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Field of Schemes
sports stadium news and analysis
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Halifax Schooners
Ottawa CFL team
Charlotte MLB team
Fort Bragg stadium
Las Vegas MLB team
Mexico City MLB team
MLB attendance
Montreal MLB team
Nashville MLB team
Orlando MLB team
Portland MLB team
Potomac Nationals
Raleigh MLB team
San Juan stadium
Veterans Stadium
Albuquerque MLS team hahaha I can't type this with a straight face
Charlotte MLS team
Detroit MLS team
Elk freaking Grove
Las Vegas MLS team
MLS attendance
Nashville MLS team
NYC F.C.
Oklahoma City MLS team
Phoenix MLS team
Raleigh/Durham MLS team
Sacramento MLS team
San Antonio MLS team
San Diego MLS team
St. Louis MLS team
Tampa MLS team
Toronto F.C.
San Diego arena
San Jose NBA team
Seattle arena
Spirits of St. Louis
Vancouver NBA team
Virginia Beach arena
London NFL team
Los Angeles NFL team
Omaha. Just Omaha.
Pontiac Silverdome
San Diego NFL team
Washington NFL team
Hartford NHL team
Houston NHL team
Markham arena
NHL attendance
NHL expansion
Quebec arena
Seattle NHL team
Atlantic City Surf
Birmingham Legion FC
Boise Hawks
Bridgeport Bluefish
Caguas Criollos
Camden Riversharks
El Paso Triple-A team
Evansville arena
F.C. Arizona
FC New York
Fresno Falcons
High Point Atlantic League team
Hinchliffe Stadium
Huntsville minor-league baseball team
Kansas City T-Bones
Knoxville Ice Bears
Metro Millers
minor-league hockey team in Bayville already
Mobile BayBears
NBA D-League
New Mexico Renegades
New Orleans Baby Cakes
Newark Bears
Newfoundland Growlers
Portland Beavers
San Diego 1904 FC
San Francisco Bulls
San Francisco Deltas
San Jose Giants
Saskatoon arena
Saskatoon CPL team
Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees
Spokane arena
St. Paul Saints
Staten Island hockey team that doesn't even exist already
Stockton Thunder
Syracuse Chiefs
Tacoma Defiance
Tampa Bay F.C.
Tri-City Dust Devils
Baltimore USL team
Boise USL team
Chicago soccer stadium
Cleveland USL team
Colorado Switchbacks
Concord USL team
Fresno FC
Hartford USL team
Louisville City F.C.
New Mexico United
OKC Energy FC
Pawtucket USL team
Queensboro F.C.
Wichita Wind Surge
Wichita Wingnuts
Winnipeg Goldeyes
Worcester Triple-A team
all the chutzpah in the world
apocalypses
Astrodome
Atlanta Beat
Baltimore arena
Birmingham football stadium
BMX seriously?
cable contracts
Cincinnati arena
Louisville arena
College track meets
community benefits agreements
concessions prices
Convention Center Follies
cornfields in Iowa
democracy is dead
demolished stadiums
Candlestick Park
Minneapolis Metrodome
drunk people having sex at sporting events
economic impact studies
edumacating the masses
European soccer
Everton F.C.
Fulham F.C.
The Football League (UK)
Field of Schemes (the book)
Fort Worth arena
Hamilton arena
hotel subsidies
Indianapolis stadium/arena/something
journalism is dead
Kalamazoo arena
Kemper Arena
L.A. Coliseum
let's give Def Leppard a hand
Meadowlands arena
Miami Marine Stadium
Milwaukee Wave
modern art makes me want to rock out
movie subsidies
Mutant League Hockey
Nassau Coliseum
non-sports subsidies
Olympic swimming (?!?!?)
Palm Springs arena
personal seat licenses
pickleball already
political conventions
presidential candidates (not really)
pro lacrosse
public embarrassment
public ownership
Rapid City arena
Richmond arena
rocket football?!?!?
rodeo?!?
Rubber Bowl
Seibu Lions
something is terribly wrong
stadium history
stadium security
state-of-the-art clauses
stimulus spending
substitution effect
Sydney stadium
tax-exempt status
Temple University stadium
The Brooklyn Wars
the sports-media complex
the sports-military complex
the stadium playbook
move threats
things like the Olympics that aren't the Olympics
toxic capitalism
Trumpism
vaportecture
West Side Tennis Club
Search Results for: henderson
Diamondbacks courted Henderson, Nevada for a $1B stadium (then stopped, but still)
Posted on August 2, 2019 by Neil deMause
Last year, Henderson [Nevada] officials quietly began a push to lure the Arizona Diamondbacks from the team's Phoenix home to their city, records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal show.
According to the presentation, Henderson hired a consultant to conduct a financial analysis, assuming the ballpark would have 32,000 seats and space for 4,000 standing-room-only ticket holders. The Diamondbacks would serve as the primary tenant for a 30-year term and the stadium would be publicly owned and exempt from property tax.
The consultant estimated the ballpark would cost about $1 billion to construct.
On Jan. 4, [Derrick] Hall, the team's CEO, sent Derrick an email with the subject line, "Have not forgotten you!"
"Hopefully there is still strong interest there as we go through the MLB motions," he wrote.
Let's be clear about one thing: Given the relative sizes of their media markets, the Arizona Diamondbacks owners are extremely unlikely to leave Phoenix for the Las Vegas area anytime soon. (The last contact between the two parties was apparently in February.) But that doesn't mean they won't play footsie with Nevada as a way of scaring Phoenix into coughing up that new stadium that they badly want it to, just as it won't stop Henderson — a small city near Las Vegas that is best known for paying to build a Vegas Golden Knights practice facility and previously suing a developer who promised to build an NFL stadium there but didn't — from getting free media impressions by exchanging a few emails with an MLB team exec.
Still, it's another sign that there are still plenty of cities out there eager to fill the threat gap that MLB has had ever since putting a team in Washington, D.C., and that MLB teams are happy to have them do so. The D-Backs' stadium demands have been in a bit of a holding pattern of late, but I've got a feeling they're likely to heat up real soon now.
Posted in Arizona Diamondbacks
Friday roundup: Red Wings owner touts his "passion" amid sea of parking lots, cities are terrible stadium negotiators, newspapers are terrible newspapers
Posted on May 24, 2019 by Neil deMause
The cryptocurrency-based journalism startup Civil couldn't have gone much worse, but it did spawn a couple of successes, none more welcome than Hmm Daily, the news commentary site from former Gawker and Deadspin editor Tom Scocca. Or as I will always think of him, the co-founder of Funny Paper, the now virtually unfindable-on-the-internet weekly(ish) political analysis of daily comic strips that was the greatest such enterprise until the great Josh Fruhlinger elevated it to an even higher art form. I've been enjoying Scocca's excellent columns on the militarization of language and how big a giant bee is for months now, but I didn't feel compelled to bite the bullet and kick in any money until I spotted this photo caption in an article by Scocca's Funny Paper co-conspirator Joe MacLeod: "I have no beef with the M&M's homunculus infesting the menu." If you know me at all from reading this website, you know that I immediately pulled out my wallet and became a paying Hmm Daily subscriber (at the $5 a month level, though the reward at the $50,000 level is truly amazing).
Anyways, on to the sports stadium and arena newses:
The District Detroit development around the new Red Wings arena still consists mostly of some state-subsidized parking lots, but Red Wings exec Christopher Ilitch says that's okay because "Our timelines may change. Our passion, the energy, the way we feel about this community has not." And truly, who can put a price on feels?
The Voice of OC cites "experts" as saying that Anaheim may not be driving a hard enough bargain with Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno on a price for stadium parking lot development rights, and oh hey look, it's me. Also Holy Cross economist Victor Matheson, who says, "Cities tend to be remarkably bad negotiators when it comes to professional sports," which, yup.
Politifact Wisconsin did a fact-check on claims that the state of Wisconsin will get a "tremendous" payback on its Milwaukee Bucks arena subsidies and found that that's only if you assume the Bucks would have moved without them, and assume that Bucks fans would have all stopped spending their money in Wisconsin without them, and assume that NBA salaries will quintuple by the 2040s, and further found that Villanova sports stadium researcher Rick Eckstein calls the revenue estimates "fantasy figures," and concluded that this makes the claim Mostly True. It is just slightly possible that having staff members of the local newspaper that has a record of overarching credulity on the arena deal do fact-checking on it might not be the best idea.
The people trying to get an MLB franchise in Portland are running out of momentum as MLB waits for the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A's to work out their stadium situations before considering expansion, but at least they got a meeting with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred — no wait, the news report has corrected itself, they didn't even get that. Well, at least they have weirdly non-Euclidean renderings.
Speaking of MLB expansion hopefuls, Montreal's would-be neo-Expos owner Stephen Bronfman has a deal in place on land for a new stadium … not on buying the land, mind you, but with a developer to help develop the non-stadium part of the land once they buy it. This could be a while.
And speaking of the Rays and of terrible newspapers, the Tampa Bay Times' John Romano wants to know when St. Petersburg and Tampa officials will stop bickering and get to work on throwing money at Rays owner Stuart Sternberg already?
The New York Times is a significantly less terrible newspaper, but a profile on A's president Dave Kaval with the headline "Can This Man Keep the A's in Oakland?" is not only pretty sycophantic in its own right, but it assumes a lot about the team owners moving without a new stadium when they've already gone a couple of decades demanding a new stadium and not getting one and still not moving.
Henderson, Nevada, is giving $10 million to the owners of the Vegas Golden Knights to build a practice rink, which is dumb but less dumb than some other cities' expenses on similar projects.
The Arizona Coyotes are getting a new majority owner and the Phoenix Suns are up for sale, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon, who added, "as one NHL official told me yesterday, when I asked that very question, I said, 'Does this new owner mean that there's an arena closer to fruition?' And the answer was, if you get a new owner, there's a better chance of a new arena. So you can put two and two together, Steve." Then the Suns owners and a report in The Athletic on the Coyotes completely refuted what Shannon said, so maybe you're better off putting two and two together without his help.
