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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty
One might think the most famous "dad jeans" wearer in the free world would be wary of being photographed inside a Gap, but not President Barack Obama.
While in Manhattan for some Democratic party fundraisers, the president stopped at one of the chain's Midtown stores Tuesday to pick up a few souvenirs for the ladies back home (and to not-so-coincidentally make a plug for raising the minimum wage; he praised Gap for voluntarily doing so for its employees).
RELATED PHOTOS: See what your favorite celebrities are wearing right now!
Sales associate Susan Panariello suggested a hoodie for Michelle, but was told the First Lady is not a hoodie type. How about V-neck sweaters for Sasha and Malia? "I'm worried the V-neck is going to slip," he said in protective dad mode. In the end, Obama ended up with a blue workout jacket for the First Lady and two modestly crew-necked sweaters (one gray-and-white, one coral) for his daughters.
"I think the ladies will be impressed by my style sense," he said as he approached the registers.
And, yes, he was asked to apply for a Gap credit card so he could save 15 percent on his purchase. He demurred.
–Sandra Sobieraj Westfall


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Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Indicted
Grand Jury Returns 30-Count Indictment Against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
A federal grand jury has returned a 30-count indictment against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, charging him with using weapons of mass destruction and killing four individuals, among other things.
The April 15 bombing left three people dead and more than 260 injured. Authorities believe 19-year-old Mr. Tsarnaev, also known as Jahar, carried out the bombings with his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died after a shootout with law enforcement a few days later. The brothers are also accused of fatally...

subset: commoncrawl


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by Amy Lignor
The AFC wild card game that will literally go down in history as the most momentous, thrilling comeback ride of all time, was played this weekend – and people will be talking about this one far into the off-season.
Whereas the NFC games were gritty and, downright cold, when you think about the Niners versus the Packers; this AFC game was like watching the maestro of an orchestra give the best performance of all time.
Second-half comeback doesn't even do justice to the Indianapolis Colts, who shocked fans in the stadium, people at home, and most certainly the Kansas City Chiefs when they moved ahead 45 to 44 after a 28-point deficit.
Peyton Manning was the end-all-and-be-all QB for the Colts before becoming the 'god' in Denver. But even though the Manning name and legend will be beloved by Indianapolis for all time, Andrew Luck has now become THE 'god' that no one ever thought he could be.
Luck raised his arms on the field and the world literally screamed. Although the last TD thrown might have looked like an easy one on screen, that was literally the toughest game Luck has ever played. Apparently, according to Luck, he was mad at himself. He felt like he was letting his team down. Well…he couldn't have done better for them than 29-of-45 for 443 yards and four touchdowns. His buddy, Hilton, who he threw so easily to on the last play, racked up 13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns. In other words he, too, had a darn fine day.
And Coach Pagano, who fought leukemia, stood with a look of pride on his face that was so intense it completely matched the look of total confusion happening on the other side of the field.
What could be better for Indianapolis in their first home playoff game since the awesome Manning said goodbye, than to have their team work their behinds off to give them the win of a lifetime.
Alex Smith, the Chiefs QB, looked completely befuddled. And to add insult to injury the team that shunted him last year, the Niners (who decided to go with a rookie and let Smith go on his merry way), are now heading into the divisional playoffs behind that rookie (again) and Smith is heading home (again).
The statistics are this: Only two teams have ever come back from being down 28 points to win. And one was the Niners against the Saints who may, (if Seattle and Carolina have bad days next week), just meet each other for the NFC Championship.
Watching the Colts edge forward and forward and forward a little bit at a time, was awe-inspiring. The fourth-quarter began with the Colts only lacking ten points to get even with the Chiefs, and the combination of determination and sheer Luck had them moving down the field for 90 yards and a TD on their very first drive. And then, just a tad bit later, the Chiefs said goodbye to the season.
The Colts versus the Patriots is going to be a truly thrilling game next weekend. Fans everywhere are already wishing the week was over so that they can sit in their chairs, tell everyone in the house to be quiet, and hang on every play.
And, you never know…The Brady versus Manning shoot-out that everyone has called to be the AFC Championship Game, may just be ruined with a little Luck.
Until Next Time, Everybody,
Photo source: Chiefs site


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Lamont Library
Government Information/Microforms Collections
- Overview
- Microforms
- United States Government Publications
- United Nations and Other Intergovernmental Organizations Documents
- Foreign Documents
Harvard College Library has been a U.S. depository since 1860. It also serves as a depository for Canada, the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Organization of American States (OAS). Other depository arrangements have been made with the Harvard University Library's other faculty libraries, e.g. the Harvard Law School has an arrangement with the European Union.
Harvard College Library's Government Information unit in Lamont Library is the central reference and referral point for government information from the United States government, 160 foreign governments, and many international organizations. As a depository, the library serves all interested members of the public in their needs for governmental information. The collection is especially strong in demography and population, history, international relations, international trade, and the social sciences. Reference assistance is available in person at Research Services in Lamont Library (see Hours), or by contacting Government Information Services staff, via e-mail or at 617-495-2106. Government research guides are also available.
For Harvard University ID-holders, government documents held at the Harvard Depository can be requested via HOLLIS. Government Documents held on Level D of Lamont Library will be retrieved by staff when a paging form is filled out. Forms are available at the Lamont Library first floor main desk and these items are only available for use within Lamont Library. Retrievals from Lamont Level D are scheduled every two hours. Lamont Library or Widener Library can be selected as the pick-up location for government documents from the Harvard Depository. Items held can be checked out for one-day, in-library access, and can be requested for use for additional days.
For non-Harvard-affiliated members of the public, requests for government documents held at the Harvard Depository can be made by contacting Lamont Access Services Services staff via e-mail. Requested items will be held at the Lamont Library Circulation Desk where they can be checked out using a Government Documents Access Card. To obtain a Government Document Access Card, please visit the Privileges Office in Widener Library. Items held can be checked out for one-day, in-library access, and can be requested for use for additional days.
Government Information/Microforms in Lamont Library is the principal repository of Harvard College Library for microfilm, microfiche, and micro-opaque cards.
The diverse collection, stored on microfilm, microfiche, and micro-opaque cards, includes: archival collections and entire libraries, personal papers, special collections of serials and monographs, Public Record Office documents, U.S. National Archives materials, Harvard theses, and long runs of journals.
Bibliographic access to the collection is through the HOLLIS catalog. Some of the contents of the large microform sets are not all fully cataloged in HOLLIS. Many have accompanying guides and indexes that are housed on Level D in Lamont and can be paged by staff when a paging form is filled out. Forms are available at the Lamont Library first floor main desk and these items can be used on Level B of Lamont Library. Retrievals from Lamont Level D are scheduled every two hours when a paging form is filled out. Forms are available at the Lamont Library first floor main desk and these items are only available for use within Lamont Library. Retrievals from Lamont Level D are scheduled every two hours..
United States Government Publications
The Harvard College Library is a selective depository for U.S. government publications. As a partner in the Federal Depository Library Program of the U.S. Government Printing Office, the library provides free public access to its collections. Members of the public are required to show a picture ID at the Library Privileges Office in order to obtain a Government Documents Access Card for use only for access to the government documents collection located in Lamont Library. All library users are subject to the terms of the HCL Patron Agreement.
The U.S. government documents housed here consist of a comprehensive collection of congressional publications beginning with the Continental Congress, a wide range of government statistical data in all formats (including decennial census from 1790 to date), presidential documents, documents relating to U.S. foreign affairs, Supreme Court decisions, and other relevant material spanning the entire history of the nation.
For assistance in finding and using government publications in all formats, including online resources that require a password, please contact the library through the Ask a Librarian service to request in-person assistance from library staff.
United Nations and Other Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) Documents
United Nations
Harvard has been a depository for U.N. documents and publications since 1947. Documents include meeting records, working papers, and other official documents. Publications include books and journals on the many areas of interest that the United Nations oversees.
Although many U.N. publications are cataloged and listed in the online catalog, much of the primary source material needed for research requires the use of bibliographies, indexes, and other reference tools, both paper and electronic, which are held in this collection. The documents themselves are available in various formats. Please consult a documents librarian for assistance.
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Government Documents collects the publications catalogs of many intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), although IGO documents are dispersed throughout the University's library system. The international organization documents and publications held in Government Documents/Microforms include those of the League of Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS). Government Documents also has substantial microfiche and online collections for various IGOs, including the League of Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, and others.
The statistical publications of international organizations are available in various formats, increasingly in electronic databases. Some of these can be found via E-Research @ Harvard Libraries. Please consult a Government Documents reference librarian for assistance.
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The Government Information/Microforms unit acquires, in all formats, the publications of national governments: legislative proceedings; parliamentary papers of selected countries; budgets, policy statements, and commission reports; demographic and economic census information; national accounts; the annual reports of selected ministries; development plans; and statistical abstracts and reports. There is a strong collection of government documents from Great Britain here, including the Public General Acts.


