Hotel development proposal could displace Buffalo, NY business owners

Friday, February 17, 2006

Buffalo, New York —Savarino Construction Services Corp. has proposed a $7 million hotel project at the Forest and Elmwood Avenue intersection, according to The Buffalo News. The proposal calls for a 5-story, 45,000 square-foot 80-room hotel with underground parking for at least 50 vehicles, and 4,500 square-feet of retail space on the lower level.

Hans Mobius, the owner of the five properties to be purchased in the plan (1109 to 1121 Elmwood), reportedly signed a contract with Savarino to assemble the development.

“We saw a huge opportunity to bring something to the Elmwood Village that will make sense and bring a service that’s currently not available,” said Eva Hassett, vice president of Savarino. “Elmwood is such a wonderful place to eat, shop, walk and spend time. We believe this project will add to that vibrant environment.”

Some business owners in the area see it differently. Wikinews interviewed 2 of the 4 owners whose business’s would be demolished if the development goes through.

Nancy Pollina, of Don Apparel at 1119 Elmwood, who found out about the development only yesterday, said she is “utterly” against the proposal. Her apparel shop has stood at the same location for nearly 14 years. She has volunteered in the community, and helped create several gardens around bus shelters in the city, and served on Forever Elmwood Board for six years as head of Beautification. Patty Morris co-owns Don Apparel with Pollina.

“To say this is a good looking project, I want to say the emperor has no clothes. This [project] does not take into consideration the needs of the college students. I have been told by college students, these shops here, are the reason they leave the campus,” said Mrs. Pollina.

Buffalo State College is 500-feet from the intersection.

Michael Faust, the owner of Mondo Video said, “Well, I do not really want to get kicked out of here. The landlord was very open, and the deal he made with me when I moved in here was ‘the rent is cheap and I [the landlord] will not fix anything and that will not change.'” Faust said he first learned of the development plan, “about 48 hours ago. I found out on Tuesday when the Buffalo News called and asked for my opinion on this.” Faust has not said if he will make plans to relocate. “We have to see if this [house] is going to get knocked down first,” said Faust.

An “informational” meeting, where citizens can voice opinions and learn about the proposal, will be held on Tuesday February 21, 2006 at 5:00pm (eastern), at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center Gallery at Buffalo State College, Rockwell Hall.

Executive director of Forever Elmwood Corporation, Justin P. Azzarella would not comment on whether or not the organization supports the development, saying, “you will just have to come to the meeting.”

Forever Elmwood Corp. is designed to preserve and protect the unique and historic nature of Elmwood Avenue and its surrounding neighborhoods and encourage neighborhood commercial revitalization. The organization was founded in 1994.

Nearly two years ago, the Forever Elmwood Corp. assisted in the blocking of the demolition of the Edward Atwater house at 1089 Elmwood next to Pano’s Restaurant which is at 1081 Elmwood. Owner Pano Georgiadis wanted to expand his restaurant onto the property where the house now stands, but the Common Council denied his permit to demolish saying the house is a historical landmark and needs to be protected. Georgiadis, who has a bleeding ulcer, said that all the court cases landed him in the hospital. “I got a bleeding ulcer, and since then, I don’t care about this house anymore, or this city. I just go to work every day. I think [preservationists] are parasites,” said Georgiadis.

Georgiadis will not be attending Tuesday’s meeting saying, “I will be out of town.”

In 1995 Hans Mobius proposed a plan to develop a Walgreens, that was to be placed in the same location, but residents and business owners shot down the proposal. Walgreens eventually withdrew its request for a variance after pressure from the community.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

On Tuesday, Salman bin Abdulaziz, the king of Saudi Arabia, signed a royal decree to permit Saudi women to obtain a driver’s license and drive. The new decree is to be under effect from June 2018. After the signing of the landmark decree, Saudi’s foreign affairs ministry tweeted, “By order .. Traffic system allows women to drive the car in the Kingdom” ^{((ar))Arabic language: ????? ????.. ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????}.

Saudi Arabia was the only country where women were prohibited from driving. A committee of ministers is to decide upon how to implement this decree, and provide recommendations within a month. A majority of the country’s religious advisory Council of Senior Scholars had agreed with the amendments. Though women would be issued driving licenses, their permission to drive would have to be in accordance with the Shari’a law, the scholars said. Also, Saudi Arabia has a law about guardianship, which mandates women seek permission from male guardians before leaving home. The committee would make recommendations about scenarios like this.

Last year, prince Alwaleed bin Talal issued a statement in support of eradicating this ban. The prince said, “Preventing a woman from driving a car is today an issue of rights similar to the one that forbade her from receiving an education or having an independent identity”. He added, “They are all unjust acts by a traditional society, far more restrictive than what is lawfully allowed by the precepts of religion.” The prince also cited economic concerns. In his statement, he said families had to rely on drivers when a female member had to travel, which could be avoided if women were allowed to drive. He said, “Having women drive has become an urgent social demand predicated upon current economic circumstances”.

