text:
One of the most frustrating things about home improvement is having to shell out money for a new tool that you only expect to use once. For example, if your bathroom needs re-tiling, you can’t reasonably do the job without a wet saw, which costs anywhere from $100 to $750. But unless you have another bathroom to re-tile after this one, that expensive tool is just going to sit in your garage gathering dust once you’re finished with the job.
What makes it all the more annoying is that your next-door neighbor may be re-tiling his bathroom next month, and the neighbor across the street could be doing hers next year. Unless they know that you already have a wet saw, they’ll probably end up going out and buying their own. It would make so much more sense for the three of you – or maybe even all the neighbors on the block – to chip in together and buy just one wet saw that you could all take turns using.
With a tool library in your town, you can do exactly that. A tool-lending library is just like a regular public library, except instead of books, it has a large collection of tools – gardening tools, woodworking tools, home repair tools, and more. Once you join a tool library, you can simply check out any of these tools whenever necessary. You don’t have to buy or rent new tools for every home project, and you don’t have to find space in your house to store a lot of tools you hardly ever use.
Like other parts of the sharing economy, tool libraries are a way to use resources more efficiently. They make it possible for dozens of people to share one rotary tiller, one drill press, or one extension ladder, instead of each having to buy their own.
Saving Money. Do-it-yourself (DIY) experts interviewed in The New York Times say it costs about $250 to equip a basic home workshop – and that’s not counting the cost of specialized tools for particular jobs. But if you belong to a tool library, all you ever need to pay for tools is a yearly membership fee, which can cost anywhere from $10 to $100. Some tool libraries are run by town governments, so membership is completely free for residents.
Saving Space. Many avid DIYers have houses stuffed with a huge assortment of tools, many of which they don’t use more than once or twice a year. When you belong to a tool-lending library, it stores all those seldom-used tools for you, so they don’t take up space in your basement and garage.
Sharing Knowledge. A tool-lending library is more than just a building full of tools – it’s also a place for DIY fans to gather and share ideas and tips for home projects. Many tool libraries also sponsor workshops to teach specific DIY skills, either for free or at a low charge.
Protecting the Environment. Sharing tools reduces the number of new tools that need to be made and sold each year. In turn, this saves the energy and natural resources that would be used to produce them. On top of that, tool libraries can serve as centers to promote sustainable living. For example, the West Seattle Tool Library encourages its members to take part in projects such as setting up home gardens, improving energy efficiency, and harvesting rainwater.
Building Community. Belonging to a tool-lending library gives you a chance to get to know your neighbors. You can discuss your projects together, help each other out, and possibly form lasting friendships.
The only real downside of belonging to a tool library is that when you don’t own your tools, you don’t have immediate access to them. You can only check them out when the tool library is open, and there’s always a risk that someone else may be using the specific tool you need.
So even if you belong to a tool library, it makes sense to keep at least a small collection of tools of your own. This should include the tools that you use often and the ones you’re most likely to need at a moment’s notice. For instance, when your toilet starts leaking, you want to have a wrench ready in hand so you can stop the water before it does any damage, not have to run down to the tool library to check one out.
The Berkeley Tool-Lending Library in Berkeley, California, is part of the town’s public library system. Any adult resident who has a library card can also check out tools, free of charge. Thousands of people use the tool library, with more than 100 new members signing up each month.
Berkeley’s tool library is one of the oldest in the country. It was founded in 1979 with a federal community development block grant (CDBG) of $30,000. It started as a collection of 500 tools housed in a portable trailer, with one full-time employee. The city took over the funding of the tool-lending library two years later, and in 1988 it officially became part of the library system.
Today, the tool-lending library resides in a large, warehouse-like building that’s open Tuesday through Saturday. It contains more than 3,500 tools, with three part-time employees to supervise the collection. The library’s most popular tools include weed eaters, extension cords, ladders, hand trucks, and hedge trimmers. The collection also includes smaller tools, such as screwdrivers and masonry bits.
Borrowers can check out up to 10 tools at a time and can keep them for either three days or seven days, depending on the demand for the tool. They can also call the library ahead of time to reserve a tool, but only to be picked up that same day. If they return tools late, they must pay an overdue fine of anywhere from $1 to $18 per day, depending on the tool. The overdue fines provide the library with nearly $20,000 a year to add new tools to its collection and to maintain the ones it already has.
Although overdue fines are common, it’s very rare for people to fail to return tools. Adam Broner, one of the libary’s tool lending specialists, says that the tool library’s patrons are “very loyal” and tend to be more reliable about returning tools than regular library users are about returning books.
Broner says the library is more than just a tool lending service – it also serves as a “community center” of sorts for people interested in DIY. Some patrons say that they visit the tool library regularly, even daily. Users say the service is convenient, saves them a lot of money, and makes DIY accessible to people who can’t afford to buy their own tools. One woman even confides that the library has taken away her landlord’s excuse that he can’t afford to do repairs because tools are too expensive.
The easiest way to find a tool library in your area is to check Local Tools, a website that promotes tool-lending libraries. Its comprehensive list shows tool libraries throughout the United States, Canada, and even Great Britain. You can use the map to find a tool library in your state or region, or you can search the list for the name of a particular town. Each listing includes contact information for the tool library – a physical address, phone number, and email address – and a link to its website.
There’s also a list of tool-lending libraries on Wikipedia. It includes listings for tool libraries in several additional countries, such as Israel and Australia. The U.S. listings are also somewhat easier to search because they’re organized by state. However, the Wikipedia list doesn’t contain links to the tool libraries’ websites.
If you can’t find a tool-lending library in your area, you can try starting your own. The Center for a New American Dream, a national organization that promotes conscious consumption and greener living, outlines the basic process for starting a tool library in its Guide to Sharing. Here is a basic outline of the steps you need to take.
Find people in your community who are interested in starting a tool library. Try asking friends and neighbors and asking at your church, school, or homeowner’s association. Once you find a group of interested people, hold a meeting and select a team to take the lead on the project. Choose people to take on key jobs such as financing, marketing, coordinating volunteers, and gathering tools.
Tools. Consider how many tools you initially want to offer, and where you will obtain them. You could buy new tools or start with donated tools from members, contractors, and your own collections.
Facilities. Think about possible places to house the tool library. You could rent a building, ask your town to donate space in a municipal building, or even run the library out of someone’s garage.
Business Structure. One popular way to run a tool library is as a tax-exempt public charity known as a 501(c)(3) organization. Setting up your tool library as a 501(c)(3) allows you to avoid taxes, but it is a fairly long and complicated process. One way around it is to make the tool library part of a government organization, such as a public library. You can also ask an existing 501(c)(3) to be your fiscal sponsor so that the tool library is officially one of that organization’s projects; however, many groups charge a fee for this kind of sponsorship.
Funding. Possible sources of funding include community block grants, local businesses, private foundations, and individual donors. Decide whether you want to charge a membership fee to help cover your expenses and what kind of fees you want to charge for overdue, lost, or damaged tools.
Staffing. Decide how many workers you will need to run the tool library. You can try to work with volunteers only, but it’s helpful to have at least one paid tool coordinator to keep everything running smoothly. You can have paid employees and still be a nonprofit organization, but you are responsible for paying their federal taxes. The IRS has detailed information about how to handle taxes for employees of nonprofits.
Membership. Decide which area you want your tool library to serve. Most tool libraries are open to all residents in a specific town or region. Another option is to have membership be free for residents and allow people outside the area to join for a fee.
Services. Consider whether you want your tool-lending library to offer any other services besides tools. For example, some tool libraries provide space for people to work on projects, hands-on assistance, or educational workshops.
The West Seattle Tool Library has developed a “starter kit” for tool-lending libraries that talks about all these issues in detail. This kit is available on its outreach website, ShareStarter.org. Although the document does its best to cover all the issues tool libraries face, the authors also recommend that you consult a lawyer about your plans to ensure that your tool library complies with all state and local laws. If you can’t afford a lawyer, try contacting a legal organization in your state that offers advice on a pro bono (free) basis.
You can see examples of lending policies on the websites of the North Portland Tool Library and the Rebuilding Together Central Ohio Tool Library.
To reduce the risk of damage and breakage, it’s best to start with new, construction-grade tools that can stand up to heavy use. You can also get donations of tools from local contractors and tool sellers, but you should test them first to make sure they’re in good working order.
As you gather tools, mark them with the library’s name and give each one a unique identification number. Give each borrower a unique ID as well, so that you can keep track of who is using which tools at any given time. You can use a spreadsheet program or library software to keep track of your inventory.
Once you have all the tools you need, be sure to keep them in good working order. Check them for damage whenever they’re returned to the library, and make any repairs that are needed, such as sharpening. You can charge users a fee if they fail to clean tools properly before returning them.
The Center for a New American Dream recommends devoting at least 10% of your budget to maintaining, repairing, and replacing tools as needed. Poll your members from time to time to find out what new tools they think the library should have.
Belonging to a tool library isn’t the only way to save money on tools for home repairs, of course. You can also rent tools that you only plan to use once, or borrow them from friends and family members. But a tool-lending library is more than just a source of cheap tools – it’s also a community. Joining one is a way to meet people, share ideas, and form closer ties to your neighbors.
Have you ever used a tool library? Would you use one if you had the chance?

