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The Making of Hamilton's Budget
By Vige Barrie
Dan Walker '05 knew he wanted to be a Buffer since he was a sophomore in high school. He attended an a cappella concert while visiting Hamilton with his parents on Family Weekend (his sister is Rebecca Walker '02) and was hooked.
Now, five years later, Dan is not only a member of Hamilton's popular men's singing ensemble, he is co-music director, lending his arranging skills to such favorites as Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long."
Also a member of the College Choir and College Hill Singers -- not to mention a Writing Center tutor and Levitt Center Scholar -- the double English/music major from Marcellus, N.Y., conducts research with his advisor, Associate Professor of English Onno Oerlemans. The two spent the summer working on a literary analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's third novel, The Blithedale Romance.
Walker also maintains the top GPA in his class -- the continuation of a fine academic record that earned him a Schambach Scholarship, a merit award that recognizes Hamilton's strongest applicants by meeting their full financial need, without loans, for four years.
"What attracted me to Hamilton, besides the awesome a cappella groups, was the College's reputation for quality academics and the emphasis on writing," he said. "I would not have been able to attend Hamilton without the generous scholarship support, and I can't imagine what life would be like if I hadn't come here."
After Hamilton, Walker plans to attend graduate school, but not before receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a year teaching in Germany.
Like many of Hamilton's most promising students, Dan Walker's ambitions and potential were equaled only by his financial need. Although he was offered admission at several top liberal arts colleges, Hamilton's scholarship package was the most generous he received -- evidence of the College's long-standing commitment to remaining a "school of opportunity."
Hamilton foregoes almost a third of its yearly tuition income to financial aid, which represents 17 percent of the College's annual budget. This amount is higher than the average among peer liberal arts colleges. (Figure 1) In fact, the financial assistance Hamilton offers students has increased 66 percent from $9.28 million to 5.37 million over the last 10 years.
Upward trends in financial aid spending most likely will continue at Hamilton, an indication of ongoing efforts to attract the most qualified and diverse student body in an increasingly competitive market. However, that decision does not come without tradeoffs. More money for scholarships means less for other areas, such as academic programming and student services -- two areas that ultimately impact the College's overall ranking in U.S. News and World Report.
"Managing the College finances is a continual exercise in balancing competing priorities," said Karen Leach, Hamilton's vice president of administration and finance. "One way to look at it is as a series of challenges, all of which involve both a push and a pull. First, there is a need to keep tuition down, but there is also tremendous pressure from students and parents for more programs, more facilities and more services. Plus we have our own aspirations to get better and better in order to do the very best by our students."
Hamilton has always been a highly personalized place, but that comes at a price. Services and resources, including new academic programs, extensive career and counseling services, student research opportunities and multimedia facilities, to name a few, have inflated College expenses in recent years. The same is true of capital projects. The expansion and renovation of the Science Building, scheduled for completion in September 2005, will help ensure Hamilton's leadership position in undergraduate science education by nearly doubling the amount of space devoted to science instruction. At $56 million, it is the most expensive building project in the College's history.
The personalized attention that has defined Hamilton over the years is also evident in the size of its faculty and staff. Five years ago, the faculty totalled 160; today that number is 190. Hamilton's low student-to-faculty ratio is an impressive 9-to-1, a figure below its peer institutions' median.
Over the last decade, however, the cost of health insurance, a significant portion of employee benefits, increased by 99 percent from $1.2 million to $2.4 million per year. "In order to significantly reduce costs, we would have to reduce people, but you need people to provide the kind of individual attention that comes with the academic and residential experience offered at a place like Hamilton," Leach said.
"What we offer at Hamilton goes far beyond the classroom experience," she continued. "What we are running here, as at many other rural liberal arts institutions, is a small town. We provide restaurants, a bookstore, multiple laundry facilities, cable TV, phone services, computer access, a public library, security and health services, utilities, and recreational spaces and facilities."
Hamilton's "town" covers 1300 acres on which stand 25 residence halls, 28 academic buildings, 19 administrative and athletic buildings, 24 houses and 18 miscellaneous buildings. These structures currently total 1.5 million square feet. The operation and maintenance of this "town," as in any municipality, is people-driven. It is not surprising, then, that more than 40 percent of Hamilton's budget is allocated to salaries.
In addition to people, many of the College's greatest expenses are "goods" that far outpace the rate of inflation. Library costs are a prime example. Over the last two years, the cost of library serials has grown by 22 percent. Electronic serial subscriptions, a relatively new but increasingly vital resource for faculty and students, have grown from $7,000 in 1990 to 33,000 in 2002. (Figure 2)
Technology is another budget item that has taken on new significance over the last decade. Essential to both the educational and business processes of an institution of higher learning, information technology now consumes between 4 and 6 percent of most college and university budgets. Hamilton spends 4.8 percent of its budget on this line item. A decade ago technology represented less than 1 percent.
The College's liability and property insurance expenses rose 49 percent in the three years from 2000-01 to 2003-04, increasing from $508,000 to $755,000, also following a national trend. A May 2002 Chronicle of Higher Education article reported, "As underwriters scrutinize colleges and the risks they pose more closely, some colleges will pay 15 percent more than in the past for some policies, but others could pay more than 300 percent more."
As expenses and competitive pressures grow, stock market performance and other economic uncertainties place pressure on the income side of Hamilton's budget. A common belief is that tuition covers the total expense of educating each student. This is rarely, if ever, the case at any institution. At Hamilton, tuition and room and board fees ($37,360 in 2003-04) cover 60 percent of budgeted expenses. The true cost of educating a single student per year at Hamilton is approximately $48,000. A large part of the additional cost is covered by carefully drawing a modest amount of income from the endowment. (Figure 3)
Hamilton has become more dependent on its endowment as a source of income, even as the market value suffered recently. At its peak in early March 2000, the College's endowment topped $500 million. After sinking to a low of $400 million the first week of October 2002, the value has rebounded to about $475 million last month. An essential component for financial aid support and funding for strategic programs, the endowment now represents 22 percent of the income side of the budget. (Figure 4) The 2002-03 market value of the endowment was 34,823 per student, compared to the median among peer colleges of 25,171.
"We must continually address the preservation of our financial resources so that Hamilton thrives far into the future," Leach said. "I often cite the Native American tradition that actions should be taken with the welfare of the seventh succeeding generation in mind. For us that means not drawing too heavily on our endowment to support operations, and it also means avoiding deferred maintenance in our physical plant. We have to both use and preserve our assets."
Many other colleges and universities have experienced debilitating endowment losses. This September, The Boston Globe revealed that "The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is cutting its budget for next year by roughly $70 million and may lay off 200 people to make up for three years of losses in its endowment. These cutbacks come after the institute already reduced its operating budget by $34 million for this fiscal year and raised student health care charges by 60 percent."
Hamilton has, through careful planning and management, remained in the black since World War II; however, a balanced budget cannot be taken for granted. Some colleges have gone into the red when faced with financial pressures.
Annual gifts from Hamilton alumni and friends also provide essential income. Hamilton is extremely fortunate to have one of the highest alumni giving participation rates among all colleges and universities nationally. At 59 percent, Hamilton ranks sixth compared to all national liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report. In preparing the 2003-04 budget, Leach said, "We try to remain realistic yet hopeful that our expectations, in terms of the Annual Fund, will be exceeded." (Figure 5)
Hamilton's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The budget process begins each fall with a review of projected revenue -- tuition, room, board and fees; income from the endowment; anticipated Annual Fund gifts; income from foundation and research grants; and miscellaneous income sources such as summer camps, conferences and bookstore sales. (Figure 6)
Current expenses consist of $17 million for financial aid; $45 million for salaries and benefits; million for equipment, facilities renewal and technology; $3 million for utilities; $8.1 million for debt service; $4 million for externally funded grant and research projects; more than million to run programs abroad; almost million for travel for student recruiting, fundraising and professional development; million in contracted services, including everything from maintenance to planning and design fees; $1.7 million for materials and services for the physical plant; $1.4 million for periodicals and books for the library; $1 million for printing; $500,000 for postage; and more than $4 million for a wide variety of other program and general operating expenses.
"Spending goals in each area are based on priorities outlined in the strategic plan and articulated by the faculty and administration," Leach said. "We continue by defining anticipated operating budget increases and try to predict what our expenses will be for utilities and other contracts with outside vendors. We then explore how we will bring the budget into balance for the next year, and we also look at the effect on the longer planning period."
The next step is to collect budget requests from every department on campus and enter the requests into a draft budget. Inevitably the draft is several million dollars out of balance because there are legitimate needs, good ideas and aspirations that cannot be accommodated, Leach noted. Forecasted assumptions that have been agreed upon are compared and adjusted to establish a balanced scenario, making tradeoffs as needed.
"It requires a lot of discussion, and when you get down to the final decisions, it gets the most challenging. We are then choosing between cutting current programs to fund new ones or postponing really good new ideas," Leach said.
"The public doesn't necessarily see the efficiencies that we routinely implement so that we can reallocate resources," she continued. "We often have to back off the timetable for our goals. Always, that's the challenge: how to do more with less and deliver the highest possible quality, how to compete in what is really a niche market."
The people most closely involved in the budgeting process are the president and vice president for academic affairs, along with the four members of the on-campus budget committee. This committee provides strategic advice to balance the budget, which is then passed to the vice presidents, who determine specific budget cuts in their areas and establish the end result.
"Our goal is to keep tuition increases to a minimum. We want to give students the richest program possible while remaining very aware that this kind of quality education is a big investment and a financial reach for most families," Leach said.
This year Hamilton announced that charges to students for tuition, room and board for the 2003-04 year would total $37,360, a 4.9 percent increase over last year. The median increase of total charges at peer liberal arts colleges was 5.6 percent, and the increase nationally for private colleges, according to The Wall Street Journal, was 5.8 percent. (Figure 7)
Although average liberal arts tuitions have risen 52 percent over the last 10 years, after adjusting for inflation, this increase has, in real terms, only been 17 percent, according to Leach. "The fact is that the prices of the goods and services a college has to buy rise faster than the items that are used to establish the national inflation figure," she said. "At the same time, the uncertainty of the economy has placed heavier financial burdens on some of our students and prospective students. We expect the pressure on financial assistance to continue, especially with the weak economy."
Looking to the future, Leach said that she will continue her work on what she calls "financial transparency" -- in other words keeping the lines of communication open.
"Our goal is to put more budget information and tools online in the coming year," she explained. "I grab every possible opportunity to talk about the budget. This fall I will be speaking at a faculty meeting, at Family Weekend and to the Student Assembly. I always get excellent questions and suggestions when I do these presentations. I learn a lot, and I hope the people in the room feel that what I tell them gives them some insight into the bigger picture."
Vige Barrie is a media consultant for Hamilton College and Colgate University. She is a recent transplant from Dallas, Texas, where she was director of marketing and communications for Southern Methodist University's business school. She is also president of the Executive Alumni Board of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.


