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Annual Property Tax: This varies by locality. We use the actual average property tax rate for your metro area. You can also input your personal property tax rate as a percent of your home's value or a national baseline assumption of 1.35%. Buying Closing Costs: Include loan origination fees, mortgage points, title insurance, appraisal, escrow deposit, fees for running a credit report, and other closing costs.
Discount Rate: The opportunity cost of your money. It reflects what your money would earn as savings or investments other than housing. The higher the discount rate, the more expensive homeownership is because buying a home involves a big upfront payment.
Down Payment: The share of the purchase price you pay upfront. Our baseline assumption is 20%. Putting less than 20% down typically requires mortgage insurance, which is not included in this calculator.
Homeowner Condo/HOA Fees: This is for monthly condominium or homeowners' association fees, or any other additional costs of owning not captured elsewhere.
Homeowner's Insurance: Typically required by mortgage lenders. We assume an annual cost of 0.46% of the home's value. Homeowners insurance could be significantly higher if you pay high premiums for risk factors such as floods or earthquakes. Inflation: Impacts costs such as utilities and renovations, which we assume increase at the rate of inflation.
Long Term Capital Gains Tax: Assessed if the sale price exceeds the original purchase price by $500,000 if filing as married, or $250,000 if filing as an individual. We have assumed a 15% tax rate. Your tax situation might be different.
Mortgage Term: The number of years until the mortgage is paid off. Our baseline assumption is 30 years. Some mortgages have shorter terms such as 15 years.
Renovations: Both regular maintenance and home improvement. We assume homeowners pay 1% annually of the home's value, although this can run significantly higher.
Rent Appreciation: The amount that your rent is likely to increase each year.
Rent Insurance: A policy that covers your personal possessions against perils such as fire, theft, or vandalism. We assume this is 1.32% of your monthly rent. This is not a required cost.
Price Appreciation: The amount that your home is likely to appreciate in value each year, but – be warned -- appreciation is volatile and unpredictable. We make a conservative assumption for each metro area, based on long-term and recent local trends, typically 2-3% per year. This is nominal, not real, appreciation.
Selling Closing Costs: Include the real estate agents' commissions, transfer taxes, title insurance fees, and other closing costs when selling a home.
Additional Utility Cost for Homeowners: Water, electric, and sewage are often higher for homeowners than for renters. We assume you would pay $100 per month more in utilities as a homeowner than as a renter.
Methodology: Our methodology compares the total cost of renting with the total cost of buying. To calculate the cost of renting, we start with the monthly rent and add renter's insurance and a refundable security deposit. To calculate the cost of buying, we start with the purchase price and calculate the initial down payment and buyer closing costs; the monthly mortgage payment and other recurring costs like maintenance, property taxes, and insurance; income tax deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes; and the final mortgage payment, sales proceeds, and seller closing costs. These costs depend on numerous assumptions, like your mortgage rate, your income tax rate, how long you stay in a home, and local home price appreciation: we provide baseline assumptions that we encourage you to tailor to your personal situation. Finally, we use a net present value (NPV) calculation to compare the total costs over time of renting versus buying. We regularly publish our Rent versus Buy report for the U.S. and the 100 largest metros on the Trulia Trends blog. (See Full Methodology) Disclaimer This calculator is provided for educational and informational purposes only. You should not take any action on the basis of the information provided through this calculator. It relies on assumptions and information provided by you regarding your goals, expectations and financial situation. All figures are hypothetical and may not be accurate indicators of historical or current performance. Past performance does not guarantee nor indicate future results. This calculator does not take into account individual circumstances and should not be relied upon in any way as the sole source of information. Please consult with financial, tax, and legal advisers for any advice relating to your personal circumstances. This service shall not infer that the company assumes any fiduciary duties.


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Conservation and Environment in Peru: Monthly Updates
Monthly Update - October 2005
Yet another month has flown by and here I am again reporting the latest goings on in the Peruvian rainforest. October has been a month for consolidating many projects and preparing ourselves for the imminent wet season. It has started to rain more regularly and the river has now risen to cover the dam causing us to remove the wheel and pump until the levels drop again next May. It has been a very satisfying time as we have been able to finish many odd jobs that have been lingering for a while now.
Firstly, with the newly published coordinates of our reserve limits, it was imperative that we cut new trails along the designated borders to prevent illegal poachers and timber merchants entering the area. We had heard chainsaw activity from the lodge itself and upon investigation we found evidence of people entering the area. These new trails and signs will hopefully keep people out but should this not prove sufficient deterrent then these new trails marking the exact reserve limits will give us reference points to report the illegal activities to the relevant authorities. The good news is that we have now completed around 75 % of the borders and the rest will be completed in November. It has been hard work but the volunteers have laboured dutifully and the results were well worth the odd blister!!
I cannot think of a more satisfying feeling than watching animals that you have nurtured through good and bad being successfully released back into the wild. In October it was the turn of three of our White-bellied Parrots (Pionites leucogaster), we have five in total but two still remain in their aviary as their wing feathers are still regenerating. Over the course of two weeks the three playful birds were taken from their cages daily to allow them to strengthen weakened flight muscles and encourage them to recognise their future territory. They loved the new found freedom and within days the flying practice meant that they grew from strength to strength. Needless to say they are now completely free and it is wonderful to see them hurtling around the lodge site and exploring further and further each day. They are already much more independent and appear three times a day by the kitchen to request breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively!!!!
The animal release program received new residents also in October and a first for us at Taricaya were three magnificent Razor-billed Curassows (Mitu tuberosa). These giant birds spent most of their time foraging on the forest floor for fruits, seeds and other vegetable matter and these feeding habits have made them easy targets for hunters. The meat is said to resemble turkey and in many areas of the Amazon the curassows have been hunted to local extinction. Books have recorded sightings as close as Lake Sandoval, part of the Tambopata-Candamo National Park which joins up with the Taricaya Reserve, and so I am confident that when we release these majestic birds their chances of survival, and idealistically, repopulating the area are good. Belonging to the same family as the curassows (Cracidae), we also received a female Spix's Guan (Penelope jacquacu). Unlike the curassows the guans rarely drop to the forest floor and we have several sightings of wild animals along our trails. The presence of wild individuals in our reserve is a great indicator of animal confidence as guans are one of the first species to disappear in an impacted area. Once she gains weight and confidence flying we will release her quickly in the hope she finds a wild mate.
With regards to the turtle project the exciting news is that over half the rescued nests hatched during October and our new techniques for protecting the nests appear to have paid dividends. Last year we suffered huge fatalities from a parasite known as "perrito de dios". This burrowing beach cricket is a natural predator of turtle nests and its larva break through the shell and feed on the young turtles inside. I am very pleased to report that so far this year we have a survival rate of over 75% (over 300 young turtles) and very few incidents of parasite infection. In the wild there are always some individuals that are still-born, others die soon after hatching through weakness and so such a high success rate is a real tribute to the careful management of the eggs by volunteers and staff alike and a better project design all round. Let us hope that the remaining nests have the same hatching rates and that the newborn turtles grow strong in their short stay with us before being marked with codes for release.
Again I would be amiss not to mention some of the sightings from observations performed this month. The most exciting is undoubtedly the Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) seen close-up near one of our swamps and a great indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Elsewhere the smaller anteater known as the Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) was seen several times around the reserve.
That wraps up October and leaves me to sign off until next month where I shall be reporting further on the turtles, an update on the animal release and lots more news from the Taricaya Reserve.
Stuart Timson
Conservation Manager
Taricaya Research Centre
06th November 2005

subset: commoncrawl


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Provided by: libsvga1-dev_1.4.3-31_amd64
gl_scalebox - scale a pixmap
#include <vgagl.h> void gl_scalebox(int w1, int h1, void *sdp, int w2, int h2, void *ddp);
Scale the bitmap of size (w1, h1) at sdp to size (w2, h2) and store it at ddp, which must be a large enough buffer. The pixel size of the current graphics context is used.
svgalib(7), vgagl(7), svgalib.conf(5), threedkit(7), testgl(1), gl_copybox(3), gl_copyboxfromcontext(3), gl_copyboxtocontext(3), gl_getbox(3), gl_putbox(3).
This manual page was edited by Michael Weller <email@example.com>. The exact source of the referenced demo as well as of the original documentation is unknown. It is very likely that both are at least to some extent are due to Harm Hanemaayer <firstname.lastname@example.com>. Occasionally this might be wrong. I hereby asked to be excused by the original author and will happily accept any additions or corrections to this first version of the svgalib manual.


