15 Worst Construction Mistakes

I caught a lot of flack from my Republican friends for my post blaming the FY2009 deficit on Bush instead of Obama. Well, I must be a glutton for punishment because I can?t resist jumping (albeit reluctantly) to Obama?s defense again. I?m venting my spleen for two reason. First, FoxNews.com posted a story headlined ?Obama Shatters Spending Record for First-Year Presidents? and noted that:

I?m a big fan of criticizing Obama?s profligacy, but it is inaccurate and/or dishonest to blame him for Bush?s mistakes. At the risk of repeating my earlier post, the 2009 fiscal year began on October 1, 2008, and the vast majority of the spending for that year was the result of Bush Administration policies. Yes, Obama did add to the waste with the so-called stimulus, the omnibus appropriation, the CHIP bill, and the cash-for-clunkers nonsense, but as the chart illustrates, these boondoggles only amounted to just a tiny percentage of the FY2009 total ? about $140 billion out of a $3.5 trillion budget.

Iran has reorganized its naval forces to give operational control of the strategic Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to the naval component of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the paramilitary organization that is playing an increasingly central role not only in Irans military but also its political and economic life.

Irans leaders have threatened that if the United States initiates military action, the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf would be turned into a "sea of fire" and "200,000 American soldiers will be seriously imperiled in the region."

Fox News appearance earns White House slap, strategist says

3 Good Reasons Why You Shouldnt Stay Friends

1. It is hard to turn off romantic feelings

2. Its easy to get mixed messages

3. Hope springs eternal and you need to move on

3 Ways You Might be Able to Stay Friends

1. Insist on a Substantial Cooling Off Period

2. Choose Your Venues Wisely

3. Build a Different Dynamic

Staying Friends - is it a good idea? There is no definitive answer to this question. Just remember that building a friendship after a relationship is work. It isnt some easy lower gear you just shift in to. Before you say, "let stay friends" consider if its what you really want, and whether it is worth the possible risks.

SCIENTISTS at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have admitted throwing away much of the raw temperature data on which their predictions of global warming are based.

It means that other academics are not able to check basic calculations said to show a long-term rise in temperature over the past 150 years.

The UEA?s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) was forced to reveal the loss following requests for the data under Freedom of Information legislation.

The data were gathered from weather stations around the world and then adjusted to take account of variables in the way they were collected. The revised figures were kept, but the originals ? stored on paper and magnetic tape ? were dumped to save space when the CRU moved to a new building.

The admission follows the leaking of a thousand private emails sent and received by Professor Phil Jones, the CRU?s director. In them he discusses thwarting climate sceptics seeking access to such data.

Johannesburg - A two-year-old girl who was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for burn marks on her hands landed up having both legs amputated, the Gauteng department of health and social development said on Sunday.

"The toddler...was admitted at Far East Rand Hospital and later transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital to be treated for burns on her hands. Instead she ended up with her legs being amputated, " said departmental spokesperson Mandla Sidu in a statement.

"Those found to be guilty of negligence...disciplinary action will taken against them which may lead to dismissal," said Mahlangu.

Cool Cappuccino Foam Art

There?s nothing quite like the surprise of ordering a run-of-the-mill cappuccino, only to discover that the steaming-hot pick-me-up has been topped off with a special artistic touch?all delicately rendered in chocolate syrup and foam. Cappuccino coffee art always has a way of leaving us amazed by the talent it takes to create these impossibly realistic renditions of animals, fruit and more. From the sweet image of a floating straw hat to an irresistible version of a snuggly-faced panda, we vote the swirly sensations below the best-brewed designs of their kind. The proof is in the froth!

Sadie BellyDance

Oyster - the worlds largest working hydro-electric wave energy device

The world?s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device has been officially launched in Scotland. Known as Oyster, the device, stationed at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) Billia Croo site near Stromness, was installed this year and is, at present, the world?s only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing power.

Oyster produces power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine which feeds into the national grid to power homes in nearby Orkney and beyond.

Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in near-shore waves in water depths between 10-16m (33-54ft). There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigors of Scotland?s harsh seas.

