Wednesday 7 June 2017

Corey Allen Kotler | Fla. health care campus earns LEED gold

Lakeland Regional Health’s recently opened Grasslands campus has earned LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which recognizes buildings that are designed and built and operated “for improved environmental and human health performance.“
Construction of the Grasslands campus in Florida started in early 2015 and was completed in June 2016. It houses physician offices and a physical rehabilitation program, reports The Ledger.
“The design of the building was created with the concepts of ‘body, mind and soul’ as part of the patient healing experience,” according to a news release from Lakeland Regional Health.
Examples of what earned the certification for Grasslands Campus include:
- Reduction of total building energy use of 39 percent over the calculated baseline building.
- 76 percent of construction waste was recycled and kept out of the landfill.
- 28 percent of building materials were manufactured using recycled materials.
- 33 percent of the building materials were extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the building site.
- All adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring and composite wood meet the LEED standard for low-emitting materials.
- Preferred parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles and preferred parking spaces for carpool and vanpool vehicles to encourage ride-sharing among team members.
- Reduction of potable water use at flush and flow fixtures by 34 percent and reduction of potable water use for irrigation by 68 percent.
“The Grasslands Campus serves as a prime example of how the work of innovative building projects can use local solutions to make a global impact on the environment,” Mahesh Ramanujam, U.S. Green Building Council president and CEO, said in a news release.

Monday 29 May 2017

Corey Allen Kotler | Oil inches up in quiet holiday trade, focus on crude glut


Oil prices rose slightly on Monday, barely paring last week's steep losses with the market remaining cautious as increases in U.S. drilling activity have undercut an OPEC-led push to tighten supply.

Trading was subdued due to public holidays in China, the United States and Britain. The market remains uncertain about whether the extension of output cuts by OPEC and other producing countries will be enough to support prices.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled up 14 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $52.29 per barrel. Brent fell nearly 3 percent the previous week.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were 19 cents higher at $49.99 per barrel.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and some non-OPEC producers pledged last week to extend production cuts of around 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until March 2018.

An initial agreement, in place since January, would have expired in June.

"This is a little bit of a bounce back from last Thursday when we had a really heavy drop," said James L. Williams, an energy economist at WTRG Economics in Arkansas.

Nine months of current production levels is not going to be enough to meet OPEC's goal of balancing supply, which is limiting price gains, he added.

Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch called Monday's price moves little more than "intraday noise."

High compliance with the cuts so far was unlikely to last, he said, which should keep physical oil stockpiles near record levels. So far the output cuts have not lifted oil prices much beyond $50 per barrel.

While OPEC and other countries including Russia are trying to draw down inventories, crude production has surged in the United States C-OUT-T-EIA, up 10 percent since mid-2016. U.S. output of more than 9.3 million bpd is close to levels in major producers Russia and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. drillers have added rigs for 19 straight weeks, bringing the total 722, the highest since April 2015 and the longest run of additions on record, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc (BHI.N).

Even if the rig count did not rise further, Goldman Sachs estimated U.S. output would increase by 785,000 bpd between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the fourth quarter of 2017 across the Permian, Eagle Ford, Bakken and Niobrara shale plays.

Analysts will watch whether the OPEC output cuts can reduce the global crude glut.

"It's going to be all about inventories and whether they fall as much as OPEC thinks," said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at futures brokerage AxiTrader.

(Additional reporting by Libby George in London and Henning Gloystein; in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)

Thursday 20 April 2017

Corey Allen Kotler | Oil slumps as surprise gasoline build raises supply worries

 
Oil slumped to a two-week low on Wednesday, after U.S. data showed a smaller-than-expected drop in overall crude stocks and a surprising build in gasoline inventories, which raised worries about excessively high global supply.
U.S. crude futures settled down $1.97 to $50.44 a barrel, a 3.8 percent drop, the worst-one day decline since March 8, as investors bailed out of long positions in response to the bearish inventory figures.
U.S. crude stocks fell 1 million barrels in the latest week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, less than anticipated. Gasoline stocks posted a counter-seasonal build of 1.5 million barrels, despite heavier refining activity.
The surprise build in gasoline, along with an increase in U.S. production and imports from OPEC nations, pressured prices.
A global crude glut has persisted even as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing countries have worked to reduce output under an agreement to cut supplies almost 1.8 million barrels per day in the first half of 2017.
U.S. stockpiles and production have cast doubt on whether the OPEC cuts were enough. U.S. production rose to 9.252 million barrels a day in the most recent week, the highest since August 2015.
"They drop production, we add production, and so at end of the day it's ugly," said Robert Yawger, energy futures strategist at Mizuho Americas.

