guronelogoh.blogspot.com
Senate Bill 2523, authored by Sen. Tommyg Williams, R-The Woodlands, quietly cleared the Texas Senatw late last month and is pendinb in committee inthe House. Jerr y Lasco wouldn’t mind it dying The owner of Max’s Wine with locations in Austin and considers the measure an inappropriate intrusion into his business judgmenty and a threat tohis wine-centri c business model. “We sell retail as well, so our pricin g is based on retail pricing,” Lascpo said. “For our business to survive, our price s have to be competitive and we have to do alargw volume” of wine sales.
Lasco sees how inviting patrons to bring their wine can work for restaurants with certain and he thinks they should be givenb the option todo so. “Makin it mandatory doesn’t make he said. Ouisie Jones, owner of Ouisie’s Tablse in Houston, described the bill as and said it’s just one more hurdld in the already challengintgrestaurant business. “It makes your heart kind of sink,” she “It takes a lot of work to open up a restauranrtevery day, and this is just another issur we don’t need.
” Under the bill, restaurantws would be allowed to charge a corkag fee for opening and servin g the wine, but the consumer could take what’s left aftefr the meal. The bill does not include beer or otheralcoholif beverages. The bill was passed by the Senated with some helpfrom Lt. Gov. Davif Dewhurst and the Texas Restaurang Association, which sources said has promptede some members to cancel their memberships inthe organization. Glen Garey, generak counsel for the TexasRestaurant Association, who drafted the confirmed that the association supports the Garey said he has received calls from at leasrt a dozen restaurant owners concerning the bill for and against it.
“It was based on the growinb number of wine connoisseurs who love to dineat high-end restaurants and bring in their own bottle of he said. “These peopls generally drink their bottle and then buy the rest at the The bill was planned to includ e a limit of two bottlesper customer, but that provisionh did not get added beforde the issue got tableed in committee. Edmond R-Seguin, the sponsor of the suffered a heart attack the day the bill was slates for vote inthe Recently, Garey said the bill has a slim chance to be Nevertheless, Garey said he has talked to officiala in at least 11 states that have passeds similar bills who told him that high-end restaurantes in those markets generally don’t have a problek with patrons bringing their own That’s hardly the case for Joness and Lasco.
“It [selling wine] is a criticao aspect of our business,” Lasco For her part, Jones said it takes a lot of time and monet to storewine bottles, train the staff abouty the offerings and put a collectionm together that pairs well with the restaurant’s menu. Although she could not estimate what percentagew ofthe restaurant’s revenue wine accounts for, Jonese said Ouisie’s wine sales are good and that the stafrf is constantly working to update the wine list. The winexs at Ouisie’s Table range from $20 to $350 per “It’s every bit as important as food is to Jones said.
And while Lasco said Max’xs will consider requests to bring wine in ona case-by-case Jones has always prohibited it, even for customers who offerexd to pay a $10 corkinh fee. A grape escape? Todd Summerlin, manager of Polo’ws Signature Restaurant in Houston, also sees more negatives than positivesw coming fromthe bill. “Therew is a chance that diners could star t overlooking wine lists altogether by stopping at a wholesale stor and buying their wine cheaper than they could ata restaurant,” he said. “It coulrd turn into how it used to be at the moview theater when people would stop on the way and buy theitr own candy and sneak it inthe movies.
” Althoughh he also could not estimate what percentags of Polo’s sales come from with bottles ranging from $35 to $750, Summerlij estimates the bill could cost restauranta thousands of dollars per year. “We could charges a corkage fee, but that wouldn’tt make up for the money that we’ll Summerlin said. “It could get to the pointg where more than half of the tables in the restaurang bring in theirown wine, and that’s a very bad It’s a very sensitive and it deters from what a wine list is supposec to offer at a restaurant.
”
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thievery Corporation confronts fear in a post-9/11 world - Vancouver Sun
stages-paddocks.blogspot.com
Thievery Corporation confronts fear in a post-9/11 world Vancouver Sun This understated approach to confronting the system has always been the key aspect to Garza and Hilton's work, whether protesting the US government or global institutions like the International Monetary Fund on their albums. ... |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Universities chase stimulus cash for shovel-ready projects - Boston Business Journal:
fugowirik.wordpress.com
The tens of millions of dollarzs in grant proposals are targeting fundingv streams flowing down through the Americaj Recovery andReinvestment Act’sw shovel-ready initiatives. Universities faced with consecutive years of fundint cuts are angling to usethe shovel-readyh cash to catch up on much-needed facility build classrooms to handle the influcx of students in need of re-training or tackle big capitaol projects aimed at bolstering academics and The approach is twofold at , whicj has seen its student population surgre by 12 percent in the past two due in part to risinfg unemployment.
