SMITHFIELD — The hand-printed sign taped on the door of Lisa's Sweet Shoppe, shuttered and dark near the hustling Smithfield Station, is crystal clear: "Out of business. We did not relocate."

Just down the wooden boardwalk of gift shops, Ham Town Books owner Becky Veverka is negotiating a cash-only deal with a customer who wants to buy the colorful shelf that holds the store's children's book inventory. After a dismal Christmas season, Veverka is giving up on the cozy shop she opened 18 months ago by remortgaging her home and dipping into her retirement fund.

"One of the reasons I can't make it — not the only one, but a big one — was that I could not get locals into the store this year," said Veverka, pointing outside toward South Church Street. On an overcast winter's day, flagmen were routing alternating lanes of traffic through the potholed artery that runs to downtown Smithfield.

Rather than driving around the frequently clogged South Church Street, people turned to the Internet or grabbed what they wanted while shopping in other cities, Veverka said.

Traffic headaches are just one of the concerns that have cropped up with the lengthy final phase of the $4.4 million Church Street Beautification Project, said Town Manager Peter Stephenson. After years of planning and fundraising by residents, the Norfolk-based Excel Paving broke ground in January 2011 for the 18-month overhaul of one of the town's most historic — and most heavily traveled — roads.

The project is on time and budget for a May 2012 completion, Stephenson said.

For the past 14 months, residents, business owners and motorists have waited patiently — for the most part, anyway — through ripped up sidewalks, stopped traffic lines, unpaved streets filled with holes and dips so large that motorists have to drive at half the legal speed limit. They have gotten used to waking up to jackhammers, having strangers — usually tourists — walk across their yards or work crews digging holes in their lawns to bury utility lines, said South Church Street resident Florine Moore.

"It can be frustrating at times, but you have to remember the outcome," Moore said. As part of the project, which is being funded with $1.9 million in private donations, South Church Street will have brick sidewalks, new lights that look historic, storm-water drainage, public parking and buried utility lines, with the exception of one electric line running between the Cypress Creek Bridge and Thomas Street.

Dominion Virginia Power's estimate to bury its main cable was in the millions, said Stephenson. Through state and federal grants, the town is able to absorb the cost of undergrounding the wires running from the main power line to each house, Stephenson said.

In an effort to speed up progress, the town has allowed Excel to shut down two block of South Church, between Cedar Street and the intersection of Luter and Thomas streets, until April. Although the closure also shuts down one of the historic district's main intersections, Main and South Church streets, it allows work crews to work six days a week.

Most traffic heading downtown seems to take the bypass, a route that misses Smithfield Station and its adjacent shops, said Veverka. It's a stark contrast to Smithfield Station next door, where manager Randy Pack says business at his family-owned restaurant, marina and motel is up 21 percent this year, mostly because of three promotional efforts through Groupon.

Groupon is an online coupon site that offers deep discounts to subscribers.

Pack estimates that his Groupon sales brought about 50 visitors and families to Smithfield, with most coming from Richmond, Washington, D.C.and New York City, Pack said.

"Most of my shops (at Smithfield Station) are doing well, " said Pack, adding that he is close to sealing a deal to bring a similar business into the waterfront store that was once Lisa's Sweet Shoppe.

Over in downtown, several businesses reported seeing minor — if any — declines in business related to the Church Street Beautification Project. "Maybe a 10 percent reduction," said Rita Greiner, owner of Smithfield Flower Shop.

Margaret Carroll, owner of the Smithfield Confectionary, said business at her eatery has grown, simply because people who use to lunch at Smithfield Station are staying in town to avoid the road work.

Although road construction probably did negatively impact the book store and bakery, the floundering economy probably played the largest role, said Jim Carroll, executive director of the Small Business Development Center of Hampton Roads.

"The economy is the 800 pound gorilla in the room," said Carroll. "There is a lot of uncertainty in the markets and when that happens, people tend to hang onto their money longer. Although some businesses are thriving, others are withering on the vine because the business is just not what they expected."

Generally speaking, road construction — particularly long-range projects such as the one in Smithfield — can cramp the style of struggling businesses, Carroll added.

"It becomes a problem when it gets to the point you are constantly at the mercy of the construction," Carroll said.

Meanwhile, Veverka plans to empty her shop over the next few weeks.

"Books, shelves, even the rugs. Just about everything is for sale except my stuffed pigs," Veverka said.""It's been a tough year. If nothing else, I hope my closing will make people aware of the need to shop local."

Originally posted here:
Smithfield's Church Street beautification project on final stretch

It didn’t take Amy Magan and her family of five long to realize how much help their dishwasher had been to them when it stopped working after just two years on the job.

