01-06-2012 13:04 Leštiny is a village and municipality in Dolný Kubín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. The wooden church at Leštiny dates from 1688 and is relatively small and unsophisticated in design, with a wooden belfry. Construction was restricted by the terrain, hence there ios only a hint of the shape of a cross. The interior of the church is noteworthy for its richly-decorated sacristy, painted marble ceiling coffers and illusory architecture on the walls. Also of interest are the main altar from the beginning of the 18th century, the church pews with their coats of arms, the burial flag of J Zmeškal and the epitaph of M Meška of 1753. The church at Leštiny, along with seven other wooden churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area, has been included on the UNESCO's Word Heritage List. Lestiny In der kleinen Ortschaft Lestiny findet sich wieder eine sogenannte Artikularkirche aus dem Jahre 1688. Artikularkirchen sind protestantische Holzkirchen, welche aufgrund eines Dikretes von Kaiser Leopold I. nur aus Holz, außerhalb des Dorfes, ohne Turm, Kreuz, Glocke und der Straße abgewandt errichtet werden durften. Heute bilden sie in der Fülle slowakischer Steinkirchen eine interessante Abwechslung und bringen etwas nordeuropäischen Flair hierhin. Sehenswert sind sie ausnahmlos alle und deshalb führte meine Reiseroute immer wieder an diesen Kirchentyp vorbei.

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Lestiny - Slovakia - Video

Members of Church Care Construction are helping to rebuild the First Baptist Church of Memphis after its roof collapsed in February. Photo by Stephanie Bouvia.

Memphis Thanks to the 13 members of a northern Ohio-based organization, the cost of rebuilding the First Baptist Church of Memphis will be almost cut in half.

After the roof of the First Baptist Church collapsed in February, Church Care Construction was called in to help. Church Care Construction travels the country building and rebuilding various churches. The members work for free, cutting much of the labor costs.

We are able to save churches a tremendous amount of money, because we are basically labor-free, said Brent Howard, project manager for Church Care Construction. Our missionaries are supported by other churches to help build churches, so that eliminates the labor costs of the building project. So we can build for a lot less money and give them, actually, a bigger building than what they would be able to afford.

Members of the organization are currently living on the construction site of the new church, located on Route 5 in Camillus, in RVs. Some members are also temporarily renting apartments in the area while the organization is at work building a new, 24,000 square-foot building fit with a gymnasium, worship area and classrooms.

The missionary builders are currently waiting for a building permit before they begin working on the new church, said Church Care Construction director Howard Fraser. He said they are expecting to be granted a permit, hopefully, this week.

Once they obtain a permit, the builders will start laying the foundation of the building. Next will come the floors, building the structure of the walls, roof trusses, siding, windows and more, Fraser said. The organization is hoping to complete the outside of the building by the fall, after which theyll move inside the building and work on the interior during the winter months.

Fraser said he hopes the entire project will be completed by October 2013. This particular church, he said, is a larger project than what the organization normally takes on. In order to complete it in a timely matter, Fraser said they will reach out to members of the First Baptist Church of Memphis, as well as other community volunteers who are interested in helping.

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Missionaries help rebuild Memphis First Baptist Church

BARRIE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 1, 2012) -

Editor's note: There are two photos associated with this press release.

PowerStream and Nissan Canada at the Georgian College Auto Show today demonstrated, for the first time in Canada, the latest innovation in electric vehicle technology, a system where a fully or partially charged battery in an electric vehicle (EV) can provide power to a home.

Referred to as 'vehicle-to-home" (V2H) and developed by the Nissan Motor Company, the technology can help Ontario homeowners on time-of-use (TOU) rates, who own a Nissan LEAF "100% electric, zero gas, zero tailpipe" vehicle, to better manage their electricity costs through load shifting as well as provide a back up power source for their homes for up to four hours during an outage.

The demonstration, which continues through the weekend in the PowerStream booth at the auto show, involves the use of a Nissan LEAF plugged into a power control system (PCS) that enables the car's battery to power lights, appliances and other devices in the home. An automatic transfer switch (ATS) allows for the home's electricity supply source to be switched from the power grid to the battery in the EV through the PCS.