Corey Allen Kotler | CHINA’S Demand for US REAL ESTATE Set to Grow


Marketing US real estate to Chinese investors living in China is a good business and big enough for Warren Buffett who just took his share.  Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices controlled by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Monday said it entered a marketing agreement with Juwai.com, China's largest international property website, to attract wealthy Chinese buyers looking to purchase homes in the United States.

"The United States is a safe, attractive investment opportunity for foreigners, especially the Chinese," said Peter Turtzo, who is spearheading Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' foreign push as senior vice president of international operations, commented. Along with the Canadians the Chinese are the top real estate foreign investors buying in the United States.

Along with the Canadians the Chinese are the top real estate foreign investors buying in the United States “The Global Edge Investment group has been tracking the economic expansion of several American States, and we’re very excited about Colorado. There are more than 10 Fortune 500 and 22 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in Colorado, with more on the way. Amazon plans to open in Colorado, which will create 1000 full time jobs. This is having a direct effect on real estate growth and demand. For example, new Fort Collins outside down town Denver homes rose 7.8% to $395,427. Colorado Universities are expanding, as is the demand for land suitable for student housing. We, as a company, along with our investors are very confident about the growth in the Greater Denver region over the next 3- 5 years.” – Benjamin Curran, Managing Director of Global Edge Investment.

Denver was named number 1 best city to live in 2016 by U.S. News & World Report. The United States, retained its position as the most popular destination for Chinese real estate investment outside the mainland.   

About Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American Mulitinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The company is known for its control and leadership by Warren Buffett, who is the company's Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, and Charlie Munger, the company's Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors. According to the Forbes Global 2000 list and formula, Berkshire Hathaway is the fourth largest public company in the world, and the 9th largest conglomerate by revenue.

About Global Edge Investment

Global Edge is a real estate investment and development company with over 20 years of experience. The company carefully examines and analyzes hundreds of land based projects each year, only selecting strategically positioned land in major North American growth corridors.

Global Edge prides itself on its portfolio of smart land investments that secure, diversify, and increase its client’s wealth. The investors have realized excellent return on their investments because Global Edge thoroughly researches and tracks investment cycles before presenting to its clientele.

Global Edge is committed to its investors, and operates with the highest level of transparency and efficiency.

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Corey Allen Kotler | My Hommage to a Christmas Carol


Actor/comedian Corey Allen Kotler pays homage to the late, great Charles Dickens.

Corey Allen Kotler at the Amazon Premiere Screening for #TransparentTV #AmazonStudios



Corey Allen Kotler | Amazon Premiere Screening

Mingle Media TV and Red Carpet Report host Quinn Marie were invited to cover the premiere screening of Amazon Studios' dark comedy, Transparent, by Jill Soloway at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

All ten episodes of Transparent will premiere on Friday, September 26 exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the US and UK,

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About Amazon Studios’ Transparent
'Written, directed and executive produced by Emmy-nominee and 2013 Sundance Best Director winner Soloway, Transparent is a ten episode, half hour novelistic series that explores family, identity, sex, and love. The series stars Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort—the Pfefferman family patriarch. When she reintroduces herself to her family, everyone’s secrets finally start to come out. This includes her ex-wife Shelly (played by Light), and their children—meandering Ali (played by Hoffmann), record producer Josh (played by Duplass), and sexually conflicted Sarah (played by Landecker). Each family member spins in a different direction as they begin to figure out who they are going to become.
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About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that’s open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Last year Amazon Studios launched its first two prime time series, Alpha House and Betas, and recently debuted its first three children’s series, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival Award-winning Tumble Leaf from Bix Pix Entertainment, as well as Creative Galaxy from Angela Santomero, the creator of Blue’s Clues, and Annedroids, from Emmy nominated Sinking Ship Entertainment. Amazon Original Series are available exclusively to Prime members through Prime Instant Video. For more info, visit www.amazonstudios.com