text:
Center for Policy Innovation Discussion Paper #6 on Economy
December 21, 2012
December 21, 2012 | Center for Policy Innovation Discussion Paper on Economy
Abstract: Since the recession began, Americans' rate of savings has been on the rise. Yet too many still do not have savings to buffer them against an emergency. This is especially true for low-income Americans, far too many of whom are just a medical bill or broken-down car away from financial ruin. Fortunately, our better understanding of the role of savings in mobility, together with interesting experiments and programs to foster savings, could enable us to make a significant difference in the accumulation of financial capital in poorer households. Innovative programs of the sort outlined in this paper could engage Americans in setting aside money to plan for large purchases, unexpected emergencies, and retirement.
Several factors help to explain why some individuals and households move up the economic ladder and some do not. [1] We can think of them as three forms of "capital."
Many Americans starting out at the bottom of the income ladder typically face deficiencies in all three forms of capital, and that makes it much harder for them to climb higher than a few rungs. Action is therefore needed on many fronts, from encouraging two-parent families to turning around inner-city public schools, to improve mobility. Fortunately, our better understanding of the role of savings in mobility, together with interesting experiments and programs to foster savings, could enable us to make a significant difference in the accumulation of financial capital in poorer households.
Financial capital is critical for economic mobility in several ways. As tough economic times have struck American families, the importance of emergency savings has become more obvious. Savings help to cushion a family against the potentially catastrophic impact of unexpected expenses such as medical expenses or car repairs.
A broken-down car may be a financial setback for a middle-class family, but it can be a financial catastrophe for a low-income family that depends on a car for a job. Moreover, without emergency savings, that family may be forced to turn to expensive alternative financial services such as pawn shops, title-loans, and expensive payday loans. A single unexpected expense for a family without savings can lead to a cycle of expensive loans, pushing the family into debt and further down the economic ladder.
Savings, however, is more than simply money to pay unexpected bills. Savings — and, even more important, the culture of saving — are critical to long-term and consistent movement up the economic ladder.
Studies have found a strong connection between family savings and increased future earnings. This connection is found both within the individual's lifetime and for the saver's child. [2] The improved mobility associated with savings clearly is partly the result of the ability to make purchases that improve income potential such as education or business expenses, financing relocation to a better job, or investing in a house or small business.
But a propensity to save is also associated with character traits like grit, determination, perseverance, and the ability to delay gratification that are necessary for consistent saving and generally helpful in other aspects of economic mobility such as completing college. The problem for many individuals, especially in low-income communities, is that weaknesses in traits like perseverance and delaying gratification make regular saving a major challenge, and this challenge is made worse by the societal pressures of American consumerism and what might be called the "lottery culture."
Individuals are constantly bombarded with the message that they need to purchase the newest and best version of everything and to do it on credit if possible. This can be a particularly seductive message for individuals who frequently cannot make any nonessential purchases, leading them to spend all surpluses since they may not experience discretionary income again soon. And when friends and neighbors are spending rather than saving, it is very difficult for one person or one family to save consistently.
Other barriers to savings are less abstract and cultural. A lack of familiarity with the mainstream financial system is more likely to deter low-income individuals than it is to discourage their middle-class counterparts. Inconvenient bank locations and hours, high and unexpected bank fees, a negative banking experience, a lack of financial education, and distrust of banks can also lead many individuals to avoid banks and thus also miss out on bank services that can foster savings.
Fortunately, as outlined below, some interesting programs have developed that may help to address these issues and attitudes.
If individual retirement accounts (IRAs) epitomize patience and the culture of long-term savings, then lotteries epitomize expensive short-term gratification and the "strike-it-rich" philosophy that undermines the propensity to save. According to For a New Thrift, a study on the debt culture, a household with an income of $12,400 or less in 2008 spent an average of 5 percent of its income on lottery tickets. [3] More remarkable than the mere amount spent on lottery is the view that it "is the most practical way" to save sufficient funds for retirement, a belief endorsed by 21 percent of Americans in one survey by Opinion Research Corporation. [4]
The lottery is understandably popular. It is exciting: For a small "investment," a person has the opportunity to dream big and envision a new life. Low-income individuals are particularly attracted to this chance to leap to the top of the ladder, and they account for a disproportionately large portion of lottery ticket purchases. [5] Regrettably, after the excitement of the drawing passes, almost every player is left without the dream and without the dollar.
Is it possible, however, to apply some behavioral economics to the attractiveness of a lottery and devise ways to combine the short-term gratification of gambling with long-term savings?
Save to Win. One interesting example is a program called Save to Win. The program offers chance and excitement, but win or lose, the savings remain. Save to Win is a certificate of deposit (CD)–style account with an exciting twist: lottery-style drawings with the number of drawing entries based on the amount saved. [6] By harnessing the excitement of lottery, prize-linked savings work to make people excited about saving money. In fact, those who win a prize, no matter the size, are more likely to save regularly. [7] The accounts attract first-time savers and financially vulnerable consumers, and monthly prizes motivate consistent savings and divert lottery expenditures into savings. [8]
The Save to Win pilot program in Michigan was launched in 2009 with eight credit unions and resulted in 11,500 people saving $8.5 million. By 2011, it had expanded to more than 16,000 people saving over $37 million. [9] But despite this program's success, prize-linked savings is not permitted in most states: People can throw their money away on a ticket to win; they just cannot put savings aside for a ticket to win.
The ability to run this program in Michigan is the result of a loophole in the law governing credit unions that allows them to run "savings promotion raffles." [10] A few other states have adopted provisions allowing similar programs, and one state (Nebraska) has adopted a Save to Win program, but legal obstacles still impede widespread implementation. [11]
Premium Bonds. The power of a prize incentive to induce saving is not new. Since 1956, Britain has operated a national prize-linked saving program called Premium Bonds as a way to encourage savings through a government-sponsored savings bank. The Premium Bond system has created a great deal of excitement over the years with its anthropomorphized random number generator ERNIE, televised jackpot drawings, and the excitement of smaller winnings arriving in the mail.
Today, Britain has more than 26 million bondholders with more than £40 billion ($70 billion) invested. [12] The Premium Bond system readily admits that the bonds are not ideal for someone seeking regular and predictable investment income or protection from inflation, [13] but they do appeal to those who seek the thrill of the lottery and at least induce such people to save as the condition of a chance at the jackpot.
The gap between good intentions and actual savings is a frequent topic of economic study. Saving is easy in the abstract, but when the hypothetical decision to skip the daily coffee shop visit turns into a real-life day without a morning pick-me-up, willpower often falters, and good intentions remain just intentions. When savings consist of what is left at the end of the month, saving requires a constant act of willpower.
AutoSave. AutoSave is a way to use inertia to promote savings by automating the process of saving and reducing the need for constant willpower. [14] It allows employees the option of diverting a portion of their direct-deposited paycheck into a no-fee savings account. [15] Although many employers allow employees to save in this manner, few employees act on this option. AutoSave increases participation by making signing up simple and then making deposits automatic unless the individual takes action to stop saving. The benefit is that money is placed in savings before the employee ever sees the money, resulting in less temptation to spend the saved amount while leaving the money liquid and accessible when needed.
AutoSave makes the process as simple as possible by minimizing paperwork and include forms with other new hire papers. [16] Once the individual signs up, saving is automatic. Although the money is accessible when necessary, the individual does not simply receive it in their paycheck but must go to the bank to withdraw the money in person.
Save More Tomorrow. Future good intentions are coupled with automated savings in the Save More Tomorrow plan. [17] Most people know they should save and want to do so but without the difficulty of making a current sacrifice. Using the framework of the employer-provided retirement savings plan, Save More Tomorrow tackles the problem of employees' failure to make sufficient contributions by using psychology and behavioral economics to spur action. Employees are contacted before they receive a raise, and participants agree to save any future raises they receive before they actually experience a higher income level and get used to spending more.
Even though participants are free to change their minds at any time, most do not do so. In one company, 78 percent of employees joined, and of those, 98 percent remained through two pay raises and 80 percent remained in the program after four pay raises. [18] More important, the rate of savings increased from 3.5 percent to 13.6 percent of income over just 40 months. [19]
Creating a habit of savings is the essential first step. The next is to enable saved money to grow and remain in an account in order to achieve particular financial goals. For many low-income families, the goal of saving money is impeded by American consumer culture, pressure from family and friends, and a belief that small amounts of money are not worth saving.
Super Saver CDs. The Super Saver Certificate of Deposit is a savings instrument offered through some credit unions that is designed to clarify savings goals and incentivize follow-through. [20] Similar to a traditional CD, the Super Saver CD carries a condition requiring that the money must remain in savings for a specified period of time. The time frame is selected by the holder based on a selected savings goal (such as school expenses or Christmas gift purchases).
Unlike a traditional CD, which generally requires a $1,000 deposit up front, Super Saver CDs require a $15 initial deposit, and additional amounts can be deposited at any time. The saver commits to saving a specified amount monthly, weekly, or in total. Forfeiture of accrued interest or early withdrawal penalties occur if savings goals are not met, creating an incentive to follow through on the intention to save instead of spending on immediate gratification.
The Super Saver CD demonstrates that a savings instrument can be simple yet effective when designed to consider the needs and appropriate incentives for the low-income saver.
The financial services required by low-income individuals typically are different from those required by middle- and upper-income individuals. Inconvenient bank locations and hours, potentially high and uncertain bank fees, and lack of financial literacy often lead to the feeling in some lower-income households and communities that a bank is not a place to keep their money and handle transactions. The result is that they lose out on the convenience, security, and savings instruments offered by banks.
In such communities, the common financial institutions are often pawnshops and storefront operations that specialize in check cashing, title-loans, and payday loans, but some banking institutions are devising services that better recognize the needs and prevalent attitudes of lower-income communities.
Bank On. Bank On is a program organized with the help of some financial institutions to address some of these barriers to saving. [21] It began in San Francisco in 2006 as a partnership among state and local governments, financial institutions, and community-based organizations.
Under this program, financial institutions create accounts that meet certain basic criteria such as low or no-minimum balance requirements, low and transparent fees, [22] waiver of first-overdraft fees, free debit card, and free use of bank ATMs. Accounts are designed to attract both the never-banked and those who need a second chance after an unsuccessful past banking experience (frequently an overdrawn account). Partner organizations provide financial education so that account holders can gain essential skills for using the account and managing their finances. The ultimate goal is to facilitate long-term relationships between individuals and banks or credit unions by designing cost-neutral or profitable accounts that serve the needs of the individual. [23]
Bank On programs are now available in more than 30 cities, four states, and two regions. The Dodd–Frank financial legislation allowed the U.S. Department of the Treasury to adopt a Bank On USA initiative, although no funds have been appropriated for its implementation. [24]
Model Safe Accounts. Bank On is not the only initiative to address the institutional barriers to saving. The importance of the proper account design is demonstrated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Model Safe Account. [25]
The Model Safe Account pilot program was a one-year test to demonstrate the viability of low-cost accounts as a way to serve the unbanked and underbanked. Model Safe Accounts are fully electronic accounts with low balance requirements, minimal maintenance fees, and no overdraft or insufficient-funds fees. [26] No formal educational programming and support are provided, although bank tellers were trained to provide basic information to help account holders succeed. [27]
Model Safe Accounts represent a means of reaching the underbanked or unbanked without the extensive organization requirements and costs of the Bank On program. The FDIC is currently reviewing the results from the pilot program to determine the appropriate means for a widespread rollout of Model Safe Accounts.
RiteCheck. One check-cashing service has partnered with a local credit union to allow people to choose saving even without a bank. [28] At RiteCheck in the Bronx, New York, customers can easily open a free savings account. Although the account is actually managed through a local credit union, all "banking" can be done at RiteCheck.
PayNet Deposit Program. The PayNet Deposit Program is similar to RiteCheck. It allows credit union customers to "bank" at check-cashing faculties. [29] The program is still geographically limited, but it is a promising way to reach a population that is unlikely to enter a bank. It is particularly important to certain populations, such as taxicab drivers who need to make off-hours deposits. [30]
Some critics have argued that the program is nothing more than an attempt to redeem the reputation of check-cashing services. [31] Admittedly, the program does not address the high cost of check-cashing services, but it appears to be a promising way to allow this hard-to-reach population an opportunity to save.
Individual Development Accounts. For low-income families with little discretionary income to save, the growth of savings that are safe can be discouragingly slow. This can make savings seem futile to many people — one reason why the lottery can seem attractive.
Individual Development Accounts are designed to address this problem by enabling savers to reach a goal faster by matching saved funds. Savers complete financial education courses and financial counseling and then open an IDA account at a partner financial institution and begin saving. Accounts are only for asset-building expenses: usually education, entrepreneurship, or the down payment on a home. When the savings goal is met, the saved and matching funds are used to purchase a financial asset.
The match amount varies from a dollar-for-dollar match up to $4 matched for each dollar saved, depending on the specific IDA program and the purpose of the funds. [32] The accounts, typically offered at a local bank or credit union and run by a nonprofit organization, are funded by a combination of federal funding and private sources. Federal funding is established as a component of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996. [33] The federal portion is a small part of the nearly $130 billion the federal government spends to encourage savings through tax-advantaged treatment of 401(k) contributions and qualified tuition programs, also known as 529 plans, virtually all of which goes to high-income taxpayers. [34]
Nonprofit partner organizations do more than just raise funds to finance the match. They provide financial education, help clarifying financial goals, and support. The money in these accounts cannot, however, be used for any expense.
Financial education teaches budgeting and money management, basic financial literacy, and understanding of financial services. Education specific to the savings goal is also provided (for example, courses on choosing a home loan and successful homeownership). This education has proved to be an essential component of the success of these programs. An Urban Institute/Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) study found that homeowners who saved a down payment through an IDA were two to three times less likely to face foreclosure than similarly situated families were. [35]
The overall impact of IDAs in allowing low-income individuals to achieve financial goals is still not universally accepted. [36] Sweeping generalizations about IDA programs are difficult to make because dramatic differences in requirements and programming, as well as individual accountholder engagement, can substantially alter outcomes. [37] Lackluster program outcomes simply highlight the importance of making certain that programs are well designed and targeted to appropriate populations.
Saving money is not easy, but it is important. Since the recession began, Americans' rate of savings has been on the rise. Yet too many still do not have savings to buffer them against an emergency. This is especially true for low-income Americans, far too many of whom are just a medical bill or broken-down car away from financial ruin.
Innovative programs of the sort outlined in this paper, if implemented, can and will engage Americans in setting aside money to plan for large purchases, unexpected emergencies, and retirement.
—Diane R. Calmus is a Research Assistant in the Center for Policy Innovation at The Heritage Foundation.
Show references in this report
[1] Stuart M. Butler, William W. Beach, and Paul L. Winfree, Pathways to Economic Mobility: Key Indicators, Pew Charitable Trusts, Economic Mobility Project, September 2008.
[2]" Among adults who were in the bottom income quartile from 1984 – 1989, 34 percent left the bottom by 2003 – 2005 if their initial savings were low, compared with 55 percent who left the bottom if their initial savings were high. … Seventy-one percent of children born to high-saving, low-income parents move up from the bottom income quartile over a generation, compared to only 50 percent of children of low-saving, low-income parents. " Reid Cramer, Rourke O ' Brien, Daniel Cooper, and Maria Luengo-Prado, A Penny Saved Is Mobility Earned: Advancing Economic Mobility Through Savings, Pew Charitable Trusts, Economic Mobility Project, November 2009, http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=56172 (accessed October 5, 2012).
[3] Commission on Thrift, For a New Thrift: Confronting the Debt Culture, Institute for American Values, January 2008, http://www.newthrift.org/descriptions.htm (accessed November 29, 2012).
[4] Andrea Coombes, " Six-Figure Savings? Most Say ' Unlikely ' , " MarketWatch, January 9, 2006, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/survey-20-say-lottery-is-most-practical-way-to-wealth (accessed October 19, 2012).
[5] Joel Siegel, " State Lotteries Are Booming in Tough Times, " ABC News, September 2, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/lottery-ticket-sales-surging-tough-economic-times/story?id=14435376 (accessed October 5, 2012).
[6] See Save to Win, http://www.savetowin.org.
[7] Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund, A Win-Win for All: The Growth of Save to Win in Michigan, October 2011, http://www.d2dfund.org/files/publications/11_STW2011_Report_lo-res_single.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[8] Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund, Save to Win: 2009 Final Project Results, April 2010, http://www.d2dfund.org/files/publications/save%20to%20win%20final_lores.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[9] See Michigan Credit Union League, " Save to Win: A Prize-Linked Savings Program for Michigan Credit Unions, " http://www.mcul.org/Save_to_Win_2367.html (accessed November 6, 2012). See also D2D Fund, A Win-Win for All: The Growth of Save to Win in Michigan.
[10] D2D Fund, Save to Win: 2009 Final Project Results.
[11] For additional information on state legislative efforts to permit prize-linked savings accounts, see D2D Fund, http://www.d2dfund.org/Legislative_Success.
[12] See National Savings and Investments, " Premium Bonds — A £1 Million Jackpot Every Month, " http://www.nsandi.com/savings-premium-bonds (accessed November 29, 2012).
[13] Moneywise, " Are Premium Bonds Really a Good Deal? " updated June 21, 2012, http://www.moneywise.co.uk/banking-saving/savings-accounts-isas/are-premium-bonds-really-good-deal (accessed September 28, 2012).
[14] Alejandra Lopez-Fernandini and Caroline Schultz, " Automatic Savings in the Workplace: Insights from the AutoSave Pilot, " New America Foundation, January 2010, http://assets.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/AutoSave%20Insights%20Paper%20Final%201-15-10_0.pdf (accessed September 28, 2012).
[15] Without AutoSave, even though employees could elect to place a portion of their paycheck in savings, very few employees actually did so.
[16] Phase two of the AutoSave pilot is scheduled to launch this year as an opt-out program, automatically enrolling all employees and removing employees only if they actively opt out. Unlike retirement accounts, which can be offered by employers on an opt-out basis under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, regular savings accounts cannot easily be opened on behalf of an employee, leaving a program like AutoSave searching for legal loopholes to allow the program to continue. Lopez-Fernandini and Schultz, " Automatic Savings in the Workplace: Insights from the AutoSave Pilot. "
[17] This program is currently used for retirement savings; however, it could be applied to emergency savings.
[18] Richard H. Thaler and Shlomo Benartzi, " Save More Tomorrow: Using Behavioral Economics to Increase Employee Savings, " Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 112, No. 1 (February 2004), http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/richard.thaler/research/pdf/SMarTJPE.pdf (accessed September 28, 2012).
[19] Ibid.
[20] Chelsea Prescotti, " Super Saver CD Helps Low-Income Earners Save, " Corporation for Enterprise Development, November 17, 2011, http://cfed.org/blog/inclusiveeconomy/super_saver_cd_helps_low-income_earners/ (accessed October 17, 2012).
[21] For more details on the Bank On program, visit Bank On, http://joinbankon.org/ (accessed November 29, 2012).
[22] As a result of financial regulation reforms, bank fees are on the rise to cover lost revenue from debit card interchange fees, making it difficult for Bank On programs to negotiate the desired low fees.
[23] This objective has not been universally effective. Based on the department within the bank involved in the project, some banks view Bank On as a charitable activity, and banks that view Bank On as a charitable activity have minimal internal data collection tracking the use of the accounts to determine profitability. See Genevieve Melford and Michelle Nguyen, Partnerships You Can Bank On: Sustainable Financial Institution Engagement in Bank On Programs, Corporation for Enterprise Development, March 2012, http://cfed.org/knowledge_center/publications/partnerships_you_can_bank_on_sustainable_financial_institution_engagement_in_bank_on_programs/ (accessed September 25, 2012).
[24] Dodd – Frank does not, however, provide any funding for Bank On USA, leavings its role and future largely unclear. See U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Financial Education and Financial Access, Banking on Opportunity: A Scan of the Evolving Field of Bank On Initiatives, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/financial-education/Documents/Banking%20On%20Opportunity%20Nov%2011.pdf (accessed September 28, 2012). Page 2 reflects that the study was " Prepared by the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families under contract with CFED and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Assistance was additionally provided by CFED, the New America Foundation, and the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment. "
[25] Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC Model Safe Account Pilot: Final Report, April 2012, http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/template/SafeAccountsFinalReport.pdf (accessed September 28, 2012).
[26] The characteristics are based on FDIC survey data.
[27] Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC Model Safe Account Pilot: Final Report.
[28] Fannie Mae Foundation, " Innovations in Personal Financing for the Unbanked: Emerging Practices from the Field: Bethex Federal Credit Union and RiteCheck Partnership, " Fannie Mae Foundation Case Study, 2003, http://content.knowledgeplex.org/kp2/cache/documents/5622.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[29] Katy Jacob, " The PayNet Deposit Program: Check Casher – Credit Union Partnerships and the Point of Banking Machine, " Center for Financial Services Innovation Research Series Report No. 2, October 2004, http://cfsinnovation.com/system/files/imported/managed_documents/pobpaper.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[30] William Launder, " Credit Union for Taxi Drivers Joins Deposit Program, " American Banker, July 2, 2007, http://cfsinnovation.com/system/files/imported/managed_documents/american_banker_070207.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[31] Winnie Hu, " Criticism Grows as Check-Cashing Stores Expand in Poorer Areas, " The New York Times, August 5, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/nyregion/as-check-cashers-expand-services-in-poorer-areas-criticism-grows.html?_r=0 (accessed October 9, 2012).
[32] Interestingly, increased matching resulted in reaching the goal faster but resulted in less saving by the accountholder. Brigitte C. Madrian, " Matching Contributions and Savings Outcomes: A Behavioral Economics Perspective, " National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 18220, July 2012, http://www.nber.org/papers/w18220.pdf?new_window=1 (accessed October 9, 2012).
[33] Other IDA programs have been established for certain target groups, such as Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account; the Office of Refugee Resettlement ' s Individual Development Accounts; and Assets for Independence, offered through the Office of Community Service.
[34] Cramer et al., A Penny Saved Is Mobility Earned: Advancing Economic Mobility Through Savings.
[35] Ida Rademacher, Kasey Wiedrich, Signe-Mary McKernan, Caroline Ratcliffe, and Megan Gallagher, Weathering the Storm: Have IDAs Helped Low-Income Homebuyers Avoid Foreclosure? Corporation for Enterprise Development and Urban Institute, April 2010, http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412064_weathering_the_storm.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).
[36] Kristin V. Richards and Bruce A. Thyer, " Does Individual Development Account Participation Help the Poor? A Review, " Research on Social Work Practice, Vol. 21, No. 3 (May 2011), pp. 348 – 362, http://rsw.sagepub.com/content/21/3/348.short (accessed October 9, 2012).
[37] See, for example, Yvette Murphy-Erby, Shikkiah Jordan, Marcia Shobe, and Kameri Christy-McMullin, " Individual Development Accounts and Social Justice, " Forum on Public Policy, 2009, http://forumonpublicpolicy.com/spring09papers/archivespr09/murphy-erby.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012), and Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Michael Sherraden, William Gale, William M. Rohe, Mark Schreiner, and Clinton Key, " The Ten-Year Impacts of Individual Development Accounts on Homeownership: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment, " Brookings Institution, March 4, 2011, http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/3/04%20homeownership%20gale/0304_homeownership_gale.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).