I was about to write up this news story about a potential rezoning approval for Austin F.C.'s new stadium, but then I saw that KXAN managed to write "Austin's Planing Commission" and "this ammendment" in the first three paragraphs, and now I gotta go cry all day about the death of copy editing, sorry.
Posted in Arizona Coyotes, Austin FC, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Bucks, Montreal MLB team, Phoenix Suns, Portland MLB team, Tampa Bay Rays, the sports-media complex, Vegas Golden Knights
Friday roundup: IRS hands sports owners another tax break, A's accused of skimping on Coliseum land price, Rays could decide this summer on … something
Posted on May 3, 2019 by Neil deMause
Happy Friday! Here is a fatberg of stadium and arena news to clog up your weekend:
San Jose Mercury News columnist Daniel Borenstein says the Oakland A's owners could be getting a discount of between $15 million and $65 million on their purchase of half the Oakland Coliseum site from Alameda County, which is hard to tell without opening up the site to other bids, which Alameda County didn't do. You could also look at comparable land sale prices and try to guess, which shows that the A's owners' offer is maybe closer to fair value; it's not a tremendous subsidy either way, but still oh go ahead, just write us a check for whatever you think is fair is probably not the best way to sell off public assets, yeah.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman says he expects to hear by this summer from Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg whether Sternberg will seek to build a stadium in St. Pete or across the bay in Tampa. Of course, Sternberg already announced once that he was picking Tampa and then gave up when nobody in Tampa wanted to pay for his $900 million stadium, so what an announcement this summer would exactly mean, other than who Sternberg will next go to hat in hand, remains unclear.
Fred Lindecke, who helped get an ordinance passed in St. Louis in 2002 that requires a voter referendum before spending public sports venues, would like to remind you that the soccer stadium deal approved last December still has to clear that hurdle, not that anybody is talking about it. Since the soccer subsidies would all be tax kickbacks and discounted land, not straight-up cash, I suspect this could be headed for another lawsuit.
Cory Booker and James Lankford have reintroduced their bill to block the use of federal tax-exempt bonds for sports venues, but only Booker got in the headline because Lankford isn't running for president. (Okay, also it's from a New Jersey news site, and Booker is from New Jersey.) Meanwhile, the IRS just handed sports team owners an exemption from an obscure provision of the Trump tax law that would have forced them to pay taxes on player trades; now teams can freely trade their employees like chattel without having to worry about taxes that all other business owners have to, thank god that's resolved.
Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant, for some reason, revealed that "Seattle is having a meeting to try to bring back the Sonics," but turns out it's just Chris Hansen meeting with a bunch of his partners and allies from his failed Sodo arena plan, not anyone from city government at all, so everybody please calm down.
The rival soccer team that lost out to David Beckham's Inter Miami for the Lockhart Stadium site in Fort Lauderdale is now suing to block Beckham's plans for a temporary stadium and permanent practice facility there, because this is David Beckham so of course they are.
Publicly owned Wayne State University is helping to build a $25 million arena for the Detroit Pistons' minor-league affiliate, and Henderson, Nevada could pay half the cost of a $22 million Las Vegas Golden Knights practice facility, and clearly cities will just hand out money if you put "SPORTZ" on the name of your project, even if it will draw pretty much zero new tourists or spending or anything. Which, yeah, I know is the entire premise of this site, but sometimes the craziness of it all just leaps up and smacks you in the face, you know?
The Philadelphia Union owners have hired architects to develop a "master plan" for development around their stadium in Chester, because they promised the city development and there hasn't been any development and maybe drawing a picture of some development will make it appear, couldn't hurt, right?
Wannabe Halifax CFL owner Anthony LeBlanc insisted that "we are moving things along, yeah" on getting federal land to build a stadium on, while showing no actual evidence that things are moving along. "The only direction that council has ever given on this is 'dear staff, please analyze the business case when it comes,'" countered Halifax regional councillor Sam Austin. "Everything else is media swirl."
Never mind that bill that could have repealed the Austin F.C. stadium's property tax break, because its sponsor has grandfathered in the stadium and any other property tax breaks that were already approved.
Hamilton, Ontario, could be putting its arena up for sale, if you're in the market for an arena in Hamilton, Ontario.
And finally, here's an article by the Sacramento Bee's Tony Bizjak on how an MLS franchise would be great for Sacramento because MLS offers cheap tickets and a diverse crowd who like public transportation and MILLENNIALS!!!, plus also maybe it could help incubate the next Google, somehow! And will it cost anything or have any other negative impacts? Yes, including $33 million in public subsidies, but Tony Bizjak doesn't worry about such trivialities. MILLENNIALS, people!!!
Posted in Austin FC, Detroit Pistons, Halifax Schooners, Hamilton arena, Inter Miami, Oakland A's, Philadelphia Union, Sacramento MLS team, Seattle arena, St. Louis MLS team, Tampa Bay Rays, tax-exempt bonds, Vegas Golden Knights
Detroit Free Press credits Red Wings arena for fixing blight that Red Wings owner created
Posted on September 5, 2017 by Neil deMause
The Detroit Red Wings and Pistons are about to open their new Little Caesars Arena (named after the Red Wings' owners' pizza company, which is actually a longstanding sports tradition), and the Detroit Free Press could not be more excited! On Thursday, reporters Frank Witsil, JC Reindl, and John Gallagher teamed up for a report on how the publicly subsidized arena and surrounding development promises to "breathe life into a part of Detroit that has long been considered a dead zone"; today, Gallagher is back by his lonesome to call the arena an "exciting new venue" for hockey and an "exciting new venue" for concerts, as well as a "major new attraction to the rapidly revitalizing greater downtown" and "a monument to Detroit's sports and entertainment history." Total number of citations across the two articles of studies of how past sports-based city "revitalizations" have gone, or even what the impact was or wasn't from Detroit's construction of nearby stadiums for the Tigers and Lions: zero.
All of which is pretty much par for the sports-media course, except for that, as the Detroit Metro Times pointed out after Thursday's piece, calling the arena district a "dead zone" conveniently ignores what made it dead in the first place:
Well, of course the area was blighted. The Ilitches spent 15 years quietly buying up properties in the area. What interest did they have in developing any of them when (a) they knew they intended to flatten them for a new arena and (b) any investment in them would only cause land values to rise? Chris Ilitch said as much to The Detroit News.
In other words, Olympia is the main cause of the area's deterioration. You don't need to be an expert on Detroit development to know that. Even the uninitiated could pick up on the unintended irony when Chris Ilitch reportedly said, "It's no coincidence that these areas to the north of I-75 are some of the most blighted areas of our city core."
Metro Times goes on to note that a lot of the unblight that the Ilitch family is getting credit for doesn't actually have a timetable for construction yet — or in their words, "mostly exists in the fevered imagination of Olympia executives — another example of information not appearing in this article.
The Freep opinion page did demur on one thing, at least: The arena's official opening will take place next Tuesday, with the first of a series of concerts by confederate-flag-waving, Colin Kaepernick–hating rap-rocker Kid Rock, which editorial page editor Stephen Henderson calls "a sturdy middle finger to Detroiters," who are 83% African American — though the greater metro area is 70% white, so maybe it's just a beckoning hand to suburbanites, huh? (Editor's note: Not all white Michigan suburbanites are fans of racist symbols of slave states. I know a couple.)
The Ilitches have responded with a statement that "Kid Rock has been a consistent supporter of Detroit, and the marketplace has responded accordingly to his appearances. Performing artists' viewpoints in no way represent an endorsement of those viewpoints by Olympia Entertainment." So there.
Posted in Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings
Newark to raze 17-year-old minor-league stadium it spent $30m on, because that sure didn't work
Posted on March 22, 2016 by Neil deMause
The minor-league Newark Bears folded two years ago, going out in a blaze of bankruptcy auction (I still have my $5 game-worn Bears jersey, not to mention my souvenir Bears yarmulkes), and leaving the city of Newark with the stadium that it paid $30 million to build just 15 years earlier. And soon, it won't have even that, as the city has announced it's selling the land to a developer for the construction of a mixed-use tower.
Newark will get $23.5 million for the land sale, which at least takes some of the sting out of spending $30 million (in 1999 dollars) to revitalize part of its downtown with a team that was never exactly vital. (Though Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco both played there briefly, which helped draw at least a few gawkers.) Though even then, Newark could still be on the hook for more money with the new development:
While [deputy mayor Baye Adofo-]Wilson said [developer] Lotus will probably seek a tax abatement for the project, the details of what it will look like have not yet been ironed out. But, the tax break would be contingent upon the company hiring Newark residents during construction, and hotel staffing, he said.
"We require that you hire Newark residents," Wilson said. "If you do that, we can grant an abatement."
Depending on how big an abatement and how many hires would be required, that could certainly be a pretty awful deal — Newark might be better off just keeping the tax money and handing it out to residents on streetcorners — but we'll have to wait and see. Regardless, it's a sad ending to what was both a pretty nice place to watch baseball and a monument to the willingness of desperate cities to throw money at any sports franchise that offered a promise of a return to urban glory, regardless how faint. Don't do this at home, kids.
Posted in Newark Bears
Latest Vegas arena developer vows no tax money, just green card swaps
Posted on December 24, 2013 by Neil deMause
We have a little more information about former UNLV player Jackie Robinson's proposed $1.3 billion Las Vegas arena project this morning. The Las Vegas Sun reports that the project would use "no tax money," but would qualify for EB-5 tax credits, the green-cards-for-interest-free-loans program that the Brooklyn Nets used for their arena.
