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WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 - President Bush bypassed the Senate and installed John R. Bolton as his ambassador to the United Nations today over strong Democratic objections that he was abusing power and undermining the credibility of the United States.
In a brief announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Mr. Bush said he was forced to act because the United States had gone for more than six months without an ambassador to the United Nations, which is to convene its General Assembly in September. It was the first time since the United Nations' founding in 1945 that the United States has filled that appointment using a backdoor procedure called a recess appointment.
The appointment brought to a close a five-month stand-off between the White House and Senate Democrats, who had held up Mr. Bolton's confirmation over accusations that the had manipulated intelligence to conform to his hawkish ideology and had bullied subordinates.
Mr. Bolton, who is a protégé of Vice President Dick Cheney, is known as being combative and outspoken. "This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about U.N. reform," Mr. Bush said, as Mr. Bolton stood to his right and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to his left.
The president said he was sending Mr. Bolton to New York with "complete confidence." He praised him as a man who "believes passionately in the goals of the United Nations Charter, to advance peace and liberty and human rights." Mr. Bolton would remain in the job until the end of the current Congress in late 2006.
Senior administration officials said that there had been some misgivings within their ranks about naming Mr. Bolton by recess appointment because he would be seen as weakened by months of battering in Congress and a tenure of less than a year and a half on the job. But other officials said Mr. Bush was determined to stand up to Congress and make a show of force on Mr. Bolton, a favorite of conservatives. The president's comment that he was sending Mr. Bolton to New York with "complete confidence" was a signal, the officials said, that Mr. Bolton had the full support of the White House.
Mr. Bolton was sworn into office shortly after Mr. Bush's announcement and arrived in New York this afternoon.
Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed Mr. Bolton to the United Nations, but told reporters that Mr. Bolton should consult with others as the Bush administration continues to press for changes at the United Nations. "I think it is all right for one ambassador to come and push, but an ambassador always has to remember that there are 190 others who will have to be convinced - or a vast majority of them - for action to take place," Mr. Annan said.
Mr. Bolton begins the job as the Bush the administration is threatening to take Iran to the Security Council for possible punishment if the country moves forward with its nuclear program. Mr. Bolton, the former undersecretary of state for arms control, took an exceptionally hard line against nuclear proliferation by countries like Iran and North Korea, but administration officials have said that as ambassador to the United Nations he will carry out the views of Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice and not make his own policy.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, characterized Mr. Bush's move as "the latest abuse of power by the Bush White House," while another Democrat, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, said in a statement that "even while the president preaches democracy around the world, he bends the rules and circumvents the will of Congress" at home.
Democrats were also angry about the refusal of the White House to turn over documents related to Mr. Bolton's service at the State Department as well as his caustic comments about the United Nations. In the 1990's, Mr. Bolton said that several floors of the United Nations headquarters could be lopped off without being missed.
In his remarks, Mr. Bush blamed the hold-up on "partisan delaying tactics by a handful of senators," but Democrats countered that the handful numbered at least 42, including one Republican. "And it was growing," said Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, who led the Senate opposition to Mr. Bolton. "It may have been more people if we had ever gotten a vote."
Senator George V. Voinovich, the Ohio Republican whose opposition to Mr. Bolton was the catalyst for the Senate's refusal to confirm him, told reporters that he intended to send Mr. Bolton a copy of a Christian book that has served him well since his days as mayor of Cleveland in the 1980's: "The Heart and Soul of Effective Management" by James F. Hind.
"It's basically a Christian approach to managing and motivating people," Mr. Voinovich said, "that I thought he might read and perhaps ponder and take into consideration in terms of how he treats people up at the United Nations."
Still, Democratic aides on Capitol Hill acknowledged that there was little their party could do beyond criticizing Mr. Bolton's appointment, which senators did in statements of outrage that were sent via e-mail to reporters even as Mr. Bush was still speaking in the Roosevelt Room. By 10:04 a.m., three minutes after Mr. Bush began his remarks, Senator Edward M. Kennedy had sent out a statement that called the recess appointment "a devious maneuver" that "further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N."
Mr. Bolton's appointment came as Democrats on Capitol Hill were in a new fight with the White House over the records of Mr. Bush's Supreme Court nominee, Judge John G. Roberts, when he worked in the office of the solicitor general. But Democrats, wary that their anger over Mr. Bolton might be seen as retaliation against Judge Roberts, said that the two nominations were distinct and that they did not expect Mr. Bolton's troubles with the Senate to affect Judge Roberts' confirmation hearings in September.
Administration officials had signaled for weeks that Mr. Bush would name Mr. Bolton to the post with a recess appointment, a procedure that permits the president to fill vacant positions when the Senate is in recess, as it is during August. Mr. Bolton is by far the highest-ranking of the 106 people that Mr. Bush has named by recess appointment during his five and a half years in office.
Among them are Otto J. Reich, the strongly anti-Communist assistant secretary of state for Latin American affairs, who was named by Mr. Bush in January 2002 and served only until the end of Congress that year. Mr. Bush also used a recess appointment to name Charles W. Pickering Sr. to a federal appeals court in January 2004. Judge Pickering, whose nomination was twice blocked by the Senate, retired when his appointment expired last December.
President Bill Clinton had 140 recess appointments during his two terms, including Mickey Kantor, who was named commerce secretary after Ronald H. Brown died in a plane crash in 1996.
In remarks at Mr. Bush's side, Mr. Bolton said the United States was seeking in the United Nations "a stronger, more effective organization, true to the ideals of its founders and agile enough to act in the 21st century."
Mr. Bolton, who had tears in his eyes when Mr. Bush mentioned that Mr. Bolton was a firefighter's son, said he was "profoundly honored, indeed, humbled" by the appointment.


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Pawleys Island woman remembers victims of Newtown shooting
Kathleen Hughes has called Pawleys Island home for the last eight years, but over the last eight days her heart has been in Newtown, Conn.
"My grandson had six of his friends killed. It's just been the week from hell," Hughes said about the tragic school shooting Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 20 children and six adults dead.
Before moving to the Grand Strand, Hughes lived in Newtown for 16 years and raised her four children there. All went to Newtown High School.
One son still lives in the small community of 27,000 with his family. Hughes' 6-year-old grandson, whom she declined to name, played on Little League teams with six of the victims.
"He wanted to pray and just thank them for being his friends," Hughes said of her grandson's reaction.
She was notified about the shooting via a news update email from the Newtown Patch.
As of right now, Hughes said she hasn't donated to any of the charities. She's wanting to wait until the media onslaught dies down a bit and do something more personal for the town.
One thing she did want to do immediately was let people know that, despite the dark cloud currently hanging over Newtown, it's a beautiful place and a wonderful town for raising families.
She recalled how, on Halloween, everyone would give money to the residents of Main Street to help offset the costs associated with handing out candy to thousands of trick-or-treaters.
"It's what Pawleys Island would be if it were bigger," Hughes said.

subset: commoncrawl


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There is no shortage of blog posts and news stories about what companies should do about holiday parties.There are some stories about employees feeling that parties are inappropriate in "tough times." I think part of that depends on whether a company is experiencing tough times. Not all companies are. Some companies have actually been doing well. I know of a few that have even given out bonuses. So a party would not be inappropriate for such a company. So each company needs to measure its own circumstances.
There are alot of stories that provide guidance on how to conduct your party. Jon Hyman, of the Ohio Employer's Law Blog, wrote a post called 7 Tips for a safe workplace holiday party. Like Jon I don't think companies should avoid parties just because of the possibility that something might happen that could cause some problems. There are two of Jon's tips that I think are very good ones.
- Normal work rules and standards apply to holiday parties. As a subtle reminder, consider holding an anti-harassment refresher in anticipation of the party.
- Designate one or more managers or supervisors to refrain from drinking and monitor the party for over-consumption.
