DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – On Saturday, December 8 at 7:48 AM, Dawson Creek RCMP were called to the parking lot of the Pouce Pub (Hart Hotel) for a man laying down.The adult male was unresponsive and taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.RCMP say the death appears to be suspicious in nature and police are looking to the public for information. The police have no information to suggest that the greater public is at further risk. Anyone who was a patron at the Pouce Pub on Friday, December 7 and into Saturday, December 8, is asked to call the Dawson Creek RCMP at 250 784-3700 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477.
OTTAWA, O.N. – The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics has released the agenda for the upcoming second meeting on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy.From May 27 to the 29, expert witnesses will be in Ottawa to appear before representatives from at least 11 countries to give testimony on how governments can protect democracy and citizen rights in the age of big data.Witnesses appearing at the testimony include: Roger McNamee, Author of Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook CatastropheShoshana Zuboff, Author of The Age of Surveillance CapitalismMaria Ressa, Journalist, Author of From Bin Laden to Facebook:10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of TerrorismJim Balsillie, Chair, Centre for International Governance Innovation; Retired Chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerryEllen Weintraub, Chair of the United States Federal Election CommissionDaniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of CanadaJoseph Cannataci, Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, United NationsProfessor Heidi Tworek, University of British ColumbiaJason Kint, CEO Digital Content NextTaylor Owen, McGill UniversityIt is said that representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and the Mozilla Foundation will also be in attendance to provide testimony. The only company not to have confirmed its attendance is Apple.M.P. and Committee Chair, Bob Zimmer, says he is looking forward to hearing from the testimonies of global tech experts about how to protect the privacy of citizens in the digital age. Zimmer also expects Facebook executives, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, to comply with the Committee’s recent subpoena.“I look forward to hearing from this list of global experts as they identify not only the issues surrounding big data and democracy, but also how we, as lawmakers, can work to find solutions to protect the rights of our citizens. Further, I expect Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to comply with our subpoena, respect the will of lawmakers representing over 373 million citizens, and show up.”A link to the agenda can be found here.The International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy takes place May 27 to the 29, 2019 in Ottawa.
Jayasuriya said that the applications were rejected on the basis that they were part of two army brigades which are facing allegations of committing human rights abuses during the final stages of the war. Major General Jagath Dias and Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe had applied to attend the military programme but the application was rejected. Report by Easwaran Rutnam The army today said it was disappointed that two senior military officers were refused permission by the US to attend military programme over human rights allegations.Chief of Defence Staff General Jagath Jayasuriya said that one officer had already been cleared for the US government sponsored programme after it was rejected on an earlier occasion but yet it was rejected again this year. He said that some groups were attempting to paint the wrong picture about Sri Lanka and the US move could be seen as a result of those attempts.General Jayasuriya also said the intelligence agencies in Sri Lanka were on alert of any attempt to disrupt the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka directly or indirectly. (Colombo Gazette)
The IMF had in November decided to suspend funding for Sri Lanka as a result of the political crisis. Sri Lanka’s three-year extended arrangement was approved on June 3, 2016, to the amount of about US$1.5 billion, or 185 percent of quota in the IMF at that time of approval of the arrangement. Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera will visit Washington next week for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).He will be in Washington from 14 – 16 January 2019 to resume negotiations with the IMF on the Extended Fund Facility, the Central Bank said today. The IMF program for Sri Lanka is on the condition that Sri Lanka implements key economic reforms proposals of the IMF. (Colombo Gazette)
