SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide Installation
The SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide can be ordered in the UK from Jackson #39;s Leisure Supplies: http://www.jacksonsleisure.com/swimming-pools/poolside-eq...

By: Jacksons Leisure

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SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide Installation - Video

'There's growing anger and resentment' PHILIP MATTHEWS

VISITING: John Key lunches with Nicky Wagner in Ballantynes.

A political starter for ten. Which politician from which party said this about Christchurch East last year?

"The roads and other infrastructure in the electorate are a disgrace three years after the earthquakes. National has cause to be concerned."

That was former ACT MP John Boscawen, who is not exactly a hardcore Left-winger or a so-called "carper and moaner". Boscawen was commenting on a story in the National Business Review in the wake of National's defeat in the Christchurch East by-election.

Defeat? Maybe you need a stronger word.

"National was totally humiliated," political commentator and former Labour Party president Mike Williams says. "That was a landslide."

In a seat vacated by long-term Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel, newcomer Poto Williams actually increased Labour's majority. It was said that Labour got the vote out in an old-fashion, door-knocking campaign led by retired MP Jim Anderton involving a cast of hundreds; but the result was also taken as the electorate's verdict on National's management of the broken city.

It came only two years after National's win in 2011 was interpreted as a mandate from Christchurch, an assurance that the Government was on track with the recovery. Two electorates switched from red to blue and Labour's share of the party vote dropped in all of the seven electorates in greater Christchurch.

National's victorious Christchurch Central MP Nicky Wagner does not attribute all of the 2011 result to at the time strong rhetoric about the rebuild, but three years later, after all that has and not happened, does she think people still feel positive about her government's handling of Christchurch?

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Chch political landscape set for shakeup?

While the complaint doesn't necessarily get at the fabric of dark pools, it is likely to raise questions about the need for transparency at a time when the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators have taken dead aim at cleaning up the trading climate.

Dark pool trading happens away from major exchanges like the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange and does not have to be reported publicly. It is responsible for about 40 percent of all stock trading and is used often by high-frequency traders.

Read MoreBarclays launches internal dark pool investigation

The regulatory climate generally has seen SEC Chair Mary Jo White pledge changes to HFT rules for later in the year. In May, the New York Stock Exchange paid a $4.5 million penalty to resolve HFT-related charges the commission brought, and a slew of other parties have had to pay penalties in cases related to trading irregularities.

"Right now it's isolated at Barclays. The case reads like more of a marketing fraud situation as opposed to what was actually going on inside of the dark pool," Saluzzi said. "But it's the first time a dark pool has been kind of dinged."

How far the efforts go to reform dark pools likely will depend on how much Washington regulators are willing to anger Wall Street.

Read MoreBanks withdraw from Barclays' dark pool -FT

The SEC, in fact, already has a set of proposed changes at the readya 116-page document prepared in 2009 called the "Regulation of Non-Public Trading Interest."

There were three broad recommendations made: Changing the definition of "bid" and "offer" to express "actionable indications of interest" rather than quotes that were never meant to be executed; a "substantial lowering of the trading volume" benchmarks for dark pools before they had to release consolidated trading data; and changing rules that would provide for the "real-time disclosure of the identify of dark pools and other (alternative trading systems) on the reports of their executed trades."

"The proposals are intended to promote the Exchange Act goals of transparency, fairness, and efficiency," the document stated.

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Dark pools are in the crosshairs

While the complaint doesn't necessarily get at the fabric of dark pools, it is likely to raise questions about the need for transparency at a time when the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators have taken dead aim at cleaning up the trading climate.

Dark pool trading happens away from major exchanges like the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange and does not have to be reported publicly. It is responsible for about 40 percent of all stock trading and is used often by high-frequency traders.

Read MoreBarclays launches internal dark pool investigation

The regulatory climate generally has seen SEC Chair Mary Jo White pledge changes to HFT rules for later in the year. In May, the New York Stock Exchange paid a $4.5 million penalty to resolve HFT-related charges the commission brought, and a slew of other parties have had to pay penalties in cases related to trading irregularities.

"Right now it's isolated at Barclays. The case reads like more of a marketing fraud situation as opposed to what was actually going on inside of the dark pool," Saluzzi said. "But it's the first time a dark pool has been kind of dinged."

How far the efforts go to reform dark pools likely will depend on how much Washington regulators are willing to anger Wall Street.

Read MoreBanks withdraw from Barclays' dark pool -FT

The SEC, in fact, already has a set of proposed changes at the readya 116-page document prepared in 2009 called the "Regulation of Non-Public Trading Interest."

There were three broad recommendations made: Changing the definition of "bid" and "offer" to express "actionable indications of interest" rather than quotes that were never meant to be executed; a "substantial lowering of the trading volume" benchmarks for dark pools before they had to release consolidated trading data; and changing rules that would provide for the "real-time disclosure of the identify of dark pools and other (alternative trading systems) on the reports of their executed trades."