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By Clara Chooi, IPOH, Dec 18 — Despite running a deficit budget, the Ipoh City Council this year built two giant signs spelling the city's name at entry points on the PLUS expressway for RM800,000.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians blamed the Perak palace for the signage, modelled on the famous Hollywood sign in the United States, saying they managed to reduce it to two from the initial four when it was built early this year.
The Ipoh City Council confirmed with The Malaysian Insider the whopping cost, which amounts to RM100,000 for each letter that spells out the words "Ipoh".
It is understood that the signs were erected in January this year for two reasons — to mark the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah's silver jubilee celebration and to turn the city of Ipoh into a significant landmark to entice more tourist stopovers.
The RM800,000 spent on the two signs does not include maintenance work and the cost of electricity used to power up the spotlights at night.
A source from the ousted PR state government revealed to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the proposal to erect the signs had come from the palace last year and the initial suggestion was actually to put up four such signs along the main arteries entering the city.
"The PR government rejected the idea when it was mooted because it was clearly a terrible waste of public funds," said the source, who declined to be named.
The source added that the signage also bore little aesthetic value and would not have helped to boost the city's economy in any way.
"In the first place, there are enough road signboards on the highway to inform people where Ipoh is.
"Not only that, before they allowed the continuous travel between Kuala Lumpur and Penang on the highway, motorists had to pay their toll in Ipoh before they proceeded on their journey.
"Everyone knows where Ipoh is," said the source.
The PR government was toppled when three of its lawmakers resigned to be independent, prompting the Perak royalty to name Barisan Nasional Pangkor assemblyman Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir as mentri besar.
When contacted yesterday, Ipoh Mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim admitted to The Malaysian Insider the cost of the two signs.
He said that the reason why the signs were so expensive was because each letter had to be lifted up to be erected on its lofty perch up on two separate hills.
"They had to bring in a skylift crane from Kuala Lumpur to erect the letters and this cost us quite a bit," he said.
He said however that the PR government had not completely rejected the idea but had merely voiced some disapproval.
"I also discussed it with (former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad) Nizar (Jamaluddin) and he did suggest putting it up along the Ipoh-Lumut highway," said Roshidi.
Meanwhile, the signs, which spell out the name "Ipoh" using white letters, already seems to be stained with dark blotches.
Roshidi said he was aware of this and had already assigned a city engineer to be in charge of maintaining the signs.
The maintenance work, he added, would include cleaning the letters as well as ensuring that the spotlights to light up each letter at night were working well.
"We also have to clean the undergrowth of the hills behind the signage and keep the place neat," he said.
Roshidi also agreed that the city was currently still running on a deficit budget of between RM7 million and RM10 million.
"But still, our arrears collection has improved tremendously by up to 36 per cent this year alone.
"We also have a huge reserve so we can run without collections for at least six months," he said.
Before the giant Ipoh signs, motorists on the old federal road would know they were near the capital of the tin-rich state from the giant Mercedes Benz three-pointed star logo at the city's southern approach, signifying the wealth of its residents who favoured the German marque.
The only other city with a giant signage is Kuala Terengganu which has the word "Allah" on the hill after Pulau Duyong.


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We have started adding dried leaves of dark blue irises to our paper.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Posted by Chocolat negro at 11:54 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: flower paper, flowers, handcrafted paper, irises, leaves, paper
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Strelitzia around my house have started making flowers again.
Impressing me all over again with their color and their capacity to appear like an orange flame when the suns enlightens them
Posted by Chocolat negro at 1:54 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
I have collected old magazine advertisements for many years and I possess some where rare ones. The one with the young American farmers woman is worth showing.
This is a very unique and rare American war advertisement of the year 1941.
I have used it as a background for the stunning vintage necklace that you can see in the photo.
But I am also working on a greeting card with this advert.
Everyone smoked in those years, men and women. Even without the war.
In the right hand corner is written:
Join the U.S.CROP CORPS and serve your country
Watch for local recruiting in your community
US Department of Agriculture
The Manpower War Commission
Posted by Chocolat negro at 10:08 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: cigarettese, farmers, second world war, war, woman
Monday, July 26, 2010
Posted by Chocolat negro at 1:24 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: cushion, fabric, pillow case, tattered, torn, vintage button, worn
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Frequent walks by the ocean I consider as part of my work. I look for drift wood and shells to decorate our cards.
We have created intentionally a very rough, non-manicured handmade look for the shell card range.
Shells who have a distinct, clear, unique and pure look have been selected to adorn hand-cut and hand-glued cards. The fabric background of these cards is made of the traditional Shwe-Shwe fabric in different shades of brown used since more than a hundred years in South-Africa.
The inside of the cards is blank and they have a white loose paper sheet held by a ribbon that can be removed and replaced once it has been filled with warm and tender words. The card that is given to someone special as a present can be re-used.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 11:12 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: handcrafted paper, shells, shwe shwe
Posted by Chocolat negro at 10:41 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, July 19, 2010
I have to say that this is my favorite card inspired by the most beautiful woman in the world
my absolutely beautiful, stunning, delicate, fine, patient, funny, amazing and gracious mother, who looks today as the in the days when she was a girl.
This card was made for any woman or girl in your life you love, admire, are inspired and adore.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 11:04 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: admiration, adoration, love, mother, vintage montage cards
The idea for the name of my greeting card range came from a quiet moment when I asked myself some rhetorical questions:
Who is with me all the time?
Who listens to me always?
And who gives creative advice for my designs for free?
Who loves 1950's design as much as I do?
Who loves 1950's design as much as I do?
She is.
Honestly she is.
Her name is Lucy.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 10:42 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: cat, design, handcrafted paper
Fly away with me is a greeting card inspired by the restlessness of butterflies
and by the feeling of light-headed-ness they provoke when you look at them a long time,
leaving you in a state of despair because you are unable to follow them.
created from very old insects charts originating from vintage biology books.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 10:11 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The decision for what perspective we opt in life is determining our happiness.
Closeness or distance. Does one want to see the leaf or the chairs.
Hard to decide. Both have definite virtues.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 12:56 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: distance, green, leaves, life, perspective
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Rooibos or " Aspalathus Linearis " growns in the clean mountain air on the slopes of the Cederberg mountains in South-Africa.
The local people of the area discovered at the turn of the last century that the fine needle-like leaves of the wild "Aspalathus Linearis" plant made a very tasty aromatic tea.
The bushes, once harvested, are dried by the African sun to create a tea distinguished by its russet colour, bright clarity, its warm aromatic fragance and full, brisk flavour.
Rooibos is a herb that contains no caffeine and is claimed to have a soothing effect on headaches, disturbed sleeping patterns and digestive problems. This herbal is best brewed with an infuser or cotton tea bag.
Bring water to just short of boiling and pour over infuser. Brew for 3-5 minutes. Remove infuser.
This reddish orange tea has a fruity taste with a slightly sweet note.
Brewed Rooibos contain the following nutrients:
Iron, Patassium, Calcium, Copper, Zinc, Magnesium, Flouride, Manganese and Sodium.
Additionally this beautiful and healthy tea is packed in our own handcrafted and 100% recycled paper gift bags. Not only is the paper hand-made but the bag is hand-cut, hand-glued and the label is hand written. It comes with a tiny handcrafted envelope and card for a greeting note.
This is an all South-African hand-crafted product that makes for a wonderful and special gift.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 2:07 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: handcrafted paper, rooibos, rooibos tea, South-Africa, tea bags, tea making
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The flowers of the Bougainvillea tree become like pieces of papyrus once fallen off.
They keep their pink color for a long time exposing hundreds of tiny veins in their transparency.
Of amazing beauty when illuminated by the sun.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 8:55 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Posted by Chocolat negro at 8:44 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: flower paper, rose, shadow
Monday, July 5, 2010
My grandfather who did not use many words once said to me :
" At the end of your life when you want to tell someone about your life IT MUST TAKE MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR".