“Five-hundred bucks for a new dishwasher wasn’t within our budget, so we tried to just limp along and hand-wash dishes for a while,” said Magan of Carmel, Ind. “We finally broke down and called a repair guy.”

Magan is happy she did. She was able to get her dishwasher repaired as well as a leaky refrigerator for just $150.

Often, homeowners with a non-working appliance assume they have to replace it, but calling a reputable repair company first could save them big bucks. A new appliance could cost thousands of dollars, but the average price of an appliance repair call ranges from $40 to $100.

“Unless you have a little bit of knowledge and know it’s an expensive repair, you should call somebody,” said Joe Wolf, a member of the Professional Service Association, an independent trade association for appliance service technicians and owner since 1975 of Wolf Appliance Repair in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

“Sometimes, the customer makes the decision (to replace) before they call us. If your car is not starting, you might only need a battery. You wouldn’t replace the car.”

Factors such as the age of the appliance, the amount of maintenance it has received over its lifespan, how much use it has had and how well it has performed will likely factor into the decision of whether to repair or replace.

Most large appliances should last at least 10 years, some for more than 20, according to surveys of highly rated repair specialists and a study by the National Association of Home Builders (nahb.org).

Typically, if a repair will cost more than half the cost of a new appliance and the ailing unit is more than six or seven years old, it’s time to replace it.

The upside of buying new is that most appliances are more energy efficient. However, environmental benefit analysis should also consider the disposal factor. Repairing an older appliance could keep it out of landfills for several more years.

Sometimes the decision is more aesthetically-minded than environmental. Here again, you can save money with repair.

“I have had many customers throughout the years — for instance they have a dishwasher with a panel that matches the rest of the kitchen who would do just about anything they could to repair it so they don’t have to figure out the decor of the kitchen and how they’re going to make the new dishwasher fit in,” Wolf said.

If you do need to colour match your appliance, there are companies that match them to any desired colour scheme through an electrostatic painting technique that makes them look factory new.

“They come out gorgeous,” said Jimmy White, owner of Custom Spraying and Reglazing in Staten Island, N.Y. “Today, your average refrigerator costs $400 to refinish. If you have a person who has a certain-sized refrigerator that can only fit in a certain spot, or that you want in a certain colour, then, $400 is (worth it).”

Proper maintenance will extend the life and energy efficiency of any machine, and help you put off the decision of repair or replace. Don’t overload washing machines and dryers, clean condenser coils on refrigerators, always follow the factory-recommended preventative maintenance guidelines and call a professional if you notice the appliance is not working properly.

“Many times, if you don’t repair it as soon as you hear a noise, it causes much more damage,” Wolf said.

As with any hire, check out local reputation and performance and get price quotes before you commit to a decision.

angieslist.com

5 questions to ask

1. Is it really broken? Check the troubleshooting section of your instruction manual for common problems. You may have a frayed plug, tripped circuit breaker or a bad surge-protector outlet.

2. How old is the appliance and does it have a history of bad operation? Explore your repair options first if this is the first sign of trouble.

3. What’s the cost difference between repair and replacement?

4. What will replacement cost if the new model won’t fit in your kitchen? How about removal, installation and disposal costs?

5. Will energy savings offset the cost of a new appliance?

How to preventing problems

1. Clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator annually and check door seals to ensure they are airtight.

2. Check air filters monthly and replace as needed.

3. Don’t overload dishwashers or washing machines.

4. Inspect the clothes dryer exhaust duct annually. Clean the lint filter before each use.

5. Don’t allow heavy grease buildup on your stove or oven.

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Repair it or replace it?

LEDs Could Lead You Right to a Discount

A startup believes combining LED technology and smart-phone apps will offer precise indoor location data.

Monday, February 13, 2012 By Rachel Metz

When you go to the grocery store, chances are you find yourself hunting for at least a couple of items on your list. Wouldn't it be easier if your smart phone could just give you turn-by-turn directions to that elusive can of tomato paste or bunch of cilantro, and maybe even offer you a discount on yogurt, too?

That's the idea behind ByteLight, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup founded by Dan Ryan and Aaron Ganick. ByteLight aims to use LED bulbs—which will fit into standard bulb sockets—as indoor positioning tools for apps that help people navigate places such as museums, hospitals, and stores, and offer deals targeted to a person's location.

Accurate indoor navigation is currently lacking. While GPS is good for finding your way outdoors, it doesn't work as well inside. And technologies being used for indoor positioning, such as Wi-Fi, aren't accurate enough, Ryan and Ganick say.