EB-5 is certainly the flavor of the month in sports venue financing — it's been floated for the Sacramento Kings and Tampa Bay Rays as well, though neither has actually implemented it — but it's going to be a drop in the bucket on a $1.3 billion project. And it's important to remember that Las Vegas is traditionally the land where arena announcements go to die — Robinson's proposed site, in fact, is the same plot of land where Chris Milam proposed his own "privately financed" $1.95 billion multi-stadium project, before revealing that it would actually require tax kickbacks and eventually hightailing it to the nearby city of Henderson, where he proposed yet another stadium complex that never happened. So, grains of salt here.
As for who would play at his arena, Robinson said he hopes to secure an NBA team, touting the fact that NBA VP Kiki Vandeweghe is "one my closest, dearest friends." Which is all well and good, but he's going to need more than that (and his former ownership of a team in the extremely short-lived International Basketball League) to get a franchise for a city that has mostly only been connected to the NBA for its disastrous 2007 All-Star Game, though commissioner David Stern does occasionally mention it in laundry lists of possible expansion targets. If Robinson does manage to get his complex built, though, and the NBA either expands or a team is up for relocation, and … you know what, let's cross that bridge when we can actually see it without a high-powered telescope.
Posted in Vegas Golden Knights
Tampa Bay media report on Tampa Bay media's reporting of Rays-to-Montréal rumors
What do you get when you combine a slow news day, a semi-famous guy in one city looking to promote his campaign to own an MLB team, and a sportswriter in another city looking for something to write about his city's team's stadium campaign in which nothing much is happening? That would be this:
Former Montreal Expos icon Warren Cromartie — so popular in Montreal he once had his own candy bar, the CroBar — is mounting a campaign to lure a team back to the francophone city on the St. Lawrence River. Cromartie told The Tampa Tribune on Tuesday that he isn't targeting any team specifically, including the Rays.
However, he acknowledges certain teams are struggling with attendance or their finances and he's more than willing to let baseball writers and sports agents make the Rays-to-Montreal suggestion.
"You know, baseball writers. Those guys. Not like me, Tampa Tribune baseball writer Michael Sasso, who just wrote an article headlined, 'Could Montreal make a play for Rays?'"
Look, I've long said that Montréal is almost certainly the best baseball market in North America without an MLB team, but that doesn't make Cromartie's campaign news just yet — as the Tampa Tribune's Joe Henderson points out, what the Rays are unhappy about in Tampa Bay is that they don't have anyone offering to build them a new stadium, and all Montréal has is "a sketchy, unfunded plan to build a ballpark." Still, Henderson did end up writing a whole article about the Rays moving to Montréal, or at least about them threatening to move to Montréal in order to extort a new stadium in Tampa Bay. Stuart Sternberg has got to be really happy for slow news days.
Posted in Tampa Bay Rays
How realistic is it to find $600 million for a Rays stadium?
Posted on August 12, 2013 by Neil deMause
First things first: On Thursday, I reported, based on a column by the Tampa Tribune's Joe Henderson, that the $100 million in downtown property tax money Tamps Mayor Bob Buckhorn is proposing to dedicate to a Tampa Bay Rays stadium was worth only $50 million, since it would be paid out over 30 years. This was wrong: I'd assumed that when Henderson wrote "it's worth about $100 million over 30 years," he meant it was worth $100 million over 30 years, when he actually meant it would be paid out over 30 years, but worth $100 million now. According to last November's joint Tampa-area chamber of commerce funding document (thanks, Noah Pransky, for the link), the Community Redevelopment Area fund actually brings in $13 million a year, which if dedicated to the Rays could pay off … actually close to $200 million in stadium bonds, but the chambers of commerce used conservative projections, so only counted it as worth $105-115 million now, which Buckhorn apparently rounded down to $100 million.
This isn't actually good or bad news — or rather, it's good news if you're trying to count pennies to add up to $600 million worth of stadium cost, bad news if you'd rather see Tampa considering handing $50 million in tax money to the Rays than $100 million.
Buckhorn is determinedly in penny-counting mode, holding a press conference on Friday in which he said that the Rays may be asked to contribute a "significant" amount toward a stadium, as much as $200-300 million, while promising that taxpayers won't bear most of the costs — which would be a neat trick, given that $200-300 million would still leave the majority of the costs on the public's tab. Though Buckhorn did add, according to the Tampa Tribune's Michael Sasso's paraphrase, that "Tampa and Hillsborough County simply might not be able to find enough money for a new ballpark and may have to scrap the idea," so maybe the mayor is at least acknowledging the tyranny of math.
Assuming all these numbers actually mean anything, though, how reasonable is it to think that Tampa could actually cobble together enough money to build a new stadium for the Rays? If a stadium costs $600 million, which seems to be the going rate — the four recent MLB stadiums listed in the chamber of commerce report (Marlins, Twins, Mets, Nationals; the Yankees' $2-billion-plus stadium didn't get included for some reason) averaged $628.5 million per — then the math looks like this:
Public: $105-115m from CRA property tax receipts
Team: $200-300m from new stadium revenues, naming rights, parking revenues, Stuart Sternberg's pocket, etc.
???: $185-295m from elfin magic
That's a sizable chunk of change still left to be determined. Proposals for new revenue in the chamber of commerce report range from a countywide 5% surcharge on rental cars ($140-150 million) to asking the state of Florida for one of its $2 million a year tax-rebate deals $33-37 million); Buckhorn has also suggested tapping into the EB-5 green-cards-for-interest-free-loans deal that the Brooklyn Nets used for $100-150 million, but since that would only amount to a way to borrow money without interest for five years, after which the principal would still have to be repaid, it's hard to see it being worth more than a few million dollars total to the city.
Then there's the question of whether Sternberg would really want to spend as much as $300 million to move to a new stadium across the bay. That's as much as Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is spending on renovating Wrigley Field, and about as much as the San Francisco Giants spent on their new ballpark a decade ago, and Tampa fans don't have the deep pockets of either Cubs or Giants fans to repay it via more club seat purchases.
Or to look at it another way: Just to break even on $300 million of expenses, the Rays would have to generate $20-25 million in new revenues per year. To make that a reasonable gamble, the Rays, currently at $167 million a year in revenue, would have to turn into … the San Diego Padres ($189 million), maybe? I guess that's not too terrible a bet for Sternberg to agree to, though to have any money left over to actually increase the Rays' payroll — the ostensible goal of this whole exercise — they'd need to be up in the echelon of the Toronto Blue Jays ($203 million) or Baltimore Orioles ($206 million), which seems like a stretch given the Tampa market.
Still, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility; and back in 2008, when the sail-roofed St. Petersburg model was still the flavor of the month, Sternberg did float spending $150 million in cash, plus $55 million in future parking revenues. Regardless, it looks pretty likely that the best Buckhorn (or any other Tampa-area official) will be able to do is to have the public go halfsies on a stadium for which the Rays would receive all the revenues; that would be better than some stadium deals, certainly, but still a whole bunch of taxpayer money. And that's before even getting into whatever it would cost to buy the Rays out of their current lease in St. Petersburg, which runs through 2027 … you know, elfin magic is looking better and better.
Tampa's proposed $100m for Rays stadium is only worth half that (or not — see update)
There's been lots more posturing over the possibility of a Tampa Bay Rays move from St. Petersburg to Tampa today — check out Shadow of the Stadium for a full rundown — but I'm more interested in a tidbit I hadn't noticed before from a Tampa Tribune column: The $100 million in Community Redevelopment Area money (a slush TIF-style fund that earmarks downtown property taxes for development projects) that Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn wants to dedicate to a Rays stadium is actually worth $100 million over 30 years*, not up front.
That's a huge difference. Paid out over 30 years, $100 million is enough to finance maybe $50 million or so in upfront costs, depending on what interest rate you get on stadium bonds. Which means that if you assume a $600 million stadium and that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg will put in $200 million — a number he seems to have managed to get reified in the sports media, though so far as I can tell he came up with it out of thin air — there'd still be $350 million unaccounted for, even if Buckhorn manages to wrest the CRA money away from other projects eager to tap it.
Plus, as St. Petersburg city council chair Karl Nurse points out, the Rays would also have to pay off his city for breaking their lease early, if they wanted to leave before 2027. Picking a stadium site in Tampa may turn out to be the easy part; finding the money to pay for one without soaking local taxpayers is going to be … I was going to say "harder," but I guess the real question is less how not to soak local taxpayers than which local taxpayers to soak, isn't it? Unless either Sternberg budges from that $200 million figure or somebody invents another solution.
*UPDATE 8/9: Buckhorn now says that Henderson's report was wrong, and that the CRA actually could provide $10-13 million a year over 30 years, which would easily pay off $100 million in stadium bonds. More on this on Monday…
Detroit proposes $450m Red Wings arena, mostly paid for by taxpayers
Posted on June 20, 2013 by Neil deMause
And the campaign for a new Detroit Red Wings arena has been officially launched: As previously reported, it would cost $650 million and include a whole bunch of crap that isn't actually a hockey arena (retail space, offices, housing, a hotel, a space elevator). And Detroit development chief George Jackson, who made yesterday's announcement — it was technically of the Detroit Development Authority giving its go-ahead to the project — wants all approvals in place by the end of the year.
The arena development, which would cover a huge swath of land at the edge of downtown Detroit and adjacent to Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch's Fox Theater and Comerica Park, would be paid for by bonds sold by the state Michigan Strategic Fund. Those bonds, in turn, would be paid off by:
Between $12.8 million and $15 million a year in property taxes collected by the DDA that would otherwise go to city schools — a TIF, in essence. That's probably enough to pay off between $150 million and $200 million in bonds.
$64.5 million in other DDA revenues.
An annual "concession fee" of $11.5 million a year from Ilitch, enough to pay off maybe $150 million in construction costs, depending on the interest rate.
$200 million in additional spending by Ilitch on the non-arena stuff.
