeper and deeper to the roots, which is really ideal.”
And for best results, she said, water in the early morning, when temperatures are lower and less water is lost to evaporation.
That’s just one of the simple tips from Texas Water Smart that can sharply reduce water use. And this year, they might be especially timely.
Another goal is to reduce water usage by 10 percent, “an uphill battle,” according to water district spokeswoman Denise Hickey, “so we’ve got to raise awareness.”
But it’s doable, said Mike Rickman, deputy director of the North Texas district. In June 2012, water customers cut consumption by exactly 10 percent in the face of dry weather and tighter water supplies.
“And this goes back a ways, back to ’05 and ’06, when we were going through the same things [with drought] and we were able to reduce usage by 100 to 150 million gallons a day,” Rickman said.
On its busiest day, he said, the district pumped a total of 582 million gallons.
Nurseries and big-box stores such as Home Depot play a key role in conservation, Hickey said, “encouraging consumers to be more water-efficient and to be more conscious of how they use water.”
Joey Constantino, manager of the Home Depot store at Forest and Josey lanes in Dallas, said that once customers understand how easy it can be to cut water use — and how that can reduce their bills — it’s easy to change old habits.
During the warmest months, outdoor watering is a major contributor to overall water use, Constantino said, so adjusting sprinkler use, making sure hoses and faucets don’t leak and applying mulch to plant beds can make a big difference.
But indoor water use is always with us, with showers, industrial washing machine and toilets making up about 70 percent of residential consumption each year, Constantino said.
“A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day, and some old toilets use up to 7 gallons a flush,” he said. “And a high-efficiency washing machine will pay for itself in water savings.”
“People still really want to have a nice outdoor environment, but they want to plant things they feel will be hardy and good for them,” said Johnette Taylor of Roundtree Landscaping in Dallas, who is state landscape director for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. “It’s a big switch from a few years ago. Now, they want a nice yard, but they want to be water-conscious, too.”
Still, it’s easy enough to find someone in almost any neighborhood around Dallas who runs their sprinklers three, four, even seven days a week, dousing streets and sidewalks along with their lawns. And when water utilities have to impose tough limits on landscape irrigation, those lush landscapes take the biggest hit.
“But since most of us are watering twice a week, even going back to once a week shouldn’t hurt the plants too badly,” said Taylor, a member of the Water Smart coalition.
“Watch your irrigation system run, and see how long it takes for the water to puddle up on you or run off onto the sidewalks or driveway,” she said. “That’s usually about three, four, five, six minutes. You want to set the sprinklers to run to that point and then let that area sit for an hour or two.
“If you have six or seven [sprinkler] zones in your yard, let it run through, then let it sit for half an hour before you start the next cycle,” Taylor said. “If you do that cycle-and-soak two or even three times, you’ll be pushing water deeper and deeper to the roots, which is really ideal.”
And for best results, she said, water in the early morning, when temperatures are lower and less water is lost to evaporation.
That’s just one of the simple tips from Texas Water Smart that can sharply reduce water use. And this year, they might be especially timely.
Another goal is to reduce water usage by 10 percent, “an uphill battle,” according to water district spokeswoman Denise Hickey, “so we’ve got to raise awareness.”
But it’s doable, said Mike Rickman, deputy director of the North Texas district. In June 2012, water customers cut consumption by exactly 10 percent in the face of dry weather and tighter water supplies.
“And this goes back a ways, back to ’05 and ’06, when we were going through the same things [with drought] and we were able to reduce usage by 100 to 150 million gallons a day,” Rickman said.
On its busiest day, he said, the district pumped a total of 582 million gallons.
Nurseries and big-box stores such as Home Depot play a key role in conservation, Hickey said, “encouraging consumers to be more water-efficient and to be more conscious of how they use water.”
Joey Constantino, manager of the Home Depot store at Forest and Josey lanes in Dallas, said that once customers understand how easy it can be to cut water use — and how that can reduce their bills — it’s easy to change old habits.