lowercased:
one of the most frustrating things about home improvement is having to shell out money for a new tool that you only expect to use once. for example, if your bathroom needs re-tiling, you can’t reasonably do the job without a wet saw, which costs anywhere from $100 to $750. but unless you have another bathroom to re-tile after this one, that expensive tool is just going to sit in your garage gathering dust once you’re finished with the job.
what makes it all the more annoying is that your next-door neighbor may be re-tiling his bathroom next month, and the neighbor across the street could be doing hers next year. unless they know that you already have a wet saw, they’ll probably end up going out and buying their own. it would make so much more sense for the three of you – or maybe even all the neighbors on the block – to chip in together and buy just one wet saw that you could all take turns using.
with a tool library in your town, you can do exactly that. a tool-lending library is just like a regular public library, except instead of books, it has a large collection of tools – gardening tools, woodworking tools, home repair tools, and more. once you join a tool library, you can simply check out any of these tools whenever necessary. you don’t have to buy or rent new tools for every home project, and you don’t have to find space in your house to store a lot of tools you hardly ever use.
like other parts of the sharing economy, tool libraries are a way to use resources more efficiently. they make it possible for dozens of people to share one rotary tiller, one drill press, or one extension ladder, instead of each having to buy their own.
saving money. do-it-yourself (diy) experts interviewed in the new york times say it costs about $250 to equip a basic home workshop – and that’s not counting the cost of specialized tools for particular jobs. but if you belong to a tool library, all you ever need to pay for tools is a yearly membership fee, which can cost anywhere from $10 to $100. some tool libraries are run by town governments, so membership is completely free for residents.
saving space. many avid diyers have houses stuffed with a huge assortment of tools, many of which they don’t use more than once or twice a year. when you belong to a tool-lending library, it stores all those seldom-used tools for you, so they don’t take up space in your basement and garage.
sharing knowledge. a tool-lending library is more than just a building full of tools – it’s also a place for diy fans to gather and share ideas and tips for home projects. many tool libraries also sponsor workshops to teach specific diy skills, either for free or at a low charge.
protecting the environment. sharing tools reduces the number of new tools that need to be made and sold each year. in turn, this saves the energy and natural resources that would be used to produce them. on top of that, tool libraries can serve as centers to promote sustainable living. for example, the west seattle tool library encourages its members to take part in projects such as setting up home gardens, improving energy efficiency, and harvesting rainwater.
building community. belonging to a tool-lending library gives you a chance to get to know your neighbors. you can discuss your projects together, help each other out, and possibly form lasting friendships.
the only real downside of belonging to a tool library is that when you don’t own your tools, you don’t have immediate access to them. you can only check them out when the tool library is open, and there’s always a risk that someone else may be using the specific tool you need.
so even if you belong to a tool library, it makes sense to keep at least a small collection of tools of your own. this should include the tools that you use often and the ones you’re most likely to need at a moment’s notice. for instance, when your toilet starts leaking, you want to have a wrench ready in hand so you can stop the water before it does any damage, not have to run down to the tool library to check one out.
the berkeley tool-lending library in berkeley, california, is part of the town’s public library system. any adult resident who has a library card can also check out tools, free of charge. thousands of people use the tool library, with more than 100 new members signing up each month.
berkeley’s tool library is one of the oldest in the country. it was founded in 1979 with a federal community development block grant (cdbg) of $30,000. it started as a collection of 500 tools housed in a portable trailer, with one full-time employee. the city took over the funding of the tool-lending library two years later, and in 1988 it officially became part of the library system.
today, the tool-lending library resides in a large, warehouse-like building that’s open tuesday through saturday. it contains more than 3,500 tools, with three part-time employees to supervise the collection. the library’s most popular tools include weed eaters, extension cords, ladders, hand trucks, and hedge trimmers. the collection also includes smaller tools, such as screwdrivers and masonry bits.
borrowers can check out up to 10 tools at a time and can keep them for either three days or seven days, depending on the demand for the tool. they can also call the library ahead of time to reserve a tool, but only to be picked up that same day. if they return tools late, they must pay an overdue fine of anywhere from $1 to $18 per day, depending on the tool. the overdue fines provide the library with nearly $20,000 a year to add new tools to its collection and to maintain the ones it already has.
although overdue fines are common, it’s very rare for people to fail to return tools. adam broner, one of the libary’s tool lending specialists, says that the tool library’s patrons are “very loyal” and tend to be more reliable about returning tools than regular library users are about returning books.
broner says the library is more than just a tool lending service – it also serves as a “community center” of sorts for people interested in diy. some patrons say that they visit the tool library regularly, even daily. users say the service is convenient, saves them a lot of money, and makes diy accessible to people who can’t afford to buy their own tools. one woman even confides that the library has taken away her landlord’s excuse that he can’t afford to do repairs because tools are too expensive.
the easiest way to find a tool library in your area is to check local tools, a website that promotes tool-lending libraries. its comprehensive list shows tool libraries throughout the united states, canada, and even great britain. you can use the map to find a tool library in your state or region, or you can search the list for the name of a particular town. each listing includes contact information for the tool library – a physical address, phone number, and email address – and a link to its website.
there’s also a list of tool-lending libraries on wikipedia. it includes listings for tool libraries in several additional countries, such as israel and australia. the u.s. listings are also somewhat easier to search because they’re organized by state. however, the wikipedia list doesn’t contain links to the tool libraries’ websites.
if you can’t find a tool-lending library in your area, you can try starting your own. the center for a new american dream, a national organization that promotes conscious consumption and greener living, outlines the basic process for starting a tool library in its guide to sharing. here is a basic outline of the steps you need to take.
find people in your community who are interested in starting a tool library. try asking friends and neighbors and asking at your church, school, or homeowner’s association. once you find a group of interested people, hold a meeting and select a team to take the lead on the project. choose people to take on key jobs such as financing, marketing, coordinating volunteers, and gathering tools.
tools. consider how many tools you initially want to offer, and where you will obtain them. you could buy new tools or start with donated tools from members, contractors, and your own collections.
facilities. think about possible places to house the tool library. you could rent a building, ask your town to donate space in a municipal building, or even run the library out of someone’s garage.
business structure. one popular way to run a tool library is as a tax-exempt public charity known as a 501(c)(3) organization. setting up your tool library as a 501(c)(3) allows you to avoid taxes, but it is a fairly long and complicated process. one way around it is to make the tool library part of a government organization, such as a public library. you can also ask an existing 501(c)(3) to be your fiscal sponsor so that the tool library is officially one of that organization’s projects; however, many groups charge a fee for this kind of sponsorship.
funding. possible sources of funding include community block grants, local businesses, private foundations, and individual donors. decide whether you want to charge a membership fee to help cover your expenses and what kind of fees you want to charge for overdue, lost, or damaged tools.
staffing. decide how many workers you will need to run the tool library. you can try to work with volunteers only, but it’s helpful to have at least one paid tool coordinator to keep everything running smoothly. you can have paid employees and still be a nonprofit organization, but you are responsible for paying their federal taxes. the irs has detailed information about how to handle taxes for employees of nonprofits.
membership. decide which area you want your tool library to serve. most tool libraries are open to all residents in a specific town or region. another option is to have membership be free for residents and allow people outside the area to join for a fee.
services. consider whether you want your tool-lending library to offer any other services besides tools. for example, some tool libraries provide space for people to work on projects, hands-on assistance, or educational workshops.
the west seattle tool library has developed a “starter kit” for tool-lending libraries that talks about all these issues in detail. this kit is available on its outreach website, sharestarter.org. although the document does its best to cover all the issues tool libraries face, the authors also recommend that you consult a lawyer about your plans to ensure that your tool library complies with all state and local laws. if you can’t afford a lawyer, try contacting a legal organization in your state that offers advice on a pro bono (free) basis.
you can see examples of lending policies on the websites of the north portland tool library and the rebuilding together central ohio tool library.
to reduce the risk of damage and breakage, it’s best to start with new, construction-grade tools that can stand up to heavy use. you can also get donations of tools from local contractors and tool sellers, but you should test them first to make sure they’re in good working order.
as you gather tools, mark them with the library’s name and give each one a unique identification number. give each borrower a unique id as well, so that you can keep track of who is using which tools at any given time. you can use a spreadsheet program or library software to keep track of your inventory.
once you have all the tools you need, be sure to keep them in good working order. check them for damage whenever they’re returned to the library, and make any repairs that are needed, such as sharpening. you can charge users a fee if they fail to clean tools properly before returning them.
the center for a new american dream recommends devoting at least 10% of your budget to maintaining, repairing, and replacing tools as needed. poll your members from time to time to find out what new tools they think the library should have.
belonging to a tool library isn’t the only way to save money on tools for home repairs, of course. you can also rent tools that you only plan to use once, or borrow them from friends and family members. but a tool-lending library is more than just a source of cheap tools – it’s also a community. joining one is a way to meet people, share ideas, and form closer ties to your neighbors.
have you ever used a tool library? would you use one if you had the chance?