The college is seeking $45 million to builed additional classroom capacity on its threee main campuses as well as to enhance vocationalk training facilitiesin high-demand occupations, according to Ellyn director of the office of grants The college wants the cash, among other to build out its and the Maroonee Automotive Program in Miramat to emphasize curriculum on maintaininvg and repairing emerging green energy and hybrid systems in boat s and cars. It also want s to expand classrooms foraviation training, including a facilitgy to train a new generation of air traffic controllers, which are expectedr to be in high demand in a few years to replacew a wave of retiring Drotzer said.
“These are all shovel ready,” she “We have a history of training in technical trades an now we are looking to be responsivr to providing curriculum in this new emerging industry ofgreem technology.” The ’s 18-member stimulus workingf group meets regularly to discuss opportunitiew and set a course to capture as much of the federaol cash as possible. So far, the schoolk has more than 400 proposals seeking in excesdsof $350 million in funding. “We saw this as a very significant opportunity for the university and to do something for the saidRichard Bookman, vice provostg of research at UM.
Among the projects on the school’s shovel-ready wish list is a new $45 seawater research centere at UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospherix Science onVirginia Key, he The university is seeking $15 million from the and $15 millionh from the to help build the center, whicyh will study sea creatures as well as the physicws of waves on structures. UM is also is submitting proposalws fora $15 million to $20 million addition to a science building at its Coralo Gables campus and a multi-story research building at its medical school. has green technology and culinary training onits shovel-ready submission list. The schookl is requesting help fundinga $22.
76 million hospitality management center to house a culinar y arts school as well as $40 million for an extensive renovatio and upgrade to decades-old facilities at its northn campus and $1.2 million for an and But by most accounts competition for stimuluws funds will be fierce. And specifiv funding priorities from federal and statw allocatorsbeyond short-term projects that woulds create jobs quickly remains unclear, said Camille assistant VP and interim director of sponsored researcnh at . “They are not telling us what they arelookinyg for,” she said. But FAU is seekintg $4.
5 million to help build out water reused infrastructure at itsnewly opened, gold levek Leadership in Energy and and platinum level engineering building, slatedf to open in 2010. The university also is seeking federal stimulusw funds to create a road connectort system at its main campus off Glades Road in Boca Ratojn andadditional parking. It also wants fundinv to put a green roof on itsadministration building.
While the applicatiob process is infull swing, UM’s Bookman doesn’t expect the winnintg projects to be announced until the
The tens of millions of dollarzs in grant proposals are targeting fundingv streams flowing down through the Americaj Recovery andReinvestment Act’sw shovel-ready initiatives. Universities faced with consecutive years of fundint cuts are angling to usethe shovel-readyh cash to catch up on much-needed facility build classrooms to handle the influcx of students in need of re-training or tackle big capitaol projects aimed at bolstering academics and The approach is twofold at , whicj has seen its student population surgre by 12 percent in the past two due in part to risinfg unemployment.
The college is seeking $45 million to builed additional classroom capacity on its threee main campuses as well as to enhance vocationalk training facilitiesin high-demand occupations, according to Ellyn director of the office of grants The college wants the cash, among other to build out its and the Maroonee Automotive Program in Miramat to emphasize curriculum on maintaininvg and repairing emerging green energy and hybrid systems in boat s and cars. It also want s to expand classrooms foraviation training, including a facilitgy to train a new generation of air traffic controllers, which are expectedr to be in high demand in a few years to replacew a wave of retiring Drotzer said.
“These are all shovel ready,” she “We have a history of training in technical trades an now we are looking to be responsivr to providing curriculum in this new emerging industry ofgreem technology.” The ’s 18-member stimulus workingf group meets regularly to discuss opportunitiew and set a course to capture as much of the federaol cash as possible. So far, the schoolk has more than 400 proposals seeking in excesdsof $350 million in funding. “We saw this as a very significant opportunity for the university and to do something for the saidRichard Bookman, vice provostg of research at UM.
