House Tours: Wood-Wrapped and Warm Modern Interiors

Entry #1780, November 2, 2012

Wood is considered as the only building material that comes from a renewable source. ?The increase in the use of wood is attributed to its durability, natural beauty, and has superb functionality. Also, framing your wall with wood results into an excellent thermal insulator as compared to other building materials like metal or steel.

Wood interiors ideas for your home

All these wonderful characteristics of wood are very obvious in some of the best wood-wrapped modern interiors done by brilliant home designers. These home interiors showcase how beautiful and stunning a wooden-made interiors can do to style your home.

Here are some of the best wood-wrapped modern home interiors that you will surely admire:

Summer House by Judith Benzer Architektur

This home is fully furnished with wood. It covers the walls, ceilings, stairs, furniture and other home essentials that wood can cater. You will be amazed on how the natural colors of the wood blends together to create a picturesque home interior. The beautiful contrast of light and dark shades of wood provides a warm and pleasant ambiance of the room.

Bringing wood into your warm interiors

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Ferris Home by Bruce Walker in Spokane

This interior design is indeed a great masterpiece. It illustrates the pleasing and cozy effects of wood as it wraps all over the interior. The Ferris home interior design combines perfectly the different wood materials that you can do for your home. It is probably one of the best models to illustrate the beauty of wood interiors.

Sleek & Slideable: Whangapoua Sled House

The Whangapoua Sled House is perfect for minimalist. It gives a superb concept of how much wood can do to create an unparalleled wooden interior design for small space. It looks so simple with a single wood type and color to create a simple yet sophisticated interior design.

House tours, bringing wood into your home

These wonderful interior designs are really so convincing to consider when renovating your home. Anyway, there?s nothing wrong in wanting to have a warm and cozy home interior.

All images via: 1, 2, 3

For more home interiors ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Source: http://stagetecture.com/2012/11/house-tours-wood-wrapped-and-warm-modern-interiors/

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Obama blasts Romney ad on auto industry in Ohio

HILLIARD, Ohio (AP) ? President Barack Obama is accusing Republican rival Mitt Romney of running dishonest ads on the auto industry to scare voters in Ohio, saying: "This isn't a game. These are people's jobs."

The Romney ads, which have been airing in Toledo, the home of a Jeep plant, suggest automakers General Motors and Chrysler are adding jobs in China at the expense of workers in Ohio.

In his first comments on the ads, Obama says they are "not true. Everybody knows it's not true."

Obama says Romney is trying to alarm Ohioans "just to scare up some votes" in one of the nation's most important swing states in Tuesday's election.

Chrysler and GM officials say the ads are inaccurate.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-blasts-romney-ad-auto-industry-ohio-151937214--election.html

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Some More Answers around Windows 8

Microsoft answers common reader questions related to Windows 8.

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This week?s WSJ column?answers some common questions that you may have around upgrading to Windows 8.

I also did a little Q&A with Microsoft India?which is shared below:

Q. I am planning to assemble my own PC from scratch. Where do I get a full license (System Builder Edition?) of Windows 8?

A: You can buy a retail copy of Windows 8 for Rs. 11,999.

Q. If I buy a Windows 8 machine, can I downgrade to Windows 7 or Vista later?

A: PCs purchased preinstalled with Windows 8 Pro will have the option to downgrade either to Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business.

Q. I have a laptop computer and a desktop computer at home. Do I need to buy separate Windows 8 licenses?

A: Yes, you need separate licenses.

Q. Can I deactivate my Windows 8 license and transfer it to another computer?

A: Yes ? by completely formatting your drive.

Q. If I buy a TechNet / MSDN license, am I allowed to use them on a personal computer?

A: The TechNet/MSDN license is for the developers only and can be installed on a machine used for coding.

Q. I am a student and don?t have a Credit Card or PayPal. How do I buy an Windows 8 upgrade license?

A: If you have VISA or Master Debit card, you can pay through that. Alternately, if you are a current Windows user, you can buy a retail copy of Windows 8 Pro for Rs. 3,499 at retail stores. The promo is available till 31st January 2013.

Q. Windows 8 ships with Windows Defender. Would you recommend installing any other anti-virus program to better secure the computer?

A: Windows 8 provides enterprise-class security capabilities that help keep PCs more secure against malware intrusion and better protected with easy-to-deploy data encryption as well as strong access control to resource. If you wish, you can choose to install your own third-party anti-malware products with the ability to turn off Windows Defender. That said, if Windows 8 senses that the device is unprotected for a length of time, Windows Defender will automatically start to ensure the device is protected.