Solar Powered Knit Hat and Gloves Keep You Warm for Winter

When battling 70 mile per hour blistering cold winds, who couldn?t use a little extra coziness? These ingenious accessories offer a way to keep warm using the power of the sun! Called Endless Warm, the smart set includes gloves and a hat adorned with paper-thin solar panels arranged in a fetching snowflake pattern.

Palestinian Children Face Daily Attacks While Going to School

CERN announced early Monday that the Large Hadron Collider has become the world?s highest-energy particle accelerator. The LHC pushed protons to 1.18 TeV (trillion electron volts), surpassing the previous record of 0.98 TeV held by Fermilab?s Tevatron.

The LHC has had a rough beginning, suffering a mechanical failure just a week after it started up for the first time in September 2008. Now, 10 days after it turned on again, scientists are celebrating with their fingers crossed that the machine is safely on its way to the physics experiments they plan to start next year when the LHC has reached its target energy of 7 TeV.

?We are still coming to terms with just how smoothly the LHC commissioning is going,? said CERN Director General Rolf Heuer in a press release Monday. ?However, we are continuing to take it step by step, and there is still a lot to do before we start physics in 2010. I?m keeping my champagne on ice until then.?

Science is ?supposed? to be all about facts, evidence and proof. The scientific method that kids are taught at an early age is explained as "A method of discovering knowledge about the natural world based in making falsifiable predictions (hypotheses), testing them empirically, and developing peer-reviewed theories that best explain the known data." It is not ?supposed? to be a sporting event of ?us? versus ?them? or team competition.

Reportedly, computer hackers obtained some 160 megabytes of emails from the Climate Research Unit a University in England. The e-mails were exchanges between researchers and policy advocates who shared a similar gospel according to them. Shockingly, authorities were discussing the "destruction and hiding of data that did not support global-warming claims". HELL-0!?!?

There is a boatload of damning evidence about concealing information that does not coincide with the gospel according to Al Gore.

This scandal is scientific fraud of epic proportions.

Monument to mammon . . . the Palm Island offshore property development in Dubai. Photograph: Jorge Ferrari/EPA

I am phenomenally stupid. Stupid in every conceivable way except one: Im dimly aware that Im stupid. This means I spend much of my time assuming the rest of the world knows better, that everyone else effortlessly comprehends things I struggle to understand. Things like long division, or which mobile phone tariff to go for. In many ways, this is a comforting thought, as it means theres a limitless pool of people more intelligent than myself I can call on for advice.

via

Anyway, its interesting to watch "law and order" conservatives like Rudy Giuliani talk away basic legal rights like habeas corpus. "[Mohammad] should be tried in a military tribunal," Giuliani says, "He is a war criminal. This is an act of war." No, Mr. Mayor, hes not. And this is no war. Had an actual war been declared, a nation-state would have attacked us. 9/11 was a criminal act, and a terrible one: mass murder, air piracy and property damage. Until Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is tried and convicted in a court of law, however he is an alleged criminal, innocent until proven guilty. Whered this Giuliani guy go to law school, Wal-Mart?

Monsanto?s dominance draws antitrust inquiry

Patented seeds are go-to for farmers, who decry their fast-growing price

WASHINGTON - For plants designed in a lab a little more than a decade ago, theyve come a long way: Today, the vast majority of the nations two primary crops grow from seeds genetically altered according to Monsanto company patents.

The seeds represent "probably the most revolutionary event in grain crops over the last 30 years," said Geno Lowe, a Salisbury, Md., soybean farmer.

Labels: Unemployment

Immigration News: Autumn Holiday Edition

Last Tuesday, Amy Traub dismantled a few harmful myths about immigrants for The Nation. Traub takes on the old ?immigrants steal our jobs? myth, saying it ?holds no water.? Immigrants of both documented and undocumented status help the economy, and their energy and efforts create jobs that would not exist without their participation. Traub makes a crucial connection clear: Immigrants are a boon to the economy, and ?U.S. natives gain $37 billion a year from immigrants? participation? in the U.S. workforce.

