They got an insight into the skills and knowledge that are required to care for, repair and maintain an outstandingly important historic building as part of National Construction Week.

The students spent the day touring Castle Howard, near Malton, and examining the architecture with experts from Castle Howard, English Heritage and private architectural conservation practices in Yorkshire. They saw demonstrations of surveying techniques applied to historic buildings and demonstrations of traditional building skills, such as stone masonry, timber repairs and lime mortars. The day included visual displays by the English Heritage metric survey team, located in York, of stereo-photography and digital photogrammetric processing projected to experience real-time 3D imagery using polarising glasses.

Bear Stearns breidt divisie onroerendgoedleningen in Europa uit ...

Bear Stearns' Real Estate Principal Investments (REPI), which has underwritten $300 million in commercial real estate transactions across Europe in its first year of operation, will continue to be run as a separate group by co-heads Ralf Nocker and Philippe Vienot. Bear, Stearns International Limited (BSIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. (NYSE:BSC). BSIL currently employs more than 1,100 staff in London who serve corporations, institutions, partnerships and governmental entities in the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. BSIL's capabilities include investment banking, institutional equities and fixed income sales, trading and research, derivatives, financial futures, foreign exchange and global clearing. Bear, Stearns International Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Housing talk starting to take optimistic tone

Conspiracy theories abound about the pre-election drop in gasoline prices. Yet no one is spinning Machiavellian explanations for the recent happy talk about the housing sector.

There's a reason: Have you checked out the price of houses in this "slump"?

Upbeat prognoses about the contraction in home construction and home sales aren't hard to find.

On Friday and again on Tuesday, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the housing slump is easing.

"Much of the acceleration in home prices came from the investment side [not the homes purchased for shelter]," he told a Canadian audience Friday. "This can be seen in the big acceleration of housing turnover. Then, the system ran out of steam, as no one could afford houses anymore.

Ethiopia: Office to Loan 12 Mln. Birr to Unemployed Youth

The Shire Endasillasie Town Trade, Industry and Transport Office in Tigray State said that it has finalized preparations to provide 12 million birr loan service to assist in creating job opportunities for 2,300 youth.

Angola: Govt Buys Extra 49 Percent of Nova Cimangola Shares

The Government acquired on Friday the 49 percent of shares that the Portuguese Cement Company (Cimpor) owned in their Angolan counterpart (Nova Cimangola).

Construction Guide, 10/15/2006

Deer alert -- 'Tis the season for deer on the move, increasing the possibility of collisions with the animals. Most occur between dusk and dawn. To report dead deer on state-maintained roads, call 800- 349-7623.

PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE
Findlay Connector -- The 6.5-mile toll road between Route 22, Robinson, Washington County, and Route 60 at Pittsburgh International Airport opened on Wednesday. Signed as "PA Turnpike 576," it's the first section of a proposed Southern Beltway. The toll for cars is 50 cents. E-ZPass accepted.

INTERSTATES
I-79, Allegheny County -- All three lanes are being opened today in both directions between Bridgeville and Crafton, including rehabilitated ramps at the Kirwan Heights, Carnegie and Parkway West interchanges. Some night work will continue on various ramps through early November.