| Shop offices with SoHo concept among new innovations
MANY developers have reported slightly better sales over the past two months and they attribute this mainly to the bullish stock market that has fuelled market confidence. There have been many recent new launches, especially of commercial properties and condominiums in the Klang Valley. For todays column I have picked two new launches to review. Parklane Commercial Hub @ Kelana Jaya: This is a joint-venture project between the SIMA group and the landowner, the Football Associa- tion of Selangor (FAS). Although it has not been officially launched, 15 of the 46 Phase 1 units were sold recently. The 8.8-acre leasehold project on FASs football field (there goes a green lung) is off the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) and is flanked by the Kelana Puteri/Kelana Putera condominiums and the Taman Mayang Industrial Park.
Telecom Italia Cuts Sales Forecast, Plans Expansion (Update4)
March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Telecom Italia SpA, Italy's largest phone company, cut its revenue growth and profit forecasts for the second time in two years because of increased competition and pressure from regulators to reduce prices. Sales are forecast to rise 1 percent to 2 percent a year through 2009, Telecom Italia said in a statement today. A year ago, the Milan-based company said revenue would rise as much as 4 percent a year until 2008. The company also said today its profit margins will be lower than previously estimated. Revenue from fixed-line voice services fell 7.8 percent last year and regulators are forcing lower fees on mobile calls in Italy. Chairman Guido Rossi aims to almost double the portion of revenue the company gets abroad and reduce the amount of profit it pays out in dividends.
Mt. Baker Would Make a Killing on Deal or No Deal
If the hotel rooms in Park City, Utah, cost $600 a night, how much is a one-day lift ticket? $77? Yowzers! Where can a ski bum get his swerve on these days without mortgaging the VW Van? Not to worry: Mt. Baker in Washington still has the deals.
And we're not talking about some shabby bunny hill either. Mt. Baker--about 2 and a half hours northeast of Seattle--gets more snow than pretty much anywhere else in North America: an average of 647 inches a year. That's almost 54 feet. That's a lot of snow. The conditions get so wicked that the mountain has all sorts of warnings and info about how to survive off-piste. That said, there's a good amount of intermediate terrain on the mountain for those of you not starring in Warren Miller movies. It's all yours on a mid-week ticket for just $32.
Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis were both allegedly clients of ...
In Gibson's new autobiography 'Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam', the prostitute and madame reveals the two actors were on her client list before she was arrested eight years ago. Gibson writes on the promotional website for the book which is released tomorrow (01.03.07): 'This book is about my life servicing the rich and famous and their sex, sex, sex! From Ben Affleck's steamy night with a hot blonde to Bruce Willis' wild time when the champagne flowed.' Other famous clients allegedly include James Belushi, Naomi Campbell's father, Gary Busey, the late movie producer Don Simpson and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. In the Affleck chapter, Gibson alleges a call-girl named Alyssa entertained the 'Pearl Harbour' star. She claims Alyssa told her: 'We began in the Jacuzzi he had in his room.
FEATURE-US struggles to build green homes
NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Change a light bulb and stop a war. Build smarter homes and keep the seas from rising. These are the kinds of arguments U.S. environmentalists use to promote their cause. Others say forget "save the planet," Americans respond better to "save some money." Regardless of the sales pitch, energy efficiency is an opportunity that Americans shun, as less than 5 percent of the world's population consumes almost 25 percent of global oil production. While gas-guzzling vehicles draw the most criticism, homes and businesses consume even more energy -- 40 percent of the U.S. total in 2005 versus 28 percent for transportation -- and provide the biggest potential for savings. The U.S. Green Building Council says structures built to its standards can cut energy usage 20 to 80 percent using available technologies such as compact fluorescent lighting and high-efficiency building shells and water heating.
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