text:
In the four weeks ending on September 23, homes that sold above asking price dipped below 2016 levels, according to the latest data from Redfin. Redfin Senior Economist Taylor Marr the fact that fewer homes are selling above their asking price is another indication that competition is getting less intense than it has been in recent years.
Perhaps underperforming income growth and rising unemployment would suggest low home prices, but Las Vegas is the most overvalued housing market in the nation. Fitch Ratings explained although the city’s price to rent remains lower than buying a home and the population is growing, home prices still have overshot economic fundamentals.
Home prices increased across the U.S. in February, picking up the pace in annual price gains. This run, which is still ongoing, compares to the previous long run from January 1992 to February 2007. And with expectations for continued economic growth and further employment gains, the current run of rising prices is likely to continue.
Home prices increased in all top 20 U.S. cities, with the highest annual gains seen in Seattle, Las Vegas and San Francisco. However, despite the continually rising home prices, the Case-Shiller report explained affordability is not a concern.
Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: Is the way the CFPB handles enforcement about to change?
Every day, it seems there’s a new rumor surrounding the apparently looming departure of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray. But regardless of what happens to Cordray, the way the CFPB handles enforcement could be changing as we speak. Plus, the senators from Nevada call on the mortgage business to grant relief to victims of the Las Vegas shooting. All that, and more, in your Monday Morning Cup of Coffee.
Fitch: Is there a housing bubble in these hot, hot markets?
Texas is hotter than ever, but is it sustainable?
Housing in the state of Texas was hotter in 2016 than it’s ever been before, but is real estate in the Lone Star state getting too hot? A new report from Fitch Ratings suggests that Texas is one of a few states where home prices are not only unsustainable, they’re overheating.
Well, it turns out that the National Hockey League expansion team helmed by William Foley, the chairman of Fidelity National Financial and Black Knight Financial Services, won’t share a name with one of Foley's companies after all. RIP, Las Vegas Black Knights, we hardly knew ye.
Well, now it's official. The National Hockey League announced Wednesday that it will expand in 2017, becoming the first major professional sports league to bring a team to Las Vegas. The league's announcement brings a nearly two-year journey one step closer to reality for William Foley, the chairman of Fidelity National Financial and Black Knight Financial Services, who will lead the Las Vegas team as its owner.
A Nevada woman who was once part of the largest mortgage fraud schemes in the history of the state will no longer forfeit $107 million after a federal court of appeals overturned part of her penalty because it violated the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits the government from imposing "excessive fines" and "cruel and unusual punishments."

lowercased:
in the four weeks ending on september 23, homes that sold above asking price dipped below 2016 levels, according to the latest data from redfin. redfin senior economist taylor marr the fact that fewer homes are selling above their asking price is another indication that competition is getting less intense than it has been in recent years.
perhaps underperforming income growth and rising unemployment would suggest low home prices, but las vegas is the most overvalued housing market in the nation. fitch ratings explained although the city’s price to rent remains lower than buying a home and the population is growing, home prices still have overshot economic fundamentals.
home prices increased across the u.s. in february, picking up the pace in annual price gains. this run, which is still ongoing, compares to the previous long run from january 1992 to february 2007. and with expectations for continued economic growth and further employment gains, the current run of rising prices is likely to continue.
home prices increased in all top 20 u.s. cities, with the highest annual gains seen in seattle, las vegas and san francisco. however, despite the continually rising home prices, the case-shiller report explained affordability is not a concern.
monday morning cup of coffee: is the way the cfpb handles enforcement about to change?
every day, it seems there’s a new rumor surrounding the apparently looming departure of consumer financial protection bureau director richard cordray. but regardless of what happens to cordray, the way the cfpb handles enforcement could be changing as we speak. plus, the senators from nevada call on the mortgage business to grant relief to victims of the las vegas shooting. all that, and more, in your monday morning cup of coffee.
fitch: is there a housing bubble in these hot, hot markets?
texas is hotter than ever, but is it sustainable?
housing in the state of texas was hotter in 2016 than it’s ever been before, but is real estate in the lone star state getting too hot? a new report from fitch ratings suggests that texas is one of a few states where home prices are not only unsustainable, they’re overheating.
well, it turns out that the national hockey league expansion team helmed by william foley, the chairman of fidelity national financial and black knight financial services, won’t share a name with one of foley's companies after all. rip, las vegas black knights, we hardly knew ye.
well, now it's official. the national hockey league announced wednesday that it will expand in 2017, becoming the first major professional sports league to bring a team to las vegas. the league's announcement brings a nearly two-year journey one step closer to reality for william foley, the chairman of fidelity national financial and black knight financial services, who will lead the las vegas team as its owner.
a nevada woman who was once part of the largest mortgage fraud schemes in the history of the state will no longer forfeit $107 million after a federal court of appeals overturned part of her penalty because it violated the eighth amendment, which prohibits the government from imposing "excessive fines" and "cruel and unusual punishments."


text:
There are advisory committees, councils or task forces at the district or site level that serve specific purposes and goals. Most are specific to task completion. Most involve members from a variety of stakeholder groups and may be appointed or elected. They are not required by statute.
The purpose of the Duarte Unified Community Education Council (CEC) is to facilitate community input in a cooperative environment to study issues and guide policies that will improve the educational opportunities and achievement of all students. The Community Education Council is assembled each school year and meets quarterly on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Educational Services Curriculum Lab at the district office.
The purpose of the SATFC is to study a specific issue and report findings and recommendations directly to the Superintendent. Depending on the task, this group may meet once or multiple times. Membership may be comprised of any combination of staff members, parents, students, and members of other stakeholder groups who bring expertise and/or add value to the task (There are currently no 2017-18 SATFC meetings).
These are all formal organizations composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school. Check your school for details about which organization is offered.

lowercased:
there are advisory committees, councils or task forces at the district or site level that serve specific purposes and goals. most are specific to task completion. most involve members from a variety of stakeholder groups and may be appointed or elected. they are not required by statute.
the purpose of the duarte unified community education council (cec) is to facilitate community input in a cooperative environment to study issues and guide policies that will improve the educational opportunities and achievement of all students. the community education council is assembled each school year and meets quarterly on tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the educational services curriculum lab at the district office.
the purpose of the satfc is to study a specific issue and report findings and recommendations directly to the superintendent. depending on the task, this group may meet once or multiple times. membership may be comprised of any combination of staff members, parents, students, and members of other stakeholder groups who bring expertise and/or add value to the task (there are currently no 2017-18 satfc meetings).
these are all formal organizations composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school. check your school for details about which organization is offered.


text:
We are on the lookout for 3D Designers that have experience in events, exhibitions or retail design, working in collaboration with 2D Designers on the big idea and creating technically perfect large scale stands. These range from mid to lead levels, with day rates ranging from £200 to £300 per day depending on your level.
Starting from June onward, contracts range from 3 to 5 months and will require you to commit to working through the summer months.
You will be a hugely skillful, detail orientated, passionate creative with experience in build and production, AutoCAD and SketchUp, technical drawing, floorplans etc. We need people that thrive on delivering innovative solutions, will add value throughout the project lifespan and are committed to delivering perfect projects. This is a team effort and therefore you will be used to working as a unit alongside other Designers and Project Managers.
Based on site in Central London with possible site visits across Europe (limited to 2 weeks over a few months), this is not a role for remote workers.

lowercased:
we are on the lookout for 3d designers that have experience in events, exhibitions or retail design, working in collaboration with 2d designers on the big idea and creating technically perfect large scale stands. these range from mid to lead levels, with day rates ranging from £200 to £300 per day depending on your level.
starting from june onward, contracts range from 3 to 5 months and will require you to commit to working through the summer months.
you will be a hugely skillful, detail orientated, passionate creative with experience in build and production, autocad and sketchup, technical drawing, floorplans etc. we need people that thrive on delivering innovative solutions, will add value throughout the project lifespan and are committed to delivering perfect projects. this is a team effort and therefore you will be used to working as a unit alongside other designers and project managers.
based on site in central london with possible site visits across europe (limited to 2 weeks over a few months), this is not a role for remote workers.


text:
1 – Edinburgh City reached their first IRN-BRU Cup semi-final after coming from 2-0 down to beat Alloa Athletic on penalties at Ainslie Park. The Citizens are the first Edinburgh club to reach the last four of the competition in 25 years – the last team from the capital to do so were Meadowbank Thistle, who lost 3-2 to Falkirk at Brockville in 1993/94. James McDonaugh’s side have reached the last four by beating four teams from four different divisions – Alloa from the Championship, Arbroath from League 1, Albion Rovers from League 2 and East Kilbride from the Lowland League. They could have the opportunity to face a side from a fifth different league in the semi-final, with Connah’s Quay Nomads of the Welsh Premier League and Bohemians from the League of Ireland both featuring in Wednesday afternoon’s draw.
6 – Ross County defeated Motherwell Colts 2-1 at Fir Park to move into the IRN-BRU Cup semi-finals. The Staggies have reached this stage for the sixth time - they have won four of their previous five semi-finals. County have won nine of their last 10 away matches in this competition – the exception was a 1-0 defeat to rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the 2009/10 semi-final. County have won the trophy twice – against Clyde in 2006/07 and Queen of the South in 2010/11.
3 – Inverness Caledonian Thistle extended their unbeaten league record to 25 matches after coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Queen of the South at Palmerston. The last time the Caley Jags came from three goals behind to gain a point was a 4-4 draw with Dundee United in December 2012. On that occasion United led 3-0 within eight minutes, then Inverness roared back to lead 4-3, only to concede a last-minute Jon Daly penalty. John Robertson’s side have not lost a Ladbrokes Championship match since March, but have drawn an incredible 10 of their 14 league games so far this season.
5 – Arbroath remain 10 points clear at the top of Ladbrokes League 1 after thumping rivals Brechin City 5-1 at Glebe Park. The Red Lichties have won five consecutive league matches for the first time since September-October 2014. It was their biggest derby win over City in almost 50 years – the last time they beat Brechin by a four-goal margin was a 5-1 success in September 1969. On that day, just like on Saturday, Arbroath had five different scorers – Jimmy Jack, Tommy Ward, Harry Campbell, Jim Cant and an Alastair Littlejohn own goal.
2 – Berwick Rangers defeated Albion Rovers 2-0 at Shielfield to move further away from the Ladbrokes League 2 relegation zone. After a slow start, new Berwick boss Johnny Harvey has picked up two consecutive victories to build up an eight-point gap on Rovers at the bottom, and move to within nine points of Annan Athletic in the final promotion play-off spot. Prior to this weekend, it had been over two-and-a-half years since The Wee Rangers won two league matches in a row in the same season – that came back in April 2016.

