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The Saints are expected to start rookie quarterback Ian Book on Monday vs. the Dolphins. Quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, clearing the way for Book, a Notre Dame product who has not yet played a snap in the NFL.

On Thursday, the team placed tackle Jordan Mills, defensive tackle Christian Ringo, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, defensive end Jalyn Holmes, safety Jeff Heath, linebacker Kaden Elliss and guard James Carpenter on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Friday, tackle Ryan Ramczyk, linebacker Demario Davis, running back Dwayne Washington, safety J.T. Gray, assistant defensive backs coach Cory Robinson, assistant offensive line coach Zach Strief and coaching intern Sterling Moore all were added to the list.

Saints head coach Sean Payton is in the leagues COVID-19 protocols after testing positive for the virus last week. He missed New Orleans 9-0 shutout victory over the Buccaneers Sunday night. Saints tight ends Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson also were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week.

New Orleans is 7-7 with three games remaining: the Dolphins, Panthers and Falcons round out the schedule.

(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

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Saints expected to start QB Ian Book vs. Dolphins as Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian land on reserve/COVID-19 list - The Athletic

Cropland-mapping extent and time intervals

The global boundaries for the cropland mapping were informed by the US Geological Survey (USGS) Global Food Security-Support Analysis Data at 30m (GFSAD)11. The cropland mapping extent was defined using the geographic 11 grid. We included every 11 grid cell that contains cropland area according to the GFSAD. Small islands were excluded due to the absence of Landsat geometrically corrected data (Supplementary Fig. 1).

The cropland mapping was performed at 4-year intervals (20002003, 20042007, 20082011, 20122015 and 20162019). Use of a long interval (rather than a single year) increased the number of clear-sky satellite observations in the time-series, which improves representation of land-surface phenology and the accuracy of cropland detection. For each 4-year interval, we mapped an area as cropland if a growing crop was detected during any of these years. In this way, we implemented the criterion of the maximum fallow length: if an area was not used as cropland for >4 years, it was not included in the cropland map for the corresponding time interval.

We employed the global 16-day normalized surface reflectance Landsat Analysis Ready Data (Landsat ARD19) as input data for cropland mapping. The Landsat ARD were generated from the entire Landsat archive from 1997 to 2019. The Landsat top-of-atmosphere reflectance was normalized using globally consistent MODIS surface reflectance as a normalization target. Individual Landsat images were aggregated into 16-day composites by prioritizing clear-sky observations.

For each 4-year interval, we created a single annualized gap-free 16-day observation time-series. For each 16-day interval, we selected the observation with the highest near-infrared reflectance value (to prioritize observations with the highest vegetation cover) from 4years of Landsat data. Observations contaminated by haze, clouds and cloud shadows, as indicated by the Landsat ARD quality layer, were removed from the analysis. If no clear-sky data were available for a 16-day interval, we filled the missing reflectance values using linear interpolation.

The annualized, 16-day time-series within each 4-year interval were transformed into a set of multitemporal metrics that provide consistent land-surface phenology inputs for global cropland mapping. Metrics include selected ranks, inter-rank averages and amplitudes of surface reflectance and vegetation index values, and surface reflectance averages for selected land-surface phenology stages defined by vegetation indices (that is, surface reflectance for the maximum and minimum greenness periods). The multitemporal metrics methodology is provided in detail19,38. The Landsat metrics were augmented with elevation data39. In this way, we created spatially consistent inputs for each of the 4-year intervals. The complete list of input metrics is presented in Supplementary Table 1.

Global cropland mapping included three stages that enabled extrapolation of visually delineated cropland training data to a temporally consistent, global cropland map time-series using machine learning. At all three stages, we employed bagged decision tree ensembles40 as a supervised classification algorithm that used class presence and absence data as the dependent variables, and a set of multitemporal metrics as independent variables at a Landsat ARD pixel scale. The bagged decision tree results in a per-pixel cropland probability layer, which has a threshold of 0.5 to obtain a cropland map.

The first stage consisted of performing individual cropland classifications for a set of 924 Landsat ARD 11 tiles for the 20162019 interval (Supplementary Fig. 1). The tiles were chosen to represent diverse global agriculture landscapes. Classification training data (cropland class presence and absence) were manually selected through visual interpretation of Landsat metric composites and high-resolution data from Google Earth. An individual supervised classification model (bagged decision trees) was calibrated and applied to each tile.

At the second stage, we used the 924 tiles that had been classified as cropland/other land and the 20162019 metric set to train a series of regional cropland mapping models. The classification was iterated by adding training tiles and assessing the results until the resulting map was satisfactory. We then applied the regional models to each of the preceding 4-year intervals, thus creating a preliminary time-series of global cropland maps.

At the third stage, we used the preliminary global cropland maps as training data to generate temporally consistent global cropland data. As the regional models applied at the second stage were calibrated using 20162019 data alone, classification errors may arise due to Landsat data inconsistencies before 2016. The goal of this third stage was to create a robust spatiotemporally consistent set of locally calibrated cropland detection models. For each 11 Landsat ARD tile (13,451 tiles total), we collected training data for each 4-year interval from the preliminary cropland extent maps within a 3 radius of the target tile, with preference to select stable cropland and non-cropland pixels as training. Training data from all intervals were used to calibrate a single decision tree ensemble for each ARD tile. The per-tile models were then applied to each time interval, and the results were post-processed to remove single cropland class detections and omissions within time-series and eliminate cropland patches <0.5ha. Manual masks to remove map artefacts (for example, cropland overestimation over temperate wetlands and flooded grasslands) were applied in some regions to improve the map quality. The final global cropland map time-series are available at https://glad.umd.edu/dataset/croplands.

