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Last Week: Savaii ripped into Cochran the turncoat, Brandon wore his heart on his sleeve, and Jim and Ozzy were booted.
39 Days, 18 People, 1 "Survivor" Blog
Here is the tribe as it currently stands…
The Te Tuna Tribe (wearing yellow)
Albert – 26, Baseball/Dating Coach
Brandon – 19, Oil Tanker Crewman
Coach – 39, Slayer of Dragons
Cochran – 24, Harvard Law Student
Dawn – 41, English Professor
Edna – 35, Anesthesiologist
Rick – 51, Rancher
Sophie – 22, Medical Student
Whitney – 27, Country Music Singer
Currently Residing on Redemption Island (wearing hatred for Cochran)
Jim – 35, Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner
Keith – 26, Water Treatment Tech
Ozzy – 30, Challenge Destroyer
The episode kicks off over at Redemption Island with Jim predicting that Coach will lead his cult to victory and claim the million dollars. Who'd have called that at the beginning of this season?
Meanwhile, Coach tells the Te Tunians that he's glad Jim is gone because he didn't really care about any of them. He lets them know that he's looking out for all of them and they all have an equal share in the tribe's business. Whitney disagrees. She thinks Coach is running the show and that everyone thinks they're going to the end with him. Is this a rerun? I feel like I saw the same show last spring except the Coach character was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat.
The next morning, Cochroach (the nickname for Coach and Cochran – thanks @SherriErwin) are doing some yoga. Cochran informs us that he is totally drinking Coach's Kool-Aid.
Fun Fact: Cochran referred to Coach as a "lunatic" in our pre-game interview.
After the session, Coach confesses that he's worried about the alliance. He thinks Albert and Brandon might be plotting against him.
Redemption Island Duel: The players will balance poles on the back of their hands. The last person standing stays in the game. The other two will join the jury.
Yes, I'm aware that three people can't compete in a duel.
The challenge starts and Crystal Cox is immediately eliminated. Oh wait, that was in Gabon.
We're about ten minutes into it and Probst starts asking the observers who they're rooting for. Brandon is pulling for Jim, while (brace yourself, this is shocking) Whitney is rooting for Keith. Sadly, nobody wants Ozzy to win.
Jim is the first one out, then after some tense minutes he's followed by Keith. Ozzy wins and stays in the game. He also probably won two jury votes.
Back at Redemption Island, Ozzy once again breaks down his strategy for the rest of the season; eat, chillax, and wipe out new people as they show up. I'm still not on board with this. The challenges are so random. How does he know Whitney isn't a whiz at Operation or Monopoly or whatever weird event Challenge Producer and "Survivor" Hall of Fame Executive Voting Committee member John Kirhoffer throws at them?
Over at Te Tuna, Dawn tells Cochran that she regrets not blowing up his grand deception. She hopes that Cochran will return the favor and work with her. Cochran's open to this as he knows that he needs to improve his standing with Savaii jury members.
Immunity Challenge Time: The players will balance a bowl of rice on top of their heads. They'll then race across a pair of teeter-totters. Once they're across, they'll dump the rice in a container. First person to fill their container with rice wins immunity.
Not much to describe here except for a lot of rice being wasted. Brandon, Dawn, and Sophie are neck-and-neck-and-neck in the end. But, Sophie manages to pull off the win by loading a ton of rice (not literally) into her bowl. So-Phine wins immunity.
Before they head off, J-Pro lets them know there will be a twist at that night's Tribal. Dun dun dun…
Politicking around camp centers around Dawn and Whitney. Coach wants Dawn to go first because he thinks she'll be impossible to beat in the end. True that.
Cochran assumes that the twist will be a double elimination and that if he doesn't win the second immunity he'll be in trouble.
Whitney gets in the understatement of the night when she lets us know that she's open to making a move.
Meanwhile, Albert is hatching a plan to win some favor with the Savaii jury members. He wants to boot Edna (who wouldn't vote for him), while rewarding Cochran's loyalty, and keeping the Savaiians around for a while longer. Makes sense, but is it worth inspiring the wrath of the Dragon Slayer?
Brandon doesn't like Albert discussing strategy with Savaii as apparently there's an agreement where you don't make yourself available for conversations with people who are on their way out. Man, Coach's following this Boston Rob blueprint to the letter.
Later, during a game of island checkers, Albert tells Cochran that he's seventh on the totem pole.
In other news, they've built a checkers set.
Albert and Cochran take Sophie aside to pitch their eliminate-Edna plan. She doesn't tip her hand either way. So-Smart.
That night at Tribal Council, Keith shows up wearing super bright green pants. Yow.
Dawn thinks the bottom of the Upolu totem pole is content with their place in the game.
Whitney thinks Cochran is on the bottom of the Upolu alliance.
Probst tells Cochran that as a fan of the game, he has to know he has to make a move or settle for seventh place.
Coach admits that he's worried about a blindside, but that he trusts his alliance. He also claims that he isn't the tribe's leader. Whitney disagrees.
Voting Time: Whitney votes for Edna and the rest of the votes aren't shown.
Probst gets his tally on and returns. We've got one vote for Dawn, one vote for Edna, one vote for Dawn, one vote for Edna, two votes for Dawn, and the eleventh person to make a trip to Redemption Island is…Dawn.
OK seriously, one of those votes was spelled "Don." Is it wrong that I automatically assume that Brandon cast that vote?
Look out! It's a twist!
Surprise Immunity Challenge Time: Probsty will ask some survival-related questions. If you get one wrong, you're gone. Last person standing wins immunity.
First Round: Survivors should drink one gallon of water a day. Albert, Edna, and Rick are gone.
Second Round: A coconut crab gets its name because its favorite food is coconut. That's weird, they don't call me Reese's Sticks Gordon. Anywho, Cochran and Brandon are gone.
Third Round: The flesh inside the stalk of a coconut is called heart of palm. Coach is eliminated.
Fourth Round: It isn't dangerous to remove clams from the ocean. Whitney is wrong. So-Phabulous wins immunity.
Voting Time…Yet Again: No votes are shown.
One vote for Cochran, four votes for Whitney, and the twelfth person to make a trip to Redemption Island is…Whitney.
Verdict: And that is what you call an Upolu sweep. Hopefully things will pick up now that they'll have to turn on each other.
Also, am I the only one who is beyond shocked at Coach's turnaround this season? I left Samoa thinking he'd be Russell'd out of there quickly and here he is leading the dominant alliance. Expectation Slayer.
Who's Going to Win: So-Phirst Place
Power Rankings Update: Andrea had Whitney in spot eight and Dawn in spot nine. I had Whitney in spot nine and Dawn in spot eight. However, she picked Jim to win at Redemption Island and I picked Ozzy. So, she gained seventeen points while I grabbed eighteen. The current score is now Team Boehlke 137, Team Holmes 140.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes


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"You gotta know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run"
One of the offshoots of playing in the Europa League is that Saturday 3pm football is at a premium for as long as you remain in the competition, and as such, Sunday and Monday matches will become the norm. So it was, that the first instalment of a run of four tough games, including three on the road, found us at the City of Manchester Stadium, or the Emptyhad to yer da.
There was no Sandro again, and no starting place for club record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ronald Koeman reverting to the 3-5-2/5-3-2 hybrid that was woefully ineffectual against Stoke in the first half. The home side started strongly and pressed hard, drawing a series of fouls that saw early bookings for Schneiderlin and Davies. City almost took the lead when an Aguero lob was cleared smartly off the line by Jagielka. Shortly after Silva struck the upright with Pickford well beaten.
After all that early domination, it was almost inevitable that Everton would then spawn a lead against the run of play and so it transpired. A smart, flowing counter attack found the flourishing Dominic Calvert-Lewin and as support flooded into the box, his low cross picked out Rooney who fired first time through the legs of the despairing City keeper with his 4 haircuts rolled into one and fucking abysmal neck tattoos. The big ming. Anyway, one nil the Toffees and Rooney's second in as many league games this season.
The ten minutes before half time saw yet another example of the ineptitude of refereeing in English football and the sending off of Kyle Walker for two bookable offences inside three minutes. The first was soft although forgivable but the second, an accidental collision when jumping for a header between Walker's shoulder, not elbow, and the chin of Calvert-Lewin. Bobby Madley flashed the cards and Walker, well, walked. Advantage Everton.
As it turned out, it wasn't much of an advantage. The home side continued to control most of the ball, without ever really creating anything too dangerous. On the hour, Koeman decided to go all in, bringing off Davies and Williams for Klaassen and new boy Sigurdsson in an attempt to get as many "number tens" on the park at the same time as possible. After a couple of smart Pickford saves, City finally made their possession count. A mistake by Mason Holgate who up until then had been flawless, saw his clearing header drop right to substitute Sterling whose first time volley flew into the bottom corner. Little twat.
The final ten minutes of the second half mirrored those of the first. An impeccable sliding challenge from from Schneiderlin saw Aguero write on the floor like a white supremacist with a face full of pepper spray and Madley was quick on the scene, waving a second yellow that rules the Frenchman out of Chelsea away next week, which all in all is a bit of a shitter. Neither side really looked like nicking a winner and in truth, a point was a better result for us than them, despite playing against ten men for the second half. The biggest positive of the night was the performance of Calvert-Lewin, the youngster looking increasingly comfortable leading the line.