During the warmest months, outdoor watering is a major contributor to overall water use, Constantino said, so adjusting sprinkler use, making sure hoses and faucets don’t leak and applying mulch to plant beds can make a big difference.
But indoor water use is always with us, with showers, industrial washing machine and toilets making up about 70 percent of residential consumption each year, Constantino said.
“A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day, and some old toilets use up to 7 gallons a flush,” he said. “And a high-efficiency washing machine will pay for itself in water savings.”
2013年5月12日 星期日
Meeting on proposed wind farm to be held Thursday
The meeting set for Thursday at the Bras d’Or Community Hall follows the company’s submission of an environmental assessment to the Department of Environment on behalf of Wind4All Communities Inc. for the proposed wind farm.
“It is not really part of the environmental assessment,” said Amy Pellerine, development engineer for the company.
“It is mostly just to get a chance for the community to ask us questions if they do have questions regarding the environmental assessment. It’s basically just to present the results and present the work that we’ve done to the community surrounding the project.”
The letter sent to the Cape Breton Post to advise the newspaper of the meeting said the information session will provide the public with a better understanding of the studies that have been conducted to ensure the project will have negligible effects on the surrounding environment and communities.
The project has been met with some opposition, particularly from the Hillside Boularderie and Area Concerned Citizens Group, who have expressed concerns over the proximity of the turbines to homes as well as the visual impact the project will have on the community, frequencies given off by the turbines and the adverse effects on their way of life.
The community group hosted its own meeting in November featuring guest speaker Carmen Krogh, a retired pharmacist known for her research, peer reviewed articles and public information sessions on the health effects of industrial wind turbines.
Pellerine said the third local meeting for Natural Forces Inc. will discuss their company’s studies and information they have on what the project could mean for the community.
Those studies include bird and bat surveys and a Mi’kmaq ecological knowledge study.
“It is basically a big compilation in the environmental assessment. It can be pretty daunting to look at it so sometimes we just like to have a public meeting so if people want to come in and chat and see exactly what we did they are more than welcome.”
The information session on Thursday will take place at the Bras d’Or Community Hall, 24 Villa Dr. in Little Bras d’Or from 5-7:30 p.m.
The proposed Hillside Boularderie wind farm is a two turbine wind energy project to be located in the community of Hillside Boularderie bordering the community of Groves Point.
This project is being developed as part of the Nova Scotia Community Feed-In Tariff program. The wind farm was registered with the province for environmental assessment, May 1.
The Department of the Environment will decide if the project can be granted conditional environmental assessment approval on or before June 20.
Natural Forces Wind Inc. formally Wind Prospect Inc. has been active in the Maritimes since 2008. They’ve developed multiple wind farms, including the Kent Hills wind farm in New Brunswick and the Fairmont wind farm in Antigonish which was recently energized in the fall of 2012.
“It is not really part of the environmental assessment,” said Amy Pellerine, development engineer for the company.
“It is mostly just to get a chance for the community to ask us questions if they do have questions regarding the environmental assessment. It’s basically just to present the results and present the work that we’ve done to the community surrounding the project.”
The letter sent to the Cape Breton Post to advise the newspaper of the meeting said the information session will provide the public with a better understanding of the studies that have been conducted to ensure the project will have negligible effects on the surrounding environment and communities.
The project has been met with some opposition, particularly from the Hillside Boularderie and Area Concerned Citizens Group, who have expressed concerns over the proximity of the turbines to homes as well as the visual impact the project will have on the community, frequencies given off by the turbines and the adverse effects on their way of life.
The community group hosted its own meeting in November featuring guest speaker Carmen Krogh, a retired pharmacist known for her research, peer reviewed articles and public information sessions on the health effects of industrial wind turbines.
Pellerine said the third local meeting for Natural Forces Inc. will discuss their company’s studies and information they have on what the project could mean for the community.
Those studies include bird and bat surveys and a Mi’kmaq ecological knowledge study.