The sample analysis had two objectives: to estimate cropland area and its associated uncertainty and to assess cropland map accuracy. Sample interpretation and sample-based analysis were done only for the start (2003) and the end (2019) of the cropland-mapping interval. Accuracies of intermediate cropland maps (2007, 2011 and 2015) were not assessed, but were considered to be similar to those of the 2003 and 2019 maps due to implementation of the same classification model and consistently processed Landsat data41. The analysis was performed separately for each of the seven regions outlined in Extended Data Fig. 1, as well as globally. The regional boundaries were aligned with national boundaries to enable comparison with national data. Only land pixels were considered; pixels labelled as permanent water and snow/ice in the Landsat ARD data quality layer were excluded. In each region, we selected five strata based on the map time-series corresponding to stable croplands, cropland gain and loss, possible cropland omission area and other lands (Supplementary Tables 2 and 3). The possible cropland omission stratum (stratum 4) includes areas where omission errors are probable, specifically pixels that were not mapped as cropland and either (1) were identified as crops by the GFSAD11 or (2) had the decision tree-based cropland probability between 0.1 and 0.5. We randomly selected 100 sample units (Landsat data pixels) from each stratum (500 samples pixels per region, 3,500 in total).

Sample interpretation was performed visually using available remotely sensed data time-series, including Landsat ARD 16-day data, composites of selected multitemporal metrics and high-resolution images provided by Google Earth (Supplementary Fig. 2). Each sample pixel was interpreted by two experts independently and the disagreements were discussed and resolved by the research team. The interpretation legend includes the 20032019 cropland dynamics categories and land-use transition types. The sample reference data and interpretation results are available at https://glad.umd.edu/dataset/croplands.

The sample-based area estimation was performed following previously published methods42,43. The 2003 and 2019 total cropland area, stable crops, gross cropland loss and gain, and net change were estimated within each region separately, and for the entire world using equation (1). The area and the total number of Landsat pixels for each region and each stratum are provided in Supplementary Table 3. For each of the 100 sample pixels sampled in each stratum, pu was defined by class presence, for example, for 2003 cropland, pu=0 (2003 cropland absence) or pu=1 (2003 cropland presence). The pu was defined similarly for the 2019 cropland, stable crop, gross cropland loss and gain classes. For the net cropland area change, pu had values of 1 (cropland gain), 1 (cropland loss) and 0 (no change).

$$hat A = mathop {sum}nolimits_{h = 1}^H {A_hbar p_h}$$

(1)

where (hat A) is the estimated cropland/cropland change area,

Ah the area of stratum h,

H the number of sampling strata,

(bar p_h = frac{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{u in h} p_u}}{{n_h}})the mean cropland/cropland change proportion of samples in stratum h; and

nh the sample size (number of sample pixels) in stratum h.

The s.e.m. of the area was estimated from the variances of cropland (or cropland dynamics category) class values of pu for sample pixels in each stratum using equation (2). The 95% CI was obtained by multiplying s.e.m. by 1.96:

$${mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat A} right) = sqrt {mathop {sum }limits_{h = 1}^H A_h^2left( {1 - frac{{n_h}}{{N_h}}} right)frac{{s_{ph}^2}}{{n_h}}}$$

(2)

where ({mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat A} right)) is the s.e.m. of cropland/cropland change class area and

(s_{ph}^2 = frac{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{u in h} left( {p_u - bar p_h} right)^2}}{{n_h - 1}}) the sample variance for stratum h.

We analysed the land-use trajectories of cropland loss and gain using reference sample data within cropland gain and loss strata only. Inclusion of sample pixels from other strata where cropland change was detected would have inflated the area of land-use trajectories that these pixels represent (that is, if a sample pixel from a stable cropland stratum was interpreted as cropland gain due to forest clearing, including the proportion of forest clearing from this large stratum, it will dominate the total regional estimate). The proportion of each land-use trajectory (within cropland gain and loss separately) was estimated from the sample and reported as the percentage of the total gain or loss along with its s.e.m. (Table 2). A combined ratio estimator for stratified random sampling43 was employed to estimate the percentages (equation (3)).

$$hat R = frac{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{h = 1}^H A_hbar y_h}}{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{h = 1}^H A_hbar x_h}} times 100$$

(3)

where: (hat R) is the estimated class proportion expressed as a percentage;

H the number of sampling strata;

Ah the area of stratum h;

(bar y_h = frac{{mathop {sum}nolimits_{u in h} {y_u} }}{{n_h}}) the sample mean of the yu values in stratum h, where yu=1 if pixel u is classified as belonging to a specific transition in the reference sample interpretation, and yu=0 otherwise; and

(bar x_h = frac{{mathop {sum}nolimits_{u in h} {x_u} }}{{n_h}}) the sample mean of the xu values in stratum h, where xu=1 if pixel u is classified as any cropland loss/gain in the reference sample interpretation, and xu=0 otherwise.