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Good: yeah, that's me "scanning" Bill Nye the Science Guy for the "adult" version of his kid's TV show, which was named The Eyes of Nye. He was doing an episode on drugs and drug abuse. Since that's what my boss (and by extension, I) was studying at the time, he came and did part of his show in our lab.
I started working at UCLA a few months after finishing up my undergraduate work at USC. As I've talked about a bit, I was a downright awful student as an undergraduate. Terrible. Like, kicked-out-of-school bad. So when I decided I wanted to pursue a career in academia, I knew I needed some research experience to overcome my crap GPA.
When I got the job at UCLA, I was pretty excited about being able to work on my own side-projects! Ultimately I got one first-authored manuscript (Differences in regional brain metabolism associated with marijuana abuse in methamphetamine abusers) and two others (here and here) out of my two years in the lab.
All of these papers used PET and involved former methamphetamine abusers, but those weren't the only people we scanned. Because I was the primary PET scanner, I worked with many collaborators including Sanajaya Saxena (who was Jack Nicholson's psychiatric consultant for OCD in As Good As It Gets).
That's what happens when you're a scientist in LA: you work with TV and movie stars all the time. It's not just all the waiters and baristas that are actors; all the scientists are, too!
Now, here's how PET works: a radioactive substance is put into the body—either through ingestion, inhalation, or injection—where the specific radioligand determines the pattern of uptake. To study brain function, the radiotracer we used was F18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This is effectively a radioactive version of glucose, which is a very important "fuel" for the brain. Regions of the brain that are "working harder" require more fuel, and thus more radioactive glucose is more concentrated in them. The PET scanner detects the relative density of the radioactive glucose in the brain, and thus can be used to build a 3D statistical representation of neural activity distributions.
Here is an example from my only first-author PET paper showing that long-term marijuana users who are also methamphetamine abusers show lower glucose metabolism in temporal lobe and basal ganglia regions compared to methamphetamine-only abusers.
Now those of you paying attention may think, "but gee, you're injecting radioactive substances into the body, isn't that dangerous?!" "Noooooo, not at the doses used in our experiments", I would say! 75% of the radioactivity has decayed within 2 hours of production, which gave us narrow time-windows for research. I would pick up the FDG at the cyclotron, walk it back over to the PET scanner (shielded in a very heavy lead container), and start the experiments.
However, FDG is cleared through the body largely via the bladder. Thus, if we had subjects pee after our study, we could lower the radioactive dose further. Even though the doses are low, getting them lower is always better.
Now, did you catch that?
We can lower the radioactive dose by having subjects pee.
Pee. RADIOACTIVE PEE.
Here's the part that wasn't in the job description:
Part of my job was to grab my Geiger counter, put on my gloves, grab my radioactive spill cleaner, and head into the bathroom after our subjects peed. Then I got to scan the entire bathroom and scrub up any "hot spots" (spilled radioactive pee).
Guys suck at peeing. We splash everywhere. I know this as a verifiable scientific fact now.
And now you all know my futuristic, radioactive neuro-janitorial story.


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Black History Month Lessons & Resources, Grades 6-8
Integrating African-American Culture & History into Your Curriculum
To help you integrate Black History Month into your classroom, we offer a selection of lesson plans that cover a variety subjects and that can be adapted to fit grades 6-8.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Lesson Plans
In Motion: The African American Migration Experience
Students in grades 6-8 participate in lessons and activities organized around thirteen defining migrations that have formed and transformed African America and the nation.
Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Removing the Mask
Students in grades 6-8 analyze and compare visual and poetic works by Jacob Lawrence, Helene Johnson, and Paul Laurence Dunbar and consider how they represent changing roles of African Americans.
The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
Students in grades 6-8 investigate "voice" in Hughes's poetry, develop their own distinctive voices in journal entries, and write an original poem or critical essay on an aspect of Hughes's poetic voice.
The Illusion of Race
Students in grades 6-8 investigate both genetic and societal consequences of the often-artificial and evolving classifications of race and ethnicity. Student and teacher materials are included.
Smithsonian Jazz Mixer
Students in grades K-12 can explore a jazz timeline, world map, and a virtual mixer that lets them listen and observe the elements of jazz.
Notable African Americans from the 18th-century to the present
In this Jeopardy-type quiz game students in grades 5-12 can choose from three levels of difficulty to test their knowledge of famous African Americans. Spelling counts, for example Billy Holiday rather than Billie Holiday would be marked incorrect.
The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom
To play, install free software. Play as a slave escaping from a Maryland tobacco plantation.
Background Resources
Social Studies
The Awakening of Norman Rockwell
This article examines Norman Rockwell's career and how his painting, The Problem We All Live With, for the January 14, 1964 issue of Look magazine was a turning point in this career and reflected his unexpected politicization in the 1960s.
African American History Month Exhibits & Collections
Resources covering art and design, baseball, civil rights, culture, folklife, military, music and performing arts, religion, slavery, and resource guides.
EDSITEment's Guide to Black History Month Teaching Resources
Investigate the contributions African Americans have made in the history and cultural development of the United States.
W. E. B. Du Bois: Online Resources
Includes digital materials related to W. E .B. Du Bois and links to external Web sites.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
Stories, interactive maps, activities and tools, and lesson plans and activities for grades 6-12.
Black Labor History
Lessons and links on the life histories of people whose struggle was part of a larger social and economic movement to improve the lives of the working class.
Separate Is Not Equal - Brown v. Board of Education
History, images, and other resources covering the historic Supreme Court ruling ending segregation and ensuring opportunity in education.
Africans in America
Images, documents, stories, biographies, and commentaries. The site provides teacher's and youth guides. The four part series may be in local libraries.
Black History - Biography - Celebrate Black History Month & People
Biographies, timelines, photos, video, game, quiz, and 101 fast facts.
Poems to Celebrate Black History Month
Poems and articles by African-Americans.
Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns
Online activities and biographies, transcripts of many interviews with musicians, K-12 lesson plans, and a music study guide for grades 5-8.
Jazz in Time
Students in grades 5-12 can read this interactive timeline about the development of jazz (about 30 minutes) and listen to imbedded audio clips.
The History of Hip-Hop
A collection of interviews from National Public Radio (NPR) that chronicle the seminal people and events in the hip-hop movement.
African American Visual Art and the Black Arts Movement
The Black Arts Movement (BAM) began in the mid-1960s to provide a new vision of African Americans. This site provides images galleries a theoretical essay, timeline, and links to other online art sources. Note: the top banner links are dead but the bottom links are functional.
Gordon Parks
A brief look at the life and work of Gordon Parks, novelist poet, painter, composer, pianist, and photographer. The site includes a brief biography, image gallery, and interview video clips.
The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
African American History by region.
African Americans in Science and Technology
Links from the Library of Congress.
African American Inventors
Brief biographies of African American inventors.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: Electronic Resources for Teachers
Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball there was Negro League Baseball. This site features history, a timeline, photos, and teacher resources, including lessons for grades 9-12.
African American Athletes
Brief biographies and film clips of outstanding African American athletes. Don't miss the links to legal and political figures, scientists and educators, activists, artists and writers, entertainers, and musicians and singers.
- Civil Rights Heroes Quiz
- The Internet African American History Challenge
Three quiz levels with 7-10 questions
- Quizzes and Crosswords
- Timeline (Separate Is Not Equal) ( PDF, 40.3 KB, 3 pp)
A timeline of segregationist laws and court rulings.
- African Americans in Science
- Word Search and Crossword
- Timelines, Quizzes, Coloring Pages, and Activity Books
Audio & Video
Science Update: Spotlight on African-American Scientists
Students in grades 6-12 can listen to interviews with a select group of black scientists working in North America today.
Blues Journey (23:17 minutes)
This four part audio series explores the history of the blues.
Legacy: Black and White in America
Compares African-American life today and that of the Civil Rights generation.
Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (68 minutes)
Considered the oldest black neighborhood in America, Faubourg Tremé is the origin of the southern civil rights movement and the birthplace of jazz. Check local listings to see when it airs on a local PBS station.
Forgotten Genius (120 minutes)
Chemist Percy Lavon Julian struggled against racism as he pursued research with steroids and alkaloids and helped to create affordable and effective treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and glaucoma.
African American Lives 2 (240 minutes)
This website for features clips from the series, background on the research, scholarship, and science, and resources for people to trace their own family history. Lessons for grades 6-12 are included. The DVD may be available in local libraries.
Cora Unashamed (93 minutes)
Based on Langston Hughes' story, this film tells of a Depression-era African-American domestic who lives only for her daughter and the neglected child of her employers. The DVD may be found in local libraries.
last updated: January 14, 2020


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Something's missing
By 2012, the three 14-foot-long aluminum arcs installed by Edward Lee Hendricks in the Museum's lake in 1991 still pivoted on their stainless steel posts in a gentle breeze as designed, adding their graceful movements to the tranquil scene. However, time and the talons of waterfowl—especially wintering flocks of big, black cormorants—had eroded the gilded surface that initially glistened in the sun.
Consequently, the Museum involved the artist in developing a plan to restore the arcs' golden color and preserve the artist's intent for his only sculpture in a marine environment. McKay-Lodge Art Conservation of Oberlin, Ohio, examined the sculpture and proposed to clean and re-gild the arcs with traditional gold leaf like that Hendricks had used. They also recommended an innovative Tnemec clear coat to protect the gilding from damage.
In October of 2013 the arcs were removed from the lake and shipped to Ohio for treatment. They will be re-installed in the spring of 2014. This conservation treatment will insure that the gleaming, golden arcs will again swing in the breeze as the artist intended.
The conservators will also be treating a second sculpture from the collection, Buckminster Fuller's Twelve Degrees of Freedom, 1983. This work is one of the collection's most significant examples of twentieth-century American sculpture, and it will also return to view in 2014.
Funding for the conservation treat-ment of these sculptures is provided by the Museums for America grant program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Museum, and the MMFA Association.


