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NEW GOLF R TO BE UNVEILED NEXT MONTHVolkswagen will unleash its new Golf R at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.迷你倉庫 The R has a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 300bhp and 380Nm driving all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch autobox.It hits 100kmh in just 4.9 seconds, making it a real threat to many models in VW Group's subsidiary Porsche. Compared with the VW GTI's power plant, the Golf R's engine has a modified cylinder head, exhaust valves, valve seats and springs, pistons, injection valves and turbocharger.FERRARI'S 458 GETS SPECIALE -- PHOTO: FERRARIFerrari will release a special edition of the 458 Italia, imaginatively named 458 Speciale. The car will showcase advanced active aerodynamics, which will become a standard feature of all future Ferraris.The car will also have a power upgrade, with close to 600 horses in rein.It hits 100kmh in just three seconds.FINAL EDITION OF KOMBI VAN -- PHOTO: VOLKSWAGENVolkswagen will roll out a final edition of its iconic Kombi van.Featuring two-tone paintwork and exclusive design features, only 600 units of the hippie "love van" will be manufactured at VW's plant in Brazil. Produced since 1957, the Kombi is the world's longest produced model.The final edition will have some modern features, such as an MP3 sound system and USB ports. The model is equipped with a 78bhp 1.4-litre engine paired with a four-speed manual gearbox.MONZA WITH OCEAN WAVES-STYLINGOpel's stunning Monza concept will be the first car to feature LED projection infotainment. Driven by a revised Opel Ampera's powertrain, the sleek 4.69m four-seater is styled after "ocean waves lapping on the shore". Despite being just 1.31m tall, the car has 500 litres of boot space and adequate headroom.儲存This is because its whole cockpit structure is around 15cm lower than in conventional models.YARIS HYBRID-R CONCEPT -- PHOTO: TOYOTAToyota's Yaris Hybrid-R concept - if produced - should be a hoot. Based on the three-door Yaris, the Hybrid-R has a 1.6-litre engine developed by Toyota Motorsport, combined with two powerful electric motors that give the car intelligent all-wheel-drive capability. Energy recovered under braking is stored in a super capacitor.Meanwhile, Toyota will show the latest status of its Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle in Frankfurt next month, ahead of the market launch of a production car by 2015.TESLA RENAMED TUOSULE IN CHINAAmerican electric car maker Tesla will be known as Tuosule in China. This is because someone has owned the rights to the name in China since 2006. The new name is said to be a Cantonese transliteration of Tesla. Meanwhile, the Tesla showroom in Beijing is slated to be the world's largest.COOL WINKERSAudi's facelifted A8 flagship will offer more power and greater fuel efficiency, with more variants boasting cylinder-on demand technology. The Euro 6-compliant A8 will have new adaptive LED headlights, revised LED tail lamps, and new dynamic turning indicators. Each indicator section in the headlamp assembly contains 18 LEDs arranged in a strip that is subdivided into seven blocks. Each tail light indicator section contains 24 LEDs in eight blocks.When activated, the blocks are sequentially illuminated at 20 millisecond intervals, from the inside outwards in the desired turning direction. After 150 milliseconds, all segments are bright; for another 250 milliseconds, they illuminate with full intensity. After very briefly extinguishing completely, they then repeat the sequence. Cool.新蒲崗迷你倉

Offshore and Marine SectorSector - OverweightCIMB Research | Aug 22 |A RECENT raft of rig orders placed with Chinese yards has sent chills among investors of Singapore yard stocks.迷你倉庫We note that these may not translate into real deliveries; we are also starting to see cracks in Chinese yards with two jack-up rigs ordered from Rongsheng recently cancelled due to credit crunch and going concerns.Only Dalian Shipyard currently has the execution ability to deliver rigs (four delivered to a Tier-1 operator, Noble, in 2007-09). However, there have been no repeat orders from Noble since.Maintain Overweight on Singapore yards with Keppel Corp as our preferred pick. We still believe strong order wins and steady margins can provide powerful sector catalysts.Swissco Holdings recently terminated its agreement with Rongsheng to build two jack-up rigs, citing China's credit crunch.We believe the going concern of Rongsheng (which had sought financial aid from the Chinese government in July) had jeopardised the ability of Swissco's Chinese partner, Golden Arch (owned by energy private investor Zhang Jiping), to obtain bank financing. We believe this could just be the start of the fall for Chinese rig aspirants as the financing system in China gets tighter.Seadrill is