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Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp writes: Peggy Harper (obituary, 16 July) did indeed persuade the patron Robin Howard to see the Martha Graham Company in London in 1954 – and he took some persuading. The day before, Harper introduced Howard to company member Robert Cohan, and the two men spent an hour arguing about what dance was and could do. Cohan left saying: "I really don't care whether you come to the performances or not – if you don't, it's simply your loss!"
Howard did come, and was inspired to devote the rest of his life and fortune to the development of contemporary dance in Britain, founding The Place, a centre for dance training and performance, with Cohan as its artistic director. This year, thanks to the vision of Howard and Cohan, The Place celebrates its 40th birthday, but without Harper's persistence, the history of dance in Britain (to say nothing of her work in Africa) would be quite different.
David Peschek writes: For many years Charles Arnold-Baker (obituary, 16 July) was the legal editor of Local Government Chronicle, a weekly produced from a rather antiquated office in the City of London. It had, and still has, an influential readership, particularly among lawyers and managers in local government, and Arnold-Baker's legal training and later semi-political post as leader of the National Association of Parish Councils made him a familiar name in town halls. He could hold his own with any of the leading political and management figures of his time.

subset: commoncrawl


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|November 18, 2013, 04:41 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 1,911
P7M8 extraction issue
After 8 years of trouble free use my pistol has begun acting up. On the past few outings, out of a box of 50, I have had 3-4 stovepipes, or even worse, the empty spins a 180 outside the chamber and jams. I thought it might improve with hotter reloads but going from 4.6 to 4.9 of 231 with 124 FMJ's did not make a difference. I've ordered an extractor spring but I've heard that these don't even need the extractor. The extractor seems very loose and you can easily lift if with your finger. I took the extractor spring out and it is there, but I have no idea how long it should be. Pistol is very clean and I have the same issue with all 3 magazines. I've fired a few thousand trouble free rounds of mostly reloads through this thing prior to the recent problems. Ejection is typically about 3 ft. at 4-5 o'clock. Have any of you experienced this problem? Thanks
|November 18, 2013, 04:45 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 21, 2000
Posts: 4,153
I have a P7M8, and a P7 PSP and have never had ejection problems. It does sound like an ejector spring though. Replace that, and see what happens. Also, have you ever replaced your mag springs?
|November 18, 2013, 04:56 PM
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Join Date: December 20, 2012
Location: The "Gunshine State"
Posts: 1,981
Is the piston completely clean? That can start to cause problems if the tube is getting gunked up
|November 18, 2013, 05:08 PM
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Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 1,911
One mag is only a couple of months old. I replaced the other two springs about 3 years ago. I used the scraper tool in the cylinder and only a few specks came out. I usually use a nylon bore brush in there. The piston has the normal carbon buildup but nothing severe. Does your ejector seem really loose? Mine will hold a case but has very little tension.
|November 18, 2013, 05:37 PM
Junior member
Join Date: October 27, 2013
Posts: 1,139
Blowback guns like the P7 don't even use the extractor. Agree that the ejector, mag or gas cylinder is more likely.
While you're at it, take a good look at the welds inside the slide.
|November 19, 2013, 05:40 AM
Join Date: August 8, 2013
Posts: 93
Gas system
Clean the gas system! Use a 270 bore brush if you don't have the scrapper that comes with it. Great handguns and had plenty but that gas system and the weight of a 8 round handgun left me from that handgun. When the gas system fouls up to much, you won't even be able to pull the slide back so also don't see no oil in the gas system when you clean it.
|November 19, 2013, 02:09 PM
Junior member
Join Date: October 27, 2013
Posts: 1,139
I never fouled the gas system enough to jam up the gun. I don't know how much shooting without cleaning that would require. And that includes shooting copper washed reloads.
|November 19, 2013, 02:13 PM
Join Date: July 8, 2006
Posts: 22
From the symptoms you describe, the gun does not have an extraction problem; it has an ejection problem.
Either the reloads you are using are not powerful enough to drive the slide fully to the rear to smartly smack the rim against the ejector, or the extractor spring is not strong enough to hold the case against the breech face in the proper position for its rim to be hit squarely by the ejector. The gun also depends on the extractor to serve as the fulcrum for the fired case to be pivoted out the ejection port; a weak spring won't hold the extractor firmly enough.
You've said that you've already cleaned the gas cylinder and piston. Assuming they are clear, scrub out the barrel chamber to make sure that it's not retarding smooth withdrawal of the fired case, and slowing down the slide velocity, which in turn can result in weak ejection. The P7 has a fluted chamber to "float" the case out; make sure the flutes are not clogged.
Then try other ammunition; if that doesn't make the problem go away, replace the extractor spring.
Try one remedy at a time; otherwise you won't know which one was the true fix (if it happens again).
|November 19, 2013, 03:55 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 2, 2006
Location: Bowling Green Virginia
Posts: 4,254
I think I would first try shooting some quality factory ammo to see if the problem manifests then. If so, then there's a problem with the pistol. if not, then the problem is probably the hand loaded ammo.
|November 19, 2013, 05:41 PM
Join Date: July 8, 2006
Posts: 22
Yes. That was the reason I suggested leaving extractor spring replacement until last.
|November 19, 2013, 06:21 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 1,911
I think you used the magic word, "fulcrum". My understanding was that the P7 did not even need an extractor so I discounted the value of spring tension. Your explanation clears it up in my mind and I think that explains the extraction yet stovepiping. As I've said earlier, everything is clean and unclogged. The empty cases have very strong clear flute marks and the hole in the barrel to the cylinder is clear. It is not the ammo. Shooting the warmest loads from the Hornady site show the same characteristics as my standard load. BTW, I have been reloading for many years, have a variety of pistols, and the ammo is better than factory. Normally I would give the same advice regarding ammo. Midway has the extractor spring for $4 so that is an easy test and is on the way (along with some other stuff that I don't really need ). I will post the results in any case. The extractor spring will be easy to replace, at least the second time you take it apart. Thanks for all of the input.
|November 19, 2013, 06:31 PM
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Join Date: March 8, 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,820
If you ever have to use a firearm, you don't get to pick the scenario!
|November 22, 2013, 09:11 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 23, 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 1,911
Range trip success
My spring arrived yesterday from Midway and I just got back from the range. I believe the problem is solved. Two boxes of rapid fire rounds without a single failure. Ejection is about 15 ft. to 3-4 o'clock. Much further than before. The old spring measured 0.308 and the new one is 0.338 and you can easily feel the difference with extractor tension.
It seems that the extractor on a P7 serves as a loaded chamber indicator and keeping a round in the chamber slightly compresses this spring. Since the pistol usually lives in my desk with a round in the chamber, I believe that has unnecessarily contributed to a limited lifespan of the spring. Going forward I will only chamber a round when I'm carrying it. In any case, it is a very inexpensive repair and something to keep in mind if you own one of these pistols. Thanks for all of the suggestions and I hope this helps someone.
|November 22, 2013, 05:50 PM
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Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Oh the horror, the horror.
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Cooper-Hewitt Design Center Opens in Harlem
Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, whose collection is focused on contemporary and historic design, has opened a storefront space in Harlem in an effort to explore new venues throughout New York. The new 1,500-square-foot space, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center, resides at 111 Central Park North (at Malcolm X Boulevard).
Official opened on May 12th, the space will allow the museum's educators to conduct free workshops for children, teenagers and adults with support of Target–who will be covering expenses for the first year.
The Cooper-Hewitt Design Center will also offer free programs including storytelling, after-school sessions for teenagers, professional development workshops for teachers, evening programs for adults and drop-in design workshops for children ages 5 and older.
The museum's main location at Andrew Carnegie's former mansion is currently closed due to renovations which will increase its space by 60%. It will reopen in 2014.
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Make a quick supper with dough
Devney, Carmen. "Make a quick supper with dough." North Dakota Living: May 2014, 46-47.
Marge Horner teaches Dakota Kids 4-H club members Lakkin Ryum, left, and McKenzie Haas how to make rahmnoodla.
Marge Horner doesn't bake with the intention of knocking a judge's socks off, but if she did, it would happen.
Judging by taste, sight and smell, Marge makes grand-champion caramel rolls ... and rahmnoodla, elephant ears, wiener wraps and pepperoni wraps - all using homemade dough. After sharing her dough recipe with Dakota Kids 4-H club members and giving them a lesson in April, the kids have some delicious options to enter as a food project for Achievement Days or the tri-county fair. For those who descend from German-Russian heritage, they also learned more about how their ancestors prepared food.
Marge, a member of Kem Electric Cooperative in Napoleon, grew up on a farm near Burnstad, south and east of Napoleon. Raised Lutheran, she married a Catholic man from the same area. The couple moved south of Napoleon to farm with Mike's parents, Johanna and Anton Horner. Even though both families were of German decent, many traditions were different.
"There were so many of my mother-in-law's dishes that I liked, like rahmnoodla. I asked her how to make them, and she told me. I proceeded to make them. Well, the good little Lutheran girl that I was, when you have a dough recipe, you let it rise. My rahmnoodla were huge - like a caramel roll. We all had a good laugh," she reflects.
Her family ate the rahmnoodla and said they were good. But the next time Marge wanted to make the recipe, she asked for a hands-on lesson from her mother-in-law.
"That's how I learned how to make my husband's favorite dishes. Every time she would make something, I'd watch her, and do it step by step beside her," she describes. "It was the only way that I was going to pass along this heritage on to our kids."
Mike and Marge have a son and daughter, and now have six grandchildren; all who have been or are involved in 4-H.
"It's a lifetime thing," Marge says.
When the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Logan County Extension Service approached Marge about teaching the Dakota Kids 4-H club members how to make dough items, she quickly agreed.
"Everyone is afraid of dough. [Preparing it] is not that hard," Marge says. "Just as it was for me, a hands-on lesson is the best way to teach the kids some fun things they can do for a quick supper."
Marge shares her dough recipe, as well as two desserts using her dough, with North Dakota Living readers. She got the basics for the rahmnoodla and caramel rolls from her mother-in-law and adapted both recipes.
Marge claims that working with dough is "really easy" with practice. She also confides that she still makes mistakes.
"That's the only way you learn," she says. "I love to try new recipes. When I give the 4-H kids a lesson, I tell them to make something special that will knock the judge's socks off."
Amanda Hayen, and administrative assistant with the NDSU Logan County Extension Service, says the members of the Dakota Kids 4-H club learned how to handle dough from "the very best."
"If you want to learn, [Marge's kitchen] is where you want to be," she says.
About two years ago, Marge gave her first dough lesson to students. "Afterward, many people thanked me," she says. "Somebody has to teach these kids, and I just love helping them. It gives me the opportunity to pass on my family traditions."
To view a complementary video on this story, visit NDAREC's YouTube site at www.youtube.com/ndarec.
2/3 cup warm water, 1/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup warm milk, 4 1/2 cups Dakota Maid bread flour include 1 heaping T. gluten in this measurement, 1/4 cup margarine, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. instant yeast (1 pkg.)
Place all ingredients in order given in a bread machine and process on dough cycle.
Marge Horner, KEM Electric Cooperative member
dough (see above recipe)
6 eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup Wondra flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 4 cups milk, 1 pkg. (regular size), 4 cups cream, cooked vanilla, Dash salt, pudding (dry), and 1 T. vanilla.
Mix all custard ingredients except the vanilla in a very large microwavable bowl and microwave until thick, stirring about every 10 minutes. It takes about 30 to 35 minutes to cook. Add vanilla after it has cooled slightly. To make the rahmnoodla, take a piece of dough about the size you would make a bun. Roll it out into a 4'' x 6'' rectangle, spread a heaping tablespoon of custard on top, and sprinkle with a heaping teaspoon of sugar/cinnamon mix, roll up, place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Spread more custard, sugar and cinnamon on top; bake immediately in convection oven at 325 degrees about 20 minutes or until brown.
Marge's test notes: I use a microwave so the ingredients do not scorch. This makes a very big batch, about 75 to 80 rahmnoodla. The recipe could be cut in half, but I make the full recipe because it freezes so well.
Marge Horner, KEM Electric Cooperative member
dough (see above recipe)
butter (softened), 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, cream, 1 3/4 cups brown sugar (divided).
Roll basket of bread out to about a 15'' x 30'' rectangle. Spread softened butter or margarine on surface, then sprinkle with cinnamon and about 1/4 cup brown sugar. Roll up, pinching edges shut. Cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces, for about 20. Place in greased p'' x 13'' pan. Freexe; put frozen rolls in pan and let rise overnight. Just before baking, mix equal parts cream and brown sugar; add cinnamon and gently pour over rolls and bake until very brown.
Marge's test notes: I use my hands to spread the brown sugar across the dough to incorporate it with the cinnamon and butter. Twelve rolls fit nicely in a cake pan, or four rolls in an 8'' square pan. In my convection oven, it takes 37 minutes at 325 degrees to bake; every oven varies. If you underbake the rolls, they could be doughy. You may also just bake the rolls plain and frost with cream cheese frosting or use odd peces for crispies (elephant ears). Just roll in cinnamon and sugar mix, and bake immediately.
Marge Horner, KEM Electric Cooperative member
Permission of North Dakota Living


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DHS hosts Special Olympics
Jonathan Menard - Apr 26, 2012
DHS hosts Special Olympics
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Acidrayne360 Wrote:Does my character make anyone feel...Inadequate?
Acidrayne360 Wrote:That IS pretty funny.
I'd be scared to get in bed with a chick like that.
Acidrayne360 Wrote:Maybe you should edit your first post to include the disclaimer from when you first start up the game.
And I think the Shining Sword is below 30 corruption.
Zodiark69 Wrote:I damn whoever posted that link. xD You got me hooked onto a game I never heard of. Thanks a lot! xP
haloman Wrote:Did i miss anything?
haloman Wrote:Did i miss anything?
Gorbaz Wrote:haloman Wrote:Did i miss anything?
Only the double canine peppers, I believe. Found them on a hellhound. Gives twin dog cocks
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text: First attempt at a shoulder went well yesterday. Smoked for 9.5 hours with a combination of hickory, apple, and pecan chips at 230 degrees. Starting weight was just under 8 lbs. After reaching 165 in the smoke, foiled it with a cup of apple juice and cranked the smoker up to 275. Took about 2.5 hours to get to 200. Took it out of the smoker, wrapped in towels and into a cooler for 1.5 hours. Unwrapped and pulled it apart. Bone pulled right out. Of course had to sample some even though will be serving it tomorrow. Made up a batch of some N.C. vinegar based sauce and some cole slaw to go with it. Very pleased how well it turned out. Finished product After 6 hours in smoker After being foiled