Tacking on the hotels and such to the deal allows Jackson (and Ilitch) to call this deal 56% private, though even the math-challenged should be able to see from the above that the public will end up putting in way more than half of the $450 million arena cost. And that's before we even account for the hefty property tax break that Ilitch would be getting by putting the state's name on the arena deed in place of his own.
The project still needs more official approvals, though presumably not from the Detroit city council, which has been barred from running the city's own finances because the governor of Michigan doesn't trust them to. (The governor of Michigan is very untrusting.) Which creates the slightly bizarre scenario of the state of Michigan forcing the city of Detroit to spend its tax money on a development project because it's out of money for schools — but Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson, for one, isn't worried:
I've never fully bought into the idea of sports stadiums as economic development; the math never really seems to work out, and there are strong, legitimate arguments to make about whether tax dollars ought to go to these kinds of projects.
But as girders of momentum and builders on buzz and excitement? I think the case in downtown Detroit right now argues pretty strongly in favor of our sports venues.
"Girders of momentum." Now there's an image to envision stadium projects by — even if it does bring to mind this.
Posted in Detroit Red Wings
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text:
Alabama Agricultural Census for 2012 Reveals Strong, Growing Farm Economy
Words by Small Business Office
Alabama's farm economy appears to be on an upswing, setting a $5.57 billion record for agricultural goods produced by Alabama farm operators in 2012.
"I have been heartened by these economic growth numbers that translate into more well-paying jobs and opportunities for thousands of Alabama families.," John McMillan, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, wrote Tuesday in an open letter to Alabama residents.
McMillan's letter cites the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Census of Agriculture for 2012 which he said "reveals a vibrant, growing and very profitable farm economy in Alabama."
In fact, some 2,196 Alabama farm operators – 91 percent of which were family- or individually-owned operations – reported selling products directly to consumers that in 2012 totaled nearly $9.2 million, representing a 10.3 percent increase compared with 2007.
"The new census confirms our own economic impact survey published last year," McMillan said.
That report, compiled by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Auburn University based on 2010 farm data and released in February 2013, revealed agriculture, forestry and related industries have a $70.4 billion economic impact on Alabama and provide more than 580,000 jobs.
The federal report also revealed, however, that despite the state's record production in 2012, Alabama farmers also spent a record $4.7 billion to produce it.
"Our next challenge remains developing our vast agricultural, forestry and agribusiness resources to meet burgeoning world demand for food and fiber while remaining good stewards of our land and water resources. Working together with leaders of our considerable industries that comprise over one-third of our economy and workforce, we can meet this challenge and build a remarkable future for all of Alabama," McMillan wrote.
A few highlights from the Alabama Agricultural Census for 2012 are as follows:
Poultry and eggs contributed 85.2 percent of the total livestock, poultry and products sold in Alabama.
In Alabama, 3.4 percent of farms earning $1 million or more accounted for nearly 63 percent of the value of sales for Alabama products. Farms with less than $1,000 in sales accounted for 32 percent of Alabama farms.
Alabama is second in the United States for broilers sold, quail inventory and pounds of peanuts produced.
Alabama farms with internet access increased from 50.2 percent in 2007 to 64.6 percent in 2012.
Some 371 Alabama farms produced on-farm renewable energy, representing a 15 percent increase compared with 2007.
4,097 farms covering more than one million acres were farmed with conservation tillage or no-till practices.
By Kelli Dugan | kdugan@al.com
Women-Owned Businesses Growing Across Alabama

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Just exactly when I was looking out for some adventure the earth quake that hit Nepal in 2015 took my attention. To go on hiking in Nepal while there were alerts of more such earthquakes sounded a great deal of adventure to me. Also, I wanted to help Nepal rebuild its tourism industry which was badly affected after the earthquake. Hiking is one thing that I am always interested in, but having said that, I am not any professional hiker. I had to choose a hiking trail which best suited my possibilities of surviving and also wasn't too heavy on my pockets. The trek to Everest Base Camp located in the Khumbu region of Nepal seemed to be the one I was looking for.
Having considered as a medium to high difficulty trek, the Everest Base Camp(EBC) trail is one of the world's most famous hiking trails. I started looking out for more details about the Everest base Camp trek and evidently there are many websites and links which provide a complete detail of this trek. There are even videos on YouTube which virtually take you through the entire EBC trail. All these information that I gathered though the internet gave me a fair knowledge of the adventure that I was head out to. The next thing was to find a travel partner, someone with similar interests. I found one very soon, just over a cup of tea during regular office breaks.
Nilesh and I were now all set to put forth our plans and make all the necessary arrangements. We had to look out for a travel agent or an adventure group to hookup. There are many Indian and international travel agencies which arrange EBC treks. We preferred an Indian agency, more specifically the one based out in Bangalore. With all the payments done, flight bookings confirmed and much-needed gears shopping made, we were good to go on an adventure of Lifetime.
On November 2015, we left India with all our hiking gears and loads of wishes from families and friends. It wasn't an easy departure, especially when you know that you are betting on the chances of survival. It was a cake walk at Kathmandu Airport as Indians don't need a Visa. We were looking forward to meet our group with whom we will be spending the next 15 days, probably best one so far, of our lives. We were picked up from the airport and dropped at our hotel in Kathmandu. We did meet the rest of our group, the fun was already on cards. Everyone was equally excited, few were experienced hikers too which consoled us with the light of hope in odd situations.
The next day was meant for shopping. Thamel, the famous shopping street in Kathmandu where you can buy anything and everything related to hiking. They weren't necessarily the original products of famous brands but they weren't bad either. The bargaining seemed to be the most important thing to know while in this street and being an Indian it wasn't that hard.
The much awaited Adventure had begun. We took a small chartered flight to Lukla, small enough to hear the pilots speak, which is the world's most dangerous airport. It was a short 20 mins travel to Lukla with some breathtaking views of Himalayas. I actually meant the word breathtaking, because we literally had to cheer when the flight landed at Lukla, for after all we had just landed on the most dangerous air strips in the world.
With full of energy and enthusiasm, we set out our fist steps of hiking from the Lukla airport. It wasn't too cold as we had thought rather it was a bright and sunny day. On the way we came across some gorgeous valleys and villages. As we crossed many hanging steel bridges, the Dudh Kosi river streamed majestically beneath. Our last stop for the day was at a tea House in Phakding, a small village in the dudh kosi river valley. It was a simple 3 hours of walk from Lukla to Phukding in which we actually lost altitude of 150 mts. It looked so easy for all of us that we started to believe the rest of the trek till EBC isn't going to be as hard as we though. Before we slept, we had some really yummy Chaang made of malt.
The Chaang that we drank last night gifted us the hangover. With heavy head and cold sleepless night, we had to start the Most Difficult day of trek. Today we were going to trek till Namche Bazaar with an elevation gain of 800 mts. We were told that it was going to be a long day. We started from Phakding with all our winter clothes on as the weather wasn't same like yesterday. After have trekked for 4 hours, we stopped at Mojo for Lunch.
There were helicopters contantly making trips evecuaing people to Lukla from the different parts and altitudes of this trail. We were told by our gudies that the only way to survive any fatality is to get evacuated by a Helicopter. But this would cost a lot of money except for those who had an Insurance for the trip. Gladly I had one which definitely game me a sense of safety in odd situations.
We met few Indians from the same tour company who were on their return from EBC. We were curious to know about their experience and our path ahead. They told us that things are really hard than we thought. One of their group mates couldn't make it to EBC and had to be left behind until so that she recovered to be able to return.
The second half of the day's trek started after the Lunch. We passed thought dense forest with the views of many mighty peaks around, most notably Mt Kangtega. The trail started to get more and more inclined with some steep steps to climb up until we reached the famous Steel hanging bridge and also the last one on our trail.
From this point, we were going to completely walk uphill for another 4 hours amidst thick jungle. We had already walked for 5 hours, and another 3 hours seemed to be impossible. The weather kept changing frequently, sometimes drizzle, sometimes breeze and sometimes bright sunshine. This seemed never-ending and was turning out to be the impossible thing to do for few of us. Somehow, half dead, we managed to reach a point from where we could get the first glimpse of Mount Everest. For the tired souls of ours, this sight was overwhelming and inspiring.
We started to trek again and our guides told us that we have to make it before dark. There was still another hour of trek left until we reached Namche bazaar. I could hardly take another step and for many moments I thought I should give up and just ask for an evacuation. I even asked our guide for options of evacuation but I was told, to be evacuated I have to anyway reach Namche Bazaar. With no other options left, we kept going and I remember, at some point everything just went dark in front of me. I had to sit down and relax for sometime to come back into reality. We asked a passerby about how further far was Namche bazaar. I still remember how his answer sounded, he said "Its right in front of you, just look behind the rock". Suddenly all my energy had come back, I got up and went around the huge rock to see the pretty place called Namche Bazaar. It was quite a big place, almost a town.
We reached our hotel, got fresh, relaxed and went out to see the places to hangout. We had an acclimatization day off the next day in Namche Bazaar. So we had the entire night to party. We chose Cafe Danphe Bar to chill out that night. I have to mention how cozy and relaxing this place was to sit at the fire side, listen to reggae and have some Kukri rum. The night was well spent.
This was an additional day to acclimatize at Namche bazaar. We hiked for a small distance from where we could see Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Kangtega and Mount Amadablam. There was a statue of Tenzing Norgay, one of the first persons to climb mt Everest, and there was also a small museum which showcased the lifestyle of Sherpas.
While we climbed down, we saw few local kids playing football. We asked them if we could join for some footy, but they did not agree. They asked us to show how good we were with the football, and only after they were OK with our footy skills they allowed us to play. We did really enjoyed playing with those kids, they had some great skills and stamina which we couldn't match. For the rest of the day we just relaxed at the hotel and had some delicious food.