Dalian's single largest rig customer with ten units on order. We think there are sufficient orders to go around as Seadrill only accounts for 3 per cent of the global rig fleet.Dalian's other Tier-1 customer, Noble Drilling, had not returned to the yard for more orders after taking delivery of three rigs in 2007-09. All of Noble's orders from 2010 to 2013 have been placed with Sembcorp Marine and Hyundai Heavy Industries.Keppel Corp ("Outperform", target price $12.10) and Sembcorp Marine ("Outperform", target price $4.80) are no sitting ducks, having expanded their order books by 20-30 per cent per annum in the past 10 years. We expect continuous order book growth of 5-10 per cent into 2015 to sustain investors' interest in Singapore's Big 2.United Overseas BankNeutralCiti Research | Aug 22 |Aug 23 close: $20.88 |CONSISTENT double-digit fee growth post-2009 differentiated UOB from peers as net 儲存nterest margins (NIMs) stayed soft, helping to drive recent price performance.But with NIMs near-bottom, the next six months may focus on rising Asean risks: Thailand (4 per cent of 1H13 PBT), Indonesia (5 per cent) and Malaysia (15 per cent) look vulnerable to slowing GDP, funding pressures, asset quality surprises or currency weakness.UOB's loans over the last three years were more driven by mortgages/consumer loans vs peers, and its deposit (CASA) franchise looks the weakest. Target price $21.25 (roll to mid-2014 base, minor estimate changes) implies 2014E PE ratio of 11.8 times, P/B 1.3 times vs ROE 11.3 per cent.While 1H13 results were in line, expect slower 2H loan volumes on mortgages/consumer. We are unlikely to see Singapore NIM upside despite higher 10-year yields as banks have stayed short on duration.We will monitor funding pressures in Asean markets; UOB typically has lower CASA, higher loan-deposit ratios in the region. Core fees should be resilient, aside from loan fees from the regional corporate bank which may soften.UOB has been proactive on building provisions, but isolated, chunky non-performing loans are a risk. We assume no short-term SGD rate rises until mid-2015, capping NIM upside.Outside Singapore, top regional drivers have been Malaysia (bias to consumer loans) and Greater China (increased lending to HK blue chips in USD and HKD). Thailand/Indonesia profits have arguably been below potential on historic operational issues, but the countries themselves have now run into material macro headwinds: Thailand a rapid slowdown in GDP growth, Indonesia a rapid tightening of system funding as the country's 2Q13 current account deficit rose to 4.4 per cent of GDP. Compiled by Andrea SohDisclaimer: All analyses, recommendations and other information herein are published for general information. Readers should not rely solely on the information published and should seek independent financial advice prior to making any investment decision. The publisher accepts no liability for any loss whatsoever arising from any use of the information published herein.Brokers who wish to send in their reports can email us at btnews@sph.com.sg新蒲崗迷你倉

Mainland freight forwarding company cannot predict if rates will rebound in the near futureSinotrans, the mainland’s largest freight forwarding company, said the shipping industry is recovering but it is too early to predict an upturn in freight rates.迷你倉新蒲崗The company saw its net profit increase 15 per cent year on year to 449.8 million yuan (HK$562 million) in the first six months of the year as losses from its marine transport unit narrowed by 74 per cent over the period.Sales increased 8.4 per cent to 25.1 billion yuan.“The shipping market started to rebound in the second quarter and is expected to carry on in the third quarter,” said Zhang Jianwei, executive director and president of Sinotrans. “But it is unclear whether freight rates would rebound as well.”The growth rate of China’s import and export trade accelerated to 8.6 per cent in the first half from 6.2 per cent for all of last year. Container port throughput growth nationwide also increased to 8.3 per cent in the first half from 8.1 per cent on average in 2012.The company’s marine transport division moved 7.8 per cent more containers in the first half to 1.45 million 20-f迷你倉出租et equivalent units.Revenue fell 6.5 per cent to 2.3 billion yuan while net losses narrowed to 35 million yuan from 137 million yuan a year earlier.Profit from freight forwarding increased 16.4 per cent to 417 million yuan while shipping agency business decreased 18 per cent to 116 million yuan.The profit margin at Sinotrans’ freight forwarding business was 1.9 per cent. The company said it is trying to reach out for more value-added services, such as third-party logistics services, to increase its profit margins.“Multi-international companies are more inclined to out-source their logistics function to save cost and what we are doing now is providing the domestic logistics knowhow to them,” said Gao Wei, a spokesman for Sinotrans.“We want to provide the logistics solution on the international legs as well which are with higher margin but an area we are not good at right now.”Sinotrans also runs a joint venture with DHL providing international express services on the mainland. The number of packages increased 8.2 per cent year on year to 8.7 million in the first half.The company’s shares dropped 3.47 per cent to HK$ 1.67 yesterday.儲存倉

