The Toronto stock market fell into negative territory Friday amid a big miss in Canadian job creation numbers while American employment data reassured investors that the U.S. is still the main pillar of support for the global economy.

The S&P/TSX composite index slid 70.38 points to 14,387.34 as Statistics Canada says the country lost 4,300 jobs in December but the national unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.6 per cent. Economists had forecast that the economy cranked out 15,000 jobs last month, after a decline of about 10,700 in November.

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The Canadian dollar was down 0.2 of a cent to 84.29 cents (U.S.).

New York indexes were also in the red after two days of major advances amid far more encouraging employment news as the U.S. economy created 252,000 jobs last month, comfortably above the consensus of 230,000. Also, the jobless rate fell to 5.6 per cent from 5.8 per cent.

The Dow Jones industrials fell 171 points to 17,736.89, the Nasdaq slide 35.13 points to 4,701.05 and the S&P 500 index slipped 17.82 points to 2,044.32.

The TSX energy sector rose 0.25 per cent while oil prices were lower following two days of gains, with the February contract in New York down 34 cents to $48.44 (U.S.) a barrel.

The base metals group drifted 0.1 per cent higher as March copper was down a penny to $2.76 a pound.

The gold sector ran ahead almost three per cent while February bullion was ahead $5.90 to $1,214.40 an ounce.

The financials group led decliners, down 0.35 per cent.

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Markets negative amid conflicting Canadian, U.S. jobs numbers

For what could be a first in the citys history, the decision to appoint a mayor for Beaumont was postponed at the first meeting of the year Tuesday until Jan. 20.

Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Fox motioned to delay the appointment without an explanation during the city council meeting. The council unanimously voted to appoint the mayor at the next meeting.

During a short break, Fox explained why he made the decision, saying the atmosphere wasnt right and there was no rush to appoint a mayor.

Fox was referring to tense interactions between audience members, the council and Mayor Brenda Knight during an action item on a Clean Water State Revolving Fund reimbursement. The item was regarding low-income areas that would be changed from septic to sewer systems. Discussions became heated when Councilman Lloyd White questioned Knight about why she received a letter in December from an organization, called California River Watch, and the council only learned of the letter just before Tuesday nights meeting.

City Attorney David Wysocki said that nothing was being withheld from the council members. He said he was investigating allegations contained in the letter and that the issue would be brought to the council in closed session on Jan. 20.

White asked Knight if she had received the letter and she said yes. White asked to go into closed session to discuss the issue but Wysocki said that would not be necessary because the letter was not an agenda item.

Knight said she was more comfortable following the advice of the city attorney.

Management analyst Kelsey Gormley gave a staff report on the fund that would allow the city to change an area of Sixth Street, between Xenia and Palm Avenues, from septic to sewer system.

Families living in three trailer parks and in 11 single-family residences considered low-income housing on Maple Avenue are affected, said Gormley.

Councilmember Mark Orozco said he had done his research on this subject and had been following it for several years. He asked when the application for the grant had been submitted.

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Mayoral appointment delayed, tensions rise at Beaumont council meeting

Lou Pektor, the developer behind historic renovations including the Main Street Commons building and Union Station, got a stamp of approval by planners Thursday to bring a Mexican brewpub and restaurant to an empty parking lot in south Bethlehem.

The Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve the land development plans for a 2 1/2-story building at the southeast corner of East Third and Polk streets, with the intent to house Cerveza, the brewpub, and Agave, a fine-dining restaurant.

The restaurant and brewpub will have 380 seats inside and on the rooftop. There also will be outside seating, a feature added over the last two months when the developer decided to move the building back 10 feet.

Pektor has said he hopes to open both restaurants by the end of this year. That hinges on whether the $6.7 million project at 404 E. Third St., can tap into the tax incentives offered in the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone.

The lot is outside of the zone's border, though the city authority overseeing the CRIZ in October approved the project as "qualified" to take advantage of zone tax benefits.

A formal application to change the boundary is needed, but city officials have said they are awaiting direction from the state on how to go about submitting the boundary changes for state approval.

The CRIZ covers 130 acres in Bethlehem, including large portions of former Bethlehem Steel land, and allows developers to use certain state and local taxes to offset construction costs.

Pektor said the tax incentive is crucial to financing the project.

"We can't make it work without it," he said.

He said the delay is not going to affect the interest of the restaurateurs, who have a similar operation in Seattle. It would be their first East Coast location, he said.

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Bethlehem planners approve Mexican restaurant, brewpub

The worst film director on the planet has high hopes of opening the best restaurant in Vancouver, something he swears is not a publicity stunt.

