Midtown Plaza Alive Again
What a sight it was. On December 2, 2006, Midtown Plaza looked like it used to every holiday season. Thousands visited the downtown Rochester, NY retail center. Over 2, 000 people alone attended the annual tuba concert. Various other performances followed that concert while cultural tables were set up around the center. It looked like old times at the beleaguered downtown center.

The plaza has been neglected for years now due to an owner that seems to have little interest in reviving the property. Consequently, events that draw people have disappeared. And, with rumors of possible demolition, it has encouraged disinvestment as businesses have fled. One business owner told me that he struggles to get any sort of information from the current owner; they're not even responsive when asked about lease renewals. The current owner has done virtually no maintenance to the center.

Despite these facts, a core of stores and restaurants have remained. And, their cash registers were singing while some performers in the lobby were doing the same. A Peebles employee told me one employee rung up over $2, 000 in sales in a modest time period. A business owner told me it was the busiest he has seen the center in over eight years. The City of Rochester did a wonderful job with the event, which concluded with the lighting of the Liberty Pole.

What this did was prove the center can be viable. Of course, it'll take significant investment and effort. But, with more and more people living downtown and the Renaissance Square plans, it seems like there's hope for a modest size retail center like Midtown. The City of Rochester may purchase the property. If they do, I hope they'll move as quickly as possible to determine Midtown's fate. That way, if it'll remain, businesses can feel comfortable investing in their location (or new ones) once again. Mixed use space (residential/office) for the office tower sounds interesting, although it won't be inexpensive.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

Midtown Plaza's Final Holiday Season?

On December 1st, the City of Rochester will host a holiday celebration in Midtown Plaza for the second consecutive year. The event will consist of the annual tuba concert, a second stage for other performers, free monorail rides, and the event will conclude with the lighting of the Liberty Pole. This event was extremely successful last year, and it could be even more successful this year.

The reason it could be is this may be the final holiday season for this historic retail center--the first downtown indoor mall in the country. Earlier this year, it was announced that PAETEC Communications will utilize the site to locate its corporate headquarters. It's wonderful news for the most underutilized section of downtown, even if it's a little sad since it marks the end of Midtown.

The fact the property has been largely abandoned by its current ownership mixed with that announcement has left Midtown as lean as ever in terms of stores. Hopefully its remaining loyal stores like Fauna's Gifts and Peebles will be helped with finding space nearby. The good news for these businesses is the addition of hundreds of new workers should make their stores as viable as ever.

Update: I visited the event late in the afternoon, and like last year, it was packed. Here is a Democrat & Chronicle article on the event.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

We are a independent group that looks at the pro’s and con’s of

We are a independent group that looks at the pro’s and con’s of multiple programs that claim to help you

Now is the time for you to ask yourself the tough questions. Are you serious about increasing your vertical leap? Are you willing to do the work needed to perform amazing dunks that leave your friends cheering for you, well striking fear in your competition?

Can you learn to dunk for free?

Obviously, some people can already dunk and just want to increase their vertical. These people are naturally gifted, but I have never met anybody who couldn’t increase their vertical leap. Wether you can dunk or not, if you think you can surf the Internet and read a few articles and pick up a few tips then go out and dunk the basketball or reach your maximum vertical leap, you are seriously mistaken. You will never come close to reaching your potential, let alone dunking the basketball if you are not able to now. You may even injure yourself following the advice of someone that has no business giving athletic training advice in the first place.

There is NO substitute for the advice of a professional

It is impossible to become good at any athletic game without coaching. It doesn’t matter if it is basketball, baseball, football, hockey or any other game you play. You learn how to play by training and practicing under the guidance of a trainer/coach.

Do you think anyone playing professional sports taught themselves? NO! If you are trying to improve your overall game or if you just want to dunk the basketball, YOU NEED TRAINING. If you are rich you can go out and hire a professional trainer. I don’t find that to be a option for 99% percent of the people unless they are a professional athletes. That does not mean you can’t get a training program from a professional trainer that can teach you exactly what to do and how to do it. There is a lot more involved than just doing some exercises.

Are you a Contender or a Pretender?

The only difference between people that can dunk the basketball and those who can’t is, those who can dunk took action and started doing the right training needed to dunk. What’s stopping you?

Right now you are just a few minutes away from actually doing something about your inability to dunk the basketball. You can be the one flying through the air and dunking, striking fear in your competition. There is no better feeling on the court than disrespecting your opponets with a vicious dunk in their face. Or you can be a dreamer watching others be the star.

Pick a program and get to work!

You will never dunk a basketball if you don’t start training. You could start training today. What are you waiting for? The sooner you start the sooner you will be amazing everyone with your high flying dunks.

Please take a minute to read about the individual programs to find the one that is best for you. With the help of these training programs than you ever thought you could. When you pick a system and follow it you will be able to dunk the basketball

We have put together reports on multiple programs so you can get a overview of the best programs available. If you want a more detailed look at a program follow the link on the page that says "view trainers site".

We are always adding more training as we find them, as long as they are quality programs and have proof that they work. We have also included information on

Pick the program that is right for you, do the work, and you will amaze your friends and strike fear in your opponents. Everyone will want to know what you did to learn how to . And you know the answer is you stopped talking about it and started doing something about it.

Source: page2rss.com

Will The Obama Plan Help You Save Your Home From Foreclosure? Posted By : Nick Adama
The government and the President have a new plan to help homeowners out of foreclosure. We refer to it as the "Obama Plan". Many homeowners are hoping and praying for the best, but if history has shown us anything, we know it's always best to have a back up plan.
Source: www.articlesphere.com

The Resurgence of the Rochester Rhinos and PAETEC Park?
The Rochester Sport Group's financial issues have been a popular story here in Rochester. Due to a $10 million loan that the ownership team took on for PAETEC Park, they've found themselves overleveraged. That issue caused the organization to fall behind on its obligations which ultimately put the 2008 soccer season in jeopardy. Thankfully, an individual tied to one of the banks that provided the loan, Rob Clark, had an interest in running a sports team and decided to purchase the team and stadium.

This is exciting for two reasons. First off, the team has been plagued by a lack of marketing thanks to a cash-poor organization. Suddenly, that burden has been removed. Within the first week, the new owner fired an unpopular coach, signed a popular former player to coach the team, signed an international player to also assistant coach, and began working to replace a food vendor that many complained about with a local vendor. Even further, $4 million in state funding to complete the stadium was being held up due to the team's financial issues. That's being released and the stadium will be "completed" for 2009.

This has led to a surge in season ticket sales. They're already above 3, 000, so they should top last year's number despite the majority of the off-season being mired in controversy. And, perhaps more importantly, the stadium will be finished, which will give it the opportunity to live up to its full potential. There's a buzz about the Rochester Rhinos and soccer in general again, and that's certainly a breath of fresh air.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

'Fraud for House' Mortgage Scams Posted By : Justin Havre
Greed, ignorance, and good intentions are the various starting points for mortgage fraud. Whether a person is looking for a home to live in that's nicer than he can legitimately afford, or he's looking to flip a property to make a quick buck, mortgage fraud entails lying or hiding information from the bank to get more favorable loan terms.
Source: www.articlesphere.com

| How to Jump Higher in Basketball and Dunk

How to Jump Higher in Basketball and Dunk

you will jump higher in basketball than you ever thought you could. If you follow one of these systems you will be able to

We have a report for each individual program so you can get a overview of what they offer. If you want a more detailed look at a program follow the link on the page that says "view trainers site".

We will look at multiple programs and are always adding more as we find them, as long as they are quality programs and have proof that they work. We have also included information on Basketball drills.