Rta Takes Part In Garden And Landscaping Outdoor Living Exhibition

is taking part in the regional Garden, Landscaping Outdoor Living Exhibition; which opens today at Dubai International Convention and Centre, and continues through 27 May.

The event boasts participation of 150 from 23 countries specialized in gardens &; outdoor .

Engineer Nabeel , Director of Roads Dep’t at RTA Traffic &; Roads Agency, spoke about the objectives of participation in this premier global . “We are intending to showcase the important role played by Roads Beautification &; Section at Traffic &; Roads Agency in upgrading &; expanding in areas surrounding roads, which is part of an overall plan to keep abreast of urban in the emirate of Dubai.

“ participation also aims to have a presence in this world event and exchange concepts &; experiments with suppliers and specialized . It will also enable us to review the &; latest technologies in the field of plantation &; . We will be able to explore the possibility of applying these aspects in Dubai, with a view to applying them in our future projects.”

“ is having a prominent stand covering an area of 295 square feet; where a group of projects undertaken by the Section will be exhibited, reflecting various phases ranging from design to full implementation. By the end of last February, completed works in seven large projects costing about 60 million dirham, spanning an area of 98 hectares. Construction of more projects is underway at various locations in the emirate of Dubai, and they are expected to be completed during this year” said Nabeel.

Traffic &; Roads Agency has an integrated plan aiming to expand the green areas in the emirate and create a of roads &; surrounding patios. The Plan envisages provision of safety &; , artistic effects, and . The fast-moving property development in Dubai warrants keeping in place a modern road network, and applying innovative concepts of road .

The marks the significance attached to outdoor sector in Dubai in particular and the whole region in general; and also showcases the required tools &; equipment for indoor &; outdoor decoration.

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Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Landscaping No Comments

Palestine Public Librarys Landscape Gets A Facelift

Some very are being made to improve at the this week — changes that will make the library more convenient and pleasing to its .

“Our new look is fresh, attractive and inviting,” library director Carol Herrington said. “Every day, at least one library to me about how much they like it.”

The project includes the construction of steps and a paved walkway from the rear parking lot, the removal of shrubs around the building and the addition of butterfly and to the library’s landscaping.

A new irrigation system also has been installed; and the removal of the bushes in front of the building created four new much-needed near the library’s main entrance.

“Since I have been director here, about 90 percent of the suggestions I have received included the need for additional ,” Herrington said. “So I know will appreciate getting those additional spaces out of this change.”

The new set of steps and pavestone also have been a long- at the library — providing directionality to its .

“We have had people park in the rear lot and not know where to come in,” Herrington said. “The and new signs will make a big difference.”

To give its a sense of ownership, Anderson County included the “,” in their landscaping design. That garden, located at the front of the building, will be filled through a bulb set for June 7.

“We want patron to bring bulbs from their garden to plant here at the library and to exchange with other gardeners,” and landscape Nancy Waggoner said Wednesday. “The goal is to have people to walk by and say ‘that bulb was from my garden.’

“We want them to have a sense of pride and identity when they visit the library,” she added.

The , located at the rear of the library, will be included as a means to educate the about plant and animal life. A new curved pavestone will allow visitors a full view of the area.

“We have designed the so that there will be something blooming all season,” Waggoner said. “And as the plants mature through the years, I think it is only going to get better.”

According to Herrington, the project came about after learning about the cause of the library’s ongoing flooding problems — the large shrubs around the building were holding water against the walls.

“The Library Board decided to go forth and develop a new landscape design for the library,” Herrington said. “The library board took bids for the design, which was developed and won by the Anderson County .”

Also winning bids for the project were Jo Ann Pigeon , Blackstone and Palestine Concrete &; Tile. A community work squad from the local Gurney Unit has provided much of the labor.

“ Ron Sullivan was able to bring the Gurney crew in, which saved us a significant sum of money,” Herrington said. “Warden Karen Brown and her crew have done and great job. We could not have done this without them.”

Funding for the project has been provided by a $15,000 matching grant from the Palestine Economic Development Corporation, with the Friends of the Library and the Library Memorial Board contributing the initial funds.

