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Table of Contents
As a borrower, you do have the authority to choose the best lender for your loan. But, the rate of interest applicable to it is decided by the lender only. You can not choose the rate but can make sure that you get the lowest or best home loan rates. Now, how can you do that? If you have all the documents as per the requirements and match the eligibility criteria set by the bank. Top banks such as State Bank of India has flexible criteria based on which they accept home loan applications.
In this article, we will help you go through some of the best home loan rates available in India. You may compare the rates by calculation EMIs based on the rate, loan amount and tenure to choose the suitable home loan bank for yourself.
What Are the Best Home Loan Rates In 2018?
Here are the housing loan interest rates of top 5 banks and NBFCs:
SBI- State Bank of India is the most trusted lender with the starting rate of interest for home loans as 8.35% per annum for women applicants and 8.40% per annum for other applicants.
HDFC Ltd- The home loan is disbursed at the present rate of interest starting from 8.35% per annum and goes up to 8.95% per annum.
LIC Housing Finance- The interest rate on a housing loan for variable loan amounts is mentioned below:
- Up to ₹1 lakh to 35 lakhs- 8.35% p.a. (for women) and 8.40% p.a. (for others)
- From ₹30 lakhs and ₹2 crores – 8.50% p.a. (for all)
- From ₹2 crore to ₹5 crores- 8.70% p.a. (for all)
Axis Bank- The home loan rate at Axis Bank is presently at 8.35% per annum onwards. The processing fee applicable to home loans is up to 1% of the loan amount plus applicable taxes that is GST.
Bank of Baroda- The interest rate on home loans starts from 8.30% per annum and goes up to 9.30% per annum.
How Much EMI Do Pay for Your Home Loan?
Monthly installments on a loan are calculated on the basis of the loan amount, tenure and interest rate. For the calculation, a home loan EMI calculator is the simplest tool. It can help you calculate EMIs within a few minutes. This tool would take into account the basic details of your home loan which are:
- Loan amount
- Tenure
- Interest rate
Now, when you mention the above details in the calculator, it would give you the data of the EMI, the total interest outgo, and the total amount (principal+interest). Here is an example of the loan amount ₹20 lakhs with the tenure of 15 years and interest rate of 8.35% p.a.
Total interest outgo: ₹15,13,480
Total amount: ₹35,13,480
Here is the formula to calculate the EMI or equated monthly installment:
E= P.r. (1+r)*n/((1+r)*n -1)
P=Principal loan amount
r= Rate of interest on a monthly basis (r= Annual rate of interest/12/100)
n=Loan tenure
Where and How Can You Apply for The Loan?
You can either apply online or offline depending on your suitability. The online procedure, however, is time-saving and beneficial. The benefits are that you can compare different deals before you finalize the lender. The other benefit is that you can apply as per your suitability. These two are very important factors in helping you make the right move. In the online process, you can choose the lender and then follow the procedure. You must have the documents required to apply for the loan.


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A major selling point for completing hybrid or bifurcated appraisals is that the appraiser will save a good deal of time by not inspecting the property, not taking photos of comparable sales, and not sitting in traffic. However, the notion that an appraiser could complete a hybrid/bifurcated appraisal in less than an hour is simply too good to be true. Below, we discuss realistic time expectations for completing these types of assignments. Then we outline four potential advantages of incorporating hybrid or bifurcated appraisals into your appraisal product offerings.
Take a deep dive into bifurcated appraisals with our new CE course: Best Practices for Completing Bifurcated and Hybrid Appraisals.
Too good to be true
Appraisers are regularly told by proponents of bifurcated and hybrid appraisals that the segregated work model is designed so that the signing appraiser can complete the valuation in less than 60 minutes. But in reality, the appraiser's research, data verification, analysis, development, and reporting are markedly similar to a traditional full appraisal.
An appraiser should realistically consider the time spent on the inspection process of a traditional full appraisal and compare it to a hybrid or bifurcated appraisal assignment for the same intended use, property type, definition and type of value, and the market area.
For instance, the time spent on a traditional full appraisal of a one-story tract home located in a subdivision within 15 miles of the appraiser's office for the purpose of mortgage lending takes 5 hours to complete, on average. The time allocated to inspecting the home, scheduling the appointment, taking photos of the comparable sales, and the time spent traveling to and from the home averages 1.5 hours. The remaining 3.5 hours is spent on completing the research, analysis, and reporting.
Thus, is it realistic to believe that a credibly developed appraisal can now be completed in 30 minutes? No. The development, analyses, and reporting will still take 70% of the time of a traditional full appraisal, and the appraiser should charge accordingly. In other words, it would make sense that the appraiser charges 70% of the typical average fee of a traditional full appraisal assignment for this assignment.
Benefits of hybrid and bifurcated appraisals
Now that we've set realistic expectations for the amount of research, analyses, development, and reporting involved, let's look at the potential advantages of completing hybrid or bifurcated appraisals.
Here are just a few potential benefits:
Bifurcated appraisals can be an excellent opportunity for supervisory appraisers to advance a trainee's experience on completing inspections.
Some appraisers may prefer to perform field work, while others prefer the analysis part of the appraisal process.
Appraisers who have mobility or health concerns, or those who want to semi-retire and complete appraisals without having to complete inspections, might find these products a good fit.
In other industries such as science, education, medical, and engineering, it is common for work to be bifurcated for achieving efficient and credible results. It makes sense that one appraiser inspects, measures, and photographs the property, an assistant verifies sale transactions and gathers publicly available data, and the appraiser reconciles and verifies the collected data, analyzes the data, and reports his or her conclusions.
Do you feel that bifurcated and hybrid appraisal services may be a viable and advantageous product to incorporate into your appraisal product offerings? Gain expertise in these types of assignments with our new CE course: Best Practices for Completing Bifurcated and Hybrid Appraisals.
Written by Jo Traut. Jo A. Traut is an appraisal curriculum and content specialist at McKissock Learning. She is a real estate appraisal and valuation compliance professional with over 20 years experience in residential appraising, operations management, risk analysis, quality assurance, and appraisal regulations.

subset: commoncrawl


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Select the menu category below. We offer a wide variety of Italian food for Dine-in and carryout at any of our 4 locations as well as for catering, banquets, and funeral luncheons. One taste, and we are sure you'll agree that when it comes to Italian food, Gatto's Restaurant and Bar is second to none.
Gluten Free Menu Items Available. Item Availability Varies By Location.
Elevate Your Next Dining Experience At Gatto's Italian Restaurants
Since 2000 we have been preparing our unique and flavorful Italian food from traditional homemade recipes. We believe our superior customer service and flavorful cuisine sets us apart from other Italian Restaurants in the area and we are confident that you will agree. Don't take our word for it though. Come and experience for yourself. At Gatto's Restaurant and Bar you arrive as friends, and leave as family!


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Some of San Antonio's biggest businesses and trade organizations are pushing back hard against the City's climate plan, with opposition prompting one City Council member to say he can't support a version of the plan that includes any new regulations or mandates.
At a City Council committee meeting Thursday, Councilmember Manny Pelaez (D8) said that in part because of opposition from businesses in his district that employ thousands of people, he cannot vote for the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan as it currently stands.
"If this were up for a vote today, I'd vote no on it," Pelaez told City Chief Sustainability Officer Doug Melnick at the Council committee meeting Thursday. "The difficulty for me is that, in my district, my three largest employers happen to be [car and truck dealerships], Valero, and NuStar. I know for a fact you don't have buy-in from those three big employers."
