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Ms. Marvel #7
Written By: G. Willow Wilson
Art By: Adrian Alphona
Colors By: Ian Herring
Letters By: VC's Joe Caramagna
Release Date: May 25th 2016
Price Tag: $3.99
The last arc of Ms. Marvel helped this series find it's footing again. It reminded fans why we loved Ms. Marvel in the first place. Issue 7 ties into the Road of Civil War 2. Let's find out if this continues Ms. Marvel's good story telling and is a good tie-in to Marvel's next big event.
Kamala and her Avengers teammate, Miles Morales, coincidentally are participating in the same science fair. Kamala knows Miles' identity, but Miles doesn't know hers. An experiment explodes at the science fair, and now Kamala has to decide if she will tell Miles her secret identity.
This was a fun issue! Was it a necessarily a tie-in to Civil War 2? Not really, but I liked that this issue was a pseudo civil war for Miles and Kamala in their secret identities. They are "fighting" against each other to win a scholarship. This is important to Miles, Kamala, and Bruno. The book makes an interesting commentary on civil war. Ganke mentions in the issue, "We shouldn't have to compete all the time! We should be uniting against stuff! Why do good guys always end up fighting other good guys? Who wins in the scenario?" This is an obvious commentary on things to come with Captain Marvel and Iron Man.
Something I didn't like about the first arc of this series was the imbalance between Kamala's secret identity life and her hero life (which was obviously the point of the series up to this point), but it still felt like Ms. Marvel lost some of it's magic. But I am glad to see that this issue continues to show us both Kamala's secret identity life and her hero life in perfect balance. Adding the twist of Miles Morales' guest appearance.
The friendship between Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel is interesting because Kamala knows Miles' identity, but Miles doesn't know Kamala's identity. This makes for fun antics. It's a nice play on the trope of a hero trying to keep their secret identity a secret. Usually heroes keep their identity a secret because they want to protect the people they love. Miles' doesn't need protecting because he is also a hero with abilities. Instead Kamala is keeping this secret because she believes Miles is not ready to know her secret identity. In the end of the issue they create a friendship in their secret identity lives as well. So when Kamala does reveal her identity to Miles it will bring for a more interesting reveal. It builds up tension.
I loved the team up between Miles and Kamala in this issue, but I don't think Nova needed to make an appearance in this story. It felt random and unneeded. That's a slight negative towards the story if you are buying this issue only for the Nova's guest appearance.
A small detail I enjoyed from this issue and the Ms. Marvel series in general is how the series treats its supporting characters. This issue gives a bit more focus and depth into Josh's character, Zoe's ex-boyfriend. He could be the stereotypical jock character, but instead you get a quick analysis of how relationships change and people grow through his character arc.
The artist on this title is one of the regular artists from the original volume of Ms. Marvel, which I have gotten use to and I think fits the style of Ms. Marvel's book. Although I do think the artwork felt a little off with the guest stars: Spider-Man and Nova. Maybe because I am not use to seeing them in this art style.
I also want to note in the last page I was a little confused by the character that appeared next to Medusa who looked like a clean cut version of Bruno. Was it another version of Bruno or was the character design similar to Bruno's character design?
I really enjoyed what the letterer did with text in this issue. Fitting the style of the artist. The letterer did unique designs whenever the science teams announced their project names. I liked the detail of of small lines in the boarder of the boxes for these project name announcements.
A solid issue of Ms. Marvel and in it's own way a solid tie-in to the idea of the Civil War comic books.


