| Eatery owner studies decline
Mike Sewall talks fast. He has energy to burn. And he is candid. If his prices rise, he'll post a sign to explain why. If business is not good, he'll tell you. He may even tell the whole town, which he did last month in a guest commentary that ran in the Record. His candor, frowned upon in some business circles, may have brought results. Sewall graduated from Lompoc High in 1988 but he went into the restaurant business even before that. Now he has 22 years experience. He managed both The Jetty in Lompoc and the one in Santa Maria. He was assistant manager at Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton. In 2001, Sewall and his wife, Nellie, made a life-changing decision. They invested their family savings and purchased Alfie's Fish & Chips on North H Street, a business that had originated at that location in 1969.
Thais in the land of frozen smiles
LONGYEARBYEN, Svalbard - It's hard to imagine two places more different than tropical Thailand and the Arctic Norwegian territory of Svalbard, or Spitsbergen as it is more commonly known after the main island in the frozen archipelago. But ironically Thais are the largest ethnic group here after the Norwegians.
The total population of the main settlement Longyearbyen is only about 1,800, of whom 70 are Thais. Most of them are female cleaners and chambermaids in Longyearbyen's hotels and
restaurants. Apart from Longyearbyen there are only a few other settlements: the scientific station of Ny Alesund to the north - mankind's northernmost habitation - and the Russian mining town of Barentsburg to the west.
Ing-Ing is from Phitsanulok and Duanjai from Petchabun, two northern Thai provinces where green rice paddy fields billow in the warm breeze and coconut trees dot the landscape.
TV Review: Prison Break: Season 2 Finale
It just gets more and more impossible. The thing is, in Prison Break's crazy world, the more impossible it seems the better the show is going to be. Prison Break takes place in the "real world" and it is a drama, but I don't think I've seen a more twisted, unbelievable series of events since 24. In the previous episode, FBI Agent Mahone had captured Lincoln, leaving Michael in yet another precarious position. Sara is put on trial for her part in the Fox River escape, and wicked Agent Kellerman showed up to testify as a surprise witness. The Panamanian police catch Bellick, Sucre gets injured, and T-bag gets what he deserves from Scofield. We start the season finale with Scofield and Agent Mahone in yet another standoff. William Fitchner is one of my favorite actors in this show.
WoW Europe: Free character migrations from April 4 to 11
There appears to be another movement in World of Warcraft's Europe servers, and it's of the server/realm migration variety. Blizzard's spokesman Thundgot is announcing by way of the official WoW Europe forums another slew of free character migrations today.
Going into further detail on the announcement:
The below migrations will be activated today (Wednesday April 4th). They're scheduled to close at the start of the maintenance on Wednesday April 11th. However, again, please note that this may change at any time. (Edit: to explain; while the main purpose of the migration is to fill up some of the lower populated realms we of course don't want them filled to the point of having queues, hence the possibility of migration being closed prematurely.)
From any of these realms: Crushridge, Outland, Warsong
To any of these realms: Agamaggan, Dragonmaw, Spinebreaker, Vek'nilash
WoW gamers who've done this before should know the drill.
CoStar Green Report: Building Green Becomes the New 'Black'
In this issue of the CoStar Green Report, Ernst & Young predicts that green principles will become synonymous with real estate profits; Bank of America introduces reduced rates for green borrowing; Vail looks to build the U.S. first environmentally friendly neighborhood; plus news that IKEA will phase out plastic bags by charging for them, and more news. The New 'Black' Green will become the new black in 2007, predicts Ernst & Young. Green building - once dismissed by major developers as "too expensive" will become almost a necessity as tenants, lenders, residents, and even investors push for sustainability. Nor is green restricted to building. Look for green principles to become synonymous in the real estate industry with solid, cost-efficient operating principles. "If you aren't at least meeting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards in new construction, there's an increasing risk - one likely to accelerate in the next five years - that your project may falter," say the authors Katherine Hammack and Rick Sinkuler.
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