Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety Blog A government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, [...]

Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety BlogA government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, and potatoes. The site also provides a list of medical conditions that individuals suffering from foodborne botulism exhibit. To learn more about home canning safety, click on https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2017/07/home-canning-and-botulism.html. I wonder if President Trump's budget provides funds for these types of blogs. Just saying.

Military Research Homes In On Vision and Hearing LossAccording to the website Armed with Science, a Defense Department science information site, DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, recently awarded five research grants to develop a high-resolution neural interface as well as to develop systems supporting sensory restoration. Sounds like Star Trek medicine to me. Brown and Columbia Universities as well as the University of California, Berkeley and two additional research facilities will focus on hearing and vision by linking these body functions with the brain to treat sensory loss. To learn more about this fascinating research project, surf over to http://science.dodlive.mil/2017/07/24/darpa-launches-program-that-could-one-day-treat-vision-hearing-loss/. The Pentagon supports this research as part of the Pentagon defense budget appropriation. Your federal taxes at work.

New Research Finds Rising and Shrinking Income Cities The website Wall St 24/7 recently published a list of 10 cities where personal incomes are shrinking the fastest. While some areas of the country are booming, cities such as Peoria, Ill. and New Bern, N. C. are now experiencing dropping personal incomes. The article mentions a number of causes for the decline. Drops in construction, as well as government payroll cutbacks, caused an average income drop of $1,000 in New Bern, N.C. The report also lists 10 cities where rising incomes are the norm. Merced, Calif., for example, experienced an income growth of 14.3 percent from 2008 to 2013. To learn more about income levels in these 20 cities, click on http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/07/14/10-cities-where-incomes-are-growing-and-shrinking-the-fastest/2/.

Old Ironsides Restoration Nearly CompleteEvery school kid knows that the USS Constitution, a Revolutionary War vessel, is the oldest ship still commissioned in the U.S. Navy. The ship has now returned to its birth in Boston after a two-year restoration that included replacement of 100 hull planks with the required caulking as well as repair of the ship's rigging. To access a picture of the ship as well as the resulting account of the renovation, visit http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=101588. Some military hardware becomes icons for the nation. Any visit to Boston should include a visit to the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Cancer Patients With Inexpensive Health Plans May Be Denied Access To Top-Tier Cancer CentersConsumers who choose less expensive health insurance plans may forego access to top-tier physicians caused by a 'narrow network' health plan limitation. These 'narrow network' plans may systemically exclude treatments by NCI-affiliated physicians. This possible exclusion may adversely impact treatment of rare or difficult-to-treat cancers. To learn more about this health issue, click on https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_167327.html. Just so you know.

A New Book Tells The Story of The Library Card CatalogA Library of Congress employee recently published a book on the history of the card catalog. According to author Peter Devereaux, the card catalog proved to be one of the most versatile and durable technologies in history. Devereaux relates the story of S. N. Cramer, a Sumerian historian who found a piece of a cuniform tablet about 2 inches by 1 inches that served as a clay library index card. Cramer found the tablet near the ruins of Nippur and dated the tablet to 2000 BCE. For those contemporary students used to looking up references on a library computer, this book provides a picture of how earlier societies organized information. To read the interview, click on http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/07/inquiring-minds-the-unheralded-story-of-the-card-catalog/. And so it goes.

View post:
Home Canning Tips; Researching Hearing, Sight Restoration; Where Income Shrinks; Old Ironsides Restoration ... - Steuben Courier (blog)

By Julia Halsey

After a five-year period of restoration, East Hamptons first artists studio is open once again.

The charming cottage called Moran Studio, built by painter Thomas Moran in 1884, is not only a local landmark, but a nationally designated one as well. While it served as workshop for Moran and his wife, Mary Nimmo Moran, the studio was also a family home with a flourishing garden.

The home was occupied by the Moran family until Thomass death in 1926. It was privately owned until 2004, when it was given to Guild Hall, the theater and museum in East Hampton Village. Then in 2008, the Moran Studio was given to the Thomas Moran Trust Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the studio, to undertake the restoration of the building, which began in 2012 and is set to be complete next June.

