OUR HOUSE: Noshaba Khan with the new plaque in honour of Arnold Bennett which adorns her Cobridge home.

LITERARY giant Arnold Bennett has been honoured with the unveiling of a blue plaque at his former home.

The author famous for books such as Anna of the Five Towns lived at 205 Waterloo Road, in Cobridge, from 1881 to 1889, spending the majority of his teenage years a stone's throw from the old tram system before he moved to London.

The home was briefly turned into a museum dedicated to the Potteries' leading journalist and novelist, but later fell into disrepair.

However, 34-year-old Noshaba Khan and her family bought the property at an auction. Following a painstaking restoration process, they held a reception for historians, politicians and legions of Bennett's fans.

"We were very excited when we were approached about this. It's a brilliant idea," she said.

"It was in quite a bad state, but now it's looking very good. When we bought the house we had to explain to the agents about its history, as they didn't know Arnold lived here, which shows how much it had been forgotten.

"Hopefully, this can help people in the city remember a bit more about Arnold Bennett's life."

Among the attendees was Morag Jones, who spoke at the presentation in her last act as chairman.

She said: "It's a lovely way for me to end my five years as chairman. This is a great way to bow out, as the Khans have done a brilliant job in renovating the house.

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The Sentinel published Novelist Arnold Bennett honoured with a blue plaque at his...

Sunny skies and a row of smiles reflected the friendliness and optimistic mood among team executives and civic leaders Saturday as the Cubs celebrated their "1060 Project" groundbreaking ceremony at Wrigley Field.

More than 350 people attended the event on the Wrigley infield, with the backdrop of drilling and other construction noise underway.

That noise was music to the ears of Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, who admitted he had doubts that this long-awaited four-year project would start.

"The fact is there were a lot of days I was concerned that we would never get to here," Ricketts said after the event attended by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, community leaders and project team officials.

"Absolutely. But ultimately, the mayor stepped up and we worked it out and found a way to make sure we could get this ballpark saved, and today I feel great.''

So, apparently, did everyone involved in the ceremony, which was dotted with humor and concluded with ceremonial digs with shovels.

"I do want to echo what (President of Business Operations) Crane Kenney said," Emanuel said. "I'm so proud this is privately financed."

That drew a round of chuckles that grew to laughter when Emanuel added: "That's probably the only thing I've echoed that Crane has ever said."

Kenney, whom Ricketts praised for his relentless work in pushing the renovation through layers of bureaucracy and threats of litigation, replied, "I can definitely say I will enjoy not being on the receiving end of some of the mayor's pointed comments."

Emanuel touted the benefits of the $575 million project (that includes a hotel), which is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs and generate $1.2 billion in new net revenue over the next 30 years.

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Smiles all around as Wrigley renovation begins

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (FOX13) - - A month after heavy rains pounded down across the Mid-South, some homeowners are still dealing with the aftermath.

Many of those homeowners have been flooding restoration companies with phone calls for help.

We had about 50 calls that came through just in one day, we had to start turning people away because we couldn't take care of all of them, Joel Newport of RCI Restoration Services said, Some places we were going to had four feet of water sitting outside in the street.

Some homeowners are learning lessons from last time the hard way.

Nobody had flood insurance, which is what we're telling all of our customers now to get flood insurance because they're coming out of homeowner's pockets, Newport said.

Restoration experts say make sure your policy covers flooding.

A lot of policy holders don't actually carry insurance for floods, Newport said, They don't cover any kind of insurance for flood unless you ask for it.

Also stock up on the essentials, like water and canned food.

You can be trapped in your house for three or four days, MLGW could shut down any day, you could be in your house with nothing, no electricity, no water, no food, Newport said.

Also check a few things around your house before the storm.

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Protect Your Home Before The Flood

MARTINEZ, Calif. See the homes of the stars. Thats the refrain in Hollywood. But in Martinez, its the homes themselves that will be the stars of the upcoming Martinez Home Tour on Saturday. In Hollywood, its hop on a bus, drive by the home, listen to the tour guide talk about the movie star, and move on. But the Martinez Home Tour will allow visitors to actually walk through seven unique homes from the 1920s while homeowners or docents explain the features of the house.

Every house on the tour this year is a star, said Carol Russell of the Home Selection Committee. And the homes are within walking distance of each other in the Arlington Way neighborhood.

