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By David Forbes on 03/27/2012 01:00 PM

Many city residents first encountered the term in 2009, when Boston-based consultants Goody Clancy recommended the idea in their draft of what became Ashevilles Downtown Master Plan. Council adopted the plan later that year, and a series of committees established by the Downtown Commission went to work on implementing it. One of them, the Downtown Management Subcommittee, was charged with crafting a specific proposal for the BID. Recently, the subcommittee has begun pitching its plan to Council, civic groups and the general public, in part through a series of public meetings.

BIDs provide specified services to a designated area. In Asheville's case, the proposal calls for City Council to levy a special tax on downtown property 7 cents per $100 of property valuation to help fund the BID.

Basically it will add a layer of services above and beyond what the city provides, says downtown resident Susan Griffin, who chairs the Downtown Management Subcommittee. There's no one model for a BID: They're really based around local needs.

With an estimated budget of $700,000 to $900,000 a year, the local BID would be aiming to keep downtown clean, green and safe. To accomplish this, the nonprofit would fund 10 to 12 distinctly uniformed downtown ambassadors, who would help keep the area clean, assist visitors and generally keep an eye on things. In various presentations, Griffin has said the ambassadors would try to deter "illegal or undesirable behavior" ranging from panhandling to people lingering on the sidewalk.

They clean up, they check out if there are problem spots if a sidewalk needs power-washing, for example, Griffin explains. They're trained specifically to deal with issues like panhandling; they have contact with the police. The goal is to make this a more efficient downtown. The ambassadors, she says, could also help with things like escorting employees who leave work late at night.

In addition to the tax assessment, the city and county are each being asked to directly contribute about $150,000 per year to the BID's budget. Griffin calls this an investment; an economic-impact study her subcommittee commissioned estimates that the BID could boost property-tax revenues in the district by about 2 percent a year, and sales-tax revenue by 5 percent. The proposal would also bind city government to maintain its current level of total spending on downtown.

If approved by Council in May, the BID would get an initial three-year term, after which the city could decide whether to renew. In the meantime, however, the nonprofit would be free to spend those tax dollars however it saw fit, as long as it provided the specified services.

Asheville's Downtown Master Plan cites the example of a BID setting up security cameras and/or providing additional security patrols. Griffin says the BID would have more modest goals, though once approved and funded, the board could decide on a different approach.

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Place your BIDs: Property owners propose downtown business improvement district

About business

Thai govt roadshow attracts investment from line-up of Korea's top companies & SMEs: electronics, electrical appliances, even solar power & electricity from garbage.

Photo above of PM Yingluck Shinawatra wearing a Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress worn on special occasions.

Click button to listen to Korea Investment in Thailand to download

INVESTMENT

Manufacturers assured no repeat of 2011 crisis 27/03/2012 Chatrudee Theparat

SEOUL : South Korean investors are determined to pour at least 12 billion baht into Thailand over the next two years.

Investments will be for both new and expansion projects in the electronics, electrical appliances, metal parts and agro-processing sectors.

Industry Minister M.R. Pongsvas Svasti said DAS Tech Co, a manufacturer of solar cell panels, is seeking Board of Investment (BoI) approval for an expansion project.. Another project comes from Daerim, a partner of Hyundai Heavy Industry, to generate power from garbage with an investment of 1 billion baht. That project has already won BoI privileges, and the factory may be located in Phetchaburi province.

Original post:
Korean Investment: 12 billion baht

Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2012 6:25 pm | Updated: 6:28 pm, Fri Mar 23, 2012.

Bonesteel offering handyman business

James Jimbo Bonesteel is seeking new clients for his Any Odd Jobs business.

As spring arrives, Bonesteel offers seasonal outdoor services such as power washing residential and commercial siding, driveways, sidewalks, porches, decks and outdoor furniture.

Any Odd Jobs also tackles lawn care services such as mowing, hedge trimming, fertilizing, spraying for bugs and trimming trees and bushes.

Bonesteel offers home maintenance and repair services such as gutter cleaning, replacing windows and screens, small painting jobs, janitorial services and mold and mildew removal. He also can remove carpet, wood flooring and paneling and install new carpet or flooring.

In winter months, Bonesteel will snowblow sidewalks, plow driveways and parking lots and remove snow from roofs. Bonesteel also has experience running Bobcats and other small machinery as well as welding and trailer repair experience. He has six years of welding experience.

He can work jobs through his Any Odd Jobs business or as a contractor.

Bonesteel previously served in law enforcement and as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. Born with nerve deafness, he uses a cochlear implant. He has worked to overcome a muscle spinal injury to launch his Any Odd Jobs business.

He can be reached by texting or calling 370-1614.

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Business reports for Sunday, March 25

Sitting for GMAT? Taking a package tour? Good. Be prepared to pay more as service tax.

Reams have been written about what the Budget means for businessmen. But it also affects many other groups.

Students who are planning to write the GMAT or GRE should be prepared to shell out more from April. Fees on coaching classes are set to rise with the increase in service tax rate.