The s.e.m. of the estimated ratio of class proportion expressed as percentage was calculated using equation (4):

$${mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat R} right) = sqrt {frac{1}{{hat X^2}}mathop {sum }limits_{h = 1}^H A_h^2left( {1 - frac{{n_h}}{{N_h}}} right)left( {s_{yh}^2 + hat R^2s_{xh}^2 - 2hat Rs_{xyh}} right)/n_h} times 100$$

(4)

where: ({mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat R} right)) is the s.e.m. of the estimated proportion expressed as a percentage;

Nh the total number of pixels in stratum h;

nh number of sample pixels in stratum h;

(hat X = mathop {sum }limits_{h = 1}^H A_hbar x_h) the estimated total area of cropland loss/gain expressed in area units; and

(s_{yh}^2) and (s_{xh}^2) the sample variances in stratum h; and sxyh the sample covariance in stratum h estimated as follows:

$$s_{yh}^2 = mathop {sum}nolimits_{u in } {left( {y_u - bar y_h} right)^2/left( {n_h - 1} right)}$$

$$s_{xh}^2 = mathop {sum}nolimits_{u in h} {left( {x_u - bar x_h} right)^2/left( {n_h - 1} right)}$$

$$s_{xyh} = mathop {sum}nolimits_{u in h} {left( {y_u - bar y_h} right)} left( {x_u - bar x_h} right)/left( {n_h - 1} right).$$

The map accuracy metrics include overall accuracy (the proportion of correctly mapped sample pixels), users accuracy of the cropland class (which reflects the cropland class commission) and producers accuracy of the cropland class (which reflects the cropland class omission)42. All accuracy metrics and respective s.e.m.s are presented as percentages (Table 3).

To estimate overall accuracy, we defined yu=1 if pixel u is classified correctly and yu=0 if pixel u is classified incorrectly. The estimator for overall accuracy is then expressed by equation (5), and s.e.m. for overall accuracy is computed using equation (6).

$$hat O = frac{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{h = 1}^H N_hbar y_h}}{N} times 100$$

(5)

where: (hat O) is the estimated overall accuracy, expressed as a percentage; H the number of sampling strata; Nh the total number of pixels in stratum h; N the total number of pixels in the reporting region; and (bar y_h = mathop {sum }limits_{u in h} y_u/n_h) the sample mean of the yu values in stratum h.

$${mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat O} right) = sqrt {frac{1}{{N^2}}mathop {sum}nolimits_{h = 1}^H {N_h^2left( {1 - n_h/N_h} right)s_{yh}^2/n_h} } times 100$$

(6)

where ({mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat O} right)) is the s.e.m. of the overall accuracy, expressed as percentage; nh the number of sample pixels in stratum h; and (s_{yh}^2) the sample variance: (s_{yh}^2 = mathop {sum }limits_{u in h} left( {y_u - bar y_h} right)^2/(n_h - 1).) For estimating users accuracy of the croplands class, we defined yu=1 if sample pixel u is correctly mapped as cropland, otherwise yu=0, and xu=1 if sample pixel u is mapped cropland, otherwise xu=0. For the producers accuracy, we defined yu=1 if sample pixel u is correctly mapped as cropland, otherwise yu=0, and xu=1 if sample pixel u is interpreted as cropland, otherwise xu=0. The estimator of the users accuracy and producers accuracy was then expressed as a ratio estimator (equation (7)) and their s.e.m. calculated using equation (8), which are similar to equations (3) and (4), except that the strata were weighted by their total number of pixels (Nh) rather than the areas (Ah) for the purposes of map accuracy assessment (with pixel being the primary mapping unit):

$$hat R = frac{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{h = 1}^H N_hbar y_h}}{{mathop {sum }nolimits_{h = 1}^H N_hbar x_h}} times 100$$

(7)

where (hat R) is the estimated users/producers accuracy, expressed as a percentage.

$${mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat R} right) = sqrt {frac{1}{{hat X^2}}mathop {sum }limits_{h = 1}^H N_h^2left( {1 - frac{{n_h}}{{N_h}}} right)left( {s_{yh}^2 + hat R^2s_{xh}^2 - 2hat Rs_{xyh}} right)/n_h} times 100$$

(8)

where ({mathrm{s.e.}}left( {hat R} right)) is the s.e.m. of the estimated users/producers accuracy, expressed as a percentage.

(hat X = mathop {sum }limits_{h = 1}^H N_hbar x_h.)

The cropland NPP was evaluated using the globally consistent Collection 6 MODIS-based, annual year-end gap-filled NPP product (MOD17A3HGF20). The product provides the sum of total daily NPP through the year at a 500-m spatial resolution (kgCm2year1). The annual NPP data were resampled to our Landsat ARD data grid and were overlaid with the corresponding 4-year cropland maps to calculate total and per-unit area NPP for each region and each year. We used average annual NPP for each 4-year interval, except for the 20002003 interval, where a 3-year average was used instead to avoid using the year 2000 when MODIS data were incomplete. The s.d. of the annual estimates is provided as an uncertainty metric.

For the national cropland area analysis, we used public geographic information systems (GIS) country boundaries from GADM (https://gadm.org).

We employed the 2019 Revision of World Population Prospects21 to calculate global, regional and national population for years 2003 and 2019. As the boundaries of analysis regions (Extended Data Fig. 1) are aligned with country boundaries, we were able to summarize the regional population totals from national data. The population data were related to our sample-based (for global and regional estimates) and map-based (for national estimates) cropland area to estimate per-capita cropland area and change. Similarly, we related regional cropland NPP to population data to estimate per-capita cropland NPP for 2003 and 2019.

Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article.

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Global maps of cropland extent and change show accelerated cropland expansion in the twenty-first century - Nature.com

From Gulf countries lifting the Qatar blockade to the bombing of Gaza and a coup in Sudan, these were some of the moments that shaped the Middle East.

Since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, tensions escalated across the Middle East not only between pro-democracy citizens and autocratic governments but also between states like Iran and the Saudi-UAE bloc.

This year, tensions have not significantly deescalated in the turbulent region, but at the same time, some positive trends have taken place in the Gulf where the Saudi-UAE bloc ended their blockade against Qatar.

