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This is an incredibly long topic I could talk about until I'm blue in the face. I really try not to specialise too much myself, but I seem to have completely missed the moment where my work went into this sort of 'retro-but-contemporary' look. So now I gotta stick with it, because my entire portfolio confirms this theme.
Every other print designer out there will be screaming right now that this is wrong – but this is because most designers specialised by going into a full time job where, naturally, they had the specific position (textile designer, graphic designer, homeware designer etc) and have missed out on being a graduate trying to figure out what the fuck to do with life because there is no more decent jobs out there.
If you decide you really want to work with big companies - this post isn't for you. There, you will be asked to specialise by media, format and even delivery time. This post is for the new age agile creatives; designers transitioning into digital resources and working for smaller clients.
In university, we divide by media; textile, print, product. But in 2020, when you end up freelancing with smaller companies, chances are the same client that asks you to do print design for their socks, will be asking you to help them with rebranding or do their packaging etc. It's like you defacto become the in house geek for all things Adobe related (I've had clients expect me to do motion design even). Don't say no to this work - it will give you the ability to expand your aesthetic and work into different media as well as a glimpse of what it is like on the other side of the fence.
What you're supposed to do is sell a style or better yet, a story that a portion of the audience (potential clients and customers) can relate to. And don't forget - it needs to be a tinge different from everyone else; just enough to give you an edge and makes you memorable. Take me for an example - I sell retro patterns and illustrations with a contemporary twist, so my client's products will be vintage inspired, but always on trend, relevant and contemporary. I'm slowly building a reputation which is two sided - unfortunately, if someone needs a clean, minimalist product, they won't email me (even though I could do this easily and confidently), but if they want something retro & trendy, I'll possibly be the first person they think of. How can you apply this strategy to your own business?
So the above covers the inspiring part. Now onto the actual facts and numbers that should also influence this decision. We are in the time of lean start ups and yet we somehow do not apply this to creative businesses.
Here's some things to reflect upon:
Where in the timeline of your career are you? Are you a graduate with just student work in your portfolio? Or are you someone with 8 years experience who just got chucked out of their full time job in pretty much the worst time ever? The difference is, if you are just starting out, you still don't know who your client is, so you aren't really aware of what your product is. For this end of the spectrum, I really recommend keeping a wide portfolio of print and illustration that can be applied to a variety of products. Test out what sells and what you like doing (50-50 approach) and go into that direction.
If you're a veteran going from full time to freelance, dip into your knowledge of the market to figure out whether it is worth keeping the specialisation you had at your job (e.g. womenswear sleepwear print) or if it's worth branching out.
How big is the market you are after?
Or more importantly, how many designers are in that business? Fashion print for example is an extraordinarily massive market, particularly because high street is buying artwork in incredible amounts. However, there is also an incredible number of textile print designers out there - literally thousands graduating every year, coming into the industry.
Have a good long think about your market, your clients and your competition. If you are going after, let's say realistic botanical floral prints in fashion, chances are you are going to run into some tough competition, sometimes in the shape of massive, well connected print studios with thousands of artworks. Same goes for the 2019-20 trend of burnt orange minimalist organic shapes.
How much time can you spend not being paid a full salary?
This is a very sad, but realistic point. Specialising in a certain look will take time as you will be getting clients slower - so you're looking at a certain time where you won't be making a full salary or covering your costs. Keep this in mind when you're planning your freelance career - if you really want to do small watercolor geos for life, but really need to pay your bills this month - then maybe that's not for you.
Most designers will tell you follow your heart. I say following your heart is capitalist bullshit trying to sell you the 'dream'. We can't all sit and draw the same thing over and over again and hope someone picks us up and pays us something for our time.
This also has nothing to do with money (yet). At the very base of it, we are designers and the sole point of what we do is to design for people and the community. You painting and moaning about how 'nobody values or understands you' is not helping you. People don't value design they can't relate to or it doesn't give them anything emotionally. It is you, or rather us, that need to learn from feedback and needs of our clients and customers. And lastly, no it's not about money - it's about your survival. You need to make at the very least enough money to cover your bills and hopefully a holiday once a year. The point here isn't to make millions from a design business, but to build a sustainable, smart business. So when you're deciding how to specialise, what style to go with - forget the heart. Think objectively and ask yourself; does the world really need another monstera print with a burnt orange flower? I mean, really?
As always, if you want more helpful posts on how to make $$$ doodling and drawing, subscribe to my email list below! I routinely send out tips, tools, trends and other helpful bits!


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Most hospital administration teams have revenue cycle people working on shoring up costs, so that the organization can be profitable. Indeed, the mantra of the revenue cycle junkie is: Keep More Of What We Make! These are great professionals and this is a reasonable approach, but as many Wall Street companies are learning, getting lean has its limits and can sometimes compromise things like quality and service.
It's important to remember that if revenues are fixed in place, keeping more of what we make is limited to what we make and is subject to efforts that produce diminishing returns. Savvy hospital decision teams are now investing more heavily into efforts to grow the top line of their business. By growing new revenue streams and fortifying the revenue streams they already enjoy with stronger cash flows, the hospital has a geometric result stemming from successful Keep More of What We Make strategies.
Some of the hospital organizations we've served are discovering that building new pipelines and increasing customership in older ones are not as insurmountable as one might guess. We've helped them to reconnect with their consumers -- their patients and families and physicians -- and by genuinely listening to their desires for better healthcare at the hospital setting. We've uncovered serving opportunities that cement their relationships to the hospital and affiliated physicians while building ways to grow substantial revenues. By keeping an open mind, these organizations are growing their brand while growing their finances, and with relative immediacy.
What are your experiences with growing the top line for hospital services? What creative ideas have infused new life into old service lines to beef up cash flow? Which ancillary products and services have bolstered current hospital offerings to create new revenues and customers who benefit from a better continuum of care focused on their lifestyles and health events?
If your hospital decision team isn't working to grow revenues for the organization, along with innovative services and experiences for the customer, your strategies are limiting your financial success and sustainability.

subset: commoncrawl


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From Halachipedia
This is the approved revision of this page, as well as being the most recent.
- The Ashkenazic custom is to have a bedekin before the chupah because according to some it is considered the marriage.[1] Sephardim don't have this minhag.[2]
- ↑ The Darkei Moshe 66:1 quotes Tosfot Yoma 13b s.v. lechada as holding that a betulah is married when she goes out with her hair covered. Similarly, the Rama 55:1 writes that some say that when the chatan covers his and his kallah's head during the sheva brachot it is considered the chupah. Nitai Gavriel (Nesiun 13:3) writes that the Ashkenazic minhag nowadays is to do the bedekin before the chupa. see The Veiling Ceremony: Bedeken on Chabad.org for more
- ↑ Yalkut Yosef (Sovah Semachot 6:2)


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Third and Final Test Post
I'm using managed Wordpress service. I mentioned in a past post that I had gotten into Wordpress years ago. After that I started using Drupal, which was nice but overkill for everything I was doing. For that matter, Wordpress is overkill for this blog. But it's well know and certainly has a lot of room for growth. Plus, a managed Wordpress service, I don't need to maintain and secure the Wordpress, the database, the html host service, and operating system itself.


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So I started the painting over. Well, actually, I took a nap. Then I started over.
I had planned to wait until tomorrow, but really, what choice did I have? I would say I'm stubborn, but it's nothing so commendable. (Although as my family will testify, not entirely to my credit, the word "stubborn" is probably not strong enough, and if my totem animal weren't so self-evidentally the noble wombat, an excellent case could be made for the mule.) But this isn't simple stubborness, this is simply lack of options. The painting has to get made. It's the sort of creative equivalent of changing a flat tire. How I feel about the process is immaterial, but we're not goin' anywhere until it gets done. (It's not a commission or anything. It just has to get done.)
This is the plain truth about art, at least for me. You don't get an annuciation, choirs of angels descending from on high, singing "Blessed art thou among artists!" and proceed in a kind of immaculate haze.* You just paint the stuff because shit, what else can you do? The art has to get done. You make art because it's just what people do in this situation. Having a muse is like having a gall bladder, and just as romantic. (And to extend the metaphor in my usual style, you probably don't want to know the details of what either muse or gall bladder is doing, since it involves all kinds of bile.)
At times like this, when I am doggedly recreating work, I find that the band Firewater is really growing on me. I have very specific musical tastes, and they mostly come down to "You must have really GOOD lyrics." I realize this is bad of me and denies the entire range of musicianship, but I'm comfortable with that. I don't understand music on any kind of intellectual level, I have no musical skills whatsoever, and unlike half the artists out there, who seem to require specific music while painting and can't function otherwise, I can throw on NPR and work just as well. (Actually, this isn't true. NPR is fine. Music I dislike, which is a lot of it, makes me loony.)
James, who does understand music, despairs somewhat of this. It is difficult to find new bands for a woman whose tastes include Steeleye Span and Tool, but almost no points in between. However, he finally came home, in triumph, bearing a Firewater CD, and said "Okay, they have great lyrics!" and after several weeks of deep suspicion, I must agree. So that's my music recommendation for the year.
And now, more repainting.
*Okay, sometimes you do. Very rarely. It's great when it happens, but you can't rely on it.