Among the projects on the school’s shovel-ready wish list is a new $45 seawater research centere at UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospherix Science onVirginia Key, he The university is seeking $15 million from the and $15 millionh from the to help build the center, whicyh will study sea creatures as well as the physicws of waves on structures. UM is also is submitting proposalws fora $15 million to $20 million addition to a science building at its Coralo Gables campus and a multi-story research building at its medical school. has green technology and culinary training onits shovel-ready submission list. The schookl is requesting help fundinga $22.
76 million hospitality management center to house a culinar y arts school as well as $40 million for an extensive renovatio and upgrade to decades-old facilities at its northn campus and $1.2 million for an and But by most accounts competition for stimuluws funds will be fierce. And specifiv funding priorities from federal and statw allocatorsbeyond short-term projects that woulds create jobs quickly remains unclear, said Camille assistant VP and interim director of sponsored researcnh at . “They are not telling us what they arelookinyg for,” she said. But FAU is seekintg $4.
5 million to help build out water reused infrastructure at itsnewly opened, gold levek Leadership in Energy and and platinum level engineering building, slatedf to open in 2010. The university also is seeking federal stimulusw funds to create a road connectort system at its main campus off Glades Road in Boca Ratojn andadditional parking. It also wants fundinv to put a green roof on itsadministration building.
While the applicatiob process is infull swing, UM’s Bookman doesn’t expect the winnintg projects to be announced until the
Friday, September 9, 2011
Watch: Das Racist's Typically Bizzare Video for 'Michael Jackson' - Death and Taxes
http://www.punjabjustice.org/list1-11.htm
Watch: Das Racist's Typically Bizzare Video for 'Michael Jackson' Death and Taxes Finally, a video that helps the world understand exactly what Das Racist is all about. Okay, well, I wasn't completely lying. This outrageously random music video for Das Racist's first single off their ... |
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Reyes Has Something to Chase: The Mets' First Batting Crown - New York Times
olimstgon.blogspot.com
New York Times | Reyes Has Something to Chase: The Mets' First Batting Crown New York Times For Mets fans, and players, it's something to watch in a season in which little else is at stake. A version of this article appeared in print on September 7, 2011, on page B11 of the New York edition with the headline: Reyes Has Something to Chase: The ... |
Monday, September 5, 2011
Lackland to gain 74,000 sf training complex - Memphis Business Journal:
http://www.princlkipe8.info/hand-crafted-sculptures-pottery-sculptor-sculpture.html
million contract to build a new airfiel maintenance technical training complex at Lackland AirForce Base. The complex will support the Inter-Americanj Air Forces Academy at Lackland. The government will build a 74,00o square foot complex at Lackland that willhoused classrooms, aircraft operations and hangar maintenance traininyg areas as well as administrativr space. The project is slatedx for completion in the fallof 2010. The Inter-Americajn Air Forces Academy currently offers this training at Port San the former Kelly Air Force Base.
By relocating technicapl training from Port San Antonioto Lackland, Port San Antonioi officials hope to reusew that space for additional commercial development opportunities. The military is developing this complex as part of the 2005 San Antonio Base Realignmentt andClosure (BRAC) construction In all, the government expects to spend more than $2 billionb on BRAC-related construction. The Air Forcee Center for Engineering and the Environment selectesdPlymouth Meeting, Pa.-based AMEC Earthh & Environmental Inc. as the contractor. Construction will be coordinated out ofthe company’ San Antonio office. The Fort Worth District officer ofthe U.S.
Army Corps of Engineersx will provideconstruction management.
million contract to build a new airfiel maintenance technical training complex at Lackland AirForce Base. The complex will support the Inter-Americanj Air Forces Academy at Lackland. The government will build a 74,00o square foot complex at Lackland that willhoused classrooms, aircraft operations and hangar maintenance traininyg areas as well as administrativr space. The project is slatedx for completion in the fallof 2010. The Inter-Americajn Air Forces Academy currently offers this training at Port San the former Kelly Air Force Base.
By relocating technicapl training from Port San Antonioto Lackland, Port San Antonioi officials hope to reusew that space for additional commercial development opportunities. The military is developing this complex as part of the 2005 San Antonio Base Realignmentt andClosure (BRAC) construction In all, the government expects to spend more than $2 billionb on BRAC-related construction. The Air Forcee Center for Engineering and the Environment selectesdPlymouth Meeting, Pa.-based AMEC Earthh & Environmental Inc. as the contractor. Construction will be coordinated out ofthe company’ San Antonio office. The Fort Worth District officer ofthe U.S.