Bauhaus, a modern German restaurant set to launch in Gastown this spring, is the brainchild of Uwe Boll, who once challenged and knocked out five of his most outspoken critics in a highly publicized boxing match.

With characteristic chutzpah, the one-man Blitzkrieg of Bad, whose blood-soaked, B-grade video-game adaptations garnered him a rare Worst Career Achievement award from the Razzies (a qualitative counterpart to the Oscars), has recruited A-list lieutenants for his fine-dining project.

Stefan Hartmann, former owner of the one-Michelin-starred Hartmanns Restaurant in Berlin, is executive chef. General manager Tim Adams comes with sterling pedigree from Londons CH & Co., a contract catering group that serves the British Royal Households.

Vancouver is, uh, different from what Ive done in the past, Mr. Adams says diplomatically. In his most recent position as general manager of Kensington Palace, he once kept an office in the apartments now occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Touring the site at 1 West Cordova St. (previously home to the original Boneta), the trio was decidedly upbeat, almost giddy.

It wont be fancy-pantsy, said Mr. Boll, climbing over a stack of wood flats as a construction worker behind him put his boots to bending a long steel rod. Like the food, it will be clean and classic with a lot of straight lines. Vancouver designer Andrea Greenway is giving the heritage building a Mid-Century modern makeover in wood, marble and brick.

Bauhaus, however, will be very expensive: A three-course la carte dinner will be about $80 to $100 a person, the seven-course chefs menu even pricier. Prestigious wines on the Enomatic preservation dispenser could run up to $50 a glass.

As Mr. Hartmann correctly points out, the proposed prices are still great value when compared to Europe. But the question remains: Is Vancouver ready to pay top dollar for eisbein (pickled ham hock)?

There are a lot of Ferraris and Lamborghinis in Vancouver, Mr. Boll said, shrugging. People have money here. When I talk to business people, they all go to the same few places. We want to be part of that mix. Were not competing with anyone. Were offering something different.

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Low-budget gore film director set to launch high-end Vancouver restaurant

Cast Away Minecraft Episode 8: Remodeling The Home
Next Episode: http://youtu.be/LG4rt4sjoo0 Previous Episode: http://youtu.be/uw_M2kMPpOU I decide to go scuba diving but not realizing that one it is to dark to see and second there is nothing...

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After watching as this week's subzero temperatures turn all outdoor turf into tundra, you may have thought that, aside from the Mitchell Park Conservatory, there's no place left in Milwaukee where you can find something that offers a hint of spring.

But starting Friday, there's at least one more the annual Home Building & Remodeling Show at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.

The floor plan for the three-day show put on by the Metropolitan Builders Association includes, among about 130 exhibits showcasing builders, remodelers, lenders, decorators and others, several areas featuring landscaping ideas spots with real plants and lots of green.

Kristine Hillmer, executive director of the builders association, suggests it might be a good location for a respite from cabin fever during winter's coldest stretch, and a place to start thinking about 2015's possibilities for your home and yard.

"It's a great way to meet with lots of different companies," Hillmer said. "It's also kind of a way to get out of the house."

The theme of show, now in its 26th year, is "Building Lifestyles."

"It's really the start of the 2015 building season because when consumers come and talk to builders and remodelers, they're really getting ready for projects that are going to start in the spring and summer," Hillmer said.

One prominent topic this year is the ability of housing industry professionals to provide alternative construction materials and equipment for homeowners concerned about indoor air quality and the overall inside environment. Among titles of speaker presentations during the show: "Creating a Green Home for a Healthy Future," "Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Updates" and "Air Quality and Health in the Home."

Exhibitor Source 1 Project Solutions on Thursday was assembling a large booth that will show materials that commonly go into putting together key rooms of a house. It also shows alternate products, such as insulation made from denim instead of fiberglass, that could be used in construction or remodeling, and types of flooring that could replace carpet.

"We're kind of a walking tour through what you could do behind the walls as well as what you can do for finishes to create a healthier environment for your house as well as your workplace," said Jonathan Synovic, of Brookfield-based Source 1 Projection Solutions. "It's a gigantic booth. It's two stories tall, it's 50 feet wide."

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Home Building & Remodeling Show offers ideas, advice escape

By Anthony DennisJan. 10, 2015, 12:15 a.m.

Stylish Sri Lankan stays.

Beachfront bliss: Twenty Three Palm is a lavish Dutch colonial villa designed for groups or families.

Beachfront bliss: Twenty Three Palm is a lavish Dutch colonial villa designed for groups or families.