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Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in the tournament entry fee?
- Your entry includes a practice round (Pic-Am or scheduled separately), three tournament rounds, and all meals during play.
- A tournament dinner following completion of round two play, attendance is strongly encouraged.
- The Pic-Am dinner is also open to all Picard Cup Participants.
Are caddies mandatory?
- Yes, each team will be assigned a caddie for the entire event. Caddie fees are $100.00 per bag and suggested to be paid in cash.
Is Walking mandatory?
- For mid-am participants, walking is mandatory.
- Senior-am participants are encouraged to walk, especially for better ball rounds, however teams will be permitted to take a cart for each round, subject to availability.
- Caddies will still be required with carts.
- If you have special condition requiring a cart, please contact our committee prior to the event.
What is the dress code at Canterbury Golf Club?
- Canterbury does not allow blue jeans, collarless shirts, hats on backward, or hats indoors.
- Our event is designed to be relaxed, including the meals. Weather permitting, our meals are served outdoors at the completion of play. Participants are free to wear golf attire for meals.
- We do not have a required jacket policy for this event.
What is the Pic-Am?
- The Pic-Am was created in 2020 to engage our members with our event and provide an opportunity for participants to socialize with members while enjoying our course and culture.
- Each Pic-Am team will consist of two Canterbury members, paired with a Picard Cup participant team.
- Each group of four will post two better balls for each hole, one from the Canterbury Member-Member team, one from the Picard Cup participant team, for a two ball total.
How can our team participate in the Pic-Am?
- We anticipate all participants desire playing in the Pic-Am, however we are limited to half of the field.
- Please be sure to indicate your desire on your application for our committee's review.
- Teams not selected for the Pic-Am may play a practice round between 7:30-9:30am, based on availability.
- Alternate practice round times may be requested by contacting our pro shop.
If we are not playing in the Pic-Am can we still attend the BBQ?
- Yes! We encourage all participants to attend this event. We have wonderful member representation and enjoy kicking our event off with the evening activities.
Can you clarify the playing format?
- We have three tournament rounds, each is played as a shotgun start.
- First round is a better ball format, scheduled as an 8:30am shotgun start.
- The Second round is a true alternate shot format, teams will select even or odd holes for teeing, scheduled as a 2:00pm shotgun start.
- The final round is a better ball format, schedule as an 8:30am shotgun start.
What time should I book travel home on Friday?
- We recommend booking air travel no earlier than 4:00pm from Cleveland airport.
- Canterbury Golf Club is roughly 30 minutes to Cleveland airport.


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This morning when Owen got up he peed off that boardwalk thing.
"It okay for me to pee anywhere on Dog Island," he said. "That's what dogs do."
These are possibly two of the reasons that Dog Island is named Dog Island.
Mr. Moon is fixing the drain under the sink.
Last night we had hot dogs and vodka for dinner. Well, corn on the cob and beans and cole slaw were involved too.
Maybe beer.
This is life on Dog Island.
Dogs and peeing anywhere and bugs and things that need fixing and questionable dietary choices and sting rays and water and sand.
I checked my list of things we needed here from our last stay in May. The list began with canola oil and ended with "bathroom sink". I did bring canola oil.
I should take a walk but I have Dog Island Ass which is a real and serious medical diagnosis. So I am sitting on the porch and watching Vergil and Owen throw things into the bay for Greta to retrieve. Owen is giving Greta instructions in his little boy voice. "Drop it!" "Stay!"
Greta mostly obeys him. Owen feels powerful.
Is it nap time yet? Dogs take a lot of naps, right?
Yes. Yes they do.
It okay.


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Special Report: With a Professional-Development Seminar in Guatemala, NYFA Goes International
This month's Immigrant Artist newsletter focuses on a special event in NYFA's 42-year history with our first International Professional Development Program taking place in Central America, Guatemala. From February 28, 2013 through March 3, 2013, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA), Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM), and La Fototeca, collaborated to produce an intensive 4-day seminar entitled "El Artista Como Emprendedor."
The purpose of the seminar was to teach the principles of entrepreneurship in the arts, with the curriculum based on NYFA's widely-used book, "The Profitable Artist."
Over seventy artists—from all artistic disciplines— participated in this event, and included artists and arts organization representatives from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. NYFA's curriculum focused on strategic planning in the arts, basic financial and budgeting techniques, fundraising, legal issues for artists, marketing, and candid discussions about surviving in today's art marketplace. These topics were adapted to fit the unique needs of artists in Guatemala and Latin America, and local experts were invited to present on certain core topics where relevant. Participants were also given the chance to complete a customizable "action plan," that would serve as a blueprint for their careers, to present on their goals and plans, and to receive feedback.
This was the first time in the region that such a large group of artists had come together to create a community based on shared interests and goals. With a strong emphasis on creating a supportive network, the participants began by creating a "virtual community" through a vibrant and active Facebook group. That has already moved from the virtual to the physical, as the participants (with IGA facilitating) have held follow-up meetings, with more planned for the near future. The program's impact provided in the words of artist Waseem A. Syed "shared inspiration and opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation." Each partner hosted a session of the program allowing participants to gain familiarity with the organizations and each bringing a unique perspective to the experience.
Through the IAP Con Edison Newsletter's featured organization articles, NYFA had been introduced to El Nuevo Museo de Arte Contemporneo, Guatemala (NuMu), a collaborative project between Stefan Benchoam and 2010 Mentee alum Jessica Kairé. NuMu is first museum dedicated to contemporary art in Guatemala whose physical space is the shape of an egg as it was originally built for an egg-selling street vendor. NYFA was able to visit the space in person and see their current exhibition "Jardín de esculturas", curated by Emiliano Valdés, which featured site-specific and sculptural works by Bhakti Baxter (Miami), Gabriel Lester (Amsterdam/Shanghai), Federico Herrero (San Jose) and Rodrigo Hernández (Mexico City/ Maastricht). Stefan is also co-director of Proyectos Ultravioleta in Zone 1, an area where galleries have become more prominent since the introduction of 6ta avenida, the City's first pedestrian street. Founded in 2009, the artist run space has a new and unusual location inside a bustling mall that seems appropriate for the experimental and multidisciplinary focus of their programming that also provides a platform for local and foreign projects, workshops, screenings, concerts, and lectures.
As NYFA continues its work fostering communities abroad, with programs such as the recent International Composers Exchange with artists from the Netherlands, the organization looks forward to deepening the relationship with Guatemala and the region, and to providing resources to these artists while linking them with their international counterparts.


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jarvis20_APEX.tar (340 kB)
Quasar Feedback Survey - APEX Pilot Data (M.E. Jarvis et al. 2020)
This is the reduced APEX data covering the CO(2-1) and CO(6-5) emission lines for the 9 quasars as described in in M.E. Jarvis et al. 2020, MNRAS, 498, 1560 (DOI: 10.1903/mnras/staa2196). The pre-print article is also available on the public arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2007.10351. As explained in the paper 9 of the quasars have CO(2-1) emission-line data and three of the quasars, additionally, have CO(6-5) data. All details of data acquisition and data reduction are explained in the journal article.
The tar file contains 12 .fits files, clearly named to correspond to each quasar and indicating which CO line is in the data. Comprehensive meta data is attached as headers to each fits file following the astronomy standards.
A python code is also provided in the tar file to plot the data for each source.
- Mathematical Sciences