The original Blue Marble photo was taken on Dec. 7, 1972. The original NASA caption: View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the northeastern edge of Africa. The large island off the coast of Africa is the Malagasy Republic. The Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the northeast.

Unsolved math problem turns 150

Happy 150th anniversary to the Riemann Hypothesis, one of the most important math problems ever!

Proposed by Bernhard Riemann in 1859, the Riemann Hypothesis deals with prime numbers. You may recall that a prime number is a positive whole number that has only two positive whole number divisors: one and itself. The first of them are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, in order.

This hypothesis would be able to provide a better estimate than ever before of a special function denoted as Pi(x). Pi(x) represents the number of prime numbers that are no bigger than x, where x is a positive number. For example, Pi(14) would be 6, because there are six prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13) no bigger than 14. Thats probably the most understandable explanation youre going to get that doesnt involve "zeta functions" and other technical terms.

But if you can solve it, the Clay Mathematics Institute will give you $1 million.

This Must Be from One of Those Apocryphal Gospels

Hey, this tattoo of six-pack?having, gasmask-wearing, crucified-with-boat-engines (or something) Jesus may be completely inscrutable, but it least it?s also really ugly.

Under the Child Migrants Programme - which ended just 40 years ago - poor children were sent to a "better life" in Australia, Canada and elsewhere.

But many were abused and ended up in institutions or as labourers on farms.

Officials are consulting survivors of the programme so that a statement can be made in the new year.

On Monday, Australias prime minister will apologise to the 7,000 UK migrants living there for the mistreatment.

He will deliver a national apology to the "Forgotten Australians" and recognise the mistreatment and ongoing suffering of some 500,000 people held in orphanages or childrens homes between 1930 and 1970.

Many parents did not know their children, aged as young as three, had been sent to Australia.

Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south of Lakshadweep group of islands of India, about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by people.
Tourism is the country?s biggest foreign exchange earners and these photos will show why the Maldives is one of the beautiful places on this world.

When it comes to luxury travel, the Maldives are top of the list. There are pristine white sands, the tropical climate and the lovely warm lagoons for a start. But that?s not all. We?re talking lavish resorts, excellent food and some of the best diving in the world.

You would think that in a country widely acknowledged as one of the worlds most non-religious nations, politicians would be keen to parade their secular credentials. Curiously, this is not the case in Australia.

Having survived a decade of the Howard governments blatant exploitation of religion for votes, it is disappointing to find the Labor Government following suit. This seems rather counter-productive considering that 92 per cent of Australians are so disinterested in religion they cant be bothered going to church.

In fact, the Government is so busy knock-knock-knocking on heavens door, theyve missed the bleeding obvious. Most of Australias churches are empty, the non-religious sector is growing twice as fast as Pentecostalism, Australias religiously unaffiliated outnumber Pentecostals by 17-one, and more than half of Australias "Gen Y" dont believe in God. Even the Pope has acknowledged that religion is moribund in Australia.

As winter approaches, households around the UK will be invaded by a sticky and foul-smelling invader. Harlequin ladybirds first arrived in Britain from Asia in the summer of 2004 and quickly spread across England and into Wales. They have been spotted as far north as the Orkney Islands. Now scientists say their numbers across the country have dramatically escalated.

A harlequin ladybird tends to its pupa. The invasive species has been spotted as far north as the Orkney Islands

How the Harlequin ladybirds have spread from 2004 to 2009

The Harlequin ladybird (left) is more orange and has more spots than the native seven-spot ladybird (right)

Take a gander at the "huge discrepancy in experience outside of government of Obamas advisors," and remain slack-jawed as you are reminded that most of his insiders all hail from Chicago and know only of Chicago-style, far-left politics:

As Ed Lasky points out, "Can we be surprised that Barack Obama would chose a Cabinet so unreflective of America?":

« Lord Monckton on Climategate: Financial and scientific fraud on a global scale | Main

As a Swiss referendum backs a ban on the building of minarets, the BBCs Islamic affairs analyst Roger Hardy looks at the often uneasy relationship between Islam and Europe.

