Terror Vision

Dads Man Of Leisure is a solo side project by Melbourne band Big Scarys frontman Tom Iansek.

Recorded at his home between tours, Iansek plays all the instruments himself including guitar, mandolin, keyboards, bass, drums and – where would indie music be without it! – some glockenspiel.

The 10 tunes are all catchy and have a nice groove, from the softly sung acoustic Life, Oh Life to the steady beat of Sister.

I had a bunch of riffs and beats floating around amidst all the Big Scary stuff, and while they required a lot of layers to make them work, they just grew into Man Of Leisure from there, Iansek says.

Based around the idea of have plenty of that rare commodity – time – Iansek explores where the mind will go when not consumed by the banalities of life.

The result is a cruisy, relaxed collection of songs. Little jammy riffs like the acoustic guitar instrumental Bron embed themselves easily in the listeners subconscious.

Slightly more sinister and haunting is A-Bomb, a standout track with its wordless backing vocals. Sleepwalking, with its dreamily insistent rhythm, is a cleverly-structured closer for the album.

Big Scary are next in Sydney on August 26 at Oxford Art Factory supporting Liam Finn. They are in the process of recording a new album. More details at bigscary.net.

For Dads debut album visit dadsmusic.net.

VERWOOD Leisure Centre has been sold to make way for a supermarket extension and a petrol station.

Now East Dorset District councillors have agreed to a deal thrashed out between officers and Morrisons bosses over the freehold in Chiltern Drive, talk turns to funding and timing for alternative
leisure facilities.

The council’s vision is for the Leisure Centre’s fitness equipment to be moved to the Hub community centre, in Brock Way, which has been run by the same group for the past six months.

Money will go towards a public sports hall at Emmanuel Middle School and extending the Hub.

Neil Farmer, a Strategic Director at East Dorset, said the full sum is still commercially sensitive and officers are calculating budget estimates for the new projects.

Dates for the move depend on when Morrisons submit a planning application for their own expansion, he said.

Mr Farmer said: “A closure date for the leisure centre rests on knowing when Morrisons will make the planning application. A successful application is the trigger for releasing funds and also
controls the timescales for what we do at the Hub.

“We will have greater detail then.”

Discussions have begun with Emmanuel school and the education authority about building a hall.

Mr Farmer moved to re-assure residents worrying about a gap between the leisure centre closing and new facilities opening.

“Co-ordination is the critical thing we are trying to achieve,” he said. “We will not vacate the leisure centre without some of the other equipment being in situ. That’s an absolute must – we
certainly want to achieve the move to the Hub in advance of the leisure centre having to close.”

Opinion

Eastside Fashion: Traveling in Style

The busiest traveling months have arrived! Check out these tips for looking your best as you get to your destinations.

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –

Macdonald Burlington on New Street in Birmingham has appointed
38 year-old Derek McDonagh as General Manager.

His appointment to the 115-bedroom hotel in
Birmingham that boasts one of the largest conference facilities
in the city reflects the hotels determination to firmly position
itself as the number one choice for corporate, conference and
leisure visitors to the UKs second largest city.

Dublin born McDonagh, who assumes responsibility for over 80
staff and conferencing space for up to 500 delegates (Horton Room),
said of his appointment: The Macdonald Burlington Hotel is a
hidden gem that over the years has established an extremely good
reputation for service.

I wanted to get back into the 4-star hotel market.
Macdonald Hotels amp; Resorts leads the way in its delivery of
guest hospitality including a commitment to serve fresh and locally
sourced food. It also has a fantastic career structure in place for
management and staff, so when the opportunity to take the helm at
the Macdonald Burlington arose I jumped at the chance.

My priority is to raise the profile of the Macdonald Burlington
and firmly establish the hotel as the leading hotel in
Birmingham. With one of the largest conference facilities in
the city and mindful of the fact Birmingham is home to both the
International Convention Centre (ICC) and NEC, the staff will be
working hard to regain market share by appealing to discerning
visitors, including in the corporate business tourism sector.

McDonaghs appointment comes at a time the business
hotel in Birmingham is investing over 1million in the
refurbishment of its comfortable and spacious bedrooms. The
beautifully appointed Victorian building, dating back to 1871,
originally opened as the Midland Hotel. Located just two
minutes walk from the main New Street railway station and in the
heart of the city shopping district and offering business
travellers
meeting rooms in Birmingham, the Macdonald Burlington Hotel is
an ideal choice for busy executives and leisure guests alike.