Chelsea away next then. Easy stuff.
"If you're gonna play the game boy, you gotta learn to play it right"
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subset: commoncrawl


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I have been interested in the creation of private cities for some time. A recent email exchange with Paul Romer (who I want to say was kind and clearly communicated with me which I very much appreciate as I have been critical of his work and he is a person whose time is very valuable) has led me to realize that I should write up a 15-minute pitch explaining my beliefs.
First, why care about laws at all? Romer's TED talk is still probably the best introduction. Basically, rich countries are rich because they have good governments, poor countries are poor because they have predatory governments. A good government is one that allows private property, contract, exchange, rule of law, and organization. A bad government is one that prevents those things. With private property, contract, exchange, rule of law, and organization people learn to produce wealth, trade and have a higher standard of living. This is not just my opinion, it has become close to a consensus among economists who study the issue (see here for the best introduction, here, here, and here for econometrics, and here for a more advanced "why" analysis).
So basically, laws, or institutions, which can be thought of as the power structures which determine laws, determine the wealth or poverty of nations. So, why care about institutionally autonomous cities, institutional autonomy meaning having substantively different laws from the rest of the country? Basically, institutional change is very hard. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been known to quip that "the hardest part about building rule of law is the first 500 years." In other words, getting the institutions right is very difficult.
The fall of the Soviet Union offers a useful example. A lot of well-intentioned economists tried to "fix" the former Soviet Republics. There are some success stories, Poland for example, but overall most of the countries failed to perform as anticipated. The economists were more focused on getting the prices right, than ensuring the courts were free and fair and the bureaucracy wasn't corrupt. Another example is both Iraq and Afghanistan. The US poured hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives into both, and the result is less evil governments than before, but hardly a substantive change in living standards for most of the population.
Institutional change is difficult because it first requires asking the institutions, to admit they do not function well, and second, to reform. These problems are only necessary because the institutions do not function in the first place. If a government was capable of doing so they would likely have already done it. In some sense, it is like asking coal to squeeze itself into a diamond.
Institutionally autonomous cities offer a way around this difficulty. By being built in rural land with no strong interest groups, they do not disrupt the status quo. Second, by being opt in, the acquire more legitimacy. They are not an outside body imposing new laws on an unwilling populace, but rather a new option for people trying to make a better life for themselves. Simply put, because they are regional instead of national, institutionally autonomous cities offer an easier path to institutional change.
So, I have focused my studies and energies on institutionally autonomous cities because I believe they offer the best option for institutional change, economic development, and improving the lives of the least well off humans.
Of course, there are different visions for the ideal institutionally autonomous cities. The visions can be distinguished by the governance body for the cities.
The best known advocate for institutionally autonomous cities is Paul Romer. His vision is Charter Cities. The governance body in a Charter City would be a first world country, Denmark for example. In that sense it would directly import first world institutions to third world countries. Instead of Indians or Zimbabweans needing to move to Denmark, Danish law and the opportunities and economic growth that comes with it could be brought to this country.
However, Charter Cities are not the only option. I think private institutionally autonomous cities, administered by Google for example, could produce better results more quickly than Charter Cities. However, before I discuss why I would like to say I pretty much entirely agree with the Charter Cities project. I think building a Charter City would likely be an enormous success. It would generate a great deal of wealth and improve the lives of people in the host country. In this sense, my quibbles are relatively minor. A Charter City would be a huge leap forward from the existing world, and a private autonomous city could be a small step beyond a Charter City.
So, why do I prefer a private city. The primary reason is adaptability. Building a new city is a megaproject. Private companies would be more responsive to changing conditions, new information, and unforeseen challenges. However, before going into more depth, I would like to take a second to explain how a private autonomous city would function.
A private autonomous city would begin by buying a large area of relatively uninhabited land. They would also negotiate for institutional autonomy, basically a special economic zone. For this essay I will assume a private city state, for complete autonomy, but the arguments I make will also apply to a private city with more limited autonomy.
The business model would be similar to that of a mall. The proprietor of the land would pay for improvements, then rent out the space at a higher value because of those improvements. In this scenario, the improvements would be traditional public goods, roads, lights, water, sewage, electricity, as well as non-traditional public goods, police and courts.
The general argument is that the land proprietor would have a long term interest in the economic success of the city because such success would increase the value of the land and therefore the rents of the proprietor.
For this essay I will focus on the non-traditional public goods, police and courts, and conclude with my argument that private autonomous cities would be more adaptable. Traditional public goods are often supplied by private contractors to governments, suggesting it would be easy for a private city to contract with similar companies, if not do it themselves. Further, to the best of my knowledge, no one has argued against private cities on the grounds of higher utility costs.
The strongest argument against a private criminal and civil justice system is that it would favor the powerful. A private city, especially a small one, would likely have a small number of large employers. Several big companies would pay a disproportionate share of the city's budget, and the city would be somewhat beholden to them. Combined with the more direct link between rent and profit this could lead to a criminal and civil justice system that favors the powerful. Especially because residents in a private city would not have the same sense of ownership as they might in a democratic city. Rather than citizens, they would be more akin to customers, which could embolden the city to favor the powerful and delegitimize the voice of the residents.
This argument applies to civil justice, police, and criminal justice. I will discuss them in that order. However, first I will make several general arguments which apply to all three.
First, all cities will have some companies which pay a disproportionate amount of taxes. The specific claim against private cities, is that private cities will be more likely to favor the powerful than other types of city governance. It is not obvious that private cities will necessarily be worse in this regard. Reputation will be very important to a private city hoping to convince residents and companies to locate there. A perception of injustice, either in the civil system, police, or criminal system, could hurt them in the long run.
As an example, many companies, Amazon, MasterCard, Geico, and Ebay for example, likely have a small number of sellers which account for a disproportionate amount of revenue. However, there companies are generally perceived as fair in their dispute resolutions. Few people are going to buy car insurance from a company that favors large clients, or use the credit cards of a company that has unfair dispute resolution mechanisms.
Second, such critiques of private autonomous cities often underestimate how bad civil justice, police, and criminal justice is in undeveloped countries. For a quick sense skim the World Justice Project's report on the Rule of Law. For example, 21%, 23%, and 24% of Nigerians believe that police, follow the law, respect the basic rights of suspects, and are punished for breaking the law respectively. As a personal anecdote, several Honduran friends have told me they fear the police more than they do the gangs, even though Honduras is the murder capital of the world. More generally, it is common knowledge that justice systems in the undeveloped world rarely deliver justice. Unfortunately, that knowledge is often forgotten or ignored when considering the possibility of a private replacement.
There is strong evidence that private civil justice mechanisms can perform as well, if not better than public civil justice mechanisms. The best book on this is "Private Governance", by Edward Stringham. One particularly telling example is the emergence of the Dutch stock exchange. Not only was short selling not enforced, it the Dutch government actually banned it. Nevertheless, people continued to write short contracts and they continued to be paid. Those who refused to pay contracts, even ones that were technically illegal, were simply banned from future participation in the stock market.
In a more modern example, international trade is often "lawless." Companies frequently specify that contracts be settled under private adjudication for both speed and accuracy, as government courts sometimes fail to keep up with complex commercial contracts. The prevalence of international arbitration is reflected in detailed guides to drafting contracts, exemplified here, and here. Such contracts show private dispute resolution is often better equipped to handle complex contracts.
To some extent, international arbitration clauses can be said to exist in the shadow of the state. The New York Convention ensures participating governments enforce private arbitration agreements and rulings made in other countries. However, Peter Leeson found that state enforcement only accounted for 15-38% of international trade, a substantial amount, but not nearly enough to suggest private mechanisms were not working.
There is less evidence that private police can perform as well as public police. This is not to suggest there is suggesting private police would be worse than public police, merely that there is relatively little evidence regarding private police at all.
Edward Stringham has an article about private police in San Francisco. When people and businesses who hired the private police force were asked why they did not use the free public one, responses ranged from, "they take too long to arrive" to "they scare me". The best response was "that's a joke right? I have little confidence in SFDP".
The best argument for private police is the general untrustworthiness of public police in the undeveloped world. I think most honest well-traveled people would admit they trust security guards at restaurants or hotels more than the local police. Unfortunately, improving on public police in the undeveloped world is not a very high bar.
The last, most controversial point, and the one with the least evidence to support privatization is criminal courts. This would be an extreme example, as it is highly unlikely that a private city would gain sovereignty. If a private city did manage to gain some autonomy, the criminal courts would likely be the last thing a host country would abdicate control over. While there is very little evidence on this point, I would like to make several overarching statement.
First, there are lots of examples of private actors acting badly in criminal justice, honor killings, feuds etc. However, I think these examples have as much bearing on a private city as the Saudi Arabia beheading teenagers has on arguments for social democracy. While they are in some ways the same, private criminal justice, and the actions of a state, they strip out the context that makes them different. Saudi Arabia is still a primitive state and honor killings are a primitive form of private justice. If Google were to build a city it is hard to believe it would try to build the honor killing, teenager beheading, primitive criminal justice system.
Second, a private city could remove sovereign immunity. Wrongful actions taken against citizens, including in the criminal justice sphere, would penalize the city.