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June 18, 2010 Seattle and Virginia Beach Libraries Receive Awards for Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Contact: Jane Caulton (202) 707-0521
The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), part of the Library of Congress, today presented awards to libraries in Seattle and Virginia Beach for outstanding service to the blind and physically handicapped communities.
The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) in Seattle, Wash., received the Network Library of the Year Award. The annual award, in its sixth year, carries a $1,000 cash prize.
The Special Services Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of Virginia Beach, Va., received the fourth annual Network Subregional Library of the Year Award, which also carries a $1,000 cash prize.
NLS presented the awards at a luncheon ceremony today, June 18, in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
"Both the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library and the Special Services Library of Virginia Beach wholeheartedly embraced our recently launched digital talking-book system," said Kurt Cylke, NLS director, alluding to the distribution of digital talking books and players to a national readership of 900,000 and the establishment of an Internet-based digital audiobook download system called the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).
"Simultaneously, the two libraries continued their strong traditions of conventional library service, launched innovative new programs providing patrons with opportunities to explore the arts, and increased local awareness of their activities," Cylke said.
WTBBL Program Manager Danielle H. Miller, who accepted the award for the Seattle library, said "During the past year, we've managed to expand our services in creative ways despite economic difficulties and funding cuts. We're proud of what we've accomplished and grateful to be recognized for it."
She added, "Receiving the Network Library of the Year Award means so much to all of us—staff, volunteers and patrons. Everything we do here is really a collective effort."
The first NLS network library to produce its own downloadable digital talking book system, WTBBL circulated 397,077 items to 10,236 eligible individuals throughout the state of Washington in 2009. The library gained 1,401 new patrons that year.
WTBBL patrons enthusiastically demonstrated their appreciation for the library's services through letters of thanks and financial donations of nearly $125,000 in 2009. The funding helped to support a variety of programs, including a radio reading service that WTBBL broadcasts from its studio and makes available in podcast form through its website. In 2009, the library opened its first exhibition of patron-created art, establishing an annual art show.
Miller was joined at the luncheon ceremony by Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh and Patron Advisory Council Chairperson Sue Ammeter.
Pamela Brown, senior and disability services librarian, accepted the award on behalf of the Special Services Library in Virginia Beach. Brown said, "We danced in the hallway when we learned we won the award. We've been striving for a number of years to meet the standards, and we hope to keep up the good work. Personally, I'm particularly pleased with the amount of media attention we've been able to get. I think it's absolutely critical that we stay in the public eye at all times. This year, we've succeeded."
The Special Services Library has used the distribution of digital talking-book players and digital talking books as an opportunity to garner publicity from a local newspaper. The library also obtained television coverage for organizing a library-sponsored field trip to the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, where patrons were encouraged to touch art and discuss their experiences with attending artists.
To support growing demand for digital talking books, the Special Services Library raised funds to help purchase blank digital talking-book cartridges. Patrons may use the cartridges to download audiobooks from BARD.
The Special Services Library serves the Eastern Shore of Virginia and other nearby counties, to which it circulated 35,419 items to 905 patrons in 2009. The library shares space with the Bayside Area Library, which enables the Special Services Library to provide patrons with an accessible computer laboratory and other walk-in services six days a week.
Richard Sorey, Norfolk regional manager of the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, and Martha J. Sims, Virginia Beach Public Library director, also attended the ceremony.
NLS administers the free library program that loans materials to residents of the United States and citizens living abroad who are unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical handicaps. Materials loaned include braille and recorded books and magazines, music scores in braille and large print, and specially designed playback equipment. The 121 network libraries—throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands—provide direct service to eligible individuals and institutions. Eligible American citizens living abroad are also able to participate in the NLS program. For more information about NLS, visit its website.


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Mission Chinese Food: Initial Reactions
At just over a week old, it's still way too early to give a full report on the new New York outpost of San Francisco's awesome Mission Chinese Food, but it's not too early to give some quick initial reactions.
Ed and I headed over there with a few friends last night to check out the new digs and the menu.
Fans of the original will see a lot of their favorites featured prominently, some exactly the same, most slightly modified to reflect availability of ingredients in New York, some vastly overhauled after Chef Danny Bowien's recent trips through Chengdu, China.
Some quick initial thoughts, mostly on the space, a bit about the food (we'll cover the food more extensively later):
Bad: Long-ass wait times (we waited nearly 1 1/2 hours for a five-top, after arriving at 6:15 on a Thursday).
Good: Free beer while-u-wait. That's right. They set up a keg of Narragansett and pass out little plastic cups for you to help yourself.
Bad: They ran out of plastic cups.
Good: One of the cooks from the open take-out window was nice enough to pass me a pint-sized deli container to sip out of.
Bad: The waiting area is small and gets very crowded, very fast.
Good: They do take-out service, which means that there's the potential to order take out, and sit right outside the door eating it in front of all the folks still waiting in line for a seat.
Bad: Like the original, it's dim, dark, and raucous.
Good: The dimness, darkness, raucousness are there not as a self-conscious hipster move, but because there was obviously more attention paid to the food than anything else.
Bad: Low ceilings, small tables, hard seats.
Good: There's a DRAGON on the low ceiling.
Bad: We bumped elbows, backs, chairs, and all other manner of limbs and bodily extensions with our neighbors.
Good: Our friendly neighbors helped us finish off a mound of ultra-crisp, hot-and-tingly Chongqing Chicken Wings in exchange for letting us overflow a bit onto their table.
Bad: They haven't found a good source for sea urchin yet, so their awesome sea urchin custard comes without it.
Good: The sea urchin is replaced with sweet raw sea scallop and a big drizzle of Japanese mitsuba-infused oil.
Bad: Fans of the old mapo tofu at San Francisco's Mission Street Food will be disappointed, as the mapo tofu here has been completely overhauled into a new dish.
Good: The old mapo tofu was not good anyway. Now this is some seriously good Mapo Tofu. This is one of the dishes Chef Bowien says, "I made like 40 times with 40 different chefs in Chengdu and realized that it's not all just about the searing heat I was doing in San Francisco." The old one was one-dimensionally hot. The new one is deep, rich, and complex.
Bad: There's not too much bacon in the thrice-cooked bacon.
Good: What's there is ultra-smoky bacon from Benton's. Holy cow.
Bad: I'm... out of bad.
Good: Ridiculously affordable prices. Dishes from $4 to $13. I often do a double take at my restaurant bills because they end up getting out of hand. This time we did a double take at how inexpensive it was.
Overall reaction? GO, AND GET THERE FAST AND EARLY.
As of yesterday, they started lunch service from 11:30 to 3pm every day. That's probably a better option.
Stay tuned for a full review down the line.
Mission Chinese Food
154 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text: Submitted by gwebber on Sat, 11/25/2017 - 19:36 USPS Stephens Tracking Track search Try it :9405510200986969904701 USPS Stephens Address | Phone No. | Mailbox Location | Drop Off Box Mail/Drop Box : USPS Stephens Find United States Postal Service (USPS Mail Boxes)/USPS Stephens post -mail boxes location/addresse below. USPS Stephens customer services Phone Number /contact below. Check Mailbox Near USPS Stephens/Drop off point. Contact on below for usps redelivery request. You can use usps tracker widget for usps tracking shipment by entering tracking number packages,Consignments,post,couriers or parcels. Online Status of delivery tracking are same like Usps.com tracking.Find Gas station nearest to this address. You can do usps international tracking with mobile browser also. USPS zip code/USPS zip codes look up : Use USPS Zip codes look up widget. Post USPS complaints/ Feedback using comment box.If you need help with your Informed Delivery service/ redelivery of parcel, post or consignment , please email Informed Delivery User Support Address: 202 W Ruby St Stephens, Ar 71764 - 9998Phone No.: 870-786-5116Timing/Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30Am - 12:00Pm 1:00Pm - 3:00Pm Sat-Sun ClosedCity: OuachitaState: ArkansasCountry: United StatesToll Free / Care Phone: 1-800-877-8339 / 1-800-275-8777Contact Url: USPS StephensWebSite: USPS StephensZip Code: 71764 Tracking URL : USPS Tracking No Gas station Near to this station or city


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These gorgeous gum nuts are my pick of the fresh flowers this week. I love how majestic and bold yet humble and beautiful they look. They are a welcoming change to the summery flowers I've been having around the home over the past few months!
Autumn is on its way and the weather has been warm but rainy. I am loving the new season produce and embracing the changing flavours in my cooking. This time of the year always reminds me of autumn in Finland (although I'm obviously talking Northern Hemisphere autumn) when the whole family would join my granny and other relatives and harvest the potatoes that had been growing on granny's land for the past few months. It was such a joy to pick the golden potatoes from the ground and we would enjoy granny's hearty lunch after a hard day's work. I have wonderful memories from those times.
The scent and flavour of this potato and rutabaga tart are inevitably autumny. I love the sweetness of rutabaga combined with the rosemary and nutmeg. This is a perfect autumn dish!
Potato and Rutabaga Tarts
(makes 4)
370g potatoes, mashed
35g brown rice flour
70g plain gluten-free flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 large free-range egg white
50ml olive oil
250g rutabaga, coarsely grated
250g smooth, low-fat ricotta
1 large free-range egg
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped
pinch of ground nutmeg
1. Preheat your oven to 175C. Grease and flour four (14cm) fluted tart tins.
2. Combine the base ingredients in a bowl and knead lightly until smooth and thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.
3. Combine all ingredients for the filling and set aside.
4. Divide the base dough into 4 equal portions and press evenly into the tins. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
5. Fill the tart cavities with the filling and bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving.


