2009-03-06
財赤9500億力退海嘯
財赤9500億力退海嘯
(星島)3月6日 星期五
Investment
(星島日報報道)全國人民代表大會全體會議昨天上午開幕，溫家寶向兩千多名人大代表發表政府工作報告。受國際金融海嘯打擊，中國面臨內憂外患，去年第四季度GDP增速僅有六點八個百分點。溫家寶警告，國際金融危機還在蔓延、仍未見底，「經濟增速持續下滑已成為影響全局的主要矛盾。」
溫家寶重申了今年經濟增長百分之八目標，以及未來兩年四萬億元的政府投資計畫。
「在我們這樣一個十三億人口的發展中國家，要擴大城鄉就業，增加居民收入，維護社會穩定， 就必須保持一定的增長速度。只要政策對頭，措施得當，落實有力，就有可能實現這一目標。」溫家寶強調。
四萬億元經濟刺激計畫的大規模投資，需要財政赤字和銀行貸款提供資金支援。溫家寶在報告中宣布今年新增貸款五萬億以上，全國財政赤字合計九千五百億元，其中擬安排中央財政赤字七千五百億元，並有財政部代地方發行兩千億元債券。
據悉，這一赤字規模比去年擴張了五倍多，創出了新中國六十年的最高紀錄，是歷史高值的二○○三年財政赤字的近三倍。
為了保八，溫家寶提出了一攬子措施，包括大規模增加政府投資，大範圍實施調整振興產業規劃，大幅度提高社會保障水平。今年中央政府投資總額九千多億元，其中很大的比重是用於保障性住房、教育、衞生、文化等民生工程建設。
中央財政投入農業、農村將高達七千多億，增加農業補貼、提高糧食收購價；制定民工養老保險辦法，提高失業保險金；今後三年將會投入八千五百億元推行醫療改革，解決看病貴、看病難。
全國人大代表王越說，政府釋放的信號十分明顯，希望透過民生工程來保增長、擴內需、促穩定。
在教育方面，針對四川地震暴露校舍豆腐渣工程，溫家寶強調，「要把學校建成最安全、家長最放心的地方」。
過去一年，廣東官方推行「騰龍換鳥」等產業升級政策，引起包括港商在內的不少廠商不滿，認為操之過急。溫家寶在報告中強調，不能放鬆出口，要「穩步推進加工貿易轉型升級」，採取有效措施，紓緩港資中小企的經營困難。經濟不景、失業率上升，再加上今年是政治敏感年，溫家寶強調，要「健全社會穩定預警機制，積極預防好妥善處理各類群體性事件」，並且重申要堅決查處腐敗案件。
2009-03-04
Chinese Drywall Causing Massive Headaches for Homeowners News
Chinese Drywall Causing Massive Headaches for Homeowners News
February 24, 2009. By Heidi Turner
Legal Advice
Weston, FL: If you purchased a newly built home in the past 5 years or so, you may have unknowingly purchased a home that is defective. That is because some new homes were built with Chinese drywall, a product that is allegedly toxic. Issues with the Chinese drywall are now coming to light, with more and more people reporting problems in their homes. Some homeowners are now investigating lawsuits against home developers and drywall manufacturers.
New House"During the recent building boom, from 2004 to 2007, there was a shortage of US- manufactured drywall," Scott Shepherd, partner with Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP, says. "Prior to 2004, developers preferred, for economic and logistical reasons, to use drywall manufactured in the US. However, because of building demands during the boom, including the extreme drain on the system caused by Hurricane Katrina, there was a shortage of US drywall and builders began using drywall imported from China. This drywall typically was kept at sea for a few months prior to entering the US.
"It turns out that much of the Chinese drywall included fly ash, a waste material that is a byproduct from power plants using coal. The problem that has developed is that the drywall emits several sulfur gases, including, apparently, hydrogen sulfide. These gases have a strong smell, and have been causing significant damage to items in the home, such as air conditioner coils, electrical and computer wiring, plumbing and even silver picture frames and jewelry. The gases can also be harmful to humans and many reports indicate that the emissions are causing people respiratory discomfort, eye and nose irritation and headaches.
"Most of the drywall that came into the US between 2004 and 2006 arrived at about fifteen ports around the country, including several in Florida, New York, Texas, California and New Orleans. So far, most of the problems that we have seen, and that have been reported in the press, have been in Florida, Louisiana, Arizona and California, although I would expect we will hear more about other areas in the future. Anywhere that there was a problem getting US drywall—which means anywhere there was a high volume of home construction—we will probably hear about problems with Chinese drywall."