"The proposals are intended to promote the Exchange Act goals of transparency, fairness, and efficiency," the document stated.

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Dark pools in crosshairs after Barclays charges

Austin, TX (PRWEB) June 26, 2014

According to the Texas Association of Realtors 2014 Texas Remodel Valuation Report, creating a backyard oasis or a livable outdoor space is one of the most popular and profitable home renovation projects among Texas homeowners recouping almost 112% of the total project costs in added home values. Increasingly though, homeowners want more than just comfortable and attractive outdoor spaces, according to a 2014 study from the American Society of Landscape Architects, they want their outdoor spaces to be sustainable and low-maintenance. And, to this end, propane can offer a valuable solution.

Sharp Propane a propane service provider in five markets across Texas realizes the potential for propane to power its customers outdoor spaces and they use their expertise to help motivate and assist with their customers outdoor renovation projects. In each of Sharps service areas Austin, Bastrop, College Station, Fort Worth and La Grange Sharp works with homeowners and their landscape contractors to safely and efficiently incorporate outdoor appliances into customers primary propane system. This includes every step of the propane installation process, from a review of your site plan to coordinating with the city on permitting and working with your contractor to ensure your project comes in on time and on budget.

By hooking up these propane appliances to the homes primary propane tank or installing a new tank, homeowners can relax and entertain in their outdoor living spaces without any stress or concern, because the propane seamlessly moves from tank to appliance with no homeowner thought or effort. Propane also gives homeowners peace of mind in that they are using a safe, green alternative energy source for all their outdoor needs. If measured by carbon footprint, propane is one of the greenest forms of energy available its cleaner burning than other petroleum-based products and emits less than half as many greenhouse gases as electricity generated in coal-based power plants. Additionally, propane is low-maintenance, energy-efficient and versatile enough to accommodate many aspects of outdoor spaces from outdoor kitchens and lighting, to pool heating and more.

Some of the benefits of using propane over other energy sources in outdoor spaces include efficiency and speed. By using propane to heat a pool for example, homeowners enjoy a swimming season that stretches throughout the whole year, and propane heaters that warm water two times faster than electricity. Additionally, outdoor kitchens and grill features that use propane heat up faster than charcoal, and release less carbon monoxide and soot in the process.

A recent example of a backyard renovation project Sharp Propane helped complete is Patrick and Misty Watkins outside of Austin in Bee Caves.

The Watkins Austin-based outdoor landscaping contractor, Mark Bichler of Pearson Landscaping, spent six months working on The Watkins backyard renovation. The Watkins project was a full-scale upgrade to their backyard essentially we built them a second outdoor house. Bichler said. What they told me was, when the kids are here, we dont want them in the house, so we built them an outdoor space that was virtually self-sufficient.

The Watkins newly upgraded backyard features an outdoor bathroom that is plugged into the homes septic system; a complete outdoor kitchen with large burners, a grill, crawfish boiling pot and fireplace, all fueled by propane; a pool and spa, both heated by propane; as well as landscaping and a stone deck that integrates and pulls together each of the backyards disparate spaces.

Because The Watkins project incorporated so much propane into the design, we coordinated and met with Sharp eight or nine times over the course of the project and every experience was right on point, Bichler said. Sharp even went above and beyond for the Watkins. When we ran propane lines through the trenches below the kitchen, Sharp ran an extra line of pipe under the slab just in case they might want a fire pit over to the side or some other propane-related product there in the future.

The Watkins home project is just one recent example of the outdoor renovations Sharp has helped coordinate and make a reality for their customers. In Justin, Texas, just outside of Fort Worth, Jenn and Joe Washam worked with Sharp to help make their pool and outdoor kitchen project a reality. In our backyard we now have fire features thanks to propane, a fireplace run by propane, an outdoor kitchen run on propane with an outlet off the back for hooking up burners for crawfish boils and a pool and spa both heated with propane, Jenn Washam said. Our builder Klapprodt Pools did a time lapse video of the entire project too. Sharp coordinated with Klapprodt on the blueprints and the initial plans for our backyard, kept in contact throughout the process and came out whenever they were needed. Such a seamless process.

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Sustainable, Low-Maintenance Outdoor Spaces Increasingly Popular, Profitable in Texas

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KEATS wrote, 'a thing of beauty is a joy forever' and that opening line to his 1818 poem Endymion for some reason always make me think about Knypersley Pool.

Knypersley Pool and I go back a long way. Happy hours spent there with my late grandfather. Finishing 14th in a fun run as a member of the 59th Newchapel Boy Scouts. Days fishing without catching a thing. But who cares when the surroundings are so beautiful? Although I haven't paid her a visit for some time, Knypersley Pool has a special place in my heart.