The peak rate of service tax has been increased to 12 per cent from 10 per cent. On a fee of Rs 50,000 service tax is currently Rs 5,000 (education cess additional), from April this will increase to Rs 6,000.

Students who train in a dance or sports academy may also have to pay a higher fee. Accommodation and canteen service charges at PG hostels may also go up.

But it is not all bad.

The Budget has however offered some relief to the student community and the parents by putting school education and all recognised higher education out of the purview of service tax in 2012-13.

It also proposes to set up a credit guarantee fund to back up education loans. That may make bank loans for education easier to obtain and may reduce their cost as well.

Women at home will find finances getting tighter and may have to wrestle with men for more money to mange the household.

The across the board increase in excise duty to 12 per cent from 10 per cent is set to increase the price of household items ranging from processed foods, beauty products and kitchen appliances.

More here:
How Budget makes the aam aadmi pay more

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE--(Marketwire -03/20/12)- Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSX: IVN.TO - News)(NYSE: IVN.TO - News)(NASDAQ: IVN.TO - News) today announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2011. All figures are in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

HIGHLIGHTS

MONGOLIA

OYU TOLGOI COPPER-GOLD PROJECT (66% owned)

The Oyu Tolgoi Project is approximately 550 kilometres south of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city, and 80 kilometres north of the Mongolia-China border. Mineralization on the property consists of porphyry-style copper, gold, silver and molybdenum contained in a linear structural trend (the Oyu Tolgoi Trend) that has a strike length extending over 23 kilometres. Mineral resources have been identified in a series of deposits throughout this trend. They include, from south to north, the Heruga Deposit, the Southern Oyu deposits (Southwest Oyu, South Oyu, Wedge and Central Oyu) and the Hugo Dummett deposits (Hugo South, Hugo North and Hugo North Extension).

Ivanhoe Mines began capitalizing Oyu Tolgoi development costs on April 1, 2010. During 2011, additions to property, plant and equipment for the Oyu Tolgoi Project totalled $2.8 billion, which included development costs. In 2011, Ivanhoe Mines incurred exploration expenses of $31.8 million at Oyu Tolgoi, compared to $83.4 million incurred in 2010.

Construction of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold complex is advancing toward its planned start-up in 2012 and commercial production in the first half of 2013

The Oyu Tolgoi Project initially is being developed as an open-pit operation, with the first phase of mining to start at the near-surface Southern Oyu deposits, which include Southwest Oyu and Central Oyu. A copper concentrator plant, with related facilities and necessary infrastructure to support an initial throughput of 100,000 tonnes of ore per day, is being constructed to process ore scheduled to be mined from the Southern Oyu open pit. Initial production of copper-gold-silver concentrate is expected in Q3'12 and commercial production is projected to begin in the first half of 2013.

In conjunction with the surface activities, an 85,000-tonne-per-day underground block-cave mine also is being developed at the Hugo North Deposit. The throughput capacity of the concentrator plant is expected to be between 150,000 and 160,000 tonnes of ore per day when the underground mine begins production.

Fluor Corporation is in charge of overall Oyu Tolgoi construction program management, as well as services related to engineering, procurement and construction management for the ore processing plant and mine-related infrastructure, such as roads, water supply, a regional airport and administration buildings.

Go here to read the rest:
Ivanhoe Mines Announces 2011 Financial Results and Review of Operations

NEWS: Anna Bligh and Campbell Newman visit the devastation in Townsville

NEWS: Residents slept though Cyclone Yasi, but not this storm as it ripped through neighborhoods in less than fifteen minutes.

The aftermath of the Townsville tornado. Picture: Chisholm Scott Radford Source: Townsville Bulletin

A scene following the storm in Townsville. Picture courtesy Sky News. Source: Supplied

Scenes from the Townsville tornado. Picture: Daniel Bateman Source: Townsville Bulletin

ABOUT 60 homes are damaged and nine residents had to be treated for injuries, some suffering cuts and abrasions, after a mini-tornado packing 110km/hr winds tore through Townsville early today.

Premier Anna Bligh visited the disaster zone today, saying she was shocked by the scale of the damage. Some victims would not be back into their homes for months, she said.

About 60 homes and businesses suffered major structural damage - including 25 which had their roofs torn off - when the storm cut a narrow band of carnage through the city's western suburbs about 5am (AEST) on Tuesday.

Winds above 110km/h lashed suburban Vincent, Aitkenvale, Pimlico and Gulliver, causing some homes to partially collapse.

Trees were snapped in half, power lines downed and debris strewn across yards and roads.

Excerpt from:
Tornado injures nine, flattens homes

NEWS: Thunder, cracks of lightning and then a tornado. Photographer Scott Radford Chisolm gives an account of the fury of Townsvilles early morning tornado.