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SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nelson Laboratories (www.nelsonlabs.com) will host a free conference session on sterilization validation, packaging, cleaning validations and biocompatibility testing at the 2013 MD&M West Show beginning at 10 a.m. on Feb. 14 in Anaheim, Calif. The sessions outline basic testing and validation requirements medical device manufacturers need to learn to avoid delays when releasing new products.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120727/LA47745LOGO)
"These sessions will be very useful to medical device manufacturers that are planning to release products anytime in the future," said Thor Rollins, Nelson Laboratories biocompatibility specialist. "The five classes explain the tests and validations needed to release a product on time and avoid costly errors."
Click here to see a detailed schedule and register for open sessions. The classes will each last one hour and will cover the following topics:
10 a.m. Ethylene Oxide Sterilization Validation – by Dan Floyd
11 a.m. Radiation Sterilization Validation – by Martell Winters
1 p.m. Sterile Barrier Packaging Validation – by Wendy Mach
2 p.m. Cleaning Validations for Newly Manufactured Devices – by Alexa Tatarian
3 p.m. Biocompatibility – by Thor Rollins
Nelson Laboratories' experts will be available from Feb. 12-14 at MD&M West in booth #3228 to answer questions about the sessions or any of the tests Nelson Laboratories performs.
Additionally, MD&M West show organizers asked Thor Rollins to run the "Biocompatibility and Chemistry Testing Workshop" on Feb. 13 from 2-5 p.m. as part of the regular conference track. Rollins will also present "The Big Three: Cytotoxicity, Sensitization & Irritation" at the Innovations Brief theater, booth #637 Hall E on Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m.
For a free pass good for the duration of the show please contact Nelson Laboratories' marketing department at email@example.com.
About Nelson Laboratories
Nelson Laboratories is a leading provider of full, life-cycle microbiology testing services. We are known for exceptional quality, but we look beyond the testing process and partner with you to achieve your long-term business goals. It's what we call The Science of Success™. It's transparency in the testing process. It's approachable experts that guide you through ever-changing compliance requirements. It's helping you mitigate risk, be first to market, and succeed with your customers. Learn more at www.nelsonlabs.com.
PR Contact:
Ryan Oaks
Snapp Conner PR
(801) 994-9625
|SOURCE Nelson Laboratories
Copyright©2012 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Emily Lakdawalla • October 5, 2009
One of the more exciting discoveries made by Cassini at Saturn is the possible presence of a ring around one of its moons, Rhea. Evidence for a ring around Rhea comes from the Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI); Cassini saw symmetric drops in the flow of electrons around Rhea, and one possible explanation for such a pattern is the presence of big chunks of ice in Rhea's orbit that physically block the free flow of electrons through Saturn's plasma environment. Unfortunately, the particles would be too big to scatter light the way Saturn's dusty rings do, but too small to be individually visible to Cassini's cameras, so there didn't seem to be any way for Cassini to confirm or refute this intriguing idea.
Today at the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting, which takes place all week in Puerto Rico, Paul Schenk presented another indirect piece of evidence for the possible presence of a Rhea ring. He was studying the color properties of Saturn's moons (a subject I'll write more about later) and, as he explains in his blog, he noticed an unusual "narrow set of small ultraviolet-bright spots on Rhea." That is, there was a set of spots that was bright as seen through the ultraviolet filter on Cassini's cameras, compared to their appearance through longer-wavelength filters. Paul continues: "Normally this is not a cause for excitement, as fresh crater rims have this signature, but these were lined up along a great circle trace very close to Rhea's equator. This alignment is not a random coincidence. No other satellite has comparable features."Paul goes on to say that "This feature is only a few kilometers across, but its linear pattern across nearly 3/4ths of Rhea's circumference and alignment within 2 degrees of the equator indicate it is quite plausibly material from Rhea's proposed ring system that has struck the surface of Rhea. A higher resolution color observation (the one that started this entire project) suggests that this material would be composed of discrete but incoherent packets of ring material that hit the surface at scattered intervals along the equator. These and the other observations make an intriguing story but one that requires a lot more work to fully understand."
Intriguing indeed! More on Paul's color maps shortly...


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The following is an excerpt from my book Can I Retire? Managing a Retirement Portfolio Explained in 100 Pages or Less.
After leaving your job, you'll have to decide whether or not you want to roll your 401(k) into an IRA. In most cases, the answer will be that, yes, it's preferable to roll over your 401(k).
Better Investment Options in an IRA
There's no question that reducing your investment costs is one of the most reliable ways to improve your investment returns. Unfortunately, many 401(k) plans have only one low-cost investment option: an S&P 500 index fund. (And some plans don't even have that!) This can force you to either:
- Use high-cost mutual funds for the remaining portions of your portfolio (bonds, international stocks, small cap stocks, etc.), or
- Keep an inappropriately large holding of the S&P 500 index fund in order to keep costs down (thereby throwing your asset allocation out of whack).
In contrast, with an IRA, you'll have access to a wide array of low-cost investment options in every asset class.
Lower Fees in an IRA
In addition to potentially limiting you to high-cost funds, some 401(k) plans include administrative fees, whereas it's easy to find brokerage firms that will charge no annual IRA fees at all.
Between less expensive investment options and lower administrative costs, it's likely that you can reduce your total investment costs by 0.5%-0.75% per year simply by moving your money from a 401(k) to an IRA. That might not sound like much, but when compounded over your whole retirement, improving your investment return by 0.5% can have a significant impact on how long your money lasts.
Roth 401(k) Rollover to Avoid RMDs
If you have a Roth 401(k) account, there is an additional point in favor of rolling it over (into a Roth IRA). Specifically, after you reach age 70½, you will have to start taking required minimum distributions each year from your Roth 401(k). In contrast, Roth IRAs do not have required distributions while the owner is still alive. So by rolling your Roth 401(k) to a Roth IRA, you can avoid having to deal with RMDs during your lifetime.
Reasons Not to Roll Over a 401(k)
There are, however, a few specific situations in which it doesn't make sense to roll over a 401(k)—or other employer-sponsored retirement plan—after leaving your job.
Retiring Early?
If you are "separated from service" (i.e., you leave your job, were laid off, etc.) in a calendar year in which you turn age 55 or older, distributions from your 401(k) with that employer will not be subject to the 10% additional tax that normally comes with retirement account distributions before age 59½.
As a result, if you are 55 or older when you leave your job (or you will turn 55 later that year) and you plan to retire prior to age 59½, it may make sense to put off rolling your 401(k) into an IRA until you are 59½. This way, if you need to spend some of the money prior to age 59½, you can do so without having to worry about the 10% additional tax.
Planning a Roth Conversion?
Alternatively, if you currently have a traditional IRA to which you made nondeductible contributions and you are planning a Roth conversion, you may want to hold off on rolling over your 401(k) until the year after you've executed the Roth conversion, so as to minimize the portion of the conversion that's taxable.
Does Your 401(k) Include Employer Stock?
Lastly, if your 401(k) includes employer stock that has significantly appreciated in value from the time you purchased it, you'd do well to speak with an accountant before rolling over your 401(k) or taking distributions from the account. Why? Because under the "net unrealized appreciation" rules, you may be able to take a lump-sum distribution of your 401(k) account, moving the employer stock into a taxable account and rolling the rest of the account into an IRA.
Why would such a maneuver be beneficial? Because, if you roll the stock into a taxable account, only your basis in the stock (i.e., the amount you paid for it) will be taxed as a distribution. The amount by which the shares have appreciated in value (the "net unrealized appreciation") isn't taxed until you sell the stock. And even then, it will be taxed at long-term capital gain tax rates (currently, a max of 20%) instead of being taxed as ordinary income.
In contrast, if you roll the stock into an IRA, when you withdraw the money from the IRA, the entire amount will count as ordinary income and will be taxed according to your ordinary income tax rate at the time of withdrawal.
EXAMPLE: Martha recently retired from her job with a utility company. She owns employer stock in her 401(k). The stock is currently worth $100,000. Her total cost basis for the shares is $42,000.
If she rolls her entire 401(k) into an IRA, when she withdraws that $100,000, the entire amount will be taxable as ordinary income.
If, however, she rolls the employer stock into a taxable account, she'll only be taxed upon her basis in the shares ($42,000). And when she eventually sells the shares, the gain will be taxed as a long-term capital gain (at a maximum rate of 20%) rather than as ordinary income.
Remember, though, that holding a significant amount of your net worth in one company's stock is risky—especially when that company is your employer. Be careful not to take on too much risk in your 401(k) solely in the hope of getting a tax benefit in the future.
And to reiterate, if you think you might benefit from the net unrealized appreciation rules, it's definitely a good idea to speak with a tax professional to ensure that you execute the procedure properly.
How to Roll Over a 401(k)
In most cases, rolling over a 401(k) is just four easy steps:
- Open a traditional IRA if you don't already have one,
- Request rollover paperwork from your plan administrator,
- Fill out the paperwork and send it back in, and
- Once the money has arrived in your IRA, go ahead and invest it as you see fit.
When you're filling out the paperwork, you'll want to initiate a "direct rollover." That is, do not have the check made out to you. Have it made out to—and sent to—the new brokerage firm.
If for some reason the check arrives in your own mailbox, don't panic. But be sure to forward the check to the new brokerage firm ASAP. If you don't get it rolled over into your new IRA within 60 days, the entire amount will count as a taxable distribution this year, which would likely result in a hefty tax bill.
Where to Roll Over Your 401(k)
In terms of where to roll over your 401(k), you have three major options. You can roll your 401(k) account into an IRA at:
- A mutual fund company,
- A discount brokerage firm, or
- A full service brokerage firm.
Rolling a 401(k) into an IRA with a mutual fund company can be a good choice. As long as you make sure to choose a fund company that has low-cost funds, low (or no) administrative fees for IRAs, and a broad enough selection of funds to build a diversified portfolio, you should do just fine. For example, Vanguard and Fidelity have excellent index funds and would be great places to roll over a 401(k).
Your second option is to roll your 401(k) account into an IRA at a discount brokerage firm, such as Charles Schwab. Due to the proliferation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), you can now quickly and easily create a low-cost, diversified portfolio at any discount brokerage firm.
Option #3—using a full service brokerage firm (e.g., Edward Jones)—is one I'd generally recommend against. At these companies, financial advisors will usually try to sell you a portfolio of funds with front-end commissions (a needless cost) or an advisory account with unnecessarily high ongoing fees.
Simple Summary
- In most cases, it's beneficial to roll your 401(k) into an IRA after leaving your job. Doing so will usually give you access to better investment options and will likely reduce your administrative costs as well.
- If you left your job at age 55 or older (or in the year in which you turn age 55), and you plan to retire prior to age 59½, you may want to postpone rolling over your 401(k) until you reach age 59½.
- If you're planning a Roth conversion of nondeductible IRA contributions, you may want to hold off on a 401(k) rollover until the year after your Roth conversion.
- If you have employer stock in your 401(k), before rolling your 401(k) into an IRA, it's probably a good idea to speak with an accountant to see if you can take advantage of the net unrealized appreciation rules.
- In most cases, the best place to roll over a 401(k) is a mutual fund company with low-cost funds or a discount brokerage firm that offers low-cost (or no-cost) trades on ETFs.


