Ottawa has more than a dozen hookah bars that offer tobacco-free smoking. (CBC)

A committee of Ottawa city councillors has approved a motion to ban the use of hookas in parks, but stopped short of banning them on patios and inside restaurants.

The hookah, or nargile, is a Middle Eastern water pipe that can be used to smoke herbal products other than tobacco.

The city's smoking bylaw was extended this year to extend to patios, city parks and beaches, but the bylaw only deals with tobacco and not other substances.

Hookah bars sell products that are typically a blend of molasses and fruit, although some hookah bars illegally cut the blend with tobacco at customers' requests.

The city committee was considering a recommendation to close that loophole and prohibit the smoking of water pipes and non-tobacco products on outdoor municipal property.

But city lawyers said they want to hear the result on an ongoing court battle in Vancouver before giving councillors an opinion on an all-out ban.

A ban on hookahs in parks must still be approved by full council.

Anti-smoking activists such as Pippa Beck had wanted to see the loophole closed.

"You're still inhaling carbon monoxide, particulate matter and all of the biproducts of combustion, so smoke in the lungs is not a good thing, it's not good for health," said Beck.

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Ottawa committee proposes hookah ban at parks

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A well-known Myrtle Beach family tradition, Springmaid Beach Resort, has recently completed a seven million dollar property-wide renovation.

Specifically, renovations to Springmaid Beach Resort's Live Oak guest rooms feature decor with new carpet and porcelain tile; new window treatments; new American-made furniture; new wooden cabinetry, Five Diamond Series mattresses with plush bed toppers, pillows and linens; contemporary artwork; granite countertops; all new energy efficient lighting fixtures; new appliances; flat panel televisions; and new balcony flooring. The Resort's Live Oak tower features new corridors, elevators, refurbished parking areas and newly renovated pool areas; resurfaced and tiled water features, resurfaced decorative pool decks; new pool furniture and landscaping.

Renovations to the Resort's Palmetto guest rooms feature; Five Diamond Series mattresses with plush bed toppers, pillows and linens; new American-made furniture; new window treatments; contemporary artwork; granite countertops; all new energy efficient lighting fixtures; new appliances; flat panel televisions; and new balcony flooring.

A majority of the Resort's oceanfront meetings and conference facilities have been renovated to feature new carpeting; updated bathrooms with granite countertops, lighting, partitions and decor; window treatments; updated foyers with new furnishings; and crown molding.

Resort-wide upgrades include decorative corridor flooring; enhanced resort signage; landscape enhancements with new vegetation; renovated pool areas including resurfaced and tiled water features, and new pool furniture; an upgraded fitness center with all new equipment including treadmills, elliptical, exercise cycle and nautilus weight machines, gym flooring and wall coverings.

Springmaid Beach Resort also now features a newly constructed tackle shop stocking all necessities for the perfect day of fishing on the Springmaid Pier; an enhanced General Store and renovations to the Resort's Harbor Oaks miniature golf course; as well as extensive renovations to the Resort's on-siteMarlin's Restaurant.

"We are already receiving overwhelming positive feedback from our guests on our renovations," said Don Singletary, Springmaid Beach Resort's general manager.

For more information about Springmaid Beach Resort, visit http://www.SpringmaidBeach.com.

Springmaid Beach Resort is managed by Charlestowne Hotels, Inc., a full-service hospitality management company offering innovative, yet proven expertise in hotel development, operational controls, marketing and revenue management and financial reporting. For more information about Charlestowne Hotels and to view the hotel portfolio, visit http://www.CharlestowneHotels.com.

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Springmaid Beach Resort Completes Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Project

MERCED, Calif., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Along with focusing on education in a 21st century learning environment, safety was of utmost concern to President Paul Bunton's BCA Architects, the community-based Steering Committee and the Merced Union High School District Administration that collaborated together to design the new El Capitan High School in Merced, CA. The new 2,000-student school just reached the 50% complete milestone and is on track to open for classes in fall 2013.