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1 – edinburgh city reached their first irn-bru cup semi-final after coming from 2-0 down to beat alloa athletic on penalties at ainslie park. the citizens are the first edinburgh club to reach the last four of the competition in 25 years – the last team from the capital to do so were meadowbank thistle, who lost 3-2 to falkirk at brockville in 1993/94. james mcdonaugh’s side have reached the last four by beating four teams from four different divisions – alloa from the championship, arbroath from league 1, albion rovers from league 2 and east kilbride from the lowland league. they could have the opportunity to face a side from a fifth different league in the semi-final, with connah’s quay nomads of the welsh premier league and bohemians from the league of ireland both featuring in wednesday afternoon’s draw.
6 – ross county defeated motherwell colts 2-1 at fir park to move into the irn-bru cup semi-finals. the staggies have reached this stage for the sixth time - they have won four of their previous five semi-finals. county have won nine of their last 10 away matches in this competition – the exception was a 1-0 defeat to rivals inverness caledonian thistle in the 2009/10 semi-final. county have won the trophy twice – against clyde in 2006/07 and queen of the south in 2010/11.
3 – inverness caledonian thistle extended their unbeaten league record to 25 matches after coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with queen of the south at palmerston. the last time the caley jags came from three goals behind to gain a point was a 4-4 draw with dundee united in december 2012. on that occasion united led 3-0 within eight minutes, then inverness roared back to lead 4-3, only to concede a last-minute jon daly penalty. john robertson’s side have not lost a ladbrokes championship match since march, but have drawn an incredible 10 of their 14 league games so far this season.
5 – arbroath remain 10 points clear at the top of ladbrokes league 1 after thumping rivals brechin city 5-1 at glebe park. the red lichties have won five consecutive league matches for the first time since september-october 2014. it was their biggest derby win over city in almost 50 years – the last time they beat brechin by a four-goal margin was a 5-1 success in september 1969. on that day, just like on saturday, arbroath had five different scorers – jimmy jack, tommy ward, harry campbell, jim cant and an alastair littlejohn own goal.
2 – berwick rangers defeated albion rovers 2-0 at shielfield to move further away from the ladbrokes league 2 relegation zone. after a slow start, new berwick boss johnny harvey has picked up two consecutive victories to build up an eight-point gap on rovers at the bottom, and move to within nine points of annan athletic in the final promotion play-off spot. prior to this weekend, it had been over two-and-a-half years since the wee rangers won two league matches in a row in the same season – that came back in april 2016.


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If you have a problem with your ViewCompanion Premium installation, you should first make sure that you're running the latest version. The version number for the currently installed ViewCompanion Premium can be found in the About dialog box.
You may also check the Frequently Asked Questions page for solutions to known problems.

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if you have a problem with your viewcompanion premium installation, you should first make sure that you're running the latest version. the version number for the currently installed viewcompanion premium can be found in the about dialog box.
you may also check the frequently asked questions page for solutions to known problems.


text:
We are a nondenominational Christian fellowship of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit and the expositional teaching of God’s word, the Bible. Our worship is Christ centered with traditional and contemporary music as one of our ways to express our love and devotion to Him.
We would like to personally invite you to come and join us as we worship and serve the Lord together in song and in the study of His Word, growing and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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we are a nondenominational christian fellowship of believers in the lord jesus christ. our greatest desire is to know christ and be conformed to his image by the power of the holy spirit and the expositional teaching of god’s word, the bible. our worship is christ centered with traditional and contemporary music as one of our ways to express our love and devotion to him.
we would like to personally invite you to come and join us as we worship and serve the lord together in song and in the study of his word, growing and in the knowledge of our lord and savior, jesus christ.


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108 LIFT RINGS AND EYEBOLTS center mount: .07″/.065″/.035″ DIA.
These are cast as shown in this sample. Nuts/bolts are at the ends of the “teeth” of the comb. To apply to your project, we suggest drilling an appropriate hole to match the “stem” of the bolt, trimming it off of the comb, and finally pressing the stem into your hole. If cement is necessary, apply it from the inside.

lowercased:
108 lift rings and eyebolts center mount: .07″/.065″/.035″ dia.
these are cast as shown in this sample. nuts/bolts are at the ends of the “teeth” of the comb. to apply to your project, we suggest drilling an appropriate hole to match the “stem” of the bolt, trimming it off of the comb, and finally pressing the stem into your hole. if cement is necessary, apply it from the inside.


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About the Book An interesting sequence of letters, written by L.M. Montgomery early in the century, was found in 1956 among the papers of Ephraim Weber who was living in the West. Now lodged in the National Archives in Ottawa, the letters reproduced here exactly as they were written, form a fascinating footnote to the history of Canadian letters. These letters are of interest and importance not only because they were written during the years of gestation and birth and outstanding success of the book Anne of Green Gables, but also because they reveal a lively extrovert in an eminently healthy balance. This is an absorbing book, for adults who have nostalgic memories of "Anne," and for writers who need encouragement in their struggle for literary recognition.
Wilfrid Eggleston (1902-1986), the founding director of Carleton University's School of Journalism, came to Canada from Lincoln, England. Raised in Alberta, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Queen's University before becoming Ottawa correspondent for "The Toronto Star" and Reuters. He was also chief press censor during the Second World War. His works include novels, literary criticism, histories of Ottawa, nuclear energy in Canada, the National Research Council, and two memoirs.

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about the book an interesting sequence of letters, written by l.m. montgomery early in the century, was found in 1956 among the papers of ephraim weber who was living in the west. now lodged in the national archives in ottawa, the letters reproduced here exactly as they were written, form a fascinating footnote to the history of canadian letters. these letters are of interest and importance not only because they were written during the years of gestation and birth and outstanding success of the book anne of green gables, but also because they reveal a lively extrovert in an eminently healthy balance. this is an absorbing book, for adults who have nostalgic memories of "anne," and for writers who need encouragement in their struggle for literary recognition.
wilfrid eggleston (1902-1986), the founding director of carleton university's school of journalism, came to canada from lincoln, england. raised in alberta, he obtained a bachelor of arts degree at queen's university before becoming ottawa correspondent for "the toronto star" and reuters. he was also chief press censor during the second world war. his works include novels, literary criticism, histories of ottawa, nuclear energy in canada, the national research council, and two memoirs.