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TVA's Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) project with IBM is targeted to increase efficiencies by streamlining and standardizing work processes for sustainable performance improvement by operating its diverse power facilities as a single system – effectively creating a centralized data-and-command center for TVA going forward.
The project with IBM is the largest, most integrated enterprise asset-management solution executed to date by any U.S. utility company.
Today, TVA generates electricity at 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired plants, 11 combustion-turbine sites, three nuclear plants, a pumped-storage hydropower plant, and 18 green-power sites that employ wind turbines, methane gas, and solar panels. The energy travels through some 16,000 miles of transmission lines and a network of 158 local distributors to reach the homes and businesses of approximately 9 million people across TVA's service region, which includes Tennessee and portions of six other contiguous states.
The EAM project – which is able to serve up to 8,000 concurrent users – also represents the largest deployment to date of IBM's Maximo Asset Management software, including Maximo for Nuclear Energy, by IBM Global Business Services. As one of five new TVA enterprise systems, IBM's software provides the integration of the other four, consolidating TVA's work management, supply chain, enterprise financial management and corrective-action program data into a single repository. In extending Maximo to all TVA business units the solution provides TVA with a unified asset management approach, the IBM solution also replaces the utility's legacy computerized maintenance and supply-chain management systems.
Prior to the adoption of Maximo software, TVA's use of siloed software asset management applications was adversely affecting not only costs but the integration of vendor products across the power-generation system. These challenges – plus the pending obsolescence of legacy asset management software and systems – added impetus to collaborations between the giant utility and IBM to lower maintenance costs by consolidating and integrating software systems.
TVA's new goals included the elimination of standalone business processing systems, independent tracking mechanisms, and manually intensive paper and spreadsheet processes; and the complete integration of work management, corrective action, financial and supply chain systems and processes.
IBM's joint Global Services and Maximo Asset Management team joined forces with TVA subject-matter experts from all business units to consolidate these work management systems. Along the way, the team also succeeded in integrating 24 legacy applications with Maximo; standardizing business processes across the fleet; eliminating more than 70 legacy systems; implementing a Web portal to support both internal and external users, and implementing a secure single sign-on process for all enterprise system programs.
Further, the massive project consolidated disparate systems into a single Enterprise Data Warehouse and, calling on IBM Cognos technology, implemented a Maximo-Cognos reporting solution to meet present and future compliance and analytical goals.
In terms of scope, the EAM data conversion project alone reviewed more than 227 million records, reducing that number by two-thirds in a massive data cleanup that experienced not a single record conversion failure as a result of coding processes. Asset management transformation touched nearly 1.4 million assets in more than 1.5 million operating locations such as pumps and pump sites that involved more than 77 million records. And in the area of supply-chain management, the project consolidated half a million distinct catalog identification codes and 15 million inventory units worth approximately $426 million.
"IBM is proud to have TVA join the growing family of nuclear power generating companies who are looking to Maximo Asset Management and Maximo for Nuclear Power as essential parts of their drives to reduce costs while improving operations and performance with a single, integrated system," said Joel McGlynn, Vice President and Partner Enterprise Asset Management Solution Representative: SCM, IBM Global Business Services. "Explicitly based on industry best practices as defined in the Standard Nuclear Performance Model, Maximo for Nuclear Power is a highly scalable architecture that will enable TVA to integrate and consolidate legacy asset management applications to improve operational and IT efficiency and reduce complexity."
For photos, videos and more, please visit the Tivoli Pulse press kit here, www.ibm.com/press/pulse.
Related resourcesImages
Tennessee Valley Authority Goes Live with IBM Software to Streamline Fleet Operations
Tennessee Valley Authority, the United States' largest public power company, has initiated fleet-wide use of IBM software to help increase efficiency across all its power facilities that employ wind turbines, methane gas, and solar panels, including 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired plants, 11 combustion-turbine sites, a pumped-storage hydropower plant, 18 green-power sites and three nuclear plants, including its Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (pictured). Photo Source: Tennessee Valley Authority
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Why do the Sox insist on running dammit? We aren't a running team. All we do is give outs away. Stay where the heck you are. We may steal a base here and there but it seems we lose more than we gain. A 50% SB/SBA ratio isn't enough. You need 70-75%. Now, stop running. Dammit…
June 5, 2011
Do stop now boys.
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Getting Past Just 'Putting Radio On The Internet' - Killer Apps Come Next
from the time-to-step-up deptMusician (Gang of Four) and marketing guru, Dave Allen, recently put up one of his insightful blog posts, questioning where the real disruption in online music is these days, and complaining that all of the services we see out there today are basically just "creating radio on the internet." And they're all almost identical.
The modern version of that is the wholesale commoditizing of music catalogs by the labels who create licensing deals with the streaming music services. Those actions in turn further homogenize the streaming music service systems as the services only have access to the same catalogs � there is no differentiation. Artists get pennies, or less than a penny, when someone streams their song, and the listener gets advertising in the stream unless they pay to escape the ads.I agree that we haven't yet seen all that much that's really innovative in music, but I'm not as worried about it as Dave. As I noted about the SF MusicTech conference (where Dave moderated a panel on exactly this subject), it really felt like we'd finally gotten past the doom and gloom and started looking at the real opportunities in the music business today. I think that much of the lack of innovation is because pretty much anyone who has really tried to innovate has been shot down by lawsuits. Seriously. The second you do something marginally innovative that starts getting attention, a major label comes up with an excuse to sue, mainly to regain some amount of control. So these clone music services are, in part, a reaction to all of that. The reason they all look the same is because they now know what it takes to fall into line and not get sued.
Music streaming on the web is not a Big Idea, it�s simply a lack of intellectual vision and thinking. Worse, it has advanced the �passive listening� experience. It�s just terrestrial radio dumped on to the web in other words � including advertising....
The bottom line is that there is no differentiation at the end of the day between Mog, Rdio, Spotify, Rhapsody, and all the others too numerous to mention, if they all have the same music catologs � widgets and tactics don�t count.
But I don't think that's a problem for the next wave of innovation in the space. Yes, many of these services effectively replicate radio on the internet today. But when you look through history, that often is the first wave of history when dealing with new media. You take the old media and move it to the new platform. It takes a generation or two before people start to recognize that the new media has special or different characteristics that really let you do something unique and new. Then it takes a little while before people start figuring out what that is. It's why I'm excited about things like Turntable.fm. Whether or not it's really the next generation offering that becomes a success story, it is a sign that people are finally starting to branch out and try things that are unique and different and really only possible on the medium of the internet.
In fact, while I'm a fan of Spotify and Pandora, since playing with Turntable.fm, I always feel sort of disappointed that I can't merge the three. Spotify has a huge collection, and I'd love to be able to move my playlists directly into Turntable.fm, or use Pandora's matching engine to find similar songs to what I'm playing or what others are playing within Turntable.
So I think we're just entering the very beginning phase of real innovation in the music service market space. The companies here today may or may not survive. Or maybe they'll drive the changes and come up with the next great innovations themselves. But it's still early in the game.
Filed Under: dave allen, disruption, internet, radio
Companies: mog, rdio, rhapsody, spotify


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Rattan Furniture is a garden trend that's very popular, and it's easy to see why. Thanks to its easy maintenance, rust-free materials, solid and durable construction, and flexible use, buying rattan means you are buying furniture that will fit perfectly in your garden.
It's often called woven wicker and resin weave, as well as rattan, and you'll find sets and combinations to suit families, couples, and large parties. In focus here is one of the larger sets called the Continue reading


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While I was in Idaho last year visiting the family naturally I rummaged through all the old photos and envelopes full of ephemera. Mom had an envelope full of newspaper clippings and letters and stuff that belonged to grandma Dunn. I found this poem inside that I had written and sent to her.
I don't even remember writing this poem. It's dated February 19, 1988 so I am assuming that I sent it to her for her birthday which was February 22.
Feb 18, 1988
I remember when I was young
the times we spent together
just you and I
When we slept in your bed
and I felt blue
I started to cry
And you would too.
I remember the ice cream sundaes
the cookies and cakes
and then later on
the tummy aches
But most of all I remember
The special way you made me feel
We were special buddies
And we always will
I love you grandma
Even more as time goes by
childhood memories make me smile
And your the reason why
Love, Leslie
I am so glad she saved this.