“The library appreciates the efforts and cooperation of all the participating to make the project come to fruition,” Herrington said. “It is amazing what can be accomplished when people work together for a common goal.”

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Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Landscaping Design No Comments

‘There is a new sense of confidence in the domestic broking industry’


Winds

of change are blowing in the broking space, tilting the balance slightly in

favour of domestic broking firms. While it is not yet a level-playing field, we

are almost there, says

Dharmesh

Mehta

, head equities,

Enam

Securities.

Would

you say that the broking space has undergone a

metamorphosis?

There is a new

sense of confidence in the domestic broking industry as a whole. A definite

change from a few years ago when many domestic brokerages did not have the

confidence to run it on their own and believed only foreign tie-ups could add

value to their outfits. Second, structurally the business is changing. FIIs and

domestic investors have realised the importance of talking to someone with a

very strong ground

knowledge.

What

has bought about this

change?

Increasingly there is a

perception that the focus and passion amongst the domestic broking houses are

much higher as it is their main business, day in and day out. For instance, a

brokerage like Enam. The entire focus, is on India, ie, the efforts and focus is

not divided over various regions, etc. The entry of hedge funds into the market

is another factor. Hedge funds tend to be aggressive and only look for absolute

returns. They do not have balance sheet or net-worth constraints or restrictions

in dealing with local brokers. This was a key turning

point.

Of

late things have not been easy even for an established player like you? For

instance, the Emaar deal?

It

was just market conditions, which was out of our control. One has to understand

that even today there is a lot of time gap between, say, when you start the deal

and the listing date. Given the current volatility in global markets, this gap

needs to be cut down. Or else, in this kind of market, it does not allow you to

price it at the real price or fair value price. For instance, if the market is

at 22000 on listing day, and you had priced the issue when the index was at

15000, of course you are going to open at a substantial

premium.

Did

bull market aid in this

transformation

?

It

was not about a bear market or a bull market. There were certain things a

domestic broking house could not do earlier, which is happening now. With the

acceleration in FII registration or slowdown in P Notes, domestic firms are

expected to benefit, as all these FIIs will interact with domestic brokerages

directly. There will be further regulatory changes, which will just aid

this.

The

broking pie remains the same, but you have more people feeding of it. So how

much of individual growth will be

there?

The pie is growing and

the turnover numbers attest to this fact. What is significant is that on account

of a level playing field, broking are able to capture market share from

other established players. So on one side you have the pie by itself growing and

on the other, you are able to capture market share. The introduction of

derivatives, which is hugely dominated by domestic brokerages, is another

positive.

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Monday, March 10th, 2008

Yard Landscaping No Comments

Add Concrete Pizzazz to Your Home or Business

Up until recently, concrete driveways, patios, and were almost an afterthought. Sure, they needed to be included as part of the design of a home or other structure, but they were never really included as a design element.

Things have changed, though, and now your concrete structures can be as beautiful and intriguing as the rest of your design. Specially trained contractors can now custom concrete prior to pouring it, allowing you to add color that goes anywhere from subtle to absolutely brilliant.

Concrete, as a matter of fact, is no longer just for driveways. The ability to stamp concrete to mimic other materials such as rock, stone, or even wood, makes it a cost effective and durable alternative for gardens, retaining walls, , patios, and even for use indoors for floors and countertops.

An Affordable Way to Customize Your Home

For both modern and traditional homes, designers are catching onto the new concrete craze, using it in a variety of hues, in places where concrete never dared to go before. Throughout modern kitchens, colored concrete countertops are catching on as an ultra-modern and unique design element. Other examples of colored concrete include beautiful garden walls and gorgeous pool , which can give your home a new and exotic look.

Unlike natural building products such as stone, brick, or tile that need to be cut and fitted, which can be time consuming and tedious, colored concrete is easy to form around any area and can be added to any yard quickly and easily.

Draw Attention to Your Business

Private businesses and government are taking advantage of the many benefits of colored concrete. For example, if you are in Canada, just look around and you will find Ontario colored concrete in parks, , city buildings, and fire stations.