McDonagh assumes his new role with Macdonald Hotels after 14
years with Jurys Inn – the past 9 in the West Midlands. In
1999 at the age of 26, he became the youngest general manager ever
to be appointed by Jurys.

The family man and keen distance runner (he competes in the
annual Birmingham half-marathon) started his career in hospitality
in Dublin at the age of 15 where he washed glasses within the
citys Green Isle Hotel. It is also where he met Clara, his
future wife. Having found his calling in hospitality, the
former Gaelic football player would go on to undertake a 4-year
course in Hospitality Management in Dublin with placements in
Germany (Bochum) and Galway.

Since 2005, McDonagh has sat on the executive of MARCHE, the
Midlands Association for Restaurants, Catering, Hotel and
Entertainment venues.

About Macdonald Hotels amp; Resorts:

First established in 1990 by Donald Macdonald and colleagues
Macdonald Hotels amp; Resorts operates over 40 hotels across the
UK and ten resorts throughout the UK and Spain. Macdonald Hotels
employs over 4,400 staff and operates in excess of 4,500 hotel
rooms. Its focus is on developing its strong portfolio of four and
five star hotels, with each offering its own character and
individuality underpinned with the quality and attention to detail
expected of the Macdonald brand. In particular, the company prides
itself on the seasonality and provenance of its food within the
hotels, from breakfast through to dinner, as well as its wide range
of specially selected wines. As testament to the excellent level
of service the Group provides, it has on numerous occasions
won several prestigious accolades, most notably the AA Hotel Group
of the Year 2007-08 and the National Customer Service Awards for
Leisure and Tourism.

PR Contact:
Lucy Wheeler
Senior Account Executive
Forsyth House
93 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3ES
Scotland
United Kingdom
+44(0)131-243-2552

http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk

SOURCE Macdonald Hotels amp; Resorts

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Its a common feeling. Shopping malls, once a hub of suburban commercial life, are rapidly losing ground to online shopping and off-mall locations. And it shows: vacancies at regional and super-regional malls topped 9% in the first quarter of 2011, up from 5.6% four years ago, according to market researcher Reis, Inc. Weve seen malls at the highest vacancy rates since weve been tracking them for the last 10 years, says Ryan Severino, a senior economist for the firm. And more may be on the way, because of clauses in many leases that allow retailers to opt out if a mall cant retain a major department store.

The empty store fronts make malls less appealing for consumers, and create a ripple effect, says Philip Martin, a real estate investment trust strategist for Morningstar. Thats only enhanced the power of online retailers: Online sales grew 12.6% last year to $176.2 billion and are expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 10% through 2015, according to Forrester Research. In contrast sales at all brick-and-mortar stores in and out of malls rose 3.7% in 2010 and are expected to grow 4% this year, according to the National Retail Federation. But that modest growth wont save the mall, says Michael Niemira, vice president of research and chief economist for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Many large retailers are downsizing to smaller locations, now that they dont need such large display floors or inventory space, he says: Now big box is a smaller box.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. — One person was killed and two others were injured in a three-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Washington County.

The sheriffs department said the crash happened shortly after 12:00 pm near STH 167 and Friess Lake Road in the Village of Richfield.

According to a news release, a vehicle traveling west on STH 167 had stopped to wait for eastbound traffic to pass before making a left turn onto Friess Lake Road. A westbound SUV approached the stopped vehicle from the back and moved to the right as it slowed down. A motorcycle was traveling behind the SUV. The motorcycle driver did not see the SUV slowing down and the motorcycle hit the back of the SUV.

Flight For Life was called to transport the female motorcycle passenger to an area hospital, but she was pronounced dead before the helicopter took off. The motorcycle driver was taken to Community Memorial Hospital. The driver of the SUV was treated at St. Josephs Hospital. The passenger in the SUV was not injured, nor were the four people inside the car.

Theres no word on the condition of the two people that were injured.

STH 167 was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation. Names are being withheld pending notification of relatives. The crash remains under investigation.

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One of the clubhouses at Leisure World Seal Beach.
(Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times)