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Source: Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.新蒲崗迷你倉Aug. 30--As Thursdays on First & Third wound to a close Thursday, the weekly summer street festival was on pace to shatter previous attendance records.That's no surprise to Pannekoeken owner Tasos Psomas. Business at his booth on the Peace Plaza has been brisk all summer."It's been a really good year for us," she said. "Philly cheese steak (sales) have been fabulous. They are delicious, and we've been selling them like crazy."So just how good a year has it been? The total numbers for the festival's 12-week run haven't been crunched yet, but the festival's June 13 event attracted a record-breaking estimated 40,000 visitors in one day, said Rochester Downtown Alliance Executive Jon Eckhoff. He chalks up this year's success to several factors."We've had excellent weather. I think the market is more mature; the vendors know what they're doing," he said. "But more important than any of that, I think the citizens and visitors have just embraced it and make it what it is."The festival has come a long way since its humble beginnings 10 years ago. Back then, it had 25 vendors. This year's festival boasted 125 vendors, and 48 different bands performed.To get a more accurate tally of how many people are turning out, the Rochester Downtown Alliance has invested in a bi-directional counter that is installed on a speaker in the Peace Plaza. It keeps track of the number of people that walk past it, Eckhoff said.Vendors interviewed said they are not surprised to hear turnout is up. Mary Zimmer, who owns "Pierced Wood" wimini storageh her husband, has been selling her homemade wood pictures since the festival's early days. As Thursdays on First & Third has grown, she and her husband have had to start working on their wares seven months ahead of time to build up enough of a supply."It's been terrific; it really has," she said. "We have a lot of fun because what we have fits into suitcases easy. So, it's so much fun to see things that are made in the basement (of a house) in Austin, Minn., go all over the world."The festival also has given a boost to some businesses looking to get established. Downtown Kitchen opened last fall on Third Street Southwest. The restaurant's sous chef, Matt Robertson, said brisk lunch sales at Thursdays on First & Third helped inspire the restaurant to begin opening for lunch a couple of weeks ago."This confirmed the amount of people coming out during the day. It also gave us a chance to get our name out there. We've been able to hand out menus," he said.Despite the event's popularity, Eckhoff said there are no plans to extend the festival's schedule. He said it's limited, three-month run keeps it special and ensures people don't get tired of it. He started hearing this year some Mayo Clinic patients have begun scheduling their appointments for Thursdays so they can check out the festival."People thought Rochester was boring, and it turns out we weren't all along," Eckhoff said. "We just needed something to do."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Post-Bulletin Visit the Post-Bulletin at .postbulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage

Source: Bangor Daily News, MaineAug.儲存 30--ORONO, Maine -- A lack of safety precautions taken by a Bangor paving company contributed to one of its workers being struck and killed by a passing vehicle on a busy roadway earlier this year, according to police.Richard E. Thibodeau Jr., 56, of Millinocket and Carmel died after he was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Keri-Jon Wilson, 25, of Orono on Forest Avenue on May 7.Thibodeau was part of a crew from Harvey's Paving and Sealcoating that was finishing a paving project at Faith Baptist Church at 161 Forest Ave. around 7 p.m. when he was fatally struck. Workers and equipment involved with the church project were in or near the roadway, according to a police report detailing the investigation.The incident is being investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, an OSHA official confirmed Thursday. Under OSHA regulations, workers must be provided with protection from hazards posed by moving traffic.An initial report from the state medical examiner's office stated that Thibodeau's injuries included multiple high rib fractures, a left skull fracture, fractures to his right tibia and right fibula and his right radius and right ulna and multiple lacerations.An employee of Harvey's for more than 25 years, Thibodeau was the company's foreman, according to his obituary.No charges will be filed against Wilson, Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said earlier this week. Almy said that there was insufficient evidence to show criminal negligence on her part.In his report on the incident, Old Town police Officer Lee Miller, a certified accident reconstructionist, cited the following contributing factors in the fatality:--A lack of signs or warning about the work area.--A lack of traffic cones or flaggers to warn drivers about the people and equipment at the edge of the roadway.