May is National Home Improvement Month and as part of the celebration the Mid Maryland Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry held an expo with the latest products and services of remodelers. Jason and Ashely Ryan are home buyers that attend the expo. They are excited about all the work they plan to do on their home.

Read more from The Frederick News Post:

Jason and Ashley Ryan bought a house near Libertytown. They love the house and the beautiful views, but they wanted some enhancements.

“A lot of it was outdated,” Jason Ryan said of the cabinets, bathrooms, HVAC and other parts of the house. The couple acquired the house in January and will move in once the changes are done.

May is National Home Improvement Month. The Mid-Maryland Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry held a remodelers’ consumer expo earlier this month to show the latest trends, products and services of professional remodelers. Continue reading…

Visit us online for information on a kitchen refinish.

There is always a story about how someone obtained a particular antique.  One of the most unique stories is this one where the owner, a server received the piece as a tip.  The object is an “Old Paris porcelain” vase dating back to between 1820 to 1900, although damaged, is estimated to be worth $200.

We’ve heard many tales about how antiques and collectibles came into someone’s possession: Their mother, grandfather, great aunt or friend had it and gave it to them. The item was purchased at a flea market, garage sale or antiques mall. It was rescued from a Dumpster.

All kinds of stories.

In today’s What’s It Worth? an Oregon reader has the best story yet.

Q. Years ago, I was working as a server in a lounge in Western Washington. One night, as a tip, a customer left me this vase. He also left a message with it saying there was some value to the piece, even though it was damaged. The vase is about 12 inches high and marked on the bottom. Can you tell me more about it? — Jody in Enterprise, Ore. . .  Continue Reading

More information available here about case antiques problem.

Termite Desert Circles

In  Africa there’s a stretch of desert that runs from Angola to Namibia that has circular baren spots. The people of the region have attributed the spots to the “gods” and “the breath of dragons.” New research is showing that they may be caused by a sand termite.

Visit our site for help with termite control.

Read more from The New York Times:

Have you heard the one about the little termite that could, and did, take on a desert and turn it green? At least a little greener, except for those spots.

The reddish barren spots, thousands of them, are called fairy circles, the name itself an invitation to try to solve the mystery of their origins. They dot a narrow belt of desert stretching from Angola through Namibia into northern South Africa. For no obvious reason, the round patches of sandy soil interrupt the arid grassland, like a spreading blight on the land. Continue reading…

Visit us online for Wolf ant control service and termite control in Greenville.

Tips for Fighting Termites

Termites swarm in early spring to mate and form colonies. Jim Frederick, director of technical services of the National Pest Management Association recommends a few things to help home owners combat the pests. Among his tips is the advice to not treat yourself and to contact professionals.

Click here for pest control in Greenville.

Read more from TribLive:

It’s no reason to celebrate, but the National Pest Management Association has deemed April as National Pest Management Month. And for good reason: Early spring is swarming termite season, when young adult termites emerge en masse. Jim Fredericks, director of technical services for the association, said the “swarmers” surface to mate, form their own colonies and feed.

“There will be thousands of termites in a colony,” Fredericks said. “You never know how many are feeding on your house.”

Here are five things to know about termites, including how to prevent an infestation and how to deal with the insects once they’re found. Continue reading…

Click her for Wolf Pest Control and pest control services.

Atlanta No.1 for Termites

Terminix recently ranked Atlanta GA as the no. 1 termite town in the nation. The average damage claim in the city is $3,000. Overall termites are responsible for $5 billion in damages every year and are found throughout Georgia because of the ideal climate.

Click here for pest control on InsiderPages.

Read more from CBS Atlanta:

Atlanta is ranked as the No. 1 termite town in the nation, based on Terminix service calls during the past year.

A pest professional drilled holes around the perimeter of the Wolters’ home in Suwanee Thursday.

They installed a new Sentricon bating system to keep out the termites.

Termites turned up in their basement during a home inspection – something the Wolters didn’t even notice when they moved into the home six months ago.

“We’ve always had termite bonds before we’ve bought a house and we’ve never had termites so this is the first one we’ve bought that didn’t have a bond and of course it had termites,” Katie Wolter said. Continue reading…

Visit our site for pest control and termite pest control.

Spring Brings out the Bugs

With the spring the weather warms up and the bugs come out. The most problematic pests right now are termites and carpenter ants. To help avoid having these pests in your home try to keep mulch and wood away from the side you your house.

Click here for pest control services for ants.

Read more from a local news source:

It shouldn’t come as much surprise, but bugs like the warm weather just like we humans do.

It hasn’t taken long for warm weather to bring concerns for pests in the home.