Of course, that private cities could provide better civil justice, police, and criminal justice than undeveloped countries does not mean they would do a better job than a Charter City, merely that they would be better than the status quo. A Charter City, assuming it is implemented well, would provide civil justice, police, and criminal justice, at a level consistent with the Charter country. In other words, a Charter City would have low variance of its justice system.
A private city on the other hand, would have high variance. It could outperform a Charter City, but it could also greatly underperform a Charter City. Compared to a Charter City, a private city would have a slightly higher ceiling, but a much lower floor.
So, given the expected value of a private city based on civil justice, police, and criminal justice, is lower than a Charter City, why prefer a private city? The answer is adaptability, the ability to respond quickly to rapidly changing on the ground circumstances.
Cities, especially institutionally autonomous cities, are complex. The problems they have at 10,000 people are not the same problems they face at 1,000,000. Difficulties faced by the developer will not scale linearly. This requires a decision making body that is equipped to respond rapidly and effectively to such problems. Simply put, that body is not government.
One illustration of the difficulty of complex systems is massive multiplayer online games. Some of the more popular online games have millions of players trading with each other. While companies can test the games with thousands, even tens of thousands, of players before release, the dynamics will fundamentally change with millions of players. Often times the initial release is followed by several months of trying to rapidly respond to consumer feedback about the game. For comparison, take the difficulty state governments have had in establishing Obamacare exchanges online. Hawaii spent $205 million dollars developing a website far simpler than most big budget modern games, and it doesn't even work.
Another example is the refugee crisis in Europe. Naguib Sawiris, an Egyptian Billionaire, is actively trying to buy a Greek island to house refugees. The EU, which has the resources, as well as the political clout to create a refugee city on a Greek island is standing on the sidelines.
For another thought experiment, think of a major institution of the US government that can respond quickly and effectively to new problems, the FDA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy? The Department of Homeland Security is the newest cabinet level department created in the US. It's most visible program, TSA, is widely considered a failure. It was recently revealed that they had a 95% failure rate in a test, failing to detect 67 out of 70 people trying to sneak fake bombs and guns on a plane. Is the political body that created the TSA really going to create an organization capable of building a Charter City, especially as the problem faced by the TSA is far simpler than problems faced by a Charter City. In this sense it is possible for a Charter City to end up a large boondoggle, a new Brasilia built but mismanaged to the point of vastly underperforming expectations.
In a Charter City there is the added problem that the decision making body would not necessarily be close to conditions on the ground. If Denmark, for example, is the Charter Country, would we expect all the Danish workers to move to sub-Saharan Africa? Requiring them to move would likely eliminate many married or elderly workers. If they are not required to move, they will be out of tune with the local conditions.
That being said, there are historical examples of public cities rapidly growing, Shenzhen being the most prominent example. However, these cities had different institutional arrangements than what is likely to arise in a Charter City.
To conclude I'd like to reiterate my main points. Institutionally autonomous cities are currently one of the best ways to improve the lives of the world's poorest. The two competing visions of institutionally autonomous cities are Charter Cities and private cities. The primary advantage of Charter Cities is low variance and better provision of justice systems. The disadvantage is adaptability. The advantage of private cities is adaptability. The disadvantage is the low floor for the justice systems (though even a low floor would likely be an improvement in many undeveloped countries).
Ultimately, the success of a Charter City or a private city will depend on the organization with decision making authority. It is certainly possible, though unlikely, that business, growth oriented organization can emerge from negotiations between two governments to build a Charter City. Similarly, it is possible that a business with few ethical scruples can take advantage of a country granting institutional autonomy, preying on those who move there. The potential success of either project will depend the governing body, and those of us interested in such a project should do what we can to ensure the process for choosing the governing body is fair, open, and transparent.


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Our Ghost Sundays are free of admission. However, if you'd like to have an even more magical experience, consider going VIP! Your visit is catered to by a concierge and includes a tour of the inside of the Field of Dreams farmhouse. Click any of the links below for more details and to claim this memory limited to 13 lucky people per show.
Learn More and Book Online Now!
Also, Save the Date for our premier event each year, Team of Dreams! In 2018, that happens on Sunday, September 2. You can get a head start and buy your tickets today as this event sold out in 2017! Reserve Your Seats Today
Looking for great memorabilia to capture your piece of the dream? Get your FOD gear at our on-site gift shop! Or, visit our online store!Find out more »
Come visit the farm, tour the baseball field and Schedule a Home Tour. We have live, guided 30-minute tours, where you will hear stories about the home from its early days as the Lansing family homestead in the early 20th century to its rebirth as the set for the Kinsella family in the 1989 fantasy […]Find out more »


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KARACHI- Ashraf Ali Khan, the eldest son of Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan passed away today.
Ashraf Ali Khan, 77 a cancer patient was admitted into a private hospital for the last five days, where he died. He leaves behind a widow, a daughter and two sons. Born in 1937, Ashraf was just 14 years old when his father was assassinated on October 16, 1951.


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This is my go-to dress. This dress is probably about eight years old and I have worn in a thousand times in so many situations. It's an easy basic throw-it-on-and-look-pulled-together dress. It dresses up with heels and nice jewelry and dresses down for a day of errands. It is some super non-wrinkle fabric so I always bring it when I travel and can ball it up into a tightly packed suitcase and it comes out ready to wear. It also has a flattering cut so you can eat a huge dinner and you won't spend the night sucking in your tummy. Everyone should own a dependable dress like this.
Black sleeveless dress – Ann Taylor
Nude Flats – TJ Maxx
Gold bracelet watch – Michael Kors


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There are two sides to every issue. Should the controlled sale of human organs be legalized in the United States? Should the controlled sale of human organs remain illegal in the United States?
The Friday Night Dialogue at the Shelter Island Library on November 30 presents Andrew M. Flescher, Ph.D., from Stony Brook University, to introduce us to the ramifications of this dilemma and illuminate his perspective as supported in his recent book, "The Organ Shortage Crisis in America."


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Image Source: Dormify: Dorm Living
As promised on my Facebook page that I will post up a mini guide on determining which samples are worth going forth to collect and how I do it. I'll try to keep this simple, short and painless as I possibly can. But then, it's not really that hard to get around to it. Anyway, I'll just get to the issue before I bore anyone else to tears and snooze from too much talking.
Basically, if you are lucky, there will be at least 2 to 3 companies subsequently releasing new products and along the way, come up with sampling exercise or in short, sample collection on their new products for fans and non-believers to try before buying. A good way to literally "stalk" the respective Facebook pages would be to go through this link here: http://puniaogoodies.blogspot.sg/p/links-to-samples.html and visit through the listed links on a once-a-week basis. But at the same time note that most sampling exercise for newly released products tend to last at least a whole month before newer activity takes over, such as contests, giveaways, sales promotions, for example. Or worse case scenario, there will be "deadlines" on how long the sampling exercise will last. So, take note of it too.
For example, let's take a look at Lancôme's Visionnaire product. When it first got released in Singapore, no doubt, there will be sampling activity involved. This is a good way to get non-interested fans to try and subsequently end up buying due to the fact that it may work for them. But how do you determine exactly if the samples are worth getting in the first place? Easy, just keep reading:
Presuming that Lancôme's Visionnaire costs S$135 for a bottle of 30ml.
- 30 ml @ S$135/-
- 1ml X 7 sachets = 7ml altogether
- S$135 ÷ 30ml = S$4.50 @ 1ml
- $S4.50 X 7 (1ml sachets) = S$31.50
But if you are feeling a little lost here, here's the recap again, without too much explanations:
- Lancôme Visionnaire - S$135/- at 30ml bottle
- S$135 ÷ 30ml = S$4.50 at 1ml
- If you think you are getting only 5 sachets at 1ml each, multiply S$4.50 by 5ml = S$22.50
- If you think you are getting 7 sachets at 1ml each, multiply S$4.50 by 7ml = S$31.50
Now, here's the little fun part. After you got the amount of the samples' worth, here's the next thing you need to be aware of, transportation costs to get them. In this case, always try to collect any samples you come across at the same location. For example, you are collecting 2-3 different samples from different beauty companies such as Lancôme, Estée Lauder and L'Oréal Paris, try to ensure that you are collecting samples from these 3 companies at Orchard Road for example. This means that you are essentially keeping your transportation money as low as you possibly can, and in a way, this makes collecting the samples much more affordable in terms of transportation money.
And now, let's presume that you can only collect your Lancôme samples from Tangs @ Orchard Road, and you are living in Choa Chu Kang, for example. According to TransitLink: Bus Enquiry, the bus fare from Choa Chu Kang to Tangs @ Orchard on bus #190 would cost exactly S$1.55 and the same amount back home.
- S$1.55 x 2 trips = S$3.10 altogether
Now that we have the transportation amount (to Orchard Road and back to the home area) finalised to S$3.10. Compare it against the amount of the Lancôme sample you will be getting. In this case:
- Lancôme samples - S$31.50 @ 7ml
- Bus trip to and fro - S$$3.10 for 2 trips, to and fro
- If the total amount of the samples are way more than the amount of your transportation fee, go for it
- But if your transportation money is going to cost more than what the total amount of samples will be, either wait for at least 1 - 2 more samples or just forget about it. Alternatively, go to the nearest Metro near your area and try your luck.