--A lack of safety vests worn by employees.The report also cited the position of the sun at the time of the incident as a contributing factor. Wilson told investigators the glare prevented her from seeing Thibodeau, according to the report.Miller noted in his report that an Orono resident who had driven through the area shortly before and after Thibodeau was hit told investigators that he had seen paving company workers in the roadway and "was afraid that someone might get hit."William Coffin, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's area director for Maine, confirmed this week that OSHA is investigating Thibodeau's on-the-job death.Coffin said that OSHA follows rules established by the Federal Highway Administration's Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices to protect workers. He said rules differ depending on the nature and location of the project. A co新蒲崗迷你倉pany found to be in violation of applicable rules may be subject to penalties, including substantial fines, Coffin said.Steven Coffin, the paving company's owner, did not return telephone calls on Thursday and Friday afternoon seeking comment.According to the incident report, Steven Coffin told police the work crew was getting ready to pack up and leave at the time Thibodeau was struck. Coffin also said one traffic cone had been set out to warn motorists about the work site but had been placed on a trailer before Thibodeau was hit. He said no signs were out but that "he did have one person trying to get traffic to slow down." The worker attempting to direct traffic on Forest Avenue was not Thibodeau, according to the report.Miller concluded that speed was not a factor in the incident, noting that Wilson was driving slightly below the posted 35 mph speed limit.Miller said that according to several accounts, including that of Wilson and Orono police Sgt. Scott LaJoie, who was the first police officer to arrive on the scene, the sun was directly in front of the Jeep as it crested the hill while heading west on Forest Avenue.Capt. Josh Ewing, acting chief of the Orono Police Department, said this week that the position of the sun when the accident happened resulted in a glare that made it difficult for motorists, including police, to see the work crew."Wilson stated that as she crested the hill the sunlight was blocking her view of the roadway," Sgt. Scott LaJoie, the primary investigator, wrote in his report."Wilson stated that she drove to the left side of the roadway to avoid 'an orange thing.' The 'orange thing' was later determined to be the rear end of a skid-steer loader parked on the right side of the roadway, facing the Baptist Church," LaJoie said."The rear end of the skid-steer loader was painted orange and was sticking out into the travel lane of the roadway by approximately two feet," he wrote. "Wilson stated that she then struck a person and that she did not see the person due to the sunlight."Brenda Nelson of Millinocket, Thibodeau's domestic partner for 30 years, said Monday that she and her family were upset that Wilson was not charged. Nelson provided a copy of the incident report she received from police to the Bangor Daily News.Nelson said she planned to file a civil suit against the driver but did not mention taking a similar action against the paving company. Nelson did not return telephone calls Thursday evening and Friday afternoon seeking additional comment.Bangor Daily News writer Alex Barber contributed to this report.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) Visit the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) at .bangordailynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage

昨日，新蒲崗迷你倉記者從市政府網站獲悉，我市出台加快發展現代林業產業的意見，意見指出，到2017年，全市將新增森林面積15萬畝，森林覆蓋率達到39%，建成現代林業產業基地272萬畝，基本形成門類齊全、競爭有序、綜合效益顯著的現代林業產業體系，率先實現林產業產值和林農收入雙倍增。林業產業總產值達到700億元以上，較2012年增加350億元；農民人均從林業上獲得收入達到3200元以上，較2012年增長1600元。到2017年成都國家森林食品基地建成5個意見中說，到2017年，全市新建改建林產業基地面積85萬畝，林木良種使用率提高到60%以上，建設國家級有機林產品基地2個、森林食品基地5個。以溫江區、都江堰市、崇州市、郫縣等地木本花卉苗木基地為中心，加速以鄉土野生花卉選育和珍稀樹種為主的林木種苗基地建設，重點突出發展“高、精、尖、特”觀賞苗木，積極拓展彩色植物、高檔盆花、盆栽綠植、切花切枝等花卉品種的市場空間，到2017年，全市苗木花卉基地總規模力爭達到35萬畝，申請花木標準市標50個、省標20個、國標10個，標準化示範推廣率達到50%以上，在地資產達到360億元，花木銷售收入達到80億元。另外，成都還將以產業集群為引擎，壯大林產業發展實力。到2017年，培育國家級林業龍頭企業5家、省級和市級60家，培育省級林業示範性專合組織10家、市級20家。加快新都區四川省林產品交易中心建設，構建輻射西部地區的林產品物流營銷服務體系。到2017年全市年森林生態旅遊直接收益達到100億元據悉，到2017年，發展林下中藥材面積10萬畝、林下生態養殖和特色養殖面積10萬畝、茶林套種銀杏等珍稀林木基地面積15萬畝，發展mini storage下經濟林地面積達到50萬畝以上，林下經濟綜合產值達到50億元以上。而以生態旅遊為契機，我市將培育林產業新興增長點。根據《成都市綠色生態旅遊規劃》，深度挖掘我市森林資源潛力，以森林公園、濕地公園、自然保護區、大熊貓基地及野放中心、村鎮綠化為載體，著力打造大熊貓、森林、濕地和鄉村等四大旅遊品牌。依托豐富的野生動植物資源和森林生態景觀，開展賞花、觀葉、看鳥、尋蝶、采果、垂釣、品茶、漂流、避暑、科考十大綠色生態項目。到2017年，全市年森林生態旅遊人數達到5000萬人次，直接收益達到100億元。成都林業龍頭企業新獲得中國馳名商標獎勵30萬元按照《年度市級林業產業項目申報指南》要求，新建規模化標準化林產業基地，成都將按所建基地類別給予200—1000元/畝的造林補貼；對新建集中連片300畝以上的林下中藥材基地給予1000元/畝補貼；對新建集中連片300畝以上的森林蔬菜基地給予600元/畝補貼；對林下養殖項目給予畜（禽）種苗補貼。對依照《農民專業合作社法》規定設立和登記的林業專業合作社，可享受國家規定的對農業生產、加工、流通、服務和其他涉農經濟活動相應的優惠政策。對獲得國家級林業龍頭企業或者國家級林業專合組織的，給予經營者一次性10萬元獎勵。林業龍頭企業新獲得中國馳名商標的，給予企業經營者30萬元的一次性獎勵，新獲得地理標誌商標、地理標誌保護產品、四川名牌、四川省著名商標的給予10萬元一次性獎勵，新獲得食品安全管理體系認證、良好農業規範認證、美國或歐盟有機產品認證等認證的給予10萬元一次性獎勵。成都還支持林業龍頭企業開展林業自主創新研究，對林業重點新產品研發給予最高20萬元的補助。本報記者 鄭瑩瑩self storage

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.迷你倉Aug. 30--The Admiral Twin Drive-in's movie season will continue showing movies into the fall for as long as mild weather prevails. That could be October or November.But this is the final full week of movies at the historic drive-in, which will be open through Monday for the Labor Day holiday before next week going to a weekends-only schedule of films on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights."We will close when the weather makes us close. The longer the weather is good the longer we stay open," said the Admiral Twin staff on its Facebook page, announcing the seasonal schedule change.After some of the mild儲存倉st summer temperatures the drive-in has ever enjoyed, the heat is on this weekend with highs in the upper 90s through the holiday but with little chance of being rained out.This weekend's Admiral Twin Drive-in schedule for double-features is as follows: "Getaway" (a car-chase movie starring Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez) followed by "Pacific Rim" on one side, with the animated "Planes" followed by "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" on the other side.tulsaworld.com/iseemoviesCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢

Source: Tampa Tribune, Fla.迷你倉Aug. 29--Dustin Ponder marched into a Wendy's restaurant in Tampa with a megaphone and about 50 people behind him, and implored workers behind the cash register to philosophically, if not physically, join their cause."You have tons of union workers and supporters from all over this state behind your back," he said, as others handed out fliers about the drive for raising wages to at least $15 an hour. "You deserve more."The half dozen workers stayed at their posts, but many took the fliers, as the protest moved west down Fowler, making similar marches past the Checkers, into the Taco Bell, and in front of the Long John Silvers.That protest was among about 60 others nationwide scheduled for Thursday, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights era march on Washington, each one taking a relatively new approach to organizing workers.Rather than focus mainly on signing up factory or hotel workers for union membership, as unions did in past decades, this genre of protest targeted typically un-organized fast-food workers with campaigns broadly meant to raise awareness among the wider population, amplified by a wave of posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to reach a different kind of audience.While often portrayed as a first-time job, labor organizers argue that fast-food work often becomes the only job that many people can find in a stagnant economy, and people find they're stuck at a low position with little chance to advance. That leaves workers to take two or three part time jobs at different companies, because no one employer will take them on at full time or pay them health benefits.On the other side of the argument, anti-union advocates say that paying workers the $15 per hour wage that unions are asking for would only lead to two things: Restaurants raising prices on consumers to cover those higher wages, and restaurants laying off workers to maintain any hope of breaking even or making a profit.As to whether fast-food chains can afford to pay workers more, there's evidence for either side to chose from.On one hand, the research firm Sageworks found fast-food restaurants enjoy a relatively strong profit margin of 4.6 percent, and sales rose 12.9 percent over the last 12 months. Stock in McDonald's, KFC, Taco Bell parent Yum Brands Inc. and Burger King all rose between 9 and 19 percent over last year. Wendy's is enjoying a remarkable turnaround, and has seen its stock soar more than 63 percent.On the other hand, customer foot-traffic is not increasing, according to the research group NPD. The rush of customers who downsized to fast food during the downturn has slowed down. Ingredient costs are rising, and McDonald's recently reported disappointing earnings, and Chief Executive Donald Thompson warned that results would be mixed for the rest of the year.Wendy's customer Nate Brower worked 34 years in aluminum factories, and often served as a union official for his co-workers. He hadn't heard of the protests, but generally supported them. "I don't know if $15 would work or not," he said. "But I do think they deserve more."Official response to the strikes among restaurant and retail companies varied in tone."We respect the strong relationship which exists among McDonald's, our independent operators, and the employees who work in McDo自存倉ald's restaurants," McDonald's officials said in a statement. "Our restaurants remain open, with our dedicated employees providing strong service to our customers. McDonald's aims to offer competitive pay and benefits to our employees. We provide training and professional development for all of those who wish to take advantage of those opportunities.National Retail Federation Senior Vice President Bill Thorne struck a different note."Retail and restaurant jobs are good jobs, held by millions of working men and women, who are proud of what they do for their customers and the communities they serve across America," he wrote. "The planned walkout is the result of a multi-year effort by big labor to diminish and disparage these hard-working Americans by attacking the companies they work for ... Today's publicity stunt is just further proof that the labor movement is not only facing depleted membership rolls, they have abdicated their role in an honest and rational discussion about the American workforce."One especially interesting aspect of this wave of worker action is how different the approach is from decades ago, when unions focused primarily on signing up workers as members to build up a more powerful bargaining position, said Steve Bernstein a partner in the Tampa office of Fisher & Phillips who represents management in labor issues."We know that these efforts are to a large extent backed by large unions," he said. "But they come at a time when unions seem to be grasping for new strategies." Fast food workers were not a typical target for unions, he said, partly because the turnover among workers made it less effective to build up union ranks. "I don't think the objective is to sign up that fry cook making minimum wage." Rather, he said, waves of protest like this are aimed at swinging popular sentiment toward worker positions, and to put pressure generally on politicians to raise minimum wages.Unlike a typical factory strike, this wave of