Source: The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IowaAug.迷你倉沙田 22--IOWA CITY -- The HD videoscreen in the south end zone of Kinnick Stadium is capable of going full view across, all 3,968 square feet.It will, but not all the time and probably not as much as you want.The University of Iowa fired up the new high-definition videoboards in Kinnick for the media Thursday. The north end zone is where you'll see the biggest change, two HD video walls (21 1/2 X 38) and a ribbon board that is approximately 8 feet tall and nearly 400 feet long.The UI is working on the sound system, which, for now, comes mostly from behind the south scoreboard. Athletics director Gary Barta said there will be some improvement this season, but sound consultants want to hear what games sound like in Kinnick before a complete overhaul. The sound system was widely panned by fans in a survey conducted earlier this year by UI athletics."It will sound better," Barta said, "but we're not done yet."The impetus for the $9 million project was to enhance the in-stadium experience. After digging through the survey, the UI feels it's addressed four biggies -- more replays, larger video on main scoreboard, more stats, team and individual and more scores from games across the country."You can sit in your living room and have high definition and have it all before you on a big screen," Barta said. "We want to make sure the experience in the stadium is world-class, first-class."Let's get to the full-screen questions about the south videoboard.The scoreboard contains information game officials have deemed necessary for coaches and players to see during a game, according to Rick Klatt, UI associate athletics director. This includes score, time left in the game and timeouts. The same info is available on the north scoreboard, but game officials want it on both boards.The advertising isn't going away, either."The advertising hasn't grown. They're going to be there," Klatt said. "But there is this expectation that we were going to be 100 percent video, we simply can't for the most reasonable reason of all -- the coaching staff, the players, the game officials need that data."There will be instances, however, when the south scoreboard will go full screen. (The condensed HD version is still 60 percent bigger -- 1,296 square feet to 814 -- than it was the previous eight seasons, when it was also standard definition.)"When the Hawkeyes score a touchdown, that's [ads, game information迷你倉價錢 going to go away," Klatt said. "The board will become black and gold and all the celebration pieces will be up."Stadium operations have consulted with head coach Kirk Ferentz on what its plans are for the times the scoreboard does go full screen."Full disclosure, we're going to react to the coaching staff," Klatt said. "If the coaching staff tells us, even after a touchdown, if it's close to halftime or late in a game, we still need that game data available to us, we'll probably tweak our operation."But right now, the coaching staff has told us, yes, five or six or 10 seconds of celebration, by all means, we're celebrating. We're also working, so we're going to need that data as quick as we can get it."Other times the south scoreboard will go full screen: pregame, first-quarter break, halftime, third-quarter break, fourth quarter. Also, when the Hawkeyes make a significant play, including touchdowns and big turnovers."We're building graphics to fill up the entire space. We're hoping we see a lot of them," Klatt said. "We're hoping we see a lot of touchdowns and field goals, that kind of stuff."Also on significant plays, the board will be cut in half and two different camera angles will show a replay.On the replay front, the stadium crew runs around 100 replays per game. That number won't increase, but Iowa will relax its standards on replaying controversial plays."The Big Ten has loosened its restrictions on controversial replays," Klatt said. "We were one of the schools that was pretty tight on following the guidelines prior to this year. Fans will continue to see about every play replayed, but more than a year, when we were close to the policy for those controversial plays, we're going to open it up."Barta said there is no WiFi connectivity at Kinnick Stadium. It remains a goal, however."We've been working with our cell partners to improve and enhance cell coverage over the last several years," Barta said. "The next step to WiFi, like every stadium in America, technology is still struggling there. We haven't figured that all out. We have better cell coverage, but we're not yet ready to say you can walk in here with your smartphone and have full coverage. That won't be the case, just like it won't be the case for just about every stadium in America."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Visit The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) at thegazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉庫

The star, who will perform here next month, tells GEOFFREY EU what keeps him goingHE was a coal miner's son from Pontypridd who became a Welsh prince of Bel Air but even now, after a 50-year career spanning multiple musical genres and a permanent place in pop music history, Tom Jones - international singing star and owner of that unmistakable voice - barely misses a beat.新蒲崗迷你倉Despite dozens of hits and well over 100 million records sold, Jones - a California resident for the past 40 years - still has a touch of the small-town boy from Wales about him. Speaking over the phone from Los Angeles recently, Jones' Welsh roots were clearly discernible, as was an undisguised enthusiasm for his job.At 73, he still loves singing, thanks to a voice that hasn't diminished with age and a repertoire that moves with the musical times while speaking to different generations. And that's good news for Singapore fans because Jones will be in town next month to perform as part of the festivities surrounding this year's Formula 1 race.He was due to perform here in 2010 but had to cancel when his vocal chords were damaged after an attack of acid reflux.Jones rose to fame in an era when some of the biggest names in the business were at their peak. Perhaps not surprisingly, he rates 1965 - his first full year as a solo artiste - as one that holds some of his most cherished memories."That first year I met everybody in showbiz; it was incredible," says Jones with fan-like delight. "It's Not Unusual (his first big hit) came out in January 1965 and I was invited to all the British TV shows - I met The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, then I went to the US and did The Ed Sullivan Show, and later I met Elvis and Sinatra."That same year he recorded the memorable theme song for the James Bond movie Thunderball.In 1966, he won the Grammy award for Best New Artist and backed that up with more successes like What's New, Pussycat? Green, Green Grass of Home and Delilah. He also had his own television show (This is Tom Jones) which featured duets alongside guests such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles and Janis Joplin.Apart fmini storageom his powerful baritone, Jones has a natural stage presence that served him well in Las Vegas, where he performed regularly for four decades until 2008."Anybody that was anybody would do Vegas, but it's changed a lot since my early days there - now it's Cirque du Soleil, although Celine, Elton and Rod still do shows there," he says."They call Wales the Land of Song," says Jones of his working- class upbringing. "In Wales, most people are used to singing. When I was growing up, that was the way of making music - we didn't have to buy musical instruments. We all sang at weddings, birthday parties and so on; I grew up like that."He adds: "They are creative people, the Welsh; they like to entertain, they want to tell stories - that's how we get the emotion out."Jones stays relevant and in tune with his audience by continuing to cut albums - his most recent was released in 2012."When you've recorded all kinds of things like I've done, you wonder what's the next move, what's the angle?" he says. "For my last album (Spirit in the Room) we said why not record songs by my favourite artists - Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon - songs that were not overdone by other people. It's American roots music."He adds: "Now, I'm working on more songs for another album. I can do anything I want but it doesn't mean the record company will release it."Even at this stage in his career, Jones hasn't been able to shake off his image as, well, a sex bomb. He sizzles on stage and cruises around Los Angeles in a Rolls Royce convertible but in reality, he's grateful for the awards and the success and humbled by being compared to some pop music greats. "I'm not a fast driver, either," he says.He speaks with undisguised joy at being knighted by the Queen in 2006. "That was the icing on the cake," he says. "Part of the reason I'm still in the business - it's the desire. Some people slow down and retire - me, I just want to keep on singing."Tom Jones will perform a 60-minute set on Sept 22 at 6.45 pm at the Village Stage, Marina Bay Street Circuit (Zone 1 ticket required and performance time is subject to change).self storage