It’s like something out of a Star Trek episode: a suit that cools down when the person who wears it gets hot.But unlike a prop in the sci-fi show, research for this suit is happening now, and the place it will be worn is on Earth — or more specifically, far under the Earth’s surface.Brock University Professor of Kinesiology Stephen Cheung has partnered with Sudbury-based mining company Jannatec Technologies to create a vest for miners with the technology to monitor and control body temperature.“The idea is to develop a smart, personal cooling system miners can wear that will get feedback on their internal physiology,” explains Cheung, who is a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Ergonomics.The vest is aimed at ‘ultra-deep miners,’ workers who mine copper, nickel, tin and other minerals as far as three kilometres below the Earth’s surface.As a person moves deeper underground, rock temperatures can range from 40 up to 60 degrees Celsius. Added to that is high humidity generated from water needed to lubricate drill bits that results in what Cheung says is “essentially a steam bath.”Working in such hot, humid environments is not only uncomfortable, it can be dangerous.The human body regulates temperature by controlling skin-blood flow. When the body’s core is hot, blood travelling through arteries and veins transports heat to the skin’s surface, where it is released through sweat, evaporation, radiation and other processes.The cooled blood then returns to the body’s core, reducing overall temperature.This process works best in air temperatures just below 30 degrees Celsius. The higher the air temperature, the more overwhelmed the body’s systems become. Workers in hot environments often experience heat stress that could lead to a variety of heat illnesses.Traditionally, core body temperature is measured using invasive methods, such as probes inserted in the esophagus or rectum to directly measure the internal temperature. But these methods are “not practical in the mining environment,” explains Steffon Luoma, senior research scientist with Jannatec Technologies.Usually, it’s up to the miners to determine how hot they are, taking breaks in air-conditioned rooms and vehicles to cool down, says Luoma. But they may not always realize the symptoms of heat illness until it’s too late.Chueng says the goal is to “develop a personalized cooling system that will adapt to how hard they’re working, how hot it is, and what they’re doing at the time to generate different levels of body heat.”Non-invasive sensors will be built into the vest to record and monitor a variety of bodily activities such as heartrate and skin temperature. Sensors will also monitor air temperature and humidity levels,Signals from the sensors will activate a battery that will provide power needed to cool the body to certain levels through electronic modules.Part of the research involves refining the understanding of the human body’s patterns of skin-blood flow, sweat, heat loss, core temperature and other physiological functions.And the research will be part psychological.“There may be preferred places to put the cooling modules,” says Cheung. “You can have that same amount of cooling, but it will feel a lot better if it’s, say, around your head and neck as opposed to it being around your torso and arms, even though physically it may be just as effective.”Cheung explains that the personal cooling systems on the market currently are limited in their cooling levels; essentially an “on-off switch or half on,” not taking changes in body temperature or the intensity of body movements into account, he says.Jannatec Technologies is excited to be partnering with Cheung, says Luoma.“Stephen Cheung is one of the world’s experts in human thermophysiology; he is a very unique resource,” he says, adding that the innovations will increase safety and productivity in the mining industry.“One of the top expenses in a mine operation is ventilation, and part of ventilation is cooling,” says Luoma. “Cooling the workers directly is more efficient than cooling an area and will lead to a decrease in costs.”Luoma and his company also credit the Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Center of Excellence in Mining “for assisting Jannatec in achieving its goals.”
A NOVEL by Irish author Colum McCann has been selected to help surviving students overcome the grief and trauma they suffered after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in one of the worst school massacres in US history.McCann said the selection of his novel ‘Let the Great World Spin’ by teachers and psychologists in Newtown, Connecticut, where the December 14 killings took place, was “possibly the greatest honour of my life.”“It was so moving,” he told AFP while passing through Paris ahead of the release in France of his latest book “Transatlantic”.The novel, which in 2009 won the National Book Award in the United States, revolves around French acrobat Philippe Petit’s crossing on a tight-rope between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1974.With the backdrop of the 2001 attacks which would kill thousands of people in that same symbolic place a quarter of a century later, McCann builds a story that centres on people’s ability to find meaning and how to handle great losses in life.McCann said 70 copies of the book had been given to the high school and he described the emotions when he met with four classes of students aged between 16 and 18.“Some of them had a small sister or brother killed last December,” he said. “Another one was the babysitter of a victim. We spoke about grief and resilience. One of them told me he read my novel four times, another one that he couldn’t.”Aside from the novel, the author also said therapy dogs have been brought in to the school as therapy for the traumatised children.- © AFP, 2013Read: Four days after massacre, children return to school in Newtown