protests evokes a genre far more closely akin to the Occupy movement. Though he doubts there will be a groundswell of employers starting to raise wages, Berstein said this kind of protest is a far more modern approach, and one that lends itself to activities via social media -- something of a protest via Tweet and Facebook post and mobile video.John Fantow heard about the protests on the radio and came in support."I think there's something to it," he said of the movement. "If you're a teen and this is your first job, you'd be happy with $7.25 an hour. But can you raise a family on that, I don't think so."Meanwhile, Wendy's District Manager Reyes Gomez watched the action outside his restaurant window and took a philosophical view."This is a free country," he said. "Isn't that what we fight for? To make this a free country?"The movement comes amid calls from the White House, some members of Congress and economists to hike the federal minimum wage. But most proposals seek a far more modest increase than the one workers are asking for, with President Barack Obama wanting to boost it to $9 an hour.Florida's minimum wage now stands at $7.79 per hour.Includes reporting from the Associated PressCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Fla.) Visit the Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Fla.) at .tampatrib.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉新蒲崗

Source: The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.迷你倉Aug. 29--GNB Financial Services, Inc., bank holding company of The Gratz Bank, and Liberty Centre Bancorp, Inc, parent savings and loan holding company of Liberty Savings Bank, have announced a merger agreement. Under the deal, Liberty will become a wholly owned subsidiary of GNB Financial and Gratz Bank.GNB Financial is the $182 million bank holding company of Gratz Bank, a Pennsylvania state-chartered bank headquartered in Gratz, that operates three community bank offices in Gratz, Valley View, and Herndon.LCB is the $28 million holding company of Liberty Bank, a federally-chartered stock savings bank headquartered in Pottsville, with two locations located in Pottsville and a loan production office in Macungie.The joint announcement was made today by Wesley M. Weymers, president and CEO of GNB Financial and Gratz Bank, and Robert W. Pugh, Jr., president and CEO of LCB and Liberty Bank.Under the terms of the agreement, LCB shareholders will receive cash consideration equal to "adjusted book value per share" for each share of LCB common stock outstanding at the effective time of the 自存倉erger. Three of the LCB directors will be invited to join an advisory board to the GNB Financial board of directors. GNB Financial anticipates that the transaction will close late in the fourth quarter of 2013 or early in the first quarter of 2014.In connection with the merger, LCB will merge with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of GNB Financial and Liberty Bank will merge with and into Gratz Bank."We are pleased to welcome the customers and employees of LCB to the Gratz family," said Weymers. "The addition of LCB to the GNB Financial franchise continues GNB Financial's growth as a strong high performing community bank and increases our locations, products, and efficiencies to better serve our customers and provide value to our shareholders."Added LCB's Pugh: "Given the demands of a changing banking environment, the Board of Directors believes this transaction represents an opportunity for our shareholders, customers, employees and the communities we serve."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.) Visit The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.) at .pennlive.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉新蒲崗

Donations of sperm and ova have all but dried up at the city’s fertility banks, as experts claim Hong Kong’s restrictive laws are making matters extremely difficult for infertile couples wanting to have a baby.存倉 Timothy Chui reports. A married couple want to have a baby. The wife is barren, so rather than giving up hope of a family, the couple knock on their neighbor’s door, and in the age-old tradition of neighbors ask, politely, ahem, may we borrow one of your eggs? The woman agrees to donate one of her eggs to be fertilized by the father-in-waiting, and a live baby makes its entr�e some nine months later. All’s well and bliss prevails, until the “natural” parents, being, the natural father and the donor mother, come to a mutual accord, “that was so good, let’s do it for real” and enter into an affair of the heart. The two authors of this contretemps consider cutting out the man’s wife, extinguishing her rights as parent to the child. True story. It didn’t happen here, fortunately enough. It did happen in Singapore and it could happen in Hong Kong. If the donor had been anonymous, this regrettable denouement probably never could have happened, but as a result of the prevailing Hong Kong law, more than 90 percent of sperm and egg donors are known to the couple that wants to have the baby. The law came into effect five years ago, and experts in the field say it’s a nightmare — even in the absence of horror shows like the one in Singapore. In Hong Kong, donors usually are friends or relatives of the couple that wants to have a baby. The problems, arising from in vitro fertilization (IVF), likely arise after the baby is born. Strained or awkward family relationships make their appearances — and are capable of stirring up enough fervor and intensity to tear apart friends and families, the head of Hong Kong’s in vitro fertilization