Remarks by Pelaez, San Antonio Manufacturers Association CEO Rey Chavez, and officials with the SA Auto Dealers association all paint a clearer picture of the outrage the City's proposed plan to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions citywide by 2050 is causing among some local businesses.
Chavez, whose more than century-old trade organization represents many of San Antonio's largest industrial employers, forwarded an email to Council members Thursday that called it "BS" that "many in city offices, city council and environmentalist [sic] believe climate change is real and that we're going to die."
Pelaez poked fun at parts of Chavez's "very, very odd" email, but he also criticized the climate plan for having "very high-minded, aspirational goals" while failing to make a business case for climate action.
"This is omitting or not giving due consideration to the cost issue, and the free market issue, and the consumer choice issue," Pelaez said. "I'm not sure that's an intellectually honest conversation if you're not having that part of the conversation too."
The plan states that in order for San Antonio to reduce its share of emissions in line with an international agreement known as the Paris Accord, the city as a whole must be taking in more greenhouse gases than it emits by 2050. That would mean, among many other things, no more coal or natural gas in CPS Energy's portfolio and a transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles on San Antonio roads within 30 years.
The Rivard Report reached out Thursday for comment on the plan and Pelaez's remarks from Valero and NuStar, both major energy companies headquartered in San Antonio. Lillian Riojas, Valero's director of media relations and communications, did not immediately answer questions emailed late Thursday.
Mary Rose Brown, NuStar's chief administrative officer, said in an email that NuStar executives are "concerned that there has been no significant analysis of the cost implications of the plan and their potential impact on the city, local businesses, our economy, and most importantly, on the citizens of San Antonio."
"While we are continuing to analyze the study, we expressed our initial concerns to Councilman Pelaez and Mayor [Ron] Nirenberg and we appreciate their willingness to slow down the process to allow the time needed for the entire community to understand the plan and to have meaningful dialogue before the plan is finalized," Brown continued.
The Rivard Report also reached out earlier this week to Andeavor, a locally headquartered energy logistics, marketing, and refining company that recently merged with Marathon Petroleum. An Andeavor spokesperson declined to comment on the plan.
A no vote from Pelaez would put the climate plan's passage on shakier ground. Councilman and mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse (D6) and Councilman Clayton Perry (D10) are also unlikely to vote for the plan.
Pelaez is an attorney who was Toyota's first local hire when the car company started working towards its manufacturing site in south San Antonio. He also served as chair of the board in charge of Brooks City Base, a former military base turned mixed-use development on the South Side.
In his remarks on Thursday that critiqued the plan, Pelaez also criticized some business leaders, though not by name. He said that some he spoke with have not even read the 84-page document.
"I do challenge them," he said. "I'll tell them, 'Tell me which page offends you the most of this climate adaptation plan.' And then they'll break down and tell me, 'Well, I've never read it.' But they're still very offended because they know it's full of hippie stuff. That's what they say. They show up to the table with their own biases."
Brown said that NuStar leadership "have now reviewed the plan extensively" and also attended a San Antonio Chamber of Commerce meeting to "better understand its contents and its potential implications."
"Our analysis is continuing, but we do hope to be involved in meaningful dialogue before the plan is finalized," she said.
Pelaez said the plan is "troublesome" without the buy-in of many local businesses, many of which have improved life in San Antonio. He cited the example of NuStar and the company Chairman Bill Greehey's support for the homeless shelter Haven For Hope.
"It makes it difficult to explain to their employees, 'Thanks for making San Antonio great – here's a plan that completely discounts all your efforts," Pelaez said. "I'm sensitive to that. I have to be sensitive to that because they're my constituents."
Pelaez also shared with the Rivard Report a letter signed by SA Automobile Dealers Chair Lee Willis and President Pamela Crail that criticized the climate plan for its lack of information on economic impacts.
"The climate plan has lofty goals, but the plan does not address the feasibility of achieving these goals," the letter states. "One of the goals is transitioning to carbon-free vehicles. … However, there is no discussion in the [climate plan] of the current state of the market demand for such a transition."Chavez's email included, among other links, a YouTube link to a video by a group called Clear Energy Alliance titled "Is Putin Funding Eco-Activists?" The video laid out an argument for the Russian premier's financial support for American environmentalists.
"So if you've got any Vladimir Putin money, I'd like a piece of that," Pelaez told Melnick, jokingly.
In a Thursday interview with the Rivard Report, Chavez clarified that he's not saying that Putin is funding local environmental activists, though he did question where their funding comes from.
Chavez did assert that climate scientists are pursuing an agenda of global warming to get grant funding.
"There are so many, many people, scientists, and Nobel folks, that are saying this global warming is being thrown out of context," Chavez said. "This is not true. It's being manipulated, and you hear of U.S. scientists putting in for more grant money to study the climate because it's job security."
A recent report involving 12 federal agencies and more than 350 individual scientists concluded that human-caused climate change is already causing "more frequent and intense extreme weather" and shifts in average climate conditions across the U.S.
Chavez was originally tapped to be a member of the steering committee that helped guide the development of the climate plan over most of 2018. In his email to councilmembers and in the interview, Chavez said that he attended three meetings before deciding to pull out of the process, which he said had been completely co-opted by environmentalists.
"It was very apparent to me that the only people that were running the committees if you may, the higher voices, were the environmentalists, and that kind of concerned me and some of my colleagues from other organizations," Chavez said in the interview. "They kept on getting voted down."
Councilman Rey Saldaña (D4) said that Chavez's leaving the committee "doesn't tell me that there was a good … effort as a stakeholder providing his input to make sure that his constituency was happy. They just pulled out."
Saldaña called the climate plan a "framework," not a "set of mandates" and compared it to the city's comprehensive planning effort SA Tomorrow.
"I think this comes with a heightened sense of attention or even controversy," Saldaña said. "Folks immediately are running to their corners, but I would support it today because the philosophy on this is not far from where community members to go. … We want to be adaptive and resilient."
Saldaña also pointed to examples of the oil and gas industry supporting cities in their climate action plan. For example, CenterPoint Energy and Shell are providing financial and other support to Houston in that city's development of a climate action plan.
Chavez said that with taxes, fees, ordinances and other costs on businesses mounting, San Antonio businesses "can't take any more."
"They're being mandated how to run their businesses by individuals who have never run a business, who have never cut a check, who have never managed people, yet they tell you they know best how to tell you to run your business," Chavez said. "[Businesses are] being hit by property taxes. They're being hit by ordinances. … How much more can you hit them with? They're already taking care of their employees with health care plans. They're providing insurance and retirement programs. If you hit them with more stuff like this, what are they going to do? They're going to leave."
Pressed on whether a large employer would actually leave San Antonio if the city passes the climate plan, Chavez drew a distinction between major companies and smaller businesses.
"I talk to the big boys, the CPS Energys, the Toyotas, the H-E-Bs, the Valeros and all that," he said. "They can absorb that, and they've got great programs. And they're doing super jobs. But what about the small and the medium-sized businesses?"
Chavez also said he's concerned about the climate plan's impact on everyday citizens.
"What about those folks that are not going to be able to afford it?" he said. "They're going to have to make a decision: Do I buy groceries or do I pay my electric bill? What if they don't run their air conditioner during the summer and it's hot? I don't want people to die."
Pelaez said that none of the thousands of constituents he has spoken to recently during his re-election campaign have mentioned climate as an issue for them. He said he would be able to support a plan that was comprised of incentives without mandates, which he called "all carrot, no stick."