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Not an MMA T-Shirt for the faint of heart!
Stand out from the crowd with this awesome T-Shirt, features a Large cut and paste montage design on the front, reminiscent of the famous Never Mind the B*llocks album cover by The Sex Pistols.
- 100% Cotton T-Shirt
- Regular Fit
- Short Sleeve
- Crew Neck
- 1 Colour Water Based Screen Print
We do our best to provide accurate sizing info for all items of MMA Clothing & Equipment that we sell at MMA Universe.
You can find our sizing information here
Should you be unable to find the information you need you can contact us at any time, we would be delighted to help you!
We do our best to ensure that our shipping prices are as fair and competitive as possible. We offer four tiers of delivery each with their own benefits and we offer free delivery options with orders of £50 or more.
If you place your order with us before 2pm GMT on Mon-Fri, we guarantee to ship your order the same day. Orders placed after this time may not be processed until the next available working day (but we'll do our best to get your order on it's way ASAP). Our typical delivery times are:
|United Kingdom:
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|Within 5-7 Days of shipping
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|Within 7-10 Days of shipping
MMA Universe have simple returns policy where if you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of receiving it for any of the following:
- Exchange your purchase for another size or colour, or a new item entirely.
- Return your purchase for MMA Universe Store Credit.
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Items to be returned for exchange or refund must be unworn and in the original packaging, unless faulty, in which case please wash them first!You can find more information about our returns policy here


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Posts Tagged 'Jacob Wattam'
PINELLAS COUNTY 2010: Those Who Would Be Our Legislators
[UPDATED August 21, 2010]
The 2010 campaign season is already well underway and next fall's state legislative elections in Florida's Pinellas County are a microcosm of the political trends emerging nationally. One trend is that the more experienced and prepared candidates are tending to avoid head-on contests with incumbents and are instead trying to pick up seats of those who are barred by term limits from seeking re-election. Overall, the 2010 elections may result in rightward adjustments, but won't effect anything approaching a revolution in government. Still, there are no certainties as to outcome at this point. There remains time for new candidates, issues and events to change the course of the elections, but that time is slipping away. Read the rest of this entry »


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21.5% respondents in Singapore versus 17.4% in Asia Pacific consider a likely drop in demand for their products and services as the biggest challenge to business profitability in 2015.
Survey results for Singapore
Sales on credit terms
Over the past year, 92.3% of survey respondents in Singapore extended trade credit to their B2B customers. This response rate is slightly higher than that of Asia Pacific (91%). Although a minor difference, this points to a more frequent use of trade credit in B2B transactions by respondents in Singapore than by their peers in Asia Pacific.
Consistent with the regional pattern, businesses interviewed in Singapore appear to be more inclined to sell on credit terms to domestic than to foreign B2B customers. Domestically, credit-based sales in Singapore average 53.3% of the total value of local B2B sales. This is above the 50.6% average for Asia Pacific. Credit-based sales to B2B customers abroad average 45.2% of the total value of exports from businesses in Singapore. This figure is also higher than the 42.5% regional average. Similar to the other countries surveyed in Asia Pacific (except for Australia) these findings for Singapore, suggest a greater perception of payment default risk on foreign sales than on domestic sales.
Over the past year, the average proportion of domestic B2B sales on credit in Singapore increased by an average of 6 percentage points. This is almost twice as high as the average 3.2 percentage point increase recorded at regional level over the same time frame. In contrast, the proportion of credit-based sales to foreign B2B customers increased moderately by an average of 1.6 percentage points. This is well below the average 5.5 percentage point increase in Asia Pacific overall.
While the increase in internal B2B sales on credit reflects robust domestic demand, the modest increase in foreign credit-based transactions recorded by this trade-oriented economy most probably reflects the deceleration of economic growth in China, Singapore's largest trading partner. Additionally, it may reflect the economic conditions in the eurozone, where demand was a sluggish component of the region's economic performance for a long time.
Average payment term
Respondents in Singapore give domestic and foreign B2B customers an average of 31 days from the invoice date to pay for their purchases on credit. This is in line with the average payment terms for Asia Pacific (both domestic and foreign at 33 days).
Compared to the same survey period one year ago, both the domestic and foreign average payment terms in Singapore increased slightly (by an average of four days).
Overdue B2B invoices
Over the past year, the businesses interviewed in Singapore experienced late payment of B2B invoices more frequently than most of their peers in Asia Pacific did (94.5% of respondents in the country, compared to 90.2% at regional level). This is the third highest response rate in the region, after those of India and Indonesia.
Late payments were reported to occur more often from domestic B2B customers than from foreign B2B customers. More specifically, the total value of domestic B2B invoices which remained unpaid after the due date was higher than that of foreign ones (46% and 41.3% respectively). It is worth highlighting that the domestic figure for Singapore is slightly above the regional average while the foreign figure is below the average (44.8% domestic and 45.2% foreign).
Very long overdue receivables (still outstanding after 90 days past due) averaged 7.8% of the total value of domestic, and 8.8% of the total value of foreign B2B invoices. The averages for Asia Pacific were 8.8% domestic and 11% foreign. These receivables are likely to be defaulted on by B2B customers and turn into bad debts and write-offs.
Late payment of invoices by B2B customers is reflected in the average DSO, which for respondents in Singapore is 40 days. This compares to 35 days average for Asia Pacific. Matched by Japan and Taiwan, it is the highest in the region. This would suggest that businesses interviewed in Singapore tend to have a higher proportion of large B2B invoices that are not settled in a timely manner. These invoices are more likely to be defaulted on. As such, the potential exposure to trade credit risk of businesses in Singapore is higher than average for the region.
Average payment delay
Domestic B2B customers of respondents in Singapore settle past due invoices, on average, 25 days after the due date. Foreign overdue invoices are paid by customers within an average of 23 days past the due date. The foreign payment delay is below the regional average (25 days domestic and 28 days foreign). This means that B2B suppliers in Singapore receive payments on past due domestic and foreign B2B invoices, on average, around 55 days after invoicing.
Over the past year, the average domestic payment delay figure in Singapore increased slightly (by an average of three days), whereas the foreign payment delay did not vary. Conversely, there was a decrease in the total value of overdue invoices (3 percentage point decrease domestically and 8 percentage point decrease in relation to foreign invoices). The various reasons for the customers' slow payment will be commented on further in this report (see below 'Key payment delay factors').
Besides exposing businesses to a higher risk of payment default, delinquent account receivables cost time and money, and unless offset by higher sales revenues, they may negatively impact cash flow and eat into profit margins.
This may explain why the highest percentage of the businesses interviewed in Singapore that consider a likely drop in demand for their products and services to be the biggest challenge to business profitability this year (21.5% of respondents in Singapore, versus 17.4% in Asia Pacific). This opinion, is consistent with the export heavy profile of Singapore's economy. The responses for the region overall however suggest a greater concern about cost containment in maintaining profitability in 2015.
Above the survey average is also the percentage of respondents (nearly 13%, versus 9.8% for Asia Pacific) who consider the collection of outstanding invoices the biggest challenge this year. This finding appears to be in line with what was observed about the DSO recorded in the country.
Key payment delay factors
Almost half of the respondents in Singapore (48.2%) said that late payments from domestic B2B customers were most often due to liquidity issues. This is slightly above the 46.3% average recorded in Asia Pacific overall.
Notably above the 29.6% of respondents in the region is the 36.5% of respondents in Singapore stating that customers delay invoice payment intentionally, using trade credit as an alternative source of short-term financing of their business operations. In addition, domestic B2B invoices in Singapore are often paid late due to disputes over the quality of goods delivered or service provided (31.2% of respondents, compared to 25.8% in the region).
Late payment from B2B customers abroad was reported to be chiefly attributed to the complexity of the payment procedure (44.4% of respondents in Singapore, compared to 39.4% in Asia Pacific). Two in five respondents in the country (versus 34.5% in the region) reported that foreign customers paid invoices late most often due to liquidity problems. The third most frequent reason for slow payment from foreign customers is inefficiencies of the banking system (cited by nearly 32% of respondents, versus 29.2% in the region).
Uncollectable accounts
Late paying B2B customers often default, with the consequence that their receivables are unlikely to be collected, and written off as bad debts. The proportion of B2B receivables, written off as uncollectable by respondents in Singapore, averages 1.9% of the total value of B2B sales on credit in the country. This is almost in line with the 2% survey average. Consistent with the survey pattern, domestic write-offs outweigh foreign ones. This is likely to reflect cultural and language differences in international business relationships, which can impede collection efforts on foreign markets.
Domestic and foreign uncollectable B2B receivables were primarily reported as coming from the construction, consumer durables, and services (financial, business and overall services) sectors.
For most of the respondents in Singapore (51.7%), B2B receivables went uncollected because the customer went bankrupt or out of business (respondents in Asia Pacific: 54.4%). 44.8% said that B2B receivables went uncollected due to the failure of the collection attempts (38.6% of respondents in Asia Pacific). Circumstances in which the customer could no longer be located was the most frequent reason for receivables to be written off, according to two in five respondents in Singapore (35.5% of respondents in the region).
To learn more about the B2B receivables collections practices in Singapore, please see the Global Collections Review by Atradius Collections (free download after registration), available from 28 October 2015 on atradiuscollections.com
Payment practices by industry
Survey respondents in Singapore reported having granted trade credit mainly to B2B customers belonging to the chemicals, construction, consumer durables, electronics, machines and services (financial and business services) sectors. The longest payment terms, averaging 36 days from the invoice date, were given to domestic B2B customers in the electronics sector, and to foreign customers in the services sector.
Domestically, B2B customers in the construction sector generated the highest levels of payments which went past the due date (around 45% of the total value of B2B invoices was paid late). Late payment from foreign B2B customers occurred most often in the business services sector (around half of the total value of B2B invoices was classified as overdue).
For the majority of respondents in Singapore (65%), domestic B2B customers in the consumer durables and services sectors delay invoice payment most often due to liquidity issues. Looking at the machines sector, domestic customers delay invoice payment most often intentionally, using trade credit as an alternative source of short-term financing.
The complexity of the payment procedure is a reason for payment delay from foreign B2B customers in almost all of the sectors to which respondents grant trade credit (around 35% of respondents were of this opinion). Foreign buyers in the services sector (60% of respondents) delay invoice payment most often due to liquidity issues, while customers in the machines sector delay due to inefficiencies of the banking system (45% of respondents).
46% of respondents in Singapore said that they do not expect any change in the payment behaviour of domestic B2B customers over the coming 12 months. 28% anticipate a worsening, particularly in construction and consumer durables sectors. 26% expect an improvement, most probably to occur in the chemicals sector.
As to foreign B2B customers, nearly half of the respondents in Singapore do not anticipate any significant variation in the payment behaviour over the coming 12 months. 28% expect a worsening, most likely in the construction and consumer durables sectors. An improvement in foreign payment behaviour, mainly in the machines sector, is expected by 23% of the respondents.
For more insights into the overall payment practices in each of the countries surveyed in Asia Pacific, please refer to the respective country reports which form, along with the regional report, the 2015 edition of the Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for Asia Pacific. Free download on atradius.com