This was again going to be a long day with a declined hike at first and then a steep inclined hike towards tengboche, the last monastery in Nepal. We woke up at Namche bazaar to see the snow flurries falling and the entire placed turned white. Although it wasn't new for me to see snow, many others in our group had seen snow for the first time. But we did know that our trek has just got tougher with the snow fall. We put our Ponchos and started from our hotel. We could hardly see anything on the path and hence slipped several times. It was an unusual experience to witness snow fall at an altitude of 3500 mts and to walk with all our hiking gears on. With the silence of snowfall around, our ponchos made us look costumed for Halloween. The snowfall went for few hours and we gradually came down to stop for a quick-lunch before we started the inclined hike towards Tengboche.
Unlike the hike towards Namche bazaar, the hike to Tengboche was very scenic and there was no disturbance of view from the dense forest. May be that was the reason that I did not feel it much difficult even-though it was same as the Namche bazaar hike. By evening, we reached Tengboche which had seen a sever snow fall previous night. The tea house at Tengboche was more comfortable than the previous one at Namche bazaar. We played games, drank some rum and had a relaxing sleep for the night to take over.
There was a surprise for us when we woke up in the morning. The previous day had a bad weather because of which we did not know how beautiful Tenboche looked. As soon as I woke up in the morning and slid the curtains, I just couldn't believe the sight in front of me. Mount Everest looked so gigantic and clear right from our window. Without wasting no time, I grabbed my camera and went out to click few pics before the clouds covered the sight.
The sound of the long flutes played from the monastery was so enchanting. The monastery itself looked magnificent with brightly colored walls and long staircase towards entrance.
After having breakfast in Tengboche, we visited the Monastery and started the hike with the declined walk. The hike was much more slippery as the Ice had started melting down. On way for the first time we saw Yaks, the furry cows of Himalayas. As they walked past us, the bells around them ringed well in sync with their footsteps. We walked down until we reached a wooden bridge from where Mount Amadablam looked spectacular.
From here on, our rest of the hike was inclined but it wasn't difficult like the previous ones. We walked past several villages and stopped for Lunch at Pangboche. By now the vegetation had changed from the dense forest to desert looking landscape. We walked through Imja valley alongside river Lobuche.
By evening we reached Dingboche where we had another day to acclimatize. It was damn cold and these tea houses where we have been staying do not have any heaters installed as there is a scarcity of power. Only the living area of the tent house would have a heating facility which again is not very efficient. We all decided to sleep in the living area because it seemed that we would freeze if we sleep in our rooms even-though we all had sleeping bags of -10 degree.
We woke up early to see the mesmerizing sight of snowfall over Mount Amadablam. This place wasn't the same what we had seen a day before. The snowfall in the night had completely changed the landscape and it seemed that a storm was coming as we could see the dark clouds at distance. Altitude sickness was already a problem for few of us which made the acclimatization climb a necessity. We decided to climb up the hill for 400 mts and return to tea house by lunch time. Just as we got ready and ate the breakfast, the sun had started to melt down the ice. It did not take much time for the snow to disappear and a completely different landscape was unleashed.
The acclimatization climb and the altitude loss helped us feel better with sickness. By now our appetite was lost and the headache was persistent. But everything felt just normal because of the people we were with. We never had a boring time even without television, internet or any other modern facilities, thanks to the fun-loving group.
In the night I saw something which I wished to see since long. It was a clear night with the perfect view of billion stars. The full stretch of Milkyway was visible and the falling stars were so often that i ran out of wishes. Although we tried to capture it in the camera, out photography knowledge was insufficient for the night photography.
We were told that it was going to be a long walk to Lobuche with few steep climbs in between. We started early on the clear day with an intention to reach Lobuche by evening. But weather is never predictable on these altitudes. We walked above the periche valley on the deserted landscape under the bright sun.
Just before we stopped Dughla the weather had already changed. The trail from here was the difficult part of the day with snow more prominent and slippery. We got to see some huge peaks like Mount Pumori (7138m), Mount Nuptse, Mount Cholatse and Mount Thamserku. We trekked through the Khumbu glacier which is the world's highest glacier. As planned we reached the hotel at Lobuche by evening.
The day seemed to be prolonged and we were totally exhausted. The Altitude sickness became more severe, the temperature dropped too low and our appetite was completely lost. We managed to lift up our spirits by not sleeping and engaging ourselves with talks and some games. Mafia, the game which kept us going all through the trek. Without wasting a lot of time, we went to sleep as the moment we came to achieve was just few hours away.
Today's entire trek was through the Khumbu Glacier. We were told to be slow and steady as the trail was too slippery. The total trekking time was 9 hours amidst sever cold and extremely bright sun. Everything looked heavenly with a pleasant silence all around. The trail wasn't very difficult but it was with lots of ups and downs which made us be extra cautious.
We reached our last hotel in the trail at Gorakshep by lunch time. We had an hour to finish our lunch, leave our bags in our rooms and set to the final checkpoint at Everest base Camp. While on mountains, night comes early because of which we had less time to reach EBC and comeback to the hotel.
We set out to the final accomplishment of our journey. It was a 3 hours trek till EBC on a narrow trail which was covered by snowfall. Being narrow and iced made the trail extremely slippery with a fear of steep fall( FATAL).
While we cautiously walked on the trail, the sight around us was out of the world. I had not seen anything that lovely and dangerous. We had Lhotse, Nuptse and Everest to our right which shined bright for the evening sun. The Snow Cornice kept changing its shapes and added more to the already mesmerized minds of ours. Beneath the trail were unevenly structured icebergs of Khumbu glacier. The fluorescent blue Icebergs made the scene even more spectacular.
After a 3 hours of walk I saw Buddhist flags at distance. I realized what it was, I couldn't stop running even after slipping multiple times. There was nothing that could have stopped me at that moment. I no more felt pain or tired or sick. As I approached there were already few people celebrating and cheering each other. I could sense the much awaited moment and that feel was even more whelming.
Thats it, I was there, I looked around, I looked up, I could feel the magic in the place. There was nothing much around except few stones piled up, buddhist flags and a board that read EBC . This place wasn't even the most beautiful of all, yet there was something special about this place. It was a kind of feeling which made this place special. Many people have achieved the greatest of treks from this place, many people have fallen trying to achieve it and many people have not even made this far. There were reasons to both cheer and mourn as only recently during the earth quake 21 people had died in an avalanche right at this place. With all these mixed emotions, I waited for my rest of the team to join me. I could hear them cheer and shout but they weren't visible yet. I quickly had my camera rolling to capture this moment of accomplishment.
As everyone reached EBC, we all gathered together and celebrated as much as we can. We clicked photos, made videos and even called our homes to let them know that we made it. Yes, there is network availability at EBC ! I went a bit far and spent some time alone in the silence of surroundings. Due to the Earth quake there wasn't anybody to attempt Mount Everest Summit, hence the place looked all empty. At the distance we could see the infamous Khumbu ice fall which is supposedly the most dangerous part of Everest summit. We could also hear sounds of ice cracking on the mountain and in the glacier which was actually a bit scary.
We did not have much time to spend at EBC as we were supposed to reach back the hotel before dark. We quickly made our way back to hotel on the same narrow slippery trail but this time with loads of joy and fun. The proud feeling we had overshadowed everything else. As we walked, to our left the peaks of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse lit up in the shine of the setting sun. We managed to reach the hotel in time and the celebrations were on.
This part of the trek was an optional one. This is the only part of the entire EBC trek which gives a magnificent view of Mount Everest from a close distance. Having had spent all of our energy to make it to the Everest Base camp it was too difficult to wake up again in the morning at 4 AM and go on to climb another 500 mts. Although I decided not to take up this hike, in the morning I just couldn't resist from changing my mind. It was one last time that I had to push my limits to have a spectacular view of the most celebrated Mount Everest. I started with a terrible sickness and an upset stomach. Unlike the rest of the EBC trail, this hike was too steep with uneven rock formations and the freshly snowed surface.
After 2 and a half hours, we managed to make it to the top of Kala patthar. The view of morning sunshine lighting up the peak of Mount Everest is still a dream that I think will remain in mind forever. The usually unpleasant Himalayan weather was for that moment calm as a meditating monk. The view of Mount Everest and the peaks surrounding it was so peaceful that we just sat there quietly and enjoyed the calmness. Remember Mount Amadablam ? when we were at Dingboche, it looked so gigantic. Up from here, Mt Amadablam looked tiny in front of the mighty Mt Everest. In fact everything looked tiny infront of this GIANT peak.
As the time went on, we had to rush down as the wind started catching up. We reached our hotel in Gorakshep, had breakfast and quickly started our way back or you can say, our way down.
We were supposed to halt at Lobuche for the night but our excitement to get back down and necessity to reduce the altitude sickness kept us going until we reached Pheriche Valley.
We walked above this valley when going to Lobuche from Dengboche. This time we were walking in the valley. Pheriche valley, a place like nowhere else on earth. I cant truely find words to explain how mesmerizing it was to see the weather change every minute. SOmetimes it was bright sunshine, and sometimes it was cloudy and dark. As the sun went down, it created a fabulous effect of light on the snow covered mountains. The valley had streams running though slowly creating a good gazing ground for horses and Yaks. The walls of the private farms added a bit of human touch to the entire sorrounding.
In the night we celebrated the birthday of one our group members, Aditi. We asked the family who owned the tea if they could arrange a cake, and within few hours they baked a home-made cake with completely different set of ingredients normally used in the cake. We drank a lot of Kukri rum and danced till late night. A party in the valley was the thing least expected at this point of the trip.
While this wasn't the plan as per itinerary, we decided to go directly to Namche bazaar instead of halting at Tengboche. Namche bazaar was our favourite party place and when you have the like-minded people in the group, making decisions is too easy. But the decision came a bit hard when we realized that the distance of hike is way too much to complete before the night. Also, after descending from Tengboche, there is a steep climb up to Namche bazaar. Adding into the difficulties, there was a landslide while hiking to Namche. We managed to crawl till Namche, blaming ourselves for this unwise decision. Everything was forgotten as soon as we reached Namche. We were all set to go crazy and party all night. We decided to go directly to Lukla the next day and spend a day there just relaxing.