text:
Europe is constructed in a way that makes it pretty easy to live green.conscious than the United States, despite Americans' sincere and passionate resolution to be green. Per capita CO2 emissions in the U.S. were 19.78 tons according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which used 2006 data, compared to 9.6 tons in the U.K., 8.05 tons in Italy, and 6.6 tons in France.
Europe's environmental consciousness certainly has its own blind spots.the normal posh apartment in Rome doesn't have a clothes dryer or an air conditioner or microwave or limitless hot water. The heat doesn't turn on each fall until you've spent a couple of chilly weeks living in sweaters. The fridge is tiny. The average car is small. The Fiat 500 gets twice as much gas mileage as any hybrid SUV. And it's not considered suffering. It's living the dolce vita.
More from Yale e360The New Urbanists:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Reaction pours in after second video surfaces involving Hamburg QB
HAMBURG, Pa. - A fight on the football field has snowballed into a much larger ordeal involving the Hamburg school district and prosecutors from two counties.
Hamburg quarterback Joe Cominsky was first in a fight with an Annville-Cleona player on September 6th, where he bashed another player in the head with a helmet.
Now a second video has emerged, prompting the Berks County District Attorney to start an investigation. The video depicts Cominsky throwing a football at a teammate.
Parent Karen Hoagland says she took this video to the Hamburg superintendent in early August, weeks before the Annville-Cleona fight. She says she wanted to transfer her son to Berks Catholic to play football there and she was concerned about the coaching staff in Hamburg.
"When he stepped in and directly told him to do something dangerous, the coach is the adult. He is paid by our taxes to do a job and protect our children and he was not protecting our children. He is putting our children's lives at risk," said parent Karen Hoagland.
However other parents of Hamburg football players disagree. They wrote 69 news stating…
"Our athletic director is outstanding and our coaches do a fine job on and off the field," said parent Andrew Barter.
Another parent says her son was there that day and the boys were just messing around.
"We will not condone wrong behavior, but we will support our team and realize if mistakes happen, suffer consequences, learn and move on. But by no means was this video in the gym something anyone needs to address and judge us by," said parent Tonia Krick.
The superintended also released a statement saying "In both cases there were significant consequences given in a timely manner to those who made mistakes."
Cominsky sat out last week's game and will sit out this week's game. However the school district has not announced any further punishment, neither have South Annville Township Police.
DISCLAIMER FOR COMMENTS: The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links may be removed by the moderator.
Allentown, PA 18102
- %