Normalisation between Qatar and other Gulf powers also helped promote diplomacy between Tehran and Riyadh whose interests clash across the region from Yemen to Iraq and Lebanon.

Increasing diplomacy also led to other normalisation efforts between Turkiye and Egypt as the two countries beganan official rapprochement process in May. In November, Ankara and Abu Dhabi also decidedto normalise relations after ties worsened following the failed July 15 coup against the Erdogan government in 2016.

But in Palestine, nothing improved as Israel continued to increase its aggression against Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem to Gaza, launching a brutal aerial campaign against the Hamas-led enclave.

Here is an overview of what happened across the region in 2021.

Gulf normalisation

On January 5, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain alongside Egypt, signed an agreement with Qatar in Al Ula, normalising relations with Doha.

The normalising effort seemed to have been pushed by the former Trump administration, which was also instrumental in enacting the Abraham Accords between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel in late 2020.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a full blockade over Qatar, due to the countrys close ties with Iran and its support for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement. Both Iran and the MB are forces the Saudi-UAE alliance see as threats to their rule and they demanded Qatar to distance itself from both.

The blockade ensured no tangible benefits for the quartet as Qatar continued to receive support from its allies like Turkiye and the US.

Sheikh Jarrah protests & Israeli war on Gaza

Israeli expulsions of Palestinian residents from Sheikh Jarrah a neighbourhood which has existed for more than nine centuries in occupied East Jerusalem was the trigger for another round of tensions.

In May, based on an Israeli court decision, Israeli authorities raided Palestinian homes and faced fierce resistance from both native residents and their supporters. The confrontation led to months of protests across Palestine from Jerusalem to the West Bank and finally Gaza.

This time around, though, Palestinians were not alone. Many people across the globe from the US to Western Europe rose to oppose the Israeli expulsions in Sheikh Jarrah, supporting the Palestinian cause.

The Sheikh Jarrah standoff also spread to Gaza, which has long been under an Israeli land, sea and air blockade. The Hamas-led enclave launched hundreds of rockets to Israeli cities as far as Tel Aviv leading the Israelis to respond with heavy bombardment from both land and air, leading to hundreds of casualties.

At least 256 Palestinians including 66 children were killed due to Israels military campaign as tens of thousands were displaced to other regions. More than 1,900 Palestinians were injured. 13 Israelis killed and 200 Israelis were injured according to Tel Aviv.

After 15 days of fighting, Israel with itsobvious military superiority, halted its attacks under enormous international pressure.

Iranian hardliners won

This year also witnessed a lot of soul-searching in Iran.

Under reformist leadership over the last decade, Tehran reached an agreement with the US and other major powers on its nuclear programme in 2015. But in 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the deal, leaving the fate of the nuclear deal in the lurch.

The US pull-out weakened Iranian reformists giving a boost to hardliners who long thought that the deal was an unnecessary appeasement to the West.

In June, Irans hardliners claimed a landslide victory in presidential elections thanks to both the US withdrawal from the deal and the election committees disqualification of many reformist candidates.

Even under hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Iran returned to nuclear deal negotiations in Vienna after the new Biden administration expressed its willingness to restore the landmark agreement. But things are not exactly going smoothly in the Austrian capital so far.

Netanyahu is gone

In 2021, another crucial development happened in Israeli politics: Israels longest-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, exited from his post after unprecedented four back-to-back inconclusive elections.

Netanyahu, a hardliner, faces various corruption charges, even seeing an indictment in early 2020 - but never showed the willingness to quit his job.

After the latest elections in March, Naftali Bennett, Netanyahus former ally, who is also another hardliner, was ableto bring together different forcesfrom far-left to far-right to form an unlikely coalition, ousting the Likud leader.

While he is gone, many still believe that his hardliner views continue to control the Israeli state.

Sudan coup

In October, another coup ousted Sudans interim government, which was in place after the countrys 2019 revolution, which brought an end to Omar al Bashirs longtime dictatorial rule.

Abdel Fattah al Burhan, the countrys top general, who also happens to be a protege of the jailed Bashir,launched a coup against Abdalla Hamdoks civilian government, established after a deal between military leaders and protesting forces in August 2019.

But generals have faced fierce opposition on the streets. Burhan, who was under strong international pressure, approached Hamdok, the man he ousted with his coup, to bring him back to power.

After the initial refusal, Hamdok, who is strongly backed by the Western alliance, decided to accept Burhans offer, signing an agreement with him, laying out a kind of unclear path from military rule to democracy. The deal appeared to favour the militarys positions, but it also promised to release all political prisoners jailed after the October coup.

After the initial refusal, Hamdok, who is strongly backed by the Western alliance, decided to accept Burhans offer, signing an agreement with him, laying out a kind of unclear path from military rule to democracy. The deal appeared to favour the militarys positions, but it also promised to release all political prisoners jailed after the October coup.

But Sudans anti-military civilian leadership opposed the Hamdok-Burhan deal, continuing to protest across streets, showing an unseen resilience to move the country toward a democratic rule. Most recently, Hamdok has signalled that he may step down.

Turkiye-UAE normalisation

Toward the end of the year, a surprising development took place between Turkiye and the UAE. Prior to the July 15 coup attempt, relations between the two states were warm, but after the coup attempt, whose perpetrators appeared to have links with Abu Dhabi, ties hit rock bottom. But thats not where the tensions end - Turkiye and the UAE have been on opposing sides in Libya and Ankara also backed Qatar against the Saudi-UAE-led blockade.