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram The retirement age in Greece will be extended meaning Greeks wanting to retire from next year will have to work between six months to three years, due to provisions of a pension reform law passed in 2010. As of January 1, civil servants and private sector workers will have to complete 37 years of full employment – an extra year than they do now) and be no younger than 59 (as opposed to the current age of 58) to qualify for a full pension.Those working in professions officially classified as unhealthy and hazardous will have to complete 10,500 working days and be at least 56.5 years old (rather than 54.5) to claim a full pension.Source: Kathimerini
Steve Bosh, Steve Bosh April 22, 2019 Convention Center expansion must overcome major hurdles Categories: Local San Diego News, Politics FacebookTwitter Posted: April 22, 2019 00:00 00:00 spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster ↑↓volume mmute ←→seek . seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% XColor SettingsAaAaAaAaTextBackgroundOpacity SettingsTextOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundSemi-TransparentOpaqueTransparentFont SettingsSize||TypeSerif MonospaceSerifSans Serif MonospaceSans SerifCasualCursiveSmallCapsResetSave SettingsSAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The lodging industry is in the process of developing a strategy to get two-thirds of the voters to support Convention Center expansion, which will be on the primary ballot in March.Expansion will have to overcome some major hurdles, including a past history of failure, and a two-thirds vote.There have been two attempts to raise the hotel tax since 1998, both failed.The San Diego Chargers wanted to increase the tax to build a stadium Downtown. It was opposed, and defeated by the hoteliers who wanted those funds for themselves. The second failure was when the hotel owners assessed themselves a two percent room tax, which the courts killed saying tax increases require a public vote.Expansion has been a priority for San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, but time is running out before he’s termed out next year.California has more delegates than any other state, which became a major factor to move move up its primary. This will likely be a contested primary between Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and possibly Joe Biden. 
Vancouver’s Miles Hewitt has been appointed to the inaugural class of literary ambassadors for the National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for young poets presenting original work.The honor came during the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.Hewitt, 17, is a student at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. He is one of five students across America to receive the award. He is the son of Scott Hewitt, a reporter for The Columbian, and Sue Peabody.The young poets program, a signature initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, honors, promotes, and celebrates young people as makers and doers who can inspire their peers to achieve excellence in their creative endeavors.In a press release, the organization noted that Hewitt is a musician and songwriter who was looking for a form of writing that kept him untethered to rhyme or rhythm: enter poetry. At the arts school, he was admitted this past year to the Focus (highest level) Literary Arts class. There, he’s a member of a small group of writers who come together to workshop one another’s pieces and offer support. Hewitt is the president of the Young Democrats of Clark County, and founded and served as the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. He’s considering a career in political communications or speechwriting.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved spending up to $55 million nationwide to purchase up to 68 million pounds of surplus cranberry products, a move that will boost Washington cranberry growers, members of the state’s political delegation said Monday. Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, and Reps. Derek Kilmer, a Democrat, and Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican, applauded the decision. The four political delegation members last week asked Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to authorize the agency to buy surplus foods from farmers for use in food and nutrition programs.Washington is the fifth largest producer of cranberries in the U.S., and is expected to produce 162,000 barrels this year. The lawmakers, citing industry numbers, said the state is home to 110 farms on 1,700 acres, which provide 165 direct jobs.
Singapore Betting Taxes fall 0.9% to SG$2.7 billion in FY2018/19 Singapore’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry was responsible for 22% of the city’s tourist receipts, worth SG$2.2 billion, in 2018, according to a report by Colliers International.Marina Bay Sands played a significant role, hosting around 1.4 million delegates to the Sands Expo & Convention Center. They comprised 3,600 MICE events including 700 new ones. Suncity Group looking to develop new resort hotel in Okinawa, Japan after US$10 million land purchase RelatedPosts Las Vegas Sands reaches new SG$4 billion loan agreements for Marina Bay Sands expansion Load More “With a new 15,000 capacity conference center at Marina Bay Sands recently announced and The MICE 2020 Roadmap, Singapore will continue its focus on improving delegate experience through interactive technology, experience, convenience and thought leadership,” the report said.Asia-Pacific proved to be the fastest growing region for MICE in 2018 after generating 28.4% of global revenue at US$229 billion, with Colliers pointing to the fact that MICE visitors spend around 1.7 times more than leisure tourists as a major reason MICE was seen as key to boosting tourism.