"This is truly a school designed by the community," said Paul Bunton, AIA, president of BCA Architects. "This collaboration is evident in the design of several buildings on campus such as the gymnasiums, the performing arts center, cafeteria and the library that each are sited to allow after-hours access by the public while maintaining security in the quadrangle."

According to Bunton, the design of the new high school, from start to finish, responded to the Board of Trustees objectives of "providing students with a quality learning environment the students will respond to with pride, commitment, and respect."

"It is an incredible environment that will both motivate and challenge the students that enter it to excel in life. The desire to convey an attitude of Student Achievement in a high-quality, safe, educational environment was paramount," said Bunton.

Michael Belluomini, the District's Director of Facilities, stated, "Having worked on the planning of two high schools in the district prior to BCA's involvement, I was struck by BCA's attention to obtaining stakeholder input regarding the design of the school. The final design of the school is tailored to the needs of teachers, students, administrators and staff."

During the course of the design, the Merced Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team reviewed BCA's design and offered valuable information that would help the Police Department evaluate "lock down" procedures and intruder scenarios at the school. These collaborative efforts even inspired a change in the design from interior corridors to exterior corridors so school administrators would be able to aid the Merced SWAT team should an unfortunate Columbine type of event occur at Merced.

"BCA's clear awareness of the importance of student safety in schools led them to include the Merced Police Department early in the design of the new Bellevue Road Area High School," said Chief of Police Norm Andrade of the Merced Police Department. "This holistic vision of their public school design has led to an incredibly integrated and safe solution."

El Capitan High School was designed primarily as a two-story campus with interconnected buildings that wrap around a large central landscaped quadrangle and provide exceptional visual supervision. The sweeping curve of the main educational building is reflective of Fehrens Creek that runs directly behind the new high school.

The project has been designed as a Collaborative for High Performance Schools facility and is being built with durable products and materials such as masonry, steel, and energy-efficient mechanical equipment. The end design always kept the community's goals in mind: Student Achievement, Safety, Family and Community Partnerships.

"BCA Architects successfully and skillfully led the complex design process for the new (El Capitan) High School in Merced. As a member of the Steering Committee and a member of the local Community, I was impressed with the design of the new high school, and BCA's responsiveness to the Committee," said Bill Cahill, assistant city manager, City of Merced. "BCA's design solution for this new High School integrated the community's perspective on diverse issues, while responding to a very difficult site."

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Paul Bunton's BCA Architects Partners with Community to Design a School that Optimizes Learning and Student Safety

By Kris Hudson

Many cities saddled with a dying mall envision rebuilding the eyesore as a multilevel, mixed-use complex with vibrant stores, offices and condominiums.

Most of those cities are dreaming, and the harsh reality is that their derelict retail properties likely will linger and deteriorate for many more years, according to Don Wood, president and chief executive of shopping center owner Federal Realty Investment Trust.

Mr. Wood oversees a real-estate investment trust that owns 85 shopping centers totaling 19 million square feet in major U.S. cities. Yet, he told an audience at the National Association of Real Estate Editors annual conference on Wednesday that he considers the U.S. to be overbuilt with retail properties.

There is too much retail supply in this country, and that will affect values and redevelopment and whether or not something gets torn down, Mr. Wood said in a 50-minute address at the Denver conference.

Thats a concern as the U.S. faces the likely failure of many retail properties in the coming years due to the ongoing rise of online shopping and store closures by one-time stalwarts such as Best Buy and Abercrombie & Fitch. Green Street Advisors, an analysis firm that tracks REITs, has forecast that 10% of the roughly 1,000 large malls in the U.S. will fail within the next 10 years and be converted into something with far less retail. Thats a conservative estimate; many mall CEOs predict that the attrition rate will be higher.

U.S. retail vacancy rates continue to decline from their recent heights, partly due to the dearth of new retail construction after decades of overbuilding. Retail vacancy in the top 54 U.S. markets was 7.3% in this years first quarter, down from a high of 7.9% in the first quarter of 2010, according to real-estate research company CoStar Group. Retail space now amounts to 50.2 square feet per capita in the top 54 U.S. markets, CoStar says.