Ryan and Ganick feel confident they're in the right space at the right time: there's not only been a boom in location-based services, but also in smart-phone apps such as Foursquare or Shopkick that use these services. Meanwhile, LEDs are increasingly popular as replacements for traditional lightbulbs (due to their energy efficiency and long life span).

ByteLight grew out of the National Science Foundation-funded Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center at Boston University, which Ganick and Ryan, both 24, took part in as electrical engineering undergrads.

Initially, ByteLight focused on using LEDs to provide high-speed data communications—a technology referred to as Li-Fi. But Ryan and Ganick felt their technology was better suited to helping people find their way around large indoor spaces.

Here's how it might work: you're in a department store that has replaced a number of its traditional lightbulbs with ByteLights. The lights, flickering faster than the eye can see, would emit a signal to passing smart phones. Your phone would read the signal through its camera, which would direct the smart phone to pull up a deal offering a discount on a shirt on a nearby rack.

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LEDs Could Lead You Right to a Discount

NDSU will be suing three contractors it hired to work on the Minard Hall's north-side renovation project before the partial collapse in December 2009.

JLG Architects, Heyer Engineering and Northern Technologies Inc. are facing a complaint filed by NDSU that alleges they were responsible for the collapse and damages associated with the collapse of Minard Hall.

According to court documents prepared by NDSU, the university is asserting negligence on the grounds that the contractors failed to properly test soils prior to excavation, provided a defective design and failed to identify the defect prior to the collapse.

Heyer Engineering was hired as a consultant to JLG Architects during the process, and NTI was hired for geotechnical exploration and consulting services.

NDSU's documents assert that NTI created drawings at the request of Heyer Engineering, which was itself working under an agreement with JLG Architects. Construction of a retaining wall began in early November 2009, nearly two months before the collapse.

Heyer Engineering "denies the allegations that [it] was engaged to design or designed any retaining wall or excavation located adjacent to the north end of Minard Hall," according to court documents the contractor prepared.

According to the documents prepared by NDSU, JLG Architects became concerned about the slope of the excavation in early December, but both Heyer Engineering and NTI found the slope to be compliant.

However, JLG Architects insists its discussion minutes for this meeting are inconsistent with these allegations, and Heyer Engineering denies that JLG Architects asked them to confirm the contractual compliance of the slope.

NDSU's complaint concludes by claiming, "After the collapse, but still on Dec. 27, 2009, Heyer Engineering stated that it thought there was a problem with the soil which had been discussed three or four times with NTI and JLG Architects."

Heyer Engineering specifically denies these final claims.

JLG Architects asserts that it was not their contractual or legal obligation to design the excavation. The contractor also claims that its responsibilities did not include establishing a soil testing protocol or geotechnical exploration program.

Heyer Engineering's answer to the complaint claims that NDSU and the State Board of Higher Education had responsibility for geotechnical engineering.

NTI claims that its services had no role in the collapse and that the university's "own acts, omissions, negligence, assumption of risk or other fault, including its failure to exercise reasonable care to avoid or minimize the collapse or any resulting damages, was the sole proximate cause, or contributed to the cause, of [NDSU's] claimed damages, if any."

The amount of the damages will be determined in trial, but the amount will include costs incurred as a result of both the collapse and the creation of the modified plans.

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Enlarge image Dubai Developers Tap Retail Sweet Spot, Homes, Offices Fall

Visitors are seen in "Fashion Avenue" at the Dubai Mall retail center in Dubai.

Visitors are seen in "Fashion Avenue" at the Dubai Mall retail center in Dubai. Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Dubai Developers Tap Retail Sweet Spot, Homes, Offices Fall

Emaar’s Dubai Mall had 54 million visitors in 2011, a 15 percent increase from the previous year, placing it ahead of Times Square and Niagra Falls, the company said in a statement last month.

Emaar’s Dubai Mall had 54 million visitors in 2011, a 15 percent increase from the previous year, placing it ahead of Times Square and Niagra Falls, the company said in a statement last month. Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Dubai Developers Tap Retail Sweet Spot, Homes, Offices Fall

The site for Nakheel PJSC's Pointe development on the Palm Jumeirah artificial island is seen from the monorail off the coast of Dubai.

The site for Nakheel PJSC's Pointe development on the Palm Jumeirah artificial island is seen from the monorail off the coast of Dubai. Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Dubai Developers Tap Retail Sweet Spot, Homes, Offices Fall

The Gold Souk section of the Dubai Mall, seen here, has been underperforming as shoppers don’t have to walk through it, resulting in low sales that forced Emaar to consider remedies.