Beachfront bliss: Twenty Three Palm is a lavish Dutch colonial villa designed for groups or families.

Beachfront bliss: Twenty Three Palm is a lavish Dutch colonial villa designed for groups or families.

The Royal Air Force, during the Sri Lanka-based south-east command in World War II displayed impeccable taste when it requisitioned this handsome, 17-room white-columned colonial manor house for the duration. Nowadays it's favoured by upscale tour operators for its proximity to Colombo's international airport, avoiding, for the sake of arriving guests, the extended and congested trip into unfancied Colombo. Considering its serene setting, its attractive rooms and its pavilion-style restaurant overlooking exquisite tropical gardens, it's a pity that most of those who stay at this delightful quasi-airport hotel do so for just a night before moving on. Doubles from $276 a night. See thewallawwa.com

A gorgeous, relaxed villa complex set in an even more gorgeous walled garden of lush tropical plants, Why House is a statement, not a question, in Sri Lankan style. The World Heritage-listed Galle Fort is a 15-minute drive with Wijaya beach a short stroll away but the oversized, palm-shrouded pool and shaded dining pavilion may keep you in-house for more of your time than you expected. One of the best features of the eight-room villa, consisting of two architecturally-designed main buildings and two cabanas, is Henrietta Cottam, Why House's warm and welcoming expat English manager, whose personality is nearly as a big as the property itself. Doubles from $387 a night. See whyhousesrilanka.com

A stunning, regulation white-washed, absolute beachfront villa, Twenty Three Palm is owned by the operators of nearby (and aforementioned) Why House. Inside the Dutch colonial-era main house are two master bedrooms, a junior suite and lavish living areas with soaring ceilings looking across an expansive lawn to the thunderous crashing waves of the Indian Ocean. Designed for groups or families, the villa comes with its own dedicated chef, a separate tea house by the sea and, of course, a mandatory swimming pool. Rates on request. See twentythreepalm.com

If you need a reason to visit Kandy Sri Lanka's somewhat under-loved de facto second city look no further than the more than 200-year-old Kandy House, perhaps the teardrop isle's quintessential colonial-era villa. At just nine spacious, antique-filled and TV-free rooms (each named after native Sri Lankan butterflies), the elegant Kandy House offers an almost meditative sense of seclusion. The gorgeous gardens, which lead to an infinity pool overlooking rice paddies, provide the perfect outlook for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Doubles from $295a night.See thekandyhouse.com

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Six of the best: Stylish Sri Lankan stays

Ice Cream Movie Scenes - Renu Killing Plumber - Navdeep, Tejaswi Madivada
Ice Cream Movie Scenes - Renu Killing Plumber Movie: Ice Cream, Cast: Navdeep, Tejaswi Madivada, Sandeepthi, Director: Ram Gopal Varma, Music: Pardyodhan, Pr...

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Toronto Plumbers, Call 647-496-6525, Plumbers In Toronto, 24-HR Emergency Plumbing Service
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New Berlin, Wis. (PRWEB) January 09, 2015

Batzner Pest Management is proud to announce that Scott Lupo, Master Service Professional, has been named the 2014 Pest Control Technology (PCT) Residential Pest Control Technician of the Year. Lupo will be honored at a March 15 ceremony at National Pest Management Association Legislative Day in Washington D.C.

Lupo, a Waukesha native and former Marine, has been with Batzner for 17 years as a Service Professional. Lupo was chosen to receive the award based on his outstanding customer service record and technical skills.

Throughout his tenure at Batzner, Lupo has acquired numerous certifications from Purdue University, the National Pest Management Association and the Entomological Society of America. Most recently, Lupo completed the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) certification program in 2013.

Scott is very deserving of this award for his longtime dedication to providing legendary customer service, said Jerry Batzner, President of Batzner Pest Management. Scott continually proves himself as a positive community force with his involvement in various Autism awareness efforts.

When I heard I was receiving the award, I felt a mixture of surprise and excitement. I didnt really expect it. said Lupo. It was an honor to be nominated for the award, but to be chosen from a field of the best pest professionals in the business is humbling.

Outside of his day job, Scott is a husband and father of two sons. Scott is heavily involved in Walk Now for Autism Speaks in support of his six-year-old son, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age. Additionally, Scott serves as a volunteer horse walker at Lifestriders, a local therapeutic horse-riding program.

Lupo is the first Batzner Service Professional to win the award since Rob Van Willigen was named Commercial Technician of the Year in 2009.

You can read Lupos story in the January issue of PCT Magazine and watch a video with Scott here.

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Batzner's Lupo Named PCT Technician of the Year