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From Debtor To Millionaire is a guest post from J.D. Roth, who founded the blog Get Rich Slowly in 2006 and is the author of Your Money: The Missing Manual. I first met JD in 2010 for lunch up in Portland when I was still working.
By that time, J.D. was already a mini-celebrity in the personal finance world through his story telling abilities and topical focus of paying down debt and living a more frugal lifestyle. We came from opposite ends of the financial and topical spectrum, but as fate would have it, we're in pretty similar boats now.
I admire J.D. because he is a "blogging purist" – someone who writes for the love of writing first, community second, and income a distant third. This is th way I've sought to write all my posts on Financial Samurai since 2009.
Instead of an interview, I asked J.D. to share his story of how he went from debtor living paycheck-to-paycheck to financially free in just a few short years.
In The Beginning – A Debtor
I'm a lucky man, and I know it. But for a long time, it sure didn't seem that way.
When I was a boy, my family was poor. We lived in a single-wide trailer house in rural Oregon. My father was often out of work. When he was unemployed, things were rough. We never went hungry, but sometimes we came close. More than once, we were bailed out by the kindness of other families in our church.
We didn't always struggle. Sometimes my parents had money, at least for a little while. You see, my father was a serial entrepreneur. He was always starting businesses. Even when he had a job selling boxes or staplers or candy bars, he had something going on the side. Most of his businesses failed, but some succeeded.
In 1977, my father sold one business for $300,000. He was supposed to receive $5000 per month for fifteen years, which seemed like a lot of money at the time. To celebrate, he went out and bought an airplane, a sailboat, and a Kenwood stereo. Life was good — until the buyer went bankrupt. Because he hadn't saved anything from the few payments, Dad was broke again. And unemployed. And a debtor. We were right back where we'd started.
This "famine or feast" pattern continued throughout my entire childhood. Most of the time, it was famine — not feast.
In the late 1980s, I went away to college. Because I knew my parents couldn't help me pay for school, I took care of things myself. I was a good student with a lot of extracurricular activities: president of the computer club, national competitor in Future Business Leaders of America, editor of the school literary magazine, and so on. Plus I had terrific scores on the the PSAT and SAT. As a result, I earned a full-ride scholarship. I worked two or three or five jobs to pay for housing and to earn spending money.
During college, I developed a spending habit. In order to keep up with my friends, many of whom seemed to be rich (as I defined it at the time), I used credit cards. I began to carry debt. At first, I only owed a few hundred dollars, but by the time I graduated with a psychology degree, I had a few thousand dollars in credit-card debt.
After college, my debts continued to mount. I bought a new car. When I had money, I spent it. When I didn't have money, I still spent it. By the middle of 1995, just four years after I'd graduated, I'd accumulated over $20,000 in credit-card debt. It got worse. In 2004, my consumer debt topped $35,000. I felt like I was drowning as a debtor.
Getting Rich Quickly – Goodbye Debtor Status
One night in October 2004, after I'd bounced yet another check and missed yet another payment, I reached rock bottom as a debtor. I began to wonder why I didn't use my entrepreneurial skills at home.
I was helping to manage the family box factory, and I'd started a computer consulting firm on the side. Both businesses made money, and I made smart decisions with the profit. But at home, my money situation seemed dire.
I asked myself: What if I made decisions in my personal life as if I were making them for a business? What if I installed myself as CFO of JD, Inc? How would I cut costs? How would I increase revenue? Where were the best places for me to direct my cash flow?
That night, I drafted a three-year plan to get out of debt. I didn't want to b a debtor anymore.According to my calculations, I could pay off everything I owed by December 2007 — if I managed my money wisely. I decided to give it a shot.
I cut back on spending. I boosted my income. As JD, Inc. became profitable and my cash flow improved, I paid down debt. I tracked my spending and created monthly reports to document my progress.
Along the way, I documented my progress on my blog, Get Rich Slowly. There, I fostered an audience of like-minded people and we shared tips and tricks for getting out of debt and building wealth.
The results were remarkable.
In less than a year, I had set aside a $5,000 emergency fund with my wife and had increased my cash flow by $750 per month. I plowed that "profit" into debt- reduction. I continued to manage my life as a business, and in December 2007 — right on schedule! — I became debt-free for the first time in my adult life. No more debtor life!
But it didn't stop there.
I had started Get Rich Slowly on a lark. It had been meant to be a hobby, a place I could earn a few extra bucks while helping myself and others make smarter decisions with money.
The site quickly grew to become something much, much more. By the summer of 2007 — just a year after I'd started the blog — it was clear that this could be a full-time business. I quit my day job to write full time.
As the blog's income grew rapidly — $5,000 a month! $10,000 a month! To much, much more a month! — I began to panic. Remember how recently the creator of Flappy Bird pulled his game off the market after it began to earn $50,000 a day?
Nobody understood him. I did. I remembered the pressure I felt in 2008 and 2009. I hadn't asked for so much money or public scrutiny. I'd simply wanted to write a blog about money and not being a debtor. I was mentally unprepared for the financial success.
Related: How Much Can You Make Blogging For A Living?
I was getting rich quickly, but it wasn't any fun.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to produce quality content every day — twice a day, if possible. Meanwhile, I'd grown fat. I was fifty pounds overweight.
And my marriage was struggling. (I was a dick to my wife and she wasn't very nice to me either.) And then my best friend committed suicide.
In early 2009, I decided to sell Get Rich Slowly. After entertaining a couple of quick offers, I walked away in April 2009, just three years after I'd begun. (Except that I didn't really walk away. I stuck around for another three years acting as editor and primary author. I couldn't tear myself away!)
By selling the site, I received a huge windfall. It wasn't nearly as much as some people have imagined, but it was plenty. It was enough. Coupled with the cash I'd earned over the three years of running the site, my wife and I were millionaires. The debtor life was no more.
Coping With Sudden Wealth
How did it feel going from living paycheck to paycheck as a debtor to having a million dollars in the bank? How did financial freedom change me? The answers to these questions are complex.
The first thing to understand is how fortunate I was to have experienced this windfall after getting out of debt and adopting a new financial blueprint.
If this money had fallen into my lap just five years before, I'd have effed things up. With the "famine or feast" mentality that dominated the first forty years of my life, I would have burned through the money quickly.
Instead, I was smart. Yes, I did spend some of the cash on fun things. I bought a used Mini Cooper. (My quest to purchase a Cooper had become a long-running joke at Get Rich Slowly.) I bought some nice furniture. My wife and I took a trip to Europe. We paid off our mortgage.
But mostly, I ignored the cash. We opened an account at Fidelity and funded a portfolio comprising 60% stock-market index funds and 40% municipal bonds. (This was at the bottom of the market crash, so we were very conservative. In retrospect, this would have been a great time to go 100% stocks, but I still had some learning to do.)
For many people, having a million bucks would be a license to spend. Or to retire. And at one time, it would have been the same for me. But after reading and writing about money for so long, I had a different perspective as past debtor.
My wife and I weren't profligate, but we enjoyed a comfortable adult lifestyle. We weren't willing to make many more sacrifices than we already had. As a result, I figured we had enough money in the bank to retire — at normal retirement age. But we still needed to work to cover our current expenses.
See: What To Do With A Financial Windfall
It was a tremendous relief to not have to think about the future anymore, but I still needed to focus on earning enough to cover the things I wanted to do in the near future.
More Than Money
I'd be lying if I said that becoming a millionaire didn't change me. It did change me. I'm not sure what my friends and family would say, but from my perspective, these changes have been positive. And they can be traced to one core characteristic: the ability and willingness to try new things and become somebody different.
When I was living paycheck to paycheck, I felt trapped. When I was a debtor, I felt like a slave chained to my job, my home, and my life. I couldn't do anything risky because I had to make enough to pay my creditors.
Once I repaid my debts, those chains were broken. Being a debtor sucked. I achieved a certain level of financial freedom. The more money I had in the bank, the greater that freedom became.
Eventually — when I had a large emergency fund and the blog was earning about $5,000 per month — I felt free enough to quit my day job, which was a huge relief.
Money Gave Me Confidence
As I dug out of debt and built wealth, I also found confidence. I used to be timid and afraid. For a variety of reasons, I was unwilling to try new things. But running Get Rich Slowly fostered confidence and self-esteem. Among other things:
- I joined a gym and began to eat right, which allowed me to lose fifty pounds and become fit for the first time in my adult life.
- I wrote a book called Your Money: The Missing Manual, which collected everything I'd learned about money.
- I began to travel the world. Sometimes I traveled on my own. In the past, this would have been frightening for me. Now I found it exhilarating.
- I learned to speak Spanish. To ride a motorcycle. To play guitar. And many other things.
I started to see that the primary reason I was chronically unhappy was that I lived my life trying to please others, trying to do what I thought they wanted me to do. Boy, was that dumb. No matter how hard I tried, I could rarely please the people around me. And I certainly couldn't please everyone (which was what I'd been trying to do!). Worst of all, when I tried to please others instead of pleasing myself, I was miserable.
What It Means To Be Truly Rich
"To be truly rich, regardless of his fortune or lack of it, a man must live by his own values. If those values are not personally meaningful, then no amount of money gained can hide the emptiness of life without them." — John Paul Getty, How to Be Rich (1961)
This realization led to some difficult decisions. As I hinted at earlier in this article, my marriage had gone sour. This was largely my fault, and I own it. I effed up. I wasn't a good husband.
So that we could both be happy, I asked my wife for a divorce. We kept it as amicable as possible. (Now, nearly three years later, we've been able to retain a friendship. We're both dating new people and are much happier than before.)
This newfound confidence and courage to be true to myself didn't come from the windfall. But the windfall allowed me to take risks that otherwise might have seemed too extreme. In a very real way, financial freedom gave me personal freedom.
And you know what? I'm not the only one. Last summer, I participated in a week-long retreat in Ecuador. A group of 25 people gathered to talk about personal and financial freedom. Some of these folks were young and still had debt.
But many had achieved Financial Independence and had net worths of two or five or ten million dollars. Without fail, the folks with money said that the best part of being rich was the freedom it granted.
They didn't buy fancy cars or wear flashy clothes. In daily life, you'd never know these folks had money. They practiced what Sam calls "Stealth Wealth". Instead, their money provided freedom. (If they did choose to lead a flashy lifestyle, they would have lost this freedom. In theory, a million bucks can fund a $40,000-per-year lifestyle indefinitely; but a $140,000-per-year lifestyle will drain the funds in a decade.)
How Much Money Is Enough?
People often ask me how much money is "enough". There's no one answer to that question. I know being a debtor sucks. Money isn't the issue. It's expectations that define how much is enough. There are happy millionaires and there are happy people who have nothing.
Happiness is determined by the difference between what you have and what you want. If your expectations (or desires) are greater than your reality, you'll be unhappy. But if you have more than you want or need, you'll be fine. This reminds me of Dickens' Mr. Micawber, who said:
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
The challenge then is to be content with what you have. This means you have to stop comparing yourself to external measures, such as what your friends and family have, or what society says you ought to have. Who cares? Figure out what's important to you and pursue it.
To be honest, I'm happiest when I have the least: when I'm traveling. I have a backpack of things, and that's it. That's when I'm happiest.
"By wishing to be what he calls 'up-to-date' as his friends or boon companions, many a young man mortgages his future." — Orison Swett Marden, The Young Man Entering Business (1903)
The Stealth-Wealth Movement
The millionaires I know personally don't flaunt their wealth. They live in average homes and drive average cars. They wear average clothes and have average jobs.
Again, much of this is because maintaining a modest lifestyle allows the wealthy to keep their wealth. But part of this "Stealth Wealth" is because we Americans don't take kindly to people who have money.
Doesn't that seem crazy? We're a society built on the idea that a person can pull himself up by his bootstraps and become a millionaire. It's a part of our national mythology. But for whatever reason, when somebody actually does this, we resent their success.
I've seen this in my own life – from debtor to millionaire.
During the past decade, I've shared my progress at Get Rich Slowly. At first, readers were on my side. My struggle to get out of debt was relatable.
But the more successful I became, the less others could identify with my situation. When readers learned how much money I made from my site, they became less supportive. And when I sold the blog there were plenty of folks who found this something to condemn rather than praise. (people didn't like seeing a debtor sell out).
For myself, I've decided that I cannot judge a person for being rich. (Well, okay, sometimes I judge, but I try not to do so often.) I've communicated with many wealthy blog readers and chatted with plenty of flush folks in real life.
Most of the rich I know have built their wealth slowly, through hard work and smart choices. They don't flaunt it. They fly under the radar by intentionally choosing to act and appear average.
My point is that in most cases, you don't know how a person has achieved their lifestyle. It may be that the guy down the street with the large house and the fancy sports car financed that stuff on mountains of debt. Or it could be that he has scrimped and saved, or has worked long hours to build a business, in order to afford these things.
Love-Hate Relationship With Money
I've written before about America's love-hate relationship with wealth. You can clearly see this in the way we self-identify. Nobody wants to say they're rich.
But if you make $100,000 a year, you are rich. Not just by world standards, but by American standards. (The median household income in the U.S. between 2008 and 2012 was $53,046. Now it is $68,000 in 2021.
That means half the population earned less than that and half the population earned more.) I'd argue that if your family brings in more than $75,000 per year, you're rich. But few people seem to agree.
I'm not condemning anyone for being rich. I founded a site called Get Rich Slowly, after all, and my aim is to help people destroy debt and build wealth. To me, wealth is a noble aim, especially if it's used to improve your life — and the lives of others.
I don't believe that wealth corrupts or that it attracts bad people. (It might, however, magnify your personality; if you're already an asshole debtor, having lots of money might make you more of an asshole debtor.)
I'm not saying that every rich person deserves to be so, and I'm not saying that we should move to a socialist society. I'm just puzzled why we simultaneously love and loathe the wealthy. Is this healthy? Is it normal?
Taking the Red Pill
Instead of vilifying those who have become rich, I think more people ought to profit from listening to what they have to say. If you take the time to ask questions, they'll tell you how the got what they have — and how they keep it. They'll tell you how they think others can do the same.
From my experience, most millionaires will say that wealth comes from spending less than you earn — from saving. And extreme wealth comes from extreme saving. The greater the gap between what you earn and what you spend, the more you can save.
For some millionaires, this means earning a lot of money. For others — like my "real millionaire next door" — it means cutting costs drastically. For most, it's a balance between earning and spending.
Most people don't take this advice seriously. They don't understand just how important it is. In truth, this is the only thing you really need to know about personal finance. Do this, and you'll build wealth. And the bigger the gap between your earning and spending, the wealthier you'll become.
No More Excuses
People also like to make excuses. "That's great," they say, "but it doesn't apply to me because of X." I'm sorry, but it does apply to you. And as long as you make excuses as to why it doesn't or why you can't follow the advice, you're not going to get ahead. End of story. It's nothing personal. It's just math.
If you want the math to work in your favor, you have to take charge. You can't be a victim. Your situation may not be your fault, but it's your responsibility to improve it — nobody else's. (See: Why Not Just Try Harder To Get Ahead?)
Another barrier is that many folks aren't willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term freedom. They don't understand what financial independence actually means and what it feels like. So, they numb themselves with consumption and call it good enough. They're complacent. They don't realize that if they buckled down for a few years, they could escape the entire system.
Look, it's like The Matrix. There's a pleasant pattern to our society, and it's tough to see outside of it. But trust me, there are plenty of people who have taken the red pill, who have stripped the blinders from their eyes. Once you step outside the Matrix, it's easy to see how it works, how you once were manipulated, how most people continue to be manipulated.
Financial Independence
To escape, you've got to listen to what the quiet millionaires are whispering. Take your advice from the folks who have been successful, and not from those with flash and bling but nothing to back it up.
"Many a man is poor today, although he has worked like a slave, simply because he could not save." — Orison Swett Marden, The Young Man Entering Business (1903)
I'll end this long article where I began it: I'm a lucky man, and I know it. I've worked hard to get what I have, but many other people have worked harder and have less. And if my windfall had occurred any earlier, I probably would have squandered the money. Instead, it came at a time when I was ready and able to be smart with money. My challenge now is to grow this nest egg.
In the meantime, I'll do what I can to keep preaching the gospel of Get Rich Slowly. Don't be a debtor any more.
Update 2024: JD first wrote this guest post in 2014 and has since reacquired GRS from the original buyers for a nice discount. That's a huge win because one you sell your baby, it's very hard, if not impossible to buy it back. However, in this low interest rate environment, you never want to sell your cash cows!
Unfortunately, JD says he only has $200,000 left and is feeling some financial stress. He says he needs to find a way to make more money from GRS.
Related posts:
Things To Consider Before Selling Your Business
Why I'll Always Regret Selling My Business For Millions Of Dollars