“It is basically a big compilation in the environmental assessment. It can be pretty daunting to look at it so sometimes we just like to have a public meeting so if people want to come in and chat and see exactly what we did they are more than welcome.”
The information session on Thursday will take place at the Bras d’Or Community Hall, 24 Villa Dr. in Little Bras d’Or from 5-7:30 p.m.
The proposed Hillside Boularderie wind farm is a two turbine wind energy project to be located in the community of Hillside Boularderie bordering the community of Groves Point.
This project is being developed as part of the Nova Scotia Community Feed-In Tariff program. The wind farm was registered with the province for environmental assessment, May 1.
The Department of the Environment will decide if the project can be granted conditional environmental assessment approval on or before June 20.
Natural Forces Wind Inc. formally Wind Prospect Inc. has been active in the Maritimes since 2008. They’ve developed multiple wind farms, including the Kent Hills wind farm in New Brunswick and the Fairmont wind farm in Antigonish which was recently energized in the fall of 2012.
2013年5月7日 星期二
Technology Gives Individuals an Edge Over Governments
Today Zimmerman is a co-founder of Silent Circle, a commercial outfit that encrypts voice, video and mobile communications—for a price. The company bases itself in Canada to minimize its exposure to the world's snoopier regimes (including the U.S.). It also designed its network so that it can't decrypt the traffic passing through it, to minimize what it can deliver in response to court orders. And Zimmerman's commercial product isn't the only game in town. Among the more promising offerings are a free suite of products from Open WhisperSystems that do much the same as Silent Circle's software.
Why all this effort—and legal risk—to keep communications private? Because much of the world's population lives under the thumbs of nosy rulers, whether overtly malevolent or just overly officious. Even here in the United States, the federal government has induced communications companies to spy on customers by promising not to enforce privacy protections and by threatening to fine online companies that don't allow easy data access to the feds. Federal officials have dropped hints that they're already recording all the phone calls they can intercept (though good luck processing all that data, if it's true).
But biting off more than you can chew is a special skill for government officials, including those who managed to strip people's trust from the Argentine peso and the euro. Currency controls, devaluations in Argentina, and outright confiscations to fund a failing government in Cyprus have driven people to seek a safe haven for what wealth survives the predations of their political leaders. Gold has traditionally provided such a refuge, but the high-tech Bitcoin cryptocurrency recently stepped in to fill that role in a more portable way. A geek's plaything just a short time ago, Bitcoin has turned into a desperate hope for regular people. With its relative ease and anonymity, people who might once have stuffed their pockets with coins and mom's wedding ring when times turn tough instead look to a smart phone app and electronic money to put their savings beyond the reach of crashing currencies and sticky-fingered politicians.
It's not clear that Bitcoin can live up to its promise. It's the first serious crypto currency, unanchored to a government or to a physical presence, and it's just now being tested. What's obvious, though, is that people want what Bitcoin is supposed to be, and that desire will certainly be fulfilled either by it or by a successor technology that can live up to the billing.
It's pretty clear, though, that those laws mean even less than they did in the days when many people just ignored restrictive regulations. Modern technology has delivered the ability for people without specialized skills to manufacture firearms in the privacy of their homes with the push of a button. 3D printers, which build objects from plastic (or metal, in higher-end devices) based on computer designs that can be downloaded from the Internet, have been used to manufacture receivers for restricted semi-automatic rifles, and high-capacity ammunition magazines of the sort that are now banned in several states. This week, the first fully 3D-printed handgun was successfully test-fired. Crude though it is, that first pistol is a peek at a future in which virtually any object can be made at home. To the extent that it ever existed, the age of enforceable restrictions on personal weapons, or objects of any sort, is coming to an end.
3D printing is a wildly promising technology that in years to come may be used to print life-like tissue for medical purposes and chemical compounds that could potentially solve the orphan drug problem. They could also be used to manufacture any mind-altering drug under the sun, putting an end to enforceable chemical prohibitions. The RepRap project, which is developing 3D printers that can replicate themselves, promises to make even a ban on 3D printers unenforceable.