Organizers say many racers, including first-time Mount Marathon contenders, were “waiting at the stroke of midnight on March 1” to apply for a lottery spot. Applications can be made on the race’s website, where winners of the lottery spots will be announced in early April. Seward Chamber of Commerce officials said Thursday in a statement. “People who have run Mount Marathon and completed 10 or more races overall will also receive a spot, if one is available when they do so.” Last year, Allie Ostrander recorded her first victory on the full course; Ostrander set a personal best time of 49:19 and posted the second-fastest time ever in the women’s division. Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享The one-month registration period for the 91st annual Mount Marathon Race started on Thursday, March 1. The top 225 finishers from the last years race are guaranteed spots in this years event if they register before the March 31 deadline. Story as aired: Audio PlayerJennifer-on-mnt-marathon-registration.mp3VmJennifer-on-mnt-marathon-registration.mp300:00RPd
Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享Representatives with the City of Soldotna, and the Field House project team presented an overview of the proposed field house to a Soldotna Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. PROPOSITION NO. 2019-AGENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FORCONSTRUCTION OF A FIELD HOUSE AND RELATED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTSAT THE SOLDOTNA REGIONAL SPORTS COMPLEXShall the City of Soldotna incur debt and issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) for the purpose of paying costs of construction of a Field House containing an indoor turf field and elevated track, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex?The bonds shall be secured by a pledge of full faith and credit of the City of Soldotna (Ordinance 2018-035)Yes A “YES” approves the issuance of general obligation bonds.No A “NO” opposes the issuance general obligation bonds. Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen, Public Works Director Kyle Kornelis and Project Co-Chair Tim Dillon gave the presentation. The question will go before the voters in a special election on March 5, for a 0.5% increase in the city’s year-round sales tax rate implemented for the 10-year life of the bond. This would increase the city’s sale tax rate from 3% to 3.5%. Dillon: “For years our young people have been traveling from Soldotna up to Anchorage on the weekends in order to use indoor facilities. You think about the safety back and forth, and the economic side of things. Well, with some of those people coming down this way paying for gas and food, that is going to dictate how this thing will get paid for.” 
The Soldotna City Council approved an ordinance back in December that will ask the voters if the city should borrow $10 million in a bond to build a proposed field house and increase the city’s sales tax by a half percent to cover the debt service on the 10-year bond. Dillon: “I just think it’s something that is much needed, and it’s been on people’s mind for a long time, 15-20 years. I’m excited to see it come to a vote on March 5, and we will see where people want to go.” The proposal will go before the voters within the City of Soldotna on March 5.
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando and suspended police chief Pujith Jayasundera were arrested on Tuesday, a day after the Attorney General instructed the authorities to charge them for their failure to prevent the Easter terror attacks that claimed 258 lives. Jayasundera and Fernando were suspended by President Maithripala Sirisena for their alleged inaction on the intelligence shared by India, which warned of an impending attack by Islamic militants, and thereby, failing to prevent the serial blasts on April 21. Also Read – EAM Jaishankar calls on European Parliament President David Sassoli Advertise With Us Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara said a group of CID officials arrested Fernando, who was earlier admitted to the National Hospital. Jayasundara was arrested at the Police Hospital by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Colombo Gazette reported. He was issued notice on Tuesday to appear before the CID to record a statement over the Easter Sunday attacks. Also Read – This is why Denmark, Sweden and Germany are considering a meat tax Advertise With Us However, he fell ill and was admitted to the Police Hospital. The CID officers visited the hospital and questioned him and later arrested him, the paper said. In a letter to acting police chief Chandana Wickremaratne, Attorney General Dappula de Livera on Monday said the duo should be tried for “grave crimes against humanity” for their failure to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings. Advertise With Us De Livera also slammed Wickremeratne for not taking any action against the two as directed earlier on June 27. Wickremaratne’s inaction was of a serious nature, he said. Sirisena had appointed a three-member panel to probe the negligence by the top officials despite the availability of intelligence inputs on the impending attacks. Both Jayasundera and Fernando have testified before an ongoing parliamentary probe panel on the attacks. Both of them claimed that there was discounting of the seriousness of the threat at the very highest level. Sirisena is the minister-in-charge of defence. More than 250 people were killed in eight coordinated suicide attacks carried out by local Jihadi group National Thowheed Jammath (NTJ) linked to the ISIS on April 21. Sirisena has slammed the parliamentary probe as one to pin blame on him and accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of being the mover behind the panel. The opposition blames the government’s inability to prevent the suicide bombings due to the ongoing power struggle between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed PatwariInspector general of police (IGP) Javed Patwari on Thursday said the preparations of law enforcement agencies for the 11th parliamentary elections are better than any time in the past, reports UNB.”If the environment, now prevailing in the country, continues we can present a peaceful election to the nation,” he said.The police chief came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban.”We came here today to inform the chief election commission and the election commissioners about our plan for the election. It was part of our regular meeting,” he said.Brushing aside the complaint of Jatiya Oikya Front that police department is not under the EC now, the IGP said the complaint totally untrue. “The whole administration, including the police, is now working under the election commission,” he said.Javed Patwari did not respond when asked about the attack on Oikya Front chief Kamal Hossain.Additional IGP Mokhlesur Rahman, DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, DMP Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit Monirul Islam were also present.