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manufacturer, supplier
Upto 10 People
Rs. 25 Lakh - 50 Lakh
Trikso India machinaries is the leading manufacturer of Narrow fabric machinery, textile weaving & spinning spares and assemblies, and holds an important share of the Indian market. Since 1962 we have been making spares for all textile weaving an
To : Trikso India Machinaries
It Is Customized: No
Type: Winding Machine
Pipe Material: Steel
Machine Type: Automatice
We are recognized as a prominent industry offering a wide assortment of MeasuringandSpool Winding Machinethat is used in packaging of elastic tapes. It is manufactured using supreme grade raw material with utmost care under guidance of expert professionals. Offered product is available in various specifications and can also be customized as per the requirements of clients. The provided machine requires low maintenance and is available at industry leading prices.
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copyrights © 2024 Textile Infomedia all rights reserved.


text:
We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
At a glance...
- Marine aquarium treatment to improve water quality
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Optional Online Worship Receive Text Updates
Receive updates during the pandemic - text the word CONNECT to 419-550-1116 and follow the prompts. This will allow us to keep you connected for important updated information. St. Mark's, building a community together.St. Mark's Lutheran Church 160 W. Sycamore St. (Corner of N. Washington St. & W. Sycamore St.) Van Wert, Ohio 45891 |
Click For Interactive MapQuest Map
Please visit us: 160 West Sycamore Street, Van Wert, OH 45891 PH: 419.238.6336 |


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Wendy K. Bendoni, chair of both the Marketing and Fashion Marketing departments in the School of Business, was recently recognized for her research, "A Luxury Approach to Cognitive Computing & Adaptive Interactive Systems: The Future of Personalization," which highlights Artificial Intelligence and luxury customer service. Selected by a scientific committee at the Swiss 21st International Watchmaking Day in La Chaux-de-Fonds, her work will be included in Marketing Horloger: L' Intelligence Digitale (Watchmaking Marketing: Digital Intelligence), the official journal of the event.
The journal, edited by François Courvoisier and Kalust Zorik, takes stock of the state of digital watchmaking marketing around three key themes: How to go from big data to big intelligence; what are the popular tools, social networks, bloggers and influencers; and how to build tribes and convert them into buyers, fans, addicts and aficionados?
Bendoni's research explores key insights that will enable independent luxury watch brands to create a more personalized experience amongst their loyal brand patrons through a luxury approach to cognitive computing and adaptive interactive systems which are the future of personalization through Artificial Intelligence. According to her, the Artificial Intelligence movement will continue to change the next generation of affluent consumer's expectations, and with a continued reliance on smartphone technology, it is inevitable that the future of personalization will require further investigation.


