plus 4, ARCHITECTURE: New Silver Spring arts center performs for campus ... - Washington Times

ARCHITECTURE: New Silver Spring arts center performs for campus ... - Washington Times
Recession turns die-hard spenders into savers - MSNBC
High-tech cars are trouble for some mechanics - MSNBC
Entrepreneurs find funding hard to get - News-Press
5 auto parts to avoid skimping on this holiday season - ABC 15 News

ARCHITECTURE: New Silver Spring arts center performs for campus ... - Washington Times

Posted: 27 Dec 2009 01:53 PM PST

Motorists driving past the busy intersection of Georgia Avenue and East-West Highway in Silver Spring may look up to notice dancers leaping behind the huge window of the contemporary building on the corner.

This movement well represents the lively architecture of the recently opened Montgomery College Performing Arts Center on the western edge of the school's Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus. Designed by architect David Greenbaum of the District's SmithGroup, the two-theater venue embraces the challenges of its site with well-choreographed twists and turns appreciated from the car windshield as much as from the sidewalk.

The 58,000-square-foot complex is more than just another classroom building. It anchors the southern end of Silver Spring's arts and entertainment district to serve the community as well as the campus with theaters for performances and films.

On Feb. 26 and 27, the Israel Ballet will pirouette on the center's larger stage to inaugurate the building with its first major public event of the 2010 season.

The theaters also supply much-needed spaces for lectures, presentations and graduation ceremonies for this branch of Montgomery College. Classrooms, rehearsal space and workshops in the building will help attract music, dance and drama students, and boost enrollment. An art gallery off the lobby can be used for meetings as well as to draw visitors to temporary exhibits.

While creating a front door to the college, the arts center improves a transitional area dotted with auto repair shops, car washes and a Comfort Inn. These surroundings aren't very inspirational, but Mr. Greenbaum nevertheless tried to be contextual in cladding the sides of the theaters in brick to harmonize with adjacent buildings, including the next-door Health Sciences Center opened by the college in 2004.

The deference seems only gratuitous in such a contemporary structure and the masonry weighs on the art center's dynamic shapes of metal and glass.

At the front along Georgia Avenue, the architecture becomes more inventive. Mr. Greenbaum cleverly disguised the apparent bulk of the performance halls by arranging the lobby and classrooms into a glazed frontispiece. This two-level bar provides views into the building while buffering traffic noise from the theaters.

Look closely and the glass literally becomes a curtain wall. Covering the panes are ceramic frit patterns resembling the fabric folds of stage drapery.

Moving south along Georgia Avenue, the facade ends in an exclamation point, a sharply tapered stair tower sheathed in metal panels along its sides to provide places for future signage. This vertical projection rises to meet the adjacent Health Sciences Center and frame the entrance to this side of the college campus.

Adding to the strong presence on the street is the glass-fronted dance studio at the opposite corner of the building. This boxy wing is shifted away from Georgia Avenue to align with the diagonal of East-West Highway. Its big window and an electronic sign positioned near the roofline help to grab attention with movement and light.

Noticeably illuminated, too, is the "egg" housing the box office and concession stand inside the lobby. This curving, freestanding enclosure is covered in panels of translucent plastic so that it glows at night.

Similarly clever applications of materials can be found throughout the interiors. At the back of the lobby, the larger, 500-seat theater is called out with a tilted wall of corrugated metal recalling a stage curtain.

This wall rises 32 feet to a skylight at the top and forms one side of a tall, narrow space overseen by a second-floor balcony framed in resin panels. Hanging at the end of this hall is a glass orb-filled sculpture by Baltimore artist David Hess, a grace note above the side entrance to the building. (Thirteen more works by Mr. Hess are on view in the gallery off the lobby through Jan. 10.)

Inside the main theater, Mr. Greenbaum extended his industrial palette with stainless-steel-mesh screens hung like scrims along the sides of the concrete-block hall. Velour baffles set behind these large panels of chain mail can be raised and lowered like Roman shades to change the acoustics of the room.

Cherry wood applied to the movable proscenium and undulating back wall adds elegance and warmth to the layered materials. The overall effect is as fresh and sophisticated as the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman hall in downtown Washington.