The " More True Life " vintage montage greeting card is a symbolic creation of work representing our wish and desire for a true and meaningful life. Or since I can not speak for everyone let me say it represents my own personal wish for a true life. It is an ode to my grandfather's words.
It stands for our hope that the years that are given to us will not just pass in monotony until one day at the end of our life we sit on a bench, watching youth with regret and envy, thinking of what we should, would or could have done.
It is a reminder that we can do a lot. And that we have to make us happy. Not should.
Play soccer on the beach or anywhere
Be a friend to someone, enjoy time with friends, be curios, laugh and be happy, love someone and love yourself. Again and again.
And just remember it has to be done now.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 1:17 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: kiss, life, love, South-Africa, vintage montage cards
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I have already spoken about the fact that photographs of days of old have cast a spell on me.
Last year the gods showed me a special sign of their love and appreciation and fueled my fire because they led me into a shop where I found a Victorian family photo-album with monochrome pictures of four generations.
I am visual person but I also have enough words in me to describe the world to a blind man.
When I look at something, that something turns into a poem, a story, an expression or a rime immediately.
The child that I saw on this photo became the ' winter-child " for me the same moment I looked at it.
I have created a greeting card of it's beautiful and innocent image.
It is winter in it's expression and it has the winter in it's eyes.
There are people in this world that are like the winter in their nature.
And this boy or girl is a child of winter for me.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 10:08 AM 0 comments Links to this post
The Pudding Lover's Ecstasy is a range
of beautiful handcrafted and unique envelopes and cards made from vintage cookbooks.
All envelopes are hand-cut and hand-lined and show a variety of the most delicious, decadent, scandalous rich, creamy and sweet deserts that our mothers and grandmothers shamelessly created with lots of love for their husbands, friends, sons, daughters, lovers, grand- children and other loved ones
without ever counting one calorie or spoon of sugar.
And the recipes are all there.
And the recipes are all there.
Yummy! !
Posted by Chocolat negro at 9:27 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: cake, desert, handcrafted paper, pudding, recipes, vintage cookbooks
Saturday, July 3, 2010
" This is a very neat and sexy cat", my friend said.
Indeed it is. And it lives happily in an Antiques Shop.
At night when everybody has left it roams through the rooms, corridors and yards of three old houses all part of the shop.
The emperor in his kingdom.
Daylight is reserved for sleeping in old cupboards and drawers.
Or sunbathing on Victorian chairs.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 12:55 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Friday, July 2, 2010
Posted by Chocolat negro at 2:28 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Posted by Chocolat negro at 2:03 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: buds, flowers, garden, Jelaluddin Rumi
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I am intrigued, fascinated and pleased by the fact, that from time to time I find old family photos in second hand or junk shops. I admit, I am looking for them.
I look for photos of people nobody knows and whose memory nobody wants to keep anymore. Sometimes I use them as designs for my vintage style cards. This is a way for me to remember their special days they once had.
In many cases the images are simply given to me, like this beautiful monochrome photograph of a young woman, taken to memorize the day when she became a nurse. The sincerity of this photo has moved me.
She is committing to what is called the Florence-Nightingale Pledge. When a nurse takes this oath a candle is lit in her lamp. And when she dies, in a ceremony others nurses call three times her name before blowing out the light. When I found this photo I was not quite sure what it represented and I asked a doctor who enlightened me about the Florence Nightingale pledge and it's origin.
The Nightingale Pledge was composed by Lystra Gretter, an instructor of nursing at the old Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and was first used by its graduating class in the spring of 1893. It is an adaptation of the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.
I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.
From A Short History of Nursing by Lavinia Dock and Isabel Stewart:
Posted by Chocolat negro at 12:40 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: FLorence Nightingale pledge., nurses
Posted by Chocolat negro at 12:07 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: forest, rings of age, tree trunk, woods
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
To work with lace is a beautiful thing.
If the lace is old there is something magical about it. Old lace has often a special smell because usually it has been well protected and well preserved against insects and the teeth of time by it's previous owner considered as something precious and delicate only to be used for certain occasions.
Sometimes it has not seen the light for years stored away in some chest or box in a dark cupboard, folded and stacked away neatly.
When you remove it from it's shelter it smells of celebrations of the past.
Hold it against the sunlight and it will start shining and telling you stories ( that's what I think you are by no way obliged to believe it).
These are our cards that are adorned by lace.
The lace pieces that I find and use are left overs of lace trimmings that have been used for wedding dresses or ball gowns. Often dating back to the Victorian period.
In the picture you see some of our wedding cards and wedding invitations.
Each space is cut out by hand and the lace is carefully glued in or sewn in depending on the type of card.
For these cards we have used some exquisite pieces of ivory colored lace that were once part of an old wedding veil. Each card is adorned additionally with small beads in different colors.
The structure of lace is very important. Some lace types are as thin and delicate as hair flowing in the wind and others are of a rougher but also striking texture.
For each lace character the right paper has to be chosen to create something remarkable. To match a material like lace is not easy.
The old saying " lace with lace only " has it's truth.
Posted by Chocolat negro at 11:25 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: age, handcrafted paper, lace
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text:
Abatement: A reduction or decrease; usually applies to the forgiveness of rent or a decrease of assessed valuation of ad valorem taxes after the assessment and levy.
Add-On Factor: Considered a loss factor, the percentage of gross rentable square footage which is lost to the tenant's physical occupancy.
"As Is" Condition: Premises accepted by a buyer or tenant in the condition existing at the time of the sale or lease, including all physical defects.
Base Rent: A set amount used as a minimum rent in lease which also employs a percentage or other allocation for additional rent.
Base Year: The year upon which a direct expense escalation of rent is based. See also "Escalation Clause."
Building Classifications: Class "A"—Building has excellent location and access to attract the highest quality tenants. Building must be of superior construction and finish, relatively new or competitive with new buildings, and providing professional on-site Mgmt.. Class "B"—Building with good location, Mgmt., construction land tenancy. Can compete at low end of Class A. Class "C"—Generally an older building with growing functional land/or economic obsolescence. Class "D"—An older building in need of extensive renovation as a result of functional obsolescence or deterioration.
Buildout: The cost of configuring and finishing new or relet space in accordance with a tenant's specifications.
Build To Suit: A method of leasing property whereby the landlord builds a new building in accordance with a tenant's specifications.
Capitalization: A process of determining the value of real property in which project income is divided by a predetermined annual rate (capitalization rate). For example, a building with annual project income of $100,000 is worth $1,000,000 at a 10 per cent capitalization rate ($100,000/10% $1,000,000). See "Capitalization Rate."
Capitalization Rate: The rate that is considered a reasonable return on investment (on the basis of both the investor's alternative investment possibilities and the risk of the investment). Used to determine and value real property through the capitalization process. Also called "free and clear return." See also "Capitalization."
CCIM: Certified Commercial Investment Member
Certificate of Occupancy: A certificate issued by a local government building department or agency stating that a building is in a condition suitable for occupancy. Sometimes also called a "C of O" or a Non-Residential Use and Occupancy Permit (NON RUP).
Circulation Factor: A space's Circulation Factor is the percentage of the space used by all occupants for movement in and about the space. It is a function of the individual and support areas that exist within the space. Circulation Area includes corridors, aisles and other similar space required for occupants to access means of egress and all other functions in and serving their space. When a floor plan is comprised of mostly open workstations, the Circulation Factor will typically be a greater portion of the total Useable Area than a space comprised of primarily enclosed offices.
Common Area: The total area within the shopping CTR that is not designed for rental to tenants but that is available for common use by all tenants or groups of tenants, their invitees, and adjacent stores. Parking and its appurtenances, malls, sidewalks, landscaped areas, public toilets, truck and service facilities, and the like are included in the common area.