Why all this effort—and legal risk—to keep communications private? Because much of the world's population lives under the thumbs of nosy rulers, whether overtly malevolent or just overly officious. Even here in the United States, the federal government has induced communications companies to spy on customers by promising not to enforce privacy protections and by threatening to fine online companies that don't allow easy data access to the feds. Federal officials have dropped hints that they're already recording all the phone calls they can intercept (though good luck processing all that data, if it's true).
But biting off more than you can chew is a special skill for government officials, including those who managed to strip people's trust from the Argentine peso and the euro. Currency controls, devaluations in Argentina, and outright confiscations to fund a failing government in Cyprus have driven people to seek a safe haven for what wealth survives the predations of their political leaders. Gold has traditionally provided such a refuge, but the high-tech Bitcoin cryptocurrency recently stepped in to fill that role in a more portable way. A geek's plaything just a short time ago, Bitcoin has turned into a desperate hope for regular people. With its relative ease and anonymity, people who might once have stuffed their pockets with coins and mom's wedding ring when times turn tough instead look to a smart phone app and electronic money to put their savings beyond the reach of crashing currencies and sticky-fingered politicians.
It's not clear that Bitcoin can live up to its promise. It's the first serious crypto currency, unanchored to a government or to a physical presence, and it's just now being tested. What's obvious, though, is that people want what Bitcoin is supposed to be, and that desire will certainly be fulfilled either by it or by a successor technology that can live up to the billing.
It's pretty clear, though, that those laws mean even less than they did in the days when many people just ignored restrictive regulations. Modern technology has delivered the ability for people without specialized skills to manufacture firearms in the privacy of their homes with the push of a button. 3D printers, which build objects from plastic (or metal, in higher-end devices) based on computer designs that can be downloaded from the Internet, have been used to manufacture receivers for restricted semi-automatic rifles, and high-capacity ammunition magazines of the sort that are now banned in several states. This week, the first fully 3D-printed handgun was successfully test-fired. Crude though it is, that first pistol is a peek at a future in which virtually any object can be made at home. To the extent that it ever existed, the age of enforceable restrictions on personal weapons, or objects of any sort, is coming to an end.
3D printing is a wildly promising technology that in years to come may be used to print life-like tissue for medical purposes and chemical compounds that could potentially solve the orphan drug problem. They could also be used to manufacture any mind-altering drug under the sun, putting an end to enforceable chemical prohibitions. The RepRap project, which is developing 3D printers that can replicate themselves, promises to make even a ban on 3D printers unenforceable.
2013年5月6日 星期一
Low-Wind-Speed Sites
A next-generation wind turbine technology company and leading manufacturer of permanent magnet direct-drive wind turbines, has further expanded its product offerings with two new turbine models specifically designed for low wind sites. Both the NPS 60-23 and the NPS 100-24 are based on the proven NPS 100-21 platform, but leverage product features that produce higher energy capture in low winds while reducing the noise profile of the turbine, enabling more siting opportunities for the owner. The Company has successfully deployed more than 20 of these turbines in the United States, United Kingdom and Italy during 2012 and 2013, demonstrating the success of the design.
"NPS is committed to delivering enhanced offerings that lower costs and increase performance for turbine owners. We are increasing the value proposition of our already highly-capable NPS turbines through an integrated road-map of expanded product and services offerings, of which our proven low wind enhancements are just one example," stated Troy Patton, President and CEO, Northern Power Systems.
The NPS Low Wind turbine fleet has surpassed 50,000 operational hours with availability in excess of 97%, and has generated more than 1,500 MWh of clean, renewable energy, enough to power more than 150 US (or 450 UK) homes for an entire year. These improved models are optimized for low wind and yield comparatively more energy in low wind regimes.