Five years after beginning the project, plaster is now being put up on the studio walls, something that Moran Trust Fund Executive Director Jill Malusky said people have been dreaming about. The studio will be open to the public for the first time in several years at the Moran Trusts gala on Saturday, August 5, when all proceeds will aid the final stage of restoration.

To be in the final phase is meaningful, Ms. Malusky said. For people who are aware that Thomas had a studioeven when the studio was in private handsthey always had an interest in it because they knew how important Moran was as an artist, and the fact that he lived in East Hampton was very special.

The restoration will bring the home back to how it appeared in the 1800s and debut a 19th century gardeninspired by Mary Nimmo Morancreated by the Garden Club of East Hampton.

The Moran Trust raised the necessary funds through annual benefits and appeals and received help from individuals interested in art who are passionate about the studio.

On their journey, the members of the restoration team found more than they bargained for. Just a couple of weeks ago, they came across a giant piece of well-preserved fabric wallpaper that Moran had put up himself.

Ms. Malusky and the Moran Trust also witnessed first hand how much Moran loved to salvage items throughout his home. For years, there was a wooden panel above the fireplace that was missing, explained Ms. Malusky. As it turned out, Moran had taken that panel and used it as a door. The missing piece was right there all along, she said.

Once the studio is complete, the Moran Trust is planning on working with the National Park Service to display an art exhibition including Morans paintings of Yellowstone Park, which helped push the site toward becoming a national park. The trust is also set on using the building as a museum and educational arts center, which will feature classes, workshops, tours and lectures.

The Thomas Moran Trust Party will be held on Saturday, August 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., and will feature the unveiling of the Mary Nimmo Moran-inspired garden. Tickets start at $150. Free walking tours of the studio will be held on Friday, August 11, Friday, August 18, and Sunday, August 27. For tickets and more information, call 631-324-0100 or visit thomasmorantrust.org.

More here:
Moran Studio Will Celebrate Final Stages Of Restoration On August ... - 27east.com

PHOENIX Arizonas Verde Valley will soon enjoy a little time in the television limelight as the focus of a historic home restoration show.

The Camp Verde Bugle reported that Boomtown Builders, hosted by Jerome resident Tim McClellan, would film 13 episodes in the area pending the success of Tuesdays pilot episode on the DIY Network.

The show is about resurrecting historic homes in American boomtowns: Towns that quickly boomed in population from a flurry of mining, then busted when the resources went dry, and are now booming once more, he told the newspaper.

The pilot episode was scheduled to air Tuesday at 5p.m. In it, McClellan will help Jeromes chief of police renovate his 1912 home while keeping itshistorical bonesintact.

The pilot was filmed in the spring.

McClellan earned the hosting gig after winning Ellen DeGeneres show, Ellens Design Challenge, in 2015.

However, the judges ruled McClellans winning design was a copy of another piece of furniture. McClellan denied the accusation andDeGeneres later told him she didnt believe he intentionally copied the design.

In addition to his television appearances, McClellan owns Western Heritage Furniture and was the co-founder of Verde Biofuel, a company that specialized in creating mobile biodiesel processors.

Originally posted here:
Arizona's Verde Valley to be focus of historic home restoration show - KTAR.com

A historic home in Ste. Genevieve will be restored over the next year after a local congregation succeeded in raising over $200,000 toward that goal.

The house was originally constructed by French Canadian silversmith Antoine Oneille around 1820, according to Chairman of the Oneille Task Committee for Restoration Becky Millinger.

It is an Anglo-American style home, which is different than some of the historic houses in Ste. Genevieve because it was moving away from the French style to a more American style, Millinger said.

She said Oneille is recognized as one of the top silversmiths of the early 1800s, with many of his pieces remaining today.

He was a silversmith who came down through the French corridor from Quebec to Detroit, then into Vincennes (Indiana) then here in Ste. Genevieve, she said. He died here and his buried in the Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery.