With the specter of more ghost malls looming, municipal leaders often draft plans to replace their failing mall with dense, mixed-use projects intended to serve as new city centers. The trouble is, many markets lack the key elements needed to support such a project, Mr. Wood said. He should know, since Federal Realtys main specialty is redeveloping urban shopping centers into mixed-use projects such as the REITs Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Md., and Santana Row in San Jose, Calif.

First and most important, mixed-use projects require a much higher population density and household income than typically are found in the markets surrounding a failed mall. Second, building such dense projects is highly expensive due to underground parking and multiple floors above grade. Third, not all developers are savvy enough to coordinate construction of divergent real estate such as retail, residential, office and hotel.

Fourth, such mixed-use projects are so expensive that the local municipality often must provide some type of financial assistance, which some cant readily do.

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Retail REIT Executive: Most Failed Malls Will Languish

SAN MATEO, CA and SINGAPORE--(Marketwire -06/21/12)- Menlo Worldwide Logistics, the global logistics subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (CNW), announced construction is ahead of schedule on its eighth Singapore facility, a 400,000-square-foot build-to-suit warehousing and retail distribution management center on Sunview Way. The new facility, which is being constructed to achieve the Singapore Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) Green Mark Gold Plus certification, is expected to be completed this fall.

The center will house inventory and distribution operations for several current Menlo customers, while retaining substantial capacity for new customers, noted Desmond Chan, managing director, South Asia for Menlo Worldwide Logistics. "We are getting a lot of interest in this facility, which will be among the most environmentally friendly commercial logistics facilities in the region," said Chan. "We welcome the interest and we encourage local businesses to consider this facility for high-efficiency warehousing and distribution services."

To achieve the BCA's Green Mark Gold Plus certification, the facility incorporates several advanced design and construction features emphasizing high levels of environmental sustainability and energy and water resource conservation. These features include the use of green cement and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) for concrete used in constructing the main building elements, west-facing faade orientation, tinted reflective glass windows and sun-shading provisions for increased thermal efficiency. "Receiving the BCA Green Mark Gold Plus certification for our Sunview facility is an honor and a clear indicator of our commitment to environmentally friendly facilities and practices," Chan said.

To further increase energy conservation, the facility will be equipped with high-efficiency air-conditioning equipment, as well as advanced lifts designed with AC variable voltage and variable frequency motor drive and sleep mode features. High frequency ballasts in fluorescent luminaries, such as Philips T5 Lighting, will provide efficient, quality workplace lighting. Additional features which promote environmental sustainability include motion sensors and timers on electric appliances and lighting, as well as sustainably sourced office carpet, internal partitions and ceiling boards.

Following completion of construction, Menlo intends to operate the facility using Lean methodologies and practices promoting operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, waste minimization, energy and resource conservation, and recycling of reusable goods.

With operations in Singapore for nearly 20 years, Menlo provides a wide variety of logistics, warehousing, inventory and transportation management, distribution, fulfillment, light manufacturing and supply chain design and engineering services for local and multinational customers. The new Sunview facility will provide product warehousing and distribution, high-velocity picking and packing operations, customized labeling and return management services. The company expects to employ 150 people once the site is fully operational.

"By emphasizing green-certified development practices and materials, Menlo is setting the precedent for other leading companies to follow," said Nitin Chhabra, Head of Supply Chain, Philips Lighting. "The company is working to grow and expand its business footprint in Singapore while simultaneously reducing its environmental footprint. We are proud that Philips Lighting products will play a role in that process." Philips will be a customer in the new facility, where Menlo will be providing a range of services including inbound receipt of finished goods, storage and inventory management, pick/pack fulfillment and shipping of orders to local Singapore and Asia regional customers.

Menlo's existing seven facilities are located throughout Singapore with 450 employees and provide dedicated and multi-client distribution services. Menlo also operates additional multi-client logistics facilities in Southeast Asia, as well as China, India, Australia, North America and Europe.