The Gold Souk section of the Dubai Mall, seen here, has been underperforming as shoppers don’t have to walk through it, resulting in low sales that forced Emaar to consider remedies. Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Dubai Developers Tap Retail Sweet Spot, Homes, Offices Fall

Shops around the large Aquarium in Dubai Mall tend to do better as tourists wander off to the nearby stores, after looking at the rare fish swimming in the giant tank, Gaffney said.

Shops around the large Aquarium in Dubai Mall tend to do better as tourists wander off to the nearby stores, after looking at the rare fish swimming in the giant tank, Gaffney said. Photographer: Gabriela Maj/Bloomberg

Dubai’s developers, battered by three years of falling prices for homes and offices, are seeking refuge in retail assets as shopping tourism powers the economy.

Nakheel PJSC, the government-owned company that restructured $16.1 billion of debt last year, is expanding its Dragon Mart shopping center and trying to raise funds for a cluster of restaurants and stores at the tip of its Palm Jumeirah artificial island. Dubai Mall owner Emaar Properties PJSC (EMAAR) is getting an increasing share of its earnings from shopping assets as home completions fall.

“Most developers are looking to build recurring revenues because there are so few property sales happening right now,” said Patrick Gaffney, an analyst at HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd. “The sectors that are doing best are retail and hotels because of strong tourist arrivals.”

Dubai’s malls and shops have become more attractive after home values fell by more than 65 percent from their 2008 peak while retail sales have been rising since 2009. Developers that don’t already generate significant revenue from shopping assets will struggle to get a foothold in the market because little is being built or sold and banks are reluctant to finance any type of development in the emirate, including retail, Gaffney said.

Retail revenue in the United Arab Emirates probably increased 5.3 percent last year to 113 billion dirhams ($31 billion) Business Monitor International estimated. That will probably rise to 120 billion dirhams this year and 157 billion dirhams by 2015, it said.

Biggest Mall Owner

Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC (0115682D), the operator of Carrefour SA (CA) stores in the Middle East, is the largest owner of shopping malls in Dubai. The closely held developer this month raised $400 million selling Islamic bonds for the first time as part of a $1 billion program. Last month the company reported an 18 percent increase in revenue in its home market and said 2011 was its most successful year since being founded in 1992.

Majid Al Futtaim priced its $400 million, five-year Islamic bond, or sukuk, at a rate of 5.85 percent on Jan. 31. The yield rose 4 basis points since it started trading this month to 5.66 percent on Feb. 10. That compares with a 7.4 percent yield for Emaar’s 8.5 percent Islamic notes maturing in 2016. Emaar, Dubai’s second-biggest retail operator, also builds housing and offices.

Share of Income

Emaar reported that 41 percent of revenue and 68 percent of pretax profit came from hospitality properties and leased space including shopping malls in the first nine months of last year. That compares with 24 percent of revenue and 27 percent of profit a year earlier.S

Owning the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest with rentable space equivalent to 50 football fields, also helped the company when it used the asset as collateral to refinance 3.6 billion dirhams of debt at a lower price.

Retailers including American Eagle Outfitters Inc., Limited Brands Inc. and luxury watch seller Rivoli Group are opening shops in Dubai as consumer confidence rises. Macy’s Inc., the second-biggest U.S. department-store company, in January 2010 chose the Dubai Mall to open its first Bloomingdale’s store outside its home market.

Prospects aren’t as bright for developers that haven’t built up retail assets. Union Properties PJSC (UPP), which is mainly focused on homes and offices, this month reported a full-year loss of 1.57 billion dirhams. The company in January handed over ownership of properties including some in Limestone and The Index to settle 1.1 billion dirhams of debt.

Debt Due

Development PJSC, partly owned by Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC, has 234 million dirhams of debt coming due this year, compared with about 37.7 million dirhams of profit in 2011. The company had a loss of 2.9 billion dirhams the previous year.

“Even though retail is generally strong, especially at the large malls, we don’t expect many developers to build new ones because funding is tough and there is already a good amount of supply in the market,” Gaffney said. “The areas that will do best are smaller strip malls or supermarkets near housing developments.”

Shopping accounted for about 30 percent of Dubai’s gross domestic product last year, Standard Chartered Bank Plc economist Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce estimated. The Dubai Statistics Center said retail and wholesale trade rose by 9.3 percent and hotels and restaurants increased by 4.4 percent in 2010. It hasn’t yet released figures for last year.

New Shops, Restaurants

Nakheel is in talks with banks to raise at least 300 million dirhams for its first new project since the debt-ridden company received a government bailout in 2009. The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah, across the water from the Atlantis hotel, will include 120 restaurants, 75 shops and landscaped areas for visitors with a view of an offshore fountain.