Q. Is Surface coming to India anytime soon?

A: Currently, Surface is only available in eight markets including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/windows-8-answers/26570/

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How to afford retirement after a drastic cut in income - Financial Post

Severe illness forced a man we?ll call Maurice, 58, out of a series of ever more responsible jobs in wholesale supply management. Having risen to middle management in a national company, back problems forced him out. After several years on disability, he returned to work. The corner office was history. He got a clerical job in an Alberta retail store.

His wife ? we?ll call her Simone ? is 54 and works part-time in marketing. Their combined take-home income, $4,000 a month, is far below what Maurice made at the height of his career, but it matches their expenses. They lowered their horizons long ago, but wonder if, with drastically reduced incomes, they can have a comfortable retirement.

We are not looking for a lavish retirement but one where we do not have to worry about money on a daily basis

The couple?s $694,500 of financial assets provide a foundation for retirement, yet they worry they do not have enough money to last. Their two children, both in their twenties, are financially independent.

?We are not looking for a lavish retirement but one where we do not have to worry about money on a daily basis,? Maurice says.

Family Finance asked Graeme Egan, a portfolio manager and financial planner at KCM Wealth Management Inc. in Vancouver, to work with Maurice and Simone.

Their near-term goal is for Maurice and Simone to keep working until Maurice retires from full-time work at age 61 in three years. Then they would hope to make $24,000 a year with part-time work for another four years, at which time Maurice would be 65. He would then retire fully and Simone would continue working, bringing home perhaps $12,000 a year for four more years until she is 65.

?They have no debts, so what remains as a planning problem is to figure out a way to generate income,? Mr. Egan says.

Managing assets

The strategy for the couple is to postpone the time at which they have to begin drawing down their retirement capital. To do that, Mr. Egan suggests Maurice take Canada Pension Plan benefits at his retirement at age 61. His penalty would be 30% of the age 65 benefit, but that is outweighed by the value of the time this plan buys. In that time, their registered assets, which are over 90% of total financial assets, will grow. More importantly, those assets won?t need to be tapped until Maurice is 65.

CPP will pay about $700 a month and Maurice can continue working part-time. At this point, combined family income would be about $24,000 from part-time work plus his CPP benefits for total income of $32,400 a year. Assuming they pay 10% average income tax, they will have $2,430 to spend a month. That would not support present spending of $4,000 or, net of $400 RRSP and other savings, $3,600 a month.

Maurice and Simone have $52,800 of non-RRSP investments. If they can get 2.5% in annual capital growth and 2.5% in dividends, they would have $61,125 in three years. The money should then be used from Maurice?s age 61 to his age 65. That would produce income of $15,300 a year for four years, pushing total income up to $47,700 a year before tax. After tax at an average rate of 10%, they would have about $3,600 a month to spend. That would match current spending net of savings.

The couple has $641,700 in their RRSPs and TFSAs. If that capital grows by 5% a year for the next seven years until Maurice is 65, it would be worth $900,000 with no further contributions. If this portfolio were to be drawn down to zero by the time Simone is 95, it would allow $55,000 annual draws from Maurice?s age 65.

Starting pensions

At 65, Maurice will be able to obtain Old Age Security benefits of $6,540. He will be able to add his $8,400 annual CPP benefits for total income before tax of $69,940. If this income were taxed at an average rate of 15%, the couple would have $4,954 a month. When Simone reaches 60, she can add her estimated CPP reduced benefit of $4,452 a year to bring total family income to $74,392 before tax or $5,269 a month after tax. At age 67, she can add $6,540 OAS for total income of $80,932 before tax or $5,733 a month after 15% average income tax. All figures are in 2012 dollars.

The couple is in better financial shape than they thin

There remain substantial risks to this financial plan. Maurice and Simone are dependent on their savings for all income other than CPP and OAS. After age 65, their investments will have to provide almost 70% of their total income. There is not much room for error. They have their $525,000 house, which they could downsize. That might be opportune when one partner dies, for pension income will no longer be splitable.

At present, their investment portfolio is about 73% in individual stocks and 27% in fixed-income assets. They have two dozen stocks in their accounts, mostly blue chips with healthy dividends. For this selection, they are paying an advisor 1.75%, which is in the usual fee range for portfolio management. If the couple wishes to manage the portfolio, they could save perhaps 1.5% by using exchange-traded funds. If that option is appealing, they would be well advised to invest a good deal of time in studying capital markets, Mr. Egan cautions.