The last part of this wonderful journey was yet to begin. The discussions were still going on whether or not to go directly to Lukla and the outcome was to decide when we reach Phakding. By now our altitude sickness was completely gone and we were on our full spirits to end the journey. While we started to descent from Namche, we remembered the pain we went through to climb up the same hill. That kind of felt amazing to have accomplished such a tough job and also it felt emotional for being so close to end this lifetime journey.
We took a one last Look at the Mt Everest from the same point where we saw it for first. It looked so small from distance.
We managed to reach Lukla by evening and that's it, we had done it. Now it was time to say Good Bye to our porters who were with us through the entire journey. Without them being our side, we wouldn't have made it for sure.
Then came the key moment of the whole Journey, distribution of Certificates. Our guides, Narayan ji, Norbu Sherpa and distributed us the official certificates of accomplishment.
We tipped our porters and the guides with a promise to keep in touch with them and surely to meet them again for our definite next Nepal trip.
We spent the night watching TV, using Internet, having delicious food and drinking. I must say, we did not really miss them all thorough this journey.
Day 12 we went around the town shopping and spent few hours playing cricket with locals.
Day 13: We had our flight back to Kathmandu in the morning. With the same amount of fear that we had when we arrived, we boarded the flight and cheered as it took off safely.
As we flew, we could for the last time get a glimpse of the Himalayan ranges, the mountains, the peaks, the lush green forests, the rivers, the hanging bridges and the villages.
Before we went into the clouds, we made sure to wish good luck for those who were in those mountains, having the journey of their lives and trying to accomplish one of the greatest hikes on this planet.
And the day 9 final hike to the base camp in treacherous terrain while being in constant awe and admiration of those lofty white gigantic mountains till we landed at the footsteps of "The one mountain that matters"!
Damn. November 2015, you are remembered, big time!
Wow.. It was like a 14 day movie fast forward to 10-15min.. Thanks for taking me through.. Blog is just Marvellous. Cant wait to be there.. And hopefully, I can do it.
I am sure you will Do it Abhi… Just keep it slow and steady.. ?
Hey Sunil.. We will help you out with all the details you may need. When r u planning to take up the trip?
Good stuff Rakesh! I miss the trek now.


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It has been an exhausting few weeks. It was crunch time as our annual block party was coming up quicker than I would have liked it to. Organizing is not my strong suite but as the block association president much of the planning and prep work falls on me and I have to step outside my comfort zone and try to be the party planner. There is always so much to do, not enough time to do it and invariably something goes wrong. I have had torrential rain and had to cancel because of it, this year it was sunny and hot (way too hot for me) almost 90 degree's. Something I have planned on for a year was cancelled, the rock climbing wall that our brave policeman bring to events, the kids love it and it's so much fun for all. Last year my reservation for the wall got lost when the Officer retired and we only got it for an hour, I reserved it this year, almost a year ahead and 2 days before the event the police contacted me with bad news, the rock wall had broken and needs to be repaired. The children were all disappointed but the block party went off almost without a hitch and everyone had a good time.
I live across the street from a Community Garden and they asked me if I would be a judge for a food event at their annual Harvest Festival, I was more than happy to do so. We tasted fresh vegetables grown in the garden which were judged on beauty and taste. Other things we tried were homemade pickles and desserts made with apples from the tree in the garden. It was a lot of fun, everything was delicious and some of the other judges were a food stylist, food photographer and cookbook publisher.
The block party is something everyone looks forward to all year, our block along with people from the neighborhood come together to eat, drink, talk, we all love watching the children have fun in the bouncy castle and ride their bicycles and skateboards in the street without fear of traffic. I usually have a bake sale but have been so incredibly busy I only made cookies which sold out very quickly. We grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, had pizza, drinks, music from a fantastic DJ and an amazing Ukelele group.
The day after I was completely exhausted and wanted a light simple meal. A bowl of roasted vegetables with cheesy cauliflower mash was exactly what I needed. I used an assortment of vegetables and mashed cauliflower with gruyere. Simple, healthful and delicious. Had some green beans, zucchini, tomato and shallot drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven at 400 degree's. Cauliflower mash is so easy, simply boil the cauliflower, let it dry in the oven on 200 for about 20 minutes then put in the food processor with some butter, sour cream and season with salt and pepper. I added some grated gruyere and popped into the oven at 200 for a few minutes to heat and melt the cheese.
This super easy one bowl no measure chocolate cake is awesome. It's a recipe on Food52. The fact that it's quick and no measure immediately prompted me to give this recipe a try. The cake uses full fat plain Greek yogurt, I used Fage and you use the yogurt container as the means of measuring. Pretty cool right?
Heat Oven to 350 degree's. Prepare a 10 inch spring form pan by greasing or spraying the bottom, add a parchment round and then grease and flour the pan.
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix on low until the flour is incorporated, then increase to medium high and beat for approximately 2 minutes. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake Tester should come out clean. Let cool in the pan, release the pan and remove the cake. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
This is an exciting day I am so pleased to bring you the launch of Teagan's book"Murder at the Bijou". Teagan is one of my absolute favorite writers, her books and serials are amazing, I've already ordered my copy hope you all head over and get yours too!! To celebrate the launch of Teagan's book I wanted to post this on the day of the monumental total solar eclipse. It will be a partial eclipse in Brooklyn but everyone is geared up for it. As a prelude to this book read this snipett from Teagan that I posted along with a recipe for Mac and Cheese. I do love our collaborations and look forward to many many more. Congratulations Teagan, your writing brings happiness to so many and I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of your new book. I also posted a sort of recipe for tea at the end of this post to celebrate the eclipse. Hope you all have a great day and head over to grab your copy of Teagan's book.
Here is a non recipe really for some tea I like to call Sun and Moon Tea. You all have heard of sun tea I'm sure. Putting some tea in a glass jar and setting it outside in the sun, well I decided with all the amazing energy and as a prelude to the eclipse I put the jars out in the morning and kept them out all night as well soaking in the sun rays and moon's energy.
Use equal parts, chamomile, rose hips, red clover and fresh mint. Pour fresh spring or filtered water in the jar put the lid on and let it sit all day and overnight.
Things have been crazy busy on my end and I have totally neglected the blog. I have ideas and things I want to do but simply have not had time to cook or bake except for charity auctions and you've seen all of that before, redundant posts are not something I like posting. I am planning another collaboration with Teagan which is always fun, I hope you all like those, I certainly do. Another giveaway is also in the works, and will be coming soon you may be able to guess what it is.
The food I have been making is pretty boring and not really blog worthy, there is nothing different or unique about it. I got back on track after Holiday food splurges with my change of diet and on the plus side have lost some weight which was important for me. I do a low carb low sugar meal plan with lots of vegetables and some protein. Work has been busy, that's a good thing since I'm an Independant contractor and my livlihood is dependant on how much business I bring in.
So in the interest of keeping my blog alive I decided to reach into the recesses of my collection of recipes and post something from the past. If I were asked what my favorite recipe is it would be hard to pinpoint but this one is right up there at the top. I posted this recipe on Food52 years ago and last year found out that they are including it in their new cook book Ice Cream and Friends. I received my copy about a week ago and I have to say it's a gorgeous book with amazing recipes from the Food52 Community and the founders Amanda and Merrill. The recipe they included is Brooklyn Blackout Semifreddo Cake. I dreamed this one up for a contest, the theme was frozen desserts. This was my homage to the famous cake conceived at Ebingers Bakery right here in Brooklyn NY, sadly Ebingers went bankrupt in 1972 and the building is now condo's but the cake lives on at bakeries and recipes can be found all over the internet. A Brooklyn Blackout Cake is chocolate x100 deeply rich chocolate cake, chocolate pudding filling used also to frost it and cake crumbs pressed onto the sides.
Last week I also received a Spring box from Mary Frances, you all know Mary right. Her blog Love The Secret Ingredient has some amazing recipes and she also has a thriving business Mary's Secret Ingredient, a seasonal box of goodies is mailed to you and part of the proceeds are used to feed hungry children, Mary has heart along with some great recipes and a creative business sense. I will use some of the products to create a recipe soon but here is a peek at the box.
I will leave you with a photo of the goodies that were auctioned on Instagram, all the proceeds went to help a sweet little pug that needed life saving surgery, any of you that are pet parents know how expensive it is to take your dog or cat to the vet, no one should have to decide on whether or not their pet lives or dies because of money and we as a pet community on Instagram raise funds to help out those in need. I am currently finishing the baking and the box will get mailed this week. Full disclosure Easter Bunny Percy will not be included with the box of goodies. I think he makes a very handsome bunny!!
This a #not recipe. I'm having fun posting on Food52's new app and decided to share this, it's really more of an idea than a recipe I guess you could say.
It started with zoodles, you know zucchini noodles, some oven roasted tomatoes, burrata and shaved parmigiana. Simple right?
Heat some olive oil in a skillet, add some garlic sliced thinly and cook until garlic is softened but not brown. Add the zoodles, season with salt and pepper and may be a little crushed red pepper and toss them around in the olive oil and garlic until the zoodles are warmed, I let them cook about 5 minutes. Remove and place in your bowl or on your plate.
If your burrata is not room temperature put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. In the same pan heat your tomatoes if they have been refrigerated or if you made the tomatoes and they are still warm just spoon on top of the zoodles. Take some of the lovely burrata and place on top of the tomatoes, spoon some of the tomato juices that are mixed with olive oil on top of the burrata. Shave some parmigiana or romano on top and enjoy.
Make sure each layer is seasoned with salt and pepper.
This dish is low carb, delicious and nutritious and also really quick and easy to put together.
