text:
What you can do
LGBT facts and figures
- A quarter (24 per cent) of patient-facing staff have heard colleagues make negative remarks about lesbian, gay or bi people
- One in five (20 per cent) have heard similar disparaging remarks about trans people
- Almost one in 10 (nine per cent) health and social care staff are aware of colleagues experiencing discrimination or poor treatment because they are trans
- A quarter (26 per cent) of lesbian, gay and bi staff say they have personally experienced bullying or poor treatment from colleagues in the last five years as a result of their sexual orientation
- Nearly half (48 per cent) of trans people under 26 said they had attempted suicide, and 30 per cent said they had done so in the past year, while 59 per cent said they had at least considered doing so
Taken from Unhealthy Attitudes (2015) and The RaRE Research Report (2015)
Hate crime
- One in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months
- Two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months
- The number of LGB people who have experienced a hate crime or incident in the last year because of their sexual orientation has risen by 78 percent since 2013
- Four in five LGBT people who have experienced a hate crime or incident didn't report it to the police
- One in ten LGBT people have experienced anti-LGBT abuse online directed towards them personally in the last month. This increases to one in four for trans people directly experiencing transphobic abuse online in the last month.
Taken from The Gay British Crime Survey (2013) and LGBT in Britain - Hate Crime (2017)
At work
- One in five (19 per cent) lesbian, gay and bi employees have experienced verbal bullying from colleagues, customers or service users because of their sexual orientation in the last five years
- One in eight (13 per cent) lesbian, gay and bi employees would not feel confident reporting homophobic bullying in their workplace
- A quarter (26 per cent) of lesbian, gay and bi workers are not at all open to colleagues about their sexual orientation
- Nearly half (42 per cent) of trans people are not living permanently in their preferred gender role stated they are prevented from doing so because they fear it might threaten their employment status
- Over 10 per cent of trans people experienced being verbally abused and six per cent were physically assaulted at work. As a consequence of harassment and bullying, a quarter of trans people will feel obliged to change their jobs
Taken from Gay in Britain (2013) and Engendered Penalities (2007)
- Nearly half (45 per cent) of LGBT pupils - including 64 per cent of trans pupils - are bullied for being LGBT in Britain's schools. This is down from 55 per cent of lesbian, gay and bi pupils who experienced bullying because of their sexual orientation in 2012 and 65 per cent in 2007
- Half of LGBT pupils hear homophobic slurs 'frequently' or 'often' at school.
- Seven in 10 LGBT pupils report that their school says that homophobic and biphobic bullying is wrong, up from half in 2012 and a quarter in 2007
- However, just two in five LGBT pupils report that their schools say that transphobic bullying is wrong
- Just one in five LGBT pupils have been taught about safe sex in relation to same-sex relationships
- More than four in five trans young people have self-harmed, as have three in five lesbian, gay and bi young people who aren't trans
- More than two in five trans young people have attempted to take their own life. as have one in five lesbian, gay and bi students who aren't trans
Taken from The School Report (2017) and The RaRE Research Report (2015)
- 72 countries criminalise same-sex relationships (and in 45 the law is applied to women as well as men)
- The death penalty is either 'allowed', or evidence of its existence occurs, in 8 countries
- In more than half the world, LGBT people may not be protected from discrimination by workplace law
- Most governments deny trans people the right to legally change their name and gender from those that were assigned to them at birth
- Between 2008 and 2014, there were 1,612 trans people were murdered across 62 countries - equivalent to a killing every two days
- A quarter of the world's population believes that being LGBT should be a crime
Taken from Stonewall's International Work and ILGA World (2016).
- Seven in 10 football fans who've attended a match have heard or witnessed homophobia on the terraces
- One in ten LGBT people (10 per cent) who attended a live sporting event in the last year experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
- Three in five fans believe anti-gay abuse from fans dissuades gay professional players from coming out
- Over half of football fans think the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League are not doing enough to tackle anti-gay abuse
- 17 per cent of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people have experienced and 49 per cent have witnessed homophobia or transphobia in sport.
- 66 per cent of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people felt that there were problems with homophobia and transphobia in sport and that this acted as a barrier to LGBT people taking part.
- One in eight LGBT people (12 per cent) avoid going to the gym or participating in sports groups because of fear of discrimination and harassment
Taken from Leagues Behind (2009), Out for Sport (2012) and LGBT in Britain - Hate Crime (2017)


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Pulp & Paper
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In the rapidly changing and extremely competitive Pulp & Paper industry, NECI is uniquely positioned to help clients on a path to unlock the true potential of their mills and reach maximum performance. This is accomplished by combining PlantWeb technologies with Pulp & Paper process knowledge, along with maintenance experience and engineering technical expertise to create the SmartMill concept. The smart field devices and tools to interface with them provide an unprecedented opportunity to utilize predictive intelligence directing maintenance efforts where they are truly needed and focus attention on controls that are costing money due to poor equipment performance.
The results of SmartMill technology is substantial and proven. Installation costs of automation projects have shown up to 30% reduction in costs but that is a drop in the bucket when compared to the up 60% improvement in productivity of maintenance staffs and specific process improvements of 20-30%.
NECI can help with a full range of services including assistance in specifying the right control devices for the application, integrating smart devices to create the SmartMill, project management and execution of complete automation projects, and now we have wireless solutions to further enhance the cost effective collection of critical data.
NECI has provided automation solutions, automation repair services, outage planning, and training to the Pulp & Paper industry for over 40 years. Our portfolio of leading quality products services, and technologies are familiar to most in the industry with Emerson brands such as Fisher, Rosemount, Instrument & Valve Services, DeltaV, PlantWeb, Entech, TopWorx, Hytork, and Bettis, and process valve automation brands including Xomox, TBV, ABZ, EIM and AVC.
To deliver maximum value to customers, NECI has continuously focused on providing local Pulp & Paper expertise, engineering, Pulp & Paper specific application capabilities, and technical support to provide comprehensive automation and optimization solutions. NECI has also invested extensively in local inventory of control equipment to cost effectively support customers quick delivery needs and reduce stores inventory costs.
Call NECI today to explore how we can help your bottom line!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fast Eddie
Chairman of Da Hood Vol. 1
Just how much can you jam onto one CD? On the Chairman of Da Hood Vol. 1 mixtape, local DJ and producer Fast Eddie wedges 32 tracks onto one lone CD-R. In the process, he also brings together emcees from all over the city, freestyles, exclusives, and original production from Sayez, Lil Bruce, Poobs and, of course, himself.
Fast Eddie's production goes from melty-smooth (Skeem's "Get High") to gritty street beats (Malaciah's "Another Day"). Standout tracks on the mixtape include Tha Hustla's "Everywhere I Go," produced by Joshington, and The Govament's "Go Steelers," a chronicle of drug deals and violence in "the Ill City, the Steel City" that would sound killer echoing over the Heinz Field PA system. There's also an intense put-down from Wiz Khalifa, "Spit Game," which shows a darker side of the Prince than you get on Show and Prove.
The disc includes a long list of freestyles of varying power from emcees Charlie Brown, Pachino, Reem, B.O. Kabbage, Mario and Clyde D.; Chief's hilarious freestyle all but gets you buzzed just listening to it. In any case, this mixtape delivers a maximum dosage of raw Pittsburgh hip hop from emcees from all over the city -- a lot of bang for your buck, available at Timebomb and Upbeat Records.