Listen at WEAA Live Stream: http://amber.streamguys.com.4020/live.m3uFollowing the firing of a Arlington, Texas police officer, who shot and killed an unarmed Black teen vandalizing a car dealership, we talk to Seth Staughton, assistant law professor at the University of South Carolina about the obstacles faced by police chiefs and commissioners when disciplining officers accused of misconduct. And our regular recurring guests, the AFRO’s Roberto Alejandro and Stephen Janis and Taya Graham of the Real News Network report on law enforcement and City Hall. It’s all coming up this evening on AFRO’s First Edition with Sean Yoes.
Register Now » September 25, 2017 6 min read Growing a business sometimes requires thinking outside the box. Free Webinar | Sept. 9: The Entrepreneur’s Playbook for Going Global The rapid growth of technology is transforming businesses every day, and no technology is more poised to revolutionize nearly every industry in the next decade than artificial intelligence (AI).Related: Why Small Business Should Be Paying Attention to Artificial IntelligenceSince 1956, when it was introduced as an academic discipline, AI has generated both optimism and disappointment. However, it has been on a relatively upward projection since 2000, finding particular vigor in leveraging statistical approaches to machine learning, which in turn has rendered many previously used tools and schools of thought obsolete.As the field of AI continues to innovate, and machines and systems become more capable, technological solutions that used to be considered as futuristic AI, like optical character recognition, have become routine — effectively losing their “AI” status. Other technologies yet to be conquered — like driverless cars, and the artificial re-creation of human speech — are still being developed as AI.Many futurists have talked about the dangerous possibility that AI machines will eventually take control of humanity and destroy the world. Even though most of these prognostications mix speculation and superstition, this school of thought has persevered — consider the news of some successful Turing Test exercises.However, many AI researchers and scientists have refuted this stance, saying that, ultimately, AI is simply a very effective tool for processing, analyzing and comprehending massive amounts of actual human data.One thing is certain: Direct or indirect AI adaptation for businesses and individuals will continue to proliferate. And the journey is going to be exciting, as we continue to unravel what is possible with this promising technology. AI-based solutions are already being used to tackle pressing problems in business to change the business world. Here are a few ways it’s doing that:1. Making truly autonomous processes possible While most AI technology for businesses still needs a substantial degree of human supervision and intervention, companies are working to develop technology with human-like cognitive ability, enabling AI systems to truly be trusted to take on autonomous tasks with minimal supervision.Related: 4 Crucial Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Entrepreneurship TodayThis technology has long been a focus of research in the world’s most cutting-edge research programs. Southern California AI disrupter Beyond Limits, for example, is adapting technology utilized by NASA to perform something like the unmanned space mission to Mars. These types of AI solutions can tackle complex problems in energy, transportation and medicine, by offering lightweight AI that isn’t reliant on massive infrastructure.Such AI has the processing speeds and cognitive ability that can parallel an actual human agent’s reasoning and problem-solving process.2. Ushering in the era of “big intelligence”The convergence of better programming through high performance computing (HPC) and big data means that computers can now crunch a massive amount of data and use AI programs to learn from and process that data into useful, actionable business insights.Dubbed by hardware companies like PSSC Labs as “big Intelligence”, the servers and storage harnessing the power of these new computing platforms are allowing companies to process consumer and market data coming from an astonishing array of sources.Real-time or near real-time processing means businesses can keep constantly up to date with better information, better recommendations and more predictive power, to optimize business decisions.3.Optimizing timingTiming is an important factor for any business, as there is a natural ebb and flow determined by many factors, including location, season, holidays and adjacent industries. Grasping this cadence is essential for business owners to succeed.However, even