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With the rise of China’s hardware industry over the past 10 years, China National Hardware Association has named 34 nurture and industrial base. From the traditional tools for hardware, construction hardware, daily hardware, to the new gas-fired appliances, range hood, the whole kitchen, shower room, metal industrial base is now over in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other provinces area.

Industry experts LAW 100-hui, the establishment of metal industrial base, the development of China’s hardware industry, a major undertaking, hardware industry, booming base, in order to raise the overall level of China’s hardware industry for local economic growth has made outstanding contributions.

As a result of the impact of the international financial crisis, overseas demand and a significant reduction in orders, hardware industry is facing severe challenges, the industrial base has also been hit. In the China National Hardware Association and the local government guidance, support, the various curtain hardware industrial base of independent innovation, restructuring, changes could be the big screen. New competitive dynamic and growth potential is the industry concentration.

Shunde: independent innovation, develop the market the brand

Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, known as “China Gas Appliance Capital,” said. Over the years, Shunde District, pay attention to improve the public service platform for enterprise development to provide multi-directional support, promote healthy and stable development of the industry.

By the end of April 2008, in Shunde district government’s lead organization, the “Gas Appliance Shunde Chamber of Commerce” was established, the District Government’s annual funding to support the operation of the Chamber of Commerce. 10000 Chamber of Commerce has developed and, MACRO (000,533, stock bar), co-sheng, Evergreen and other gas appliance business, including more than 50 members, including Shunde, Zhongshan and so the vast majority of well-known gas appliance manufacturers, the relevant supporting spare parts production enterprises, as well as supporting industries such as gas supplier. In 2007, the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Department, Tongji University, District Government and the Guangdong 10000 and groups jointly formed the first domestic “energy saving environmentally friendly gas with R & D center.”

Guangzhou Macao Gas Appliance Co., Ltd. set up a “gas appliance, Guangdong Province, engineering and technology research and development centers” set up in cooperation with the Central South University, China’s first “China’s Research Center kitchen.” To guide the gas appliance industry, public technical innovation platform, Shunde Gas Appliances Chamber of Commerce in 2009 and South China Institute of commitment appliances Science and Technology Department, Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province, the project —-” civilian gas appliance product technology road map. ”

The project from the Guangdong Provincial gas appliance industry, product development plan starting in promoting the industry of new products, new materials, new technology, application and popularization of the new design has played a positive role.

Shunde enterprises attach importance to promoting independent innovation, and vigorously promote the production of gas companies at all levels with the construction of technical centers to accelerate technological innovation and the transformation of research results. Shunde District, the total expenditure in the district each year shall be allocated 3% of setting up a technology innovation fund, and the establishment of Chinese Academy of Engineering academician, Shunde consultation center for gas appliances and accessories manufacturers to finance scientific and technological development, technical support, Shunde District in 2009 to 10000 and technological progress, the project matching funds to support more than 1.3 million yuan.

In the “2006 China top ten innovative models of Gas Appliance” Award, “10000 and”, “MACRO”, “beautiful” and other 13 enterprises of the new product honor, Shunde District, businesses accounted for 50% of the share a strong impetus to China’s gas industry with technical innovation. In the “2006 Guangdong Provincial key new product projects”, the product gas with a total of eight projects selected, of which Shunde enterprises accounted for 7.

To encourage “Chinese gas appliances capital” regional brand-building, in 2008 Shunde district government allocated 300,000 yuan to guide the industry a one-time focus on brand-building industry. Brand-building through the regional industry to form a gas appliance industry, the size of aggregate strengths. Shunde Gas Appliance trade associations are also active after the establishment of “China Gas Appliance City” brand-building activities.

Especially in the expansion of domestic and foreign markets, the Chamber of Commerce launched the “China Gas Appliance City” the overall image of the exhibition activities. In 2008, the Chamber of Commerce Planning launched the “Shunde gas appliance”, “Shunde – China Gas Appliance City” as a whole LOGO image, held in Shanghai, “2008 China Hardware Show” first introduced.

In order to better promote the gas appliance industry, Shunde District Government and the China National Hardware Association, frequent interaction, and jointly promote development of the industry. Actively promote the standardization of work, in March 2009 by the China National Hardware Association’s “condensing gas water heater / furnace industry standard validation will” be held in Shunde, Shunde District of gas contributed significantly to the standardization work with industries and enterprises.

In April 2009, in order to help enterprises implement “appliances to the countryside” policy, by the China National Hardware Association to invite relevant experts, for the local gas water heater “appliances to the countryside” successful enterprises in the circulation problems that exist in face to face consultation to answer, welcomed by the majority of successful businesses.

To help companies cope with the international financial crisis, the China National Hardware Association in a wide range of information collected on the basis of domestic and international markets, issued “China’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Development Report,” China’s gas appliance product development direction and the latest information on the domestic market was a detailed study of the Shunde District, a gas marketing industry has played a guiding role.

In the Association’s guidance and support, Shunde enterprises to expand domestic demand and the “home appliances to the countryside” as an opportunity, have to adjust business strategy to expand the proportion of domestic sales, and actively participate in the national “home appliances to the countryside” products bid. At present, the national countryside product “gas water heater,” 22 successful enterprises in Shunde enterprises account for 7 to fully reflect the gas water heater products in the country’s industrial advantages. The first quarter of this year, with output of 1.66 billion Shunde gas, an increase of 56.8%.

Zhongshan Xiaolan: Hardware Industry Cluster Development

Metal products industry Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, the traditional industries, as early as in 1986, Xiaolan Town, has been hailed as China’s “city of the south lock.” After more than 20 years of development, Xiaolan metal products industry has been formed locks, gas appliance as a leader, on the upstream and downstream products and all kinds of accessories category range of 10 categories of hardware industries. In 2008, Xiaolan Town Hardware Plastic industry revenue of 150 billion yuan, accounting for 39.4% of the town industrial sales.

In 2002, the China National Hardware Association, Xiaolan Town, named the “China National Hardware industry base.” Given this title after the Xiaolan actively promote the accumulation of metal products industry, the development and optimization and upgrading, product constantly upgrading, value added continued to rise, the domestic market share continues to increase.

At present, the “solid edge”, “Hua-feng” two locks brand’s market share for many years the industry for top; “St. Paul,” was awarded “China’s first brand nail clippers industry”; Vantage Gas Appliance Company for 13 consecutive years of sales in the domestic same industry ranked first; Evergreen’s gas valve manufacturing standards have been set industry standards.

Led by the town government, Xiaolan Town, set up a joint development of hardware industry cluster and the establishment of a joint conference system for the development of industrial clusters. At present, the metals industry, Xiaolan Town, dominated by the lock hardware industries expanded to include the lock, gas appliance class, caster classes, hinge type, metal die-casting class, spray plating, mold class, classes, and other hardware bathroom products product category, as well as hardware accessories category of 10 Class relatively complete industrial chain of hardware to become the leading industry Xiaolan industrial economy.

In recent years, Xiaolan efforts to increase policy guidance to encourage enterprises to develop independent innovation, promoting industrial transformation and upgrading hardware. Fiscal year the town come up with 6 million yuan of special funds to carry out technical transformation reward innovation, and create the name excellence, and established the provincial, city, town, three technical innovation awards support system.

At the same time, set up a “Zhongshan City Xiaolan metal products industry technology center,” to as a leader, to form the provincial, city, town, three Enterprise Technology Innovation Center, Enterprise Engineering Center as the main carrier of technological innovation system, through the Technology Center improve the metal industry, core competitiveness. The past three years, the establishment of provincial and municipal levels Xiaolan cumulative enterprise technology centers and engineering centers to 73, access to award 10.7 million yuan, has set up a township enterprise technology centers 106.

Establish and perfect a variety of science and technology intermediary service organizations, in order to promote industrial upgrading provides a services platform. Xiaolan Town, set up a “Productivity Promotion Center”, the Center established nine years ago, has been incubating technology service entity 33. In 2008, the Center of Science and Technology won the “National Model Productivity Promotion Center,” found that only one township to become the National Productivity Center.