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Dear followers,
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
I've moved!
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
WFE Application Pool Limitations in SharePoint 2010 (Part 2)
Recent related blogs that might interest you:
- Web [Application] limits in SP2010 - keep it low!
- Top 10 mistakes made by SharePoint 2010 administrators
16/02/2010 Update: Having recently been to a SP2010 admin course with Combined Knowledge, I took the opportunity to discuss this with @SteveSmithCK who has suggested that for now we should ensure farms are in a supported state and stick to the MS documented limit of 10 app pools in total (i.e. Portal content AND Service app end points). I will update this post if Microsoft do change the SP2010 software boundaries Technet article to clarify this point. I would say that the article is currently ambiguous and open to interpretation - especially given that it states that "The maximum number is determined by hardware capabilities". Only the Microsoft product team can really answer this question once and for all.
22/12/2010 Update: Note that this blog post refers to application pools used for hosting content Web applications only, NOT those hosting service application end-points. This article by @jremmc explores the differences between the two - check it out!
A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the application pool limitations in SharePoint 2010 based on a discussion I had with @SteveSmithCK at the #SUGUK. Since then, I have been on vacation in Iceland and received a number of related comments from members the SharePoint community. You can read the original post here; in this post I will aim to provide a concise summary with some revised best practise recommendations.
The key points, which were kindly sent to me by @SteveSmithCK and @harbars are that:
- The TechNet recommended maximum number of Web server applications pools is 10, which is correct.
- The IIS 7.5 limit of 100 pools with Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 is correct - but that limit is not applicable to SharePoint as there are so many other factors to consider.
- The point of scale in a Sharepoint farm is not simply the Web servers, but rather a combination of factors including farm usage, number of servers and hardware capability.
- Administrators should be questioning why a large number of application pools / Web applications is required, as opposed to why there is a recommended limit of 10.
Both Steve and Spencer made a point of emphasising that performance issues will likely be encountered even before 10 application pools is hit: "If you had 5 App pools all busy then you could easily consume 24GB+ of memory and all four cores very easily on a 64bit WFE Server". So although 10 is the documented figure, it is neither a "magic number" nor a hard limit imposed by the software and depends largely on farm usage (think user requests and service applications, particularly resource hogs such as Performance Point).
Although probably a topic for a future blog post, I think the fourth point above (from Spencer) is particularly interesting. TechNet document a number of reasons why administrators may wish to create additional IIS 7 application pools including grouping similarly configured sites and isolating those with unique configuration settings or security requirements. In the context of SharePoint, the primary reasons I have come across in the past for additional application pools are:
- Isolating SharePoint Web applications for security-sensitive clients.
- Isolating SharePoint Web applications that are prone to problems in order to provide protection from cross-site failure (e.g. features, custom Web parts) due to a shared application pool.
I think that there is some validity in the first point for clients that have very stringent security requirements and expect their data to be completely isolated - we have dealt with clients in the past that have requested separate pool identities as part of their corporate security review. However, one could argue that the new multi-tenancy features in SharePoint 2010 (site subscriptions, service application partitioning, host-named site collections; more over at harber.net) provide a solution to this problem and should help keep the number of required Web applications to a minimum. Remember that more Web applications always means more timer jobs and higher hardware demands - particularly if using a separate IIS application pool and associated worker process.
I think there will always be a place for an isolated application pool for troublesome sites and applications. Although numerous features in SharePoint 2010 should lead to higher availability (e.g. sandboxed solutions, list and HTTP throttling), I am sure that there will still be occasions where farm-wide custom solutions cause issues (e.g. a problematic Web part deployed to the GAC).
Another reason that IIS sites are typically placed in a separate application pool is differing .NET version requirements. This wasn't really relevant to MOSS given that versions 2.0 through 3.5 used the same version of the CLR (see this post for more information), but could be relevant to SharePoint 2010 going forward if Microsoft release an update that supports ASP.NET 4.0.
To summarise, the TechNet recommended maximum of 10 application pools is correct and great care should be taken in planning the creation of new application pools and corresponding Web applications. SharePoint portal application pools can eat a considerable amount of RAM and can bring down even the meanest Web server if deployed without proper planning. As a best practise, the number of pools and Web applications should be kept to a minimum in order to increase farm performance - I think it's worth remembering that site collections are the unit of scale in SharePoint (2000 per content DB recommended maximum) and the new multi-tenancy features in the 2010 version of the product should be utilised in order to deploy an appropriate (scalable) logical architecture.
I hope that helps to clarify things - thanks to @SteveSmithCK and @harbars for their input on this.
Saturday, 24 July 2010
WFE Application Pool Limitations in SharePoint 2010
Note: an updated version of this post with revised recommendations is available here.
As the agenda looked so interesting I decided to drive to Ullesthorpe (home of Combined Knowledge in the midlands) on July 22 2010 to the SharePoint User Group UK (#SUGUK). Considering I live in West Berkshire (and drive a 1993 Ford Fiesta, which I am rather fond of) this turned out to be a 5 hour round trip. Was it worth it? Hell yes! In addition to two very different - but fantastic - presentations from @mattgroves (big on social and lead me to believe that SharePoint is in fact an elephant) and @SteveSmithCK (capacity planning extraordinaire), I managed to win myself a 12-month MSDN subscription! Given that the question was basically "who has the rights to deploy a sandboxed solution in SharePoint 2010?", I consider myself very lucky to have won given the number of other SharePoint addicts sat in the room with me. I think the fact that most of the other attendees appeared to already have one (I heard someone behind me talking about how she planned to give her "spares" away) helped considerably.
However, whilst I enjoyed both presentations thoroughly, one question from the audience troubled me somewhat: "is there a limit to the number of application pools you can host on each WFE server in SharePoint 2010"? While Steve's answer was "around 100 before you start to run into IIS issues", I couldn't help but shake a nagging feeling that I had read the TechNet recommended maximum was 10. In fact, I was so damn sure of that TechNet number (10 app pools / WFE) that I would have bet my brand new MSDN subscription on it.
Now I was faced with a dilemma here: did I take Steve Smith's guidance as gospel, or go with Microsoft's recommendation? I did what I figured every sensible SharePoint administrator would do in my situation: I sat down, got back in my box and reminded myself that on the odd occasion TechNet tells more fibs than my parents used to on Christmas eve.
I did however make a point of looking up the TechNet article in question this evening. It does indeed list 10 application pools per Web server as a recommended guideline - in this case the "Limit type" column indicates the figure is a supportability number. Now, I know MS supportability numbers and they are not typically less than you would expect - and I would certainly not expect it to be ten times less than the guidance provided by a SharePoint legend such as Steve Smith. As a recent example, @harbars kindly informed me that having over 50 Web applications in one MOSS farm was, in his words (tweet) "madness" - Microsoft recommend no more than 99 Web applications. I think you know which guidance I paid attention to and he doesn't live in Redmond.
To be fair to Microsoft, the article above does also state that the maximum number is largely determined by hardware capabilities and the workload that the farm is serving. Steve also confirmed this at the user group by telling me that the app pool ceiling has been lifted dramatically due to the move to a 64-bit-only architecture for SharePoint 2010. Now I know that 64-bit brings about numerous performance and scalability benefits (not least of which is a practically unlimited, continuous address space for user mode processes), but I am still keen to find out why there is such a huge discrepancy between Microsoft's stated supportability figure and the guidance of industry experts who have used the product for the best part of 2 years.
So, rather than pester Steve again, I did what I often do when I have a nagging capacity-related query: I sent the query to a few friendly folk in the SharePoint community who (despite the fact that they are quite clearly very, very busy people) normally find the time to respond to my numerous concerns. Did anyone reply this time? You bet.
@ToddKlindt gave me a pretty clear response by saying that "anything Steve says, I believe". Sounds like good advice right? He also told me that the documented MS advice was actually pretty good considering that they suggest the limitation is largely hardware dependant. For those of you that don't know Todd, he is a well respected SharePoint guru and a co-author for Professional SharePoint 2010 Administration. If you don't have it already and you are a SharePoint 2010 administrator I can whole-heartedly recommend that you add this to your one to your collection of geeky paperbacks.
@joeloleson's article entitled "What's New in SharePoint 2010 Capacity Planning" also mirrors the advice kindly provided by Steve and Todd. Joel points out that Microsoft have adjusted some of their capacity planning guidance based simply on the fact that IIS and SQL scale better with 64-bit, and states that the number of application pools " totally depends on the RAM on the box".
So how many Web applications can you host on a SharePoint 2010 WFE server? It looks like the usual SharePoint consultancy response: "it depends on your hardware's capability and server farm load", and there is no magic number other than the guidance provided by Steve that you may run into IIS issues as you approach 100 pools on one server. Microsoft's supportability number of 10 is there as a rough guide (probably for those running a minimal WFE hardware configuration - think 8GB of RAM), but is almost completely dependent on your available hardware. The new SharePoint 2010 Administration Toolkit includes a load testing kit that should help administrators validate their hardware requirements as part of a capacity planning exercise.
I hope that clears things up a little bit for anyone else concerned that they have more than 10 application pools on their SharePoint 2010 WFE servers. I'll see you at the next #SUGUK!


text: "Brandekko is a perfect fit for us and has helped us grow from a fledgling company to over $140 million in assets under management. They have this unique ability to craft a brand that matches exactly what you want, quickly, and with strong attention to detail. We can't recommend them enough."Chad DotyFounder, 37th Parallel Properties


text:
Fives rewarded for its international success
On March 20, 2017, BFM Business organized the 4th edition of its Grands Prix de l'Export. The ceremony, hosted by journalist Stéphane Soumier, was broadcast live on the radio and on TV channel BFM Business.
FFLOR Inauguration
The FFLOR - Future Factory @Lorraine platform, which brings together innovative solutions for the plants of the future to make them more efficient, more flexible and more agile, was inaugurated on January 30, 2017. Fives is one of the 12 partners of FFLOR, which is led by CEA Tech, the...
Fives and Tamkeen launch an educational program to develop Bahraini's skills in the industrial sector
On January 15, 2017, Fives and Tamkeen, the Bahraini Labour Fund organization, signed an agreement to mark the launch of a joint educational initiative: "Fives + Tamkeen Skills Development Initiative", which aims to reinforce the competences of Bahrainis, in-line with the Kingdom's...
Fives reinforces its offer in the Grinding | Ultra Precision business line with the acquisition of Daisho Seiki Corporation
Fives has completed the acquisition of Daisho Seiki Corporation, a Japanese leading supplier of disc grinding machines and bar peeling machines for the automotive and general industries. The transaction strengthens Fives' footprint in the grinding business, especially in Japan and Korea,...
Industrial players and academic institutions come together to form SOFIA, a research program for metal additive manufacturing
Paris, November 23, 2016 - SOFIA ("SOlutions pour la Fabrication Industrielle Additive métallique" - Solutions for Industrial Metal Additive Manufacturing) is an applied research program for metal additive manufacturing, initiated by the Fives Michelin Additive Solutions joint-venture.