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Fundamentalists vs. Moderates: the unsuccessful battle continuesNov. 21, 1997
Fundamentalists vs. Moderates; the unsuccessful battle continues
'Liberals today call themselves moderate. A skunk by any other name still stinks.'
And so are the words of Dr. W.A. Criswell. The former pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas leaves no question of his affiliation.
He is a fundamentalist, plain and simple. What's scarier than that? He's proud of it.
Then there's Dr. Charles Wade, former president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
'Southern Baptist leaders will have our support if they will focus on missions and evangelism ... but they will drive more and more Texas Baptists away if they focus on requiring conformity as a condition of cooperation,' Wade said in his presidential address earlier this month at the BGCT's annual meeting.
He's a moderate, plain and simple. What's scarier than that? He's proud of it.
These two men are leaders in their camps. Whichever camp we're in, we do this. We become so proud of identifying ourselves with fundamentalists or moderates we forget our true purpose.
We're so concerned about who is right, about who is a true Baptist and about the internal strife, that we forget one of the main purposes of a Christian of any denomination. Evangelism has gone by the wayside as Baptists nationally and statewide look to blame others and point fingers.
Moderates blame fundamentalists for the decline of mission work in the Southern Baptist Convention. Fundamentalists blame moderates for wanting women in the ministry.
Moderates embrace more of the 'you-do-it-your-way; I'll-do-it-mine' approach. Fundamentalists are notorious for the 'my-way-or-the-highway' approach.
And once again, Criswell says it best.
'Like sin and the devil, we shall have the so-called moderates among us. I am praying that as time goes on, our fundamental, Bible-believing people will become so numerous and so dedicated until the voices of the moderates subside into an indistinguishable whisper.'
No one is right in this argument. It's not who's closer to God and who's not. Certainly, as Baptists, we've turned it into that. We've made it a race with a winner and a loser.
But God isn't a fundamentalist. He isn't a moderate either.
Instead, he is the God of the billions of people who are dying as we stand by and try to decide if God is a fundamentalist or moderate.
And that's it. Plain and simple.
Copyright © 1997 The Lariat
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Managing Growth Without Adding Staff
For more than 30 years, a Manhattan-based investment management firm servicing institutional and high-net-worth clients enjoyed moderate account growth and a loyal, stable client base. After winning several large SMA (wrap) accounts over an 18-month period, the firm found itself growing beyond its capacity.
Manual processes not scalable and risky
The firms back- and middle-office technology and support functions were becoming an obstacle to its ongoing success. Specifically:
- Lack of internal standardization
- Reliance on overly manual, undocumented processes
- Lack of automated technology
It required a solution that would:
- Scale to effectively manage rapid growth
- Establish formal, documented processes and controls and compliance protocols
- Reduce the potential for errors
- Improve data sharing and transparency to meet due diligence requirements
Increasing headcount was not a viable long-term solution, and enhancing its technological resources in-house was cost-prohibitive. The firm decided that outsourcing its back and middle office and administrative functions would ease its growing pains while enabling it to remain focused on managing investments and building client relationships.
The right fit
The firm chose SEIs separate account processing solution based on SEIs expertise in:
- Consolidating processes
- Making better use of systems already in place
- Implementing process improvements to accommodate current and future growth
In terms of technology, SEIs solution introduced the ability to:
- Index and distribute documents in real time, while creating an electronic audit trail
- Increase automation to aid in risk management
- Implement new quality control measures
- Aggregate data into a central location, eliminating manual data calculation and scrubbing
- Increase analysis production speed
- Turn data into actionable business intelligence
An enhanced business environment
The operational efficiencies and access to reliable and extensive infrastructure to support its growing business helped the firm maximize productivity while reducing risk in the areas of:
- Account administration and maintenance From account opening to closing, SEI manages the firms entire account administration work stream through a fully integrated, standardized and automated process.
- Performance calculation and reporting After calculating account performance, SEI automatically generates and distributes a variety of reports according to the clients predetermined schedule. Data standardization has drastically improved reporting capabilities that the client now receives.
- Account and trade reconciliation The firm was able to automate the processing of a large percentage of manual accounts. SEI also helped establish available interfaces and automated much of the reconciliation, as well as streamlined the firms account coding to maximize efficiency and reduce trading risk.
- Workflow and data management SEI maintains and manages all the firms files and records securely online. Audit trails and reports are stored and delivered in a secure, online environment, boosting transparency.
- Technology integration SEIs technology expertise enhanced the automation and functionality of the firms portfolio management system, which previously had not been used to its potential. In addition, the client gained the benefit of SEIs IT security infrastructure and capabilities, including 24-hour support, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
Results speak volumes
SEIs outsourced operational solution enabled the firm to:
- Manage rapid growth without adding staff Assets under management doubled, without increasing headcount.
- Mitigate risk and enhance compliance Regulators can temporarily, securely access the workflow system, making the process easier for the auditor and less disruptive for the firm.
- Greatly reduce the time required to produce quarterly client billing This was achieved by streamlining the client invoicing process.
- Replace manual systems with automated technology This frees staff to better serve the business, focus on higher value activities and reduce the risk of errors.
- Gain insight and transparency from its data SEIs reporting capabilities give the client transparency across its business, such as identifying how many accounts were opened and closed, benchmarking individual security and sector exposures, and uncovering product and market trends.
To find out how SEIs SMA (wrap) solution can help your firm increase scalability and transparency, reduce risk and leverage best-in-class technology, please contact us online, by phone +1 610.676.1270 or email email@example.com.


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Something Lost At 'NFL Experience'
Wednesday - February 01, 2006
For grocery stores it's the second biggest day of the year. It's called an unofficial national holiday by some, and for those in the pizza-delivery business there is no day more important. The Super Bowl is an event. Some would say the event. A day of get-togethers, barbecues, television, gambling (legal and otherwise), commentary, predictions, TiVo, trash-talking, weeping, finger-pointing, deafening screams, roaring laughter, adult beverages, stories of backed-up sewers at half time and any number of other quality things that make it a true family event.
And that's just for those at home.
For the lucky quarter million or so who are brave enough to get within a few hundred miles of the game site, things are even more exciting. The Windsor Ballet included.
It's called the NFL Experience. Five days of autographs, fandom and above all promotion, promotion, promotion. Do you believe the hype? You'd better. It's the biggest commercial of the year. Rumor has it there is even a football game to be found somewhere.
According to the Super Bowl XL website, the Experience is "the most exciting continuous event surrounding Super Bowl XL - an interactive theme park offering participating games, displays and entertainment attractions." But that's not all.
There are also card shows, autographs, clinics and Football 101, a class specifically designed to teach women the rules of the game. That's right, ladies, just stop by Cobo Center - next to the arena where Bob Seger recorded Live Bullet - plop down your $15, and maybe you too can someday join your husbands, boyfriends, brothers and uncles in drooling admiration of NFL football. While there, don't forget to sign up for a free one-credit course that will teach you how to spend an idiotic amount of time and money on paraphernalia that no real fan can do without and no player would be caught dead wearing.
Here's the rub. The teams involved are basically irrelevant. The ad rates have been set, corporate donors are lined up and fans will be bilked for every dime. What matters is money. Not fan appreciation nor promoting the host city.
Locals were shocked to hear that Detroit's massive musical legacy was going to be ignored. From day one rumors swirled about a halftime show featuring a musical montage performed by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder - who is actually from Saginaw - Seger, Kid Rock and Eminem. Also available could have been Ted Nugent, Diana Ross, Alice Cooper, The White Stripes, Smokey Robinson, Madonna, Iggy Pop, George Clinton, The Temptations and Anita Baker. Heck, they may have even dusted off the MC-5 to Kick Out The Jams, but they didn't. Why? Because while the game is played in Detroit, the event is staged for the world. And since Janet Jackson showed off her fun bag in a desperate attempt to reinvigorate a falling career, the league has decided to trade hip hop for hip replacement. Safety through osteoporosis. Don't worry, the NFL will get back to embracing hard rock and rap once parents aren't looking, but until then get used to acts older than the game itself. Early favorite for next year's show is said to be Tony Bennett.
No one wants to go back to the early days when empty seats were common and entertainment consisted of a simple marching band, but we lost something when the game went from football and fans to one centered around corporate comps and people tuning in just to see how many giggles they can get from Budweiser commercials.
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This Thursday at 10/9c, ABC's Scandal returns with the first of Season 2′s final four episodes, airing without interruption — and here's a pair of sneak peeks at what's on tap.
RELATED | May Sweeps/Season Finale Scoopapalooza: More Than 100 Spoilers on Your Favorite Series' Endgames
First up: Liv musta put two and two together since we last tuned in — and/or Jake 'fessed up to some version of his super-creepy surveillance secret — because she wants no part of Fitz's bedside manner. "I hate you," she shoots at her ex, launching into a bit that will break your heart.
Next up, Cyrus chastises the president for his hands-on observation of hospitalized Liv, seeing as the overnighter has created a bit of a "situation" for him. But their chat is interrupted by the arrival of Jake, whom Fitz promptly introduces to his (wary) chief of staff.
Want more scoop on Scandal, or any other show? Email email@example.com and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line.
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WASHINGTON — After years of relative quiet, the possible health effects of video display terminals have again become a public issue, fueled by a new scientific study and a new law on Long Island.
These appear against an unsettled scientific backdrop, in which some dangers are discounted but others are still open to doubt.
The latest research raises new fears that the terminals might be linked to miscarriages or birth defects in pregnant women, but the findings are only preliminary and suggestive, according to the researchers.