Source: Erie Times-News, Pa.迷你倉新蒲崗Aug. 22--Going to college isn't cheap, and the costs are always adding up.Books? Easily $1,000.New laptop? $300 or more.Tuition? Ugh. For the sake of your sanity, don't even think about it.That doesn't leave a lot of moola left to make that home away from home a little more cozy.Luckily, there's a universal solution to this dilemma.Duct tape.Creative minds are coming up with all kinds of new uses for that classic bumper-fixing, leak-stopping, tough silver tape. But now -- with all kinds of colors, patterns and varieties of duct tape -- the possibilities are endless.Unleash your inner MacGyver and turn those classified-ad castaways and thrift-shop finds into amazing, quirky decor. Cover a scratched-up end table in green leopard print. Or transform an ugly burnt-sienna couch with a few rolls of a black-and-white houndstooth design.Just grab a roll of duct tape and let it riiiippp.CHAIRWe found an old, dingy-beige office chair in storage and used a roll and a half of duct tape. Now it's good for studying or gaming. (And it's stain-resistant!)FRAMESSleek-looking picture frames can be expensive. Instead, scour garage sales for usable frames and cover them with duct tape. Changed your mind about the pattern? Duct-tape it again!LANYARDA lanyard makes it easier to keep your dorm room keys and ID card together. Make one by carefully taking a long strip of duct tape and迷你倉出租making a trifold along its length. Hold ends together and slip a key ring over both, then fold the ends up about 2 or 3 inches. Finish by taping the ends to the main strap, leaving the key ring free to move a bit in its loop. -- Source: craftysoccermom.blogspot.caTABLET SLEEVEBetween classes, keep your tablet or netbook safe with a duct tape sleeve. Start out by cutting a piece of flannel fabric about 27 inches long and 8 inches wide (adjust measurements to best fit your device). Arrange strips of duct tape along one side of the flannel (match the patterns up if you choose) and cut off the excess tape. With the flannel on the inside, fold the fabric together, leaving one side longer by about 3 inches. Tape the open sides together. Carefully sew or glue Velcro pieces on the inside of the flap and the sleeve to create a closure.PENCIL CUPSOK, OK. Pencil cups aren't that expensive. Still, with an empty can or container and some fancy duct tape, you'll have a unique place to store your pencils, office supplies, makeup brushes and more.TRAYTurn a plate or tray into an attractive catchall dish covered in your favorite duct-tape design.LINDSEY POISSON can be reached at 870-1871 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNpoisson.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at .GoErie.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉

Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.mini storage 21--Jerry Vondas, whose graceful prose celebrated the lives of the region's Everyman in feature stories for the former Pittsburgh Press and in obituaries for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, died Tuesday. He was 83.Mr. Vondas, of Squirrel Hill, a journalist for 45 years, was seriously injured in a traffic accident in March and died of a related infection at UPMC Passavant, McCandless.As a young man in Hazelwood, Mr. Vondas took on the support of his parents and sisters when his father fell ill. He worked as a waiter at the Duquesne Club, Downtown, for 10 years and was a bartender while attending the University of Pittsburgh.He joined the staff of the former North Hills News Record in 1968 and in 1971 was hired by The Pittsburgh Press as a features writer. He worked there until the newspaper closed Dec. 31, 1992. After working for the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh newspaper, Mr. Vondas joined the Tribune-Review in 1998.For the last 15 years, he was the newspaper's feature obituary writer, chronicling the lives of the well known and the common man, giving each their dignified due. His daughter, Maria Vondas Connelly of Brookline, said she often asked her father how he could do a job so laden with sadness."He would say, 'This is a story about their life, not about their death. It helps people remember what they did in life and what they accomplished.' For him, he saw it as providing solace. He was able to memorialize them and to capture the human spirit with his writing talent. It's a gift to capture a person's essence. This was his calling."Ms. Connelly said the families and friends of those he memorialized let him know in letters, calls and emails how much they appreciated his prose and empathy.Tribune-Review managing editor Jim Cuddy said Mr. Vondas was so successful as an obituary writer because of his personality."He could relate to people he was talking to," Mr. Cuddy said. "He could get information withoself storaget being pushy. He was always a