Saldaña said he doesn't think that a plan that only relies on incentives with zero mandates will do an adequate job of responding to the causes and effects of climate change. He used the example of federal fuel standards that have led to more efficient vehicles.
"We're saying that as a city, we're seeing the curve of technology, and we just want to be prepared for it," Saldaña said. "Talking out loud and creating a plan is not anything that should put the death nail in any private industry or developer, it simply calls them to the table to discuss ways that they can be part of a resilient San Antonio."


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30 days of sundresses and there were SO MANY fantastic ideas this year I can't believe I am included in this amazing group of women.
I had so many ideas flowing when I first received the invitation. I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go. Remember last year? My tied in a bow maxi for my expecting days. Was that only last summer? WOW it feels like so long ago.
Keeping with tradition I choose to share another maxi dress this year, but this time it is for my little Lizzy bug. I actually based my dress off of Violette Field Threads ginger dress pattern. Who doesn't love a pattern remix? I love their patterns and the ginger top/dress is one of my favorites. But of course, I added my own little twist just to make it one of a kind. Elizabeth is in love with long dresses so this was an easy choice.
I actually found the fabric for the dress in my mother-in-laws fabric stash. A good size piece in fact. (Sorry I don't have the exact measurements of the piece.) I started with the skirt portion. My daughter is 38" tall. You will have to adjust to fit your model. My skirt pieces were 36" long and 29" wide. (2 pieces). I laid the pieces out on a flat surface and started the pintuck pleats. 7 inches from the top I created 6 pleats each measuring 2" wide.
The best way I have found is to measure, pin in place, iron down, flip the flap up, sew along the ironed line, flip the flap back down and press flat.
Repeat for all 6 pleats on the front and 6 more for the back.
I followed the instructions for the remainder of the dress, just make sure to match up your pleats for the front and back of the skirt so that they are even all around the dress. The only other adjustment I made was adding length to the straps. I made the straps 2x as long for a nice full bow in the back.
This dress turned out better than I had hoped for. I love the pleats, it gives the dress a lot more body and flow. And the print and colors are perfect for a season of teals, turquoise, and mint. Of course little Lizzy loves her new LONG DRESS too. I can't stop her from twirling in it.
Thanks again to Melissa from Melly Sews and all the other Sundress contributors. I sure have added a lot of sundresses on my to make list.


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Hawaii Pacific Weed Risk Assessment: 8, High Risk
Regulatory Status: None
Prevention and Control Category: BIISC Target Species, MoMISC Target Species
Report this species if seen on Molokai
Albizia Strategic Plan:
On January 18, 2018, the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) voted to approve a strategic plan to address albizia statewide. The purpose of this strategic plan is to provide large-scale objectives and a framework to minimize the impacts of albizia on the environment, human health, and infrastructure by:
- Describing statewide impacts of albizia
- Summarizing available control methods
- Recommending directions for future research on detection and control methodologies
- Supporting and encouraging the development of site-specific management plans
- Identifying priorities for HISC funding to support research, detection, and control efforts.
- Large tree up to 150ft tall
- Extremely fast growing, up to 15 ft per year
- Prone to "sudden limb shear" or "sudden branch drop." This phenomenon is defined as the sudden failure and collapse of live branches with no sign of physical weakness, and without apparent cause.
- Produces large quantities of wind dispersed seeds
- Capable of altering an entire ecosystem by increasing soil nitrogen levels
- Quickly outcompetes and shades out native Hawaiian forest plants
- Reduces habitat quality for native bird species
- Fallen trees and limbs can block roads, and waterways
- Fallen trees and limbs can cause damage infrastructure and property
- Large trees are costly to remove
- Kauai: Widespread
- Oahu: Widespread
- Maui: Widespread with restricted populations in West Maui
- Molokai: No current infestations known.
- Lanai: Relatively small populations located centrally
- Kahoolawe: None known.
- Big Island: Widespread
For more information
- Albizia Information Datasheet from CABI
- Albizia Information from HEAR
- Albizia Information from ISSG
- Albizia FAQ from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee
- Big Island Invasive Species Committee Community Control Program
- Elevated enzyme activities in soils under the invasive nitrogen-fixing tree Falcataria moluccana
- Impacts of Falcataria moluccana Invasion on Decomposition in Hawaiian Lowland Wet Forests: The Importance of Stand-level Controls
- Albizia Removal Project at the University of Hawaii Lyon Arboretum


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June 30, 2010
I prefer my crow served warm, smothered in Cholula sauce.
So, the other day, I admitted Disney Defeat and bought the goddamned Tinkerbell movie. Anjali is completely enchanted with that wee sprite. As Anjali says, "Mama! She wears GREEN and she has WINGS and she can FLY and so can her FRIENDS." To which I reply, "Give anyone enough PCP and that will happen". Deaf ears, I am telling you. DEAF EARS. However! As I am completely enchanted with Anjali herself, the other day, I found myself with my forked tail between my legs when I exposed myself for the sad, deluded hypocrite that I am as I duly surrendered my credit card to the sullen teenager at Best Buy. Enchantment? Why yes, pass that shit around.
As Anjali tumbles down a Disney-infested rabbit hole, Nintendo has tightened its steely grasp around Arun. Who needs friends (or a life) when you have Mario? When he is not playing Super Mario Bros, he is an avid student watching You Tube videos of equal-minded gaming geeks playing the game while offering instruction. Each morning, he stumbles to his laptop, logs on and gets going (and yes, he has his own laptop - a freebie we won. We are a Household of Technology around here. And yes, I get a variety of reactions on the matter.) He is even watching the old, low-pixellated versions of Mario clips from the days of yore known as Super Nintendo- respect the vintage, dude. In fact, we have Mario in 3 different incarnations - mid 90s era Gameboy, Nintendo 64 and of course, the Wii.
Speaking of the Wii, I tweeted yesterday:
Last night, Manoj took the kids to the pool (anyone else snickering at South Park past references to "kids" and the "pool"? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
Anyway! The garage door was still going down as I scrambled to jam the Harry Potter game into the Wii. And...... Oh MY. This game rocks. Great animation, stellar scenery, easy to operate and...and! they use the same music from the movies. Score! (or Gooooal!! ?)
Last night, I casually mentioned to Manoj that a new Legos game had been released but I am not sure how much longer I can keep my new love affair a secret.
Question of the day!
What is your policy/stance/opinion on technology and kids? If your kids are playing video games, etc, how do you set time limits? Are you more relaxed during the summer? Arun's laptop is set up in our dining room and that situation will not be changing for long, long, long time. I don't see myself letting my kids hide in their rooms with televisions or computers. Never say never, but I really want that stuff out in our common areas.
6 comments:
- Dee said...
Zach has gotten really interested in video games over the last 6 months or so. Between his Leapster, my old Gameboy Advance, the original NES, the Gamecube and the Wii, he is getting a lot of screen time in these days. It is somewhat limited by the fact that we are rarely home long enough to play, but he still manages to find some time. He just got the new Toy Story 3 game for the Wii and I'm dying to get my hands on it!
As far as TV's and computers, they are out in the open - not in the kids' bedroom for sure. They do have a TV in the playroom, but it is in an open area as well and can only be used for dvd's and video games (no cable).
- kristen said...
As long as Caleb would still rather go outside and play than watch t.v. (he doesn't game yet)I try not to worry about setting limits. When he starts whining to turn on the t.v. I figure he has had too much and we leave it off for a while.
I'm with you on the bedroom thing. I don't intend to have t.v.'s or computers in the bedrooms. That stuff is for common areas. But best intentions....