Like last week for example, I finally dilly dally and waited until I accumulated at least 5 samples, freebies and goodies. And in this instance, you do need the SMRT Train map as well to plan your route so that instead of taking a big round, you end up being able to plan your route in a way that each place you plan to ends up being a place where you can collect your goodies.
For example last week as according to my latest Samples Redeemed & Received post at http://bit.ly/WBPUa1, I got to collect:
- Estee Lauder's CyberWhite HD
- Lancôme Hypnose Star Mascara goodie bag
- Venus Beauty Jimmy'z Skin Care Oil-Control Cleansing Foam
- Clarins New Plus White
- BUT BECKY Radiance & Luminous Pearl Mask
And in this case, I chose to collect my goodies in this order:
- Estee Lauder's CyberWhite HD - Orchard Road via Bus
- Lancôme Hypnose Star Mascara goodie bag - Orchard Road via walking
- Venus Beauty Jimmy'z Skin Care Oil-Control Cleansing Foam - Train from Orchard to Ang Mo Kio
- Clarins New Plus White - Train from Ang Mo Kio to Woodlands
- BUT BECKY Radiance & Luminous Pearl Mask - Train from Woodlands to Jurong East
- Bus from Jurong East to Home
- Total bus transport amount - Not exceeding S$6 in total
If you were to check the SMRT Train map, you would notice that it's actually a straight journey that goes from Orchard MRT, all the way to Jurong East. With stops in-between where I can still collect and go. Instead of going from Orchard MRT to Jurong East, and realizing that I could stop in between Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands along the way. And the other reason for collecting this much goodies in a day? Because of the transportation amount as well, you see, if you were to look at my goodie collection schedule as I've previously mentioned, hopping in-between train and bus rides meant that there will be a small discount on my bus and train fare and the total amount spent on transportation won't go past even S$6.
However, if I were to dictate one collection per day in a total of 4 days. For example:
- Monday: Estee Lauder's CyberWhite HD + Lancôme Hypnose Star Mascara goodie bag - Orchard Road via Bus @ S$3.10 to and fro in total
- Tuesday: Venus Beauty Jimmy'z Skin Care Oil-Control Cleansing Foam - Train from Choa Chu Kang to Ang Mo Kio @ S$3.54 back and fro
- Wednesday: Clarins New Plus White - Train from Choa Chu Kang to Woodlands @ S$2.46 back and fro
- Thursday: BUT BECKY Radiance & Luminous Pearl Mask - Train from Choa Chu Kang to Jurong East @ S$1.11 back and fro
- Total transportation amount accumulated over 4 days = S$10.21 altogether
And there you have it, collecting as many goodies as you possibly can in 1 day is cheaper than spreading out the collection on 5 different days for 5 different samples. Unless there's really no more samples or goodies to collect, then it would make sense to have single collection journeys.
Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? Also includes updates to contests that I've sourced out for you to join. It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt them down :)


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Well there you go…
1,026,580 Views
I finally did it, but what got me my final 50,000 hits to achieve this magic number? Well, unbelievably on September 4th for some unknown reason there was a massive interest in Hamad Hospital's food, and in the blink of an eye my goal was achieved.
Not an amazing artistic or photo journalistic shot that I could be proud of, just a couple of shots of my meal while in hospital taken on my iPhone. It was a lovely meal, and I enjoyed it very much but I had no idea it would create so much interest.


text: Are Alternative Investments Right for You? With alternative investments, it's critical to sort through the complexity. Share | Have A Question About This Topic? Name Email Address Question Thank you! Oops! Related Contents Jane Bond: Decoding Diversification Agent Jane Bond is on the case, discovering how bonds diversify a portfolio. What's Your Investment IQ? You make decisions for your portfolio, but how much do you really know about the products you buy? Try this quiz Keys to Investing for Retirement There are some key concepts to understand when investing for retirement.


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BLAKESBURG, Iowa -- A small town police chief is facing big time trouble after pulling his gun out twice at city hall, one time pointing it toward a city councilman.
Security video taken inside Blakesburg City Hall shows Police Chief Bob Lewis pointing a gun toward a city councilman. The video shows another city council member touches the chief's arm while he is leaning on a window, then he draws his gun and points it towards a city councilman who is behind a thin door.
"Oh yeah, it was stupid," Blakesburg Mayor Jason Myers says, "Whether or not he knew somebody was on the other side of the door, I mean, I feel that he probably did."
City Councilman Bill Hinshaw says, "It was done in bad taste. It may have been supposed to be a joke but somebody who is in a position of authority...it's something that never should have been done."
The police chief did not respond to our request for a comment, but he tells city council he was just testing out his holster to see how fast he could draw his gun if he had to.
"It just doesn't seem to me that that's what he would do," Hinshaw says, "He could have done it anyplace else but you don't point it at someone."
And that's not all. The security video was taped back in April, but Chief Lewis was just reprimanded about it during this week's city council meeting. So he drew his loaded weapon again during the crowded meeting to show city council a round was not chambered.
"He took the clip out and laid it on the bench there which I appreciate him doing that but there are some people that are very concerned about that," Hinshaw says, "Should it have been done? Probably that wasn't the best thing to do."
The mayor says Chief Lewis should be punished. He's just not sure yet how. "I don't want to ruin a person's career," Myers says, "I just don't know. It's just so tricky. And I consider Bob a friend but at the same time I gotta look out for the community."


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Welcome to Woolston CE Aided Primary School
On behalf of the children, staff and governors I would like to welcome you to Woolston CE Primary school. We are all immensely proud of our school and the excellent achievements of all our children – our KS2 SATs results are consistently above the LA and national average.
We place high emphasis on developing strong links between home and school and fostering a caring and secure environment in which all children can prosper and fulfil their potential. During their time at our school we aim to provide the children with as many opportunities as possible and therefore provide a broad and balanced curriculum, regularly invite visitors into school, take the children on school visits and provide a variety of afterschool clubs.
As a Church of England (VA) school we work closely with the church of the Ascension and in recognition of these close links we have just been awarded the church/school partnership award.
Our school mission statement is:
Working and learning together in the light of Jesus. A community which celebrates God's love. A warm and welcoming environment with Christian values at its heart, where children are encouraged to fulfil their potential and grow into honest, caring citizens.
As a result of this we all work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support that results in our children leaving us as excellent young citizens who have fulfilled their potential.
Mrs S Dillon


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Eastern Idaho Home Builders Association (EIHBA) was formed in 1974 to help promote the American Dream of home ownership in our community. Our mission is to provide our members and the community with services that help with the development of the building industry as a whole.
We are a non-profit association chartered by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). EIHBA is a self-regulatory organization, a watchdog advocate for the building industry, providing a line of communication for the members and the community. We are also involved in community fundraisers and donations.


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MALF Evy Nordley Award for Best Project by Friends of the Library: Winners and Finalists
2018 | Pipestone* | Brainerd | Buffalo
2017 | Marine* | Austin | Brainerd
2016 | Pipestone* | Northfield | Elmore
2015 | Austin* | Ramsey County | Brainerd
2014 | Brainerd* | JFHML Foundation | Ramsey County
2013 | Cambridge* | Duluth | Two Harbors
2012 | Ramsey County* | Houston | Nokomis
"Full 'STEAM' Ahead" Wins Pipestone the 2018 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Pipestone Area Friends of the Library: "Full 'STEAM' Ahead."
Today, Meinders Community Library in Pipestone, Minnesota is home to a state-of-the-art makerspace – one that a public library in a community three times Pipestone's size would envy. Its free resources range from 3D printers and stop motion animation equipment, to cricut machines and industrial staplers.
A well-equipped makerspace represents a significant financial commitment, and one that Meinders Library did not make lightly. In order to gauge interest for and demand in these cutting-edge library amenities, the Library turned to the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library.
On May 20, 2017, the Friends hosted "Full STEAM Ahead," a celebration of science and creativity that showcased the various technologies available through a permanent makerspace. (For those unfamiliar with it, STEAM is an education acronym for Science • Technology • Engineering • Art • Mathematics.) In total, the program featured more than 25 free activities and presentations. Favorites included book binding, wool spinning, kite making and cricut crafting.
Thanks to a robust publicity campaign and strong relationship with the area school, which adjoins the Meinders Library, more than 100 attendees of all ages participated in the day-long extravaganza. That healthy turnout approached the Library's all-time event record – not bad, especially for a library with a programming budget of zero dollars in 2017.
However, as the saying goes, nothing comes from nothing. The Friends donated 100+ volunteer hours to the planning and execution of Full STEAM Ahead. Other community volunteers contributed another 20+. Local businesses provided a complimentary lunch and refreshments for all guests.
Full STEAM Ahead proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Pipestone area was ready for a permanent makerspace. After the program's resounding success, the Library applied for a $25,000 grant through the competitive State Farm Neighborhood Assist® program. The Friends' resounding success with the Full STEAM Ahead pilot set it apart from other applicants. Out of nearly 2,000 submissions, Pipestone was selected as one of only 40 to get the full $25,000 amount.
This is a huge boon for the community, and in particular for Pipestone Area Public Schools. "Because the Library is attached, students are able to use the new [makerspace] for school projects," said director Jody Wacker. "It's doing much to equalize economic disparity."