Follow the Con-way companies on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MenloLogistics

Menlo Worldwide Logistics images are available at http://www.con-way.com/en/about_con_way/newsroom

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Construction Ahead of Schedule on Menlo Worldwide Logistics' Advanced Green Distribution Center

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Service Point USA, a longtime Managed Print Services (MPS) provider, enters its third decade of MPS leadership with an expanded suite of end-to-end business, marketing and graphics advisory services. Service Point is favored by architects, engineers, construction consultants, photographers, graphic designers, self-published authors, and artists -- all professional users of large format and high-quality color-rich printing. Service Points new bundling of MPS with design and specialty reprographics is directly aligned the industry needs of commercial real estate and building design, hospitality, advertising, high tech, pharmaceuticals and biosciences. Along with higher education institutions, museums and galleries, these sectors routinely demand high-quality, specialty printing.

Service Points customer satisfaction is exemplified by the recent renewal of ten-year MPS customer Bruner/Cott Architects and Planners of Cambridge, Mass., a 40-year-old architectural firm for which four-color oversized color renderings, glossy project sales brochures, large project signage and reception collateral are vital to its business. Bruner/Cott is nationally renowned for design of buildings that work, including repurposed Ivy League campus buildings and stately landmarks. The decision to renew their MPS contract exemplifies how Service Point has kept pace with new printing and scanning technologies while generating operational excellence and value for the firm.

According to Bruner/Cott CFO Mark Teden, Our firm places a high value on technological expertise and a team approach, and we expect those same qualities from a valued service provider. For the past ten years, weve trusted the visual representation of our work to Service Point USA, but before we renewed our contract, we conducted comparative research to be sure our managed print service provider was our best choice. Their flexibility, consultative approach, investment in talent, and deep knowledge of our own high-end equipment points to their category leadership. Im pleased to continue to partner with Service Point USA.

New Service Value Package Differentiates Service Points MPS Offering

According to Managing Director and COO Kevin Eyers, Service Points track record for superior printing quality and service has distinguished the company above copy shops and big box retailers who have recently jumped onto the MPS bandwagon.

At the infancy of MPS, Service Point took a solution-driven, service-focused approach to each customers unique situation. By bundling services, we consolidate expert technical and design guidance with productivity gains to maximize efficiency and print quality. Our leadership in MPS, combined with decades of hands-on specialty and large format printing experience, make us ideally suited to create bottom-line impact to regional and global businesses with subsidiaries abroad, as well as for small business and nonprofits, Eyers said.

Analysts Peg MPS As High Growth Service Sector

Growth in Managed Print Services as an outsourcing strategy is the subject of two bullish 2012 industry forecasts by technology analyst firms Forrester and IDC, the latter projecting an annual growth rate of 11.7 percent[1].MPS analyst Photizo Group reported[2] by 2014, some 50 percent of print services would be outsourced to a MPS provider.

The enthusiastic response to Service Points service bundling has invigorated recruitment of new talent from high-touch customer service, commercial printing, and design software backgrounds.

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Managed Print Services Fuels Growth of Service Point USA

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Fifteen of the most acclaimed films by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock come together on Blu-ray for the first time ever when Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection is released on September 25, 2012 for a limited time only. Digitally restored from high-quality film elements and presented in perfect high-definition picture and sound, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection brings the Master of Suspense's best work to home audiences as it's never been seen before. This ultimate collector's set features 13 films previously unavailable on Blu-ray, a collectible 50-page book featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, and much more. Plus a treasure trove of over 15 hours of documentaries,filmmaker commentaries, interviews,screen tests, trailers and a new documentary "The Birds, Hitchcock's Monster Movie," enough to satisfy even the most ardent Hitchcock fan.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120621/LA28351)

Spanning three-and-a-half decades of the director's prolific career, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection includes the classic thrillers Psycho,The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, The Trouble with Harry, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzyand Family Plot. The films feature performances from some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Julie Andrews, Paul Newman, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Tippi Hedren, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Sean Connery.