The NPS 100-24 is based on the proven platform of the NPS 100-21 which was originally designed to service remote areas such as Alaska, where regular maintenance is not an option. The NPS 100 is a highly reliable turbine that utilizes permanent magnet direct-drive technology and has fewer moving parts than a conventional gear-box based wind turbine. The larger rotor diameter, lower rpm and tip speed of the NPS 100-24 and 60-23 makes for quieter operation, while the longer blades capture more energy at lower wind speeds. The NPS 60 model generates 59.9kW rated power and is utilized in areas where grid connection capacity is a constraint.
Scottish farmer Mervyn Wallace recently installed an NPS 60 at his farm, his second Northern Power Systems wind turbine. "I'm excited that Northern Power came out with a new turbine that is designed specifically for lower wind speeds. I am very pleased with the revenue that both of my Northern Power turbines are now earning for me. NPS turbines are an excellent return on capital invested."
With over 2.5 million run time hours across its fleet, Northern Power turbines provide customers with clean, cost effective renewable energy. The quiet, low profile turbines with multiple tower and rotor options fit perfectly in remote locations as well as in agricultural and industrial areas. Northern Power turbines' reliable, safe and simple operation gives owners peace of mind while delivering the highest potential opportunity for customers to maximize their returns.
Northern Power Systems has over 30 years of experience in developing advanced, innovative wind turbines. The Company's proven, next generation permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) wind turbine technology is based on a vastly simplified architecture that utilizes a unique combination of a permanent magnet generator and direct-drive design. This proven approach uses fewer moving parts, delivers higher energy capture, and provides increased reliability due to reduced maintenance and downtime.
Northern Power Systems is a fully integrated company that designs, manufactures, and sells wind turbines into the global marketplace from its headquarters in Vermont, USA, with European headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and a strong presence in the United Kingdom and Italy.
"NPS is committed to delivering enhanced offerings that lower costs and increase performance for turbine owners. We are increasing the value proposition of our already highly-capable NPS turbines through an integrated road-map of expanded product and services offerings, of which our proven low wind enhancements are just one example," stated Troy Patton, President and CEO, Northern Power Systems.
The NPS Low Wind turbine fleet has surpassed 50,000 operational hours with availability in excess of 97%, and has generated more than 1,500 MWh of clean, renewable energy, enough to power more than 150 US (or 450 UK) homes for an entire year. These improved models are optimized for low wind and yield comparatively more energy in low wind regimes.
The NPS 100-24 is based on the proven platform of the NPS 100-21 which was originally designed to service remote areas such as Alaska, where regular maintenance is not an option. The NPS 100 is a highly reliable turbine that utilizes permanent magnet direct-drive technology and has fewer moving parts than a conventional gear-box based wind turbine. The larger rotor diameter, lower rpm and tip speed of the NPS 100-24 and 60-23 makes for quieter operation, while the longer blades capture more energy at lower wind speeds. The NPS 60 model generates 59.9kW rated power and is utilized in areas where grid connection capacity is a constraint.
Scottish farmer Mervyn Wallace recently installed an NPS 60 at his farm, his second Northern Power Systems wind turbine. "I'm excited that Northern Power came out with a new turbine that is designed specifically for lower wind speeds. I am very pleased with the revenue that both of my Northern Power turbines are now earning for me. NPS turbines are an excellent return on capital invested."
With over 2.5 million run time hours across its fleet, Northern Power turbines provide customers with clean, cost effective renewable energy. The quiet, low profile turbines with multiple tower and rotor options fit perfectly in remote locations as well as in agricultural and industrial areas. Northern Power turbines' reliable, safe and simple operation gives owners peace of mind while delivering the highest potential opportunity for customers to maximize their returns.
Northern Power Systems has over 30 years of experience in developing advanced, innovative wind turbines. The Company's proven, next generation permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) wind turbine technology is based on a vastly simplified architecture that utilizes a unique combination of a permanent magnet generator and direct-drive design. This proven approach uses fewer moving parts, delivers higher energy capture, and provides increased reliability due to reduced maintenance and downtime.
