Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Home Design 2009
Standing in stocking feet in 17-degree weather with her husband and their 14-year-old daughter, Concord resident Sara Mrachek watched as firefighters tore the roof off the family's modest mid-1960s Cape, which was being gutted by the hottest fire that the town's department had ever seen. The next day, the Mracheks returned to their charred, soaked home; studying the scene, they calculated that it was a total loss.
In most states, the next step would be to tear down and rebuild, or sell. The Mracheks would end up doing neither. Instead, they were about to learn a hard lesson about being homeowners in the Bay State, a surprisingly antiquated place when it comes to rules about what you can build, and where.It's been almost 30 years since Massachusetts updated its planning, zoning, and subdivision control statutes; the American Planning Association has ranked the state as being among those with the weakest and most outdated land-use laws in the nation. Without clear, up-to-date statewide guidelines, towns have developed their own ad hoc, increasingly complex building codes.
While this does give each town unique power to check development, preserve its neighborhoods' character, and protect real estate values—arguably the kinds of things that make people want to live there—it also forces homeowners like the Mracheks to navigate a complex and often confusing web of bylaws. What complies and what doesn't, and what will get bounced to the board of appeals, often comes down to a building inspector's interpretation. All of which means few Massachusetts residents get much flexibility when it comes to rebuilding. Instead, they must get creative.
Paying high rent on temporary shelter in Waltham while battling for their insurance payout, the Mracheks didn't have time to waste. But since their house sat on "nonconforming property" (the frontage was too short), Concord's zoning law required them to get a special permit from the planning board to tear down their damaged home—a process that would take at least six months. A real estate broker warned the Mracheks that any prospective buyer or developer would run from this special-permit condition, or bargain them down to nothing. So the family decided to opt for Plan C: Build what was allowed by law.
In their case, that required preserving at least 50 percent of the house's original structure. It also required plenty of drop-ins by the town building inspector to approve which parts of the damaged house they would keep and which they would remove. ("I felt like I was in high school with the principal checking my skirt length," Sara Mrachek jokes.)
For help they turned to Cambridge-based architect Chris Royer, principal of Royer Architects. Working with the existing footprint, Royer reinvented the house's shell—replacing clapboard with shingles, moving and enlarging windows, deepening the eaves—to transform the Cape into a contemporary shingle-style home.
Still, the zoning strictures left their mark. By keeping the existing studs in order to meet the 50 percent rule, the Mracheks were unable to significantly improve on the outdated 1960s plan. "It was a huge headache for the contractor, too," Royer notes. "Sometimes we were building new columns right next to the old columns just to meet code." Another regulatory quirk forced the creation of an awkward four-step staircase between the second floor and the new master suite over the garage.
More than half a million dollars later, the Mracheks have their new home—and a handsome one—but Sara says it's not quite what she would have built if she'd had free rein. She would have made sure, for instance, that the second floor was all on one level. She would have opened up the floor plan so that the whole house could be heated by a wood-burning stove. And she would have spent less money trying to save a damaged structure, and more on windows and finishes. "They made us take the hard road at every turn," she says.
Still, with a larger kitchen, a lovely sleeping porch, and plenty of room for their art collection, the Mracheks are happy they stayed. "I know it sounds funny," Sara says, "but I wouldn't have traded this for anything. Working with Chris and building this house was a wonderfully healing experience."
Paying high rent on temporary shelter in Waltham while battling for their insurance payout, the Mracheks didn't have time to waste. But since their house sat on "nonconforming property" (the frontage was too short), Concord's zoning law required them to get a special permit from the planning board to tear down their damaged home—a process that would take at least six months. A real estate broker warned the Mracheks that any prospective buyer or developer would run from this special-permit condition, or bargain them down to nothing. So the family decided to opt for Plan C: Build what was allowed by law.
In their case, that required preserving at least 50 percent of the house's original structure. It also required plenty of drop-ins by the town building inspector to approve which parts of the damaged house they would keep and which they would remove. ("I felt like I was in high school with the principal checking my skirt length," Sara Mrachek jokes.)
For help they turned to Cambridge-based architect Chris Royer, principal of Royer Architects. Working with the existing footprint, Royer reinvented the house's shell—replacing clapboard with shingles, moving and enlarging windows, deepening the eaves—to transform the Cape into a contemporary shingle-style home.
Still, the zoning strictures left their mark. By keeping the existing studs in order to meet the 50 percent rule, the Mracheks were unable to significantly improve on the outdated 1960s plan. "It was a huge headache for the contractor, too," Royer notes. "Sometimes we were building new columns right next to the old columns just to meet code." Another regulatory quirk forced the creation of an awkward four-step staircase between the second floor and the new master suite over the garage.