Common Area Charges: Include income collected from tenants for operating and maintaining items pertaining to common areas. Shopping CTR leases usually contain a clause requiring the tenant to pay its share of operation and maintenance on common areas and defining the basis on which charges are made and the type of cost items allocable to maintenance of the common area. Of the ways to prorate the charges among tenants, the most common are (1) a prorated charge based on a tenant's leased area as a portion of the total leasable area of the CTR or the linear exposure in store frontage, (2) a fixed charge for a stated period, and (3) a variable charge based on a percentage of sales. Some CTRs include a cost-of-living increase in the common area charges.
Competitive Space: Space in office buildings which contain or are intended to contain more than one occupant. In addition to the multiple tenant criterion, typical characteristics of Competitive Space include: tenants generally have short-term leases (10 years or less) and the interior of the building is not designed with one organization in mind but rather to accommodate the widest variety of tenants.
Concessions: Cash expended by the landlord in the form of rent abatement, build-out allowance, or other payments to induce the tenant to sign a lease.
Contiguous Space: Adjoining office space.
Contract Rent: Rent paid under a lease. The actual rent as opposed to the market rental value of the property.
CPM: Certified Property Manager
Demising Walls: The boundaries that separate tenant's space from another tenant's space and from a public corridor.
Depreciation: (1) Decrease in the usefulness, and therefore value, of real property improvements or other assets caused by deterioration or obsolescence. (2) A loss in value as an accounting procedure to use as a deduction for income tax purposes.
Easement: A right to use the property of another created by grant, reservation, agreement, prescription or necessary implication. It is either for the benefit of land "appurtenant," such as the right to cross A to get to B, or "in gross," such as a public utility easement.
Economic Rent: Calculations or analysis to determine market rental value of a property at any given time, even though the actual rent may be different.
Effective Rent: The rental rate actually achieved by the landlord after deducting the value of concessions from the base rental rate paid by a tenant, usually expressed as an average rate over the term of the lease.
Eminent Domain: A right of the government to acquire private property for public use by condemnation, in return for just compensation. See also "Condemnation."
Escalation Clause: A clause in a lease providing for increased rent at a future time. May be accomplished by several means such as (1) Fixed increase—A provision that calls for a definite, periodic rental increase; (2) Cost of living—A clause that ties the rent to a government cost of living index, with periodic adjustments as the index changes; or (3) Direct expense—Rent adjustments based on changes in expenses paid by the landlord, such as tax increases, increased maintenance costs, etc.
Expense Stop: Provision in a lease establishing the maximum level of operating expense(s) to be paid by the landlord. Expenses beyond this level are to be reimbursed by the tenant. May be applied to specific expenses only (e.g., property taxes or insurance).
Face Rental Rate: The "asking" or nominal rental rate published by the landlord.
Fair Market Value: A term usually found in appraisals that attempts to determine the cash price that would likely be negotiated between a willing seller and willing buyer in a reasonable amount of time. For a sale to be considered a reflection of "Fair Market Value," it must meet all the conditions of a fair sale whereby: (1) both buyer and seller act prudently, knowledgeably and under no necessity to buy or sell, i.e., other than in a forced or liquidation sale; (2) the property must be offered on the open market for a reasonable amount of time, taking into consideration the property type and local market; and (3) payment is made in cash or terms equivalent to cash. When a sale is unlikely, i.e., when it is unlikely to be completed within 12 months, the appraiser must discount all cash flows generated by the property to ascertain the estimate of Fair Value.
First Refusal Right: A clause occasionally inserted in a lease that gives a tenant the first opportunity to buy a property if the owner decides to sell. The owner must have a legitimate offer which the tenant can match or refuse.
Flex Space: A one or two-story building with little or no common areas, high ceilings, load-bearing floors and loading dock facilities. Usually configured to allow a small amount of office space in combination with light assembly or warehouse/distribution uses.
Floor/Area Ration (FAR): The ratio of the bulk area of a building to the land on which it is situated. Calculated by dividing the total square footage in the building by the square footage of land area.
Force Majeure: A force that cannot be controlled or resisted. In other words, something beyond the control of the parties involved. Includes acts of God (e.g., flood, tornadoes, etc.) and acts of man (e.g., riots, strikes, arson, etc.).
Foreclosure: A proceeding, in or out of court, designed to extinguish all rights, title, and interest of the owner(s) of property in order to sell the property to satisfy a lien against it.
Full Service Rent: A rental rate that includes operating expenses and real estate taxes for the first year. The tenant is generally still responsible for any increases in operating expenses over the base year amount. See also: "Pass Throughs."
Gross Absorption: Absorption is a measure of the amount of office space leased over a period of time. Gross absorption is a measure of the total square feet leased over a period of time with no consideration for office space vacated in the same area during the same period. See also: "Net Absorption."
Gross Building Area: The total floor area in an office building measured in square feet or square meters that is associated with that building's use as office building. The area extends to the outer surface of exterior walls and windows and includes office area, retail area, and other rentable areas such as vending machine space and storage area, but excludes parking and roof space.
Gross Lease: A lease that provides that the landlord shall pay all expenses of the leased property, such as taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities, etc.
Ground Lease: A lease covering the use of land only, with the lease sometimes secured by improvements installed by the tenant. Also called a "Land Lease."
Guarantor: One who makes a guaranty. See also "Guaranty."
Guaranty: Agreement whereby the guarantor agrees to pay the debt or perform the obligation of another who fails to do so. Differs from la surety agreement in that there must be a failure to pay or perform before the guaranty can be in effects.
Highest and Best Use: The reasonably probable and legal use of vacant land or an improved property, which is physically possible, appropriately supported, financially feasible and that results in the highest value. The four criteria the highest and best use must meet are legal permissibility, physical possibility, financial feasibility and maximum profitability.
HVAC: The acronym for Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. Refers to the equipment used to heat and cool a building.
Improved Value: An appraisal term that encompasses the total value of land and improvements rather than the separate values of each.
Involuntary Conveyance: An involuntary transfer of real property without the consent of the owner, such as by a divorce decree, condemnation, etc.
Judgment: The decision of a court of law. Money judgments, when recorded, become a lien on real property of the defendant.
Landlord's Lien: Several types of landlord's liens are created by contract or by statute. Some examples are: 1) a contractual landlord's lien; 2) statutory landlord's lien; and 3) landlord's remedy of distress (or right of distraint), which is not truly a lien but has a similar effect.
Lease: An agreement whereby the owner of real property (i.e., landlord) gives the right of possession to another (i.e., tenant) for a specified period of time (i.e., term) and for a specified consideration (i.e., rent).
Lease Commencement Date: The date on which beneficial occupancy commences and the legal terms of the lease go into effect.
Leasehold Improvements: Improvements made to leased premises by a tenant. See also "Tenant Improvements;" "Workletter."
Legal Description: A method of geographically identifying a parcel of land that is acceptable in a court of law.
Legal Owner: The term is used to distinguish the legal owner form the equitable owner and not as opposed to an illegal owner. The legal owner has title to the property, although the title may actually carry no rights to the property other than to act as a lien.
Legal Title: Usually title without ownership rights, such as the title placed in a trustee under a deed of trust, or the title in a vendor under a land contract.
Letter of Credit: An engagement, pledge or commitment by a bank or person, made at the request of a customer, stating that the issuer will honor drafts or other demands for payment upon full compliance with the conditions specified in the letter of credit.
Letter of Intent: A formal method through which a prospective developer, buyer or tenant expresses his/her interest in property. Depending on the language, a legal obligation may be created.
Lien: An encumbrance against property for money, either voluntary or involuntary. All liens are encumbrances but all encumbrances are not liens.