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Plymouth Regional junior, Francis Wayland Parker Award winner, thinks outside the boxBy TIM BUCKLAND
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 18. 2012 9:06PM
PLYMOUTH - Plymouth Regional High School junior Andrew Buttolph has been selected as the October Francis Wayland Parker Scholar of the Month.
"According to Parker, an effective education requires an approach that is flexible, that encourages independent thinking, and that allows students to learn in a variety of ways without rigid discipline," Buttolph, 17, wrote in his winning essay. "One approach that successfully implements these theories at PRHS is the increasing usage of Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO)."
Buttolph wrote that Plymouth Regional offers extended learning through Plymouth State University, Johns Hopkins University and the state's Virtual Learning Academy.
"The key is flexibility combined with proper supervision," he wrote. "There are virtually unlimited ways that a student might approach an ELO."
Buttolph is taking AP chemistry through a Johns Hopkins University program, for example.
He wrote that Plymouth Regional has "modernized" its requirements so students who pursue distance learning do not sacrifice class ranking.
"This type of proactive administration would be most impressive to Parker," Buttolph wrote, referring to the New Hampshire native who revolutionized education in the 19th century.
Buttolph, who was also selected as a Scholar of the Month in November 2011, is at the top of his class, according to his essay application.
He is heavily involved in scouting and plays the trumpet, participating in band. He just auditioned for All State Music Festival, which he took part in last year.
The Francis Wayland Parker Scholar program is sponsored by the New Hampshire Association of School Principals, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Lifetouch Studios and the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England.
Other nominees for October were:
Rosie Webb, Sunapee Middle High School; Hibah Haider, Manchester Central High School; Abigail Gill, Monadnock Regional High School; Colby Whitcomb, Conant High School; Jacob Nazarian, Alvirne High School; Angela Valenti, Campbell High School; Kendra Stone,Mascoma Valley Regional High School; Joseph Discua, Manchester Memorial High School; Dillon Sylvester, Franklin High School; and Maria Barger, Manchester High School West.


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Hurricanes, floods and droughts are putting an increasingly large strain on the federal budget. A new report released Monday from the Center for American Progress finds that Congress spent at least $136 billion on disaster relief between 2011 and 2013.
That works out to a per-household amount of $400 annually. And those costs are likely to rise in the years ahead - especially if climate change leads to more frequent extreme weather, according to the study.
But the most striking part of the report, according to its authors: No one in the government - not the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Office of Management and Budget, for example - knew exactly how much the country had been spending on disaster relief, they said. This information isn't easily accessible anywhere.
The authors had to sift through appropriations bills and disaster relief supplementals that Congress had passed between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2013 to make an estimate.
"If we don't even know how much natural disasters are costing us, then Congress is going to keep underbudgeting for disaster relief and recovery," said Daniel J. Weiss of the Center for American Progress, who co-authored the study with Jackie Weidman. "And lawmakers will end up doing deficit spending to pay for it."
The researchers from the liberal think tank closely aligned with the Obama administration found that a variety of federal agencies have had to spend money in response to natural disasters during the past two years.
There are the big-ticket items: FEMA spent $55 billion on general relief and flood insurance. The Department of Agriculture spent $27 billion on crop insurance after an unusually severe drought in the Midwest in 2012. And the Army Corps of Engineers has spent about $7 billion on flood control.
But disaster relief spending pops up in unexpected places, too, the report noted.
The Department of Justice received $10 million to repair a federal prison damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
"If anything, this was a conservative estimate," Weiss said. They couldn't track down precise numbers for emergency food stamps or the Internal Revenue Service's disaster assistance fund, so those weren't included in the final tally.
Costly natural disasters have become more frequent in the United States during the past few decades. The number of weather events that inflict at least $1 billion in damage has risen from an average of two a year in the 1980s to more than 10 a year since 2010, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
There are a variety of reasons for that, NOAA has said: The U.S. population is growing, so more people live in coastal regions, on floodplains and in other high-risk areas. Pricier homes are getting damaged in storms. And climate change has begun to alter at least some weather patterns. A January draft assessment by the federal government's U.S. Global Change Research program found that heat waves, heavy downpours and even severe droughts have become more frequent in certain parts of the country over the past 50 years.
Add it all up, and extreme weather events now cost the United States more than $80 billion a year, on average, the report said.
The federal government has picked up about half that tab since 2011, with states and private insurers covering much of the rest. (Sometimes the damage is paid for through lost economic activity. A recent study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 30 percent of small businesses fail to reopen after a disaster or emergency officially declared by the president.)
Those costs could rise in the years ahead.
The federal government's National Climate Assessment warned that a great deal of U.S. infrastructure is vulnerable to "phenomena associated with climate change, including sea level rise, storm surge, heavy downpours and extreme heat."
The report's authors make a variety of recommendations for preparedness.
For instance: The federal government should start keeping a precise tally of the costs of natural disasters. Congress should invest in "resilience" programs that allow communities to better withstand the damage from extreme weather - paid for by a small fee on fossil fuels. And the report argues that the Obama administration should do more to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and address climate change.
Otherwise, the report warns, "we are flying blind into a future with more costly disaster relief and recovery spending."