PowerStream and Nissan believe this system will allow households to be supplied with a stable amount of electricity throughout the day and reduce any potential burdens on the current power supply by charging and storing electricity in Nissan LEAF with electricity generated at night or through sustainable methods such as solar power, and using it during high demand periods.

For example, electricity customers in Ontario on TOU rates using the V2H power supply technology can load shift by charging the batteries in their Nissan LEAF from the power grid during off-peak pricing periods and then supply the stored electricity back to the home during on-peak pricing periods.

The output from the Nissan LEAF can provide enough power to operate high electricity-consuming appliances in the home, such as an air conditioner, stove, refrigerator, washing machine and dryer, at the same time for approximately a full day.

"As a global leader in the development and sale of electric vehicles, we know it is crucial to partner with companies like PowerStream to expand the use of this technology and to open doors to more consumers," said Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada. "The public debut of V2H in Canada today will drive new advancements and collaboration in the auto industry of tomorrow. V2H will foster literal connections, such as those between vehicles, infrastructure, the Internet, and the nation's electrical grid, and the connections and relationships between engineers who are developing the next generation vehicle technology."

Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream's Board Chair and Mayor of the Town of Markham, applauded the introduction of the V2H technology, explaining how consumers can benefit.

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PowerStream, Nissan Show Electric Vehicle Powering a Home

Although summer doesn't technically start until June 20, most people consider the summer season to kick off just after Memorial Day. Schools are out and the focus is on enjoying the warm weather and outdoor grilling.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers food safety tips to ensure people have safe and enjoyable meals.

Bacteria can be spread throughout the kitchen and get onto hands, utensils, countertops and food. People in charge of food preparation should wash their hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. Prep areas should also be washed down with soap and hot water.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running tap water before preparing.

If marinating food before grilling, it should be marinated in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Poultry and cubed meat can be be marinated up to two days in advance of cooking. Beef, veal, pork, lamb roasts, chops and steaks can be safely marinated for up to five days.

Before grilling meat, poultry or seafood, separate it onto its own cutting board, away from fresh produce. Bacteria can be spread by cross-contamination.

After grilling, use a different plate than the one which previously held raw meat or seafood.

Food thermometers should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat. Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria that can create food borne illness. Generally, beef, pork, veal and lamb should be cooked to 160 degrees and poultry to 165 degrees. Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Fish should be cooked to 145 degrees or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.

There's nothing better than a big barbecue feast with leftovers to nibble on later. Large amounts of leftovers should be divided up into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.

Never defrost food at room temperature. Food defrosted in the microwave should be cooked immediately.

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Food safety tips given for summer barbecuing

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga., June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cooper Lighting, an industry leader committed to delivering innovative products and driving transformational technology in the lighting industry, has backed up its claim of developing innovative products by recently bringing home a total of 18 awards from major industry competitions. Honored in the Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition, LIGHTFAIR International Innovation Awards (LIA), Architectural SSL's Product Innovation Awards (PIA) and the 2012 Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX), Cooper Lighting has not only received high-praise for its wide range of LED products and leadership, but also the accompanying hardware to go along with them.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120601/DA17268)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110513/DA01852LOGO-b)

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the fourth annual NGL competition recognizes and promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED commercial lighting luminaires. Of the 187 submitted product entries in the 2012 SSL INDOOR Competition, a total of 53 were chosen as winners. That elite group includes the world's first Zhaga complaint IRiS P3LED Directional Luminaire in the Recessed Accent Luminaires category, the Portfolio 6-inch High Output LED Downlight in the Recessed Downlight category and the Corelite Loft LED Micro Luminaire in the Pendant and Surface Linear Luminaires categoryall three brands are part of the well-known and highly-acclaimed Cooper Lighting family of products. With these three most recent awards, Cooper Lighting has become one of only a few manufacturers to have ten of its products recognized since the competition's inception.

Cooper Lighting is also proud to be honored with an Innovation Award for its io Lili LED 2' x 2' Recessed Indirect Luminaires in the LIA's Commercial Indoor category. Spanning 14 categories with 228 entries, the LIA competition is judged by an independent panel of renowned lighting industry professionals and focuses on new and truly innovative technologies.