After Oneilles death, the house was lived in by many others down through the years. The house weathered two floods and one fire in 1982, which resulted in the top floor being removed and replaced, giving the home the appearance of a more French Creole style.

The owner of the home sold it to Ste. Genevieve First Presbyterian Church in 2006. Millinger said the church has had plans since that time to renovate the building for church use, and were approached by an organization called the Jeffris Family Foundation about working together to restore the building.

Its an organization in Wisconsion that contacted us in 2013 and said, Can we help you restore that building? said Millinger. I dont know how they found out about us.

The foundation supports restoration projects across the Midwest, often with Capital Campaign Challenge Grants as was offered for the Oneille House.

They paid for half of the structures report, and then invited us to write a grant for the capital campaign, which we started June 30, 2014 Millinger said. It went until June 30 of this year, so we just finished. We were tasked with raising $200,000 to receive $100,000. We accomplished that, and its all been verified by the foundation. Now we are able to proceedright now were in the process of collecting bids from contractors for the restoration of the house.

Millinger said the past three years have seen many fundraising projects and initiatives, with support from local and national organizations.

We began with asking for contributions from people in the Presbyterian congregation, Millinger said. But weve also done fundraisers.

One of the sources of funds for the project is a book written by Millinger, compiling photos of all the known silverwork of Oneille. A local silversmith named Jill Kenik also designed and produced jewelry inspired by Oneilles work, which was sold for the benefit of the project.

We also had a sign a shingle campaign, where people could sign one of the cedar shake shingles that will be installed on the house during the restoration, Millinger said. So their names will be there for however long that lastsmaybe thirty or forty years.

The project has also been supported by contributions from the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, the French Heritage Society, as well as other organizational and private contributions.

Millinger hopes the restoration work will begin in September, with the project taking around a year if everything goes smoothly. Two major original portions of the house will remain after the restoration: the exterior chimney and some beaded beam joists.

The work on the buildings exterior will be overseen by the Heritage Commission of Ste. Genevieve. Millinger said the house is unique because it is the only historic structure in Ste. Genevieve constructed by an artist.

When the home is restored it will only be open to the public during certain event days throughout the year, though a gala will be held when the work is first completed.

For more information, or to keep up with the restoration projects progress, visit The Silversmith's House Restoration Project on Facebook.

Follow this link:
Effort underway to restore historic home - Daily Journal Online

By: Tommy Hall

The first ever successful captive holding program for Palauan Megapodes has concluded with a release of the birds to their home, Ngeanges Island. The success of the captive holding program is a major milestone for the restoration of the ecosystem on Ngeanges, and paves the way for future restoration work in Palaus stunning Rock Island Southern Lagoon.

The story began in May 2016 when we collaborated with the Koror State Department of Conservation and initiated the Ngeanges rodent eradication project. To safely carry out operations, we needed to house the islands sensitive native megapodes. To this end a planning committee was formed including Island Conservation, Palau Conservation Society, the Balau National Museum, and the Palau International Coral Reef Center. The group designed and built aviaries on a nearby island with careful consideration to create a habitat these birds would feel comfortable in. The Conservation Officers worked days and nights to capture megapodes from Ngeanges; they used a variety of different methods to safely trap the birds. Once they were transported across the lagoon on boat and placed in their aviaries, the birds were monitored and fed by the Koror State Rangers who worked around the clock to ensure the preservation of the Rock Islands.

During post-implementation monitoring, and on subsequent visits by our partners in Palau, the Department of Conservation and the Belau National Museum observed an apparent increase in the activity of megapodes on Ngeanges. There was no shortage of megapode sightings, and observers noted what they perceived to be more abundant signs of megapodes scratching through leaf litter and nest mound building activity. Although it is still too soon to confirm the long term success of the rat removal, these sightings could very well be due to the lack of competition from the invasive rats that abounded on the island only months before

There was no shortage of megapode sightings, and observers noted what they perceived to be more abundant signs of megapodes scratching through leaf litter and nest mound building activity.