Add a new sign to draw attention to your business mounted atop a colored concrete wall, or use colored concrete to jazz up your and driveway. Or install a colored concrete floor inside your business for a surface that is extremely durable and requires little maintenance. With the addition of concrete stamping, you can have a beautiful floor that looks like costly slate or stone, but will not wear and is more cost effective to install.

The next time you decide to update the look of your home or business, consider adding colored concrete to your décor. It will tie in beautifully with nearly any style or design, and could be the one element that pulls the entire look together for you. Making the decision to use colored concrete will not only enhance the value of your home, but it is a wise investment of your money as well. Concrete is extremely durable and does not require extensive maintenance. Nor does it need to be replaced after only a few years of use. The decision to include colored concrete in your home, yard, landscaping, or business, is one that you can enjoy and be thankful for every day as you admire the sophistication it adds.

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Monday, March 10th, 2008

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Any information you disclose when posting a message in one of our forums becomes public.

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Friday, March 7th, 2008

Backyard Landscaping No Comments

New eastwest Utah County route urged

EAGLE MOUNTAIN %26#151; The havoc wreaked in the wake of the winter storm that walloped the Wasatch Front last Wednesday underscored to many the need for another east-west corridor in north Utah County.

Hundreds of people were stranded while trying to get to Saratoga Springs or Eagle Mountain. Complaints were loud as residents who were on state Route 73 or roads connecting to it were forced to either camp in cars or find shelter at local businesses.

Many say that more than one road than state Route 73, which also is known as Lehi’s Main Street, is needed to get to the two cities that combined are home to some 35,000 people.

The Mountainland Association of Governments and the Utah Department of Transportation both have studies looking at alternatives to the heavy congestion on many of the northern Utah County roads. No plans, however, are under way.

And the lack of plans to build another road directing traffic to the cities west of Utah Lake concerns Eagle Mountain Mayor Heather Jackson.

“I feel that for too many years it’s been a lot of talk and no action,” Jackson said. “MAG said, ‘We’ll put it at the top of our list.’ UDOT says, ‘We know it’s a priority. We’ll get it done.’”
Story continues below

The major in the way of a new east-west corridor is money.

“The question is: How do we find to build the projects we’ve planned?” said Shawn Seager, a senior planner with MAG.

In a January meeting, MAG’s Metropolitan Planning Organization discussed planned road projects in Utah, $7 billion of which are unfunded.

Several roads in discussion, such as the Mountain View Corridor, wouldn’t necessarily ease the tension from Lehi’s Main Street, the only main thoroughfare to Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs.

A UDOT project on 1000 South in Lehi that will extend from American Fork’s Main Street to Redwood Road in Saratoga Springs will relieve some of the congestion on Lehi’s Main Street, Seager said.

The project will begin sometime this year. However, most travelers to Eagle Mountain will still have to merge onto state Route 73 to reach the city. Seager said MAG has plans to widen and expand Pony Express Parkway in Eagle Mountain to Redwood Road, but so far that remains unfunded. Both MAG and Jackson are looking to pursue federal funds, in the form of grants, to help pay for the Pony Express Parkway project.

That road would allow drivers to Eagle Mountain to bypass state Route 73.

It also takes quite a bit of time to get from idea to pavement.

“There’s a lot of things that go into building a road,” said Adan Carrillo, a UDOT spokesman. “We have to have the environmental studies in place (and find) the impacts to wetlands, environment, businesses and residents.”

Jackson believes that more foresight and action on the part of the government could have saved the west side from the current travel problems.

“We’ve been talking about it (another road) and everybody seems to think that Eagle Mountain is this little start-up town and we’ve been projecting our growth for years and people never believe what we say,” Jackson said.

Jackson will head to Washington, D.C., this week to seek federal funds to help with Pony Express Parkway %26#151; and Wednesday’s storm, though not lucky, will be the perfect example for her.

“(This is) why it needs to be No. 1 on the list,” she said.