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Industrial-grade PDA includes bar code scanner, RFID reader and so on. Industrial PDA is characterized by strong, durable, can be used in many places more harsh places, while the characteristics of industrial use for a lot of optimization. Catchwell CW30 Industrial PDA can support both RFID read and write and bar code scanning capabilities, along with IP54 industrial level, which is not available in consumer handheld terminals. Barcode scanners, also known as bar code readers, barcode scanning guns, bar code scanners, barcode scanning guns and bar code readers. It is used to read the bar code contains information reading device, the use of optical principles, the contents of the bar code after decoding through the data line or wireless transmission to the computer or other equipment. Widely used in supermarkets, logistics courier, library and other scanning products, documents bar code.PDA
Barcode scanners are often referred to as barcode scanner / reader, which is used to read the information contained in the bar code, which can be divided into one-dimensional, two-dimensional bar code scanners. Barcode scanner structure is usually the following parts: light source, receiving device, photoelectric conversion components, decoding circuit, computer interface. The basic working principle of the scanning gun is that the light emitted by the light source is irradiated onto the bar code symbol through the optical system, and the reflected light is imaged on the photoelectric converter through the optical system. The decoder interprets the digital signal which the computer can directly accept The In addition to one or two-dimensional bar code scanner classification, can also be classified as: CCD, full-angle laser and laser handheld bar code scanner.PDA
RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology, also known as electronic tags, radio frequency identification, is a communication technology, through radio signals to identify specific targets and read and write relevant data, without identifying the system and the specific target between the establishment of machinery Or optical contact.PDA Commonly used low frequency (125k ~ 134.2K), high frequency (13.56Mhz), ultra-high frequency, passive and other technologies. RFID reader is also mobile and fixed, RFID technology is widely used, such as: library, access control systems, food safety traceability and so on. UHF PDA is used to read RFID tags, in reading high-frequency tags have a great advantage. UHF electronic tags in reading and writing distance has a great advantage. UHF radio frequency tags (902MHz ~ 928MHz) Accordance with the standard: EPC C1G2 (ISO 18000-6C) Available data area: 240 EPC code, tag identifier (UHF and UHF frequency) RFID frequency of the general use of electromagnetic radiation Principle: UHF (902MHz ~ 928MHz) : (TID) 64-bit operating mode: can read and write


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ENFIELD: With three days to go before she left the Enfield detachment of East Hants RCMP, it was clear Const. Cheryl Ponee was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact she was leaving the community.
Const. Ponee, well-known for being the community policing officer at local schools in East Hants, had her last day at the detachment on May 30. She is transferring to the Kingston RCMP in the Valley, where she will begin her new life.
She's going to miss seeing the kids and people in the community the most.
"I will miss the kids the most, especially watching them go from elementary through graduation," said Const. Ponee on May 28. That's what I will definitely miss."
This year will mark 20 years in as an RCMP officer, and most of the time officers only stay stationed at a detachment for five years. Const. Ponee stayed in Enfield for eight years—longer because of the community response.
"They (community) wanted me to stay in the schools," she said. "It's time for a change. I'm going to take the Valley as a new chapter, a new beginning in my life."
With Const. Ponee leaving, it also means her four-legged sidekick that was adored by many of the children , Const. Sully, is going too. She joked whoever replaces her will have to have a dog as a sidekick.
She has seen a lot of changes in her eight years in Enfield in policing and how social media has become a more prevalent problem in schools with the kids.
"I've seen the issue with social media and kids increase over the last eight years," she said. "It's been 80 per cent of my job."
Const. Ponee wasn't just a police officer—she also did zumba and fitness classes in the community, more recently with The Barn in Elmsdale. Last week, Rawdon District School had her out to give the whole school a zumba class.
"I loved every day coming to work," said Const. Ponee.
She said if she was given a chance to conclude her policing career in Enfield, it's something she would jump at.
"I loved it here," said Const. Ponee. "If I could have finished my policing career here I would have.
"I'm just very sad to be leaving. I really loved Enfield."


text:
BOTOX® & Dysport®
BOTOX & Dysport temporarily smooths moderate to severe lines within days. Tamra's patients trust Dysport to temporarily improve the look of moderate to severe facial lines without changing the look of your whole face. The untreated facial muscles still work normally, allowing you to freely show facial expressions, such as smiling, in untreated areas.
My artistic touch means you will receive the most natural-looking results possible. Results from my Dysport treatments can be seen as soon as 2-3 days after treatment. Treatment generally takes just 10-15 minutes and lasts 3-4 months. See my happy patient testimonials below!


text:
Sunology Blog
Cruelty Free
IT'S OFFICIAL: Sunology is Leaping Bunny Certified
Caitlin DoermerSunology is officially certified by the Leaping Bunny Program, one of the most respected anti-cruelty certifications attainable. Leaping Bunny was founded with the goal of eliminating all frustration, confusion, and misinformation when it came to shopping for cruelty-free products. Leaping Bunny... View Post


text: Finland is one of the world's cleanest countries. The world's best KOTIMUSTARD comes from Finland. With a recipe that draws purity from Finnish nature. As a handicraft. This has been the case for decades. We don't even know of preservatives in the middle of the forest. That is why, we don't use them. The world's best food, made by you, deserves the world's best KOTIMUSTARD.


text:
46% of Americans say the violence in Baltimore will make things worse, not better
Americans view the recent rioting in Baltimore as criminal behavior, not legitimate protest, and think it will only worsen the criminal justice situation in the city.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 25% of American Adults consider the mob violence in Baltimore that followed the funeral of a black man who died in police custody to be primarily legitimate outrage. 63% instead characterize it as mostly criminals taking advantage of the situation. 12% are not sure.
By comparison, when rioting flared up in Ferguson, Missouri last August following the shooting of a young black man by a white police officer, 25% said it was primarily legitimate outrage, while 52% saw it mostly as criminal behavior.
But as in most questions related to the criminal justice system, there is a clear racial difference of opinion. Fifty-five percent (55%) of black adults view the mob violence in Baltimore as mostly legitimate outrage. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of white and 64% of other minority Americans consider it primarily criminals taking advantage of the situation.
more here...


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Charter Croazia, Noleggio Barche in Croazia
Najam plovila u Hrvatskoj, Hrvatski
Yacht charter Croatia, boat rental and yacht hire in Croatia
Yachtcharter Kroatien, Njemački
As long as you are experienced sailor and have adequate (international) skipper license, you can charter one of our boats without skipper and enjoy sailing by yourself.
In bareboat charter the skipper takes full responsibility for chartered boat and the crew members on the boat. Even though the skipper is the only one person in charge on the boat every other crew member should take some part in responsibility to have safe and comfortable vacation as it is impossible for one person to take care of navigation and that everything else on board runs smoothly. Everybody on board should have their tasks and obligations what makes bareboat charter quite unique teamwork experience as well.
In case you decide to spend your vacation in bareboating Croatia Yachting will provide all necessary nautical information; we will recommend you the route, places to visit and things to taste. You are completely free to cruise at your own pace. Just slack the mooring ropes and….get sail!
Check your skipper licenses here
(download list of valid licenses issued
by Croatian Ministry of Sea)
+ 385 (0) 21 332 332
+ 385 (0) 91 332 3331
Working hours CET:
Mon - Fri: 8:00 - 16:00
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35% discount in October
This site is registered with Yachts.com and Yacht Charters.com


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Italy possesses insignificant amounts of gold itself , it is imported mainly from South Africa. To that extent there is nothing unique about Italian gold, it is the same as gold everywhere. What is referred to is the special flair and skill in jewellery design that the Italians have been famous for since Etruscan times. 70% of Italy's production is for export , roughly 450 tons per year, making it the worlds third largest exporter. With these statistics it is right to expect many people to have Italian gold in their possession and to be interested in testing its value and provenance. Testing for Italian gold involves testing for gold, and then testing if the gold was worked in Italy.
Testing for Gold
Make a slight nick into the surface of the gold at a place which will not affect the appearance of the piece.
Place some nitric acid into the mark. Take care not to inhale any fumes, use only a small amount , and wear protective gloves.
Video of the Day
Notice any fizzing or bubbling :this would indicate a chemical reaction with baser metals underneath if jewellery is only plated and not solid gold.
Avoid performing this test at a joint on the piece. Solder may have been used to make the join and so compromise the test results..
A more informal version of this test is if the piece being examined causes any green or black marks on the skin when worn. This indicates that the baser metals in the item are reacting with the acid on the skin.
Made in Italy?
Check on the inside for markings. By law Italian jewellery should be marked with: gold rating, company name, and country of origin.
Most Italian gold for export is 14K (also indicated as '585', which means 58.5% gold, for Europe) and 18K (also indicated as '750' i.e. 75% gold).
The company name may not always be given, but there is usually the marking 'Italy' or 'Italia'. You may also find the Italian for gold which is 'oro'.
Sometimes the name of the design house is found on the piece, and this can be a source of confirmation if the gold piece is really from Italy. There are over 10,000 firms making jewellery in Italy. 50% of the jewellery manufactured comes from 1,400 firms in Arezzo, but other important centers are Vizenza, Valenza,and Torre del Greco. The company name can be checked on line to see if it is bona fide.