Manal al-Sharif, who was punished for driving in Saudi Arabia, and who advocated rights for women to drive, tweeted, “Today, the last country on earth to allow women to drive #Women2Drive#Daring2Drive we did it”, after the announcement was made. Women who protested against the unequal rights in 1990 and 2011 were punished, in various cases jailed and banned from travel for years.

Friday, November 3, 2006

On November 13, Torontonians will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Scarborough-Agincourt (Ward 39). Two candidates responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Wayne Cook, Mike Del Grande (incumbent), Samuel Kung, Lushan Lu, Sunshine Smith, and John Wong.

For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ian Narev, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, this morning “unreservedly” apologised to clients who lost money in a scandal involving the bank’s financial planning services arm.

Last week, a Senate enquiry found financial advisers from the Commonwealth Bank had made high-risk investments of clients’ money without the clients’ permission, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost. The Senate enquiry called for a Royal Commission into the bank, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Mr Narev stated the bank’s performance in providing financial advice was “unacceptable”, and the bank was launching a scheme to compensate clients who lost money due to the planners’ actions.

In a statement Mr Narev said, “Poor advice provided by some of our advisers between 2003 and 2012 caused financial loss and distress and I am truly sorry for that. […] There have been changes in management, structure and culture. We have also invested in new systems, implemented new processes, enhanced adviser supervision and improved training.”

An investigation by Fairfax Media instigated the Senate inquiry into the Commonwealth Bank’s financial planning division and ASIC.

Whistleblower Jeff Morris, who reported the misconduct of the bank to ASIC six years ago, said in an article for The Sydney Morning Herald that neither the bank nor ASIC should be in control of the compensation program.

Monday, September 20, 2010

One of London’s most well known murals could be restored after years of neglect if plans by a group of community activists gain public support. The Fitzrovia Mural at Whitfield Gardens on London’s Tottenham Court Road was created by two mural artists and commissioned by Camden Council in 1980, but the mural has since decayed and been vandalised.

Plans will be presented at a public meeting this Tuesday, to include details of the restoration and promote local public space in contrast to potential commercial developments and the focus of the London 2012 Olympics. If enough funds are raised from charitable trusts and public donations the mural could be restored during the summer of 2011.

Plans to be put forward by the Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association, and the London Mural Preservation Society, will present ways to fund not only the restoration work but also projects to raise awareness of conservation, heritage, and the residential and working community. The heritage and mural project hopes to involve many local people who could learn new conservation skills. Also planned are workshops with local children to involve them in their heritage, an exhibition by local artists, guided tours and a celebratory event at the end of the restoration project. In addition to this, a booklet would be produced containing collected oral histories of the people involved and a preservation trust to protect the mural in future years.

The playful painting was created on a Camden Council-owned building in 1980 by artists Mick Jones, (son of the late Jack Jones, trade union leader) and Simon Barber and is a mash up of scenes depicting problems faced by the neighbourhood over the preceding decade.

There is also a caricature of poet Dylan Thomas, who lived in Fitzrovia, and a mocking portrayal of then leader of the Greater London Council, Conservative politician Horace Cutler, who is pictured as a bat-like creature. Other characters include an anonymous greedy developer and a property speculator counting piles of cash.

Peter Whyatt of the neighbourhood association is jointly leading the project to restore the mural. Yesterday he told Wikinews he had a number of concerns about the possible success of the project.

“There are a great number of problems with getting this project off the ground and we also need to act pretty quickly for a number of reasons,” said Mr Whyatt.

“Firstly the mural is in a terrible state and deteriorating quickly. There is more graffiti being daubed on the site every month because one bit of graffiti attracts another bit. We really need to start the work in the next 12 months because going through another winter with the condition of the wall will causes more problems and inevitably more expense. We want to keep as much original artwork on the site as possible to keep the costs down. This is a big mural and it will be expensive to restore,” he continued.

“And that brings me to my second concern: cost. If we don’t get other community organisations on board to bid for money for this with us and to involve their beneficiaries and volunteers, it will be very difficult to secure the money needed. Money is very tight at the moment because to the current financial climate. We need to get support at this meeting on Tuesday and some firm commitments from people and organisations to get involved.

“Lastly there is a danger of a commercial development on the site. A public-private partnership to create a new art feature. Because of the existing mural’s subject matter – it mocks property speculators, and land developers, etc – a commercial scheme probably backed by a property developer would not want to restore the mural’s original message. They’d want some “good news” scheme, some greenwash idea that paints them in a positive light.

“However, despite these problems, Camden Council have offered to do a condition survey on the mural. This will save us a lot of money. But having said that there are five council departments to deal with to get permission for this restoration work, and they don’t always talk to each other.

“But if the public and local voluntary organisations show their support, we can make it happen,” Mr Whyatt concluded.

The mural restoration will be just one part of a year long project of heritage and conservation awareness-raising. “The project is not just about the mural but also wider plans to promote awareness of heritage and conservation in an area of London under threat from commercial development. In fact the bulk of the project is about the heritage and conservation and the mural is just one part of it, and the most visible because of its situation,” Mr Whyatt later added.