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The Great Spangled Fritillary-1991
(marimba & violin)
Music by: Andrew Thomas
Poem by: Christopher Hewitt
Information Parts & score available through: Shawnee Press www.shawneepress.com
The Great Spangled Fritillary
1. In the Chrysalis
I twist in my chrysalis
dreaming of violets--
their scented nurturing,
their heart-shaped leaves
on which I fed as caterpillar.
I was in love with violets,
I even think in violet light,
but here come the sun's bright
fingers unfastening my bleary-
eyed emergence. I split
the cobwebs with my wings
like sails unfurling--
the dawn's breath flutters them
new and wet with secrecy
on the oaktree bough.
2. First Flight
I am afraid.
I dip.
I dive.
I am clumsy.
I am a flying laundress
wet sheets for wings--
will they ever dry?
I hate my name--
if only I were Star Spangled,
that at least would be patriotic!
I wish I were Pearly Crescentspot,
Angelic Hairstreak, or Sylvan Angelwing.
Ouch!-- a thistle's thorn!
Oh!-- a cow's nose!
But look!-- I triumph
high above the lake,
my reflection necklace-like
around its throat,
its waters that could drown
a million of me.
I'm grateful I'm not Questionmark,
Lost Metalmark, or Dingy Arctic,
or worst of all the Ruddy Daggerwing!
3. Under the Full Moon
It's peaceful here
beneath the stars;
my wings handsome
in moonlight--
I think the night becomes me:
skating down the moonbeams
on my brush-feet, I am
night's magician
conjuring the breeze,
the attention of sighs.
From the stars I learn
a faith, a steadfastness.
I'm not lonely--
it's just that I am young
and airborn, passing now
through shadows not menacing
but kind
like well-earned sleep.
It's morning.
I am confident,
sipping nectar
from the Blackeyed Susans,
their tongue-petals
stroking me with sun
in the moist meadows.
I am palpitating,
high above the seething
grasses. I am glad
to be myself:
the Great Spangled Fritillary,
female of the species,
proud and in my prime:
I soar unafraid
knowing my destiny:
In mid-air I'll mate,
a stroking of wings
(a whispering of speckled fans)--
then hide myself in mossy
bark deep in a wood
and later lay my eggs
near violets-- to violets
I'll return. Even now
the safety of their scent
bears me aloft
high in the joyous morning
this spring day!
Christopher Hewitt (Feb 2, 1946 - July 13, 2004)
Program Notes:
After I finished the composition of The Great Spangled Fritillary, I asked Christopher to write a poem for it. His words would serve as a program note for the work. I generated a sound score on a computer for him to hear, and we discussed the events of the music together. Afterwards, he wrote the accompanying poem. It surpasses any technical notes I could provide, and it creates a magical context for the music and for the listener's imagination.
Premiered: 1988 at Houghton Chapel at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Nancy Zeltsman, marimba & Sharon Leventhal, violin
Recording: Marimolin: Marimolin, GM Recordings, 1988, Nancy Zeltsman, marimba & Sharon Leventhal, violin


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Evacuation tags are being handed out to residents in Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon and Belvedere in preparation for wildfire season.
Residents are encouraged to display their tags on their property in a visible area during an evacuation. The tags can be posted on the front door, mailbox, garage door or front gate.
The hope is that first responders can easily identify which homes are cleared when assisting residents in emergency situations. Sonoma County also introduced evacuation tags into their emergency response plans earlier this year.
Marin County law enforcement officials say the tags should be the latest thing to add to residents' evacuation lists.
Mill Valley Police Sgt. David Kollerer said in a public service announcement:
"We have learned that seconds count during evacuations, and are excited to bring this time-saving tool to our residents. … Pick up your tag today."
Residents can pick up the tags at their respective city police stations.
Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


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Gardening on the coast and on the coastal inland can pose challenges for the home gardener with variables of salt spray, wind, climate and soils affecting plant growth and health. We are fortunate to have in Lincoln County a Master Gardener Program through Oregon State University Extension. Master Gardeners are available to answer your questions, make recommendations, and provide research based scientific solutions to your gardening questions. For more information, click on the green action button below:
We are lucky to garden in an area where there are numerous sources for plant materials. There are many nurseries, plant sales and shows throughout the county with offerings for every taste and budget. For information on plant sources, click on the green action button below to access nurseries listed by the Oregon Association of Nurseries. For home gardening needs, proceed to the directory on the bottom of the Home Page for information on: Oregon's Public Gardens, a free Retail Nurseries and Garden Center Guide, etc. Oregon Association of Nurseries is a non-profit organization.
Continue your search by attending our Seal Rock Garden Club meetings, other garden club gatherings and socializing with fellow gardeners and nursery staff while shopping for plants. Remember: our Flower Show and Plant Sale is planned for mid-June, 2020. You'll find garden tested and successfully grown plants for your coastal garden here. Check this site in September for the actual date.
The photo above is Darlingtonia californica (Cobra Lily), or cobra plant, a species of carnivorous plant. As a pitcher plant it is the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. A bountiful display of Darlingtonia californica can be found near Florence, OR at the Darlingtonia State Natural Site, the only Oregon State Park dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. Concurrently, the plants it protects are the only carnivorous flora in the system. For more information, visit www.oregonstateparks.org.
Our lovely clubhouse is available year round for rentals. The clubhouse has many features to accommodate large group and family celebrations, such as birthdays, weddings, receptions, showers, etc. Our meeting room measures 20' x 60' with a maximum capacity of 71 persons. The large kitchen is equipped with a range, refrigerator and microwave as well as cooking utensils, pot and pans, platters and coffee urns. There are two restrooms; one is handicapped accessible. A wheelchair accessible entry is through the kitchen; designated handicapped parking spaces are located in the front and rear of the clubhouse.
Fees: $30 minimum fee covering a 2-hour rental; $20 for each additional hour for a $100 maximum for a full day rental (sunrise to sunset). There is a $100 damage and cleaning deposit required from all renters. For availability and additional rental policies, contact our Building Trustees at email@example.com or fill out the form on the "Contact Us" page and send it to us by clicking on the button. Thanks!
Copyright © 2018 Seal Rock Garden Club - All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Seal Rock Garden Club. Any content provided by our authors are their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
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Seth Rogen was willing to give Zac Efron and his frat brothers a chance, but they just went too far in the latest green band trailer for "Neighbors". The film, directed by Nicholas Stoller, seems to be on par with his earlier work: Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.
Judging by the trailer below, you'll get a heavy dose of adolescent tomfoolery, which in all honesty, is exactly what this movie is going for. Checkout the trailer below to see Efron dressed as the Taxi Driver, bush fondling, unexpected E.R. visits among other funny scenariios.
If you'd like a little more information on the film, you can find the official synopsis below:
"Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne lead the cast of Neighbors, a comedy about a young couple suffering from arrested development who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby."
The film also stars Rose Byrne, Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. "Neighbors" is slated for a May 9, 2014 release.
Below you can see a video discussing Zac Efron's look for the film:
(Image: YouTube)


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Great Southern Chardonnay: 5 Reasons Why You Need More In Your Glass
If you love Chardonnay, then you have come to the right place.
Let us let you in on a little secret.
Great Southern Chardonnay is one of Australia's hidden gems in the wine world!
The Great Southern wine region is known for its world-class Riesling and Shiraz, however the Chardonnay produced in this Western Australian wine region is something pretty special too.
So why should you go and grab a glass of Great Southern Chardonnay right now? Here's why:
1. The Great Southern has the perfect climate for Chardonnay
The Great Southern is the coolest wine region in Western Australia (recently it was only 12 degrees when our Nebbiolo Rose was being bottled - and winter has only just begun!).
It's this cool climate that Chardonnay grapes thrive in. Every grape variety typically has a preference and Chardonnay joins the likes of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc who prefer those cooler climates.
2. Great Southern Chardonnay matches so well with food
Cool climate Chardonnay typically match very well with food because they have a nice balance of acidity and fruit flavours.
We've really done the groundwork for you on this one as we've had the pleasure of working with many of Perth's top chefs to find the perfect Chardonnay food matches.
Therefore, when you next have a glass (or better yet, a bottle) of Great Southern Chardonnay, perhaps consider teaming it up with one of these food matches:
- Fish - From takeaway night 'fish'n'chips' to spiced swordfish (like our friends at Samson's Paddock suggested), you'll find fish a great match
- Chicken liver pâté - If you're a pâté fan then it's nearly illegal not to match it with a big bowl-like glass full of Chardonnay
- Cheese - Seriously, you can't go wrong with ooey, gooey cheese and Chardy. Whether you have it straight from the block or have a cheese infused dish - your palate will thank you.
- Hummus - Hummus is not the typical food match you hear to pair with wine. But my oh my, it is divine with Chardonnay! Between the creaminess in the wine and the creaminess in the hummus, it really helps to bring out the fruit flavours in the wine and the garlic/spice in the hummus
- Baked oysters - For all you oyster lovers out there, you need to get onto this one asap. Baked or grilled oysters and Great Southern Chardonnay will literally have you weak at the knees. The Chardonnay has the richness to compliment the baked oysters so well.
3. Don't just take our word for it
We're not the only ones who have one big fat crush on Great Southern Chardonnay. Many of the wine pros and aficionados also have been let in on the secret.
The likes of Ray Jordan, James Halliday and Huon Hooke have rated and continue to rate many Great Southern Chardonnay's in the high 90s annually.
4. Great Southern Chardonnay tastes great!
Most people either love or hate Chardonnay. The thing is, it comes in so many different styles that it's really hard to fall into the latter camp without trying them all; sparkling, still, dry, sweet, oaked, fruity, light bodied, full bodied, etc.
When it comes to Great Southern Chardonnay, the style typically leans towards being vibrant and elegant with flavoursome notes of stone-fruit and citrus. You can consume them young or keep them in the cellar for a number of years to mature.
We've found people who love big, bold and buttery Chardonnay and people who love soft and fruity Chardonnay, both love Great Southern Chardy.
5. Chardonnay is the perfect winter white wine
If you're a white wine drinker but struggle to sip cold wine when it's freezing outside then Chardonnay is the answer. The palate richness works so well with winter dishes like roast chicken and fish curry.
But not only that, Chardonnay is typically best served at 'cellar temperature' instead of being completely chilled. By letting the wine warm up a bit, it helps to bring out the creamy, fruit-driven flavours in the wine which are perfectly balanced by that trademark Great Southern Chardonnay acidity.
We don't know about you, but we are mighty thirsty now! If you want to experience a great expression of Great Southern Chardonnay, simply pop over to our wine store and grab a bottle of Great Southern Chardonnay for yourself (or 12!).