Despite continuing tensions on various issues, the two states decided to findcommon ground to normalise relations last month after seeing de-escalation across the Gulf after the end of the blockade. Turkiye and Egypt, a UAE ally, also launched a process to normalise relations, apparently boosting the rapprochement between Ankara and Abu Dhabi.

In November, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, leading to the announcement of a $10 billion fund for investments in Turkey including several agreements to boost cooperation across sectors like energy and health.

Delayed Libya elections

The latest major development from the region came when Libya's election commission decided to delay the countrys long-awaited elections due to the inadequate preparation for holding polls.

The elections were delayed for at least a month, but there is no official announcement clearing its schedule yet. The polls are aimed at addressing the countrys brutal civil war and leadership disagreements through a free and fair vote. But continuing tensions suggest that it will be an uphill task.

After years of fierce fighting between the UN-backed Tripoli government and warlord Khalifa Haftars forces, both sides agreed in March to establish a unity government, which will theoretically oversee the elections and transition to a democratic rule.

Source: TRT World

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The moments that defined the Middle East in 2021 - TRT World

TYLER, Texas (KETK) The cost of building materials is going up again at the beginning of the new year.Two East Texas roofing companies say theyve been told by their suppliers they will be seeing an increase of anywhere between 5% to 25%.

COVID caused a lot of suppliers to close to keep theiremployeessafe, but it caused a lot of companies to get behind on stock. Now, with cargo ships stuck at ports, we are seeing a decrease in important materials needed to repair your home.

You have the availability issue and now we have the continued price increase, supply and demand. We all know whensuppliesare low and demand is high, the price goes up and thatsfor a number ofreasons, said Jacob Law, Chief Operations Officer and Co-owner of Stonewater Roofing. Theyhave tocontinue to run a business over there and theyre turning out as much as they can, but pricing increases are coming.

The changes go down the chain until they reach local companies. Most homeowners wont see a big difference in repair costs if they haveinsurance, butpaying with cash could empty your pockets.

In the roofing industry I dont see any price decreases likely within the next 12 months to two years. I think its just going to continue to rise. So, specificallyhome ownersthat are looking to get a good deal, you probably want to do this sooner than later, said Phil Goodwin, Regional Sales Manager of Good Choice Roofing.

The housing market in East Texas is booming. A lot of people are selling their houses and many want to move. New houses are constantly going up, but withlackof materials, so are the prices fora home.

The builders are able topricetheir homes to really meet their need for building, said Melissa Thornburg, Realtor with Quality Choice Solutions.

Items likeappliances, windows andcabinetsare facing delays of anywhere from a few months to more than a year.

Yourelooking at delays. If you are wanting to remodel your bathroom you probably cant get someone tomorrow likeyou could of a year ago. SAYS THORNBURG.

Even with wait times and supply chain issues, roofing companies and realtors will do anything theycan tomake sure you are happy with your home.

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East Texas roofing companies and housing market affected by price increase of building materials - KETK | FOX51 | EastTexasMatters.com

We all need a helping hand every now and then, but sometimes we need even more than thatwe need a Guardian angel with a well-polished Halo!

Buying a first home should be a joyous event and that joy should carry on into the future as you and yours build memories and grow together. Thats what Luke and Sarah Lenihan were expecting when they took the plunge and bought their starter home for their family of five.

A dream, a nightmare and a miracle

With three children, daughter Remi (6), son Ryker (4), and newborn son Reuben, they were excited to begin renovations to make the home their own but the dream soon took a nasty turn.

They had done everything right, making sure they got a professional inspection and signed the papers in good faith but their joy was short lived. A poorly done building inspection meant that the attic-playroom project that should have been straight forward was suddenly a massive problem.

Mold and rot in the roof, floor and around the windows meant that the potential cost to do the renovation sky-rocketedeven experts said it was too difficult to fix and refused to touch it. They tried several paths to recover their losses or at least find some compensation, but nothing worked. Their dream home was not so dreamy but help was on the way.

Angels come in all shapes and sizes

Every year, Guardian Roofing helps a family in the community that needs a hand through the Halo Project.

Its a simple idea: community members can nominate a family that needs some help with a roofing project. Sarahs mother took a chance and posted about Guardian Roofings Halo Project on Facebook. Pretty soon, the Lenihans had over 105 nominations and before they knew it, Guardian Roofing was letting them know that they had won.

The work was completed and the impossible, according to other roofing companies, became a reality. Miracles really do come true with the right know how, determination and a generous dollop of kindness! Luke Lenihan notes that, It was really amazing to hear that a company was willing to help a family in need and Guardian has just been amazing every step of the way.

Find out more about Guardian Roofing and the Halo Project here. Follow them on Facebook or give them a call at 877-926-9966.

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Auburn roofing company spreads its wings and spreads the love - Enumclaw Courier-Herald

Impact Roofing and Construction is a leading roofing and construction company. The agency highlighted the benefits of hiring professional roofers in a recent update.

Evans, GA December 25, 2021 Impact Roofing and Construction, in a website update, has outlined the advantages of hiring a professionalEvans roofing contractor.

Professional roofers have a thorough knowledge of the construction and installation of roofs, and that is their job. Therefore, they will not make silly mistakes as they know better what to do and how to do it right. Another benefit of hiring professional roof toppers is using quality materials to construct modern homes.

ProfessionalEvans roofingexperts often have employment contracts, insurance, and other measures that protect clients or homeowners, giving them peace of mind. In addition, in case something goes wrong during the job, most times, these professionals will be able to fix it free of charge.