“The retail sector is strategic for Nakheel,” Chairman Ali Rashed Lootah said at a press conference in January. He added that 60 percent of an extension to Nakheel’s Dragon Mart mall was booked by retailers within a week of its announcement. The company plans to add 1.7 million square feet of retail space and 5,000 parking spaces to the mall.

Even with a growing retail market, Nakheel may have difficulty raising the money after it received a government bailout and restructured debt, according to analysts including Ahmed Talhaoui, the Abu Dhabi-based head of investment and asset management at Royal Capital PJSC.

“Any issue would have to be at a very competitive yield and probably with a structure that gives some government guarantee,” Talhaoui said in a January interview.

Costly Debt

The yield on Nakheel’s 3.8 billion-dirham, 10 percent sukuk maturing in August 2016, fell 123 basis points, or 1.23 percentage points, so far this year to 16.86 percent on Feb. 10, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compares with an average yield of 4.45 percent for U.A.E Islamic bonds on Feb. 10, the HSBC/NASDAQ Dubai UAE US Dollar Sukuk Index shows.

Emaar, which opened Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, in 2010, derived about 23 percent of its 2011 income from retail rents and is now focusing almost exclusively in Dubai on growing sales at its malls, HSBC’s Gaffney said. Tourists visiting the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck can only get there by going through the Dubai Mall.

“Emaar was better positioned than others when the financial crisis hit,” said Gaffney. “They had already launched and sold so much in Dubai and didn’t have tons of unsold inventory coming on line. They also were focused on the construction of Burj Khalifa, Emaar Boulevard and Dubai Mall, rather than starting new projects.”

Malls, Hotels

Malls and hotels are the main value drivers for Emaar, whose projects span the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, Ahmed Badr said in a note on Oct. 27, when he was head of Middle East property research at Credit Suisse Group AG. He now works as an equity sales specialist with the bank.

Dubai, the second-largest of seven sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates, racked up $129 billion in debt transforming itself into a tourist and trade hub. While many developments were canceled, attractions including Burj Khalifa and resort hotels like the Atlantis help bring in visitors who shop for goods that aren’t available in much of the region.

“The local population is wealthy enough to be able to keep buying and the tourism growth was very strong in Dubai last year,” said David Macadam, head of retail for the Middle East and North Africa at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. He said Dubai shopping is bolstered by visitors from the Gulf region, Europe, China, the Indian subcontinent and the rest of the Arab world.

Popular Destination

Dubai hotels reported an 11 percent increase in visitors in the nine months through September compared with a year earlier, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and armed conflicts in Yemen and Syria mean that tourists in the region have fewer options for vacations.

Buyers spent $114 million in the first week of Dubai’s month-long shopping festival, a 53 percent increase over the year earlier period, according to Karim Beg, Visa Inc. (V)’s head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Our marketing efforts have reached new markets in east Asia such as China and Japan and even though this strategy started only three years ago, we have seen its fruit already,” said Laila Suhail, chief executive officer of festival organizer Dubai Events & Promotions.

Dubai has 2.58 million square meters (27.8 million square feet) of mall-based retail space, according to a report by property broker Jones Lang LaSalle. About 173,000 square meters will be completed in the next two years, mostly in small shopping centers or strip malls, it said.

Reluctant Lenders

Banks wary of real-estate lending may make an exception if the business case for a project is clear and if adequate protection is put into place, said Raj Madha, an analyst at Rasmala Investment Bank Ltd.

Union Properties sold a building in the Umm Suqeim neighborhood for more than 140 million dirhams to supermarket operator Spinneys, Chairman Khalid Bin Kalban said in June 2010. Such transactions are rare in Dubai, where developers tend to hold onto shopping assets.

“It doesn’t make sense for owners to relinquish well- performing assets such as malls, which were great source of cash even during the crisis,” said Matthew Green, head of United Arab Emirates research at real-estate broker CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. “Also, when you look at mall owners they are generally companies that don’t have a pressing need to sell. Even if they wanted to sell, it won’t be prime assets.”

Skiing at the Mall

Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall of the Emirates, which contains an indoor ski slope, has a 99.8 percent occupancy rate, while the developer’s Deira City Center and Mirdif City Centre have rates of 98.8 percent and 96.9 percent respectively, according to the company’s prospectus.

Dubai’s mall vacancy rate stands at 20 percent, mainly because of smaller malls with low visitor numbers. Most big international brand retailers won’t open stores in small malls as they look for the most prestigious and high profile locations, Gaffney said.