But it is not just in Switzerland that the presence of growing Muslim communities has polarised opinion.

Since the attacks of 9/11 in the United States, and the bombings in Madrid and London, Muslims have often been regarded as a security threat.

For governments anxious to maintain social harmony at home and good relations with Muslim governments abroad, this poses a set of difficult dilemmas.

And for many of the estimated 15 million Muslims in Western Europe, the Swiss vote will be seen as one more sign that - whatever governments may say - they are simply not welcome.

?I?m not angry!? shouts someone in the distance. Their face turns to a reddish hue, their brows are knit, everything seems black and they find it impossible to sit still. According to some demonology studies, the anger actually represents the possession of a body by the demon, Amon - a Marquis of Hell. But today, neuroscientists think they have found the source of anger in a brain region called the amygdale. Is it chemistry or is it the devil? ?Anger is a short madness,? said Horace.

Who has never fallen into this irrational sin? Be aware of your emotions because like the other deadly sins, anger is a fatal capital sin and has a conviction: going to the fourth circle of hell in The Divine Comedy by the Italian writer Dante Alighieri. There you?ll see your limbs torn and broken for all eternity?That?s where anger is vented. This is an ?inordinate appetite for revenge,? according to Christianity.

ClimateGate Whos Who

Beautiful Digital Photography

20 Stunning Landscape Photos

Youd be wrong.

So its a Friday morning, frigid and icy, after an overnight storm dumped a foot or more of snow. Animal control receives a call about a cat that may or may not be alive under a deck. The officer arrives, finds the cat is still living but just barely, and transports it over treacherous roads to the shelter.

"A cat," France says. "Im not sure if its still alive."

The women exchange glances. It looks really bad. But Steinbeiser thrusts the cat at France, who unzips her jacket and presses the cat close to her body, then zips back up. Steinbeiser races off to toss some already-dried towels back into the dryer to heat them up.

The move towards artificially engineered foods has taken a step forward after scientists grew a form of meat in a laboratory for the first time.

Researchers in the Netherlands have created what was described as soggy pork and are now investigating ways to improve the muscle tissue in the hope that people will one day want to eat it.

No one has yet tasted the product, but it is believed the artificial meat could be on sale within five years.

Vegetarian groups welcomed the news, saying there was ?no ethical objection? if meat was not a piece of a dead animal.

?You could take the meat from one animal and create the volume of meat previously provided by a million animals.?

Maurice Clemmons, a person of interest in the killing of four Lakewood Police officers in Parkland, Wash.

Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft, the sheriffs office said. He also recently was arrested and charged in Washington state for assaulting a police officer, and second-degree rape of a child. Using a bail bondsman, he posted $150,000 and was released from jail last week.

Traffic has been detoured for several blocks in each direction. Police say residents in the area should stay inside and lock their doors.

Under current Ugandan law, homosexuality is a crime punishable by life in prison. The proposed law would not just condemn HIV positive gay men and "repeat offenders" to death, it would also jail for three years anyone who knows a gay man but refuses to report them to authorities. Further, anyone who defends in public the rights of gays and lesbians would be subjected to a seven year prison term.

Volunteers Wanted for Simulated 520-Day Mars Mission

ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2009) ? Starting in 2010, an international crew of six will simulate a 520-day round-trip to Mars, including a 30-day stay on the martian surface. In reality, they will live and work in a sealed facility in Moscow, Russia, to investigate the psychological and medical aspects of a long-duration space mission. ESA is looking for European volunteers to take part.

The mission is part of the Mars500 programme being conducted by ESA and Russias Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) to study human psychological, medical and physical capabilities and limitations in space through fundamental and operational research. ESAs Directorate of Human Spaceflight is undertaking Mars500 as part of its European Programme for Life and Physical Sciences (ELIPS) to prepare for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.

LONDON: A smoking gun memo warning Tony Blair of the illegality of a military invasion of Iraq was written eight months before the war and has been handed to the Chilcot inquiry.

The controversial letter, from the former attorney-general Lord Goldsmith, was written in July 2002 and warned Mr Blair in the starkest terms that using force to depose Saddam Husseins regime breached international law.