gentleman. I think people felt he cared about them and the story they were telling him."He was there to talk about what people had done in their lives and not to focus on the cause of their death."Mr. Cuddy said Tribune-Review staffers were remembering their colleague with tales."Everyone has a Jerry anecdote. He touched a lot of people," Mr. Cuddy said. "He was a constant in the newsroom, a fellow in his 80s still coming to work and looking forward to it. His very appearance set a standard that everyone else wanted to follow. He loved the job. He loved being part of the newsroom."Ann Butler of Burgettstown, who was a feature writing colleague of Mr. Vondas at The Pittsburgh Press said he was well suited for the human interest stories he wrote for that newspaper because "he always saw the good in people."Wearing his trademark tweed cap, Mr. Vondas loved going out with a photographer for a "man on the street" story. "He got such a joy out of that. He had so much enthusiasm."Often during his tenure at the Press, he would work a day as Santa Claus at the former Kaufmann's department store, Downtown, and would write about his experience, Ms. Butler recalled."Jerry was one of a kind," she said. "Gosh, he was a nice man."In 2000, the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania presented Mr. Vondas with its inaugural Service to Journalism Award for his decades of reporting excellence.In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Laura Baccelli Vondas; a sister, Olga Mervosh of Gibsonia; and two grandsons.Friends will be received at John A. Freyvogel Sons, 4900 Centre Ave., Oakland, from 6 to 8 p.m. today, and 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Services will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Shadyside Presbyterian Church.Michael A. Fuoco: mfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1968.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉

【本報記者廣州電】南航在廣州總部宣佈，文件倉“海口——成都——烏魯木齊”航線正式開通，將是南航依托烏魯木齊國際樞紐機場開通的又一國際中轉快線。目前，南航已在海南建立廣州、北京兩條國際中轉快線，境內外旅客可以方便快捷的在北京、廣州、烏魯木齊三地中轉至海南。南航表示，隨著海南國際旅遊島建設的不斷深入以及廿六國免簽證政策的執行，海南每年接待的境外旅客已經超過八十萬人次，其中俄羅斯、中西亞、歐洲等地區的旅客約佔兩成五以上。與此同時，中國已經取代美國、德國，成為出境旅遊市場的最大群體，海南本土旅客出境遊呈現激增態勢。南航開通海口——成都——烏魯木齊航線，將進一步完善海南國際中轉航線結構，搭建起海南至俄存倉斯、中西亞以及歐洲地區的快捷通道。屆時，俄羅斯、德黑蘭、第比利斯、巴庫、阿拉木圖、阿什哈巴德、杜尚別、胡占德等中西亞、歐洲地區的旅客往來海南可實現“朝發夕至”，境內外旅客出入海南的快捷程度將有較大提高。南航已經在瓊建立廣州、北京兩條國際中轉快線，瓊穗快線每天三十班次、瓊京快線每天達到十五班次，加上即將開通的海口——成都——烏魯木齊航線，已經形成了輻射全球主要國家和地區的中轉航線網絡，境內外旅客可以方便快捷的在北京、廣州、烏魯木齊三地中轉至瓊。今後，南航還將繼續在中轉服務、航線設置、產品更新方面發力，努力推動航空市場的高端化和國際化，打造高效快捷的空中通道，讓境內外旅客更加方便的出入海南。自存倉

Source: Times Union, Albany, N.迷你倉庫Y.Aug. 21--ROOT -- World wars have been waged and won in less time than it has taken to resolve an epic battle over a billboard visible from the Thruway just east of Canajoharie in Montgomery County.It is a textbook case of a bureaucratic brouhaha, with the state and the feds pointing fingers at each other in its wake.After a seven-year conflict that involved state and federal transportation agencies, state legislators and members of Congress, two counties, civic and business leaders and billable hours for lawyers, the 20-foot high by 100-foot wide billboard near Exit 28 advertising a Holiday Inn in Johnstown has run out of extensions and appeals. It is scheduled to be torn down Aug. 26. It was ruled that it did not comply with a federal highway law after renovations in 2006."There must be a federal bureaucrat with nothing better to do with their day. To pick on this one particular sign does not seem logical to me," said Michael Reese, president and CEO of the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth. He said the billboard draws eastbound motorists from Canada and Buffalo off the Thruway and to the hotel about 10 miles away. He said the sign brings much-needed tourist dollars to an economically depressed region still struggling with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state."Gov. Cuomo is going around saying New York is open for business," Reese added. "If he really believes that, he should step up and keep that sign in place."The metal and wooden billboard, first erected in 1959 high atop the flank of Little Top Mountain to advertise a turkey farm, blew down in a severe windstorm in 2006. It was rebuilt at a cost of $70,000 by the Holiday Inn owners to the same dimensions and on the same site.The billboard was grandfathered in after the Highway Beautification Act passed in 1965. That law banned construction of outdoor advertising within 660 feet of the highway's right of way in urban areas and beyond 660 feet in rural areas visible from the highway. The sign and was allowed to remain as long as it was not "changed, abandoned or destroyed" according to the federal law's language.Jim Landrio, general manager of the 100-room Holiday Inn, said they were unaware of that legalese and the 2006 reconstruction work continued for six months, visible to state highway