Last night I went to the Food52 HQ in Chelsea to enjoy an evening of great food and company. First of all the offices that house Food52 are incredible, light filled, lofty and beautiful. The space is designed so well, it works beautifully and gives the feeling of home rather than office. I could not get any photo's of the completed pasta dishes for ambiance the light was very dim and it just didn't work with my iphone. The tables were set up communal style, the dishes and flatware were exactly what you will find in the food52 shop, beautiful. Their kitchen is a dream, so beautiful and practical at the same time.
I love everything but for me the star of the show was dessert, so simple but the combination was amazing. Olive oil gelato, crumbled biscotti, beautiful sliced oranges all of this drizzled with good olive oil and chiffonade of basil. Profoundly delicious. I begged for the gelato recipe and Amanda said it is a community recipe that will be in the new Ice Cream cookbook. Really it's the best olive oil gelato I have ever had.
A picture is worth a thousand words…. it really is and all you have to do is look at the pictures for these incredible recipes and words become insignificant. My very dear friend and fellow blogger Sonal from Simply Vegetarian777 graciously agreed to do a guest post and I was thrilled that she said yes. I admire her so much, her skill in cooking, writing and photographing and her kindness. I have mentioned before how she has sent me spices. I follow her on Facebook, Pinterest Twitter @simplyveg777 and on Instagram ( simplyvegetarian777). I am constantly amazed at her talent. I also have to note that she does a series of posts with Diabetes friendly meals every Thursday, I have sent some to my Mom and it inspired her to change her diet. Sonal you are amazing thank you so much and take it away my dear….
It's a great honor for me to do a guest post for Suzanne. She is such a great support system to me and to many others who are connected to her via blog. Her approach and enthusiasm towards food is unmatchable.
I think I first met her through fiesta Friday, over an year ago, and since then I have been spoiled by her through her ever encouraging comments and constant presence. Thank you Suzanne for being there. I really appreciate it :).
I was very confused as to what to bring for a guest post for her blog. I wanted to create a dish which was Indian origin but at the same time, something which has an international appeal and an easy to implement recipe.
1. Mix turmeric, red chili powder and salt together in a small bowl.
2. Wash and cut the eggplant in 4-5 thick and long slices.
3. Sprinkle and rub the spice mixture on both sides of the eggplant slices.
4. Heat oil in the pan. Place the slices in the hot oil. Reduce the flame to medium. Cook from both the sides for approximately 2&1/2 to 3 minutes each till tender and slightly crispy.
5. The Curried Eggplant Steaks are ready.
Serve these with the Quick and Easy Chickpeas Curry.
A sauce pan with lid, stirring spoon, chopping board, knife, blender.
Chickpeas, boiled – 1&1/2 cups. I used 1 can.
1. Add tomato, onion, ginger and garlic to the blender. Purée it fine.
2. Heat oil in the pan. Add the purée and all the spices to the pan. Reduce the flame to the medium low.
3. Cover with lid and let the purée cook till all the water is evaporated and it thickens.
4. Add the boiled chickpeas to the sauce along with 1 cup of water. Mix them well. Cover with lid again and cook till it thickens again.
1. Curried Eggplant Steaks can be served as is and taste great as snack.
2. The chickpeas curry can be served with rice or naan.
3. The eggplant steaks and chickpeas curry can be served as a complete meal along with some warm basmati rice.
I hope you had a good time reading the recipe. I had a great time creating it for all of you :).
I have mentioned before (on more than one occasion) that I am a Air bnb host. One of the great things about doing this is the people I meet. One of my guests who lives in France happens to be a food blogger and EXTREMELY talented animator. Ariana and her partner/friend Lucie have the beautiful blog Cosmic Tomatoes between these two very talented ladies we are presented with delicious recipes and brilliant animated art work. I was so happy to meet and get to know her while she stayed with me, she said that their collaboration is a happy marriage of art and food, Ariana is the artist and Lucie the recipe developer. The yeasted Holiday cookie is a Christmas tradition in the Alsace region of France, Mannele/Mannala is probably much like the cut out sugar cookies here in the US or the ever popular gingerbread people. I hope you enjoy this guest post from our friends and neighbors in France. I follow Ariana's blog she is also on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and I am loving the Advent calendar they are working on. Show Ariana some love and give both Ariana and Lucie a warm welcome. Take it away Ariana….
1/ Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk and eggs.
2/ Beat for 5 minutes at low speed, then the second speed for 6-8 minutes until you get an elastic dough.
3/ Add the butter and start kneading until it is incorporated.
4 / Let the dough rest for 1 hour in ambient air, covered with a plastic film.
5/ Separate pieces of 70g from the dough and shape little men (or any other creature you wish to). Let them rest for another hour.
6 / Cover the Manneles with eggs yolks and decorate them with chocolate chips or raisins.
7 / Bake at 180 ° C for about 15 minutes.


Swapalease.com, the nation's largest car lease marketplace, reports the latest year-to-date credit approvals average recorded at 72.7% in September, down slightly from a 74.5% approvals rate YTD in August. The average YTD approvals rate considered to be "healthy" is 70%, according to the company.
Text messaging has completely transformed the way we communicate today. Could it also be transforming the way we negotiate a car transaction? A growing number of people have used text message as a way to communicate and negotiate during a transaction on the Swapalease.com marketplace.
The latest car lease credit approvals data show 2013 has started out with the strongest credit health since the recession. According to credit approvals data from Swapalease.com, the nation's largest automotive lease marketplace, 77.3% of customers were approved during April, up from 70% during the previous month.
Lease pull ahead programs allow drivers to wave their last remaining payments if they agree to immediately buy or lease a new vehicle of the same brand. Are they beneficial to the dealer, brand and customer?
With Increase In Cost Of Ownership, Does It Make More Sense To Lease?
Small cars aren't typically synonymous with leasing. Rather, it's usually luxury vehicles and trucks consuming the lease contracts. However, Swapalease.com has some new data that might show that more people are leasing smaller cars.


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Conceptual Model Of Related Companies' Equinox-Branded Development Designed By Frank Gehry Unveiled For Former Deauville Hotel Site
Redevelopment NewsBy FRAstaff August 1, 2022
On July 20th, this past Wednesday, the Miami Beach City Commission voted 5-1 to move forward with the redevelopment plans of the former Deauville Beach Resort site at 6701 Collins Avenue in North Beach, Miami Beach. New York's Related Companies, the development firm behind Hudson Yards and Deutsche Bank Center led by Stephen Ross, is…
Rails to Trails Conservancy is changing interstate travel with the Great American Rail-Trail, Webinar: August 10, 2022
The National Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from greenways, multi-use trails and former rail lines. They "reimagine public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors" and connect corridors to establish restored places for healthier communities. RTC collaborates with state…
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Reform Comments Due
On May 5, 2022, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) proposed to jointly amend their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to update how CRA activities qualify for consideration, where CRA activities are considered, and…
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces Availability of Historic Funding for Rural Communities
Redevelopment NewsBy FRAstaff July 21, 2022
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) today announced that a historic amount of funding – a total of $30 million – is now available to Florida's rural communities through the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF). Infrastructure projects facilitated through the RIF program further economic development initiatives in rural communities and strengthen their local economies. "Thanks…
Clearwater Progresses on Amphitheater Development
The $83 million vision of a connected downtown waterfront park and amphitheater is coming closer into view. During a host of city meetings on Monday, the City of Clearwater staff received an update on the construction of the 22-acre Imagine Clearwater development, which will transform Coachman Park anchored by a new amphitheater. They also reviewed…
Lincolnville's Fountain of Youth Elks Lodge Receives Grant for Renovations
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Lincolnville's Fountain of Youth Elks Lodge 684, located at 100 Washington Street, receives $891,932 for major repairs and renovations. The City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency received the monies from the Florida African American Cultural and Historical Grants program to fund Lincolnville's Community Redevelopment Area Institutional Rehabilitation Grant Program. Thanks…
Florida City Commission Approves Contracts
Florida City residents may soon notice some construction work taking place around the city. During the July 12 meeting, the Florida City Commission agreed to apply for a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)-Neighborhood Revitalization that will be used for wastewater and sewer system improvements within the CRA district. The commission also agreed to apply…
Martin CRA Gets Update on Eco-Art Project
PALM CITY – The unique fusion of stormwater management and artistic endeavors here known as the Ripple Stormwater Eco-Art Project is now in the home stretch, with Martin County staffers putting final touches on its infrastructural pieces over the next few months. Launched some eight years ago as a collaborative effort unite municipal stormwater treatment,…
St. Pete to Seek Historic Federal Funding in Hopes of 'Reconnecting Communities'
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch plans to meet with city staff to explore how to tap into this historic funding, which comes at a pivotal moment for the city. The U.S. Department of Transportation is opening applications for the first-of-its-kind, $1 billion 'Reconnecting Communities' pilot program — and St. Petersburg is hoping to tap into…
St. Augustine's Lincolnville's Fountain of Youth Elks Lodge Receives Over $800k
St. Augustine — St. Augustine's Lincolnville's Fountain of Youth Elks Lodge 684, located at 100 Washington Street, receives $891,932 for major repairs and renovations. The City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency received the monies from the Florida African American Cultural and Historical Grants program to fund Lincolnville's Community Redevelopment Area Institutional Rehabilitation Grant Program.…
Hallandale Beach CRA's Big Plans Coming to Fruition
The city of Hallandale Beach has caught the attention of those relocating to South Florida with developers having called the city "underdeveloped and a place for opportunity." Between outside developers' increasing interest and the commitment of local officials to the city's sustainable growth, Hallandale Beach is seeing over $1 billion in development with more to…
MBE Set to Build First Distillery in Fort Lauderdale by Black Spirits Producer
Victor George Spirits, a nationally certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) was introduced in South Florida in 2019 by Founder and CEO Victor G. Harvey. Harvey has announced that the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board voted unanimously to provide a $2,450,000 forgivable loan to help fund the construction cost of a 15,000 square foot,…
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Twitter (TWTR) May Find a Taker; Alphabet Seeks M&A Advice
Zacks October 3, 2016
Per media reports, Twitter Inc. TWTR still holds the interest of Alphabet Inc. GOOGL. The search giant seems keen on snapping up Twitter and is now taking financial advice to evaluate the buyout.