The Mail on Sunday has reported that the memo, which Mr Blair is alleged to have covered up, was provided to the inquiry in a collection of documents from the Attorney-Generals department. It is now expected Mr Blair will be interrogated about the timing and wording of the advice when he is called to give evidence early next year.

Lord Goldsmith was reported to have lost 19 kilograms in the months after his advice was rejected and denied by Mr Blair. He apparently threatened to resign but his family talked him out of it.

Woods speaks up, says crash is ?private matter?

WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP)?Despite presenting his side of the car-crash story and asking that it remain ?a private matter,? Tiger Woods may still not be in the clear.

About an hour before the troopers arrived Sunday afternoon, Woods released a statement on his Web site taking responsibility for?but providing few details about?the middle-of-the-night accident that left him dazed, bruised and bloodied.

?This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way,? Woods said. ?Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. ?

?I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received,? the statement concluded. ?But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.?

He talks too much," a Saudi academic in Jeddah, who had once been smitten with Barack Obama, recently observed to me of Americas 44th president. He has wearied of Mr. Obama and now does not bother with the Obama oratory.

He is hardly alone, this academic. In the endless chatter of this region, and in the commentaries offered by the press, the theme is one of disappointment. In the Arab-Islamic world, Barack Obama has come down to earth.

He has not made the world anew, history did not bend to his will, the Indians and Pakistanis have been told that the matter of Kashmir is theirs to resolve, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the same intractable clash of two irreconcilable nationalisms, and the theocrats in Iran have not "unclenched their fist," nor have they abandoned their nuclear quest.

Exec: Obama dinner crashers shopping interview

NEW YORK ? The couple who crashed President Barack Obamas first state dinner are peddling their story to broadcast networks for hundreds of thousands of dollars, a television executive says.

Network news divisions say they dont pay for interviews. But for eagerly sought interviews in the past, they have offered to pay for access to exclusive material, such as pictures or videos from their subjects.

Michaele Salahis is a reality TV hopeful trying to get on Bravos "The Real Housewives of D.C." Her and her husbands success in getting into the state dinner Tuesday without an invitation embarrassed the White House and Secret Service.

4 Ways Your Eating Habits Can Make You Happier

Many people seeking help for mental health issues look first to chemical intervention in the form of a medication.  There is another chemical intervention which you can utilize yourself - your diet.  Having a healthy diet is crucial when trying to fight for your mental health, especially where mood disorders are concerned.  How can dietary changes affect depression, anxiety and mood swings?

How to become a Licensed Practical Nurse

Healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing industries and any profession in the healthcare industry is likely to have better prospects and opportunities than in other types of industries in an economy.

Nursing is one of the ideal choices in the health care industry where the demand for qualified people in the profession are in great demand and the requirement is on the rise with no signs of scarcity over the next few decades, if not more.

There are many ways through which one can get into the nursing profession. However, he or she should have some additional skills or traits, the most important of them being the compassionate heart and the urge and motivation to extend help and assistance to the people in general and the patients in particular.

One can become a Licensed Practical Nurse by enrolling himself or herself into a one-year diploma course offered by many vocational schools and or junior colleges.

Davydenko shocks Federer in semis

Sixth seed Davydenko beat the world number one 6-2 4-6 7-5 in a contest that started only 15 hours after the Russians final group match.

James Anderson leads England to win over South Africa

Australian aims to breed green sheep that burp less

Australian scientists have said they are hoping to breed sheep that burp less as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

The scientists have been trying to identify a genetic link that causes some sheep to belch less than others.

Burping is a far greater cause of emissions in sheep than flatulence, they say.

About 16% of Australias greenhouse emissions come from agriculture, says the department of climate change.

Serena Williams fined and given suspended ban

Serena Williams has been fined and given a suspended three-year ban from the US Open for her tirade at a line judge at Flushing Meadows.

The American, 28, verbally abused an official after a foot-fault call which gave Kim Clijsters a match point in their semi-final this year.

The world number one will incur the ban if she commits any further "major offence" before the end of 2011.