Xiaolan Town, according to industry clusters common technology, key technology requirements, product design company formed Hanyang, Hanyang Precision Mold Co., Ltd., with the S & P Precision Machinery Co., Ltd., matching company for hardware companies to provide deep-processing services. According to statistics, Han-Shin modern design and manufacturing service center every year more than 200 business services, designing new products 80, for the enterprise added industrial output value 150 million yuan, the new taxes more than 1000 million yuan.

At the same time, the establishment of “innovation and development of SME credit guarantee Xiaolan Town, Co., Ltd.”, with the town eight commercial banks to cooperate, in order to have the market prospects and development conditions of the financing difficulties of SMEs to solve the problem. The end of 2008, the security company’s total amount of guarantee for up to 24 billion yuan, sales income directly to pull more than 110 billion yuan.

In addition, the town set up a hardware industry, Technology Center, South China University of Xiaolan Industrial Technology Research Institute and other institutions, enterprises and research institutions to promote cooperation in production and research.

In the first half, Zhongshan Vantage Gas Appliance Co., Ltd. in the formation of the national “gas with combustion simulation laboratory”, the again with the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and build a branch from coal combustion- National Laboratory, a joint gas – Lab. Xiaolan has also set up a Chamber of Commerce, comprising industry associations, including locks, hardware, plastics trade associations and industry, including seven branches, two service companies, a document service window, Chamber of Commerce members up to 468.

So far, Xiaolan Town, have been developed, including mortise locks, exterior door locks, ball locks 3 locks industry standards. Xiaolan also set up a vocational skills upgrading, and made efforts to carry out hardware skills training. According to statistics, in 2008 added the training of skilled workers hardware 1539 views.

Zhejiang Yuhuan: Management Innovation for sustainable development

In July 2003 and July 2005, Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province, has been China National Hardware Association awarded the “China Valve City” and “faucet production base in China” title. Over the years, Yuhuan County, adhere to the “government-led, business subjects, the association involved in the principle of” multi-linkage, strengthen and promote the bases, and gradually realized the plumbing valve products from price competition to the value of competition, and competition to its own brand products in general, competition changes in the effective promotion of the cluster industries, innovation, and restructuring and upgrading.

As of the end of 2008, plumbing valves up to 2792 the number of enterprises, self-export volume reached 1.365 billion U.S. dollars. Although in 2008 from international financial crisis, but still achieve the output value of 17.1 billion, self-exports 1.278 billion U.S. dollars, becoming the second largest pillar industry in Yuhuan County.

Yuhuan County, adhere to the principles of sustainable development, making full use of the rich resources of beach reclamation, planning and construction of the actual usable area 4.72 million mu of the coastal industrial zone, breaking the development site, “bottleneck.” County finance since 2003, an annual growth rate of 23.4% into advanced manufacturing bases, special finance total investment capital of 2 million yuan, and guide enterprises to establish an internal driving force for innovation and development mechanisms.

Through strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions restructuring, asset stripping and other property re-model, a mechanism to promote innovation in enterprises. Yuhuan County, has also attached great importance to entrepreneurs in the ranks, through the organizing president of Zhejiang University, MBA Business Administration, training classes, held business management training and other forms of knowledge to enhance the quality of enterprise management personnel.

Since the second half of 2008, the international market demand for the rapid decline of the export-oriented industry, Yuhuan County, plumbing valve caused a serious impact. Yuhuan County, as the difficulties faced by the fundamental changes in approach to development opportunities, through a series of measures, plumbing valve industry, the phenomenon appears stabilized warmer.

Yuhuan County, firmly grasp innovation and continuous improvement through the plumbing valve industrial development planning, and guide enterprises to re-examine market positioning, product positioning, focusing on the development of intelligent plumbing valve products, industrial high-pressure valves, high-precision pipe fittings and other products category, promote products and corporate restructuring and upgrading.

Yuhuan County, efforts to nurture and develop hi-tech enterprises, plumbing valve industry five enterprises of the national and provincial high-tech enterprise certification. To encourage powerful enterprises to seize the present “the most liberal policies, financing, lowest cost,” the favorable opportunity, increase the technological transformation and equipment renewal efforts, in particular the introduction of advanced equipment do the work. At the same time to encourage businesses to “Bitter inner strength” and vigorously promote lean manufacturing, promoting reengineering.

Yuhuan County, do everything possible to expand the market, do a good job domestic market development, to promote trade within the two-wheeled drive. County invested 5 million yuan, and organize enterprises established in Beijing and Shandong Linyi China (Yuhuan) plumbing valves City, to “Yuhuan made” overall regional brands, a unified marketing platform to help enterprises to further expand the domestic market. At present, the Beijing platform, has been in operation, Shandong Linyi platform is actively preparing for. Meanwhile, the Yuhuan county government also has 400 million yuan special funds and organize enterprises to participate in Shanghai International Exhibition bathroom more than 10 exhibitions.

By the China Building Decoration Association, to convene a national demonstration project of building decoration industry, science and technology in recognition of the occasion of the General Assembly the convening of Yuhuan (Suzhou) Valves Plumbing Industry Promotion and products on-site exhibitions, helping enterprises to expand their domestic market. And the consolidation of the international market, in-depth development of Europe and the United States, the Middle East and other traditional markets, efforts to open up Latin America, Africa and other emerging markets.

Yuhuan County, go all out to ensure growth, protect the people’s livelihood, maintaining stability and focus on preventing and resolving financial risks, and strengthen the monitoring of economic operation, strengthen early warning system to guard against the risk of industry as a whole.

Deepening bank-enterprise cooperation system of communication, organization 100 loan officer to the countryside into the enterprise services; to encourage financial institutions to innovative financial products, pilot small-scale enterprise loans, the development of equity collateral, credit insurance, increase the intensity of credit to SMEs; invested 50 million yuan guarantee the establishment of small and medium enterprises companies, to provide security services to crack enterprise “financing difficulties” problem. Burdens businesses to seriously implement the policy to remove administrative fees, lower corporate social insurance and the proportion of basic old-age insurance premium paid.

Yuhuan County, has embarked on industrial investment projects, promoting the “Hundred Days tackling” activities, the establishment of project leadership responsibility system, service tracking system and promote the “consultation” system, improve the rate of the project started. Team leaders take the lead in the county, the county 600 leading cadres of township departments into the enterprise, the next workshop, to guide enterprises to use live, with good, make full use of the variety of policies to help enterprises solve the outstanding problems that hinder their development and enhance the intensity of investment.

Shandong Linyi: the advantages of building hardware products

Hedong District, Linyi City, Shandong Province, metal manufacturing and processing industry is the area’s traditional industry, sixties and seventies of last century on the production of scissors, hammers and other hardware tools known throughout the country, known as the hometown of hardware in the world. In recent years, Hedong based advantages, high positioning, strong operation, adhere to the metal manufacturing and processing industry as the region to focus on fostering competitive industries, effort to build “China’s Hardware Industry Trade Town.”

Metal manufacturing and processing industry is the characteristic Hedong industries and pillar industries. Since its establishment, Hedong District, based on their own advantages, attaches great importance to the development of hardware manufacturing and processing industries. In 2007, District, district government has issued a series of preferential policies formulated to promote the metal manufacturing and processing industries to flourish.

Three years, metal manufacturing and processing industries for more than 25% annual increase, the proportion of total industry reached 15.66 percent, to truly become a pillar industry Hedong unique. First half of 2009, the whole hardware industry, above-scale enterprises realized sales income of 2.386 billion yuan, profit and tax of 76.16 million yuan; the region the right to record export more than 50 hardware companies, including 34 enterprises export performance, export 68.39 million U.S. dollars .

Vigorously implement the technology-driven strategy, guide enterprises to take the road of winning by quality, is east of the river area to create “Chinese Hardware Industry Trade City” key. In recent years, enterprises have continuously introduced advanced product testing facilities and a high level of testing personnel, the establishment of technical development centers of enterprises and products to enhance market competitiveness. Linyi Lux Limited, and Shanxi, Shandong University of Technology, Polytechnic University jointly developed by the roll-forging grinding art processing technology, energy saving 30%, 40% cost savings to reduce the labor force more than 50%, which greatly promoted the company’s rapid growth.