Right now, the main concern is for termites and carpenter ants which thrive on warmth and moisture in your home.

To avoid attracting pests like carpenter ants or termites, you want to make sure that the distance between the siding of your home and the ground is as much as possible by not stacking up wood or piling up mulch next to your home. Continue reading…

Visit our site for pest control services for mosquitos and mosquito control in Greenville.

People have grown more conservative in what they are selling and buying at auctions.  It could simply be generational differences but most likely due to the continued struggling economy.  People are buying smaller everyday items and leaving big furniture pieces behind.  The fine antiques are showing staying power and will hopefully continue to be treasured as unique items of history.

The nation’s ongoing economic doldrums, mixed with generational differences, have hit rock maple as well as blond furniture hard, and all but the finest antiques have suffered.

But at area auctions, the venerable box lots — random cardboard box assortments of such things as old egg beaters, bottle openers, calendars and road maps — still are selling well.

Often, the buyers are people who hope to resell the individual items for a profit, auctioneers said.

“The box lots, the generic type of household items, things you would see at flea markets, that market has grown stronger,” said auctioneer John F. Kohler Jr., who owns Gateway Gallery Auction in Chambersburg, Pa. . . Continue Reading

Contact us for more information about case antiques Chattanooga.

New Microbes Found In Termites

Scientists have found two new microbes living in the guts of termites. The microbes have been named after fictional sci-fi monsters. Under a microscope, these microbes look a bit scary, having over 20 flagella and moving like octopi.

Learn more about Wolf Pest Control.

Read more from Fox News:

Scientists have discovered two new species of strange-looking microbes that live in the bellies of termites, and they’ve named the creatures Cthulhu and Cthylla, an ode to H.P. Lovecraft’s pantheon of horrible monsters.

Even though Lovecraft said the mere existence of Cthulhu was beyond human comprehension, the 20th-century American sci-fi author described the ocean-dwelling creature as vaguely anthropomorphic, but with an octopus-like head, a face full of feelers, and a scaly, rubbery, bloated body with claws and narrow wings.

The microbe Cthulhu macrofasciculumque doesn’t appear quite as frightful under a microscope, but it does have a bundle of more than 20 flagella that resembles a tuft of tentacles beating in sync. Continue reading…

Visit our site for Wolf termite service and termite control.

Termites Make “Fairy Circles” In Namib Desert

Ringed “pockmarks” on the desert floor of South Africa are being attributed to sand termites. These circular marks show up in patterns on a stretch of the Namib Desert and can last for decades. Many other species have been suspected of creating the rings, but the latest research supports termites as the creators.

Learn more about pest control in Greenville.

Read more from The Huffington Post:

The “artists” behind bizarre, barren, grassless rings dotting the desert of Southwest Africa have been found lurking right at scientists’ feet: termites.

Known as fairy circles, these patches crop up in regular patterns along a narrow strip of the Namib Desert between mid-Angola and northwestern South Africa, and can persist for decades. The cause of these desert pockmarks has been widely debated, but a species of sand termite, Psammotermes allocerus, could be behind the mysterious dirt rings, suggests a study published today (March 28) in the journal Science.

Scientists have offered many ideas about the circles’ origin, ranging from “self-organizing vegetation dynamics” to carnivorous ants. Termites have been proposed before, but there wasn’t much evidence to support that theory. Continue reading…

Visit us online for Greenville mosquito pest control and ant control.

Woman Guilty Of Selling Termite-infested House

After two years of civil suits, the attorney who sold her termite-infested home to a military family has been ordered to pay $68,000 in fines. The buyers of the home say the only items left in the house when they looked at and purchased it were things that were strategically hiding extensive termite damage. The charges against the woman are fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and fraudulent disclosure.

Check out our Greenville pest control company.

Read more from The Dayton Daily News:

Dayton-area attorney Anne C. Harvey was ordered by a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to pay more than $68,000 for fraudulent conduct related to her selling her termite-damaged Kettering home to a young military family in 2011.

A civil jury in visiting Judge James W. Luse’s courtroom unanimously found Harvey committed fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and fraudulent disclosure regarding termite damage when Harvey and her mother, Billie Harvey, sold the house to Andrew and Sarah Seitz.

Sarah Seitz, who said she’s a disabled veteran whose husband is still in the Air Force, testified that the only items left in the Kettering home when they saw it were a couch in a living room, a spare tile in one bedroom closet and some window coverings on the floor of another bedroom closet. All were found to be concealing massive termite damage, which extended through some walls and much of the sub-flooring. Continue reading…

Visit us online for pest control services, including pest control for ants.