"We are extremely honored to have our products recognized in several of the most sought after and prestigious competitions in the industry," says Cooper Lighting President Mark Eubanks. "We invest heavily in product development across our entire portfolio of quality brands and these awards further validate our commitment to providing innovative, reliable LED solutions for our customers."

In addition to the four awards from NGL and LIA, Cooper Lighting was also awarded a combined total of 14 awards from Architectural SSL's PIA and ADEX. Products and categories include:

Architectural SSL Product Innovation Awards:

2012 Awards for Design Excellence:

Platinum Winners:

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Cooper Lighting Cements Reputation as Industry Innovator by Collecting 18 Awards from Major Industry Competitions

By Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel

In corporate America, a lot of firms that do anything charitable trumpet their good deeds to the news media, angling for publicity that may benefit their bottom line.

But at the groundbreaking ceremony for Second Harvest Food Bank's new distribution center this week, the co-founder of the architectural firm donating its design for the 100,000-square-foot project stood anonymously in the back, confessing he hoped not to be called to the podium.

"Please don't do the pat-on-the-back stuff," Tim Baker said later. "We really don't do it for the publicity."

Clearly.

As co-founders of the Orlando architectural firm Baker Barrios, Tim Baker and Carlos Barrios have been almost silent partners with the nonprofit community since they went into business in 1993. Yet only in the past year did they even bother to tally their charitable contributions for anyone outside their auditors, and then they did so reluctantly.

At the moment, they're working pro bono on two major community projects: the food bank's new $15 million headquarters and a new 250-bed men's facility at Orlando's Coalition for the Homeless. Together, the projects represent about $400,000 worth of work.

And that doesn't include the work Baker Barrios does pro bono for local churches or the donations the company makes from the firm's coffers or the private bank accounts of its founders.

"What they were willing to put forward in terms of in-kind work was just unbelievable," said Dave Krepcho, president and CEO of Second Harvest, the region's largest food bank. "We sent out four, maybe five, requests for proposals. Nobody else came close."

Brent Trotter, the coalition's president and CEO, calls the architects' contribution a "huge, huge gift."

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Architects build goodwill with their tireless charity work

There's an art to finding the perfect bathtub. There's also a science to it, as Christchurch entrepreneur Scott Barrington has discovered.

While studying architecture Barrington saw a gap in the market for 3D modelling of manufactured products, so that architects could "fit" products into their 3D building designs.

In 2008 he "bit the bullet" and started his own company, BIMStop.

BIMStop works with manufacturers to build 3D models of their products, so architects can access 3D representations of manufacturers' goods anything from a set of blinds, to timber beams, to a bathtub.

What BIMStop is really doing is, as Barrington puts it, "providing a technical solution to a marketing problem".

Initially it was a bit of a "chicken or the egg" dilemma Barrington needed manufacturers on board so he had something to offer architects, but he needed to have architects interested to sell the idea to manufacturers, who are the ones who pay for the marketing service.

BIMStop takes the product information from manufacturers and loads all the data for the various models of bathtubs, for example the material it is made from, colour, dimensions, shape, and plugs in all that data so that architects can browse the site, and select the bathtub they want according to drop-down menus with the various specifications, and place it within the 3D model of the building they are designing.

To the lay person it may seem a bit like online shopping, except they don't actually buy the product from the manufacturer themselves.

Builders will often buy the items the architect has specified in his plans because those items were specified on plans submitted to the local authority for consent, and changing something like the type of support beam for instance, may require a costly or time-consuming amendment to an application.

What that means for a manufacturer is that four times out of five, if an architect has selected their product for their design, the manufacturer has a sale coming his way.

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Architects given a 3D picture

Courtesy of California Library

The May Company building in Los Angeles.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has been trying to build a museum dedicated to movies for decades. Now one seems to finally be in the works: The Academy announced this week that theyve signed on big-name architects and plan to redo a Los Angeles historic landmark.