The aftermath of the Townsville tornado. Picture: Chisholm Scott Radford Source: Townsville Bulletin

Scenes from the Townsville tornado. Picture: Daniel Bateman Source: Townsville Bulletin

A mini tornado has ripped the roof off homes in Townsville. Picture: Daniel Bateman from Twitter Source: Supplied

A MINI tornado has hit Townsville, ripping roofs off homes with winds at over 111km an hour and left locals with no power.

About 60 homes are damaged and 13 people had to be treated for injuries, some suffering cuts and abrasions.

Premier Anna Bligh visited the disaster zone today, saying she was shocked by the scale of the damage. Some victims would not be back into their homes for months, she said.

At least 25 homes had their roofs torn off - when the storm cut a narrow band of carnage through the city's western suburbs about 5am today.

Winds above 110km/h lashed suburban Vincent, Aitkenvale, Pimlico and Gulliver, causing some homes to partially collapse.

Trees were snapped in half, power lines downed and debris strewn across yards and roads.

Follow this link:
Mini tornado was 'worse than Yasi'

NEWS: Residents slept though Cyclone Yasi, but not this storm as it ripped through neighborhoods in less than fifteen minutes.

NEWS: Thunder, cracks of lightning and then a tornado. Photographer Scott Radford Chisolm gives an account of the fury of Townsvilles early morning tornado.

The aftermath of the Townsville tornado. Picture: Chisholm Scott Radford Source: Townsville Bulletin

A scene following the storm in Townsville. Picture courtesy Sky News. Source: Supplied

ABOUT 60 homes are damaged and 13 people had to be treated for injuries, some suffering cuts and abrasions, after a mini-tornado packing 110km/hr winds tore through Townsville early today.

Premier Anna Bligh visited the disaster zone today, saying she was shocked by the scale of the damage. Some victims would not be back into their homes for months, she said.

At least 25 homes had their roofs torn off - when the storm cut a narrow band of carnage through the city's western suburbs about 5am (AEST) today.

Winds above 110km/h lashed suburban Vincent, Aitkenvale, Pimlico and Gulliver, causing some homes to partially collapse.

Trees were snapped in half, power lines downed and debris strewn across yards and roads.

One person with head wounds, and two others with minor injuries were taken to hospital. Another 10 suffered cuts and abrasions.

View original post here:
'Mini-tornado' rips through Townsville

NEWS: Residents slept though Cyclone Yasi, but not this storm as it ripped through neighborhoods in less than fifteen minutes.

The aftermath of the Townsville tornado. Picture: Chisholm Scott Radford Source: Townsville Bulletin

A scene following the storm in Townsville. Picture courtesy Sky News. Source: Supplied

Scenes from the Townsville tornado. Picture: Daniel Bateman Source: Townsville Bulletin

FORTY homes are damaged and nine residents had to be treated for injuries, some suffering cuts and abrasions, after a mini-tornado packing 110km/hr winds tore through Townsville early today.

Two elderly residents in the hardest-hit suburbs of Vincent and Garbutt had to be taken to hospital for medical issues while a blackout cut power to 17,000 homes in the north Queensland city.

Widespread flooding is reported from Cairns to Yeppoon with heavy rain predicted for the rest of the day

One aerial image taken by the EMQ helicopter in Townsville revealed the scale of destruction; in scenes reminiscent of "tornado alley" in the United States, houses are completely blown apart, walls disintegrated, and a total of 25 homes were without roofs.

A picture taken from above Townsville after a mini tornado swept through on Tuesday. Picture: Department of Community Safety

Source: Supplied

Read the rest here:
Tornado injures nine, flattens 40 homes

March 19, 2012, 10:41 AM PDT

Takeaway: What to expect when intelligent computing is embedded into the world around us.

Imagine a basket of shopping that suggests healthier alternatives to your favourite snacks, or a car that can route you around a jam before it has even formed, or doing an internet search to find the glasses you lost down the back of the sofa.

This is the vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) - a future where internet-connected tags are embedded into everyday objects, bestowing intelligent behaviour on inanimate objects.

The potential of connected everyday objects is demonstrated by the soon-to-be released Twine, an internet-connected box about the size of a credit card that can be set up to message its owner when some real-world action has occurred, and is able to signal events as diverse as the washing machine having finished or someone breaking into a garage.

The box works by listening to sensors that measure temperature, motion and moisture and then communicates with the owner over the internet.

Nigel Shadbolt, professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Southampton and head of the web and internet science group, said the internet of things could bring intelligence to everything from your car to your fridge to a chip on an apple that has some sense of its sell-by date, speaking to TechRepublic at the recent Digital London conference.

The simple messaging capabilities of early IoT-devices are just the beginning: the real leap forward will come once a critical mass of items, services and people are networked together.

Once a wide variety of things are able to talk then their data and decisions can be combined to give people access to information that wouldnt have been possible before.

Shadbolt said: I think we will see this digital landscape keep evolving - were going to see whole classes of new service meshing between your lifestyle, your health, what youre doing on a daily basis, transport and the like.

Read more:
What the Internet of Things means for you