Portrait of Paul and Marlene Page on the last day of business of their store, Mart's Small Appliance Service on E. Valley Parkway in Escondido. The place has been in business since 1961.

ESCONDIDO Its the kind of shop that just doesnt exist anymore.

Marts Appliance Service, an iconic Escondido repair shop, shut its door last week once and for all.

The business had operated at its East Valley Parkway location since 1975, but owners Paul and Marlene Page announced last year that they wanted to retire, after a lifetime of repairing vacuums and lawn mowers, coffee makers, blenders and lamps.

They had hoped to find someone to take over the shop, but that didnt happen. Nowadays, with small appliances being so inexpensive, people tend to pitch a broken toaster rather than repair it.

Mart's has closed -- end of an era Charlie Neuman

The store closed for good Wednesday.

They could fix anything, said longtime neighbor and customer Stan Weinberg, a family doctor whose office for decades was located a couple doors down from Marts. Its an end of an era, but we all get old.

Paul Pages connection to the store actually goes back to 1964, when as a young man he was looking for a part-time job and was referred by the unemployment office to a business on Grand Avenue. He walked into Marts then owned Martin Gehring by mistake and got hired.

A final couple blenders await repair Charlie Neuman

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Iconic repair shop calls it quits

Maybe Arana Hankin, the state official in charge of Atlantic Yards, and Jane Marshall, a Forest City Ratner executive, should take a relatively brief evening walk from their Fort Greene homes to check out the deafening construction noise at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street.

Marshall recently likened the additional stretch of overnight noise to a dentist's appointment that would be over in a month.

But that's not quite right.

It's probably closer to a long-term dentist's visit without any novocaine. After all, one resident of 568 Pacific Street described it as "torture."

At that building on Monday night, inside a hallway, a visitor registered a 94.0 dB reading on a decibel meter, as shown in the photo at right.

That's way, way off the charts.

(Update October 14: This noisewas related to worknot under the direct control of Forest City Ratner, but is related to Atlantic Yards.)

Measuring impacts

The upper acceptable limit at night, according to the city and state, is 65 dB, which itself is way above the recommended level of 45 dB, as noted below.

But there's no evidence anyone officially involved in Atlantic Yards has tried to monitor this, or to offer promised mitigations (see below). Hence my suggestion above.

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Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report: Construction noise ...

A sharp slowdown in government-built schools and infrastructure caused U.S. construction spending to fall slightly in November.

The Commerce Department said Friday that construction spending slipped 0.3 percent in November, after having climbed an upwardly revised 1.2 percent in October and 0.6 percent in September.

Much of the decline came from a 1.7 percent retreat in government expenditures. Publicly-built school spending fell 2.5 percent, while the transportation, health care and public safety sectors also fell.

Private construction spending rose a modest 0.3 percent in November. Home-building climbed 1 percent in November, offsetting the declines in the office, commercial and health care-related construction.

Total construction spending has improved a mere 2.4 percent from a year ago to $974.9 billion.

Construction activity has lagged broader economic growth for much of 2014, hampered by limited gains in homebuilding. Few potential buyers can afford new homes, a reflection of meager wage growth, tight credit standards and builders focused on pricier housing developments that are beyond the financial reach of most home-seekers.

Residential construction spending declined 0.5 percent over the past 12 months to $352.7 billion, although solid gains in the past two months suggest that homebuilding activity likely helped economic growth in the final quarter of 2014. Analysts at the bank Barclays projects that annualized growth in the October-December quarter will be 2.8 percent, a solid increase but down from an annualized gain of 5 percent in the third quarter.

Modest buying activity has dissuaded builders from breaking ground on more homes. Sales of new homes dropped 1.6 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 438,000, the Commerce Department said in a recent report. That second straight monthly decline leaves home construction significantly below the annual rate of 700,000 that was common in the 1990s.