years of experience doesn’t guarantee that any business can accurately assess staff, stock and other timing-related needs accurately. A sudden boom in a particular city, for example, might prompt more traffic to certain businesses than they can handle. Poor weather could dampen the holiday rush in tourist towns, resulting in lower staff needs.Many AI companies are targeting these issues by integrating services to help business owners take advantage of available historic and emerging data, and optimize their business timing, to ensure that they maximize resources when they need it, and minimize waste when they don’t.For example, Ximble is looking to roll out features within its scheduling platform that use AI and machine learning to analyze traffic and retail data for businesses to create automated and optimized staff schedules. Similar features will likely emerge from inventory-management companies, as well as delivery, fleet management, and other similar business SaaS providers.4. Automating lead generation The cost of customer acquisition via lead generation is a critical part of every business. For many businesses, customer acquisition requires extensive cold-calling, trial and error and exploration of multiple channels. Artificial intelligence promises to not only increase the relevance of lead-generation campaigns, but also dramatically reduce their cost, in both time and money, by automating and learning from simple user inputs.Related: The Growth of Artificial Intelligence in Ecommerce (Infographic)By incorporating tag words, a rudimentary search for leads can automatically be implemented. Sugarbot is one of a handful of startups trying to crack this code. As the user within the business makes relevant selections from the results, a lead-generation system incorporating AI can learn, make adjustments and produce continually better and more relevant results within seconds.What takes a sales associate days or months can be achieved in mere hours or days. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Agents & Brokers Attorneys & Title Companies Home Equity Home Prices Housing Affordability Housing Supply Investors Lenders & Servicers Service Providers Zillow 2014-01-23 Krista Franks Brock Share January 23, 2014 398 Views While the housing market is still far from “”normal,”” it is inching that way, according to a report released Thursday from “”Zillow.””:http://www.zillow.com/ Last year’s skyrocketing home price appreciation, frenzied demand from investors, and high tide of negative equity are all expected to subside somewhat this year, according to the real estate company. [IMAGE]Nationally, home prices increased 6.4 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, but annual price gains are expected to fall to 4.8 percent by the end of this year. On a quarterly basis, prices rose 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter, according to Zillow. “”Below the surface of last year’s market, a number of unsettling trends started to emerge as a result of rapid and ultimately unsustainable appreciation, setting up a bit of a mixed bag for 2014,”” said Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow. However, some of the markets that posted the highest price gains last year are already slowing, which according to Zillow, is “”a welcome sign in markets that risk crossing over into bubble territory as rising mortgage interest rates create affordability issues for homebuyers.”” Markets such as those in California and the Southwest that experienced rapid appreciation this year may stall this year due to affordability issues, leading to “”volatility that could potentially cause whiplash for homebuyers and sellers,”” according to Zillow. Nationally, price appreciation is already tapering off, according to Zillow. After reaching a high of a 7.1 percent annual price gain in August, price gains remained below 7 percent for the entire fourth quarter. However, local markets will vary widely this year with a 16.1 percent anticipated gain in Riverside, California, and a 0.4 percent gain anticipated in Kansas City, according to Zillow. All but three of the nation’s 35 largest metros experienced price growth in 2013, and all but one are expected to experience price gains again this year, according to Zillow.After posting a 3.8 percent decline last year, St. Louis, Missouri, is the only metro expected to experience falling prices this year with an anticipated 3.1 percent decline. In two of the 35 markets Zillow tracks–Denver and Pittsburgh–home prices surpassed the peaks they reached before the housing downturn.While home prices rose 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter to $169,000, rents rose 0.7 percent to $1,302.