More than half a million dollars later, the Mracheks have their new home—and a handsome one—but Sara says it's not quite what she would have built if she'd had free rein. She would have made sure, for instance, that the second floor was all on one level. She would have opened up the floor plan so that the whole house could be heated by a wood-burning stove. And she would have spent less money trying to save a damaged structure, and more on windows and finishes. "They made us take the hard road at every turn," she says.
Still, with a larger kitchen, a lovely sleeping porch, and plenty of room for their art collection, the Mracheks are happy they stayed. "I know it sounds funny," Sara says, "but I wouldn't have traded this for anything. Working with Chris and building this house was a wonderfully healing experience."
Monday, October 19, 2009
U.S., UK confident of nuclear security in Pakistan
The United States and Britain expressed confidence on Sunday in the security of Pakistani nuclear facilities after an attack by Taliban militants on the country's army headquarters, Reuters reported.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in London Washington was confident that Pakistani authorities had control over the nation's nuclear weapons."We have confidence in the Pakistani government and military's control over nuclear weapons," she said.While noting the threats posed by extremists in the country, Clinton added: "We see no evidence that they are going to take over the state."British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who met with Clinton, said there was no evidence of any threat to Pakistan's nuclear facilities."In respect of the nuclear issue, there is no evidence that has been shown publicly or privately of any threat to the Pakistani nuclear facilities," he said."It is very important that alarmist talk is not allowed to gather pace."
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Press Center
trendsnews99.blogspot.comAnnouncementMay 22, 2007
New Feature on Google Trends Shows List of Current Top-Rising Searches
On Monday night, Google launched Hot Trends, a new feature on the Google Trends report. Hot Trends enables users to see a list of the current top 100 fastest-rising Google search queries in the U.S. Users can also select specific dates to see what the top-rising searches were at a given point in time.
For years, Google has produced a manually compiled list of popular searches called the Google Zeitgeist. Hot Trends takes this list to a new level, providing an up-to-date snapshot of what's on our collective mind – from current events to daily crossword puzzle clues to the latest celebrity gossip. For each Hot Trends result, the associated Google News, blog searches and Google web search results appear, giving users greater context for each result. For example, the #2 Hot Trends result on Tuesday, May 15th was a cryptic phrase: "I who have nothing." The associated news articles and blog results showed that this is in fact the title of a song that was performed on American Idol that night. And the associated web search results reveal this was originally a song made popular by Shirley Bassey. Mystery solved.
In addition to Hot Trends, there are a few other new changes to Google Trends to make it more informative and user-friendly. Now, in addition to viewing the top countries and cities that searched for a term, users can view the top "sub regions" (e.g. states within the U.S.) across more than 70 countries. Users can now compare the leading presidential candidates around the country, for instance, or find out what region in France is crazy about cognac. Hot Trends is Google’s newest tool for users who want to keep their finger on the pulse of what the world is searching for.
New Feature on Google Trends Shows List of Current Top-Rising Searches
On Monday night, Google launched Hot Trends, a new feature on the Google Trends report. Hot Trends enables users to see a list of the current top 100 fastest-rising Google search queries in the U.S. Users can also select specific dates to see what the top-rising searches were at a given point in time.
For years, Google has produced a manually compiled list of popular searches called the Google Zeitgeist. Hot Trends takes this list to a new level, providing an up-to-date snapshot of what's on our collective mind – from current events to daily crossword puzzle clues to the latest celebrity gossip. For each Hot Trends result, the associated Google News, blog searches and Google web search results appear, giving users greater context for each result. For example, the #2 Hot Trends result on Tuesday, May 15th was a cryptic phrase: "I who have nothing." The associated news articles and blog results showed that this is in fact the title of a song that was performed on American Idol that night. And the associated web search results reveal this was originally a song made popular by Shirley Bassey. Mystery solved.
In addition to Hot Trends, there are a few other new changes to Google Trends to make it more informative and user-friendly. Now, in addition to viewing the top countries and cities that searched for a term, users can view the top "sub regions" (e.g. states within the U.S.) across more than 70 countries. Users can now compare the leading presidential candidates around the country, for instance, or find out what region in France is crazy about cognac. Hot Trends is Google’s newest tool for users who want to keep their finger on the pulse of what the world is searching for.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Secretary Clinton visits UK
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LATEST NEWS
UK-Iraq military agreement on training and maritime support
October 14, 2009
British Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Prentice, has welcomed the decision of the Council of Representatives to endorse the Iraq-UK agreement on training and maritime support.
City of London banks agree to support G20 bonus reforms
October 14, 2009
The UK subsidiaries and branches of leading overseas banks have agreed to support the implementation of reforms to bank pay agreed by the G20 in Pittsburgh, the Financial Services Secretary, Lord Myners, announced today.