- Dee said...
Oh, and by the way, the Tinkerbell movies are among my favorite of the "girly" Disney movies. That Tinkerbell is one tough cookie. (My son is rather fond of them as well.)
- Olivia said...
We haven't developed much of a stance on technology for our children, but our one year old daughter loves to watch videos on you tube and play with the tv remote. And there's no fooling her with a non-working remote. She knows thing makes the other thing change pictures.
Frankly, I'm not too worried about it. I think we will keep the computers and tvs out of their bedrooms, but I don't have a problem with them starting early.
- Mamma Sarah said...
Our kids ditch tv, games, anything techno for the outside in a heartbeat. Alex loves "playing" the gameboy advance (watching mario race mostly), but not that big into games (yet). Kenzie loves her TV time... she's a veg like I like to be, but she plays super hard too...
With all that said... at work we are partners with a group so here's the plug with some good guidelines to follow with kids: 5-2-1-NA http://www.getupmc.org/get-up-get-fit/5-2-1-almost-none/
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Never heard of such a good post until finally I came upon this website Sanggarhost.com Web Hosting Gratis, Murah, Terbaik dan Berkualitas di Indonesia, so
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Photography at Cannes Lions - The International Festival of Creativity
Advertising awards at Cannes
Every year in mid-June the biggest names in the marketing, advertising and tech industries worldwide descend on a small coastal town in the South of France.
Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is the world's most prestigious and famous advertising awards event, and has grown into a week-long celebration of international creativity.
My experience at Cannes
I have been working Cannes Lions as a photographer for the last 8 years and am one of the Festival's most experienced photographers.
I cover events and talks and portraiture of VIP guests, speakers and delegates. I even cover some of the parties. I usually have access the Palais des Festivals and all the event stages with a press pass, so can shoot pictures and videography of everything that happens there.
Booking and prices for 2022
I start planning for Cannes Lions in early March, and do get booked up by past and new clients very quickly, so if you wish to book me for your talk or event in 2022, please contact me as early as possible to avoid disappointment. I'm available for shoots in Cannes between Saturday 18th June to Friday 24th June.
My Cannes rates are £325 for the first hour, £150 for each subsequent hour, £750 for a half day (four hours) and £1,300 for a full day (8 hours).


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Today, I was walking with a friend who is a little overweight and saw first hand what she had to put up with. As we were waiting on the corner to cross the street, two guys in a car slowed down and called her a "fat pig" - and then made "moo" sounds. I was horrified as she broke down into tears.
I told the jerks to keep driving and they sped off.
I felt so bad for her. She told me that she gets made fun of all the time for being heavy. She called it fat shaming.
So I am wondering, has anyone here ever been fat shamed?
Those two idiots are insensitive and stupid to boot! Fat pigs don't make "moo" sounds!
Women have it harder than men and we are expected to look like models. Media has a big role to play in this. The Dove company and other sites are trying to turn this around.
Hi, Stacie,
Thanks and wow that video has a powerful message!
Time was, I was given the name of "Big Un," by a grade school teacher and most of my classmates. But I was so happy to be what I thought was "accepted" into an all-city school system being that I came from a rural school, that I thought these jerks liked me.
Yes, I said jerks. Insensitive, lacking of compassion. This was in 1965. Now its 2016, the scars from these comments still exist.
Horrible, Ken. Truly. Interesting how words haunt us so many years later.
misterhollywood, thanks, my friend, for the understanding. But to top that and I promise to NOT further this topic.
What makes this even worse is that Hamilton, AL., is a small, ruralistic "Mayberry" of a town and all know all and all about all. I see these same jerks who were so ugly to my friends and I who did not have a choice but to merge with the city school system when the rural schools were discontinued by the "powers that be" the Alabama Dept. of Education, but at the least, "we" got a taste of what the African-Americans felt when they went into the white schools. Awful is not the word to describe being tormented verbally almost each day by teachers and students whose parents were rich and had pull with our school board. Politics at its worst.
I can't even imagine. Wow that's powerful. I'm sure they would have loved my tribe - the gays lol.
Women are routinely fat shamed if they are beyond a size 8. There are women who consider themselves fat if they are a size 10! This obsession with thinness is the reason why so many women have eating disorders. Not everyone is a size 8. There are beautiful plus size women out there. Melissa McCarthy & Gabourey Sidibe are plus sized- people can fat shame them all they want but they can counter back with a PUNCH! Melissa & Gabourey aren't ASHAMED- they are QUITE HAPPY where they ARE!
I know a very pretty girl: 5'9" and size 8. She looked into modeling and they told her she would be a plus size model Ridiculous.
Plus size at SIZE 8, beyond unbelievable! This shouldn't surprise because there is a SIZE 0, believe it or not. Size 0!!!!!
haha! I was wondering the same thing: a pig doesn't make "moo" sound!
I know, right? But remember these were ignorant jerks that wouldn't know a pig from a cow. lol.
Judging and shaming people because of appearances is just not a cool thing to do. It shows a great lack of respect and compassion for individuals who can be the most respectful and compassionate people anyone could know. Some of my closest friends in life have been obese.
Personally, I have been told I am skinny and have chicken legs by people who were heavy, but I never felt the need to call them something in reference to their appearances. I maintain my weight with diet and exercise.
People must get some sense of comfort, power or pleasure from shaming others that I don't understand, otherwise I don't think they would do that. Its like a Beavis & Butt-head mentality.
How insensitive of them! Yep, I've been called fat in the past. People should realize that there's so much more about a person other than looks. And fat is not equal to ugly. I've seen and met some really awesome plus size people. They mostly have really great sense of humor, I must say.
Yes WE do. Okay, okay, I am out of the closet-yes I am a plus size woman. PLUS SIZE. Progressed from chubby, overweight, now plus size. Accepted & even proud of my plus factor.
I wish more people had this attitude. My friend seems to be trying to work on this. Thanks for sharing.
haha! And confident!
There's really nothing to be ashamed about it. I'm chubby. Always been. And I'd rather be a bit chubby than skinny. It's not the chubby/overweight/plus sized people that should be ashamed of their bodies. Those who try to body shame others should be ashamed of themselves.
There is a movement to blame overweight people for their lifestyle choice (being overweight) and the resulting drain on the healthcare system. The argument goes: being overweight is bad for your health, causes high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease etc... Skinnies that are also fat haters say they don't want to subsidize the healthcare of those who chose to make themselves ill by eating too much.
It is very similar to the blame smokers get for having smoking related health issues, those that don't smoke resent smokers for getting cancer, strokes or heart disease and the associated cost to cure them. As a result smokers are punished with sin taxes on their smokes that double the cost of smoking and are forced to smoke in the woods, far away from any public buildings.
Similarly overweight people have to pay for a second seat on airlines and are judged by a segment of society as being unable to control themselves, and therefore unable to be effective employees etc...
This is NOT a knock on fat people who are this way not by choice, but to those overweight people who COULD stop eating, not exercising, etc., and get a healthy lifestyle . . .my only question is: "Is there not a limit to how much a person can eat, sleep, and seldom exercise and weigh?" Just wondering.
The mind body spirit connection must be considered. When a person is overweight it has to do with both physical and mental/spiritual causes. Hormones come into play and strongly influence eating habits. Food is also comfort for many. Perhaps it starts in early childhood when the baby did not get enough nursing time.
Fat shaming is horrible and no one should go there. We need to accept everyone. As they are.