Mild Winter Means Termites

Due to the mild winter in Charlottesville, experts are expecting a busy termite season. Calls have already been heavy for pest control companies. Without the ground freezing, termites are already close the surface and are making their move early.

See our site for pest control in Greenville.

Read more from a local NBC News affiliate:

Some ugly little buggers can do a frightening amount of damage to your home. Experts say this season is a bad one for termites because of the mild winter.

Gary Shifflett and his crew from Blue Ridge Termite and Pest Management Group have been on more inspections this past month than the entire spring 2012 season. Because the ground didn’t freeze very much, the little pests are closer to the surface.

“This is the time of year, with the snow that we had, the moisture content in the ground, it’s just pushing these swarmers, pushing them to the top,” Shifflett said.

Termites may be tiny, but they can do huge damage to your home. Homeowner Bill Bridge says he would rather pay for proactive treatments than a pest problem later. Continue reading…

Check out our pest control service, and let us help you with mosquito pest control.

Between 1992 and 2011 Devils Lake quadrupled in size swallowing up thousands of acres of river front property.  Area residents received a respite in 2012 but the flooding  will be back this spring according to the National Weather Service.  This spring there is a 50 percent the lake will rise to the same record level it did in 2011.

The respite people living in the flood-plagued Devils Lake Basin enjoyed in 2012 likely will be short-lived.

The lake has a 25 percent chance of rising 3 feet this year, surpassing the record elevation of 1,454.3 feet above sea level set in 2011, according to the spring flood outlook the National Weather Service issued Thursday.

There is a 50 percent chance the lake will rise to 1,454 feet. . .  Continue Reading

Click here to find out more about foundation repair Knoxville, TN.

It has been six months since Hurricane Sandy came through the Northeastern states and made living rooms flooded pools of water and scum.  Many homeowners cleaned up their homes and put them back together as quickly as possible in hopes to move forward and put the storm behind them.  That hasn’t happened.  Now they are dealing with an epidemic of mold that is taking over their homes and their health.

In February of 2013, Congressmen from New York addressed an “emerging crisis” that victims of Hurricane Sandy are still enduring, almost six months after the super storm ravaged their homes and lives. Both publicly and privately funded groups weighed in on the situation as well, promising that millions of dollars raised would be used to fight the impending epidemic. The topic causing such a stir? Mold.

In October of 2012, waters and wind raged past windows and doors, ravaging the once serene neighborhood many residents called home. Powerless homes provided no means of communication to stranded tenants. The storm called Hurricane Sandy ripped away portions of roofing and siding and turned living rooms into a three-feet-deep pools of messy sea water and scum. The squall completely destroyed prominent places of business, leaving families without regular income for months. Crews barreled through the borders of once proud seaside towns, now shells of what they used to be, fixing homes fast, at a low cost to the home owner and their insurance companies.

In most cases, though, fast work at a low cost is hardly the way one would want to put their home back together in the wake of one of the most devastating storms the East Coast has ever witnessed. A company like SI Restoration, who serves every state affected by Sandy, has over twenty years of experience in Water Damage and Mold Remediation. Effects of Hurricane Sandy were felt as far inland as the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – over 100 miles away from the New Jersey coastline, a coastline brutally abbreviated and destroyed. . .  Continue Reading

Foundation repair Atlanta, GA information available here.

Lincoln Only President With a Patent

March 10^th marked the 164 anniversary of the day Abraham Lincoln filed his patent application for a device that would improve flatboat operations. Lincoln’s approved patent was for a method to increase a ship’s buoyancy over shoals.  This moment marks the only time a U.S. President has ever filed for and been granted patent protection.

Read more about patent attorneys.

Read more from CBS News:

At age 22, Lincoln had been a crewman on a flatboat that got stuck on a dam at New Salem, Ill., a bit of Lincoln folklore depicted in the 1940 film, “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” with Raymond Massey in the starring role.

The cover of a March 1924 issue of Popular Mechanics detailing Abraham Lincoln’s invention. / CBS News After another riverboat grounding incident in 1848 when he was serving as a Congressman, Lincoln got to work.

As his law partner William Herndon later wrote: “Continual thinking on the subject of lifting vessels over sand bars and other obstructions in the water suggested to him the idea of inventing an apparatus for this purpose.”

And so the next year came Lincoln’s solution: a ship equipped with chambers along the side that could be lowered into the water and inflated like balloons to lift the vessel over the obstruction. Continue reading…

If you are looking for a patent attorney, check out our patent lawyers.

Samsung Deals With Patent Disputes

Samsung has increased its mobile phone production dramatically since 2008.  With the boost in sales, the company has also experienced a deluge of patent dispute cases.  In an effort to recover from these constant lawsuits, Samsung is spending more money on lobbying in Washington.