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is Proper Response to "Gun Control"
We have discussed recently the Washington State ballot initiative, successful in the recent election, that will outlaw all private sales of firearms (because a sale in which the prospective buyer's criminal history--and increasingly even medical history--is first combed through by the FBI, is anything but "private"). That discussion was about the threat posed by this new approach by the gun ban zealots--using a lavishly funded media blitz to dupe low information voters into passing oppressive "gun control" ballot initiatives. A very useful breakdown of the future of that threat in other states can be found here, by the way.
For Washington gun owners, though, it's too late to worry about how to stop such measures from succeeding--the billionaire backers of I-594 have already won, and the law they bought goes into effect in about two weeks. The question now is what to do about it.
This is practically unheard of in the modern era; not only will 5,500 people deliberately violate the law through civil disobedience, but will violate felony gun laws.
Actually, according to the Facebook page associated with the event, the RSVP list of planned attendees is now over 6,200, with nearly 2,000 more "maybes." Among those planning to attend is tireless liberty advocate and perennial thorn in the collectivists' sides Mike Vanderboegh, who despite some serious health issues, intends to travel from Alabama to Washington for the party--about as far as one can go in a straight line within the continental U.S.
So what will they actually do at the event? The plan is to publicly exchange guns without a background check--a felony under the new law. As the event's Facebook page says, they plan to "violate I-594 in every possible way."
Now, a Washington State Patrol spokesman says people won't be arrested for exchanging guns.
"We don't think that we could prove that that's a transfer," said Bob Calkins, spokesman for the patrol.
It's not easy to believe Calkins' contention that they "don't think that [they] could prove that that's a transfer." The text of I-594 explicitly defines the word "transfer" for purposes of the law: "Transfer means the intended delivery of a firearm to another person without consideration of payment or promise of payment including, but not limited to, gifts and loans." With these "transfers" being made in public and in plain sight, the police could record them on video if they wished--sounds like a pretty easy proof.
The vastly more plausible reason that the state police have no intention of trying to arrest a gathering of thousands of angry, armed citizens is that they are smart enough to be terrified of starting a shooting war against an armed citizenry with both right and numbers on their side.
In short, several weeks before the rally, its planners have already won a key victory. The state's enforcers have already tacitly acknowledged their inability to do anything more than stand on the sidelines and watch as the law is violated thousands of times in front of their eyes. Nothing breeds contempt for a law as quickly as the knowledge that it can be openly violated with utter impunity.
We have seen this before. Tens of thousands (or scores of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?) of owners of banned (but "grandfathered") "assault weapons" in Connecticut are defying that state's mandate that they register them, and the state has been at an utter loss as to what to do about it.
In New York, compliance with the obscenely misnamed "SAFE Act's" similar requirement to register "pre-ban" "assault weapons" is unknown. Why? Because the state refuses to say, dubiously claiming that to release this aggregate data would be to violate gun owners' privacy (as if that would bother New York politicians). The far more reasonable explanation is that compliance is embarrassingly low there, too.
The movie "Defiance," about the Bielski brothers' desperate struggle to save themselves and hundreds of other Jews from the Nazis in Belorussia, is, despite its unfortunate choice of Daniel Craig for the leading role, an inspiring movie, with a tagline very applicable to this situation: "Freedom begins with an act of defiance." In Washington and everywhere else under the thumb of onerous "gun control" laws, it's time to get freedom started.

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is proper response to "gun control"
we have discussed recently the washington state ballot initiative, successful in the recent election, that will outlaw all private sales of firearms (because a sale in which the prospective buyer's criminal history--and increasingly even medical history--is first combed through by the fbi, is anything but "private"). that discussion was about the threat posed by this new approach by the gun ban zealots--using a lavishly funded media blitz to dupe low information voters into passing oppressive "gun control" ballot initiatives. a very useful breakdown of the future of that threat in other states can be found here, by the way.
for washington gun owners, though, it's too late to worry about how to stop such measures from succeeding--the billionaire backers of i-594 have already won, and the law they bought goes into effect in about two weeks. the question now is what to do about it.
this is practically unheard of in the modern era; not only will 5,500 people deliberately violate the law through civil disobedience, but will violate felony gun laws.
actually, according to the facebook page associated with the event, the rsvp list of planned attendees is now over 6,200, with nearly 2,000 more "maybes." among those planning to attend is tireless liberty advocate and perennial thorn in the collectivists' sides mike vanderboegh, who despite some serious health issues, intends to travel from alabama to washington for the party--about as far as one can go in a straight line within the continental u.s.
so what will they actually do at the event? the plan is to publicly exchange guns without a background check--a felony under the new law. as the event's facebook page says, they plan to "violate i-594 in every possible way."
now, a washington state patrol spokesman says people won't be arrested for exchanging guns.
"we don't think that we could prove that that's a transfer," said bob calkins, spokesman for the patrol.
it's not easy to believe calkins' contention that they "don't think that [they] could prove that that's a transfer." the text of i-594 explicitly defines the word "transfer" for purposes of the law: "transfer means the intended delivery of a firearm to another person without consideration of payment or promise of payment including, but not limited to, gifts and loans." with these "transfers" being made in public and in plain sight, the police could record them on video if they wished--sounds like a pretty easy proof.
the vastly more plausible reason that the state police have no intention of trying to arrest a gathering of thousands of angry, armed citizens is that they are smart enough to be terrified of starting a shooting war against an armed citizenry with both right and numbers on their side.
in short, several weeks before the rally, its planners have already won a key victory. the state's enforcers have already tacitly acknowledged their inability to do anything more than stand on the sidelines and watch as the law is violated thousands of times in front of their eyes. nothing breeds contempt for a law as quickly as the knowledge that it can be openly violated with utter impunity.
we have seen this before. tens of thousands (or scores of thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of owners of banned (but "grandfathered") "assault weapons" in connecticut are defying that state's mandate that they register them, and the state has been at an utter loss as to what to do about it.
in new york, compliance with the obscenely misnamed "safe act's" similar requirement to register "pre-ban" "assault weapons" is unknown. why? because the state refuses to say, dubiously claiming that to release this aggregate data would be to violate gun owners' privacy (as if that would bother new york politicians). the far more reasonable explanation is that compliance is embarrassingly low there, too.
the movie "defiance," about the bielski brothers' desperate struggle to save themselves and hundreds of other jews from the nazis in belorussia, is, despite its unfortunate choice of daniel craig for the leading role, an inspiring movie, with a tagline very applicable to this situation: "freedom begins with an act of defiance." in washington and everywhere else under the thumb of onerous "gun control" laws, it's time to get freedom started.


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Information Technology is one of the fastest-growing industries in America.
Change your life with training and a career in Information Technology.
Hire or train high quality tech talent for your hard to fill positions.
Don’t miss your opportunity to have TechHire New Mexico pay for the IT training you need to succeed.

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information technology is one of the fastest-growing industries in america.
change your life with training and a career in information technology.
hire or train high quality tech talent for your hard to fill positions.
don’t miss your opportunity to have techhire new mexico pay for the it training you need to succeed.


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Project activities aim to develop instruments and advocate quality standards to enhance the technical and commercial performance of water and wastewater utilities, and to test and promote their application in water utilities through a blend of regional dialogue, training and networking.
Water TAP was implemented between 2013-2015 by water utilities in Morocco (ONEE), Tunisia (SONEDE), Egypt (3 companies of the HCWW: Luxor, Gharbia, Aatrouh) and Jordan (Miyahuna, Aqaba Water and WAJ).
The regional water association ACWUA is managing the pool of Water Integrity trainers and experts from the region who provide guidance and coaching to the water utilities. ACWUA is the regional advocate for Water Integrity at the Arab Water Week and Best-Practice-Conferences as well as at international fora. The Water Integrity Network (WIN) provides further advice through its secretariat in Berlin and its members, e.g. the UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI.
The activities of Water TAP are linked to ACWUA WANT, a regional capacity development program of the GIZ and ACWUA. It aims to develop instruments and advocate quality standards to enhance the technical and commercial performance of water and wastewater utilities, and to test and promote their application in water utilities through a blend of regional dialogue, training and networking.
The Water TAP project is grateful to the Water Integrity Network (WIN), namely Lotte Feuerstein and other international partners such as the UNDP Water Governance Facility, Stockholm and namely Dr. Håkan Troop at the SIWI as author of the training manual on Water Integrity for their valuable contributions and granting permission to use their training material and other sources.

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project activities aim to develop instruments and advocate quality standards to enhance the technical and commercial performance of water and wastewater utilities, and to test and promote their application in water utilities through a blend of regional dialogue, training and networking.
water tap was implemented between 2013-2015 by water utilities in morocco (onee), tunisia (sonede), egypt (3 companies of the hcww: luxor, gharbia, aatrouh) and jordan (miyahuna, aqaba water and waj).
the regional water association acwua is managing the pool of water integrity trainers and experts from the region who provide guidance and coaching to the water utilities. acwua is the regional advocate for water integrity at the arab water week and best-practice-conferences as well as at international fora. the water integrity network (win) provides further advice through its secretariat in berlin and its members, e.g. the undp water governance facility at siwi.
the activities of water tap are linked to acwua want, a regional capacity development program of the giz and acwua. it aims to develop instruments and advocate quality standards to enhance the technical and commercial performance of water and wastewater utilities, and to test and promote their application in water utilities through a blend of regional dialogue, training and networking.
the water tap project is grateful to the water integrity network (win), namely lotte feuerstein and other international partners such as the undp water governance facility, stockholm and namely dr. håkan troop at the siwi as author of the training manual on water integrity for their valuable contributions and granting permission to use their training material and other sources.