Roofers Evansspecialists who know what to do will quickly understand the project requirements, ensuring that the job is done according to homeowner or company specifications. In addition, they will offer an accurate estimate for the projects cost ahead of time, and they do an excellent job by focusing on the task at hand.

About Impact Roofing and Construction

Impact Roofing and Construction is family owned and operated roofing, gutter, and construction company serving Evans, GA, Augusta, GA, and the greater CSRA. They are a fully-licensed general contractor specializing in roofing and gutter installation. Not only that, but they also deliver professional, quality results on various residential and commercial construction projects. As a fully-licensed general contractor, they are experienced in providing professional quality results on different interior and exterior construction projects. These include garage additions, interior/exterior remodels, renovations/alterations, and siding, windows, and doors.

Media ContactCompany Name: Impact Roofing & ConstructionContact Person: Will NeuhausEmail: Send EmailPhone: (706) 833-6775Address:453 Columbia Industrial Blvd Suite #5 City: EvansState: GA 30809Country: United StatesWebsite: https://www.impactroofingconstruction.com/

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Impact Roofing and Construction Highlights the Benefits of Hiring Professional Roofers - Digital Journal

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client Highland Roofing Company & Coastal Fabrication, Inc. to Private Investors. The acquisition closed December 10, 2021.

Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, Highland Roofing Company & Coastal Fabrication (Highland) is an award-winning commercial roofing contractor. Coastal Fabrication, Inc. is a related company providing sheet metal fabrication products and services. Highland is a well-established contractor serving Southeastern and Central North Carolina from two locations in Wilmington and Raleigh and is focused on growth through service and maintenance. Highland primarily markets itself via continuous personal networking and relationship-based marketing with key customer accounts. The Company maintains two informative corporate websites: http://www.highlandroofingcompany.com and http://www.coastalfabricationinc.com.

Generational Equity Executive Managing Director, M&A-Technology Practice Leader, David Fergusson, and his team led by Managing Director, M&A, Alex Mironov, successfully closed the deal.

The most important factor for my client was finding a group that would treat their employees like family. Happy to say that our acquirer will do just that, and we could not have asked for a better culture fit, said Mironov.

About Generational Equity

Generational Equity, Generational Capital Markets (member FINRA/SIPC), Generational Wealth Advisors, Generational Consulting Group, and DealForce are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America.

With more than 250 professionals located throughout 16 offices in North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing growth consulting, merger, acquisition, and wealth management services. Their six-step approach features strategic and tactical growth consulting, exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, M&A transactional services, and wealth management.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2017 and 2018 Investment Banking Firm of the Year and 2020 Valuation Firm of the Year. For more information, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

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Generational Equity Advises Highland Roofing Company & Coastal Fabrication in its Sale to Private Investors - Business Wire

reviving the ancient city with a new art museum and public square

ACRC, the architectural design & research institute of zhejiang university, has completed the xu wei art museum and green vine square within the shaoxing ancient city in china. robust granite walls, extended glazing and herrington slope roofs complete the cultural ensemble which emerges as a new public landmark for the city. we try to establish a kind of new spatial expression, with a view to connecting the surrounding built environment mainly based on the small scale of traditional dwellings, meeting the demands of contemporary art exhibitions for large space, and meanwhile discussing the topic of modernity in historical context, the architects share.

overlooking xu wei art museum, you can clearly perceive architectural texture of the surrounding small-scale traditional dwellings

images by lei tantan, jia fang, zhang chenfan, and jiang lanlan

drawing inspiration from the large space combination of the old shaoxing machine tool plant, and adopting the construction logic of longitudinal five-entry, and horizontal three-fold unequal herringbone slope modeling, the team at ACRC completed the distinctive volumetry of the xu wei art museum. the two five-entry floors on the east and west sides serve as the main exhibition space; the middle floor spans two floors, opening up the longitudinal five-entry pattern; and the ground floor is a foyer running through the north and south, while the shared hall and small temporary lecture hall are located on the second floor. the shared space on the upper and lower floors also serves as a transfer hub between exhibition halls on both sides. in addition, an internal courtyard was set up in different flat floors on the east and west sides, which reasonably separates the space volume of the exhibition hall and enhances the indoor permeability.

two herringbone slopes, one big and one small, are lifted up on the east and west sides of the square

besides spatial treatment, the contemporary expression of shaoxings traditional style is also reflected in the fine selection of materials: the black metal texture unfolds from the roof along with the herringbone slope house to the end of the second floor on the east and west sides, and the white granite solid walls are selected for above the second floor in the north-south direction; the first floor is concave on four sides for repeated pavement of the unitized texture of transverse herringbone slope, the curtain wall is treated locally according to function and unified modulus, and the gray granite and curtain wall materials are unified. the building presents typical black, white, and gray tones as a whole, while local blank space and three-fold herringbone slope contour lines reveal the contemporary landscape intention of the architects.

horizontal three-fold unequal herringbone slope modeling alleviates the alienation of large-scale space itself

located on the south side of the venue, green vine square connects the art museum on the north side with green vine study on the south side, paving the way for the frontcourt atmosphere, and meanwhile serves as the visitor center to carry the crowd distribution function. the square continues the construction logic of the art museum, and lifts up two herringbone slopes on the east and west sides respectively: the west side is slightly raised to enclose the square, while the east side is slightly higher.

with the help of local sinking, the volume of the visitor center is skillfully hidden under the herringbone slopes. the square as a whole is paved with dark stone, and the west side creates a flowing water scene with the help of a slope. meanwhile, an original xu wei statue stands on the southwest side of the art museum and the northeast side of the slope, making it the visual focus of the square and the prospect of the art museum. the step-like setting at the beginning of the east slope serves as an auditorium to provide an appropriate place for distribution and gathering.