And We Are Barbara Weich

By Steve Duin, The Oregonian

24 Impressive Black & White Photos

10 remarkable animals that saved peoples lives

Elephant saves a girl from 2004 tsunami

FIGHT BACK BY SPENDING YOUR GODLESS MONEY

Rumsfeld decision let Bin Laden escape: Senate report

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? Osama bin Laden was "within the grasp" of US forces in late 2001 but escaped because then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected calls for reinforcements, a hard-hitting US Senate report says.

It points the finger directly at Rumsfeld for turning down requests for reinforcements as Bin Laden was trapped in December 2001 in caves and tunnels in a mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan known as Tora Bora.

"Requests were also turned down for US troops to block the mountain paths leading to sanctuary a few miles away in Pakistan.

"The decision not to deploy American forces to go after Bin Laden or block his escape was made by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his top commander, General Tommy Franks," the report says.

H₂O: Dangerous Chemical!

US Military approves middle one-finger salute when saluting Obama

Nazi guard Demjanjuks trial starts in Munich

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) ? The trial of John Demjanjuk, an 89-year-old former Nazi camp guard, started on Monday on charges of helping to force 27,900 Jews into gas chambers at Sobibor death camp in 1943.

Demjanjuk, a retired U.S. autoworker, was pushed in a wheelchair before the court in Munich at what is likely to be Germanys last major trial from the Nazi era. Wearing a cap and in a reclined position, he was draped in a light-blue blanket.

German state prosecutors believe Demjanjuk, who was top of the Simon Wiesenthal Centers list of most-wanted war criminals, assisted in killings at the Sobibor death camp, in what is now Poland, where at least 250,000 Jews were murdered.

Kittehs can sleep ANYWHERE.

Here is proof.

Aliens already exist on earth, Bulgarian scientists claim

Bulgarian Academy Scientists Reported to Be in Touch with Aliens

Scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) have been reported to be in touch with extraterrestrial beings.

The Bulgarian Novinar Daily has reported that the Bulgarian scientists are currently working on deciphering pictograms which are said to have come in the form of the so called ?crop circles? with which the aliens answered 30 questions posed by the BAS researchers.

Bulgaria: We Are in Contact with Aliens

The dragonfly crop circle which appeared in Yatesbury, Wiltshire, this year

In all, his team are analysing 150 crop circles from around the world which they believe answer questions beamed into outer space.

Beings of Light

Vintage Cars

Examples

Quotes

My Favorite Quotes and Sayings

Real Madrid Still Positive Thinking

Tiger Woods Accident Rumors Continue, Warrant Being Pursued

Rumors surrounding golf legend Tiger Woods? strange car accident on Friday continue to swirl around the Net. The leading theory is that Woods actually ran into a fire hydrant and tree at his home because his wife, Elin Nordegren Woods, was chasing him down the driveway with a golf club and beating on his car. That?s pure speculation at this point, but something weird is most certainly going on.

The Port Richmond home of Police Officer Frank Tepper sat vacant yesterday. The lace curtains were drawn tight, and a sleeve of plastic-wrapped circulars advertising Black Friday "door busters" sat untouched on the front stoop.

Neighbors said the officer, whom many of them have come to demonize, fled his home under the cover of darkness and with police escort about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. The off-duty cop fatally shot William "Billy" Panas Jr., 21, during a Saturday night brawl outside Teppers home. Panas was unarmed. The incident involved some of Teppers family members, police confirmed.

Treehouses are more popular than ever, as play spaces for children but also as luxury hotel (and even house) designs for adults. Some of the most fantastic plans and ideas can be traced to specialist designers and builders ? and pictures of their work can provide some of the best inspiration (as well as an informal visual guide) for do-it-yourself recreational, residential and commercial tree buildings.

The trick is to find a balance between safe and fun ? railings are a must, as are sturdy supports, but whimsy and asymmetry help make these places feel more organic and engaging for younger visitors in particular.

Still others (were it not for the color in the pictures) seem timeless or like they could have been constructed in the Middle Ages ? until you reach their incredible contemporary interiors at least.