Loss Factor: A building's Loss Factor is the percentage of the building's area shared by tenants or spaces that are dedicated to the common areas of a building used to calculate the difference between the net (useable) and gross billable areas. That portion of the space is often considered "lost" because it cannot be directly leased and the maintenance and operation costs must be covered by the other rentable areas. The loss factor is often confused with load factor but the formulas for each term vary. The loss factor is calculated as follows: Loss Factor = (Rentable Area- Useable Area) /Rentable Area
MAI: Member of Appraisal Institute
Market Rent: The rental income that a property would most probably command on the open market; indicated by current rents paid and asked for comparable space as of the date of the appraisal.
Market Study: A forecast of future demand for a type of project along with recommendations as to quantity to be sold or leased and prices to be charged. Also called "Marketability Study."
Marketable Title: Title to real property that can be readily marketed (i.e., sold) to a reasonably prudent purchaser aware of the facts and their legal meaning concerning liens and encumbrances.
Market Value: The most probable price which a property should bring a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller, each acting prudently and knowledgeably, and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit is this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby: (1) buyer and seller are typically motivated; (2) both parties are well informed or well advised, and acting in what they consider their own best interests; (3) a reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market; (4) payment is made in terms of cash in U.S. dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; and (5) the price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or creative financial or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale.
Mechanic's Lien: A claim created by state statutes for the purpose of securing priority of payment for the price or value of work performed and materials furnished in construction or repair of improvements to land, and which attaches to the land as well as to the improvements.
Net Absorption: Absorption is a measure of the amount of office space leased over a period of time. Net absorption is a measure of the total square feet leased over a period of time taking into consideration office space vacated in the same area during the same period. See also: "Gross Absorption."
Net Lease: A lease in which the tenant pays, in addition to rent, certain costs associated with a leased property, including property taxes, insurance premiums, repairs, utilities and maintenance. There are also "net-net" (double net) and "net-net-net" (triple net) leases, depending upon the degree to which the tenant is responsible for operating cost. See also "Gross Lease."
Net Rentable Area: Floor area of a building less any vertical penetrations of the floors. No deductions are made for necessary columns and projections of the building. (BOMA Standard)
Operating Expenses: The actual cost of operating income-producing property, including utilities and similar day-to-day expenses, taxes, insurance and reserves for the replacement of items that wear out.
Operating Cost Escalation: Refers to the clause in a lease agreement used to adjust rents over the term of a lease.
Pass Throughs: Building and operating expenses that are paid by the tenant under the terms of a lease.
Percentage Lease: A lease, generally on a retail business property, in which the rent is calculated as a percentage of sales. There is usually a minimum or "base" rent in the event of poor sales.
"Phantom" Space: Generally refers to space that is under lease to a tenant but not presently occupied. Usually created when a tenant consolidates or reduces operations in space it leases prior to the end of its lease term. The vacant but leases space may or may not be formally marketed on a sublet basis or counted among a market's vacancy.
PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance): Acronym used to indicate what is included in a monthly mortgage payment on real property. Principal, interest, taxes and insurance are the four major portions of a typical monthly payment.
Punch List: An itemized list noting incomplete or unsatisfactory construction. Usually prepared by the tenant architect after the contractor has notified the owner that the tenant space is substantially complete.
REO (Real Estate Owned): All real estate directly owned by a lender, including real estate taken to satisfy a debt. Includes real estate acquired by lenders through foreclosure; or in settlement of any other obligation to the lender.
Recapture: That portion of the gain from the sale of real estate that is taxed at ordinary income tax rates. Calculated as the difference between the accelerated depreciation taken and the straight-line depreciation that would have been allowed.
Renewal Option: The right of a tenant to renew (i.e., extend the term of) a lease for a stated period of time and rent at an amount that can be determined.
Rent: Consideration paid for the occupancy and use of real property. A general term covering any consideration (not only money.)
Rent Commencement Date: The date on which a tenant begins paying rent. Depending upon the nature of the marketplace, it may coincide with the lease commencement date or it may be several months after. It will never begin before the lease commencement date.
Rentable Square Feet: Useable square feet plus a percentage ( the core factor) of the common areas on the floor, including hallways, bathrooms and telephone closets. (And sometimes main lobbies.) Rentable square footage is the number of square feet on which a tenant's rent is based.
Rent / Useable Ratio: The number resulting from dividing the Total Rentable Area in a building by the Useable Area. The inverse of this ratio describes the proportion of space that an occupant can expect to utilize.
Rental Concession: See "Abatement."
Rent-Up Period: The period of time following construction of a new building when tenants are actively sought and the project is approaching stabilized occupancy.
Right Of First Refusal: See "First Refusal Right."
RPA: Real Property Administrator
Sale-Leaseback: A financing arrangement in which a property owner sells all or part of the property to an investor and then leases it back. Although the lease actually follows the sale, both are agreed to as part of the same transaction.
Security Deposit: Generally, a deposit of money by a tenant with a landlord to secure performance of a lease.
Site Analysis: The study of a specified parcel of land (and the surrounding area) to determine its suitability for a specific use.
Site Development: All improvements made to a site before a building may be constructed, such as grading, utility installation, etc.
Site Plan: A detailed plan, to scale, depicting development of a parcel of land and containing all information required by the zoning ordinance. See also "Master Plan."
Slab: The exposed wearing surface laid over the structural support beams of a building.
Soft Dollars: That portion of equity investment that may be tax-deductible in the first year. See also "Hard Dollars."
Space Plan: Sometimes called the preliminary plan. A graphic representation of a tenant's office space requirements, showing wall and door locations, room sizes, and some furniture layouts.
Special Assessment: Any special charge levied against real property for public improvements (e.g., sidewalks, sewers, etc.) that benefit the assessed property.
Specific Performance: A lawsuit in which the court compels one of the parties to perform or carry out the provisions of a contract into which he has entered.
Speculative Space: Any prime space that has not been leased to tenant prior to commencing construction on a new building.
Step-Up Lease (Graded Lease): A lease calling for set increases in rent at set intervals.
Straight Lease (Flat Lease): A lease calling for the same amount of rent to be paid periodically (usually monthly) for the entire term of the lease.
Subordination Agreement: An agreement by which the priority of a mortgage lender is relinquished in favor of that of a lender that would otherwise be junior in status.
Survey: The measurement of the boundaries of a parcel of land, its area and sometimes its topography.
Tax Base: Assessed valuation of real property, which is multiplied by the tax rate to determine the amount of tax due.
Tenant: (1) A holder of property under a lease. (2) Originally, one who had the right to possession, irrespective of the title interest.
Tenant At Will: One who holds possession of premises by permission of the owner or landlord, but without agreement for a fixed term.
Tenant Improvements: Improvements to land or buildings to meet the needs of tenants. May be new improvements or remodeling, and may be paid for by the landlord, the tenant, or shared. See also "Leasehold Improvements," "Workletter."
"Time Is Of The Essence": Clause used in contracts to bind one party to performance at or by a specified time in order to bind the other party to performance.
Trade Fixtures: Personal property used in a business and attached to a structure, but removable upon sale because it is deemed to be part of the business, not of the real estate.
Triple Net (NNN) Rent: Rent stipulated in a lease in which the tenant agrees to pay a share of the landlord's operating expenses or real estate taxes for the building proportionate to the amount of space it occupies. See also "Full Service Rent."
Turn Key Project: A project in which the developer is responsible for the total completion of a building (including interior design and construction) or demised premises to the customized requirements of a future owner or tenant.
Under Contract: A property for which a purchase offer has been accepted by the seller is said to be "under contract." Generally, the prospective buyer is given a certain period of time in which to perform feasibility studies and finalize financing arrangements. During the time, the seller cannot entertain offers from other buyers unless the purchase contract is allowed to expire without going to closing.
Use: Specific purpose for which a parcel of land or a building is designed, arranged, intended, occupied or maintained.