text:
Walnut Blaster Service for 135i/335i/535i
Price: $599 (people say dealers charge $650-$800+)
About VAC's Walnut Blaster Service:
We use factory BMW tools to perform this job. These tools ensure the job is done right the first time and that there is no mess. The intake manifold is removed and all ports are cleaned with BMW factory tools and BMW approved walnut shell media. The manifold goes back on and everything is tested/checked.


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
What is you sauce recipe? Could you share it with us? Thanks
Very good on opening up the doughball!
What do you mean by a "fluffier" crust?
Tell me Aimless Ryan, does my "crumb" look okay? I never paid much attention to it until now.
I think it looks really good.
Thanks! What do you think about the info on the website I posted regarding cold fermentation?
...and crumb is certainly not one of the things that has made me feel uneasy about my NY style.
Screens pretty much make the stone useless. Of course, you can start baking on a screen, then finish directly on the stone, but that's just not the same as baking directly on stone from start to finish.
Just keep trying new stuff, though, even if me or anyone else says it's not the best way to do it. The more different things you try, the more you'll truly understand about pizza in the end. The only reason I know I don't like screens is because I've baked countless pizzas on them. I used to consider screens an acceptable pizza-baking vessel, but now I don't (for MY pizza).
... but let's say if you were not using a stone at all, would you prefer a pan or a screen?


text:
Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (1519 votes).
In short: This was my first HM and it's responsible for getting me hooked on running!Date of review: December 13, 2011
In short: A Fair Mixed Bag of FunIn full: Yep, positively uplifting for the novice and those wishing to participate in a charity event raising money for all kinds of causes. Not for serious elite or fast runners unless your at the front to start!! If you don't like crowds then don't bother turning up. Very sociable run and loads of fun!! Date of review: January 21, 2005
In short: 49000 people is a few to many for my likingIn full: I have now done this race for 5 years on the bounce, and with the new price hike, there is no way I will be doing this race again. I like the race, the atmosphere, and all the Newcastle locals cheering you on, but it is too much like a cattle market. Motorways and Dual Carrageways are a bit too boring for me.There are more races, just as well orgainised, and a sight cheaper. I can run half a dozen local runs for the price of this one.Sorry BUPA, you have priced me out of this race!Date of review: January 7, 2005
In short: The slow joggers and walkers need sorting. Some sort of strict marshalling at the start to get slower runners to the backDate of review: September 27, 2004
In short: Am doing it again next Sunday in fact and hoping to eclipse my 1:51:00 of last year !! Date of review: September 20, 2004
In short: An experience that makes you want to do it all over again next year!Date of review: September 15, 2004
In short: Biggest let down of my life!Date of review: August 24, 2004
Date of review: August 24, 2004
In short: Take the tops off the water bottles before you hand them out, please.Date of review: August 24, 2004
In short: Simply the bestDate of review: August 24, 2004
Visit the official Runner's World page
Follow Runner's World on Twitter
Click here
Other Natmag-Rodale Sites
Run For Charity
Injury Clinics
About Runner's World