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How a teachers' union actually helped kids (not just adults)
This was written by educator Anthony Cody, who taught science for 18 years in inner-city Oakland and who now works with a team of science teacher-coaches that supports novice teachers. He is a National Board-certified teacher and an active member of the Teacher Leaders Network. This post appeared on his Teachers Magazine blog, Living in Dialogue. Cody is a dues-paying member of the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association, a disclosure relevant to this post.
By Anthony Cody
If you listen to mainstream media, you will hear the message repeated daily that our schools are in crisis, and that teachers' unions exist to serve the interests of adults and are obstacles to meaningful school reforms. You probably have NOT heard about a remarkable success story in California.
In 2006, the California Teachers Association, the legislative arm of the National Education Association, sponsored a law called the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA). The results are coming in, and are showing that the schools participating in this program are seeing very positive results. I should note that test scores (and the Academic Performance Index, or API, scores derived from them) are a very inadequate measure of what is actually occurring at a school, but these results show there is some impact by the strategies that teachers and our unions have been promoting.
According to this report:
For the 2009-10 school year alone, QEIA schools, on average, experienced nearly 50 percent higher growth on the California Academic Performance Index (API) than similar, non-QEIA schools. Also, the report shows QEIA is helping to close student achievement gaps. QEIA schools are making "greater gains in API with African-American and Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students" than comparable lower-performing schools, the report concludes.
The full report is available here.
This program is delivering resources where they are needed most. The report states:
"The scope of this intervention program is unprecedented. Over eight years, QEIA provides nearly $3 billion in resources to nearly 500 lower-performing public schools serving nearly 500,000 students. Eighty-four percent of students at QEIA-funded schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunches - compared to 44 percent of students in all other California public schools; 41 percent of QEIA students are English Learners, compared to 19 percent in the rest of the schools, according to the California Department of Education. Hispanic students are 79 percent of those attending QEIA campuses, versus 41 percent in the statewide, non-QEIA population."
I wanted to hear from my California teacher friends firsthand, so I asked if people could share their experiences. Three of my friends from Accomplished California Teachers responded:
Kathie Marshall of Pacoima Middle School in the Los Angeles area wrote to me:
"Prior to QEIA funding, my middle school increased its API most years but more slowly than district or state rates. QEIA funding is targeting class size reduction, additional counselors, and weekly PD meetings by departments focused on data analysis, writing of benchmark assessments prior to district assessments, and sharing of best practices. In addition, we developed targeted interventions in math and English, as well as advisory lessons focused on vocabulary development, test-taking skills, and individual student meetings to clarify students' understanding of the CSTs and CST scores. Last year we saw the impact of our QEIA efforts in that our API rose by 47 points, getting us just four points shy of an initial goal of API of 700. Students are knowledgeable about the CSTs, understand the school's sense of urgency, and work with the faculty to demonstrate their capabilities in ways that did not exist prior to QEIA funding."
Fellow blogger Larry Ferlazzo, who teaches at Luther Burbank High in Sacramento, wrote:
"I can't imagine where we would be without QEIA support. Our inner-city high school is divided into seven Small Learning Communities where 300 students stay with the same classmates and teachers during their high school career. QEIA funds allowed us to sustain that SLC 'purity' and keep those solid and supportive relationships. We also lowered class size average by five students and put a maximum size class at 27. In addition, we've been able to keep a larger number of counselors to help students face their many challenges, and dramatically expanded our use of technology through classroom computer projectors, document cameras, and laptop carts. Our API scores have steadily increased, and we anticipate an even bigger jump this year."
Sarah Puglisi, who teaches at Julien Hathaway in Oxnard, wrote:
"Since accepting the funds we have gone through a budget decimation and our District cut a major amount of teachers in huge class size increases at ten schools. We are the only ones now to maintain 20 to 1 lower grades, 24 to 1 grades 4-5. Class size was NOT our reason for pursuing QEIA, because we did not foresee this happening but as it turns out this saved teacher jobs and more importantly INSTANTLY made Hathaway have something special to offer. I have two, whose parents transferred TO US so their children could be in a 20 to 1 class. I have not in 6 years had a class as interesting, capable, and parent-supported as this one! QEIA allowed me the space to be a professional. I have been supported in Arts work, literacy work, in creative projects and design to a level I think unique in the underperforming schools."
There is a phenomenon in journalism. The dominant narrative is defined, and reporters tend to highlight stories that confirm that story. If you have not read about the success of this school reform project in California, perhaps it is because it clashes with the story being driven by the media. This story paints a different picture. It shows us:
*Class size DOES matter - tremendously. All three teachers I connected with testified to the importance of this. This is all the more poignant as we are about to see huge budget cuts that are likely to send class sizes through the roof.
*Professional growth built around collaboration gives teachers valuable time to develop school-wide strategies to improve student outcomes.
*Unions care about students and have ideas that actually work to improve schools and student outcomes.
Follow my blog every day by bookmarking washingtonpost.com/answersheet. And for admissions advice, college news and links to campus papers, please check out our Higher Education page at washingtonpost.com/higher-ed Bookmark it!
Valerie Strauss
| December 21, 2010; 6:00 AM ET
Categories: Achievement gap, Anthony Cody, Guest Bloggers, Standardized Tests, Teachers | Tags: academic performance index, achievement gap, api, california schools, california teachers association, qeia, standardized tests, teachers union
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Next: A sobering look at Florida school reform
In a state where education funding incites fear and madness, I'm curious about funding for this "new" measure.
I never faulted teacher unions. If any union has supported improvement in their system is has been the teacher unions. I worked for other unions and they were worried about membership and money.
I like the trend, but again curious about the cost.
Posted by: educ8er | December 21, 2010 7:33 AM | Report abuse
Compare this to the Washington Teachers Union.
Posted by: axolotl | December 21, 2010 8:19 AM | Report abuse
I teach in Montgomery Co. MD and our union has worked with the school system to develop a very comprehensive evaluation system that has been researched extensively. You can read about the system here: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ngt/par/parinfo/
It is ironic that one of the consequences of MD winning RTTT funding is that we may have to abandon our successful system for one dictated by RTTT which research shows to be less effective. Arne Duncan was questioned about this recently while visiting one of our schools. He suggested that RTTT wasn't meant to be so rigid. Unfortunately, this is what has been implemented--a one size fits all system which may actually move more successful districts backwards.
Posted by: musiclady | December 21, 2010 9:11 AM | Report abuse
I teach in North Florida. Our medium sized district works with the local union to train incoming teachers. As a National Board teacher I assisted in the process which was a week long in August before school started. A veteran teacher trained by the Union at the national level taught a class on strategy and technique that was extremely valuable to new teachers. This is excellent curriculum and its delivery was completely funded by the local union. At the District level here in Florida Unions and school boards work together regularly on projects that benefit students in many ways. Unions also protect working conditions for teachers in ways that directly impact student learning. For example my district provides materials effectively but cut planning time after the 911 attacks and has never reinstated that time. Consequently we have very little individual planning time and almost no collaborative and training time. Administrators are constantly taking teachers out of class to train and plan. This practice is counterproductive considering how little teaching time is left after testing time is deducted and how little students learn or how much they unlearn with a substitute. The union guards planning time by keeping track of the hours mandated by the contract and filing grievances if the agreement is not honored. If you don't have time to plan you cannot teach effectively so this is another way that the union impacts student achievement. However at the state level Unions are reviled as they are for the most part in the main stream media (not you Valerie!). You may remember another administration attacking the NEA not so long ago and when the National teacher of the Year had her luncheon with the Secretary of Education she wore a button stating "I am the NEA". Unions are the teachers so when you attack one you attack both. As for class size, My science classes in middle school are capped at 22 for the first time this year and it is a blessing which the unions supported with Florida's class size amendment and the Legislature has fought tooth and nail since its inception. I have more opportunities to teach science hands on because of the smaller class sizes and more time for individualized instruction and can grade more essays so my students are doing more hands on activities and writing more. Connecting the two is very powerful both for what they learn and what I understand about their learning.
Posted by: kmlisle | December 21, 2010 10:30 AM | Report abuse
Your point about "journalists" ignoring evidence contrary to the memes of the prevailing narrative applies to just about every issue facing the country. The narrative is being driven by corporate interests who are not above manufacturing evidence to create their self-serving narrative. Making unions appear villainous is one of the primary goals of lobbyists and their bought-and-paid-for shills in the Congress.
Posted by: buckbuck11 | December 21, 2010 10:39 AM | Report abuse
This column and the responses so far give me hope that the teachers might be starting to rise up and resist this terribly misguided force which has smeared them as our nation's enemy.
I have a special place in my heart for the teachers who have dedicated themselves to working in low income urban schools. As a non-union belonging parent of children in NCLB-labeled "failing" schools for the past nine years, I know that those are the teachers who have daily contact with a subgroup of people that most people in our society choose to shun.
We need to let strong, experienced, and well-trained classroom teachers guide the way to the improvement of public education, and we need to honor them for being the public servants which they are.
Posted by: sharonh2 | December 21, 2010 11:58 AM | Report abuse
The common denominator among these schools was quality leadership, it seems. Yet, when the test scores support what we believe we trust them, but when they support what we oppose we denigrate them.
It appears the practices employed here make sense everywhere. It's shameful we need an extra funding stream to maintain it versus giving schools more freedom to implement it with the funding we get. LAUSD takes in over $11,000/student in revenue, but each school gets on average only about $7600 of that. Just bumping that up to $9,000/student would do wonders, but of course that would put a lot of bureaucrats and consultants out of business.
Posted by: pdexiii | December 21, 2010 12:01 PM | Report abuse
If you look closely it is the funding itself making the difference. NJ has a program of parity funding, for as long as our governor doesn't block it, that has done wonders in closing the achievement gap. Smaller class sizes, more tutorial and after school programs, better training for teachers. Interestingly enough these are the same ideas that the "reform narrative" says do not matter. We have to wonder why they stick to the narrative when the evidence shows time again shows the reverse to be true.
Posted by: teachermomnj | December 21, 2010 8:12 PM | Report abuse
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International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) has, since 1928, been a core leader in the electrical industry and has actively promoted safe products and safe installations. Active members and partners in the association include many diverse groups, including electrical inspectors, testing agencies, standards organizations, manufacturers, distributors, installers and contractors. The association has a long and recognized history in comprehensive training in and promotion of safe products, electrical installations and inspections in order to ensure compliance with electrical codes and standards. More than 6,000 individuals participate in certification and upgrading training sessions in the U. S. and Canada each year. IAEI training is conducted through the International Office, Sections and local IAEI chapters and divisions. The International Office provides publications, certification testing, and training. IAEI was incorporated as a 501(c)6 in 1929 in the state of Illinois and re-incorporated in the state of Texas in 2003.
A capital improvement campaign will allow us to better serve our members and industry partners. A successful capital improvement campaign will result in the purchase of a new IO building and will incorporate green technology and energy efficiency, depending on the real estate market. This will allow IAEI to expand onsite training and to more effectively host industry meetings. Equally important, a successful capital improvement campaign will enable us to upgrade technology in order to increase production of vital publications, to implement learning delivery programs as well as to strengthen administrative functions.
Donate Now
IAEI has long been a core leader in safeguarding persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity through inspecting equipment, materials, installations or procedures. As one of the very first industry leaders in the development and implementation of electrical training, IAEI strives to develop and deliver up-to-the minute training for the industry. We are dedicated to the highest standards in workmanship and safety in compliance to the electrical standards. We invite corporations, foundations and all those who share our values to help IAEI promote electrical safety by participating as a Sustaining Member. In doing so, you can take advantage of the prominent recognition IAEI offers its corporate and training.
Learn more
For more than 80 years, IAEI has been teaching training classes for various organizations, including: American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) , International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). IAEI also develops and implements training for our international training partners. Rounding out the IAEI training portfolio are our partners in the field of formal education and government for whom we have developed and provided electrical education.
Since 1928, the IAEI has brought unbiased focus to interpreting the National Electrical Code and the Canadian Electrical Code, and to teaching safe installation and use of electricity. Composed originally of only electrical inspectors, membership in the IAEI quickly included any persons or organizations in the electrical industry who wished to focus on safety. It is this common code forum provided by IAEI that qualified it to properly refer to itself as the keystone of the electrical industry—that interlocking mechanism which ties the supporting pieces together.
IAEI supports two members of each code-making panels, and members are encouraged to write proposals or comments for code issues. Code-making panel representatives support official IAEI proposals at panel meetings, in the letter ballots, in all comments on voting action and in public meeting.
The IAEI press room is designed to serve as a resource for media and those interested in the latest IAEI news and information. Please feel free to download and use any of the brochures, videos, or press releases.
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We advocate by uniting members around the world to work on the most important issues facing the profession. We initiate and manage programs with governmental and non-governmental agencies, presenting industry positions and supporting documentation on key issues.
Find a local section, chapter, or division in your area. IAEI meetings allow electrical inspectors, electricians, and other electrical industry professionals to network and discuss issues related to electrical safety
If you have any questions about IAEI, please feel free to contact us. We are always looking for ways to better serve our members.