Northern Power Systems is a fully integrated company that designs, manufactures, and sells wind turbines into the global marketplace from its headquarters in Vermont, USA, with European headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and a strong presence in the United Kingdom and Italy.
2013年5月2日 星期四
Tiny fly-inspired RoboBee takes flight at Harvard
A quartet of Harvard University reseachers have designed,
manufactured, and flown a tiny, fly-inspired aerial robot that could be
the forerunner of swarms of drosophilistic drones.
To put their achievement in boffinary terms, as did the authors in the abstract of their paper, published in the latest issue of the jounal Science, "We developed high-power-density piezoelectric flight muscles and a manufacturing methodology capable of rapidly prototyping articulated, flexure-based sub-millimeter mechanisms."
And it took them a dozen years to do it. "This is what I have been trying to do for literally the last 12 years," one of the paper's authors, engineering and applied science professor Robert Wood, said in an announcement by Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, where the work was done.
You might reasonably ask why it took so long. Simple: there are no off-the-shelf parts you can use to build what the paper describes as "an 80-milligram, insect-scale, flapping-wing robot modeled loosely on the morphology of flies." Or, as one of Wood's fellow authors Pakpong Chirarattananon, calls it, the RoboBee.
"We had to develop solutions from scratch, for everything," Wood said. "We would get one component working, but when we moved onto the next, five new problems would arise. It was a moving target."
Two of the innovations the team came up with were a piezoelectric wing actuator and a method of laser-cutting the RoboBee's carbon fiber and polymer film body material in such a way that it naturally transforms from 2D to 3D much like structures in a kid's pop-up book.
"It's really only because of this lab's recent breakthroughs in manufacturing, materials, and design that we have even been able to try this," Wood said. "And it just worked, spectacularly well."
As might be guessed, tolerances at this tiny level were a bear to work out – the slightest deviations would cause prototypes to go haywire. One of the coauthors, Kevin Ma, told ScienceNow that even if the RoboBee's wings were the tiniest bit asymmetrical, the flying bug couldn't be controlled. But when he finally got it right, "It was an amazing feeling of having all of this hard work suddenly bear fruit," he said.
The team still has a good deal of work to do before swarms of these little fellows can autonomously roam the skies. For example, they still require tethering for power and control, a limitation that may not be easily overcome.
After that, the next steps will involve integrating the parallel work of many different research teams who are working on the brain, the colony coordination behavior, the power source, and so on, until the robotic insects are fully autonomous and wireless.
The prototypes are still tethered by a very thin power cable because there are no off-the-shelf solutions for energy storage that are small enough to be mounted on the robot's body. High energy-density fuel cells must be developed before the RoboBees will be able to fly with much independence.
"Flies perform some of the most amazing aerobatics in nature using only tiny brains," notes coauthor Sawyer B. Fuller, a postdoctoral researcher on Wood's team who essentially studies how fruit flies cope with windy days. "Their capabilities exceed what we can do with our robot, so we would like to understand their biology better and apply it to our own work."
The milestone of this first controlled flight represents a validation of the power of ambitious dreams—especially for Wood, who was in graduate school when he set this goal.
To put their achievement in boffinary terms, as did the authors in the abstract of their paper, published in the latest issue of the jounal Science, "We developed high-power-density piezoelectric flight muscles and a manufacturing methodology capable of rapidly prototyping articulated, flexure-based sub-millimeter mechanisms."
And it took them a dozen years to do it. "This is what I have been trying to do for literally the last 12 years," one of the paper's authors, engineering and applied science professor Robert Wood, said in an announcement by Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, where the work was done.
You might reasonably ask why it took so long. Simple: there are no off-the-shelf parts you can use to build what the paper describes as "an 80-milligram, insect-scale, flapping-wing robot modeled loosely on the morphology of flies." Or, as one of Wood's fellow authors Pakpong Chirarattananon, calls it, the RoboBee.