[Finalist] Friends of Brainerd Public Library: "CLUE Book Club Murder Mystery."
While board games are a popular pastime, they suffer from a drawback: the gameplay experience is a decidedly two-dimensional one. The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library turned that on its head last year with a wildly popular CLUE murder mystery event.
Hosted at the Brainerd Public Library (where else?), this first-of-its-kind role playing event brought to life the popular Hasbro game and its stately mansion setting.
The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library are no strangers to experimental programming. In 2014, they won the Evy Nordley Award for "Wine & Words," an author gala fundraiser. Last year, they were runners-up with "Books, Burgers & Brews," a truly unique literary dining experience held in Crow Wing County restaurants and pubs.
However, while these previous initiatives targeted the public at large, invitations to the CLUE Event were restricted to just one special audience: members of area book clubs.
"You may think that creating an exclusive event for book clubs is preaching to the choir, but that is not true," explained Friends president Sheila DeChantal."Many book clubs do not utilize their local library – and more so, they do not know the resources that today's libraries provide."
In the run-up to the big day, each area book club received a "summons" (delivered in ornate envelopes appropriately marked Confidential). More than 100 book club members answered that call.
Many dressed in period costumes, complementing the Victorian veneer given to Brainerd Public Library for the day. "A local photographer loaned us backdrops, including bookshelves and a study, which really completed the setting," DeChantal recalled.
The Friends organizers tasked guests with solving a murder by visiting sixteen themed areas within the Library. Just like in the board game CLUE, players used process of elimination to zero in on a murder weapon, the scene of the crime – and its perpetrator.
Going the extra mile, the Friends also secured an event liquor from the City and offered a free beer tasting. Hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and coffee were also donated by area businesses. Each attendee left with a Friends of the Library swap bag containing promo materials about the group and the Library, chocolates, and coupons for local breweries and coffeehouses.
Impressively, thanks to in-kind donations, the Friends were able to put on the CLUE Event with only $200 of their own money.
[Finalist] Friends of Buffalo Public Library: "Outdoor Reading Space."
Buffalo Public Library enjoys an enviable piece of grassy shoreline along Buffalo Lake. Until quite recently, however, this sliver of prime real estate was an underused and unprepossessing spot. Limited, cramped seating was one reason. Overgrown landscaping – which harbored bugs but blocked the water view – was another. Dull paving stones and drab patio colors certainly didn't help, either.
Last year, The Friends of the Buffalo Public Library financed and coordinated a three-phase construction campaign to revamp and expand this waterfront courtyard.
Funding came from several sources. Semi-annual book sale revenue, collected over two years, provided the lion's share. Profits from "pop-up" book sales set up at farmer's markets and garage sales helped as well. Last, private donations to The Friends solicited and earmarked for the project put the reconstruction above its budget target.
In addition to the required fundraising, The Friends also took on the logistical and administrative challenges associated with this property upgrade. They sought bids and retained the services of a landscaping firm, partnering with city government on the approval of a design and repairs to an existing retaining wall, and consulted with the Wright County Horticultural Society about how best to handle perennial plantings.
Phase 1 of the three-stage process supplemented the existing patio with a second one, plus provided a new hedge to shield the outdoor reading area from the parking lot. Phase 2 overhauled the existing patio with new, permanent seating and connected the two with a winding paver path. Phase 3 included various beautification and shade-giving measures.
Work was paced in this way to allow construction to begin even before fundraising efforts hit the final budget target.
Ultimately, "seating space was more than doubled," noted board member Kay Stait. "Smaller groups or individuals can now feel comfortable sitting in twice the space, versus just a small circular ring with all the seating facing each other." The renovations also showcase the beautiful, curated perennials that existed behind the Library previously but could not conveniently be viewed and appreciated.
"We feel that we have succeeded in turning this portion of the library property into an outdoor space that will entice patrons and offer a place for reading and respite," she concluded.
"Once Upon A River" Wins Marine the 2017 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Marine on St. Croix: "Once Upon A River."
The historic Marine Village Hall in Marine on St. Croix is Minnesota's oldest public facility of its kind still used for governmental purposes. However, on October 15, 2016, the 130-year-old building hosted something entirely new.
The Friends of the Marine Library (aka Marine Library Association) hosted "Once Upon A River" at the historic venue. Marine Library Association marketed this unique performance as a blend of photography exhibits, live music, and more celebrating the beautiful St. Croix River and environ.
More than 150 ticket holders turned out for this fundraiser. Headliners included artist Marty Harding and nature photographer Gary Noren, who shared the distinction of being selected as 'Pine Needles Artists in Residence' for the St. Croix Watershed Research Station – a big honor, for those in the know.
Other highlights included the 30-member River Chorale, jazz and ragtime clarinetist Butch Thompson, and renowned pianist and accordionist Dan Chouinard.
Given the environmental theming, the Friends were able to convince the St. Croix River Association, St. Croix Watershed Research Station (Science Museum of Minnesota), and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (National Park Service) to partner on the funding, design, and promotion of this first-of-its kind endeavor.
Moreover, the Marine Library Association's dedicated promotions team went all out, designing a well-circulated poster and securing plugs in area newspapers and other media.
"Once Upon A River" packed the house and then some. Some hopefuls who had not purchased their ticket in advance could not get into the Village Hall, noted organizer Loralee DiLorenzo. (This is, as they say, a good problem to have.) Fortunately, some of the exhibits on display at OUAR are slated to enjoy a long second life in other Washington County venues. This includes the popular artwork of Harding and Noren.
At the end of the night, the Marine Library Association had netted $7,735. Success is attributable not just to ticket sales and sponsorship support, but to the Friends' stellar job securing in-kind donations for the program. This included over $3,500 in comped audio visual support from a local vendor, among other services.
[Finalist] Austin: "Blind Date With A Book."
In the run-up to Valentine's Day, the Friends of the Austin Public Library set up fifty blind dates. But, this feat of matchmaking took a different form from what you probably have in mind!
February fundraiser "Blind Date With A Book" generated several hundred dollars for the Friends, and invaluable exposure with new audiences in Austin.The idea stemmed from a board of directors brainstorming sessions last fall. The Friends wanted a fresh idea with modest costs attached – a tall order, as any fundraising volunteer can attest!
Capitalizing on an inventory of like-new books they had on hand from a recent book sale, they decided to put a Valentine's twist on the traditional Friends book sale model. They wrapped hundreds of books, representing a wide range of genres, in plain paper, which they then tapped into their artistic talents to ornament. They priced these anonymous "book dates" at $5.00 for a hardcover, or $5.00 for two paperbacks.
As an added incentive for picky and curious readers alike, the organizers decided to include keywords and other clues on each.
In addition to the library, the Friends partnered with a local coffeehouse to set up a table in a highly trafficked corner of downtown. "We decided we needed to move outside of the library to draw more attention to our group," explained member Sue Grove. On sale days, Friends volunteered to "staff" the table at the coffee shop and handle transactions.
Friends of the Austin Public Library received significant local publicity, including a front-page story in the newspaper and a feature on a popular radio talk show.
All told, the Friends sold 50 wrapped books; with additional donations, they netted $393.00 over the course of the event (more than 50 percent above their target)!
"'Blind Date' is such a fun project to put on, and it can be easily replicated by any Friends group!" explained Grove.
Given their initial success and the relative ease of scaling up the program, organizers are already committed to holding a sequel "Blind Date With A Book" in 2018. Next time around, they are going to expand their offerings to include children's and young adult titles, and thereby make it an all-ages event.
[Finalist] Brainerd: "Books, Burgers, and Brews."
On March 20, 2017, literati in Brainerd dined on the "Mae Holland-aise Burger": a truly unique entrée composed of bacon, cheddar, hollandaise drizzle, and a heaping side of literary inside jokes. Mae Holland is the plucky protagonist in The Circle by Dave Eggers.
It is only one of many one-of-kind dishes prepared in recent months for the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library and their guests as part of "Books, Burgers and Brews." The Friends inaugurated this innovative program in October 2016, in hopes of spreading the group's fundraising and messaging to an inviting locale outside the library.
Books, Burgers and Brews is held at Prairie Bay, a popular farm-to-table eatery not far from downtown. Each month, the restaurant's book-loving head chefs crafts a menu themed to that month's Friends book club selection.
"Working together with the Library, we chose titles that we felt would be appealing to both men and women," explained organizer Sheila DeChantal. The first selection was sci fi favorite The Martian, by Andy Weir. That dinner drew about 35 attendees – and an encouraging high proportion of men.
"We were looking to have that elusive mix of men and women," DeChantal said. "We were also targeting non-readers and 'dormant' readers."
Attendance now tops 40 during any given month. Recent installments have included the non-fiction hit Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly), which centers around African American women at NASA in the 1960s and inspired the spicy pepper "Blast Off Burger," and The Nest (Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney), namesake of the fried onion Nest Egg Burger.
Each month's dinner is accompanied by a short program, including a slideshow presentation and live author Skype discussions when possible.
The Friends had initially planned to take a hiatus during the summer months, and pick back up in the fall. However, due to program growth and pending promotional opportunities, Books, Burgers and Brews is now held year-round. Moreover, the owners of Prairie Bay are actively exploring the possibility of bringing this novel book club idea to two other venues they own in the Brainerd area.