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In 1994 when we launched the Journal of Buddhist Ethics (or JBE for short; http://www.buddhistethics.org) as the first online peer-reviewed journal in the field of Religious Studies, motivated by the outrageously high costs associated with the publication of traditional scholarly journals and the recognition that university libraries were regularly scaling back on their subscriptions to scholarly periodicals, almost everyone said that, despite the interesting topic and supporting technology, we would undoubtedly fail in our experiment. Now, more than fifteen years later, the JBE has won dozens of awards, held three online international conferences, has thousands of subscribers in more than sixty countries, is healthier than ever, and remains—as it has been since its beginning—totally free. In addition, there are many many dozens of Religious Studies journals thriving on the Internet (see, for example http://www.ucalgary.ca/~lipton/journalss.html).
One decade later, it was becoming overwhelmingly apparent that textbook costs were mirroring the price explosion that had rocked the world of scholarly journals; and in subsequent years, our failing economy has only added to the dilemma. Today, for example, the retail cost of Mary Pat Fisher's highly popular 7th edition of Living Religions is about $100., Warren Matthews' fine World Religions sells for almost $110, and Robert Ellwood's still popular Many People, Many Faiths (9th edition) costs nearly $90. For colleagues teaching in our discipline—Buddhist Studies—the situation is perhaps worse. One of the most successful introductory volumes on the Buddhist tradition is the course text now called Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction by Richard H. Robinson (the original author), Willard Johnson, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu. It's a great book, but it costs $75. Since it is also important to have our students read textual materials, we need to add a book of scripture extracts like John Strong's wonderful volume The Buddhist Experience: Sources and Interpretations. But that book sells for about $80, so students using those two volumes in an introductory course need to pony up more than $150.00 at the start. Even if one finds a solid but more economically priced introductory text, like Donald Mitchell's Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, which sells for $40, once you add in a volume of scriptures, the cost to students is still at least $100. To make matters worse, many students will buy the books, but do not even read them. Instead, in our new technological era, students' avenue of entry into the subject matter of our field is often through the Internet. Then, at semester's end, they simply sell the textbooks to a buyback dealer or their campus bookstore, and lose all but a few dollars of their original investment, while the bookstore or buyback dealer reaps a whirlwind of profit on the second (or third) time around.
Is there some reasonable way around this "lose-lose" situation in which the students lose money, the publishers ultimately lose money through book resales (forcing new editions to be published as a possible antidote, driving prices still higher), and the authors lose money as well in lost royalties…while the bookstores reap multiple-time profits? At a time when students are spending many hundreds of dollars per semester on textbooks, and thus putting an enormous strain on their personal and family finances, is it possible to turn this unfortunate circumstance into a "win-win" situation that puts cash back in students' wallets, rewards authors for the often thankless task of writing excellent textbooks, provides great resources to students engaged in studying religions, and acknowledges what we all too clearly have learned in recent times: students live vast portions of their lives embraced by technology? Many, if not most students are rarely without their cellphone in their hand. They're constantly calling, or texting their colleagues. Their iPods are dangling from their earphones. Twitter is the new craze, and many students now sit in their wi-fi classrooms surfing the Internet instead of listening to their professors' lectures. One recent day, not too long ago, one of us walked out of class behind one of our students who immediately started texting someone on his cellphone. The student became so engrossed in his texting (or maybe even sexting) that he walked squarely into a lamppost, spilling coffee all over himself and breaking his eyeglasses! In 2004, we decided to embrace this new technology as a means of finding an alternative to continually rocketing textbook costs. We started the Journal of Buddhist Ethics Online Books project (http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org).
A course textbook should be flexible, updatable, and provide a wide range of pedagogic resources. The digital medium is more suited than paper to meeting these requirements. In an environment where students increasingly turn to the Internet as their resource of first choice we think it makes sense to place the learning medium itself in a digital format from the outset, creating for the first time a seamless web of knowledge between the text book and other learning resources.
Our first publication in 2004 was Buddhism-The eBook, which we co-authored. It consisted of 14 chapters spanning 391 pages. It also included more than 200 weblinks to the best Buddhist sites on the Internet, so users could seamlessly go back and forth between the eText and the Internet. Purchasers could order the eBook online for immediate download or fill out a mail-in order form, in which case they received the eText on CD-ROM via the postal service. We initially advertised the publication by sending announcements to listservs such as Buddha-L, and via the H-Buddhism network of Buddhist Studies scholars worldwide. In addition, we networked actively with colleagues throughout the world. Although we were well aware that some publishing pundits were arguing that print books were clearly on the way out, we were also aware that initial sales of scholarly eBooks were not doing very well. Some individuals are still suggesting that eTexts are not doing well. In a May 15, 2009 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey R. Young claims that, "Yet so far sales of electronic textbooks are tiny, despite efforts by college bookstores to make the option to buy digital versions clearer by advertising e-books next to the printed ones on their shelves." In other words, we didn't really know what to anticipate. Many colleagues seemed to be wedded to favorite old texts, and adopting a new text, and especially one that embraced new technology, was just plain frightening. Nonetheless, initial sales were extremely encouraging and a number of colleagues adopted Buddhism-The eBook (http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org/eBooks/buddhism) as a course text. In subsequent years, aided by continued feedback from colleagues, new editions were produced. The current, third edition still has 14 chapters, but the organizational pattern has changed, as have the chapter contents. In addition it now contains a 40-page glossary of key terms. Soon a fourth edition will appear with even greater changes. Sales have been exceptionally brisk, aided by the fact that the eBook remains enormously affordable at $25.75, can be copied to a "jump" drive for portability, and can be utilized by in-class computers for easy referencing during class time. So far, there have been more than 40 class adoptions throughout the world.
Based on the immediate success of Buddhism-The eBook, we pursued soliciting other scholars to help us expand our offering. As of this writing, we now have produced Hinduism-The eBook by Hillary Rodrigues, Christianity-The eBook by James Adair, Judaism-The eBook by Eliezer Segal, Japanese Religions-The eBook by Robert S. Ellwood, Introducing World Religions: The eBook by Victoria Urubshurow, and Introducing Daoism by Livia Kohn, Buddhism-The American Experience by Charles Prebish, Chinese Religions (by Mario Pockesi), and Islam (by William Shepard). New eTexts on Tibetan Religions (by Geoffrey Samuel), American Religions (by Charles Lippy), and What is Religion? (by Daniel Cozort) will be published shortly. What we share with each of our authors is a commitment to providing the best introductory volume possible for our students, at a price that is eminently affordable. Moreover, we have sought to include authors who are well known in their respective area of study. Ellwood, Kohn, Lippy, and Samuel, for example, are among the most respected scholars in their special area worldwide. To date our eText prices range from $16.95 to $35.95…far below the prices of the most successful traditional textbooks. As a result our authors have generally received royalties of 25 percent of gross sales, which is far above royalties paid by traditional presses. In addition, each eBook comes with an "Online" website for students which contains sample discussion questions, essay questions, exam questions, and more. For professors, each eBook offers a non-public website that includes sample syllabi, sample exam questions, evaluations, and so forth.
Throughout the process, we have been aided by the technical genius of Blue Banana Designs (http://www.bluebanana.net), which created our web page, creates each eBook, manages all technical aspects of the project including eCommerce, and resolves any problems that emerge along the way.
How does the above impact the publication of traditional paper-based textbooks? Articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education have repeatedly highlighted the dilemma facing traditional publishers. In an article dated July 11, 2008 Jennifer Howard noted "It's a world in which demand for electronic resources may drive demand for print resources—not kill it, as many have assumed—as researchers use the Internet to discover books or articles." Reflecting on the 2008 annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses, she went on to say "Panelists and questioners at a session on 'Taking Books Online' made the point that publishers need to get a better handle on how researchers actually behave." A few months later (on September 19, 2008) the same author published a follow-up story on the continued drop in textbook sales, and university presses' search for explanations of the drop.
Then why are eBook sales still tiny, as Jeffrey Young maintained in the article cited above? Young cited a study at Northwest Missouri State University that concluded students didn't like Sony's eBook reader. Paul Klute, who ran the project, is quoted as saying, "It didn't lend itself to the way students study." And reaction to Amazon's new Kindle doesn't seem to be any better, especially with regard to its high cost. Young tells us that "Some professors who were early adopters of e-books say they had bad experiences. Back then many publishers simply sold noninteractive PDF documents that were difficult to navigate." But that isn't the case any longer, as new and more sophisticated PDF documents and software are being created and updated regularly. Nonetheless, many of our students still make the same claims. They argue that they simply cannot curl up on the couch with an eBook. Anecdotal evidence in our experiences around campus, in Student Unions and classroom buildings, suggests that students don't really curl up with textbooks on couches or easy chairs in those same facilities. Instead, they curl up with their laptops or Blackberrys. In other words, their argument sounds like that stale old bromide "Sorry professor, but my dog ate my assignment." Just another excuse for not actually doing their assignments. To actually argue that printed textbooks work better than any eBook is simply incomprehensible.
There are some good alternatives though. Web sites like CourseSmart (http://www.coursesmart.com), a project supported currently by twelve publishers, offer eBooks on a wide variety of topics that are designed to be read on laptops or desktops (rather than Kindles or other devices) at highly reduced prices. Unfortunately, most professors and students have never heard of this program. Even if they had, the number of titles that fall under the category "Religion" is less than 50, and cover mostly introductory and/or world religions topics; and even with their greatly reduced price structure, they're still significantly higher than the eBooks offered in our project. Other projects, like Ebrary and NetLibrary offer eBooks to libraries, which on campus students can access free of charge. NetLibrary has a database of over 190,000 titles. Even traditional publishers are making some effort to get on board with additional electronic resources by including CDs with their printed texts or offering links to websites with additional materials. Yet, for obvious reasons, they just cannot go the whole route to completely electronic, and affordable, products.
We believe that the slow movement of the learning curve on eBooks as college Religious Studies texts results primarily from professors simply not fully understanding what a remarkable pedagogical tool eBooks can be. And that, frankly, is hard to understand. Many professors have already dispensed with distributing paper versions of their course syllabi by posting them in Word or PDF format on their departmental webpage. Many professors often have "homepages" on their departmental webpage that include very sophisticated listings of Internet-based resources. Many professors routinely use complicated Power Point presentations in their daily classes. Many professors, using technology-based classrooms equipped with computers, regularly flash information from various course-related websites on their classroom screens. Many professors have eschewed showing "films" in their courses, replacing them with DVDs of the same materials. Many professors now manage class discussion forums through university-based software. Many professors send informational messages to their entire class roster via university-based software. And many professors even submit their course grades electronically through programs like "Banner" or "Blackboard." Technology has come to dominate our everyday courses. For a fine example of how this might work, and how technology can be our friend and ally, take a short visit to Professor Guy Newland's webpage for his "Buddhist Tradition" course at Central Michigan University (http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/Guy_Newland/REL_320/rel_320_the_buddhist_tradition.htm). It's exemplary. In view of the above, why rely on old expensive fossils when one can make the total jump to eBooks? We believe that if professors would visit an eBook site, like ours at http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org, read our FAQ file and navigate around a bit, download some free sample chapters, and give them a try, their brief self-education would dispel their unfounded concerns about the value of this new technology.
Why has our modest experiment been so successful while major publishers still seem to have less than remarkable results. Admittedly, we think it is a combination of the extremely fine user-friendly eBooks we have published and the very simple infrastructure we have been able to maintain throughout our history. We hope we can continue to offer students very fine eTextbooks in Religious Studies while enabling them to keep dollars in their pockets instead of ours!
Anyone wishing more information can contact us, by e-mail of course.
Charles S. Prebish holds the Charles Redd Endowed Chair in Religious Studies at Utah State University. He has published more than twenty books. He is best known for his work on Indian Buddhist monastic codes and the sectarian movement, and is considered a pioneer in the study of Western forms of Buddhism. He is a past officer in the International Association of Buddhist Studies and was a founding Co-Chair of what is now the Buddhism Section of AAR.
Damien Keown is Professor of Buddhist Ethics at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is one of the best known Buddhist ethics scholars in the world and has published more than a dozen books. His works on Buddhism and bio-ethics are considered seminal in the field, and he has lectured on aspects of this topic throughout the world. He is a former officer in the United Kingdom Association of Buddhist Studies.