Knypersley Pool and Greenway Bank Country Park are havens for wildlife, a place for Potteries people to escape to, and are among Staffordshire's greatest beauty spots. But right now we face the terrible spectre of a 50m high wind turbine being placed in a nearby field to tower over it all.

It is the largest turbine proposed yet in the Staffordshire Moorlands, and it is claimed it will be visible from as far away as Mow Cop.

I am not opposed to wind turbines and green energy. Such developments are necessary, inevitable and should be encouraged. There is a place for wind turbines. But at Greenway Bank?

I understand that the effectiveness of a wind turbine is predicated on wind speeds, and so the siting of them is vitally important. Therefore I understand the reasoning behind targeting certain parts of North Staffordshire. It can get windy up here! However, many other factors need to be taken into account when planning for a structure as large as that proposed, and one of those must be the appropriateness of its setting. Greenway Bank is far from an appropriate setting. The proposed site is located within the greenbelt and in a Special Landscape Area, along the head of the Trent.

There is a train of thought from some quarters, that the north is desolate, and this is shaping parliamentary debate around fracking. The proposed wind turbine at Greenway Bank clearly fits within this particular mindset.

Although Knypersley Pool is indeed a thing of beauty, there is an inherent contradiction at its heart in that the pool is manmade, having been built in 1827 by Thomas Telford and James Potter to supply water to the Caldon Canal. Yet this impressive feat of civil engineering has left behind a wonderful legacy. When talking about his aims and aspirations for the village of Portmeirion, its architect Clough Williams-Ellis said he wanted to demonstrate, "that one could develop even a very beautiful site without defiling it, and given sufficient loving care one could even improve on what God had provided". Telford and Potter clearly had the same thoughts when creating Knypersley Pool.

Would a wind turbine add anything positive to this beautiful part of North Staffordshire? The answer has to be a resounding 'no'. There is no environmental and social case, and even though the proposal is being pushed forward by a commercial company, I would also argue there is no economic case either.

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The Sentinel commented Dave Proudlove: We don't want a wind turbine at Knypersley Pool

In Dubai, the unwritten rule is: If it doesnt exist in its natural form, dig, scrape or shape it until you have an amusement park-style copycat of -- or improvement on -- the real thing.

Soon, that rule will apply to a large manmade lagoon that has the same clarity as a swimming pool: In other words, a lake that nature might have formed if it had a board of directors.

As Dubai has made the leap from desert backwater to glittering metropolis, the Persian Gulf emirate has accrued some of the most prodigious and over-the-top works of modern engineering on Earth. To lure outsiders to a seemingly uninhabitable swath of Arabian sand required creating desirable amenities from scratch, including comfortable climates, on a micro scale. Along the way, Dubai has elevated the concept of the artificial environment to a new level.

There have been complications in this remastering of nature, including staggering energy shortages and tourists swimming amid raw sewage, but Dubai remains undaunted in its quest to become one of the worlds most cutting-edge luxury destinations.

The citys latest venture is a colossal, artificial lagoon, fed from brackish groundwater, that stretches across nearly 90 acres of desert. The huge water feature, which has a surface area equivalent to some 330 Olympic swimming pools, is the mainstay of a $7.1 billion development project in Mohammed Bin Rashid City, in the heart of Dubai, and, when complete, will be the largest manmade lagoon of its kind in the world.The first phase has been completed, and the full 90-acre project is expected to be done by 2020.

The company behind Dubais latest indulgence is Chile-based Crystal Lagoons, whose artificial lagoons have cropped up across Latin America and the Middle East and have just begun to make their way into the U.S. market. The concept is that beachfront property can be created that includes the uncomplicated comfort of a massive swimming pool -- but with fewer chemical additives, on a scale that enables residents and tourists to enjoy water sports like kayaking and even sailing.

The resort at San Alfonso del Mar in Chile. Crystal Lagoons

Not surprisingly, developers say the revenue potential is huge; promoting their projects is part of their job. But others in the industry say such carefully regulated manmade water features do hold the potential to be the next big thing in residential development, much as golf courses once were.

Developers are getting more sophisticated in how to deploy this as a business tool, Kevin Morgan, chief executive of Crystal Lagoons U.S. subsidiary, Crystal Lagoons USA Inc., told International Business Times.

Crystal Lagoons enormous water projects havemade headlines before for their dramatic appearance. Since it completed its first large lagoon project in Chile 17 years ago, Crystal Lagoons has worked on dozens of similar projects and has hundreds more in various stages of development, including one for a planned community in Florida called Tradition Florida where groundwater will be used to fill the lagoon. The latest Crystal Lagoon opened this year at a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Continued here:
In Dubai, A 90-Acre Swimming Pool Is The Next Big Thing In Real Estate Development

darius amos/the ridgewood news

Work began last week on a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp into Graydon Pool.