An example is Marc and Amelia Hunters meticulously restored 1923 Craftsman which was featured in American Bungalow magazines winter issue, a first for a Martinez house. But the other homes are all gems too, said Carolyn Boone Duncan, Home Tour Chair. Visitors might well conclude that other homes on the tour are deserving of national attention also.

The homes this year have spectacular kitchens, observed Barbara Lucero, who is also on the Home Selection Committee. Three of the vintage homes, such as the 1928 Spanish Revival belonging to Mayor Rob Schroder, have modern gourmet kitchens that were designed to fit in with the rest of the house. Other kitchens are nearly original or were designed to appear so. In the kitchen of the 1920s English Cottage on the tour, restored by Jack Vosney, the cabinets are new but were made to appear old by painting them with many layers of paint and stains until the appropriate look was achieved. In the 1927 Hetzler home, the tiny vintage kitchen is fully functional and features an eye-catching hammered copper sink. The 1928 Gliatto house still has the original Wedgewood stove, so carefully maintained over the years that it needs no restoration. It even retains its matching salt and pepper shakers.

The unique personalities of the homeowners can be seen in the houses. A daughter in the Hetzler house insisted on painting her entire bedroom with vines and flowers even on the ceiling. Jack Vosney built a cottage in the garden that has wall paper which he created from articles in an 1881 magazine. The Gliatto house features vivid colors both outside and inside with every room of the home painted a different color by its owner, a former artist.

As for the owners of the homes on this years tour, none are movie stars, but many are well known in the community. For example, Candice Gliatto is the owner of Citrus Salon on Main Street. When asked what was unique about her house, Candice replied: My house is full of art. We rotate the art at the salon. And after every show I buy a piece of art by a Martinez artist to display in my house.

Corrine Christiansen has her own 1922 Craftsman house on the tour. As a teacher at the New Leaf Academy, Christiansen was named the 2012 Educator of the Year in Martinez. She added an inlaw unit to her home in which her mother lives. Craftsman features such as hardwood floors and wainscoted walls were utilized to make the addition appear as if it dated from the same period as the main house.

When asked what visitors would find interesting about his Spanish Revival home, Mayor Rob Schroder replied with a chuckle, They will have the opportunity to see the skeletons in my closet.

Also on the tour will be all four floors of the 1930 Art Deco Masonic Temple, the 1890 Martinez Museum, the 1882 John Muir House, the 1849 Martinez Adobe and the Shell Refinery Museum.

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Home Tour to offer up-close look at local historic homes

GWEN IFILL: Much of our reporting on climate change has focused on the impact it could have on people or on the environment in which they live.

But one area that tends to get less attention is how climate change will affect wildlife. Theres a major habitat restoration project in San Francisco Bay thats trying to address that very issue.

The NewsHours Cat Wise has our report.

RACHEL TERTES, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: So, welcome, everyone, to our first morning of trapping.

CAT WISE: On a recent morning, a small group of volunteers clad in rubber boots gathered at a park on the edge of the San Francisco Bay.

RACHEL TERTES: So when the animal walks in, he sets the trap off.

CAT WISE: Theyd come to help U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials gather traps in a restored tidal marsh to determine if an endangered species, found only in this area of the bay, is making a comeback.

Wildlife biologist Rachel Tertes carefully opened the first trap and out spilled a tiny creature, just what they were hoping to find.

RACHEL TERTES: This cinnamon belly would tell us pretty much right away that this is a salt marsh harvest mouse.

CAT WISE: The endangered harvest salt marsh mouse is, well, pretty cute. Its lost about 90 percent of its habitat due to human development along the bay, and now, according to Tertes, it faces a new threat: climate change.

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Restored wetlands welcome wildlife and protect against future floods in San Francisco Bay Area

October 9, 2014 -

Get Involved, Be Prepared, Protect Your Family, Animals & Home.

The Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) and the Monte Nido Fire Safe Council will sponsor a Fire Prepardedness Fair on Saturday, October 18.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a home assessment tour of four houses, led by trained risk assessors, will demonstrate and explain what you can do to protect yourself and your home.

The Fair officially begins at 11 a.m. with presentations by representatives of the L. A. County Fire Department, National Park Service, MRT, the Monte Nido Fire Safe Council, the North Topanga Fire Safety Council, insurance companies and vendors.