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Michele LoewAshtanga Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Vajra Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Restorative Yoga
Michele Loew is an international yoga teacher and the founder and director of The Yoga Space in Portland, Oregon. She is known as a teacher's teacher and is respected for her 200 Hr & 500 hr long time yoga schools and her ability to impart the deeper philosophical & esoteric aspects of yoga, while bringing in cutting edge modern science & kinesiology into the practice of asana, pranayama, and meditation. She is also the director of the Vajra Yoga Teacher Training that she co-teaches with Robert A.F. Thurman at Menla in New York.
She has studied and taught avidly since 1998, working extensively wtih the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions as well as the Himalayan masters in the Sri Vidya lineage. Since 2014, she has been practicing the Tibetan Vajrayana yogas of Kalachakra, Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini, and integrating the Buddhist tantric practices with those in Hatha Yoga, seeing both as powerful, and not separate, extensions of one another. Her trainings on Yoga Nidra and the Sleep Yogas are an impassioned synthesis of all of these yogic traditions.
Michele is known for her keen observation skills and her ability to guide a student towards aligning the physical and energetic body through the use of expert hands-on assists, intelligent verbal cues, and meditative insight. She brings to her teaching a warm, joyful, and engaging style that reflects her own internal understanding of the practice.
She honors the lineage of teachers she comes from and bows to her long time Hatha Yoga teacher Richard Freeman for elucidating the middle path with the utmost clarity and compassion. To Robert A.F. Thurman, her beloved principle teacher in Buddhist studies, and to her root guru, HH The Dalai Lama, the deepest bow for empowering her in the anuttara yogas.
Follow her on FB and Instagram: @micheleloew
503-869-1660 | email@example.com
Ian LeMastersVinyasa, Acro Yoga
Ian discovered the practice of Yoga in 2011 while seeking a physical routine to stay in shape for his field work as an Archaeologist in Latin America. His practice quickly grew to incorporate mental and spiritual connotations as well, and in 2013 he completed his 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa Yoga under Tiffany Maloney in Beaumont, Texas. His classes are a Vinyasa-based Asana practice that aim to find the connection of Mind, Body, and Breath while exploring the joy of being present in motion. Being an avid lover of movement culture, Ian also completed an Acroyoga Teacher training under Daniel Scott in 2016, a.k.a. The Yoga of Trust, and offers a teaching style that emphasizes the power of human connection with a personal motto: "To show how healing the art of play can be when done through a space of mindful connection".
409-656-6465 | firstname.lastname@example.com
Allie LyonVinyasa, Flow & Restore
Allie is an abstract artist originally from New York, and has been heavily influenced by the practice of yoga. After noticing the self healing aspects yoga has to offer, she decided to deepen her practice in 2016, diving into Michele Loew's 200 hour training (and currently, the 500 hour program.) Her classes focus on an integrated blend of Vinyasa flow, breath centered moving meditation, and restorative practices. Her passion is to create a space for people to reconnect with themselves, deepen their awareness, and navigate the practice physically and mentally: on and off the mat. Yoga has shined a light on the power of the present moment: whatever you are seeking, already lies within.
Allison DuckworthVinyasa, Prana Flow Yoga
Allison is passionate about breath centered movement. She utilizes asana class as a form of moving meditation. She creates a fun and compassionate space for students to explore and grow their yoga practice. Her intention is to empower students on the mat so they can share their gifts with the greater community. She began practicing yoga while attending college in 2000. After graduating she lived aboard a sailboat with her now husband. This very simple and pure existence, deeply in tune with the surrounding elements, allowed her to nurture her path of living yoga. In 2006 she completed a 200 hour Integral yoga teacher training. She found Prana Flow® yoga during this time and immediately felt deeply connected. In 2010 she completed her 500 hour teaching certificate in Prana Flow® with Shiva Rea. This transformational experience cultivated deep community and broadened her understanding of yoga to include the embodiment of yoga, energetic alignment, ayurveda, and tantra. She has continued to deepen her life as a living sadhana. Allison is currently a mentor for the Samudra School of Living Yoga.
410-699-1798 | firstname.lastname@example.com
Lockett TaylorVinyasa Yoga, Restorative Yoga
Lockett began practicing yoga in 1998. Walking out of her first class ever, she thought to herself, "Well I guess I'll do that for the rest of my life...." She went on to study Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga extensively with Timo Jimenez here in Portland, and completed teacher training and advanced teacher training with Tias Little in Santa Fe. Her practice and teaching reflect her experience with those traditions, as well as the broader creativity of Vinyasa yoga. In Lockett's classes you will be guided to work at your own pace towards balancing strength and flexibility while cultivating breath and mindfulness through a continuous flow. She believes yoga is a practice of patience and determination, an increasingly subtle balancing between effort and ease. Lockett also teaches Restorative yoga in which quiet supported poses work to restore energy, provide healing, reduce stress and soothe the mind.
971-570-3702 | email@example.com
Lauren BozarthDynamic Vinyasa
Lauren discovered the practice of Yoga while living in NYC in 2005. Seeking a space to calm her mind in a city that never sleeps, her practice quickly manifested into a deep passion that provided balance, inspiration, and ease in her day-to-day life. Upon moving to Portland in 2015, Lauren immediately became an embedded member of the Yoga Space community, where she decided to take her practice to the next level with teacher training. Having completed both her 200 and 300 hour training with the renowned Michele Lowe, Lauren became a regular teacher at the Yoga Space upon her graduation in 2018. Blending dynamic movement with the importance of breathwork and alignment queues, Lauren's creative and playful flows are designed for all levels of practice. And, as an avid lover of music, she pairs her in-person classes with expertly curated rhythmic experiences that will help you stay present and stay moving.
Kristine YanSlow Flow, Yin
Kristine is an interdisciplinary artist and life-long learner that approaches the practice with a curious beginner's mind and sincere heart. Her first introduction to yoga was in 2005, it wasn't until ten years later when she found roots in Taoism with Qi Gong and meditation in which a steady practice was formed. The sprouts of a flourishing yoga practice took shape with a passion at The Yoga Space in 2018. She is eternally honored and humbled by the infinite perspectives of her teachers from a range of lineages. Kristine is a certified graduate of Michele's 200, 500hr and Yoga Nidra studies. Currently, she is pursuing a teacher certification in a two-year program for mindfulness within the secular setting with focusing on Diversity & Inclusion.
Kristine brings a unique blend of Yoga asana with Taoist energy work to her Slow Flow class and mindfulness techniques for personal inquiry to her Yin Yoga class. Her devotion to the practice is to share and connect meaningful experiences for students; using focused breath to move into ever-deepening awareness and grounding within our mental, emotional and physical fields. She encourages students to explore their own path at their own pace, offering a safe space to show up as you are with kindness, compassion, and gratitude.
You can find her creating artwork, making playlists, exploring nature, reading, and very likely playing with her Japanese Bobtail cat.
Robi WoodVinyasa, Hatha
Robi began studying asana and philosophy with Michele Loew in January 2020, just before the pandemic. Although she had a dedicated meditation practice for years prior, it wasn't until The Yoga Space that Robi committed whole heartedly to her asana practice. Robi completed her 200hr and 500hr TTs with Michele in 2021, and continues to study Vajrayoga and Tibetan Buddhism with Michele Loew and Robert Thurman.
Yoga unites the many worlds Robi inhabits: poetry, somatic healing, philosophy, astrology, and community. Robi's classes blend the intelligence of the Ashtanga Vinyasa lineage with gentleness and affection for the body that arises in restorative practices. Her classes encourage students to deepen their intimacy with themselves as they create and dissolve shapes with those around them. This Cancerian approach culminates in hatha and vinyasa classes that invite students to welcome themselves back home to their embodiment.
As a queer person, Robi continues to learn and develop yogic language that is non-binary and body-affirming. Her classes are open-hearted and welcoming to all identities, expressions, and body types. It is Robi's wish to welcome and represent those outside of the mainstream world of yoga, by creating an open and accepting place for them and their practice. She is so grateful to Michele Loew and The Yoga Space for sharing this vision.
Rayne LaFleurVinyasa Flow, Hatha, Slow Flow, Restorative
Rayne is a 500hr Yoga Alliance Teacher graduate and manager at The Yoga Space. She finds a deep solace in her yogic practice and seeks to share that loving-acceptance with her students. She teaches classes for all walks of life, from individuals working towards rehabilitation, to young children.
Rayne provides classes that allow space for her students to embody and empower themselves, to gain confidence, and find peace with their individuality.
Rayne offers all levels and styles of yoga, but is most attuned to Vinyasa Flow.

subset: commoncrawl


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Australia has extended its lead over England in the Women's Ashes after winning their second One-Day International in Leicester.
A career-best five-wicket haul to Delissa Kimmince and a half-century to Ellyse Perry saw Australia claim a four-wicket victory.
Australia again made a fast start with the ball through Perry who removed Amy Jones (5) in the second over before Tammy Beaumont (114) mounted a fightback with Heather Knight (17), then Natalie Sciver (15) to have the home side 3-109 nearing the halfway mark.
The introduction of Kimmince (5-26) into the attack paid dividends immediately, the all-rounder removing Sciver before Jess Jonnasen (2-42) and Megan Schutt (1-30) got in on the act to halt England's momentum.
Beamount carried on, recording a century before she became Jonassen's second scalp.
Chasing 218 for victory, Australia lost both Nicole Bolton and Alyssa Healy cheaply, before captain Meg Lanning (18) and Perry (62) got the hosts back on track.
A number of small partnerships helped Australia edge closer to the target, with Perry proving to be the rock in the middle order.
Following Perry's dismissal, as well as that of Rachael Haynes (30) and Ashleigh Gardner (13), Beth Mooney (43*) and Jonassen (31*) came together taking control of the chase and ensuring Australia reached the target to claim a four-wicket win.
The win gives Australia a 4-0 points lead heading into the third and final One-Day International in Canterbury on Sunday.


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Always Free UK Standard Delivery ✈ Free Express Next Day when you spend £65 or more | We plant a tree with every order 🌳
Regular price
'Stitch where you've been' travel document organiser, now in vegan-friendly faux leather.
By popular demand, a vegan version of the classic Travel Wallet, in luxe black with gold detailing. This luxurious wallet is made in soft jet-black faux leather, and comes with metallic red and gold thread, ready to stitch travels as well as your own design.
The luxurious travel organiser is printed in gold with the world map and specially perforated, so each country visited can be marked with a metallic cross! The reverse side is also perforated so it can be stitched with initials or any design, if desired.
With credit card and pen, zip pocket, document & passport compartments, it is ideal for organising your travel essentials. Including magnetic closure to keep everything together, and includes a Chasing Threads pen, ready for all your immigration forms.
The classic black wallet makes an ideal luxury travel gift for frequent flyers, and comes with metallic red and gold thread & needle in Kraft gift box with gold foil detail.
For more thread colours add on the Electric Threads for a bundle of 7 extra thread.
Download 3D Alphabet text or Geometric Illusion pattern.
Check out the real leather wallets in Navy, Pink, Mint or Brown.
Materials: PU faux Leather, Cotton thread, Metal Needle, Printed Card PackagingDimensions: H 20 cm x 11cm x 1.5cm
Item Code: STITCHWALLET1 BLACKProduct Bar Code: 7141148594624Wholesale Pack Size: 6 units per colour
Gave this to my daughter for her first overseas trip without me. She loves it!