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Healthy Illinois and its partner organizations introduced community members, students, faith leaders and civic leaders to the Gubernatorial candidates of Illinois. We asked them questions about immigration and healthcare policy. Our organization has worked with public elected officials on both sides of the aisle to advocate for quality healthcare and immigration policy.
Rev. MSGR Michael Boland, C.E.O. Catholic Charities of the Arch Diocese of Chicago
Patrick Cacchione, Executive Director, Illinois Catholic Health Association
Karen Teitelbaum, CEO, Mt. Sinai Hospital
Lori Pacura, President, Holy Cross Hospital
Guy Medaglia, CEO, Saint Anthony Hospital
Sandra Bruce, CEO, Presence Health
Bishop Wayne N. Miller, Metropolitan Chicago Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Bishop John R. Manz, Archdiocese of Chicago, Vicariate IV
Bishop Alberto Rojas, Archdiocese of Chicago, Vicariate III
Jesse Ruiz, Interim CEO, Chicago Board of Education
Sam Toia, President and CEO, Illinois Restaurant Association
Carmen Velazquez, Founder, Alivio Medical Center
Josh Hoyt, Executive Director, National Partnership for New Americans
Esther Corpuz, CEO, Alivio Medical Center
Stephen Stabile, CEO, PrimeCare Community Health
Rebecca Shi, Executive Director, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, President, DePaul University
Donna M. Carroll, President, Dominican University
John Pelissero, President, Loyola University
Christine Wiseman, President, St. Xavier University
William J. Carroll, President, Benedictine University
James Gaffney, President, Lewis University
Arvid Johnson, President, University of St. Francis
Sr. Carol Cook, Sisters of Charity, Blessed Virgin Mary
Sr. Gwen Farry, Sisters of Charity, Blessed Virgin Mary
Fr. Corey Brost, Clerics of St. Viator
Br. Michael Gosch, JPIC Coordinator, Clerics of St. Viator
Br. Leo V. Ryan, Clerics of St. Viator
Sr. Rose Therese, JPIC Coordinator, Holy Spirit Missionary Sister-USA
Rev. Dr. Larry GreenField, Executive Minister, American Baptist Church of Metro Chicago
Rabbi Seth Limmer, Chicago Sinai Congregation
Rev. Thomas G. Mescall, St. Adrian Catholic Church
Rev. Lyle Gundrum, St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic Church
Rev. William Lego, St. Turibius Catholic Church
Jaime di Paulo, Executive Director, Little Village Chamber of Commerce
Sheriff Mark Curran, Lake County
St. Agnes of Bohemia Catholic Church
Good Shepard Parish Catholic Church
St. Adrian Catholic Church
Unity Church in Chicago
St. Nicolai United Church-Christ
St. Peters Church Catholic Church
Queen of the Universe Catholic Church
Urban Village Church-Hyde Park & Woodlawn
St. Leonards Catholic Church, Berwyn
St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Church
St. Turibius Catholic Church
The Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters-USA
The 8th Day Center for Justice
St. Ann's Catholic Church
St. Procopius Catholic Church
St. Clare of Montifalco Catholic Church
St. Adalbert Catholic Church
St. Paul Catholic Church
Northern Illinois Conference of United Methodist Church
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Southwest Organizing Project
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
The Resurrection Project (TRP)
Catholic Charities of the Arch Diocese of Chicago
The Latino Alzheimer's Alliance
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Campaign for Better Health Care
National Partnership for New Americans
ENLACE Chicago
Asian American Advancing Justice-Chicago
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Chicago Religious Leadership Network
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Interfaith Leadership Project
Illinois Catholic Health Association
Korean American Resource and Cultural Center
Young Invincibles
Heartland Alliance
Metropolitan Family Services
Mujeres Latinas en Accion
Chinese American Service League
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
South Suburban Immigrant Project
Association of Latino/as Motivating Action
Community Health Partnerships of Illinois
Korean American Community Center
Chicago Irish Immigrant Support
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos
Health & Medicine Policy Group


text: It's already been a month and I've reviewed a lot of different books. Below are just a few of the novels and short stories I've looked at. Most of them have been of such an excellent quality , and filled with so many great characters, that choosing my favorites was difficult. However, there were some stories that absolutely blazed while the others merely glittered, so without further ado, here's my pick for the best stories of the month.


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par FaceCulture
Finn about Order in the chaos, his dad's opinion on the record, old fender guitars, making mistakes, the oddity of lifeMore video's: http://www.FaceCulture.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/_FaceCultureFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/FaceCultureVideo interview with indie rock band The Veils. FaceCulture spoke with frontman and singer songwriter Finn Andrews about their fourth album Time Stays, We Go, the house on the cover, searching for cover art, starting their own record label, having autonomy, raising money for the record, the visual representation of the record, a cleansing fire, the album title, time, chaos in the band, splitting up, not taking things for granted, making good music, writing for the album, Birds, fighting for the record, Through the Deep, Dark Wood, images of nature, dealing with loss, the mundane truth, order in the chaos, his dad's opinion on the record, old fender guitars, making mistakes, the oddity of life and a lot more! (08/03/13)
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Plan Now and Save Yourself from Problems Later
Not long ago, a city in California felt so strongly, and negatively, about a particular addiction recovery provider that they banned the company from opening any type of facility in their city. Though extreme, this is an example of what can happen when the addiction recovery business isn't performing well. The balance between providing effective services while staying responsible as a business is paramount.
While no one is denying that there is an increasing demand for addiction recovery services and facilities, with the scrutiny the industry has experienced, the time has come for everyone in this business to rise above the challenges, hold ourselves to the highest standards, and operate in a manner that is ethically sound and financially responsible.
If you're just getting into the industry as a business owner, whether starting new or leading an existing operation, now is a great time to consider how you will include such things as:
- Verification of benefits
- Authorizations
- Billing functions
- Collections
- Denial management
- EMR / Scheduling software
- Reporting / analytics
Making these important decisions now will save you enormous headaches in the future as your business grows and the needs change.
In this blog post, we'll focus on VOBs and Authorizations and how Inspira FInancial can help you with obtaining accurate information in a timely manner — critical to any recovery center.
Verification of Benefits (VOBs) and Authorizations
Accurate and timely VOBs and Authorizations are vital to a recovery facility. Nearly every center has a horror story of losing $20,000-$30,000 on a single client because the authorization process was not accurate or information was not received in time.
In one case, an adolescent was in treatment when the insurance terminated. The facility was not notified of the term for over one month. This resulted in over $20,000 in services rendered that could not be billed.
Loss of revenue in situations like this, especially when it occurs multiple times, can cripple an organization or cause it to close its doors.
Finding out which clients will pay you and how much they will pay is critical and shouldn't be left to chance in the hope that it will all work out in the end.
Up-to-date information is a must for the financial health of your center.
The VOB Process
Quickly verifying the benefits for someone needing treatment can be crucial to that person getting the help they need.
In most circumstances, a person seeking treatment for themselves or a loved one contacts a treatment facility and speaks with an admissions staff member. They explain the situation and the staff member enters that information into the system that the billing company uses to verify the insurance benefits of the potential client.
At Inspira Financial, within one critical hour, we contact the insurance company, verify benefits, and communicate thoroughly with the facility. Though other companies may provide VOB services, and some within the one-hour timeframe, Inspira collects more than just rough coverage information. For instance, we not only collect deductible amounts for the year, we also capture the amount of benefits already utilized by the client.
Another piece of critical information we obtain is whether the insurance plan is employer-based or through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), since residential or detox clients may lose their ACA-based plan if they don't stay current on payments.
We also check to see if the insurance policy is a "pay to patient" type of plan. Many recovery centers know that receiving payment that was sent directly to a client can add extra steps, staff hours, and could have a higher risk of non-pay.
This accurate, detailed data is extremely beneficial as the client is admitted and the process progresses to authorization for services and length of stay, preventing costly mistakes before the client is even through your doors.
Within one day, Inspira will collect the information needed for obtaining authorization for treatment from the insurance company:
- An Inspira physician or highly trained staff member will talk directly with the insurance company to communicate the medical needs of the client. For our customers, this type of professional communication has allowed us to obtain 25% longer authorizations for the highest levels of care, allowing you to more effectively provide needed treatment for your clients
- The level of care will be determined based on medical necessity. This could include detox, residential care, or partial hospitalization
- The duration will be established and communicated
We cannot emphasize enough that the VOB and authorization processes must be fast and flawless for a recovery center to maintain financial health. This is where many centers go wrong and it can financially devastate your business. If authorizations are not obtained prior to treatment, most of the services rendered will be unbillable – a loss that usually cannot be negotiated away.
Avoid Having To Pay on Someone's Behalf
If an insurer determines that an authorization wasn't obtained properly, they can levy action against the center. Regulations may allow them to apply future payments to what they see as the "overage" or even demand a large payment be returned within a short amount of time. In one case, the insurance company demanded $185,000 repayment within 30 days. Again, this is a situation that can crush a facility financially.
Quickly Determine if a Client is Financially Risky for Your Center
With Inspira's state-of-the-art system, customers can elect a custom feature that allows Inspira to determine a revenue prediction for a particular insurer or plan. Using a formula that calculates the number of days and level of care (or multiple levels of care) as well as expected payments, an expected total payout can be determined. Because different insurance companies have varied allowable expenses, this calculation is very useful for a center in determining expected revenue. The ability to quickly determine a client's insurance benefit will allow you to make the best decisions for your center.
Processes such as VOBs and Authorizations are so critical to a recovery facility's operation and, if not thoroughly planned and implemented, can create issues that will ripple through the entire organization.
Discover more about how Inspira Financial can help you succeed in business by checking out this blog post on how to replace your billing company the right way.