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My Content
Membership has its privileges! Sign up or sign in to gain full access to both All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Learn more.
So, too, should the Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble's Expectation. Like the previous two albums, this one sits in an amiable corner of the modern-mainstream tradition but, also like the previous discs, its creators bring degrees of invention and quirky twists to the music which lift it skywards. It's a beautifully conceived set of standards and jazz classics, creatively yet respectfully arranged, and performed by outstanding, empathetic musicians, each of them a memorable soloist.
Bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, the Ensemble's leader and arranger, has worked in some A-list bands over the past decadewith pianists Alice Coltrane and Brad Mehldau and saxophonists Charles Lloyd and Joe Lovano, among othersand for Expectation he cherry-picked a line-up from empathetic sidemen met along the way. The ever propulsive, cliché-free drummer Peter Erskine (like all the musicians, beautifully recorded, every piece of his kit shimmering in the light). The funky, harmonically sophisticated organist Alan Pasqua. Saxophonist Bob Sheppard (on five tracks), nimble on the soprano, a quiet fire on tenor. And vocalist Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer (on four tracks), mistress of elegance and cool.
At the heart of the music, alongside the awesome Erskine, is guitarist Larry Koonse. Foursquare in the Charlie Christian/Wes Montgomery tradition, Koonse is a technically adept and ravishingly melodic player, his improvisations full of long, lyrical, flowing lines. The band swings righteously from start to finish, Erskine and Oleszkiewicz setting the pace, Pasqua prompting and prodding, Koonse dancing like a genie in front. It's just gorgeous, and full of surprises and unexpected twists and diversions.
In writing the arrangementswhich are sunny, spacious and imaginatively voicedOleszkiewicz avoids major recalibrations, preferring to retain the original top-lines and changes with just a tweak here and there. The tweaks include putting Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty" in 5/4 timeencouraging some drum breaks from Erksine as arresting as those played by drummer Joe Morello on the Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Take Five"and setting Irving Berlin's "I Got Lost In His Arms" over an Antonio Jobim-esque bossa-nova guitar chart.
In the sleeve notes, Oleszkiewicz writes that playing with this group feels like driving a luxurious, vintage Cadillac, with all its comfort, power and flamboyance. Listening to it feels like that too. Remember to keep the sunroof down.
Track Listing: All Blues; I Didn't Know What Time It Was; Along Came Betty; Blue In Green; Expectation; San Franciso Holiday; I Got Lost In His Arms; Why Do I Love You; This Is New; Sail Away; I'll Be Seeing You; Whatever Possessed Me.
Personnel: Larry Koonse: guitar; Alan Pasqua: B3 Hammond organ; Darek Oleszkiewicz: bass; Peter Erskine: drums; Bob Sheppard: soprano (1, 6) and tenor (2, 5, 9) saxophone; Janis Siegel: vocals (2, 5, 7, 12).
Title: Expectation | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Kind of Blue Records
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Natural Gas Pipeline Company Of America
Second Revised Volume No. 2
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 06/01/1993, Docket: RP93- 36-000, Status: Suspended
Third Revised Sheet No. 2022 Third Revised Sheet No. 2022 : Suspended
Superseding: Second Revised Sheet No. 2022
*2. Natural shall redeliver each day to United for the account of
Chevron and Chevron shall cause United to receive in a commingled stream
together with other gas Natural is delivering to United at the outlet of
Natural's meter station near the Texaco Henry Plant, a volume of gas with
an equivalent thermal content to that delivered under the terms of this
agreement to Natural each day at the redelivery point provided for in
Paragraph 10 of Article I, less eight-tenths of one percent (.8%) gas
lost and unaccounted for and fuel gas on Natural's system.
3. Natural shall install, maintain and operate a meter or meters
and other regulating and measuring equipment, including a recording
calorimeter, for the purpose of measuring gas redelivered to United for
Chevron's account.
4. (a) Commencing with the date of initial receipt and redelivery
of gas under this Article XV, Chevron agrees to pay Natural each month
for the additional transportation service the product of the Mcf of the
Contract Transportation Quantity, effective under Article II, times
ninety-eight (98) miles times the currently effective Southern Zone
Mcf-mile Reservation Fee under Natural's Rate Schedule FTS which is on
file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A commodity charge
equal to the product of Natural's currently effective Rate Schedule FTS
Southern Zone commodity charge per 100 miles times ninety-eight (98)
miles times all volumes redelivered shall also be assessed.
(b) It is recognized that Chevron may from time to time
overrun the aforementioned Contract Transportation Quantity. Therefore,
Natural agrees to accept overrun volumes on a best efforts basis, and
Chevron agrees to pay Natural an overrun charge equal to the product of
the daily overrun volumes in excess of the Contract Transportation
Quantity effective under Article II times 98 miles times the Reservation
Fee referred to in Paragraph 4(a) above, divided by 30.2 in the Peak
Period and 30.6 in the Off-Peak Period.
(c) The charge for gas transported under Paragraphs 4(a)
and 4(b) of this Article XV shall be subject to increase or decrease
pursuant to any order issued in any rate or certificate proceeding of
Natural. Natural shall have the right to affect changes in
* Amended by Agreement dated January 11, 1985.


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Leto set for Panathinaikos
Sebastian Leto has revealed he is almost certain to move to Panathinaikos in the near future.
By Fotis Voinikas
Last Updated: 22/06/09 11:52am
Liverpool winger Sebastian Leto has revealed he is almost certain to move to Panathinaikos in the near future.
The 22-year-old is set to leave the Reds after it was discovered he would have little or no chance of gaining a work permit due to his lack of appearances on Merseyside.
The Argentine only joined the club in the summer of 2007 and spent the entire of last season on loan at Greek side Olympiakos.
The former Lanus youngster admits that he would have preferred to make his move to the Greek champions permanent but the offer never came.
"I am very close to Panathinaikos," he said. "There are negotiations between Panathinaikos and Liverpool and as far as I know the two sides are very close to a deal.
Almost certain
"I think that the possibilities to play at Panathinaikos next season right now are more than 90 per cent.
"I have been waiting for something from Olympiakos all these weeks but they didn't make a move to buy me so far.
"It's not a matter of money. I wanted to stay at Olympiakos but since they don't want to sign me I have to think about my future."


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New web article on fantasy authors
Expand Messages
- I think many people on this list might be interested in an article from
this week's _SF Weekly_. The Man Who Came to Dinner, a food critic, gets
himself invited out and writes about it in the paper. His most recent foray
was dinner with Bay Area writers Pat Murphy, Michaela Roessner and Lisa
Goldstein -- all of whom have new books out. I'm currently reading Murphy's
_There and Back Again_, which is very entertaining and has a sort of
nagging familiarity......
Here's the article's URL:
Eleanor M. Farrell
Editor, Mythprint
P.O. Box 320486
San Francisco, CA 94132-0486
E-mail: emfarrell@...
Mythprint: Mythopoeic Society newsletter
Mythopoeic Society web site: http://www.mythsoc.org
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Daily Archives: November 15, 2010
Fun with GIS #65: Mapping Fresh Water
Geography Awareness Week (Nov 14-20) 2010 has a theme of "fresh water." This critical topic is easy to explore with GIS, whether on GIS Day (Nov 17, 2010) or any day, using resources of ArcGIS Online.
It took only two minutes of work on ArcGIS Online to create a project of watersheds and surface waters for the US. Starting with the blank ArcGIS.com "Make a Map" Viewer, I searched for and added "population density", "watersheds EPA" (choosing the "Web Mercator" version), and "rivers NHD". I shifted the basemap to "topographic", and saved and shared the result, as "US Waters."
I even checked to see that it would show up and work properly on an iPad, which, of course, it does, since this web map application uses only Javascript.
Then, I opened up the same project inside of ArcGIS Explorer Online (which uses the Microsoft Silverlight plugin). The hydro data actually has a series of layers which can be spilled open independently and customized. I zoomed in to one region — Augusta, Maine — and was able to look at the how the lay of the land can be seen in the watersheds, and vice versa.
By zooming closer and closer, people with just a web browser can see the landscape, study the patterns of water flow on the ground, look for elements on the land that might affect the quality of water, and explore how capable the environments are for handling variations over time.
Fresh water will be a pressing issue for humanity for the foreseeable future. Citizens of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities need to understand water systems. The integrative power of GIS is critical for helping people develop a holistic view. STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes and non-STEM classes alike need to think holistically if we expect to build critical thinkers who can truly solve problems and not simply make decisions. Start by taking a look at the waters in your area.
- Charlie Fitzpatrick, Co-Manager, Esri Schools Program