Most people who have excess weight just cannot help it. Do you think they are happy about it? No. Everyday they struggle with their weight issues. What to eat and NOT eat. What to wear. How to be. We can help them find solutions without blaming, ridiculing and cajoling. And in the end if a person who is carrying around a lot of weight can't lose it, that's okay because they can adjust and just be happy with it. Why would anyone want to interrupt their happiness and joy of life? A lifetime is too short to focus on just the physical. If Obama care is causing others to point fingers, thats horrible. Get rid of it, I say. (but, also the fingers.)
Hi, Kathryn,
You bring up a lot of valid points in your post. I not only agree with you, but I too, (formerly) struggled with weight and such. But last November, I had to stay an entire week in a hospital to get help for Congestive Heart Failure. The doctors pumped off 57 pounds of fluid in and around my heart and chest.
Thank God there were not blockages in my heart when the Heart Cath was administered, but my eating habits and material has drastically changed. No more junk food, sweets, etc. I am on the Mediterranean Diet and the things on this plan has helped me to drop 108 pounds and my heart is back up to its workable percentage as it was when I was admitted to the hospital.
I also got more active than I used to be and I hope you, Kathryn, were not offended at my post--I was not bashing overweight people, but asking to the overweight who COULD help themselves with exercise and sensible heating but do not choose this as a help.
I fully-relate to those who are overweight without choice. I am sure, as you do too, these have deeper issues to solve than just dieting.
No, but I was skinny shamed for many years. I have been chunky, I have been a stick, I have been society's opinion of healthy, and I have been "thick". Personally I prefer thick.
I have a thyroid disorder, if I am not careful, and I mean extremely careful I will be overweight. But for some reason when I was a teen and first half of my 20's I was beyond a stick figure. I am 5'5 and weighed 90-95 pounds. It wasn't because I didn't eat, I ate constantly, but no matter what I never gained weight.
My thyroid was acting backwards based on what it should have been. I got called a crackhead on a few occasions, told several times I needed to eat (as if I wasn't), and asked if I had an eating disorder.
Even now, as a size 7 (yes I still wear junior sizing because I like how it fits better than women's sizing) I get that look from over weight women. God forbid I go somewhere like fishing and do it in a bikini top. I actually overheard a couple larger sized women say I was attention seeking this past weekend.
I say all this to prove a point. We women are damned if we do and damned if we don't, but one reality, it IS women's fault. We shame each other for anything and everything, treat each other horribly, and generally are jealous hateful creatures. Nothing will change until women start to treat each other better!
I've heard of muscle shaming with female body builders so this makes sense. Sorry you had to endure this - truly.
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2011 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
Want a little Dodge Viper in your Challenger? Well, Mopar (Chrysler's performance division) has obliged.
If you have almost $90K ($85,512 to be exact) you can get the 2011 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, which has a Viper V-10 under the hood. The 8.4-liter V-10 isn't exactly the same as the engine in the outgoing Viper, but it's pretty similar. Exact power numbers aren't available.
Other drag-strip goodies include a solid rear axle, a fuel cell, upgraded rear-end gears, an interior gauge package, and a two-speed automatic transmission that is race-prepped.
Options are limited to a Competition Package (eight-point roll cage, six-point safety harness, and mesh-window net), a Mopar logo body wrap, and a choice of exterior paint colors.
If you want one of these race-ready Challengers, you'd better act fast--only 70 will be built. Production won't start until 2011, but Mopar.com is taking orders now.


text:
Fashion Nails Saloon
Completely customize your fingernails at this full-service salon. Choose the nail shape, the polish color, stickers, and even rings and bracelets. Use the same color on every nail or mix it up. Play again and again for countless possibilities.
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Brussels Declaration on ADPKD one year on
Posted: 10 March 2016 | | No comments yet
EAF experts have issued a collaborative letter to over 350 European decision makers celebrating the year one progress of the Brussels Declaration on ADPKD…
On World Kidney Day, leading experts from the European ADPKD Forum (EAF) today issue a collaborative letter to over 350 European decision makers celebrating the year one progress of the Brussels Declaration on ADPKD, while calling for urgent backing from policy makers to reduce the widespread inequalities and variations in care that remain.
ADPKD is a complex genetic kidney disease; approximately half of people diagnosed will progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and require a kidney transplant or dialysis by the age of 54.
The Brussels Declaration on ADPKD is an EU policy action plan launched by the EAF (an international, multidisciplinary faculty of genetics experts, kidney specialists and patient group representatives) in 2015 alongside the report 'Translating science into policy to improve ADPKD care in Europe'.
A year after its launch, the Declaration has been unanimously endorsed by 30 leading organisations including the European Association of Urology, European Kidney Health Alliance and European Society for Paediatric nephrology. In addition, strides have been made on moving Europe closer towards the development of multidisciplinary pathway models to ensure that patients have access to appropriate expertise at each stage of care.
"Great progress"
Tess Harris, PKD International and co-chair of the EAF comments: "Great progress has been made in the last year. This World Kidney Day, we want to thank the 30 organisations which have backed the Declaration, but our efforts are by no means finished. ADPKD is still a silent and forgotten disease and patients still experience health inequalities and widespread variations in care. The EAF want more people to be aware of this disease and fight for better care. This can only be achieved through sustained and coordinated efforts led by the EAF and our endorsers, together with the backing of the MEPs we have called on today, who have the power to implement policies that will make a genuine difference to patients' lives."
Dr Richard Sandford, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK and co-chair of the EAF, added: "ADPKD is a chronic, progressive, painful and debilitating disease in which cysts grow in the kidneys and other organs – leading to kidney failure and ultimately dialysis, transplant or even death. For most, it has a profound and often under-recognised impact on the lives of affected adults, children and families. Despite this, there are no standardised care pathways or guidelines on its management and no consensus on the optimal way to predict outcomes for these patients – meaning that thousands are being sub-optimally managed. This represents a significant burden to patients, their families and wider healthcare systems and is the reason why we are calling on MEPs for their support to improve standards."
The Brussels Declaration on ADPKD outlines key recommendations for the development of care models, greater networking of specialist treatment centres and increased collaboration between medical specialists and patient representatives to improve services and access to innovative treatments and research across Europe. One year on, both the Declaration and report have been translated into nine languages and over 5,000 copies have been distributed across Europe, leading to the establishment of national multi-stakeholder ADPKD initiatives in Spain and France.


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Harvey J. Sugerman
2004-05 ASMBS President
A Tribute to Harvey Sugerman, MD
Most Important Event
Redirecting the focus of the organization to quality analysis and improvement, and the creation of the journal "Surgery of Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD);" now the official journal of the ASMBS.
During my Presidency, I emphasized the importance of Quality Analysis and Improvement (QAI) in patient care. It was during this year that the Centers of Excellence programs came into fruition. A Fellowship in the ASMBS was created for all members, including those who were not eligible for Center accreditation in the plan that they would submit data for QAI evaluation, the goal being to improve the quality of care throughout our field. This aspiration now seems to be coming closer to fruition through the new combined ASMBS and ACS center accreditation. It was also during this year that SOARD was established with myself as the Editor-in-Chief. The start of a new journal is a challenge – providing quality articles. But over the course of time, the quality of manuscript submissions has steadily improved so that we now have an acceptance rate of only 50% and half of our manuscripts are now coming from outside of the U.S and our impact factor has risen to over 4.1, placing SOARD as # 8 of all surgical journals, just below the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) and the British Journal of Surgery.