The smaller, 120-seat theater on the north side of the building is less impressive, designed as if to intimidate latecomers. It is entered from a corridor set behind the back and sides of the auditorium so that audience members have to traverse the perimeter to emerge on the sides of the thrust stage and find their seats. At least the walls around the tiered seating are translucent to allow for the penetration of light, as in other parts of the building.

Those attending performances at the arts center will have the benefit of a 350-space garage under construction. The parking structure is reached from King Street between the new building, Health Sciences Center and Cafritz Foundation Art Center, a renovated Giant Food bakery now home to the college's school of art and design.

Of the these recent buildings, the cultural arts center is the most accomplished, raising the profile of the campus with its energetic, street-savvy architecture.

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Recession turns die-hard spenders into savers - MSNBC

Posted: 27 Dec 2009 12:34 PM PST

WASHINGTON - As crazy as it sounds, losing a $70,000-a-year job has been good for Marty Morua's finances. The former Wall Street stockbroker says the setback forced him to scrutinize his family budget and snip away at expenses. And soon, even with less income, their savings grew.

First, he and his wife decided to live on her salary so he could be home with their 5-year-old daughter after school. Without a nanny, they saved $12,000 a year. He dropped services he didn't use on his cellphone — texting and video games — to pocket $250 a year. He took a defensive-driving course for a 10 percent discount on his auto insurance and dropped car-rental and roadside-assistance coverage, for an extra $150 a year.

For holiday gifts, he turned to thrift stores and gave home-baked cookies.

"When I was working, I didn't look at the price tag," he said. "In a strange way," he added, losing the job "has been a blessing to teach me how to become aggressive and wise about saving and ways to save — areas I never would have thought about."

The recession has caused a seismic shift in the consumer culture, converting die-hard spenders into savers. A growing number of people, either smarting from a job loss or spooked by the financial crises of others, are scrambling to get out of debt, establish emergency funds, and add to their retirement and savings accounts.

After having taken the first plunge by cutting holiday spending, many are seeking more substantial ideas on how to sustain their frugality.

'Preventative measure'
With the turn of the calendar, financial planners and counselors typically get an influx of calls from people seeking help with New Year's resolutions to save money. This year, the requests have multiplied.

"Before, people came to us when they hit a crisis. Now they come to us as a preventative measure," said Emily Appel, director of the savings program at Capital Area Asset Builders, a nonprofit organization in the District that mainly counsels low- and moderate-income residents.

Demand for the services has increased so much, Appel said, that the organization has added classes. Also, she said, more middle-income people and young professionals are signing up. "When you see your friends go through financial crisis, you want to know how to prevent that from happening to you," she said.

Frank C. Boucher, a financial planner in Northern Virginia, said he advises novice savers to put non-retirement funds into safe high-yield instruments, such as CDs. "The rates aren't terrific, but they're better than regular savings accounts," Boucher said. "Money-market fund rates are also very low. . . . Stay away from stocks and bonds unless you're putting money away for retirement, college education and if you [won't need the money] for three to five years."

Consumer spending, which represents 70 percent of the economy, helped propel the nation out of previous recessions. This time, consumers seem to be more cautious, and they are increasingly holding on to their dollars.

The savings rate in October reached 4.4 percent, up from 0.8 percent in April 2008. Some economists say they think savings will return to the 7 to 8 percent levels recorded before 1990.

If that happens, consumer spending could decline further.

"The increase in saving, which is the mirror image of reduction in consumption, will hurt the economy in the near to intermediate term," said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at Decision Economics, a New York consulting firm that analyzes the U.S. economy and financial markets. Banks are the winners when consumers save, Sinai said, but there are "more losers than winners."

"Who loses? The economy loses," Sinai added, because "weak consumption was part of bringing the economy into the deepest recession since the Great Depression." Unemployment will remain high, with businesses driven by consumer spending struggling. Retailers, shopping malls and commercial real estate will continue to be hit hard, he said.

Tattered balance sheets
Nevertheless, Sinai said, saving at this point is good for consumers. With borrowing and spending having gotten way out of hand, he said, consumers need this respite to regroup and repair their tattered balance sheets. After that, he said, people should be ready to spend again.