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Our plan changed a little last week because we are still dealing with some plumbing issues. I was originally planning on having friends come over for dinner tonight, but have postponed it until Thursday evening. So tonight we are having a Corned Beef and Cabbage cooked in a pressure cooker. I use a whole head of cabbage, but my family will polish it and the potatoes off, leaving me with leftover corned beef to use up.
Monday – Use the last of the corned beef in Corned Beef and Cabbage Casserole with a Mashed Potato Crust.
Tuesday – Garlic Chicken, Basmati Rice and Sauteed Broccoli.
Wednesday – Use leftover corned beef in Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup.
Thursday – Honey Glazed Ham , Mustard Gravy*, Twice Baked Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, and Peas with Green Onions and Basil. Carrot Cake* and ice-cream for dessert.
Friday – Linguine with Clam Sauce and a Garden Salad.
Saturday – We will be celebrating my youngest son's birthday with Cheese Pizza made with gluten-free pizza dough and easy pizza sauce. Serve with a garden salad and fruit salad. Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake and ice-cream for dessert.
Sunday – Use leftover chicken, rice, and carrots to make Chicken and Rice Soup. Serve with a garden salad.
*Recipes to be shared later
If you need help getting started making a menu plan, you can read how I create menu plans, which includes mention of various methods I have used in the past. Another tool that is available to help is ZipList. I created a video, showing how I use ZipList to save recipes, make meal plans, and create shopping lists.


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- Sorting: Most Commented
- Least Commented
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Knocking off their arch rivals is still a high point for the Red Hawks girls field hockey team s season despite going winless in three competitive Ontario Federation Sports Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship tournament games last week.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
The home opener for the Red Hawks boys hockey finished like last year: with a win, and optimism for the season s future success.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Red Hawks senior basketball player Caleb Schmidt is proving to have ice in his veins. For the second consecutive game, Schmidt showed great composure in scoring an important shot when his team needed it on the final offensive drive. Unlike the team s la
Friday, December 18, 2015
It was their game the Red Hawks boys hockey team coach said after a 7-1 home loss to the St. Peter Catholic Secondary School.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
While standing at the end boards, watching his son Tanner play for the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League s Haliburton Wolves at the A.J. LaRue Arena, Scot Hamilton still remembers the smile on his son Dawson s face as they floated down the river on
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Getting shut out and losing by double digits to the visiting I.E. Weldon Wildcats is not a result the Red Hawks set out to achieve, but Haliburton is looking at focusing on the positives. It was an obvious improvement from the home opener, as the red a
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
No one likes a loss, but the Red Hawks varsity soccer coach Bob Schmidt liked what he saw in his players in their game against the Cobourg Collegiate Institute Wolves this past Thursday at the Gary G. Brohman Athletic Field in Haliburton.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
There was more than enough bluster for everybody at the senior Red Hawks football game on Friday, Oct. 2 as gale-like winds with bone-chilling effects left everyone a little wanting of a long game at the Gary G. Brohman Athletic Field in Haliburton.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Pepper Mill Highland Storm Bantam A travelled to Port Carling Sunday afternoon to meet with the Muskoka Rock. The Storm walked away with a 6-0 win, a nice confidence boost for the team. The scoring began minutes into the first period. A rush from cen
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
The beautiful game didn t look very pretty when the Red Hawks varsity soccer team hosted the Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Griffins on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Gary G. Brohman Athletic Field in Haliburton.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
An extra end loss to the Fenelon Falls Secondary School Falcons is still fresh in the minds of the Red Hawks girls curling team close to two weeks after their first test this season.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
The Red Hawks boys curling team s skip Chris Draper is appreciating his newly formed team after taking the B final in the zone 5 GORE Curling Provincial Championships in the schoolboy category on Jan. 3 at the Peterborough Curling Club.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Talking to the senior bronze dance pairs team it s apparent the members are as different as night and day.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Minden s Owen Smith isn t getting ahead of himself just yet, even after learning he was chosen by the Flint Firebirds with their 13th pick, 244th overall in the Ontario Hockey League s priority selection this past Saturday.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Losing a heart breaking quarter final game at the Tim Hortons Timbits Elementary School Provincial Championship did little to shake the focus of the Archie Stouffer Elementary School Wildcats rink of Evan Roitz, Crystal Petry, Grace Hudson and Ben Pilcher
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
When it comes to badminton at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School there is a tradition of excellence.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
A few stood while others remained seated, applauding the home team following the lopsided loss. Few, if any, fans left before the conclusion of the Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics championship final between the home side s Red Hawks senior boy
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
It always seems like a shame that a basketball game comes down to the lastshot.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Minden s Pauline Plooard points to the ice where more than a third of the women curling are wearing a variety of headgear protection at the Minden Curling Club on a Wednesday morning for women s league.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Coming off the team s first Kawartha conference loss to rival Falcons of Fenelon Falls Secondary School, the senior boys Red Hawks basketball team bounced back into the win column with a dominant 54-28 win over the visiting Lakefield Tigers in Kawartha A
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Finding the back of the net was easy for the Red Hawks boys hockey team once it overcame a 2-1 deficit at the end of the first period against the visiting Holy Cross Hurricanes during Kawartha High School Hockey League action on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at th
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Like the graffiti script on a wall, Izac Reid shows his left arm with the tattoo, live to ride. It drives his passion in life and is part of why he races a snowmobile in snowcross. Racing isn t just what the 16-year-old Minden teen does for fun, i
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Caleb Schmidt is shining with silver pride after capturing a second in badminton at the all-provincials this past weekend.


text: The District's original treatment facility was constructed at the current site in 1958. This facility consisted of an influent pump station, influent flow measurement flume, and four facultative lagoons. In the late 70's, a chlorine gas disinfection system, a chlorine contact channel, and an effluent flow meter were added. In 2001 the plant was upgraded with the construction of a new influent pump station, influent force main, screening system, pond aeration system, pond baffles, and pond levee improvements.


text: Thank you to so many parents for coming to see our Easter Story Telling on Thursday 29th March! The weather put pay to our vision of wandering through the school grounds but the children did an amazing job of telling their stage of the Easter Story in their classrooms as parents moved through the school. Some creative ideas were showcased by our year groups, each imagining and bringing to life the most important story of our Christian calendar.


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Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Toll-Free: 888-330-7543
Phone: 260-432-7543
Momper Insulation Locations
Momper Insulation has been servicing northeastern Indiana's residential and commercial needs since 1956. Today our reputation for quality products, expert advice and team work has made us the largest independent insulator in Indiana.
Momper Insulation's commitment to their customers, energy conservation and environmental issues has kept us at the forefront of the industry.
For questions or comments, please contact us at your preferred location below, or use our online contact form above.
Fort Wayne (Main Office)
2431 W. Main Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Toll-Free: 888-330-7543
Phone: 260-432-7543
Fax: 260-432-4040
4421 Pine Creek Road
Elkhart, IN 46516
Toll-Free: 800-589-5600
Phone: 574-295-1683
Fax: 574-295-4183
Crown Point
797 Madison Street, Suite 1
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: 219-663-7777
Fax: 219-663-7860