regulator told China Daily. Donors, the biological fathers and mothers, often feel deprived of their natural rights when not given a say in the child’s upbringing, and any attempt they make to play an active role may prove most unwelcome. Ugly rows seen Rows over how to raise a child between a wife and her mother-in-law can be ugly enough. Imagine for a moment, however, the sister-in-law who provided the ovary that allowed the child’s parents to side step biological impairments and legal limitations to bring a child into the world, outside the normal course of things. That can get even uglier. “The welfare of the child is our major concern. We made it happen. He or she would not have come into this world [without us,]” chairman of the Council on Human Reproductive Technology Gregory Leung Wing-lap said. He’s the one who supervises the doctors who help infertile couples conceive, and he thinks anonymous sperm and egg donations would go a long way toward preventing post-IVF family trauma. But, there’s no motivation for local donors other than bonds of family or friendship. Payments to medical donors are prohibited under Hong Kong law — to protect the needy from exploitation. And if a willing donor were so indiscrete as to advertise in the local papers, he could be prosecuted. There are channels for those willing to make free donations but none of the city’s licensed clinics really can be bothered to get involved. The UK and Canada also outlawed payment for anonymous donations in 2005. The US is one of the few remaining countries to sanction payments, which has made it the global leader in sperm exports, ahead of some continental European nations. In New York City, male donors can collect up to $50 dollars for viable sperm samples — enough for a part-time job. Women get paid around $8,000 per donated egg because the procedure to extract eggs is more time-consuming, invasive and involves minor surgery. Hong Kong had a collection of sperm banks in the 1970s, offering a few hundred dollars per viable sample — equivalent to around HK$2,000 today, adjusting for inflation. The clinics operated within a legal grey area. It took nearly three decades before the city’s local reproductive technology law was drafted, debated and put in place. Hong Kong’s last anonymous sperm bank, run by the Family Planning Association, closed in 2008, shortly after the restriction on donor payments came into effect. “My understanding is Hong Kong males are just not that generous. They just do not want to donate sperm,” Leung said. Leung wants to create a new sperm and egg depository because he thinks there’s going to be a huge demand not迷你倉long into the future. Leung admits his vision may be stillborn because of the law prohibiting payment to donors — and he had a hand in drafting that legal framework when he was with the Health and Welfare Bureau. “There were two sides to the debate. One thought: since the technology is there and with so many infertile couples, why not give them a chance? The other side believed it involved something that was unnatural and against God’s will. These opposing viewpoints, as well as the ethical and legal ramifications, resulted in the formulation of a very tough law,” he said. The spirit of the law is, in essence: “We won’t stop you, but we won’t do anything to encourage you. The government takes a neutral stand,” Leung said. “The second principle was we did not want to see commercialization. We did not want people to sell eggs and sperm. We didn’t want people to start selling body parts. It’s an inheritance from the British days. The British belief was that if you started charging for blood, there would be no more blood donations. Taken further, it would become a system where only the rich had access,” he said. Pigeon holing couples Nearly all IVF cases involved known donors after the law was implemented and sperm banks gone, he said. Leung adds, we are pigeon holing couples into selecting known donors and the associated complications further down the road because there are no avenues for anonymous gamates. Over the past five years, more than 200 couples, including mainlanders, have undergone IVF treatment —working with donors who are friends or family members. The service is also open to foreign couples whose marriages are recognized under Hong Kong law. Forget about receiving IVF in Hong Kong if you are in legally recognized civil union in your home country, a legally married homosexual couple or any financially independent, professionally successful woman who is more focused on having a baby before it’s too late than finding the perfect man. In the meantime, millions of dollars of potential medical tourism business is being lost to Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand, according to experts. A handful of specialists who carry out IVF in their practices feel great antipathy toward the council and the law which the physicians regard as archaic and reactionary, Leung confesses. Specialists who asked not to be publicly identified told China Daily dozens of eligible couples are referred out of the local health care system every month and another half dozen are rejected because they do not satisfy the local marriage requirement. “Hong Kong’s recognizing only married couples’ rights to IVF was socially backward and limited the number of prospective clients,” one long-time practitioner said. The marriage requirement was by no means strictly enforced. A couple not qualified under Hong Kong law was able to work around the rule by putting their names on a marriage certificate they downloaded from the