Advance through pilot, demonstration drive, a large number of company has a modern enterprise management and technical personnel, advanced manufacturing and processing equipment and complete product testing equipment. From the production and management superiority into industrial innovation advantage and achieve the transformation of scientific and technological achievements to promote the hardware industry scale, the grade and embarked on a road of sustainable development.

Strengthening the information network platform construction, help businesses to develop the trade space, east of the river area to speed up build “China’s Hardware Industry Industry & Trade City” a powerful breakthrough. In recent years, District, District Government has been actively relying on Dongli Hardware Electrical Logistics City in order to improve the logistics and distribution, financial services, e-commerce, full four functions of management as the core, integrated business flow, logistics, information flow, capital flow, to enhance information network platform construction, promotion of traditional trading patterns change, with traditional market leader in information technology, to minimize the cost of doing business, achieving a successful online trading and virtual trading.

Since 2005, east of the river area and Federation of Industry in Shandong Province Chamber of Commerce and other mechanical and electrical hardware units successfully held the 4 th China Linyi Hardware & Electrical Fair, more than 3,500 exhibitors, more than 30000 buyers turnover of 60 billion yuan.

Hedong district in the hardware companies take the initiative to actively guide the adjustment of product structure, production of niche products in the same time, seize the expanding domestic demand, and ensure the growth opportunities, timely adjustment and improve the hardware industry to promote the development of preferential policies, in the capital, taxation, land and so on the priority list. The establishment of hardware trade associations, use of the existing scale and a certain strength of the export production base, and guide enterprises and foreign sales of leading enterprises in powerful alliances to form trade group to strengthen the hardware industry, the management and coordination of services exports.

In 2009, Hedong District, the District Government to set up the logistics plate construction business headquarters out to organize the implementation of the “second step” development strategy. Fudan University, commissioned the preparation of the hardware market, Hedong long-term planning. At present, the market is stepping up to carry out preparatory work for the relocation of transformation is scheduled for completion next year. Through the transform and elevate the introduction of modern commercial logistics concepts and business trend of marketing and expand the market scale, improve market influence and driving force to promote the traditional market networks and the rapid increase of modern philosophy, and strive to make hardware market into an integrated set of transactions, information services, Expo show in one national distribution center for hardware products.

Hebei Anping: Seven platforms help the headquarters base construction

The face of international financial crisis, Anping County, Hebei, changes could be positive and strong screen industry cluster, so that strong contrarian screen industry. January to November of this year, screen industry production value of 12.0 billion, an increase of 17%.

Anping County is home to the seat of the screen industry cluster, since last year by the international financial crisis, industry experienced a severe challenge. Anping County, the county government profound analysis of the crisis exposed a lower level of industrial development, positioning is not accurate enough, far from being perfect platform to build a structural issue, the headquarters base mesh to create an international strategic objectives, and develop the implementation of “Anping Wire Mesh Industry Development revitalization plan, “screen industry cluster in 2011 to achieve comprehensive competitive strength,” leading, world-class “level.

Anping County Wire Mesh development strategy is to build the headquarters base, foster key industries and develop high-end products. According to Hui LUO 100 understanding, Anping County to determine the industrial agglomeration area, information, trade, logistics, training, research and development, testing seven platform to platform construction for industrial development. By creating seven platforms, gradually Anping wire mesh into the headquarters base in the world.

To completely change the screen industry “Village lighting a fire, every household smoke,” the layout of the situation, prompting enterprises to focus on parks, the park to the towns and cities. Anping County to strengthen the industrial platform (Park) construction efforts to plan the building of a total area of 12.8 square kilometers, an area of 6 square kilometers off the screen industry gathering area. Through the industrial development zones to accelerate the concentration of production factors.

Anping county economy relying on the country’s first pilot counties the advantages of information technology to promote information technology industry, the integration of docking with the mesh to strengthen the information gathering and dissemination mesh. To improve their marketing Pavilion “Screen Big World” features, increase efforts to promote the Expo to the screen, a sound trading platform construction. Integration of existing logistics resources, investment 1.141 billion yuan of building an international wire supply chain logistics base, the promotion of logistics platform construction.

Through the establishment of an international training center screen, integrated training resources to promote the training platform, and continuously improve the quality of practitioners. In R & D platform for building, financing through a variety of ways to set up screen R & D fund to provide financial support for research projects and risk compensation. At the same time, actively participate in the formulation of national standard wire mesh products such as measures to promote R & D platform for building and strengthening the same industry at home and abroad the right to speak. In the test platform construction, in accordance with the ability to reach the domestic advanced level testing requirements, and strive to existing provincial quality inspection center to reach the national level in 2011.

Anping County silk screen identified 20 major support enterprises as the backbone of the government enterprises, 80 for the relevant departments focus on affiliated enterprises. Give prominence to the six ability to cultivate leading enterprises: First, to improve to avoid risks. The trend of economic development to guide enterprises to flexibly using a variety of ways and means to minimize the risk of business operations; the second is to improve the resource integration capability.

To guide enterprises to seek strategic partners to enable enterprises to significantly enhance the overall competitive ability; 3 is to guide the development capacity of enterprises to improve their misplaced. The main direction of a clear, centralized resources to expand the high-end, high quality production capacity. Striving for national standards, and gradually form a clear difference can not copy the core technology and intellectual property rights; 4 is to guide the enterprises to improve the ability of radiation driving, and to lead, to play a lead role in industrial upgrading; 5 is to improve the capacity of enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities.

And striving to fulfill their social responsibility model, with its good image to promote enterprise development; 6 is to improve the ability of enterprises to seize opportunities. To actively guide companies planning for the future to develop a scientific strategic objectives.

Anping County to support and guide enterprises to adopt advanced equipment and developed a number of driving ability, with high technological content and market prospects were good-quality products. Identified the right industry, driving the three categories focus on cultivating a strong product. First of all, do a good job of large welded net, high-grade Crimped Wire Mesh, construction and other production equipment, net absorption of innovation, and the localization of production, and scale capacity.

Increase the development of new stainless steel wire mesh weaving machine speed, high-density stainless steel wire mesh as soon as possible the upgrading of production equipment, and further consolidate the traditional position of superior products industry. Second, the target contrast dense grain network, sinter net, abrasive network, profiled steel nets high-end products, developed to replace imported products that enable high-end products in the field of wire mesh Anping place.

The organization of powerful enterprises in joint research, and strive to replace imported as soon as possible. Third, do a good job and high-end high-grade filter mesh fastener-related products, two major categories of projects. Organize the transfer of enterprises to seize the good opportunity echelon structure, increase investment and expand production scale, filter and market share.