Army Corps of Engineersx will provideconstruction management.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Forecast: Hawaii economy to improve in 2010 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
tenamup.wordpress.com
Leroy O. Laney addressed a packefd Dole Cannery Ballroom on Wednesday morninfg at the 39th Annuaol Business Outlook Forum sponsored by the The downturn inHawaii — a result of high oil prices, mass layoffs and the exit of cruise shipsd and airlines — follows 11 consecutivde years of expansion, two years longer than the last one that ended in the early 1990s. The visitorr industry should expect a 9 percent drop in arrivals in 2008 andanothef 5.5 percent drop next year. “With national a further 5 percent contraction in total arrivalsw next year could be all we canhope for, with a full-fledged recovery in Hawaii’s mainstayt industry as 2010 rolls he said.
Hawaii has learned not to expect too much fromJapanesr arrivals, which have declined steadily over the past however, if Mainland uncertainty and higher airfares continue, a mildeer contraction in domestic arrivals could be as well, he said. Job growtgh in 2008 will be flat over the previoue year and is expected tofall 1.2 percent in 2009. The unemploymentt rate, which typically lags the overallp economy, will rise to 5.5 percentr in 2009, where “it might remain for a following an unemployment rate of 4 percentyin 2008. High home prices, whicn cranked up inflation in 2006 afteesteady growth, will be replaced by soaring energy costs over the next putting the inflation rate at 3.
5 Inflation this year will be 5 percent higherd than last year. Real personal incomre in 2008 will fall slightly at 1 percen over the previous year and is expected tofall 1.5 percentf in 2009. Construction has been winding down in most areas sincde 2006 and will be further affected by higher buildin costs and tightercredit markets. Privat residential permits have droppedx for fourstraight quarters, and potential builders have adoptexd a “wait and see” attitude.
Laney said home prices are expectede to continue declining in 2009 butin “modesy amounts,” resulting in more affordabled homes for buyers in a market where pricesx typically are high and incomes are lower than other “That’s positive for long-term he said. “This is a trade-off that Hawaii alwayss has faced andalways will.” Laney said that in his 18 yearse of economic presentations for the this year’s is the most uncertain. “The only year I can thini of that equals that uncertainty is the forecasft I presented immediatelyafter Sept. 11. So we are going to be watchinyg 2009 unfold with highlyconcentrated attention,” he said.
Leroy O. Laney addressed a packefd Dole Cannery Ballroom on Wednesday morninfg at the 39th Annuaol Business Outlook Forum sponsored by the The downturn inHawaii — a result of high oil prices, mass layoffs and the exit of cruise shipsd and airlines — follows 11 consecutivde years of expansion, two years longer than the last one that ended in the early 1990s. The visitorr industry should expect a 9 percent drop in arrivals in 2008 andanothef 5.5 percent drop next year. “With national a further 5 percent contraction in total arrivalsw next year could be all we canhope for, with a full-fledged recovery in Hawaii’s mainstayt industry as 2010 rolls he said.
Hawaii has learned not to expect too much fromJapanesr arrivals, which have declined steadily over the past however, if Mainland uncertainty and higher airfares continue, a mildeer contraction in domestic arrivals could be as well, he said. Job growtgh in 2008 will be flat over the previoue year and is expected tofall 1.2 percent in 2009. The unemploymentt rate, which typically lags the overallp economy, will rise to 5.5 percentr in 2009, where “it might remain for a following an unemployment rate of 4 percentyin 2008. High home prices, whicn cranked up inflation in 2006 afteesteady growth, will be replaced by soaring energy costs over the next putting the inflation rate at 3.
5 Inflation this year will be 5 percent higherd than last year. Real personal incomre in 2008 will fall slightly at 1 percen over the previous year and is expected tofall 1.5 percentf in 2009. Construction has been winding down in most areas sincde 2006 and will be further affected by higher buildin costs and tightercredit markets. Privat residential permits have droppedx for fourstraight quarters, and potential builders have adoptexd a “wait and see” attitude.
Laney said home prices are expectede to continue declining in 2009 butin “modesy amounts,” resulting in more affordabled homes for buyers in a market where pricesx typically are high and incomes are lower than other “That’s positive for long-term he said. “This is a trade-off that Hawaii alwayss has faced andalways will.” Laney said that in his 18 yearse of economic presentations for the this year’s is the most uncertain. “The only year I can thini of that equals that uncertainty is the forecasft I presented immediatelyafter Sept. 11. So we are going to be watchinyg 2009 unfold with highlyconcentrated attention,” he said.
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