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Justin Bieber Critiques Lil Wayne's Skateboarding Skills
Justin Bieber was snapped with Lil Wayne at a skate park in February, bonding over their passion for the sport. Now the 18-year-old pop star is dishing on the rapper's skateboarding skills and opening up about how they compare to his.
Biebs recently stopped by MTV to premiere his new 'Boyfriend' video, and during the interview with Sway, the singer revealed just how important skating is to Weezy.
"He just hit me the other night," Bieber said. "I was going to go to his video shoot he had. He was skating here [in Los Angeles]. I was gonna go skate with him, but it was like 4:30 in morning [when] he called me. So it was really too late for that. He's into skating, like that's his life."
When asked how the Canadian singer's skills compare to the Young Money rapper's, Bieber was very diplomatic. "I mean, it's different," he said. "I like more street stuff. He does a lot of vert stuff. Vert is like ramps and street is like rails and kick flips. [They're] different in their own right."
Well put, Biebs. Well put.
Watch Justin Bieber Talk About Lil Wayne's Skateboarding Skills


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Wes Dewey unanimously beat out 14 other competitors and was recognized at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission's Nov. 4 meeting as the 2011 winner.
Dale Pousson of Egan, the 2003 winner, came in second place, while third place went to 1994 winner Don Edwards from Keithville. Last year, Delaware's Richard Clifton won the contest.
Dewey has previously won the 1990 Kansas Duck Stamp, was the 2007 Kansas Ducks Unlimited sponsored print artist and has placed eighth two different years in the Federal Duck Stamp contest. Dewey's painting of a male and female wood duck perched on a weathered stump will be featured on the 2011 Louisiana Duck Stamp.
"The department was happy with the quantity of entries this year, but we were blown away by the quality of the paintings," LDWF Waterfowl Study Leader Larry Reynolds said. "Dewey's painting showed exceptional attention to detail with the features and scale of wood ducks and will make a fine duck stamp."
For this years' competition, LDWF let the artist choose any migratory waterfowl species known to winter in Louisiana except for pintails, which were featured on this year's duck stamp.
The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp program was established in 1988 by the Louisiana Legislature to generate revenue for conservation and enhancement of state wetlands and other worthy programs that benefit Louisiana's ducks and geese. This program has generated over $11 million for wetland conservation in Louisiana since 1989, with over $400,000 from last year's stamp sales alone.
The 2011 stamp, featuring Dewey's work, is expected to go on sale June 1, 2011. The artist will retain the original artwork and will have reproduction rights to the image for prints and other commodities after LDWF has used the image to produce the stamps.
Judges for the competition were Luke Laborde, R.C. Davis, Dean Bergeaux, Jerry Bowers, and Dr. Clint Jeske. Laborde is a PhD student at LSU on a Delta Waterfowl scholarship doing research on human dimensions in waterfowl management; Davis, a professional artist in Amite, is a past winner of the Louisiana Duck Stamp contest for the 1998-99 stamp design; Bergeaux is a pharmacist in Crowley and current State Chairman for Ducks Unlimited; Bowers is a duck stamp collector and owns Stitch and Frame gallery and frame shop in Lafayette; and Dr. Jeske is a research ecologist specializing in wetland birds for the USGS National Wetland Research Center in Lafayette as well as a decoy carver.


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Toll Brothers says its fiscal fourth-quarter net income soared, helped by a large income tax benefit and a 48 percent rise in revenue. The luxury homebuilder delivered more homes and its order backlog increased.
Its shares rose almost 4 percent in premarket trading.
CEO Douglas C. Yearley Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday that higher home prices, low interest rates, pent-up demand and improving consumer confidence prompted buyers to return to the housing market this year.
For the three months ended Oct. 31, Toll Brothers Inc. earned $411.4 million, or $2.35 per share. That's up sharply from $15 million, or 9 cents per share, a year ago. The latest quarter included an income tax benefit of $350.7 million.
Revenue increased 48 percent to $632.8 million, topping Wall Street's forecast of $565.1 million.


