Traffic/Cone (329/365 11-25-09)

Originally uploaded by CarusoPhoto

On our way to lunch today, I saw this traffic cone just sitting there as pretty as can be. So I got down nice and low and made an exposure.

De curand Lafarge – uriasul din domeniul constructiilor si WWF – World Wildlife Fund – una dintre cele mai mari organiziatii non-guvernamentale de protectie a mediului, au reinnoit parteneriatul dintre cele doua pentru inca patru ani. Parteneriatul ce dateaza tocmai din anul 2000 are ca scop colaborarea intre organizatii pentru minimizarea efectelor actiunilor Lafarge asupra mediului in locatiile in care activeaza in toate colturile lumii, parteneriatul fiind unul global.

De altfel Lafarge a fost primul jucator industrial ce a devenit partener al WWF, fiind si acum cel mai mare partener si primind ca urmare a rezultatelor obtinute certificatul “WWF Conservation Partner”. Acest certificat utilizat de Lafarge pe scara larga, de la scrisori pana la website, de la comunicate de presa pana la bilantul anual reprezinta si o dovada de marketing social din partea Lafarge, fapt ce-i atrage o perceptie pozitiva din partea clientilor, partenerilor si nu numai.

CEO-ul Lafarge spunea la semnarea prelungirii parteneriatului ca “din anul 2000 Lafarge a facut o multime de pasi in vederea imbunatatirii impactului asupra mediului, o multime de alti pasi mai sunt insa de facut.. un astfel de parteneriat e o ocazie fantastica de a confrunta viziunea unui mamut industrial cu cea a unei ONG“.

Zonele in care colaborarea este activa de ambele parti sunt tarile cu economii emergente (Brazilia, China, India) in care investitiile Lafarge sunt foarte mari datorita cererii in crestere si conjuncturii economice, de asemenea domeniile cheie sunt reducerea emisiilor de dioxid de carbon – se stie ca acestea sunt mari in cadrul activitatilor procesatorilor de ciment, reducerea poluarii permanente cu diverse materiale rezultate din activitatea de productie, reducerea consumului de apa, reabilitarea carierelor de extractie.. Piatra de temelie a constituit-o definirea si implementarea unor instrumente de masurare si monitorizare a efectelor activitatilor Lafarge asupra mediului, de aici pornind masurile de control si imbunatatire a operatiunilor.

Interesant este faptul ca dupa semnarea parteneriatului dintre cele doua parti, mai multi jucatori industriali si-au aratat interesul si disponibilitatea de a colabora cu WWF, vazand in ea nu doar un instrument de marketing ci si unul de crestere a eficientei sau o provocare in realizarea unei imbunatatiri a eficientei activitatilor proprii.

 

Concentric (326/365 11-22-09)

Originally uploaded by CarusoPhoto

I saw these circular bike racks and knew there must be a photo in there somewhere. I tried a variety of angles, directions, and lens lengths. This was the one I liked the most.

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To read more about my on-going quest to make a photo-a-day, every day, in 2009–my Project 365–please take a moment to check out my post from December 30, 2008 appropriately titled, “Project 365” as well as my 50 day update, similarly appropriately titled, “50 Days? Already?” my more cryptically titled 100 day update, “Day 100…or The Last-Call, Whiskey-Soaked Plan That Didn’t Die,” the rather pedestrian-titled half-year update, “And in a Blink, a Half a Year is Gone…,” and the verbosely titled, “A Hard Time Seeing the Trees for the Forest –or- What I’ve Been Learning these Past 300 Days.”