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The buzz in the weather world this year is turning from drought to El Nino. The drought will be a major issue for the spring and summer months, but El Nino could turn that around in a hurry.
The latest image from NASAshows an El Nino developing near the equator and compares it to the last big El Nino season 1997 and into 1998. NASA is using satellites to measure the highest point of the water, which is pretty incredible. Through thermal expansion, warmer water expands, and the warmer the water, the higher the numbers.
The equator was much warmer than average and we saw the classic El Nino pattern develop with major rain for Southern California and the southeast and drought in Australia.
Something interesting about a classic El Nino pattern is that there is not a strong correlation with more rain in Northern California for a weak to moderate El Nino, but for a major El Nino, there has been copious rain in the past. The biggest monthly rain total for Sacramento was February 1998 with almost 13 inches of rain.
There can be benefits with rain, and more water storage as a result of increased rain in the winter, but a strong El Nino can also create flooding and damage. A recapof damage lists vegetable crop losses, flood damage, and crop loss in Asia as some negative impacts of a strong El Nino. Fewer Atlantic hurricanes is another as a result.
While it is still early to declare El Nino is here, all the signs point to it becoming the major influence on our weather later this summer and into next year.
Rob Carlmark, News10 meteorologist


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Paragon Employees Deliver Homemade Blankets to Patients at Le Bonheur
Paragon National Bank employees recently delivered 12 homemade blankets to patients staying at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Bank employees made the no-sew blankets during Employee Appreciation Week through Paragon's Assisting the Community Through Service (ACTS) program. The ACTS program allows each employee a week of paid time off per year to support the local, regional and national nonprofit organizations of their choosing.
"The Blankets for Le Bonheur initiative has become a much-loved annual tradition during Employee Appreciation Week," said Robert Shaw, Chief Executive Officer at Paragon National Bank. "Our employees always look forward to making the blankets together, as well as delivering them to the hospital and visiting with patients. We hope our blankets provide the patients some comfort during their stay at the hospital."
While at Le Bonheur, Paragon employees visited the hospital's 11th floor and Bunny Lane, a place patients visit before surgery to select a toy to help take their minds off their upcoming procedure. During the visit, employees Donna Bain, Kim Brown, Penny Hill, Haley Overcast and Tracey Thesmar met several patients and delivered the blankets. The bank worked with Le Bonheur's Volunteer Services Coordinator, Timorie Stewart, to organize the blanket delivery, as well as schedule a tour of the facility after the blanket donation.
"We treasure our volunteers like those at Paragon," said Stewart. "Their gift of hand-made blankets provides children with warmth and comfort at a time of stress and uncertainty. When children are calm and comfortable, they heal faster and are able to return to their regular routine more quickly. These blankets help tremendously."


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Easterseals Midwest, Ballwin, MO, USA
I am a senior in high school that found out about Life Skills through some of my parents' friends. My sister and I got together a group to work for a school-wide service day and have loved it ever since. This past summer, we worked mostly in preparation for the auction, and I could not have been more pleased. Each time my sister and I would come in, there was a list of things for us to do and we were instantly put to work. Volunteering was very enjoyable and always productive. While volunteering throughout the summer, my sister and I really got to see the progression of our work as we saw the things we helped with happen in the auction. I would volunteer again in a heartbeat!
More Feedback
Would you volunteer for this group again?
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


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I was wondering if there are any books that have paper pieced patterns for traditional quilt blocks, and also are there any books for paper piecing mini traditional quilt blocks 3 or 4 inches.
Thank you
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
I was wondering if there are any books that have paper pieced patterns for traditional quilt blocks, and also are there any books for paper piecing mini traditional quilt blocks 3 or 4 inches.
Thank you
Go to quilters cache. Click on Blocks galore. You'll see all kinds of paper pieced blocks in any size. Also If you have a block,make it smaller or larger on the printer. Hope this helps.
Thank you. I forgot about Quilter's cache.
Also if you have EQ you can print off any block as a PP block.
visit Carol Doak's web site/ blog- many free patterns--lots of star blocks- mini's--
hiding away in my stash where i'm warm, safe and happy
I do have EQ, and am learning how to use it. Will have to check out paper pieced blocks. Thank you Dunster. I will check out Carol Doak thank you.
Classic Quilts with Precise Foundation Piecing...1996..by Tricia Lund and Judy Pollard..this is a great book...That Patchwork Place is the source. There are lots of books available for paper piecing..Happy quilting.
Carol Doak is the expert in the field. One of her books, or better yet her video, would be enough.
The find a friend with EQ and they can print the blocks PP if you want. Or, you could draw your own block preferences on graph paper .... etc, etc, etc. EQ is much easier.
Have fun quilting! If it isn't fun, you will miss a lot.
Carol Doak is the one I would start with if you are learning paper piecing. That is how I learned. It was really really really easy. I have a couple of her books and you can get them from a library also. good luck. and show pics of your work.
when life gets you down go and talk with a little kid. They will help you work out even the worst problems with their simple logic.
go to google and type free paper piecing patterns. there are tons for free and you and zerox them smaller to get your mini patterns.
good luck and happy piecing
SMILE- it will make everyone wonder what you are up to.
Stay strong and keep looking up.
3 books that I would recomend for PP tradional patterns.
24 Blocks You Never Dreamed You Could Paper Piece - Linda Causee - American School of Needlework
Quilt Block Bonanza, 50 Paper-Pieced Designs - Nancy Mahoney - That Patchwork Place
101 Log Cabin Blocks - Linda Causee - American School of Needlework
I like traditional patterns and also recommend the books by Linda Causee for paper piecing.
Betsy in MA


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Posted by JCk on October 21, 2004
In Reply to: It ever was.. posted by TheFallen on October 19, 2004
: : : The matter has ceased to be a mystery to any one. Indeed, I wonder that it ever was a mystery.
: : : How to say "it ever was a mystery" in the simplest and clearest way?
: : : In this sentence : "I" think it used to be a mystery. Or "I" think it never was a mystery? ... Thank you.
: :
: : The original sentence is perfectly clear. In the second instance, the second example, 'I think it never was a mystery', seems better to me.
: The original sentence is indeed clear - though it's crucially important to understand that the verb "to wonder" here is being used in its sense of "to be surprised", rather than "to think".
: So to translate... "The matter has ceased to be a mystery. Indeed I'm surprised that it ever was."
Thank you.


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electronic payments. Between consolidating his debt and paying by debit, this student was able to lower the monthly payment for his Perkins and Stafford loans from about $300 to $138.
ALERT LENDER BEFORE MISSING A PAYMENT. "The consequences of default are significant and could include a tarnished credit rating, garnishment of pay, and the inability to obtain additional aid and future credit," says Chris Greene, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education. "In addition, legal action can be taken to recover unpaid loan balances and fees.
If borrowers are experiencing trouble meeting their obligation, they should contact the Department of Education at 1-800-4FED-AID or their lender directly."
Borrowers have 270 days of nonpayment before their loan goes into default, according to the Department of Education. If the loan holder can't recoup its money, it may then decide to use an outside agency to try to collect the money. If that happens, as much as 25% of the amount of the loan could be added to the loan to cover the cost of collection.
"The last thing the department wants is for a borrower to go into default and force us to collect on the loan. Borrowers experiencing difficulties in making payments should contact their lender or the department, and we will work with them," Greene says. "Remaining in an active, current repayment status is in the best interest of the borrower and the department."
The government is currently trying to collect about $31 billion in defaulted loans, according to the Department of Education.
TAKE A BREAK FROM PAYMENTS. Borrowers can postpone repayment through deferment or forbearance. Both allow for a period of time when the borrower doesn't have to make payments, and they are better alternatives to defaulting.
Deferment allows borrowers to stop loan repayment for specified periods of time under certain conditions, such as re-enrollment in school, unemployment, or economic hardship. You must formally request a deferment from your loan holder. You may need to complete a deferment form and show documentation that you are eligible for the deferment, according to the Department of Education. There is a three-year limit for deferring loans for those with an economic hardship or full-time unemployment. There is no limit for deferment based on re-enrollment in school.
Forbearance is an option for borrowers having temporary financial difficulty. You may suspend or reduce payments under certain circumstances and for specified periods. Forbearance is granted in increments for up to one year.
During deferment and forbearance periods, interest continues to accrue on your loans. This interest will be added to the amount you owe and must be repaid when payments resume. The only exception is for subsidized Stafford Loans. The federal government pays the interest if students qualify for deferment, according to Sallie Mae.
With forbearance, you may choose to pay the interest as it accrues. Any unpaid interest is added to your principal balance, no more frequently than quarterly, according to Sallie Mae. For example, if you owe $15,000 at 5% interest and have a 12-month forbearance, interest would be applied only four