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One of the hallmarks of a Liberty University education is the constructive relationship between faculty members and students.
"At Liberty what we've found again and again, with any research we do, is that at the heart of the student experience is the relationship they sustain with faculty," said Vice Provost Dr. Ron Hawkins during the annual faculty meeting webcast in October. "When we look them (students) in the eye and see the desire to learn, and we interact with them, that's where the reward is."
Student mentoring by faculty is a high priority of the university's administration, which emphasizes preparing students not only for success in the classroom, but also in the workplace.
In keeping with those goals, students are challenged to find a practical application for classroom instruction.
"Our professors take great pride in working with our students," said Dr. Ron Godwin, Liberty's provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. "We want to make sure that our students receive experiential education, like internships, as well as classroom instruction. We want our students to be doing more than just hearing lectures."
Students are also challenged spiritually by their professors. Every faculty member at Liberty is a professing Christian who believes that teaching is a calling, not just a job. Taking a special interest in their students also means that they pray for them and provide guidance based on Scripture.
A Pen and a Purpose
When Donald Trump visited Liberty University last fall, Anders Bengston had a unique gift awaiting him.
Bengston, a Liberty senior, has been handcrafting high-end, custom-made writing pens from specialty woods since he was in the sixth grade in his native Ohio.
Trump's pen came in a cherry wooden box, perched on a cushioned liner. Bengston put his business card inside pitching his business, Anders Ink (www.AndersInk.com), and a note thanking Trump for his Liberty visit.
Trump's response was simple: "Impressive," he said.
Bengston gave a similar pen to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney when he visited Liberty's campus last spring.
He is hoping that Trump's response will be indicative of other potential customers as he cranks his business brainchild into high gear.
Bengston, 21, credits marketing professor Dr. Kendrick Brunson with recognizing the power of his idea and helping him develop a comprehensive business plan.
"Part of my job is to encourage students like Anders," Brunson said. "He is an information-hungry young student. He would often schedule appointments with me to get information outside the classroom."
Brunson is working with Liberty's new Center for Entrepreneurship to help Bengston refine his idea.
"Before I started talking to Dr. Brunson, I saw Anders Ink as a way to get income every now and then," Bengston said. Brunson encouraged him to think of the endeavor on a much larger scale and eventually hire others to do the manufacturing.
"This time last year my plan was to sell a couple hundred pens to pay off my college tuition," Bengston said. "Now, with many hours of Dr. Brunson's investment, I plan to sell tens of thousands of pens. I want to financially provide for my family and help to develop ministries out of the profit."
Bengston said Brunson taught him to think of private entrepreneurship as an alternative to publicly funded jobs.
Bengston's father was a manager of eight public parks until he was laid off several years ago. His mother is a public school teacher.
"My parents are the greatest parents in the world," Bengston said. "They have encouraged me with Anders Ink and everything else I do."
Because of the business's potential, Bengston sees brighter times ahead for him and his family.
"The past couple of years have been kind of rough," he said. "We still have a great attitude and God has blessed us. We have had peace during the storm, but there are times that we haven't known where things would come from."
Bengston said Brunson's encouragement is critically important.
"When I first came to Liberty, I thought business was bad," he said. "Now because of Liberty and Dr. Brunson, I see a way to develop this business, to support my family, and to give."
Learning a Trade
Junior Colby Bishop said Lance McClure helped reshape his approach to becoming an industrial engineer.
McClure, director of Liberty's Technical Studies program, convinced Bishop, a 20-year-old engineering student from Virginia's Northern Neck, that having welding in his arsenal of tools would make him even more valuable to employers in the future.
Bishop said that although he didn't have any experience in welding, he had always been interested in it.
"I love working with my hands. … From an engineering standpoint there is nothing better than knowing how to put things together," he said.
All it took was for McClure to see the potential and offer encouragement.
"He convinced me to take the step," Bishop said. "He was persistent and gave me the confidence to squeeze it into my engineering program. We have had a lot of good talks about the benefits."
Bishop now sees how learning the skill can give him a better understanding of the challenges faced by construction personnel working on projects that engineers design.
"It is a very handsome benefit," he said.
McClure said that while he advised and mentored Bishop, his welding instructor, Tom Hudson, "did a phenomenal job teaching him the skill so he could perform at a professional level."
Because of his varied skills, Bishop was hired as an intern last summer and now works part time at Fleetwood Goldco Wyard in Lynchburg, Va., one of the leading manufacturers of conveyor systems in the country.
The breadth of his education has given him invaluable experience in helping design new conveyor systems, producing 3-D schematic drawings, and producing how-to manuals on some of the company's most commonly built conveyor equipment.
"The company told us that his moral fiber and character are very important to the way they do business," McClure said. "They said he fits their ethos and environment very well."
The Next Chapter
Kyra Marken said her English professor, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, helped bring literature alive for her.
Marken, 27, first met Prior in 2006 when she took one of Prior's English novel classes as an undergraduate student. She was so impressed with Prior's enthusiasm for literature that she signed on for the master's English program. Prior convinced Marken to take on a teaching role as a graduate assistant during that time.
"I always loved reading and writing. I knew I loved literature," Marken said. "I knew I wanted to sharpen those skills."
Marken completed her master's in 2011, with Prior serving as the chair of her thesis committee. From there, Marken parlayed her enthusiasm for literature into a job at New Covenant Schools in Lynchburg, Va., where she teaches high school students English, rhetoric, and Western and British literature.
Prior proved to be the perfect mentor for a small-town girl who was unsure if she could hold her own with other literature heavyweights.
"She definitely speaks truth in love in academics and other areas of life," Marken said. "She doesn't mince words. She pulls her students up by the boot straps. She sees potential in them that they might not even realize."
Marken said Prior's message was twofold: Get over yourself and I'll be here for you.
"That semester I really learned a lot from her as far as literature goes, but I really appreciated her feedback on my writing," Marken said. "She seemed so brilliant; I was just quaking in my boots, but she was always very accessible."
Prior still keeps in touch with Marken since she graduated, proof of her sincere interest in seeing all of her students succeed after they leave her classroom.
"I just love showing students how literature has application to their own lives," Prior said. "That's what a biblical worldview is; anything we study can reveal the truth of God." Prior recently visited Marken at her workplace and the two shared a special time together — teacher to teacher.