In addition to greater awareness about the Brainerd Public Library and its Friends, the series has yielded other dividends, as well. The Friends purchase 20 copies of each highlighted title for the Library's collection, and have leveraged "BBB" as a way to stoke interest in Brainerd's book-club-in-a-bag offerings.
"Night at the Museum" Wins Pipestone the 2016 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Pipestone: "Night at the Museum."
Last fall, for one night only, the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library (PAFL) transformed the local Meinders Community Library into southwest Minnesota's most innovative museum.
Pipestone's library is a relative rarity in today's landscape, notes director Jody Wacker. It is a combined school and public library facility; it serves the Pipestone Area Schools, as well as the 4,000-person community at large. "We are therefore in a unique position to create ties inter-generationally, and across the cultural and socio-economic divides common in our town," Wacker explained.
PAFL did just that on November 20 with its inaugural "Night at the Museum" – the largest ever library event hosted in Pipestone.
Inspired loosely by the popular movie of the same name, the event's dovetailing goals were to give students an opportunity to showcase their artwork, bridge generation gaps, and get people into the library. "Students have few people with whom to share their art and academic success with, as school projects that take time and effort are then typically crammed into backpacks and are often seen only by teachers and parents," Wacker explained.
Planning and promotion began in September. All told, 216 area students (3rd-12th grades) contributed a total of 91 exhibits to Night at the Museum. These varied widely, from canvas art and educational displays, to short feature films and podcasts – and even a cheesecake-making demonstration and a scone taste-testing!
A turnout of over 160 attendees beat expectations – despite the night coinciding with the year's first big snowfall. After the main event, 50 students and adults stuck around to watch "Night at the Museum."
For a program with so many moving pieces, PAFL's event could not have been more cost effective. The Friends provided about $35 towards refreshments, but most other costs were picked up by local media and patron donors. Naturally, the students did most of the set-up and tear-down work.
Building on this first year's success, Jody Wacker feels that as little as $500 for paid promotions would go a long way towards making any "sequels" even bigger community affairs.
By all accounts, Night at the Museum is an achievement worth repeating. "We successfully brought together two demographics within our community that typically have little interaction and great misconceptions of each other: our youth and our elderly," Wacker said. "All night – and for months afterward – we heard how much people enjoyed spending time with the youth and seeing them in a whole new light. The impact was significant enough that the library continues to highlight student projects."
[Finalist] Northfield: "Friends Bag Book Sales."
In 2015-2016, the City of Northfield – together with numerous community partners and donors – financed a $3.4 million renovation to the Northfield Public Library. Private support accounted for an impressive 45 percent of that price tag.
The Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library played an integral role in seeing this public-private partnership through to its conclusion. Not content to rest on their laurels, however, the Friends remain hard at work promoting the newly expanded facility and all that it has to offer.
Two recent, overlapping book bag promotions are emblematic of the Friends' tireless community outreach efforts.
Northfield Public Library owns several pieces of artwork by local artEvyists, including the iconic Jubilante by St. Olaf professor emeritus John Maakestad. Library staff rolled out a "brand refresh" to coincide with their facility's grand reopening, and used Jubilante as something of a centerpiece: on library cards, a new website, and more.
With the permission of the Maakestad family, the Friends used the masterwork as the design for a new line of totes, as well. They sold these, at the reopening celebration and afterwards, for $15 each (in order to keep the tote affordable to all) – but encouraged a $5 "extra" donation.
Meanwhile, the Friends of the Northfield Library targeted their second book bag initiative at an underserved population: residents who speak English only as a second language. After applying for and receiving a $1500 grant from Women in Northfield Giving Support ("WINGS"), the Friends assembled more than 100 blue-and-white bags stuffed to the brim with outreach resources. Goodies included Spanish-to-English flash cards, spelling and math activity books, pamphlets about the library, and bus vouchers. (Northfield Public Library is located close to a major bus line. Organizers included complimentary bus tokens to invite visits from community members who do not have other easy transportation options.)
Careful grant fund management allowed the Friends to assemble 150 full totes (versus the 100 originally projected). They targeted recipient families with able assistance from area schools and the local Community Action Center.
As the Friends noted in their recent Evy Nordley application, they had hoped that this outreach push would "incentivize visits from families who do not regularly use the library's programs, services, and resources." Happily, multiple tote recipients were in evidence among the 2,200-strong crowd at the library's rededication ceremony – indicating that they are having the desired impact.
Jubilante also made its mark. The Friends sold out of their initial order relatively quickly, and just as quickly reordered more. They intend to market the colorful, waterproof tote heavily as part of future holiday fundraisers.
[Finalist] Elmore: "Basket Book-nanza"
Friends in small and rural areas are often tempted to use the modest size of their library, community, or member roster as excuses not to "think big." Friends of the Elmore Public Library are proof positive that, with pluck and ingenuity, small Friends organizations can accomplish truly great things.
Located an hour south of Mankato along the Iowa state line, Elmore is a farm town of only 600. Unsurprisingly, as of last year, membership in the local Friends was among the lowest of any organization in southern Minnesota.
Consequently, many in the community voiced doubts when the Friends announced their intention to organize a large book basket silent auction as part of Elmore's summer Horse and Buggy Days weekend celebration.
"Someone on our Board of Directors had seen another library do this sort of fundraiser, where they created baskets themed around a book title," explained secretary Kristin Travis. "We decided to expand on that idea, by reaching out to the business community and asking them to donate either baskets or money for a silent auction."
While the partnership opportunity sounds straightforward enough on paper, it is a tall order for Elmore – a town with no grocery store, no bank branch, and little commercial activity to speak of. At present, Elmore sustains only six active businesses.
Hoping to cast a wider net, "our Board brainstormed what businesses in nearby towns and cities benefit from the residents of Elmore shopping or patronizing them – or anyplace connected because owners or employees are alumni," Travis recalled. (Elmore High School ceased graduating seniors in 1994, but Faribault County is full of town alumni working in various leadership positions.)
In total, the Friends compiled a list of 88 recipients for a letter requesting basket donations for the library's silent auction. Impressively, 53 of those contacted wished to take part!
Kristin Travis attributes this response in part to flexible participation options. Donors did not have to devote time and effort to a themed basket if they did not want to. A cash donation option eliminated that barrier. In those cases, the Friends assembled an appropriate basket.
All these efforts reaped a range of dividends. Exposure helped the Friends boost their profile and nearly double the size of their Board (from 5 to 9). Every auction item sold during Horse and Buggy Days weekend, allowing the Friends to buy a computer and needed software for the library. Moreover, "Basket Book-nanza" raised so much that the Friends had enough left over to buy the facility a new Cricut machine and about $200 worth in DVDs.
This last acquisition brought with it an encouraging ripple effect. Elmore Public Library recently weeded its outdated VHS collection but had little to offer by way of new and in-demand DVD titles. This post-auction donation helped change that situation. DVDs now in rotation account for nearly 50 percent of the library's entire circulation. "It has also fueled an interest in community members willing to donate movies," noted Travis. (Approximately 1,300 are now available, up from just 100 last July.)
Friends of the Elmore Public Library is eager to try their hand at this fundraiser again – but next go around, they aim to reach out to an expanded contact list of nearly 150 businesses.
"Holiday Book Sale" Wins Austin the 2015 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Austin: "Holiday Book Sale."
Austin, Minnesota – like hundreds of communities its size across the country – lost its last independent bookstore several years ago. Area booklovers feel that loss acutely, particularly during the holiday season. In 2014, the Friends of the Austin Public Library stepped in to fill this void in a new and innovative way.
The Friends began by tapping an invaluable relationship. "Earlier in 2014, we had struck up a partnership with staff at the Barnes & Noble store in nearby Rochester," explained president Sue Grove. "This allows us to provide new books for sale at author presentations in our library, as well as at the annual Austin Artworks Festival."
After these initial forays into new book sales proved successful, the Friends sat down with the Barnes & Noble community outreach liaison to plan something much more ambitious. "While brainstorming new ways to leverage this connection, board members came up with the idea of hosting a special holiday book sale at the library."
They reasoned that such a program would allow residents to, once again, buy new books in Austin – while simultaneously drawing people into the library and boosting the public profile of the Friends. "Our board has sponsored two successful used book sales every year for many years, so this really seemed like a natural extension," Grove said.
Barnes & Noble welcomed the opportunity to expand their reach in this market, knowing that not all readers in Austin are willing to make the 40-minute trek out to their Rochester store.
"We hoped to appeal to all ages, and so enlisted the help of people from various backgrounds and with varied interests to select book titles," Grove explained. For instance, a retired kindergarten teacher picked out an assortment of in-demand children's books. In total, the Friends spent a full five hours in Barnes & Noble pulling together merchandise retailing at about $7,000 for resale. "We bought so much that the 20 percent discount promised was increased to a 25 percent discount!"
A strong promotions blitz augured well for the three-day event. In addition to distributing flyers and posters, the Friends made appearances on local television and radio stations. The Austin Daily Herald gave the book sale front-page billing on two separate occasions, and Barnes & Noble coordinated web publicity.