Still, broader economic growth should help to bolster construction. Employers have added 2.65 million jobs through the first 11 months of 2014, the most in 15 years. Each new paycheck helps to increase consumer spending, even though average wages have yet to meaningfully outpace inflation. The job gains have accompanied faster economic growth during the second and third quarters of 2014.

"As the labor market continues to show improvement and wages increase, especially for young adults, we expect the pace of single-family building to pick up this year," said Anika Kahn, a senior economist at Wells Fargo.

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US construction spending down 0.3 pct. in November; government building activity leads decline

The Wine Pub on Shelter Island/Point Loma is one of many San Diego restaurants that not only allows dogs but encourages owners to bring their pooches. The Wine Pub is so dog-friendly, in fact, it offers a "homemade K-9 menu." A new state law that went into effect Jan. 1 makes it legal for all restaurants to allow dogs on the patio.

Make no bones about it, San Diego is one of the pooch-friendliest places in the country.

And those lucky dogs are getting a treat in 2015 with a new state law in effect as of Jan. 1 that officially allows Fido on restaurant patios throughout California.

Not that San Diego canines have been stuck at home waiting for a doggie bag theyve been joining their best friends in outdoor seating areas around the region for years. And because the new law doesnt require eateries to accommodate dogs, dont expect a wave of doggy cafes to be unleashed.

It just validates a long-standing practice here, said Wendy Patrick, an attorney and business ethics lecturer at San Diego State University.

Its a recognition of the fact that dogs are part of our family. If businesses want customers, they have to consider that. But for all the naysayers, dont worry, it doesnt permit a candlelit dinner for three inside.

In fact, the law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last summer, sets conditions for how and where dogs can be and still makes allowances for local ordinances that ban the practice.

Among the laws conditions are that pet owners must keeps their dogs on a leash or in a carrier and cant let them sit on chairs or tables. Restaurants will be required to have separate outdoor entrances to the patio so the critters wont be marched through indoor dining rooms.

Sponsors of the original bill, AB 1965, argued that while outdated state laws made it illegal to do so, many restaurants already chose to allow dogs on their patios. A number of county health departments around California had also approved rules allowing individual restaurants to decide whether or not to allow dogs on patios.

David Cohn, president of the Cohn Restaurant Group, said many of the chains eateries with patios already provide water bowls for dogs and he doesnt expect the new law to have much impact.

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Fido free to join you at dinner

TORONTO - Tough new rules making it illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios have taken effect in Ontario.

Smoking on playgrounds and public sports fields is also prohibited.

The new rules also ban the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses.

The Ministry of Health has said the changes to the Smoke Free Ontario Act replace a patchwork of municipal regulations governing smoking on restaurant and bar patios, and will not hurt their businesses.

The measures were first announced in November.

The province says tobacco kills 13,000 people in the province each year and causes an estimated $2.2 billion in direct health care costs.

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Every cigarette you smoke reduces your expected life span by 11 minutes.

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Smoking On Patios, Playgrounds And Public Sports Fields Is Now Illegal In Ontario

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Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press

TORONTO Not that anyone will be enjoying a pint on a patio in the middle of winter, but if you were to venture outside of a bar or restaurant, youll have to go a little bit further to enjoy a cigarette.

New regulations took effect on New Years day prohibiting smoking on restaurant and bar patios in Ontario.

The prohibition was first announced in November when the Liberals announced changes to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

The changes also added playgrounds, and sports fields to the places where people can no longer smoke. The revised legislation also bans the sale of tobacco products from university and college campuses.

WATCH: (Nov. 7) Associate Health Minister Dipika Dameria announces the new smoking ban

The Canadian Cancer Society applauded the move in November, calling the courageous measures a way to further curb smoking among young people.

Creating smoke-free outdoor spaces and patios not only protects the public and workers from second-hand smoke but also reduces social exposure to smoking behaviour,saidCanadian Cancer Society Public Affairs Vice-President Rowena Pinto in a media release.