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Meticulously maintained, the estate is wrapped in sylvan landscaping with a private guest house, gorgeous infinity edge pool, separate infinity edge spa, tracking solar, and parking for over 30 cars. One story main house with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, numerous rooms for entertaining, and 1 bedroom, 1 bath guesthouse all designed to take advantage of endless ocean vistas.
Meticulously preserved with custom finishes and lush landscaping on private park-like grounds this home is a candidate for the Mills Act and is close to all that Oceanside has to offer.
1812 Bailey Dr, Oceanside, CA 92054
Meticulously preserved custom finishes
Pool cover controls conveniently located in master.
Large secondary bedroom with en-suite bathroom
Guest House with separate meter
Easy Access to Hwy 5, 78 and 15
Minutes to skate park, beaches, shopping and dining
Commercial Grade Security System
Modern Integrated Entertainment throughout
Landscaping and Security lighting fully automated
Parking for 30+ cars
Candidate for Historic Designation
Andrea Gilbert
Real Estate Agent
Andrea has lived in Southern California since her early childhood, and moved from Los Angeles to North County San Diego 10 years ago. Along with this move, she decided to make a career change; after more than twenty years in Travel Management, Andrea began a career in real estate in 2004. The shift came about as no surprise. Her family was in construction and for over 25 years she has invested in real estate and has been fascinated by homes. This paired with her love of helping others and building lasting and friendly relationships with people that drew her to this business.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact Me
Criss Crozier
Real Estate Agent
Criss Crozier has been one of San Diego's premiere agents for nearly a decade, specializing in North County coastal communities. Devoted to delivering an exceptional client experience, he is as well known for his professionalism as he is for his spirited personality. His military and engineering backgrounds allow him to negotiate with precision and navigate complex challenges with ease. His experience as an entrepreneur has fine-tuned his solution-based approach to achieving objectives and provided him with an elevated understanding of business and marketing.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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- 'Self-help' housing can be an effective way of delivering truly affordable family homes at scale and pace provided it is properly organised and facilitated
- The 'self-help' model can promote stronger communities and civic pride and help lower-income families access home ownership. It can also support local jobs and economies and improve the skills of home owners
- Councils planning a serviced plot scheme can sell off larger plots at a higher cost per sq m, to cross subsidise the plots for affordable homes. The homes themselves can be delivered by working in partnership with housing associations or organisations like the Community Self Build Agency
INTRODUCTIONThroughout the United States tens of thousands of low-income families have built their own affordable homes via a nationwide 'self-help' housing programme. The Park Village project in Goshen is a classic example of a large scale self-help development. A local not-for-profit community support organisation, Self Help Enterprises, secured 16 hectares of agricultural land from local landowners. It then applied for planning permission to build the homes in partnership with low-income families that would otherwise not be able to rent or own a home in the area. Almost 80 families built their own detached owner occupied homes on this site using this procurement model. The approach typically involves an approved not-for-profit organisation commissioning local contractors to service a site, and then facilitating groups of eight to 12 low income families and first-time homebuyers to buy the plots and work together to collectively build their own homes. By doing much of the construction work themselves the families typically reduce the costs of their homes by between 20 and 25 per cent, so their labour input effectively replaces the need for a deposit. Eligible families can also access mortgages available under the Mutual Self-Help Housing programme and use these to buy the plot, and pay for construction materials or any subcontractors that are required. On this site the homes were built 20 per cent below market value at a cost of between $140,000 and $180,000 (£98,000 to £126,000).
LOCATIONGoshen is a small rural town located in Tulare County on the north-western edge of the City of Visalia in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California, approximately 230 miles south east of San Francisco and 190 miles north of Los Angeles. The development lies just east of Highway 99, south of West Riggin Avenue and consists of two parts: –
- Goshen Village I – an apartment community of 64 homes for social rent that was completed in 2002
- Park Village – a newer community of 133 homes completed in 2015. The 77 self-help homes form part of this site
SUMMARYMore than 50,000 low-income families in the United States have built their own affordable homes through an innovative 'self-help' ('sweat equity') housing programme. The Park Village project in Goshen is typical and provides 77 detached homes. Families are given pre-construction training and on-site building supervision. Each household has to contribute a minimum of 40 hours a week for up to 12 months; in return their homes cost about 20 to 25% less compared to equivalent market housing. The 'sweat equity' they contribute effectively replaces the need for a deposit. Initiator: Other Scale: Large Site: Rural Affordability: Low Cost Opportunity: Individual Built Form: Detached, Semi-detached and Terraced Country: USA
Key StatisticsCompleted June 2015 No. Units 77 Typical house size 120-140 sq m Typical house cost $140,000 to $180,000 (£98,000 to £126,000)
DefinitionsFor the purposes of this Toolkit we have made the following definitions:
Click here to open/close
- 'self and custom built homes' as properties commissioned by people from a builder, contractor or package company (this is known as 'custom build' housing). When people physically build themselves, sometimes with help from sub-contractors, this is known as 'self build' housing. We call all these people 'private homebuilders'.
- 'serviced building plots' are shovel-ready parcels of land with planning permission, laid out and ready for construction with access and utilities/services provided to the plot boundary. Some private homebuilders just purchase a plot; others opt for a 'shell' home (that they then finish off), or they select from an extensive menu of options offered by developers/builders.
- 'group projects' mean homes built by private homebuilders who work as a collective.
THE SITEThe site extends to about 16 hectares (40 acres) and comprises three linked parcels of land: Goshen Village II (56 terraced low income homes for social rent), 77 detached 'self-help' owner occupied homes built by groups of private homebuilder families and about four hectares of public open space with a children's playground. The self-help homes are built on large plots of around 2,000 sq m. The homes generally have three to four bedrooms with a two-car garage and landscaped gardens set well back from the adopted public highway. All are timber framed and many have renewable energy features. A further 16 hectare extension is planned to the east of the site. This will include a further 89 self-help single-family homes of a similar size, along with 100 to 140 social rent apartments.
SELF HELP ENTERPRISESSelf-Help Enterprises is one of about 100 non-profit community support organisations operating in the United States who are approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the national Mutual Self-Help Housing programme. Further details of the programme are included in Annex 1. Self-Help Enterprises is based in Visalia. In the last 50 years, it has helped more than 6,000 low-income families build their own homes in the area.
THE 'SELF-HELP' CONCEPTCalifornia faces a significant affordable housing challenge. More than two thirds of families are unable to afford to buy an average priced home and the State currently needs to build about one million more homes for low and middle income Californians over the next 10 years. State resources to provide affordable housing are currently heavily constrained, so mutual 'self-help' housing, where homes are built wholly or partly by their owners, offers one way of delivering affordable home ownership for low-income families. Tulare county has a poverty rate of nearly 25 per cent and housing costs are increasing. Under the Mutual Self-Help Housing programme Self-Help Enterprises identifies and acquires suitable land, applies for planning permission to zone (allocate) the land for housing and then co-ordinates the development. This involves using local contractors to service the site and then facilitating groups of eight to 12 low-income households to come together to buy plots and collectively build their own homes. Self-Help Enterprises provides an on-site construction superintendent and a construction support team who guide the families through the build process. No construction experience is needed. Before starting work, families are taught all the necessary financial and construction skills needed for their project. Training is also available during the construction process. The self-help homes are built under the USDA mutual self-help method of construction. Participants choose from a range of house plans drawn up for each site by Self-Help Enterprises depending upon the size of their family, affordability and plots size. Modified house plans are available for those households with special needs. Each family is required to work a minimum of 40 hours a week on all the homes across the group for typically nine to 12 months. Over the course of the whole project a family will contribute about 1,600 hours of labour. Family hours can be provided by future owners, any household member over 16 years of age and approved 'helpers'. Together, families pour the foundations, install the timber frames, fit the electrical wiring, hang the doors and windows, lay the roof tiles and do the decoration. Most of the construction takes place between Tuesday and Saturday (the site is open from 8am to 5pm). For those in employment, work can be done in the evenings and on Sundays. However, as a daily labour force is essential to complete the houses on-time and on-budget Self Help Enterprises monitors participation carefully. The organisation also assists households to secure an affordable mortgage loan from the USDA and the State of California. The model works because Self-Help Enterprises steers the process and provides guidance/assistance to private homebuilding groups. Participating families not only work on their own home, but everyone works on all the other homes in the group. No home is occupied until all the houses are completed. This creates a sense of community and helps ensure the project is completed as soon as possible. The homes are usually all completed within a few days of each other so there are no long delays. Participating families benefit because: –
- No deposit is required and finance is available via a USDA mortgage loan
- Monthly mortgage payments are based on each household's income
- They get access to low interest rate loans so repayments are lower than the rent on an equivalent property
- The homes are new, energy efficient and designed to match each family's needs
- Be first time homeowners. Exceptions can however be made where an applicant has not owned a home in the past three years, has lost a home due to divorce or has a good credit status (applicants with no credit history may also be eligible)
- Meet low-income standards based on a USDA formula that factors in the number of family members and whether their combined incomes are below 80 per cent of Tulare County's average income
- Have a stable income from employment and other sources of income
- Declare that they are able and willing to meet the labour requirement for the project
- Be a permanent resident or US citizen
- 2002 Goshen Village I completed
- 2009 Park Village site acquired
- Late 2010 Site rezoning approved
- Early 2011 Groundworks commence, site servicing, open space preparation
- Mid 2012 Construction work begins on first phase of 'self-help' homes
- Mid 2013 First phase of 'self-help' homes completed
- Mid 2014 Construction begins on second phase of 'self-help'
- Mid 2015 Second phase of 'self-help' homes completed
- Late 2015 Rezoning for further phase to east approved for 89 self-help single-family homes and 100 to 140 social rent apartments
- 2016 onwards Commence next phase