If you purchased a newly built home and are not sure whether or not Chinese drywall was used in your home, you may have to have a home inspection done. However, there are a few signs you can watch for that may indicate that Chinese drywall was used in your home. These signs include having to replace components in your air conditioner, plumbing piping that has corroded and turned black, corroded electrical wiring, silver jewelry or picture frames that have turned black and a rotten egg smell. You may also have noticed eye and nose irritations, headaches and respiratory problems.
How quickly these issues present themselves may have a lot to do with the drywall's exposure to moisture.
"People have reported problems for the past year although initially no one was sure what the cause of the problems were," Shepherd says. "A lot of these issues are just starting to manifest now. People may have noticed they were frequently replacing air conditioner parts but not known why, but they knew that they should not have been having these types of problems [such as air conditioner problems] in homes that are new construction."
The lawsuits thus far have been against developers and manufacturers of the drywall. At this stage, it is too soon to tell if there will turn out to be other responsible parties. The principal claim in most of the lawsuits is that the drywall has caused expensive damage to the home, that the drywall itself must be replaced and in some cases that the residents have suffered personal injuries as a result of their exposure. It has yet to be seen if there will be any effect on home values once repairs are made.
February 24, 2009. By Heidi Turner
Legal Advice
Weston, FL: If you purchased a newly built home in the past 5 years or so, you may have unknowingly purchased a home that is defective. That is because some new homes were built with Chinese drywall, a product that is allegedly toxic. Issues with the Chinese drywall are now coming to light, with more and more people reporting problems in their homes. Some homeowners are now investigating lawsuits against home developers and drywall manufacturers.
New House"During the recent building boom, from 2004 to 2007, there was a shortage of US- manufactured drywall," Scott Shepherd, partner with Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP, says. "Prior to 2004, developers preferred, for economic and logistical reasons, to use drywall manufactured in the US. However, because of building demands during the boom, including the extreme drain on the system caused by Hurricane Katrina, there was a shortage of US drywall and builders began using drywall imported from China. This drywall typically was kept at sea for a few months prior to entering the US.
"It turns out that much of the Chinese drywall included fly ash, a waste material that is a byproduct from power plants using coal. The problem that has developed is that the drywall emits several sulfur gases, including, apparently, hydrogen sulfide. These gases have a strong smell, and have been causing significant damage to items in the home, such as air conditioner coils, electrical and computer wiring, plumbing and even silver picture frames and jewelry. The gases can also be harmful to humans and many reports indicate that the emissions are causing people respiratory discomfort, eye and nose irritation and headaches.
"Most of the drywall that came into the US between 2004 and 2006 arrived at about fifteen ports around the country, including several in Florida, New York, Texas, California and New Orleans. So far, most of the problems that we have seen, and that have been reported in the press, have been in Florida, Louisiana, Arizona and California, although I would expect we will hear more about other areas in the future. Anywhere that there was a problem getting US drywall—which means anywhere there was a high volume of home construction—we will probably hear about problems with Chinese drywall."
If you purchased a newly built home and are not sure whether or not Chinese drywall was used in your home, you may have to have a home inspection done. However, there are a few signs you can watch for that may indicate that Chinese drywall was used in your home. These signs include having to replace components in your air conditioner, plumbing piping that has corroded and turned black, corroded electrical wiring, silver jewelry or picture frames that have turned black and a rotten egg smell. You may also have noticed eye and nose irritations, headaches and respiratory problems.
How quickly these issues present themselves may have a lot to do with the drywall's exposure to moisture.
"People have reported problems for the past year although initially no one was sure what the cause of the problems were," Shepherd says. "A lot of these issues are just starting to manifest now. People may have noticed they were frequently replacing air conditioner parts but not known why, but they knew that they should not have been having these types of problems [such as air conditioner problems] in homes that are new construction."
The lawsuits thus far have been against developers and manufacturers of the drywall. At this stage, it is too soon to tell if there will turn out to be other responsible parties. The principal claim in most of the lawsuits is that the drywall has caused expensive damage to the home, that the drywall itself must be replaced and in some cases that the residents have suffered personal injuries as a result of their exposure. It has yet to be seen if there will be any effect on home values once repairs are made.
Toxic Chinese Drywall: It Stinks in More Ways Than One
Toxic Chinese Drywall: It Stinks in More Ways Than One
February 12, 2009. By Gordon Gibb
Legal Advice
Fort Meyers, FL: You've got to be kidding. Drywall, now. Chinese drywall, that was used during the South Florida building boom starting in 2004 and is now making some people sick. Toxic drywall has been found in many homes, and Chinese drywall problems are affecting copper plumbing and air conditioning coils.