text:
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 10, 2003
Despite the joyous scenes in Baghdad on Wednesday, American and British forces face a dangerous, critical period.
In coming days, troops already stretched thin must restore law and order or risk that anarchy will sweep the country, spawning revenge killings and massive property damage.
They must continue the hunt for biological and chemical weapons, both to validate a major reason for going to war and to prevent them from falling into hostile hands. And they must convince the Iraqi people that they have come as friends, not as occupiers.
"I think the Americans' problems really begin right now," said Toby Dodge, an expert on Iraq at Britain's Warwick University. "You have a population that is celebrating the demise of a regime, not celebrating the arrival of Americans."
After 24 years of murder, torture and repression under Saddam Hussein, Iraqis tore down statues of the dictator and ransacked Baath Party offices and public buildings. But what some observers call "good-natured looting" could turn into widespread rampages unless the allies quickly increase the number of soldiers in the city.
"I think it could get worse before it gets better," said Sir Tim Garden, a former British general and now a professor at King's College in London.
"You get to the stage where you've got to do something about (the looting) or the whole country is trashed. If you leave it too long, you have to use quite strong methods to bring back order, which characterizes you as the invasion forces doing nasty things to the people."
As some of Baghdad's 5-million residents celebrated Wednesday, others engaged in firefights that proved the situation remained far from stable. It was hard to tell if the resistance came from remnants of Hussein's Republican Guard, paramilitaries or hooligans out for themselves. But it took British troops two weeks to subdue the southern city of Basra, with 1.3-million people, and it likely will take at least that long to bring order to Baghdad, one expert says.
"I do not believe that an American soldier could take off his flak vest and helmet and walk without a weapon down the street of his choosing for probably a couple or three weeks," said Peter Zimmerman, a Washington defense analyst. "And even then it's going to be very much like Beirut in its worst days."
In addition to public security, allies will have to address basic humanitarian issues. Water and power remain out in many areas. Hospitals are full of injured patients but are desperately short of supplies. At least 60 percent of Iraqis get their basic foods from a U.N. program that was suspended at the war's start and provisionally reinstated March 28.
"Iraqis who have been living with tremendous uncertainty throughout this crisis ... hope that their personal needs can now be taken care of," says Tamara Wittes, Mideast specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a Washington think tank.
Iraqis are also concerned about how their country will be run until a permanent, democratic government can take over. In an experiment that will be closely watched elsewhere, British forces in Basra have tapped a respected sheik to lead the city with the help of police and other civil servants left over from Hussein's regime.
The challenge will be getting the local populace to accept them. Shiite Muslims in Basra rebelled after the 1991 Gulf War, but Hussein's forces -- mostly Sunni Muslims -- quashed the uprising and murdered thousands.
Basra's new government "will have to use old, not-too-nasty faces from the regime," says Garden, the former general. "It will be quite a trick to turn."
As order is restored, another priority for the allies will be trying to locate chemical and biological weapons.
"If we do not find genuine, usable weapons of mass destruction, then the underlying reason given to the United Nations for this war will be shown false," Zimmerman said. "A rather large chunk of our legitimacy for going in will be shown to be illegitimate and that would be a terrible loss for the United States."
Garden said he wouldn't be surprised if nothing is found: "We're still hunting around in Ireland for weapons caches that the Irish Republican Army buried away years ago."
Based on the few rusty drums of unidentified chemicals that have turned up so far, Garden surmises that any biological and chemical agents in Iraq are old, decaying and probably buried. Otherwise, U.N. weapons inspectors likely would have found them before they withdrew several weeks ago.
"If they're buried away," Garden said, "they won't be immediately available and that's a worry. That means there are some people in the country who know where they are and they may see the best future as selling them off to the highest bidder."
The biggest mystery, though, is Hussein's own fate. Although the Bush administration insists his regime is finished and he is no longer a factor, most Iraqis would find it easier to move forward knowing he is definitely gone.
"There is no doubt that having Saddam dead or captured is the preferable way of showing that the whole country has changed," Garden said. "However, we'll be quite lucky if that happens -- I think we will have another bin Laden-type figure that we don't know where he is."
As vestiges of Hussein's regime continue to fall, the fast-moving events in Baghdad this week recall images of jubilant East Germans tearing down the Berlin Wall in 1989. But most experts think the situation in Iraq will more closely parallel Bosnia or Northern Ireland, where strife continues long after hostilities officially ended.
"I think it will be a long time before semiorganized resistance is finished," Zimmerman said. "And there have been reports that terrorist fighters from other Arab countries have infiltrated Iraq and will try to continue the kind of battle they wage in Gaza and (the West Bank).
"I don't think we're going to see a completely pacified country for a long time."
-- Susan Taylor Martin Can be contacted at email@example.com .


text:
The Steampunk Empire
The Crossroads of the Aether
F,Scott McKown has not received any gifts yet
Give a Gift
Join The Steampunk Empire
Welcome toThe Steampunk Empire
Sign Upor Sign In
Or sign in with:
Steampunk Goggles Solid Brass Real Leather Handmade Steam Punk Glasses Cosplay
VTG Gothic Steampunk Rockabilly Red Black Trench Coat XL 1X 2X leather? trimmed
Deluxe Mens Womens Steampunk Black Costume Belted Faux Leather Top Hat
Steampunk Victorian Goggles welding Glasses diesel punk--gcg New
New Deluxe Brown Steampunk Coachman Victorian Costume Bell Topper Top Hat
New Deluxe Brown Steampunk Gothic Skull Costume Top Hat Band
Deluxe Mens Womens Steampunk Black Costume Tie-Up Cloth Faux Leather Top Hat
Victorian Vintage Woman Coat dress Gothic cosplay Lolita Long jacket steampunk
Deluxe Ladies Black Steampunk Hat w Goggles Victorian Industrial Adult Size
US SELLER Vintage Style Steampunk Goggles Welding Cyber Gothic Cosplay Retro
© 2017 Created by Hephzibah Marsh.
Powered by
Badges |
Report an Issue |
Terms of Service
Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.


text:
by Laura Leiva
It is important to find a comfortable skirt to wear to the office that is appropriate yet stylish. Skirts are a staple of any wardrobe; they are also one of the most versatile pieces of clothing and can be worn with sweaters, blouses or jackets. Depending on your office dress code, conservative or casual styles may be appropriate, so choose styles and colors that fit into your existing wardrobe.
Wear long skirts for cooler weather. While the most popular women's skirts are hemmed around the knee, cold winter months are a great time to wear longer skirts. Formal long skirts, especially those made of silk or velvet fabric, are probably out of place in the office. Stick to cotton, twill or even wool fabrics for a professional look. Ruffles and pleats can also give long skirts a feminine touch. A-line skirts are the best shape for most women because they create a waistline and widen at the hem, balancing out larger hips.
Select flattering skirt sets. To ensure your skirt looks as professional as possible for the office, find a skirt set with an accompanying jacket. You can pair the skirt set with any type blouse, including silk, cotton or polyester. For a clean look, wear a skirt and jacket with a blouse that easily tucks in and does not create a bulge or pull around the skirt waist. You can also pair women's skirts with separate jackets if you want to mix up the wardrobe.
Choose a slimming pencil skirt. One of the most common and fashionable skirts to wear is the pencil skirt. It pairs nicely with a variety of blouses, sweaters and jackets, making it a versatile part of the wardrobe. The pencil skirt is flattering to all body types, from very thin to curvaceous women. The skirt's silhouette is straight at the waist and narrows at the knees, allowing it to hug all of the curves of the body. Look for a pencil skirt that has a slit or pleat in the back near the hem to allow for increased movement while walking.
Find an appropriate casual skirt. Casual skirts can be professional and dressy enough to wear to work. For the office, look for skirts made of cotton, khaki material, linen or even wool to provide a comfortable option. Keep casual skirts mid-length, allowing them to fall either slightly above or below the knee cap.


text:
We all start to outgrow our property at some stage. This usually happens when clutter starts to get out of hand or as families start to expand, giving you less room to play with. However, if you are reluctant to move to a different property in Dolgellau and are happy where you are you should think about investing into a home extension.
Conservatories from Mid Wales Windows & Conservatories can help you overcome such problems as once installed they will provide your home in Dolgellau with instant new-found space. This space can then be used in many different ways. You tell us how you want to utilise it and we will strive to make your wishes come true thanks to our comprehensive service and talented workforce.
Mid Wales can provide you with a choice of conservatory designs. One thing they all share in common is the fact that they can be used all year round. The days when conservatories would become overly hot or cold are over, meaning your extension will offer your home in Dolgellau a constant comfortable atmosphere.
There are many other different items available within Mid Wales fantastic product range, making us the number one choice for home improvements in Dolgellau. We also stock and install double glazing, UPVC doors and replacement Roofline.


text:
We use cookies to improve our site and your shopping experience. By continuing to browse our site you accept our cookie policy. Find out more
Unfortunately this item has sold out.
View More
Login to receive a notification when this product arrives
Email Us
Call Us
Need help? Give us a call.
Australia: 02 8310 9990
France: 01 70 79 13 95
Japan: 03 4579 0677
Int.: +44 1892 779110
If you have an account, sign in below
Forgot your password?
New to Childrensalon? Click here to create an account.
Enter the email address used for your Childrensalon account and click 'Send'. We will then email you with a link that you can click to create a new password.
If you can remember it, go back to Login.
Please enter your details below
Already have an account? Click here to log in
By creating an account on our website, you are accepting our terms and conditions.