Megapodes are fascinating birds; the subspecies we are working with is endemic to Palau and listed as Endangered. The name is descriptive of the massive size of their feet and legs in comparison to the size of their body. They use their powerful feet to build giant nest mounds on the forest floor by kicking soil and leaf litter into a pile that sometimes exceeds six feet in height!

The females lay and bury their eggs in a hole that they dig into the center of the mound. The egg is then incubated by the heat produced by the microbial decomposition of the leaf litter. When the chicks hatch, they dig their way out of the mound and are on their own to fend for themselves. They must forage for food alone and one day build nest mounds of their own.

Megapodes share their island home with a variety of wildlife; the forest is flush with songbirds, Palau Fruit-doves, terns, fruit bats, Emerald Tree Skinks, and the occasional nesting sea turtle.This project marks a huge success for Island Conservation and our work in Palau in both restoration and capacity-building.

This project marks a huge success for Island Conservation and with our partners in Palau in both restoration and capacity-building.

We are excited to keep the momentum going and we are already making progress towards planning a rat eradication on the main island of Kayangel Atoll in the North of Palau.

Featured photo:Micronesian Megapode on a branch. Credit: Island ConservationVersin en Espaol/Spanish transcript

Go here to read the rest:
Restoration Allows Megapodes to Return Home - Island Conservation News

Victoria Advocate

Running through hoops for Restoration House Ministries Victoria Advocate The 1,000 5K Obstacle Challenge Run was the first 5K hosted by Restoration House Ministries, a home and restoration program to help women struggling with drugs, alcohol and abuse. The Christian-based program helps women get back on track to a ...

Original post:
Running through hoops for Restoration House Ministries - Victoria Advocate

New York State is providing $3.7 million to the organization which has led an ongoing project to restore what was once the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed summer home of Darwin Martin and his family.

WBFO's Michael Mroziak reports.

The Graycliff Estate, located along the Lake Erie shoreline in the Town of Evans, was acquired by the Graycliff Conservancy in 1997 and has undergone a slow restoration. The exteriors of the house and garage, the latter of which has a second-floor apartment, were returned to their 1930slook for about $6 million.

The Conservancy is now working to restore the interiors of both structures.

"We have some minor interior work going on during our busy summer tourist season," said Robert Wooler, the executive director of the Graycliff Conservancy. "When we get to the fall and during the winter and then all through next year, we're going to be going methodically through the two houses and restoring all the surfaces."

Work on the interiors is estimated at $4 million. Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochulwas present to announce that most of it would be provided through Buffalo Billion II. She explained that by helping to complete the restoration, the Graycliff Estate would be ready to enhance the legacy of architect Frank Llolyd Wright and further secure Buffalo as a destination for tourists interested in Wright's work.

"Travel & Leisure named Buffalo as one of the top regions in the world for its premier architecture," Hochul said. "This is one of the gems. This is one of the jewels."

Tourism leaders echoed the Lieutenant Governor's thoughts. Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, expressed his excitement at the increased draw a restored Graycliff Estate would be to those coming to enjoy Wright's other local works.

"With everything else that we have with the Darwin Martin House, with the boathouse, with the Blue Sky Mausoleum, this is truly going to make a very strong statement for those Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados, as well as people who come to Buffalo and Erie County for our architecture and history, to extend their stay," Kaler said.

The Darwin Martin House in Buffalo recently marked formal completion of renovations with the introduction of a replica two-sided fireplace. The restoration of Graycliff Estate is expected to be finished by November 2018.

Excerpt from:
Graycliff Estate to receive Buffalo Billion II money to complete restoration - WBFO

Evidence of the lightning strikes damage can be seen inside the Midgett House. Photo: Contributed

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

RODANTHE Sometime during the night of Sunday, July 2, one of the favorite structures at the Chicamacomico Historic Site, the 1907 Midgett House, was hit by lightning.