Internet and printed. “Taiwan has a great egg donation program as well as Thailand. I send all my clients there. In Taiwan, there is an official nutritional fee of around HK$20,000 for egg donations. They have tonnes of eggs there. We’ve got to be realistic,” he said. Visitors coming to Hong Kong for IVF treatment could pump around HK$150,000 into the local economy, not including travel costs and counseling costs. “The whole world is moving towards medical tourism. Chinese patients are starting to prefer Singapore. Hong Kong’s system is turning away money. The rules were set up 15 years ago and there is a huge potential market,” he said. “China still has a one-child policy. The fines are 200,000 yuan net, not including penalties such as school placements, and if the husband works in government he will lose his job. If someone on the mainland wants to have a second child, don’t you think they would beg, steal and borrow to raise HK$200,000 to get IVF in Hong Kong and have their child here?” he asked. “It’s a vicious cycle. If more people are allowed to have IVF performed in Hong Kong it will prompt more people and their money to come here,” he said. (The spirit of the law is) we won’t stop you, but we won’t do anything to encourage you. The government takes a neutral stand.” gregory leung wing-lap chairman, council on human reproductive technology Hong Kong’s recognizing only married couples’ rights to IVF was socially backward and limited the number of prospective clients.” a long-time ivf practitioner Contact the writer at tim@chinadailyhk.com自存倉

Source: Albuquerque Journal, N.迷你倉M.Aug. 29--SANTA FE -- New Mexico's 33 county clerks voted Wednesday to seek a state Supreme Court ruling on the legality of same-sex marriage, even as gay and lesbian couples continued flocking to county offices in all corners of the state.The move came on another whirlwind day: Attorney General Gary King upholding the validity of marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples in 2004 by a former Sandoval County clerk; and the state Supreme Court turning down a request by the lawyer for two Santa Fe men to consolidate and take over several pending gay marriage lawsuits.County clerks in six counties -- Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Dona Ana, San Miguel, Valencia and Taos -- started issuing same-sex marriage licenses in the past two weeks, either voluntarily or in response to lower court orders.However, legal uncertainty over whether other county clerks should follow suit and whether clerks can alter marriage application forms to make them gender neutral prompted the clerks to take action Wednesday."We want some direction," Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar said. "We think it's important."New Mexico is the only state that has not explicitly allowed or disallowed same-sex marriage -- via legislation, a popular vote or a high court ruling, according to legal experts. That statutory uncertainty has led to a range of legal interpretations.During a Wednesday conference call, county clerks voted 31-0 to have their attorney seek a state Supreme Court ruling to address their concerns and determine whether the constitution's equal-rights protection allows for same-sex marriage, said Daniel Ivey-Soto, executive director of the New Mexico County Clerks Affiliate.The two county clerks who did not initially cast votes later pledged their support for the effort, said Ivey-Soto, who also is a Democratic state senator from Albuquerque.He said a court motion will be filed today, though it had not been decided in which court to file the motion or whether to appeal one of the already-issued court orders. The aim still would be to get a Supreme Court ruling with statewide bearing.Since the floodgates opened, county clerks in most, if not all, 33 New Mexico counties have been visited by same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses, Ivey-Soto said. He said it's expected that lawsuits will be filed against county clerks who refuse to issue them."Instead of getting picked off one by one, the county clerks decided they need an answer," Ivey-Soto said. "County clerks need to know what is their responsibility."All the state's county clerks -- 21文件倉Democrats and 12 Republicans -- offered to have their names listed in court briefs, he said.Meanwhile, a letter Attorney General King emailed on Wednesday to current Sandoval County Clerk Eileen Garbagni said a license issued by a county clerk in New Mexico is "presumptively valid" unless a court of competent jurisdiction acts to invalidate it.The letter said King's office learned that the word "void" or "illegal" was written on the licenses issued to same-sex couples in 2004 who became known as the "Sandoval 64."While county clerks have the legal duty to issue marriage licenses, King's letter said, "New Mexico law plainly does not provide county clerks with the right to invalidate marriages.""It's definitely very good news," said Mary Houdek. She and Norma Rey Vazquez de Houdek were the first to receive a marriage license from then-Sandoval County Clerk Victoria Dunlap in February 2004.Houdek said they have always considered their marriage legal.Dunlap started a media frenzy in 2004 when she decided to issue the licenses after receiving inquiries from same-sex couples. Within hours, then-Attorney General Patricia Madrid, a Democrat, advised Dunlap that the licenses would be "invalid under current law."Journal research for a 2009 story about the couples revealed that someone had hand-written "Illegal" in red pen on archived copies of each of the