LandSelf-Help Enterprises locates and secures suitable building sites for its projects in discussion with local landowners and the local council. This is often a complicated and difficult part of the business as land that only has basic access to roads and services in California is typically used for agriculture and un-serviced. County laws often prohibit changes of use unless the land is included in settlement boundaries and even then there are often significant zoning restrictions. Land costs vary widely depending on access, location and other factors. In the case of Goshen, the first 16 hectare parcel of land was donated by a local family. The second parcel, which will be used for an extension to the project, was partially donated and partially paid for using Self Help Enterprise's land acquisition fund. Funding for land purchase is also secured through USDA Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants (see Annex 1). Self Help Enterprises serviced the site from its infrastructure fund and the costs were recovered from plot sales and income from the rented properties. A full-time property management team undertakes maintenance of common areas, such as the open space. Owner-occupied housing projects typically include the formation of a 'Home Owners Association' or other similar non-profit organisation that the families automatically become members of and make annual financial contributions to.
PLANNINGSelf Help Enterprise submitted a rezoning application to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors who unanimously approved the application because it provided housing for low income families. The site was rezoned under the Tulare County Zoning Ordinance from an Agricultural Zone (A-1) to a zoning which split the site into three related parts: –
- Single-Family Residential (R-1 zone) – allowing detached homes not exceeding two and one-half stories in height (10.7m) and garages for no more than three cars. The building line requires a set-back distance of 25 per cent of the plot depth. Garden restrictions are also specified. A minimum plot area of about 2,000 sq m is specified. The zone also specifies standards for manufactured homes, including age, roof overhang, materials and elevational treatment
- Two-Family Residential (R-2 zone) – allowing semi-detached homes not exceeding two and one-half stories in height (10.7m) and garages for no more than four cars. Building heights, set back distances of the building line and garden specifications are the same as in the R-1 zone. A minimum plot area of about 1,000 sq m per home is also specified
- Recreation (O zone)
Support 'self-help' projects on Exception SitesIf a project meets local policies and supports low-income families to build their own homes, it could be supported as an Exception. This will help enablers secure land at affordable prices and pass this on to local people
FINANCEAs an approved 'grantee', Self Help Enterprises usually secures finance from a federal grant available from the USDA (provided the site is in a qualifying rural area). In non-rural communities, costs are recovered from the sale of plots and homes. Self Help Enterprises often includes social rented accommodation in its projects as these benefit from a larger pool of financial assistance and can help pay for site infrastructure costs. Rented housing is typically funded through a Limited Partnership, in this case with Wells Fargo Bank. The Bank initially funds 99 per cent of the capital and maintains 99 per cent of the ownership for 15 years. The Partnership benefits from the California State Tax Credit Process, and Wells Fargo Bank receives a nine per cent credit on its State taxes as profit. After 15 years the ownership of the project reverts to Self Help Enterprises and the partnership with Wells Fargo Bank is dissolved. Self-Help Enterprises typically pays for the site servicing for the self-help plots (and the construction of any social rented low-income housing) from its own funds and may also acquire loans and use tax credits for building low-income housing to finance the project. Financial assistance can also be accessed from the California Department of Housing and Community Development's HOME programme funding, the State Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programme, the National Equity Fund, the California Community Reinvestment Corporation, and Neighbour works America (see below). The self-help housing is constructed with the help of mortgages secured by participating families, available by application from the USDA Regional Agency. This mortgage is used to buy the plot of land, construction materials, and pay for any subcontractors. As each lender has individual requirements, each housing site may have differing loan criteria. Participants are also required to pay for a credit report and hand tools, which together cost around $300. At the end of construction, there will be mortgage arrangement fees payable and estimates of these costs are made by Self Help Enterprises on project commencement with families saving this money in a designated account while the house is built. Interest rates are based on income and can be as low as one per cent . Monthly payments vary based on family's income and the terms of the loan. Self-Help Enterprises often also makes additional homebuyer assistance funding available to participants. This comes in the form of a zero per cent interest 30 year fixed term deferred payment loan to help reduce the size of the mortgage, and the loans are secured from a variety of local, state and federal sources.
COST OF THE HOMESFinished self-help homes at Goshen's Park Village site were built for between $140,000 and $180,000 (approximately £98,000 to £126,000). This is about 20 per cent below the average value of an equivalent property in the area. On top of this construction cost the self-help builders contributed their 'sweat equity', which was valued at between ten and 20 per cent of the end value of the homes.
DEMANDGoshen has an acute need for affordable housing and there hasn't been a lot of development locally to meet this need. There are many low-income families in the town and an absence of newer, energy efficient affordable homes. This has forced many people out of the area and there is currently a waiting list of about 75 families who are looking for affordable 'self-help' housing opportunities. Demand for affordable housing in Goshen is representative of the wider County of Tulare and California more generally. California's Regional Housing Needs Assessments are undertaken every four years and have consistently highlighted that the current pace of construction of low-income housing is only meeting 30 per cent of the actual demand. Tulare County's own Housing Needs Assessment identifies a 30 per cent population growth in communities such as Goshen over the next nine years. To accommodate this level of growth the Assessment recommends that the county allocates land for more than 2,500 new, lo or very low income homes (or about 261 homes per year). This is why Tulare County supports the rezoning of land to accommodate 'self-help' projects like Goshen Village.
Consider supporting 'self-help' projects to meet affordable housing needCharities and other not-for-profit organisations can play an important role in helping local people on lower incomes to access affordable privately built housing
MARKETINGSelf Help Enterprises did the marketing for the project in-house. This included a website, printed brochures and flyers, and some local media advertisements. The organisation also has a presence at many community events and generates a lot of enquiries through the successful completion of projects such as Goshen Village and word of mouth.
OTHER SIMILAR PROJECTSThe national Mutual Self-Help Housing programme has facilitated more than 50,000 low-income families to build their own homes through non-profit self-help housing organisations. Nearly one third of the self-help homes are located in California. Other states with active self-help programmes include Arizona, Washington, Oklahoma and Florida which collectively account for 28 per cent of all self-help homes since the programme was introduced in 1966. Wisconsin, Colorado, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Utah are also all quite active. There are presently about 100 self-help 'grantee' organisations located throughout the United States. Some operate multiple projects. All operate on similar principles to Self Help Enterprises and apply the criteria of the Mutual Self-Help Housing programme.
Peoples' Self-Help Housing on California's Central CoastPeoples' Self-Help Housing (PSHH) is a national award-winning private community based non-profit organisation that creates affordable housing on California's Central Coast, covering San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Like Self Help Enterprises at Goshen, PSHH's 'sweat equity' Owner Builder Self-Help Housing Programme enables qualifying participants to take part in the construction of their homes. Their 'sweat equity' contribution also means they don't require a deposit to access home ownership. PSHH currently has two new neighbourhood 'self-help' projects in the pipeline -one in San Miguel and the other in Atascadero. These two projects will bring forward some 35 new homes. For families to be able to participate they need to: –
- Have an annual income between $34,000 and $65,000 (roughly £23,750 and £45,400). For example, the income for a four person household cannot exceed $61,700 (£43,100)
- Show a good credit and rental history
- Commit to work 40+ hours a week to building their own, and other homes, in their building group
- Be a US Citizen or permanent resident
NeighborWorks Great FallsIn the State of Montana, more than 14,000 rural families have been assisted in purchasing their homes through the 'self-help' housing model since 1970, and loans of more than $1.7 billion have been facilitated. NeighborWorks Great Falls is one of more than 240 non-profit community-based organisations that are members of the federally funded NeighborWorks America network. Each member benefits from grants, technical assistance, training and other resources through NeighborWorks America. In Great Falls, Montana the organisation has helped 'self-help' private homebuilders complete almost 100 homes in Black Eagle. The programme usually focusses on groups of ten families who apply to work together to construct their homes over a year.
Support for self-help housing by local councilsSelf-help housing is also offered by some councils in the United States. In Toquerville, Washington County, Utah a self-help programme is provided under the national Self Help Housing Programme through the Five County Association of Governments (FCAG) – a voluntary association of local governments from the five south western counties of Utah. FCAG projects typically support group projects that build six houses. Qualifying families spend 30 hours per week constructing their own homes and they all contribute to building the other homes in the project. The families work together under the guidance of a construction supervisor and perform at least 65 per cent of the construction work required. USDA provides an initial loan that covers the plot purchase and the cost of construction. The loan and construction is managed by FCAG. When the home is completed, the construction loan is rolled over to the family as a direct loan from USDA. Each family has a cost-effective tailor-made loan package arranged for them. The USDA direct loan is provided at a four per cent or lower interest rate fixed between 33 and 38 years. Payments include principle, interest, taxes, and insurance.
Consider different types of 'sweat equity' modelsThere are many approaches to 'self-help' housing. For example a 'light sweat equity' build option can accelerate construction by limiting the amount of work the private homebuilders does
Consider the Council's role to promote 'self-help' housing'Self-help' housing can be facilitated directly by councils by working with other housing providers, lenders and organisations like the Community Self Build Agency
THANKS TO…This case study was compiled with reference to the following sources: Ben Kimball – Deputy Executive Director, Tulare County Association of Governments, Visalia, California United States Department of Agriculture Self-Help Enterprises, Visalia, California Peoples' Self-Help Housing, San Luis Obispo, California NeighborWorks Great Falls, Great Falls, Montana Five County Association of Governments, Utah
FURTHER READINGA brief history of Rural Mutual self-help housing in the United States, Housing Assistance Council Rural Research Report, 2014 http://www.ruralhome.org/sct-information/mn-hac-research/mn-rrr/565
Orwell Housing Association – affordable self-finish
Broadhempston CLT, Devon
Third sector private homebuilding projects
Projekthaus, Potsdam
Cohousing Vinderhoute and other Cohousing projects
Spreefeld Genossenschaft, Berlin
CREDITThe NaCSBA Research & Development Programme is funded by the Nationwide Foundation and aims to promote the self-build and custom build sector as an affordable route into housing for a greater number of people in the UK. For further information, please visit:www.nacsba.org.uk or www.selfbuildportal.org.uk