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Accounting for Recent Declines in Employment Rates among Working-Aged Men and Women with Disabilities
During the 1990s, while overall employment rates for working-aged men and women either remained roughly constant (men) or rose (women), employment rates for people with disabilities fell. During the same period the fraction of the working-aged population receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) benefits increased quite dramatically. We present simple time series and cross-state evidence suggesting that the growth in the DI program can account for much of the decline in the relative employment position of men and women with disabilities.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Volume (Year): 37 (2002)
Issue (Month): 2 ()
Pages: 231-250
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April 1st, you know what that means. Being the practical joker that I am, I was going to start this Philaflava Obscure post off with "Ice Ice Baby", "U Can't Touch This", "Knockin' Boots" and other radio jams from yesteryear, but luckily for you all, I'm too lazy to do that. But be on the look out for the other jokesters out there. Apparently the blogosphere is full of them. The scary thing, the internet is even more full of gullible people out there.
Planet Asia – Full Course Meal
Private Investigators – Mash Up The Mic (Remix)
Rahsheed – Industrypartybumrusha
Ras Kass – Music Business feat. Xzibit
Real Live – The Turnaround (Remix) feat. Tragedy and Capone
Saafir – Light Sleeper (OG Mix)
Sadat X – Escape From New York feat. Pete Rock & Deda
Sadat X – Lump Lump (Nubian Remix) feat. Grand Puba & Lord Jamar
Sham and The Professor So-Low-Ist (Kenny Dope Remix)
Shorty Long- Shorty Doing His Own Thang
Link For All Tracks
Planet Asia – Full Course Meal (Special HipHopSite.com vinyl pressing, only 500 Copies, 2004)
What an interesting track. Where should I start. First off, the first time I had ever heard of Planet Asia was on Peanut Butter Wolf's "My Vinyl Weighs A Ton" LP on the "In Your Area" track in 1998, which I went bonkers over. I thought Asia was such a dope MC on that track and I was fiendin' for more from him. Then came the "Last Stand" album and the Cali Agent project and the anticipation quickly turned to disappointment. I just found both projects rather boring, needless to say, I haven't really bothered with much of his material since then. So when I saw this track, I was unfamiliar with it. Never even heard of it. When I obtained these joints, I was playing through the tracks and this beat came on. I went rushing to my computer (yeah, real b-boys listen to their shit on the computer….yeah right) to see who the hell it was. To my surprise it was Planet Asia. The beat is fuckin' redunkalious…..and I'm talking crazy. Who did the beat you ask? The Chocolate Boy Wonder himself, Pete Rock. In all honesty, it almost sounds like Pete is trying his best Primo imitation, but damn it sounds so damn good. Horns, lots of horns. It's really incredible joint. And you know what? Planet Asia sounds good once again. Give the cat some decent beats and he brings back that hype that I heard from him the first time I listened to him. As far as I know, this was a promo piece that was only sold on HipHopSite.com, when they still sold physical pieces. From what I remember, they did that with a couple Pete Rock joints in 2004. Only 500 copies reportedly, it'd be a nice piece to have.
Private Investigators – Mash Up The Mic (remix) (Virgin, found on a "Mash Up The Mic" 12 inch ?, 1993)
I'm never hidden the fact that I liked Dave Guppy aka Redhead Kingpin as a solo artist (well there was the F.B.I., but they don't really count). When it came time to check out the Private Investigators, Redhead's crew he started after his "Album With No Name" LP. I was never really crazy about the crew's effort "Re-Act Like You Know" though. Not that it's bad, just kind of boring. The remix for the single "Mash Up The Mic" is proper, much more interesting than the original. It takes an keyboard sample and interlopes an ill Milk Dee vocal sample over it and tops it off with some bangin' drums. This is what a remix should be, better than the original.
Rasheed aka Maylay Sparks – Industrypartybumrusha (Not sure of the label, found on the 12inch "Never Put U Down" b/w "Industrypartybumrusha", 1997)
"Industrypartybumrusha" definitely fits the label of obscure. I remember hearing this on a mixtape I picked up back in the day and loved it. Unfortunately, that tape would meet an early death after being accidentally knocked out the car and then ran over in the parking lot. I then would forget all about this joint. I still don't much about, but the dude Rasheed would later become Maylay Sparks, who I think was part of the Philly group Ill Advised. The joint is laced up nicely beat wise, with a mellow smoothed out beat. Maylay Sparks is a dope MC as well. I was always hoping for a full length release from the cat.
Ras Kass – Music Of The Business feat. Xzibit (Never officially released, can be found on "On The Run" DJ Lt Dan mixtape, 2003)
This cut is one of many unreleased gems mentioned in The Source's "Fat Tape" section back in the day. It was supposed to be on Rassassination but got cut for some unknown reason. I would imagine that the label pulled the plug on the track since Ras breaks down the industry and exposes it as the corporate evil it truly is. Sure the rap game = crack game theme has been done before, but Ras delves deeper than any other rapper had at the time and shows why he's one of the nicest MC's to ever touch a mic. The beat on here is melancholy and goes with the industry rule #4080 lyrics perfectly. It's a shame this didn't make the lp cause it would been one of the best tracks on there by far. Either way it's fucked up that Ras would drop a cut like this and then get caught in the industry trap himself years later.
Real Live – The Turnaround Thug Remix ft Tragedy & Capone (Big Beat, found on the promo 12 inch "Real Live", 1996)
Slow dramatic strings, a perfectly balanced bass, tight drums, and shimmering cymbals are normally the property of an R and B song, but K-Def's genius has integrated these cornerstones of the softer genre into a really great rap song. 1993 to 1997 was the era of the thug in rap music. Tragedy and Capone are the perfect side dish to Larry-O's baritone kingpin tales. Keeping in line with the storyline that Larry-O presents throughout the duo's album, the song isn't explosive but rather a slick and effective track that properly represents Larry-O's modus operandi- make the right moves and don't attract the attention of the wrong crowd and you'll accumulate riches and respect. Though the trio never became household names, if one were to judge by the way people still check for Larry-O, Trag, and Capone more than ten years after their climax it's safe to say they a
re still rich in respect. This remix was not as popular as the remix to "Real Live Shit" with Cappadonna, Ghost and Killah Sin was and part of the reason for that is the fact that this is found only on the promo version of the 12-inch single and was released in very limited qualities. The 12-inch goes for as much as thirty dollars on eBay and European cats don't have a problem charging thirty-five dollars or more in their record shops.
Saafir – LightSleeper (OG Mix) (Never officially released, pre 1994)
Talking to my boy Eric from When They Reminisce, he thinks Saafir is the save all of the era back then. While I can't say I totally agree, he has caused me to pull out my copy of "Boxcar Sessions" that I kind of slept on myself (see Planet Asia and insert Saafir's appearance on Casual's "Fear Itself" LP for the PBW album). The album is better than I originally gave it credit for. This was supposedly the orginal version for "Light Sleeper", which has seen its way on a past edition of my WYDU Classics. The differences between the OG version and the album version are rather subtle and that makes it difficult to pick a favorite between the two. I think personally I am leaning toward this OG version as he uses a more orthodox key sample, but keeps the dope scratching and vocal sample. His delivery is also slight different, as it's more rapid fire on the album version. Either way, you can't go wrong with the MC with one of the dopest voices ever to be heard in hip hop.
Sadat X – Escape From New York feat Pete Rock & Deda (Loud, from the "Wild Cowboys" LP, 1996)
I won't call it that rare, but a dope song. Another Pete Rock banger, this can be found on Sadat's debut solo joint "Wild Cowboys".
Sadat X – Lump Lump Nubian Remix feat Grand Puba & Lord Jamar (Loud, from the "Lump Lump" 12 inch, 1996)
Ahhh, now this is what I'm talking about. "Lump Lump" is my favorite song from the "Wild Cowboys" LP, and one of my favorite all time beats. Buckwild just laced up Sadat on this track. It's classic, no arguing about it. It wouldn't be until the rise of the internet that I would hear this remix after reading about in hip hop magazines as the reunion of Brand Nubian. Beatwise, this doesn't change a lot. The only thing real noticeably music wise is the hook sounds a bit different. Lyrically, it's all new verses from Grand Puba, Lord Jamar and Sadat X. Excellent choice.
Sham & The Professor – So-Low-Ist Kenny Dope Remix (Freeze Records, found on the "So-Low-Ist" 12 inch, 1993)
Kenny Dope is kind of a forgotten legend. He laced up the remix for Sham & The Professor's "So-Low-Ist" nicely with hard drums and keys that put it right up there with the classic material that wa being released in '93. As far Sham & The Professor, I'm not overly familiar with them, other they are from Chi-Town (I think). They released a decent album in 1995 called "Split Personalities" that is worth tracking down.
Shorty – Shorty Doin' His Own Thang (Long Shorr Records, on the 12 inch "Shorty'z Doin' His Own Thang" b/w "My Peoplez", 1994)
Lord Finesse was on fire in the early 90′s. He would always be involved with some hardcore shit. "Shorty'z Doin' His Own Thang" has popped up on numerous Lord Finesse compilations over the years, but it's still a fairly rare track. Shorty Long had some buzz after being discovered by Lord Finesse, but never released much that I know of. This joint was his main "claim to fame" and is produced by the Lord himself. Classic mid 90′s NY shit right here.