The lightning strike connected with the original wiring in the home, which is not in use but still runs through the structure. From there, the effects of the strike trickled throughout the house, damaging the original panel box, causing old paint to shake loose from the walls and, most noticeably, destroying the original chimney.

Though there was no fire, the result of the strike was pretty damaging. Dinah Beveridge, the site manager, was the first one to see the home on Monday morning, as she was showing a new employee how to open the property for visitors.

One of the biggest challenges in the restoration may be the chimney.

It was a mess, she said. Weve got some renovation to do, for sure.

Now, the team at this historic Rodanthe landmark is working to collect donations to restore this popular 1907 residence, and reopen it for visitors.

We do need donations for this project, said John Griffin, president of the Chicamacomico Historical Life-Saving Station Board. (A lightning strike) was not in our budget for this year.

The Midgett House was donated to the Chicamacomico Historic Site in 2006 by residents Bette Gray and Trish Midgett, who also used their own money to have the original 1907 home moved to the site.

The home was an original keepers house for Palmer Midgett, who served at several stations throughout the island, and eventually became superintendent of all the stations on Hatteras Island later in his career.

This was the house he lived in, said Griffin. We furnished it as it would have been furnished in 1907 or 1908, and its a period piece. When people go through it, we tell them that this is how a well-to-do family may have lived at that time.

The home has two floors, featuring a total of four bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room.

All of the rooms are very small, said Griffin. They did originally have running water, but no toilet.

A keeper was a high and well-paid rank, so this was a nice home for the time certainly not the home of an average Joe, he added.

As part of the five structures that are found at the Chicamacomico Historic Site, including the main 1911 Life-Saving Station, the original 1874 Life-Saving Station and two cook houses, the Midgett House is a favorite component for many visitors.

The damage to the electrical panel is shown. Photo: Contributed

Before the July 2 lightning strike, visitors could tour the intricate home, which has been outfitted with all original touches, and could step back in time to a Hatteras lifestyle of generations ago.

And more often than not, this brief time travel trip brought back memories for many visitors.

So many people just love that little house, said Beveridge. Its beautiful, and its like many of the houses from the old days. People go through there and say I feel like I just got out of my grandmas house!

For now, the home is closed as the folks at the Chicamacomico Historic Site start plotting out repairs. But hopes are high that it wont be too long before the little house that everyone seems to love is up and running again.

While cleanup is a big aspect of the coming renovation process, there are some repairs and changes that arent as easy as applying a new coat of paint.

One of the biggest projects in the restoration may very well be the chimney.

We dont have a lot of brick masons on the island for fixing the chimney, said Griffin, But a local guy who is a concrete contractor will take a look, and will hopefully be able to put it back together with the original bricks that got knocked off.

Another step that the site is planning to take is to address the wiring. Theres no electricity to the home, but removing the wiring is slated to be part of the restoration work.

It was a house that didnt have an electrical hook-up, but had wiring in it, explained Beveridge. All electrical wiring needs to be pulled out of it safety first.

Mike Daughtry, the local Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department chief as well as the vice president of the board, helped secure the site from further damage. He placed a tarp over the open chimney to prevent further damage.

We havent been able to assess all of the damage were still in the early stages, said Beveridge.

In the meantime, the Chicamacomico Historic Site and all other structures are open for business. Additionally, fliers are being posted throughout the villages and on social media in the hopes that donations will come in for the work ahead for the Midgett House.

People are fascinated by the house. They go through and say, My grandmother had a stove just like that! said Griffin. Its closed now, and were not going to open it until its ready, but were starting the process to get it fixed.

In the meantime, folks can donate in one of three ways:

Please note Midgett House on your donation.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. You can read other stories about Hatteras and Ocracokehere.

It costs about $500 to produce this and all other stories on CRO. You can help pay some of the cost by sponsoring a day on CRO for as little as $100 or by donating any amount you're comfortable with. All sponsorships and donations are tax-deductible.

Joy Crist is a Hatteras Island resident since 1998 and a writer and columnist with the Island Free Press. Her work has also appeared in a number of regional Outer Banks and statewide websites and publications.