Learn more about patent lawyers in Elk Grove.

Read more from stuff.co.nz:

Samsung has doubled mobile phone sales in the US since 2008. As the company faces anti-dumping measures and a protracted court battle with Apple, its US lobbying bill is growing even faster.

Samsung boosted spending on lobbyists to US$900,000 last year from US$150,000 in 2011 as it tries to influence the government on issues ranging from intellectual-property infringement to telecommunications infrastructure, regulatory filings show.

The company also hired Sony veteran Joel Wiginton to run a new government-relations office in Washington.

The higher spending comes as the South Korean company is embroiled in patent disputes with Apple on four continents as the two struggle for dominance in an industry expected to double to US$847 billion in sales by 2016. In a US lawsuit, Apple was initially awarded $US1 billion in damages after a jury decided Samsung copied the iPhone maker’s designs for mobile devices. Continue reading…

If you need a patent attorney, visit our site to learn more about patent, trademark, copyright lawyers.

Nokia Loses Patent Dispute

A German court has dismissed two patent infringement suits HTC. Nokia had sued HTC for allegedly infringing on a German element to its patent. HTC has also been granted legal costs.

If you need a patent lawyer, visit us online.

Read more from emirates247.com:

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC said in a statement today that a German court has dismissed two patent infringement complaints brought against the company by Finnish phone giant Nokia.

“HTC is delighted with today’s decision of the District Court of Mannheim, which dismissed Nokia’s infringement complaint against HTC, which alleged that HTC infringed the German part of its EP0812120 patent (the ‘120 patent) entitled ‘Method for using services offered by a telecommunications network, a telecommunications system, and a terminal for it’,” the Taiwan-based firm said in a statement sent to Emirates 24|7.

The Taiwanese firm, which is seeking to cover lost ground with its recently launched HTC One smartphone said that in addition to dismissing Nokia’s claims, the court also awarded HTC its legal costs in the case. “HTC respects the intellectual property rights of others, but believes that Nokia has exaggerated the scope of its patent in order to extract unwarranted licensing royalties from Android handset manufacturers,” the firm’s statement said. Continue reading…

If you need a patent attorney in Torrance, learn more about our patent attorneys.

Google Maps Dispute in Germany

Google Maps may be banned from Germany due to a patent infringement dispute with Microsoft. The dispute is over a patent for a system that identifies local resources. The German judge on the case is alleged to be leaning toward siding with Microsoft.

Learn more about patent, trademark, copyright lawyers.

Read more from thedrum.com:

Google Maps is facing the prospect of a German ban over a patent dispute between its platform holder and Microsoft.

Google has been accused of breaking Microsoft’s patent for a “computer system for identifying local resources and method therefore”.

Further reports have suggested that the judge overseeing the lawsuit has taken the side of Microsoft, which could see Google Maps withdraw from the domestic market in the country. A final decision will be made within two months. Continue reading…

Visit us online for a patent lawyer to help you with your patents.

The proposed bill regarding radon gas provisions in the state of Utah is stuck in a long line in the drafting office and will not make it through legislature.  In the mean time bill supporters are asking for voluntary compliance.  The bill encourages all Utahn specifically business owners, property owners, citizens, home builders, realtors, schools to educate themselves about radon gas and take measures to protect themselves.

A bill sparked by a KSL investigation into Utah’s non-existent radon gas laws will not make it through the legislature.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator John L. Valentine, R-Orem, said the Radon Gas Provisions bill request hasn’t even been drafted. It’s apparently stuck in line at the drafting office with hundreds of other unprocessed bill requests.

“We made budget cuts over the last number of years just like all the agencies did, so we’re seeing a very slow process in getting bills through our offices,” he said. “It’s very much jammed in the system.”  . . . Continue Reading

Click here for more information about foundation repair.

State Legislators in South Dakota are deciding whether or not to publish benefits packages for school, city and county employees in the local newspaper.  Individual annual salaries are already published as part of the minutes.  The proposal would make a second column next to the salary with Medicare, Social Security, average amount of insurance, retirement and any non professional membership fee.  The proposal would change the information to the internet rather than the newspaper  due to the additional cost for paying for newspaper space.  However, some believe it is to make it harder for the public to access the information.

The Legislature may require the publication of the full package of benefits for each school, city or county employee.

The amount for each person might be on the Internet rather than in the local newspaper.

The local governments and schools already must publish the individual salaries annually, as part of the minutes in the official local newspaper. . . Continue Reading

Find out more about Chattanooga risk management.