Even at 13, Colin Carlson believes he’s running out of time. Colin is a sophomore at the University of Connecticut, seeking a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and another in environmental studies. But he’s been knocked off course by the university’s rejection of his request to take a class that includes summer field work in South Africa. He and his mother say university officials told them he is too young for the overseas course. So he’s filed an age discrimination claim with the university and U.S. Department of Education, which is investigating. “I’m losing time in my four-year plan for college,” he said. “They’re upsetting the framework of one of my majors.” Michael Kirk, a spokesman for UConn, would not comment on Colin’s case. But he said that generally, safety is the university’s first concern when travel is involved. The university would not let Colin enroll, even after his mother, Jessica Offir, offered to release UConn from liability and accompany her son as a chaperone at her own expense, she and Colin said. Colin was 2 or 3 when he began reading on his own, Offir said, and was up to “Harry Potter” by the time he was 4. An only child, he has faced trouble before because of his brainpower. His kindergarten teacher would not allow him to take books with him at nap time, and he was ridiculed by other children who fired math questions at him to entertain themselves, she said. “You have no idea what kids like this experience,” Offir said. Colin skipped two grades in public school and began taking psychology, history and other courses at UConn when he was 9. He graduated from Stanford University Online High School at age 11, and soon after enrolled full-time at UConn. “I’m actually like any other student, he said. “The faculty and students have better things to do than worry about a 13-year-old holding his own.” Over the years, Colin, who said he is fascinated by natural ecosystems, has traveled extensively. He has gone sea kayaking off Nova Scotia and Ecuador, hiked in numerous national parks and, with his mother, has traveled across the U.S. by car. “It’s important to have a very wide world view,” he said. “Biology is fundamentally about the diversity of life, with a focus across the planet.” Colin says the course in conservation work in South Africa would have been critical to his studies and the rejection has forced him to change his thesis plans. He said that once he’s completed his undergraduate studies, he wants a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology and a degree in environmental law for a career in conservation science. He intends to earn the two degrees by age 22. Carl Schlichting, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who has taught Colin in two courses, said he is not only an outstanding student, but is unusually certain for a 13-year-old about where he is headed professionally. “He has very strong ideas about what he wants to do,” he said. “His self-confidence is very high. It’s a very unusual package to see the intellect and confidence at that age.” To be eligible to study abroad, students may not be on university nike shox probation or academic probation and must have earned a grade point average of at least a “C” — no problem for Colin, who’s an honor student with a near-perfect 3.9 GPA. The study abroad office and faculty member leading the trip ultimately decide who may go, Kirk said. Brian Whalen, president and chief executive officer of the Forum on Education Abroad, a nonprofit member association of 400 schools, agencies and other groups, said he has not heard of another case where a college student Colin’s age had tried to study abroad. When accepted into a college or university, a student generally is assumed to have access to academic programs, he said. Although Colin was barred from the South African field trip course, he will participate in a National Science Foundation-funded research group that also will take him to South Africa to study plant ecology. Colin and his mother say they would be satisfied if the university ensures that the NSF-funded research trip and a seminar fulfill the academic requirements of the course he originally sought. They also have asked that $5,000 in stipend and expenses be reimbursed. Their lawyer, Michael Agranoff, said he wants to negotiate a solution. He and a lawyer for the state have scheduled their first meeting Friday, he said. Colin says he would prefer not to have to fight, but he has no choice. “When people are drawing lines in the sand, you’re going to have to cross them,” he said. “I’m not going back.”

The United States continues to lag behind other major industrialized nations in the percentage of the population with a college degree, according to a recent series of studies released by the Making Opportunity Affordable project.

Although currently ranked tenth among industrialized countries in the percentage of 25–34-year-olds already holding an associate’s degree or higher, the U.S. ranks near the bottom in the percentage of entering students that are completing their degree program. In fact, the U.S. now stands as one of the only countries where older adults are more educated than younger adults.

A 16-Million College Degree Gap

At current college graduation rates, by 2025, the U.S. will be 16 million college degrees short of the 64 million it would need to match leading nations Canada, Japan, and South Korea at 55 percent of adults with a college degree. To make up the gap, the U.S. would need to produce an additional 781,000 college graduates a year — a 37-percent increase over current levels.

Only eight states are currently on track to reach the level of educational attainment needed by 2025 to compete with the best performing nations and meet workforce demands.

College Affordability an Issue

The studies contend that college affordability has created an accessibility issue, as more lower- and middle-class families struggle to deal with rising college costs. Fewer low-income students are enrolling in college, and a large percentage of college students are graduating with record levels of debt.

According to the Trends in College Pricing 2006 report by the College Board, tuition and fees at four-year public universities have risen 24 percent over the past five years, and 32 percent over the last 10, even when adjusted for inflation.

Today, the average student borrower at a public college or university owes $17,250 in student loans; 10 years ago, the average borrower attending a public institution graduated owing only $8,000 in student loans, after adjusting for inflation.

The studies propose that in order to expand the percentage of its adult population with college degrees, the U.S. will need increase college accessibility for low-income students, as well as for other groups that have been generally underserved in higher education.

Finding Free Money for College That Doesn’t Have to Be Repaid

With the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 that went into effect on October 1, Congress, as part of an effort to boost college affordability, raised Pell Grant award limits. To be considered for a federal Pell Grant, students simply need to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. Qualifying students will be awarded a Pell Grant as part of their financial aid package.

Millions of other private, institutional, and local scholarships are also available to students each year, both with and without regard to income. Students can often use scholarships to reduce their need for student loans.

Online scholarship databases at NextStudent.com can help students in their scholarship search. This Scholarship Search Engine, for instance, lists over 5.9 million individually awarded scholarships worth over $16 billion, and is completely free for students to use.

Affordable College Borrowing With Low-Cost Parent and Student Loans

With student loan debt on the rise, Congress also acted on student loan interest rates in the College Cost Reduction Act, cutting interest rates in half on need-based subsidized federal student loans over the next five years.

However, even if students don’t demonstrate enough financial need on their FAFSA to qualify for subsidized student loans or a Pell Grant, they may still be able to obtain low-cost, low-interest federal college loans.

Unsubsidized Stafford student loans are available to both undergraduate and graduate students without a credit check or demonstration of financial need. As long as they’re enrolled at least half time, students may defer payments on their Stafford student loans until six months after graduation.

Low-interest, credit-based federal college loans are also available to qualifying parents of undergraduates to help them cover up to 100% of their child’s cost of attendance.

Private Student Loans Available Year-Round

Even after grants, scholarships, and college loans, some students may have education-related costs that exceed their available federal financial aid. For these students, non–need-based private student loans may provide the additional financial assistance they need.

However, since federal student loans generally offer more attractive terms than private student loans, students and their parents should always look into their federal financing options first.

Learn more about Private Student Loans.

Attending a career college can help you land the job you’ve dreamed about. With so many options for schools and vocations, it’s important that you do some research before deciding on a new career.

Some of the most promising career fields include criminal justices, business and management, as well as the health and medical field.

The following excerpts provide knowledgeable reviews of some of the most prominent career college programs available.

Criminal Justice Schools

The growing emphasis on security has created a record demand for criminal justice and security professionals. Training in criminal justice will help you take advantage of this growing market trend.

America InterContinental University’s online accredited degree program allows you to take advantage of this growing employment field. Best of all, AIU offers accelerated degree programs so you can start your career in the criminal justice system in no time!

If you are ready to investigate your career option in the criminal justice system, Phoenix online can provide you with the education you need for your exciting new career. Take classes at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home. What better way to learn than from instructors who work in the criminal justice field!

Business Management Schools

If you are looking to move up at your current job, enrolling in a business management school will fast track you to a management position. Anyone pursuing a career in business management needs to understand the complexity of finance, sales, ethics, marketing and management.

DeVry Online offers career-focused degrees for working adults. A Business Administration degree offers students the chance to specialize their studies in a selected area of business management. Students are provided with useful, up-to-date knowledge and skills in business, critical thinking and effective communication.

Health & Medical Schools

Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing fields. According to the U.S. Department of Labor there will be over 2.8 million new jobs in healthcare in the U.S. by the year 2008.

A degree from Phoenix Online will help you prepare for an exciting career in the healthcare field. The Healthcare Management program is specifically designed to give students a combination of business and healthcare focused foundation so that they are prepared for the real world applications that await graduates.

South University is an online university that is tailored to working adults. The Healthcare Management program allows students to balance work, kids, and their education. Learn and understand the basics of the health care industry as well as business, management, and patient care issues that are important in today’s healthcare industry.

Whether you’re looking for growth opportunities in your current job or you’re thinking about switching careers altogether, a career college offers ample opportunity to get the skills you need to move ahead.

An H-1B temporary worker is a foreign national who is coming temporarily to the U.S. to perform a specialty occupation.  A specialty occupation is defined as “an occupation that requires (A) theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, and (B) attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree in the specific specialty as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States.” [INA214(i); 8USC 1184(i)]

For example accountants, architects, teachers (primary and secondary, excluding nursery school teachers), university professors, certain types of nurses, attorneys, physicians, designers, and engineers will all qualify as H-1B workers. The only way to make a determination whether a particular worker will qualify is through advice from an experienced immigration attorney.

The H-1B visa remains one of most versatile nonimmigrant employment visas utilized by U.S. businesses to hire foreign workers.  Here is a list of issues to keep in mind when filing an H-1B petition.

Limitation on Duration of Stay and Full-Time/Part-Time Employment

An employer may request initial employment a maximum of 3 years.  The H-1B can be extended.  Generally, the maximum amount of time that an individual can hold H-1B visa status is 6 years. However, exceptions do exist that allow an H-1B extension beyond the initial 6 years. An employer may petition for a foreign worker for either full-time or part-time employment.