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Ever since BMW brought the MINI brand back from the dead in 2001 we have been the Northridge areas best option for MINI repair and maintenance services.
MINI used to be a purely British brand, however BMW purchased the company and immediately rekindled their vehicle line with the MINI Cooper and Cooper S, using a common core of parts between the two brands means Bimmers Clinic already had a great deal of familiarity with the new MINI Cooper. Our team of technicians is specifically certified in MINI repair and service, as well as performance modification and preventative maintenance.
Driving a MINI is an experience like no other. The go cart like handling and thrilling power delivery can only make someone smile and enjoy their daily drive, but maintaining a car like a Cooper or a Clubman requires training and access to factory replacement parts. Regular maintenance also needs to be taken care of and with so much to remember it is our job to help you ensure your MINI performs like it should for years to come.
Our clients bring their MINI cars to us from all over Los Angeles including Chatsworth, Studio City, Sherman Oaks and North Hollywood because they know we are the most qualified MINI specialist in the area.
We specialize in MINI brake system repair and suspension components as well as having a complete service center for oil changes and routine maintenance work. Our technicians personalize a service plan to you and your MINI, taking in to account your driving habits and any modifications your vehicle may have to make sure your car lives a long and healthy life. There is no reward in having a broken down car, so let the experts at Bimmers Clinic make sure your service is done correctly and without damaging your factory warranty.
Stop by our Reseda location today at 18417 Gault St., Reseda, CA 91335 or give us a call directly at 818-342-8048 to schedule your next MINI service or diagnostic. We know that once you experience the difference that Bimmers Clinic offers you and your loved ones will keep coming back for generations to come.


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A versatile wardrobe staple, this long sleeve button-down shirt from Original Penguin can take you from day to night with ease. Oxford fabrication adds impressive durability and a subtle braided texture, while a button-down collar helps keep your look neat and put-together. The timeless plaid print of this men's pattern shirt pairs easily with jeans or chinos to reflect your smart casual style.
100% Cotton
Slim Fit
Oxford Fabrication Is Crafted With A Braided Weave That Has Stood The Test Of Time
Button Down Collar
Long Sleeve
Machine Wash
Model Measurements:
Height 6'2"
Waist 32"
Modeled in size M


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How to promote a veg message without offending - Dr. Melanie Joy talk
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post where I explained how the vegan police, who try to shame people and nitpick every little thing they do that doesn't meet their standards, does more harm for the veg movement than good. Why? When you shame someone they immediately go on defense and your veg message is lost. Completely lost. Perhaps for good. You absolutely watered the wrong seeds with that approach.
I've also written about how we should celebrate all the positive changes people make toward removing animal products from their diet and life. The reducetarian method, veganomics, Meatless Monday, and more are all positives in my opinion. Personally, I think the best way to get people to reduce and eliminate animal foods from their diet is to introduce them to great tasting vegan foods. Help them see that vegan food is tasty, easy to find and prepare, healthy, and guess what, it also happens to reduce your carbon footprint and contribution to animal cruelty. In the outreach events that I've done over the years I give away free vegan food and I see people go from skeptical in trying it to saying it tastes great. That's when I say in a friendly way: "no cholesterol, no cruelty, no compromise." Then I give them a vegetarian starter kit or other such guide to provide them with more info for the road. They get it and they weren't made to feel ashamed or on defense.
Dr. Melanie Joy, who is a psychologist, writer, and vegan activist, has come out with a new book. I enjoyed her first book and I've seen her speak in person at a veg fest in Orlando. Last night I watched the video below that is based on her new book. I'm so grateful for what she has done here and I hope that it works to remove some of the infighting that goes on between vegans, vegetarians, and others. Her video is something every vegetarian and vegan should watch, as it gives great insight as to how to share your message with others, and why putting them on defense is not a good thing to do. Two thumbs up for this video. I can't wait to read her new book!


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Sporting Bonanzas Abroad Attracting More Indians NowJune 20, 2019 12:06
(Image source from: OrissaPOST)
The multi-billion sports tourism industry is gaining traction in India as more Indians are inclined to visit countries hosting big sporting events, Online Travel Agencies (OTA) and tour operators said.
Bookings to the United Kingdom continue to be on the rise with travelers trickling in not just for the ICC Cricket World Cup but also Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix next month.
India's biggest OTA, MakeMyTrip, said in April advance bookings to London, Manchester, and Birmingham for the final ICC World Cup matches, that overlap with Wimbledon and British Grand Prix, soared to a recordhigh of 100 percent compared to 2018.
"Indians have shown more enthusiasm than ever before to visit countries hosting big sporting events. Cricket is the first love for many Indians, and the numbers continue to show an upward trajectory with more and more people traveling to watch the games, whether within India for IPL or overseas for mega-events like ICC World Cup," said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and chief executive officer, India, MakeMyTrip. "There has also been a shift in interests for other sporting events like the football world cup and Olympics," he added.
In 2018, MakeMyTrip witnessed an over 400 percent jump in bookings to Russia for FIFA and the company is expecting an equivalent inflow of bookings for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics next year. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 24-August 9 next year.
Fanatic Sports, the entity selling tickets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has not started selling tickets yet, but travel agents said queries have already started coming in from Indian travelers.
Karan Anand, head of relationships at Cox & Kings, said although a large number of sports fans have planned to devote their time to the cricket World Cup, a considerable number of Indians are also flying exclusively to the UK to witness the grand slam tennis tournament and F1.
"These are sports that have gained traction from India. Making June and July one of the busiest periods for the UK in terms of tourists coming in, the sporting events have successfully extended tourist season up to the end of July as compared to the traditional summer outing that ends in May for Indians. We see a spike of over 30 percent in arrivals into UK and Europe during this period," he added.
The 2019 Wimbledon championship starts from July 1 and goes on till July 14. The British Grand Prix is the oldest in the Formula One calendar and will be held on July 14.
About 15 lakh people were expected to visit Russia around the World Cup last year with Indians accounting for more than 20 percent of the number.
"Owing to demand, Thomas Cook India introduced special World Cup tour packages such as United Kingdom Delights with Liverpool and York, London Delights, United Kingdom Delights with Ireland and others to assist last-minute travelers. With e-business becoming one of the key drivers for the World Cup, we witnessed a surge of 22 percent in online inquiries for UK packages in comparison to last year," said Rajeev Kale, president and country head, holiday, MICE and visa for Thomas Cook.
By Sowmya Sangam