A new sloped entryway leading into Graydon Pool will be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting, giving residents with accessibility challenges the opportunity to use Ridgewood's water park beginning next summer.

Municipal and state officials joined a handful of residents at the village's historic swimming facility last Friday to commemorate the start of the ramp's construction. Ground broke on the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp early last week, and the first drops of concrete were poured Tuesday.

"While I definitely think it took us way too long to get here, I'm glad we're here. This is an extraordinary moment, a moment that is important to our community," said Mayor Paul Aronsohn, addressing a small audience that gathered for the ceremony. "Ridgewood is to be one of the most inclusive, welcoming, accepting places. This is going to make us more inclusive and more welcoming."

The discussions that began almost three years ago turned into debate among members of the Village Council and general public. Since the first conversations took place, the tone at meetings and on-site visits has varied from full support to strong objections. The final project even divided Ridgewood's governing body, as the council approved the ramp design by 3-2 vote.

But even with the council's blessing, which was granted last year with hopes of installing a ramp for the 2013 season, continued opposition prompted delays and subsequent mediation by the state Department of Environmental Protection's Historic Preservation Office. A meeting in Ridgewood conducted by DEP officials took place earlier this year, and the state used information from that session as well as from emailed comments to offer recommendations.

The design, including the approved version as well as previous plans, was challenged by several residents, many of whom argued that the overall size of the ramp detracted from the historical nature of the sandy-bottomed pool. They also contended that the location of the ramp was inappropriate.

In September, the state opined that a slightly modified accessibility ramp would not detract from the 1920s charm of Graydon. DEP officials advised the village to alter its designs to mitigate flooding conditions and tint the ramp's color a shade that closely resembles the park's sand.

Last week, Ridgewood municipal engineer Chris Rutishauser led a tour of the unfinished project, walking attendees from the pavilion where the ramp begins down toward its final landing. The ramp, which runs alongside an existing stone wall, will end at a level in about 2 feet of water.

Excerpt from:
Construction begins on ramp at Graydon Pool in Ridgewood

By Deborah K. Dietsch June 20

Splish, splash. Water spills down a curving fiberglass slide into the swimming pool built by Tracy and Clint Heiden behind their McLean home. The pool forms the centerpiece of a $1million backyard transformation, changing an unusable hillside into an outdoor living area offering indoor-style conveniences.

At one end of the yard, a metal-roofed pavilion shelters a comfortable seating area centered on a limestone fireplace and 60-inch flat-panel TV. A barbecue grill, sink and refrigerator drawers set below granite countertops provide an outdoor kitchen.

Next to the pool are more features for the Heidens, their four children and friends to enjoy.

Built into the flagstone patio are a glass mosaic-tiled spa and a gas-fueled fire pit. Umbrella-shaded tables, chairs and chaises provide places to dine and relax.

Before we had the pool and landscaping, we spent all our time in our kitchen and family room, says Tracy Heiden, 45, an advertising executive. Now we spend about six to nine months out here relaxing and entertaining. This outdoor space doubled the size of our house.

As evident from this back yard and others in the Washington area, pools have become more than utilitarian places for swimming and cooling off. People spend more time around the pool than in the water, so the design of the surroundings is important, says Don Gwiz, principal of Lewis Aquatech, a pool builder in Chantilly.

A pool often acts as a springboard to a backyard landscape filled with complementary amenities.

We have more requests for structures around the pool small pool houses, pergolas, outdoor kitchens and bathrooms, fire bowls, sculpture, says Walt Williams, co-owner of Alpine Pool in Annandale, who designed and built the Heidens pool and pavilion. The area around the pool is getting more detailed and elaborate.

At the same time, the in-ground basin for the water is getting simpler. Whats becoming popular is a contemporary design, mostly geometric with very crisp lines, says Williams.

Read the rest here:
Building a pool is just the beginning of elaborate backyard transformations

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 10:58 EST, 15 June 2014 | Updated: 12:42 EST, 15 June 2014

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Never mind fast cars and enormous mansion-style homes, it's swimming pools that are creating shockwaves with the super-wealthy working to make stand-out statements among friends and clients alike.

Jay Dweck, a former head of equities strategies for Goldman Sachs, said innovating brings him happiness.

Money was no object for his $1 million pool, inspired by a Stradivarius he once owned. No detail is overlooked with a hot tub acting as the violin's chin rest along with two thin koi ponds shaped like a bow.

How do you fancy diving into a $1million Stradivarius pool? A former banker for Goldman Sachs in New York has had a custom-built pool constructed shaped liked a violin.

Award winning: The over-the-top Bedford pool in the shape of a violin has won a prestigious gold award from the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals

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Banker builds swimming pool shaped like a violin