"We had to develop solutions from scratch, for everything," Wood said. "We would get one component working, but when we moved onto the next, five new problems would arise. It was a moving target."
Two of the innovations the team came up with were a piezoelectric wing actuator and a method of laser-cutting the RoboBee's carbon fiber and polymer film body material in such a way that it naturally transforms from 2D to 3D much like structures in a kid's pop-up book.
"It's really only because of this lab's recent breakthroughs in manufacturing, materials, and design that we have even been able to try this," Wood said. "And it just worked, spectacularly well."
As might be guessed, tolerances at this tiny level were a bear to work out – the slightest deviations would cause prototypes to go haywire. One of the coauthors, Kevin Ma, told ScienceNow that even if the RoboBee's wings were the tiniest bit asymmetrical, the flying bug couldn't be controlled. But when he finally got it right, "It was an amazing feeling of having all of this hard work suddenly bear fruit," he said.
The team still has a good deal of work to do before swarms of these little fellows can autonomously roam the skies. For example, they still require tethering for power and control, a limitation that may not be easily overcome.
After that, the next steps will involve integrating the parallel work of many different research teams who are working on the brain, the colony coordination behavior, the power source, and so on, until the robotic insects are fully autonomous and wireless.
The prototypes are still tethered by a very thin power cable because there are no off-the-shelf solutions for energy storage that are small enough to be mounted on the robot's body. High energy-density fuel cells must be developed before the RoboBees will be able to fly with much independence.
"Flies perform some of the most amazing aerobatics in nature using only tiny brains," notes coauthor Sawyer B. Fuller, a postdoctoral researcher on Wood's team who essentially studies how fruit flies cope with windy days. "Their capabilities exceed what we can do with our robot, so we would like to understand their biology better and apply it to our own work."
The milestone of this first controlled flight represents a validation of the power of ambitious dreams—especially for Wood, who was in graduate school when he set this goal.
2013年5月1日 星期三
Wind power plan 'can't be delayed'
Securing an intergovernmental agreement between the UK and Ireland to facilitate the export of Irish wind energy is crucial to the future of the multi-billion euro midlands wind project.
"We need that intergovernmental agreement. We need that this year; any delay to that, is a delay to the project. Each delay to the project curtails it," said Mainstream Power's founder and CEO Eddie O'Connor.
"The earlier we get an intergovernmental agreement, the sooner we can start spending this money. Before we can spend seriously big money we need to see that both governments are committed."
Mr O'Connor was speaking at a conference in Tullamore where some of the world's leading manufacturers of wind farm components and transmission technology met to discuss the potential of setting up a supply chain in the midlands worth at least 7bn.
Between 2016 and 2020, Mainstream's 5,000 megawatt Energy Bridge alone will require 1,700 turbine towers, 5,000 blades, 1,700 nacelles, 16,000km of inter-array cabling, 1,700 convertors, 30 electrical substations and 400km of HVDC underground cables. Rather than importing these materials, which are worth well in excess of 7bn, the plan is to attract these manufacturers to set up base in Ireland employing tens of thousands of people locally.
Mr O'Connor said if you could show the companies the development was going ahead they would locate manufacturing plants here.
Larry de Vaal, business development manager with wind turbine manufacturer XEMC Darwind said: "XEMC Darwind has already looked at manufacturing opportunities in Ireland and with a project of this scale there is a very real opportunity to locate component manufacturing, assembly, installation and long-term maintenance here in the midlands."
However, Mr O'Connor said that there is a narrow window of opportunity during which Ireland needs to move or else the whole project will fail.
"We have taken an awful lot of risk upfront in anticipation that they (Government) will do what they said that they will do.
"There is a need in Britain for renewable power as they are committed in law to have 15% of their power generated by renewables by 2020. We have a window of opportunity we either take it now, use it of lose it."
With this insight and reports of global growth forecasts in renewable energy from both financial and market analysts in mind, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics today announced its strategic initiatives for composite bearings applications in renewable energy markets.