The development of the ASMBS was very important for the field of bariatric surgery. At the beginning there was an emphasis on an academic approach by a few of us (myself, Pat O'Leary, John Halverson, and John Kral) to the field as many of us suffered from outright discrimination from our own colleagues. However, over the course of time we bariatric surgeons have shown the effectiveness of surgically induced weight loss, initially with the effects of paired pre- and post-weight reduction studies on numerous obesity co-morbidities, and more recently with Level I, randomized control trials. Perhaps, with time, there will be a greater acceptance by the insurance industry that support of this surgery will not only improve our patients' lives and longevity, but ultimately decrease the cost of healthcare.
Harvey J. Sugerman, MD


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With a final breath of air, I descend beneath the surface among swaying kelp and flying sea lions. I'm in search of a creature that has eluded me for many years. As a freediver, I've met the humbling gaze of a tiger shark and tossed around seaweed with playful wild spotted dolphins. But I've never faced the puckered lips and buggy eyes of the whimsical Mola mola — a fish that can reach the weight of an adult rhinoceros.
Biologists have affectionately described Mola, or ocean sunfish, as a "a swimming head." And while they seem to just float aimlessly at the surface, scientists are finding that these fish — which occupy a crucial evolutionary link in the fish family— are actually warming up after epic daily treks into deep water.
A testament to this bizarre nature, a viral video of the sunfish circulated in September of 2015. The expletive-shouting Boston fisherman is unsure if he's witnessing a baby whale or sea turtle, two seemingly dissimilar animals. He's not the only one.
These fish live off the California coast and around the world in temperate and tropical areas. But many people have never heard of them, let alone seen one.
Mola mola are not endangered and not eaten in the United States. In fact, females can produce up to 300 million eggs, more than any other bony fish. But the hapless fish ends up tangled in fishing nets, as bycatch for more valuable target species. They make up the largest bycatch component (29 percent) in the California drift-gillnet swordfish fishery.
So why does it matter if Mola mola are caught in mesh nets?
Mola are pelagic, which means they live in the open ocean. Like humans, and many other fish, they have a bony internal skeleton. Sharks and rays, however, have a cartilaginous skeleton. According to some scientists, mola could provide a missing link to understand their open ocean neighbors animals, like sharks.
"Sunfish are one of the most advanced bony fish, but they have a lot in common with cartilaginous fish. What they have in common may be adaptive to pelagic life and to study it may lead to solve evolution of pelagic species," says Itsumi Nakamura, a biologist at the University of Tokyo.
Mola have lost the calcium carbonate that makes their skeleton hard, so it's more like a shark skeleton, says Christopher Lowe, a professor of marine biology at Cal State Long Beach State. Also like sharks, they lack a swim bladder that helps most bony fish stay afloat. Being lighter means using less energy, which is important when you are searching for hard to find and low calorie dinner items, common for deep-sea eaters, he says.
Nakamura has studied the fish since 2009 and recently revealed mysteries of their strange behavior. Mola are often seen just lounging at the surface, he says. But new research published in the Journal of Animal Ecology from Nakamura and his team have found that mola actually make daily treks to the deep sea more than 2,600 feet beneath the surface — a place reserved for creatures like giant squid and diving sperm whales.
Scientists have actually known mola dive deep for years. In fact, Lowe was one of the first scientists to track mola back in 2004. He speculated their diving behavior was related to regulating body temperature, but at the time scientists lacked the tools to test it, he says.
Nakamura and his team "did a really nice job of demonstrating that, using appropriate new technology," says Lowe.
With the help of local fisherman in Funakoshi Bay, Nakamura's team caught sunfish and outfitted them with thermometers, accelerometers, and video cameras.
Though they can reach 2,600 feet, most trips throughout the day averaged between 350-600 feet. Mola returned to warm surface waters in between dives. This sunbathing behavior regulates their body temperature, and allows them to stay at depth longer, concludes Nakamura. It may also explain their large size. Larger sunfish can hunt longer and lose heat at slower rates than smaller ones, he says.
So why journey to the dark and deep?
They are eating jellyfish-like creatures, called siphonophores, says Nakamura. And it turns out, after observing the camera from one mola, they might be dining on the most nutritious part of the animals- their sex organs.
"Of course I was surprised, because it is very novel that they eat only calorie rich parts of the jellyfish," he says.
Relaxing at the surface has another benefit for the sunfish; it's a trip to the spa. Mola line up at cleaning stations, while smaller fish peck parasites from their body. For a more thorough cleaning, mola swim to the surface and seagulls jab through their flesh, feasting on parasitic worms.
"They are a treasure trove for parasitologists," says Lowe.
Nakamura isn't alone in his quest to understand the mola mola. Scientists are still trying to fill in the gaps for this under-studied species.
This study demonstrates that mola are temperature sensitive, say Lowe. Global climate change and warming oceans will change their behavior and the distribution of their prey The question is, how? he asked.
Tierney Thys has studied the mola for over 15 years and is researching everything from their vision and diving behavior, to pollutant levels. She recently published results from the first long-term tagging study of mola mola in the eastern Pacific in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. They tagged 15 mola mola off the coast of southern California between 2003 and 2010. Of the 15 tagged individuals, four made dives greater than 1600 feet.
It seems California mola are also diving deep. And last year, a lucky southern California native met a mola mola in the open sea.
Ryan Brennan is the owner of a BMX bike show company, is a spearfisherman, and a freediver. He was headed 18 miles offshore on a foggy morning to go fishing with three friends. Still groggy from the 5:00 a.m. wake up call, he jumped into blue water. Like the Boston fisherman, Brennan had no idea what he was witnessing.
"One of my first thoughts was, wow this one of the ugliest fish I have ever seen," says Brennan.
But Brennan spent time in the water, watching and observing the fish. And now, seeing the fish again is what he yearns to do the most, he says.
"I saw the eyeball looking at me," he says. "The more I looked into the animal, I realized it's really beautiful."
Eventually the fish took off. And Brennan was surprised by how fast it moved.
"They are unbelievably athletic, even though they don't look that way," says Lowe.
The evidence is clear: the mola mola is more than just a lazy sun-bather. And while I have yet to meet one, I'll continue weaving through kelp forests to find the "swimming head."
Bethany Augliere is a journalist in the science communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She holds a master's degree in marine biology from Florida Atlantic University. For more of her work, visit her website or follow her on Twitter @BethanyAugliere.


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Construction Services
Determining Bidder Responsibility
Volume 5, Chapter 4
This chapter sets forth University policy regarding bidder "responsibility" and addresses the four methods of determining responsibility:
- Standard bidding document requirements
- Prequalification
- Qualification
- Disqualification
- Public Contract Code, State of California, Sections 10500-10506.
The term "responsible," as applied to bidders, has its origin in Public Contract Code, Section 10501, and in University policy. The code and policy both require that contracts "be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder" (see 1.1). A "responsible" bidder is one who is able to satisfactorily perform the work. A contract does not have to be awarded to the lowest bidder if that bidder is not responsible, as determined by the University.
The bid, itself, must also be "responsive"; that is, the form and content of the bid must meet the requirements of the bidding documents (see 7.1). A contract does not have to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, if that bidder's bid is nonresponsive.
University procedure is to use (1) standard bidding document requirements, (2) prequalification, (3) qualification, or (4) disqualification to determine the responsibility of a contractor or subcontractor or their intention to bid on University construction contracts.
The application of standard, predetermined responsibility requirements in the bidding documents is the most frequently used method of determining bidder "responsibility." If bidders cannot meet these requirements, they should not submit a bid. Any submitted bid not meeting these responsibility requirements is declared nonresponsive (see 7.1).