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Thursday, February 21st, 2008

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Promoters of small amp; mid cap firms take advantage of market meltdown

NEW

DELHI: It’s not just the portfolio investors who were bottom-fishing in

the market. Promoters of a bunch of mid and small-cap firms have taken advantage

of the market meltdown to buy shares of their own companies from the open market

through the creeping acquisition route.

Some companies whose promoter

groups have bought shares in the last fortnight when the market crashed include

NIIT, Maharashtra Seamless, Gujarat NRE Coke, Uflex, KRBL, Hitech Gear, Birla

VXL and Jyoti Structures, among

others.

Promoters raise their

equity stake for various reasons. Typically for shoring up equity holding or

infusing funds into the company, the owners go for preferential allotment of

shares or convertible instruments such as

warrants.

The creeping

acquisition route of buying shares, for which there is a mandatory ceiling in a

particular year, entails buying shares from the secondary market is typically

done when promoters feel the price in the market is low enough to justify such a

purchase. Some firms with healthy cash reserves even go for equity buybacks

which in turn tends to increase promoter holding while repricing undervalued

stock.

According to stock

market disclosures the firms have bought shares of varying proportions in the

open market. For instance, one of the promoter group entity of NIIT bought 0.27%

stake from the market. The transaction was done at a price 15-20% cheaper than

its recent highs.

Also

Read

à

Asia private

equity funds jumped in 2007

à

Smart

tax-saving strategies without spending a penny

à

Entry load

scrapped on open-ended MF schemes

à

MFs may

invest in projects and equity of real estate cos

à

Indian funds

dominate world’s top 100 list in 2007

à

Big is

beautiful for mutual funds

While

the quantum of purchase was not too significant, it comes at a time when

promoter holding in the IT solutions firm had been coming down over time.

Promoter group holdings slipped from more than 40% in December 2005 to just

about 30.14% on December 31,

2007.

Nor was this one off

case. Promoters of Gujarat NRE Coke also inched up their holdings by a similar

proportion(0.25%). In their case also the promoters holding had come down over

the last one year from 46% in December 2006 to 41% in December

2007.

For others its been a

mixed picture. For instance, in case of basmati rice company KRBL, one of the

promoter group has been buying and selling shares of KRBL at the fag

end of 2007. However, the firm started buying shares consistently since January

30 and, as of today, has added 0.7% stake over 10

days.

Maharashtra Seamless

promoters have added 1.42% stake last week through open market purchases. The

transactions come at a time when the company is mulling a preferential allotment

of warrants to the promoters.

Incidentally, the proposal for

the stock split which was mooted last year and was to be implemented soon, has

been postponed as is the EGM for approving the allotment of warrants to the

promoters. This is not surprising, given that the scrip has dropped about 50% in

value over the last one

month.

Among others KS Oils

promoter Ramesh Chand Garg increased his stake in the edible oil company by

1.71% since January 21, the day the market took the first big hit. Another

company where the promoter bought 0.33% stake is Uflex (formerly Flex

Industries).

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Sunday, February 17th, 2008

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SEBI warns investors against ‘Art Funds’

MUMBAI:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has sought to caution investors with

regard to investing in Art Funds, funds/schemes launched by companies formed for

the purpose.

The market

regulator Wednesday said at present, no entity was registered with it under the

SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations.

At the same time, SEBI has

threatened actions, civil and criminal, against such funds / companies and

warned against launching of “Art Funds” or schemes without

registration.

“Art funds

are ‘collective investment schemes’ as defined under section 11AA

(2) of the SEBI Act, 1992. The schemes/funds have been launched / floated by

these without obtaining a certificate of registration in accordance

with the SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999 (the

Regulations),” a SEBI release

said.

The Economic Times

recently reported that Philip Hoffman– founder of The Fine Art Fund Group–was

raising $25 million for an Indian Fine Art Fund.

Claimed as the largest

international fund to cater to the booming demand for Indian art,

The Indian Fine Art Fund would

raise money from both resident Indians, NRIs as well as global investors. It

would be a 5-year closed-ended offshore fund, with minimum investment at

$100,000 or Rs 40 lakh.

In

2006, The Osian’s Art Fund had raised Rs 102.4 crore from local investors.