?The couple is in better financial shape than they think,? Mr. Egan says. ?Using conservative assumptions to predict income, it is fairly clear that Simone will not have to work after Maurice reaches 65.?

Need help getting out of a financial fix? Email andrewallentuck@mts.net for a free Family Finance analysis.

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2012/11/02/how-to-afford-retirement-after-a-drastic-cut-in-income/

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Spain: 3 dead, 2 hurt in Halloween party stampede

Empty bottles and other debris lie outside the closed gates of the Madrid Arena venue in Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at the venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Empty bottles and other debris lie outside the closed gates of the Madrid Arena venue in Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at the venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)

A mannequin's head, bottles and and other debris lie in the Madrid Arena venue car park Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at a Madrid indoor venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)

A mannequin's head, bottles and and other debris lie in the Madrid Arena venue car park Madrid, Thursday Nov. 1, 2012. Three women have been killed and two injured in a stampede during a large Halloween Night party at a Madrid indoor venue. Emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said the women, aged between 18-25 years old, suffered trauma injuries and heart failure compatible with having been crushed during a stampede after a flare was reportedly set off within Madrid Arena in the west of the city, where thousands of people were partying early Thursday. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP Photo/Paul White)

People, most of them dressed with Halloween costumes, take part in the flash mob "Halloween bike ride" before touring around the city in Madrid, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A man wearing a mask waits to take part in a flash mob named "Halloween bike ride" before touring around the city in Madrid, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

MADRID (AP) ? A stampede in an arena where thousands of people were attending a Halloween dance party killed three women and critically injured two others early Thursday, officials said.

It happened just after 4 a.m. in a passageway within the venue leading to the central concert area at Madrid Arena, where the disco-style party with American DJ Steve Aoki was under way.

Someone set off a flare or a firework, causing the stampede that trampled the five young women, Deputy Mayor Miguel Angel Villanueva said.

One witness said the stampede left partygoers piled atop one another as high as her shoulders.

"I saw a mass of people . screaming 'Help, get me out of here,' with security guards tugging at them," Ana Gomez told state broadcaster TVE. "I remember seeing the face of one young man, and his expression was that of sheer terror."

Thousands of people were attending the party when the stampede occurred, leaving the victims with trauma injuries or breathing and heart failure, emergency services spokesman Fernando Prado said.

Villanueva said the venue's maximum capacity of 10,600 people had not been exceeded and that authorities decided not to evacuate the arena when the accident occurred. Most partygoers were not aware of the stampede because it was confined to the passage, he said.

Aoki said he was "devastated" to hear about the deaths and cancelled a planned show in the northern city of Bilbao on Thursday night "out of respect for those who lost their lives and those who are injured."

He said "the safety of my fans has always been my top priority and had I known that there was any distress putting people in jeopardy within the venue I would have ended my show immediately."

Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain, coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints.

In Germany, 19 people were crushed to death in a stampede and 342 others were injured two years ago at a techno party in Duisburg.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-01-Spain-Halloween%20Stampede/id-a8dc5ee5597d4d9397da636de42a5d4c

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Scripps Networks posts higher 3Q earnings

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., the operator of pay-TV networks such as Food Network and HGTV, said Thursday that its third-quarter net income grew 20 percent thanks to higher revenue from both advertising and distributor fees.

The company earned $118.4 million, or 78 cents per share, up 20 percent from $98.6 million, or 65 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Revenue grew 12 percent to $566.2 million from $503.7 million.

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of 74 cents per share on revenue of $555.6 million, according to a poll by FactSet.

Advertising revenue grew 10 percent from a year ago to $377 million and affiliate fee revenue jumped 18 percent to $175 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-01-Earns-Scripps%20Networks/id-76d4c6df64784f08829c7187d16efed4

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Fancy Car For Sale Outside Zynga Taken Way Too Symbolically

The signal du jour? This $195k Lamborghini for sale parked outside the Zynga offices (the Zynga dog eerily reflected in its window), uploaded to Instagram by Airbnb mobile lead Andrew Vilcsak, along with the caption:?"HAVE YOU SEEN $ZNGA LATELY?!" The company is currently trading at a stock price of $2.22, down from its debut IPO price of $10.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Lq4onIWMuDg/

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