text:
To the best of our knowledge all fonts displayed at FontGirl.com are Freeware or Shareware. If your font appears on our site and you would like it removed, please contact us here.
Home | Identify Font | Buy Fonts | PSP | terms | privacy | Commercial Fonts
Copyright © 2007 - 2017 FontGirl.com All Rights Reserved


text:
Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 3, 2008) - The U.S. Women's Olympic Indoor Volleyball Team held high expectations to do well at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and finish on the medal stand.
The U.S. had reason for its aura of confidence with a veteran roster of six players with past Olympic Games experience. Team USA also went into Athens with the FIVB's No. 1 world ranking after finishing on the medal stand in most major international competitions from 2003 to 2004.
Yet, the U.S. departed Athens with a self-described disappointing fifth-place finish after losing a five-set match to Brazil in the quarterfinal round. Earlier five-set losses to Russia and Dominican Republic and a four-set setback to China in pool play proved costly in determining the Americans' crossover quarterfinal opponent for its route to the medal round matches.
That was then.
Entering the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Team USA is once again laden with a roster full of Olympic veterans. Eight of the 12 players have played in at least one Olympic Games, including five players who were also part of the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
But several differences exist between the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Team USA is ranked fourth in the world instead of a target on its back as the top-ranked team in 2004. Further, no single country has been able to dominate the international game in the current quadrennial. Experts see has many as eight teams, or two-thirds of the field, with legitimate shots to reach the medal stand.
Among the differences for the U.S. squad for the 2008 Olympic Games is the coaching staff that brings Olympic playing experience to its background. "Jenny" Lang Ping (Beijing, China), who signed in early 2005 to lead Team USA in the current quadrennial, will serve as the U.S. team's head coach in her hometown of Beijing and will participate in her third Olympic Games. She starred for the Chinese Olympic Team as an outside hitter and led the squad to a 1984 Olympic Gold Medal in Los Angeles. She coached the Chinese Olympic Team to a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. A 2002 inductee into the international Volleyball Hall of Fame, Lang Ping is still revered by Chinese fans akin to a Michael Jordan status.
Now, Lang Ping moves into rare company in international circles. According to FIVB files, she will be moving into company of Hungary women's team coach Gabriella Kotsis as female coaches to lead teams into multiple Olympics. Kotsis led Hungary during the golden era of Hungarian Volleyball, leading the country into three Olympic Games (1972, 1976, 1980). Lang Ping is currently the only female head coach of a national volleyball federation with a team in the top 20 world ranking.
As part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic delegation, assistant coach Sue Woodstra (Freshwater, Calif.) earned a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games playing across the net from Lang Ping in the gold-medal match. Other Team USA staff members include Li Yong (Shenzhen, China) as the therapist/trainer, Tom Hogan (Cincinnati, Ohio) as the technical consultant coach, Diane French (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as the technical coordinator and Joan Powell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as the team leader. French was a member of the U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team in 1980, but was unable to participate due to the boycott.
The U.S. Olympic Games roster has played a combined 1,888 international matches, topped by Danielle Scott-Arruda's (Baton Rouge, La.) 364 international matches. At age 35, Scott-Arruda has been selected to her fourth Olympic Games roster to tie a USA Volleyball record shared with Tara Cross-Battle, who played in her fourth Olympics in 2004. Scott-Arruda has competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. She has been a part of the U.S. Women's National Team since May 1994.
Players selected to their third Olympic Games include setter Robyn Ah Mow-Santos (Honolulu), outside hitter Logan Tom (Salt Lake City, Utah), middle blocker Heather Bown (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and libero Stacy Sykora (Burleson, Texas). Opposite Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Laguna Hills, Calif.), setter Lindsey Berg (Honolulu) and outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani (Bloomington, Ill.) are all repeat selections from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Newcomers to the Olympic Games are outside hitters Kim Glass (Lancaster, Pa.) and Kim Willoughby (Napoleonville, La.), middle blocker Jennifer Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) and libero Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.).
"It has not been easy to get to this final roster," Lang Ping said. "We have been training more than 12 players, especially since January with the young, talented players. By the time we finished the World Grand Prix, almost seven months have passed since starting in January, and we have trained more than 30 players (this year). We have taken a long time to evaluate them and we just want to make sure to have made the right decision. We try to balance all the positions, see different angles and give the team the best chance to play better. Some players have special skills who can give the team something extra. There is also chemistry and positive reactions. It took us over 20 meetings to make this final roster."
The 12-player Olympic roster nearly mirrors the 2007 FIVB World Cup roster in which the U.S. earned the bronze and qualified for the Olympics. Willoughby, who joined the U.S. National Team in April 2008, has replaced Cassie Busse (Prior Lake, Minn.) on the Olympic Roster. Busse competed in all five tournaments in 2007 and was named to the Team USA preliminary Olympic roster of 19 players.
For the 2008 Olympic Games, the U.S. is grouped into Pool A with host China, Cuba, Japan, Poland and Venezuela. The U.S. Women open the Olympic Games on Aug. 9 versus Japan at 10 p.m. at the Capital Indoor Stadium. The Americans face NORCECA rival Cuba on Aug. 11 at 12:30 p.m. at the Capital Indoor Stadium. Team USA plays its only match at the Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium on Aug. 13 versus Venezuela at noon. The U.S. challenges China on Aug. 15 at the Capital Indoor Stadium at 8 p.m. before concluding pool play on Aug. 17 versus Poland at 12:30 p.m. at the Capital Indoor Stadium.
Team USA has enjoyed some success against all five of its pool play opponents over the last nine months. The U.S. defeated China and Japan in five sets at the recently completed FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round at Yokohama, Japan. In addition, Team USA dealt Japan a five-set loss in the World Grand Prix preliminary round in Kobe, Japan, and has won five of the six meetings in the current quadrennial. Cuba rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the American squad in the 2008 World Grand Prix Final Round after the two teams split four matches last year with the U.S. earning an important five-set win at the 2007 FIVB World Cup. The U.S. defeated Poland twice in back-to-back matches in the 2008 FVB World Grand Prix preliminary rounds. Team USA defeated Venezuela in five sets at the 2008 Pan American Cup with Sykora as the only 2008 Olympian on the roster.
The top four teams in both Olympic preliminary round pools advance to the quarterfinals on Aug. 19 with the winner of each pool facing the fourth-place team in the opposite pool. A drawing of lots will determine the opponents for the second- and third-place teams against the opposite pool.
The quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals on Aug. 21. The gold and bronze medal matches take place on Aug. 23.
Lang Ping used the 2008 schedule as an evaluation tool for selecting both the 2008 Olympic Games roster and putting the younger players in match situations to see if they are ready for this year's Olympic Games or future national team rosters beyond 2008. The season started with an eight-match, three-week tour of China playing against club teams from Olympic Games host country. The U.S. finished the tour with a respectable 5-3 record with the squad that included six current collegiate players and four players who had just finished their eligibility three months prior. Davis served as the captain and gained valuable confidence on the backrow, while the younger players were able to shine at different moments.
The U.S. took a split squad to Mexico to compete in the Pan American Cup May 30-June 7. The Americans, despite playing with just one Olympian in Sykora as the libero, accomplished its major goal of qualifying for the 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix by finishing as the third highest team from NORCECA. The team also defeated Olympic-qualified Venezuela in five sets using the split squad, while several of the younger players stood out in the post-tournament honors.
Lang Ping mix-matched her roster using veterans side-by-side with younger players in three exhibitions matches versus top-ranked Brazil in Colorado Springs in June. Brazil won the first match (25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15) on June 11 despite 23 points from Tom. Team USA rebounded to win a five-set match of its own (25-21, 19-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-11) on June 13 as Nnamani stamped down 19 points. Brazil got the best of the U.S. in the finale on June 14 with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 15-8 victory in a contest pre-determined to go five sets.
"We played all the players available over this three-match exhibition and had a chance to evaluate them," Lang Ping said. "Overall, it was pretty positive."
Less than five days after the last Brazil exhibition match, Team USA was beginning FIVB World Grand Prix competition in Japan. After a humbling four-set loss to Turkey in the opener, the U.S. rolled off seven straight victories in the three-weekend preliminary round in three different countries (Japan to Poland to Chinese Taipei) before falling to Italy.
The U.S. entered the World Grand Prix Final Round at Yokohama, Japan, with a 7-2 record, but that was wiped away with the start of the five-match round-robin Final. Team USA opened the Finals with Brazil, which breezed to a three-set victory as the U.S. continued to alter the lineup to evaluate players. The U.S. rebounded with a five-set victory over Japan before losing in five sets to Cuba. After Italy edged the U.S. in four sets, the Americans finished out the Finals with an exciting five-set victory over China.
"Russia and Serbia were not at the World Grand Prix, but in the Finals there were six teams qualified for the Olympic Games, three of which we will play in our pool," Lang Ping said. "We are pretty close, except Brazil dominated the World Grand Prix. Cuba and China played their full teams in the tournament. We changed our players in different weeks, same with Italy. I don't think (every team) put forth their best lineup in every match as teams tried to evaluate different players. I think we played better each week, especially in the fourth week. Our physical conditioning was a little tired, and that made it a little harder for the players. We still had our goals and worked hard, especially to play more consistently."
For its final preparations heading into the Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic Team trained in Colorado Springs July 18-26 before traveling to California for sea-level training and USOC Olympic Team Processing in San Jose. The squad opened its training to the public on July 31 with an intrasquad scrimmage at the University of California-Berkeley the day before jetting to Beijing.