Recovery Expected to Enter ‘Middle Innings’ in 2014 in Data
With an exceptional location in the heart of the economic capital of Brazil, Palácio Tangará, a new Masterpiece hotel from Oetker Collection, will open its doors in São Paulo in the second quarter of 2017.Built in the surroundings of the Burle Marx Park, with its gardens designed by Roberto Burle Marx, the hotel will offer 141 spacious guestrooms – including 55 suites – all with beautiful views overlooking the park.The interior design has been entrusted to leading Brazilian interior designers William Simonato and Patricia Anastassiadis who have created a truly bespoke design concept for each space. Jean Georges Vongerichten will drive the hotel’s dining experiences and there will be a signature restaurant, chef’s table, a bar, a wine cellar, a lobby and lounge bar, all with outdoor terraces. Additional facilities will comprise 11 function rooms, including a ballroom for up to 360 guests with terraces overlooking the park. The fitness centre and Sisley spa will have a private garden and there will be indoor and outdoor swimming pools as well as a kids’ club.Philippe Perd, Chief Project Development Officer Oetker Collection, has spent the past year supporting the design process. Once completed, Palácio Tangará will be São Paulo’s first true Masterpiece hotel and a proud addition to the Collection. History:History:In the late 40’s the extraordinarily wealthy Brazilian, ‘Baby Pignatari’, in one magnificently romantic gesture, built Tangará Ranch for his beautiful wife Nelita Alves de Lima. He chose a peaceful place, amidst the tropically verdant nature, even then a fresh contrast to the fast growing Sao Paulo’s centre. As son of the Countess of Matarazzo, Baby had inherited one of Brazil’s largest fortunes so without hesitation he commissioned Brazil’s world leading creative talents: architect, Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx himself, to landscape the gardens. He committed to the Tangará project with all his heartfelt passion. The private residence was a “avant-garde” concept for this time with very low impact on the surrounding nature. Besides that modern facilities such as a private screen movie theatre, two swimming pools, one being indoor and heated covered by a dome designed and commissioned by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi.As the decade turned into the fifties, São Paulo was emerging as a modern metropolis and Brazil was influencing the culture of the world with Bossa Nova’s smooth lilting sounds, abstract art at the first biennale outside Venice, and Oscar Niemeyer’s architecture; meanwhile Baby Pignatari’s marriage died, along with the original plans for Tangará Ranch.The property remained untouched for several years until the 1990s when the residence was demolished. The works on the garden side of the house however were preserved and Burle Marx finished the project, which was incorporated into the formed public park after the approval of the subdivision of the property.In 1995, the building owning company built in the park the Tangara Hotel and Spa Palace, a true neoclassical pastiche; as the group itself released it, “a classic architecture and luxurious, rescuing the standards of the finest hotels in the world”. The construction was halted in 2001 due to lack of funding and resulting legal disputes between the original investors. The hotel never saw the light of the day.Nearly twenty years later Oetker Collection have completed that romantic monument by reviving a beautiful palace, fringed by the tropical greenery of Burle Marx Park.
President Nicos Anastasiades underwent successful emergency surgery on Saturday afternoon after suffering a fractured thigh bone in a fall.Anastasiades was admitted to the Mediterranean Hospital in Limassol where he underwent surgery to his right leg. The Cyprus News Agency said the operation went well.The president had been out shopping in Limassol when he fell.Government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou had said before the operation that there was no cause for concern regarding the president’s condition.Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci called Anastasiades to wish him well.The two men agreed to consult on the next steps in the Cyprus problem after Anastasiades recovers.Parties and organisations issued statements wishing the president a speedy recovery. You May LikeLivestlyChip And Joanna’s $18M Mansion Is Perfect, But It’s The Backyard Everyone Is Talking AboutLivestlyUndoPopularEverythingColorado Mom Adopted Two Children, Months Later She Learned Who They Really ArePopularEverythingUndoSmart Tips DailySeniors With No Life Insurance May Get A $250,000 Policy If They Do ThisSmart Tips DailyUndo Concern over falling tourism numbersUndoPensioner dies after crash on Paphos-Polis roadUndoCypriot tycoon launches ‘Bank of Cannabis’Undoby Taboolaby Taboola
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