The University's construction documents contain the following predetermined responsibility requirements:
- State of California Contractor's License demonstrates minimum knowledge and experience to perform the work.
- Bonds verify financial capacity.
- Insurance shows that an insurance company is willing to assume certain contractor risks.
Prequalification may be used with any contracting mode (see FM4) and is usually used when the Facility wants required project work to be performed by a contractor who has successfully completed similar work. For example, the Facility may determine that to successfully complete a project, the contractor needs five years' experience with specific types of equipment and supervisory expertise in handling toxic waste.
The prequalification process will lengthen the bidding period unless prequalification is concluded before the scheduled bidding period.
4.3.1 Prequalification Guidelines
When using prequalification, adhere to the following guidelines:
- Contractors may be prequalified, at the Facility's discretion, to bid on projects of any value.
- Use the procedures in 4.3.2 to prequalify contractors.
- Subcontractors may be prequalified, using the procedures in 4.3.3, on those projects where the experience and performance of subcontractors is determined by the Facility to be critically important to the work.
- Contractors or subcontractors may be prequalified for bidding on a predetermined value of multiple projects.
4.3.2 Contractor Prequalification Procedures
- Use the Advertisement for Contractor Prequalification to specify the trade for which prequalification information is being requested. This sample advertisement was developed to be compatible with competitive bidding by including at least the following:
- A statement that bidders must be prequalified.
- A brief description of the work specifically, the contract type, project type, project size, estimated cost of the work, and major characteristics of construction.
- Where and when the Prequalification Questionnaire can be obtained.
- Where and when the Prequalification Questionnaire is to be submitted.
- Modify the Instructions to Bidders to address prequalified contractors by adding an article in the Supplementary Instructions to Bidders.
- Use the sample Prequalification Questionnaire (available at the UCOP Approved Contract Templates page) to develop a specific questionnaire for the project.
---POINT SYSTEM: The questionnaire can be used to evaluate the potential Bidder on a point system. The Prequalification Questionnaire and its corresponding Prequalification Evaluation, are structured so the bidder must score a predetermined point total and meet minimum standards for questions within different topics. The points to award, minimum standards, and the number of points needed to prequalify are determined by the Facility.
--PASS/FAIL: The questionnaire can be used to evaluate the potential Bidder on a pass/fail system. The Prequalification Questionnaire and its corresponding Prequalification Evaluation are structured so the bidder must meet minimum standards determined by the Facility. (see comparison of the two systems.)
- Further develop the Prequalification Questionnaire to be compatible with competitive bidding by including standards so the questionnaire:
- Relates reasonably to the performance of the work required by the bidding documents.
- Evidences a prospective bidder's ability to satisfactorily perform the work.
- Is objective.
- Applies uniformly to all prospective bidders.
- Is based on past performance.
- Consider the Topics for Prequalification Questionnaire. These topics are based on a contractor's past performance. Questions within the sample Prequalification Questionnaires in the Resource Directory are examples; topics and questions that are added must be structured so they can be objectively evaluated.
- If the Prequalification Questionnaire requests information that may be proprietary (such as financials or business methods), add the section number of such information to the list of those responses that will be considered "official information" if marked "confidential". Should the Facility receive a request under the California Public Records Act (PRA) that may encompass the prequalification process, please contact the Office of the General Counsel or your Facility PRA representative for guidance.
- Provide in the Prequalification Questionnaire an informal appeal process and hearing process at the Facility level for those prospective bidders who are found to be not prequalified and who object to that determination.
- Use the sample Prequalification Evaluation, Point System or Pass/Fail, to develop a specific Prequalification Evaluation for the project. These alternate versions correspond to the Prequalification Questionnaires (see procedure 3, above). The Prequalification Evaluation an internal document not issued to prospective qualifiers is used to determine the prequalification status of contractors. Specific Prequalification Evaluation items must correspond to specific Prequalification Questionnaire items.
- Publicly advertise the Advertisement for Contractor Prequalification.
- Make the Prequalification Questionnaire available to contractors.
- Receive Prequalification Questionnaires from contractors no later than a specified time and date, at a designated location, in the same manner used for accepting bids. Allow a minimum of 15 days from the date of issuance for contractors to return completed Prequalification Questionnaires.
- Select an appropriate prequalification committee to rate each contractor using the Prequalification Evaluations.
- Notify contractors of their status either prequalified or not eligible to submit a bid for the project.
- Resolve any appeals from contractors not prequalified. Conduct an informal hearing to allow the contractor to explain reasons for the appeal. The Facility's decision on the appeal is final
- Make bidding documents available to prequalified contractors. Issue the Announcement to Prequalified Bidders with the bidding documents. On the announcement, list the names of prequalified contractors eligible to submit bids.
- Take bids from prequalified contractors.
- Award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder whose bid is responsive (see 4.1).
The Office of the President is available to provide assistance in preparing the Advertisement For Bids From Prequalified Contractors, the Prequalification Questionnaire, the Prequalification Evaluation and the Announcement to Prequalified Bidders.
4.3.3 Subcontractor Prequalification Procedures
- Follow the contractor prequalification procedures detailed in 4.3.2.
- State in both the Subcontractor Prequalification Questionnaire and the contractor's bidding documents that contractors may use bids only from those subcontractors who have been prequalified by the Facility for specific portions of the work.
- Provide a list of prequalified subcontractors in the bidding documents.
Bidder qualification is another method of determining bidder "responsibility" (see 4.1) in a limited way by setting forth certain qualification requirements at the time of bid. This method may be used when bidder requirements are not extensive, and time is not available to prequalify bidders.
The qualification method may involve, for example:
- Documents for the design-and-build contracting mode that stipulate limited qualification requirements.
- Lump-sum or cost-plus-fee contracts that require certain contractor experience or expertise. Bidders are informed that they must be able to prove they meet the stipulated requirements.
4.4.1 Qualification Guidelines
- Use the qualification method when bidder requirements are not extensive and time is not available to prequalify bidders (see 4.3).
- Use the qualification method to determine responsibility either before bids are accepted or after bids are opened.
- Use the procedures in 4.4.2 for qualification.
4.4.2 Qualification Procedures
- Modify the Advertisement for Bids to inform bidders that they must meet certain qualifications set forth in the Supplementary Instructions to Bidders to be allowed to bid or to be eligible for award.
- Add an article to the Supplementary Instructions to Bidders stating all qualification standards the bidder must meet to be qualified to perform the work. Qualification standards should not be made too complicated and should not be so rigid that no one is able to bid on the project. Qualification standards may include one or more of the following:
- Experience with similar work
- Financial ability to complete the work
- Safety record
- References on completed projects
- List the forms the bidder is required to complete in the Bid Form, Article 11, "Required Completed Attachments". The completed forms will demonstrate to the Facility whether the bidder meets the required qualification standards. Use applicable portions of the Contractor's Statement of Experience and Financial Condition (see 8.5.3).
- Advertise publicly for bids using the modified Advertisement for Bids.
- Continue the qualification process using Method A, B, or C below.
- Method A Qualification Determined Before Bids Are Submitted:
- Have prospective bidders submit qualification documents in a sealed envelope at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Receive qualification documents.
- Evaluate qualification documents.
- Notify bidders of their qualification status.
- Receive bids from qualified bidders at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Formally open bids.
- Method B Qualification Determined When Bids Are Submitted:
- Have bidders submit qualification documents in a sealed envelope clearly labeled, "Qualification Documents," at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Have bidders submit bids in a separate sealed envelope clearly labeled, "Sealed Bid for [Project Name and Number]."