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Those in the retail real estate industry who hoped a market recovery would come swiftly and painlessly in the early stages of 2009 are going to disappointed. Instead, 2009 is looking very much like it will be a lost year for the sector with investment sales volume down, fundamentals continuing to weaken and no sign of recovery until the fourth quarter at the earliest. Even the most bullish forecasters advise industry pros to hunker down and muddle through 2009 and then hope a turnaround takes hold in 2010.
Real estate Pollyannas insisted for much of 2008 that the credit crunch would pass, that plenty of cash-flush buyers sitting on the sidelines were waiting to pounce and that property fundamentals would not erode much. The wave of buying never materialized and throughout the year store closings accelerated and the credit crisis deepened. Now it's looking like those cash-rich buyers may sit out 2009 as well. Worse, they may turn their backs on retail altogether and opt to invest elsewhere, such as infrastructure.
The stark reality is that the credit crunch is no longer the only culprit for depressed sales volumes. Retailers are hurting and that's damaging existing properties where vacancy rates are rising and its stopping the construction of new projects in their tracks.
So with the freewheeling days of 2006 and 2007 unlikely to reemerge, the industry is likely to face a continued shakeout. Property values could continue to fall. And cap rates — once thought to have undergone a secular change resulting in risk-free lower levels in the 6, 5 and even 4 percent range — seem to be on the way up. In the third quarter of 2008, cap rates for retail properties stood at 6.8 percent, according to New York City-based Real Capital Analytics. To spur more investment activity, that number will likely have to move into the 8 percent to 10 percent range, experts say. Cap rates across all sectors will need to move up 150 basis points to 200 basis points, to a range of 7.5 percent to 8.5 percent for acquisitions to start making sense again, according to ULI's "Emerging Trends Report." Cap rates on class-B and class-C properties might see increases of up to 300 basis points.
Overall, commercial property values could decrease 30 percent to 40 percent peak to trough, according to JPMorgan research. Since the beginning of the downturn in 2007, retail property values have already fallen between 10 percent and 20 percent, according to research from brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield.
As a result, the retail real estate sector is not likely to see a lot of acquisition activity next year, according to Stephannie Mower, head of the capital markets group in the Dallas office of Cushman & Wakefield. She expects more transactions will start taking place in the third and fourth quarters of 2009, as a greater number of loans come to maturity and landlords face increasing pressure to sell. "The cash buyers are certainly out there, but because of what's occurred in the stock market everyone is thinking that prices will continue to go down and everyone wants to make sure that [they are] at an absolute bottom," Mower notes. "By the second quarter of 2009, you'll see [acquisition activity] pick up quite a bit. But I think we will not see a real recovery for another 12 to 18 months."
Suzanne Mulvee, a senior real estate economist with Boston-based Property & Portfolio Research (PPR), takes a similar view, noting that transaction volume will not start picking up until late 2009, with many closings taking place in 2010. The September bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers didn't help matters. After the Lehman news broke, commercial mortgage originations, already down to a trickle, came to a complete halt, says Andrew Oliver, executive vice president and principal with Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman, a global real estate financial services firm. Wall Street is now out of commission, commercial banks are either dealing with their own solvency issues or are at a complete loss about how to value real estate properties and insurance providers have already exceeded their real estate allocations for 2008. Those issues aren't likely to go away at least until the third quarter of 2009, according to Oliver, limiting the amount of money available for new acquisitions next year.
Right now, portfolio lenders are focusing on smaller deals, $25 million and under, while money for transactions worth more than $50 million is virtually impossible to come by. To line up, say, $250 million in financing once required working with two or three banks. Now it means dealing with a consortium of 10 or more. What's more, market experts expect that underwriting criteria will continue to be stringent, particularly on retail properties, which are perceived to pose the most risk. In October, the retail sector experienced the greatest increase in the 60-day CMBS loan delinquency rate out of all commercial property types, by 9 basis points, to 0.40 percent, according to JPMorgan. Delinquencies for all sectors rose 5 basis points, to 0.51 percent. As of Nov. 10, the overall commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) delinquency rate for retail was at 0.68 percent, according to JPMorgan analyst Alan L. Todd and he expects it to range between 1.5 percent and 2.0 percent next year.
This ongoing difficulty in obtaining financing, coupled with a grim prognosis for the retail sector, will help prolong the transaction stalemate in retail investment sales. Already in the third quarter of 2008, retail property sales, at $3.4 billion, were down 80 percent compared to the same period in 2007, reports Real Capital Analytics. Year-to-date sales volume, at $16.1 billion, has been off 71 percent compared to last year, and the number of properties sold, at 1,330, down 60 percent. The firm estimates that the total volume of transactions in 2008 will total a little more than $20.7 billion. The last time retail sales volume was at this level was in 2002, which saw activity worth $26.8 billion. Next year, we might see similar figures, says Fasulo.
As a result of all this, Bernard J. Haddigan, managing director of the national retail group with Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, an Encino, Calif.-based brokerage firm, projects retail deal volume next year might not go much higher than $17 billion. Dan Fasulo, managing director with Real Capital Analytics, thinks it could be a little higher, projecting the total might reach 2002's level of $27 billion. Either way, the projections are a big drop from the industry peak of $71.6 billion in 2007.
Lagging indicators
Because retail real estate statistics tend to lag behind general economic indicators, retail center owners have so far avoided feeling the brunt of the pain from the massive drop-off in consumer spending, according to Joel Bloomer, an analyst with Morningstar. Over the next several months, however, they will face increasing pressure from rising vacancy rates, falling rent levels and a difficult refinancing market.
In fact, on Oct. 22, Morningstar raised its uncertainty ratings, which measure the margin of safety around the fair value of a stock, to high from medium for a number of companies in the retail REIT universe, including Kimco Realty Corp., Macerich Co. and PREIT, citing possible losses in revenue because of consumer spending and the financing environment. Then, on Oct. 31, Goldman Sachs' REIT team issued a note advising investors to avoid any company with high leverage or a large development pipeline. The advisory was based on the calculation that cap rates for commercial properties will come back to the long-term average of 9.3 percent, rising 260 basis points above the current average of 6.7 percent.
The scary thing is that REITs, as embattled as they've become having seen 65 percent of their market capitalization evaporate since February 2007, are in better shape than private real estate companies, experts say. REITs tend to have long-standing relationships with lenders and most have avoided closing too many high-leverage acquisitions during the latest up cycle. The majority of retail REITs have also taken care of their 2008 maturities and have started work on securing financing for 2009, says Rich Moore, analyst, with RBC Capital Markets.
Smaller, privately held firms, meanwhile, may face difficulties. "Given the tight credit conditions, a lot of smaller companies will have trouble getting financing and that will limit their flexibility," says Robert McMillan, a REIT analyst with New York City-based rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Finance first
So what's going to happen to those companies in 2009, when $34 billion in securitized debt alone will need to be refinanced? The good news is the credit markets might begin to thaw sometime after the first quarter of 2009, according to Dan E. Gorczycki, managing director in the New York City office of Savills LLC, the U.S. arm of the global real estate services firm Savills PLC. While Wall Street will likely continue to be out of commission next year, commercial banks could eventually start lending again, once the money made available through the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) works its way through the financial system. The effects of the bailout plan already started to be felt at the beginning of November, when LIBOR rates declined to 3.17 percent from 3.96 percent in October. The TED spread, which reached a peak of 4.64 on Oct. 10, had come down to 1.98 by Nov. 12. However, the effects may not be as great as some had hoped. On Nov. 12, Treasury officials announced they were shifting the focus of the program from financial institutions to consumer credit, with the remaining funding now earmarked for credit card, student loan and auto debt.
In the meantime, it could take months for the $250 billion infused into the financial system to bring true relief to the capital markets, according to David J. Lynn, managing director of research and investment strategy with real estate services firm ING Real Estate. So far, the program hasn't resulted in an increase of lending, according to Bob Bach, vice president and chief economist with Grubb & Ellis, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based real estate services firm. It might not have a sufficient impact on liquidity unless the government requests that banks spend at least a portion of the money they received to originate loans, he notes. Lynn projects that the recovery in the financial services sector won't begin in earnest until the third or fourth quarter of 2009.
Unfortunately, it appears that the era of securitized loans has come to a dead end — in October, CMBS issuance came to $0, after posting similar results for the previous three months, reports Commercial Mortgage Alert, an industry newsletter. By contrast, from July through October 2007, when the credit crunch was getting under way, the market still saw $55.2 billion in CMBS issuance. CMBS issuance might begin to climb up by the second quarter of 2009, according to Todd, but nobody has a clear idea by how much.
For now, securitized debt markets remain inaccessible. As of Nov. 5, spreads on 10-year triple-A-rated conduit loans stood at 600 basis points, according to Commercial Mortgage Alert, compared to this decade's low point of 24 basis points, reached in April of 2005 and then again in June of 2006. Historically, from 1997 through 2007, spreads on triple- A-rated CMBS loans stayed below 50 basis points. And in the wake of the government's announcement that TARP money won't be used to buy toxic commercial real estate backed assets, spreads on the CMBX-NA-AJ 5 index shot up to 1,156 basis points on Nov. 13, while spreads on the CMBX-NA-AA-5 index went up to 2,051 basis points.
In recent months, some observers have held out hope for the emergence of a new securitized debt vehicle — for example, covered bonds, which function in the same way as CMBS bonds, but remain on the issuer's balance sheet, minimizing the risk for investors. That's looking unlikely according to Gorczycki. "Something has to fill that void, but who knows what it is," he says about the $34 billion in securitized loans that will need to be refinanced in 2009.
The best indication of where the real estate lending market is headed can be glimpsed in the behavior of Mark Finerman, former head of real estate finance operations at RBS Greenwich Capital, a Greenwich, Conn.-based fixed-income capital markets firm. Earlier this year, Finerman, along with two other structured finance experts, Perry Gershon and Chris McCormack, formed Loan Core, a company with $1.5 billion in commitments for opportunistic debt investments. Loan Core eventually plans to provide commercial real estate loans using a mechanism that will allow it to retain a portion of the loan on its books and sell off the senior portion in the securitized market. Given current conditions, however, Loan Core will likely focus on whole loans for the time being. Finerman did not return requests for comment.
Because banks have to hold real estate loans on their balance sheets, they will never be able to lend as much money as Wall Street players, or to offer such easy terms. In 2007, commercial/multifamily mortgage originations totalled almost $508 billion, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), an industry trade group, with conduits accounting for $225 billion, or 44 percent, of that volume. In the first half of 2008, however, combined commercial mortgage originations from CMBS players and life insurance companies came to only $50 billion. What's more, the banks are facing pressure from the government to limit their exposure to real estate, which means their real estate allocations will likely be below average next year. Insurance companies are in a similar bind, according to Mulvee. Their real estate allocations are already too high because of falling stock prices and they are not currently raising mountains of extra cash through the issuance of new insurance policies.
As a result, "It's not going to be an easy recovery," says Adam B. Weissburg, partner with the Los Angeles-based real estate law firm Cox Castle Nicholson LLP. "It's like a patient who's been in intensive care. We are starting to see signs that the patient is stabilizing, but things are still grave. I think next year is going to be all about stabilization."