xu wei statue stands on the southwest side of the art museum

xu wei art museum is gradually integrating into local community life

in the opposite view of the old wall and the residential buildings, you can see the sunken qingteng square (the visitor center)

the visitor center hides under the herringbone slope view

water landscape on qingteng square

the west-facing main courtyard on the first floor is mainly for viewing

the atrium on the second floor provides multiple use scenarios such as rest, assembly, viewing, and photographing

the north-south curtain wall design of the second floor connects the texture of the ancient city, making the changing city appearance a new exhibition content

project info:

name:xu wei art museum and green vine squarearchitectural firm: ACRC, the architectural design & research institute of zhejiang university

principal architect: hu huifeng

project team: hu huifeng, jiang lanlan, zhang chenfan, han lifan, zhu jinyun, and li pengfei

structure: zhang jie, chen xu, lv junfeng, ding ziwen, shen zeping, and chen xiaodong

water: yi jiasong, and shao yuran

HVAC: pan dahong, and li yongmei

electrical: zhang wei, yu liang, and du zhizhi weak

current: lin hua, ye minjie, and yang guozhong

landscape: wu weiling, wang jietao, wu di, zhu jing, ao dandan, he ying, and lin teng

indoor: chu ran, liu wanlin, wang junzheng, and mei wenbin

exhibition: zhao tongqing, liang shuang, chen wei, huang shizhen, and sun xiaotong

lighting: wang xiaodong, zhao yanqiu, fu dongming, feng baile, and wu xuhui

curtain wall: shi jiongjiong, wang jieneng, duan yuzhuang, and zhang jie

foundation pit enclosure: xu quanbiao, and zeng kai

bim design: zhang shunjin, ren wei, yan yitao, and wang qibo

EPC: fang chaojun, wang qing, miao sai, bei sijia, li yanqi, and li chen

client: shaoxing cultural tourism group

constructor: zhejiang qinye construction engineering group co., ltd.

location: 33 houguan lane, yuecheng district, shaoxing, zhejiang province

land area (square meter): 9854.17

building area (square meter): 8504.14

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

Link:
ACRC's art museum with sloping roofs and extended glazing revives ancient city in china - Designboom

FORT WASHINGTON, MD / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2021 / Rx SeedCoin, Inc. (RxSeedCoin.io:WSOW) an advanced Blockchain technology business that strives to uplift humanity, and provide solutions for pressing problems facing the world today announced that in addition to its ongoing acts of compassion and giving throughout this year it has expanded its current tornado damage relief efforts from one of it's offices in Tennessee and has now engaged it's newly formed Rx First Responders Group working with affiliates in the building and roofing industries and traveling onsite into Kentucky on Tuesday this week in order to bring additional supplies and provide aid and help uplift the people in Kentucky who were even more severely affected than people in Tennessee by the recent tornado disaster that occurred on December 11, 2021 where countless lives have been tragically lost right before the Christmas holiday.

Many people don't realize that when disasters occur people in the construction, roofing, demolition and landscaping along with many other related businesses are an essential part of the team of first and secondary responders whose skills and equipment are required to clear damaged areas so that people can be rescued and immediate repairs can be made to stabilize or demolish structures or even build new temporary structures in order to make both short and long term relief efforts possible. In large scale disasters tradespeople from various companies large and small come from all over the country to assist and these responders are sometimes referred to as "storm chasers." While the quality and experience of services offered varies, the most competent storm chasers almost always bring with them as many extra supplies as they can carry to provide for people who are in need and to help and assist first reponders. In addition to software and hardware design, many of the founding members of RxSeedCoin.io are also involved in the industries of construction, building, roofing and clean energy and as a result they have united together to help create a more formal and better coordinated group that storm chasers can join in order to combine and maximize their relief efforts as the decend into disaster zones while also leveraging the WSOW Crypto currency coin to help capitalize relief efforts and reward participants. This group of first responders from the construction industry that is coordinated by RxSeedCoin.io is called the "Rx First Responders Group." Members of the Rx First Responders Group are assisted and equipped by RxSeedCoin.io as best they can to provide much needed relief and supplies in addition to performing the vital work that they already do on their own with other first responders. Rx First Responders is also reaching out to non-profits and even churches who may be interested in helping in a variety of uplifting projects in addition to disaster relief.

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"Trades people in the construction and roofing industries are a vital component of the team of first responders that participate in disaster relief and stay in effected areas for months and even years to help rebuild from disasters," says Jeff Richfield a founder of RxSeedCoin.io and the owner of MusicCityRoofers.com, a successful building and roofing company based in Nashville, Tennessee. "Nobody can prepare any trades-person or business owner for the seriousness and the humanity of what they may experience when they arrive in a disaster zone where they may live and work for months and in some cases years far from their own families while trying to help save and rebuild communities. We are only human and seeing people suffering is painful for everyone. When we travel to disaster zones, we bring the supplies that we need in order to do our work and we always bring as many extra supplies with us as we can carry to help others. With Rx First Responders we are working to formalize this process of aid and fill in the gaps by helping to stage additional supplies and assets that contractors and members can use to help people in disaster zones."