- Accept qualification packets and sealed bid packets concurrently, at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Open and evaluate qualification documents.
- Notify bidders of whether they have qualified and whether their bid will be opened.
- Do not open bids of bidders not qualified. Return unopened bids to bidders.
- Formally open bids of qualified bidders at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Method C Qualification Determined When Bids Are Evaluated:
- Have bidders submit qualification documents along with (as an attachment to) the Bid Form.
- Formally open bids at the place and time stipulated in the Advertisement for Bids.
- Announce the (apparent) lowest responsible bidder subject to evaluation of all completed attachments.
- Evaluate qualification documents.
- Notify bidders of their evaluation status and the final determination of who is the apparent lowest responsible bidder.
- Method A Qualification Determined Before Bids Are Submitted:
Disqualification is another method of determining bidder "responsibility" (see 4.1). Disqualification may prohibit a contractor from bidding on University projects for a set period of time, whereas prequalification (see 4.3) and qualification (see 4.4) evaluate contractors for bidding on a specific project or on a predetermined value of multiple projects.
A list of contractors that have been debarred and are not eligible to bid on public works projects as a result of violations of Labor Code provisions governing prevailing wage and apprenticeship is available on the DIR website. The Facility can check this list to verify if a potential bidder is eligible.
Inevitably, there will be some defective work, schedule overruns, and disputes about guarantee work on almost all projects. Before a bidder can be disqualified, however, the Facility must establish, in an objective manner, that the bidder's past performance was materially deficient in the area used as the basis for disqualification. Use the guidelines in 4.5.1 and procedures in 4.5.2 to establish an objective basis for disqualification.
4.5.1 Disqualification Guidelines
- A contractor or subcontractor who has demonstrated performance that is not responsible on current or past University projects may be disqualified, by the Facility, from bidding on current or future University work for a period of three years.
- The period of disqualification shall be for an indefinite period for a contractor or subcontractor who has demonstrated performance that is not responsible by falsifying any information required during prequalification, qualification, bidding, or required by the contract documents.
4.5.2 Disqualification Procedures
- Determine whether a contractor or subcontractor has demonstrated performance that is not responsible. The following are considered examples of performance that is not responsible and that may lead to disqualification:
- Falsification of any information required during prequalification, qualification, bidding, or required by the contract documents.
- Performance of work without the required contractor's license.
- Non-observance of safety requirements.
- Failure to meet requirements of law in employment.
- Failure to meet contractually agreed-to affirmative action commitments.
- Use of unlicensed or improperly licensed subcontractors.
- Substitution of a subcontractor without the University's written consent.
- Failure to submit or adhere to contractually required and agreed-upon schedules.
- Conviction of a criminal offense in connection with current or past contracts with any entity.
- Poor past performance of work on University projects as evidenced by continued use of defective materials, refusal to correct work not in accordance with the contract documents, termination for cause, or repeated failure to provide proper supervision required by the contract documents.
- Use the Notice of Disqualification (see RD1.8) to notify the contractor or subcontractor of disqualification from bidding University work at any Facility. In the notice, list all specific examples from procedure 1, above, that serve as the basis for the determination that contractor or subcontractor performance is not responsible. Send the notice by a means that provides proof of receipt.
- Resolve appeals. contractors or subcontractors may file a written appeal of the Facility determination that their performance is not responsible to the Chair, Construction Review Board, with concurrent copy to the responsible Facility administrator where the original decision was made, within 10 calendar days from their receipt of the Notice of Disqualification. If written objections are received during that time period, a hearing must be established for contractors or subcontractors to demonstrate that their performance is responsible.
- Conduct hearings. The Chair, Construction Review Board, will appoint a hearing officer to preside over the hearing in the manner detailed in the Sample Letter: Hearing on Disqualification. This letter must be sent by the hearing officer to the contractor or subcontractor, to establish a hearing, at least five calendar days before the scheduled hearing date. The decision of the hearing officer is final and not appealable within the University.
Revised February 24, 2012 (Change No. 12-002-C)


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The Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling is one of the biggest criteriums in the United States, and is an event I look forward to every year, with a fast and exciting course, a great venue in downtown Dana Point, and an electric crowd to fuel the adrenaline while racing. This 10th edition of the race was a bit different from years past, as the race organizers split the event into two separate days of racing, adding in a Junior Men's 15-18 Category 1-3 race. The addition of a new field brought out two of the stronger SoCal Junior teams; Team Velosport-Ridebiker Alliance and my team, the Swamis Junior Development Team, as well as quite a few very strong individuals making for a fairly stacked field.
My teammates and I of Swamis, under the direction of Sport Director Chris Daggs, composed a plan to cover attacks from the five man Velosport squad, and to try and keep the field together for a sprint. The race started off fast, with attacks from Velosport going multiple times a lap being covered or chased back by myself or teammates Ryan Jastrab and Ian Schwartz. On lap three, a two man break, with strongman Kevin Vermaerke of Velosport, went up the road with about a 15 second advantage. Another teammate of mine, Mark Yaroshevsky, made a killer effort to bridge to the two escapees, forming a three man break just under the halfway mark in the race. These three hung on for quite awhile, but a lack of unity between the three eventually led to the catch by the field, and with 15 minutes and only 8 laps to go it looked like a field sprint was inevitable.
Photos by Dean Kirby and Matt Spector
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Myself and Ryan patrolled the front of the field for a couple laps, covering any more attacks and making sure things stayed together for a sprint. With two to go, Mark Yaroshevsky went to the front and strung things out for me, discouraging any more attempted breakaways. In a show of pure aggression and strength Mark was able to hold this massive effort for these final two laps, dropping me off perfectly at the final corner and I gave it all I had those last 200 meters to not let the team down, coming through for the win! A great end to a killer team effort, and a perfectly executed plan was only made sweeter with a very impressive win by 14-year-old Megan Jastrab in the Women's 3,4 field. All in all it was a great weekend for the Swamis Junior Development Team, with 2 more wins and great experience gained by our racers, providing us with great training and a confidence boost going into the many state and national championships in the coming months.
More info about the Swamis Junior Development Team:
The mission of the Swamis Development team is to build a competitive regional squad with an emphasis on providing the support and guidance to enable our talented young riders to reach their full potential both on and off the bike.
In addition to fantastic support from our sponsors, the team is structured to maximize the development of our riders: Swamis President Fred Muir serves as managing director of the team and Chris Daggs (USAC certified coach and Cat 1 racer) will serve as race director and will provide race-day coaching and support.
Members of the Swamis Development team are carefully selected from the greater SoCal region for both the quality of their character and their talent on the bike. The team will compete in the SoCal region and select national and international races chosen to maximize the riders development and to showcase the riders talents to the national team coaches and professional team directors.
Over the past several years the Swamis development program has had much success and we look forward to building one of the premier programs in the nation and develop our young cyclist into elite caliber athletes who can compete at the national and international level.
Follow the team throughout the year via Facebook pages:
Report by Kyle Kirby, Swamis Junior Development Team Captain


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In the course of traveling for almost an entire year -- hitting 17 countries along the way -- photographer Kien Lam took enough shots to create this compelling time-lapse world-tour, set to a score composed by his younger brother William.
"After I quit my job last year," says the older Lam, "I packed a bag, grabbed my camera and bought a one way ticket to London. 17 countries later, I compiled this time-lapse of the many amazing places I came across."
The video was shot with a micro four-thirds camera, a compact format that's rapidly been gaining traction among travelers for its portability.