text:
Mr. Browning draws from a wealth of legal and business experience to deliver pragmatic and cost-conscious legal counsel to his clients. His representation style is marked by a pragmatic approach to problem solving.
His confidence and aptitude are strong assets for forming long-term relationships with individual and business clients. His approach, with any matter, is always pragmatic, results oriented and client friendly.
Mr. Browning is an agent of Old Republic National Title Insurance Company.
Practice areas
Admitted to practice
Law school


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A decade of compression: Hong Kong nano-flat study 2010-2019
Executive summary
A lack of policy vision on "housing space standard"
- In recent years, the government has supported the notion of compressing flat size as a solution to housing shortage, regardless of the corresponding worsening living standard. This has led to a proliferation of tiny flats, or "nano-flats", branded as "affordable" homes in the market. This regrettable situation stems from the government's gradual relaxation of planning and building regulations.
Research method
- This research attempts to illustrate the problem of nano-flats and to outline the change in policy contexts contributing to the rise of nano-flats by building and analysing the first "Hong Kong nano-flats database". The database, with figures from 2010 to 2019, targets private residential properties with sizes equal to or smaller than 260 sq ft. Concrete policy recommendations to tackle the problem are then suggested.
- "Hong Kong nano-flats database 2010-2019": http://bit.ly/data_nano_flat
Statistical overview
- The extent of the problem has long been underestimated: the number of nano-flats built in recent years has skyrocketed. From 2010 to 2019, 8,550 nano-flats have been released to the market, including 6,150 nano-flats with occupation permits, and 2,400 pre-sale where the flat is available but not yet ready for occupation. Nano-flats took up 12.9% of the first-hand sale residential properties in 2019, meaning that for every 8 first-hand properties sold, there is 1 nano-flat. The problem is way more serious than society currently perceives.
- Kowloon is the hardest hit area: over 40% (42.9%) of nano-flats are found in Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, and Sham Shui Po Districts. Unexpectedly, many nano-flats have spread to New Territories new towns such as Tuen Mun, Shatin, Yuen Long, Tai Po, where houses are generally cheaper than their urban counterparts.
Design defects of nano-flats
- Shrinking size: nano-flats built from 2010 to 2019 have an average area of 219 sq ft. The average area of nano-flats has been shrinking throughout the decade, from 220 sq ft in 2010 to 213 sq ft in 2019. The smallest nano-flat is found in a residential project named "T Plus" in Tuen Mun, with a distressing size of 128 sq ft, and a saleable area smaller than 4 double mattresses put side by side.
- Shrinking size: nano-flats built from 2010 to 2019 have an average area of 219 sq ft. The average area of nano-flats has been shrinking throughout the decade, from 220 sq ft in 2010 to 213 sq ft in 2019. The smallest nano-flat is found in a residential project named "T Plus" in Tuen Mun, with a distressing size of 128 sq ft, and a saleable area smaller than 4 double mattresses put side by side.
- Conflicting use of the same tiny space: no nano-flats can accommodate a bedroom and a separate kitchen at the same time in our database. 5.27% of nano-flats have a separate kitchen but no bedroom; 6.53% of nano-flats have a pantry-like open kitchen and a bedroom. Under most circumstances, functions of cooking, living, and sleeping all take place in the same room (88.2%), with conflicts among different functions.
- Concessionary policies that make flat ratio less user-friendly: It is found that on average 23.6 sq ft of each nano-flat enjoys gross floor area ("GFA") concessions (balconies, utility platforms, and glass walls), which accounts for 10.8% of the average area of nano-flats (219 sq ft). In other words, nano-flat buyers spent $493,000 on average for these concessionary facilities which could hardly be utilized effectively.
Supply of nano-flats
- Redevelopment is the main source of supply: in the early stage, most of the nano-flat developments arose from urban redevelopments. Among 96 nano-flat development projects since 2010, 64 came from redevelopment projects (66.7%); 19 of which were acquired via compulsory sale, accounting for 2,879 nano-flats. The figure takes up around a third (33.7%) of the total number of nano-flats. This reflects that compulsory sale for redevelopment is a common development mode for nano-flat developments. In particular, 12 nano-flat projects involving compulsory sale are fully or partly funded by Henderson Land Development Company Limited.
- The "king" of nano-flat – Henderson Land Development Company Limited: Henderson has solely built 2,858 nano-flats, and co-built 96 nano-flats with New World Development. Other major developers in Hong Kong, namely New World Development, Cheung Kong Holdings, and Sun Hung Kai Properties, have built 624 nano-flats themselves — still less than a quarter of those solely built by Henderson.
- All top 10 market players did not disclose nano-flat developments in Environmental, Social and Governance reports (ESG) : nano-flats are deemed inadequate housing, but are listed in various awards in developers' ESG reports. In particular, Henderson Land Development Company Limited, Kowloon Development Company Limited, and Far East Consortium International Limited listed awards obtained via nano-flat development projects in their ESG reports. This reflects that ESG reports cannot effectively monitor impractical and un-user-friendly development projects, and even allows the sugarcoating of nano-flat developments as social responsibility by developers.
- All top 10 market players did not disclose nano-flat developments in Environmental, Social and Governance reports (ESG) : nano-flats are deemed inadequate housing, but are listed in various awards in developers' ESG reports. In particular, Henderson Land Development Company Limited, Kowloon Development Company Limited, and Far East Consortium International Limited listed awards obtained via nano-flat development projects in their ESG reports. This reflects that ESG reports cannot effectively monitor impractical and un-user-friendly development projects, and even allows the sugarcoating of nano-flat developments as social responsibility by developers.
Nano-flat market flooded with investment demands
- Transfer rate of nano-flats sold in 2010 reached around 80%: thenano-flat transfer rate after the lapse of the 3-year holding period is extremely high. 26.2% of nano-flats sold from 2010 to 2015 have already been transferred. For the 722 nano-flats already transferred, the first purchasers held those flats for an average of 3.48 years (table 9). The first purchasers most likely cashed out the nano-flats given the upsurge of nano-flat prices.
- Rent per square foot of nano-flats was equivalent to that of luxurious developments: depending on districts, rentals of the ten already occupied developments with the most nano-flats range from $40-64 per square foot. This price level is similar to that of luxurious developments. Intriguingly, as the agents revealed, about 30% of the nano-flats were available or rent at the early occupation stage of those nano-flat developments. This shows that many nano-flat buyers treat the flats as buy-to-let investments.
- Less than 30% of purchasers applied for the mortgage insurance programme: It is found that from 2013 to May 2018, only 29.4% of purchasers for first-hand flats with areas below 200 sq ft applied for the mortgage insurance. The mortgage insurance programme is seen as a common method for first-time buyers to purchase properties. The figure suggests that the nano-flat market might be flooded with buyers with a non-self-use, investment motives.
Government responsibilities
- Gradual elimination of basic unit requirements in building regulations: In 1997, Buildings Department announced the "Practice Notes for Authorized Persons 219" in which "closed toilet" designs were legalized; the 2011 update of "Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings" substantially simplified the approval process for building open kitchens, to the convenience of developers. The main officials involved include Carrie Lam and Leung Chin-man. These amendments lead to the rise of nano-flats.
- "Universal Design" standard left hanging in the air: the "Universal Design" put forward to improve housing design initially, does not apply to units in private residential development, including nano-flats. For example, "Barrier Free Access" designed for disabled persons was only applicable to "all public areas of buildings", but not inside the flats. Twenty years ago, "Hong Kong 2030+" already suggested enhancing the implementation of the "universal design" in private residential units through building design guidelines. However, the "universal design" standard remained a "vision" yet to be implemented, which also contributed to the rise of nano-flats.
- 60% of nano-flats were built on sites from land sales with restrictions on flat number and size: certain government land sale conditions restrict the number and size of flats to be built. It is found that 1,463 nano-flats, or around 60% (63.2%) of nano-flats from government land sale, were built on land lots with this specification. This reflects that this policy directly encouraged building smaller flats in the private market. Government land sales since the fourth quarter in 2014 lifted the flat number restriction, without specifying the flat size standard, allegedly because "the market will also draw up floor plans accordingly". Thus, the government has a guiding role when it comes to the expansion of the nano-flat market.
- Government officials "shift the goalpost" to perpetuate its laissez-faire policy: The government claims that increasing the supply of land and housing units can solve the problem of "nano-flat" in the long run. However, as the problem of nano-flats exacerbated, the government then in turn claimed that a minimum flat size would affect the supply of housing units. This shows that the government has no intention to solve the problem of nano-flats. The only official who admitted the possibility of restricting minimal flat area through title deed clauses was Secretary of Development Eric Ma Siu-cheung. Though aware of this feasible solution, the Development Bureau has sat back and done nothing.
Policy suggestions
- The research team has come up with the following schemes to alleviate the problem of nano-flat:
Short-term policy: define "nano-flat"
- Define all flats smaller than 260 sq ft as "inadequate housing";
- Step up additional requirements to use Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) Ordinance and restrictions in clauses of land sale, which are estimated to be able to block about 60% of nano-flat construction;
- Set a minimum flat area for newly constructed flats for the mortgage insurance programme of HKMC;
Mid-term policy: fix the flaws in building development control
- Review practice notes, codes, design manuals, and guidelines with regard to the adverse daily and hygienic effects brought by designs such as open kitchens and windowless toilets;
- Revise the preferential exemption policies of "creating high quality and sustainable building environment measures", and prohibit flats smaller than 260 sq ft from enjoying the GFA concessions;
- Extend the applicable scope of "universal design" to cover inner residential unit designs to ensure sufficient maneuvering space for wheelchair users and the elderly.
Mid-to-long term policy: set up housing space standard
- Conduct a comprehensive study on the current living conditions and future of residents' spatial needs, and set up statutory minimum floor areas for different types of residential flats.