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Blog September 1, 2016
Dispatch From Haiti: A Fét Champét With Klass
Take a look at the two schedules pictured above—both showing dates in the month of August—and you will see some similarities. The one on the left shows Port Salut on Aug. 5, just a day after the same listing on the right. We can see Marigot also appears on both, separated by only a few days. Then again, there is Marchand Dessalines, Cap Haitïen, Cayes and Petit Goave—all within days of each other. This is no coincidence. The list on the right shows feast days for the patron saints of different Haitian cities; on the left are summer tour dates for the band Klass, and for the month of August the two align for a series of countryside festivals—the Fét Champét. Arriving in the southern port city of Marigot, I found out that Klass was coming to town the way most people do: from a hand-painted sign propped up near the main road. The show was capping off four days of live music surrounding the festival for Saint Dominique—a man who died exactly 795 years prior, over 5,000 miles away in Northern Italy. But for music fans out here in the provinces, the more important fact is that this is their one chance in the year to see top bands like Klass, whose new album can be heard crackling from every bar and minibus in the country (On one bus ride, the driver played the entire record while tooting out the rhythms on his horn). Down at the Ma Folie nightclub, the band didn't go on till 1:30 a.m. At that point, people who had been seated around the edges of the open-air venue enjoying a glass of rum moved towards the dance floor. Vendors with cigars and spicy conch meat moved in as well. A generator the size of a tractor roared in the far corner, but from the first trumpet line announcing the summer hit "Lajan Sere," all outside sounds disappeared. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/257268504" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /] Klass is a relatively new band in Haiti's konpa scene—formed in Miami in 2012—and part of what has made them so successful is their ability to mix pop and Latin influences in their hooks (check out the song posted above). But no matter how the songs kick off, in concert they all settle into a steady mid-tempo konpa that everyone can sway to. The two guitar players seemed to relish that predictable moment when the other layers of the 11-piece ensemble would pull back, and their simple lines could poke through, winding round and round for six or eight minutes while the mass of bodies did the same. I worked my way out of the crowd some time after 3 a.m., but the band showed no signs of slowing down. [caption id="attachment_31222" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Klass on stage (All photos by Ian Coss)[/caption] Haiti does not have four seasons of weather, but it does have four seasons of music. The year starts with Carnival: parties, parades, and musical competitions that veil political commentary in wordplay. Then in the spring, new albums are released to build hype for summer tours (the other top record this year came from the band Nu Look). July and August are vakans (vacation) season, a time for Haitians in the diaspora to head home, and city dwellers to head to the country. The konpa bands go with them, playing exclusive parties in Port-au-Prince and country festivals like the one in Marigot. And now as we enter the fall the music scene quiets down, especially out in the provinces. It will be another year till Klass passes this way again.


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Leon Washington is back. So is the "12th Man" at Qwest Field.
The Seattle Seahawks are back, too — not all the way or even most of the way, but enough of the way to win home games and contend for the NFC West title in a flawed division that nonetheless went 3-1 Sunday.
The hard part after the Seahawks' 27-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers was finding players in the winning locker room with enough roster tenure to remember what it was like the last time this team was good enough to make its crowd a decisive factor.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck remembers. He was there when Seattle was going 7-1 at home in 2007 and 8-0 there in 2005. Those teams were better, but this team doesn't need to be as good.
"For years we have dominated at home and people hated to come up here," Hasselbeck said after Washington's two return touchdowns helped deliver Seattle's second victory in three games this season. "Because we weren't a very good team for two years, we sort of lost that. It's going to be real important to get that back."
It might be back already.
The Seahawks have beaten two division favorites in two home games thus far in 2010. The San Francisco 49ers fell first, committing delay penalties and generally imploding on offense amid the noise. The Chargers succumbed Sunday, their offense jumping early and failing to beat the play clock in critical situations.
"I heard all kinds of glowing comments about what it's like to play here," first-year Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "Then I was surprised on the first time out against the Niners. This game goes beyond expectation."
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers takes more delay penalties than any quarterback in the league. The one he took on third-and-10 from the Seattle 12-yard line with 21 seconds left diminished the Chargers' chances. San Diego's previous drive ended with a fourth-and-15 incomplete pass after officials flagged right tackle Jeromey Clary and left tackle Brandyn Dombrowski for a false-start penalties on consecutive plays.
"That is good to see," said Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux, who has been with the team since 2004.
Babineaux didn't need his Southern Arkansas University education to do the math.
"You sweep home, you could split on the road and that is a 12-4 season," he said. "That's a good year. The biggest challenge for us now is playing the way we play at home on the road. We have to."
Not necessarily. Not in this division.
The preseason favorite 49ers are 0-3 heading into a Week 4 game against Atlanta, their third road trip in four games this season. The Arizona Cardinals are tied with Seattle atop the division, but they barely beat St. Louis and Oakland in getting to 2-1. And in listening to the Cardinals-Raiders broadcast Sunday, there were times when fans supporting the Raiders seemed to make the most noise.
Hasselbeck complained of seeing Chargers jerseys in the stands Sunday.
"Our fans are still amazing," he said. "It's probably that stupid ticket-exchange commercial."
If San Diego fans made any noise of consequence, I couldn't hear it. While Hasselbeck's voice resonated during his postgame news conference, Rivers sounded hoarse.
"Most of the screaming is in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage because it's' definitely loud," he said. "It's like most road games."
Like most road games, times two. Seattle opponents had committed 96 false-start penalties at Qwest Field since 2005. Minnesota's Metrodome was second at 86, followed by stadiums in Tennessee (78) and Chicago (70).
Babineaux was at least partly right when he said the Seahawks need to figure out a way to win on the road. Beating the 1-2 St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome in Week 4 would give Seattle one of the precious road victories it might need to post a winning season for the first time since 2007.
Crowds cannot win games by themselves. The home crowd matters again in Seattle because the Seahawks have improved almost across the board. Their draft-day trade with the New York Jets for Washington paid for itself, and then some, when Washington returned kickoffs 101 and 99 yards against the Chargers. He nearly had another return touchdown, but he slipped while trying to elude the last defender.
Washington's team-record two kickoff returns for touchdowns were the difference. Those returns left Seattle's defense on the field and the Chargers finished with 518 yards, but with rookie safety Earl Thomas picking off two passes, including one at the Seattle 5 with 6 seconds remaining, it felt like old times at Qwest Field.
"When you have a returner that has faith in the guys in front of him, he can hit it hard and fast and like I did in New York," Washington said.
A player from another NFL team asked Hasselbeck about Washington during the week.
"I talked about how great he's been and how we love him and he's going to break out here," Hasselbeck said. "I don't think anyone imagined that it could have been like that."
Washington now has six kickoff returns for touchdowns during his career, tied for second in league history with Ollie Matson, Gale Sayers, Travis Williams, Mel Gray and Dante Hall. Only Josh Cribbs has more, with eight. Washington's 101- and 99-yarders rank first and second in Seahawks history.
Seattle turned over its roster more than any team during the 2010 offseason.
The changes produced questions. We're starting to get some answers.
The Seahawks' special-teams units are hitting harder than they have in my memory covering the team (since 1998). That reflects improved personnel. Rookie fifth-round choice Kam Chancellor forced a fumble during a Chargers return. Rookie seventh-rounder Dexter Davis recovered. Rookie second-rounder Golden Tate, chosen 60th overall with a pick acquired from San Diego, had a 31-yard punt return and caught all four passes thrown his way.
Most improbably to me, the Seahawks are playing well enough on their offensive line to give Hasselbeck a chance — even with rookie first-round left tackle Russell Okung sidelined by injury for the first three games.
The offense remains in its formative stages, sometimes appearing lost. But Seattle was very close to scoring at least two more touchdowns. The Chargers forced Deion Branch to fumble at the 1 after a 41-yard gain. The Seahawks inexplicably let the game clock expire after driving to the San Diego 2 right before halftime.
"I'm not going to overlook that," Carroll said of how close Seattle came to a first-half rout.
There can be no more overlooking the Seahawks at Qwest, either. Their remaining home opponents — Arizona, the New York Giants, Kansas City, Carolina, Atlanta and St. Louis — will have a hard time winning here.
That's what we've learned about Seattle in the first three weeks.