Prevailing Wage

The prevailing wage element requires employers to demonstrate that the wage offered will not discriminate against US workers by offering wages that are lower than the actual wage paid similar workers. Generally prevailing wage requirement is met by offering wages as determined submitting a Prevailing Wage Request to the State Workforce or demonstrating that a union contract is in force. The H-1B laws require employers to pay the higher of the actual wage or the prevailing wage.

The Labor Condition Application (LCA)

The LCA is an application by the employer to the Department of Labor attesting to certain conditions of the position offered.  These conditions are:

·         That the higher of actual or prevailing wage will be paid;

·         That the employee is eligible for the same benefits as other similarly employed US workers;

·         That the employee is not being employed because US workers are out on strike or lockout;

·         That the employment of the foreign worker will not adversely affect the working conditions of other workers; and

·         That proper notification was given to U.S. employees or the union representative if the position is union position university’s intent to hire an H-1B non-immigrant.

The LCA must be made available for Department of Labor (DOL) and for public inspection.  The LCA may be obtained online at www.lca.doleta.gov.

Spouse or Children of an H-1B

Spouses and children of an H-1B are eligible for H-4 visas. An H-4 is either a spouse or unmarried children under 21 years old.  H-4 holders cannot work in the U.S. but are eligible to attend school either part time or full-time.  To prove the relationship to the H-1B an H-4 candidate will need to present a marriage certificate if a spouse and a birth certificate if a child. 

Ok, when do I file?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will accept H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2010 on April 1, 2009 for jobs starting on October 1, 2009.  It is important to file April 1, 2009 since H-1B visas are capped at 65,000 per year and the last two years the cap was met within one week.  As such, early document preparation is essential to making timely filed H-1B petitions.

I’m Ready to File … Where?

A petition is filed with either California Service Center or Vermont Service Center depending on where the temporary employment will be The California Service Center is appropriate for employment in the following states: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.

A petition is filed with the Vermont Service Center if the temporary work will be performed in: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, or West Virginia.

When the temporary employment will be in different states, the state where your company is located will determine the Service Center for submission of the petition.  For example, if the beneficiary will work in Arizona and Texas, and your company is located in California, file your H-1B petition with the California Service Center.

Sounds Great … How Much is this Going to Set me Back?

As of the time this article is published, an employer must pay for the H-1B Form I-129 filing fee ($320), H-1B Training Fee of either $750 or $1500 depending on the size of your company, and a Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee ($500). All employers must pay these fees unless an employer qualifies for exemption from the H-1B Training Fee.

If a company currently employs 1-25 full-time equivalent employees, the H-1B Training Fee is $750.  Companies who employ more than 25 full-time equivalent employees will need to pay $1500.  The employer must pay the H-1B Training Fee upon the initial hire and the first H-1B extension of the same employee.  The H-1B Training Fee is not required for second or subsequent petitions for H-1B extension.  The Fraud Prevention and Detection fee needs to be paid when the employer initially hires the employee even if he or she is currently working as an H-1B with another employer. 

A simple way to remember this is that every employer needs to pay for the H-1B Training Fee twice for each H-1B employee and the H-1B Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee needs to be paid once for each H-1B employee. Fees are subject to change so it is important to make sure of the proper fees before filing.

Filing Procedure

Documents are filed with the USCIS service center having jurisdiction over the petitioner (see filing locations above).  The petitioner must send Form I-129, I-129 supplement forms, an approved Labor Condition Application, support document about the petitioner’s business, and documents showing the qualifications of the candidate.  If there are dependent/s then the form I-539 need to be filed along with proof of relationship to the H-1B, i.e. marriage certificate or birth certificate or both.  Only one I-539 is required to be filed as children are listed on the application.  The Form I-539 filing fee is $300. 

CUNY Journalism professor SANDEEP JUNNARKAR elected new SAJA President;

writer V.V. “Sugi” Ganeshananthan elected Vice President & Convention chair;

Group serving 1,000+ South Asian Journalists Prepares for its International Convention June 20-21

[NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: SAJA's president, Sandeep Junnarkar available at 646-469-4334; sandeep@journalism.cuny.edu; VP V.V. "Sugi" Ganeshananthan available at: 617-256-3361; writer@vasugi.com]

Sandeep Junnarkar photo Sugi Ganeshananthan

Sandeep Junnarkar

SAJA president

(click on photo to enlarge)

PHOTO: Preston Merchant

V.V. “Sugi” Ganeshananthan

VP and convention chair

(click on photo to enlarge)

PHOTO: Preston Merchant

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 29, 2008 — SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association, announced its slate of officers for 2008 today. The group serves more than 1,000 journalists and others interested in South Asia and South Asians across the U.S. and Canada.

Sandeep Junnarkar, a new media professor at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and one of the country’s leading experts on online journalism, was elected president. V.V. Ganeshananthan, known as Sugi, a writer and author, was elected vice president. Anusha Shrivastava, a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires, who is new to the Board, was named secretary (she covers corporate bonds for the news service, and has been a business journalist for wire, print and broadcast media in the U.S., Canada and India). John Laxmi, a New Jersey-based freelance writer, continues as treasurer and Sree Sreenivasan, a Columbia University journalism professor and WNBC-TV technology reporter, continues as the executive committee’s at-large officer. A full slate of Board members for the year has also been named, including Aseem Chhabra, NYC-based freelance writer; Kiran Khalid, freelance TV journalist and documentary filmmaker; Monika Mathur, researcher, the Associated Press; Gopal Ratnam, an automotive correspondent for Bloomberg News. Deepti Hajela, who served as SAJA’s president for three years, remains on the board, coordinating the group’s chapters across the U.S. and Canada.

“SAJA is in excellent hands with Sandeep and Sugi,” Hajela said. “I have the highest respect for their abilities and leadership, and I can’t wait to see where they take SAJA next!”

“I am excited to serve as SAJA’s president,” said Junnarkar. “SAJA has been gathering momentum over the past few years, and I look forward to working with the SAJA board members and with SAJA members to take the organization to new levels. I want to thank Deepti Hajela, our most recent president, and Vikas Bajaj, our most recent VP, for all their hard work on behalf of SAJA. I am delighted that Deepti will continue to be on our board.” [He also answered five questions from SAJAforum about his new post:

http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/01/five-questions.html]

Junnarkar (pronounced “SUN-deep joo-NAR-kar”), who is an associate professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, was born in Gwalior, India. He spent his childhood in New Delhi, Mumbai, London, Paris, and his teenage years in parts of California and New York. He received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He worked for the New York Times on the Web in the 1990s and later became the New York bureau chief at CNET News.com. More on him at him at http://www.saja.org/members/profiles/junnarkar.html and http://digitalnewsjournalist.com.

“I’m thrilled to be able to work with SAJA during what will be a crucial time for both journalism and South Asia,” said Ganeshananthan. “Last year, SAJA ran a great convention, featuring speakers at the forefront of the profession. This year, we’re looking to repeat and add to those successes with new initiatives, including a rebuilt website and an active discussion forum incorporating a diverse array of topics and journalists.” Ganeshananthan takes over the vice presidency from Vikas Bajaj, a New York Times business reporter who will continue to work closely on SAJA programs. [She also answered five questions from SAJAforum about her new post: http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/01/five-questions.html]

Ganeshananthan (pronounced “SOO-ghee [not SOO-jee] gun-ay-SHAN-an-than”), the first Sri Lankan-American member of the SAJA Board, is a journalist and fiction writer. She grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a 2002 graduate of Harvard College, where she was the managing editor of The Crimson. She received an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2005. During 2005-2006, she was the Phillips Exeter Academy Writer-in-Residence. In 2007, she graduated from the new MA program at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she specialized in arts and culture coverage. She has written and reported for The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, The American Prospect, and other publications. Random House will publish her first novel, “Love Marriage,” in April. The book is set partially in Sri Lanka. More on her at http://www.vasugi.com.