The Bearings and Tolerance Rings Group at Saint-Gobain designs composite bearings solutions that withstand harsh vibration, improve efficiency, extend performance and reduce operational downtime in both solar energy and wind turbine applications. As part of its strategic focus in renewable energy markets, Saint-Gobain has added the design engineering expertise of industrial global market manager, Edward Rumble, to its team. With his extensive design and engineering experience, Rumble will lead the increasing efforts to develop the next generation of composite bearings for solar and wind applications.
"Renewable energy, fuelled by innovative solar and wind turbine technologies, will prove to be the future of sustainable power generation", says Rumble. "To help today's and tomorrow's leaders in renewable energy production, we are committed to partnering with OEMs to deliver innovative solutions that enhance efficiency in solar and wind applications."
For the solar market, Saint-Gobain manufactures an innovative, maintenance-free composite bearing. Proprietary fluoropolymer compounds in Solglide composite bearings increase the long-term operational efficiency of solar equipment, reduce energy usage and decrease long-term costs.
"We need that intergovernmental agreement. We need that this year; any delay to that, is a delay to the project. Each delay to the project curtails it," said Mainstream Power's founder and CEO Eddie O'Connor.
"The earlier we get an intergovernmental agreement, the sooner we can start spending this money. Before we can spend seriously big money we need to see that both governments are committed."
Mr O'Connor was speaking at a conference in Tullamore where some of the world's leading manufacturers of wind farm components and transmission technology met to discuss the potential of setting up a supply chain in the midlands worth at least 7bn.
Between 2016 and 2020, Mainstream's 5,000 megawatt Energy Bridge alone will require 1,700 turbine towers, 5,000 blades, 1,700 nacelles, 16,000km of inter-array cabling, 1,700 convertors, 30 electrical substations and 400km of HVDC underground cables. Rather than importing these materials, which are worth well in excess of 7bn, the plan is to attract these manufacturers to set up base in Ireland employing tens of thousands of people locally.
Mr O'Connor said if you could show the companies the development was going ahead they would locate manufacturing plants here.
Larry de Vaal, business development manager with wind turbine manufacturer XEMC Darwind said: "XEMC Darwind has already looked at manufacturing opportunities in Ireland and with a project of this scale there is a very real opportunity to locate component manufacturing, assembly, installation and long-term maintenance here in the midlands."
However, Mr O'Connor said that there is a narrow window of opportunity during which Ireland needs to move or else the whole project will fail.
"We have taken an awful lot of risk upfront in anticipation that they (Government) will do what they said that they will do.
"There is a need in Britain for renewable power as they are committed in law to have 15% of their power generated by renewables by 2020. We have a window of opportunity we either take it now, use it of lose it."
With this insight and reports of global growth forecasts in renewable energy from both financial and market analysts in mind, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics today announced its strategic initiatives for composite bearings applications in renewable energy markets.
The Bearings and Tolerance Rings Group at Saint-Gobain designs composite bearings solutions that withstand harsh vibration, improve efficiency, extend performance and reduce operational downtime in both solar energy and wind turbine applications. As part of its strategic focus in renewable energy markets, Saint-Gobain has added the design engineering expertise of industrial global market manager, Edward Rumble, to its team. With his extensive design and engineering experience, Rumble will lead the increasing efforts to develop the next generation of composite bearings for solar and wind applications.
"Renewable energy, fuelled by innovative solar and wind turbine technologies, will prove to be the future of sustainable power generation", says Rumble. "To help today's and tomorrow's leaders in renewable energy production, we are committed to partnering with OEMs to deliver innovative solutions that enhance efficiency in solar and wind applications."
For the solar market, Saint-Gobain manufactures an innovative, maintenance-free composite bearing. Proprietary fluoropolymer compounds in Solglide composite bearings increase the long-term operational efficiency of solar equipment, reduce energy usage and decrease long-term costs.
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