After the sheikhdom first opened up its real-estate market to foreigners in 2005, developers focused on selling homes as speculation-driven investment drove up prices.

“At the time, it made more sense to sell land and residential units because it was less risky,” HSBC’s Gaffney said. Back then, developers couldn’t determine whether the location would be valuable by the time a shopping center was built, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zainab Fattah in Dubai on zfattah@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Blackman at ablackman@bloomberg.net

Continued here:
Dubai’s Developers Reach for Retail Lifeline as Residential Market Suffers

Radhika Rajamani feels SMS has all the ingredients to make it work at the box office.

SMS (Shiva Manasulo Shruthi), yet another love story on celluloid, comes packed with energy and zest and a sprightly new lead pair, Sudheer Babu and Regina Cassandra.

The film has its high moments, though it drags in some places.  Director Tatineni Satya [ Images ] has remade the Tamil film Shiva Manasula Shakti but with his own additions.

Shiva (Sudheer Babu) and Shruthi (Regina Cassandra) meet on a train travelling to Vizag. She says she is an airhostess with Kingfisher Airlines [ Images ] when in reality she is a radio jockey. She takes him to be an army man when in fact he is a courier boy. Their paths keep crossing and they fall in and out of love. There are plenty of such misunderstandings as the film progresses.

SMS is not the usual mushy love story. Here the hero and heroine are often at loggerheads and it's fun watching them argue and take each other for a ride. There's enough humour in the dialogues to make one laugh without the mandatory comedians. There are songs galore. There's some action for the hero too.

There's a mother (Rohini) and two suitors for Shruthi. In a sub-plot, Shruthi's brother, Sada [ Images ] (Vennela Kishore), falls in love with a girl from another community.

There's a bit of everything to make the dish palatable. Sudheer and Regina add the extra spice with their acting and the chemistry between them.

Director Satya ensures the momentum is maintained to a large extent. The low moments in the film would be the drinking sequences and certain sequences in the second half which break the energy and exuberance of the characters.

Sudheer Babu and Regina liven and lighten up the screen with their performances and act with the ease of old hands rather than the newcomers they are. Sudheer dances well and fights well too. He needs to work on his voice and dubbing though.

Regina, too, seems at ease before the camera. She is expressive and can convey a variety of emotions.  Although Rohini's acting was over the top, she did a good job. Tagabothu Ramesh made his presence felt in the climax in his usual role of a drunkard.

Selva Ganesh's music suited the film. The film scores on the technical front too.

Rediff Rating:

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Review: SMS is fun to watch

The foot-tall chunk of marble sitting in a state administrative office once was part of the Minnesota Capitol's ornamental scrollwork, one small detail on architect Cass Gilbert's century-old jewel. Now, it's mainly a reminder of this aging building's many deferred needs.

Time has eroded the marble's fine detail to the point that it's barely visible. It was plucked off the building by hand during a recent inspection of the Capitol exterior, and conservators say it's just a small example of $241 million in urgently needed restoration work that will only grow more expensive with time.

"They're big projects, they're scary projects, they're inconvenient projects," said David Hart, a Utah-based consultant to the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission. "But they're projects that have to happen. It's time."

The spending would address a lack of fresh-air circulation, outdated plumbing and tangled electrical wiring so systemic that only a major overhaul will do, the commission said. The building's sprinkler system and emergency stair exits need updating. And the commission wants to improve public access to legislative offices and create more flexible meeting spaces.

The money won't come easily. Gov. Mark Dayton didn't include any funds for such a project in his proposed bonding bill. Minnesota's budget situation is precarious, and other construction projects with more vocal supporters are vying for attention, such as the Minnesota Vikings' bid for a new

stadium.

Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said the Capitol's exterior needs repair. Some of the other items don't appear as necessary, he said.

"It would be nice to have a larger meeting room, but at what price?" Senjem said.

Rep. Dean Urdahl, a Grove City Republican who sits on the commission, is aware of the tough road ahead.

He wants to spread the renovation costs over two or three bonding bills, and is hoping for bipartisan support.

"We're going to put significant

In this photo made Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 in St. Paul, Minn., tangled wiring is shown in the tunnel system under the State Capitol. (Associated Press: Jim Mone)

money into this project this year," Urdahl said. Later, he added: "It's a question of if we don't do something, will we ever be able to catch up?"

Many states addressed expensive capitol restorations during the 1980s and 1990s, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Minnesota is one of a handful that has relied on piecemeal fixes.

In Colorado, a balcony once open to visitors was closed off because parts could break off the building's cast-iron dome. At Oklahoma's statehouse, barricades sealed off the public from cascading chunks of limestone and mortar. Oregon put off changes to make its building less vulnerable to earthquakes, though experts believe a severe one could kill people inside.