Led by Ganeshananthan, SAJA (along with its partner, SAJA Group, Inc.) is preparing for the annual convention, which will take place June 20-21 2008, at Columbia University and the CUNY Journalism School in New York. More than 1,000 journalists and guests from around the U.S., Canada, South Asia and Europe are expected to gather for a series of workshops, panels and networking events — highlighted by a gala dinner and the SAJA Journalism Awards (including the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting on South Asia). Details of the convention can be found on the SAJA Web site: http://www.saja.org.

The dramatic increase in the South Asian population in the United States and growing importance of U.S.-South Asian relations have led to a huge growth in the coverage of the community and the region. As a result, SAJA serves as a resource for journalists, community organizations and members of the public trying to understand various complex issues related to the subcontinent.

Junnarkar, Ganeshananthan and other members of the board will focus on improving the quality and reach of SAJA programs, including the SAJA Reporting Fellowships, which provide funding for journalists who wish to cover stories about South Asia or the diaspora. SAJA’s e-mail lists – http://www.saja.org/lists – and its newsy, resource-filled blog, SAJAforum.org – http://www.sajaforum.org – and its in-depth web site, SAJA.org – http://www.saja.org – offer the public a chance to learn about South Asia and South Asian America and Canada.

Everything is large in Texas, but it seems that the rest of the United States has more than its share of the world’s largest somethings. Texas itself has the world’s largest fire hydrant in Beaumont; wooden nickel in San Antonio; kettle in Galveston; horseshoe in Marfa; cowboy hat in Paris; and of course, the world’s biggest burger served at Charlie Brown’s in Carrolton.

California is another big state full of big things, like the world’s largest shoe and Pez dispenser, both in Bakersfield; chess set in Morro Bay; hammer in Eureka; fiddle in Fiddletown; artichoke in Castroville; paper cup in Riverside; and the very patriotic U.S. flag in Long Beach.

Some of the world’s largest things can be found all over the United States. Here is a short list.

- Adirondack Chair: Westminster, Maryland

- Apple Basket: Frazeysburg, Ohio

- Baked Potato: Blackfoot, Idaho

- Ball of Rubber Bands: Wilmington, Delaware

- Baseball Bat: Louisville, Kentucky

- Basketball: Knoxville, Tennessee

- Clock: Clarksville, Indiana

- Conch Shell: Panama City Beach, Florida

- Dinosaur Park: Beaver, Arkansas

- Donut: Yokumtown, Pennsylvania

- Ear of Corn: Olivia, Minnesota

- Eight-ball: Tipton, Missouri

- Globe: Yarmouth, Maine

- Golf Ball: Fripp Island, South Carolina

- Guitar: Bristol, Tennessee

- Hockey Stick: Real Eveleth, Minnesota

Not all the world’s largest things in America are just curiosities. For instance, The world’s largest wind generator has two 400-foot blades, is 20 stories high and is located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Walmart of Bentonville, Arkansas is the world’s largest retailer. And there is lots more: The world’s largest American Legion Post is in Lincoln, Nebraska; the world’s largest carousel is in Spring Green. Wisconsin; the world’s largest flattop mountain is in Grand Mesa, Colorado; the world’s largest drive-in fast-food restaurant is the Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia; the world’s largest public library is the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Illinois; the world’s largest commercial building is the Merchandise Mart also in Chicago; and the world’s largest brewery is Anheuser Busch in St. Louis, Missouri.

America has so many of the world’s largest that the list goes on and on. The world’s largest bookstore is a Barnes and Noble in New York City; the world’s largest vacuum chamber is 100 feet in diameter and located at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio; the world’s largest supercomputing grid is the TeraGrid based at the University of Chicago; the world’s largest marine reserve is in Hawaii; the world’s largest honkytonk is Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas; the world’s largest casino in the Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut; the world’s largest McDonalds is in Vinita, Oklahoma; the world’s largest Bible is in Abilene, Texas; the world’s largest swimming pool is in Garden City, Kansas; the world’s largest guitar store is Ed Roman’s in Las Vegas, Nevada; the world’s largest hotel chain is Best Western, founded in Long Beach, California; the world’s largest department store is Macy’s in New York City; the world’s largest rose bush covers 800 square feet in Tombstone, Arizona; and the world’s largest laundromat is in Berwyn, Illinois and you still have to wait for a dryer!

If you’re looking for a motel or hotel base for your visit to Redwood National Park along the northern coast of California, look into Arcata, CA, located just north of Eureka on Highway 101.

You’ve probably heard of Arcata through media coverage of its Kinetic Sculpture event–a wild race between human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art, held every Memorial weekend to the appreciative whoops and hollers of the tourists and townsfolk alike. Other special events include the Godwit Days bird watching festival, and Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. You should Google these, because in this article we’re going to focus on what you can do in this environmentally savvy and wonderfully eccentric town, not just during special events, but at almost any time of the year.

In case you feel “eccentric” may be too strong a word, let me ask you how many small town newspapers call themselves, as does The Arcata Eye, “The Mildly Objectionable Weekly Newspaper”?

The almost-anytime list of things to do in Arcata

Like many coastal towns in Northern California, Arcata offers gorgeous natural beauty with its redwood forests, sandy beaches, and rugged coastline, and unique to Arcata, the Humboldt Bay. What makes Arcata unusual is its dedicated environmental culture, making it one of the most involved and vocal communities on the west coast, and one of the “greenest” cities in the U.S. You can enjoy some of this culture, along with traditional northern California outdoor activities, in even just one day.

Arcata Plaza, 9th and G

The Arcata Plaza is the center of Arcata life, full of people all year round, and surrounded by coffee shops, restaurants, and live music venues. Unlike most town squares, the Plaza sports a controversial statue of President William McKinley, which, in liberal Arcata, someone is always trying to convince the city to pull down.

Farmers Market on the Plaza

On Saturday mornings from mid-April to mid-November, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., perhaps the largest mostly organic farmers market in the nation sets up on the Plaza, often with live entertainment. More than 100 local farms participate at some point during the season.

Humboldt State University, LK Wood Blvd., north of 14th

Humboldt State University sits among redwoods and palms and dominates the town in its position above the bay.

Humboldt State students enter with the highest ACT and SAT scores in the Cal State system. Many major or minor in studies related to the natural world, such as environmental science, resource engineering, forestry, watershed management, fire ecology, fisheries biology, rangeland resource sciences, wildlife, and oceanography.

The bookstore at the University Center has great souvenirs, including a large selection of Humboldt State psychedelic t-shirts, remindful of old hippie days.

Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, south end G Street

It’s not often that we recommend a visit to a sewage disposal center, but that’s the main function of the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the most innovative wastewater treatment facilities in the world. This marsh, or wetland system, is known in the scientific community around the world, and has won many awards, including the Innovations in Government award from the Ford Foundation/Harvard University Kennedy School.

The Arcata Marsh is popular among cyclists, joggers, trail walkers, students of the facility, tourists, and birdwatchers. Visited by over 250 species of birds a year, many of which are migratory, the marsh hosts bird watching tours very Saturday morning.

Arcata City Council meetings, City Hall, 736 F Street

In 1996, Arcata became the first city in the U.S. to elect a Green Party majority. In 2007, the “Greens” regained a majority on the city council.

Even without Republican and Libertarian participation, the Arcata City Council meetings are often lively, and sometimes fun. And there’s plenty of input from the audience.

Attending a town meeting may be an unusual tourist outing, but in Arcata, it’s inspiring because the residents care so much about their town and environment. For a list of some of the most interesting meetings, see BidonTravel’s comments on Arcata (link below). And call 707-822-5953 to confirm meeting dates and times.

One of the best-known city government groups is the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone and Peace Committee. Because the city believes that “all radioactive material has a high potential for use as a weapon,” they have resolved not to purchase goods or services from companies involved in any part of the nuclear weapons cycle.

Arcata Community Forest, east end 14th Street

Arcata Community Forest is one of the few municipally owned forests in the nation. It was certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1998 and is a model for sustained yield forestry.

Arcata operates its forest by selective cutting (not clear cutting), which aims to preserve the natural setting. However, the logging of any redwood trees remains controversial in Arcata. (Residents of Arcata have played a major part in saving the Headwaters Forest from logging.)