Toxic DrywallToothpaste, pet food, toys, tires, infant formula, heparin, and now drywall. When is all this going to end? Can anyone trust anything that is coming from the great, emerging economy in China?
At issue is drywall that was purchased and used in some homes during the boom building years of 2004 and 2005—especially in places like South Florida. When drywall became hard to come by, apparently some was procured and imported from China.
Drywall is drywall, right? How can you go wrong with drywall?
The problem is what it's made with. And Dave Reid, who represents Intuitive Environmental Solutions of Fort Meyers, Florida, has concluded that at least some of the drywall imported from China was manufactured with waste materials from scrubbers on coal-fired power plants. It has been reported that while Chinese drywall meets ASTM standards, the suspicion is that the water used to mix the gypsum was wastewater that contained chemicals, including sulfur.
The chemicals have been found to leech out of the drywall and is not only a hazard to a homeowner's health, it can also play havoc with plumbing—and in South Florida, given the propensity and need for air conditioning, there is a lot of plumbing. The chemicals imbedded in the toxic Chinese drywall leech out as gasses and combine with the moisture on air conditioning coils to create sulphuric acid.
The acid in turn is suspected of weakening, and dissolving solder joints and copper tubing. The result is water leakage, the blackening of copper coils, and ultimately the failure of the system.
Not to mention the smell. Karen Kuenz is a retiree living in a house at The Legends, a subdivision located in south Lee County. She has smelled sulfur in, and around her home "for years," and while the contractor has made various attempts to locate and deal with the problem, it has never been eradicated entirely. There's still one room in her home where the "stinky sulfur is just nasty."
It's not just the smell. Kuenz has experienced coughing, and other ailments, but she could never explain it until now. The suspect now, is the drywall.
Richard Cesta is another homeowner in Lee County, Florida who has had to put up with the smell of sulfur in his condo. His air conditioning coils keep turning black, and he's had to replace them three times within just months. That kind of thing can get costly, running into the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
While drywall that smells like rotten eggs has only come to light in the past few months, it apparently is not a new problem. It has been reported that builders have been quietly settling complaints for the past 3 years.
That timeline fits in with the building boom that was prevalent in the overheated South Florida real estate market of 2004 and 2005, and into 2006. Drywall is normally sourced from US manufacturers, but a drywall shortage apparently left many installers scrambling to find alternative sources, including drywall from China. In some homes the toxic Chinese drywall was used exclusively, while in others it was mixed with drywall produced in the US.
So far, the problem appears to be isolated to South Florida and, in particular, Lee County. One prominent builder, Lennar Homes, has launched an action against the German-based Knauf Group, and its subsidiary Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. of China. Taishan Gypsum, another drywall manufacturer based in China, has also been implicated.
Lennar is also pursuing a collection of 12 subcontractors for installing substandard Chinese drywall in Lennar homes, allegedly without Lennar's knowledge.
The aforementioned builder has conducted various tests on its homes in South Florida through Environ International, and has found 3 sulfide gasses: carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfide. It has been reported that the more dangerous hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a rotten-egg-like odor, was not found by Environ in air tests, but had been found previously in tests of the toxic Chinese drywall itself.
The Florida Health Department is conducting tests, and results should be known in March. Ironically, the Lieutenant Governor for the state of Florida has reportedly revealed that his home, located in Fort Meyers, was constructed with toxic Chinese drywall.
Some have made the point that after drywall is taped, sanded and sealed, the problem in theory should be mitigated. However, as countless South Florida homeowners have discovered, either the drywall has not been properly and consistently sealed—or the trapped chemicals within are too potent for the sealer, and paint to contain.
A class-action lawsuit was filed late last month in US District court in Fort Meyers.
If you are among the countless residents of newer homes in South Florida who have encountered health problems, or strange odors in your home resulting from the use of Chinese drywall, consult an attorney. You should not be made to put up with toxic drywall, and Chinese drywall problems only serve to heighten serious economic problems already prevalent in South Florida. Property values are dropping as it is. You don’t need to be chased from your home by a bad smell that is not of your doing.
Chinese Drywall Legal Help
If you have suffered losses in this case, please send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your possible [Chinese Drywall Lawsuit] at no cost or obligation.