licenses.Garbagni, a Democrat elected county clerk in 2012, said copies without the word were scanned into the county's computer system. Anyone wanting a clean copy can pick one up, she said.Garbagni said she had no idea who wrote on the licenses. She thinks it might have been because of Madrid's advice at the time."I think it's terrible," Garbagni said.Unlike her counterparts in Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Santa Fe, San Miguel, Taos and Valencia counties, Garbagni said she is not currently prepared to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until she receives a court order to do so."I'm just going to wait until they call me and tell me otherwise," Garbagni said.King, a Democrat, did not intervene when Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins began issuing same-sex marriage licenses last week. The attorney general has said he believes denying marriage to gay couples is unconstitutional, although he has also said he does not believe same-sex marriage is allowed under current state law.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at .abqjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉

Shanghai stocks dipped yesterday as energy and metal chips fell on poor earnings, offsetting gains by financial counters after the government said it would expand a pilot program to securitize credit assets.迷你倉The Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.19 percent to 2,097.23 points.Shanxi Lu’an Environmental Energy Development Co fell 3.9 percent to 13.16 yuan (US$2.16), after reporting a 48 percent slump in its first-half net profit. Shanxi Lanhua Sci-Tech Venture Co shed 3.4 percent to 13.63 yuan.Jiangxi Copper Co Ltd lost 3.4 percent to 17.09 yuan after saying its net profit dived 52 percent to 1.24 billion yuan in the first six months this year.Meanwhile data from Southwest Securities Co showed 191 billion yuan of non-tradable shares will trade on the 儲存hanghai and Shenzhen markets in September after their lock-up periods expire, a rise of 26.4 percent from August.The value of non-tradable shares to be unlocked in September marks the third-highest level within the year, according to the brokerage, adding to investor concern about the oversupply of shares.Bao Weijun, analyst at Soochow Securities, said the massive unlocking of non-tradable shares will hurt market sentiment.China will further expand the pilot for credit asset securitization to better allocate capital and boost efficiency of existing credit, said a statement yesterday after a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.Haitong Securities gained 0.9 percent to 11.31 yuan. Sinolink Securities Co rose 1.6 percent to 12.65 yuan. 新蒲崗迷你倉

Source: Chicago TribuneAug.迷你倉出租 29--The nation's banks and thrifts continue to post higher earnings, but Illinois institutions are lagging in a number of measures, according to numbers released Thursday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.Nationally, only 8 percent of FDIC-insured institutions were unprofitable in the second quarter of 2013, but in Illinois 14 percent are in the red.Also, 54 percent of U.S. banks and thrifts saw earnings growth in the second quarter, while only 50 percent in Illinois saw earnings gains."Asset quality continues to recover, loans balances are trending up, fewer institutions are unprofitable, the number of problem banks is down, and the number of failures is significantly below levels of a year ago," FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg said in a statement. But "industry revenue growth remains weak, reflecting narrow margins and modest loan growth."The ranks of Illinois bank迷你倉 have continued to thin, falling to 545 in the second quarter of 2013, from 570 a year earlier and 592 in 2011.Profits at Illinois institutions, while up, also show signs of hitting a plateau. Illinois' banks and thrifts earned a combined $1.32 billion in the second quarter, up from $1.3 billion a year earlier and $485 million in 2011.But despite the greater acceptance of online and mobile banking, employment at FDIC-insured institutions continues to rise.Nearly 69,000 full-time employees were working at Illinois banks in the latest quarter, up from 67,300 in the year ago period and 58,200 in 2011.Nationally, the nation's banks earned $42.2 billion in the second quarter, up 23 percent from the same period a year ago.byerak@tribune.com -- Twitter: @beckyyerakCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at .chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉

The role that Wong Ching, left, with executive director James Shing, can play is clear.新蒲崗迷你倉 Uncertainty clouds the future of Asia Television after the station was heavily penalized by the Communications Authority over management matters. Its woes have prompted some people to suggest that Ricky Wong Wai-kay - a telecoms tycoon who is among three players applying for free-to-air TV licenses - buy the station instead of continuing to wait for approval, as no one knows if and when the licenses will be granted. Since Wong was briefly chief executive at ATV, they believe he is in a good position to take over. In fact, Wong was asked before if he wanted to buy the station. Noting that major ATV investor Wong Ching has reportedly injected billions of dollars, Ricky Wong surmised that the asking price will not be low. Another major shareholder is Taiwanese tycoon Tsai Eng-meng, who has been sidelined by ATV management for years. Tsai would suffer a loss should ATV lose its license, but he is smini storageid to be unconcerned and not unhappy in the slightest that