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In the book Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace, Angel Kyodo Williams explores spiritually grounded and grounding ways to live in a world where all is not well. Chapter 3 includes an analysis of the Three Pure Precepts: "to not create evil, to practice good, and to practice good for others." These values imply, require, and inspire a generous approach to life, one that acknowledges our and others' inherent dignity and worth.
I'm struck by the practical implications, especially today when many of my American friends are monitoring key state and local races or thinking about the work that lies "beyond the ballot." There are, again, so many ways to participate in that work.
Generosity doesn't only mean gifts and is not necessarily related to money or anything tangible. You can be generous with your time by making space to babysit for your brother's kids. You can share the extra workload with a co-worker who is swamped instead of punching out at 5:00 on the nose. Give a stranger directions. Hold the door. Pick up a fallen jacket. Spend more time with your family and less with your TV or telephone. Help out at your church. Volunteer your time. Become a mentor. And, because it does still make the world go round, it is important that you support the work and ideals you believe in with money, too. Not just when it is 'easy,' because we can always find ways not to give. We can always decide that buying a new outfit is more necessary than giving our financial support to issues we care about, but if you want there to be a cure for the many black women living with AIDS, you have to support AIDS research. If you want the mayor that has been responsible for the unnecessary loss of black men's lives to disappear into history, make a contribution to a more responsive candidate, then vote. If you want to have peace in your own life, support the effort toward peace in the whole world in any way you can." —Angel Kyodo Williams
Investing in the entire world and not just my own micro-world of experience is one way for me to honor the fact that I will only flourish as the world flourishes: mine is an ecological existence! We can't fully manifest our own well-being in a dysfunctional world. Williams continues:
There are many, many ways to serve others, and you will find a way that is most appropriate for you. You may be a firefighter that runs into burning buildings to save lives. Or, equally important, you may be a mother of four or five that tries to raise well-balanced children for the world to experience. The point is not what you do, but what your intention is in what you do. No one wants you to starve or deprive your loved ones of access to you so that you can stand on a soup-kitchen line. No matter what effort you put forth in the world toward enlightened being, it is only enlightened if it is balanced with care and regard for yourself. We have no use for a nation of martyrs. What we are creating [instead] is an endless army of energetic, compassionate warriors [who] understand how to use their gifts and skills to actualize and maintain a better world for themselves and for others. Awakening warriors understand that there are no enemies. Everyone belongs and has a right to happiness and living a life free of oppression and unnecessary suffering. We leave no one behind. Each of us goes forth in our own lives of enlightened being with the full and complete intention of bringing every single soul with us." —Angel Kyodo Williams, emphasis added
We leave no one behind. We don't even leave our nemeses and antagonists behind. I've noted before how Christian leaders and denominations opposed to the 20th Century movement's purpose, timing, or persistence have still benefited from the 1964 Civil Rights Act that protected all religions' rights to free expression and nondiscrimination. These leaders and denominations (including my own Adventist denomination) resisted the Civil Rights Movement but have spent the last 50 years taking refuge in the Civil Right Act's Titles II and VII!
And that's exactly what the activists these churches resisted were working for: that all would benefit. Some people may never help to bake the bread, but we bake more than enough anyway so that one day, should they wish to eat from the loaf, they will find food and a common table to eat at. When we do good for the world, we leave no one behind.
We don't leave ourselves behind either. There are now thousands of resources on sustainable activism—change-making that doesn't depend on the suffering of the activist. But the question of how to sustain oneself persists because our culture seems to take someone's suffering for granted.
I love that Williams addresses this directly in her book, because, well, a new heaven and a new earth will be no good if we're all too exhausted to enjoy it.


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About us
Norwich City Council is the data controller for images obtained through its public space surveillance CCTV system. We process this data under our statutory powers.
You may contact our data protection and information security officer by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com
What will we do with your data?
Your images are automatically retained for 31 days from when they were captured. After this time they will be overwritten and deleted by the system. We may keep your images longer if they are required for the prevention of crime and disorder or if someone with a right to access them has asked us to. They will be held on our system for no more than 12 months.
What are your rights?
You have the right to request access to your personal information to:
- ask for errors to be corrected
- restrict how your information is used
- object to how it is processed
- request that your data is deleted.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office if you are not happy with how your data is processed.
What are the consequences of you not providing data?
Not applicable for collection of CCTV images.
How will we share your data?
CCTV images are stored securely and are only accessible by authorised CCTV staff. They are not routinely shared unless the request falls within the purposes and objectives of the scheme.
The majority of external requests for access to images are from the Police or other enforcement agencies. There may be a request under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act to allow individuals to see or be informed about any data held about them.
Since data is only stored for a maximum of 31 days, it is vital that such requests are made via the online application form as quickly as possible, but in any event within 21 days to allow the relevant data to be provided.
Apart from where previously stated, we do not pass your details to third parties unless we are lawfully able to do so for the prevention and detection of crime and fraud, or for the collection of taxes.