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A photo of the central development plan for Dili, East Timor. Photo taken by AIRINC surveyor Eugene Kobiako.
Development and Housing in Dili, East Timor
East Timor, or Timor-Leste as it is known in one of its official languages, Portuguese, is a small country in Southeast Asia just north of Australia across the Timor Sea.
It is one of the world's youngest nations and still feels relatively undeveloped. The main expatriate population comes from embassies, NGOs, aid organizations, and banks.
Due to security and infrastructure issues, the real estate sources I met with reiterated that almost all expatriates live in gated compounds and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Overall, the best compounds are the ones that are nearby the American and Australian embassies. They are usually all inclusive and have swimming pools, tennis courts, satellite television, and often have a restaurant on-site. Many expatriates leave their compounds for recreational options like dining out and outdoor activities, including hiking, scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming.
5-Days-in-Rome: Glimpse an AIRINC Cost of Living Survey in Action! [video]
Expatriate Recreation and a budding Tourist Industry
East Timor is building a reputation as a world class scuba diving destination as the government has recently focused more on developing the tourist sector. Some locals and expatriates that I spoke with commented that the country is modeling itself to be the next Bali, and they're making progress. A Hilton Hotel is currently being constructed and other hotels and resorts are now taking an interest. My other surveys took me across the Timor Sea to Australia, where the housing sources all confirmed that East Timor is starting to be marketed to Australians as a vacation destination.
Dili currently has very low availability of brand name goods and services, including chain restaurants. One big exception is Burger King, which was one of the first big chains to enter the market. Clothing, electronics, furniture, and good quality auto parts are all difficult to find in the city. A lot of local people shop at Tais Market, but expatriates would not find an international selection there.
Enhancing Employee Experience!
Riding the COLA-Coaster: 2 Proactive Communication Strategies for Cost-of-Living
Want to learn more about international housing?
AIRINC's International Housing Guide gives you online access to housing and utilities budgets tailored to meet your needs. The International Housing Guide illustrates specific housing options available at different budget levels and provides comprehensive housing market information, including rental costs by housing type and location as well as details on leases, furnishings, utilities, and expatriate residential areas.
What does a cost-of-living survey in action look like?
On-site Insight and AIRLinc
This post is taken from On-site Insight, AIRINC's in-house global mobility blog. On-site Insight provides AIRLinc subscribers with an exclusive "behind-the-surveys" insight into new and existing expatriate locations based on commentary and photos from our global research team. Included is information on general living conditions as well as changing costs for both goods and services and housing and utilities, along with much, much more! To find out more, click here.
Become a member to gain valuable insights!
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During my recent field trip with some students to visit the Saxony Parliament in Dresden, one of my students found a good vantage point worth getting a photo. It was the view of the River Elbe and the Augustus Bridge, with the historic Old Town, featuring the Church of Our Lady, the Semper Opera and the Zwinger in the background and all towards the right. As a bonus, this was taken in the morning. As we were walking along the river towards the Parliament, I took a few shots of other bridges along the way before she pointed this one out. Needless to say it was a vantage point not to be missed….. 🙂
……in addition to a day trip through the Old Town, a good meal and some entertainment with some others…… 😉


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Most LA Landlords Turn Away Section 8 Renters. There Are New Rules To Stop Them
Los Angeles City Council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to make it illegal for landlords in the city to turn away prospective tenants using government-funded housing vouchers.
The move will be a major change for the city's landlords. Currently, 76% refuse to accept vouchers, according to a 2018 study by the Urban Institute. Vouchers work by partially subsidizing rents for low-income and homeless individuals who can't afford housing on their own.
Councilman Paul Krekorian, who put forward the motion, said the new rules ban discrimination based on a renter's "source of income" and should help more struggling renters find a place to live.
"The mere fact of having a voucher as a means of payment will no longer be allowed as a means of discriminating against a particular tenant," Krekorian said. "That alone will have a dramatic impact."
In recent years, voucher acceptance rates have been so low in Los Angeles that nearly half of participants in the federal Section 8 program end up losing their vouchers because they can't find any landlords in the city who will rent to them.
Landlord denials are also blocking efforts by service providers across the city to house the growing number of people in L.A. falling into homelessness.
Only 45% of homeless veterans with federal housing vouchers are able to find an apartment in Los Angeles, according to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. A different voucher administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority through the Rapid Re-Housing program is "rapid" in name only -- families spend an average of 92 days waiting to enter housing.
"We're facing a homelessness crisis, and we have one of the least affordable housing markets in the entire nation," Krekorian said. "We just can't tolerate a situation where otherwise qualified tenants are turned away by landlords because of the fact that they have a voucher."
Peggy Bailey, vice president for housing policy with the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities, said evidence from other cities shows voucher anti-discrimination laws can help tenants.
She pointed to Washington, D.C., the city where she's based, as an example. Unlike L.A., few landlords there rejected vouchers when contacted as part of the Urban Institute study.
"There's no question about how tight the rental market is in Washington, D.C.," Bailey said. "The evidence shows that non-discrimination laws made a huge difference in landlords accepting voucher holders into their units."
Los Angeles' new ordinance will not force landlords to rent to any voucher holder just because they're interested in taking a unit. Property owners could still choose to rent to other tenants based on standard screening criteria like credit scores, eviction history and ability to meet the asking rent.
Dan Yukelson, executive director at the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, said most L.A. landlords deny Section 8 vouchers because they feel the city's program is poorly run and burdens them with costly delays and confusing requirements.
He predicts many landlords will continue to avoid taking vouchers by simply raising their asking rent above the limits of what programs like Section 8 are willing to pay in Los Angeles.
"It's going to backfire," Yukelson said. "That's going to be the result of trying to force feed Section 8 vouchers on property owners under a poorly administered program."
The city council also voted Tuesday to instruct city staff to report back on ways of streamlining the Section 8 inspection process down to three days or less. Krekorian said he's open to hearing landlords' concerns about the program as the rollout of the new ordinance begins at the start of 2020.
Other lawmakers in California have taken up similar voucher anti-discrimination laws.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pass new rules that would cover unincorporated areas of L.A. County. And in California's State Legislature, Los Angeles State Senator Holly Mitchell put forward a bill that still needs to clear the State Assembly before going to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.
The Center on Budget Policies and Priorities' Peggy Bailey said enforcement will be a key part of making Los Angeles' new ordinance work. She said the city will need to monitor rental listings for common disclaimers like "No Section 8," and they'll need to make sure landlords aren't continuing to reject voucher holders face-to-face when they show up hoping to rent apartments.
3:40 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect the outcome of a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors vote.
This article was originally published at 11:15 a.m.