There will be a public meeting about the heritage and mural project at 7.30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday), at the Neighbourhood Centre, 39 Tottenham Street. The public can also comment about the proposals on the Fitzrovia Heritage and Mural website.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

On Thursday, former English midfielder Frank Lampard announced retirement from football via Instagram, finishing a 21-year professional football career.

Lampard said, “After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer. […] at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life.”

The 38-year-old midfielder made his debut in the mid-1990s and played for West Ham United and Swansea City before he joined London-based football club Chelsea F.C. in 2001 for £11million. Spending thirteen seasons with The Blues, Lampard scored 211 goals in all competitions for Chelsea, a club record, in nearly 650 appearances for the club. Lampard won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two Football League Cups, and one each of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Lampard spent one season with Manchester City F.C. before moving to Major League Soccer club New York City Football Club. Lampard played 29 matches with the New York club scoring fifteen goals. Lampard has scored goals against 39 different Premier League clubs.

Lampard won 106 international caps for England, scoring 29 goals and featuring in three FIFA World Cups — 2006, 2010 and 2014 — before retiring from the national team in 2014. He made his international debut in 1999 against Belgium.

Lampard said he is to study for coaching qualifications. Lampard wore a blue coloured jersey for most of his career.

Sunday, October 9, 2005

Canada’s federal government has announced a new program that plans to share unexpected budget surpluses with ordinary citizens. It should be introduced in Ottawa as early as Friday.

The Surplus Allocation Act would share any surplus equally between tax cuts, new spending and debt relief. It would not replace Canada’s $3 billion emergency fund. Under existing law any surplus is funneled completely into debt relief.

The benefit would come as an amount added on to the income tax returns of that year. It would then be added on to the amount a person can earn tax-free for each subsequent year.

Along with the new home heating oil rebate program are considered to be pre-election maneuvering from the liberals. Paul Martin has promised an election within 30 days of the Gomery Commission Report’s release. The report is expected in February.

Monday, December 24, 2007

The “NBA 2K8 Asia Championship” Taiwan Qualifier, organized by NBA Asia Corp. and sponsored by Microsoft Taiwan, was held on December 22 & 23. According to the organizer, Taiwan was chosen as the first on-site stage tournament because of some of the market share factor on the gaming industry and the gaming population.

In Taiwan’s qualifier, the organizer successively invited models from Catwalk Production House and two Taiwanese bands (Yummy, 2moro) for friendship matches with the public. With the entertainers’ participation, it attracted media and press in the entertainment industry.

On the other hand, to conjunct with sports and gaming, the organizer set the experience area with not only the Xbox 360 gaming console but also a shooting machine.

In this 2-day qualifier, due to some issues on the arrangement of the schedule, some registered gamers offered to quit the championship, but it didn’t take effect on the results of the single day champion, the 2-day champion, and overall champion. Finally, Yu-cheng Lin won the overall champion to participate in the Grand Final of the championship in South Korea on January 12, 2008.

According to the organizer, the Hong Kong qualifier will start on January 5 & 6, 2008 at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill, Hong Kong.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

On Sunday, vice-president of World Chess Federation (FIDE) Israel Gelfer told Reuters that visas for seven Israeli chess players “will not be issued” for a chess tournament in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The 2017 King Salman Rapid and Blitz World Championships from December 26 to December 30 in Riyadh is to go ahead without any changes, the vice-president said.

Spokesperson of the Saudi Arabian embassy in the US Fatimah Baeshen tweeted, “Related to the purported politicization of the International Chess Tournament hosted by Riyadh: the Kingdom has allowed the participation of all citizens.The exception is whereby KSA has historically not had diplomatic ties with a specific country-thus has maintained its policy.”

Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel. Despite their diplomatic tensions with Iran, Israel, and Qatar, FIDE tweeted they had “secured” visas for Qatari and Iranian chess players on Monday. In November, FIDE’s deputy president Georgios Makropoulos told Reuters they were “making a huge effort to ensure that all players get their visas”.

Speaking to Reuters, Israeli Chess Federation’s spokesperson Lior Aizenberg said, “The event is not a world championship if they prevent chess players from several countries from taking part […] Every chess player should have the right to participate in an event on the basis of professional criteria, regardless of their passports, their place of issue or the stamps they bear.”

Moshe Shalev of the Israel Chess Federation said they were “thinking about suing the World Chess Federation”.

About 180 chess players were to participate in the event. The total prize money of the tournament is US$2 million, with largest individual prize money about US$750 thousand.

In November, chess Grand Master Hikaru Nakamura tweeted, “To organize a chess tournament in a country where basic human rights aren’t valued is horrible. Chess is a game where all different sorts of people can come together, not a game in which people are divided because of their religion or country of origin.”

This is not the first time Israeli players have faced problems while playing in the Middle East nations. In October, Israeli judokas were not permitted to wear the Israeli flag or symbols, or bear the country’s name on their judo uniform for a judo grand slam in the United Arab Emirates. Israeli judokas had to compete without their national flag and the anthem of the International Judo Federation was played at the medal ceremony when Israeli athlete Tal Flicker won a gold medal.