February 12, 2009. By Gordon Gibb
Legal Advice
Fort Meyers, FL: You've got to be kidding. Drywall, now. Chinese drywall, that was used during the South Florida building boom starting in 2004 and is now making some people sick. Toxic drywall has been found in many homes, and Chinese drywall problems are affecting copper plumbing and air conditioning coils.
Toxic DrywallToothpaste, pet food, toys, tires, infant formula, heparin, and now drywall. When is all this going to end? Can anyone trust anything that is coming from the great, emerging economy in China?
At issue is drywall that was purchased and used in some homes during the boom building years of 2004 and 2005—especially in places like South Florida. When drywall became hard to come by, apparently some was procured and imported from China.
Drywall is drywall, right? How can you go wrong with drywall?
The problem is what it's made with. And Dave Reid, who represents Intuitive Environmental Solutions of Fort Meyers, Florida, has concluded that at least some of the drywall imported from China was manufactured with waste materials from scrubbers on coal-fired power plants. It has been reported that while Chinese drywall meets ASTM standards, the suspicion is that the water used to mix the gypsum was wastewater that contained chemicals, including sulfur.
The chemicals have been found to leech out of the drywall and is not only a hazard to a homeowner's health, it can also play havoc with plumbing—and in South Florida, given the propensity and need for air conditioning, there is a lot of plumbing. The chemicals imbedded in the toxic Chinese drywall leech out as gasses and combine with the moisture on air conditioning coils to create sulphuric acid.
The acid in turn is suspected of weakening, and dissolving solder joints and copper tubing. The result is water leakage, the blackening of copper coils, and ultimately the failure of the system.
Not to mention the smell. Karen Kuenz is a retiree living in a house at The Legends, a subdivision located in south Lee County. She has smelled sulfur in, and around her home "for years," and while the contractor has made various attempts to locate and deal with the problem, it has never been eradicated entirely. There's still one room in her home where the "stinky sulfur is just nasty."
It's not just the smell. Kuenz has experienced coughing, and other ailments, but she could never explain it until now. The suspect now, is the drywall.
Richard Cesta is another homeowner in Lee County, Florida who has had to put up with the smell of sulfur in his condo. His air conditioning coils keep turning black, and he's had to replace them three times within just months. That kind of thing can get costly, running into the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
While drywall that smells like rotten eggs has only come to light in the past few months, it apparently is not a new problem. It has been reported that builders have been quietly settling complaints for the past 3 years.
That timeline fits in with the building boom that was prevalent in the overheated South Florida real estate market of 2004 and 2005, and into 2006. Drywall is normally sourced from US manufacturers, but a drywall shortage apparently left many installers scrambling to find alternative sources, including drywall from China. In some homes the toxic Chinese drywall was used exclusively, while in others it was mixed with drywall produced in the US.
So far, the problem appears to be isolated to South Florida and, in particular, Lee County. One prominent builder, Lennar Homes, has launched an action against the German-based Knauf Group, and its subsidiary Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd. of China. Taishan Gypsum, another drywall manufacturer based in China, has also been implicated.
Lennar is also pursuing a collection of 12 subcontractors for installing substandard Chinese drywall in Lennar homes, allegedly without Lennar's knowledge.
The aforementioned builder has conducted various tests on its homes in South Florida through Environ International, and has found 3 sulfide gasses: carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfide. It has been reported that the more dangerous hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a rotten-egg-like odor, was not found by Environ in air tests, but had been found previously in tests of the toxic Chinese drywall itself.
The Florida Health Department is conducting tests, and results should be known in March. Ironically, the Lieutenant Governor for the state of Florida has reportedly revealed that his home, located in Fort Meyers, was constructed with toxic Chinese drywall.
Some have made the point that after drywall is taped, sanded and sealed, the problem in theory should be mitigated. However, as countless South Florida homeowners have discovered, either the drywall has not been properly and consistently sealed—or the trapped chemicals within are too potent for the sealer, and paint to contain.
A class-action lawsuit was filed late last month in US District court in Fort Meyers.
If you are among the countless residents of newer homes in South Florida who have encountered health problems, or strange odors in your home resulting from the use of Chinese drywall, consult an attorney. You should not be made to put up with toxic drywall, and Chinese drywall problems only serve to heighten serious economic problems already prevalent in South Florida. Property values are dropping as it is. You don’t need to be chased from your home by a bad smell that is not of your doing.
Chinese Drywall Legal Help
If you have suffered losses in this case, please send your complaint to a lawyer who will review your possible [Chinese Drywall Lawsuit] at no cost or obligation.
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