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Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has accumulated quite a cadre of political enemies in the Idaho Legislature for giving honest, accurate legal advice on legislative bills that contain fatal constitutional flaws. He does not volunteer the opinions — they are only provided in response to requests from legislators. The AG's opinion-writing duty is much like the work of a judge — there is no room for personal or political beliefs when telling the Legislature what is legal and what is not. This is important information because the state can face significant liability for placing unconstitutional laws on the books.
Wasden is fully aware that pointing out legal flaws in hot-button bills can be turned against him by unscrupulous politicians who claim he can simply ignore the law. He knows better, often issuing opinions that correctly state the law, even when the law conflicts with his strongly held moral and religious beliefs. The law requires no less. Any would-be attorney general who doesn't understand this fundamental concept has no business aspiring to the office.
Standing up for the rule of law takes incredible courage, particularly when it hands unprincipled political opponents a serious wedge issue to use against you. That same courage has led to the formation of an anti-Wasden caucus amongst the extremist elements in the Legislature who care little about their sacred oath to support the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions. They don't like to be told about the unlawfulness of their bills.
Instead of thanking Wasden for having the courage to tell them the constitutional truth, they have retaliated against him for doing his sworn duty. His legislative enemies, most of whom jump to the tune of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, have done any number of things to cause him grief–threatened funding for his office, jumped on the bandwagon of opponents who pledge to tell them what they want to hear instead of what the law requires, tried to take away his constitutional duties and used him as a political punching bag.
You might ask what these detractors hope to achieve, because the courts generally prove Wasden's legal opinions to be correct. When he advises that a bill has constitutional flaws and the matter goes to court, he is usually vindicated. In recent years, the state has paid over $3 million to private attorneys who have successfully challenged unconstitutional laws. The Legislature has now turned to retaliating against the court system.
Lawmakers have just embarked on an effort to intimidate the Idaho Supreme Court into bending to its will. Legislators have been angry ever since the court unanimously slapped down their effort last year to effectively take away the people's constitutional right to legislate on their own behalf with the initiative and referendum. The Legislature regards itself as the preeminent power in our fair State and believes that the governor, attorney general and people themselves must bow to their glory. And legislators are not about to let the courts stand in the way of getting what they want.
In the very final days of the legislative session, without even checking with the courts, power-hungry legislators whipped out a bill (HB 782) making substantial changes to the process for picking trial and appellate court judges. To drive home their unhappiness with the Supreme Court, legislators intertwined the bill with a judicial pay raise.
Budget writers, recognizing a 7% inflation rate over the last year, had previously established a pay raise for state employees of 3%, plus $1.25 per hour for merit-based increases, which works out to about 7%. HB 782 provided only a 2% pay increase for Supreme Court and District Court judges, clearly designed to punish those judges. To his credit, Gov. Brad Little vetoed the bill on March 30.
So, now the courts have joined the attorney general in the Legislature's crosshairs for faithfully carrying out their sworn oath to honestly interpret the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions. Perhaps now is the time for the people to speak out at the ballot box to say that constitutional government is preferable to ill-informed legislative dictates.
Jim Jones is the former Idaho attorney general and former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court. His previous columns can be found at https://JJCommonTater.com.


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Lazada is celebrating six years in Malaysia, and is introducing a range of new mobile centric features. These include a new chat feature for contacting sellers, the Lazada Wallet, and offline QR code links.
New to the platform is a more personalised shopping experience; one that is powered by a new artificial intelligence platform. What it generally does is highlight select deals based on each user's shopping history and app interactions. Ultimately, Lazada hopes that each app will become personalised to the immediately display items that each individual user may be interested in.
Also new is a chat feature to connect buyers and sellers. It's currently in beta, and will only be available to a small number of merchants for now. Through the Chat Now feature, customers will be able to ask questions about products before making a purchase.
Shopping is also made easier with the option for customers to 'follow' favourite stores; receiving additional notifications on new arrivals and promotions. Offline stores are also given the option to provide QR codes for shoppers to scan and be linked to their Lazada store instead.
The Lazada 6th Birthday Festival is taking place 25 to 27 April 2018. It will offer up to 90% discounts on brands. Lazada partners – like CIMB, Petronas, or AirAsia – are also offering additional benefits for shopping through the online retailer.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


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Welcome everyone to 2020!
As we begin January, we are moving into an ascension year of fast paced changes, blinding clarity and magical opportunities to build a new foundation for our personal lives and our world. Change is often viewed as scary because it is unknown and uncomfortable. The tendency is to assume that change will be hard or difficult. But it does not have to be that way. We are incredibly supported at this time by the Universe with celestial alignments to assist us in ushering in the ascension of human consciousness from a survival and isolation mode to one of cooperation and collaboration. We are not alone and never have been. Rather we are part of an entangled Universe created through unconditional love which is striving to help us succeed in creating heaven on earth.
Passing the marker of Dec. 21, 2012, the unconscious human collective agreed to move forward towards a higher vibration of global unity and connection. The last decade was about identifying what was broken and no longer working for each of us individually as well as a society collectively. Many have identified what isn't working and have moved forward with new jobs, relationships, etc. that define a more authentic path for expressing their true passions and talents. Our societal systems such as government, religious institutions, education and economic systems require more time to change because they have been embedded in our culture for so long.
In numerology, 2020 is a "4" year which heralds in an energy of rebalancing over the next few years. Squaring our corners, we will build new foundations in many systems that we have watched fall apart in the last decade. This will include governmental, economic, educational and medical systems. New opportunities will arise as innovations and new discoveries are realized in the 2020's that will help us fight disease, improve our use of renewable energy and reduce industrial waste just to name a few. This is truly what we have been waiting for, the dawning of a new era. Whether you call it the Golden Age, the Age of Aquarius or the Age of Harmony, etc., it is going to take decades to become established. Beginnings are messy as change often arises out of perceived chaos. Awkwardly at first, we will learn to receive and share through the energies of cooperation and collaboration. Younger generations are speeding ahead using technology but need to learn the value of face to face communication. Technology has its place as a tool and will continue to help make our lives easier and breakdown barriers to bring us closer together. But heart coherence and connection will become the goal for successful collaboration and cooperation in the new era. In the coming decade, we will discover how we are more alike than different. Rising unity consciousness will support our ability to become a more globally minded society for sharing resources and preserving our planet for future generations.
Presently, we are in an eclipse portal that will culminate with a lunar eclipse on January 10th. This is a culmination of a decade of identifying what limited thinking, old stories (old reactive energy) should be left behind and let go as we move into this new decade. Certainly, the impeachment trial in Washington DC reflects a larger transformation occurring for the human collective as old energies struggle to retain power in the face of broader truths. Similar leadership struggles are occurring in other countries worldwide. Setting our goals for the highest outcome and intentions for this new decade is paramount. On January 12th a special conjunction between Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn which has not occurred in 500 years will reveal hidden truths behind shadows of fear and separation that we have been avoiding. Uranus, the great awakener, will add power to this event by stationing direct. Allow January insights to provide direction as you strive to set your course for 2020. The world will seem very different by December of 2020.
Manage your way through these turbulent times by developing a deep sense of gratitude. Be heart centered! Gratitude is the antidote as Reiki founder, Mikao Usui, taught for all fear-based, reactive emotions. Use gratitude as your anchor during this fact paced decade of change. You are the master of your energy. You create with your consciousness and you change your world as you change your perception of yourself and others. Be mindful of your exposure to news, social media and technology. Get outside everyday. Go for a walk. Surround yourself with high vibration positive people!! Have heartfelt conversations and interactions with supportive friends and family. Sleep enough, exercise and eat healthy. Try or learn Reiki! Good habits will restore, preserve and maintain your health and well-being.


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Kids Sewing Ornaments
Children in grades K-3 will learn basic felt sewing techniques and make felt holiday ornaments for their family and friends. Some ornaments will be guided and others will be left to the child's creativity. Parents who feel their child needs help are welcome to stay. Registration is required so we can get an accurate count for supplies.
Karrie McAllister
Class Schedule:
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 -
10:00am to 12:00pm


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Rapid City police invade Lakota ceremony, tear down encampment for houseless and arrest six people
By Candi Brings Plenty
Censored News
Friday, Oct. 16, 2020
Our Akićita were in prayer, you could hear the beautiful ceremony songs being sung as the Rapid City Police Department interrupted them and forcibly removed them. They also dragged out a Lakota Unči (grandmother) while she was too was in prayer.
RAPID CITY, South Dakota -- Every Friday for the past two years our community Oyaté has provided a meal for our houseless relatives hosted by the grassroots organization OyateKin ChanteWastepi. The Mni Luzahan Patrol, have been foot patrolling the Rapid Creek since this summer, because in August there were eight Indigenous homicides in our city and two were houseless relatives sleeping by the creek. And just this week we had two houseless Indigenous relatives die sleeping outside.