Much of the exterior of Minnesota's Capitol is headed in the same crumbling direction of that marble chunk, according to the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission. The structure, which features the second-largest stone dome in the world after St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, was erected in 1905 at the hand of architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Today, it's one of only a few state capitol buildings of its age that has yet to undergo a large-scale renovation. Some say the need merits the $241 million price tag, even during a lean time. The issue is coming to a head this year after a decade of planning and a century of small-scale quick fixes.

If approved, the project is slated to start this year and could take five years to complete.

According to the commission, the building has reached a "tipping point" at which certain upgrade changes must be made in one to two years or the building will be beyond preservation and instead demand constant upkeep or complete replacement.

This would mean a loss of cultural and historic value unseen in other states, said Greg Donofrio, an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Minnesota.

"The prominence and significance of Cass Gilbert as an architect is really pretty difficult to overemphasize," Donofrio said. "We have one of the first major works of a master architect right downtown in St. Paul."

Less comprehensive Capitol overhaul initiatives in the last decade were never fully implemented, and often didn't reach consensus because of clashes over money and priorities.

The necessary electrical, plumbing and mechanical updates reach a combined cost of about $43.1 million, said Wayne Waslaski, a director with the Administration Department who is working with the commission. He said they would be cheaper and last longer when done alongside interior efficiency renovations. The exterior stone restoration would cost $17.6 million.

"When you're making those major system changes, you're going to impact every room in the building," Waslaski said. He added that historic lighting and paint work restoration in public spaces is needed but could be done later.

But Senjem said funding the project in a $241 million lump is "inconceivable."

He said Urdahl's plan of funding over time might work, but that future Legislatures can't be committed to the project.

Though the building contains health and safety risks, much of the restoration initiative will rely on public support for what many inside the Capitol refer to as "the people's house."

Rich Polk of Eagan came to the building only once years ago, but recently returned while on a visit to St. Paul - one of the 120,000 people who tour the statehouse annually.

"It'd be a shame if we as a state can't maintain our Capitol," Polk said. "They'll do something. They can't just knock this down."

Read more from the original source:
Minnesota Capitol building needs $241 million restoration, experts say

BUILDING PERMITS

Boulder

Building construction permits over $10,000 in value that were approved in Boulder between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, 2012. Listed below are: the case number; address; total project valuation; owner name; contractor (if applicable); and description.

PMT2012-00142; 1071 Tantra Park Circle; $28,000; Michael Copeland; G. Kenny Builders LLC; Modification of exterior walls on main floor to create a 166-square-foot addition to an existing single-family dwelling. No remodel square footage. See ADR2011-00223 for supplemental information and minor mod approval.

PMT2012-00185; 1675 29th St., No. 1272; Charlotte Ball; Narvaes Western LLC; Tenant remodel of 2,467 square feet of an existing restaurant space to create a new restaurant Native Foods Cafe -- no mechanical modifications proposed or authorized under the scope of this permit. Modifications to Ansul hood suppression system by separate permit.

PMT2012-00418; 890 Ninth St.; $45,000; Joseph and Jorene Sutter; Clough Construction Services; Removal of an interior load-bearing wall at kitchen and reconfiguration of walls to open up living room area and dining room, add breakfast bar. Install door at existing window location -- no increase in width of opening. No modifications to header or king/jack studs. Remodel full bath on main level -- relocate sink to opposite wall -- toilet and tub to remain in same location. Add vent hood above existing gas range.

PMT2011-05567; 2400 Arapahoe Ave; $403,523.24; Co-Arapaho FW; Tenant remodel for Performance Bicycle. Includes electrical and minor plumbing and mechanical.

PMT2012-00393; 300 Bellevue Drive; $18,000; Carol Katz; Paradigm Construction; Foundation repair on southern elevation of residence, includes the replacement of four windows, code required egress to be met as applicable.

PMT2011-05561; 4520 Broadway; $54,400; Dana and Jennifer Schwartz; Apex Builders Inc.; Unit C tenant remodel of 1,000 square feet for chiropractic office at Uptown Broadway. Office to be located in previous sales center space.

PMT2012-00081; 445 Valley View Drive; $20,000; Bettina and Robert Bepler; Modification of roof elements to create/capture 68 square feet of floor area for a full bathroom, remodel of 172 square feet on second floor -- removal/reconfiguration of interior walls to modify second story floor plan. See ADR2011-00218 and HIS2011-00240 for supplemental information.