Useable Area: The Useable Area is the measured area of a space on a floor.
Vacancy Factor: The amount of gross revenue lost because of vacant space; an allowance item on pro forma income statements, usually calculated as a percentage of gross revenue.
Vacancy Rate: A measurement expressed as a percentage of the total amount of available space compared to the total inventory of space. Computed by multiplying vacant space times 100 and divided by total inventory.
Variance: A permit that grants a property owner relief from certain provisions of a zoning ordinance when, because of the particular physical surroundings, shape or topographical condition of the property, compliance would result in a particular hardship or practical difficulty which would deprive the owner of the reasonable use of the land or building involved.
Warranty: A binding promise made at the time of a sale whereby the seller gives the buyer certain assurances as to the condition of the property.
Wear and Tear: The deterioration or loss in value caused by the tenant's normal and reasonable use. In many leases the tenant is not responsible for "normal wear and tear."
Weighted Average Rental Rates: Rental rates averaged to the amount of space available in each building per market area.
Workletter: The standard building items that the landlord contributes as part of the tenant improvements. Examples of standard building items are: doors, partitions, lights, floor covering, telephone outlets, etc. The Workletter may specify the quantity and quality of the materials to be used and often carries a dollar value.
Working Drawings: The set of plans for a project that, in combination with a set of specifications, comprise the contract documents indicating the exact manner in which a project should be built. See also "Contract Documents."
Workout: The process by which a borrower attempts to negotiate with a lender to restructure the borrower's debt rather than go through foreclosure proceedings.
Zoning: A method of regulating use of real estate by dividing a city or other area into zones and designating which uses may be permitted for land in each zone.
Zoning Ordinance: The set of laws and regulations, generally at the city or county level, that control the use of land and construction of improvements in a given area or zone.


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Monday, August 24, 2009
Thanks Bill
Posted by Dave Breisacher at 1:46 PM No comments:
Labels: hurricane, Matt Keenan, NJ, Ocean City, Rob Kelly, surfing
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
So far the tropical hurricane (read: surfing) season has been a little slow. Hurricane Bill looks to deliver the goods this weekend. It's been a while since a surf forecast this promising and on the weekend too. It's only Tuesday morning, but things are looking good for the weekend and possibly early next week. While I'm trying not to get my hopes too high, it's tough not to watch the weather channel every minute. Hopefully surf photos to follow...
Posted by Dave Breisacher at 10:43 AM No comments:
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In the heart of sairee beach, koh tao, thailand
Savage Koh Tao is a new design hostel in the heart of Sairee on the tropical island of Koh Tao, in the centre of all the buzz and entertainment of bars, café's, diving schools and spas, however located directly on the lush tropic beach.
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It's time to turn it on, turn it up and let it loose!


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Special Reports
Pockets of crime still cause trouble on South Tacoma Way
It's shortly after 9 p.m. on a summer Friday and Tacoma police officer Daniel Hensley stops his cruiser in front of the parking lot of the now-closed nightclub Area 151on the 3500 block of South Tacoma Way. The lot is jammed with young people and Hensley wants to check it out.
A man emerges from the crowd and tells the officer a rap-music video is being filmed and that the people are extras. Satisfied, Hensley drives off. But as he does he says he won't be surprised if there's trouble at this spot before the night is over.
"They used to pack this parking lot almost to the point where you couldn't move in here," he says. "There would be shootings and fights. We had off-duty officers working here, but even they couldn't control what was going on. Typically at closing time they were calling for backup to clear the parking lot."
This night, he has read the situation exactly right.
A 17-year police veteran, Hensley, 44, has patrolled South Tacoma Way and its surrounding neighborhoods for a dozen years.
A year ago he was assigned to the city's North End. He didn't like it there. Too quiet.
"I specifically asked to come back," he says.
Tacoma police Lt. Mike Ake, who commands the sector that includes South Tacoma Way, says he understood why Hensley requested the transfer back to South Tacoma Way.
"He picked a place where he doesn't have to worry about not being busy," says Ake, who has worked with Hensley throughout his career.
A compactly built man with a trim gray mustache, Hensley likes to be where the action is. And South Tacoma Way is "a hub of activity," he says.
With the radio in his cruiser chattering in the background, Hensley talks about the gritty realities of being a street cop on the graveyard shift on South Tacoma Way.
Drug dealing is a significant problem in the area, Hensley says. When he was first assigned to the street, crack cocaine was king. That changed about nine years ago.
"Meth is the big thing these days," he says.
Prostitution used to be a significant problem on the street, but in the last couple of years that's become less true, he says.
Hensley credits the court program S.O.A.P, which stands for Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution, with reducing the sex trade in the area.
"People who have been convicted of prostitution get a court order placed on them by the Tacoma Municipal Court, and basically that order says, 'You cannot be there anymore. And if you're there, for whatever reason, it doesn't matter, you get arrested and taken to jail.'"
Did the get-tough approach work?
"It's almost dried up," Hensley says of prostitution on the thoroughfare. But, he acknowledges, the business wasn't eradicated, it just moved away. He says many of the prostitutes now ply their trade on Pacific Avenue.
At around 11:30 Hensley's radio comes to life with a dispatcher reporting that a red Chevrolet Caprice with four men in it had driven by the Area 151 parking lot and that shots had been fired from the car. Hensley steps on the gas and is back at the lot in 90 seconds. When he pulls up, there isn't a soul to be seen.
A little while later the dispatcher is back on the air, reporting that witnesses to the shooting are in the parking lot of the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop at the Tacoma Mall. Five other cruisers are already there when Hensley arrives, and officers are taking statements from a young couple. The man tells officers he thinks 11 to 12 rounds had been fired and that "the minute we heard it, everybody scattered."
Hensley drives back to the nightclub's lot. Eight officers with flashlights are walking slowly about, peering intently at the ground. They're looking for shell casings. An officer holds up a plastic bag. There are four casings inside.
Within an hour, Hensley is outside another nightspot, the Factory on 56th and Washington streets, talking to two off-duty police officers who are parked across the street, working as security for the place. Suddenly he looks up and says, "Right there."
A red early-'90s Caprice matching the description of the shooters' car is cruising slowly past on Washington. Hensley climbs into his cruiser, pulls in behind the car and turns on his overhead flashing lights. The Caprice accelerates.
The chase lasts around a minute. The Caprice makes a sudden left turn onto a side street and into the parking lot of an apartment complex. It slows, the doors fly open and two men jump out. They run into the darkened courtyard of the complex. The Caprice, its engine still running, slowly rolls up to the curb and stops.
Hensley sits tight and calls for backup.
"We're not going after them," he says. Not until backup comes, at least. That's something you learn after 17 years as a cop.
"I did it when I was young, and you look back and thank God I wasn't injured," he says. "But would I do it again?"
With a small laugh, Hensley answers his own question: "No."
By now, there are cruisers and police all around the complex. Another officer drives up behind Hensley. The two men draw their pistols and cautiously approach the Caprice. There's no one inside. They holster their weapons and go to talk to the other officers at the scene.
Afterward, Hensley indicates that the incident falls in the category of no harm, no foul.
"With a body or damaged property or something that is tangible, we would have had this place cordoned off with a K-9 (team) tracking," he says. "We would have been all over it."
As it is, "we have shots fired (but) no victims," Hensley says – and with the crowd at the parking lot long gone, no witnesses other than the young couple. The police had little to go on.
He puts his cruiser into gear and goes back out on patrol.
Crime is concentrated in certain small sections of South Tacoma Way.
"The actual area of activity is pretty doggone short," Hensley says. The long stretches dominated by auto dealerships and car-repair shops are generally trouble-free after sundown.
But there are pockets where police answer a lot of calls. Hensley describes the section between 47th and Oakes streets as "a hotbed of gang activity. Our gang unit's all over that."