One of the most influential and revered cinematic innovators of all time, Alfred Hitchcock had a profound and lasting impact on modern moviemaking. Renowned for his signature wit, thrilling plots, pioneering camerawork and original editing style, Hitchcock's masterful ability to wring every drop of suspense out of each scene is still studied and emulated by filmmakers around the world. He was nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards, and four of his films (all of which are included in this collection) appear on AFI's prestigious "100 Years100 Movies" list.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection is the ideal gift for film lovers, Hitchcock fansor anyone who wants to discover for themselves what makes him the undisputed Master of Suspense.

Synopses and Bonus Features

Saboteur (1942)

This riveting wartime thriller stars Robert Cummings as a factory worker who is falsely accused of sabotage and sets off on a desperate, action-packed cross-country chase to clear his name.

Bonus Features:

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

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From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

Nonprofit Restoration House of East Tennessee has bought 5.7 acres of West Knoxville land to build an apartment complex for single-mother families.

Called The Village, the gated complex off Robinson Road initially will include 18 apartments in three single-story buildings. Another building fronting Robinson Road will house Restoration House offices, community space and an exercise room.

The Village will quadruple the ministry's capacity to work with single-mother families, Executive Director Daniel Watson said Wednesday.

Restoration House provides up to transitional housing and team mentoring for single mothers and their children. Two families now live in a duplex on the property of ministry founders Daniel and Mandy Watson. Three more live in apartments in a complex where the ministry helps pay their rents.

Restoration House in May paid Taragon Vandewerken $140,000 for the land. Groundbreaking for the $2.2 million project is set for October with construction to be completed by April 2013.

Each frame-construction apartment building will incorporate two-, three- or four-bedroom apartments. A two-bedroom apartment would be about 900 square feet. The complex will include community gardens, play areas and shared yards. A master plan includes a fourth six-unit apartment building to be built when funds are available.

The property is adjacent and south of the Watsons' home. Their house and the adjacent duplex used by Restoration House families were built in January using volunteer labor and materials through the television program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The build will air as a November television special for the now-canceled program.

Watson said $1.3 million has been raised to build The Village. Donations include a $250,000 gift by Michael and Jackie Crabtree of Knoxville. Nine churches from four denominations each pledged $36,000 toward an apartment construction.

The churches also will provide mentors for families and perform maintenance on their family's apartment. Restoration House is looking for more churches for the project, Watson said.

The ministry is requesting contributions from foundations and major donors this summer and will begin a public fundraising campaign in the fall. Fundraising events include a September open house on The Village property.

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Restoration House buys land for 'The Village'

John Bryson has resigned from his Commerce post.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- John Bryson resigned his post as Commerce Secretary on Thursday, less than two weeks after an episode involving a seizure and a series of traffic accidents.

Bryson, a former energy industry CEO, had served in the position since October, and his departure leaves the Obama administration with one fewer private-sector luminary.

Bryson brought significant business experience to the Commerce Department, having served as CEO and chairman of the parent company of Southern California Edison (EIX, Fortune 500) for almost 20 years.

Bryson retired from Edison in 2008, and was working as a senior adviser at private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) at the time of his nomination.

Bryson's selection was widely viewed as an example of the Obama administration's efforts to improve its occasionally rocky relationship with the business community.

But the former CEO's nomination was held up for months by Republican lawmakers who wanted to prioritize free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama.

Bryson was eventually confirmed by the Senate in October.

It was not immediately clear who will succeed Bryson, but Obama voiced support in a written statement for acting director Rebecca Blank, an academic with ties to the Clinton administration.

With only a few months before Election Day, the Obama administration may not make any immediate moves to replace Bryson.

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Obama loses cabinet member with business ties

ATLANTIC - The Cass County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees voted four to two to go ahead with remodeling work that will create a new conference/training room on the first floor of the hospital, at a cost of $117,048.80.

The new conference and training room will replace the current second floor conference room.

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CCMH board approves conference and training room remodeling project