lowercased:
in 1994 when we launched the journal of buddhist ethics (or jbe for short; http://www.buddhistethics.org) as the first online peer-reviewed journal in the field of religious studies, motivated by the outrageously high costs associated with the publication of traditional scholarly journals and the recognition that university libraries were regularly scaling back on their subscriptions to scholarly periodicals, almost everyone said that, despite the interesting topic and supporting technology, we would undoubtedly fail in our experiment. now, more than fifteen years later, the jbe has won dozens of awards, held three online international conferences, has thousands of subscribers in more than sixty countries, is healthier than ever, and remains—as it has been since its beginning—totally free. in addition, there are many many dozens of religious studies journals thriving on the internet (see, for example http://www.ucalgary.ca/~lipton/journalss.html).
one decade later, it was becoming overwhelmingly apparent that textbook costs were mirroring the price explosion that had rocked the world of scholarly journals; and in subsequent years, our failing economy has only added to the dilemma. today, for example, the retail cost of mary pat fisher's highly popular 7th edition of living religions is about $100., warren matthews' fine world religions sells for almost $110, and robert ellwood's still popular many people, many faiths (9th edition) costs nearly $90. for colleagues teaching in our discipline—buddhist studies—the situation is perhaps worse. one of the most successful introductory volumes on the buddhist tradition is the course text now called buddhist religions: a historical introduction by richard h. robinson (the original author), willard johnson, and thanissaro bhikkhu. it's a great book, but it costs $75. since it is also important to have our students read textual materials, we need to add a book of scripture extracts like john strong's wonderful volume the buddhist experience: sources and interpretations. but that book sells for about $80, so students using those two volumes in an introductory course need to pony up more than $150.00 at the start. even if one finds a solid but more economically priced introductory text, like donald mitchell's buddhism: introducing the buddhist experience, which sells for $40, once you add in a volume of scriptures, the cost to students is still at least $100. to make matters worse, many students will buy the books, but do not even read them. instead, in our new technological era, students' avenue of entry into the subject matter of our field is often through the internet. then, at semester's end, they simply sell the textbooks to a buyback dealer or their campus bookstore, and lose all but a few dollars of their original investment, while the bookstore or buyback dealer reaps a whirlwind of profit on the second (or third) time around.
is there some reasonable way around this "lose-lose" situation in which the students lose money, the publishers ultimately lose money through book resales (forcing new editions to be published as a possible antidote, driving prices still higher), and the authors lose money as well in lost royalties…while the bookstores reap multiple-time profits? at a time when students are spending many hundreds of dollars per semester on textbooks, and thus putting an enormous strain on their personal and family finances, is it possible to turn this unfortunate circumstance into a "win-win" situation that puts cash back in students' wallets, rewards authors for the often thankless task of writing excellent textbooks, provides great resources to students engaged in studying religions, and acknowledges what we all too clearly have learned in recent times: students live vast portions of their lives embraced by technology? many, if not most students are rarely without their cellphone in their hand. they're constantly calling, or texting their colleagues. their ipods are dangling from their earphones. twitter is the new craze, and many students now sit in their wi-fi classrooms surfing the internet instead of listening to their professors' lectures. one recent day, not too long ago, one of us walked out of class behind one of our students who immediately started texting someone on his cellphone. the student became so engrossed in his texting (or maybe even sexting) that he walked squarely into a lamppost, spilling coffee all over himself and breaking his eyeglasses! in 2004, we decided to embrace this new technology as a means of finding an alternative to continually rocketing textbook costs. we started the journal of buddhist ethics online books project (http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org).
a course textbook should be flexible, updatable, and provide a wide range of pedagogic resources. the digital medium is more suited than paper to meeting these requirements. in an environment where students increasingly turn to the internet as their resource of first choice we think it makes sense to place the learning medium itself in a digital format from the outset, creating for the first time a seamless web of knowledge between the text book and other learning resources.
our first publication in 2004 was buddhism-the ebook, which we co-authored. it consisted of 14 chapters spanning 391 pages. it also included more than 200 weblinks to the best buddhist sites on the internet, so users could seamlessly go back and forth between the etext and the internet. purchasers could order the ebook online for immediate download or fill out a mail-in order form, in which case they received the etext on cd-rom via the postal service. we initially advertised the publication by sending announcements to listservs such as buddha-l, and via the h-buddhism network of buddhist studies scholars worldwide. in addition, we networked actively with colleagues throughout the world. although we were well aware that some publishing pundits were arguing that print books were clearly on the way out, we were also aware that initial sales of scholarly ebooks were not doing very well. some individuals are still suggesting that etexts are not doing well. in a may 15, 2009 article in the chronicle of higher education, jeffrey r. young claims that, "yet so far sales of electronic textbooks are tiny, despite efforts by college bookstores to make the option to buy digital versions clearer by advertising e-books next to the printed ones on their shelves." in other words, we didn't really know what to anticipate. many colleagues seemed to be wedded to favorite old texts, and adopting a new text, and especially one that embraced new technology, was just plain frightening. nonetheless, initial sales were extremely encouraging and a number of colleagues adopted buddhism-the ebook (http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org/ebooks/buddhism) as a course text. in subsequent years, aided by continued feedback from colleagues, new editions were produced. the current, third edition still has 14 chapters, but the organizational pattern has changed, as have the chapter contents. in addition it now contains a 40-page glossary of key terms. soon a fourth edition will appear with even greater changes. sales have been exceptionally brisk, aided by the fact that the ebook remains enormously affordable at $25.75, can be copied to a "jump" drive for portability, and can be utilized by in-class computers for easy referencing during class time. so far, there have been more than 40 class adoptions throughout the world.
based on the immediate success of buddhism-the ebook, we pursued soliciting other scholars to help us expand our offering. as of this writing, we now have produced hinduism-the ebook by hillary rodrigues, christianity-the ebook by james adair, judaism-the ebook by eliezer segal, japanese religions-the ebook by robert s. ellwood, introducing world religions: the ebook by victoria urubshurow, and introducing daoism by livia kohn, buddhism-the american experience by charles prebish, chinese religions (by mario pockesi), and islam (by william shepard). new etexts on tibetan religions (by geoffrey samuel), american religions (by charles lippy), and what is religion? (by daniel cozort) will be published shortly. what we share with each of our authors is a commitment to providing the best introductory volume possible for our students, at a price that is eminently affordable. moreover, we have sought to include authors who are well known in their respective area of study. ellwood, kohn, lippy, and samuel, for example, are among the most respected scholars in their special area worldwide. to date our etext prices range from $16.95 to $35.95…far below the prices of the most successful traditional textbooks. as a result our authors have generally received royalties of 25 percent of gross sales, which is far above royalties paid by traditional presses. in addition, each ebook comes with an "online" website for students which contains sample discussion questions, essay questions, exam questions, and more. for professors, each ebook offers a non-public website that includes sample syllabi, sample exam questions, evaluations, and so forth.
throughout the process, we have been aided by the technical genius of blue banana designs (http://www.bluebanana.net), which created our web page, creates each ebook, manages all technical aspects of the project including ecommerce, and resolves any problems that emerge along the way.
how does the above impact the publication of traditional paper-based textbooks? articles in the chronicle of higher education have repeatedly highlighted the dilemma facing traditional publishers. in an article dated july 11, 2008 jennifer howard noted "it's a world in which demand for electronic resources may drive demand for print resources—not kill it, as many have assumed—as researchers use the internet to discover books or articles." reflecting on the 2008 annual meeting of the association of american university presses, she went on to say "panelists and questioners at a session on 'taking books online' made the point that publishers need to get a better handle on how researchers actually behave." a few months later (on september 19, 2008) the same author published a follow-up story on the continued drop in textbook sales, and university presses' search for explanations of the drop.
then why are ebook sales still tiny, as jeffrey young maintained in the article cited above? young cited a study at northwest missouri state university that concluded students didn't like sony's ebook reader. paul klute, who ran the project, is quoted as saying, "it didn't lend itself to the way students study." and reaction to amazon's new kindle doesn't seem to be any better, especially with regard to its high cost. young tells us that "some professors who were early adopters of e-books say they had bad experiences. back then many publishers simply sold noninteractive pdf documents that were difficult to navigate." but that isn't the case any longer, as new and more sophisticated pdf documents and software are being created and updated regularly. nonetheless, many of our students still make the same claims. they argue that they simply cannot curl up on the couch with an ebook. anecdotal evidence in our experiences around campus, in student unions and classroom buildings, suggests that students don't really curl up with textbooks on couches or easy chairs in those same facilities. instead, they curl up with their laptops or blackberrys. in other words, their argument sounds like that stale old bromide "sorry professor, but my dog ate my assignment." just another excuse for not actually doing their assignments. to actually argue that printed textbooks work better than any ebook is simply incomprehensible.
there are some good alternatives though. web sites like coursesmart (http://www.coursesmart.com), a project supported currently by twelve publishers, offer ebooks on a wide variety of topics that are designed to be read on laptops or desktops (rather than kindles or other devices) at highly reduced prices. unfortunately, most professors and students have never heard of this program. even if they had, the number of titles that fall under the category "religion" is less than 50, and cover mostly introductory and/or world religions topics; and even with their greatly reduced price structure, they're still significantly higher than the ebooks offered in our project. other projects, like ebrary and netlibrary offer ebooks to libraries, which on campus students can access free of charge. netlibrary has a database of over 190,000 titles. even traditional publishers are making some effort to get on board with additional electronic resources by including cds with their printed texts or offering links to websites with additional materials. yet, for obvious reasons, they just cannot go the whole route to completely electronic, and affordable, products.
we believe that the slow movement of the learning curve on ebooks as college religious studies texts results primarily from professors simply not fully understanding what a remarkable pedagogical tool ebooks can be. and that, frankly, is hard to understand. many professors have already dispensed with distributing paper versions of their course syllabi by posting them in word or pdf format on their departmental webpage. many professors often have "homepages" on their departmental webpage that include very sophisticated listings of internet-based resources. many professors routinely use complicated power point presentations in their daily classes. many professors, using technology-based classrooms equipped with computers, regularly flash information from various course-related websites on their classroom screens. many professors have eschewed showing "films" in their courses, replacing them with dvds of the same materials. many professors now manage class discussion forums through university-based software. many professors send informational messages to their entire class roster via university-based software. and many professors even submit their course grades electronically through programs like "banner" or "blackboard." technology has come to dominate our everyday courses. for a fine example of how this might work, and how technology can be our friend and ally, take a short visit to professor guy newland's webpage for his "buddhist tradition" course at central michigan university (http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/guy_newland/rel_320/rel_320_the_buddhist_tradition.htm). it's exemplary. in view of the above, why rely on old expensive fossils when one can make the total jump to ebooks? we believe that if professors would visit an ebook site, like ours at http://www.jbeonlinebooks.org, read our faq file and navigate around a bit, download some free sample chapters, and give them a try, their brief self-education would dispel their unfounded concerns about the value of this new technology.
why has our modest experiment been so successful while major publishers still seem to have less than remarkable results. admittedly, we think it is a combination of the extremely fine user-friendly ebooks we have published and the very simple infrastructure we have been able to maintain throughout our history. we hope we can continue to offer students very fine etextbooks in religious studies while enabling them to keep dollars in their pockets instead of ours!
anyone wishing more information can contact us, by e-mail of course.
charles s. prebish holds the charles redd endowed chair in religious studies at utah state university. he has published more than twenty books. he is best known for his work on indian buddhist monastic codes and the sectarian movement, and is considered a pioneer in the study of western forms of buddhism. he is a past officer in the international association of buddhist studies and was a founding co-chair of what is now the buddhism section of aar.
damien keown is professor of buddhist ethics at goldsmiths college, university of london. he is one of the best known buddhist ethics scholars in the world and has published more than a dozen books. his works on buddhism and bio-ethics are considered seminal in the field, and he has lectured on aspects of this topic throughout the world. he is a former officer in the united kingdom association of buddhist studies.