text:
The Future Diary
Episode 25 | TV-MA
Yuki decides who he has to save. Yuno decides who she has to kill. Minene keeps her promises. And Murmur… There is even more to Murmur than anyone knew. And the fate of more than one world lays in the balance.
Dub Expires: 04-04-2014
Official Site: www.funimation.com/shows/the-future-diaryHide Details


text:
John McWade presents a biweekly series that touches on all areas of design, helping designers new and old sharpen their skills and create more powerful work.
All Courses
- Design (16)
- Logo Design
- Design Skills (12)
- Illustration (4)
- Projects (4)
- Documentaries (3)
- Drawing (3)
- Branding (2)
- Creative Spark (2)
- Design Business (2)
- Print Design (2)
- Color (1)
- Creative Inspirations (1)
- Design Techniques (1)
- Marketing (1)
- Page Layout (1)
- Typography (1)
- Adobe (7)
- Illustrator (7)
- InDesign (2)
Skill level
- Beginner (6)
- Intermediate
- Advanced (6)
- Appropriate for all (1007)
More options
Learn the secrets of detecting logo trends to improve your logo designs. Bill Gardner evaluates over two-hundred logos, demonstrating how to train your eye to spot the nuances in logo trends so you can adapt and elevate your work, ensuring you produce fresh, original, and relevant designs.
Join professional illustrative designer Von Glitschka as he shares his experience on how to research, sketch, build, and present vector graphics.
Learn about the design and delivery process for a brand identity project.
Tackles the hidden symbolism behind how we depict our planet and teaches you how to use these symbols to give your logo designs more impact.
Give logo designs a handmade aesthetic and add a sense of authenticity to your client's brand and messaging, with tips from LogoLounge founder Bill Gardner.
Aaron Draplin, owner of Draplin Design Co., takes our logo design challenge. Watch as he sketches, tests, and tunes his ideas, and provides tips on freelancing and finding inspiration.
Learn about six different visual effects, from transparency to optical illusion, that you can use in your logo concepts to communicate the right message.
Learn how to create linear line illustrations using Illustrator.
Yo Santosa's design firm, Ferroconcrete, creates campaigns and branding for nationally and internationally recognized companies. See how they have evolved brands like Pinkberry, TNT, and TBS.
A great band deserves a great logo. Learn how to take a client brief and turn rough ideas into a polished logo design.
Learn how shapes and symbols help designers weave a story into their logo designs, and explore the mystery behind these forms.
Von Glitschka shows us how to take our brains offline to find design inspiration through sketching and exploring the world around us.
Learn to avoid pitfalls, improve your design process, respond to demanding clients, and solve the creative problems that are involved in building a brand's identity.
Learn how to approach the challenges presented when creating a logo for a media company.
Discusses the principles and techniques of what makes a logo work, type-only designs, type treatments, and logo symbols.
"Your tutorials move at just the right pace for me to work alongside and take notes. So I am learning things that my campus class will not have time for." —Toni M.
more from our members »


text:
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
I had a fabulous long weekend in Orlando. It was the perfect balance of sleeping, eating, and going out. My boyfriend loveddddd my mom's homemade cooking and her insistence that he eat every five minutes, lol. While I was there I hardly had any internet connection but I was still able to film this video. It comes via viewer request – a Pussycat Dolls inspired look. It's a different take on the smokey eye – I figured this was a safe look to do because everybody loves a good old smokey eye! I think that's why my Import Girl Tutorial video is the most popular video yet.
I wanted to make this look easy. All you need are two eyeshadows – black and shimmery white. Looking back, I guess I could have used black tied since it has glitters in it, but I didn't have it with me! I used a black eyeshadow from a Camera Ready Cosmetics palette, so really any black eyeshadow will do. I also used Overcast shadestick as a base because the shimmery/glittery white makes the black look sparkly. You don't have to use this, any base will do. And lastly, I used my new Reflects Pearl Glitter on top – talk about fabulous! I love this stuff!
I had a few questions from people asking me what brushes I used in this video. These come from my A-Design Master set of brushes. I've been meaning to do a review/video on them, and I will soon!
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the look. I'll have pics of the vacay up soon!
Here's what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):
-overcast shadestick – used as a base
-CRC black eyeshadow
-solar white e/s – applied as highlight and tearduct color
-kohl pencil in smolder
-ardell demi wispies lashes
-anastasia brow kit
-prep & prime – used as face primer
-select moisture concealer in NW37
-mineralized satinfinish foundation NC42
-msf natural med dark
-sculpt & shape duo – lightsweep and shadester
-shy beauty beauty powder blush
-msf in light flush
-fix plus
-cork lip pencil
-viva glam V lipstick
-shimmery pink gloss – I think it's called luminary, but any light pink will do
15 comments:
- mina said...
Hot look RenRen!
- July 8, 2008 at 11:33 AM
- iamsutil said...
thanks for the great tut, renren! i really love the way your skin glows...
- July 8, 2008 at 12:19 PM
- alien man?! said...
love the look and OMG your HAIR!!!! soooo sexy!!
- July 8, 2008 at 12:30 PM
- Ethereal Prey said...
wow your hair looks amazing! makes me want to get my highlights redone now! :P Your vids are popular cause you're hot silly! :P
- July 8, 2008 at 12:48 PM
- xoxo Jaimie said...
So pretty ren! I think I'll do that makeup look on me for work tomorrow lol. Great job. And your hair looks more blonde, did you do more to it? It looks so pretty.
- July 8, 2008 at 3:14 PM
- Beauty is Androgynous said...
wow that does look really easy!
nice tutorial.
aw my man's in Orlando right now for a long vacation.. =[
have fun!! =]
- July 8, 2008 at 3:48 PM
- missxxmai said...
hot mama! i love this look =) & i love the new hair. how do you get your hair like that?!
- July 8, 2008 at 7:37 PM
- (g)ezebel said...
ooo, i love it!! and i love your hair like that, too..!! very porn star sexy...! :0)
did you use a crimping iron or put it in braids?
- July 8, 2008 at 7:39 PM
- Nikki said...
seriously, the most perfect smokey eye i've seen.
- July 8, 2008 at 9:55 PM
- mayaari said...
awesome smoky eye :) and I love your hair in those photos!
- July 8, 2008 at 11:28 PM
- Tia said...
I love your hair color and the makeup looks SO good on you. Thanks for the Smokey Eye Tutorial vid. Now I'll know what to do with my Solar White eyeshadow! You're awesome, Ren!
- July 9, 2008 at 2:25 AM
- MakeupByRenRen said...
mina: thx sweety!
iamsutil: no prob girly! it's the msf that's making my skin glow!
alien man: lol i'm glad you liked the hair cuz it was looking crazy to me for a minute!
ethereal prey: me blushing, aww shucks...
jaimie: definitely wear it to work! ummm nope, didn't do anything to it...maybe cuz it's crimpy it looks blonder
beauty is androgynous: you should do the look for your bf when he comes back ;)
missxxmai: my friend was practicing cornrowing on me...i slept in the braids, took it out and wala!
gezebel: he he...it was cornrowed up girl!
nicky: aww thanks, and it was sooo easy
mayaari: thanks hon!
tia: no prob honey! i'm glad we can get use out of all these limited edition colors, lol
- July 9, 2008 at 9:50 AM
- mandilicious said...
you look so sexy!!..i wish i can pull off that kind of do..i tried it before, it didn't seem to work, i just ended up looking like a crazy lady..lol..
- July 10, 2008 at 2:10 AM
- leonie makeup stylist said...
Hi renren
I really love your work
I am starting my own new Dutch/ englisch makeup blog, will you be my makeup friend?
- July 11, 2008 at 3:03 PM
- dianatan said...
hi dear renren, i love the look!! and oh lala your skin glows!
- July 23, 2008 at 11:33 PM