"The event succeeded beyond our wildest dreams," Grove explained. "Everyone was so excited about the first ever event of this kind… The room was packed throughout the sale. On the first day, people were even lining up 45 minutes before we opened!" Inventory sold so quickly that Barnes & Noble reps trucked additional books in from Rochester on the second and third days.
At the end of the event, the Friends let Austin's collection development librarians select books they wanted for circulation. Barnes & Noble accepted back whatever remained, meaning that the Friends lost no money on unsold items.
While fundraising was a secondary objective, the Friends of the Austin Public Library raised over $1,250 through the holiday book sale. They intend to make it an annual tradition – albeit next year, in a much larger room!
[Finalist] Friends of Ramsey County Libraries: "Second Annual Great Gatsby Gala."
F. Scott Fitzgerald died 75 years ago, but the literary luminary and St. Paul native would have felt right at home last February at the Friends of the Ramsey Co. Libraries' signature fundraising event: the Great Gatsby Gala. For the second time in as many years, over 200 flappers and fellas converged on the Roseville Public Library for this memorable night.
The Friends set an ambitious goal of $30,000 (up an even $10,000 from 2014). They came in almost exactly on target, thanks to diverse revenue streams built into their gala model. Moderately priced tickets and generous sponsorships from local organizations accounted for much of it, but other fundraiser activities were unique to the gala and its theme.
For instance, notes long-time Friend and volunteer Sue Gehrz, sales of 1920s-style hats and headbands alone contributed over $500 in revenue. Volunteers painstakingly crafted the headbands by hand and sold them both before and during the gala.
The literary theme also seeped into the fundraiser's silent and live auction components, in the form of books and period pieces. In total, over 80 items and bundles were donated to the auction, in categories ranging from dining and sightseeing experiences, to original artwork, to sports memorabilia.
While the live auction was the highlight for some, dining, dancing and photoshoots anchored the night for others. Still others appreciated the chance to meet their local librarians, and to go on a guided tour of the Roseville Public Library.
The Friends of the Ramsey County Library were thrilled to see that this combination of activities and attractions – fine-tuned after the inaugural gala in 2014 – drew a mix of people of all ages. The gala also proved a regional happening. "Many attendees traveled not just from outside Ramsey County, but from outside the Twin Cities to be a part of it," Gehrz said.
The $30,000 raised by the Friends will allow the Ramsey Co. Library to purchase 1,500 new items for collections in Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, North St. Paul, Roseville, Shoreview, and White Bear Lake.
[Finalist] Friends of Brainerd Public Library: Children's Friends Book Sale
When people design or discuss public awareness campaigns, they usually have an adult audience in mind. While the same usually holds true for public libraries, the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library recently designed a unique public awareness campaign aimed instead at their library's youngest patrons. After some discussion, the Friends landed on the perfect vehicle to share the library's value proposition with Brainerd area kids. They decided to coordinate a special children's book sale bash, drawing on their experience hosting used book sales for general audiences.
They entered the planning stage with two goals in mind: to get a wide assortment of age-appropriate materials in front of children, and to price everything at 25 cents. "All books were sold at a quarter a piece so that all children could leave happy, with books in hand," explained Friends president Gail Brecht.
Securing children's materials in the necessary quantities required broad-based community support. The Friends board of directors sent letters to local teachers requesting book donations, and they in turn sent the call out to parents throughout Crow Wing County.
In order to create a festive atmosphere and stoke strong attendance, the Friends invested in snacks and face paints. A local costume shop also loaned the Friends princess and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes at a steep discount.
Friends report that the sale remained incredibly busy throughout its run, with children and parents alike expressed great appreciation for a children's sale separate from Brainerd's customary spring and fall sales. As one impressive indicator of traffic, during the sale, over 500 kids signed up for the library's summer reading program.
Moreover, all told, the Friends raised about $1,000. As Gail Brecht points out, "that's a lot of quarters!"
"Wine and Words" Wins Brainerd the 2014 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Spotlight on Brainerd: "Wine and Words."
Author readings, wine tastings, and silent auctions are all common enough on their own, but it takes a hefty dose of creativity and planning to roll all three activities into one fundraiser. In August 2013, The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library did just this, with their inaugural "Wine and Words" program.
Held at the beautiful Arrowhead Resort Hotel & Conference Center in Alexandria, Wine and Words featured not one, not two, but five accomplished writers: Sandra Brannan, Lorna Landvik, Sarah Pekkanen, William Kent Kreuger, and Wendy Webb.
Authors and guests alike enjoyed an impressive spread, with sumptuous dishes like champagne chicken and wild rice pilaf scoring high marks. Delicious as the meal was, the real highlight for the palate was the wine tasting. Beverages were donated by a local liquor store.
Indeed, The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library's ability to find a number of generous partners (particularly 'in-kind' sponsors) proved crucial to their success. Arrowhead took care of author accommodations, and an area printer provided brochure and ticket printing free of charge. Local bookseller Book World facilitated on-site book sales for author signings. A number of businesses donated valuable items to the silent auction.
Moreover, Wine and Words enjoyed a veritable blitz of promotions – at least when compared with what's typical for Friends programs in a community the size of Brainerd. In addition to a strong social media presence, a new website, and favorable coverage in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch, that included comped radio spots.
All this paid off. President Sheila DeChantal set what she thought was an ambitious goal of 100 attendees. "The results were well beyond our expectations," she said. "We had 180 people purchase tickets!" Wine and Words cleared over $8,500 for the library's use, and also served as an effective recruitment drive. "By having Friends applications at each place setting, we also increased our membership that evening by 24 members," DeChantal reported.
Needless to say, Wine and Words will be a staple on Brainerd's community calendar from here on out!
[Finalist] Spotlight on JFHML Foundation: "Cattale Corner."
The "Land of 10,000 Lakes" has one more – and a decidedly unique one, at that! – thanks to the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library (JFHML) Friends Foundation.
The Foundation services the small town of Crosby, Minn., and surrounding Cuyuna Lakes communities in Crow Wing County. Among other ongoing initiatives, Foundation members are particularly proud of the financial support they are able to provide the Hallett Memorial Library for children's activities. In 2013 alone, the library hosted over 40 "Preschool Story Hours," with total attendance topping 1,800. Without $1,000 from the Friends each year, this successful program could not continue.
Recently, the Foundation seized on an opportunity to take this one step further. Inspired by various indoor play place prototypes they saw on display at the 2013 Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Conference in St. Cloud, and at the behest of staff, they decided to overhaul the library's kids area.
Crosby's new-and-improved kids area is replete with the most modern of amenities, including two LeapPads and two iPads, but what children enjoy most is the overall atmosphere. As the Cuyuna Lakes area is defined by its many picturesque lakes, Friends thought it fitting to give the redesigned space an aquatic theme. Prominent is a replica boat for children to play in, together with a "pond" rug and both wall manipulatives and room decorations in keeping with that outdoors feel. Other props include model fishing poles and life vests.
The Friends didn't make all the decisions on their own, though. When it came to naming the rechristened space, they invited the public to put forward suggestions and vote on their favorite. Contenders included "Hickory Dickory Dockside," "Kids Kabin," "Little Lakeside Lounge," and "Read-A-Book Beach." Most popular of all was "Cattale Corner" (a literary pun on 'cattail,' a wetland plant found in abundance around the Cuyuna Lakes).
Voters Phailed from all age brackets – a fact that proved prophetic. Cattle Corner is unexpectedly popular with adults, who appreciate the new outlet for their children's energies (while they utilize the space's fast and free Wi-Fi).
[Finalist] Ramsey County: "Great Gatsby Gala."
On February 1, after months of intense planning, the Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries pulled off a great fundraiser. A Gatsby-great fundraiser, to be more precise. Organizers tore a page straight from the Great American Novel and hosted a "Great Gatsby Gala" at the Roseville Library.
(As many Minnesota bibliophiles know, author F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul – less than ten miles from the Roseville Library venue.)
The evening, emceed by Minnesota Public Radio personality Kerri Miller, contained several elements common to Friends fundraisers. Silent and live auctions boasted over seventy donated items ranging from one-of-a-kind specialty items, to gift baskets, to fun dining, theater and sightseeing experiences.
The rest of the night was, as the name promised, a real blast from the past. Highlights included Roaring Twenties style dance lessons, a costume contest recognizing most authentic period dress, and a photo booth with Gastby-era props.
Having never done anything of this sort, the Friends paid special attention to advance publicity. A press release and event updates were sent to local media outlets, and the Friends, in partnership with the Ramsey Co. Library, sent out a large mailing of their own. Social media and tried-and-true word of mouth also played a role.
Commensurate with the party's Roaring Twenties theme, planners set an ambitious fundraising goal of $20,000. By the end of the night, Ramsey County had met and surpassed that mark, with the live auction alone bringing in upwards of $8,000. After all was said and done, the Gala grossed $47,000 and netted nearly $35,000. This allowed the Friends to purchase more than 1,000 new items for circulation at library branches in Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, and White Bear Lake.
Attendance figures were equally impressive, with 250 "flappers" and "fellas" turning out at the Gala. Revelers included the Mayor of Roseville, all four Ramsey County Commissioners, and numerous business and community leaders. (Missed the big event? Don't worry! The Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries is already hard at work planning a second annual gala for spring 2015.)
"Saving the Library Budget" Wins Cambridge the 2013 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Cambridge: "Saving the Library Budget."