In better times, when DLC Management Corp. needed to secure a loan it would enter negotiations with a handful of lenders with whom it had long-standing relationships and pick and choose its way through the competing bids, says Daniel Taub, executive vice president and COO of the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based shopping center owner and manager.
Today, however, to secure refinancing for Tower Shopping Center, a Raleigh, N.C.-based 152,273-square-foot neighborhood shopping center that has a loan maturing in January 2009, the firm had to contact more than 100 potential lenders.
Those few lenders who continue to be active in the marketplace, including national players Bank of America and Wells Fargo and small community banks, ask for such tight underwriting criteria, only the most financially disciplined landlords appear to be able to secure loans.
Any borrower who wants to get new financing better be prepared to accept loan-to-value ratios of no more than 65 percent and debt-service-coverage ratios of 1.25 percent. Non-recourse debt has become a thing of the past, says Taub, putting tremendous pressure on smaller, privately held investors. In those rare instances where no recourse might be an option, borrowers have to accept interest rates in the 9 percent to 11 percent range, up from 6 percent to 7 percent a year or two ago.
"You've had a very wide shift in terms that are [there] to protect the lender while not factoring in the property and the sponsor," Taub notes.
Plus, even with loans that feature punishing terms, the lenders want to make sure the property is more than 80 percent leased to strong credit tenants, and they are likely to do business only with long-term clients who are bringing them repeat business.
"They are lending as though they are protecting against Armageddon," says Gorczycki. That is not surprising given that vacancy rates in the retail sector are projected to rise until at least 2010, according to Bach.
Meanwhile, there are whispers that the market has started to hit bottom — not the absolute bottom, as retail real estate values will likely continue to fall through the next six months — but within range of the bottom, according to Weissburg. If that's true, it will give lenders a better sense of how to price commercial mortgages, he notes, and make them feel more comfortable about lending again.
One regional bank in Miami, for example, has already looked at about nine retail real estate deals in the past few weeks, says Lawrence Suchman, president and CEO of Suchman Retail Group, a Coral Gables, Fla.-based commercial real estate brokerage, acquisition and development firm.
Ryan Krauch, principal with Mesa West Capital, a Los Angeles-based privately held, institutional commercial real estate lender, notes that once banks clean up their balance sheets, they might feel more comfortable underwriting commercial real estate transactions. Plus, there will likely be some private fund lenders in the market, like Mesa West Capital. The firm has more than $1 billion allocated to loan originations over the next year, but has been having trouble finding enough deals to finance. Mesa West's loans tend to feature two- or three-year, floating rate over 30-day LIBOR terms and are 100 percent non-recourse.
As a result, most of the real estate lending taking place in 2009 will be done through commercial banks, whose allocations to commercial real estate will continue to be limited, according to both Mulvee and Lynn. The volume of commercial mortgages originated through portfolio lenders will make up only half the gap left by the CMBS markets, says Lynn. "I think the [lending environment] will stay the same for most of 2009 and that will have an impact on a lot of things in the industry," he notes.
"If you are a blue chip company, a lot of the lending is relationship driven," so you might have some negotiating power, according to Lynn. But if you are a smaller player applying for a new mortgage, the banks want to see plenty of equity and might insist on an interest rate of up to 11 percent.
Diminished expectations
The problems in the finance arena are leading to deals getting scuttled. On Nov. 3, Homburg Invest Inc., a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based real estate investment and development firm, announced it was cancelling a proposed joint venture with Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc., a Port Washington, N.Y.-based REIT, for the purchase of a 32-property, one-million-square-foot portfolio located throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York for approximately $129 million. Homburg Invest cited troubles in the capital markets as the reason for the cancellation. The deal was scheduled to close on Dec. 15, subject to due diligence and board of directors' approval. It would have brought in approximately $49 million in cash proceeds for Cedar.
Lack of available financing has certainly played a role in the downturn, says Mower. Only those deals that feature in-place financing or all-cash buyers are getting closed right now, she notes. That has kept average deal size low, at $11.9 million, according to Real Capital Analytics. The average deal price for strip centers went down 14 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2007, to $14.5 million.
The negative outlook for the retail real estate sector, however, has also been a driving force behind lackluster sales activity. In the second quarter of 2008, investors gave retail the lowest rating of all the commercial property types on a 1 to 10 return vs. risk scale, at 3.9, reports Real Estate Research Corp., a Chicago-based real estate research firm. Retail also got a value vs. price rating of 4.2, below the rating for every sector except hospitality.
Yet many sellers still have unrealistic expectations for the cap rates they can achieve in this market, with the gap between buyers and sellers running from 50 basis points to a 150 basis points, Mower says. In the past few months, that gap started to close somewhat — Suchman, for example, has seen listing cap rates of up to 8.5 percent, up from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent at the beginning of the year, but it still hasn't reached a point where buyers feel they are getting enough of a discount. To spur sales activity, cap rates need to return to the historical 9.0 percent to 10.0 percent range, according to research from Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.
Meanwhile, the lingering disconnect between buyer and seller expectations continued to prevent new deals from occurring throughout the third quarter, when only one out of every three offerings resulted in a closed transaction, according to Real Capital Analytics. Cap rates averaged 6.8 percent, up only 35 basis points compared to the third quarter of 2007, but the figure is misleading, Fasulo cautions. Cap rates remain low because only top-quality assets are trading hands. One telling sign of where the market is headed is that cap rates for anchored strip centers have risen faster than those for unanchored properties, reflecting buyers' concern that an anchor could go bankrupt and leave them with a huge rent shortfall, according to Lynn.
Fariba Kavian, senior vice president with Sperry Van Ness, an Irvine, Calif.-based real estate investment brokerage firm, listed one single-tenant restaurant property in a suburb of Chicago at a 9.0 percent cap last month, but says the offers have still been sporadic.
"I am starting to see sellers capitulate to the buyers' market, but the gap hasn't closed fully," says Suchman. "Even buyers are looking out there and saying 'I don't know what a good deal is.' People are being much more cautious in terms of the type of real estate [they are getting] and the percentage of occupancies by credit tenants versus non-credit tenants."
At the same time, institutional buyers and vulture funds have largely stayed away from the acquisition market because they perceive cap rates have room to go up, says Gill Warner, senior director with Stan Johnson Company, a Tulsa, Okla.-based commercial real estate investment firm.
Brokers expect the gap to start closing sometime around the middle of 2009, when inability to pay down debt and dissolving partnerships will force owners to accept lower prices. Warner closed several net-lease deals in September, involving Walgreens-anchored properties in the Midwest, but they were sold to a high-net- worth private buyer who did not need to secure financing. Furthermore, the seller, in the market for close to a year, had to accept a cap rate increase of approximately 50 basis points, to 7.6 percent.
Aware that retail values have room to fall further, opportunistic investors with cash at their disposal don't feel pressure to buy right now, says Gorczycki. They know the real estate sector's recovery will take a long time and are patiently waiting for ever steeper discounts. "If you are flush with cash, you wait for an opportunity that's so ridiculous, it's beyond ridiculous," Gorczycki adds.
Those investors may see more opportunity outside direct investment in property, according to Fasulo, who notes there may be fewer cash-heavy prospective buyers in the market than people realize (the estimated amount for equity allocated to commercial real estate is $300 billion, according to brokerage firm CB Richard Ellis).
At the moment, investments in distressed debt, CMBS notes sold through the secondary market and REIT stocks appear to offer better value. For the next two years, that's where most of the equity is likely to go, says Haddigan. And that's to say nothing of investments outside the retail real estate arena entirely.
The unfavorable outlook on retail properties will likely get worse in early 2009, when the dismal holiday sales season is expected to bring about a dramatic number of new bankruptcies and store closings. The first half of 2009 will likely see more than 3,100 store closing announcements, according to the most recent forecast from ICSC. On Nov. 10, for example, electronics retailer Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, after announcing it would close 155 of its 721 stores and attempt to renegotiate leases for the remaining locations. Department store chain Bon-Ton Stores might be another candidate for a bankruptcy filing, as is furniture seller Pier I Imports, according to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, Inc., a New York City-based retail consulting and investment banking firm. Davidowitz estimates the total number of store closings next year will fall in the range between 10,000 and 12,000.
Excess Space Retail Services, Inc., a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based real estate disposition and restructuring firm, puts the number even higher — at up to 14,000 store closings. In October, same-store sales for U.S. chain stores declined 0.9 percent, according to the ICSC.
Luxury stores showed the steepest decrease, at 19.2 percent, followed by specialty apparel sellers, at 11.0 percent, and department stores, at 10.9 percent. ICSC projects that during the November/December 2008 holiday sales period, same-store sales in the U.S. will show only a 1.0 percent gain.
As a result, retail property fundamentals will take a hit in 2009 — the vacancy rate is expected to peak next year at 17.3 percent, according to PPR, while rent growth will decline 5.6 percent, after a 3.6 percent decrease projected for this year. The firm does not expect a retail sector recovery until 2010, making it unlikely that retail will become the favored property type for real estate investment next year.
At the same time, deteriorating property fundamentals might help bring about some distressed asset opportunities for cash-flush vulture funds, according to Warner. With one retailer after another closing stores and not a lot of alternative users emerging to take up their spaces, many landlords will find themselves in a position where they will have to offer rent relief to their tenants, says Haddigan. If the landlord has debt maturities coming up in 2009, however, that might turn into a problem. Facing pressure from the lender to pay back the loan and simultaneously experiencing rent flow shortfalls, the landlord might have one of two choices: either put more equity into the financing deal or put the property on the sales block, Haddigan notes.
That might result in some attractive opportunities for distressed asset buyers, but the rent shortfall problems will affect primarily class-B properties in secondary markets, according to Haddigan. Most opportunistic investors, however, will want class-A locations in primary markets, says Taub. "If you are buying fundamentally sound real estate, at the right pricing, with [below market] rents, then you'll be able to make a good return and you'll be able to increase that return as the market recovers," he notes.
The Numbers Game
Though most industry researchers agree 2009 will be a tough year for the retail real estate sector, they still haven't agreed on exactly how much damage the current recession will cause.
For example, Boston-based Property & Portfolio Research (PPR), has some of the most bearish projections on retail real estate, expecting the national vacancy rate to climb 17.3 percent, while projecting rents to 5.6 percent. PPR bases its forecast on surveys of all retail properties greater than 30,000 square feet across 54 U.S. markets.
Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, an Encino, Calif.-based brokerage firm, predicts a less drastic turn in property fundamentals. Marcus & Millichap, which tracks all retail centers greater than 10,000 square feet throughout the U.S., expects vacancies to reach 13.0 percent next year, while expecting rents to fall decline 1.2 percent.
Finally, Reis Inc., a New York City-based commercial real estate information provider, projects a vacancy rate of 9.9 percent for 2009 and a rental rate decrease of 0.6 percent. However, the firm's numbers take into account only neighborhood and community shopping centers and power centers greater than 5,000 square feet in size. Its information is based on surveys of 76 major markets across the country.