But many new savers say they don't even want to think about spending.

Jeff Davidson, 42, of Reston said he and his wife spent a few months on the unemployment rolls in North Carolina last year, shortly after returning from work assignments in Peru. At the same time, he said, his wife found out she had breast cancer. She recovered and they found new jobs, eventually relocating with their two kids to the Washington area.

Still, they were stuck with $12,000 in medical bills.

Although they didn't use a financial planner, they did just what many experts advise: They devised a budget on paper and tracked their spending. They discovered they spent $300 a month on entertainment and dining out, so those were among the first expenses to go. They switched their car insurance to Geico from Allstate, which they had been using for 23 years, saving about $180 a month. They saved more money by changing banks and health-care plans.

After paying down the medical bills, they're now working to boost their retirement accounts.

"Our plan is to increase our 401(k) savings and . . . contribute to additional IRAs," said Davidson, who works as a business developer for an engineering company. "That's the smartest thing we can do. After that, we'll work on getting the bank account to a comfortable level, and we agree we should have three months [of expenses] in the bank for an emergency."

Though they struggled at first to change old habits, some new savers say it has been liberating to get back to basics — washing and ironing their clothing instead of going to the cleaners, cooking and packing their own lunches instead of eating out, and eliminating indiscriminate credit purchases.

Michelle Andrews, 47, of the District took a huge pay cut — more than 50 percent — when she changed careers from physical therapy to mental health counseling.

Before, she said, she'd dine out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She'd spend hundreds of dollars on vacations and shopping sprees. She said she blew more money at convenience stores, often buying lottery tickets and $30 worth of magazines.

Not anymore, said Andrews, who has saved $1,000 toward buying a home.

"Now I don't take [the income] for granted," she said, "I don't look at the short-term satisfaction, I look at the long term."

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High-tech cars are trouble for some mechanics - MSNBC

Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:22 AM PST

LOS ANGELES - A sign inside the Humming Motors auto repair shop says, "We do the worrying so you don't have to."

These days, owner David Baur spends a lot of time worrying in his full-service garage near downtown Los Angeles.

As cars become vastly more complicated than models made just a few years ago, Baur is often turning down jobs and referring customers to auto dealer shops. Like many other independent mechanics, he does not have the thousands of dollars to purchase the online manuals and specialized tools needed to fix the computer-controlled machines.

Baur says the dilemma has left customers with fewer options for repair work and given automakers an unfair advantage.

"When I was younger, I kept going until I solved the problem," the weary mechanic said as he wiped grease from his hands while taking a break. "Lately I find myself backing out. I'm more reluctant to take complex jobs on."

Access to repair information is at the heart of a debate over a congressional bill called the Right to Repair Act. Supporters of the proposal say automakers are trying to monopolize the parts and repair industry by only sharing crucial tools and data with their dealership shops. The bill, which has been sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, would require automakers to provide all information to diagnose and service vehicles.

Automakers say they spend millions in research and development and aren't willing to give away their intellectual property. They say the auto parts and repair industry wants the bill passed so it can get patented information to make its own parts and sell them for less.

"Coke doesn't give away the recipe for Coke," said Charlie Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "What this bill seeks to get is the recipe for Coke."

Many new vehicles come equipped with multiple computers controlling everything from the brakes to steering wheel, and automakers hold the key to diagnosing a vehicle's problem. In many instances, replacing a part requires reprogramming the computers — a difficult task without the software codes or diagrams of the vehicle's electrical wires.

Mechanics say repair information gets constantly updated so they must know how to find answers amid the sometimes overwhelming amount of data. Keeping up with technology has become almost a part-time job and requires thousands of dollars to get the right tools and online manuals for each model.

"Doctors have it easy because the human body doesn't change model every year," said Paul Brow, owner of All-Car Specialists, a 30-year-old shop in suburban San Gabriel.

The technology wave has made even the simplest tasks difficult for some ill-equipped mechanics. Baur, for instance, said he couldn't turn off the "check tire pressure" light after fixing a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis because he lacked the roughly $1,000 tool to reset the tire pressure monitor.