Hensley radios Tacoma police Sgt. Al Morris supervisor of the department's gang unit, who's also working the graveyard shift, for a meeting to discuss gang activity along the thoroughfare.
Asked what kinds of gangs operate in the area, Morris says, "What kinds of gangs do you want? Black gangs, Asian gangs, Hispanic gangs. We've even got some white supremacists. Any kind of gang that you can think of."
Morris estimates there are 20 sets of gangs, and says it's impossible to estimate the number of members. Most are males, and small percentages are females. Many are between ages 14 and 21, but some are in their mid-30s.
The older gangsters, Morris says "are the hard-core ones that are dealing dope and have had firearms and drug arrests since they were 14 or 15. It's almost second-generation now."
And Ake calls the area around 47th and Oakes "really horrible" in terms of gang activity.
"They're not just Tacoma gang members, but they're coming from Lakewood, from Parkland, from Spanaway. That seems to be a hub for them," he says.
"There are a couple of reasons for this: close proximity to Tacoma Mall, and then the area is a main Pierce Transit hub that all different parts of the city go to."
Another hot spot is the 5400 block of South Tacoma Way, Ake says. Trouble in the area is "associated with the taverns down there."
Despite that, the street is far less crime-plagued than some other areas of the city. Pacific Avenue generates many more serious calls for police these days, Ake says.
But lately the situation has been improving along South Tacoma Way.
"There's a big difference now than about three months ago regarding how much activity is going on," Ake says. "The city has provided us extra money for gang emphasis and I've been able to tap into that and provide extra enforcement out there. We brought people in on overtime to work specifically in that area and we tried to have them work that thing seven days a week."
Also, he's been working closely with business and neighborhood groups to pinpoint problem areas.
"We've got good communication with them, so if there are issues there, they let us know," Ake says.
But although crime is down at the moment, there's no guarantee the trend will continue.
"That's the danger on South Tacoma Way," Ake says. "It can spring up on us quick and it can proliferate just like it did on Pacific Avenue."
Night patrol on South Tacoma Way wears on.
Hensley drives from north of the former Area 151 down to the Homestead Restaurant, the southern limit of his patrol area. He makes the circuit around 50 times, he says, turning on to side streets, looking down alleys.
He pulls into a darkened driveway between two shuttered businesses and cuts his lights. Across the street is a gas station known as a site where men come looking for prostitutes.
"There is high-profile policing on the one hand," he says, "but there is surveillance you can do even in a big white car with overhead lights."
No transactions happen this night.
With nearly 20 years on the job, Hensley says he still likes the work as a street cop.
"In Tacoma, you can see absolutely everything in a law enforcement career," he says.
"It has its good days and its bad days," he says of the work, and there are more good than bad.
"I'm an optimistic person," he says. "I generally think that people are good and that goodness will come out, given certain circumstances, even in stressful or controversial situations.
"You can go days, weeks, months without something positive, and then you'll come upon a guy that maybe his car broke down. You swing by to check on him, and he looks at you before you leave and he says, 'I just want to thank you for what you're doing out there.' And that's good enough. That lasts for quite a long time. Because it's not just that guy, but you can probably count many more thousands that feel like that guy that you don't ever hear about."
Soren Andersen: 253-597-8742, Ext. 6235


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Paul & Jessica Martens
Paul and Jessica Martens have been calling Landmark Christian Fellowship home since 2012 when they were called into full-time ministry. Prior to coming to LCF, Paul and Jessica were involved in youth ministry for 12 years within our Salt & Light family of churches.
Paul's passion is equipping others into maturity in Christ by placing a central emphasis on the balance of being rooted in God's Word and led by the Holy Spirit along with a commitment to discipleship.
Jessica currently leads LCF's Children's Ministry while also being a full-time mom to their four children, Samuel, Mikaela, Rebekah, and Amelia. Paul and Jessica have been married 15 years.
Larry & Ina Reimer
Larry and Ina Reimer have been part of Landmark Christian Fellowship since its beginning. Larry has served in various leadership roles throughout the years alongside his call as an elder. Ina leads our Shoebox Store ministry and is apart of our worship ministry team.
Larry and Ina have been married for 40 years. They have been blessed with four children, Dustin (Laura), Tim (Rina), Shaun (Sarah), and Karlee (Cody), as well as eight grandchildren and two on the way.
Larry and Ina own a custom home building business, and when they're not serving our church body, they feel passionate about being involved in missions, with Larry being a board member for Love's Door, a missions organization partnered with our church.
Carlon & Tanya Yoder
Carlon and Tanya Yoder have been attending Landmark Christian Fellowship together for over 10 years, with Tanya having called the church home since she was a child. Carlon began serving as a deacon in 2007 and in 2015 was called and installed as an elder.
Both Carlon and Tanya serve the church in other ways as well. This past year, they opened their home to host a Home Group, and Tanya continues to serve on our Women's Ministry leadership team.
Carlon owns his own home renovation business while Tanya is employed as a nurse. They have been married since 2004, and have three children, Clara, Avner, and Cosette.


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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
SMACK/ URL Presents Proving Grounds: John John Da Don vs B-Magic
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After several long months of open casting calls and screen tests, Disney has finally found its new Aladdin—and it's none other than Markham, Ontario's own Mena Massoud.
Massoud will star in the live-action remake of Disney's 1992 animated film alongside triple threat Will Smith and Power Rangers' Naomi Scott. He reportedly beat out hundreds of other hopeful actors for the role, including rumoured high-profile contenders Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed.
Based on his most recent tweet, Massoud is clearly pretty stoked to be part of a franchise as well-known and beloved as Aladdin. And we're stoked for him—especially after finding out that he's not only a former teen drama star, but also has as much of a love-hate relationship with Canadian sports teams as we do.
Here's what you need to know about Disney's brand new "street-rat"-turned-prince.
Aladdin's casting directors worked hard to cast an actor of Middle Eastern descent in the lead role, and we're so glad they did. In case you're curious, right now Massoud is living in and travelling between Toronto and Los Angeles.
Massoud has already worked with John Krasinski on the upcoming TV series Jack Ryan, Maggie Q on Nikita, and Greg Kinnear on the thriller Strange But True. He'll probably be able to keep his cool on set even though he'll be working closely with the Fresh Prince himself.
In a 2015 interview with The Hudsucker, Massoud revealed that Robin Williams—aka the original Genie—is one of his biggest acting inspirations, describing Williams as "incredibly well-rounded."
After studying neuroscience at the University of Toronto for a short time, Massoud transferred to Ryerson University and graduated from Ryerson's School of Performance in 2014. In hindsight, transferring was probably a good choice.
Like, kind of a lot. Hopefully he'll be able to keep up with games, even with an undoubtedly crazy production schedule.
Refs + Cavs not letting @Raptors gain any momentum whatsoever.
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) May 7, 2017
Okay is it just me or do the @Raptors always get pounded by the refs? Horrible calls all the time! #nba #badcalls #confused
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) February 28, 2017
When you're feeling a little homesick…#rtz #wethenorth #raptors #basketball https://t.co/vDb7v42EOt
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) March 7, 2016
Can you even call yourself a true Canadian actor if you weren't on a Canadian teen drama at some point? (Yes, even you Ryan Gosling.) A few years ago, Massoud landed a recurring role in YTV's Open Heart as Jared Malik, a stern but well-meaning hospital employee.
Did we mention Massoud got the role of Jared just a few days after graduating university? That's what happens when you hustle.
Don't we all? In 2015, he told Defective Geeks that if he could be any superhero and have any powers he wanted, he would be Spider-Man but "have different colored Spider Suits depending on how I feel that day." We love Tom Holland, but if he ever decides to retire the Spidey Suit we definitely wouldn't be mad if Massoud stepped in to take over.