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Ontarios new anti-smoking rules take effect, banning smoking from patios

A person smokes a cigarette in downtown Ottawa on Sept. 29, 2009. A new survey shows dropping rates of drinking, drug use and smoking among Canadian teens. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pawel Dwulit

Tough new rules making it illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios have taken effect in Ontario.

Smoking on playgrounds and public sports fields is also prohibited.

The new rules also ban the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses.

The Ministry of Health has said the changes to the Smoke Free Ontario Act replace a patchwork of municipal regulations governing smoking on restaurant and bar patios, and will not hurt their businesses.

The measures were first announced in November.

The province says tobacco kills 13,000 people in the province each year and causes an estimated $2.2 billion in direct health care costs.

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Tough new anti-smoking rules take effect in Ontario

This article is about foot washing as observed by Christians. For foot washing as observed by Muslims, see Wudu.

Maundy (from Latin mandatum or mendicare),[1] or Washing of the Feet, is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. John 13:117 mentions Jesus performing this act. Specifically, in verses 13:1417, He instructs them:

As such, many denominations observe the washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week[1] Moreover, for some denominations, foot-washing was an example, a pattern. Many groups throughout Church history and many modern denominations have practiced foot washing as a church ordinance.[1]

The derivation of the word Maundy has at least two possibilities for the origin:

The root of this practice appears to be found in the hospitality customs of ancient civilizations, especially where sandals were the chief footwear. A host would provide water for guests to wash their feet, provide a servant to wash the feet of the guests or even serve the guests by washing their feet. This is mentioned in several places in the Old Testament of the Bible (e.g. Genesis 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24; I Samuel 25:41; et al.), as well as other religious and historical documents. A typical Eastern host might bow, greet, and kiss his guest, then offer water to allow the guest to wash his feet or have servants do it. Though the wearing of sandals might necessitate washing the feet, the water was also offered as a courtesy even when shoes were worn. I Samuel 25:41 is the first passage where an honored person offers to wash feet as a sign of humility. In John 12, Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus' feet presumably in gratitude for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, and in preparation for his death and burial.

The Bible records washing of the saint's feet being practised by the primitive church in I Timothy 5:10 perhaps in reference to piety, submission and/or humility.

There are several names for this practice: maundy, foot washing, washing the saints' feet, pedilavium, and mandatum.

Christian denominations that observe foot washing do so on the basis of the authoritative example and command of Jesus as found in the Gospel of John 13:115:

Jesus demonstrates the custom of the time when he comments on the lack of hospitality in one Pharisees home by not providing water to wash his feet in The Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verse 44:

The rite of foot washing finds its roots in scripture. Even after the death of the apostles or the end of the Apostolic Age, the practice was continued.

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Foot washing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NEW DELHI: In a first such move, Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which is responsible for maintenance of 1.76 lakh government houses across 53 cities, has specified a time-frame for attending to different complaints. It's 6 hours for blocked drains or restoration of water and power supply and a maximum of three days for cleaning drains and overflow of water.

CPWD has come out with a "maintenance charter", approved by urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, an official release said. The government has also made a provision for Rs 1,202 crore for maintenance works for the current financial year.

Besides government accommodation, CPWD is responsible for maintaining office area of a total of 22.6 lakh sq metres, including some well known monumental and prestigious buildings such as the President's Estate, Parliament House and the Supreme Court, apart from hospitals, colleges and sports complexes.

As per the maintenance charter, CPWD is required to inform the public the time-frame for attending to different complaints. For major complaints such as internal wiring and repair of doors and windows the maximum time limit set is 30 days. As for periodical services such as white washing, painting and cleaning water tanks, it's 60 days.

CPWD had earlier introduced two toll-free phone lines -18002664499 and 1899114499 for lodging maintenance complaints from any of the 53 cities across the country. Action taken would be informed to the complainants on their mobile phone numbers.

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CPWD now fixes time frame to address woes

Organizing Kitchen Countertops
Kitchen countertops seem to be the perfect place for people to dump things. Learn how to keep them clear and organized.

By: Cathy Bates

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Organizing Kitchen Countertops - Video