officials. They were not told to halt work or notified that it was no longer in compliance until long after the costly repair job was finished.In February 2007, state Department of Transportation officials informed Landrio that the illuminated billboard was no long in compliance and had to be taken down within 30 days. Landrio hired a lawyer. After negotiations with the state, they were granted a four-year extension to keep the sign, followed by legislation signed by Cuomo a year ago for a one-year extension.That's when letters of support lobbying to keep the billboard began to flood the mailbox of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, signed by local congressmen and civic and business leaders. They argued the儲存billboard provides a much-needed economic development benefit and, at 1,100 feet above the Thruway, is not visually offensive."That sign has been up for more than 50 years and we need it," said Landrio. Occupancy rates for the hotel, which employs 82 people, drops to less than 40 percent in winter months. "There is hardly a night that goes by when one of our guests doesn't say, 'I thought I would have had to drive all the way to Albany, but I saw your sign on the mountain.' "Landrio, 56, is a Johnstown native who has worked at the Holiday Inn since age 16. He takes the sign war personally."Nobody gives a damn about Johnstown -- we don't even rate a Thruway exit -- and now they want to take our sign," said Landrio, recalling the town's decline since a robust leather industry pulled out and moved production offshore a few decades ago.He said he has tried every avenue, legal and lobbying, and realizes he is out of options. A company is ready to begin dismantling. He blames state and federal bureaucrats."If they spent half the effort they've spent fighting us over this sign and put it into helping this region, it's amazing what they could have accomplished," Landrio said.State DOT officials said it had no choice but to order the sign to be removed after federal highway funds were threatened."The Federal Highway Administration told us if the sign was not removed, we could face the loss of a portion of our federal aid," said Beau Duffy, a state DOT spokesman. He said millions of dollars might have been forfeited. He called the threat "very real" and said "the state can't afford to give up any of its highway aid."A Federal Highway Administration spokesman denied strong-arm tactics, but conceded they had leverage. "As a condition of receiving federal funds, the state's job is to enforce federal rules and regulations for highways," said spokesman Doug Hecox. "After it was rebuilt following the storm, the sign was not in compliance and the original protection did not apply. It's not our job to reinterpret federal laws that have been passed."Neither Hecox nor Duffy said they were of any other billboards out of compliance in the Capital Region that must be torn down."I don't understand why they have to take it down. It's so far away from the road and I can't see who it's bothering way up there," said Winford Peck, an 86-year-old dairy farmer who owns the land where the billboard is located. He will lose a monthly check from Holiday Inn after the billboard is taken down.Gary Jones, who works at Rock of Ages Landscaping Supply about a mile from the billboard, can see a similar billboard alongside his workplace advertising McDonald's and Country Pride TA Truck Stop in Fultonville. That billboard has not been targeted."I think they ought to leave the Holiday Inn sign, too," said Jones. "I don't see no harm in them."pgrondahl@timesunion.com, 518-454-5623, @PaulGrondahlCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at .timesunion.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉

江門飲用水調查“照此速度汙染下去，迷你倉庫潭江下游水質或將惡化到連工業用水都無法保障。”——新會一企業家潭江汙染加重，不僅威脅著本地飲水安全，也在積累著經濟發展的資源危機。江門曾長期宣傳“既要金山銀山又要綠水青山”、“綠色門檻”發展理念，並以其為後發優勢。然而現實是殘酷的，潭江不但未能保住飲用水資源，工農業用水資源也在經受考驗。新會一位企業家表示，照此速度汙染下去，潭江下游水質或將惡化到連工業用水都無法保障。而與惡劣現實形成鮮明對比的，則是“潭江模式”在政治上獲得的大成功。江門1990年首創的“潭江模式”，不僅被視作我國小流域水環境整治的好經驗好制度，為江門贏得“國家環境保護模範城市”稱號，其影響所及甚至在20多年後，成為江門申報“全國文明城市”一大助力。既然是好經驗、好制度，為何未能保住潭江水質？23年後回頭看，“潭江模式”錯了麼？1990年“潭江模式”出世全省第一個“跨縣河流邊界”治理河流潭江雖名為江，但與同屬珠江水系的東江、西江、北江相比，潭江流域小、里程短，更重要的是，河流不跨省甚至不跨市，除河源地外，全在江門境內。潭江自陽江市陽東縣牛圍嶺發源後，迅速折入江門市，自西向東流經四邑(恩平、開平、台山、新會)，在崖門注入南海，全長248公里。潭江在江門的流域面積達6026平方公里，流域面積占全市總面積的60 .6%，是江門名副其實的母親河。加上14條主要支流，潭江流域涵蓋了江門三區四市。1990年，在水資源保護觀念尚未普及、各地唯重經濟發展時，江門就將潭江保護當作政府一件大事。當年8月，江門市召開第四次環境保護會議，恩平、開平、台山、新會四縣領導與江門市政府聯合簽署第一輪《潭江水資源保護責任書》。這創造了廣東省一項紀錄，江門成為第一個實施跨縣河流邊界水質達標管理的城市。這一跨界河流治理方案，後來造就了“潭江模式”這一鼎鼎大名。1993年6月22日，省政府下發《廣東省跨市河流邊界水質達標管理試行辦法》，就借鑒了潭江保護的先行經驗，引起一陣各地到江門考察的熱潮。江門為何在20多年前就如此重視潭江保護？“現在看起來很奇怪，其實當時一點也不奇怪。”江門一位退休官員稱，江門是廣東老牌工業城市，經濟從新中國成立後到上世紀90年代中期都處在全省前列。上世紀80年代，江門工業發展迅猛，排汙又主要依靠潭江，所以當時潭江已經出現汙染問題。1990年至今，江門已經歷8任市長，潭江保護受到歷屆政府重視。“潭江模式”在李熊光任上�動，到1995年張遠貽任上，第一輪責任書到期。1995年6月1日，四市市長(恩台新1992年撤縣設市，開平1993年撤縣設市，新會2002年再撤市設區)再簽第二輪《責任書》(1996至2002年)。