The customer said he has to visit the dealer shop to complete the job.

"The tires are fine, for some reason the light just stays on," Louis Ontiveros, 42, said. "I haven't had the time to deal with it."

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Entrepreneurs find funding hard to get - News-Press

Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:58 AM PST

Brian Lawrence hopes to capitalize on his 25-year nursing career by opening a training center for home health-care aides and certified nurses aides.

He has the experience, but not the funding.

"We have been trying and trying all the different venues since last July and no one will give us a chance," said Lawrence, president of West Lawrence Academy, named with the future in mind.

Lawrence is not alone. Bank regulators are demanding banks keep more and more money on hand, which means less is going out to businesses, especially new businesses, because of the relatively higher risk. A loan guarantee program being worked out by local business leaders may help small businesses get small loans, but money is very tight in the meantime.

"Anybody who wants to start a business needs capital and, right now, they have to have it on their own," said Tom Scott, director of the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center, a business incubator in Fort Myers. "What we have all experienced in the last 36 months in the economy and with the banks, it makes it impossible."

Bill Valenti, president of Florida Gulf Bank, said the bank makes loans every day, but loans to unproven businesses are a hard sell.

"Banks are not investors," Valenti said. "I'm not loaning the government's money or my money, I'm loaning your grandmother's money."

With bank failures becoming a regular occurrence, regulators are challenging even healthy banks with little bad debt to be extraordinarily careful, Valenti said.

"To them, the glass isn't half empty or half full, it's smashed and on the floor," he said.

The only way for a young business to get a loan today is to have cash or cash-equivalents to use as collateral, said David Hall, president of First Community Bank of Southwest Florida.

In other words, you have to have the money to borrow the money.

"That's what it takes," Hall said.

For now, Lawrence and his business partner are working as contract employees of other home health agencies, trying to save money toward the $50,000 to $75,000 they will need to equip a building and get licensed.

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5 auto parts to avoid skimping on this holiday season - ABC 15 News

Posted: 27 Dec 2009 10:18 AM PST

The holidays are filled with spending and splurging on the perfect gifts for the family and friends.

With all the fun spending, it's easy to forget about those pesky car repairs.

However, according to Cary Lockwood with YourAutoNetwork.com, there are a few things you should avoid skimping on!

Here are 5 specific auto parts Lockwood suggests you pay attention to this holiday season.

"Remember, doing so may cost you right now but could help you save not only money but also headaches down the road," says Lockwood.

Brake Parts:
Sub-standard brake pads and brake shoes can under perform and extend the stopping distance of your vehicle.

Poor quality and inferior brake rotors, brake drums and hydraulic system parts can also compromise your vehicles safety and durability.

Tires:
Tires are arguably, the most important component on a vehicle, economy brand and no-name tires are everywhere.

Harsh conditions can make a cheap tire fail prematurely and cause traction and vehicle control issues. Cheap tires can also reduce your fuel efficiency.

Drive Belts:
Most vehicles now have a wide multi-ribbed one-belt system which is also known as a Serpentine Drive Belt.

One belt has the critical function of keeping the power steering, water pump and alternator functioning as well as non-critical items such as the air conditioning.

When the Serpentine belt fails, the power steering system becomes disabled, the engine could overheat rapidly and the alternator is no longer charging the battery.

This situation would make it necessary to shut down the vehicle, potentially leaving its occupants stranded.

Hoses:
Every vehicle has an array of many types and sizes of hoses.

The cooling system hoses and by-pass hoses help keep your engine operating at a proper temperature level and failure of any one of these hoses can cause engine overheating and major damage.

Filters:
Poor quality filters are a slow and silent killer!

Oil, air and fuel filters are rather inexpensive anyway, however, inferior quality filters can accelerate engine wear and poor quality fuel filters can cause fuel injectors to fail which are expensive to replace.

Exactly which brands are better for your car?

When it comes time to take your car into the repair shop, always insist on original equipment manufacturer or equivalent parts.

Also, make sure the mechanic lists not only the items but also the brands used to fix your car. Finally, be sure to keep your receipt.

Following these simple steps will help save you time and money when it comes to protecting your investment.

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