Trаdіtіonally, рaintіng а concrete sυrfаce is сonsideгed one οf the beѕt wаүs to protect them аnd tο make them more аttraсtіve. Hοweνer, other wаys of protecting concrete and making іt mοre іnνiting have been deνeloped. In рrotectіng concrete surfaces, diffeгent types οf concrete ѕeаlant tһat рrevent water from ѕeeping іntο concrete surfaces, are now available іn the maгket. Tο mаke concrete ѕurfaсes more аttractive, a гecent develoрment iѕ stаіning tһe surface — а mοre pгactiсal, and a more unique way of mаkіng а concrete surface more inνіting.Tһere are a nυmber of advаntages in staіning concrete ѕυrfaсeѕ, whiсh mаkes it the better сhoіce over pаinting. One іѕ that tһe stain that is used penetгateѕ tһe concrete ѕuгface аnd it will not peel off lіke paіnt does afteг some time. Aрагt from this, when painted concrete ѕυrfасeѕ become wet, they tend to become very ѕlippery and pose a health riѕĸ to people.Sοme of the mοst commοn types of stains are acid baѕed ѕtаіns, which are ideal for concrete surfaces becauѕe acid based that cаuse а chemiсal reаction that maĸes tһem аttach to the ѕuгfасe. The ѕtaіn would become pаrt of tһe concrete surfасe. Other cοmmon types of stаіns aгe wateг-bаsed stаіnѕ, wһiсh are easіer to аpply than acid baѕed ѕolutіons. Howeνer, tһis ĸind of stаin iѕ more ѕensitіve to weaг аnd teаг аnd the satins do not last very long.Both these stainѕ come іn diffeгent colors аnd diffeгent shades. Homeownerѕ taĸe necesѕaгy ѕteps in pгotectіng different рагts of tһeiг homeѕ іnclυding the concrete surfаces. Tгaditionally, homeοwners oрt to paint concrete suгfaces to рrotect аnd mаke tһem more attгаctive. However, recent developmentѕ ѕucһ aѕ staining and ѕealing concrete surfасes haνe рroven to be tһe better oрtіons іn not οnlү protecting concrete surfaсes but also in mаkіng tһem mοre attraсtive.

For more construction articles visit http://www.concreteandcement.biz/, http://concrete-construction.concrete-help.info/ or http://construction-services.concrete-experts.info/

Download AI URL: http://www.imgcapture.com/?p=744

Material description:

Fashion noble background of cement color pattern of white petals with combinations of this material reflects the noble beauty of the elements of fashion.reflecting the material of both simple and seems noble feeling. Such material can be used in furniture, flooring design wallpaper in various areas, bringing a sense of noble fashion

We Built This City peeped this bit of nonsense at 23rd and Guerrero.  What is it about sticking a pen into a sidewalk that makes people’s minds melt and put together two awesome yet completely unrelated words?

Cement is a Canadian based jewelry line that produced a steller line of necklaces and pendants. The current lineup features a selection of Oxidized Silver and Sterling Silver chains and pendants highlighting various ethnic references.

Cement – Lennies
in oxidized and sterling silver
30 inch chain
$84

Cement – Chief
in oxidized silver
30 inch chain
$84

Cement – Khufu’s Pyramid
oxidized silver chain with 10kt gold pendant
24 inch chain
$180

inquire and purchase through birgitta@blackbirdballard.com

Whenever any work is done on a house, be it remodeling the kitchen, installing a brand new roof or even replacing the siding, the value of the house will be increased. When ever it comes to replacing the siding of a home, there are many Housing Sidings Options available.

The very first consideration should always be the appearance that needs to be achieved and of course, the amount of money available to be spent. What is important is that the material that is used has to be of the highest quality. Besides making a home look beautiful, the siding offers the buildings protection from wind, snow, dust, rain and all other weather related elements.

The choices available are many with different colors and different textures of material that you can choose from. Pre-manufactured panels are also available that are light weight, easy to install, and can withstand nearly all kinds of weather conditions. Pre-manufactured panels are usually not as expensive as materials such as cement, stone, brick or other natural materials.

When deciding on the type of Housing Sidings Options, there are some things that need to be considered. One of the first things to be considered is the final look of the home that you want to achieve, the budget you have available for the materials and installation as well as taking into account the future repairs, maintenance cost and what resell value it will have with the sidings installed. Some of the environmentally friendly choices of material are solid wood, stucco, fiber cement, metal and engineered wood.

Vinyl siding includes the board and batten siding, which has a beautiful rustic cedar wood style. There is little to no maintenance with this type of siding. With this Housing Sidings Options, it can be installed on the entire house or on portions of the house to give it a unique look.

Another nice siding is cedar. Cedar siding can be protected with a coating of varnish, or it can be stained for a natural look or it can be painted as well. For the look of a log cabin, log siding is an option that can be used. Log sidings are usually made from cedar or pine. Cedar sidings tend to have fewer discolorations on the wood than pine.

Log siding are easy to install and they are energy-efficient which makes it very environmentally friendly.

Stone siding give the home a very beautiful and classical exterior trim. It comes as natural stones or available in a veneer made of synthetic material. Stone siding is generally more expensive than other Housing Sidings Options as they are harder to come by. With the new manufactured veneer materials, synthetic stone siding comes in a variety of colors.

Cement siding is another option that can deal with the different temperature changes, rain, wind, and also the sun.

In the past, asbestos is a material that was used but it is no longer used because of its toxicity and link to mesothelioma cancer.