All horse owners living in the greater Las Virgenes area, the Santa Monica Mountains, Monte Nido, Malibu Valley Farms, etc., will receive a free copy of the little red booklet created in Monte Nido that has gone all over the Nation: What Do I Do With My Horse In Fire, Flood, and/or Earthquake? provided by MRT. All you have to do is show up

Meet at the West end of Camino Colibri, Edenwild Tract in Monte Nido for both the guided tour and the Fair.

Please RSVP to Jo Powe at (310) 745-3642; jopowe@gmail.com.

This event is sponsored by the Monte Nido Fire Safe Council and MRT. Funding is provided by a grant from the Community Assistance Program of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service, the Department of the Interior through the California Fire Safe Council.

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Monte Nido Fire Preparedness Fair, Oct. 18

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) October 07, 2014

Flood Services Canada (http://www.FloodServices.ca), the Greater Toronto Areas leading 24-hour emergency flood, fire, and smoke damage restoration response service team, is announcing its tips for homeowners on how to winterize their homes for the upcoming cold season.

Canada experiences a significantly sharp turn from hot to cold seasons. That makes it crucial for homeowners to take steps to protect their home before each season begins, says Chad Vanvari, president and owner of Flood Services Canada. With winter approaching much faster than we would probably like, now is the time for homeowners to check their homes for any sewage backup, clogged gutters, or other factors that can really harm a home.

According to Vanvari, most homeowners associate accidents like basement flooding and water damage with summer time hazards, but in truth, winter can bring severe storms, and too much snow has just as much potential to be hazardous as too much rain. Thats why homeowners need to take the right steps to protect their property, says Vanvari.

Taking measures such as turning off the indoor shutoff for outdoor water lines, trimming trees, and insulating water pipes are all important steps homeowners can take to protect their home from damage, he adds. The weight from ice and snow on tree branches can cause them to break, potentially resulting in significant damage to your home or electrical lines outside, and ensuring all pipes are insulated can prevent basement flooding or other water damage. (Source: How to winter-proof your home, Royal Bank of Canada web site; http://www.rbcinsurance.com/insuranceneeds/winter-proof-home.html, last accessed October 6, 2014.)

Vanvari explains that knowing the location of all the shutoff valves for the entire home is also an important matter. Homeowners should ensure all valves are working every six months just to be safe, as well as know the age of their water tank, which needs replacing every 1015 years. (Source: 10 ways to prevent water damage to your home, Royal Bank of Canada web site; http://www.rbcinsurance.com/insuranceneeds/water-damage-infographic.html, last accessed October 6, 2014.)

Taking all the right steps does reduce the chances of any damage to a home during the winter, but accidents and severe weather are still possibilities, Vanvari concludes. For those instances, Flood Services Canada is ready and on call for water damage cleanup, basement flooding repair, or any other severe damage maintenance to a home.

Flood Services Canada is the Greater Toronto Areas leading 24-hour emergency response service team. The company provides residential and commercial customers a full range of industry-leading services in water removal and water damage cleanup, smoke and fire damage restoration, sewage backup cleaning, wind and storm damage response, dehumidification and structural drying, odour control, and important document drying. Flood Services Canada also provides all necessary repairs and renovations, including: furniture and reupholstery, electronics and equipment restoration, pack-out and storage, and post-repair cleanup. Each of Flood Service Canadas IICRC-certified technicians delivers the best personalized service in the industry, ensuring every customer receives top service, quality, and value. To learn more about Flood Services Canada, visit the companys web site at http://www.FloodServices.ca or call Flood Services Canada at 416-999-3930.

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Flood Services Canada, the GTAs Leading 24-Hour Response Team, Announces Ways to Winterize Home to Prevent Serious ...

A landmark Merseyside church is set to receive a Lottery funding boost to continue urgent repairs and create a community space for visitors.

Ss Peter, Paul and Philomenas Church, in New Brighton also known as The Dome of Home has received development funding of 39,800 towards a project totalling 250,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The cash will be used to continue to repair roofs, brickwork, internal plaster work and develop a community space, it was announced today.

Peter Woods, deputy Lord-Lieutenant, of Merseyside presenting a cheque to Canon Amaury Montjean, the Rector of Ss Peter, Paul and Philomenas Church, New Brighton (also known as The Dome of Home) for the restoration of the church. (Please credit photos by Steve Billington.)