The Community Forest serves as a wildlife habitat, as a source of education in sustainable timber harvesting, and, with many hikers and mountain bikers on its trails, as an all-season, outdoor fitness center.

The Arcata Eye

Our favorite local publication is the weekly Arcata Eye–a quintessential small-town muckraking newspaper. Buy The Eye, rather than accessing it online, to get a list of events, from bird watching expeditions to live music performances. (It’s easiest to buy a paper at the Arcata Eye office in Suite 5 at 791 Eighth Street on the south side of the Plaza.)

Humboldt Crabs baseball, 9th and F

Humboldt County residents love their oldest continuously operating semi-pro baseball team in the country, and games are frequently sold out. The atmosphere is typical Americana with its fevered enthusiasm–but also tobacco-free!

Arts

Humboldt County claims more artists per capita than anywhere else in California. The second Friday of each month, fine arts and live music can be enjoyed at more than 40 locations around town. But no matter when you are there, there are always live bands playing, dances, and art shows.

Restaurants

Our favorite restaurants are Golden Harvest Cafe and the Oriental Buffet. We also love the friendly service and free Wi-Fi at Mosgo’s Coffee House. For details, see link below. For a review of our personal favorite, Golden Harvest Cafe, see link below. Casual and student-friendly, this restaurant lets you know in its slogan that it aims to please everyone: “Herbivore, Carnivore, We’ve Got What You’re Looking For!”

Arcata residents have created a unique and vital town that can capture your attention in activities that range from kick-back relaxing to learning about a bit of history in the making.

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(News) Beam-forming Wi-Fi gear from Ruckus Wireless helps to get signals around metal walls on the Queen Mary floating hotel.

Airline Pilots Want Ban on Lithium Battery Shipments

(News) An airline pilot union is calling on the U.S. government to temporarily ban cargo shipments of lithium batteries.

Remastered Music: Making New From Old?

(News) I was recently delighted to receive a box set with re-releases of The Durutti Column’s first four albums. This band, led by Vini Reilly, has been one of my…

Remix David Bowie — Space Oddity for IPhone

(Reviews) For some reason, my mother never said that to get things done, I’d better not mess with Major Tom. If she had said it–I never really understood why anyone’s…

Microsoft Continues to Befriend Non-Windows Phones

(News) Microsoft has launched OneApp, which gives access to a Facebook, Twitter and Windows Live Messenger on cheaper phones from, for example, Nokia.

No ‘three Strikes’ Law Planned for Singapore, Agency Says

(News) There are no immediate plans to propose a ‘three-strikes’ antipiracy law in Singapore, a government regulatory agency said Monday.

The End of Free Lyrics?

(News) Something interesting happened to albums in the mid-60s. (No, not double-album covers and their utilitarian use.) With artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles…

Report: Singapore Considers ‘three Strikes’ Anti-piracy Law

(News) Singaporean authorities are reportedly studying the implementation of a ‘three strikes’ anti-piracy law.

Taiwan University Students Build Tour Guide Robot

(News) Taiwan University students showed off a new robot they developed that can create 2D and 3D maps of its surroundings using a variety of technologies.

Cut the Cable Bill

(News) Choice is great, but too many choices (and paying for them all) is a hard sell in a tough economy. Take your cable or satellite TV service, for example. Of the…

Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite for IPhone

(Reviews) It’s taken a while, but the mainstay apps in mobile computing–those intended for mobile business users who need to stay productive–are making their way to the…

New Owner Presents Details on Legal Pirate Bay

(News) Global Gaming Factory X, the prospective buyers of The Pirate Bay, will use a system that lets copyright owners remove content.

Microsoft Appeals Word Ruling, Asks for Stay

(News) Microsoft has asked a court to stay an injunction that could put a stop to Word sales.

Report: One in Four Songs Sold in U.S. Is From ITunes

(News) The NPD Group reported Tuesday that Apple’s iTunes Store is responsible for selling one in four songs in the United States.

Beyond HandBrake’s Defaults

(News) If you’re a Mac user interested in ripping your commercial DVDs to a format playable on an Apple TV, iPod, or iPhone, the free video transcoder, HandBrake 0.9.3…

Sony Moves E-reader Technology in the Right Direction

(News) I recently proclaimed the dangers of vendor lock-in in the nascent e-book reader market, so I was delighted this week to see Sony take a very positive step in…

Space Elevator: Science Fiction or Global Warming Cure?

(News) Researchers at a conference on Thursday discussed issues with building a space elevator.

Zensify for IPhone

(Reviews) Over the past two years, social networks have pretty much taken over the world. For some–especially among the younger generation–services such as Facebook and…

RealDVD Case & the Death of Fair Use

(News) Last April, when commenting on to the RealNetworks versus Media Giants case, I penned DVD Copying Case: Why You Should Care, I included these prescient words:

Injunction on Microsoft Word Unlikely to Halt Sales

(News) Microsoft received new fines and an injunction in a patent battle with i4i.

Tech Jargon Jumble

(News) Tech Jargon Jumble

Roku Player Adds Live MLB Streaming

(News) Roku on Monday announced that its $99 video player box, which previously played only Netflix and Amazon video content, would also support both live and…

Encyclopedia Britannica Loses Patent Ruling

(News) A Texas court ruled that two patents awarded to Encyclopedia Britannica are invalid.

Buckets for IPhone

(Reviews) Buckets, a $4 task-management app from Press Start, aims to help you take control of your task list. The app features some clever interface elements, but is…

What We’re Watching and Listening to Right Now

(News) With so many great songs and albums, TV shows, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks out there, it can be hard to figure out what’s worth watching or listening to…

Sonos Controller 200 (CR200)

(Reviews) Sonos, makers of the Sonos Multi-Room Music System ( Macworld rated 5 out of 5 mice ), made an interesting decision several months ago. The company chose to…

To-Do List for IPhone

(Reviews) For just $3, To-Do List serves as a handy tool that can keep you organized in a pinch. The interface is easy to use, so it won’t add to the confusion of your…

Dealing With Podcast Glut

(News) Sometimes it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Take podcasts, for example. They’re free and a lot of them offer great content. But they can take up a…

Apple’s Schiller Responds to Dictionary App Controversy

(News) We’ve become accustomed to the deafening sound of silence in response to criticism of the App Store, so it’s surprisingly gratifying that not only has Apple…

Make Sense of PC World’s ‘Find’ Numbers

(How To) Ever wondered about those numbers littered throughout the magazine? Here’s how they work, along with a software shortcut for using them.

Toshiba to Launch Fuel-cell Charger Soon

(News) Toshiba plans to launch an external battery charger based on a DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell) in the next two months, its new president said on Wednesday.

CheckSheet for IPhone

(Reviews) Today’s obsession with productivity has created a surplus of solutions promising to help us manage to-do lists. Included in that number is CheckSheet, a $3 app…

Intuit Offers Free Credit Card Processing App for IPhone

(News) QuickBooks maker Intuit on Tuesday announced the release of GoPayment, a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch designed to help businesses process…

Workamajig Releases Updates for IPhone Client

(News) Workamajig has updated the iPhone client for access to Workamajig Project Management Software to Version 10.0.2.7.

Android Moves Into Home Entertainment

(News) MIPS Technologies made the source code available to allow people to port Android applications to products running on MIPS chips.

Apple and U.K. Man Get Heated Over IPod Fire Claim

(News) Are iPods exploding all over the place? According to the Times Online, an iPod touch belonging to 11 year-old Ellie Stanborough of Liverpool, England, started…

Reports: RIAA Wins $675k in Damages From File Swapper

(News) Joel Tenenbaum was ordered to pay $22,500 each for 30 songs that he admitted to downloading and sharing.

Three Astronomy Apps for the IPhone

(News) With the recent news about outer space–the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, the July 15 Space Shuttle launch and today’s landing, the Jupiter impact–it’s…

Microsoft Plots Mobile Group Improvements

(News) Microsoft acknowledged to financial analysts that Windows Mobile has not performed well and it is working to turn that segment around.