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Sunday, February 17th, 2008

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House passes 13 million property tax cut

With little debate, the Utah House voted Thursday afternoon to give Utahns a $13 million property tax cut.

It is the first of what is hoped several property tax cuts this session, although the tax cut in HB69 may mean only a few dollars for each Utah homeowner.

Still, with new tax revenue estimates coming next week %26#151; and the fear that they may see little, if any, improvement in state tax take in fiscal 2008-2009 %26#151; HB69 may be the only significant tax cut given by legislators this year.

“This is Gov. Olene Walker’s legacy,” said Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, speaking about the new reading program the former governor demanded from lawmakers in 2004, funded in part by a new local school district property tax. It is that local tax that is repealed under HB69 %26#151; with the state making up those lost revenues.

Walker threatened to veto the whole state budget if lawmakers didn’t provide $ for an early-grade elementary school special reading program. (It was a threat that ultimately changed the way that lawmakers adopt their yearly budgets to avoid such “blackmail” %26#151; as some lawmakers called her move %26#151; in the future.)

Angry GOP conservatives in the House and Senate stood against Walker. In the end, lawmakers agreed to pay for half of the new program (then around $15 million) and required school districts that wanted their share of that reading program funds to raise their own to pay for the rest of the new reading program.
Story continues below

When many Utah homeowners started screaming over higher %26#151; found in tax notices they were getting from county assessors %26#151; legislators started looking around for a way to cut .

More than a dozen bills, including several constitutional amendments, on were introduced in the 2008 Legislature.

And House Republicans voted in caucus in favor of a $100 million tax cut, with their Senate party colleagues saying they’d like to cut , too.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. did not include any tax cuts in this recommended budget. But he’s softened a bit since, saying that he’d consider some property tax relief %26#151; and even mentioned Rep. John Dougall’s HB69 as one way to do that.

Legislators don’t want to dump the reading program now. “It has really proven itself,” said Allen. Most districts used their new tax money %26#151; the state’s share and their own increased %26#151; to hire reading specialists.

The program “is very effective” in helping young children read, said Allen.

Dougall said legislators promised to cut back on the district’s reading property tax leeway when state revenues recovered from the early 2000s economic slow-down.

But even during record-revenue collections the last several years, lawmakers and Huntsman decided to cut a variety of other taxes, including the sales tax on food, the general sales tax, and the personal income tax, before even considering any property tax cuts.

Since the state itself levies no property tax, the only way for lawmakers to give a property tax cut, now that citizens are angry over higher home , was to force some other property-taxing to lower their tax rates.

HB69 proved an easy and just way to force school districts to lower their , legislators and Huntsman have said.

Should the Senate pass HB69 and Huntsman sign it, tax reductions will appear on property owners’ 2008 taxes, due next November.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008

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More screening planned at 7 airports

WASHINGTON –To increase security and weed out potential terrorists, workers at seven airports nationwide will undergo more vigorous screening beginning in May.

The additional checks are part of a 90-day test program run by the federal Transportation Security Administration. People who work at airports across the country already receive some screening - such as background checks and random searches - before they are given access to secure areas, said TSA spokesman Christopher White.

Some airport workers have unfettered access to aircraft and potentially dangerous materials. Officials are concerned that people with bad intentions could pose as airport workers and gain access to these areas.

TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said the tests will help the agency figure out the best way to secure the operations side of airports.

The screening tests will be conducted at airports in Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Fla., New Bern, N.C., Eugene and North Bend, Oregon. Screening procedures will vary by airport.

For instance, at Logan International Airport in Boston, all workers at the airport and vehicles at the airport’s perimeter will be screened, and some workers’ fingerprints and irises will be scanned electronically to verify their identities. At Jacksonville International Airport and Craven Regional Airport in North Carolina, all employees in the public and secure areas will be physically screened every day.

At the other four airports, there will be random screening and awareness training. A total of 53,000 workers will be affected by these screening tests.

Congress mandated the screening test programs late last year.

The aviation sector has been on high alert since August 2006 when authorities uncovered a plot to blow up airliners headed from London to the United States.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008

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