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'42 Ford Pickup And '34 Ford Pickup - Home Built Haulers
Withno Bed Floors, This Pair Only Hauls ...You Know What
Y'know, it's funny how things pan out, but the evening before I sat down to write this feature I was scanning the HAMB and hit a thread about "bobber trucks." Apart from the fact that that's a dumb name (why does everything have to have a Name?), the thread talked a lot about the awkward proportions of chopped and channeled hot rod trucks, as well as them being the last truly affordable early body style. That second point I can almost agree with,but the first is true of many cars, though it takes a good eye to get it right with a truck body and no established wheelbase, like say, a '32. If you're contemplating a truck project, you could do a lot worse than study this pair of pickups from Michigan.
Kirk's '42 Let's look at the "late-model" '42 first, shall we? A lifelong tinkerer, Kirk Brown has modified everything from bicycles to go-carts to cars and trucks. The diagnosis and subsequent recovery from cancer in 2004 prompted Kirk to reassess his life and hasten his desire to build a ground-up hot rod. With a recent career change that saw him self-employed as owner of KB Metalcraft, a custom metal-fabrication business, Kirk's goal could be achieved in short order. The final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when Kirk met a group of guys at a local car show in July 2006 and formed the relix car club. The dedication of the core members means the guys regularly meet at each other's shops to encourage and help with their projects.
You may be wondering how Kirk's truck sits so low yet runs an I-beam front axle with no visible sign of airbags. They're there, all right, as Kirk said the suspension was one of the major challenges during the project. "The truck was built with the intention of bagging the suspension; however, the fuel tank location interfered with the placement of the rear 'bags, making it difficult to get the truck as low to the ground as possible. Thus came the idea of the cantilevered suspension system, which now allows the fuel tank to pivot with the raising and lowering of the truck." I guess moving the tank wasn't an option then!
"Another challenge I faced was that I wanted to avoid buying off-theshelf parts, and instead fabricate one-of-a-kind parts myself," Kirk continued. "designing the headlights was a kind of launching pad, and one custom-made part led to another in an effort to 'one-up' the last part and make the next more innovative and unique. The finished truck brings an element of the rough and raw but has the finesse of a WWII aircraft with its many aviation-inspired details." These include not just the many one-off drilled brackets, use of aluminum, faux fighter plane seats, and jet-age '60 Chevy dash, but also the genuine jet fighter fuel filler, the miniscule airplane instrument panel lights now doing duty as rear lights, and the "wing" at the rear of the bed, which some think is the fuel tank, but Kirk included it to add some visual weight to the rear of the bed in lieu of a tailgate.
The truck is a continuing evolving project, too, which is why you'll see the "flying anvil" hood ornament that wasn't fitted at the time of our shoot. You really should Take some time to check out this truck in person if you spy it at a show during the coming season. That's if you can fight your way through the crowd that always seems to surround it!
Kirk Brown
Caledonia, Michigan
1942 Ford Pickup
Homebrewed from 2x4-inch rectangular tube on a 124-inch wheelbase, the frame is kicked up 14 inches in the rear and 4 inches at the front, where it is tapered and pinched. Owner-built 28-inch ladder bars locate the rear axle, along with cantilevers connected to auxiliary shocks. Jim Bakeford at Airlift hooked Kirk up with everything required. The heavy-duty quarter-elliptic springs that appear to suspend the axle act as control arms, mounting to a crossmember that supports the gas tank, and while it appears to be attached to the chassis 'rails, that crossmember pivots, meaning that when the airbags are inflated at the forward end of the springs, the springs pivot about the crossmember, pushing down on the axle at their rear end, and so raising the car, at the same time causing the gas tank to rotate slightly! Kirk enjoys watching people's reactions when he operates the suspension! The front suspension is equally as impressive, not least because it's so hard to hide airbags on the front of a fenderless car. Kirk's solution was to hang them from a crossmember behind the radiator, their lower mounts attached to a bar extending between the split wishbones. Sure, this slightly hampers the practicality and operation of the suspension, but it hasn't proved problematic so far with very minimal travel anyway. Another pair of quarterelliptic springs and tube shocks provides bounce and damping. An f-1 steering box was converted to cowl operation with a one-off pitman arm.
Firestone bias-plies, measuring 4.50-16 and 7.00x16, wrap the stock ford same-size hoops at each corner, though the Buick drums, detailed hubs, and red lettering on the tires combine to create an overall effect that says more than any cast wheel could on this vehicle.
Yeah, that's paint, not primer. Kirk selected a shade from the ppg color chart called Burnt Bronze, adding matting agent until it retained 30 percent gloss. Mike Contreras added the graphics on the doors. The '42 cab was chopped 6 inches at the front and an inch less in the rear, then channeled 6 inches. What you may not have noticed is the '37 firewall replacing the original, or the modified lower cowl sections. Of course, you can't fail to have spotted the grille shell, which originally called a '49 International home. Kirk designed his own headlights. Amongst all this creativity, the door handles are surprisingly stock.
There's an awful lot of entries on Kirk's spec sheet stating "owner-built," but his wife, donelle, takes credit for the graphite-colored leather upholstery on the aircraft-inspired seats, which feature adjustable backs and under-seat storage. Stewart Warner gauges live in that '60 Chevy dash while textured aluminum paneling make up the door panels and trans tunnel. The shifter is Kirk-built, topped by a hardball he found still in its wrapping behind the seat of a flea market-bought soapbox racer. Apparently hardballs were common second place prizes for soapbox racers, this one making a perfect addition to the truck, as Kirk had always wanted to race a soapbox car as a child but never had the opportunity.
Jake's '34
When we shot Kirk's '42, he was insistent that he wouldn't have built his truck if it weren't for good friend Jake Moomey and his '34 pickup. In fact, Jake was one of those guys Kirk ran into before they formed the relix club. Jake's '34 was built, as he succinctly put it on his spec sheet, "to drive"-and drive he does, racking up a 4 1/2-hour drive to Indy as well as a trip to the Hunnert Car pileup in the snow. The project started after Jake attended the WCK Cruisin' paso robles show and hankered after an old project. "When I got home, I called a friend to ask if he wanted to sell the cab and bed that had been sitting in his garage for years, and nine months later it was mine," he told us.
With a dad who used to race circle track locally, Jake has always been around cars, and though he's a carpenter by trade, that early hands-on training had to help when embarking on a ground-up project, though he said the hardest part was sourcing all the parts at swap meets. He fabricated his own chassis using 2x4-inch tubing, added early ford suspension front and rear, and dropped a '52 flattie between the 'rails, a Chevy T5 playing the supporting roll amongst all this fordbranded steel and cast iron.
That '34 cab and bed he'd liberated from his buddy's garage were mounted to the chassis, but not before the cab received a healthy 6-inch top chop and 5-inch Channel and the bed lost 24 inches from its length, and a custom tailgate was fabricated. A commercial grille shell, a pair of old headlamps, and a couple of air Intakes from a '52 Caddy for air cleaners, and the truck was ready for a coat of red oxide and its maiden voyage. Looks like that trip to paso was a productive one!
Jake Moomey
Grand Rapids, Michigan
1934 Ford Pickup
The '52 239ci flathead wears Edelbrock heads and an offy intake with a pair of Holley 94 carbs adorned with '52 Caddy air intakes for filters. That's the second pair of them used as air cleaners in this very issue, if I'm not mistaken! A MalloryDistributor lights the fire with homemade zoomie headers clearing the motor's throat. As with Kirk's truck, a T5 tranny is bolted to the flattie, with a '41 ford banjo rearend, converted to open drive, bringing up the rear.
Jake built the 2x4-inch chassis, which was kicked up front and rear to get the pickup as low as possible. Jake built it to a wheelbase that looked right, though he doesn't know its exact length, but would relocate the back axle 4 inches farther forward if he were to do it all again. Thirty-two-inch ladder bars locate the rearend, which is hung on a transverse spring. Up front there's an un-dropped I-beam with another transverse spring hung from the wishbones, its perch located behind the grille.
Stock 16-inch '34 ford wires and hubcaps are used at each corner, with 5.50 and 7.00 firestone biasplies keeping them off the ground.
Jake tackled the 6-inch chop and 5-inch channel, and shortened the pickup bed by 2 feet before mounting it to the chassis minus its floor and a large portion of the lower rear sheetmetal. A new louvered tailgate was added, however, before everything was straightened out by Ted Aguilar and sprayed in red oxide from Hot rod flatz. Behind that commercial grille shell is a radiator that came from a forklift of all things.
Jake added a '37 passenger car dash to the cab, as well as the third seat from a modern suburban. With a blanket for upholstery and a baseball cap as a shifter boot, he's comfortable and draft-free. He opens the windshield if he needs A/C, while a sneaky peek under the dash reveals another Chevy component-a vintage heater! A flea market 'flake steering wheel and pedals formed from end wrenches complete the no-frills interior.


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Genealogy librarians who need a few days away from the public, here's your chance to really get away from it all:
An update on "Genealogy and Local History for All: Services to Multicultural Communities". Early registration will close in less than two weeks (June 20). Register now!
The conference is for librarians and archivists and will take place in Ottawa, Ontario on August 6 and 7 at Library and Archives Canada. For full details, please see the conference website at http://www3.telus.net/public/cv910081/GenLoc/
The programme will feature presentations on a wide variety of topics including DNA and genealogy, resources and services for specific ethnic groups, and global initiatives being undertaken by FamilySearch. It will also provide an excellent opportunity to make new contacts with librarians and archivists working in the area of genealogy and local history. There will also be tours of the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada and the Gatineau Preservation Centre.
For further information, please contact:
Janet Tomkins, Information Coordinator
Standing Committee
Section 37 - Genealogy and Local History
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions


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By Mariela Cedeño, KF16, Bolivia.
Every time I walk into one of CIDRE's offices in Bolivia, I always stop and take a look at their street sign. I'm not sure why, it's a weird habit that reminds me of where I am, who I am working with, and the amazing opportunity that has been afforded to me as a Kiva Fellow. This past week, however, when walking into one of CIDRE's branch offices I thought to myself, "I see this sign and I know that it means 'loans available here', but how do entrepreneurs know that they can get access to tool at CIDRE that could help change their lives?" Microfinace, after all, has as much to do with access to credit as it has to with anything, so I started asking around….how do people find out about CIDRE?
Word of Mouth
In talking to one of the veteran loan officers, her first response and a response that has been echoed many times since was simply: word of mouth. For decades now, some of CIDRE's loan officers have been working in specific neighborhoods, learning about various communities' productive activities, and offering a way to help those businesses thrive. More than that, they have become trusted community members by getting to know their clients and their families, listening to their hardships, and celebrating in their triumphs. So once one community member becomes a CIDRE client, it is highly likely that they will spread the word….in comes Francisca.
Francisca has been a CIDRE client for sometime, so when her community started thinking of a way to grow their dairy businesses, Francisca suggested CIDRE could help put their plans into action. A few weeks later, 15 had committed to the plan. Together, they each took out a loan to help purchase a refrigerated milk tank from which the group's daily milk production could be picked up by Bolivia's largest dairy company, Pil Andina. With this direct connection to Pil, they no longer have to piecemeal irregular sales together through family and neighbors but rather have a steady source of income.
But now you're thinking, ok, but when those star clients aren't around to get their neighbors to CIDRE, what happens? Well CIDRE goes to them.
Spreading the Gospel of CIDRE
In Colomi, the small branch office has 3 loan officers, 4,000 inhabitants, and a lot of productive territory to cover. In order to help grow CIDRE's presence in the small town, loan officers from the central office and a nearby brach traveled to Colomi to spread the gospel of CIDRE. On Colomi's Dia de Feria (main market day), 6 visiting loan officers set up a small booth in the midst of all the action and got to work.
After setting up CIDRE's "Loans Available Here" booth, ensuring that enticing cumbias were playing on the car stereo, and stapling copies of Colomi loan officer business cards to CIDRE flyers, we were ready to go.
One by one the loan officers approached market antendees and gave out flyers and cards.
Some were already familiar with credit and asked specific questions regarding interest rates and loans products.
Some looked very confused…
In the end, the loan officers handed out a hundreds of flyers and gave a lot of credit talks. We don't know how many will become CIDRE clients in the future, but we do know that some promised to at least stop by.
Mariela Cedeño is part of Kiva's 16th Class of Fellows serving with CIDRE in Bolivia. Cows are her new favorite thing on earth. Please support CIDRE's hard-working entrepreneurs by making a loan today and join the Friends of CIDRE/Amigos de CIDRE lending team to stay involved!