text:
Skip to comments.NYT Touts White House Artworks, Misses Obvious Copy, Apparent Fraud (Freeper Breaks the Story)
Posted on 10/08/2009 12:05:05 PM PDT by Atlas Sneezed
Yesterday, the NYT ran a story about the White House acquiring art. It included a slide show of a dozen artworks.
This Freeper took a look and found one abstract work he admired:
"Watusi (Hard Edge)," by Alma Thomas, a longtime Washington resident who is an African-American painter. Photo: Gift of Vincent Melzac/Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
As I admired it, I thought it reminiscent, even derivative of a favorite artwork of mine by Matisse. I recall seeing that one decades ago at the Tate Gallery in London. A giant collage (about ten feet tall) from late in Matisse's life, when his eyesight was failing:
The Snail (L'escargot), by Henri Matisse, Nice-Cimiez, Hotel Regina, [summer 1952-early] 1953, Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on white paper, 9'4 3/4" x 9' 5" (287 x 288 cm) collection Tate Gallery, London.
I had planned to post them for comparison, and to share my admiration for both. But when I saw them side-by-side, the similarity clarified. I realized that the new one was EXACTLY the same composition as the Matisse, rotated 90 degrees.
Is this fraud? If the new piece has been titled "Homage to Collage" or "Matisse in Blue", I would think the artist wasn't trying to hide the copying. But I wonder whether anyone realized that the artist copied almost every aspect of a famous work to sell her artwork. Perhaps everyone involved knew that this is a re-colored reprint. If not, it seems to be an embarrassment for the "sophisticates" who failed to spot a copy hiding in plain sight.
As too many people say about abstract expressionist art: "Even I could have done THAT!"
Great work. I left a message for Carol Vogel and told her she needs to write a follow up story that the work of art is a ripoff on Matisse.
New York Times — Headquarters
Website: www.nytimes.com
Phone: (212) 556-1234
Fax: (212) 556-3622
Address: 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10036-3959
She did hers 10 years AFTER.
Alma Thomas, Watusi (Hard Edge), 1963: A prominent abstract painter of the 1960s and 1970s and the first African-American woman to have a solo art exhibition at New York's Whitney Museum. Born in Columbus in 1891, racist attitudes and a poor education system for African-Americans at that time hampered her childhood, but she excelled at architectural drawing.
LOL. So Matisse, ironically, was liberated by a black woman. The use of geometeric shapes to express cultural yearnings and aspirations was actually started by the ancient Egyptians, a black people who provided the foundation for Western Civilization.
Just to make sure it wasn't the other way around, I checked. The African forger did her copy in 1963. Matisse did his original 52/53.
I apologize if this was pointed out in the thread. I didn't see it.
They do. They have a mosaic quality to them.
Drudge needs to post this....
Looks like a rip off to me. I looked at her other art-—very limited in ideas and creativity.
Wonder how long Wikipedia will let that stay there?
Good one! To the freeper who posted it! LOL
The artist could never hope to reproduce the authenticity of the camera. But good artists like Norman Rockwell understood that academic realism did not preclude adding the artists interpretation to the image.
Great artists always made paintings that convey more than photons captured on paper or in a ccd ever could.
And to think that they removed the bust of Winston Churchill.
The arguments for this are:
Her other paintings are drastically different than this.
She was very successful and known for her other style there wouldn't be a need to copy.
Also, Matisse is known to have made several paintings around a theme. For example, Icarus and La Chute.
This could just be a case of piss poor journalism.
It looks like political correctness prevents the art world from calling a spade a spade:
The Smithsonian Magazine, August 4, 2009
Decorating the White House with Smithsonian Art
Watusi (Hard Edge)
Alma Thomas
Acrylic on canvas
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Alma Thomas, the first African-American woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum, was linked to the color-field school that had developed in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. In Watusi, Thomas is trying to mix together different styles such as Henri Matisses cutouts. She was also interested in the idea that color could generate musical correspondence, Brougher says. It was more than creating an abstract painting but trying to create music out of painting.
The sole commenter on the article wasn't playing the PC game:
This isn't just "mixing together" influences including Matisse. It is a direct copy of a Matisse work, just rotated 90 degrees and with the colors switched around:
Posted by MDC on August 4,2009 | 10:27PM
LOL! Michelle just hung her Matisse reproduction sideways! What does she know, anyway?
Journalistic screwups are far too frequent to ignore that possibility.
I wonder who else Alma ripped off.
Rev Wright says BLACK FOLK invented it. Tis proves it!!!!( sarc off!) National Socialism redefining history, just like was done n 1920s Europe, and it is why the Nazis stole and hid all politiically incorreect works of art. Soon we will see traditional US colonial art start to disappear ( It never happened).
There are much, much worse wannabees. This one by a certain Austrian artist manqué, for instance.
Basically, it was an admitted study of Matisse.
Probably not as big if a deal as is what first appears. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Decorating-the-White-House-with-Smithsonian-Art.html?c=y&page=9#ixzz0TNLungOn
Thanks for doing that overlay. Very illustrative of the plagiarism.
See 120, I was wrong, also, it is well a known 'study' piece of Matisse's work. I think we all (myself included) jumped the gun.
It is also different media.
We were right about the copy/similarity, but wrong about the motive.
I'm proud of FR that the truth came out though.
How much is that painting worth in Obama Money?
Mine too, with colored tissue paper and glue.
Found this on an art website:
A good place to begin thinking about Alma Thomas's ravishing late work might be the moment in 1964 when, close to paralysis and bedridden, the 73-year-old artist found herself staring at the hollyhock shadows she had known her entire life and calculating how to use them in her paintings. A year earlier, she had seen the late Matisse cutouts at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Matisse's work had prompted her to paint an acrylic-on-canvas version of his collage The Snail (1953), in which nearly all the original colors were reversed. Thomas named her painting Watusi (Hard Edge), after Chubby Checker's dance hit "The Watusi."
Exactly, she was open about it being a study and it is listed as such, pretty common for artists to do this. It was, however, a fun intellectual exercise and a chance for a little art research.. now on to important topics.
If you haven't yet seen it, rent this very unique documentary which explores the monumental larceny of that very bad painter and his degenerate cronies.
But no intent to deceive.
Looks like someone kidnapped Sherwin Williams and this is the ransom note.
I sent it to Breitbart.
you now owe me one new keyboard since mine is covered with a beverage that was supposed to wet my whistle.
I don't believe it was a "study" of Matisse. More like a rip-off.
LOL I like it!
I disagree. Modernism/ Liberalism killed art. Modernism and Liberalism must deny the existence of truth, or any other objective and universal standard.
Beauty is truth, and portrayal of beauty necessarily affirms the existence of truth. Therefore just as liberalism and modernism must stamp out any notion of truth in all human endeavors, it must also destroy the expression of beauty, hence the movement towards abstraction, and the denial of any aesthetic sense or standard as "bourgeoisie sentimentality" or a "cultural prejudice".
As such modern art is devoid of meaning, beauty and at best can trigger an emotional provocation in the viewer.
Without truth, there is no right, justice or beauty, only power, and power issues from the barrel of a gun.
>>> the Nazis stole and hid all politiically incorreect works of art <<<<
Actually they stole everything they liked and could get away with (particularly if it had been owned by Jewish patrons or art dealers), and burned and destroyed the "politically incorrrect" stuff that they didn't like.
See #131 above. "The Rape Of Europa" is an excellent documentary of it all.
No different than the coppied "art" of Ward Churchill.
in grad school they expect you to put glitter on it.
Where they hire the deaf (they can't hear real Americans protesting), dumb (they fall for every spin and lie of the liberal politicians and talking heads), and blind (they can't tell an original artwork from an obvious copy/fraud - nor a Birth Certificate, either).
I guess you can say they are fully staffed with people who have occupational disabilities.
Good catch, Beelzebubba! A FReeper scores again with another expose.
I agree with you. I wasn't clear. I think modernism is a reaction to photography. Abstract art became the dominant form with the advance of photography. Artists no longer seemed needed to provide a record for posterity.
All I see is a kid with a bottle of glue, a pair of scissors, various construction paper sheets, and a stack of assorted tissue papers.
Easy-peasy fancy art.
Hitler repulses me much more than he could possibly fascinate me. I read Speer's memoir, that's about everything I need to know about the Nazis.
The artist knew good art? It'll be a constant reminder to those in the WH the truth will be told in time.
With the above being said, that doesn't excuse a wannabe lackatalent old lady from plagarizing a true artist's original compositions and calling it their own........even if it's written up in some artsy-fartsy publication.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
>Runner's World - My Event Ratings>
In short: Probably the best trail half marathon I've ever runIn full: For a first time event, this was absolutely faultless in every respect - plenty easy, parking, plenty toilets, stunning race location, plenty signage and the nicest friendliest marshals ever. The course itself was great - ok a steep hill to start and come back down at the end, but for the rest rolling tracks and trails and lovely views. And a very well stocked goody bag, nice medal and beer mug with very nice Hoppit beer on tap afterwards. Could not recommend highly enough - and a huge thanks to the organisers for a great event - and for all the Facebook, Instagram updates and pics before the race as wellDate of review: June 21, 2016
In short: made the best of a bad situation - enjoyable, if you can say that about an ultra!In full: I've done this one twice on the original Thames Path route - which is fantastic, scenic, everything it says on the tin. Sadly it was not to be again this year but full credit to the organisers for still putting it on and managing the diversions on the fly. The bits on the road were a bit grim, the bits off-road a bit slushy and the bits on the actual TP a bit under water, but I'd still rather have done it, than have it cancelled and waste all those hard winter miles of training. Maybe mid-winter is the wrong time of year and mid-summer would be more glorious but doing it winter does add another dimension to the challenge.Overall, a good day out. (7:41:12)Date of review: February 3, 2014
In short: Toughest race I've down, hard as nails, brilliant organisation, best marshals everIn full: The hardest, craziest race I've done - from singing "God save the Queen" at the start, to the submerged stepping stones to the 4 ascents of the stairway to hell. Having names on the race numbers is a brilliant idea (I'm going to keep that number for ever) - it's always nice hearing someone cheering you on by name.Organisation - absolutely faultless, and the marshals all deserve medals too. All had a great sense of humour and the cheers from the water point at the bottom of the hill could be heard for miles - lovely, happy sound :-) Best race mug ever too - I got a real surprise when I used it for the first time !! Date of review: June 19, 2011
In short: My first 50 miler - brilliant organization, friendly checkpoints, scenic flat route and overall a great day outIn full: We were lucky with the weather this year - not too cold or windy or muddy - would like to think that was thanks to the organizers who got everything else right too :-). Well stocked checkpoints with lovely cake were always a welcome sight and the hot drinks at the end were much appreciated too. Great long sleeved tech shirt too. And the pre-race briefing was the best -"go down the lane to the river, turn left and stop at Henley" - brilliant !! Great day out - I'll be back.Date of review: February 7, 2011
In short: No surprises with the mud, but that just added to what is always a great raceIn full: My 4th time and as always, a great event. My only problem is arriving at Broughton a few minutes after the start of the half mara and then spending then next 1/2 hour, on tiring legs, weaving through the 1/2 marathon field on narrow tracks. As someone said - this is a great taster for the x-country season especially with the mud this year ! Well done to Paul and his team - again. Date of review: October 4, 2010
In short: Hardest, but my favourite marathon In full: Awesome race yet again. Hard as nails but can't resist coming back for more each year. I appreciate there must've been some problems for the relay runners at the change-overs, but I didn't notice any traffic issues (coming from the 10am start) and the marshalls were brilliant everywhere. Maybe the earlier start for the relay would help.I can't fault anything - and that milk drink in the goody is just the best thing ever - I was looking forward to it (and hoping it would be there) the whole way. Will be back for #5 next year.Date of review: June 14, 2010
In short: Tough as nails and not for the non-swimmer but a real sense of achievementIn full: Glorious scenery (Plymouth to Salcombe on the SW coast path) if you have time to take your eye off the path and look at it. The 3 river crossings are an extra logistical challenge, but just add to the fun. The hot pasty at the end was the best thing I've ever eaten. (7:08:29)Date of review: August 26, 2009
In short: Brilliant event - as a first ultra for me - friendly, muddy, great marsh, great marshalls tooIn full: The weather really helped - being perfect winter running conditions - and by freezing the ice too.Superb scenery, well marked course, friendly helpers at the checkpoints (loved the guy at CP5 who shooed us along for loitering), ultra (ha ha) friendly runners as well, everything you'd expect really from a race like this. Can't really fault it. And the marsh will go down in legend - the race wouldn't have been the same without it. It's almost a selling point !Date of review: December 8, 2008
In short: Hardest marathon I've done, but most enjoyoable - scenery, organistion, value for money.In full: Really tough and hilly, but time is not a consideration with this one. Everything else is brilliant - superb organisation, value for money (great t-shirt, medal, goody bag) and the flavoured milks at the end were just what I needed. Lucky with the weather too - just right. Thanks v. much to Mike and his 2:09 team.Date of review: June 15, 2008
In short: Perfect pb course, fast, flat scenic. Lucky today with the weather too.In full: PB by 5 minutes today - helped by perfect weather conditions despite the earlier snow. Well organised, small and big enough so that there are plenty of runners, but not too many, and no problem with parking. I'd do it again for another pb attempt.Date of review: April 6, 2008
Visit the official Runner's World page
Follow Runner's World on Twitter
Click here
Other Natmag-Rodale Sites
Run For Charity
Injury Clinics
About Runner's World