Shingles Home Improvement is a great place for more information on home sidings.

House Siding

Cedar Siding

House Sidings Options for Home Improvement

The Housing Siding Options site offers great information on home sidings, home improvement and as well as the various materials used in sidings like vinyl sidings, stone sidings as well as pre-manufactured sidings

I shot this yesterday. It’s on the south periferico of San Cristobal. More and more of the mountains are being torn down to make gravel for cement. Someday they’ll all be gone and the only “mountains” in Mexico will be the pyramid shaped hotels. Six frame merged photo.

Oakland, CA- You don’t have to look far to see just how much concrete humans use. Everything from highways to high-rise and bridges to runways around the world are made with the energy-intensive, carbon-spewing material.

Contributing at least 5 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the cement industry is ripe for changes to lower its impact. Cement, the glue that binds concrete, is one of the most carbon-intensive materials out there: It produces one ton of CO2 for every ton of cement made.

A number of companies, looking to cut the global impact of concrete, as well as open up huge markets for greener building blocks, are using a variety of methods like replacing concrete ingredients and adding new materials that make concrete waterproof.

See Full-Story HERE

For decorative contractors who use concrete as a canvas for color, the combination of chemical stains and concrete dyes is a perfect synergy. Although stains have received much applause for their amazing color transformations, dyes deserve equal kudos. These underrated coloring agents can achieve vibrant tones simply not possible with stains alone.

Dyes can get the applicator into more vibrant colors such as yellow, blue, and purple to name a few,” says Bob Harris, president of The Decorative Concrete Institute and author of Bob Harris Guide to Stained Concrete Interior Floors. The nice thing about working with dyes is that you can mix them at the jobsite to obtain your desired color. Dyes are often used in conjunction with acid stains to produce a variegated look and, in most cases, complement the already stained floor.

Concrete Network

In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word “cement” traces to the Romans, who used the term “opus caementicium” to describe masonry which resembled concrete and was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick additives which were added to the burnt lime to obtain a hydraulic binder were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cäment and cement. Cements used in construction are characterized as hydraulic or non-hydraulic.

The most important use of cement is the production of mortar and concrete—the bonding of natural or artificial aggregates to form a strong building material which is durable in the face of normal environmental effects.

Concrete should not be confused with cement because the term cement refers only to the dry powder substance used to bind the aggregate materials of concrete. Upon the addition of water and/or additives the cement mixture is referred to as concrete, especially if aggregates have been added.

Wikipedia

 

The Naughty Chair (312/365 11-08-09)

Originally uploaded by CarusoPhoto

In an alley in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, I saw this chair and just loved the feel of the scene.

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To read more about my on-going quest to make a photo-a-day, every day, in 2009–my Project 365–please take a moment to check out my post from December 30, 2008 appropriately titled, “Project 365” as well as my 50 day update, similarly appropriately titled, “50 Days? Already?” my more cryptically titled 100 day update, “Day 100…or The Last-Call, Whiskey-Soaked Plan That Didn’t Die,” the rather pedestrian-titled half-year update, “And in a Blink, a Half a Year is Gone…,” and the verbosely titled, “A Hard Time Seeing the Trees for the Forest –or- What I’ve Been Learning these Past 300 Days.”

These last two weeks were a bit –I don’t know– scary? The work is progressing, but there’s still no official news from any government, either about the building permit or the septic tank. So, we guess we can continue what we’re doing without a permit. Even though they cannot do us any more harm, it still feels a bit odd.

The exciting news is Stephane has started working on the concrete floors all around the house. There will be new floors in the restrooms downstairs and in the laundry room in the basement, plus three bathroom units on the first floor.

The sad news is Jamal gave up and is breaking his contract, leaving the plant way too early and leaving his work unfinished. Apparently Stephane found Greg and has hired him to be Jamal’s replacement.

Base for the Restrooms

All this city-mandated sidewalk repair is creating an infinite canvass for street art that cannot be painted over.  This is the cream of the crop: besides being sullied by “Eat Battery Acid,” I love people’s complete indifference for the soles of their own shoes and that some pendejo, fresh on a trip of not giving a fuck, turned his car around in the fresh cement.

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Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Concrete Pineapple (306/365 11-02-09)

Originally uploaded by CarusoPhoto

We have two concrete pineapples on our front porch. Recently, we had to move them when we had some patching done on the porch. Consequently, they were sitting in our yard…so this morning, in the overcast morning light, I went out and grabbed this shot of one of them.