Though there has been no official word on the matter from the involved parties, it has been widely reported that Alphabet has sought services of Lazard Bank to evaluate the feasibility of the acquisition of Twitter. In September this year, Lazard Bank solicited Alphabet in the $625 million buyout of San Jose-based Apigee, a leading provider of application programming interface (API) management tools.
Alphabet has long been viewed as the most potential buyer given its diverse platforms that could make the integration of Twitter easy. Also, both the companies have an arrangement whereby tweets appear on Google's search engine results page. Also, Twitter's DoubleClick advertising service is integrated with Google platform.
However, in the last few days, apart from tech behemoths like Facebook and Microsoft, several other names have cropped up including that of salesforce.com, inc. CRM and media giant The Walt Disney Company DIS. However, these rumors haven't gathered much steam so far.
Apparently, after much dilly dallying, Twitter has reportedly sought help from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Allen & Co. to assist it in finding suitable buyers. Last month, co-founder Evan Williams, while talking to Bloomberg TV, said that "We're in a strong position now, and as a board member we have to consider the right options" when asked about Twitter's standalone status. However, the critical board meeting that followed next opted not to discuss sale. Instead, the Jack Dorsey-led team bargained for some more time to "turn things around".
TWITTER INC Price
TWITTER INC Price | TWITTER INC Quote
However, investors are done with waiting as a turnaround remains elusive as ever. Despite being an incredibly strong brand, Twitter isn't finding users. Sales are decelerating and it continues to report losses. Trolling on the platform is another menace that needs stricter dealing. Though "Live" and efforts to make the platform user friendly are headed in the right direction, these haven't had a positive impact on financials.
Twitter appeals to buyers for the vast amount of data that it collects from its 300 million plus users that can be leveraged by many companies. However, apart from the abovementioned issues, analysts are of the opinion that the search for a prospective buyer has been made difficult by the company's hefty price tag. Per reports, a potential acquirer needs to shell out over $16 billion for Twitter based on the multiple used by Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn for $26 million earlier this year. Reduction in workforce and divestment of subsidiaries like Vine and MoPub might increase its appeal to buyers.
At present, Twitter caries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This house was erected in 1912. Like the residence next door at 4208 Wallingford, which was built just a few months later, this house was designed and erected by permit applicant Joseph Parker for owner N. L. Pumphrey. The King County Property Record Card suugests that William L. Thrailkill acquired the property in 1935. However, Thrailkill erected a garage at the back of the lot in 1925 and is listed as the property owner on the construction permit, indicating that he actually acquired the property much earlier. It appears John Berg acquired the property in 1953. It came into the possession of Gerald Bryan in 1955, and Garland O. Weber in 1958, The current owners bought the property from Daniel Kowalski and Rebecca Henderson in 2001, who purchased the property from Steven and Elizabeth Guffey in 1996.


The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is continuing to build the infrastructure our growing state needs including a better rail network to carry more freight.
TasRail's total freight volumes continued to grow in 2017-18 with a 10.5 per cent increase compared to the previous year and boosted by standout growth in forestry and intermodal volumes.
TasRail rewrote the record books three times in the past year in terms of general containerised freight with a record 4687 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers) hauled in November 2017, beaten by 5125 TEUs in October 2018 and now 5356 TEUs in November 2018.
In addition to the general containerised freight records, TasRail also rails about 2600 TEUs per month on a dedicated customer service between the south and north.
This steady growth is expected to continue with timber volumes growing by 24 per cent in the past year and plantation timber carried on rail for the first time.
TasRail's improved capacity and capability is attracting strong interest in rail as an efficient and sustainable part of the supply chain.
A record $240 million investment by the Tasmanian and Australian governments into the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation Program has also enabled TasRail to significantly upgrade Below Rail infrastructure.
TasRail is on time and on-budget to complete the $120 million tranche one of this program by 30 June 2019.
Replacement of 115,074 new sleepers, replacement of 118,792 metres of rail and 65,894 tonnes of new ballast.
Rehabilitation of 36 culverts, upgrades to 36 level crossings and more than 11,781 track welds.
This vital work is delivering a vastly safer and more reliable rail network with 92 per cent of the network now operating at track speed – the best performance in decades.
The Hodgman Liberal Government's strong financial management is enabling us to respond to a booming economy by take vital rail infrastructure to the next level.


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Home / Unlabelled / Why should the staff including all teachers of the school have an affidavit?
Why should the staff including all teachers of the school have an affidavit?
Ahmedabad: Following the assassination of Student Pradhuman in Ryan School of Gurgaon in Delhi, a Guideline was announced as part of security and security in every state of the state. This guide covers many topics including records of all staff including school teachers. According to the order of the state education board, all the school employees of the state themselves are not the culprits of the crime and if the police is done then the details of the details of the details will be presented in the next week.
Director of Primary Education, NI Joshi, said that there is no need to present the NOC of the Police Department. The employee who gives this undertaking will personally be responsible for the information he gives. Education Karmi has to issue an affidavit with the written statement that if he has not received any details of the case or not, if he has not received a police case in the letter of undertaking.
The Gujarat Education Board has urged all the schools of the state to maintain the safety and security of students in five ways, including physical safety, emotional security, emergency and social security for cyber security. If the school does not guarantee or reluctant to guarantee child safety or safety law according to this guide, then the school's affiliation will be canceled.
Every school has to get an affidavit from their old employee and a newly appointed employee (Posco protetion of chilldren from social affene) or any other serious offense.
The department will have to submit.
The presence of women employees in the pre-primary, primary section of the washroom, toilet and water room is compulsory in every school. The school will be responsible for the students coming in the school bus. The school will have to maintain the responsibility till the child reaches the bus and home.
In the next ten days, all the school principals will have to send details of the security cover given by the department.
Read This News in Gujarati


Lock in a great price for Riad Les Hibiscus – rated 9 by recent guests!
Good price for the value. The host is very kind. Beautiful stay.
Nothing much grabbed me based on the price paid. The photos made the property look a lot more upper market than it really was. The initial member of staff we met was lovely and the only reason I write a positive review. We clicked on 'directions to property' within the Booking.com app and got took somewhere completely different however the host came and found us and walked us back to the hotel. So kind; especially considering it was raining really heavily.
The room was lovely with good heating and right next to the two-tiered roof terrace. The pool area was enchanting with banana palms and comfortable couches. Downstairs the wifi worked ok, which was not the case on the roof or in our room.
Le cadre est parfait pour une pause après un circuit au sud du Maroc. Le personnel est très sympa et professionnel. Merci pour l'accueil.
Riad caché au fond d'une impasse, avec une jolie porte qui vous donne déjà le ton du décors. Petit coin de paradis (en même temps c'est ce que doit être un Riad ^^) personnel très discret mais très disponible et toujours souriant! Bon petit déjeuner complet, jolie terrasse, et surtout très propre. Au centre de la ville, à côté de la place, c'est parfait pour faire un maximum de choses à pied!
El trato muy bueno ,las hanitaciones estupendas y muy facil para llegar desde la plaza.
The Riad Les Hibiscus is a boutique hotel, located in the heart of the Medina, right near the Jamaâ El Fna Square. The riad offers a hammam and massage treatments.
The guest rooms and suites are decorated in traditional styles and are air-conditioned. Free Wi-Fi internet access is available in the entire hotel.
The Riad Les Hibiscus's restaurant serves traditional Moroccan cuisine.
Riad Les Hibiscus is a 13-minute drive Carré Eden Shopping Center, a 23-minute drive from Palooza Land, and 1.2 mi from Menara Mall. Marrakech Menara Airport is a 17-minute drive away.
When would you like to stay at Riad Les Hibiscus?
This suite features air conditioning, fireplace and bathrobe.
House Rules Riad Les Hibiscus takes special requests – add in the next step!
Riad Les Hibiscus accepts these cards and reserves the right to temporarily hold an amount prior to arrival.
The location is good for the square but other than that I was just very disappointed about the price we paid. In the evening and at breakfast there was a member of staff who was just so unfriendly; in a robotic and rather ignorant manner. Was a little uncomfortable as a result.
On the day of our departure we specifically asked for breakfast at 8.00, but it was not ready until 8.15 causing us to be quite rushed on departure. Unlike our other riads, this place charged 40dh for tea, which by Moroccan standards is quite pricey. The roof terrace was nice but the couches were missing their cushions.
This Riad is an oasis of tranquility! Just a few steps away from the very busy Djeema el Fna square and in the middle of the souks, but once you're within the Riad, you're on another planet. Hibiscus is quiet, clean and friendly. A Riad is a typical Moroccan cityhouse for a big family, so it´s cosy and cool in summer. It can be a bit chilly at breakfast in winter, but with the portable heaters it´s very nice. The ´swimming pool´ is not really for swimming. I imagine that it´s more to cool off during the hot summer days, rather than for swimming. It´s more a family sized bath tub. There´s a very nice terrace on the roof with chairs and tables. You have a good view over the Medina from there. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I used the airport shuttle service and that´s just perfect. You can´t reach the riad with a car, but you´re picked up at the square and they walk you to the hotel (just a two minute walk). At the hotel, you get your complementary cup of Moroccan mint tea and a map of the Medina with directions. At the day of departure, we got an early breakfast (including the little pancakes), which was very nice. All in all, Hibiscus is a very nice place to stay. Higly recommended.
The air conditioning does not work so well for evenings in December. Wifi quality can be improved.