text: John McAslan founded John McAslan + Partners in 1996, having previously trained with Cambridge Seven Associates in Boston, and Richard Rogers in London, before becoming co-principal of Troughton McAslan in 1984. The projects he has led have been widely published, and their practice's architecture has generated monographs by Thames & Hudson, the Architectural Review, and Merrell. McAslan's has won over 50 international design awards, and the practice has been Architect of the Year on four occasions. McAslan has taught extensively, been an awards assessor, and personally oversees the RIBA/ICE McAslan Bursary, which supports collaborative projects by students and recent graduates in Britain and overseas. Among McAslan's best-known architectural projects are the transformation of the Roundhouse, London, the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill, headquarters complexes for Max Mara in Italy and Yapi Kredi bank in Turkey, a number of embassy schemes for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and major transport and infrastructure schemes in the UK, including King's Cross Station, which is due for completion in time for the London 2012 Olympics.


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Len says last night was the best night of dancing they've ever seen. Rulebreakers Shawn and Derek get the encore. Because this show is more about ratings than competitive dance authenticity.
Never kid yourself about that.
Watching from the balcony last night, Emmitt observes of Melissa and Tony, "They nailed that [expletive deleted]." Emmitt's talkative because he also calls out to Gilles as he's hanging from the flying apparatus, saying he'd be too scared to do that. Gilles says he realized after he was hoisted up that his fly was open.
Kirstie and Maks are in jeopardy, but Emmitt and Cheryl, Gilles and Peta, and Melissa and Tony are safe.
Frankie Moreno, who's a Vegas crooner/piano player in the old-school tradition, is there to perform while Lacey Schwimmer (former "DWTS" pro) and Kyle Massey (former contestant) dance a jive. They're later joined by members of the "DWTS" troupe. I gotta say, I first saw Lacey in her season of "So You Think You Can Dance" and I really, really miss her being a brunette.
Shawn and Derek and Apolo and Karina are safe. Drew and Anna are in jeopardy. Kelly and Val are safe.
Between Kirstie and Maks and Drew and Anna, the couple going home is Drew and Anna. First past season champion down!
All the judges agree last night was really, really good. The dance styles that the couples will be picking for each other are revealed and they are:
• Bolero
• Bollywood
• Broadway
• Charleston
• Contemporary
• Disco
• Hip-Hop
• Jitterbug
• Mambo
• Rock 'n' Roll
This is getting pretty far away from ballroom. But since this last season of "So You Think You Can Dance" was weirdly unfulfilling, I'll take it.
The order of choosing will go like this: last place score picks for first place couple. Next to last couple picks for second place couple, and so on and so forth. With Emmitt and Apolo tied, they drew numbers. Each couple has ten seconds to confer and pick the dance for the other couple.
Bristol and Mark pick Bollywood for Gilles and Peta. I don't think that's going to be as challenging for them as Mark seems to think (he was coaching Bristol through the choice). I think Gilles would have the most trouble with Hip-Hop. I mean, he's sexy, but he's not at all hip-hop.
Kirstie and Maks pick disco for Louis & Sabrina. Another one that I don't think will be a challenge, except I'm not sure Louis can do all the lifts with Sabrina that can make disco really exciting.
Helio and Chelsie pick Mambo for Shawn and Derek. I'm not exactly sure what Mambo means, other than that it's in the Latin family, so I can't comment on this choice.
Kelly and Val pick Bolero for Emmitt and Cheryl. I think they'll do fine with that, given that it falls somewhere between a tango and a paso doble, both dances Emmitt's done well in the past.
Melissa and Tony pick Hip-Hop for Apolo and Karina. Karina's happier than Apolo. The way Melissa said "Hip-Hop" I think it would've been deadly for her.
Apolo and Karina turn around and pick Jitterbug for Melissa and Tony. After nailing that jive last week, Melissa and Tony will have loads of fun with a jitterbug. I'm not sure the contestants are understanding how this is supposed to work.
Emmitt and Cheryl pick Contemporary for Emmitt and Val. I think that's going to be the hardest one because this show skews so cheesy and contemporary dance is so serious about itself.
Derek and Shawn pick Broadway for Helio and Chelsie. Helio's big personality will be well-suited for Broadway.
Sabrina and Louis pick Charleston for Kirstie and Maks. This is after Louis advises her, "Pick Rock 'n' Roll if we want to hurt them, Charleston if we want to help them." So we see that the stars don't want to be mean to each other on live tv. Sigh.
This means that Bristol and Mark will get Rock 'n' Roll, by default. Which should be fine for them because it won't require much grace.
Josh Johnson is from Harlem and is now a junior at Penn State. He studied hard in high school and got into Penn, but had trouble paying for it. He worked a lot of jobs, but then decided that he'd hit the New York subway and tap dance for tips.I hope they're paying him well to be on the show tonight. Textbooks are SERIOUSLY expensive.
So, Karmin is here to perform and I seriously had no idea until just now that "Karmin" is the name of a duo and not the name of a single female singer. I can't say she's super-good at the lip-syncing and they're doing everything they can with camera angles, lighting and cutaways to help disguise that. The thing that's most impressive about her performance is that she comes down the stairs in these ridiculously high platform heels without falling flat on her face.
Backstage, Mark and Bristol LITERALLY kiss and make up while their rehearsal footage is shown to the studio audience.
Bristol and Mark are safe, so it's either Shawn and Louis or Helio and Chelsie going home. Helio and Chelsie go home and somewhere in South Carolina my mom is saying very unladylike things to her television.
Tune in next week to see all the new styles. I'll try to educate myself about what they all are so I can grouch about the parts they get wrong.


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The Walrus Says
Time's awasting folks, July 5 is just a few weeks away and the Rocket 'Hogs need our help. Send your checks made out to the Fireworks Fund to Box 1776, Jamestown, 02835. The fireworks display is funded entirely by volunteer contributions. No taxes are involved. Write your check today so the 'Hogs can blow it up.
Donations have arrived from Fred and Dorothy Clarke of Pemberton Avenue, Martha Omek Milot of Highland Drive, Patricia Venable of Avenue B, and the Jamestown Fire Department.
Head 'Hog Gregg Charest informs us that he has received an "Employee Possessor Letter of Clearance" from the U.S. Department of Justice so that he can be present at the beach to oversee the setup of the fireworks. According to the letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, he is now "approved to transport, ship, receive, or possess explosive materials" as per his July 5th association with Telstar Pyrotechnics, and signed by the Chief of the Federal Explosives Licensing Center.
We don't know if that's good news or bad. When you see Gregg driving down the street, give him a wide berth.
In a follow up to Boy Scout Troop 1's Pasta Supper, Scoutmaster Dave Volpe reports that more than 300 meals were served, amounting to the consumption of 80 pounds of pasta, 600 meatballs, 15 gallons of pasta sauce "and a whole bunch of dessets made by our wonderful parents."
"It was a great turnout and we want to thank our sponsors and the community for their support," Dave said.
On Sunday, the scouts will be overseeing the parking at Ali's Run at Fort Getty.
............I want a diamond ring, bracelet everything.
Our query about the Ruptured Duck brought this reply from islander John Musselman.
"I still have my father's 'Ruptured Duck' lapel pin from World War II. Your question encouraged me to find out a bit more about it. The following was found on Wikipedia along with pictures of the original pin and embroidered emblem about which I was unaware. There was also a citation about Jimmy Doolittle's specially prepared B-25B bomber, also renamed the Ruptured Duck due to damage on take-off in preparation for his famous raid on Tokyo.
"The Honorable Service Lapel Pin was an award given to United States military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during World War II. The award was sometimes slangily called the Ruptured Duck.
"The pin was awarded between September 1939 and December 1946 and was made of gilt brass, except during metal shortages during which it was made of gilt plastic. Service members who received the plastic version were later allowed to trade it in for the brass version.
"The pin, which depicted an eagle inside a wreath, served as proof to military police that its wearer was not absent without leave. During the World War II emergency, members of the armed forces (unless under orders) were forbidden to possess civilian clothing, in order to make desertion more difficult. The discharge insignia, embroidered onto a cloth lozenge and sewn on the right breast of the tunic, allowed its wearer to wear his or her uniform for up to 30 days subsequent to discharge. Some veterans wore the pin on their civilian lapels for many years after the war's end. It also appeared on a postage stamp honoring veterans. The usage of the term later expanded to also refer to the individual wearing it, as in 'that ruptured duck is flying space-available.' Presumably because these individuals were usually in a great hurry to return to their homes in the United States, the term later came into use when describing somebody or something which was moving quickly."
Thanks, John!
We almost lost our truck in a hole on North Main Road just outside the dump Sunday morning. A passerby spotted our antenna flag sticking out of the hole and helped us out.
Bob Kinder correctly identified last week's poser as the lovely song "To Each His Own." And, Larry Lewis wrote that the song was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans in 1946. "At least five hit versions appeared in that year alone. We wouldn't see that happening today, would we? Among the better remembered artists, then: The Ink Spots, Freddy Martin and Tony Martin. Al Martino's character sang this tune in 'Godfather III.' Other diverse stylists including Eddy Arnold and Sam Cooke also recorded the song.
"A rose must remain with the sun and the rain
Or its lovely promise won't come true
To each his own, to each his own
And my own is you"
Refering to "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby," Judy Garlick of Mt. Hope Avenue wrote, "You've gone and hit us again with another 40s tune made popular by the pairing of crooner Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, Maxine, Laverne and Patti. It was one of those tunes that got us through World War II.
BING: I've got a gal who's always late - anytime we have a date. But I love her, yes I love her.
ANDREW SISTERS: He's gonna walk up to my gate and see if he can set it straight cause he wants her, he's gonna ask her.
BING: Is you is or is you ain't my baby? The way you been acting lately makes me doubt - you is still my baby, baby. Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out.
ANDREW SISTERS: A woman is a creature that has always been strange. Just when you're sure of one you find she's gone and made a change.
BING: Is you is or is you ain't my baby? Maybe baby's found somebody new. Is my baby still my baby true?
"I think the decade of the 40s was the greatest as far as the music and the big bands go. I still play the recordings all the time."
Swing it, Judy!
Congratulations to islander Casey Roberts who has joined Citizens Bank as sales manager for southern Rhode Island.
It was great seeing the sisters back at The Secret Garden last Friday helping the new owner gear up for the Memorial Day weekend.
A Snapple cap moment: A hummingbird's heart beats 1,400 times a minute.
*** Be true!
Call in your stuff for this column to 423-0383 or 829-2760. You can e-mail us at jtnwalrus@ hotmail.com or drop your items off at the Jamestown Press office.