More:
Effort On to Repair Damaged Historic Home - Coastal Review Online

If you thought Christopher Nolans Batman movies looked good before, get excited because the director has confirmed that hes working on a 4K restoration of his The Dark Knight trilogy.Warner Bros. is in the thick of their new on-screen incarnation of the DC universe, butlots of folksare still loyal to Nolans Christian Bale-led version and rightfully so, its one of the best film trilogies of all time, so its a heck of a clever money-making move to get the director back on the Batman train for a new home video release.

Wth Dunkirk heading into theaters later this month, Nolan sat down for an interview with the folks atBadTaste.It(h/t Batman-News), where he discussed restoring his back catalogue to 4K and his enthusiasm process. His love for the cleaner images should come as no surpriseconsidering hes one of the last holdouts who stillinsists on shooting with film, and indeed, Nolan praises the new technology as a means of getting closer to the experience of a movie shot and projected on film.

Image via Warner Bros.

The wonderful thing about 4K technology is it gets closer to the resolution that we shot in film, he tells the outlet. Photochemically finished films of 35mm have at least 6K resolution, IMAX films, upwards of 18K. So as home video formats keep evolving, 4K particularly 4K with HDR, it allows us to give somebody at home an experience thats much much closer to what it was like to see the original film prints as projected on film.

Nolan also confirmed that he is very much personally involved with the restoration process, however, dont necessarily expect to see the 4K editions right away Its a long, complicated process that were doing right now, he said, but I think the results Im seeing are very pleasing and very spectacular. Watch what he had to say in the video below.

Read more here:
Christopher Nolan Is Working on a 4K Remaster of 'The Dark Knight' Trilogy - Collider.com

The flood situation in the country continues getting worse. In 2016, the U.S experienced the worst floods yet and things are not looking up. There were 19 floods, a record high, and flooding is now ranked the top natural disaster in the country. Wherever you might be, you should know that no one is safe as the global weather patterns are expected to continue changing. After a flood, your safety and that of your family should be your priority, but afterwards, you have to start thinking about the safety of the property.

Many homeowners dont consider the risk of using a house that has recently been flooded. Such a house should undergo tests for structural integrity before being reoccupied. It is also important to hire a water damage expert for water extraction, mold and odor removal. Professional flood damage restoration makes your property safer to live in and you will also get additional services to protect you from the next flood.

With the demand for water damage services on the rise, there are many contractors who claim they offer the best services. As a homeowner who is desperate to reclaim their property, you might end up choosing the wrong people, which can lead to financial losses in future. To avoid this pitfall, below are some ideas to help you find the best flood damage service in your city:

You have to appreciate that flood damage repair is a technical project that should only be carried out by a licensed and certified contractor. The best contractor should be certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Look for an IICR- Cleantrust certified contractor for any kind of flood damage repair if you want to enjoy the best services. The IICRC is the gold standard for the industry and you can be assured of receiving the best services from the company.

There are different sources of referrals if you are looking for the best water damage restoration service. Talk to other property owners in your city to find a highly recommended service. If the water damage is covered under a particular policy, your insurance agent or adjustor should have a recommendation because they have been in this industry longer.

When it comes to flood damage, timely response is a must. The best home restoration contractor should have a 24/7 response team on call. This response team saves you a lot of money through quick inspection, water extraction, mold remediation and odor removal.

Your home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make and as such, you need only the best team working on it. In case of water damage, look for an experienced restoration service with a proven track record among property owners in your city. Go online and read reviews and testimonials before making a choice.

Other than being certified by IICRC, the best water damage restorations service should belong to industry associations such as Society of Cleaning and Restoration Technicians (SCRT), Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) among others.

Tim Koebler is a Miami-based home improvement expert with over 34 years experience in the construction industry. He is also a flood damage restoration consultant in the city. Tim also restores classic cars for resale.

Read the original:
5 Tips to Help You Find the Best Flood Damage Restoration Experts - Times Square Chronicles (press release) (registration)