text:
Topic: InstantRail 1.7 Help on XP
I installed InstantRail 1.7 many hours ago (I guess it is not so instant after all). It took a while (over an hour) to unzip the file (127MB and 18,270 files). I followed the following steps to run InstantRails:
1. unzipped the files in E:\InstantRails
2. Ran InstantRails.exe (it asked me to create the configurations files, which I did).
Received following errors:
a). "inetinfo" is already using port 80.
I fixed it by changing the port number in Apache configuration file to 3080.
b). There was an error related to Directory Path in the Apache Configuration file
I fixed it by editing E:/InstantRails/conf_files/http.conf file line 311 to
DocumentRoot "${path}/www" to DocumentRoot "${path}"
3. Edited Windows/hosts file to put "127.0.0.1 www.mycookbook.com" line
4. Restarted the servers "I > Restart Servers", noticed that both Apache and MySQL were running fine.
5. Open a console window to check the version information:
a). Ruby version is:
E:\InstantRails>ruby -v
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13 patchlevel 0) [i386-mswin32]
b). Rails version
E:\InstantRails>rails -v
E:/InstantRails/ruby/bin/rails:9:in `require': no such file to load -- rubygems
from E:/InstantRails/ruby/bin/rails:9
To fix the above error I set the following environment variable in XP:
Now I get the following error:
E:\InstantRails\rails_apps>rails -v
E:\InstantRails\ruby\bin\ruby.exe: no such file to load -- ubygems (LoadError)
Can some help how to fix this error?
Last edited by rxjain (2007-04-15 02:23:59)


text:
USA Team Handball announced today its intention to field women's U20 and men's U21 teams for the upcoming 2013 International Handball Federation (IHF) Continental Cup in Guatemala City, Guatemala, tentatively scheduled to take place April 29-May 5, 2013. Dates are subject to change by IHF and/or host organizing committee.
Applications for both Men's and Women's head coach positions are currently being accepted by USA Team Handball. The men's U21 team will be fielded by fourteen players born in 1992 or younger while the women's U20 team will consist of fourteen players born in 1993 or younger.
Both head coaching positions will be on an unpaid, volunteer basis. Candidates must be registered as members of USATH with at least a Level 1 "Gateway" certification. Detailed information about the certification process can be found here.
Qualified individuals should review the positions' requirements and application forms, both found below, and send all required information to Mariusz Wartalowicz at email@example.com no later than Friday, March 22, 2013. The USATH Men's National Team Advisory Committee will select and nominate coaches for the respective openings by March 25, 2013. Selected coaches may be vested with leading or supporting coaching roles for the IHF event and all other subsequent programming.
All aspiring and eligible athletes (members of USATH and US citizens with valid US passport) are encouraged to apply by email no later than Friday, March 22, 2013. Full text of the Athlete Selection Procedures can be found below. Emails, directed to email@example.com, must include the following:
1. Full name as written in the US Passport
2. Passport number
3. Passport expiration date
4. Attachment with copy of player's passport front page with headshot photo
5. Home address
6. Player's phone
7. Player's email
8. School information including principal's name and email
9. Closest airport
10. Parents' names, phone number and email address
11. Height and weight
No late applications will be accepted, considered or honored.
Junior Men's Athlete Selection Procedure
Junior Women's Athlete Selection Procedure


text:
PER Field Advancement
Note that many of these articles are available online in PDF format. Click on the title to view downloadable articles
Hsu, L., Beichner, R., Cummings, K., Kolodner, J., and McCullough, L., "Publishing and refereeing papers in physics education research". In Physics Education Research Conference-2007, edited by Leon Hsu, Charles Henderson, and Laura McCullough (American Institute of Physics, Greensboro, NC, 2007), pp. 3-6.
D. E. Meltzer, L. McDermont, P. R. L. Heron, E F Redish, and R J Beichner, Call to AAPT about PER articles in Am. J. of Physics, 2004. Supplementary material is available.
R Beichner, "Discussion of new journal for PER," (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2004), pp. 10.
Robert J. Beichner, Richard Hake, Lillian C. McDermott, Jose Mestre, Edward
Redish, Frederick Reif, and John Risley, "Support
of Physics-Education Research as a Subfield of Physics: Proposal to the
NSF Physics Division,"
unpublished white paper.


text:
There are millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans whose career opportunities are severely limited because of a lack of postsecondary education. At the same time, new and high-growth industries require workers with technical skills and a solid academic foundation. For many of these industries, an associate degree or industry certificate is the minimum qualification for employment. A flexible adult education model is essential to prepare unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated workers for these demanding careers.
CORD published the book Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education to support the field in the design and development of career pathways programs that can serve the unique needs of lower-skilled adults. The Adult Career Pathways (ACP) model is an extension of career pathways that focuses on adult learners whose educational backgrounds are varied, whose need for support services is considerable, and whose lack of academic preparation for college-level work is often extensive. The ACP model offers a strategy for overcoming workforce barriers by bringing together selected industries, community services, government agencies, and community colleges to identify, enroll, educate, and prepare these adults for high-demand career opportunities.
ACP programs focus on the implementation of proven strategies for identifying needs, developing curricula, recruiting participants, implementing meaningful work experience, and integrating the personal and academic services needed to transform the unemployed and underemployed into the skilled workforce America needs to compete in the world economy.
CORD offers technical assistance services that enable community colleges and their industry and community partners to:
For more information about CORD's Career Pathways technical assistance services, read about some of our recent projects or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
City adjusts amid protests
BLUE EARTH – After a standing-room-only crowd protested and asked questions for 90 minutes, Blue Earth City Council on Monday voted to put in a 36-foot street on Highland Drive, but eliminated paint and signs to designate a walking path or parking lane.
An estimated half of the property owners along Highland Drive showed up for the hearing on pending city street work, which also includes Third Street, 11th Street and 12th Street, to repair the surface and infrastructure.
Residents of Highland Drive say they do not need a parking lane because the only people likely to drive on the curving road that ends in a cul-de-sac are those who live on it. They said they do not need a walking/bike path because they usually walk down the middle of the road.
The city is trying to tie the street to other parts of town and improve "walkability," said city administrator Kathy Bailey.
Residents also questioned why curb and gutter are in the plans.
"You have to have drainage [for rainwater on the roadway]," said Councilman Dan Brod.
"Curb and gutter is an extravagance we don't need in a country-style setting," said resident Victor Faith.
"Whether we put that curb and gutter in or not, you'll pay for it," said Mayor Rick Scholtes.
That's because assessments are based on the previous three year's projects, Bailey noted.
"I'd love to have curb and gutter; everything drains my way," said resident Dale Henke.
Sue Juba wanted to know how residents will get to their homes on the dead-end street after construction begins.
"There's no magic answer, because there's no back access," said Wes Brown, city engineer, adding that he would work with the contractor to make a way.
Some residents protested against paving the entire cul-de-sac, saying children play in the grassy island now located in the middle. Bailey said paving the entire area will facilitate bus and snowplow traffic.
Some homeowners along other streets involved in the street work do not want the grass to be disturbed because they fear winding up with bare lawns, as has happened on other street projects in the past couple of years.
Brown and Bailey explained that the grass from the street to the sidewalk will be torn up so crews can get to the infrastructure that runs alongside the streets.
Scholtes explained that the city will be lenient with water bills for homeowners who want to water the berm to encourage grass to grow, adding that it would cost more expensive to have construction crews repair the grass.
Total cost for the projects is $2.1 million, with property owners paying $503,500.
After the public hearing was closed, the council continued the debate.
"The goal is the walkability in our community," Scholtes said. "It would be nice to connect the two ends of town with a path."
"It just doesn't go anywhere," protested Councilman Glenn Gaylord.
"The walking path will just be paint anyway," pointed out Brod. "Add it in later."
"I'm against putting in sidewalk when people don't want it," Gartzke said.
"You're ignoring the safety issue, John," argued Councilman John Huisman.
"We have nothing concrete to tell us this is a safety issue," answered Gartzke, noting that elderly people in other parts of town walk in the streets because some sidewalks are in such bad shape.
"We're in the process of repairing sidewalks," said Huisman, adding that paths are being built in the Twin Cities and people are using them because they are available now. "Our job is to listen to people and govern well. What's in the best interest of the public?"
In the end, the council voted 5-2 not to put in the walking path or parking lanes, but amended the original motion to keep the grassy island in the cul-de-sac, with drive-over curbs.