RxSeedCoin.io is a blockchain business that is heavily involved in the clean energy sector as well as banking and exchange solutions and it has committed up to 30% of it's resources to help uplift people in need and to help provide solutions to meet the problems of hunger, homelessness, health, provision of clean energy as well as disaster relief and temporary emergency housing. RxSeedCoin.io is launching it's new crypto currency coin also known as "the Coin of Compassion," or SOW-Coin with the symbol WSOW on the BitMart.com exchange this January 15, 2022 and there is a limited amount of WSOW coins available for Pre-Sale on the RxSeedCoin.io website. The WSOW is viewed as a means to help consolidate and expand it's blockchain systems development business and its mission to create a community of people who uplift people and help each other in their own times of need. The WSOW crypto currency coin is not only an element that can be used in RxSeedCoin.io's blockchain business applications but it is also being designed to provide a utility and a reward for holders of the WSOWcoin who buy and hold the coin and who actively transact in the coin in order to help others both inside and outside of the community of coin holders.

RxSeedCoin.io doesn't just talk about doing acts of compassion, their founding members and affiliated businesses have been doing acts of kindness and financing it from their businesses since the organization was created. Many of their acts of compassion go unreported and many can be viewed on their YouTube channel and other social media links that can be found on the website. This year RxSeedCoin.io's more notable acts of compassion and philanthropy include, helping to fund a college scholarship for a young man under their associated mentorship who overcame many hardships to earn a position in a prestigious college. This year RxSeedCoin.io has built two tiny homes for those in need. RxSeedCoin.io has organized, funded and participated in several substantial food drops where semi-trucks full of fresh food were made available to those in need in communities in Nashville Tennessee which is the headquarters of the Rx First Responders Group. Recently RxSeedCoin.io helped to save a small business owner whose restaurant was in foreclosure and unable to make his rent do to debts that accumulated as a result of the Covid lock-downs.

"The blockchain and crypto currencies have immense utility that is only now beginning to be tapped as they are in our project with our founding partners at Solar Integrated Roofing (OTC:SIRC) where we are integrating all aspects of the blockchain into the delivery of clean energy. This is good business," says David Miller, a founding member of Rx SeedCoin.io, "Right now there are meme coins with ordinary utility for people at best which stand for absolutely nothing but that manage to attain support and buyers and powerful market capitalization from people. It is our sincere hope that our WSOW crypto currency will be able to attract even more support from people and even more market capitalization with all it's actual utility and it's market is being made by our very real blockchain solutions businesses and partners and whose goal is to create a community of people who uplift and support each other. I'm inviting everyone to become a holder of our WSOW coin an transact using the coin and show the world that business plus compassion is a winning model."

Any person or organization interested in joining the Rx First Reponders Group should email: firstresponders@sowcommunity.com

For more information about this press release contact: 307-222-9867

SOURCE: Rx SeedCoin, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/679182/RxSeedCoinio-First-Responders-Group-Brings-Aid-to-Victims-of-the-Tornadoes-in-Kentucky-and-Tennessee

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RxSeedCoin.io First Responders Group Brings Aid to Victims of the Tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee - Yahoo Finance

Christmas is a great way to end the year you get a break from work, relax with the family and focus all your energy on simply keeping warm. But in some cultures, its that time of the year when you have to put a roof rack on whichever vehicle you own, drive to a farm, and bring home a real baby pine tree strapped to the cars roof, all the while hoping it wouldnt untangle and reduced to debris on the road. Most of us wouldnt subject an expensive exotic to such an ordeal. But dont worry, no sports cars were harmed in the making of these videos:

Hennessey Performance Audi RS6

Even without modifications, a stock Audi RS6 Avant estate can still get you to 100kmph in just 3.6 seconds. But this Hennessey-tuned RS6 station wagon puts out more than 800PS from its twin-turbo V8 engine, and even with a tree on top, it could still manage to reach 294.5kmph! Without the tree, the top speed is 330kmph, making it an incredibly fast estate car.

BMW M2 Competition

You wouldnt want a once-a-year tradition to ruin your cars expensive paintwork. Thats why this BMW M2 owner has given her car a wrap that makes the Bimmer look like its wearing a Christmas sweater, before putting a christmas tree on it. Its all fun and games until the fuel stop at the end of the video.

Lamborghini Murcielago Replica

No sane person would risk breaking parts on a Italian supercar made in small numbers thats no longer in production. Thankfully, this Lamborghini replica isnt a Murcielago, its a Toyota MR2 turbo sports car underneath. It looks brilliant on the road with a christmas tree on its roof, but the cabin is cramped, the roof leaks, its peak winter and its raining.

Hennessey Performance Porsche 911

This Porsche 911 Turbo S is owned by John Hennessey himself, and its been boosted to 750PS. It still gets to 281kmph with a tree strapped to its roof. But pine trees werent made to be aerodynamic, and that shows in the second run, where the car seems visibly more stable and adept at handling speed. It reaches terminal velocity at around 330kmph.

Morgan Plus Four CX-T

Occasionally getting to drive iconic, rare sports cars is a fringe benefit of working at Morgan, and 19-year-old Hamish exploits it fully during Christmas shopping. He straps the tree on a battle-scarred prototype, and drives it the way the Plus Four CX-T was meant to be driven sliding around happily in the mud. Thankfully, the tree comes home intact mostly.

Bonus: Tesla Model 3

To end this listicle on a sensible note, here's a video of Christmas tree shopping done right. You might already know about Tesla's glass roofs, so unless youre ready to risk an expensive repair bill, all the luggage has to go in the boot. As it turns out, even Teslas smallest Model 3 sports sedan can hold a properly large Christmas tree with the rear seats folded flat. The Model 3 carries it in emissions-free silence, and if the tree is properly secured, the EV can scoot from 0-100kmph as quickly as any other car on this list.

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Christmas Special: Top 5 Videos Of Sports Cars With Christmas Trees On Their Roofs - Zigwheels.com