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House in Haddon Heights goes for $469K
A 2,368-square-foot house in Haddon Heights has changed hands. The property at 1509 Prospect Ridge Blvd. was sold in August 2019. The $469,000 purchase price works out to $198 per square foot, which is above the Haddon Heights median of $146. The square footage value is a general guide for the area and does not necessarily indicate if the purchase price was too high or low.
These nearby houses have also recently been sold:
- A 2,380-square-foot home at 1524 Prospect Ridge Blvd. sold in May for $290,000, a price per square foot of $122.
- A 1,272-square-foot home at 1512 High St. sold in May for $281,000, a price per square foot of $221.
- A 2,484-square-foot home at 1119 High St. sold in June for $350,000, a price per square foot of $141.
So far this year, 66 houses have sold in Haddon Heights, where the median sales price is $252,000.
See what homes have sold in your area by searching our historical database of New Jersey property sales, and find other useful public information in DataUniverse.
This story was automatically generated using real estate transaction data from the state of New Jersey. If you have a question or find a mistake, please email us at .


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reach a point in time, or a certain state or level
get hold of, Reach
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Structural renovation work continues on a historic, 1920s-era building in Hollywood, California. This major renovation will improve the structural performance of the building and help ensure that theatregoers and other occupants are safe in the event of a major earthquake.
Author: Jason Oakley
Project Profile: Reinforcing Concrete Joists to Increase Load Rating
We're excited to share another fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) project that required both flexural and shear strengthening (photo below) of reinforced concrete joists to enable the slab floors to carry more live load. The structure is in Southern California, and appears to have been built in the 1950s or 1960s when pan joist construction was common. The EOR for this project, Structural Focus, is an experienced structural engineering firm known for seismic retrofit solutions. The FRP applicator was FD Thomas Structural Specialties, a contractor with decades of FRP installation experience.
Reasons to Specify SET-3G Adhesive for Anchorage in Concrete Construction
We've been receiving a lot of requests lately from engineers wanting to know exactly what the difference is between Simpson Strong-Tie's relatively new adhesive, SET-3G™, and its predecessor, SET-XP®. Both are epoxy-based adhesives used to anchor threaded rods and reinforcing bars in concrete base material for structural applications. If you perform a live pull test on a ½"-diameter mild steel rod embedded 4" deep in 3,000 psi uncracked normal-weight concrete, the result will likely be the same; in both cases, the steel rod will break in a ductile manner at around 11 kips. You can see this hourglass-shaped steel failure mode happening in Figure 1. (To learn more about anchorage failure modes and ductility, check out this blog). Yet, the SET-3G design values shown in ESR-4057 come out ahead. But why?
Applying ACI 318-14 Development Length Provisions to Post-Installed Reinforcing Bars Secured to Concrete with Construction Adhesive
The evaluation report, ESR-4057, was recently updated to allow the design of SET-3G adhesive for post-installed reinforcing bars using the ACI 318 development length provision. This blog has been reposted replacing SET-XP with SET-3G using the original design examples. The SET-XP evaluation report, ESR-2508, currently limits f'c to 2,500 psi for seismic applications located in seismic design category C–F. SET-3G does not carry the same limitation allowing for a considerable reduction in development length at higher values of f'c. In general, a substantially lower installation cost can be expected using SET-3G for seismic applications. Additionally, SET-3G has slightly reduced edge and spacing requirements. Engineers can access a free online calculation tool to easily determine the rebar development or lap splice length for either adhesive product.
I first learned about the application of the ACI 318 development length provision to post-installed reinforcing bars back in 2003 when I read Post-Installed Adhesive-Bonded Splices in Bridge Decks, authored by Ronald A. Cook and Scott D. Beesheim. In their series of experiments, holes were drilled adjacent to cast-in-place bars using a carbide-tipped drill bit, and new bars were secured in these holes using an anchoring adhesive presumed to be of a type commonly used in concrete construction.
Continue Reading
Simpson Strong-Tie® SET-3G™ Adhesive Offers a Ductile Solution for Post-Installed Anchorage near a Concrete Edge
Designing post-installed anchorage near a concrete edge is challenging, especially since the ACI provisions for cracked-concrete anchorage went into effect. In the following post, one of our field engineers, Jason Oakley, P.E., explains how SET-3G™ and Anchor Designer™ software from Simpson Strong-Tie make it easier to design a ductile anchor solution.
Engineers often provide holdown anchoring solutions near a concrete edge to help prevent overturning of light-frame shear walls during a seismic (or high-wind) event. Sometimes a post-installed anchor must be used if the cast-in-place anchor was mislocated or misinstalled, or is located where a retrofit or addition is needed. Since the cracked-concrete anchorage design provisions went into effect more than a decade ago, it has been challenging for engineers to offer a near-edge post-installed anchoring solution. This is especially true for structures subject to earthquake loads in seismic design category (SDC) C through F. Simpson Strong-Tie's new SET-3G epoxy is the first anchoring adhesive in the industry to offer exceptionally high bond-strength values that permit ductile anchorage in concrete near an edge. This blog post will cover a specific example that focuses on Chapter 17 of ACI 318-14 to design a threaded rod, anchored with SET-3G adhesive, used to secure a holdown located 1 3/4″ away from a single concrete edge (Figure 1).
Continue Reading
Understanding and Meeting the ACI 318 – 11 App. D Ductility Requirements – A Design Example
If you're one of the many engineers still confused by the ACI 318 – 11 Appendix D design provisions, this blog will help explain what's required to achieve a ductile performing anchorage. Most building codes currently reference ACI 318 – 11 Appendix D as the required provision for designing a wide variety of anchor types that include expansion, undercut, adhesive and cast-in-place anchors in concrete base materials. This blog post will focus on section D.22.214.171.124(a) for an anchor located in a high seismic region. We'll go over what these requirements are with a simple design example.
Ductility is a benefit in seismic design. A ductile anchor system is one that exhibits a meaningful degree of deformation before failure occurs. However, ductility is distinct from an equally important dimension called strength. Add strength, and a ductile steel element like the one shown in Figure 1 can now exhibit toughness. During a serious earthquake, a structural system with appreciable toughness (i.e., one that possesses both strength and ductility in sufficient degree) can be expected to absorb a tremendous amount of energy as the material plastically deforms and increases the likelihood that an outright failure won't occur. Any visible deformations could help determine if repair is necessary.
Let's start off with a simple example that will cover the essential requirements for achieving ductility and applies to any type of structural anchor used in concrete. We'll arbitrarily choose a post-installed adhesive anchor. This type of anchor is very common in concrete construction and is used for making structural and nonstructural connections that include anchorage of sill plates and holdowns for shear walls, equipment, racks, architectural/mechanical/electrical components and, very frequently, rebar dowels for making section enlargements. We'll assume the anchor is limited to resisting earthquake loading in tension only and is in seismic design category C – F. Section D.126.96.36.199 requires that if the strength-level earthquake force exceeds 20% of the total factored load, that the anchor be designed in accordance with section D.184.108.40.206 and D.22.214.171.124. We will focus on achieving the ductility option, (a), of D.188.8.131.52.
To understand anchor ductility we need to first identify the possible failure modes of an anchor. Figure 2 shows the three types of failure modes we can expect for an adhesive anchor located away from a free edge. These three failure modes generically apply to virtually any type of anchor (expansion, screw, cast-in-place or undercut). Breakout (Nb) and pullout (Na) are not considered ductile failure modes. Breakout failure (Nb) can occur very suddenly and behaves mostly linear elastic and consequently absorbs a relatively small amount of energy. After pullout failure (Na) has been initiated, the load/displacement behavior of the anchor can be unpredictable, and furthermore, no reliable mechanism exists for plastic deformation to take place. So we're left with steel (Nsa). To achieve ductility, not only does the steel need to be made of a ductile material but the steel must govern out of the three failure modes. Additionally, the anchor system must be designed so that steel failure governs by a comfortable margin. Breakout and pullout can never control while the steel yields and plastically deforms. This is what is meant by meeting the ductility requirements of Appendix D.
Getting back to our design example, we have a single post-installed 5/8" diameter ASTM F1554 Gr. 36 threaded rod that's embedded 12" deep, in a dry hole, in a concrete element that has a compressive strength of 2,500 psi. The concrete is 18" thick and we assume that the edge distance is large enough to be irrelevant. For this size anchor, the published characteristic bond strength is 743 psi. Anchor software calculations will produce the following information:
The governing design strength is compared to a demand or load combination that's defined elsewhere in the code.
Here's the question: Before proceeding with the remainder of this blog, judging by the design strength values shown above, should we consider this anchorage ductile? Your intuition might tell you that it's not ductile. Why? Pullout clearly governs (i.e., steel does not). So it might come as a surprise to learn that this adhesive anchor actually is ductile!
To understand why, we need to look at the nominal strength (not the design strength) of the different anchor failure modes. But first let's examine the equations used to determine the design strength values above:
The above values incorporate the notation φ ("phi") and a mandatory 0.75 reduction factor for nonductile failure modes (Ncb ,Na) for applications located in high seismic areas (seismic design category C–F). The φ factor is defined in section D.4. However, manufacturers will list factors specific to their adhesive based on anchor testing. The mandatory 0.75 reduction comes from section D.18.104.22.168 and is meant to account for any reduction associated with concrete damage during earthquake loading. The important thing to remember is that the nominal strength provides a better representation of the relative capacity of the different failure modes. Remove these reduction factors and we get the following:
Now steel governs since it has the lowest strength. But we're not done yet. Section D.126.96.36.199.(a).1 of Appendix D requires that the expected steel strength be used in design when checking for ductility. This is done by increasing the specified steel strength by 20%. This is to account for the fact that F1554 Gr. 36 threaded rod, for example, will probably have an ultimate tensile strength greater than the specified 58,000 psi. (Interestingly, the ultimate strength of the ½" threaded rod tested in Figure 1 is roughly 74 ksi, which is about 27% greater than 58,000 psi.) With this in mind, the next step would be to additionally meet section D.184.108.40.206.(a).2 such that the following is met:
By increasing the steel strength by 20%, the nominal strength of the nonductile failure modes (Ncb ,Na) must be at least that much greater to help ensure that a ductile anchor system can be achieved. The values to compare finally become:
Now steel governs, but one more thing is required. As shown in Figure 3, Section D.184.108.40.206.(a).3 of Appendix D also requires that the rod be made of ductile steel and have a stretch length of at least eight times the insert diameter (8d). Appendix D defines a ductile steel element as exhibiting an elongation of at least 14% and a reduction in area of at least 30%. ASTM F1554 meets this requirement for all three grades of steel (Grade 36, 55 and 105) with the exception of Grade 55 for anchor nominal sizes greater than 2". Research has shown that a sufficient stretch length helps ensure that an anchor can experience significant yielding and plastic deformation during tensile loading. The threaded rod shown in Figure 1 was tested using a stretch length of 4" (8d). Lastly, section D.126.96.36.199.(a).4 requires that the anchor be engineered to protect against buckling.
Appendix D doesn't require that an anchor system behave ductilely. Three additional options exist for Designers in section D184.108.40.206. Option (b) allows for the design of an alternate failure mechanism that behaves ductilely. Designing a base plate (or support) that plastically hinges to exhibit ductile performance is one example. Option (c) involves a case where there's a limit to how much load can be delivered to the anchor. Although option (c) under D.126.96.36.199 falls under the tensile loading section of Appendix D, the best example would apply to anchorage used to secure a wood sill plate or cold-formed steel track. We know from experiments that the wood crushes or the steel yields and locally buckles at a force less than the capacity of the concrete anchorage. Clearly energy is absorbed in the process. The most commonly used option is (d), which amplifies the earthquake load by Ωo. Ωo can be found in ASCE 7 – 10 for both structural and nonstructural components. The value of Ωo is typically taken to be equal to 2.5 (2.0 for storage racks) and is intended to make the anchor system behave linear elastically for the expected design-level earthquake demand.
These same options exist for shear loading cases. However, achieving system ductility through anchor steel is no longer an option for shear loading according to ACI 318 – 11, because the material probably won't deform appreciably enough to be considered ductile.
While factors such as edge-distance and embedment-depth restrictions make achieving ductility difficult for post-installed anchors, it should come as some consolation that in many cases the Designer can achieve ductile performance for cast-in-place anchors loaded in tension through creative detailing of reinforcing steel (section D.5.2.9) to eliminate breakout as a possible failure mode. This has been explored in some detail in two previous Simpson Strong-Tie blogs titled "Anchor Reinforcement for Concrete Podium Slabs" and "Steel Strong Wall Footings Just Got a Little Slimmer."
What are your thoughts? Visit the blog and leave a comment!
Part II: Tensile Performance of Simpson Strong-Tie® SET-XP® Adhesive in Reinforced Brick – Test Results
This post is the second of a two-part series on the results of research on anchorage in reinforced brick. The research was done to shed light on what tensile values can be expected for adhesive anchors. In last week's post, we covered the test set-up. This week, we're taking a look at our results and findings.Continue Reading
Part I: Tensile Performance of Simpson Strong-Tie® SET-XP Adhesive in Reinforced Brick: Test Set Up
This week's blog post is written by Jason Oakley. Jason is a California registered professional engineer who graduated from UCSD in 1997 with a degree in Structural Engineering and earned his MBA from Cal State Fullerton in 2013. He is a field engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie who has specialized in anchor systems for more than 12 years. He also covers concrete repair and Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) systems. His territory includes Southern California, Hawaii and Guam.
This post is Part I of a two-part series. In this post, we'll cover the test set-up and next week in Part II, we'll take a look at our results and findings.
More than half a century ago, reinforced brick was a fairly common construction material used in buildings located in Southern California and probably elsewhere in the U.S. Reinforced brick can be found in schools, universities, and office buildings that still stand today. This material should not be confused with unreinforced brick masonry (URM) that is also composed of bricks but is structurally inferior to reinforced brick. Engineers are often called to look at existing reinforced brick structures to recommend retrofit schemes that, for example, might strengthen the out-of-plane wall anchorage between the roof (or floor) and wall to improve building performance during an earthquake. Yet, limited or no information exists on the performance of adhesive anchors in this base material. This series of posts shares the results of research on anchorage in reinforced brick in hopes of shedding light on what tensile values can be expected for adhesive anchors, including any important findings encountered during installation and testing.Continue Reading
Changes Made to ACI 318 With Respect to Adhesives Anchors in Concrete: What Engineers Need to Know
For the first time, ACI 318 – 11 includes a design provision for adhesive anchors in concrete. Previously, adhesive anchors were designed according to provisions found in both ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) AC308 and ACI 318 – 08. A relatively new standard, ACI 355.4, must be used to qualify adhesive anchors in concrete. This new standard, along with ACI 318 – 11, contains important changes that will affect anchor systems designed to the 2012 IBC. Not all changes are discussed here. I will only focus on what you – the engineer – should be aware of.
ACI 355.4 requires that adhesive anchors in concrete be evaluated using a bond strength (measured in terms of psi and used with the surface area of the embedded portion of the anchor) that corresponds to a long-term temperature (LTT) of 110 degrees F to account for potential elevated temperature exposure conditions. This wasn't necessarily the case previously where, for example, the engineer could elect to use a temperature category that listed bond strength values based on a LTT of 75 degrees F. The issue here is creep.
Creep, in the world of adhesive anchors, looks at how well the anchor can resist load without too much axial displacement over a period of not minutes, not hours, not even years but decades. As a general rule, it's no surprise that creep worsens as the temperature rises for almost any material. In our case, the bond strength is effectively reduced. Most adhesives, if not all, currently list bond strength values that correspond to a LTT of 110 degrees F. Make sure to select the temperature category that meets this minimum requirement. Some adhesives will experience a reduction in bond strength at an LTT of 110 degrees F, some won't.
What about applications involving short-term-only loading? Is creep still relevant? Generally, you'll find that adhesive anchors negatively impacted by the higher LTT requirement will gain back much of their load for seismic/wind-only load applications. So creep becomes irrelevant.
While adhesive anchors used solely for the purpose of resisting short-term loads will remain largely unaffected by this code change, significant changes have been made to the design and installation of adhesive anchors when used for sustained loading applications (e.g. dead load, live load, etc.).
First, the bond strength must be reduced by a factor of 0.55 as compared to 0.75 under the previous code (following ICC-ES AC308). New to the code, section D.9.2.2 of ACI 318 App. D requires that adhesive anchors used for resisting sustained loads be installed by someone who has taken the Adhesive Anchor Installation Certification (AAIC) program. The installer must show proof that he/she is certified by passing both a written and performance examination. Installing adhesive overhead requires some skill. So it's no surprise that the installer must satisfactorily demonstrate proficiency by blindly installing adhesive overhead into an inverted test tube that will later be cut in half and graded for the presence of voids. Figure 1 shows no voids, so the installer passed.
However, exceptions do exist. If you're working on a hospital or school in California, the 2013 CBC (Table 1705A.3 footnote c) requires that all horizontal and overhead adhesives anchors – irrespective of load condition – be installed by a Certified Adhesive Anchor Installer (CAAI). This deviates from ACI 318 D.9.2.2.
Arguably, with AAIC, there's an added cost to using adhesives for anchorage designed for sustained loading. However, for sustained loading applications best suited for adhesive anchors it should come as peace of mind to the engineer, owner, contractor and other parties involved with the construction project that a certified installer has been employed to ensure that the adhesive anchor has been installed in accordance with the manufacturer's printed installation instructions.
While the engineer should be aware of the above limitations placed on adhesive anchors, by no means should it hamper their design. There are several options available to the engineer. Table 1 compares the tensile design strength of three common types of anchors – two adhesives, two mechanical anchors (one screw and one expansion type) – determined using the new design provision ACI 318 -11. While the creep test results show a reduced capacity for adhesive A, it does show a significant increase in load for seismic-only applications because , as we discussed earlier, creep is no longer an issue. Some adhesives, like adhesive B, will do well under the creep test (at an elevated LTT of 110 degrees F), so any capacity increase for seismic-only applications will be small.
What three important points can we glean from Table 1? First, all things being equal, mechanical anchors will typically achieve higher "code values" for sustained loading applications relative to adhesives. Second, mechanical anchors are easier to install overhead. Third, AAIC is not required for mechanical anchors. While these reasons support using mechanical anchors for overhead anchorage, doing so is nothing new. The bulk of overhead attachments have almost always been made with mechanical anchors mainly because it's just easier to do it that way.
Perhaps up to 95% of adhesives are used to secure rebar to concrete – we'll call them rebar dowels. Like any anchor, rebar dowels can be used to resist seismic and/or sustained loads. While the exact breakdown is hard to determine, arguably, the bulk of rebar dowels in the west coast are found in seismic retrofits and renovations used to thicken walls, tie-in new concrete shear walls, connect new drag struts, strengthen existing concrete elements, etc., all for the purpose of strengthening the lateral capacity of the existing structure to withstand greater earthquake and/or wind loads. These typically won't require a CAAI, but it might if it's a school or hospital project that requires overhead or horizontal anchors. Some rebar dowels are used for enlarging footings to withstand greater dead and live loads, so these would require a CAAI. Remember: the bond strength can be lower than expected for sustained loading applications, so you may want to use an adhesive that does well at a LTT of 110 degrees F if that's what your design requires.
One new benefit of ACI 318 is that the engineer can now design adhesive anchors to go into lightweight concrete using the factors found in section D.3.6.
One significant change engineers should include in their specification is that the concrete must be aged at least 21 days before installing an adhesive. Previously, the industry standard was to wait seven days. For additional information regarding adhesives installed into younger normal-weight concrete, read the following Simpson Strong-Tie engineering letter: http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/letters/generic/L-A-ADHGRNCON14.pdf
What are you experiencing in the design of your anchors in your jurisdictions? Leave a comment down below because we would like to know.