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Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes review
Swiss precision from Suplest's top road shoe
Supremely comfortable (as long as they fit you) and ruthless efficiency wrapped up in a pretty gorgeous package. Suplest's EDGE+ Road Pro shoe is a real contender for the best race shoe I have ever tested.
Supportive insole and comfort
Sole stiffness
Build quality
Non-replaceable sole parts
You can trust Cycling Weekly.
The Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes were selected for an Editor's Choice award in 2020. This year's list contains 78 items which scored a 9 or 10/10 with our tech team - this gear is the best of the best, and has received the Cycling Weekly stamp of approval.
Suplest has long sat on the periphery of the performance shoe market. To be honest it's a mystery why it hasn't quite garnered the levels of popularity other brands enjoy when its shoes, such as the Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro on test, are of such high quality.
The EDGE+ Road Pro oozes class from the overall aesthetic to the quality of the construction. It uses a thin microfibre material sourced from Japan for the upper construction. To keep comfort to the maximum Suplest forego traditional seams in favour of a bonding construction technique to fix the panels together. This not only increases long-term durability but also keeps the bulk to a minimum. The upper also incorporates a wrap-over tongue design to keep everything where it should be when wearing the shoes, a relatively thin amount of padding is also added to keep the bony upper part of your foot protected when the shoe is tightened.
Suplest has, like many other shoe brands, opted for BOA dials to keep the EDGE+ Road Pro in place, in this case utilising twin IP1 dials. These are BOA's most multi-function dials and not only have micro-adjust tightening but also micro and macro adjustable loosening as well, enabling rapid minute tweaks of the tension when out on the bike if you feel the need. They can, of course, be simply replaced in the case of a malfunction so do make real sense on a top-end shoe.
Suplest has also gone one further when considering foot comfort when using the thin laces associated with BOA systems. Across the main section the laces cover Suplest has added a super thin, flexible layer of carbon fibre to spread the load across a larger area. This not only really works but makes the shoes look ultra trick.
>>> The best road cycling shoes tested
The finish of the upper is also another plus point for the EDGE+ Road Pro. The stippled print that wraps around the shoe not only looks good but also cleverly hides the perforations found around the toe box. I also really like the fact that the inside panel is plain black to guard against those annoying crank rubs that can ruin a shoe pretty quickly. If the white finish isn't for you Suplest also does a couple of classy black versions including a distinctive black and gold Fabian Cancellara edition for no extra cost.
Suplest has also included one of the best standard insoles I have used from any manufacturer in the form of its Solestar insole. It's not light and does add to the high overall weight of the EDGE+ Road Pro but boy is it supportive.
>>> Cycling and knee pain: all you need to know
Made up of two parts, a soft upper and stiff, supportive layer it really holds your foot in place and even with my relatively high arches I felt there was more support than most standard insoles. It even has a metatarsal button to spread the pressure through the foot evenly. Certainly my knee tracking was better in these than in most other shoes without having to resort to customised orthotics and I never felt any hotspots or foot pain when pedalling hard or for long periods of time.
The fit of the shoe is also pretty good. I have a medium width foot and the Suplest certainly felt comfortable even on hard seventy plus milers. However on the turbo I did notice that the outside of my right foot did get a little cramped - it wasn't painful and the shoe material is very accommodating for lumps and bumps - but if you have wide feet you might want to test these out first before committing the rather large sum of money for them. Going up a half size might have helped but in all other aspects the fit was spot on with absolutely zero heel lift - something the added gripper material at the heel certainly helped with.
The final piece that adds to the performance packed EDGE+ Road Pro is the super stiff ERGO 360 carbon sole. This is made using UD carbon fibres and to make it as light as possible has a foam filled core. This is also really thin so helps you feel properly connected to the pedals. Riding in the shoes and you get a real sense that all of your effort is being pushed through the shoe and translated into forward momentum.
I really liked the precision cleat alignment markings that are a cut above what you normally find on most shoes. One thing to note is that even though the heel and toe bumpers are pretty substantial they are not replaceable.
All of this quality does add up though and the Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro does come out quite a bit heavier than other equivalent priced shoes such as Specialized's S-Works 7 and Giro's Imperial and a large part of that is down to the Solestar insole. However the overall comfort is so good that it's a fault I'm totally willing to overlook.
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What we know about the Texas mass shooting victims
Mail carrier Mary Granados was alone in her U.S. Postal Service truck when she was shot and killed by a gunman who hijacked the white vehicle in West Texas amid his frenzy of violence Saturday. Granados, 29, was among seven people between the ages of 15 and 57 who were killed. Another 22 were wounded, including three police officers and a toddler.
US Postal Service officials said in a statement Sunday that they were "shocked and saddened" by the events, but were "especially grieving the loss of our postal family member."
The shooting began with a routine traffic stop where the gunman opened fire on police and then took off in a gold car, shooting randomly for more than 10 miles. At some point during the turmoil, the gunman abandoned the car and stole the postal vehicle, killing Granados. Police finally used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle.
On Monday, the City of Odessa released a full list of victims:
Among the killed were Joe Griffith, 40; Mary Granados, 29; Edwin Peregrino, 25; Rodolfo Julio Arco, 57; Kameron Karltess Brown, 30; Raul Garcia, 35; an an unnamed 15-year-old girl. Two police officers were injured: Zachary Owens of the Midland Police Department, James Santana of the Odessa Police Department. Chuck Pryor of the Texas Department of Public Safety was also wounded.
Dozens of others were wounded, including Nathan Hernandez, 18; Marc Gonzales, 38; Timothy Beard, 55; Glenda Dempsy, 62; Marco Corral, 62; Coy Edge, 53; Joseph Glide, 60; Daniel Munoz, 28; Robert Cavasoz, 38; Maria Boado, 27; Efe Obayagbona, 45; Bradley Grimsley, 64; Timmothy Hardaway, 54; Quadri Fatai, 41; Jesus Alvidrez, 21; Lilia Diaz, 46; Krystal Lee, 36; and Larry Shores, 34. An unidentified 17-month-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were also injured.
CBS News correspondent David Begnaud had more details on Granados:
Granados' sister, an identical twin named Rosie, told Begnuad through tears, "He could have taken the car without having to kill her. ... He didn't have to take my sister."
Here are stories about some of Saturday's other dead and wounded:
Edwin Peregrino
Peregrino, 25, ran into the yard of his parents' Odessa home to investigate after hearing gunshots, his sister, Eritizi Peregrino, told The Washington Post. The gunman, who was speeding by the home, opened fire, killing him.
"It happened at our home. You think you're safe at your own house," Eritizi Peregrino, 23, said in an interview. "You're not even safe at your own house."
Eritizi Peregrino's husband also was shot. She said he is recovering.
Eritizi Peregrino said her brother was home for the weekend to talk about his new job and his new life in San Antonio.
"You could always count on him for anything," she said. "He would always help my parents and his siblings. I knew I could always rely on him and call on him."
Leilah Hernandez
Leilah, 15, was with her family Saturday as her 18-year-old brother, Nathan, picked up a truck. Nathan and Leilah were shot while walking out of the dealership, her grandmother, Nora Leyva, told the Post.
"I guess he was just looking for someone to kill," she said.
Leyva said Leilah's mother pushed Leilah's 9-year-old brother under a car. Nathan wrapped his arms around Leilah and was shot in the arm. Another bullet struck Leilah near her collarbone.
"Help me, help me," the girl said as she died, Leyva said.
Leilah, an Odessa High School student, celebrated her quinceañera in May.
"It was like a dream for her," Leyva said.
Odessa High's school district, the Ector County Independent School District, didn't name Leilah but said one of its students was among those killed.
Joseph Griffith
Griffith was killed while sitting at a traffic light with his wife and two children, his oldest sister, Carla Byrne, told the Post.
"This maniac pulled up next to him and shot him, took away his life, murdered my baby brother. Like nothing," Byrne said. "We are so broken."
Byrne said Griffith, 40, worked six days a week to support his family. He was known for his sense of humor and an uncanny ability to impersonate people.
Griffith previously worked as a math teacher. One day before his death, a former student told Griffith what an "awesome teacher he was," his sister said.
Daniel Munoz
Munoz, 28, who was wounded, recalled the harrowing details of coming into the path of the gunman.
Munoz was in his car on the way to meet a friend for a drink, when he yielded to a car coming off Interstate 20. He immediately noticed what he feared to be a barrel of a rifle in the hands of the driver.
"This is my street instincts: When a car is approaching you and you see a gun of any type, just get down," Munoz, who moved from San Diego about a year ago to work in oil country, told The Associated Press. "Luckily, I got down. ... Sure enough, I hear the shots go off. He let off at least three shots on me."
He's not exactly sure, but it appears one shot hit the engine, another struck the driver's side window and a third a rear window. Some shattered glass punctured his left shoulder, causing him to bleed a lot and go to a nearby hospital. He said he's physically OK but bewildered by the experience.
"I'm just trying to turn the corner and I got shot - I'm getting shot at?" Munoz said. "What's the world coming to? For real? I'm just over here minding my own business, getting my own gas."
Anderson Davis
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 17-month-old Anderson is recovering but she faced surgery Monday to remove shrapnel from her right chest. She also suffered injuries to her face. Abbott says her mother, Kelby Davis, texted: "Her mouth is pretty bad, but will heal and can be fixed. Thankfully it doesn't seem like her jaw was hit. Just lips, teeth and tongue. ... We are thanking God for healing her and appreciate continued prayers."
Kelby Davis shared an image of the toddler recovering from her injuries.
A joint public statement issued by the Davis family offered thanks to emergency responders, hospital staff and "strangers who offered to help us on the street."
Abbott says the girl's mother also texted: "Toddlers are funny because they can get shot but still want to run around and play."
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In the proud history of conservative serial stupidity, Rush Limbaugh's latest faux pas takes the cake. An issue concerning constitutional principles fell into his large lap. But the conservative movement's self-aggrandizing, insufferably pompous Mouth, pimped it.
A privileged Georgetown University law school student named Sandra Fluke was permitted to make the case before a "nonofficial congressional committee" as to why the state should compel the insurance industry to provide sisters with birth-control pills. (Some committee members were in tears listening to this cloistered cow tell of women turning away from the pharmacy counter for lack of funds. Go to the Republic of Biafra for a taste of deprivation, Fluke!)
This flaccid fool was supremely repulsive in her perverse conviction that a woman's "reproductive rights" were the responsibility of other taxpayer. Fluke is a testament to the destructive role of women in our politics, forever petitioning to expand the power of the state at the expense of individual rights. (Read a corrective about natural rights, here.)
Recall, Limbaugh once launched a sneering assault on a deformed Michael J. Fox, aping Fox's Parkinson's-induced spasms, instead of critiquing Fox for petitioning Congress for unconstitutional favors, just like Fluke.
When it came to Fluke, Limbaugh flunked as badly. He began thus:
"What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex — what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."
This is entertaining, but besides the point.
But here is where the middle-aged, so-called conservative loses it, sounding like a lusty old voyeur:
Game. Set. Match, Sandra Fluke. Limbaugh not only lost the argument to this inconsequential woman, but he also helped anoint a future Democratic, feminist, front-woman and leader.
Conservatives have a hard time with first principles; perhaps they don't have any. Thus, they can never win an argument with a liberal, for all they have in their intellectual arsenal is a Benthamite utilitarianism (except that Jeremy Bentham was really smart).
Why are conservatives Addicted to That Rush?
UPDATE (March 3): No One Understands RIGHTS from Wrongs! Your point is not the point either, Robert Glisson. The point is that conservatives and liberals alike do not have any mandate to promote responsibility vis-a-vis the legislator. The Fluke female can screw herself silly; quit preaching to her! People are sick and tired of conservatives in their bedroom and liberals in all the other rooms. The only point here is that no taxpayer, coerced by Congress, should be compelled to pay for Fluke's personal choices, good or bad. I give up on anyone understanding what a natural right means. I do, however, get why people are Addicted to that Rush, who is not "more often right than wrong," but is both insufferably self-righteous and wrong.