1995年6月，王南健擔任江門市副市長，主管環保工作，“潭江模式”得到深入推動。王南健後在2003年6月任市長，至2010年7月調離江門，在江門2010年計劃衝刺“全國文明城市”稱號時，王南健接受記者採訪時也將“潭江模式”作為重點，以證江門“既要金山銀山又要綠水青山”的經濟發展觀。“潭江模式”框架內容，在1990年的《潭江水資源保護責任書》已有勾勒。責任書確定的最重要原則是四縣聯合保護，在執行方面，江門市環保局牽頭制定各河段水資源保護目標及交接斷面水質指標，負責制定檢查計劃並組織各縣政府、環保局共同核查，獎先進，批後進，並限期改正，在資金方面，方案提出各縣每年地方財政收入要取出千分之二，建立專項保護資金，自行管理使用與核算。2004年“潭江模式”榮耀江門成為“國家環境保護模範城市”2004年，江門市被國家環保總局命名為“國家環境保護模範城市”，直接原因就是“潭江模式”，環保總局授牌評語也完整概括了“潭江模式”的內容和效用：針對流域面積占江門市土地總面積60%的潭江，江門市在創模中摸索出一套適應江門社會經濟可持續發展的流域水環境管理機制———“潭江模式”。實現了從自我保護到聯合保護、從定性檢查到定量考核、從幹流保護到全流域保護的轉變，成為全省率先實施流域跨界水質達標管理的地區……為我國小流域水環境整治提供了很好的思路和經驗。從1993年省跨界河流水質達標管理辦法出台，江門“潭江模式”聲譽日隆。1995年後江門經濟發展減速，這一模式漸趨沉寂。但到2004年江門榮獲“國家環境保護模範城市”前後，“潭江模式”所彰顯的可持續發展、科學發展理念，因契合時局而再度張揚。在環保觀念深入人心之時，江門綜合潭江保護及綠色門檻等實踐，總結出一套城市發展理念，其最通俗表示就是“既要金山銀山，又要綠水青山”。在“潭江模式”推行之初，各項數據確實喜人，並因此被認為證明瞭經濟發展不必以環境為代價。實施潭江模式，付出代價最大的是上游的恩平市。恩平市對境內錦江河(潭江上游段)實施禁止沿岸開辦汙染企業、禁止挖沙及沿岸挖山、禁止游泳及沿岸飼養的“三禁”措施，1991年先後搬遷了多家工廠，每年減少廢水排放量200多萬噸，確保錦江河水質連續達標。台山市為不汙染開平市三埠鎮的水質，也曾投資5000萬元整治台城河，並責令耗資1000多萬元建成的石筆潭娛樂城停業。據統計，1990年至1995年，台開恩新四市投入潭江整治資金達1 .78億元，實現了上游水質好轉、下游水質穩定的效果，而與此同時，四市工業總產值從99.82億元增至506.81億元，增長4 .08倍，遠超珠三角同期平均水平。恩平市1995年工業總產值相比1990年增長6.33倍，增速位居四邑之首。1995年是“八五”期末，南都記者查詢《江門統計年鑒》發現，江門G D P為362.72億元，排在廣州、深圳、佛山之後，列全省第四位。而從人均生產總值數據看，潭江流域各地此時期也高速發展，1990年，新會、台山、開平、鶴山、恩平人均生產總值相當，分別為2579、2108、2368、2271、2691元，而在1995年則分別增至8565、6154、9557、11253、8322元。然而這些經濟數據與“潭江模式”之間因果關係頗為牽強，在全國經濟形勢向好之時，江門發展也是必然，熱潮退去之時，“潭江模式”已難再證明經濟發展無需環境代價。1995年後，由大型國企主導的江門經濟，逐漸被周邊城市超越。如東莞市1990年生產總值僅有64.62億元，遠低於江門的100 .55億元，而到2004年，東莞已達1155 .3億元，江門只有695.6億元。2004年之後“潭江模式”之慮經濟發展成績不佳，汙染卻越來越重2004年，潭江模式在官方獲得了最大榮耀，但在民間卻並不受落。主要原因在於，江門在這些年間並沒有做到“既要金山銀山，又要綠水青山”。首先是經濟。江門G D P在“九五”時期被東莞超越，“十五”被中山超越，“十一五”被惠州超越，如今又被湛江等地逼近，作為傳統的珠三角工業強市，民間因此造成普遍的失落感。曾經的改革開放明星市新會，與江門之間關係話題更被網民常年吐槽。坊間議論中，政府提出的“不走先汙染後治理的老路”以及各種綠色發展理念，則被解讀為用于掩飾經濟發展成績不佳的擋箭牌。而事實上，潭江的治理效果也很不爭氣。過去十年間，潭江水質不但沒有變好，反而逐步惡化，飲用水源取水點漸次廢棄，汙染問題受到市民強烈關注。在曆年兩會上，也有人大代表、政協委員不斷提出質疑和建議。不過，“潭江模式”跨區聯合保護、界面達標管理、專項保護基金等措施，仍被儲存作一個好制度，問題只在於，好制度為何沒有好效果？為何阻攔不住潭江水質的惡化？“根據水務局的監測，隨著這些年經濟的發展，工業用水量呈逐年上升的趨勢，用水多意味著排汙多，潭江的水質也是逐年下降。潭江模式自1990年開始已有23個年頭，面對如今飽受水資源汙染的潭江，其模式的成功與否不得不打上一個大大的問號。”江門市水務局水資源管理科科長鐘紅雲表示，在看到潭江水質汙染加重之時，應考慮到江門經濟總量的變化，但也應反思這一模式為何近年出現失靈問題。江門市委政策研究室原主任李超奇發文形容江門水汙染已到令人觸目驚心的地步，“以‘汙水圍城’來描述一點都不過分。”他認為政府治汙花錢不少而不見成效，固然有資金問題，但潛在問題是目前條件下治汙很難在短期內出成績，埋在地下的汙水管網就更沒人看到。江門市人大代表王宇霞曾長期關注潭江汙染問題，她則認為不能輕易否定“潭江模式”成績。環保部華南環境科學研究所陳志良博士也認為，現在潭江汙染加重，存在十分複雜的原因，“潭江模式”確曾起過很好作用，現在需要的是根據新形勢加以優化。2013年“潭江模式”升級三龍治水，潭江流域治理又有了時間表今年6月，江門市政府批准實施新一輪潭江治理3項方案，同樣沒有對社會主動公開。南都記者日前取得該份“江府辦(2013)48號”文件，市府辦通知顯示，3份《潭江流域工業農業生活汙染整治工作方案》均屬“依申請公開”。3項方案分別由環保局(工業汙染)、農業局(農業汙染)、城管局(生活汙染)牽頭實施，對潭江流域治理提出了時間表，並要求流域內各區市主要領導人擔任“河長”，治汙將納入政績考核，實際上成為了“潭江模式”的升級版。依照新方案，市環保局將完善潭江水質監控，在潭江幹流及主要支流設立26個監測控制斷面，每兩個月監測一次，監測結果作為評價各市、區落實潭江水環境整治成效的重要依據，對工業汙染源的整治，將主要針對電鍍、造紙、製革、印染、線路板、化工、食品七個重汙染行業。市農業局將在今年年底前完成譚江流域內禁養區、限養區和適養區的劃定工作。生活汙染方面，市城管局提出今年建成2-3個村鎮級生活汙水處理設施，2014年全市城鎮汙水處理率達到87%以上。而此前分由各市區統籌的潭江水資源保護專項資金，將統一按照地方財政收入的千分之二解繳進入市級專項資金，各市、區不再單獨設立縣級專項資金。根據該方案，潭江幹流治理目標將在恩平市達到2類水質，開平大橋至曙光橋為3類，台山公益至新會牛灣為2類，新會雙水以下為3類。14條主要支流中，台山、開平、恩平、鶴山4市支流多設為2類或3類，而江門三區範圍的會城河、紫水河、天沙河定為4類，麻園河、龍溪河等為5類。方案也列出了今年至2015年將要建設的水質監測站及平台，總預算808萬元，其中8個監測站每個投資80萬元。“潭江保護模式原來是由環保局一家牽頭，水利局是潭江水資源保護責任單位之一。”鐘紅雲表示，此次新方案最大變化是改為三家牽頭共同實施。水利局雖然不是牽頭單位，但直接管水，負責按照取水許可管理的規定，嚴格控制取水量，並加大排汙監管力度，對建設項目進行水資源論證，並加強潭江支流小流域的整治。潭江治理新方案出現“河長”相比原“潭江模式”，新方案增加了信息公開，提出各市區政府和“河長”的考核結果將向社會公佈。潭江流域內的各區市主要負責人將擔任“河長”，政績考核一年不合格將被約談，連續兩年不合格將被通報批評，連續三年不合格將受到兩年內不得提拔的處罰。治水賬本花了多少？花到哪了？不完全統計顯示目前潭江保護專項資金每年不到2000萬對於江門市民來說，他們並不了解“潭江模式”，但他們關心治理潭江花了多少錢，何時能治好。1990年以來江門保護潭江的經費並沒有專項統計，記者根據各城財政收入大致計算得知，目前潭江保護專項資金每年不到2000萬元。這23年來，潭江專項保護資金管理多次變化。1990年的“潭江模式”，四縣每年財政收入提取千分之二並自行管理使用，鶴山在被列入後的提取比例則定為千分之一。2008年，江門市政府廢止原辦法，決定以相關區市地方財政收入解繳的方式成立潭江水資源保護專項資金，新會區、台山市、開平市、恩平市每年解繳其該年度地方財政收入千分之二的20%，鶴山市每年解繳其該年度地方財政收入千分之一的20%，于次年第一季度末解繳入“江門市潭江水資源保護專項資金”專戶，其他仍歸地方支配。到了2013年，專項資金則被全部收繳江門市級。至於如何花錢，據管理辦法，專項資金用于潭江綜合治理、規劃、組織協調和保護潭江水質以及調節相關市、區保護潭江資金的不足。申請專項資金的單位，應向同級環保、財政部門提出書面申請。然後經市環保部門、市財政部門、市政府層層審批後，市財政、環保部門聯合下達專項資金使用計劃，由市財政部門按預算資金管理規定撥款。然而，這些項目究竟有哪些，又起到了多大作用，在23年後仍然相當神秘。與潭江保護專項資金同樣，“潭江模式”的獎懲情況也未公開。南都記者採訪中獲悉，“潭江模式”執行23年，只有“獎先進”，缺少“批後進”，沒有一位官員因為執行不力而受到行政處分。而依照上一輪潭江治理計劃，諸多治汙指標也沒有完成。出路上山取水錦江水庫成目標江門市水務局水資源管理科科長鐘紅雲認為，從資源狀況看，只有恢複潭江的飲用水功能，江門的水危機威脅才能消除。但即使新方案能夠大獲成功，如期恢複潭江的飲用水功能，也要在2020年左右。因此，對於迫在眉睫的水源汙染和缺乏備用水源問題，江門已在尋找後路，正在論證以恩平錦江水庫水源供應珠中江澳的工程。該項目是珠中江合作的供水水源同網工程，此前多次三地黨政聯席會議上被提及，珠海、中山因面臨飲水問題更大，曾提出付費使用江門的水源。從錦江水庫輸送飲用水到江門五邑甚至珠海、中山、澳門，這一工程將耗資多少又如何收回成本？錦江水庫能否滿足四城需求？工程完成後，自來水將要升價多少？由於這一方案尚保密，這些詳情不得而知。南都記者瞭解到，該方案實際由江門市水利水電勘測設計院有限公司制定，該公司接受江門市發改局委托，論證了該供水工程可行性，但因委托合同中寫有保密條款，該公司表示無法透露具體內容。鐘紅雲稱，經過多年整治後，錦江水庫水質保持較好，大部分指標達到1類水質標準，年度整體評價也能達到2類水質，本地一家知名礦泉水就產自錦江水庫。珠海、中山、澳門比較主張使用錦江水庫供水，澳門前特首何厚鏵都曾去錦江水庫考察。但考慮到江門自身供水需求，以及近年潭江流域汙染加重而產生的飲用水供需矛盾，江門業界多不主張錦江水庫的水源供給其它城市，主流意見是將取水口上移，並保護好西江的飲用水源。名詞解釋潭江模式1990年8月，江門市與轄下恩平、開平、台山、新會4縣簽署責任書，對潭江開展跨區保護，確定四地聯合審批工業項目、區域水質達標交接、建立專項保護資金等措施，成為廣東第一個實施跨縣河流邊界水質達標管理的城市。該做法1993年後在廣東推廣，被譽為“潭江模式”，國家環保總局認為其為我國小流域水環境整治提供了很好的思路和經驗，堪稱全國環保教材。但在23年實踐中，“潭江模式”逐漸不再能有效應對流域汙染治理難題，潭江水質逐步惡化，引起各界對其執行力度與效果的質疑。江門市今年為此出台3項整治方案，對“潭江模式”予以升級改造。03-04版採寫：南都記者楊秀偉 實習生 劉婷 蘇綺玲攝影：南都記者 孫振飛新蒲崗迷你倉