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Snow-search Japan
Snow-search Japan
Everything you need to explore the home of the best powder in the world
Snow-search Japan is our award winning new book and the first in a new series of guidebooks we are launching.
Imagine a country that has literally hundreds of ski resorts but only a handful of snow machines. Imagine a country where ski resorts can average 14 metres of snow in a season and have some of the driest powder in the world.
Snow-search Japan covers over 70 resorts, telling you the best places to visit no matter what your style of skiing or riding is. Combine this with expansive reviews of the ski towns and major gateway cities, plus culture, food and language guides, and you have the most comprehensive book on skiing and snowboarding in Japan ever produced.
From the makers of the critically acclaimed World Snowboard Guide, comes the first book in a new series of guidebooks, focused upon independent reviews with meticulous detail, written by professional writers, snowsport experts and knowledgeable locals.
"Travel book of the year"
Gold Medal award winner at the 2010 IPPY Awards.
"we can't recommend it enough"
Cooler Magazine, Feb 2010
"At last – a really good guide to skiing in Japan"
Ski+Board Magazine
"Thorough, clear and rammed with essential information."
Fall-line Skiing
"A thorough guide that any snow fan heading to Japan should own"
Wellington Dominion Post, NZ
Sample pages
- A5 size, 256 pages full in colour on 115gsm matt paper, section sewn for durability and weighs
- 550grams
- Country, area and city maps
- In-depth resort reviews and piste maps
- Hundreds of exclusive colour photographs
- Access town / city reviews
- Comprehensive travel guide
- Language and culture guide
- Backcountry information
- Working and doing a season in Japan
- Introduction
- Culture
- Japanese History
- Skiing in Japan History
- Onsen - what is an onsen, what are the rules, favourite onsen
- Food & Drink - what type of food and restaurants are there
- Travelling to & Getting around - international and domestic flights, hiring a car, getting around on public transport
- Accommodation - the variety of places to stay
- Working a season in Japan - what kind of work is available, what are the regulations and what can i expect
- Gateway Cities - Tokyo City, Osaka City, Sapporo City, Kyoto City - full reviews with subway maps
- Backcountry & Off-piste - what the regulations are, essential kit, safety, CAT Skiing, places to go
- Photo Gallery - inspiring shots
- Resorts & Ski town reviews
- Hokkaido - Sapporo City, Kiroro Snow World, Sapporo Bankei, Sapporo Kokusai, Sapporo Teine, Niseko Hirafu town, Niseko United, Nisko Weiss, Rusutsu Resort, Niseko Snow Adventures, Niseko Moiwa, Furano town, Asahidake, Furano Ski Resort, Kamui Ski Links, Tomamu, Kurodake, Mt Racey, Sahoro, Tokachidake backcountry
- Niigata - Yuzawa town,Naeba - Kagura, Pine Ridge, Kandatsu, Gala Yuzawa, Ishiuchi-Maruyama, Iwappara, Joetsu Kokusai, Maiko Korakuen, Muikamachi Hakkaisan, Myoko town, Myoko Akakura, Ikenotaira Onsen, Myoko Suginohara, Seki Onsen, Tangram Ski Circus, Madarao Kogen, Charmant Hiuchi
- Nagano - Hakuba town, Hakuba 47 + Goyru, Happo One, Hakuba Cortina + Norikura, Tsugaike-Kogen, Iwatake, Yanaba, Sun Alpina linked resorts, Nozawa Onsen town, Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, Shiga-Kogen, Ryuo Ski Park, Sugadaira, Norikura Kogen, Takaifuji, Ontake, Tatayama backcountry
- Gunma - Minakami town, Tanigawadake Tenjindaira, Minikami Kogen, Kawaba, Norn Minakami, Minakami Houdaigi, Minakami Okutone, Kusatsu Kokusai, White World Oze Iwakura, Marunuma Kogen
- Fukushima - Inawashiro town, Alts Bandai, Snow Paradise Inawashiro, Urabandai Nekoma, Grandeco, Listel Ski Fantasia
- Yamagata - Zao Onsen, Riser Resort, Gassan
- Miyagi - Miyagi Zao, St Marys, Sumikawa (cat ski)
- Iwate - Appi Kogen, Hachimantai, Shizukuichi
- Kansai + Chubu - Kyoto city, Katsuyama Ski Jam, Takasu Snow Park, Dynaland, Washigatake + Hakkoda, Tazawako, Hunter Mountain, Owani Onsen


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Do you love these beautiful R2R decks and spinning tapes? If so, you are in good company of other lovers of this old but great technology.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


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Quicksilk Outdoor Men Women and Kids Quick Dry Slip-On Water Shoes13 M US Little Kid|Black Black 13 M US Little Kid
Polyester and spandex upper, rubber sole
Imported. Our KIDS items tend to run small, we suggest ordering 1 or 1/2 up if you are unsure of your size. Or please carefully compare the uploded SIZE CHART photos if necessary.
Ultra lightweight and compressible
Quick-drying stretch upper allows for pull-on entry and secure fit.
Superior cushioning footbed with honeycomb construction offers maximum comforbility and ventilation.
Upgraded quick drain sole and anti-slip rubber outsole for enhance great traction on any surfaces.
Water Shoes


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Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten by Stacey Kannenberg is available in an English/Spanish edition. This great book by is a helpful teaching aid to parents, kids and teachers preparing for Kindergarten. The brightly illustrated and durable book provides both English and Spanish text. Each page is laid out with each section written in English next to the Spanish translation. Help get your little one ready for school and prepare for what Kindergarten will be like. Created for children ages 2-6.


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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.
Famous Boston abolitionist, Lydia Maria Child, wrote to John Brown in prison just ten days after his raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry. Her letter and Brown's reply was published a year later in the National Anti-Slavery Standard, the official newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Like many abolitionists, Child advocated peaceful resolution to the slavery crisis and while she extended her sympathies to Brown's cause and situation, she admonished his methods. Her emotions of Brown's plight were so strong that she offered to personally come and nurse Brown back to health. In his reply, Brown extended his gratitude to Mrs. Child's concern for his well-being. He told her the urgent need was a financial relief effort for his family and the families of the men who died or were imprisoned due to their participation in the raid and earlier fighting in Kansas.
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Excerpts from the Diary of Ellen Louisa Arms (Sheldon)
"Mass Convention at Old Deerfield"
Frederick Douglas refused passport
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I've been a bagged tea drinker for a very long time, just recently expanding my horizons to the world of loose leaf. You may notice from my "collection" I seem to be particular of a certain brand; I am definitely keen on finding other high quality online retailers and it seems this is the place to look! In terms of tastes, it's hard to pick a favorite tea. For me, there's a tea for every emotion. A tea for every craving. From sophisticated and refined tea, to wild and exciting blends, it's impossible to get bored with all the choices tea has to offer.
I'm not really interested in any personal exchanges, but I'd love some retailer recommendations. I'm especially a sucker for retailers with samples, and purchases that come with storage tins (they keep my tea shelf so pretty~!).
Of course my interests aren't limited to tea, but that's what I'm here for, so this bio will have to do for now~!
Michigan, United States.


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Lizards & Snakes: Alive!
Small and shy—or big and fierce? Bright as a jewel—or hardly visible? Four legs? Two legs? No legs at all? When you're talking about lizards and snakes—the squamates—the answer is usually.... Yes!
This ancient group, whose scientific name is Latin for "scaled," is more diverse than mammals, as old as dinosaurs. And they're almost everywhere: harsh desert to lush rainforest, high in the treetops, beneath the ground. Whatever the environment, one of the 8,000 squamate species on Earth calls it home. We share the planet, but we often overlook these quiet neighbors. So welcome to the world of squamates, and get ready to be surprised!
This cladogram maps evolutionary relationships among the squamates. The word squamate comes from the Latin squama, meaning scale, and scales are one thing all squamates have in common.
Sight is supreme for the iguanas and their relatives, a group of about 1,400 species that some experts call the "sight hounds" of the squamate world. Like humans, these animals rely mostly on vision, not smell, to find their dinners and their mates . . . and to figure out what other members of their species are telling them.
Geckos and girdled lizards are transitional, between the sight hounds and the nose hounds.
For some squamates, the world is alive with chemical cues. Prey, predators, mates and favorite burrows--each has a distinct chemical signature, or scent. Every animal in this exhibition can respond to these cues; all have nostrils and can smell.
At times during the past, close relatives of some of the animals on display grew to enormous size. The largest monitor on Earth today is the fierce Komodo Dragon, but it's dwarfed by these members of its family tree.
Flicking tongues. Unblinking stares. Incredible agility--but no visible arms or legs. The creatures surrounding you must be the planet's most intriguing, most misunderstood animals. They are squamates without limbs; you probably know them as snakes.
In evolution, diversity equals success. And the diversity of lizards and snakes on Earth--nearly 8,000 species--tells us the squamates are doing something right!
A hands-on section in the exhibition for younger visitors and their parents.
As Associate Dean of Science for Collections, Darrel R. Frost is responsible for overseeing the use and maintenance of the American Museum of Natural History's permanent collection of more than 30 million specimens and cultural artifacts.
The American Museum of Natural History's Department of Ichthyology and Herpetology was founded in 1909, and in 1919 Herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles) became an independent Department of Herpetology under its first curator, Mary C. Dickerson.
Did you know that squamates have a third eye? Or that the Gila Monster and the Bearded Lizard are the only two known venomous lizards? Discover more interesting facts about squamates.
Lizards & Snakes: Alive! was organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, in collaboration with the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta and the San Diego Natural History Museum, with appreciation to Clyde Peeling's Reptiland.
Lizards & Snakes: Alive! was made possible, in part, by a grant from The Dyson Foundation and the Amy and Larry Robbins Foundation.


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Published by: Thorp Wilson
Resolution: 1500x2000px
Category: Chair, More >>
Published at: Friday, February 09 2018 18:46:45
In any home, you can see a cheap accent chairs. They are important pieces of brown leather accent chairs both in your home and in the office. The most common type are white leather accent chair with accent arm chairs and lounge chair with ottoman. You can sit on them to relax when reading a book or doing work. However, each contemporary lounge chairs has its own purpose, and you need to get the correct chair to serve the correct purpose. For example, you cannot use an wine barrel chairs for an office chair.
Depending on your requirements, reclining chairs are available as massage chairs, regular seats, and full-featured home theater reclining chairs. The massage type recliners can have built-in heat technology and music thats synchronized to the rythym of the massage programme. These recliners will also have several pre-configured massage settings so that you can use the one you enjoy most. The massage recliner is excellent at relieving aching and sore muscles.


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As photographic film continues its inexorable decline to the status of quaint, if not forgotten, technology, I offer this example demonstrating one of its often-derided properties: grain. If you follow home video fora, you'll see many who think it's something to be minimized if not expunged entirely. Of course, grain is why there is an image in the first place. I think the heavy grain structure in this 35mm Kodacolor 1000 negative I shot in 1985 lends a rather painterly quality, especially viewed full-size. The flatironish building in the center is San Francisco's Columbus Tower, aka the Sentinel Building, begun a year before the earthquake and completed a year later in 1907. Since 1970, it's been the headquarters of Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope studio;
The Godfather
was edited and sound- mixed here. Also,
a K-car
an M-body Chrysler Fifth Avenue taxi.
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