While the Academys search for a suitable location for its first museum ended up stopping close to the groups rootsthey chose the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts Art Deco building at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenuethe hunt for an architect to redesign the space took them first to Culver City, Calif., and then to Italy. Theyve hired local, yet still well known, architect Zoltan Pali and paired him with Pritzker Prize-winner Renzo Piano to help create the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Both men know museums and performing arts venues. Pali has already restored the Greek Theatre, the Gibson Amphitheatre and the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Piano has helped create the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Central St. Giles Court in London, the Menil Collection in Houston and the New York Times headquarters. He knows L.A., too, with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art expansion to his name, a building that sits next door to the Academys newfound museum home.

(MORE: 10 Questions for Renzo Piano)

The new museum siteoriginally designed by Albert C. Martin and S.A. Marxis also known as the May Company building, as it housed that department store from 1939 to 1993. It opened the same year Gone With the Wind and the Wizard of Oz were released. Since 1993, the Museum of Art Group has owned the building, but never had a real use for it. The L.A.-based group had previously hired Palis spf:architects firm to create a plan for the interior of the space, but when the Academy agreed to lease it, they added Renzo Piano Building Workshop, putting two architectswho have known each other for years, but have never worked together on the same projecttogether for their first collaboration.

The pair plans to work in unison to recreate the interior of the space inside the 325,000-square-foot building, but leave the exterior faade of the historic landmark structure in tact. The architects know they need to create a space where exhibition designers can concoct experiences for visitors, not simply a building that can house memories.

We as architects make buildings that are portraits that represent our clients, says Piano, who, like the building, was born in the 1930s. The Academy Museum will take the visitor through the back door of cinema, behind the curtain, and into moviemaking magic.

With the announcement of the agreement coming this week, theres still plenty of fundraising and planning to do before the museum opens, hopefully in early 2016.

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Famed Architects to Finally Create Movie Museum in L.A.

31-05-2012 11:24 Visit website to book today: http://www.marriott.comHotel and Resort photography & video by PhotoWeb (photowebusa.com) ***************************************************************** Hotel and Resort still photography, video and YouTube videos by PhotoWeb (photowebusa.com). PhotoWeb's Virtual Tours, videos, YouTube videos, Digital Stills & Worldwide Distribution allow clients to put their most powerful media where the booking decisions are made. Photo Web has been providing cutting edge imaging services since 1996. With offices in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, India, and Colombia, PhotoWeb provides services worldwide. For further information, please contact or telephone: +1-614-882-3499. Video © 2011, Photoweb Pure Digital Photography Inc.

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Residence Inn Boulder Longmont - Longmont, Colorado - Video

San Marcos Texas State University has won a Community Stewardship Award from the Envision Central Texas organization for the Spring Lake Aquatic Restoration project.

Texas State was honored in the Natural Infrastructure category during a special presentation held recently in Austin.

The Natural Infrastructure category recognizes an individual, company, organization or governmental entity for planning and beginning implementation of a significant project designed to enhance or protect the regions environment and natural resources.

The Spring Lake Aquatic Restoration includes the removal of structures associated with the former Aquarena Springs theme park, grassland restoration, removal of exotic vegetation, establishment of a vegetated buffer zone between Spring Lake and the adjacent golf course and removal of all submerged structures associated with the former theme park.

The goal is to restore in-stream aquatic habitats, wetland resources and water quality conditions to benefit resident and migratory wildlife species in Spring Lake.

The project is being done in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Spring Lake is home to eight federally-listed endangered species. It is also the site of significant archaeological resources, with artifacts showing the site has been inhabited by humans for 13,000 years, making the location unique in North America.

Envision Central Texas presented Community Stewardship Awards in six categories. In addition to the natural infrastructure award, presentations were made for new development, redevelopment, public planning and policy, innovation and raising public awareness.

Envision Central Texas, a regional non-profit planning organization, was created in 2001 to lead and implement the development of a regional vision to address rapid growth in Central Texas. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for regional cooperation and planning to help preserve and enhance natural resources, economic vitality, social equity and the quality of living in Central Texas.

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Stewardship: Texas State earns restoration honors for lake project