text:
Web-Widgettes is the oldest and only distributor of world wide web widgets. What is a Web-Widgette? It walks. It talks. It crawls on it's belly like a reptile.
We have two models of Web-Widgettes.
Click here to hear the sweat sound of the Web-Widgette mating call.
One thin dime. One tenth of a dollar.
Are you still with me? Here is an important division. We are moving from advertising to completing a transaction. Two separate areas of a web: the information pages and the "form" pages.
The text, still pictures, moving pictures, and sound files that make-up a web have different costs associating with them. There is the actual conversion of information into web format. There is the size of the file. The bigger the file the more space it takes up on a computers hard drive, as well as, the space it takes up on the internet phone lines. Your budget will dictate the intensity and density of your web pages.
Forms are the most important part of your web space. Here you can gather information and/or complete a transaction. A form that just gathers information is a cheap and easy way to gain leads. A form that completes a transaction is in essence running at least 90% of your business. It is possible to have someone make a purchase on the spot. The more complicated the transaction the more expensive the form.
For the beginner, we suggest the Home Page Kit. For those individuals with an idea of what to do, we suggest that the weaving commence.

lowercased:
web-widgettes is the oldest and only distributor of world wide web widgets. what is a web-widgette? it walks. it talks. it crawls on it's belly like a reptile.
we have two models of web-widgettes.
click here to hear the sweat sound of the web-widgette mating call.
one thin dime. one tenth of a dollar.
are you still with me? here is an important division. we are moving from advertising to completing a transaction. two separate areas of a web: the information pages and the "form" pages.
the text, still pictures, moving pictures, and sound files that make-up a web have different costs associating with them. there is the actual conversion of information into web format. there is the size of the file. the bigger the file the more space it takes up on a computers hard drive, as well as, the space it takes up on the internet phone lines. your budget will dictate the intensity and density of your web pages.
forms are the most important part of your web space. here you can gather information and/or complete a transaction. a form that just gathers information is a cheap and easy way to gain leads. a form that completes a transaction is in essence running at least 90% of your business. it is possible to have someone make a purchase on the spot. the more complicated the transaction the more expensive the form.
for the beginner, we suggest the home page kit. for those individuals with an idea of what to do, we suggest that the weaving commence.


text:
Subscribers of Traders World Magazine.
I need your help and opinion on this.
Over that last year we have been asked by several subscribers and partners to host a Virtual Traders Conference Webinar on the topic of successful trading of the markets with technical analysis.
I have finally decided to hold one in November-December time period, but now I have a problem... I can't decide which speakers and topics to focus on because their is so much to discuss.
So, instead of just guessing, I decided to write to our subscribers for help in picking the speakers and topics that we will talk about during this conference.
Could you please reply with at least two topics you would like to have talked about and the speakers you want to hear. Also would you like demonstrations of any trading technique or software programs. What platform do you want them on, such as eSignal, TradeStation, etc.
If you help me to formulate the agenda and topics covered, I promise to send you a no charge pass to the virtual trading conference once I get it nailed down.
Please reply at tradersconference@gmail.com or use this form.

lowercased:
subscribers of traders world magazine.
i need your help and opinion on this.
over that last year we have been asked by several subscribers and partners to host a virtual traders conference webinar on the topic of successful trading of the markets with technical analysis.
i have finally decided to hold one in november-december time period, but now i have a problem... i can't decide which speakers and topics to focus on because their is so much to discuss.
so, instead of just guessing, i decided to write to our subscribers for help in picking the speakers and topics that we will talk about during this conference.
could you please reply with at least two topics you would like to have talked about and the speakers you want to hear. also would you like demonstrations of any trading technique or software programs. what platform do you want them on, such as esignal, tradestation, etc.
if you help me to formulate the agenda and topics covered, i promise to send you a no charge pass to the virtual trading conference once i get it nailed down.
please reply at tradersconference@gmail.com or use this form.


text: We take the opportunity of our blog to introduce you to another person from our team of about 40 people. Maximilian Ammann is studying computer science at the University of Augsburg and joined our team in spring 2017. He is not only responsible for Integreat’s new WebApp (web.integreat-app.de), but also supports the strategic development of a sustainable open source landscape in our project.

lowercased: we take the opportunity of our blog to introduce you to another person from our team of about 40 people. maximilian ammann is studying computer science at the university of augsburg and joined our team in spring 2017. he is not only responsible for integreat’s new webapp (web.integreat-app.de), but also supports the strategic development of a sustainable open source landscape in our project.