Adapter Takes Mini DisplayPort Video, USB Audio to HDMI

(News) Apple’s new MacBooks and Mac minis come with snazzy Mini DisplayPort connectors, but if you want to hook one up to your HDTV via its HDMI port, Apple can’t…

PDF Reader Pro for IPhone

(Reviews) Does the iPhone really need a dedicated app for reading PDFs? After all, you can download them right from the phone’s Safari browser or when you receive a PDF…

Apple Re-enables Promo Codes for 17+ Apps

(News) At least one probably-unintended consequence of Apple’s recently imposed rating system for iPhone apps has been undone. An iPhone developer has confirmed to…

Twitterena for IPhone

(Reviews) The fact that the App Store boasts an already-crowded lineup of Twitter clients speaks to the exploding popularity of the microblogging service. Still, ask five…

Verizon Adds Hotspots to Consumer Broadband

(News) Verizon offered most of its wired broadband customers free access to Wi-Fi hotspots around the U.S.

Panasonic’s Tricycling Robot to Tackle Le Mans 24 Hours

(News) A Panasonic-developed tricycling robot will next week attempt to run around the Le Mans circuit for 24 hours on a single set of AA batteries.

Comics by Comixology on IPhone

(Reviews) The smell of fanboys is in the air in San Diego, and that can only mean one thing — it’s time for Comic-Con again. On Thursday, coinciding with the first day of…

Wi-Fi Group’s Basic Test Won’t Change With Final 11n

(News) The Wi-Fi Alliance will not change the basic requirements of its IEEE 802.11n certification process when the standard is finished later this year.

Apple Drops DRM Case Against Bluwiki

(News) The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Apple are standing down over a legal dispute involving the Web site Bluwiki. Apple is no longer going after…

MIT Electric Car May Rival Gas Models on Performance

(News) Inside a plain-looking garage on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s campus, undergraduate Radu Gogoana and his team of fellow students are working on a…

IPod Touch Ascendant as Traditional IPod Sales Fall

(News) Apple’s record-setting quarterly financial results, released Tuesday, point out that the economic and marketing powerhouse that was the iPod has been eclipsed…

IEEE 802.11n Heads for a Finish in September

(News) The IEEE is expected to make 802.11n into a formal wireless LAN standard in September.

How Much Would You Pay to Go Eye-to-eye With Gundam?

(News) An online charity auction that had been running all week ended Friday with a winning bid of ¥2.6M (US$27,742) to go up to the top of the Tokyo Gundam statue.

IBank Mobile Finance App Debuts for IPhone

(News) This week IGG Software debuted their online banking application iBank Mobile for the iPhone and iPod Touch. iBank Mobile is designed as a companion to IGG’s…

Taiwan’s Wicatch Turns Back the Clock to Offer Free Wi-Fi

(News) Wicatch is moving forward with plans to offer free Wi-Fi wireless Internet service in Taiwan despite looming competition from WiMax technology.

Computer Modeling Helps Build Sun-powered Stadium

(News) When the 8th World Games opens in Taiwan on Thursday, the event will inaugurate a bold new stadium designed not only to power, cool and water itself, but also to…

Microsoft Aims Windows Embedded at Smartbooks

(News) Microsoft plans to use Windows Embedded to combat rival operating systems in smartbooks and a number of other devices meant to always be connected to the…

PC Makers Less Upbeat Than Google About Chrome OS

(News) PC vendors Google listed as Chrome OS partners said they are merely evaluating whether to work with the OS

Todo+Cal+Sync for IPhone

(Reviews) There’s certainly no shortage of to-do list managers available in the App Store, but Todo+Cal+Sync tries to put its own spin on things with support for the…

What’s Goin Down 2.0 Adds New User Interface

(News) What’s Goin Down 2.0, from Random Ideas, is a new release of the “professional-grade” TCP server network monitoring tool for the iPhone. The $5 application…

Music: Then, Now, and Tomorrow

(News) I was taking a car trip a few weeks ago, driving from the village where I live in the French Alps to Aix-en-Provence and back, about a 6-hour drive round-trip…

8Bitone for IPhone

(Reviews) A few iPhone apps are just a bit… unworldly. Leaf Trombone ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ) is one example–it’s basically Guitar Hero with leaves. Shazam (…

Korean Operators Join Forces on New Mobile Services

(News) South Korean operators KT, SK Telecom and LG Telecom have become the first to launch mobile services based on the Rich Communication Suite.

ZigBee Develops Standard for Devices Without Batteries

(News) The ZigBee Alliance is working on a standard that will let products power themselves using energy harvesting techniques, it said on Monday.

Toyota Research Achieves Brain Control of Wheelchair

(News) Researchers at Toyota and government-affiliated Riken have developed a brain-machine interface that allows for control of a wheelchair using thought.

Avoid Facebook Disasters

(How To) Avoid Facebook Disasters

Lithium Ion Batteries Heating up Japan-Korea Trade Tensions

(News) Japan is threatening to complain to the World Trade Organization if South Korea goes through with plans to require certification for lithium ion batteries.

Bugs & Fixes: Apple TV Deletes Files

(News) You launch iTunes. It immediately recognizes that your Apple TV is connected and initiates a sync. Nothing unusual so far.

Asian Mobile Operators Team up for Android

(News) A group including some of Asia’s most powerful mobile phone operators launched a campaign to encourage Android application development.

WLAN Market Slammed, but 802.11n Gains

(News) Dell’Oro said wireless LAN sales plummeted worldwide in the first quarter of this year.

Mariner Calc 1.2 for IPhone

(Reviews) Back in March, I reviewed Mariner Calc 1.0 ( Macworld rated 2.5 out of 5 mice ), a program that lets you edit Excel spreadsheets on your iPhone or iPod touch. At…

Two Useful IChat 4.0 Features

(News) Here are a couple of basic little iChat features you may not have discovered just yet. I believe both of these features require iChat 4.0, which shipped with OS…

Toodledo for IPhone

(Reviews) I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve my productivity. I’ve tried many task managers and to-do lists in my day. Toodledo, a US$4 app from Toodledo…

Rambus Pulls Some Infringement Claims Against Nvidia

(News) Nvidia on Monday said Rambus had filed motions with the U.S. ITC to stop investigating claims of Nvidia’s alleged infringement on four patents.

QlikView for IPhone

(Reviews) The concept of “business intelligence” is a misnomer, depending on where you work. Even with ubiquitous connections and vast storage, finding data about a…

Ming Dynasty Vase With Intel Atom, Anyone?

(News) ECS built a nifty living room computer based on Intel Atom processors camouflaged as a blue and white Ming Dynasty vase.

Mac News Briefs: LaCie Intros Home Media Players

(News) LaCie has released a pair of wireless high-definition media players aimed at allowing users to access and play content from their HD televisions.

Windows Server 2008 R2 to Be Released in October

(News) Microsoft said on Wednesday that its latest server product, Windows Server 2008 R2, will be broadly available on Oct. 22, the same time as Windows 7.

London ‘Pod Theft’ Signs Warn of Risky Streets

(News) It looks like the officials of the Lambeth borough of London are fed up with the rampant “pod” theft that’s been plaguing their region. Streets known to be…

Xbox 360 Service Improvements Put Apple TV to Shame

(News) Microsoft’s new plans to enhance its Xbox 360 video game console’s potential as a home entertainment hub may ultimately put pressure on Apple to improve the…

Quickoffice Files for IPhone

(Reviews) Quickoffice Files for IPhone

DSLR Camera Remote for IPhone Controls Canon Digital Cameras

(News) OnOne Software on Monday introduced DSLR Camera Remote for iPhone, an iPhone or iPod touch application that lets you control a Canon EOS digital camera tethered…

Zune HD = IPod Touch? Uh, No….

(News) Blame it on the rain, the resulting muck and mire, or the redwood curtain that separates Cupertino from Redmond, but it appears that news travels very slowly…

Microsoft’s Zune HD Coming in Fall With OLED, HD Radio

(News) Microsoft’s Zune HD Coming in Fall With OLED, HD Radio

Judge Weighs Testimony in RealDVD Copy Case

(News) Preliminary testimony has ended in the RealDVD case.