Background to the Mutual Self-Help Housing programmeThe United States mutual self-help housing pogramme is now more than 50 years old. In 1961, Congress introduced legisaltion so that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) could provide loans to agricultural workers to finance the building materials needed to construct 'self-help' homes. Self-help (sometimes also called 'sweat equity') means homes built wholly or partly by their purchasers. Self-help housing is exclusively targeted at low-income working families who can't access decent and affordable housing. Under the self-help model families join together to build each other's homes, earning equity, reducing construction costs, and making lasting investments in their community. The Mutual Self-Help Housing Programme combines 'sweat equity' home ownership opportunities with technical assistance and affordable loans. The USDA self-help model began in Goshen, California in 1963 when the first three homes were built there.
FACTSKey programme facts include: –
- Some 50,000 self-help housing families have built their own homes under the programme in 37 States
- 50,000 families are currently on local waiting lists to access the programme
- Average income of a participant is $27,360 (about £19,100)
- Average equity built into a self-help home through the construction savings is about $27,600
- About 1,000 hours of labour is typically spent by each family
- Nighty five per cent of self-help housing families are first time homeowners
- Almost 40 per cent of self-help participants are single households and 77 per cent have children living at home
- More than half of all participants are minority households, who typically face greater barriers to accessing affordable housing
- Every 100 homes built under the programme results in the creation of 324 local jobs. The homes also inject $21.1m (£14.75m) into the local economy, and generate $2.2m (£1.54m) in tax revenues
- Self-help housing promotes stronger communities compared to market housing
- Children in self-help households are more likely to be active in their communities, graduate from high school, attend higher education and become homeowners themselves
- In 2012, the average loan approved under the programme cost less than $7,200 (about £5,000) to administer.
- Despite serving families with limited means, loan default rates under the programme are nearly one-third the rate compared to the commercial mortgage market
ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION PROCESSThere are strict criteria for those that want to become a 'self-help' private homebuilder. Families have to complete an application form that enables the sponsoring organisation administrating the scheme to check they are eligible, and their credit histories. If the application passes initial scrutiny, the next stage involves completing a formal loan funding application to the Rural Development Office of USDA. It typically processes loan applications within three to four weeks. All applications are filed in order of date of approval. Once participants are approved they are linked up to form a 'group' and mandatory pre-loan and pre-construction training starts. Each owner/builder selects a house and decorating plan (the 'housing package') and reserves a building plot. At this stage the sponsoring organisation double checks to ensure the house type chosen, the plot and the loan are all affordable; the formal loan offer is then made and agreed. Each owner/builder then has to purchase construction insurance and undertake their build under strict supervision from the sponsoring agency. Each family has different loan terms as determined by the best loan package that can be arranged for them by the sponsoring agency.
Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants
OBJECTIVE AND SCOPEThis programme provides grants and loans to qualified organisations to help them carry out local self-help housing construction projects. Recipients ('grantees') supervise and provide technical assistance to self-help groups as they construct their own homes. The objective is for the Government to work in partnership with trusted local organisations to help very low and low-income families get affordable and safe homes of their own in rural areas.
ELIGIBILITYEligible applicants include: –
- Government non-profit organisations
- Federally-recognised 'Tribes'
- Private non-profit organisations
- There is a need for self-help housing in the area
- They have or can hire qualified people to carry out the organisation's responsibilities under the programme
- Funds for the proposed project are not available from other sources
ELIGIBLE AREASDetails are set out on the USDA Income and Property Eligibility website.
FUNDING AMOUNTApplicants must demonstrate a need for the proposed building sites in the locality. Technical Assistance Grants are directly correlated to the number of homes the grantee proposes to construct in a two-year period. Grants range from approximately $200,000 to more than $1m, with an average of approximately $500,000. Pre-development grants up to $10,000 can also be applied for. Site Option (SO) Loans are also available to enable grantees to establish revolving funds so they can take out options on suitable land. An SO loan is only provided when sites cannot be made available by other means. The interest rate is three per cent.
USE OF FUNDSGrant funding can be used to help provide self-help technical guidance and supervisory assistance to families. It can also be used to recruit participants, help them complete loan applications and carry out other related activities to enable them to participate. Grants are also used to pay salaries, rent, and office expenses of the sponsoring organisation. Grants cannot be used for hiring people to do construction work for the participants, to buy land, or pay for building materials; similarly the grants cannot be employed to clear debts, expenses or other costs incurred by the participants, or to fund employee training. Loans may be used to purchase and develop land in rural areas. The land must be subdivided into building plots and sold on a non-profit basis to low and moderate income families. Generally, a land loan must result in at least ten new plots, and these can only be sold to families that are building homes by the self-help method.
APPLICATION PROCESSApplications can be made at any time to the Local Development Office of USDA.
Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans
OBJECTIVE AND SCOPEThe USDA Direct Loan Programme supports low and very low-income families who have no other way to make affordable home ownership a reality. The objective is to promote prosperity, create thriving communities and improve the quality of life in rural areas. Also known as the 'Section 502 Direct Loan Program', these short term loans can be used to reduce the mortgage payments of an applicant. The amount of assistance depends on the family's income.
ELIGIBILITYA number of factors are considered when determining an applicant's eligibility for Single Family Direct Home Loans. At a minimum, applicants must have an adjusted income that is at or below the applicable low-income limit for the area where they wish to buy a house and they must demonstrate a willingness and ability to repay debt. Applicants must: –
- Be without decent, safe and sanitary housing
- Be unable to obtain a loan from other resources on terms and conditions that can reasonably be expected to be met
- Agree to occupy the property as a primary residence
- Have the legal capacity to incur a loan obligation
- Meet citizenship or eligible non-citizen requirements
- Not be suspended or debarred from participation in Federal Programmes
- Generally be about 180 sq m or less
- Have a market value below the local area loan limit
- Not have on-site swimming pools
- Not be designed for business or income generating purposes
ELIGIBLE AREASGenerally, rural areas with a population below 35,000 inhabitants are eligible. Details are set out on the USDA Income and Property Eligibility website.
USE OF FUNDSLoans can be used to help low-income households build or purchase homes in rural areas. The finance can be employed to build, repair, renovate or relocate a home, or to purchase and prepare sites, including providing water and sewage facilities.
SCALE OF LOANSThe maximum loan depends on the applicant's ability to repay the loan. This takes account of various factors such as income, debts, assets and the amount of payment assistance applicants may be eligible to receive. Regardless of repayment ability, applicants cannot borrow more than the Area's Loan Limits (plus certain costs allowed to be financed) for the county in which the property is located.
INTEREST AND REPAYMENT PERIODBorrowers are required to repay the loan when the property is sold or the borrower is no longer living in the home. Loans are subject to a fixed interest rate up to 33 years, although a 38 year rate is available for those on very low incomes. Interest is based on current market rates. The interest as of 1 December 2015 was 3.25 per cent for low and very low -ncome borrowers. Rates can be modified and can be as low as one per cent.
SIZE OF REQUIRED DEPOSITNo deposit is usually needed. Applicants with assets may be required to use some of these.
TIMING AND APPLICATION PROCESSApplications can be lodged at any time with the Local Development Office of USDA. Processing times vary depending on funding availability and programme demand.
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Programme
OBJECTIVE AND SCOPEThis affordable home ownership programme helps lenders support low and moderate income families living in rural areas who want to own a home. The objective is to promote prosperity, create thriving communities and improve the quality of life in rural areas. The programme provides a 90 per cent loan guarantee to approved lenders to reduce the risk to lenders who participate in the programme.
ELIGIBILITYApplicants must: –
- Have eligible incomes for the area in which they want to live. This varies depending on the county and the number of persons in a household. For example for Visalia-Porterville, California a 'very low' income for a family of four is set at $28,950 (about £20,200); a 'low income' for the same family is set at $46,300 (£32,350) and a 'moderate income' is $75,650 (£52,850)
- Agree to personally occupy the home as their primary residence
- Be a US Citizen, a US non-citizen national or 'Qualified Alien'
- Have the legal capacity to incur the loan obligation
- Have not been suspended or debarred from participation in federal programmes
- Demonstrate a willingness to meet the credit obligations in a timely manner
- Purchase a property that meets all programme criteria
ELIGIBLE AREASDetails are set out on the USDA Income and Property Eligibility website.
USE OF FUNDSFunds backed by loan guarantees can be used for: –
- New or existing residential property to be used as a permanent residence
- The purchase of a site, building a new home or buying an existing home
- Repairs and rehabilitation when associated with the purchase of an existing home
- Refinancing of eligible loans
- Special design features or permanently installed equipment to accommodate a household member who has a physical disability
- Reasonable and customary connection fees, assessments or the pro rata instalment cost for utilities such as water, sewer, electricity and gas
- A pro-rata share of any payable land taxes on the property at the time of confirming the loan. Funds can be allowed for the establishment of escrow accounts for land taxes and/or hazard and flood insurance premiums
- Essential household equipment such as wall-to-wall carpeting, white goods, heating and cooling equipment
- Purchase and installation of energy efficiency measures (e.g. insulation, double glazing and solar panels)
- Installing fixed broadband services to the home
- Site preparation costs, including groundworks, foundations, hard and soft landscaping and fences


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|My brand-spanking-new bedroom.
House rules - set! (Smoking outside, Toilet seat left down, Lights need to be turned off, etc etc.)
To some people this doesn't sound like such a huge achievement but this is the next big step, before I know it I'll be middle-aged, married with kids and a mortgage (scary stuff!)
I know that last year I didn't live at home with my parents and was fairly self sufficient (not including the weekends when I went home to work and managed to get all my washing done.) but there was always university staff on site, from security who dealt with the great flood to the maintenance men who fixed everything that we managed to break - and there was a lot... (A huge thank you for putting up with us and our noise!) This year is completely different.
The biggest thing is we have to sort our own bills out. Which I'm sure we'll manage to do, it just gets a little confusing when you have two water bills, a gas bill and an electric bill plus rent that needs to be sorted and split between then six in this house... Plus that's something that we've never had to do before.
Let the second-year adventures begin!


text:
Even better, unless you have authority issues, why can't use just use a DDMF and move data.
Why do you need to use an API? You can use a script to automate FTP.
Here's an example: AS/400 FTP Batch program.
Martin Gilbert.
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