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Tag "sardine"
Approx. 100 t of sardines washed ashore in Pacific coastal area of Hokkaido again – Photos
Related to this article.. Numerous sardines washed ashore in Pacific coastal area of Hokkaido – Photos [URL] Numerous sardines came into Urakawa-ko port of Hokkaido from afternoon of 11/5/2014
Numerous sardines washed ashore in Pacific coastal area of Hokkaido – Photos
On 11/3/2014, numerous sardines were found washed ashore in Pacific coastal area of Hokkaido. A fisherman found it around 6AM of the day. The location was Mukawa-cho in Hokkaido.
Cesium measured from small dried sardine in Kagawa prefecture in 2012
According to Tohto co-op, 6 Bq/Kg of cesium was measured from small dried sardine. The origin is Kagawa prefecture. Sampling date is 2/14/2012. Kagawa prefecture is in the island
Japanese sardines washed up on the shore for 100m in Chiba
On 12/13/2012, countless numbers of Japanese sardines were found washed up on the shore of Shirako machi Chiba for 100m. The location is near the mouth of Nabakigawa river. Dead
Greenpeace detected cesium from Sushi sold beside Shinagawa station in Tokyo
Eating Sushi is becoming like Russian roulette. Greenpeace measured 10.9 Bq/Kg of cesium from Sushi in Tokyo. The amount of strontium is not known. On 9/7/2012, Greenpeace published their measurement result.
The young of the sardine from offshore Ibaraki in Pacific ocean will be shipped
Regardless of the fact that neighbor countries ban importing Japanese food and products, local processing countries are going to ship fishery food as of 8/20/2012. (cf. South Korea added