PMT2012-00319; 4715 Arapahoe Ave.; $61,899.60; Oncocenter LLC; Wyatt Construction Co.; Tenant finish of Education and IT Skills Lab (Room 023) in Tebo Family Medical Pavilion. See PMT2011-03860 for tenant finishes throughout the building.

PMT2011-04374; 2004 Orchard Ave.; $528,318.86; MLS Trust; New two-story single-family dwelling with 3,782 square feet of finished space, 1,216 square feet of unfinished basement, 679 square feet of attached garage and 958 square feet of decks and porches. Includes electrical, mechanical and plumbing.

PMT2012-00037; 1501 Lee Hill Drive; $46,056.25; Rentprop LLC; Tenant remodel of 625 square feet to create crew quarters for medical response unit -- to include kitchen facilities, bathroom facilities with shower, partition wall to bifurcate vehicle parking/storage from crew quarters. Existing lighting to be used -- no new lighting fixtures proposed or to be installed. Install 50-gallon water heater and garage unit heater -- existing RTUs and furnaces to be utilized.

PMT2011-05471; 6790 Winchester Circle; $953,925.50; KTDoublemd LLC, Golden Triangle Construction; Tenant finish for 19,500-square-foot one-story structure -- warehouse and administrative office areas for corporate headquarters for Smoker Friendly. Core and shell under PMT2011-03632.

PMT2012-00427; 1245 Fairfield Drive; $10,291; Beata Zawadzka-Gerritsen; Master bathroom and kitchen remodel. To include relocation of existing washer and dryer and installation of associated electrical.

The rest is here:
Boulder building permits: Feb. 13, 2012

EVERETT -- Children from Faith Lutheran Church helped build a retaining wall for a Guatemalan school in danger of sliding down a steep hillside in a remote village.

Although the children of the church didn't travel to the Central American country, their efforts made a real difference there.

Each year the children raise money to donate to organizations. Last year Marco Tulio Maldonado, the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation's director in Guatemala, traveled to Everett and shared some of the needs of village schools with the children of Faith Lutheran Church.

Maldonado makes an annual trip to Everett, which is headquarters of the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation.

The kids met with their leaders, Nancy Bolling and Janie May, to determine which cause to support. This year the Children of Faith raised money to help save the Guatemalan school. Pete Kinch, a former mayor of Everett, is a member of the church and also executive director of the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation. The nonprofit has staff that has worked near the small village of San Pedro Miador for more than 25 years.

The Everett children were so taken by stories about the children of San Pedro Miador that they chose to give their money to help the village, Kinch said.

During Maldonado's visit to Everett this year they presented him a check for $1,349.90 for the school.

The congregation donated generously because the children were enthusiastic about the project.

The school in San Pedro Miador was built on a steep slope. Heavy rain eroded the foundation. Hands for Peacemaking Foundation volunteers from Everett and villagers helped build a retaining wall that helped keep the building from toppling. The project was completed about a month ago.

"The people live 14 hours from the nearest city. Fresh water is a problem for the villagers. Their earnings average from $1.50 to $3.50 (a day) by picking sugar cane or coffee crop," Kinch said. "When the kids learned they could literally save the school, they worked harder."

The donation was one of the largest collected by children at the Everett church. In the past they've raised money to help the Everett Animal Shelter. This year the children are donating their money to the Little Red School House, which helps developmentally disabled children.

Church leaders said the children are proud to see their efforts help mobilize a village to save the school.

Winonna Saari: 425-339-3437; wsaari@heraldnet.com.

Read the original:
Children from Everett church help raise money to save school in Guatemala

She has been inundated with big money offers to DJ at parties after her first stint behind the decks at a bash for the fashion label Prada last month.

The supermodel has agreed to start hiring herself out for gigs at the eye-watering cost of ?250k for half an hour, which works out at just over ?8,330 for every minute.

That means she could almost buy the cheapest house in Britain every 60 seconds, or probably quicker given the cash she gets for ad campaigns like this one for Italian label Liu Jo.

According to pals, the Croydon clothes horse has been honing her DJ skills for a couple of years ? she has a pair of decks in a party barn at her house in the country.

Bottoms up ... Kate looks svelte in denim

A source said: "Kate loved getting on the decks so much in Paris that she wants to do more.

"She'll keep it to high-end, exclusive gigs though.

"The model has been talking to people in the business and they've said she can charge huge money for it

Laidback style ... Kate looks radiant in maxi dress

"She thinks the price is reasonable and has been told people will pay it, although she'll only play her favourites, definitely no cheesy requests."

No need for Peter Andre to send his CD over then.

Blonde ambition ... fair-haired Kate smoulders

The rest is here:
Kate Moss has got decks appeal