the station was fined. He has long been resigned to the fact that he will not be allowed to have a say in the station's operations, and was thus indifferent to its fate. And, of course, now that the situation has been made clear to Wong Ching, Tsai may become more involved in the station's management. But there are many problems to be resolved if Tsai is to take control - as a media owner in Taiwan, his status is just as sensitive. ATV's latest infraction was serious and the station's future is up in the air. The public consultation at the end of this year should provide some clues as to whether the station may have its license renewed. But the possibility of non-renewal is a risk that must be taken into account by anyone who contemplates buying the station. With this in mind, nobody should act rashly, no matter how keen they are to enter the free-to-air television business. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily self storage

Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.迷你倉價錢 29--Every morning, before he leaves for work, French pastry chef David Piquard checks the humidity. But he isn't concerned about pleasant weather. He is gauging what temperature at which he should bake his macarons.Because these delicacies are so small and so moist and so perfect, the humidity, air temperature and each gram of ingredient count.Pittsburghers first tasted Mr. Piquard's confections two years ago at Paris 66 in East Liberty, and many have been waiting a long time for him to open his own patisserie. But no one has waited as long as Mr. Piquard, who has been dreaming about it his entire life.Located at 5837 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill, Gaby et Jules Patisseries et Macarons will have a soft opening tomorrow and a grand opening later in the fall.For a chef who demands perfection, it takes time to put together the right space with quality equipment in the right location."He's going to completely explode over there," said Frederic Rongier, owner of Paris 66. "He's going to do what he wants to do. ... David unleashed."The dream of owning a patisserie has been passed through multiple generations of the Piquard and Rongier families. Both patriarchs were car salesmen in France and the dream was never realized. Hence the bakery's name, Gaby et Jules -- a tribute to Mr. Rongier's grandfather, Gabriel, and Mr. Piquard's grandfather, Jules.Mr. Piquard, born and raised in France and now living in Murrysville, is famous for his colorful macaron creations. These moist, chilled pastries are meringue-based mini sandwiches of two biscuits with a cream filling. At Paris 66, Mr. Piquard makes 17 different flavors, including peach-violet, licorice, caramel, mint, almond and the intriguing white chocolate-basil.A box of six is priced at $13 and a box of 12 is $25.Along with the familiar macarons sold at Paris 66, Gaby et Jules will sell pastries including French baguettes, croissants, almond croissants, chocolate bread, palmiers, tarts, eclairs, milles-feuilles and operas. These smaller pastries range between $2.85 and $6.50, and on up for medium and large cakes.Mr. Rongier, also born and raised in France and now living in Highland Park, convinced Mr. Piquard to leave his job at the famous luxury pastry company Laduree and come work for him at his new restaurant.Yet, almost right from the start, the men want迷你倉d to start a bakery together.Paris 66 became the test bed for a bakery "business plan," Mr. Rongier said. They carefully collected customer feedback concerning what kind and how many pastries, especially macarons, they were selling.And they were selling like hotcakes -- or rather, cool ones.They found that people would come to the restaurant just for the desserts. Paris 66 sold about 6,000 macarons a month, not much for a bakery but impressive for a restaurant. Mr. Piquard plans to make 2,000 per day at Gaby et Jules, but he'll still spend some of his time baking at Paris 66. The eventual goal is to sell Gaby et Jules macarons in every state.Each of Mr. Piquard's macarons is uniquely organic, and his inspirations come from nature herself. The smell or color of a flower could easily become the basis of his next flavor."He's an artist," Mr. Rongier said.This can be seen by his elegant creations, each intricately designed. For Mr. Piquard, his pastries must be as pleasing to the eye as they are to the tongue. A display plate includes all colors of the rainbow."I am a perfectionist. He is a perfectionist. We are perfectionists," Mr. Rongier said.Inside Gaby et Jules, the theme is that of a modern jewelry shop, featuring a long counter complete with glass display case. While Paris 66 has a 1920s theme, Gaby et Jules has a more futuristic feel, Mr. Rongier said. Towers of gold-foiled macarons entice customers in the window."I want my pastries to become like jewels," Mr. Piquard said. "It's like you want to buy a Rolex."A television screen featuring Mr. Piquard's work will hang on the wall. There also is an open window for customers to see him and his staff working in the stainless steel "laboratory" -- a glimpse behind the scenes that he says is extremely uncommon for a pastry chef to offer.Although he was born in France, Mr. Piquard said he now feels his heart is American."I want to give to American people the best I can," he said. "Because they deserve that.""The best that France can offer," Mr. Rongier added.Gaby et Jules will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Visit gabyetjules.com.Marina Weis: 412-263-1889 or mweis@post-gazette.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存