The Cambridge Public Library is part of the 6-county, 14-branch East Central Regional Library (ECRL) system. ECRL is governed by a Joint Powers Agreement specifying that each member county must provide its full share of the annual 'umbrella' operating budget – or else face cuts the next fiscal year.
In 2011, Isanti County's Commissioners opted to cut their share of the ECRL budget by $34,000. As a consequence, Cambridge (the county's only public library) saw a reduction from 57 to 43 weekly operating hours. More troubling still, the decision also necessitated cutting six part-time library staff positions and closing the facility entirely on Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Friends of the Cambridge Library quickly but judiciously determined that they could provide assistance on two fronts: helping close the 2012 budget gap, in the short term; and convincing the County to revert to the previous funding level, in the longer term.
They tackled the first goal with gusto. Fundraising efforts ranged widely. Tactics included a letter campaign, petitions in the media, and donation jars in prominent places within the library. In total, they raised well over $5,000, enough to restore the summer hours – with some left over to put towards badly needed new furniture, to boot!
Almost immediately after the budget reduction announcement, Friends treasurer Karen Lee and others began making it a point to attend the County's open meetings with regularity. This ensured that library funding remained top-of-mind for the County Commissioners.
Simultaneously, in hopes of securing a more viable budget for 2013, the Friends began making their case to government officials.
They also spearheaded a grassroots public relation campaign, of sorts, to get the larger community (by and large fans of the library, even if not formally 'Friends') to voice their displeasure with the new status quo. Prominent among other efforts, they produced an informational flyer and mailed it to over 250 area households and businesses. In it, they made clear what the expenditures reduction meant for the library. The Friends encouraged recipients to forward on the information widely – and the community's response surpassed nearly all expectations.
Finally, at its September 5, 2012, meeting, the Isanti County Commissioners voted to fully fund the county's share of the 2013 budget. One Commissioner stated: "I've never had more of a reaction from the public than I have on this." Effective January 2013, the Cambridge Public Library is back to full staffing and operational hours.
MALF's Evy Nordley judging committee singled out the Cambridge Friends for their multifaceted, two-stage approach to an exceedingly complex issue. As an award nominee, its merits are almost too numerous to list. Foremost, at in the eyes of the judges, is the fact that it is replicable – a fundamental Evy Nordley criterion. We sincerely hope library systems elsewhere in Minnesota never face a budgetary crisis like this one. If you do, though, there's hope… and your "Friends" in Cambridge have some great advice for you.
[Finalist] Duluth: "Inaugural Author Series Event."
Next to the traditional used book sale, an author event may be Friends of the Library's favorite fundraising technique. Precious few, however, can do so as cost effectively as the Friends of Duluth Public Library – let alone bring in a New York Times bestselling author to headline.
It began when President Linda Hanson and her colleagues began looking for a way to put on a public event well suited not only to raise funds for the library, but to increase public awareness of the Friends at the same time. The idea for an author series of some sort quickly gained traction.
The Friends found an impressive partner for their debut event: William Kent Krueger, the award-winning author behind the popular Cork O'Connor series (set in Minnesota). Krueger agreed not only to speak in Duluth, but to use the Friends event as the platform to debut his newest novel, Trickster's Point, for the very first time in northern Minnesota.
Tickets were pre-sold for $20. The Friends hoped to sell an even 150 tickets, but ultimately sold 186!
More impressive still, the Friends worked tirelessly throughout the summer (up to and including the September 17 event date) to see that the show was 100 percent funded through local sponsorships and sales. With ticket sales, net proceeds surpassed the $5,000 mark.
Everyone reported having a good time (William Kent Krueger included). One lucky attendee, whose name Mr. Krueger drew from a hat, even came away with a promise that he would be featured as a minor character in the next Cork O'Connor story.
[Finalist] Two Harbors: "Love Your Library."
Meanwhile, thirty miles up the road, the Friends of the Two Harbor Library tackled their own ambitious inaugural public event.
Two Harbors is currently in the midst of a costly library remodeling project. The Friends elected to contribute to this fund through a large silent auction. After many hours of phone calls and leg work by Friends volunteers, over 100 community members (private and corporate) either donated items for the auction or contributed money to help offset costs.
Wanting the caliber of their fundraiser to match the scope of the remodeling project, the Friends didn't stop there. They also coordinated a whole night's worth of entertainment to go with the auction. Live music, poetry readings, and a dessert bar drew in a crowd from all over Lake County.
The fundraiser, dubbed the "Love Your Library Celebration," also saw monetary success. By the end of the night, $3,000 had been raised. Two Harbors is one step closer to having the library facility the community deserves!
Photo Captions: MALF President Mary Ann Bernat congratulates Karen Lee (for the Friends of the Cambridge Public Library), Micky McGilligan (for the Friends of the Two Harbors Library), and Laura Bergen (for the Friends of the Duluth Public Library).
"Become the Next Andrew Carnegie" Wins Ramsey Co. the 2012 Evy Nordley Award
[Winner] Ramsey County: "Become the Next Andrew Carnegie."
The Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries' Evy Nordley Award-winning program takes as its inspiration the career philanthropy of turn-of-the-century American entrepreneur and industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Between 1883 and 1929, seed money put forward by Carnegie made possible the construction of 1689 libraries throughout the United States. Carnegie is considered by many to be a truly one-of-a-kind library advocate.
Even so, Nancy Guerino, Sue Gehrz, and their colleagues at The Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries had a hunch – supported by secondary research – that that great spirit of generosity survived Carnegie himself and lives on to this day.
It all came down to this: There are many financial channels through which Library Friends can support libraries, but these are not intuitively obvious to most donors. They include straightforward practices, like naming your library of choice as a beneficiary in wills, IRAs and standard CDs, plus complex endeavors – such as creating a trust for legacy funding.
The trick was to make that information known to (and understood by) would-be Carnegies. To this end, the team took a two-pronged approach.
First, they crafted promotional literature explaining and exploring all of the available routes. They supplemented this with convention booth accessories, including an eye-catching collapsible banner.
Next, they targeted an important – but far from obvious – demographic: Minnesota's community of lawyers. The logic was as simple as it was effective. Better than anyone else, lawyers are in an excellent place to make their clientele aware of library philanthropy options. Guerino, Gehrz and company took their show 'on the road,' as it were, and set up their booth in the concourse at popular lawyer conventions.
The program's success is perhaps best evinced in an anecdote the Ramsey presenters told during the "10 Minutes to Win It" Evy Nordley panel at the MLA conference. At a recent regional convention attended by lawyers, "Nine out of ten lawyers who heard us out said: 'That's a great idea! I never thought of that!'" (or some variation thereof) and "promised to mention it to clients."
[Finalist] The Friends of Houston Public Library: "A New Chapter for the Houston Public Library."
Twelve years ago, ten local library and literacy enthusiasts met in the small town of Houston, Minnesota (population 979) to draft a plan for building a public library of the rural community's very own. As was perhaps to be expected, start-up resources were few and the project was an uphill battle from the start.
But, in February 2002, the Houston Public Library became a reality. Situated in a cramped space and full of hand-me-down equipment, however, it is safe to say that it was far from the community's ideal public learning space.
As Liz Gibson-Gasset explained to MALF members at the MLA Conference, "We couldn't let this space define who we were and what we do. This space needed to be what we needed it to be."
Friends of the Library in Houston spearheaded a multifaceted community initiative to raise funds (plus in-kind donations) towards this worthy goal. Tactics included charity breakfasts, benefit concerts, direct requests to corporate sponsors, mitten and bake sales, and projects coordinated in conjunction with National Honor Society, the Lions Club, and Houston's volunteer firefighters.
"Not only did we secure our essentials – like bookshelves and new computers – but we hit our birthday deadline!" Gibson Gasset said. "We even hit some secondary, 'dream' targets, such as improving a park adjacent to the library property."
[Finalist] The Friends of Nokomis Library: "Super Kinder: Listos Para el Kinder."
"Super Kinder: Listos Para el Kinder," a replicable school readiness program, got its genesis in a troubling Minneapolis metro statistic. According to studies, only 28 percent of native Spanish-speaking school children were scoring well on the Beginning of Kindergarten Assessment (BKA). In practical terms, the stat indicated that this important demographic was starting school without a strong, preexistent grasp on basic concepts (vocabulary, counting, etc.)
The Friends of the Nokomis Library (in the Hennepin County system) crafted a 10-week program called "Super Kinder: Listos Para El Kinder" (i.e., Super Kindergarten!: Ready for Kindergarten) to meet this perceived need.
In broad brushstrokes, the program is a school readiness curriculum for Spanish speakers aged 4-5. It hinges on weekly themed lessons, such as "The Alphabet," "Weather and Seasons," "Friends and Relations" – and less concrete subjects, including "I am Special" and "Hopes and Dreams." Critically, volunteer teachers teach these concepts in Spanish, since studies show that young children retain information better (at least so far as fundamental concepts are concerned) when it is delivered in their native language.
Just as importantly, Super Kinder included a course component that taught parents best practices vis-à-vis their children's elementary school learning experience.
The program's initial success is perhaps best indicated by its growth plans. In 2013, Nokomis hopes to expand it with an internship component for older students with a career interest in early child development and literacy.