The new project follows a previous HLF scheme awarded in August last year and completed this September, worth a total of 290,000.

Canon Amaury Montjean, French priest and rector of the Shrine Church, said he was delighted and that the money would help continue the restor-ation of this iconic landmark, a beacon of hope for future generations. The new project will carry on with urgent repairs, and when complete will provide a glass screen below the choir loft to make a usable community space.

An interactive kiosk and information desk in the church porch will enable visitors to access a live stream webcam showing views of Liverpool Bay from the roof and allow memories and personal heritage information to be submitted easily to help them engage with the history, art and architecture.

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Since its establishment in 2012 by Bishop Davies, the Dome of Home is open every day from 8am until 8pm every day for quiet reflection and traditional services.

Recently, Peter Woods, deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, presented a cheque for 2,000 towards the restoration of the church.

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Lottery boost for landmark Wirral church 'The Dome of Home'

HONOLULU (AP) American tobacco heiress Doris Duke fell in love with Islamic art and culture during her honeymoon through the Middle East and Asia in 1935.

So much so that she commissioned a bedroom and bathroom inspired by the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum in India built by a 17th century emperor for his favorite wife.

The marble- and mirror-lined private living quarters will be opened to the public for the first time this weekend in Hawaii after years of extensive repairs and restoration.

Duke, who died in 1993, never explained what prompted her to build a house with architectural elements of Syria and India in the oceanfront home she built in Honolulu or to collect items such as 13th century Persian tiles.

Deborah Pope, executive director of the home that's been functioning as a museum of Islamic art since 2002, said Duke was drawn to cultures different from the elite East Coast society of her youth. She also loved things of beauty.

"I think she's an aesthete," Pope said, sitting on a red settee in Duke's bedroom.

The bedroom is located at the end of an open-air passageway extending from the main courtyard of the home that Duke called Shangri La. A perforated marble door, or jali, made by artisans in India opens to a tiled room. Light pours from more jali doors facing the ocean and garden.

The highlight, however, might be the bathroom lined with marble that's been inlaid with precious stones in the shape of tulips, anemone and other flowers.

Most of the rest of the 14,000-square-foot house, including the grand foyer and living room, have been open to the public and scholars for more than a decade. But the bedroom and bathroom called the Mughal Suite after the period when Islamic emperors ruled what is today India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh was closed while the roof was repaired.

Sugata Ray, a University of California, Berkeley professor, said the bath is important for scholars studying an early 20th century revival in Mughal arts and craft techniques.

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Shangri La living suite of tobacco heiress to open

There is a publication put out by the Medicare Rights Center that is an excellent source of useful information on all aspects of Medicare. Recently, it covered a topic that is of great importance to many people. If this topic does not necessarily pertain to you at the moment, I urge you to read the article anyway. Chances are really good that it will affect the lives of your parents, your spouse or you at some point.

This article is republished with permission from the Medicare Rights Center. For more information, visit http://www.medicarerights.org and http://www.medicareinteractive.org.

Dear Marci,

I have multiple sclerosis and my doctor recommended I receive Medicare-covered physical therapy in my home as part of the home health care benefit. I will always need physical therapy to maintain my multiple sclerosis but I heard Medicare will only cover home health services if you are expected to make a full recovery. Will Medicare pay for my home health care even if my condition is chronic?

- Howard (Decatur, GA)

Dear Howard,

Medicare should cover your home health care services from a Medicare-certified home health agency (HHA) even if you have a chronic health condition. Although you may hear otherwise, Medicare covers skilled nursing and therapy services intended to help you maintain your current ability to function or to prevent or slow your functioning from getting worse.

Remember, there are four requirements that must be met for you to be eligible for the Medicare home health care benefit. You must be homebound, you must need skilled nursing care or skilled therapy services, your doctor (or other primary care provider) must have a face-to-face meeting with you to develop a plan of care, and you must receive your home health care services from a Medicare-certified home health agency.

Medicare should not deny you coverage of home health care services if you meet these four requirements even if your health condition is chronic. You also cannot be denied care because the care will only maintain and not improve your ability to function. Restoration potential, the idea that you can improve or increase your ability to function, is not necessary for Medicare to cover home health care.

You can continue to receive home health care for as long as you qualify for the benefit. Your doctor will need to approve a new plan of care every 60 days for the benefit to continue, verifying the care is medically necessary.

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Medicare and home health care services