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It's being called an avocado-pocalypse. With rising prices, increased knowledge of the burdens both to farmers and to the environment of farming water intensive crops, and the impacts of the changing environment on all industry sectors, it is time to kiss the guac good-bye? Are avocadoes the tipping point in consumers waking up to the effects of climate change in their day-to-day regime, or are they the poster fruit for businesses and investors with their heads in the sand about the extent of weather risks in their portfolio? Any way you peel them, avocadoes are bringing attention to the contributors, risks, and mitigation strategies risk managers need to consider today.
It's being called an avocado-pocalypse. With rising prices, increased knowledge of the burdens both to farmers and to the environment of farming water intensive crops, and the impacts of the changing environment on all industry sectors, it is time to kiss the guac good-bye? Are avocadoes the tipping point in consumers waking up to the effects of climate change in their day-to-day regime, or are they the poster fruit for businesses and investors with their heads in the sand about the extent of weather risks in their portfolio? Any way you peel them, avocadoes are bringing attention to the contributors, risks, and mitigation strategies risk managers need to consider today.
They are calling it an avocado-pocalypse. Prices of the extremely trendy green fruit have sent shockwaves through hearts (and wallets) around the world. Recently touted as one of the world's healthiest food, full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium and vitamins B and E, avocados are no longer just the humble base for guacamole. Nowadays, they are spread on toasted bread, replace cheese in a variety of recipes, and are even incorporated into beauty routines as a moisturizer. It all got a bit too much for even the most ardent avocado fans when a video went viral earlier this year demonstrating how to prepare the (inedible) seeds for consumption.
But setting aside the fanatics, there is no denying that the creamy fruit has gone from exotic to mainstream in a very short period of time. The Hass Avocado Board (a non-profit marketing board for the most popular of avocados), which represents 95% of all avocados consumed in the United states, saw sales rise from just over 1 billion eaten in the US in the year 2000, to 4,25 billion by 2014. Aided by the lifting of import restrictions on fruit from Mexico, improved production methods, as well as their positive press for touting the "good kind of fat", avocados have remained popular despite averaging more than $1 per fruit at wholesale and much more when purchased as an "add-on" garnish at restaurants.
However, all this may be coming to an end, quickly. Amongst reports that avocado prices have doubled since 2015 in many regions, the Hass Avocado Board reports that shipments from Mexico to the United States this month have been almost half what they were last year. Several factors have continued to the gua-calamity. A recent growers' strike in Mexico by workers demanding better pay has been the biggest disruption to avocado imports. However, this may have just been the final straw on the avocado's short but sweet reign in the marketplace. In fact, it may be that the avocado will one day illuminate magazine covers next to the polar bear as the symbol for environmental damage and climate change, but also for businesses with their heads buried deeply in the sand about the business risks already being imposed by climate change around the world.
Avocadoes are famously ill-suited to changing climates- they are extremely sensitive to moisture, wind and temperature stresses, and scientists warned as far back as 2006 that there would be dire outcomes for crops in the years ahead. Avocadoes require about 1 million gallons per acre of avocado trees, yet California, which produces 80% of American-grown avocadoes is currently in the middle of what is predicted to be a decades-long mega drought. Chile also saw a record rise in avocado growers since the early 90s, with the crop covering 73,000 acres in 2014 there, and it too has not been able to keep up with the fruit's water demand. A mega-drought has been affecting some zones in Chile for over six years, but farmers in even the best of years in non-drought regions in Chile are forced to drill deeper and deeper wells, and plant on hillsides to avoid glacier runoff. Demand for avocadoes has simply outstripped supply, and taking into the record high temperatures being experienced around the world as a result of climate change, reason.
Two options exist for those who want to "save the guac". For those restaurants and supermarkets buying avocadoes from major wholesalers or cooperatives, there is little excuse for their recent skyhigh price hikes. They should have taken appropriate action to protect prices in the event of an input shortfall. Specifically, they should have hedged revenues to protect themselves in the event of a price drop or lower volumes collected, knowing that the volume collection of a plant production of a cooperative varies each year depending on weather conditions observed during the growing season and that insufficient raw materials collected have multiple impacts, including volumes sold, on cost optimization of processing, and transportation.
Alternatively, they could have covered themselves against rising prices for missing tonnes of commodities resulting from a failure of inputs. Or, wholesalers or cooperatives could have engaged in a system of delegated management for situations when they subject to a decline in the average price of the yield.
With the aid of a weather risk management specialist, the wholesaler or cooperative is compensated for production surcharges so as to ensure a stable revenue in performance and price. Their clients, including restaurateurs and pub owners, hotels, healthcare, supermarkets and others can therefore ensure they are protected from commodity price fluctuations. In turn, their customers are not affected by the vagaries of the market.
However, that is not to say that in the case of avocadoes, this problem is going away. Longer-term steps do need to be taken in the case of any enterprise with a long-term, and growing, weather risk. As has been demonstrated in the white paper, "The Impact of Climate Variability on the Private Sector: Reconciling Business and Climate Change Horizons", which modelled the impact of climate variability on the private sector, climate change is already making a significant impact in the profits of companies operating in sectors exposed to weather. Private industry, including companies and investors, must act immediately to manage the consequences of climate change. Not only can companies determine their exact weather sensitivity risk, but also their maximum potential losses as a result of climate change now and in the years to come.
With the results of a comprehensive weather risk assessment avocado farmers and their investors can take appropriate action to ensure that yield and quality is not affected by the changing climate such as by implementing adaptive measures to climate changes (eg. modifying sowing and harvesting times, crop types, and labour management practices) and investing in new agrotechnologies (eg. purchasing heat-tolerant crop varieties, and installing post-harvest storage facilities for a warmer climate). Or, one can simply admit that, despite how much we will miss it, it's simply time to kiss the guac good-bye and look to other more sustainable crops, investments and ventures.


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Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas
Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas
Education is not just literacy; textbooks are a means not an end; education is not only about getting a job - it is about being able to lead a happy and meaningful life.
In many ways, contemporary education has trapped us all in a set of unquestionable assumptions, which has led to frustration and unhappiness. In the world-view that is now dominant, there are only narrow definitions for 'development,' 'progress,' 'education, 'science' and 'modern'. Space for diversity is not really thought-oriented, but limited to craft melas, cultural shows and food festivals.
We feel it is important to challenge these assumptions and definitions. Notions about who is 'civilised', who is 'backward' or what is 'scientific' need to be viewed afresh. It is only then that we can have a Drishti (दृष्टि), a true perspective, of our society and its knowledge systems.
The Indian education system is a legacy of the colonial rule, and its overall framework has remained the same even 60 years after independence. This system impels the students to unthinkingly and unquestioningly accept the dominant world-view. It makes the youth dependent on the "other" for information, ideas, knowledge, understanding and decisions.
Such a "system" does not teach or encourage 'how' to think, but tells the student 'what' to think.
Such a 'utilitarian' mode of education sees its role as only making a person literate and equipping him or her with job-oriented skills. In contrast, the 'classical' view sees the role of education as the development of an individual beyond that required by his civic or vocational role. We at SIDH subscribe to the classical view and believe that education should not only help an individual acquire knowledge about self, society and environment but also help him or her to lead a happy life.
NGOs have a critical role to play in challenging dominant mindsets. There are many people, thinkers and activists who are trying to bring about fundamental changes in the education system. Our journey at SIDH, especially over the last few years, has really been about negotiating spaces, so as to help us in our search for relevant education.
Do join us.
SIDH works in the field of education, and mainly targets children, youth, teachers & local community.
SIDH is a partly funded organisation, moving towards financial independence.
SIDH activities include running schools, teachers training, workshops, youth programmes, research projects and publishing.
SIDH - Finding Purpose in Education
January 2012:
Pawan Gupta's speech on literacy vs. education at Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar.